Next term we will have some Sport Science Students working in school to support PE. As part of their placement they will also run a 3 week block of multi sports club for P1-3. This will be a girls only session as this is a focus across the city to improve particpation in sport by girls. These sessions will be supported by our Active Schools Co-ordinator as well. 

These 30 minute session will take place on a Monday from 3.15-3.45 on the the following dates: 12th, 19th and 26th January. 

Please see the link below to sign up your child for the club:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ashley-road-p1-3-girls-multi-sport-tickets-1978410654525?aff=oddtdtcreator 

The third block of the afterschool Multi-Sport Club run by our Active Schools Support Assistant will start after the Christmas Holidays. This time it will be for P4-7 children.  

This will run on a Wednesday from 7th January until Wednesday 25th March at the school from 3.15-4.15pm. 

Places are limited and the link to sign your child up will go live on Friday 19th December at 6pm.

To find more information and to sign up please go to the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ashley-road-p4-7-multi-sport-tickets-1978272560482?aff=oddtdtcreator 

Our Super Squad were determined the reinstate the Ashley Road 'Birthday Bunch' and, after a recruitment process looking for enthusiastic individuals willing to don the birthday hats and glasses,  we now have two Birthday Bunch teams who have been busy spreading the birthday cheer with gusto! 

On Wednesday it was Christmas Lunch day. We had lots of children enjoying the festive lunch that was on offer and others who chose to have a packed lunch. All enjoyed the change in the dining room of festive hats being worn by the staff along with Mr Rae being festive DJ for the session. It was great to hear the various renditions of Christmas classics with adapted lyrics being sung at times! The overall winner seemed to be the ice cream for dessert rather than the brussel sprouts. 

On Thursday we had our ECL performing their winter songs on the stage. The children all did so well with some tricky songs to sing especially as they were also on the stage in front of lots of parents with the stage lights on. It was lovely to see their enthusiasm and the audience certainly enjoyed their performance. The singing was so good that they even had a visitor appear to give them all a present. Well done!

On Thursday we had our annual PTA Christmas Fair. Once again this was a sell out and it was great to see so many families coming and enjoying all that was on offer. A huge thanks has to go to the PTA who have been busy organising the fair for the last 3 months. A lot of preparation goes into planning such a big event. A big thank you also has to go to all our volunteers who came and helped support a stall/area and keep the fair running. Without the volunteers we would not be able to run the fair. Another thank you has to go to all the people who donated prizes for the raffle and all the chocolate and bottles for the stalls. One 'shout out' for Kay Somshor who has now stepped down as Chair of the PTA - she has worked hard with the PTA for the last 3 years to plan all the events with the committee team. It is definitely time to sit back and relax, although I know she will continue to support the PTA events for the rest of this session. We will announce the winning 'House Hamper', with the most tickets bought at Clan Time next week.

Our pupil led lunchtime clubs are now underway and we have enjoyed seeing our young leaders putting their ideas into action. Those who have signed up have been treated to a range of creative activities throughout the week, from  dance to origami and even outer space! We look forward or seeing how the clubs and leaders' confidence develop over the next few weeks.

Classes throughout school have been engaged in a range of road safety learning activities this week, highlighting the importance of safe crossing, especially as the days get darker through the winter season.  

Concerns have been raised by local residents who frequently witness illegal parking, on double yellow lines, pavements, the yellow zig zags and across their driveways.  Again we ask in the strongest possible way that families consider their behaviour when driving and parking on the streets around school.  These poor behaviours are putting out children at risk which is frankly unacceptable.    We have contacted the roads team at the local council and have requested frequent visits by traffic wardens in order to address this irresponsible behaviour.   

Our Eco group spoke in Clan Time this week to share that they have planned a 'wrapper free' week next week.  They would encourage all children to do their bit to lessen our impact on the environment by bringing snacks in reusable containers rather than disposable wrappers.  They were particularly passionate about the impact of dropped litter on local wildlife, so hopefully this initiative will help!

In the run up to the Christmas Fair next week, our House Team leaders will be selling tickets for the 'House Hampers' over lunchtimes to give children the opportunity to get their names in the draw.  Tickets will also be sold (and drawn) at the Christmas Fair on the 27th.   As an added bonus, the hamper with the most tickets sold will win 30 points for their house. 

Tickets are £2 each.  Children can bring money into school on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday next week if the wish to purchase a ticket.  

This week, one half of our newly formed Super Squad school improvement group took part in their first pupil trio visit at Skene Square School, joined also by a group from Broomhill School. Pupils were treated to a tour of the school before setting to work on some writing moderation, sharing ideas from each of the three schools and exploring the tools that teachers use to set next steps in writing. They are now ready to bring some of these ideas back to Ashley Road and are looking forward to taking their turn as trio hosts when the other schools visit us next term.

