Welcome Back

Welcome back and I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year, and were able to enjoy the festivities despite the colds, flu and chicken pox which have been doing the rounds. It was great to hear from the children about the time they spent with friends and family and of course the presents many of them received.

Staffing

Many of you will be aware that Mrs Scott is moving to New Zealand and wished us a sad farewell on the last day of term. Mrs MacDougall welcomed her baby, Oliver, at the beginning of the year and I’m pleased to let you know both mum and baby are doing well. Miss McGoran, who has been in Cross Arthurlie for a few years on a temporary basis, will also be leaving us this month and we wish her well . On Monday we welcomed Mrs Fishwick as a new member of teaching staff who will be with us on a part-time, temporary basis until June. Classes who have been impacted by these changes have been informed. In addition to changes in teaching staff we also welcomed Mrs Shankland as a new PSA to the school. Having previously worked in MACS and as a cleaner in the school she is already familiar with staff and children.

Road Safety

As you know at Cross Arthurlie we have a number of children who walk or cycle to school. If you choose to drive instead please remember causing congestion or obstruction near schools is selfish and dangerous. Parking is restricted in the following:

 School keep clear and zig zag lines

 Double yellow lines

 Single yellow lines

 Parking on a pavement or verge

 Double parking and dropped footways

 School bus bays

 Pedestrian crossings

 Parking in disabled bays unless you’re a blue badge carrier

‘Cinderella and Rockerfella’

We have started working on the school production with children in P6 & 7 learning songs and auditioning for parts. We have been really impressed so far with the way in which children have approached this activity: learning lines, acting and learning songs words for the audition process. Miss Rice and I are going to have a very difficult task next week as we seek to cast the production.

Parent Council

Representatives from the Parent Council have met with a number of people from East Renfrewshire Council as we seek to address the challenges of selfish and careless parking around the school.

The dates of the next meetings (to be held in Barrhead High School ) are : 05/02/19; 05/03/19; 30/04/19; 04/0/619 (AGM in Cross Arthurlie)

P4 Swimming

P4 will be swimming this term. As part of our commitment to reducing the cost of the school day and to ensure that all children can participate in learning this important skill we have decided to use P.E.F. funding to support this activity.

P1 & 2 Muddy Movers

Primary 1 are really looking forward to developing their learning outdoors through the ‘Muddy Movers’ programme. This will involve the children working together to move large items outdoors and develop their skills and abilities in problem solving.

With the help of funding from the Parent Council we now have new waterproof trousers and jackets which the children in P2 are able to access.

Primary 7 Transfer and Primary 1 Registration

ERC are looking to streamline processes regarding registering your child for school. Online registration for P1 parents has already taken place with parents coming into school from14-18 January 1.45-3.30pm, with the required documentation.

P7 parents have already received their transfer forms through the post and these should be returned to school by Monday 14 January along with your 2018/19 Council Tax bill and a recent utility bill.

ASSEMBLY : Special Treat

This week’s assembly at Cross Arthurlie was very different!

On Monday we were contacted by M&M Productions offering us a FREE performance of their production of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ for Wednesday morning. It was a brilliant pantomime performance which all children thoroughly enjoyed, with lots of the usual booing, hissing and singing along one expects with a traditional pantomime.

Mrs MacDonald

Head Teacher

Visitor from (and to) China

Last Friday we were privileged to welcome a delegation of Chinese Head Teachers and Government Officials to Cross Arthurlie. They spent the morning in the school talking with Mrs MacDonald and touring the school, visiting many classes. They were very impressed with equipment available in the school, the welcoming staff and the very polite children who were all very interested in their learning.

We are also very excited to hear that Miss Rice will be visiting China, representing Cross Arthurlie and finding out about schools and culture there. We can’t wait to see her photographs!

Fruity Friday

As part of our commitment to being a Health Promoting School the Pupil Council have decided to introduce ‘Fruity Friday’. Children who only bring or buy healthy snacks such as fruit and vegetables will get a point on a Friday and the class with the highest percentage of children bringing only a healthy snack will get an extra playtime at the end of the month.

GDPR

The introduction of GDPR has meant a few changes for us as we wait for consent for photographs to be used ensuring that we are complying with your wishes as parents with regard to sharing information. We are aware that this has meant some class blogs have been delayed.

As we can no longer give out information to children about clubs in the community we have introduced a ‘Community’ wall near to the school office with leaflets and information about various different organisations in the area, please feel free to help yourself to any information there.

All About the Books!

At assembly on Wednesday I explained to the children that we are having difficulties with children taking books home and forgetting to return them. We are therefore having a BOOK AMNESTY ! If you have any school books at home could I ask that you return them (no questions … no fines… no rows… just a thank you in return !)

Dogs in the Playground

Could I please remind everyone that dogs are not permitted in the school grounds.

