Author: portreeprimary

Please see below and attached, information for this week’s update;

Cauliflower Cards

All orders have now arrived in school and an email has been sent out to explain how these are being distributed, larger items and gift wrap can be collected, by arrangement, with the school office.  We are very grateful for your support in this initiative.  The products that children have created are just lovely!

Parents Night

Parent’s nights will take place for all classes on 30^th November and 1^st December.  As with last spring, these will be held virtually on the Parent Booking platform.  Appointments will be open for booking from 22^nd – 29^th November.  If you have any difficulty accessing these or require further instruction, please contact the school office.

Open Event arrangements

Wednesday 24^th November would have been one of our annual Open Days for parents to visit the school.  As we are still unable to have visitors at school, class teacher will share some classroom photos on the Google Classrooms next Wednesday for you to have a wee glimpse into classroom life.  On Friday 26^th November, each child will take home 3 Key Assessment Tasks which we would ask you to look over, discuss with children and add your comments to the Family Voice section.  If possible, we would ask for these to be returned by Monday 29^th November so that they can be added to pupil profiles.  We very much look forward to being able to open our doors again when it is safe to do so.

Raasay Trip

Just a reminder to P7 pupils and parents that the first instalment for the Raasay trip is to be in to the school office for 26^th November.  All related information was sent out separately but please be in touch with any questions you may have.

Community Christmas Events

The Parent Council will be running a stall at the Community Christmas event on Saturday 27^th November at the KG5.  They would very much appreciate any donations of home baking that is packaged and ready to sell.  They will also be holding a chocolate tombola and any donations of chocolate would also be very welcome.  Donations can be handed in to the school or to the Isle of Skye Paint Company.

Makaton

Our Makaton signs this week are boy, girl and when. Graphics are attached above.

A list of all upcoming dates is attached above and we will continue to update this with any changes.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

Regards,

Sara

As we come to the end of another busy week, there are a few updates to bring to your attention.

With the recent rise in covid cases, I would like to reassure all parents/guardians that in the event of any possible class or school transmission, the Health Protection Team are contacted and investigations are carried out and facilitated by myself.

These investigations, depending on the numbers and likelihood of school transmission, can take a little time to conclude, due to HPT being very busy and working through their caseload on a daily basis, the wait for PCR results, and also coming to an informed decision regarding the type of letter/instruction to issue.  There is a staged approach to this in the event of multiple cases:

• An initial warn and inform letter (given out by school) in the case of 1 case with possible link to school;
• A modified warn and inform letter from HPT (on discovery of more cases, which are possibly linked, in class) requesting pupils to seek a PCR while decision is being made

Outbreak letters, in the case of multiple linked cases, requiring children to isolate;

• ‘Stepdown’ letter/s to communicate to each family when their child can return to school/normal activities.  This is dependent on when pupil last attended school, and PCR negative test.

The situation is ever-changing and fast moving at times, and many factors are taken into account when making decisions regarding closure or isolation. 

I do hope this clarifies the process, please be assured of our support as we navigate our way through these times.

Appointment

I am delighted to inform you that following interview this week, Mr Iain Murray has been appointed to the position of Acting Head at Portree Primary School for the duration of my Careers Break, starting in January.  Iain is no stranger to Portree Primary School and I know that he is looking forward to the appointment as are we.

Upcoming Dates

The list of dates for this term is attached again above and there are just a couple of changes to highlight. 

• Flouride Varnishing that was scheduled for this coming week will be rescheduled as they are unable to visit this week as planned. 
• Christmas lunches will be served in the canteen on Thursday 16^th December

Carolling in the Community

In place of our traditional Christmas concert we are hoping this year to try a new method of spreading Christmas cheer through our Carolling in the Community initiative.  Classes will visit the square on Wednesday 13^th December (weather depending) and will sing a selection of carols there.  If restrictions allow, they will do this in class pairs.  Radio Skye are going to attend and will broadcast the singing for all to enjoy.  It is also hoped that each class will have a visit to a local care home, the Co-op etc to take a pop up version of their carols to the wider community.  All performances will take place outdoors and we look further to sharing further information as it becomes available.

Makaton

The Makaton signs of the week this week are Tidy up, Time and Me.

Regards,

Sara

Dear Parents/Carers,

Please find below and in the attached documents, our weekly update.  We apologise again for the last minute disruption to the school week this week and thank you all for your understanding in this. With quite a few events coming up over the course of this term, dates along with short descriptions have been included on the document attached.  We will be in touch with any changes or additions to this information is confirmed.

