Dear Families and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

I hope that you have had a wonderful summer enjoying the glorious sunshine.   It has been lovely to see everyone enjoying themselves as the coronavirus restrictions begin to relax even further.

 

Return to School and Covid-19 Health and Safety Requirements

When pupils return to school on Thursday 19th August, we will be continuing with the same safety measures in place as before the summer holidays.  This includes regular hand washing and the use of hand sanitiser.

 

We ask that all parents wear masks on arrival and departure from school and that no adults enter the playground unless by prior appointment.  (P1 parents are permitted to accompany their children to the P1 entrance until they settle but unfortunately, we cannot ask you to come into the school building yet.)  Pupils should continue to wear face masks on public transport/ school transport.

 

Classes will continue to line up at their designated door – P1-3 at the main school office entrance and P4-7 at the entrance nearest their classroom.  The playground will not be zoned and pupils may play freely together outside.

 

Bikeability Certificates

I am delighted to announce that all previous P7 pupils passed their Bikeability training and will be receiving certificates as soon as possible.  I apologise for the delay in getting these to our pupils and I wish them the best of luck at secondary school.

 

Free School Meals for P1-4 from August

It was announced in June that the Scottish Government and local authority partners reached agreement to introduce universal free school lunches for primary 4 and 5 children and targeted support during school holidays for all eligible primary and secondary children and young people. (Read more Free school meals – gov.scot (www.gov.scot))

In Dumfries and Galloway, this will mean that ALL Primary 4 children will be eligible for FREE school meals during term time from the return to school in August and that Primary 5 children will be eligible from the start of January 2022.

Further information regarding the targeted support during school holidays for all eligible primary and secondary children and young people will follow in due course.

0268-20_School_meals_April_2021

Click here for free school meals information

Click here for School Clothing Grants

 

Change of Name – Headteacher

I have decided to revert back to my maiden name so from now on I will be known as Miss Mary Cruickshanks instead of Mrs Mary Lidstone-Scott.  I hope this does not cause too much confusion.

 

We look forward to welcoming staff back on 18th August and pupils when they return on 19th August.

 

Best wishes,

Mary E Cruickshanks

Headteacher

Dear Families and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

Reflecting on the Year

Our school year is coming to an end which gives us the chance to reflect on everything that we have accomplished this session.

 

In August, our pupils returned to school and learned to adapt to health and safety requirements and changes to routines caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.  We enjoyed being back together again and although we had to rethink Halloween and Christmas celebrations, we were still able to have fun!

 

In January, the schools were closed again until 22^nd February when our P1-3 pupils returned, closely followed by our P4-7 pupils on 15^th March.  Our children, staff and parents adapted once again to remote learning and enjoyed seeing each other on video calls via Microsoft TEAMS.

 

After a well deserved Easter holiday, all pupils returned for term 4.  Across our schools we have had, two sports days, two Fun Days, our P6/7 pupils visited the Galloway Activity Centre and we are having two end of term assemblies this week.  Unfortunately, parents are not yet allowed access to school but we have enjoyed keeping lines of communication open via our closed class Facebook pages, the school blogs, via telephone and email.  Our P7 pupils and new P1 pupils have been involved in transition activities too.

 

I wish our Primary 7 pupils well as they transition to secondary school.  It has been a pleasure to work with them and their families.  I wish you all every success in the future!

 

I would like to thank pupils, parents and staff for all their hard work this year.  I feel so proud to be your Headteacher.

 

End of Year Pupil Progress Reports

On Friday, we sent you a copy of your child’s end of year report along with a letter explaining the curricular levels.  It would be useful to gather some feedback about the layout and content of the reports.  Please feel free to email your comments to your child’s teacher or to the school office email address.

 

Dangers of Starting Fires and Hoax Calls

Here is a message from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service:

“The school holidays are coming up and you may be looking to do lots of fun, exciting things. However, please do not be tempted to start any fires. Even if you think a fire is just a small one they can grow very, very quickly and you or your friends may get injured. You might also damage property or kill wildlife.

Never make hoax calls either as this will take fire engines away from being able to help someone who is in real trouble – at a fire or in a road accident.

