It is lovely to have all children back at school. On behalf of the staff at Heathery Knowe, I would like to express our thanks to parents and family members for supporting learning throughout the period of school closure. Most children have come back to school feeling confident about their learning and wellbeing. We hope that restrictions will be relaxed further during the Summer term and that children will have an opportunity to play and learn more freely.
Breakfast Clubs
As you are aware, breakfast clubs across South Lanarkshire Council were put on hold previously due to Covid-19. Following the recent Scottish Government announcement, I am pleased to advise that these will restart after the Easter break.
The role of breakfast clubs is wider than the provision of food. Breakfast clubs are generally considered to enhance academic performance and behaviour of children. They can help develop social skills, provide a calm and safe environment before school and assist children to be ready to learn when the formal school day begins.
- Breakfast Clubs will restart from Monday 19th Aprill 2021 and will be free for everyone,
- Breakfast Clubs will be open from 8.15am to 8:45am and provide breakfast only. Children should arrive in time to eat breakfast before it closes at 8.45am.
- The school’s Cook in Charge will prepare and serve breakfast items to pupils,
- There will be a staff presence in place to create a safe, secure environment
In order to assist with planning of the free breakfast club from 8.15am, I would ask you to complete the form below to register for Breakfast Club starting on 19th April.
https://forms.gle/gXBq9LhKzhCPhv576
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.
PTC Scavenger Hunt
The PTC has organised a scavenger hunt for pupils to participate in over Spring break. There are 16 different items to draw, describe or find that you would see in the local area. Completed entries should be returned after Spring break and entered in to the prize draw. Each entry costs £2 and all profits will be used by the PTC to support children’s learning.
The winner will receive a cuddly bunny and runners up will receive Easter eggs.
Mobile Testing Unit
A COVID-19 Mobile Testing Unit is currently situated at the Holiday Inn East Kilbride car park for individuals with or without COVID symptoms. The community testing initiative aims to drive down COVID-19 rates and transmission by identifying positive cases more quickly, as people can spread the virus to others before symptoms appear. Dr Jackie Hyland, NHS Lanarkshire Consultant in Health Protection, said: “Covid-19 can be spread by people who don’t have symptoms or the symptoms are so mild people may not recognise that they have the infection. For the benefit of yourself and your community, I would encourage as many people as possible to get a test. The test results will help to detect the virus and limit its spread”.
Tests can be booked in advance at https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test, scroll down to the ‘start now’ button, or telephone 0800 028 2816. Anyone booking a test online should select the ‘taking part in community testing’ option.
For more information visit: Community testing begins in South Lanarkshire | NHS Lanarkshire (scot.nhs.uk)
Local Community Safety
Heathery Knowe PS children have been reminded that they are representing themselves, their family and their school when playing in the local area and should continue to be safe and show kindness at all times.
We have reminded children of the following important points and would appreciate if parents could reinforce this at home:
- It is important to always find a safe place to cross and never cross between parked cars. We will continue to reinforce road safety over the next two weeks.
- Litter should always be placed in a bin or stored in a pocket until they find a bin.
- Children should not take short cuts across the gardens of local residents.
- Children should not enter someone’s garden to retrieve a ball or toy without permission.
Thank you for your continued support.
Kind regards
Kirsty Duff
