September 2015 Issue 2
Open afternoon
We will be having our first open afternoon on Thursday the 24th September 2015. This will run from 2-3pm and we hope that you as parents and carers can manage in for some time to visit your child’s class. During that time your child will be engaged in learning in class and the teacher will be teaching, therefore it will not be a meeting with the teacher, simply an opportunity to see your child in their classroom environment. Your child may have the chance to show you some of their great work and talk you through important aspects of their school development.
Primary 1
Primary one pupils will be in school 9-3pm every day starting on Monday 7th September. Primary 1 pupils are entitled to a free meal at school, which is funded by the government. If primary 1 pupils would prefer to bring a packed lunch then this will be accommodated also. At the end of the school day, pupils will be brought out to the playground by their teacher in order to match them up to the adult collecting. Safety and security is absolutely crucial, therefore if your child is to be collected by an adult we do not know; please do let the teacher know in the morning. Pupils will be kept in school safely if no adult arrives to collect.
After school clubs
After school clubs for upper stages P5-7 will commence next week beginning 7th September. Clubs are nearly full now so if your child is interested in a club they must let us know as soon as possible. Please note: clubs finish at 4pm. If your child is to be collected from the club then an adult must be here by 4pm.
Rookie Rockstars
All pupils will be having a very exciting week (like no other!) week beginning 21st September. We will be welcoming an organisation called Rookie Rockstars in to deliver music activities for the whole school. They will work with the pupils every morning and will teach a variety of songs around the theme of personal and social development. For example bullying, being proud of yourself, friendship, resilience etc. This will result in a Rockstars concert on the evening of 1st October 6.30pm, lasting approximately one hour, where your child will perform. Tickets will be priced at £5 each and will be limited to our dining hall capacity. Letters and forms to request tickets will be sent out on Monday. You can request up to two tickets for the performance, however once the tickets are sold out we will not be able to accommodate any other people. This is simply due to accommodation limitations.
Fuel Zone
This is a message for you from Cordia:
“Fuel Zone is the catering service provided in all Glasgow primary and secondary schools. The service is provided by Cordia who are part of Glasgow City Council. We offer a great value service where children can enjoy a tasty and healthy lunch in our vibrant dining areas. We offer a choice of three options each day and menus run on a three weekly cycle, allowing children to experience a variety of meals. We can also cater to specific dietry requirements including Halal, vegetarian and special medical diets. All primary1-3 children can enjoy a free lunch , while primaries 4-7 can receive a three course meal with a drink for only £1.70. Throughout the year the Fuel Zones are transformed for fun theme days celebrating different events in the calendar. Popular theme days include the annual Burns Supper and international theme days which provide an educational and enjoyable experience to children. We hope your children join us in the Fuel Zone for a fun and healthy lunchtime. For more information including full menus join us online at www.fuelzoneprimary.co.uk and follow us on Twitter :@FuelZoneGlasgow. To find out more about Cordia watch the video “Who we are and what we do” at www.cordia.co.uk/About-Us.”
Please can I remind all parents to apply for clothing grant and free meal entitlement, if you are eligible to do so. Even if your child is in P1-3 and receives a free meal anyway, you should still apply in order to access clothing grant. If your child has recently progressed to primary 4, they will now no longer automatically receive a free meal, you will have to apply for this. Please contact the school office for the correct paperwork, and if you require assistance in completing the information, please do let us know. We know from statistics that there is quite a significant gap between those eligible for grants and those taking up the grant. If you require any further information, please do contact us.
Last Friday
On Friday the 28th August we had dress down day and raised around £50. This will go straight to the school fund and thank you to those approximately 100 parents/carers who gave their child the money to help support their school experiences. A number of children did not bring 50p for this occasion. Money in school fund means more ‘extra’ interesting and exciting experiences for your child/children. If we have no money in school fund we cannot even begin to look at Christmas experiences or summer trips for the pupils. Very soon we will be issuing information on a school sponsor and we do hope you will support this as best you can.
Drinks in school
Can I please remind everyone of our request for water only in school. Pupils should only have plain water for during class time. If pupils wish to have flavoured water for break times this will be acceptable, however fruit shoots, capri suns etc etc should not be brought to school. We are continually trying to promote good health in our pupils and hope that you will support us in this.
Blairvadach
We have been very fortunate to have received funding to support a residential trip for all pupils in primary 6 and 7 to Blairvadach Outdoor Learning Centre. This is a fantastic opportunity and I hope all the pupils will go. There will be no cost for this experience for the pupils, although they will still have to bring their ‘tuck’ money, which will only be a few pounds. Pupils will leave from Royston Primary on Friday 13th November and return in the evening of Sunday 15th November. We are beginning preparations for this now, and much more detailed information will come out to parents and carers of the pupils involved.
Learner Conversations
We have been spending some time at school talking with the pupils about the curriculum and what it contains. We have also talked about expectation, success and achievement. During week beginning 14th September we will be having ‘learner conversations’. A random group of pupils will be selected from each class to discuss aspects of their learning and demonstrate evidence of their progress. This will be a very interesting piece of work and one which I would suggest you try at home. Ask your child about what they have been learning about, have they been successful and how do they know. We will also be talking about strategies that pupils can use if they require support in class. The purpose of this is to improve learning and teaching across the school.
BBC
BBC in partnership with Education Scotland were in school a short while ago, making a short film about building in the virtual world. This has now been edited and is complete. Please do take a look:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/makeitdigital
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews
Well done to the pupils and Amanda who worked hard on this.
Harvest Assembly
This year’s Harvest assembly will be on the 9th October at 9.45am and will be presented by primary 4/3. More information will come about this nearer the time.
Collection Cards
Many pupils are bringing Pokemon cards to school (possibly other types too). I have no issue with this at the present time as pupils seem to be dealing and swapping and playing positively with them at playtime and lunch time. It is lovely to see their interaction and engagement with peers in this activity. If we begin having difficulties, we may have to revise our requests, but at the present time all appears to be going reasonably well. However I must stress that, as is the same for game consoles and mobile phones etc, if cards are lost or go missing for whatever reason, pupils are responsible for this. We will support them if we can, but ultimately this is their responsibility.
Jane McShane
Acting Head Teacher
