Room 14 Topic Significant Scots

Room 14 have been studying Significant Scots this term. We have recreated works of art by Charles Rennie Macintosh and learned all about the achievements of Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Christopher Hoy. We have also discovered we would’nt be able to play the Xbox and Wii if it wasn’t for a man named John Logie Baird inventing the television!
Finally, we found out facts about a Scots hero named William Wallace, who has a whole monument dedicated to him in Stirling! Wow!
During our topic, we all looked into one of these amazing people and presented our findings to the rest of the class in a group presentation. We invented our own toys and created cup phones during one of our Sound science experiments.
We have really enjoyed learning about all of the amazing people who have come from Scotland and hope there will be many more.

P.E.

In the gym hall we have been learning a new game that helps us to stay active, keep fit and have fun. ‘Haggis Tig’ is now one of our favourite warm-up games. We enjoy playing this game to some Scottish music.

We have also been improving our skills in Gymnastics and Basketball.

We have also been very lucky to have visitors in to teach Rugby to P7, football to P4/5 and Active Health to P2/3.

February News EXTRA
Dear Parents and Carers, 21st February 2012

Learning at home and Curriculum for Excellence
Thank you for supporting our school to review our arrangements for homework. Your feedback has helped the school to devise a set of guidelines to tell you about what types of learning activities or tasks will be set and the suggested amount of time required for completion. Homework is an important aspect of learning and helps us to keep you informed about your child’s progress throughout the year. Your child’s class teacher will make arrangements with the children in their class. I do hope you find the information leaflet that we issued to be helpful. Further hints and tips from Miss Gray can be found on the homework section of our school website. (www.newmains.n-lanark.sch.uk)

We are also planning to share with you our new way of profiling your child’s learning at the Parental Consultations on Thursday 22nd March. This is in line with guidance from Building the Curriculum 5 and Curriculum for Excellence.

Peer Tutoring Project for Mathematics
Our Primary 5 and 6 classes will be participating in a special peer learning project. Your child will be involved in working in pairs to do their work. The expected benefits include raised achievement, improved motivation, increased confidence and improved teamwork. Mrs Donnelly and Miss Keating will be using this form of teaching in some lessons in the next few months.
Staffing News
Mrs Brown is expected to start her maternity leave and finishes on Friday 24th February. I have been advised by Learning and Leisure Services that Ms Wilson will be the replacement teacher for our Primary 3/4 class. As always, I will keep you up to date with information when I receive it.

Health Matters
I write to seek your support to discourage your child from buying energy drinks from the local shops at lunchtime. These drinks are not suitable for children and can impact on your child’s readiness for learning at school.

Book Fair
We plan to host our annual Book Fair week beginning Monday 5th March. Please can you help us by giving some of your time? Contact Mrs Johnston for more information.
Supporting Good Causes
We are planning to hold a ‘Denim day’ and have a bit of a ‘boogie’ on Friday 24th February to raise fund for Diabetes awareness. Please support us by donating a £1 to this good cause.

Kilbowie
The residential experience for our Primary 7 children is planned for week beginning 26th March. Please help us to ensure arrangements are in place by completing forms and sending in payment as soon as possible. There will be an opportunity to view a DVD presentation in Room 2 at the Parental Consultations on Thursday 22nd March. I will also be around to answer any questions you might have.

Sporting News
Some members of our Primary 7 class will be taking part in the annual Swimming Gala held at Clyde Valley High School on Thursday 23rd February.
Some of our P6 and P7 children will be attending a Football Tournament with
Paul McArthur (our Janitor) at Ravenscraig Sports Centre on Friday 16th March. Some members of our Cross Country team will also participate in the finals on Wednesday 28th March at Coatbridge Outdoor Centre.

A Little Reminder:
Please ensure items of clothing are marked with your child’s name on them.
Children must also remove all items of jewellery before taking part in Physical Education. Please ensure your child leaves these valuable items at home on their gym days.

