As you know East Lothian Council expect schools to have a Dress Code Policy. We are very pleased to say that the majority of our children are proud to wear the Loretto Dress Code and represent the school well in doing so, particularly when they are seen in the community or taking part in outings and activities. However we have noticed a number of younger children who appear to be coming to school in casual clothes and are not adhering to the Dress Code Policy. We would like every child to follow the dress code policy and ask for your co-operation in this matter.

Excursions are a very valuable part of the educational experience we provide for the children. As far as possible we try to subsidise the cost and the Parent Council also do their best to support us with summer trips. However this is another area where we are experiencing some problems. There has been a significant increase in the number of pupils who repeatedly come to school without their permission slip or payment for the excursion but still expect to go on the trip. On many occasions there has been a queue of children in the office, whose parents need to be phoned that morning or the child will not be able to take part in the trip. We cannot continue with this practice. The school policy is very clear. The class teachers distribute a note with details of the excursion. We ask parents to sign the permission slip and return it to school with the appropriate payment well in advance of the trip. If your child loses the form please ask for another one or write a letter giving your permission.

If there is a cost involved and you feel you will have difficulty paying for the excursion please contact the school office and ask to speak with the head teacher. We will always take personal or exceptional circumstances into consideration. If you do not contact the school and we have not received the permission slip with the appropriate payment then unfortunately your child will not be permitted to go on the excursion.

Whenever you are making payments for school dinners, please make sure that you hand in cash or cheques in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and class clearly marked and the amount being paid, cheques should be made payable to East Lothian Council. Please make sure that you pay for dinners in advance or on the day. Unfortunately there has been an increase in the number of parents who do not pay for meals when they should which means the school has to cover the cost from the school budget. We would be very grateful for everyone’s co-operation in this matter.

We would like to remind you that children are encouraged to bring a bottle of water to school every day for use in the classroom. Ideally the bottle should be taken home every day, to be washed out and filled again with fresh water. There is a water dispenser in the dining hall and children can have a drink of water with their meal. We have been allowing children to refill their bottles during the lunch break if necessary.  The children should not need to leave the class during valuable teaching time to go for a drink of water.

When your child is absent from school, please make sure that you phone the school on your child’s first day of absence BEFORE 10.00 AM.  You should give a reason for the absence and an indication of how long you expect your child to be absent from school.  If you do not phone the school and we are unable to contact you, we must report your child’s absence to the duty team at Macmerry.  They will follow up the absence with a home visit.  When your child returns to school, you should confirm the reason in writing to the class teacher, so that records are kept up to date and accurate.