Week 1 menus when we return after the holidays.  An email was sent out yesterday informing everyone that the price of a school meal will be going up in April.  A lunch will now cost £3.25.  If your child pays for their lunch, this money should be added to their online payment account BEFORE they eat.  Across the council, every attempt is being made to ensure families do not run up a bill in the dinner hall.

EARLY CLOSURE TODAY

Please remember that school closes at 2.30pm this afternoon for our Easter holiday.  School and nursery will remain closed until Monday 15th April, when we all come back at the usual times.

PRIMARY 1 INDUCTION VISITS

We look forward to welcoming our new Primary 1 pupils to visit us a few times over the coming term.

If your child attends Kirkshaws nursery, regular visits to the school with our nursery staff  have already started and will continue throughout the summer term.  If your child attends another nursery, Mrs McGarry will be visiting your child in their current setting in April.  She will also be in touch after Easter to invite you to attend a small group story-time session early in May, to allow your child a soft-start option.

We would also like to invite all families to attend our two main Induction Events.

• 20 May, 2.00pm – 2.45pm (classroom visit and parent information session)
• 3 June, 10.00 am – 11.30am (classroom and playground play, followed by a school lunch in our dinner hall at 11am)

Letters with this information and all necessary arrangements have been sent out today.  If you have applied to attend Kirkshaws as a Placing Request, you will also be invited to these events as soon as your place here has been confirmed.

LEAVERS HOODIES

At the other end of the school, our oldest learners are preparing for their own big move.  A huge thanks must go to our Parent Council for organising this year’s leavers hoodies for our P.7 pupils.  This week we were delighted to take delivery of them and, as you can see, we LOVE THEM!

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I hope you have a wonderful 2 weeks off and we’ll welcome you back, refreshed, for Term 4!

Week 3 menus ahead:

REPORTING

All school reports are heading home on Monday next week.  Please take time to congratulate your child on all they have achieved this year, as well as thinking about their next steps.

Nursery written reports will come home in Term 4 before Parents’ Night.

In Term 4 our school reporting takes the form of parent appointments.  As indicated at the beginning of the school year, this is scheduled for 16th May.  As always, appointments will be arranged nearer the time.

HOMEWORK

With a 4-day week coming up, homework has now stopped until after the Easter holiday.

COMPETITION TIME!

On Tuesday next week Mrs King is leading our Euro Quiz team as they take part in the first round of this national competition.  We wish them well as they show off all their European knowledge.

Then on Wednesday, Miss Curley is off with her group of Dancers to the local Dance Competition being held in Bellshill.  We know they will also do us proud and be fabulous ambassadors for Kirkshaws.

EASTER PARADE

Next Thursday, 28th March, marks the end of Term 3.  We are looking forward to celebrating together at our annual Easter Parade, where pupils are invited to bring their own designs of Easter Bonnets or Eggs.  Details of this was sent home by Mr Sharp a few weeks ago.

FED EASTER ART COMPETITION

Many thanks to The FED for organising the local Easter Art competition.  The Kirkshaws winners had a blast!  We were delighted to bring home medals for excellence and also a Second Prize overall!

OPEN AFTERNOON

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It was fantastic to see so many families joining us for our latest Open Afternoon.  This time we were focussing on developing our Meta-skills across a wide range of curricular areas. Thank you to everyone who rolled up their sleeves and got involved!

EASTER HOLIDAY AHEAD

School closes at 2.30pm on THURSDAY 28th MARCH for the Easter holiday.

Nursery hours remain the same that day, but staff will work with you if you require an earlier collection due to school closing times today.

We all return at the normal times on Monday 15th April.

ANNUAL CALENDAR OF EVNTS

Remember to keep referring to the Calendar of Events we sent out in August if you want reminders of what is coming up.

Calendar of events 2023/2024

Week 2 menus coming up in the week ahead.

Remember that P.1-5 pupils receive free school meals, but most of those in P.6 & 7 are required to pay for both breakfast and lunch, if they want these meals.  All payments should be made online, using the iPayImpact system, BEFORE your child comes to eat.  Thank you for working with us here…We don’t want any of our families falling into an unnecessary debt.

COFFEE MORNING UPDATE

Many thanks to everyone who joined us in some capacity yesterday for our Parent Council Coffee Morning.  Whether you were making tea, drinking coffee, buying/selling raffle tickets, or cheering on our performers…THANK YOU!

I am delighted to tell you that you managed to raise £247.25.  We can’t thank you enough!

