Headteacher's Report June 2011

Parent Council - 8^th June 2011

Headteacher’s report

Staffing

Mrs Press has returned from maternity leave

Admin support has returned to work.

2 temporary SLA posts have been filled.

Refurbishment update

P5 will move out of their classroom on 14^th June and will be accommodated in P7 classroom and the open area.

Works should be completed during the holidays.

Budget

We have budgeted carefully in session 2010-11 to ensure we can purchase some large items for next session:

· New dining room furniture

· Whiteboards for the 2 remaining classrooms

Grounds

Applications for grants have been sent.

School Improvement Plan

After consultation with staff, parents and pupils the following have been identified for areas for development:

· Development of programmes in Numeracy and mathematics, Literacy and English, Health and Wellbeing

· ECO – green flag

· Assessment and moderation

· GLOW

· Parental involvement in pupils’ learning

Website update

We have had some trouble accessing the website to update it – this is because of a number of factors including the council blocking of some sites.

Miss Black has taken on the responsibility of the upkeep of the website. We have taken advice from our council IT team who recommend that school websites are used for information only.

GLOW will be used for class pages/activities.

Class excursions

All classes have been or will go on an excursion. Next session excursions will spread throughout the year.

Diary dates

Friday 10^th June - Sports day

Wednesday 15^th – Friday 17^th – P7 to Bannockburn High school

Thursday 16^th June – P6 concert

Friday 17^th June – P1 induction

Monday 20th June - P5 and 6 to Dynamic Earth/Parliament

Tuesday 21^st June – P7 graduation

Wednesday 22^nd June - P1/2 to Kelvingrove, P7 to bowling and cinema, nursery certificate day

Friday 24^th June – service 11am

Other issues:

Shorts and shades discos – thank you to the Parent Council for organising this event

Fun Day raised £1313.45

Minutes of Meeting 8 June 2012

Cowie Primary School Parent Council

Meeting Wednesday 8 June 2011

Attendees and Apologies

Attendees: Mrs Innes, Jeff McGhie, Julie Moran, Sherry Houlihan, Tammy Pollock, Barbara

Apologies: Avril Knox, Anne Williamson, Christine Fairbairn, Michelle McArthur, Amanda Arkell.

· Minutes of last meeting

The minutes of the last meeting were approved and signed.

Julie will e-mail Mrs Innes information about the Parent Council for new P1 parents, for the induction meeting on 17 June 2011 as previously agreed.

Mrs Innes will send out a note for a collection for Mrs Fleming’s retirement.

Mrs Innes confirmed that 167 children in the nursery to P6 inclusive have been on a trip this school term. The parent council agreed to subsidise £5 per child, in addition to subsidising the P7 leaver’s event. The autograph books have been ordered for P7’s to be presented at their graduation.

An update on the School Improvement Plan is shown in the Headteacher’s Report. Mrs Innes has confirmed that over the next session parents will have two parents nights, an invite to a class assembly and a visit to the classroom to look at what pupils have been doing. There will also be a couple of information evenings - format to be decided.

Shorts and Shades disco raised approximately £170.00 and was well supported and enjoyed by most children at the school.

· Headteacher’s Report

See attached for information.

· A.O.B.

Credit Union

A Credit Union Rep will visit the school shortly to speak to the children at an assembly, to raise awareness of this savings scheme. An update on this and the days the Credit Union visit the school to do the collections will be issued in a future newsletter.

School Fun Day

An update on the funds raised is shown in the Headteacher’s Report. A thank you note was received from the Fundraising & Events Team for our help on this day.

Future Event Planning

We agreed that we need to plan future fundraising events in advance at the start of each school year. Our aim for next session is to have a Halloween and Valentines or Easter disco for the children, a Bingo Tea event in September/October time and possibly a sponsored event in April/May time (for example Danceathon or Olympics Sports). We should also consider how we could support future Xmas Fayres, by possibly having a stall of our own.

Dates of next Meetings

These will be planned for the following months and detailed on the school calendar. Mrs Innes to link in with Julie regarding school dates for 2011/2012, prior to the start of the new school year.

October 2011

December 2011

February 2012

April 2012

June 2012

Headteachers Report April 2011

Parent Council - 20^th April 2011

Headteacher’s report

Staffing

Our admin support is currently absent and will not be back until at least mid May.

Our 2 temporary SLAs have left; we now have 2 vacancies - one for 15 hours and one full time for the refurbishment. Supply staff have been requested.

