Welcome back! Primary 3 have worked very hard during the first term, consolidating previous knowledge as well as lots of new learning. They continue to work well together, displaying the school values in all that they do. We look forward to this next exciting term together and all that it brings. Below is a curriculum overview for this term.

Literacy

Reading – This term, Primary 3 will develop their questioning skills with particular focus on who, when, where, why and how questions to enable the pupils to retell main events. Find it, Prove it, Talk about it strategies will also be developed to support understanding of texts. In addition to this, pupils will be able to recognise key features of non-fiction texts.  Bug Club readers will continue to be used. Daily opportunities for reading will continue to be provided through personal reading time.

Writing – In writing, Primary 3 will continue to work on sentence structure ensuring the use of capital letters, full stops and finger spaces as well as use connectives such as “and”, “but” and “because” to add more detail to sentences.  This term’s writing genre will be narrative. Pupils will begin to use a variety of openers and powerful verbs to make their writing more interesting. In addition to this, weekly handwriting lessons will continue.

Spelling – New phonemes and common words will be introduced weekly. Active spelling activities will be used to support this learning.

Listening and Talking – When developing talking and listening skills, P3 will focus on asking and responding to questions as well as retelling stories and events in their own words.

Grammar – Primary 3 will begin to learn about verbs linking this to prior knowledge about nouns, as well as recognizing and using connectives in reading and writing.

Numeracy and Mathematics

This term, addition and subtraction skills and strategies will be reviewed and revisited before building on this. Primary 3 will look at adding and subtracting 2 and 3 digit numbers using number lines, partitioning and the column method. Word problems and equations will continue to be explored as their knowledge of addition and subtraction expands. In addition, P3 will extend their understanding of 2D and 3D shape. Daily number talks will continue to be completed, to develop mental maths strategies.

UNCRC

Primary 3 continue to be mindful of the UNCRC Rights of the Child. Pupils will be looking at Article 38 for Remembrance Day and the right to protect children from war as well as articles 4 and 41 and 45 in celebration of World Children’s Day and Human Rights Day throughout this term.

Health and Wellbeing

Primary 3 will continue to access our whole school PATHS programme this term to develop their understanding of emotions. Alongside this, Pupils will learn about ‘Zones of Regulations’ with a particular focus on energy levels. Each child will continue to have the opportunity to be “Pupil of the Day”, receiving compliments from their peers. P3 continue to enjoy this experience. We will also continue with the Do Be Mindful programme which will allow us, through a range of different strategies, to think of the ways we can be mindful each day. Furthermore, P3 will learn about internet safety and how living things grow and survive.

Physical Education

This term, Primary 3 will develop their football skills. In addition to this, pupils will have the opportunity to develop their social dance skills as we approach Christmas.

PE days are Monday afternoon and Thursday afternoon. All children will require a PE kit on these days. Please ensure any jewellery is taken off and left at home on PE days. If your child cannot take part for any reason, please contact the school.

Religious Education

In R.E. this term, Primary 3 will learn about the Creation story, discovering the great diversity of plant and animal life created by God and how we can help care for it. We will learn about the lives of several Saints such as St Francis of Assisi and the season of Advent, where we will learn more about the Christmas story, particularly the role of King Herod and Joseph.

IDL

This term, P3 will continue to learn about Climates around the world as well as participate in a Christmas Enterprise project. Through the Christmas Enterprise project, pupils will develop their enterprise, creativity and teamwork skills. They will make a number of cross curricular links during this topic including social studies, expressive arts, literacy, technologies and numeracy.

French

This term Primary 3 will continue to develop their confidence when having conversations in French. Pupils will also focus on numbers to 20 as well as vocabulary related to Christmas and Christmas traditions in France.

Homework

Will be distributed on a Monday and should be completed and returned on a Friday each week.

Primary 3 look forward to sharing their wonderful learning with you throughout the term! Look out on the school app as well as Learning Journals where some of your child’s learning moments will be shared. If you have not yet handed in the permission slip for this please do so as soon as possible so we can share some of your child’s lovely work.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding, we are really looking forward to another fabulous and festive term in Primary 3,

Mrs McIntyre and Mrs Hope.

Welcome back to Primary 2! We hope everyone had a lovely break and is ready for another exciting term of learning. This term, we will continue to build upon the knowledge and skills developed so far, introducing new learning experiences and challenges across the curriculum. We will continue to develop our independence, build positive relationships and work together to become confident and successful learners.

