Dalrymple Primary School and ECC

BROWNIES IN DALRYMPLE!!

Brownies is where girls age 7-10 can learn about themselves, their community and beyond through fun, friendship and a whole host of exciting activities and challenges.

We meet once a week via Zoom, due to current restrictions, but hope to return to face to face meetings when circumstances allow. 

If you require further information contact us at: 

1stdalrymplebrownies@gmail.com

 07923346800

Check out this link: https://www.girlguidingscotland.org.uk/sections/brownies/                                                               

Or register your daughter at: https://go.girlguiding.org.uk/join-us/join-as-member

Hope that makes sense, feel free to amend if you feel it necessary for Twitter etc.

Thank you,

Shelley

Good morning,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone of you a restful holiday next week.  As I look back over the last term it has certainly been a very different one from all other years that I can remember in education.  There is no doubt that it has been far from normal.  It has presented frustrations for each of us.  When I arrived at Dalrymple, we had no idea this is what education, or society at large, would look like. Your patience and forbearance, with the school community, has been deeply appreciated as we have sought to plot a path through the frequent updated guidelines and restrictions.

I would like to pay special gratitude to the members of the Dalrymple PS & ECC Parent Council who have been nothing but supportive over my time here and in the recent months.  This was done initially by Heather Scott, Chair of the parent council for the last 7 years.  I would like to thank Heather for her dedication and service to the school community over this period of time as she has sought to bring about the best opportunities for the pupils of Dalrymple – thank you Heather!

I would also like to thank our new Chair , Laura Dickie, who has taken over the office on behalf of the Parent Council.  In these uncertain times, it is commendable to take on such a role, with it’s responsibilities, to represent the Parent Forum and support the leadership of the school as we work together for the good of all our children and pupils.  I am already grateful for her support and advice as we have had to negotiate some unprecedented situations due to COVID already in her short tenure so far.

Likewise I would like to welcome Margaret MacDonald to the office of Parent Council Secretary, as she takes over from Mrs Armstrong.  She will work alongside Lynsi Alexander, Treasurer of Parent Council, to ensure the Parent Council runs effectively and responsibly in support of the pupils and parents/carers.  Thank you to them for their work past, present and future.  I would like to thank Mrs Armstrong for her years of supporting the Parent Council in this role.  Although she will now solely focus on the School Administration,  I know she is still only too keen to help out when required.

Also to the other current Parent Council members, old and new, who have already shown their commitment and compassion for the school community, I thank each of you.  I look forward to working with each of them as we seek to take on the next chapter of Dalrymple PS & ECC.  This is a strange time, but we shall continue to strive for excellence and what is best for each of our pupils.

As we break later today for a week’s holiday – however restricted that may be – please ensure each of you remain safe and that we once again focus on what is important – one another!  Following lockdown, I have been struck by how quickly so many of us have been keen to get back to normality.  We have forgotten about the lessons learned during lockdown when we vowed never to fall back into the same old routines and ruts which constrained us and did nothing for our wellbeing and relationships.     When we return on Tuesday 20th October let’s do our best to ensure we have spent our time wisely, reconnecting with the ones who matter, in an increasingly disconnected world.

I look forward to welcoming each of the pupils, back for a full term, as we seek to move forward.

Yours sincerely

Simon Leitch

Head Teacher

Dear Parents/carers,

Good afternoon! Following discussions with some of our parents/carers of pupils in Primary 1 and 2, I am writing to ask parents/carers of these classes to move slightly from where they currently collect their children. It has been pointed out that the area at the bike shelter can be quite congested at 3pm when older pupils are coming to collect their bikes from the shelter. To ensure we make this area as safe as possible I am asking those collecting P1 pupils to move away from this area and to be at the ECC side of the marked out area. Miss Sloan will direct the pupils to you there as you wait to collect them from the class.   Those collecting P2 pupils, when they return next week, are to stand at the opposite side of the area, away from the bike shelter, on the side closest to the main entrance. Mrs Murray will direct the pupils to you there as you wait to collect them from the class.

I am once again encouraging parents/ carers of other classes, Primary 3 – 7, to remain outside the school playground. This is in the interests of social distancing. There may be some limited number of parents/carers of pupils in these classes who are required to be in the playground, to escort their children to and from class. This is done by prior arrangement with the school and is to support pupils with specific individual needs which are not known to the wider school community. Please ensure we are supportive of these pupils and their parents/carers. They would love nothing more than to be able to allow their children to come and go within the playground, but this is not possible at this time.

Once again I would like to thank you in anticipation of your support in these matters.

Kindest regards,

Simon Leitch

Head Teacher.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the school community for their support and understanding over the course of the last few days.  Yesterday’s news of a positive COVID test result brings home to each of us, the reality of our current situation and the need for vigilance and adherence to guidelines.

