P2/1 5th September 2017

Welcome back to all the boys and girls and a special welcome to the new Primary One boys and girls who have all settled in really well and are learning the rules and routines of the classroom.

For the first two weeks of term we have been focusing on rules and routines- getting unpacked and remembering where to hang coats and put bags etc.  We have also been looking at the SHANARRI wheel and especially at being healthy. We have talked about healthy food and in the weeks to come we will be discussing hand washing, sleep and brushing our teeth.

We have also started our first topic ‘Our School’.  We have discussed what we would like to learn about and are hoping to invite some of the members of staff into our classroom to ask them questions about their jobs.

Some reminders for the week ahead-

Monday- indoor gym, please remember gym kit with name on.

Tuesday- Reading homework, common word book practice, Maths (usually every other week).

Thursday- we hope to visit the library on a Thursday when possible so look out for a library book coming home.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

Mrs Steel

Primary 1 w.b. 4.9.17

The primary 1s are settling in well to school. The children have been learning school routines and are beginning to work independently in their daily tasks. The children are coping well with full days are are enjoying getting stuck in with their learning.
This week we are beginning our work on phonics. We will be teaching the ‘a’ and ‘t’ sounds throughout the week and will be learning the words ‘a’, ‘at’ and ‘the’ to recognise and read by sight. The children will receive a reading book home with them this week to read with an adult. The book will have no words so please see the accompanying letter for suggested activities to do with the book.
In maths, we have been learning the numbers 1-6. We are concentrating on correct formation of these numbers and counting out sets accurately.
We are also beginning our interdisciplinary topic about myself and my family this week. The children will talk about their family and will investigate their 5 senses, especially the sense of hearing.
This is the first week of homework. Homework will be given out on a Tuesday to be handed back in on a Friday. This week the children have a reading book to read, a library book to be read to them and discussed, words in a yellow jotter to learn and a maths worksheet (writing 0-5).
Reminders:
-PE is on a Monday, please come prepared with a PE kit.
-Please only bring water in water bottles for drinking during the day. It is helpful if these bottles are named.
-Please ensure that all clothes are named clearly.
Thank you for your continued support. Please contact us if you have any queries.
Miss Christy, Mrs Harris and Mrs Oliver

Primary 3 Wk beginning 4th September

We are now into the full swing of Primary three and just yesterday we received a mysterious letter from Mrs Thunder wanting Primary Three’s help to learn more about the weather. This is great news as we have been discussing what we already know and what we would like to learn about our topic. We are going to practice our best handwriting and sentences when we write our own letters in response.
Homework
Weekly spelling
This week has also seen the start of homework. In their homework jotters, children have stuck in a small word list focusing on one sound a week. With this list, children should use a line per word to write each word as many times along the line as they can fit in, using the Look, Cover, Write, Check format.
A common words sheet has also been stuck in and although this does not need written evidence, it would be good if you could practice these with your child whenever you have time.
Handwriting
A handwriting sheet has been stuck in the front of jotters for children to practice at home. It would be good for the children to familiarise themselves with the correct letter formation.
Maths
We have been learning strategies for our Maths to make us more confident and speedier in our calculations. We recognised that it is much easier to add to a ‘friendly number’ (one with a 0 at the end) and because of this, we can shuffle numbers in our addition sums to make a ten first, then add the rest on.
Reading
We also have started reading. Please practice the pages given, stuck in the front of the homework diaries, out loud, checking for understanding and recognition of punctuation whilst we read.
With homework, we have set the days for handing out on a Monday, and return day a Friday as we would prefer to leave your weekends free. We welcome your comments on this. Perhaps some people prefer a weekend to be able to spend time doing it?
It was lovely to meet so many of you at meet the teacher. Thank you for coming to say hello.
Thank you for your continued support,
From ‘the Smiths’.

Primary 6 1.9.17

We have had a busy second week of term and primary six are quickly establishing their routines and responsibilities as senior pupils of our school. Our class discussions have centred on the principles of SHANARRI and in particular we have focused on respect. We have created some excellent images showing where respect can be found within our school. Primary Six are sending out a clear message to the rest of the school ….”You give it to me and I give it to you, RESPECT”. The next time you visit our small hall, please have a look at our display.
We will be issuing spelling homework next week. Pupils will be given twelve words relating to a specific rule or sound on Monday. They will be expected to complete a spelling activity of their choice and sentences using some of their spelling words . The spelling homework is due on Friday and they will also complete a weekly spelling test.
We have started our class novel and the engagement of the pupils so far has been so positive that the main character has become an extra member of our class! We have started our library visits and the pupils will be given regular opportunities to exchange books.
REMINDERS –
PE – outdoor Kit on Mondays / Indoor kit on Wednesdays
Homework
Spelling due on Friday
Maths homework will have date recorded by pupils

It was a pleasure to meet so many parents on Wednesday afternoon, thank you for coming along to our “meet the teacher “session.
Best Regards,
Mrs Gilmour , Mrs Tully , Mr Shanks and Mrs Wylie

Primary 7 31.08.17

Hello everyone! This week has been very busy in Primary 7.

