Dear Gartconner pupils, parents,carers and staff!

THE GARTCONNER GAZETTE IS OUT!

We are happy to welcome you to the first issue of our brand newnewspaper, which has beencreated especially for you.

We, the Gartconner Parent Counciland PTA, thought that it would begreat to give us al l another way toconnect in these times that havebeen testing for al l of us.

In our first issue, you wil l be able tolearn more about what we are up toin the Parent Council and PTA,you'l l get a warm welcome from ourHead Teacher Mr Manley, we havesome contributions from parentsincluded too and of course somegreat work by our P6 and P7students. Thank you all for yourgreat work and help! Enjoy!

THE

GARTCONNERGAZETTE

In this issue

Welcome | page 2

December 2020 - Issue #1

Parent Council and PTA | page 3

Learing from home | page 4-7

Support the school | page 8

P7 class update | page 9

How to make.. . an edible stickman | page 10

Let's get to know our teachers | page 11

Craft a snowman | page 11-13

Local events | page 14

Christmas at Gartconner | page 15

How to get involved | page 16

Thank you | page 17

P A G E 0 1

A very warm welcome from me as the headteacher ofGartconner Primary School. I can't say often enough howfortunate I am to have joined such a wonderful schoolcommunity. We want to have parents and pupils at the heartof the school and this newsletter, by parents and pupils, willbe able to give you perspective on school life in Gartconner. I know staff sometimes write in teacher speak so I hopehearing from other parents and pupils helps parents to feelmore involved in school life. We all feel like strangers just now as we have to keep ourdistance, particularly our new families who have barely seenthe inside of the building. For those who are new to theschool you will see a whole lot more of us when we emergefrom the current restrictions. Being a dad and a grandparenthas given me great insight into sitting on the other side of theschool fence. I always wanted my children's schools to havean open door and inclusive atmosphere. To let me in and seethe work they were doing and celebrate their little and bigsuccesses with them and I am fortunate, in Gartconner, tofind staff and parents that share those same ambitions. I am in my fourth year in Gartconner as headteacher andbefore that I worked in a variety of roles in education inGlasgow and East Dunbartonshire for about 22 years. I knowyou will be shocked with this fresh face that I am a papa but Iam nearing the half century mark and a Saga holiday islooming large on the horizon. As playing football tends to endin casualty these days with sprains and strains, I'm now moreof the armchair variety. I do love the great outdoors andenjoy wild camping by the beach, mostly in the rain, and theodd spot of very unsuccessful fishing.

Paul ManleyHead Teacher

We want to have parents and pupils atthe heart of the schooland this newsletter,

by parents and pupils,will be able to giveyou perspective on

school life inGartconner.

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WELCOME

SeeSaw will be introduced to replace Class Dojo.Campsie View nursery will be joining the school and willbe housed in the former Merkland base.P2, P3 and P4/3 are all full and P1 can only takecatchment children. Total roll as of Sept 20 is 203 pupils.As this meeting was the AGM, Pamela Lucas has beenconfirmed as Chair and Jillian McGarva as Vice Chair.Going forward, there may be access to live lessonswhich may also be recordable for catching up on at alater date – this is under review.The Parent Council will investigate disabled parking atthe school with the local council.

A selection of topics from our last meeting:

The Parent Council at Gartconner meetsabout four times a year and gives parentsthe chance to be involved in policydecisions from the school or on a localcouncil level and address any concerns ormake suggestions. The meetings are leadby our Chair, Pamela Lucas, and a mainfeature is the head teacher's report,where Mr Manley updates us all on whathas been going on at Gartconner behindthe scenes. On the right you'll find someof the topics we discussed at our mostrecent meeting. If you're interested inbecoming a member of the ParentCouncil or would like more information,you can contact Pamela via email:gartconnerparentcouncil@gmail.com

The PTA is being led by Alana Callaghan and isprimarily concerned with fundraising and eitherhelping with or organising events being held atGartconner. Due to the current state of affairs, thePTA isn't able to organise any of their usual eventsand fundraisers, so they have signed the school upat easyfundraising.com. When you click on the linkyou'll be taken to Gartconner's fundraising pagewhere you can sign up and support GartconnerPrimary School simply by shopping via the page. Ifyou would like to find out more about the PTA,please email gartconnerpta@gmail.com.

