March Newsletter

February 2017 Issue 5

 

Parent Council

I want to say a huge thanks to parent council members for their continued hard work in supporting school life. Most recently, members have upcycled filing cabinets and planted them beautifully! We are now looking at the back playground for improvement and will continue to add to this as we can.

If you are interested in being a member of the parent council, please speak with me and I can link you with current members.

Fruit and Veg Barra

Just a wee reminder for everyone that our fruit and veg barra runs every week. Fruit and veg on sale at significantly reduced price. Our primary 7 pupils run this and would love to see more people visit. It will either be in the front playground or just inside the main door.

Fruity Tuckshop

Our fruity tuck shop has now been running for almost a month. Fruit is well priced at 20-30p. This is not intended to give us a profit as our key aim is to provide healthy options for all pupils. We have been a little disappointed in uptake, with a minority of pupils using the tuck shop. We would really like this to increase. Please do consider giving your child some change to buy a healthy snack Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday…we do not want this venture to stop!

School Refurbishment

I am delighted (and a little anxious!) to tell you that I have had confirmation that Royston Primary will be receiving a full refurbishment, starting in the coming months. This will give our pupils freshly decorated classrooms with new carpets, complete overhaul of all toilet facilities, newly plastered corridor walls and possibly a totally new roof to the building. I have no further details on when this is due to begin or how long this is expected to take. Having had some previous experience of this, I feel this will take quite some time, and will involve various alterations to entry/exit, playground space etc and I ask for your patience during this time. The ‘goal’ I hope, will be well worth it!

World Book Day

World Book Day is on the 2nd March and we will be having our Big Book Event on Friday the 3rd March. Pupils can dress up as a book character and we will have a costume parade in the dining hall in the morning. Pupils will ‘opt in’ to various book related groups during the day. The aim of this day is to widen pupils interest in reading by exploring different genres of text. I’m sure this will be a very positive day for all. Our travelling book fayre will come again towards the end of March…we will continue to update you on specific dates for this.

Pupil Equity Fund

As I’m sure many of you will know from the media, Royston Primary will be receiving £85,200 as part of the governments equity initiative. The government states education as the top priority for them, and as such have invested greatly in schools. The amount of money each school has received is dependent on free school meal entitlement. Plans for this money are by no means finalised and Glasgow City Council are issuing us with strict guidance on use of the money. I will continue to update you on developments as they occur.

Summer Trip

We are beginning to explore options for our annual summer trip for all pupils. We are looking to book this quite soon as buses tend to book up very quickly. I will shortly put out a very brief questionnaire regarding cost and location. Please do give me all ideas you have.

Dress Down Day

As you will know, we have a dress down day on the last Friday of each month at the cost of 50p. This money goes DIRECTLY to our pupils. We use this money to support visiting experts, trips and experiences out of school, gifts and celebrations throughout the year and additional resources not covered by our basic school budget. Recently many pupils have been ‘dressing down’, but have not been bringing in 50p. This is very disappointing. We will continue to monitor this through our cash books as we need to ensure pupils are equally contributing in order to gain from this.

London

If your child is in primary 7 you may have heard that they are going to London! This is not strictly true at the present time. Having spoken to pupils in P7, it was clear that they were keen to go to London for their ‘end of primary school’ experience. I have spent time exploring whether this may be a viable and sensible option, with pupil safety and security as the top priority. Progress to date gives me a sensible quote from a company called Curriculum Travels. They offer a 3 night/4 day experience with a jam packed itinerary. The cost is quite substantial and so I am looking at funding options in order to reduce cost for parents and carers as much as I possibly can. I’m expecting to have an update on this early in March and I will keep relevant parents/carers posted as I learn more about whether this could become a reality.

Annual Royston Clean Up event

The clean up will take place for P4/3-7 pupils on the 1st March. This year, our youth forum members are planning the event, which involves booking the venue, ordering and requesting resources and support from the council and making purchases for the ‘goodie bags’. This has been a real learning experience for pupils supported by Spireview Housing Association. All pupils will be closely monitored in small groups by adults and we will be preparing them for this by engaging in conversation about why this is important. The main aim is to ensure our pupils understand the value of their community and grow to respect and look after it.

Staffing

Staffing is a regular feature of our school newsletter as I believe it is crucial for you to know and understand who is working with your children. Staffing remains reasonably stable at present. Mrs Jamieson is not in school at present, but Mr Steer has taken on full commitment for P7 in order to maintain consistency in this important year in primary school. Our teaching students are in place with P6/5 and P7 and we continue to work with United Sports to provide coaches for after school activities.

We also continue to have our reading partners from Clydesdale Bank who come on a Wednesday and Thursday. They enjoy coming and our pupils benefit from some one to one support.

School Photographer

The photographer will be in school on Thursday 2nd March. He will be taking individual and class photographs. If you would like a family photograph taken please inform the office staff.

Celebrating Success

Primary 3/2 and street dance after school club pupils will be invited to perform at Smithycroft celebrating success community event to be held on 16th March from 6-7pm. These particular pupils will receive a more detailed letter about this in the next week or two.

