Welcome toTroqueer Primary School

A Guide to Starting Primary 1 at Troqueer Primary School

Welcome to Primary 1!

Dear New P1 Parents and Carers

Welcome to Troqueer Primary School! For some of you, you will already have older children at the school. For many this will be your first time. Above all else, we want you, your family, and especially your children to feel that you are now part of a larger family. We often refer to this larger family as ‘Team Troqueer’.

This aim of this booklet is to share information about the school and how you can help your child with their self-help skills as they prepare to start Primary 1. We will suggest some ways that you can support your child with their early literacy and numeracy skills through practical, everyday activities. However, please do not worry unduly regarding ‘readiness for school.’ We would like to emphasise that we will support children and work in partnership with parents and carers with their next steps in their wellbeing, literacy and numeracy skills when they arrive at school.

Further information about the school can be found in the main school handbook which can be found on the website.

Contained in this document: Primary P1 Parent Meeting 2

General Information 2

Staff in Primary 1 and Primary 1/2 3

Classrooms and Other Learning Spaces 4

Starting School and the School Day 5

School Uniform and Other Items Needed 5

Lunches and Snacks 6

Toothbrushing 6

Speaking to Your Child’s Teacher and Communication 6

Absence 6

Medication and Illness 6

Items from Home 7

Learning in Primary 1 7

Homework 7

Independence and Self-Help Skills to Help Your Child Prepare for Primary 1 7

Phonics, Reading and Numeracy in Primary 1 8

Supporting Your Child at Home 9

Primary 1 Parent Meeting

Mr Armstrong usually hosts a parent meeting in the term before children start school. A video link will be sent out to parents with this information.

General Information:

Head Teacher: Mr Martin Armstrong

School Telephone Number: 01387 273020

School Office Email: gw08officetroqueer@ea.dumgal.sch.uk

School Website: https://www.troqueerprimaryschool.co.uk/

School Facebook Sharing Page: Troqueer Primary School and Nursery Sharing Page. This is used for informal communication, if you need to speak to someone at school, please email (or phone when school is in session).

Download the school app for information. Search for ‘School App for Parents’ in the Google Play or Apple App Store. When you have downloaded the app please search for our school name to see our dates, news and receive messages.

The ‘Class Dojo’ app will be used to assist with transition. We will send details of this to you separately.

Open Door PolicyPlease note that Troqueer Primary School operates an open-door policy- do not hesitate to phone or email us with any concerns. You are welcome to make an appointment to speak to us. During this period, this may be by phone rather than in person. We will update you on our procedures for this.

Term DatesIt is our current understanding that P1 pupils will begin full time education on or around Tuesday 11th August. We will update you as further information becomes available.

Staff in Primary 1 and Primary 1/2These are some key people for you to recognise when your child first starts school.

Mr Armstrong Head Teacher

Mrs Torbett Depute Head Teacher 0.8FTE

Mrs Ashton Acting Principal Teacher (PEF) 0.2FTE

Mrs Rutherford Campbell P1 Teacher

Mrs den Oudsten P1/2 Teacher (4 days)

Mrs Erskine P1/2 Teacher (1 day)

Mrs Cowan Clerical Staff

Mrs Hopkins Clerical Staff

Mrs McKie Catering Staff

Mrs Cameron Catering Staff

We have Specialist Staff, Facilities Staff and Learning Assistants who your child will meet in Primary 1.

We will share a video link to some of our staff introducing themselves soon.

Mrs Mackenzie Acting Depute Head Teacher 0.2FTE

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Outside our classrooms: This is the outdoor space outside our classroom. We are working on adding resources to make an outdoor play area for the children in P1 and P2.

Playground: We have a lovely playground which we use for breaktimes as well as opportunities to learn outdoors.

MUGA: We have a Multi Use Games Area which is used for different sporting activities.

There are lots of other lovely learning spaces across our school including our hall, poly tunnel, outdoor classroom and library. We will update you with more information about the learning spaces your child will be able to access soon.

Classrooms and Other Learning SpacesThese are some of the learning spaces that we have in the school. Nearer to your child starting at school, we will let you know what spaces they will likely be able to use.

Primary 1 Classroom: Look at our lovely P1 class.

