Author: H. hknoweps

I am delighted to be writing my second blog this week. We have all had a super week in Heathery Knowe. As usual, it has been busy every day with lots of lovely learning taking place across the school. Once again I have been supported to write the blog by some of our wonderful senior pupils. I don’t know how I would have managed without their insightful contributions.

Building The Learning Power

The whole staff team participated in training on the in-service day on Monday. It was a very informative day. We learned about the different ways we can:

· Help young people to help themselves become better learners.

· Develop students’ learning habits.

· Prepare young people for a lifetime of learning.

Book Week Scotland

Book Week Scotland has been a success with every class participating in events such as paired buddy reading, online Authors’ Live events, art activities and creative story writing. You will find lots of photos on Twitter.

Book Fair

The book fair has arrived in school to coincide with Book Week. The children have been given the opportunity to visit the book fair this week and will bring home a book wish list detailing the title of the book and the cost. If you wish to buy a book for your child, please do so by filling the book fair order form which will be posted on Google Classroom and Twitter. Payments should be made via the school Parent Pay system.

SSPCA Visits

We are looking forward to welcoming the SSPCA in school next week to develop our knowledge through the theme of ‘Animal  Adventures’. This event  will be held outdoors.  Please ensure that your child has appropriate clothing with them every day.

Financial Support

A letter was shared with parents this week on Google Classroom and Twitter with information about support for finances that may be available for some families. If you wish to discuss this further then please contact the school.

P6 Sports Leadership

Being a sports leader involves training to develop  skills and communication to lead and organise different  sports clubs for younger pupils. Gabby and Georgia share their experience of becoming sports leaders.

We enjoyed training with Mr Allardice who was very kind and helpful if we had trouble learning new things at training. It’s important to train for being sports leaders so we can teach and help younger pupils to be safe and have fun at the new after school club. We personally think that younger pupils will have a great time and will be able to learn how to play games fairly.  We hope that one day the younger children  could start a club or make new types of sports or even become champions in sport (that’s if they want to) the choice is up to them to sign up. We really enjoy these wonderful opportunities to become sports leaders and also we’re keeping fit and staying healthy at the same time.

Flu Vaccine Catch Up 

The catch-up flu immunisation for children who missed it will be on Wednesday 1st December.

P3 Multi-sports Club 

Primary 3’s enjoyed their 4 weeks of after school multi-sports club run by our fantastic Active Schools team. A huge thank you goes to Craig and Leah for putting the P3’s through their paces with a variety of fun activities.  Megan, Luke and Jack all agree that it was amazing!  

Sumdog Club report by James

This week some pupils in room 10 and room 6 have been doing a club at lunchtime practising their numeracy with Sumdog! On Sumdog there is a variety of different games, such as powerboat, go kart, street racer, pier walk, trim time, plant busters and lots more!

Sumdog helps you learn lots of different skills in Maths, Literacy and Grammar. You can learn how to add, subtract, multiply, divide and lots more with maths. Literacy helps with spelling different words. And grammar helps to put correct words in correct punctuation and sentences.

Christmas Arrangements

A Christmas timetable will be shared with parents on the week beginning 22nd November which will include details of class parties, performances and other festive dates.

Finally I wish you all a lovely weekend and thank you sincerely for your continued support.

Kind Regards

Mrs French

It is a privilege to be writing the blog this week in place of Mrs Duff. I had to call upon a team of people to support me in making sure I had the correct information to share with our families. This week my support guest editors were some Primary 7 pupils.

I am very proud of the children this week and have spent time in several classes observing and supporting learning. It was clear to me that the children felt happy, confident and ready to learn in school.

Welcome

This week we welcomed back Mrs Sarah Caldwell from her maternity leave. It is lovely to have her back in school and she will work in Room 6 on a Tuesday.

Armistice Day

On Thursday we marked Armistice Day with a two minute silence in class. Sophie and Karli captured a snapshot of the respectful contributions some classes made.

“Yesterday was the 11^th of November which is known as Remembrance Day. In school most children took part in a 2 minute silence at 11 o’clock. Across the school many classes have been learning about the importance of Remembrance Day.  Primary 4 in Room 6 listened to ‘In Flanders Fields’ and looked at a power point. Primary 5 also watched a power point about Remembrance Day.  Room 8 drew and coloured some poppies.  Primary 7 also watched a power point and listened to ‘In Flanders Fields’. Two of our Primary 7 pupils wrote a poem each”.