HEALTH & SAFETY REMINDERS

Can I remind you of some old rules and routines, that maybe need a wee refresh?

• Pupils should not wear dangling earrings; there is no problem with a stud in the lobe of the ear, but this should be removed before PE.  If a pupil cannot remove their earring, they should cover it with tape before the lesson.
• Pupils are encouraged to bring water to school to drink throughout the day.  We do not encourage fizzy juice in class or during breaks.  This should be kept as a treat for home.
• We are a Nut-Free Zone!  Due  to allergies, we do not allow any nut-based food in our school or nursery.  We appreciate you working alongside us to ensure these don’t slip into snacks or packed lunches.
• Our staff carpark should not be used as a drop off or collection zone.  This is not big enough for extra cars and is not a safe space for children to walk through.  If you need to use your car, please park legally, a short distance from the school gates.

OPEN AFTERNOON, P.1-7

We look forward to welcoming many of you for our next planned Open Afternoon, next Thursday, 21st March.   As usual, family members should enter through the main entrance anytime after 1.45pm.  Classrooms will remain open until 2.45pm.  Pupils can be collected from their normal doors at 3pm.  As always, we request that no pupils leave their classrooms or leave the school early.  Staff need to be mindful of safety, especially with so many visitors moving around.

The focus this time will be Developing our Young Workforce (DYW) and all classes can’t wait to demonstrate how they are extending their meta-skills across all learning.  Meta-skills are those learning skills that run through EVERYTHING we do.  When you come along, expect to be amazed at the quality of learning demonstrating our ability to COMMUNICATE, FOCUS, LEAD, ADAPT, SHOW INITIATIVE and so much more!

PRIMARY 1 INDUCTION

Now, with Easter fast-approaching, I know many families will start to think about the exciting new adventure that the summer will bring for our newest pupils.

It has been a pleasure welcoming some pupils from our nursery to visit the P.1 classroom and our Assembly over recent weeks.  These regular visits to and from the P.1 teachers will continue right up until the summer.

Over the next few weeks, Mrs McGarry will be heading off to visit our local partner nursery.  She will meet more of our new intake and find out what learning styles they enjoy in their current setting.  Time will be taken to speak to the staff who know them best, ensuring we get it right for each child in those first few weeks.  These boys and girls will have the opportunity to visit us in a small group after the Easter holidays.  We will be in touch directly about dates.

If you are still awaiting a Placing Request, we have not forgotten about you.  Once again, as soon as we know for sure that you are joining us, we’ll be in touch directly to make sure you don’t miss out.

In May and June we will invite our whole class of new P.1s to join us for 2 fun sessions.  More details coming soon.

EASTER ART COMPETITION

We are delighted to have been invited to attend an Easter Art prizegiving event being organised by the Coatbridge Federation of Tenants & Residents Associations (The Fed).  They organised a drawing competition that many of our classes took part in.  I am delighted that we have 3 school winners selected and I intend to take them to the prizegiving to be held in St Bernard’s Church Hall next Wednesday afternoon, 20^th March 2024.  Many thanks to The FED for including us in this community event.

ROOM 3 OFF ON AN ADVENTURE

P.3/2 are looking forward to taking their learning out and about next Tuesday.  They are going to explore Amazonia and report back to us all!  All information about the trip has already come home to parents and carers, but if you have any questions about plans for the day, please contact the school office.

HAPPY PLACE MENTAL HEALTH WORKSHOP

We were delighted to have been involved in the Happy Place Mental Health Workshop organised by Coatbridge High School in conjunction with the band ST PHNX. I can assure you that our pupils were more than happy with the experience…they were buzzing with excitement on the way home!  They will now share some of what they learned on the day with their classmates.  We can’t wait!

GLASGOW MUSIC FESTIVAL

Mrs Canning accompanied our choir to the Royal Concert Hall this week, where they sang on stage as part of the Glasgow Music Festival.   We are delighted that 26 of our pupils had the opportunity to have an exceptional experience, that for most will be a once-in-a-lifetime event!  Many thanks to Mrs McGregor for coaching us and believing in us!

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

21 March: Open Afternoon

Week Beginning 25 March: School Reports coming home

Close for the Easter holidays: 2.30pm on Thursday 28 March

(Nursery hours remain the same that day, although nursery staff will accommodate any special requests for an early collection, to tie in with family arrangements.)