Red Nose Day

We try to limit the number of fundraisers we embark on as there are so many that come up over a calendar year. As we have not raised funds for charity very recently, we will be having a pyjama day on Friday the 24th March. Pupils can come to school wearing their pyjamas and bring a teddy or a cushion. All pyjama children must pay a pound for this privilege! All pounds collected will go straight to the Red Nose Day collection fund.

Holiday Dates

School will close for the holidays on the 31st March at 2.30pm. This is spring break. Pupils will return to school on Tuesday the 18th April, with Easter Monday being Monday the 17th April.

Spring Service

Spring Service will be held on Thursday the 30th March and will be hosted by primary 2/3 and 5/6 pupils. More information on times to follow.

 

 

 

 

Jane McShaneSchool Badge

Head Teacher

 

Credit Union

January 2017

 

CREDIT UNION

 

Dear Parent/Carer,

 

We continue to offer all pupils the opportunity to join Credit Union.

 

A credit union for pupils has many benefits.

  • Pupils learn about saving money and how to manage money effectively
  • Pupils learn about the community spirit of a credit union and about dividends
  • Pupils learn responsibility and ownership skills by engaging weekly/monthly in the credit union process.

 

We access the Pollok credit union already set up in the area with SpireView Housing. Each Wednesday morning we accompany pupils to the Spireview office to make their deposits, no matter how much or how little.

 

Pupils do not need to deposit every week and the amount of money does not matter as this is more about the learning process.

 

If you would like your child to sign up for this opportunity, please notify the office and we will send a form out for you to complete.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Jane McShane

 

Head Teacher

After School Clubs

January 2017

AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS – ALL CLASSES

Dear Parents/carers,

As usual we have a variety of clubs commencing and continuing this term and we hope that all our pupils will find something interesting, beneficial and fun to join.

OUR CLUBS CONTINUING:

* Hip Hop – Tuesday for P3/2 class (started)

* Basketball – Wednesday for P5-7 (starting back 25th Jan)

* Computing – Wednesday for P3-7 (starting back 1st Feb)

* Football – Thursday for P5-7 (started)

If your child already attends one of the above clubs you DO NOT need to complete the slip below. If a club from last term is not listed above, this means it is finished.

NEW CLUBS:

* Tennis – Monday for P2-4 (Miss White and Miss McLelland)

* Art – Wednesday for P5-7 (Mr Doherty)

* Active Play – Thursday for P4 and P6 play champs (PEEK)

* Netball – Friday for P5-7 (United Sport coach)

* Street Dance – Tuesday for P5-7 (United Sport coach)

* Card trading/gaming – Monday for P3-6 (Mr Thomson)

A few new clubs have started this week, if this involves your child then you will know about this. However ALL new clubs will be starting next week, week beginning 23rd January. All clubs run from 3-4pm.

If your child is interested and would like to join, please ask the office for a form to complete.

If you have any questions or queries about clubs, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. I will fully understand if you require clarification as there are a number of after school activities and it does become confusing!

Kind Regards,

Jane McShane

Royston PE Update

PE in Royston Primary – January Update!

This term there has been some changes with the timetable due to activities, visitors and initiatives in the school. As a result, I have made a short table to help you understand when your child will require a PE kit in school.

Class PE kit is needed on…
P2/1 Tuesday & Friday
P3/2 Monday & Thursday
P4/3 Tuesday & Thursday
P5/4 Monday & Thursday
P6/5 Tuesday & Wednesday
P7 Monday & Wednesday

 

Each class receive 2.5 hours of quality PE each week which we are very proud of. This is on top of regular opportunities for physical activity as well.

We expect all children to have a full change for PE (a change of top, shorts/jogging bottoms/leggings and indoor shoes. Because PE time is split over two days and many of our children participate in after school sports activities, many children bring their PE kit in on a Monday and take it home on Friday to be washed. This means it is left in school overnight from Monday to Friday which is a great way of making sure the kit is always there when needed!

Sometimes, a specialist coach will come in to work with some classes. The class teacher or I should be able to let you know in advance if PE kit is needed on another day. However, as I said before I would recommend your child brought in a clean kit on Monday and they left it until Friday so that they always have their kit ready.

Many thanks for your help,

Mr Steer

January Newsletter

January 2017 Issue 4

School Badge

Happy New Year!

Well, we have come back to a very busy and exciting new year! 2017 looks like it will go at the usual fast pace, full of energy and enthusiasm from all! Please do read on to find out some details of plans so far…as well as some of the usual newsletter features. As always, I welcome your comments and thoughts on every aspect of school life and look forward to continuing our partnership working.

School Improvement Planning

I’m sure you will recall the information given in issue 1 with regard to our school priorities for this session. Staff have been working with these at our regular after school collegiate time and I give the following update.