Upcoming Dates

Attached to the weekly update, you will receive a copy of upcoming dates for this term.  Please note that our online panto date has changed from the 20^th to the 21^st December to avoid clashing with the virtual Dance Festival.  We look forward to providing further information about additional dates over the coming weeks.

Makaton

Our Makaton signs for this week are; please, sorry and next.  The graphics for these are attached above.

Extra Curricular Activities

Unfortunately, we are still not in a position to start school run after school activities at this point due to current restrictions.  Active Schools have managed to restart some of our previous sporting clubs and Skyedance are also operating as per usual.  Attached you will see an overview of what is currently on offer as well as contact details for any queries.

Access to Google Classroom

For most classes, homework is currently assigned on Google Classroom.  We will also be using this platform to share photos of classrooms and pupils over the coming weeks.  If you are unable to access Google Classroom for any reason, please let class teachers know so that we can help.

COP26 Walk – Friday 12^th November

Pupils are challenged to create a redesigned/recycled outfit from turning shirts to skirts, trousers to shorts, embellish no longer wanted items, jumpers to t-shirts, t-shirts to buffs – the ideas are endless.  (Pinterest is great!)  Children are encouraged to wear these to school and we will do a village walk, promoting Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to raise awareness of the Climate Conference.

Winter Weather

With the winter weather approaching, a reminder of our arrangements for Adverse Weather are detailed below. 

 Adverse Weather Arrangements

It is the responsibility of parents or carers to decide if a pupil should attempt to travel to school, by transport or on foot, in adverse weather conditions.  The council encourages full attendance at school but in severe weather condition the safety of pupil is much more important. 

Parents and pupils are often concerned about content that may be missed, but this should not over-ride good judgement.

 Communication

Every effort will be made to keep parents informed of details of school closures, early closures etc. brought about by adverse weather.

When the school is not going to open, this will be communicated by the school Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/portreeprimary/ on the Highland Council Website www.highland.gov.uk/schoolclosures and on the schools telephone information service line, which is available by dialling 0800 564 2272 and entering the school’s PIN 042810

 Bus Pupils

Parents should note that the final decision on whether it is safe to operate rests with the driver of the school transport vehicle.  Therefore there may be occasions on which a school is open but some routes, or part of routes, are unable to operate.

When weather conditions are poor, parents should ensure that children are met at the “drop off” point, especially where public service transport it used.

In the event of the school closing early due to adverse weather conditions, the three schools in Portree will make a collective decision about whether buses will be called early.

Where this is the case, school staff will make every attempt to contact parents directly to ensure pupils are to get onto school transport.  In cases where parents cannot be contacted, pupils will not be put onto busses but will be kept at the school for collection.

 All Other Pupils

In the event of the school closing early due to adverse weather conditions, this information will be shared as listed above.  We ask parents to share this information widely and to make arrangements to collect pupils from school as soon as possible.  All pupils are to be collected via the school reception.  Once school transport has been arranged for pupils travelling by bus, and if the telephone lines allow, parents of pupils still at school will be contacted directly to ascertain arrangements for collection.  Often adverse weather can also mean a loss of phone lines and in this instance, staff may use mobile phones to contact parents.  It is essential that we hold up to date contacts for all pupils  Pupils will not be permitted to walk home unless that has clearly been stated by parents.

Please discuss this with pupils so that they are aware of what their plan is if this circumstance were to arrive.  For pupils who are permitted to walk home in this situation, class teachers must be given this permission in writing.

As always, please get in touch with any question or concerns you may have.

Regards,

Sara

https://portreeprimaryschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/extra-curricular-activities-november-1.pdf

upcoming-dates-4.11.21-1

Dear Parents/Carers,

 We trust that you all had an enjoyable break and are now settled back as we come to the end of our first week of term.  This is always a busy term ahead and although current restrictions are once again requiring us to make changes, the list of dates appears to be just as extensive.  There have been very few changes to the Council position statement and risk assessment. There is a lot of new information in this week’s update and I would draw your attention particularly to the list of dates for the coming term.  These are mostly tentative and we will provide updates of any changes and also additions over the coming weeks.