Return to school and nursery: Monday 15 April

Week 1 Menus coming up.  If your child pays for school meals, please ensure funds are added to the online payment system BEFORE they come for breakfast or lunch.  We will never refuse a child food, but we don’t want you running up an unnecessary debt.

GLASGOW MUSIC FESTIVAL

We are looking forward to taking part in the Glasgow Music Festival at the Royal Concert Hall next week.  Mrs McGregor has been working hard with our choir and we are ready for our best performance yet!

HAPPY PLACE WORKSHOP

The Young Mental Health Ambassadors from Coatbridge High School have organised a Cluster event on 13th March.   We have been invited to take 4 P.6 pupils along.  We are looking forward to taking part in the range of fun activities planned.

CROSS COUNTRY FINALS

Wednesday is a very busy day! We are delighted to be heading to the North Lanarkshire Cross Country finals that day too.  We know that the 3 senior pupils taking part will be amazing ambassadors for our school, as always.

COFFEE MORNING

Our Parent Council members are hard at work organising their next Coffee Morning for next Thursday.  It will kick off at the usual time of 9.15am and we hope some of our pupils will volunteer to showcase some learning.  Bring some pennies and an appetite for cakes and goodies.  This is always one of our more popular fundraising ventures and we do appreciate your ongoing support here.

STIRLING CASTLE ADVENTURE

Room 1 will be taking their learning outside the classroom next week when they visit Stirling Castle to bring their topic alive!  We can’t wait to find out all that they learn on their day of  adventure, when they step back in time.

OPEN AFTERNOON

We look forward to welcoming many of you for our next planned Open Afternoon on 21st March.  The focus this time will be Developing our Young Workforce (DYW) and all classes can’t wait to demonstrate how they are extending their meta-skills across all learning.  More information coming out to explain this next week.

CHS PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION

We were thrilled to be involved in the recent P.6 Public Speaking Contest organised by Coatbridge High School as part of their transition programme.  We had a tough job selecting ONE speaker to take part (I’m told Mr Haggarty was in tears and couldn’t pick!).  The standard was amazingly high within our school and across the cluster.   Many thanks to all who took part in class and at the high school on the day!  We didn’t win, but our speaker received some amazing feedback and we are all very proud.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

11-15 March: Science Week

21 March: Open Afternoon

Week Beginning 25 March: School Reports coming home

Close for the Easter holidays: 2.30pm on Thursday 28 March

(Nursery hours remain the same that day, although nursery staff will accommodate any special requests for an early collection, to tie in with family arrangements.)

Return to school and nursery: Monday 15 April

Week 3 Menus coming up

HOWEVER!! There is a change of menu on Thursday for World Book Day.  See below:

The nursery pupils will be served the Fairytale Dippers that day.

WORLD BOOK DAY

We are looking forward to celebrating World Book Day on Thursday 7th March.  As always, we DO NOT expect families to spend any money on this day.  We know some children like to dress up as book characters, but just as many don’t.  Mr Sharp sent an email home several weeks ago, providing many suggestions as to how your child might want to mark this day.  We look forward to reading together and sharing some fun.

COATBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL – P.6 PUBLIC SPEAKING

Last week our P.6 pupils took part in an online assembly with Coatbridge High School, planning for their Public Speaking Competition which takes place next week.  Currently the pupils are working on ideas.  We will keep you posted on progress!

GLASGOW MUSIC FESTIVAL

A group or 29 pupils from our school choir are heading to the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 12th March to take part in the Glasgow Music Festival.  Mrs McGregor, our visiting Kodaly teacher, has put them forward for this as she is so impressed at the level of their performance.  For those families who heard them at Christmas time, I’m sure you will agree, they are amazing!  We wish them well as they act as Ambassadors for our school.

HAPPY PLACE WORKSHOP

The Young Mental Health Ambassadors from Coatbridge High School have organised a Cluster event on 13th March.   We have been invited to take 4 P.6 pupils along.  We are looking forward to taking part in the range of fun activities planned.

COATBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL HANDBOOK

Please click below to read the updated Handbook for Coatbridge High School

CHS Handbook 2024

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

7 March: World Book Day

11-15 March: Science Week

21 March: Open Afternoon

Week Beginning 25 March: School Reports coming home

Close for the Easter holidays: 2.30pm on Thursday 28 March

(Nursery hours remain the same that day, although nursery staff will accommodate any special requests for an early collection, to tie in with family arrangements.)

