Newsletter – Page 8 – Royston Primary School

11 November, 201811 November, 2018

November Newsletter

November 2018 Issue 3

Term 2

We had a slightly bumpier than expected start to term 2 this session with some unexpected pupil days off due to strike action. Teachers were in school and working on planning and other future developments. There is a possibility of more strike action this term and I will inform you of any plans for this as soon as I am made aware.

Homework

You will see that we have devised new plans for homework this term. These are being trialled now and your child should have brought home their homework schedule and also an information booklet for yourself. In addition to this homework, pupils will continue the daily practice of reading, spelling and sumdig as these are simply learned by continual practise and repetition.

The homework schedule is mainly based around health and well-being. This is because we know that if pupils are not stable, supported and secure in their health and well-being, it is very unlikely they will learn to their potential. I do hope you will support your child in their updated homework and please do tweet us with pictures or feedback from any assigned task – we would love to see it in action! We will also be seeking feedback from pupils and parents/carers about this in order to improve as we go forward.

Education City

In addition to the above, you should all be aware that all pupils have log in details for Education City. This is a suite of activities and resources that pupils can access and complete online learning. We have paid for all pupils to have access for one year and would like to see this resources maximised. If you do not know about this or have lost log in details, please do chat with the teacher about this either on or before parent meetings.

Library

In addition to the above, we have embarked on a plan of fortnightly library visits. We are very grateful to the library for supporting these with staff and advice. We have been actively encouraging all pupils to have a library card and they need you to complete and sign the form to do so. At the moment pupils can withdraw books if you have completed a form. These books can be taken home and read for enjoyment. Pupils can them bring these to school to return on their next allocated library day, or they can return these to the library in their own time. We hope this will encourage pupils to use the library out with school, giving them the confidence to do it. I am amazed at the wealth of resources and material the library has, and we want the pupils to start exploring this, thus taking some responsibility and ownership for their own learning.

Book Banding

AGAIN…in addition to the above…we have just bought in a large selection of new reading material for all abilities of reading and hopefully catering to all preferences in material. We have various graphic novels, non-fiction texts, supernatural, fiction, animals etc etc. We are in the process of changing our reading teaching to make it more bespoke to individual pupils. We are moving away from group reading.

At present, staff are working to level and band all the reading books that we have. All pupils have been assessed for a reading band and level and, as soon as resources are organised, pupils will only select from their own ability. This will allow for a more progressive and focused approach to developing and teaching reading.

This process is not complete right now and I will inform you more of this in the next newsletter.

Parent Appointments

It will soon be time to host our formal parent appointments. Parent meetings with class teacher will be on 20^th November 3.30-7pm. Every parent/carer will be offered an appointment time. Please do get in touch if this does not suit you.

We will have our parent appointments with translators the following week.

Staffing

Staffing at present is stable. In addition to our core staffing, we are welcoming around 60 teaching students in each week as we again engage with Strathclyde University Numeracy Clinic. Pupils are selected based on their classwork and assessment results, which reflect that with some support and input, they could make better progress. This is the third year we have engaged with the programme and it has always been a very positive experience, both for our pupils and for the students. In addition to this, we now have BA students in primary 2 – Miss Chism, and primary 4/3 Miss Warren. The students will be with us one day each week at present, and then 3 days each week come February.

Stay and Play

Sessions this term were very poorly attended. We had very few parents/carers taking up the opportunity to come to class. Tis means we need to re-think! We tried offering 3 days open so that parents could chose which one would suit them, I’m not sure whether this was a wise choice. As a staff group we will explore other options and consult with our parents and carers about different options. Please do let us know what you think as we won#’t get it right if we don’t hear your voice.

Cake and Count

Cake and count was also poorly attended. This was unfortunate as Mr Steer had a great presentation dn range of activities to demonstrate new thinking around numeracy teaching and learning.

Again, we will re-think this and see what other offers we can make to you as parents.

Balornock Uniform Bank

You may have seen our hanging rail in the main foyer outside the school office. This rail of professionally dry cleaned pre-loved uniform is free for you to help yourself. If you can find something that is suitable for your child, please do take it. There is no expected charge for any item, but if you are able to give a very small amount of money to school fund, we would be very grateful – even if this is just a 50p or £1. I would actively encourage you to take what you need from the rail. In addition, if you have any uniform items that you no longer need, please do donate them to the bank. There is a donations box sitting beside the rail.

P1 and P2 Parent Fast Start group

In partnership with Rosemount Lifelong Learning Centre, we are running a very informal group for P1 and P2 parents. This is on every Friday 1.45-2.45pm. The group leader communicates closely with our P1 and P2 teachers and will support parents with various aspects of school life. Why not give it a go!

