St Bartholomews

Our Primary 7 pupils will be taking  part in their main transition event at St Ambrose High School today. They will spend the next two days following a high school timetable and feeling like ‘proper’ high school pupils! The children were telling me that the thing they are looking forward to most is the rolls in sausage at interval time – I have a feeling that will be short lived! I know that our boys and girls will be a credit to St Bartholomew’s and their families and I am looking forward to hearing about it on their return. Good luck boys and girls! Please remember  that all Primary 7 pupils make their own way to St Ambrose on both days.

Kamido Karate will visiting our school today to provide ‘taster sessions’ for all of our pupils. This will be a great opportunity for the children to give karate a try and test out whether it is suitable . Thank you Vikki from NLC Active School’s for putting us in touch with this organisation.  I know that the boys and girls will be delighted to learn a new skill.

A reminder that our football after school club will be this afternoon – please remember kits and water bottles etc.

Mrs Bolland 🙂

I was delighted to see one of our senior pupils in my office today, armed with a spectacular trophy. This young lady took part in a dance competition on Sunday, with over 2000 contestants and came 4th! What a fabulous achievement. All of your friends at St Bartholomew’s are very very proud-Well done.

Today is the last of our Primary 1 transition events and I know that our prospective primary 7’s are very much looking forward to escorting the children and their parents around the school for a guided tour. The tour will finish in the dining hall, where our new Primary 1’s will have lunch with their parents. This is a very exciting time for these children and we look forward to them joining the St Bart’s family.

As always, St Bartholomew’s is a very busy place after 3pm and we have both cookery and ballet after school club on this afternoon. A big thank you to Ms Allington for leading the cooking club and also to Mrs MacLean for leading the ballet class.

Mrs Bolland 😀

Pentecost will be upon us shortly and  celebrated during mass  this coming Sunday, this is a very important occasion within the Christian calendar.  The background to this feast explains that on the 50th day after Easter the apostles prayed together and the Holy Spirit descended on them. They received the “gift of tongues” – the ability to speak in other languages – and immediately began to preach about Jesus Christ to Jewish people from all over the world who flocked to Jerusalem for the Feast of Shavuot.

Christian Pentecost not only commemorated the Holy Spirit’s visit but also marked the birth of the Christian church.

We are busy, as always, with after school activities for our pupils. Both Tae Kwon Do and Jewellery making after school clubs are on today. This is our first jewellery making session, and it includes activities for both a parent/carer to enjoy with their child. I am looking forward to some of the pieces that will be created! As always, please remember kits for sporting activities and water bottles.

Mrs Bolland 🙂

Although Easter may be a dim and distant memory now, Ascension Day reminds us exactly how long it’s been since then. The Feast of the Ascension, as it’s also known, takes place 39 days after Easter Sunday (this year, it’s Thursday, 25th May ) and is the day that Jesus ascended to Heaven.

Although Ascension Day commemorates Jesus’ departure from Earth, it’s not at all a cause for sadness. In fact, it’s a pretty joyful day in the Christian calendar. His ascension is often cited as the final sign of his divinity, or his godly power. Much like Jesus’ resurrection, which is what Easter celebrates, it’s an affirmation of the Christian faith.

This important feast day will be celebrated at 10 o’clock mass at St Bartholomew’s church this morning. All of our pupils will attend this celebration, along with staff and parent helpers. Again , a big thank you to our parents who have volunteered their time to escort the children safely to mass and back to school.

I will be attending the annual Catholic Head Teacher’s meeting in Bellshill today and will celebrate mass with his Lordship,Bishop Joseph Toal.Diocesan retreats will be available, in addition to various speakers from both Glasgow and Caledonian University. It will be a very full day and I look forward to sharing some inspiring words with our pupils and staff on return to St Bart’s.

A wee reminder that football after school club is on today and as always please pack kits and water bottles. This will be a nice energetic and healthy start to the long weekend!

Please remember that school is closed tomorrow and Monday.I hope that everyone has a lovely break and we will see on Tuesday, rested and ready to work.

Mrs Bolland 😀

Our Primary 3 pupils will be setting off for Edinburgh this morning and will make a visit to the National Museum of Scotland.There will be lots to do and see and it is also a great opportunity to visit our capital city.I am looking forward to hearing about it when the children return later on this afternoon. A big thank you to our parent helpers who have volunteered to escort our boys and girls- we couldn’t do it without you!

The annual Gaelic Football tournament kicks off this morning at St Ambrose High School. All of our local Primary schools compete in this highly prized competition- best of luck boys and girls! This event provides another opportunity for our senior pupils to meet their soon to be classmates in first year. I know that the Primary 7’s are looking forward to their two day visit to St Ambrose High next Thursday and Friday.