Parent Council News

The Parent Council usually meets monthly on the first Tuesday of the month. The latest meeting was on Tuesday 2nd October and in addition to school budgets and fundraising we were joined by one of the local Cllr Danny Devlin to discuss parking issues around the school.

The dates of the next meetings (to be held in Barrhead High School ) are : 06/11/18; 27/11/18; 05/02/19; 05/03/19; 30/04/19; 04/06/19 (AGM in Cross Arthurlie)

Parent Council Events

The next event planned by the Parent Council is the Hallowe’en Disco, Tuesday 23rd October.

Supporting Learning Outdoors

As you know we are really keen to encourage children to learn outdoors as well as indoors. We are looking to see if anyone, especially if you have recently had building work done, would have any off cuts of large planks of decking or guttering. The P1 & P2 children love working together to build and balance using these.

The Parent Council have said they would willingly buy some new waterproof clothing for the children to use but had wondered if anyone had some waterproofs (or wellies) that folks were no longer using that they would be willing to donate to the school.

The school garden is taking shape once again thanks to Mrs Eddie and the Eco-Committee, if you were able to help in any way with this please contact the school office and Mrs Eddie will be in touch.

Open Afternoon

The first Open Afternoon of this session will be this Thursday 11th October. This is always a great opportunity for you to visit your child’s class and find out about what they have been learning since August.

V.I.P. ASSEMBLY

We had our first VIP assembly on Wednesday this week It was great to celebrate the children who were recognized as demonstrating the school value of “loyalty” .

Well done to the following children:

Grace Falconer, Lucy Clark, Max Morrison, Holly Simpson, Amirah Gad El Karim, Tara Hoppe, Zac Davidson, Freya Wilson, Evie McFarlane, Kaci Wales, Mylee Pol-lock, Chloe Forbes, Robbie Wallace, Jack Laing, Paul McEwan, Olivia McQuade, Kaiden Horsley, Alex Grassie, Katie Mackle.

During our VIP assembly we also celebrate children who have achievements out of school and in their community. This month we celebrated Blair Auchincloss who participates in BB, swimming and rugby; Anna Dove who has a new

role in Brownies and Emily Conaghan who got her Grade 1 in piano. If your child has anything they’d like to share or achievement to celebrate they can do so on the first Wednesday of the month. Please feel free to drop me an email if there’s something you’d like to share too… it’s great to see the look of surprise on their faces.

Bikes and Scooters

It is great to see so many children coming to school by bike or on their scooters. Please remember to be aware of children if you are bringing your child to school by car and remember everyone on a bike or scooter should be wearing a helmet.

Duathlon

Recently children in P6 & P7 took part in a Cycling & Running Duathlon. Four children from each house will compete against each other to see who the overall champions are.

Mrs Fiona MacDonald

Head Teacher

Maths Week 10th—16th

Throughout Scotland schools and businesses will be celebrating Maths Week next week. Last year we celebrated by taking our maths outdoors and this year we are looking to help children have a “I can do it” approach to maths. Each day Mrs Duncan has organised for every class to complete a daily maths puzzle which will help children to try different methods of getting their answers.

The House Captains, with the help of Miss Rice, will organise a House Maths Quiz and Primary 7 will participate in a range of different puzzles. I can’t wait to see all the creative and fun ways the children find to use maths. Regular updates on the week will be available through the school Twitter account.

School Improvement Plan and Standards and Quality Report

As part of our duties to ensure that we continue to support children and improve the school we think about our strengths and areas we need to improve every year. The Standards and Quality Report lets you know what has happened over the year and identifies the areas we still need to work on. The School Improvement Plan sets out how we will address the needs that have been identified over the course of the year. Full details of these are available on the school website with a summary version being given to all parents.

Homework Diaries

New diaries have been issued to children in Primaries 4-7 where they will not only record their homework but also their learning and with the support of the teacher plan their next steps. We hope that children will begin to take more personal responsibility for their learning and have an increased sense of achievement by doing so.

Parking

Unfortunately a number of parents are continuing to park in a way which is putting children at risk. It is ILLEGAL to park in the school bus bay. A number of parents have raised their concerns with me and the police have been informed.

Parent Council news

The Parent Council usually meets monthly on the first Tuesday of the month. The first meeting was on Tuesday 4th September and as well as sharing reports I gave an update on the school budget. It was also great to hear of all the events which the fundraising committee are hoping to run this year. As a school we really appreciate the Parent Council and all the work they do on behalf of the school.

The dates of the next meetings (to be held in Barrhead High School ) are : 02/10/18; 06/11/18; 27/11/18; 05/02/19; 05/03/19; 30/04/19; 04/06/19 (AGM in Cross Arthurlie)

Jackets & Uniform

Can I please ask once again that you put your child’s name on items they bring to school. Unfortunately children do leave items in the playground or put their things on the wrong peg. If you show your child where they will find their name it also helps as then they can take responsibility for finding their things.