THE PARENT COUNCIL

THE PTA

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LEARNING FROM HOME

What's it been like for our P6s?When a case of COVID-19 was discovered in Gartconner's P6, the class had to selfisolate for two weeks as per government guidelines. Find out what it's been likethis time around, how the pupils think COVID has changed school and what theyfelt were the pros and cons in the situation.

2020 has been a strangeyear for all of us, going intolockdown and coming intoschool with all these newrestrictions. We wash ourhands, and we wear masks,we sit in bubbles to do ourtasks. When a case is foundwe are told to isolate andkeep others safe. I missseeing my friends andplaying outside. We talkonline and check dojo everyday to find our tasks andshow us the way. I do mymaths in my onesie. Mycats aren’t much help. Theyjust steal my pencils andmeow and yelp. I’m excitedto go back to school eventhough working from homeis pretty cool. – Madison P6

What I have enjoyed in home learning is my Mum and my Dad telling me what I have to learn. I alsolike when they tell me what I got wrong, then I can go and fix it.

The one thing I didn’t like was that I wasn’t able to go outside or out for walks with my dog. I miss myfriends and the fun times at school. I have enjoyed being able to go in my own room and sit at myown desk to learn. I love just getting on my gaming chair instead of my desk chair and playingFortnite.

The difference about learning from home rather than in school is that there are less people, I don’tget to see Ross, my other friends or Mrs Glass. The good thing is once my school work is done, I canstill play with them on my PS4.

I feel that home learning and school are the same at times because we get to do the same work athome that I would get in the classroom, and that makes me feel like I am in school. – Kerr P6

This year has been a bit crazy withCoronavirus going around, a lot ofpeople had it and had to isolate,now our P6 class is in isolation.

Working at home is not hard, it’sjust easier going to school to seeall my friends and especially theteachers because they put somuch effort into keeping us happywhile we are working!

It’s not fun not being able to gooutside the house but it’s to keepeveryone safe.

Not all of it is boring though, youget to see your family more (orwhoever is looking after you),another good thing is you can eatsometimes while you’re doingyour work! – Evie P6

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It’s not John Lennon’s Isolation!

“People say we got it made, don’t they know we’re so afraid?” Due to COVID-19we had to go into lockdown but, when we came back to school, nothing was thesame. Our desks have to be in lines instead of in groups, we can’t have lunchnext to our friends, we can’t have our lunch in the hall, we can’t meet ourbuddies in person and we have to stay in certain sections of the playground.

“We’re afraid to be alone, everybody got to have a home!” There are also somepositives, like nobody can feel left out at lunch because, with only one area toplay in, people can see if your alone, we don’t just play with certain peoplebecause we have big class games, we get to sit next to new people at lunch andyou don’t have to wait in a big long queue to get your lunch.

“The world is just a little town, COVID-19 is trying to put us down.” Althoughlockdown and isolating are inconvenient, personally, I feel the rules that havebeen put in place by the first minister should be followed in respect ofprotecting others, especially the vulnerable.

“We’re afraid of everyone, afraid of the sun!” Unfortunately, somebody in ourclass has COVID-19. This means we must self-isolate! If there is an upside toisolation, it is we get to do home schooling, meaning we get to spend more timewith our families and we can play with our pets outside in our back gardens atbreak-time.

“The sun will never disappear, but COVID-19 won’t have many years!” There area few downsides to isolation, such as, you can’t see your friends at school, youare not to leave your home, meaning you are not allowed to go on walks andworst of all you are not able to see your extended family! Just always rememberwe are not doing this for ourselves we are doing this for our friends, our familyand everyone around us. – Sophie D P6

The sun will never disappear, but COVID-19won’t have many years!