Book Week Scotland

We are busy behind the scenes preparing for Book Week Scotland next week. We are a literacy loving school and we take every opportunity to foster a love for reading books and listening to stories. We have an eventful week planned with the icing on the cake being the launch of our new and very much improved HK Library. Thank you to our P6 Librarians who have been busy organising books and resources. We are very grateful for the donations of books given to us by families. We are still accepting donations so please send any pre-loved books to the office. We have set up a wish list for books on Amazon on our Parent Pay.  Abbie, Emma and Sophie prepared a small blurb about Book Week in HK.

“On Tuesday the 16^th of November we are going to be starting Book Week in HK. This is going on until 19^th November.  P1 to P3 will be getting read, write and count bags. Everyone will get the chance to visit the new library throughout the day.  P4 to P7 will do buddy reading with the younger ones. Every child will be doing a book cover design of their choice.  As well as that every student will be asked to complete a task on Google Classroom that involves uploading a video or photo of you and your family reading together in an unusual spot around your home. On Friday the 19^th November at 2:30pm we will be doing book and a biscuit. All the classes with take part in book and a biscuit. The pupil or teacher will read a book and enjoy a biscuit and some juice if they would like.  Everyone will do a writing task based on their favourite story but you will instead swap one of the characters for your own”. 

Sportshall Athletics Competition

On Friday 19th November some of our Primary 6 children from our lunchtime Athletics Club will be attending a  Sportshall Athletics Competition in John Wrights Sports Centre supported by Mrs Robertson. We wish them good luck and we know they will be excellent role models out with school.

P7 Swimming

P7 continue to be role models at swimming. They have almost finished their block with their last lesson taking place on Thursday 25th November.  Primary 6 will begin their lessons on Thursday 2nd December.  Andrew, Isla, Brooke and Maison wrote about their experience so far.

“When P7 enter the Dollan Aqua Centre they represent Heathery Knowe for the time they are there. Once they enter the pool they warm up and they do their warm up by doing the front crawl, back crawl and breast stroke. After that they will learn how to get better at the stroke. Learning the strokes takes a long time but we got there. At the end of the lesson we have play time and play for 5 minutes. After we have all got dressed, we go to the bus and go back to school.  Some of us go to supported study and do more work”. 

Autumn Cup Football League

The children enjoyed participating in the Autumn Cup Football League organised by our Janitor Mr Wilson. Declan, Gene, Holly, Alfie and Olivia provided a detailed account of the exciting week that all players and spectators enjoyed.

“These are the teams- City, Burgh, Rovers, Villa, Wanders, and YC. In the Autumn Cup there was a group stage split up from the top three teams and the bottom three. The top three teams are Burgh, City, and Rovers. In the bottom three are Villa, Wanders, and YC. At the end of the group stage, the top from each group were Burgh and YC. Second in the group were City and Wanders. In third place in each group were Rovers and Villa.  Fifth and sixth playoffs. The Score was 3-3 [Rovers win 3-1 on penalties.] Third and fourth place playoff. The final score was 3-1 City. The highlight moment was when Declan scored a volley on the halfway line. In the final the first score was 3-3, then it went to penalties. Burgh won 4-3 on sudden death penalties. Burgh won the Cup!”

Entry to Playground at Dismissal Time

All three gates to the playground will be open at 3.00pm to allow families to access the playground to collect their children. Classes use the playground up until 3.00pm for outdoor learning and PE.

Finally I wish you all a lovely weekend and thank you sincerely for your continued support.

Kind Regards

Mrs French

The senior pupils enjoyed participating in and supporting the ‘Autumn Cup’ football tournament. Thank you to Mr Wilson for continuing to lead the school football league. The children are enjoying developing skills in football and working as a team.

Flu Immunisation 

There is an additional flu immunisation session at school on 1st December. Any child who missed the first session, can be vaccinated on 1st December 2021.

Sumdog

Every school pupil has a log in for Sumdog. Sumdog is an adaptive website with questions aligned to the curriculum. By participating in Sumdog, children are able to reinforce key literacy and numeracy skills in a fun way.

