St Bartholomews

Our nursery boys and girls are setting off this morning to Blair Drummond Safari Park in Stirlingshire for their annual summer trip.I know that the boys and girls are very excited about it and I think that some mums and dads are even more excited about visiting the animals and taking in the sights. I am looking forward to hearing about it when everyone arrives back in St Bartholomew’s later on this afternoon.

A wee reminder that our football after school club is on today so please remember kits and water bottles etc.This is a fantastic opportunity to increase skills, fitness and socialise with friends.

Our first transition meeting for the new Primary 1 intake took place yesterday and it was lovely to see some existing parents with older children in the school, parents and carers of our nursery children and also some new faces . You are all very welcome and we look forward to working alongside you for the next seven years.

Mrs Bolland 😀

Our first Primary 1 transition event is taking place today! This will provide parents and carers with an introduction to St Bartholomew’s and an outline of what life looks like in Primary 1. This meeting is for parents and carers only and will be held in our Performing Arts Studio at 9.15am. Could I please ask that  the main school entrance is used on arrival. Your cooperation with this matter is very much appreciated. I am looking forward to meeting our new stakeholders and working work you in the near future.

I will be spending some time in Primary 2/3 this morning and very much looking forward to catching up with the children and joining in with their learning. I can’t wait…

A wee reminder that the Art After School club is on today from 3pm until 4pm. A big thank you to Mrs Carlin for devoting her own time to this very worthwhile activity. I am looking forward to seeing the wonderful masterpieces that will be produced!

Mrs Bolland 🙂

This wonderful pupil was in my office recently, talking about his success at Boys Brigade. This is not the first time that he has appeared with medals and trophies from this organisation and proves that he is in fact, a very responsible citizen. Something that is central to our curriculum and beyond- well done!

Tae Kwon Do after school club is on today and I hope that the boys and girls who are lucky enough to be taking part, remember their kits and water bottles etc. I am sure that they will thoroughly enjoy this brilliant activity, which helps to improve fitness, develop skills and increase confidence. It sounds like a winner!

Our prosepective First communicants visited St Bartholomew’s church yesterday afternoon, to have confessions heard and also to familiarise themselves with their surroundings for the big day on Sunday, when they will receive the Holy Eucharist for the first time, which is a very special moment. I appreciate that our faith community is praying hard for these children and it is truly appreciated. Thank you.

Mrs Bolland 😀

Yesterday was Sea Sunday,when we had the opportunity to remember and pray for seafarers, their families and all who support them. The charity that serves this group is called The Apostleship  of the sea and one of its representatives is Ewan MacArthur, has previously visited our school .Ewan was speaking at my own Parish,St Joseph’s in Stepps, to share information about their good work during Sunday mass. It is always nice to see a familiar face and we will no doubt be seeing Ewan again.Please keep seafarers and their families in your prayers. This is particularly appropriate at this time of year,as the patron of this charity is Our Lady, who we especially pray to and ask for her intercession in the month of May.

Rebecca and Melissa from Primary 7 will be representing St Bartholomew’s at a Pupil Council conference in Airdrie this morning. Mrs Dolan will be escorting the girls and is very much looking forward to hearing about how other schools represent pupil voice.

A reminder that Cheerleading after school club is on today- please remember to pack kits etc.I am sure that the children will thoroughly enjoy this energetic activity!

Mrs Bolland 😀

Primary 1 – Enid

Primary 2 – Emily

Primary 2/3 – Luke

Primary 3 – Alex

Priamry 4 – Liam

Primary 5 – Carlo

Primary 6 – Shakira

Primary 6/7 – Naima

Cool Class Cup: Primary 3

Winning House: Summerlee

As you know, yesterday was an In Service day for staff, and the teaching staff all attended North Lanarkshire’s Learning Festival in Motherwell and Coatbridge. There was a variety of speakers to listen to and seminars to take part in and from what I have heard so far, staff thoroughly enjoyed this experience.

Our nursery staff took part in ‘Big Chef, Little Chef’ training yesterday as part of  their In Service. Thank you to Mrs Kelly for organising this which then allowed for this training to take place in house.  The purpose of this is to develop skills in food handling and to cascade those skills down to others. A very worthwhile exercise!

