I begin my blog this week with a special event which took place this afternoon. Some of the Primary 6 pupils, along with Mr Hall and myself,  took part in the enrolment service for the Pope Francis Faith Award  at 12 o’clock Mass in Our Lady & St. John’s church. The young people requested support from their families, the parish community and the school as they embark on a journey to develop their personal faith by putting it into action through using their talents and gifts to help those around them. Thank you Caitlin Cairney and Adam Brennan for doing the Offertory Procession and Caitlyn Tops and Ethan McGee for reading so well. Thank you also to Father Stephen for his help and support.

On Tuesday of this week we attended Mass in the church for the Feast of All Saints and the children behaved impeccably, particularly our new Primary 1 pupils.

In the classes this week the boys and girls have been very busy…

Primary 1/2

The children have completed their class charter as part of the Making Rights Real programme. The children worked with Mrs Kelly to talk about what makes a happy classroom and agreed how they could achieve this by their actions. In topic the children have been using their information handling skills by counting mini beasts and displaying the results in a bar graph. The children were also creating ‘spooky’ 3D objects as part of their Halloween Maths on Monday of this week. In RE the children have finished learning about the Rosary.

Primary 2/3/4

In Literacy, the children have been writing imaginative stories using the outdoor learning area as a stimulus. In Numeracy & Mathematics the class have begun work on money concepts. They will be looking at coins, totals, calculating change and learning about handling budgets. These skills will then be applied in the class Christmas Enterprise topic. In Science the children have planted their Spring bulbs in the community garden. The class have also completed their class charter for the Making Rights Real and have it proudly displayed in their class.

Primary 5/6/7

The boys and girls have started work on money problems in Numeracy & Maths, including calculating change and looking at the concept of interest payments in the context of credit and debit cards. The children have now been organised into their collaborative  working groups, ready to start work on their Christmas Enterprise topic.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Mrs McCart

Head Teacher

I hope you all had a very enjoyable and restful October holiday. I can’t believe we are in the second term already! It has been a very busy week in the school. On Thursday we had our Curriculum Evening. This was an opportunity for parents and carers to see round the classrooms, view teaching resources and chat to the teachers about the curriculum for their children’s age and stage. Thank you to everyone who attended. We received very positive comments from parents who remarked on the high quality of display in the corridors and classrooms, as well as finding it useful to have a chance to see first hand, the positive learning environment for our pupils.

As you know, a focus for school improvement this year is a review of approaches to the learning and teaching of Numeracy & Mathematics. As part of our self-evaluation process we want to gather stakeholders’ views on how we teach this important curricular area and are seeking feedback from the pupils and parents and carers. Your should have received a survey last week and we would be very grateful if you could complete this and return to school as soon as possible.

Primary 7 pupils began their cycle safety training on Thursday and with bikes passing road worthiness checks, the children are ready to begin their training in earnest this week. My thanks to Miss Wadsworth and Mrs Birtles for supporting the pupils in this important life skill. Fingers crossed we keep this lovely Autumn weather!

In the classrooms this week, the children have been hard at work.

Primary1/2

The boys and girls have been learning about the different types of mini beasts and how to sort them into categories. They have also been learning about food chains. Primary 1 continue to build upon their knowledge of  single sounds in their Phonics and primary 2 are developing their reading vocabulary.

Primary 2/3/4

The adventures of the Secret Island continue as the children explore how they will travel to their secret island. In Numeracy & Mathematics the children are focussing on subtraction.

Primary 5/6/7

The children have completed their work on place value in Numeracy & Mathematics and are now further developing their mental agility by looking at various mental strategies. The class have been working collaboratively to produce a presentation for their topic on transport.

The week was rounded off with spooky celebrations as the staff and pupils took part in a Halloween Parade and disco. The children looked fantastic in their costumes and rounded off the day with a tasty ice cream treat, kindly donated by Tesco and after school,  had ‘spooktacular’ fun at the disco. Many thanks to the Partnership Group for organising this, with particular thanks to Mrs Cairney, Mrs Kydd, Miss Livingstone, Miss McTaggart, Mrs Tops and Mr Kydd our fantastic DJ!

