St Bartholomews

A very Happy New Year to all pupils, staff, parents, carers and friends. Best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous 2017.

We were very fortunate to have two full weeks break this Christmas, and I hope everyone has managed to recharge their batteries and return this morning with renewed energy for the term ahead. Despite the dark January mornings, it’s worth remembering that the shortest day is now well behind us and that we get an extra two minutes of daylight every day…. That’s 10 minutes by the time we get to Friday!

As we begin a new term and a new year, here are some wise words to reflect on from Pope Francis. Have a great first day back, everyone!

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2: 8-12)

We’ve reached the last day of term and it’s hard to believe that tomorrow is Christmas Eve. The end of term is always a time to say thank you, and today is no exception.

To the phenomenal St Bart's staff: thank you for your dedication and hard work throughout the term and for never failing to put the children at the heart of everything you do.

And, of course, thank you to our AMAZING pupils. Without you, there would be no St Bartholomew's and our days would be very, very boring, indeed!

Finally, thank you to Harvey McGhee, one of our Primary 1 pupils, who produced the beautiful picture at the top of today’s blog. It’s no surprise that Harvey won 1st prize in this year’s Knights of St Columba art competition. Well done, Harvey!

Have a peaceful and joyful Christmas, everyone, and a very happy New Year. See you back safe and sound on Monday 9th January 2017.

A huge well done to our Primary 6 pupils for their very impressive Christmas book launch in the library yesterday. It was a real treat reading your various Christmas stories, boys and girls, and to see them presented so beautifully in your hand-made books. Thank you to the parents and carers who came to support the children – it was really encouraging to see such a good turnout.

Father Doherty will be in St Bartholomew’s this morning to celebrate our end of term Mass. It’s been a busy time recently with concerts and parties, so this morning will be a very welcome opportunity for our school community to gather together to celebrate and reflect on the real meaning of Christmas.

Primary 6 and 7 have their party this afternoon. Have a great time, boys and girls (and don’t scoff too much food!).

Finally, please can I remind everyone that St Bartholomew’s will close at the slightly earlier time of 2.30pm tomorrow.

Our Primary 4 and 5 pupils are looking forward to their class Christmas  party this afternoon. I know that some children prefer to go  home at lunch time to get changed into their party clothes or alternatively,come to school with a change of clothes.Either way, uniform is worn in the morning. Pupils have all been advised that making a small contribution to party snacks would be much appreciated- please don’t hand in too much! I am sure that the boys and girls will have a wonderful time…

Primary 6 and Primary 6/7 ‘s party is on Thursday afternoon and again the same rules apply regarding uniform and changing into party clothes. I know that the children will have a fabulous time…

A reminder to parents and carers that enrolments for our new Primary 1 boys and girls starts the week beginning 16th of January. If you know anyone that this applies to, then please spread the word! Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this matter.

Mrs Bolland 😀

Our Primary 1 to 3 Nativity was a great success yesterday! The children were wonderful – they looked fabulous in their costumes, sang beautifully and acted out their parts brilliantly.A huge thank you to all  the staff involved ,for their hard work and ensuring that the children were well rehearsed.

A big thank you to our audience who contributed very generously to the sale of raffle tickets etc. We appreciate it!

Up and coming events include class  Christmas parties, with P1, P2, P2/3 and P3 parties starting today at 1.30pm. Children come to school dressed in school uniform and then will change at lunch time into party clothes. The boys and girls have been asked to provide some snacks for the class party- just a small contribution from everyone will be plenty!

Santa will visit the Infant classes this afternoon as well as the nursery, both morning and afternoon. We can’t wait…..

A very excited young lady popped into my office this morning with a medal that she had won at the weekend for hip hop dancing. You can see from the picture below that she still had her jacket on and was so keen to tell me about it.What a talented girl!

