Please click on the picture to see an enlarged version of the flyer. 🙂
October Newsletter
October/November 2019
Welcome to our second newsletter this session – a little later than expected. How has term 1 passed so quickly! Pupils are in full flow in school now and I am pleased with how well they have settled into the routine of their new classes. At present, we are tracking progress and development in order to prepare for interim reports and parent appointments. Academic progress is positive and we have set extremely high standards and targets for end of session. Our performance is scrutinised by education managers and directors and I am proud of our achievements and attainment to date. We must ‘keep up the hard work’!
Homework
It has come to my attention that some parents are unaware of their own child’s homework expectations. In September I sent home a fairly detailed explanation and account of how homework would be managed this session. I am disappointed to hear that some parents have not received this. Every pupil in school was given one. I am in the process of producing more homework packs, please do let me know if you require a copy.
Attendance
It is crucial for your child to come to school every day. Our attendance throughout the school has slipped a little and this is not conducive to purposeful learning and development. Children can come to school with a cold or a cough. If your child is unwell at school we will contact you either to come and collect, or to ask your advice on how best to manage the situation. Often children feel much better once they get into school and they become focused on something in class.
Interim Reports and Parent Appointments
Interim reports are being prepared for all pupils. These will be given out week beginning 11th November. Parent appointments will be held on the 26th November. You will be allocated an appointment time to meet with your child’s teacher to discuss their progress. Please do bring pupils along with you as we will have some activities available for them to work on.
In addition, we will organise appointments with interpreters the following week. Information about this will come to our parents/carers with that requirement.
P.E. Kit
It is very important that all pupils bring PE Kit for PE days. Some pupils also take part in gym hall activities at lunchtimes and so need kit on those days too. If pupils do not have appropriate kit, they cannot take part in activities in the gym – this is for safety and insurance purposes. Please see below for class gym days.
P2/1 Tuesday and Friday
P3/2 Tuesday and Thursday
P4/3 Wednesday and Thursday
P6/5 Tuesday and Thursday
P7/6 Monday and Friday
P7 Tuesday and Friday
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.
Christmas
The time has come to mention that ‘C’ word! Time is flying past so quickly and we have made lots of exciting plans for pupils throughout this period. All pupils will go on a Christmas outing, they will all go to the Science Centre Christmas activities. In addition all pupils will have a class party and our choir will be out and about ALL over Glasgow raising money to pay for some of these activities! I am in the process of finalising dates and numbers and will give you more detail in the December newsletter.
Parental Engagement
As a change to our past plans, all classes will be identifying their own way of engaging parents in school life! This makes the process more meaningful for all. More information on specific class dates will follow soon.
NSPCC
We will welcome Richard from NSPCC (protection for children) in to work with pupils in school on the ‘Speak out, Stay safe’ programme on the 15th November. Pupils will engage in presentations and workshops focused on personal safety and self-protection.
Owl Magic
On the 6th November we will welcome in ‘Owl Magic’ to work with our younger pupils. Pupils will hear the story of Owl Babies and get the opportunity to see real owls and learn a little about their habitat.
Out To Play
Some time ago I applied for a competition to win some sessions with organisation ‘Out to Play’. We won!! Out to Play organisation deliver a programme of 6 weeks outdoor learning to pupils and link this in with environmental aspects in addition to drama! It all seems very interesting and, now in week 2, pupils seem to be enjoying the activities.
CityWise
Around 13 pupils have embarked on the CityWise programme this term. CiityWise group is made up of volunteers who are university students. The volunteers are studying in a range of different subjects and wish to work with younger people, sharing their story and trying to foster increased ambition and aspiration in them. We always look out for opportunities to increase our pupils interest and spark enthusiasm for the world of work. Our target is that 100% of our pupils reach positive destinations at the end of their compulsory education.
Extra In-service Days
Teachers across Scotland are being given 2 additional in-service days this session. The first one is on 29th November and the second is 7th February. School will be closed to pupils on these days, in addition to our regular in-service days.
In addition I have just been informed that the school will also be closed to pupils on the 12th December. This school will be used as a polling station for the up and coming elections.
Christmas Festival and Light switch on
Rosemount Development Trust are again organising an exciting event for Christmas this year. They will be having a formal ‘Christmas Light Switch On’ and celebrating their 30th Anniversary with a parade of light. We are hoping to be involved in this with dance and lights! I will share more detail when I have it.