Travel to School
Please remember that your child should only travel on the buses if they are in possession of a valid bus pass. Your child is not insured to travel on the bus if they don’t have a pass. Health and safety matters to us and we all need to do our a bit to ensure our children are safe and protected.
As always a good standard of behaviour is expected at all times.
Yours sincerely,

E CLINTON
Head Teacher

Parent Council News
The date of the next meeting is Tuesday 6th March at 630pm in the Staff Room. We look forward to seeing you there!
The next disco is planned for Tuesday 20th March. Tickets cost a £1.
P1-P3 children 6.30-7.15pm P4-P7 children 7.30-8.30pm

Here at Newmains Primary we are always:

“Trying our very best to ensure everyone achieves success”

Newmains Primary School Blog
Dear Parents and Carers, 1st February 2012
Where is the time going? We are always very busy here in our school. I am delighted to tell you that we had a very positive enrolment week, with early indications of around 35 children who will start Primary 1 with us in August 2012. Our Primary 7 children are beginning to prepare for their residential week at Kilbowie in Oban. Please note that our school website (www.newmains.n-lanark.sch.uk) is continually being updated with the latest news about our school and nursery class.
What your child is learning this term….
Our children’s learning experiences are planned using the experiences and outcomes of Curriculum for Excellence. As well as learning core skills in Language and Mathematics, they also experience two hours of high quality Physical Education. This is line with national advice. Our children also learn through topics and themes. I thought we should share this information with you:
P1- The Five Senses P4/5- Significant Scots
P1/2- Me, Myself and I P5- Tobacco Lords
P2/3- The Egyptians P6- Exploration & Discovery
P3/4- The Egyptians P7- The Caribbean
Late Coming and Attendance
We have recently been doing an attendance check and we would urge you to send your child to school every day, when at all possible. You know that if we have any concerns we will contact you. Please give your child the opportunity for teaching and learning each day. Regular attendance at school is vital for continued progress.
Parent Council News
Our next Parent Council meeting is on Tuesday 7th at 6.30pm in the staffroom. Please come along and join us! The trim trail is now being installed. More details to follow soon!

In-Service days and holidays
School will be closed on:
Thursday 9th and Tuesday 14th February In-service days
Friday 10th and Monday 13th February Holiday
We will re-open on Wednesday 15th at 8.55am. We hope you have a good holiday weekend.

Curriculum for Excellence
On the In-service days our staff will be receiving further training from Lynda Keith about the latest developments and teaching approaches in Mathematics and Numeracy. We will also be exploring Building the Curriculum 5 to ensure our assessment arrangements and procedures reflect local and national advice.
Parental Consultations
We will be holding our meetings with parents on Thursday 22nd March from 3.15pm onwards. Teachers will be sending out letters soon to arrange appointment times with you towards the end of this month. Please do let us know if you can’t manage along on that date, as it helps us to time meetings better. Thank you.

Book Fair
Our annual Book Fair will be running from 5-8th March. The children will have the opportunity to look at the books and buy some, if you wish, from a good selection in the bookcases. We are looking for helpers for the book fair, so if you are disclosed and have some time during that week, please call Mrs Johnston in the office and she will include you in the parent rota. Thank you.
I’m sure the children will enjoy this event.

Buses
Please can you help us to ensure your child is safe whilst travelling to and from school? Responsible behaviour is essential to ensure that this happens. Parents and carers are responsible for their child’s conduct on the bus. Please take time to talk to your child about the need to ensure everyone is safe on our buses. Thank you for you help and continued support.

Vue Cinema- Rewarding Positive Behaviour
Primary 1/2 and Mrs Govan recently visited the Vue Cinema in Hamilton to see Puss in Boots. This was trip was to celebrate success and reward positive pupil behaviour in line with school policy.

Passport Applications
At this moment in time I am sorry to inform you that no member of our teaching staff or senior management team are able to countersign passport
applications. This is line with advice for data protection procedures.

Promoting Wider Achievement- Out of hours learning
Please encourage your child to come along to events organised for P2-P7 this term! Learning out with school hours matters too and promotes wider achievement in line with council’s continued commitment to Raising Achievement for all. * see below

Generation Science
We have planned an exciting Science workshop in line with Curriculum for Excellence (Make and Keep Sound) for our Primary 1 children. This will take place in the school on Tuesday 20th March 2012.
Disclosures
If your disclosure is nearly out of date or if you would like to be disclosed to help in the school, could you please contact Mrs Johnston in the office who will organise the process with you? Disclosures only last for 3 years, so please re-apply if yours is coming to an end.

