St Cuthbert's RC Primary School

Newsletter 15: 27th November

St. Cuthbert’s RC Primary School

Newsletter 15 – Friday 27th November 2020

St Cuthbert’s CARES We are: Creative Active Respectful Equal Supported

Good afternoon all,

It is hard to believe that we are almost into December already. As always, there is lots of important information in this week’s newsletter. We are very grateful to you for taking the time to read this information. As always let us know if you have any questions about the coming term. We can be contacted on (0131 443 2621) or via our admin mailbox (admin@st-cuthberts.edin.sch.uk).

Two Way Digital Functionality – MS Teams

City of Edinburgh Council have decided that they will switch on the functionality allowing both pupils and teaching staff to use both camera and mic facilities on Teams in the near future. No staff member is obligated to make use of the facility and it is envisaged that those doing so would at present, only do so if a class was to be sent home to self isolate and the teacher was willing and able to use the functionality. City of Edinburgh Council also recommends that in advance of this change that all parents/carers read the attached ‘Responsible Use Policy’.

Responsible ICT Use Policy May 2020 Download

Staff School Jackets

You may have noticed myself and other staff members wearing the new blue reflective material school jackets. The aim behind the purchase of these is twofold: Firstly, to ensure that pupils can easily identify staff in the playground at break and lunch when they require help. Secondly, in order to tie in with our support for school uniform and the fostering of a corporate identity at St Cuthbert’s. We hope that you will see and support the benefits of this decision.

Playground Boombox

Another item that we have managed to purchase through school funds is a Bluetooth boombox. This piece of equipment will allow us to play music for pupils at breaks and along with our new playground equipment and staff identifying jackets make the playground an even happier and more enjoyable space than before. It can also be used to support P.E activities.

Access to Digital Devices/MS Teams

As you know we have been using MS Teams for homework this year. The take up of this, as it was during lockdown, has been very good. We are however, keen to support any family that does not have access to a device with the loan of an iPad. This would involve pupils and parents/carers reading the Council’s ‘Responsible Use’ of ICT policy as well as reading, signing and returning the school’s own Home/School Digital Device contract. Please let us know via the admin mailbox, if you are interested in taking up this offer and we will be in touch.

Support for Learning Teacher Consultations

Please note that these will take place sometime in late December. Depending on uptake of requests some calls may need to be made in early January. A letter will come out next week with a choice of time and dates. Please also indicate if you require an interpreter.

Christmas Arrangements at St Cuthbert’s (Lunch/Jumper/Pantomime/Parties)

· Christmas Lunch will be served on Thursday 10th December. Unfortunately, we cannot change the ParentPay menus but if you wish your child to have a Christmas Lunch please book this as follows: If you choose a cold option (sandwich/roll), your child will be given a veggie haggis puff pastry parcel and if you choose the hot option, your child will be given a turkey burger. Both will be served with Christmas trimmings. Desert will be fruit plus a Christmas surprise! Please note there will be NO option for a sandwich/roll on this day. Please be advised that booking deadline for Christmas Dinner is 2nd December. Pupils may also wear a Christmas Jumper to school that day.

· Pantomime: The school has purchased a pupil friendly online pantomime: Cinderella, which will be shown to classes on 16th and 17th December. It will also be available on demand for classes to watch after this date.

· Parties: These will take place on the following days/times

· P1 – Friday 18th December

· P2 – Thursday 17th December

· P3 – Friday 18th December

· P4 – Monday 14th December

· P5 – Tuesday 15th December

· P6 – Wednesday 16th December

· P7 – Thursday 17th December

As with P.E, we have no changing facilities available currently in school, so pupils who wish to wear party clothes should come to school dressed for the party on their class’s nominated day.

Christmas Jumper Bank

As above, we will be holding our Christmas Dinner and Jumper Day on Thursday 10th December. While the wearing of the jumper is purely optional, we know pupil’s love to take part. Equally, we know that buying a Christmas jumper for your child can be a costly exercise. One of our parents made the excellent suggestion that we should try to accumulate – under Covid safe guidelines – a bank of used jumpers for pupils to wear. If you have any Christmas jumpers that no longer fit your children and would like to donate them, please feel very welcome to do so. We will then make our donations available on request to the wider parent/carer body. More info to follow.

Rights Respecting Schools: Bronze Award

Congratulations to the pupils and staff, led by Miss Pusker for achieving our Bronze award in Rights Respecting schools. Great progress has been made since August. This is the first step towards the gold standard which we ultimately hope to achieve as a school community. More information to follow.

School Recovery and Renewal Plan 2020-21

Schools usually produce an annual School Improvement Plan (SIP) setting out their goals for the year. Due to the current situation this year’s plan has been renamed the School Recovery and Renewal Plan. A driver diagram summarising this plan for St Cuthbert’s is now available on our website under the SQIP tab.

Closing the Gap Teacher: 23rd November to 22nd December 2020

Our ‘Closing the Gap’ teacher: Ms Flora McCulloch started with us this week and has been a great help. She will be with us for the remainder of this term and then on Thursdays and Fridays next term.

First Holy Communions Update – November 28th 2020

Our final First Communions of this session take place on Saturday. The two so far have been joyous occasions, despite the challenging circumstances and we look forward to the same again tomorrow. Look out for photos on our school Twitter Page once all celebrations have taken place. There will also be an opportunity for you to take your own photos both in the

church and outside after Mass on the day of your child’s celebration. Thanks to the pupils, families and staff members who have made these occasions so special.

First Reconciliations Update (Current P4 Pupils Only) – 5-12th December 2020

Parents/Carers of pupils who were in P3 last year and should have celebrated their First Reconciliation in March 2020, will have the opportunity to celebrate the sacrament in December: between the dates of Saturday 5th and Saturday 12th December. Parents/carers can select either a Saturday or weeknight slot by contacting Fr Duffy on 0131 443 1317 or staned@stcuthbertschurch.com to arrange a time for this sacrament to be celebrated. Well over 50% of parents/carers have now contacted Fr Duffy. Thanks for this, please do so in the coming weeks, if you haven’t had the chance to do so already.

*Please note that any pupil wishing to celebrate their First Holy Communion in 2021 must have also made their First Reconciliation.

St Cuthbert’s Primary School Nursery Update

Another member of staff; Mrs Kasia Barnat, joined the nursery team this week. We have received the go ahead from Edinburgh Council to finally offer nursery places to children who will be starting in January 2021. Parents/Carers will receive offer letters at the beginning of next week and they will be informed of the next steps required to accept the offered place.

Reporting Absence (Particularly with Reference to Possible Covid Symptoms)

Thank you for the sensible approach you are taking to gauging when children are not well enough to attend school. In the current circumstances of an ongoing pandemic, we need to remain cautious and follow appropriate guidelines. We very much appreciate that our parents and carers are doing this.

