Good morning. As I mentioned last week, I had a very enjoyable and productive time at the Catholic Head Teachers’ conference on Thursday and Friday. However, it really does feel good to be back in St Bartholomew’s this morning. I’m looking forward to seeing the boys and girls at 9 o’clock and catching up on all their news. The Catholic Head Teachers’ Association gifted a portrait of Pope Francis to the school during the conference and this will be given a new home in our main entrance area later today.

I came across a thought-provoking quotation the other day; some food for thought as we begin a new week:

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you’ll be a success.”

Have an enjoyable and successful Monday, everyone!

Good morning, everyone. I was delighted to hear from Mrs MacIntyre and Mrs Bolland that it was a terrific Thursday in St Bartholomew’s yesterday. Well done, boys and girls!

I’ve had a very interesting and enjoyable time away at the Catholic Head Teachers’ conference. The highlight for me was yesterday’s inspirational speech on Catholic schools by Maureen McKenna, Director of Education for Glasgow City Council. It has also been good to meet so many other Head Teachers from across Scotland… several of whom are readers of this blog!

I noticed on their class page that Primary 1 have created some beautiful sparkly sea horses as part of this week’s art work. They’re going to look absolutely fantastic on the wall! Click on the ‘learning’ pencil on the website homepage to have a look for yourself.

Up the school in Primary 4/3, the boys and girls have been busy on our new computers learning how to import photographs onto a document. I’m very impressed!

I’m looking forward to popping onto the website at 3 o’clock today to see our Pupils of the Week… I wonder which names will be there! I’m equally excited about who’s going to win the House trophy and Cool Class Cup.

Have another great day, everyone. Looking forward to seeing you on Monday morning.

Good morning! It’s 6.40am and I am already en route to St Andrew’s for the annual Catholic Head Teachers’ conference. I’m a little bleary-eyed, but very much looking forward to what should hopefully be an enjoyable and productive two days. Mrs MacIntyre and Mrs Bolland are holding the fort in my absence and will be able to deal with any urgent issues or queries.

Boys and girls: I’ll be telephoning the school several times today to check up on you. I want good reports! Best behaviour, best work, best manners, please! Tomorrow’s Friday, so there’s still time to earn a Pupil of the Week certificate or win the House trophy… and remember that the Cool Class Cup is up for grabs right up to the end of the day tomorrow! So, do your very best today and make sure I have a smile on my face when I phone the school later on. Oh, and did I mention the hidden cameras I got fitted in St Bartholomew’s last week?!!!

Have a good day, everyone!

I just can’t help myself!
I need to put it on my blog for all the world to read!…
Our new Primary 1’s are absolutely FANTASTIC!
They’re whizz kids in class with their letters and numbers; they walk beautifully along the corridor; they are experts on our new computers; they sit like angels during assembly; they never forget to say ‘Good morning’ and ‘Good afternoon’; they stay out of trouble in the playground; they never stop smiling (and neither does Mrs Carlin)!!! Boys and girls, we are sooooo proud of you. Keep up the super work!

I’m at the annual Catholic Head Teachers’ conference tomorrow and Friday. Hopefully, I’ll have a phone signal up in St Andrew’s so I can post my blog using my iPhone (and so I can log onto the website on Friday to find out who gets a Pupil of the Week certificate and who wins the Cool Class Cup!).

Have a good day, everyone.

The ‘Pray for our school group’ will meet at 11.00am in the school oratory this morning. All parents, parishioners and friends are very welcome to attend. Further information is available in the Faith section of our school website, including the monthly prayer guide mentioned in yesterday’s blog. The time of prayer will be followed by a cup of tea and a biscuit in the wonderful company of some of our Primary 7 pupils!.. always a highlight of the monthly event! I have a very busy day of meetings ahead, but I look forward to seeing some of you this morning, if only briefly.

A new week in St Bart’s and we also find ourselves at the beginning of a new month. September already!

As September begins, you may be interested to know that a monthly prayer guide has been produced to help interested parents, staff, parishioners and friends pray for the life and work of St Bartholomew’s Primary. The guide can be downloaded from the ‘Faith’ area of our website – you’ll find it in the ‘Pray for our school group’ section.

Contractors are making very good progress on the new heating system and it shouldn’t be too long before we can fire up our new gas boiler. I’m also delighted to say that new roller blinds will be fitted to all classrooms (including the nursery), the main offices, music room, library and ICT suite over the next few weeks. This will make a huge difference to the look and feel of the school, allowing maximum light to flood in through our new windows.

