http://www.hermitageprimaryschool.org/

Twitter-@HermitagePrim

enquiries-hermitageprimary@argyll-bute.gov.uk

01436672949

Welcometo

Primary6

DearParent/Carer

AverywarmwelcometoyouandyourchildtoP6inHermitagePrimarySchool.

Wehopetheinformationcontainedwithinthisbookletwillbehelpfulastheyearprogresses.

Itoutlinessomeoftheclassroutines,curriculumdetails,homeworkguidelinesandhowwe

useourPupilPlannertogethertobuildaLearningProfilewithyourchild,youasparentsand

ourselves;reportingandkeepingyouuptodatewithyourchild’slearningandprogress,

attainmentandachievements.

ParentNewsletterswillbeissuedatthebeginningofeachmonth,outlininggeneral

informationforthemonthaheadandreportingonrecenteventsandachievements.

Ourschoolwebsiteprovidesadditionalnewsandinformation;andtheschoolcalendarisalso

locatedonthewebsite.Regularlylookingatitwillkeepyouuptodatewithdetailsofevents.

(YoucanusetheQRcodeonthefrontofthisbooklettotakeyoustraightthere).

Weareallverystronglycommittedtoworkinginpartnershipwithyouandencourageyouto

doallyoucantokeepsharinginyourchild’seducationwithus.

Withbestwishesforagreatyearahead,

Elspeth M Davis ElspethMDavis

HeadTeacher

OurAims

Weaimto:

• Enablechildrentodevelopassuccessfullearners,whoareconfident,exerciseresponsibility,

contributetothelifeoftheschoolandwidercommunityandwhomakeverygoodprogressintheir

learning;providinganethoswithintheschoolwhichcelebratesachievementandencouragescreativity

andinnovation.

• Provideteacherswhoknowtheirpupilswellandofferavarietyofexcitingandinterestinglearning

experiencesandopportunities,offeringchoice,digitalexperiences,supportandgroupworktohelp

pupilslearnbothindoorsandoutdoors;buildingonpupilstrengthsandprovidingnewchallengesusing

highqualityresources.

• Providechildrenwithacaringplacetolearnwhichencouragesthemtotreateachotherkindlyand

withrespectandberesponsibleEcofriendlycitizensintheirlocalenvironmentandinthewiderworld.

• Teachchildren,inpartnershipwithparents,tokeepthemselvessafeintheschoolandwider

environment,includingon-linebymakingpositivechoicesnowandinthefuture.

• Provideopportunitiesforalltotakepartinleadershipactivitieswhichpromoteinitiative,resilience

andconfidence.

• Continuetodevelopstrongandpositivelinkswithparents,ourcommunity,educational

establishments,agenciesandotherstoensurethattheiruniquecontributionsprovideenriching

experiencestosupportandenhancelearningforall.

Oneofthekeyaimsistoensurethatyourchildwillenjoyahappytimeatschoolwherethere

isawarm,safeandcaringenvironment.

StaffinginP6

TheclassteachersareMrsGraftoninP6aandMrCraiginP6b.Bothworkfulltime

in their classes, Monday to Friday. The Classroom Assistant also working with P6 isMrs

McNeilage.

OnaWednesdayeachclasshasaPElessonwithMrMulvennaandonaThursdaybothclasseshave an Eco lesson withMr Henry and aMusic lesson withMrs Ridland. (These specialistlessonsallowMrsGraftonandMrCraigtheirapportionednon-classcontacttime)

MrPaulMulvennaistheDeputeHeadTeacherwithpastoralresponsibilityforP6.

GeneralInformation

• Playtimesandplaygroundsupervision:P6pupilssharetheplaygroundwithallother

classes.Eachdaytheyareallocatedaspecificplayspacewithinthegroundsmakinguse

ofourextensivelydevelopedplayspacesintheImaginativeArea,Amphitheatre,Main

AreaandOutdoorGym.OurteamofClassroomAssistantssupervisetheplayground

intervals.

• Snack:Mostparentsliketosendasnackforplaytime.Oneitemissufficient,asthe

intervalisshort.Asahealthpromotingschool,weencouragefruit,anddiscouragefizzydrinksandfoodswithhighsugarorfatcontents.Ourschoolcateringteamalsoprovide

adailyhealthytuckshop,openatthe‘hatch’eachmorninginterval.