Connect 2
This session we have managed to secure additional staffing so that we can create an additional classroom. This can be used by pupils from any stage. Mr Thomson and Mrs Young will be focusing solely on health and well-being in their classroom called Connect2. At times, pupils find classroom expectation very challenging for a variety of reasons and they need a calm space to re-focus and reflect on re-integrating into classroom life. Connect2 has been fairly busy as we welcome pupils back to school, with some pupils finding it overwhelming. We will soon have a policy statement uploaded onto the school website to give you a clearer idea of the aims and justification for such a space.
Snapshot Week 18.11.19
Feedback last session on snapshot week was very positive and so we have planned these in again for this session. During snapshot week your child will complete all tasks in a particular jotter. At the end of the week your child will bring this home and will need around 20-30 minutes with a parent/carer to speak about their learning. Please do make time for this. We know that when parents/carers engage in their child’s learning and development, their progress will be much better. It will also give you an insight into their work in school and what they get up to during the 6 hours per day they spend in Royston Primary!
Parent Council
We are actively seeking out some willing volunteers to join our parent council. Our parent council are a small group at present but would like to be bigger! Parent council have monthly meetings and look for ways to support school developments, as well as raise issues for discussion around school practice. This is definitely a great way to become engaged in your child’s learning. If you would like more information please get in touch with me and I can link you up with our parent council chair person who can discuss aspects of their work with you.
Jane McShane
P1 Enrolment Week
August Newsletter
August 2019
Welcome!
We have had a fast paced and busy start to our new school session. Pupils and staff are back and raring to go! A huge well done to all our fantastic primary 1 pupils who have started their school career with real confidence and focus!
I do hope everyone had a lovely summer break and I look forward to seeing and chatting to all parents and carers in due course. As always, please do not hesitate to get in touch if you want to speak to me for any reason. Many thanks for your continued support.
Jane McShane (Head Teacher)
Headteacher@royston-pri.glasgow.sch.uk
Tel 0141 552 2872
Staffing
Our staffing this session looks plentiful. We have managed to secure more than our allocation using our pupil equity fund money. I believe that the best resource pupils will have in school is staff and I am looking forward to some new initiatives we are set to put in place to ensure equity for all. In addition to class teachers, we welcome our play therapist Beverley Allen. She will be working very closely with some of our pupils. If your child is in that category, you will already know about it.
I am also delighted to let you know that Mrs Mair has had a beautiful baby boy! Both mum and baby are well…baby Mair has no name as yet but I’m sure that will be decided soon!
I sadly have to inform you that Miss McPhail, one of our support for learning workers will be leaving us. She has been a fabulous support in school, pupils and staff will really miss her kind and caring manner. We will be advertising for a new member of staff very soon in order to ensure continuity for pupils.
North Glasgow Community Food Initiative
Our partnership working with NGCFI continues to go from strength to strength. Our P7 pupils will begin cookery lessons next week with our super sessional cook Maggie. All P7 pupils will have the opportunity to work in the kitchen.
Parent and child cookery will also commence next week. If you would like to come and cook with your child afterschool, please look out for the sign up letter coming out this week. This is open to any pupil/parent P1-7.
Unfortunately our gardener Cornelia has left NGCFI and returned to her home in Sweden. A new gardener called Ritchie has been employed and he will begin gardening sessions next week with the pupils. Every class will go gardening once per fortnight. Pupils may get a little mucky whilst out – but as we all know, learning can be a messy business.
Library Visits
All pupils in school will visit the library once per fortnight. Almost all pupils are members of the library and have their own library card. If your child is not a member, please pop into the office and we can give you an application form to complete, or we can complete this for you. If pupils have their own card, they will be able to visit the library out with school visits too. I would strongly encourage you to take your child to the library – this is such a fantastic facility to have on your doorstep, and the resources they have are excellent. Please see below for your child’s first visit this term. Thereafter visits will be once per fortnight…
P2/1 – 5th September
P3/2 – 6th September
P4/3 – 3rd September
P6/5 – 4th September
P7/6 – 2nd September
P7 – 12th September
Royston Youth Action
As P7 pupils have done in previous years, we will soon commence kayaking and bikeability lessons in partnership with RYA.
