Welcome to the Head Teacher’s blog for Week Beginning 27th March 2023

Parent Teacher Consultations – 28th March 2023

We look forward to welcoming our parents and carers in to school for Parent Consultations on Tuesday 28th March. All bookings should now have been made and the booking system has now closed. Any changes should be made through the School Office.

The consultations will take place in the Assembly Hall (P1-3) and Dining Hall (P4-7). Please note, where possible, pupils should not attend with their parents. You are invited to browse your child’s work whilst waiting for your meeting.

The Book Fayre will be open in Room 3 and this will be the only opportunity to purchase a book. Orders cannot be taken during the school day.

Mrs Primas and Mr Williamson will also be available to help with the sign up to Parent Portal system, if required.

P3/4 Consultations have been postponed due to staff absence.

Easter Celebration

On Friday 31st March 2023, we are looking forward to you joining us for our Easter Celebrations. The timings for these are as follows:

9.30am P1-3/4

11.15am P4-7

The tickets will be sent via ‘Pupil Post’ on Tuesday 28th March so please check your child’s school bag. As previously indicated, due to available space in the Assembly Hall, we can accommodate one ticket per family. These should be booked via the Google Form link emailed to you last week. The Google Form will close at 8pm tonight (Sunday 26th March).

We will begin to look at our ‘Waiting List’ after this and will distribute tickets on Wednesday 29th March, as available. Please let us know if you no longer require your ticket.

Woodhead PS Football Teams

Our Boys’ Football Team are excited to take part in their first competition of the year on Monday 27th March! Thank you to Mr Sullivan for working with the children to prepare for this event.

Our Girls’ Team also enjoyed their first outing last week! They participated in games with other local schools and looked very smart in their new tracksuits and strips! Thank you to Mrs Roe for training our girls and taking them along to the event.

A huge thank you to our fantastic PTA for fundraising and purchasing these for our school teams.

School Lunch Menu

It is Week 1 of the school and nursery lunch menu from Monday 27th March 2023.

School Menu: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200186/primary_school_information/2075/primary_school_lunch_menu_20222023/1

Nursery Menu:

https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200184/early_learning_and_childcare/2077/nursery_lunch_menu_20222023/1

All children in Nursery to P5 are entitled to a free school lunch.

Extra-curricular Clubs

Wednesday 29th March: Choir

Upcoming Diary Dates:

• Tuesday 28th March 2023: Parent Consultations
• Friday 31st March 2023: Easter Celebrations                            9.30am P1-3/4    11.15am P4-7
• Friday 31st March 2023: Close for Spring Break/Easter Holiday at 2.30pm
• Monday 17th April 2023: Pupils return to school

As we approach the Easter Break, I would like to thank our families and Woodhead Community for the support you have given me this term in my role as Acting Head Teacher.

I would also like to extend a huge thank you to Mrs Watson,  Mrs Keltie and our Teaching Staff, Support Staff, Mrs McBride and the Facilities team for all they have done to ensure our children have the best experience in Woodhead. It is greatly appreciated.

We are looking forward to seeing our children back on Monday 17th April  2023 for our Summer Term.

Mrs Claire Fox

Acting Head Teacher

Welcome to the Head Teacher’s blog for Week Beginning 20th March 2023

Parent Teacher Consultations – 28th March 2023

The bookings for the Parent Teacher Consultations have now opened. Parents and carers should have received an email on Friday 17th March with a link to the booking system. This will remain open until 4pm on Sunday 26th March.

P3/4 Consultations have been postponed due to staff absence.

‘Woodhead Way’ Consultation

The Google form has now closed and we will begin to look at the responses. Thank you very much to those who completed a response to support the next steps in the Woodhead Way.

Easter Celebration

On Friday 31st March 2023, we would like to invite you into school to join us for our Easter Celebrations. The timings for these are as follows:

9.30am P1-3/4

11.15am P4-7

A booking form will be emailed via Parent Pay. Please note there will be one ticket per family available for each of the celebrations.

P4/5 and P5 Showcase

Parents and carers are invited along to our P4/5 and P5 classes on Wednesday 22nd March at 9.30am. Our children are excited to share their learning with you!

To ensure we can manage numbers safely across the two classrooms, we politely ask you to keep visitors to a maximum of two family members per pupil. We appreciate your support with this.

Our Assembly Hall will be open from 9.00am for a cup of tea or coffee before the Showcase begins. Mrs Fox, Mrs Watson and Mrs Keltie will be on hand to direct you to the correct classes at 9.30am.

Woodhead PS Netball Team

Our Netball Team were excited to take part in the first Fun 5’s competition in three years! They enjoyed competing in games with other local schools at the Jock Stein Centre on Wednesday 15th March. Thank you to Miss Miller for working with the children to prepare for the Fun 5’s.

School Lunch Menu

It is Week 3 of the school and nursery lunch menu from Monday 20th March 2023.