“We’re excited to let you know that Free Parks Tennis is starting this Sunday at Ruthrieston outdoor sports centre! Free Parks Tennis is a fun, friendly way for everyone to get active and enjoy tennis in local parks. Sessions are completely free and open to all ages and abilities — whether you’ve never picked up a racket before or you’re getting back into the game.

It’s all about enjoyment, community, and being active outdoors — no membership, no pressure, just turn up and play! Equipment will be provided, so all you need to bring is comfy practical clothes (wrap up warm).

Volunteer opportunity - We’re always looking for friendly volunteers to help support sessions, welcome players, and keep things running smoothly. If you’re interested in volunteering, get in touch — it’s a great way to meet people and give back to your community!

Volunteers will need to have PVG through Sport Aberdeen.”

This week, we (Primary 7s Jenna, Max, Louie and Eliza) performed a presentation about our school connecting with rights and how Ashley Road Primary School is a UNICEF gold rights respecting school.  We went to the University of Aberdeen, and presented in front of 3 groups of aspiring students training to be teachers. It was scary at first, but overall we had a blast, it got better every time and we loved it so much! One of the students said “It is actually inspiring to see children performing a speech”.  We liked this because it was a great experience and opportunity and we gained a lot of new skills like : voice projection, team work, leadership and presenting. 

(Pupil Post 😀)

🎉 Oldmachar & Grammar ASG - P4-P7 girls team festival! 🎉

Get ready for a day full of fun, friendship, and fantastic games! 💪🏀🏒🏐

Join us for an exciting Team Games festival featuring basketball, dodgeball, and hockey! Whether you’re a seasoned player or just want to try something new, this is your chance to get active, build confidence, and show your team spirit.

👧 Who: P4–P7 Girls
📍 Where: Get Active At Jesmond
📅 When: Tuesday 18th November 1600-1700
🎽 What to bring: PE kit, water bottle, and your best team energy!

Come along, make new friends, and let’s celebrate girls in sport! 🌟

Booking goes live as of Tuesday 11th November at 5pm. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/oldmachar-grammar-asg-p4-p7-girls-team-games-tickets-1964265567188

Managing my Money introduces participants to different styles of budgeting and how to create one, debt and where to get support and how to talk to children about money over a three-week course.   On completion of the three weeks, participants can obtain an SQA and have the chance of a trip to Edinburgh.

Wednesday 26th November 10 am - 12 pm - Hazlehead Community Centre LINK HERE

Please see the information on the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra who are planning another music session for children aged 0-5 and families in Aberdeen. This session takes place on Saturday 29th November with three sessions across the day. 

We have been so impressed with the number of children wishing to take on P7 leadership roles again this year. Following a skills task 'audition' this week, our brand new P7 Super Squad has now been selected. The group will be getting straight to work on supporting our school improvement priorities, including continued work with our linked Trio Schools.   

For those children that have  completed the designs last term in school they should have recieved the order form home on Friday. There is a new process this year where the ordering is now all completed online. Parents have until Monday 10th November to complete any orders. 

To order you need to scan the QR code on the form or go to: www.iqcardsonline.co.uk

You will need to create an account and then log in using the school reference code and pupil code on the order form. 

There are a range of products you can order with your child's design this year. 

Unfortunately we do not have other copies of the forms that are sent out. If you require more help please email the PTA on: ashleyroadpta@gmail.com

Get ready for the winter celebration season at Ashley Road with our PTA’s Winter Wreath making workshop.

Please book your tickets now to make your seasonal wreath with your child or bring some friends or relatives and join us for a fun evening with music and nibbles on:

Saturday the 29th of November

from 5.30pm to 8.30pm

at Great Western Community Centre

(next to the school)

https://buytickets.at/ashleyroadpta/1449305

See the poster for details or contact the PTA by emailing ashleyroadpta@gmail.com or chat to us on the Whatsapp.

PTA 

Each year we have a focus on performance and presentation through the preparation of some seasonal shows, to get us all 'in the spirit' before the winter break.   Parents of each class are invited along to see the performance their child is participating in.  Below are the dates and times we hope to hold these performances for you to add to your diaries.  We will let you know if these are required to change for any reason.  The Nursery and P1-3 performances will be held in the school hall and the P4-7 singalong will be in Holburn West Community Centre to enable the larger audience size to attend. 

