When Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, Tam Baillie, came to speak to our children at both P1-3 and P4-7 Assemblies on Friday 2nd September 2016 he captivated our pupils with an engaging, child friendly
explanation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
We particularly liked his use of the term 'promises to children' and
his invitation to everyone to think of what they would change if they
had a magic wand.
Here are some of the children's wishes:
Mr Baillie explained that each idea the children then shared
is already a 'promise' made to all children across the world, contained
in the UNCRC.
The Children and Young People's Commissioner in Scotland's job is to help children understand their rights and to make sure
those rights are respected. His goal is to make sure all children and
young people in Scotland are as safe and happy as possible.
Tam works towards his goal by:
listening to children and young people
asking people in power – like Members of the Scottish Parliament – to think about how new laws might affect children
helping children learn more about their rights
speaking out if children and young people are not getting a fair deal.
Tam explained his role as Commissioner and we are
delighted that our children had an opportunity to meet such an
inspirational leader of positive change in our country who works
tirelessly to promote the rights of all children. Tam was extremely
generous and gracious with his time and we hope that we can carry on his
good work in ensuring all adults and children understand the UNCRC and
use it to build a better society.
On Friday 23rd September 2016 at the P4-7 Assembly we reflected on the messages of Global Goals Week and how we can plan to take action together on the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Last year our main focus was on Goal 1 No Poverty and Goal 11 Reduced Inequalities. We also explored Goal 13 Climate Change and Goal 5 Gender Equality.
Pupils had been asked by The Children and Young People's Commissioner
for Scotland, Tam Baillie, what they would wish for if he gave them a
magic wand. He explained that their wishes were 'promises' already in
place in the UNCRC. We looked at some of the children's suggestions and
how the Global Goals for Sustainable Development can help achieve their
wishes:
Each of our Pupil Groups - Pupil Council, Eco Group, JRSOs, P7 Captains and Digital Leaders - is making plans for the year and classes were encouraged to share their ideas with their Class Reps so that we can work together in school to take action.
P4 and P7 pupils Alba and Samara gave extraordinary performances on piano. Samara practises for many hours every day and Laila told us how she has worked hard to achieve so many Tae Kwon Do medals.
Mylo and Christopher confidently introduced our brand new iTeach Digital Leaders programme and explained how to get involved.
We celebrated lots of individual pupil achievements, including a recent win for P6 Team at Boroughmuir RFC and Pedal for Scotland medals for siblings Sam, Lizzy and Quinn.
At Sciennes we seek to recognise and celebrate our pupils' wider
achievements as Successful Learners, Confident Individuals, Effective
Contributors and Responsible Citizens.
JASS AWARDS in P6 and P7
We aim to allocate about six months to the Junior Award Scheme Scotland (JASS)
awards at Bronze (P6) and Silver (P7) Levels and we include as many
holidays within that time as possible - from the October holiday through
to the Easter holiday - to help pupils achieve their goals. Towards the end of May and in early June, pupils will be asked to give a
short 5 minute talk explaining how they have achieved either 8 (Bronze)
or 12 (Silver) hours in each of the four categories: Get Active, Stay Active; Adventure; My Interests; Me and My World. They will
also update their online eJASS account with details of their
activities. Certificates and badges will be issued before the end of
term. JGHS offers Gold accreditation (18 hours in each category),
achievable by the end of S2, and many of our former pupils have
progressed to achieve a Duke of Edinburgh Award.
GET ACTIVE, STAY ACTIVE
Our pupils take part in so many sporting activities throughout the
year that many can achieve the minimum hours in a few weeks! Walking,
scooting and cycling to school can also count.
ADVENTURE
Most of our pupils will easily achieve the minimum 8 (Bronze) or 12
(Silver) Adventure award at Benmore or Lagganlia and those who do not
attend can take part in adventurous local trips and activities that can count towards the JASS award, including hillwalking, kayaking, rollerblading, climbing, horseriding, cycling or walking trips in the outdoors.
ME AND MY INTERESTS
Any hobby or interest or skill (other than sport) such as learning
about Science or History, sewing, calligraphy, learning or practising a
musical instrument, reading, language learning, photography or computer
programming for example, can count towards achieving the 8 (P6 Bronze)
or 12 (P7 Silver) Me and My Interests award.
