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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.

National Online Safety have released this updated parents’ guide today.  It may be worth taking a few minutes to review the safety settings on your digital devices, especially during this holiday period.

YouTube Parents Guide, April 2019

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We kicked off the week with a visit from staff from Westercraig’s Nursery.  Their Head Teacher, Mrs Morrison, was a former pupil of Kirkshaws who also taught here early in her career!  Although she and Mrs McBain had a great time reminiscing over old staff photos, that wasn’t the main reason for her visit.  This week we launched a new professional partnership; looking at ways we can learn from each other’s practice, allow our staff and pupils to work together and offer us opportunities for rigorous moderation between authorities.  Plans are already afoot for a group from Kirkshaws to go on an adventure to their nursery in Glasgow soon.  We are very excited about this partnership opportunity and can see how it will have a positive impact on the Kirkshaws community.

Bikeability 2 is now well underway.  Mr Gall and Robert, our coach, are now taking our older cyclists out on the local roads.  This is valuable training, especially with the launch of the Big Pedal event coming up on Monday.  All pupils involved are making great progress within this course and Mr Gall reports exemplary behaviour out on the roads.

Two Quiz teams from Primaries 6 & 7 ventured out this week.  We went to Coatbridge Library for our local heat of the Primary Reading Quiz.  Mrs Dillon was bursting with pride when she returned to school with our team who were excellent ambassadors for Kirkshaws.  They came in third place and demonstrated a positive attitude throughout the competition.  Mr Sharp then took our Bible Quiz team to Airdrie on Thursday.  We may not have won the competition but, yet again, the Kirkshaws values of Respect, Resilience and Friendship were evident throughout the morning.  (Of course we must congratulate Mr Sharp who won the teacher head-to-head round  by counting the number of Easter Eggs in a picture fastest.  We can’t really say we are surprised – Mr Sharp knows his Easter Eggs!)

As you know, we are always open to visitors here at Kirkshaws.  This week we were delighted to meet some senior pupils from St Andrew’s High School who have been working with a Community Learning & Development team.  This group led a Mental Health Workshop for our P.7 pupils.  This was an inspiring initiative, that shows just how much our local young people care for each other and can support each other.  We would welcome them back with open-arms at any time!  Thank you.

Ms Ralston welcomed a group of nursery parents to our latest Coffee & Catch-up on Thursday.  This group is going from strength to strength; with parents getting to know each other better as well as having the chance to have their say on nursery matters.  Please consider coming to join us – you would be made most welcome.

Learning doesn’t stop when you leave school – this week saw a huge number of staff training opportunities taking place. Various meetings and events were attended, with a focus on Literacy Coaching, Scottish National Assessments, LGBT, Healthy Schools, West Partnership, Family Group moderation and high school transition.  Seriously – how did we fit it all in?

We were delighted to share our RRSA poster winners at assembly this morning.  These will look great displayed around our school and nursery.  Our Rights Respecting Committee led the entire assembly today and should be VERY proud of themselves. We learned all about Article 23…ask your child about it!

Of course we ended the week on a high, that I’m sure you have all heard about by now.  In our desire to promote positive behaviour, we organised another treat afternoon to thank all those pupils who consistently demonstrate our core values and uphold our school rules.  Amazing James lived up to his name and had everyone cheering along.  (Although Mrs Dillon & Miss Black are a bit worried they will always be known as the Guardians of the Mentos!)  Huge thanks to Mr Sharp and Mrs McGarry for organising yet another excellent award.

One more week to go before the Spring Break, but we’re not taking our foot off the pedal yet!  The Big Pedal, a Fundraisers Afternoon Tea and our first Maths Open Afternoon to fit in before we stop at 2.30pm next Friday.  Let’s do it!

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This week has seen the nursery environment undergo a major shake-up.  If you have visited us during the last few days I’m sure you will agree that the staff have put a lot of thought into each revamped area, with the learning experiences for our pupils being at the forefront of their planning here.  I am looking forward to seeing what our youngest learners make of the new experiences on offer.  These will continue to evolve over coming weeks.

Bikeability 2 started for some P.7 pupils last week.  Mr Gall & Robert, our visiting trainer, are working with this group of proficient cyclists to prepare them for travelling on the open road.  We are delighted at the effort and skill these pupils have continued to demonstrate throughout all their training sessions this year.

Room 9 visited Stirling Castle this week, extending their knowledge and understanding of a recent topic.  Judging from the feedback they gave on their return to school, I am certain they made the most of this outdoor learning opportunity.  As always, I was delighted with the high standard of behaviour on the day.  Many other classes are currently planning further educational excursions, so look out for information letters coming home.

Our Cross Country finalists competed this week, with impressive results from them all.  We are very proud of each one of our young ambassadors who are willing to represent the school and push themselves to beat personal best results on a regular basis.  Huge thanks must also go to Mr Gall for his dedication to this sport throughout the session.  What a team!

We had a range of transition events going on this week.  Our new P.1 pupils from Kirkshaws nursery class are now regularly visiting the Primary 1 classrooms to work alongside school staff and pupils.  We are delighted to see these confident individuals feeling at home within the school environment.  At the other end of the school, P.7 pupils had two visits from Coatbridge High School.  Once again, all pupils and staff reported most successful visits, with all learning intentions achieved.

We were privileged to be invited to attend Coatbridge High School’s Careers Fayre on Wednesday.  A small team of P.6 pupils attended and reported back to the whole school at our Celebration  Assembly on Friday.  Yet more Confident Individuals helping us Develop our Young Workforce.

Everyone was also eager to hear the Kilbowie stories from our Primary 7 pupils at Assembly this week.  They each made the most of every learning opportunity, challenge and problem they faced last week in Oban.  Despite being wet, cold and missing the comforts of home at times, they faced each day with a determination to succeed that impressed their teachers and instructors.  We can’t wait to see how they transfer their newfound skills into everyday life in Coatbridge…!

Ms Ralston continues to welcome nursery families to regular Bookbug sessions.  If you have a child attending our nursery class, please consider popping in to join in.  New parents and other family members joined us last week.  Why not come along and see what all the fuss is about!  Or join us on Thursday for our second Coffee and Chat Catch-Up session – you will be made most welcome!

Two more busy busy weeks until our Spring Break…no stopping us now!

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Our Primary 6 representatives were delighted to be invited to attend Coatbridge High School’s Careers Fayre this afternoon.  They interviewed staff at several stalls and are now preparing their own presentation to report back to the whole school on Friday.