SCHOOL ROLL/STAFFING UPDATE
The school roll currently sits at 118 pupils with a five class composition. There have been some changes to staffing over the summer break. Mrs Kelly (Mon & Tues) and Mrs Harkin (Wed, Thur & Fri) will be the teachers in Room 3. Mrs McLaughlin will oversee responsibility for Room 4 until further notice and I will update parents/carers of any permanent changes.
PRIMARY 5 SWIMMING/MUSIC TUITION
Our Primary 5 pupils will begin a 12 week swimming block, each Tuesday morning, beginning on 22 August at Strathaven Leisure Centre.
P5 music will also begin on Wednesday 23 August with Mrs Una Cunningham, our music specialist.
APPOINTMENTS
Parents who are concerned about any aspect of their child’s welfare should not hesitate to contact the school office to make an appointment to speak to the appropriate member of staff.
Can I remind parents/carers that they must not go directly to the class, in the first instance.
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHER
John Wilson Photography will visit the school on the morning of Monday 4 Septemberto take individual/family groups and a class photograph of our Primary 1 pupils.
SCHOOL UNIFORM
It is extremely heartening to see the vast majority of our pupils wearing the school uniform.
This sight does so much to enhance the school ethos and the sense of identity and pride which we share for St Patrick’s Primary. It is therefore gratifying to have the unanimous support of parents/carers for the school’s policy on uniform.
My sincere thanks for your efforts in this area and keep up the good work!
Advice on purchasing the uniform can be sought from the school office or by ordering direct from
School ties are now available from the school office, priced £3.50.
I would appeal to parents, for obvious reasons, to ensure that their children do not come to school sporting football colours or bring to school anything that could be deemed improper or offensive.
Parents are asked to label items of clothing to avoid confusion over ownership (especially at the lower stages of the school.)
HOMEWORK
We once again ask for the co-operation of parents in ensuring that pupils complete all homework tasks set. Any parent/carer whose child is experiencing difficulty with homework activities should contact the school office to arrange an appointment with their child’s teacher, who will be pleased to assist with any problems.
Homework begins on Monday 21 August.
PRIMARY 1 HOMEWORK WORKSHOP
A Primary 1 homework workshop for parents/carers will take place on Thursday 7 September from
1.30 pm – 2.30 pm. Further details will follow for parents/carers of children in Primary 1.
MEET AND GREET!
On the afternoon of Thursday 28 September from 2-4pm there will be an opportunity for parents/carers to visit their child’s class, look at their work and meet their teacher. We hope you can join us on this day.
PARENT COUNCIL AGM
The AGM of the Parent Council will be held in the school on Monday 4 September at 6.30pm.
These meetings are open to all parents/carers who are members of the *Parent Forum. (*Parents of children who attend the school or the nursery class.)
PTA AGM
The PTA will be holding its AGM on Monday 28 August at 6.30pm in The Strathaven Hotel.
At this meeting an election will be held for new committee members.
The sterling work carried out by the members of the Association cannot be praised highly enough and the school, as always, is the beneficiary of their hard work and generosity – last session the PTA made generous and much appreciated donations to the school, in addition to their kindness to the children throughout the year.
As always, new members are being sought to become involved and bring their skills/ideas to enhance the already fine work being carried out for our children.
The AGM is a particularly good time to ‘come on board’ and myself and members of the PTA would be delighted if you could find the time to join us.
CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME
The Children will be visiting Motherwell Civic Theatre on Wednesday 6 December (Oh yes they will!) to watch a performance of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. As this is an afternoon performance, please note that on this day, buses will NOT return to the school until approximately 4.15pm. This means that ALL children in the school, including bus and taxi children, will require to be picked up that day by a parent/carer. The PTA has kindly offered to subsidise some of the cost for this and further information regarding arrangements and cost per child will follow nearer the time. I hope we can facilitate this in order for the children to have an enjoyable outing. Additional arrangements for the festive period will follow in the next newsletter.
