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Partnership Working has been a major focus for us this week.

If it wasn’t for our strong staff team working in partnership we couldn’t have delivered half of the events we have enjoyed over recent weeks.  For those of you who managed to attend our Summer Assemblies, you will have seen just how well our staff work together beyond the classroom.   I’m proud to lead a team who work hard, but are not afraid to have a laugh for the sake of our children.  The performances on Tuesday could not have been possible without our staff, pupils and parents all working in partnership.

Thursday saw us celebrating Clean Air Day with St Timothy’s Primary.  Both schools worked in partnership to raise awareness of traffic congestion in the local area.  However, it would not have been possible if we hadn’t had support from our parent body and Councillor Woods, who joined us as we walked.  Our intention was to remind local motorists that our schools are full of precious young people who deserve to be kept safe.  We will continue to ask all parents and carers not to park too close to the school to avoid air pollution and possible road traffic accidents.

Today saw us celebrate our Golden Day, with further partnership and cooperation across the school evident all day long.  From cooperative working to solve a problem to joint working to perform in front of an audience once again…it’s all about team work!

This evening I am off to enjoy another partnership.  I have been invited to attend Coatbridge High School’s show, which this year is, High School Musical.  I have heard great reviews of the performances earlier this week and know I will be reporting back about further successes of ex-Kirkshaws pupils.  Thank you for being our partners in your child’s educational journey.  We know it doesn’t end in P.7 and we will follow their successes with pride as long as you do!

We were delighted that the rain stayed away long enough for our Nursery trip and school sports to take place at the end of the week.  Everyone enjoyed the time spent outdoors, exercising, learning and having fun.  However, these events don’t just happen.  I must offer a huge vote of thanks to my entire staff team, allowing these to take place.  The nursery staff all played a vital role in the planning and organisation of the day, allowing our youngest learners to take their learning to the farm for the day.  It was also ‘all hands on deck’ to bring our Sports’ Day together on Friday.  Every member of staff had a part to play, but we would all agree there was one person who drove that day and gave us all a fabulous sporting experience.  Mr Sharp’s passion for sports, fun, competition and inclusion all came together for our annual sporting event.  We can’t thank him enough for his unmeasurable commitment and dedication to our school community.

This week also saw another trip – this time some of our older pupils headed to Dynamic Earth.  All their hard work raising funds paid off, when they were able to pay for their trip in full AND enjoy the learning experiences on the day.  Once again, many thanks to their teachers for organising this.

And talking of organising…our Fundraisers were at it again!  This time it was our Summer Disco Night, allowing our pupils from the nursery, through to P.7 to celebrate the end of term in a range of ways that suit their age and stage.  I continue to thank this group of parents who work tirelessly to raise money for the school by giving of their time so freely!

As well as all of this, we’ve had rehearsals for our Summer Assemblies and end of term assessments going on in the background. Only two weeks to go, but no one is slowing down!

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School holiday arrangements 2019-2020

Click the link above to download your own copy of NLC school holidays for next session.

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Welcome back!  After a hiccup last week, I’m glad to say we are back up to date with our school news.

Health Week proved to be a great success for all classes.  We covered a wide range of health and wellbeing factors; mental health, mindfulness, yoga, fitness, first aid, healthy eating, and, most importantly, enjoyment.  From a Danceathon to Heart Start training, our learners threw themselves into each activity with great enthusiasm.  And it wasn’t only the pupils!  Staff and parents worked together to take on our football and netball teams and give them a run for their money.  It was good training for our Inter-House sporting events which rounded off the week.  Unfortunately the weather forced all activities inside, which caused some rejigging of timetables at the last minute!  While our Nursery Sports Day was able to go ahead indoors, we couldn’t do our school sports justice without the outdoor space.  We hope to hold our rescheduled sports next Friday (14th June), weather permitting.  I know this date doesn’t suit everyone, and I am sorry some families will not be able to join us that day, but it was the only available date we could manage due to the packed calendar we still have ahead for the month of June! We will do our best to ensure all our pupils have a great time competing and playing with their friends, while earning some precious House Points.

