Head of Muir Primary School Newsletter August 2017

It is my pleasure to welcome everyone back to what is going to be another fantastic year at Primary School. May I offer a special welcome to our Primary 1 pupils, our new staff and those pupils just starting with us and I hope that you will all be happy and make the most of your time at Head of Muir Primary School. Our new Primary 1 classes have settled in to their new routines brilliantly and their families should be very proud. It truly has been an excellent start to our school year and we look forward to this continuing.

Staffing We are delighted to welcome our new staff to the team at Head of Muir. Please find below the classes and assigned teachers. Each member of the management team has also been nominated as a point of contact if parents wish to raise a question or issue that requires further clarification or discussion.

Nursery Mrs. Cunningham Mrs. Anderson Primary 1 T Miss Taylor Mrs. Ferguson Primary 1 S Miss Storrar Mrs. Ferguson Primary 2 G Mrs. Gray Mrs. Ferguson Primary 2 K Miss King Mrs. Ferguson Primary 3 L Miss Lawson Mr. Willox Primary 3/4 C Miss Christoffersen Mr. Willox Primary 4 B Mrs. Bradbury (Mrs. Mr. Willox Dyson 1 Day) Primary 4/ 5 H Mrs. Harding Mr. Willox Primary 5 M Mr. McNab (Mrs. Dyson 1 Mrs. Dyson day) Primary 6 I Mrs Irvine (Mr. McNab 1 Mrs. Dyson day) Primary 6/7 T Miss Thomson Mrs. Dyson Primary 7 W Mrs Watson (Mr. Willox 1 Mrs. Dyson day)

We would also like to welcome Mr. Callum Scott, Ms. Lauren Nelson, Mrs Lindsay Henderson and Ms. Morgan Kay as our PE specialists and Mrs. Lynn Strang for music. Mrs. Rankin is our Support for Learning Teacher. We are also delighted that Mr. Klemm continues to be our amazing janitor!

School Uniform Our school uniform consists of dark trousers or skirts, black shoes, red jumpers and light blue polo shirt in addition to white dress shirts, school ties, and blazers. Black jumpers and tops (including vests, jumpers) are only worn by our Primary 7 pupils as a recognition of their increased responsibilities and efforts within the school. I would ask that all children come to school wearing the uniform, particularly in terms of footwear. All children should wear appropriate black shoes for the Scottish weather and no brightly coloured trainers. Logo Express in is the preferred supplier of our uniforms and orders can be placed in person or via the website

Meet the Teacher All parents are welcome to visit their child’s class on Monday 25 th September from 3.15-4.15 pm. This will be an opportunity to see your child’s new class and meet their teacher. Any personal questions regarding their child should be left however until such time that the class teachers can meet with parents in a more private forum. We hope that you will come and visit our great school and our amazing classrooms.

Lunch Money and Weekly Menus All families will have received a copy of this session’s weekly menus in their child’s school bag. This menu is also available on the Council website. There are occasions, due to issues with deliveries or special events the menu might change but we endeavour to give as much notice as possible when this happens. We ask that wherever possible dinner money is paid on Monday for the whole week. This can be enclosed in an envelope and will be recorded for the entire week in our payment files. If a child is absent on a particular day and they have already paid, a credit is forwarded to the following week. This will be a huge help to Mrs. Watson in the office and reduce the amount of trips to the bank. Thank you in advance for your support with this.

Important Messages We are always interested in receiving important updates and messages regarding your children however, at busy times (ie when bringing in the lines), these can be forgotten in the bedlam! Please put any important information in writing and pass to your child’s class teacher in order that it can be actioned accordingly. Alternatively, please feel free to come to the front office and make an appointment to speak to your child’s class teacher or a member of the Senior Management Team.

Water bottles Please note that water bottles for use in class should only contain water . This is to ensure that when the inevitable spills occur, a big sticky mess is not created which is what happens when it’s juice (including diluting) in the bottle. Children, if they so wish, are welcome to have juice for lunch but under no circumstance should there be any juice, diluted or otherwise, in the class water bottles. Children are encouraged to rehydrate frequently during the day and have access to our water coolers to refresh their bottles when necessary.