Mrs Bolland 😀

A very happy 80th Birthday to Pope Francis, who celebrated his special milestone on Saturday. Our school community prays for the Holy Father in a special way today as he continues to inspire and lead the church.

We’ve arrived at the day of our final Christmas show of 2016, with our P1-3 pupils taking to the stage this afternoon for their Nativity. The children had a very successful dress rehearsal on Friday and are all set to tell the Christmas story today to a packed hall. The words, songs and costumes, combined with the children’s enthusiasm (and, of course, bucket loads of the cute-factor!), are sure to captivate this afternoon’s audience. The Nativity begins at 2.00pm.

The remainder of this week will be taken up with our various Christmas parties, our end of term Mass on Thursday and our annual Movie-Duvet-Day on the last day. Please note that the school closes on Friday at the slightly earlier time of 2.00pm.

Finally, I had another sports superstar visit my office on Friday. This P2 girl can be seen proudly showing off her Hip-Hop trophies: one for participation and the other for coming 3rd in the competition. Well done!

What a great atmosphere there was in the hall yesterday for our Christmas lunch. The boys and girls were treated to some delicious turkey or steak pie, with all the trimmings, and a choice of five different desserts. A massive thank you to Susan and Sandra in the kitchen for all their hard work preparing for the biggest St Bart’s meal of the year, especially all those wee extras like table decorations and beautifully folded napkins. We were all treated like kings and queens!

Primary 5 and 7 will be off to St Bartholomew’s chapel hall with Mrs MacFarlane and I this morning to entertain parishioners with a selection of Christmas carols. This annual event is always a highlight of the Christmas season for all involved. The ladies always set out a fantastic buffet in the hall before the children arrive and this acts a bit like a carrot on a stick: the boys and girls to sing their wee hearts out knowing that there are biscuits, crisps, cakes and juice waiting for them after the last song!

Finally, two sports winners popped down to see me in my office this week. One P3 boy was keen to show off his blue belt in Tae Kwan Do, and one of our P7 girls was equally proud of her trophy for cheer leading. Well done to both of you!

I was so proud of our Primary 4 – 7 pupils yesterday for their fantastic Christmas concert. Every one of the boys and girls put in a great performance, bringing smiles, laughs and even a few tears to the audience. Well done to all four classes, and many thanks to the P4-7 staff for all their hard work in the lead up to the show. Of course, thanks too to everyone who bought a ticket and was part of the enthusiastic audience. We hope you enjoyed the festive selection of songs!

It’s our annual Christmas lunch today. As usual, the tables will be set with table cloths and napkins, there’ll be music in the background and the children will be served their Christmas dinner at their table by the staff. Please take the opportunity to share in the experience as it happens via our Twitter page.

A last minute reminder that tickets are still on sale from the school office, priced £1, for the P4-7  Christmas Concert today at 1.30pm. Tickets are still available for the P1-3 Christmas Nativity on Monday at 2pm, again priced £1. We also have a  Christmas raffle available and hope that you manage to win some super prizes, good luck everyone!

As we will have lots of visitors in the school building today and Monday, could I suggest that you take the opportunity to look at our wonderful Christmas themed wall displays. There is a great selection to choose from and allows you to experience a snapshot of the children’s learning…

We are looking forward to seeing you today…..

Mrs Bolland 😀

I was very pleasantly surprised to see two sister in my office today, both carrying impressive trophies. They recently took part in a freestyle dancing competition and won significant places in the competition. What a talented family!

Well done girls, I’m sure that your parents and extended family are as proud as all of your friends in St Bartholomew’s!

The rehearsals are going well for both the Infant Nativity and Christmas Concert. Mrs MacIntyre and I are often entertained with the sound of dulcet tones from the hall…we are all in for a treat!

Tickets are available from the office priced £1 for both performances. Our Primary 4-7 ‘s are performing on Wednesday 14th December at 1.30pm and our Infant Nativity is featuring on Monday 19th of December at 2pm.

Mrs Bolland😀