St Bartholomews

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 🙂

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 😀