St. Andrew’s Primary School August 2015 Newsletter Message from the Head Teacher I would like to introduce myself as the newly appointed Head Teacher of St. Andrew’s Primary School and Nursery. I am delighted to be appointed Head Teacher and in taking up post today I am looking forward to working in partnership with the parents, children and whole school community.   I strive for excellence in education and want the best for each and every child. I welcome the opportunity to lead our School and Nursery on its journey to excellence and will consult with all parents, pupils and staff prior to the September weekend holidays on what St. Andrew’s Primary and Nursery do well and what we could do better. Mrs. J. Flanagan Head Teacher Welcome All staff in St. Andrew’s would like to extend a warm welcome back to all our children after the summer holidays. It’s great to see the children back in school looking very smart with their full school uniform including shirt tie and black shoes. We were also delighted to greet our Primary 1 children as well as some new starts to the school. Already they have settled in very well.   Summer News Congratulation to Ruth Stark who got married over the holidays and returns as Mrs. Watson. We are also pleased to welcome two new members of staff. Mrs. McMillan will be covering in Primary 2b and Mrs. Reilly joins us as a support assistant in Primary 1. We are delighted with our new flooring throughout the school. All staff worked tirelessly to return all furniture and resources to create the very best learning environment possible for our children. We hope to continue to direct our budget and resources towards school improvements to benefit all pupils.   Unfortunately, during the holidays our janitor Mrs. Watt has been absent due to breaking two ribs. We are pleased she has made a good recovery and is able to join us for the new term.

Web:glowscotland.org.uk/nl/standrewsairdrie/ twitter:@SaintAndrews3 Classes Our class structure is as follows: Physical Education Please take note of the following PE days for your child. On these days your child should bring suitable PE kit including their school polo shirt, shorts and plimsolls. Should changes be made to PE days a text reminder and twitter update will be issued. To keep our standards and expectations of uniform high we request only Primary 1-3 wear their polo shirts on PE days. Communication Throughout the course of this week you will receive data check forms and further important paperwork to be checked signed and returned by Friday 28th August. Our Monthly newsletters will generally be issued in the first week of each month. You can also keep up to date with the school and nursery by visiting our school website and twitter page. Web:glowscotland.org.uk/nl/standrewsairdrie/ twitter:@SaintAndrews3

Adults In School Grounds Our school gates to the playground will be opened and supervised from 8:45am in the morning. For safety reasons no children should be in the playground before this time. Please note, it is North Lanarkshire Policy that no adults other than school staff should be in the playground. We therefore, ask that parents drop children at the gate in the morning and do not accompany them into the playground. Staff and P7 buddies will be on hand to support our P1 children. At 3pm we ask that our parents of infant children come into the school grounds and wait well back from the exit doors to collect their child. We hope you understand the importance of making our children safe in the playground and appreciate your support with this change. We remind you that our breakfast club starts at 8:15am in the morning and cost 20p per child. Children should enter by the main school office to attend breakfast club. Home, School, Church Links St. Andrew’s Primary is an inclusive community which welcomes pupils of various religious backgrounds and traditions. However, as a Catholic school we provide a distinctive form of educational provision which places the traditions and values of the Catholic Christian faith at the heart of the educational experience. This helps form the very positive ethos in our school. Already Fr. Taylor has visited the school and planned with us the important liturgical year and celebrations ahead. We look forward to working with the parents and parish community to further enhance the positive home, school and Church links. We extend an invite to all parents and the community to our First Friday Mass celebrations in St. Andrew’s Church. Our Primary 3 to Primary 7 classes will each take the opportunity to prepare and participate in the Mass. Please note that the dates for the sacramental celebration of First Holy Communion will be released via parish bulletin prior to our school newsletter. Important Diary Dates We appreciate that families need advanced notice of diary dates in order to organise family life. We attach the following new academic year main diary dates with a disclaimer that in the event of unforeseen circumstances some of these dates may alter and further important dates will undoubtedly be added. We will update each months important dates on every newsletter. Please keep all dates released in a safe prominent place in your house so that you can help support your child and our school. We will often send text and twitter reminders so you are sure not to miss out. If you have not already please ensure we have the correct main contact detail in order to text. We also encourage all parents and extended family members to set up a twitter account to follow the wonderful work of the school and be aware of upcoming events.

St. Andrew’s Primary and Nursery Important Dates Word Document to be inserted here.