Finally, looking to the week ahead, the whole school will attend Mass on Tuesday 1st of November at 9.10 am in the church for the feast of All Saints. Then on Wednesday we have our monthly Partnership Group meeting at 6.00 pm. On Friday, our school football and netball teams will take part in their first tournament of the year at Blackwood Primary School and we wish both teams the best of luck!

Thank you for reading my blog.

Mrs McCart

Head Teacher

We said goodbye to Primary 6 and 7 on Monday afternoon as the bus was packed and they headed off for a week of adventure at Lockerbie Manor. What a week they had! We were all kept up to date throughout the week hearing of abseiling, night walks, canoeing and zip slides to name only a few of the activities. However, for me the success of the week was no more evident than when you saw the smiling, excited boys and girls return to school, buzzing to tell all their stories of adventure. The staff at Lockerbie Manor were full of our praise for our youngsters, consistently commenting on their positive attitude, manners, teamwork and encouragement for others throughout the whole week. I am immensely proud of all our Primary  6 and 7 boys and girls– well done! A huge thanks has to go to Miss Wadsworth and Mr Hall who accompanied our pupils and provided first class care and support throughout the week as well. I’ve posted some photographs below. You can see more photographs on our Twitter account @StJohns.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Mrs McCart

I was delighted this week to visit the classes and speak to pupils about their learning and life in their classroom. The boys and girls of St. John’s continue to impress with their enthusiastic attitude to their learning and their understanding of the skills for life, learning and work that they are developing. There was also much excitement this week as our senior pupils prepared for their outward bound excursion to Lockerbie Manor. We say goodbye to Primary 6 and 7 pupils, Miss Wadsworth and Mr Hall on Monday afternoon as they head off for a week of adventure.We will keep you up to date  throughout the week by text, Twitter and the school digital poster as we hear tales of daring do in abseiling, hill walks, canoeing and zip slides to name only a few of the activities. We wish them all a fantastic trip.

The school was delighted this week to receive a gift of  six beautiful crucifixes from Father Stephen. These have been put in the classrooms and Head Teacher and school offices. Our grateful thanks goes to Father Stephen for his kindness and generosity.

In the classrooms this week…

Primary 1/2

Primary 1 have been developing their knowledge of 2D shapes and their properties while Primary 2 have been developing their knowledge of 3D objects. In Literacy, Primary 1 continue to build on their knowledge of initial sounds and Primary 2 are developing their knowledge of spelling rules through a variety of active tasks. The whole class have been on a minibeast hunt in the community garden and have enjoyed creating their own sensory minibeast habitat in the classroom.

Primary 2/3/4

In Numeracy Primary 2 have been learning about place value of  2 digit numbers. Primary 3 are using their addition skills and learning about place value of 3 digit numbers while Primary 4 work with 4 digit numbers in place value. In Literacy the children are doing very well in learning new spelling rules and are developing their reading skills through a variety of activities, including focussing on characterisation. A ‘secret island’ has been created in the classroom and the children have been designing and building dens as part of their IDL topic.

Primary 5/6/7

In Numeracy the pupils have been learning about place value up to 9 digit numbers and have demonstrated great understanding of reading and writing these numbers. In Literacy they have been looking at ‘Connecting’ in their higher order reading skills- this is where the children make links with events in their reading books and  their own lives and the world around them. The class continues to explore sustainability issues and conserving the world’s resources as part of their IDL topic.

Finally, just a reminder that our Partnership Group meeting takes place tomorrow at 6.00 pm in the school and not Wednesday 5th of October.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Mrs McCart

Head Teacher

Hello and welcome to my latest weekly blog. It has been a very busy week in school with everyone well and truly back in the school routine. This session we have introduced a further way of communicating with parents and carers through our termly Curriculum Newsletters. Your child should have brought theirs home this week and its purpose is to give you a flavour of the work being covered in each class for this term. We hope that you find them informative and that they provide a basis to talk to your child/children about what they are learning in school.