Flu Immunisation I would like to encourage all parents to have their child immunised against the flu virus through the NHS vaccination programme this autumn. Letters have been issued to all eligible pupils and it would be appreciated if these can be returned as soon as possible. All primary school-aged children are being offered the vaccine within the schools programme. Parents are asked to return the vaccination consent form (for nasal spray) in order that their child can be immunised on Wednesday 8 th November, 2017. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school or visit www.immunisationscotland.org.uk . Mrs Musk, the nurse will visit Primary 1 and 2 in September to reassure them that it is a quick and easy process and nothing to be concerned about.

Two Hours of PE Thank you to all parents who have helped by sending in PE kit for both indoor and outdoor sessions already. If possible, if the indoor kit and outdoor kit can be put into separate bags, this would help ease the confusion and amount of clothing strewn around classrooms at PE time. We are very fortunate to be supported by PE specialists from the high school this year for both indoor and outdoor PE. Class teachers will inform parents of the each of the days that their children will be receiving PE lessons.

Vehicular Safety and Conduct

This session we will continue to work with the transport department and PC Devlin, our community police officer, to assess and improve the current situation in and around the school with respect to parking and traffic. It has been reported that some parents (not all!), are driving across the lawns of residents, parking either in or across their drives and even becoming verbally abusive when asked to move on. Unfortunately this issue is beginning to reflect upon the school’s reputation and relationship with the local residents despite our gentle reminders so I would kindly ask again to park with consideration in the nearby streets. In terms of safety near school when dropping off, I would ask that all parents and carers please note the following:

When arriving at school at any time during the day, please do not park or walk through the school car park. There are many ‘blind spots’ in the car park and we would not like to see any of the children hurt or injured by walking through the cars. Please access the playground through any of the other gates. The school gates will be locked before and after school to help with this situation. Furthermore, parking signs prohibit stopping or dropping off on the yellow lines from 8.30am to 4.00pm. We would ask kindly to please adhere to these restrictions. This is for the safety of all pupils within the school.

Class Assemblies This session, each class will be hosting their own assembly for parents and carers. Our assembly times are now Monday afternoons (1.25pm for pupil only assemblies and 2.30pm for class assemblies with parents) and we welcome all guests to come see our budding super stars. Further details will also be provided by the classes themselves regarding their own assembly dates.

Gadgets and special things Golden Time takes place on a Friday afternoon and is a time to reward the children for their great behaviour during the week. I would ask however that nothing valuable, in particular iPods, DS games, trading cards etc. be sent in for Golden Time or on any other occasion. These items are not covered under our school insurance and I would hate for a prized possession be broken or stolen. Occasionally classes will arrange for ‘gadget days’ as special rewards but specific letters will be sent out to notify parents. Pupils are requested that if they need to bring a mobile phone to school, that it be turned off during the daytime. If parents need to contact their child during school hours, please phone the school office and the staff there will gladly pass on a message if necessary.

Cycle Safety Please ensure that your children wear a bicycle helmet when riding their bicycles at all times, particularly when coming to school. Pupils are asked to walk their bicycles/scooters through the playground and securely store them in the designated areas.

Absences Please remember to phone in any absences as soon as possible in the morning. We are required to record any unexplained absence as truancy unless we receive an explanation.

Mindfulness Workshop – SAVE THE DATE On Wednesday 20 th of September (7.00 – 9.00pm) we will be hosting a parents’ workshop on Mindfulness. ‘Mindfulness’ encourages children to talk about their feelings, and perhaps most importantly, puts in place tools to help manage stress. This Mindfulness workshop will examine common mental health issues prevalent in young people. Together we will look at how it might feel to suffer from some of these issues, what triggers might look like and how we can help each other regulate our emotions and feelings. The workshop will explore creative mindfulness exercises and provides tips and tools for children and parents. Our staff will also be attending a similar workshop after school. We will be sending out further information closer to the date but would ask that you mark this in your calendar.

