Author: Mrs Govans

I’d like to personally thank our  PS Catering Supervisor, Helen Hall, and our Janitor, Graham Fullarton, for their brilliant teamwork this week in ensuring that our  primary school dinners were distributed throughout the village.

Thank also to Janet Fleming, our ECC Janitor, for her daily checks – making sure that our ECC stays safe and clean during these uncertain times.

Although school and ECC  staff sometimes joke that a school with no weans would be a great place – let me assure you, that is not the case.   We are missing their laughter, their stories, their tantrums and their wee personalities every single day.

So enjoy the weekend, switch off from the schoolwork, have fun with your family and take care (and remember to make your bed!)  See you Monday!

Mrs Govans x        

Good morning 🙂

I’ve received lots of lovely comments/emails from people in the village about the smashing rainbow pictures in your windows – they’re certainly doing their job of cheering people up so well done.

Today’s challenge is a bit more practical – learn how to make your bed!

This is a job that you should be helping out with every day – whatever your age – as it’s helping your family during these strange times.

So ask someone at home to give you a shout when they’re making the beds in the morning, and I’m sure your help will be much appreciated (and if you tidy up your room a wee bit at the same time, that would be brilliant!)

Your ECC teachers are posting activities on GLOW every day at 10.00am and 2.00pm and I hope you’re enjoying the wide variety of tasks that they’re organising for you.

Remember that you don’t have to do every task – if you’re doing other online activities that’s great and it’s even better if you’re having fun with your family in your garden, or reading books, or building Lego or skiddling with water and bubbles – a million different ways you could be learning.

Take care, keep in touch and look after each other.

Mrs Govans 

One of our ECC parents works for the Maidsafe Charity, and has asked us to pass on this information.

The MaidSafe Foundation – which is a registered Scottish charity – supports the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) as well as Art.

With the Covid19 pandemic now closing schools, you will be worried about keeping your children occupied and educated. To try and help you, we have put together some fun activities that have been compiled using STEM teaching guidelines. The activities cover three age groups with two projects for each. As a guide, the Early level activities are for age 3 to P1, the First level for P2 to P4 and the Second level for P5 – P7.

To receive your free resources, simply email info@maidsafe.foundation and we will send them to you. Your email address will not be shared with a third party and will be deleted after we send you the information.

We are also uploading pictures, videos and links to fun activities on Facebook – @MaidSafe Foundation.

You can also visit our website for more information about the charity and to see some of our past projects that may be of interest. https://maidsafe.foundation There are also three free sample lessons from our STEM pack which can be accessed by clicking on the STEM tab.

We want to help you to keep your child/children occupied and educated during this time of uncertainty so please keep safe and well and hopefully you will all enjoy the activities.

Yours sincerely, The MaidSafe Team

Good morning!  Thank you to the parents/carers of Catrine for heeding the Government advice yesterday and not sending your children to the ECC, giving us the best chance of keeping everyone safe.

Keep checking our GLOW blog for brilliant ideas for activities that’ll help keep everyone busy (and messy, if the chalk paint photos that I’ve seen are anything to go by!!)

Remember that you should be aiming for one session of Literacy games/activities and one session of Numeracy games/activities per day – don’t scunner yourselves by trying to do too much all at once.

Your learning over the next wee while isn’t a race – it’s a slow jog.

There’s loads of other things you can be doing with the people in your house – drawing, playing games, building forts, tidying up the garden, baking,  reading books …

On that note – I’m going to set you a Headteacher’s Challenge every Tuesday and Thursday.  Today’s challenge …

Draw, paint or make a collage rainbow picture to put up in your front window to help brighten up the day for keyworkers as they’re going to work, or people who are having to leave their house for essential shopping or simply to cheer up the people who live opposite you and can see your window from theirs.

Let’s work together, as the brilliant Catrine community that we can be, and all do our bit to help get each other through this.

Take care and keep in touch.

Mrs Govans 🙂

Latest update letter from Linda McAulay-Griffiths, Head of Education at East Ayrshire Council

Dear Parent/Carer

Thank you for working with us in ensuring that we could provide childcare for our most critical key workers today.  It has been enormously helpful that our advice to use our schools as a last resort has been heeded. Having ascertained the number of young people attending our schools and ECCs and are now in a position to revise this further and re-organise according to most needed areas and we will move to a “hub” provision with effect from tomorrow, Tuesday 24^th March 2020.

If you wish to access any of this provision you will require to fill in our e-form so that we have your details logged in advance of your child’s arrival.

If you wish to access any of this provision you will require to fill in our e-form here:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=oyzTzM4Wj0KVQTctawUZKWcF6bVSsANAmvUItgCuaeBUOFNBNFdENzhVR0xIQUVINlBJUDgwNzRSSS4u

Once more, no child will be turned away on the first day of this revised provision, providing they have been registered.

A colleague will get back to you if you do not qualify for a keyworker place in these revised provisions.

The available hubs across the authority are as noted below, and meals will be provided to those pupils on site.  All school transport is also now withdrawn given the hub model in place, and the low numbers attending our schools and centres today.

Parents and carers should therefore ensure that their children are transported to the appropriate location.  Provision will run from 9am-3pm, unless otherwise guaranteed by an ECC provision.

Many thanks for working with us on this, such that we can continue to provide childcare at this time for our critical keyworkers.

