Botriphnie Blether 9 March 2009
Botriphnie Blether 23 January 2009
Botriphnie Blether 12 December 2008
Botriphnie Blether 1 December 2008
Botriphnie Blether 21 November 2008
Botriphnie Blether Hallowe'en Special 31 October 2008
Botriphnie Blether 6 October 2008
Botriphnie Blether 23 September 2008
Botriphnie Blether 25 August 2008
Botriphnie Blether 3 July 2008
Botriphnie Blether 4 February 2008
Botriphnie Blether 29 January 2008
Botriphnie Blether 29 November 2007
Botriphnie Blether 29 October 2007
Botriphnie Blether Hallowe'en Special 2 November 2007
Botriphnie Blether 8 October 2007
Botriphnie Blether 3 September 2007
Botriphnie Blether 11 June 2007
Botriphnie Blether 21 May 2007
Botriphnie Blether 23 April 2007
Botriphnie Blether 12 March 2007
Botriphnie Blether 12 February 2007
Botriphnie Blether 8 January 2007
Botriphnie Blether 4 December 2006
Botriphnie Blether 6 November 2006
The Botriphnie Blether 28 September 2006
The Botriphnie Blether 28 August 2006
The Botriphnie Blether 12 June 2006
The Botriphnie Blether 8 May 2006
The Botriphnie Blether 17 April 2006
The Botriphnie Blether 20 March 2006
The Botriphnie Blether 6 February 2006
The Botriphnie Blether 12 December 2005
The Botriphnie Blether 28 November 2005
The Botriphnie Blether 7 November 2005
The Botriphnie Blether 26 September 2005
The Botriphnie Blether 29 August 2005
The botriphnie blether
Friday Clubs
This term we have introduced clubs on a Friday afternoon. The children spent some time deciding what they wanted to do and how to choose fairly. The outcome is that there are three groups working on the following areas.
Health & Wellbeing
led by
Miss L SimpsonEnterprise
led by
Mrs T GrossEco-schools
led by
Miss G FindlayThe children have drawn up plans and I'm sure you will already have heard what they are up to. If you would like to help out with any of these clubs - just let us know. Extra pairs of hands are always welcome.
Enterprise Group Car Washing School Car Park
Friday 26th May 1.10 - 3.00 Price £4
P7 Orienteering and Day of Dance - Friday 8th May in Drummuir
As previously advised, the children should wear appropriate clothing for the orienteering (tracksuit bottoms/joggers, jackets, strong outdoor footwear, hat, gloves) and have an indoor PE kit with them for the dancing. A packed lunch from home will be required.P7 Choices for Life - Tuesday 12th May
As previously advised, a packed lunch from home will be required and school uniform should be worn. A member of staff will transport them by car to Keith in the morning to catch the bus for Aberdeen and collect them from Keith later in the day. Children should be back at school in time for the school bus home but if they are delayed we will let you know.Rainforest Adventure - Monday 18th May
This is taking place at school, for all pupils, from 11.00 - 12.00. I don't want to give too much away but there will be some rainforest creatures for the children to handle! Or simply look at if they prefer!In-Service Days
These take place on Thurs 21st, Fri 22nd and Mon 25th May. These three days are part of your child's holiday entitlement. Staff will be in the school on these days. In order to improve your child's learning experience we will be developing the following areas.
· Writing
· Vision, Values and Aims
· Problem solving
· Listening and Talking
· Self-evaluation
· Smartboard Training
On Mon 25th all teaching staff of the Keith ASG primary schools and Keith Grammar will be attending a whole day meeting at Keith Primary to move forward with the new Scottish curriculum, A Curriculum for Excellence often referred to as ACE.
P6 & P7 Scottish Opera Workshops - Wednesday 27th May (all day)
Please remember that a packed lunch will be required from home. All parents should note that the school bus is being used for this trip so it may be running a little late on the way home.Local Holiday
Please remember that Mon 1st June is the Keith local holiday and the school will be closed.Community Dentist - Tuesday 2nd June
The dentist will visit the school to see P1 and P7 pupils for a check-up.Angus Robertson MP for Moray - Friday 5th June
Mr Robertson will be visiting the P5-7 class.Rural Football Tournament - Wednesday 17th June
A team of 5 plus 2 subs will be chosen to represent the school at this tournament which takes place at Rothiemay Primary in the afternoon. Trainers should be worn (no studded football boots). We will share a bus to and from Rothiemay with St Thomas Primary. If the bus in not back in time for the school bus home we will let you know.Rag Bag Collection - Thursday 18th June
The van will collect the bags from the village hall first thing in the morning. Please call at the school first and we will give you access to the hall. We will send home bags with each family but you can use your own bags if you wish. Bags can be brought in at any time before the 18th June.Rural Sports - Wednesday 24th June
This takes place in the morning at Rothiemay Primary for all pupils. Transport will be by bus. The event will start at 9.30am and spectators are welcome. If you are going to spectate, please try to share transport with other parents as parking is limited at the school in Rothiemay. A PE kit will be required.St Fumac's Fair - Friday 26th June
This will be held in school from 5.30 - 7.30ish. More details to follow.P7 Transition Days
This year there will be 3 transition days - 19th May, 9th June and 10th June. Pupils will travel on the Grammar School bus. More details will be given to the pupils.Summer Show
I have invited Marion Normand and Tim Flood to put on a show at the end of term. They have produced two multi-media shows for us in the past, which were a huge success. This show will be on a smaller scale but I'm sure just as entertaining. The provisional dates for the show are Tues 16th June/Tues 23rd June at 6.30. All pupils will be involved in the show.Summer Outing
This year the whole school outing will be on Thursday 2nd July. We will be visiting the Working Sheepdogs at Leaualt Farm, Kincraig and the Highland Wildlife Park at Kingussie. We will have a few spare seats on the bus so if you would like to join us please get in touch. More details to follow.Speech and Language Therapist (SALT)
Mrs Charlotte Duffus will be in school on the following dates.
Tues 19th May 2.00 Tues 26th May 2.00 Tues 2nd June 9.00
Tues 9th June 9.00 Tues 16th June 9.00 Tues 23rd June 9.00Library Book Quiz
This took place yesterday at Keith Library. The team was made up of Katriona (P7), Brooke (P6), Rebecca (P6) and Luke (P6). The children did very well coming second. The winners were Craigellachie. Congratulations to Jamie who came top in the selection quiz to choose the representatives but was unable to take part because he is only in P5. Next year Jamie!Elgin Strathspey and Reel Society
Well done to Katriona, Brooke, Iona, Emma and Sammy who gave fine performances at the fiddle festival. Although not placed they were a credit to themselves and to the school.
Rotary Quiz
Katriona, Brooke, Jamie and Amanda travelled to Inverness on Thursday 23rd April to take part in the second round of the Rotary Quiz. They finished 6th out of 11 teams and were delighted to beat Keith Primary who just pipped them at the post in the local heats. Well done.Breakfast Meetings
In order for teaching and support staff to share information, I have introduced Breakfast Meetings which run from 8.15 - 8.50. These will be held every 4 weeks. The next two dates are Tues 19th May and Tues 16th June. It would be helpful on these mornings, should you need to contact the school, to do so before 8.15 or after 8.50.School Travel Plan
Chris Thompson, the School Travel Co-ordinator, visited the school on Mon 27th April to talk to all pupils about how they travel to school. All schools are encouraged to have a school travel plan in place. Mrs Gross is undertaking this with the P5-7 class as part of their Environmental Studies topic. Since the meeting with Chris, some pupils have been cycling to school. This is great but I would recommend that only pupils who have undertaken cycling training do this, and that children must wear a high viz jacket and cycling helmet.Vision and Values Evening
Many thanks to all who came along to this on Mon 28th April. It was very valuable in gathering ideas and the feedback was that it had been a very enjoyable evening. Special thanks to Mrs J Ross and Mrs M Stewart for preparing and serving a fine array of refreshments.School Website
The school now has its own website which can be accessed at www.botriphnie.moray.sch.uk
Please let us know what you think of it and what you would like to see developed.
Mrs M Stewart and Mrs J Ross will be attending further website training on Mon 11th May.Sweatshirts
We have all sizes in stock - if you would like to place an order please send a note up to school. There has been a price increase; they are now priced at £8.50 each
1ST - £50
No. 156 M ChristieMAY 200 CLUB WINNERS
2ND - £30
No. 86 G Metcalfe
3RD - £20
No. 112 D ShepherdPlease find attached a Health Snack Questionnaire.
NEXT SESSION
School Photographs
School or family photographs in time for Christmas, by Catchlites of Buckie - Thursday 27th August from 9.00 onwards. More details nearer the time.Soup and Sweet
A date has been set for this following last year's successful event. The date is Saturday 26th September in the North Church Hall.Gillian a Findlay
Head Teacher
The botriphnie blether
£2,500!
On Thursday 26th February I attended a presentation ceremony at Glenfiddich to receive a cheque from their charity fund. I had simply been told in a letter that the school was to receive some money so you can imagine my surprise and delight upon being presented with a cheque for £2500.Last year Carol Riach brought along an application form to the Parent Council Meeting and Patricia Howie took responsibility for filling it in.
Well done ladies, what a fantastic result.
£500!
A couple of weeks ago Andy Riach also came along to the school to present us with a super cheque from Diageo. This was organised on behalf of the school by Andy and we are delighted that the money received from the two cheques has met half the cost of the Smart Boards.FUNDRAISING
There has been a fantastic effort put into fundraising for the school. I would like to thank everyone involved in the many initiatives and now declare that it is time to have a well deserved rest and break.ROTARY CLUB QUIZ
This took place last Wednesday evening at KGS. Six primary teams took part and it was just so exciting. We took the lead on several occasions but were just pipped at the post in the very last round when Keith Primary beat us by one point!
Well done to Katriona P7, Brooke P6, Jamie P5 and Amanda P5 who made up this year’s team. Their knowledge was most impressive. We shall try again next year!INSERVICE DAY DATES
Schools across Scotland have been granted an extra in-service day for the next three years. This is to help schools develop the new Curriculum for Excellence as the 5-14 Curriculum is replaced. This year the extra day will be taken on Mon 25th May following on from the two closure days on Thurs 21st and Fri 22nd May. Please make a note of this on your school calendar so that you don’t turn up on the Monday!The extra day for next session will be taken on Friday 13th Nov 2009 and in 2010 it will be on Fri 12th November.
One more date for this year’s school calendar. The school does not close on Wed 1st July as indicated on the calendar. It closes on Thurs 2nd July. Unfortunately I had planned on embarking on a Mediterranean cruise on the 2nd July but I shall now be visiting the Working Sheep dogs and the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig instead!
This is our planned destination for our end of term outing. Several venues were selected by the Pupil Council and then voted for by all the children. Democracy rules at Botriphnie. OK!
DISABILITY AWARENESS PROJECT
This takes place for the P5-7 class on Monday 16th March. Nick Jarvis is coming along to the school and will provide workshop opportunities so that the children have a better understanding of how a disability affects people’s life and what can be done to meet their needs. Hopefully the children will gain a great deal from this experience.TEETH BRUSHING
This is being carried out by the P1-4 class every day. The children have been shown the correct way to brush their teeth and this daily routine will build on the good practice already being carried out at home and will also reinforce the importance of dental hygiene. The Keith and Buckie schools have the highest rate of tooth decay in Moray, which is why the schools in the Keith area have been targeted.FEBRUARY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 81 Elma McKenzie
2ND £30 No. 202 Irene Henderson
3RD £20 No. 80 John McKenzieMARCH 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 144 Mandy Bain
2ND £30 No. 179 Linda Innes
3RD £20 No. 108 Eunice FarrenPARENT COUNCIL MEETING
The next meeting of the Parent Council takes place tomorrow, Tuesday 10th May at 6.30.
A representative from each family is welcome to attend.
Please come along if you can.ABERNETHY
This takes place next week. All P7 pupils from the six primary schools in the Keith ASG are offered the opportunity to attend this week long activity course and it is an ideal opportunity for children to mix with other children moving on to Keith Grammar School after the summer. Mrs Joan Ross will be accompanying our pupils so I know they will be in safe hands. Thank you for volunteering!
Next year’s trip is already booked for our current P6s.WORLD BOOK DAY
Our Pupil Council members are beginning to show real skills in being responsible and organising events. Last Friday there was a wonderful turn out of characters from books and nearly every pupil took part.
The Pupil Council has ordered a box of red noses which they aim to sell to raise funds for Red Nose Day. The cost is £1 but you can if you wish donate more. The theme of the day is a pyjama party!
Mrs Joyce Dawson is preparing songs and music for our Easter service. This will take place at 11.00 on Tuesday 24th March at Botriphnie Church. We hope you can come along to watch the children perform but if you are working we are happy for relatives, friends or neighbours to join our celebrations for Easter.
VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL
Last week Helen Gray from the RSPB gave an interesting talk about birds to the P5-7 pupils.The same group of children were involved in two workshops about fire and fire safety presented by an officer from the Grampian Fire Service.
The botriphnie blether
It only seems a short while ago that we broke up for Christmas and now we are nearly into February. The afternoons are stretching but it’s still very dark in the morning.
Occasionally parents, and of course pupils sleep in, but it doesn’t matter how late you are, we would much rather have the children in late, than not at all.
The percentage of absences for our school is among the highest in Moray and therefore I would encourage you to ensure that your child attends school regularly. Irregular attendance can have a profound effect on your child’s academic and social development.
BURNS SUPPER
This takes place on Monday and it promises to be a good night. There are at least eighty people attending. All pupils are involved in the entertainment, which includes singing, violins and poetry. It isn’t too late to book your place, just give us a ring, or pop up a note on Monday. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the parents and staff who are working so hard to organise this for our school community.ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Our areas of study for this term are:
P1-4
Topic - The Vikings
Science - Sun, Moon and Stars
Health - Dental Health
RME – Hinduism
P5-7
Topic – The Victorians
Science – Sources of artificial light
Health – smoking
RME – Victorian missionariesJANUARY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 126 E. Cruickshank
2ND £30 No. 107 C. Riach
3RD £20 No. 103 S. WalkerHEALTH PROMOTING SCHOOLS
The school has now been awarded the Commitment level for HPS. We have attained commended for many of the categories required, so we are not that far away from attaining the next level. Miss Simpson has recently taken on the role of HPS co-ordinator, which I appreciate.PUPIL COUNCIL
The Pupil Council is very active and meets regularly under the guidance of Mrs J. Ross. They have brought to my attention the unruly behaviour on the bus and have worked together to come up with a solution. They were quick to praise those whose behaviour was exemplary. I spoke to the other bus pupils at the end of Tuesday’s assembly and have undertaken to check daily with Keith, the bus driver, to ensure that the much improved behaviour continues. I would also encourage parents of bus pupils to discuss this issue at home. Many thanksQUALITY AUDIT PARENT INVOLVEMENT
As you know our school is to receive a Quality Audit in February. Nearer the time all parents will receive a questionnaire to complete. On the two days of the audit a group of parents are asked to come into school to have a meeting with those who are carrying out the audit. I would very much like parents to volunteer for this and have attached a sheet for you to return if you would like to be involved. Parents’ views of the school are highly valued and it would be great if you could come along. The date for this is Tuesday 24th Feb at 10.45am for approx 1 hour.STAFFING
The two vacant posts of Head Teacher Relief and SfL teacher have now been advertised with a closing date of 10th Feb.
I shall keep you updated regarding this.ICT
Information Communication Technology. The school has recently purchased two more laptops and two pairs of high quality speakers for the Smart boards. We are also in the process of purchasing response pads and a visualiser. We have applied for a grant from the Dick Bequest. I think it is important that children have access to the latest technology and will continue to purchase hardware and software for the school.CPD
Continuing Professional Development. All staff are committed to this and take opportunities to improve and enhance their skills.
Mrs J. Ross has recently undertaken her PDA Classroom Assistant.
In November Mrs B. Ross, Mrs J. Ross, Mrs Cockill and Mrs Metcalfe undertook Smart Board training in Elgin and next week Mrs Stewart and Mrs J. Ross are off to, Creating a Website, training.
Miss Simpson and I are now both trained in Critical Skills and this teaching methodology is being used in both classes.STAMPS FOR CHARITY
Just before Christmas I spoke to the P5-7 children about recycling used stamps for charity. If you receive any mail with postage stamps can you please send them up to school. You must leave them attached to the paper but you can cut around the stamp leaving about half a centimetre of a border or carefully tear around the stamp leaving the stamp intact. These will be sent off to the British Kidney patient Association, which is one of a few charities still accepting them.VIOLINISTS
Our young violinists continue to play well. They gave a great performance at the Rotary Songs of Praise where a member of the congregation commented, "They just keep getting better and better”. The children also played at the WRI Burns supper last week where they did equally well. They were also spoiled rotten by the ladies of the WRI and we appreciated their kindness to both the children and the adults attending.OWL VISIT
On Thursday, the children went over to the hall to listen to a talk about owls in the local area. John, from FWAG (Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group Scotland), brought along a barn owl, 2 tawny owls and a long-eared owl. Some children were allowed to hold the owls. The point of the talk was to raise awareness in the community about where the owls need to live. Everyone was interested and asked lots of questions.By Brooke Howie P6
HOMEWORK
We are continuing with homework despite the fact that the Pupil Council findings were that their busy lifestyles left little time for it!! Could I please remind you to sign the homework jotters and diaries to show parental involvement in the tasks sent home. Many thanks for your co-operation.AND FINALLY
The Drummuir and Botriphnie Community Trust are running a Quiz Night in Drummuir Hall on 31st January 2009 at 7.30pm. Entry fee £10 per team of four in aid of hall funds.
The botriphnie blether
STAFF CHANGES
I was informed on Friday that Mrs Ray McGookin has been appointed to a new position as SfL teacher at Beechbrae in Elgin. Her colleagues at Botriphnie wish her well in her new post. The post of Head Teacher Relief will now be advertised along with the post of Support for Learning teacher. This will be done at the start of next term.CHURCH SERVICE
Tomorrow, Tues 16th, is the end of term church service at Botriphnie Church. The service starts at 10.00 and you are all very welcome to attend. We have stopped taking a collection as so few were contributing. We are however well supported in our other fundraising events throughout the year.CHRISTMAS LUNCH
This was a very good get together on Friday when we managed to fit 37 bodies into the canteen which is designed for 24!
Our thanks go to all the staff at Keith Grammar School kitchen who do such a wonderful job in preparing our meals everyday and especially at Christmas. I must also mention our own cook Maureen, who always ensures that every child and member of staff is well looked after at lunchtimes. Thanks Maureen.AGE CONCERN SCOTLAND
This was a fun day and those who wore a hat raised the amount of £41 and this has been sent off to Age Concern Scotland. Well done to all members of the Pupil Council for organising this.CHRISTMAS PARTY
This takes place tomorrow afternoon in the village hall. Children normally bring in their party clothes and change after they have had their lunch. There are plenty adults to help younger children to get changed but if you wish you can pop in and help your child with their party clothes.
ALL CHILDREN WILL FINISH AT 3.00RAG BAG COLLECTION
This was a very good fund raiser which involved the wider community and managed to raise £180 for school funds. The weight of rags was 600kg and we received 30p per kg. There will be another collection in May so please lay aside items to support our fundraising.COMMUNICATING WITH SCHOOL
Please remember that if your child is going to be late or is ill you must let the school know. If no phone call is received by the school, then the school has to make contact with you. If you cannot be contacted the procedure is to contact one of the numbers you have given us. This applies to all Moray schools, not just Botriphnie. I would like to thank you for your continued cooperation in advising us regarding absences, appointments and lateness.BUS PASSES
Can I remind you to take care of these as they are asked to be produced from time to time by the bus company. If you are required to replace one there is a £3 charge.QUALITY AUDIT
Botriphnie Primary School will undertake a Quality Audit on the 24th & 25th February 2009. During these two days staff from Educational Services will be in school to observe and comment on the work of the school, a bit like a mini inspection. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Just joking!
The botriphnie blether
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Our Christmas concert is a week today, a bit earlier than usual, but it was the most suitable date for everyone.
We look forward to seeing you there. There is no charge this year as everyone has been contributing so much towards our various fund raising efforts.
We would however like to know how many are coming along, so please fill in the attached sheet to indicate numbers attending.
The concert starts at 6.30 and takes place in the village hall.
Children should be dropped off at the school before you take your seats in the hall.
Refreshments will be served back in the school after the concert and we do hope you will be able to join us.
There are no costumes. Children should wear their usual black school trousers and a white polo shirt. If you do have a Santa hat please send it up to school by Friday.GERMAN CHRISTMAS MARKET
This was such good fun that we have already put it in the diary for next year. Perhaps we can expand it and have it in the evening to set us all in the mood for the festive season. My thanks go to Miss McConnachie for organising it with the P5-7 class. She finished her placement on Friday but will be back with us in January.CHRISTMAS LUNCH
This takes place on Friday 12th Dec. It is the usual Christmas meal of turkey and trimmings with ice cream for pudding. Please complete attached form to indicate if your child/children will be having a Christmas meal or a packed lunch.BADMINTON CHALLENGE
Well done to the children who took part in this. They finished 5th which was most impressive considering they were up against much larger schools.JULY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 158 - S Simmers
2ND £30 No. 125 - J Rugg
3RD £20 No. 41 - L FindlayRAG BAG COLLECTION
This was collected today. I’m not sure if we received more than last time but there certainly seemed to be a lot and it will be great to get back into the shed! Thanks.ROTARY CLUB CHRISTMAS SONGS OF PRAISE
This event takes place at St Rufus Church in Keith on Sun 21st Dec, starting at 7.00. Hopefully all the violinists will be playing. Once again I would ask you to complete the attached form if you child is able to take part on this occasion.WEBB IVORY
This has raised £79 for School Funds. Many thanks go to Jackie Morrison and Mary Stewart for coordinating this fund raiser.POBS MEETING
This takes place on Wed 3rd at 6.30 in the school.WEAR A HAT TO SCHOOL DAY
I’ve got my hat organised. I hope all the children and staff get into the spirit of this and in doing so raise some funds for the charity Age Concern Scotland. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing the hats.
The botriphnie blether
Another blether! Well there's a lot going on at Botriphnie and we need to keep you updated.
