Internet Safety Information

This advice is relevant to all parents and particularly to those whose children have a smart phone or are in the upper school.

Staying-Safe-Online-Advice-for-Parents-and-Carers

switched_on_apps_2022

Moving to Secondary School – guide for parents

Money Matters: 

Please click here to see the  Money Matters poster: Money Matters November Dates 1

• Support, hints and tips with budgeting
• 2-day course in Cupar County Buildings on 18^th and 19^th November
• 10:00 – 12:00 both days
• First come first served, limited spaces
• Last sign up date 14^th November at welfaresupport.northeastfife@fife.gov.uk

Please make sure you have all the dates for this busy term:

Wednesday 11^th December

Whole School going to St Andrews Byre Theatre Panto – Beauty and the Beast

The bus will leave at 9am and return in time for a late lunch. You will need to order a cold school lunch in advance or send your child with a packed lunch. All children should take a water bottle and snack for the interval. Please make the contribution of £10 per child on iPayImpact when you can. This contribution covers roughly half of the cost of the trip and we are very grateful to Parent Council who are paying the rest from their funds.

Friday 13th December

All children will bring a wrapped gift home for their parents.

Monday 16^th December

Nursery-P7 Christmas Show

Each family can buy 2 tickets for the show (£2 each). We can’t offer more than two tickets per family due to the capacity of the hall. But each family will also be able to purchase 2 tickets for the dress rehearsal in the morning (£1 each) so a total of 4 people per family can see the show if they want. Please note that we can’t make an exception for parents who live apart – if this is true for your family, please decide together about buying the tickets and who will go to each performance.

Friday 20th December

Party Day – no need for uniform, come to school in your party clothes.

Remembrance

Poppies will be on sale at the school office all of next week. Send your child with a coin if you’d like them to buy one.

Toy Drive

Balmerino Primary will be a collection point for this year’s Toy Drive which will run between 1st November—30th November. We will be collecting gifts for boys & girls ages between 0-18. Gifts must be NEW and UNWRAPPED. Donations can be handed in at the school office and will then be collected and distributed to Children and Families in need.

Girls Football

Parent Council Minutes

Click Here to read

Cupar Youth Musical Theatre presents;

Alice in Wonderland – click here for details

Upcoming dates:

Tuesday 29^th October

P1-7 parents invited into school to join in with some literacy and numeracy learning with their child – 2-3pm

Thursday 31^st October

All children invited to come to school in costume.

Pumpkin Competition – bring a decorated pumpkin to school and a £1 contribution to school funds

Friday 15^th November

Inset Day 3 – School Closed to pupils for staff development

Wednesday 11^th December

Whole School (Nursery and P1-7) going to St Andrews Byre Theatre Panto – Beauty and the Beast

The bus will leave at 9am and return in time for a late lunch. You will need to order a cold school lunch in advance or send your child with a packed lunch. All P1-7  children should take a water bottle and snack for the interval. Nursery staff will take water and a snack for their children.

We are asking for a donation of £10 per child towards the cost of the trip. Please pay for your child when you are able by using the ipayimpact fund called ‘Byre Panto’ – the fund will stay open until the date of the performance.

P7 Transition Information

Click here for a reminder of the up coming open evenings

P7 children have brought this poster home but I sharing it again here just in case it hasn’t made it out of the schoolbag:

Poster Youth ambassadors Poster Nov 25th

Halloween Safety Information

horror-films-and-age-ratings

horror-games

Bonfire Night Safety Information

fire-safety (1)

SFRS-Bonfires-v3.6

Poetry Competition

Click here for details

Newport-on-News in conjunction with The Newport Podcast and The Rio are looking for entries to our Newport Poetry Competition and we wondered if the children at school would like to take part.  I have attached a poster for your information. It can be in any form, long or short, a sonnet or a limerick.  If we get more than 20 entries, we will publish them in a special book.  We will also read them out on the podcast (or you can read your own) and have a special evening at The Rio where we can read them out.

