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Newsletters 2004/5 |
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August Newsletter |
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Dear Parents Welcome to the first newsletter of the year ! There are a number of items which you need to know about, so without further preamble off we go! Family Updates: You will have received a form from Mrs Horsburgh in which you can update any information which the school should know about e.g. emergency contacts, doctor, address! If you have not yet returned it to school Mrs Horsburgh would appreciate it ASAP. Cluster Camp: P7 are off to the cluster camp on Monday 6th. September. They will be accompanied by Mr Lavery, with Mr Mills going along as a parent helper. The camp is the start of our Cluster Transition programme which has been very successful in making the move to the Grammar school a pain-free experience for our P7s. Photographs : The photographer will be in school tomorrow. Please send your child to school in school uniform. She will be taking individual, family and class photos. As usual there is no obligation to buy the result. P6 Watersports: While P7 are at camp P6 are to have an opportunity to try various watersports on Seafield Pond on Thursday 9th. September. More information to follow for parents. Book Fair : There will be a Book fair in school on the week beginning 11th. October. More information to follow. Basic Moves : Beginning 16th. September P2 pupils have the opportunity to attend an after school class called Basic Moves which aims to develop skills which can be used in a variety of games and sports. David McLaughlin, the cluster sports co-ordinator, will lead the class initially and then it will be run by Mrs Stewart. P2 parents will receive separate information. Recorder Classes: Miss Trail is soon to start a recorder class before school for P5/6 pupils. Parents will informed of the start date in due course. ClassVisits: P4/5/6 are to take part in a Drama/Art programme provided by ELC Cultural Services. The programme begins on the 7th. September and will run for 8 weeks including two visits to Dynamic Earth. P1/2 and P2/3/4 are to visit the Zoo on 4th. October as part of their RME project: Dusshera. P4/5/6 are to visit the Zoo on the 14th. September as part of their project on rare and extinct animals. Health Promoting Schools : We are on the last lap of becoming a Health promoting School. The final report has been submitted and we expect to receive our certificate in the near future. ( Watch press for details.) We will be the first school in East Lothian to receive this award. Our Healthy Tuck shop has re-opened, run by P7 pupils, supplying Fruit Smoothies and beginning next week, fruit salad. The Tuck Shop crew will be sending out information. May I request that you support their initiative and have your child buy from the Tuck Shop at some point during the week. It’s the Healthy option! Staff : Whilst Mrs Prudence has settled into life in P1/2, we are losing Mrs Ferguson from P4/5/6 as she is to take a post in Ross High working with SEN pupils. Mrs Ferguson has expertise in this area and it is a good opportunity for her to put her skills into practice. However, it does mean that we will have one more change before the appointment of a new Principal Teacher. The new teacher will be Lyndsey Robertson who is part of the ELC permanent supply staff. She is a very good teacher and will be with us until such times as the new PT is in place. I apologise for these changes but they are out with my control. Mrs Brogden is on the road to recovery after an operation and will be rejoining our team in the near future. Kay Chapman will be in school as part of the McCrone agreement and will be taking classes for Science, as well as P2 and P3 for French. Maths Challenge : We will be starting our Maths Challenges again soon. Last session it was a great success with quite a number of pupils moving through the levels. This year we will be moving participation to P4. Children need support at home to help them master the challenges and we need help at school to administer them. Consequently we would like some parent volunteers. Last session a few parents came in every Friday to take the pupils for the tests, but that is a huge commitment! If we could get more parents involved we could operate a rota which could mean that only one Friday a month might be necessary for volunteers. The Maths Challenges are a great way of improving children’s mathematical ability, so if you could spare a Friday or two please get in touch with the school and we will set up a rota. That’s it for this month. Yours sincerely David Wharton Headteacher
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September Newsletter |
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Dear Parents Welcome to the latest newsletter. As we move towards the October break there are one or two items which I need to bring to your attention. Principal Teacher : I am very pleased to inform you that Scott Lavery has been appointed to the post of Principal Teacher at the school. I am sure that Mr Lavery will do a sterling job for us and I am positive that this is an excellent appointment. We will be appointing a class teacher to P4/5/6 but in the meantime Miss Robinson will continue to take the class. Photographs : The is the last call for photograph orders. Friday is the last day ! Book Fair : There will be a Book Fair in the school from Tuesday 12th. October until Friday 15th. October. The Fair will be open pre-school and at the end of the day. It is not too early to be thinking about that Christmas present! Celebrating Success : Liam Brown, Cameron Bell and Mr Lavery represented the school at this event in the Brunton Hall. They presented P6/7 digital videos which our pupils had made. Healthy Tuck Shop : The Tuck shop continues to be a success but could be supported by more children. After the October break the Tuck Shop crew inform me that they will be running Fruity Fridays….watch out for details. Mega & Mini Beasts : P4/5/6 have completed their project which has involved ELC Cultural Services provision of Art and Drama. They made stained class this week which they will pick up on their last visit to Dynamic Earth on the week beginning 25/10/04 Holiday : May I remind you that the October break begins on Monday 18th. October with pupils returning to school on Tuesday 26th. October. Milk Money : Last call for milk money! HMIE Report : The inspection report is published tomorrow ( 5th. ) and the Nursery inspection report the following day. All parents will receive a copy of the school report, with a copy of the Nursery report for parents of Nursery children, although it will be available to any parent wishing to see it. I hope that parents are pleased with the reports. I will, of course, be available to answer any questions which you may have arising from the report. That’s it for this month Yours sincerely David Wharton Headteacher |
