Native Woodland Awareness Day Aberfoyle! Come learn about the Cuilvona And Craigmore Woods – the back garden of Aberfoyle. Join in with us removing invasive rhododendron from the church grounds or get involved with the woodcraft and woodland activities – fun for all the family!

Aberfoyle Primary School Parent Council held a meeting on Wednesday the 29th of August. Please see a PDF containing a copy of all the minutes of this meeting attached.

aberfoyle-Primary-parent-council-290818.pdf

The organisers of the Dukes Weekender cycle event have asked us to spread the word as they're looking for anyone that may be able to help marshal the kids events on Sunday 9th of September.

If you think you may be able to help then please get in touch with Lynn Warrington in person or via [email protected]

Aberfoyle Primary will be taking part in the Toe-to-Toe initiative for Sals Shoes again this year.

As a reminder, there are 300 million children in the world for whom walking with shoes is a rarity. This makes them extremely vulnerable to infection by parasites, such as hookworm; while injuries to the feet and ankles can lead to ulcers and other conditions which are almost always left untreated. Without shoes, many children are not permitted to attend school.

The idea is that on the last day of the school term, the Aberfoyle children leave behind their school shoes and walk into the playground (or home) barefoot. These few steps help to remind them what children round the world face every day and those shoes, which are unlikely to be used again because feet grow over the summer or are a little scuffed so will be replaced in time for the new school year, won't just sit in the shoe cupboard getting in the way, but will have a second life. The children can bring in another pair of shoes for the journey home!
The shoes will be collected and sent to Sals Shoes (www.salsshoes.com), who then send them to children around the world. Postage to the charity will be arranged and paid by a parent, but the charity asks that, if you are able, you attach £1 to the shoes to help with onwards distribution to their new feet.

Of course, you don’t have to take part in this collection and if you would rather keep the school shoes, you are welcome to send another pair of outgrown childrens shoes to be left behind. Please can we ask that each child only leaves ONE pair of shoes (to limit the carriage costs), in a wearable condition. There will be a collection box in school if you wish to leave shoes but your child won’t be in on the last day. You can also donate direct to the charity on their website if you wish.

Last year, the school shoes from Aberfoyle Primary were sent to Nicaragua, winter shoes went to Syria and summer shoes & football boots were sent to Zambia.

Thank-you for your support.

It's that time again. Time to slip on the dancing shoes, grab a bottle of something fizzy and head down to the Aberfoyle School Disco.

Friday the 29th of June, 6 - 9pm @ Aberfoyle Village Hall. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Remember to BYOB and bring your own dancing shoes.

A big thank you to all those that helped at the Summer Fayre this year. The combined efforts of all involved managed to raise over £450!

An extra big thanks goes to Trevor at the butchers for donating the burgers and all those who managed to get baking with such little notice.

Once again we couldn't have done it without you all!

The NSPCC and O2 have launched new advice for parents of young people playing the multiplayer action survival game Fortnite: Battle Royale.

It comes amid concerns over a function in Fortnite which automatically allows users to speak to other players through voice and text chat functions. It means children can be contacted by anyone else who is playing the game.

Users can disable voice chat in the game via the setting menu, but the text chat function cannot be turned off. Research from NSPCC and O2 this week reveals that that one in four children have been contacted online by someone they don’t know. The research is based on reviews by children and parents of the most popular apps, sites and games currently on the market, featured on the Net Aware app and website.

Today’s Net Aware advice on Fortnite warns parents the game features cartoon violence, where players can use a variety of weapons, such as guns and axes, to kill other players, despite being rated as suitable for players aged 12+ by The App Store.

The NSPCC and O2 are offering parents the following advice:

• Talk to your child regularly about what they are doing online and how to stay safe. Let them know they can come to you or another trusted adult if they’re feeling worried or upset by anything they have seen. Explore your child’s online activities together. Understand why they like using certain apps, games or websites and make sure they know what they can do to keep themselves safe.
• Agree your own rules as a family when using sites, apps and games. 
• Manage your technology and use the privacy and parental control settings available to keep your child safe.

Laura Randall, NSPCC’s associate head of child safety online, said “Apps, sites, and games such as Fortnite: Battle Royale can be great opportunities for young people to play and engage online.

“However, in light of emerging concerns about the risks children could be exposed to, we are urging parents to be aware of Fortnite’s features. It is vital parents have regular conversations with their children about the games they are playing, and how to stay safe online.

“Anyone looking for further online safety advice can contact the O2 NSPCC online safety helpline on 0808 800 5002 or pop into an O2 store where an O2 Guru can help.”

The Net Aware app can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play. It can also be accessed online at www.net-aware.org.uk

ABOUT FORTNITE: BATTLE ROYALE

Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite: Battle Royale, says it does not direct the game to children under the age of 13 in the UK.

The PEGI rating for Fortnite: Battle Royale is 12-years-old. However, PEGI does not take chat features into consideration when rating games. 

