Breakfast Blethers will now start at 9am instead of 9.15am
Monthly Archives: September 2023
October Break
A reminder that the school closes at 3pm on Friday 13th October for the October break. We will reopen for pupils on Tuesday 24th October.
Monday 23rd is an in-service day for staff.
Homework
Homework finishes on Friday 6th October.
Reminder that the school will be closed for the September holiday weekend on Friday 22/9 until Monday 25/9.
School will reopen on Tuesday 26/9 at 9am.
We hope you have a lovely break.
TeamMC
September Raffle
Our September raffle is now up and running on Parentpay!
To be in with a chance of winning our fantastic prize all you need to do is buy your tickets via Parentpay.
Tickets are £1 per strip of 5.
The closing date for purchasing tickets is Wednesday 27th September and the Raffle will be drawn on Friday 30th.
P5 Leaders in Play
Primary 5 are working hard alongside our active schools co-ordinator, Mark Devlin. We are learning how we can support the children in our school with play.
Breakfast Blethers Reminder
Begins this Thursday 21st September 9.15am-10.15am
School Improvement Plan 23-24
Please find attached our School Improvement Plan for 23-24:
Rag Bag Collection September 2023
We will once again be accepting any unwanted items of clothing for our Rag Bag collection. Previously, Rag Bag pre-printed bags were distributed to schools for donations, however, this is no longer the case. Please hand any donations into the school in a carrier bag or bin bag by 9am on Monday 18th September.
Thank You.
Annual Data check & Local Visit Forms
If you have not already done so could you please complete and return the forms that were issued to all children at the start of term by Tuesday 19th September.
If you require any new forms to be issued please contact the school office where we can arrange for duplicate forms to be printed and sent home in your childs school bag.
Thankyou
Important Information
We are a nut free school. Please do not send in any snacks or lunch products that contain nuts (for example snickers, Nutella or Kinder Bueno).
Thankyou
P7 Term 1 Update
Welcome back everyone and welcome to the P7 blog! I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday. I am delighted to welcome back the pupils of P7 who have settled well into the school routine and are enjoying being the top of the school!
Here’s an overview of our learning that will take place in our first term (Aug-Oct).
Literacy
This term we will be focussing on a novel study, The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo. As well as reading the book together, the class will participate in activities that relate to other areas of the curriculum including Art, Social Studies and Technology. We will also continue to develop our comprehension skills through our use of all ALP reading strategies with a particular focus on summarising and identifying the main idea
For writing, we are concentrating on descriptive writing: Giving detailed descriptions using similes, alliteration, the senses and metaphors to interest the reader.
Spelling groups will continue to use Active Spelling strategies and follow on from previous work.
Numeracy
All groups this term have begun by looking at place value. We will soon be moving into addition and subtraction. The class will continue to take part in daily mental activities such as number talks where they aim to use a variety of mental strategies to achieve the solution. The class are also working on skills beyond number with Mrs McIntyre and are currently developing their knowledge of angles.
Health and Wellbeing
This year we will continue to use the PATHS programme to shape our HWB learning. P7 have already started ‘pupil of the day’ and participated in discussions around feelings and how we manage our emotions. We will continue to revise the steps of the Problem Solving guide and aim to apply it in situations independently. We are also investigating the different diets people have due to allergies, intolerances and religious reasons.
For PE, we have participated in team games concentrating on how important communication and teamwork is in order to be successful. P7 will shortly begin our block of badminton aiming to develop their racquet skills, learn the rules and take part in small competitive games.
IDL
Our topic this term is World War 2. This ties in closely with our novel study. We will investigate how the war began, key events in the war (D Day, The Battle of Britain and The Blitz) and how people helped the war effort. We will be using other curricular areas, such as literacy and technology, to help us understand and research this topic. P7 have also been watching news clips, information bulletins and listening to music from the 1940s to get into the mind set of Brits during the war.
Technologies
This term P7 will access and use more features of Glow, attach files to emails, save work to cloud locations and retrieve files using search functions. We will also have an input from East Ayrshire IT department on how to use and access Chromebooks.
RE
P7 will continue to complete their journal for the Pope Francis Faith Award as well as reading from the New Testament. We will be looking at the life of Jesus and how he associated with those who were marginalised in society.
