Newsletter 

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 2. I do hope you have all managed to have a happy break over the last two weeks and perhaps found some sunshine in far away places! It has been lovely to welcome all the children back to school today as we have a busy and fun filled term to look forward to.

Weather: I came across a well-known phrase recently- there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing! Being outdoors even in the winter months is important for wellbeing, but it is not pleasant if the body gets wet and cold. So please send children to school with a warm and waterproof coat and sturdy shoes and
practical everyday clothing – skimpy tops and very short skirts or shorts are not a good idea. We are currently updating our procedure for adverse weather conditions which may prevent children or staff
getting to school and which may mean school closure at short notice. We will circulate this to you once finalised this week.

PE: Lessons continue on a Tuesday with the specialist teacher. Children are asked to come to school in their PE kit on that day, and just a reminder that no jewellery should be worn including ear studs. P4,5,7 and P6,7 will start swimming for 6 weeks next Tuesday so they will need to come with their swimming costume and towel. All
the P6s and 7s, following their swimming lesson, will have the opportunity to take part in a 6 week science enrichment block of learning at Sandwick Junior High in their science labs. This is part of our ongoing collaborative work with our cluster group which includes SJH and Cunningsburgh

Theatre experiences: As part of the Theatre in Schools Scotland collaboration, we are very pleased to let you know that all the P1,2,3s have been invited to Sandwick JH on Monday 31st October, along with Cunningsburgh children for a live dance theatre performance- Four go Wild in Wellies- presented by the visiting group- Indepen-Dance. On 7th November all the P4, 5,6,7s have been invited to Sandwick JH for a live theatre performance called Chalk About presented by the visiting group- Curious Seed.

P6 Playleader training– this starts on Monday 31st Oct and will enable our P6 children to support active playtimes.

Shetland Peerie Makkers: traditional knitting group: we hope that this will start again in the next week for those P6 and 7 who wish to learn to knit. There are no costs or charges to the school or children. The tutor- Janette Budge, and assistant tutors are voluntary and the materials needed are covered by donations, sponsorship and fundraising by the charity, a subsidiary of The Brough Lodge Trust in Fetlar.

Halloween and Bonfire Night: Halloween is often seen as a bit of fun but can be a bit upsetting for some children and families. Staff will being doing some Halloween themed learning activities but there will be alternatives for those who struggle with this festival. Some children have asked if they can come to school dressed up and as a
school we are happy for children to do that if they want to providing the costumes are not too scary and they do not bring in any accessories and the costumes are practical- allowing children to carry on with normal school activities. We will also remind children that if they do go out trick or treating- to be kind and respectful, as for some who are alone or vulnerable the whole thing can be intimidating. Please make sure you know what your children are doing and where they are going and accompany younger children. Have fun and stay safe. Bonfire night follows shortly after so please remind children to follow the bonfire night code of safety as we have
been doing in school. Bonfire Night Health & Safety Guide (bonfire-night-safety.co.uk)

Netball Club: P5-7 Netball Coaching starting on Wednesday 2nd November from 3-3:45pm.

Staffing Update: We are very pleased to welcome Carrie Coutts and Curstaidh Mackay to the nursery team this term. We said farewell to Kristi Johnson at the end of last term as she has moved on to another role, but she hopes to be able to help us out when we need cover. We welcome Molly farmer as Learning support cover while we recruit to this post. NOOSC After School Club: there are spaces most days for this provision which runs from 3pm to 5.30pm. If you
would like to book in you will find information on the school blog.

Remembrance Day 11th November – School council have been invited to lay a wreath at the Dunrossness memorial during a short 15 minute service at 10.50 on the 11th November. A consent form for this will be sent home shortly. We will also have a special assembly on 11th which Rev Fran Henderson will lead. This will not be a Christian service – but an act of remembrance for all to share in. Any religious thoughts are always presented in terms of this is what Christians believe or whatever religion is being discussed- so that assemblies remain all-inclusive and respectful for those that hold differing beliefs.

Children in Need Day: 18th November: This will be an opportunity to have some fun- children will be invited to wear something wacky and spotty- if they would like to. Any donations can be made online at Donate to BBC Children in Need so there is no need for children to bring in any money.

Scholastic Book Fair: Was a great success- thank you for all who supported. Hopefully you have received any books ordered. As a result the school has over £600 to spend on books for the school library- and the Little Librarians have been busy compiling a books list in consultation with the children.

School update: Mr. Mackenzie has been busy over the holidays painting various areas of the school and overseeing other works. The main school hall now looks wonderfully fresh with a new coat of paint and the explore and learn room used by the P1s and 2 has had a makeover too.

Parent Council– Hope to run an informal coffee morning on 10th Nov from 9 till 11 in the NOOSC building.

