Category Archives: Whole School News

Reverse Advent Calendar-Reminder

A reminder that our Reverse Advent Calendar initiative is already up and running for this year.

We are asking kindly for any donations you can possibly manage, no matter how small, for this wonderful cause. All items collected will be added to the St. Matthew’s Food Bank to help local families this Christmas. 

Items can be brought into school between now and the last week in December.

**Please do not hand in perishable foods, thank you**

Here is a list of the types of items you can hand in:

Give Back This Season with a Reverse Advent Calendar!

Reverse Advent Calendar

P4  have distributed boxes to each class for collecting donations for the Reverse Advent Calendar. 🎁🎄

We are kindly asking for any donations you can manage, for this wonderful cause. All items collected will be added to St. Matthew’s foodbank to help local families this Christmas.

Items can be brought into school between now and the last week in December. ( Please do not hand in perishable foods)

Thank you.

Primary 4 visits to Crossgates

Primary 4 have been really enjoying their visits to Crossgates.

Today, we presented the residents and staff with an Advent wreath. During a previous visit the children, residents and staff designed handprints, we used these to create a joint Advent Wreath to remind everyone of the lovely friendships that we have built with our new Crossgates friends.  We have one in our classroom and there is now one displayed in Crossgates. 🎄

Today we enjoyed making Christmas themed play-doh creations. We shared stories and had lots of fun and laughter with our new friends.

 

 

Reminder-Nativity Tickets Now On Sale

Free Christmas Nativity Clipart, Download Free Christmas Nativity ...

A reminder that tickets are available through Parentpay for this year’s Nativity,  “The Magical Christmas Journey” which will be performed by our wonderful P1,2,and 3 pupils.

Although there is no cost attached to the  tickets, we would delighted if you could made a dontation via Parentpay. Our suggested donation is £2.

We are limiting our tickets to 4 per family for the moment.

Thank you 

Reminder-Reverse Advent Calendar

A reminder that our Reverse Advent Calendar initiative is already up and running for this year.

We are asking kindly for any donations you can possibly manage, no matter how small, for this wonderful cause. All items collected will be added to the St. Matthew’s Food Bank to help local families this Christmas. 

Items can be brought into school between now and the last week in December.

**Please do not hand in perishable foods, thank you**

Here is a list of the types of items you can hand in:

Give Back This Season with a Reverse Advent Calendar!

Christmas Fayre-Thank You

 

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We would like to say a big “Thank You” to everyone who helped make our Christmas Fayre on Friday night a wonderful success….FOMC, all our parent, staff  and pupil helpers, our amazing choir who opened the Fayre and to everyone who braved the weather  to come and support us!

We were overwhelmed by your kind  donations of tombola, bottle stall items and home baking.

We do not have an exact total amount raised at the moment, however it looks as if it may be in region of £2000!

Parentpay-Nativity Tickets

We are aware of a slight issue only with some users when paying for multiple Nativity Tickets on Parentpay.

If you are having issues please follow this:

  1. Select your performance (evening/afternoon) and your ticket amount (max of 2 for each performance at the moment).
  2. If your payment amount shows more than it should be don’t worry, simply continue to add your tickets to your basket and then view basket. You will see your amount has been amended accordingly.
  3. Continue to payment.😊

Christmas Fayre

Christmas Fayre 2016 - The Barnehage

The countdown is on for our Christmas Fayre tomorrow-

Friday 1st December

Doors open- 6pm

Choir Singing-6.20pm

Stalls open-6.30pm

Entrance is £3 and includes tea/coffee & shortbread. Hot Chocolate can be purchased for additional cost. Children entry free with an adult.
Santa visit is £2 -all children who visit Santa receive a gift.🎅
We have a wide variety of stalls-
Children’s Christmas crafts, tombola/bottle stall, school calendars, Guess the Mount Carmel elf .🎄
There will also be a variety of local small businesses selling Christmas crafts, sweetie cones, wax melts, candles, personalised gifts, kids lucky dip and many more!
There is still time to hand in any donations for bottle/raffle/tombola and we would appreciate any baking donations on Thursday & Friday this week for our baking stall 🍰
Let’s get those Christmas celebrations started !
Christmas Fayre PNG Transparent Christmas Fayre.PNG Images. | PlusPNG

P4 Missio Champions

P4 have been enjoying their role as ‘Missio Champions’ within the school.