Teachers are able to set tasks on Sumdog that are closely matched to classroom learning including current spelling lists, numeracy concepts and grammar content. Children enjoy the games based approach with the reward of coins for completing tasks and correct answers. There are in school leaderboards and children compete against friends, share coins or spend them on their avatar.

As it is an adaptive website, it carries out an initial test to set the level and then adjusts questions in response to answers given. It is essential that older siblings and adults do not help the child with answers or it will become too difficult for the child to complete independently. If this happens, the child’s account needs to be reset and an additional diagnostic assessment will be part of the child’s programme the next time they log in.

Even if this is not set as a homework activity, I would encourage children to log in and practise their skills using Sumdog for 10-20 minutes each day.

If you would like to find out more about Sumdog, please use the link below:

https://www.sumdog.com/en/support/parents/

Uniform

Thank you to parents for their continued efforts to ensure pupils come to school in uniform. Children should wear shirt and tie or polo shirt along with skirt or trousers. We appreciate that some pupils are sensitive to the fabric of clothing and find wearing a shirt and tie unsettling. Please let us know if your child needs an individual arrangement for uniform. Shoes should be comfortable and with good grips to enable children to play freely without slipping.

Almost all children wear uniform each day and I appreciate your support to sustain high  standards. If you need any items of uniform, please contact Miss Wharton.

Adverse Weather Arrangements

All children will have an opportunity to play and learn outdoors during winter. However, if the weather is icy then it may be necessary to close the Nursery garden or areas of the playground. Children enjoy playing in snow and if it is safe underfoot, children may be allowed to choose to go out to play in snowy weather. Please ensure your child carries gloves, scarf, hat and a change of socks over the winter months.

The janitor’s priority is to ensure there are safe walking routes into school and these will always be gritted first. The first route is the access gate at the left hand side of the building and up to the front door. The janitor will then move on as quickly as possible to clear a route from the right hand access gate, along the side of the pitch and towards the cafeteria door.

South Lanarkshire Council has issued its updated guidance on preparing for adverse weather conditions. Every effort will be made to ensure that Heathery Knowe PS remains open to pupils. However, in cases of severe weather conditions, there may be a need to open later, close earlier or be closed all day.

A parent guide to adverse weather arrangements can be accessed using the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pM38C7gTr7-

This is a Microsoft Publisher document. If you cannot access this file, a paper copy can be provided by the office.

Head Teacher Absence

From Monday 8th November, I will be absent from work as I need to take medical leave for upcoming surgery. I hope to return to work at the start of December. In my absence, Mrs French will be Acting Head Teacher supported by Mrs McGee, Miss Inglis and Miss Wharton.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Kirsty Duff

I hope the children who attended the school Hallowe’en disco had a wonderful time. I would like to extend my thanks to everyone in the school community who made this possible.

Christmas fayre

The PTC have decided not to hold a Christmas Fayre this year as the rules for reducing Covid transmission are too restrictive to hold an event that is near the normal experience. There will be opportunities for raffles through Parentpay.

Winter Art Gallery

The school are planning to hold the outdoor winter art gallery with mince pies and a children’s choir available. It will be held week beginning 13th December. An exact date will be set once a weather forecast is available for the week.

Car Boot Sale 

On 6th November there will be a car boot sale to raise funds for the school library.

This provides an excellent opportunity for children to participate in an activity that involves recycling, sustainability, enterprise and business. I hope as many families as possible can support this event by having a stall or coming along to visit.

Each car will have a double pitch to allow social distancing and also space to put up golf umbrellas etc if the weather is unkind. If someone would like a pitch but do not have a car then they can let us know and a space can be made available on the pavement.

Members of the local community are welcome to book pitches.

Please use the form link below to book a pitch:

https://forms.gle/78AgpXH3iiT7SdHL8

Donations 

We would be very grateful for the following donations:

• used books suitable for 0-12 year olds for our new library
• used frames of different shapes and sizes for the winter art gallery
• used Halloween costumes that are no longer required that we can launder and save for next year.
• used sportswear – hoodies, jogging bottoms and trainers in good condition.
• used clothes hanging rails or shoe racks for storing donated items.
• used  winter jackets, hats, gloves and scarves.