Pupils will be split into 3 groups and have a day each of biking and kayaking. Bike days are 9th, 10th and 11th September. Kayaking days are 12th, 16th and 17th September. Pupils will shortly bring home consent forms in order to participate. Please do return these as soon as possible.
Credit Union
We work in partnership with our local Credit Union office located in Royston Square. Pupils who have set up an account are taken to the Credit Union every Thursday and supported to deposit their money. They will receive a receipt for this each week which will show their growing balance! Pupils do like to see their money building up. I will be sending out the application forms. If you wish your child to join, please complete and return, along with their birth certificate. We will assist in setting the account up and send home their birth certificate promptly.
School attendance
School attendance for your child is compulsory. Your child must come to school and there should be only very rare occasions of absence. Only keep your child absent from school if they are ill/infectious. If your child is unwell at school we will contact you. We are there as educators but we also take on the role of corporate parent in your absence. It is a proven fact that pupils who attend school almost every day will achieve more and attainment will be better. If you are worried about your child at school please speak to us and we will do whatever we can to reassure and support.
Bullying
We are not so naïve to think that we never have any bullying incidents in school. If your child speaks of bullying I would urge you to get in touch without delay. We will do our best to work closely with you and your child to support and ultimately stop the bullying. However, often we hear the word bullying used frequently and freely in situations where this has, after investigation, clearly not been the case. With 140 children in school all day every day there will be feelings of frustration and annoyance amongst children and we need to work at supporting all our pupils to develop emotional regulation – being able to understand how they can cope with feelings of frustration and annoyance for example. This is a life skill- there will always be people in life who will annoy you! As an adult you will know this! It is absolutely crucial for pupils to develop these life skills themselves as they will have to manage this without a parent always advocating on their behalf. I look forward to your continued support and partnership in this matter.
P.E. Kit
Every pupil will take part in physical education – this is one of our core subjects, alongside numeracy and literacy. As you will know, the West of Scotland health statistics are fairly poor and we must do all we can to ensure our pupils have long, healthy and active lives. Pupils must bring appropriate kit to school for their gym days. Gym kit for P1-4 consists of school polo shirt (worn to school on gym days), either shorts, jogging trousers or leggings and a pair of indoor shoes. For P5-7 in addition to the above, your child will require to have a change of t-shirt for hygiene purposes. We have suitable changing rooms for both boys and girls, and pupils will be able to use these if they can do so sensibly. If your child does not bring the proper gym kit we will contact you to request that this is brought to school. If this is not possible we will find some spare clothing and footwear for them so that they can take part safely. Jewellery must not be worn during P.E. lessons – this is to ensure safety whilst activities are on-going. I would advise that all jewellery is left safely at home. These are rules as set by Glasgow City Council and are contained in P.E. Code of Conduct. A copy of this is available for you to read – please get in touch if you would like a copy. Gym days are as follows:
P2/1 Tuesday and Friday
P3/2 Tuesday and Thursday
P4/3 Wednesday and Thursday
P6/5 Tuesday and Thursday
P7/6 Monday and Friday
P7 Tuesday and Friday
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.
Connect 2
This session we have managed to secure additional staffing so that we can create an additional classroom. This can be used by pupils from any stage. Mr Thomson and Mrs Young will be focusing solely on health and well-being in their classroom called Connect2. At times, pupils find classroom expectation very challenging for a variety of reasons and they need a calm space to re-focus and reflect on re-integrating into classroom life. Connect2 has been fairly busy as we welcome pupils back to school, with some pupils finding it overwhelming. We will soon have a policy statement uploaded onto the school website to give you a clearer idea of the aims and justification for such a space.
School Improvement Planning
Every year, each school in Glasgow creates a School Improvement Plan. We must always do this in partnership with parents/carers, pupils and staff, and I wish to thank all parents/carers who took the time to complete our evaluation requests prior to the summer holidays. I know these are a chore for people but I cannot stress enough how much we need these to guide the way forward in the service we provide to our families.
This year we have 4 priorities and these are:
- Behaviour and restorative approaches. This development will mean that all staff and pupils have consistent approaches to managing situations. We know that children do not generally behave poorly for no reason and this approach will help us understand the underlying reasons for particular behaviours. I will give you more detail on this in the next newsletter.
