Hello everyone,

Free School Meals Application
The application for free school meals for the 2025/26 session is now open. Although all Primary 1-5 children in Scotland automatically receive free school meals, we would like to encourage all our families to apply for this if you have additional circumstance that make you eligible. If you are eligible, (please see below), not only does your application ensure your child receives their school meals during term time, like all P1-5 children, but you will also receive a holiday meal payment over holiday periods and also clothing grant support.

You can apply online at www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/free-school-meals There is guidance and a video guide to help you to complete the process.  If you are having any difficulties, please feel free to contact the team directly at cgfsmapply@eastrenfrewshire.go.uk.

Administration of Medication
If your child requires medication after the holidays, all medications can be dropped into the office on the in-service day on Tuesday 12^th August or alternatively on the return to school on Wednesday. An Administration of Medicine form will require to be completed.

Community Events: Free Summer Activities in ERC Libraries
Discover free summer fun at your local library! Enjoy Family Fun Sessions, hands-on crafts, interactive storytelling, and the magical Story Garden Reading Challenge. Laugh, learn, and explore through games, activities, and nature-inspired tales. Perfect for families and young adventurers—book your spot now and make unforgettable memories this summer!
Children’s Library Summer Events 2025 – East Renfrewshire Culture & Leisure

And so…… it has been a busy and exciting year here at Netherlee and staff, children and families have made so many happy memories together. We want to thank all of our lovely Netherlee parents and carers for all of the support you have given us throughout the year. We also want to thank our very special Netherlee children for all the fun, memories and the learning that we have shared over the year too. We are so proud of each and every one of you.

As this session draws to a close, another door is opening for those starting high school as they embark on the next stage of their educational journey. We wish all of our P7s a healthy, happy and successful time at high school. We wish you all the luck in the world and we will miss you greatly.

We are also very much looking forward to welcoming back those who are returning to Netherlee and also new children and families who are joining us for the first time, either in P1 or at various other stages of the school. We look forward to working alongside you all in August when the children return on Wednesday 13^th August.

From myself and all of us at Netherlee, have a lovely summer break. Take care, enjoy, have fun and stay safe.

Hello everyone,

Last Day Lunch Arrangements
As we approach the end of term, we’d like to inform you of a change to our usual lunch arrangements on the last day of school. On Wednesday 25th June, we will be offering a simplified lunch menu consisting of soup, sandwiches and baguettes. Lunch will be served from 11:30 am to 12noon which is slightly earlier than usual, to accommodate an earlier finish to the school day.

Winning House – Yellow
We are excited to announce that this year’s house winner is the Yellow House- congratulations to all Yellow House children! House points are awarded throughout the year for displaying our school values: courage, compassion, respect, responsibility, fairness and friendship. As a reward to say well done, we are going to celebrate with a Pitch Party on Monday 23^rd June. There will be a mix of games, art activities and sports. Children should wear their PE Uniform that day but can wear their yellow House T- shirt if they would like to instead of their navy polo shirt.   Well done again Yellow House.

Virtual Tour of our School
Our fabulous pupils in the Tech Team have filmed and edited a virtual tour of our school and playgrounds. This is to help all children, including those who will be new to the school and those who will be changing playgrounds and entry / exit gates. Feel free to use the link below over the summer to explore the school together. Please note that this video is for your family use only and should not be shared more widely or posted on social media- thank you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPfPsaqgP_0

Lost Property- Please help yourself.
We will have a selection of lost property and pre-loved school uniform available for collection at the Clarkston Road Gate on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week from 8.50am–9am and again at the end of the school day (Monday and Tuesday only).

Please feel free to help yourselves to any items that may be of benefit to your child.

Thank you to the very wonderful PTA
On behalf of the entire school and nursery community, we would like to say a huge thank you to Handri, Michelle and all of the volunteer parents who have helped as part of the PTA. Your hard work, time, and generosity have made a lasting impact on our children and staff. We are truly grateful for everything you do to help our school and nursery thrive each session.