Today is a big day for Primary 2/3 as they are presenting their class assembly to parents/ carers at 2pm . As always, guests will be invited to the main hall, where they will be entertained by the class performance and then along to the class where refreshments will be served. I know that our boys and girls are very excited and can’t wait to show off their fantastic skills and knowledge. I am looking forward to it…

Mrs Bolland 🙂

It’s that time of the year again – Beat the Street is back and starts today! At assembly on Friday, children were given their own pack, which included a letter for parents and carers on how play the game. Everyone was given their own green fob, with a unique code , which allows for activities to be recorded and points gathered. The children are always enthusiastic about this and it  is a great way to learn more about your local community, just by being out and about, walking or cycling in order to gain points from travelling from one box to the next. We hope that St Bartholomew’s , as a whole team, achieves success!

North Lanarkshire Council learning festival starts today and there are lots of exciting seminars and activities for teaching staff to take part in . Our staff will be taking part in seminars in order to increase their professional development  on Thursday of this week as it is an In Service day. This means that children do not attend school on this day.

Mrs Bolland 🙂

Welcome back after the long weekend. What a difference that extra day makes…I think it might have something to do with the additional hour or two in bed on Monday morning! I hope that everyone took full advantage of the sunshine, did something nice and are well rested and ready to get back to working hard. I know that the Primary 7’s had a fabulous time in Kilbowie and will have been recovering from their adventures over  the long weekend – we are glad to see them back in school!

The ‘Pray for Our School’ group are having their monthly meeting in our school today. We truly appreciate the time and effort that the ladies and gentlemen from this Parish community put in to St Bartholomew’s Primary school. The power of prayer is a wonderful thing and something that we do not underestimate. Thank you for all of your support!

Claire form our community dental team will be in St Bartholomew’s today, helping our pupils take care of their teeth. The boys and girls know how important it is to have healthy teeth and gums and Claire is a big help with getting that message across.

Mrs Bolland 🙂

There has been a recent craze for ‘Fidget Spinners’, which were initially produced to help with children who fidget. However, they are reasonably heavy and if spun out of control, can cause damage if they make contact . As the health and safety of our pupils is of paramount importance to us, we ask that children do not bring them to school. Thank you in advance for your co operation with this matter, it is greatly appreciated.

Our boys and girls have all been working hard this week, as have their teachers, and a big thank you to everyone for producing such wonderful work!

It is primary 2’s allocated time in the STEM zone this week and I have witnessed the excitement and enthusiasm of the boys and girls for myself. They have also created some brilliant models through some very creative work with their partners. I know that a number of people have commented on them and admired this work! Well done boys and girls.

Primary 7’s adventures in Kilbowie continue and today is the last day – I can’t believe how fast this week has been. It has been jam packed with activities and fun. I am sure that mums and dads are particularly looking forward to all the ‘fragrant’ washing that will need to be done! Mrs Dunn and Mrs Clare will keep parents/ carers up to date with an arrival time at St Bartholomew’s, although it is usually around 2pm.

Mrs Bolland 🙂

As you can see from our Twitter feed on the right of the HT blog, the boys and girls from Primary 7 are having a wonderful time in Kilbowie. Mr Fowler and Ms Duffy have both been in touch with daily updates to let me know how our children are enjoying themselves. Last night, the children walked into Oban and had the opportunity to investigate the surrounding area. Most of our pupils were out on safari and orienteering activities with their various instructors. Great fun was had by all! The weather was a little windy at one point in the day and the scheduled canoeing would have potentially been postponed, however the change in weather allowed for the canoeing activity to remain on the timetable. The children loved  it…

I know that gorge walking is on the cards today and yet again, will be another new experience for the children and one that they won’t forget in a hurry! I have been hearing that healthy appetites are very much in evidence and I am sure that mums and dads will be delighted about that. You certainly need lots of fuel to be able to keep up with all the activities that are on offer. Well done boys and girls for giving everything a go  – you are a credit to St Bartholomew’s and your families. We are all proud of you!

Talking of being proud…the nursery extension for our  2 year olds has come on leaps and bounds. We are receiving more and more applications and are filling up fast. Our very talented staff have made this such a beautiful space for our youngest children and I am sure that we will be the envy of many nurseries in North Lanarkshire Council. Thank you to all of our staff for contributing to this wonderful learning environment.

Mrs Bolland 🙂