Dumfries and Galloway Council Council
LOCHMABEN PRIMARY SCHOOL -June 2010
I cannot believe we are almost at the end of another academic year. It has been another busy, demanding but successful year at Lochmaben Primary School. Over the last few weeks we have been particularly busy so we are all looking forward to our summer holiday. We welcome new pupils to our school Kieron Ostroznik in P2, Tom Marshall in P1 and Jaimie Ostroznik in Nursery. I am sure they will enjoy being pupils at our school.

I would like to thank all staff, teaching, auxiliary and ancillary for their assistance and hard work this year. We really do have a great team at our school.

Thank You
I would like to thank all pupils for their hard work throughout the year and I wish the pupils of P7 good luck for the future at Lockerbie Academy and to Kirsten Clark who will be moving to Wallacehall Academy. We give our best wishes to Amy, Rebecca and Sam Lamont as they are moving to Lockerbie Primary School and to Finlay McCrudden who is moving to Closeburn Primary School.

Parent Helpers
I would like to thank all parents, carers, grandparents and friends who have helped and supported the school throughout the session. We are extremely grateful for all the assistance and support you have given us. We are always happy to have parents helping in the school so, if you are a new parent and would like to be involved in the life of the school and in your child’s education please contact me at the school.

I would like to thank most sincerely the parents who have been involved with and supportive of Lochmaben Primary School for many years and their involvement is coming to an end this session. We have quite a list of families who have supported the school so well over the years. On behalf of the pupils and staff a big thank you for your help and support and a special thanks to those of you who have been so supportive of me over the last eight years. You will be missed. As staff members Mrs Leslie and Mrs De Luca are not off the hook yet!!

Staffing/Classes/School Roll
We are beginning to receive some information about staffing. When I have received all information I shall be issuing a separate letter about classes, staffing and school roll.

End of the School Day
All pupils finish school at 3.20pm. I would like to remind you of the arrangements we have put in place. Nursery children will leave from the Nursery entrance. P1 and P2 pupils will continue to leave from the P1/2 sitooterie and the gate by the Community Centre. P3 pupils will leave from the P3 sitooterie and will also exit the school grounds by the Community Centre gate. Pupils of P4 to P7 will leave the school grounds by the main gates. However, if the weather has been good and the grass is dry the gate on to Grummel Park will be opened at the end of the school day and this can be used by pupils of P4 to P7. We shall continue to monitor these arrangements which have been put in place to try to alleviate the congestion at the end of the school day.

Traffic Management
The Parent Council has informed you about the constructive meeting we had with members of the police, regional employees and council members. They will be keeping you advised about any progress that has been made. In the meantime I have organised a meeting with Fiona Lessels, of safer routes to school, early in the new session to work with the children and staff to formulate a school travel plan. Hopefully this will help alleviate the traffic congestion at our school.

P1 Arrangements
Individual letters have been sent giving advice to P1 parents/carers. However, I would like to remind you of the following arrangements which will be in place for our new P1 pupils. School will start at 9.00am. Finishing times will be as follows:-

Week Beginning 26 August 12.10pm
Week beginning 30 August Children can stay for lunch, picked up at approximately
12.45pm
Week beginning 6 September full time attendance at school

P1 Free Lunches
All P1 pupils will receive free school lunches after the summer holiday.

Nursery
Mrs Rae is back to full time working and is doing very well. I would like to thank the Nursery staff for the super job they did keeping our nursery working so well, especially with report writing and keeping the children’s special books up to date. At the moment Nursery staff, Ms Brough and Ms Ransom are working closely to ensure a smooth transition for the children who will be in P1 next session.

At present our Nursery roll is 90. We shall be starting the new session with a very healthy 67 children. This means Mrs Dawn Hannah will be with us during the afternoons as our temporary Nursery Nurse.

Information regarding activities for the last week of the session is on the Nursery calendar on the notice board. Mrs Rae will be issuing a newsletter with news pertinent to the Nursery. Thank you to all who have supported the Nursery this year in what has been a very difficult year.

Learning Centre
Our Learning Centre has had another busy year. The staff and pupils are enjoying the new sensory room and the extra space provided in the spare room in the portacabin. The children have gone on some super trips this session, including trips to Mabie Park Farm and the “Kids Out” day to the Barony College.