Can you help us?
Are you able to help us by providing spare clothing for boys and girls aged 5-7 years. We need extra: * trousers *socks and *underwear.
Thank you!
Please remember to contact the school office if you have a new telephone number or have moved house. It is important that we are able to contact you for care and welfare matters.
Every child in our school matters!

Yours sincerely,

E CLINTON
Head Teacher

Newmains Primary School Out of Hours Learning Activities 2011/12

17th January 2012
Dear Parent/Carer,

I am delighted to tell you that we are able to offer the following after school activities for the children this term.
Please note that due to budget constraints the school cannot offer transport to take the children home from these events.
I thank you for your continued support of our work and I appreciate your cooperation by ensuring your child is collected from all of these very worthwhile activities.

Yours sincerely,

E CLINTON
Head Teacher

Activity Day Date(s) Time(s) Provider(s)
Dance P2-P3
(max 15) Mondays 30/1/12, 6/2/12, 20/2/12, 27/2/12, 5/3/12 and 12/3/12 3-4pm Stacey Whisker (NLC Active Schools)
Football
P6 and P7 girls Tuesdays
31/1/12, 7/2/12, 21/2/12, 28/2/12, 6/3/12 and 13/3/12 3-4pm Mr McArthur, and Gary Dempster
Basketball P4-P5
(max 12 children) Wednesdays 1/2/12, 8/2/12, 15/2/12, 22/2/12, 29/2/12 and 7/3/12 3-4pm Gary MacDonald (NLC Active Schools)
Adventure Club P6 and P7
(max 12 children) Wednesdays 29/2/12, 7/3/12, 14/3/12 and 21/3/12 3-4pm Scot Roger:
Spotty Dog Adventures
Cross Country P5-P7 Thursdays 19/1/12, 26/1/12, 2/2/12 and 8/2/12*
*due to INSET day 3-4pm Mr McArthur, Mr Quilter and Gary Dempster
Adventure Club
P4 and P5
(max 12 children) Thursdays 1/3/12, 8/3/12, 15/3/12 and 22/3/12 3-4pm Scot Roger:
Spotty Dog Adventures

* Spotty Dog Adventures brings outdoor learning to our school. Further information can be obtained from www.spottydogadventures.co.uk.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Happy New Year and best wishes for 2012. May it be a peaceful and prosperous year for everyone. A new year also allows us to reflect on our progress so far. As you know we are all ‘Trying our very best to ensure everyone achieves success’ at our school.

Staffing News
We now officially welcome Miss Allan to our school. She was the successful candidate at our recent interviews for the position of Class Teacher. Miss Allan is now a permanent member of our teaching staff. She will continue to teach Primary 2/3 for the remainder of this session. Mrs Queen also joins our team as a permanent teacher and she will teach Primary 7 for the remainder of this session too. I anticipate that Mrs Lilly will continue to teach Primary 1 until Mrs Stevenson returns from her maternity leave. As always, I will aim to keep you updated.

Registration of Infant Beginners for August 2012
Next week we will be enrolling children starting school in August. All children who will be 5 years old between 1st March 2012 and 28th February 2013 should be registered with their local school. Our sessions are: Monday – Friday, 16th – 20th at 10.45-11.45am and 1.30-2.30pm.
If you have a child who will be starting school in the new session, please come along and bring the child’s birth certificate and proof of address.(Council Tax Bill) If you know of a child who is due to start school, please pass this information to the parents. Thank you.

Nursery Applications for Session 2012/13
All children in the school term following their third birthday are entitled to a free nursery place of 5 x 2 1/2 hour sessions per week. Applications for children due to start nursery at any time in session 2012/13 should be completed and submitted to the nursery of your choice no later than 3rd February 2012. Application forms can be collected from any establishment with a nursery or by visiting North Lanarkshire Council web site (www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk.) Application forms contain details of all establishments in North Lanarkshire, which offer pre school education.