All ages and prizes will be given out.

It just has to have a connection to Newport or Wormit

All entries to newportontaytv@gmail.com or hand into The Rio.

If you would like any further information, please contact Simon at newportontaytv@gmail.com

Message from Active Schools

Calling all local dancers! Starting this Thursday 31st, Halloween Day, from 16:00 – 17:00, we’re offering a FREE 4-week dance class for kids! They’ll explore a variety of dance styles including Lyrical, Highland, Ballet, and Hip-Hop!
📅 Every Thursday (October 31^st – November 28^th)  | 15:45 – 16:45
📍 Hosted by the University Dance Club at Saints Sports
💃 Open to all skill levels!
Bookings can be made via telephone on 01334 462190 or emailing the reception team at Sportsreception@st-andrews.ac.uk
The University Dance Club can’t wait to see them shine on the dance floor! Limited spaces available – Sign up now!

Lego Club at the Library

The Decider Skills – Parents and Carers Workshop

This workshop is for parents and carers of children and young people aged 8 years and over. The aim of this workshop is to learn fun filled strategies, based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy skills to support your child or young person’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/e/2ib1FySHgf

Fife Council Funded Course

• Introduction to Microsoft 365, including:
  • PowerPoint
  • Excel (spreadsheets)
  • Word
• AI for work
• Maths anxiety
• Digital numeracy skills

• Age 19+
• Lives, works or volunteers in Fife
• Does NOT have a Nat 5 maths or equivalent (Intermediate 2 pass; Standard grade Credit, grade 1 or 2; O’Level grade C+)

This term our assemblies have focussed on the theme of Anti-Bullying. Our current policy is available here:

Quick Read Version

Full Version

Everything within these policies remains relevant but our work this term has introduced a few new ideas which I am keen to share with you.

Firstly, as has been the case since its launch in Dec 2021, the most important part of our Anti-Bullying work is Stand Up – Get Help!: click here to read in full. 

Stand Up – Get Help! creates an ethos where asking for help with friendships is part of the expectation of our school. Please encourage your child to ask for help if they are worried about friendships or come to us on their behalf to let us know if there is a problem. If you know about issues at an early stage, they can usually be nipped in the bud before anyone starts to feel as if they are being bullied.

Our School Values of Friendship, Inclusion and Respect help us to be an anti-bullying school:

Friendship – not everyone is your friend – particularly as you get older, you don’t have something in common with all your peers. BUT, we do treat everyone with friendship at our school – we let them join in (inclusion) and we respect them.

THINK before you speak:

For example:

• telling someone they have a spot might be true but it is unnecessary and a bit unkind to draw attention to it.
• Telling someone quietly that they have a blob of paint on their face and might want to wash it off is kind and necessary but laughing and pointing at the blob of paint and telling everyone about it is unkind and unnecessary even if it is true,
• repeating something unkind that you have heard is unnecessary as well as unkind – it is much better to use Stand Up – Get Help! to help a friend if you feel someone is unkind.
• Asking someone if they’d like you to show them a new game is inspiring as it gets people playing together.

The Golden Rule:

If we keep the golden rule, we don’t retaliate when someone is unkind are hurts us. If we don’t like it we don’t do it back. This doesn’t mean that you need to put up with someone being unkind – you can stick up for yourself by using Stand-Up Get Up! Or stick up for friends by asking someone to stop or by asking for help.

All the major world religions and atheism and humanism have a version of the Golden Rule.

At assembly last week, I asked the children what do we do at our school to help us be a zero-bullying school. They gave all of the above examples which shows me that they understand these principles well. I would ask you to also discuss them at home.

Later this year, we will carry out a formal review of our anti-bullying policy and will include these new ideas brought by the children as well as seeking your feedback.

Please don’t hesitate to come to me sooner if you have any questions or concerns or if you are worried in any way about your child’s friendships or happiness.