If you require any support with clothing or Christmas gifts for your children, please contact Miss Wharton.

Residential Experience for P7

As the Covid restrictions have relaxed a little, we are  in a position to reserve a residential experience in the Manor House at Lockerbie Manor. No payment will be made to the company at this time.

We are reserving the weekend of 6-8th May. The cost will be £170 plus the cost of the return bus. The school will make every effort to support the children to fundraise for the cost of the bus however a contribution from parents will still be required.

Please contact Mrs French or Miss Wharton if you need to discuss any aspect of this experience before making a decision if you child will attend.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Kirsty Duff

I hope everyone had an enjoyable and restful holiday. It was lovely to welcome everyone back to school this week and I was delighted to see how quickly children settled back into school life and learning.

Hallowe’en and Bonfire Night

Halloween: In school we recognise Hallowe’en through literacy and expressive arts. Teachers may plan Hallowe’en activities  focused around spooky stories, poems and visual arts. Children are not permitted to dress up during the school day or bring costume accessories into school.

Please remember Heathery Knowe PS is a nut free zone therefore peanuts and snacks containing nuts cannot be consumed in school. 

Bonfire Night: The focus of bonfire night in school will be around staying safe around fire and fireworks, the history of Guy Fawkes and the reason for the event and the impact this has on the environment. Children may engage in literacy, numeracy or expressive arts activities in relation to this event.

Staffing Update

Miss Houldsworth is starting maternity leave next Friday (29th October). She will be replaced by Mrs Caldwell and Mrs Furrie. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Miss Houldsworth well as she prepares to welcome her first baby in the next few weeks.

Education Reform Consultation

You may know that Scottish education is undergoing a period of review and reform led by Professor Ken Muir. It is important that as many parents, pupils and professionals share their views and take the opportunity to contribute to the future of education in Scotland’s schools.

If you would like to contribute to the consultation process, please click the link below:

https://consult.gov.scot/learning-directorate/independent-education-reform-review/

Winter Clothing 

South Lanarkshire Council run a winter clothing campaign every year.  If you would like to request a winter jacket or coat for your children or someone in your family, please complete the Google form using this link:

https://forms.gle/s3cSHz6zwKEzj8s29

Very soon there will be another link made available for sportswear. As soon as the link is available, I will share it with the parents using the blog.

Indoor Shoes 

All children need indoor shoes for school so that they are comfortable during the day. If you need financial support with purchasing winter shoes, please let Miss Wharton know and we will arrange to purchase these for your child.

Christmas 

Current restrictions mean that Christmas performances will be virtual this year as adult audiences are not permitted because of Covid-19.

Christmas parties will go ahead in stage groups and the dates will be issued next week.  Children are invited to wear party clothes for these events. Children are invited to wear a Christmas jumper or other Christmas item along with uniform on the day of the Christmas lunch.

PTC

The next PTC meeting will be held on Tuesday 26th October via Zoom. If you would like to join the meeting, please contact the PTC secretary, Mrs Davidson, using the following email address: hkptc.secretary@gmail.com

Athletics

This week, senior pupils in the Athletics team attended their first event since the pandemic. We were proud of our team’s positive attitude, respect for others and commitment to represent Heathery Knowe PS.

Thank you to Mr Loveday for volunteering to take this extra curricular activity and providing an opportunity for children to participate in this competitive sports event.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Kind regards

Kirsty Duff

The children have really enjoyed creating class scarecrows this week. On Monday morning, all scarecrows will be displayed outside the main entrance and we will also have a harvest table there for any donations of non perishable food or toiletries for the local foodbank. Please take a moment to look at our creations. Thank you to all families who made a family scarecrow and brought it into school. I hope you enjoyed the project.

MP Visit 

As part of World School Milk Day, Dr Lisa Cameron (Minister of Parliament) will visit Heathery Knowe Primary School and Nursery class on Thursday 7th October. The children are really looking forward to meeting her and showing her around the school.

Leading Learners

Next week parents will receive the first edition of the Leading Learners newsletter. This is a termly newsletter, providing parents with information about attainment and achievement, school improvement, self evaluation and next steps for the term ahead.

