St. John Paul II Primary School & Nursery Class, Viewpark

As you know, the Government has announced that Digital Learning will be on offer throughout Scotland from 11th January until at least the beginning of February.  Please click on the link below which explains the logistics around what we are offering and how you can access it.

As with anything, we thank you for your patience and ask that you continue this as we all make the adjustment back to Digital Learning during Lockdown.

Please continue to keep yourselves informed of developments by subscribing to alerts from North Lanarkshire Council and also our school communication platforms (App/Twitter/Facebook/Email).

January 2021

North Lanarkshire Council has issued revised information which was sent out today to all parents/carers.  You can access this here.  In particular, we ask that all Keyworker parents ensure that they are following the guidelines around accessing school to the letter.  The whole idea of Lockdown is that you only access school when there is nobody else available to look after the child (another parent/grandparent/older sibling/childminder).  Also, if you work part time, then your child should be in school part time.  This is to reduce the risk of spreading COVID for familes and staff alike.

Thank you for your support with this.  The links to the new information are below.

key worker letter – 8.1.21

Key workers categories – Jan 2021 2

Welcome back from Mr Thomas

I hope that you all had as wonderful a Christmas as was possible within the restrictions and I wish all of you the happiest of years in 2021.  You already know that the start of this year and the start of this new term will bring us all challenges.  I am sure that you are as disappointed as all of our staff team are that our whole school community will not be returning together on 6th January.  Normality seems further away somehow, but we must continue to pull together as a community so that our children continue to thrive and their learning continues.  We learned a lot, both as staff and as Parents/Carers during the first National Lockdown and this learning curve has given us a great foundation to offer even better provision during this current National Lockdown.  Our children will also be better prepared for what is to come.

Ensuring that we stick to the Lockdown guidance is the best way out of all of this.  I hope all of the information below is helpful to you.  You should read it, because it is relevant to ALL families.

Below this short statement, you will find a link to a letter from Derek Brown, Executive Director of Education and Families within North Lanarkshire.  This is a follow-up letter to the one sent to all parents on 22nd December.  Please read the letter carefully as it lays out the position within North Lanarkshire around who should attend school and what Digital Learning will be available.

I am sure that you all know this, but I would like to reiterate that we (the school staff) are here for you in whatever way possible.  School is open and we will be available for you.  Please do not hesitate to contact us either by phone (01698 522723) or email (enquiries@johnpaul.n-lanark.sch.uk or ht@johnpaul.n-lanark.sch.uk).

If you require support with internet access or digital devices at home, please do get in touch.

This information is an initial reaction to the new announcements and we will be working hard to make sure you are kept up to date and that things are put in place swiftly.

If you think that you fall under a Keyworker Category, you should have completed a form and returned to North Lanarkshire Council who will confirm you eligibility (via text/email) and if your child(ren) should attend school.  Please do this as a matter of urgency.  The link can be found next to the letter from Derek Brown (below).

All previous school procedures remain in place and are more important now than ever.

• All adults should wear a face covering on approach and within the school grounds – even if you arrive in your car and get out for a brief moment.  It is quite acceptable to forget your mask now and then!  We had a number of adults who were simply refusing to wear a face covering last term.  If you do not have one, one will be offered to you at the gate.
• Social distancing should be observed at all times.  Do not gather within the grounds and/or around the school gate.
• No visitors should come to the school without an appointment or without phoning ahead.
• If your child or anyone in your household develops symptoms, they/you should not attend school and should seek a test whilst the whole household isolates.

6th  – 8th January (childcare provision only)

• We will be working together in school to plan and prepare what our Digital Learning offering is for week beginning 11th January and beyond.
• Children who are at home will not have any home learning provided until week beginning 11th.
• Children who are attending school should arrive at their allocated time (8:50am 0r 9am).  They should be collected at their allocated time also.  This may change as the situation changes.
• Children who are attending school should come in their school uniform.
•  Breakfast Club will operate (from 8:15am) and children will be able to order a school lunch.
• Once we know how many children are attending school we can then plan staffing and rotas to ensure children have a Teacher, but that Teachers also have time for Digital Learning and supporting children at home.  In school, your child may not have their own Class Teacher.