After School Clubs

Mrs Duncan and Mrs Campbell are currently working on the after school clubs which will run this year. Please don’t worry if your child doesn’t get their first choice the first time around we work very hard to ensure that all children can access something that they like in the course of the year.

Miss Gibson had a wonderful first lunchtime choir club this week, really looking forward to hearing what this year’s choir sound like… they have a lot to live up to after last year.

Bikes and Scooters

It is great to see so many children coming to school by bike or on their scooters. Please remember to be aware of children if you are bringing your child to school by car and remember everyone on a bike or scooter should be wearing a helmet. Some Primary 7 pupils are embarking on Bikeability Level 3 training. They are really excited to be developing their skills at an advanced level.

V.I.P. ASSEMBLY

We had our first VIP assembly on Wednesday this week It was great to celebrate the children who were recogniSed as demonstrating the school value of “fairness” .

Well done to the following children:

Harris McCulloch, Emaline Boyd, Isla Nisbet, Darcey Lucas, Grace MacDonald, Hollie Clarkson, Anna Lagan, Grace Todd, Alastair McKel-vie, Daisy Aird, Kayla Condron, Kaidence Wright, Zoe Semple, Holly Rankin, Bruce Hannah, Kaiden Hors-ley, Amie Williamson, Anna Dove, Lauren Jamieson, Taliah Horsley and Kaiden Wales.

During our VIP assembly we also celebrate children who have achievements out of school and Zara McAdam was awarded a certificate for art. Isla Carruth was also presented with a ‘Mollie’s Dolly’ from the charity Children’s Heart Federation as a thank you for designing a poster for their charity. If your child has anything they’d like to share or achievement to celebrate they can do so on the first Wednesday of the month. Please feel free to drop me an email if there’s something you’d like to share too… it’s great to see the look of surprise on their faces.

Mrs Fiona MacDonald

Head Teacher

Additional Teachers

It’s great to see everyone back in Cross Arthurlie and to welcome a number of new staff. Miss MacLean (P2/2), Miss McGhie (P5/2) will be with us for the year and Miss Little (P7/1) will be here permanently. We are also in the very fortunate position of having a number of teachers who will be teaching vari-ous groups of children at different points throughout the week. Mrs Carr, Mrs Berry, Mrs Britton, Miss McGoran, Mr Gouchez, Mrs Eddie, Mrs Shearman and Mrs Scott will be teaching a range of different subjects throughout the school extending the children’s learning either by co-operatively teaching with the class teacher or perhaps teaching in smaller groups.

Miss Jardine has also joined us as a Pupil Support Assistant.

GDPR

As you will be aware new laws came into force in May which effect how personal information is handled. In the next few days you will receive a number of forms which will need to be completed and returned. We would be very grateful if these are completed and returned ASAP.

A number of parents had not completed forms last year and this has meant that important information is not able to be passed on to their child. If you think you are missing out on information please contact the school office who will be able to help.

Primary 1

The children in Primary 1 have settled really well and enjoying continuing to learn through their play as well as other forms of learning.

Remits

The Senior Management Team have maintained their remits from last year. As Headteacher I have overall responsibility for the school however in addition I also have a particular focus on the children in P1 & 2. Mrs Duncan (PT) has responsibility for P3 & 4 and Miss Rice (DHT) has responsibility for P5, 6 & 7.

Parking

Please be considerate when using your car in and around the school. The school car parks are for staff only and should not be used by parents. There have been a number of near misses in the past and we do not want any child to come to harm. The school bus drop off point MUST be kept clear at all times.

Parent Council News

The Parent Council are always keen to welcome new members. The Parent Council usually meets monthly on the first Tuesday of the month. The first meeting will be held in the school from 7pm on Tuesday 4th September and will be a cheese and wine event. Please come along to meet everyone and find out how you can help support your child by supporting the work of the parent council. In addition the parent council has a Facebook page for all parents at the school: Cross Arthurlie PC/ Fundraisers. This is a closed group for parents and will pro-vide you with information on up and coming events.

The dates of the next meetings (to be held in Barrhead High School ) are : 02/10/18; 06/11/18; 27/11/8; 05/02/19; 05/03/19; 7/5/19; 04/06/18 (AGM in Cross Arthurlie)

Jackets & Uniform

We are keen to ensure that children are able to make the most of playtime and, given that we live in the west of Scotland, this will mean that sometimes when the children are out playing it may be raining. Could you please make sure your child has a waterproof jacket and that it has your child’s name on it. We encourage the children to be responsible for their belongings, but sometimes they can become misplaced and it is much easier to return lost property if items are clearly labeled.

The children are all looking wonderful in their school uniforms which is in line with East Renfrewshire Council’s “Dressing for Excellence” policy. We prefer the children to be in recognisable Cross Arthurlie uniforms with sweatshirts and polo shirts for younger children and shirts and ties for older. This does not mean all items have to be branded with the school badge, as plain navy sweatshirts and plain polo shirts are perfectly acceptable. If you have any questions about school uniform please don’t hesitate to ask. Thank you for your continued support with this as it genuinely helps us build and develop a real sense of community and being part of something that matters.

