P7 Lagganlia 29th Sept-3rd October 2014

http://scienneslagganlia2014.blogspot.co.uk/

The P7 Lagganlia 2014 blog can also be accessed from the P7 Class Page.

Class of 2007

Access the Class of 2007 webpage at http://2007sciennes.blogspot.co.uk

or by using the LINKS button on the school website. New Class Pages have been created for 2014-2015.

Mrs Noble Leads the End Of Year Assembly 2014

Once a year we all come together in the Hall -  twenty two classes from Primary 1 to Primary 7 - for our End of Year Assembly. We were delighted to welcome Parent Council representatives Fiona Denvir and Aileen Nimmo, Chair of the PTA, to join us.

Primary One pupils opened the Assembly with a beautiful acapella rendition of "One Little Voice." Mrs Noble led everyone in our fond farewells to staff and pupils who are moving on. Pupils sang "We Wish You Well" and watched a montage review of the year.

Sciennes End of Term Whole School Assembly 2014 from SciennesPS

Our best wishes to Mrs Cally Fraser, part time Class Teacher to P2C and P1C since February, who has been appointed as an Early Years Development Officer.

Mr Barry Hewitt, seconded to Outdoor Education, has been appointed to City of Edinburgh Council as Principal Teacher of Outdoor Education. It was great to see Mr Hewitt at the End of Term Assembly. Congratulations and we look forward to seeing Mr Hewitt again at Benmore and Lagganlia.

Mr Iain Kearton, part time Class Teacher to P4B, Eco Coordinator, Science Club teacher and cricket coach is moving to Nethybridge with his family. We send our love and best wishes to all the family in their new adventure.

Miss Phillips, Class Teacher P1A and her fiancé are leaving Edinburgh to live in Wales with Miss Phillips taking on a leadership role in her new school. Warmest wishes to them both for their wedding in the summer holidays and for health and happiness in their new home.

Ms Sharon McGhee, seconded as DHT to Flora Stevenson PS in August 2013 has been appointed permanent Depute Headteacher at Flora’s. Congratulations on a well deserved appointment.  It was lovely to see Ms McGhee at the End of Term Assembly. We are so glad she was able to come along and that she will remain in touch with all her many friends at Sciennes.

Mrs Linda Young, Class Teacher to P3B is retiring after 16 years dedicated service to the children and families at Sciennes and she has made a wonderful contribution to the life and work of the school. We will miss Mrs Young and wish her health and happiness always. The entire staff thoroughly enjoyed a recent round of Staff Cluedo, held in her honour and we are glad that she will keep in touch with everyone.

Mrs Susan Mackay, part time Class Teacher to P6C is also retiring. In addition to many years’ service as a teacher, Mrs Mackay was a key member of the Friends of Sciennes School Trust and also chaired the PTA, providing many opportunities for children, parents and staff. A Sciennes' parent herself, she introduced whole school fundraising and a huge number of resources were supplied to enhance learners’ experiences. With love and best wishes to all the family for health and happiness and hope to see you back in school soon.

Congratulations to Miss Kelly, Class Teacher P3A and her fiancé on their Wedding Day in July. We hope the sun shines and wish them every happiness for their future life together. 

Congratulations to Mrs Crolla, Part time Depute Headteacher, who has been seconded to Edinburgh University to support initial and post graduate teacher education.

We also wished fond farewell to our magnificent Primary Sevens, so proud of their confidence and readiness for the next steps to secondary school and beyond. Ms French, Mrs Barker and Mr Howie provided an end of term treat with their surprise video of staff dancing to "Happy". It was touching to watch the Primary Seven pupils perform "When I'm Gone" at Assembly and a delight to see them all dancing together on the top landing before Mrs Noble rang the bell and led them out in procession as the other classes lined the stairwell on the last day of term. Keep in touch, Primary Seven! 
(Photographs of end of term events for P7 on the Class of 2007 page which can also be accessed from the LINKS button on the school website.)

Wishing all our families a safe, HAPPY and relaxing holiday. We look forward to welcoming pupils back to Sciennes on WEDNESDAY 13th AUGUST.


Staff are less likely to boogie for our end of term surprise video if we publish online, so here is the next best thing: Pharell Williams' "Happy".  Tune of the year. Keep dancing!

End of Year Review of 2013-2014

Here are just a few highlights from a jam-packed year at Sciennes. Happy holidays everyone!