If you start any fires yourself they are called deliberate fires. These are dangerous and we will tell the Police about them and they will investigate them. If you make hoax calls we will know who you are and we will pass that on to the Police as well.

However, if you see a fire that is unattended please phone 999 or tell an adult. You will never get into trouble for being honest.

Have a safe and fun holiday.”

 

School Holidays

Schools are closed to pupils from Monday 28^th June until Thursday 19^th August.  (Staff return on Wednesday 18^th August for a training day.)  We wish everyone a lovely holiday!

 

Best wishes

Mary Cruickshanks (formerly Mary Lidstone-Scott)

Headteacher

Dear Families and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

I am delighted to report that Dumfries and Galloway are moving to Level 1 of Covid-19 restrictions on 1st June.  We received updated guidance from D&G Council today.  Please see the communication below.

 

Communication from D&G Council Regarding Covid-19 and End of Term Events

“Our Council’s Education and Learning department has been working for over a year to make our schools safe places for everyone to work and learn.  Throughout this time, we have been interpreting the Scottish Government’s guidance, establishing safe ways of working, undertaking risk assessments and putting in measures in our classrooms that allow all our teaching staff and pupils to learn safely every day.

 

We are now starting to experience the reduction of some restrictions within our daily lives.  Within our school communities, we are also starting to see the return to some normal activities.  However, we have a planned and cautious approach to ensure the safety of everyone.

 

There are still COVID-19 cases within a number of communities within Dumfries and Galloway.  Some areas have been hit hard and just this week, we have experienced large numbers of pupils and staff having to self-isolate and return to online learning at this time.  This has been a sharp reminder to us just of how quickly the virus can spread and impact our communities.

 

Therefore, the decision has been made (in conjunction with our partners and our Trade Union colleagues) that school leavers events and end of year celebrations will not go ahead this year.  We know that this will be disappointing but we hope that you understand our position.  Our priority has to be the safety of all our school communities.  By removing the need for individuals to come together, we can reduce the opportunity for the virus to spread and in doing so, keep everyone safe.”

 

Sadly, I can no longer invite our P7 parents to an outdoor end of term assembly as previously hoped.  Although we are very disappointed by this, we do understand the importance of keeping everyone safe.

 

Dates for Your Diary – GELSTON

Thursday 10th June	Sports Day Sports day will go ahead as normal for pupils with Active Schools there to support us.  Unfortunately, we cannot invite parents to spectate but we will keep you updated via the blog or class Facebook pages.
Thursday 17th June from 09:30-16:30	P6 and P7 pupils to the Galloway Activity Centre The school will pay for your child(ren) to attend this trip at a cost of £45 per head.  Further details will follow but we are asking for parents to transport their own children to and from the GAC today.
Friday 18th June	Primary 7 pupils to visit Castle Douglas High School P7 pupils will be taken by minibus to CDHS in the morning and will return before lunch time.
Monday 21st June	Fun Day and Picnic We plan to have a fun filled day in the school grounds with a picnic lunch (from home or school).  We aim to have a variety of activities in place for all pupils to enjoy!
Thursday 24th June from 2-3pm	End of Year Assembly Individual assemblies will be held in class via Microsoft TEAMS.

 

 

Classes and Staffing for August 2021

Here are details of classes and teachers for Crossmichael Primary School:

P1/2 – Mrs Marscheider

P3/4 – Miss Drummond

P4-6 – Mrs Glover

P6/7 – Mrs Stevens

Mrs Burton is reducing her contract to three days a week and will be providing Reduction in Class Contact Time (RICCT) and Senior Management Time (SMT) cover.

 

Here are details of classes and teachers for Gelston Primary School:

P1-3 – Miss Todd (Mondays) and Miss Scott (Tuesdays – Fridays)

P4-7 – Miss Reid (Mondays-Thursdays) and Mrs Maxwell (Fridays)

 

Miss Todd and Mrs Bielinski will provide Reduction in Class Contact Time (RICCT) and Senior Management Time (SMT) cover.