I look forward to working with P7 in the coming year and hope to have lots of enjoyable experiences that will make learning fun and memorable.
Mr Bertoncini
Parent Council Annual General Meeting Reminder
Vincent De Paul Support
The Society of Vincent De Paul meets on Monday evenings between 7.30 and 8.15pm. They can offer support in many different ways to families.
Please view the flyer below for more information:
The flyer will also been handed out to all families, so please chck your child’s schoolbag.
Thank you
Learning Journals
This year, we will be continuing our use of the Learning Journals platform to allow us to share some of your child’s learning with you.
Click on the link below for some further information on the use of Learning Journals.
Thank you.
Primary 4 Term 1 Update
Welcome back! We hope you have all had an enjoyable summer. It has been fantastic to see P4 settle into their new classroom and routines.
We have had a great start to the term and look forward to a fun-filled term with lots of fabulous learning taking place.
Here is an update on the upcoming term.
Literacy
For our reading focus this term, we will be developing our comprehension strategies such as visualisation and metalinguistics through our class novel ‘The Iron Man’. The children will be introduced to similes and onomatopoeia; some children can use these in their writing.
During writing, we will start by continuing to develop our sentence structure and use of description bubbles for various descriptive pieces, we then then continue to work on our characterisation through descriptive skills and language narrative writing.
Spelling will take the form of active spelling activities and the children will experience phonemes and blends at their working level.
P4 will also be given revision lessons on alphabetical order, sentence structure and dictionary skills.
Numeracy & Maths
P4 have already looked at how Maths impacts the world around us and where we use Maths in our day to day lives. We have started learning how to round 2 and 3 digits to the nearest 10 and the nearest 100.
The class will review Place Value knowledge and use it to build on their sense of number. We will look at 4-digit numbers and read, write order and recite these numbers. Through our place value work, we will be able to identify the value of each digit.
We will then progress to looking at our addition strategies. The class will participate in a daily number talk, to develop mental maths strategies.
In Beyond Number, the class will start with shaping, look at the properties of a range of 2D and 3D shapes and create tiling patterns. We will then move on to investigate the use of mathematical language to describe and record directions.
Health and Wellbeing
At the start of the term, P4 discussed and identified their right as a child. As a class, we agreed on a Class Charter to allow our class to be fun, safe, hardworking and respectful.
This term we will begin our PATHS programme for P4. Lessons will include setting up our class rules, looking at individual emotions, building friendships and community within the school, Self-Control and Anger Management. We will also start the Do Be Mindful programme which will allow us, using a range of strategies, to look at ways we can take a mindful moment each day.
PE
PE is on a Thursday and Friday. This term we will be covering;
- Team Games
- Football
- Badminton
PE kit must be brought in and left at the start of each term. Before each holiday, the kit will be sent home for washing to be freshened up and returned on the first day back. Please make sure your child is not wearing jewellery on these days as they will be unable to participate in the lesson for health and safety reasons. If your child cannot take part for any reason, please contact the school.
French
We will be revising the alphabet, basic French phrases and numbers this term through, songs, activities and games.
IDL
P4 will be learning to carry out a comparison study on the rainforest and the Arctic. We will link this with our literacy through our descriptive writing and will develop mapping skills.
Expressive Arts
In Music, we will be using ‘Charanga’ to appraise and learn a song. P4 will have the opportunity to use our new school glockenspiels to accompany the song, learning about rhythm, pace and beat.
During Drama lessons, the pupils will take part in drama activities to support teamwork and improve confidence. We will also ‘act out’ parts of our class novel.
As we move on to our IDL topic, we will use various mediums to create some beautiful artwork to depict the rainforest and Arctic, looking at the idea of hot and cold colours.
Religious Education
This term we will be reflecting on our uniqueness and thinking about our God-given talents. We will reflect on the importance of friendship and link this with various stories from the Bible. The children will take part in class prayers and School Masses, and we will continue to build on our knowledge of common prayers and Mass responses.
Homework will be distributed on a Monday to be completed and returned by Friday.
Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to a fabulous term with P4!
St. Joseph’s P7 Meet and Greet
A reminder that the Parent/carer meet and greet session at St. Joseph’s takes place tomorrow evening (12th September) at 6.30pm.
