Hareleeshill Primary Newsletter August 2015 Welcome Back Welcome back to all the children and staff at Hareleeshill and an extra warm welcome to our new primary one class. Last year was a very busy year and I am sure this one will not be any different. The first newsletter of the year is always full of information about the routines of the school and details some of the planned events. Although this is lengthy I would ask that you take time to read each section and take note of any arrangements or dates that may involve your child. Holiday dates and known events are listed on a separate sheet which you should keep in a safe place for future reference. Update: It is important that the information we have for your child is up to date in case of any emergency. Over the next few days you will receive several annual data check sheets and I would ask you to complete and return them to the school as soon as possible. It is important that we have a contact number that does not bar withheld numbers. All school telephone numbers have bars on them and therefore it can be difficult to get in touch with you. If throughout the year you change any of the information on the annual data check please inform the school office straight away. Be Safe: In Hareleeshill the safety of our children takes priority. In order to prepare them for any eventuality they will be given instructions in school on what to do if there is a fire, how to cross the road, what to do when approached by a stranger and much more. However we need our parents to help. To do this please sign into school at the desk at the entrance and report to the school office whenever you visit. In this way we will always know who is in the building and if a child has to leave for an appointment. Children cannot be released during the school day without an adult collecting them. Parking : It is important that drivers use the parking areas responsibly to drop off and pick up only. As you are aware we have several taxis and buses bringing children to school who live much further away, this makes it even more important that parents use the parking spaces and not the areas used by taxis and buses. Please do not double park or park on the curve outside of the nursery. We have a gate which opens from the path to the playgrounds, therefore as soon as you are sure your child has entered this area you should carefully drive off to allow others to stop and drop off. In line with our health promoting school agenda you may wish to walk your child to school as there is an additional gate behind the football area for children who live at that side of the school. Please drive slowly when entering and leaving the school. Security: In line with SLC policy all gates will be locked when children are in school. The main gate at Myrtle Lane will be the only one open at all times. Other gates will be opened until 9.15am, from 11.25am - 1.30pm and again at 2.50pm. This will allow children to enter in the morning, go home at lunch and leave at the end of the day. Where is it? Throughout the year children will leave items of clothing in the playground, the classroom and the dining hall. In order that we identify these quickly, so that we can return them to the correct owner, please ensure all items have your child s name on them. As you can imagine many children have the same size or the same accessories so this would help enormously. Let s Eat: Hareleeshill has an excellent canteen facility and every effort is made to give the children a nutritious and enjoyable lunch. A lunch is free for P1-3 and costs 1.50 for P4-7 and the choices change daily. There is a 20p charge if a child wishes milk with lunch, water is provided on each table. Each child was issued with a menu last session and as these are reviewed we will inform you of any changes. We begin week 1 on Monday 17th August. Please ensure that children always have money to pay for lunch if this is required. Last year several children were embarrassed at being told they did not have enough money for lunch. Like going into any cafe it is important to have the money to pay for the food purchased. If you have any difficulty in providing cash for lunch you may wish to consider applying for free meal entitlement. Free meals have to be applied for every year so please make sure you have had a letter this year granting this entitlement. Breakfast club begins on Monday 24 th August and runs every day from 8am 8.50am. Breakfast served from 8am -8.30am.
Attendance: In light of the maximising attendance policy issued by the Scottish Executive all absence will be carefully monitored and you will be kept aware of what is happening in your own child s case. It is important that you notify the school by phone then confirm by letter the reason for the absence. I would ask that you try to arrange all family holidays during the school holiday periods as more and more families are taking children out of school during term time. This can be very disruptive to their education and cause them to fall behind in their progress. All family holidays are recorded as unauthorised absences except in exceptional circumstances. Children will not be issued with school work while on holiday but every effort will be made to set additional homework on their return. It s a Date: Attached is a list of dates for the future. These include holidays, in-service dates and parents nights. Please keep this list in a safe place as it will help you plan around the school events. How can you help? If you have some spare time and would like to help in school we are always looking for parent helpers to:- work with the teachers and children in class, help with displays supervise on school outings after school clubs Work with children in the garden If you can offer your services please fill in the attached slip and return to school as soon as possible. Last year we had a superb band of helpers and I hope they will be able to give some of their time again this year. What does the future hold! We have a very full programme of initiatives which will be taking place over the next year and I will bring you up to date with these as the year progresses. The school improvement plan includes developing a Curriculum for excellence through:. Continuing to develop a new literacy approach throughout the school Introduce new approaches to the teaching of numeracy and mathematics Further develop the Health and Well Being programme. Continuing work on Eco School. (We gained our green flag last term) Maintain our Health promoting school Gold Status Further develop our outdoor classroom Further develop self-evaluation processes Further develop new moderation procedures to ensure consistency in expectations of learning Alongside these initiatives we will continue to implement the additional support for learning act and risk management strategies laid down by the Scottish Executive and South Lanarkshire Council. The aim at Hareleeshill is to provide the highest quality of education for all, enabling all individuals to achieve their full potential. Through working together these initiatives will help us to achieve that. A copy of the full improvement plan is available at the school office for any parent wishing to read it. Junior Road Safety Officers and Pupil Council This year the primary six children will choose two pupils to take on the role of junior road safety officer (JRSO) to help inform us all and train younger children on the hazards of the road. This selection will take place soon. Children from P2-7 will have the opportunity to vote for a class representative for the pupil council. This is an important job and the children voted on will have responsibility for discussing issues with their class and influencing how we take the school forward. We hope that several candidates will put themselves up for election so that the best person can be chosen in each class. There will also be elections for various other committees so please support your child if they decide to put themselves forward.
