Dear Parents/Carers,

Although it has only been a short while since the summer holidays a lot has happened and we have a lot to celebrate.

Annual Data Checks

Thank you for returning your annual data checks. It is important that we have the most up to date phone numbers so that we are able to contact you in an emergency situation. Unfortunately we are still waiting on quite a few so if you haven’t returned yours, please hand it in to the school office as soon as possible.

New Children

We are delighted to welcome all 50 of our new Primary 1 children into St Michael’s. They have all settled extremely well and are already very familiar with school routines and are making new friends. We look forward to having them in school all day starting from Monday 7thSeptember.

We would also like to welcome children who have started throughout the school. We have enrolled around 50 children since January due to the new housing that has been built in the area. I am sure all of these children will enhance our school community.

Class Activities

A number of classes throughout the school are involved in additional activities: Our Primary 5 children are taking part in the swimming programme at Whitehill Pool. Primary 2, 3/2 and 4 children are participating in the Youth Music Initiative and working with Mrs Convery our Music Teacher. Primary 4 and 3 are taking part in the ‘Determined to Dance’ programme and our Primary 7 are learning Basketball skills from the Glasgw Rocks Basketball team. Various outside agencies and professionals work hard to deliver these programmes in a fun way that enhances our childrens’ learning and we are grateful to them for offering them these opportunities.

After School Activities

We also have a number of after school initiatives available for our children. Primary 5 are still enjoying the after school running club and we have an after school dance club on a Thursday for our Primary 7 pupils. Other school staff have indicated that they will be taking after school clubs after the October Break so keep an eye out for information about these in your child’s school bag.

As always, I can’t thank school staff enough for giving up their precious free time so that ourchildren have access to these opportunities.

School Refurbishment/Improvement

Our internal school refurbishment is almost complete.The final phase is underway which means our school assembly hall is currently out of use and we are using the gym hall for the breakfast club and school dinners. This arrangement will continue until Friday as we hope to have our hall back in use after the October holiday. The final two weeks in October will be unpacking and snagging and we hope to have all workmen off site by the beginning of November.

I would like to thank Sean, our site manager, and his team for their hard work. The improvements to our school are remarkable and I look forward to showing them off this Thursday during Parents’ Evening and when we have our open evening in November. I will also post photographs on Twitter so look out for them.

Meet the Teacher/Open Evening

Our annual Open eveningwe will take place in November to give you a chance to see the school once the works have been completed. More details of this will follow.

School Assemblies

Each month, one of our classes is responsible for leading a whole school assembly on a topic of their choice. In September Primary 6 started us off with an excellent assembly about ‘The Creation’, their current RE topic. As always, the standard was very high and the assembly was enjoyed by our pupils, staff and Primary 6 parents and carers. I would like to thank Miss Reilly and Primary 6 for their hard work. Primary 3/2 will be leading October’s, so if you have a child in Primary 3/2, keep an eye out for your invitation.

St Michael’s Day

We celebrated St Michael’s Day on Wednesday 30th of September as St Michael’s Feast Day was during the September weekend. We attended mass and ‘Future Stars’ came into work with all of the children. All children were charged £1 and the proceeds will go into school funds to help towards Christmas parties etc.

Parent Council AGM

The Parent Council held their annual AGM on Wednesday 9th September. Unfortunately this was not as well attended as we had hoped. However we did manage to recruit some new members and we have a strong committee that will now be chaired by Mrs. Joanne Murray. Our Parent Council are a vital part our school community as they work hard throughout the year to provide the extra ‘nice things’ for your children such as fun days, discos and presents from Santa for the infants at Christmas- things that are not provided for in the school budget..

If you think you would be able to help out and would be willing to join the Parent Council, please speak to myself or Mrs. Murray.

School Playground Health and Safety

I have a number of concerns regarding the school playground and the Health and Safety of our children, particularly our infants.

  • Can I ask that parents stand well back from the door both first thing in the morning and at 3pm so that staff can safely bring the children into the building and ensure they meet their parents/carers at 3pm. A Child was hurt a few weeks ago because he fell when he was unable to get through a group of parents who were standing too close the ramp. This is an ongoing issue and if it is not resolved, I may need to stop parents coming into the playground which will mean that the children will be brought by their class teacher to the gate. This is something that I am reluctant to do.
  • Can I remind parents that the school is a no-smoking zone, this includes our playground areas
  • Also can I remind you that dogs are not allowed in the school at all- even being carried by their owner. We have had incidents where dogs have fowled the playground and this presents a safety risk for our children.

Thank you in advance for your help with these issues.

P.E

Staff have reported that some children are already not bringing their gym kit into school and are therefore unable to participate in the lesson. P.E is an important part of our school curriculum and helps contribute towards the health and wellbeing of all our children. Please ensure that your child brings their gym kit to school so that they do not miss out on this vital part of the curriculum. If your child does not have their Gym kit a blue voucher will be sent home by the class teacher to let you know. Please sign this and return it to school. Thank you for your cooperation with this.

Breakfast Cluband School Meals

As you know we have a daily breakfast club in the school which means your child can come into school at 8am and have breakfast. The cost of breakfast for those who normally pay is £1. If your child receives a free meal it is provided free of charge. Children will be dismissed into the playground from the breakfast club at 8.45am and will then be supervised by Mr Livingston, our Janitor.

Can I remind you that there is no supervision if children come to school earlier than 8am so they will not be admitted into the building. Also, only children having breakfast should be in the hall unless the weather is wet, in which case all children are welcome to come inside.

School Meals are free for all children in Primary 1- 3. The cost is now £1.70 for those children in Primary 4-7 who are not entitled to a free meal.

Latecoming

We still have a number of children who come into school late on a regular basis. Therefore, can I ask again that you try to get your children to school on time? Being late means that your child misses important lessons and this can be very disruptive and damaging to their education. Our Education Liaison Officer (Attendance Officer) is now looking closely at our persistent latecomers and intends to contact/visit their parents/guardians if he does not see improvement. If you wish to discuss this please do not hesitate to contact me at the school

Pupil Absence

Within Glasgow Primary Schools, good attendance is encouraged at all times and children rewarded accordingly. Parents are asked to contact the Pupil Absence Reporting Line (0141 287 0039) if their child is going to be absent. This should be done before 9.30 on the first day of absence. If the child is going to be absent for some time, it would be helpful to know at the earliest opportunity.

Car Parking

A number of our parents are still parking on the Zig Zag lines and on the crossing that our lollipop lady uses. This is not only selfish but puts our children at risk. Please think carefully about where you park.

Concerns

If you have any concerns regarding any aspect of your child’s education or wellbeing please do not hesitate to get in touch. You can do this by either speaking to or writing a short note to the class teacher or by making an appointment to see myself, Miss Reilly, Mrs Mullen and Miss Mullan.

Dates for you Diary
Thursday 8th October / - Parents’ Evening
Friday 9th October / - The school closes at 3pm for the October break
Monday 19th October / - School re-opens after the October break.
Friday 23rd October at 9:45am / - P3/2 Class Assembly
Thursday 29th October / - Parent Council Hallowe’en Disco (details to follow)
Sacramental Dates
Friday 22nd January at 2pm / - Parent Meeting for those Children making their First Reconciliation.
Thursday 10th March at 7pm / - First Reconciliation in St Michael’s Church
Friday 1st April at 2pm / - Parent Meeting for those Children making their First Holy Communion
Saturday 14thMay at 10am Mass / - First Holy Communion in St Michael’s Church

I hope you have found this newsletter to be informative and apologise again for the amount of information it contains. Should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me at the school.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs A.M Stafford

Head Teacher