” Be Yourself Day”

We are going to be celebrating our individuality by having a non- uniform day on Friday 6th May and are asking kindly for a £1 cash donation  which will go towards  school funds for our health week which begins w/c 9th May,  and allow us to provide some lovely activities for the children during  that week .

To link in with mental health week, we are encouraging the children to come dressed in something that makes them happy. It is not fancy dress; however the children should come dressed in colours that make them smile. Appropriate clothing for school please and , as always ,no football strips etc.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Nicola Macy and Alison Wood from the SAC team who will working on literacy within the school until 17th June. 

We are also delighted to welcome Mrs Gillian Morrison to  Mount Carmel . She starts with us this Thursday and takes over from Mrs Gallacher in the office.  Mrs Morrison will work Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

” Be Yourself Day”

We are going to be celebrating our individuality by having a non- uniform day on Friday 6th May and are asking kindly for a £1 cash donation  which will go towards  school funds for our health week which begins w/c 9th May,  and allow us to provide some lovely activities for the children during  that week .

To link in with mental health week, we are encouraging the children to come dressed in something that makes them happy. It is not fancy dress; however the children should come dressed in colours that make them smile. Appropriate clothing for school please and , as always ,no football strips etc.

On Saturday the 7th May, the children that are preparing to celebrate their Holy Communion are encouraged to attend a retreat alongside Father Martin at St Josephs parish.  This retreat will begin with a mass at 10am which parents are invited to attend along with their child. After mass, the children will stay with Father Martin and the team to continue their preparation for Communion. The children should then be collected at 2pm at which time there will be a short parents information meeting about the upcoming sacrament.  We hope that you are all able attend. It will be a day filled with prayer and lots of fun!

As we head into our final term, Primary 1/2 are “in training” for moving up to the next primary stage.  As well as pushing on with new learning, we will be working hard to consolidate the learning that has taken place throughout the year.

Literacy – Primary 2

Phonics – we will continue to follow our Active Literacy framework which will involve the introduction of split phonemes this term – magic “e” words. There are lots of these to learn so we will be working very hard to read and spell these.

Spelling – we will continue to practise our very trickiest of common words so we can write these effortlessly in our sentences.

Writing – Narrative writing will be our focus this term. We will use our skills in descriptive writing to create detailed settings and characters.

Handwriting will continue to be a focus this term, ensuring we are correctly forming our letters and taking care with their size and position on our lined pages. We will be paying special attention to the formation of our capital letters, making sure these are always the correct size.

Reading – Our focus will be reading for information this term. We will familiarise ourselves with the features of non-fiction texts and use the contents/index/sub-headings to help us find the information required.  We will also be introduced to the skills of “skimming” and “scanning” texts for keywords.

Literacy – Primary 1

Phonics – Now that we have learnt all the sounds in the alphabet and are using these to make and break words, we are going to start learning the sounds made by two or more letters such as “sh” “ch” “th” (joint phonemes).

Spelling – We will continue to practise the spelling of our tricky common words to ensure we can use these when writing sentences. We will learn some new words to add to our ever growing bank of vocabulary.

Writing – We are continuing to develop our skills in describing this term as well as having a go at writing some words and sentences by ourselves.

Letter formation and handwriting will continue to be a focus to allow us to showcase our spelling skills with ease.

Reading – Reading for information will be a focus this term. We will look at non-fiction texts and record the facts we learn.  We will also continue to practise our decoding skills by reading all types of text whenever we can.

Numeracy – Primary 1 and 2

The focus for Numeracy this term will be centred around number processes.

P2 – We will be exploring numbers to 100 by ordering the numbers through each decade and ensuring we understand how the quantities represented by each number are made.  We will also be doing lots of counting to ensure we can confidently count forwards and backwards to enable our addition and subtraction.

We will also be grouping and sharing materials to develop our understanding of multiplication and division.

P1 – Now that we have been introduced to the addition facts to 10, we will focus on subtraction. We will initially explore this concept using concrete materials before developing mental strategies to help us solve calculations.

We will also be focusing on the teen numbers……taking steps beyond our “terrific ten”. We will look at the quantities represented by the teen numbers and ensure we can recognise, record and order the numbers to 20.