- Raising Attainment. This will always be on our plan. Core knowledge and skill development in literacy and numeracy is our core business. Our main focus is on literacy with Miss Fraser engaging in intensive training to become our literacy leader of learning across the whole school. In addition, we will continue the good developments in numeracy driven forward last session by Mr Steer. Mr Steer will continue to keep a school focus on numeracy. Our school attainment overall is gradually increasing and we look for improvements in assessment figures every single year.
- Meeting Learners’ Needs. In addition to Connect2, we continue to evaluate and improve our work in nurturing principles, particularly looking at the upper stages of school. We will create a relationships policy statement which will include aspects of nurture, citizenship and children’s rights.
- Parental Partnership. This will always be on our agenda as we continue to explore best ways to engage with you. We are always open to hearing your views on this – whether we plan more ‘Stay and Play’ sessions, theme afternoons in class, parent child working or adult only workshops. Please do get in touch if you would like to share your views on this.
Education Perspective Review/Standards and Quality Report
Both of these documents are required to be created based on parent/carer, pupil and staff evaluation. These documents give a detailed account of our current school position in relation to curriculum for excellence and professional standards. Both of these documents will soon be uploaded into the school website for you to read.
Standardised Assessments
You may already know that we carry out a suite of standardised assessments each session. All pupils P1-7 will engage in numeracy, reading, spelling, writing and health and well-being assessments which give us an indication of their learning at the time of the assessment, in addition to seeing their progress from past assessments. These are carried out at sensibly spaced times throughout the year.
Snapshot Week
Feedback last session on snapshot week was very positive and so we have planned these again for this session. During snapshot week your child will complete all their tasks in one jotter. At the end of the week your child will bring this home and will need around 20-30 minutes with a parent/carer to speak about their learning. Please do make time for this. We know that when parents/carers engage in their child’s learning and development, their progress will be much better. It will also give you an insight into their work in school and what they get up to during the 6 hours per day they spend in Royston Primary!
Data Returns
Thanks to all parents/carers who have returned their data forms. It allows us to process these and ensure we have the correct information on our administration system. This is crucial for your child’s health and well-being. If you have not returned forms as yet, please do this as a matter of urgency. Many thanks.
Homework
We will soon be sending out information and feedback forms regarding our homework issues last session. Please do give us your thoughts as this will guide future plans.
Parent Council
We are actively seeking out some willing volunteers to join our parent council. They are a small group at present but would like to be bigger! Parent council have monthly meetings and look for ways to support school developments, as well as raise issues for discussion around school practice. This is definitely a great way to become engaged in your child’s learning. If you would like more information please get in touch with me and I can link you up with our parent council chair person who can discuss aspects of their work with you.
After school clubs
We are in the process of finalising plans for afterschool clubs for this term. We are waiting on some confirmations of days and stages, but please do look out for this information coming soon. Clubs are assigned on a first come first served basis so get in quick!
Sorry for the overload of information! Start of term is always fairly busy!
Jane McShane
May Newsletter
May 2019 Issue 5
As we step into yet another busy and energetic term I would urge you to read this newsletter. There is always lots of information and key dates given – always useful!
SNSA
Scottish National Standardised Assessments will be carried out with pupils in primary 1, 4 and 7 this term. Pupils sit individual papers online in reading, writing and numeracy and the results of these feed into government statistics on achieving levels. You may have read or heard about these on the news with people having mixed feelings about these. We do not put pressure on our pupils during these assessments and treat them as a class task as opposed to a ‘test’ – especially for our youngest pupils. Please do get in touch if you have concerns and I can offer some reassurance.
Pupil Equity Funding
For the third year we will receive additional funding for pupils. This is a government initiative to ensure equity in opportunity and support for all pupils. Our amount for the coming session 19-20 has significantly reduced. The government use free school meal entitlement to measure school amounts and our numbers for entitlement have reduced. I cannot stress enough the importance of making your application even if your child already receives free meals. For each child with an entitlement we receive £1200 and our total for August is £68,400. With this additional funding we always place a teacher – this helps us reduce class sizes and gives us more potential to meet all pupil needs. There is little left over after the cost of a teacher, but we are looking at ways of using the left over money to support pupil mental health and well-being. You will shortly receive a survey seeking out our parental views on PEF spending and I do hope you will respond. School and staff are here as a service to you and your children and you have the right to be involved in such decisions. Please do take this opportunity.
