I received a wonderful surprise yesterday morning in the form of a cheque. Some friends from the local Townhead community handed me a cheque for £230. The benefactors have asked to remain anonymous, but I still want to publicly acknowledge the gratitude and thanks of our whole school community. The money has now been banked and will be used to help subsidise class trips. Thank you for your generosity!

We discovered this year’s first set of Pupils of the Week on Friday. These hard-working children were also the first to enjoy ‘Tea with Mr Young’: a chance to have juice, a biscuit and a blether around the table. Here are the eight proud certificate winners:

Today, 24th August, is the feast of St Bartholomew, the patron of our school. Our whole school community will be attending Mass in St Bartholomew’s Church at 10.00am this morning. All parents, carers and friends are very welcome to join us.

Perhaps you’ve wondered who St Bartholomew was. Saint Bartholomew was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, usually referred to in the New Testament as Nathaniel. He was introduced to Jesus through Saint Philip. You can read about his first encounter with Jesus at the end of chapter 1 of Saint John’s Gospel. At first, Saint Bartholomew was skeptical about the Messiah coming from the town of Nazareth saying, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” However, as soon as Jesus saw Bartholomew, he immediately said, “Here is a man in whom there is no deceit.” Our school motto, ‘Sine Dolo’ (Without Deceit) is taken from this verse. Saint Bartholomew reappears at the end of Saint John’s Gospel as one of the disciples to whom Jesus appeared at the Sea of Galilee after the Resurrection.

Some sources record that, after the Ascension, Saint Bartholomew went on a missionary tour to India, where he left behind a copy of Saint Matthew’s Gospel. It is also thought that, along with Saint Jude, he brought Christianity to Armenia in the First Century. Saint Bartholomew is said to have been martyred in Albanopolis, Armenia. According to one account, he was beheaded. However, a more popular tradition holds that he was skinned alive and crucified, head downward.

Please note that we have yet to be given a clerical assistant to cover the two days created by Mrs Smillie going down to three days per week. This is placing considerable pressure on the office on Mondays and Fridays, so please bear with us if it takes longer than usual to answer the telephone and door or deal with queries and requests. Thank you.

It’s hard to believe we have reached the end of the first week of term. It’s as if we’ve never been away… but in a good way! Every single class has settled into the new year exceptionally well and it’s an absolute pleasure walking through the corridors of St Bartholomew’s. Behaviour, manners, uniform, enthusiasm, attitude and work are all of the highest standard and every single teacher has commented to me how proud they are of their pupils. The only downside of this week is that it’s going to be EXTREMELY difficult for teachers to choose a Pupil of the Week and equally difficult for me to select a winning class for the Cool Class Cup. Nevertheless, check out the ‘Success’ section of our website later today to find out who the hard-working certificate and trophy winners are.

This coming Monday, 24th August, is the feast of St Bartholomew. Our whole school community will be making the short walk to St Bartholomew’s Church for a celebration of Mass in honour of our patron saint. Mass will begin at 10.00am and all parents, carers and friends of the school are very welcome to join us.

Have a wonderful weekend and see you on Monday for the start of another exciting week in St Bart’s!

Our Term 1 newsletter was sent out yesterday. If your child didn’t hand it to you, please check their school bag at the end of today to ensure you don’t miss out on any information. There are a number of important dates listed in the newsletter including the annual sponsored walk, Parents Evening and the school show.

We had our first fire drill of the year yesterday. We now have around 240 children to safely evacuate from the building, but the boys and girls managed to exit the school calmly and in an impressively short period of time. A special well done to our new Primary 1s: they did great!

Finally, as mentioned in the newsletter, head-lice are a regular pest in any primary school. Unfortunately, they have made a very early arrival at St Bartholomew’s this year, so PLEASE check your child’s hair regularly and treat them before they return to school. Thank you for your help in keeping head-lice at bay!

What a fantastic first day back we had! Despite some last minute nerves from a few of our new P1 pupils, all of the children from P1-7 settled in really quickly to their new classrooms and were beavering away with their work in no time at all. Uniforms were immaculate, manners were exemplary, and behaviour was excellent right across the school. There were lots of smiling teachers at 3 o’clock and one very, very proud Head Teacher! Keep up the super work, boys and girls!

I’m hoping to get the Term 1 newsletter out today, so please check your child’s school bag at the end of the day.