Primary 2 Term 1 Update
Primary 2 Blog Post
Hello and welcome to our very first blog post of the new session. Primary 2 have been very busy settling into our new classroom and our new routines. Children have been working hard to consolidate previous learning and are enhancing these skills through our novel study and outdoor learning.
Literacy
Our class novel is ‘The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark’ and through this text, pupils will explore our outdoor area and write about why dark is fun! Pupils will create some descriptive writing pieces, describing our main character, Plop, and using adjectives to describe the people he meets and the things he sees.
Our reading and spelling activities are now underway, and children have been working within groups to revisit previous sounds and texts, ready to use their skills and strategies to tackle new and unfamiliar spelling sounds and reading books. Our focus in writing currently is descriptive writing and these written pieces will come from our class novel and topic of Houses and Homes.
Homework will be sent out week beginning Monday 4th September. Please check your child’s homework bag, weekly, for the homework to be completed that week. Reading books will be attached to pupils’ accounts through our online Bug Club reading programme. I will issue Bug Club login details when the first homework tasks are sent home. Homework will consist of spelling, reading and maths, both mental and worksheet/jotter jobs too. These will be issued on a Monday and should be returned to school on a Friday.
Maths
Our focus in maths will be place value, with children working on 2-digit numbers, initially to 20 and then to 99. Children will be able to partition these numbers and discuss this in terms of tens (T) and units (u), whilst building on their understanding of number and number patterns. Addition to 10 or 20 will also be a focus as well as word problems to consolidate our strategies within this operation of number. Children will begin use their ‘Busy Bee’ jotters as the term progresses to develop problem solving skills, applying knowledge of number to new contexts and develop strategies for number problems.
Health & Wellbeing
Our Paths Pupil of the Day has now begun, and our Pupil of the Day has been receiving lots of compliments. All children will have the opportunity to be pupil of the day. We will begin exploring emotions, comfortable and uncomfortable and how we recognise these emotions within ourselves and in others.
In P.E, our sessions will happen on a Tuesday and a Wednesday and our focus in term 1 will be on football and basketball. Children will have the opportunity to partake in some fun activities which support teamwork whilst focusing on developing their listening skills and awareness of space.
R.E
Our focus during R.E sessions will be on prayer, their meaning, the routines of the church and the celebration of Mass. We will also spend some time reading and discussing bible stories relating to friendship and love, whilst considering how each of us are unique and have our own God given talents.
Topic
As the class novel is The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, we will be doing a mini topic which focuses on exciting things that happen in the dark, developing children’s imaginations and ideas in fictional texts. We will also look at woodland animals as these are a feature in the class novel and will tie in nicely with out term 1 science topic about houses and homes, comparing houses in the countryside to those we find in the towns and cities. Children will explore and develop an understanding of how houses have changed in the last 100 years, comparing it to life as we know it now.
We hope this is the start of a very successful term and that the pupils are enjoying their return to school and seeing their friends and teachers.
Take care,
Mrs Travers
Primary 3 Term 1 Update
Primary 3 Blog Post (Term 1 Update)
Hello and welcome to our first Primary 3 blog post this term. P3 have been very busy settling into our classroom and learning new routines. Children have been working hard through carrying out revision activities to consolidate previous learning and are enhancing these skills through our novel study and outdoor learning.
Literacy
Our class novel is ‘Horton Hears a Who’ and through this book pupils will be exploring their curiosity through using their senses during outdoor learning. Pupils will create some descriptive writing by describing the main character, Horton, and using rhyming words and adjectives to describe what he hears and the things he sees. This novel underpins an important message in the story “A person’s a person, no matter how small”. This reinforces to the children that no matter how different we might seem from one another, we are all equal.
P3 have been participating in reading and spelling activities and children have been working within groups to revisit previous sounds and texts, ready to use their skills and strategies to tackle new and unfamiliar spelling sounds and reading books. Our writing focus is currently descriptive writing, and these written pieces will come from our class novel and topic of Vertebrates.
Homework will be sent out week beginning Monday 4th September. Please check your child’s homework bag, weekly, for the homework to be completed that week. Reading books will be attached to pupils’ accounts through our online Bug Club reading programme. I will issue Bug Club login details when the first homework tasks are sent home. Homework will consist of spelling, reading and maths, both mental and worksheet/jotter jobs too. These will be issued on a Monday and should be returned to school on a Friday.
