Here is the lunch menu for the week ahead. Please help your child decide on their lunch choice each day.
Category: School Blog
What’s on Week Beginning 2nd November 2015
General Information
School Photographs
School Photographer will be in school on Wednesday 4th November 2015. All children including the nursery will have an individual and class group photograph taken. Family groups will be taken for children whose parents have returned a request slip. This year, only children who attend school/nursery can be included in family groups.
WoW Travel Tracker
A new initiative to encourage children to walk to school will start this week. The children will record their journey on an online travel tracker called WoW (Walk Once a Week). At the end of each month, the children who walk at least once per week will receive a badge at assembly from the JRSOs. A letter will be sent home this week with further details. More information at http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/walk-with-us/walk-to-school/primary-schools/travel-tracker
Focus for Celebrating Success
The November focus Golden Rule for Pupil of the Week is ‘We are Gentle’ and for ‘Worker of the Week’, the focus Curricular Area is Maths.
Primary 4/5 Teacher
Miss Tiffney will return to school this week. She will be working a reduced timetable as part of phased return and will teach P4/5 between interval and lunchtime this week.
Monday 2nd November 2015
- Mrs. Glen teaching P4/5 all day
- 3.00pm-4.15pm: P1-3 Fun Fitness After School Club (S6 Peer Coaches and Mrs Kean). Gym Kit and water bottle required.
- 3.00pm-4.15pm: P1-3 Art and Craft After School Club (Mrs. McGurk and Miss Kean).
Tuesday 3rd November 2015
- Mrs. Glen teaching P4/5 9am-10.45am and 1.30pm-3.00pm.
- 11.30am-12pm: P5 Kodaly Music lesson with Mrs. McGregor.
- 1.30pm-1.45pm: Tea with Mr. Clark for Pupils of Week from 30th October 2015.
- 3.00pm-4.15pm: P4-7 Cross Country After School Club (Mr. Clark).
Wednesday 4th November 2015
- Mrs. Glen in P4/5 9am-10.45am and 1.30pm-3.00pm
- School Photographer (See above)
- 6.00pm-8.00pm: Parent Council Meeting (All parents/carers welcome to attend).
- Supply Teacher Mrs. Finnan in P5/6 all day.
Thursday 5th November 2015
- Mrs. Scott teaching P4/5 9am-10.45am and 1.30pm-3.00pm
- 11.00am-12.30pm: Mr. Clark at Calderhead HS for Cluster Heads Meeting.
- 3.00pm-4.15pm: P4-7 Football After School Club (Active Schools Coach and Mrs. Pollock) in Hall.
Friday 6th November 2015
- Supply Teacher Mrs. Finnan teaching P4/5 9am-10.45am &1.30pm-3.00pm. P5/6 10.45am-12.30pm
- 9.15am-10.15am: Celebrating Success Assembly
- 2.15pm-2.45pm: Golden Time (in classes).
Instructional Writing
Primary 1/2 has been learning to write instructions as part of their weekly taught writing lessons. So far the children have written instructions to tell others how to: brush their teeth, make cereal and make Empire Biscuits. The children have been benefitting from carrying out the tasks before writing the instructions and the lessons involving food have proved to be very popular.
Forces: Push and Pull
Primary 1/2 has finished their Science work investigating Senses and are now enjoying learning about Forces. The children were introduced to the Force of Push and Pull and thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with a variety of toys to see which toys required a push force or a pull force to create movement.
What’s on Week Beginning Monday 26th October 2015
General Information
Parent Council Hallowe’en Disco
The annual Hallowe’en Disco organised by the Parent Council takes places on Tuesday 27th October 2015 in the school hall. The disco for Nursery to P2 starts at 5.30pm and ends at 6.30pm. Parents of nursery pupils must stay with their child. The Primary 3 to Primary 7 disco starts at 5.45pm and will finish at 8pm. All P1-P7 children must be collected by an adult.
The cost of the disco is £1.50 per pupil, which should be paid at the door. There will be lots of games and competitions, including a ‘Best Dressed’. Costumes should not be too scary!
Assembly
P3 and P4/5’s Ancient Egyptian assembly will take place on Friday 30th October 2015 at 9.30am Parents/Carers and relatives of children in these classes are invited to join us from 9am for tea/coffee in the assembly hall.
