First Minister’s Announcement
I’m sure you will all have heard the First Minister’s announcement yesterday afternoon outlining the ‘route map’ out of lockdown. The document advised that schools and nurseries would be re-opening in August following a ‘blended’ model of learning where pupils would spend some time in school and some time at home continuing their home learning.
We are now waiting to hear from the City of Edinburgh Council before we can begin to make plans for our return to Kirkliston Primary School and Nursery. I will update you as soon as I possibly can.
In the meantime, you may want to have a read of the following link which summarises the government announcement in relation to schools and early learning and childcare.
https://www.parentclub.scot/topics/coronavirus/easing-restrictions-in-scotland?age=0
Kirky Connects Focus Week
During the learning period 3rd – 9th June, which falls in what would have been Kirkliston Gala Week, we will have a whole school focus based on our Kirky Connects groups. The Learning Grid posted for that week will have activities based around the focus of each of our 16 Kirky Connect groups.
We hope these activities will allow us to connect more with the community and provide an opportunity for fun family learning tasks that everyone can get involved in – families, we include you too!
Our groups are normally led by our wonderful House Captains who will use this opportunity to share some of their final thoughts from their time with us at KPS.
Local businesses and amenities are delighted to support our Kirky Connects Week and will display the children’s work in their windows. We hope this will help to contribute to this years’ unusual Gala Week festivities and decorate the village in our own unique way.
Of course, you can also share your learning in the usual ways on Twitter @KirklistonPS or via our email admin@kirkliston.edin.sch.uk
Nursery/ P1 Transition
Going On A Bear Hunt
The City of Edinburgh Council has created a transition pack which is available to all families through www.bearhuntedinburgh.wordpress.com The website provides weekly activities related to the well-known story of “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” by Michael Rosen which Early Years Settings and Primary Schools will be working on together. This is to provide a shared experience for all children across Edinburgh click here for more info #BearHuntEdin Lots of our children have already popped a bear at a window for others to spot while out on their daily walks/Bear Hunts and our nursery home learning grid this week contained lots of bear themed activites! We will be sharing photos and Bear Hunt updates via Twitter and weekly by email on our learning grids.
https://www.kirklistonprimary.co.uk/nursery-p1-transition-2020/
P7/S1 Transition
The P7 booklet will go live very soon so use this link to keep an eye on the website.
http://www.queensferryhigh.co.uk/index.php?p=992
Pupil reflection form
At this time of year we normally begin reflecting on the year and on your child’s learning. Considering successes and achievements from the year is an important and significant exercise. Looking at learning across this wider timeframe helps us to appreciate the amount of progress made, but also serves as a valuable part of transition and moving forward.
We would like to continue with this reflective activity as much as is possible in the current situation. Due to feedback from children and families, from staff and in consultation with Edinburgh Council our formal reporting procedures changed last session. We added a 3rd Parents consultation to the annual calendar as well as a highly personalised written comment from the class teacher at the end of the year. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive about these changes. This session, Parents consultation appointments were held in March, days before schools were officially closed.
The formal written personalised summary of learning will be emailed to children by the end of term. This will take the form of a detailed, highly personal comment from the class teacher to your child. This comment will be a positive reflection from the class teacher on how your child engaged with the planned learning across the year and how they approached life at school in general.
This reflection would usually be a two way discussion, with class teacher and child reflecting deeply on the year as a whole. In order to include your child’s voice in this process, we ask that you take the time to fill in this form (https://bit.ly/2LJwjBz), which is a structured reflection on the year. This will help make that final written comment even more personal and relevant for your child.
Uniform Orders
Due to things being a bit different this year our uniform suppliers have put all their stock on their website to enable parents to order online for delivery during the summer holidays. Please look them up on www.border-embroideries.co.uk . They have requested that all orders should be made by 20th July to ensure delivery before the new term. Unfortunately, they do not sell ties, but these will be available from the school office on our return.
Resources for children learning English as an additional Language
https://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org
| British Council LearnEnglish Kids | Free online games, songs, stories and activities for children
Welcome to LearnEnglish Kids. Covid-19 support for parents: LearnEnglish Kids wants to support parents whose children can’t go to school at the moment. You can find tips and advice about helping your children practise their English at home on our new support page for parents.. LearnEnglish Kids is brought to you by the British Council, the world’s English teaching experts. |
https://www.gamestolearnenglish.com
| Learn English – Online ESL Games
This is a free site for students to learn English online. There is a selection of games that students can use to practice learning English in a fun way. It is primarily aimed at ESL students, but young children may also benefit from them. |
Job opportunities
We have a couple of exciting job opportunities at Kirkliston Nursery; click on the links below to find out more.
Support for Families
Download Free or Low-Cost Activities and Support available during COVID-19 here:
https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/27194/support-for-families-nw-spring-2020