Pupil reports
Teachers are at work just now planning and writing reports. We are trialling a new format this session and are keen to hear your views on this. Reports are due out to parents/carers at the end of May. Along with this will be an evaluation and we look forward to hearing your thoughts on the new format.
Snap Shot
Last term we trialled a new process in order to share your child’s learning and progress with you. This was by way of a ‘Snapshot’ jotter. It appeared to be fairly successful with the majority of parents/carers taking the opportunity to reflect on their child’s learning. Some parents/carers did not comment and this always surprises me. Our next snapshot week for most classes will be 13th May. Pupils will complete all work tasks at school in this jotter and at the end of the week they will bring it home for you to see and comment on the parent page. This is an opportunity for you to discuss school and learning with your child and look at setting targets together. Please do look out for the jotter coming home and make sure it comes back to school the following week.
Transitions
It is that time of year again! We have plans in place for primary 1 transition with sport events, teddy bear picnics and play days – bringing our current P1 and new entrants together on various occasions. All dates and times have been sent out to all new starts. Our formal induction events are on 9th and 20th May when children will visit and parents will participate in workshops.
The majority of P7-S1 transition plans are made and secondary visits have been arranged – primarily for St Roch’s – 29th and 31st May, 12th and 13th June for Springburn and 21st and 22nd May for Smithycroft.
European Parliamentary Elections
As you may know, the elections will be held on 23rd May. As usual, Royston Primary will be used as a polling station. As such there will now be an additional in service day for pupils due to security issues for pupils whilst the elections are taking place.
We’re having a baby!
I am delighted to inform you that Mrs Mair is expecting! She is keeping well, but some pupils have had suspicions! Mrs Mair will work on until summer holidays and is unlikely to return in August 2019. We offer our congratulations and best wishes at this happy and slightly overwhelming time!
Benji Bus
We are looking forward to housing Benji Bus May 13th-15th. Benji is a double decker bus full of interesting and exciting activities for young children. I am keen for all our P1/2 pupils and parents to experience time on the bus and will be organising a timetable to allow everyone equal opportunity. I am aware we have many families with children younger than school age and I will timetable you some time on board also. Please look out for information about this in school and on twitter.
London 3rd-6th June
Our primary 7 pupils will soon be venturing off to London for a jam packed itinerary full of exciting experiences. I must urge parents who haven’t paid £100 to try to pay this asap. I will host an information session for parents on the 15th May at 2pm for parents and pupils attending to find out more details on the trip and ask questions. There will be another information session nearer the time.
Library visits
As you will be aware, all pupils have fortnightly visits to the library and we have managed to get almost all pupils signed up as members. I would urge you to allow your child to visit and utilise the great library resource outwith school also. Pupils can visit the library any time they wish. Please do encourage your child to take an interest in the library as this is an excellent facility to have on your door step.
Annual Litter Pick 17th May
Our P4-7 pupils will soon engage with Spireview Housing Association in the annual litter pick. In some ways it is disappointing that we need to do this as no one should drop litter. However the reality is that people do and we hope that by encouraging our pupils to support a clean up, they will take a pride in their environment and not be the next generation of litter droppers.
Sports Day
Our annual sports day will be on the 28th May. Pupils will take part in the usual type of activities and play in their house groups. It would be great if your child could wear an item of clothing in their house colour – yellow, red, blue or green. It could be a t shirt or a pair of socks…even a head band! P1-3 pupils will participate 9.30-12 and P4-7 will participate 1-2.50pm.
Diary dates
School will be closed to pupils on:
6th May – holiday
7th May – In service
23rd May – Elections/In service
24th and 27th May Holiday
School will close at 1pm on the 28th June for the summer holidays.
Summer trips have yet to be organised – please do let us know if you have ideas on this. We are looking at different locations for this at present.
Some usual items…
- ALL pupils require to have the correct gym kit on the correct days. ALL pupils know when their gym days are and letters have also been sent out. Gym kit is shorts/leggings, T-shirt and indoor shoes. I am surprised we still have pupils regularly coming to school with no kit.
- Pupils should only be bringing water to school. This can be flavoured but preferably plain. There should be no colouring in it.
Jane McShane
Head Teacher
Headteacher@royston-pri.glasgow.sch.uk