Maths
Our focus in maths will be place value, with children consolidating previous learning on 2-digit numbers, initially to 99. Then moving to three-digit numbers beyond 100. Children will be able to partition these numbers and discuss this in terms of tens (T) and units (u), whilst building on their understanding of number and number patterns. Addition to 100 and beyond will also be a focus as well as word problems to consolidate our strategies within this operation of number. Children will begin use their ‘Thinking it through’ jotters as the term progresses to develop problem solving skills, applying knowledge of number to new contexts and develop strategies for number problems.
Health & Wellbeing
Our Paths Pupil of the Day has now begun, and our Pupil of the Day has been receiving lots of compliments. All children will have the opportunity to be pupil of the day. We will begin exploring emotions, and how we recognise these emotions within ourselves and in others and learning how to control them.
In P.E, our sessions will take place on a Tuesday and a Thursday and our focus in term 1 will be on hockey and badminton. Children will have the opportunity to participate in some team working games which focus on developing their skills and abilities as well as their awareness of space.
R.E
Our focus during R.E sessions will be on prayer, their meaning, the routines of the church and the celebration of Mass. We will also spend some time reading and discussing bible stories relating to friendship and love, whilst considering how each of us are unique and have our own God given talents.
Topic
As the class novel is ‘Horton Hears a Who’ by Dr Seuss, the children will be participating in activities in different areas of the curriculum including outdoor learning. This will help to develop children’s imaginations and ideas in fictional texts. Children will explore and develop an understanding of living things as these are a feature in the class novel and will tie in nicely with out term 1 science topic about Vertebrates, children will be sorting and categorising living things into vertebrates and non-vertebrates.
The children are so excited to be back to see all of their friends and teachers. We look forward to term 1 in primary 3.
Thank you,
Miss Grimley
Primary 1 Curricular Overview – Term 1
A very warm welcome to the Primary 1 Blog. The children are settling into their new school surroundings beautifully and have already established routines and friendships within their new class.
We have had a lovely start to the term getting to know one another but we are most definitely poised and ready to LEARN! Below you will find an overview of what we will be covering this term.
Literacy
During literacy times, P1 have already been developing their phonological awareness (the ability to hear sounds in words). We are doing this by focusing on the rhythm and rhyme of language through clapping syllables and working on our nursery rhymes.
We are also working on our fine motor control to develop our mark making skills. Name writing is a focus to ensure we can always sign off on our masterpieces!
Developing our listening and talking skills forms a huge part of our day. We are learning to follow our “carpet time rules” to ensure we do our best listening while the teacher is talking. We are also learning to take turns at communicating our thoughts and feelings.
Numeracy
We know numbers are all around us and have had a chance to talk about those which are special to us, for example, our age, door number etc.
Number times will consist of lots and lots of counting! We will be developing our “number sense” by counting out and comparing quantities and becoming familiar with the language of mathematics.
We will be reciting our number sequences forwards and backwards, understanding that each number we say represents a quantity.
As our pencil control improves we will be learning how to form our digits correctly. Pattern and Shape will also be a focus this term. We will link this to outdoor learning by looking for natural patterns and shape in our environment.
Health & Well-being (HWB)
Our PATHS programme will feature heavily during our HWB time. The children will be meeting Twiggle and friends, our PATHS puppets, who will help us explore our feelings and friendships. We will also be introduced to our “Pupil of the Day” initiative, which allows each and every member of the class to be the focus of our kind words and actions for a whole day.
In PE we will initially develop our spatial awareness through games before moving onto large ball skills.
RE
The children have been introduced to our RE times during which we have been discussing God’s love for us all. We will continue to explore this unconditional love by considering the gifts God has given us, including our families and the qualities which make each and every one of us so special and unique.
IDL
Our theme of Nursery Rhymes will be used to explore other areas of the curriculum such as art, music and technology.
We will also be looking at our own “history” by thinking about the people and events involved in our journey from newborn baby to Primary 1 pupil!
Expressive Arts
During art sessions we will be creating our favourite characters from the Nursery rhymes we have been learning. We will be exploring the visual elements of line, pattern and colour.
