Gibson News - Autumn 2024

KEY DATES

Monday 28 October ~ Friday 1 November (inclusive) – school closed for Half Term Break

Parent Interviews

o    Year 4 – 7 Parent Interviews will be taking place week beginning Monday 21 October.

o     Year 1 – 3 Parent Interviews will however take place in January/February. 

All our parent meetings are face-to-face meetings in school.  Details regarding times and dates of our Year 4 – 7 interviews have been distributed.  If you have any queries regarding this, please contact us at school.

Hallowe’en Disco – Our Annual Hallowe’en Disco which will be on TUESDAY 22 OCTOBER.  Entrance fee is £3 per pupil.  Only pupils from Gibson PS may attend.

·         Year 1 – 3 pupils should attend from 6.00 – 7.15pm 

o    Drinks and snacks will be provided

·         Year 4 – 7 pupils can come from 7.30 – 9.00pm

o    Tuck shop will be available

o    Glowsticks will be on sale

Year 1 – 3 pupils should be collected from the School Dining Hall using the outside doors to ease congestion at the main entrance.

NO pupil will be allowed to leave without an adult collecting them from the school as it will be dark outside!

Poppy Appeal 

As in previous years we will be supporting the Poppy Appeal.  The usual range of items will be on sale once we return from half-term.

Year 1 Parents ‘Reading Together’ Programme

Our Year 1 teachers are running a series of ‘Reading Together’ sessions for Year 1 pupils and parents.  The first session will take place at 1.30pm on Wednesday 6 November.  Other evening sessions are planned for January. More details to follow.

Flu Vaccination

Our school nursing team have confirmed that flu vaccinations will be administered in school on Thursday 21 November.  Consent forms have already been issued and returned for this.

School Photographs 

This year all pupils will be taken individually on Tuesday 5 November and with their siblings on Wednesday 6 November.

Communication Policy and Visitors Policy

We have attached a copy of these new policies along with this news sheet. Please note that we will mainly be communicating by

o    Seesaw (Y1, Y2 & Language Classes)

o    E-mail

o    Telephone

o    Face to Face meetings

We request that all communication remains respectful and courteous and emphasise that abuse of any form will not be tolerated.

We are very fortunate to have good relationships with our parents and look forward to this continuing.

Please note:

o    You can contact school by coming into the school office, phoning us on 02882244552 or by emailing your child’s class teacher. 

o    Pupils should use the Pupil Entrance at the side of the school.  If your child is upset, anxious or you need to speak to the class teacher, please use the main entrance and come to the school office. 

o    Any parent using the front entrance MUST report to Reception.  It is not appropriate for parents to walk through the school without permission.

Car Park & Dangerous Driving

It is essential that all drivers use our car park with care and consideration. 

Cars are NOT ALLOWED to use the Bus Lane (lane closest to the school) which is only for EA Buses and EA Taxis. 

We have had cars travelling too quicky, using the bus lane and exiting via the wrong entrance recently.  This is putting pupil safety at risk and needs to stop!

Harvest

Our Harvest celebrations take place in school with a special assembly on Tuesday 22 October focusing on the theme of ‘Thankfulness.’

St Columba’s Winter Coat Giveaway

Once again St Columba’s are running a Winter Coat Giveaway.

The Pop-Up Coat Shop will be open at St Columba’s Parish Centre on

o    Thursday 17th October 12pm – 8pm

o    Friday 18th October 12pm – 8pm

School Uniform Labelling

There are an increasing number of items gathering in our lost property room due to not being labelled.  These can quite simply be returned if your child’s name is written onto all items of clothing (especially jumpers and coats).  We appreciate these are expensive to replace and it frustrates everyone when an item of lost property cannot be returned. 

Year 1 Nursery Rhyme Day

Our Year 1 pupils are celebrating Nursery Rhyme Day by dressing up as their favourite character on Wednesday 16 October.  This will be a fun way for pupils to further their learning on their Nursery Rhyme topic.

Cross Country Events

Mr Kane will be accompanying a selection of pupils to a number of Cross-Country Events at Castlederg High School in the coming weeks.  Good luck to all involved.

PTA Movie Night

We will be holding a PTA Movie Night on Monday 25 November for all pupils.  Details about movies, tickets, tuck shop etc. will be sent home after Half Term.

Family Contribution

A big thank you to all those who paid our family contribution request online.  This money will be used to purchase additional tablets for pupils to use in class. This is simply not possible without your support!

Books

We are always looking for books to replenish our school and class libraries.  If you have any books which you are finished with and are in good condition, please send them into school and we will be able to use them.

Attendance

Please note school starts at 9.00am sharp.  A number of children are consistently arriving late each day which means they are missing out on the plans for the day. 

Any pupil arriving after 9.15am will be marked as Late meaning they are marked absent for that session.  This will affect their overall attendance and could lead to a referral to Educational Welfare.

Conkers

We do not allow any conkers in school as they are technically nuts. We have several pupils who have nut allergies and therefore operate a nut free policy. Your understanding is appreciated.