Primary 1/2 Classroom: Look at our lovely P1/2 class.

Corridor: This is the corridor area outside our Primary 1 classrooms. The coat pegs are here.

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Starting SchoolPrimary 1 is a new experience for your child. It can take a few weeks to settle into new routines and your child might find it quite tiring at first! You might find that they need early sleeps to help them to cope with a busy day at school. There’s so much for children to learn in their first few days and staff understand this. Please be reassured that we will work in partnership with you to support your child to settle in at school.

First Day at SchoolWe know that this is an exciting but also anxious day, not only for children but also their parents and carers. As soon as we can give you more concrete information on what practical arrangements will look like, such as entering the school building and breaktimes, we will be in touch. We plan to send your child a booklet nearer to this time all about what will happen when they start school. Staff will work to ensure that your child’s first day is as smooth and enjoyable for them as we can make it.

School DayWe will be in touch soon to provide further information on the school day, e.g. start times, break times.

School UniformPlease label all belongings. Our uniform is a red sweatshirt, and white polo shirt, with dark skirt or trousers. Girls often also choose a dress, usually a red gingham style. Dark shoes are also preferable. Further information about School Clothing grants and other financial assistance for education can be found at https://www.dumgal.gov.uk/article/15243/Financial-support-for-education.

School uniform items can be purchased at https://myclothing.com/. We are also pleased to partner with the Fairtrade school uniform company, Koolskools, who provide quality Fairtrade/ECO uniform at affordable prices. All Koolskools-manufactured uniform is made with Fairtrade cotton and recycled polyester. You can buy the Fairtrade/ECO uniform online at: https://www.koolskools.co.uk/product-category/troqueer-primary-school/.

ShoesIt is very important that children wear shoes that they can use independently. If they can’t tie laces then Velcro is best.

Please check that shoes fit securely; this is very important for safety in P.E. and moving around the school.

Label Clothing, Footwear and BelongingsIt is essential that your child’s items are labelled. A permanent pen can be used or name labels can be ordered online. We advise that all items of your child’s clothing, jackets, bags, belongings, water bottles, etc. are labelled. It’s very easy for clothing to get muddled at school.

Spare ChangeIt’s a good idea to have a spare pair of pants and socks in your child’s bag in case they get wet when they are playing or have an accident.

P.E. Kit and MUGA KitYour child needs to have a PE kit at school. This should include securely fitting plimsoles or trainers, a t shirt top (not vest top) and shorts, leggings or joggers. Your child will have access to our outdoor Multi Use Games Area. For this they require outdoor trainers/long joggers or tracksuit bottoms. At the start of the school year, you will receive a newsletter with the days that your child needs this kit at school.

School HousesWe have four school houses. Children can choose to wear house colours for Sports Days if they wish but there is no requirement to do so. The children can earn points for their house too, for example, through completing a task to a high quality. The houses are Queensberry (Red), Solway (Yellow), Nith (Blue), and Criffel (Green). We will let you know your child’s house when they start school.

Stationery We provide all children with pens, pencils, rulers etc. Your child does not need to bring pencil cases or other stationery to school.

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School LunchFree School Meals are provided for all pupils in Primary 1, 2 and 3. Children order their lunch each day at school; staff support children to do this. You will be provided with information about what the daily menu choices are and you can discuss these with your child. It is very important to inform the school about any dietary requirements. Alternatively, children can bring packed lunches to school.

Snack We are a nut free zone. There are other food allergies prevalent in school, and we will be in touch about these later. Thank you for your support! Please keep snack to one piece. We promote healthy snacks; fruit, vegetables and yoghurts. Snack is eaten in the class so this allows you to send snack in containers if need be. Remember to label your child’s container with their name.

Water Bottle Please send your child with a water bottle to school. This should have your child’s name on it and should be taken home each day and returned to school each day with fresh water. We do not store spare cups in the classroom. Please check that the lid fits securely and that your child can use this independently. Only water can be drunk during learning time so please do not put juice into your child’s class water bottle. Your child can have a drink of juice/milk etc at break time and lunch time.

ToothbrushingWe usually run the Childsmile toothbrushing scheme in school. We will not be brushing teeth with children when we start school in August. When we resume the toothbrushing programme, you will receive a letter. When you receive this letter, you need to contact the school if you wish to opt out of toothbrushing.

