Abington Primary School
October 2016 News Letter
Dear Parents / Carers: We are now back at school, refreshed after the October break ready for the new term. We
have lots of activities planned which I am sure the children will really enjoy. There are one or two events planned for
parents too so please take a note of these dates and remember to check your child’s school bag regularly for letters
and information. If you have any queries please feel free to contact the school office in the first instance so that any
issues can be addressed appropriately.
Dress Down Days: The Pupil Council have decided to have Dress Down days or Theme Days
throughout the session. This year they have chosen ‘Save the Children’ as their charity. The children
decided that each child should pay £1 for the privilege of coming to school without their school uniform.
The next Dress Down Day is Friday 25th November. This year the Pupil Council have added two theme
days: Christmas Jumper Day Wed 21st December and Pyjama Day Friday 10th February.
Dance Festival: Wendy Johnstone and Mhairi Lake are working very hard with some of our children
as well as pupils from Crawford Primary School in an afterschool dance club preparing them for the
Clydesdale Dance Festival in Lanark on 22nd November. The children are enjoying this and are busy
creating their moves into a routine. Tickets for the event will be on sale from the box office very soon.
Rugby Tag Festival: On Monday 10th October the P5-7 pupils travelled to Biggar Rugby Club to take
part in a Tag Rugby Festival with pupils from other small schools. It was great fun and everyone
played well. Our pupils won most of their games and game in 3rd place overall. Well done to you all!
Rugby Taster Sessions: For the next few weeks Rhiannon from Biggar Rugby Club will be in school
on Wednesday mornings to work with our P4-7 pupils on Rugby skills and games. Pupils should
remember to bring full indoor PE kit for these sessions. We are delighted to work in partnership with Biggar Rugby
Club and the SLC Active Schools Co-ordinators to give our pupils opportunities to try out new skills.
Arts Net Safe and Sound Workshops: Every Thursday afternoon the P5-7 pupils are taking part in drama/ dance
workshops with instructors from South Lanarkshire Council. These are great fun where children are creating scenes
and dance moves exploring issues of internet and social media use and personal safety. The P5-7 pupils from
Crawford are working with our pupils also. On Thursday 24th November parents will be invited to come and watch the
culmination of their work as a final performance.
Seaside Trip: On Thursday 13th October 15 excited children set off to the seaside at North
Berwick with Mrs Macpherson, Mrs Nunes and Mrs Keys. They had a lovely time exploring the
rock pools to identify creatures that they found in these pools. Later they explored the beach
searching for items to build and decorate a sandcastle. They saw and handled lots of the things
that they had been learning about in class and were able to answer questions from the Seabird Centre staff as well as
to ask suitable questions of their own. Our grateful thanks must go to RJ McLeod who gave the school a cheque to
help us subsidise the cost of this outing.
Build! Learn! Fun! Our P1-4 pupils are collaborating with P1-4 pupils in a series of outdoor learning activities on
Thursday afternoons. These sessions will be led by Mrs Wales, Mrs Nunes and Mrs Macpherson. The children will
work with loose materials, make dens, build a campfire and toast marshmallows, make things in the wood as well as
cooking indoors. Most of these activities will take place in Crawford Primary School. The children have already had
one session and absolutely loved it! Please make sure your child comes appropriately dressed for the weather on
Thursdays.
Halloween: On Friday 28th October we had a Halloween Party in the hall. This year our older pupils, Eilidh, Jasmine,
Rowan and Paul organised and led this party with the support from staff. These children organised the
party programme and led the games. The children dooked for apples, played games and ate party food.
There was a competition for the best dressed in each class which was judged by Rosie and Mrs Barr. In
the P1-3 class the winner was Ethan Brindley (P1) while Sophie (P2) was runner up. In the P4-7 class
Rowan and Nicol were joint first and Amy was runner up. The costumes and make-up were first class. We had a
decorated pumpkin competition which Rosie and Mrs Orr judged. They said this had been a very difficult task as they
were all good. However Jake Hodge and Jenna Johnstone were the winners. Everyone had a great time.
Can You Help! On Monday 7th November we are planting our community orchard and we are looking for
volunteers to help us from 9 a.m. If you have a spare hour we would be glad of your help. Also on
Wednesday 9th November we are looking for volunteers to help our pupils work with willow crafting. No
previous experience is required just willing hands. Again if you have a spare hour please come and help. If
you are available to help on either day please contact the school office to let us know.
Diary: November
Mon 7th Nov – Orchard Planting
Mon 7th November- Parent Council
Monday 7th Nov – Bench Ball Festival
Wed 9th Nov – Willow Craft Day
Thurs 10th November – Flu Vaccine
Tues 15th Nov – PE Parents Workshop 6-7 p.m.
Mon 21st Nov – Inset Day – no pupils in school
Tues 22nd Nov – Rotary Quiz P7
Wed 23rd Nov- Parents Appointments
Thurs 24th Nov.- Arts Net Performance 2 p.m.
Fri 25th Nov – Dress Down Day
Mon 28th Nov - Thurs 1st Dec - Book Fair
December
Mon 12th Dec – Panto Visit
Mon 19th Dec - Nativity 2p.m.
Tues 20th – Church Service 11a.m
Wed 21st Dec – Christmas Jumper Day
Thurs 22nd Dec – school closes 2.30 p.m.
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We would welcome comments about anything in this newsletter. Please complete if you so wish and return to school.
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