We have been very busy down in Primary 1 with our buddies and helping them with their first lunchtimes in school. We have to be very patient because some of our buddies take forever at lunchtime!

We have been learning about how to be responsible Primary 7’s and have started doing a display for the hall. We have spoken about all the different qualities you need to have to be a responsible P7 and a responsible buddy.

This term our topic is Japan and in Art we have been making traditional Japanese tea cups. Also in Art we have been learning about the language they use in an art classroom in Japan. Thanks Miss Fox 🙂

In P.E Mrs Ferguson is our teacher and we have been playing basketball. We have been learning about the different passes you can use to shoot in the basketball hoops. We have been working in the new hall for P.E.

We have had lots of fun in Primary 7 this week. Have a nice weekend!

By Luci, Katie, Maddie and Logan

Reminders –
PE days: Monday (outdoor)
Wednesday (indoor)
Maths & Spelling homework due on Fridays

Miss Clark & Mrs Macaulay

Meet the Teacher

Carmondean Primary School’s annual ‘Meet the Teacher’ event is scheduled for this Wednesday, 30 August at 4.30-5.30 p.m. The event is a ‘drop-in’, so you can come and go as you please during the designated times. We hope as many of you as possible will come along and find out about what your child will be learning this session.

Primary 3

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and are back into the routine of school once again!

Its been a busy start for us all reflecting on our class charter and our rights and deciding which ones we felt were important. We have been getting ‘Active’ as part of our Shanarri focus both physically and mentally.

We are looking forward to meeting you all on Wednesday at 4:30pm. Its a great opportunity to meet us, see your child’s classroom and the work they have started to do.

Currently our PE days are as follows:

P3A Miss Smith: Tuesday: Outdoor PE Wednesday: Indoor PE

P3S Mrs Smith: Tuesday: Outdoor PE Thursday: Indoor PE

Homework will commence next week and we will write these details on the Blog and your children will also record these in their diary.

Could we ask that you make sure all of your child’s belongings are labelled including shoes.

Thank you for your continued support!

The Smiths! 🙂

28.08.17 Primary 5

Welcome back too Primary 5!

We hope you had a lovely, relaxing summer break. It has been a busy and enjoyable first week for us in class with lots of creative tasks ongoing as we continue to learn more about one another.

Last week we had a focus on our Class Charter and our understanding of why we need rights and responsibilities. The children worked hard to complete a jigsaw puzzle design to highlight that we are all together as one in school.

The children also created wonderful ‘All about me’ silhouettes filled with many of their favourite things and personal information. These are now looking great and are on display in class.

Our Shanarri focus this year is Achievement. We refreshed our memories about  each area of the Shanarri wheel and discussed the importance and relevance of each. We will continue working on this display this week.

The ‘Meet the Teacher’ session is on Wednesday 30th August 4.30pm-5.30pm. Please come along and see all the great work the children have completed already.

This term the children will have Music with Mr. Platt on Wednesdays and P.E with Mrs. Ferguson on Thursdays. For more information regarding homework please read the P5 Newletter which you can collect on Wednesday. If you cannot attend we will send it home on Thursday.

We hope you have a lovely week,

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Miss Farren and Mrs Jamieson

Primary 6 25.8.17

Hello and welcome to the P6 Blog.

It was great to see everyone back refreshed after the summer holidays. The children look very smart in their school uniforms and the majority of children had a pair of indoor shoes. Please can you ensure your child has a change of shoes especially when the weather is wet.

This week we have had a focus on Rights Respecting Schools and how we can be respectful of everyone. The children have worked hard to write their new class charter and have created a Superhero alter ego to help them understand we have a hero within ourselves.  The children have created comic strips reflecting the articles in their class charter.

The ‘Meet the Teacher’ session is on Wednesday 30th August 4.30pm-5.30pm. Please come along and see all the great work the children have completed already. You will be able to see – Timeline, Word Art Selfie, Biography poems and much more.

The children will work with Ms Fox on a Thursday to create art work. PE will be on a Monday (outdoors) with the class teacher and on a Wednesday (indoors) with Mrs Ferguson. Please ensure your child has suitable clothing and footwear for these sessions especially outdoors.

We look forward to working with you this year to ensure your child has an excellent learning experience. Hopefully we will meet you next Wednesday.

Have a lovely weekend

Mrs Wylie, Mr Shanks, Mrs Tully and Mrs Gilmour

Primary 7 25.08.17

Hello everyone

We hope you had a lovely, relaxing summer. We were happy to welcome all of the children back on Tuesday for their final year at Carmondean. Primary 7 is a very busy year and the first week back has been no exception! We are looking forward to a fun, happy and productive year of learning with the children.

