PC PTA AGM | Woodhead Primary – Head Teacher's Blog

Welcome to this week’s Head Teacher’s Blog. I hope you have had a lovely weekend, despite the changing weather.

On Friday afternoon, we had a whole school assembly. It was Primary 1’s first time at assembly and they sat beautifully throughout. We enjoyed singing together and celebrated our special awards and achievements.

Pupils in Primary 7 launched their ‘Reading for Pleasure’ campaign and showcased posters they have made to go around the school to promote reading for pleasure.

It was a real treat to have everyone together and I was very impressed with the confidence of the Primary 7 children who spoke in front of the whole school.

Industrial Action

Following suspension of industrial action on Friday evening, South Lanarkshire have confirmed all schools and nurseries are expected to open as normal next week.

Parent Council and PTA AGM

The PC and PTA AGM will take place on Tuesday 6th September 2022 at 6.45pm. This meeting was intended to take place via Zoom due to the proposed industrial action.

It will be confirmed on Monday 5th Sep if it is possible for this meeting to take place in person.

SLT Drop-In

The first drop-in session to chat with a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) will take place on Monday 12th September 2022 between 3.30pm and 5.30pm.

The purpose of these drop-ins is to allow parents/carers an opportunity to speak with a member of the leadership team in an informal setting.

It is an opportunity to get advice and support with areas such as:

Home Learning
IT Support e.g. Google Classroom
Supporting your child with anxiety/worry.
General Curriculum questions

It is not an opportunity to get an update on your child’s progress or to raise a concern/complaint.

Our YFLC Officer, Caroline Stewart, will also be on hand to offer advice on matters such as:

parenting support
money and finance matters
access to community groups and support
helping your child with anxiety/stress/worry etc.

To give us an idea of uptake, please complete this Google Form if you would like to come along to the drop-in.

https://forms.gle/PqnJmj2Qx8K4ywAH7

Please note, due to the nature of a drop-in session, parents/carers will be seen on a first-come/first-served basis.

Painting Shirts

Miss Martin is looking for some old adult shirt to use as painting smocks. If you have anything suitable that you no longer need, please hand these into the school office.

Participatory Budget

Participatory Budget (PB) is the process in which parents/carers and pupils can be involved in making decisions about how a percentage of our Pupil Equity Fund can be spent. Mrs. Keltie is our PB lead. She sent home a leaflet last week for parents/carers to express an interest in becoming part of a PB Focus Group:
If you are interested in becoming part of this group, please return the form by Friday 9th September 2022 or email the school office on gw14woodheadpsoffice@glow.sch.uk

YFCL Officer

Our Youth Family and Community Learning Officer (YFCL), Caroline will be organising parental workshops and family learning opportunities this year.

We are keen to ensure the topics and themes of these are relevant and suitable for our community and we seek your views on these.

Caroline has created a short questionnaire for parents/carers to allow her to gather this information. We’d be grateful if you could complete this by Friday 9th September 2022

https://forms.office.com/r/eQnmPKEwnc

Two opportunities for parents/carers to attend workshops begin this month. Look out for a flyer coming home this week:

School Lunch Menu

The school and nursery lunch menu for the week ahead is Week 2 of the new 2022-23 menu.

Week 2 (School): https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200186/primary_school_information/2075/primary_school_lunch_menu_20222023/2

Week 2 (Nursery):

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

Primary 1 parents/carer should pre-order lunches using this Google Form by Monday 5th September 2022 at 9am:

https://forms.gle/MbVgNtgYLsfgnf2D6

Upcoming Dates for your diary

Tuesday 6th September 2022: PC and PTA AGM (6.45pm-8.30pm)
Monday 12th September 2022: SLT Drop-in Session (3.30pm-5.30pm)
Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th September 2022: School and Nursery photographs
Thursday 22nd September 2022: P1-7 Open Day (9.30am and 1.30pm)

CHANGE OF DATE

The date of the P4/5 and P5 Learning Showcase has changed from the one advertised in our Annual Calendar. This will now take place on Wednesday 22nd March 2023 at 9.30am

Thank you for your continued to support. Please get in touch via the school office if I can assist in any way.