Yesterday, at school ‘home time’, I was able to speak to some parents/carers of the class affected by this news and explain that they were receiving a letter from Health Protection Scotland alerting them to this fact.  I was particularly touched by the first question I was asked, in relation to this, which was ‘How is the pupil who has tested positive?’  The common concern, which was openly displayed at this time, was so heartfelt and commendable I believe it demonstrates the care and compassion which is at the heart of this school and the community it serves.  I am sure I speak on behalf of those affected by this in expressing their sincere thanks at this time.

The current situation is clearly not one we would wish on anyone, but it is one which is constantly evolving.  This can lead to uncertainty and anxiety among each of us.   Recent events, however, have led to me learning better as to how to go about approaching this situation – refining, amending where necessary to support and serve our pupils.  This can be frustrating for all concerned, but is necessary.  I have been so very impressed with the attitudes of our children since their return to school and especially this week.

I was reminded about this situation when I read this quote which was made by Roger Miller, an American singer who had a No. 1 hit in May 1965 with ‘King of the Road’.  He said,

‘Some people walk in the rain,

Others just get wet.’

There is an overwhelming desire to let current developments get us down and allow them to wash over us.  We need to take this opportunity and demonstrate to our children our own grit, resilience and ability to learn from difficult situations.  This is the message we deliver to our pupils each day.  Learning is a difficult process that involves setbacks but allows us the opportunity to gather ourselves, and confidently step forward – even when it’s raining.  Our pupils are amazing individuals who not only ‘walk in the rain’ but are positively ‘singin’ in the rain’.

I trust you have a restful and productive weekend.

Kindest regards,

Simon Leitch

Head Teacher

http://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/news/article/council-offers-half-price-school-meals-as-pupils-return

Dear Parents/ Carers and Young People

Following a meeting today with the professional associations at council level, we are now in a position to advise of the return dates for all schools in EAC.  Teachers will return on 11^th August for an in-service day and pupils will return on Wednesday 12^th August.  Clearly not all pupils will return physically to school on that day and we will advise you as soon as possible around physical attendance patterns for our young people.  We hope that you will find this information helpful at this time, and we will issue further information about remaining term dates for 20/21 in due course.

video 1

June re-opening

Letter to pupils June 2020

Letter to parents and carers June 2020

Good morning,

Hope you are all well and are enjoying the experiences the ECC have been putting on the blog.

I have a little request, I hope you will like.

I am looking for you to take a short (approx. 10second) recording of your child waving at the camera, doing a dance or gymnastic move, pulling a funny face…. anything and email it to me at 19oneilltania@eastayrshire.org.uk by Friday 15th May.

We will then blend them all together and we will post this to the blog and also email to your child for them to keep.

We want to cheer everyone up and show we are all still very much together despite the world keeping us apart at the moment.

I look forward to seeing your clips.

Thank you

Tania

East Ayrshire Council is currently updating our Anti-bullying Policy and Dalrymple & Littlemill Primaries are creating an Establishment Statement to help address bullying. The aim of the policy and the establishment statement is to ensure that we provide a range of supports to staff, parents and pupils to improve their knowledge and confidence in promoting respectful relationships and addressing bullying behaviour and its impact.

Please can you complete the questionnaires by following the links, one for pupils and one for parents/carers:

Parent/carers

Pupils

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our pupils, parents, carers, their families and the wider community of Dalrymple, well during these unprecedented times. Since lockdown we have had to get used to not only a different way of learning, but of living. There are many changes we have had to get used to – some of them are welcome and some of them are not! Please be assured that the sacrifices we are all making right now are making a difference to the wider difficulties faced by many in our society. Your commitment to staying at home and observing the lockdown and social distancing will have contributed to the saving of a life or lives – that is something both honourable and humbling to reflect upon. No doubt these circumstances have caused us to reconsider what is important in our lives.

I was reading this quote from John Lennon – for the young, he was a very famous singer/song writer – who said,
“When I was 5 years old, my mum always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down “happy”. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment and I told them they didn’t understand life.”

Whilst we are in the business of educating our children and young people, this crisis has thrown into perspective the need to ensure the wellbeing and happiness of each and every one. We do want you to engage with our online learning and activities, but we want you to be happy most of all. We want you to learn for life and to make sure the relationships you have right now are valued and sacred. Please take care of yourselves over these next few weeks, and if there is anything we can do to support you further then please do not hesitate to get in touch with any of the staff team here at Dalrymple PS & ECC.

Thank you and stay safe,

Mr Simon Leitch

Live lessons from RBS available for all ages. Click here.