As we all get ready for the beginning of Advent, P4 put together and distributed some fun Advent activities for all the classes.

We also gave everyone a Missio Advent Calendar to remind us all of the importance of keeping Jesus at the centre of our Advent Journey.

We hope that everyone has a wonderful and prayerful Advent.

P4

Advent calendar

 

Important Information

Dear Parent/Carer, 
 

The Scottish Government are currently consulting on the delivery of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenting within Scottish schools. 

You can read about the proposed content and delivery via the link shown below, and I would strongly encourage you to do so.   

Delivery of relationships, sexual health and parenthood education in Scottish schools: draft guidance – gov.scot (www.gov.scot) 

In addition, and perhaps of greater accessibility/ease of reading, Parents/Carers may find that the RSHP website provides a clearer insight into the content often recommended for delivery against the above guidance. 

At Primary School age, the curriculum is at Early to Second Level. 

Early Level 

First level 

Second Level    

As a Catholic faith-based school there are elements of the proposed content linked to the guidance that may, depending upon individual perception, sit in direct contrast to the faith dynamic of our provision, which naturally permeates our ethos and delivery.   

We absolutely understand and welcome the fact that not all of our pupils are Catholics, but also recognise strongly that all families sending their children to our school respect and understand our ethos, and the central role that faith plays in the wider life of the school and in our daily practice. 

Given that parents/carers are the first educators of their children, I feel it is imperative that you are fully aware of the above consultation and are encouraged to submit a response. 

The previous version of the guidance was very clear in acknowledging the rights of Catholic schools to deliver Catholic teaching on aspects of human relationship and sexual development. The revised guidance has removed this reference.  

Encouraging parents/carers to do so is also strongly advocated for by the Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES) and the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland. 

SCES, on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference has produced a briefing paper for the consideration of parents/carers who have elected to send their children to Catholic schools. This briefing paper is attached for your information. 

SCES has also produced a supporting consultation return that you may, if you see fit, elect to refer to prior to making a response. Both of these items have been combined in the attachment provided.

As with any consultation, parents/carers are free to respond in full, in part or not at all. However, parent/carer voice is extremely important and central to the education of children in schools across Scotland. I sincerely and strongly encourage you to try to complete a response prior to the consultation deadline of Thursday 23rd November. Responses can be submitted via this link: 

Consultation Response 

Parents/Carers wishing to make a response by post can do so by submitting a response to: 

RSHP Teaching Guidance Consultation 

Area 2B North 

Victoria Quay 

EDINBURGH 

EH6 6QQ 

It is my understanding that responses need not address every question within the consultation. I am to understand that some parents/carers are electing to respond to questions one and six specifically. It is for individual parents/carers to determine whether or not they wish to respond in full or in part.  

Thank you for your support in this matter. 

Kind regards

Andrea Fergusson

Briefing Paper and Letter Template For RSHP consultation (1).pdf

After School Choir Rehearsals

Free Choir Clipart Pictures - Clipartix

If you received a text message to say you child/children had been successful in gaining a spot in our school choir here are the details of the rehearsal time etc:

Rehearsals begin tomorrow ( 14th November) after school from 3pm-4pm and will run on a Tuesday for the following 3 weeks up to and including 5th December.

If your child is a member of school choir they will be required to sing at our Christmas Fayre on Friday 1st December, more details on that to follow…..

 

If your child/children had expressed an interest in the school choir and were unsuccessful, we apologise; our numbers were very limited, however, there will be many more exciting  opportunities to take part in activities throughout the coming year. 

Reminder-Pupil Progress Meetings This Week

Parent Info - MargD Teaching Posters

A reminder that our Pupil Progress Meetings are this week on the following days:

Wednesday 15th November @ 5pm-8pm

Thursday 16th November @ 3.30pm-6.30pm

You should by now have received a slip with the date and time of your allocated appointment. If you have not yet had this, please check your child’s schoolbag in the first instance and thereafter contact the school office .

We are delighted that the Book Fair will be available at both our Pupil Progress Meetings and that FOMC will also be there selling raffle tickets for Christmas Fayre prizes.