Kind regards

Mr. Clark

Mr. S. Jasnosz-Clark

Head Teacher

It’s hard to believe that we are just at the end of our first full week of term. We’ve packed so much in already. The children have all settled into their new class routines very well and I am impressed by the hard work that I see as I visit classes.

I have also been very impressed with the children’s efforts to be ‘Ready, Respectful and Safe’ in all areas of the school. Class teachers are telling me about children who are going over and above in class too. I look forward to announcing our first ‘School Values’ awards and ‘Playground Awards’ at our online assembly on Monday.

School and Nursery Lunch Menu

The new 2022-23 menu begins on Monday 29th August with week 1:

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

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

Primary 1 parents are asked to pre-order lunches using this Google Form by Monday 29th August 2022 at 9am.

https://forms.gle/6nmWfyKS4EzZk6eW8

School Holiday Dates 2023/24

A consultation on the proposed School Holiday Dates and Staff Development Days for 2023/2024 is available on the South Lanarkshire Council Website (link below).

The consultation went live on Monday, 22 August 2022 and the closing date is Friday, 23 September 2022.

https://wh1.snapsurveys.com/s.asp?k=165588552845

School Uniform

Our children have looked so smart in their school uniforms this term. Thank you to all parents/carers who support the smart ethos of the school by ensuring their children are in the correct uniform.

We are happy to assist any parent/carer who requires financial help/support with uniform. Please let us know.

A reminder that jumpers/cardigans etc. should be grey only and not black or green.

Temporary School Support Assistant

We welcome Mrs. Mackenzie to our team of Support Assistants. She is covering for Mrs. McAuley’s absence and will work Tuesdays – Fridays.

Flu Immunisation

Please return any Flu Immunisation permission slips to school by Monday 29th August 2022 to ensure your child is included in this year’s vaccination programme.

Proposed Industrial Action

A letter was emailed via Parent Pay/Learning Journals last week providing information about proposed strike action which might result in school closure or reduced service. This can be access at https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/sl/public/woodheadprimary/uploads/sites/9618/2022/08/25144245/2022-Parent-Carer-No1.pdf

Non-Class Contact Time

Every class teacher is contractually entitled to planning and preparation time during the school day. For full-time teachers, this is 2.5 hours per week. This is called ‘Non-Class Contact Time (NCCT)’.

This year at Woodhead, Mrs. Martin (nee Miss Ianniello) and Mrs. Keltie teach classes to release the teachers for their NCCT. They will teach Art, Science and PE during this time.

The arrangements for P4 are different as Miss Laing is undertaking her NQT year and shares the class with Miss Miller.

The timetable below indicates when each class will be taught by a different teacher and who that will be.

Please note that it is sometime necessary to change this timetable with no notice due to staff absence and other unforeseen circumstances.

Participatory Budget

Participatory Budgeting gives the parents/carers and pupils of a school a say in how a percentage of our Pupil Equity Fund is used.

Pupil Equity Fund is the money allocated to a school directly from the Scottish Government to help close the poverty related attainment gap.

Last year, our PB focus groups of pupils and parents identified two or three areas that could be a focus of this spend. Following a vote, our PB was allocated to outdoor and nurture resources.

Our Principal Teacher, Mrs. Keltie, is also our PB Lead and will be forming a focus group again this year. Look out for a leaflet all about this coming home next week.

More information on ‘Participatory Budgeting’ can be found at https://pbscotland.scot/pb-in-schools.

Parent Council AGM

The Parent Council AGM will take place on Tuesday 6th September 2022 from 6.45pm. This is a joint meeting of the Parent Council and PTA.

All parents/carers are welcome to attend.

If you are interested in joining the PTA to assist with their fundraising work, please email woodheadpta@gmail.com

Thank you for your continued support. Please get in touch via the school office if I can assist you in any way.

Mr. Clark

Mr. S. Jasnosz-Clark

Head Teacher

Week Beginning Monday 5th September 2022

Week Beginning Monday 29th August 2022