Update

*We have been informed this is a UK wide issue with Teams this morning. Microsoft are working on it. Fingers crossed for a smoother start tomorrow. *

Good morning. I am sorry that some people are experiencing connectivity issues this morning. As many will remember this happened on the first day of home learning during the last lockdown.

Whilst it is frustrating, we ask that you are patient. It should become easier as they day goes on and the initial rush to download tasks and assignments subsides.

Please keep trying throughout the day. Remember not all tasks require you to be online. Choose another task and work on that while you are waiting.

If you feel like braving the weather you might even choose to go for a walk and look for our outdoor learning cards posted around the village.

Please don’t stress if you can’t get on straight away we do understand that the  technology does not always work as we would like it to.

Happy new year to all in our school community and welcome back after an extended winter break. Unfortunately, once again, this is not the start to a new term that any of us were hoping for.

As you will be aware COVID 19 cases are not diminishing and we are all under a strict new lockdown. As a result of this school buildings are closed to the vast majority of pupils and staff in order to comply with the requirements to minimise person to person interaction, to significantly reduce the number of households mixing and consequently to reduce community transmission.

The school will remain open for key worker’s children but only if their job function cannot be carried out from home and there is no alternative childcare option available. If an adult is at home during the school day (including working from home) the expectation is that pupils will remain at home.  A very small number of identified vulnerable children will also attend. We hope that in sticking with this and keeping our numbers as low as possible all of our children will be able to return to the school building in shortest time possible.

For those of you who have experienced the previous lockdown, you will know that we will be using Microsoft Teams through Glow to deliver our remote learning. New pupils will have been introduced to these platforms by their class teacher. All pupils have access to Glow and the Teams app can be downloaded to a variety of devices. Previous Blog posts detail how to do this but if you have any problems please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we will support you to get your child logged in to Glow and Teams.

Each stage(P1-7) will share their outline for home learning with you. Some have already done this and others will over the next day or so. As a school we are trying to balance the current guidance on home learning with the feedback we received from parents during the last lockdown.

Teachers will provide an offering that is as close to a school day as possible. This means a timetable will be issued and home learning activities provided in line with the timetable. This will include a mixture of “live’ teacher interactions though Team Meetings, teacher recorded lessons to view online, links to other online recorded lesson and opportunities for independent learning tasks.

Previous feedback from parents indicated that there was a flexibility required in the timing of tasks due to the sharing of devices between siblings and availability of adult supervision within the home. As a result we will structure the majority of tasks so that they can be completed at a time that is suitable to each family circumstances. Teachers will give advance warning of ‘live’ sessions. They will work with colleagues to avoid clashes with siblings as much as possible.

We understand how difficult this is for families and we are here to support you as much as possible. If you have any issues with connectivity, access to IT or the home learning please get in touch with us. I (Mrs McNaught) will be in school each day and can be contacted on the school number. Mr Collins is currently supporting P1-3, as he will be mostly working from home he can be contacted on 07541 049686 during normal office hours. Similarly Mrs Davidson is supporting P4-7 and can be contacted on 07541 063788.  Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you require any form of help or support.

Pupils who are in school will follow the same programme that has been provided for those at home. They will have access to the class Team in school and will complete the tasks provided by their own class teacher. Groups of pupils in school will be supported by a teacher to access and complete the learning provided by the class teacher.

Attendance- School attendance will continue to be recorded on a daily basis. Therefore it is important that your child checks in with the teacher on the check in post each morning. If your child is ill and is unable to participate in school work then we ask that you follow the normal procedures and call the school office before 9.30 to let us know.

I’m sure it will take us all a couple of weeks to get back into the swing of this so please be patient while we get everything up and running. This is not an ideal situation for any of us and we must all work together to ensure the best outcomes for the young people that we all care deeply about.

Be assured we are all working flat out to give your child the best home learning experience possible and we are here to support you too as you grapple with this. If you have any concerns at all please get in touch using the numbers provided.

Please continue to check the school blog and social media channels as we will provide updates on a regular basis.

Dear Parents/Carers,

The school office is receiving a high volume of calls this morning as there seems to be some confusion over the hub places in school. Some people are under the impression that pupils can attend school should their parent wish them to. This is not the case.

The overarching policy aim of these exceptional school closures, is to reduce the number of children, young people and adults from different households interacting in- person within communities (including schools) as far as possible, in order to prevent COVID-related harms. If it is possible for children to be cared for safely and have their learning supported sufficiently well at home, that approach should be preferred.

