I’m delighted to announce that the great work and fantastic pupils and staff of St Bartholomew’s have been brought to the attention of someone at the highest level of education. Mike Russell, Scottish Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, has expressed his intention to visit St Bartholomew’s in early June (final date still to be confirmed). I know the boys and girls will shine as bright as ever and leave a lasting impression on our special visitor.

Primary 7 arrived back in Townhead safe and sound on Friday evening after an absolutely fantastic week away in Yorkshire. A string of smiling faces filed off the coach on Friday, each with their own highlight of their time away. Mrs Bolland and Mr Hughes had an equally enjoyable week and were both extremely complimentary about the children’s behaviour, manners and enthusiasm throughout the excursion. Thank you for being great ambassadors for St Bartholomew’s, boys and girls!

Now that the exterior of the school has been repainted, I’m delighted to say that a new sign (see photograph below) will be fitted to the building in the next week or so to direct visitors towards the main entrance. As you can see, the new sign has been designed to tie in with our red doors (and, of course, our school colours) and will be the perfect finishing touch to our newly refurbished building.

It’s a sad day here at St Bartholomew’s as we say say goodbye to Mrs McBride, one of our Classroom Assistants. Mrs McBride has been a valued member of staff for many years and a well-loved helper and friend to literally hundreds of boys and girls. The playground just isn’t going to be the same on Monday morning. We’re really going to miss you, Mrs McBride, but we wish you all the very best in your new job. Keep in touch!

There’s not much to say about Primary 7’s day at Flamingo Land yesterday apart from…. THEY HAD A BLAST! The boys and girls had an unlimited ticket for all of the rides, so it was fun, fun, fun from beginning to end! (See photos below).

The boys and girls will be leaving Scarborough at 9 o’clock this morning and heading north to Newcastle. The original plan was to visit Old Trafford, but the timings just didn’t work out. However, we managed to get a lunchtime booking for St James’ Park which I’m sure will be an equally exciting trip. Once they leave the football ground, the boys and girls will have around a 3 hour journey home , so should be back in Coatbridge between 5.00-5.30pm. The exact arrival time will be sent out by text and posted on the blog around 3 o’clock this afternoon.

Primary 7 had another fantastic day yesterday (despite the alarm clocks going off at 7.00am!!!). They spent the whole day in the historic city of York where they began with a ghost tour… lots of spooky and gruesome stories about some of York’s past residents! Just as well the tour was during daylight hours!!!

The children then visited the Castle Museum where they found out about the history of York. The beautiful sunshine meant that the boys and girls could spend a relaxing lunch on the grass outside the castle.

The children then headed off to the Yorvik Centre where they discovered lots of fascinating facts about the Vikings. There was even a virtual tour through Viking York and the chance to see a real Viking skeleton!

As if all that wasn’t enough, the boys and girls finished off the day with a trip to a military adventure park. Two hours of climbing, swinging and crawling made them more than ready for their beds…. those batteries needed recharged for the fun-packed day they have ahead at Flamingo Land! I think it could be the highlight of the week!

Mrs Bolland and Mr Hughes have reported that the children’s behaviour and manners have been excellent. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Bart’s pupils! Well done, P7, and enjoy Flamingo Land!

Primary 7 arrived safe and sound in Scarborough yesterday without a single pupil (or teacher!) being sick. They had a fantastic time at Eden Camp (see photos below) where they learned lots of new information about World War II. The boys and girls settled quickly into their hotel and enjoyed their first dinner of chicken nuggets and chips! Last night was spent having lots of fun along the promenade, as well as a walk up to the castle. Fresh sea air, of course, is the perfect thing for a good night’s sleep!

The boys and girls are off to the city of York today. Read all about their adventures tomorrow! Don’t forget (parents, teachers and pupils) that you can leave comments and messages for the children on the blog.

The big day has finally arrived for our P7 pupils! The boys and girls will be jumping on a coach this morning and heading off to Scarborough for four days. They have a fun-packed week ahead, including visits to the Yorvik Centre, Flamingo Land and St James’ Park (the home of Newcastle United). Their first port of call (later on today) will be ‘Eden Camp’. This is an old World War II prisoner of war camp which has been transformed into an exciting interactive museum.

Have a fantastic trip, boys and girls, and many thanks to Mrs Bolland and Mr Hughes for giving so generously of their own time to accompany the children. Keep an eye on this week’s blog to read about the children’s daily adventures!

Yesterday’s First Communion Mass in St Bartholomew’s Church was really beautiful. The P4 boys and girls did themselves, their families and their school proud. I hope the rest of your First Communion Day was really special, everyone, and that the sun kept shining!

Well done to Primary 3, who put on a fantastic class assembly on Friday afternoon. Mums and dads were delighted with the special gift of the DVD the boys and girls produced. What a talented bunch you are!

As many of you already know, Mrs McBride will be leaving St Bartholomew’s this coming Friday after many years of service to the school. Mrs McBride will be sorely missed by both pupils and staff, but we wish her all the best in her new job. We’ll make sure your last week in St Bart’s is a good one, Mrs McB!

Friday already. What a quick week!

Primary 3 will be hosting their class assembly this afternoon for their family and friends. The children have been finding out about all the different people who help them and are very excited about sharing their learning with their special audience. The assembly will be followed by an opportunity for the children’s guests to visit the P3 classroom, where they’ll be treated to a cup of tea, biscuit and a TOP SECRET special gift!!! The assembly begins at 1.30pm in the hall.

Pupil of the Week certificates, the House trophy and the Cool Class Cup will all be awarded at this afternoon’s assembly. Please log onto the website this afternoon to find out who the winners are. Due to the school show, I’m a couple of weeks behind with ‘Tea with Mr Young’. However, I haven’t forgotten about you, boys and girls – we’ll get caught up next week!

Our Primary 4 pupils have their final rehearsal for their First Holy Communion this morning. The staff are looking forward to sharing this special day with the boys and girls on Sunday and our whole school community will say a special prayer for them at this afternoon’s assembly.

This afternoon, St Bartholomew’s will welcome the parents and carers of the thirty-seven children starting Primary 1 this coming August. This is the first of a series of transition events and will take place in the Music Room at 1.30pm (please enter the school via the main entrance). Our current Primary 1 pupils will be giving a short presentation to the mums and dads to show them just how grown-up, confident and articulate St Bartholomew’s pupils are after only nine months in Primary 1. Get ready to be VERY impressed by our P1 superstars!

Our Primary 4 pupils are only a few days away from making their First Holy Communion. The special Mass will take place this coming Sunday at 10.00am in St Bartholomew’s Church. This is a very important and special day for the boys and girls, so please remember them in your prayers over the coming days.

Welcome back, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the long weekend.

I’m delighted to say that ticket sales from ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ raised the fantastic sum of £760. This money will go directly towards our fundraising campaign for new SMART Boards across the school. A ‘thermometer’ will be appearing in the very near future to keep you up-to-date with how close we are to our £6000 target. Our next major fundraising event will be the Summer Fayre on Saturday 7th June – please pop this date in your diary.

Primary 6 and 7 will be receiving input on fire safety from the Fire Brigade this morning. This is a vital topic for the children to learn about and I’m sure the boys and girls will find the input from the Fire Brigade both enjoyable and informative.