It has perhaps been the worst kept secret in Coatbridge over the past month or so, but I am now in a position to officially announce that Mr Hughes retires today. Mr Hughes spoke to me several months ago and very firmly expressed his desire to slip away from St Bartholomew’s quietly and without any public announcement. Of course, this really came as no surprise: Mr Hughes is known for his quiet, unassuming personality and his habit of simply getting things done without any fuss or drama.

I have no doubt at all that a public announcement of Mr Hughes’ retirement prior to the end of term would have resulted in a huge surge of well-wishers turning up at the school. Over the past four decades, Mr Hughes has educated literally hundreds of Townhead children, many of whom are now parents (and even grandparents) of current pupils. He has been an absolute inspiration to those many individuals who have been privileged enough to pass through his class over the years and you would struggle to find a teacher more dedicated, hard-working and genuinely interested in the welfare of their pupils. Likewise, you would struggle to find a more loyal and supportive colleague. Mr Hughes is, quite simply, one in a million and St Bartholomew’s won’t be the same without him.

If I’d had my way, I would have thrown the biggest party possible for Mr Hughes and I know that people would have travelled from far and wide to express their heart-felt thanks to this remarkable man and wish him well in his retirement. However, I felt it was important to respect Mr Hughes’ wishes and give him the opportunity to round-off his teaching career in the way he wanted.

Earlier today, Mr Hughes was presented with a beautifully bound copy of the old school logbook which is displayed in our trophy cabinet. This is a book Mr Hughes has grown very fond of (he’s even mentioned by name in its pages!) and we hope that, in the months and years ahead, this gift will be a constant reminder to him of how much he was respected, admired and loved by the St Bartholomew’s community throughout the many years he taught in the school.

Mr Hughes, we really will miss you! However, our best wishes and our prayers for a VERY long and happy retirement go with you as you leave St Bartholomew’s today. You’re about to begin the longest summer holiday ever! You’ve earned it, Willie!!!

(Please remember that there is the facility to leave messages here on the blog. Tributes for Mr Hughes along with any special memories would be most welcome.)

Primary 7 had an absolute blast at their beach party last night. The sun shone throughout the evening and it was wall to wall fun for everyone there. Many thanks to the Parent Council for organising this special event to mark the end of P7’s time in St Bart’s.

We not only say goodbye to Primary 7 today but also bid a sad farewell to Mrs Dickson in the nursery and Miss Hamill who has taught P2 this year. Mrs Dickson has been a well-known face in the nursery for nine years and will be greatly missed. We wish her well as she takes up her new teaching position in South Lanarkshire. Likewise, we wish Miss Hamill all the very best as she moves on from St Bart’s; thank you for all your hard work this year and good luck in your next school.

We’ve reached the last day of term and the summer holidays are now only a few hours away. It’s been a fantastic year here in St Bart’s. You only need to click through the blog and browse the class pages to see just how much phenomenal learning has gone on across the school since last August. A MASSIVE well done to our fantastic pupils – I’m so proud of everything you’ve achieved!

Please can I also take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the St Bartholomew’s team and to thank each and every one of you for all you’ve done to make the 2013/14 session so enjoyable and successful for our pupils. You all deserve a well-earned rest over the summer.

HAVE A FANTASTIC SUMMER HOLIDAY, EVERYONE! SEE YOU ON MONDAY 18TH AUGUST!

Our Primary 7 pupils will be the centre of attention in St Bartholomew’s today. The boys and girls have reached their penultimate day of primary school and will mark the end of their seven years in St Bartholomew’s with three special events.

First of all, our whole school community will gather together with the families and friends of P7 at 1.30pm to celebrate Mass. This will give us the opportunity to thank God for His many blessings this year and also to pray for the P7s as they begin a new chapter in their lives at St Ambrose High School. We are delighted to welcome Fr Kelly back to St Bartholomew’s for this afternoon’s Mass.

The Mass will be followed by our P7 Awards Ceremony. A leavers’ certificate and St Ambrose tie will be presented to each P7 pupil and, thanks to the generosity of Mark Millar OBE, several special prizes will be awarded to a number of children who have excelled in various areas during their time in St Bartholomew’s. The boys and girls have also prepared a special song to sing to their family and friends. WARNING: bring a hanky!

After a cup of tea provided by the parish, the children will head home to get ready for their beach party. We can’t promise sunshine, but we can definitely guarantee the P7s a fun-packed evening. See you at 7.00pm, everyone! Don’t forget those sunglasses!

Our Nursery graduation ceremony will take place at 9.30am today in the hall. I look forward to welcoming family and friends as we say well done and good luck to those boys and girls who are moving on to Primary 1.

Having been provided with the names of our new teaching staff, I am now in a position to send out letters regarding next year’s classes. These will be in school bags today. Many thanks for your patience.

