Anti-bullying Focus Fortnight – “make a noise about bullying” begins with Odd Socks Day today.

17 November – Dress down for Children in Need and have crazy hair! Our Global Citizens MAD group ask that everyone bring in a minimum of 50p donation for the dress down day.  At Learn to Learn they highlighted key articles from UNCRC that raising funds for Children in Need can support.

Our house captains are also organising the first house games on Friday 17 November.  Everyone will have the opportunity to try archery and earn points for their house.  Photos to follow!

Book Bug Gifting Ceremonies – P1-3 parents/carers are invited into classrooms on Friday 17th November at 2:30 pm to  be part of the gifting ceremony.

It will be Mrs Hamilton’s final day at Tayport Primary on Friday 17th.  We wish her every success as she moves on to pastures new.

The planned strike on 8th November has been postponed and therefore school is open as normal.  Remember this Friday is our third inservice day and school is closed to pupils.

Last week we shared our whole school learning from term 1. Here is the link again in case you missed it: term 1 summary.  So far we have received no feedback on this, if you have a moment we would appreciate you sharing your thoughts on it here.

Pupil Progress Meetings – the online booking link was shared last week.  Please book asap.  Jotters and learning will be available for you to look at prior to your meeting so please build in some extra time before your booked slot and if you have more than one child.

Every year Tayport Primary School supports the NE Fife Toydrive gift collection- gifts collected in NE Fife stay in NE Fife (2023 MAP).  This year our Community Champion MAD group will again take the lead in promoting this important local charity.  You can drop off gifts between 1-30 November.   I am happy to make a referral to any family who feels their children would benefit from the Toydrive. Please complete the following form in confidence: self-referral form

Nursery newsletter updated on website – link here.

Last week we shared our whole school learning from term 1. Here is the link again in case you missed it: term 1 summary.  So far we have received no feedback on this, if you have a moment we would appreciate you sharing your thoughts on it here.

Pupil Progress Meetings – the online booking link will be shared with you via email today.  Please book asap.  Jotters and learning will be available for you to look at prior to your meeting so please build in some extra time before your booked slot and if you have more than one child. The teacher meeting is for up to 8 minutes,  therefore, if you have any issues that you think may take longer please contact the teacher in advance (their email address is on the learning overviews – link here.

School Calendar updated – please review. Dates to note in November:

• Inservice Day 3 – Friday 10th November
• Odd Socks Day – Monday 13th November – to launch our Anti-bullying fortnight.  Come to school in odd socks!
• Madras Social Media Workshops for Cluster Primary Parents/Carers – Tues 14th Nov (7pm) and Thur 23 Nov (7pm).
• Children in Need – Friday 17 November – dress down and crazy hair please!
• P1-3 Bookbug Gifting Ceremony – Friday 17 November at 2:30pm in classrooms.

Every year Tayport Primary School supports the NE Fife Toydrive gift collection- gifts collected in NE Fife stay in NE Fife (2023 MAP).  This year our Community Champion MAD group will again take the lead in promoting this important local charity.  You can drop off gifts between 1-30 November.   I am happy to make a referral to any family who feels their children would benefit from the Toydrive. Please complete the following form in confidence: self-referral form

The following information should hopefully help us started:

Frequently Asked Questions

Toy Drive Poster

Welcome back! We are delighted that our building and playground are finally scaffolding free!

Please send your child to school with a coat every day.  We always aim to get outside at breaks and lunchtimes even when there is light rain.  We appreciate your support in keeping school uniform and gym day clothes in our school colours.  Gym t-shirts should be full length (so they can be tucked in if needs be) and not cropped vest tops. 

Our termly class learning overviews are now on our website.  These documents give you information on the planned learning, whole school themes and events. It also has the teacher’s email address – please let them know of any out of school achievements. click here to open on website.

We are keen to showcase the wonderful learning across the school from term 1.  This showcase should demonstrate our curriculum rationale and the 4 contexts for learning. We are trialling using a Sway to do this.  Please take a look: click here.

