Crossmichael Parent Council Meeting
Via Zoom
Monday 11th May 2020 7pm
AGM
Apologies
Carly Wilson, Marcella Eakin-Watt, Jenny Wilson, Michelle Robertson
Attendees
Head Teacher Mary Lidstone-Scott, Chair Gilli Hodson, Vice Chair Ben Wild,
Treasurer Shani McMiken, Secretary Susan Hall, Jackie Kernahan, Derek Kernahan,
Heidi Gunther, Louise Cumbley, Debs Nelson, Kim Glover, Zara Gell, Laura Fairburn,
Approval of minutes from 2019 AGM
It was agreed the minutes were a true and accurate account of the 2019 AGM
Proposed Gilli Hodson
Seconded Shani McMiken
Chairperson’s Report
We have achieved a lot this year all things considered.
End of term BBQ, successful Bingo Night, set up a generic email address for Parent Council: crossmichaelparentcouncil@gmail.com; PC payed for children to go to Panto at the Fullerton, crackers and gifts for Christmas.
We have completed an application for funding for an outdoor learning facility which was done with the help of Shani McMiken, Lucy Wilson, Debs Nelson and Gilli Hodson.
The constitution has been updated by Shani McMiken and was more complicated than first thought but is now in line with Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisation’s constitution template and should therefore put us in a stronger position when applying for funding/grants in the future.
The council have requested a copy of our minutes, constitution and a list of office bearer to be with them by 28th May and a copy of finances to be sent to them before end of July.
Gilli thanked Susan Hall for her huge contribution to the Parent Council and the school in general over the years and that we are all very sad that she will be leaving us at the end of this year!
Head Teacher’s Report
School Improvement Plan
- We will be carrying over our priorities into 2020/ 2021
- Up until the school closures on 20th March we were making good progress:
- Closing the Literacy Gap: PEF funding used to pay for training, resources, and a Learning Assistant to implement an eight-week targeted 1:1 intervention with several pupils from December. Each of these pupils has made significant gains in their spelling age and reading age and it has enabled them to re-join literacy groups at a higher level than before.
- Literacy and Language Programmes: Teachers continue to revise curricular programmes in Literacy and Language so that there is consistency in listening & talking, reading, and writing.
- Positive Relationships and Anti-Bullying Policy: Created for Castle Douglas High School Cluster schools. This now needs to be tweaked to suit our partnership schools and a user-friendly leaflet created for all.
- CDHS Cluster also provided training for teachers in Technologies (ICT, Digital Literacy, Food Technology and Craft, Design and Technologies) and in Numeracy.
Staffing
- Staffing has remained consistent this year with Mrs Glover teaching 4 days in P1-3, Mrs Burton and Mrs Stevens in P3-5 and Miss Seivwright and Mrs Stevens in P5-7.
- Mrs Wilson resigned in December after a period of long-term absence.
- Learning Assistant, Mrs B Jennings began to work full time with us in January.
- Our Catering Assistant, Mrs Rosie Porteous left us in Term 3.
- Mrs M Martin was successful in securing a post as a Nursery Nurse but remains with us at present.
Attainment
| Crossmichael Achievement of a Level
Predictions for June 2020: |
||||
| Numeracy | On Target
(June 2020) |
Not on Target
(June 2020) |
||
| P1 | 12/12 | 100% | 0/12 | 0% |
| P4 | 12/15 | 80% | 3/15 | 20% |
| P7 | 12/12 | 100% | 0/12 | 0% |
| Listening & Talking | On Target
(June 2020) |
Not on Target
(June 2020) |
||
| P1 | 8/12 | 67% | 4/12 | 33% |
| P4 | 12/15 | 80% | 3/15 | 20% |
| P7 | 12/12 | 100% | 0/12 | 0% |
| Reading
|
On Target
(June 2020) |
Not on Target
(June 2020) |
||
| P1 | 10/12 | 83% | 2/12 | 17% |
| P4 | 13/15 | 87% | 2/15 | 13% |
| P7 | 9/12 | 75% | 3/12 | 25% |
| Writing
|
On Target
(June 2020) |
Not on Target
(June 2020) |
||
| P1 | 10/12 | 83% | 2/12 | 17% |
| P4 | 12/15 | 80% | 3/15 | 20% |
| P7 | 9/12 | 75% | 3/12 | 25% |
- Consistency in teaching and the interventions that we are putting in place are impacting positively on attainment.
