Category: Calderwood Chronicle

Calderwood Chronicle 20_10_23

Calderwood Calendar: 

• Term 2 Family Calendar
• 26^th October 6:30-8:00PM: Parent Council P5-7 Halloween Disco Fundraiser: More information here on how to purchase tickets.
• 27^th October: Halloween Dress Down Day: Please no masks and take into consideration school appropriate costumes
• 27^th October: Primary 1 -4 Halloween Party (in school time): Funded by the Parent Council

Calderwood Communication: 

• Parent Council AGM Minutes: 12/10/23

Calderwood Construction:

• Earlier this week we issued communication on the enhanced measures we have put in place during the first two weeks of construction. Education Officers have also supported us with organising and implementing these arrangements.
• West Lothian Council have instructed our contractor to install temporary fencing around the pitch and playing fields. This will restrict public access to the school grounds during construction. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances installation has been delayed but anticipated for week beginning Monday 23^rd
• The fencing in the immediate playground is hoping to be finished by the end of next week, meaning that in week beginning 30^th October, we should return to some more ‘normality’ for our daily routines.
• We are looking into the traffic congestion issues with the contractors in the surrounding areas of the school. A gentle reminder to families that there is no parking on the Nethershiel Road side of the school. Also, our staff finish their shifts at different times, we would ask if you are using the carpark that you park responsibly.

Calderwood Compliments:

• A huge well done to Thistle Clan for starting our Clan Connects for the session, they shared their learning about inventors and inventions with the clans and their families. Thank you for everyone who came along to support them. You can see some photos on Twitter.
• Thank you to our Parent Council for organising the Halloween Swap Shop today! What a fantastic way to support our children to get ready for the spooky season.
• Well done to Roe House for winning the house points for Term 1, they received a PJ party this week to celebrate!
• Thank you to our Parent Council for all their fundraising efforts, you can find out more about how we use their donations here.

Calderwood Primary Chronicle: 06/10/23

Calderwood Commitments (Actions):

Calderwood Calendar: 

• School finishes on 6^th October and reopens on 17^th October for October Break.
• 19^th October: Roe House Party – PJ Theme – Children in Roe House can wear their pyjamas to school.
• 19^th October: West Calder High School Open Evening for P7 Families
• 20^th October: Calderwood Cares: Collection for West Lothian Food Bank
• 20^th October 11:15am: Thistle Clan Connects: 2 family members are invited to the Arena to find out more about learning in Thistle Clan. The children will put on a performance for their adults.
• 26^th October 6:30-8:00PM: Parent Council P5-7 Halloween Disco Fundraiser: More information here.
• 27^th October: Halloween Dress Down Day: Please no masks and take into consideration school appropriate costumes
• 27^th October: Primary 1 -4 Halloween Party (in school time): Funded by the Parent Council

Calderwood Communication: 

• Parent Council Fundraiser: Halloween Sweetie Bags
• Parent Council: Halloween Swap Shop
• Mrs Grieve has accepted an Acting Principal Teacher at Springfield Primary, initially until Easter 2024, her last day with us, for now, will be 9^th I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Grieve for all she has done for the children, champs and community at Calderwood. As one of the original teachers and previous Acting Principal Teacher, she has been a big part of our journey and has left a legacy at Calderwood. Her smile, enthusiasm, creativity, nurturing relationships and friendship will be greatly missed in the Calderwood corridors and cabins. Personally, she has always been a great support to me, and our leadership team. Best of luck to you Mrs Grieve on the next part of her journey, from us all. I’ll keep you updated on the recruitment process.
• Congratulations to Mrs McGarvey, who is due her baby in February 2024. Apologies that in my absence communication was not issued around this. We will keep you updated on the recruitment process and will organise a hand over period to ensure a smooth transition for Ben Lomond Clan.

Calderwood Construction:

• Update for the return to school after the October holidays

Calderwood Compliments:

• It was lovely to see so many families join us for our champion conservations this week. Thank you to the children in Primary 5-7 who volunteered to support this event.
• I hope everyone has a lovely October Break and we look forward to seeing the children on their return.

