Thanks to all staff, pupils and parents who helped ensure our 13 P6 pupils had a wonderful Big Sleepover experience last Friday.

We tidied up our school gardens, painted stones for display around the school grounds, played games such as skipping and Peevers/Beds (Hopscotch) and a fiercely competitive game of Rounders!

After a supper of hotdogs and marshmallows around the campfire, everyone was in their tents for 10.00pm – although they didn’t fall asleep for quite a while after that ….

Special thanks to Zac’s dad and Ewan’s mum, Mrs Schendel, Mrs Ferguson, Miss Murdoch, Miss Brown and EAC LOST Team – we’re already booked up for next year!       Mrs Govans

The whole school were involved in our first Home Circles session since March 2020 this week.

Each house – Avalon, Ayrbank, Marneil and Whiteflat – is split into four small groups, made up of pupils from all stages, and we all have a BIG question to focus on.  Our P7 pupils are in charge of each Home Circle and they make sure that every pupil – from P1 to P7 – has a chance to voice their opinion and give their answers.

March’s BIG question was based on Article 31 of the UNCRC and is part of our Rights Respecting School focus.

• Why is it so important for us to be able to play?
• How do you like to spend your free time?
• Who do you spend your free time with?

We collate all of the answers and it helps us to make changes and improvements to our indoor and outdoor learning environments.

As we close today at 2.30pm for our Christmas holidays, it’s time for some big Thank You messages!

Thank you … to our Cleaning and Janitorial Teams of Helen, Janette and Stuart,  for making sure our classrooms and learning areas are always clean, warm, safe and ready for us to use.  Special thanks to our jannie, Mr McCreath, for also being our Lollipop Man this term and getting our pupils safely to and from school.

Thank you … to our Catering Team of Shelagh, Helen, Pauline and Tracey for our delicious school lunches.

Thank you … to our Senior Clerical Assistant, Mrs Robertson, for getting us organised, stocked up and kept up to date.  Our school office is a very busy place and she keeps us all running like clockwork!

Thank you… to our Classroom Assistants – Mrs Watt, Mrs Goudie and Miss Brown – for their professional and enthusiastic attitude towards the million different tasks they are asked to do on a weekly basis!  Their support of our pupils is just wonderful.

Thank you … to our class teachers – Mrs Cook and Mrs Ferguson, Mrs McKenna and Miss Norman, Miss McLean and Mrs McCaig, Miss Murdoch and Miss Burleigh – for their creative, interesting and challenging teaching and learning approaches as they continually strive for the best for our pupils.

Thank you… to our Depute Headteacher, Mrs Schendel, for, amongst her very varied responsibilities, ensuring that every child receives the quality learning support that they deserve to help them achieve their potential.

Thank you … to all of the staff at Catrine ECC for sharing their wonderfully creative, inventive and fun learning and teaching approaches with us during their time at the PS.  We will miss the ECC staff and children when they return to Newton Street, and we can’t wait to visit them in their gorgeously refurbished nursery.  Special thanks to our Depute Manager, Alana, for her enthusiasm and innovation – and crazy costumes!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.  Looking forward to seeing our pupils return on Monday 9th January at 9.00am.   Take care, Mrs Govans x

All pupils have been learning some Christmas songs to sing at the Make Catrine Sparkle event on Sunday 4th December.

After the main lantern parade, all Catrine PS pupils, friends and family are invited to meet in the Square at 6.15pm to have a Community Christmas Singalong – guaranteed to get you feeling festive!

We hope you can join us.

Literacy Open Morning  – Wednesday 16th November – 9.00-10.25am

As part of Book Week Scotland please come along to our Literacy Open Morning to see our wonderful Literacy learning in action.  You can visit the classes, investigate the resources and help your child to complete their Literacy work.  All welcome.

Reminders …

Monday 14th November from 3.00-4.00pm – Week 2 of our afterschool Sports Club for P3 and P4 pupils with Miss Norman

Tuesday 15th November from 3.00-4.00pm – Week 3 of our afterschool Homework Club for all stages with Mrs Schendel and Miss McLean

Wednesday 16th November from 9.00-10.25am – Literacy Open Morning

Friday 18th February – all day – ‘Children in Need’ Day.  Pupils can come to school wearing spots/Pudsey gear/casual clothes.  The school/ECC is not collecting money for ‘Children in Need’ – the link for making donations directly is on a previous GLOW post.