- Children who are not on track to achieve their expected CfE Level have interventions in place to support them and we are looking at ways of supporting these children as they learn from home. (E.g. ‘Literacy Ladders’ resource)
Achievements
- Some P7s working at 3rd Level of Curriculum for Excellence, engaged in maths lessons with Miss Fulton from CDHS
- We also had Shalla Gray work with P5-7s on the Biosphere Explorers Project culmunating in a visit to Tongland Power Station.
- We entered the Land Art competition for the Tour of Britain and gained 75K votes!
- Pupils raised money for our outdoor area by completing a sponsored Autumn Walk and soup and sweet with families.
- We entered a team into the Stewartry Dance Competition and won the ‘Best Technical Dance’ category.
- Pupils showcased their learning at two achievement assemblies and an open day.
- The Parent Council hosted a Bingo Night in the Village Hall. It was well attended and feedback was extremely positive with many parents asking for a repeat performance!
- We attendedthe pantomime, Cinderella at the Fullarton Theatre.
- Pupils participated in a variety of sporting events including Jigs and Reels, curling, golf sessions, rugby with J Muir, football sessions, cross country, orienteering with Solway Orienteers, and multi-sports.
- A variety of after school clubs were on offer.
- Kate Picken completed a three-week block on singing games with P1-3
- David Kerr began teaching Spanish to P5-7 pupils.
- P7s attended an information evening about CDHS
- Pupils celebrated World Book Day on 5th March involving a Book Swap with local Primary Schools and decorating potatoes
Communication
- Communication has improved with the introduction of the new website and blog.
- Other methods of communication are emails, class Facebook pages, Group Call text messages, telephone, and face to face meetings.
School Roll
- We have 83 pupils wishing to attend in August 2020 and were given permission to have a Portacabin erected to accommodate all catchment pupils.
Treasurers Report
Parent Council Income and Expenditure 2019/2020
Opening Balance @ Bank £1,937.10
Income
28/06/2019 Return of float £200.00
28/06/2019 BBQ income £446.38
12/11/2019 D & G Council PC funding £174.40
18/11/2019 Bingo income (including float £200) £851.15
Expenditure
27/06/2019 Cash for BBQ float £200.00
27/06/2019 BBQ meat £100.00
Crossmichael Primary School Dynamic Earth
school trip £428.25
Crossmichael Primary school leavers
gifts, hoodies and ties £140.50
10/09/2019 D & G Council return of PC funding £150.00
04/11/2019 Halloween party expenses £74.30
15/11/2019 Float for bingo night £200.00
29/11/2019 Crossmichael village hall hire for bingo £25.00
05/12/2019 Christmas crackers and Christmas gifts £90.25
08/01/2020 The Fullerton panto £553.00
30/03/2020 D & G Council School let (Easter Fair) £10.00
Closing Balance @ Bank £1,637.73
Election Of Office Bearers 2020/2021
Chair Gilli Hodson Proposed Susan Hall Seconded Shani McMiken
Vice Chair Ben Wild Proposed Gilli Hodson Seconded Jackie Kernahan
Secretary Debs Nelson Proposed Louise Cumbley Seconded Heidi Gunther
Treasurer Shani McMiken Proposed Susan Hall Seconded Kim Glover
Approval and resolution of amended constitution
The proposed amendments were changing the word “board” to “Committee” throughout the constitution to make it sound less corporate and more in keeping with a Parent Council.
Also proposed was removing the reference to the board (now Committee) being just the office bearers as that seemed quite exclusive.
It had been considered exclusive limiting the membership to 15 despite this being the norm in lots of Parent Council constitutions and it was agreed to remove this.
Also in the constitution rather than referring to Members’s meetings it might be clearer to amend this to refer to them as Parent Council meetings (which is what we call them generally) throughout the document it will not change the substance of the constitution in any way.
The proposed amended constitution had been circulated to the Parent Forum with the notice about the AGM which allowed a reasonable time for members of the Parent Forum to respond and no responses had been received, all attendees at the meeting consented to the amendments which were
Proposed Jackie Kernahan
Seconded Kim Glover
We can circulate constitution with changes before the next Members/ parent council meeting
AOB
Mary was asked a few questions about home schooling, the new porta cabin and P7’s end of term options. A discussion was had by all.
The Parent Council offered to help the school in any way it can to deal with the current circumstances.
Meeting closed at 8.30pm
Date of Next Meetings
Next PC Meeting will be 7pm Monday 8th June 2020 Via Zoom
Next AGM Monday 10th May at 7pm 2021