PE and Outdoor Learning

We are looking forward to making the most of our wonderful outdoor space. In Primary 1 & 2 the children will be learning outdoors on a regular basis and will be working through a programme called “Muddy Movers” which seeks to develop their large motor skills and encourage them to work cooperatively. Could I ask if you have not already done so, you drop off a pair of wellies for your child.

Most children will have two PE slots one of 100 minutes and one of 50. Initially P1 will have 3 x 50 minute slots.

Mrs Duncan is introducing a new PE programme to children in Primaries 4– 7 which will also involve the children in being outside. It is im-portant therefore that children in the upper school also have suitable kit for PE outdoors.

Bikeability

Miss Rice is once again supporting P7 children in gaining their bikeability level 3 awards. We are keen to continue to be health promoting and encouraging children to bring their bikes to school. Bikeability is one way of ensuring that when children are using their bikes they are doing so safely.

A new bike shelter has been fitted in the infant playground where children can safely leave their bikes.

Mrs Fiona MacDonald

Head Teacher

Whatever the Weather

We are looking forward to being outdoors as much as possible over as summer approaches. We are aware however that, living in Scotland the weather is likely to change . Please ensure your child has suitable clothing to be outside and if the sun ever decides to shine brightly on us again that your child has a hat in their bag if they need one.

The children are happier and healthier if they are outside at playtime and I am looking to see how we can make better use of the grassed area for learning and for playtimes. P.E. will also be outdoors as much as possible this term.

Confucius Hub

Being a ‘Hub’ school for Mandarin means that children in Cross Arthurlie have access to a number of additional activities that we otherwise wouldn’t access.

This term we are delighted to welcome Scottish Opera to work with Primary 6 and 7 on a performance of ’The Dragon of the Western Sea’ . The children have loved learning the songs so far and I’m sure will enjoy both the workshop and performance which are part of the programme.

This term we are also able to offer an after school Chinese cookery club for parents and their children.

This has been an extremely popular club and we had so many families applying we had to pull names out of a hat.

Questionnaire Returns

Thanks to everyone who came along to Parents’ Evenings just before the end of term. During that time we were very grateful to those of you who managed to complete a questionnaire about your child’s experience in Cross Arthurlie.

The responses were generally very positive and we will use the information from this to inform the school’s Standards and Quality report and School Improvement Plan.

Scottish National Standardised Assessments (SNSA)

For the first time this year children across Scotland in Primaries 1,4 and 7 are participating in online assessments of their literacy and numeracy. In Cross Arthurlie these will take place in April and May. Anyone needing more information is welcome to come into school or access the SNSA parents website.

Parent Council

Spring Fun day is coming up on Saturday 19th May we are having a dress down day on Friday 11th May, please bring a donation for the tombola. More information will follow but we’re looking forward to a hopefully beautiful morning!

Dates of next meetings: May 1st (Barrhead High) and June 5th AGM at Cross Arthurlie

Events coming up: 19th May: Spring Fun Day; 12th June discos : 21st June: Leaver’s Dance

After School and Lunchtime Clubs

We have so many after school and lunchtime clubs happening this term it’s going to be hard to keep up with them all. Thanks to Mrs Duncan for organising these and to Gary McGunnigle, our fabulous Ac-tive Schools Coordinator for his support.

Big Pedal

Over the next fortnight we are also participating in The Big Pedal. Children across the school have been encouraged to bring their bikes and scooters to school. Thanks to Miss Rice and the JRSOs for organising this.

Bikeability

Primary 6 are currently being trained in stage of Bikeability. Thanks to the parents and staff who are supporting our children in learning how to cycle safely.

Taster Days

Our taster days for children will be on Tuesday 12th (pm) and Wednesday 13th June (am). Parents of children who are new to Primary 1 will have the chance to come with their children to school on that day and all other children will have the opportunity to hopefully meet their new teacher.

VIP ASSEMBLY

We had our monthly VIP assembly last Wednesday celebrating the school value of kindness. The following children were awarded VIP certificates : Ellie Clarkson, Robbie Reid, Alfie MacDonald, Michael Blyth, Ramine Uthmani, Sebastian Donald, Evie McFarlane, David Brook, Leigha Harvey, Paul McEwan, Kaiden Wales, Holly Rankin, Dean Wilson, Niamh Stewart, Ruby Noble, Sam Blair, Josh McFarlane, Lewis Martin, James Leaf.

We also celebrated a range of achievements out of school:

Dancing: Evie Downs and Isla Thomson; Cheerleading: Lily Maclaren, Ruby Maclaren, Millie Craig.

