Dear Parent/Carer
We have finally arrived in the last term and the weeks are becoming increasingly busy as we head to the end of this school year. For some of our pupils, this will be their last term in Royston Primary and for some staff, the same situation arises, as they move on to pastures new. I’m sure that this term will be filled with many exciting things to help make great memories of Royston Primary.
Parent Council – Your Parent Council are busy putting plans in place for a Spring/ Summer Fayre to help raise some funds for the school. The date for this is Friday 12th June. This event will take place on the afternoon, with more information coming from the Parent Council in the coming weeks. Please put this date in the calendar, allowing you to come along and support the work for your children. As mentioned in previous letters, the Parent Council have been working to make improvements to the playgrounds, both front and back. You should hopefully see some work beginning in the coming weeks for this too.
Parental Open Afternoon – Just before the Easter Break we opened our doors once again to our parental community for another Parental Open Afternoon. The children had been working on a wide range of topics and took great delight in showing this off and working with parents and carers in their classes. Can I take this opportunity to thank all the visitors to the school for this fabulous event, which brought a great response from you. I have included some of your comments, from the feedback sheets, in this newsletter. Again, a huge thank you for attending – the school staff and pupils really appreciate you taking time to support the children’s learning.
Primary 1 Induction Days – As we prepare to say cheerio to one group of pupils, we begin to prepare to say hello and welcome another new group of Primary 1 pupils to the school for August 2015. In order to help with this new intake, we have arranged 3 Induction Afternoons. These take place on Wednesday 13th, 20th and 27th May, here in the school from 1.15 pm until 2.45 pm. Parents and carers of new Primary 1 children will be lettered in the coming days about this event.
Diary Dates – There are a number of important dates and events coming up; please keep the newsletter safe,
| Date & Time | Event | Who’s Involved |
| 30th April ’15 @ 3 pm | Parents Afternoon | All Parents and Carers |
| 4th May ‘15 | May Day Holiday | School closed to all |
| 7th May 2015 | In-Service Day | School closed to pupils |
| 13th/ 20th/ 27th May ‘15 | New Primary 1 induction days | Pupils and parents/ carers for Aug ’15 Primary 1 |
| 22nd/ 25th May ‘15 | May Weekend Holiday | School closed to all |
| 1st & 2nd June ‘15 | Smithycroft Secondary Transition | P 7 pupils attending Smithycroft Secondary |
GIRFEC – The Scottish Government has asked for some information on GIRFEC (Getting It Right For Every Child) to be shared with all parents and carers. Here is the message:
Getting it right for every child – update
The Scottish Government is currently consulting on detailed guidance that supports parts of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. This Act is a new law that will give children, young people and their families extra support and will encourage everyone to talk about children’s wellbeing using the same words. The consultation on the guidance is due to run until 1 May. It is mainly aimed at the people who support your child – including parents’ organisations – but individual parents are welcome to get involved if they wish. You can take part in the consultation via this link: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/02/1851
Composite Classes – As we move into the final term, the preparations for August have already started. Part of this work is to consider how the classes will look when we come back in August, and for some that may mean composite classes. At this point, no final decisions have been made and I simply want to make you all aware that we may have to make composite classes. There are many myths and stories about how we make composite classes and to help take these stories away, I would encourage you to visit school and get the most up to date information leaflet, which gives the Council’s position on why and how we make composite classes. Please be assured that if your child is in a composite class, they have not been held back or are struggling with their work,
Zumbathon – As part of the fund raising efforts for Fraser Gilmour and his trip to Malawi, the school will be holding a Zumbathon for all the children. This will take place next Friday afternoon, 1st May 2015, and each class will be given a 25 minute slot to do their zumba workout. Attached to this newsletter is a sponsor form to help us raise some funds for this trip. There is one form per family and all monies should be collected by Monday 18th May. Parents/ carers and other family members are encouraged to come along to the school for this event, as we will be offering teas and coffees throughout the afternoon; perhaps you could even join in with the zumba. The times are as follows:
1.10 pm – Primary 6/5; 1.30 pm – Primary 5/4; 1.50 pm – Primary 1; 2.10 pm – Primary 2;
2.30 pm – Primary 4/3 Primary 7 are out in the afternoon and will do their Zumba in the morning.
Breakfast Clubs – The Breakfast Club has been running in the school for a number of years now and from time to time can be very popular. In recent weeks, the numbers attending the club has dropped, with only around 10 pupils coming along. The Breakfast Club is open to all pupils in the school, with pupils who receive free meals having no charge and all other pupils paying £1. The aim of the breakfast club is to provide a good start to the day for the children, and a chance for them to meet friends before school starts. The club opens at 8 am and children remain in the building, supervised by Kitchen staff, until 8.45 am. Can I remind all parents/ carers that only children who are attending the breakfast club are supervised at these times and that unless children are receiving a breakfast from the club, they are not allowed to be left simply for babysitting purposes. This instruction comes direct from Cordia, who operate the breakfast clubs across the City, rather than individual schools.
Secondary Transition – This term is also an important time for the Primary 7 pupils, who will shortly be leaving us for pastures new. At the moment, we have 2 pupils who will be heading to Smithycroft Secondary, and they will continue their Transition programme with visits on the 1st and 2nd of June. More information on this will come out in the coming weeks but please keep these dates in your diary. We are still awaiting information on the placing requests to St Roch’s Secondary and once parents have been informed of these decisions by the Council, then the staff at St Roch’s will be in touch to organise the Transition dates for there also. This is an exciting time for the Primary 7 pupils and I’m sure they will enjoy the challenges that come their way.
After School Clubs – A separate letter has been issued about the After School and Lunchtime clubs. If your child wishes to attend one of the clubs, please return the forms to the school office by Tuesday 28th April.
Goodbye – As you will no doubt be aware, following my earlier letter before the Easter Break, I was recently appointed to the Head Teacher’s post at Alexandra Parade Primary school. I now have a starting date for this post, and so my time at Royston Primary will come to an end next Friday, 1st May. My 3 years have been very enjoyable, and I have been delighted to work with so many great pupils, parents/ carers and staff. I have been made very welcome by the Royston community and I’m sure that the same welcome will be offered to the next Head Teacher who follows me. At the moment, Mrs Jane McShane will be coming to be Acting Head Teacher, and her first day will be Tuesday 5th May.
Thank you for your on-going support during my time here and I’m sure that the support will continue into the future for the incoming Head Teacher.
Simon Kelly
Head Teacher
