It was great to catch up with so many parents and carers at last night’s Parents’ Evening. It was especially nice to see smile after smile coming out of the hall… obviously lots of good reports from the teachers!

Many thanks to parents and carers for making our Book Fayre such a huge success and for supporting the raffle we held to raise funds for the P7 York trip. Please can I express special thanks to those parents and carers who gave up so much of their time last night to run the Book Fayre, sell raffle tickets and man the Parent Council stall. Each and every one of you are absolute stars!!!!

So, we’ve reached the end of Term 1. I’m SO proud of all of the children for the fantastic start they’ve made to the year. Well done boys and girls! I’m also extremely proud of our fantastic team of staff. There’s never a day goes by without the dedicated St Bart’s team pulling together to ensure the very best for our pupils. A huge thank you to the whole team… you all deserve a well-earned rest over the October break!

Have a fantastic holiday, everyone. Looking forward to seeing you back refreshed and ready for the new term on Monday 21st October.

I’m very much looking forward to seeing parents and carers at Parents’ Evening later today. Consultations for Primary 1-7 pupils will take place in the hall and nursery meetings in the Music Room. All parents and carers should enter via the main school entrance.

To ensure the evening runs smoothly, P1-7 children who do not accompany their parent(s) into the teacher-parent meeting must remain in our ‘Cinema Area’ at all times. Pre-school children must remain with their parents. The Book Fayre will be open throughout the evening. However, children will not be permitted to visit this without an adult. Many thanks for your support with these practicalities.

The Parent Council have a short questionnaire they’d like you to complete this evening. However, you won’t need to rummage around in your handbag or pocket for a pen – the questionnaire can be accessed on one of our iPads and completing it couldn’t be more simple! Thanks in advance for your valuable feedback.

Finally, a night in St Bart’s just wouldn’t be the same without a wee raffle! Proceeds will go towards the P7 excursion to York in June.

See you this evening!

Our harvest offerings of canned food will be gathered together in the oratory this morning to remind us of all God’s blessings and of those who are less fortunate than ourselves. I’ve noticed on my visits to classrooms this week that there’s been a great response from the children. The food will be donated to a nearby soup kitchen and distributed to some of the most needy people in our local community. There’s still time to bring something in for this very worthwhile cause – Mrs O’Neill will be collecting items up until Friday.

Primary 2 & 3 are off to Drumpellier Park again this morning to continue with their art project. As mentioned in last week’s blog, the children are working towards producing a piece of art in aluminium, based on the plants and trees found in the park. The final piece will be put on permanent display in the Drumpellier Park Visitors Centre as well as around the loch. This is a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to create something that will be enjoyed by the general public for many, many years to come.

As mentioned in the newsletter that was sent home yesterday, please can we have any remaining sponsor money into the school office as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we are currently sitting at almost £1000 less than we raised last year, so we will need to scale-down the plans we had for the money. If any parents/carers would like to help the school in raising much needed funds during the course of the year, please do get in touch. Many hands make light work! Thank you.

Please remember that the Book Fayre will be open throughout Parents’ Evening tomorrow. I’m looking forward to seeing you during the course of the evening.

The vast majority of St Bartholomew’s pupils come to school each day in full school uniform and many visitors comment on how smart the boys and girls look in their white shirts and ties. However, I have noticed over the past few weeks that variations on our school uniform have started to creep in, so I thought it would be worth tackling this in today’s blog. A letter will also be sent out before the end of term.

Please can I remind parents and carers of the permitted school uniform (as outlined in the school handbook and on our website):

– White shirt & school tie
– St Bartholomew’s jumper/cardigan or shop-bought black school jumper/cardigan (no hoodies, please)
– Black/grey school trousers or skirt (no tracksuits or joggies, please)
– Blazer (optional)
– Sensible footwear (preferably school shoes or dark-coloured trainers)
– Girls may wear a school pinafore or summer dress.

The topic of school uniform forms part of our Promoting Positive Behaviour policy (this can be found in the Information section of our website) and the following quotation outlines the approach I will take from the beginning of next term:

‘School uniform is seen as holding a key role in maintaining high standards of behaviour and discipline in St Bartholomew’s. The Head Teacher, with the support of Class Teachers, will monitor the wearing of school uniform and parents/carers will be informed if their child is consistently failing to come to school appropriately dressed.’ (page 4)

Many thanks for your support in ensuring that the highest standards of school uniform are maintained in St Bartholomew’s. We only need to take a look at the whole-school photograph in the school foyer to see what a huge difference it makes!