Library Fund 

The school has invested in updating the school library this session and look forward to officially opening our new library on Tuesday 16th November. We have purchased all of the furnishings needed and are hoping to secure donations from local businesses to purchase new books.  From Monday 18th October, there will be an option to make a small donation to the book fund on ParentPay or to purchase a book from a wish list to donate to school. We would be very grateful if you could support this in any way.

We are also accepting donations of books suitable for children from birth – 12 years old to stock the library and to fulfil our pledge that every child at Heathery Knowe PS and Nursery has 5 or more appropriate books at home.

Awards for All 

The school has made an application to the Awards for All National Lottery funding requesting £10,000 to improve the outdoor learning area. The aim is to create a inclusive and literacy rich community outdoor learning space. If we are successful, this would be used to fund an outdoor library, weather proof shelters and spaces to read. We would include sensory rich areas and encourage family reading in the school grounds after school.

Eco Schools 

Miss Meek, Mrs Munn, Mr Loveday and Mrs Kerr are leading the school towards its first Eco-Schools award. The focus of this is reducing litter, reducing food waste and improving school grounds. Each class is represented on the committee by their elected eco representative.  We will keep everyone updated on our progress using Twitter.

Youth Scotland 

Heathery Knowe PS has registered as a participating unit with Youth Scotland. This allows us to deliver accredited wider achievement awards with children at all ages of the school. Children under 10 years old can participate in Hi 5 awards and children who are 10 years old and older will participate in Dynamic Youth awards. Both awards are regulated by Youth Scotland and are accredited by the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework (SCQF). More information is available about the awards using the following link:

https://www.youthscotland.org.uk/awards/

Children will begin to participate in the qualifications from January 2022.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Kirsty Duff

It’s amazing how quickly the school session is passing. Staff and pupils are looking forward to two shorter weeks and a long rest over the September weekend. Everyone in the school community is working very hard to ensure children have the highest quality experiences and I am very grateful for the support from staff, parents and the local community.

Start Time 

The official school start time is 9am however with Covid restrictions, children have been accessing the building from 8.45am to ensure stairwells and cloak rooms are quieter. This was maintained at the start of this school term while the children were settling back in.

This mitigation can now be removed from our risk assessment and we will return to the normal time for entering the school building of 9am. This means children will be able to socialise in the playground for a short time before school.

The first bell will ring at 8.55am and everyone in the playground should assemble in the class lines at this point.

Primary One children are now settled into school and both gates will be open for all pupils. Primary One and Two will assemble at the classroom doors in the morning rather than entering through the flower pot garden door.

There will be no changes to routines at the end of the day.

 Curriculum Levels

Parents of pupils in P2-7 will receive information about their child’s attainment levels prior to teacher consultation calls on Tuesday and Wednesday.  If you need any support to understand the levels and what it means for your child’s progress, please do not hesitate to contact me for P2-4 and Mrs French for P5-7.

If your child is taking a little longer to achieve levels than is expected for most children, the teacher will be happy to explain the additional support being provided for them in school. If you have time to do a little extra with your child in the evenings or weekends to help them make progress, please let us know and extra resources and activity ideas can be provided.

Scarecrow Week

There is a significant focus in school on raising attainment in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. We take opportunities to celebrate events and nurture creative skills and talent throughout the year. The first event is the school wide celebration of Harvest as part of religious observance. Primary 3 will lead a virtual harvest assembly. Mrs Spence and Primary 6 are arranging a collection for the local foodbank.

Each class will create a scarecrow to display in the grass are at the front of the playground. Parents, pupils and members of the local community are welcome to come over and admire our efforts and leave a non perishable item for the Harvest table.

Families are invited (and encouraged) to take some time over the long weekend to create a scarecrow at home to bring over to the display area. We would love to see your creations at home. Mrs French and I are working on our design at the moment.

Parent Consultations

Parent consultations take place by telephone on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Slots have been allocated based on the return of the tear off slip. Please note, it is likely that many of the calls will appear to be from a withheld number.

Parent consultation evenings run on very tight schedules. Please remember that the call will only last around 7 minutes and then the teacher needs to move on to another call. However, if any parent needs a longer appointment then a follow up meeting can be arranged for a suitable time.

School Fund

A School Fund Committee has now been set up to administer the school fund. The PTC will be provided with a school fund update at each meeting. This will be part of the Head Teacher’s report.