As part of our Houses and Homes topic, we will be using position and movement to help us follow and design maps. We will also develop our Data Handling skills by collecting, recording and analysing the information we gather.

Health & Well-Being (HWB)

During our last term of PATHS lessons we will be introduced to some new emotions. We will explore each emotion in detail, thinking about how each emotion looks and feels and will consider whether it would be a “comfortable” or “uncomfortable” feeling.

We will also continue to reinforce our strategy of “Doing Turtle” and will use our PATHS sessions to talk through our feelings about moving into our new class at the end of the year.

We will be thinking about our food and how some foods are better for us than others. We will explore where some of our food comes from and have some healthy eating taster sessions.

We will also be learning about our amazing bodies and the correct names for each body part.

In May we will take part in our whole school Health Week during which we will have the opportunity to try different sports and activities.

During PE we will be focusing on Athletics, Striking and Fielding Games and Dance.

THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR TAKING ALL EARRINGS OUT FOR GYM DAYS ON MONDAYS AND THURDAYS.

RE

During the month of May, we honour “Mary”. We will recite our special prayer of the “Hail Mary” and revisit the stories of the Nativity, Annunciation and Visitation; giving special consideration to the role of Mary in each one. We will prepare our class altar in honour of Mary and learn to say the Rosary.

During this term, we will link our RE with our HWB through the teaching of “God’s Loving Plan.” We will be thanking God for our amazing bodies! We will learn the names of the body parts and consider the choices we can make to help look after our bodies.

We will also talk about the needs of a new born baby; learning about the tasks and equipment required to look after a baby.

IDL (Topic)

Our first topic this term will be “Houses and Homes”. We will explore our local area and consider the types of buildings which are located around our school. We will investigate the different types of homes in our community before choosing two different types to describe the features of in more detail.

We will consider the role of an engineer and identify some constructions in our area which will have had an engineer’s input. We will then use our technology skills to design and build our “dream houses” using a variety of materials.

Our second topic will be “Living Things” during which we will have the opportunity to sort animals into groups according to a variety of characteristics; such as physical features and habitats. We will also learn the names for the young of common farm animals and look at the life cycle of a butterfly.

During this topic we will make links with Literacy; finding information from texts and recording this in a variety of ways. We will also link up with HWB by exploring where some of our food comes from before preparing and tasting it.

A very busy and exciting term ahead for P1/2. Lots of learning, playing and exploring to do but also lots of preparing, as we get ready to take another step onto the next stage in our school journey.

Mrs Duff

During Health Week next week, can we ask if the children can come into school with comfortable trousers on with the school polo shirt and jumper also. No football colours.

Also, we would encourage our children to bring in a healthy snack on this week particularly.

At Mount Carmel we like to celebrate everyone’s individuality. That is why on Friday 6th May we are having a dress down day. Children can wear whatever makes them happy and confident. As always though, we ask that absolutely NO football colours are worn. This includes any teams that the children may play for.

We also kindly ask that the children bring in £1 donation to participate in this day. This will go directly towards funds for our Health week activities. The staff cannot wait to see what the children will be wearing.

Primary 4 have put together a short video to tell you what they have in mind…

Check out my Sway!

Go to this Sway

The following holidays are coming up in May:

Monday 2nd May – May Day

Thursday 5th May – In -Service Day

Please see the letter below.

Letter to Parents and Carers from Jason Leitch National Clinical Director – April 2022

Dear Parents/Carers,

It has been lovely to see the Primary 7 children return after the holidays looking so smart in their school uniform and their leavers hoodies.  We ask that you continue to support your children to wear school uniform at all times and suitable trousers/shorts for PE days.

This term we are looking forward to a variety of activities in Primary 7 as we prepare fully for our transition to High School.  All of the children enjoyed their visit to St Josephs before the holidays and we hope that a further visit will be organised this term.  St Josephs have provided transition booklets which the children will soon begin working on and will have plenty of opportunities to discuss how they are feeling about this change.

This term we also have our exciting Activity Week planned which I know both the children and the staff are really looking forward too.  Thank you to those that have paid the £50 towards this, this continues to be available on ParentPay.

