MAUCHLINE PS & ECC NEWSLETTER
November 2013
Find out about our successes and achievements in the Ayrshire Post, the Cumnock Chronicle, the Mauchline Echo and the Mauchline S1 website for pictures and information about school activities and events.
Our Primary School and ECC handbooks are now online at http://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/EducationAndLearning/Schools/Schools-GeneralInformation/Schoollistings-Primary.aspx
http://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/EducationAndLearning/Schools/Schools-GeneralInformation/Schoollistings-Earlyyearscentres.aspx
Please check your child’s schoolbag regularly to ensure that parents and carers do not miss important information.
The Parent Council
Please contact the Chair of the PC, Mrs Scott, on 07749536524, or for information on PC activities. We also have a Parent Council Facebook page.
Kids in the Car is a new social campaign from the Scottish Government and Road Safety Scotland. The campaign encourages parents and carers to think about how important they are as a role model to their children in the car while parents are driving. To find out more and have a go at David Coulthard’s driving challenge, have a look at www.dontriskit.info
Thank you to all parents, carers and pupils who participated in our sponsored treasure hunt. The funds raised paid for a “Travelling by Tuba” (concert for all pupils and music workshops for all P4-P7 pupils as well as a visit from our friend Aiken Drum for the Early Childhood Centre. A super (and wonderfully noisy) time was had by everyone. With the remaining funds, we also managed to replace a few of our school cameras which were no longer working.
Congratulations to our P7 Athletics Team who achieved 2nd place in the Auchinleck Learning Community Heats of the EAC Primary Schools Athletics Championship.
Our Ragbag Recycling Centre has raised £101 (202Kg of clothing) for school funds. Thank you to everyone who recycled textiles with us. Please remember that we have a permanent textiles recycling station in the school and unwanted textiles can be sent in to the school at any time.
Congratulations to David Blyth and Sam McKee who have both been selected to play in the East Ayrshire District Football Team.
School Dress Down Days
Thanks to all parents and carers who continue to support our Dress Down Days. Our Hallowe’en Dress Down Day raised £265 for school funds. This regular income is very useful to supplement our spending on small curricular items like individual reference books or class treats and rewards and also consumables like paper/art materials/printer ink. It also allows us to provide a small subsidy on school transport for educational excursions. In addition we use it to make charitable donations throughout the school session so that parents and carers do not need to donate twice. Children (and staff) really enjoy having a day off from school wear and are especially enthusiastic about dressing up on our theme days. The donation on Dress Down Day is for the privilege of not wearing school uniform so I ask that all pupils who participate in a Dress Down Day bring a monetary donation of around £1. Pupils who do not wish to dress up/down need not bring any donation but must wear school uniform as usual. Similarly parents and carers who would prefer not to donate should ensure that pupils come to school in uniform on Dress Down Day.
www.onceaweektakeapeek.com give excellent advice for parents and carers on the management at home of headlice. Please remember that prevention and regular checks are the best ways to control headlice outbreaks.
Well done to all of our pupils in P3, P5/6 and P7 who displayed their spooktacular art work in the Tesco Auchinleck Superstore. Customers were very complimentary and the Tesco team were delighted to build links with the school. A big thank you to Tesco who donated “Trick or Treat Party Packs” to each of the participating classes.
Future East Ayrshire Live
An online event to discuss EAC budget proposals has been arranged for Thursday 14 November from 7pm – 8:30pm when EAC will broadcast a live question and answer event on the Council website at www.eac.eu/futureealive.
The event will be hosted by East Ayrshire Council Chief Executive, Fiona Lees, who will be joined by a panel of senior council officers to answer questions posed by a live audience. You can join in the debate online by submitting a question in advance, or on the night by:
Posting a question on our facebook wall: facebook.com/eastayrshire
Tweeting us @eastayrshire using #futureea
Emailing us: .
You can also complete a short survey about our budget proposals at www.eac.eu/futureea .
Scottish Government: 600 hours of free nursery education
The Scottish Government has promised to increase the number of hours for eligible children to free early learning and childcare from 475 hours per year to 600 hours per year from August 2014.
Views of parents and carers are being sought on how these increases in early education provision should be introduced. Your views are central to the Council’s future planning to deliver the proposed increase in the funded provision of pre-school education in East Ayrshire.
A meeting with Parents and Carers to discuss some proposals has been arranged at Auchinleck Academy on the 28th of November from 1.30-2.15pm. Parents and carers are encouraged to attend. A questionnaire will also be distributed to parents and carers of children at relevant stages.
The questionnaire will ask families for their preferred options for accessing the increased hours. Your views are very important so if you receive a questionnaire, please return it as soon as possible.
We are delighted with the positive feedback from the Parent Forum in regard to our computer generated text messaging alert system. However some parents may be receiving multiple text messages if they have more than one child at school. Unfortunately we don’t yet have an electronic update to our computer system to prevent this. We are also aware that some parents and carers have been attempting to text us reasons for absence, etc. Please remember that although your mobile telephone will indicate that the message has been sent, we do not see your message on our computers. Please continue to use the telephone or notes for any contact with the school.
If you wish further information on any issue or have any ideas or suggestions please do not hesitate to contact Mrs McLean (HT). The school number is 01290 550306. Further information for parents or carers is available in our school handbook, improvement plan and standards and quality report, all of which are available for collection from the school reception.
Diary dates 2013/14
15 November: Children in Need - Wear Something Spotty Day (this month’s Dress Down Day)
18 November: ECC Parent Playalong Sessions this week
19 November at 9.30am: P7 Class led assembly
19 November: 7-8pm Parent Council meeting
25 November: final day for Christmas Family Quiz entries
28 November at 1.30pm: 600 hours consultation at Auchinleck Ac
28 November (eve): School fundraising event – Family Christmas Quiz
29 November: ECC Touch of Tartan Day
3 December at 7pm: Parent Council Meeting
9 December: School Christmas Lunch Week
10/11 December am: P1 and P2 Nativity performance
12 December at 9.45am: P5 led Christmas Service in Mauchline Church
13 December am: joint sessions -Nursery Christmas “Sing-a-Long”
16 December pm: P1 and P2 Christmas Party
17 December pm: P5 and P6 Christmas Party
18 December am: Pantomime – Peter Pan
18 December pm: P3 and P4 Christmas Party
19 December am: joint sessions-ECC Christmas Party
19 December eve: P7 Christmas Party
21 Dec – 5 Jan: End of term holidays
6 Jan: Pupils return to school
28 January at 7pm: Parent Council Meeting
4 March at 7pm: Parent Council Meeting
22 April at 7pm: Parent Council Meeting
17 June at 7pm: Parent Council Annual General Meeting
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