Be The Captain of Your Ship

Sciennes P4-7 Be The Captain of Your Ship 25.8.17 from Sciennes Primary School

On Friday 25th August 2017 we introduced pupils to Skipper, the lead character in a Health and Wellbeing programme called 'Building Resilience' which has been developed by a group of Edinburgh staff led by Karen Richmond (South Morningside Primary) and Pattie Santelices (Principal Officer Mental Health & Welllbeing, City of Edinburgh Council.) The programme complements and re-enforces our own Health and Wellbeing programme, developed by Carolyn Anstruther and staff, with support from our Parent Council Health and Wellbeing group, and well established over several years.

Primary Seven pupils from P7B helped introduce ten strategies that we will focus on throughout the year to help our pupils build resilience to support good mental health. We all got on our feet to sing 'Stronger' and considered Kid President's message that things in life may not always be 'awesome', but our response can be. Pupils were invited to research 'Resilience Role Models' at home and create a poster. A selection will be shared at next week's Assembly.





We congratulated our two Fringe Festival actresses Hannah and Faye who have had rave reviews on stage. Zoe in P4A wowed us with her Spanish language skills and we celebrated Aiden and Louis' tremendous achievements competing in an international mathematics competition in Beijing over the summer holiday.

Pupils were reminded that Pupil Council and ECO rep elections will soon take place and to prepare speeches if they wish to stand for election.

Article 24

You have the right to the best health possible and to medical care and information.

Sciennes Values Respect

Sciennes P4-7 Aim High Assembly 18.8.17 from Sciennes Primary School

On Friday 18th August we welcomed Primary Four pupils and all new pupils to their first upper school assembly. We also welcomed Miss Jennifer Ferguson and Miss Sophie Mitchell to the Primary Five team.

This year, we are revisiting our school vision and values so pupils were invited to think about what is most important to us in the Sciennes Family.  We are extremely grateful to parent Emma Kirk (CEO User Vision and Convenor of the Parent Council Communications Group) who recently led an excellent session to help the whole staff revisit and reflect on our vision and values. Pupil Council leaders will soon be elected, one from each class P2-P7, who will then be able to join in on discussions and support the process.

We explored ways to respect everyone's right to be safe and right to learn at Sciennes. Primary Seven pupils helped explain what 'The Golden Rule' means.



Showing respect universally unites us all: in the classroom, in the school and beyond, as global citizens.  Brad Montague's moving film ' Smuggling Hope' was shown to help us all continue to believe that we can all make a difference by upholding our values.

World's Largest Lesson Returns 18th September

http://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org

Gearing up for our third year at Sciennes Primary learning and teaching about the 17 Sustainable Development Global Goals. 

Tell everyone

Get creative

Take action

P6 UNCRC Art Project with Together (The Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights)

UNCRC panels destined for Scottish Parliament in the Autumn

Juliet Harris and Liz Millership visiting to see UNCRC panels created Together 

We hope that families will take the opportunity to come into school before the end of term to see the wonderful UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) panels currently on display in the foyer outside the Gym Hall. They will also be on display in the Scottish Parliament in the Autumn. Below, the children explain the themes and messages in the panels.

Chelsea Stinson, Children's Voices Project Manager from the Children's Parliament (based at Summerhall) approached us with a very exciting opportunity to work with Together - the Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights (see video below).  

 



Over the past few months, Together and the Scottish Universities Insight Institute  hosted four seminars on children's rights in law, practice and policy, sharing national international examples of good practice with a diverse group of delegates:

http://www.togetherscotland.org.uk/resources-and-networks/the-uncrc-in-scotland-seminar-series-2017 

As part of this seminar series, Together has been working to ensure that children and young people play a key role and that key messages from the seminars are accessible to everyone. Together commissioned artists Joanna Boyce, Yonnie and Lyver to work with our P6 pupils to present key messages in a creative and engaging way.

Three young people who had attended the seminars (Joel, Thomas and Suki) interpreted the key messages and themes then P6C pupils from Miss Katy Stewardson's class - Arwen, Thomas, Alma, Luis, Eilidh, Isaac, Eamon and Rachel - worked closely with the artists to visualise the imagery suggested, for example 'rights in the clouds', 'a policy factory', 'a meadow of rights' and 'connected Together in a daisy chain.'