Communication

Thanks to everyone for your support during the recent spell of severe weather. We tried to ensure that everyone was kept up to date with information about whether the school was closed or not via text alerts, Twitter and on the Parent Council Facebook page. Hopefully everyone received a text from the school, but if not it could be that you have changed your phone and not got around to letting us know. If you could do so as soon as possible we would really appreciate it.

As you will see I have decided to send a paper copy, one per family, of the newsletter in addition to the email. I became aware that some people were missing out on information so hopefully this way everyone will receive a copy.

Open Afternoon and Homework

Thanks to everyone who came along to our Open Afternoon. I know from your comments that you really enjoy seeing the children in their classes and finding out about what they have been learning.

This time I also asked for parents views on homework and what any changes that we should make to homework in Cross Arthurlie. We received some great ideas of ways in which we should change some things and met last week, as a staff to discuss the findings. It was interesting that there was a bit of a difference between the comments from P1 & 2 and the rest of the school but one thing which was agreed upon was for homework to be perhaps issued weekly to allow for clubs etc. to be accommodated. We will also consult with children on their views on homework and will pull together the comments to support us in developing a new homework system.

Lord Provost’s Debate

Primary 7/2 even took their thoughts on homework to the Lord Provost, as they debated the issue of homework in the Council Chamber.

World Book Day

Although we missed the official World Book Day due to snow it was great that it was able to go ahead last Tuesday … this time despite the snow! The children loved hearing stories being read by different teachers and there was a lovely happy atmosphere in the school that day. Many children, and staff had chosen to dress up in their favourite characters and looked great.

Primary 5 Residential

P5 had a great visit to Belmont Outdoor Centre last week. They were enthusiastic about trying new challenges and enjoyed their time making the most of the great outdoors.

Parent Council

The Parent Council support the school with fundraising and as a mechanism for gathering parent views on matters which affect the school. We are really fortunate to benefit from the funds raised by the Parent Council and will be using some of the money raised recently to subsidize the cost of up and coming school trips. We are looking to have a flat fee of £3.00 per class trip in the first instance and see how this unfolds.

Dates of next meetings: May 1st (Barrhead High) and June 5th AGM at Cross Arthurlie

Events coming up: 19th May: Spring Fun Day; 12th June discos : 21st June: Leaver’s Dance

Primary 4 Read Shakespeare

Read me and set me free!’ Pri-mary 4 have been given a ‘Wild Book’ for @Shakespeare-Week. They will read the book in class before setting it free in Barrhead for the next lucky person to find. Watch this space tomorrow for a clue on where to find it…

Sport Relief 2018

P7 invite family and friends to join them in their Sponsored Mile Run at Cowan Park for Sport Relief on 23rd March 2018. Sponsor forms are out now!

Parents’ Nights

You will receive information about appointments for next weeks Parents’ Nights. We look forward to seeing you then

Easter Service

Our Easter Service will be Thursday 29th March at 9:30, everyone is very welcome to attend this celebration. As is the usual tradition, if you’d like to donate some flowers to the school, for distribution around the local care homes, please send them to school on that day.

Primary 5 Charity

Primary 5 raised £ 261 by holding a crazy hair day on Friday 23rd February for the Royal Hospital for Children.

VIP Assembly

We had our monthly VIP assembly last Wednesday celebrating the school value of responsibility. The fol-lowing children were awarded VIP certifi-ates : Sophie Munro, Zack Kenny, Aimee Williamson, Isla Thomson, Anna Dove, Brooke Pearson, Ellis Townsend, Abby Reid, Millie Downs, Abby Drummond, Adam Brownlie, Blair Dobbins, Beth lemke, Fraser Leaf, Zoe Sem-ple, Adam Wilson.

We also celebrated a range of achievements out of school:

Dancing: Lacie Mia Cur-rie; Football: Dylan Quinn and Kamiran Othman

Mrs MacDonald

Head Teacher

Talented Children!

The children had a great time at the Valentine’s disco which the Parent Council organised. We have some very talented dancers with children winning prizes for their dancing at both the infant and upper school discos. We are all really looking forward to this year’s XA Factor which the House Captains have organised for Thursday 22nd February. I’m sure that judging this will be very difficult.

Staffing

At the beginning of the month Mrs Duncan, following competitive interview, was appointed as Principal Teacher in Cross Arthurlie. We wish her well in this permanent post.

Primary 1/1 parents will also now be aware that Mrs Burnett is pregnant and will be going on maternity leave soon, probably after the Easter holidays. I don’t have any definite arrangements for covering P1/1 during Mrs Burnett’s absence, at the moment but will letter parents as soon as possible once I have this information.

Improvement Planning

We are continuing to make progress on supporting children in building their resilience with their learning through Building the Learning Power. This month we have also had a focus on developing staff and children’s skills with IT. Internet Safety Day on Tuesday 6th February and assembly on the 7th ensured that all children are well informed about the potential dangers of being on-line and ways in which they can keep themselves safe.

