Session 2024 – 25
Week ending 15th November 2024
Star Workers
Room 1 – Siannan for Star Writer
Room 2 – Tommy for Star Phoneme Blender
Room 3 – Rory for Star Attitude
Room 4 – Chanudi for Star Respect
Room 5 – Ivy for Star Speller
Room 6 – Jax for Star Maths
Room 7 – Noah for Star Maths
Room 8 – Emily for Star Maths
Room 9 – Zara and Thomas for Star Numeracy
Room 10 – Mya for Star Attitude
Values Winners
Room 1 – Aiden P for Kindness
Room 2 – Mia for Respect
Room 3 – Emmanuel for Respect
Room 4 – Lochlan for Kindness and Respect
Room 5 – Max for Kindness and Respect
Room 6 – Lucas B for Respect
Room 7 – Jacob for Friendship
Room 8 – Amber for Love
Room 9 – River for Love
Room 10 – Caleb for Respect and Kindness
World Book Week Scotland
Next week is World Book Week Scotland and the children will be taking part in a variety of literacy-based learning experiences.
Our Reading Committee have come up with lots of ideas and fun things to do and they are inviting the children to take part in a homework competition. We will issue details about this competition next week via a ParentsPortal message.
Also, next week the Scottish Book Trust Gift Bags will be provided to P1-P3. The children will have read these with some older pupils in the school prior to bringing home and we hope that you enjoy the stories and games at home.
Catholic Education Week
Catholic Education Week runs from 16th November (St. Margaret’s Feast Day) until 30th November (St. Andrew’s Feast Day). The theme this year is Pilgrims of Hope, and we will be undertaking learning experiences over the coming two weeks based on this theme.
Dress Down Day
We are holding a Dress Down Day on Thursday 21st November and would kindly ask that in lieu of money children bring in an item for the tombola for the Christmas Fayre which takes place on Saturday 23rd November.
As always, football colours are not permitted.
MISSIO
Our running total for MISSIO is £111.85.
Thank you so much for your support.
Children are welcome to bring in monetary donations any day of the week. A few pennies here and there add up. Our P6 MISSIO Champions count the money weekly.
Diary Dates
A list of diary dates can be found on the website.
Mass Times at St. Leonard’s Church
Saturday Vigil – 6pm
Sunday – 10am, 12pm and 5.15pm
Week ending 8th November 2024
P7 Transition
Many thanks to those in P7 along with their families who attended the Transition Welcoming Mass on Monday evening at St. Andrew’s and St. Bride’s. This is a very important part of the transition programme and a wonderful way to be welcomed into the school community.
Sacramental Enrolment Mass
Next week we will issue enrolment paperwork to all those in P3, P4 and P7 who are celebrating a Sacrament this year. This paperwork is required by the Diocese to enrol your child for each Sacrament they undertake while at school. Please look out for these forms coming home.
Additionally, there will be an enrolment mass on Sunday 1st December at 10am. All those making a Sacrament this year are invited to attend along with their families. Children should sit in the Church with their families and can wear their own clothing. This is a family-parish event, although some staff will also attend as we support them on their faith journey.
P5 Retreat Day
Primary 5 will be attending their Disciples of Jesus retreat on Tuesday 12th November in the parish hall. Children should wear their uniform and bring a packed lunch and water bottle. They all thoroughly enjoyed their first retreat earlier in the school year. Mr Finnigan will accompany them this time.
P6 Trip
P6 enjoyed their trip to the Lanark Agricultural Centre on Wednesday. This was fully funded trip by the RHET. Some photographs can be viewed in our photo gallery on the website.
Parent Council/PTA
Thank you to our PTA for funding the Circus workshops on Monday. This was to celebrate St. Leonard’s Feast Day (6th November). As this date clashed with the flu immunisation we held it on Monday. The children thoroughly enjoyed it.
The next meeting will take place on Wednesday 13th November.
Parent Council – 6.15pm
PTA – 7pm
Inservice Day
A polite reminder that the school is closed to pupils on Monday 11th November.
Diary Dates
A list of diary dates can be found on the website.