Scottish Poppy Appeal – each year we support the Poppy Appeal and lay a Remembrance poppy wreath at Tayport’s memorial.   Children can bring in money to donate in return for a poppy from Tuesday 24th.

As a Rights Respecting School we are sharing the following link which can support you listening to and answering any questions your child may have about the current conflict situations around the world.

Dates for this week:

• 3, 4 and 5 October – 9 – 9:30am – P1-P3 – Shared Starts. Please join your child in class on one of these morning to learn more about how we approach learning.
• 3 October – 9:30 – 10:15am – our first Reading Café will run in the small hall.  Children from the Learning Leaders and Reading Council MAD groups (only) have invited a visitor along to share a story and a cuppa. All other children will have the opportunity to do the same on the four other Reading Café dates later in the year.
• 6 October – 3pm – school closes for Autumn break, returning on Monday 23 October.

Now that we have a date for P5-7 Scottish Opera in March 2024 the school calendar has been updated. click here to see on website.

Staffing news – Miss Irvine will start her maternity leave after the break.  We welcome back this week Mrs Duncan following her career break over the past few years.  Mrs Duncan will work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday covering various classes.

Milk Fund – payment now due for term 2.

School and Nursery Improvement Plans and Standards and Quality Report for 2022-23 – The previous year’s standard and quality report has been uploaded to our website. click here.

Auld Kirk Event ; Art & Crafts Fayre October 2023 poster (1)

This week our Primary 7s head to Ardroy for their residential and outdoor learning trip. Mrs Tweed, Mrs Simpson and Mrs Holt are accompanying the children and we are all looking forward to a marvellous experience.  Mrs Peterson will be overseeing all aspects of school and nursery during this time.

Thank you to those bilingual parents who have already offered their talents to our week of language celebration.  We would welcome further offers. Please click here. if you can help.

Flu Vaccines for P1-6 – Wednesday 20th September.  P7 will receive theirs on 8th November.

P1-3 shared starts – These are timetabled half hour slots (9-9.30am Tues 26– Thurs 28 Sep) to allow you to “Stay and Play” with your P1-3 child.  Shared Starts give you the chance to see, at first hand, the types of activities your child is engaged in during class time.  There will be a focus on maths due to it being Maths Week Scotland. The activities on offer enable you to have quality interactions with your child on a one to one or with a small group.  Come in, take part and enjoy the importance of play!

Medication in School – In line with Fife Council medication procedures we are now unable to administer medicines which do not have a pharmacist’s label clearly stating the required dose to be taken. Any medication which would need to be administered during the school day will require an administration of medicine form to be completed and a pharmacist’s label attached.

Rights Respecting Schools work – You are already aware that we have launched our RRS work this term with our whole school topic “out rights our choices”,  On Thursday last week P5/6, P6 and P7 had a worthwhile visit from the Scottish Parliament.  We know that the UNCRC is a list of promises made by almost all the governments in the world to give children what they need. There are 54 promises called articles and part of our job in school is to teach children about their rights and about how to respect others’ rights. The key articles for us in school are:

3: All decisions should be made with children’s best interests and safety in mind.

24: The right to health care, nutritious food and clean water.

27: The right to an adequate standard of living.

28: The right to a primary education.

29: One of the goals of education is to teach respect for the environment and for other children an adults.

31: The right to play and relax.

Reading Café – at the beginning of term I highlighted that as we strive to become a Silver Level Reading School we will run five Reading Cafés over the year.  Our first is on Tuesday 3rd October from 9:30-10:15 am in our small hall.  To allow all children to participate two MAD groups will invite a visitor to a specific café.  First up are the Learning Leaders and Reading Council.  Children will prepare invites at our MAD group meeting this Tuesday.  If this applies to your child you are invited along to enjoy a story together and have a cuppa (for a small donation).

Celebrating diversity and language – every year around the 26th September we recognise the importance of speaking other languages through “European Day of Languages” – however we celebrate languages from around the world not just Europe!  From  25-29th September classes would like to learn some of the languages that our amazing Tayport families speak e.g. saying good morning, how are you etc. Teachers are currently finding out which other languages their pupils speak to support this.  As a bilingual parent/carer if you would like to come in to your child’s class to support this  please complete the following form here.