Literacy

This term, we will continue to develop our phonics knowledge, with Miss Lennox leading weekly phonics activities to practise new sounds and common words. We will focus on applying these skills to support reading and writing.

In reading, Miss Lennox will focus on both fiction and non-fiction texts. Pupils will develop their comprehension skills by exploring different types of texts, identifying key information and discussing what they have read.

In writing, Mrs Strachan will focus on narrative writing, encouraging pupils to develop their own stories with characters, settings and events. Miss Lennox will also introduce connectives to help pupils join ideas together and make their sentences more interesting. We will continue to develop our sentence structure, using capital letters, full stops and other punctuation appropriately.

Numeracy

This term, Miss Lennox will focus on addition and subtraction, developing pupils’ confidence in calculating, using different strategies and solving number problems.

Mrs Strachan will focus on shape and money. Pupils will explore the properties of 2D shapes and 3D objects, learning to recognise and describe their features. Through money activities, pupils will develop their understanding of coins and notes, recognise their values and applying their knowledge to practical situations.

We will also take our learning outdoors whenever possible, using the outdoor environment to explore shapes and develop our mathematical thinking through practical activities.

Health and Wellbeing

In Health and Wellbeing, pupils will continue to develop their understanding of emotions, relationships and making positive choices. Through our PATHS programme, we will continue to explore feelings, actions and problem-solving strategies.

Miss Lennox will introduce learning about substance misuse, helping pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of how certain substances can affect our health and wellbeing, and the importance of keeping ourselves safe. We will also be discussing people who help us and different roles within our community, reflecting on skills needed for these jobs.

Within PE, Miss Lennox will focus on gymnastics and social dance, giving pupils opportunities to develop their balance, coordination, movement and creativity. Mrs Strachan will focus on small ball skills, helping pupils improve their throwing, catching, control and coordination through a range of fun activities and games.

Our PE days remain Monday and Thursday. Please ensure pupils bring a full PE kit to school, that all items are clearly labelled with their name and that all earrings are removed before PE. PE kits can be left on pegs during the week. Weather permitting, we will also take our PE learning outdoors.

Religious Education

This term, our RE learning will focus on the Saints and the Holy Spirit. Pupils will explore the lives and examples of saints, considering how their faith and actions can inspire us in our own lives. We will also develop our understanding of the Holy Spirit and its importance within our Catholic faith.

Pupils will continue to receive RE input during assemblies and will have opportunities to participate in school Masses and liturgical celebrations throughout the term.

Social Studies and IDL

Our interdisciplinary learning (IDL) topic this term will be “The Toy Shop”, with a focus on enterprise. Pupils will explore the purpose of a toy shop and investigate how toys are designed, made, advertised and sold.

Through this topic, pupils will develop their creativity, teamwork, problem-solving and decision-making skills. They will have opportunities to explore different roles within a toy shop and develop their understanding of money, buying and selling, and how businesses operate.

Science

Our Science focus this term will be forces, linked to our Toy Shop topic. Pupils will investigate how objects move and explore forces such as pushes and pulls. Through practical investigations and hands-on activities, they will have opportunities to ask questions, make predictions, test ideas and discuss their findings.

Mrs Strachan will also be focussing on energy sources and sustainability looking at different types of energy and understanding their importance to everyday life.

Technologies

Technology will be incorporated throughout our Toy Shop topic. Pupils will have opportunities to design and create their own toys using junk modelling and a range of recycled materials. They will explore different materials, consider how to make their designs work and evaluate their finished products.

This will encourage pupils to use their imagination, develop practical skills and solve problems as they bring their toy designs to life.

Outdoor Learning

Outdoor learning will continue to be an important part of our learning this term. Weather permitting, PE sessions will take place outdoors to help pupils develop their movement skills and enjoy being active. In numeracy and mathematics, we will use the outdoor environment to explore shape through practical, hands-on activities.

UNCRC

As a school we are working towards our Rights Respecting Schools Silver Award. We have reflected and reviewed our Class Charter from Term 1.  This term pupil will be looking at Article 38 for Remembrance Day and the right to protect children from war as well as articles 4 and 41 and 45 in celebration of World Children’s Day and Human Rights Day.

We are looking forward to another fantastic term in Primary 2, filled with exciting learning experiences, creativity and opportunities for our pupils to grow in confidence and independence!