To be clear, in order for a child to attend the hub a child must be identified as vulnerable or both parents (or single parent) must be key workers who cannot work from home and have no alternative childcare. If there are any days when a parent is working from home or alternative childcare is available the child should not attend the hub.

When  in the hub, classes will be staffed on a rota system. Pupils attending will be supported by a teacher but will access the same learning as their classmates and provided by their own class teacher.

As stated above, the aim is to minimise the impact of the spread of COVID-19 amongst our school and community and to keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible.

Therefore we ask that you support us in our efforts by following the guidance and attending the hub only if and when absolutely necessary.

As, in line government expectations, most staff from school will be working from home, the following mobile numbers can be used during school hours to contact the relevant DHT.

During Mr McAvoy’s absence Mr Collins will cover P1-3 and Mrs Davidson will cover P4-7.

Mr Collins can be contacted on 07541 049686

Mrs Davidson can be contacted on 07541 063788

Mr Collins and Mrs Davidson will also use these numbers to make outgoing calls when they are working from home. It might be worthwhile to take note of these numbers so that you recognise it as a school call should we need to make contact with you.

Mrs McNaught will be in school everyday and can be contacted on the usual number -0300 300 0147

We hope that this is helpful to you. Please remember if you have any concerns do not hesitate to get in touch. We are here to assist you in any way possible.

Please note the arrangements for those pupils attending the Bishopton Primary Hub starting Thursday  7th January.

Children should attend during normal school hours 9.00-3.15. Staff will be available in the playground tomorrow morning to direct pupils to the correct entrance. Please note this may not be the entrance that they would normally use.  Pupils attending the hub will be in a new bubble. Hubs will be staffed on a rota basis and pupils will not necessarily have their current class teacher.  Staggered breaks and lunches will follow the same pattern as Term 1 and 2.  A free school lunch will be available for those pupils who are entitled.

Pupils will be able to bring their own devices and connect to the temporary network if they would rather use their own.

The purpose of school closures is to minimise the opportunity for community transmission, therefor only the staff directly involved in the hub will be in school on any one day. As per the government guidelines all other staff will work from home supporting the home learning.

In order to keep everyone in the community safe please keep in mind the following government guidance when considering the days your child should attend.

• The number of children taking up these places in schools during the strict lockdown period should be kept to the absolute minimum necessary.
• Only key workers who are physically attending their workplace or who cannot fulfil their critical functions when they are working remotely from home may qualify for places.
• Where alternative options are available – e.g. where childcare/remote learning can be provided or supported by one non-key-worker parent or carer who is able to work from home – these should be used instead of children attending school in person.
• If it is possible for children to be at home during this exceptional period, until schools reopen to them, then they should be. Whole workforces or entire groups of staff should not be designated as key workers. Doing so would undermine the collective effort we must all make to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives during this period of strict lockdown.

If you have any questions regarding the hub please call the school and we will be happy to respond.

As always our primary goal is to keep all in our community safe and healthy during these worrying times.

A reminder that the school will be open for vulnerable pupils and pupils of keyworkers only from Thursday the 7th January.  The school is closed to all other pupils from Wednesday the 6th January. Home learning will commence on Monday 11th January.

To qualify for a place in school, both parents must be keyworkers, or a single parent keyworker, and have no other childcare options.

Keyworkers are defined as:

• Category 1 – Health and Care workers directly supporting COVID-19 response, and associated staff; Health and Care workers supporting life threatening emergency work, as well as critical primary and community care provision; Energy suppliers (small numbers identified as top priority already); staff providing childcare/learning for other category 1 staff.
• Category 2 – All other Health and Care workers, and wider public sector workers providing emergency/critical welfare services (for example: fire, police, prisons, social workers), as well as those supporting our Critical National Infrastructure, without whom serious damage to the welfare of the people of Scotland could be caused.
• Category 3 – All workers (private, public or third sector) without whom there could be a significant impact on Scotland (but where the response to COVID-19, or the ability to perform essential tasks to keep the country running, would not be severely compromised).

In light of the announcement on Monday the 4th January, if you have applied for a place but no longer require it due to the fact you are now working from home, please phone the school on Wednesday 6th January to let us know.

Dear Parents/ Carers,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a good new year and to say how disappointed we all are not to be welcoming everyone back to school on Wednesday. As always we support any decision that keeps all those in our school community as safe and well as possible.

Following today’s announcement the school is making plans to support remote learning during January.  Home learning will be through the MS Teams platform and you child will need to log in with their Glow login. If they have forgotten this over the holidays you can fill in the form on the school website for it to be reset.