PARENTS OF BOTRIPHNIE SCHOOL
The date for the next meeting of the parents group has been changed to Wed 3rd Dec, at 6.30, as it clashed with the performance of the Nutcracker in the village hall.AGENDA
Apologies
Previous minutes
Matters arising
Constitution
Homework
Update on fundraising
AOB
Date of next meeting
Quite a large number of pupils are not completing homework, so it would be great if you came along to give us your views on what we are doing well, and perhaps what we need to change.
FUNDRAISING
We have been really forging ahead with fundraising this term, and I know it can seem that we are constantly asking for your support. However it is greatly appreciated and I would like to thank those families who continue to help us to raise funds, not only for their own children, but for the benefit of the other children in the school.
A big thank you to Andy Riach for organising the application for a grant from Diageo. This was very successful and we have been awarded £500 as a result.
Another big thank you to all those who encouraged friends and family to support the Bodyshop party and the Tupperware Party, and to those who came along to the actual evening event in the school where I believe a good time was had by all! The orders for Bodyshop came to over £1085 and £461 for Tupperware. From this we shall receive a donation of at least £230. There are still some orders to come in. Could anyone who still has a catalogue please return it to the school.
CHRISTMAS HAMPER
This is always a good fundraiser. Many thanks to all who have already donated so generously. If you haven't yet sent up any items, could you please consider sending up something on Monday. This will be the last day for items and the hamper/hampers will be made up on Monday. It doesn't have to be anything huge, but a donation from everyone will make it feel as though the whole school community is involved.
Please check sell by dates as out of date items cannot go in the hamper and will be returned.BREATHING SPACES
We are very grateful for the funding we received from this grant which enabled us to buy a number of items which will aid us in Environmental Studies. The grounds of Drummuir Estate will provide us with a wonderful resource for active learning.TEA TOWELS
Following the soup and sweet 4 tea towels were left in the hall. One is white with Harrods on it, there is also a pale blue one, a green one with MAISON D'OR and one with Santa. Please let us know if they are yours.POPPYSCOTLAND
In Flanders fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses row on row.....Well done to the magnificent ten! Katriona, Sammy, Iona, Brooke, Luke, Rebecca, Amanda, Amber, Jessica and Jamie all learned the poem In Flanders Fields and in doing so raised £131. This was a fantastic effort both in learning the poem for homework and in raising the money in sponsorship.
The school also raised £36.76 from the sale of poppies. Thank you for your kind donations.STAFF APPOINTMENTS
I had a senior moment in the last newsletter and omitted to let you know that Mrs Beverley Ross has been appointed to the permanent post of SfL auxiliary within the school. Mrs Ross previously worked in the school and having returned, I guess she must like working here and I hope she continues to enjoy her job at Botriphnie.CONGRATULATIONS
Well done to Iona, Brooke (merit), Sammy and Katriona who all passed their Grade 2 violin exam and to Emma who passed her Grade 1 violin exam. This was a great achievement. Well done.
At the recent Badminton Challenge one of our teams came second and will now compete in the next round at Aberlour on Thursday 26th November. Well done to Stuart, Jordan, Grace, Callum T, Calum, Ryan, Amanda, Ben, Amber, Jamie and Drew, otherwise known as the Botriphnie Flames.
WEAR A HAT TO SCHOOL DAY
Our Pupil Council likes to raise money for charity and they have decided to raise money for Age Concern Scotland. Last week Jessica and Emma gave an excellent presentation to staff and pupils and we are all looking forward to taking part in the event. Rather than just giving your child £1, consider getting them to do a task first to earn the £1. It will help them to become responsible citizens. I shall be asking them what they had to do to earn the £1. Hopefully they won't be breaking any child employment laws! See Dylan's poster for further information.HOMEWORK
Once we reach December we stop the weekly homework so that we can concentrate on learning songs and words for our Christmas concert. Reading however should always be encouraged and hopefully shared and enjoyed.
Today you will receive a sheet with four carols. They do not have to be memorised but it would be really helpful if children could be familiar with the words for music on Tuesday. Very young children can learn a chorus. Please bring sheets back into school.PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE)
Just a reminder of when children require PE Kit.
All pupils have PE on Tuesday afternoons and then P1-4 have PE on a Friday morning and P5-7 have it on a Monday morning.PIPS
This stands for Performance Indicators in Primary Schools and is used as one of many assessment tools throughout all primary schools in Moray. Next week the P7s will sit this test and later in the session the P3s and P5s will sit theirs.READING CHALLENGE BOOKS
A number of books have disappeared and are unaccounted for. Would it be possible to check around the house to see if your child has brought home books and not returned them to school. They should all be stamped with the Botriphnie stamp.
botriphnie blether Hallowe'en Special
Our Hallowe’en Party will take place on Friday 31st October in the village hall. The party starts at 6.00 and will finish around 8.00 but certainly no later than 8.30.
Children are encouraged to wear fancy dress but of course they are still welcome to come along without a costume. There is no particular theme for the costumes. Just surprise us!
The costumes will be judged in three groups, Pre School, P1-3 and P4-7. There will be prizes and certificates for first, second and third in these categories.There will also be a “neepie” lantern competition. There are two categories for this. Prizes will be awarded for the best carved lantern and the other for the best novelty lantern. Andrew and Billy Stewart have very kindly agreed to help by providing turnips, which will be taken home on Tues 28th at the end of the school day.
The lanterns will be placed on the tables in the hall and lit for judging. The school usually has a supply of tea lights so don’t worry if you can’t find a candle.
Please do not bring lit lanterns into the village hall.
Parade of costumes and prizes
Judging lanterns and prizes
Photo shoot Dave McWilliam
Games
Table top games
Dookin for apples
Jammy doughnuts
Children’s & parents’ refreshments
Collect balloon and goody bags before going home
Parents are welcome to stay or you can simply drop off the children and collect them later. There is a lot more space in the village hall so we will be able to fit everyone in.
If you have no transport to take your child to the party please contact the school and hopefully I can arrange something. All the children look forward to this and it would be a pity if anyone were to miss out.
Children must be collected by parents at the end of the party.
There is a cost of £1 to help meet the cost of the party and prizes. Please send £1 up to the school before the party on Fri 31st October.
The botriphnie blether
SCHOOL CALENDARS
You should have received one of these by now. I hope you find it useful. Please use it to add any dates which have not already been included on the calendar.
If you wish to order another calendar for Christmas please put up a note or phone the school. The cost of extra calendars is £3.HALLOWE’EN PARTY
There was a misprint on the calendar. The party will be on Friday 31st October from 6.00-8.00ish. More details on separate letter.PARENT COUNCIL
Following last week’s AGM which was well attended the following office bearer’s were elected for the coming year.Chairperson: Fiona Metcalfe
Vice Chairperson: Patricia Howie
Secretary: Joan Ross
Treasurer: Shona CockillThe next meeting takes place on Tuesday 28th October at 6.30.
Remember one person from each family is entitled to attend and all parents are members of the Parent Forum.
OCTOBER 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 41 - Laurence Findlay
2ND £30 No. 21 - Christine Forbes
3RD £20 No. 160 - Mary BonnymanCROSS COUNTRY
Well done to all the children who took part. It was great to see everyone involved either in the running or the power walk. No medals this year but a lot of very fit youngsters who all completed the course.
Congratulations to Rebecca Metcalfe who completed the course with a broken arm.
Now that deserves a medal!PARENT APPOINTMENTS
These take place tomorrow after school and your appointment time is in your communication packet.
The new communication packets and money pockets seem to be working well. Thank you for you cooperation.STUDENT TEACHER
Last week we were joined by Miss Tracy McConnachie who is training as a primary school teacher. She rejoins us for 4 weeks on Monday 3rd November and then returns for 4 weeks on January 5th. She thought the children were lovely and well behaved. She will be in the P5-7 class.SWIMMING AND STAY AND PLAY
This is the last week for both these activities. Many thanks to the parents who went along to the swimming and also to those who helped out at the Stay and Play.
Next term PE will restart on Mondays for P5-7 and Fridays for P1-4.BODYSHOP & TUPPERWARE PARTY
This takes place on Wed 19th Nov from 6.30-8.30. Please come along and bring as many friends and relatives as you can! More details to follow nearer the time.HOLIDAYS
The school closes on Friday for the October Break. I am having eye surgery on Friday for a cataract and will return to work when I am able. Mrs Tommie Gross will cover the class in my absence.
The botriphnie blether
CANTEEN MEALS
Keith Grammar school has been in touch to say that:
THERE WILL BE NO LUNCHES TOMORROW
Packed lunches should be provided from home as previously advised. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.`SMARTBOARD DISPLAY
Our two new Smartboards are up and running and we would very much like you to come along to see what they can do.
This will take place on:Wednesday 1st October at 6.00 in the school.
Please come along and bring the children as we would like them to be involved in showing you how they are using and learning from the new ICT.
There will be refreshments and nibbles.
Following this at 7.00 there will be the AGM for the Parent Council to which everyone is invited.PLEASE come along and get involved and support your children. We promise not to make you do anything you don't want to do!!!!
PARENT APPOINTMENTS
Our first parent meeting of the year will take place on Tuesday 7th October. Can you please complete the attached sheet to identify a preference for the time of your appointment. You will then receive an exact time to meet and discuss your child's learning and how we can work together to support your child in his/her learning.
SOUP AND SWEET
This went incredibly well thanks to the hard work and commitment of so many parents, staff and friends of Botriphnie.The amount raised was £603. There is a donation to the North Church Hall to pay and also an advert.
This was a great effort from everyone and it is particularly rewarding to see parents involved and enjoying the event.
Those who had their lunch were very complimentary and positive about the event so I'm sure we would all like to go ahead and do it again next year!
The botriphnie blether
Welcome to the first blether of our new school session. All pupils have returned rested and raring to go. Our anticipated role of 29 has increased to 33 and this includes a new pupil at the P1 stage. We are delighted to welcome Danielle at P7, Dillan and Jessica at P5 and Tom at P1. They have settled in really quickly and I’m sure they will enjoy their time at the village school.
STAFFING
Due to Mrs McGookin’s continued absence the school is once again without a HTR (Head Teacher Relief) and a SfL teacher (Support for Learning Teacher}. The post of SfL will continue to be covered by Mrs Calder and Mrs McKenzie. Mrs Gross is joining the staff later this week to cover the post of HTR. Mrs Beverley Ross is covering the post of SfL auxiliary on a supply basis.
CLASS FORMATION
This session Miss Simpson is taking the P1-4 class and I am taking the P5-7 class.
The class numbers are as follows:
P1-1, P3-5, P4-8, P5-10, P6-5, P7-4. There are currently no P2s.
COMMUNICATION PACKET
This session I am trying a new method to ensure that all notes actually reach home. Any correspondence will go home in a plastic folder which should be emptied and returned to school the next day. Children who return packets will be awarded a try-point for being responsible. I have also included a supply of money pockets which you may find useful when sending money up to school. Just ask when you require more.
JULY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 153 - J Ricketts
2ND £30 No. 196 - N Theodoreson
3RD £20 £20 No. 18 - D RossCABRACH PUPILS
Cabrach Primary School currently has 4 pupils at the P1-4 stage and they will be joining in with our P1-4 pupils for PE on a Tuesday.
BIRNIE VISIT
Today the P5-7 class visited the Birnie Dig. I shall update you in the next newsletter if we found any hidden treasure!
There will be an open day at the dig for the general public on 7th September with talks at 11am, 1pm and 3pm.SWIMMING
Pupils in P4 and P5 will receive swimming lessons beginning this Friday up until the October Break. Please remember swim wear and a towel this Friday.
FRUITY FRIDAY AND HEALTHY SNACK
This continues to be popular with pupils and parents. Everyone seems more than happy to contribute 30p towards the cost of this every Friday. If you forget simply send it up when you remember.
SCHOOL RULES OK
At the end of last term all pupils and staff came together to review our school rules. The outcome was that we added a third rule to our two existing rules.
Botriphnie pupils have agreed to be
· KIND
· RESPONSIBLE
· RESPECTFUL
BUS PUPILS
There seemed to be some confusion last week when pupils were asked to produce bus passes. If anyone has lost/mislaid their bus pass can you please let us know and we shall arrange for a new one.
BUS BEHAVIOUR
This is always a bit of a headache and I would ask for your co-operation in talking to and reminding your child/children about good behaviour on the bus. Hopefully if school and home work together we can get this message across.
ANNUAL SCHOOL CALENDAR
The photos for our annual school calendar will be taken on the afternoon of Thursday 4th September. Hopefully all pupils will be present on that date and looking smart in their school uniform.
RAG BAG COLLECTION
Our next Rag Bag collection takes place on Mon 1st December in the afternoon. This is sometime away but it’s good to get plenty warning so that you can spread the word and start laying aside and storing any unwanted items. The following items are accepted.
CLOTHING SHOES BAGS HATS BELTS TOWELS CURTAINS BED LINEN
Bags will be sent home nearer the time. Supporting this helps us in our work to become an Eco School.
RECYCLING
Please remember that there is a paper recycling facility at the school which you are welcome to use. It is the large green bin nearest to the school. The small green bin can also be used for all types of cans.
FREE BOOKLETS
The school has received a large number of leaflets on all aspects of health which have been sponsored by a local business. They deal with many health issues including drugs, smoking and alcohol. If you wish a copy please let me know.HOMEWORK
Formal homework starts in September and class teachers will put out individual letters explaining how you can help and support you child over the coming session. If you have any issues regarding homework why not come along to the next Parent Council Meeting where you can discuss this, or any other issues or concerns you may have.
FLOWER BEDS
Many thanks to parents and pupils who came along and watered and weeded the flowerbeds this summer. They are looking very colourful and welcoming.
PARENT COUNCIL MEETING
Wednesday 26th August
6.30 School hall
Remember all parents are members of the Parent Council and one member from each family is very welcome to attend the meetings.
At this first meeting we shall be discussing the proposed Soup and Sweet in the North Church Hall on the 20th September.
Please come along.
The botriphnie blether
SUMMER FAIR
A huge thank you to all those who supported and helped at the fair. There was a good turn out and an enjoyable evening was had by all. A fantastic £810 was raised; £100 of which will go to WWF and the Red Cross Disaster Fund, the remainder will be put into the school fund to help pay for equipment, trips and treats for the children.
TEAM READ
This takes place at Keith Library over the summer holidays and I would urge all pupils to take part. You have to pick up a membership card, fold-out chart and stickers. Then read your way through bronze and silver levels to get your gold medal.
WATERING GARDENS
Thank you to all those who volunteered to help out with watering the garden. Please see duty rota below.
SCHOOL GARDENS ROTA
Week beginning Saturday:July 5th July 12th July 19th July 26th August 2nd August 9th Fiona Metcalfe Patricia Howie Shona Cockill Fiona Metcalfe Miss Findlay Shona Cockill NEW SCHOOL LUNCH MENU
Please find attached new menus for school lunches. There will now be a choice of soup and a main course or main course and a pudding. The cost of a meal is going up to £1.85 - £18.50 for a book of 10 tickets. This is still excellent value for money as can be see from the menu.
LANDMARK
The bus will be leaving at 9am sharp so please don't be late or you will miss out!
The bus should be back at school for around 4.30(please note change of time) and all children should be collected from school. If the weather is really bad and we have to come back early I will contact you to let you know.
JULY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 178 J. Thain
2ND £30 No. 203 V. Grant
3RD £20 No. 54 A. Cameron
Wishing you all a happy and sunny summer break. See you all too soon!
The botriphnie blether
MORAY MUSIC FESTIVAL
This now seems a distant memory but a very happy one. We were really successful for a small school and our school choir excelled themselves to gain a first place and a distinction certificate for their performance. This success was followed up with a first in the violin for Brooke and a first for our violin group. Well done to staff and parents for their support in preparing pupils to such a standard.
Iona, Brooke and Emma recently took part in the Scots Fiddle class in the Elgin and Strathspey music festival where they played well and received good marks for their performances. Unfortunately our violin group had to withdraw as our three senior players were all absent that week.
STAFFING
I am very pleased to welcome Mrs Cockill to the post of Playground Supervisor and Lunchtime Auxiliary. She has settled in very quickly and I hope she enjoys working at Botriphnie as much as the rest of the staff.
Ms Normand has returned to the post of Head Teacher Relief on a supply basis to cover the continued absence of Mrs McGookin. Mrs McKenzie and Mrs Calder are covering Support for Learning.
GARDENING
This term we plan to convert the log garden into a recycled garden. For this I am looking for items that could be used as plant containers. If you have anything which you think we might be able to use please contact the school. We don’t wantany old rubbish so we shall be quite selective in what we use!
RAG BAG COLLECTION
This takes place on Wednesday 21st May. Bags can be taken to school before then. If you want to leave delivery till the last day then the village hall will be open on the morning of the 21st May to receive your collection
Please spread the word to family, friends and neighbours. This is an ideal opportunity to spring clean or to have a good, “redd oot!”
We will be paid 30p per kg which is £300 per tonne.
Any large plastic bags can be used.
MAY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 48 J. Mark
2ND £30 No. 154 N. Theodoreson
3RD £20 No. 72 G. CockillYou will shortly be asked to renew your membership for this. I hope you feel you can. If you are not already a member, please consider joining. Most of our membership if from outwith the school and these kind donations provide much needed funding which benefits all the children of Botriphnie.
ART EXHIBITION
A primary and secondary art exhibition is taking place at the Elgin Library for two weeks beginning 16th May. There are two entries from each primary and Mrs Clark has selected a piece of work from Iona and one from Brooke. If you are in Elgin why not pop in past the library. You can also visit Cooper Park and there are also very tasty home bakes in the library cafe!
ABERNETHY WEEK
This year our P7 pupils joined up with Keith Primary School for this week. Nextyear it is planned to offer this to all P7 pupils who will be transferring to Keith Grammar School. This has already been booked to accommodate all 80 P7 pupils.
Keith Primary will be sending out a letter in June asking if your child wishes to take part. The Botriphnie school fund will pay half of the cost of the trip and the remaining half can be paid in instalments.
BOOK QUIZ
Congratulations to Kieran, Katriona, Iona and Brooke who beat off stiff opposition from Mortlach and Craigellachie to make it through to the next round of the competition. Unfortunately this was only open to P6/7 pupils, so due to my misinterpretation of the rules we cannot take part in the next round. The good news is we can legally enter next year!
WOODWIND TUITION
A couple of parents have returned forms indicating an interest in tuition. Mr Fryer will look at the returns and will then carry out a test to see if pupils have an aptitude for music. Successful pupils may then be offered tuition on a woodwind instrument. Lessons for this will begin after the summer holidays.
TRANSPORT TO SCHOOL BY CAR
This is for your information only.
All schools have been asked to remind parents of the correct guidelines for transporting children to school by car. Police are concerned about the number of pupils being dropped off, who are not keeping to the guidelines for seatbelts and booster seats. There is also a worry about people stopping on the yellow zig- zag markings outside schools. Police are monitoring this at all schools throughout Moray.
WALK TO SCHOOL WEEK
This takes place on the 19th May. The majority of pupils travel to school by bus but this could be an opportunity for parents to consider enterprising ways of building in an element of walking e.g.
Walking to the next pick up point for the bus.
The bus dropping off pupils at the end of the village and then walking up to school.
Parents and pupils walking to school.
All of the above activities must be accompanied by an adult and must take place with parental consent.
Please see attached letter and complete if you wish to be involved in some way in incorporating an element of walking into your child’s journey to school. I appreciate many pupils already walk to road ends and you could simply use this as your walking plan.
TOPICS
Our topics for this term are
P4-7 Explorers
P2/3 Nature
Perhaps you could enjoy exploring somewhere the children have never been before and discover what nature has to offer at this special time of year as spring turns in to summer.
IN SERVICE DAYS
The school will be closed next Thursday and Friday for two in service days. Staff will be involved in work related to the new Curriculum for Excellence which is currently being embedded throughout all Scottish schools. This new curriculum is designed to produce -
Confident Individuals
Successful Learners
Effective Contributors
Responsible Citizens
The botriphnie blether
Our Burns’ Supper takes place tomorrow. There is nearly a 100% uptake for this. If you have forgotten to respond to the invitation then please let us know first thing tomorrow, if you intend coming along. It starts at 6.00 in the school hall.
This has been quite a big undertaking and I am very grateful to Patricia Howie for the excellent idea and to those who have rallied round to help and those who have donated items for the evening.
This is an informal evening and children should not wear school uniform. Of course I am happy for the children to wear a bit of tartan. Sammy certainly looked the part last Friday when he gave his kilt an outing on the occasion of Burns’ birthday on the 25th January.STAFFING
I was very disappointed to hear that Susan Johnston is planning to leave us. As you know Susan is a sports coach and she has been offered more work in this area. Susan will be a huge loss to the school, where she has been such an enthusiastic helper, a willing volunteer, and a friend to all. Susan is leaving on Friday but we hope to see her back at the school in her role as sports coach.
The post will be advertised but in order to release Susan, Mrs. Shona Cockill has stepped in to cover the post until an appointment is made.
Two new members of staff have been in school covering Mrs McGookin’s absence. Mrs Annabel Calder is currently covering the HTR post each Friday and Mrs Elma McKenzie is covering the SfL post on Monday and Tuesday.
The following message has been posted on the School’s Information Line.
In the event of severe weather, which may affect the opening of the school, or bus arrangements for those who travel by bus, then this message will be updated by 7.30 am on the morning when this may be a concern.
If this is the message you hear then the school is open!
SNOW CLEARING/GRITTING
Since Mrs Gordon retired there is no longer anyone available to clear the snow or to put down salt and grit in the morning. I understand that there is an arrangement in place for 2.5 hours a week, for ten weeks, which runs from January to mid March. Payment is made even if the weather is fine. If anyone is interested in this position, please contact the school.
JANUARY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 109 Philip & Louise Stewart
2ND £30 No. 72 Gillian Cockill
3RD £20 No. 44 Loretta HutchisonOnce again we have a few spare numbers. Can you help?
FUNDRAISINGApologies but the correct amount for the Christmas Hamper raffle was £293.50 and not £392.50 as stated in the last newsletter. It was still a fantastic amount!
Do you order items on-line?
If the answer is yes and you would like to help us raise even more money, please have a look at the following site:
www.easyfundraising.org.ukThere are many companies who have registered with this fundraising site who will make a small donation to the school every time you order as long as you go through www.easyfundraising.org.uk first - and it won’t cost you a penny!