Our third transition event for our new Primary 1’s takes place this morning between 9.15 am and 10.15am. The children will be visiting their class and working with their teachers. It is exciting stuff and I know that the boys and girls will be looking forward to starting Primary 1 even more after this session. The fourth and final event will be next Wednesday, where the children will meet their buddies. The buddies will lead a tour of the school for parents and children and our new Primary 1 children will then have lunch in our dining hall with their parents/ carers.

There is a variety of after school clubs on today- Art, Ballet and Cooking are all on offer for our pupils. These clubs provide such rich and exciting opportunities to broaden the knowledge and skills of our children.We are very proud to be able to offer these fantastic activities.

Mrs Bolland 😀

Our Primary 6 boys and girls had a fantastic day out in Stirling yesterday. This trip was organised as part of their topic work regarding Scottish history. It is so important for children to learn about events related to their own heritage and I know that a few children commented on how much they enjoyed it and identified that some of their family members would also be interested in such a trip. Comments such as this allow teaching staff to know that this trip was a success as it resonated in such a positive way!

I am looking forward to spending some time in Primary 4 this morning and sharing the children’s experiences of literacy. I am confident that some of the stories produced from this lesson will be of a very high standard and can’t wait to read the finished articles.

A wee reminder that Tae Kwon Do after school is on today and to pack kits and water bottles.I know the boys and girls look forward to learning new skills and having fun every Tuesday.

Mrs Bolland 😀

Our Primary 7 pupils arrived back from York safe and sound, albeit a bit worse for wear from all their adventures. I know that mums and dads were delighted to be reunited with their children after a week apart. Again, a big thank you to Ms Kiernan and Mr Fowler for looking after the children so well- we appreciate your kindness!

Primary 6 will leave this morning for their own adventures in Stirling. They will visit Stirling Castle as part of previous topic work and I know that they are very much looking forward to expanding their knowledge. A huge thank you to our parent helpers who have volunteered their services in order to escort the children on this trip.

The monthly Parent Councl meeting takes place this evening from 6pm until 7pm. As always, if any parents wish to contribute to the life of the school, please pop along.We would love to see you- you are most welcome.

Just a reminder that the Cheerleading after school club takes place from 3pm until 4 pm- please ensure that children bring appropriate  kits and water bottles.

Mrs Bolland 😀

Primary 1 – Jennifer

Primary 2 – Lucas

Primary 3 – Kaitlyn

Primary 4 – Stuart

Primary 5 – Molly

Primary 6 – Keira

Cool Class – Primary 5

Our Primary 2/3 children set off for Edinburgh this morning and are looking forward to a full day of fun and adventure.Please remember packed lunches etc.I am looking forward to hearing all about it and keeping up to date with how much fun everyone is having via twitter.

Talking of fun and adventure –  Primary 7’s adventures continue with a trip to Flamingo land where lots of rollercoasters were involved as well as many other fun activities. The pictures on Twitter look like everyone is having a ball.I hope that there are not too many tears today when everyone leaves Scarborough and York behind… At least the trip finishes with  another great experience in Newcastle, where the children will visit the fantastic Science Centre with state of the art exhibits and activities.The children will all enjoy a McDonald’s for lunch as a treat from the school. I’m sure we can stretch to buying for one for Ms Kieran and Mr Fowler- I think they deserve it! A big thank you to both of them for looking after the children so well and sacrificing time away from their families. It is very much appreciated.

Mrs Dunn from the office will send out a text tomorrow to let mums and dads know what the arrival time is back in Coatbridge. It is usually 7pm but we will keep you posted.

Mrs Bolland.

Our Primary 7’s are having a ball in York! Yesterday’s itinerary looked a bit like this;

7.45am breakfast, 10am York Castle Museum,12pm Yorvik,2.30pm The Chocolate Story & Visit to the ‘Shambles’,4.30pm Ghost Walk, 6.30pm Dinner, 8pm Beach/ Movie night.

As you can see, the children are very busy- I hope they are thinking of us back home when they visit the The Chocolate Story and bring us back a few treats! Ms Kieran and Mr Fowler report that the weather is great and the children are all very happy and enjoying every minute of it.Today and tomorrow are also just as hectic- I think there may be a few tired children on Friday evening…

Our second transition meeting took place yesterday morning and the Performing Arts Studio was packed with enthusiastic and excited parents and children.Mrs Carlin presented a wonderful workshop that demonstrated a very clear picture of the types of activities that our Primary 1 pupils will be expected to do. I spoke to a number of mums and dads after the workshop and they were brimming with delight and couldn’t speak highly enough of Mrs Carlin and her teaching methods. Our Primary 1 children have a great number of exciting opportunities to look forward to in August!

A wee reminder that football after school club is on today – please remember kits and water bottles.

Mrs Bolland 😀