Finally, THE WEATHER IS FORECAST TO TURN COLDER TOMORROW. PLEASE LOOK OUT THOSE WINTER JACKETS!!!! Thank you.

It’s hard to believe that we are now into the last week of term. It’s been a busy few months and the children have made a really great start to the year. Parents and carers will have the opportunity to meet with their child’s teacher on Thursday evening. I look forward to seeing you there.

Today is the first day of our Book Fayre. A wide selection of books for all ages will be on sale in the main entrance area between now and Friday. The children will have the opportunity to visit the Book Fayre at various points during the course of the week and it will also be open during Parents’ Evening this coming Thursday.

Finally, today is the Feast of the Holy Rosary. I’d like to invite parents, pupils, staff and friends to take a few moments today to pray a decade of the rosary for the needs of St Bartholomew’s Primary. We have a great team here at St Bart’s, but we are always in need of God’s grace and strength.

‘Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart.’ (Philippians 4: 6)

We are delighted to welcome our MSP, Elaine Smith, to St Bartholomew’s today. As you know, Primary 6 and 7 visited the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh a few weeks back. Elaine was unable to meet the children on the day, but very kindly contacted us to arrange a personal visit to the school. Elaine will speak to the children about her role as an MSP at this afternoon’s assembly and will also assist me in presenting this week’s certificates and trophies. Welcome to St Bart’s, Elaine! We hope you enjoy your visit!

In the Catholic tradition, the month of October is devoted to the Holy Rosary and devotion to Mary in general. Throughout this week, a special bell has rang at 12 noon to call our whole school community to pray the Angelus. The Angelus bell will continue to ring at 12 o’clock throughout the month of October. If you would like to join us in this traditional Catholic devotion, the words of the Angelus can be found in the Faith section of our website under ‘Prayers’.

Have a good day, everyone, and a great weekend once it arrives (sunshine forecast for tomorrow!!!).

Primary 2 and 3 were back at Drumpellier Park yesterday to make a start on a very exciting art project. The children investigated the various plant life around the park then collected samples of leaves and grasses. These will be used to create an art display which the children will eventually produce in aluminium. This final piece of art will then be put on permanent display in the Drumpellier Park Visitors Centre as well as around the loch. I’m absolutely delighted that St Bartholomew’s pupils have been given this wonderful opportunity to create something that will be enjoyed by visitors to Drumpellier Park for many, many years to come.

Primary 2 & 3 will visit the park for a second time next week. The co-ordinator of the project will then come to St Bartholomew’s after the holidays to continue working with the children. Keep an eye on the P2 and P3 class pages to follow the progress of this exciting project! These can be accessed by clicking on the ‘Learning’ pencil at the bottom of the school website homepage.

As from today, parents, carers and visitors to St Bartholomew’s will have access to a computer which has been located in the main entrance area. This will allow parents and carers who do not have the internet at home to access and explore our school website. St Bartholomew’s website is a vital part of the school’s day-to-day communication with parents, carers, friends and the outside world in general, and we want to ensure that everyone has easy access to the website on a regular basis. A text will be sent out today to inform all parents and carers of this new service.

We had a great time on our sponsored walk around Drumpellier Park yesterday. There was beautiful sunshine throughout the afternoon and it was lovely getting the chance to breathe in the fresh air and chat to our friends as we walked. The Primary 1’s did exceptionally well on their own special route.

Well done on completing the challenge so cheerfully, boys and girls, and many thanks to those parents and carers who helped supervise the children en route; we couldn’t have done it without you. I should also say a special thank you to the lorry drivers who encouraged us with a few blasts of the horn as they passed by and to the police for getting us across the main road safely.

As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, please can I ask that all money raised is handed into the school office by Friday. This will allow us to get everything counted and banked before the October holidays. Thank you. Of course, even though the sponsored walk has taken place, it’s not too late to ask family, friends and neighbours for a donation. Every penny counts and will go directly towards trips and resources for the children.

Finally, a special well done to Leon in Primary 2. He was stung on the finger by a bee during our sponsored walk but was a very brave boy indeed!