November 2019 Newsletter

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Dear Parents and Carers,
I am delighted to have returned to Elderbank on the 4th
November and I am very grateful to Mrs White and Mr
Bleakley who did a great job as Acting Head Teachers
while I was on secondment.

It has been a very busy term so far and the next four
weeks are also set to be very busy. It has been even
busier for Mrs Bain and her husband who welcomed their
baby boy to the world last week.

I would be interested to hear your feedback on the new
digital newsletter format. We will send you a short
survey, which I would be delighted if you could return.

Please note the School and Early Years will be closed for
pupils on Thursday 12th December as Elderbank is a Polling
Station for the General Election.
We stop for the Christmas Break on Friday 20th
December at 2:30p.m. and re-open on Monday 6th January
2020.

On behalf of all the staff, we wish you a happy holiday
when it comes.

Kind regards,

Head Teacher

Dress Down Day – Friday 29th November

The Parent Council invites the pupils to come to
school in their own clothes (no football tops or
strips) on Friday 29th November 2019 and in return
bring a bottle for the Christmas Fayre tombola. Your
support with this is much appreciated. Please note
any alcoholic beverages must be handed into the
office by an adult.

Christmas Fayre – Friday 6th December

The annual Christmas Fayre organised by the Parent
Council will take place on Friday 6th December from
2:30p.m. – 4:30p.m. The Christmas Fayre will be open
from 2p.m. for the children from Supported Learning
and their parents to attend when it is quieter and
more suitable. Children can be collected from their
classes for the Fayre from 2:20p.m. Children in the
same family will assemble in the youngest child’s class
to make the collection easier. We appreciate that
some pupils cannot be collected early and they will
remain in class until 3p.m. Children from P1-3 not
being collected early will be dismissed from the Early

Years entrance at 3p.m. Children from P4-7 not being
collected early will be dismissed from the side gate
next to the path leading to Greenwood.

Pupil Performances

The Primary 1 and Primary 7 Christmas performance
‘Lights, Camel, Action’ will take place on Wednesday
4th December at 1:45p.m. (signed performance) and
Thursday 5th December at 9:45a.m.. Mrs White
issued a letter on Friday 22nd November with all the
information about tickets. Please return the reply
slip to secure the pre-booked tickets by 27th
November. All other tickets will be on sale from
Monday 2nd December.

The Early Years’ Nativity performance will be on
Monday 16th December at 10:45a.m. and 2:15p.m.
Tickets will be on sale from the Early Years from
Monday 9th December. A separate letter will be
issued from the Early Years.

The Supported Learning Christmas performance will
be on Wednesday 18th December at 1:45p.m. Each
pupil will be issued with two tickets.

Christmas Lunch – Friday 13th December

The School catering team will provide a festive menu on
Friday 13th December. Your child will be issued with a
separate order form. Please note on this date there will
only be the choices from the special menu.

This will also be our Christmas Jumper day when children
can wear a Christmas jumper or t-shirt or simply wear some
tinsel. Please do not buy any new items especially. We have
however, brought this date forward following feedback
from some parents and carers. The suggested donation is
£1 and all proceeds will go into our school community.

Festive Parties – Please note the updated information

Early Years Thursday 19th December

(Please note sessions times a.m. – 9:30 – 11:30

are changed) p.m. 1:00 p.m. – 3p.m.
Primary 1 Thursday 19th December a.m.
Primary 2 and Primary 3 Friday 20th December a.m.
Primary 4 and Primary 5 Tuesday 17th December p.m.
Primary 6 and Primary 7 Thursday 19th December p.m.
Supported Learning Thursday 19th December p.m.

Pupils are welcome to come to school in their own party

clothes. Alternatively you may wish your child to come home

at lunchtime and get changed if they have an afternoon

party. Early Years and Primary 1 will have a visit from a

special visitor.

Early Years Christmas Show –Tuesday 17th December

Following a generous donation from the Parent
Council there will be no charge for the visit to the
Harbour Arts Centre to see The MacDougall’s
Christmas Party. The Early Years will issue a
separate letter requesting helpers and giving exact
timings for your child’s session.

Pantomime – Wednesday 18th December

The Parent Council have paid for the children to be
entertained by the M and M production of Cinderella.
There will be two performances to ensure the best
experience for all pupils. Thanks to the Parent
Council there is no cost for this performance.

Primary 7 to Secondary transitions.

The Primary 7 pupils have enjoyed their first visit to
Greenwood Academy, our associated Secondary
School. We are also supporting individuals who are
making their transition to other schools. The next
days are planned for February. This year all of
Primary 7 staff have continued their professional
development by joining some of the S1 classes and we

are looking forward to secondary staff visiting
Elderbank classes.
Early Years to Primary 1 transitions
To ensure all of our pupils have the best and most
appropriate experience, we will be starting the
formal transition process in February. We will also
be supporting individuals with any enhanced
transitions which are required.

It is extremely important that all parents, carers
and visitors to the school conduct themselves in a
responsible manner at ALL times. Our children are
entitled to be safe in school and not be exposed to
abusive language or threats between adults. This
behaviour will not be tolerated. All adults should be
a good role model for our young people.
Within the school, should a parent or carer have an
issue with a member of staff, they should also
behave respectfully as this will be reciprocated by
staff. The Head Teacher or Depute Head Teacher
will be available to discuss any concerns or issues.

We have had a few incidents of parents demanding
the attention of individual staff. Please be assured
that should I not be available then I will delegate the
responsibility to the relevant DHT to address any
concerns. We would also like to remind everyone
that the school should be your first port of call if
you have a complaint and we will work with you to
resolve it.

Please check your child’s hair every week for
evidence of head lice. If your child has head lice it is
very important that these are treated immediately
and the follow-up treatment is also completed. If you
need more information please contact the local
pharmacy who can provide treatment free of charge
through Direct Care.

Attendance - Just a reminder that children should be
in school every day and should arrive by 9:00a.m. We
have noted a rise in children arriving late, meaning
they are missing valuable learning time.

Staffing Update

It is with sadness we will say a fond farewell to Mrs
White our Depute Head Teacher who is taking early
retirement on the 20th December. Mrs White has been
our Depute Head Teacher since we opened in August
2014 and has been instrumental in shaping and
supporting our successes over the years. We wish her
well as she now enters the next chapter in her life to
spend more time with her husband and two new
grandchildren. Mrs White will be missed by all at
Elderbank.

Depute Head Teacher Appointments

Following competitive interview we are delighted to
announce we will be welcoming Miss Louise Farrell and
Mrs Nicola Collins as our new Depute Head Teachers.
Both candidates are currently Depute Head Teachers
and bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm.

Miss Farrell will have responsibility for Supported
Learning and the Enhanced Deaf Provision as part of her
remit and Mrs Collins will have a predominantly
mainstream remit. Thank you to the pupils, staff and
Parent Council who were all part of the selection
process.

Car Park

Please remember that there is only a drop off available
in the designated lane in the mornings. There is no
entry to the car park in the afternoon for any vehicle
apart from permit holders.

There is NO drop off facility at anytime for Early Years
within the school car park. Please remember to park and
stride as is the policy. It has been noted that a number
of parents and carers have begun to park outside the
Early Years. This is not a parking zone. Please
remember these arrangements have been carefully
considered to support the safety and wellbeing of our
pupils. Your co-operation is much appreciated.