Dear Parent/ Carer,

Pupils who live within the catchment area for Dargavel Primary have been given a letter today in their school bag with information regarding moving to  the new school.

Please complete and send the information back to school as soon as possible. If you do not receive a letter but think you should, please let us know.

If you have any questions please get in touch and we will do our best to answer.

We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to school tomorrow (Tuesday 20th October) and we hope that you have all had some opportunity to relax and recharge over the past week.

Term 1 was certainly a challenge as we all adapted to the new routines within the school any beyond. We had hoped that this was likely to be short term but this is not the case and the current COVID secure procedures will remain in place.

Although the weather is likely to deteriorate over the coming weeks we will still be making use of our outdoor space when it is appropriate to do so. We have been advised that outdoor PE will remain the only option for the foreseeable future. Therefore please continue to send your child prepared for inclement weather.  We will continue to be outdoors when the rain is not too heavy. We will not be outside if the weather is too severe or the conditions underfoot make it impossible to do so.

As we move in to cold an flu seasons it is likely that we will see more pupils in school complaining of feeling unwell. As per the guidance, if a child informs a member of staff that they are experiencing any of the 3 recognised symptoms of COVID, the parent or carer will be contacted to come and collect their child. If this is the case the child cannot return to school until we have notification of a negative test result or for 10 days if the pupil is not tested. Please remember that school staff are not medically trained to make a judgement on a child’s symptoms and we are only working  within the published guidance.

We hope that you found your telephone parent appointment a positive experience. We will post a link for feedback in the coming days. It is important for us to hear this feedback so that we can ensure that you are getting the information you require about your child’s progress. If for any reason you were unable to receive the call please let us know so that we can reschedule .

We thank you all for your patience and support throughout term 1.  Term 2 is always a busy and exciting time in school with a number of significant events usually taking place.  Although these cannot take the traditional format this year, we do hope to still participate in as many as possible. We will be in touch over the coming weeks with more information.

The doors will be open from 8.45 tomorrow and we look forward to seeing you then.

As we head into the winter we will be putting our usual contingency plans in place, this session we have an additional consideration with the continued increase in cases of COVID-19.

As Test and Protect Scotland is in touch with more people, we expect to see an increase in the numbers of pupils being asked to self isolate at home. To help us in planning for how best to support the learning of any pupil not in school, we have created a short survey that can be found below.

During the period of home learning from March to June we used MS Teams to support this and it worked very well for us. It would be our preference to continue with this platform as almost all pupils in P2-7 are already familiar with it and teachers have been using it with pupils to deliver homework.

However we understand that, for a variety of reasons, not everyone can access this platform, therefor the survey results will allow us to make the best plans for individuals should they need to access their learning from home.

The more information we have the easier it is for us to provide support for any access issues.

Please note home learning will only be provided for those who are self isolating without symptoms. As is normal practise, pupils who are off ill will not be expected to work at home and will be supported to catch up on their learning when they are fit to do so.

Thank you for your continued support.

Firstly thank you to all who donated books towards the class library stock. These will be distributed to classes and are a welcome addition to our current selection.

Please also see our September newsletter. We are trying to minimise the number of pieces of paper sent home, so only those that require a return will be sent in paper format.

On behalf of all the staff I would like to wish you all a wonderful holiday weekend. We look forward to seeing everyone back in school on Tuesday 29th September.

Letter Sep2020

Please see the video below for help and advice about when it is or is not appropriate to have a COVID-19 test.

Education Scotland have updated the guidance for PE.

PE will continue to be outdoors only until at least the 5th October. Please continue to ensure that your child comes to school prepared for this.

Thank you for your continued support.

Please note we currently have a vacancy for a lunchtime supervisory assistant – 1 hour per day over lunch.

You can apply by clicking this link which will take you to the My Job Scotland website. Closing date is the 16th September.

Please pass on the information to anyone who may be interested.

Please see the interim lunch menu below. The menu will start on Monday the 7th September when a hot option will become  available.

Week 1

Yoghurt, Fruit, water & milk

Week 2

Yoghurt, Fruit, water & milk

Today Glen Coaches have issued each child who is on their bus list with a pass. Moving forward pupils will need to show this pass to the driver before they board the bus.

Only those who have applied and been accepted for school transport are insured to travel by this means.

If your child has not been issued with a pass today but you think that they should have one please make sure you have applied for home school transport through this link.

Alternatively contact Children’s Services on 0300 300 0170

In light of the recent increase in the daily numbers of COVID-19 cases, just a reminder that the rules on physical distancing remain in place.

All adults who are not from the same household should remain at least 2 metres apart at all times.

If you are waiting in the streets around the school or in the playground please make sure that you maintain this distance at all times.  It would also be helpful if a maximum of one adult per family attended at the end of the day.  This will  help reduce the number of adults in the vicinity of the school.

The guidance also states that in places where distancing is difficult a mask should be worn. You may wish to consider this on the Ashy Path.

Pupils do not need to physically distance from each other and therefore can leave through the gates side by side.

