Author: Mr Steer

September 2020 Issue 1

Welcome back everyone! What a bizarre few months this has been! Such a devastating turn of events in March – I doubt anyone could have predicted that it would ever have happened. I honestly believe that, although lockdown was not pleasant for most, it has made us stronger and more appreciative of what we have in life – and this includes education. Our pupils have come back to school with energy, enthusiasm, good manners and a great focus on learning. What more could any of us ask! It has been an absolute joy to have the pupils back in school every day and to see our parent group around and about. Everyone seems happy but if you have worries, concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Primary 1!

We have got a super bunch of primary 1 pupils this session! They have come into school, in slightly unusual circumstances, and settled beautifully! We are enjoying watching them learn and grow and look forward to their development as time goes on.

Well done children and well done parents – you did each other proud!!

School Recovery

Glasgow City Council is very focused on ‘Resilience, Recovery and Reconnection’. We strive to settle our pupils back into school and gather momentum in learning again. We have made some small but significant changes in school to help us recovery quickly and ensure no more time is wasted. We are focusing heavily on literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing just now with gradual addition of topical work and expressive arts. We are encouraging a major focus on pupils working together collaboratively in order for them to practice the social skills they have missed during lockdown in addition to ensuring very active ‘hands on’ classrooms.

In a more practical sense there have been some slight changes to how we work, for example staggered entry in the morning, staggered and shortened lunch and limitations on shared resources. We have only introduced changes that are necessary during the present time. I think if you asked the pupils about changes, they possibly have not noticed! This is our aim as we wish to keep school as normal and predictable for pupils as we can just now.

Parental Engagement

Normally at this time in term 1, we would have had a parental engagement session. Last year we had a Parent Pizza Party! This was a nice opportunity for you to meet your child’s class teacher and chat with them informally about things. Unfortunately government restrictions mean that we cannot do this. Therefore every class teacher will be phoning each parent to say hello and

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

check in. This is not an ideal situation but sadly it is the best we can offer at the present time. Phone calls will commence this week – please answer if you can!

After school clubs

Clubs are on hold for term 1 – but we are getting set to start up as soon as we are allowed! Parent and child cookery is back in October along with some of our usual clubs. As soon as we can find coaches willing to come in we will let you and pupils know.

School Sponsor

Our school fund is very low! I am ever hopeful that we will be able to organise and attend a Christmas event with all pupils but we need to raise a bit of money to make this possible! To that end we have organised a sponsored walk/run. Classes will walk/run the distance of the West Highland Way (96 miles) over a 2 week period 21^st Sept – 2^nd Oct. This will be quite a challenge but I know we can do it! Mr Steer will be tracking class progress and pupils will be able to see their progress virtually on a map! Very exciting! All pupils will soon be given a donation sheet and we would be delighted if every pupil could raise a few pounds – and if pantomimes do go ahead, we will be there!!

Public Health

You will have received a letter from Public Health – both in paper form and by e-mail, if you have supplied us with your e-mail address. It is important to read and understand the letter as it is specifically regarding symptoms and testing for COVID-19. It is perfectly understandable that we are all nervous about this issue but we must continue to think rationally about it. If your child has one of the key symptoms – persistent cough, high temperature or loss of taste or smell, they should be absent from school and you should organise a coronavirus test for them – contact www.nhsinform.scot. If you are looking for more information please visit www.nhsggc.org.uk/covid/schools to learn more.

Outdoor Learning/PE

As I’m sure you are aware, all PE has to happen outside for the time being. Although class teachers have an inclination as to when this will happen, it is always weather permitting. We will not take our pupils outside if there is a health and safety risk with weather conditions. This does not mean they will not go outside in the rain. Rain is fairly common in Scotland and pupils should try to dress as well as they can for wet weather. If pupils want to bring in some spare clothing, along with their waterproof jacket, sensible shoes etc then this will be fine. I would always advise spare socks in everyone’s school bag as standard!

Snapshot week

Once each term we have snapshot week. During the assigned week, all pupils will record their learning experiences in a special jotter. At the end of snapshot week pupils will bring the jotter home to let you see what they have been learning about. Over the weekend please have a conversation with your child about what they have in the jotter. Ask them what they have been learning to see if they can give you an explanation. Ask them what they enjoyed most in their learning. Ask them if they feel they have been successful in their learning. Ask them if they felt challenged in the learning or if it was easy! Please then complete the ‘parental comment’ sheet in the jotter – we always need your thoughts and comments in order to ensure continuous improvement in teaching and learning.