Thank you to everyone who has helped and supported the Learning Centre in anyway this year. Many thanks to Mrs Fiona Robson (Andrew and Stuart’s mum) for accompanying the children to swimming. We are very grateful for your support. Mrs Gower will be issuing a newsletter with news pertinent to the Learning Centre.

CAPER (Children and Parents Enjoy Reading)
I would like to thank all parents/carers who have helped run CAPER this session. They have done a marvellous job encouraging our pupils to enjoy Reading. We have a rota of parents who run this very important club. If you are interested in giving an hour of your time on Monday mornings to help at CAPER we would be most grateful. Please contact me at school for more details. As we have a rota it would not be a weekly commitment. Many thanks to Sheona Muir, Fiona Robson, Carrie Graham, Linda Ewart, Alyson Corrie, Sam Sinclair, Carol Geddes and Lesley Blackstock for helping to run CAPER.

Rotary Quiz
Beth Sloan, Marco De Luca, Callum Kingstree and Murray Robson with pupils from Castle Douglas Primary School represented the region at the South of Scotland and Lothians Rotary Quiz at Innerleithen on Saturday 15 May 2010. Although our team did not win they acquitted themselves well and we are proud of their achievements.

Cycling Proficiency
The pupils of P7 have been doing their cycling proficiency training over the last few weeks. Congratulations to everyone who passed.

P7 Trips
The P7 pupils have had three super trips this term. At the end of April they spent two days at the newly refurbished outdoor centre at Carlingwark, Castle Douglas where they participated in sailing, kayaking and canoeing. A superb time was had by all.

On Friday 7 May they attended “Choices for Life” in Glasgow. This was a superb presentation on drugs education for young people. Almost thirty thousand people from all over Scotland attended over five days and the anti drugs messages were very powerful and hopefully will be heeded by our pupils in the years to come. It certainly gave our pupils a lot to think about. The anti-drugs message was reinforced by a talk from our Community Policemen PC Brownrigg.

At the beginning of June they spent two days in Edinburgh where they visited Insect World, the Scottish Parliament, the Museum of Childhood, Mary King’s Close (spooky), St Giles Cathedral and the Camera Obscura/World of Illusion Everyone had a brilliant time but the highlight of the trip seems to have been the trip to the theatre where the children saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. There is something very special about live theatre. Many thanks to Ms Amos, Ms Aldridge, Mr Horne, Mrs Barker, Mrs Jack and Mr David McDowell who accompanied the children on these trips.

P7 Induction Week
Almost all our pupils have chosen Lockerbie Academy as their receiving secondary school. Their induction week begins Monday 21 June 2010. Kirsten is moving to the Thornhill area and will be attending Wallacehall Academy. All our P7 pupils are ready for this next step in their education and I am sure they will take the move to secondary in their stride. They are so lucky to be continuing their education in such state of the art buildings.

P5/6 Trip to Drumlanrig
As part of their project on the Jacobites the pupils of P5/6 visited Drumlanrig Castle on Tuesday 8 June. As well as visiting the castle they had a nature walk through the grounds of the castle, where they did some pond dipping and they also visited the adventure playground.

P1 Trip to Mersehead
The pupils of P1 had a fantastic trip to Mersehead on the Solway coast where they told me they had the best trip ever. They have told me that it was brilliant and the sun was shining. The best part was doing environmental games with the rangers from the nature reserve and cleaning up the beach. They also liked making a picture of an oyster catcher out of shells. It sounds like a good time was had by all.

Other School Trips
P4 pupils will be visiting Bannockburn and Wallace’s Monument in Stirling on Monday 21 June and the P2 pupils will be going to Mersehead on Tuesday 22 June. The P2/3 pupils have organised a trip with the local ranger on Wednesday or Thursday 23 or 24 June, weather permitting. I believe Ross Gemmell has a varied programme organised for them to investigate their local environment, including studying mini beasts.

Many thanks to Lochmaben School Association for financing the transport for these trips.

Lochmaben School Association
We are so grateful for the support given to us by the LSA. Not only do members help financially, they also help in kind. Several committee members will be standing down at the AGM in September so we are looking for new members. The more members the easier it is to share the workload. The committee is also grateful to other parents who volunteer to help. This year the LSA have paid for several things. Their big project was buying new staging for the school which has already been well used. The LSA also pay for transporting pupils on trips which is also a costly business, especially in the light of high fuel prices. They also pay for the Christmas parties.