If you are calling us to report absence, please be specific in reporting reasons for absence. In cases where you are reporting any of the following symptoms relating to Covid-19:

· High Temperature

· New and continuous cough

· Loss of, or change in, the senses of taste and smell

please be advised that pupils with any of these symptoms must be tested and evidence of the test result e-mailed to our admin account (admin@st-cuthberts.edin.sch.uk).

If a test is positive, pupils must have isolated for 10 days before returning to school 48 hours after symptoms have ceased. Siblings and families must isolate for 14 days.

If test result is negative, pupils should return to school once they have had 48 hours without any of the above symptoms.

Our Learning This Week in St Cuthbert’s Primary School

Please see this week’s learning below. I hope you enjoy reading it. Please also check out our school Twitter Account @stcuthbertsRCP when learning will be shared on the following days:

Monday P1/P2 Tuesday P7/LCC1/2 Wednesday P4/P6 Thursday P3/P5

P1 – This week we have been busy reading and spelling our 1.4 green words and have enjoyed learning the j and v sounds. We are learning to partition numbers in SEAL which we are getting very good at. We have also been discussing about learning being difficult and we have been introduced to Triatops, a dinosaur who reminds us that trying hard really helps us to learn. Most of us collected our Triatops sticker this week and are looking forward to meeting the next dinosaur who will help us in a different way!

P2 – In Numeracy, we are learning to name a number before or after a given number within the range of 1-100, we are learning to count in jumps of 10 and add 2 numbers using different strategies. In Literacy, we are learning to use a word bank to create a sentence. In HWB – we have been learning how to shoot in Basketball.

P3 – In literacy, P3 have been learning about adding adjectives and extending sentences in our writing. In PE we have been learning to play group ball games and practice passing the ball to each other. For Eco-schools, P3 have been working on the school’s Action Plan for Litter, Water and Waste Minimisation topics.

P4 – This week P4 have been learning about using facts to construct for and against arguments during discussion and written work. They have also made posters to highlight their understanding. In Maths they are continuing to work on multiplying and dividing by 6. Our topic has led us to understand more about why rainforests are important for the survival of our planet and the problems that arise from deforestation. This week we have also enjoyed taking part in indoor games with our Active Sports Coordinator.

P5 – This week in Primary 5 we have been learning to include speech in our writing and to use synonyms for ‘said’ to make our writing more interesting. In Building Resilience work, we have been learning about why it is important to keep connected with our friends. We also enjoyed a session with our Active Schools coordinator, Mrs Damen, where we practised running using the Beep Test.

P6 – -In Maths with Mr. Vilanova, we have been learning about lines of symmetry. In Literacy we have been learning to write narrative stories inspired by the Antarctic and Arctic regions. In Numeracy we have been learning to create our own fraction walls to find equivalent fractions.

P7 – P7 have been furthering their knowledge of adverbs and using them in WW2 poems about ‘The Blitz. We have been learning about place value in the topic of decimals in Numeracy. We can now round numbers to two decimal places. In Spanish, P7 have been learning to name objects that they would use in school.

LCC1 -LCC1 have been learning numbers after 10 in maths and have begun to learn how to use full stops and capital letters in their writing. They have also been investigating their senses and focused on hearing this week.

LCC2 – This week in LCC2 we have had fun learning about electricity and creating our own electrical circuits to light a bulb, making a buzzer buzz and use a motor to spin a fan. We also worked hard in PE with Mrs Damen practising our throwing skills and playing games. In art we started looking at and using pointillism in our art work. In literacy we have been using the prefixes dis, in and un within our work and learning the different meaning. Within maths we have started looking at fractions and how they can be used to share things equally.

Head Teacher Availability

As above, please continue to feel very welcome at any time to contact me by phone or to e-mail our admin mailbox for my attention and I will respond as quickly as I can.

Mass Times at our local Parish – St. Cuthbert’s, Slateford

Fr Duffy passes on his best wishes to all of our families on their return to school. Attendance at Mass can now be secured by booking online. Please see details on the parish website. http://www.stcuthbertschurch.com

Saturday 6pm – Vigil Mass

Sunday 10am – Parish Mass

Sunday 5pm – Additional Mass

Finally

Thanks again for your support in these challenging times. I hope that you and your families enjoy the weekend.

Kind regards.

Mr P Brack, Head Teacher

ASD Information sessions for p1-3 parents

Newsletter 14: 20th November

St. Cuthbert’s RC Primary School

Newsletter 14 – Friday 20th November 2020

St Cuthbert’s CARES We are: Creative Active Respectful Equal Supported

Good afternoon all,

Thank you for continuing to engage with the school this term. There are more important updates in this week’s newsletter. We are very grateful to you taking the time to read this information. As always let us know if you have any questions about the coming term. We can be contacted on (0131 443 2621) or via our admin mailbox (admin@st-cuthberts.edin.sch.uk).

Access to Digital Devices/MS Teams

Support for Learning Teacher Consultations

Please note that these will take place sometime in later December. More information to follow shortly.

School Photos – Cancelled

As advised over the last few weeks, please be reminded that we are no longer able to have school photos taken on Tuesday. This is due to advice from City of Edinburgh Council. We like you regret this and apologise for any inconvenience.

Christmas Lunch/ Christmas Jersey Day at St Cuthbert’s – 10th December 2020

Christmas Lunch will be served on Thursday 10th December. Unfortunately, we cannot change the ParentPay menus but if you wish your child to have a Christmas Lunch please book this as follows:

If you choose a cold option (sandwich/roll), your child will be given a veggie haggis puff pastry parcel and if you choose the hot option, your child will be given a turkey burger. Both will be served with Christmas trimmings. Desert will be fruit plus a Christmas surprise! Please note there will be NO option for a sandwich/roll on this day.

Please be advised that booking deadline for Christmas Dinner is 2nd December.

Information about Christmas Parties and Pantomime will follow next week.

School Recovery and Renewal Plan 2020-21

Scottish Government Guidance re Facemasks in Relation to Parents and Carers

Please see quote below from recent advice:

‘’Face coverings should also be worn by parents and other visitors to any school site (whether entering the building or otherwise), including parents at drop-off and pick-up’’

Unless you have a medical reason for not doing so, this guidance should be adhered to at all times. Thanks to all who have supported this request!

Late Arrivals

We very much appreciate the challenges presented by our staggered timings but have noticed a slight upturn in late arrivals within specific class groupings. Late arrivals, whilst occasionally unavoidable can be disruptive if they occur on a regular basis. Thanks for your cooperation.

Book Week Scotland 16th to 20th November 2020

We hope the children enjoyed their week, it was great to see everyone dressed as their favourite characters today – very creative (which as we know is a St Cuthbert’s school value).

EAL Teaching Support: 2 Week Block from 9th to 20th November

Samina Mushtaq, our EAL Support Teacher has now completed her block of support within the school. Her help was much appreciated.

Catholic Education Week – School Information Shared via Parish Newsletter 22nd December.

This is usually marked for one week in the time between St Margaret’s Day (16th November) and St Andrew’s Day (30th November). Pupils and staff from St Cuthbert’s and our local Catholic High School; St Augustine’s usually attend Mass at the end of the chosen week and distribute information about our schools. This year we are unable to do this but we have shared information about our school’s commitment to Catholic Education with St Cuthbert’s Parish that they will include with their Parish newsletter for Sunday 22nd November.

Closing the Gap Teacher: 23rd November to 22nd December 2020

City of Edinburgh Council have allocated our school a ‘Closing the Gap’ teacher, who will be with us on the above dates to provide additional support to all of our classes. Flora McCulloch will work across the school to support learning and learners.

Active Schools Co-ordinator: Next in School w/c 23rd November

Fiona Damen, our active school coordinator will be in school next week working with our classes. This has been a great success so far with our pupils thoroughly enjoying the games and activities.

Celebrating Diwali

Over the course of this week, we have been learning about Diwali: it’s customs and meaning in particular. As per our messages on the school’s digital platforms last week, we hope all families who celebrated this festival had a joyful time, despite the changed circumstances brought about by the pandemic. Hopefully next year, we can mark this festival in an even bigger way in our school.

First Holy Communions Update – November 21st and 28th 2020

Our first celebration of the sacrament took place last week at 10am Mass. It went really well. Thanks to all those who attended and to Mrs Banks and Miss Munro for their support. The next celebration is tomorrow at the same time. The pupils have all worked extremely hard and have been well prepared by parents and the school. It should be a great occasion. Look out for photos on our school Twitter Page once all celebrations have taken place. There will

also be an opportunity for you to take your own photos both in the church and outside after Mass on the day of your child’s celebration.

First Reconciliations Update (Current P4 Pupils Only) – 5-12th December 2020

*Please note that any pupil wishing to celebrate their First Holy Communion in 2021 must have also made their First Reconciliation.

St Cuthbert’s Primary School Nursery Update

5 new members of the team have started with us and 3 more expected; Mrs Anna McLeod, Mrs Monika Swanapoel, Mr Georgios Sarris, Mr Claudio Oliveira and Mrs Pauline Culbert. Members have gone through an induction training which included meeting P1 nadP2 children. Once attendance pattern have been confirmed, prospective parents will receive information about start dates.

Reporting Absence (Particularly with Reference to Possible Covid Symptoms)

If you are calling us to report absence, please be specific in reporting reasons for absence. In cases where you are reporting any of the following symptoms relating to Covid-19:

· High Temperature

· New and continuous cough

· Loss of, or change in, the senses of taste and smell

please be advised that pupils with any of these symptoms must be tested and evidence of test result e-mailed to our admin account (admin@st-cuthberts.edin.sch.uk).

If a test is positive, pupils must have isolated for 10 days before returning to school 48 hours after symptoms have ceased. Siblings and families must isolate for 14 days.

If test result is negative, pupils should return to school once they have had 48 hours without any of the above symptoms.

Our Learning This Week in St Cuthbert’s Primary School

Please see this week’s learning below. I hope you enjoy reading it. Please also check out our school Twitter Account @stcuthbertsRCP when learning will be shared on the following days:

Monday P1/P2 Tuesday P7/LCC1/2 Wednesday P4/P6 Thursday P3/P5

P1 – We have learned the ‘special friends’ sound sh and also r this week. We have started on our next set of words to read and spell too. We are learning to order the days of the week and to write the numbers with the correct formation. We have started learning our nativity songs!

P2 – Numeracy – We are learning to use the count on strategy, building and describing visual arrays and find the difference between two numbers. Literacy – We are learning to pick out the main events in a story. HWB – We are learning to communicate with other players during games.

P3 – In P3 our topic is houses and homes. This week we have been learning about different types of houses and rooms within homes. We started to design houses for our made-up families with different kinds of materials. In literacy we have been practising our comprehension skills with a story called “Look up!”. In PE we have been focusing on how to work together in a group and on throwing and catching a tennis ball.

P4 – P4 this week have been learning to use their knowledge of Alliteration to create Tongue Twisters. They had brilliant fun practising already known ones and making up their own. In Maths they have been learning how to add and subtract money by lining up the decimal point. In Art we have been using mixed media to create beautiful Tucan birds. Finally, in R.E. we learnt bout Diwali with Mr Brack.

P5 – In Writing, we have been learning how to write a story using only 50 words. We have been learning about the Hindu festival of Diwali and making colourful Rangoli patterns. We have been celebrating Book Week Scotland through a range of activities including discussing our favourite books in class and making new book covers for them.

P6 – In Literacy, inspired by Scottish Book Week, we have been learning how to share our favourite books, write our own short stories and create our own miniature books. In Numeracy, we have been learning how to use different methods to divide, including the ‘bus stop’ method. In RME, we have been learning about Diwali, the Festival of Lights.

P7 – Evacuation during WW2. We wrote evacuee letters and created our own gas masks.

In spelling, we have been learning to add suffixes to root words. We helped each other learn how to spell the words using, Team Teach. We have been learning to add and subtract, multiply and divide fractions. We have had great success! To celebrate Scottish Book Week, we also took part in an Author’s Live Event!

LCC1 – Literacy has been linked to Book week, we have retold the story of Room on the Broom in our own words and Explored other books by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler. We make the front cover of our favourite class book: Monkey Puzzle. In Numeracy we have been using numincon to recognise number patterns and classifying real life 3D shapes. We have been using Emotions Talk to develop out turn taking and sharing skills.

LCC2 – In LCC2 this week in literacy we have been looking at prefixes and how they change the meaning of a word and writing a profile about the BFG. In Maths we were multiplying 2 digit numbers by 4 and investigating shapes and symmetry. In Science we were looking at gravity and we managed to make paper clips float in the air!

Help for Edinburgh Families Magazine

We normally send out paper copies of the magazine but as we are currently unable to do that, please find link to e-version below:

Head Teacher Availability

As above, please continue to feel very welcome at any time to contact me by phone or to e-mail our admin mailbox for my attention and I will respond as quickly as I can.

Mass Times at our local Parish – St. Cuthbert’s, Slateford

Saturday 6pm – Vigil Mass

Sunday 10am – Parish Mass

Sunday 5pm – Additional Mass

Finally

Thanks again for your support in these challenging times. I hope that you and your families enjoy the weekend.

Kind regards.

Mr P Brack, Head Teacher

Diwali

We would like to wish all of our families currently celebrating the 5 days of Diwali, a happy and joyful time. We know that you may not be able to celebrate in your usual fashion but hope that you are able to still enjoy the festival in some way. Please see link below re celebrations in Edinburgh

https://www.edinburghdiwali.co.uk/#schedule

Best wishes to you and your families from all at St Cuthbert’s.

Newsletter 13: 13th November

St. Cuthbert’s RC Primary School

Newsletter 13 – Friday 13th November 2020

St Cuthbert’s CARES We are: Creative Active Respectful Equal Supported

Good afternoon all,

Thank you for continuing to engage with the school this term. There are more important updates in this week’s newsletter. We are very grateful for you taking the time to read this information. As always let us know if you have any questions about the coming term. We can be contacted on (0131 443 2621) or via our admin mailbox (admin@st-cuthberts.edin.sch.uk).

Parent Telephone Consultations – Term 2

These are currently ongoing and seem to be working really well. Thank you very much for your co-operation. A further opportunity for consultations will take place in March. The format for these conversations will depend on the Covid situation at the time. If you have any questions about this process, please let us know.

P1 2021 Enrolment Week for August 2020 – w/c 9th November 2020

If your child’s date of birth is between 1 March 2016 and 28 February 2017, they are due to start Primary 1 in August 2021. Please register them online by 13th November 2020 using the link below. Please enter both your catchment area school and your school of choice, if this differs on the form. Thank you.

www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration

If English is an Additional Language for your family, please let us know if you would like any help completing this form. Please also see associated information in languages other than English posted on our platforms last week. Our twitter account @stcuthbertsrcp has more information including a lovely online tour of the school. There has been an excellent response from interested parties to enrolment week. Thank you!

School Recovery and Renewal Plan 2020-21

Scottish Government Guidance re Facemasks in Relation to Parents and Carers

Please see quote below from recent advice:

‘’Face coverings should also be worn by parents and other visitors to any school site (whether entering the building or otherwise), including parents at drop-off and pick-up’’

Unless you have a medical reason for not doing so, this guidance should be adhered to at all times. Thanks to all who have supported this request!

Late Arrivals

Book Week Scotland 16th to 20th November 2020

During the week, 16th – 20th November, the school will be celebrating Book Week. As part of the celebrations, P1-P3 will receive a bag with new books and reading resources to use at home and share with their families. There will be lots of engaging activities happening in school during the week, including an opportunity to dress up as your favourite character on Friday 20th November; all pupils can come to school dressed as characters from their favourite book. Look out on our Twitter page for photos of Book Week!

EAL Teaching Support: 2 Week Block from 9th to 20th November

Samina Mushtaq, our EAL Support Teacher was in school this week supporting our class. She will be in school again next week and will be timetable across classes on the basis of need. We have really appreciated her support.

Catholic Education Week

Sharing Learning via Learning Journals – To be Published 11th December 2020

Parents/carers will be able to access an observation of their child’s learning with regard to the 3 main curricular areas of Literacy, Numeracy/Maths and Health and Wellbeing on the above date. Again, this will be shared securely via Learning Journals.

Closing the Gap Teacher: 23rd November to 22nd December 2020

City of Edinburgh Council have allocated our school a ‘Closing the Gap’ teacher, who will be with us on the above dates to provide additional support to all of our classes.

Active Schools Co-ordinator: Next in School w/c 16th November

Fiona Damen, our active school coordinator has been in school working with our classes. This has been a great success with our pupils thoroughly enjoying the games and activities. Fiona will next be in school, week commencing 16th November.

School Photographs – Tuesday 24th November 2020 – Cancelled

As per information posted on the app and learning journals and in this newsletter last week, now that Edinburgh/Lothian is in tier 3, we and other schools have been advised that we are no longer permitted to have school photographs taken. Please accept our apologies for this unforeseen change.

Christmas Arrangements at St Cuthbert’s

Despite the unique circumstances we hope to make Christmas at St Cuthbert’s as enjoyable for our pupils as we possibly can. Look out for more details of our plans in the next few weeks…

First Holy Communions Update – November 14th, 21st and 28th 2020

Our first celebration of the sacrament will take place tomorrow at 10am Mass. The pupils have all worked extremely hard and have been well prepared by parents and the school. It should be a great occasion. Look out for photos on our school Twitter Page. Pupils in Group 2 (21st November) and Group 3 (28th November) have now all received 2 letters this week:

1. The first letter provided practical details of arrangements for the celebration of First Holy Communion, including health and safety protocols.

2. The second letter asked for details of guests (all candidates are entitled to have 5 guests attend, this includes friends and family) for track and trace purposes.

Please return the track and trace letter to school in the first instance, we will pass them on to Fr Duffy securely. Finally, a big thanks to Mrs Banks for her preparation of the pupils in school and to you for your support at home.

First Reconciliations Update (Current P4 Pupils Only) – 5-12th December 2020

*Please note that any pupil wishing to celebrate their First Holy Communion in 2021 must have also made their First Reconciliation.

St Cuthbert’s Primary School Nursery Update

Progress in St. Cuthbert’ Primary School Nursery continues. One of our two Early Years Officers, Caroline Munro joined us and has been busy setting up the playroom and garden. On Monday 4 more new staff members join the team and will be spending some time familiarising themselves with both the nursey and school. If you would like a place for your child in the nursery please go to the City of Edinburgh Council website to download an application form. https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/download/12890/apply-for-nursery

Reporting Absence (Particularly with Reference to Possible Covid Symptoms)

If you are calling us to report absence, please be specific in reporting reasons for absence. In cases where you are reporting any of the following symptoms relating to Covid-19:

· High Temperature

· New and continuous cough

· Loss of, or change in, the senses of taste and smell

please be advised that pupils with any of these symptoms must be tested and evidence of test result e-mailed to our admin account (admin@st-cuthberts.edin.sch.uk).

If a test is positive, pupils must have isolated for 10 days before returning to school 48 hours after symptoms have ceased. Siblings and families must isolate for 14 days.

If test result is negative, pupils should return to school once they have had 48 hours without any of the above symptoms.

Our Learning This Week in St Cuthbert’s Primary School

Please see this week’s learning below. I hope you enjoy reading it. Please also check out our school Twitter Account @stcuthbertsRCP when learning will be shared on the following days:

Monday P1/P2 Tuesday P7/LCC1/2 Wednesday P4/P6 Thursday P3/P5

P1 – In Literacy we have been learning the sounds l and h. We are learning to read and spell three letter words. We have been collecting information and making pictograms in Maths. Interpreting them is next! We have listened to the Christmas story and are excited to make a start on our Nativity week!

P2 – Numeracy : This week P2 have been working on their counting on and counting down strategies as well as numeral recognition with playing cards. Literacy: P2 has been revising sounds that have been covered in previous weeks spelling these words and including some of them into a sentence. HWB: P2 have continued with Basketball, moving on from dribbling last week the focus was on two types of passing; chest pass and bounce pass.

P3 – In our social studies topic, we have been identifying types of houses. P3 will be using the storyline approach to learn about this topic. This week we created characters for our made up families. In literacy we have created a comic strip to retell the Brave Mice story that we have been reading. We also had a drama activity where we re-enacted the story. We have also been working hard on owning our own learning by taking time each day to reflect on what has been learned and identify strengths and next steps.

P4 – This week in P4 we have been learning how to add and subtract money to work out change given. In our written work we have enjoyed learning about alliteration and making lots of silly sentences. In PE we have been practising our catching and throwing skills.

P5 – In Maths and Numeracy, we are beginning to learn how to find fractions of a whole number. We have been learning how to express our emotions in Spanish and we are now using this for our morning check-in. In Literacy, we have been learning how to use speech marks for direct speech. Good luck to our First Communicants on Saturday!

P6 – -In Social Studies, we have been learning about tornadoes. In Literacy, we have been learning how to write a narrative story. In Maths with Mr. Vilanova, we have been learning about compass points and directions.

P7 – In Maths, we were learning to add and subtract fractions with different denominators. In Social Studies and Literacy, we had a focus on Remembrance Day: as part of the WW2 topic, we have created black out poems based on the war. We also engaged with a live event with the Museum of Flight where we learned about WW2 personal and the job of the RAF pilots.

LCC1 – In maths we have been playing games to learn turn taking skills, we have been ordering numbers using numicon and have continued working on 2D shapes. In Literacy, we have doing reading comprehension, handwriting, tricky word treasure hunt and word boost. In topic we have been learning about the sense of sight we made kaleidoscopes and using magnifying glasses.

LCC2 – This week in science, LCC2 were looking at the affect air bubbles have on objects, making raisins dance in a glass and lava lamps. In Maths we were creating tessellating and symmetrical patterns using 2D shapes, which were very colourful. We came up with our own fantastic drinks with special powers to compete with The BFG’s frobscottle.

Head Teacher Availability

As above, please continue to feel very welcome at any time to contact me by phone or to e-mail our admin mailbox for my attention and I will respond as quickly as I can.

Mass Times at our local Parish – St. Cuthbert’s, Slateford

Saturday 6pm – Vigil Mass

Sunday 10am – Parish Mass

Sunday 5pm – Additional Mass

Finally

Thanks again for your support in these challenging times. I hope that you and your families enjoy the weekend.

Kind regards.

Mr P Brack, Head Teacher

P1 Enrolment

P1 Enrolment information translations

P1 Registration Communications for email / school website / text / Twitter

Email and school website

Registration for children who will start primary school (P1) in August 2021 opens on Wednesday 4th November. You can find more information and the online registration form here: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration

Please register your child by Friday 13th November. If you need support with this, please contact the school office.

ARABIC

سيبدأ تسجيل الأولاد الذين سيبدؤون المدرسة بالصف الأول في آب/أغسطس ٢٠٢١ يوم الأربعاء الرابع من شهر تشرين الثاني.

يمكنك أن تحصل على المزيد من المعلومات وكذلك على طلب التسجيل الالكتروني من خلال هذا الرابط: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration

الرجاء تسجيل طفلك قبل يوم الجمعة الثالث عشر من تشرين الثاني، كما يمكنك التواصل مع المدرسة إذا كنت بحاجة لمساعدة في الطلب.

CHINESE – Traditional (Cantonese)

2021年8月小一入學註冊，於11月4日(星期三)開始。您可以透過以下連結找到更多資訊和網上註冊表格：https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration

請於11月13日(星期五)前，為您的孩子註冊。如在註冊上需要支援，請與學校辦公室聯絡。

CHINESE – Simplified (Mandarin)

2021年8月开始读小学一年级的儿童，入学注册在11月4日(星期三)开始。您可以在这里找到更多信息和线上注册表格：https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration

请在11月13日(星期五)之前為您的孩子注册。如果您需要与此相关的支持，请联系学校办公室。

POLISH

Rekrutacja dzieci, które w sierpniu 2021 rozpoczną pierwszą klasę szkoły podstawowej, rozpoczyna się 4 listopada.

Więcej informacji na ten temat oraz jak zapisać dziecko do szkoły przez internet, znajdziecie Państwo tutaj: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration

Dzieci należy zapisać do 13 listopada. Jeśli potrzebują Państwo pomocy przy rejestracji, prosimy skontaktować się z sekretariatem szkoły.

URDU

اسکول (P1) شروع کرنے والے بچوں کی رجسٹریشن بدھ 4 نومبر کو شروع ہوگی۔

آپ مزید معلومات اور آن لائن رجسٹریشن فارم یہاں حاصل کرسکتے ہیں: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration

براہ کرم 13 نومبر بروز جمعہ اپنے بچے کو رجسٹر کریں۔ اگر آپ کو اس کے ساتھ مدد کی ضرورت ہو تو ، براہ کرم اسکول کے دفتر سے رابطہ کریں۔

Text and Twitter

Registration for children starting Primary 1 in August 2021 is now open. Register online at: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration Need help? Contact the school office.

ARABIC

لقد تم افتتاح التسجيل للأطفال الذين سيبدؤون الصف الأول في آب/ أغسطس ٢٠٢١.

التسجيل عن طريق الإنترنت من خلال هذا الرابط: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration

هل تحتاج مساعدة؟ الرجاء التواصل مع المدرسة.

CHINESE – Traditional (Cantonese) 2021年8月小一學童入學註冊現已開放。網上註冊：https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration 需要幫助嗎？聯繫學校辦公室。

CHINESE – Simplified (Mandarin)

2021年8月开始上小学一年级的儿童入学注册现已开放。线上注册：https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration

需要帮助吗？联系学校办公室。

POLISH

Rozpoczęła się rekrutacja dzieci do pierwszych klas szkół podstawowych na sierpień 2021 roku. Rejestracja przez internet: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration Potrzebujesz pomocy? Skontaktuj się ze szkolnym sekretariatem.

URDU

اگست 2021 میں P1 شروع کرنے والے بچوں کے لئے اندراج اب کھلا ہے۔

آن لائن رجسٹر کریں: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration مدد کی ضرورت ہے؟ اسکول کے دفتر سے رابطہ کریں۔

Newsletter 12: 6th November

St. Cuthbert’s RC Primary School

Newsletter 12 – Friday 6th November 2020

St Cuthbert’s CARES We are: Creative Active Respectful Equal Supported

Good afternoon all,

There is a lot of information in this week’s newsletter concerning the life and learning of the school community. We are very grateful for you taking the time to read this information. As always let us know if you have any questions about the coming term. We can be contacted on (0131 443 2621) or via our admin mailbox (admin@st-cuthberts.edin.sch.uk).

Uniform Relaunch – Thank You!

Thanks for continuing to support our return to uniform. Although we can’t run our uniform thrift shop at the moment, we are still able to supply items of uniform free of charge on request. We would also still welcome any contributions of items of uniform, you no longer require, to boost our stock of available items for this service. Covid guidelines will be followed before these items are made available.

Please note that uniform does not need to be worn on P.E. days.

P1 (Thurs) P2 (Mon) P3 (Mon and Thurs) P4 (Monday and Tuesday ) P5 (Mon and Thurs) P6 (Mon and Wed) P7 (Mon and Wed).

Parent Telephone Consultations – Term 2

As stated previously, we are not able to have our usual face to face parent consultations this term and are planning to offer 5 minute telephone consultations per pupil instead.

As you know MS Forms didn’t quite work for us as a booking tool, thanks for your patience and for returning the paper tear off slips, requesting a time window for a call, we hope these calls are informative and useful. Please also make us aware via telephone or the admin mailbox if you require an interpreter for your call. The dates and times of calls requiring interpreters may need to be changed in order to accommodate the availability of translation services.

Scottish Government Guidance re Facemasks in Relation to Parents and Carers

Please see quote below from recent advice:

‘’Face coverings should also be worn by parents and other visitors to any school site (whether entering the building or otherwise), including parents at drop-off and pick-up’’

School milk is available for payment on ParentPay – Deadline 12th November 2020

If you missed the original deadline and would like your child to have milk in school daily from 16th November until 25th June 2021, please order and pay for this through your ParentPay account. The cost is £22.61 (17p per 200ml tetrapak). Please note the deadline for ordering is 12th November 2020.

Late Arrivals

Book Week Scotland 16th to 20th November 2020

EAL Teaching Support: 2 Week Block from 9th to 20th November

Samina Mushtaq, our EAL Support Teacher will be in school for the above duration of time. She will be timetable across classes on the basis of need.

Sharing Learning via Learning Journals – To be Published 11th December 2020

Closing the Gap Teacher: 23rd November to 22nd December 2020

City of Edinburgh Council have allocated our school a ‘Closing the Gap’ teacher, who will be with us on the above dates to provide additional support to all of our classes.

Active Schools Co-ordinator: Next in School w/c 16th November

Fiona Damen, our active school coordinator has been in school this week working with our classes. This has been a great success with our pupils thoroughly enjoying the games and activities. Fiona will next be in school, week commencing 16th November.

P1 2021 Enrolment Week for August 2020 – w/c 9th November 2020

www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration

If English is an Additional Language for your family, please let us know if you would like any help completing this form. Please also see associated information in languages other than English.

ECO Flag

Our previous Eco Flag was a victim of the climate but we have managed to replace it with a brand new flag! Thanks to Miss Pusker and her Eco Team for her work helping us secure this replacement flag and furthering the promotion of Eco awareness throughout the school.

Nursery Applications – Important Update re Opening Date

As stated last week, the nursery will now open in January 2021, timings and attendance patterns are still under review with City of Edinburgh Council. We will share this information with you as soon as we have it confirmed.

School Photographs – Tuesday 24th November 2020 – Cancelled

As per information posted on the app and learning journals this week, now that Edinburgh/Lothian is in tier 3, we and other schools have been advised that we are no longer permitted to have school photographs taken. Please accept our apologies for this unforeseen change.

First Holy Communions Update – November 14th, 21st and 28th 2020

Two Letters have been sent out this week to pupils in Group 1, that is pupils who will be making their first holy communion on Saturday 14th November. Letters for parents/carers of those in Groups 2 (making communion on 21st November) and 3 (28th November) will follow shortly.

1. The first letter will provide practical details of arrangements for the celebration of First Holy Communion, including health and safety protocols.

2. The second letter asks for details of guests (all candidates are entitled to have 5 guests attend, this includes friends and family) for track and trace purposes.

Please return the track and trace letter to school in the first instance, we will pass them on to Fr Duffy securely.

All candidates had a practice in the church itself on Thursday. This went extremely well.

First Reconciliations Update (Current P4 Pupils Only) – Please Book Now for December 2020

Parents/Carers of pupils who were in P3 last year and should have celebrated their First Reconciliation in March 2020, will have the opportunity to celebrate the sacrament in December: between the dates of Saturday 5th and Saturday 12th December. Parents/carers can select either a Saturday or weeknight slot by contacting Fr Duffy on 0131 443 1317 or staned@stcuthbertschurch.com to arrange a time for this sacrament to be celebrated. Over 50% of parents/carers have now contacted Fr Duffy. Thanks for this, please do so in the coming weeks, if you haven’t had the chance to do so already.

*Please note that any pupil wishing to celebrate their First Holy Communion in 2021 must have also made their First Reconciliation.

Reporting Absence (Particularly with Reference to Possible Covid Symptoms)

If you are calling us to report absence, please be specific in reporting reasons for absence. In cases where you are reporting any of the following symptoms relating to Covid-19:

· High Temperature

· New and continuous cough

· Loss of, or change in, the senses of taste and smell

please be advised that pupils with any of these symptoms must be tested and evidence of test result e-mailed to our admin account (admin@st-cuthberts.edin.sch.uk).

If a test is positive, pupils must have isolated for 10 days before returning to school 48 hours after symptoms have ceased. Siblings and families must isolate for 14 days.

If test result is negative, pupils should return to school once they have had 48 hours without any of the above symptoms.

CONSULTATION ON FREE BUS TRAVEL FOR PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 19 LIVING IN SCOTLAND

The Scottish Government is consulting on Free Bus Travel for Under 19s and intends to launch a new statutory national concessionary travel scheme for young people living in Scotland up to their 19th birthday.

It is anticipated that legislation would be go to the Scottish Parliament in early 2021 and come into effect later in the year.

The consultation period ends on 7th December 2020 and more information on the proposals can be found here: https://consult.gov.scot/transportscotland/consultation-free-bus-travel-for-people-under19/user_uploads/freebus-for-under-19s—final-consultation-pdf-version—23-october-2020.pdf

You can take part in the online consultation here: http://consult.gov.scot/

If you are unable to respond using their consultation hub, please complete the Respondent Information Form and return to via e-mail to Under19Consultation@transport.gov.scot

The form can also be downloaded, printed in pdf format and completed in writing and mailed to:

Under 19 Consultation Bus,

Accessibility and Active Travel,

Transport Scotland,

Buchanan House,

Glasgow.

Family Support Services Survey

Dear Parent/Carer,

The Edinburgh Children’s Partnership is looking to gather the views and voices of parents and carers about how their families are being supported during the initial and ongoing COVID-19 lockdown period. By completing this survey you will be helping us to better understand how we can continue to serve the needs of families in these difficult times and influence the design and shape of Family Support Services across the city. We would be very grateful if you could complete the survey before Friday the 20th of November.

Our Learning This Week in St Cuthbert’s Primary School

Please see this week’s learning below. I hope you enjoy reading it. Please also check out our school Twitter Account @stcuthbertsRCP when learning will be shared on the following days:

Monday P1/P2 Tuesday P7/LCC1/2 Wednesday P4/P6 Thursday P3/P5

P1 – In Literacy we have learned to recognise and write f and e and we are progressing well with reading and spelling three letter words.

In Maths we have enjoyed another week of 3D Shape and learning a few of their properties.

In PE we have been learning throwing and catching skills and how to hit a target.

Please look out for our new look, more interactive homework this week; go to assignments in Teams and open the PDF in resources!

P2 – Math’s: Continuing to use the counting on strategy as well as revising arrays. Literacy: we have been looking at and spelling words with the sounds ‘oy’ ‘igh’ ‘ay’ and ‘ir’. HWB: We have been focusing on Basketball in PE and dribbling with both hands.

P3 – In Health and Well-being, we have been learning about why it is important to be a good friend. In Maths we have been using bar modelling to solve word problems. In Literacy, Primary 3 have been developing their critical thinking, questioning, and reasoning through “The Brave Mice” story.

P4 – This week in P4 we have been learning about similes and thinking about how we can use them in our writing. In Maths and Numeracy we have been applying our learning to solve problems involving money. We also had the opportunity to work with Fiona Damen our active schools co-ordinator doing lots of outdoor games.

P5 – This week in our learning we have been learning about bar models in our Barvember daily problem solving activities. We are learning about the features of biographies in our writing. We have been learning how to use pastels to create the effect of fireworks in the night sky.

P6 – In Numeracy, we have been learning how to use our knowledge of multiplication to help us to divide. In Literacy, we have been learning to spell words with a silent letter ‘b’, and to use interesting sentence openers in our writing. In R.E, we have been learning about the life of Saint Columba and about the significance of illuminated manuscripts.

P7 – P7 have been learning: how to find equivalent fractions and find common multiples in order to change denominators in Numeracy. In Literacy, they have been learning to write narrative poetry about WW2. In Social Studies we have learnt about the history surrounding the Gunpowder Plot and its links with the history of Christianity in the UK. We then created firework artwork with the Edinburgh skyline.

LCC1 – In literacy this week we started writing our weekend news and started block 1 of Word boost. We have been on a tricky word treasure hunt and have continued developing our comprehension and sequencing skills. Some of the children are learning to spell their name. In Numeracy with have been recognising number patterns using numicon and the characteristics of 2D shapes We started our topic on our 5 senses and all children can name a smell & sound they ‘like’ and ‘don’t like’.

LCC2 – Are enjoying their new class novel the BFG and have started inventing gobblefunk words. They have used musical instruments to explore sound waves and vibrations. They continue to work on finding the perimeter of a shape and the 4 times tables. The class have enjoyed their socially distance PE sessions and are focusing on stretching and balancing.

The class started a new Social Thinking topic on Inside Thoughts and Outside words

Head Teacher Availability

As above, please continue to feel very welcome at any time to contact me by phone or to e-mail our admin mailbox for my attention and I will respond as quickly as I can.

Mass Times at our local Parish – St. Cuthbert’s, Slateford

Saturday 6pm – Vigil Mass

Sunday 10am – Parish Mass

Sunday 5pm – Additional Mass

Finally

Thanks again for your support in these challenging times. I hope that you and your families enjoy the weekend.

Kind regards.

Mr P Brack, Head Teacher

P1 Enrolment August 2021

P1 enrolments August 2021

All applications for August 2021 must be submitted online at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/p1registration

Parents should upload photos/scans of the following

Birth Certificate

Council Tax form for 2020/21 (or 2 proofs of address if they are not eligible to pay Council Tax) and

Baptismal Certificate for RC Schools

Once you have completed the enrolment form and the requested scans have been uploaded please click SUBMIT – only then will you have actually applied.

Newsletter 11: 30th October

St. Cuthbert’s RC Primary School

Newsletter 11 – Friday 30th October 2020

St Cuthbert’s CARES We are: Creative Active Respectful Equal Supported

Good afternoon all,

I hope you and your families enjoyed the October break. Please read the information below and as always let us know if you have any questions about the coming term. (0131 443 2621) or via our admin mailbox (admin@st-cuthberts.edin.sch.uk)

Term 2 Dates – 2020

School resumed for pupils Tuesday 27th October. Final day of term is Tuesday 22nd December.

Uniform Relaunch – Thank You!

Thanks very much to all of our families for supporting the return to uniform. The pupils have looked so smart this week. Please note that parts of the uniform that include school branding can be ordered via Borders Embroidery. See link below

Border Embroideries – http://www.border-embroideries.co.uk

Other parts of the uniform can be purchased from local supermarkets and clothing shops. When the current situation changes, we hope to reinstate our uniform thrift shop established by our parents last year. We will let you know as soon as this is possible. In the meantime, please contact the school office if you require an item of clothing from the thrift shop, we would be very happy to help and there will be no charge.

We would also welcome any contributions of items of uniform, you no longer require, to boost our stock of available items for this service. Covid guidelines will be followed before these items are made available.

Please note that uniform does not need to be worn on P.E. days.

P1 (Thurs) P2 (Mon) P3 (Mon and Thurs) P4 (Monday and Tuesday ) P5 (Mon and Thurs) P6 (Mon and Wed) P7 Friday (Mon and Wed).

Parent Telephone Consultations – Term 2

As stated previously, we are not able to have our usual face to face parent consultations this term and are planning to offer 5 minute telephone consultations per pupil instead.

MS Forms have now been placed on all class pages within the Learning Journals platforms. These forms offer time slots for you to book a call with your child’s teacher(s). Thanks to all those who have signed up for Learning Journals recently. If you still need to do so, please contact Mrs Holden, our DHT via the admin mailbox. Please also make us aware via telephone or the admin mailbox if you require an interpreter for your call. The dates and times of calls requiring interpreters may need to be changed in order to accommodate the availability of translation services.

Sharing Learning via Learning Journals – To be Published 11th December 2020

Closing the Gap Teacher: 23rd November to 22nd December 2020

City of Edinburgh Council have allocated our school a ‘Closing the Gap’ teacher, who will be with us on the above dates to provide additional support to all of our classes.

