309 SEPTEMBER 2020 - Gryffe Advertizer

Houston Primary School
P7 Transition
Our Primary 7 pupils, engaged in their transition programme to their
chosen secondary school. They met their new teachers online and
engaged in very many learning opportunities. They also had the
opportunity to come back to Houston Primary at the end of June
for a final farewell. Due to COVID-19 safety guidelines, we were
unable to have our ‘normal’ end of term valedictory, so we had a
virtual one instead, so our pupils and families didn’t miss out on the
final celebration. Awards were delivered to pupil’s doors, our choir
individually recorded their chosen song, ‘Dignity’, Rev. Noonan and
Mrs Murray recorded a special message and the teachers created
memorable videos of our pupils time at Houston Primary School.
Something very special to keep forever.
Sumdog Challenge
We have a long standing history of success in the Renfrewshire
Sumdog Challenge and this time was no different, with Aidan
Smith gaining second place and Macy James gaining 4th place in
Renfrewshire. This is an amazing achievement. Well done! Our
Primary 7 pupils gained an overall 4th place in Renfrewshire.
Dunelm Prize
A former pupil, nominated our school to be entered into Dunelm’s
Lucky Prize Draw and we won an amazing box of outdoor toys.
Cheryl Logan from our Parent Council collected the prize and
brought it to school with the special help of her son, Primary 6 pupil
Ben. He even put on his uniform for the photograph!
The pupils who were attending Houston Primary School Hub, were
delighted to receive the toys and enjoyed playing with them.
local community, local life ............... 38
St Columba's School
This August, we were delighted to welcome back to school our
cherished staff and pupils for the start of a very different academic
session.
Words like ‘community’ and ‘family’ are used by many independent
schools, but at St Columba’s, most of our pupils have been part of
the school since their infancy. Those who join us later are warmly
welcomed and given the individual support they need in order to
settle in with ease. Every Columban is known not just by name, but
by their interests, their strengths and their hopes. During lockdown,
we stayed true to this ethos, ensuring that pupils were offered the
same care and attention we are proud to offer at any other time.
St Columba’s inspirational standard of education, which puts
pupils’ wellbeing and future aspirations at the centre of all staff do,
was maintained during lockdown by our highly successful ‘Virtual
School’. Using state-of-the-art technology, staff were able to
continue to tailor the curriculum and learning journey to suit each
child’s individual needs, to help pupils develop their unique talents
and to ensure that each child become the very best version of
themselves they can be.
Mrs Reilly, Rector at St Columba’s School, told The Advertizer,
“We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have been able to
maintain teaching and learning for our pupils during this uncertain
and challenging time. After all, every child has the right to learn.
We are not just a school that talks about the importance of the
individual, we believe it and we live it. St Columba’s pupils
do not ‘slip under the radar’ or simply become a statistic in the
annual results analysis for league tables. Each pupil is known by
name across year groups by every member of staff. Individual
achievements are celebrated and even during lockdown, we have
been able to continue to offer the best in personalised support both
academically and pastorally.”
Duchal Nursery
It has been wonderful to finally re-open our doors and to welcome
all the new children to our Duchal family and to see our older
children embracing their new role mentoring them and helping
them settle in!
We are delighted to announce that we are now open until 6pm
every day during term time, giving parents greater flexibility on
their childcare. In addition to this we are now able to offer free
funded hours for 3 – 5 year olds, so if anyone is looking for pre
school places please go to our website for further details or get in
touch for an application form.
The teachers have lots of fun activities set up for the new term
introducing different colours and numbers. There will be plenty
of outdoor time in our enclosed garden or out in the surrounding
park. Make sure you keep up to date with all the latest activities by
following us on Facebook and also visit our website at: www.duchal.
com for more information on the nursery and what we offer.