St Bartholomews

Ach aye the noo, Primary 3 are all set to welcome their parents, families and friends to their Scottish-themed assembly this afternoon which will include a few Scottish songs to get your toes tapping. The assembly begins at the usual time of 2.00pm, and I look forward to catching up with the children’s guests over a cup of tea and biscuit afterwards.

Primary 6 are off to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh today. They’ve been learning about Scotland’s political system in class, so today will be a fantastic opportunity to see the parliament building for themselves and hear about what goes on inside from day to day. Have a great trip, boys and girls!

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Enrolments for new Primary 1 pupils (August 2017) continue from 9.30-11.00am and 1.30-3.00pm today. Please note that tomorrow is the last day for you to register your child.

The infant gymnastics club takes place after school today. Great to see the children kicking off 2017 with some healthy activities!

I’m very much looking forward to Primary 3’s assembly tomorrow afternoon. The boys and girls wrote lovely letters to me last week asking if I’d play the piano for them. I said ‘yes’, of course, so have sneaked a very small preview of the children’s presentation. With it being Burns Night next week, Primary 3 have opted for a Scottish-themed assembly. It’s sure to be a real treat for the audience!

Finally, please note that this year’s Education Mass, marking the beginning of Catholic Education Week, takes place two weeks on Sunday (5th February). Pupils and staff will join the parish for their usual Sunday Mass at 11.00am in St Bartholomew’s Church. The Education Mass is always a special highlight of the school year and I would encourage all of our blog readers to join us on the 5th February as we mark the opening of Catholic Education Week and give thanks for our school.

I have noticed that some of our  boys and girls are tired this week and think that the novelty of being back at school has worn off! This won’t last very long as we have a busy term and there are lots of exciting things planned this term, watch this space… I have to admit that this tiredness is pretty common and glad to report that it isn’t having an impact on enthusiasm in the classroom. Keep up the good work boys and girls.

As always we have the Netball after school club on today – remember to bring PE kits please. I know that the children look forward to this, as does Mrs MacFarlane and again a big thank you for supporting this club.

Mrs Carlin has very kindly organised a ‘Glow’ after school club for Primary 1 and their parents. This is a very exciting way of keeping in touch with the school electronically and  will further enhance familiarity with progress and in making a contribution towards the children’s development. I am looking forward to hearing about it.

Mrs Bolland 🙂

Thought for the day…

You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
—HEBREWS 5:6

Enrolments for children starting Primary 1 in August take place throughout this week from 9.30 – 11.00am and 1.30 – 3.00pm. Please remember that ALL pupils living within the St Bartholomew’s catchment area must register for Primary 1 HERE, even if they will be attending a different school after the summer holidays. Likewise, parents who do not stay in our catchment area but would like their child to come to St Bartholomew’s must register in their local primary school and make a placing request. Please remember to bring a birth certificate, Council Tax letter and, if available, baptismal certificate when registering your child this week. Thank you.

I was absolutely delighted to be able to award the Cool Class Cup to three different classes last week: Primary 2, Primary 3 and Primary 6/7. This gives you an idea of what a great start to the new term we’ve had. Well done, boys and girls, and let’s make this week even better!

Primary 1 – Jennifer

Primary 2 – Cody

Primary 2/3 – Lee

Primary 3 – Shay

Primary 4 – Andrew

Primary 5 – Sinead

Primary 6 – Ryan

Primary 6/7 – Carlos

Winning House: Monklands

Cool Classes:  Primary 2, Primary 3 and Primary 6/7

We reach the end of the first week back. The children have been very settled since returning on Monday and it’s been great to see the boys and girls working so hard when I’ve visited classrooms this week. I imagine teachers will have a hard job choosing Pupils of the Week for this morning’s assembly, and I’ll have an equally difficult task selecting a class for the Cool Class Cup. Well done, boys and girls, for a great start to the term!

Please remember that enrolments for new Primary 1 pupils (those starting school in August 2017) take place each day next week from 9.30-11.00am and 1.30-3:00pm. Please bring along your child’s birth certificate, a council tax letter and, if you have one, their baptismal certificate. We look forward to seeing you next week.

Finally, we have created a new STEM Zone in the school. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, and we have invested around £6000 in some fantastic resources for the children to explore these four areas in new and exciting ways. The first class will be delving into our new STEM Zone before the end of the month. Watch this space!

As I write today’s blog, there’s the possibility we could awake to snow on Thursday morning. Although it’s unlikely that this will be heavy enough to cause any disruption, I thought it would be worthwhile reminding parents and carers about procedures for severe weather:

In the event of severe weather, the school will only close if it is untenable to remain open, in line with North Lanarkshire Council policy. Parents should check the school website, where an announcement about the school being closed will be posted on the main home page. Up to date information can also be found on the council’s website, www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk, by clicking on ‘Winter Services’ and then ‘Winter Schools Daily Update’. PARENTS SHOULD AVOID TELEPHONING THE SCHOOL AS IT’S VITAL THAT LINES ARE KEPT CLEAR. If no message has been posted on the website, St Bartholomew’s will be open as normal.

In circumstances when pupils are unable to attend school, St Bartholomew’s website contains a range of learning expreiences and activites for your child to choose and enjoy.  There are also a variety of web links for further learning experiences. Activities can be found in the ‘Information’ under ‘Severe Weather Closure’.
 
 

We are very lucky to have a team of Samba experts in school today!

All of our pupils will receive training on how to play the Samba drums and create carnival inspired music. Each class has been timetabled to take part in an hour long workshop so that the training is targeted appropriately towards the children’s age and stage.

I know that the boys and girls are really looking to this and I think some of the adults in school are as equally excited. This style of music is very energetic and inspirational- just what we all need in January.

A big thank you again to everyone who contributed towards the success of the Christmas Fayre as it is the money raised from this that has allowed us to organise this great event.We have also organised other, equally exciting activities for the children to experience and take part in over the next few months, again  with the contributions from fund raising.

Mrs Bolland 😀

Yesterday was a reminder to us about The Baptism of The Lord…

John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?”
—MATTHEW 3:14

These words remind us about the importance of humility…something that we can all benefit from. A New Year sometimes allows us the opportunity to reflect on our busy lives and examine the very basic things that make us good people.

This New Year, 2017, has started very well in St Bartholomew’s – our pupils arrived like ‘new pins’ this morning, ready for learning and hard work, albeit a little tired! Keep up the positive attitude boys and girls.

As always, Primary 5 will attend the Time Capsule today for the start of another block of swimming lessons. I know that all of the children really look forward to this and can clearly see that many of our boys and girls are growing in confidence as a result.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION – ENROLEMNT FOR SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN STARTS ON MONDAY THE 16^th OF JANUARY UNTIL 20^th JANUARY. Please bring your child’s baptismal certificate, birth certificate and your council tax letter. Mrs Clare in the office will be more than happy to help with this from the hours of 9.30am -11am and 1.30pm – 3pm. We look forward to seeing you then.

Parents of Nursery aged children should be aware that applications for a place at St Bartholomew’s Nursery are required to be submitted no later than 3pm on Thursday 12th January.

Mrs Bolland 🙂