Houston Primary School Nursery
Crosslee Road
Houston
PA6 7EJ
16th November 2015
Dear Parent/Carer,
Head Teacher Appointment
I am pleased to announce that following competitive interview, Mrs Jennifer Murray has been
successfully appointed as the substantive Head Teacher of Houston Primary School and
Nursery. We look forward to continuing to provide the best education for all children under
her guidance.
Sponsored Rainbow Treasure Trail and Party
A huge thank you to those who supported the sponsored Rainbow Treasure Trail last term.
Due to the kind generosity of family members and friends, we have raised a grand total of
£1841. If you have still to return your sponsor money, please hand it to Mrs. Toole as soon as
possible. Funds raised will go towards purchasing Christmas presents for the children, as well
as resources chosen by the children and staff to enhance learning. The Children’s Committee
are currently making a list of items they would like to purchase that so far includes two new
iPads, pushchairs and even a fire pit!
Last session, the children and staff ordered a number of new resources due to the fantastic
fundraising events planned by staff and the Fundraising Committee. These included:
 outdoor pirate ship
 2 scooters
 3 iPads
 20 snowsuits
 water trough
Outdoor Play
Children and staff are outdoors everyday as part of the Nursery curriculum. As Winter
approaches, we would appreciate it if children could come to Nursery wearing suitable
clothing e.g. waterproof jacket with a hood, wellingtons, hat, gloves. PLEASE LABEL
EVERYTHING.
St. Andrew’s Day Celebrations
On Friday 27th November the children will be celebrating St. Andrew’s Day. This year the
children will be learning some Gaelic nursery rhymes from Jessica Deeb’s mum, Scottish
dancing from Dawn Campbell, making tartan pattern prints and of course listening and
reciting Scottish poems. The children will also have the opportunity to taste traditional
Scottish snacks. If possible, please wear something tartan on this day.
Curriculum Evening 2015
Thank you to all who attended our successful Nursery Curriculum Evening. Parent feedback
indicated that information on the curriculum, daily routines and the opportunity to look
around the nursery to view the skills developed through teaching and learning experiences
was valuable.
Supporting Learning at Home
In order to support learning at home, we have collated ideas to develop children’s skills
through everyday tasks. The concept was developed with a small group of parents and it is
intended to provide parents/carers with prompts and ideas of how to support the children at
home. Please find enclosed a learning flipbook which was developed in response to parents
asking how best to support children at home.
Christmas Celebration
The children have already started practising for their Christmas Celebration which will take
place during normal nursery hours on Thursday 10th December. This year the children will be
performing ‘A Beary Merry Christmas’. Please see the attached letter for further details. I
am hoping to recruit a small team of ‘Santa’s Helpers’ to help wrap the children’s Christmas
presents. If you are able to help, please inform a member of staff.
Christmas Party
Our annual Christmas Party will take place on Monday 21st of December. The children should
wear party clothes. Games, yummy Christmas treats and a visit from Pirate Pete are sure to
make it a memorable day!
Re-usable Cotton Carrier Bags
This term, the children will design and print re-usable shopping bags that would make the
perfect personalised Christmas gift. Please complete the attached order form if you are
interested in making a purchase. The money raised from this enterprise project will be used
to pay for the Christmas parties. The bags will be issued in time for Christmas.
Voluntary Contribution
This term’s Voluntary Contribution is either £3.00 per week or £27.00 for the term. Please
make cheques payable to Houston Primary School Nursery. We are very grateful to those
who contribute and help to enhance the children’s nursery experience. Since the start of
term, this has helped to supplement the cost of our visit to Finlaystone Country Park at
£390.00, French at £72.00 per week, Dance at £32 per week, weekly snack and the
children’s birthday gifts.
School Registration
Children who reach 5 years of age between 1st March and 28th February 2017 inclusive,
should be registered with their catchment school as follows:
Pupils whose surnames begin with the initials A to L should be registered on Wednesday 13 th
January 2016. Pupils whose surnames begin with the initials M to Z should be registered on
Thursday 14th January 2016. Registration will take place between 1.00pm and 3.00pm.
Please see the information leaflet issued last week or the Nursery Information display for
more details.
‘V.I.P.’ Thank You
A special thank you to Mr. Livingston for repairing the Mud Kitchen, building and fitting the
new gate in the nursery garden and preparing kits so that each child can construct their very
own bird box. An extended thanks goes to Lily Harvey’s mum and B&Q for providing the wood
for the bird boxes. Thanks also to Darcey’s grandpa, Mr Gallagher, for bringing Heston to
visit the nursery and demonstrating the crucial role that assistance dogs play in supporting
people with specific needs. Your kind donations will allow us to sponsor an assistance dog on
behalf of Houston Primary School Nursery. The children will look forward to learning about
their dog and receiving regular updates on its progress.
Thank you to all the children, parents and staff for their continuing support, it is very much
appreciated.
Yours faithfully,
Amanda Johnston
Depute Head Teacher