TERM ONE NEWSLETTER 2019 Routines Dear ParentsCarers Welcome

TERM ONE NEWSLETTER 2019 Routines Dear Parents/Carers, Welcome back to session 2019/20. We hope you all had an enjoyable holiday. We can tell that the children have had a good rest as they are relaxed and happy, coming back to school. “It is well proven that children do better when parents and educators work together”. Education Scotland – 2018 Parental Engagement Calendar New to the school website is our yearly overview of events, where parent/carer participation and engagement is encouraged. These events are designed to: • Improve the learning experiences of children • Showcase learning of skills • Involve you in your child’s learning and progress • Further develop and improve the life of the school We will provide regular updates and notifications of these events, which are subject to change, but the calendar is there: • To ensure all parents know about all events from the start of the session • To ensure working parents have plenty of time to arrange attendance http: //johnshaven. aberdeenshire. sch. uk/wpcontent/uploads/2019/08/Parental-Engagement-Calendar 2019. docx Reporting Our annual reporting calendar details when and how we report your child(ren)’s progress through the curriculum. This can be done in many ways; assemblies, profiles, blogs to name a few. We will issue this to all parents over the coming days via Groupcall. It can also be found on our website: https: //johnshaven. aberdeenshire. sch. uk/reportingcalendar/ This session we are phasing out lining up at points of transition, such as break time, lunchtime etc. We have begun today, with no lines at the end of breaktime. Children arrived in class and settled straight into a task, making the most of their learning time. We intend to continue this routine, for at least the next few weeks, before removing lining up at lunchtime. Fantastic walking in school prevents accidents, especially in the corridor. We are promoting fantastic walking throughout this term. Golden Table promotes those children who show manners, behaviour and routines that we would expect to see if they were eating in a restaurant. Each day two children are noticed displaying those manners, and earn a spot on the Golden Table the following Friday. Parents/carers can support school by following up those expectations at meal times, at home. Please ask your children about the golden rules of the lunch hall. #Hot. Choc. Fri is a chance for pupils to celebrate their hard work in class. The children earn points, throughout the week, for a variety of reasons ranging from displaying the school values, to being helpful or supportive. The winning table will celebrate by having a Hot Chocolate With The Head (my scales won’t like that one bit but I’ll roll with it!!).

Parent Consultations Tuesday 1 st October - an opportunity for you to meet your child (rens) teacher to discuss their targets for this session. Information will be distributed in the coming weeks. Additional information It would help the smooth running of lessons greatly if parents would continue to ensure pupils are fully prepared for the school day: Facebook Group Most families and carers have joined my Facebook Group, which ensures all school developments are communicated at the earliest opportunity. I will also communicate achievements of our pupils. We will be contacting those families who have not already joined in the coming weeks. Friends of Johnshaven School • Indoor shoes for P 1 -3 every day. All parents, carers and guardians form the Parent Forum and are therefore welcome to contribute to FOJ meetings. If there is anything you would like raised please do contact: • One healthy snack for break time. fojohnshaven@gmail. com • PE kit should be in school Mon - Fri. • Appropriate outdoor clothing for all weathers. Children will go out to play/ have outdoor learning on rainy days. • A pencil and rubber for recording their work. There is still a large number of children coming without PE kit, causing delays to the lesson whilst we source clothing for them. Please ensure your child is fully equipped. PE: P 1 -4 Mon/Tue P 5 -7 Mon/Wed MAD TIME We took a bit of time out from MAD Time to review and rethink our approaches. We will be communicating via a pupil newsletter very soon and hope you will be able to support us to Make A Difference in school and the local community. One of our school values is PARTICIPATION. Please read on to see how you and your family can participate in the life of the school. NEOS Walk On Monday 16 th September from 10. 30 to 12 we will be wandering through the streets of Johnshaven in search of our local artists. We require parent helpers to support this trip as we break into small groups, to allow the children a chance to engage with the arts and crafts visited. Can you please indicate if you are able to attend, as a parent helper, by returning the slip at the end of the newsletter. Many thanks! FOJS will work in partnership with The First Responders to run the NEOS café on Sunday 22 nd. This café is open to the whole community and tourists of NEOS. This is a great opportunity for the children to experience the world of work so to that end I am sending home a permission slip for all of the children in P 5 -7. We would like to set up a rota for all children to attend for 2 hours to work in the café.

Welcome In Wednesday Each Wednesday morning your child’s class will be open to all parents/carers for thirty minutes. We hope you will come along to see how your child is getting on, how they are learning and what their relationship with staff is like. Welcome in Wednesday – every Wednesday 9 am – 9. 30 am. This term’s focus is Literacy. Child Minding Miss Caroline, former Nursery Teacher at Lathallan School is a fully registered Child Minder. Caroline has 15 years experience in Childcare and is has SVQ level 4 in Child Care and Education. Contacts: Email: carolinetucker@hotmail. co. uk School Security Whilst we all actively promote a warm and welcoming environment in school may I gently remind all parents that they must report to the office when entering the school, during the school day. This is mainly to ensure the safety of all staff and pupils in school however learning can be greatly disrupted when parents appear in class during lesson time. Thank you all for your co-operation with this essential guidance. School Improvement Priority 1 - Improve standards of writing throughout the school (links with PEF spend to include development of fine motor skills) Phone: 01561 362696 or 07807 919189 Priority 2 - Continue to develop moderation to support teacher judgement of achievement of a Cf. E level. "An ambitious, vibrant learning community which inspires us all to develop within ourselves the skills and attitudes to realise our full potential in a modern world. “ Our Aims « Our learners feel safe to take risks and challenge themselves. « We care for and value each other. « Our children take ownership of their learning. « Successful learning requires grit and determination « Our pupils have high expectations of themselves. Priority 3 - Continue to develop Visible Learning to support all stakeholders to engage in learning discussions using a common language of learning. Pupil Equity Funding Target - To raise attainment by improving the physical wellbeing of pupils by increasing the opportunities for physical activities in the Johnshaven school community. School Clubs Similar to our attendance procedures in the morning, parents and carers are required to give notice when their child (ren) are not attending a club. This can be done via SEESAW, or the school office.

NEOS Walk I will/will not (delete as appropriate) be available to attend the NEOS walk on Monday 16 th September between 10. 30 and 12. Print Name _______________ Signature _______________ NEOS Café – Sunday 22 nd September My child (P 5/6/7 only): ________________ Will/ will not (delete as appropriate) be able to volunteer at the NEOS café on Sunday 22 nd September. Availability (Please tick): 9 am – 11 am_____ 11 am – 1 pm_____ 1 pm – 3 pm______ They will be brought to the café by________ And collected by__________