Speaking to Your Child’s TeacherWe have an ‘open door’ policy and staff are more than happy to speak with parents at appropriate times. Staff will be there to welcome and dismiss the children; further information about this will follow when we update you about the school day. The mornings can be very busy with staff helping children get organised and settled for the day. If

there is something to be passed on it is best to write a note or you are welcome to make an appointment to speak to your child’s teacher by contacting the office to arrange a mutually convenient time. We will provide you with the protocol for this in current circumstances. For example, this may take place over the telephone at present.

Communicating with ParentsOur main method of communicating with parents in the school downloadable app. We also have relevant school information on our school website: https://www.troqueerprimaryschool.co.uk/. When your child starts school, you will receive a newsletter from your child’s teacher explaining the main methods of communication that will be used, e.g. to let you know about homework. Further information will be sent by the school at the start of term about other ways we will communicate about your child’s progress and learning, e.g. learning conversations. We are a mostly ‘paperless’ school where possible; therefore, please regularly check the app for updates.

AbsenceThe protocol for the whole school is the same. If your child is going to be absent please contact the school in the morning for each day of absence. You can contact the school by leaving a message on the office answering phone. If you can’t get through on the phone, please email the school office directly at gw08officetroqueer@ea.dumgal.sch.uk. For safety reasons, if we don’t hear from you, you will receive a text message asking you why your child is not in school. It is your responsibility to call us back or reply to the text. We will be updating this protocol in line with infection control procedures and we will send further information in due course.

MedicationMedication will only be dispensed when a parental/ guardian consent form has been completed. These can be obtained from the school office. Please ensure that the school is kept up to date regarding any medical conditions and medication that your child requires. Children should not keep medication in their bag, unless this is an inhaler. Instead, this medication should be handed to an adult in the office.

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Illness and Infection ControlYour child should stay at home if they are not well. Advice can be sought from the school on the absence period, if any, required for specific illnesses and symptoms. During a bout of sickness and diarrhoea, a period of 48 hours after the last symptoms should be allowed before the child returns to school. Please ensure that the school has up to date contact details for you in case we need to contact you to collect your child if they are not well.

To minimise the risk of infection, please encourage your child not to share items such as lip salves, creams, drink bottles, snacks, etc.

Items from homeIt is normal for younger children to feel more secure at school with their favourite toy. Any toy brought to school should be small and must fit easily into your child’s bag along with their other items. Always label any toy or item brought to school. Children will be encouraged to keep their toy in their bag and not to take it outside in case it gets damaged or lost as this can be very upsetting for children at school. We will update you if these protocols need to change due to infection control.

Learning in Primary 1Initially your child will be learning about the classroom, school and getting to know each other and the adults who will be working with them. In Primary 1, children continue their learning experiences within the ‘Early Level’ that starts in Nursery. Children will extend what they have learned in Nursery into more challenging contexts. As your child progresses through Primary 1, more expectations build in line with their growing concentration and confidence at school.

During the day there will be opportunities for your child to learn through play alongside structured practical and written learning experiences to support their numeracy, phonics and reading skills. Our procedures for children sharing toys and equipment will be subject to infection control guidance.

We will keep you informed about what your child is learning in school and how to support this learning at home.

HomeworkHomework in Primary 1 usually consists of short activities to support the phonics sounds that your child has learned at school. We have created a range of booklets for home to support children’s phonics learning at school and these will be sent to you when your child starts school. These are available electronically and in print.

At this age, children’s concentration span can be quite short. 5 or 10 minutes undertaking these activities at a time after school is more than enough.

Your child will be working on reading in school before they receive reading materials or reading books for home. As the teacher judges the readiness of your child to move onto applying their skills by using reading books, these will be issued. Please try not to compare your child with others. Children develop at different rates initially and we will support your child at their pace of learning.

Independence and Self-Help Skills to help your child prepare for Primary 1At school, there are lots of things that children do with growing independence. Supporting children to develop these independence skills is a great way to get ready for school. This is good for their confidence and will help your child to settle into Primary 1. This will be even more important as we support children with social distancing in the school setting. Staff will be there to support and encourage children to use their self-help skills.