Mass Times at St. Leonard’s Church
Saturday Vigil – 6pm
Sunday – 10am, 12pm and 5.15pm
Week ending 1st November 2024
Star Workers
Room 1 – Aaron for Star Bravery
Room 2 – Sophia McG for Star Author
Room 3 – Finlay for Star Maths
Room 4 – Grace for Star Literacy
Room 5 – Reinette for Star Literacy
Room 6 – Orla for Star Helper
Room 7 – Magnus for Star Maths
Room 8 – Filip for Star Maths
Room 9 – Caoimhe for Star Effort
Room 10 – Macie Leigh for Star Effort
Flu Immunisation Day
A reminder that the flu immunisation takes place in school on Wednesday 6th November.
PTA Halloween Disco
Thank you to the PTA for organising another fun filled disco and fundraiser. Also, to all the volunteers and attendees who made the night such a success.
MISSIO
Our MISSIO total so far for the term is £77.84 .
Thank you so much for your support.
Children are welcome to bring in monetary donations any day of the week. A few pennies here and there add up. Our P6 MISSIO Champions count the money weekly.
Month of the Rosary
Many thanks to our Mini-Vinnies in P5 and our Pope Francis Faith Award children in P6 and P7 who have led us twice weekly during the month of October in praying the rosary as a whole school.
P7 Transition
A polite reminder that P7 children and parents are invited to attend the Welcome Mass on Monday 4th November at 6pm. Please be in and seated no later than 5.55pm. We look forward to seeing you there. Children must be in school uniform (shirt/tie).
Bonfire Themed Lunch
Please note that there will be a Bonfire Theme School Menu on Tuesday 5th November.
Red – Firecracker Pizza & Fries (v) (Pizza with spicy topping served with chips or potato croquettes and sweetcorn)
Blue – Banger & Fries (Sausage in a finger roll served with chips or potato croquettes and sweetcorn)
Sandwiches on offer are cheese, ham or tuna.
Dessert – toffee apple sponge cake
Brew and a Blether
A reminder that Mrs Gillen is hosting a Brew and a Blether for P1 parents/carers on Monday 4th November at 2.30pm. We hope to see you there.
Room 4 Parental Engagement
A reminder that Room 4 are holding a Parental Engagement Session on Thursday 7th November at 2pm. We hope to see you there.
Diary Dates
A list of diary dates can be found on the website.
Mass Times at St. Leonard’s Church
Saturday Vigil – 6pm
Sunday – 10am, 12pm and 5.15pm
Week ending 25th October 2024
PTA Halloween Disco
The PTA are holding a disco on Wednesday 30th October. Please ensure that you sign up via the link issued on ParentsPortal and remain in the building if your child requires medication. There is no access to school-based medication by the PTA and staff are not in attendance.
P1-3 Disco at 6.10pm – 7.10pm
P4 – 7 Disco at 7.25pm – 8.25pm
Halloween
Over recent years more and more children have expressed that they are worried or frightened in school on Halloween due to the wearing of costumes. It unsettles many of our children and as the PTA are offering a disco for everyone to attend, we will not be holding any Halloween activities in school on the 31st.
On the 31st October all children are required to wear school uniform.
Beat the Street
Many thanks to all our parent volunteers who have supported with Beat the Street over the past six weeks. Keep on collecting those points up to and including Wed 30th October. Our final walk takes place that day.
MISSIO
Our MISSIO collection this week raised £54.16. Thank you so much for your support.
Head Lice
We have had some recent bouts of headlice within the school. Please check your child’s hair regularly and treat as appropriate.
Diary Dates
A list of diary dates can be found on the website.