Dates Term 2:

31st Oct P6 play leader training starts
31st Oct P1,2,3 Dance Theatre trip 1pm to 2.30pm at SJH
1st Nov Swimming lessons start for Mareel and Draatsis class                2nd November Netball After School Club Begins 3-3:45pm                    3rd Nov John Coutts visiting for School Photographs                                4th Nov School Nurse visiting for Flu Vaccines                                                  7th Nov P4,5,6 Theatre trip 10am to 11.30 am at SJH
10th Nov Parent Council Coffee Morning TBC
11th Nov Remembrance Day
14th Nov Antibullying Week and Road Safety Week
18th Nov Children in Need Day- Come to school dressed in something funky and spotty
Dec School Christmas Lunch and Christmas jumper day. Date TBC
15th Dec Christmas Concert times and venue to be confirmed.
19th Dec Class Christmas Parties

Best wishes,
Gina Finch

Newsletter 28.9.22

Dear Parents and Carers,

It has been delightful to have all the children back in school this week. They have all settled well and are getting used to the daily school routine.  I have been very impressed with how all of the children new to P1 have transitioned and are rising to the challenges of the school day.

The school diary is filling up quickly so please keep an eye on the dates below and for further information when it comes out.

There have been some small changes to the way we work in school to tell you about.

Visitors:  We are very pleased that we can now welcome parents and visitors back into school for meetings and events.  There is a new visitors signing-in process which is designed to  protect  information and also ensure that  visitors  are identified by wearing a lanyard.  If visiting the school please make sure you sign in at Reception.

Class Names: The children all had fun during their transition days choosing a name for their class, here is what they decided upon.

P1/2 Class as Tammie Norries.

P2/3/4 Class as Orcas

P4/5/6 Class as Draatsis

P6/7 Class as Mareel

Numeracy and Maths lessons are now all happening at the same time for the whole school. This is so Mrs Leslie and myself can work with groups of children from different classes to support their learning. We are also trialling a new Maths scheme which we are running alongside all the other resources that teachers already use.

Jewellery and PE:  As you already know, for health and safety reasons, children are asked not to wear any jewellery except plain studs in pierced ears, to school.  In my time working in schools, I have seen some nasty injuries causes by jewellery such as necklaces which have got caught on something.  This week our PE specialist teachers have been informed that the Health Safety Executive have updated the regulations regarding jewellery, particularly ear rings in PE lessons, informing us that children are not allowed to do any PE whilst wearing earrings of any kind.  This has come as a bit of a surprise to me and until I can find out more information from the Health and Safety Executive, I suggest that children do not wear any type of earring on the day they have PE which is Tuesday.  The PE specialist teacher will support children in taking earrings out and putting back in, but if this is not possible, they will be given activities to do at the side

Assemblies: We plan to have a regular weekly assembly, something that the children asked for when we did a whole school focus event, where we can celebrate learning and invite members of the community to share various topics with the children.  So far for this term we have two visitors planned:

20^th September – Dr Armitage in his role as Councillor talking about looking after the ocean environment

4^th Oct – Rev. Fran Henderson sharing thoughts about Harvest and Food Journeys

NOOSC after school club – has got off to a really positive start with lots of fun activities available. There are spaces everyday so please get in touch with the office if you would like to use this provision.  We do need it to be well used if it is to be viable for the longer term.  At this time it seems unlikely that we will be able to start a breakfast club as this will not be supported by the council and the school budget would not be able to support the staff to run it.

Dates so far:

29^th August P6 Bikability  lessons for 5 weeks.

5^th September  P4 Bikability to start for 4 weeks- more information to follow

21^st September  Orcas class visit to the recycling depo.

23^rd September P4 visit to live performance by Tom Percival – Children’s Author at the Shetland Museum

26^th September  Book fair

28^th September   P7 John Muir Day 1

26^th /27^th September Parent /Teacher consultation   4pm to 6.30pm

7^th Oct  Last day  of Term 1

26^th Oct  Term 2 begins

Best wishes,

Gina Finch

We are still looking for Parent Volunteers for the planned Bikeability training.

Volunteers do not need to be parents of P6 children or commit to all 5 weeks training. If you are able to volunteer for even one week it would be greatly appreciated.

The dates are  Monday 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th September, from 1.45pm-2.45pm.

Please contact the office via phone or email if you think you will be able to assist.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to the new session 2022-23.  I hope you all have managed to have some holiday time over the Summer in spite of the challenging weather!   It has been a joy to greet the children this morning has they hopped, skipped and ran into school.  Although many would have experienced a mix of  excitement and anxiety, hopefully seeing all their friends and teachers again will help them to settle quickly.

Welcome to all our new starters in Nursery and also to the children who have transitioned in to P1 today.  They have all come in really well.  Starting school and returning to school after a long break can be tiring so please make sure your children eat well and get to bed in good time.

Welcome also to new staff  starting with us this term:

Ms Rebecca Halcrow-  Support worker in Nursery (Acting Practitioner for this term)

Ms Molly Farmer-  Play practitioner for after school club

Mr Andrew Feeney – LSA across school

Ms Bernie Saunders-  Support worker in Nursery

The staff have been working hard over the last two in-service days to get the school ready for the children as well as plan exciting learning for this next term.  Each teacher will be sending home a  learning overview and welcome letter in the next few days as well as putting these on the blog which I hope you will find useful, and below you will find some dates of events that have already been planned and which I will add to as other events are organised.

