February 2020

Key Dates

Monday 17 February         - school closed HALF TERM

Tuesday 18 February         - school closed HALF TERM

Wednesday 19 February     - school closed HALF TERM

Monday 16 March            - school closed for Staff Development Day

Tuesday 17 March            - school closed ST PATRICK'S DAY

Year 1 – 3 Parent Interviews

Parent interviews are taking place next week from Tuesday 11 – Thursday 13 February and are an important way of finding out more information about your child’s progress. If you cannot attend please let your child’s class teacher know as soon as possible to enable them to make an alternative appointment.

After School Activities

After school activities continue on the weeks outlined below:

• Week beginning 3 Feb ~ After School Activities (Week 3)
• Week beginning 10 Feb ~ After School Activities (Week 4)
• Week beginning 17 Feb ~ NO AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
• Week beginning 24 Feb ~ All After School Activities (Week 5)
• Week beginning 2 March ~ All After School Activities (Week 6)
• Week beginning 9 March ~ All After School Activities (Week 7 – Final Week)

All dates are on the school website.

Paired Reading

Our Year 4 pupils are taking part in a Paired Reading Programme. This programme was launched with a meeting for all parents last week and will run for 6 weeks.

PTA Quiz Sheets

Our PTA are currently raising funds to continue the development of our Year 1 & 2 outdoor area. Quiz sheets will be sent home next week and your support would be greatly appreciated. We had hoped to run a Fashion Show in March, however this wasn’t possible and it is now planned for October.

Online Dinner Payments

As you will be aware we began our online payment system for school dinners in January. To help the smooth running of this it is essential all parents book their child’s meals online unless they are taking packed lunch. This applies to those entitled to Free School Meals, there is simply no payment needed, however meals still need to be booked online. We’ve been advised that anyone having difficulties logging on should avoid using the ‘Autofill’ option on phones & tablets as this can cause issues with the system.

Year 1 Applications

Year 1 applications have now closed. If anyone is aware of new parents to the area or if anyone did not apply for a Year 1 place, please contact Mr Sterritt.

Little Learners

Our next Little Learners event is on Friday 14 February at 1.45pm. This is a lovely opportunity for 2-4 year olds to come into school for a play session and become familiar with everything Gibson has to offer. Please contact Mrs Pollock for more details.

World Book Day

We are encouraging pupils to come dressed up as a favourite book character for World Book Day on Thursday 6 March. Please do not feel the need to buy a costume solely for this day. We are also holding a ‘Book Swap’ where pupils will have the opportunity to exchange a book with another child.

Car Park

I recently met with officials from the Education Authority to review our car park. There is a now a project manager appointed to oversee some re-design and investigate turning circles and how we can improve the flow of traffic. I will keep you updated regarding this. In the meantime, please continue to use all spaces available and show consideration towards other users. Thanks