Online Communications

We currently send a Tweet each time a post is added to our website and Class Pages. However, we have had feedback from some parents/carers that they are more inclined to use Facebook than Twitter and so are currently experimenting with a Sciennes Facebook account. It has been set up to link automatically with our Twitter account and is designed to given static updates rather than be interactive, so posting to the account has been disabled at this time. However, we are interested to hear if you will find this additional means of receiving communications from us to be beneficial. Please email admin@sciennes.edin.sch.uk with any feedback.

We recently held two Parent/Carer Support Sessions in school, arranged by the School Council Communications Group, to offer an overview of all our online communications. We have been delighted to welcome Mrs Heyam Ali to the team this session, who joins Claire Wheeler and  Rosemary Free.

This is the outline of the session we offered:

The Sciennes School Website

           The School Calendar - Diary Dates

The School Council Website

The Sciennes School Flyer - weekly online newsletter sent by email and published
on the School website

Sciennes Twitter

Class Pages - blogs for each year group P1-P7

Contacting school

Call Parents

                The system we use to communicate directly with you via personal email and text

Uniform
                 Online ordering

WisePay

                Our online system for lunch, milk, trips, clubs and permissions. Sciennes was the first school in the city to adopt this system a few years ago and remains one of few to have implemented it, in Edinburgh and indeed in Scotland.

We believe the  limited uptake for the support sessions recently was testament to the many hours our Admin staff - Business Manager Angela Christie and Admin Assistant Brenda Ellis - have already spent over the last few years personally inducting and tutoring parents, but please do contact us or your Parent Rep if you would be interested in receiving support with our online communications.

Sciennes Parent/Carer Consultations …..Some Advice from Fellow Parents

We hope you will enjoy coming to Parent Consultations on the Tuesday 8th October (5pm-8pm) or Thursday 10th October (4pm-7pm) and that it will help further the partnership between home and school for your child’s learning.

You will have received an appointment time from the school. We suggest it is worth trying to arrive about fifteen minutes early. This will allow you to locate your child’s classroom and spend some time looking at their work before meeting your child's teacher in the Hall. You can of course visit the classroom after your appointment. Primary Seven pupils meet their teachers on the top landing and have been invited to join the meeting with you. Please wait outside on the landing until called in.

Do take time, if you can, to look at the displays around the school. Also the PTA will have refreshments for sale outside the Hall. There is a Book Fair in the Library and we hope you will find time to look in at the new kitchen in the G.P. (General Purpose) Room, opposite the Science Base.

We are also always looking to recruit parents to the School Council and its subgroups. More information on the School Council website.

School Council Communications Group

P7 Lagganlia Mon 30th September - Fri 4th October

Primary Seven pupils are off to Lagganlia next week. Keep up with our adventures on our blog:

http://scienneslagganlia2013.blogspot.co.uk/

Two more sleeps, P7!

P3 Food Bank Kids

As part of our Harvest Festival celebrations we would like to collect food for the Edinburgh North West Foodbank. This is an organisation which helps people who are struggling to buy enough food to feed themselves and their families. All food must be long life and not fresh. Please do not send beans or soup as they have enough of these items. There is a list of items they would like and this can be viewed by clicking on this Food Bank List link. Please send any donations with your child to their classroom. Items will be accepted up to and including Thursday 3rd October. Thank you for helping us with this collection.  

Primary 3

All the pupils learned about our Harvest Appeal 2013, led by Primary Three and Ms Anstruther, at last week's Assemblies and representatives from the Food Bank will speak to all the children at this Friday's Assemblies. There will be a special Harvest Assembly on Friday 4th October.

 

Evening News P1 Class Photos

The Evening News is publishing its P1 class photos this week.

The Sciennes pictures have been published today (Wednesday 25th) so remember to pick up your copy.

The pictures are also available to buy direct from the Evening News after publication:

Scotsman Photo Sales

Thank you Mrs Black for posting this on the P1 Class Page.

Councillor Paul Godzik Visits P7 Citizenship Conference

We were delighted to welcome Councillor Paul Godzik, Education Convener, to Sciennes P7 Citizenship Conference on Thursday 12th September. Aryan and Amy met Cllr Godzik in the playground and he visited our 96 P7 pupils who were taking part in four different workshops throughout the building. He also addressed everyone in the Hall and helped present House and Sports Captains badges to our new P7 captains.

It was a day for, and about, P7 pupils, with each of the workshops designed to encourage pupils to explore how they can play an active, healthy, creative and achieving role within our school and beyond throughout their senior year.

Councillor Godzik tasted P7's minestrone soup in a workshop led by Business Manager Angela Christie, and discussed ongoing successes in the promotion of cycling at Sciennes. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed preparing their own healthy meal in our fabulous new kitchen, which Ms Pearmain has worked so hard to equip.

Jonathan Wallace led a workshop introducing pupils to how they will achieve Silver in the Junior Award Scheme Scotland (JASS) this year, having achieved Bronze in P6. Pupils used iPads to brainstorm ideas in each of the four elements to the award : Get Active, Stay Active; My Interests; Adventure; Me and My World. Cllr Godzik is actively involved with developments in mobile learning within Edinburgh and was very interested to talk to pupils about their experiences in using iPads at Sciennes.