School Menu: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200186/primary_school_information/2075/primary_school_lunch_menu_20222023/3

Nursery Menu:

https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200184/early_learning_and_childcare/2077/nursery_lunch_menu_20222023/3

All children in Nursery to P5 are entitled to a free school lunch.

Extra-curricular Clubs

Monday 20th March: Girls’ Football

Tuesday 21st March: Netball

Wednesday 22nd March: Choir

Upcoming Diary Dates:

• Wednesday 22nd March 2023: P4/5 and P5 Showcase
• Tuesday 28th March 2023: Parent Consultations
• Friday 31st March 2023: Easter Celebrations                            9.30am P1-3/4    11.15am P4-7
• Friday 31st March 2023: Close for Spring Break/Easter Holiday at 2.30pm
• Monday 17th April 2023: Pupils return to school

Mrs Claire Fox

Acting Head Teacher

Welcome to the Head Teacher’s blog for Week Beginning 13th March 2023

‘Woodhead Way’ Consultation

The parent questionnaire will remain open (link sent out by email) and we appreciate you taking the time to complete this.

We gathered on Friday morning as a whole school to discuss the new parts of the ‘Woodhead Way’ and this will begin from Monday 13th March 2023.

Parent information will be coming to you after we have reviewed the responses from the questionnaires. This will also be available to view at the forthcoming Parents’ Consultations on 28th March 2023.

Literacy Focus Week in Woodhead

Our Literacy Focus Week was a huge success and pupils enjoyed a wide range of learning opportunities! The torch-lit reading was a big hit and pupils searched high and low for the clues as part of the Scavenger Hunt.

The winner of our Reading Spine competition was Jacob in P6/7 – well done to you!

We also enjoyed our first House competition on Thursday – a whole school quiz. Pupils took part in house teams within classes and our P7 pupils helped P1 with some of the trickier questions. Our winning house will enjoy an extra play time this week and they have some gold tokens to add to their house points too! Well done Tawny Owl House!

Easter Celebration

On Friday 31st March 2023, we would like to invite you into school to join us for our Easter Celebrations. The timings for these are as follows:

9.30am P1-3/4

11.15am P4-7

A booking form will be emailed via Parent Pay later this week. Please note there will be one ticket per family available for each of the celebrations.

Adverse Weather Review

We await further guidance on the current Adverse Weather plan and I will update the school community as soon as I have this information.

P7 Swimming Lessons

Our P7 pupils have now completed their swimming block at the Hamilton Water Palace. These lessons, complementing the PE component of the Health and Wellbeing programme, have been very successful and confidence has grown across the year group. Well done P7!

P4/5 and P5 Showcase

Parents and carers are invited along to our P4/5 and P5 classes on Wednesday 22nd March at 9.30am. Our children are excited to share their learning with you!

To ensure we can manage numbers safely across the two classrooms, we politely ask you to keep visitors to a maximum of two family members per pupil. We appreciate your support with this.

Our Assembly Hall will be open from 9.00am for a cup of tea or coffee before the Showcase begins. Mrs Fox, Mrs Watson and Mrs Keltie will be on hand to direct you to the correct classes at 9.30am.

School Lunch Menu

It is Week 2 of the school and nursery lunch menu from Monday 13th March 2023.

School Menu: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200186/primary_school_information/2075/primary_school_lunch_menu_20222023/2

Nursery Menu:

https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200184/early_learning_and_childcare/2077/nursery_lunch_menu_20222023/2

All children in Nursery to P5 are entitled to a free school lunch.

Extra-curricular Clubs

Monday 13th March: Boys’ Football

Tuesday 14th March: Netball

Wednesday 15th March: Choir

Upcoming Diary Dates:

• Wednesday 22nd March 2023: P4/5 and P5 Showcase
• Tuesday 28th March 2023: Parent Consultations – more information to follow
• Friday 31st March 2023: Easter Celebrations                            9.30am P1-3/4    11.15am P4-7

Mrs Claire Fox

Acting Head Teacher

Welcome to the Head Teacher’s blog for Week Beginning 6th March 2023

P7 Lockerbie Manor Residential Visit

Our P7 pupils had a fantastic visit to Lockerbie Manor last week. The weather was very kind to us and it was dry throughout our visit.  Our P7’s enjoyed all of the activities but kayaking, climbing and abseiling seemed to be most popular.

We were very proud of each and every one of our pupils who demonstrated the ‘Woodhead Way’ and challenged themselves to try new activities. Great teamwork and encouraging words ensured everyone felt supported to try their very best.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to Mrs Mitchell, Mr Sullivan, Mrs Primas, Mrs Anderson and Miss Harkness who accompanied us on the trip, giving their own time to make the residential possible.

You can see a selection of photos on our Twitter page.