Miss Lennox and Mrs Strachan

Remember to keep an eye on your child’s Learning Journal profile.

Class teachers will be posting regular updates about the fantastic learning and activities taking place in each class.

If you are unable to access Learning Journals, please let the office know.

Your log in details will be sent to the e-mail address that you provided the school with.

Thank you,

Mrs MacKinnon

Primary 7 Term 2 Curricular Update 

P7 have made a positive start to their final year at Mount Carmel and are continuing to grow into their role as the oldest pupils in the school. Many pupils have embraced opportunities to take on responsibility and be positive role models for younger classes, while our House and Vice Captains have made a great start in their leadership roles. We are very proud of the enthusiasm and effort shown across the class and look forward to all the learning and festive fun that Term 2 will bring as we approach their final Christmas at Mount Carmel. 

Below is an overview of the exciting learning and teaching taking place this term.  

Literacy 

Reading  

We’ll begin the term with a short poetry block, enjoying a range of poems and exploring features such as rhyme, imagery, repetition and personification. Pupils will share their thoughts, discuss the poet’s choices and develop their confidence in analysing different texts. Following this, we will move on to our class novel, The Boy at the Back of the Class, which links with our Term 2 IDL. Through the novel, pupils will continue to develop their fiction reading skills by answering a range of literal, inferential and evaluative questions. We will encourage thoughtful discussion, prediction and reflection, using evidence from the text to support our ideas and deepen our understanding of the story and its themes. 

Writing 

Writing lessons will be linked closely to our reading activities. Following our poetry analysis block, pupils will write personal responses to poems, sharing their thoughts, opinions and feelings while referring to features of the text. As we move on to The Boy at the Back of the Class, pupils will continue to develop their response writing skills by reflecting on characters, events and themes, using evidence from the text to justify their opinions. P7 will also have opportunities to write across the curriculum. Pupils will also experience two taught handwriting lessons per week working on fluency, accuracy and legibility.  

 Talking and Listening 

Pupils will discuss key chapters from The Boy at the Back of the Class, sharing their thoughts and ideas about the story. They will take part in activities such as hot seating, where they answer questions in role as Ahmet and other characters, helping them to better understand how characters think and feel. Through class discussions, pupils will explore themes such as kindness, friendship, inclusion and helping others. They will also continue to build their confidence in sharing their views, listening to others and responding thoughtfully to the ideas of their classmates. 

Spelling and Grammar  

For most group the spelling focuses this term will be on the etymology of words, exploring how words grow and change from their root words. Pupils will learn about word origins and make links between related words to help develop their vocabulary and spelling skills. In grammar, we will continue to focus on sentence structure, encouraging pupils to write in a variety of ways and use a range of punctuation accurately to make their writing more interesting and effective. 

Numeracy  

This term, pupils will continue to develop their understanding of the four operations using whole numbers and decimals. They will apply these skills in a range of problem-solving activities and real-life contexts. Pupils will also explore information handling, including collecting, displaying and interpreting data. Mrs Dunsmore will be teaching angles and shape this term. Pupils will build on their understanding of different types of angles and explore the properties of a wider range of 2D and 3D shapes, including more complex shapes. They will develop their reasoning skills by identifying, describing and comparing shape properties. 

Primary 7 are encouraged to revise their multiplication tables as these permeate all areas of Numeracy.  

Health and Wellbeing 

With bikeability finished our PE return to a Monday and Wednesday. Pupils are required to have a FULL change to take part safely. P7 will start Term 2 with a block of gymnastics lessons with the focus on leaps and jumps, rolls and balances. P7 will also have full responsibility for safely setting up apparatus and putting it away. As December approaches, P7 will be swapping pencils for pas de basques as we take to the floor for Scottish dancing. Pupils will be brushing up on their Strip the Willow and Gay Gordons steps! I know they can’t wait!  

Through a H&WB mini IDL focus P7 will discuss Substance Misuse of Drugs and Smoking/Vaping. Focus will be on how the media can influence young people’s attitudes and choices. They will explore how advertising, social media, and popular culture can use persuasive techniques to promote certain behaviours. The aim is to help pupils make informed and responsible decisions.  

