St Bartholomews

Primary 1 – Jacob

Primary 1/2 – Caleb

Primary 3 – Erinann

Primary 4 – Mackenzie

Primary 5 – Jamie

Primary 6a – Alex

Primary 6b – Darragh

Primary 7 – Breagh

Cool Class Cup: Primary 4

Winning House: Summerlee

Happy New to our entire St Bartholomew’s school and Parish community! It is very much hoped that everyone has had a very restful holiday and enjoyed the festivities over the Christmas and New Year period.
I appreciate that many parents and carers will be looking forward to the children starting back school on Monday and I know that many of our pupils miss the routine of school and are looking forward to seeing all of their friends and teachers again. All of the staff in St Bartholomew’s look forward to welcoming back our wonderful pupils.

Sunday was the wonderful feast of the epiphany as well as World Day of Peace and the gospel reminds us that the wise men who visited Jesus’ crib were not Jewish. The fact that they were Gentiles demonstrates how open non Jews were to the arrival of the Messiah and how they recognised him as such when the Jewish authorities could not. The gifts that the wise brought were highly symbolic : Gold- associated with royalty and therefore recognising the kingship of Jesus. Frankincense- used in worship and thus demonstrating that Jesus should be worshipped. Myrrh- a perfume used in the embalming of dead bodies, foreseeing the death of Jesus.
In relation to World Day of Peace, It is perhaps worth noting in Evangelli Gaudium,         concern for the vulnerable, 216.

‘ Small yet strong in the love of God, like St Francis of Assisi, all of us, as Christians, are called to watch over and protect the fragile world in which we live, and all its peoples’.

As you can see from the photographs above, Club 365  is on during the Christmas holidays and we would be very grateful if you could spread the word. This will take place at both Old Monkland Community Centre and The Time Capsule. Children are encouraged to pop along for activities and lunch. The other photograph celebrates the success of one of our younger pupils who has achieved success at football. Well done from all of your friends at St Bart’s.
A huge thank you to all of our parents and carers who came along to participate in both the Nativity play and Christmas Concert, your presence was much appreciated by staff and children.The children were simply outstanding! Many thanks to their teachers for supporting them in their success.

The week ahead looks like this;

On Monday, I will be attending the funeral mass of Fr John Docherty at the Cathedral in Motherwell. May he rest in peace.

Primary 4 and 5 will enjoy their Christmas party this afternoon, and as always, children are permitted to change at home during lunch time or bring their party clothes to school to change in to. Please inform the office if you intend your child to go home at lunch time.

On Tuesday, our  nursery  children will enjoy their Christmas parties, for both our morning and afternoon sessions. Primary 1, Primary  1/2 and Primary 3 will enjoy their Christmas parties in the afternoon . A very special visitor will pop in to see our youngest pupils…ho, ho,ho.

On Wednesday, it’s panto day! We will travel to the SECC in Glasgow to see Snow White and the seven dwarfs. A huge thank you to Mark and Lucy Millar for their continued generosity.Please remember that we will return around 4.15pm- a text shall be sent to give an accurate ETA.

On Thursday, it’s ‘Movie Duvet day’. As it is the last day of term, children are permitted to wear comfortable clothing and bring along pillows etc. School closes at 2.30pm, with the usual dismissal procedures. Children and staff return to school on Monday at 9am on the 6th January.

On behalf of all of our staff at St Bartholomew’s Primary, I would like to extend a very happy and Holy Christmas to all of our parents and carers and wish you all the blessings of the season.

Mrs Bolland

Primary 1 – Michael

Primary 1/2 – Corey

Primary 3 – Mark

Primary 4 – Caiden

Primary 5 – Ava

Primary 6a – Arran

Primary 6b – Brodie

Primary 7 – Zaynab

Winning House: Drumpellier

Cool Class Cup: Primary 7

It is with great sadness that I advise you of the death of Fr John Docherty, who was Parish Priest for a number of years at St Bartholomew’s RC Church. He will be fondly remembered by many in our Parish community. We extend our prayers and thoughts to his sister Mary at this sad time.

The week ahead looks like this:
On Monday, our youngest children will perform a wonderful rendition of  a Christmas sing along. We very much look forward to welcoming our nursery children’s families to share in this fabulous festive experience. I will also be  visiting P6b, where I look forward to sharing in the boys and girls learning. At the end of the day, Mrs McLean and I will host a pupil progress meeting.

On Tuesday, the whole school community will gather at 10 o’clock  mass in St Bartholomew’s Church for a celebration of Advent and an opportunity to prepare for the birth of Jesus. Primary  1 to 3 will perform their much anticipated Nativity play in the afternoon. We very much look forward to welcoming our infant pupils’ families to our wonderful school. I have heard their fabulous singing on a number of occasions and can assure you that you are in for a treat! There will also be an opportunity to buy raffle tickets for the chance to win some wonderful hampers. Fingers crossed…

On Wednesday, our pupils from Primary 4 to 7 will perform the annual Christmas concert. Again, I have been very fortunate to hear the dulcet tones of our middle and upper school children and can guarantee a wonderful musical experience. We look forward, as always, to welcoming our families to this fabulous event. We also look forward to seeing our Education Psychologist, Mrs Kinniburgh, who will be visiting us today.

On Thursday, school is closed to pupils in the school and nursery as our building is used for elections. Staff attend on this day and our teaching staff will be working with colleagues from NLC’s  literacy base, supporting us with enhancements to writing.

On Friday,  our upper school children in Primary 6 and Primary 7  look forward to their Christmas parties. Children are permitted to change in to party clothes at lunch time. Have a wonderful time boys and girls!

Mrs Bolland

The wonderful season of advent is upon and God reminds us to prepare ourselves for the true meaning of Christmas.

