NEWS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS NEWSLETTER February 2023 Read all about our Achievements and up and coming events! School Uniform Parent Council Update and much more!
Here is an update about what has been happening at Whitehirst Park this term and a chance to look forward to what is happening in Term 3. As always, hard copies of this newsletter are available from the school office. Kind regards, Lynn Robertson WELCOME /FÀILTE FROM… Educating Today’s Learner for Tomorrrow’s World
FAMILY LEARNING NEWS We are delighted to have Family Learning support from Evan Maley from North Ayrshire Family Learning Team. In Term 3 Evan will be working with Primary 4 on building resilience and Primary 5 pupils have been invited to take part in a Young STEM leader programme. Check school bags and Xpressions for information!
Proud to be a Digital School Check out our Website at: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/n a/whitehirstparkprimary/ @WhitehirstPs Facebook.com/gr oups/whitehirst parkparents Don’t forget to check your child’s Seesaw account for all the latest news and homework. Mrs Phillips is happy to support you to download and install the Groupcall Xpressions School app so pop in and see her if you would like some help. The App is called ‘Groupcall Xpressions’ and can be downloaded from the App Store or from Google Play. Digital Communication
We are now a cashless school. For support and information check the North Ayrshirewebsite or call Mrs Phillips in the office.
We are happy to take pre-loved school uniform in good condition for our uniform bank, including shorts Do not forget our uniform bank. Some never worn items. Well worth a look! Pop in or complete the online request form: Free School Uniform Order Form
We recently surveyed parents/carers, teachers and pupils about homework. Here is a summary of the key messages. We will be discussing this with the Parent Council and we will update you with any actions. All adult stakeholders agreed that homework was ‘somewhat important’. The majority of pupils felt that homework had no importance. 56% of staff thought homework was ‘somewhat not important/extremely not important’. 61 % pf pupils thought homework was ‘somewhat not important/extremely not important’. 42% thought homework was ‘somewhat not important/extremely not important’. 59% of parents/carers feel that it reinforces work done in class. 15% of parents/carers feel that it raises attainment. 50% of parents/carers say that it cuts into family time. Can be difficult to balance homework and clubs. Parents/Carers are not always available to support homework. Good for communication between families and teacher. The completion of homework is inconsistent. There was no particular preference for online and paper based homework.
as Remember: Do not wait until the next Parents’ Night if you have anything you want to discuss. Just call the office and make an appointment with the class teacher or a member of the leadership team or contact the teacher via Seesaw. Next Target Talks: Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd March 2023. Please note this is a change from the original dates. We will share a link for the online booking system nearer the time. Thank you to everyone who attended our Target Talks on 23rd and 24th November. Over 95% of parents/carers attended, which is fantastic.
A huge thank you to local businesses Mission Fit and Abbey Screen Print! Mission Fit have sponsored our new school sports strips and our P7 pupils paid a visit to say thank you in person. Many thanks also to Abbey Screen Print for printing our logos.
Pupil Voice All pupils from P3-7 are involved in Pupil Voice Committees. The committees meet fortnightly on a Thursday afternoon to ensure pupils are involved in all aspects of school life. If you would like to join a committee, we would love to hear from you so please contact the school office or class teacher via Seesaw. Committee Facilitator Languages Miss MacNeil Eco Committee Miss Dobson, Mr Phillips Pupil Council Mrs Manning, Mrs McLaren Rights Respecting Schools Mr Anderson Fairtrade Mrs Williams Charities Mrs Gillan, Mr McCutcheon Junior Road Safety Mrs Gaw, Mrs Sheikh Health and Wellbeing Mrs Thomson Digital Leaders Miss Johnstone Sustainability Mrs Munro Library (6 pupils) Mrs McKinlay ]
Tuesday 21st February 2023 7pm Zoom
Day Class Activity Leader Time Location Start Date Monday P7 Football Mr. Anderson Afterschool Playground/ Gym August Monday P2 Dancing P5 pupils Lunch Gym 16/01 Tuesday P6 Athletics Kerri Brown Lunch Gym 24/01 Wednesday P5 Benchball Mr McLaughlin Lunch Gym 25/01 Wednesday P6 Dance S1 pupils + Sophie Afterschool Dinner hall 25/01 Wednesday P3 Basketball NASA Afterschool Gym 25/01 Thursday P6&7 Girls Football Evan Maley Lunch Gym September Thursday P7 Netball Mrs McLaren + Mrs Thomson Afterschool Gym 26/01 Friday P4 Badminton Sports Leaders Lunch Gym 04/02 Friday P5-7 Crosscountry Mrs. Robertson Afterschool Outside December As you can see we are very fortunate to have a wide variety of clubs on offer in Term 3. Contact Mr Anderson if your child is interested in joining any.