P3, P3/4 and P4 Showcase

Parents and carers are invited along to our P3, P3/4 and P4 classes on Wednesday 8th March at 9.30am. Our children are excited to share their learning with you!

To ensure we can manage numbers safely across the three classrooms, we politely ask you to keep visitors to a maximum of two family members per pupil. We appreciate your support with this.

Our Assembly Hall will be open from 9.00am for a cup of tea or coffee before the Showcase begins. Mrs Fox, Mrs Watson and Mrs Keltie will be on hand to direct you to the correct classes at 9.30am.

Literacy Focus Week in Woodhead

This week will have a Literacy focus across the school with pupils taking part in a range of learning opportunities to promote reading for pleasure and to foster a deeper understanding of texts.

Over the course of the week, pupils will participate in Book Jenga and reading by torch light. They will also be encouraged to ‘Drop Everything and Read’, known as DEAR time.

We will also have our first House Quiz! Pupils will participate in House groups within class with our P6 and P7 pupils supporting P1 and P2.

The Senior Leadership Team will be in classes reading some of their favourite stories. We also have some parent/grandparent volunteers coming in to share some stories with pupils. Thank you for giving up your time to help us with this.

On Thursday, we will be celebrating Woodhead Book Day. Pupils are invited to ‘come comfy’ for the day, perhaps wearing their PJ’s or a favourite ‘oodie’. However casual clothes are always an option on our non-uniform days as we do not wish to add any costs to families as a result of these fun days.

Please see our Twitter page for updates across the week!

Communication

A reminder that all email communication should be sent to the school office email address where Mrs Kinniburgh and Mrs Primas will direct enquiries to the appropriate member of staff. The email address is:

gw14woodheadpsoffice@glow.sch.uk

Car Park

Our car park continues to be very busy with parent parking, particularly at the end of the day. Please pass information about car park use to any family members dropping off in the morning and collecting pupils at the end of the day. Pupil safety is very important to us all and a review of car park use will be underway soon.

A reminder of our car park arrangements:

Only parents/carers of nursery pupils or those drivers with a ‘Blue Badge’ are permitted access to the car park for drop-off/pick up of pupils. 

Parents/Carers who display a ‘Blue Badge’ are permitted access to the disabled spaces at the front of the school in line with Scottish Government guidelines:

You should only use your Blue Badge if:

• you’re travelling in a vehicle as a driver or passenger
• someone is collecting you or dropping you off and needs to park
• A Blue Badge should not be used to park in a restricted area if the badge holder is not leaving the car.
• (https://www.mygov.scot/apply-blue-badge/using-your-blue- badge)

All other parents/carers should not attempt to enter the car park at the start/end of the school day, even if the gate is open and unattended.

Official school transport including mini-buses and taxis are permitted to enter the school grounds, but private hire taxis are not.

We appreciate your understanding that these restrictions are necessary due to the limited space in our car park. 

Please contact our YfCL Officer, Caroline Stewart, if you think she could offer some support or advice, all of which will be treated sensitively and confidentially. Caroline works in Woodhead on a Monday and Tuesday.

School Lunch Menu

It is Week 1 of the school and nursery lunch menu from Monday 6th March 2023.

School Menu: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200186/primary_school_information/2075/primary_school_lunch_menu_20222023/1

Nursery Menu:

https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200184/early_learning_and_childcare/2077/nursery_lunch_menu_20222023/1

All children in Nursery to P5 are entitled to a free school lunch.

Extra-curricular Clubs

Monday 6th March: Girls’ Football

Tuesday 7th March: Netball

Wednesday 8th March: Choir

Upcoming Diary Dates:

• Monday 6th March – Friday 10th March 2023: Literacy Focus Week
• Tuesday 7th March 2023: Parent Council and PTA Meeting
• Wednesday 8th March 2023: P3, P3/4 and P4 Learning Showcase
• Thursday 9th March 2023: Woodhead Book Day with ‘Come Comfy’ theme
• Wednesday 22nd March 2023: P4/5 and P5 Showcase
• Tuesday 28th March 2023: Parent Consultations – more information to follow

Mrs Claire Fox

Acting Head Teacher

Welcome to the Head Teacher’s blog for Week Beginning 27th February 2023

Planned Industrial Action

School will be closed to pupils on Tuesday 28th February and Wednesday 1st March. In a change to initial communication, the Nursery will open as normal.

Communication

A reminder that all email communication should be sent to the school office email address where Mrs Kinniburgh and Mrs Primas will direct enquiries to the appropriate member of staff. The email address is:

gw14woodheadpsoffice@glow.sch.uk

P7 Lockerbie Manor Residential Visit

Our P7 pupils will travel to Lockerbie Manor this week. An email with final arrangements was sent to the parents of all participating pupils last week.

All medication should be brought into school on Monday 27th February or on the morning of Wednesday 1st March, allowing enough time to complete the appropriate paperwork.

