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.

Friday 26th November 2021

As we bring Autumn to a close,  we look forward to beginning our advent journey.  We have felt the winter weather this week with the cold frost earlier in the week and the wind forecast for this weekend.

We lit the first of our advent candles at the end of our virtual assembly this week.

We also held our first Pupil Leadership Team meeting.  Our members were full of great ideas and suggestions for making our school even better.  The first tasks they have carried out are the launch of our Christmas Card competition and deciding themes for upcoming ‘Big Talk’ homework.  We are looking forward to hearing of the family discussions about topics that our learners have chosen.

Catholic Education Week (CEW)

This will be celebrated in our parishes this weekend.  We will be represented at masses in Auchinleck, Muirkirk and Cumnock.  We are delighted that pupils and staff will carry out ministries during the mass by reading and singing.

Fr Phillip continued with his weekly visits.  This week he visited P5/6.  The discussions centred around November, CEW and the original St. Patrick’s Primary School at the Birniknowe.  Our learners found this fascinating and we look forward to incorporating this into our social studies curriculum.

Covid – 19

We appreciate that the winter months bring increased coughs and colds.  It is so important that we continue to follow all guidance related to Covid-19 to keep our school and community safe.

Any child displaying symptoms must remain at home and take a PCR test, not a LFT.  PCR tests must be requested through the government website and can be taken at home, a drive through centre or a walk in centre.

All members of the household must self isolate until a result is known.  If the result is negative then the child and any siblings can return to school providing they are well enough to do so.

If the result is positive then all members of the household should request a PCR test and continue to self isolate until the result is known.  Any child with a negative result can return to school.  Any member of staff can return to school provided they are double vaccinated and have a negative PCR too.

All negative PCR results should be emailed to:

eastpatricks.ps@eastayrshire.org.uk

We are grateful for the continued support from all parents and carers at this time.  Face coverings should be worn in the playground at drop off and pick up and adults should maintain a 2m distance from other households.

Attendance and Late Coming

Please ensure that you notify the school before 9.15am of any pupil absence.  We are required to maintain accurate records of attendance.   Attendance rates are monitored and letters are sent out where attendance falls below 90% in a 6 week period.   We want to support families to ensure attendance is maximised.  Please get in touch if you feel you would benefit from discussing supports.  We have access to a range of support services, including health services, if you have concerns about your child’s health and the impact on attendance please get in touch.

A number of pupils continue to arrive well after 9am in the morning.  The morning routines are vital in providing a predictable and emotionally safe space for children.  This is when morning check ins take place and when the class teacher talks about the timetable for the day.   We monitor the instances of late coming.  We know that many things can happen in the morning in family homes, please ensure you contact the school office if your child is going to be late.

School Lunches

We would encourage you to discuss the lunch options with your child and decide together on the choices made.  Our catering staff have been very accommodating in providing a 2nd and sometimes 3rd meal for children.  It is not always going to be possible to do this.   We want children to find the school dining experience enjoyable and ask for your cooperation in this.

Golden Book

Well done to our learners who were nominated into the Golden Book this week:

Nicholas, Alissa, Max, Cayden, Luke, Codi, Cleo, Ben, Reilley, Allyssa, Tristan, Kenny, Haidarali, Callie, Sana, Sofia, Maisie McC, Tallula and Jessica

Bronze certificates were awarded to:

Oran, Kai, Tallula, Alissa, Nicholas and Haidarali

Wider Achievements – well done to those who shared their achievements from outwith school :

Finlay, Oran & Archie, Enzo, Myia, Aanya-Lillie, Tallula, Kara, Ava and Rosa

Round up of Learning

P4/5 completed their block of physical fitness in PE and started their Christmas artwork.  We had the privilege of seeing a few examples of the art.  It looks amazing – we will share photographs of this work when it is displayed in our school hall.

All classes were involved in poetry writing as part of the ‘Plant Science’ learning.  These poems have been passed on to ACDI and Meg will be working with P1 -P3 again for planting.  A parent survey has been launched and we would invite you to take part in this for ACDI.

P6/7 began delivering individual presentations to their class this week.   They have really enjoyed learning from each other and have presented with enthusiasm and confidence.  Well done P6/7!