Sciennes Primary 2013-2014 Review from Sciennes Primary School on Vimeo.

P7 Leavers' Dance

What a fabulous P7 Leavers' Dance on Wednesday 25th June! Thank you to Ms Christie and all the Pupil Support Assistants, particularly Mrs Tariq, for the superb playground decorations, table settings, Photo Booth and balloons. Ms French span the iPod discs to get the Hall jumping and Mr Howie led the ceilidh dancing. It was joyful to see everyone joining in with the Graduation and Flash Mob dancing - see movie below.

Haddows Delicatessen set up their magnificent mobile barbecue van, serving 100 people burgers, chips and juice with strawberries and ice cream to follow. Thank you to all the staff who came along to support and to all the families who enjoyed the photo call as much as we did. Mrs Barker was disappointed not to be at the Dance but pupils, parents and staff are delighted she was able to attend her son's graduation from Cambridge with a First Class Honours and Masters degree. Warmest congratulations to David and love to all the family.

More photographs of the Leaver's Dance on the Class of 2007 page (which can also be accessed from the LINKS button on the school website). 

http://2007sciennes.blogspot.co.uk/

Sciennes P7 Leavers' Dance 2014 from Sciennes Primary School on Vimeo.

P7 Graduation 2014

What a fantastic Graduation show on Monday 23rd June from our Magnificent Sevens! The pupils' confidence shone through and we were all so proud of them. Ms French, Mrs Barker and Mr Howie produced a remarkable show and we are grateful to Cat Perry, Director of Dance Division, and Vanessa Robertson for providing choreography using the Commonwealth Games themed Big Dance Pledge. Thank you also to Alan from Dancebase for additional P7 workshops and the invitation to perform at the Big Dance Pledge event the Mound in May. Thank you to Mrs McVicker for all her musical input, rehearsal practices and accompaniment. Thank you to Scott Hodkinson for kindly passing on his photographs and to Miss Inglis for filming the show. An edited video appears below . We also recognise and value the support of all the parents and carers who have worked with us throughout the last seven years. We pass on every best wish to all our families and hope to hear news of the pupils' continued success. Keep in touch!
More photographs on the Class of 2007 page (which can also be accessed using the LINKS button on the school website.) http://2007sciennes.blogspot.co.uk/

Sciennes Primary P7 Graduation 2014 from Sciennes Primary School on Vimeo.

Some people have asked if the closing "When I'm Gone" song was specially written. The teachers cleverly changed the words to an existing song and you'll see the significance of the cups if you watch this track from the film "Pitch Perfect." A favourite changed line of ours is "You'll miss me on the traversing wall" in homage to Ms Christie's "It's not a climbing wall, it's a traversing wall!"

Dance Division Summer Camps

Cat Perry, Director Dance Division

Dance Division Summer Dance Camps

Camp- Monday 30th June- Friday 4th July 2014

9:30-3:30pm each day

At Marchmont St Giles Church (Kilgraston Road)

Camp- Monday 28th July- Friday 1st August 2014

9:30-3:30pm each day

At Marchmont St Giles Church (Kilgraston Road)

Camp- Monday 4th August- Friday 8th August 2014

9:30-3:30pm each day

At Marchmont St Giles Church (Kilgraston Road)

Cost is £63.00 for the week or £14.00 per day. Early Bird Booking Discount 10% off – book before 23^rd June 2014.

Dance camps will include a variety of styles such as Street Dance, Cheerleading, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Contemporary and Own Choreography.

Camps will include dance activities, craft activities, as well as other related activities and participants will receive dance booklets to complete during the camp. There will be a performance at the end of the dance camp – a fun opportunity for the children to show off what they have learnt throughout the Camp.

The main focus of the Dance Camp is enjoyment and participation. The Dance Camp is suitable for all ages and levels and Camps will be tailored to the participants’ needs, demands and interests.

Suitable for all ages P1-P7 and all abilities. Camps are inclusive and fun!

To Book: Contact Cat Perry - cat@dancedivision.org.uk

Or book online www.dancedivision.org.uk 

P7 1:1 iPad Reflections

Nadia Kettles, ICT Development Officer from City of Edinburgh's Digital Learning Team, paid a visit to Sciennes last month to give some of our P7 pupils the opportunity to reflect on the impact of 1:1 learning with iPads. Nadia used Adobe Voice app to publish their thoughts on what they see as "The Key to the Future."

