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

Dear Parent/Guardian,

 

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year and I would like to wish you all the best for 2016.
Once again this letter will provide you with a brief overview of the learning that will take place this term in Primary 5. This information provides you with an insight into your child’s learning.

 

Literacy

The children will continue to follow North Lanarkshire’s Active Literacy programme for Spelling, Reading, Writing and Listening and Talking. This programme will help to develop further their literacy skills and provide exciting and new challenges.

This term the children will explore non-fiction with a home reader and then complete a group novel with a text suitable for their age and stage. This will be an opportunity for the children to apply all of their prior learning from Term 1 and demonstrate their ability and understanding of the Active Literacy Strategies. The novels will be read at home by the children and there will be reading homework on a weekly basis. The children should be encouraged to complete all reading homework on the allocated nights as the classwork will coincide with the reading homework.

 

Numeracy

This term Primary 5 will explore time, multiplication and division, 2D and 3D shape and fractions, decimals and percentages. The children will have the opportunity to learn these skills and concepts through a mixture of both active and written tasks. This will enable the children to apply their learning across contexts and see a real purpose to their learning.

 

Health and Wellbeing

Health and Wellbeing will be taught across the curriculum. This term in Physical Education the children will develop their skills in Aesthetics through gymnastics and dance. The children will also explore ‘Substance Misuse’ this term to help promote and educate children about personal safety and allow them to recognise and confidently manage unsafe situations.

 

Interdisciplinary Learning

The children of Primary 5 will be exploring ‘Ancient Egypt’ this term. This theme will provide opportunities for the children to learn about a different culture, climate and daily life. Primary 5 will cover the following themes within the topic; daily life, pharaohs, pyramids, mummification and Egyptian Gods. The children will apply their learning across the curriculum with a particular focus within the curriculum areas of Social Studies, Expressive Arts and Technologies.

 

Religious Education

Religious Education will be taught through the ‘This Is Our Faith’ programme. This term Primary 5 will explore Lent, Holy Week, Healing: Jesus and the Sacraments and Life of Jesus. The children will also continue with God’s Loving Plan covering the core learning for Primary 5.

 

Homework

The children’s homework will help to support their on-going classwork and I would appreciate your support in ensuring the children keep up with all homework tasks.

 

Many thanks,

Mrs. C Williamson

Dear Parent/Carer,

I hope that everyone enjoyed a fun and relaxing Christmas holidays and would like to welcome all of the boys and girls back for our third term in Primary 3. The children have enjoyed a very productive two weeks back at school and, with preparations being made for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, this term will be a very special time for the children.

Literacy
As always, the class will be continue to follow the North Lanarkshire Active Literacy Programme to support their learning in spelling, phonics, reading and writing.
Children will continue to explore new sounds and common words in addition to consolidating sounds they have already covered. Many of our children have begun to work with longer texts and will continue to work with both fiction and non-fiction titles to build fluency and comprehension. Ensuring that the children complete all assigned reading at home is important as this means they will be prepared for the activities they will be given in class.

Numeracy
In numeracy, the class will continue to experience a mix of direct teaching, partner/group activities and written tasks to build and consolidate their understanding of concepts.
Over the course of the term, the class will explore themes including money, data handling, multiplication and division. The children will continue to work with numbers up to and including one hundred and the 2, 4, 5 & 10 times tables. I would encourage children to practice their times tables at home as being able to recall multiplication facts quickly and accurately is an important skill that we will be working on in class.

RE
This is a very important time for the class as, this term, children will commence their preparations for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The boys and girls will work in school and at home to prepare to receive the Sacrament in March. If you have any questions regarding your child’s Sacramental preparation, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Health & Wellbeing
In PE this term, we are fortunate enough to be working with specialists from both Motherwell College and Active Schools. The children will be developing skills and coordination by taking part in a variety of team and paired games. We would encourage children to bring their PE kit into school on a Monday and take it home on the Friday to ensure that they have it whenever needed.

Cross Curricular
This term, the class have already had a visit from Zip, our friend from outer space. We will be helping Zip to understand more about our planet and locality by exploring different types of housing, how we use land and developing our mapping skills. Later in the term, class will also undertake a short Science investigation with a focus on meteorites and what might affect the size of a crater.
Again, please continue to communicate any queries or concerns using the homework diary.