Updates will be shared on Twitter throughout the visit.

Please do not hesitate to phone if you have any last minute questions.

P3, P3/4 and P4 Showcase

Parents and carers are invited along to our P3, P3/4 and P4 classes on Wednesday 8th March at 9.30am. Our children are excited to share their learning with you!

To ensure we can manage numbers safely across the three classrooms, we politely ask you to keep visitors to a maximum of two family members per pupil. We appreciate your support with this.

Our Assembly Hall will be open from 9.00am for a cup of tea or coffee before the Showcase begins. Mrs Fox, Mrs Watson and Mrs Keltie will be on hand to direct you to the correct classes at 9.30am.

Literacy Focus Week in Woodhead

An email detailing some of the planned activities was emailed last week.

If you would be able to spare half an hour during the focus week to pop in and read a wee story or extract of a favourite children’s book, please contact the school office.

‘Woodhead Way’ Parent Group

A small group met on Monday 20th February 2023 and initial discussions took place. The questionnaire will be emailed to parents to complete in the next couple of weeks.

Car Park

A reminder of our car park arrangements:

Only parents/carers of nursery pupils or those drivers with a ‘Blue Badge’ are permitted access to the car park for drop-off/pick up of pupils.

Parents/Carers who display a ‘Blue Badge’ are permitted access to the disabled spaces at the front of the school in line with Scottish Government guidelines:

You should only use your Blue Badge if:

• you’re travelling in a vehicle as a driver or passenger
• someone is collecting you or dropping you off and needs to park
• A Blue Badge should not be used to park in a restricted area if the badge holder is not leaving the car.
• (https://www.mygov.scot/apply-blue-badge/using-your-blue- badge)

All other parents/carers should not attempt to enter the car park at the start/end of the school day, even if the gate is open and unattended.

Official school transport including mini-buses and taxis are permitted to enter the school grounds, but private hire taxis are not.

We appreciate your understanding that these restrictions are necessary due to the limited space in our car park. We would also appreciate you passing this reminder to any other family members involved in school drop off and collection. 

Please contact our YfCL Officer, Caroline Stewart, if you think she could offer some support or advice, all of which will be treated sensitively and confidentially. Caroline works in Woodhead on a Monday and Tuesday.

School Lunch Menu

It is Week 3 of the school and nursery lunch menu from Monday 27th February 2023.

School Menu: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200186/primary_school_information/2075/primary_school_lunch_menu_20222023/3

Nursery Menu:

https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200184/early_learning_and_childcare/2077/nursery_lunch_menu_20222023/3

All children in Nursery to P5 are entitled to a free school lunch.

Extra-curricular Clubs

No clubs will run this week.

Upcoming Diary Dates:

• Tuesday 28th February and Wednesday 1st March 2023: Planned Industrial Action – school closed to pupils and our Nursery will open as normal
• Wednesday 1st March – Friday 3rd March 2023: P7 Residential Trip to Lockerbie Manor
• Monday 6th March – Friday 10th March 2023: Literacy Focus Week including ‘Woodhead Book Day’ on Thursday 9th March
• Tuesday 7th March 2023: Parent Council and PTA Meeting
• Wednesday 8th March 2023: P3, P3/4 and P4 Learning Showcase
• Wednesday 22nd March: P4/5 and P5 Showcase

Mrs Claire Fox

Acting Head Teacher

Welcome to the Head Teacher’s blog for Week Beginning 20th February 2023

Dress Down Day – Friday 24th February 2023

In a change to the planned ‘comfy’ theme, Friday’s non-uniform day will not have a specific theme. Pupils can come along in their casual clothes.

Please remember pupils should not come to school in football strips.

There will be an extra dress down day during Literacy Focus Week and the pupils on the Reading Committee have decided this will have a ‘comfy/PJ’ theme. This is planned for Woodhead Book Day on Thursday 9th March.

Literacy Focus Week in Woodhead

Woodhead Book Day will take place on Thursday 9th March 2023 during our Literacy Focus Week.

Mrs Mitchell is still looking for some parent/grandparent/carers volunteers to come into school and share some reading with classes during the Literacy Focus Week. You may have a favourite story you would like to share or you might be happy for us to choose a short story for you to read to some pupils. Please telephone the school office if you would like to help with this – we would love to see you in school!

Woodhead Way Parent Group

Parents who volunteered to be part of the ‘Woodhead Way’ Parent Group should have received an email on Friday with an invitation to our first meeting on Monday 20th February 2023 at 3.15pm.  Please telephone the school office to confirm your attendance.

Adverse Weather Plan Review

A review of the current plan took place on Wednesday 8th February 2023 and I am hoping to provide an update on this very soon.  In the meantime, the current arrangements will remain in place in the event of adverse weather.

Car Park

A reminder of our car park arrangements:

Only parents/carers of nursery pupils or those drivers with a ‘Blue Badge’ are permitted access to the car park for drop-off/pick up of pupils.

