Welcome back everyone! We’ve had a great first week back in school and enjoyed our first whole school assembly this morning where we talked about the importance of our school values and in particular, our value of “Be Kind” I plan to send a weekly school update each Friday as I think parents/carers found this useful last year but a reminder that each class also shares a weekly update to this blog where you can read more about the different activities and learning that has been taking place in class each week. This was paused during the cyber attack that affected West Lothian schools before the summer but we are pleased to be able to restart this. My update this week will be longer than usual as there is a lot of different information to share with you at the beginning of the school year!
School Uniform
It has been great to see the children return to school looking smart in their uniforms. We encourage you to continue with this positive start throughout the year. A reminder of our uniform code:
School uniform consists of:
Navy or red jumper (with or without school badge)
Red or white polo shirt or white school shirt and tie
Black or grey skirt/trousers
On PE days, children can come to school wearing active uniform. This is not a dress down day, children should wear:
navy or red jumper (without or without school badge);
a plain white t-shirt or polo shirt and plain black, navy or grey joggers or leggings.
Children should not wear branded tracksuits or hoodies on P.E. days and we thank you for your support in ensuring that your child sticks to our active uniform code.
Footwear – children should wear full shoes, boots or trainers to school. If your child wears wellingtons over the winter or because it is an outdoor learning day for them, please send a pair of shoes for them to wear inside. These can be school shoes, trainers or traditional gym rubbers. For safety reasons, we ask that children do not wear crocs or slippers.
P.E. Days
Our PE days for this term are:
P1 PE on Monday and Thursday P2/3 PE on Monday and Thursday
P3/4 PE on Tuesday and Thursday P5/6 PE on Tuesday and Wednesday
P6/7 PE on Tuesday and Friday
Outdoor Learning
We are pleased to continue to have the opportunity for classes to take their learning outdoors this term and we will be continuing this over the coming months. We will take weather conditions
into account however unless there is a safety risk, classes will be outdoors at points in the week. Our younger classes will use the playground for their outdoor learning however our older pupils will make use of spaces within our local environment. To support this, please find below information about clothing which is beneficial for children on these days which they should bring to change into.
Clothing which is ok to get dirty and muddy
Boots or wellies which can get dirty and muddy (we do have a stock of wellies in school for any children who don’t have these)
Appropriate coats/jackets for the weather conditions, again these are likely to get muddy
When we get to the colder weather, children may need hats, scarfs and gloves
A change of clothes (including socks) in case anyone gets especially wet!
Regular weekly outdoor learning days
P1/2 Tuesday P2/3 Thursday P3/4 Monday P5/6 Monday P6/7 Thursday
Reporting your child’s absence
We would ask all parents/carers to contact our school office on (01506) 652916 or to text our Groupcall number (07860 049745) to report if your child is going to be absent from school or nursery. West Lothian Council policy advises that parents should contact the school to inform of an absence by 9am for school and AM or Full Day nursery pupils and by 1pm for PM children. If no contact has been made, a groupcall message will be sent asking parents to get in touch with the school. If we are unable to contact you, Head Teachers are required to make the decision about whether to contact the council’s Safe Arrivals team to seek support in contacting families to ensure that children are safe. The Safe Arrivals team have the authority to make home visits and, in some cases, involve the police. These measures are in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our children and it is of great importance that parents contact the school if your child is not attending. Please either state that your child will be off for a specified number of days, or contact the school on each day of absence. We appreciate your co-operation.
West Lothian Council have an “Attendance and Engagement at School” policy which all schools follow. If your child’s attendance falls below 90% you will be contacted to advise you of this. If there is no improvement or where your child’s attendance drops further, you will be invited to a meeting to discuss any supports that could help improve attendance. In most cases, schools see improvements following these steps however if attendance continues to be a concern, West Lothian Council’s Inclusion and Support service will become involved. If you have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact school to discuss.
Contact with school
If you need to speak with a member of staff, your first point of contact will nearly always be your child’s class teacher or ELC keyworker, as they are the people who are regularly with the children and are most likely to be able to answer your query. If you wish to speak to a member of our School Leadership Team, please contact us via the school office.
Our school office hours are:
Monday – Thursday 08.30am – 3.30pm
Friday 08.30am – 12.30pm
Safe and Considerate Parking
We ask that all parents and carers consider the safety of children and residents when parking at the school for drop off or collection. Please do not park on corners, zigzag lines, areas marked with “Keep Clear” or blocking the driveways of any of our neighbours. We thank you for your co-operation.
Positive Relationships at Seafield PS
We continue to place high emphasis on the importance of relationships and wellbeing here at Seafield PS. We have a Positive Relationships blueprint which sets out how we aim to foster an ethos where all members of our school community feel valued. This will be reviewed during session 25/26 and we will be looking for your involvement in this task.
At times, we may have to work with our young people and support them when they haven’t made a positive choice and we do have systems and processes in place to do this. Also at times, there may need to be a consequence involved and these are proportionate and used to further discuss how things can be done differently the next time. We encourage children to live our school values in their daily interactions with others and to work as part of a community where they are encouraged to be the best that they can be!
After School Clubs
Mr Hamilton takes responsibility for setting up our after school clubs. He is currently working with the visiting coaches to set up a multisports club for P3 and P4 and a football club which is offered for P5 – P7. Further information will be sent to those classes in due course. We will look to see if there are any other activities that can be offered and keep you updated.
Parent Council
The first meeting of this year will take place on Monday 25th August here in the school at 6pm. All parents/carers are welcome.
I hope that everyone has a lovely weekend, Lynne Egan.
