Newsletter HT November pdf

Fenwick Primary School and Early
Childhood Centre Newsletter

November 2020

November/December Update 2020

Read about what’s happening in Fenwick Primary and ECC

Mrs Robyn Davidson Twitter.com/
Head Teacher FenwickPrimary
1-3 Kirkton Road
FENWICK https://
KA3 6DH blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ea/
fenwickprimaryschool/

Update from the Head Teacher...

It was recently my one-year anniversary as Head Teacher of
Fenwick Primary School and ECC and I cannot quite believe how
much has happened in a year! Our HMIe inspection feels like a
lifetime ago and COVID-19 has brought many new and difficult
challenges for everyone. I would like to praise and thank all the

wonderful staff here at Fenwick for their hard work,
enthusiasm and dedication to the children and families, as well

as for supporting each other at all times.

I would also like to thank parents and carers for their ongoing
support and patience throughout this difficult time. Please

remember to pick-up the phone or send us an email if there is
anything you would like to discuss or that we can help you with.

Finally, and most importantly, I would like to praise and thank
our wonderful children! Their resilience throughout all of this
has been astounding and their ability to adapt to new routines
and ways of working is amazing. They have been working so hard

since returning in August and have done us all proud!

Please have a look through this newsletter for
some updates and also for information about
what is happening in November and December

in Fenwick Primary School.
Robyn Davidson
Head Teacher

Christmas

Fayre
This year, we will not be holding our usual Christmas fayre, however,
all classes will create and sell gifts and products via an online
catalogue. This catalogue will be available on the school app, Twitter
and PC Facebook page from Monday 16th November. You will be able
to view all products as well as information about school and PC raffle
prizes. There will be a page set up on our school website with links to
online order forms for you to order items, which will be available in
December (date TBC).

Parties
Now that we are able to utilise our gym hall, we hope to be able to
hold Christmas parties for each class. The children should come
dressed for their party as they will not be able to change at lunch or
be encouraged to go home to get changed (the class will NOT go
outside that day, even for breaks). The party will be slightly different
but we have planned a number of games and activities that adhere to
current COVID-19 guidance.
Santa will also be visiting P1/2, P2/3 and P3/4 parties
(virtually of course!) and the PC have arranged a
gift for all children from Santa.

Decorations
Decorations will be put up
around the school on
Monday 30th November.
Unfortunately, we will not be
able to accept support from parents with this but we
will put some photos on our website and class blogs.

Christmas

Christmas Lunch
We have requested an extension to lunch provision for the Christmas
lunch and should therefore be able to have all classes in the hall to
enjoy their lunch that day. This will be staggered with a maximum of 2
classes in the hall at a time. We will be in contact with further details
about booking lunch.

Light-up Fenwick
The Fenwick Community Group have sought permission for the local
bus stops to be decorated by the school and ECC children. Each child
will create an A4 picture which will be displayed on a bus stop in
Fenwick. The Community Group have kindly donated all resources for
this project.

Cards
All children have now designed their Christmas card and these have
been posted, so we are now awaiting the proofs to allow you to see the
design and then order your sets of cards and gift labels.

Panto
We are currently investigating online/streamed Pantos

for the classes to watch and will
be in contact with further
information.

Nativity

Primary 1 to 3 Nativity
Unfortunately, we will not be able to hold our usual church service and
perform our P1-3 Nativity for parents. However, the teachers and
pupils are so keen to perform something to share with families, that
we have decided to film a nativity performance to share with you.

Classes have formed ‘bubbles’ and will not be able to perform with
pupils from the other classes, however, we will carefully plan the
filming and scenes, and edit the filming to create a flawless
performance (well, we will try our absolute best!). The school will
supply all costumes and no pupil will share any items or props.

Pupils are not permitted to sing in school, therefore, we will instead
perform some dances or play percussion along with the background
music.

We hope that our Christmas plans provide the children and families
some sort of normality and excitement at this time.

Contingency Planning - COVID-19

Class Self-Isolation

Where a whole class is sent home to self-isolate for
14 days, due to a positive case, the children will be
supplied with a home learning kit. In this kit there
will be a jotter and writing implements, a booklet with instructions

about online resources and some learning grids suitable for your
child’s working level. These can also be emailed to parents or to a
child’s Glow account if they are not able to collect this from school.

We have clear guidelines and procedures in place and you will be
contacted in the first instance by text or via email through Parent

Pay.

Bug Club and Glow

Bug Club is our main resource for supporting reading at home. Please
ensure that you have logged in to Bug Club and can access the texts

assigned.

Your child’s class Glow blog and their individual e-portfolios (P4-7)
will be where tasks will be shared, so please ensure your child can

access this.