Give it a try! (Remember to nominate Botriphnie Primary as the organisation you support)
COURSE ATTENDANCE
I shall be out of school this week from Wednesday to Friday. I am attending a course on Visionary Leadership in Elgin. The P4-7 class will be covered by Mrs Calder on Wed and Thurs and Ms Cathy Francis on Friday.
PARENT APPOINTMENTS
These take place on Wed 13th and Thurs 14th next week. Your appointment times will be with you next Monday. They will begin after school at 3.00 for P1-3 and 3.15 for P4-7. If anyone requires a specific time, either earlier or later, please pop a note into your child’s homework jotter.
MID TERM
The dates for mid term are Fri 15th and Mon 18th February.
SCHOOL ROLL
Unfortunately there were no enrolments this year. This means that there will be no P1 or P2 pupils next session. This of course may change.
PUPIL COUNCIL
Our new Pupil Council has been established for 2008 and our first meeting took place on Friday under the guidance of Mrs. Ross. I am very grateful to Mrs Ross for taking on this role.
The following pupils make up this year’s Pupil CouncilP7 Sam, Katie and Kieran
P6 Sammy
P5 Iona, Brooke and Rebecca
P4 Amber and Jamie
P3 Shaun and GracePlease see attached sheet for minutes of the meeting.
FORTH COMING EVENTS
Salmon to school week beginning 18th Feb
Youth Music Initiative P4 at Keith Primary on 22nd Feb, 11.00
P7 morning of badminton on Fri 22nd Feb at St Thomas followed by visit to KGS to see Rock Challenge presentation.
Drummuir 21 AGM Sat 23rd Feb in school 10.00-12.00
Rotary Quiz Tues 26th Feb at Keith Grammar School 7.00
World Book Day Thurs 6th March
Sportshall badminton challenge Thurs 20th March, P3-5 10.00-12.00
Pupil Council Meeting Minutes
1st February 2008
1. A vote was taken to decide on how long the Chairperson and Secretary would hold their titles.
The choices were a) to keep them all year or b) to change them for each meeting. A majority of 8 votes to 3 votes decided that they would keep them the same all year.
A secret vote was taken to elect the positions and the results wereKatie Morrison as Chairperson and
Kieran Stewart as Secretary.2. a) There is a problem with children going behind the sheds and the playground supervisor cannot see them. It was pointed out that there is the same problem with the tree.
All agreed that no-one should go behind the sheds or beside the tree for safety reasons. Cones did not stop anyone as they jumped over them. To help the playground supervisor it was agreed that any playground helpers in P6 and 7 would help to monitor these areas and report any problems.
b) Balls are always going over the high fence.
It was suggested that on windy days that no balls were allowed out. It was agreed that playground supervisor and the P6 and 7 playground helpers would discuss if balls were not to go out.
If balls go over the fence the person doing this would have 5 minutes "time out" to be monitored by playground supervisor or a prefect.
Balls being kicked onto the P4/7 area was a problem.
It was agreed that the P1/3 would be given 2 chances and get the ball back but if it happened again, the ball would stay at the bottom until end of break.
3. There was feedback on the packed lunch people being asked to eat their lunch in order.
The Council felt that it made sense to start with sandwiches (sausage roll, sausages or similar) and then be left to eat the rest in any order. This was carried unanimously.4. There has been some silly nonsense on the bus and it was felt that a new seating arrangement would help.
Kieran and Sammy are to make up a new rota and discuss it with Miss Findlay.
5. Date of next meeting Friday 8th February 2008.
The botriphnie blether
Welcome to the first blether of 2008. I hope everyone had a peaceful and relaxing holiday and that the resolutions made are still in place!
FUNDRAISING
In the run up to Christmas there was a great deal of effort to raise money for the school fund, which allows the children to experience a wide range of activities.
I am extremely grateful to all those who involved themselves in fundraising. Many thanks and well done to everyone.Bag packing at Tesco £440
Christmas concert £68.50
Christmas Hamper £392.50
Stationery sale (staff) £41
Webb Ivory £60
SCHOOL TEA TOWELS
This enterprise project was undertaken by the P4-7 pupils as part of their topic on printing. Our profit margin was very small so as to reduce the cost to you. One hundred were printed and we need to sell them all in order to make a profit. There are still a few left for sale.
SCHOOL ROLL
I am always sorry when pupils leave and it was sad to say farewell to Luke and Jack Playle who left at the end of last term. This week we say farewell to Danielle and Dylan Stewart. We have enjoyed them being with us and wish them all the best in the future.
I am however very pleased to welcome Jordan Turner who has joined us at the P3 stage.
This will take the roll down to 32, 12 pupils in the P1-3 class and 20 in the P4-7 class. If the roll remains the same it is likely that next year’s class formation will be P3/4 and P5-7.HOMEWORK
This will restart during the week. Class teachers will send home information on the types of homework you can expect, and how you can support your child in their work.
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES TOPICS
P1-3 will be learning about
Our Industries
P4-7 will be learning about
The Highland Clearances
SCIENCE TOPICS
P1-3 will be learning about
Materials
P4-7 will be learning about
The Structure of the Earth
HEALTH TOPICS
P1-3 will be learning about
Head Lice
P4-7 will be learning about
We are special
JANUARY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 148 P. Reid
2ND £30 No. 102 C. Forbes for S. Mitchell
3RD £20 No. 54 J. McIntosh for A. CameronSCHOOL CLOSURES
The number to call when there is adverse weather is 08700549999 followed by the school PIN which is 031130. An announcement may also be made on Moray Firth Radio. If you bring your child into school on a snowy day please remember that it is your responsibility to collect them at the end of the day.
MORAY MUSIC FESTIVAL
This takes place in March. All pupils will be involved in the small schools music making section. Our violin group will be taking part and some of our violinists will be playing solos. More details nearer the time.
PE KIT
Children have Physical Education every Tuesday afternoon. A number of children forget to bring in their PE kit, which is simply a pair of shorts, a T-Shirt and a pair of trainers or slip on plimsolls. Children can leave this in school on their peg. Can I please ask for your support in ensuring your child is prepared for this important area of the curriculum. Many thanks.
BUS PUPILS
Most of our pupils travel by bus. If there are any changes to this it would be helpful if the school were informed. If you pick your child up at the end of the day perhaps you could simply tell the bus driver that you are taking your child home.
LUNCHTIME ARRANGEMENTS
With a drop in the school roll and the loss of a member of support staff I have decided to have the packed lunches in the hall at the same time as the cooked lunches in the canteen. We tried it last week and it seems to be working well.
ENROLMENT WEEK
This is enrolment week for those beginning school in August 2008. My understanding is that there are no pupils due to enrol this year. This means that it will be likely that there will be no P1 or P2 pupils next session.
CULLODEN VISIT
This will take place on March 10th. We will also be visiting Fort George on the same day. We shall be leaving early in the morning and probably arriving home late but you will receive more details nearer the time. In the meantime if you have any resources to help us with our topic on The Jacobites we would be happy to receive them.DRUMMUIR 21
Pond dipping and pancakes on the Upper Isla Pond next to the hatchery. Saturday 2nd February, 10.00-12.00.
D21 AGM, Botriphnie Primary School, Saturday 23rd February, 10.00-12.00.
BURNS NIGHT
The school is to host a Burns Night on Tuesday 5th February. A group of parents are organising this and the children will be involved with the entertainment. The evening is for children and adults and it sounds like a lot of fun.
More details will be with you shortly.
Bonnie Charlie's Noo Awa
It is a little known fact that when Bonnie Prince Charlie died his bones were returned to Glenfinnan, where he raised his standard. At the time a shepherd was building a dry stane dyke and hid Prince Charlie's remains in the stones. This is the background story behind the song Bonnie Charlie's noo a wa'.Sorry but I couldn’t resist this one!
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Friday 15th Feb - Occasional day holiday
Monday 18th Feb - Mid term holiday
Friday 21st March - Good Friday holiday
Term ends - Friday 28th March
The botriphnie blether
Well we have celebrated St Andrew's day and Sam's birthday and now we are heading in to December, which of course means that Christmas is not too far away.
December is a busy one for everyone and the school is no exception.
Monday 10th Dec is the date of our "Christmas Story in Song and Verse". This will take place in the village hall at 6.30. Entry is by ticket. Tickets can be bought from the school on Monday at a cost of £1 for adults and 50p for secondary pupils. There is no cost for pre school children. Tickets will be numbered and will be entered into a raffle. After the concert, refreshments will be served in the school. There is no cost for this as it is included in the price of the ticket. We hope to see you there along with family and friends.
Christmas lunch will be held next Friday, 7th Dec. This is rather early but it is the only day KGS can accommodate every school. All children are welcome to attend the Christmas lunch. It would be helpful for numbers if you could complete the attached form indicating your preference. The price of a lunch is £1.80.
Bag packing at Tesco's will take place on Saturday 22nd December. I cannot give exact times for this until I know how many helpers are available. The hours we do are entirely up to us. We could begin at 10.00 and finish at 2.00 or we can start earlier or finish later. To help in the organisation of this can you please complete the attached form.
A huge thank you to everyone who donated towards the Christmas hamper and to the three mums who came along to make them up. They were able to make up four hampers plus a children's one.
One P5 pupil has been very enterprising and thanks to her wonderful letter writing, we have also secured a hamper from Baxter's and one from Walker's. Congratulations to Brooke and to her mum for supporting this.
Our violinists will be playing at St Rufus on Sunday 16th December. The Christmas Songs of Praise starts at 7.00. More details nearer the time.
PTO to read some of our stories about our trip to Aberdeen.
Please complete and return as soon as possible
Child's/Children's names
Number of tickets for Christmas concert èè
Adults
Children
My child/children will be having a Christmas lunch on Friday 7th December
Please tick èè
Yes
No
Bag packing at Tesco's on Saturday 22nd December
I am willing to bag pack at Tesco's on Sat 22nd December 2007èPlease tick
YES
NO
ê
ê
Please complete the section below ê ê
If your answer is no are you happy for your child to help? Children must be in the P3-7 age group. See box 3 below. ê
1. Please indicate your preferred times e.g., morning, afternoon, anytime etc
2. Please indicate number of hour sessions you are prepared to help with the packing.
3. If your child is in P3-7 can you write their names, if they can help either with you as a parent, or with a member of staff or another adult from the school.
Our Day Out
To begin with we went to the Maritime Museum. We saw a clock and I saw a boat. After that we went for our lunch. It was a good day.
Ryan Furborough P4
The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat
We went to His Majestys Theatre in Aberdeen to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. It was absolutely phenomenal because it was so loud and colourful and musical. Botriphnie School sat together.
Mrs McGookin found the music too loud. On the way back home Katie Morrison was singing songs from Joseph when Mrs McGookin said "Shhhh!"
Katie said "Party pooper".
Luke Playle P5
JOSEPH On Thursday, 1st November the whole school went to see Joseph in Aberdeen. The show didn't start for ages but the pupils didn't mind. There were lots of other people there.
It was a perfect show. It was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
During the show there was a break. It was a long break. When it came back on
everyone started to scream as loud as they could because it was starting again.
I really enjoyed the finale because Benjamin and all his brothers as well as the rest of the cast came out and jumped about.
Emma Riach P4
Escape From School
On the first of November we went to visit the Maritime Museum. We had no lessons from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Maritime Museum was in Aberdeen beside the harbour.
At the museum we were put into nine groups and we were all taken to three different levels.
On the second level we learned about all the dangers of digging for oil. Some of the techniques used for digging for oil sounded quite scary.
The pupils in my group learned about different cargo ships and fishing boats and that old fishermen who are no longer at sea, walk to and fro on the quay, just as they did when they were on the decks of their old fishing boats.
Then we went to the third level and it was brilliant because we got to control an underwater camera that was in a big deep fish tank. You could actually see your friends in it.
As you can see we had a brilliant time and learned a lot about different cargo ships and digging for oil. We would recommend it to anyone because it’s great.
Sammy Mitchell P6
The botriphnie blether
Thankfully we had some lovely weather for the October Break and I hope that the children have come back refreshed and ready to settle down to some hard work.
Following discussions during the Parent Appointments I know that you are all keen to be involved in your child’s learning and I appreciate the support you give in encouraging hard work in school and at home.
P4-7 pupils will now be undertaking maths games for homework and P7 pupils will be doing more formal maths homework. The P7 pupils also have a new homework diary, which will help with their transition to KGS.
Miss Simpson will keep parents of P1-3 pupils informed about homework.
JOSEPH
On Thursday we are heading off to Aberdeen to see the musical Joseph. In the morning we are visiting Aberdeen Maritime Museum. Joseph starts at 2.00 and I imagine we will be back in Drummuir at about 5.30. Children on the Edintore road and the main Drummuir to Keith road will be dropped off at their usual dropping off point. The rest of the pupils will return to the school to be collected by parents. I can provide transport for any pupils who have transport problems. Just let me know.
I will update the school information line when we leave Aberdeen giving our expected time of arrival.
08700549999 PIN 031130
Children need to bring a packed lunch. Those ordering a packed lunch from the canteen at KGS have given their order to Mrs Ross today.
School uniforms should be worn.
HALLOWE’EN PARTY
As you know this takes place on Friday in the village hall. Support staff will be decorating the hall on Friday morning and if any parents are free to help, you are very welcome to come along. Just turn up at the school at 9.00. If you have any Hallowe’en decorations, please bring them along.
If you have not already done so, could you please send up £1 towards the cost of the party.
Neeps will be dropped off at the school on Wed 31st. Please bring up a carrier bag to take one home.
PoBS
Parent Councils Open Space Event
Lossiemouth High School
Wed 21st Nov. or Wed 28th Nov.
7.00 - 9.30I shall be going along to this and two parents are also invited to attend. Please let me know if you are interested in representing the Parent Council. It should be a useful and informative meeting about the running and setting up of the new Parent Councils.
CROSS COUNTRY
The children who took part in the cross country at Keith all did very well. A special mention must go to Shaun Howie in P3, who finished 2nd in the P3 boys’ race and Sammy Mitchell in P6, who finished 5th in the P6 boys’ race.
AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS
Are you interested in running a club after school?
Have you a skill, which you could pass on to the children?
Do you play chess?
Are you musical, sporty or arty-crafty?
Are you a computer wizard?
Do you like drama?
If you have an interest, hobby or skill, which you would like to share with the children, please get in touch. The school would be happy to provide any materials, which you might need.GRID CLUB & SUPER CLUB
Ms Normand supervised this lunchtime activity and now Mrs Ross has very kindly agreed to get this up and running again. These computer clubs are very popular with the children but unfortunately they are no longer free. Having discussed this with the children we have decided to meet the cost from school funds but the children have agreed that they will charge you for the Christmas concert and will run a raffle in order to raise the funds they need! These clubs run at lunchtime and if we have some parent volunteers we can run them over more lunchtimes than at present. Let me know if you are able to supervise this over a lunchtime.
NOVEMBER 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 35 M. Bannerman
2ND £30 No. 129 I. Wilson
3RD £20 No. 135 N. RendallWe have lost a number of members since the summer. There are now 10 numbers available. It would be great if you could help out by twisting a few arms in order to keep our membership up to 200. Can you help out? You pay £1 a month or you can pay annually. Better odds than the lottery!
ORAL HEALTH WORKSHOP REPORT
This was a very successful morning and well presented by the children. Sharon Royan who organised the event was most impressed with the children’s presenting skills and the way they had prepared and worked together in their teams.
It was good that some parents managed to come along. Hopefully the message of avoiding sugary snacks is filtering through and this is reinforced by our own initiative of Fruity Friday and Healthy Snack Friday, which is so well supported by parents and children.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
This is pencilled in for Monday 10th December. It will take place in the village hall and will start at 6.30.
CHRISTMAS CARDS
The children love giving and receiving Christmas cards. It is perhaps a little early to be mentioning this, but can I ask that cards are not taken into school before Tuesday 11th December.
CHRISTMAS PARTY
The date of the Christmas party is Tuesday 18th Dec.
WINTER WEATHER
According to the Press and Journal today we are going to have a bad winter. The RSPB reports large numbers of siskins flying in from Europe, which is a sign that the weather is going to be bad.
The number to call when there is any possibility of the school being closed is 08700549999 followed by the school PIN which is 031130.
WORKMEN!
Last Tuesday I was woken by a phone call at 7.55am. The voice at the end of the phone informed me that they were running a little late and they wouldn’t be in school until 8.30. I informed them I didn’t know they were coming into school at anytime, but assured them I would be there to let them in. I arrived at 8.33. It normally takes me three hours to get myself ready in the morning so this was a bit of a record! It did however take a little longer today!
The workmen undertook draught proofing by inserting a silicon resin around some of the doors and windows so hopefully the draughts will have disappeared and the school will be cosy when the north winds blow.
botriphnie blether Hallowe'en Special
Our Hallowe’en Party will take place on Friday 2nd November in the village hall. The party starts at 6.00 and will finish around 8.00 but certainly no later than 8.30.
Children are encouraged to wear fancy dress but of course they are still welcome to come along without a costume. There is no particular theme for the costumes. Just surprise us!
The costumes will be judged in three groups, Pre School, P1-3 and P4-7. There will be prizes and certificates for first, second and third in these categories.
There will also be a “neepie” lantern competition. There are two categories for this. Prizes will be awarded for the best carved lantern and the other for the best novelty lantern. Andrew and Billy Stewart have very kindly agreed to help by providing turnips, which will be taken home on Wed 31st at the end of the school day.
The lanterns will be placed on the tables in the hall and lit for judging. The school usually has a supply of tea lights so don’t worry if you can’t find a candle.
Please do not bring lit lanterns into school.
Programme for the Evening
Parade of costumes and prizes
Judging lanterns and prizes
Photo shoot
Games
Table top games
Dookin for apples
Jammy doughnuts
Children’s and parents’ refreshments in the village hall
Collect balloon and goody bags before going home
Parents are welcome to stay or you can simply drop off the children and collect them later. There is a lot more space in the village hall so we will be able to fit everyone in.
If you have no transport to take your child to the party please contact the school and hopefully I can arrange something. All the children look forward to this and it would be a pity if anyone were to miss out.
Children can be taken home from the hall when parents are ready to take them home.
There is a cost of £1 to help meet the cost of the party and prizes. Please send £1 up to the school before the party on Fri 2nd November.
The botriphnie blether
STAFFING
I am pleased to welcome two new members of staff to the school.
Miss Linda Simpson was appointed to the P1-3 post and is looking forward to teaching at Botriphnie School. She has already been in for two days and will be teaching again this Friday prior to taking up the permanent post on Mon 29th October.
Mrs Ray McGookin joined us on the 10th Sept filling the vacancy for the posts of HTR (Head Teacher Relief) and SfL. Mrs McGookin has a wealth of experience in teaching and SfL.
I am positive both staff will enjoy teaching at Botriphnie Primary.
Ms Normand is leaving on Thursday and I am very grateful for the commitment she has shown since stepping in to cover the P1-3 class.
CYCLING PROFICIENCY
Congratulations to all the children who took part in this. All children gained in their knowledge of road safety and cycling skills and were awarded passes at green, amber and red. The children were guided through this by Mrs June Andrew, the road safety officer, who commented frequently on the good manners and excellent behaviour of the pupils. Many thanks go to Mrs Ross for her input and Mrs Shona Cockill and Mrs Fiona Metcalfe who have been awarded the SPH (Star Parent Helpers!). This award also goes to Mrs Jan Low, Mrs Shona Cockill (again!) and Mrs Carol Riach for helping with the swimming.
Kerry Main plans to do some cycle outings with these children in the summer term. This should be fun.
Oral Health Workshop
Last week the children in P5-7 received a very good educational talk from Sharon Royan and her team members on oral health and these children will be presenting a workshop to the rest of the school and parents, on this very important issue.
ORAL HEALTH WORKSHOP
Thurs 11th Oct
9.00 - 10.30
BOTRIPHNIE PRIMARY
PARENTS NEEDED
PLEASE COME ALONG
TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
Following two occasions when the bus left without pupils I have put in place measures to ensure that this does not happen again. It would also be really helpful if you could let me know when you make alternative arrangements for children going home after school. This avoids the bus driver heading up a remote country road only to discover that the pupil isn’t on the bus!
STAY AND PLAY
This week’s Stay and Play will now take place on Thursday. This is the last week of Stay and Play.
CURLING
P6 and P7 pupils are getting the opportunity to go curling at the Moray Leisure Centre ice rink. This takes place in the morning so there will be no change to your child’s usual travel arrangements. It sounds like great fun.
JOSEPH
As indicated previously the whole school is going to the musical Joseph on the 1st November. The school is paying for the transport and will partly subsidise the cost of the tickets. Could you please send up £5 if you have one pupil at the school, £8 if you have two pupils at the school and £12 if you have three pupils at the school. More information for the day’s activities will be given out at the start of next term. There are some spare seats so if you would like to come along let us know ASAP.
CALENDARS
These should be with you by the end of the week. They are normally issued for the start of October but the taking of the whole school photo was cancelled a couple of times due to pupils being absent. On receiving copies of the photos it has been necessary to swap some heads around so that everyone in the calendar is looking handsome!
There is no cost for the calendar but you may, if you wish, make a donation of £1 towards the cost of printing. If you would like an extra calendar, these can be purchased at a cost of £3.
ATTACHMENTS
Along with the school newsletter you will find information about Parent Appointments and the Hallowe’en Party.
BIG WILD READ
It was great to see so many children taking part in this. Well done to both the children and the parents who supported the children by taking them to the library. There was a very good photo in the Banffshire Herald last week, just in case you missed it.
READING CHALLENGE
This is ongoing and most children are very committed to it.
Congratulations to Katriona and Iona who have completed 40 books and are now on to their third reading challenge of 60.
SCHOOLBAGS
Can you please check these regularly. I know it can be quite spooky delving into the depths of a child’s schoolbag but there are often quite important communications, which may need a response. Remember that we have a paper recycling facility at the school. Please read first, digest the helpful information, and then recycle!
PoBS
There have now been three of these meetings since the start of term. It is encouraging to see new faces coming along to the meetings and I would encourage as many parents as possible to get involved. Remember you are all members of the Parent Forum and parents voted that one member from each family would be entitled to come along to the Parent Council Meetings. Jan Low has set up a PoBS website -
www.P-O-B-S@hotmail.co.uk and is waiting to hear from you. The last meeting was about fundraising and the plan is to hold a family Christmas Ceilidh in the village hall on the 21st December. There were not many people at this meeting but I know many of you will want to support those who have agreed to take this on. If you would like to be involved please contact Jan Low.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
School closes for October Break on Fri 12th Oct
School reopens on Mon 29th October
Joseph Thurs 1st November
Hallowe’en party Fri 2nd November
P6 Learning Game, Rothiemay 30th November
In Service days Mon 19th and Tues 20th November
Curling Wed 28th Nov, 5th Dec, 12th Dec, 19th Dec
What do you call a witch who lives at the beach?A sand witch!!
The botriphnie blether
Despite the rainy summer the children returned refreshed from their summer break and have quickly settled back into the school routine.
STAFFING
A number of staff changes have taken place over the summer. Mrs Gill Roberts resigned during the summer break returning for four days at the start of term. The P1-3 post has been advertised and it is hoped that there will be a new member of staff in place after the October Break. In the meantime I very much appreciate Ms Normand stepping in to provide continuity at the early stages. Ms Debbie Goldthorp secured a new job during the summer holidays and has taken on the role of a matron at Gordonstoun School. Mrs Shiona Mason has temporarily filled the post of Head Teacher Relief, at the P4-7 stage. The posts of HTR and SfL teacher, which were advertised, have been withdrawn and I have been informed that they will now be filled, by a compulsory transfer. Mrs Ray McGookin will take up these combined posts as from Mon 10th September.
SCHOOL ROLE
Our role stands at 35. James, Josh and Conner have left and we wish them well at their new school. Arriving at the P1 stage is Danielle who has quickly settled in. She was so anxious to be in school that she has attended for a whole day rather than the usual half-day. Now that’s what I call keen.
SUPPORT STAFF
Our three members of support staff are Mrs Moir, Mrs Ross and Mrs Johnston. These ladies are invaluable and are a great asset to the school, in the support they are able to give to the pupils and staff.
LUNCHTIMES
I have decided that the packed lunches will now be taken at the same time as the cooked lunches so that valuable support staff time is not used to supervise them. I shall supervise them myself in the P4-7 class. For those taking cooked lunches we are on week 1 of the six-week rota and the cost is now £1.80. There is also a new arrangement for ordering and paying for lunches. Mrs Ross will be in the canteen from 8.40-8.50 so that children can choose and pay for their lunch.
SWIMMING
P4/5 have a block of swimming on Friday mornings up until the October Break. Please remember to send your child to school on a Friday with a swimming costume and towel.
HEALTHY SNACK / FRUITY FRIDAY
I nearly ate a child last Friday! After having a wonderful selection of fruit for Fruity Friday I discovered several children were then eating a snack, which they had brought from home. This is just a gentle reminder that children don’t need a snack on Fridays and that all Scottish schools have to become health promoting schools by the end of this month. Hopefully when the school portfolio is presented we will have been successful! Please remember the 30p towards the cost of this.
PARENT HELPERS
Last week you received a letter about becoming a parent helper. If you wish to help out in the school you will need to obtain an Enhanced Disclosure which the school is quite happy to guide you through. Please consider this as we welcome parents supporting the school.
PoBS
Parents of Botriphnie School
The first meeting of this takes place tonight at 6.30 in the school hall. Please come along.CYCLING PROFICIENCY
This begins next week on Monday 10th September. Children who are nine and over can take part. Any child wishing to do this test will need to bring their bicycle into school this Thursday so that it can be checked over by Mrs June Andrew who is the road safety officer. This will be an intense course with the pupils receiving an hour of coaching for eight or nine days with their test on the last day. For more information see the attached letter.
EXTRA PHYSICAL EDUCATION
It is now recommended that children have two hours a week of PE. To ensure that children have more PE I have asked Susan Johnston, who is a qualified sports coach, to take the children for some extra PE. This will take place on a Friday so please remember that your child now has PE on Tuesdays and Fridays. The P4/5 pupils will be involved with this once they have completed their block of swimming.
Susan is also running the Stay and Play sessions, which take place on a Monday from 3.10-4.10.
SCHOOL GARDENS
These are looking great at the moment. Unfortunately due to the poor summer they weren’t at their best when the judges came but we did earn a creditable highly commended for our presentation. The sunflowers, which we received from Mrs Agnes Riach have blossomed and are bringing a ray of sunshine into the playground. Many thanks also to Mrs Jackie Morrison who watered the pots over the summer. Even though it rained the pots still needed to be watered.
HOMEWORK
This will begin shortly once we have got the children assessed and working at the correct levels. Once again our main focus for homework will be reading, spelling and maths games with general knowledge quizzes at the upper stages.
VIOLIN AND RECORDER
We are fortunate to have an instructor in violin and recorder. As you know all P5 pupils receive a year of music instruction and this is in the form of recorder with Mr Friday who is always in school on Thursday. Children who previously learned the recorder in P5 have the opportunity to continue with Mrs Dawson and Mrs McKay. Please support your child in learning to play their instrument. It is most helpful if you do this on the day following their lesson, i.e. on Wednesday evening after violin and Thursday evening after recorder and of course at any other times throughout the week!
AUGUST 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 74 S. Hutchison
2ND £30 No. 186 S. Mitchell
3RD £20 No. 146 G. BainSEPTEMBER 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 191 G. Findlay
2ND £30 No. 178 J. Thain
3RD £20 No. 81 E. McKenzieA number of members did not renew their membership in June so if you can help out by taking a number or persuading friends I would be most grateful.
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
This term our topics are as follows:
P1-3 The Seashore
P4-7 Printed Materials
Today the P1-3 class visited the aquarium at Macduff and rock pools at a nearby beach. This was an important part of their topic and I hope you can also have a visit to the beach and talk about the topic with your child.
I had hoped to take the P4-7 children to Keith, Buckie or Elgin to see a paper being printed but discovered that they are all printed in Dingwall. Now there’s technology for you!
We will however be visiting the Banffshire advertiser at a later date and hopefully a printer’s.
PLAYGROUP
The playgroup is now back in school and hopefully enjoying the experience. If nothing else it gave me the excuse to clear out the sheds during the summer holidays!
SCHOOL EMAIL ADDRESS
admin.botriphniep@moray-edunet.gov.uk
The botriphnie blether
STAFF CHANGES
It is with great regret that I have to inform you that Ms Normand will be leaving at the end of this term. Ms Normand has been a tremendous asset to Botriphnie Primary and a first class colleague and friend. The P4-7 children have all benefited from her enthusiasm and commitment to the school, and her inspirational teaching. As well as her job of Head Teacher Relief Ms Normand has also worked as the SfL teacher and I know that she will be very much missed by all the children whose lives have been touched by her gentle manner and thoughtful disposition. To this I add a personal thank you for a great four years.
TRANSITI0N DAYS
On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week our P7 pupil Joseph is off to KGS for two induction days. On these two days our new P1 pupil Danni Stewart will be in school to meet her classmates. It is disappointing that we just have the one P1 and this is the first time in seven years that our numbers have dropped. Our ten P3 pupils will spend two mornings in the P4-7 class, which I hope they enjoy.
WALLED GARDEN
Last week our John Muir group visited the walled garden where we helped to dig and weed a small patch of ground. As we didn’t quite complete the task we are returning on Thursday morning to finish what we started. P4-7 pupils should bring their wellies and suitable clothes for a morning of gardening. The John Muir group is great fun and very worthwhile. If any pupils have missed a session, today’s walk to Cairn Uish wind farm and
Thursday’s gardening will count towards the fifteen hours required.
CONCERT
Our concert on Monday 25th June will be a snapshot of some of the work undertaken this term by our pupils. It will not be a long concert but it will be a good opportunity for us to show you a little of our work. It would be helpful if you could indicate how many people will be coming along for setting out seats. If anyone can help with staging please let me know. As the children will be learning bits and pieces for this, there will be no more homework this month, apart from reading.
MAY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 62 T. Campbell
2ND £30 No. 54 J. McIntosh for A. Cameron
3RD £20 No. 92 A. RawIt is that time of year when I ask you to renew your 200 club membership. Many thanks to our collectors who chase up all our members and a special thanks to Mrs Stewart, who has now created a database with all our members, and who does all the hard work. I just promote it!
LANDMARK TRIP
Apologies for changing the seaside trip to Landmark but when Ms Normand told me she was leaving I thought this would be a fun way to spend her last day with the pupils and staff at Botriphnie and also a great last day of term for the children.
GARDENING
Everything is in hand for our various gardens around the school. Our plants arrive today and by the end of the week everything should be looking great. Many thanks to Mrs Agnes Riach, who provided all the children with sunflowers, and to Mrs Roberts who organised the P1-3 children to plant them.
SCHOOL BOARD
There will be a Board meeting on Mon 18th June at 6.30. All welcome.
The botriphnie blether
LIBRARY QUIZ
Congratulations to our four pupils who did so well in the recent Book Quiz, which is run by the Moray Libraries. Our team of Joseph P7, Katriona P5, Brooke P4 and Luke P. P4 were second in the competition and were only a few points behind the winners. As it was a very young team we hope they do even better next year. Keep reading those books!
VIOLIN COMPETITION
Congratulations also go to all the pupils who gave up a Saturday morning to take part in this. Katie, Sammy, Katriona, Brooke, Luke P and Iona gave it their best in the solos and in the group. Brooke earned a bronze medal in the 9 and under section and the good news is she will be in the same age group next year. Iona didn’t play a solo but has already indicated that she will next year. Keep up that practising!
JOHN MUIR AWARD
This is going really well. We have a group of 13 children taking part and also 7 adults. So far the weather has been great. As a group we have learnt names of wild flowers, identified trees, searched for mini-beasts and had a session on listening and playing games in the woods. Last Tuesday we used the parachute and
this was great fun. Some adults looked rather nervous when I mentioned parachuting but quickly recovered when they realised they didn’t have to leap off the top of Drummuir Castle!
CONCERT
No wonderful end of year Multi Media Show this term but Mrs Roberts and I have agreed to put on a concert, which will take place on Mon 25th June in the village hall starting at 6.45. This will be followed by an opportunity to look around the school while you enjoy a cup of tea. Details to follow nearer the time.
FORMATION OF CLASSES
If pupil numbers remain the same as this session, I have been advised that starting off next session with 24 pupils in the P4-7 class is not recommended, as the maximum composite class size is 25, which would leave only one space. The alternative is to split the current P3, with some remaining in what would become the P1-4 class and the others in the P4-7 class. This arrangement is never a popular one. It would be helpful to me if you could let me know if anyone is likely to be moving away or if there is a possibility of anyone moving in to the area. If you have any comments or views on class formation please let me know.
CLASS OUTINGS
P1-3 will be visiting Glenlivet Estate on Wed 30th May and P4-7 will be visiting the Cairn Uish wind farm near Rothes on Mon June 11th. On both these occasions pupils will require a packed lunch.
SPECIAL WELCOME
A special welcome goes to Jack McGinty who has quickly settled in to life at Botriphnie. Jack is in P1 and not P2 as I indicated in the last newsletter.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Wed 6th June Choices for Life in Aberdeen. P7 only. All rural schools are going in together. Packed Lunch required.
Wed 20th June Rural Football Rothiemay 9.30.
Mon 2nd July Rural Sports at Rothiemay at 9.30.
MAY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 62 T. Campbell
2ND £30 No. 9 R. Mark
3RD £20 No. 131 F. Irvine
The botriphnie blether
The Easter holidays were glorious and staff and pupils returned refreshed for the term ahead. We are now into our second week and I am pleased to report that the pupils have been working hard since their return to school. On their return they were delighted to welcome Mrs Susan Johnstone as their new Children’s Supervisor and also to welcome back Ms Debbie Goldthorp to the post of Classroom Assistant. Early indications are that both ladies are enjoying working in the school and we hope that they continue to enjoy their time at Botriphnie Primary.
One person who did enjoy her time at Botriphnie Primary was Mrs Eleanor Gordon who retired at Easter. Many thanks go to all who donated towards a retirement gift, which was exchanged for 500 Australian dollars. Eleanor has asked me to include the following in this edition of the school newsletter.
I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the retirement gifts I received following the end of term church service. The lovely music composed by Mrs Jane Alexander and so beautifully played by the violin group. Also gifts, cards and good wishes received during the day. Eleanor
Just before the Easter holidays we were pleased to welcome Dylan Stewart to the P2 stage where he quickly settled in. I have word of another pupil starting in P2 in May bringing the P2 class to eight boys and one girl. Poor Grace or lucky Grace!
PARENT COUNCIL
All twenty-five families in the school were issued with voting forms to consider the two options proposed at the meeting held before the holidays.
Option 1 received 24 votes and Option 2 received 11 votes.
Twenty-one families returned their forms and Amanda was the winner of the Easter egg. More information on Option 1, which was that each family would be represented on the Parent Council, will be with you shortly.
VIOLIN COMPETITION
This Saturday Iona, Katie, Brooke Luke, Sammy, and Katriona are taking part in the Elgin and Strathspey Violin Festival in Elgin. Some of the children are playing solos and all are playing in the group when they will again be playing Mrs Gordon’s Farewell to Botriphnie along with The Cradle Song and the Skye Boat song. We wish them all good luck.
JOHN MUIR AWARD
Eleven children from the P4-7 class, four parents, three teachers and Mrs Gordon-Duff are planning to take part in this award. It begins tomorrow in the woods around Drummuir and no matter what the weather, we shall be out there learning, having fun and appreciating our environment. In order to achieve the award children and adults have to spend a minimum of 15 hours working towards it, so hopefully children will attend all sessions. It would be a good idea to bring along a pair of wellies or boots and a pair of jeans rather than wearing school trousers. Any parents involved please be at the school for a 3.15 start.
WATER AID
Our chosen charity this year is Water Aid and our fundraising currently stands at £264.46. This was boosted by the church collection but even more so by the 12 pupils in P4-7 who raised £121.80 from turning their water bottles into banks and collecting small change in them. Our top collector was Brooke who collected £15.24 and the rest weren’t far behind.
BOOK QUIZ
A team of four pupils will be taking part in the Book Quiz run by the Moray Library Service. The first round takes place on Wed the 16th May and will be held at Mortlach Primary School in Dufftown at 1.45. I will shortly be picking a team for this so you might want to help out by practising some questions.
MOBILE LIBRARY
Unfortunately we missed the visit by the Mobile Library on the last day of term as we were at the church but I believe it is due this Friday.
TESCO VOUCHERS
Once again we are collecting these and we do always manage to get something worthwhile for the school. Last time I was able to exchange the vouchers for four Beebots, which are programmable robots. They come with various mats and the one with coins is a great teaching aid and much more fun than the teacher who is not a colourful robot and does not make funny noises! Tesco informs me that they are issuing double vouchers from the 7th-13th May.
P7 TRANSITION ACTIVITIES
Orienteering Fri. 18th May in Drummuir in the morning
Tues 22nd May Art Keith Grammar School 11.00-12.00, joining Rothiemay P7 pupils
Induction days KGS Tues 12th and Wed 13th June
HOLIDAY DATES THIS TERM
There are two Monday holidays this term. The May Day holiday falls on the 7th May and the Keith local holiday is on June 4th. The two in-service days are on the 24th and 25th May. School finishes for the summer on Thursday 5th July.
April 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 12 P. Griffiths
2ND £30 No. 146 G. Bain
3RD £20 No. 81 E. McKenzieGERMAN
Mrs Lis Percival from the Modern Languages department at KGS will be visiting the P4-7 class on the afternoon of Fri 18th May. This is part of the P7 transition.
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES TOPICS
P1-3 will be learning about minibeasts this term. P4-7 are studying Endangered Species in particular elephants, and will also be looking at Fair Trade, both following on from last term’s topic on Africa.
We are currently on week 6 of the canteen rota and this Friday is a healthy snack Friday. Please remember to send up 30p each Friday for healthy snack or fruity Friday.
PUPIL COUNCIL MINUTES 21.03.07
Chairperson: Kieran, Sammy Secretary: Brooke, Katie
The planks on the roof need to stay to stop snow falling down in big clumps.
We could get a grid for the drain at the bottom of the playground to stop it getting blocked. The little ones like to put leaves and things into it.
Any split tennis balls that don't bounce any more should go in the bin. Please check with an adult first. P1-3 should share the tennis balls. Katie and Sam have volunteered to collect lost tennis balls from the Gullet.
Ask the little ones to try not to hit the balls over the wall. Ask permission from Miss Findlay for Joseph to ask Mrs Gray if he can go into her garden to get lost balls.Should we go to Landmark or Cullen for our summer trip? We are planning to ask the whole school to vote on this. Two people will go round to explain the options and record choices with a tally chart.
New School Rules. We could have only two school rules - Be kind to each other and Be responsible.
Tri points. We would like to have the two systems working together. We voted unanimously to reinstate the tri-points in the P4-7 class.
The botriphnie blether
STAFF CHANGES
Mrs Gordon has announced that she is retiring at the end of term. We shall all be very sorry to see her leave, as she is excellent at the many jobs she does around the school. She has been a very supportive colleague to all of us and a kind and caring friend to the children.
Mrs Gordon has had a long association with the school having attended as a pupil, and we wish her all the best in her well deserved retirement.
Ms Debbie Goldthorp has resigned from her seconded post and will be reinstated as classroom assistant after the Easter break. This means that Mrs Joan Ross will lose her temporary position within the school but due to an under spend in the school budget I hope to keep her in post until the summer holidays.PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT MEETING
Ten representatives attended this from the twenty-five families in the school. John Trodden gave a very clear talk on the setting up of Parent Councils and there will be a School Board meeting tomorrow, 13th March at 6.30 to plan the next steps. You will be kept updated on this.
JOHN MUIR AWARD
This will take place next term beginning on the 24th April and is open to the P4-7 children. It will run every Tuesday after school from 3.15 to 4.30. The award is about appreciating the environment and is based on the four challenges which are
DISCOVER
EXPLORE
CONSERVE
SHARE
Rachael Jones from the Forestry commission will help Ms Normand and I to run the sessions along with any other adults who may wish to attend. There are three levels of award and we will be undertaking the first level, which is known as the Discovery Level. In order to achieve this the children need to spend a minimum of 15 hours on the project so there is a degree of commitment attached to this award. Our time will be spent out and about on the Drummuir Estate regardless of the weather. I do hope that most, if not all P4-7 children will want to take part in this and any adults involved will also be entitled to receive the award. If interested please complete attached form.
John Muir (1838-1914) was born in Dunbar in Scotland. He emigrated to America when he was eleven. He went on to become the first person to call for conservation of environments in need of protection.
BIRD BOXES
This was good fun. There was lots of noisy hammering but thankfully no one hit their thumb! If you haven’t managed to put up your bird box then we are happy for you to return it to the school and we will put them up in the trees in the playground.
ELGIN & STRATHSPEY VIOLIN FESTIVAL
This takes place on Saturday the 28th April and Mrs Alexander would like to enter a group from the P4-7 class. There are also opportunities for pupils to play a solo in the 9 and under section and the 10-12 section. The festival takes place in the morning. There will be more details nearer the time.
SCHOOL TRIPS
P1-3 pupils had a very successful trip to the Elgin Museum where they gained a better understanding of the past and P4-7 enjoyed their trip to the Science Festival in Elgin where they took part in four science workshops. See attached report by Joseph Brocklehurst P7
SCHOOL REPORTS
These should be with you on Friday. This is the first year we have put them out in March and hopefully this will prove successful, as it will allow steps to be taken to address any problems which teachers have highlighted.
PARENT APPOINTMENTS
These take place on Wed 21st March and are only for parents who have a query or concern about the report and wish to discuss it further.
MARCH 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 142 J. Bonnyman
2ND £30 No. 172 G. Findlay
3RD £20 No. 166 R. SempleWORLD BOOK DAY
This was great fun and very successful. The children all looked great. It was a day that focused on the importance of reading and it was thoroughly enjoyed by the children and staff. There were a number of Horrid Henrys in the P4-7 class but they have all reverted to their usual well behaved, well mannered selves! I must admit that my favourite character was Julian from Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books. As a fan it’s good to see that these books are as popular as ever.
READING CHALLENGE
This is continuing to go well with most children racing through the books with only one or two requiring a bit of encouragement from mum and dad. The following children have just received their Gold awards.
Brooke Howie
Kieran Stewart Well Done.P7 PE WORKSHOP
This takes place on Fri 23rd Feb. at St Thomas Primary School. It will start at 9.30 and will finish at 12.00. A member of staff will provide transport.
FUNDRAISING
The school has registered with easyfundraising.org.uk. You can purchase from lots of different companies through this site and the companies then give a donation to the school of up to 15% based on the order total.
Companies such as Comet, Dell, Next, PC World, WH Smith, Woolworth’s are all registered with this site. If you would like to help us raise funds then please take a look at the site.
How to use the site:
Log on to easyfundraising.org.uk.
Click on "Find a cause" and choose Botriphnie Primary School
Register you name etc - keep a note of this, as you need it for a return visit to the site.
Then just shop!ROTARY QUIZ
Our young team competed very well and enjoyed themselves. The questions were harder than usual but they scored a commendable 38 points out of a possible 60. Well done Joseph, Kieran, Katriona and Brooke.
TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
Thank you for informing us of any changes for travelling to and from school. Just occasionally there is a bit of uncertainty when our younger pupils tell us they are going home with someone else. Can you please help us out by phoning the school rather than leaving it to the children? They do have vivid imaginations! Last week the joiners came to repair the framework of the fire exit door but before we knew it the school had been broken into by robbers!!
EASTER END OF TERM SERVICE
This takes place at Botriphnie Church on Fri 30th March, the last day of term, at 10.00. There will be a collection, which will form part of our final donation to Water Aid. I do hope you can join us.
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
This takes place on 13th March at 6,30. Visitors are always very welcome.
The botriphnie blether
To close or not to close
That is the question!On Wednesday of last week I was once again faced with the problem of whether the school should be closed due to snow. At 07.00, after having spoken to Mrs Gordon, I felt that I would be able to make it to Drummuir and made the decision that the school would be open. To be honest, the journey up was pretty hairy, both for myself and the staff, who had travelled in from Lossiemouth, Elgin, Rothes, Keith and Newmill.
On arrival at the school it was snowing heavily and everyone was anxious as to whether the school should stay open. The phone was ringing non-stop, the bus driver wanted to know if he should wait or go, and other schools in the Keith ASG were phoning to say they were closing. At this stage I was dithering and among the confusion, some parents who brought their children into school were told we were going to close and returned home. Another problem facing us was that as KGS was closing our meals would have to be sent up by taxi and served by the staff.
The school did in fact remain open, the skies cleared and the rest of the day was one of glorious blue skies. The staff did serve up the meals, wash the dishes and my role was to round up all the green peas, which had escaped from the plates! It is always my intention to make it into school, and having reached Drummuir I would rather stay in school and wait for the weather to clear and roads to be gritted and salted before returning home. No doubt the next time it snows I shall continue to dither!
FEBRUARY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 114 W. Riach
2ND £30 No. 16 A. Riach
3RD £20 No. 11 F. MorrisonFANTASTIC NEWS
All the numbers have now been sold. It is the first time since I started the 200 Club that all the numbers have been taken. This now ensures an income of £1200 a year for the School Fund, which benefits all the children in the school. Last week Mr Riach who had won two months in a row very kindly returned his winnings of £50. It was quickly spent to provide some K’Nex and Lego for the P1-3 class and two boxes of Technic Lego for the P4-7 class. This gesture was much appreciated and enjoyed by the children.
DENTAL CARE
Last week both classes received a visit from Sharon Royan who spoke to the children about snacks and oral hygiene. The message, that seems to be coming across, is that snacking is bad because of the amount of acid, which is generated after eating a small amount. It is much better to have something sweet added on to the end of the meal when there is more saliva about which reduces the acid attack on the teeth. It seems three good meals a day with no snacks in between is the best way but I am no expert so I shall leave you to draw your own conclusions.
WATER AID
Last week the P4-7 class looked at the benefits of drinking water. This was followed up by the children receiving a 500 ml bottle of Highland Spring water, which they were encouraged to drink that day. The bottles were then dried out on the radiators while the children made labels to convert the bottles into a Water Aid bank in which they are going to collect small change for our nominated charity for this year. If anyone else would like one I’m sure the P4-7 children would be happy to drink some more water and make one for you. Just let us know.
STAFFING
A special welcome to Mrs Lindsay Wood who has recently joined the staff. She joins us as a SfL auxiliary and replaces Mrs Beverly Ross who was carrying out the role on a temporary basis.
BADMINTON TEAM CHALLENGE
This takes place on Wed 7th March at 9.15 in the Village Hall. It will be run by the Active School’s Co-ordinator and is more about raising an awareness of badminton than playing the game. It will involve all the children from P1-7. There will be four teams of nine, which we have already picked and it sounds as though it will be challenging and worthwhile.
ROCK CHALLENGE
This Wednesday the P6&7 pupils have been invited down to KGS to see this year’s entry for the Rock Challenge Competition, which I believe, takes place tonight in Aberdeen. Mrs Ross and I will take the children down to Keith rather than paying for transport. Please complete the attached form giving your permission for this.
ROTARY QUIZ
The date for this has been changed to Wed 21st Feb. Once again we have entered a team and the following pupils have been selected to represent the school. Please feel free to force feed them general knowledge questions over the coming week! Well done to the following children who came out tops in general knowledge. Joseph Brocklehurst, Brooke Howie, Katriona Anderson and Kieran Stewart.
BIRD BOX MAKING
This Thursday, Paul Kendall from RSPB is coming into school to make bird boxes with the P4-7 children. This is part of their technology education and also Eco Schools work. Each child will make a box, which will cost £2. The school will meet the cost of this. It should be good fun.
WORLD BOOK DAY
This takes place on March 1st but the school is holding it on Fri 2nd March. Here are our plans for the day, which we hope you will join in with. · Your child is invited to come to school dressed as a character from a book. They must bring the book along with them so that we can see who they have come as. Clothes must be suitable for wearing all day, as the children will be working as usual and need to feel comfortable. · All the children will come together in the hall to show their books and to tell us which character they are. · I will then read a book to all the children in the school. · Later in the day Mrs Roberts will read to the P4-7 class and Ms Normand will read to the P1-3 class. · Between 12.00 and 12.15 the older children will read a story to small groups of the younger children. · All children will receive a £1 voucher which they can exchange at a bookshop for a special £1 World Book Day book, or they can get £1 discount on a book of their choice, or they can use it as part payment with the next Scholastic Book Club order. · There are no prizes for best costumes, no money for charity, it is simply an awareness raising of what fun a book can be.
NEW ENTRANTS
Only one pupil has enrolled to start school in August 2007. Oliver Oxley came along on Enrolment Day and is keen to join us next session. This is the smallest intake since August 2000.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Mid term – Fri 16th & Mon 19th Feb
Mobile Library – Fri 23rd Feb
Elgin Museum Visit - P1-3 Thurs 1st Mar
Science Festival P4-7 – Thurs 8th Mar
The botriphnie blether
HAPPY New yearThis is a twelve week term and it is often one when the children really settle into work and make good progress. I hope all the children had a good break and are raring to go.
Before moving on with this term’s news I would just like to say how well the children performed in their Christmas play. The staff received many positive comments following the play and as head teacher I really appreciated the expertise, which went into producing such a wonderful performance. I don’t think I shall ever forget the wonderful monks’ procession, to the sound of the beautiful Gregorian chants or the fantastic computer imagery, which provided such stunning background scenery. My thanks go to all who contributed in any way to the production of The Christmas Farm.
Thanks also to all the parents and friends of the school who helped out on the night especially those who helped with the staging. You were all stars!
ARRANGEMENTS FOR FRIDAY
The hall is being carpeted this Friday. This means the P4-7 class will be working in the canteen. I have decided not to have Fruity Friday this week as we are going to be rather short of space.
FRUITY FRIDAY & HEALTHY SNACK
This is popular with the children and has been given the thumbs up by parents as well, however I was very disappointed that so few children brought up their 30p on the last day of term. If we are to continue with this, it is very important that 30p is sent up to school. The cost of fruit and snacks is ALWAYS more than the amount the children bring in. I do hope you can support your child in this worthwhile venture.
ECO SCHOOLS
We have now received our bronze certificate and applied for the £250 grant that goes with it. Please remember that you can recycle the following items at school.
CANS PAPER INKJET CARTRIDGES
We have also entered an ECO competition run by the Scottish Executive based on our earlier project of REUSE bags. We are at least guaranteed a certificate for entering!
STAY AND PLAY
This started today in the Village Hall. If your child is in P4-7 and has not yet attended this group perhaps you would like to encourage him or her to come along as it is always good fun and keeps the children fit and healthy.
WINTER WEATHER
This seems a thing of the past with the mild weather we have been experiencing recently. I was even tempted to go for several long walks during the holidays in between being a couch potato. However we never know what lies around the corner.
The number to call when there is any possibility of the school being closed is 08700549999 followed by the school PIN which is 031130. If you bring your child into school on a snowy day please remember that it is your responsibility to collect them at the end of the day. An announcement may also be made on Moray Firth radio.
RECORDER AND VIOLIN PRACTICE
If your child receives tuition in one of the following can you please give your child some encouragement to do a bit of practice in between lessons. It does make a difference!
P5 pupils get recorder lessons from Mr Friday on Thursday mornings.
Some P3-P6 pupils get violin lessons on a Wednesday morning with Mrs Alexander.
RECORDER GROUP
Pupils in P5-7 who have had recorder lessons with Mr Friday will get the opportunity to play together in a group. Mrs Dawson will be in school on Tuesdays for the next 4 weeks and after that Mrs McKay will continue with the group on Monday afternoons. Please make sure your child has their recorder in school tomorrow.
Have you by any chance more than one recorder at home?
The school had at least a dozen spare ones and they have all gone missing. Can you please check and if you have please return to the school.
JANUARY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 52 F. Metcalfe
2ND £30 No. 102 C. Forbes for S. Mitchell
3RD £20 No. 114 W. RiachNo luck this month? Why not add another number. We are still short of members.
HOMEWORK
You have received a copy of the results of the parents’ questionnaire and now I have attached the results of the P3-7 questionnaire. It makes for interesting reading! However as adults we hopefully know what’s best for children so they will still be getting some homework every night of the week! Also enclosed is a P4-7 leaflet on homework. I hope you find this useful in supporting your child’s homework. P1-3 parents will shortly receive a similar one from Mrs Roberts.
WEBB IVORY
Thanks again to Jackie Morrison for coordinating this. This year we received £71.15 in commission, which will go into the school fund. The children receive so much from the school fund and any fund raising is always very much appreciated. All children benefited from the fund at Christmas when there was no charge for the Christmas party and the trip to Aberdeen was also heavily subsidised.SCHOOL REPORTS
Last year after consultation with parents and staff it was agreed that we would put reports out earlier. School reports will be issued on Friday 16th March followed by Parent Appointments on Wed 21st March.
What your child will be learning this term in the following areas of the curriculum.
P4-7 Ms Normand & Miss Findlay
Environmental Studies
Africa
Science
Light and Sound
Religious Education
Judaism
Health
We are Special
P1-3 Mrs Roberts
Environmental Studies
A Sense of History
Science
Sun Moon and Stars
Religious Education
Weddings and Customs
Health
Medicines
ROTARY QUIZ
I believe this is going to take place on Wed 7th Feb, which is just four weeks away. As usual the P4-7 children will all get a chance to be picked for the team. I usually ask 10 sets of 5 questions on a variety of subjects and the 4 children with the highest score form the team. I will pick a team about a week before.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Mobile Library this Friday
Mid term Fri 16th & Mon 19th Feb.
Parent Appointments Wed 21st March
P7 Transition - Dance, Fri 23rd March, St Thomas Primary
End of term Fri 30th March
CHARITY COLLECTION
Our silver collection at the Christmas performance came to £48.35. Our end of term church collection amounted to £33.05. We also added in our collection from summer to raise a total of £105.72. This will be donated to Water Aid, which provides clean drinking water in seventeen countries around the world. We will continue to raise money for this charity as part of our global citizenship.
The path out of poverty begins with clean water and sanitation.
The botriphnie blether
What do you call a reindeer with only one eye?
No idea!
Yes, it’s that time of year again and I’m sure you don’t need to be reminded that three weeks today is Christmas Day.
CHRISTMAS PLAY
This will take place on Mon 18th December at 6.30. It would be helpful if you could arrive about 6.15 so that children can get into their costumes in plenty time. Our play this year is called The Christmas Farm. It will involve all the children in a variety of roles. I have also asked Tim Flood to bring his magic to the show by providing special images and effects and Wendy Davidson has been using her skills by making masks with the younger children. Ms Normand (overall producer) and Mrs Roberts are in the process of preparing their classes for the play and I have slipped into the role of factotum (general dogsbody!).
I am not sure how many we can accommodate at the show but each family will be allocated two tickets. You may wish to put in a request for extra tickets and these will be drawn prior to the date of the show. Anyone not requiring one or both of their tickets should return them to the school. There may also be an opportunity for an audience on the afternoon of the 18th Dec. There is no charge for the show but there will be a silver collection at the door, which will go to World Vision Clean Water. You are also very welcome to stay for tea and a mincemeat pie.
POPPY COLLECTION
The total raised was £44.95. My thanks go to all those who donated.
Can you help with the staging for the Christmas Show?
This has to be collected from Keith Grammar School as soon as possible. If you have a large trailer and are willing to help out please contact the school. Ideally we would like it in the school for Wednesday.
HOMEWORK SURVEY
Many thanks for taking part in this. The collated results are attached and already we are looking at the way forward with homework in order to meet the needs of pupils, parents and staff. In the meantime thank you for your continued support in working with the school to support your children in their learning.
NOVEMBER 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 125 Mrs J. Rugg
2ND £30 No. 127 Mrs J. Theodoreson
3RD £20 No. 191 Miss G. FindlayCINDERELLA AND SATROSPHERE
Nearly everyone has brought his or her money for this visit, which takes place on Tues 19th Dec. If you have not yet got around to this, can you please do so as soon as possible? The cost is £5 per child if you have three or more children at the school and £6 for one or two children.
The bus will be leaving at 9.00 sharp so make sure you don’t sleep in that day or we will have to leave without you! I shall send out details nearer the time of dropping off times and expected time of arrival at the school.
CARPETING
I have arranged for the hall to be carpeted while we are in Aberdeen. After much soul searching and consultation, Ms Normand and I agreed on the colour Dorian Azure. Hopefully we have made the correct choice. We even put a school sweatshirt on the sample to ensure that there was no clash of colours when the children were sitting on the carpet! They may even be so well camouflaged that we won’t see them!
ECO SCHOOLS
We have applied for our bronze award as we have met all the criteria. Next term we shall apply for our silver award as we have also reached the criteria for this stage. By summer we will hopefully be at green flag status. Please remember that you can recycle the following items at the school.
CANS PAPER INKJET CARTRIDGES
HORSE RIDING
Four boys have been involved in this through the Active Schools initiative. This has now finished until the spring. Last week the four boys put on a display for parents and friends and at the end of the session all four children received a reward for their special efforts.
Congratulations go to:
Ryan Furborough P3 and Jack Playle P3 for making such good progress that they have caught up with the others.
Dylan Marshall P5 for being the most consistent rider and Craig Howie P6 for most improved rider.
STAFF CHANGES
I am pleased to welcome Shelagh McKay to the staff at Botriphnie Primary. Mrs McKay is a music teacher and will be in school every Monday to teach the children music. Mrs McKay will cover what is referred to as McCrone time, which is cover for staff in P4-7 who are entitled to 2½ hrs non-contact time a week. The non-contact time is used for preparation.
Mrs Joyce Dawson will also continue at the school in her role as the visiting specialist of music but she is only with us for four weeks next term as we share her with crossroads and St Thomas.OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
Sue King, who is an occupational therapist, has been in school working with all the children. She is working with us up until the end of term and is training support staff, who can then work with different groups of children to improve and develop their co-ordination. This in turn benefits children in all areas of their work.
WEBB IVORY
My thanks go to everyone who has put in an order for Christmas from Webb Ivory. Mrs Jackie Morrison has been co-ordinating this and most of you have collected your orders from school. I would like to thank Jackie for this fundraising activity on behalf of the school fund, and next term I shall let you know how much it raised.
ROTARY SONGS OF PRAISE
This takes place on Sun 17th Dec in St Rufus Church at 7.00. More details of this will be given nearer the time but just to let you know that the children are expected to wear school uniform at the church.
Mrs Alexander is busy practising with the group and she tells me she is delighted with the level of home support.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Mobile Library visits this Friday.
Christmas lunch, Thurs 14th Dec.
End of term church service will be on Wed 20th at 10.00 at Botriphnie Church. Parents always welcome.
Christmas Party Friday 22nd December. Children usually bring in their party clothes and change at lunchtime. Parents of very young pupils are welcome to come in and help them change.
School closes for the holidays on Friday 22nd December.
School restarts on Mon 8th January 2007.
Stay and Play starts on Mon 8th Jan 2007 in the Village Hall.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS
The botriphnie blether
Not long ago Sam mentioned to me that this had been a quick year. When a nine year old notices that time is flying by you can imagine the speed the weeks are passing for the staff! There are just seven more weeks to this term and that includes a short week when the school is closed on Mon 19th and Tues 20th Nov for two days in-service. The nights are darker and hopefully children are settling down to their homework, which we hope you can support. You will all have received some information on how you can help with the reading and we hope this has been useful.
HALLOWE’EN PARTY
Once again this was a most enjoyable evening. The Pupil Council was asked to discuss this at their meeting on Wednesday and gave the present format a big thumbs up. Their only request was for one more game! I’m sure that can be arranged next year. The quality of costumes was superb and Mrs Edwards enjoyed the whole evening so much that she has volunteered her services again for next year. She sent the children a card in which she said that they were all winners and that is absolutely right.P1-3 FANCY DRESS
1st Michael Fyfe Chicken Little
2nd Drew Riach Caveman
3rd Stuart Pirie Quad BikeP4-7 FANCY DRESS
1st Luke Shipley Robin Hood
2nd Luke Playle Knight on Horseback
3rd Rebecca Metcalfe Bag of CrispsBEST CARVED LANTERN
1st Sam Cockill ghost
2nd Amelia Holland cat
3rd Kieran Stewart witchBEST NOVELTY LANTERN
1st Jack Playle Cyberman
2nd Katie Morrison hedgehog
3rd Katriona Anderson money bankOur special thanks go to Andrew and Billy Stewart for donating the neeps.
PUPIL COUNCIL ELECTIONS
These took place before the October Break and involved children from P3 – P7. The P3 – P7 pupils have voted the following children on to the Pupil Council.P7 Joseph Brocklehurst
P6 Katie Morrison, Kieran Stewart
P5 Katriona Anderson, Dylan Marshall, Sammy Mitchell
P4 Rebecca Metcalfe, Brooke Howie
P3 Eilidh Low, Jamie TheodoresonCongratulations to the above children and we hope they find the experience of being on the Pupil Council worthwhile.
At their first meeting on Wednesday the following issues were discussed.
Hallowe’en party
Carpeting the hall
Charities to support
Pushing and shoving in the playground
Marking off the football pitch
Kieran chaired the meeting and the secretary was Brooke. The minutes are on the Pupil Council notice board.
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
There is a School Board meeting tonight at 6.30. Visitors are welcome to these meetings. As the format is soon to change to a Parent Forum, which entitles every parent in the school to be a member, you may wish to become more involved at this stage.
Also included in today’s envelope of information are the minutes from the June meeting. Minutes can only be sent out once they have been approved at the following School Board meeting, hence the apparent delay in getting these to you.STAFF APPOINTMENTS
Interviews were held for the post of classroom assistant and Mrs Joan Ross has been appointed. We hope she continues to enjoy working at Botriphnie, where, along with all other members of staff, she is a valued colleague. Mrs Beverly Ross is continuing at the school in the role of a SfL auxiliary. This is a temporary post at present.PARENT APPOINTMENTS
These take place this Thursday and your appointment time and other information is included along with this newsletter.200 CLUB
Since the last newsletter Dave McWilliam and I have both managed to find four new members each, bringing the total of members to 178. We still have 22 members to find. Can you help?NOVEMBER 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 43 Grant Findlay
2ND £30 No. 102 C Forbes for Sammy
3RD £20 No. 113 K TuenionCHRISTMAS OUTING
As mentioned in a previous newsletter we are going to the pantomime Cinderella at HMT in Aberdeen on Tues 19th December. We are also going to Satropsphere, which is a hands on science experience.
The cost of the panto is £7.50 and Satropsphere is £3.50, which makes the total cost £11. The school will meet the cost of the bus which will be in the region of £200. Please send up £6 per child to the school when you can. (If you have 3 children at the school please send up £15). There is no rush and if you have more than one child in the school you can send the money up at separate times.ENTERPRISE AUDIT
On Monday 13th Nov, John Trodden, QIO responsible for Enterprise and Graham Milne, Enterprise in Education officer, will visit the school. They will be talking to staff, pupils and the HT about opportunities for Enterprise in the school. They will also be putting out a questionnaire to a selection of parents. The following areas fall under the heading of Enterprise.
Visitors to the school
Jobs people do
Out of school visits
Community Work
Environmental projects
Healthy activities
Confidence Building
Presentations/concerts
Fundraising
Pupil Council
Responsibility
Enterprising teaching
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
This is the week leading up to Remembrance Sunday and I have been talking to the children about the symbolism of the poppy. We have poppies and a collecting can in school so if you would like to contribute please send your donation into school.ROTARY SONGS OF PRAISE
This takes place on Sun 17th Dec in St Rufus Church at 7.00. Our violinists have been asked to play at this but before Mrs Alexander begins practising, I need to know if you will give permission for your child to take part. If your child is learning to play the violin please complete the attached slip and return to school for violin lessons on Wednesday.CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Sam Cockill and Katriona Anderson for completing their task of reading twenty books. They have both received their good reader badges and have now embarked on their next challenge. A special mention also goes to Ben Marshall for his excellent result in his recent spelling test.
Joseph will be attending the P7 morning of basketball on Fri 17th Nov at St Thomas Primary.
Anyone in P4-7 interested in running can join the running club which starts on Wed 8th from 5.45-6.15. Meet in the Keith Swimming Pool car park.
Please send up any Tesco vouchers as the promotion has now finished.
The Mobile Library is due to visit this Friday.
This Friday is a healthy snack Friday. Please remember 30p.
The last day of the horse riding is on Wed 29th November.
BOTRIPHNIE BLETHER HALLOWE'EN SPECIAL.
9th October 2006.
Our Hallowe’en Party takes place on Tues 31st October in the school hall. The party starts at 6.00 and will finish around 8.00 but certainly no later than 8.30.
Children are encouraged to wear fancy dress but of course they are still welcome to come along without a costume. There is no particular theme for the costumes. Just surprise us!
The costumes will be judged in three groups, Pre School, P1-3 and P4-7. There will be prizes and certificates for first, second and third in these categories.There will also be a “neepie” lantern competition. There are two categories for this. Prizes will be awarded for the best carved lantern and the other for the best novelty lantern. Andrew and Billy Stewart have very kindly agreed to help by providing turnips, which will be taken home on Monday 30th after school.
The lanterns will be placed on the tables in the hall and lit for judging. The school usually has a supply of tea lights so don’t worry if you can’t find a candle.
Please do not bring lit lanterns into school.
Programme for the Evening
Parade of costumes and prizes
Judging lanterns and prizes
Photo shoot Dave McWilliam
Games
Table top games
Dookin for apples
Jammy doughnuts
Children’s refreshments in the hall
Parents’ refreshments in the canteen/classroom
Collect balloon and goody bags before going home
Parents are welcome to stay or you can simply drop off the children and collect them later. It worked out well last year so hopefully we can fit in everyone again this year.
At the end of all the activities ALL children should stay in the hall where staff will supervise them while parents can enjoy a cup of tea in the canteen or if short of space you can take your tea through to the classroom.
Children can be collected from the hall when parents are ready to take them home.
There is a charge of £1 to help meet the cost of the party and prizes. Please send £1 up to the school before the party on Tues 31st October.
The botriphnie blether
The month of September is drawing to an end. It has been a beautiful month and I hope it continues for the October Break, which is just a couple of weeks away.
CALENDAR
Along with this newsletter you will have received your school calendar, which includes a photo of all the children and the dates of the main events throughout the year. There is no charge for the calendar as this allows all families to access the information. However you are welcome to make a donation of £1 towards the cost of the calendar. If anyone requires an extra calendar the cost is £3 and if you wish one as a Christmas gift the calendar will run from January to December, minus the school events and dates.FLOWER POWER
Success! This year we were successful in winning the Junior Section of the Moray Villages in Bloom competition, for Drummuir. As I mentioned before, the displays were all at their peak at the time of judging. Well done to all the boys and girls who helped and also to the P7 pupils who are now settled in at Keith Grammar. With all this training in gardening I could be supplying you all with a useful source of labour in years to come or a way of helping the children to earn their pocket money!SCHOOL VISITS
P4-7 pupils have enjoyed two very worthwhile visits in the last few weeks. Our visit to Birnie was very informative and rewarding. Whilst riddling through the soil in search of lost treasures, on a glorious summer's day I realised that I had made the wrong career choice but had it been raining cats and dogs I am sure I would have concluded that I had made the correct one! The following week we visited The Elgin Museum where we actually saw the most important artefacts found since the dig began. These two visits have been inspirational in setting the scene for our P4-7 topic on Romans.NOTIFICATION OF SCHOOL TRIP
On Tuesday the 19th December the whole school will be heading to the pantomime in Aberdeen. We will plan a whole day of activities for the children. This was very successful last year. More details will follow nearer the time.INSTRUMENTAL TUITION
A gentle reminder that if you agreed to your child receiving violin lessons then you also signed a form to say that you would ensure that they practised! Mrs Alexander is looking for 5-10 minutes each day, which is not excessive. As children are taught in a group it is important that everyone has practised so that the other children are not held back. Can you please support your child in this? Mrs Alexander has also informed me that there are children who are working very hard and progressing well. The standard of playing at the Summer Fair has been favourably commented on and we are indeed very lucky to have a violin instructor at the school. There are many children waiting to start the violin in numerous schools across Moray.CROSS COUNTRY
What a lot of superstars and super fit children we have at Botriphnie Primary. On Monday afternoon nineteen children travelled to Keith Primary for this annual event. Twelve children finished in the top ten and the others weren't far behind. A special mention goes to Drew, who finished 4th in the P3 boys race, Sammy who finished 5th in the P5 boys race, and Eilidh who finished 6th in the P3 girls race. If anyone would like to coach the children in running or keep fit, please get in touch with the school.I have been asked to include the following information in this newsletter.
New Additions to Additional Support for Learning website.
Moray Council have 2 new additions to the Moray Council website, which are of interest to all parents/carers.
They have launched an EMessage Board, where questions. about Additional Support for Learning can be posted and answered by a member of Council staff. This can be accessed using the following link: -
http://tellus.moray.gov.uk/web apps/AdditionalSupport/additi onalSupport.asp
Also available on the website is the new Services Directory, which lists contact details of all services across Moray that work with children and young people. This can be accessed using the following link:
http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/fi1e48581.doc
INFLUENZA PANDEMIC IN THE UK
At yesterday's Head Teachers' Meeting in Elgin we received information regarding the above. Included with this newsletter is more information on the subject.OCTOBER 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 112 D. Shepherd
2ND £30 No. 109 P & L Stewart
3RD £20 No. 86 G. MetcalfeSCHOOL BOARD MEETING
The date for the next School Board meeting has been set for Mon 6th November at 6.30. Visitors are welcome.200 CLUB FUNDRAISING
This has been the main fundraiser for the School Fund since I came to the school. It has been very successful but at the moment it is struggling. As families move on from the school, not only do we lose their support but the support from their family and friends.Can I please ask if we could have a real push from all parents, friends and relations to become members of the FRIENDS OF BOTRIPHNIE 200 CLUB. Most members of this do not have connections with the school. Not all families in the school take part and yet all benefit enormously from the money in the school fund. The cost is £12 a year or £1 a month. The prizes are £50, £30 and £20. If you feel you could find some new members I should be very grateful. Please contact the school for numbers and further information. Last month Mrs Griffiths' mum won and she very kindly bought three beautiful books for the school, which will be of benefit to all pupils. PLEASE TRY TO HELP OUT WITH THIS
ECO SCHOOLS
Our school is well on its way to becoming an Eco School. We have registered and are ready to receive our bronze award. At the moment there is not a recycling point in Drummuir but you are very welcome to use our paper bin in the playground. It is not locked and is emptied regularly by the council. We are also collecting cans aerosols & drinks cans. Please remember to wash these before sending up to school. We have recently agreed with Recycool, to collect inkjet cartridges. We would be happy if you sent these up as well.MOBILE LIBRARY
The Mobile Library should be here tomorrow and then fortnightly. Please help younger children to bring their library books in to school for exchange.JOLLY PHONICS
Mrs Roberts has recently attended a course on this and has returned to school with lots of ideas on how to use this valuable resource in teaching phonics. She is now building on the good work done by her predecessors. You will shortly receive more information on how you can support your child at home.P1 PARENTS' APPOINTMENTS
Parents of P1 children will have already received an appointment for this. Each parent has been given a 15-minute appointment, which will allow Mrs Roberts to also explain a little bit about how Jolly Phonics is used.BOOSTER SEAT LEGISLATION
In the past I have been very happy to transport children here and there for a variety of activities and reasons. However this is not going to be so easy for my staff or me so we have agreed not to do this anymore. This has implications for the cost of private transport so it is now even more important that we have a good fund raising system in place.TEA PARTY AT DRUMMUIR CASTLE
The school has been asked to send along some representatives to this event on Friday 6th October from 2.30-4.30. The event is dealing with rural issues and as we are often to be found wandering in the policies of Drummuir Estate we have agreed to go along and let people see how we have made use of the local environment. Ms Normand and the children are working on a computer slide show, to demonstrate work we have undertaken in connection with some of our topics. Joseph, Sam and Katriona will be representing the school on this occasion.HOMEWORK
This is now being undertaken by all pupils and is very well supported. Can I just encourage you to sign jotters, bookmarks etc to confirm that you have worked with your child on their homework activity. I am really encouraging children to be responsible and it. seems to be working. Homework jotters can also be used as a means of communication and a number of you are doing this. Any questions, comments or concerns you may have can simply be written in the jotter, either at the front or the back. It can be very useful for us to know whether the work was too hard or your child was rebelling at the idea of having to do it!TESCO VOUCHERS
We are collecting these once more for sports items. I have promised the children to use them to buy balls for the playground. It is a total mystery where the balls go, never to be seen again! Please send tokens into school and ask anyone you know to collect them for the school. Thanks.ARRIVING LATE
Just a reminder that if a child is late for school this will be recorded on the register as late even though it is only one minute. Nearly everyone is now phoning the school to alert us of illness or lateness, which is, fantastic. It is however important that if you are arriving late that you do let us know so that a school lunch can be ordered. The canteen at Keith just sends up exactly what is required, so it is important that we know your child is coming into school. The days of "seconds" have long gone!STAFF CPD
CPD stands for Continuous Professional Development and all permanent staff are expected to undertake 35 hours of this each session. At the moment we are involved in Reciprocal Teaching, which is mainly connected to reading. This takes place at Aberlour Primary on four evenings after school. We are also involved in writing, which takes place at Rothes Primary, again on four evenings after school. This helps to improve the way we teach and in turn helps pupils learning.PARENTS' APPOINTMENTS
For P2-P7 pupils these will take place on Thursday 9th November, with times from 3. 15 onwards. Details nearer the date.
The botriphnie blether
Welcome back. The children and staff have all benefited from their summer break and have once again settled quickly into the daily school routine. Our current roll is 37 and the breakdown for those of you who like statistics is P1-4, P2-7, P3-10, P4-6, P5-4, P6-5, P7-1 A special welcome to our four new P1s. They are Amelia Holland, Caitlin Marshall, Fergus Theodoreson and Connor McPhee. This is the last week of mornings for the P1 children who will begin a full day on Mon 4th Sept. Mums please note that the previous offer of staying for lunch on one of their morning only days no longer stands as the children are picked up at 12.00 by the bus.
STAFFING
At the end of last term we said farewell to Mrs Sheena Edwards and Mrs Ann Corbet. They have been timetabled to other schools but in their place we welcome Mrs Joyce Dawson who will be with us for 5 mornings of music this term and Mrs Elaine Henderson who will visit every week for an afternoon throughout the year. Please note that PE is now on a Tuesday afternoon and Mrs Alexander will be in school first thing on a Wednesday morning.SWIMMING
Pupils in P4 & P5 will receive a block of seven weeks of swimming beginning this Friday. Can you please ensure that your child comes to school on Friday with their costume and towel. As there is now swimming on a Friday we will have our fruit and healthy snacks on Thursdays up until the October Break when we will revert to the Friday. Please remember to send up 30p by the end of each week.SCATTERED VILLAGE COMPETITION
I am very grateful to Jackie Morrison who kept the floral displays watered over the holidays. It was certainly a big commitment in July when we had such glorious weather. Many thanks Jackie. It was also great to have a group of helpers who came along every Friday to ensure that the school was looking its best before the village was judged. Well done to Kasey, Sammy, Katie Lauren and especially Sam who never missed a week. Although the flowers are now past their best they were spectacular when the judges appeared. The results will be announced later this week.PROJECTS AND TOPICS
Environmental studies is made up of social subjects, science, technology and health and the school has a 3 and 4 year rolling programme which covers these areas of study from the 5-14 Guidelines. This term P1-3 will be learning about Houses and Homes and Our Environment. P4-7 will be studying, Romans, the Solar System and Infection. Children learn something new every day in school and you can help by asking what they have been learning and by helping them to find out more.BIRNIE ARCHAEOLOGICAL VISIT
Pupils in P4-7 are heading off to Birnie on Thursday morning courtesy of Museums Scotland. They have managed to squeeze us in for a lunchtime visit. This is the site where two hoards of Roman coins were found and this is a great opportunity for the children to see the site of an archaeological dig. Children will need a packed lunch for Thursday and even more important they will need their WELLINGTON BOOTS! A free packed lunch has been ordered for those entitled to one but you may prefer to provide your own one. Remember a waterproof jacket now that autumn is nearly here!LOST PROPERTY
Three items are waiting to be claimed. They are a wristwatch, a pedometer and a clear plastic container with a blue lid. While on the theme of plastic containers I would be happy to receive any sturdy plastic tubs which could be reused for holding various items in the school e.g., ice cream tubs etc. Can I also remind you that you can recycle your paper in the large green bin in the playground. It is never locked, as the lock is broken! You can also send in ink jet cartridges, which we can recycle for charity.HOMEWORK
This will start again next week. As a staff we have decided that homework will take place from September to the end of November and from January till the Friday before the June holiday. This term we will be looking at homework as part of the School Improvement Plan and I shall be inviting you to complete a questionnaire and to be involved as a parent on a working party.LCN MEETING
This Wednesday the Local Community Network meeting will introduce a guest speaker, Tracey Gervaise, who will be explaining about the oral health campaign which is to take place in Keith early next year. As I am teaching on Wednesday, I wondered if anyone who has expressed an interest in our school health group would like to go along. I have spoken to Ivor Lee the LCN Support Officer and he would be delighted if parents attended. Please contact me if interested. The meeting starts at 11.15 at Keith Grammar School.JUNE 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 157 L. Dickie
2ND £30 No. 27 I. Stuart
3RD £20 No. 87 A. DuncanPARENT HELPERS OR FRIENDS
Monday mornings begin with maths games and other activities, which help the pupils to focus and concentrate. This has been very successful but it is even better when there is an adult to keep the pupils on track. If you can help out on a Monday between 9.00 and 10.00 then please contact the school.HORSE RIDING
Again we have been successful in gaining places for a number of pupils in the school. This activity is funded through the Active Schools and the riding lessons take place at Grange Riding School. Those who have participated in the past have really benefited from it and those about to start will also do well.STAY AND PLAY SESSIONS
These started today and will be taken by Susan Johnston. They run from 3.10-4.10. If you have not yet enrolled please consider doing so as the children get a lot of fun out of these sessions and of course they are kept fit and healthy. They take place in the village hall and parents should collect children if they live outwith the village.P5 RECORDER
ALL P5 children are entitled to a year of music tuition and generally this is done on the recorder. If your child is in P5 can I ask you to support this initiative. A few minutes of practice every night can make a huge difference to the progress that is made. Mr Friday the recorder instructor will be in school on Thursdays. Please remind your child to bring along their recorder and their music book on that day.ART SPECIALIST
Mrs Avril Clark will continue to be our art specialist this session. There is a change of day for art, which will now be on Thursday afternoons. It is also blocked rather than fortnightly, which means that we get art four weeks in a row. Our four-week block will start on Thursday 21st September.SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
This was scheduled for the 11th Sept but has now been moved to Mon 25th Sept at 6.30. As usual visitors welcome.
The botriphnie blether
Issue 44 12-06-06
This spell of fine weather has put us all in the mood for the holidays but we still have three weeks to go so we shall all continue to work hard until the last day of term. Of course some of this hard work takes place away from the classroom and allows the children to leave their desks and try something different outdoors.
Last week the P4-6 pupils tackled the school gardens with real commitment and enthusiasm and also learnt a great deal in the process, as did the infant class who were busy with their tomato plants.
SCHOOL REPORTS
I had hoped to get these out to you last Tuesday but I am running a little behind. Nowadays bureaucracy tends to get out of hand and like most people I find myself surrounded by a mountain of paperwork and no matter how hard I try to conquer that mountain I seldom get past base camp! However you should have received your child’s report today, along with an attached form, should you wish a follow up appointment. Please remember that this parents’ appointment is only to discuss any concerns you may have once you have read your child’s report. If you are happy with the report then there is no need for you to speak to your child’s teacher. There is also a questionnaire attached to the report regarding when annual reports come out and I should be very grateful if you could return this to school along with the other information requested. The date for parent appointments has been changed to Tues 20th June as the original date coincides with an HT meeting with Bob Barfoot who is the new HMIe District Inspector.
MULTI MEDIA SHOW
If you were there I don’t need to tell you what a spectacular presentation this was. If you weren’t there then I need to tell you that this was the most memorable presentation by primary children that I have ever seen and I am just about to complete thirty three years in teaching. Throughout the day, our P7 pupils assisted by the P4-7 pupils, captivated three audiences with their talent and professionalism. Alexander, Jonathan, Patrick, Ricky, Kasey, Lauren and Paige, along with their classmates, produced seven stunning shows, which left us all feeling that we wanted more.
This fantastic show was the culmination of months of hard work by Marion Normand and Tim Flood. Their imagination, innovation and ICT skills came together to produce a truly fabulous show and one we shall never forget.
The flamboyant fashion show finale was dazzling and the costumes were a credit to Wendy Davidson who worked with the children.
This was a brilliant piece of drama and one that deserves a huge thank you to all concerned. Well done everyone.
JUNE 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 148 P. Reid
2ND £30 No. 89 F. Stewart
3RD £20 No. 45 M StewartWe are still looking for new members to join. If you have any friends, relations, workmates, whose arms you have not already twisted, could I please ask you to continue trying to rope in some new members. You could always try the Keith branch of Gamblers Anonymous! To those of you who do support the School Fund in this way can I say “Thank You” and if you are not yet a member perhaps you might reconsider.
CLASSROOM ASSISTANT
Unfortunately our newly appointed classroom assistant was unable to fulfil her appointment to the post so once again the post has become vacant. Mrs Beverly Ross is carrying out the role on a temporary basis and the post will be filled some time after the summer holidays. I hope that Mrs Ross enjoys her time at the school.
SCHOOL BUS
Behaviour on the school bus seems to have settled down. Please continue to notify me if there is any reoccurrence of unacceptable behaviour.
Thanks for the notes, which are coming into school re any changes to travel arrangements. If it is easier for you to phone, please do so.
INDUCTION DAYS
Tomorrow the P7 pupils head off for their two induction days at KGS. We will miss them! The four new entrants will be joining us for two mornings and the P3 pupils will be spending two days in the P4-7 class.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Fire officer visiting P5-7 on Mon 19th and 26th June
P1-3 visiting Trinity Rectory on Mon 19th June
P1-3 visiting Drum Farm on Tues 20th June
Parent Appointments Tues 20th June
Rural Sports at Rothiemay on Wed 21st June, 9.30 start, parents welcome
P4-7 Keith Library visit Thurs 22 nd June
Summer Fair Tues 27th June 6.00-8.00ish!
End of Term Service Botriphnie Church Tues 27th June 10.00
School Sports Wed 28th or Thurs 29th June depending on weather. Start 1.10 at village playing fields.
Last day of term Fri 30th June finish at usual time and come back on Tues 22nd Aug usual time!
RURAL FOOTBALL
Ricky, Patrick, Sam, Joseph, Kieran, James and Kasey rose to the challenge but were unable to win the trophy for a third time. We did however finish in second place and are determined that sometime in the future we might just win it again. Our new mascot, kindly donated by Mrs J Ross’ mum, and named Bo McTriphnie was unable to help us secure a hat trick of wins. If there is anyone willing to train the children in football please get in touch.
SCHOOL BOARD
We are pleased to welcome Dr David McWilliam as our new clerk to the Board and as an ex Botriphnie pupil we know that he will have our best interests at heart. Dave is also an enthusiastic photographer and we are very grateful for the superb photos he took of the multi media show, apart from the ones he took of me! The date of the next Board meeting is Mon 19th June at 6.30. Visitors are welcome and along with other business we will be finalising the arrangements for the Summer Fair.
LANDMARK
This was as ever a great day out and as usual the children’s behaviour was exemplary. It was even commented on by staff from Landmark. The highlight for me was the red squirrel as I had brought my binoculars and I am sure he was performing just for me. Mrs Moir said we were lucky with the weather but I assured her that there was no luck involved; it was all down to careful planning and organisation!
KEITH AND DUFFTOWN RAILWAY
This was another great day out but as I didn’t organise it, the weather was wet! However we thoroughly enjoyed our walk up the River Dullan to the Giant’s Chair and had great fun walking up the salmon ladders and crossing the weir again and again and no one fell in! The railway trip was first class.
I have come to the conclusion that Botriphnie pupils are totally spoiled!
The botriphnie blether
Today we were pleased to welcome Fahrat Junaid to the school. Fahrat is on an exchange visit from the Lahore Lyceum School in Pakistan and is the guest of St Thomas School and Ms Francis who is a SfL teacher at Botriphnie. The children in P4-7 had already met Fahrat but our P1-3 pupils were pleased to welcome her to the school and to learn a little more about life and school in Pakistan.
TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
Quite often arrangements for travelling home on the school bus are altered. Could I please ask that if your child is not going home on the school bus, that you contact the school so that we have confirmation of this. Some children, especially those in P1-3, often come into school with a story that they are being picked up after school or they are going to a friend’s or relation’s house. It is vital that you contact the school if there are to be any changes to the normal travel arrangements. A phone call to the school is all that is needed but perhaps if your child is picked up regularly, on a particular day for an after school activity such as swimming, then a written letter would be better. My thanks go to those who are already phoning in with this information.
CLASSROOM ASSISTANT
Last week Mrs Jane Farquhar was appointed to the position of Classroom Assistant at Botriphnie Primary. She will begin full time on Monday 22nd May once she has worked out her notice at the Sunshine Playgroup. In between working at the Sunshine Playgroup she is spending days at Botriphnie so the children have all met her. My congratulations go to Jane and I am sure that she will prove to be a very supportive member of staff.SCHOOL ROLL
I would like to welcome Josh and James McPhee to Botriphnie Primary. The boys have joined us at P3 and P5, bringing the roll to 40. Both boys have settled in really quickly and we hope they enjoy their time with us.
CHURCH VISIT
Last week the P1-3 class visited Botriphnie Church as part of their RME topic on places of worship. Rev Ranald Gauld was on hand to talk to the children and I am told by Mrs Roberts that the trip was both informative and entertaining. Over the coming weeks the children will be visiting three different churches in Keith.
MAY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 49 A Peddie
2ND £30 No. 199 S Griffiths
3RD £20 No. 139 M MorrisonORIENTEERING
This takes place on Wed 10th May and not the 17th as stated in the previous newsletter. Mrs Edwards is happy to take the blame for this mix up and I am happy to let her! The orienteering is just for P7.
BOOK QUIZ
I had to have two rounds of questions before I finally picked a team. Congratulations to Jonathan, Joseph, Paige and Alexander who made it through and a well done to Kieran and Kasey who were just a point behind. We were unlucky not to win but there was a real battle between Botriphnie and Mortlach for second place and we finished second. Keep reading those books.
Congratulations to Kasey, Paige and Joseph who have all now earned their gold badge for reading 15 books. Who will be next to get their gold and who will be next to complete the challenge?
MULTI MEDIA SHOW
This is now gathering momentum under the expert guidance of Mr Tim Flood and Ms Normand. You are all invited to this show, which was so successful last year. To help with the arrangements it would be greatly appreciated if you could let us know ASAP whether you are coming along or not. I hope you like the invitations, which were put together by the children, supported by Mrs Stewart and Ms Normand.
SUMMER FAIR
In a previous newsletter I asked if anyone was interested in doing any fundraising in the summer term. There was no response but we have earmarked Wed 28th June for a Summer Fair. It will take place in the evening from 6.00-8.00. The staff and pupils will be involved but we would really like it if parents, individually or in groups would volunteer to run some kind of activity, stall, game etc. Your input and ideas would be much appreciated. Later in the week I shall put home a form asking for help and ideas and I do hope that you will want to be part of this.
In connection with the P4-7 topic on rivers I would like to organise a duck race. Does anyone know where I can get hold of any ducks? No, not mallard ducks, plastic ducks!
CONTACTING SCHOOL STAFF
My staff and I (sounds like the queen!) are always happy to discuss any concerns, which you may have. Can I just remind you of the best time to do this and how to go about it. A problem that occurs during the school day is usually revealed when a child comes home from school. It is best if you contact the school that day rather than worrying about it overnight. Staff are usually in school until at least 5 o’clock and I am usually in school until at least 6 o'clock. Mornings are not the best time to contact the school as staff are preparing for the day ahead. Of course if the matter is urgent we are always happy to talk to you no matter the time of day. Anyone wishing to speak to a member of staff should contact me first. I know that there are only three teachers in the school but that is the correct protocol. Anyone calling at the school should report to the front door and not the car park door. This door is open in the morning but it is for staff use only and to allow children to bring in violins, packed lunches etc before the start of the school day. Please continue to phone the school in the morning if your child is going to be absent.JACKETS
“N’er cast a cloot till may be oot!”
For those of you unfamiliar with the Doric this means that even if the sun is shining when your child sets off for school, it could be snowing by the time they get here! Even if it is the summer term your child should always have a jacket. The weather is very changeable and it can be very cold in the playground. By the way may refers to the may flower, the blossom of the hawthorn tree, and not the month of May!
TRIPS
On the 26th May, the day after the multi media show we are taking the train from Drummuir to Dufftown. On the 2nd June the Friday before the long weekend we are heading off to our favourite place, Landmark. More details to follow.
SCHOOL BOARD
Yvonne Stewart is still keen to step down from the position of clerk to the School Board. There is a remuneration for this post. If anyone is in the least interested please contact the school for an informal chat or give Yvonne a call. There are seldom more than two meetings per term.
FRUITY FRIDAY/SNACK MONEY
The children are really lucky in the way they are looked after every Friday. I always remember to buy the fruit or snacks and Mrs Gordon always remembers to prepare the fruit and snacks. It would be great if the children could always remember their 30p!
The botriphnie blether
Welcome back to the final term of this session, which will see our seven primary seven pupils completing their education at Botriphnie Primary and all our other classes completing their year and preparing to move up a stage. It promises to be a very quick term as it is only eleven weeks and during that time there are two local holidays and two in-service days.
CHURCH COLLECTION
Our Easter church collection raised a magnificent £81-70 for OXFAM and we have added in the Christmas collection of £41-80 and £3 which was found in the playground and unclaimed. The children looked through the OXFAM Unwrapped catalogue and have agreed to order a camel and a calf. Someone somewhere will be a grateful recipient of these gifts. Our thanks go to everyone who responded and contributed so generously.
CANTEEN PAYMENTS
Could I please make a request for canteen payments to be kept up to date? Quite a bit of time is wasted each morning recording who has paid and who hasn’t. Collection is actually supposed to take place in the canteen, by our cook Maureen, but working on her own she simply doesn’t have time to do this so a member of the support staff carries out this duty. It would be really helpful if children could
- Have the correct money £1.70
- Buy a whole book of tickets £17.00
- Have loose change in a purse
- Keep up to date with payments
Your help in this would really be much appreciated.
EASTER REFURBISHMENT
Pupils returned today to a newly repainted hall which is looking really smart and the infant classroom has a lovely blue carpet which is in pristine condition but not for long I suspect! These school carpets are extremely durable and will weather any mishaps that come their way. Hopefully the snow is past or is it?
VILLAGE HALL
During the holidays I have investigated the possible use of the village hall for PE and someone is coming out tomorrow from health and safety to check out the premises and hopefully we shall get the go ahead.
ROTARY QUIZ
Our team of Alexander, Joseph, Kasey and Lauren all did really well in this quiz and finished third. Considering the size of the school this was a fantastic result and for a number of rounds we were in the lead. Congratulations go to the children who took part in this and although they didn’t win the quiz they were winners when it came to good behaviour and excellent teamwork.
BOOK QUIZ
This is run by the library service and will probably take place on the 4th May at Mortlach Primary. Times have to be confirmed but it is likely to be after school. I shall pick a team for this next week. Questions are mainly about books, authors and characters etc but in the past there have also been some rounds of general knowledge.
Q. How many books did Miss Findlay read in the Easter Holidays as part of the P4-7 reading challenge?
A. 21
Q. Who was the first P6/7 pupil to read 20 books?
A. Alexander.
Q. Who will be second to complete the challenge?
A. It’s up to you!Please support this challenge, which is encouraging the children to read.
CLASSROOM ASSISTANT
This post is currently being advertised as a two-year secondment but until we have someone in place we will be operating with temporary staff. I am very pleased to welcome Mrs Viv Cooper who is helping out for the next two weeks. Viv has worked in the school before so the children know her. I am sorry that she is only available for two weeks but I hope she enjoys her short time with us.
P7 ACTIVITIES
In their last term at school P7 pupils seem to be spoiled when it comes to opportunities to have a skive! Here are some activities and dates, which you may wish to note.
11th May mountain biking
17th May orienteering
25th May Multi media
6th June Choices for Life
13th & 14th June Transition KGS
The Multi Media show isn’t a skive but I just thought I’d include the date along with their other activities!
CROSS COUNTRY
This takes place on Thursday 20th April at Elgin Academy. The first race starts at 1.35 and we are asked to be there an hour before, for registration and a chance to walk the course. Miss Findlay and Mrs Ross will transport the children by car and will leave at 12.00 so children taking part in the competition will need to bring in a packed lunch which they will eat before they go. Good luck to Ricky, Joseph, Kasey, Sammy, Katie, Paige and Lauren. We will not be back in time for the school bus so Joseph, Sammy and Paige will be delivered home by Miss Findlay.
HEALTHY SNACKS
This Friday is a healthy snack week and then the following week is fruit. Please remember to send up your 30p. I was delighted that all the P4-7 class had money on the last day of term and some are even in credit for the first week of this term!
For those of you who take canteen meals this is week 2.
VIOLIN COMPETITION
On Saturday our violin group is playing at a competition in Elgin organised by the Elgin and Strathspey Society in the St Giles Hall. Some children are also playing a solo and we wish them all the best. Mrs Alexander will be putting home more information after violin group tomorrow. As you know we are joined on a Tuesday by ex Botriphnie violinists and I was delighted to learn from Mrs Alexander that Christopher Williamson has recently passed his Grade VIII violin exam. Well-done Christopher.
COMMUNITY DENTAL SERVICE
The Community Dental Service will see P1 and P7 pupils on Tues 25th April. If your child is in this age group you should receive a letter about this along with your newsletter.
APRIL 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 131 F Irvine
2ND £30 No. 156 A Williamson
3RD £20 No. 101 C LambertonThere are still numbers available if you would like to support the school’s main fundraising activity, which provides your child with so many extra opportunities throughout the school year. If anyone would like to organise a fund raising event for the school I would be delighted to hear from you. Perhaps something at the end of term would be fun.
BIBLEWORLD
Pupils in P4-7 will be visiting this on Thursday 27th April at 11am. The Moray Presbytery is supporting it by meeting the cost of £3 per pupil.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
The school will be closed on Mon 1st May, Thurs 18th May and Fri 19th May (In-service) and Mon 5th June. Let’s hope the sun shines on these days.
The botriphnie blether
Welcome to the last newsletter of the term, which is perhaps slightly later than usual, as I asked the P4-7 pupils to write their own Botriphnie Blether and we hope you enjoy reading it.
PARENT APPOINTMENTS
These were well attended but a few children were not represented. If you missed your appointment, we are happy to meet up with you at the end of the school day. Please phone if you would like to come in and discuss your child’s progress at school.
MORAY MUSIC FESTIVAL
Last week five of our violinists took part in the festival and did themselves and the school proud. Our group of Alexander, Lauren, Ricky, Katie and Katriona played so well on Thursday that they were awarded a distinction certificate and were placed first equal with Cullen Primary.
All five children also played individually and all were awarded commended certificates. Our congratulations go to these youngsters who put in a lot of practice and our thanks go to Mrs Alexander who gives up her time to hold a weekly music group after school and supports and encourages the children.
MIDDEN MONSTERS
On Wednesday our P4-7 pupils will be involved in an environmental workshop whereby materials are reused to create something new. It sounds as if they will be having fun.
MULTI MEDIA SHOW
The date for this has now been fixed and will take place on the 25th May with performances during the day for other schools and invited guests as well as an evening performance for parents of pupils and members of the community. Put this date in your diary as an experience not to be missed.
ACTIVE SCHOOLS
A number of children in P4-7 are enjoying activities after school. On Monday there is Stay and Play and recently quite a few children have started going along to golf in the village hall. Next term there will be an opportunity for children in P7 to go mountain biking. This is all funded by the Scottish Executive and is designed to give children a taster of sport, which hopefully they will continue into their teens and beyond.
HEALTHY SNACKS
This Friday is a healthy snack and the last day of term will be a Fruity Friday. There are still a few forgetful children who don’t bring in their 30p. Money can be brought up to school at anytime and even the following week if it is forgotten.
ROTARY QUIZ
This week I shall be picking a team to go along to the quiz, which takes place next Tuesday 28th March starting at 7.00. This year the quiz takes place in Keith Primary School hall.
P7 TRANSITION
Mr Laurence Findlay, depute head teacher KGS, will be in school on Thursday 30th March to meet the children who will be transferring to Keith Grammar School after the summer.
CLASSROOM ASSISTANT
Ms Debbie Goldthorp will be moving on to pastures new after the Easter holidays. She has been successful in gaining a post as a Home School Link Worker and will be working in the Buckie area. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for all her work while she has been at the school and to wish her luck in her new post. She has been a popular member of staff and will be missed by staff and pupils.
PAKISTAN VISIT
Ms Francis has given a number of interesting and informative presentations since her return from Pakistan and we are all looking forward to meeting her colleague and friend from Pakistan when she visits in April.
RAF POLICE DOGS
Pupils in P1-3 had a great experience when the police dogs and their expert handlers visited them from RAF Lossiemouth. There was also a police car on hand and the children had great fun setting off sirens and flashing lights.
Residents of Drummuir must have wondered what we were up to at Botriphnie as we were also visited by PC Mike Taylor, who arranged for Calum Craig to handcuff Miss Findlay.
However nothing too sinister has taken place as our visitors were there as part of the P1-3 topic about people who help us. Ms Goldthorp has also spoken to the children about her job as a midwife and Mrs Gordon also spoke to the children about her role in the community in connection with the church.
ELGIN CROSS COUNTRY
Seven brave pupils have volunteered to take part in the Moray Primary Schools cross country, which is held at Elgin Academy.
This takes place on Thursday 20th April. The children have not been trained this session so it would be helpful if they could do some running during the Easter break and if anyone would like to help out I should be pleased to hear from them.
MARCH 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 184 M Milne
2ND £30 No. 59 L Hutchison
3RD £20 No. 61 L HutchisonSCHOOL BOARD
The next meeting of the School Board takes place on Mon 27th March, to which visitors are welcome. The post of clerk to the School Board remains unfilled. If you are even a little bit interested in doing this perhaps you could contact Yvonne Stewart who will be able to tell you what the job involves.
Mr Alistair Farquhar has asked head teachers to include the following paragraph in their newsletters.
Best Value Review of School Meals
There will be a review of meal provision in schools which will include price, quality, choice and nutrition and parents and pupils will be given the opportunity to make their views known from May 2006. Should you wish any further information in the meantime please contact Jim Morrison on 01343 557088
School closes at 3.00 on Friday 31st March and reopens on Monday 17th April.
Mrs Julie Theodoreson came into school last week to ask if I could put a message into the school newsletter. I am happy to oblige and hope that it plays a small part in helping to raise awareness of her request.
Julie’s brother has been diagnosed with leukaemia and he will need a bone marrow transplant. She is trying to set up a day for testing in Drummuir through the Anthony Nolan Trust. She needs 30 people to sign up before they will come to do this.
Volunteers must be aged between 18 and 40. If you feel you can help out or know of anyone who might be willing, please contact Julie directly on 01542 860275 or contact the school and I shall pass on your message.
SCHOOL REFURBISHMENT
During the Easter holidays a new carpet is being laid in the P1-3 classroom and the hall is being painted. Now that the hall is being used as a classroom the murals on the wall are rather over powering but I shall still be sorry to see them go but perhaps not the upside down rainbow!
The botriphnie blether
Our new classroom arrangements are proving to be a success despite having to move out of the hall every Wednesday afternoon. Our senior pupils have quickly become adept at furniture removing and have the hall emptied in less than five minutes. Pupil attendance this term has been excellent. Perhaps this is due to the germs having to travel further now that the pupils are more spread out! There has been an excellent response to phoning in before 8.50 in the morning in the event pupils being absent. Thank you.
CAR PARKING
A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call from a member of the community, pointing out that a number of cars were parking on the zigzag lines in front of the school. This makes it very difficult for traffic emerging from, “The Gullet” to have a clear view of the road when trying to make a right turn. I have managed to speak to most parents who pick up their children by car. Could I please remind you to park beyond the yellow lines. If you park in front of the village hall it is probably best that you meet your child at the school gate. In the interest of safety I would recommend that all younger children are collected at the gate and accompanied to the car.
A GENTLE REMINDER
I have recently purchased some laundry markers to write names on children’s clothing. Can you please help out by naming all items of school clothing and also gym shoes and welly boots. There are also a number of children who regularly forget their PE kit on a Wednesday. The children have PE every Wednesday afternoon.
SCHOOL BOARD
There is a School Board meeting tonight at 6.30. Visitors are welcome. Mrs Yvonne Stewart who is the clerk to the Board has indicated that she wishes to stand down. If there is anyone who would like to take on this post you are welcome to come along tonight or to get in touch with Mrs Stewart. There is a small remuneration for this post.
HEALTHY SNACKS
Following the success of our healthy snack week we have decided that we will alternate Fruity Fridays with a healthy snack Friday. This will operate in the same way as the Fruity Friday with children bringing in 30p. It is very difficult to decide what is healthy but the intention is to show children that when they want a snack they can have something else rather than sweets, crisps or chocolate. The following statements came into school last week and I thought you might like to read them.
In general the diets of Scottish children are low in essential vitamins and nutrients but high in fat, salt and refined sugars. This has led to serious concerns over long term health issues such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Scottish school children still continue to consume disproportionate amounts of sugar and fat. Research by The World Health Organisation shows that by 13, 49% of Scottish school children eat sweets every day and by 15, 54% of boys and 45% of girls consume a fizzy drink every day.
The drive towards healthy eating comes from the Scottish Executive and schools have been given the responsibility of trying to get the message across. I realise that some of you might prefer to provide your own snack on a Friday so I have attached a form for you to complete. The first Friday for the healthy snack will be Fri 17th Feb. and thereafter every fortnig
FEBRUARY 200 CLUB WINNERS
1st £50 No.139 Mary Morrison
2nd £30 No.10 Ian Gordon
3rd £20 No.119 Stewart McKenzieWe currently have 182 members so we are still short of 18. We can’t offer you the same amount of winnings as the Euro lottery but our odds on winning are much better!
SCHOOL PHOTOS
The photographer will be in school a week on Wednesday (15th Feb.) to take photos. If you wish a family photo please bring younger or older children into school just after 9 o’clock.
PRIMARY 7 PE TRANSITION
Our P7 pupils are travelling to St Thomas School this Wed morning to take part in sporting activities with other children from the rural schools, which feed into Keith Grammar School. They will need their PE kit in the morning but will be back to Botriphnie in time for lunch.
MULTIMEDIA SHOW
Last Friday our P7 pupils began some initial work for their multi media show, which will take place around the beginning of May. Tim Flood was in school for the day and the children were working with an animation program. They were all very industrious and it looked like great fun. My only memory of animation when I was at school was the day I was belted six times for laughing in class. My French teacher was so animated I thought he would explode!
MID-TERM BREAK
School finishes at 3.00 on Thursday for the mid term break. There will be no school on Fri 10th or Mon 13th Feb.
PUPIL COUNCIL MINUTES
Chairperson - Katie (Ricky). Secretary - Kasey
The PC thought it would be better not to have fruit every week. Maybe we should have fruit one week and then a healthy snack the next week. We decided to ask all the children what they think. The P7 PC will organise this.
The PC are not liking the split lunches. We would like to put the packed lunches in the P4-7 classroom.
All of the PC are happy about the classroom change. We can not think of anything that would improve it.
The P7 will organise asking the other children their points of view on the two school logos.
The PC would like to move the PC board and the ideas box to the P1-3 classroom.
We would like to discuss some playground issues. We will invite Mrs Gordon and Mrs Moir to our next meeting.
Next meeting - Chairperson Kieran (Ricky). Secretary - Lauren
The botriphnie blether
It is two years this week since the school was inspected. At the end of two years the school receives a follow up report, which is designed, to update you with the progress the school has made, following the recommendations in the original report. Your child has received a copy of this report today. If you have any queries regarding the report please feel free to contact me.
MOVING ON
It was also this time two years ago that Mrs Sally Griffiths stepped in to weather the rigours of an HMIe inspection during the absence of the P1-3 teacher. Since then she has proved herself to be a valued and respected member of staff. She is well liked by all who know her but unfortunately all good things must come to an end. Mrs Griffiths is leaving at the end of this term, although she has indicated a willingness to return for the first week to allow for a smooth handover to her successor. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Griffiths for the professionalism she has shown whilst a member of staff at the school and for all the support she has given to me personally. She will certainly be missed and I know you all join with me in wishing her all the best for the future.
INTERVIEWS
I shall be conducting interviews this Thursday for the post of infant teacher. The interviews will take place in the afternoon. I am hopeful that an appointment will be made on Thursday, and this being the case, I shall notify you on Friday.
CHANGE TO USE OF ACCOMMODATION
With the continued increase in school roll it is no longer suitable to have all the children within the one teaching area. Over the last couple of months I have been in contact with Educational Services regarding this and at last they have agreed that the P4-7 class can move into the hall. Whilst this is not the ideal solution, staff feel that the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages. On Friday the joiners will be in school to make the necessary alterations and hopefully when we return in January everything will be running smoothly. The move to the hall means a number of changes but the one, which is most likely to affect you, is the timing of packed lunches. For the last four days of term we will trial the use of the canteen for cooked and packed lunches. Cooked lunches will be taken first, followed at 12.50 by the packed lunches. Children who have packed lunches will have their break first and then will be taken in to wash their hands prior to having their packed lunch. If this proves unmanageable we will try something else.
CHRISTMAS LUNCH
This takes place on Thursday, a little earlier than usual. If your child is taking lunch on Thursday it might be an idea to send the money in before then. The cost of a school meal is £1.70. So far 36 children have indicated that they are having Christmas lunch. It might be an idea on Thursday not to provide your child with a snack but I leave that decision entirely up to you.
HEALTHY SNACKS
This seemed popular last week. It wasn’t so much a healthy snack but more of alternative snacks to sugary sweets and chocolate. The children tried a range of fresh fruit, raisins, cheese, breadsticks, cheese twists, oatcakes, digestives, rich teas, pancakes and milk. Hopefully this has encouraged the children to think more about the snacks they bring to school.
PARENT HEALTH GROUP
There will be a meeting of this group tonight at 6.00. If you are not a member of this group you are still welcome to come along.
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
This also takes place tonight at 6.30 and as usual you are welcome to attend.
SAINT ANDREW’S NIGHT CONCERT
This was well received and I was very pleased with the performance given by the P4-7 children.
It was however disappointing that four children did not take part, as presenting and performing is part of the school curriculum, and they had all promised to come along when we originally discussed this in class.
The raffle on the evening came to £84, which has been sent off to OXFAM to support the Pakistan earthquake appeal. My thanks go to all who put in a donation for the raffle.
WHOOPS A DAISY ANGEL
This was a great little nativity play presented by our youngest pupils. They all did really well and my thanks go to Mrs Griffiths and Mrs Moir who helped with the costumes. I would also like to thank Mr Michael Moir for bring the staging up to school and then returning it to Grange. This was certainly much appreciated.
CHURCH COLLECTION
Our end of term Christmas service takes place in Botriphnie Church on Tues 20th December at 10.00. Rev R. Gauld and Dr K. Gauld will be taking the service. These services are always good fun and we are happy for you to join us and swell the ranks.
Our church collection will also be sent off to the Pakistan Earthquake Appeal.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
We are pleased to welcome back Mrs Sheena Edwards who has recently undergone knee surgery. We hope it has been successful.
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
Thank you for sending up your money for the pantomime next week. If you have yet to pay perhaps you could send it in this week. All the tickets have been paid for and we are all looking forward to our visit. As we are going all the way to Aberdeen we have decided to visit the Winter Gardens at Duthie Park in the morning. We will have our lunch there and we may, if we have time, drop into the art gallery, which is just across the road from the theatre. We will be leaving at 9.00 and will return about 5.30. Can you please arrange to pick your child up from the school. If this is not possible a member of staff will take your child home.
As another year draws to an end I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone associated with the school for their help and support throughout the year.
The role of a teaching head is a very demanding one and I always appreciate the unstinting support I receive from colleagues, support staff, pupils, parents and friends.
School closes at 3.00 on Thursday 22nd December after the school party. It reopens on Mon 9th January 2006. There will be a Stay and Play session following the school on the Monday from 3.00-4.00 and I’ve just realised another disadvantage of moving into the hall!
HAPPY CHRISTMAS
The botriphnie blether
No sun - no moon!
No morn - no noon!
No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day.
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds!
November!
Thomas Hood 1799-1845'This poem always comes to mind at this time of year and especially so with the severe weather we have been experiencing over the past week. On Friday a number of children were off due to the severe weather. My thanks go to those who called the school in order to confirm their absence. Could I please remind everyone, that it is now The Moray Council policy, for you to contact the school before 9.00, if your child is not going to be in school.
COLD WEATHER
Prior to the dreich weather of the last few days we had a spell of frosty weather when the temperature stayed at -5°c. A number of children were very cold and some were quite distressed when Jack Frost was nipping their fingers and their ears. It is now the time of year for hats, scarves, gloves and Wellington boots, when it is very wet. Please remember a change of shoes for indoors.As stated in the last newsletter if the school is to be closed due to bad weather, then the School Telephone Information Line will be updated before the school is due to open in the morning. If it has not been updated from a previous time that means the school is open! Should the weather deteriorate during the day you are welcome to come and collect your child from school or we may need to contact you, if there is a need to close.
SAINT ANDREW'S NIGHT CONCERT
Just a reminder that this takes place on Wednesday, a little later than announced in the previous newsletter. It now starts at 6.45. It is open to all parents even though it is only the P4-7 children who are performing. The concert will be followed by a short quiz on other famous Andrews and then a cup of tea while the children have a drink of juice in the canteen. We do hope you can come along to celebrate St Andrew's Day. There will be a collection on the evening for the Pakistan Earthquake Appeal and if anyone would like to bring along a raffle the proceeds will also go to the appeal.
WHOOPS A DAISY ANGEL
Our P 1-3 children are going to perform this for you on Friday 9th December starting at 1.45. We hope you can join us. The P4-7 pupils will be helping out with the singing.
CANTEEN AND PACKED LUNCHES
The new canteen menus are back to week one. We have not received the new menus for weeks 4-6.