 Christmas is usually the school’s best opportunity to raise school funds and in the absence of traditional events; Christmas Craft Fayre, concert etc, we are looking for alternative fundraising opportunities to fundraise.  On 30^th November, St Andrews Day, we are holding our Tartan Day. Pupils are invited to wear tartan in addition to or in place of their uniforms and to take in a donation toward school fund. We are very grateful to the Parent Council who are supporting us financially to provide Christmas parties for all pupils.

Blythswood Appeal

Just a reminder that P3 are organising our Blythswood appeal again this year and the deadline for any donations is this coming Wednesday.  Donations of full boxes or individual items are all gratefully received.

School Meals

There is no change to the current canteen menu.  While the menu often changes in October, this year the existing menu will run until Easter.  A reminder please to go through the choices with your child to ensure that they are choosing something they like and also that adheres to any dietary requirements they may have.  Our school cook is currently off work and it is not always possible to substitute ingredients at the last minute.

Dates for you Diary

3rd November	STEM visits for P5-7 P5 in the morning, upstairs P6 & P7 in the gym pm
9th and 17th November	Flouride Varnishing P1-4
12th November	Three R’s COP26 Walk Pupils are challenged to create a resdesigned/recycled outfit from turning shirts to skirts, trousers to shorts, embelish no longer wanted items, jumpers to tshirts, t-shirts to buffs – the ideas are endless.  (Pinterest is great!)  Children are encouraged to wear these to school and we will do a village walk, promoting Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to raise awareness of the Climate Conference
14th November	Remembrance Parade – Somerled Square Selected P7’s participating
19th November	Children In Need – further information to follow
24th November	Staff will upload photos onto Google Classrooms to give you some glimpses of classroom life, in place of our usual open event
26th November	Each pupil will take home 3 Key Assessment tasks from this term for parents to look at, comment and return, again in place of our open event
26th November	Light Up Portree Event – Pupil Singers involved, further information to follow
30th November	Tartan Day – Pupils to dress up to raise money for school funds
30th November and 1st December	Virtual Parents Night – further information to follow
3rd, 10th and 17th December	Christmas Craft Fridays
10th December	Christmas Jumper Day
20th December	Online Panto  Virtual Dance Festival
22nd December	Last day of term Christmas walk
TBC	Carolling in the Community – a new alternative to our traditional Christmas concert – further information to follow
Christmas Parties	Primary 1     Monday 13th December (pm) Primary 2     Tuesday 14th December (pm) Primary 3     Wednesday 15th December (pm) Primary 4     Thursday 16th December (pm) Primary 5      Friday 17th December (am) Primary 6     Monday 20th December (pm) Primary 7    Tuesday 21st December

Head lice

A reminder to parents as well that pupils should be checked regularly at home for head lice.  We are no longer permitted to share when cases arise but just ask that everyone continue to check as a matter of routine.

Makaton

Our Makaton signs of the week for this week are ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’ and ‘thank you’.

As always, please be in touch with any questions or comments.  We always look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Sara

Dear Parents/Carers,

As this is the last update of the term, there are just a few items to bring to your attention this week;

Bra Bank

As we are supporting Breast Cancer Awareness month during October we thought it was a good time to remind parents that as part of our Eco agenda, the school have a bra bank in the building which enables any unwanted bras to be recycled, with funds going to the Breast Cancer charity.  Donations can be dropped off any time in the school porch.

Blythswood Appeal

Primary 3 are organising the Blythswood Appeal on behalf of the school this year and a letter is attached with further information about this.  This has always been a very well supported initiative and any donations will be very gratefully received.  Please see the attached note which lists items and also provides dates for donations to be in. 

Netflix

Over the past weeks there have been several references by pupils to a Netflix series, Squid Game.  There is some growing concern around the level of violent content in this series and we just wish to bring to your attention that the rating of this show is 15+.

Flu Vaccinations

Flu vaccinations will take place on Friday 29^th October.

Christmas Card Project

The sales of Christmas art projects through Cauliflower Cards has already generated over £400 commission which goes towards school funds.  Many thanks for your orders!

Staffing

Over this term, I have been working an altered work pattern, mostly from home, due to a family illness and I am hugely grateful to Mrs Templeman and the staff at the school who have been absolutely amazing during this time and have kept things going seamlessly!  While I hope to be back to more in person hours after the October holiday,  I will be taking a Careers Break from January, of one year to allow me to focus fully on family for a short time.  The post of Acting Head for Portree Primary School will likely be advertised over the October break.  Further information around this will be shared once it is available.