Thank you to the Parent Council
As the school year draws to a close we would like to send a heartfelt thankyou to the members of the Parent Council, who have diligently worked in partnership with the PTA, the Leadership Team and various members of staff to build a strong, supportive community ethos. Special thanks to our outgoing Parent Council Chairpersons– Harriet Boyle and Gillian Gray for a fantastic job over the last 2 years, it has been a pleasure to work with you both.  Also, thank you very much to Victoria Pearson who has been the PC Secretary for the last 2 years too and to Michelle Borland for the production of the very informative Parent Council Newsletters as well.

We now extend a warm welcome to two more parents, Mike Law and Conor McCarthy who have volunteered to take the Chairperson(s) role forward – we look forward to working with you and all the members of the Parent Council over the coming session.

Simply thank you….
We would like to say a huge thank you to the huge numbers of parents who have helped us greatly this session, whether helping on countless school trips, helping sort out uniform, helping in the library and other areas of learning or who have simply shown your support by coming along to our Open Classrooms and numerous school events.  We thoroughly enjoy welcoming parents and carers into Netherlee and we know that we are fortunate that you support our school with your attendance and appreciation.  We close our “thank you” messages by mentioning our fantastic parent Mrs Helen Cross who inspires our learners with opportunities for connecting with nature, learning about biodiversity, growing food and the joy of gardening! Helen has worked tirelessly with a range of children throughout the year to help improve our gardens and communal green spaces. Thank you Helen and thank you again to all.

A Message from the Parent Council
We’re at the end of another year and we’ve hugely enjoyed chairing the Parent Council, the vital link between the school leadership team and parents and carers. We would love to see new members for the 2025-26 session, to ensure we continue to represent everyone’s views. If you’re interested in learning more about school and nursery improvement work, discussing community issues that impact on the school, and engaging more closely with the staff team, please join us at our first meeting for the new term on Wednesday, 3rd September. Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last year and good luck to our new team! Have a great summer. Harriet & Gillian.

Drowning Prevention Week
Next week marks Drowning Prevention Week in Scotland, a vital campaign aimed at raising awareness about water safety and reducing the number of drowning incidents across the country. Please see the links below with more information.
Beach Flag Poster
Video Links
Water Safety Code

Community Events: Opportunities for girls in golf
Cathcart Castle are running some golf days for girls across the summer holiday. Please see the link for further details.

P7 Last Day Arrangements
Our P7 pupils will be leaving via the main doors at 12:50pm on Wednesday 25th June. Each class will be piped out of the building in pairs, making their way down the stairs and onto the pitch. To ensure the safety of all, we ask that all parents remain outside the playground as the pupils exit the building. Thank you.

P7 Treat
As a well done for a great year, the Primary 7 teachers would like to provide an ice-lolly treat for the children to enjoy next week. The ice-lolly is made from natural fruit juices and is vegan friendly. If there are any changes to your child’s dietary requirements or you do not wish them to have an ice-lolly then please get in touch with the school office.

As always, we are always here to help in any way we can, whether that be about your own child or a more general matter in relation to the school or nursery.  We are also always looking for suggestions and new ideas so please don’t hesitate to get in touch at any time.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Hello everyone,

Netherlee Staff News
On Wednesday 25^th June, as well as saying farewell to our wonderful P7 children, we will also say goodbye to some of our wonderful staff members here at Netherlee.

Firstly, we wave farewell to two of our much loved members of staff who have taught, supported and cared for Netherlee children for many, many years.  Mrs Mary Newton and Mrs Shona French are both very much looking forward to the long, chilled out days of their retirement and, while we are delighted for them both, we will miss them both dearly.  Mary, Shona- your dedication and commitment to the children of Netherlee is immeasurable and this, combined with your quirky sense of humour and fun, will be so greatly missed by us all in Netherlee.

Becky Roberts (our treasured woodwind instructor) will also be leaving us at the end of the academic session. Becky has taught many children over her time here at Netherlee and across East Renfrewshire schools. She has inspired many pupils over the years with a number of her pupils going on to pursue music as a career. We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude for her dedication and endless energy.

