If you have purchased or have still to purchase a book from the Book Fair using your child’s “Book Fair Wish List” please return the completed slip to the school so your book(s) can be ordered.
Please do this no later than Monday 21st November.
Please check you have completed the following on the form prior to returning:
Child name and class
Payment Reference Number
Name and value of book
Thank you.
A reminder that tonight and tomorrow night are our parent/carer appointments in school. We are delighted that St. Joseph’s staff will be attending both nights. No appointments required, please just introduce yourself and ask any questions you may have no matter which primary your child is in.
There will also be the opportunity to look at pupil work and have a cup of tea/coffee. These will both be available in the small hall.
We are delighted to have our Book Fair back in school!
Every class will have the opportunity to visit the Book Fair today. Each child will be given a “Book Fair Wish List” slip which will be filled out in school and brought home with them with the title of one book they would really like from the Fair.
There is no obligation to purchase a book.
There is a portion at the bottom of the slip which parents/carers can complete in order to pay for the book if they wish.
The Book Fair will be available tonight and tomorrow night during our parents evening.
Please do not send cash into school.
As you are aware this is national antibullying week. At Mount Carmel Primary School we aim to be kind and caring friends. We know that bullying can happen at school and want to do our best to prevent these instances and provide the appropriate support for children and their adults if it was to occur. We are currently creating our statement to add to the East Ayrshire Antibullying Policy. Please take the time to complete this survey and share your views with us.
This survey will close on Sunday 20th November.
There will be a new weekly Killie Kickers (age 3-5) session for young people in Onthank launching on Thursday 17th November at 4pm. This will take place in the North West Area Centre, Western Road, Kilmarnock KA3 1NQ on Thursdays from 4pm-5pm. The cost is £4 per session with your 1st session free!
If young people would like to come and try, please can parents fill out their details on the form below and click Onthank Kickers, and “try a taster session”:
https://kilmarnockfc.co.uk/community/championing-our-young-people/kickers-kids-sign-up/
East Ayrshire Council are in the process of taking part in a national discussion that will hopefully ‘reform’ education and it is important that the views of our parents are heard along with others.
An event which will be jointly hosted by Connect and NPFS will be held on Wednesday 9th November between 19.30 – 21.00 please sign up for this event and have your views heard. Details of the event are below:
www.eventbrite.com/e/national-discussion-online-event-for-parentscarers-with-prof-alma-harris-tickets-457090358567
As you remember from our November Newsletter Primary 1-3 will be gifted a bag of book as part of Book Week Scotland. To celebrate this Primary 1-3 will complete some special activities in school on Monday 14th November. We are also asking that the children in Primary 1-3 come to school in their pyjamas.
As part of East Ayrshire Leisure’s celebration of Quentin Blake’s 90th birthday this year, we are inviting children and young people age 7 – 16 years to submit their own Quentin Blake inspired illustration artworks for a special exhibition in the Young People’s Gallery at the Dick Institute from 26 November 2022 – 25 February 2023.
Artwork brief
We want you to send us your Quentin Blake inspired illustrated artworks of lively and playful characters which look like they might be found on a book cover or in a poem! Click here for the full artwork brief.
Find all entry requirements here
The call closes for submissions at 3pm on Saturday 12th November 2022.
Entries should be handed in or posted to the Main Gallery desk at the Dick Institute (Elmbank Avenue, KA1 3BU) from Sat 15th October 2022.
Submitted artworks which fulfil the entry requirements will be showcased the exhibition
Primary 3 Blog Post (Term 2 Update)
Welcome to our curriculum update for term 2. It is sure to be a busy term as we prepare for all the fun and exciting activities, we will be part of in the run up to advent and Christmas!
Literacy
During term 1 our focus in reading was to predict what might happen in our reading texts and to think about sequencing parts of a story. We also began to think about summarising what we had read and to put this information into our own words. During term 2, summarising skills will continue to be a focus alongside our usual spelling and common word activities that help pupils retain and recognise their spelling sounds/phonemes and words in texts.
As part of our topic and to help children find specific information, we will also be working on recognising different parts of texts (pictures, diagrams, charts and headings) and how to scan for and locate key words or topic related facts in texts. Children will also use their knowledge of nouns, verbs and adjectives from term 1 and identify these in texts we are accessing in class. To build on from this, pupils will be focusing on punctuation and speech in texts and looking at the impact this has on texts for the reader, as well as beginning to use different punctuation in their own writing.
In writing, we have been focused on descriptive writing in term 1 and will now focus on report writing and narrative throughout term 2. We will also partake in some listening and talking games and activities to help children develop the key skills needed when in whole class or group discussions or when sharing information in a show and tell type activity.