We are very fortunate to have received a class set of Virtual Reality headsets from East Renfrewshire Council. As part of the in-service day staff learned how to use these and discussed ways in which children’s learning could be extended with this latest resource.

Chinese New Year

As a Confucius Hub we are very keen that our children become familiar with Chinese culture in addition to learning Mandarin. The 16th February was Chinese New Year and this year it is the Year of the Dog. Miss Thomson has organised an art competition for the school with children completing a drawing to celebrate this, with Mrs Chu being the judge for the completed entries.

On Tuesday 20th Feb Miss Thomson will also be going to Edinburgh with 15 children to visit the zoo and be part of the opening of the Confucius Hub there.

Many of the after school clubs this year have been linked to Chinese culture. Clubs such as table tennis, gymnastics and badminton have been possible due to additional resources which are part of being a Hub school. Next term we are very excited about our plans for family Chinese cooking . Make sure you look out for further information on this.

Parent Council

The Parent Council support the school with fundraising and as a mechanism for gathering parent views on matters which affect the school. They are looking to collect bottles prior to the Ladies Night, as usual any glassware should be dropped off at the school office.

Dates of next meetings: March 6th & May 1st (Barrhead High) and June 5th AGM at Cross Arthurlie

Events coming up: 3rd March : Ladies Night; 19th May: Spring Fun Day; 12th June discos : 21st June: Leaver’s Dance

Being Active!

We had fantastic learning and play last month when the snow covered the grassed area at the back of the school. Children in a range of stages throughout the school took their learning outdoors and had great fun measuring, estimating, discovering the properties of snow and experimenting and testing what made the most effective slides and why.

Please ensure that all children are suitably dressed for the weather to ensure that they can fully participate in all aspects of learning, both indoors and out.

Open Afternoon and Parents’ Nights

You will all have received information about the Open Afternoon on Tuesday 27th Feb and Parents’ Nights in March. We are really keen to gather parents views on Homework and the priorities for next year’s School Improvement Plan and are looking to do so during the Open Afternoon and Parents’ Night.

We are hopeful that by gathering your views at a time when many folks are already in school you will be able to contribute to the decisions, particularly as the issue of homework can have a direct impact upon family life.

Primary 5 Charity

Primary 5 are planning a ‘Wacky Hair Day’ on Friday 23rd February to raise money for the Royal Hospital for Children. Pupils can come to school on this day with wacky hair, for a small donation to this very worthwhile hospital. Pupils should wear their school uniform as normal on this day.

VIP Assembly

We had our third monthly VIP assembly last Wednesday celebrating the school value of respect. The following children were awarded VIP certificates : Eva Sellyn, Finn Shepherd, Grace MacDonald, Emily Kay, Lacey Miller, Alex McEleney, Lucie Johnston, Daisy Aird, Lau-en McKinnon, Niall McInally, Adam Wilson, Amy Docherty, Marley McEwan, Eve Hamilton, Ismail Haq, Calvin Brennan, Anna Dove, Kelly Rocks, Kyle Bone, Gilen Smith & Jack Girvan.

We also celebrated a range of achievements out of school:

Dancing: Mitchell Bryce; Football: Max Morrison, Lewis Murray and Zac Davidson.

Fiona MacDonald

Head Teacher

Welcome Back

Welcome back and I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year, and were able to enjoy the festivities despite the colds and flu that have been doing the rounds.

It was great to hear from the children about the time they spent with friends and family and of course the presents many of them received.

Making a Difference

As I said at the Christmas service one of the most fabulous attributes of the Cross Arthurlie community is their generosity. This was clearly evident in both the volume and range of items collected for the local foodbank. Mrs Burnett and Mrs Powell had to use both of their cars to transport all the items we received and from speaking to the children in Primary 1 they were very aware of why they were collecting such items and the difference that they could be making to many people’s lives.

Improvement Planning

Working with staff from Hillview and Carlibar Primaries and Barrhead High we are looking to improve the teaching and encourage children to become more confident and resilient learners. Part of this is encouraging children to work through things for themselves and using different ways of helping them get ‘unstuck’ and to help their perseverance in tasks which they find challenging.

We have also all been working on improving our writing through ‘Big Writing’. You may be aware that BBC Radio 2 run a competition for children aged 5-13 to write a story. This competition is open for children to write anywhere and entries can be submitted by home or school. More details can be found at: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00rfvk1.