Parking and Road Safety

I have been in contact again with the local police and they have
been out to visit. The police sergeant will be making more

regular visits at drop-off and pick-up times and has also been in
contact with the local authority road enforcement officers, who

may also be in attendance. Please ensure you give yourself
enough time to find a safe parking space.

Our parking buddies have been helping.
Please ensure that you do not park anywhere

near the parking buddies. One
was recently damaged and this
has been reported to the police

also.
Mr Risk is at the roadside each
morning and afternoon to support the
children to cross the road safely. Please
ensure that you ask your child to cross there and walk to meet
you. Too many are walking onto the main road to meet an adult
calling them over without using the safe crossing system.
Please remember that there is further parking at the church
hall, where parents can safely walk their child to school, past

the local park.

Please be considerate when dropping-off and
picking-up your child.

Health and Safety Updates

Face Coverings
All adults must wear a face covering when entering the school
grounds. Thank you for your support with this.

ECC Access
Thank you for your ongoing support and patience with our new
procedures. We have been monitoring access and would like to ask
that from Monday 9th November you access the ECC via the main
gates. Mrs Campbell will provide more detail to ECC parents about
this.

Singing, music and drama
Advice from the Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Children’s
Issues has concluded that singing should not happen indoors as an
organised, large group activity.

Committees and Assemblies

Committees

We have had to adapt the way we would usually run committees
this year, as children should be staying within their class
bubbles as much as possible. The committees are:

 P1/2 and P2/3 RSPB Wild Challenge
 P3/4 Fairtrade Committee
 P4/5 Junior Road Safety (JRSO) Committee
 P6 HWB Committee
 P7 Eco Committee
 Between 2-4 pupils from P3/4 to P7 will be selected to be

part of the Pupil Council which will also focus on working
towards our RRSA Gold Award

Assemblies

Mrs Davidson holds a weekly, whole school assembly using
Teams via Glow. All classes join from their own classroom and
are able to view the other classes.

We are focusing on RRS, School Values, SHANARRI, wider
achievements and class awards. You will be able to view award
winners on the class blogs each week.

Outdoor Learning

Outdoor Learning
The pupils will still be accessing the garden and outdoor spaces
throughout the week to enhance their learning and take some learn-
ing and activities outdoors.

The garden is very muddy at the moment and we are working very
hard to improve this area so it can continue to be used throughout
the winter. Mrs Campbell, ECC Depute Manager, has been instru-
mental in leading the work in the garden. We have support from
some joiners and apprentices to build an outdoor shelter and a new
playhouse will be erected in the back corner. We have also had some
kind donations of bark and will be laying this to make the area less
muddy.

Please ensure your child has wellies, which they will preferably leave
in school in a plastic bag, and a warm, suitable, waterproof jacket
each day.

PE
PE can take place indoors from Tuesday 10th November.

Health and Wellbeing and
Charity Fundraising

This term we will be taking part in Anti-Bullying week across the school and
using the Respect Me resources to support learning. The classes will

continue to learn about the SHANARRI wellbeing indicators and we will
focus on feeling Safe and Nurtured this term. Wellbeing Wednesday in
class allows all pupils across the school to talk about their feelings and
emotions. Parent links to support your child’s wellbeing at home are shared

every Wednesday on the school app, so please have a look.
The HWB committee, led by P6, will have lots of exciting ideas to support

wellbeing across the school in the coming months.

We will be supporting Children In Need
this year by wearing something spotty,
our PJs or just dressing down on Friday
13th November. Optional donations via

Parent Pay.

We will be supporting our Local Foodbank
by participating in a ‘Reverse Advent

Calendar’ in December. Please look out for
further information coming soon.

Wear your silliest combination of
Christmas Jumper, Hats and Socks
Day on Friday 11th December to
support Ayrshire Cancer Support.

Dates for your Diary

November 2020 Tuesday 10th November
Parent Council Meeting Wednesday 11th November
Armistice Day Friday 13th November
Children in Need Monday 16th - Friday 20th November
Anti-bullying Week Monday 16th - Friday 20th November
Book Week Scotland Wednesday 18th November
Parents’ Night Calls Friday 20th November
World Children’s Day Friday 27th November
Tempest Photographs Monday 30th November
St Andrew’s Day

December 2020 Thursday 3rd December
Flu Vaccine
Christmas Lunch & Friday 11th December
Christmas Jumper Day Tuesday 15th December
P1/2 then P2/3 Party Wednesday 16th December
P3/4 then P4/5 Party Thursday 17th December
P6 then P7 Party Friday 18th December
School closes 3.00pm