After School Clubs
After school clubs begin this week and children who have been allocated a place should have received their letter on Friday. Please remember that the Art and Craft club is £18 per child for the block, which covers the cost of the material and the tutor.
All children must be collected by an adult from the main entrance at 4.15pm. If your child is unable to attend a week of their club, please contact the school to let us know.
The P4-7 Girls Football will not run due to low interest.
Health and Heartstart Week
The planned Health/Heartstart week will not go ahead in a fortnight as planned due to staff absence. This will be postponed until after Christmas.
Monday 26th October 2015
- PGDE Student Teacher Miss Fingland begins her block placement this week. She will be working in P6/7.
- Mrs. McLean will be out of school all day to attend the next session of a Coaching and Mentoring Corse. Mrs. Scott will teach P2 all day.
- 3.00pm-4.15pm: P1-3 Fun Fitness Club.
- 3.00pm-4.15pm: P1-3 Art and Craft Club.
Tuesday 27th October 2015
- 9.45am-10.15am: A representative for The Co-op will be in school to deliver their annual Road Safety workshop. He will work with P1/2 and P2 in the open area.
- 3.00pm-4.15pm: P4-7 Cross Country Club led by Mr. Clark
- 4.00pm-5.00pm: Mrs. Scott will be attending a meeting about Student Placement Partnership Working.
- 5.30pm-6.30pm: Nursery to P2 Hallowe’en Disco (Gym Hall)
- 6.45pm-8.00pm: P3 to P7 Hallowe’en Disco (Gym Hall)
Wednesday 28th October 2015
- 11am-12pm: Miss Cunningham, the Active School Coordinator will be in school to work with P6/7 on Young Sports Leaders Programme.
- 1.30pm: Tea with Mr. Clark for the Pupils of the Week from the past fortnight.
- 3.15pm-4.30pm: Teaching Staff Meeting
Thursday 29th October 2015
- Mrs. Snoddon will be in school to work with P5/6 all day.
- 3.00pm-4.15pm: P4-7 Football Club (Gym Hall)
Friday 30th October 2015
- Mrs. Linfoot. will be attending Five to Thrive Training today
- 9.30am-10.30am: P3 and P4/5 Assembly: Parents/Carers and Relatives of P3 and P4/5 welcome to attend.
- 1.30pm-3.00pm: 10 pupils from P5/6 and P6/7 at Shotts Football League.
- 2.15pm-2.45pm: Golden Time (in classes).
Ancient Egyptian Artefacts
The boys and girls from Primary 3 and Primary 4/5 have been extremely busy both learning about and re- creating Ancient Egyptian artefacts. Among the atrefacts were canopic jars. The children learned that during the mummification process the organs of the human body were removed and preserved separately in canopic jars. The children had previously learned about hieroglyphics and they used this prior learning experience to decorate the jars.
The children were exploring how the Ancient Egyptians highly valued personal decorations and embellishment. Jewellery was worn by both men and women of all social classes.
The children chose which materials they would prefer to use to design and decorate their own collar and cuffs. We are all looking forward to showcasing what we have learned about at our Primary 3 and 4/5 class assembly on the 30th of October.
Ancient Egyptian Pyramids
Primary 3 and Primary 3/4 classrooms have been transformed into a scene from Ancient Egypt this week. The children have been proudly bringing in their technology homework. The children were set a task of creating their own pyramids. This was to enable children and their parents to work collaboratively and develop an understanding of materials that can be used in technology. The homework task also allows the children to focus on their practical skills, using a range of tools under their parents supervision.
I was so pleased to see the children thinking of the environment and remembering that we are an Eco school. Most of the materials used were recyclable and we even have a pyramid made from cake!
I think that there are some of Scotland’s future creative designers and architects among the children who have already brought in their pyramids.
Watch out for pyramid houses in Shotts in 2030!
Mr. Clark’s Blog – Wednesday 22nd October 2015
Today was another busy day at Stane Primary with lots of active and engaging learning opportunities taking place from the nursery to Primary 7.
Primary 1 and Primary 1/2 took the opportunity to extend their learning outdoors this afternoon by searching for signs of Autumn. They collected lots of fallen leaves and explored the different colours.
