Newsletter – Page 10 – Royston Primary School

31 January, 201831 January, 2018

February Newsletter

January/February 2018 Issue 4

Happy New Year everyone…I hope everyone has a happy and successful 2018!! This message is a little late…my apologies. Our refurbishment programme seems to be taking up most of our energy at the moment, but we can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel! We have a very busy term coming up with the diary full of opportunities for pupils across all stages in school.

Stay and Play

We have now had two very successful stay and play mornings in school and we are set to host these again. You will have already received a letter about this, but just to remind you of the organisation…

Tuesday 6^th Feb – P1 and P4/3

Wednesday 7^th Feb – P3/2 and P5/4

Thursday 8^th Feb – P6/5 and P7

All sessions are from 9.15-10am and you are welcome to join your child in class to observe and take part in some of their learning activities. This is a super opportunity to see your child ‘at work’ and I do hope you can manage along. If you are not able to attend, please do get in touch and we can try to arrange an alternative time/day. If you would prefer to e-mail me with regards to this my e-mail is:

headteacher@royston-pri.glasgow.sch.uk

Refurbishment

Our refurbishment programme is moving forward at a steady pace. Obviously we want this finished as quickly as possible but we don’t want to rush things. Our internal works is on track but external work has been delayed by around 5-6 weeks due to weather. I have already sent out a detailed update on different aspects of the programme, please refer to this for more information. As always, I am happy to speak with anyone about this and how we strive to minimise the impact on the pupils.

Quarriers

We continue to work closely with Quarriers organisation to provide support for pupils’ mental and emotional well-being. This is going very well with our worker Christine gradually building up positive relationships with pupils and staff. She is keen to meet with more parents and is available for you to pop in for a chat on Wednesdays 9-9.30am and 2.30-3pm.

After school clubs

As you will be aware, our afterschool clubs have had to be reduced due to our refurbishment programme. We are almost at a stage where these can be hosted again and we are looking to have a variety of clubs for different age groups. More information to follow soon.

Parents Evening

Our next parent meetings will take place on February 27^th. Parent’s appointments will be given out to all parents with parents/carers requiring interpreters being hosted the following week.

Trips and future events

P5-7 will participate in the event ‘How to Fix A Broken Wing’ on 16^th February. This will take place in school and addresses the issues around Global Citizenship and Sustainability.

Around 30 pupils will be attending cross country championships on 20^th February. Pupils have opted in to this opportunity.

P1 will be going on a trip to the Kelpies on the 21^st February in line with curricular work in class.

P3/2 will be going to Vikingar centre and bird sanctuary on the 22^nd February in line with curricular work in class

P4/3 will be attending the Egyptian showcase at Kelvingrove in March.

P6/5 will be attending Amazonia in relationship to their class learning on the Rainforest.

This is just a very brief overview for the next few weeks…not all opportunities are listed here!

School Attendance

I am very disappointed that since November our overall attendance rating has dropped. Pupils need to be in school every day or their learning and development WILL suffer. It is a very simple message to give. I know that every parent/carer wants their child to get the best from the education on offer and for this to happen, they must be in school every day. Please be rest-assured, if your child is ill during the school day, we will get in touch with you. In light of this, please can you ensure your contact details are kept up to date with our admin staff. It is vital that we have the correct contact numbers for you and emergency contacts.

World Book Day – 2^nd March 2018

In response to some feedback gathered last year, we will be celebrating this event in a slightly different way this year. There will be no dressing up. We will be having a pyjama party where pupils can wear their pyjamas and bring a book and a cushion. We will have a lovely ‘reading day’ Pupils will read themselves, listen to their peers reading and opt in to teacher stories. The whole day will centre around reading but with a more relaxed feel, focusing on reading for pleasure.

Transition

Upper transition work has already begun with Smithycroft staff beginning to get to know the pupils in P7. Although many of our pupils are not intending to attend Smithycroft Secondary, we must assume they will go there until their placing request for another establishment is confirmed. Smithycroft staff have been visiting and this will continue. We have also managed to forge links with St Roch’s Secondary in light of the fact that many of our pupils attend there. We will be able to take part in some of their transition activities with staff coming to get to know our pupils. We have some keyboarding lessons being taught by St Roch’s staff and pupils are enjoying this opportunity.

