Category: Parents

Instrumental music tuition

Giffnock Primary School
Instrumental Music Provision

Dear Parent/Carer,
We would like to share the opportunities our children have to learn an instrument at Giffnock Primary and within East Renfrewshire Council.
If your child is currently in Primary 3 or Primary 5, you will have received a letter about the instrumental tuition available at Giffnock Primary.
Primary 3 – violin or viola starting August 2019 when your child starts Primary 4.
Primary 5 – brass, woodwind or guitar starting August 2019 when your child starts Primary 6.
Within the next few weeks, our instrumental instructors will visit the classes to tell the children about the instruments available to them.
If your child is interested, please return the letter by Friday 22nd March 2019.
After the Spring holidays, the various instrumental instructors will collate the returns and they will meet with the interested children for a short assessment.
The number of children being offered lessons in school is determined by the music service and not the school.
Priority is given to the above classes, however if the uptake is low there may be an opportunity to open it up to other classes. Again, this is at the discretion of the music service.
An alternative to lessons in school is the wonderful Saturday music school held at Williamwood Secondary School. They are currently advertising the Come and Try sessions in April for Primary 4 and Primary 6 pupils.
All details of application forms, Come and Try dates and the Parental Information Leaflet, detailing cost can be found on our school website through the following link:
https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/er/Giffnock/curriculum/expresive-arts/
We hope this information is helpful for those interested in learning a musical instrument.

Yours sincerely,
Judy Brown
Principal Teacher

 

come and try music sessions

Calling all budding P4; Accordion, Bagpipe, ‘Cello, Clarsach, Double Bass, Drum Corps, Violin & Viola Players!

Please complete this form no later than 15 March 2019 to register your place on the P4 Come and Try Event at the East Ren Saturday Music Centre.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=oyzTzM4Wj0KVQTctawUZKS4myftNI2ZMsu8lyFOUjKZUNkNZR1RZS1YzTEVGQzJZSUFST1JUWk83Qi4u

Calling all budding P6; Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Horn, Tuba & Guitar Players!

Please complete this form no later than 15 March 2019 to register your place on the P6 Come and Try Event at the East Ren Saturday Music Centre.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=oyzTzM4Wj0KVQTctawUZKS4myftNI2ZMsu8lyFOUjKZUMUo0RkJJODlKNjFKUFVBQ0pMVkFERkFXNy4u

Spring Fling Disco!

The Parent Council invites you to HOP ALONG and enjoy
some SPRING FUN on Thursday 21st March.

KIDNETICK will once again be hosting both discos so a
fabulous evening is guaranteed!

P1-P3 disco will run from 6pm-7pm
P4-P7 disco will run from 7.15pm-8.30pm

The cost is £3.00 per child, which will include a drink, and
money should be returned with the form in a used envelope by
Thursday 14th March.

Ticket order form is here:

Spring Fling Ticket and Consent

Sports Hero Day!

As you may be aware, on the 27th March all pupils will be taking part in Sports Hero Day.  This promises to be a fun filled, informative day with lots of opportunities to learn about and try a range of sporting pursuits, all while dressed as their own sporting heroes!

To add to the fun, as part of the day, the Parent Council are holding a sponsored event which will take place in the school and will form part of the planned activities for all pupils.

“I can’t do that….. YET!”

What’s involved?

Pupils can choose from one of 5 options and set themselves a physical goal.  It may be something new or a skill they wish to improve. We have attached a sponsor form with details of the challenges (which will also be sent out via homework bags next week) and ask that your child seeks sponsorship for their efforts and determination in learning or improving at their chosen skill.

The most important thing is that your child has lots of fun practicing, while learning to set goals and overcome obstacles.  They can use their growth mindset to prove that by committing to something and practising they can make huge improvements!

On the day every child will be able to demonstrate what they have practised and show off their new improved skills!  The emphasis will be on having fun and celebrating and rewarding effort.

In addition, we will also be running a fabulous sports themed raffle (tickets will be sent out via homework bags)

All funds raised through sponsorship & raffle ticket sales will go towards sports equipment which will benefit all pupils throughout the school.

What do I need to do?

• Encourage your child to pick one of the skills, they have 1 month to practice

• Raise as much money as you can via sponsorship to help the school raise funds for much needed sports equipment

• Sell raffle tickets to enter our sports themed raffle – great prizes to be announced!

• Let us know if you can help on the day by contacting a member of the Parent Council

• Let us know if you can help source additional sports themed raffle prizes

Thanks again for supporting these events, we hope that the children have lots of fun and that we can raise funds to benefit the whole school community!