• WaterBottle:Childrenareencouragedtodrinkplentyduringtheday.Pleaseprovidea

bottleforwater(notjuice)withanon-spilltopwhichcanbere-filled,asnecessary.Pleasekeepallfoodanddrinkinaseparatecompartmentinschoolbags,orinacarrierbag

toavoidleaksandspillsonschoolmaterials.

ClassroomRoutines

• ChildreninP6lineupatthe“P7Doors”(justoutsidetheP7area)

andusethesedoorstoenterandexitthebuilding.

• Athometimetheyarebroughttomaingatestepsbytheirteacher

anddismissedtotheirwaitingnominatedadult.

• Pupilsusing school transportor going toAfter School caremake

theirwaytotheschoolhallat3pmtobemetandescortedbytransportstaffandthose

fromBASICandMulberryBush.

• TheP6cloakroomisintheircorridorandpupilsareencouragedtohangtheircoatsand

school bags there tidily. Anything required for the day ahead – pencil cases, work

walletsetcaretakenfrombagsandbroughtintotheclassroom.

• Packedlunchesareplacedonatrolleyforeasyaccesstosnacksandlunchtime.

ClassAdmin

• SchoolbagMail:Pleasecheckinyourchild'splannerdailytoseeifthere

areanynotesetc.AllschoolinformationisnowsentviaourXpressions

Appandwillalsobepostedonourwebsite.Pleaseensurethatyouremail

addressandmobiletelephonenumbersareupdatedifchanged.

Weaskthatany‘returns’aresentbacktimeously.Pupilsshouldhand

theseintotheclassteacherfirstthinginthemorningtoallowprocessinginthemain

AdminOffice.

• SchoolLunches:The‘rolling’schoollunchmenuispostedonourwebsiteenablingyou

andyourchildtomakelunchtimechoices.Aschoollunchcosts£2.20fortwocourses.

(Pupilsshouldalsobringanadditional10piftheywouldlikemilktodrink)Paymentscan

bepaidbycashorchequeto‘HermitagePrimarySchool.’

Orderingof school lunches takesplace first thingeachmorningand iscoordinatedby

eachclassroomassistant.

• Monies:Sometimes,othermoneyrequirestobesentin–fortrips,theatregroups,

charitiesetc.Pleasetrytoensurethiscomesinapurse/envelopewithanameonit

andthatyourchildknowswhatitisfor.

• Outdoorkit:Weenjoyusingourwonderfuloutdoorenvironmentforlearningasmuch

aswecan,buttheScottishweathercanmeanwetgrassandsomemud!Apairof

welliestokeepinschoolisusefultosaveschoolshoesandolderclothesthatyoudon’t

mindgettingabitwet/muddy.

• PEDays:AllourpupilsundertakeatleasttwohoursofqualityPEeachweek.

P6PEdaysareWednesdaysandFridays.P6Swimmingruns for10weeks,across the

firstandsecondtermuntillateNovember/earlyDecember:DayTBC.P6x-countryruns

from February – May and cycling takes place in May and June. Please ensure

appropriate kit and indoor sports shoes are in school for these

purposes.

• PencilCases:Pencilcasesareneededinschooleveryday.Itemsshould

include–sharpwritingpencils,aruler,aneraser,asharpener,a

gluestickandcolouringpencils.

A‘TypicalDay’

Itisdifficulttodescribeatypicaldaywithinaprimaryschoolclassroomassomuchgoeson!

But,generally,pupilswillhavecorelessonsinliteracy,numeracyandhealthandwellbeing

eachday.Othersubjectswillbetaughtthroughouttheweektoensurewefulfilthecurriculum

requirementssetdownbytheScottishGovernmentwithinCurriculumforExcellence.

Theapproachtolessonsisabalanceofactiveandseat-basedtasks.Creativityaboundsand

pupilsareencouragedtoparticipateinlearning.

Eachdaya‘timetable’ofthedayaheadispostedontheclassroomwallandgoneoverfirst

thinginthemorningataTogetherTime.Thisenableschildrentoseethedayaheadandtobe

preparedforwhatwillhappen.

TheCurriculum

TheScottishCurriculumforExcellenceinformswhatandhowweteach.Thecurriculumis

definedasthe“Totalityofallthatisplannedforchildrenandyoungpeoplethroughouttheireducation.”(BuildingtheCurriculum3:AFrameworkforLearningandTeaching,2008)

CurriculumforExcellenceisbasedaroundfourdistinctcontextsforlearning:EthosandLifeof

theSchool,Curriculumandsubjects,Inter-disciplinarylearningandOpportunitiesfor

Personalachievement.