Cooking Packs

During lockdown we successfully secured some funding to support our pupils and their families. We have created cooking packages (similar to the creative packages given out during the school closure period.) There is one package per family and pupils will bring this home over the next few days. This is a gift to each of our families and I hope the items will be useful. Happy cooking!

Helmets

We are been saddened to hear that some of our pupils are not demonstrating good cycle safety habits whilst out cycling their bikes in the community. I have contacted community police about this and they will increase their presence in the Royston area in order to observe and support. Pupils appear NOT to be wearing helmets. It is a parental responsibility to ensure a child wears a helmet when cycling in the community – please ensure your child does not go cycling without one. Some pupils have said they don’t even have one. To this end I have bought two helmets to show pupils and allow them to try on. If you would like to buy one I can order more. Please do get in touch.

Staffing

Staffing this session is looking excellent. We welcome our new staff – Mr Gillen and Miss Sutton and a warm welcome back to Mrs Mair. All classes have 2 teachers assigned in order to support intensive teaching after such a lengthy period of time away from formal education. This is working well at present and we will soon commence our usual suite of assessment – this will help us specify, on an individual basis, what type of teaching support is needed for each pupil.

Attainment

Attainment in core areas of reading, writing, listening/talking and numeracy are on the increase. Our attainment statistics present a very positive picture. From 2015 until now, our general increase has been around 10-20% approx. in almost all aspects, apart from listening and talking where our attainment has been fairly ‘jumpy’. We are trying to analyse why this is the case and are doing some training and research on how we can get better at this. In addition many of our homework tasks are designed with a focus on talking and listening – it would be very useful if you could make these tasks a priority. I would also suggest you engage in as much conversation as you can with your child in order to give them practice at these social skills.

Homework

Some pupils may have had their new homework grid sent out, others will get it this week. Please see the accompanying parent information on homework which will help support homework for pupils.

Ipads

Pupils in P7 will soon get a personal school iPad to use for learning. They will be able to use this in class and at home. This is part of the council digital roll out. The iPad will always belong to Glasgow City Council but pupils will have these individually to support their learning. The date for this is 27^th October and we will be looking for parental support in this project. There will be agreements on safe use to be signed and pupils will be taught how to use the learning tools on the iPad.

Healthy drinks and snacks

We continually try to pass messages of healthy eating and drinking onto pupils. Pupils can drink water at school. During class time pupils can drink plain water. Research proves that this actually enhances performance in the classroom – class teachers will encourage this. Pupils can bring flavoured water (eg lemon lime, strawberry) for break times although we do try to dissuade them from this as there is some sugar contained. We also try to encourage pupils to bring healthy snacks to school. A piece of fruit or chopped vegetables are excellent choices. Pupils are rewarded for making healthy choices in eating and drinking and can win a special active treat if their good choices become consistent.

I am always disappointed when I see pupils coming to school eating sweets and drinking fizzy drinks. I’m not sure if parents and carers know pupils are doing this but I would encourage you to speak with your child about this. It does not make for a great start to the day!

Awards

Just a little update on assemblies and awards for you. Unfortunately I am unable to lead the school in our usual weekly celebration assembly. Sadly we are unable to do any singing at present and gatherings of more than 50 people in fairly close contact are not allowed.

However, we do not let this get in the way! We have continued to give out our special weekly awards and Birthday certificates by going round classrooms on a Friday. We award one pupil in each class a Star of the Week and one pupil a Worker of the week. I’m sure you will be very proud of your child when they come home to show off their award! We also give out Healthy Choice Awards for those pupils demonstrating healthy habits during the week – either in eating or in exercise.

Although not quite the same as our special Friday assemblies, pupils are pleased to still be involved in celebrating the successes over the past week. Hopefully assemblies will return soon!

Jane McShane

Head Teacher

August 2020

Dear Parent/carer,

As you will know, Scottish Government has deemed it appropriate for schools to re-open fully to all pupils – this is excellent news! We are delighted to be able to set aside our blended part-time learning approach in favour of something closer to normal.

