St. John’s Primary School Newsletter
Heathfield Drive, Blackwood, ML11 9SR
Tel: 01555 892491
E-mail: [email protected]
St. John’s clubs:
October 2015
Dear Parents and Carers,
Our open afternoon on the 30th of September was a huge
success and we were delighted to welcome parents, carers
and grandparents along to the school to be given a personal
tour of the classrooms and all the areas in the school where
learning takes place. Everyone spoke highly of what they saw
in the classes and the school and we received very positive
comments in the feedback sheets.
We also saw example of our faith in action with a successful
fundraiser for the Syrian refugee appeal. Thank you to our
HEF group for organising this.
Finally, I would like to confirm that following interviews on
the 29th of September, I have become substantive Head
Teacher of St. John’s Primary School. I am honoured and
privileged at my appointment and look forward to working
with you.
As always, if there are any questions relating to any items in
the newsletter or any other matters please do not hesitate to
contact the school.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs. Yvonne McCart,
Head Teacher
Running club:
Mrs Quadrelli’s running club takes place every
Wednesday after school. Children should come to
school on the given day with appropriate running
clothes. Sessions cost £1 per child. Most sessions will
be outdoors so pupils should bear this in mind when
packing clothes! As the darker afternoons approach,
we would suggest bright or fluorescent clothing for
health and safety reasons.
Chess:
This will take place on a Wednesday at lunchtime for
P3-7 pupils. My thanks to Lucy Bennett and Adam
Brennan who organise this.
Build It Club:
This will take place on a Thursday at lunchtime for
P1-4 pupils. My thanks to Lottie McCrone and Patrick
Burns who organise this.
ICT Club:
This takes place on a Friday at lunchtime for P3-P4
pupils. My thanks to Logan Burns, Luke McCormick,
Oliver McLean and Oscar Tighe who organise this.
Football club:
Training continues on a Wednesday from 3.30pm –
4.30pm, at Lesmahagow High School and pupils
should be taken to and collected from this venue at
the above times. The club is now open to all pupils in
Primary 3 – 7. However P3 children will not be able
to participate in tournaments due to age restrictions.
We are very grateful to Mr and Mrs Whyte for their
continued time and commitment to our footballers.
H.E.F. (Health, Eco, Fairtrade) group:
Our H.E.F group meets monthly throughout the year.
Mrs. Wong and Mrs. Kelly facilitate the running of the
group. The next meeting is the 22nd of October 2015.
News about upcoming lunchtime and after school
clubs to follow in future newsletters.
Please note, that in the event of adverse weather of any
kinds, parents should contact the school office to check
if your child’s club has been cancelled. If any parent
wishes to donate their time to run an after school club
in St. John’s please contact the school office.
Goodbye
My delight at becoming substantive Head Teacher has been tinged with some sadness as we are set to lose Mrs Muir
to another school! Mrs Muir will leave us on the 9th of October to begin work in the office at Muiredge Primary School
in Uddingston. She has been an integral part of St. John’s Primary School and a huge support to staff and pupils
during her time here. Parents, carers and visitors to the school were always sure of a warm and friendly welcome as
well as help and advice. She will be truly missed and St. John’s loss is most definitely Muiredge Primary’s gain. I
would like to thank her on behalf of all the staff and pupils for all she has done and we wish her every success and
happiness in her new post.
Celebrating Success
A huge well done to Lola Quadrelli, Alexis Rodan, Kayla
Groom, Caitlyn Tops, Madison Gould, Anna Thomson, Eva
Quadrelli, Luke McCormick, Lottie McCrone and Oliver
McLean who submitted an entry into Blackwood Flower
Show. They created a model depicting local agricultural
use and were awarded first prize. A fantastic effort from
all and a huge thank you to Mr Hall and Mrs Birtles for
supporting the pupils. The success story was published
in South Lanarkshire Council’s most recent Education
Newsletter.
Community Garden
Thank you to Tesco and our parent volunteeers, Mrs
McDivitt and Mr Tops, for helping to tidy the community
garden. Lots of hard work went into sprucing up the
garden but there is still lots to be done. Tesco have
agreed to come back in the near future to do some more
work and once again I would be grateful for some parent
volunteers to work alongside them. Further details to
follow.
