October Update
2nd October 2020
Dear families
Thank you for your continued support in ensuring staff and children stay safe in school by maintaining social distancing, particularly in the infant playground. Staff are wearing face coverings to protect themselves in the playground. Please be mindful of staff safety and avoid coming too close, unfortunately at this time staff cannot enter in to face to face conversations with parents and all communication should be through the school office, via phone or email.
Staffing
We had two pieces of good news on the staffing front this week. A new teacher Mrs Claire Holmes has come to join the team until June next year as part of recovery planning funding and Miss MacLean, one of our PSAs, got married last week and will now be known as Mrs Pollock.
Traffic
As you will be aware, the building works in the nursery have now reached the stage where there is no on-site parking for staff. I know that over the past few days there have been particular problems with heavy equipment arriving at the beginning and end of the school day. I have raised this with the contractor and he is looking to address this issue.
Learning
Teachers have spent a significant amount of time assessing children’s learning and this may have led to some changes in groupings. Please don’t worry about this, it will ensure that any gaps in learning are addressed and build a stronger foundation for future learning.
It was great to welcome Chris Rose, our Active Schools coordinator this week. He will be working with a number of classes and supporting our outdoor PE lessons, even the rain didn’t dampen Primary 1’s enjoyment of their session.
We were also able to welcome Mrs Qiu back this week to continue the children’s learning in Mandarin.
Children who are self-isolating have been able to access their ‘Home Learning’ Google Classroom. We are very fortunate to be in a position where each stage has an additional teacher who will provide support in class and support home learning.
Assemblies have been continuing on Wednesday mornings with children staying in their classrooms and joining the assembly via Google Meet. This has been great, although technically challenging at times! It also means that if children are working from home they can join in assembly and not feel they are missing out.
We had our first VIP assembly last month, celebrating the school value, ‘fairness’. The following children were winners: Harris Coyne P1/1; Orlaigh Hendrie P1/2; Evie McQuade P2/1; Isla Easdon P2/2; Elise Fullerton P3/1; Sophie Paton P3/1; Eva Sellyn P4/1; Holly Simpson P4/2; Aimee Williamson P5/1; Tara Hoppe P5/2; Tegan Smith P6/1; Grace Todd P6/2; Kyle Bone P7/1; Max MacLeod P7/2; Harris McCulloch P3/1; Cooper Simpson P2/2; May Crangle P3/2; Evie Downs P4/1; Eva Maclaren P5/1; Cameron Azhar P1/2; Katie Mackle P3/1; Abi Hamilton P3/1; Max Morrison P4/1.
You can find out about what your child has been learning on their class blog, on the school website https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/er/CrossArthurlie/blogs/class-blogs/ . Hopefully this month there will be a few pictures of children with their work but unfortunately not everyone has returned their consent for this.
Communication
Our preferred form of communication at this time is by email schoolmail@crossarthurlie.e-renfrew.sch.uk .
We know that you will be keen to find out from your child’s teacher how they are getting on. Unfortunately we can’t have face to face conversations at this time but will be arranging for individual telephone appointments for each child, appointments will be on either Tuesday 27th or Wednesday 28th October from at from 3.15pm – 6.00pm. Given the nature of these appointments it will be important that everyone sticks strictly to their allocated time.
Sickness
Please remember if your child is unwell they should not attend school. If they come to school and display symptoms of COVID (fever, continuous cough or loss of taste and smell) they will be sent home and you will be asked to book a test.
Updated COVID advice
Thank you to everyone for your support in responding to the recent case in school. It was great to see everyone back at school on Tuesday. The advice regarding self-isolation changed this week. From now on it is only the person who has been in close contact with a positive case who has to self-isolate.
Flu Immunisation Programme
The NHS Immunisation team will be in school on Monday 2 November to carry out flu immunisations on pupils.
Yours truly
Mrs Fiona MacDonald