Parents/Carers who display a ‘Blue Badge’ are permitted access to the disabled spaces at the front of the school in line with Scottish Government guidelines:

You should only use your Blue Badge if:

• you’re travelling in a vehicle as a driver or passenger
• someone is collecting you or dropping you off and needs to park
• A Blue Badge should not be used to park in a restricted area if the badge holder is not leaving the car.
• (https://www.mygov.scot/apply-blue-badge/using-your-blue- badge)

All other parents/carers should not attempt to enter the car park at the start/end of the school day, even if the gate is open and unattended.

Official school transport including mini-buses and taxis are permitted to enter the school grounds, but private hire taxis are not.

We appreciate your understanding that these restrictions are necessary due to the limited space in our car park. We would also appreciate you passing this reminder to any other family members involved in school drop off and collection. 

Please contact our YfCL Officer, Caroline Stewart, if you think she could offer some support or advice, all of which will be treated sensitively and confidentially. Caroline works in Woodhead on a Monday and Tuesday.

School Lunch Menu

It is Week 2 of the school and nursery lunch menu from Monday 20th February 2023.

School Menu: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200186/primary_school_information/2075/primary_school_lunch_menu_20222023/2

Nursery Menu:

https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200184/early_learning_and_childcare/2077/nursery_lunch_menu_20222023/2

All children in Nursery to P5 are entitled to a free school lunch.

Extra-curricular Clubs

Monday 20th February 2023: Football – BOYS

Tuesday 21st February 2023: NO NETBALL due to Staff Meeting

Wednesday 22nd February 2023: Choir

Upcoming Diary Dates:

• Friday 24th February 2023: Non-uniform Day – NO THEME
• Wednesday 1st March – Friday 3rd March 2023: P7 Residential Trip to Lockerbie Manor
• Monday 6th March – Friday 10th March 2023: Literacy Focus Week including ‘Woodhead Book Day’ on Thursday 9th March
• Tuesday 7th March 2023: Parent Council and PTA Meeting
• Wednesday 8th March 2023: P3, P3/4 and P4 Learning Showcase
• Wednesday 22nd March: P4/5 and P5 Showcase

Mrs Claire Fox

Acting Head Teacher

Welcome to the Head Teacher’s blog for Week Beginning 13th February 2023

Last Week in Woodhead

On Friday 10th February, we had our first ‘in-person’ assembly of 2023! It was lovely to see everyone gathered in the hall again and we began learning some new songs.  Our teachers had gold tokens, each worth 10 house points. Thirteen pupils received these tokens at the end of assembly and got their house off to a great start for this week. Well done to those gold token winners! You were ‘Ready, Respectful and Safe’ during assembly!

Literacy Focus Week in Woodhead

We are beginning to look ahead to our Literacy Focus Week which will run from Monday 6th March until Friday 10th March 2023. As detailed in the recent letter sent via Parent Pay, we will be celebrating our own Woodhead Book Day  during this week to ensure our P7 pupils do not miss out on the fun!

Mrs Mitchell is working with a team of staff to plan some activities for this focus week and she will be in touch soon with more information.

She is looking for some parent/grandparent/carers volunteers to come into school and share some reading with classes during the Literacy Focus Week. You may have a favourite story you would like to share or you might be happy for us to choose a short story for you to read to some pupils. Please telephone the school office if you would like to help with this – we would love to see you in school!

Woodhead Way Parent Group

A number of parents volunteered to be part of the ‘Woodhead Way’ group before Christmas. If you were one of the volunteers, please look for an email coming this week with details of a short meeting. We would like to invite you in to school on Monday 20th February 2023 at 3.15pm to participate in a discussion about the ‘Woodhead Way’ and to complete a questionnaire.

Car Park

A reminder of our car park arrangements:

Only parents/carers of nursery pupils or those drivers with a ‘Blue Badge’ are permitted access to the car park for drop-off/pick up of pupils.

Parents/Carers who display a ‘Blue Badge’ are permitted access to the disabled spaces at the front of the school in line with Scottish Government guidelines:

You should only use your Blue Badge if:

• you’re travelling in a vehicle as a driver or passenger
• someone is collecting you or dropping you off and needs to park
• A Blue Badge should not be used to park in a restricted area if the badge holder is not leaving the car.
• (https://www.mygov.scot/apply-blue-badge/using-your-blue- badge)

All other parents/carers should not attempt to enter the car park at the start/end of the school day, even if the gate is open and unattended.

Official school transport including mini-buses and taxis are permitted to enter the school grounds, but private hire taxis are not.

We appreciate your understanding that these restrictions are necessary due to the limited space in our car park. We would also appreciate you passing this reminder to any other family members involved in school drop off and collection. 