Finally, I couldn’t resist taking the following photograph. Without any discussion or planning, Mrs McLean and Mrs Keirnan both turned up for work yesterday in EXACTLY the same outfit, including matching handbags! You can imagine the surprise they got when they came face to face! Despite Mrs McLean and Mrs Keirnan having such great taste, I can confirm that we don’t have any plans for a St Bart’s staff uniform!!!

Welcome to a brand new school year here at St Bartholomew’s! I hope you all had a great summer, despite the disappointing weather.

An especially warm welcome to our new Primary 1 pupils. They’ll be starting at the slightly later time of 9.45am today and we’re looking forward to seeing the boys and girls in their smart new uniforms ready for their first day at the ‘big school’.

Of course, it’s also the first day for some of the teachers. Welcome to Miss Duffy who will be teaching P1, Miss Connor who will be teaching P2, Miss Mclean who will be teaching P2/3, Miss Brennan who will be teaching Primary 5/6, Mr Fowler who will be teaching PE and Health & Wellbeing across the school and Mrs Wilson who will be working in the infant department on a Monday and Tuesday. We’re absolutely delighted that you’ve joined the St Bart’s team!

I’m sure it’s going to be a fantastic first day back. I look forward to catching up with both pupils and parents/carers during the course of the day. Let the new term begin!

Primary 7 did themselves proud at their Leavers’ Mass and Prize Giving yesterday. There were certainly a few tears around the hall! Many thanks, once again, to Mark and Lucy Millar for taking the time to attend and for donating the prizes. Your ongoing friendship and support is VERY much appreciated. Thanks too to Karen and Bruce from ‘Curriculo Solutions’ for being there to support the children. Of course, special thanks need to go to parents, carers, family and friends for turning up in such great numbers to give the children a fitting send-off.

After all the ceremony of the afternoon, the children let their hair down in the evening at their beach party. It really was a great get-together!

We say goodbye today to Mrs Polsinelli and Miss Jackson. Many thanks to both of you for all your hard work, and all the very best in your new schools.

So, we reach the end of another jam-packed year. Please can I take this opportunity to thank the fantastic St Bartholomew’s team for working so tirelessly throughout the year for the children. You deserve a well-earned rest over the summer holidays! Many thanks too to parents, carers, parishioners and friends for all your support; I’m extremely grateful for all you do for St Bart’s. Thank you! But, of course, my biggest vote of thanks goes to our WONDERFUL pupils who make St Bartholomew’s the friendly, vibrant school community it is. Have a fantastic summer holiday, boys and girls, and see you on Tuesday 18th August!….

LET THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS BEGIN!

Primary 7’s special day has arrived! The Leavers’ Mass and graduation ceremony take place in the main hall at 1.30pm this afternoon. We are privileged that Mark Millar has found time in his busy schedule to attend this afternoon’s proceedings and are extremely grateful for the various awards he has donated for this year’s P7 prize winners. A very warm welcome to Mark and his wife, Lucy!

Karen Glen from ‘Curriculo Solutions’ will also be attending the Mass and prize giving this afternoon. Karen worked with P7 earlier this month on activities related to the world of work. Pupils from the winning teams will be formally recognised this afternoon.

And, of course, as soon as the graduation ceremony is over, the boys and girls will be off home to get ready for their beach party. Unfortunately, we don’t have beach-like weather today, but we’ll be decorating the hall and bringing the disco and party inside. It’s guaranteed to be a great night!

Enjoy your special day, Primary 7!

Please check out Twitter for photographs of yesterday’s Primary 6 and 7 outdoor adventure trip. The boys and girls had a fantastic time!

We have a busy day ahead:

The final prayer service of the year takes place in the oratory this morning at 8.50am… a great opportunity to give thanks for the year that is drawing to a close.

The nursery graduation takes place in the main hall this afternoon at 1.30pm. The boys and girls will be donning their graduation gowns as family, friends, and staff gather to celebrate the children’s time in nursery and give them a fitting send-off.

Primary 6 have a special treat this afternoon – they’ll be off to Buchanan High School to enjoy the school’s summer show. Many thanks to Buchanan High for their kind invitation.

Finally, report cards will be sent out today. Please check your child’s school bag at 3 o’clock.

Thirty-three of our Primary 6 and 7 pupils are off to Chatelherault country park with Mrs McFarlane first thing this morning for an outdoor adventure day. The boys and girls will be orienteering in the morning and will then have the opportunity to try out some ‘bush craft’ in the afternoon which will involve them making dens from the natural materials around them. Today’s trip is a special reward for these pupils for their consistent outstanding manners, behaviour, attitude and work throughout the year. Well done, boys and girls, on earning a place on today’s trip. You deserve it!