Mass Times at St. Leonard’s Church
Saturday Vigil – 6pm
Sunday – 10am, 12pm and 5.15pm
Week ending 11th October 2024
Star Workers for week ending 4th October
Room 1 – Stanley for Star Inventor
Room 2 – Ezra for Star Writer
Room 3 – Connor for Star Worker
Room 4 – Travis for Star Reader
Room 5 – Levi for Star Worker
Room 6 – Aidan for Star Worker
Room 7 – Emmanuel for Star Numeracy
Room 8 – Hannah for Star Effort in STEM
Room 9 – Erin for Star Numeracy
Room 10 – Faye for Star Numeracy
Values Winners for September
Room 1 – Nneoma for Kindness
Room 2 – Lucy for Kindness
Room 3 – Jaxon for Respect
Room 4 – Joshua for Respect
Room 5 – Max for Respect
Room 6 – Anthony for Respect
Room 7 – Evie for Respect
Room 8 – Jude for Kindness
Room 9 – Nikola for Respect
Room 10 –Lewis for Respect
Beat the Street
Weekly walking timetable is as follows up until Wednesday 30th October when Beat the Street concludes:
Monday – Thursday walks at 2.15pm. Friday’s Walk is at 9.15am.
Mon – Rooms 4 and 8
Tues – Rooms 5 and 7
Wed – Rooms 1, 2 and 10
Thurs – Rooms 3 and 9
Fri – Room 6
Feel free to join us at any of these times.
Parents’ Evening
Many thanks for your attendance on Wednesday at our Parents’ Evening.
Book Fair
Well done to P7 who ran an excellent class enterprise with their planning, organisation and operation of The Book Fair. Thank you for supporting with the purchases and we hope that your child enjoys reading their new book.
Summer Reading Challenge
A huge well done to all those who were presented with a Summer Reading Challenge Certificate this week.
Sacraments
The following dates have been confirmed for Sacraments. Further details on enrolment, preparation and format will be issued following the October holiday.
P3 – First Confession – Tuesday 18th March from 6pm (appointments)
P4 – First Holy Communion – Saturday 10th May at 10am
P7 – Confirmation – Wednesday 2nd April at 7pm
Parental Engagement Session
Room 1 and 2 will be hosting their Parental Engagement Session on Tuesday 22nd October at 2pm. We look forward to welcoming you along to share in their learning. If you are unable to attend then another family member or friend can do so on your behalf. Please come to the school office at 2pm when the doors will open for the event.
Diary Dates
A list of diary dates can be found on the website.
A polite reminder that we are closed next week for the October holidays. We re-open on Monday 21st October. Have a lovely break.
Mass Times at St. Leonard’s Church
Saturday Vigil – 6pm
Sunday – 10am, 12pm and 5.15pm
Week ending 26th September 2024
Beat the Street
Weekly walking timetable is as follows:
Monday – Thursday walks at 2.15pm. Friday’s walk is at 9.15am.
Mon – Rooms 4 and 8
Tues – Rooms 5 and 7
Wed – Rooms 1, 2 and 10
Thurs – Rooms 3 and 9
Fri – Room 6
Feel free to join us at any of these times.
Parents’ Evening
Our Parents’ Evening will take place on Wednesday 9th October. Appointments are only bookable via ParentsPortal. Bookings can be made from Wednesday 2nd to Monday 7th October. We will issue an email to advise when they are ready for booking.
Diary Dates
A list of diary dates can be found on the website.
Mass Times at St. Leonard’s Church
Saturday Vigil – 6pm
Sunday – 10am, 12pm and 5.15pm
Week ending 20th September 2024
Star Workers
Room 1 – Sophia H for Star Listener
Room 2 – Dottie for Star Helper
Room 3 – Jan for Star Worker
Room 4 – Stirling for Star Maths
Room 5 – Annais for Star Worker
Room 6 – Aiden for Star Respect
Room 7 – Daniel for Star Presentation
Room 8 – Amber for Staff Effort
Room 9 – Lexi for Star Maths
Room 10 – Lewis for Star Manners
Jam Jars
We are looking for donations of empty jam jars, with or without a lid. Room 9 later in the term will be using these for an Enterprise/Art experience. Please send any jars into school over the next couple of months.
Photographer
The photographer will be issuing the photographs later this month. He will do a catch-up morning on Monday for anyone who was absent this week. If this includes your child, then please send them to school that day with shirt and tie on.
Beat the Street
Our weekly walking timetable is as follows:
Monday – Thursday walks at 2.15pm. Friday walk at 9.15am.