We were delighted to appoint our new Junior Road Safety Officers, Caitlin Cairney (P6) and Harrison Crowther (P5), who will be working with Mrs Carty and myself to organise activities throughout the year to draw attention to important road safety issues. Our new House Captains and Vice-Captains have taken on the role with great enthusiasm and commitment and are working hard to encourage their Houses.

This week we are having a Mass in the school to celebrate the new school year. It will take place at 10.00 am in the school hall and Father Rooney will also bless the school after Mass. Please come and join us for this special occasion. Tear off slips to confirm attendance should be returned as soon as possible.

In the classrooms this week:

Primary 1/2

Primary 1 continue to learn their initial sounds and have been working on the numbers 1 to 5.  Primary 2 have been developing their active spelling skills and have been consolidating their knowledge of the numbers stories to 11. The children also continue to explore the properties of 2D shapes and 3D objects in Maths. As part of their interdisciplinary topic on Minibeasts, the whole class went on a beetle hunt in the school grounds and the community garden.

Primary 2/3/4

In Numeracy and Mathematics, the children have been learning about addition, tiling and 2D shapes and 3D objects. The children are planning a missing person poster in Writing. During topic activities this week the pupils have looked at what materials they would need to build a shelter on their ‘Secret Island’. The children have also been working on their Road Safety Calendar competition entries. In Science the children have been looking at Forces.

Primary 5/6/7

The class have been very busy in Numeracy and mathematics this week and have been learning about place value and rounding numbers. They have also been exploring 2D shapes including triangles, circles and quadrilaterals. The children have been  looking at the writing format of a personal diary and are writing series entries about a special occasion. In Religious Education, the class are looking at the life of Jesus from St. Mark’s Gospel.

As you can see there is  a wide variety of learning going on in the classrooms. I hope you all have a lovely September weekend.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Mrs McCart

On Thursday the 1st of September the House elections for the new House and Vice-Captains took place. The event was run as a proper election with hustings taking place earlier in the week, an electoral roll was created and ballot papers issued to all pupils. It was a very close contest which reflects the excellent qualities of our Primary 7 pupils and I would like to commend those pupils who put tremendous effort into their speeches and posters. As with every election there has to be a winner and I am delighted to announce the results:

Craignethan– Captain is Irena Rodan and Vice-captain is Dexter Fyfe

De Vere–  Captain is Anna Thomson and Vice-captain is Eva Quadrelli

Heathfield – Captain is Megan Welsh and Vice-captain is Oscar Tighe

Lancaster– Captain is Marianna Pinheiro and Vice-captain is Logan Burns

Congratulations to everyone and thank you to Miss Wadsworth, Mr Hall and the Primary 5 and 6 pupils for organising such a great event.

It has also been very busy in the classrooms this week.

Primary 1/2–  The children have been reading the story of The Little Red Hen in class and using it as stimulus for lots of cross-curricular activities such as baking bread in Food technologies, planting seeds in Science and their own scarecrows in Art & Design. In Numeracy & Mathematics the children have been counting and ordering numbers from 1-10 and 1-20.

Primary 2/3/4 – The children have been reading the story of ‘The Secret Island’ by Enid Blyton. Through this they have explore making rafts which will float. The children have also planned what they would take to a secret island and have designed their own island.

Primary 5/6/7 – The pupils have begun their interdisciplinary topic on Transport and have been considering sustainable methods of travelling. In Numeracy & Mathematics they have been exploring the properties of 3D objects and 2D shapes.

Finally, a reminder that CM Photography will visit the school tomorrow to take class photographs and family groups. Pupils should come to school wearing full school uniform, including a shirt and tie.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Mrs McCart

Head Teacher

Everyone in St. John’s has settled back into the school routines.