During the project on 7th, 8th and 9th of June, Miss Stewardson's whole class discussed and worked on visualising UNCRC articles, particularly Article 42 Everyone should know about the UNCRC (finding ways to depict 42 of the articles) and Article 31 The right to play and rest.

P6C have included their own images of 42 articles of the UNRC

P6C's ideas will help create a new Playground Charter

Juliet and Liz from Together Alliance visited P6C on Election Day 8th June when Emily illustrated Article 4

PANEL ONE
Isaac - The Policy Factory

"My panel showed all adults trying to let children have the rights but the children aren't actually involved in the process. I enjoyed working with the people and painting the mural." Isaac

The Policy Factory, but where are the children?

The Policy Factory from Sciennes Primary School on Vimeo.


PANEL TWO
Thomas - Right in Reach?

"My panel shows the children reaching for their rights. They aren't getting their rights because the adults are not letting the children help them make the policies. It is important children are involved in things about them." Thomas

      

How can we help all children to reach their rights?

Right in Reach? from Sciennes Primary School on Vimeo.


PANEL THREE
Luis - Teardrop

" My panel was the one about not getting heard. And children not getting respect. There was a teardrop in the middle because the child was sad that no one was listening to her." Luis

A tear for the child who says, "No one asked me."

Teardrop from Sciennes Primary School on Vimeo.

PANEL FOUR
Eilidh - The Children's Rights Clan

"Painting the mural was really fun. The artists were nice and helpful. I learned that I could change rights for other children in Scotland. I got better at painting over the two and a half days and enjoyed myself. I hope the mural changes the MSPs' views on decisions about kids' rights." Eilidh

 

The Clan, all Together for Children's Rights, including Noel, Leo and Suki

The Children's Rights Clan from Sciennes Primary School on Vimeo.

PANEL FIVE
Alma - Right at the Heart

"This panel is where kids are well heard by all the adults. Instead of doing homework straight after school, this girl went outside, had some fresh air and learned more insects. Her teacher teaches mindfulness to her at school and all the children are well treated and well heard." Alma

Getting It Right, at the Heart

Right at the Heart from Sciennes Primary School on Vimeo.


PANEL SIX
Eamon - Equations

"I think I got a lot out of painting the mural. I developed my teamwork skills while having fun with my friends. The panel I worked on the most was the Equations board which is about three people talking to each other about how rights should just be there, that every child has them." Eamon

It All Adds Up - every child born equals the same rights

Equations from Sciennes Primary School on Vimeo.


PANEL SEVEN
Rachel -The Meadow of Children's Rights

I really enjoyed working on the mural because it involved being very creative! I liked the ideas Joel, Thomas and Suki had come up with, so it was fun painting and building on them. The mural shows a powerful message to me and I hope it will do the same for anyone else who sees it!" Rachel

Journey along the panels to reach the Meadow of Children's Rights

The Meadow of Rights from Sciennes Primary School on Vimeo.


PANEL MOTIF
Arwen - Daisy Chained Together

When I painted this mural I learned that everyone has rights and that my voice should be heard. My panel/talking bit was about passing on the word of rights and that everyone should know about them. The mural was very fun to do and I learned lots about rights." Arwen

All connected Together

The Daisy Chain from Sciennes Primary School on Vimeo.

Thank you Lyver, Yonnie and Joanna!

Introducing the project to P6C with Class Teacher Miss Katy Stewardson

 

Miss Stewardson's whole class discussed and worked on visualising UNCRC articles:

Juliet Harris and Liz Millership from Together - the Scottish Alliance for Children's Rights - visiting P6C

P6C created their Class Charter with Miss Stewardson at the beginning of the year

Thank you Mrs Aliya Tariq for wonderful assistance with art project

Article 1

Everyone under 18 has these rights.

Article 12

You have the right to an opinion and for it to be listened to and taken seriously.

Article 42

All adults and children should know about this convention.