Mon – Rooms 4 and 8
Tues – Rooms 5 and 7
Wed – Rooms 1, 2 and 10
Thurs – Rooms 3 and 9
Fri – Room 6
PTA
Thank you to our PTA for organising a fantastic evening on Wednesday with the Taylor Swift Tribute Night. Many thanks to those who attended and sang/danced their hearts out.
Parents’ Evening
Save the Date!
Our Parents’ Evening will take place on Wednesday 9th October. Appointments are only bookable via ParentsPortal. Bookings can be made from Wednesday 2nd to Monday 7th October. We will issue an email to advise that they are ready for booking. Please leave sufficient times between sibling appointments.
Diary Dates
A list of diary dates can be found on the website.
A polite reminder that we are closed on Friday 27th and Monday 30th September for the holiday weekend.
Mass Times at St. Leonard’s Church
Saturday Vigil – 6pm
Sunday – 10am, 12pm and 5.15pm
Week ending 13th September 2024
Committees
This week we established our school committees involving all children. They will work with staff in a range of activities to raise awareness of their subject area and to offer learning experiences across the year.
The committees are as follows:
Pupil Council
Laudato Si
Numeracy
Reading Schools
Playground and Outdoor Spaces
Health and Sports
Mini-Vinnies
Photographer
A polite reminder that the photographer will be in on Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th September to take pictures of the family groups, or individuals if no sibling in the nursery or school. All children are requested to wear shirt/tie on these days. Room 9 and Room 7 family groups will definitely be taken on Monday due to swimming and class retreat respectively.
Room 5 will also have their class photograph taken as we ran out of time yesterday.
If you do not wish for your child to be photographed, then please contact the school office in advance.
Beat the Street
Beat the Street commences on Monday 18th September. The children have been issued with a fob/card. Should you require any additional cards for family members these can be located from local sports centres and libraries. Those over 13 years can play on a smartphone by downloading the app. We encourage all children to keep their card fob safe and bring it to school daily as we will go out on walks. We do not have any spare cards.
Diary Dates
A list of diary dates can be found on the website.
Mass Times at St. Leonard’s Church
Saturday Vigil – 6pm
Sunday – 10am, 12pm and 5.15pm
Week ending 6th September 2024
Star Workers
Room 1 – Ruth for Star Friend
Room 2 – Nico for Star Maths
Room 3 – Arabella for Star Writer
Room 4 – Adrianna for Star Maths
Room 5 – Callum for Star Worker
Room 6 – Alfie for Star Listener
Room 7 – Zanelle for Star Handwriting
Room 8 – Aaron for Star Writer
Room 9 – Callan for Star Effort
Room 10 – Ellie for Star Attitude
Values Winners
Room 1 – Oliver for Friendship
Room 2 – Niamh for Friendship
Room 3 – Alfie for Respect and Kindness
Room 4 – Wiktoria for Kindness and Respect
Room 5 – Orlaith Rose for Kindness
Room 6 – Robbie for Respect
Room 7 – Oma for Star Respect
Room 8 – Darcie for Kindness
Room 9 – Murron for Kindness
Room 10 –Kalise for Kindness
Parent Council and PTA AGMs
The meetings will now take place as follows on Wednesday 2nd October. Apologies for the date change once again. This is due to unforeseen circumstances.
Parent Council 6.15pm
PTA 7pm
Pupil Leadership Teams
This week we held elections for our Vice House Captains. Presentations took place and the senior pupils voted following these.
Thank you to all candidates and I am pleased to announce the following results.
St. Bernadette (red) – Leo
St. Joseph (yellow) – Emily
St. John Bosco (blue) – Ella
St. John Ogilvie (green) – Andrew
MISSIO
We welcomed Gerard from MISSIO to Assembly last week. As you may be aware, MISSIO is the charity which Pope Francis asks all schools to support, and it very much focuses on children helping children. We have a strong relationship with MISSIO and fundraise annually for them.
Every day children can bring in loose change and pop this into their class MISSIO boxes. As we say to the children, every penny counts, and we can achieve great things together.