As a school, in line with North Ayrshire’s Policy we monitor attendance monthly and will contact you when we see attendance drop below 90% to offer support and guidance. We will consider periods of isolation as this cannot be avoided. Our average attendance for last session was 94.75%. In the interests of your child’s education please avoid unnesscary absences where at all possible, as the impact on your child socially and in terms of their attainment can be hugely detrimental.
World of Work Week 6 th February-17th February Over the past few years we have had very successful 'World of Work' weeks where parents/carers would volunteer to talk to classes (from Primary 1 to Primary 7) about their job/work experience/pathways to different qualifications/apprenticeships. A part of this journey is to prepare young people for the world of work and the different pathways that they can take to achieve their goal. Starting to discover skills, strengths and interests is a good way for pupils to think about their future. We have had a huge response from our school community with 18 families offering to support us. Pupils will experience activities and input from a wide variety of careers from GP, Youth worker, Nurse, Archaeologist, Recruitment, Wellbeing Practitioner, Aircraft Engineer, Linguist and Builders. Our local Fire Fighters will also visit during this time. We are looking forward to welcoming all the participants to school.
Congratulations to Sophia who has been elected as Whitehirst Park Primary representative for the Segdoune Royal Party. The Kilwinning Segdoune Royals from each Primary school attend various community events throughout the year they are in post. Sophia prepared an excellent speech outlining the reasons why they would be a suitable candidate as well as answering questions from a school panel. We were delighted to include Isla, our current Royal, on the panel and we would like to thank Isla for doing a wonderful job representing the school for the past year.
Naidheachdan FtMG– GME News Friday 24th February at 2.15pm Friday 24th February at 2.15pm
The whole school had a blast taking part in our Mini Mudder while rai sing £ XXXX for school funds! Our Athletics team trained hard and made it through to the North Ayrshire Finals! Pupils from P7 accepted a ‘We Make Music Digital’ award. P5/6 did a brilliant job of planning and presenting our first in person Christmas Service since 2019! P3 enjoyed sharing their Read, Write, Count bags with their families!
Our football teams have made a great start to the season at Kilwinning Sports Club! Our Junior Road Safety Officers organised a Be Bright, Be Seen day. Our Cross Country team have been out in all weathers preparing for the North Ayrshire competition. Race 1 on 28/1/23 was a huge success! It is not easy! Our relaunched House System has been a great success! Here are the winners of the inter-house art competition and the winning house for term 2, Montgreenan, enjoying a movie afternoon. Our Basketball team were proud to wear our brand new strips and they performed really well at the North Ayrshire Competition in January. Well done!
