September 2018 newsletter

Blacklands
Primary

Newsletter

September 2018/No7

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newsletter.

Head Teacher’s Message

Dear Parents/Carers,

When I first started at Blacklands in 2016 you asked for
more school clubs. In two years we have increased club
participation from 37% to 63% to 87%. We are proud to
announce that Blacklands Primary has just been awarded
the Sports Scotland Gold Award.

This is a huge achievement for such a small school and I
have been reliably informed from Gary Moore, our active
schools coordinator, that we came second in all North
Ayrshire schools for percentage of activity sessions
offered. I am sure you will join me in thanking Mr Moore
and Mrs Lauder, for their hard work organising clubs and
coaches, and to our own school staff for giving up their
personal time to take clubs.

Our next big thing is to improve attendance and late-
coming in order to raise attainment. With your support I’m
sure we can reach this goal.

In partnership,

Elaine McNeil
Head Teacher

Message from the Office

Dear Parent/Carers

Thank you to the families who have returned the many
many forms we issued at the start of term. We are still
waiting on some email addresses in order to move forward
with using the Expression app which will be our new way of
communicating news. We will let you know when we are
ready to launch this.
Texts will still be used for urgent or emergency messages as
will phone-calls.
Can we remind you to please call the school if your child is
off. We must establish the whereabouts of children and
some days spend several hours phoning round numbers
when a two minute call from home would have prevented
that. This is for child protection reasons.

Kind regards
Mrs Smith

October
Holiday Meals

Over the October holiday period North
Ayrshire Council are providing meals to the
pupils of all Kilwinning Primary Schools in
conjunction with:

The Playz - Unit A, Pennyburn Local Centre,
Kilwinning

Woodwynd Community Centre - 50 David
Gage Street, Kilwinning

Kilwinning Academy Dining Room

Monday 15th October 2018
Tuesday 16th October 2018
Wednesday 17th October 2018
Thursday 18th October 2018
Friday 19th October 2018

Both The Plays and Woodwynd Community
Centre will be running an activity programme on
the same dates.

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The next planned event is our Hallowe’en Disco
which will be held on Wednesday 24th October:

EYC - P3 5.30-6.30pm
P4-7 6.45-8pm

This event depend on parent helpers. If you can
help, please let one of our Parent Council members
know or contact the office.
The next Parent Council meeting is Wednesday 7th
November at 9am in the staffroom.

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Clubs

Clubs are well underway this term. So far we have:
Monday - Social Dance club (P3-7)
Tuesday - Football (P5-7)
Wednesday - Netball (P3-5)
Thursday - Homework Club (P1-7)
Friday - Go Fitba (P4-7)
Coming soon… lego club, multi sports, art club…
We are really grateful to all our coaches/volunteers!

Tidelines Book Festival

Primary 2 had a real treat this month when author
Elizabeth McKay of the ‘Wee Granny’ series of books
came to visit.
The children had a super afternoon with lots of activities
including the feely bag, memory games and a pirate
treasure hunt. Both the school and the children were very
surprised and excited to get free copy of a ‘Wee Granny’
book to keep. A huge thanks to Tidelines Book Festival and
all their wonderful volunteers for facilitating this.

Challenge Poverty

Lots of our children We kicked off ‘Challenge
and parent/carers Poverty’ week with a
wrote their ‘Big Idea’ to family breakfast. We
challenge poverty. We were delighted to welcome
displayed this on a Mr Cullinane and staff
board and are going to from ‘Better Off North
collate and send these Ayrshire’. Our House
to the Council Leader. Captains gave them a
We had so many good tour of our school, they
ideas! spent time in each of the
classes, then they came to
a special assembly.

P7
Dalguise Meeting

This year’s P7s will get the
opportunity to go to Dalguise as

part of Kilwinning Academy’s
cluster transition programme.

An information meeting has been
arranged for this Wednesday, 3rd
October at Kilwinning Academy

from 5.15-6pm.

Please attend for further
information.

