Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

Remembrance Day

Some of our older pupils have written poems on poppies and have laid these at the war memorial in the village.  On Wednesday, we will have a two minute silence at 11am and pupils will be learning more about Remembrance Day by completing activities in their classrooms.  Thank you to those who have provided donations to wear poppies.  These are still available in school.

Physical Education in Schools – Covid-19 Update

New advice from Scottish Government is that children can now participate in indoor PE lessons providing that necessary precautions are taken.   Activities will be planned to minimise the use of equipment as this is deemed to be safer for pupils.  Any equipment used needs to be cleaned and sanitised between lessons.

Music in Schools – Covid-19 Update

Music lessons can take place outdoors or under a gazebo (with open sides or equivalent) with appropriate physical distancing where possible.  There must be no sharing of musical instruments between learners in class.  Pupils should wash hands before and after touching any equipment.  Equipment must be cleaned and sanitised between lessons.

Face Coverings in Schools – Covid-19 Update

Face coverings should be worn by adults where they cannot keep two metres from other adults and / or children and young people.  Face coverings should be used by adults when not working directly with children, for example when moving around settings or when in staff rooms, administrative areas or canteens across all school settings.

We continue to ask that adults wear face coverings when dropping off/ collecting your child from school.

Ventilation in Schools – Covid-19 Update

Where practical, windows should be opened at least 15 mins prior to the room being used.  External doors do not require to be wide open. Doors and windows should be partially opened to provide ventilation while reducing draughts.   Internal doors will be kept open unless they are fire doors.  Seating arrangements will be reviewed in classrooms to ensure that pupils are not sitting in a draught.   The wearing of school uniform will be relaxed so that warmer clothing can be worn.  Indoor heating will be adjusted to compensate for cold air flow from outside.

Reporting to Parents

We normally hold parental consultations in November but due to the pandemic these will be carried out differently this year.  Instead of ‘face to face’ or telephone consultations, teachers will provide parents with information via email.  If any parents/ guardians wish to speak to the teacher then they can contact the school office and make a telephone appointment.

Communication

If you are having issues with receiving group texts or emails from school then please contact the relevant school office:

gw08officecrossmicha@ea.dumgal.sch.uk

01556 670282

gw08officegelston@ea.dumgal.sch.uk

01556 502415

We no longer use the Expressions app in our schools.

You may communicate via telephone, email or the blog.

You can also access our class Facebook pages to find out more about what has been happening in class.

If you wish to contact me directly then please telephone me on 07741 686730.

Parent Council

Our next meeting is via ZOOM on Monday 16th November at 7pm.  Please see the update below from our Chairperson, Gilli Hodson.

Best wishes

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

1. Attendees
2. Apologies
3. Minutes of Last Meeting: approval and matters arising
4. Chairperson’s report
5. Treasurer’s report
6. Head Teacher’s report
7. Fundraising
8. Update on Outdoor Learning Shelter
9. Update on Safer Routes to school
10. Expressions App/emails
11. Christmas
12. AOB
13. Date for next meeting

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael Primary School,

Covid- 19 Updates to Risk Assessments

At school we have been updating our risk assessments.  It is likely that in the future there may be times when some pupils or a class has to isolate.  So that we can minimise the number of pupils who may have to isolate in the event of someone testing positive, we have made some changes.

The school playground is now divided into two ‘zones’ with P1/2 and P2-4 playing at the back of the school (supervised by Mrs Jennings and Mrs Stitt) and P4/5 and P6/7 at the front of the school (supervised by Mrs Cowan and Mrs Clifton).  Mr McWilliam (janitor) will also be in the playground.  Pupils should make their way to their zone when they arrive at school in the morning.  Pupils will play in their zones during play time and lunch time.

At lunch time, we have two sittings.  The first sitting is at 12pm for P4/5 and P6/7 (supervised by Mrs Cowan and Mrs Clifton).  The second sitting is at 12.30pm for P1/2 and P2-4 (supervised by Mrs Jennings and Mrs Stitt).  Pupils will sit at tables with their classmates.  Tables are wiped down between sittings.

Pupils who travel to and from school by bus, should ensure that P4/5 and P6/7 pupils sit at the back of the bus and P1/2 and P2-4 pupils at the front of the bus.

I have spoken to our children about this very sensitively.

I explained that adults are wearing masks because we are following advice from the Scottish Government.  We do not want to spread germs like coronavirus.

I explained that if someone in the class tested positive for Covid-19 then it was likely that the whole class would have to be sent home to isolate (dependent on advice from the Public Health Team).  If classes mix together then more of us would have to be sent home and we don’t want that to happen.  This is why we are minimising contact between class ‘bubbles’.

At lunch time and in the playground, we have two classes who are mixing together but they are not sitting together and are outside when playing so the likelihood of spreading germs to each other is reduced.