Lines
Well done to St. Bernadette who were the winning House for the lines.
Tidiest Classrooms this week are Room 2 and Room 5.
Tidiest Cloakroom this week is awarded to Room 1 & 2 and Room 5 & 6 .
ASDA Cashpot
We are registered with the ASDA Cashpot Reward Scheme. If you shop in ASDA and use the App then you can select our school and help us raise some much-needed funds.
Details can be obtained by following the link:
https://www.asda.com/cashpotforschools
Photographer
P1 will have their photograph taken by The Evening Times on Tuesday 10th September. If you do not wish your child to be photographed, then please advise. The class photograph will be published, and we will advise of the date once known.
The photographer will be in to take photographs of the nursery children and classes on Thursday 12th September. All children must wear shirt/tie on this day.
Furthermore, he will return on Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th September to take pictures of the school children. Again, all children are requested to wear shirt/tie on these days.
If you do not wish for your child to be photographed, then please contact the school office in advance.
Beat the Street
Beat the Street is returning to EK from 18th September to 31st October. An information leaflet is attached, and we encourage you and your child’s participation. Many of you will be familiar with it as we have participated twice in the past.
Children will receive a card/fob prior to the initiative starting. Please ensure that they keep this safe and bring it to school as we will go on local walks during the day.
Family members and friends can pick up cards at various locations, including The John Wright Sports Centre, local library etc. Details can be found on the website:
https://beatthestreet.me/eastkilbride/
Cycling
Please note the following information and links with regards to supporting your child with cycling forwarded to us by our local councillor Kirsten Robb.
My child can’t ride a bike yet – where can I get help?
Teach your child yourself: https://www.cyclinguk.org/guide/teach-child-ride-bike
Lessons: at Camglen Bike Town and Clyde Cycle Park on Saturday mornings – https://www.biketown.org.uk/whatson and https://book.plinth.org.uk/e/28gO7qEIpcqPrUa0yxUp
My child doesn’t have a bike – You can buy quality second hand ones at Camglen Bike Town, Climate Action Strathaven, PedalZone (East Kilbride) or Halfords EK.
My / my child’s bike needs repairs: Free bike checks and simple repairs being done now across EK with CamGlen BikeTown at these events: https://www.biketown.org.uk/event-details/east-kilbride-guided-bike-ride-2024-09-05-11-15 . These are guided rides for adults but Dr Bike will be there too so you can bring your bikes down. There’s also a big active travel event in Calderglen Park on Saturday 14th September,11am-3pm https://www.climateactionlanarkshire.net/get-involved/lanarkshire-climate-action-festival?view=article&id=237&catid=18 . For more complex repairs, East Kilbride has online booking for repairs at Sick Cycles at Stroud Road https://bikebook.co.uk/mechanic/sick-cycles?fbclid=IwY2xjawFGZi5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHTIqk4v12tVIMT68Uzy-luCAkwmsMVuCg-b9QyinA_aKsu2P7u2I8hdgFQ_aem_GEkunuTmAFjbNITQ23Mx7w
Where can I cycle with children locally? Glen Esk and Lammermoor Parks and John Struthers Nature Area are great for mostly flat cycling. For more adventure, once they can cycle, Glen Esk is also good in the woods with a purpose built adventurous cycle with logs and berms. A group of local volunteers are also looking into creating a family cycling loop in Calderwood. Navigable map of routes here: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200166/getting_outdoors/380/walking_cycling_and_horse_riding_routes
Diary Dates
These can be found in the diary section of our website.
Mass Times at St. Leonard’s Church
Saturday Vigil – 6pm
Sunday – 10am, 12pm and 5.15pm
Week ending 30th August 2024
Star Workers
Room 1 – Orlagh for Star Helper
Room 2 – Idris for Star Friend
Room 3 – Jaxon for Star Work and Respect
Room 4 – Matthew for Star Effort in Sustainability
Room 5 – Eva for Star Role Model
Room 6 – Ellie for Star Worker and Listener
Room 7 – Mila for Star Artist
Room 8 – Keegan for Star Role Model
Room 9 – Kalli and Erin for Star Workers
Room 10 – Michael for Star Resilience
Parent Council and PTA AGMs
Apologies for the late change of date to these meetings. The AGMs will now take place on Wednesday 11th September. New members are most welcome.