Pupils from	Please register for
Logan PS and ECC Barshare PS and ECC Greenmill PS and ECC New Cumnock PS and ECC Muirkirk PS and ECC Netherthird PS and ECC Cumnock Academy Hillside parents should discuss directly with Mrs Skeoch today	Greenmill PS and ECC
Doon Academy Bellsbank PS and ECC Dalmellington PS and ECC Patna PS and ECC Littlemill PS and ECC St Xavier’s PSDalrymple PS and ECC	Dalmellington PS and ECC Dalrymple PS and ECC
Sorn PS Auchinleck PS and ECC Catrine PS and ECC Mauchline PS and ECC Muirkirk PS and ECC Ochiltree PS and ECC Auchinleck Academy St Patrick’s PS Drongan PS and ECC	Auchinleck PS and ECC Drongan PS and ECC
Kilmaurs PS and ECC Dunlop PS and ECCNether Robertland PS and ECC Lainshaw PS and ECC Stewarton Academy	Kilmaurs PS and ECC Nether Robertland PS and ECC
Gargieston PS and ECC Loanhead PS Crosshouse PS and ECC Grange AcademyAnnanhill PS and ECC Shortlees PS and ECC	Gargieston PS and ECC Shortlees PS and ECC
Loudoun Academy Newmilns PS and ECC Galston PS and ECC Fenwick PS St Sophia’s PS Darvel PS and ECC Hurlford PS and ECC	Galston PS and ECC
St Andrews PS and ECC Kilmarnock Academy Mount Carmel PS St Joseph’s Academy Hillhead PS Onthank PS JHPS and ECC and Sgoil na Coille NuaidhWhatriggs PS and ECC and Riccarton ECC Willowbank and Park Schools Hillbank ECC and Flowerbank ECC Onthank and Cairns ECC	JHPS and ECC Whatriggs PS and ECC Willowbank School Hillbank ECC Onthank ECC

Following further government advice this afternoon, the advice is now to have as few people in ECCs and schools as possible due to the gravity of the current situation and to allow us to prioritise children of keyworkers.

Please do not send your child to Catrine ECC or PS tomorrow unless you are a keyworker who has no other childcare options (please note: it is expected that, in families where one parent is a keyworker, that the other parent provides childcare at this time).

At both establishments, strict social distancing protocols will be in place.  All pupils should be accompanied to ECC/PS by one adult only.

ECC will be open from 8.40am-2.40pm.  ECC pupils will be given a lunch.

PS will be open from 9.00am to 3.00pm.  All pupils will be signed in via the main entrance.

PS pupils in receipt of Free School Meals will be given a lunch.  All other pupils should bring a packed lunch, if possible.

I appreciate how frightening this situation is, and we are trying our best to ensure that families and children who really need our support at this time continue to be supported.  If you have any questions, please phone the ECC or PS.

Thank you for your continued support.  Please take care of yourselves and your families, and all further updates will be sent out via the usual channels so keep checking our APPs and GLOW blogs.

Take care.

Mrs Govans, Headteacher

 

Dear Parent/Carer

We appreciate fully that many parents are concerned about keyworker status.

The guidance we have received from the Scottish Government is that “if one parent is a key worker and the other is not, the non-key worker should normally be expected to provide childcare. If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.”

Having checked the UK Government guidance, it is different and says that if only one parent is a key worker, they can send their children to school if required.

In light of this contradictory position, we will deal with each case on its merits. If there is no other childcare option then we would look for confirmation of this.

We want to do all we can to support key workers. We need them to look after those who are going to get sick and to keep our vital services running, but we also need to avoid social contact so, if key workers can make any other arrangements for their children,  we ask them to do so.

Head Teachers will not turn away any child on Monday, but will need to seek some form of  confirmation of key worker status for future attendances. Going forward we will need to keep matters under review with staff absences rising as more of our staff require to self isolate and we know parents will understand.

Remember we need to reduce social contact, and even if you are a key worker, please only send your child as a last resort and if you absolutely need to.

Kind regards

Linda McAulay-Griffiths
Head of Education
Sent To You By East Ayrshire Council

Dear Parents/Carers

A further reminder to all parents/carers to please understand that our emergency provision is absolutely only as a final option.  We are sure that our parents/carers will understand and respect this to help keep our pupils, staff and families safe.

We are still encountering some questions regarding emergency provision from Monday 23rd March.  Clearly all adults in the child’s household must be keyworkers to access the service.  Where this is not the case, the other adults are expected to provide care.

Please refer to the website for the key worker categories:

https://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/CouncilAndGovernment/Coronavirus/Schools-ecc.aspx

Kindest regards

Linda McAulay-Griffiths
Head of Education

Sent To You By East Ayrshire Council

Dear Parent/Carer,

Thank you for once again for your understanding of the current situation in regards to the school and centre closure period we find ourselves in.

It is absolutely critical that parent and carers are aware that the emergency school and centre provision is only when all other childcare options have been exhausted.

Please do not attempt to send your child to the school/ECC provision being provided if you do not meet the key worker catergories noted in this link:

https://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/CouncilAndGovernment/Coronavirus/Schools-ecc.aspx

We are sure that you will fully understand our need to minimise the number of children and young people attending such provision.

Yours sincerely

Linda McAulay-Griffiths
Head of Education