Place2Be

Place 2 Be work with children in primary schools at a
vital stage of their development. They offer support to
cope with emotional and behavioural difficulties
which has a positive impact on the whole class, and
helps the teachers focus on teaching.

At Blacklands we have used some of our PEF
funding to recruit Louise Mitchel, a Place 2 Be
counsellor, for 1.5 days per week.

Louise starts with us this month and will spend time
getting to know the school before any referrals are
made. Further information about the work of Place 2
Be and consent forms will follow in the next few
weeks. For more information go to:

https://www.place2be.org.uk/what-we-do/supporting-
schools.aspx

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Arriba Familia is running in partnership with staff, pupils
and families at Blacklands Primary School and North
Ayrshire’s 1+2 and Family Learning Team. This is session 2
of an exciting new opportunity for families to learn
Spanish together within school.

Programme

2.00pm Staff and pupils work together
in class.
2.00pm Pupils’ families are invited for
refreshments and a blether with Jenna.
2.20pm Pupils’ families work in classes
together.
2.50pm – 3.00pm Pupils’ families
feedback session with Jenna.

ATTENDANCE AND LATE-COMING

Attendance and late-coming is a huge issue for our school
with some families arriving up to 30 minutes late every
day, many children taking regular unnecessary days off
school and lots of families taking holidays during term
times. This equals a lot of work missed which most children
can’t afford. After only 6 weeks of school some children
are sitting with 64% attendance and 15 times late.

We strongly urge you to get child(ren) to school on time and
avoid days off unless your child is sick. If you are struggling
to get your child(ren) to school please ask us to help. We
have lots of support available and want to work with you not
against you.

Each month we will be awarding certificates to the children
who have 100% attendance and no late comings.
At the end of September only 52 children received
certificates. This is less than 50% of our school role.
Please help us to improve these figures for next month.

FridaFyu1n2FthridOacytober

Fun Friday is coming soon…
Bring £1 to dress down to come to school. There
will be fun activities in all the classes too!

BREAKFAST BOUNCE

Our ‘Breakfast Bounce’ is continuing to be
very successful. This is free for all families.
On a Wednesday this month there will be a
badminton focus.

8.20-8.40 - Breakfast
8.40-9.00 - Activities and games
** P1-3 children must ALL be signed in by a

parent/carer on arrival. **

Mon 1st OCTOBER
Dyslexia Awareness Week
Wed 3rd Challenge Poverty week
Thu 4th
Wed 10th Dalguise Parents’ Eve. Kil Ac. 5.15pm
Thu 11th Family Learning Homework Club wk 5

Fri 12th Harvest Service 10.45am in school
Whole School Arriba Familia Session 2 1.45pm
Mon 22nd Family Learning Homwork Club wk 6
Wed 24th Fun Friday Fundraiser
School stops for October Holidays
Mon 29th Pupils Return EYC-P7
Wed 31st Parent Council Halloween Disco
EYC-P3 5.30-6.30pm
Wed 7th P4-7 6.45-8.00pm
Mon 12th World Kindness Week
Thu 15th
Halloween - Dress up optional
Fri 16th NOVEMBER
Mon 19th
Tue 20th Parent Council Meeting 9am at BPS
Anti-bullying Week

Flu immunisations 9am-3pm
Whole School Arriba Familia session 3 PM
School Holiday
School Holiday
Scottish Book Week starts

Mon 3rd DECEMBER
Tue 4th Hour of Code Week
Wed 5th P1-7 Trip to Gaiety Ayr (PANTO)
Tue 11th School Christmas Lunch
Wed 12th P1-3 Nativity 6pm in school
Thu 13th P1-3 Nativity 2pm in school
Fri 14th P4-7 Christmas Show 7pm in school
Mon 17th P4-7 Christmas Show 2pm in school
EYC Parties (AM & PM sessions)
Tue 18th Burns Poems issued
Wed 19th P1 and P2 Party (PM)
Thu 20th P3/4 and P4/5 Party (PM)
Christmas Service in school 9.30am
Fri 21st P5/6 & P7/6 Party (PM)
Christmas Fayre 9-11am
Mon 7th School stops 2.30pm
Mon 14th
Thu 24th JANUARY
Mon 28th Pupils Return EYC-P7
P1 Registration
Thu 7th Learning Conversation 2 3.30-5.30 & 6.30-8.30pm
EYC Registration week