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After Lockdown, returningto school was excitingbecause we got to see ourfriends and play. Also wegot to see teachers and getto have buddies! I do likethat we have our lunch inthe classroom but also Ididn’t like the fact that wecan’t see other people inother classes anymore, butI understand why.Learning at home isn’t thesame as I prefer to be inthe classroom. – Carla P6

I am home schooling fortwo weeks, because mywhole class has to self-isolate. Every morning Icheck the class dojo to seewhat I have to do. I like todo literacy first thennumeracy. If I have anytime left before threeo’clock I read a book. Homeschooling is more boringthan normal school. I missmy friends and beingallowed outside. –Anonymous P6

I like home learning becauseI get to sit in my pjs and I getbetter lunches. I’m findingthe work a bit hard because Idon’t have a helpful teacherthere for me. I’m not reallymissing my friends because Ialways see them on a call butit would be nice to see themagain and it will be nice tosee Mrs Glass and Mrs Burnsagain. – Kelsey P6

At school you can’t go and play anywhere you wantbecause you have to stay in your bubble. You aren’tallowed to go and ask another class for a maths text bookor a grammar book. All senior classes have to eat lunch intheir classroom and every class has to do P.E. outside!I miss the times when you got to do inside P.E. becausewe got to use the climbing frame and other equipment. Ialso miss it when you didn’t have to social distance all thetime.The thing I dislike is when you have to isolate because Ifeel so lonely and I miss all my friends. The good thingabout isolating is when you get to choose where youwork and what you want to do first. – Ishbel P6

I like working from home as Iget to spend more time withmy family, my mum stayshome to look after me.School has been differentbut the playground haschanged most of all, we haveto stay in bubbles and movearound every week. I like toeat in the classroom becausein the lunch hall people dropfood on the table and floors.I miss that you can’t move toany bit of the playgroundthat you want to play in. –Callum B P6

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My COVID-19 holiday was bad so when I was coming back to school Ifelt a little nervous because I didn’t know who my teacher was but I feltreally happy because I was seeing all my friends that I hadn't seen for 4-6 months. The home learning was really fun, and I enjoyed it a lot. Thebad side of that was not being able to have a playday with my friendsand not be able to play football or have McDonalds .

COVID-19 is a very scary experience and I hope that it never comesback after it goes away. Although home learning with my mum was badbecause she was stricter than any teacher I have ever had before, it wasstill enjoyable. My worst fear of COVID-19 right now is that it couldmake my family or my friends' families ill and I worry about my granthat lives alone. But as long as we stay 2m away from each other andwear a mask and sanitize our hands, we should survive. – Calum P6

Since we returned back to Gartconner in August things have changed, but some things have stayedexactly like they were, like our lessons. We still learn exactly like we did before lockdown. Things thathave changed are we aren’t allowed to hug or come within two metres of any teachers. We also aren’tallowed near anybody outside of our class bubble. Now that we have zones in the playground, thething I miss the most is getting to meet and play with all the little ones although I enjoy just spendingtime with my friends and not anybody else. – Niamh P6

Thanks very much to your P6s for sharingtheir experiences!

When we went into lockdown in March, I found it difficult with all the uncertainty of what washappening and not being able to see my friends. The home schooling was quite stressful as I feltalone, the work itself was fine but being without my friends and not seeing anyone apart from myparents was hard going. I got to the point I told my mum I love her but would like to see someone buther. I spoke to my friends every day but it was not the same as being with them in person.

At first, we were told we would be in bubbles, so our class was split in two but when I found I was notwith some of my closest friends we were all crying to our parents. The thought of not seeing them washeart-breaking. Going back to school was quite strange as I could not see other people in other classesthat I know and having to keep a distance from teachers particularly the ones I really like was hard as Ijust wanted to give them a big hug. We were thankfully able to go back as a full class which has beengreat.

My class bubble was recently shut down due to a positive case; however, this time was a bit easier as Iknew that it was only for a short time frame. I still had schoolwork to complete which was fine and Ikept in touch with my friends. My mum allowed me to do the work while on the phone to my friendslike she did in lockdown as this meant I had peer support and did not feel so lonely. I’m lookingforward to seeing everyone in person as it is not the same being on facetime. – Louisa P6

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Adhere to social distancing rules

Wear a mask during drop off and pick up

Try to ensure, if possible, that children bring theirown pencils/pens etc. so there is no sharing in class

Remind children of the importance of staying in theirbubble and distancing from adults, where possible

HOW CAN PARENTS SUPPORTTHE SCHOOL AT THE MOMENT?Since face-to-face contact is extremely limited at the moment, we asked theschool, what we as parents can do right now to best support the school in thesedifficult times. These are their 4 top priorities:

Please

Also...Staff may be absent at short notice due to a family member withsymptoms or their own childcare issues.Please phone the school office in urgent situations only,otherwise send a Dojo message to the class teacher or email theoffice. Kindly bear in mind that teachers can only respond duringcertain hours, but messages will be replied to as soon as possible.

