Category: Parents

Planning Future engagement – Tackling the School Run East Renfrewshire

Our Parent Council received the information below from Councillor Merrick and they have asked that we share it with you.

Dear Parent/Carer

For the last few months East Renfrewshire Council Roads & Transportation Department have been collecting information on school travel in the area and how streets and spaces nearby schools are being used during ‘the school run’. This is to assist developing long term plans on how we invite more walking and cycling, while discouraging car use, to help create safer and healthier school streets.

A key part of this work is how we engage with schools, stakeholders and the community moving forward. We would therefore like to invite you to one of a series of workshops planned during February to help shape future engagement efforts.

Please register you interest via links below and please share within your networks. The more people (of all ages!) that can get involved the better.

Upcoming Workshops:

Tuesday 19 February:

1:30 – 3pm; Auchenback Resource Centre, 64 Aurs Drive, Barrhead, G78 2LW

5:30 – 7pm; The Foundry (Heys Room), Main Street, Barrhead, G78 1SW

Thursday 21 February:

1:30 – 3pm; Eastwood House, Eastwood Park, Rouken Glen Road, G46 6UG

6 – 7:30pm; Eastwood House, Eastwood Park, Rouken Glen Road, G46 6UG

If you have any questions or would like any further information please get in touch with myself (John Shelton) or my colleague Ross McDowall via Roads@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk

After school clubs

Emails have now been sent to parents/carers of children who have secured a place with our popular After School Clubs for this term. If you have not received an email we are sorry to say that on this occasion your child has not been successful.

If your child has been allocated a place with our After School Clubs, our expectation is that your child will attend. Please note that all children must be prepared to attend weekly and not withdraw from these clubs. The coaches are responsible for the children in their care and any absences must be accounted for.  In the unlikely event that your child is unable to attend any session could we please ask you to telephone the school office beforehand (we cannot accept a child’s notification to the class teacher) and this will then be marked on the club register for that day.  Without your assistance our administrative staff have to telephone parents/carers to ascertain the whereabouts of their child and with more pupils than ever taking part in after school clubs this can be a very time consuming task.

Summer church service

Following our recent email regarding a change in the date/ time of our Summer Service 2019, we have spoken with the Parent Council on behalf of some of our P7 families. Whilst the service is around six months away it has become clear that a number of our P7 families had already made plans, as has been something of a tradition at Giffnock, to take the morning to be with their children at the service and their last day at primary school.

With this in mind we have communicated with our friends at Orchardhill Church who have been very kind in reorganising the Summer Service for the final day of the school year. We have agreed upon a 10.30am start time on Thursday 27th June which we can now confirm for you. This slightly earlier start will allow a little extra time to return from the church in readiness for the early closure for our P1-7 children at 1pm that day.

In trying to work alongside and listen to our families wishes, and indeed to organise these arrangements in the spirit of our ‘Giffnock Family’, we thank you in advance for your understanding regarding these changes.

Church services for nursery children

Following the last few whole school church gatherings, it has become clear that the extended time periods of these services have been challenging for some of our youngest children. As a learning experience, a range of our nursery boys and girls have found understanding and engaging with some of the content in these services difficult too, with their play-based learning having to be interrupted for such services. Furthermore, given that only one service can ever be held on the day, some of our children (morning or afternoon) would always be unable to attend.

With these factors in mind, we have decided that our nursery class children will not attend either the Easter or Summer Services this school session. We are however aware that, especially when older siblings in the school are attending the services, some families may wish to take their own child with them to the church when they themselves intend to go. In such a case, we are very happy for you to do so and would simply request that you notify the nursery class staff of this intention prior to that day.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact either myself or Mrs. Judy Brown (Principal Teacher) through the school office.

Free Golf coaching

Mearns Castle Golf Academy are offering FREE golf coaching to kids between the ages of 5-13 in partnership with Active Schools during the week commencing Monday 11th February 2019.

Please look out for flyers being handed out at the school gates today Thursday 31st January 2019.

For any further information you can telephone 0141 644 8200.

Class assembly dates

Giffnock Nursery and Primary School

Class assembly Dates

January to March 2019

Dear Parent/ Carer,

During the school year each class will present their own assembly.

Your child’s class will send you an invitation in advance to attend; please reply to this so that we know for seating arrangements.

Assembly starts at 9.50 am and finishes at approximately 10.20am.

Dates Classes who are presenting at assembly
1.2.19 P4b and Mrs Benzie
15.2.19 P3b and Miss Johnston
1.3.19 P4a and Mrs Horrocks
8.3.19 P2b and Mrs Sibille
22.3.19 Nursery morning children
Church Service at Orchardhill Parish Church  29.3.19 at 11.00 am hosted by Primary 3s and Primary 4s.