UltimatelyweareworkingtowardssupportingourpupilstobeSuccessfulLearners,Confident

Individuals,ResponsibleCitizensandEffectiveContributorsastheyprogressthroughtheir

learning.Itisabroadandgeneraleducationwithawidevarietyofsubjectstaught.

Stafforganiselearningunderdifferingcurricularareasandlinklearningacrosstheseareas,

wherepossible–oftenthroughInterdisciplinaryLearningcontexts,combiningsubjectswithin

agiventheme.

Thisapproachoffersabreadthoflearningandthedepthtoexploreandspecialise.

Knowledgeandunderstandingaretaughtalongsidethedevelopmentofskillswithin

progressiveframeworksaspupilsmovethroughattainmentwithinbroadlevels.

In Primary 6 most children are working on the outcomes and experiences required within

Level 2, having progressed through the early stages of this levelwithin P5 – they generally

continuelearningwithinLevel2untiltheendofP7.

CurricularAreas:

*Languages(includingLiteracyandFrench)

*Maths(andNumeracy)

*HealthandWellbeing(includingPE)

ExpressiveArts(Art,Drama,Music)

Sciences

SocialStudies

Technologies

ReligiousandMoralEducation *coresubjects

InschoolwehaveguidelinesfromtheScottishGovernmentforeachsubjectareaandlevel

andweplanourworkforthechildrenbasedonthese.BenchmarkFrameworkswithinallcurricularareasarepublishedbytheScottishGovernmenttoenableustoassesschildren

appropriatelyateachleveloflearning.

Forthoseparentswhowouldliketoseethedetailofthecurriculumframeworks,followthislinkandselecttheappropriateLeveldocumentfortheBenchmarkFrameworks:http://www.hermitageprimaryschool.org/useful-documents/home-support/

IDL

IDLsareoftenreferredtobythechildrenastheir‘topic’.Learningisbasedaroundacontext

relevantandengagingforthechildrenandteacherscombineoutcomesandexperiencesfrom

relevantcurricularareastoplanforrichanddeeplearningaroundthechosentheme.

Pupilsareinvolvedinplanning–decidingwhattheywanttolearnandfindoutaboutandstaff

usetheseresponsesandtheirownjudgementtoplantheInterdisciplinaryLearning.ThisfirsttermP6willbeusingthecontext,“Democracy.”

Keep checking the Planner pages to see what else is happening and how children are

progressingintheseareas.

Assessment

WeassesspupilswithineachlevelagainsttheBenchmarkFramework–thesecanbeviewedacrossthesubjectareasonourwebsite,usingthefollowinglink:

http://www.hermitageprimaryschool.org/useful-documents/home-support/

AssessmentwithinHermitagePrimaryisrigorousandallpupilsarecarefullytrackedinthe

coresubjectsofLiteracy,NumeracyandHealthandWellbeingtoensuretheyaremaking

appropriateprogressagainstthenationalbenchmarks.

Assessmentcomesinavarietyofforms;it’snotjusttests!

Examplesoftheassessmentevidenceweuseislistedbelow:

• Jotter/Writtenwork

• Oralwork

• Presentations/Videos/Photographs

• Pupilengagementinlearning

• SelfandPeerevaluation

• Teacherjudgementandmoderationactivitiesacrosslevelswithinschoolandwithother

schools

• Homework

• LearningProfileswithinPupilPlanners

• Standardisedandendofunitassessments

Since2016DataisgatheredannuallybytheScottishGovernmentonattainmentinourschool

attheendofeachexpectedlevel.AteachLevelandwithineachaspectofcoresubjects,pupils

atHermitagePrimarySchoolcontinuetoattainwellabovenationalbenchmarkslaiddownby

theScottishGovernment

PupilSupport

Allchildrenaredifferentandprogressatdifferentrates.Ourplanningandteachingreflects

theindividualresponseswemaketopupilsintheirlearning.Fromtimetotime,pupilswill

facechallengesintheirlearningandwhenthisarisesweoffersupporttopupilstoassistin

theirprogressanddevelopment.

• Workisdifferentiatedbytheteachertosuittheneedsofthechild–thismaybein

contentorinquantityexpected.

• ClassroomandAdditionalSupportNeedsAssistantsworkwithsmallgroupsand

individualstokeepataskfocussedortohelpexplain.