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November Newsletter |
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Dear Parents We are approaching the end of a busy term and it’s going to get busier in the next couple of weeks. There are a few items which you will find interesting, so off we go ! There was so much going on in November rather than deal with them individually, here’s a list : Bowling tuition for P6/7, Fire Fighters visited the Nursery, P7 had rugby tuition each week, Drama Workshop for P6/7, Drama workshop for P4/5, P2/3/4 visited the Fire Station, A fire engine visited the Nursery ( not literally! ), Nursery went on a woodland walk, P6/7 had orienteering, P6 Basketball Festival at Hallhill, A Dress Up Day for Children in Need ( final total raised £178.73 ), P2/3/4 visited the Police Station, PC Hughes visited the Nursery, Health Promoting School presentation, P6/7 visited Musselburgh Racecourse : a busy month I’m sure you will agree and along with all that the staff had parental consultations. There are one or two things worth mentioning before we look at December. Health Promoting Schools : We are very proud that West Barns is the first school in East Lothian, and only one of three in Lothian, to receive the Stage 1 Award for Health Promoting Schools. Alan Blackie, the Director of Eduaction made the presentation of the award to Sean Dubber (P7), and Mike massaro of LHB said a few words. Now on to Stage 2!! ( Photos on the Web Site : Contents : Health Promoting School ). Staff : We are hoping to resolve the staffing for P4/5/6 soon and have a permanent teacher in place in the New Year. Rugby : P7 will be at Hallhill for a Rugby Festival on 1st. December. Nativity : P1/2 will be performing the Christmas Story at 2pm on Tuesday 7th. December. All parents are welcome to see the production. Nursery : The Nursery children are off to see the happy gang on Wednesday 8th. December. Christmas Fair : The annual Christmas Fair will take place in the school on Saturday 11th December at 10am. Crafts, games, tea, etc will be on offer, as well as a visit from Santa! Christmas Lunch : The children’s Christmas lunch will be on 14th. December. P6/7 Musical : The P6/7 musical ‘Helen Goes to Paris’ will be staged on the evenings of 15th. and 16th. December. More information will follow shortly. Nursery Party : The Nursery Party for all Nursery children will take place in the school hall on 16th. December. Information to follow. Brass : Our brass players are to visit Belhaven Hospital on 16th. December. Cinema : P1-P7 visit the cinema to see Party : P4-7 Christmas Party takes place on 17th. December. Party : P1-3 Christmas Party on 20th. December. Dance : P7 pupils are off to a Cluster dance at Dunbar Primary on 20th. December in the evening. Assembly : Our closing assembly will take place at 1.45pm on 21st. December. All parents very welcome. Carol Service : There will be a Carol service for the community in the village hall on 19th. December at 6pm. Refreshments are available and everyone is welcome That’s it for now. Yours sincerely David Wharton |
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January Newsletter |
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Dear Parents Welcome to the first newsletter of the new year. I hope that you had an enjoyable Christmas and New Year and survived the festivities relatively unscathed. There are, as usual, a number of items to bring to your attention, so without further ado…. Tsunami Appeal : The events in Asia brought home to us how lucky we are to live in a climate and part of the world where extremes mean it's a bit nippy or the wind has blown over the dustbin! I am pleased to tell you that the school has donated £439 to aid the victims of the tidal wave. This was raised by donating the profits from the musical and the ELC Dress Down Day. For a small rural school I think that this was a tremendous effort and I would like to thank all parents and pupils who contributed. Gardening Crew : Thank you to the gardeners who are working in our grounds to enhance our environment, and thanks to the PTA for their kind donation. Nursery : The Nursery had a piper ( Mr Harding ) to celebrate the birthday of Rabbie Burns. P1/2 : It’s a busy time with the youngest of our primary pupils. They had haggis, neeps and tatties to celebrate the Bard ( I’m not sure whether Mrs Prudence gave the Immortal Memory ! ), and interestingly enough, most of the pupils enjoyed the experience ; they are looking at Living Things and went out for a Winter Walk and fed the birds ; their Vets’ Corner is a great success and they made birdfeed in the classroom; Mrs Coventry will be taking our P2s on a Traffic Trail soon. French : Our experiment with French for our P2s and P3s is to be changed. We are continuing with P3 but we feel that French once a week is proving too difficult for P2s to remember the vocabulary. Consequently, when P3 have French our P2s will be practising keyboard skills on our Alphasmart word processors. P2/3/4 : Weather is the Environmental Studies topic which Miss Leslie’s class are starting. They have made a super frieze of the Water Cycle; they are taking part in a short programme called Enjoy-a-ball which introduces ball skills. P4/5/6 : Mary, Queen of Scots is the new topic for study in Miss