Week Beginning 11th January (and beyond)

• Online/Digital Learning will begin for all children who are not attending school.  If your child is at home, please remember that Teachers will also have children in front of them during the school day and therefore they may not be able to get back to you straight away.  It may be that another Teacher gets back to you on their behalf.
• Our plan would be that, regardless of whether children are in school or at home, they will have access to similar tasks.
• We will ensure regular contact online with Teachers.
• We will have an online assembly (TBC) to welcome everyone back and regular assemblies going foward.
• We will notify you all of what our plan is and what support is available to ensure you and your children can access Digital Learning materials.

Click HERE to read the letter from Derek Brown, which was issued today (5th January 2020).

Click HERE to go to the information and form for Keyworkers.  Remember this MUST be completed.  The original information was sent out to all Parents/Carers on 22nd December.  The information clearly states that children should only attend school if no other arrangements can be made and that parents are keyworkers.

Please click on the link below to see some messages and information to round off our term.  We do not have all of the answers for what January will look like, but for now, we just want you to know that we will be organised for starting back.  Keep an eye on the NLC School Updates Website (click on the link) and their social media too.   They will give you information on who should or shouldn’t attend school on the first day back – this should be key worker families and others who have been identified.  Please read the criteria for key workers.  A form must be completed and sent into North Lanarkshire.

December 2020

Today would have been our Christmas Carol service, and we’re all missing that wee bit of festive cheer at the end of term! For anyone else missing it, here are a couple of videos which will hopefully have you in the Christmas spirit!

Well done to our wonderful children from P5B who learned “Merry Christmas Everyone!” in sign language! A great way to spread the festive cheer! ❤️🎅🏻❤️

Our choir would usually have been preparing for the Carol Service and visiting the care homes of our community to spread some Christmas cheer. While they were unable to do that in person, they were able to safely record some beautiful Christmas songs and carols. We hope you all enjoy! ❤️🎅🏻❤️

Just a wee reminder that both tomorrow and Tuesday are Christmas jumper days. Children can add a Christmas jumper or something festive to their uniforms if they wish.

Also a reminder that Tuesday is the end of term. School closes at 2.20/2.30 depending on your child’s finishing time.

We had a special visitor today – and a strange sight over the school!!!

Santa also left a special video message for us all!! See if you can agree with the teachers he thinks may be edging towards the naughty list!!

We have been asked to participate in a project called “Our Glen: Owning our Future.” Project managers have asked us to carry out an investigation into how we use the Glen and how we would like it to be used in the future.

Your child will be issued with a booklet on Friday 18th December. For any not in school who wish to participate, a digital copy will be available on their class Teams page. Over the Christmas holidays we would lke our families to visit the Glen and complete the booklet.

All completed booklets should be returned to school by Friday 8th January 2021 to allow them to be quarantined before being collected by a member of the project.

Many thanks for your support in this project.

Please click on the link below to download important information for all of our families.  The letter includes:

1. Dismissal arrangements for the last day of term (note the earlier finish!)
2. An update from Public Health regarding Self Isolation and what to do
3. Arrangements for Reporting a Positive Test Result during the school holidays
4. Details for enrolling new P1 children for August 2021 (this takes place online now)
5. Details for enrolling children for Nursery Places (this takes place online now)

Parent&Carer Info Christmas 2020

Click HERE to access the NLC School Admissions page, where you can complete the enrolment form for school.

Click HERE for access to the NLC Early Learning & Childcare Admissions/Information page, where you can complete your form for Nursery.

Completed forms can be emailed (along with the required evidence) to enquiries@johnpaul.n-lanark.sch.uk and we will send you an acknowledgement to let you know that we have received your information.

Please note the changes to our previous advertisement…

Santa will visit P1 on Friday 18th December (and not Monday 21st as previously advertised).  Our P1 children receive a special gift from Santa.

Our Virtual Message from Santa will be broadcast to all children before the end of this week (and not on 21st as previously advertised).  Santa has delivered a gift for each child too.

We realise that a number of our families have taken the decision to not send their child(ren) to school after this coming Friday and we did not want the children to miss out!

Week three menu for lunches this week.
Please remember that Thursday of this week is our Christmas lunch. If your child hasn’t returned an order form they will need to bring a packed lunch with them.