It is hard to believe that we have reached the end of another busy term and that when we return we will find ourselves in the final one of this school session.
It has been an exceptionally busy term as we found ourselves being able to come together as a whole school for the first time in 2 years and our children were able to, once again, make visits off site.
Here is a reminder of some of the amazing things that happened in our school between January – March.
January
All classes experienced learning through the context of Scotland, it’s language, culture and history. This ended with a fantastic celebration of Scots language with our Annual Poetry and Song competition. We were joined by Mr Sullivan, from the East Ayrshire Instrumental Service, who had the very difficult job of judging. The standard was so high. Once again, we congratulate all our children for their efforts and performances and a huge well done to all the finalists. If you missed it the first time round, here is a little show reel of the event. Click Here
The Scottish Government expansion of free school meals means that all pupils from P1 – P5 can now enjoy free school lunch provision. This will be expanded further to include P6 & P7 in the future.
School enrolment took place for children aged to start primary school in August 2022. We are delighted that we have 17 confirmed enrolments at the moment. We cannot wait to welcome these children and their families into the St. Patrick’s family through our transition programme very soon.
At the other end of the school, P7 children enrolled for the transition to S1. We have learners moving on to St. Joseph‘s Academy and Robert Burns Academy.
Mrs Sinclair took up her new post as Depute Head Teacher. We were delighted to be joined again by Mrs Gilhooley and Mrs Cunningham on a temporary basis. Miss Walker was successful in being appointed to a temporary class teacher position and will be with us full time until June.
February
Our school participated in Number Day 2022. This day was spent thinking about all things maths and number related while raising money for NSPCC.
We sent information out to parents/Carers about Safer Internet Day and Children’s Mental Health week. These are topics that we continue to discuss in school. We would encourage you to get in touch with us should you require information about these issues at anytime.
Eight of our primary 4 pupils received the Sacrament of Confirmation alongside children from across our Deanery at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Kilmarnock.
In response to the Humanitarian crisis caused by war in Ukraine, we collected items to support refugees who have fled to Poland. These items were safely transported to Poland by Mossgiel farm.
Our ragbag collection in school helped raise vital funds for our school.
P5/6 pupils graduated as Health and Well-being Ambassadors after completing a block of training in partnership with East Ayrshire Health and Well-being Team.
A refurbishment programme is underway and our P4/5 classroom and staffroom have had a makeover. We look forward to the ongoing programme enhancing our learning environment in the coming weeks and months.
March
Our first whole school gathering for 2 years took place on Ash Wednesday. Huge thanks to Fr Phillip, for ensuring this was a truly spiritual and special occasion.
All classes participated in events for world book day. Staff had the opportunity to visit other classes and share the enjoyment of reading and talk about their own favourite stories. Mrs Bradley shared a special video message with one of her favourite books with all classes. You can view it here.
We were joined by student teachers from the University of the West of Scotland. This is a great opportunity for the students, our pupils and staff to work together in supporting a new generation of teachers. We know that Miss Farrow, Miss Edgar, Miss Higgins, Miss Frame and Miss Ramsay will be missed by the pupils they worked with and we wish them every success on their continued journey.
Primary 3 visited the church to celebrate alongside Ezra and Callagh, who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
St. Patrick’s Day was another truly special occasion. Our first whole school mass of the year. Special thanks to Mrs McCrorie, Fr Phillip, all our readers, pupils and staff for making it so wonderful. Highlights of the day can be watched here. Click Here
We were joined by Mr Devlin, our active schools coordinator, who provided lunch time activities for P1 & P2, PE lessons for P2 and an after school football club for P6 & P7.
Cumnock Rugby Club provided rugby training to P4/5, P5/6 and P6/7.
Our parent appointments took place via telephone calls. If you have not yet spoken with your child’s class teacher, please get in touch and we will organise this for after the holidays.
4 of our Primary 6 pupils represented St. Patricks’s in the East Ayrshire heat of the EuroQuiz. Although our team didn’t win on this occasion they did us proud! An amazing performance. Well done! 
P2 and P4/5 took part in the East Ayrshire DanceFest by visiting the Palace Theatre in Kilmarnock and performing on stage! We cannot wait to see the recording of the finished performance.
Mrs Millar from the East Ayrshire SAC (Scottish Attainment Challenge) team is working with us developing the learning and teaching of numeracy, this will continue into our final term.
Pulze photography visited – look out for the proofs coming home after the holiday if you opted into this.
Our Lenten fundraising took place through the month of March. We are so grateful for your support with this.
We finished our term with a Whole School visit to Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Patrick’s Church to celebrate Mass.
As you can see we have had a busy term and this doesn’t include the learning experiences that class teachers and support staff provide every single day your child is in school. Our staff go above and beyond to ensure that our learners experience the very best and are supported to be their very best.
We know that this continues to be an unsettling time for so many families. The continued media information about the rise in living costs, the impact of Covid and the ongoing conflict in the world, all have a huge impact on wellbeing. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us should things be overwhelming for you or your child. We are here to help.
Mrs Hay, who has worked in St. Patrick’s for the last 15 months, starts her maternity leave today. Mrs Hay is permanent to the local authority and sadly the last two weeks were spent in other establishments to cover staff absence. We are so excited to meet baby Hay when they make their arrival into our wonderful world. We will be sure to keep you updated and we have been promised a visit to meet the new arrival next term.
We have so much planned for term 4, we hope that it will bring the opportunity to have you along to our school grounds. We have so missed the opportunity to meet with parents face to face and share our learning in this way.
Your children are loved so much by all our staff, they are amazing and continue to fill our days with so much joy and happiness. We are so proud of each and everyone of them.
I personally want to thank every single member of staff in our school. Our support staff, teaching staff and catering staff are amazing and continue to ensure that St. Patrick’s really is the best place to be. It is impossible to capture the commitment and passion that they give to their role of supporting our children. They are hands down the best team in the Country!
Wish you a happy holiday period filled with sunshine, peace, love and Hope. To all our families beginning the holy month of Ramadan today, we wish you every blessing.
With love and best wishes,
Mrs Bradley and All the staff
It is hard to believe that we have come to the end of another school session. Thankfully, this one has not included whole school closures, however, we know so many of you continue to be affected by Covid 19. We wish all of you who are still experiencing the effects, strength and courage to overcome any difficulties the pandemic has caused.