Health Matters to us!
We encourage our children to choose healthier options at playtimes and lunchtimes as a health promoting school. In line with council policy for Diet and Nutrition 2008-2012 we discourage children from dinking drinks that are high in added sugar or those that are caffeinated should be kept to a minimum. Caffeinated drinks are diuretics, which can increase fluid loss through urine. Sugary drinks should be kept to a minimum and are best consumed with meals rather than between meals, to minimise risk of dental decay.
Breakfast Club: Hungry for Breakfast
DID YOU KNOW? Research has shown that children who eat breakfast have a greater attention span than those who don’t or those who eat the wrong type of breakfast. Here at Newmains Primary we offer a breakfast service for 20p per day before the start of school so children can have a healthy and nutritious start to the day which fuels them to face the challenges ahead, helping them be more awake, alert, and ready to learn. At the same time the children can mix with their friends in a safe and welcoming environment. On arrival, a breakfast supervisor (Mrs Dempster and Mrs McMillan) will welcome them, help them to register and give them a bright, positive start to the day. Catering staff, having prepared and chilled everything in advance, are on hand to help each child make a healthy choice from the range of available options. It is the policy of North Lanarkshire Council to offer foods which meet national guidelines set out by the Hungry for Success initiative reducing the amount of sugar, fat and salt in the diet whilst increasing the intake of fruit, vegetables and fibre. We also recognise that some children have special dietary needs. Please let your school’s catering manager know and they will make every effort to accommodate your child’s needs. If you have any specific concerns orequests, for example, if your child needs a medically prescribed diet, e.g. Coeliac disease or peanut allergy, please contact the Head Teacher or Catering Services who will assist.

Primary 7 Transition Forms
These forms will be issued to your child this week. Can I remind you that if you wish to make a placing request the placing request form must be send direct to our headquarters at Kildonan Street, Coatbridge ML5 3BT.

Parent Council News- Survey of Parental Views
Our Parent Council conducted a survey of your views about current arrangements for lunchtime. From the results obtained and discussions at the last Parent Council meeting (6.12.11) the school is planning to make changes to these arrangements from August 2012. The changes are as follows:
Session 2012/13- Children in Primaries 6 and 7 will be able to use the local shops to buy their lunch. Written permission from a parent/guardian will be required each time your child leaves school at lunchtime.
Session 2013/14- Children in Primary 7 (only) will be able to use the local shops to buy their lunch. Written permission from a parent/guardian will be required each time your child leaves school at lunchtime.
A breakdown of the results of the survey can be obtained from members of the Parent Council.

Adverse Weather
Please could I ask you to:
make sure that we have your up to date contact numbers – including mobile numbers – as we can text all mobile numbers with emergency information should the need arise
discuss arrangements with your child about where they should go if the school has to close in an emergency
ensure that your child has a change of socks and shoes they can use in school if their feet get wet
be prepared to take children to or collect them from the nearest main road bus stop in case the buses can’t get into the minor roads
be extra careful with parking near the school
give us a call if your child is absent

Thank you
I am very grateful to you for your continued support of our school. A fantastic sum of £798.55 was raised for our School Fund. We also donated £158.18 from our Church collection to the British Red Cross.
Yours sincerely,

E CLINTON (Head Teacher)

Room 9

In Room 9 we are working hard on money, time and number. Our topic is called Me, Myself and I. We are learning all about ourselves and where we live.In language we are learning phonemes, spelling and sentence building. Last week we got a new smartboard installed in our class and we have used it a lot!

December News

Dear Parents and Carers

Well, December has arrived and we can now officially talk about Christmas in school. This has been a very busy and productive term for our school. Our homework questionnaire prizewinner is Mrs C Johnston. Please contact the School Office to collect your prize.

STAFFING

Mrs Reilly leaves us on Friday 9th December to begin her maternity leave.

Mrs Queen formerly known as Miss Murphy has been redeployed to our school. I anticipate that she will take up post after the Christmas holidays and will teach our Primary 7 class.

NEWMAINS IS NOW BLOGGING

We are now ‘blogging’. This is a ‘web log’ of online information about events and news in our school.  Miss Gray is currently supporting staff and children so that we can use this valuable tool for learning to its fullest potential.

AWARDS FOR ALL SUCCESS

Well done to our fantastic Parent Council who were successful in securing £7500 of funding for our infant playground. We are currently making arrangements with ScotPlay to install a trim-trail.

RIBBONS OF WILDNESS

Children in Rooms 14-18 had a visit from Peter Wright who is the author of this book. The author is an avid hill walker and he was aptly dressed for the occasion. He shared his experiences of travelling around Scotland with our children.