All welcome.

football taster sessions

Football Development Programme: Sport for All Taster Sessions 2019

East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure Football Development would like to invite your child to attend a free taster session at one of our Football sessions

Our sessions are suitable for children from 3–12 years. The free taster sessions are going to take place between Monday 28th and Saturday 2nd February 2019. At the end of your taster you will receive information relating to our community football programme which operates across the East Renfrewshire area.

If you would like to take advantage of any of the tasters detailed on the back of this letter then please contact Peter from Football development by email at peter.dunn@ercultureandleisure.org to book. Please note that bookings close Friday 25th January 2019.

If in the meantime you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

John Gervaise,
Scottish FA Football Development Officer
East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure
Email. john.gervaise@ercultureandleisure.org
Tel. 0141 577 8452

church services changes

We wanted to alert you to changes that have been made to our end of term services to be held at Orchardhill Parish Church – the new dates/times are noted below:

Spring Service – Friday 29th March 2019 – the service will now be held at 11.00am in Orchardhill Parish Church (rather than the afternoon).  Children will return to school after the service and primary pupils will have an early finish at 2:30pm and afternoon nursery pupils will finish at 4:00pm.

Summer Service – Wednesday 26th June 2019 – the service will be held at 11.00am in Orchardhill Parish Church (rather than Thursday 27th June).

These new arrangements have been updated on the parental calendar on the school website – this is a useful tool to keep up to date with school events and information.

parking around the school

We would like to advise you that the school and Parent Council have been working with a local Councillor, the local police and community wardens to address problems with parking and driving in the school locale at the start and end of school days.  You may have noticed that both community wardens and local police have been in attendance more frequently.  In order to further support safe use of the nearby roads, we have been notified of a ‘Ring and Report’ Line which anyone in the school community can ring if problems are noted.  The idea is that, if possible, the community wardens will react immediately and come to the site – the number is 0800-013-0076.  Contacting the local police is of course another option.

Change of lunch menu

We have been notified by our school kitchen that there will be a change of menu of Thursday 24th January to celebrate Burns Day – please see below.

Burns Day
Thursday 24th January 2018

SOUP OF THE DAY
Vegetable Soup

TRADITIONAL TASTES
Haggis, Neeps and Tatties
Or
Potato Scone Pizza
with Roasted Vegetables and Garlic Bread

DESSERT OF THE DAY
Scottish Raspberries with Honey Yoghurt

Baked Potato and Baguette options also available

Preschool sport sessions

Community Sport Preschool Tasters

sportsadmin@ercultureandleisure.org

Dear Parent / Carer,

Community Sports Programme: Sport for All Preschool Sessions 2019

East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure Community Sports would like to invite your child to attend a free taster session at one of our community sport development centres.

Our sessions are suitable for children aged 18months – 5 years. The free taster sessions are going to take place between Monday 7th and Sunday 13th January 2019. At the end of your taster you will receive information relating to our community sport programme which operates across the East Renfrewshire area.

If you would like to take advantage of any of the tasters detailed in this letter (see link below) then please contact me by email at sportsadmin@ercultureandleisure.org to book. Please note that bookings close Thursday 3rd January 2019.

If in the meantime you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact myself.

Yours Sincerely,

Gary McGunnigle

Active Schools Coordinator

East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure

201812201314_ERCLClassesnursery

Last day of term

We have been asked by the school kitchen to make you aware that only soup and sandwiches will be available for lunch on the last day of term – Friday 21st December 2018.

We would also like to remind you that we extend a very warm welcome to all to join us at Orchardhill Parish Church to celebrate with the children and staff at our Church Service on Friday 21st December 2018 at 1:15pm.  If your child normally has a home lunch it would be appreciated if they could remain in school on that particular Friday.  If this is not possible please advise your child’s class teacher and we would advise you that the lunch break will be from 11:50am and they must return by 12:40pm at the very latest as the children will be leaving early to walk to the church.  As P1 and P2 pupils will be hosting the service they will be having an earlier lunch break (along with House Captains, Vice Captains and musicians) from 11:00am until 11:50am as they will be leaving for the church by 12 noon.

All pupils will return to school after the service.  Primary pupils will be dismissed at the earlier time of 2:30pm but the afternoon nursery pupils will not be dismissed until 4:00pm (although you may take your nursery child earlier should you so wish).

We would remind you that the school is closed to pupils from Monday 24th December 2018 until Sunday 6th January 2019 and will resume as normal on Monday 7th January 2019.

May we again take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and happy holiday.