Sport Scotland Award

We were delighted to hear recently that we have won a Sport Scotland Gold Award! The organisation is coming to present the pupils with their award on the 26^th November 9am. Thereafter we will be having a full day of sport and activity. We have a number of coaches and experts coming in to work with classes and pupils will be exposed to some sports that they have not tried before. In the afternoon we will have a Sport Scotland Super Sponsor event. More details and sponsor sheets will come out with pupils very soon!

Christmas

At the present time Christmas is looking very confusing! We have so many things we want to do with the pupils, that time tabling is becoming a challenge!! I will send out a dedicated Christmas newsletter in a few weeks giving you specifics. At present we have pantomimes, science centre Christmas visits, numerous choir events week days and weekends, parties, market visits etc etc!!

Please do hold the date 29^th November for the Christmas Fayre! We are ever grateful for those parents who are in the parent council and those who support the parent council on the day…the fayre just wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for their planning and preparation…and keeping me on track!! As always we would appreciate any donations for tombola, raffle, brik-a-brak and sweeties. This year pupils are making lots of holder type things…and we need sweets like maltesers, chocolate raisins, marshmallows, buttons etc to fill them. All donations gratefully received.

Jane McShane

Head Teacher

Headteacher@royston-pri.glasgow.sch.uk

5 September, 2018

September Newsletter

September 2018 Issue 1

Welcome!

Welcome back everyone! The start of a new and exciting session 2018/19. 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…

School Improvement Plan

Every year all schools in Glasgow create a school improvement plan. This plan takes into consideration all evaluative feedback we receive from pupils, parents/carers, staff and partners. We also assess our performance in line with the National Evaluation Framework ‘How Good Is Our School 4’. This process is on-going throughout the year. I have analysed results of last session evaluations and these are displayed in the main foyer or downstairs at the main door.

This year we have several priorities. We aim to continue improvements in mathematics under the guidance of our highly trained and skilled Mr Steer. He will lead us in our developments again this year. Mathematic attainment figures are increasing across the school and our pupils are skilled in this area – we need to continue to improve and be able to sustain those improvements. We also have on our plan a focus on reading and writing. We look to ensure all pupils are able to read at their own specific level at all times and this is facilitated with high quality resources. We are exploring our writing assessment process in order to moderate our writing expectation across the school. We also have on plan a focus on parental engagement as we know this supports pupil greatly in achieving to their potential. There will continue to be a focus on health and well-being for all pupils – ensuring they are mentally and emotionally stable and ready to learn.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like to read the improvement plan or want further information.

Staffing

Staffing at present is stable and all classes are settled with relevant and appropriate staff. As always, we will welcome teaching students and possibly volunteers over the course of the session, but at present we do not have information about this.

Attendance

Last session we had a little growth in our attendance and I would really like to see that increase. The growth was 1% from 93% up to 94%. Our target this session is 96% and I aim to get to that. Pupils need to come to school every day. They may have a very short period of ill health which may result in an absence, but if this is prolonged, they should have a medical certificate. I worry about pupils with very sporadic attendance, pupils who have odd days off randomly. This is hindering your child’s progress at school and must not occur. If you wish to speak to me about attendance issues, please do pop in or give me a call. There may be things we can do to help and support.

Stay and Play

Stay and Play sessions will continue this session in term 2-4. These are opportunities for you to see your child ‘at work’. You will see the types of learning they are engaged in, and observe how learning and teaching happens in this current school system. You may also get some ideas for things you can do at home to support your child’s learning. These are open opportunities for you and I would encourage you to attend. In order to support more parents/carers to attend, especially those with work commitments, I have noted the dates for sessions below. I have made sessions more flexible so that you can have some selection in the day you attend. I am aiming for 100% attendance!

Stay and Play Sessions

30^th, 31^st October and 1^st November 9.15-9.45am
29^th, 30^th and 31^st January 9.15-9.45am
30^th April, 1^st and 2^nd May 9.15-9.45am

You can chose one day that suits, or you could come on more than one day! If this is still unsuitable for you, please do get in touch and we will make alternative arrangements.

Credit Union

Pupils attend Credit Union on a Wednesday at 11am. This is up at Spireview offices. Credit union is a type of savings facility for the pupils and they can deposit as much or as little as they/you wish. This will re-start on Wednesday 5^th September. If you wish your child to join, please ask them to request an application form from the office. It is very easy to get involved.

Parent Pizza Party!

This sounds very flippant for what is an important event for your diary! As we strive to get 100% attendance from parents/carers at our events, we have engaged in some research into human behaviour and engagement. This has told us that if we provide food, more people may come!! We will give it a try…and if nothing else, there will be pizza!

At this event, all class teachers will be available to chat informally with you about your child’s experience in their class. They will explain some of the strategies they use, describe some learning and teaching techniques, show you some resources and give you some to take away and answer any questions you may have.

This will take place Tuesday 11^th September 2-3pm.