Primary 7 pupils and our new Primary 1s have all enjoyed more transition events over recent weeks.  Our older learners all visited their respective high schools, meeting their new classmates and teachers and finding their way around much bigger buildings.  We now have some very excited pupils who can’t wait to take that next step of their educational journey.  Our youngest pupils have been absolute stars too!  Mrs Begley, Mrs McGarry and Miss Giuliani have enjoyed meeting their new pupils and seeing how confident they have been in Room 1.  Our current P.1 pupils also enjoyed being the ‘teachers’ and showing our new-starts around the playground as they played together.  A most successful transition experience which finished off with a family lunch – perfect!

Other trips have also been arranged to give our learning in school a real-life context.  Rooms 15 & 16 took a step back in time when they visited Stirling Castle, while Room 5 had a day working outdoors, caring for animals!  They were exhausted when they returned from their trip to the stables and farm – mucking out, grooming, leading ponies…you name it, they are the experts now.  Kirkshaws teachers put a huge amount of effort into lesson planning in school, but sometimes a hands-on experience can’t be beaten!  Many thanks to our dedicated staff for organising these invaluable learning opportunities outwith school.

Other events over in school these past few weeks have included the Football Friendship League, the Green Gang gardening club, North Lanarkshire Challenge and visitors from Coatbridge High School.

This week at assembly we also got the chance to celebrate gaining our SIXTH Green Eco Flag due to all our hard work under the guidance of Mrs McBain and Miss Wyatt.  What a fabulous success!  The Eco Committee also organised our plant growing competition.  I’m sad to say I didn’t even come close to winning, but well done to Room 10!

Of course, we can’t forget the success of our Fundraisers Summer Fête last weekend.  The weather was very kind and dried up long enough for you to get the chance to soak the teachers!  Once again, I must thank LOADS of people here.  The Fundraisers Committee, helpers, staff, pupils, parents and members of the local community all played a part in making it such a good day.  Whether you were involved in the organisation, the clean-up or just visiting us on the day THANK YOU.  We really couldn’t do it without you.

Our Fundraisers just don’t stop.  I’m meeting with them tonight to plan their next steps… Part of that will, of course, be the Disco Night planned for Thursday 13th June.  If you are a Kirkshaws pupil, I’ll see you there on Thursday!  Three weeks left, but masses still to do.

It was a very quick week in Kirkshaws!  With school being closed as a Polling Station on Thursday and our holiday today, we didn’t have any time to waste.  And P.7/6 didn’t waste one minute of their time in school on the three days available.  They continued with car washing, nail painting and  beat the goalie, then held their classroom sale.  It was the fabulous home baking that kept me going through our Parents’ Night on Tuesday evening!  Did you hear…I won the raffle!  That’s the first time that has happened.  I won a fabulous basket, filled with sweets, a soft toy and water pistols.  Luckily it is a pack of three, so the entire Nicolson household is set for fun and games this holiday weekend!  However, thanks to their determination and creativity Room 10 raised almost £400 profit from a £24 loan!  Amazing.  They have paid for their trip in full, with some spending money thrown in too!  Well done to our young entrepreneurs.

The other big event this week was Parents’ Night.  Many thanks to everyone who came along to continue to work with us in partnership to support your child to achieve their full potential.  If you did not manage to attend on Tuesday night, please contact your child’s teacher to organise an alternative appointment.  Our teachers will aim to find a time that suits you to meet.

As we enjoy our holiday weekend, remember we will celebrate Health Week next week.  Remember to wear your sports gear each day and bring your water bottle.  Fingers crossed the good weather sticks around a little longer to let us enjoy a dry Sports’ Day next Friday.  We also wish our P.7 pupils well as they spend two days at Coatbridge High School.  I’m looking forward to hearing all the stories from the St Andrew’s transition visits this week…exciting times indeed!

