Parent Council Welcome 2023/24

Hello!

Welcome to all parents and carers of children starting Term 1 of the 2023/24 school year! We hope that you’ve had a smooth start, and that you and your children had a good break over the summer. 

The Calderwood Primary School Parent Council (PC for short) is a volunteer group made up of parents and carers of children at the school and nursery. We provide a collective voice for the Parent Forum, which is made up of all parents and carers of children attending the school and nursery. You don’t need to do anything to “join” the Parent Forum, it’s just a way to refer to the wider parent body.

The PC membership is formed from the votes of the Parent Forum at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and has a number of specific “named” roles, such as Chair, Vice Chairs, Treasurer, Secretary etc. Members of the PC vote on various administrative matters, such as budget allocation, fundraising decisions, PC policy or constitutional matters.

If you want to find out more about the role of parent councils, there is a great resource in the Connect website: www.connect.scot (free to set up an account), and also the National Parent Forum for Scotland (www.parentforumscotland.org).

Meeting Dates for your diary:

We have the AGM once a school year, and other regular meetings spread out across the terms. The AGM includes our annual financial report, and the election of the PC Members. 

  • Tuesday 12th September (AGM)
  • Tuesday 21st November
  • Tuesday 27th February
  • Tuesday 23rd April

The times and agenda for each meeting are shared in advance, and anyone from the Parent Forum can attend. You can join in person, or using Zoom (video call).

Clan Representatives (Reps)

The PC also co-ordinates the “Clan Reps”; our brilliant parents and carers who act as key points of contact for messages between the PC and the Parent Forum at a Clan level – mostly through messaging chat groups (e.g. WhatsApp, Messenger etc.). This can cover anything from informal canvassing for ideas to checking that important school information is reaching everyone. 

Here is the list of current Clan Reps:

Nursery – Freya Mitchell / Lucy Wright

P1 Orkney – 

P1 Shetland – 

P1 Mull – Jenni Bell

P1 Skye – Claire Raeburn

P1 Ness – 

P2/1 Linlithgow – 

P2 Leven – Freya Mitchell/ Katie Guinan

P2 Rannoch – Jo Ferguson/ Lucy Wright/ Katie Guinan

P2 Tay – Katy Gillies

P2/3 Tummel – 

P3 Edinburgh – Amie Cruickshank

P3 Glasgow – Jenni Bell

P3 Perth – 

P4 Stirling – Toni Glen

P4 Aberdeen – 

P4 Dundee – 

P5 Bluebell – 

P5 Bramble – Jo Ferguson

P6 Thistle – 

P6 Schiehallion – Laura Hynd

P7 Ben Lawers – 

P7 Ben Lomond – Lynne Spinks

There are some gaps, so if you would be happy to be a point of contact for other parents and carers in your child’s Clan, then please contact: joeyferg170@gmail.com 

If you are not yet in a chat or messaging group and would like to contact your Clan Rep, then try asking another parent or carer at drop off or pick up, or post a message to the “Calderwood Primary School Parents Group” on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/groups/290855069331960/

Lastly, if you have any questions that you can’t find an answer for through the school website (https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/wl/calderwood/) or the Clan Reps, then please email: hello@calderwoodpspc.org 

We hope that you and your children have a really enjoyable year and we look forward to doing some great things together. 

Tim Ozdemir

Chair, Calderwood Primary School Parent Council

Calderwood Primary Chronicle: 18/08/23

Calderwood Chronicle_18_08_23 Download

Calderwood Commitments (Actions):

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.

Nursery Chronicle 28/7/23

Calderwood Nursery Chronicle 28.07.23 

Calderwood Calendar 

KEY DATES 

1/08/23  Stay and Play Family Event 1:30pm-3:00pm 
3/08/23  Stay and Play Family Event 10:00am-11:30am 
11/08/23  Nursery Leavers Event (parents invited) 10am  
14/08/23  Start of new school year. School closed. Nursery open.  

 

UPCOMING DATES 

You can find upcoming dates here 

Calderwood Commitments Actions: 

 

Calderwood Communication (For information):  

Lunches 

For the remainder of the summer, cheese, ham and chicken sandwiches will be offered each day. There will be no hot lunches.  

Nursery Moving On Ceremony 

On Friday 11th August, 10:00am we will be celebrating our pre-school children as the move on to school.  Parents/carers are invited to come along.  This is limited to two spaces.  The children will sing, share their nursery memories and receive a certificate.  Beverages in the school Café will follow with opportunities for photos.  

If your pre-school child does not normally attend nursery on a Friday please bring them to the nursery door at 9:45am. Parents/carers should enter through the school door for 10:00am. 

LEAF Award 

It has been amazing to see our families enjoy our Forest Explorer Bags and upload their photos and videos onto the padlet.  Have a look!  https://padlet.com/lesleylaing/calderwood-forest-explorer-bags-pintnnw1kp25jz4e  

Families can borrow these at anytime!  Let us know if you would like one by signing up using the link above! 

