Week 1 menu next week. Remember to speak to your child about their choices
WET WEATHER
What a wet end to the month! Here’s hoping September is a bit kinder to us! Please remember to drop your child off in the morning as close to their start time as possible. No child needs to be standing on Old Monkland Road: if you arrive early, they are welcome to wait in the playground. However, please note that they will not be able to access the building until their designated start time. This is due to the fact we have no staff for supervision inside before this time. In the past we could put children together in a large space to supervise them together; however, under present restrictions we cannot mix classes together in this way.
We will continue to try to take learning outside whenever we can. Please ensure your child has a waterproof jacket with them every day as we never know what the Scottish weather has in store.
BREAKFAST CLUB
Breakfast Club continues to operate each day from 8.15am. Please remember, no one should enter the school grounds before this time. Mrs Dillon will open the gate at 8.15am and lead children into Breakfast Club. There is no need to book ahead, Mrs Stewart will be glad to see you any day you wish to attend. Pupils will get the chance to play table-top games in the dinner hall after they have eaten breakfast. They will go straight to class at their designated start time. Pupils attending Breakfast Club must purchase a breakfast.
ALLERGIES
Please remember to check all snacks and packed lunch items to ensure they do not contain nuts. Due to allergies, we must make sure that no nuts are brought into the building. Thank you for your support in this.
ROAD SAFETY
I have had some concerns raised over the past week around dangerous driving around the school as children are arriving or leaving. Please consider parking a short distance from the gates and walking the last part of your journey to alleviate congestion and reduce air pollution in an area where more than 250 children are walking.
Also, please remind older children to pay attention when walking home. Once again, we had a concern raised that senior pupils may not notice cars mounting the pavement, etc. if they are concentrating on their personal screens. We will continue to focus on Road Safety in school too, but would appreciate your support to reinforce this message at home.
ASSEMBLIES
At this time we cannot meet together as a whole school, due to government restrictions on large gatherings. However, we continue to meet together for a Celebration Assembly on a video link each Friday. Over the past two weeks both our P.7 classes have shared words of wisdom with the rest of the school; sharing their knowledge of life in Kirkshaws and offering advice under this new way of working. THANK YOU, Primary 7 – I know you are going to be fabulous role-models this year.
FILL MY BUCKET
Today in Assembly we considered what it means to praise each other, give each other encouragement and show people we care. This can also be called BUCKET FILLING. If you hear your child talking about someone filling their bucket, they are not necessarily taking part in water-play; they are more likely talking about being a good friend. We will continue to promote positive interactions in our school through this and other initiatives, such as our Class Charters.
NURSERY PROVISION
We are delighted to be able to move to our full time model from Monday 31st August! Nursery pupils will now be able to attend 5 days each week during term time, from 8.50am to 2.50pm. Please DO NOT WORRY if this clashes with school pick up and drop off, as always we will find a plan that works for you and keep your children safe until you can pick them up.
EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
Thank you to everyone who has returned our Annual Data Check forms. It is very important that we keep your contact information up to date at all times. If, at any point in the year, your address, phone number or emergency contacts need to be changed, you can do this by contacting the school office by phone.
STAFF CHANGES
We have been delighted to welcome some new members of staff to our team this term. In the school we are getting to know Miss Reid and Miss Curley who are working in Rooms 5 & 16. In our nursery, we have welcomed Miss Brannan, Miss Reilly and Mrs Slavin who have already been getting to know all our nursery families.
During Lockdown, Mrs Mitchell (PT) returned to Kirkshaws, but very quickly left again as she secured an acting Head Teacher role in a another local school. I am delighted to tell you that Mrs McGarry will now continue in the role of Acting Principal Teacher here at Kirkshaws. Mrs McGarry’s remit will continue to have a focus on Early Level education, as well as nurture and developing maths across the school and nursery.
It is with mixed emotions I must inform you that we will be bidding farewell to two pillars of the Kirkshaws community next month. Mrs Peat and Mrs Dunn who work in our office are well known to all our families and keep our school ticking along, trouble-fee daily! Both ladies have decided the time is now right for them to retire from school-life and spend some more time with their families. While we wish them every happiness in this new chapter of their lives, I personally can’t imagine life in Kirkshaws without them and will miss them more than words can say! There will be many hankies out at September weekend when we say our goodbyes.
SEPTEMBER HOLIDAYS UPDATE
As you know, school returned a day earlier than anticipated this session, in line with the plans set out by the Scottish Government. The In-Service Day missed in August has been moved to 24th September, the day before our September Weekend holiday. School will therefore stop for pupils on the afternoon of Wednesday 23rd September, returning the following Tuesday, 29th September. These are the same arrangements for every North Lanarkshire school.
CHILD PROTECTION
The Child Protection Coordinator for the school is myself, Mrs Alison Nicolson. If you have any concerns around the wellbeing of a child you can contact me on 01236 632054 to discuss your worries confidentially. In my absence, Mr Sharp (Principal Teacher) will carry out this role.