ME AND MY WORLD
Me and My World Ideas:
Making a Difference to Others - in school, at home, in your community, locally, nationally, globally
Throughout the year, our pupils will have opportunities to volunteer to support local,
national and global charities and campaigns: e.g. Food Bank, Fairtrade, Comic Relief, as well as taking part in school fundraising
events at school such as the Christmas and Summer Fairs. Participation in these events counts towards the 'Me and My
World' JASS
award, but the award does not need to involve fundraising. Making a
difference at home and in the community, by helping neighbours or
gardening or clearing litter or supporting national or international
campaigns can also be part of the award. Many of our pupils take part in Earth Calling after school club and might take part in local campaigns or present research about environmental
issues and the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Pupils might consider preparing and delivering a talk about a
charitable or environmental organisation or deciding to give their time
in some way to help others.
Our P7Conference
is an annual whole day event of activities designed to welcome pupils
to Primary Seven, set expectations for the senior stage and launch our P7 wider achievement programme.
This year our P7 Conference will feature
articles of the UNCRC and rights based learning. Fresh fruit will be
provided at morning break and pupils should bring a water bottle and
wear clothing which will be comfortable for Dance. Pupils will be
introduced to the four elements of the Silver Level Junior Award Scheme for Schools (JASS) and how to record progress through eJASS:
1. Me and My World
2. My Interests
3. Get Active, Stay Active
4. Adventure – Lagganlia and Outdoor Learning
5. eJASS – recording JASS progress online using iPads
We are delighted that Joan Alexander from JASS will be joining us in the morning. Families can help pupils decide on goals for the year in each of the elements by using this online planning tool: https://goo.gl/forms/c7AthpEkjOfjsJ4D3
(Please note that those pupils who have yet to achieve Bronze may continue at that level in P7.
Pupils can work towards achieving Gold in S1 and S2 at most secondary
schools. It serves as an excellent introduction to the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme for age 14+, and was designed as such.)
Congratulations to our newly elected Pupil Council members who will be
the voice of their classmates throughout the year and will also be our
Rights Respecting Schools Ambassadors. Thank you very much to our Returning Officer, Pupil Support Assistant Mrs Sally Nowell.
On Friday 16th September 2016 we held our first House Assemblies of the new session for P2-P7 and welcomed P2 pupils to their first ever House Assembly.
In May 2016, Sciennes became a Level One "Rights Respecting School" and we have already begun our journey towards Level Two accreditation. Our journey so far has been recorded on our Rights Respecting Sciennes blog. We reminded pupils what it means to be a Rights Respecting School and that it includes being a Global Citizen. We first introduced our pupils to the United Nations' Global Goals for Sustainable Development when they were launched last year in September 2015. By 2030 these aim to:
End extreme poverty Fight inequality & injustice Fix climate change
On September 25th 2015, 193 world leaders committed to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.) One year on, we watched a rap to help us understand all the goals better.
We thought about what we have already done in school to be Global Citizens. For example, last year the whole school took part in a City of Edinburgh pilot project to raise awareness of 1 in 5 Child Poverty (SDG1), P3 led a whole school project to raise money for 9 playgrounds for Syrian refugees (SDG10), P6 took part in Gender Equality workshops (SDG5) and our ECO Group campaigns took action on Climate Change (SDG15) and promoted Sustainable Consumption (SDG12).
We watched an animation written by Sir Ken Robinson, 'The World's Largest Lesson Part Two' which gave us ideas of what we might do next to help make a better world.
Congratulations to our newly elected Pupil Council members who will be the voice of their classmates throughout the year and will also be our Rights Respecting Schools Ambassadors.
On Friday 9th September at the P4-7 Assembly we celebrated Roald Dahl's life, work and world of pure imagination, ahead of the forthcoming celebrations to mark the centenary of his birth on 13th September.
Roald Dahl faced many challenges in his life. He would not have recognised the phrase 'growth mindset' but our children do, thanks to the great work of our Infant Depute Headteacher, Ms Carolyn Anstruther, and Class Teachers. Dahl's resilience to change, his hard work and perseverance are reflected in his life story and also in his success. "I can't do it YET!" and seeing the positives in making mistakes are attitudes we are trying to cultivate in our learners. We listened to "Up Grow the Roses" from the Dahl screenplay for "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" with its positive messages about learning from failures and to try, try again. We also asked the children which Dahl books they have 'not read YET'.