During music sessions, we will be singing and keeping the beat to our Nursery rhyme favourites.
PE DAYS WILL BE MONDAY AND THURSDAY – please think carefully about uniform and ensure NO JEWELLERY is worn on these days.
Homework will be issued from Monday 11th September.
Mrs Duff
Primary 5 curricular overview
Primary 5 – Term 1
Hi everyone. This is the first term’s update on Primary 5’s learning. The class are already working very hard and are eager to learn. This is a quick snapshot of what will be covered in the term ahead. There is lots to do and I am sure that there will be lots of fun along the way.
IDL
Our interdisciplinary topic this term is knights and castles. We have already started this and the children are enjoying learning about what castles are nearby and what knights did. I am hopeful to take the class to visit the Dean Castle.
Literacy
The class have already started reading our class novel, ‘The Butterfly Lion’ by Michael Morpurgo. They have been completing tasks relating to the text and I am already impressed with their comprehension skills. Within reading this term, we will be looking at the main purpose of a text as well as the different genres of books. We have an extensive class library that the children can access for personal choice and enjoyment, as well as our school library which we will also be visiting. The children will continue with bug club and this will have a learning focus of metalinguistics and visualisation. The children will develop their understanding of what they are reading and I am hopeful of your support at homework time to complete their reading online. All children will be encouraged to read their texts with expression and fluency.
Our writing genres for the term ahead are descriptive writing and narrative writing. The class will be working on writing their piece, editing it and re drafting it, focussing on layout in order to engage their reader. This is when the children will access ICT in order to type their re draft piece of writing.
In terms of our listening and talking element of literacy, the children will be focussing on listening to and for instructions. This is something that the class find difficult at times. They will work on their ability to show respect to everyone in the class by giving good looking eyes and listening ears when it is appropriate to do so.
The class will complete handwriting every week within class and we would ask that this is promoted at home in terms of homework also.
Numeracy
The entire class will continue to work on their times tables throughout the year. We have already began working on our understanding of place value and what value each digit holds within the columns. Depending on what group the children are in for their numeracy, they will be working on place value using units, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands and hundred thousands.
We will also be looking at rounding to the nearest ten, hundred and thousand. This will enable the children to develop their skill of estimating so they can then find approximate answers to calculations and problems.
The children will develop their knowledge of shape. Some of the things that the class will be investigating through shapes are describing triangles by their sides and defining what kind of triangle it is, for example, equilateral, isosceles and scalene. The class will investigate the symmetrical values of each shape, looking for a line of symmetry, and will learn how to make patterns and designs using these symmetrical properties. This topic will be covered by Mrs McIntyre on a Wednesday.
Our whole school will concentrate on number talks throughout the year. These lessons encourage children to solve calculations using different strategies. This allows children to have ownership of their own learning by using the strategies that suit their learning style best.
Health and Wellbeing
Our P.E. days are a Monday and a Wednesday. We are currently learning about hockey and developing our ability to dribble, pass and shoot to target. After this topic, we will hopefully be moving onto to rugby and the skills involved with this.
Primary 5 already participate in mindfulness every day, this is something that the entire class benefit from and have been doing this since the beginning of Primary 4. It is my intention to train all children in the massage in schools programme which will enable the children to develop another skill in managing their mental health on a day to day basis. I will, of course, be seeking parent’s permission before this would be introduced and further information is available on request.
Our PATHS programme will help the children to develop positive relationships within the class and school. Delving into the emotions that the children feel will help them to understand why they are feeling this way as well as giving them the tools to cope with these emotions.
Our core health and wellbeing teaching will focus on good diet, how much sleep a child of their age needs to stay healthy and how they can rest. We will also look at the skills that are required to manage changing relationships focussing on tolerance and mutual trust.
R.E.
In order to link our R.E. with our health and wellbeing, we will be learning about friendship through bible stories. The class will earn some of the miracle stories that allowed Jesus to show that he was the son of God. We will continue to pray to God and ask for forgiveness when we need it and say thank you for things we are grateful for. In preparation for mass throughout the year, the children will be learning new hymns and prayers.