A huge thank you to our dedicated Parent Council members, who  worked tirelessly to create a wonderful Christmas Fayre for our school community and have helped raised much needed funds for our school. Children had the added bonus of seeing Santa on his sleigh, a wonderful Santa’s grotto and generous gifts that Mark and Lucy Millar and their team organised for our school community. We will keep you updated as to the final figure that was raised by our wonderful Parent Council.

The week ahead look like this:

On Monday, I will be out of school all day as I am a panel member for early years Principal Lead interviews. The very best of luck to our own candidates from St Bartholomew’s nursery.

On Tuesday both Primary 4-7 and Primary 1-3 will add finishing touches to their rehearsals for the Christmas Concert and Nativity play respectively.

On Wednesday, I will be visiting P6b and will share the wonderful learning that takes place in the classroom, on a daily basis.

On Thursday the whole school look forward to Christmas lunch, the dining room will be transformed with dressed tables, Christmas  crackers and lots more.Primary 6b will be  visiting Morgan Sindall today as part of Developing the Young Workforce. We look forward to hearing about your experiences. Vicky from CLD will be hosting her final cookery workshop for our pupils and their families.

On Friday, NHS Scotland colleagues will administer the influenza vaccination session. Our Primary 1-3 children will take part in their nativity play dress rehearsal. Mrs MacFarlane and Primary 7 pupils will visit St Ambrose High in order to attend St Ambrose feast day mass.

Mrs Bolland

Primary 1 – Otto

Primary 1/2 – Hannah

Primary 3 – Filip

Primary 4 – Cheyenne

Primary 5 – Lee

Primary 6a – Fin

Primary 6b – Caitlyn

Primary 7 – Daniel

The poster above, illustrates the importance of careful driving around a school environment. Our JRSO pupils and their Pupil Voice teacher leaders will be involved in this initiative to ensure safety for all in our school community.Thank you in advance for your consideration.

The week ahead look like this:

On Monday, we see the start of Catholic Education week and ask that your prayers are dedicated to the very hard work and commitment of our wonderful staff.

Mrs Wilson and Mrs MacLean will both attend ‘Catch up Numeracy’ training today so that our pupils who receive this wonderful intervention continue with their wonderful progress.Vikki from NLC Active Schools will be meeting with Mrs MacIntyre this afternoon in order to discuss sporting opportunities for our pupils. I will be attending a cluster meeting at St Ambrose High school this afternoon and thereafter, meeting with our teaching staff to work collegiately. Our Parent Council will meet this evening at 6pm in the staff room and will mostly discuss our upcoming Christmas Fayre.We look forward to seeing you then.

On Tuesday, Mrs Wilson and Mrs MacLean will continue to enjoy training on Catch up Numeracy to benefit a number of our boys and girls. Mrs MacIntyre will attend a literacy coach meeting and we look forward to hearing about new and exciting initiatives, especially in writing.

On Wednesday, it’s the final day of Catch up Numeracy training and we look forward to learning about its benefits.Claire from NHS dental team will be visiting us today to improve our pupils’ oral health. I will be attending a Family Group Lead’s meeting in Motherwell this afternoon where I will work with other Family Group leads to discuss improvements for our pupils.

On Thursday, it’s Crazy Hair day! We all look forward to the increasingly  creative ideas and approaches to this fun event. Remember to give your child their £1 contribution to assist with much needed school funds. This allows for trips to be subsidised, thank you in advance for your support. Sally Wilkinson will be joining us today so that our Primary 5 children enjoy the musicality of Kodaly. Vicky Marshall, our CLD Officer will be hosting another parental cooking workshop after school.

On Friday, Wilson photographers will be joining us today to photograph all of our pupils, including the nursery children. Best smiles everyone!

Mrs Bolland

Primary 1 – Emily

Primary 1/2 – Maia

Primary 3- Alya

Primary 4- Jack

Primary 5 kerry

Primary 6a – Luke

Primary 6b – Monique

Primary 9 – Rhys

Cool Class: Primary 1/2

Winning House: Monklands

Last week was another very week in St Bartholomew’s. Our Parent Council and other volunteers are starting to organise our Christmas Fayre and have been in touch with local businesses to encourage donations. Thank you to those of you who have already donated toys, bottles and  toiletries, this is very much appreciated and as you know, the monies raised from the Christmas Fayre contributes towards school trips and keeping the price of these as low as possible. Could we please ask that as many parents and carers as possible contribute something to our Fayre, no matter how small, all donations are gratefully received. Thank you in advance everyone!

On Monday, it’s our first In service day, where all of our staff are involved in development activities, for the benefit of our pupils. Moderation activities take place in the morning and continued Seal training will take place in the afternoon in order to develop numeracy and raise attainment for all of our pupils.
On Tuesday, a number of staff are undertaking ‘Incredible years’ training in order to support both our pupils and their families.

On Wednesday, Claire from NHS dental team will visit us and support our pupils’ dental and oral health. I will be meeting with a National Improvement Framework  Stem group so that all pupils in North Lanarkshire benefit from the latest research and initiatives in this arena.
On Thursday, Sally Wilkinson will work with our Primary 5 children to deliver Kodaly- our boys and girls are making such wonderful progress. I will be attending a cluster meeting at St Ambrose High in order to discuss educational issues that affect all pupils within the cluster. Our cookery parental workshop with CLD will take place at 3.15pm today and I know that both parents and children thoroughly enjoyed their time together last week. Long may it continue! We welcome one of our parents to take part in Low Anxiety Management training to support one of our pupils.

On Friday, one of our partner agencies from NHS physiotherapy will visit us today in order to support one of our pupils in Primary 1. Our Education Psychologist will visit our nursery today to support our youngest children. P7 assembly will be rescheduled to another date – information will follow shortly.

Mrs Bolland