The School Fund committee is made up of:

• Mrs McKay (Admin)
• Mrs Duff (Head Teacher)
• Mrs Munn (Teacher Representative)
• Mrs McGee (signatory)
• Mrs French (signatory)
• Mrs McPherson (Nursery)

The constitution will be shared with all parents following the meeting on Tuesday.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Kirsty Duff

Primary 1 pupils are now confident in school routines and are making good progress in learning.

If you have any concerns about your child’s progress in learning or how well they have settled into the new school year, please get in touch with the office and we can arrange a telephone meeting to  discuss this further.

Parent Consultations

The school normally schedules parent consultation meetings to take place at the end of September. This year teachers will not be able to meet parents in person to discuss their child’s progress because of Covid restrictions. This year there will be telephone consultations in the last two weeks of September.

If you have any concerns about your child’s progress and feel you need to speak with a member of teaching staff sooner, please contact headteacher@heatheryknowe-pri.s-lanark.sch.uk and it will be shared with the class teacher for a response.

Quality Link Officer Visit 

Mrs Waheeda Huq is the school’s Quality Link Officer. She works alongside me to support the school’s continuing journey towards excellence. On Thursday morning she visited Rooms 2, 6 and 10 to engage with learners and observe teaching and learning.

Within all classes, Mrs Huq found that the children were highly engaged and ready to learn. She recognised that the school values of being safe, kind and ready are embedded in classroom practice. The children she met with could speak confidently about their learning journey both in terms of next steps but also personal targets and areas to consolidate.

The school and nursery recovery plan has been fully discussed and we are now able to move on confidently with the next stage of school improvement in partnership with South Lanarkshire Council.

Covid 19

Please remember lateral flow tests can be used routinely when you are free from Covid symptoms. If you have any Covid symptons, you should self isolate and book a PCR test. A negative lateral flow test is not sufficiently accurate to assure you that you do not have Covid when symptoms are present.

This means children should not come to school with a cough and the reassurance that a lateral flow test was negative. A persistent cough is a symptom of Covid and only a negative PCR test accurately shows they are not infected.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Kirsty Duff

As we finish another busy week of learning, I hope all families enjoy a well earned rest over the weekend. All of the children have settled back into school life and are settled into learning routines.

Flu Immunisation 

NHS Lanarkshire has delayed the date of delivery of the flu vaccination programme in school from 16th September to a new date of 23rd September. If you have not returned your child’s permission slip, please do so as soon as possible.

Dates for your diary

Normally we issue an annual calendar with all dates set out for the year however within the current climate, we felt it was better to plan in blocks and assess the restrictions around COVID 19 each term.

The following calendar is the plan until the end of December but is subject to change if required by Public Health.

HK Build a Scarecrow

From Friday 24th September until Friday 1st October, families are invited to work together to create a scarecrow for the outdoor display. You are welcome to join with another family to create a shared scarecrow. The scarecrow can be made to look like a traditional scarecrow, book character, famous person, HK Hugo or even Mrs French! The Gardening Club will make one as an example to be displayed during the week beginning 20th September.

Each class will make a scarecrow. During the week of 4th – 8th October, they will be on display at the grass area at the side of the school beside St Louise PS. Families will be welcome to come along and see everyone’s efforts.

Cycling and scooting to school

Children are encouraged to walk, cycle or scoot to school as much as possible. As well as the health benefits this brings, it also helps reduce traffic around the school.

If cycling or scooting, we recommend that children wear a suitable helmet and, particularly as the mornings become darker, bright/reflective clothing. They must dismount their bike/ scooter before entering the school gates and push it to the bike rack. Children should also walk their bike/scooter out of the playground at the end of the day.

Learning Pods

There are four small learning pods around  the school for children to engage in quiet, small group learning activities. There are three on the first floor and one on the ground floor. This provides children with an attractive space to work with an adult to extend or consolidate learning. Mrs French is putting the finishing touches to the areas and will share photographs over the next few weeks.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Kirsty Duff

We have reached the end of another very busy week of learning at Heathery Knowe PS and Nursery Class and I am delighted to see almost all learners are settled and working purposefully towards their learning targets.