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SUCCESSFUL LEARNERS   EFFECTIVE CONTRIBUTORS

CONFIDENT INDIVIDUALS   RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS

As I look back on what we have achieved this week, I am shocked that this all happened since Monday!  We teach a curriculum that is underpinned by the four capacities listed above, and this week allowed us to practise them all in abundance!

Our new intake of Primary 1 pupils demonstrated all of these qualities when they met with Mrs Begley and Mrs McGarry to play and learn in Room 1 on Monday.  While I took the time to give parents and carers an overview of school-life, our youngest learners showed how independent they can be, completing a wide range of tasks with their teachers.   Each one of them confidently spent the afternoon with their new classmates.  They were are credit to all of their families! We look forward to our next meeting, when we will welcome Mrs Giuliani too.  If any parents haven’t handed in their lunch choice for that day, please pop it into the office at your earliest convenience.

We are also full of praise for our infant classes who enjoyed a super day of outdoor learning at Almond Valley.  Huge thanks must go to Mrs Harkness who organised the whole day for all three classes, as well as leading an inventive fundraising event in order to keep the cost of the day down for all of our families. All pupils enjoyed every minute of the day, with MANY falling asleep as soon as their seat belts were fastened on the way home!  As you can see from the photograph above this provided a stimulus for further learning, such as personal writing.  As always, we are indebted to our teachers and support staff, as well as parent and grandparent helpers – without you, we really couldn’t organise days like this.

These weren’t the only pupils out and about this week.  Mrs McNamara and Ms Watson took a large group of learners to Kelvingrove Art Galleries to  take part in the annual art competition.  This trip was not limited to one class – it was open to all pupils who demonstrate an interest or talent in drawing and painting.  From what I have seen, this year’s artists have produced excellent pieces of work that are strong contenders for a prize.

Our Nursery pupils took advantage of the lovely weather this week to get out and about too.  I loved seeing all the photographs taken at the park today.  However, I think some pupils spent their entire week outside in the sunshine!  While Mrs Johnston and Mrs Woodward, our new Continuous Improvement Officers, were visiting, we spotted some impressive counting, cooperation and reverse parking (using a pedal car)!  Our staff will continue to raise attainment, using the outdoor environment, as well as the indoor, for quality learning opportunities.

In addition to taking our learning OUT, we also welcomed visitors IN! Community Learning and Development staff continue to provide North Lanarkshire Challenge opportunities to our P.7 pupils.  The fabulous weather this week allowed them the chance to take their learning outside.  It is most encouraging to see the vast majority of our young people rising to this challenge!

Coatbridge High School teachers filled our day on Thursday.  The Drama department visited P.6 in the morning, with Art teachers visiting P.7 in the afternoon.  All pupils fully engaged in the learning experiences on offer.  Successful Learners all round!

Then there is Primary 7/6 Enterprise!  This class decided to try to raise money to pay for their planned excursion to Dynamic Earth.  I gave every individual a £1 loan, with the challenge to make their money grow.  Little did I know how many amazing ideas this inventive class would come up with!  Car washing, nail painting, beat the goalie, plus LOADS MORE!  Their events continue into next week, so hopefully I can give you a final total very soon.  What an amazing team!

Thursday also saw our Green Gang continuing their work with Toni, our Community Gardener.  With 2 after school gardening clubs, parent volunteers and our Green Gang, we are seeing a huge difference in our school grounds.  Thank you all!

However, I can’t round up the week without thanking all the adults supporting our pupils. At our Parent Council AGM on Monday, I was given lots of food for thought, as our members shared with me their thoughts, hopes and dreams for Kirkshaws.  All of this will be fed into our School Improvement Plan, along with the input the Parent Forum has provided through recent surveys.

As we move into the weekend, I hope everyone enjoys a rest … you deserve it!