School Blog – Page 10 – Stane Primary School and Nursery Class

Head Teacher’s Blog – Monday 6th February 2017

The nursery children were very excited to have the chicks back in the playroom today after their ‘wee break’ over the weekend. Mrs. Lindsay took them home with her on Friday afternoon and took very good care of them – they even got to watch the rugby on the television! The children in the nursery have been so caring to the little chicks and are looking after them very well. We will miss them on Friday but are pleased that they are going to a lovely farm to have a happy life.

I had a lovely morning visiting P6/7 and then P3/4 to join in with their Taught Writing lessons. Primary 6/7 were writing in the persuasive genre. They had chosen to write letters to persuade their audience to improve the provision of outdoor activities in Shotts. They were able to use some very persuasive language and used facts and data to make their arguments. I was very impressed with their hard work and concentration.

Mrs. Robert’s class were working on Narrative stories linked to their interdisciplinary topic ‘Knights and Castles’. They used their topic vocabulary about a knight to make their narratives very detailed and used a video clip of ‘Mike the Knight’ to help develop their descriptive language. I was very pleased to see the children involved in peer assessment to improve their work and was delighted with the concentration and focus of all children.

As a school, we encourage daily activity to focus the children’s attention and concentration. I joined P6/7 for a little bit of their afternoon activity where they were running a mile around the trim-trail. It was nice to see the children energised and enthusiastic for their work afterwards.

I am always very grateful by the kindness and generosity of our parents/carers and families. Today alone, our school has benefited from parent helpers working in classes, grandparents and parents helping with some DIY and ground maintenance and other parents donating items for our Loose Parts Play. Thank you to each and everyone of you who has given of your time over the past few weeks to assist.

Tomorrow, P1/2 and P2/3 will be taking part in a healthy eating workshop with Warburtons. I will be visiting P5/6 and P4/5 to join in with their Taught Writing lesson and to finish the day, the Parent Council will hold their annual Valentine’s Disco. Glad rags on everyone!

What’s on Monday 6th to Friday 10th February 2017

This week’s lunch menu:

Please note that on Friday 10th February 2017, the only option available from the school dinner hall will be Snack2Go (Blue Band)

What’s on this week:

Monday 6th February 2017

11am-12pm: P4/5 Badminton Lessons with Active Schools coach (Week 3).

Tuesday 7th February 2017

9am: Visitors from Warburton’s leading a Healthy Eating workshop with P1/2 and P2/3 (Please return permission slips if you have not already done so).
3pm-4pm: P6/7 Nurture Club with Mrs. Parker
3pm-4pm: P1-3 MultiSports Club with Active School Coach starts today.
5.30pm-6.30pm: Nursery to P2 Valentine’s Disco
6.45pm-8pm: P3 to P7 Valentine’s Disco

Wednesday 8th February 2017

9.45am-10.15am: Celebrating Success Assembly (Remember to bring any achievements from outwith school to share).
11am: Tea with Mr. Clark for the Stane Superstars
1.30pm-2.30pm: RME with Jonathan (P5/6 and P6/7).

Thursday 9th February 2017

9am-10am: Mr. Kane (Brass Tutor) working with pupils from P5-7
11am-12.30pm: Solihull Parent Group Week 3 with Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Linfoot
3pm-4pm: P5-7 Cross Country Running Club with Mr. Clark and Mrs. Scott (Outdoor Kit required).

Friday 10th February 2017

8.45am-9am: Tuck Shop Open (There will be no tuck service at 10.30am)
9.30am-10.30am: P1-7 Art Exhibition (Parents invited to drop-in between these times)
1.45pm-2.45pm: P1-7 Art Exhibition (Parents invited to drop-in between these times)
2.15pm-2.45pm: Golden Time in classes.

Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th February 2017

February Holiday – School and Nursery closed to all.

Wednesday 15th February 2017

February Inservice Day – School and Nursery closed to pupils.

Head Teacher’s Blog – Friday 3rd February 2017

It’s been a while since I last added a Head Teacher’s Blog to the school website. I will make it a belated New Year’s Resolution to try and blog more often!

January has been a very full month in our wee school and it is hard to believe it has zipped past already.