You can help your child in P1 by encouraging them to:

• Use the toilet unsupervised and wash their hands

• Put on and fasten shoes. (Children need to be able to use their shoes without adult help.)

• Identify where their items belong, e.g. coat.

• Putting jumper or cardigan on and off.

• Using their own zip or buttons. (Please send children with a coat they can use independently.)

• Change into P.E. kit independently including laying their clothes out ready to put on and putting them away in the bag when finished

• Use cutlery

• Pack and unpack their own school bag

• Use a tissue

• Open their snack containers

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• Open and use their water bottle

• Open the types of snacks they might have at school

• Tidy up toys and games

• Try to learn to tie laces and buckles (Use Velcro shoes at school until confident with this.)

Washing hands: Please work on ensuring your child can independently wash their hands, knowing to use soap and water. Make sure they rub the soap for 20 seconds (sing happy birthday twice) and make sure they dry their hands properly after as well.

Toileting: Please ensure your child is independent using the toilet. It is helpful if they know they need to wipe their bottoms, flush the toilet and wash their hands (hand washing guidance above).

Working on these self-help and independence skills in the most important way to help your child get ready for starting Primary 1.

Phonics and ReadingThroughout Primary 1, phonics is an important part of your child’s educational provision. Teaching phonics means introducing all the sounds that letter make. We use our own school programme which builds on Edinburgh Literacy Rich resources alongside ‘Jolly Phonics’ songs and actions to support children to learn to read. Initially in Primary 1, there’s lots of focus on teaching all the sounds quite quickly. This is usually about three per week for the initial letters. Once children learn the first 6 sounds (a, t, p, n, i, s), they quickly move onto making words with these sounds, e.g. sat, nip. This gives children the necessary decoding (sounding out) skills which will support their reading development. The earliest homework in P1 concentrates on learning these sounds.

We are aware you will be conscious to give your child the best start however please do not feel any pressure to start phonics work prior to primary 1. We advise that you follow the homework advice from the school regarding the sounds the children are learning to avoid confusion between different methods at home and school. To help children to learn this skill easily, it is important that adults refer to the letter using its lower case sound, e.g. for a, say ‘a’ not ‘Ay’. Children will learn to write the lower case letters first, e.g. a, b, c, before they learn the capital letters. Information about letter formation will be provided in homework activities.

As children are learning their sounds, they still learn about reading through sharing books. This involves reading to children, alongside talking with children about the sounds they recognise in words, pictures and what is happening in the text. We support children to learn that:

• A book is read from front to back

• The print starts at the left hand side of the page

• We read printed words to tell a story

• A story has a beginning, middle and ending

• A story has characters and pictures

• Reading is valuable and books are fun

• Some books are ‘factual’ books (Non-Fiction) and some books are ‘story’ books (Fiction)

As your child becomes confident at recognising and using ‘Jolly Phonics’ sounds, reading books will gradually be introduced. We aim to increase our range and breadth of reading books. At present, we use:

• Oxford Reading Tree

• Collins Big Cats

• Dandelion Readers

• Songbirds

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We will send out a video workshop about how we teach phonics and reading at school and useful tips to support this at home. Reading is a big learning process. They won’t be getting it all right at the start and making mistakes is part of learning to read. Encouraging your child to try again with lots of praise and providing support for them to develop their confidence is the best way to help.

NumeracyAt school we use ‘Ten Town’ which has characters and stories to help children to learn their numbers. Children take part in lots of experiences to support their early counting, calculation and ordering skills. They also learn about different aspects of maths such as shape, pattern and measurement through practical activities.

We will send out a video workshop about how we teach phonics and reading at school and useful tips to support this at home. In the first term at school, children work lots on learning to write numbers to 10. Learning to write the numerals can be a bit tricky at first and sometimes children mix these up. Once they are at school, gently reminding your child about how to form these numbers is helpful. Again, information about this will be provided once your child starts school. There is no expectation to be working on writing these numbers before they start.

Supporting your child with their Literacy and Numeracy skills at homeThere are some suggestions for helpful ways to support your child’s skills as they prepare to start school:

• Reading for enjoyment, read with them and make it enjoyable. Read their book, read an extract from a newspaper or a book you are reading yourself.