IDL 

This term, our IDL topic will focus on Belonging, Diversity and Global Citizenship, using The Boy at the Back of the Class as a key text. Through reading, discussion and response writing, pupils will explore themes of friendship, kindness, inclusion and belonging while developing their reading and writing skills. Across Social Studies and Health and Wellbeing, we will learn about discrimination, equality, children’s rights and the experiences of refugees, helping pupils to develop empathy, respect and an understanding of how they can contribute to a welcoming and inclusive community. 

 Technologies  

P7 have developed strong digital skills and are confident using technology to support their learning across the curriculum. This term, we will continue to build on these skills through a range of learning activities, encouraging pupils to use digital tools creatively, responsibly and independently. Pupils will regularly use their Chromebooks to research, create and present their work, further developing the digital skills that will support them as they move on to secondary school. 

Expressive Arts 

Dance  

P7 will continue to build on their knowledge of popular Scottish dances, we are hoping to join in with P6 for more ‘ceilidh’ style lessons. Pupils are encouraged to give it a go as it is part of our Scottish culture and identity.  

Drama  

In Drama, pupils will take part in a range of activities to build confidence, creativity and teamwork. They will use role play, improvisation and group performances to explore characters, situations and emotions. Drama activities will also link to our class novel, The Boy at the Back of the Class, giving pupils opportunities to bring parts of the story to life and develop their speaking and listening skills. 

RME  

P7 continue to work towards their Pope Francis Faith Award. This award encourages children to live out their faith at school, at home and in the Parish. Pupils will continue to develop their understanding of the liturgical calendar, exploring key events and celebrations. P7 will take part in activities and prayers linked to Advent as we prepare for Christmas.  

UNCRC  

As a school we are working towards our Rights Respecting Schools Silver Award. We have reflected and reviewed our Class Charter from Term 1.  We agreed as a class community that listening could be better and have included the responsibility to engage and listen to everyone without interruptions.  

This term pupil will be looking at Article 38 for Remembrance Day and the right to protect children from war as well as articles 4 and 41 and 45 in celebration of World Children’s Day and Human Rights Day. 

Linking in with the Class Charter, Primary 7 enjoyed the Reward Card system last year and asked to use it again in P7. The reward card system allows pupils to gain reward cards for Wonderful Work, Amazing Attitude, and being a ‘Superstar.’ When the pupils gain five cards, they can choose an individual reward. They can also choose to go for a class reward once everyone reaches five reward cards; this promotes teamwork within the class. 

Learner Journals  

Pupils will continue to Learner Journals to reflect on their progress and celebrate achievements. We encourage parents and carers to login to Learner Journals as it provides a valuable link between home and school.  

Personal Target Setting 

P7 have set their targets for Term 2. We will monitor and review these throughout the term to support pupils in making progress and achieving their goals. 

Thank you for all your support,  

Mrs Terras and Mrs Dunsmore  

Primary 4 Blog – Term 2 2026/2027

Welcome back, I hope that you have had a restful October break. It is good to be back with Primary 4 as we start a busy second term.

We will continue to explore the UNCRC Rights of the Child, and refer to the Class Charter which we created together, to ensure that our classroom is a place where we feel safe, where we can learn and grow together.  This term pupils will be looking at Article 38 for Remembrance Day and the right to protect children from war as well as articles 4, 41 and 45 in celebration of World Children’s Day and Human Rights Day.

Literacy

We will be looking at a range of texts this term, including our Bug Club readers. We will be focusing on continuing to develop reading fluency as well as becoming more confident using word attack strategies for unfamiliar words. We will use a class novel ‘Cool Castles – Edinburgh Castle’ as we continue to become familiar with a range of comprehension strategies to support us in showing our understanding of the texts we have read. We will look at the features of fiction and non-fiction books.

We will be continuing to follow the National Improving Writing Programme. As part of this programme, the children will write for 15 minutes up to 4 times per week. This writing will focus on one aspect of tools for writing. Each child will have their own individual targets related to the writing focus and this one focus area is assessed daily. During term 2, we will incorporate our accurate use of tools for writing as we explore and create information reports. This will link to our IDL learning and our book study relating to Edinburgh Castle.

Spelling will take the form of active spelling activities, and the children will experience phonemes and blends at their working level.

Numeracy & Maths

The class will continue to participate in daily Number Talk activities, to assist in developing a range of strategies for solving mathematical problems.

We will continue to solve a range of subtraction problems, as we link this to our place value and addition knowledge.