 

In our schools we organise our curriculum so that all pupils are focusing on the same bundles of curricular experiences and outcomes at the same time.  Pupils are taught according to which curricular level that they are working at rather than completing ‘P4’ work or ‘P6’ work.  This means that there are no ceilings put on a child’s learning.  Each child in our partnership schools is taught according to their own learning needs so that they are appropriately challenged.  Registration classes are necessary because we only have capacity for 25 pupils to be in each multi-composite class.  In our schools no child is ever ‘kept back’.

 

Pupil Progress End of Year Summary Reports

End of year summary reports will be sent to parents in the last week of term as previously mentioned.

 

P7-S1 Transition

Our Primary 7 pupils will be visiting Castle Douglas High School in the morning of Friday 18^th June.  They will also complete transition activities online this term.  The traditional ‘moving up days’ were meant to be on 16^th, 17^th and 18^th June but as materials will  be provided online, we have a degree of flexibility which is why I have booked the Galloway Activity centre on one of these days.

 

N-P1 Transition

I have already been in contact with your child’s pre-school provision to find out more about them.

 

New P1 pupils will visit Crossmichael Primary School on Monday 14th June and Gelston Primary School on Tuesday 15th June.  This will be carried out after school in staggered 10 minute intervals.

 

We aim to set up closed class Facebook pages but new security measures are making it harder to do this.  If this is not possible then we will communicate via email.

 

Our pupils are making welcome video clips for new pupils and parents will receive a PowerPoint presentation explaining key information about the school and life in P1.  We will also introduce pupils to their buddies.

 

As always, please get in touch if you wish to discuss anything further.

 

Best wishes,

Mary Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

I hope that you are well and I apologise for not having updated the blog for some time.  I have been waiting on advice from Scottish Government and Dumfries and Galloway Council before confirming arrangements for this term.

 

Dates for Your Diary – GELSTON

 

24th – 28th May	Walk to School Week All pupils are encouraged to walk to school this week.  Please see the letter which explains more about this initiative. Walk to School Week Letter
Friday 28th May	NSPCC Talks Pupils will participate in ‘Stay Safe, Speak Out!’ workshops after listening to a presentation.  Please refer to this letter for further information. Speak out. Stay safe. letter – parents and carers
Thursday 10th June	Sports Day Sports day will go ahead as normal for pupils with Active Schools there to support us.  Unfortunately, we cannot invite parents to spectate but we will keep you updated via the blog or class Facebook pages.
Thursday 17th June from 09:30-16:30	P6 and P7 pupils to the Galloway Activity Centre The school will pay for your child(ren) to attend this trip at a cost of £45 per head.  Further details will follow but we are asking for parents to transport their own children to and from the GAC today.
Friday 18th June	Primary 7 pupils to visit Castle Douglas High School P7 pupils will be taken by minibus to CDHS in the morning and will return before lunch time.
Monday 21st June	Fun Day and Picnic We plan to have a fun filled day in the school grounds with a picnic lunch (from home or school).  We aim to have a variety of activities in place for all pupils to enjoy!
Thursday 24th June from 2-3pm	End of Year Assembly We aim to hold our end of year assembly outdoors and to invite parents of P7 children so that we can ensure that social distancing can be maintained.

 

 

Bikeability Sessions

 

Our Primary 7 pupils from both schools are receiving Bikeability training at Crossmichael over the next few weeks.  I wish to extend our thanks to Shani McMiken, Charlene Saunderson and Alex Bryson for volunteering to train our pupils.

 

 

Classes and Staffing for August 2021

 

Here are details of classes and teachers for Crossmichael Primary School:

P1/2 – Mrs Marscheider

P3/4 – Miss Drummond

P4-6 – Mrs Glover

P6/7 – Mrs Stevens

 

Mrs Burton is reducing her contract to three days a week and will be providing Reduction in Class Contact Time (RICCT) and Senior Management Time (SMT) cover.

 

Mrs Glover will be in touch with parents of P4 and P6 pupils who will be in her.