Maths
Our focus in maths will be to regularly revisit place value, recognising sequences and patterns in numbers 0-100 and how these patterns continue in larger numbers beyond 100. In term 1 the focus was addition and subtraction strategies and although this will be revisited in term 2, our focus will move to multiplication, with pupils beginning to make the link to division. Children will spend time mentally counting on in 2, 5 and 10, then using this repeated addition strategy to apply to the other times tables.
In beyond number, children were focused on 2D and 3D shapes and their properties in term 1. The focus in term 2 will be time, analogue and digital with children learning to think about what the time will be in half an hour or in an hour’s time. Children will regularly 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 any number problems.
Health & Wellbeing
All children will have the opportunity to be pupil of the day for a second time in term 2 and will continue to explore emotions, comfortable and uncomfortable and how we recognise these emotions within ourselves and in others. We will look at strategies for helping us deal with uncomfortable emotions and how we can help our friends if they are experiencing some of these emotions.
In P.E, our sessions will happen on a Monday and a Wednesday and our focus in term 2 will be football, gymnastics, and social dancing. Children will have the opportunity to partake in some fun activities which support teamwork whilst focusing on developing their listening skills, awareness of space and how to keep ourselves safe whilst using apparatus.
R.E
Our focus during R.E sessions will be on the creation and Mary in October, moving to Saints and Remembrance in November before visiting advent and the nativity throughout December.
Topic
In term 2 the focus of topic will be on social studies and looking at climates and weather around the world. The children will have the opportunity to measure our own weather, make weather reports and predictions as well as examine how living things survive in areas of extreme cold or heat. Pupils will research the impact of extreme weather such as tornadoes, floods, and drought and how climate change is affecting the planet.
We hope this is the start of another very successful term and that the pupils will continue to enjoy learning new topics across the curriculum.
Take care,
Mrs Travers
Hello again everyone. Here we are in term 2 with Halloween just gone and Christmas already on the horizon, where does the time go! Here is a brief update of our learning focus this term.
Literacy
After reading our class novel last term, we now aim to develop Active Literacy strategies through Bug Club guided reading texts. There will be a particular focus on paraphrasing and identifying the man idea as well as continuing to explore and improve answering and asking a variety of question types. For writing, we are concentrating on report writing and aim to use these skills on a topic that interests them.
Numeracy
This term our numeracy focus is on multiplication and division incorporating aspects of fractions decimals and percentages. We will continue to use Number Talk strategies to develop mental strategies related to multiplication and division. The class are also working on skills beyond number with Mrs MacKinnon will be investigating the concept of measuring and naming different angles and applying them to real life contexts in the form of bearings.
Health and Wellbeing
The PATHS focus this term is looking at organisation skills before moving on to working on resolving conflicts. We will also continue to praise and compliment children through Pupil of the Day. We are also exploring food and dietary requirements of people and factors which influence food choices. We will also be investigating different nutrients groups and the importance of each.
For our PE, we will be visiting Ayrshire College on Wednesdays and participating in outdoor activities. In school, our other PE day will be a Tuesday where we will be focussing on gymnastics. We will develop our knowledge and execution of shapes, jumps, turns, balances and rolls and even try some mini parkour! We will also spend a short time looking at traditional Scottish dances.
IDL
Our topic this term is science based and is forces and friction. We will be investigating the life of Sir Isaac Newton and his 3 laws of motion and discovery of gravity. We will also be conducting some scientific experiments and discussing fair testing and hypothesising.
RE
In the month of November P7’s will be looking at the lives of Saints and understand that this month is dedicated to remembering the dead. We will also investigate the notion of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. We will also look at the period of Advent focussing on the story from different Gospels and how Jews were waiting for a saviour
French
After getting the opportunity to work with Mrs Donaghy from St Joseph’s, Mrs MacKinnon will now carry on the French with P7. This term the focus will be on conversations around food as well as talking about which country someone is from.
Technologies
This term P7 will access 3D graphics programme and use tinkercad to create a variety of 3D designs. We will also use this to create things for our Christmas Fayre so keep your eyes peeled for our designs ready for sale!
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.
A quick reminder that we will be going outside often, therefore, children should bring in appropriate clothes such as wellies or old boots, waterproof jacket and warmer clothes (hat, scarf, gloves) as we move into the winter.
Mr Bertoncini
Term 2
Welcome back to everyone and I hope you all had a wonderful October break.
Primary 1 are back and ready to learn!! We have a busy and fun filled term ahead including some “spooky” activities for Hallowe’en before getting ready to celebrate our first Christmas as part of the Mount Carmel school community.
Literacy
This term we will be continuing to practise our letter formation and pencil control skills to ensure we can write the letters we have been learning.
Now that we know some of the sounds the letters of the alphabet make, we will be “blending” these together to make words. These words will help us with our reading and writing tasks.
We are very excited that we are becoming “readers” in Primary 1 and will soon be bringing home our first texts with words in them. We will be making predictions about the stories we read in class, using the title and illustrations to help us.
During writing activities, we are continuing to describe a range of objects by thinking about their colour, size, texture and shape.