Our playground is such a wonderful resource and has so many mature trees – the range of colours at the moment are wonderful. We are also very lucky to have our own rabbits that live in the wild banking area. Sometimes when I am working in my office, I spot some rabbits scampering across the playground! Tomorrow, I will be working in Primary 1/2 and we will further explore the theme of Autumn with Primary 2 as well.
Wednesday is one of my favourite days in school as it is our Celebrating Success Assembly. Rev. Jonathan, our new school chaplain, joined us again. We are delighted that he has become an important member of our team already and the children were very pleased to see him today.
The children work very hard to follow the Golden Rules every day to make our school a safe, happy and purposeful learning environment. Our focus Golden Rule for October is ‘We are Kind and Gentle’ and I was delighted to award the Pupils of the Week their certificates for demonstrating these qualities:
These children will join me for ‘Tea with Mr. Clark’ very soon!
The next presentation was to the ‘Workers of the Week’. Our learning focus is ‘Daily Writing’ this month and there was lots of examples of this, from Visualisers, Beginning, Middle, End summaries to Taught Writing. I am always very impressed with how confident the children are at showcasing their work and explaining why they were chosen:
This week, I presented two ‘Head Teacher’s Awards’. One pupil has been demonstrating wonderful, exemplary manners to the other children in his class. I was very impressed with his attitude when I taught the class on Tuesday. The other pupil, along with his dad, came to our school during the October holiday and repaired the amphitheatre. I am very grateful for their kindness:
Every week at assembly, the children who have had a birthday get one of our wonderful ‘Birthday Crowns’ and all of the children sing Happy Birthday to mark the occasion. There were lots this week because of the holiday:
At Stane Primary, we love to celebrate the children who have achieved at a sport or activity outwith school. This week, one pupil shared her trophy from Irish Dancing and another presented her Gold medal from a Judo competition and her Silver medal earned at the British Judo Championships. As ever, I am very proud of my pupils who represent the school so well:
The final presentation was to our mature and responsible Primary 7 children who attended Kilbowie the week before the holiday. The children received their Kilbowie certificate, which I hope they will cherish as a memento of a fantastic experience.
There have been lots of letters sent home this week – please return the tear of slips for Parent’s Night and After School Clubs as soon as possible. Money and slips for the pantomime must also be sent to school as soon as possible.
At assembly, I reminded the children that the Parent Council Hallowe’en disco takes place on Tuesday 27th October 2015 in the school hall. Children in the Nursery to Primary 2 should attend between 5.30pm and 6.30pm. Primary 3-7’s disco is from 6.45pm-8pm. There will be a DJ, a best costume competition and other games and prizes. The cost of the disco is £1.50 per pupil, which should be paid at the door. There will be a tuck shop available on the night.
Please remember that costumes can be spooky, but not too scary!
Mr. Clark’s Blog – Tuesday 20th October 2015
I had the pleasure of teaching Primary 5/6 all day today. It was lovely to be a ‘class teacher’ for the day and to spend time sharing the learning of the children. They were learning more about report writing today and the children were writing biographies of the American artist Georgia O’Keeffe. The children’s reports were written in a factual way and each person was able to make good use of headings to organise their information. I was very impressed with the quality of the writing.
In the afternoon, the children were creating art work in the style of Georgia O’Keeffe and this will be displayed in the school hall when it is complete. I was very impressed with the children’s use of shape and bold colours to create their art.
The Primary 5’s enjoyed their fortnightly Kodaly music lesson with Mrs. McGregor today. She is teaching them all about the rhythm of musical beat using ‘ta’ and ‘ta-te’. I enjoyed hearing their songs when they returned to class.
Primary 2 have been busy learning the months of the year in maths with Mrs. McLean and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to their song today. Their enthusiasm was evident with their big smiles as they sang.
The new ‘colour band’ system is proving to be very successful in the dinner hall, with all children getting their first choice again today. I am very impressed with how quickly the children have taken to the new system. Please continue to help your child decide what they are going to order each morning. Remember that the menu can be found online.
The children in Primary 3 and Primary 4/5 are still working hard on the rehearsals for their Egyptian themed assembly which takes place on Friday 30th October at 9.30am. All parents, carers and relatives of pupils in these classes are invited to attend.