Return to school and Nursery: Monday 15 April

Week 2 menus coming up next week.  Please note that we will be serving soup and sandwiches ONLY on Tuesday.  There will be no hot service that day in either the school or nursery.

CAREERS FAYRE – HUGE THANKS

We were delighted to welcome so many adults from our immediate school community and beyond to share the stories of their career paths this week.  Our learners from P.5-7 all had the opportunity to learn directly from those who know best!  This is all part of our school developments around Developing the Young Workforce.

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Can we say another HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who made the day such a success!

LEAVERS’ HOODIES

Our Parent Council have organised Leavers’ Hoodies for our Primary 7 pupils.  The deadline for order forms is next Thursday, 29.2.24.  PLEASE REMEMBER, all forms AND money must be in by this date.  

COATBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL – VISIT

On Wednesday 28th February all Kirkshaws families moving to Coatbridge High School this summer are invited to attend an additional visit from 4pm.  This will give you the chance to tour the school in smaller groups and get the chance to have your questions answered.  P.7 pupils are encouraged to attend alongside parents.

WORLD BOOK DAY

An email came home earlier this week, reminding all families that World Book Day is coming up on 7th March.  As always, we continue to reinforce the message that no-one is expected to spend any money on this event.  We know some children love to dress up as book characters and we won’t stop them, but this is not an expectation and we certainly don’t want any families going out and spending lots of money on costumes.  The day is all about READING – a free, fun activity for all.  Much more information in the email.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

7 March: World Book Day

11-15 March: Science Week

21 March: Open Afternoon

Week Beginning 25 March: School Reports coming home

Close for the Easter holidays: 2.30pm on Thursday 28 March

(Nursery hours remain the same that day, although nursery staff will accommodate any special requests for an early collection, to tie in with family arrangements.)

Return to school and Nursery: Monday 15 April

Week 1 menu coming up.

SPONSORED EVENT

Many thanks to everyone who took part in our Sponsored Event today.  At the last count we have raised £983.65 in the school ands £219.00 in our nursery; giving us a grand total of £1,202.65!  As I type, I can still hear the action taking place in the hall, so it will be Monday before we can identify the winners of our Coconut Crazy competition.

We will accept any outstanding sponsor money next week, but obviously, the competition entries will close today before we start totalling up the number of strikes!

NETBALL EVENT

We have a team of keen P.7 netballers heading off to take part in a competition on Monday.  We wish them well and know they will be super ambassadors for our school.

CAREERS FAYRE

We look forward to welcoming a number of professionals to join us on Wednesday afternoon as part of our Developing the Young Workforce Action Plan.  If you would like to be involved, it is not too late!  Just give the school office a call.

Week 3 menus coming up, but remember it is a short week!  We will be at school and nursery on Thursday & Friday only next week, due to the mid-term holiday and our in-service day on Wednesday.

HOLIDAY WEEKEND

Remember, we will close at the usual times today and reopen on Thursday 15th February, after our long weekend and in-service training day.

NURSERY STAY & PLAY

We look forward to welcoming our nursery families next week for 2 stay & play sessions with a focus on mark-making  and pre-writing skills.  Please check your invitation to see which afternoon your child’s group are welcoming visitors.

SPONSORED FUN DAY

We can’t wait to enjoy our fun day next Friday, with the Sponsored Coconut Shy thrown in for good measure!  If you want to be in with a chance of winning, remember to have your sponsor money  and competition entry in school by Friday morning.  All children will be taking part, even if they forget their sponsor sheet on the day.  We’ll happily accept any late sponsor money the following week, but you’ll be too late to enter the Coconut Count Competition by then.

CAREERS FAYRE

If you have been thinking about volunteering to come to our Careers Fayre on 21st February, but haven’t got around to it yet…call the office today!  We’d love to have you involved.

EARLY YEARS REGISTRATION

Next Friday, 16th February, is the FINAL DAY for Nursery enrolment for next session.  Please call our school office if you need help with the application process.  They are more than happy to help.

TRANSITION TO CHS

Transition events to Coatbridge High School continue.  Next Friday our P.7 pupils are visiting for a PE event in the morning (but we’ll make sure they are back in time to complete their sponsor after lunch!).

The high school have also arranged a further meeting and tour of the building for small groups.  For our school, this takes place on Wednesday 28th February at 4pm.

Week 2 menus coming up.

Pupils from P.1-5 automatically receive free school meals.  If you pay for your child’s meals, please ensure funds are added to their online account BEFORE they come for lunch or breakfast.