If both parents are keyworkers, or if you are a single parent keyworker, and you have no other childcare options, you can apply for a hub place by filling in the form here.  Applications should be made by 5p.m on Tuesday the 5th January.

We will keep you updated with more information as it becomes available and look forward to seeing everyone when it is safe to do so.  Please take care. Information on how to contact the senior management team during this latest lockdown will follow in the next few days.

Following the Scottish Government announcement regarding the changes to the reopening of schools in January 2021, please follow the link below for more information.

Please note no pupils will attend school on Wednesday the 6th January. If you  are a key worker and wish to apply for childcare/in-school learning for the period of the 7th – 15th January you should do so by clicking on the link in the Renfrewshire website.

All other pupils will start home learning on the 11th January. In-school learning for all will not resume until at least the 18th January. We will be in touch on the 7th and 8th with more information regarding this.

We will keep you updated with more information as it becomes available.

Renfrewshire Website

Dear Parents/Carers,

On behalf of all staff at Bishopton Primary I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

How we celebrate this year will be very different from other years but I sincerely hope that you are able to take some time to relax and recharge over the next few weeks.

This has been a very strange time for us all but as a school we have really appreciated your support and encouragement throughout this very difficult time.

Our pupils have been amazing and their kindness and generosity to each other and the community has been outstanding.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Wednesday 6th January.

Once again thank you, take care and stay safe.

The staff- Bishopton Primary

Dear Parents,

Just a reminder that parents should not be communicating with class teachers through their child’s Glow email address or through the class Team.  Glow is solely for pupil and staff use.

Communication should be directly from the parent’s own email address and should, in the main, be directed through the bishoptonenquiries@renfrewshire.gov.uk email address. If a teacher has agreed to communication from a parent through their Glow email address please be mindful of the fact that are only obliged to respond during working hours, outwith teaching time.

If you have an urgent enquiry  during the school day you can call the office and speak to the relevant depute who will be happy to follow up with the class teacher.

Thank you for your support.

Join RSNO and Children’s Classic Concerts for a free family Christmas show, ‘The Night Before Christmas,’ this Saturday. Kids and grown-ups can watch and sing along as Owen Gunnell makes a mad-dash attempt to organise his Christmas festivities after discovering he slept through the first 12 days of December! The story follows the CCC presenter as he scrambles to organise his celebrations and even discovers he forgot to write his letter to Santa. With a little bit of help from the RSNO musicians and the RSNO Junior Chorus, Owen endeavours to get sorted on time, and get everyone in the Christmas spirit along the way.

‘The Night Before Christmas’ will premiere live on the STV Player and the RSNO and CCC’s Facebook pages and YouTube channels on 12 December 2020 at 2pm.  It will be available to watch for 30 days.

A trailer for the show can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMDl5F43xL8

Please see the attached letter regarding payment over the Christmas Holidays for those entitled to free school meals.

If you haven’t already applied and think you  may be entitled please follow the link in the letter attached.

FSM – P1-P3

Please see the attached letter which has gone out in school bags today.

Christmas Events Letter

Dear Parent/Carer,

As you know, the Scottish Government has now introduced a system of new protection levels to help stop the spread of COVID-19, and Renfrewshire has been placed at Level 3.

This means some extra guidance for schools to help keep everyone safe, and we’ve listed what that means for you below:

• we can now resume indoor PE for pupils when the appropriate safety measures are in place. We are currently working on this and will let you know as soon as this able to go ahead.
• currently, school staff keep a two-metre distance from pupils as normal practice, but staff will now wear a face covering wherever this is not possible. This will apply from Primary 2 and above. We are conscious of the impact of this on our pupils – where children require additional support, we will identify a different approach which balances safety and quality of communication.
• school staff will wear face coverings in all communal areas of the school and will explain to our pupils why this is important.
• visitors, parents and carers should wear a face covering when entering the school or playground and at pick-up and drop-off. We also ask you wear a face covering at any busy pick-up or drop-off points outside school.
• the national advice is good airflow within schools is important to minimise spread of the virus. As we approach winter and colder weather, we will make sure classrooms are safe, warm and comfortable. However, we ask parents and carers please provide warm clothing, such as a jumper or fleece, in colder weather. Please contact the school directly if we can be of assistance with this.

