Prestonpans Infant School Newsletter

August 2013

It’s been good to have a break but it’s great to be

back. We are all ready for another good year of working together

to give all our children the best start in learning.

We have 99 P1s and they

have settled in so well.

They are a great credit to

the families that have sup-

ported them into P1 so well.

Thank you for trusting

them into our care. We will

do our very best for them.

We are really grateful for the families

who came and worked so hard on the

first Monday of the holidays to build a

sandpit on our field. Kirsteen and Ja-

mie McCallum were the brains behind

the project but also worked so hard to

make it this good. The sand is arriving

soon and when it does we will need

more help from people with wheelbarrows to fill the sandpit.

Grounds for learning came last term and have given us a report on

ways we can improve the play and learning opportunities for

children on our field and in the woods.

We really hope all of our children will come

along with their dad, uncle, granddad and other

male carers to our special day of activities for

dads to have some fun with their kids. There’s

not a lot around for just dads and kids so we

are holding this event to give dads and kids

some quality time together. It starts at 10am

on Saturday 31 August 2013 and it ends with

bacon roll lunch at 1pm. Mums, you get the

morning off! It’s got to be good for you to.

We were sad that Mrs Janetta Horne left us for retirement af-

ter 23 years of service to the families of Prestonpans Infants.

Mrs Horne led the motor group initiative and has cared for gen-

erations of children. We all wish her well and hope she won’t be a

stranger.

We are also deeply disappointed to say that our

Place2Be School Manager, Colette Wilson, has re-

signed in the summer. There is uncertainty over the

future of Place2Be in East Lothian beyond December

2013 and this was a significant factor in Colette’s de-

cision. Frances Griffin, Place2Be’s East Lothian Manager, will be

leading the service in our school for now.

However we are delighted to welcome 3 new teachers.

Miss Katie Macaulay Mr Stefan Thomson Mr Chris Wilson

Nursery P1/5 Teacher P1/6 Teacher

You should have got a letter this week about paying for school

milk. School milk is 17p per day and this is subsidised by the EEC

Milk Subsidy Fund. We ask you to pay for school milk termly or

annually. The annual cost is £32.30 which should be paid by cash

or by cheque to East Lothian Council. Please put the money in an

envelope with your child’s name and class on it. We will issue you

with a receipt for milk money. If you want to pay termly, the

amounts are

Term 1 21.8.13 — 20.12.13 £13.60

Term 2 6.1.14 — 4.4.14 £10.00

Term 3 22.4.14—4.7.14 £8.70

Over the last 2 years, we have run many groups for parents and

carers to learn together with us about how children develop and

how we can help children develop in a healthy way. Parents and

carers who have taken part in these courses have raved about the

groups. There are 2 group opportunities starting in September.

1. Raising Children with Confidence with Alison Kettell and

Sheila Laing on Thursdays from 12.45—2.45pm in our school.

There are other trainers who are willing to deliver the course in

evenings if enough people are interested in this.

2. Incredible Years will be offered if enough parents and carers

request this. This is a course that helps you think about sup-

porting your children’s behaviour. It runs for 12 weeks with one

session per week, probably in the mornings. Kathy Lamb will

probably lead this course.

Please fill in the attached slip if you are interested in either

course or have a chat with Sheila or Alison.

From 2014, the Scottish Government is increasing the hours a

child is entitled to a nursery place from 475 hours per year to

600 hours per year. East Lothian Council are consulting parents

and carers on how this can be achieved in a way that supports

families well. Prestonpans, Longniddry, Port Seton and

Cockenzie parents and carers are invited to a meeting in Port

Seton Community Centre on Tuesday 3 September 2013 from

6.30—8.30pm. Ms Laing will be attending and hopes that many

Prestonpans Infant parents and carers will come along to help the

discussion.

We are making a year calendar of important dates for you but

meantime here are some upcoming dates… Sat 31 Aug Go Mad with Dad 10am—1pm

Mon 2 Sept Last date to pay milk money

Tues 3 Sept 600 Nursery Hours consultation—see above

Thurs 5 Sept Support from the Start 9.15—11.15 in

Prestonpans Community Centre—all welcome

Thurs 5 Sept Parent Council AGM 6.30pm

- all new parents welcome

Sat 7 Sept P3s invited to sing at Port Seton Box Meeting

Fri 13 Sept Local Holiday

Mon 17 Sept Local Holiday

Thurs 19 Sept Harvest Celebration 9.15am

Thurs 19 Sept See the Classroom evening

Tues 24 Sept P1 trip to Ratho P1/4 9am, P1/2 11.45am

Wed 25 Sept P1 trip to Ratho P1/6 9am, P1/5 11.45am

Thur 26 Sept P1 trip to Ratho, P1/3 11.45am

Fri 4 Oct McMillan Coffee Morning

Wed 9 Oct Parent Consultations 6-9pm

Thurs 10 Oct Parent Consultations 3.30—7pm

Mon 14—18 October holiday

Mon 21 Oct In Service Day

Wed 30 Oct FAMILY PHOTOS in school