Morrisons Vouchers

Thank you for supporting us to collect vouchers for garden equipment. Mrs Maguire and the ECO Committee have planned to put them to good use.

NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY WEEK

Thank you to Miss Gray and the Health Committee for organising a range of competitions and events in our school. A special assembly was held on Friday 25th to raise our children’s awareness of the Green Cross Code.  BE BRIGHT, BE SAFE and BE SEEN was a key message for our children during these winter months.  Our children’s health and wellbeing is of importance to us. Parents can also help by being a SMART PARKER by using the car park located at the end of School Road.

ZOOLAB – Expressive Active Learning with a TWIST!

Our children will explore ANIMALS in ACTION through storytelling and animal handling sessions on Thursday 1st December. This will be a very purposeful and worthwhile experience for all.

ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS

As you are no doubt aware, last year we experienced severe adverse weather conditions that caused major disruption throughout North Lanarkshire Council. In the event of such conditions, parents are advised to check www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk for the latest information and news about school and nursery closures.   In these circumstances, I recognise that continuity of learning for your child is of extreme importance. The school has planned a range of learning activities and experiences (for a period of 5 days) for the core subject areas of Curriculum for Excellence using the experiences and outcomes. In the event of a school closure this work will be uploaded to the homework section of our school website (www.newmains.n-lanark.sch.uk) with information for you and your child. Whilst children are at home the school website also give details of suggested websites that can be accessed to support learning.

JUST IN CASE

At this time of year we are all busy and I know parents will be going shopping while children are at school. We get many, many phone calls to the office, especially in December, to pass messages onto children to change arrangements about what to do at 3pm. We always do our best to let the children know, but the later you leave calling us the more difficult it is for us to make sure the children get the message. Could you please try to have  ‘just in case’ arrangements with your children – what to do just in case you are not in when they get home? Is there a neighbour or relative nearby they could go to and you could be the ‘just in case’ person for their children? In any case, please let us know as early as possible if you have to change arrangements for your child in an emergency.

SUPPORT FROM PARENT COUNCIL

Thank you to our hardworking and supportive Parent Council for their donation of a Smartboard to enhance learning and teaching.

SUPERVISION OF CHILDREN BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS

Our Janitor, Paul McArthur provides an adult presence in our playground from 8.35am. I would ask for your support to ensure that children do not arrive to school before this time unless they are attending our Breakfast Club. Please could I also ask parents of children in Rooms 4, 9, 11 and 12 to encourage your child(ren) to develop as an independent and responsible citizen by lining up in their lines without you! Thank you for supporting us with these matters.

CODE OF CONDUCT

Here in our school we to have high expectations for your child in terms of their work and behaviour. We are ‘always trying our best to ensure everyone achieves success’. Your child matters to us. I thought it might be helpful to remind everyone about our expectations for your child. We expect our children to:

1. Follow instructions first time

2. Keep their hands, feet and unkind words to themselves

3. Always try to do their very best

4. Stay safe

Please support us by encouraging your child to follow these rules. The implementation of Curriculum for Excellence in our school is to ensure our children grow and develop as responsible citizens. Our children are Scotland’s future!

ATTENDANCE UPDATE

Regular attendance at school is essential to ensure progress in learning. The Scottish Government have set 98% as the national average expected by all schools. A current snapshot of our performance:

P1 93.8%       P2 98.6%       P3 99.3%       P4 97%   P5 93.6%    P6 94.2% P7 93.2%    School Average 95.7%

In line with school procedures, the class teacher will notify you by letter if your child’s attendance is a cause for concern. Thereafter, Mrs Maguire or Miss Gray will contact you to discuss our concerns directly with you.

CHRISTMAS LUNCH

Please remember to order your child’s Christmas lunch for Wednesday 14th December. If you child receives a free meal, you still have to pre- order it and if your child pays for lunch it must be pre-ordered and pre-paid. We do not take money or orders on the day. The office is now taking orders and payment.

CHARITY UPDATE

Mrs Brown and the Enterprise Committee organised a very successful pyjama party. We raised £234 for another very worthwhile cause.  Miss Allan organised for a daffodil planting event and £154 was raised for Marie Curie. We are planning to donate our Christmas Collection at the Church to British Red Cross.

