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.

We hope you have had a good summer break. Here is a short video with a few reminders before Wednesday 16th.  If children bring bikes or scooters to school they must dismount at the gate and walk the bike or scooter to the bike shed.

Here are the lining up arrangements:

Staff news – We are sad to see a number of staff moving on this summer but wish Miss McIntosh and Mrs Murray well on their new teaching adventure in Dubai.  Mrs Golding has also decided to move on to a new school in Angus council and we wish her lots of luck too.  Mrs Green and Miss Amores, Pupil Support Assistants, are also leaving us for pastures new.  We wish them all every success.

End of year gathering – everyone is welcome at the parish church on Friday at 10am when we will celebrate the end of a great year.

Milk money must be paid by end of term.

Ferryport Nursery had a very positive Care Inspectorate Unannounced Visit on 12 May – report now available at: on the Care Inspectorate website.

School finishes on Friday 30th June at 3pm.  All classes will be in the main playground with their teacher just before 3pm so they can wave off our P7 leavers who will exit from the sports hall doors and then parade up to the front of the school.

School reopens to pupils on Wednesday 16th August.  Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th August are inservice days for all staff.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy break.

No football shirts for gym days – please ensure that on gym days children wear plain t-shirts and shorts.

End of year progress reports will be issued on Friday afternoon.

Milk fund open for next term.

Fake Nails are not safe for the wearer or other children in primary school e.g. during gym or playtimes.