Our plan for the Activity Week is:

Friday 10^th June – Tree Top Trials – Craufurdland Estate

Monday 13^th June – Kilmarnock Cinema and lunch

Tuesday 14^th June – In school activities including zorbing with Active Schools

Wednesday 15^th June – In school activities including cooking with Stephanie

Thursday 16^th June – Burger and Bowling

Friday 17^th June – Visit to Dean Park

As part of our celebration of our Primary 7 children we have provisionally set a date for the Leavers Assembly.  This will take place on Tuesday 28th June at 2pm.  We hope that we will be able to invite parents into the building for this beautiful occasion.

We hope our Primary 7 children have a fantastic final term and look forward to sharing more details with you.

Kind regards

Mrs Fergusson

Head Teacher

Welcome back!  We hope you had a lovely Easter break with your families and are ready for a fun packed and hopefully sunny last term. Fingers crossed!!

Primary 5 have now established themselves in our upper school and continue to strive to be good role models for their peers and build on their increasing independence. During term 4 our focus will be:

Literacy

This term P5 will be focussing on Narrative writing, we will be developing literary devices and linking this to our topic. In reading, we will continue our progress within Bug Club further developing our AL comprehension strategies as described in our latest ‘Sharing the Learning’ video. We will focus on listening and talking throughout our topic lessons, expressing our opinions and justifying these with good reasoning in debate/ lesson presentations. Some groups will continue to work on literal comprehension and prediction skills, whilst others will continue their work on inferential and evaluative questions. Spelling and phoneme work will be consolidated this term and pupils will use ‘Active Spelling’ resources and activities to support this.

Numeracy

This term, P5 will be focussing on Division, as well as Fractions and Decimals. The circles and rectangles groups will complete division with remainders. The squares and triangles will also focus on these areas at their level. In Beyond Number, pupils will look at 2D and 3D shape recognition and properties, making links to angles and symmetry. Later in the term, we will also be exploring ‘Measurement’. (volume, mass, length, area)

Health and Well-being / PE

We will be focussing on completing our PATHS lessons and moving onto explore further areas such as healthy food, hygiene, bodies (God’s Loving Plan) as well as keeping ourselves safe. We will also look at substances that can damage our physical and emotional health, appropriate to our age.  Pupils will have the opportunity to visit many of these concepts during our whole school  ‘Health week’.

PE days will now be on Wednesday and Friday mornings. We will participate in independent and teamwork for Athletics during April/May moving onto Orienteering in June. Pupils will complete these lessons outdoors as much as possible so please make sure your child is prepared for the weather that day. It is essential that your child comes to school prepared for outdoor learning in appropriate clothing as we hopefully plan to be outside more as the summer nears and weather improves. Make sure they have plenty of water with them for very hot periods and sun cream.

Science

This term in Science we will be investigating water. We will be developing our knowledge and understanding of the water cycle and also exploring and investigating the methods for purifying water. We will look at the many uses of water and why it is important to conserve water.

RE 

As Eastertide passes, we will be mainly focusing on Mary, Our Lady.  Celebrating her example and significance through the Gospel of Mark as well as revisiting the feast of the Ascension and Pentecost. In June, we will look at God’s Loving Plan resources as part our This Is Our Faith programme. This will look closely at friendships, relationships as well as the role of being a parent /carer.

IDL

Our enterprise topic this term is ‘A Night at the Movies’. Pupils will look at the evolution of the film industry from the silent movies, introduction of sound, colour, animation, from Drive-Thru to 3D/4D currently. This will include developing our Talking and Listening and also writing skills (scripts/movie reviews, Gogglebox), also ICT  skills ( Green screen/ ipad) to make our own movie trailers which will incorporate set design, production and directing and expressive arts lessons to create our sets. These will be ‘premiered’ at our own Oscars ceremony/Party where we will dress up in our best and have the opportunity to culminate all our learning, have fun and raise some funds for school.

Thank you again for your continual support this year for our pupils and class.

Mrs McIntyre & Mrs MacKinnon

Primary 4 Term 4 update

It is great to see the children back after their Easter break refreshed and ready to learn. I hope you all had a lovely time together spent with families and friends. As we approach the last term of Primary 4, there is still lots to do and lots of learning that will take place. Here is an update of what we will cover in class in the term ahead.