Road Safety

East Renfrewshire Council is embarking upon a focussed campaign around road safety. As you know at Cross Arthurlie we have a number of children who walk or cycle to school. If you choose to drive instead please remember causing congestion or obstruction near schools is selfish and dangerous. Parking is restricted in the following:

•  School keep clear and zig zag lines
•  Double yellow lines
•  Single yellow lines
•  Parking on a pavement or verge
•  Double parking and dropped footways
•  School bus bays
•  Pedestrian crossings
•  Parking in disabled bays unless you’re a blue badge carrier

Parent Council

As you know the parent council have been raising funds for new sports kits for children to use at various sporting events. They have been very proactive in gaining sponsorship for some of the kit. Our thanks go to the following local companies: Co-op foods; Moodies funeral directors; McCabe opticians, Excel Training International and Maple Joiners. Look out for photographs in the Barrhead News. The dates of the next meetings (to be held in Barrhead High School ) are : 06/02/18; 06/03/18; 01/05/18; 05/06/18 (AGM in Cross Arthurlie)

Events next year :7th February : Valentine’s Disco 3rd March : Ladies Night; 1st May: Spring Fun Day; 12th June discos : 21st June: Leaver’s

Sports Kit

We are really looking forward to wearing our new sports kits as we participate in the follow-ing competitions this term :

Inter Cluster Football (boys) —25 January

Soccer 7s — 26 January

Inter Cluster Football (girls) – 22 February

Sportshall Athletics—23 February

Cross Country—27 February

Primary Dance —14 March

Primary Netball—22 March

P4 Swimming

P4 will be swimming this term. As part of our commitment to reducing the cost of the school day and to ensure that all children can participate in learning this important skill, we have decided to use P.E.F. funding to support this activity.

P1 Muddy Movers

Primary 1 are really looking forward to developing their learning outdoors through the ‘Muddy Movers’ programme. This will involve the children working together the move large items outdoors and develop their skills and abilities in problem solving.

VIP ASSEMBLY

We had our second monthly VIP assembly this Wednesday celebrating the school value of loyalty. The following children were awarded VIP certificates : Lewis Murray, Havana McManus, Amirah Gad El Karim, Hollie Clarkson, Tegan Smith, Brandon Grant, Rebecca Browning, Jayden Kinnear, Sophie Clynes, Jane Denovan, Natalia Teo, Jack Laing, Michaela McClelland, Lewis Lester, Robbie Wallace, Poppy Aird, Jack Morrison, Emily Wade, Kaitlin McArthur, Jihan Khorchid.

We also celebrated a range of achievements out of school:

Dancing: Dylan Quinn,

Ballet: Lacey Miller, Medals: Rhuaridh MacLeod, Jude McCusker-Young & Arlo Morrison: martial arts, Isla Carruth: Art, Freya McGuire & Grace Todd: dancing,

Aeryn Thomson, Leigha Harvey & Lucy C Rae: dancing, Freya Davidson: swimming, Sara Todd: Panto, Lachie Douglas-Kellie: swimming, Kyden Madziwa: learning, Lucy McGrellis & Freya Quinn: dancing, Bo Hamilton: catching the ball at Chelsea game, Aimee Williamson: netball.

Fiona MacDonald

Head Teacher

I am really looking forward to celebrating my first Christmas at Cross Arthurlie. The school is currently buzzing with the sounds of children rehearsing for the Christmas Concerts and Nativity. They are sound-ing great at the moment and are really looking forward to performing to a live audience.

Christmas Concert

Hopefully you’ll all now have collected your tickets for the Christmas concert next Wednesday and Thursday evenings 13th and 14th De-cember.
Children from P3-7 should come into school via the P1 & P2 classrooms adjacent to the car park.

 P3 & P4 — Room 1
 P5 & P6 — Room 2
 P7 – Room 3

The gym doors will open for parents at 6:30p.m. We are very conscious that Christmas can be a very expensive time of year for families and in order to keep the costs down, have agreed that children should wear their school uniform plus a Christmas object such as a Santa hat, Christmas headband or other such item, to help us get into the festive spirit.

Nativity

The children in P1 & P2 are very excited to be performing their show ‘The Nativity’ on Friday 15th December in the morning. Doors will open at 9:15a.m.

Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner for the children will be served on Wednesday 13th. If your child has a Christmas jumper and you would like them to wear it instead of a school cardigan or sweatshirt, they can do so on that day. Other than the days of their party, children should wear school uniform as usual.

Christmas Parties

The Christmas parties will take place on the following days:

Friday 15th—P6 and P7

Monday 18th—P4 and P5

Tuesday 19th—P1 & 2 and P3

Children may bring party clothes to change into for their party, which will be in the afternoon.

Parent Council

I’m sure everyone appreciates the hard work of the Parent Council in organising the Christmas Fair and Movie Night recently. The funds from these events are used for specific purposes which benefit the children and we are very grateful for the support of the parents who commit to being part of the Parent Council and all who volun teer to put on events for the children.

The dates of the next meetings (to be held in Barrhead High School ) are : 06/02/18; 06/03/18; 01/05/18; 05/06/18 (AGM in Cross Arthurlie)

Events next year :7th February : Valentine’s Disco 3rd March : Ladies Night; 1st May: Spring Fun Day; 12th June discos : 21st June: Leaver’s Dance

Primary 1 Christmas Charity

Primary 1 is aiming to raise awareness of poverty and help stop hunger. This Christmas, we are looking for donations for our local food bank. The local food bank would be grateful for donations of sugar, fruit juice and toiletries such as soap, shampoo and shower gel. If you are able to donate, please ask your child to bring the donation to either Primary 1 classes by Friday 15th.