We will also explore money as we learn to identify coins and notes up to £20, to calculate change to be given and to show an understanding of budgeting as well as an awareness of how goods can be paid for.

Health and Wellbeing

As we continue our PATHS programme for P4, we will be reflecting on various emotions such as calm, surprised and angry. We will think about what these emotions might look and feel like, and we will participate in some problem-solving activities relating to these emotions.

We will also continue with the Do Be Mindful programme which will allow us, through the use of a range of strategies, to look at ways we can take a mindful moment each day.

PE

PE is on a Monday and Friday. This term we will be covering;

• basketball
• dancing

Children will require PE kit each PE day.  Please make sure your child is not wearing jewellery on these days as they will be asked to remove these items. Jewellery is not allowed during PE for health and safety reasons. If your child cannot take part for any reason, please contact the school.

IDL

This term we will continue to investigate Scottish Castles, looking at significant castles in our area as well as finding out about the importance and use of these historic buildings. We will create some interesting line drawings of various castles using the visual elements of line, shape, form and colour. We will also consider historical evidence and identify how reliable evidence can help us learn about the past.

As the term progresses, we will complete an enterprise project as we plan, design and create a craft for the Christmas Fayre.  Using our mathematical knowledge, we will work out how much our materials will cost, then design and make our crafts and working together to advertise and price our items.

Expressive Arts 

We will look at texture, shape, form and pattern as we create some pieces of artwork relating to castles. We will also use of creative skills as we move towards the Christmas season, as we design and create some interesting Christmas crafts.

Religious Education

We will be exploring the lives of the saints and reflecting on how they listened to God’s word and responded to it. As the term progresses, we will consider the Holy season of Advent, as we prepare for the coming of the Jesus at Christmas.

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.

Keep an eye on the School App and your child’s Learning Journal profile for a snapshot of some of our wonderful learning!

Thank you for your support, I am looking forward to a really great term 2 with Primary 4!

Mrs. MacKinnon.

A message from our Eco committee….

We recognise how expensive Halloween costumes can be, particularly if you have several children in your family!  If you have any Halloween costumes from previous years which your child no longer fits into, we will gratefully accept them ideally before  Thursday 29^th October.   Any donations will be available from our Swap Shop on a first come basis, where parents/carers can help themselves to at drop off or collection time.  

Also, please consider the amount of waste when buying for Halloween treats as so much food is wasted and binned unnecessarily at this time of year.  Can you think of an alternative treat…spooky pencil, rubber etc? Send in photos of your ideas.

Lastly, many of you will buy a pumpkin to carve. Remember you can use all of it instead of throwing it away. You can grow your own pumpkin from it’s seeds, make a bird feeder with them or also eat the pumpkin inner through breads, sponge cakes and even roast it! Here are some ideas on the following links to save wasting the inside…  

Reduce-pumpkin-waste-Halloween

Well done to our Eco Committee Leads,  Katie and Michelle, for representing our school and presenting all of our hard work from last year at the recent Climate Conference and Clean Green Awards Conference at  Loudon Academy.  We were awarded many prizes, including our Clean Green ‘Silver’ Award,  our Windy trophy, Solar flare trophy for S -Miles and a £50 gift card to spend towards achieving our Action Plan targets.

Our Eco leads had a great day meeting many of our EAC Council partner representatives, collaboratively working with other schools and completing fun activities. Both pupils competently presented our school portfolio of evidence in a market stall type presentation, where they had the opportunity to  share ideas,  answer and ask questions about our school and work and find out more about what we can do next! 

We are very proud of our school and thank those who have helped us achieve our Silver status. We now look forward to more community involvement and help from our as we ‘Go for Gold’ status now.

A reminder for First Communion children that there will be an ‘I belong’ session this Sunday which First Communion children should attend. Children are reminded to bring their candle.

These sessions run at your parish church, for a reminder of the times, see below;

• Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church 10.15-11.15am (before Sunday Mass)
• St. Matthews 10.30 -11.30
• St. Joseph’s Church beginning at 12.30

Please click the link below to the Sway showcasing the fabulous learning which took place during Maths Week Scotland.

Thank you

Mrs Terras

Maths Week Scotland 2026

What a fantastic Maths Week Scotland we had last week! The theme was ‘Maths Matters’. Our pupils enjoyed a variety of fun and engaging activities that helped them see how maths plays an imp…

Go to this Sway