 

Here are details of classes and teachers for Gelston Primary School:

P1-3 – Miss Todd (Mondays) and Miss Scott (Tuesdays – Fridays)

P4-7 – Miss Reid (Mondays-Thursdays) and Mrs Maxwell (Fridays)

 

Miss Todd and Mrs Bielinski will provide Reduction in Class Contact Time (RICCT) and Senior Management Time (SMT) cover.

 

In our schools we organise our curriculum so that all pupils are focusing on the same bundles of curricular experiences and outcomes at the same time.  Pupils are taught according to which curricular level that they are working at rather than completing ‘P4’ work or ‘P6’ work.  This means that there are no ceilings put on a child’s learning.  Each child in our partnership schools is taught according to their own learning needs so that they are appropriately challenged.  Registration classes are necessary because we only have capacity for 25 pupils to be in each multi-composite class.  In our schools no child is ever ‘kept back’.

 

Pupil Progress End of Year Summary Reports

 

End of year summary reports will be sent to parents at the end of term.  Please rest assured that we will get in touch with you if we feel that your child is experiencing any barriers to learning.  We have gathered a range of assessment evidence to inform us about pupil progress and this helps us to ensure that we are meeting learners’ needs.  In the meantime, if you have any concerns about your child’s progress then please contact your child’s teacher.

 

 

P7-S1 Transition

Our Primary 7 pupils will be visiting Castle Douglas High School in the morning of Friday 18^th June.  They will also complete transition activities online this term.  The traditional ‘moving up days’ were meant to be on 16^th, 17^th and 18^th June but as materials will  be provided online, we have a degree of flexibility which is why I have booked the Galloway Activity centre on one of these days.

 

 

N-P1 Transition

I have already been in contact with your child’s pre-school provision to find out more about them.  We aim to invite pre-school children to visit after 3pm for a ten minute tour of the school.  Our Primary 1 teachers will be setting up closed Facebook pages for new P1 parents so that information can be shared there.  Our current P1 pupils will make a video for our new P1s telling them all about life in school.  Our new P1s will also be introduced to their ‘buddies’ for next year (usually our current P6s but sometimes P5s too).  Parents will receive a PowerPoint presentation explaining key information about the school and the expectations for Primary 1 pupils and parents.

 

 

 

As always, please get in touch if you wish to discuss anything further.

 

Best wishes,

Mary Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Families and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

I hope this newsletter finds you well.  Spring has arrived at Gelston with pupils looking at life cycles, biodiversity and interdependence. Please look at our class Facebook pages for further information.

 

May Day Holiday – Monday 3rd May

School is closed this Monday for a May Day holiday.

 

P7 Hoodies

Our Primary 7 pupils are enjoying wearing their new hoodies.  I think you’ll agree that they look very smart!

 

Parent Council Meeting

This evening our Parent Council are having an extra meeting to agree on the constitution.  This meeting will be brief and will be held at 7pm via the Facebook room application.

 

Behind the scenes, the Parent Council have been applying for grants to raise enough funds to build an outdoor classroom at the school.  We aim for this to be available for community use too.

 

Details of our next meeting will follow shortly.

 

Sports Day

Gelston Sports Day will be held on 10th June.  Pupils will participate in races and potted sports.   Unfortunately, we are not yet able to invite parents to spectate but we will keep you updated with photographs on the Blog and class Facebook pages.

 

Pupil Progress Reports

End of year summary reports will be sent to parents at the end of term.  Please rest assured that we will get in touch with you if we feel that your child is experiencing any barriers to learning.  We have gathered a range of assessment evidence to inform us about pupil progress and this helps us to ensure that we are meeting learners’ needs.  In the meantime, if you have any concerns about your child’s progress then please contact your child’s teacher.

 

P7 Leavers Assembly

We aim to have an end of term assembly outside so that P7 parents can attend.  We are keeping an eye on current guidance and hope to confirm arrangements soon.

 

School Trips

We would like to take pupils on a school trip to a local destination but we must be mindful of the guidance.  Again we hope to confirm arrangements soon.

 

Best wishes,

Mary Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

I hope this newsletter finds you well.  Our pupils have been enjoying the good weather.  Please remember to provide your child with sun cream and a hat when necessary.  Pupils should come to school wearing sun cream or apply it themselves.