Our nursery transition programme is about to begin. We will be having monthly events, linking in with nursery pupils in our catchment area. Last year this proved very successful and we will look to replicate the programme whilst making some minor tweaks where required.

Credit Union

Credit Union runs on a Wednesday with school staff accompanying pupils to Spireview Housing association offices to deposit their money. This is a great way for pupils to begin to learn about finance and credit. If you would like your child to participate, please request an application form at the school office.

Healthy Snack

We continually encourage pupils to try to make good choices with snacks. Pupils can win awards at our Friday celebration assembly for having a healthy snack each day of the week. Once a pupil has 5 awards they will then get to go on a special outing or receive a special treat. This week, our 5 award pupils are going to the local park as a treat for making healthy choices with snacks. Pupils are excited about this and I hope we will be able to have lots more pupils winning awards.

I would also like to remind you that pupils are only allowed to have water at school. Flavoured water is fine for playtime and lunchtime but during class time, only plain water should be consumed. We actively promote drinking water as this stimulates brain development and ultimately increases pupils’ capacity to learn.

Child Protection

Policy, procedures and actual practice in child protection is being reviewed across Glasgow City Council at present. In light of this, it is important I let you know that I am the child protection coordinator for the school. In my absence, Ms White will take on the role. Should you have any concerns regarding the protection of children please do share it with us. We are able to pass issues on to social services and will record any information which may impact upon a child’s health and well-being or learning and development in school. We have very clear procedures in place and comply with all legislation and policy in place.

Midterm holiday dates

School will be closed to pupils on Monday 12^th, Tuesday 13^th and Wednesday 14^th February. We will return as normal on Thursday 15^th February.

School will them close again on 29^th March at 2.30pm for spring break. Pupils will return as normal on 16^th April.

Jane McShane

Head Teacher

9 November, 2017

Royston Primary November Newsletter

November 2017 Issue 3

Parents Appointments

Just a reminder that parent appointments will be scheduled for 21^st November for the main body of parents. If you require an interpreter your appointment will be on the 29^th November to allow time to book interpreters in varied languages. Every parent/carer will receive an appointment, however if you are unable to attend, please do let us know. ALL parent appointments will be in the dining hall this year in order to ensure safety and security for all parents, children and staff. It also allows us to set up information stands for you about various aspects of school life that will be of interest to you.

Interim reports will be issued next week in order that you can prepare for your appointment.

As always, we try our best to see/speak to parents/carers as and when a need arises, so please don’t feel you have to wait until you are given an appointment if you need to discuss anything with us.

Book Fayre

The Book Fayre is set to arrive again very soon! Book Fayre will be open week beginning 20^th November. As we usually do, Miss Gibson will take each class to look at books. If your child is interested in a book, she will write a wee note giving you the title and price of the book. Thereafter it is entirely YOUR decision as to whether or not you buy the book for your child. There is no pressure for you to buy any books at all. You may wish to keep this as a treat for good reports from class possibly!

Building Works

Our renovation work is full steam ahead at present. Outside work on stone work re-pointing and roof work is on going. Front playground toilets are on going, these have been slightly delayed because of issues with damp. Our second floor is nearing completion. Painting, new carpets, ceilings fully refurbished and new blinds almost complete in every room. Our gym hall has had extensive repairs done then painted with new flooring. Our sport committee are in the process of deciding how to place the floor markings to best suit our sporting needs. Toilet facilities and changing rooms are on going…and looking superb so far! Our janitor side stairwell has been closed down to school staff and pupils and scaffolding has been erected. This is to facilitate painting, new lighting, plasterwork etc. New flooring will be the final aspect. In turn, each floor/stairwell will be closed down and some alterations for entry and exit will need to be made.

We look to having no classrooms on the top floor of the building and welcoming in a Glasgow service to share our space. This will be a great development for our school and pupils as it will provide an extra resource for everyone to use. At present, the service is unconfirmed but I will update you as soon as I know.

Although this is causing some disruption, I feel the long term benefit is worth it. The completion date for the whole project is end of April 2018.