We also say a very fond farewell to Angela McKay who as kept the classrooms and corridors of Netherlee clean and sparkling for many years. We will miss Angela (and her cheeky chat! J) very much and wish her all the very best in her retirement.

From everyone here, we wish all four of you a long, healthy and very happy retirement, you can soon turn off your alarm clocks and enjoy spending endless, precious time with family and friends. Love and best wishes to you.

We also want to say thank you and good luck to two of our teachers Miss Kirsty Goodwin and Mr Iain Moss.  We have really enjoyed having you as part of the staff in Netherlee this year.  You have both worked very hard and the children in your classes have loved having you as their teacher.  I am certain that you both have wonderful teaching careers ahead of you and any school will be very lucky to have you.  Best wishes to you both.

Baby news…. Mrs Alison Maguire is looking forward to putting her feet up for a little while before the arrival of the next addition to her beautiful family.  We can’t wait to see photos of your new baby Alison, please pop in any time after the summer so we can all enjoy some new baby cuddles.

And finally… here comes the bride- it is certainly wedding season soon in Netherlee with Miss Lauren Holden soon to become Mrs Lauren Hutchins, Miss Taylor Elliott, soon to become Mrs Taylor O’Brien and Miss Jordyn Gibson, soon to become Mrs Jordyn Anderson……..  You will all be stunning brides, enjoy every moment of your very special day. We can’t wait to see your photos when we return in August.

Storage of Medicine
All medicines held in school require to be collected before the end of term please.  Medicines should be collected by an adult from the office please or alternative arrangements made by email. If your child still requires medication after the holidays, a new Administration of Medicine form should be completed please, a copy is attached and can also be found on our website.  All medications can be dropped into the office on either of the in-service days (Monday 11^th or Tuesday 12^th August). Thanks for your cooperation with this, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

A Message from the PTA “Coming Together for our School” – The Year 2024/2025
As we wrap up another wonderful year at Netherlee Primary School and Nursery, we wanted to share some important updates and exciting plans for the future. This year has been a time of transition for the PTA as we have now become a sub-group of the Parent Council. We are pleased to inform you that our dedicated PTA treasurer, Michelle Jaffrey, will continue in her role as Treasurer of the Parent Council. Meanwhile, both Michelle and Handri will continue to coordinate our fantastic group of volunteers to support the PTA’s activities.

Our mission remains the same: to raise funds for our school and foster a sense of community through various events and activities. We kicked off the new school year with a very successful uniform sale, packing over 1,000 items! Additionally, we’ve hosted three more uniform sales throughout the school year. October brought us our beloved “Light up the Night” Discos, which saw incredible participation from our children and their families, helping us raise nearly £2,000. A huge thank you to all the volunteers who made these events possible.

The annual Cauliflower Card project was another highlight, with the school’s support enabling children to create beautiful artwork celebrating various festivals and important themes. We look forward to continuing this project in partnership with the school. We also lent a helping hand during the Winter Fayre, sorting the tombola collection and manning the table on the evening.

We are delighted to report that the PTA funds are in good shape, thanks to our collective efforts. These funds have been earmarked for several projects, including new line markings and playground equipment. We maintain regular communication with the school leadership to ensure that these funds are used for priorities identified by the children. If anyone in the school community has suggestions on how to utilise these funds, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Looking ahead, the funds will be used for exciting events such as the Colour Run to celebrate the end of Sports Week and the P7 Leavers Party. We also supported the Diversity Evening and have decided to keep a working capital in the account for future events.

Our working group consists of 24 enthusiastic volunteers who are keen to be regularly involved, in addition to many others who help on an ad hoc basis. As we look towards 2025/2026, we plan to focus on three main events and facilitate several smaller ones, including:

– Discos (November 2025)
– Tombola sorting at the Winter Fair (November 2025)
– Cauliflower Cards (September 2025)
– Family Quiz Night (February 2026)
– Uniform Sales (June 2025, September 2025, January 2026, May 2026)
– Summer Event (May/June 2026)
– P1 Events (June 2026)

We are excited about the year ahead and grateful for your continued support. Together, we can make a significant impact on our school community.