Primary 1 have now joined us for the full day.  A special word of recognition and thanks to our super Primary 7 pupils, who are carrying out  their buddy responsibilities very well. They are willingly giving of their time to support our new pupils in the playground, cloakroom and classroom. They have been a huge support to Mrs Kelly and helped the children to have such a successful start to Primary 1. Our school values are clearly evident in the behaviour of our senior pupils. Primary 1 are doing very well with their routine and lining up in houses. They have been out and about familiarising themselves with their new surroundings. P1/2 have also been doing some cross-curricular learning through the story of The Little Red Hen. In Science they have been planting seeds and in Food Technologies they have been baking bread. A very busy first full week and very brave of Mrs Kelly!!

Our Primary 6/7 pupils attended the  Diocesan ‘Year of Mercy’ Mass for schools in Carfin Grotto accompanied by Mr Hall, Mrs Carty and myself. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Toal and Irena Rodan represented our school by taking part in the Procession of Gifts. It was a very spiritual occasion and a lovely way to bring all of the schools in Motherwell Diocese together. It was wonderful to see almost 4000 pupils  celebrating their faith together.

Election fever is gripping St. John’s as our Primary 7 pupils, supported by Miss Wadsworth and Mr Hall, prepare for House elections this week. Hustings will take place on Monday, with votes being cast on Thursday. The results will be announced at Assembly on Friday afternoon.

Our afterschool and lunchtime clubs resume this week and my grateful thanks go to the staff members and parents who give willingly of their time to ensure our pupils have the opportunity to participate in these excellent learning experiences.

Please check bags this week for the first newsletter of the year and the envelope containing annual permissions, as well as our Promoting Positive Behaviour policy return slip. We would be very grateful if these could be returned to class teachers as soon as possible.

Finally, we hope to attend the first Mass of the school year on Thursday at 9.10 a.m.

Thank you for reading my blog.
Mrs McCart

A warm welcome back to my weekly blog. I hope you all enjoyed a relaxing summer and managed to enjoy some sunshine!

All staff returned to school, invigorated after their holiday, ready to begin another busy year in St. John’s. We are delighted to welcome new members of staff, Miss Wadsworth who will team teach in Primary 5/6/7 with Mr Hall, and Mrs Dunlop who is our CCC teacher. They have both commented on the very positive ethos and warm welcome they have received from all involved in our school.

Primary 2-Primary 6 pupils returned at 9.00 am on Monday morning. They have all grown so much during the holidays. All the pupils looked very smart, proudly wearing their uniform. I must thank and congratulate all our pupils and families for the very high standard of uniform on our first day back. It is greatly appreciated and contributes enormously to the high standards we have in our school.
The sun was shining for our 12 Primary 1 pupils as they stepped through the door at 10.00am. Such an important time in their young lives. Mrs Kelly welcomed them as they embarked on their learning journey in St. John’s. Primary 1 enjoyed a delicious lunch with their parents on Thursday and quickly picked up the lunchtime routine.

On Friday the children enjoyed a welcome disco in the school which was organised by the Partnership Group. It was very well attended and a great way to welcome our new pupils to St. John’s.

Finally we look forward to our Primary 1 pupils joining us full time from Monday 22nd August. There will be a few tired boys and girls by the end of next week!

Thank you for reading my blog.

Mrs Yvonne McCart

Head Teacher

This week’s highlight had to be on Saturday morning, when five of our Primary 4 pupils celebrated the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. The weather was changeable, but the smiles on the boys and girls faces made everyone forget the weather. The children looked beautiful and participated fully in a wonderful celebration of faith. My thanks goes to their class teacher Mrs Quadrelli, Father Stephen, our musicians and choir, the parish of Our Lady & St. John’s, the staff of our school, and the families of our pupils. It is indeed a privilege for us to be part of this important step of our young people’s faith journey. We look forward to the 1st of June, when Primary 4 will join Primary 3, 6 and 7 pupils for our Thanksgiving Assembly and a well deserved treat!