The LSA have also organised the marathon, the Christmas Bazaar, the Book Fair and the discos to name but a few things. We are really grateful for their support as it really does enhance the education of our pupils.

Lochmaben Parent Council
The Parent Council held their final meeting this session in the school on Tuesday 14 June. The Council have provided the children with A4 folders for letters, Reading books etc. The folders are quite substantial and we would like them to last longer than one year. We would be grateful if you would ensure that the children have school bags big enough to take these folders.

Save the Children Fete
The pupils of P6 are organising the Save the Children Fete for Monday 28 June 2010. They will be sending letters asking for donations etc.

Drama Club
On two evenings last week the Drama Club performed “Bully!” It was a fantastic production with super music and a hard hitting message for the children. A big thank you to Ms Aldridge and Ms Brough and the members of the Drama Club for all their hard work. Many thanks to Mrs Leslie for making the scenery and to all staff members who helped behind the scenes. I am amazed that each year the Drama Club manages to improve upon the previous year’s performance. However, I think that this year “Bully” was a particularly good production. These experiences leave our pupils with memories for the rest of their lives.

Sports Successes
Lochmaben Primary pupils have once again had success on the sports field. The sports cup has been won by Mill (green) this year. The sports champions this year are Leah Bonthron and Callum Kingstree. The cups will be presented to Mill and Leah and Callum at the end of year service.

Pop Lacrosse
Once again our pop lacrosse teams have had many successes. In the regional championships our under eleven years team were winners and our open team were runners up. Both teams represented the region at the Scottish Championships at Meadowbank, Edinburgh. Both teams played well with our under eleven year’s team becoming Scottish Champions.

This team then represented Scotland at the UK Championships at Hatfield, north of London on Sunday 13 June. Although they did not win they played very well and definitely did Scotland proud. All their games were very close. They played against the best twenty teams in the United Kingdom. They lost their first game 6 goals to 4 against a team from Stockport, despite having many shots at goal, and their second 9 goals to 6 against a team from Harrogate. The rules are slightly different in England but Lochmaben then got into their stride and beat a team from Bedfordshire 7 goals to 3. Their final game was against a very good team from Lambeth in London which Lochmaben won 8 goals to 3. Unfortunately because of their slow start, Lochmaben did not make the championship finals but entered the plate competition where they were unfortunately beaten by 6 goals to 5 by a team from Kent. They played brilliantly and I am very proud of their achievements.

Although I was very proud when they became Scottish Champions my heart also sank as I knew how much money was required to go to Hatfield which is just north of London. I should not have been faint hearted as the Lochmaben parents and grandparents immediately, sprang into action and started fund raising. They did a sponsored walk, bag packed at Tescos, organised a quiz and cake stall. The winner of the quiz was Ms Kerry McMillan. Local businesses also donated generously. I would like to thank Thorburns, Building Craftsmen, Rostrum, Nordic Tyres, Energy Solutions, Lochmaben Football Club, Lochmaben Community Council, the Education Department and the Dumfries and Galloway Pop Lacrosse Association for financial donations and also for paying for equipment. It is not often you get the honour of representing your country and it is something the children will always remember.

Golf
On Wednesday 9 June I took two golf teams, consisting of boys and girls, to the Dumfries and Galloway Championships which were held at Craigieknowe Golf Club at Kippford. All the children played very well with our A Team of Callum Kingstree, Callan Harkness, Alex Shearman and Murray Robson winning the team cup. Alex Shearman was second equal and Callum Kingstree fifth in the individual competition. Well done to all who took part. The children’s behaviour was exemplary.

Football
Many thanks to Mrs Russell, Mr Galloway and Lisa Galloway for helping to run the Football Club on Saturday mornings and to the parents who have helped to transport the children. Your help is very much appreciated by staff, parent and most of all the pupils. Mrs Russell has asked me to include the following information in the newsletter.

As another season draws to an end we can look back with pleasure on the Saturday morning sessions which were well attended and blessed with few cancellations despite the severe winter conditions. Our teams took part in several tournaments and it is always a pleasure to see an improvement in confidence and skill. A welcome change this year was a big increase in players from P3 and P4. This meant we were able to split the age groups evenly and allow the youngest players to be more involved.

