The children of St. Brendan’s have been involved in some taster sessions of Outdoor Learning experiences . This takes place in all types of weather, clothing provided. Outdoor Learning is currently a priority in our School and Nursery Improvement Plan and will be developed over 3 years.
Many of the children of St Brendan’s have enjoyed exploring their school grounds as well as Baron’s Haugh, which is on our doorstep.
We will be developing our outdoor areas in many ways including the creation of a Sensory Garden linking with our Golden Jubilee. We will also develop the grounds around the school. Children will be involved the development of these grounds and pupil voice is paramount.
In the photographs you will see how many of our children have been involved in Responsive Outdoor Learning over the past few weeks.

This term Primary 5/4 and Primary 5 have both been very busy learning all about Ancient Egypt. We been locating Egypt on a map and identify key locations and historical sites of interest. The children have also thoroughly enjoyed examining the River Nile and its importance to both Ancient Egypt and present day Egypt and learning about the process of mummification. Some children have already completed some fantastic mummy designs of their own at home. We look forward to being invaded by many more!

Over the past few week the children have applied their knowledge and skills to design and complete a piece of Egyptian jewellery. This was not only great fun but also allowed the children to be expressive and creative. We hope you enjoy looking at our wonderful pictures below.

Mrs Williamson and Mrs McNicholl

Primary 2F have been working hard and have been enjoying the learning experiences so far this term.

In Literacy the children have been enjoying using the 5-A-Day computer programme to help their learning of phonics and common words. The class are continuing to read more challenging reading texts and they are improving in their writing from reading with a range of follow up tasks.

Within Numeracy the children have enjoyed the active learning through the Measure and Money topics. Currently we are focusing on multiplying by 2, 5 and 10. The children really enjoy the active games and using the computer for learning videos and quizzes.

In Health and Wellbeing Primary 2F have been continuing the tooth brushing programme and they all have been shown how to brush their teeth properly. The children are fortunate in having college students to teach multisport on a Wednesday, an experience which they thoroughly enjoy. Additionally they have been experiencing possession games where they have had to work both cooperatively and in competition with their peers.

As part of our Scotland topic the children have enjoyed learning about their local area and using maps of Scotland and Motherwell. The class have looked at their local environment and they can identify how and why land is used in different ways.

We have been learning about new babies and about Baptism within Religious Education. The children know how to care for a baby and what a new baby needs. The children have enjoyed reflecting on their own Baptism and they can identify some symbols of Baptism. Also we have been reading the story of how Jesus was Baptised and the class found this very interesting. We are now learning about Lent when we prepare for Easter by prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

We are looking forward to the rest of the term. Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs Ferns and Primary 2F

The children have been very busy this term in P2M, here is an update on our learning in term 3.

In literacy this term we have been continuing to learn new phonemes and common words. The children are enjoying all of the related tasks such as phoneme flowers and phoneme stories. Each day the children undertake a ‘Spellercise’ activity, which is an active way of learning to memorise their common words. All of the children are progressing well with their reading and have been working hard on comprehension tasks to follow up their reading.

This term in mathematics we have been learning about money and measure. The children have enjoyed using different tools to help them to measure various classroom objects. They understand that measure can be measured in centimetres and metres. Area was also covered through this topic and the children used squared paper to draw around their feet and measured the area of their foot in centimetres square. In class during the money topic, the children enjoyed role play and became waitresses/waiters, cashiers and diners in “Miss Hill’s Glitter Café”. Each child had the opportunity to role-play, taking orders, placing orders and giving change from 20p, this was a fun experience for all of the children. We are currently focusing on multiplication and division. The children are learning the 2, 5 and 10 times tables through active games, videos and jotter tasks.

Our interdisciplinary topic this term is Scotland As part of our Scotland topic the children have enjoyed learning about their local area and using maps of Scotland and Motherwell. In class the children have explored google maps and were able to identify places of interest in our area. The class have looked at their local environment and they can identify how and why land is used in different ways.

As part of health and wellbeing, the children are fortunate to have college students to teach multisport on a Wednesday, an experience which they thoroughly enjoy. Additionally they have been learning and taking part in possession games where they have had to work both cooperatively and in competition with their peers.