Active Schools Co-ordinator in School from w/c 2nd November 2020

Fiona Damen, our active school coordinator has been seconded to our school on what will now be a one in three weekly basis, starting from the above date. She will be working with all of our classes on outdoor games and activities during the school day to complement our existing P.E. Provision. We look forward to welcoming her next week.

P1 2021 Enrolment Week – w/c 9th November 2020

All applications for August 2021 must be submitted online at https://orb.edinburgh.gov.uk/schools-lifelong-learning/primary-1-secondary-1-places

Parents should upload photos/scans of the following

(1) Birth Certificate

(2) Council Tax form for 2020/21 (or 2 proofs of address if they are not eligible to pay Council Tax)

(3) Baptismal Certificate for RC Schools

Once you have completed the enrolment form and the requested scans have been uploaded please click SUBMIT – only then will you have actually applied.

The enrolment form will be available online from week commencing 2nd November.

Nursery Applications – Important Update re Opening Date

We are pleased to announce St Cuthbert’s Primary School Nursery will be opening its doors on Wednesday 6th January 2021 for children aged 3-5 years. If you would like a place for your child in the nursery please go to the City of Edinburgh Council website to download an application form. https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/download/12890/apply-for-nursery

Nursery Places are allocated in accordance with the City of Edinburgh Council Admission policy so a place at St Cuthbert’s is not guaranteed. Please follow the link below for further information; https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/directory-record/1146138/early-years-childcare-admissions-policy

We will share more information, such as the proposed patterns of attendance in next week’s newsletter.

School Photographs – Tuesday 24th November 2020

At the moment, we are hopeful that Covid restrictions compliant, individual and family photos will be able to be taken in school on the above date. A letter will be sent out on Monday giving further details.

First Holy Communions Update – November 14th, 21st and 28th 2020

Fr Duffy will send letters out to parents/carers of candidates from Group 1 (those making their First Holy Communions on 14th November) on Monday.

1. The first will provide practical details of arrangements for the celebration of First Holy Communion, including health and safety protocols.

2. The second letter will ask for details of guests (all candidates are entitled to have 5 guests attend, this includes friends and family) for track and trace purposes.

Please note that all pupils involved will make a supervised visit to the church next week for a short practice with Fr Duffy. Letters for other groups will follow on a rolling basis on the following two Mondays.

First Reconciliations Update (Current P4 Pupils Only) – Please Book Now for December 2020

Parents/Carers of pupils who were in P3 last year and should have celebrated their First Reconciliation in March 2020, will have the opportunity to celebrate the sacrament in December: between the dates of Saturday 5th and Saturday 12th December. Parents/carers can select either a Saturday or weeknight slot by contacting Fr Duffy on 0131 443 1317 or staned@stcuthbertschurch.com to arrange a time for this sacrament to be celebrated. Over 50% of parents/carers have now contacted Fr Duffy. Thanks for this, please do so in the coming weeks, if you haven’t had the chance to do so already.

*Please note that any pupil wishing to celebrate their First Holy Communion in 2021 must have also made their First Reconciliation.

Return of Hot School Dinners

The introduction of hot food has gone really well this week. Big thanks to Nicola and our kitchen staff and to our own staff for supporting this change efficiently. We are aware that there has been issues with the parent pay system, as mentioned in our previous newsletter, please use the contact details on their system to resolve any issues.

Reporting Absence (Particularly with Reference to Possible Covid Symptoms)

If you are calling us to report absence, please be specific in reporting reasons for absence. In cases where you are reporting any of the following symptoms relating to Covid-19:

· High Temperature

· New and continuous cough

· Loss of, or change in, the senses of taste and smell

please be advised that pupils with any of these symptoms must be tested and evidence of test result e-mailed to our admin account (admin@st-cuthberts.edin.sch.uk).

If a test is positive, pupils must have isolated for 10 days before returning to school 48 hours after symptoms have ceased. Siblings and families must isolate for 14 days.

If test result is negative, pupils should return to school once they have had 48 hours without any of the above symptoms.

Our Learning This Week in St Cuthbert’s Primary School

Please see this week’s learning below. I hope you enjoy reading it. Please also check out our school Twitter Account @stcuthbertsRCP when learning will be shared on the following days:

Monday P1/P2 Tuesday P7/LCC1/2 Wednesday P4/P6 Thursday P3/P5

P1 – Literacy- we have been revising the sounds and words we have learned so far. Maths- we are learning the names of some 3D shapes, we had fun printing with them and building with them. We are having a ‘Fun Friday’ for Hallowe’en with spooky stories and art and craft!

P2 – In literacy, we have been learning the ou sound. In Maths we have been learning number bonds to 10 and number sequencing. In health and wellbeing we have learnt about protecting the local environment.

P3 – In Maths Primary 3 have been learning to create simple patterns using natural resources. In Numeracy we have been using an ICT game to test our understanding of number bonds between 0-100. This week in RME we have been learning about the meaning of prayers and started learning “Our Father” by heart.

P4 – In literacy we have been learning to answer literal reading comprehension questions. In Maths, we have been learning about right angles. In R.E, we have been learning about the message of God’s love for all nations expressed in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

P5 – This week in Maths and Numeracy, we were learning how to use what we know about magic number squares to solve problems. In Literacy, we were learning about personal writing and how to include our thoughts and feelings. In RE we were discussing what we know about the saints, and we are trying to find out if there is a saint with the same name as us.

P6 – In Numeracy we have been learning how to use long multiplication to solve calculations with 2-digits. In Literacy we have been learning how to describe a setting. We used similes and metaphors to create atmosphere in our writing. In R.E we have been learning about All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days.

P7 – In Maths, using the chunking method to divide larger numbers. In Social Studies, ordering the most significant events from WW2 into a timeline. Use the ‘keep connected’ tool to maintain healthy friendships.

LCC1 – LCC1 have been developing their comprehension skills by answering questions linked to short descriptive sentences. In Maths they have been using dice patterns to support addition and have continued identifying 2D shapes by counting sides and corners

They are continuing to learn numbers and colours in Spanish and enjoyed making 3D cardboard bats that hang upside down on their own branches.

LCC2 – have been increasing their use of vocabulary through word boost and trying to use their wordboost words in their writing. They wrote diary entries about their October Break

In maths they are continuing to learn the 4 timetable and have been dividing using the 2, 5 and 10 timetables In Science they started a topic about the human body and have learned about the different parts of the ear.

Head Teacher Availability

As above, please continue to feel very welcome at any time to contact me by phone or to e-mail our admin mailbox for my attention and I will respond as quickly as I can.

Mass Times at our local Parish – St. Cuthbert’s, Slateford

Saturday 6pm – Vigil Mass

Sunday 10am – Parish Mass

Sunday 5pm – Additional Mass

Finally

Thanks again for your support in these challenging times. I hope that you and your families enjoy the weekend.

Kind regards.

Mr P Brack, Head Teacher