It has been a busy start to our session this year and an anxious time for parents. I would like to thank you all very much for your continued support and patience while we have found our way through  every changing circumstances!

Wishing you all a lovely holiday!

Regards,

Sara

With only one week left of this first school term, there are just a few items to bring to your attention this week.  Just a reminder that the school will close next Friday at 12.45 for the school holiday and will reopen on Monday 25^th October.

Wear It Pink

The school will be supporting October as Breast Cancer Awareness month next week.  Pupils are invited to take part in a “wear it pink” day next Friday by wearing pink in place of their school uniforms. Donations will be accepted on Friday in the support of the charity.

Makaton

The signs of the week this week are sing, friend and book/story.

School Photographer

Parent have been in touch regarding the school photographer.  Unfortunately, the photographer is not yet able to visit schools and we will provide an update when this changes.

Christmas Fundraising

Classes have been working with Mrs MacVicar on a school fundraising project to create designs for Christmas cards this year.  With the assistance of the Cauliflower Christmas Cards Christmas project, the designs will be available to purchase on Christmas cards, wrapping paper, gift tags, mugs and notebooks. 

Designs have been sent home and should now have been returned to school.  If these have not been returned, please ensure that they are in school for the start of next week.

Orders should be placed online with Cauliflower Cards and instructions on this will be provided in a pack issued to pupils with their design.  All commissions come directly to school funds and we thank you for your support of this project.

Please be in touch with any questions or queries you may have.

Regards,

Sara

Dear Parents/Carers,

There are just a couple of reminders to make you aware of this week;

Autumn Fling

The Light Up Portree committee will host the Autumn Fling event tomorrow at the King George pitch.  The day includes a children’s play zone and live entertainment from 2-10pm.  Our Parent Council will be holding a fundraising stall and would love you to stop by to support their fundraising efforts.  Tickets for the event are available online at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-autumn-fling-live-music-food-play-zone-bar-tickets-165988876197

Wet Weather

With the change of the weather this week, we remind parents that we are still not able to gather pupils indoors before school.  On wet days, pupils are asked not to be at school before 9am and to ensure that they have proper wet weather attire as they may be required to be outdoors. 

The school playground is not staffed before 8.50am and pupils are reminded that they should not be arriving prior to that unless they are travelling by school transport.

After School Activities

Active School and Highlife Highland have begun resuming their after school activities and details around these have been emailed to parents.  We are hopeful that our own school run activities will also soon have the go ahead to resume, however, at the moment, we are very short of volunteers to run these.  If you have not already, please complete the Google form that was issued last week so that we can begin the process of getting these organised so that once we have the go ahead, we can be up and running as soon as possible.  We currently do not have any volunteers for our running club or lego club, both of which are very popular with pupils.  There is no need for these to run all year, they could be done in blocks of a few weeks at a time so please do get in touch even if you can help occasionally.

Christmas Fundraising

Classes have been working with Mrs MacVicar on a school fundraising project to create designs for Christmas cards this year.  With the assistance of the Cauliflower Christmas Cards Christmas project, the designs will be available to purchase on Christmas cards, wrapping paper, gift tags, mugs and notebooks. 

Designs will be sent home with pupils on Monday 27^th September and should be returned to the school by Thursday 30^th September to allow enough time for orders to be printed.

Orders should be placed online with Cauliflower Cards and instructions on this will be provided in a pack issued to pupils with their design.

Please continue to get in touch with any questions or queries you may have.

Regards,

Sara

Dear Parents/Carers,

With it being a shorter week this past week there is little new information in this week’s update. 

Volunteer surveys were issued yesterday and we would really appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete these if you are able to.

Tomorrow is the final Soccer 7’s event of the year for P5-7 pupils and this is being held at the KGV in Portree.  All those participating will receive their letters and strips today.  We are very grateful to Mischa Constant, Mark MacLeod and John Urquhart for helping out with this event.

Next Saturday, 25^th August, the Community Fling event is being held in Portree, hosted by the Light Up Portree Committee.  This is an event for the whole family and our Parent Council will provide a stall to start off their fundraising for the year.  Posters with ticket information were emailed to parents earlier in the week.

Flu vaccinations will take place on Friday 29^th October.  Any outstanding forms should be returned to the school as soon as possible.