Uniform Sale
There is still time to purchase your new badged school uniform items for the new school year. https://www.pta-events.co.uk/netherleepta

* Sale ends 25 June 2025.
* Collection w/b 4 August 2025 from the school
* Sample rails available in reception
* Pre-loved stock available
* Iron badges available at reception

P.E. Code of Practice / Health and Safety Guidance
With the summer holiday approaching we thought it would be a good time to remind you of East Renfrewshire Council’s P.E. Code of Practice / Health and Safety Guidance, particularly in relation to piercings.

As children require to remove all piercings to participate in P.E. lessons, we would like to gently suggest that the start of the summer holiday would be a good time for them to get any new piercings.  This will mean that they can then participate in all PE lessons and activities once school restarts in August.

Early Closure on 25^th June
Also a little reminder that school closes early on the last day, P1-2 12.55pm and P3-7 1pm.

Community Events: Cricket and Summer Camps
Please find attached details of a cricket Camp, summer camps and swimming lessons that is happening for children under 12 years of age during the summer holidays. All details can be found within the attachments: Cricket Festival and Summer Camps.

Primary 3: Ice-Lolly Treat
As a well done for a great year, the Primary 3 teachers would like to provide an ice-lolly treat for the children to enjoy next week. The ice-lolly is made from natural fruit juices and is vegan friendly. If there are any changes to your child’s dietary requirements or you do not wish them to have an ice-lolly then please get in touch with the school office.

Primary 7: Reminder: P7 Leavers’ Dance – Collection Form
If you haven’t already done so, please complete the Leavers’ Dance Collection Form as soon as possible to help us ensure every child gets home safely.

Collection Form: https://forms.office.com/e/j88Fe8Htdg
Thank you for your support.

NEW P1 Children
A reminder to our new P1 children and their parents and carers that there are two further opportunities for your children to get together in their new classes before the end of term.

New P1s Pitch Party
Our Pitch Party will take place on Monday 16^th June on the pitch at the front of the school, from 1.45pm-2.30pm. This is a fun and active session where the children play games together. Please note the children will be outdoors regardless of the weather so please dress them in outdoor clothes if possible.  Please bring your child to the entrance of the pitch at 1.45pm. We look forward to seeing you then!

New P1 Open Doors Drop In
We will be hosting a relaxed and informal opportunity for you, your child and any other family members, to pop into school and see where your children will be working in August, including their classrooms and the Open Area. This will take place on Thursday 19^th June from 6pm-7pm. Some of our lovely P6 children will be on hand to show you around too.

As always, we are always here to help in any way we can, whether that be about your own child or a more general matter in relation to the school or nursery.  We are also always looking for suggestions and new ideas so please don’t hesitate to get in touch at any time.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Hello everyone,

Class Visits
It has been an exciting week for those children moving on to school visiting classrooms, meeting teachers and already making more friends. We have had baking, investigating frogs, water play, bug hunting, learning new songs (we are sure that you may have heard some familiar melodies at home by now) and that is just a small sample of nursery life this week! Continue reading →

Hello everyone,

Sports Week Finale
To finish off what will hopefully be a wonderful week, the children will be taking part in a Colour Dash Race on Friday afternoon. This has been generously funded by our wonderful PTA. For this, we will be using Holi Colour Powder Safety and Ingredients, which are EU certified. Your child is welcome to wear sunglasses for this event or, if you’d prefer your child did not participate, please email Mrs Linn at SchoolMail@netherlee.e-renfrew.sch.uk. You can also contact Mrs Linn if you have any further questions about Sports Week. Continue reading →

Hello everyone,

Upcoming Events
Please have a look at the parent calendar, available on our Netherlee Website, to see all the dates and times of the various events coming up.  This link will take you straight there https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/er/sandnc/calendar.

