Fairtrade Fortnight began on Monday 21st February. Classes have been learning lots about products that are produced all over the world, and the people who make them. A particular focus has been the impact on climate, and we are looking forward our Fairtrade assemblies on Monday where learning will be shared. We have sent a Home Learning grid for P1-7 pupils on Seesaw, and can't wait to see the family learning that takes place to compliment the learning in school.

World Book Day is taking place on Thursday 3rd March. The theme this year is 'You Are a Reader!' In school we are looking forward to an extravaganza! There will be dance parties in the hall (accompanied by the music of MC Grammar), cakes supplied kindly by the Parent Council, and visits from storyteller Pauline Cordiner and local author Ross Fraser, who will be sharing his book, Kaleidoscope, with us. We will also be making up dances to the World Book Day song, performed by the inimitable MC Grammar.

Children are invited to dress up/down, and should try to make sure that they can explain how their costume links to an emotion. For instance, this may mean that you dress as a character from a book and describe how that character feels at a certain point within the book, or you could dress in yellow for 'happy' etc. The aim of this theme is to increase children's emotional vocabulary through discussion, and to create a very 'low-pressure' world book day for families.

Parent Meetings will be held on Microsoft Teams (hopefully for the last time!) and will be offered to all families during weeks commencing 7th and 14th March. Book your parent meeting here:

https://forms.gle/hJBjbiEBwFQeZpaW9

If your child works with Mrs Ward, you will receive an invite to an additional appointment in due course

P7 parents, please note that your parent meetings will take place in term 4, so there is no need for you to access this form.

Foodbank Fridays continue to be very generously engaged with, and we want to thank you for the difference you are making to households in the area. We are well aware that in the current climate of rising energy costs and food prices, no family is completely insulated. If you would like support with changing circumstances, or just need to discuss your family circumstances confidentially, please click on the link below:

https://forms.gle/uhR6UANsmzFezG7HA

Please also remember that you don't need to wait until Friday to donate to the foodbank. Any time you want to donate non-perishable items, you can pop them in the Foodbank bin outside nursery or hand them into reception.

House points are awarded for all kinds of positive contributions to school, and children earn them in the class, playground and lunch hall. These are generally awarded for meeting our expectations about being Ready, Respectful and Safe.

The latest scores are below!

Some of our P5, 6 and 7 children will be taking part in a Cross Country Event at Balgownie playing fields on Friday 11th March.

Permission forms will be coming out this week for the children who have been selected to represent Lairhillock.

We have also managed to secure tickets for Primary 6 and 7 to attend a Royal Scottish National Orchestra performance of Gaspard's Foxtrot at Aberdeen Music Hall on Monday 14th March. Permission forms will come out this week for all P6 and P7 pupils.

We are so looking forward to having children out and about enjoying rich experiences once more!

Thank you to all those who joined the Parent Council for the meeting on Wednesday 23rd February.

During the meeting, safety in the car park was raised as an issue once more.

Can we please request that parents:

• Always encourage children to cross at the designated crossings and model this each day

• Refrain from congregating in large numbers by the grit bin at entrance to car park as this can impact on driver visibility

• Please park within parking spaces, and do not block accessibility along pavements

• Continue to wear face coverings in the playground for the time being - we will advise if there is a change to this guidance

Can we please request that if your child is late to school due to an appointment that you phone the school office to order their lunch. Lunch orders must be in by 10am in order to guarantee that a meal can be prepared for your child. Thank you.