I finished by reminding pupils that they have control in helping us to stop coronavirus from spreading.  I reminded them of how fantastic they are at washing hands, using hand gel and staying in their class bubbles.

At the end I asked pupils to show me how anxious/ worried they were feeling by raising their thumbs up, down or in the middle.  It is interesting to note that approximately quarter of our children are feeling confident, half are feeling a bit worried and a quarter are feeling very anxious.  I then listened to their questions and answered them.  They said they felt more settled afterwards.

We will continue to reassure pupils in school but it may be helpful for parents. guardians to look again at the resources available to support children.  You can find some helpful resources on our Partnership Schools’ Blog:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/dg/candg/advice-page-coronavirus-support/

As always, please contact the school if you wish to discuss anything further.

Best wishes,

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael Primary School,

I am delighted to say that our children had a wonderful time on Friday for Halloween.  Everyone looked amazing!  Mrs Pringle provided a spooky Halloween lunch and pupils participated in Halloween activities in class in the afternoon.  Thank you to everyone who donated towards school funds.  We raised £53.  Here are some photographs of our children (others on class Facebook pages):

Face Coverings in Schools

After the announcement on Friday (see previous blog post) , I am pleased to say that staff and pupils have adapted well to seeing adults wearing face coverings in school.  Please remember to wear face coverings when dropping off or picking up your child at the gates or when entering the playground.

Pupils to Wear an Extra Layer of Clothing

As the weather becomes colder, we ask that pupils bring an extra layer of clothing to wear in school.  This does not have to be school uniform.  Current guidelines are that rooms should be well ventilated to suppress transmission of the virus.  Although we will try to maintain a comfortable temperature, windows will be open so pupils may be more comfortable with an extra fleece/ jumper to keep them warm.

Covid-19 Updates

As we approach the winter months, it is likely that there will be an increase in the reported cases of Covid-19 in our community.

Please can I remind you that you should not come in to school if you:

• Have coronavirus (Covid-19) symptoms
• Have tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) in the past 10 days
• Are in a household with individuals who have been tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19) in the last 14 days
• Have been contacted through the Test and Protect programme and been advised to stay at home.

The three standard symptoms of coronavirus (Covid-19) are:

• Fever
• New/ Continuous cough
• Change in sense of taste or smell

Please look after yourselves and rest assured that we are taking all reasonable precautions to ensure that your children and staff are safe in school.

Best wishes,

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

Face Coverings (Adults) – from Monday 2^nd November

The Scottish Government has issued updated guidance to all schools this afternoon which includes a change to the guidance on the wearing of face coverings for adults (staff, parents and visitors) in Primary Schools. (Primaries will now have the same procedures as Secondary schools).

From Monday 2^nd

a) Face coverings should be worn by adults wherever they cannot keep 2m distance with other adults and/or children and young people in or out of the classroom.

b) At all times, when moving around the school, adults should wear a face covering e.g. in corridors, office areas and staff rooms.

c) Face coverings should be worn by parents and other visitors to all school sites (whether entering the building or school grounds), including parents at drop-off and pick-up.

The update guidance applies to all adults and face coverings will now need to be worn unless there is an exemption.

The advice for children has not changed and there is no need for children to wear face coverings but are welcome to wear one if they wish when moving about the school.

We have tried to keep our routines as normal as possible but, from Monday, the wearing of face coverings in the playground by adults and when moving about the school will be introduced and could I please ask that you share this news with your child(ren) so that they will be aware of this change in time for Monday.

Thank you for your support and patience as the new Scottish Government guidance filters down to school level.  Please remember to wear a face covering when dropping off and collecting your child(ren).  This will help to keep us all safe.

Best wishes,

Mary E. Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael Primary School,

Welcome back to our second term of 2020/2021.  I hope that you had a restful time during the October holidays.

Class Newsletters

Teachers will be sending class newsletters home in the next few weeks so that you have some information about what your child is learning in school this term.

Remembrance Day Poppies

We will be distributing poppies to pupils for a small donation.  The poppies have been quarantined for three days and will be handed out using gloves.  Pupils should bring in a donation from tomorrow.

Parent Council Halloween Word Scramble

The deadline for the Halloween Word Scramble competition is tomorrow. Completed Halloween Word Scrambles should be placed in an envelope together with a donation and returned to school or to the village shop by tomorrow, Tuesday, 27th October.

Friday 30^th October – Halloween Costumes/ Non-Uniform Day – £1

On Friday we are having a non-uniform day for a suggested donation of £1 towards school funds.  Pupils (and staff) can wear Halloween costumes or casual clothes.  Please do not send your child to school with a mask or face paint to avoid the risk of cross contamination.  Pupils will engage in Covid-safe Halloween activities in the afternoon.

