David Livingstone Memorial Primary School and Nursery Class Newsletter

Message from the headteacher

It’s hard to believe that we are almost at the end of another session.  At the end of June, we will be saying goodbye to a number of temporary staff in our school: Miss MacDonald (P4/5 teacher), Mr McInally (P5 teacher) and Miss Fleming (P7 teacher).  We have still not been allocated staff to replace these teachers.  As a result, we are not yet in a position to let you know your child’s new class and class teacher for 2026/2027, but we will share this information with you as soon as we can.  Unfortunately, we will also be bidding farewell to Mrs Hood (Team Leader in our school office) who has secured another job outwith education.  On behalf of everyone associated with DLMPS, I would like to thank all of these staff for all that they have done to support our school and our community.  We will miss you all!   Please remember that the school is here to support you and your family at all times.  If there is anything personal that you would like to discuss relating to your family, please either phone the school or send me an email at the following address and I will do my best to help:  gw14dlmpsht@glow.sch.uk   Linda Callender Head Teacher

Primary Dance Festival

Congratulations to all our P6-7 pupils who represented our school at the Primary Dance Festival held in the Town House in Hamilton on Wednesday, 6th May.  You were all absolutely fantastic!  

Reading School 'staying shiny award'

Our school was recently awarded a second Gold Reading Schools Award.  This ‘Staying Shiny’ award is in recognition of all that we do to support a culture or reading in our school.  Only 24 other schools across Scotland have achieved this prestigious status, so we are all very proud of our success.  Thank you to Mr Burns, Acting Principal Teacher, who coordinated the submission of evidence for our school. 

reading schools showcase

Well done to Lola Murray, Madeleine Roper and Finn Roberston, 3 of our P6 pupils, who represented DLMPS at Reading Schools showcase event that was held at Townhill PS in Hamilton on Wednesday, 26th May.  As well as finding out more about Townhill’s Reading Schools journey, the children also got lots of ideas on how we might use loose parts to support active learning in Literacy next session

Nursery Children

A lot of our nursery chilNurdren will soon be making the transition into P1.  We have loved getting to know all of them, watching them grow in confidence day by day.  We now wish them all ‘good luck’ as they move on to the next stage in their educational journey and would like to thank all of their parents/carers and other family members for being so supportive of our nursery over the past 2 years.

School uniform

A few parents have been in touch regarding the supply of our school uniform.  If you wish to have the school badge on your child’s clothing, this is available to order online from Scotcrest in Hamilton (www.Scotcrest.co.uk).  However, please remember that this is not a mandatory requirement and many supermarkets also sell items of clothing in our school colours at a cheaper cost.  In addition, please also bear in mind that we also have a recycling rail containing lots of new and nearly new clothing that is available free of charge outside our main office.

pupil absence

Please note that it is the parent/carer’s responsibility to notify the school or nursery if their child is going to be absent before 9.10am.  If we do not receive either a letter or a phone call from a parent/carer, we will try to phone home and, if unsuccessful, we will then phone your child’s emergency contacts, then possibly the Police.  It is, therefore, vitally important that you notify us of any changes to your contact details as soon as possible.  It is also important that you let us know the reason for your child’s absence, since this will let us know what code to record on the register for them

Timekeeping

Unfortunately, a number of children repeatedly arrive late for school.  This can then cause disruption in class as teachers may need to go back over something that a child has missed.  It also causes a lot of embarrassment for your child.  Please remember that our school starts at 8.55am so please support your child to be on time every day.  Thank you.   Did you know…..?  

• A child who arrives 15 minutes late every day misses out on 50 hours of learning over the course of a year!

Loose parts

Thank you to all our parents/carers who have engaged in loose parts play alongside their child.  Please note that these sessions take place regardless of the weather, so please ensure that your child comes dressed appropriately with a warm, waterproof jacket or sunscreen and a hat if it is hot.  Dates for the final set of these sessions are also shown in the Diary Dates section of this newsletter.

Family Holidays

In line with South Lanarkshire Council policy, the school implements a Maximising Attendance policy and holiday absences will normally be recorded as unauthorised.  I would, therefore, request that holidays are taken outwith term time to allow your child to benefit fully from the learning experiences that are planned in school.  Please note that class teachers are unable to provide additional work for your child if he/she is on holiday

Parentsportal

Please could we remind all parents/carers to regularly log on to Parentsportal as this is now our sole means of communication.  This helps us to become more eco-friendly as it reduces the number of letters that we need to send home, including permission forms for any outings.  It also allows you to access and update details on your child at any time. 

Instagram

The school has moved away from X (formerly known as Twitter) as a means of communication.  Our new social media platform is Instagram @DLMPS2025.  Please note that this is a closed and private group with only current parents/carers and staff permitted to follow.  We use this platform to share achievements and pictures of what is going on in the school and in your child’s class.  No pictures of children will be posted until we have permission consented via Parentsportal.  If you require support to join Instagram, please contact Miss Lattimer, one of our DHTs, (gw07lattimerjennifer@glow.sch.uk).  Thank you.

Water in Class

Children are encouraged to sip plain water in class as research has shown that this increases their concentration when learning.  This should be in a plastic sports bottle to avoid spillage.  Please note that juice and flavoured/sparkling water are not permitted in the classrooms as they leave a terribly sticky mess if they are spilled and may spoil someone’s work.  Children who do bring this into school will be asked to leave their bottle in their schoolbag until the next break time.    Water is also served at lunchtime and children may also bring in a second bottle of water on P.E. days if they wish.

Nursery graduation

Our Nursery Graduation will take place on Thursday, 11th June at 2.00pm.  Parents/carers and other family members of the children involved are warmly invited to attend.

summer service

We would warmly like to invite all our parents/carers and other family members to join us at our Summer Service.  This will take place in Livingstone Memorial Church at 9.30am on Tuesday, 23rd June.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Administering Medicine

South Lanarkshire Council has guidelines on the administration of medication.  Should your child require to take prescribed medication in school, it is essential that you complete an ‘Administration of Medicine’ form.  A copy of this form is available on request from the school office.  Pupils may carry inhalers with them however an ‘Administration of Medicine’ form must still be completed.   Only medication prescribed by a doctor and with written parental/carer consent will be able to be administered. It is the responsibility of parents/carers to ensure that medication is within its ‘use by’ date. Please also remember to keep us up-to-date regarding any health-related issues for your child as we are aware that these can change at any time.

School Closures

The school will then close on Thursday, 25th June at 1.00pm for the Summer holidays.  Pupils will return to school on Thursday, 13th August following 2 in-service days for staff.  Please keep checking our school website