KILBOWIE – 26th to 30th March 2012

I am delighted to tell you that our children in Primary 7 will be attending a residential experience in line with North Lanarkshire Council’s commitment to Raising Achievement Policy. This will be an experience to last a lifetime. Shortly after our return in January we will start collecting payment for this trip. Payment details are: Children who are not in receipt of free meals/clothing grant- £114. Children who are in receipt of free meals/clothing grant– £26.

BUS UPDATE

Please remember you are responsible for your child’s conduct on the school bus. A good standard of behaviour is always expected to ensure everyone remains safe, secure and protected from harm. Please remind your child of our expectations. Thank you for your help.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

I hope you found the information about the arrangements useful. Here are a few reminders:

Christmas Community Concert: This is event is for invited guests within our local community. This takes place on Monday 12th December.

Nursery Nativity am and pm: Tuesday 13th December.

Christmas Concert: Wednesday 14th December at 9.30am and 1.30pm. (Tickets £1 and are limited to a maximum of 2 per family on a 1st come basis)

Christmas Pantomime: M and M productions perform Robin Hood for children in Primaries 1 to 7 on Thursday 15th December.

Christmas Magic Show: For nursery children only on Friday 16th December am and pm.

Parties: Nursery am and pm – Thursday 15th December

R4 and R9- Tuesday 20th December pm

R11, R12 and R14– Monday 19h December pm

R15, R17 & R18– Friday 16th December

Parent Council Disco – 13th December

P 1 – 3                  6.30 – 7.15pm         P 4 – 7         7.30 – 8.30pm

Entrance is £1 and will be paid at the door. Crisps and flavoured water will be on sale. The discos are for Newmains Primary children only. We really need parent volunteers to supervise at both discos – particularly the one for the older children. Please fill in the enclosed from if you can manage to come along and help. We can’t hold these fun events for our children without your support.

We do hope you will be able to join us for our Christmas Celebration in Coltness Memorial Church at 10am on Tuesday 20th December.

School will close on Wednesday 21st December at 2.30pm. The buses will pick up the children about 2pm and the rest of the children will leave at 2.30pm. School re-opens on Monday 9th January 2011.

We hope December is a happy, if busy, month for you and that you have a very Merry Christmas and a good New Year. I thank you for your continued support of all that we do in our school.

Yours sincerely,

E CLINTON

Head Teacher

URGENT UPDATE FOR PARENTS:

Newmains Primary School and Nursery Class
23rd November 2011
Dear Parent/Guardian,
I write to inform you that I have received official confirmation from the Executive Director of Learning and Leisure Services that all educational establishments will be closed to pupils on Wednesday 30th November due to official notification of industrial action from a range of trade unions.

Yours sincerely,

E CLINTON
Head Teacher

Newmains News

Changes to children’s travel arrangements, 1st November 2011

Please can I ask for your support to reduce the number of interruptions to your child’s learning at school? Please help us by contacting the school before 2.30pm, where possible to make any changes to the arrangements for home time for your child. I do understand that this is not always possible but would appreciate your cooperation and support.

 

Curriculum for Excellence Update
Thank you for supporting our school by providing your views about our arrangements for homework. Your feedback is vital to improve learning experiences for our children at home. The comments you provided will help us to review our policy and enable the school to provide a broad range of experiences and opportunities for your child. I wish to thank you for your tremendous support of supporting us to celebrate the wider achievements of our children out with the school day. We have had a good response and it is an excellent way for you to talk to your child about their learning. I would urge you to send in more success stories to us as they happen.

 

Parental Consultations
I was delighted with the attendance of parents at our consultations last month. 88% of our parents met with their child’s class teacher. Attendance at these consultations are crucial for us to work in partnership and this ensures that we are all ‘trying our very best to ensure everyone achieves success’.

 

Awards for All Success
The school has managed to secure a grant of £6750 to purchase additional ICT resources. Our Parent Council has also been awarded up to £7500 (to be confirmed) to purchase a trim-trail for our infant playground. I am delighted with this news, as it will have a positive impact on the experiences we offer to your child.