IDL

Our topic last term was a roaring success. We learned all about charities and how we can help others. The children were amazing during this time and were able to plan and organise our entire Lent activities for the whole school over a span of around 5 weeks. We raised a whopping £600 for SCIAF which is absolutely amazing. I am so very proud of their achievement as well as their enthusiasm during this topic.

Moving forward, our topic this term will be Scottish castles. We will focus on 6 of the most well-known castles around Scotland and explore their history. We will also look at Mary Queen of Scots as a small sub topic and how she visited some of these castles at different points in her lifetime.

Literacy

The children in the class are working well in their groups for all aspects of literacy. Please continue to support your child in accessing bug club at home as the ‘bug questions’ that pop up during their reading task helps them in their understanding of literal and inferential questions.

Note taking is an essential skill that will be a focus for us during this term. Within this we will concentrate on what constitutes a note, how we organise notes as well as what a key fact is and under what heading it would belong. We will explore different ways that these notes can be recorded, for example, in written form with bullet points, mind mapping etc.

In terms of our Grammar, I have seen massive improvements in our understanding of the English language. Last term had a focus on dictionary tasks, sentence writing, as well as verbs and their tenses (past, present and future). This term will look towards adjectives, nouns, proper nouns, similes, metaphors and onomatopoeia.

Much of our writing this term will be focused around our topic. We will look at explanation texts (a leaflet/ a brochure) and this will need the skill of note taking as well as how we use time connectives. We will also look at some Scottish poetry and attempt to write some poetry of our own.

We are continuing to develop our ability to listen for instructions and show what a good listener is. This term will see the introduction of solo talks. This will take the form of show and tell once per week and then a presentation in front of the class towards the end of term.

Numeracy

The children have worked extremely hard last term with both addition and subtraction. The term ahead will be challenging as we have lots to cover in our numeracy; however, the children in P4 are absolutely up to the challenge! This term we will be learning all about multiplication and division. This is why the children have been working on their time tables since August and the retention of their facts is crucial in their learning. We will particularly be exploring how our multiplication facts can link to our knowledge of division as well as the mathematical language associated with this.

This term will also see us focusing on fractions, decimals and percentages. The children will be introduced to concepts such as nominator/denominator and simplifying fractions.

Our beyond number topics will be measurement (length, volume, capacity, weight, area and perimeter as well as all of the language that is associated with this), angles, symmetry and grid referencing (language describing movement and direction/clockwise and anti-clockwise).

Health and Well-being

Our health week within school usually happens in this term which will allow us to explore different aspects of how we can keep ourselves and other safe. Alongside this however, we will also be taking a focus on substance misuse. We will also be looking at ‘God’s loving Plan’ and the vocabulary associated with the different parts of our body.

In terms of P.E, the class will hopefully be doing a lot more P.E outside (in the sunshine – fingers crossed) where we can focus on our knowledge of athletics, orienteering and outdoor games in general. We will also have our second block of gymnastics. The class completed their first block last term and I was very impressed at the confidence and skill of some of the children. We will continue to work on their confidence as this is usually the biggest barrier to learning within a topic like gymnastics.

R.E

I am so very proud of Primary 4 in terms of their R.E. Some of our children celebrated their sacrament of confirmation last term and they represented their families, their school, myself and themselves brilliantly. The children who didn’t were an excellent support and gave constant encouragement to their peers. As well as this, due to their hard work and organising skills, the school managed to raise lots of money for SCIAF and the Ukraine humanitarian crisis fund. A great big WELL DONE!!

This term will see the children celebrate the last of their sacraments which will be their Communion.  As part of their preparation for this, we will explore the Rosary and how we can pray the Rosary ourselves or as part of a group. We will continue to learn about Jesus and his love for us as well as explore stories from the bible.

Expressive Arts

Much of our expressive arts this term will be completed as part of our new topic. We will look at clay modelling within art, script work/writing through drama, as well as how we can give constructive feedback to our peers which will help them develop their performances.

