The pupils and staff have participated in many Christmas events during December and this has only been possible with the support of families. On behalf of all of the staff at Heathery Knowe PS, I would like to wish you a very happy Christmas time.
Christmas Cup
Primary 5-7 pupils participated in the football ‘Christmas Cup’ competition on Thursday. It was lovely to see the pupils playing football in Santa hats, cheering one another on and celebrating the success of their friends. Well done to everyone involved and a special thank you to Mrs Robertson for organising the event.
Working with St Louise PS
We held a joint carol concert with St Louise PS on the last day of term and it was lovely to see all of the pupils together in the hall. In the new term, our Primary 6 pupils will work alongside Primary6 from St Louise PS to become ‘Champions for Change’ and challenge sectarianism in our schools and local community. The first pupil session will take place on Thursday 31st January.
Playground Incidents
We have reviewed our processes for recording and feeding back to parents about playground incidents. In January, we will be using a new recording format to record any incidents of aggressive or unkind behaviour and the steps staff have taken to address any issues.
The Senior Leadership Team will then be able to monitor the number of incidents and look for patterns, enabling us to deal with issues more effectively as they arise.
Reading Resources: Book Banding
As part of our commitment to raising attainment in literacy, we have re-organised the teaching of reading and reading scheme books through the school. All the books have been organised into book bands, each one with a different colour. Thank you to Miss Wharton and Mrs Kane who have led the clear out and re-organisation of resources to ensure our pupils have relevant, attractive and up to date resources to use.
Your child’s reading level will be assessed and then they read from a band of books which provides choice and an opportunity to personalise reading. Books from across all the publishers have been put together so they will now have a large choice of books, all of which will be suitable for their ability. When reading with your child please look at the coloured sticker on the book, not the original printed level number. It will look as if children drop down or go up levels as different schemes work to different numbers.
We will hold a parent information session in the new year to update you on the progress we are making in teaching literacy across the school.
What’s on week beginning 7th January?
- Members of the Senior Leadership Team will visit classes as part of the self evaluation process. We are specifically focusing on ensuring there is appropriate pace and challenge in maths.
- Miss Adam and Miss Bryce return to school for a 10 week placement as part of their final year of teacher training. Miss Adam will work in Room 6 alongside Miss Inglis. Miss Bryce will work in Room 3 alongside Miss Deans.
Thank you for your continued support.
Kind regards
Kirsty Duff