Summer Absences 

A reminder to inform the nursery of absences during the Summer.  Please email the school office of any absences.  This will ensure you are not contacted as part of our safe arrivals procedures.  The school email is wlcalderwood-ps@westlothian.org.uk  

Due to working with the children, our nursery staff are often unable to answer the phone therefore email is the most effective way of communicating with staff. 

Nursery Leavers 

Please collect all your children’s waterproofs, wellies and other belongings before or on your child’s last day at nursery.  If your child has medication, please see a member of staff to collect this. 

 

 

Scottish Summer 

As we continue to have rain and sunshine each day children continue to need suncream applied before their nursery session.  Please can all children bring a sun hat to further protect them during hot weather.  This should be labelled with their name. 

Due to also having rain please ensure your child has suitable outdoor clothing and shoes and spare socks. 

Free School Meal and Clothing Grant 

If you are entitled, completing this application will provide your child with lunch everyday, school milk and access to support services, clothing grant and extra support if required in school. 

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/wl/calderwood/2023/05/18/free-school-meals-clothing-grant/  

 

Calderwood Community Cupboard 

Calderwood has been developing ways to support families due to the cost of living crisis. 

With your help, we have created our own community cupboard which is stocked with everyday items for those times that you need a helping hand. 

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/wl/calderwood/2023/05/18/calderwood-community-cupboard/ 

  

HOME LINKS:  

We are still interested in things under the sea and this week have been making sea creatures using a variety of different materials. Can you make a sea- creature using your recycling at home?  

As always, please share any experiences with us on Online Learning Journals. 

As ever, thank you for your continued support. If you would like to leave us any feedback, please click here.
 

Kindest Regards, 

The Nursery Champions 

Nursery Chronicle 21.7.23

Calderwood Nursery Chronicle 21.07.23

Calderwood Calendar

KEY DATES

1/08/23 Stay and Play Family Event 1:30pm-3:00pm
3/08/23 Stay and Play Family Event 10:00am-11:30am
11/08/23 Nursery Leavers Event (parents invited) 10:00am
14/08/23 Start of new school year.  School closed.  Nursery open.

 

UPCOMING DATES

You can find upcoming dates here

Calderwood Commitments Actions:

 

Calderwood Communication (For information):

Lunches

For the remainder of the Summer, cheese, ham and chicken sandwiches will be offered each day.  There will be no hot lunches.

 

Nursery Moving On Ceremony

On Friday 11th August, 10:00am we will be celebrating our pre-school children as the move on to school.  Parents/carers are invited to come along.  This is limited to two spaces.  The children will sing, share their nursery memories and receive a certificate.  Beverages in the school Café will follow with opportunities for photos.

 

LEAF Award

It has been amazing to see our families enjoy our Forest Explorer Bags and upload their photos and videos onto the padlet.  Have a look!  https://padlet.com/lesleylaing/calderwood-forest-explorer-bags-pintnnw1kp25jz4e

Families can borrow these at anytime!  Let us know if you would like one by signing up using the link above!

 

Summer Absences

A reminder to inform the nursery of absences during the Summer.  Please email the school office of any absences.  This will ensure you are not contacted as part of our safe arrivals procedures.  The school email is wlcalderwood-ps@westlothian.org.uk

Due to working with the children, our nursery staff are often unable to answer the phone therefore email is the most effective way of communicating with staff.

 

Nursery Leavers

Please collect all your children’s waterproofs, wellies and other belongings before or on your child’s last day at nursery.  If your child has medication, please see a member of staff to collect this.

 

Scottish Summer

As we continue to have rain and sunshine each day children continue to need suncream applied before their nursery session.  Please can all children bring a sun hat to further protect them during hot weather.  This should be labelled with their name.

Due to also having rain please ensure your child has suitable outdoor clothing and shoes.

 

Free School Meal and Clothing Grant

If you are entitled, completing this application will provide your child with lunch everyday, school milk and access to support services, clothing grant and extra support if required in school.

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/wl/calderwood/2023/05/18/free-school-meals-clothing-grant/

 

Calderwood Community Cupboard

Calderwood has been developing ways to support families due to the cost of living crisis.

With your help, we have created our own community cupboard which is stocked with everyday items for those times that you need a helping hand.

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/wl/calderwood/2023/05/18/calderwood-community-cupboard/

 

HOME LINKS:

We have been interested in Under the Sea.  The children have been learning about plastic in the ocean and the impact this has on the environment and the animals who live in the ocean.   We have been looking at recycling to help stop plastic going to the ocean.  Can you help your child to recycle at home?  You could take glass jars to the glass banks in the Almondell carpark, show your children the different coloured wheelie bins or reuse something.

As always, please share any experiences with us on Online Learning Journals.

As ever, thank you for your continued support. If you would like to leave us any feedback, please click here.

Kindest Regards,

The Nursery Champions

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