Happy Monday!

Hello everyone ,

hard to believe that we've only been back a week after the festive break! We are now back into our normal routine and Christmas is a fading memory!
We have been making the most of the sunny days spending as much time outdoors as we can - the children have enjoyed the pretty frosty patterns in our garden , and have been on walks around the village including visits to the post office and the library . There has also been a treasure hunt with children hunting for and finding clues in the classrooms , garden and orchard area which was very exciting!

Tony the gardener was here last week , busy trimming the shrubs and clearing the winter garden debris( the sunflowers were fascinated watching the leaf blower in action) - our thanks to him for getting the garden looking so good again!

The children in the schoolhouse will be looking at the sky this month - possible literally! They will be exploring stars and space , aeroplanes and helicopters , birds and other winged creatures. I've just been in that building and found the buttercups having great fun making a floor painting with their  hands  and the snowdrops and bluebells were enjoying some lovely music while at their exploration tables :-)

You may have noticed that Julie and Kelly have swapped departments again. Julie has moved with the new sunflowers to support them in their transition , while Kelly has returned to the buttercups to prepare the next group for their move later in the year . This seems to be working well and will be continued throughout the year - we hope that it makes the big move to the PS building easier for the children(and parents!)

Talking of transitions- dont forget that you need to register your child if they will be starting P1 this year . The dates for Aberdeen City schools are  this week 13th to 17th Jan , Aberdeenshire schools 27th to 31st Jan .  You will also need to register your child if you wish them to attend a school nursery dates for this are : Aberdeen City schools : 20th to 31st Jan , Aberdeenshire schools : 13th to 24th Jan  Please go along to your chosen school with your child's birth certificate to register .

Meanwhile back at Craigton- we are looking forward to the rest of January ,as there are some interesting events  to celebrate this month . On 25th its Burn's night so look out for those haggis again! and 31st sees the Chinese New Year and the start of the year of the horse - we always enjoy this celebration as there are so many opportunities for the children to get involved in this from making colourful dragons then dancing with them , eating noodles with chopsticks, and finding out what's inside those red envelopes!

I've had  a request from a parent to remind everyone to ensure that you close and chain all gates every time, and observe the reverse parking rule . I am sorry to have to keep posting about this , but some are still not doing this. On Friday , the main gate to the carpark was left wide open  at about 5pm -one of the busiest times of day for traffic -also after dark .  In order to ensure the safety of all the children , the gates must be closed and chained- please ensure you do this every time ....and drivers , please slow right down entering or leaving the carpark -thank you .

There is a Parent Forum meeting scheduled for next week so please see any member if there is anything you'd like raised/discussed. This years members are : Erin Brown , Carl Gerrard , Claire Molloy , Deirdre Strachan and  Madhuri Thakur - photos are on display in both building if you need help recognising them !