Staff will soon be reconfiguring their classrooms in order to support full classes and we will ensure Government and Council instruction and guidance is followed.

ALL pupils here in Royston Primary will return to full-time schooling on 12th August. This means that from 12th August, all pupils should come to school every day.

Primary 1 pupils 12th-14th August should attend 9.15am – 12.15pm. Primary 1 pupils should gather in the front playground between 9.05am and 9.15am. Unfortunately we cannot welcome parents into school with the pupils; the teacher will come to the playground to meet and greet the children at 9.15am prompt. Pupils will have lunch before being brought back out to the front playground at 12.15pm for collection. From 17th August P1 pupils will attend school all day every day.

Primary 2-7 pupils Pupils will be welcomed into school anytime between 8.45am and 9.15am. This staggered entry ensures we avoid the busy bell time of 9am! When pupils arrive at school they should use the hand sanitiser located at each entry point, and then go straight to their class where they will be met by their class teacher or support teacher. Pupils will engage in some activities before the first intense teaching block begins at 9.15am.

Playtime and lunch time will be staggered also to ensure we limit numbers in all areas of the school. Lunch will reduce to 30 minutes for the first 2 weeks so that we can maximise class learning after such a long period out of school.

At the end of the school day the following procedure will still happen:

P2/1 and P3 exit to the front playground 3pm

P5/4 exit at the back playground 3pm

P6/5 exit at the back playground at 3.05pm

P7 exit at the back playground 3.10pm

We will work closely with aftercare staff for those attending – we can be flexible with their requirements.

Breakfast club will re-start and after school provision with St Roch’s Childcare will be operating in school.

Please refer to an information sheet I sent you regarding questions you may have re school bags, lunches etc. This is still relevant.

Kind Regards,

Jane McShane

headteacher@royston-pri.glasgow.sch.uk

 

Royston Primary School

School recovery, resilience and re-connection

August 2020

1. Can my child bring a school bag?

Yes. I have no information suggesting that this not be allowed. I would actively encourage pupils to bring a school bag with the essentials in it. Pupils should bring a pencil, rubber, ruler and sharpener and possibly a small note book. I would also suggest a packet of tissues and for younger children a very small bag with spare pants and shorts in it in case of accidents. Pupils can also bring a snack for playtime and a bottle of water with them. Pupils should not bring toys from home; they will become upset when the teacher does not allow them to play with them. Pupils can bring a water bottle to school but please ensure this is filled at home. Pupils will not be able to re-fill their bottle. We will have supplies of paper cups should your child run out of water.

2. Can my child bring packed lunch?

Yes. Again so far, I have not had information to suggest they cannot bring lunch from home if they wish. They will not be allowed to share food from their lunch box with their friends. We will explain this sensitively to younger pupils.

3. Where will my child eat their lunch?

As we have a fairly small school pupils will still have lunch in the dining hall. Lunch time will be staggered to ensure only approx. 20-25 pupils are in the dining hall at any one time. We can accommodate this easily whilst ensuring social distancing remains at 2 metres. Children will not be left isolated to have lunch and we will ensure this is a positive experience for all.

4. Will there be lots of hand washing?

Lots and lots! This will be built into your child’s programme of activity at school, aspecially at key points such as break and lunch time. With lots of hand washing however can come some skin problems. With so much hand washing skin can become dry and sore. You may wish to put a small tube of hand cream in your child’s school bag for them to use after hand washing.

5. Will children line up in the playground?

At the present time we do not foresee pupils lining up in the playground. We will be instructing an informal staggered entry into the school building. Your child will have an entry space and allocated door. This will come to you nearer the time. I would foresee pupils can arrive at school somewhere between 8.45am and 9.15am approx. We will greet them on entry and they will go directly to their classroom where they will engage in soft start table top activities suited to age and stage prior to the beginning of formal teacher direction. There will be no lining up at playtime nor lunch time. With very small numbers in the playground and additional supervision, pupils will be individually managed in and out of the building.

6. Will school times be the same?

Approximately! We may open up a longer window at the beginning and end of the school day in order to avoid traditional ‘bell rush’ times. We have yet to decide how best to do this to suit all our pupils and families.