Alex Shearman was selected to play for the Annandale and Eskdale this year and several P6 players recently took part in the selection process for next season. Successful Lochmaben players are Alex Shearman, Logan Galloway, Connor McCrudden, Jordan McMillan and Ben Jaekel. Congratulations go to all these boys and this is the highest number of players from Lochmaben to be selected in a single year. Many congratulations to Alex who was also a member of the Dumfries and Galloway Team.

Once again sincere thanks go to several people who make the Saturday sessions possible. Kenny Galloway’s efforts are unstinting and he shows no signs of wishing to retire. Long may he feel this way! Lisa Galloway has been with the club as a player and helper since she was in P4 and this year celebrated her 21st birthday. Two welcome additions this year were former pupils Danny Collins and Callum Creighton who offered to lend a hand with coaching. They have been invaluable and we hope to see them again after the summer.

We look forward to seeing players old and new in August. Boys and girls from P3 to P7 are welcome and if your child is uncertain about joining, come along and give it a try. Any parents who feel they would like to become involved, please make yourselves known!

A final note - P7 play their final tournament on Friday 25 June. This is the very popular Hightae Tournament which is open to all primary schools in our area and is the only competition which awards a cup to the winners! The starting time is 5pm and the venue is a field between Mossburn Animal Farm and Rammerscales. Supporters Welcome!

Annandale and Eskdale Sprint Relays
Ms Aldridge took two girls’ and two boys’ teams to the sprint relays in Annan on Monday. All teams ran very well with the girls’ A team of Beth Sloan, Leah Bonthron, Rebecca McGowan and Katherine Malone winning bronze medals. Many thanks to Mrs Sproat and Mrs Kerr who gave the children some extra practice at lunchtimes. Many thanks also to the parents who transported the children.

Swimming Club
The Swimming Club Committee has asked me to give you the following information.

Dates for Next Term
Monday 30 August - 4 October 2010
Friday 3 September - 1 October 2010

Club Swimming Gala
We would like to thank all children who took part in our Club Gala. This was a fun night and the swimming was excellent. Annan pool staff commented on the children’s sportsmanship and good behaviour. Thanks also to the families and friends who came along and showed their support.

School Swim Team
Thanks to the P6/7 swimmers who entered the time trials for a place in the swim team. There were twenty in all which was a great turnout. Places in this year’s teams went to Leah Bonthron, Caitlin Colville, Beth Corrie and Beth Sloan, Isaac Bell, Callum Kingstree, Harris Leslie and Murray Robson.

We had a great night at Annan ROM Gala. In the individual events Harris Leslie (BC), Murray Robson (BRS) and Beth Sloan (BRS) all won silver. Leah Bonthron (FC) and Beth Corrie (BC) won bronze and Isaac Bell (Bfly) came fourth. Both teams came third in the front crawl relay events.

At the Guid Nychburris Gala schools front crawl relay event the boys’ team came third and the girls’ team was fifth. Great swimming from both teams, well done to you all.

Thanks to Ms Amos for coaching on Friday nights. She is now going to be helping out on Mondays. Thanks to Sam who will no longer be coaching us. Also thanks to the parents who have braved the water to help at our inflatable sessions. It was much appreciated.

Good luck to the P7s who are leaving this year. We are losing thirteen P7 swimmers which is an unusually high number. Thanks for supporting all our events and well done for keeping up your swimming.

All P1 (going into P2) children will have had a separate letter regarding joining the waiting list. The coaches would like to remind children to keep swimming over the holidays. As usual, Annan pool will be running intensive lessons over the holidays.

Gentle Reminder
We would be most grateful if all equipment belonging to the school could be returned before the end of the session e.g. books, badges, lacrosse/football/cross country tee shirts and strips and also lacrosse sticks and balls.

End of Year Service
Our end of year service will be held at Lochmaben Church at 9.30pm on Thursday 1 July 2010. There will be a crèche and all are welcome.

Holidays
You have already received a copy of holiday dates for next session but in case you have forgotten the summer holidays begin at the end of the school day on Thursday 1 July 2010.

The staff return to school after the summer break on Tuesday 24 August and the children return on Thursday 26 August. Please note that the staff have two in-service days before the children return.

Ms Amos
On behalf of the staff and pupils we would like to wish Ms Amos our very best wishes when she gets married on Saturday 10 July. She will return as Mrs Stankiewicz (we’ll think of an abbreviated name for the children to use!) after the summer break.

On behalf of the pupils and staff of Lochmaben Primary School I wish you all a warm, happy and relaxing summer holiday.