Modern Languages

The children will continue to learn French with Mrs MacKinnon. They have already been learning all about the capital of France and can discuss different tourist attractions within Paris. This term will focus on the children talking about themselves in French.

As always, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your ongoing support. Have a lovely May bank holiday.

We are excited to announce that Health Week will take place from Monday 9th until Friday 13th of May.

We have an exciting week of Health and Mental Health actives for all of our children.

We are sad to say that the fantastic Mrs Gallacher in our clerical staff is moving on from Mount Carmel on Friday 29th April. Many of you will know Mrs Gallacher from Onthank ECC as well as our school.  She has been an amazing part of our school team and will be greatly missed by pupils, parents and staff.

We wish you the very best in your next big adventure.

Welcome back to the Primary 1 blog where you can find out what the children will be learning about as they continue to grow and develop throughout this final term.

Literacy

Primary 1 have become more and more confident when using initial sounds to word build. They will continue to work on word building this term, however, they will now focus on building CVCC as well as CCVC words (4 letters). Primary 1 will continue to use the Active Literacy strategy “say, make, break, read and write” to support them with this new learning. In addition to this, Primary 1 will continue to learn new common words every week as well as a new joined phoneme each week until they have learned all common words within stage 1. Primary 1 will continue to have lots of opportunities to practise word building and common words in a range of active ways in line with the Active Literacy approach to learning. A focus for Primary 1 during this last term will be using their knowledge of word building and common words to build sentences independently. The children in Primary 1 will have many opportunities to develop their independent writing skills this term through weekly news, free writing and sentence tasks linked to their spelling sounds. To support this new learning, Primary 1 will also apply their reading skills when writing. The children will have sentence building tasks linked to their reading books each week; this will ensure appropriate differentiation. In addition to this, Primary 1 will continue to focus on description writing this term, they will describe different objects in relation to their Spring topic as well as characters and objects from familiar stories. Primary 1 will continue to focus on describing number, colour, texture and size. The children will be encouraged, where appropriate to write independently.

Primary 1 will continue to develop their talking and listening skills; understanding when to listen and when to respond, taking turns and communicating with others. They will also continue to develop their letter formation through regular handwriting lessons/activities.

Numeracy and Mathematics

This term, Primary 1 will consolidate their understanding of the concept of addition within 10. They will focus on increasing their mental accuracy of number bonds to 10. The children will have many opportunities to develop their mental accuracy through mental math quizzes and number talks. In addition to this, Primary 1 will apply their knowledge of addition within 10 when working on missing number calculations as well as word problems. When Primary 1 are confident in their addition skills they will begin to focus on subtraction within 10. The children will transfer their skills to answer subtraction calculations and word problems. In addition to this, Primary 1 will consolidate their knowledge of numbers to 20 and beyond.

Primary 1’s beyond number focus this term will be time. The children will learn about both analogue and digital clocks. They will learn to tell the time using both types of clocks as well as match them. They will focus on tell the “o’clock” time on both clocks. Primary 1 will learn about what the hands (minute and hour) on the clock face mean (analogue) as well as the numbers on the digital clock (00). In addition to this, Primary 1 will revise the days of the week as well as the months of the year as part of this new learning. Primary 1 will learn about measurement this term with Miss Mulhern. They will work on developing their knowledge of length, capacity and volume. Primary 1 will develop this new learning through a hands-on approach.

Health and Wellbeing

Primary 1 will continue to develop their social and emotional skills through our whole school PATHS programme. The children continue to enjoy engaging with the puppets and love it when they visit our classroom. Primary 1 love giving and receiving compliments each day as part of “Pupil of the Day”. Primary 1 will continue to learn about their emotions through a range of activities and stories based around the PATHS puppets. The children in Primary 1 continue to engage enthusiastically with this programme.

In addition to this, Primary 1 will learn about how to keep themselves safe including what is meant by medicines and harmful substances. Primary 1 will learn to identify which substances may be helpful and which may be harmful in given situations as well as suggest ways to get help in unsafe and emergency situations, such as seeking out an adult and calling the emergency services.

Physical Education

This term Primary 1 will focus on athletics and orienteering. The children will practice running, jumping, and throwing both independently as well as part of a team. Once Primary 1 have developed their running, jumping, and throwing skills they will compete against each other in friendly relay races. In addition to this, Primary 1 will apply their ability to follow instructions within the classroom to giving and following instructions within the outdoor environment.