We are keen to encourage all Sciennes' pupils to join their local library as we continue to promote a love of Reading in our school and at home. P4-7 teachers have signed up their classes for The First Minister's Reading Challenge later this term and Ms Wendy French has been running her own 'Go For Gold' Reading Challenge in P5C since August. Eliza and Jaimee told everyone at Assembly what was involved. Pupils who read five books gain a Bronze Award, ten books brings a Silver Award and already many P5C pupils have been awarded with a Gold Medal and certificate for reading fifteen books!
We wished Happy Eid to all families celebrating and reminded everyone that MONDAY 19th SEPTEMBER is a holiday.
Pupil Council elections take place on Monday 12th September, with the results being announced on Thursday 15th September (International Day of Democracy).
"Up Grow The Roses" from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Every bursted bubble has a glory!
Each abysmal failure makes a point!
Every glowing path that goes astray,
Shows you how to find a better way.
So every time you stumble never grumble.
Next time you'll bumble even less!
For up from the ashes, up from the ashes, grow the roses of success!
Grow the roses!
Grow the roses!
Grow the roses of success!
Oh yes!
Grow the roses!
Those rosy roses!
From the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success!
(spoken)Yes I know but he wants it to float. It will!
For every big mistake you make be grateful!
Here, here!
That mistake you'll never make again!
No sir!
Every shiny dream that fades and dies,
Generates the steam for two more tries!
(Oh) There's magic in the wake of a fiasco!
Correct!
It gives you that chance to second guess!
Oh yes!
Then up from the ashes, up from the ashes grow the roses of success!
Grow the roses!
Grow the roses!
Grow the roses of success!
Grow the roses!
Those rosy roses!
From the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success!
Disaster didn't stymie Louis Pasteur!
No sir!
Edison took years to see the light!
Right!
Alexander Graham knew failure well; he took a lot of knocks to ring that
bell!
So when it gets distressing it's a blessing!
Onward and upward you must press!
Yes, Yes!
Till up from the ashes, up from the ashes grow the roses of success.
Grow the ro
Grow the ro
Grow the roses!
Grow the ro
Grow the ro
Grow the roses!
Grow the roses of success!
Grow the ro
Grow the ro
Grow the roses!
Those rosy ro
Those rosy ro
Those rosy roses!
From the ashes of disaster, grow the roses of success!
Thank you very much to P6 and P7 families who attended and engaged with our 'Right Click' digital safety workshop, sponsored by Unicef and BT, on Wednesday 29th August. We are very grateful to BT volunteers Mike Brown and Karen Halliday for leading the warmly presented and interactive event and to Zoey Ayling (Unicef's Programme Support Officer) for providing the opportunity.
Feedback was very positive and we aim to address inhouse the requests for additional sessions, for younger pupils and also a follow up parents only session.
Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, Tam Baillie, visited Sciennes on Friday 2nd September and it is hoped families will find his team's advice on Online Safety useful in continuing dialogue with their children.
Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, Tam Baillie
What would you wish for if you had a magic wand that could change the world?
We were honoured to welcome Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, Tam Baillie, to speak to our children at both P1-3 and P4-7 Assemblies on Friday 2nd September 2016.
The Children and Young People's Commissioner in Scotland's job is to help children understand their rights and to make sure
those rights are respected. His goal is to make sure all children and
young people in Scotland are as safe and happy as possible.
Tam works towards his goal by:
listening to children and young people
asking people in power – like Members of the Scottish Parliament – to think about how new laws might affect children
helping children learn more about their rights
speaking out if children and young people are not getting a fair deal.
The Commissioner captivated our pupils with an engaging, child friendly explanation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. We particularly liked his use of the term 'promises to children' and his invitation to everyone to think of what they would change if they had a magic wand. He explained that each idea the children then shared is already a 'promise' made to all children across the world, contained in the UNCRC. Tam also explained his role as Commissioner and we are delighted that our children had an opportunity to meet such an inspirational leader of positive change in our country who works tirelessly to promote the rights of all children. Tam was extremely generous and gracious with his time and we hope that we can carry on his good work in ensuring all adults and children understand the UNCRC and use it to build a better society.
We also introduced pupils to the First Minister's Reading Challenge, which launched on Thursday 1st September and features Janis Mackay, our Patron of Reading. All P4-7 pupils will soon receive their very own Reading Passport to record their reading journeys until May next year. Many of our pupils have completed the Summer Reading Challenge and Ms French reminded everyone that it closes on Sunday 3rd September, so pupils should claim their certificates and medals from their local library by that date.