  • Numeracy – Mrs Jamieson is our numeracy leader of learning and has received extensive training as part of Glasgow City Council’s ‘Glasgow Counts’ programme. Mrs Jamieson has worked individually with all pupils in P4-7 in order to conduct assessments which will guide our intervention model due to start this term. Mrs Jamieson will model lessons and team teach in most classes, allowing intensive support for pupils mainly in numeracy, but also across all aspects of mathematics.
  • Literacy – Our library is almost ready for regular use and we thank the parent council for the contribution to support purchasing new furniture and books. A big thanks also to those who have bought from the school book fairs provided by scholastic. We receive a generous percentage of sales and at present we have £276 to spend
  • Health and Well-Being – we have been focusing mainly on healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. We are trying to encourage pupils to change unhealthy crisps and sweets snacks for more healthier ones, and we give awards to commend pupils for making these good choices. We are not demanding that pupils change their eating habits, but teaching them that healthier options are better for the body.
  • Sustainability – We await our Eco award. This process no longer offers a ‘green flag’ but we aim for ‘Global Goals’. Work has been completed throughout the school and application has been submitted for assessment. We hope to hear very soon.

I hope you find this brief summary useful, but please do get in touch if you would like more information on how we continue to try to improve the service.

Fruity Tuckshop

In order to support pupils in making healthy snack choices, we are starting a healthy tuckshop. To begin with, this will be offered on a Tuesday and Wednesday and we hope to identify most popular items to sell. We will have bananas, apples, tangerines and grapes to start us off, all with cost of between 20-30p. Pupils will get more information on exact prices in the next few days.

Transition

We have successfully begun a transition programme for nursery-primary. Children from St. Roch’s nursery, Sighthill Nursery, Royston Nursery and Rosemount nursery visit us once per fortnight to take part in some structured activities along with some of our primary 1 children. We hope to continue this for the foreseeable future.

SOS

Our primary 7 pupils are taking part in Glasgow’s Sense over Sectarianism programme along with pupils from St Stephen’s primary. This is based around the novel ‘Divided City’ and aims to encourage clear and simple anti-sectarianism messages. Pupils are enjoying the work so far and look forward to their next trip to St Stephen’s on Wednesday.

School Attendance

Please can I remind all parents and carers that attendance at school is compulsory. Attendance figures are not good at present and this is very disappointing. If pupils are off school their education will suffer. I understand there are times when absence is unavoidable but this should not lead to an attendance percentage lower than around 97%. Attendance is tracked every month and if your child’s attendance is lower than 90% I will require to meet with you to discuss.

Intergenerational Work

Linked with curriculum for excellence outcomes, our primary 5/4 pupils will engage in some work with the older members of the community. Pupils will visit the Rainbow Hall on a Thursday to share some experiences of playing ‘old fashioned’ games and singing old songs. This fits well with a number of aspects of the curriculum whilst at the same time, being an enjoyable experience for the pupils. Skills such as reading and understanding instructions, sharing resources, taking turns and the development of social skills has somehow been lost with the fast paced ever developing world of technology, and it is time we increased priority of these life skills.

Annual Royston Clean Up event

The clean up will take place for P4/3-7 pupils on the 1st March. This year, our youth forum members are planning the event, which involves booking the venue, ordering and requesting resources and support from the council and making purchases for the ‘goodie bags’. This has been a real learning experience for pupils supported by Spireview Housing Association. All pupils will be closely monitored in small groups by adults and we will be preparing them for this by engaging in conversation about why this is important. The main aim is to ensure our pupils understand the value of their community and grow to respect and look after it.

Staffing

A regular feature in the newsletter now due to the importance of you knowing who is in school working with your children. Our staffing remains stable at present. In addition, we have a new volunteer Christina McDonald, working with P1 P3/2, P4/3 and P6/5. Christina is fully disclosed and works closely with the class teacher. Mickdona out regular volunteer will stop soon to have her baby! We thank her so much for all she has done for Royston pupils and wish her good luck in her up and coming life changing event!

We will soon be joined by 2 teaching students who will work in P6/5 and P7. This will be their final placement and they will be with us until May.

We continue to have our reading partners from Clydesdale Bank who come on a Wednesday and Thursday. They enjoy coming and our pupils benefit from some one to one support.

Open Afternoon

Our next open afternoon is on the 7th February 2-3pm. Another opportunity for you to see your children ‘at work’. I do hope you can manage to come.

Formal Parent Appointments

Parent Appointments will be held on the 23rd February, from 3-7pm. You will be given your appointment time for this evening. As always however, we are available to discuss matters with you at any time throughout the year; just let us know.

Photographer

Tempest photographer will be in school on the 2nd March. More information about this to follow.

Holiday Dates

School will be closed for the mid-term break and in-service training from Friday 10th February and re-open on Thursday the 16th February. School will finish at 2.30pm on 31st March for the Spring Break and re-open on 18th April at 9am.

Car Park

Car park gate will be closed at 3pm every day as this has not to be used for parents and carers picking pupils up. This is becoming a real health and safety risk with pupils running across the car park and cars exiting the car park while pupils exit school from the gate directly beside the vehicle exit. I must ensure all possible measures are in place to ensure pupils are kept safe and this is necessary.

 

Jane McShane

Head Teacher

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