Enrolment

New entrant enrolment is this week. All enrolments should be completed online. If you require support for this, please pop into school on Wednesday for some help.

Primary 7 SOS work

Primary 7 pupils will be working in partnership with St Stephen’s Primary School on ‘Sense over Sectarianism’ work. This is to foster good relationships amongst our young people in society, taking religion away as a barrier to this. Pupils will be working on Communities Reunited project alongside an art and craft project. I will update you on any displays of knowledge that may be organised.

BOLT FM

Primary 7 pupils will soon embark on a project where they will host their very own live radio broadcast. This will go out online at the end of their project. The project starts on 7^th November and runs for 6 weeks.

Stay and Play

Due to the success of our last ‘stay and play’ day, we are having another one. This is replacing our open afternoon at the moment. Our next stay and play day is 15^th November, 9.15-10am. As you may be aware, our teaching methods in school have gradually progressed and we now operate an investigative, hands on type approach to most aspects of the curriculum. If you are able to come to stay and play, you will see how this works in class with your child.

Interfaith Week

Next week is interfaith week. Pupils will engage in various classroom activities in connection with this. We will also have our school chaplain giving pupils a presentation on Buddhism which I’m sure all will find very interesting. The idea of this week is to raise pupils awareness of different faiths and cultures. Our school is very diverse and multi-cultural and we should celebrate this by learning from each other.

After school Clubs

At the present time, after school clubs are a little tricky as we do not have use of the gym hall, and our after care service use the dining hall from 3pm onwards. We have tried very hard to ensure all clubs do not stop and I would ask that you support this as best you can. Rock and Roll dance is still running on a Wednesday in St Roch’s secondary, finishing at 4.10pm sharp. Football is still running out in the playground on a Wednesday after school. Computing is due to begin this week. After school Bridges and Barriers football is taking place at St Roch’s primary on a Tuesday and basketball on a Thursday after school too. The clubs are for P3 and upwards at the moment but as soon as we have all our school facilities back again, our younger clubs can begin.

Credit Union

Back up and running on a Wednesday! If you want your child to join, please ask them to collect an application form from the office.

Balornock Uniform Bank

Royston Primary School is delighted to announce a brand new partnership with Balornock Uniform Bank. They are doing fantastic things for families in the local area, for more information please have a look at their Facebook page!

Parents/carers can donate good quality school uniforms that they no longer require. They are laundered and ready to pass on to local families.

As the weather is turning colder they are also looking to take in jackets/coats and hats/scarves/gloves that your child has grown out of.

This is a great way for our children to receive new or nearly new items that might otherwise have been thrown away.

We are excited to take part in an initiative which will benefit local families directly and will help us in our goal of teaching sustainability. This will all help us as the eco-committee plan our application for the next eco flag!

Please hand donations into the school office.

Empowering Women

Calling all ladies! We will be starting an ‘Empowering Women’ group on 11^th January. This will run for 10 weeks and run every Thursday. It is a fantastic course and one I would urge you to consider. I will be sending out more information soon and sign up day is Thursday 7^th December 2.30pm. You can come and find out a bit more about it that day too.

Attendance

Unfortunately our attendance figure have slipped a little, possibly as the colder weather arrives. Please get your child to school. It is crucial to their life chances and choices that they are in the habit of coming to school every day.

You will receive an attendance print out with your child’s interim report and you will see whether your child’s attendance is a cause for concern. I am becoming increasingly worried about some pupils school attendance and I will be contacting our education liaison officer to support some families.

Pyjama Party

We will be hosting our second P1 and P2 pyjama party on the 13^th November. This is in partnership with stretch a nickel foundation, who support us by providing books and refreshments on the evening. This event will run from 6.30-7.30pm in the flexicentre. A number of our teachers will be working with small groups on very easy, no resources games and activities and the evening will finish off with a bedtime story and hot chocolate. Pupils can come in their pyjamas! We held this event some time ago and parents and pupils gave great feedback. I do hope you will join us for this venture!