Ventilation and Wearing Extra Clothing in School

Schools have been advised to ensure that there is adequate ventilation to minimise the spread of Covid-19.  We must also keep classrooms as comfortable as possible.  Classrooms will be heated but windows will be partially open to allow for air flow.  We ask that pupils bring in an extra jumper or fleece (not necessarily uniform) to keep them warm this term.

Flu Vaccinations

Children will receive flu vaccinations on Wednesday afternoon.

Parent Council Tea Towel Fundraiser

Each child in school has drawn a portrait to be included on a Crossmichael Primary School Tea Towel.  Our Parent Council plan to sell the tea towels before Christmas.  Information about ordering them will follow shortly.  Thank you to everyone who took part in our survey before the October holidays.

If you wish to discuss anything further then please contact us via the school office email.   You may also contact me on 07741 686730 if required.

Best wishes

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael Primary School,

Here are a few additional items for this week’s blog.

Parent Council Halloween Word Scramble

A message from our Parent Council:

“Please find attached a Halloween Word Scramble for you to print off as many times as you wish and give to all your family, friends and relatives! Printed copies are available at Crossmichael village shop.

Crossmichael Primary School Fundraiser

Crossmichael Community Woodland

Crossmichael Community Council are looking for volunteers to help clean up the woodland or to borrow equipment (strimmers, mowers, etc.).  If you can help then please contact Lindsay@catstrand.com

Castle Douglas Development Forum Survey

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/DP3X5T7

Information About PE Lessons

Here are the latest PE guidelines (10th October 2020) posted by Education Scotland and taking into account the advice from Scottish Government.  I understand that some parents were asking about what PE provision is happening in school and I hope that this offers some explanation.

pe-guidelines-05-10-20

Have a wonderful October holiday.

Best wishes,

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael Primary School,

I hope this newsletter finds you well.

On Friday we emailed you with ‘Covid-19 Schools Information for Parents and Guardians’ .  This should help to answer any questions you may have about how we manage Covid-19 in school.   A copy can be found here:

COVID advice for parents (1)

School Holidays

Please remember that schools close for two weeks for the October holidays from Monday 12th October – Friday 23rd October.  I wish you all a restful break.

Covid-19 Related Health and Safety

We have 84 pupils in Crossmichael Primary School.  We have tried to minimise contact between children and adults from different classes within the school building.

We have several measures in place to minimise the movement of pupils inside the school buildings. E.g. Each class stays within their classroom in the building.  Pupils enter and exit from separate doors.  They share toilet facilities but they wash hands before and after leaving the classroom.  We have staggered lunches too.

Within each class, pupils do mix with each other in different groupings.  They do not remain seated at their desks all day.  We ensure regular hand washing before and after completing group tasks or before entering/ exiting the room.

Pupils can mix together in the playground although staggered lunch times reduce contact between pupils.

We have a strict cleaning schedule in place where the school is thoroughly cleaned at the end of each day and touch points are cleaned twice throughout the course of the day.

There have been implications for staff too with us trying to minimise movement between classrooms during one day and also between schools.

Attainment and Achievement

We have spent a considerable amount of time gathering assessment evidence to find out exactly where learners are and to identify their next steps in learning.  The school closures have had an impact on learning but we are able to move forward now that we have the evidence required.  Mrs Hermon, our Additional Support for Learning Teacher, has been helping to advise us on programmes of work for individuals.

In addition to this we have been supporting pupils with their health and wellbeing needs.  We now have strategies and support in place to help those pupils who have really struggled with the transition back into school.

On the whole, we are delighted with how well our pupils have settled back in to school this term.

Additional Support for Learning

In Crossmichael, we have approximately 30% of learners with additional support for learning needs.  We are very fortunate across our partnership schools that we have enough Learning Assistant hours to support pupils.  In Crossmichael, we have the equivalent of two full time Learning Assistants and one part time Learning Assistant (3 days) – Mrs Stitt, Mrs Cowan and Mrs Jennings.  Across the partnership schools, we also have a full time Learning Assistant, funded by Pupil Equity Funding, whose remit is to raise attainment through targeted interventions in Literacy and Numeracy – Mrs Clifton.

I meet with staff every term and we review and revise timetables to ensure that pupils are targeted appropriately and effectively.

Playground Developments

Our outdoor classroom is being built and it looks amazing!  Our Portakabin is also fully operational after a slight delay.

Pupils are keen to develop our playground.  Mrs Cowan (Learning Assistant) is working with two small groups of children who are leading this.  Their focus is on nurture and developing resilience, team-building, cooperation and life skills.  The children are documenting their learning in a Big Book.  They had a meeting with me last week where they shared their ideas and showed me maps, drawings and letters outlining their ideas for the playground.   They hope to reuse and recycle items as much as possible and are going to approach local businesses for donations.

