As we approach the end of the month it marks 6 weeks since we returned to school we can certainly feel the change in the weather. We are looking forward to Autumn and of course the transition into winter.
UNIFORM
Missing Items
We are receiving LOTS of enquiries about missing uniform. Please can you ensure that all items are clearly labelled with your child’s name. This includes jackets and PE shorts.
All children are encouraged to put sweatshirts and cardigans onto their peg or into bags when removing them. However, these are often left lying around cloakrooms and classrooms. Please speak to your child about the importance of looking after their own property and keeping it where it should be.
Class teachers and classroom assistants remind children throughout the day about general housekeeping and looking after their belongings.
If your child does bring an item home that is not theirs, please return it to school as soon as possible and we will return it to the rightful owner.
Indoor shoes
It is the expectation that all pupils change into indoor shoes that are suitable for PE each day. For the majority of pupils this is black plimsoles. Taking on board the feedback from our older pupils last year we adapted this to allow any black soft shoes. We have a number of pupils, particularly at the upper stages, who refuse to change into indoor shoes or do not have indoor shoes. Please ensure your child has a change of shoes that are kept in school.
PE kit
Again, mainly at the upper stages, we have pupils who do not have PE kit on PE days. It is mandatory that pupils participate in 2 hours of physical education per week. We have a high number of pupils missing out because of they do not have shorts/leggings to change into.
Attendance and late coming
As you may be aware we run attendance checks every 6 weeks. The first attendance letters will be sent next week to those families where attendance rates have dropped below 90%. This is 30% of our pupils. Given we have only been back 6 weeks this is alarming. There is a direct impact on your child’s learning when they are absent from school and while we appreciate that illness cannot be helped there are absences that are unreasonable.
When children come to school late they miss out on the most important part of the day. The daily ‘meet and greet’ that teachers have and the outline of the day’s activities. Both of these strategies support children in their wellbeing and give them the security of knowing what will happen in the day. The teacher can provide reassurance for any changes to the normal routine.
If your child requires a softer start to the morning we suggest the breakfast club. This has proved successful in supporting other children who have found the transition from home to school difficult. The breakfast club runs every morning from 8.15am. There is no need to book. The cost is 80p per day or if your child is entitled to means tested free school meals there is no charge.
School Carpark and Traffic
A gentle reminder that the school car park should not be used by parents and carers. If someone different is dropping off or collecting your child please ensure they are also aware of this.
Last week we had another near miss with a pupil almost being struck by a car. Please be considerate of where you are parking. We strongly ask that you do not park on the corners or on the access road.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday 2nd October – P6 to Dumfries House, Parent Workshop – Numeracy session 1 at 2.30pm, after school dance, Parent Council Meeting 6pm, church hall.
Monday 6th October – school photographs, individual, sibling groups and P7 group photo.
Wednesday 8th October – childsmile tooth varnishing
Thursday 9th October – After school Dance
Friday 10th October – After school football
Monday 13th – Monday 20th – October break (pupils return on Tuesday 21st October)
European Languages Day
Mrs Sinclair delivered assembly this week with a theme of languages. And while it was European Day of Languages we expanded this to raise awareness of the languages spoken by pupils within our School. There are no less than 8 of them across the school. Thank You to the pupils who shared simple greetings with us all.
We also had wider achievements shared with from Sarah, Lia and Jack E. Thank You.
Our Senior Pupil Leadership pupils received their badges.
We’ll publish the Golden Book Awards and House Points tomorrow.
Communication
It is with regret that we must issue guidance around the communication with staff. Aggressive communication in any form will not be tolerated. Please note that all incidents of aggressive communication is recorded at a local authority level. As in all walks of life there will be decisions that we take that you do not agree with and we welcome suggestions and different ideas. However, being told how to do our jobs, unreasonable requests and judgements being made on competence in an aggressive manner is simply unacceptable. The wellbeing of all in our school community is of paramount importance and that includes all staff. Please be mindful of this. We do not want to find ourselves in a situation where we need to escalate this and close down some of our communication channels.
Ways to contact us :
Absence Reporting – Safer Schools Scotland App, email or message left on phone. If you do not get an answer on the phone please leave a message. There are times of the day when the office is not manned or it is not possible to answer the phone due to meetings or dealing directly with pupils. Someone will get back to you – we ask that you do not repeatedly call expecting an answer.
General Enquires – email or letter
Thank You.
