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NOVEMBER 2005
Dear Parent,
HOW GOOD IS OUR SCHOOL?
The school has recently received two visits
to see how it measures up in two key areas. On Wednesday 4th October, Mr
Colin Ferguson, a Health Promoting School Accreditation Officer visited
Hillhead to examine its claim for Health Promoting School status. Mr
Ferguson has since written a very favourable report on the school and its
health promotion activities. He awarded it a top mark of a 4 with respect
to our health promoting activities. The full report can be read shortly on
www.caithness.org.
Full Report HERE
On Wednesday 2nd November,
the nursery received an inspection by a member of Her Majesty’s
Inspectorate. The work of the nursery was fully evaluated and assessed. We
look forward to the written nursery report, which should be available in
January 2006. However we received a very positive oral report by the
inspector.
WINDOW PROGRESS
Good progress has been made with the
installation of new windows in the school. The asbestos was all removed
during the October holidays and the joiners have now completed their
windows in Primaries 3, 4,5,6 and 7. All windows have also been replaced
in the administration block of the school, the general-purpose room and
only one remains to be done in the hall.
THEATRE VISITS
Hillhead continues to make good use of
theatre companies who are in the county. Before the holidays pupils from
Primary 1 to Primary 7 visited Lyth arts centre to see The Perfect Spot.
On Monday 31st October Primaries 1 and 2 went to see Katie and Morag at
Wick High School. On Wednesday 10th November pupils from Primaries 1, 2
and 3 went to see a presentation of “The Snow Queen” in Pulteneytown
Academy. Staff and pupils have received all the shows very
enthusiastically.
GWEN MAYOR TRUST
The Gwen Mayor Trust was set up a number of
years ago in memory of the primary school teacher who was killed in the
shooting tragedy at Dunblane Primary School. It considers applications for
funding from schools for projects which are arts based. I am pleased to
inform you that Hillhead has made a
successful bid to the trust. We have received £700 to support a project
making rag rugs. We hope to commence this work in the New Year
working with the Dornoch based
artist Sally Orr. Due to the technical requirements of rug making, this
work will be carried out with pupils in the upper primary school.
In the past there was a
tradition of making rugs from rags in Wick. The school would be very
interested to hear from anyone who has made such rugs or who has any
memories of the process or of seeing such rugs.
VISIT TO CHINA
I have now returned from my British Council
trip to China. Along with four other Scottish head teachers we visited
schools in Beijing and Tianjin. Hillhead has been identified to make a
link with No. 2 Primary School in Tianjin. There are considerable
difficulties in establishing a link but good first contact has been made.
Schools in China are very big – the average primary school has 3500
pupils. We hope to initially involve the Chinese school in a picture
exchange. Some photographs of Chinese primary schools, which I took during
my visit, will be available shortly on
www.caithness.org.
Click Here
A typical Chinese classroom in Tianjin city. The red neckerchiefs tell
that the pupil is a Young Pioneer- a member of the junior Communist party.
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POPPY COLLECTION
Primary 7 pupils Chloe Graham and Paul
Cameron represented the school at the wreath laying at the war memorial on
Sunday November 13th. Many thanks to them and all who contributed to the
poppy collection.
Chloe and
Paul who laid the school wreath at this year’s Remembrance Service SCHOOL PLACEMENTS
Mrs Alexis Stewart has been appointed to the post of Learning
Support Auxiliary in Primary 1. She will work alongside Mr Colin
Mackintosh in the afternoons.
Miss Laura Cole will be on placement as a classroom
assistant in Primary 2 for the next four weeks from Monday to Thursday.
Miss Rosie a teaching student from Aberdeen University finishes a
four-week placement in Primary 4 this week.
Ms Belford returns to her post at Hillhead this week.
She once again will be covering Technology and Religious and Moral
Education in her lessons with Primary 4 to 7 pupils.
PUPIL MOVEMENTS
Could parents remind their
children of the need to fully inform them of any place they may go after
school. We recently had a pupil who disappeared on his way home from
school only to be later located at the house of a friend.
Mrs Frame dealt with this matter and she would like to
thank the many parents who were so supportive and helpful in their
attempts to locate the pupil.
Equally please try to ensure that the pupil knows what
they are doing after school. Phone calls to the School Office asking for
messages to be passed on to pupils about what they should do after school
should only be used in an emergency. Many thanks for your cooperation in
this.
AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS
Hillhead’s after school clubs
will start up this term.
The WRI Craft Club will meet on Wednesdays from 3.15 – 4.15pm commencing
on the 16th September.
Other school clubs will commence
next week beginning Monday 21st November. They are:
Monday: CHESS for pupils in
Primaries
Friday BADMINTON for Primary 7
pupils
The football, netball and French clubs will start next
term.
ADVERSE WEATHER
Parents are reminded that the inside of the
HOME -SCHOOL LINK books contains details of how to access the Highland
Council telephone system for details about school closures. The phone
number is 0870 054 6999 and the Hillhead code is 04 2200. In addition
Moray Firth radio is also used to broadcast details of any school closure.
The school has received information that this winter is likely to be
particularly severe, so please keep these details handy.
DIARY DATES
A few important dates for this
term. Further details will follow concerning the arrangements for a number
of these events.
Wednesday 14th December: am
Whole school to Parish Church for rehearsal.
Thursday 15th December
Whole school Christmas Lunch.
Monday 19th December
1.30pm Primary 3 and 4 Christmas Party
Tuesday 20th December
9.30am –11.30am Nursery Christmas Party (no nursery session in afternoon)
Tuesday 20th December
6.30pm Christmas Service in Wick Old Parish Church
Wednesday 21st December
1.30pm Primary 1 and 2 Christmas party
Wednesday 21st December
6.30pm 8.00pm Primary 5, 6 and 7 Christmas Party
School breaks up for Christmas
Holidays, normal time on Thursday 22nd December.
School resumes after Christmas
break on Monday 9th January 2006.
Yours faithfully
A Budge
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