We would like some parents/ carers to help us by applying for more grants to help fund some of the bigger items mentioned such as a pirate ship.

Finances and Resources

We bought a 12” x 10” wooden shed last year as we had little storage space.  This cost £1800 and used up a huge chunk of our school funds.  We now have very little money left in school to pay for school developments.

The First News literacy resource is proving to be very popular, particularly with our reluctant readers!  Thank you to the Parent Council for purchasing our subscription for this excellent resource.

We are looking for funding to buy more ICT devices for school.  I have contacted our Support Services Manager, Business Infrastructure to find out if we can source devices ourselves.  We need laptops for pupils and a computer in the staff room for teachers.  We had to put our staff room computer in the Portakabin.  This means that teachers often need to return home to complete their paperwork due to lack of devices.

Pupil Groups

We have elected House and Vice-Captains who are responsible for a rota of playground games.  We hope to reinstate our Pupil Council, Health Group, Eco-Schools Group and Blogging Group after the holidays.

Reporting to Parents

Teachers will be sending an email to all parents/ carers before the October holidays with a brief update of how your child is getting on since returning to school in August.  Please contact your child’s teacher via email if you wish to find out more information.

Once again, thank you for your support this term!

Best wishes,

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael Primary School,

It has been a particularly busy week across the partnership schools so I apologise for not updating the blog with a newsletter last Monday.

Portakabin Update

I am delighted to tell you that the Portakabin is finally ready and our P2-4 class are moving in this week.

Outdoor Classroom Update

Our Parent Council were awarded a grant of £10K from the Blackcraig Windfarm Community Fund so that we can build a wooden outdoor classroom and place a gate at the top of the playground leading into the community woodland area.

Iain Hall Joinery will be erecting an octagonal structure that will be built with wood, shingle tiles and shatterproof glass.  It will have doors to keep out the wind and rain if required. It will be positioned behind the community playpark and will have a path leading to and from it.

We are very excited to see the end result and it is extra special because Iain is a parent at the school.

Playground Developments

I have listened to our pupils and they have asked for more play areas within our playground.  We are keen to use materials that are low cost and local.  Pupils have been looking at some ideas. Two groups have been working with our Learning Assistant, Mrs Cowan, and have begun to plan ideas in a ‘Big Book’.  They plan to contact local businesses to ask for donations of paint, tyres, sand, gravel, black silage sheeting, tarpaulin,  wooden pallets, wood, etc. so that they can build play areas.  I created one play area last weekend and I worked with groups of pupils last week to paint benches and the sheds.  Here are some examples of play areas that the children have looked at:

Here are some photographs of pupils from last week:

If you have any items seen in these pictures that you could donate to school then please contact us.  (We are always looking for small cars and other vehicles!)

Other Learning

Please remember to look at the class Facebook groups for more updates on what your child has been learning.  Here is an example from P4/5:

Parent Council Meeting

Our next Parent Council meeting is on Monday 5th October at 7pm via the ZOOM app.  We will be discussing a Christmas fundraiser.  If you wish to attend or if you have an item for the agenda then please email crossmichaelparentcouncil@gmail.com .  We look forward to seeing you online.

Best wishes,

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael Primary School,

Learning at Home when Isolating due to Covid-19 Symptoms

If your child needs to stay at home because they are exhibiting one of the three Covid-19 symptoms (new, continuous cough/ fever/ loss of taste or sense of smell) then the school will make contact with you every week to check in with you.  This will normally be a telephone call from the Principal Teacher or Headteacher.

If your child is feeling well enough to complete some learning at home then the class teacher will provide work for him/her via email, or paper copies will be made available.

School Chromebooks Borrowed by Children

During ‘lockdown’ we gave some children a school ‘Chromebook’ laptop so that they could access learning online.  These laptops belong to the partnership schools.  We now need to gather them back in to schools for pupils to use.  These can be borrowed again if required.  Please return the Chromebooks with the power cords (and dongles if you received one).

Reporting to Parents

This term, each teacher will email you a brief summary of your child’s strengths and next steps in learning.  We understand that many of you are anxious to find out if your child has any gaps in their learning as a result of the school closures.  We hope that this summary will provide you with this information.  You may contact class teachers via email if you have any questions or concerns.

House Captains and Vice-Captains Elected

Congratulations to our P6 and P7 pupils who recorded their speeches outlining why they would make a good House/ Vice-Captain.  All pupils have voted and the results are:

Congratulations to you all!

Parent Council Meeting – Monday 5th October

We are having a Parent Council Meeting via the ZOOM app on Monday 5th October at 7pm.  Please email our Chairperson, Mrs Gilli Hodson, at crossmichaelparentcouncil@gmail.com so that we can send you a user ID and password.  We will be discussing a Christmas fundraiser.

Best wishes,

Mary E Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher