Tong Primary School
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15th May 2007 Dear Parent WALK TO SCHOOL/BIODIVERSITY WEEK The week beginning Monday 21st May is Walk to School week and it is also Biodiversity week. It is our intention to take the children in the nursery and in the school for a walk through the Castle Grounds in Stornoway on Friday 25th May. Pupils should bring warm, waterproof clothing and suitable footwear for being outdoors. 10.00 am – 12.00 noon – Nursery Children and P1/2 pupils. 1.00 pm – 3.00 pm - P3-7 pupils. Could you please give your consent on the attached sheet if you wish your child to take part? Parental help for accompanying the nursery pupils would be appreciated. Please see Isobel if you can help out. DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOTHERAPY Please find attached a letter and information sheet from the Physiotherapy Department at Western Isles Hospital. It is not our practice in the school to have children wearing plimsolls. However, this information will be useful for you to read, refer to and keep. HANGING BASKETS Please find attached a letter from the Pupil Council regarding Hanging Baskets and filled flowing plant pots for sale. CARDS FOR SALE The Craft Club have been making a new supply of greeting cards. The cards are £1.50 each or £4.00 for 3. Parents are welcome to come and see the cards or you may request a selection to be sent home to view. FREE MEALS FORMS New Free Meals forms for next session are now in the School Office. Any parent wishing a form please get in touch with Mrs Moody. Parents of pupils entitled to free meals this session must complete an application form for next session. Yours Sincerely Dorothy Kennedy 6th NOVEMBER 2006 Having just sent out a newsletter last week I did not realise that I would have to send out another so soon. However, there are so many new additional items that have come to my notice that it does in fact necessitate another. HOMEWORK CLUB We will begin our after school homework club for Christmas concert preparations on Thursday this week – 2nd November from 3.20pm until 4.30pm. The children will receive juice and a biscuit at 3.20 pm and the club will follow on immediately after. The children can be picked up from the school at 4.30pm. The club will meet each Thursday end on to the school day and will focus on drama and singing, as we prepare for the concert. If for any reason your child is unable to attend on any day, a note of absence must be sent in advance. This is to ensure the child’s health and safety. NEW SCHOOL MENU The council have issued a new menu which will begin on Monday 6th November. I enclose a copy of the menu for you to keep at home. NEW REPORTING FORMAT Thank you for your prompt response to the letter. The results were as follows Number of letters issued - 29 Number of parents in favour of old style of report - 3 Number of parents in favour of new style of report - 14 Number of parents who did not express a strong preference for one more than another -9 Number of forms not returned - 3 As a result of this it has been decide to move towards this new style of report. This will be the type of report which you will receive in November and in May. PANTOMIME Stornoway Thespians are hoping to perform Little Red Riding Hood this year each evening from Tuesday 12th December through until Saturday 17th December. As a school we hope to attend on Wednesday 13th December. The school will pay the cost of transport and admission. I would like you to discuss with your child whether or not they would wish to attend before finalising numbers. P1 Parents I enclose a booklet for you to use with your child at home. It is a guide for parents on ways in which to help your child in the early years with maths. Toast Rota Toast rotas for parent volunteers are enclosed. Many thanks to those who have offered to help. It is greatly appreciated. SPONSOR MONEY Last call for sponsor money. Could any outstanding sponsor money be in the school office by Friday of this week? After that date I will be able to announce a total for the school and name the highest individual collectors per class. BROADBAY SCHOOLS TOURNAMENT This will take place on Saturday 18th November at the Coll Centre. The older pupils in the school will be forming a team to take part in the tournament. LEWIS AND HARRIS CROSS COUNTRY SERIES The first of the three cross country events will take place on Saturday 11th November. There is a poster about the event up on the pupil notice board in the school. If you wish to have further details do not hesitate to contact the school and we will photocopy the poster for you. Yours Sincerely Dorothy Kennedy Head Teacher 26th OCTOBER 2006 I warmly welcome the children back to school. This term is a short term with just eight weeks and yet it is a very busy one. There are quite a few dates for you to place on the calendar as we start the new term. New Style Reporting Format Please find enclosed a copy of the new style Report Format. I would really appreciate your prompt response to this new format as the reports will need to be completed by all staff within the next few weeks. The date on which you will receive your child’s school report is Friday 24th November. That only allows three full weeks for all visiting and permanent staff to complete the report. Pupils in P1 and new pupils in the school will not have received the original format so parents of these children will not find a new style reporting format in their folder. Toast for sale at morning interval As from Monday 30th October toast will be on sale at the morning interval for the pupils priced at 20p a slice. When the weather is cold the pupils really appreciate a slice of warm toast. The parents who have offered to be on the toast rota will receive a note of the dates from Mrs Moody. Swimming for P6/7 pupils Swimming will begin next Monday 30th October and will continue each week until the 18th December. The session will be from 11.00 am – 12.00 noon. First Aid Training for P6/7 The pupils in Primary 6 and 7 will receive First Aid Training in the school on Tuesday morning, 31st October. All Shook Up Please find enclosed a yellow leaflet which highlights a play to be delivered by the Pyramid Theatre Company, which addresses the issue of Diabetes. The play is to be shown to secondary pupils during the day and there is to be a community performance in An Lanntair in the evening which will be of interest to parents and teachers. School Book Fair There will be a week long book fair held during the week 13th – 17th November. This will allow parents and pupils an opportunity to view and purchase a range of books from the Scholastic Book Club. Dental Inspection for P1 and P7 pupils This will take place on Thursday 16th November in the school. School closed on Thursday 30th November and Friday 1st December (Thanksgiving Holiday) The school will be closed as these days are two of our occasional holidays which we take each year. School Christmas Concert The school end of term concert will take place on Thursday 21st December. Further details will be given at a later date. Reflectors All Primary one pupils will be issued with a reflector which they can wear attached to their jackets or school bags. Children in the other classes can purchase a reflector priced at £1.00. By wearing a reflector, a child pedestrian can be visible at 150 metres with low beam headlights compared to only 30 metres without one. Blythswood Shoe Box Appeal If you plan to fill a shoe box could you please send in the box by Friday 3rd November? 12th OCTOBER 2006 This term has simply flown past for the staff and pupils. It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of our first term. The children have all settled in well to their new classes with their new teachers and in particular the Primary one class have taken to school like “ducks to water”. Both Miss Ferguson and Mr Macdonald have both commented on how the Primary one pupils settled in so quickly to the routines of school life. Blythswood Shoe Box Appeal The shoe boxes are to be filled and returned to school by Friday 3rd November. I enclose a leaflet explaining what is required. Cucumbers for Sale There are a large number of cucumbers for sale at 50p each. Should you wish to purchase one please complete the tear off slip and return it to the class teacher. Motiv 8 Primaries 1, 2, 3 and 4 are participating in a programme of active fun activities each Wednesday lunch time. The programme is being run by Fiona Brodie, the Active Schools Co-ordinator, together with the class teachers. Absence of members of staff Three members of our staff are on sick leave at the moment. They are Mrs Stephanie Lloyd, our classroom auxiliary, Mrs Bella Matheson our Learning Support teacher and Mrs Katie Graham who teaches Primary 3, 4 and 5 each Friday morning. We wish them all a speedy recovery and hope to see them back with us very soon. Swimming for P6/7 class After the October holiday Primary 6 and 7 will be receiving swimming lessons on Monday mornings. This will go a long way towards meeting the Scottish Executive’s target that pupils in schools should be receiving at least two hour of Physical Education each week. Sponsored Spell Money Many of the pupils have brought in their sponsor money. Could I remind you that it would be greatly appreciated if all the sponsor money could be in the school by Friday of this week – Friday 13th October? Absence of pupils When your child is absent from school it would be greatly appreciated if you could telephone the school secretary on the morning of their first day of absence. This will ensure that the school is fully aware of the situation. School Holiday The school closes on Friday 13th October at 3.20 pm and re-opens on Thursday 26th October. We wish you all a relaxing and enjoyable October break. 12th SEPTEMBER 2006 Wind Turbine Digital Display A digital display has been installed in the corridor of the school. The art work for the display was produced by Eilidh Jamieson, a Primary 7 pupil, last session, who is now in first year at Back Secondary. The display records the amount of electricity being produced by the wind turbine and also records the total amount produced to date. Sponsored Spell The school hopes to hold a sponsored spell for pupils in Primary 2 – 7 and a sponsored sound check for pupils in P1. The children will be tested on their spellings or sounds on Wednesday 20th September. The sponsor sheet is attached and children can begin to collect their sponsors and learn their spelling words or sounds. Blythswood Shoe Box Appeal Once again this year the school will be collecting filled shoe boxes for the Blythswood Charity. Further details and a leaflet will be given in the next newsletter. Activity Diary Although the diary is aimed at pupils in Primary 3-7, as a school we encourage all the pupils to be active and healthy. Each lunch time children are given stickers for eating their portions of fruit and veg and stickers are also given at Friday afternoon’s assembly for pupils who have walked or cycled to school. SEPTEMBER 2006 Visit from Mr Hodkin The children enjoyed the visit from Mr Hodkin on Wednesday 24th August. He delivers a Cycle Touring Musical show around the country. He cycles on an unusual bike towing behind him a trailer containing various musical instruments, including the most important one to him, his tuba.
These photographs were taken in the playground. The pupils have written letters to him and these are some of the comments which they made about the visit. Thank you for showing us your travelling things. I enjoyed it when you blew and my hair went up! I remember being your helper and it was fun.- By Ronan Sinclair, Primary 2 Thank you for everything. I remember your tricycle. I remember you blew through a shell. You were very funny. - By Lucy Macdonald, Primary 2 Thank you for playing the instruments. I remember Ronan’s hair blowing. Be careful on the Bernera Bridge. - By Hannah Macdonald, Primary 2 Thank you for taking the tricycle. It was the funniest school day ever. It was good telling us about the tricycle. I hope you have a safe journey. - By Gregor Macleod, Primary 3 Thank you for visiting us at Tong School. I had an amazing time on Thursday afternoon. It was really, really funny. Your tricycle was really cool. It was so cool. How did you fit all these musical instruments into a small trailer? Your lesson was really fun and I wish you had blown the tuba at the teachers. I liked it when you were cycling around on your tricycle. It was so funny. I wish I had a tricycle so I could sit down properly on it because it gets tiring on a bike. Can you do tricks on your tricycle? - By Aimee Mackay, Primary 7 Eco Schools Initiative As part of our commitment to ensuring that we are caring for our environment by reducing waste; this session letters and information will be issued in a plastic folder. This folder, once emptied, must be returned to school. This will cut down on envelope wastage and help the environment. Phoenix Catalogue In the past the school has used the Webb Ivory catalogue for fundraising. This has often proved problematic when stock has failed to arrive. This year we are intending to use the phoenix catalogue. The organiser has enclosed a letter of explanation and sample cards are available for you to look at in the school office. After School Clubs Three after school clubs are beginning tomorrow (Tuesday) for pupils in Primary 5, 6 and 7. They are Badminton on Tuesday (with Mr Willie Macdonald) from 3.30 – 4.30 pm – cost 50p. Basketball on Thursday (with Mr Euan Macleod) from 3.30 – 4.30 pm – cost 50p. Tag Rugby on Friday (with Mr Donald Graham and Mr Willie Macleod) from 3.30 – 4.30 pm – cost 50p. At the moment I am liaising with Mr Willie Macdonald in the hope of organising an active after school club for pupils from Primaries 1 to 4. Early lunch on Friday 8th September There is to be an early lunch on Friday 8th September. Lunch will be from 12.00 o’clock until 1.00 o’clock. This is to allow a visiting guest speaker to take our afternoon assembly. Primary 1 pupils can be collected at 12.00 noon on this day. Primary 1 pupils The Primary one pupils will be in school for the full day as from Monday 18th September. They will be given the canteen menu to take home on Tuesday 12th September to allow you to choose their food from the menu. Friends of Tong Primary School This session it is hoped to begin Phase 1 of the development of the area of ground to the rear of the school as a sport area for the pupils and community to use. A group of parents, staff and community members have met to discuss the project. An opportunity is being extended to any other parent(s)/community members who wish to join the Friends of Tong Primary School for this project. Please get in touch with me at the school. Wind Turbine Digital Display A digital display has been installed in the corridor of the school. The art work for the display was produced by Eilidh Jamieson, a Primary 7 pupil, last session, who is now in first year at Back Secondary. The display records the amount of electricity being produced by the wind turbine and also records the total amount produced to date. Sponsored Spell The school hopes to hold a sponsored spell for pupils in Primary 2 – 7 and a sponsored sound check for pupils in P1. The children will be tested on their spellings or sounds on Wednesday 20th September. The sponsor sheet is attached and children can begin to collect their sponsors and learn their spelling words or sounds. Blythswood Shoe Box Appeal Once again this year the school will be collecting filled shoe boxes for the Blythswood Charity. Further details and a leaflet will be given in the next newsletter. Activity Diary Although the diary is aimed at pupils in Primary 3-7, as a school we encourage all the pupils to be active and healthy. Each lunch time children are given stickers for eating their portions of fruit and veg and stickers are also given at Friday afternoon’s assembly for pupils who have walked or cycled to school. Yours Sincerely Dorothy Kennedy AUGUST 2006 Dear Parent A warm welcome to all the children and staff. The lovely warm weather during the summer break was much appreciated. Nine new pupils joined the school roll in Primary 1. They are pictured below:-
We also welcome two new pupils Liam C Macleod who transferred from Laxdale School and Alisha Mackenzie who transferred from Balallan School. We also welcome our two new members of staff; Mrs Malvene Macrae and Miss Yvonne Maclean. Malvene, as some of you may know taught in Back Primary School for the last eighteen years and Yvonne has just begun her teaching career. Malvene is responsible for teaching the Primary 6 and 7 class and Yvonne is responsible for teaching Primary 3, 4 and 5. We trust that they will enjoy working with us at Tong Primary. Pupil Forms Enclosed you will find your child’s enrolment form. If it is correct you can simply return it to the school as is. If there are any alterations/corrections to be made to the form please make these in red pen and return the form to the school. All forms should be returned to the school by Friday 25th August. School Uniform Apologies for the delay with the school uniform this year. We have been assured that it has been despatched and it should be with us shortly. Canteen Money The school meal has remained priced at £1.50. It would be greatly appreciated if you could send the exact amount of money on Monday of each week. This would cut down on time wasting each morning. If you wish to pay by cheque please make the cheque payable to CNES and not to Tong Primary School. Eight Seater Tables You may have noticed some new tables in the playground. One of the round eight seater tables was bought by last year’s P7 pupils and donated to the school. The P7 pupils bought the table by fund raising through their enterprise projects throughout the year. The other eight seater table was purchased out of school funds. In the Polytunnel Over the summer months the polytunnel has been producing some exotic fruit and vegetables. This year for the first time corn on the cob and water melons were grown in the polytunnel. The children enjoyed the opportunity on Friday afternoon to taste the corn on the cob and the cucumber. Everyone was amazed at how wonderfully sweet the corn was. Pumpkins, tomatoes and cucumbers are all flourishing and the children are looking forward to making their pumpkin lanterns in November. Input into Tolsta School It is good to note that Mrs Peggy Finlayson is able to resume her duties as Head Teacher of Tolsta School after her spell of absence. I have been asked to support her for one day as she returns to work. I hope to do this each Tuesday for approximately four weeks of this term. My duties this session are to mentor Miss Maclean. I will be responsible for teaching in the P3, 4 and 5 class all day Thursday. Mrs Katie Graham (retired teacher) will take P 3, 4 and 5 on Friday morning. This is to allow Yvonne and I an opportunity for discussion, planning and assessment. The beginning of a session is an exciting time for pupils, staff and parents. As a school we look forward to the exciting challenges and opportunities that this year will afford us.
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