 

Book fair

Our Book Fair will be taking place here in the school soon. The Book Fair is always lots of fun for the children, parents and teachers. It also provides another opportunity to encourage the children to use and enjoy books, both fiction and non-fiction. Children will preview the choices available and the Book fair will also be open during Parent/Teacher Evenings

Full details are in the attached letter.

Book Fair Letter March 2019

East Renfrewshire Sport for All

East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure, Sport For All (Mar – Jun 19) programme is now available for booking. To view all of our activities, please click on the following link; Sport for All Mar – Jun 19

Already registered for our activities – you can book and pay here.

Alternatively, you can book over the phone by calling 0141 577 3008 Mon – Fri 8:45am – 4:45pm.

If you have any enquiries please contact us at SportsAdmin@ercultureandleisure.org

Parent Council Meeting 25 February 7pm

Please find attached the agenda for the next parent council meeting, which is taking place on Monday 25th February at 7pm, in the staffroom. Please note there is a substantial agenda for Monday, hopefully gathering good discussion.  Your views and participation would be most appreciated. The highlights are:

 

Update on the School Council (Pupils)

Update on P7 – Bring your own device

Discussion on P1-3 Uniforms

School traffic issues and travel plan

 

As always, all welcome – so if you want to see what the parent council is all about, come along! Bring a buddy!

 

Previous minutes can be found here: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/er/Giffnock/parents/parent-council/

 

Parent Council Meeting – February Agenda

Nursery Parent Appointments – Wednesday 13th March and Thursday 14th March 2019

We would like to advise you that the online booking system for parent appointments will open on Monday 25th February at 22:00hrs and will close at midnight on Sunday 10th March 2019.

A letter giving further information is attached together with a “parent guide” for the booking system.

If you have any queries or require assistance with the booking system please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

NURSERY – Parents’ Meetings – Online Appointment Booking
Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th March 2019

I would like to invite you to attend our Parents’ Meetings on the above dates. The meeting is designed to give you an opportunity to meet your child’s key-worker, review and discuss their progress this term and look over some of their work. Each meeting will last approximately ten minutes. It is not a requirement for your child to attend the meeting although we understand that you may wish to bring children with you; as a courtesy we request that they please remain with you at all times. As usual appointments take place in the nursery classroom and 10 minute warning bells will sound to indicate the start and end of each individual appointment.
Some of you will already be familiar with the easy to use online booking system which is used for both nursery and primary appointments. This system allows you to choose your own appointment times with nursery staff and you will receive an email confirming your appointments. Appointments can be made on Wednesday or Thursday with Mrs Bradley (Yellow Group), Mrs Bell (Red Group) and Mrs McWilliam (Blue Group). The nursery staff can give you further guidance regarding this if required.

Appointments can be made from Monday 25th February (22:00) and the booking system will close on Sunday 10th March at midnight. The booking system will only accept bookings from one “main carer” which for the majority of families has been set as the mother. However, this is not always the case and if you experience problems in logging in then please try to log in using the father’s details. We expect that appointments will fill up quickly and advise you to access the system as early as possible, particularly if you have more than one child. Where possible, please avoid “consecutive” time slots for siblings so that time is allowed for getting to your next appointment.
Please visit http://giffnock.parentseveningsystem.co.uk to book your appointments. (A short guide on how to add appointments is attached for easy reference).

Parent Guide Primary – Parent Appointments March 2019

Please login with the following information:
Student’s First Name
Student’s Surname
Date of Birth

If you do not have access to the internet, please contact the school office. We look forward to welcoming you into school.

Yours sincerely
Rob Lawson Head Teacher

Primary Parent Appointments – Wednesday 13th March and Thursday 14th March 2019

We would like to advise you that the online booking system for parent appointments will open on Monday 25th February at 22:00hrs and will close at midnight on Sunday 10th March 2019. Further information about the booking system is below.

Your child will today bring home a “comment sheet” in their school bag and if there is a particular area or question you would like to focus on during your appointment could this sheet please be returned directly to your child’s class teacher by Friday 8th March 2019.

The meeting is designed to give you an opportunity to meet your child’s class teacher, review and discuss their progress this term and read over some of their class work. Within the classroom, your child is involved with conversations about their learning on a daily basis. We share targets, comment on progress and agree next steps together. As part of this process, I would like to invite your child to join the last few minutes of your meeting as this will allow your child to be further involved in the process and indeed their learning. We do however understand that you may prefer to meet without your child and this is of course absolutely fine. Each meeting will last approximately ten minutes. Although we understand that you may have to bring other children with you, as a courtesy please ensure that they remain with you at all times. Please note that on this occasion appointments will take place in your child’s classroom and 10 minute warning bells will sound to indicate the start and end of each individual appointment.