P.E. days will continue to be Monday and Thursday.

Religious Education

This term Primary 1 will learn about the beauty of God’s creation and how it is seen in them and all living things through God’s Loving Plan. The children in Primary 1 will reflect on the love that God instills upon them, giving thanks for talents and life itself. Primary 1 will think about Our Lady this term. The children will reflect on Mary as the mother of Jesus and the Mother of all of us. They will revise the nativity story as well as the Easter story to support their thinking. Primary 1 will also learn to pray the “Hail Mary”.

IDL

This term, Primary 1 will continue to learn about different materials through the science-based topic materials. They will explore a range of materials to enhance their understanding of the world. They will carry out different experiments which enable them to investigate and compare materials. In addition to this, Primary will explore the topic “Plants” this term. They will complete investigations about different plants through a range of field-based activities. Primary 1 will engage with this topic through a hands-on approach.

Thank you for visiting the Primary 1 blog, keep a look out for any further updates as term 4 progresses!

Thank you,

Mrs Dunsmore.

Primary 1 parents please log in to your childs Learning Journal account to see what your child has been up to!

If you have not yet logged in for the first time, you have been emailed a link to support you as you do this. If you have any issues when logging in, please contact the school office.

Enjoy!!

Mrs Dunsmore

Please click the link below to see East Ayrshire School Counselling and Psychological Wellbeing Supports Newsletter…

East Ayrshire School Counselling and Psychological Wellbeing Supports Newsletter

Hi all and welcome to the April edition of our newsletter. We have had lots going on in the background that we can’t wait to update you on! Exciting news, updates and resources to share!

Go to this Sway

Please see below the link that should be accessed should you want your child to receive brass instruction. We kindly ask that if your child is interested in this provision that the form be filled in ASAP.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/DesignPage.aspx?fragment=FormId%3DoyzTzM4Wj0KVQTctawUZKdEv97M1ii1AjR7pFvVxRF5UQVQzR1A2RFlUU0Y1VkkyOTJFRlBTMFNONC4u

Many Thanks

Please read the attached letter from Head of Education, Linda McAulay-Griffiths:

Consultation Letter – 27.4.22 – parents and carers

East Ayrshire Health and Wellbeing are running the following course via Vscene on the dates listed below:

“Wellbeing: A practical approach to supporting your child’s wellbeing”:

Session 1- 11th May 6.30pm-7.30-pm

Session 2- 18th May 6.30pm-8pm

This course looks at how parents can support their own and their child’s mental wellbeing. The sessions are free, however, parents need to commit to attending both sessions to take part in the course.

Parents wishing to take take part on the course should email their contact details directly to :

eahwbteam@eastayrshire.org.uk

by Thursday 5th May 2022

” Be Yourself Day”

We are going to be celebrating our individuality by having a non- uniform day on Friday 6th May and are asking kindly for a £1 cash donation  which will go towards  school funds for our health week which begins w/c 9th May,  and allow us to provide some lovely activities for the children during  that week .

To link in with mental health week, we are encouraging the children to come dressed in something that makes them happy. It is not fancy dress; however the children should come dressed in colours that make them smile. Appropriate clothing for school please and , as always ,no football strips etc.

Please see the links below for information regarding P6 & P7 sports clubs. A great opportunity to meet children of the same age group.

All activities are free for children.

P6&7 Football

P6-S4 Netball

Please see the links below for information on clubs that are taking place for P4-7 children.

All activities are free.

Please note that the football club is for girls only.

P4-7 Basketball

P4-7 Girls Football

Please follow the link for some exciting Sport activities taking place for Primary 1 and 2 between the 26th April and the 17th May at McIlvanney Campus. All activities are free.

P1-2 Sports & Activities

We hope everyone had an enjoyable Easter break!

We hope all of our children and their families have had an enjoyable time celebrating Easter this weekend and their spring holiday.

We are looking forward to seeing all children return to school tomorrow at 9am. A reminder that full school uniform should be worn, or suitable trousers/shorts if a PE day.