Christmas Fayre

This year our parent council are leading the Christmas Fayre on 30^th November. Pupils will be making things to sell and there will be the usual very popular stalls – tombola, raffle, brick-a-brak etc! I ask you though – PLEASE HELP!! Parent council and school have lots of great ideas, but we need you to help with them…or they cannot happen! If you are available prior to the day or just on the day to help – let me know or speak with a parent council member.

Christmas!

Yes it has come round again…how does it come so quickly! Many plans are already in place for Christmas…including outings for every pupil, parties, choir performance calendar ( 6 events so far!) and our end of term Christmas assembly. All dates are not confirmed and I will send out my Christmas info as soon as I have everything finalised!

Purple Day!

Thank you to everyone who sent money with their child to take part in ‘Purple day’ in order to raise money for Children’s Hospital Charity. We sent off a cheque for £68…great total!

Jane McShane

Head Teacher

27 September, 201727 September, 2017

Royston Primary Awarded Silver Status by SPORTSCOTLAND

Royston Primary in Glasgow, has been recognised with a prestigious national award for innovation and achievement in delivering physical education and extra-curricular sport.

The school has achieved the sportscotland Silver School Sport Award for their commitment to engaging all pupils in sporting activity.

As part of the National Lottery funded programme, the sportscotland School Sport Award is a national initiative that is designed to encourage schools to continuously improve physical education and sport. The Award also encourages sporting links between schools and the communities around them.

Stewart Harris, Chief Executive of sportscotland, said: “Congratulations to all the staff and pupils at Royston – they should be extremely proud of this fantastic achievement. Not only have they put physical education and sport at the heart of their school and local community, but they have managed to do so in a way that encourages all pupils to engage in physical activity whilst having fun at the same time.

“sportscotland is committed to building a world-class sporting system for everyone, and a crucial part of that is putting young people at the heart. Working with our partners in local authorities and governing bodies of sport, we are creating closer links between physical education, school sport and club sport, which benefits young people by providing more and better opportunities to take part in sport.”

With more applications than ever before, there are currently 212 sportscotland Gold School Sport Award schools. 336 schools have been awarded Silver and 84 with Bronze.

To achieve a Bronze or Silver sportscotland School Sport Award, schools self-assess their current practice. However, to gain Gold status an extensive external assessment is also carried out by an independent panel of experts.

Mr Steer, from Royston Primary school commented: “It’s an honour to be awarded the sportscotland Silver School Sport Award. All staff and children work incredibly hard to deliver quality Physical Education, Physical Activity and School Sport opportunities. We believe that physical education, physical activity and sport are very important factors in the school curriculum, not only in helping make children healthy but also in helping them become ready to learn. We also believe that life skills such as team work, dealing with disappointment and showing respect towards other people can be taught through sport.

The sportscotland School Award is supported by the Active Schools Network, a programme that involves sportscotland working in partnership with all 32 local authorities to encourage schools to ensure there are opportunities for all children and young people to engage, participate and reach their potential in this area.

The on-line self-assessment tool supports schools to achieve this by helping them to reflect on their current practice and identify areas for improvement. It also puts the young people in the school at the forefront of the decision making and implementation processes around sport in their school.

For more information, please visit https://sportscotland.org.uk/schools/school-sport-award/

31 August, 2017

September Newsletter

ROYSTON PRIMARY SCHOOL

September 2017 Issue 1

Welcome!

Welcome back everyone! The start of a new and exciting session 2017/18. All pupils have come back to school fresh and full of energy…ready to learn. Primary 1 pupils have settled in very well and are enjoying a great variety of learning opportunities in class. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, queries, worries or concerns. We are looking forward to a BUSY, BUSY term! Read on…

Building Works

I thought I would start off with this because it is so noticeable! Scaffolding on the front is complete and work will begin soon cleaning and re-pointing the stonework. Roofers will then move onto the roof where parts will be completely replaced. All drainpiping and guttering is to be completely renewed. As this is ongoing, scaffolding will continue round the rest of the building and I’m afraid this will remain for a year. The inside of the building is set for some refresh too. Toilets are the main priority and these will be completely refitted. IF there is budget money still available, we will have the classrooms decorated and newly carpeted…however this will be confirmed soon. There may be times where entrances and exits are altered due to the works and I ask for your support and patience with this. Your child’s safety and security are our top priority and we will continually assess works to ensure all service users are kept safe. If you have any questions or concerns, please do let me know.