Parent Council 6.15pm
PTA 7pm
Brew and a Blether
P1 parents are invited to attend an informal get together with Mrs Gillen on Monday 2nd September at 2.30pm. This is an opportunity to get to know other parents and carers in the year group. An information leaflet was sent out earlier in the week.
Pupil Leadership Teams
This week we held elections for our House Captains. Presentations took place and the senior pupils voted following these.
Thank you to all candidates and I am pleased to announce the following results.
St. Bernadette (red) – Jakub
St. Joseph (yellow) – Lewis M
St. John Bosco (blue) – Michael
St. John Ogilvie (green) – Oscar
All P7 have a leadership responsibility, and these are as follows:
Next week our P6 leadership roles will be announced following elections.
Attendance and Punctuality
Attached is a summary of the impact that attendance can have on education.
SchoolAttendanceLeaflet St Leonard’s
We very much value attendance and appreciate that at times children are unwell and unable to be at school.
It is essential that children are punctual for school, and we are already seeing a lot of late coming. Learning time starts immediately in classes as well as routines, and children arriving late can leave them a little unsettled or waiting for help to learn their task for the session if they’ve missed the start of a lesson.
We are also experiencing a high volume of children being picked up prior to 3pm. We understand that at times appointments for doctors and dentists are scheduled in. We ask that collection prior to 3pm is only done so if absolutely necessary. The volume of children leaving early with no specific reason is becoming vast. The office has been inundated with requests to get children from classes. This can prove difficult at times given how many children are being picked up; locating where in the school the class are (playground/gym/classroom), answering the phone and dealing with medical situations.
Library
Our school library opened again this week. All classes will visit the library on a Wednesday morning. Children will not be able to take out a new book until the previous one is returned. If they are still reading it, then this can be extended for another week.
Should you have any outstanding books at home then please return these to school.
Lines
Well done to St. John Bosco who were the winning House for the lines for the second week in a row.
Tidiest Classrooms this week are Room 3 and Room 7.
Tidiest Cloakroom this week is awarded to Room 3 & 4 and Room 5 & 6.
Diary Dates
Please refer to the diary section of our website. This will be updated regularly.
Mass Times at St. Leonard’s Church
Saturday Vigil – 6pm
Sunday – 10am, 12pm and 5.15pm
Week ending 23rd August 2024
Star Workers
Room 1 – The Whole Class
Room 2 – The Whole Class
Room 3 – Theo for Star Worker
Room 4 – Aria for Star Maths
Room 5 – Andrew for Star Worker
Room 6 – Conor for Star Role Model
Room 7 – Matthew S for Star Attitude
Room 8 – Mia for Star Helper
Room 9 – Dylan for Star Worker
Room 10 – Isaac for Star Attitude
Parent Council and PTA AGMs
A polite reminder that next week we have our meetings. All are invited to attend, and we are always keen for new members to join.
Parent Council 6.15pm
PTA 7pm
Flu Immunisation Forms
The flu immunisation forms were issued this week. Please return these in the coming days if you haven’t already done so.
Personal Items
Please ensure that your child’s name is on all items of clothing, water bottles and lunch boxes. We have a build-up of lost property items already.
Children must bring a jacket to school daily as they will be outdoors for breaks and learning time. The children only remain indoors when it is very heavy rain.
Lines
Well done to St. John Bosco who were the winning House for the lines.
Tidiest Classrooms this week are Room 4 and Room 10.
Tidiest Cloakroom this week is awarded to Room 1 & 2 and Room 9 & 10.
School Lunches
The new school menu launches on Monday 26th August. A direct line is available via our website and below.
Diary Dates
Please refer to the diary section of our website for diary dates. This will be regularly updated.
Mass Times at St. Leonard’s Church
Saturday Vigil – 6pm
Sunday – 10am, 12pm and 5.15pm