We’re looking forward to a great week of learning and fun!

Mrs Govans

At our recent Parents Night on October 12th, our House Captains did a wonderful job of asking parents/carers to complete a short survey of two questions –

What are we doing well in Catrine PS?

What can we improve in Catrine PS?

Thank you to everyone who contributed.  I’ve compiled all of the responses and they’re proudly displayed in the school as we’re chuffed to bits with the positive feedback we received.

Please click on the links below to view the responses.  Mrs Govans

Doing well Oct 22

What could we improve on Oct 22

Wow! Term 1 has simply flown in!

Thank you … to all family and friends who joined us at our Harvest Service.  It was lovely to show off our singing and welcome you back into the school again. 

Thank you … to everyone who kindly donated to our Harvest Hush-In.  The fantastic total of £124.50 was raised, which will go towards transport costs for our school Christmas trip – details to follow next term. 

Thank you … to everyone who attended our Parents Night appointments.  We had a turnout of 98% – our highest turnout EVER!  It was wonderful to chat with parents/carers and great to see families admiring the artwork in our corridors and classes.

Reminder … the school and ECC close today at 3.00pm for the October holidays.   We hope everyone has a lovely break and we look forward to welcoming our pupils back on Tuesday 25th October at 9.00am.

Take care.   Mrs Govans 

• Parent Council AGM  – Tuesday 11th October at 7.00pm via Zoom.  Please email catrineparents@gmail.com for the meeting link.
• Harvest Service – Wednesday 12th October at 9.15am in the school.  All welcome.
• Harvest Hush-In – Wednesday 12th October PM – please log onto Parentpay to see how to donate towards this fundraising event
• Parents Night – Wednesday 12th October.  Thanks to everyone who has already made an appointment to meet their child’s teacher to discuss their learning and targets.  Appointments are still available – phone the school on 01290 551436 to book a time.

A busy few days ahead!   Thank you.  Mrs Govans 

Please remember to check your child’s class blog to see what they’ve been learning in their class.  

This has been a very busy week in Catrine PS – from strings tuition to art exhibitions and from caterpillars to Viking jewellery!

Each class has their own separate class blog which is full of great photos and details about what our pupils have been up to.  The links to the blogs are included in the Menu section of our home GLOW page.

Take a look! 

Please click on the link below to see an invitation to Catrine PS Parent Council’s AGM on Tuesday 11th October at 7pm via Zoom.

New members would be more than welcome!

AGM 11.10.22

We are delighted that we are able to welcome our parents/carers back into school to meet with their child’s teachers at our Parents Nights next week, on Wednesday 12^th October.

Appointments are available from 3.20pm, with each appointment lasting for 10 minutes.

This is a great opportunity to meet your child’s teacher, have a wee look through their jotters and class work, ask any questions you may have about their progress and find out their learning targets for next term.

Please phone the school for an appointment on 01290 551436 and we look forward to opening our doors to you for our first in-school Parents Night since October 2019!

When we celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June this year, we wrote letters in our classes and posted them off to Buckingham Palace.  We have received this lovely letter from Balmoral Castle, thanking the pupils of Catrine PS for their letters and best wishes.

Every pupil is also coming home with a free memorial book to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee.  Happy reading!

We’ve enjoyed a wonderful first day of Term 1 at Catrine PS.  Our Primary 2 to Primary 7 pupils settled quickly into their new classes.  A warm welcome to Miss Norman, our P3/4 teacher.

We all enjoyed being together again in the dinnerhall at lunch time and it was a pleasure to see our pupils all looking so smart in their uniforms (please remember to label your child’s jumpers and jackets as we have items in the Lost Property Box already!)

As for our new Primary 1 pupils – they were all wee superstars! They have worked their socks off today for Mrs Cook and Mrs Ferguson – well done to them all.  P1 pupils in from 9.30am to 2.30pm on Friday, then from 9.00-3.00pm from Monday 22nd August.

At the end of the school day can parents/carers of Primary 1 and Primary 2 pupils step forward to the gate to collect their child as we don’t like letting pupils cross the road.  Thanks for your support with this.

Looking forward to a busy, creative and enjoyable first term.

Mrs Govans