We have enjoyed our last week in January, to date the weather has been kind to us – long may it continue. Looking around the school grounds there are signs of spring all around. Our winter pansies continue to bloom, the buds are beginning to show on the bushes in our welcome garden and the Garden Club planters have shoots coming through, spring is in the air (hopefully).

The end of this month marks a new theme in our assemblies, although we will continue to re-visit our New Year Resolutions throughout the term. Our theme for February will be announced at assembly tomorrow morning, Mrs Campbell, Mrs Mullen and Mrs Duffy have the privilege of this as I am at a meeting in Glasgow first thing tomorrow morning. During our assembly each Monday we have added another new component – The Throne! You may have heard your children refer to ‘sitting on the throne’; this privileged position is reserved for those children whose work is displayed on the Good Work Wall. All of our pupils enjoy sitting ‘on the throne’ and entertaining the school with details of their good work. The Throne is our large storytelling chair, which is housed in the library and used throughout the week by staff and pupils for reading for enjoyment. Ask your child/ren about it – they love it! and, as is our tradition, it is of course painted in school colours and adorns a large school badge. The chair was part of the items made for our school by the inmates of Shotts prison during our summer break 2013.

Reading for enjoyment initiative has been a great success in school, led by Miss Phee, please continue to encourage your child/ren to read at home and I would ask you to continue to read to and to read with your child/ren. Each class has a slot of time every day when the teacher reads to the children. This is a great way to focus on reading with expression and to read for fun. Coupled with this our children’s listening skills are also improving. Well done Miss Phee and all involved. We look forward to celebrating World Book Day in March.

On Monday evening we held our first Parent Council Meeting of this year, as always it was extremely well attended and a most productive meeting ably chaired by Mr Gerry Bonnar, our Council Chairperson. Our Parent Council has agreed to act further on the parking concerns, which continue to be at the forefront of our school, literally!

Please encourage all to park in appropriate parking spaces, to leave the nursery car park for nursery children, the three allocated disabled spaces for our children who require assistance to and from school and to resist parking in our bus lane and in the road area outside the nursery car park. There is good reason why the road side in an inappropriate parking space and why it has not been allocated as parking bay. Quite simply it is unsafe. Parents parking here are putting their children (and their own) lives at risk as all are required to enter cars from roadside. I am sure you appreciate how busy the drive is with traffic at 3pm, why parents take this unnecessary risk remains a mystery to me.

This week we will be publishing our February Newsletter, it is filled with items of interest, things happening in the near future and lots and lots of photographs showing the wide range of learning opportunities offered to our school and nursery children on a weekly basis. (and there’s a wee moan about parking in it too…..sorry)

Please remember you can access the newsletter on line as well as having a paper copy. We are now also putting any letters issued on line to ensure all parents have opportunity to keep up to date. We are aware that some children are better than others at bringing letters home, hopefully the on line versions will help.

This Tuesday coming is our Mass of Enrolment for our P4 children who will receive the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist for the first time in May of this year. We look forward to welcoming all of our P4 pupils (in their uniform) with their parents/carers and family members on Tuesday at 7pm in O.L.G.A Cathedral Church. I am looking for a parent to volunteer to read at this Mass, please let me know if you would consider reading on Tuesday evening. Although the Mass is for our P4 pupils we welcome all friends and families from our school, please come along and support out P4 pupils at this important time in their faith development.

Our nursery children and staff have had an amazing week, let’s read…..

On Monday the children were lucky to experience a Tae Kwon Do taster session. They listened well and followed the instructions given by both coaches and were amazed at the height Mr Cumming the coach could jump!
All week the children have been learning all about China and Chinese traditions!

In the writing area the children heard the story of Nian a Chinese dragon. This story sparked their imaginations and from the ideas the children came up with, the house corner was transformed into a Chinese restaurant. Mrs Little went on an adventure to Chinatown with an afternoon mum to get lots of resources that could be used. A big thanks goes to Logan’s mum for all her help.
The children had the opportunity to write lots of different words and read other Chinese stories with Mrs Imray.

Outside the children had a red envelope treasure hunt. The envelopes they found had gold coins in them a Chinese tradition where red envelopes with money in them are given to children. Also outside they painted a dragon which would be used on Friday for the dragon dance.

In the maths area the children got busy writing a Chinese numberline. This is proudly hanging near the entrance of the playroom. Please take time to look at how well the children did. They were also learning to count to 3 in Chinese.

In the music area the children listened to Chinese songs and got the chance to dance in the hall with the ribbons.

In the art area the children made red and gold lanterns and dragon puppets. They explored play dough and created noodles and dragons with it.

In the snack area they have been smelling touching and tasting Chinese food and have been experimenting with chopsticks.

On Friday we celebrated Chinese New Year (Gong Hey Fat Choy). The children visited the restaurant in their groups with their keyworker and their orders were taken and they were served by the P6 buddies. Mrs Shields, Mrs Campbell and Mrs Duffy all visited the restaurant and sampled the menu along with the children. The menu consisted of chicken noodle soup, prawn crackers and noodles. They had Chinese crystallised fruits for dessert and got a Chinese sweet that is only given out at New Year to take home. They danced to Chinese music with ribbons and performed a dragon dance. The whole learning experience has been fantastic and the theme will continue as the children are enjoying it so much.

As always, thanks for reading, any comments will be very welcome.

Mrs Shields