Enrolment of the next intake of Primary 1 pupils who will begin in August 2017 took place in the second week of term. 22 children from our catchment area enrolled for next session – our biggest intake in a few years! This will bring our school role to approx. 145 pupils in August.

The nursery children have had special visitors this week – 10 little eggs to look after and hatch into chicks. The children were excited to welcome the chicks this week and are amazed at how quickly they have grown. Their learning has centred around caring for the chicks – the children wrote their own rules for taking care of them. The chicks will stay with us for another week until they are big enough to go to a local farm where they will live in a free-range environment.

The children in P1-7 have been enjoying ‘Art Focus Fortnight’ which ended today. Everytime I have visited a class throughout the week, the children were painting, creating or learning about art by focussing on well know artists. Each child has created a canvas inspired by their work and every class except P6/7 have also produced a framed print too.

Instead of a second piece of artwork, P6/7 were set the task by Mrs. Parker (Senior CLD Worker) to create a piece of video art as part of a ‘Voluntary Action Fund’ project called ‘What My Mother Means to Me’

Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Byrne from Calderhead High School worked together with pupils from S3 to offer a ‘Special Effects Make Up’ tutorial for our pupils in P5/6 and P4/5.

All of the work from our Art Focus Fortnight will be displayed during our Art Exhibition on Friday 10th February 2017. We hope you can join us.

January has also seen some building work in our playground. Thanks to an Awards for All Grant of £9600 plus donations collected from non-uniform days, we have purchased an Outdoor Classroom for our playground. We are so pleased with it – we are just waiting for a final panel to new be supplied to finish it off and the children will be able to start using it.

We’ve also purchased new outdoor games and storage and the children were very exciting when these were being put out for them to use.

Last Friday, the Parent Council held their annual Family Film Night. I would like to extend my gratitude to them for organising a hugely successful evening and also to the friends, families and relatives who came along and supported the school. The children who attended were extremely well behaved and a great night was had by all.

Next week, I will be completing ‘Learning Visits’ to every class in the school to see their ‘Taught Writing’ work. I am looking forward to seeing the wonderful work of the children and staff!

Don’t forget that the Parent Council Valentine’s Discos take pace on Tuesday 7th February 2017. Nursery to P2 from 5.30pm-6.30pm and P3-7 from 6.45pm-8pm. The cost of entry is £1.50 which is payable on entry.

Have a lovely weekend.

What’s on at Stane 31st Jan – 3rd Feb 2017

The lunch menu for this week:

The diary for the week ahead:

Monday 30th January 2017

The children in the nursery will be looking after ‘Living Eggs’ which will hopefully hatch into chickens while they are with us. The eggs will be delivered today.
10.45am-12.30pm: Pupils in P4/5 and P5/6 will continue to work with Calderhead High Pupils on Special FX Make-up as part of our Art Focus Fortnight.
11am-12pm: P4/5 Badminton Session with NLC Coach (Week 2)

Tuesday 31st January 2017

10am-10.30am: Primary 5 Kodaly Music Lesson with Mrs. Wilkinson.
3pm-4pm: Primary 6/7 After-school nurture club with Mrs. Parker. Pupils should be collected from the Main Entrance at 4pm.

Wednesday 1st February 2017

9.45am-10.15am: Celebrating Success Assembly (Remember to bring any achievements from outwith school to share).
11am: Tea with Mr. Clark for the Stane Superstars
1.30pm-2.30pm: RME with Jonathan (P3/4 and P4/5).

Thursday 2nd February 2017

9am-10am: Mr. Kane (Brass Tutor) working with pupils from P5-7
11am-12.30pm: Solihull Parent Group Week 2 with Mrs. Parker and Mrs. Linfoot

Friday 3rd February 2017

9am-12pm: Football Coaches from Motherwell FC working with P6/7 then P5/6 (Week 3 of 4).
2pm-2.15pm: Extra Playtime for pupils achieving Silver or Gold.
2.15pm-2.45pm: Golden Time

Art Fortnight

P5/6 have been extremely interested in Art Fortnight. Through research undertaken in the class they decided that the first artist that they wanted to study would be Bridget Riley. She is an artist who specialises in OP Art – representations of optical illusions. The children have enjoyed learning about her life, the art she has produced and creating their own art in preparation for the art show. Their second artist has still to be determined but they already have several ideas in mind.