Nursery Singalong + Party

Thursday 11th December 9:30 - 10:15

P4-7 Singalong

Tuesday the 16th of December 1:45 - 2:45

Primary 3 Seasonal Show 

Wednesday 17th December  - 9:30 - 10:30 

Cast 1 - P3 Room 6 (appearances from P1 Yellow, P2Rm9)

Wednesday 17th December   2:00 - 3:00

Cast 2 - P3Rm7 (appearances from P1 Green, P2Rm2)

Parties

P1-4 Parties

Thursday 18th December

P5-7 Parties

Friday 19th December

We will now trial a new way of doing the uniform shop.  There will no longer be the 'drop in' uniform shop one Friday per month.   

Uniform shop will be open at the start and end of each term, however if anyone needs new uniform during term time, a unfirm form should be filled in and handed in to the school office with cash or a cheque (as happens already) and it will be sent home with the child by the end of the week. I know a lot of people do this already. 

If sizes ordered are not correct, they can be exchanged as long as the labels are still on them. 

 An offer for families from the ACC Community Learning and Development Team.  This is a three week course on 'Understanding Emotions' with a focus on the following themes.  

Sessions include:

- What emotions are and their development in children.

- Emotion Coaching techniques

- Emotions and the brain, the science behind what we feel.

- Techniques to manage tantrums, your own emotional control, increasing your confidence as a parent.

Sessions will take place on 5th, 12th and 19th November from 6.30pm - 8.30pm.

To sign up please follow the link - 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/family-learnings-understanding-emotions-tickets-1795552849909?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Each year school staff, with support from pupils, families and partners, complete a series of self evaluation activities to help us identify key areas for continued improvement at Ashley Road.  The attached document sets out the self evaluation 'Standards and Quality Report' and the resulting plan 'School improvement Plan'  which sets out actions for the next session.  The plan for this session is attached here and summarised below in the three areas

• How We Teach

• Happy Healthy, Enriched 

• What We Teach

Lots of this work is already underway.  If you would like to find out more, or think you can help in any way, please get in touch!

Ashley Road Run Club – Launching Early 2026!

Exciting news! Rachael Marr and Dena Cullen are launching the Ashley Road Run Club in early 2026 – and we’d love for you to be part of it!

To get things up and running, we’re looking for volunteers. No prior coaching experience is needed – just enthusiasm and a willingness to help. For parents interested in coaching, we’ll need to arrange PVG checks, which currently have a lead time of around 15 weeks.

If you're interested, please email us at AshleyRoadRunClub@gmail.com before 31st October.

Coaching sessions are currently planned for Friday mornings before school, with the location to be confirmed (likely in or around the school). This may be adjusted depending on volunteer availability.

Thanks so much for your support – we can’t wait to get started!

Warm regards,
Dena Cullen & Rachael Marr

Get ready for a spooktacular time! 

Calling all pupils from Harlaw and Grammer ASGs! Join us for a fun filled halloween themed sports day, packed with spooky games. Come dressed in your best Halloween costume and get ready for a howling good time! 

This will take place on Wednesday 29th October @ Get Active Kincorth. 

Don't miss out on the fun! Sign up now! Spots are allocated on a first come first served basis. See the links below to sign up:

P1-3: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/p1-3-spooooky-sports-day-tickets-1796520494159?aff=oddtdtcreator

P4-7: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/p4-7-spooooky-sports-day-tickets-1796501858419?aff=oddtdtcreator

Children’s Book Groups

Aberdeen City Libraries hosts children’s book groups, 9-11yrs, at several libraries throughout the city: see link below. The groups are held every 4 weeks and aim to encourage children to read for pleasure, explore what they have been reading with others and have fun! The groups are free to attend and children can just drop in.

Dates for October’s groups can be found at https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-10/CYPBG%20Oct25.pdf

Sport Aberdeen are running the popular Tennis and Multisport camps for children over the October Holidays at Aberdeen Tennis Centre (in Westburn Park). Book in for a full day(s) of structured activity, 08:30-16:30.

Please see the attached flyer with more information.

Link to booking and info – HERE

Full link: https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/AberdeenTennisCentre/Coaching/Camps

The second block of the P2-3 Multi-Sport Club will start after the October Holidays. 

This will run on a Wednesday from 29th October until Wednesday 10th Novermber at the school from 3.15-4.15pm. 

Places are limited and the link to sign your child up will go live on Monday 6th October at 7pm and will close on Thursday 9th October at noon. 

To find more information and to sign up please go to the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ashley-road-p3-multi-sports-tickets-1644612944589?aff=oddtdtcreator 

Next term sees the return of our popular pupil led lunchtime clubs, which will run for a 6 week block starting in the week beginning  10th November.

If your child is in P4-7 and wishes to run a lunchtime club for other pupils, they should apply using THIS LINK.

Applications will close on Tuesday 7th October at 4pm.