• And,attimes,ourNetworkSupportTeacher–MrsLafferty-McGawwillworkwiththe

classteacherinplanningmorespecifictargetsandoutcomestoenableyourchildto

makeprogress.Thiscanofteninvolveusingspecificresourcesspeciallydesignedforthe

subject,skillorconceptinhand.

Throughourreportingproceduresbelowyouwillbekeptinformedwhenthishappensand

theAdditionalNotespageswithinthePlannerwillkeepyouupdated.

Reporting

OurPupilPlannersformanexceptionallyimportantpartofthewayinwhichwereport

informationonyourchild’slearning.

WedividetheworkwedoeachyearintofourTermsandeachtermhasaspecificcoloured

sectionwithinourPlanner.

Thesesectionsdetailtherangeoftargetsyourchildwillbeworkingonandtheclassteacher

andyourchildwillrecordtheirprogresswithinthesepages.Theygivemoredetailonwhatishappeninginclassandhowyourchildisachieving.WithineachLearningBlockpupilsreflect

ontheirprogress,thinkingthroughtheskillstheyaredevelopingthroughtheirlearning.

Termlysectionsalsocontainspaceforstafftomakeasummarycommentatregularintervalsonhowyourchildisgettingonwiththislearning.Thisreportingpagegivesyouthespace,asa

parentorcarer,tocommentregularlytoo.Pupilsandparents/carersarealsoencouragedto

notedownpersonalachievementsontheappropriatepages.Thesecanbeachievements

madewithinandout-withschool.Welovetosharesuccessand,duringourweekly

assemblies,ifpupilswish,wecancelebratetheirachievementswiththewholeschool.

TheBluesectioncanoftenbeoverlookedas“justthediarypage”,butitprovidesawealthof

information,fromhomeworktocommunicationfortheweek,topupilself-reflectionsin

learning.Weaskthatyouspendsometimewithyourchildtowardstheendofeachweek

assistingintheirreflectionsatthe‘MeTime’section,sharingtogetherandnotingthisdownin

theHomeCommentportionofeachweeklypage.

Inadditiontothisstoreofinformation,whichbuildsupwithyourchildasaprofileoflearning

andachievementthroughtheyear,wealsohaveotheropportunitiestocomeandmeetwith

theclassteachertodiscussprogressandnextsteps.Theseface-to-facesessionsarereally

valuableandallowteacherstosharemoreinformationandforyoutoaskanyquestionsyou

mayhave.Wesendhomesamplesofclassworkpriortothesesessionstogiveyoufurther

understandingofwhatyourchildisworkingonandhowtheyaredoingwithit.

ThisyearthesessionswillbeheldinOctoberandMarch.

Shouldyouwishhowever,todiscussanyparticularconcerns,pleasecalltheschoolofficeto

arrangefortheclassteachertophoneyouormakeanappointmentwiththeschool’sclerical

assistant,andwecangetameetingwiththeteacherarrangedforyou.

ParentalInvolvement

Wearestronglycommittedtoworkinginpartnershipwithyou–you,afterall,arethechief

educatorforyourchild;andwehavemanyopportunitiesforyoutogetinvolved.

HomeLearning

We,andmanyparentsandcarers,valuetheroleofhomelearningwithinHermitagePrimary

School.Itgivesyouanopportunitytoengagewithyourchildinthe“nutsandbolts”of

learning;givingyouthechancetoseeatfirsthand,whattheyareworkingonincoresubjects,

howtheyaregettingonwithconceptsandskills-theirstrengthsandtheirareasofchallenge.

Staffsethomeworkaccordingtoworkbeingundertakeninclasstogiveopportunityfor

additionalpracticeanddevelopmentandthefollowingguidelinesareincludedtoassistinthis

process.Weacknowledgethatopinionsdifferonhomeworkandanyfamilyisfreetoengage

inanyothertypeofhomelearningiftheyprefer.

WorkisbeingundertakenthisyeartoreviewandrefreshourHomeworkpolicyandapproaches.Weexpecttoseechangesastheyearprogresses.

HereareguidelinesforhomeworkinP6

• Reading – Reading will be worked on in class using novels and other sources. Childrenshouldbeencouragedtoreadforpleasureathome.

• Maths–maths activities/worksheetswill be issued throughout the year. They shouldbe

returned completed to the class teacher each Friday. Children can also practise

multiplicationtablesroutinely.Theymayalsobeinvitedtocompletechallengesorcontests

onMathleticsorSumdog.