This week, almost all of the children have now met their new P1 buddy. Each morning they have been showing the children how to get ready for the start of the day. They have also been playing with their P1 buddies at break time. Next week the Primary 7’s will help their buddies to navigate the lunch hall on their first full days in school. We are both so impressed with how kind, helpful and responsible the children have been when working with their buddies. We are sure this will continue throughout the year.

This week we created our class charter. We discussed the rights that children all over the world are entitled to. We also thought about the importance of respecting others rights. The theme of our class charter displays this year is: “We are all different but equal”. The children made mature contributions to discussion and all have designed part of our classroom display.

On Wednesday you are welcome to attend our Meet the Teacher event. This is an informal event where you have the chance to explore your child’s classroom, meet the class teacher and look at resources that the children will be using this coming year. The event will take place from 4:30-5:30pm. We hope to see lots of you there!

Next week, we will begin working through our full timetable. Children will receive spelling and maths homework next week. We will also begin work on our first topic of Japan. Further details of our work this term can be found in the class newsletter which will be handed out later this week.

Outdoor PE will take place on a Monday for both classes. Children should come prepared with long trousers, trainers and a warm jumper/hoodie that they don’t mind getting slightly muddy on occasion.

Indoor PE will take place on a Wednesday for both classes with Mrs Ferguson. Children should come prepared with indoor shoes, shorts and a t-shirt.

Thank you for your support. If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to ask.

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Clark and Mrs Macaulay

Primary 3A

Welcome back everyone!  Primary three have been busy settling in to their new class.

We have a few of the children who have something to say about their first day so far.

Erin B: “I enjoyed the song we learned.”

Oliver: “I enjoyed meeting the teacher.”

Arthur: “I have enjoyed being in P3.”

Cameron: “I have enjoyed learning what we have been learning so far.”

Elle: “I like my teacher.”

James: “I have loved being in the new classroom.”

Eva: “I love our teacher.”

Sophie: “I like school here.”

 

Our new PE day will be Wednesday. Please bring indoor PE kit on this day.

Keep checking for updates 🙂

 

International Open Morning

Last Friday saw our annual Open Morning when parents and friends are invited into school to see what we are doing and how we are doing it. These opportunities usually have a focus and this year was no exception. Visitors could tour the classes to see the work we have been doing for our Erasmus+ Project, F.L.A.G. (For Learners Around the Globe). They were then invited to visit the exhibition in the hall which showed the work we have been doing over the last two years on the project. Primary 5 pupils were on ‘Questionnaire Duty’ and gathered an amazing 193 responses, which were overwhelmingly positive. Sadly, our project is almost finished now and, with Brexit, we’re not sure if we’ll ever get the chance to be involved in another one, but we still hope to do so in the future. Thank you to everyone who came along and made the morning such a success.  If you want to know more about the project, click on the F.L.A.G. Tab at the top of the Blog.

Primary 7 – 26-06-17

 

Hello,

Last Monday the children came back with lots of stories about what they had been getting up to at High School. They had a great time during their week at High School and hopefully they shared these stories with you!

On Tuesday the children visited Aberdour beach with their P1 buddies. It was a great day and the children enjoyed playing in the water and the sand. Primary 7 really looked after their buddies making sure that they were safe at all times.

On Wednesday the children took part in sports day. Luckily the rain held off for the most part! The children worked really well in their teams to gain points for their Houses. Well done to Waverley for winning overall.

We have been practising for our Leavers’ Assembly which will be on Wednesday 28th June at 1.30pm. Please remember to send in your request for tickets as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing you there!

On Friday the children showcased all their work based on the ERASMUS+ Project. Primary 7s focus was on Bulgaria. The children were able to show their parents the work that they had been doing and the work other classes had been doing. Thank you for your support during this open morning.

The P7 Prom takes place on Thursday 29th June at 6pm and will be held at Deer Park. The Prom Committee will go up on Thursday afternoon and decorate the room in preparation for this. The children are very excited about this and we are looking forward to seeing them all dressed up! A good time will hopefully be had by all.

On the last day of term the children can bring in their Carmondean Polo shirts and shirts for others to sign with good luck messages.

Thank you for all of your support throughout the year and we wish you well in the next chapter of your child’s school life.

Mrs Macaulay & Mrs Gilmour

Primary 6 23.06.17

Hello everyone

A big thank you to all of the parents and carers who attended our Carmondean open morning this morning where we shared our learning about the ERASMUS+ country of Slovakia. The children loved sharing their knowledge with you and showing you how using their own devices in the classroom can be extremely beneficial.