Zen Zone – Mrs Simpson and the Health Hub have been preparing the Tesco Community Grant funded Zen Zone and would like your thoughts on the use of Kitbag. We would greatly appreciate your feedback here.

Term time holidays – please refer to our Madras cluster communication in June regarding the impact of good attendance at school and how families can support this click here. If you have booked a term time holiday please contact school well in advance to discuss.

Water bottles – please send in a full water bottle daily (with child’s name on it).

Madras Social Media Workshops – information was sent on Friday to all nursery and school families regarding social media workshops being run on 14th and 23rd November for parents/carers at Madras College. An Eventbrite booking will be offered after the October break.

Rights Respecting Work – Article 30 –  Every child has the right to learn and use the language, customs and religion of their family, whether or not these are shared by the majority of the people in the country where they live.

If you have not done so already please review and return the annual data check as soon as possible.

In order for us to store and administer any medication e.g. inhalers the appropriate paperwork must be completed by the parent. Please contact the office ASAP if this affects your child.

Many of our P7s ran a successful house captain election campaign.  The showed determination and resilience throughout the process. On polling day the successful candidates were:

• Kinshaldy – Skye Burnett and Ivy Lennox
• Scotscraig – Maisie Barton-Coutts and Willow Joss
• Morton – Linden McDade and Evie Farmer

We are participating in a Rag Bag collection. Details are in the attached document.  Uplift is on 25 September.

Remember to send in news of wider achievement either via Seesaw or by emailing the class teacher.  Details were in this term’s learning overview:  click here to view on website.

This week at learn to learn we will hear more about UNCRC article 12 – all about respecting the views of the child.  This is where the idea for our Making A Difference or MAD groups came from.  We give children a voice in leading aspects of school improvement.  Our first MAD meeting will be next week.

There are concerns from the wider community regarding children’s behaviour at the Top Park by some pupils.  An email has been sent to the main year groups where specific concerns have been raised.  Over last weekend there has been some attempted fire related vandalism in our main playground – please can our school community contact the police if they see anything of concern.

Classes will visit our local library either this Thursday or next. P1-3 and P7 visited the Larick Centre’s Scottie – Harbour –  on Friday afternoon.

Meet the Teacher – thank you for visiting classes last week and for the positive feedback received.  If you attended but have not yet completed the survey, here is the link: click here.

Annual Data Check – a paper copy of your contact details will be sent home this week. Please check and return by Friday 8th September latest.  We require a response from everyone. You can update your contact details at anytime via the Parents Portal.

Rights Respecting School – all our classes have been preparing their class charters over the past week.  Children’s rights are at the heart of how we want our classes to operate.  At Learn to Learn (our assemblies) we will be focusing on a different Article from the United Nations Rights of the Child most weeks.  We would like families to be aware of the right being shared so that it can be discussed at home too.  Click here for a child friendly summary of all UNCRC rights.  This weeks right is: Article 42 –  which is that everyone should know about children’s rights.

Road safety – at learn to learn this week we will be revisiting crossing roads safely. Our Junior Road Safety Officers will be sharing the school travel plan soon to support our roads around school being as safe as possible.

No nuts – please remember that there should be no nuts for snacks or lunches, including nut based chocolate spreads.

Community updates on the website – information about what is on at the Larick Centre and the upcoming Auld Kirk Open Door. Click here to view.

The Larick Centre will be revealling its Scottie by the Sea this weekend. There’s lots of fun to be had on Saturday!

Here is our school calendar for 2023-24.  Some dates are subject to change: Tayport calendar 23-24 Families

We are keen for all our families to understand our curriculum and areas of improvement so the following video explains some the broad school improvement areas for this year as well as some of the new calendar items.

Our refreshed curriculum rationale can be viewed in more detail on the website by clicking here.

Class learning overviews for the term will be shared with you later this week.

The August nursery newsletter is on the website too. Click here to view.