PDF: Term 2 Family Calendar 2023-24

Calderwood Commitments (Actions):

• Champion Conversations: Opportunity for Primary 5-7 Clans to support at our Champion Conversations. If possible we would love to see our Chiefs, House & Vice Captains there supporting this event. Please complete this form if your child can help.
• 20/09/23 – 02/10/23 (extended date): iPay open for Term 2 milk order: Milk orders will not be available after this date.
• Champion Conversations Booking System open until 2^nd October (extended), you will find more information in the email.

Calderwood Calendar: 

• Term 2 Family Calendar
• 04/10/23-05/10/23: Champion Conversations: An opportunity for you to discuss your child’s progress with their champion, please ensure you have booked an appointment by 2^nd
• School finishes on 6^th October and reopens on 17^th October for October Break.
• 19^th October: West Calder High School Open Evening for P7 Families
• 20^th October: Calderwood Cares: Collection for West Lothian Food Bank
• 20^th October 11:15am: Thistle Clan Connects: 2 family members are invited to the Arena to find out more about learning in Thistle Clan.
• 26^th October 6:30-8:00PM: Parent Council P5-7 Halloween Disco Fundraiser: More information to come.
• 27^th October: Halloween Dress Down Day: Please no masks and take into consideration school appropriate costumes
• 27^th October: Primary 1 -4 Halloween Party (in school time): Funded by the Parent Council

Calderwood Communication: 

• Home Learning Grids for Term 1
• Mornings: Some children are playing in the muga and field in the mornings before school, just a reminder that these areas not supervised by champions in the morning.
• Parent Council Fundraiser: Halloween Sweetie Bags
• Parent Council: Halloween Swap Shop

Calderwood Compliments:

• Thank you to Edinburgh University for supporting Maths Week Scotland in Primary 5 – 7.
• Ben Lawers and Ben Lomond Clans had a fantastic time at Dalguise this week. Thank you to Mrs McGarvey, Miss Kirkwood, Mrs Clarkson and Miss Stark for giving up their own time to give the children this experience. Also thank you to Miss Stark and Mrs Blair for organising the residential.

Link to PDF: Calderwood Chronicle_25_08_23

Calderwood Commitments (Actions):

• Primary 5 – 7: Bring Your Own Device. If you would like your child to take part please complete the permission slip with your child, this will start from 28^th You can find more information here.

Calderwood Calendar: 

• Term 1 Calendar link
• 25/08/23: Dress Down Day: (For school funds) Please no football strips or crop tops. If you like to make a donation you can do this on iPay by clicking on funds, Dress Down Day.
• 30/08/23: P5-7 Karate Taster sessions: Can wear their P.E kit to school
• 06/09/23 & 07/09/23: Visit My Clan

Calderwood Communication: 

• Invisible Strings Learning: Click here to find out more about what our clans have been learning during the first two weeks back.
• First Week Back Photos
• P7 Dalguise Parent Session: Click here to see the presentation.
• Routines: Thank you for bearing with us as we navigate our routines and to the parents who have supported us with ideas to refine them. We received some enquires via the Parent Council about the cabins and playground and we have responded to the concern.
• iPay: You can click here to find advice on how to use iPay. All families should use this system to order their child’s lunch or note that they are bringing a pack lunch from home.
• Community Event: Almondell Cemetery Public Art Unveiling Invite
• Term 1 P.E Days
• Parent Council Welcome Letter
• Jets & Simply Play: If your child is using of one these services please ensure you inform them of your child’s clan so the champions know who in their clan should attend at the of the school day. If your child is absent from school or if there are changes to your plans, it is important you contact Simply Play or Jets to let them know this information so they can update their registers and to safe any confusion at pick up.