School Improvement Plan

At the beginning of every year, we produce a school improvement plan in order to guide our developments for the coming session. We are always looking for ways to improve and enhance our service to you and your children. This is why your comments on questionnaires and evaluations are so important…we use these to shape our plans. We also seek the views of the pupils and build these into our improvements. This year, we have a heavy focus on raising attainment. Our school was given £85,200 to help us to do this and we have used this mainly to increase our staffing…we believe that human resource is the best way to really push our pupils on in their learning. We are looking closely at our infant learning environment, digital literacy, resources, specific progression in core areas of literacy, numeracy and health and well-being. Our second priority is assessment, which goes hand in hand with raising attainment. We have brought in standardised assessments in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy and these will be tracked throughout the session. You will be given information on this specific to your child in due course. Priority 3 is on sustainability. As you know, we managed to gain our green flag for our ECO work and we need to maintain and develop this. We will also focus on children’s rights, ensure pupils understand their own rights, and respect the rights of others. Priority 4 is family learning. An addition to our staffing this year is Christine who works for Quarriers organisation. She will be working with small groups of pupils and will be trying to get to know our parent body. Christine starts with us this week and I will keep you informed as to how we will progress with this.

All in all, a busy session! It’s good to be busy though!

Staffing

Our staffing this year has started of very well. We are fully staffed with teaching and support staff which ensures a settled and supportive environment for pupils. Miss Laird is now called Mrs Mair after she got married in the summer break! Congratulations Mr and Mrs Mair!

I must also tell you that Mrs Jamieson will be retiring at October break. Mrs Jamieson will be missed by pupils and staff and we wish her lots of rest, relaxation and fun in her retirement! I can assure you that recruitment process has started already in order to ensure a smooth transition for primary 6/5 class. I will keep parents informed as the process develops.

Attendance

Our overarching attendance figure for session 2016/17 was 93%. This is not meeting Glasgow’s standard of 97%. I am disappointed in this as the previous session 2015/16 the figure was 94.5% We have not gone in the right direction. I am lost as to why our figure is poor and I ask for your support in this. Pupils need to be at school every day, school is compulsory. There should only be very rare occasions when children require to be off school. Pupils can come to school with colds and coughs. They can come to school if they have minor skin infections/allergies. They can come to school with a minor temperature. They can come to school even if they have slept in. There are very few reasons as to why a pupil cannot come to school. If you are not sure, please phone us. Please also be re-assured that if your child is unwell while at school, we will contact you. Appointments should be made out with school hours if at all possible. However, if this is not possible pupils should only be out of school for the time needed for appointment and not a half day. Our attendance must improve and I will contact you directly if I am concerned about your child’s attendance.

Stay and Play

I am almost certain that when many of you ask your child what they did at school that day, they may say ‘nothing’ or ‘just played all day’…these are very standard responses! Learning in school is very different now than it was 10 or more years ago. Learning is facilitated by the teacher by using practical hands on experiences – games, activities, cooperative learning etc. This ensures coverage of curricular content but also teaches the children how they learn – sharing ideas, problem solving, communication and team working, thus preparing them for the world of work when they grow up. In order to demonstrate this, we would like to invite you in for a stay and play session with your child, in your child’s class. This will replace an open afternoon this term and we will seek feedback from you on the value of this. On your allocated day you are welcome to come to school from 9.15am-10am and take part in some learning activities selected by your child’s class teacher. Class teacher will be supporting these activities but may also be able to speak with you about how you could use some of these activities at home, and strategies for homework. They will not enter into confidential consultations but they will indeed be able to give you ideas and strategies to help you support your child at home. Please see dates below:

P1 and P4/3 – Tuesday 12^th September 9.15-10am

P3/2 and P5/4 – Wednesday 9.15-10am

P6/5 and P7 – Thursday 13^th September 9.15-10am

Please note: from 9-9.15am class teacher will be completing attendance records and sorting dinner money and orders out, hence 9.15am start time.