7. What uniform should my child wear?

Our uniform suppliers remain the same.

My Clothing  https://myclothing.com/  or

BE Schoolwear online https://www.border-embroideries.co.uk/store-glasgow and in-store 35 Argyle St Glasgow G2 8AH.

You may wish your child to wear polo shirt and sweater or school shirt and tie, skirt, trousers etc. This is entirely up to you. I would suggest you carefully consider footwear and the jacket you buy. We have been guided to spend the majority of time outdoors learning. This is not a hard thing to plan and implement as there are lots of opportunities to use outdoor space for all aspects of learning and teaching. However we live in Scotland and as such, it does rain. It is not often freezing cold but it is very wet. I would suggest you consider a waterproof jacket – this is not the same as shower proof. Pupils will be outside, even in the rain. They will not be kept in when it is wet or a bit windy. Also sensible footwear will be essential.

You will be informed of pupil gym days so that you can have them wear gym clothing underneath their uniform, or simply have them wear their polo shirt and joggers/leggings. Pupils will not be changing for gym time. They will also not be changing into indoor shoes when they enter the school, but they should wear trainers on gym days so that they can take part safely either outside or in the gym hall.

I would also encourage your child to wear layers. All windows in school are to be opened to allow maximum air circulation – it could get a little chilly!

8. What will happen if my child is sick?

The same as what happens now. Your child will be comforted as distantly as we can manage. Pupils will hold a sick bowl and sit in the open foyer. We will contact parent/carer/emergency contact immediately for them to be collected.

If your child feels sick or complains of an ailment we will be very cautious and contact you immediately. If your child is displaying the common symptoms of COVID-19 – a high temperature, a new and persistent cough or a loss of taste or smell, we will isolate them in our medical room and call you immediately. Our medical room will be made a comfortable as possible with posters and pictures for pupils should they require to use it. I hope they do not. If a pupil is isolated in the medical room a member of staff will remain with them outside the door and reassure them until a parent/carer is able to attend. It is crucial that should you notice any of the common symptoms, no matter how minor, you keep them at home and isolated for 7 days. You would inform us of an absence in the usual way.

9. Trips, visits, coaches, afterschool clubs…

Unfortunately these are not being planned for term 1, possibly longer. We will remain in school, in our bubbles with minimal contact. We hope these can be planned for the near future and we will keep you informed of this.

10. Parent interaction

We need to work closely with you in order to provide the best support we can for your child. However, our ability to engage in face to face interactions is going to be difficult. We would encourage telephone calls as opposed to ‘in person’ discussions. We understand that things come up from time to time and it is easy to engage with teachers and myself when you see us. We will not be able to do this as all of our focus and concentration will be on ensuring pupil safety and wellbeing in line with current guidance. In addition we will not be able to have parents generally inside the school building. We must keep person to person contacts to a bare minimum. The easy answer is, please just call us! We want to talk to you if there is an issue or a question. We can arrange for the class teacher to call you back as soon as possible. I can speak to you at any time or, in my absence either Ms White or Mrs Young my principal teachers will be able to discuss matters with you. In addition my email is on the newsletter. If you have access to IT, please do contact me this way. We just don’t have the same instant availability as we have had previously, but please remember, we do want to talk to you.

11. Collection Points

At present, P1-3 pupils are collected in the playground. We hope to continue this as the pavements are so narrow outside the school gate. We will mark off parent waiting zones in the playground and ask you to promote social distancing as you wait. We will obviously cut down on numbers in the playground as we will have fewer children in school each day and children will have a staggered exit time.

As you can see there is a lot to think about! There are probably numerous questions remaining unanswered, some of them I won’t know the answer to yet. Please do get in touch if you have an unanswered question as it may well be something we have not considered yet.

As government instruction and council guidance continues to evolve over the summer period some of the above may become redundant and we might have to change information and guidance. The situation changes daily and we have no confirm picture of how August will look. We will continue to work closely with you and keep you informed of any changes nearer to the return date.

Official school summer holidays start on 24^th June and I would suggest you don’t think too much and worry about this over the holiday period. We are all learning how we can best function safely. I will be in touch again with more detailed and accurate guidance at the beginning of August.

Mrs Jane McShane

Head Teacher