All of the above is in addition to the existing safety measures in our school, which follow the national guidance and are already of a very high standard. These include:

• thorough cleaning within the school, very good handwashing regimes, physical distancing between staff and between staff and pupils wherever possible; and good hygiene when catching coughs and sneezes.
• staggering school start/finish times, breaks and lunchtimes, maintaining class groupings and good ventilation of buildings.

We would also like to remind parents and carers that all children should wear a face covering when travelling to and from school by school bus, unless they are exempt.

More information on what we are doing to keep schools safe is available on the council website, as is a guide to what to do if you suspect or have coronavirus.

We know the ongoing situation is very challenging for everyone, but we are doing all we can to keep our school safe and maintain a welcoming and nurturing learning environment for pupils.

The response from our pupils has been fantastic and we cannot thank you and them enough for your continued support.

Please stay safe at home and follow the latest public health advice. If there is anything else you wish to discuss with us, please contact the school directly.

Reminder: register your 🧒 child for primary one before Monday 9 November.

If your child has their 5^th birthday between 1 March 2021 and 28 February 2022, you should register them for school this week – and we’re asking you to do this online.

Go to www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/p1registration anytime between Monday 2 and Monday 9 November. 

 You’ll need to have a few things ready to upload:

1. a copy of your child’s full birth certificate
2. proof of address – Council Tax and Child Benefit Statement (or Driving Licence, utility/bank statement showing last 3 months transactions)
3. Roman Catholic Baptismal Certificate (if applicable)

If you can’t register online, please phone your local catchment school to arrange an appointment. This is really important – please do not turn up at school without an appointment.

Our 8.45 soft start has been working very well, but recently there has been a number of children arriving in the playground before this time.

We are keeping pupils in consistent class and year groups throughout the day. This is to minimise the numbers identified as close contact and having to self isolate should we have a case of COVID within the school.

Children who are spending time in the playground, unsupervised and mixing with other classes and year groups, could potentially have an impact and increase the numbers having to isolate.

Therefore please help us by ensuring your child only arrives in the playground between 8.45 and 9.00a.m.

Also a reminder that the guidance has been updated and face covering should be worn by parents in and around the school premises, including at drop off and pick up.

The Scottish Government had launched Face Covering Exemption card. Those who are exempt can apply here.

Once again we thank you for your support as we work hard to keep our whole community safe.

Infant registration for the August 2021 Primary 1 intake opens today.

Registration is online this year and can be accessed by clicking here.

The updated guidance for schools, published  on the 30th October 2020, on face coverings now states:

“Face coverings should be worn by parents and other visitors to all school sites (whether entering the building or otherwise), including parents at drop-off and pick-up.”

We appreciate that there are exemptions to this but if you are able to, please wear a face covering whilst on the school site including the playground.

Thank you for your cooperation in this.  Our aim is to keep our whole community as safe as possible.

If your child has their 5^th birthday between 1 March 2021 and 28 February 2022, you should register them for school next week – and we’re asking you to do this online.

Go to www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/p1registration anytime between Monday 2 and Monday 9 November. 

You’ll need to have a few things ready to upload:

1. a copy of your child’s full birth certificate
2. proof of address – Council Tax and Child Benefit Statement (or Driving Licence, utility/bank statement showing last 3 months transactions)
3. Roman Catholic Baptismal Certificate (if applicable)

If you can’t register online, please phone your local catchment school to arrange an appointment. This is really important – please do not turn up at school without an appointment.

Dear Parent/Carer,

If you have not already done so, please return your letter to us by Friday the 30th October. This information will assist Renfrewshire Council as they make plans towards the new school.

A copy of the letter is attached.

Darg letter etc_28102020124213

As you will be aware, each year the school supports the Poppy Scotland appeal by taking Poppies to the classes in the school.

Current restrictions mean that this is not possible this year. However the Bishopton Community have set up a just giving page to allow everyone in the village to continue to support this great charity.

We would love it if you would visit this link and donate the money that you would normally send into school directly to the charity.

As always thank you for your generous support.

Our parents evening had to take on a different format this  month. We would appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to feedback. This will allow us to make any required improvements should we need to continue with this format in future.

Please see the flyer below regarding plans for Halloween on Friday 30th October.

Due to the current restrictions we would ask that pupils do not bring any additional accessories for their costumes. This includes props, wigs, masks  and face paint.

Please see the  update letter below from Steven Quinn, Director of Children’s Services.

ParentCarer Update Letter

We have had a complaint from the residents of Holmpark about parking over driveways.

If you are dropping off or picking up please be considerate of all of our neighbours and park responsibly.

Thank you