Many thanks
E Burns
Class Teacher

Dear Parent/Carer,

Welcome back to the start of term 3, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year break with your families. The pupils enjoyed a busy and exciting term before the holidays and worked hard to participate in the fantastic Christmas Show. This term the pupils will have their first transition visit to High School which I am sure they will thoroughly enjoy. Mrs Doherty will continue to work with Primary 6 on a Thursday.

Literacy

This term the children are working on a variety of novels to allow them to further develop their understanding of the comprehension strategies. The range of novels include, The Demon Headmaster, The Silver Sword, and War Horse. This novel will be sent home and children should be reading each evening both out loud and quietly to themselves in order to develop fluency and an understanding of the text. It is also very important that children bring their novel to school with them everyday as they need to use their novels to help them complete their tasks. Within our Taught Writing lessons, the children will continue to ‘up-level’ their writing by using a range of vocabulary and punctuation in order to add detail and excitement to their written work. We are currently focusing on the use of direct speech within their writing, as well as looking at a variety of ways in which to open their sentences and paragraphs in order to make their writing more exciting.

Maths

We are currently working on Multiplication & Division. The pupils are coping well with this and enjoying the topic, however it is important that they continue to practise their tables regularly as this will assist them with their tasks. We will extend our knowledge of multiplication and division by working with Multiples and Factors. This term, the pupils will investigate the properties of 2D & 3D Shape, as well as using Fractions, Decimals & Percentages.

Interdisciplinary Learning

This term we have started working on our Europe topic. This links to the Euroquiz, for which Primary 6 have been studying and researching independently. We are covering aspects such as the member states of the European Union, developing children’s knowledge of the wider world by looking at the geography of Europe and learning about various monuments and customs associated within European Countries.

Health & Wellbeing

Primary 6 will continue to work as a team and develop positive relationship both within and outwith the classroom environment. It is important for the pupils to show respect to all members of our school community. The pupils will be studying ‘Teach Safety’. This is a topic which looks at change and encourages children to think about how others feel, and develop positive attitudes towards others. They will also consider aspects of personal safety. The pupils will also work on God’s Loving Plan this term (more information to follow). During PE lessons the pupils will develop their skills in Badminton and further develop their general fitness through the use of circuit type activities. It is important for pupils to make sure they have their full PE kit in school with them throughout the week.

R.E.

This term the pupils will investigate Other World religions in order to help them develop respect, tolerance and understanding towards people whose beliefs may be different from theirs. We will also be learning about Lent, including studying the Stations of The Cross and what we can do to make Lent holy and special for us. The pupils will take part in a variety of activities within the school to help them prepare to celebrate the season of Easter more fully.

I am looking forward to this term as I am sure the children will continue to work hard and they will enjoy the many events which we have planned for them.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Colton

Primary 6 (P. T.)

Dear Parents & Carers,

I hope everybody had a lovely Christmas break and are feeling relaxed and refreshed for the start of our new term. The Primary 7 children have lots to look forward to this term, with a visit from The Scottish Parliament and their trip to Kilbowie in March. I am sure that they will continue their role as monitors and role models within the school with maturity and pride.

Literacy

The children will continue with the North Lanarkshire Active Literacy Programme for Spelling, Reading, Writing and Talking and Listening in Term 3. Each group will study two novels this term and will spend approximately six weeks on each. We will be continuing with the comprehension strategies for our reading, gaining confidence in these as the term progresses. The children will also be asked to prepare a solo talk at some point during this term, focusing on improving their pace and giving eye contact throughout.

Maths

In Term 3 we will be looking at Symmetry, Area and Perimeter, Time, Multiplication and Division, Multiples, Factors and Primes, 2D and 3D shape and Fractions, Decimals and Percentages. Again, we will be using the active approaches suggested in the Pathways planners along with the Teejay programme.

Health and Wellbeing

The children will be continuing on with the Knowing Me Knowing You Programme during Term 3. They will also be following the Teach Safety pack with Mrs Docherty. During PE the children will be focusing on Aesthetics through gymnastics and dance. I will be looking to improve their movement skills and abilities through the use of various pieces of apparatus and music.