The App Store says that users must be 12+ to play.

Players can add friends in the mobile game if they have an account with Epic, the game’s developer. Friends can be added by username in the game’s main menu.

There is a chat feature in the game that allows users to contact each other using voice or text. You can disable voice chat in the game by selecting the 3 lines in the top right of the screen, select the settings icon, choose the ‘Audio’ tab at the top of the screen and go to the ‘Voice Chat’ option, where you can select ‘Off’.

There is cartoon violence in the game. You can use a variety of weapons to kill other players, such as guns and axes.

There are in-app purchases, which can become expensive.

Players can be reported to the Player Support team if you are concerned about activity or behaviour.

P6/7 will be hosting the World Premiere of Aberfoyle: A Brief History on Tuesday 24th April at the Forth Inn at 7pm. All parents are welcome along to see all the wonderful research the children have put in to their topic. 

Sports day will be held on Wednesday 23rd May 2018 at 1pm. Time to get those trainers on and start training for the all important parent's race! 

The minutes of the Aberfoyle Parents meeting which took place at the Forth Inn on Friday 23 February are available to be viewed here.

FAB (Friends of Aberfoyle and Buchlyvie Medical Centres), would very much like to get younger members of the community actively involved in the FAB committee. We feel the Committee needs to be more representative of the community it serves. It would be great to have some local parents on board!

If you are interested in finding out more please get in touch with 
Catherine Love [email protected] or 387743

Our next Open Door Session will take place from 3-4pm in the Discovery Zone on Thursday 7th December.

This is an informal drop-in sessions where you will have the opportunity to discuss anything which is on your mind, offer ideas and suggestions, clarify anything you are unsure of or simply meet the staff and other parents!  Aberfoyle Primary School has long had an open-door policy and the staff are keen to make as many parents as possible aware of this and encourage open communication between the school and parents.  

If there is anything at all that you would like to chat to the teachers about or if you would like to find out more about what Aberfoyle Parents does then please drop in.  We look forward to talking with you!

Thank-you for your support!

 Aberfoyle Parents would like to thank all helpers, parents and local businesses for their support at the Summer Fair on Sat 26 May.

Aberfoyle Deli & Butcher very generously donated burgers, sausages and rolls to our BBQ from which we were able to raise over £200!  A big thank-you to Trevor!

Thanks are also due to Benview Garden Centre, David McPhie and William Blackhurst for their donations to the gardening stall.  Thank you to all the parents who gave up time to help set up, run stalls and clear away.  None of this could happen wothout you!

The full totals from all the other stalls run by Aberfoyle Parents are not yet in but it was a successful year and even the weather was kind to us.  All funds raised will go towards supporting class trips for all age groups in the school throughout the year.

Well done everyone!

An Easyfundraising account has been set up for Aberfoyle Parents.  You can raise money for Aberfoyle Parents by shopping online through the Easyfundraising website and it won't cost you anything extra!  To join please go to

 https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/aberfoyleprimaryschoolparents/.

Mobile apps are available for iPad, iPhone and Android.  Happy shopping!

The Health & Eco committee are looking for parent helpers to work alongside the children on Wednesday 26th October and every fortnight after, between 9.45am & 10.30am creating wonderful fruity delights for the children to purchase from the healthy tuck shop. If anyone can assist please can you contact the school asap.

The running club will be starting again on Tuesday 6th September 2016 between 12.15pm 12.45pm. Children are asked to bring a spare PE kit, towel and gym shoes as we will be running in all weathers.

Aberfoyle Cubs

Two Aberfoyle dads are in the process of setting up a Cub Scout group in the village. Cubs are for boys aged 8-10 ½ years, with a typical meeting consisting of a wide range of activities designed to be interesting and challenging, and plenty of time spent outdoors! If you are interested in becoming a cub leader, a parent helper or have previous cub leadership experience, then please contact Wynne Rees on [email protected].

Thank you to the many parents who continue to support us by placing unwanted clothing and shoes in the RagBag bin.  This is a valuable source of funds for Aberfoyle Parents.  If you find that the bin is full when you want to drop goods off please take them home again and wait until the bin has been emptied.  Any bags left next to it will not be uplifted and will have to be thrown away if they get wet.  Lynne Steele keeps an eye on the bin and calls RagBag to have it emptied when it is nearly full.  Please feel free to get in touch with Lynne if the bin needs emptied.  It is amazing how quickly it fills!  Thank you for your support.

Please note that RagBag now only collect wearable clothes, paired shoes, handbags and belts.

The following items are no longer accepted: 

• • Workwear
  • Uniforms
  • Wet/Soiled Clothes
  • Curtains
  • Towels
  • Duvets or Duvet Covers
  • Pillows or Pillow Cases
  • Blankets
  • Table Cloths
  • Linens
  • Cushions
  • Carpets
  • Suitcases
  • Books
  • Bric a Brac
  • Clothes Hangers
  • Electricals