This week has been a busy week at Carmondean. On Wednesday all of the children took part in sports day. They showed team work, sportsmanship and skill throughout. Well done to the winning house – Waverley!
Yesterday most P6’s met their future P1 buddies for the first time. This was an exciting afternoon wherein children got a chance to play with their buddy and meet their buddies’ parents. Both Mrs Kelly and I were so impressed with the way in which all of the children conducted themselves. They showed caring and mature attitudes and we are sure that they will be excellent buddies.

Next week will be an exciting week too! The children will find out who will be their new teachers next year. They will also watch the annual school talent show and attend both the P7 and nursery leavers assemblies.

This will be our last blog post of the session. Mrs Kelly, Mrs Wylie and I would like to thank you all for your support this session. It has been a great year in P6 and we wish all the children every success in Primary 7 and beyond!

Have a lovely summer holiday!

Miss Clark, Mrs Kelly & Mrs Wylie

Beach Trip 2017

We had a fantastic day at Aberdour Beach yesterday with our P1s and their P7 buddies, P2s and P3s. The sun shone intermittently and the wind was strong and a bit chilly, but that did not stop all the children from having a ball. Mrs Tully had organised the event to within an inch of its life, we had a great bunch of parent helpers and the children’s behaviour was second to none. Roll on next year.

Royal Connections

Two of our Primary 6 pupils were lucky enough to meet Royalty recently. The two girls had been involved in raising money for charity connected to Kirk of Calder Church and were invited to meet and present flowers to the Princess Royal, Princess Anne.

The copyright of the photographs belongs to Alex Todd Photography, so these pictures CANNOT be copied or shared via social media without his express permission. Permission can be applied for by contacting:

Alex Todd Photography
46 Ochiltree Drive
Mid Calder
Livingston
West Lothian
EH53 0RX
Some background information as to how the girls were invited to meet HRH The Princess Royal.
Back in September 2014 Rev Povey the Minister of Kirk of Calder launched a three year fundraising project to fund the building of a children’s home in the Oldeani district of Tanzania fairly close to the famous volcanic mountain Mount Kilimanjaro at an estimated cost of around £85,000 with a target date of autumn 2017. The Oldeani Project vision to link up with the Vine Trust’s voluntary work in Tanzania.
Amazingly in just a little over two years the Kirk of Calder in the tiny West Lothian village of Mid Calder exceeded it’s own target with a grand total of £85,500.
Learning of the kirk’s plan to raise money to build an orphanage in Africa whilst attending Sunday School, in the spring of 2016 the two girls on their own initiative planned and executed a sponsored cycle of six miles raising a total of  £717.39 for the children’s home.  Their example is a credit to their teachers, their school and the local community.
The Vine Trust is a Leith based charity which recruits medical volunteers and other work party volunteers to help with various projects in Peru and Tanzania.
Vine Trust’s School Expeditions provide an exceptional opportunity for secondary school students and teachers to engage in sustainable international development while making incredible friendships and memories.
The Trust provides opportunities to support the construction of orphanages and small family homes in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania, and community projects and children’s homes in Arequipa and Lima, Peru. Through Vine Trust’s hands-on projects, in partnership with local organisations, we support students to become active global citizens by enabling them to enact and empower significant change in vulnerable communities.
Teachers and student’s from James Young High School in Livingston have been out to Peru several times and later this year some students and teachers are heading out to Tanzania.
HRH The Princess Royal is Patron of the Vine Trust and when she learned of the Kirk of Calder’s incredible fundraising efforts she wanted to meet and thank everyone who had been actively involved in raising the funding for the orphanage.
Courtesy Mr Cairns.

P1, P2, P3 & P7 Beach Trip

Just a little reminder about our school beach trip to Aberdour tomorrow:

  • Please apply sun cream to your children and pack some spare in their school bag
  • Come dressed in a tshirt, shorts/tracksuit bottoms, a fleece/zipped up hoody, swimming stuff, spare pants and socks!
  • Bring a towel
  • Bring a packed lunch and a snack  and plenty of water
  • Bucket and spade (optional)

Looking forward to some fun in the sun!

Achievements Outside School

I was working away quite happily this morning when I was invaded by a group of children who wanted to share their successes outside school. This is an area we want to hear more about from all classes and our Pupil Parliament came up with some useful ideas for sharing these kinds of successes.  This morning, we celebrated some pupils’ contributions to the Deans Gala Day, including the Pageant, the Football and the Relay Races, where Carmondean had some great successes (First in Football, First in Girls’ Relay and second in Boys’ Relay. The Gala Queen, Rebecca Scott, is also a Carmondean Pupil, and we had another seven children involved in the official crowning).

The other successes reported were:

Three P6 boys in 6-hour football tournament

Yellow grading for Taekwon-do

Participation in Gymnastics show

Two P6 girls gained 3rd place in the Scottish Gymnastics Team event.

A huge well done to everyone and we hope to hear more about successes outside school next session.

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