Lucy Jess

lucy.jess@fife.gov.uk

Taybridgehead Foodbank Collection

We will once again this year be collecting donations for the Taybridgehead Foodbank. The food bank is seeking donations of “food, toiletries and any other consumables that would help with making life that bit better for someone.  We do ask that they be of a good standard as well as having a ‘use by’ date that permits us to distribute them.”

Donations can be left/gathered at the school office. They will be collected and delivered for pick up at Wormit Primary School in time for the end of term service on 4th October.

Message from Parent Council

To all parents of the school and nursery – Balmerino Primary Parent Council invite you to join our upcoming meeting, if you have any points which you would like to be raised at the meeting please email in advance to pcbalmerino@gmail.com

We really hope you can join us.

Date:   27^th September

Time:   9am

Location: Balmerino Primary School

Agenda

1. Welcome & Persons Present
2. Apologies
3. Funds Report
4. Internet Safety
5. Halloween Disco
6. Tesco Stronger Start Grant Update
7. Fundraising – Ideas for next Challenge
8. School Ground Improvements
9. AOCB
10. Date & time of next Parent Council Meeting

Parent Council Photo

Tesco will coming out to take a publicity photo following the grant they having given for the school library. If you would like your child to be included in this photo, please let parent council know by email to: pcbalmerino@gmail.com

**Reminder** Harvest Day – 11^th September

In previous years we have celebrated Apple Day but this year we are broadening the theme to Harvest Day.

• All children (Nursery-P7) will be invited to come to school wearing harvest colours – brown, green, yellow, orange, red – no uniform day
• All children are invited to bring £1 to contribute to the cost of the day if they can.
• All children are invited to bring in a vegetable from home – please support your child to know where the vegetable was grown so that they can share this with the class. (You will usually find this information on a shop label or it may be something your child grew at home)

The learning on the day will focus on food technology, food and health, the child’s right to nutritious food, food journeys and sharing.

Each class will make soup from the selection of vegetables brought in by the children.

Each child will bring home something made from the school apples as well as a bag of freshly picked apples.

School Library

The Parent Council are launching an exciting project to set up a school library.  I am delighted to be able to tell you that they have successfully received a grant of £1500 from Tesco which will allow the library to be really fantastic. Well done!

The library will give leadership opportunities for children as well as a chance for all children to borrow books to take home. It will enhance reading for enjoyment across the whole school. To run this project, we are looking for Parent Volunteers to join a library committee – the committee member will help keep the library tidy, read stories and/or help the children borrow books. Please email me at lucy.jess@fife.gov.uk if you could get involved – it won’t be a big time commitment and we would be grateful for your help. All volunteers will undertake a PVG check before working with children on their own and we will give guidance and support to you all.

Neurodevelopmental Pathway in Fife

The ND Pathway is the route we now use in Fife to support children who might be developing differently from their peers. the pathway puts a focus on support ahead of assessment. If you child has already been referred for an assessment of neurodiversity and it was accepted, they will move onto this pathway. If you have concerns about your child’s development, social skill, communication or learning then you will be interested in finding out more about the ND pathway.

Please click here to read about the new Fife Neurodevelopmental Pathway

We always encourage you to discuss concerns with us at school. We can help you access support and our assessment in school is a key part of any assessment process. We can identify dyslexia and dyscalculia in school following a period of assessment and observation. Other neuro-diversities are identified through the ND pathway. Not every child with a neurodiversity needs an assessment, often putting supports and strategies in place is enough. If you ever have any concerns about your child’s development, please raise them with us and I would strongly recommend you go to one of the upcoming ND Pathway Roadshows.

Please click here to find out about upcoming Roadshows 

Harvest Day – 11^th September

In previous years we have celebrated Apple Day but this year we are broadening the theme to Harvest Day.

• All children (Nursery-P7) will be invited to come to school wearing harvest colours – brown, green, yellow, orange, red – no uniform day
• All children are invited to bring £1 to contribute to the cost of the day if they can.
• All children are invited to bring in a vegetable from home – please support your child to know where the vegetable was grown so that they can share this with the class. (You will usually find this information on a shop label or it may be something your child grew at home)

The learning on the day will focus on food technology, food and health, the child’s right to nutritious food, food journeys and sharing.

Each class will make soup from the selection of vegetables brought in by the children.

Each child will bring home something made from the school apples as well as a bag of freshly picked apples.

Summer Reading Challenge

It’s not too late!

Newport Library is open tomorrow from 10-1pm. If your child has finished reading their six books, they can collect their medal and certificate and get entered into our finishers prize draw to win one of seven £20 Amazon vouchers or an author visit to the school during Book Week Scotland!

If your child did complete the reading challenge, please encourage them to bring their medal into school so that we can celebrate their success.

Borrow Audio Books Online for Free

Listening to audio books is a great way to explore stories as a family. Fife Libraries provide audio books for free through the Libby App. Click here for more details.

School Library

The Parent Council are launching an exciting project to set up a school library. This will give leadership opportunities for children as well as a chance for all children to borrow books to take home. It will enhance reading for enjoyment across the whole school. To run this project, we are looking for Parent Volunteers to join a library committee – the committee member will help keep the library tidy, read stories and/or help the children borrow books. Please email me at lucy.jess@fife.gov.uk if you could get involved – it won’t be a big time commitment and we would be grateful for your help. All volunteers will undertake a PVG check before working with children on their own and we will give guidance and support to you all.

Message from Active Schools

Active Schools are currently running a volunteer recruitment drive within the Madras College Cluster, in which we are looking for volunteers to support us in the delivery and support of Extra Curricular sporting activity.
As you may be aware Active Schools Fife aim to provide more quality opportunities to take part in sport  and physical activity before, during lunchtime and after the school day and develop effective pathways between schools and sports clubs in the local community. We are currently striving to recruit volunteers both with or without experience in sport within the Madras College Cluster.
It is important to us to have volunteers input into your school where appropriate to provide a sense of belonging within the school and community.
This year we aim to:
– Increase the number of extra-curricular opportunities within our cluster schools.
– Consider targeted provision that best suits your schools needs.

Could you be a volunteer?

There are a number of different roles volunteers can carry out. These include – coaching, assisting the delivery of activity sessions, supporting events, refereeing, admin, marketing and mini bus driving. Training and support will be provided and volunteers with Active Schools have opportunities to learn new skills, gain experience and often qualifications. You can decide how often you would like to volunteer, we are flexible in our approach and we will work around your availability.
If you have a keen interest in a specific sport or just sport in general please fill out the below application form to begin your volunteering journey at your local primary school or at Madras College.

https://forms.office.com/e/VMFPQYkQ7G

Thank you,
Madison Garland
Active Schools Coordinator
Madras College Cluster
e: madison.garland@fife.gov.uk

New Reading Scheme

I am delighted to be able to tell you that we have bought a new reading scheme for the school. This is a modern scheme with up to date stories, pictures, characters and diversity and it fits better with the phonetic approach we take to teaching reading and spelling. A selection of the new books will be available for parents to browse at the summer fair and for anyone who feels they will miss Biff, Chip and Kipper, there will be a chance to take a bundle of the old books home! The new scheme is a significant investment for the school and it has only been possible to make the purchase due to a very generous £5000 donation from Peacehill Gas Community Fund and a further (and equally generous) donation of £500 from Parent Council.

Summer Fair and End of Year Event

The summer fair will start at 1.30 on Monday followed by the end of year event in the garden at approximately 2.15pm. All parents and friends of the school and nursery are welcome including those who Are joining the school in August.