 

ECO and Health News
Thank you to Mrs Maguire for hosting activities for Water Aid. We collected £164 for Water Aid. Our Uniform and Book Sale also raised £15.80 for the School Fund. Thank you for supporting us!

 

Work Experience Placements
We are hosting work experience placements for former pupils, week commencing 31st October.

 

DHL Safety Demonstration- Tuesday 22nd November
The school will be hosting a safety demonstration for children at P5-P7 children stages to highlight the potential dangers of vehicles. The vehicle due on site is a 40ft trailer and tractor unit. Thank you to Mr Wilkie for supporting the school to host this very worthwhile event.

 

Swimming News
Our Primary 5 children are really enjoying their swimming lessons at Wishaw Sports Centre. I would like to thank Mrs Walker, Mrs Taylor, Mrs Johnstone and Ms Baird for accompanying the class to the Sports Centre. Thank you!

 

Football News
Our children recently attended a Football Festival event organised by
Paul McArthur (our Janitor) at Ravenscraig Sports Centre. The children also enjoyed meeting Tom Hately and Darren Randolph who are first team players at Motherwell Football Club.

 

A Little Reminder:
Monday 14th November: School closed for an In-service day.
Please ensure items of clothing are marked with your child’s name on them.

 

Travel to School
Please remember that your child should only travel on the buses if they are in possession of a valid bus pass. Your child is not insured to travel on the bus if they don’t have a pass. Health and safety matters to us and we all need to do our bit to ensure our children are safe and protected.

 

St Andrews Day Celebrations
To celebrate St Andrews Day, I would ask if the children could wear something tartan that day at the cost of £1. We are hosting a quiz for P4-P7 pupils and children in P1-P3 will also be celebrating too! As this is a special celebration we will organise for a Scottish themed lunch for the children.

 

Parental Information Sheet about Learning
Shortly you will be receiving a new information sheet that will let you know what your child is working on in class this term. This means that the children have talked about their learning with the teacher and you now become part of this process also. Miss Gray has produced a very helpful information letter about how you can help your child with their homework. A copy is available on our school website at www.newmains.n-lanark.sch.uk

 

Fancy Dress Fun Day
Once again we had a great day and the children’s costumes were amazing. Thank you for your continued support with this; it really makes it a special day for everyone in school. The Primary 7’s did an excellent job of providing games and activities for all of us. It was a fun day!

 

Breakfast Club
Mrs Dempster, Mrs McMillan and Mrs Johnstone provide an excellent breakfast service for our children. This provides a very good start to the day and ensures your child is ready for learning. A range of cereals and toast is served, costing 20p each day.

 

December Dates
I can’t believe that it’s almost that very special time of year that we can’t mention till 1st December! We would very much appreciate donations for our Christmas Raffle. If you have a donation, please hand it into Mrs Johnston in our School Office.
To help you plan ahead for everything you have to do, I have outlined all the school activities in December below:

Nursery Class Nativity am and pm Tuesday 13th December
Christmas Concert/Fayre: Wednesday 14th December at 9.30am and 1.30pm (more details will follow)
Christmas Lunch: Wednesday 14th December (P1-P7 pupils)
Christmas Pantomime: Thursday 15th December pm (P1-P7 pupils only)
Christmas Magic Show: Friday 16th December am and pm (nursery)

 

Parties:
Nursery am and pm – Thursday 15th December
R4 and R9- Tuesday 20th December pm
R11, R12 and R14- Monday 19th December pm
R15, R17 & R18- Friday 16th December pm

Our Christmas Celebration will be held at Coltness Memorial Church on Tuesday 20th December at 10am.
Yours sincerely,

E CLINTON
Head Teacher

 

CAN YOU HELP? 25th October 2011
Dear Parents,
Can you help by supplying any of these items from the list below?
ITEMS REQUIRED:
COFFEE BEANS SUPER NOODLES
TINNED FRUIT SOUP PASTA
CUSTARD SPAGHETTI PASTA SAUCES
BISCUITS TEA BAGS TINNED VEGETABLES
Please support a very good cause by sending your donation into the school with your child. David Shaw will call into the school on Friday 4th November to uplift your donations. If you require any more information about the Basics Food Bank, David can be contacted on 0770 8181347
Thank your for your help.
E CLINTON
Head Teacher

 