Numeracy
Now that we have explored the numbers to 10 fully and have looked at those numbers which are “more” and “less”, we will be focusing on the concept of addition. We will begin by combining two quantities and understanding that when you do this, the quantity gets bigger. This will lead us on to learning our number stories, where we learn the different ways to “make” our numbers to 10. These number stories (or facts) are the building blocks to which all the other number processes are built upon, so we will spend a lot of time on these, ensuring they are well embedded before moving on.
Numbers are tricky to write, so number formation will continue to be reinforced in class and through homework tasks.
Health & Wellbeing
We will continue to welcome our PATHS puppets to help us talk about our emotions and friendships. We have been talking about the kinds of things friends do together and have discussed what makes a good friend.
We have been exploring our emotions and sharing our experiences and we will be looking at ways to help us manage our feelings.
We will also be talking about ways to keep ourselves safe when indoors and outdoors.
Topic
Our topic this term is “Maps and Mapping”. We will be investigating the physical features of our local environment and having fun representing these through models and pictures. We will also link this topic to our learning in Maths by exploring the language of position and movement.
RE
During RE we will continue to give thanks for God’s love.
We will also explore the story of creation, developing our awareness of the natural wonders of the world around us.
As the term progresses, we will celebrate advent together, preparing for the birth of Jesus by showing love and kindness to those around us as much as we possibly can. We will be exploring the story of the nativity through songs, role play and craft activities.
Expressive Arts
The seasonal themes of Autumn, Winter and Christmas will be the focus of our drama, music and art activities this term.
Thanks for your support,
Mrs Duff and Mrs Strachan
On Friday 18th November we will celebrate Children in Need. On this day children can come to school in their own clothes and can choose to wear something spotty if they wish.
We are asking for a £1 donation for this via ParentPay.
Children will also receive an additional entry for the November raffle for this £1 donation.
During November we have the opportunity to win a £25 amazon voucher. If you would like to try for this raffle, tickets will be available to purchase on ParentPay for £1 each.
Best of luck for this.
Please view our November Newsletter.docx
During the course of the week, the children will be watching a powerpoint which highlights the challenges and strengths of dyslexic learners. They will also promote discussion around dyslexia using discussion cards .
As it is approaching Rememberance Day on 11th November, we will again be visiting classes to offer pupils a poppy in return for a donation via our poppy collection tin.
Two of our P7 pupils will go round the classes at 2.30pm each day from tomorrow until 10th November.
We are pleased to inform you that the Exchange Counselling Service will be in attendance for the duration of our parent/carer evening on Wednesday 16th November, where they will be able to give more information about the service they provide.
We would like to take this opportunity to say a great big thankyou from all of the staff and children at Mount Carmel to our friends at FOMC, for arranging the fantastic Halloween disco we all had the pleasure of enjoying this year. We all had the best time enjoying all of the fun and games and eating the delicious treats you had for us. We are so very grateful for all of your help and support.
Thankyou
Please complete the form below with your preferred date for your child’s parent/carer appointment.
This form will close on Friday 28th October.
Please see below the link to the October Newsletter.
EAC School Counselling & Psychological Wellbeing Supports Newsletter (office.com)
Thankyou
Our next Parent/Carer Council Meeting takes place on Tuesday 22nd November at 7pm. This will take place face to face at Mount Carmel Primary School.
Our Council provide an invaluable service to our school and have been vital in supporting the school with continuous improvement.
We require new members to take part in this and to continue to support the school going forward. Our August meeting had 3 parents participate, please consider joining our Council in order that we are able to continue.
Please complete the form below if you are interested in finding out more information.
If your child is interested in brass tuition in school and is in Primary 6 or 7, please complete the Expression of Interest form below:
Music Service EOI letter – Brass (1)
https://forms.office.com/r/nMUF1PjrwR
Please complete the form below with your preferred date for your child’s parent/carer appointment.
This form will close on Friday 28th October.
Friday 4th November- Fireworks Lunch Menu
Tuesday 15th November 5pm-8pm– Parents/Carer Appointments (complete online form or paper copy)
Wednesday 16th November 3pm-6pm– Parent/Carer Appointments (complete online form or paper copy)
**(The Book Fair will be available for both Parent/Carer dates)**
Wednesday 30th November– Whole School Pantomime Outing (donations via Parentpay)
On 30th November we are having a whole school outing to the Palace Theatre to see the pantomime- Snow White.
The total cost of the tickets for the school is £2090, which is £11 per child’s ticket. We will also have the cost of the buses on top of this. Due to this, we are kindly asking for a donation of between £11-£15 per child to help towards the cost of the trip.
This item is now live on Parentpay.
We understand this can be a very expensive time of year and we very much appreciate your donations.
Thank you.
Please complete the form below with your preferred date for your child’s parent/carer appointment.
This form will close on Friday 28th October.
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