Calderwood Chronicle_18_08_23 Download

Calderwood Commitments (Actions):

• Primary 5 – 7: Bring Your Own Device. If you would like your child to take part please complete the permission slip with your child, this will start from 28^th You can find more information here.
• Medical: Please ensure the office are aware of any medical needs or allergies your child may have.

Calderwood Calendar: 

• Term 1 Calendar link
• 19/08/23: Milk Open to order for Term 1 Unfortunately, you will not be able to order milk for Term 1 after this point.
• 23/08/23 – 6pm: Ben Lawers & Lomond Dalguise Information Session – Virtual Drop In: Join on your computer, mobile app or room device: Click here to join the meeting. Meeting ID: 334 279 901 597 Passcode: H3WhdG Download Teams | Join on the web
• 25/08/23: Dress Down Day: (For school funds) Please no football strips or crop tops. If you like to make a donation you can do this on iPay by clicking on funds, Dress Down Day.

Calderwood Communication: 

• Free School Meals and Clothing Grant Information: Although all children in Primary 1-5 received free school meals, it is important that those families who are entitled to the free school meals grant apply, as this allows enables your child to receive free school milk and access to other support, in and out of school. The clothing grant application also helps you to receive funding to purchase uniform supplies for your child. This link has more information and our equity champs are more than happy to support you with filling out the forms.
• Routines: Thank you for bearing with us as we navigated our way through new routines this week based on our large intake of new children and the cabins being installed. You can find a copy of these routines here. You can also find in this Sway the areas children should leave their bikes. Primary 7 clans should use the bike rack next to the muga and Primary 5-6 clans should leave their bikes at the Great Glen Gate area. Next week, Primary 1 clans will follow the normal school routines.
• Breakfast Club: You can find out more about Breakfast Club here. If your child requires food at Breakfast Club please ensure they arrive before 8:20am.
• Communication: As you can see, the door at breakfast club and the gates in the morning are busy and at this time the champions focus is on the safety of the children. We therefore would ask that any communication that does need passed on to champions goes through the office, so the message finds its way to the correct person. When emailing the office, can you please ensure your note your child’s full name and clan name so the email can be directed to the correct champions.
• Reporting Absence: Please email the school office: wlcalderwood-ps@westlothian.org.uk
  • Email title:School or Nursery Absence
  • Child’s first and surname:
  • Length of absence (if known):
  • Reason for absence:
  • If you are unable to email, you are still able to phone the school office. If your child continues to be absent for longer than one day and you haven’t initially reported this, please report this absence daily. If your child is going to be absent, it is your responsibility to contact the office before 9am to report the absence. Failure to report an absence will start the implementation of the West Lothian Safe Arrival policy, which may result in social work or police being contacted.
• Snack: Please ensure your child brings a snack to school for morning break. For those children who forget we do have fruit available at the office. We would discourage share bags of crisps and sweets, and any candy style sweets. Due to allergies in the school, we also try to discourage children sharing their snacks or bringing in treats for birthdays. Please avoid nut based snacks at break and lunch, due to allergies. Children should also bring a filled water bottle to school each day that they can top up if required, please let us know if you require support with purchasing a water bottle.
• iPay: The office champs are hoping that all new families will have a log in by next week. You can click here to find advice on how to use iPay. All families should use this system to order their child’s lunch or note that they are bringing a pack lunch from home, to ensure this does not take away from their learning time during stag start in the morning.
• Leadership team clan responsibility:
  • Mrs Warden: Nursery
  • Miss Connor: Mull, Orkney, Shetland, Skye, Ness, Linlithgow
  • Mrs Bates: Leven, Rannoch, Tay, Tummel, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth
  • Miss Burton: Stirling, Aberdeen, Dundee
  • Miss Stark: Bluebell, Bramble, Thistle, Schiehallion, Ben Lawers, Ben Lomond

Calderwood Compliments:

• Congratulations to Mrs Christie who got married over the summer. We wish Mr and Mrs Curtin lots of love and happiness!
• Capturing Calderwood Chapter 3
• We are so proud of all our new Primary 1 children and how quickly they have settled into life at Calderwood. They have been excellent at learning all the routines of being in ‘big school’, making new friends and starting their learning journey. Thank you to our champions and families for supporting this transition and milestone for them.
• A big welcome to all our new children and families across P2-7 clans, we have welcomed 40 new children into our clans this week.
• A warm welcome to all our new champions this week, including our new Principal Teachers, Mrs Warden and Mrs Bates.