We have been learning about new babies and about Baptism within Religious Education. The children know how to care for a baby and what a new baby needs. The children have enjoyed reflecting on their own Baptism and they can identify some symbols of Baptism. We are now learning about Lent during which we prepare for Easter by prayer, fasting and giving alms.

We look forward to the rest of this term and thank you for your continued support.

Miss Mc Dermott and P2M

This term Primary 1 have been enjoying learning all about China. We have been researching and learning how Chinese people celebrate Chinese New Year. We looked at all the different animals, which represent the different years and found out which year we were born in. We also discovered that this year is the year of the monkey and we made our own Chinese monkeys to celebrate.

We have also been exploring Chinese culture through purposeful play activities. These have included role play in our Chinese restaurant, painting Chinese symbols, building Chinese houses, and creating dragon masks, Chinese lanterns and Chinese hats.

We are now looking forward to celebrating Chinese New Year and learning more about the country and its customs.

Miss Cochrane, Miss Burns and Primary 1.

This term Primary 1 have been enjoying learning all about China. We have been researching and learning how Chinese people celebrate Chinese New Year. We looked at all the different animals, which represent the different years and found out which year we were born in. We also discovered that this year is the year of the monkey and we made our own Chinese monkeys to celebrate.

We have also been exploring Chinese culture through purposeful play activities. These have included role play in our Chinese restaurant, painting Chinese symbols, building Chinese houses, and creating dragon masks, Chinese lanterns and Chinese hats.

We are now looking forward to celebrating Chinese New Year and learning more about the country and its customs.

Miss Cochrane, Miss Burns and Primary 1.

January 2016

Dear Parent/Guardian,

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas break. After the excitement of the Christmas break we have now settled back into our working routine. This is a brief outline of the work that we will be undertaking within the class during the third term.

Literacy
We will be continuing to follow the North Lanarkshire Active Literacy Programme in phonics and common words. This term we will be using the 5 A Day computer program in class to support the learning of phonics and common words. The children will continue to read one or two books per week with associated writing tasks in class to develop their comprehension skills. It is important that the children continue to bring their books into school daily to ensure they are able to use them to carry out their tasks. In Big Writing this term the children will be given opportunities to write narrative, information and persuasive pieces of writing using our new topic Scotland as our stimulus.

French
As part of our French programme the learning will be focused on the following areas; basic greetings, how to ask and say their name, the weather, days of the week and numbers 0-5.

Numeracy
In Primary 2F we will be learning Measure (Length and Area), Multiplication and Division (by 2, 5 and 10), Data Analysis (Tally’s, Tables and Pictograms) and Fractions, Decimals and Percentages (1/2, 1/3, 1/4 and 1/5). Within numeracy the concepts are taught and the children are given opportunities to learn as a whole class, with a partner and participating in active maths activities where the children will be given opportunities to put their knowledge into practice.
Religious Education
During the third term the children will be learning about New Birth/Baptism, Lent and Eastertide. The teaching and learning will take the structure of a prayer service/circle time, Bible readings and written tasks.

Health and Wellbeing
In P.E. the learning will be focused on Possession, Central Net and Wall Games. The children will practice and improve their skills to develop control and flow. They will learn to follow and understand the rules and procedures of a variety of games. Please ensure your child continues to bring their P.E. kit to school on a Monday and takes it home on a Friday. In Primary 2F the children will be working on the Friendship Terrace program. They will be learning about friendship blockers and friendship builders.

Interdisciplinary Learning
This term we will be learning about Scotland. The learning will be focused around 6 main areas; my local area, my local environment, weather, our Science investigation, Scottish foods and Scottish music and artists.

Thank you for your continued support, please use your child’s homework diary to communicate any concerns/comments.

Kind Regards,

Mrs Debbie Ferns
Class Teacher Primary 2F

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We hope you enjoyed the Christmas break. Here is a brief overview of the learning that will be taking place in our Primary one class during term three.

Literacy

Children will follow North Lanarkshire’s Active Literacy programme for spelling, phonics and reading.

