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