Thank you!P A G E 0 8

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P7 CLASS UPDATE

IntroductionThis year we have been working hard on lots of activities in class and we are exhausted. Thisterm our topic is enterprise and we have been very busy planning and making our products tosell over the Christmas period. We have also been researching well-known successfulentrepreneurs and we will be doing solo talks later in the term.

MathsThis term we have been learning aboutmultiplying and dividing fractions. We havealso been learning about the relationshipbetween fractions, percentages, anddecimals. We recently started learning aboutratios too. We enjoy working out ratios andwe bet you are wanting to know what theyare – ratios are comparing two or morequantities to one another.

Literacy & WritingThis term we have been working on our workbooksfor our group novels which are The Boy in TheStriped Pyjamas, Billionaire Boy and Diary of aWimpy Kid. We have been using our story journalsto summarise what the books are about. This termwe have also started to learn how to write nonchronological reports. When we write about a topic,we need to know our facts, so we have also beenpractising our researching skills.

ArtAt the start of this year we all drew self-portraits of ourselves. We learnt about the Scottish artistGillian Kyle who makes prints inspired by all things Scottish. We got to do Monoblock printingusing one of our Gillian Kyle inspired designs. Sponges, foam and polystyrene have also been usedto make prints. Now that Christmas is on its way, we have started working on a stop-motion moviebased on the book The Grinch. Hopefully we can show it to Primary 1 before we start ourChristmas holidays.

PathsEvery Wednesday a new PATHS pupil israndomly chosen to come up to the boardand strike a pose. The whole class thenshowers them with loads of brilliantcompliments.

P.E.P.E. always starts with running around the footballpitch 3 times. At the beginning of the year we reallystruggled to do that, but we are getting much betterat it now. We have been practising our basketballskills too.

BikeabilityThis term we are also starting Bikeability and we are really lookingforward to it. Hopefully we’ll be able to tell you how we got on inthe next newsletter. We hope you have enjoyed reading thePrimary 7 update. Warm wishes and seasons greetings to all of Gartconner Primary.

Than

k you!

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HOW TO MAKE...AN EDIBLE STICKMAN!

All you need are some Mini Rolls, matchmakers,edible eyes and a little icing in a tube.

Here's a super simple idea for a quick and easy edible craft for the kids.

by Alison McKenzie

Snap the matchmakers in half to make the legs and arms.Gently insert into the Mini Roll at one end and into thesides to make arms and legs for your Stick Man.

Snap a small section of a matchmaker off and insertinto the front of the Mini Roll to make his nose, andthen using some icing stick on the edible eyes.

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LET'S GET TO KNOW OUR TEACHERS!For our first teacher interview, Ms Cairney, who teachesclass P1B, has kindly volunteered to answer our questions.Let's get to know her better!

Which books/films/music would take to adesert island?If I was on a desert island I would take The Holiday as it's my favourite film. It's afeel-good movie and no matter how many times I watch it I never get tired of it.

What do you like best about teaching?The best part about teaching for me, is seeing the 'light-bulb' moment on thechildren's faces when they learn something new and can apply this to theirwork. It's also great to see the children progress throughout the year and growas individuals.

What do you do in your free time to relax andrecover from your job as a teacher?I love going shopping...much to my fiancés delight! I must admit I'm a bit of ashopaholic!! I also love spending time with my friends and family as they mean somuch to me.

If you could take the students on a field trip toanywhere in the world, where would you take them?If I could take students on a field trip anywhere in the world, it would be Disneyland. It'ssuch a magical place to visit and it has something for everyone to enjoy.

Thank you,Ms Cairney!

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There are some really simple and effective ideas outthere for paper plate crafts, and this jolly little snowmanis perfect for a Christmas/Winter craft with the kids. Youwill need two paper plates, glue, scissors, a black marker,and some coloured paper (black, orange, pink and oneother colour of your choice for the scarf).

CRAFT A SNOWMAN

Draw with a pencil theeyes and mouth, and thenthe kids can take over bydrawing over yourmarkings with blackmarker, and can thenassemble all the piecesyou have cut out...

After drawing on the eyesand mouth, stick on thecheeks, followed by thenose. Next assemble thesnowman's hat by stickingthe rim on to the bottomof the main hat piece.

