Dear boys and girls, I want you to have it all. Click here to hear what I would like to play for you at Assembly today.

Dear Kirkshaws Families,

It is no exaggeration to say I am  weeping as I type this.  Not tears of unhappiness, but tears of joy and appreciation of what we have got and the hope of a stronger school community next session.

We started the year full of big plans and enthusiasm.  Watching you all singing your hearts out at Christmas on the stage will stay with me as one of the highlights of this school year.  What a team! Another super memory of the past few months was our Sponsored Walk in February.  Despite the rain, we were overwhelmed by the number of families who turned up to support us and indebted to the number of family members who completed the route more than once, joining several classes.  It was lovely joining you, chatting as we walked and getting to know you more.

When we heard in March that things may change, no-one predicted a change of this magnitude, but look how we’ve come through this final term.  From the bottom of my heart, I will never be able to thank our staff team enough for the way they have given up their holidays and long weekends to work in Hubs, continued to provide remote support for families in need, provided stimulating online learning and kept me going with their upbeat comments, laughs,  and our Friday night staff Zoom quizzes! (Mrs McNamara knows everything about everything, by the way!!)

Thanks to the families who have stayed in touch.  I know these recent months have been difficult on so many levels, but you have still taken time to send us emails, photos, Tweets, and messages on Teams.  Thank you!  We do this job because we love your children – seeing their faces, watching their videos and reading their messages has been vital to keep us on track. (Oh no, I’m crying again!)

But the greatest of thanks must go to our pupils.  You are amazing.  You have followed all the rules, learned new skills, clapped for carers and been separated from your family and friends.  Well done and thank you!  I know it’s been hard.

So now, to the future.  Earlier this week you received a detailed letter by email, laying out all our plans for a return to school in August.  As we all know, the national picture keeps changing and none of this is certain.  Yesterday the Deputy First Minister reinforced the point that WE WILL RETURN TO FULL TIME EDUCATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  This has always been the case, but what we don’t know is when this will be.  If we find ourselves still in this current position nationally in August, you have our plans for a blended return.  However, if restrictions ease you will receive updated information from North Lanarkshire Council in due course. At the moment I don’t have the answers to the many questions we are all asking, but what I can tell you is;

• your child will be welcomed back to Kirkshaws by teachers who are bursting with pride over what they have achieved over recent months
• our school environment has been cleaned to the highest standard and this level of cleaning will continue to be our priority
• enhanced hygiene routines have been established and will continue to be enforced
• your anxieties, and those of your children, are perfectly understandable and expected and our school staff will work with you to put your mind at ease and find a plan of return that works for you
• we can’t wait to see you back in school as soon as it is safe to do so

In other news, we have many staff members leaving us today. Mrs Mitchell, who returned during Lockdown, is leaving us once again, this time to be Acting Head Teacher of Carnbroe and Sikeside Primaries.  It has been lovely having Mrs Mitchell back with us, albeit briefly, and we wish her well in her new post.  Miss Findlay is also leaving us to work in another local school.  After many years working as the teacher in our nursery class, she is moving to St Monica’s where she will be teaching in the school.  Most children in Kirkshaws have gone through Miss Findlay’s care and we all know she will be a super teacher wherever she goes. Ms Ralston is also leaving us! As our Equity and Excellence Lead in the nursery, Ms Ralston works at an authority level, so can be moved to other establishments as needs change.  This is hard for us in Kirkshaws, but we know that her new nursery will benefit immeasurably from her expertise and passion for learning at early years. And as if that wasn’t enough, yet another long-standing member of staff in our nursery is leaving us today; Mrs Ferguson is retiring.  For those of you who follow us on Twitter, you will know just how much she loves our children.  Her weekly story sessions have been one of the highlights of Lockdown.  We hope that once restrictions ease, we will be able to mark Mrs Ferguson’s retirement in true Kirkshaws style!  Miss Giuliani may have only been with us for one year, but we will still find it difficult to say goodbye today.  She was covering Mrs Harkness’ maternity leave and we are delighted that she has now secured a permanent position in another NLC school.

So to all of these ladies, our P.7 leavers and all our returning children, can I leave you with the words from the song I posted at the top of this newsletter; I WANT YOU TO HAVE IT ALL