You are already familiar with the easy to use online appointment booking system. This allows you to choose your own appointment times with teachers and you will receive an email confirming your appointments. Appointments can be made from Monday 25th February (22:00) and the booking system will close on Sunday 10th March at midnight. The booking system will only accept bookings from one “main carer” which for the majority of families has been set as the mother. However, this is not always the case and if you experience problems in logging in then please try to log in using the father’s details. We expect that appointments will fill up quickly and advise you to access the system as early as possible, particularly if you have more than one child. Where possible, please avoid “consecutive” time slots for siblings so that time is allowed for getting to your next appointment.

Where appropriate for your child, you are also able to book a separate appointment time with our Support for Pupils teachers, Mrs Carney and Miss Noble, if you wish to speak to them about any specific matter with regard to your child’s learning – select Support for Learning Appointment option on online booking system.

Please visit http://giffnock.parentseveningsystem.co.uk to book your appointments. (A short guide on how to add appointments is attached for easy reference). Please login with the following information:
Student’s First Name
Student’s Surname
Date of Birth

Parent Guide Primary – Parent Appointments March 2019

If you do not have access to the internet, please contact the school office. We look forward to welcoming you into school.

Yours sincerely
Rob Lawson
Head Teacher

world book day

Our Librarians Pupil Group have asked for the following message to be sent to you. They hope that, given the option of pyjamas/ dressing gown or dressing up as a character, that everyone can enjoy the event without any ‘unwanted pressures’ for dressing up and that we can all revel in an enjoyment for reading.

The P5 Librarians have an announcement to make about the celebration of World Book Day at Giffnock Primary School on Thursday 7th March 2019.

There are opportunities to dress up, enjoy books in class but also, please look out for our exciting and amazing lunchtime reading events THAT WHOLE WEEK for the school to enjoy!

https://www.worldbookday.com/books/

Free swimming lessons

East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure have asked us to share the following.

We are looking for children from ages 5 to 12 who may be looking for free swimming lessons to put their name down on the list we have at Barrhead Foundry. You do not need to be in swimming lessons at the moment.

These free lessons will be taught by probationary teachers, hoping to pass their swimming qualification and become qualified swimming instructors and gain employment with ERCLT.

The dates of these free lessons are below. If you are interested in any days or times, please contact Barrhead Foundry (0141 580 1174) or pop in and add the child’s name to the list.

24/02/2019 Sun 1.00-1.30
24/02/2019 Sun 1.30-2.00
24/02/2019 Sun 2.00-2.30
24/02/2019 Sun 2.30-3.00
09/03/2019 Sat 10.00-10.30
09/03/2019 Sat 10.30-11.00
09/03/2019 Sat 11.00-11.30
09/03/2019 Sat 11.30-12.00
10/03/19 Sun 1.00-1.30
10/03/19 Sun 1.30-2.00
10/03/19 Sun 2.00-2.30
10/03/19 Sun 2.30-3.00
16/03/19 Sat 10.00-10.30
16/03/19 Sat 10.30-11.00
16/03/19 Sat 11.00-11.30
16/03/19 Sat 11.30-12.00
17/03/19 Sun 1.00-1.30
17/03/19 Sun 1.30-2.00
17/03/19 Sun 2.00-2.30
17/03/19 Sun 2.30-3.00
30/03/19 Sat 10.00-10.30
30/03/19 Sat 10.30-11.00
30/03/19 Sat 11.00-11.30
30/03/19 Sat 11.30-12.00
31/03/19 Sun 1.00-1.30
31/03/19 Sun 1.30-2.00
31/03/19 Sun 2.00-2.30
31/03/19 Sun 2.30-3.00

after school clubs held outside the school

We wish to remind parents/carers that although most of our After School Clubs are held within the school, we do have some that are held in other locations.

We would like to clarify that if the club is not located at Giffnock Primary it is the responsibility of parents/carers to make sure arrangements have been made for your child to make their way to their club and also for leaving the club to go home.  This particularly relates to the current Boys Football Club and Girls Football Club which are both held at Woodfarm High School pitches on Thursdays after school.  We would also like to clarify that if your child requires any medication/inhaler at a club held at another location this should be given to your child from your home supply as medication held in school cannot be transported.