December 2023

KEY DATES

Wednesday 20 December – school closes at 12.30pm for Y1-3 and

1.00pm for Y4-7

Thursday 21 December – Wednesday 3 January (inclusive) – Christmas Holiday   

Children return to school on Thursday 4 January 2023

All key dates are available on the school website (www.gibsonps.co.uk – under Parents - School Closures)

Christmas Dinner will be served on Thursday 14 December and costs £2.60 for those not entitled to free meals. This should be booked, like all dinners, through the School Money App by Monday 11 December. This will also be a non-uniform Christmas Jumper Day.  We are asking a £1 donation per child which will go to PTA funds.  This should be sent into the class teacher.

Christmas Fun Day – Our annual Fun Day is planned for Tuesday 19 December where Santa will arrive in school in his own unique way! All children will get to meet Santa and receive a small gift.  We would encourage all pupils to wear something festive as this will be a non-uniform day.  We would also request that each pupil brings a minimum donation of £1 to help cover costs.

Christmas Performances – All classes from Year 1-3 are performing a short Christmas play with Year 4 holding a Carol Service in school.  Admittance is strictly by ticket only.  More details to follow shortly.

The performances are on the following dates:

• Language Unit – Thursday 7 December at 1.30pm
• Year 1 – Wednesday 13 December at 10.00am
• Year 2 – Wednesday 13 December at 1.30pm
• Year 3 – Tuesday 12 December at 10.00am
• Year 4 – Friday 15 December at 10.00am

Christmas Carol Service – Our Year 5-7 pupils will be holding their Annual Carol Service in St Columba’s on Monday 18 December at 7.00pm.  All parents and friends are welcome to attend, as there is no admission fee, we plan on holding a retiring collection in aid of Air Ambulance NI.

Year 1 Admission – Admission for Year 1 now takes place online and runs from Tuesday 9 January until Friday 26 January at 12 noon. 

Our Open Evenings for parents and children are planned for

• Wednesday 10 January between 3.00 and 5.00pm and
• Thursday 11 January between 4.00pm – 6.00pm.

If you know of anyone interested in enrolling, please direct them to our website and get them to contact school.

Poppy Appeal – Many thanks for your support for our annual Poppy Appeal.  Thanks to your generosity this year we managed to raise £684 which was greatly appreciated.

Strike Action – Teaching Unions have called a half day strike action on Wednesday 29 November.  Consequently, school will be closed until 12noon on Wednesday.  Pupils should return to school at 12noon after which school will run normally.  If your child takes school dinners, please ensure you book them on Monday 27 November.

Correspondence via Email – We continue to send letters, newsletters and permission slips via email.  It is therefore essential that all parents inform school if there are any changes to their email address in order to receive up to date information. 

PTA Movie Evening – We are planning on holding a movie night for our pupils on Wednesday 13 December.  Children will be able to come into school, purchase treats and watch movies of their choice with their friends.  Full details will be sent out after our next PTA meeting on Thursday 30 November at 7pm – everyone welcome!