Please contact our YfCL Officer, Caroline Stewart, if you think she could offer some support or advice, all of which will be treated sensitively and confidentially. Caroline works in Woodhead on a Monday and Tuesday.

School Lunch Menu

It is Week 1 of the school and nursery lunch menu from Monday 13th February 2023.

School Menu: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200186/primary_school_information/2075/primary_school_lunch_menu_20222023/1

Nursery Menu:

https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200184/early_learning_and_childcare/2077/nursery_lunch_menu_20222023/1

Please note change of menu on Thursday 16th February 2023:

Blue tray: Pizza

Green tray: Cheese baguette

All children in Nursery to P5 are entitled to a free school lunch.

Upcoming Diary Dates:

• Monday 13th, Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th February 2023: School closed for February Holiday Weekend
• Wednesday 1st March – Friday 3rd March 2023: P7 Residential Trip to Lockerbie Manor
• Monday 6th March – Friday 10th March 2023: Literacy Focus Week including ‘Woodhead Book Day’
• Tuesday 7th March 2023: Parent Council and PTA Meeting

Mrs Claire Fox

Acting Head Teacher

Welcome to the Head Teacher’s blog for Week Beginning 6th February 2023

Last Week in Woodhead

Last week, our pupils in P1 enjoyed visiting P3 to make bread! Our P3 pupils made excellent buddies for the day and P1 were very excited with their little loaves of bread at the end. Some lovely photos demonstrating their teamwork have been shared on Twitter.

P7 have been outside tidying up the school garden and preparing for Spring! We can’t wait to see the end results when you have finished and we can all enjoy the space as the weather improves.

This week at Assembly, we shared the ideas for Woodhead Awards recognition and there was a great deal of chat afterwards about favourite activities! We will be discussing these further as a staff team and hope to begin very soon.

We are delighted that our Playground Awards featured again this week as we have been outside enjoying time with our friends. P6 and P7 pupils have resumed their MUGA rota for football. Our Support Staff  had a long list of nominations this week for the awards as so many pupils are demonstrating the ‘Woodhead Way’ when outside!

Car Park

A reminder of our car park arrangements:

Only parents/carers of nursery pupils or those drivers with a ‘Blue Badge’ are permitted access to the car park for drop-off/pick up of pupils.

Parents/Carers who display a ‘Blue Badge’ are permitted access to the disabled spaces at the front of the school in line with Scottish Government guidelines:

You should only use your Blue Badge if:

• you’re travelling in a vehicle as a driver or passenger
• someone is collecting you or dropping you off and needs to park
• A Blue Badge should not be used to park in a restricted area if the badge holder is not leaving the car.
• (https://www.mygov.scot/apply-blue-badge/using-your-blue- badge)

All other parents/carers should not attempt to enter the car park at the start/end of the school day, even if the gate is open and unattended.

Official school transport including mini-buses and taxis are permitted to enter the school grounds, but private hire taxis are not.

We appreciate your understanding that these restrictions are necessary due to the limited space in our car park. We would also appreciate you passing this reminder to any other family members involved in school drop off and collection. 

Lockerbie Manor – Primary 7

Parents should have now received an email with details of arrangements for medical and dietary planning.

Please contact our YfCL Officer, Caroline Stewart, if you think she could offer some support or advice, all of which will be treated sensitively and confidentially. Caroline works in Woodhead on a Monday and Tuesday.

School Lunch Menu

It is Week 3 of the school and nursery lunch menu from Monday 30th January 2023.

School Menu: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200186/primary_school_information/2075/primary_school_lunch_menu_20222023/3

Nursery Menu:

https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200184/early_learning_and_childcare/2077/nursery_lunch_menu_20222023/3

All children in Nursery to P5 are entitled to a free school lunch.

Extra-Curricular Clubs:

Monday 6th February –  Football Club this week – GIRLS

Tuesday 7th February – No Netball Club this week due to a Staff Meeting

Wednesday 25th January – Choir

Upcoming Diary Dates:

• Tuesday 7th February 2023: Parent Council and PTA Meeting
• Monday 13th, Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th February 2023: School closed for February Holiday Weekend
• Wednesday 1st March – Friday 3rd March 2023: P7 Residential Trip to Lockerbie Manor

Mrs Claire Fox

Acting Head Teacher

Welcome to the Head Teacher’s blog for Week Beginning 30th January 2023

Last Week in Woodhead

We have had another busy week and, on Monday, we had our first awards assembly of 2023. We were delighted to announce the Values Awards winners for the beginning of Term 2. They have all been recognised for demonstrating our values in their day to day work in school. Also, one member of each class has also been identified as going ‘Over and Above’. At the end of assembly, we gave our pupils a little bit of ‘thinking’, asking them to consider a couple of ideas that could be used to celebrate these weekly achievements. The ideas given so far are lovely and we will be looking to begin some of them very soon.