Settling in meetings

For some children starting school or changing classes can be very unsettling. Over the next week, Mrs French, Mrs McGee and I will be contacting parents of pupils who have not settled readily into the new school session to arrange an early settling in review. This will provide an opportunity for the class teacher, member of the leadership team and parents to meet together and discuss the best way to support the child.

If you feel that your child has not settled well and you would like to request an early settling in review, please contact the following members of the leadership team:

Nursery – Primary 2 – Mrs Duff
Primary 3-4 – Mrs McGee
Primary 5-7 – Mrs French

Targeted Support 

Every year, we provide targeted support for learning for children who require additional support in one or more aspects of their learning or wellbeing. This is done through a staged intervention process. If your child receives targeted support, you will be informed of the intervention and measures of success.

Stage 1 intervention – this is an intervention provided within class and by the staff normally working in the classroom. It can involve additional resources, additional teaching time or an individualised plan.

Stage 2 intervention – this is an intervention provided within the school resources. Stage 2 interventions are required if the child needs more support than can be provided within the class. Normally the child will be supported / taught in a small group with staff from within the school for a short period of time during the week to make progress in a particular area.

Stage 3  intervention – this is an intervention provided by resources outwith the school but within Education Resources. The Specialist Support Teacher, Elaine Byrne, visits the school for 1.5 days each week and works with children supported at stage 3.

Now that the children have been in class for two weeks, we are able to start providing interventions to support children’s learning arising through additional support needs or as part of the school’s Covid 19 recovery curriculum. Interventions are specific and targeted and only in place for as long as is required to support the child.

Mrs French is the school and nursery Additional Support Needs co-ordinator and oversees all of the interventions in place to support learners.

If you have any concerns about your child’s progress in learning or attainment, please contact Mrs Duff for Nursery – Primary 4 and Mrs French for P5-7.

Covid 19 Procedures

The guidance regarding positive cases of Covid-19 within educational establishments has been updated.  On receipt of a positive PCR test result, a communication to parents would be issued to advise of a positive case within our school community.

Individual children and classes will not form part of track and trace and will not be asked to isolate as a close contact within education.

If there is a positive case within your home, I would ask that you inform the school and follow the steps advised by the NHS.

Blurt Foundation

I am delighted to share that Heathery Knowe PS has been selected to participate in an education project in partnership with The Blurt Foundation. Primary 7 pupils will participate in developing their knowledge of emotional wellbeing and positive mental health by participating in the national education programme.

You can find out more about the programme by clicking on the following link:

The Blurt Education Programme

Participatory Budgeting 

Education Resources at South Lanarkshire Council have confirmed their commitment to a process of ‘Participatory Budgeting’. This is a method of allowing all school stakeholders to take part in spending decisions regarding Pupil Equity Funding.

There is an overall budget of £10,000 allocated to improving school grounds to raise attainment and support pupil wellbeing. The aim of the project is to:

• Improve grounds for outdoor learning, leading to higher levels of engagement in real life contexts for learning.
• Improve health and wellbeing by promoting play at all school stages, engaging learners during breaks to reduce instances of unsettled behaviour.
• Improve collaborative learning opportunities and encourage pupils to extend learning in the natural environment.

All parents, pupils and stakeholders will be consulted by questionnaire and focus groups.  We are looking for a group of 6 -8 parents to join the consultation group on how this money is allocated.  Parents involved in the consultation group need to be available throughout the financial year.  If this is something you are interested in and can commit to the meetings, please contact Mrs French or Miss Wharton by Wednesday 1^st September with your name, contact information and the name of your child/ren (to ensure we have representation throughout the school).

If you’d like more information on ‘Participatory Budgeting’ please visit https://pbscotland.scot/pb-in-schools.

Adult Volunteers

We hope that we will be able to welcome adult volunteers back into school soon to support children’s learning or to share talents.

If you would like to help within school, either to support children’s learning or to teach children a new skill, please contact Miss Wharton to let her know.

All adults volunteering in school must have a PVG certificate issued by Disclosure Scotland before they can start in school.

What’s on next week?

Mrs Duff visiting classes to discuss Promoting Positive Relationships and Understanding Distressed Behaviour

Monday – P7 Gardening Club

Thursday – Educational Psychologist meeting Mrs Duff for planning meeting.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Kirsty Duff