Friday 3rd December 2021

We have so much to be hopeful for as we reflected on the first week of advent this year.

Our school is beginning to look very festive.  We cannot thank Mrs Reid, Mrs Goudie and Mrs Fleming enough for the time and effort spent on this.   The children’s artwork looks incredible but you’ll have to wait a wee bit longer to see it – we don’t want to give anything away until we combine it with the other elements of our Christmas film!

Staffing

I am sure your children will have been telling you that for some, there have been changes in class teachers this week.  Like the rest of the country, as we see an increase in seasonal illnesses there is an impact on staffing.  Please be assured that although there are changes to staffing, teachers are working with one another to ensure continuity in learning.  We apologise if you are waiting for a return call or email from a member of our team.  We will get back to you.  It is just going to take a little longer than usual.

Pupil Absence

We ask all parents and carers to contact the school prior to 9.15am to report a child’s absence.  We also ask that any child displaying new symptoms remains at home and has a PCR test.  We appreciate how disruptive this can be for family life, but it is so important that we keep our school and community safe.  We appreciate all you are doing to observe our guidance about face coverings in the playground.

Unfortunately we were unable to hold our virtual assembly on Friday.  We don’t want to spoil the surprise of who was nominated for the Golden Book so will keep this information top secret until we can have our assembly on Monday.

Next Week

Thursday – Reindeer Run

Friday – Christmas Jumper Day, Christmas Lunch

Round up of Learning

P6/7 continued delivering presentations in class.  It has been great to listen to each other speak passionately about things they like and that are important to them.  Christmas artwork was completed.  A range of media was used to create the Skyline of Bethlehem.

P1 explored the frost and ice on Thursday morning.  They discovered that the water in the mud kitchen had frozen.  They had fun setting the trapped twigs and leaves free.   They also discovered that the high winds from last week had damaged our garden poly tunnel.  They tried to mend it but found that the cover was all crispy and frozen so they decided to wait until it has thawed before doing this.  They were able to bring a bowl of ice from the garden and observe the changes as it melted.  Well done P1 – future scientists!

P4/5 have been learning cultural dances through their Scottish Country Dancing.  They have been designing cards as part of the Christmas card competition and have been rehearsing for their part in the Christmas film.

P5/6 were responsible for our Twitter Takeover this week.  We have loved following their learning.  It was great to see the range of concrete materials they use effectively to understand number.  They are developing so many great strategies for solving calculations.

P2 also enjoyed using a range of concrete materials to support literacy and numeracy.   They developed their reading comprehension skills through ‘Find it, prove it, talk about it’ questioning.

Enjoy this week’s gallery.  Have a great weekend.

From all the whole St. Patrick’s team.