Social Studies

Our IDL theme for Term 3 is The Scottish Parliament. We will be looking at the features of a democracy and what goes on inside the Parliament itself. Once the children are more knowledgeable on the topic, they will hold their own class election and debate. We are also very fortunate to have employees from the Scottish Parliament come to our class as part of the Outreach Programme. They will visit in February and it will be an excellent opportunity for the children.

R.E

The R.E themes which we will be covering this term are; Paul and Pilgrimage, Journey, Lent, Holy Week and Eastertide. The children will be undertaking mini research topics within these also, incorporating their ICT skills for many cross curricular experiences. Primary 7 will also be leading First Thursday Mass at various points throughout this term and I am sure they will continue to show maturity throughout.

If you have any queries don’t hesitate to use your child’s diary as a means of contact with myself.

Thank you again for all of your support so far this year.

Many Thanks

Miss Mitchell

Primary 2M are very busy this term preparing for their Nativity performance in December. We have also been practising hard this week for the St Andrew’s celebration which has been a very enjoyable experience for both the children and I.

As you will be aware, we have been very active this November doing a mile walk every day. The children enjoyed practising our nativity songs and St Andrew’s Day song ‘Caledonia’ as we walked.

We have been exploring the Human body as this terms topic. First, we had a look at our skeleton and its functions. Then we further investigated our organs which are protected by the skeleton. The children have shown a keen interest in this topic and are very enthused to learn more.

In R.E we have been focusing on ‘My Uniqueness’. The children shared their thoughts and ideas about what makes them unique and drew beautiful self-portraits into their jotters. Each child made a print of their hands which we then cut out and made into a Christmas tree collage for our display, titled ‘We are each unique and beautiful, but together we are a masterpiece’.

Primary 2M were very fortunate to have had Mrs Geirthy come to visit us in school and tell us many stories about the history of St Brendan’s school. Mrs Geirthy grew up adjacent the school and her children attended St Brendan’s also back in the 60’s. It was a pleasure listening to her stories and the children loved them, they were given the opportunity to ask questions after she had told us her enchanting tales.

Today we had a very exciting and magical trip to the Motherwell Civic Theatre to watch “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The children loved the experience and were extremely well behaved, I am very proud of each and every one of them.

Thank you for your continued support.

Miss Mc Dermott and P2M

Term 2 Update from Mrs Ferns and Primary 2F
We have settled into a great working routine and we have been enjoying the exciting activities we have been undertaking.
We have been learning about the human body this term and using this to support our instructional writing. We have written instructions about how to keep safe when using sparklers and this week we were writing instructions for keeping our bodies healthy. The children have really grasped the concept of this genre of writing and enjoy informing people about what to do. Remember to look out for our weekly star writers on twitter.
The children have been very enthusiastic when learning about the human body. They are fascinated about how their body works and have really enjoyed the fun learning experiences we have had so far. When learning about the skeleton we drew around one of the children and then labelled the body with the names of the bones which we learned. The children were able to see inside the human body by using the school human anatomy model. They were fascinated by this and they had a great time trying to put the body back together again. The children were then able to label the major organs in the body.
We are looking forward to the rest of the term. Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs Ferns and Primary 2F

Hello again from Primary 3!

Since the last time that your heard from us we have learned lots and lots about the 1960’s – when our fabulous school was built – and you can have a peek at some of the things we got up to by clicking on the pictures below. We enjoyed a taste of the 1960’s, found out more about how people lived and recreated the work of a few popular artists of the decade.

In the month of November, we have enjoyed getting more daily exercise during our Mile a Day Challenge – you may even have caught a glimpse of us walking around the local area! We have also started to make preparations for our Christmas Nativity performance, which we are very excited about!

Recently, we received a very special letter from… Can you keep a secret? Santa! He has asked us to help him to spread some Christmas cheer to others this month and next so keep checking the Twitter feed to see what we are getting up to!

Miss Burns & Primary 3

November 2015

Dear Parent/Guardian,

I wish to take this opportunity to firstly thank you for all of your support over the first few months of this academic year.  It has truly been a pleasure getting to know your children and we have all settled very well into our classroom routines. We have a very exciting and eventful term in store for P2M and I, along with the children am looking forward to this term as it is always a magical time of year. This is a brief outline of the work that we will be undertaking within the class during the second term.