Sports Week: One Week to Go!
Thank you so much to all our parents/ carers who have volunteered their time and expertise to make our Sports Week packed with variety this year. We have running, boccia, rugby, curling and many more sports to look forward to over the course of the week!

I wanted to take some time to confirm the arrangements for the upcoming days when we will be inviting you in to school as part of this week.

Monday 9 June
We have the RED and GREEN family sports event. All children in the red house will exit through the cage door and will meet their family member in the P6/7 playground (the playground directly outside the main entrance).

All children in the green house will exit through the Clarkston Road door and will meet their family member in the P2-5 playground.

Once you have all your family members, you can make your way to your first activity, ready to start at 9.30am. Please use your child’s surname/ second name.

P6/7 Playground – RED HOUSE SURNAMES A-L START HERE
Pitch – RED HOUSE SURNAMES M-Z START HERE
P2-5 Playground – GREEN HOUSE SURNAMES A-L START HERE
Atrium – GREEN HOUSE SURNAMES M-Z START HERE
There will be signs at each of the collection points and Mrs Linn or Mr Bryce will also be available to direct you.

Parents and children will move round the 4 activity stations throughout the morning before finishing off with a picnic on the pitch at 11am.  The children will then return inside school at 11.15am.

Tuesday 10 June
We have the BLUE and YELLOW family sports event. All children in the blue house will exit through the cage door and will meet their family member in the P6/7 playground (the playground directly outside the main entrance).
All children in the yellow house will exit through the Clarkston Road door and will meet their family member in the P2-5 playground.

Once you have all your family members, you can make your way to your first activity, ready to start at 9.30am. *Please use your child’s surname/ second name.

P6/7 Playground-BLUE HOUSE SURNAMES A-L START HERE
Pitch – BLUE HOUSE SURNAMES M-Z START HERE
P2-5 Playground – YELLOW HOUSE SURNAMES A-L START HERE
Atrium – YELLOW HOUSE SURNAMES M-Z START HERE
There will be signs at each of the collection points and Mrs Linn or Mr Bryce will also be available to direct you.

Parents and children will move round the 4 activity stations throughout the morning before finishing off with a picnic on the pitch at 11am.  The children will then return inside school at 11.15am.

Toilets will be available for parents/ carers to use (no school or nursery children please) in the Acorns Nursery building which is the building near the bottom of the ramp.  We would kindly ask that you do not use the toilets within the school building.  Thank you.

Friday 13 June- Race Day! On your marks, get set, go!
P1-4 Races will be held between 9.20am and 10.40am
P5-7 Races will be held between 11.05am and 12.30pm

Parents are invited to watch their child compete in three races before taking part, if you wish, in the most competitive race of all… the parents and carers race! Bring your trainers!

Children can wear their school P.E. uniform for the whole week and can wear their house colour t-shirt along with the PE uniform on both Monday and Tuesday for the House activities if they wish.

School FUNdraising
Please see attachment that details our FUNdraising during Sports Week.

Community Events: FREE Tennis Sessions
Following on from the Active School’s Tennis Competition earlier this month, Giffnock Tennis Club are offering Primary 4 children the opportunity to participate in FREE tennis sessions. All information can be found on the attached leaflet and you can book through the QR code on the leaflet.

Primary 1-6: Transition Letter
As part of the transition process, we thought it would be a lovely idea for the children in P1–6 to write a letter to their new class teacher. A letter template has been put into your child’s school bag today to help with this. Please also take a moment to read the attached letter, which has more details about this activity. We are really looking forward to reading the children’s letters – thank you for your support!

Primary 2c: Baking
As part of our Big Question ‘What Makes Scotland Special?’ Primary 2c have been learning about Scottish food and are going to learn how to make shortbread on Wednesday 4^th June. They will also have the opportunity to eat their shortbread if they would like to. The ingredients we will be using are: plain flour, a little sugar and butter. If your child’s allergy information that we hold in school has changed, please inform the school office by Tuesday 3^rd June.