 

£500 of Grant Money for Loose Parts Play Equipment

We have applied for £500 of funding for loose parts play equipment and training for staff from the Learning through Landscapes Local School Nature Grants Programme supported by the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.  The deadline is the end of April and we will let you know if we are successful.

 

Ordering School Uniform

If you wish to order school uniform then please do so via the School Trends website.  Here is the link:
https://www.schooltrends.co.uk/uniform/Gelston_Primary_School_DG7_1SH

 

Best wishes,

Mary Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

I hope that this newsletter finds you well and that you had an enjoyable Easter weekend.  We are delighted to welcome the children back into school for Term 4.

 

Covid-19 Update

I am pleased to tell you that almost 70 per cent of the region’s adult population have received their first COVID-19 vaccination (a quarter of whom have had their second dose).  There have only been five reported positive cases in Dumfries and Galloway this week so the outlook is much brighter than before.

 

Please continue to adhere to Scottish Government guidelines and wear face coverings and maintain a 2m distance when collecting or bringing pupils to school.

 

Please can I remind you to be vigilant and if you or your child develops one of the following three symptoms that you keep them (and their siblings) at home until they have received a negative test:

1. High temperature
2. A cough
3. Loss of sense of taste or smell

Adults in school continue to participate in twice weekly voluntary testing.

 

Online Ordering for School Meals

This term we are hoping to move to online ordering of school meals with a view to online payment of meals in the future.

 

We have sent all parents an email with three Microsoft Forms to complete for Week 1 (w/c 12th April), Week 2 (w/c 19th April) and Week 3 (w/c 26th April).  Ideally, once we have this information then this would repeat on a rolling programme unless you contact us to say differently.

 

For the next few weeks we will continue to use the old system alongside the new one until it is up an running.  I would like to thank you for your patience as we switch systems.  (It is worth noting that pupils will still be able to order on the day if they have accidentally left their packed lunch at home.)  If your child has a food allergy or intolerance then you should contact us directly.

 

Class Term 4  Newsletters

We will email you a copy of your child’s class newsletter in the next few weeks.  This provides you with information about curriculum coverage and other useful information such as key dates and information about PE days, homework, etc.

 

Pupil Progress Reports

You will receive an end of year summary report for your child at the end of term.  In the meantime, feel free to contact your child’s teacher if you wish to discuss a particular issue.

 

Sports Day

Although it is unlikely that we will be able to have parents present during sports day, we will continue to go ahead with this and ensure that you are kept up to date with photographs and information.  We will provide you with details as soon as possible.

 

Transition Arrangements 

We will begin to look at classes for next year and consider which pupils will require an enhanced transition between classrooms.  We will ensure that all pupils have a seamless transition into their new classes.   Where classes are split between two rooms, we will notify parents by telephone.

 

I have spoke to our feeder Early Learning and Childcare providers and we will have arrangements in place (in a Covid-19 safe way) for our new Primary 1s so that they can visit before starting school in August.

 

In May, our Primary 7 pupils will be able to access a ‘Movin’ On Up’ booklet via their TEAMS page.  They will be notified about the S1 register and practical class lists.

 

In June, pupils will complete the three transition days virtually from Primary School.  (There may be an opportunity for some pupils with additional support needs to visit castle Douglas High School before the summer holidays.)

 

 

Please do get in touch if you wish to discuss anything in more detail.

 

Best wishes,

Mary Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Families and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

It has been a busy term for us all and as the Easter holidays approach, I wish pupils, parents and staff a restful holiday.

 

Easter Holiday Dates

Monday 29^th March – Friday 9^th April.  Pupils and staff return on Monday 12^th April.

 

‘Alphabet Street West’ Challenge

Active Schools are working in partnership with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Police Scotland and Youth Work DG to launch the ‘Alphabet Street West’ challenge.  This is a four week challenge where pupils and adults can walk around their local community following a map to find letters stuck to signs.  All materials can be found on the ‘Active Schools Actify’ website where they can be downloaded or printed.

