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Whole school message from Mrs Rowe:

We were delighted to welcome back our pupils for the new academic year, including welcoming all the new pupils who have joined the school community.  Everyone has settled in very well and getting used to their new classes, peers, staff and timetables.

We’re pleased to see so many pupils wearing uniforms for their departments.  Uniform is important; however, we also want to ensure that pupils are comfortable in the clothing they wear to school.  A reminder of the uniform colours for the three departments is stated below under department information.

We would be delighted to welcome more parents/carers onto the Parent Council.  If you are interested to find out more information or would like to support in any way, please contact me at school or through Class Dojo.  Our Parent Council Chair would also welcome to speak to any parents/carers who are interested, and this can be easily arranged.

A reminder that we are a nut free school as we have pupils across the school who have allergies.  For safety purposes, please do not send in any food items that contain nuts.

This session, our School Improvement Plan for 2025/2026 will focus on three key priority areas:

1.    Further development of clear and progressive curricular pathways to meet the needs of the learners across all stages, improve engagement and raise attainment.

2.   Improvement in wider achievement opportunities for learners, including recognising, evidencing, and celebrating wider achievement for all.

3.   Further improvement in family engagement across the school to promote a consistent and nurturing school ethos where wellbeing and mental health for all is central to practice.

We are looking forward to the academic session ahead and thank you for your continued support.

Laura Rowe

Head Teacher

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Alun Struthers Depute Head Teacher Primary Department 

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The first term is now well under way, and we have had a great start with the children settling in well to classes. Throughout the Primary department they have been getting used to their new classes and routines and have settled in very well.

In addition to their usual class teams, the children have been working with Miss Pollock at PE. They have been looking at outdoor fitness, gym circuits and there have been lots of great poses and a peaceful aura in the hall when they have been concentrating on their yoga!

To supplement whole class lessons, Miss Pollock will also be looking to offer Rebound Therapy to some pupils later in the year. Rebound is a programme carried out on the trampoline with an adult and can be good to develop balance and gross motor skills, although the main thing for the children is that it is great fun!

Judi and Dani have also returned this year to provide a weekly session of outdoor learning to each class which the children always enjoy.  In addition to this outdoor learning, our P7 pupils will be going for a week of Outdoor Education at Palacerigg Park from 22nd Sept.  In previous years this has always been a highlight for our pupils, and I am sure this will be the case again this year.

On Fridays we have Jen working with us again to offer story massage and sensory sessions to some classes and individuals.

Tying in with our Emotion Works class work, Room 7 have adopted their class Bear and named him Blueberry Bear. This is to go along with their story Bearing Up which is to help the children all have a growth mindset and manage our feelings.

In Room 8 the children have made their very own time capsules where each child included details about their favourite hobbies and interests, a picture of themselves, a string to record their height, and a colourful handprint. The capsules are now safely hidden in a secret spot in the playground, ready to be opened in June 2026. Everyone is very excited to see how much they will have grown and changed by then!

Below are a few pieces of useful information for the session ahead:

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Mrs Amanda McBain Depute Head Teacher Secondary Department 

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S1 – S3 pupils and staff are so happy to be back together at school after a lovely summer holiday. All six classes have settled well into our Glencryan routines, and we are working hard on learning our new timetables. Our S1 pupils are doing particularly well; they are making new friends, learning their way around the building and getting to know lots of new members of staff.

Our first department-wide Health and Wellbeing focus for the term will be based on our school values – Belong, Believe, Achieve. We will learn about what these mean for our learners and why they are so important for our learners, families, staff and friends.

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A warm welcome to our new S4 pupils and families to the department. We look forward to working with you throughout the Senior Phase journey (S4-S6). In addition, welcome back to our S5 and S6 pupils and families!

We are delighted that Mrs Bryson and Miss Montgomery have both joined our Senior Phase teaching staff team on a permanent basis.

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Class Dojo
The main purpose of Class Dojo is to enable class teachers to share important information and photographs. Parents and carers are also able to share information or messages with the Class Teacher or Depute. Please note that if there is more than one teacher in a class only the teacher you message directly will be able to see the message so if you wish both to know then please copy the message and send to both.

Class teachers will use Class Dojo on a regular basis as a communication tool however you may not always receive a daily update. If you do not get a message or photo on a particular day, please assume that your child has had a good day at school.

Reminders about school events will be put out on class dojo (e.g. café, parents’ night appointment times, class outings). These may come through your child’s own class page or the whole school page.

I am sure you will appreciate that it is not always possible for class teachers to respond to queries during class contact time. If you have an urgent query or need to pass on important information that cannot wait, please phone the school in the first instance.

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Snack Time

As normal, we will be providing a choice of snack for pupils each morning, this includes yoghurt, toast, fruit and cereal. This year there is no charge for snack. Children can bring in their own healthy snack, but we ask that you do not send in anything with nuts due to allergies within the department.

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Personal Items
Please label items such as lunchboxes, water bottles and clothing with your child’s name.

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Uniform

Pupils can wear comfortable white polo shirts/shirt, dark skirts/trousers/joggers and a red jumper/cardigan.  These can be with or without a school logo.

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This term’s Numeracy and Mathematics for Secondary 1 will focus on Number and Number Processing, Measure and Estimating and Rounding. In Literacy we will be practising our skills through a block of learning based around the theme of ‘Our New School Year’ where we will also get to know our new classmates, teachers and subjects. In Interdisciplinary Learning Secondary 1’s focus will be ‘Traditional Tales’.

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This Term Secondary 2 spent the first couple of weeks getting to know each other and becoming familiar with our new timetable and new staff. As part of Citizenship, we will develop our Class Charter and interview for class jobs. In Numeracy we will focus on number, measurement and estimation. Our Interdisciplinary Learning topic will be a novel study based on the book 'The World's Worst Teachers' by David Walliams. We hope this will be good fun!

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Secondary 3 will be working on Kensuke’s Kingdom as a novel study. They will be looking at place value, estimating and rounding numbers to the nearest 10 and 100. As well as number processes, forward and backwards number sequences and in measurement converting metres to centimetres.

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This term Secondary 4 will be using the novel ‘The World’s Worst Children’ by David Walliams as the basis for their Interdisciplinary Learning. We are already enjoying reading about the terrible things the characters get up to. In Maths, we will be working on place value, number and number processes.

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Secondary 5 have chosen ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ as their first class novel. We have been looking at character profiles, summarising and visual images.  We are also working hard on improving our use of punctuation this term. In Maths we are working on place value, including ordering and rounding. We will be moving onto addition and subtraction, along with some shape work. Our Health and Wellbeing sessions are focusing on the rights of the child and ways we can be good citizens too. For Interdisciplinary Learning we are working on an island survival topic which includes Science, Social Studies and some problem solving.

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This term Secondary 6 will be improving their literacy skills by studying a variety of novels, including Roald Dahl’s ‘The Twits’. We will consolidate our knowledge of place value and extend the range of numbers we can confidently work with. Pupils will be supported to work alongside new teachers and undertake subjects that they have not previously accessed, such as Craft and Design. Through our personalised Health and Wellbeing, pupils will develop their confidence and resilience whilst gradually building new relationships with peers and showing tolerance for others.

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All S1 – S3 classes will work with Mrs Henderson to maintain and rejuvenate our school grounds, look after the living things in our school grounds and help to sow new plants.

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This term in PE, pupils will be focussing on their physical fitness, working on their speed, strength and stamina. Through games and energetic play, pupils will develop their focus and concentration in addition to their communication and decision-making skills. Through hockey, pupils will work to improve their stick skills and their ability to work cooperatively as a team.

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In Art lessons this term pupils will be learning about the seven Visual Elements. They are currently exploring the use of Line, Colour and Pattern in their Ice-Cream Sundae Painting project. We will then move on to creating 3D haunted houses approaching Halloween!

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Pupils across the Secondary Department have begun to learn French, through weekly lessons with Mrs Brodie. We are learning to say and understand greetings like hello, how are you, my name is…, and goodbye.

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2025/26 timetables are now up-and-running. All young people have the opportunity to access vocational experiences. These programmes have commenced; Hospitality, Horticulture, Laundry, Retail, Barista, Hair and Beauty Therapy.

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Our links with New College Lanarkshire remain strong this year with S6 pupils having the opportunity to attend a Transition course one day per week. This is supported by staff from school as appropriate. Usually, all S6 pupils have this opportunity when this stage of school is reached. Participation in the programme can be helpful for young people to help prepare for leaving school.

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Mr Lochhead, Principal Teacher, is our Work Experience coordinator. Mr Lochhead will be in touch with parents and carers over the year to discuss suitable placements. S6 pupils will be prioritised to identify suitable opportunities. It can be challenging to find suitable placements for our young people, and the buy in from local businesses. If you have any links with businesses who would be willing to support, we would be grateful of your support and would ask for details to be passed on to Mr Lochhead.

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We are delighted to share that our Hospitality provision ‘Le Bistro’ was awarded with a ‘AA Highly Commended College Rosette’ in June 2025 for the second consecutive year. This was achieved in partnership with Flavour5 (pronounced – Flavours), our Hospitality provider. This showcases the standard pupils are working at within Hospitality.

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Pupils should wear a white t-shirt/shirt (tie is optional), black trousers/skirt, black jumper/cardigan. With or without school logo.  No branded clothing please.

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All pupils will have an opportunity to participate in an Outdoor Education programme through a range of experiences. Miss Donnelly is the lead teacher, who consults with pupils to decide on activities.

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This term the Election options area; Football, Golf, Art, Enterprise, Digital, Hair and Beauty. Pupils have made choices.

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In preparation for celebrating Glencryan School’s 50th birthday this year, we have refreshed our Vision, Values and Aims.

Our Values:

Belong – we all belong to the school community. Pupils, families, staff, friends, and partner agencies are all valued and welcomed at Glencryan School.

Believe – we believe in one another. We believe that all pupils can succeed. We believe that staff can help them to do this. We believe that our whole school community works together to ensure the best outcomes for our pupils.

Achieve – we know that all pupils achieve in their own way. We support our pupils to achieve, and we recognise and celebrate them when they do!

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Parents evening for the following departments this term will be:

Primary Department

Wednesday 12th November 15:45 - 19:00

Secondary Department

Tuesday 23rd September 16:00 - 19:00

Senior Phase Department (S4 - S6)

Wednesday 19th November 16:00 - 19:00

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Café Dates for each department this term are as follows:

Upper Primary Department

Wednesday 29th October at 10:00 a.m.

Secondary Department

Wednesday 27th November at 10:00 a.m.

Senior Phase Department

Friday 7th November at 10:00 a.m.