Expressive arts
This term, the class will be focussing on art through drawing. We will look at the use of lines and texture within a drawing and what materials we can use effectively. Our music this term will be focussing on singing. This will be completed through our hymn practises and drama will be explored later in the year.
ICT
Now that the children have access to their usernames and passwords for the network, we will spend this term practising logging in and accessing the computer network, bug club, Sumdog and glow. The children will also be looking at re-drafting some of their writing which will develop their word processing and formatting skills. They will then to encourage to save this work to their own desktop.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support so far this term and look forward to everything that is to come.
Take care,
Mrs McCreadie
P6 Curricular Overview -Term 1
Welcome back! The summer seems like an already distant memory and primary 6 have settled into their new routine well.
Children are encouraged to have all items they require daily and a PE kit which remains in school please.
Our learning this term:
Literacy
A focus on legible and cursive handwriting will be a priority this term with individuals being supported accordingly around this.
Reading
The class novel this term is ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ by Roald Dahl. The pupils will complete various reading and writing tasks related to this appropriate to their level. This novel study also has links to other curricular areas including Health and Well-being, art and drama.
We will also continue using the ‘Bug Club’ reading resource to aid our comprehension skills.
Spelling will be individualised to groups and will form a focus for homework as well as class tasks.
Numeracy
Children have completed necessary revision of previous learning and are ready to tackle their new learning. This term the class will focus on place value; outcomes are determined in groups, this will lead to a period of addition and subtraction across the groups.
Time will be a focus during beyond number lessons again differentiated across the class. Children will be focussing on duration and digital as well as analogue. Circles and Rectangles will also explore 24hr conversion. Please provide opportunities for time telling at home. Children will also look at 2D and 3D shape this term, they will investigate properties and tiling.
Health and Wellbeing
Our focus this term is ‘Class Community’ we are together creating a charter for our class rights and expectations. Pupils are involved in discussions around areas that we define as ‘Quality’. Children will also choose a school community group to join. This will allow pupils to showcase their upper primary maturity and help drive the school priorities and community forward.
Children will also continue to follow the PATHs resources, this helps pupils to identify their emotions, act accordingly and build resilience.
‘Do be mindful’ strategies and mindful learning blocks will reinforce all that we do.
Religious Education
Pupils will be encouraged to join discussions around biblical stories, particularly ‘Creation’ with a focus on science and religion. We will explore when the two compliment each other. They will be encouraged to think ‘deeper’ and ask questions to help develop their faith.
French
Primary 6 have looked at ‘Francophone’ countries and are developing an understanding of the French language in travel and economy. We will be revising colours and numbers to 100 this term. Dates and times will also be reinforced.
Homework
Homework will be issued weekly and at primary 6 level children should be able to complete these tasks individually with limited support. Please check that your child is accessing these tasks and is becoming responsible around this. Homework will always be issued to reinforce learning and children will have been taught the area in class. Homework creates routine and independence and will be an expectation at every stage of school life especially secondary school. In developing good habits in the upper primary this will ease that transition when the time comes.
As always your continued support is appreciated across the school year. We look forward to working with you and your child this academic session.
Mrs Crawford and Mrs McIntyre.
Numeracy in the sunshine
Primary 5 have taken full advantage of the beautiful weather today and have taken their numeracy outside.
Primary 7 Meet and Greet at St Joseph’s
All of our current Primary 7 parents and carers are invited to a ‘Meet and Greet’ session at St Joseph’s Academy on Tuesday 12th September at 6pm.
Primary 6-Meet The Teacher Session
A reminder that Primary 6 will be hosting a Meet the Teacher session at 2pm on tomorrow.
September 2023 Newsletter
Please see enclosed link to our September Newsletter
Playground Drop Off
Please note from Monday 04/09/2023, Parents/Carers/Adults will no longer be allowed in the playground to drop children off for the day.
Thankyou for your cooperation with this.
Mrs A Fergusson
Head Teacher
P5 Numeracy outdoors
Primary 5 enjoyed an outdoor learning session with a focus of rounding to the nearest 10 in numeracy. They worked hard in pairs to complete their rounding flowers 😁
Breakfast Blether
Primary 6-Meet The Teacher Session
A reminder that Primary 6 will be hosting a Meet the Teacher session at 2pm on Monday 4th September.