Primary 7: Graduation and Leavers’ Dance
As the end of term approaches, we are preparing a special send off for our Primary 7 classes as they move on to high school. We welcome you to our Graduation Ceremony on Tuesday 17^th June. Each child will receive two tickets home next week for this event and doors will open at 09:15 for a 09:30 start on the day.  It will be very busy in our Atrium and therefore it is really important that a maximum of 2 adults attend due to Health and Safety rules and regulations- thank you.

We also can’t wait to celebrate with the children at our P7 Leavers’ Dance, which will be held in school on the evening of the 17^th June. The dance will begin at 6:30pm and will end at 8.00pm. To ensure that all children get home safely we now ask that you fill out this collection form link by Friday the 13^th of June please. Collection Form: https://forms.office.com/e/j88Fe8Htdg Many thanks, Primary 7 Teachers

Primary 7: Eye Tests
We have been asked to highlight the below to parents of P7 pupils.

Please remember that eye tests are free for children and as such our colleagues in health would encourage parents to make an appointment with a local community optician in order to check your child’s vision. If your child is experiencing any of the following behaviours, they may have sight issues:

• Straining their eyes to see better
• Rubbing their eyes frequently
• Complaining of headaches or tired eyes
• Losing their place when they are reading
• Closing one eye to read or watch the TV
• Sitting too close to the computer or TV or holding a book too close
• Avoiding doing activities using close vision – reading, homework, computer work
• Avoiding activities using long vision – sports, reading the board in the classroom

If you have noticed any of these behaviours then please make an appointment with an optician.

As always, we are always here to help in any way we can, whether that be about your own child or a more general matter in relation to the school or nursery.  We are also always looking for suggestions and new ideas so please don’t hesitate to get in touch at any time.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Hello everyone,

Upcoming Events
Please have a look at the parent calendar, available on our Netherlee Website, to see all the dates and times of the various events coming up.  This link will take you straight there https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/er/sandnc/calendar.

Sports Week Arrangements
Thank you to the parents/ carers who have already volunteered to come in and lead a sport, dance, wellbeing or fitness activity with the children- this is very much appreciated by both the children and staff. There is still time to volunteer, if you are able to. Please contact Mrs Linn at SchoolMail@netherlee.e-renfrew.sch.uk.

I just wanted to share some further plans for our upcoming Sports Week if you are able to join us either as a participant or as a spectator.

Monday 9 June: Red House and Green House Family Sports – 9:15am – 11am
Tuesday 10 June: Blue House and Yellow House Family Sports – 9:15am – 11am
Friday 13 June: Races Day: P1-4 Races (09:15-10:40am) and P5-7 Races (11am-12:30pm)

Please note, you are more than welcome to come along and join us for the House Family Sports and/ or the races however, we understand that people can be very busy. More info to follow. Your child will of course still be able to participate in all the activities and we will cheer everyone on with gusto!

Parent Council AGM Wednesday, 4^th June at 7pm in Netherlee Primary School Hub
All parents/carers are invited to attend the final Parent Council meeting of the 2024/25 session at 7pm on Wednesday, 4^th June in the school hub. This meeting will include our Annual General Meeting where we will be looking to appoint new office bearers as our Chairs and Secretary have now fulfilled the maximum 2 years as permitted by the constitution. For anyone who might be interested in joining the parent council, there are a number of vacancies and we would love to have new members on board. Everyone welcome!

Breakfast Club (private provider)
Please see a form from East Renfrewshire Council – https://forms.office.com/e/ag1FNBR0is.

P7 Residential – Sun Cream
For the P7 residential week next week, as listed in the kit list, we ask that you provide your child with sun cream please and to ensure that this is in date. Children can keep, and apply, their own sun cream, but it must be clearly labelled with their own name written on the bottle please.

As always, we are always here to help in any way we can, whether that be about your own child or a more general matter in relation to the school or nursery.  We are also always looking for suggestions and new ideas so please don’t hesitate to get in touch at any time.

May Weekend
Nursery and school are closed on Friday 23^rd May and Monday 26^th May. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Tuesday 27^th May.

Have a lovely, looooong weekend.