• Have lots of conversations and show an interest in discussing what they are doing.

• Follow a recipe. Talk to your child about how you are reading the letters/words which give you instructions on what to do. Reading a recipe which then results in an end product is a fantastic learning activity.

• Encourage a wide range of reading materials, e.g. books, comics, newspapers, magazines alongside audio or video texts.

• Singing nursery rhymes and action songs are great for all ages for learning meaning and a range of vocabulary.

• Learning to write their name (if they show interest in this). Do not forget to only use a capital letter at the start of their name. Lowercase lettering for all other letters in words in important.

• Talk about numbers that you can see in the environment, e.g. numbers that you spot on walks, car registrations, etc.

• Carry out practical measurement activities, e.g. during cooking a meal.

• Talk about money and paying for items when you go to the shops. Your child can start to recognise the coins that they would use.

• Sing number songs and rhymes.

• Add number resources to your child’s play equipment and toys, e.g. dice, counters, abacus, a purse with coins, clocks, tape measure and shapes.

• Play games that involve counting, e.g. Snakes and Ladders.

There is no need to ‘teach’ the formal aspects of phonics and numbers that the children will work on before they start school. Follow your child’s interests and build on these to support them to develop their Literacy and Numeracy in practical situations.

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Parent Council - Troqueer Parents and Friends Council (TPFC)We have a Parent Council who meet twice a term. The TPFC supports the education and welfare of children by consulting with the school on policies and procedures. Any parent can join the committee and the Parent Council is always looking for new members. The TPFC also works to help raise funds and all monies raised go to help projects at the school. If you would like to get involved with the TPFC, please contact: contacttpfc@gmail.com. Further information about the TPFC is available on the school website at https://www.troqueerprimaryschool.co.uk/troqueer-parents-and-friends-council-tpfc. The TPFC is in a stage of transition at the moment, with several long standing members now moving on. It is a priority for us to recruit more parents to join the TPFC. This is essential to provide the best opportunities for our children, and Mr Armstrong will be sending out more information on this in due course.

Getting involved with the schoolThere are lots of ways to help and get involved in supporting the school. We will send out further information about this when your child starts school. We work in partnership with parents and we are always looking for new ways to engage parents in the life of our school and in supporting their children’s education at home.

Get in touchWe really hope that this booklet is helpful in providing more information about starting Primary 1. Further information about the practical aspects of school will follow in due course. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with the school if you have any questions or concerns. Contact us by email at gw08officetroqueer@ea.dumgal.sch.uk or leave a message on the school telephone’s answering machine at 01387 273020.

To follow before your child starts school:Class Dojo Login for Transition: Lots of transition activities will be shared here, including videos of teachers reading stories and other suggested activities for home

• Video from staff introducing themselves to the children

• Video of Mr Armstrong’s Parent Meeting

• Videos from staff about how to support phonics, reading and numeracy at home when your child starts school

• Procedures for making appointments with staff

• School term dates

• Details of the school day, including the learning spaces that they will access

• Further details about food allergies prevalent in school from August and food items that need to be avoided due to this

• Information regarding what items can be brought into school in light of infection control guidance

• Information about the Parent Council for 2020/21

Once your child starts school further information will be sent to you including a newsletter from your child’s teacher, information about your child’s house, homework information and an overview of how we will communicate with you about your child’s learning and progress.

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The basics

Parent Accounts

How to connect with your child’s classYour child’s teachers will need to invite you to join their class. They can either invite you by text, email, or send home a parent code.

See the story of your child’s day

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Any device, any language

Easily stay connected with your child’s classrooms on ClassDojo.

You can see all of your child’s feedback from teachers, hear important announcements and updates, and see photos and videos from class! You’ll also be able to see your child’s classwork on their own Student Story.

Parents can use any iOS device, Android device, Kindle Fire, or computer to connect! You can also read all Class Story posts in your preferred language instantly.

Safe for all

All of your child’s information is kept safe on ClassDojo. Only they, their teachers, and you as their parents can see their information.

ClassDojo is COPPA-compliant and fully support FERPA. If ever you’d like to review or remove your child’s information, please email the ClassDojo Parent Support team at parents@classdojo.com

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