Two weeks ago, the AGM of the Parent Council and the first meeting of the newly formed 2015/16 group took place in the school. The minutes are available on the school website in the ‘Parent Council’ menu. I am delighted that two local companies affiliated with the Parent Council are going to sponsor new football strips and tracksuits for the school and can’t wait for them to arrive.
At the AGM, Mrs. Linfoot joined the Parent Council as Staff Member, and Rev. Jonathan Abernathy-Barkley, the new school chaplain, was accepted as a co-opted member. There is currently one vacancy on the Parent Council. An information letter about this will be sent home this week with details of how parents can express an interest in filling this vacancy.
The Parent Council will be delighted to welcome all children to the Hallowe’en Disco next week. It takes place on Tuesday 27th October 2015. The Nursery children, P1 and P2 should attend between 5.30pm and 6.30pm. P3-7 disco takes place between 6.45pm and 8pm. £1.50 entry to be paid at the door.
If your child is the oldest member of your family in our P1-7 classes, they will have come home with the Parent Teacher consultation letters today. These take place on Thursday 12th November 2015. The letter allows you to select between the afternoon and evening sessions. Please return the tear-off slip as soon as possible to class to allow the teachers to plan suitable appointment times.
Tomorrow is our weekly ‘Celebrating Success’ assembly. Check out Twitter feed later on tomorrow to see photographs of the pupils who are celebrating success in and out of school.
Mr. Clark’s Blog – Monday 19th October 2015
It’s been quite a while since I’ve had the chance to blog about what is happening in our wonderful school. It was lovely to see everyone back today after the October holiday and to find out what all of the children have been doing during the break. It was great to have such lovely weather and I hope everyone had the chance to spend some time outdoors.
Miss Tiffney is still unwell and won’t be back at work this week. The children in P4/5 are really missing her and send her get well wishes. Mrs. Glen and Mrs. Scott will teach the class this week.
I visited the nursery class this morning and as soon I walked into the playroom, one of the children invited me to share an ‘under the sea’ counting book with her. It was great to take 10 minutes out of my day to sit in the library corner with her and share the story together. It was very kind of her to ask me to join in.
Primary 3 and 4/5 have been very busy practising for their upcoming ‘Egyptian’ assembly which takes place a week on Friday at 9.30am. I have had a wee sneak preview of some of the singing and dancing – I am sure all of the parents and guests will really enjoy it. The children will be writing invitations in their taught writing lesson this week which will be sent home this week.
After lunchtime, I worked with P1/2 and P2 as they took their learning outdoors. They were using playground chalk to draw pictures on the ground of everything they know about ‘autumn’ ahead of their new block of interdisciplinary learning. There was lots of pictures of trees losing their leaves and of Hallowe’en costumes. Mr. O’Donnell was busy writing down lots of comments the children were making onto paper leaves. I wonder if these will be part of the children’s learning journey display?
Today was the start of the new colour band system for school dinners, and I am delighted that it went so smoothly. All of the children having a school dinner chose their meal in the morning and then came to the dinner hall wearing the correct colour band. I was very pleased that the amount of leftover food was reduced and that the very last person to come to the counter still got exactly what he ordered.
Please help continue to make this go smoothly by talking to your child about what they will choose each day. You can see the menu here or sign up for email alerts to have it sent directly to you every week.
Two important letters were sent home with the children today. Pupils in P1-7 have received a letter about this term’s after-school clubs. I am delighted to be able to offer P1-3 Fun Fitness, P1-3 Art and Crafts, P4-7 Football and P4-7 Cross Country. Later on in the month, I hope to be able to offer a P2-4 dance club too.
The second letter was about the Nursery to P7 pantomime. This year, the children will visit Hamilton Town House to see ‘Sleeping Beauty’. Our wonderful Parent Council have contributed £500 towards the cost, which is simply amazing! The school will provide a snack and a drink for the outing. Please return the tear off slips and money for the pantomime as soon as possible to ensure your child’s place is secured.
I will be teaching Primary 5/6 all day tomorrow and am looking forward to teaching them about information report writing, budgeting money in maths and some french revision too.
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