 

Weekly challenges will be set on the Alphabet Street West Facebook page.  You can plan your route so that you can spell words as you walk to ‘collect’ each letter as you pass them.  The aim of the challenge is to increase community morale, and to support mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.  Look out for the first challenge – Easter themed!

 

There are a set of signs in seven different towns (Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbright, Dalbeattie, New Galloway, Wigtown, Whithorn and Newton Stewart). Those who send photos in to the shared email account will be entered into a weekly draw for a chance to win some fantastic prizes including free swimming pool access, free block of ice skating lessons, a chocolate Easter hamper and lots more!.

 

The email address for the programme is – alphabetstreetwest@outlook.com

Facebook Page link- https://www.facebook.com/Alphabet-Street-West-105787058265643

Actify (Link will be live and will be highlighted on the Facebook page by the end of the week).

 

We look forward to seeing how you get on!

 

An Update from the Director of Skills, Education and Learning

Here is the latest position on schools reopening and the phased return – 25^th March 2021:

https://supportdg.dumgal.gov.uk/article/21889/Schools-Update-Phased-Return-to-In-School-Learning

 

Best wishes

Mary Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Family and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

Welcome Back to P4-7s

I cannot express how happy we are to have all pupils back in school again.  It is fantastic to see everyone and we cannot believe how much our pupils have grown in the past few months!  It is also lovely to welcome back our P4-7 teachers.

 

Positive Behaviour Expectations

Last year our Cluster Primary Schools developed a Positive Behaviour Policy and we created a leaflet for our school community.  Please take some time to read over the leaflet and to discuss the expectations with your child.  In particular, please ensure that your child knows that swearing will not be tolerated in school.  We will be relaunching our Positive Behaviour strategy in term 4.

Promoting Positive Relationships Information Leaflet

 

P7 – S1 Information

In June, P7 pupils normally attend three induction days at secondary school.  This year, these days will be completed remotely and pupils should attend Primary School as normal.

Parents of all P7 pupils should have returned ‘Young Scot Card’ applications to school.  We are uploading photographs before sending them away.

 

Head Lice

Please can I remind parents to check your child’s hair regularly for Head Lice?  It would appear that head lice are not good at following social distancing rules!

 

Parent Council Update

We had a Parent Council meeting last week.  Minutes of the meeting will be uploaded to the parent Council page of the blog as soon as possible.

 

Pupils’ Paintings Featuring on RSPB Information Panel

Mrs Bielinski has been working in partnership with the RSPB to provide them with art work to be used on an information panel to be placed at the goose viewing platform at the west side of Loch Ken at Ken Dee Marshes.  Goose paintings created by our P4-7 pupils at Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools are featured in the design.  We wish to thank Mrs Bielinski and the RSPB for organising this and also the children for their wonderful art work.

AP1161_KIDS MAP FINAL (1)

 

Best wishes,

Mary Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher

Dear Families and Friends of Crossmichael and Gelston Primary Schools,

 

Last week saw the return of our P1-3 pupils in addition to some of our pupils attending the emergency childcare hub at Crossmichael Primary School.  The school has come to life once again and it has been wonderful to see how happy the children are to be back together!

 

We hope to welcome back our P4-7 pupils from 15th March once this has been confirmed by Scottish Government.  Meanwhile our P4-7 pupils continue to work very hard at home and have been submitting some excellent pieces of work via Microsoft TEAMS.  Thank you for supporting your children with remote learning.

 

World Book Day – Thursday 4^th March 2021

Teachers have recorded video clips of themselves reading an extract from their favourite book.  These will be uploaded onto the class Facebook pages so that adults and pupils can try to guess who is telling the story!  Pupils will be engaging in activities related to story books and we have art work planned around Roald Dahl.

 

Parent Council Meetings

Our Gelston Parent Council meeting will take place via Facebook Messenger at 7pm on Wednesday 10^th March at 7pm.  If you wish to join us then please email Pam Shuttleworth for details.  The address is: gelstonprimaryschoolparentcouncil@outlook.com

 

Best wishes,

Mary Lidstone-Scott

Headteacher