In phonics we will be learning the sounds sh, th, ch, ng, wh, ph, and ee, as well as consolidating all of our initial sounds. Children will be introduced to the phonemes through a multi-sensory approach. Two sounds will be introduced each week alongside three spelling words. Children will be able to recognise and write initial sounds and begin to blend sounds together and read three letter words. We have now covered all initial sounds within the alphabet. Please continue to revise all common words and sounds taught in term one and two regularly with your child so they are able to recall the sounds or words instantly.

We will be co-ordinating our handwriting with the sounds we are learning. Children will use whiteboards in class along with other kinaesthetic and visual materials such as plasticine to practise letter formation and early writing patterns. Please encourage your child to practise writing the letters using the correct formation.

Children will get two reading books each week. (Monday and Wednesday) These books give you an opportunity for you and your child to enjoy reading together. Children should begin to identify the common words within the reading books and use their knowledge of sounds to sound out words. You can help your child by talking about the pictures in the book to help find clues about the story and the characters and also encourage them to make predictions about what may happen next in the story.

Numeracy

In numeracy we will be learning about addition and subtraction, angles and symmerty, and money. Numeracy is taught actively here at St. Brendan’s through stories, games, number rhymes and songs.

Social Studies

This term the children will be learning about China and how Chinese New Year is celebrated. Through the context the children will learn to work as part of a group. They will also be responsible for making decisions about their learning, where they work and the resource they will need to complete tasks. We will be focusing on the role of shops, restaurants and businesses in the local area and how they benefit us within our daily lives. There will be lots of opportunities for active learning through role play, art, water play, construction, writing and outdoor learning.

Health & Wellbeing

PE this term will be on a Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon. The children will be working on team games this term. They will be working on special awareness whilst learning to work with a partner or a small group.

R.E.

In Religious Education the children will be learning about those within our lives who care about us. We will also be exploring the Easter story and the importance of Lent.

Thank you for your continued support. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.

Many thanks

Miss Cochrane and Miss Burns

Dear Parent/Guardian,

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a happy New Year. Primary 2M have now settled back into their working routine. We are excited for the term ahead and would like to share a brief overview of the learning that will be taking place in our P2 class.

Literacy

We will be continuing to follow the North Lanarkshire Active Literacy Programme in phonics and common words. This term we will be using the 5 A Day computer program in class to support the learning of phonics and common words. The children will continue to read one or two books per week with associated writing tasks in class to develop their comprehension skills. It is important that the children continue to bring their books into school daily to ensure they are able to use them to carry out their tasks. In Big Writing this term the children will be given opportunities to write narrative, information and persuasive pieces of writing using our new topic Scotland as our stimulus.

Numeracy

In Primary 2M we will be learning Measure (Length and Area), Multiplication and Division (by 2, 5 and 10), Data Analysis (Tally’s, Tables and Pictograms) and Fractions, Decimals and Percentages (1/2, 1/3, 1/4 and 1/5). Within numeracy the concepts are taught and the children are given opportunities to learn as a whole class, with a partner and participating in active maths activities where the children will be given opportunities to put their knowledge into practice.

Religious Education

During the third term the children will be learning about New Birth/Baptism, Lent and Eastertide. The teaching and learning will take the structure of a prayer service/circle time, Bible readings and written tasks.

Health and Wellbeing

In P.E. the learning will be focused on Possession, Central Net and Ball Games. The children will practice and improve their skills to develop control and flow. They will learn to follow and understand the rules and procedures of a variety of games. Please ensure your child continues to bring their P.E. kit to school on a Monday and takes it home on a Friday. This term children will explore the theme of friendship and discuss the qualities that make a ‘good’ friend. This will be supported through the education pack ‘Friendship Terrace.’ This pack stimulates discussions by using stories of various situations and asking the children to explore their feelings and reactions to each story. We will also be looking at the choices we make and the impact this has on our general fitness.

Interdisciplinary Learning

This term we will be learning about Scotland. The learning will be focused around 6 main areas; my local area, my local environment, weather, our Science investigation, Scottish foods and Scottish music and artists.

Thank you for your continued support, please use your child’s behaviour diary to communicate any concerns/comments.

Kind Regards,

Miss Mc Dermott

Class Teacher Primary 2M