Pupil Council elections will be held on Monday 12th September, with the result given on Thursday 15th September (International Day for Democracy). Mrs Sally Nowell will be Presiding Officer.
Sciennes is hosting an upper school digital safety workshop, sponsored by Unicef and BT, on Wednesday 31st August between 6.30pm and 7.30pm in the Hall.
We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to receive this fully funded opportunity, part of a UK wide and very heavily subscribed Rights Respecting Schools initiative. We offered the workshop places to our P6 and P7 families via Wisepay on a first come basis and have been delighted with the response, with all 80 places quickly booked, though we are aware that some families unable to book a place have been disappointed. However, BT is also generously providing us with a 'Train the Trainer' session for a few members of staff to support the delivery of additional sessions ourselves in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the workshop cover?
The workshop brings together Unicef UK's child rights
expertise with BT's technological know-how around internet safety. Two
volunteers from BT will introduce activities to begin a discussion
around online safety, which parents can continue with their child at
home.
Together parents and children will explore:
the devices and apps they use to connect online
likes and dislikes about the internet
ways in which people can misuse the information shared online
how e-safety and internet access matter for the promotion and protection of children's rights.
Which age groups are most suitable?
The
workshops are designed for children age eight and upwards but the
presentation does include a video produced by Child Exploitation and
Online Protection (CEOP) which is designed for an audience of 8-11 year
olds and may not be suitable for younger children.)
How many people can attend?
The
organisers advised us that they aimed to be flexible with the number
of people who could attend and kindly increased availability from 60 to 80
children and adults. For the workshop to run effectively, parents and
their children will be able to sit together in groups of up to ten at a
table.
On Friday 26th August at the P4-7 Assembly, we reminded children how all the adults at Sciennes aim to 'Get It Right' for their health and wellbeing using SHANARRI. We talked about ways to remember what the letters SHANARRI stand for - Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible and Included and tested some of the teachers! Some pupils prefer to write or to draw pictures or to repeat aloud to memorise things and one method we all used was to sing Hopscotch's song about SHANARRI.
Mr Tom Scott, Active Schools Co-ordinator for James Gillespie's High School Cluster, gave a presentation to the children about the benefits of taking part in sport and told us about all the amazing sporting clubs that are now available for booking online: ACTIVE SCHOOLS CLUBS AT SCIENNES https://www.joininedinburgh.org/venue/332
Ms French encouraged everyone to complete the Tesco Summer Reading Challenge at their local library by Saturday 3rd September and to let Mrs Noble know who manages to complete the challenge to read six books from their local library.
We also revisited Sciennes School Rules and how they help keep us safe. As a health promoting school, we welcome parental support in not sending in sweet treats to celebrate birthdays, partly because some of our children have allergies but also to reduce sugar intake.
Next week, we are really fortunate to have a very special visitor joining us at both P1-3 and P4-7 Assemblies. Tam Baillie, Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People, is coming to Sciennes to speak to all the children on Friday 2nd September and we are very much looking forward to welcoming him.
What a wonderful start to the new session to welcome celebrated and legendary comedian Patrick Monahan to the P4-7 Assembly on Friday 19th August. Patrick inspired our pupils with his sparkling tales about his own experiences of running and then joined most of the upper school for a Daily Mile run in the Meadows.
It was joyful to hear the children's laughter in Assembly. Patrick had them in the palm of his hand in the Hall and also later in the Meadows where he led a warm up session before the run. We are so grateful to him for giving up his time to inspire our pupils to be all they can be and to Believe they can Achieve. Thank you also to former Pupil Support Assistant, Rachel Inglis, who contacted Patrick for us and joined us for the morning.
Patrick's Edinburgh Festival Fringe evening show at The Gilded Balloon, Teviot - "That 80s Show" is recommended for 12+ but he is also running a children's show - "Pub Quiz for Kids", again at the Gilded Balloon, Teviot, which is for age 5 and upwards, at 2.30pm on 19th, 20th and 21st August and from 23rd-28th August. Come along and win a unicorn! We highly recommend!
Thank you, Patrick, for inspiring us, spreading happiness and laughter and for being so gracious with your time with all the children.
"Food Focus" book in collaboration with local business
"Every
child and young person is entitled to develop skills for learning,
skills for life and skills for work, with a continuous focus on literacy
and numeracy and health and wellbeing."
