 Download a copy of this information by clicking the blue link here:  Named Person 2016
Our School Gardens
We are trying very hard to make our school grounds an interesting and stimulating environment for our children to play and learn in. We are always looking for volunteers to help us with digging, landscaping, general maintenance or ‘heavy’ work tasks in our garden. If you have some free time and are interested in helping then please contact Miss Baillie or the School Office for more information. All volunteers are very welcome!
January Newsletter
Senior Citizens’ Scots Assembly.
We look forward to welcoming the older members of our school community along on Thursday at 1:30 for our Scots Assembly.
Please be very clear that this assembly is only for older family members and friends to enjoy being part of our learning. Parents and carers have many opportunities to attend other events throughout the year.
Much as we normally look forward to seeing parents and carers, space in our hall is very limited and you would potentially be depriving an older friend or relative a space if you chose to ignore this which would be very disappointing.
When we know the numbers attending we may be in a position to offer additional tickets to families of children performing.
Thank you for your understanding.
Steven Eagleson
New year. New term.
Pencil case packed? New shoes polished? Â We are looking forward to seeing you all back bright and early on Wednesday morning. Enjoy your last few days of holiday.
Steven Eagleson.
ooVoo Video app advice from CEOP
Dear parents and Carers,
www.thinkuknow.co.uk is an excellent resource run by The Child Exploitation Online Prevention agency (CEOP) and offers advice to pupils, parents and educators on managing the benefits and risks of social media.  The blue link at the bottom of this post will open a leaflet on a video app called ooVoo which parents and carers may find useful.  This has also been emailed to those for whom we have addresses.
ooVoo is a video chat app. It lets you make video calls, voice calls and send texts to friends and family.  It allows users to communicate with their friends and family via a group video chat with up to 12 people.  Like many other sites and apps, ooVoo is used by both adults and children. This means that children can be directly contacted by an adult they don’t know.   Ultimately the decision as to whether or not a child under 13 is on ooVoo and similar sites lies with the child’s parent or carer.
I hope you find the attached information useful in keeping your family safe online.
Steven Eagleson
Headteacher
click the blue link to download the leaflet:Â ooVoo guide for parents
POLICE SCOTLAND FESTIVE SAFETY MESSAGE
Police Scotland have released their annual Festive Safety message.  This year’s message is to stay safe whilst Online, Shopping, Partying and at Home. They have provided some important information to help you stay safe this Festive Period.  Click on the following headings to find out more information.
More and more people use online shopping to purchase their Christmas presents as well as taking advantage of sales and events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s important to take a couple of precautionary steps when purchasing goods online to keep safe and avoid being targeted by criminals.
It is also important that people understand the dangers of social media and that what you post online, stays online.
The festive period is traditionally the busiest time of the year for shopping and unfortunately, there are those who exploit the festive period for the wrong reasons but it only takes a few simple preventative measures to discourage criminals and stay safe.
Make sure to stay with friends, stick to your plans, have travel arranged and be careful of what you drink. Don’t leave drinks unattended and stay away from drugs, new psychoactive substances or other controlled substances.
A few simple steps such as leaving a light on when you’re out, keeping presents and valuables out of sight, opening and closing curtains at the appropriate time of day and not advertising on social media when you are out helps to keep criminals away.
For more information, click on the following link: http://www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/festive-safety/
VSE Report
In September the school was subject to a council Validated Self Evaluation (VSE).  The VSE took a broad look at all aspects of school life including leadership, improving performance, planning for teaching, learning and assessment, meeting learners needs and working with partners and the community. The finding of the process are laid out in a report which has been emailed home and is available to download from the OUR SCHOOL – USEFUL DOCUMENTS – SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT DOCUMENTS tab.  If you cannot access this report by email or through the blog – please ask at the office for a copy.
West Lothian Council Parent Involvement Survey
Dear parents and carers,
We would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete this online survey from West Lothian Council. Â You can access it by clicking this link:
https://www.esurveycreator.co.uk/s/PIStrategySurvey
The survey contains only five statements to rate strongly disagree to strongly agree – there is also space to add comments if you wish.  The questions are:
·        Communication is effective between my child’s school and home.
·        My child’s school provides me with the information I need to help my child learn at home.
·        I feel confident supporting my child’s learning at home.
·        I am aware of West Lothian’s complaints procedure.
·        I know how I can become involved in my school’s parent council.
Many thanks,
Steven Eagleson, Headteacher
Paris Attacks
We will be holding a minute silence at 11am to pay our respects to the tragic victims of this weekend’s devastating attacks in Paris.