Hannah from Cat Perry's Dance Division led an engaging Dance workshop, concentrating on team work as well as personal challenge and maintaining fitness.

Mary Turner Thomson introduced this year's cohort of P7 pupils to a project which will enable them to become published authors. This will be the fourth book that she has brought to publication with Sciennes pupils.

All the workshop leaders and staff praised the entire year group for their sensible and responsible attitudes throughout the day and their commitment to maximise opportunities available to them in their final year.

"A Dozen Decades at Sciennes" in iTunes and iBooks

Our commemorative eBooks, celebrating Sciennes' 120th Anniversary, are now available to download from iTunes and the iBookstore. Created using iBooks Author and published in six instalments, they can now be viewed on an iPad.

Thank you to all former and current pupils, staff and friends of Sciennes for their contributions and to Sciennes' parent and author Mary Turner Thomson for all her endeavours in bringing the school's history to life in these digital publications. She has worked tirelessly on our behalf to reproduce all the material collated during our anniversary celebrations in interactive formats on the iPad and we hope you enjoy the timelines, quizzes and videos featuring Sciennes pupils. Thanks also to Andy Nagle from Apple for his suggestion to release in instalments.

We still welcome memoirs and photographs which will continue to be added to our Google Doc Online eBook. Please contact lucy.gallagher1@btinternet.com with any contributions.

CLICK ON THE PICTURES BELOW TO LINK TO EACH INSTALMENT

Edinburgh Sky Ride 7th September

http://www.goskyride.com/EdinburghSkyRide

School Council 5.9.13

 Alison Noble, Headteacher and Jo Kite, Chair of School Council

The School Council Meeting on Sept 5th 2013 was well attended and productive – thank you to all parents who came along. Dates of future meetings are listed below.
SCIENNES SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING DATES FOR 2013-2014: 

• Thurs 24^th October 2013
• Thurs 16^th January 2014
• Thurs 24^th April 2014
• Thurs 12^th June 2014 (AGM)

All School Council meetings are 7-9pm in the Staff Room except for the AGM which is 7-9pm in the School Hall.

P7C Digital Learners

Six pupils from P7C were invited to present at an Apple Leadership Event at the George Hotel on Friday 6th September and were outstanding ambassadors for Sciennes, demonstrating incredible confidence in front of an audience of educators. Kim, Katie, Tea, William, Robert and Derry worked with Ms French throughout the day creating a presentation on what it means to them to be digital learners. We were glad to have Kim's expertise in helping us sort out some technical difficulties! P7C have now had 1:1 school and home use of a personal iPad since they were in P5 as part of a National and City of Edinburgh pilot scheme. It was lovely to meet pupils and staff from St Joseph's Academy, Kilmarnock and from Dalry Primary in Ayrshire at the event.

Sciennes Pupils in the Saddle for Sky Ride

http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/pupils-in-the-saddle-for-sky-ride-1-3077110

Pupils from P6B were recently filmed by the Edinburgh Evening News for this article:
"Training was taking place at Sciennes Primary School as cyclists prepare to flood Edinburgh’s streets this Saturday with the return of the Sky Ride.
Commonwealth Games medal hopefuls Evan Oliphant and Louise Haston were putting pupils through their paces.
Riders of all abilities will pedal around a 10km circuit in traffic-free streets, passing the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood Palace, Dynamic Earth and Arthur’s Seat.
Event supporter Sir Chris Hoy said: “Sky Ride is a fun and free way to get the whole family out on their bikes, and a great way to get back into cycling.” 

P7 Visit to James Gillespie’s High School, Lauderdale Street Campus

Thursday 19 September 2013
Primary 7 Parent/Carers interested in knowing more about the school are warmly invited to join JGHS staff on 19th September.

6.30pm - welcome by senior staff with a short presentation from the Head Teacher.

6.45pm tours set off with senior students acting as guides around the school.

An opportunity to talk informally to staff and senior students, with staff being available in various departments The Senior Team will also be available along with Support for Pupils and Support for Learning.

Tours will end at 8.15pm with the visit closing at 8.30pm. Very limited car parking is available in the school grounds. Children are very welcome to take part in this visit.

Hazel Kinnear

Depute Head Teacher, Pupil Support

Active Schools Clubs

 Check out our Active Schools blog, with contact details for our Active Sports Co-ordinator Jonathan Wallace and details of Active Schools clubs, by clicking on the COMMUNITY button of our school website or using this address:

http://sciennesactiveschools.blogspot.co.uk/

Sciennes School Council

 

        SCIENNES SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING DATES FOR 2013-2014 

 

All School Council meetings are 7-9pm in the Staff Room except for the AGM which is 7-9pm in the School Hall.

• Thurs 5^th September 2013
• Thurs 24^th October 2013
• Thurs 16^th January 2014
• Thurs 24^th April 2014
• Thurs 12^th June 2014 (AGM)

A reminder that all are welcome to attend the forthcoming School Council meeting on Thursday 5th September 7-9pm in the Staff Room.

Keep up to date by accessing the School Council Website.