FEBRUARY World of Work Week begins Monday 6th February Primary 4 pupils at Big Hit Badminton Festival Wednesday 8th February Close for February weekend 3pm Thursday 9th February In-service Day for staff Tuesday 14th February School Opens Wednesday 15th February Girls Football Team at Kilwinning Sports Club Thursday 16th February Valentines Disco Thursday 16th February Class Burns Competitions Heats Friday 17th February P7 Kilwinning Academy Virtual Parents Night Tuesday 21st February Seachdain na Gàidlig Ceilidh 2.15pm for P1/2/3/4G Friday 24th February Netball League 1 3.30pm-5.30pm Abbey PS Thursday 23rd February Class Burns Competition Finals Friday 24th February Cross Country 2: P5-7 10am-12pm St Matthews Saturday 25th February P1 and P7 Dental Checks Monday 27th February Sports Session 3pm-4.15pm P1/2/3/4G Monday 27th February
MARCH Class Photographs Thursday 2nd March Football League at Kilwinning Sports Club Wednesday 8th March P7 Social Subjects Transition event in WPPS Thursday 2nd March P7 Transition Coffee and Chat Thursday 16th March Girls Football League Thursday 16th March Last week of homework Monday 20th March P7 Enhanced Transition Day 1 Wednesday 22nd March Parent/Teacher/Pupil Target Talks Evening 1 Wednesday 22nd March Parent/Teacher/Pupil Target Talks Evening 2 Thursday 23rd March P5 STEM Celebration Event for Parents 2.30pm Thursday 23rd March P6 Team at North Ayrshire Euro Quiz Thursday 23rd March P1 and P2 Fun Fours Football Outing Thursday 23rd March Interhouse Basketball Challenge Day Friday 24th March Cross Country 3: P5-7 10am-12pm St Matthews Saturday 25th March Easter Service Wednesday 29th March Netball League 3.30pm-5.30pm Abbey PS Thursday 30th March House Reward Afternoon – McGavin Park Thursday 30th March Close for Easter Holidays 2.30pm Friday 31st March
APRIL School Opens Monday 17th April Kilwinning Academy HT and DHT Visit P7 Wednesday 19th April Homework Starts Monday 24th April Netball League 3.30pm-5.30pm Abbey PS Thursday 27th April P7 Computing/Business Transition at Kilwinning Academy Friday 28th April Cross Country 4: P5-7 10am-12pm St Matthews Saturday 29th April MAY Holiday Monday 1st May Football League at Kilwinning Sports Club Wednesday 3rd May P7 Language Transition at Kilwinning Academy Thursday 4th May P7 Enhanced Transition Day 2 Friday 5th May Coronation Holiday Monday 8th May P7 PE Transition at Kilwinning Academy Tuesday 9th May PT Pastoral Visit P7 at WPPS Friday 12th May Health Fortnight Monday 15th May P7 Technical Transition at Kilwinning Academy Tuesday 16th May P7 Transition Coffee and Chat 4.30pm at Kilwinning Academy Tuesday 16th May Sports Day Wednesday 17th May P7 Athletics at St Matthews Thursday 18th May P7 STEM Transition Event in WPPS Friday 19th May P7 Bump up day 1 to Kilwinning Academy Tuesday 23rd May P7 Bump up day 1 to Kilwinning Academy Wednesday 24th May Sharing Learning Evening for Parents/Carers 5pm-6pm Thursday 25th May Football League Finals Thursday 25th May P5-7 House Tournament at Kilwinning Sports Club Friday 26th May Holiday Monday 29th May In-service Day for Staff Tuesday 30th May School Opens Wednesday 31st May
JUNE P7 Pastoral Visit in WPPS Thursday 1st June Girls Football World Cup Thursday 1st June Whole School Trip - TBC Friday 2nd June Homework Ends Monday 5th June P7 Virtual Assembly Tuesday 6th June P6 Enhanced Transition Visit to Kilwinning Academy Wednesday 7th June Netball Finals Thursday 8th June Thank you Celebration at Together Time Thursday 8th June Final Reports Issued Friday 9th June P7 Leavers Assembly Wednesday 14th June P7 Open Evening at Kilwinning Academy Wednesday 14th June Sports Session 3pm-4.15pm P1/2/3/4G Tuesday 20th June P7 Quiz at Kilwinning Academy Wednesday 21st June P7 Transition Dinner at Kilwinning Academy Thursday 22nd June Summer Service Tuesday 27th June Close for Summer Holidays 1pm Wednesday 28th June FOR UPDATES CHECK THE SCHOOL WEBSITE https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/na/whitehirstparkprimary/