HEALTH & WELLBEING

As we are a Health Promoting School, we continue to ask that fizzy drinks are NOT brought into school for snacks or lunch.  Water can be taken during class-time and water or still juice is acceptable for breaks or lunchtime.  There is always water available to drink in the dinner hall, even if your child has their own packed lunch.  Fizzy drinks are a lovely treat to have at home.

As a Health Promoting School we will always encourage a healthy journey to school.  Walking, cycling and scooting are enjoyed by many families daily.  We do understand that there are occasions where you have no choice but to bring your child by car, but we ask that you are considerate of other road-users and our neighbours.  Please remember that pupils should NOT be dropped off or collected in the STAFF CAR PARK.  This area is not big enough to use as a drop-off zone; staff are having difficulty getting in some mornings and it is dangerous allowing pupils to walk behind parked cars.  Please park legally, a short distance from the gates, and encourage your child to walk the last part of their journey.  Hopefully we will have better weather ahead as Spring approaches!

We encourage our pupils to wear their school uniform every day.  On gym days that uniform is a school polo-shirt and sweatshirt. If you require either of these items, please contact the school office and we can arrange for you to visit our Eco Clothing Rail.  Remember, this rail is available to all families at any time.  Just get in touch and we will arrange a quiet time for you to browse the rail and take what you need.  As well as school uniform, we also have a range of heavy jackets.  Please come and see!  In addition, our LOST PROPERTY box is overflowing.  Please pop in if your child has lost anything.

TRANSITION 

Those P.7 pupils going to Coatbridge High School will be visiting the high school again on the morning of 16th February.  This time for a PE lesson.  They thoroughly enjoyed their time there last Friday afternoon, taking part in some Future Fridays events.

SPORTING EVENTS

Mr Sharp is planning to take a group of P.6 & 7 pupils to a Sportshall Athletics event in the Time Capsule next week.  We are delighted that we have so many pupils willing and able to take part.  I know they will continue to be excellent ambassadors for Kirkshaws within the wider community.

PARENT COUNCIL

Your Parent Council met last Monday evening as planned.  They are planning their next Coffee Morning for Thursday 14th March, so keep the date free!

Remember, all meetings are open to the entire Parent Forum.  If you would be interested in finding out more, please contact a member of the committee directly, or call the school office.

CAREERS FAYRE

We are still looking for volunteers willing to get involved in our Careers Education plans.  Please get in touch if you are able to help at our planned Careers Fayre on the afternoon of 21 February.  Information was sent home a few weeks ago.  We would be grateful of help from any parents, carers, former pupils or family friends.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Mid-term holiday – Monday & Tuesday 12 & 13 February

In-service Day (pupils DO NOT ATTEND) – Wednesday 14th February

Sponsored Fun Day – Friday 16th February (Sponsor Forms have already come home with pupils)

All these dates apply to our school AND nursery.

Week 1 menus coming up

PARENT COUNCIL MEETING

Our next Parent Council Meeting will be held on Monday 29th January at 7pm.  As usual, this will be held as a virtual meeting, on-line.  Please contact a member of the Parent Council or the school office if you require log-in details.

CAREERS FAYRE

Please get in touch if you are able to help at our planned Careers Fayre on the afternoon of 21 February.  Information was sent home last week.  We would be grateful of help from any parents, carers, former pupils or family friends.

P.7 NAIL BAR

Don’t forget, pupils have a chance to visit the P.7 nail bar one more time next Friday.  All pupils who wish to take part should remember to bring their money and permission slip into school.  We do need permission before we paint anyone’s nails.

REGISTRATION FOR SCHOOL & NURSERY

Primary 1 enrolment took place last week.  If you know of anyone who missed this, please urge them to contact their local school as soon as possible.

Nursery enrolment continues until 16th February.  However, please don’t delay if you haven’t registered yet.  Contact the school office if you need help.

ATTENDANCE

Many thanks to all those families who continue to support our push for regular attendance at school.  Across the Coatbridge Cluster, our attendance levels remain the lowest in the area.  However, we are making steady progress, with this year’s figures being better than we were sitting at the same time last year.

By working together we can make sure we raise attainment, build strong relationships and promote a positive work-ethic as a life-skill.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Mid-term holiday – Monday & Tuesday 12 & 13 February

In-service Day (pupils DO NOT ATTEND) – Wednesday 14th February

Sponsored Fun Day – Friday 16th February (Sponsor Forms came home last week)

All these dates apply to our school AND nursery.