On Friday, when I was supervising the packed lunches I realised that the uneaten contents of the packed lunches were being dumped on the tables, perhaps giving you the impression that your child had eaten their lunch. This week the children will take home their uneaten food as it might help to gauge the amount you need to put in their lunch boxes. I will provide plastic bags for this. Unfinished cartons of drinks will not be sent home, as they will leak. Few of the cartons had been touched and were still full of juice. I would be happy to provide jugs of cool drinking water from the water cooler and tumblers, if this would be more convenient for you.
Christmas lunch will be served on Thurs 15th December. Please complete the attached form so we know how many children will be coming. The cost of a cooked meal is £1.70.
BUS BEHAVIOUR
From time to time the bus driver will speak to me about the children's behaviour on the bus. I am always disappointed when I hear this and I do speak to the children about good behaviour. I appreciate that children need to let off steam at the end of a school day, but the school bus is not the place to do it. The driver needs to concentrate on his driving and his passengers' safety. I would be happy if you could reinforce this message with your child. This mainly happens with the older children but occasionally with the younger ones as well.
HEALTHIER SNACKS
Next week, beginning Mon 5th Dec, we are planning to provide healthier snacks for the children. There will be no cost for this. Each day there will be several choices of snacks, one of which will be fruit. We will trial this over a week to see if we can encourage children to opt for healthier snacks rather than ones high in sugar. Please see the attached sheet and complete accordingly. Fruity Friday continues to be popular. If you forget your 30p please send it in when you remember.
READING CHALLENGE
Our P6 and P7 pupils have been given the challenge of reading twenty books. To encourage them they are to receive a bronze badge for 5, a silver badge for 10, a gold badge for 15 and a good reader badge for having completed 20. They are all becoming bookworms and our first badges will be awarded tomorrow. Well done P6 and P7.
LEARNING GAME
Our P7 pupils will attend this event at St Thomas Primary on Thurs 8th Dec. This event is based on teamwork and fits into Enterprise Education, which is now an established part of the 5-14 curriculum. They will be working with P7 pupils from the other schools in the Keith ASG (Associated Schools Group).
SQA ATTAINMENT
Parents of P7 pupils will find an attachment, which provides comparative statistics for Moray's eight secondary schools.
THE THREE Rs
For those of you of a certain age, the three Rs meant reading, writing and arithmetic but today's youngsters at Botriphnie know that they mean,
REUSE RECYCLE REDUCE
This term our P4-7 pupils have been looking at their environment and a couple of weeks ago they had a very educational visit to Moray Waste Busters in Forres. On returning to school they produced a beautiful stained glass window reusing an old window frame.
They are learning many things about caring for our environment. One of their next projects is to create a rug from rags. If anyone has any cotton scraps please send them up to school. Can I also remind you that we have a green bin in the playground, which you are welcome to use for recycling your waste paper. It is open during term time, on school days, up until Mrs Gordon leaves the school at approximately 4.45.
ART SHIRTS
On Friday our P4-7 pupils were wearing their sweatshirts back to front. I wasn't sure if they were coming or going but then I discovered that they didn't have art shirts to protect them from the extra sticky glue they were using. Can you help out with something that will protect their clothes when they have art?
SCHOOL BOARD AND HEALTH GROUP
The next meeting for the Health Group takes place on Mon 12th Dec 'at 6.00. This is followed by the School Board meeting, which takes place at 6.30. Visitors are always welcome at School Board meetings.
CHRISTMAS SONGS OF PRAISE
Our violin group is taking part in this on Sunday 18th December at 7.00 at St Rufus Church in Keith. I have attended this on several occasions and it is a wonderful way to enter into the spirit of Christmas.
END OF TERM SERVICE
If you can't make it to the Christmas Songs of Praise in Keith, why not come along to our end of term Christmas service in Botriphnie Church on Tues 20th December at 10.00. Rev R. Gauld and Dr K. Gauld will be taking the service.
PANTOMIME
We are going to Aberdeen on Wed 21st Dec to see the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk at the newly refurbished His Majesty's Theatre. If you haven't paid yet can you please send in £5 for one child, £9 for two children and £12 for three. If you need to order a packed lunch from school please complete attached order form.
CHRISTMAS PARTY
This takes place on the last day of term in the afternoon. Children can bring in a change of clothes for the party or if you like you can come into school at lunchtime to help younger children to bet changed.
DECEMBER 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 39 M Whyte
2 £30 No. 154 N Theodoreson 3" £20 No 128 D Mark
DECEMBER 200 CLUB WINNERS
1ST £50 No. 39 M Whyte
2nd £30 No. 154 N Theodoreson
3rd £20 No 128 D Mark
The botriphnie blether
From October to December the calendar seems full of festivals, which we all seem to enjoy celebrating, and remembering. On Friday the 28th Oct our annual Hallowe’en Party was well attended. From the positive comments I received it appears that once again everyone had a good time.
The costumes were great; as were the carved and novelty lanterns but unfortunately not everyone can be a winner. Well done to everyone who came along and my thanks to my staff who helped to organise the party and also to the parents who lent a hand during the evening. A special thank you to Peter McWilliam for his very kind donation of neeps. The winners were
FANCY DRESS PLAYGROUP
1st Caitlin Marshall
2nd Fergus Theodoreson
3rd Maisie MarshallFANCY DRESS P1-3
1st Rebecca Metcalfe
2nd Brooke Howie
3rd Michael FyfeFANCY DRESS P4-7
1st Ricky Henderson
2nd Katriona Anderson
3rd Craig HowieCARVED LANTERNS
1st Jack Playle
2nd Ben Marshall
3rd Drew RiachNOVELTY LANTERNS
1st Grace Stewart
2nd Jack Cockill
3rd Katie MorrisonFESTIVALS
Continuing with the theme of festivals you are invited to a St Andrew’s Night concert, which will be presented by the P4-7 pupils on Wed 30th Nov at 6.30. If there is enough interest this will be followed by a St Andrew’s night quiz while you enjoy a cup of tea.On Fri 9th Dec at 1.45 our P1-3 pupils will present a Christmas nativity called Whoops a Daisy Angel.
Parents and friends of all children from P1-7 are invited to both of these presentations but it would be helpful to know in advance if you intend coming along so could you please fill in and return the attached sheet.
PARENT APPOINTMENTS
These take place on Thursday and you will find your times attached to the newsletter. It is very important that you attend these appointments and children look forward to showing you their work.SCHOOL ROLL
Our school roll is creeping up again. We are pleased to welcome Callum Thompson at the P1 stage. Callum has settled in quickly and we hope he enjoys his time at Botriphnie Primary. There are now 6 boys in P1 and three are called Callum!200 CLUB
Our main source of raising money for school funds is currently short of about twenty members. When our recent cohort of P7 pupils moved to secondary we lost quite a number of members, which we are trying very hard to replace. If you have any suggestions how we can recruit more members please let me know.OCTOBER WINNERS
1st £50 No. 106 P & L Stewart
2nd £30 No.35 M Bannerman
3rd £20 No. 7 P HowieNOVEMBER WINNERS
1st £50 No. 92 A Raw2nd £30 No. 95 S Nicol
3rd £20 No. 120 G Morrison
I am very grateful to Mr Simon Lake for his donation to the school fund of £74.47. Simon made up a quiz and sold it on behalf of the school. The money will be used to buy new books for the library.
PARENT HEALTH GROUP
Last term I invited parents to form a health group and four parents have expressed an interest. The first meeting takes place today at 6.00. If you didn’t put your name forward but would still like to attend then simply come along tonight. We will be discussing healthy snacks.SCHOOL BOARD
There will be a School Board meeting tonight at 6.30 following on from the earlier meeting. Visitors to the School Board are always welcome. Following the recent School Board elections, we are still a member short, and a co-opted member is required. I am not actually a member of the School Board, simply an adviser to the Board. Three parents have come forward to be a co-opted member and I have passed this on to Mrs Stewart who is the clerk to the Board.FRUITY FRIDAY
This continues to be very successful and nearly every one remembers to bring up their 30p. If you do forget please send it up when you remember. Last week the children had pineapple, apples, clemetines, red and green grapes, raisins, carrots and cucumber. It was beautifully prepared by the support staff and it was all eaten. Please note that Fruity Friday is back to a Friday now that the swimming has stopped.LUNCH MENUS
Hopefully you have all now received week 1-3 of the new lunch menus. This is part of the drive to make school meals healthier and they certainly look very promising. For those who do take cooked lunches please remember to keep up to date with tickets, which are currently priced, at £1.70. This is week 1 of the new menu and I shall send home weeks 4-6 when I receive them.ROAD SAFETY OFFICER
Last week the children received a talk from June Andrews the road safety officer. The main point of the talk was about wearing something bright on the dark mornings and nights. Last week when travelling home I almost collided with a young woman dressed totally in black and carrying a black umbrella. She was also walking on the wrong side of the road just coming in to Aultmore. Being somewhat myopic I only spotted her at the last minute and swerved to avoid her. For your child’s safety it is a good idea to have something reflective either on their clothing or on their schoolbag.WINTER WEATHER
You will have received the number to call should there be a need to close the school due to severe weather. Last winter we managed to open every day but who knows what this winter will bring. If the school is closed a message will be left on the school answer line and I will also contact Moray Firth Radio. On occasions when the school is open but there are no buses you can bring your child into school but you must also pick your child up at the end of the school day. Hopefully the weather will continue to be mild but there is a lot of talk at the moment about it being a severe winter. We shall wait and see!PANTOMIME
We are off again to the pantomime in Aberdeen to see Jack and the Beanstalk at the newly refurbished His Majesty’s Theatre.
“Oh no we’re not!”
“Oh yes we are!”
The cost of tickets is £7.50 but the school will subsidise this. For one child please send up £5, for two children £9 and for three children £12. Visits like this are a great experience for the children so we hope you are in agreement. The school will pay for the bus. We may visit somewhere else in the morning but we shall send home more details nearer the time. The date of the visit is Wed 19th Dec and there may be some spare seats on the bus so please contact Mrs Stewart if you want to come along. Spare seats will be allocated on a first come basis.IN SERVICE DAYS
Please note that the school will be closed for the children on Mon 14th and Tues 15th Nov for in-service training.TESCO VOUCHERS
The sports vouchers have now come to an end so if you have any lying about the house please send them up to school.
We have been invited by TESCO to send two pupils to their Keith store on Fri 2nd Dec to pick up our portable TV, which we ordered with our computer vouchers. I have picked Lauren and Alexander from P7, as they were the youngest two pupils when I came to the school in August 2000.LEAFLETS
We receive many informative leaflets most of which we are able to send home. Sometimes there is not one per family so these will be out on display on Thursday and if there is anything of interest please take one home.PARENTZONE www.parentzonescotland.gov.uk
The botriphnie blether
Since the last newsletter our roll has crept up to 37. We are pleased to welcome Patrick McPhee who has joined us at the P7 stage. Patrick tells me that he likes being in a small school. I hope that he will continue to enjoy the opportunities, which a small school can offer.
STAFFING
Mrs Joan Ross has been appointed as a Support for Learning auxiliary and took up her new post last week. We hope that she enjoys working in the school as much as we all do.Ms Cathy Francis and Ms Normand have agreed to a job share for the post of SfL teacher so both will continue in that role for the foreseeable future.
HUNTLY CASTLE
Tomorrow the whole school is off to Huntly Castle. The P4-7 pupils will be involved in a “Knights’ School” whilst the P1-3 will be exploring the castle. The children will require a packed lunch. Children will return home at the usual time.ABSENCES
Thanks to everyone for your continued cooperation in contacting the school when your child is absent. There have however been a number of occasions when the school has had to make the contact. All staff are very busy in the morning so if possible, please phone in before 9.00 or we will call you. Please remember that if your child is late it will be recorded on the register. There have been very few absences this term so fingers crossed that the children continue to avoid all those illnesses that plague us during term time.200 CLUB WINNERS
SEPTEMBER WINNERS
1st £50 No. 176 C Anderson
2nd £30 No. 163 A Stewart
3rd £20 No. 141 J Wink
New members are always welcome.
The school fund recently received a boost of £50. This came in the form of a donation towards the cost of travel and was much appreciated. Thank you.
The Webb Ivory catalogues are being circulated. There is no obligation whatsoever to place an order. Mrs Jackie Morrison has taken on the responsibility of organising this fundraiser.
MOBILE LIBRARY
Following an absence of six weeks the mobile library will be here on Friday 30th.HOMEWORK
All children should now be receiving homework tasks. These include a variety of activities and I would urge parents to initial or sign jotters and reading booklets so that teachers know that you as parents are involved in your child’s learning.PARENT APPOINTMENTS
Appointments for P1 pupils take place this Wed 28th Sept between 3.30-4.30. A note of your time is attached to this newsletter.SCHOOL CALENDERS
Your school calendar has been issued with this newsletter. We hope you find it useful. There is no charge but you may, if you wish, make a donation of £1 towards the cost of the calendar.SCHOOL SWEATSHIRTS
It is great to see all of our pupils wearing the school sweatshirt. However it can be difficult to identify them, as they lie discarded in various locations around the school when they are unnamed! A biro is all that is required to put initials on the label. It is a good idea to label clothes as we had someone going home with wrong trousers last week.CROSS COUNTRY
Congratulations to all the children who took part in the cross country last Thursday. They were all winners for volunteering to take part. Everyone finished the race and did their best. A special mention goes to Ricky Henderson and Sammy Mitchell who both finished second in their races. Well done boys.In the past a number of pupils have entered the cross country at Elgin but I really feel they need to receive regular training so that they will be fit for this event. Is there anyone who would be prepared to do training with the children? This would probably be in the form of indoor circuit training during the darker nights and outdoor in the better weather. If anyone feels they could help please let me know. I did come second in the 440 yards when I was in the 5th year at Banff Academy but that was more to do with the other runners dropping out rather than me surging ahead!
CLUBS
At the moment we have the following extra curricular activities on offer
Stay and Play
Violin Group
Computer Club
Grid Club
Recorder
If anyone has a skill or hobby that they feel would be of interest please let me know. These activities can take place either during lunchtimes or at the end of the school day. Kerry Smith, who is the new Active Schools coordinator, has some plans for the future and has asked if there are any parents who would like to assist her with activities after school.
Please complete the attached form if you feel you are able to start up a club or would like to support someone else in the running of a club.
VIOLIN
As we shall be out of school tomorrow Mrs Alexander has rearranged her timetable and will be in school on Wednesday morning. There will be no music group after school on Tuesday. Please remember to support your child in their weekly violin practice. Mrs Alexander can tell when it hasn’t been done!The Moray Festival takes place in 2006 so we will hopefully be able to enter some of the classes.
RECORDER
Mr Friday has kindly offered to continue teaching recorder to the P6/7 pupils on a Thursday from 2.45-3.15. I appreciate this activity runs on after school but it is a good opportunity for the pupils so perhaps you could encourage your child to stay and then pick him/her up from school at 3.15. I would also be willing to take your child home if transport is a problem. Please return attached form.TESCO VOUCHERS
These are on the go again, this time for sports equipment. We could certainly do with some new balls as ours have a habit of disappearing down The Gullet, never to be seen again. Is there a horde of footballs hidden somewhere on the Drummuir Estate? Please encourage friends and relations to collect the tokens for us and send them up to school. We ordered a TV with the computer tokens, which we intend raffling. The proceeds will then be used to purchase something else for the school.DANCE
On Wednesday the children will be involved in dance activities set up by Kerry Smith the Active Schools’ Coordinator. This is instead of the usual PE lesson. Please make sure your child has their PE kit with them on Wednesday 28th.CANTEEN/PACKED LUNCHES
Most days I am in the canteen for my lunch and I also keep an eye on the packed lunches, which are eaten in the hall. When I am in the canteen I am deeply concerned that most pupils barely eat any lunch. Most of the food ends up in the bin. The children with the best appetites are those who do not have a playtime snack. Last week nearly every child had a large chocolate bar at break time or a very sugary sweet. To further our challenge of becoming a health promoting school I would like to form a group of parents to look at options for healthier snacks at playtime. If you are interested in joining this group please complete the attached form. I would like a meeting to take place before the October Break so if you could indicate a suitable time and day I shall arrange a meeting, which suits most people.MATHS GAMES
This is now a regular feature first thing on a Monday morning. A parent helper would add to the fun and learning by keeping the children focussed. If you would like to help out for about 40 mins please let me know.SCHOOL BOARD
There is a meeting tonight at 6.30. With new elections looming please feel free to come along and get a taster of what it is all about.
The botriphnie blether
Welcome back to the first Botriphnie Blether for session 2005/2006. The summer holidays are now a distant memory but the good news is that the October Break is only six weeks away! At the end of last term we said farewell to Tabitha, Haden, Seonaidh and Isla. We hope that they are all well and settled in their new schools. Tabitha has already emailed with all her news and the children will enjoy the opportunity of keeping in touch by email, the technology of the 21st century.
This term we welcome six new pupils at the P1 stage. There are five boys and one girl. A special welcome to Calum Craig, Jack Cockill, Grace Stewart, Shaun Howie, Stuart Pirie and Callum Shipley who have settled in well and this week they embark on their first full day at school.
We now have 21 pupils in the P1-3 class so Mrs Griffiths is certainly going to be kept busy this session.
There are 15 pupils at the P4-7 stage, which brings the present roll to 36.
All pupils have been wearing their school uniform and look very smart. Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring that your child is smartly dressed for school. The jade sweatshirt is very practical and seems to suit all the children. There is usually a stock in school so if anyone requires a new one the cost is £7.85.
SCHOOL GARDENS
These are still looking well despite the prevailing wind. Visitors to the school always comment on the efforts made by the children and staff to brighten up the entrances to the school. Many thanks to Jackie Morrison for taking on the task of ensuring that the containers were all kept watered over the summer holidays. It was much appreciated.A special thanks also to the village youngsters whom I hijacked during the holidays to empty the shed so that it could be turned around prior to the arrival of the new shed. They dutifully returned at 4.00 and kindly put everything back.
STAFFING
The school continues to be well staffed and I sometimes have difficulty explaining to people that although we are regarded as a two-teacher school there are certainly more than two teachers in it, as you will see from the following staff list.SUPPORT STAFF
Mr Andy Beddow
Ms Debbie Goldthorp
Mrs Eleanor Gordon
Mrs Carole Moir
Mrs Vivian Cooper
Mrs Maureen Morrison
Mrs Mary Stewart
P1-3 Mrs Sally Griffiths
P4-7 Miss Gillian Findlay
Ms Marion Normand
SfL Ms Marion Normand
Ms Cathy Francis
PE Mrs Sheena Edwards
Art Mrs Avril Clark
Music Mrs Ann Corbet
Violin Mrs Jane Alexander
Recorder Mr Edward Friday
SALT Charlotte Duffus
LSEY Anne Duff
School Chaplain Rev. Ranald GauldSALT Speech and language therapy, LSEY Language support in the early years.
A special welcome to Cathy Francis and to Viv Cooper who have joined us on a temporary basis as both their posts are currently being advertised.
ABSENCE PROCEDURES
Following Rory Blackhall’s murder in Livingstone last week The Moray Council has issued new guidelines for reporting a child’s absence from school. Please see attached information. They more or less reflect our own procedures and the majority of parents have, in the past, complied with them. I would now urge all parents to follow the recommendation to notify the school before the start of the school day. Put simply, if we don’t hear from you before 8.50 you will now be contacted by the school.HELPFUL REMINDERS
- This is week 5 of the canteen menu.
- Please send up 30p on Thursday to help cover the cost of fruit for Fruity Thursday.
- Remember PE kit is required on every Wednesday throughout the year.
- The mobile library visits fortnightly on a Friday and it will visit this week.
- P4/5 will have swimming lessons every Friday up to the October break.
- There are staff meetings on most Thursdays from 3.00 to about 4.30.
- Children require an art shirt or overall which can be kept in school.
CROSS COUNTRY
Keith Primary School has invited us to take part in their annual cross-country event. It is open to all children from P3-7. The run is good fun and most of our pupils like the challenge of doing their best. It is being held earlier this year as last year’s was cancelled due to bad weather. It will be held at KPS on Thurs 22nd September starting at 1.30. Spectators are always welcome.200 CLUB WINNERS
AUGUST WINNERS
1st £50 No. 121 A Wilson
2nd £30 No. 190 H Moir
3rd £20 No. 59 L Hutchison
New members welcome. There are always a few numbers to sell. When children move on, new numbers become available. If you have any relatives or friends who would like to support the school please give us a call.
SCHOOL TRIPS
We have two trips planned already so we do need your support in fund raising to help finance the transport.On Thursday our P4-7 class is off to Duff House in Banff for a cultural visit on Scottish Art. The children will see all the artwork displayed in the house but will also see the work of John Lowrie Morrison, better known as “Jolomo”. I visited yesterday and was most impressed by his style. I did think of purchasing one of his works but the price tag of £3500 was just a little out of my reach. Madonna apparently has six pieces of his work and Sting has just acquired two. The children require a packed lunch but we will be back in time for recorder at 2.15.
On Tuesday 27th Sept both classes are visiting Huntly Castle in connection with their topics. P1-3 are currently studying Castles and P4-7 Scotland. P1-3 will look around the castle and P4-7 will attend a workshop organised by historic Scotland. They will be learning about the wars of independence. Sounds like a good day out for all. Children will also need a packed lunch that day.
Packed lunches can be ordered from the canteen. Please complete the attached slip if you require a packed lunch for either of the visits.
PARENT APPOINTMENTS
This is only for the parents of P1 pupils. Mrs Griffiths will meet with you to discuss how your child is settling in to school. The date for this is Wed 28th Sept. The appointments will last 10 minutes and will run from 3.30 to 4.30. You will receive your exact time nearer the date but don’t worry if you can’t make it at that time. Mrs Griffiths is quite willing to organise another more convenient time but it is important that you attend.GRID CLUB
Pete Mungall will be visiting the P4-7 class on Fri 9th Sept. Pete will be on hand to help the children to get the best out of this very good resource which is available to our pupils. I understand that some parents have not been too happy with the contents of emails but the educational facilities are very good and hopefully the other problem has been ironed out.WEBB IVORY
This fund raising Christmas catalogue usually raises between £100-£150 for school funds. Mrs Mary Stewart has very kindly done this for the past few years but if anyone, or a group of parents would like to take on this task we would be very happy to hear from you.SCHOLASTIC BOOKS
Last year the school earned £122.99 from your book orders and this will be ploughed back into scholastic by buying more books for the school library.LOST PROPERTY
Did anyone lose a silver coloured Parker pen at KGS? It was handed it after the school estate meeting.
