It is so nice to observe the changing seasons in our school grounds.  Along with the change in clocks this week, we have also felt a drop in temperature.  We are so pleased to see our children dressed for the weather conditions.    St. Joseph’s Academy have asked us to support their ‘Winter Warmer’ initiative.  This involves collecting winter clothing such as hats, gloves, warm jackets etc.  If you are looking through those winter wardrobes again and finding you have things that no longer fit or are no longer needed, please hang onto them and we’ll get details for the collection and distribution of these as soon as possible.

With the COP26 summit starting in Glasgow classes have been able to talk about this and use it for a catalyst for learning about our natural world and how we can look after it.   Primary 4/5 have registered to work towards the John Muir Discovery Award as part of their ongoing work on Climate Change.  We are so excited to hear about where this journey takes them and the learning that takes place.  Well done P4/5!

The whole school has registered as a Laudati Si School, this is in response to Pope Francis’  call to embed Ecological Education in our schools.  We look forward to continuing to make the world a more caring, inclusive, peaceful and sustainable place.

It was another week of fun learning.  Mrs Bradley was able to spend time with all classes on Thursday for Outdoor Classroom Day.    Some of the learning was noisy, some of the learning was messy but being outside and having fun made it so worthwhile and we definitely left our mark on the map!

We have issued a consultation form to all parents via the app.  This is about our staggered start and finish times.  If you have not yet completed this – please fill this in to ensure your opinion is counted.  It takes less than a minute to complete it and is completely anonymous.  Thank you to everyone who has completed it so far.

Here is a small round up of just some of the learning from this week:

Primary 6/7 used ‘Blether Stations’ to discuss issues that affect wellbeing.  They explored possible solutions and available supports.

During the month of November we remember people who have died.  P5/6 have remembered their loved ones through prayer.

P5/6 also presented their book review homework challenge to the class.   There was a range of ways that learners presented including PowerPoint and posters.

Primary 4/5 worked together to create their class charter and have been discussing Children’s rights.

GOLDEN BOOK Well done to all those who were nominated for the entry into the Golden Book this week :

Farrah, Ollie, Kendall, Enzo, Oscar, Derri, Alfie, Caleb, Tyler M, Mason, Hope, Eilidh, Lilla, Starr, Finlay, Tristan, Eilidh, Roza, Jenna, Noah B and Kenny.

BRONZE AWARDS

We are delighted that 6 of our learners have been presented with Bronze Awards, the first of this session.  The Bronze Award is earned when someone has been nominated for the Golden Book three times.

Niamh, Holly, Callagh, Aanya-Lillie, Janey and Ella

Happy Birthday to all those who celebrated birthdays this week (and last week). 

We hope you had a special day. 

Starr, Cole, Ezra, Juliette, Joe

WIDER ACHIEVEMENTS

Well done to all those who shared their achievements from outside school with us at today’s assembly.  We are so proud of you all.  Special thanks to Tyla for reading these out and to Hayley for leading our prayer.

SUMDOG

This week East Ayrshire ran a local authority wide contest on Sumdog.  We are absolutely thrilled that some of learners made it on to the leader boards.

There were 142 classes signed up to take part

9th – P6/7

10th – P5/6

16th – P2

17th – P4/5

21st – P3

Well done to everyone who answered questions on Sumdog.

In addition to the whole class leader boards there is also a leader board for individual pupils.   Out of 1162 pupils who took part  Derri was placed 6th and Sofia A was 10th.  We also had 4 pupils in the top 50 – Tyla, Khaira, Kaitlyn and Noah B.  

We hope you all have a lovely weekend and we look forward to seeing all our pupils again on Monday.

All the Staff

Welcome to the first of our Weekly Blog updates.

Hopefully these updates will help keep you informed of the learning taking place in the school, particularly during this time when we can’t invite you into the school building.

I feel extremely privileged to have joined the St. Patrick’s family this week.  I have felt so welcomed and so supported by the whole school community.  Your children are a credit to themselves, to you and to  staff, past and present.

The respectful relationships across the school are evident in the everyday interactions.  There is a true sense of love and compassion.

All classes have been taking part in ‘Plant Science’.  This is a project supported by ACDI.  Classes have planted a range of vegetables.  These were looked after over the holiday period by volunteers from ACDI.  If you are a keen gardener and would like to help get our garden area ready to plant these please get in touch.  We are looking for a volunteer or volunteers to help tidy up our planters.

You will be aware that we are still unable to have everyone together in the hall for assemblies, however the whole school family continues to come together to celebrate our achievements using technology.  Thank you to Mrs Sinclair for a wonderful virtual assembly this morning and to all the classes and staff teachers for joining in.  Particular thanks to Lilla, P7, for leading our prayer.

Well done to all those who were nominated for the entry into the Golden Book this week :

Leo, Marlene, Ford, Ella, Sophia, Russell, Juliette, Sana, Mason, Haidarali, Eternity, Oran, Tyler K, Kai, Quinn, Lucy and Liam

Fr Phillip visited the school, we have started to make plans that will allow him to begin visiting classes again – this will be one class per week to start with.  We also hope to be able to take one class at a time to visit the church or to celebrate mass in school.  We will keep you informed when the details are finalised.

This afternoon we held our Halloween parade, again this was held virtually.   Huge thanks to Mrs Sinclair, Mrs Reid, Mrs Fleming, Mrs Goudie and Miss Dean for helping organise this event and preparing the hall and the technology required.

The winners from each class for their amazing costumes are:

P1 – Faith

P2 – Ford

P3 – Autumn

P4/5 – Lucy

P5/6 – Katy

P6/7 – Kaitlyn

A huge thanks to all the staff for entering into the spirit of the day and ensuring that our children had lots of fun and engaging learning opportunities.   The hardest task of the day was definitely the one the judges had.

P4/5 also developed their learning in creative dance using  the music of Michael Jackson’s Thriller.  There was certainly a lot of spooky movement and poses – well done everyone!

P6/7 carried out this freaky hand experiment while learning all about chemical reactions.

More science from P3.

Please remember to email all COVID-19 results to the school mailbox eaStPatricks.PS@eastayrshire.org.uk 

We have also added a contact form to our blog page.  Please use this for any non urgent enquires.  All pupil absence must continue to be reported by telephone.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.  If you are going to any of the local events – have fun and stay safe.

Mrs Bradley and all the Staff.

In partnership with Auchinleck Community Development Initiative, (ACDI) our learners have been participating in the Plant Science Autumn 2021 project.

This is an opportunity for learners to develop a range of knowledge and skills while developing an appreciation for the local green space and the environmental impact of the food we eat.

During the October break our seedlings were cared for by members of the ACDI.  They were returned to school today and we were amazed at the growth we observed.

We look forward to learning more about our plants in the coming weeks.