Our School Staff
Head Teacher – Mrs Yvonne McCart
Teaching Staff
P.1/2 – Mr. Stephen Hall and Mrs Michelle Wong
P.3/4/5 –Mrs. Ruth Quadrelli
P.5/6/7 – Mrs. Louise Kelly
CCC – Mrs. Jackie Donnelly
CCC- Miss. Lisa Borland
Support Staff
Mrs. Rebecca Birtles
Mrs. Jacqueline Carty
Mrs. Carolyn Muir
Mrs. Jan Simpson
Mrs. Elaine Thompson
Facilities Staff
Janitor – Mrs. Helen Frame
Kitchen –Mrs Marie Davies
Mrs. Margaret Horne
Smile Please!
Chris McIntyre Photography will be in school on 6th
October 2015. Pupils should be dressed in full school
uniform, including shirt and a tie and their best smile!
Winter Weather
I know it is difficult to believe given the lovely weather
recently, but Winter will soon be upon us. Please see the
back of the newsletter for the safest walking route to
access the school during icy and snowy conditions. These
are the footpaths and areas which will be gritted by Mrs
Frame.
SCIAF FUNDRAISER FOR SYRIA
A huge thank you to our HEF group who organised a non-uniform day to raise funds for the Syria refugee crisis. We
raised a wonderful amount of £90 and a cheque has been sent off to SCIAF. We have all seen the distressing images
on the news of families fleeing their homes and this charitable event is an example of our faith in action - thinking of
others who are suffering in the world.
Spooky Goings On!
On the afternoon of Friday 30th October, we will have a Hallowe’en parade around the classrooms followed by some
fun Hallowe’en activities in each class. Children should bring their Hallowe’en outfit to school and change during
lunchtime or if you wish, children can go home for lunch to change into their outfit. There will also be a disco held in
Our Lady and St. John’s Church Hall on the evening of the 30th October from 6.30 p.m. till 8.00p.m. The cost of a ticket
is £2 which will include a juice and snack. Slips for tickets should be returned to the school.
Water, water everywhere
Pupils may bring a water bottle to school to drink
throughout the day in class. To avoid accidents, bottles
must have a sports lid that can be closed rather than a
screw top. As a health promoting school, pupils are only
allowed to have water in these bottles not juice. Fizzy
juice and energy drinks are not allowed in school. We
have 2 water coolers in the school and the water from
our classroom taps is also drinking water.
Birthdays
Just a reminder that your child’s birthday will be
celebrated in the class and at assembly time, however we
respectfully ask that you do not send in a birthday cake
due to availability of time in the class and also with a
mind to the cleaning of the classrooms at the end of the
day. If you wish to mark your child’s birthday, we
suggest sending in some sweets which can be shared
amongst the children in the class.
1 + 2 Languages
I am pleased to tell you that after submitting a bid to
South Lanarkshire Council’s Language Development
Fund, the school has been awarded a grant of £1,500 .
This fantastic award will allow us to take forward the
teaching of Spanish in an exciting and meaningful way.
Education City
I am delighted to announce that we are now using
Education City in our school. This fantastic online
resource will provide engaging and fun learning
activities in Literacy, Numeracy & Mathematics and
Spanish for all classes. Pupils in Primary 3 to Primary 7
are able to purchase a home access account for £3 per
child for the year. Children can then use it at any time . It
will also provide a platform for homework activities set
by the class teachers.
Important dates for your diary:
4th October 2015
6th October 2015
7th October 2015
8th October 2015
12th – 16th October
19th October 2015
23rd October 2015
27th October 2015
28th October 2015
30th October 2015
4th November 2015
14th November 2015
16th November 2015
18th November 2015
P1 Welcome Mass at 12 noon in Our Lady and St. John’s Church
School photographer
Partnership group meeting 6.00 p.m.
Parents evening
Holiday week – school closed
Pupils return to school
Football tournament a.m. at Blackwood PS
Holy Cross HS information evening for P7 parents @ 6.00 p.m. in school
Flu immunization
Hallowe’en Disco in Church Hall 6.30-8.00pm. Tickets £2
First Friday Mass
Bag packing at Tesco
In-service Day/Staff Development Day 3
Partnership Group meeting 6.00 p.m.
Comment Slip – What do you think?
Please make any comments that could help further improve St. John’s Primary.
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