VIP Assembly

We had our second monthly VIP assembly this Wednesday celebrating the school value of honesty. The following children were awarded VIP certificates : Max Morrison; Holly Simpson; Poppy Aird; Bruce Hannah; Anna Lagan; Freya McGuire, Freya Reynolds, Kaci Wales, Lyla Winning, Jessica Ferguson, Lucy Johns, Max Moultrie, Ben Weir, Lucy Stewart, Sam Ed-monstone, Alfie MacDonald, Zac Davidson, Leon McDougall, Robbie Wallace, Ashton McKechan, Declan Smith.

We also celebrated a range of achievements out of school:

Football : Jack Laing; Max Mouldrie; Scott Hendrie; Harry Johns

Judo : Lachlan Douglas-Kelly

Karate : Arran Junner; James Gribble

Brass : Souroush Uthmani, Marley McEwan

Dancing: Dylan Quinn

Fiona MacDonald

Head Teacher

V.I.P. Assembly

This Wednesday we had our first of what will become a monthly celebration of success known as the “V.I.P. assembly”.  We will award one V.I.P. certificate each month to one child in each class who, for the past month, has demonstrated one of the school values.

This month the focus was on our school value fairness and certificates were presented to the following children:- Evie Downs; Zack Kenny; Eva Maclaren; Jack Kivlehan; Kaiden Hendrie; Freya Wilson; Isla Carruth; Freya Davidson; Inaya Sharif; Ruby Maclaren; Brooke Lenaghan; Greig Murray; Aaran Meikle; Yunis Amin; Oscar Smith; Emi-y Kay; Kyle Bone; Armanj Korchid; Blair Dobbins; Tiffany Kane and Bruce Hannah.

During this assembly we also celebrated wider achievements out of school. The following children were given Head Teacher awards – Lyla Winning, Iona Thomson, Hannah More, Kayla Condron, Abigail Thompson-love and Leah Bryant (football), Ashton McKechan (golf), Jack Kivlehan (swimming), Millie Downs (gymnastics) and Daisy Aird (art).

The quotes from staff saying why awards have been given to specific children are on display at the front of the school. Please have a look whenever you’re in.

Primary 7 Dounans Outdoor Residential

The excitement in Primary 7 is growing as many of them prepare for their residential trip next week. I am sure the children and staff will have a wonderful time particularly in light of the wonderful example they set at Barrhead High School on Tuesday in the first of their transition meetings.

ERC Budget

East Renfrewshire Council has recently put out for consultation their proposed budget for the next three years. The Parent Council will be discussing this at their next meeting however individuals are welcome to read the proposals on the ERC website and following the address :

http://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/budget  

Parent council

I’m sure everyone appreciates the hard work of the Parent Council in organising the Hallowe’en disco last Tuesday. This was a great event with children and staff having a great evening dancing and scaring the night away.

The next event is on Saturday 25th November and is the Christmas Fair. Linking with the P3 classes who are organizing a “Pudsey Sports Day” we will have a non-uniform “Spotty and Sporty” day on Friday 17th November. More details on this will follow from both P3 and the Parent Council.

The dates of the next meetings (to be held in Barrhead High School ) are : 07/11/17; 28/11/7; 06/02/18; 06/03/18; 01/05/18; 05/06/18 (AGM in Cross Arthurlie)

School photographs

The school photographer will be in school on Thursday 16th November. Following some discussion and looking into other options we have chosen once again to go with Tempest as our supplier of school photographs. Some members of parent council have very kindly offered to support us on that day in ensuring that children look their best for the photos.

Parents’ Evenings

Thanks to everyone who managed along to our Parents’ Evenings on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. It is wonderful to see the high levels of interest and support that our children are privileged to have from their families. From the numbers of smiling faces I saw, on both adults and children I know that for the vast majority, we are confident that we are ensuring that our children are working well and learning in a supportive environment.

We also know that Parents’ Night gives us the opportunity for anyone who has concerns to raise them and I am confident that any concerns raised will be addressed.

Thanks also to everyone who gave a contribution to the bucket for our school sports kits. We raised a fantastic £122 on the two evenings.

Class Assemblies

This term P7/2 shared their learn-ing on World War 2 and P6/1 on Europe. These were great mornings with the children confidently sharing their knowledge of these subjects.

Communication

We are aware that for a number of reasons some families need more than one copy of information from the school. If you are in this situation and would like copies of information to be emailed to more than one family member please contact the school office and they will be happy to add you to our mailing list.

Primary 1

We have prepared a leaflet explaining the recent changes to Primary 1. Paper copies of these are available from the school office or by email, if you would like a copy please get in touch.

Fiona MacDonald

Head Teacher