On Thursday, Noah McLean, Megan Welsh and Luke McCormick took part in Clyde Rotary Club annual quiz at Blackwood Primary School. They were a great credit to our school and although they didn’t win, the children acquitted themselves very well. Meanwhile on Friday morning, four of Primary 7 pupils  took part in the Holy Cross High School Maths Challenge. The children were excited on their return to school and were delighted with how they had performed, running the winners very close. A huge well done to all the girls and boys!

In the classes the hard work continues:

Primary 1/2

In their Social Studies  topic the children continue to learn about of rich and poor Victorian children and the types of houses that they lived in. In Art & Design the class have been exploring how to use line to create different images.

Primary 3/4/5

The children have been writing an imaginative story about ‘A Disaster in Rio’. Pupils have been writing in the first person either as  a fan, and athlete or a Brazilian citizen. In Science the class have been learning about the human body and in particular the lungs and their function.

P5/6/7

The pupils have been busy this week, working on their Japan topic. The children have been working collaboratively to research, create models, diagrams, PowerPoints and even movies! Such a creative bunch! In writing they  are working hard to put together a Spanish Recipe Book, so watch this space for the launch of this venture!

I look forward to welcoming you on Wednesday the 25th of May for Parents’ Evening when you will have the opportunity to view your child/ children’s work and talk to the class teacher about their progress this year. Our Book Fayre will also be available at this time.

Thank you for reading my blog and hopefully the sunny weather continues!

Mrs McCart

A very busy week of learning once again in St. John’s Primary School. The children have been enjoying this lovely Spring weather and the class teachers have used this opportunity to take the learning outdoors. Our Gardening Club began on Wednesday and the children worked very hard in weeding and general tidying of the Community Garden. They are getting the garden ready for planting and did a fantastic job. A huge thank you to Mrs Birtles for leading this and to the parents and carers who help out.

We  welcomed our new Primary 1 pupils on Friday to the Meet your Buddy afternoon. Mrs Kelly tells me that the Primary 6 pupils have taken their buddy responsibilities very seriously and each one has produced a booklet telling their new buddy a bit about themselves. We look forward to welcoming the children back on the 10th of June for the next part of their induction.

As we say hello to our new Primary 1 pupils, our Primary 7 will continue their transition to Holy Cross High School this Friday, when 4 pupils have been selected to take part in the Holy Cross Maths Challenge. We wish, Lottie, Luke, Oliver and Patrick the best of luck.

LogoXpres also visited the school on Friday for our uniform afternoon. There was a very healthy turnout and parents/carers had the opportunity to view and size uniform for next year. They have left samples in the school so if you couldn’t manage along on Friday you are most welcome to pop into the school over the next couple of weeks and try on sizes.

Thank you to everyone, pupils and parents and carers, who returned the questionnaire issued. I am in the process of collating results and will issue findings in the near future. Just a reminder that full reports are issued this Friday, as are Parents’ Evening appointments so please check your child’s bag.

Looking at the classes this week:

Primary 1/2

The children have been working on their final topic of this term and have been comparing their lives with that of a Victorian child. The children continue to develop their reading skills and are currently studying The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch.

P3/4/5

The children have been studying their topic on Rio and in particular have been focussing on the Paralympics and the recent Invictus games. The Primary 4 children have also been working very hard in preparing for the Sacrament of First Holy Communion on Saturday. They have been supported in this most important sacrament by their fellow pupil in Primary 3 and 5. Let’s hope the sun continues to shine next week!

P5/6/7

The class have been working on their new project of Japan. The children have been challenged to use all the skills they have been developing over the past year to find an innovative way of presenting their research. They are working in teams to create a presentation and have identified each others’  strengths and how to best utilise these to their advantage when creating their work. I look forward to seeing their finished projects.

Have a great week everyone and thank you for reading my blog.