Mrs N’s Notes, 20.8.21
Thank you all for your support as we start back for our new school term.
Looking ahead to next week, we will be working from Week 2 Menus in both the school (top) and nursery (bottom image).
SCHOOL LUNCHES
We have come back with a new lunch system that seems to be working well. All children will eat lunch in the dinner hall, whether they are school lunches or packed lunches. We are still running 2 sittings, allowing each class ample time to eat and still giving time for a thorough cleaning of tables and chairs before the second sitting arrives. We will continue to monitor this to ensure we are keeping your child safe.
Parents and Carers are reminded that we are a Health Promoting school. We encourage our pupils to eat healthily and we would ask you to support us in this when packing your child’s lunchbox. We all love sugary snacks and fizzy juice, but these are treats that can be enjoyed at home. Pupils are encouraged to bring a water bottle to drink from throughout the day.
Our nursery pupils have also been visiting the dinner hall this week. They are learning many new social skills and routines that will help them both now and in their eventual transition to school. It is fantastic to see them having the opportunity to explore new areas of our campus.
STAGGERED STARTS/STOPS
In line with national and local advice, we will continue to offer a staggered start and stop routine at each entry Zone. Classes start at either 8.50am or 9am, finishing at 2.50pm or 3pm. As we did last year, we will work with you to accommodate any specific family needs.
The back gate at the lane will continue to be used solely by nursery families at this time.
Primary 1 parents and carers are reminded that we would ask that ONE adult enters the infant playground at 2.50pm for collection. This is to ensure the safety of these younger children as they leave onto a busy road. Please continue to distance and wear a face-covering unless you are exempt.
Primary 2 & 3 pupils will be dismissed individually to ensure each child leaves with a designated adult and does not run out onto the busy road. Adults are asked to wait in a single line, queueing beside the pitch fence. Once again, we would ask that you wear a face covering and distance while you wait. We know, from last year’s experience, that we will have some teething problems. However, we also know we will get really slick at this in a few weeks! Thank you for your patience while we get it just right. Your child’s safety is our primary concern here.
We know that some families are collecting from both the nursery and school. Please don’t panic. Please speak to your child’s teacher if this is the case and we will make a plan that suits your family.
Primary 4-7 teachers will continue to walk each class down to the gate at the Lollipop Lady at the end of the day. If you are collecting your child, please consider standing a short distance from the gate in a spot prearranged with your child. This will ease congestion in this area too. Those children who are crossing the road will be dismissed first from each class, moving as many pedestrians away from the gate as quickly as possible.
We will continue to reinforce road safety in school and would ask you to do the same at home. Old Monkland Road can get very busy and we must keep everyone safe.
On this same note, we continue to ask families to consider walking/cycling/scooting to school and nursery if possible. If you must travel by car, please park a short distance from the gates and walk the last part of your journey. We also ask that you always park legally, avoiding the Zigzag lines in front of the building and also being courteous to our neighbours.
HOME/SCHOOL COMMUNICATION
Please remember that Twitter is primarily a one-way method of communication, allowing us to share items of interest with the wider school community quickly. We would discourage you from messaging us via Twitter as it is not monitored throughout the day. As always, we would welcome families to telephone the school in the first instance if you have a question. THE SCHOOL OFFICE IS OPEN FROM 8.30AM EACH MORNING.
If you wish to email the school, our NEW email address is:
enquiries-at-kirkshaws@northlan.org.uk
Most communication is now sent home using Groupcall. Please ensure you have provided us with your current mobile numbers and an email address for at least one parent to ensure you don’t miss out on any important information.
It is crucial that we have your most up-to-date contact details. To this end, please read the Annual Data Check forms sent home this week and return to your child’s teacher by Monday.
FLU IMMUNISATION PROGRAMME
Pupils are being invited to take part in the flu vaccination programme being rolled out across Scotland this year. Please return all consent forms to the school by Monday of next week. Pupils can give these directly to their own teachers.
SCHOOL AND NURSERY IMPROVEMENTS 2021/22
Our improvement planning for the year ahead has been updated on our school website. You can read a summary of this by clicking the link. Should you wish a full copy of the document, you can request this through the school office.
PUBLIC HEALTH ADVICE
Letter for the new term – schools – August 2021 – NHSL
Letter for the new term – nursery – August 2021 – NHSL
Please remember to refer to the above letters which we posted to our website yesterday. These detail the new arrangements in dealing with a positive COVID-19 case.
STAFFING UPDATE
It is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to Ms Nisbet today. Ms Nisbet has been a valued member of staff, working in both the nursery and the school over recent years. Many of our pupils have benefited from Ms Nisbet’s individual care and attention when they needed personalised care both in class and in the playground. They will all miss her. I speak on behalf of all at Kirkshaws when I wish her well in her new school when she starts next week.