Mrs Watson, Mrs Keltie and I have had a number of pupils visiting again this week and we were delighted to see their fabulous work!

Our P1 children were very excited to have a visitor to their class as part of their learning. PC McCrone spoke about her job and helped P1 to learn more about ‘People Who Help Us’. There are a few more visitors planned over the next few weeks but we do not want to spoil any surprises!

Planned Industrial Action – Friday 3rd February 2023

A letter was sent to parents a couple of weeks ago about the planned industrial action taking place on Friday 3rd February 2023. School including Nursery Class will be closed to pupils.

Lockerbie Manor – Primary 7

We discussed activities for our visit this week and pupils have now made their choices. This has been collated and sent to Lockerbie Manor. Lockerbie Manor will plan our schedule taking account of pupil choices, weather and instructors available during our visit.

An additional copy of the ‘kit list’ has also been sent home for our families to use to plan what they will need to bring along.

This week, we will be looking for medical and dietary information for pupils. Please look for an email via ParentPay.

If your child is due to start school in August 2023, applications for admission should be made on the South Lanarkshire website. To do this, you must have your child’s birth certificate and two proofs of address to submit as part of the application. Guidance for deferrals and placing requests can also be found on the website.

If you have any questions regarding placing requests or deferrals please contact the school office.

We have already received a number of applications and Mrs Watson (DHT) will be making contact with parents/ carers over the coming weeks. Please keep a close eye on our website, our Twitter page and your email accounts for information detailing our Primary 1 transition programme in the coming months.

Applications can be made by clicking this link:

https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200186/primary_school_information/392/enrolling_your_child_for_school

Enrolling your child for school – South Lanarkshire Council Children normally start school in August if their 5th birthday falls before 1 March of the following year. Enrol online. If your child is due to start school in August 2023, you can enrol your child online from Monday 9 January 2023. www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk

Support during the winter break

Winter can be an expensive time of year. We know this will be hard financially for some of our families. Please find below some of the options available for support:

Scottish Child Payment

Scottish Child Payment Applications are open for children aged under 16.

People can apply for the payment of £100 every 4 weeks if they:

• get Universal Credit, Tax Credits or other qualifying benefits.
• have a child or children aged under 16.

Apply at https://www.mygov.scot/scottish-child-payment. This should take around 10-20 minutes.

There is no limit to the number of children you can apply for and receiving Scottish Child Payment will not affect your tax or other benefits.

If you cannot apply online, you can apply by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222.

Warm Welcome

With the cost of living rising, SLC have established ‘Warm Welcome’ locations across South Lanarkshire. Venues including libraries, leisure facilities and community spaces can be accessed throughout the winter months, where a range of support, facilities and activities can be found.

Anyone who is looking for a ‘Warm Welcome’ can find local venues by using a new interactive map and postcode checker found at the following website: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/WarmWelcome

Money Matters

Money Matters Advice Service is an energy and benefit advice service that offers specialist help and assistance, including helping you negotiate with your energy provider.  The service can help access energy hardship funds, make referrals for emergency prepayment top up vouchers or help discuss debt and provide you with help.

You can access this help by calling Money Matters on 0300 029 0041 or fill in a form requesting a call back at www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/MMAS

Youth, Family and Community Learning Officer (YfCL)

Please contact our YfCL Officer, Caroline Stewart, if you think she could offer some support or advice, all of which will be treated sensitively and confidentially. Caroline works in Woodhead on a Monday and Tuesday.

School Lunch Menu

It is Week 2 of the school and nursery lunch menu from Monday 30th January 2023.

School Menu: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200186/primary_school_information/2075/primary_school_lunch_menu_20222023/2

Nursery Menu:

https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200184/early_learning_and_childcare/2077/nursery_lunch_menu_20222023/2

All children in Nursery to P5 are entitled to a free school lunch.

Extra-Curricular Clubs:

Monday 23rd January – No Football Club this week

Tuesday 24th January – No Netball Club this week due to a Staff Meeting

Wednesday 25th January – Choir

Upcoming Diary Dates:

• Friday 3rd February 2023: Planned Industrial Action – School closed to pupils
• Tuesday 7th February 2023: Parent Council and PTA Meeting
• Monday 13th, Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th February 2023: School closed for February Holiday Weekend
• Wednesday 1st March – Friday 3rd March 2023: P7 Residential Trip to Lockerbie Manor

Mrs Claire Fox

Acting Head Teacher

Welcome to the Head Teacher’s blog for Week Beginning 23rd January 2023

Last Week in Woodhead

We have had another great week in Woodhead and our classes continue to be busy with their new learning for Term 2!

On Monday, we had our first assembly of 2023. Mrs Watson, Mrs Keltie and I took time to remind all of our pupils about the ‘Woodhead Way’ and what being ‘Ready, Respectful and Safe’ looks like in classes, around the school, including our Dining Hall, and in our playground. We are looking forward to announcing our first awards during assembly on Monday 23rd January. Everyone has been working hard to demonstrate our values and go ‘Over and Above’. We are also looking forward to sharing more information about the ‘Woodhead Way’ with our parents very soon.