What’s on 23rd-27th January 2017

This week’s lunch menu:

The diary for the week ahead

Monday 23rd January 2017

Installation of the new Outdoor Classroom will begin today. (Follow us on Twitter for updates)
Miss Wilson, Student Teacher, begins a six week placement in Primary 6/7 today.
11am-12pm: Pupils in P4/5 will begin a six week block of Badminton lessons for PE with Active Schools coach

Wednesday 25th January 2017

9.15am-9.45am: Celebrating Success Assembly
11am-11.15am: Tea with Mr. Clark
1.30pm: Jonathan visiting P1/2 and P2/3 for RME.

Thursday 26th January 2017

9am-10am: Mr. Kane, Brass Tutor, working with P5-7 children learning brass instrument.
11am-12.30pm: Solihull ‘Understanding Your Child’ Programme Week 1. (You will receive individual notice if you have been allocated a space in this group).
5pm-6pm: Kilbowie Information Session for Parents of P7 Pupils

Friday 27th January 2017

Non-uniform day for nursery and school (£1 per pupil)
9am-12pm: Coaches from Motherwell FC working with P6/7 then P5/6 for Football lessons.
2pm-2.15pm: Extra playtime for children achieving Silver and Gold.
2.15pm-2.45pm: Golden Time
5.30pm-8pm: Parent Council Cinema Night (Tickets available at the office).

Parent Council Cinema Night

Stane Primary School and Nursery Class Parent Council event:

The Parent council are having a special showing of “BFG” in the school on Friday 27^th January at 6.30pm.

Tickets are priced at £1 each and will be sold on a first come first served basis.

Children must be accompanied by an adult and everyone must have a ticket which includes a bag of popcorn.

Refreshments will be on sale at the interval.

It will be alright on the Knight!

Primary 3/4 have been learning about the process of becoming a Knight, during Medeval Times. To be chosen to train as a Knight was a real privilege and young boys trained as a Page, from 7 years old.

The boys and girls used their notes to write a Persausive Genre. In their writing, they used the information about the process that Knights went through, in order to persuade young boys to sign up.

We have also been exploring how Knights dressed through the use of interactive dressing up games and books.

Fitness Stations

New year. New exercises. Primary 5,6 have started off the year with sessions in fitness. Today 12 stations were set up and working in pairs the children had to complete the activities at each station. These included bench steps, star jumps, shuttle runs, which got them active and gentler stations such as stretches. Well done everyone.

What’s on at Stane: 16th to 20th January 2017

This week’s lunch menu:

The diary for this week:

Monday 16th January 2017

9am-12pm: Pupils in P1 and P7 will be receive routine dental inspections from the school dental team.
2pm-4pm: Drop-in session for enrolment of pupils for August 2016 P1 intake. (Child’s birth certificate and parent’s Council Tax Bill required).

Tuesday 17th January 2017

9am-10.30am: Drop-in session for enrolment of pupils for August 2016 P1 intake. (Child’s birth certificate and parent’s Council Tax Bill required).
10am-10.30am: P5 Kodaly Music lesson with Mrs. Wilkinson.
3pm-4.30pm: Drop-in session for enrolment of pupils for August 2016 P1 intake. (Child’s birth certificate and parent’s Council Tax Bill required).

Wednesday 18th January 2017

9.45am-10.15am: Celebrating Success Assembly (Children who have achievements from outwith school are encouraged to bring them in to share at this time).

Thursday 19th January 2017

9am-10am: Mr. Kane, Brass Tutor, working with pupils learning Brass instruments.

Friday 20th January 2017

9am-10.30am: Drop-in session for enrolment of pupils for August 2016 P1 intake. (Child’s birth certificate and parent’s Council Tax Bill required).
9am-3pm: Mr. O’Donnell working with pre-school nursery children as part of our transition to P1 programme.
11am-3pm: Fiona from Childsmile visiting school and nursery to assist with tooth-brushing programme.
11.45pm-12.30pm: P6/7 Spanish lessons with Mr. O’Donnell
2pm-2.15pm: Extra playtime for pupils achieving Silver and Gold.
2.15pm-2.45pm: Golden Time
3pm-4.30pm: Drop-in session for enrolment of pupils for August 2016 P1 intake. (Child’s birth certificate and parent’s Council Tax Bill required).