FEBRUARY
Whole School Arriba Familia session 4 1.45pm

Fri 8th School Holiday
Mon 11th School Holiday
Tue 12th Inservice Staff only
Thu 14th Parent Council Valentine Disco TBC
Mon 25th Fairtrade Fortnight
Thu 28th Digital Learning Day
Discussion Dinner 6.15-7.30pm
Mon 4th
Thu 7th MARCH
Mon 11th Attendance Focus Month
Thu 14th World Book Day- Dress up optional
Thu 28th British Science Week
Fri 29th Arriba Familia session 5 1.45pm
Learning Conversation 3 3.30-5.30 & 6.30-8.30pm
Mon 15th School stops 2.30pm
Thu 18th
APRIL
Fri 19th Pupils Return EYC-P7
Mon 22nd Easter Service Abbey Church 9.30am
Daffodil Tea Fundraiser in school (PM)
Thu 2nd School Holiday
Mon 6th School Holiday

MAY
New P1 Parent Induction (AM)
School Holiday

Tue 7th iCycle starts

Mon 13th-Fri 17th Health Week- Daily Mile launch at KSC
Digital Learning Week TBC

Thu 16th Day Outdoors at Eglinton Park

Thu 23rd New P1 Transition Activity 1 (AM)

Mon 27th Inservice Staff only

Thu 30th New P1 Transition Activity 2- Teddy Bears
Picnic (PM)

JUNE

Tue 4th Sports Day (PM)

Thu 6th New P1 Transition Activity 3 (PM)

Fri 7th Sports day (RESERVE)

Tue 11th New P1 Transition Activity 4 (AM)

Thu 13th P7 at Leavers’ Trip Colour-splash TBC
Discussion Dinner 6.15-7.30pm

Fri 14th-Sun 16th P7s at Dalguise Residential

Tue 18th EYC-P7 Summer Trip TBC

Thu 20th P7/S1 Induction 1 at Kilwinning Ac.
New P1 Taster Lunch

Fri 21st P7/S1 Induction 2 at Kilwinning Ac.
Class Bump Up (PM)
Reports Out

Mon 24th Prize giving rehearsal (AM)
Summer Concert rehearsal (PM)

Tue 7th iCycle starts

Mon 13th-Fri 17th Health Week- Daily Mile launch at KSC
Digital Learning Week TBC

Thu 16th Day Outdoors at Eglinton Park

Thu 23rd New P1 Transition Activity 1 (AM)

Mon 27th Inservice Staff only

Thu 30th New P1 Transition Activity 2- Teddy Bears
Picnic (PM)

JUNE

Tue 4th Sports Day (PM)

Thu 6th New P1 Transition Activity 3 (PM)

Fri 7th Sports day (RESERVE)

Tue 11th New P1 Transition Activity 4 (AM)

Thu 13th P7 at Leavers’ Trip Colour-splash TBC
Discussion Dinner 6.15-7.30pm

Fri 14th-Sun 16th P7s at Dalguise Residential

Tue 18th EYC-P7 Summer Trip TBC

Thu 20th P7/S1 Induction 1 at Kilwinning Ac.
New P1 Taster Lunch

Fri 21st P7/S1 Induction 2 at Kilwinning Ac.
Class Bump Up (PM)
Reports Out

Mon 24th Prize giving rehearsal (AM)
Summer Concert rehearsal (PM)

Tue 25th P1-7 Prize Giving (AM)
Blacklands Got Talent- Pupils (PM)
Wed 26th
Thu 27th EYC Celebrations AM & PM
Fri 28th
P1-7 Summer Concert 10.30am & 6.30pm

Summer Service at Abbey Church 9.30am
School closes 1pm

Attendance focus
Halloween
Day of Dance
Christmas arrangements