Calderwood Chronicle_30_06_23

Calderwood Calendar: 

• Wednesday 9^th August – 1:30pm: Clans in the cabins, can pop in and visit their new clan space with Miss Burton and Mrs Bates. One adult per family and no younger siblings please if possible (to ensure we can fit everyone in. Please meet in the playground at 1:25pm. These clans include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Stirling, Dundee and Aberdeen.
• 15/08/23: First Day of 2023/24 session
• Information for P1s First Week

Calderwood Communication: 

• New clan information: We have updated the blog with videos of our champions and social stories of our clans. You can find links to them here.
• Clan Time Capsule Challenge: Look at our magic moments as a clan this year.
• Into Primary … Challenge: Find out what life is like at a specific stage in Calderwood.
• Routines for August: You can find information about our new routines for August here, thank you to our clan reps for supporting with this.
• Parent Council Minutes: 06/06/23
• Saving Seesaw Profiles
• Saving Teams OneNote Jotters

Calderwood Compliments:

• Thankfully the rain stayed away for C in the Park and we had a fantastic time celebrating together. Thanks to everyone who attend or supported the event. We raised an amazing £2212.94! You can find some photos on Twitter and more information here.
• It has been a fantastic week celebrating all things Ben Lomond, our first ever Primary 7 at Calderwood. Their Calderwood Connects was a tribute to the huge part they have played in our Calderwood story and the legacy they have left behind. Thank you so much to the champions who made this all possible, and to you, their families for all the support you have given us during their time at Calderwood. We can’t wait to see all what they all achieve on the next part of their journey.
• Thank you to our champions, who always go above and beyond for our children and families. I am always so proud of our team, and how they care for our children, whilst providing inspirational learning opportunities.

• I can’t quite believe it’s time to close our Calderwood Chapter 2! It has been another year of achievements, making memories and growing together. Thank you for all the support you have given us this year, it is greatly appreciated by myself and our staff team. I hope you all have a fantastic summer. Miss Burton

Calderwood Chronicle_23_06_23

Calderwood Commitments (Actions):

• C in the Park information
• 19/06/23 – 27/06/23: Milk Open to order for Term 1, for current Primary 1-6 children.

Calderwood Calendar: 

• Term 4 Calendar link Updated – updates in yellow
• 19/06/23 – 27/06/23: Milk Open to order for Term 1, for current Primary 1-6 children.
• 23/06/23: C in the Park Dress Down Theme – no donation required. No football tops please.
• 23/06/23: C in the Park: Tickets only
• 28/06/23: Ben Lawers at West Calder High School. Please ensure EE2 forms are returned.
• 28/06/23: Ben Lomond Leavers Celebration for Families: 4 adults per child: doors Open 1:30pm. Children to wear P7 shirts and ties.
• 29/06/23: Ben Lomond Leaving Meal: Meet at school for 4:00pm, collected from school at 6:00pm. Smart Dress. Please ensure EE2 forms are returned.
• 30/06/23: Last day of term for school

Calderwood Communication: 

• Clan Changeover 2023: Transition Information
• New clan information: We are starting to update the blog with videos of our champions and social stories of our clans. You can find links to them here.
• Composite Clans: This week we held an information session on composite clans, you can find the presentation here.
• Clan Time Capsule Challenge: Look at our magic moments as a clan this year.
• Into Primary … Challenge: Find out what life is like at a specific stage in Calderwood.

Calderwood Compliments:

• Thank you to our champions who gave our Ben Lawers and Ben Lomond Clans the amazing opportunity to go camping this week. Thank you to Linwater Caravan Park for allowing us to stay.