Literacy 

We will be continuing to follow the North Lanarkshire Active Literacy Programme in spelling and common words. This term we will focus more on the phoneme stories and the children will be using elkonin boxes in class to support their learning of phonics. The children will continue to read two books per week with associated writing tasks in class to develop their comprehension skills. The children will be given opportunities to answer questions from their books and complete beginning, middle and end tasks. 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 both narrative and instructional pieces of writing.

 Numeracy

In Primary 2M we have been working on time, focusing on days, months, seasons and using a calendar. We will be continuing with addition and subtracting looking at expressions and equations. Further development on 2D and 3D shape will be a focus this term where the children will be able to identify these shapes and investigate patterns with them i.e. whether the shape can be tiled or not. Finally measure (length and area) and money will be explored this term also. Numeracy concepts are taught actively with the use of interactive games as well as peer/group work.

Religious Education

During the second term the children will be learning about Jesus’ Family and Ours where they will be given opportunities to talk about their own family, Jesus, the Holy family and Our Church Family. We will be celebrating how God made everyone unique and special in their own individual way. Advent will be our main focus for learning this term and I have no doubt that the children will thoroughly enjoy this time. We will create our own Advent wreath and our class Nativity scene. The children will learn more about how the Angel Gabriel brought God’s special message to Mary as well as how the angels and shepherds rejoiced together at Jesus’ birth.

Health and Wellbeing

In P.E. the learning will be focused on Gymnastics and Dancing. The children will be given opportunities to experience balancing, rolling and using their weight on hands. Then the children will be able to sequence these together. In Dancing the children will be given opportunities to create and perform a selection of dance actions within a space. Please ensure your child continues to bring their P.E. kit to school on a Monday and takes it home on a Friday.

Science

This term Primary 2M will be learning about The Human Body. They will be learning about the position and function of the human skeleton and about major organs in the human body. They will learn ways which they can keep their body healthy and understand how germs spread and what they can do to prevent this. They will be given opportunities to explore their senses and will conduct a science experiment based on their senses.

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

Kind Regards,

Miss Mc Dermott

Class Teacher Primary 2M

Dear Parent/Carer,

After a relaxing October break and our fabulous 1960’s Open Day, the class have now settled back into the school routine and are ready for the new learning and challenges this term will bring.

With preparations being made for both our St Andrews Day showcase and the festive season, term two will be a busy and exciting time for the boys and girls.

Literacy

As in the previous session, the class will be continue to follow the North Lanarkshire Active Literacy Programme to support their learning in spelling, phonics, reading and writing.

The class will continue to explore new sounds and common words each week in class and through our homework programme. The children will work with a range of both fiction and non-fiction texts to build their fluency and comprehension skills. I will be continuing to encourage the children to access eBooks to support their reading in class and at home.

Numeracy

In numeracy, the class will continue to experience a mix of direct teaching, partner/group activities and written tasks to build and consolidate their understanding of concepts.

Over the course of the term, the class will  further explore the theme of addition and subtraction, working with numbers up to and including one hundred. The children will also explore 2D & 3D shape and measure.

RE

In RE, our class will be learning more about our Priest and the Parish community. We will also reflect on November, the month of the faithful departed. In the lead up to Christmas, the class will revisit the theme of Advent in class as well and will be involved in wider school celebrations of the Holy season.

Health & Wellbeing

Whilst the hall timetable may differ slightly to accommodate practises for our Christmas performances, our focus this term will be Dance. The class will also be working regularly with Sports Coaches from Motherwell College to develop their skills in playing a variety of games. Where access to the gym hall is not possible, it is my intention that the class will make use of resources such as Cyber Coach and Go Noodle and other areas within the school including the class and, weather permitting, outdoors.

Social Studies

As part of our interdisciplinary theme for the term, Primary 3 will working to explore the true meaning of Christmas by becoming ‘Undercover Elves’. We will be exploring how we can help people in our community and beyond as they prepare to celebrate Christmas. I am sure that this is something the children will enjoy and be very excited about.

Again, please continue to communicate any queries or concerns using the homework diary.

Many thanks

E Burns

Class Teacher