• Spelling –Spellingwords issuedeachweek. Thesecanbecopiedout two further times

and pupils engage in a spelling challenge.Words should be learned for Friday’s weekly

check-up.Pupilswillalsobeoffereddifferingtasksusingtheirwordsonaweeklybasis.

• Language–throughouttheyeartherewillbetimeswhenadditionallanguagetaskswillbe

offered.Thismaytaketheformofsomecomprehensionworkaroundtheirreadingbook,

someextendedwritingorresearchwork.

• GoogleClassrooms–P6alsomakeuseofGoogleClassroomsandG-Suiteapps forhome

activities. This can include maths quizzes, reading tasks, IDL activities and access to

resources used in school. Each child will be given individual logins for this through

EducationScotland’sGlowplatform.

• PLPReflections– Childrenareasked to reflecton the learning for theweekwithin theirPlannersonthedailybluepages.ThisshouldbecompletedforaFriday.

• Homework Challenges – these will be offered at various stages throughout the year. A

separate letter is issuedwitheachchallengedetailingspecific instructionsandtimeframe

forcompletion.

Ø Pleasenotethatteachersmayvaryamountsofhomeworkdependentoncircumstances.

Ø Parents/Carersshouldalsobeawarethatitisnotschoolpolicytoissuehomeworkto

childrenduringholidayperiods.Thisincludesadditionalunauthorisedholidaystakenby

familiesduringthecourseoftheyear.

Pleasegetintouchwiththeclassteacherif,foranyreason,youexperienceproblemswiththehomework.Thisgivesadditionalandusefulinformationtotheteacherontheirlearningwithinaverydifferentcontexttotheclassroom.

Furthersupportandguidanceonsupportingyourchild(ren)inLiteracyandNumeracycanbe

foundinourParentalGuides.Thesecanbeaccessedviaourwebsiteorusingthefollowinglink:http://www.hermitageprimaryschool.org/useful-documents/home-support/In-School

Wewanttoactivelyencourageparentstoworkwithus;sometimesinclass,assistingwith

games,readingstories,helpingwithcraftgroupsandatthecomputer;andsometimesoutof

doors.PleasegetintouchwiththeSchoolOfficeifthisissomethingyouwouldliketodo.

Wealsoinviteyouintoashared‘OpenLearning’sessionforyourchild.Thisisafurther

opportunitytoseewhathasbeenhappeninginclassinaparticulartopicasthechildrenshare

theirlearningincreativewaysatAssembly,followedbyaninvitationintoclass.Thissession

P6‘OpenLearning’willbeheldonFriday29thMayat9.15am.Wedohopeyoucanjoinus!

OurPlannersprovideaveryusefulwaytocommunicatewiththeclassteacher.Pleaseusethis

astheyearprogressestoshareanyrelevantinformationwithus,toaskanyquestionsorto

shareyourprideinsuccess!

Weextendthisinvitationtoyouall,andlookforwardtoworkingwithyou.

*AllvolunteerswithinschoolrequiretobemembersofthePVGScheme(ProtectingVulnerableGroups)Pleasecontacttheschoolofficeformoreinformation.

Thankyoufortakingtimetoreadallofthisinformation.

Ifyourequirefurtherinformationwewillbehappytohelp.

APPENDIX1

SCHOOLHOLIDAYSANDINSERVICEDAYS2019/2020

HELENSBURGHANDLOMOND

TERM1

13, 14 August 2019 Staff In-service days* 15 August 2019 Pupils return 4 October 2019 October Holiday: School closes 07, 08 October 2019 Staff In-service days* 21 October 2019 School re-opens 20 December 2019 Christmas Holidays: School closes TERM2

06 January 2020 School re-opens 07 February 2020 February Holiday: School closes 17 February 2020 School re-opens 03 April 2020 Spring Holiday: School closes TERM3

20 April 2020 School re-opens 21 May 2020 May Weekend: School closes 22 May 2020 Staff In-service day* 26 May 2020 School re-opens 26 June 2020 Summer Holidays: School closes *Staff Development days – school closed to pupils

APPENDIX2

Hermitage Primary School GOLDEN RULES

At Hermitage Primary we have four very simple rules, drawn up with the children themselves, which encompass all we expect. ü Treat other people with care, kindness and respect. ü Keep hands, feet and unkind words to yourself. ü Give yourself and other the best chance to learn. ü Take care of your own, others and school property ü These sit alongside the school’s shared values… è

… and together they all form the basis of our whole school relationships programme. Within the first few weeks you'll receive more detailed information on this programme and the way it works.