As promised, here are some photographs of our special Commonwealth Games art exhibition. I was extremely impressed as I wandered around the displays yesterday and couldn’t believe how much fantastic art work has been produced across the school over the past few weeks. Well done, everyone!… What a talented bunch you are! Many thanks, once again, to Mrs Carlin for coordinating and putting together the exhibition.

If you have a keen eye, you may have noticed a few changes to the home-page of our website. A link to the Head Teacher’s Blog is now included in the main red bar along the top of the page and ‘Kidzone’ has been replaced with ‘Pupil Voice’… all will be revealed after the summer holidays!

There will be no new updates to the class pages for the remainder of the term as these have now been prepared for the eight new classes in August. Many thanks to Mrs McIntyre for her hard work in getting these ready for the new session.

Mrs Smillie and Mrs Clare are in the process of putting reports into envelopes and these will be distributed as soon as possible (tomorrow at the latest). A text will be sent out to let you know when to check your child’s school bag.

A special art display will be set up outside the hall today displaying art work linked to the Commonwealth Games from across the school. The children (and visitors to the school) will have the opportunity to visit the exhibition over the next couple of days to look at the artistic skills of our very talented pupils. A Commonwealth Games prize will be awarded for the best piece of art work from each class. Check out tomorrow’s blog for photographs of the display. A huge thank you to Mrs Carlin for organising and co-ordinating this special exhibition to mark the end of our whole-school Commonwealth Games topic.

It’s the last week of term!

Bishop Joseph Toal will be installed as Bishop of Motherwell in the Cathedral of Our Lady Of Good Aid this evening. Bishop Toal has been Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Motherwell since Bishop Devine retired in May 2013, so is already well known to parishioners.

St Bartholomew’s school community extends a very warm welcome to Bishop Toal and assures him of our prayers on this special day and in the years ahead.

Primary 7 are homeward bound! We’ve had an absolutely fantastic week in Kilbowie and the amazing weather has made it feel more like Oman than Oban!!! We’re scheduled to be back in Townhead around 2.15pm. However, a text will be sent out once we have a better idea of our expected time of arrival.

Anyway, we’ve just about arrived at the last week of the school year. As mentioned in yesterday’s blog, we have a busy final week including the nursery graduations and P7 Leavers’ Mass. Reports and letters about classes will be sent out no later than Wednesday.

Have a good day, everyone and see you once we get back to St Bart’s!

It’s our last day of activities here in Kilbowie. The weather is still beautiful and this has made the various outdoor pursuits all the more enjoyable for the boys and girls. The children have been extremely well behaved and have really done St Bartholomew’s proud. A huge well done to them all!

We are fast approaching the last week of term and there are a number of important events to remember. The nursery graduations will take place on Wednesday and the P7 Leavers’ Mass and Awards Ceremony at 1.30pm on the Thursday afternoon. Father Kelly, former parish priest and school chaplain, will be celebrating the Mass. The P7 Beach Party will be held on the Thursday evening… let’s hope this good weather continues for the Primary 7’s special night!

I am due to hear from Personnel today who our new members of staff will be. This will allow me to send out letters about classes at the beginning of next week. Once again, thank you for your patience.

The sun continues to shine here in Kilbowie and the boys and girls continue to smile!

The vast majority of the activities are completely new experiences for the children but they are launching into them with great enthusiasm and walking away with the satisfaction of having successfully faced new challenges. Gorge-walking has been a particular favourite (basically putting on a wet-suit and helmet, walking up a fast-flowing stream and jumping into a pool at the end!) and kayaking over the sea to the nearby island of Kerrera has also been another highlight for the children.

It’s been great seeing the boys and girls form friendships with pupils from the other schools. These children, of course, will be the new classmates of our pupils at St Ambrose High School in August.

I have heard from Mrs Bolland and Mrs McIntyre that all is well back in St Bartholomew’s and that you are enjoying the same sort of weather as we are here in Oban. Well done, boys and girls!

Finally, I heard last night that Mike Russell, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, made a special mention of St Bartholomew’s in a speech at the SECC yesterday. He really was impressed with the school when he visited last Thursday and it seems he’s spreading the word! Well done, once again, to pupils, staff and everyone else involved in the Cabinet Secretary’s visit for helping show Mike Russell what a fantastic school St Bartholomew’s truly is!

Apologies for the delay in posting today’s blog. The internet has been playing up and the rural location also means it’s almost impossible to access the blog via my phone. However, here I am!

Primary 7 arrived safe and sound in Kilbowie yesterday and have had a fantastic time so far. The weather is absolutely glorious and this has made the various activities all the more enjoyable. Today has seen the boys and girls gorge walking, kayaking, skiing and exploring the local area. Smiles all round!

Hope the sun is shining in Coatbridge!