So that cost is not a factor to children taking part, all children will be given **tokens** to play the following stalls:

Pyramid of Puzzles

Treasure Hunt

Hook the Duck

Lucky Dip

Beat the Goalie

Beat the runner

Darts

Basketball

Pirate Pete’s Treasure Island

**Please make a donation of your choice on the gate to pay for your child’s tokens**

There will be a cost for the following stalls:

Face Painting

Soak the Headteacher

Raffle

Tombola

Usbourne Book Stall

Bake Sale (being run by Parent Council

All monies raised will go to school fund to further the experiences of the children at our school and nursery.

Please bring a picnic blanket or folding chair to sit on at the end of year event. The forecast looks promising at present but we should plan for wet grass. If it rains during the afternoon, we will

Summer Reading Challenge

This starts tomorrow! Pauline visited us at Assembly today to share the details. We encourage you to get involved if you can: Click Here for Details.

Waterstone Crook Football Camps

Please click here for information.

Cafe Inc

Café Inc will be back during the summer holidays for children and young people across Fife. It is a free lunch club providing tasty, healthy meals for our children and young people while our schools are closed during the holidays. No need to book, just turn up. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult, who can also have a meal.

Cafe Inc venues will all be listed on our interactive map, which is available along with other advice and help with the Cost of Living, at our.fife.scot/gethelp

Click here for information about the St Andrews Area

On Behalf of Public Health Scotland

You may be aware that we are currently seeing an increase in the number of people getting ill with measles.

If your child is about to start P1, please read this letter.

If your child is about to start S1, please read this letter.

It’s the Newport Festival Tomorrow

Here is the programme for the day:

Parent Council Minutes

Please click here to read the minutes of the most recent meeting.

Message from Active Schools

Dear Parent/Carer,

I am delighted to showcase all of the fantastic opportunities our young people and families have across the local area to participate in sport and physical activity. The below SWAY details all of the club and partners community session information! Please click the link below to access a whole new community through sport!

 https://sway.cloud.microsoft/6dURYxOpRfvxWk8e?ref=Link

 A reminder that Active Schools are running Family engagement sessions across week 1 of the holidays too and that we are still adding to these sessions! To register click the link below 

https://forms.office.com/e/X0PbMQfKTt

 Please note our Community Use camp is now fully booked, however, we are operating a wait list. 

 Thank you,

Madison Garland 

Newport Festival

Click here for information:Newport Festival Poster

Reports

Children in their pre-school nursery year and in P1-7 will bring home their school report on Friday of next week (21^st June). Please take time to read the report with your child and complete the feedback sheet together.

Seesaw Next Year

We will continue to use Seesaw iN Nursery-P7 next year, please look out for an invitation to join your child’s journal towards the end of the school holidays.

Procedures

Ahead of next year, if your child will be in P1-7, please read the updated procedures sheet: A-Z (glowscotland.org.uk) A papercopy will also come home with the reports.

If your child will be in Nursery, please make sure you are familiar with the procedures in the nursery booklet: Balmerino-nursery-handbook-May2024.pdf (glowscotland.org.uk)

Dates

Please check you know the dates for the rest of the year:

Monday 17th June – Nursery children going to Wormit PS for Puppet Show – please take your child to the front door of the school at 9.15am. Please note that there will not be space in the car park, you should park on the road and walk into the grounds. The front door is accessed by going in the pedestrian gate off Flass Road. If you can;t drop your child at Wormit, please email lucy.jess@fife.gov.uk and I can help.

Monday 24th June – Summer Fair and End of Year Event – all parents invited to come to school for this in the afternoon. If it should rain, we will move into the hall and may need to restrict the number of parents coming. Fingers crossed it will be dry! P7 parents will hear their child’s memories whatever the weather!

Tuesday 25th June – P7s to Mountain Biking at Lochore Meadows

 Thursday 27^th June – P1-7 Woods Day – children should wear outdoor learning clothes all day. Please send them with a packed lunch from home or order a school packed lunch through iPayImpact. Please apply sunscreen first thing and send them with a hat and a waterproof coat.

Friday 28^th June – Last day of term 4 – Nursery celebration – details are on Seesaw