Robinson’s class and they will be visiting Holyrood Palace followed by a walk up the High Street; they are looking at living and non-living things with Miss Chapman; they have just taken part in a Dance/Drama workshop with a specialist from the Brunton Theatre. P6/7 : World War 2 is the topic for Mr Lavery’s class and they will be visiting the War Museum at Edinburgh Castle; they are continuing to learn French and German with Mrs Murray. Football : Our football team have started their season with two wins from two matches. Their next game is against East Linton which will be a stiff test. Bowling : A Bowling Club for our older pupils is starting in the school this week. They will be coached initially by Alex Hogg from the SBA. After School Club : The club will be starting soon and will be run by Mrs Stewart and Mrs MacDonald. WOOSH : Wired Out of School Hours ( Drama and Dance ) sessions are being run for P6 with Miss Leslie as our staff member. Specialists take the sessions. Transition : The P7 transition to DGS programme started this week with Mr Lavery taking our pupils to Dunbar Primary School. This programme runs until the end of session and has made the transfer to Secondary Education stress free for our P7s. Sporting Excellence : Our ex-pupils are making us very proud at the moment. As many of you will know Lauren Peffers won Gold and Silver Medals at the Deaflympics in Australia, and Anna Cathro won Gold and Bronze at the East District Championships at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow and finished as 2nd Scottish girl: well done to them both. Jenny Dobson, one of our P7 pupils, continues to amass Gold Medals in swimming: she won 4 at a recent event. She will be representing the school this week at the Scottish Swimming Championships and we wish her all the best. We are sure she will do well!! Warhammer : Harry, Cameron and Anthony are entering a Warhammer competition which involves making and painting models then gaming with them with people around the U.K. David Wharton Headteacher |
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March Newsletter |
Dear ParentsWelcome to the latest newsletter. It has been a busy time in school and there are a few items which will be of interest to you. Comic Relief : The Grand Talent Contest was a great success. We have a great many talented children and the effort which went in to their acts was excellent. Thank you for your support ( and your cash ) which raised the amazing sum of £376.57. This is a fantastic total, going way beyond our previous best!! Well done to the judges who had a very difficult time; well done to all the winners ( and the losers ), but a special mention for Hannah Stark, the overall winner, with her Comic Relief Day poem. You can find Hannah’s words on the website under Contents/Comic Relief RND’05. Quiz Night : Thank you to all the parents who supported the Quiz Night. A big thank you to the PTA for their organisation and prizes. P6/7 Visit to Edinburgh Castle : As part of their project on the Second World War Mr Lavery is taking his class to visit the War Museum in the castle on Thursday. Family Holidays : We have received the following information from East Lothian Council clarifying the procedure for recording family holidays during term-time. ALL family holidays taken during term-time should be categorised as unauthorised absence unless a request is accompanied by sufficient evidence to merit authorisation. A family holiday classified under the ‘unauthorised absence’ category includes such reasons as:-
The following exceptional circumstances may merit authorisation of a family holiday during term-time:
It is the responsibility of the school to make the decision on authorisation of family holidays during term-time. Parents are required to submit their requests for authorisation, in writing, to the Headteacher in advance of the absence, along with the supporting evidence. The Headteacher will then consider the information presented and write to the parents with their decision. If a parent does not submit their request in writing with supporting evidence from the employer, it should automatically be categorised as unauthorised and the parent informed of this. Schools should ensure that parents are fully aware of the rules. Inter-District Swimming : In the Inter-District Swimming match between West Lothian, Edinburgh and East Lothian the winners were East Lothian, for the first time! Jenny Dobson played her part by winning 25m Breast Stroke, as well as being part of the victorious relay team. Well done to Jenny and the rest of the East Lothian Team. Hockey Festival : P6 will be taking part in a Hockey Festival at Hallhill on Wednesday 16th March. P7 Transition : P7 are continuing their transition programme at Dunbar Primary School on Wednesday morning. John Muir : The Rotary Club will be presenting each of our pupils with a commemorative quarter dollar next Monday. Gala Queen : Kirsty Gray has been chosen as the Gala Queen for this year. Let’s hope the sun shines! Book Fair : The Book Fair will be on in school all this week. As usual there are books to suit all tastes. Football : The football team recorded a good win against St Mary’s in their latest match. Well done!! New Appointment : I am pleased to tell you that Ms Kay Chapman has been appointed to P4/5/6 as Class Teacher. Ms Chapman at present takes our children for Science and French on a Thursday. Ms Chapman is an excellent teacher and will be an asset to the teaching staff of the school. She takes up her post on the 11th April. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lynsey Robinson who has been holding the fort for the last few months. She has done a super job, but she will now be returning to her duties as a member of the Education Supply Team. P1/2 : P1/2 will be holding a Groovy Garden Party as part of their project on Living Things next Tuesday afternoon. That’s about it for now. Please note that we break up for the Easter holidays on Wednesday 23 March and return on Monday 11 April. David Wharton Head Teacher Website : www. westbarnsprimaryschool.com
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