Please continue to notify us of all of the many achievements being made outside of school no matter how small.  If they are important to pupils, they are important to us.  Each of these is recorded on a WOW certificate and 5 house points given out.  As many out of school activities resume, we love to hear what everyone is up to!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

Regards,

Sara

Here we are at Friday again.  In addition to separate emails that have been sent out this week, there are a few reminders included below;

Long Weekend

This coming Monday, 13^th September and Tuesday, 14^th September are inset days.  While staff will be taking part in training, there will be no school for pupils.  We look forward to welcoming you all back on Wednesday 15^th September.

Flu Vaccinations

Our date for flu vaccinations has now been confirmed as Friday 29^th October.  If you have not already, please return these permission forms to the school office in order that they can be sent on to the school nursing team.

ASN

We are fortunate at Portree Primary School to have a variety of support in place for pupils with Additional Support Needs.  Pupils who are receiving additional support are being contacted by teaching staff to provide you with information around the nature of support that pupils are receiving and also the staff who are delivering that support.  For information around the Highland Council Additional Support Needs policies, please visit the Highland Council website; https://www.highland.gov.uk/info/886/schools_-_additional_support_needs

Water Bottles

It remains essential that all pupils have a water bottle with them each day.  Please note that only water is to be consumed in classrooms throughout the day.  While juice is permitted at lunch and snack time, bottles in class should contain water only.

PE kit and Football Strips

Just a reminder that with the exception of National Strips, Football colours are not to be worn in school.  We appreciate that pupils are keen to wear these but thank you for your understanding that these are not permitted during the school day for PE etc.  We are still asking that pupils come to school in their kit on PE days but also remind parents that school jumpers must still be worn.

Makaton Sign of the Week

As part of our whole school initiative to learn Makaton, we continue to introduce three new signs each week.  The signs this week are: home, school and wash hands and graphics for these are attached above.

Please continue to get in touch with any questions or concerns that you have. We wish you all a lovely long weekend.

Regards,

Sara

https://portreeprimaryschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/signs-of-the-week-10.09.2021.pdf

Dear Parents and Carers,

The priority of this week’s update is to remind everyone that we are currently facing a very challenging time in regards to COVID in Highland Schools.  You are aware that our own school has been affected this week and we endeavour to keep you as informed as possible.  As a school, our first port of call with any suspected cases is the Highland Health Protection Team.  Once we have passed over to them, we take all of our actions at their guidance.  As you can appreciate, they are completely inundated at the moment, however, our guidance is very clear that we cannot proceed with advice or actions that have not been approved by them.  I appreciate that the current spike of cases in general and particularly in our local area, causes concern.  Please be reassured that we share those concerns and are following our protocols entirely in our responses to this.

We thank you for your ongoing cooperation in adhering to both the school risk assessments and the national advice.  The Highland Council, this week, issued the following reminder which includes information about wider symptoms;

As well as being vigilant for symptoms, families and school pupils and staff are advised to remain cautious and continue to take all necessary precautions as directed by NHS.

• Wear face masks (unless exempt)
• Regular handwashing
• Testing using LFD tests when you have no symptoms, twice weekly is recommended

No one should attend school if they are experiencing symptoms. COVID-19 symptoms are typically:

• A new continuous cough
• High temperature or fever
• Loss or change in taste or smell

People with COVID-19 can present with a wide range of symptoms including headache, sore muscles and joints and tiredness, sore throat, cold like symptoms and diarrhoea and vomiting. Anyone that becomes unwell should isolate immediately and seek a PCR test.

The full statement can be found at https://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/13899/localised_covid-19_outbreaks_affecting_many_schools_across_highland

Emergency Contact Forms

Update forms were issued to all pupils earlier this week and we ask for these to be returned with any corrections as soon as possible.  At any point in the year, should your contact details change, please notify us so that our records can be kept up to date.

Flu Vaccination Forms

The annual flu vaccination programme in schools will soon be getting under way and pupils have been sent home with consent forms this week.  The school nursing team will be collecting these from the office next week and we would appreciate having them back as soon as possible.

Crossing Patrol

We continue to have staff shortages for Crossing Patrol and are now always able to ensure that these location are manned. We ask that you continue to use vigilance and extra caution at all crossings.  A huge thank you to Simon Fraser who volunteered to help us out this week at the Home Farm Crossing – this have been a tremendous help and is very much appreciated by the entire school community!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend!

Regards,

Sara