School Uniform Thank you to all parents and carers for ensuring that the children are in full school uniform. It is important for the identity of the school and in helping with security that all children wear uniform. A few children have returned wearing black or grey jumpers or cardigans. Please ensure when replacing these that you stick to the school colour which is purple. Children should be encouraged to have a pride in their school and wearing the correct uniform is one way of ensuring this. Please ensure that skirts are of an acceptable length for school and save shorter versions for casual wear. New Starts: For parents of our new primary one can I remind you that the children will begin full time education on Monday 24 th August. A visit to the school canteen has been arranged for Friday 21 st August to enable yourself and your child to sample the menu. More information will be sent directly to you via your children so please keep a close eye on the school bag for letters with details. Classroom Visitors and Helpers: Throughout the year various adults may spend time in your child s class. They may include support staff, additional teacher support, student or work experience pupils and specialist staff. Therefore don t be surprised if your child tells you they have been working with someone new on a particular topic or subject. This is part of our normal format in trying to deliver the best education possible for your child. If however you have any concerns please let me know. This year we have 10 new members of staff, Teachers - Mrs Pollock (P1), Mrs Douglas (P7), Mr Kearney (ASN), Mrs Chisholm (ASN), Mrs Farrell (Nursery), Mrs McFarlane (Inclusion), Ms Martin (CCC), Mrs Reid (CCC), Support Assistants Ms Lynch (ASN), Mrs Nelson (ASN). I m sure they will be a great asset to Hareleeshill and will enjoy their time working here. Thanks Thank you for taking the time to study the information in this letter. Over the next couple of weeks there will be a lot of paperwork sent home for your attention. Please complete and return it as soon as possible as this is helpful to the smooth running of the school. Throughout the year additional letters are sent home with the children please try and check the schoolbags in order to keep yourself up to date with any information. If I can help with any of the details mentioned or any further concerns you may have please contact the school. Janette Neilson Head Teacher
Parent Helpers I would like to be a parent helper for the school year 2015/2016. I am interested in helping with ( please tick appropriate box or boxes) 1. Working with teachers and children in a class setting 2. Going on outings 3. Doing display work 4. After school clubs 5. The School garden I am available on the following days and times (please tick as appropriate) Am Pm Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday The Scottish Criminal Records Office check has now been replaced with a Protection of Vulnerable Groups disclosure or PVG for short. Parent helpers are required to have these. If you already have one can you please tick the box. If not we can arrange for one to be done through the school. Name. Name of child/ren. Thank you for volunteering your time I will be in touch to arrange a meeting of all helpers as soon as we have all returns.
Dates for the Diary August 2015 20 th : P5 begin swimming lessons for 12 weeks 21 st - : P1 meet the teacher 11am P1 parent/carer lunch 11.45am 24 th : P1 begin full days 28 th - Meet the teacher sessions (P2-P3) 2pm-2.30pm (P4-P7) 2.30pm 3pm September 2015 1 st : - 7pm Parent Council meeting(all parents/carers welcome) 3 rd :- JRSO representatives to Chatelherault 9 th : Disability Sports Festival 23 rd :- Nursery Tea & A Natter 25 th : Holiday 28 th : Holiday October 2015 2 nd : Harvest Service taken by P6 5 th : Nursery parents consultation week 8 th : Parents Day (school) 12 th to 16 th Holiday week 30 th : Nursery Stay and Play Halloween activities November 2015 5 th :- P4 Assembly 16 th :- Inset day (staff only) 17 th : Anti-bullying week begins 27 th : Christmas Fayre December 2015 8 th : P1-3 nativity (pm) 9 th : P1-3 nativity (am) 10 th :- Christmas Lunch 17 th : Nursery sing long (am) P4&P5 Party (pm) P6&P7 Party (evening) 18 th : Christmas service (9.30am in school) P1-P3 Party (pm) 21 st :- Panto Motherwell Nursery party (am) 23 rd : Close at 2.30pm January 2016 5 th : Return after Christmas holiday 25 th : Nursery parent consultation week
February 2016 5 th : In service day (Staff only in school) 8 th : Holiday 9 th : Holiday 11 th - Nursery Stay & Play 12 th - P5 Assembly 19 th : Burns afternoon 29 th : Money/Enterprise Week March 2016 4 th : World Book Day 11 th : P3 assembly 17 th : Parents as Partners Conference 24 th - Easter Service (church) Nursery Easter Parade 25 th - Holiday (Good Friday) 28 th - Holiday (Easter Monday) 30 th - Parents day (School) April 2016 1 st : Close 2.30pm 4 th to 15 th :Spring Break 18 th : Return to school May 2016 2 nd : Holiday 5 th : Inset (children off school) 23 rd - Nursery parent consultation week 27 t : Holiday 30 th : Holiday June 2016 3 rd - P2 Assembly 10 th : Spring Fayre 13 th - S.L.C. Awards 17 th - P1 Assembly 20 th - Nursery Sports Day 23 rd : Closing Service (am) Nursery Graduation (pm) 24 th : Close at 1pm ** Please note holiday dates and early closures are highlighted. Other dates and events may be subject to change but details will be issued throughout the year.