Primary Four pupils marked the book launch of "Food Focus" - a collaborative venture between local business Victor Hugo Delicatessen and Cafe and each class at Sciennes - on Wednesday 29th June at the Meadows.
Twenty-two classes, from P1-P7, contributed selected highlights from our annual whole school 'Food Focus Fortnight." Each page promotes and celebrates healthy eating and an appreciation of cuisine from different cultures, which marries extremely well with Victor Hugo Delicatessen's business ideals.
Victor Hugo, Continental Delicatessen and Cafe
Sincere thanks to the tremendous generosity of Victor Hugo Delicatessen owner, Karol Rzepkowski, who sponsored the creation of the book and additionally provided a free copy to each of our 99 P4 pupils. Karol is an - inspirational - former Sciennes' pupil and the "Food Focus" book details the history of Victor Hugo's, established by his father Zdzislaw (Jackie) Rzepkowski. Karol's father's story is also an inspiration:
In 1957 the business was started in Edinburgh, with a first shop in Spittal Street, by
Karol’s father Zdzislaw Rzepkowski. Zdzislaw found it hard for anyone to say his name so
was more commonly known in Edinburgh as ‘Jackie’. Jackie was born in Poland and was
only 16 years old when the Germans invaded. He escaped a firing squad but was taken to Auschwitz, and then a munitions factory in an Austrian labour camp before escaping over
the Alps to Italy. He then made his way south until he met the allies and from there to the
UK and finally Scotland. He joined the Polish division of the British Army and fought in the
Woijtek Division. This was the division most famous for the bear mascot rescued as a cub
in 1943 and who carried their shells into battle, ‘Woijtek the Soldier Bear’. Karol even has
a photograph of his father and maternal grandfather both standing with Woijtek the bear.
After the war Woijek retired and went to live out the rest of his days at Edinburgh Zoo. Jackie was demobbed and went to work.
Karol said, “Our first concern is that Victor Hugo’s business contributes in some way to
the local community. We want to attract customers from outside but the vast majority of our
clientele are locals. In a deli people can buy and eat straight away – it is the ultimate fast food! No-one ever comes into our shop and asks for a ‘pie’. Food has also been our first and longest lasting introduction to Europe. We celebrate our cultural differences through food and it allows us to embrace our European culture. We want to engage with local people and the local youngsters too because they are our future market. Sugar seems to be the
drug of choice at the moment and getting kids passionate about food is so important. We want children to get passionate and enthusiastic about good food
so that they can in turn pass it onto their own children.
This is why we wanted to get involved in this book project with Sciennes Primary School.
It was my school and I really enjoyed my time there so giving this opportunity back to the
current students really feels like coming full circle.”
Very well done to P4 pupils Natalia, William and Hannah who gave speeches explaining how their classmates contributed to the book. Our Principal Teacher, Ms Shona Pearmain (currently on maternity leave), took the lead in co-ordinating classes' contributions and will be very proud - of the children as well as the finished result. Sciennes School has been filled with delicious aromas since 'Food Focus' was first established by Ms Pearmain in October 2013, after the launch of our new kitchen (partly funded by Sciennes' Parent Council). The kitchen is regularly used by all classes throughout the year to create delicious healthy food.
Thank you very much to the parents who attended the "Food Focus" book launch, including Hannah's father Mr Jimmy Chow, who provided such excellent photographs of the event. Grateful thanks to Georgiana's mum, Ivana Summerton, and Pupil Support Assistants Mrs Helen Robertson, Mrs Sally Nowell and Mrs Aliya Tariq who kindly laid out the books and cut up the special cakes for the children. Thank you to Janitor Mr Reid for helping with the gazebo, tables and chairs and to Class Teachers Mrs Susan Mackay and Mrs Katherine Clark. So typical of the Sciennes' Family that everyone kindly pitched in to support. Thank you!
Grateful thanks to published author and Sciennes' parent Mary Turner
Thomson for giving the children the opportunity to see their work in print through her company Whitewater Publishing. This is the sixth book that Mary has published for Sciennes
in six
years and provides an extraordinary opportunity for our pupils.
It was wonderful to welcome back Karol to Sciennes earlier this year and give him a tour of his former school. We look forward to strengthening the links between Sciennes Primary and Karol's neighbouring business Victor Hugo Delicatessen and Cafe; such a prominent and fondly regarded feature of the local community - and frequently frequented!