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, 13th October 2011
What is hand, foot, and mouth disease?
Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common viral illness of infants and children. It is characterised by fever, sores in the mouth, and a skin rash. HFMD begins with a mild fever, poor appetite, malaise (feeling vaguely unwell), and often a sore throat. One or 2 days after the fever begins, painful sores develop in the mouth. They begin as small red spots that blister and then often become ulcers. The sores are usually located on the tongue, gums, and inside of the cheeks. The skin rash develops over 1 to 2 days, with flat or raised red spots and sometimes with blisters. The skin rash does not itch and is usually on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. It may also appear on the buttocks or genitalia. A person with HFMD may have only the rash or only the mouth sores.
Is hand, foot, and mouth disease the same as foot-and-mouth disease?
No. HFMD is often confused with foot-and-mouth disease of animals. Although the names are similar, the two diseases are not related and are caused by different viruses. People do not get foot-and-mouth disease, and animals do not get hand, foot, and mouth disease.
Is hand, foot, and mouth disease serious?
HFMD is a mild disease and patients generally recovery in 7 to 10 days without medical treatment.
Is hand, foot, and mouth disease contagious?
Yes, HFMD is moderately contagious. Infection is spread from person to person by direct contact with nose and throat discharges, saliva, fluid from blisters, or the stool of infected persons. A person is most contagious during the first week of the illness.
What are the risks to pregnant women exposed to children with hand, foot, and mouth disease?
Infection during pregnancy may cause mild or no illness in the mother. There is no evidence that maternal infection causes adverse outcomes of pregnancy.
Strict adherence to good hygiene practices by pregnant women may help to decrease the risk of infection during pregnancy and around the time of delivery.
How is hand, foot, and mouth disease treated?
No specific treatment is available for this infection. Symptomatic treatment is given to provide relief from fever, aches, or pain from the mouth ulcers.
Can hand, foot, and mouth disease be prevented?
Specific prevention for HFMD infection is not available, but the risk of infection can be lowered by following good hygiene practices. Preventive measures include:
Washing hands frequently and correctly and especially after changing nappies and after using the toilet
Cleaning dirty surfaces and soiled items, including toys, first with soap and water, rinsing and disinfecting them
Avoiding close contact (kissing, hugging, sharing eating utensils and cups, etc.) with persons with HFMD

How should hand, foot, and mouth disease in the child care setting be handled?
NHS Lanarkshire has no specific recommendations regarding the exclusion of children with HFMD from child care programs, schools, or other group settings.
If an outbreak occurs in the child care setting,
Inform NHS Lanarkshire Health Protection Team 01698 858232 or 858228
Make sure that all children and adults wash their hands frequently and thoroughly, especially after changing nappies or using the toilet.
Thoroughly wash and disinfect contaminated items and surfaces, using a recommended disinfectant.

 

PARENTAL CONSULTATIONS– News from Mr Clinton
Please do come along on Thursday 13th October to find out how your child is settling into his/her new class. You will be able to get a progress update from your child’s Class teacher.
Tracy Ann Kidd, Health Promotion Officer from NHS Lanarkshire will be in our school to answer any questions you may have about health matters or our programme for Health and Wellbeing. She will be available from 3 to 6pm. Our Parent Council will also be around and have organised a Tombola to raise funds. I look forward to seeing you on Thursday.

 

HOW WELL ARE WE DOING? SCHOOL ATTENDANCE UPDATE

In the October Newsletter, I highlighted that the Scottish Government target for attendance at school is set at 98%.
Regular attendance at school is vital to ensure continued progress. We need to work together to ensure that our children can achieve their fullest potential at school. So far the statistics indicate:
In Primary 1 almost all children attend school on a regular basis. (95.6%)
In Primary 2 almost all children attend school on a regular basis. (97.8%)
In Primary 3 almost all children attend school on a regular basis (95.7%)
In Primary 4 almost all children attend school on a regular basis. (96.7%)
In Primary 5 almost all children attend school on a regular basis. (93.7%)
In Primary 6 almost all children attend school on a regular basis. (94.5%)
In Primary 7 almost all children attend school on a regular basis. (95.7%)
Across the school, almost all children attend on a regular basis. Currently the school’s performance is 95.7%, which is below the national average.

E CLINTON
Head Teacher

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