P3 shared their learning all week through our twitter takeover.  We loved seeing what they were involved in each day.  Thank you P3.  Next week P5/6 will be in the twitter hot seat.

Have a great weekend from all the staff.

Friday 19th November 2021

This week has seen all classes take part in the national Anti- Bullying Campaign – One Kind Word.  We are so proud to see so many acts of kindness shown across the school.  We know that this kindness is not just for one week but is demonstrated every day, in every week at St. Patrick’s.  This week has acted as a reminder for us all and as an opportunity to highlight the kindness shown in our daily lives.  Thank you to all our families who participated in the Big Talk task this week to support our message of kindness.

Staffing 

A letter has been issued to all parents and carers of Primary 2 pupils.  If you did not receive this letter, it is available digitally on the school app.  We know and understand that changes in staffing can cause upset and uncertainty but please be assured we are doing everything possible to maintain continuity where we can.  We thank you for your support and understanding.

After interviews today, Mrs Sharon Sinclair has been appointed as Depute Head Teacher.  Please see the letter sent on the school app for further information.

Food Bank Donations.

We will continue to collect donations for the East Ayrshire Food bank until Friday 10th December.

Winter Warmer 

Please note that Winter Warmer initiative is no longer taking place in person.  Should you or your family require any winter clothing please contact the school.  We will still have access to these items.  Any contact would be in the strictest confidence.

#TwitterTakeOver

Well done to P6/7 who did a great job of sharing their learning via our twitter platform this week.   We loved reading about what our learners were doing!  Remember you can follow our twitter feed @eacStPatrcksPS.   Look out for next week when P3 will be responsible for the ‘TakeOver’.   We can’t wait to find out about their learning.

Catholic Education Week 

This takes place each year between the Feast of St. Margaret of Scotland (16th November) and the Feast of St. Andrew (30th November).  This year the theme is ‘Celebrating and Worshipping’.  Our school will be represented at the three parishes on the 27th & 28th November.

Mass Times are

Our Lady and St. Patrick’s, Auchinleck,  Vigil, 6pm

St. Thomas’, Muirkirk, 9am

St. John’s, Cumnock, 11am

It would be lovely to see as many of you there as possible as we reflect on the significance of education and the role that each of us has within it.  This might be  in a school, in the home or in the wider community.

Oran led our prayer in assembly this afternoon with the prayer for Catholic Education Week.

CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK PRAYER

Jesus our Teacher,

in your love for us,

help us to develop our own talents

so that we may become like you

and lead lives of goodness.

Bless all learners

and all teachers.

May our Catholic schools continue to serve our families,

our communities and our country.

Help us, through our learning,

to believe in you

and to celebrate the life of your Church.

Help us to grow in holiness

as we grow in friendship with you

and try to become saints.

We make this prayer

in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen

Catholic Schools: Good for Scotland

Scottish Catholic Education Service

www.sces.org.uk

December Diary Dates 

Please see the attached document with dates for events happening in December.

december diary dates

Golden Book

Well done to

Phoebe, Cole, Kendall, Ford, Kioni, Callagh, Katie A, Maisie M, Layla, Isaac, Sofia, Katy, Kaitlyn, Skye, Oran, Shaunna, Kai J, Grace, Alfie, Lia and Myla

Bronze Awards

James, Ada, Eternity, Hayley

Wider Achievements 

Eternity, Tristan, Callie, Aanya-Lillie, Mya, Jessica, Kioni, Karah, Lewis, Noah, Juliette, Cleo, Mya L and Tyler K.

We will leave you once again with a gallery of photos highlighting some of the amazing  learning across the school.  Apologies to Mrs Dumigan and P4/5 – your photos are still on the i-pad and to P3 and Miss Ní Shúilleabháin.  We will give you your very own gallery on Monday.

Have a fantastic weekend.

All the Staff

Friday 12th November 2021

This week our learners took part in elections for our Pupil Leadership Team.  A huge thanks to all those who put themselves forward for this role and thank you to all our families and staff for the support given in helping children prepare for this.