So here are some quick reminders as children get back into the routine this week.

We are a Nurture accredited school, this means that

• Children’s learning is understood developmentally,
• The classroom offers a safe base
• Nurture is important for the development of self esteem
• Language is understood as a vital means of communication
• All behaviour is communication
• Transitions are significant in the lives of children.

We do have high expectation of all our learners and we promote positive behaviour through a nurture approach by developing good respectful relationships between pupils, parents and staff. We use a restorative approach for when things go wrong.  More information can be found on the school blog.

1. PE day is a Tuesday and children need to come to school in their PE kit that day
2. Any children with a mobile phone must have it switched off and kept in their bag during school time.   If they have a smart watch as well- these should have all notifications switched off during the day.
3. We do not encourage children to bring toys into school, unless asked to by the class teacher, but recognise that some children will need a familiar object from home as comfort. These objects/toys need to be small enough to fit in a pocket or the child’s drawer. There is not room on the tables for toys to be stored.
4. Children will be bringing home the new home school diary. This is where teachers and parents can keep school/ home updated when needed, and older children can make a record of any home learning tasks.
5. After School Provision starts today. If you need further information about this please contact the office or look at the school blog.

Dates so far:

25^th  August P6 Bikability- bike check

29^th August P6 Bikability lessons for 5 weeks

26^th September Book fair and week

26^th /27^th September Parent /Teacher consultation   4pm to 6.30pm

28th September P7 John Muir Day 1

7^th Oct  Last day  of Term 1

26^th Oct  Term 2 begins

Best wishes

Gina Finch

Dear Parents and Carers,

Apologies for the late arrival of this newsletter but managing staff absence has been a challenge this week as there seem to be so few supply teachers available – and then they fall ill as well. So Mrs Leslie and myself have been doing a lot of fill in this week, but it is always a joy to work with the children- after all that is why we came into teaching. However at the end of the school day there are lot of jobs to catch up on and the newsletter is one of them!

Sports Day: So sorry we had to postpone this event and disappoint both children and parents.  We have everything crossed that we can do this event next Tuesday 28^th June in the morning at 9.30am.  We really do hope we can do it then as we have no other days available to move it to.  I also hope that the parents who volunteered to help are still able to do so.

P6/7 Enterprise afternoon: This was certainly a lot of fun.  The inflatable obstacle course filled the hall and the inflatable lazer quest filled the pool room.  So Ms Scalan’s class had a busy and exhaustingly great afternoon with hot dogs. We are very grateful to John for organising the hire and setting up of the inflatables and Vicky and Michelle who answered the call for additional support as Ms. Scalan was away at the last minute.

JRSOs presentation in the Town Hall. The five JRSOs have worked hard over the year to raise awareness in road safety and general health and wellbeing, and they got to share their work and impact at a presentation event at the Town Hall in Lerwick today, along with JRSOs from other schools.  We are very proud of the work they have done and the impact they have had.  They presented very well, with a lot of confidence, managing their nervousness really well.  Well done JRSOS!

Antepreschooler open mornings:  It was so wonderful to welcome parents into the setting again and to see the children’s excitement when showing Mummies and Daddies their learning space. Thank you to all who came and for all your support.

P7 Leavers assembly:  This will take place on Thursday 30th June at 1.30pm.  I hope P7 have invited family to come to celebrate their final days at primary school and their transition to secondary.  I have felt privileged to get to know this great group of young people in their final term of primary school and to see how they prepare for moving on.  They have prepared various presentations to share with the school and their families- all in their unique style and I think there may be some surprises in store!   I am very pleased too that Andrea Henderson can also attend as she has seen this group right through school. We do ask all visitors to wear a mask to this event as we are all keen not to pass on any infection let alone Covid just before the Summer holidays!

Parent/Carer Survey: thanks to all who have taken a moment to share their views via this survey.  If you have not had a chance yet, then here is the link which will be open until Friday:

https://forms.office.com/r/6XbY8c87hi

I hope to share the results with you next week.

Toys in school:  A gentle reminder that children should not be bringing in toys from home – unless specifically for comfort or a specific class project, in which case please talk to your class teacher or Mrs Leslie about this.  We are concerned about aspects of hygiene when children play with and share these toys with their playmates when throwing around the playground. The school is well equipped with many resources for children to use throughout the day so there is no need for further items to be brought in from home.  Thank you for your support with this.

NOOSC: We are just updating the forms and information about this service and hope to get that out to you by the end of the week, for parents to book children in for sessions from 17^th Aug.  Ms Molly Farmer is our new play practitioner and she is really looking forward to running the provision.

Upcoming dates:

24^th June Nursery Sports morning

28^th June    Sports Morning 9.30 -11.30  P1-P7

28^th June    Nursery Graduation open afternoon  2.15 to 3.45 for those moving up to P1

30^th June:  Leavers Assembly – P7 parents/carers only, 1.30pm

30^th June   Last stay and play sessions for new starters in Nursery

1^st July       Last day of term- School closes at 3pm, Happy Holidays!

17^th Aug     First day of Term 1

As other dates are confirmed I will update you here.

Best wishes,

Gina Finch