Every month the Parent Council meet to discuss school business and plan for action to support the school. Mr.Kirley (Parent Council Chairperson) has been in contact with the school and a Head Teacher Report was provided. The update reflected the work that has taken place whilst the school gates have been closed since the lockdown commenced in March. Please see below.
Head Teacher Update – May 2020
We hope you all enjoyed a peaceful and rested holiday weekend? Whilst it may not have been a holiday weekend like ones experienced in the not too distant past (with day trips, large family gatherings, trips to the shops, meals out etc) we hope it was a weekend in which you could treasure and spend quality time with the people who mean the most to you. For many members of our school community the pace of life may have slowed leading to new ways of working and changes to daily routines whilst for many others they may have found that their work routine has provided more pressure and added challenges. Everyone in our community has felt the impact of this virus on their day to day life and many may have sadly been more directly impacted and we keep them in our prayers. Our children are now feeling the impact of being away from school and experiencing so many weeks without seeing friends and extended family. These unprecedented times have impacted upon us all but please be assured that, we, as a school community are here to support as much as possible during these trying times. Please don’t hesitate to contact myself for advice or support. From the outset of lockdown we have perfectly understood the challenges that every household may be experiencing whilst also meeting the needs of your child/ren. This has been no mean feat and we applaud your efforts to engage with remote learning and to encourage your children to continue their studies. The response of the children, their level of engagement, their motivation and continued good spirit has been an inspiration to all staff and is all the motivation we need to continue. Please remember to check glow for teacher updates and encourage your child to say hi. We love and miss every child and look forward to planning their return to school in August. Further updates will follow in terms of how this will look for the new term. Please check the school blog, twitter and school Facebook for updates.
Please continue to take care and God Bless
Mrs C.Docherty
The latest edition of the Education Scotland Newsletter is now online! It’s been made just for you with lots of activities to support learning at home. Check it out and sign up to get it emailed straight to you weekly.
Yesterday would have been the First Communion Day for the children of Room 11 and 12. As a staff team we have always celebrated with the Parish community this wondrous day in the lives of our Pr. 4 pupils and our thoughts and prayers were with them yesterday. We miss the children greatly and hope and pray that the time will come soon when we will see each other in school and can then plan their First Communion Day.
Father Kane has keenly felt for our pupils and made a video message that also featured Deacon David and the Pr.4 staff team. Father has shared this on his social media platforms. We have also shared links our Facebook and Twitter so please check it out and share it with your child. We miss our children and are looking forward to the day when we can welcome them all back to school.
Please clip on the link below.
Another week of remote learning lies ahead for us all and we are delighted that so many of our children are engaging with glow and completing the tasks set by their teachers. It is not easy keeping momentum going at home but we are astounded on a weekly basis by the commitment shown by our children to their studies. The support of yourselves as parents has never been more crucial to provide encouragement and guidance to your children in these unprecedented times. There is no doubt your children are developing and displaying great skills as successful learners, responsible citizens, effective contributors and confident individuals. We sincerely thank you for your support since the 23rd of March and kindly ask that you continue to work in partnership with ourselves and encourage your child(ren) to enage in their studies at home and to keep them on track in their learning. As we have said many times before we don’t doubt the challenges that this involves at home as you juggle your own work, younger family members and not to forget the constant round of cleaning, shopping and meal preparation. Please review what tasks have been set by your child’s teacher and make a timetable that suits your family and do what is achievable. We don’t want any family to feel pressured or overwhelmed. Please take care, stay safe and connected.
God Bless
Mrs C.Docherty
Below is a link to the first issue of the Scotland Learns Parent and Carers Newsletter. You will need to sign up directly to receive a copy to your mailbox. You will find learning activities for Literacy and Numeracy, support for wellbeing and a focus on the theme of food. You will also find hints and tips, advice for engaging young people with autism in their learning and a creativity challenge.
Parent and Carers Newsletterhttps://education.gov.scot/media/mahdmrxm/parentcarernewsissue1.pdf?dm_i=LQE,6UY0V,WKQY7A,RK3PU,1
One of our Pr.7 pupils has been very busy during lockdown and made a powerpoint that tells the story of VE Day and the story of his aunt’s dad who was captured by the Germans in 1940. A truly amazing story and fantastic work that we just had to share.
FIRST COMMUNICANTS VIDEO!
We are all disappointed that the celebration of First Holy Communion was postponed due to COVID-19. So to brighten up our spirits we are looking to put together a short video featuring our First Communicants. Here is how you can get involved:
STEP 1: Watch the short video below and try to learn the actions whilst singing the lyrics on screen.
STEP 2: When you are confident enough record yourself singing and dancing to the song. Please make sure you record your video in landscape (long ways) and please make sure you wear earphones so the recording only picks up the sound of YOUR singing voice and not the Youtube version.
STEP 3: Send in your short video to: office@saintaugustines.org.uk or if the file is too big simply email us for details on how to send it via Whatsapp or another file sharing platform.
STEP 4: The parish will edit and publish the video featuring lots of our children singing and groovin!
We might even try to get some of your teachers involved!!!
Have fun!
God bless, Fr. Kane
Monday is an in-service day for staff so please don’t expect your child to work from home as they would have had the day off school under normal circumstances. I am sure that will be welcome news for everyone. As stated in previous posts we don’t under estimate the challenges taking place in family homes as you try to attend to online learning, home schooling, working from home and attending to a busy household. It really is multi-tasking on a grand scale. Please aim to work with your child and formulate a timetable for the week ahead that is both manageable and achievable. Children do love and need a routine even in these strange times. Please be assured that we fully appreciate the challenges this has presented over the past weeks. We all live in households with family members working from home alongside children looking for your constant attention and the need to be fed!!
Please be aware that teachers may have uploaded work for the week ahead or may wait until Tuesday to post.
Please encourage your child to leave a comment – even if only to say hi so we know they have been online.
Please remember we are missing everyone and are looking forward – as you must be – to the time when we can all return to school.
Please see below local sources of financial support if required at this time.