A further form allowing pupils from all year groups to sign up to attend clubs will follow at the start of next term.

Many of our P7's have been away this week on P7 residential trip at the Dalguise Outdoor Centre in Perthshire.  

We have been keeping in touch with the group and hearing about their adventures and the many lifetime memories which are being made on the trip.  The children have lots to be proud of.  We look forward to hearing all about it in Clan Time next week!

A HUGE thank you to Miss Smith, Mrs Nicholson, Miss Jones, Miss King and Mrs Morrison who took on the task of keeping the children safe and well for their time away.  This is no small responsibility and is done entirely voluntarily.  

Last week we heard speeches presented by the candidates for the House Team Leader roles for this session.  As ever the children outdid themselves.  The presenting skills and creative, persuasive delivery on show were outdone only by the courage the each and every candidate showed, pushing their resilience and courage to the limit in front of over 300 of their peers.  A huge well done to all.  We will update you next week with photos of our new house teams.  

Next up, all P7s will recieve a survey next week asking them to note interest in the wide range of leadership opportunities available across the P7 year.  From the Yearbook Team. AR Radio to Super Squad, there are plenty of opportunities to go round!

A reminder to all families to ensure you are aware of and following our school Travel Plan.  It sets out the safest routes to travel to and from school, encourages safe, active travel and responsible travel by car users.
Following the retirement of the School Crossing Patroller (Bob) last session, we would encourage families to review their planned route to school, highlighting the two highest risk crossing points (A map highlighting these points is included in the Travel Plan):

Crossing Ashley Road at the junction with Claremont Street:    

• Crossing on a junction adds an additional risk as cars are travelling from three different directions. 

• Cars parked on Ashley Road block the line of sight between pedestrians and drivers making this a risky place to cross. 

• There is no longer a crossing patroller operating on this intersection.

• There are light controlled pelican crossings available at both ends of Ashley Road.  These are the safest points to cross the road.

 Crossing at the junction of Ashley Gardens and Ashley Park Drive:

• This is a very wide junction, meaning it would take longer to cross, increasing the risk.

• There are often cars parked on both long corners and down Ashley Gardens and Ashley Park Drive which limits viability for pedestrians and drivers.

An extraordinary session within an upcoming Parent Council meeting has been arranged to discuss road safety issues around the school.  

Councillor Martin Greig, Convener of the Education and Children’s Services Committee , who has been involved in discussions on this topic in the past, will attend this session and hear directly from the parent community. Traffic safety has been a recurring item on our Parent Council agenda for several years, as reflected in our meeting minutes, and we continue to work closely with the council to address ongoing concerns.

Meeting Details:

• Date: Tuesday, 30 September

• Time: 7:45 PM – 8:30 PM

• Format: Online meeting (link to be shared closer to the date)

A big thanks to Kayleigh & Allan Brown who kindly sponsored the P5 football team, allowing them to get a new kit.  

The new tops have already created a great buzz within the team. Hopefully these amazing new strips will go with our beautiful football, but regardless its giving the team a real boast and they shall wear them with great pride when representing the school this season.  - P5 Coaches

On Monday and Tuesday afternoon we had our annual open afternoon. This is a great opportunity for parents to come in to their child's classroom and see the learning that has been happening so far this term. This year there was a reading focus across the school with lots of exciting opportunities to see how reading and reading skills are taught in school and the types of activities the children do to learn these important skills. A big thank you to all who were able to come in, there was a great buzz of excitement around the school by the children. 

MESSAGE FROM THE PTA 

We hope you all had a wonderful summer break.  To start off the year the PTA invites you to our BACK TO SCHOOL DISCO.   We’re trying something new and this year the disco will be held on:

THURSDAY (that’s right Thursday) 11th SEPTEMBER

P1-P3 | 6:15pm - 7:15pm

P4-P7 | 7:45pm - 8:45pm

Tickets can be purchased online:

https://buytickets.at/ashleyroadpta/1833563

All children must be accompanied and supervised by a responsible adult/parent/guardian.  Ratio 1 adult to 4 children.  The PTA and volunteers are not responsible for child supervision.

We appreciate those that can volunteer to help us at these events.  There are two slots per disco and we are asking for 9 people per slot to help.  Last disco we unfortunately didn’t have enough volunteers for the first disco due to last minute cancellations and we weren’t able to provide the experience we usually do.

Sign up to Volunteer here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094DA4AF2DA5FEC52-58155170-back

We are delighted to welcome everyone back at the beginning of what I'm sure will be another fun packed year!  Whether you are returning to familiar hallways or stepping in to a new environment, we hope each day this year will be an opportunity to explore new ideas, make lasting friendships and show our skills.   Let's make this year the best one yet!