School Holidays

Stirling are undertaking a consultation on the school holiday dates for session 2012/13. This consultation is running simultaneously with Falkirk and Clackmannanshire. Two important issues are being consulted on:

o should the October break start on Monday 8 or Monday 15 October?

o the option of having 3 local holidays in February (when added to the staff development days gives a full week of pupil holidays) or 2 days and retaining the traditional September Monday holiday.

o consultation closes on Friday 27 May so parents should complete the questionnaire which is available on the Council website - http://www.stirling.gov.uk/index/services/learning/schools/currentconsultations.htm

Budget

Parent Council has a budget of £878 (correct total at this point in time)!

Refurbishment update

P4, 6 and 7 classes moved into their new classrooms on 7.3.11. Reports from the children are very positive. P5 are still upstairs; there have been some issues with noise and plaster dust, but they have been rectified. The use of the grounds of the school is limited until the refurbishment is complete.

There has been some vandalism in the grounds recently; police are aware of the problem.

Literacy week

We held a very successful literacy week in partnership with Waterstones. Sadly our contact has left the company but the store are keen to keep up some form of reduced partnership with the school.

Grounds

We are in the process of trying to secure some funding for the grounds project, through the parent Council. Once funding is secured we will set up a Grounds for learning group to steer the project.

School Improvement Plan parent focus group

Questionnaires were sent out to parents/carers in school and nursery, findings shared. Children will be consulted next week. The developments will be included in our next School Improvement Plan.

Class excursion

Due to the current financial climate we have agreed that each class will have one excursion a year, linked to an area of the curriculum they have been working on.

New diary dates

29.4.11 - Royal wedding

27.4.11 - Dance-a-thon fundraiser

w/b 2.5.11 - Send my sister to school – Action Aid fundraiser

5.5.11 - Dalguise meeting for P6 pupils, 6.30

w/b 16.5.11 - World at work week

20.5.11 - P7 event – Show Bigotry the Red Card at St Margaret’s

Other issues/mail:

Cancer Awareness leaflets – how could these be best distributed?

Sprint design – fundraiser flyer

Walking bus

Fruity Friday

Cowie Primary School Parent Council

Meeting 20^th April 2011

· Attendees and Apologies

Attendees: Jeff McGhie (Chair), Julie Moran (Secretary), Sherry Houlihan, Tammy Pollock & Viviene Innes (Headteacher)

Apologies: Avril Knox, Anne Williamson, Christine Fairbairn, Michelle McArthur, Amanda Arkle.

· Minutes of last meeting

The minutes of the last meeting were approved and signed with no changed. Viviene Innes advised that the issue with the school bell gaining and loosing time had been resolved after being traced to the power being disconnected on a number of occasions during the refurbishment works.

· Headteacher’s Report

See attached.

· Grounds for learning plan

There was a discussion around the grant applications that the Parent Council was making for the next stage of the grounds for learning masterplan. The proposal being put forward is the creation of a ‘picnic area’ with 6 picnic benches on artificial grass with a bedding border. This is to be located by the wall which is currently just tarmac. The feeling was that this would give a much needed area outside where the children could sit out on nice days during breaks as there is now no seating in the playground following the loss of the previous seating area during the refurbishment. There was unanimous support for the proposal to apply to Stirling Council via the community grant scheme for part funding for this stage of the works. Jeff McGhie to fill in application form and submit prior to 22^nd April as this is the deadline for the next round of funding. This would hopefully allow the works to be carried out during the summer break to avoid causing any more disruption to the pupils following the refurbishment works.

· A.O.B.

Mrs Fleming retirement

Viviene Innes advised that with Mrs Fleming retiring after 40 years+ service at the school, they wanted to do something special. The initial plans are for a 3 part celebration, a staff night out, an all school assembly and a combined post refurbishment launch for the whole community. The planning is in its early stages but the Parent Council agreed to be involved wherever possible.

Primary 7 end of term trip

The Parent Council agreed to contribute to the costs of the P7 trip and assist with the ‘graduation’ event. Mrs Innes to advise where the pupils want to go, the associated costs and the arrangements for the graduation event when available.

School Trips

The Parent Council agreed to contribute to the costs of the class trips as in previous years as far as our funds allow.

School improvement Plan

Mrs Innes to bring the draft improvement plan along to the next meeting for discussion.

P1 Information evening

Mrs Innes enquired if the parent council wanted to be a part of the P1 information evening either directly on the night or via the information packs. Julie to look out the leaflet used previously.

School Fun Day

Julie enquired if the parent council could have a stall at this year’s fun day for a 2^nd hand toy stall. Agreed this would be a good idea.

Disco

Julie enquired as to whether we could organise a ‘shorts and shades’ summer disco for the pupils in early June since there was no Easter disco this year due to the refurbishment. Agreed to hold an additional meeting on the 11^th May to discuss this and the end of term arrangements.

· Date of next Meeting

Additional meeting to be held on the 11^th May to discuss proposal for disco and agree end of term arrangements and funding for trips. Any agenda items to be passed to Julie Moran before the meeting.