Adults may wish to wait until the gates are clear of the majority of  pupils before trying to exit as this will make it easier to distance from one another.

Our only aim is to keep all in the Bishopton Community safe and healthy and we appreciate your assistance in this.

Please see the attached letters giving the current advice on COVID symptoms and testing in children.

Should a child present with any one of the 3 symptoms in school, we will contact you and advise that you arrange a test. As noted in the letters some of these symptoms are not specific to COVID and may be related to other illnesses. However, in order to ensure the health and safety of all, if a child presents with any one of these symptoms we will be in touch and ask you to follow the appropriate medical advice.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Coronavirus – Jason Leitch Letter on testing and common colds – 31

August 2020 2020 DFM Letter

A reminder that the guidance is once again changing, and from Monday 31st August all children over 5 should wear a face covering on School Transport, bringing it in line with all other public transport.

If your child is wearing a disposable face covering they will dispose of it appropriately when they enter the building.  If it is a reusable one, please make sure they have something to store it in.

If a child forgets their face covering we can provide them with one before they board.

If for any reason this is not appropriate please get in touch to let us know.

The following opportunity is open to applicants of all ages.

REN05282 EARLY LEARNING & CHILDCARE MODERN APPRENTICE (6 POSTS) (FIXED TERM)

The above post is now live on MJS..

Closing Date:   Friday 04 September 2020

Please see below link to MJS:-

https://www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/councils/renfrewshire-council/jobs

In our original communication we asked that pupils come to school in footwear appropriate to wear outdoors to avoid the need for changing and we said that we would revisit this when the weather turned for the worse.

Obviously we didn’t expect that to be so soon into the new term. We had hoped for a spell of reasonable weather for a few more weeks yet.  Unfortunately the weather has been more unpredictable than ever and although we have had some very sunny spells, we have had a lot of very wet weather too.

In light of this we will be allowing pupils to change their shoes in the cloakroom areas of the school. If they wish to leave their wellies or similar in school please send them in a bag, labelled with their name,  that can be hung on their peg so that they are not left on the floor or taken into the classroom.

We will be continue to go outdoors for play and learning even if the weather is wet. However safety is our first priority and on days like today where gusts of wind of 40 mph or more are forecast pupils will remain indoors.

I appreciate that this is early in the session to be making changes but we are all getting used to working under the new COVID guidance and protocols. The safety of our pupils and staff remains our top priority.

Please remember if you have any concerns over symptoms of COVID to follow the advice for schools on Renfrewshire Council website. 

This guidance is regularly updated and is the best place to find information specific to schools.

You can also find information on the  NHS Inform website. 

The weather today is looking very wet. Please make sure that everyone comes prepared for being outdoors.

Thank you to all of those who have shared their end of the day arrangements with us. It has been really helpful for the teachers to know each pupil’s plans.

If you have not already done so please complete the short online form by clicking on the link below. It will allow the teacher to point your child in the right direction if they happen to forget their arrangements.

Things are becoming smoother at the end of the day as we all get used to the new routines.

However, we have noticed an increase in the number of adults in the playground and this is contributing to the lack of physical distancing on the Ashy Path and at the gate on Old Greenock Road.  Please remember that the general rules on adult social distancing still apply.  There should not be groups of more than 15 adults from 5 households in any space. All adults from different households must stay 2m apart.

The guidance also states that in places where the 2m distancing is difficult adults should consider wearing  a face covering.

For those who absolutely need to collect from the playground we kindly request that only one adult enters the premises and that all physical distancing protocols described above are observed.

Please remember if a child or any member of the household displays  COVID-19 symptoms, everyone should stay at home, book a test and follow the advice from NHS Inform.

If you are worried about yourself or your child’s wellbeing, Renfrewshire Education Psychology service are here to help.

You can contact the school for a referral or self refer using the email address below.

reps@renfrewshire.gov.uk

Hometime Arrangements Form

To help ease congestion at the end of the day, we would be grateful if you could complete the form below for each child in your household. This will allow the class teacher to know the hometime arrangements and ensure they are heading home safely and as arranged.

The data in this form will only be used for the purposes above and managed in line with Renfrewshire Council’s privacy policy.

Thank you for your help with this.

Bishopton Primary Staff

Hometime Arrangements Form

Today was the first day we had all the pupils back in the building and it was so great. Although much of our time this week has been spent learning new routines and washing our hands, it was nice to be getting back into a level of normality. Everyone seemed really happy to be in school and it was a joy to hear the sound of the pupils playing and laughing in the playground.

Our routines in the morning seem to be working very well and this will continue for the foreseeable future.

As we have added more pupils in each day we’ve assessed the situation at the end of the day and have been making adjustments to make it run more smoothly.

On a positive note I would like to thank the parents and older pupils who have organised multiple pick ups and walking buses. It has been great to see our older pupils taking their responsibilities so seriously and taking such good care of younger siblings and friends. This has been working really well. It would be great to see more of this.

To help improve the flow, if we could stick to only Primary 1 parents in the infant playground, that will help to avoid any confusion between the Primary 1 and Primary 3 classes.

