Fairtrade Fortnight 2016
This Monday marks the start of Fairtrade Fortnight, the focus of this year’s campaign is “Big Breakfast”. This members of the Fair trade pupil group and Primary 4B are going to have a pancake shop every playtime to celebrate the “Big Breakfast” theme. Pupils will be topping their pancakes and crepes with delicious Fair Trade fruits, jams and sauces. Pancakes and crepes will cost 50p.
The Fairtrade Committee, also have organised a speaker to tell to all pupils about the need for Fair trade. There will also be a whole school competition to design Fantasy Fair trade Fruit with entries due by 11th March 2016.
At Parents’ night we are going to have a stall to promote Fair trade awareness and will be selling raffle tickets for a Fantastic Fair trade Hamper.
ART-iculate
A literacy and Visual Arts Adventure
This term ART-iculate 2016 has a photography twist. This is a fantastic opportunity for P6 and P7 children to immerse themselves in analysing some of the world’s most iconic photographs.
This year’s choice to analyse/ read photography ties in with the theme of St Mark’s Art Show, which is contemporary photography. This will be led and delivered by the pupils of photography club. A challenging project!
P7 and P6 will be given an opportunity this term to choose and research a photograph from a portfolio of images ranging from 1932 surrealists, graphic designers to photo journalists of 1980’s.
They will then take part in an upper school ART-iculate competition, to orally present their findings. The finalist will compete in St Mark’s Art Exhibition, 2016. There will be guests in attendance as well as invited judges from SCRAN and Education Scotland.
STEM
making Maths Count
@MathsScot wants to hear your views on maths. Fill in this survey and help shape the future of maths in Scotland. bit.ly/mmcount
Consultation on the Future of Early Learning
Parental Hints and Tips to Help your Child Achieve their best!
- Ask your child to teach you something that they learned today because that’s the way they learn most effectively and they’ll remember 90% of what they’ve learned!
Latest Newsletter
Culture and Leisure Activities
LOCAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Below you will find attached a draft copy of East Renfrewshire Council’s Local Improvement Plan 2016-2019. The draft plan was considered by the Education Committee on 4 February 2016.
The authority would welcome feedback and comments from parents/carers. Please send comments and feedback or other priorities for improvement to schoolmail@St-Marks.e-renfrew.sch.uk and we will pass on any suggestions.
Parent Council
Minutes for the latest parent council meeting can be viewed below.
East Renfrewshire Council’s Inclusive Support Team
CSE Website
The Scottish Government has today launched a website dedicated to supporting everyone worried about child sexual exploitation. With information for children, young people, friends and families.
You can view the website via our parental websites section. Simply click the link below.
STEM
Do you have a Science, Technology Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) Background? If so, would you be interested in becoming a STEM ambassador and sharing your knowledge and expertise about STEM subjects with the school community at St. Mark’s? This would involve coming into the school to speak to children about your job and what it involves.
Pupil Achievements- Online Survey
Gaining recognition for the wide range of achievements can increase pupil confidence, raise their aspirations, improve motivation for learning and keep them engaged in education. It is important that we recognise and celebrate achievements in all contexts for learning, through:
- the ethos and life of the school as a community
- curriculum areas and subjects
- interdisciplinary learning
- opportunities for personal achievement.
To help us gather this information on pupils’ personal achievements, I would ask you to follow the link below and provide the information required:
This link will remain live throughout session 2016. You can add achievements as often as required by entering your child’s name, class and details of their achievement.
Parental Hints and Tips
These are some things to think about when talking/spending time together with younger children:
- Read lots of stories, rhymes and songs together!
- Make up your own stories together. Use funny voices for characters and act them out!
These are some things to think about when talking/spending time together with older children:
- Play board/card games together.
- Watch Newsround together and talk about what you think/how you felt about one of the articles. We do this at school so your child will be used to and good at this and you can learn together!
These are some things to think about when talking/spending time together with older children:
- Talk about their day as you do things around the house together e.g. washing up, eating. This is more relaxing for your child and takes the pressure off them to speak as they’re also doing something else. If this is tricky to begin with remember two things: 1. Use the language they use and 2. Ask them to be more specific. Try asking questions such as:
- “What was the best question you asked today?”
- “What was the best/funniest/strangest/most exciting/worst thing that happened to you today?”
- “What are you looking forward to tomorrow?”
- Was there anything that you didn’t understand at school today?
National Parent Forum
The National Parent Forum of Scotland has been working with Skills Development Scotland as part of the programme of work underway in Developing the Young Workforce. We are pleased to have produced some tailored information for parents, as part of our successful “in a nutshell” series, which covers the new Careers Education Standard launched at SLF 2015. This new nutshell will supply parents with basic information about the initial role of this programme in schools and signpost them to where they can get some more information if they need it. This nutshell has been produced in hard copy with one for each child in primary, secondary and ASN schools and deliveries will start w/c 11-1-16. We would also hope that it could be used at parent events, subject choice evenings etc. The link to the nutshell on the NPFS website is http://www.npfs.org.uk/career-education-a-world-of-possibilities/
Monday 25th January
On Monday 25th January at 1.45pm St Mark’s will be celebrating the birthday of our national hero, Robert Burns. On this day, school uniform should be worn however pupils are invited to wear something tartan eg. kilt, tie, scarf etc.
Classes will be performing a selection of Scottish poems for your entertainment and light refreshments will be provided. So come share a wee dram of our other national drink and enjoy our wee shindig.
And in the words of the great man himself – “Dare to be honest and fear no labour”.
Regards
Natalie Fitzsimmons
Acting Head Teacher
Registering your child for Primary School
Monday 11th January – Friday 15th January 2016.
Registering your child for Primary School
East Renfrewshire Council has set up one week when you should register your son or daughter at your local primary school. You must register at your catchment school, even if you intend to make a placing request to another school or to defer your place and keep your son or daughter at home for another year.
If you intend to educate your child privately or at home, you should still register at your local catchment school.
You may choose to enrol your son or daughter in either the local denominational or local non-denominational school. This choice will determine the secondary school to which your child will transfer.
If he or she is aged five between 1st March 2016 and the end of February 2017 you should go along to the primary school between 1.45pm and 3.30pm any day during the week of Monday 11th January – Friday 15th January 2016.
You should bring your son or daughter’s birth certificate, child benefit statement, a copy of your current council tax notice and mortgate statement or rental agreement. The school can also accept a driving licence, utility bill or bank statement if you are no longer in receipt of child benefit.
Severe Weather Contingency Plan
On very rare occasions severe weather can lead to the emergency closure of schools. The length of closure may vary from an early closure on an isolated occasion, to full closure for one or more consecutive days.
It is the education departments aim to maintain as full an education service as possible in times of emergency but the health and well-being of pupils will still be the first consideration.
The council website has a page dedicated to providing updates on the impact of adverse weather on all council services including education, click here to access it. The council’s Facebook page and Twitter feed will also provide this information and regular updates.
- If the school is closed during the course of a school day you will be contacted, in the first instance, by text message. Please ensure we have a current mobile phone number on our records for this purpose.
- The text will ask you to make arrangements to collect your child as soon as possible. You cannot reply to this message.
- Please don’t telephone the school unless absolutely necessary as we have a limited number of external lines.
- Your child will be kept here until someone comes for him/her.
- Once the school has been officially closed regular updates will be posted on the East Renfrewshire and school website and twitter.
In the event of heavy snow as first priority our janitor will clear a path to the breakfast club door from the stairs. Look out for signs directing you if we have to make any changes to the usual routine.
