Or check Aberdeenshire School Closures website OCTOBER NEWSLETTER Dates To Remember: Wednesday 1st November Adventure, Service, Challenge launch night – 7pm at school (P4-7 parents) Tuesday 31st October: P4 swimming starts – am for 5 weeks. P1-4 trip to Magic Show - pm P5-7 trip to Aberdeen Science Centre Mon 13th / Tue 14th November – In service days – pupils not in school. Friday 17th November – Pupil Profiles out. Tuesday 21st November – flu vaccination Scholastics Book Fair arrives in school Wednesday 22nd November – book day / book disco Thursday 23rd November – Johnshaven School Christmas Fair Friday 1st December – St Andrews Café Saturday 2nd December – Pupils participating in Choir Concert at Benholm Kirk. Tuesday 19th December – Whole School Panto Trip Christmas Planning At FOJ, last week, we spoke about the expectations for Christmas and parents opinion was in favour of a drama performance. We are currently looking into our Christmas plans and I will update via Facebook once confirmed.   Dear Parents/Carers Well, we made it! A busy and successful term is coming to an end and boy, have we all worked hard. The children had made a good start during MAD time to improve school life. Nathan Watson has agreed to edit and publish our MAD Mag, to update all parents and the community of the work being done. Parents have been getting involved in a number of ways in school including categorising the reading resources; training to use the interactive library resources; support MAD time and setting up a working group to write a positive behaviour policy. I’d like to thank all parents, for the time they give up to help improve school life. The children benefit enormously from your support. Finally to the staff, who have supported all of the changes to daily routines, resources and improvement agenda… and they are still smiling!! I wish all our staff, families and pupils a well- earned, relaxing break. Quality Improvement Visit (QIV) A copy of the QIV will be uploaded to the school website during the October break. Meantime, if you would like to see the report please email karen.johnstone@aberdeenshire.gov.uk   Adverse Weather Information: Do not call school. Tel: 08700544999 Pin number: 021910 Or check Aberdeenshire School Closures website

Curriculum Development Rights Respecting School Award Next term we will begin working towards the Bronz Award (Record of Commitment) – as a Rights Respecting School. The RRS Group, led by Mr Ness, has been creating a whole school charter which we all agree to follow, to ensure everyone’s rights, as documented in the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, are respected in school. Our charter is displayed at the front of this newsletter.   Whole School Assembly This term our assembly focuses on the Rights of the Child. Each week we will tease out a new article and look at how the rights of our pupils are being met. We will also look at countries where children’s rights are not being met. The children will be earning tokens when we ‘catch them’ respecting each other’s rights and competing to be ‘Class of the Week’. Home Learning Your child is currently setting their own learning targets following assessment and dialogue with their teacher. These targets will be recorded in a Learning Log and kept in their home learning bag. At home, learning might focus around the targets set and we will be issuing resources and materials to support parents and carers with their children’s learning. We recognise that parents and families are the main educators of children and we value your engagement with home learning. School Website We are looking for volunteers to donate a bit of time to populating our school website. If you can spare a few hours over the course of the next term please complete and return the tear off slip below. Clubs Monday - Chess Club 3.15pm-4.15pm Wednesday - Home Learning Club 3.15- 4.15pm Active Schools P4-P7s 4.00 – 5.00pm at Wairds Park Active Schools P1-P3 Thursday - Netball Club 5.30 – 6.30pm at Lathallan School This club is for girls in P5, P6, P7 fionahowie@lathallan.org Friday - Good news Club 3.15 – 4.15pm   Adventure Service Challenge Adventure, Service Challenge is a volunteering award that leads children into their Duke Of Edinburgh Award in the academy. Each week the class will work towards a ‘badge’ that, by the end of the year will include experiences in sports, volunteering in the community, dealing with emergencies and other aspects of well being. We are involving other community groups in our planning currently. We hope you will be able to come along to a launch night, with your child at the start of term 2 to hear all about this exciting new programme. Working Group With the development of home learning it would be useful to have a working group to help us get it right. Attached at the bottom of the page is a sign up slip. Please complete if this is an area you could devote a few hours of your time, over the course of the term, to developing. Mrs Johnstone will lead this group.

Positive Behaviour Policy Development   I would like to join the working group to develop a Home Learning Policy for Johnshaven School. Name:_______________________________________ Child’s Name____________________________________ Home Learning Club Pupil Name: _______________________________________ My child will attend weekly unless club is cancelled because of staff absence due to illness or training. I accept that if my child demonstrates an unacceptable standard of behaviour, they may be asked not to return to club. Signed (Parent/Carer) ___________________ Date: ___________ School Website I would like to support building the school website. I can help out on a _________________ between _______ and _____ My child’s name is ____________________________