Assessment, attainment and testing

In order to evaluate your child’s progress in attainment and achievement, we have developed a suite of summative assessments. These assessments allow us to explore progress, impact of strategies being used and create appropriate and challenging future learning. Assessment progress will be reported on at the first parents’ appointments on 20^th November. I will also devise a way of reporting these to you at regular intervals – this is a work in progress. Pupils will undertake formal assessments in spelling, reading, maths and writing. They will also complete some health and wellbeing progress trackers and primary 1, 4 and 7 will undertake national assessments for completion of a level. This gives us a broad scope from which to see how well pupils are progressing, but also to explore our effectiveness as teachers.

Please do ask teachers next week if you want more information, or pop in to see me.

School Meals

All pupils in primary 1-4 are entitled to government funded school meals. This does not mean that you should not apply for meals and clothing grant if you think you might be eligible. It is still very important to make the application as this affects the amount school receives in budget.

Please speak to me or office staff if you are unsure of the process.

Glasgow Learning Hub

We have some new residents in Royston Primary this session. Staff from Glasgow’s Learning Hub are on our top floor. This service is fully staffed by teachers who have full disclosures and PVG checks. This service is a key training provider in Glasgow, and undertakes research. They also support work in different schools across the city and engage with the directorate on government policy in relation to Glasgow practice. We already have a very positive working relationship with the staff and know our will gain from having them so close at hand!

This is the reason why roads around the school are increasingly busy. I do hope this will settle down in time. Please do let me know if you are concerned and I will do what I can to help.

Water and Snack

We have a water only rule as part of our health and wellbeing policy. Pupils are not permitted to bring fruit shoots, capri suns, fizzy drinks etc to school. They may get these as an occasional treat during school but this happens rarely. Pupils should bring water or flavoured water to school. Only plain water can be consumed in class time. Flavoured water may be consumed at play or lunch time. We also encourage pupils to bring healthy snacks. If pupils bring a healthy snack, they win points and on Friday, they may get a certificate if they have had healthy snacks all week. Please do support your child in making good healthy choices.

Balornock Uniform Bank

PE Kit and indoor shoes

I have sent out a letter indicating PE days for each class. Please do support your child in being prepared for this. All pupils need shorts/leggings or jogging trousers and P4-7 need a change of T-shirt also. P1-3 can wear the school polo shirt that day.

All pupils must have indoor shoes. These do not need to be new shoes! A pair of shoes which are cleaned or put in the washing machine will be fine. Indoor shoes are worn every day in school, to try to protect our carpets and also for PE. Please bear in mind that your child’s feet will grow and shoes will get too small. If your child comes home with indoor shoes it is fairly likely that the child has said they do not fit.

A few things from the diary so far…

Fruit and Veg barra is returning on Monday 3^rd September, and every Monday thereafter. It will be situated in the front playground.

Primary 1 pupils will have their photograph taken for the Evening Times Primary 1 special. This will happen on Wednesday 5^th September.

Primary 7 pupils will get the opportunity to learn keyboard from a tutor working at St Roch’s Secondary. Ms Sinclair will attend every Wednesday morning to give instruction.

Primary 7 will start cookery lessons on Thursday 6^th September. This will run for term 1. There will also be parent and child classes after school every Thursday – please see letter sent home on Friday. I am also looking for interest in an adult only class on a Thursday morning – this cannot be confirmed until I have possible numbers for attendance.

Primary 7/6 will attend the Davis Cup practice session on Wednesday 12^th September. This will run all day and pupils require to take a packed lunch.

Primary 1 and 2 will soon have a dance coach for term 1. This will commence Thursday 13^th September.

Primary 5 pupils will take part in Ready to Run annual event. Mr Steer will begin training sessions this week. The event will be on the 28^th September.

We will this year, take part in the ‘BIG BREAKFAST’ event on 5^th October. All proceeds will go towards children’s charities. More information to follow.

Primary 7/6 will be studying the Titanic this term and I am exploring a Belfast visit in relation to this learning. I have nothing confirmed and cannot give you detail, but there may be a minimal cost for this.

Week Beginning 10^th September is Maths Week. We will be focusing heavily on maths that week and looking at some creative uses of maths!

Dress down days are always the last Friday of the month. There will rarely be additional opportunities for dress down as it is a very important part of school to wear uniform. We expect pupils to wear uniform every day. If pupils wear additional clothing for warmth, we do expect them, and ask them, to remove this inside school. Pupils should not be wearing non-uniform hoodies in class.

Breakfast club runs in the dining hall from 8-8.45am every morning. Please do get in touch if you would like further information.

Parental Partnership

This is a key focus for us this session. We are listening to your views as given in evaluations and also in discussion. We have some ideas of our own too. However, we need to know what works best for you in order to provide the best service we can. Please do tell us what you like and what doesn’t work…or if there are other ways you would like to be involved. Some people may feel they are involved enough and this is OK too. We continually look for ways to improve so please do help.

Jane McShane

Head Teacher

Headteacher@royston-pri.glasgow.sch.uk