ROAD SAFETYPROCEDURES
Can I please remind all parents/carers that they should not access the school yard at any time during the day unless reporting to the school office.
Parents/carers are courteously requested never to bring their cars inside the school grounds unless by prior agreement with myself, as this will add to the traffic flow within the area and could cause unnecessary congestion. This area is designated for staff parking and disabled access only.
Parents are encouraged to Park and Stride from the John Hastie Car Park at the top end of Strathaven Park. We are sure that you will agree that the safety of your children is of paramount importance, and these arrangements have been put in place to minimise any risks to your children.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO PARK SMART.
ABSENCES
If your child is going to be absent or late for school, on any occasion, please phone the school office,
to alert the class teacher.
Where no notification of absence has been received the school will make all reasonable attempts to contact the parent/carer or the emergency contact.
An explanatory letter should also be sent with the child on their return, for our records.
The safety and wellbeing of our children is everyone’s prime concern. By working together and sharing information we can minimise risk and keep our children safe.
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
After School Activities will begin this term from week beginning Monday 11September. Further details will follow.
CONSENT FORMS/DATA CHECK & PHOTO PERMISSION
I would remind parents/carers that it is vital that Parental Consent forms, Data Checks and Photo Permissionforms are completed before pupils can participate in any outing or be photographed, as this is a legal requirement. All forms have been sent home and if you could update these forms and return them to the class teachers we would be extremely grateful.
BIRTHDAY CAKES
Due to an increasing number of children who suffer from a variety of allergies we courteously ask that parents/carers do not send in birthday cakes to be shared by the class.
The class teacher will recognise the children’s birthdays on the day.
I thank you in advance for your assistance in this health and safety matter.
SACRAMENTS
Reconciliation: Primary 3
24 January 2018 …. Parents Meeting in St. Patrick’s Church, (7.00pm)
21 March 2018 …. The Sacrament of Reconciliation (7.00pm)
First Communion: Primary 4
24 January 2018 …. Parents Meeting in St. Patrick’s Church, (7.00pm)
12 May 2018 ….. First Communion Masses – 10.00am / 12.00noon
P.E. TIMETABLE
Each class has been timetabled for two PE sessions in the hall.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION TIMETABLERoom 1 / Tuesday & Thursday
Room 2 / Tuesday & Thursday
Room 3 / Thursday & Friday
Room 4 / Thursday & Friday
Room 5 / Wednesday & Friday
On PE days children should bring soft shoes and a change of clothing (shorts, tee shirt). Re-designed tee-shirts bearing the school logo can be purchased from
Football strips should not be worn.
Jewellery must be removed before pupils can participate in PE lessons.
I would ask for your assistance in ensuring that pupils do not bring mobile phones to school
or wear heavy rings or dangling earrings.
GASTROINTESTINAL INFECTION
Children who suffer gastrointestinal infection are at increased risk of spreading the infection to others. Therefore the advice given from Lanarkshire NHS Board and Education Resources is that children should remain absent from school or nursery for 48 hours after symptoms of diarrhoea or vomiting have resolved. This is especially important at this time of year when bugs and viruses are more prevalent.
Communicable diseases are common in children of nursery and school age. Can I request that if your child is suffering from chickenpox or mumps that you inform a member of staff as soon as possible as these illnesses can have very serious repercussions for some of our families within the school.
HEAD LICE
Can I remind parents that it is recommended to check your child’s head regularly.
FUTURE EMAILS
If you would like to receive future newsletters by email, please complete the attached slip and return to the school.If you do not return this slip we will assume you still require a paper copy.
Pamela Bradley
Acting Head Teacher
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This is to confirm that I would like to receive all future school newsletters by email.
Name…………………………………………………………………………………………….
Email address ………………………………………………………………………………...
Please return this slip to the class teacher by Friday 15 September and we will update our records. Thank you.
Diary Dates
Aug-Dec