To help P1 exit more swiftly, teachers will send older siblings down to the infant playground to collect their siblings or meet the adult collecting them.

P2-7 parents, if they absolutely require to be in the playground, should stand  surnames A-L in the middle and M-Z in the upper playground.

To help facilitate this P3 teachers will also bring their pupils to the middle playground. There is no need for P3 parents to stand outside the classroom doors.

P2-7 pupils will be dismissed at 3.15. It would be very helpful if pupils were aware of their arrangements and the direction they should be heading. Many pupils have not quite gotten into the new routines yet and have forgotten the agreed arrangements by the end of the day,

When this has happened teachers have for safety held on to the pupils until the arrangements are confirmed.

The Ashy Path still seems to be the main area where adult physical distancing (2M) is an issue. Please keep moving in this area and stay as far from the person in front as possible. It might also be sensible to wear a face covering in such a confined space.  Please be mindful of the safety of all members of the Bishopton Community, especially our  elderly and vulnerable neighbours.

We are still working on developing other solutions to alleviate the congestion in this area.

Today was our first day at full capacity.  Thank you for all your comments and suggestions as to what has gone well and what we can still improve on.  I am sure as we all become more confident in the routines, the process will run much more quickly and smoothly.

Once again thank you for all the support. I hope you all have a relaxing weekend and enjoy the forecast good weather,

See you all again on Monday.

It was great to welcome more of our pupils into school today.  It was so nice to see our pupils skipping in this morning with a smile on their face.

Tomorrow (Friday) is a big day when we finally welcome all of our pupils back to school.

In the morning the Ashy Path is still a pinch point and we would ask that adults continue to follow the social distancing protocols and stay 2m apart. I know that this is difficult on such a narrow path and queuing may be required. Please move on as soon as your child is in the school grounds to avoid overcrowding. Also please try to leave the gates clear so that those pupils walking on their own without an adult have clear sight of the gate.

In such a confined space adults may wish to consider a face covering for the safety of others.

We are working with our partners to find a solution to this. In the meantime if we work together I’m sure the process will get quicker over the next few days as we all get used to the new routines.

There was some confusion at the end of the day today. It is the first day and so this is understandable.  In the letter posted previously it stated that the pupil day finishes at 3.15.  P1 only will bring their pupils into the playground at 3.00 and will be dismissed from that time as the adults arrive. There is no  need to arrive before this time.

The preferred option for P2-7 is still as few adults as possible in the playground.  A number of P1 pupils have older siblings and these pupils may be released to their parent before 3.15 if the parent is already there.

P2-6 will be dismissed at 3.15. Please make sure your child is aware of the arrangement for making their way home.

We are all getting used to these new routines and there will be teething problems but we will iron these out as we go. This is a new normal for us all and we wont always get it right first time.

As always safety is at the centre of all we do.

P5&6 we can’t wait to have you back.

P5M and P5R should enter via the middle doors and make their way upstairs to Rooms 6&7.

P5C should enter via the upper door and make their way round to Room 9b.

P6 should make their way to the original huts in the playground.

Firstly, it was great to see all of our P1 and P7 pupils back today. We could not have wished for better weather.

All pupils were very happy and settled well into the new routines.

A reminder that moving forward we would ask that only one adult enter the playground when dropping off or picking up P1 pupils.

Doors will be open for a soft start from 8.45 onwards.

P2,3&4 pupils are due back tomorrow. Staff will be on hand at the gates and in the playground to point pupils in the right direction.

P2 will all enter through the middle playground doors and will exit the same way at the end of the day.

P3 will enter through their own classroom door down in the lower infant playground and will exit this way at the end of the day.

P4 will enter through the upper doors closest to Old Greenock Road and will leave through these doors at the end of the day.

Please make sure that your child knows their end of day arrangements to allow us to dismiss the pupils as efficiently as possible at the end of the day.

A reminder that if any parent needs to collect  from the playground that those with surnames A-L should stand in the middle playground. M-Z in the upper playground.

Adults should at all times maintain 2m social distancing . We have had complaints from our neighbours today,  who are concerned about groups of adults standing in and around the school closer together than 2m.  For the safety of the whole Bishopton Community please stay 2m from all adults outwith your own household at all times.

Active travel or park and stride is still very much the preferred option.

The weather for Thursday is looking good so remember your hat and sunscreen. We can’t wait to have you all back.

We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming everyone back to school over the next few days.

Doors will be open from 8.45a.m for pupils to enter the classrooms.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) P7C and P7H should make their way to the new huts in the playground. P7M should enter through the door opposite the gate Old Greenock Road gate and make their way round to Room 9a opposite the main office.

P1 can take some time to get some first day photographs before pupils enter through the same doors as their induction days.

Staff will be on hand at the gates and in the playground to make sure everyone goes in the right direction.

See you tomorrow P1 and P7.

P2-6 we will see you in the next couple of days.

Please see attached the following information for those travelling to school on public transport.

Back To School 2020 A4