Please note that pupils will be required to isolate for 14 days if another member of their household has symptoms, unless they themselves are tested negative for coronavirus.

The current arrangements are that if a member of a household develops coronavirus symptoms, all members of the household should isolate and the symptomatic person arrange for testing. If that test returns negative then the household no longer need to isolate. 

The wording of the above has led to some confusion, with some parents understanding it as the pupil also needs to be tested before they return to school, even though they have no symptoms. This is not the case, and only the symptomatic person requires testing. 

 

 

Primary 1

1A – Whole Class – settling in well to P1

1C – Whole Class – Settling in well to P1

1F – Whole Class – Settling in well to P1

1M – Whole Class – Settling in well to P1

 

Primary 2

2A – Mia – following instructions and having lovely manners

2B  – Rule – for being polite, helpful and trying hard in class all week

2C – Holly – Excellent reading & writing skills

2D – George – always working hard in all areas of the curriculum

 

Primary 3

3A – Whole Class – fantastic  start to Primary 3

3B – Ashley – for super writing & fabulous work in the first week

3C – Sofia – for an amazing illustration

 

Primary 4

4A – Christina – wonderful neat artwork

4B – Rory – for regularly offering ideas during tasks

4C – Zoe – a super confident start to Primary 4

 

Primary 5

5A – Whole Class – great start to a new year

5B – Whole Class – for having a great week and fantastic start to P5

5C – Haleigh – giving 100% effort at all times

5D – Noa – lovely topic artwork

 

Primary 6

6A – Keir – fantastic contributing to Number Talk sessions

6B – Mason – superb spelling

6C – Whole Class – for settling in very well to P6

 

Primary 7

7B – Aiden – for Making an excellent start to P7

7C – Mia – work in numeracy

7D – Aimee – for being really helpful in class and hardworking

 

Special Award from Mrs Findlay  – Hannah Johnson 4A for having her hair cut and donating to it to The Little Princes Trust & raising £400!

Well done, we are all proud of you!

Please remember that if your child has new symptoms of coronavirus

• persistent cough,
• high temperature,
• shortness of breath,
• and/or loss of sense of taste or smell,

They must not attend school for 10 days after the onset of symptoms.  However, if they are tested and receive a negative result they can normally return to school immediately unless a high temperature is present, in which case they should still stay away from school for 48 hours after their temperature has normalised without the use of medication used to suppress fever.  Please also note that pupils will be required to isolate for 14 days if another member of their household has symptoms, unless they themselves are tested negative for coronavirus).

I understand the pressures parents are under to send their children to school and I am aware of the pressures placed upon parents when children are unable to attend school. However it is critically important at this time that we adopt a cautious approach to managing the risks from coronavirus, and make our school as safe as we possibly can for our staff and our young people. Your support in being vigilant to any new symptoms of coronavirus and acting in line with current Government guidance helps create that safe environment we are all working hard to maintain and for that I am grateful to you all.

Onthank Primary Families,

What a lovely week we have all had in welcoming our full school back to Onthank Primary. Our building is once again alive with the sound of happy, excited, and eager young people – a sound we have missed greatly over the past few months! After our first full week back, we thought we would share some frequently asked questions to all our families to help ease our transition to some of our new adaptations.

 

Will my child require PE kit?

No. All physical activity will take place outdoors for the time being. No P.E. kit will be required at this time, but we will continue to review this in line with Government guidance.

• Learners can come to school in clothing that is appropriate for physical education and the weather conditions and we ask that children wear suitable shoes for going outside.
• We are currently timetabling your child’s PE days and their teacher will inform them on which days to wear more suitable clothing for the outdoors.
• Some outdoor lessons may take place in grassy areas. If your child needs to bring in a change of clothes or footwear suitable for outdoors on specific days their class teacher will inform them via the class blog.

What will happen on arrival on a wet day? 

• Parents/carers are asked to arrive no more than 5 minutes before your child’s allocated entry time, where possible. This will help to maintain physically distancing between our families.
• From 8.45am until 9.15am, staff will be at our entry points to warmly welcome and support pupils to their class or a sheltered area at their staggered entry time.
• Only P1-P3 pupil parents/carers are asked to enter the playground via the ‘Enter Only’ gate and follow a one-way system, staying in a physically distant and single file queue to drop off their child. Parents/carers will then leave the playground via the ‘Exit Only’ gate.

 

Can my child bring in a water bottle?

Children are able to drink water throughout the school day. Please send a water bottle with your child’s name clearly marked on it. If children need to refill their bottle the teacher will direct them as to where they should do this in the school.

 

How will my child order their school lunch?

Children will continue to order their school lunch in class with their teacher. EAC are in the process of creating a new online system to order meals. When this is ready for use, children will continue to order their meals online with the class teacher. All school meals will continue to be purchased via ParentPay.

 

Where will I find the most up to date information? 

Our ‘School App’ is where you will find our letters and most up to date information. We encourage all our families to download ‘School App’ onto your mobile device and search for ‘Onthank Primary School’. We also post regularly on our school blog, on Facebook and Twitter. Our blog can be found here: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ea/onthankps/

 

What do I do if I need to speak with someone in school?

Please call the school on 01563 525477 or drop us an email at onthank.primary@east-ayrshire.gov.uk. We cannot allow parents and carers into school at this time. We want to create an open environment where families feel at ease, feel welcomed and feel valued.  This won’t be for ever but our priority at the moment is keeping our community safe.

 

What can I do to help?

• You could encourage your child to be as independent as possible e.g. tying shoelaces, opening up water bottles etc.
• Maintain physically distancing within and out with the school grounds.
• Download our school app on your mobile device for all of the latest information.
• Check the main school blog and your child’s class blog regularly.

Thank you for your continued support as we all adapt to the new routines and systems that we have put in place to keep everyone safe,

Senior Leadership Team.

Well done to all the children in Primary 3 who entered the Young Writers’ Ridiculous Writers competition way back in March this year. Congratulations to those successful candidates! Their stories will be published in the book Ridiculous Writers – Stories From Scotland.

At the moment we have reduced our menus slightly, but where available we will continue to use organic, local and seasonal produce and have designated meat-free days.

• All our main meals/snacks are served with a choice of fresh seasonal vegetables/fresh salad
• Every day we offer a pick and mix sandwich option, salad dishes, yoghurt, fresh fruit and free bread
• All meat on offer is sourced from local butchers with our chicken Red Tractor assured halal meat

This week, Monday 17th August, we start on Week Two of the dinner menu below:

 

Hannah donated 12″ of hair to The Little Princess Trust to make wigs for children who have lost their hair.  She got it done last week before coming back to school and has raised over £400.  Well done Hannah!

 

We are in desperate need of iPad chargers. 

If you happen to have spare chargers at home we would be extremely grateful if you could donate them to the school.  This would enable the children to access more technology while at school which will enhance their learning.  If you can help us, please send any spare chargers with your child to give to their class teacher (restrictions prevent additional visitors to the school at present).  Thank you for your continued support.