Dear Parent/ Carer,
I am pleased to share the report from the St. Mark’s HMIE Follow Through Visit. The visit was conducted by East Renfrewshire’s Quality Improvement Team in October 2021.
The school has made very good progress on the action points set out by HMIE.
Please take a few minutes to read the Information for Parents leaflet, which sets out the key areas of progress and next steps for the school.
St Mark’s HMIE Follow Through Visit Report 2022
Thank you,
Mr Hutcheson
Dear Parent/ Carer,
We are really looking forward to welcoming the children back to school next week. School staff will return for In Service days on Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th August. The children will return on Wednesday 18th August. New Primary 1 pupils should arrive for a 9:30am start on their first day. For all other pupils, the school will open from the usual time of 8:45am and the school day will begin at 9:00am.
Please have a look at the St. Mark’s Guide for going back to school . This guide is intended to support you with some of the key questions you may have about the return to school as we move beyond Level 0 of the Covid Protection levels.
If you are unsure of any of these arrangements or details, please contact us at SchoolMail@st-marks.e-renfrew.sch.uk . School staff will be on hand at the start of term to direct the children and supervise a smooth start for all.
Yours sincerely,
Anthony Hutcheson
Head Teacher
Dear Parent/ Carer,
Please see letter below from Dr Linda de Caestecker, Director of Public Health at NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. This letter contains important updates on self-isolating, testing and contact tracing in relation to schools.
Thank you
Letter for the new term – schools – August 2021 – NHS GGC – v2
Please see the leaflet below for further information on relationships education in Catholic primary schools. 
The document below provides a summary from Rights Advice Scotland and MART of the range of benefit supports and amounts available to eligible families. MART are available to discuss benefits with any residents who may be eligible, and can help them navigate their entitlements to maximise their income.
For more information, contact MART via this website.
Dear Parents/ Carers,
Please see the presentation below from East Renfrewshire’s Money Advice and Rights Team, outlining support available for families.
Thank you
Welfare-and-employment-support-for-parents_PESF-presentation
Please see letter from Director of Education with updated arrangements for returning to school in January.
Dear Parent/ Carer,
Please see the two links below. One is a letter from the director of education and the other is the St. Mark’s guide for returning to school. Please note, all children should return on Wednesday 12th August. The school gates will be open from 8:45am for a soft start for all pupils, with the school day running from 9am to 3pm. Parents/ Carers of Primary 1 pupils should bring them to the school gate at 9:30am on their first day. As with the transition visits in June, parents and carers are not permitted in the school grounds or buildings. From Thursday 13th August onwards, Primary 1 pupils can arrive from 8:45am ready to start at 9am each day. Further details are provided in the attached guide.
We look forward to seeing you and your children next week.
Yours sincerely,
Anthony Hutcheson
Head Teacher
Dear Parent/ Carer,
Please see link to our School Recovery Plan 2020-21 below.
Kind regards,
Mr. Hutcheson
Head Teacher
PRIMARY 1 INDUCTION PROGRAMME
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are looking forward to your child joining us at St Mark’s Primary. I understand that it has been an unusual time for the children and they will no doubt have been missing their friends and the staff from their nursery. We are very much looking forward to meeting the children and welcoming them to St. Mark’s.
Due to the current circumstances our transition programme is restricted. However, we are hopeful that we will be able to arrange a time for your child to come and visit the school.
We are currently preparing for those visits and for next session’s blended approach. We will be in contact soon with more details. Thank you for your patience and understanding at this time, and be assured that we will do everything possible to provide as smooth a start to school or your child as we possibly can.
I look forward to meeting you all very soon.
Yours sincerely,
Anthony Hutcheson
Head Teacher
Continuing Education Arrangements – 22nd March 2020
Dear Parent/ Carer,
St. Mark’s Primary School is now closed in line with the Government guidance on Coronavirus. All children are encouraged to stay at home and follow social distancing guidance- with the exception of families who are part of the vital services required at this time and those children and young people who would benefit from continued attendance. The vast majority of children will be accessing learning online. School staff have been working hard to prepare online learning for all pupils and you can find out more about how to access this by visiting the class blogs and watching the video https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/er/StMarks/curriculum/pupils/class-blogs/ .
A ‘Hub School’ has been set up in Carlibar Primary to accommodate the small number of children who need it. The hub school is an option of last resort for families who have no alternative but to send their children there in order for them to work in a front line role. The Barrhead Hub will be open from 9am on Monday morning (23rd March) at Carlibar Primary School. Children and staff from all five primary schools (Carlibar, Cross Arthurlie, Hillview, St Johns and St Marks) plus Arthurlie and McCready Family Centres will be working together at the campus.
The Hub will operate a morning and afternoon session during regular school hours from 9am to 3pm and children should wear their St. Mark’s uniform. If the children are staying for a full day, lunch will be provided, however, it is recommended that they bring a packed lunch if possible.
There will be a dedicated ‘St. Mark’s’ space in the Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) where staff from our school will be waiting to welcome the children and line them up to get ready to go into class. At this time I would ask that once you have dropped your child off at school with a recognised member of the staff, unless you urgently need to speak to someone, you leave the area to minimise congestion.
Arrangements for families with free school meal entitlement will follow in due course.
Yesterday (Saturday) was spent contacting families who responded to our initial survey regarding staff in frontline services. If, for any reason, you missed this survey or you have any questions regarding this, please contact me through the school email address schoolmail@st-marks.e-renfrew.sch.uk and I will endeavour to get back to you before Monday morning.
Finally, although Sunday mass is cancelled today, there are a number of masses being offered online and we have shared details of these through our Twitter feed. We ask you to continue to pray for everyone affected by the Coronavirus and also that you keep the hub staff and our whole community in your prayers.
Thank you for your continued support at this challenging time.
God Bless
Anthony Hutcheson
Head Teacher