Start by cutting out all yourshapes from the colouredpaper for the cheeks, eyes,nose, buttons, hat, andscarf...

by Alison McKenzie

Next cut out the head forthe snowman by cutting justoutside the smallest circleof the plate.

For the body, cut justinside the line where theridges end.

1 2 3

4 5 6

Stick the hat on to thehead at a jaunty angle.

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This little snowman is super simple to put together (after a little cutting out prep by an adult),and really effective. Make a few with different coloured scarves to create your very own jollysnowman family!

Finish the scarf by sticking on theshorter scarf pieces hanging downthe snowman's body. Cut threesmall slits at the top of the body asshown in picture above so the bodylies flat.

CRAFT A SNOWMAN

Glue the long piece ofthe scarf just below thetop of the body piece,and trim off the excess.Next stick on thebuttons.

7 8 9

Then stick on the head.

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LOCAL FESTIVE EVENTS

Nonna's Kitchen –Breakfast with Santa(bookable via theirFacebook page)

Glasgow Science Centre –Christmas Extravaganza

Waterside ChristmasWindow Wanderland 2020

Tron Theatre – Ali themagic elf (free panto)

My Shawlands ChristmasPinata Trail

Xmas eve sleighbell ring

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YAY, IT'S CHRISTMASAT GARTCONNER!The people at Gartconner have come up with a great events calendar for Christmas time thatyou've probably already seen on Class Dojo. Here's a quick reminder, bearing in mind thatthere could still be some short-notice changes, depending on the COVID-level at the time.

Week beginning 7th December:Christmas Enterprise WeekChristmas gifts that we can then sell to immediate families only.Our P7s may do some additional activities in school or online subject to safety rules.

Monday, 14th December:Christmas Games AfternoonChristmas fun games and activities in the class for all P1-7.

Tuesday, 15th December:Christmas Nativity/Drama DayWe hope to have a small performance recorded by each class to share with parents. Westill can't sing indoors in school so it will be a challenge. Each class will have their ownperformance so expect the unexpected. P1 will try to do a traditional Christmas story.

Wednesday, 16th December:Christmas Jumper Day and Outdoor Christmas 'Food Market'We'll be able to something special outside for the children in their bubbles. Hopefully somewarm food from the kitchen, hot chocolate and special Christmas food and lights.

Thursday, 17th December:Christmas Movie AfternoonWe'll not have a panto this year. Oh yes we will! No, seriously, we won't. We'll watch aChristmas movie instead of an online Panto. The classes can choose their own and enjoysome popcorn and treats in their classes.

Friday, 18th December:Christmas PartiesWe will have class parties on Friday afternoon so party clothes will need to be worn toschool that day.

Monday, 21st December:We have left the last day free so if we have to cancel another day with bad weather wecan catch up here.

Please remember that school finishes at 2.30pm on the last day (21st) so P1 and P2have to be collected 10 minutes earlier at 2.20pm in the usual way. All other classes willbe dismissed at 2.30pm. The school bus will leave the school at 2.30pm so please make

sure you are at the bus stop in plenty of time.

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WANT TO GETINVOLVED?

Do you have a great idea for a topic?

If you liked the first issue of our Gartconnernewspaper and would like to be part of thenext, we'd be delighted to hear from you.Please get in touch with Tina Müller viagartconner@tinamuller.com

There are many ways to get involved at Gartconner, for example:

Become a member of theParent Council

Help out with the PTA

Contribute to our newspaper

If you would like to support the school in itswork with pupils and represent parents'views, please get in touch with the ParentCouncil via email:gartconnerparentcouncil@gmail.com

Hopefully, the PTA will get to organise somefun events and fundraisers for the school inthe new year and if you are interested inhelping, you can send an email togartconnerpta@gmail.com

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HOW DID WE DO?We'd love to hear what you thought of the first issue of our newspaper! Was it what you expected?What would you like to see covered in future? And what could we do better? Please feel free toemail your feedback to Tina Müller (gartconner@tinamuller.com).

We would like to say a big thank youto everyone who has taken part in thefirst issues of our newspaper!

A special thanks goes to the fabulousMrs Burns whose input has been invaluable!

FROMTHE GARTCONNER

GAZETTE

MerryChristmas

THANK YOU!

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