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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!

Click the link below to download a full copy of the results.

How Good Is Our School? Parental Survey Results

Many thanks to everyone who took the time to complete our online survey last month.  One of the recurring themes is how we can build on our parental involvement opportunities.  We will explore this further by carrying out another survey during Parents’ Night.

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SKILLS FOR LIFE

Throughout all our learning experiences, from our nursery class, right up to heading for secondary education, we are preparing our pupils for life.  LIFE now, in school and at home; LIFE in the world of work; and LIFE in the future – whatever that may look like!

Sometimes this takes the form of explicit, focus lessons, such as our Financial Education focus this week.  Our P.4 to P.7 pupils thoroughly enjoyed working with Jamie and Pauline from MACA over the past three days. Through investigating budgeting and questioning the value of money, they allowed pupils the opportunity to explore the cost of living.  In addition to all the planned learning, I was also delighted with the feedback from our visitors.  They could not have praised our pupils highly enough for their cooperation, focus and respect throughout the week; demonstrating the core values of Kirkshaws on a daily basis.  In addition, our younger pupils were also exploring a wide range of coins; experimenting through play and investigation which coins can be used to make purchases and give change.  I had a fabulous time visiting our infant classes this week.  Our active learning in maths continues to have a positive impact on metal agility and problem solving ability.

However, at other times SKILLS FOR LIFE can be a little more hidden within our learning experiences. Social skills, such as listening, cooperation, patience, resilience and tolerance are practised day in/day out, in the classroom the playroom, the dinner hall and the playground.  Carrying out a risk assessment in the nursery gives our pupils a greater responsibility for their own learning.  Socialising with friends at the lunch table and playing by the rules in the playground will both foster skills invaluable as our young people grow. Our after-school and lunchtime clubs are an attempt to extend the range of topics we can offer, allowing personalisation and choice to our pupils and their families. There’s not a moment wasted – we work together to foster positive personal attributes, extend knowledge and develop a greater understanding of the world we live in.

Then, of course, we have those huge LIFE lessons we learn as we grow older.  Our P.7 pupils are almost ready to leave us and move on to the next step in their learning journeys.  This week they had the opportunity to reflect on their residential trip in Oban.  Learning to live independently, face challenges head-on and develop resilience whilst away from home for a whole school-week are invaluable life experiences for our young people. Huge thanks must go to Kirkshaws staff, who regularly give up their own time to ensure our learners have rich experiences outwith the school day.

And what of LIFE in the future…how can we best prepare our young people for that?  Thinking skills, problem solving strategies and a confidence using technology are crucial life-skills we teach through all curricular areas to best prepare our children for an ever-changing world of work.

Looking forward to another full week ahead…let’s continue to live life to the max!

TRANSITION

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Transition is a word we use a lot at this time of year…but what does it mean.  Transition is a process of change. In this final term of the school year, we focus much of our attention on the BIG transitions: moving from nursery to school, from primary school to secondary and from one class and teacher to another.  Here, at Kirkshaws, we have been working on these major transitions for many months, and in some cases years!

We work very closely with our secondary colleagues in Coatbridge High School to ensure there are a number of opportunities for our learners to meet their new teachers and visit the building during their years at Kirkshaws. This week we welcomed staff to work with all our Primary 6 pupils (on a Polar Explorer topic) and sent a group of pupils from Primary 7 to explore the high school and report back to their classmates.  They discovered many differences in the High School building…Did you know there are electrical sockets on desks in the science department but, no, you can’t use them for charging your phone!! 😉 Transition visits for both P.6 & P.7 will continue over the next few months, covering a range of topics including STEM, Art and Drama.  Our P.7 pupils will also have the opportunity to spend two days, following a full timetable, in Coatbridge High at the end of May. Exciting!  Of course, we don’t forget those children who choose to attend a different high school.  Our staff will also work in partnership with the receiving school to ensure pupils are well supported there too.

We also ensure our youngest learners are given ample opportunity to become familiar with the P.1 environment and staff.  Those pupils who attend our nursery have daily access to the school and regular opportunities to work in the gym hall and infant classes.  This week nursery children could be found working in Rooms 1 & 2, but also joining in the fun outside at playtime.  In this way, Primary 1 won’t bring too many surprises!  Over the next month we will also welcome pupils from our partner nurseries to join us, along with their parents.  Mrs McGarry has already been our to visit many of these boys and girls and has started to get to know them, their likes and requirements.  All prospective parents have been invite to accompany their children to two formal induction days taking place over the coming weeks.  I look forward to seeing you all then.

Our staffing for next session has not been finalised yet, but as we start to shape classes, teachers will begin to plan together for next year.  Staff will get to know the pupils in their new classes and all learners will have the opportunity to spend time with their new teacher, in their new classroom.  For pupils who find change more difficult, we will work with families to ensure we get it right for you!

However, transition isn’t limited to these major milestones in life.  We are always evaluating how we do things and making changes in response to the needs of the Kirkshaws Family.  Keep an eye on our outdoor areas – Toni, our community gardener from PASP is leading the way as we work together to give our gardens an injection of new life.  If anyone has particular skill in this area, or has resources they can share, as always, we would love to hear from you.

This week a workman visited the school and commented that it was just the same as when he’d left 40 years ago… if he looked a bit closer he would see that Kirkshaws never stays the same.  We’re in the business of change!

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Due to technical problems with our website, Mrs N’s Notes could not be posted before Easter Weekend – therefore the blog today will  cover the past TWO weeks!

Let’s start with our Easter Parade winners from last week.  Can I give a HUGE thank you to every family who got involved designing and creating Easter Bonnets or Eggs.  As you can see from the photographs above, the standard in each class was very high.  We trust that you enjoyed working together as a family during this activity.  We loved sharing and celebrating each achievement!

One of our main focus points over recent weeks has been a big push on healthy journeys to school.  I know that many of you share our concerns over the amount of traffic around the school as our children arrive and leave at the end of the day.  Our Parent Council have been in consultation with Sustainable Travel Officers, Crossing Patrol Officers and Health & Safety personnel to discuss this issue.  The only way we can tackle this is to reduce the number of vehicles in the immediate vicinity at 9am and 3pm.  With the recent good weather we think this is the perfect opportunity to relaunch a Walk to School plea.  All classes are using an on-line Travel Tracker tool which encourages pupils to make a healthy journey to school and collect rewards as a result.  Please help us promote this, improve the air quality around the school and reduce the risk of accidents as we travel.  Thank you.

Many thanks to our Newspaper Team for their latest production.  A full report on life at Kirkshaws (written by our learners) over the past term is now available.  A brilliant read!

Transition Events are well underway.  Visits to and from partner nurseries and high schools have begun and will continue over the coming months.  Last week saw some P.6 pupils taking part in a K’Nex Challenge at Coatbridge High School.  We were delighted to come in third place…we were more thrilled that our pupils spoke of making new friends during the event!  That’s what it is all about; building confidence and creating a climate of trust.  Look out for many more events taking place very soon.

We have a full 5-day week coming up, but remember school and nursery will close on Friday 3rd May and reopen on Wednesday 8th May.  This is due to the May Day holiday and an in-service training day for staff.

Miss Ralston is looking forward to welcoming any nursery families to her Bookbug sessions tomorrow.

No after school clubs this week, but look out for new clubs starting the following week.