Christmas Tree Disco This festive season, some of our local residents are planning to decorate a large Christmas tree at the end of Haypark Road to share in the holiday spirit. Councillor Blackwood has asked me to let our community know that there will be a fundraising disco at the Archibald Russell Centre on Saturday the 30 th September. A 60’s, 70’s, & 80’s theme with fancy dress optional. Tickets are £7 per person. Further details to follow.

Denny Community Sports and Fun Day All families are welcome to attend The Denny Community Sports and Fun Day organised by Active Schools and Senior Pupils at the high school. The Sports and Fun Day is a great opportunity for families all across Denny and to take part in a wide variety of sports and fun activities suitable for everyone. It will also help raise awareness of all the different sports and activities that are offered across Denny, allow parents to meet Active Schools and feedback what they would like to see happening in their schools and communities. There will a raffle on the day to help raise money so we can provide more opportunities for everyone.

When and Where • Saturday 16th September • 11.00AM – 4.00PM •

Further details will be sent as they are published.

Herbertshire Castle Park Community Planning Event. There will be a community engagement session and exhibition on Saturday the 16th September 2017, 12 PM - 3 PM at Denny Library to share ideas and have your say on the new Herbertshire Castle Park Masterplan. The exhibition will remain open and available to the public at Denny Library until the 22nd of September 2017. Everyone welcome.

Emergency Contact Details Please ensure that we have the most up to date emergency contacts including any new mobile phone numbers as it is important we can reach you as soon as possible in the event of an emergency. Mrs Watson will be sending home a personalised data record sheet for each child and we would ask that this be updated where appropriate.

Parent Council Meeting The date of the next Parent Council meeting will be Thursday 21 st September at 7.30pm. This will be the AGM for the Parent Council followed by a general meeting. All parents are welcome and encouraged to attend. The Parent Council is very active in the school and are always looking for new volunteers to come and support their fantastic work. Your commitment can be as much or as little as you are able. Every little bit helps!

Newsletter and correspondence by email Please note that we now communicate with parents by email, text and our website including all newsletters. It is therefore important Mrs. Watson has a note of your most update email on file.

Thank you for your continued support and if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me through the school office. Our school handbook/brochure, another source of information, is available on our website.

Yours sincerely

Fiona Anderson Head Teacher

Please also continue to visit our school website for updates http://www.headmuir.falkirk.sch.uk/ for each class either through the site or their individual blogs. We are also on twitter @HeadofMuirPS.

Head of Muir Primary School Year Planner 2017/2018 (Please note that all event dates are subject to change and a number are weather dependent)

Term MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY Term MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY Term 1 Term 3

21.08.17 Inset Day Inset Day Pupils Return 08.01.18 All Return 28.08.17 P1s begin full days 15.01.18 04.09.17 22.01.18 Burns P7 Scots Concert Celebrations P7 Burns Supper 11.09.17 HOLIDAY 29.01.18 18.09.17 05.02.18 HOLIDAY 25.09.17 Meet the Teacher 12.02.18 HOLIDAY Inset Day 02.10.17 End of Term 19.02.18 26.02.18 Term 2 05.03.18 Parents’ Evening

16.10.17 Inset Day Pupils Return 12.03.18 23.10.17 19.03.18 30.10.17 P7 Ardeonaig P7 Ardeonaig P7 Ardeonaig P7 Ardeonaig P7 Ardeonaig 26.03.18 End of Term HOLIDAY 06.11.17 13.11.17 Parents’ Book Fair Parents’ Book Fair Term 4 Evening Evening Book Fair Book Fair 20.11.17 16.04.18 All Return 27.11.17 St Andrew’s 23.04.18 Day Celebrations 04.12.17 30.05.18 Inset Day 11.12.17 P6 Party P5 Party Christmas Christmas Christmas 07.05.18 HOLIDAY Book Fair Book Fair Concert Concert Concert P3 Party P4 Party P2 Party 18.12.17 P1 Nativity P1 Party P7 Party – after Nursery Party Talent Show 14.05.18 Book Fair Book Fair school End of Term 21.05.18 28.05.18 Senior Sports Trials 04.06.18 Senior Sports House Football 11.06.18 Infant Sports High Jump Reports out to Parents House Netball 18.06.18 25.06.18 P7 Leavers P7 Party – after End of Term Service school