We are delighted to announce that the following pupils have been elected:

P1 – Ollie, Marlene

P2 – Kaleb, Myia

P3 – Karah, Elliot

P4/5 – Ayva, Derri, Ben

P5/6 – Allyssa, Katy

P6/7 Oran, Haidarali, Tyla

There are 3 members from P4/5, P5/6 and P6/7 to ensure that each year group is represented by two pupils.   We are sure you will join us in congratulating our new Pupil Leadership Team.  We have the first few tasks ready for them to take forward.

There will be other leadership opportunities available for pupils in the coming weeks.

Next Week is a busy one with lots of national initiatives.

Scottish Book Week

All pupils in P1 will be gifted a ‘Bookbug’ bag and P2 & P3 pupils will receive ‘Read, Write, Count’ bags.  These contain books for families to share at home along with other ideas for learning at home.

Further Information can be found by clicking on these links.

https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/reading-and-stories/read-write-count/read-write-count-bag-gifting

https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/topics/bookbug-bags

Anti – Bullying Week – ONE KIND WORD

As part of this week’s Big Talk homework we will be exploring kindness and the effects of showing kindness to one another.  This is linked to the theme of this year’s Anti-Bullying theme – One Kind Word.

Further information for parents about bullying can be found here.

https://respectme.org.uk/adults/bullying-a-guide-for-parents-and-carers/

FoodBank Collection Point/ Pope Francis Faith Award

We are collecting donations for the East Ayrshire Foodbank.  Donations will be accepted from next week and up until Friday 10th December.  This is being supported by pupils working towards the Pope Francis Faith Award.

Items that can be accepted are :

Tinned meat, Tinned potatoes, Pasta, Pasta Sauce, Tinned Vegetables, Long life milk, Tea, Coffee, Sugar, Tinned or packet soup, Tinned beans and Tinned fruit.  No perishable items can be donated.  Thank you. 

Winter Warmer

We will be helping St. Joseph’s Academy with their winter warmer appeal by providing a service from Auchinleck.  We will accept all outdoor winter clothing for adults and children from next week.  Items should be clean and in a useable condition.  We will be using the church hall to distribute these and will have further information about the dates and times for this.

Changes to the School Day

Thank you to all those who took part in our consultation about changes to the staggered stat and finish times. We had over 70% of our families responding.  The majority of these responses were in favour of streamlining the school day and having all pupils start and finish at the same time. 

We have taken on board the additional comments that were made.  The changes will not take effect until we return to school after the Christmas break.   All changes to  transport times will be communicated to families before any change.   A number of you have concerns over the traffic and road safety.  We will work together with our JRSO pupils to campaign about traffic management and road safety.  Our message will continue to be to walk to school where possible or to consider parking a little further from the school and walking the remainder of the journey.

Golden Book

Well done to everyone who was named in the Golden Book this week:

Christopher, James, Casey, Khaira Ezra, Karah, Lewis, Shaan, Lillie, Noah, Archie, Jack, Eternity, Hayley, Lucy M, Maisie, Ada, Tallula and Jackson

Bronze Awards

Kendall, Enzo, Noah B, Mason, Finlay

Fr Phillip’s Visit 

Fr Phillip has started his weekly visits to the school.  This morning he visited P6/7 and talked to them about the Poppy and remembrance.  He also joined the class in their ‘Big Talk’ discussions as they remembered their own loved ones who have died.

Twitter Takeover

Next week sees the first of our ‘Twitter Takeovers’. P6/7 will be responsible for ensuring all the great learning from their class is shared on twitter.  You can follow the school twitter @eacStPatricksPS.  Look out for all classes having their takeover turn in the coming weeks.

December Diary Dates 

We will issue dates for your diary next week.  This will include the dates of Christmas parties, Christmas lunch etc

Round up of Learning

Please see the Photo Gallery below for a snapshot of some of the learning from this week.

We were joined by Meg From ACDI who helped us replant our vegetables in our school garden.

Using what they observed at The Knowe, P6/7 created their own poems.

P5/6 used a wax resistance technique and water colours  to create remembrance themed art.

P1 created poppy themed art and were inspired by online firework displays to enhance expressive arts through singing and dance.

P5/6 explored the meaning of resilience through BounceBack.

Enjoy looking at the photographs and talking to your child about what is happening in school.

Have a great weekend from all the staff.

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.