Unfortunately the weather at this time of year remains unpredictable so wet play times and lunches continue to feature. Any updates on arrival and exit from school due to adverse weather will be provided via the normal ways – text message and Twitter updates. Please avoid telephoning the School Office with requests to collect pupils just before or just after 3pm. The Office is a very busy place at 3pm and we all want to ensure your children are safely collected. It will help us all greatly if this can be from the playground or at the service gates in the event of adverse weather. We appreciate your support with these changes due to weather. If, however, you have an emergency, please do not hesitate to let us know.

Staffing Update

Following interviews on Friday 20th January, I am delighted to let you know that Mrs Gillian Mitchell will be our Acting Principal Teacher. Mrs Mitchell will work as part of the Senior Leadership Team alongside Mrs Watson, Mrs Keltie and me. We will be looking at remits for the SLT and I will be in touch with any changes that are made. In the meantime, please continue to link with your Departmental Lead if you have any queries about your child’s learning.

Lockerbie Manor – Primary 7

I will be meeting with our P7 pupils this week to discuss activities for the forthcoming trip. Final decisions on the activities our pupils will participate in will be made by Lockerbie Manor staff however based on weather and staffing.

Please look for an email with some requests for information that will be coming home to you very soon.

If your child is due to start school in August 2023, applications for admission should be made on the South Lanarkshire website. To do this, you must have your child’s birth certificate and two proofs of address to submit as part of the application. Guidance for deferrals and placing requests can also be found on the website.

If you have any questions regarding placing requests or deferrals please contact the school office.

We have already received a number of applications and Mrs Watson (DHT) will be making contact with parents/ carers over the coming weeks. Please keep a close eye on our website, our Twitter page and your email accounts for information detailing our Primary 1 transition programme in the coming months.

Applications can be made by clicking this link:

https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200186/primary_school_information/392/enrolling_your_child_for_school

Enrolling your child for school – South Lanarkshire Council Children normally start school in August if their 5th birthday falls before 1 March of the following year. Enrol online. If your child is due to start school in August 2023, you can enrol your child online from Monday 9 January 2023. www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk

Support during the winter break

Winter can be an expensive time of year. We know this will be hard financially for some of our families. Please find below some of the options available for support:

Scottish Child Payment

Scottish Child Payment Applications are open for children aged under 16.

People can apply for the payment of £100 every 4 weeks if they:

• get Universal Credit, Tax Credits or other qualifying benefits.
• have a child or children aged under 16.

Apply at https://www.mygov.scot/scottish-child-payment. This should take around 10-20 minutes.

There is no limit to the number of children you can apply for and receiving Scottish Child Payment will not affect your tax or other benefits.

If you cannot apply online, you can apply by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222.

Warm Welcome

With the cost of living rising, SLC have established ‘Warm Welcome’ locations across South Lanarkshire. Venues including libraries, leisure facilities and community spaces can be accessed throughout the winter months, where a range of support, facilities and activities can be found.

Anyone who is looking for a ‘Warm Welcome’ can find local venues by using a new interactive map and postcode checker found at the following website: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/WarmWelcome

Money Matters

Money Matters Advice Service is an energy and benefit advice service that offers specialist help and assistance, including helping you negotiate with your energy provider.  The service can help access energy hardship funds, make referrals for emergency prepayment top up vouchers or help discuss debt and provide you with help.

You can access this help by calling Money Matters on 0300 029 0041 or fill in a form requesting a call back at www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/MMAS

Youth, Family and Community Learning Officer (YfCL)

Please contact our YfCL Officer, Caroline Stewart, if you think she could offer some support or advice, all of which will be treated sensitively and confidentially. Caroline works in Woodhead on a Monday and Tuesday.

School Lunch Menu

It is Week 1 of the school and nursery lunch menu from Monday 23rd January 2023.

School Menu: https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200186/primary_school_information/2075/primary_school_lunch_menu_20222023/1

Nursery Menu:

https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200184/early_learning_and_childcare/2077/nursery_lunch_menu_20222023/1

All children in Nursery to P5 are entitled to a free school lunch.

Extra-Curricular Clubs:

Monday 23rd January – Football    BOYS

Tuesday 24th January – Netball

Wednesday 25th January – Choir

Upcoming Diary Dates:

• Friday 27th January 2023: Non-uniform Day (Bright Colours Day)
• Friday 3rd February 2023: Planned Industrial Action – School closed to pupils
• Tuesday 7th February 2023: Parent Council and PTA Meeting
• Wednesday 1st March – Friday 3rd March 2023: P7 Residential Trip to Lockerbie Manor

Mrs Claire Fox

Acting Head Teacher