Although summer has officially drawn to a close, let’s hope there are still plenty of warm, sunny days left of 2013! We’re not quite ready for autumn yet!!!

It’s been a very productive second week of term in St Bartholomew’s. The children have been busy delving into their new class topics and the maths and language jotters I’ve seen so far are already beginning to fill up with some super work. A huge well done, boys and girls! Keep up the great work!

Given all the wonderful work that’s been going on, I imagine the teachers will have a very difficult time deciding on who will be awarded a Pupil of the Week certificate this afternoon. Please remember to click on ‘Success’ at 3 o’clock to find out who the proud winners are, along with the Cool Class and first winning House of the year.

Many thanks for the positive comments we’ve received from parents/carers regarding the letter on energy and fizzy drinks. Your support is very much appreciated.

Have a good day, everyone, and a fun, relaxing weekend once it arrives.

Good morning, everyone. I’m at a Head Teachers’ meeting today, but Mrs McIntyre and Mrs Bolland will be on hand to keep St Bart’s ticking over smoothly.

A letter will be sent out to parents and carers today. However, I thought it would be a good idea to post the information on the blog as well:

Every day in St Bartholomew’s, we notice a change in the behaviour and attention span of many of our children after morning interval and lunch. At the same time, we have noticed an increase in the number of pupils bringing fizzy drinks and energy drinks for their snack and lunch.

Time and time again, research suggests that high sugar intake and artificial additives (both of which are found in fizzy drinks and energy drinks) have a negative effect on children’s behaviour and their ability to concentrate. The high caffeine content of energy drinks can have particularly serious side effects on children.

All of us – parents, carers and staff – want our pupils to reach their full potential and get the maximum benefit from the time they spend in school. Therefore, as of Monday 2nd September, energy drinks will not be permitted in St Bartholomew’s under any circumstances. Please can I also ask all parents and carers to give serious consideration to the other sorts of drinks their child brings to school for their snack and lunch. In line with North Lanarkshire policy, pupils are only permitted to drink plain water during class time. Many thanks for your support.

Finally, MANY CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW HOUSE CAPTAINS!
Summerlee: Amy Leigh McLaughlin
Lochend: Morgan Wilson
Drumpellier: Ethan Goldsmith
Monklands: David Brown

Have a great day!

It’s a new one on me, but I read last night that today is ‘Ask a Stupid Question Day’ in the United States, usually celebrated by school pupils and teachers. Seemingly, it was created by teachers in the 1980’s to encourage students to ask more questions in the classroom without feeling their question would be thought of as silly!

Anyway, I know the boys and girls in St Bartholomew’s have no difficulty coming up with great questions (and there’s no such thing as a stupid question in St Bart’s!). Here’s a great bit of advice from someone called Jim Rohn:

“To solve any problem, there are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, whom could I ask?”

And (just for fun!), here are a few daft questions to make you smile:

If a person owns a piece of land, do they own it all the way down to the centre of the earth?

Why are they called stairs inside but steps outside?

Why is there a light in the fridge but not in the freezer?

Why is it that when someone tells you there are billions of stars in the universe, you believe them, but if they tell you there’s wet paint somewhere you have to touch it?!!

“HOW DO I TURN OFF CAPSLOCK? I ACCIDENTALLY TURNED IT ON YESTERDAY AND I DONT KNOW HOW TO TURN IT BACK OFF.”

Have a good day, everyone!

I am currently working on material for a new ‘You said… We did’ display board just inside the front door and spent part of my day yesterday re-reading the comments from last session’s parent/carer questionnaires. It was extremely encouraging to revisit the feedback we received and I was reminded, once again, of how fortunate St Bartholomew’s is to have such a supportive bunch of parents and carers. Thank you for so many positive comments and for the pointers you provided on how we can improve. The results of the questionnaires will be on display later this week… keep your eye on the red board to the right of the front door!

On the theme of St Bartholomew’s partnership with parents and carers, the first Parent Council session of the year will take place this evening. I would like to take this opportunity to ask all parents and carers to seriously consider getting involved in St Bartholomew’s Parent Council. It’s a great opportunity to contribute to the life and work of the school and help ensure the very best for our pupils. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you’d like more information on what’s involved. Tonight’s meeting will take place in the staffroom at 6.00pm (please enter via the back door of the school). Please note that minutes of Parent Council meetings will be made available on our school website this year under ‘Information’.