Credit Union

Many of our pupils have joined credit union which is effectively like a savings account. Pupils are taken to Spireview Housing Association on a Wednesday where Credit Union staff are based and pupils can deposit their money. Pupils will bring home a receipt each week stating how much they have saved so far. Money can be withdrawn but one week notice needs to be given. This is a great opportunity for pupils of all ages to start thinking about money management and savings. Pupils wishing to join should collect an application form from the school office.

Primary 1

As I have said already, P1 pupils are settling very well. They are engaging in learning experiences and enjoying what school has to offer. I am delighted to be able to report this and I have no doubt they will continue to grow and develop positively as time goes on. P1 pupils will come to school 9am-3pm starting on 4^th September.

Prospective Parents

We will be inviting any prospective parents into school on 25^th October 2-3pm. This is to allow parents the chance to see inside the school and ask any early questions they may have. We will be informing the nurseries of this opportunity but if you know of anyone due to enrol for Royston Primary starting August 2018, please do let them know!

Website

We are looking to enhance our school website by including more specifics on class activities. Each class will have a spot light area where class teachers will post some things pupils have been working on over each term. We are just getting this up and running now and will let you know when there is something to see!

Family Carnival

St Rollox Tesco are hosting a family carnival event from 7^th September until 17^th September. For a cost of £5.99, children can have unlimited rides and use of all available equipment. A proportion of the money raised will then be given to the school for school fund. Please do go along and support the school!

A few things from the diary so far…

Primary 1 pupils will be having their picture taken for the Evening Times on 7^th September 11am. Please ensure P1 pupils are wearing shirt and tie.

There will be a major focus on Basketball this coming session. We will be participating in a mini league with local schools, and engaging with a club championship programme also.

Primary 7 will soon have the opportunity to learn paddle sports and bike skills. This will begin on the 18^th September, more information to follow.

Gardening and Cookery will start again soon, along with the very popular parent and child cooking class. Look out for sign in letters coming as this club fills up VERY fast!

P5 pupils will participate in Great Scottish Schools Run on the 29^th September. More information nearer the time

Flu vaccines will be given on 3^rd October.

First induction day at Smithycroft Secondary is 10^th October. There is an Open Evening for all prospective parents on 7^th September at 7pm.

Parent’s Evening will be on 21^st November, with the interim report coming out a week or so before hand.

We will be having a ‘Purple’ day on 11^th October. This is in order to raise money for children’s charities, and we ask that each pupil brings £1.

Harvest Assembly will be on 12^th October with P5/4 and P4/3 leading.

Please see reverse of this sheet for holiday dates for this coming session.

A few regular items…

PE Kit – Pupils MUST bring PE kit to school for PE days. Mr Steer issued a letter with each class PE allocation on it and pupils must bring suitable clothing and footwear. This is a part of the core curriculum and is not an ‘opt in’ extra.

Water – Pupils are only permitted to drink water in school. At play or lunch time this can be a flavour water but should still be clear in colour. No squash or colourings to be added. In class, pupils should have a water bottle and bring water to drink during working time.

Weather – As we know, the weather each day can be very changeable. I have noticed many pupils coming to school unprepared for this. Pupils should have a waterproof, hooded jacket to wear to and at school. There will be very few occasions where pupils will not be outside during the day. Pupils WILL be outside even if it rains! It would only be in very extreme or dangerous weather conditions that I would allow the pupils to be inside.

Healthy Eating – we focused closely on this aspect during last term. Pupils were working hard to ensure healthier lifestyles by exercising and trying to eat healthy foods. This appears to have slipped a little over the holiday. We now have pupils bringing in large family size bars of chocolate and big packets of crisps. This is not necessary and not healthy. Pupils only need a very small snack to eat at playtime and their lunch at lunch time. There is NO need for multiple snacks during the day. I’m sure you will support us in trying to ensure healthy lifestyles for all pupils.
Late coming – I am disappointed at the number of pupils not ready in line for school at 9am. This does not make for a positive start to the day. I am monitoring this very closely as I begin to book house trips and behaviour treats. I will also require to speak with parents/carers if pupils are continually late for school.

Jane McShane

Head Teacher