View the movie Nadia created with pupils on the Digital Learning Team's blog.

Happy Birthday, Mr Scott!

 

Very many happy returns from us all to Neil Scott on Saturday 21st June!

Summer Reading Challenge

What is the Summer Reading Challenge?

The Summer Reading Challenge takes place every year during the summer holidays. You can sign up at your local library, then read six library books of your choice, collecting stickers and other rewards along the way – all FREE. Julia Cormack, Team Leader at Newington Library, will pay her annual visit to Sciennes to promote the Reading Challenge at our End of Term Whole School Assembly on Friday 27th June and you can sign up now to get involved. Each year many of our pupils manage to read six books over the summer and it would be great to see even more take part this year.

And now, all year round, the Summer Reading Challenge website helps you keep track of your reading, find new books to read, take part in competitions and play games.

Sign up to join the Summer Reading Challenge here:

 http://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/

 

City 2 City Commonwealth Games Baton Relay

Anna, Saul and Cole with the Lord Provost

Anna, Saul, Cole, Ben, Cai and Chris with the Lord Provost and secondary school relay team.

18 P4 pupils from Sciennes (drawn from a hat) with Saul (World Tae Kwon Do Champion) and Isla (Scottish Gymnast) from P5, accompanied by lots of families, joined secondary pupils from across Edinburgh in the first two legs of a unique baton relay event to celebrate the Commonwealth Games taking place in Glasgow.

Melissa Berry, Active Schools Manager, Barry Hewitt Principal Teacher Outdoor Learning with the first leg of the baton relay outside City Chambers.

Breakfast with the Lord Provost in his offices at City Chambers

The 'City 2 City Baton Relay', which set off this morning (Tuesday 17 June) with an announcement from the Lord Provost Donald Wilson, will see over 100 young people involved in delivering a special baton from the Capital to the City Chambers in Glasgow over two days.
The specially created baton contains a message of hope and support for the upcoming Commonwealth Games with the inscription:

In the spirit of friendship and cooperation, The City of Edinburgh carries this message of support to The City of Glasgow. We are proud to see the Commonwealth Games return to Scotland. We wish you every success in delivering a modern and exciting Games.

Over 110 young people will participate directly in the event and were cheered on today by Sciennes P4 pupils and families in the Meadows as the second leg took over to Leamington Basin where they then handed the baton to pupils from Tollcross. The third leg saw the baton taken by canoe! The Secondary School pupils were nominated by their schools and have been training for the upcoming challenge. The event is being organised by the Sports and Outdoor Learning Unit in The City of Edinburgh Council and has been funded by a National Lottery, Celebrate It 2014 grant and we are grateful to former Sciennes teacher and now Principal Teacher of Outdoor Learning, Barry Hewitt, for inviting us to take part. It was wonderful to meet up with Benmore Instructor Angela Kerr joining the procession.
The Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Donald Wilson, said, “With less than 40 days to go until the opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games, Edinburgh’s young people from across the city are showing huge interest in Glasgow 2014 and support for Team Scotland. This follows the tremendous celebrations over the weekend for the arrival of the Queen’s Baton in Edinburgh. The city is playing a major part in the Games with the diving events taking place at the Royal Commonwealth Pool. On behalf of the city and all of the school children taking part in the City 2 City School Relay, I wish our Glasgow neighbours the very best of luck and support for what will be a fantastic summer of sport in Scotland.”

Glasgow's Lord Provost, Councillor Sadie Docherty, said, "This is a wonderful way to celebrate the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and I look forward to welcoming the baton and the young people to Glasgow.  It's lovely to see so many people from all over Scotland embracing the Games and in their own unique way. I wish everyone involved in the City to City relay a very safe and enjoyable journey."

The baton is due to arrive at the Glasgow City Chambers in George Square on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30pm, where the participants will be greeted by the Lord Provost of Glasgow and the baton will be handed over.

More photographs on the P4 Class Page.

Free Summer Swimming for Primary School Children!

Free swimming for Primary School children this Summer break: from Saturday 28th June until 12th August (inclusive). City of Edinburgh are once again running free swimming sessions for primary school children at four pools across the city, supporting the City of Edinburgh Council programme to get even more people swimming. As before, Primary School children can swim for free during ANY listed Public Swim session.

Venues and Public Swim session start and finish times can be viewed online via the links below. It is advisable to check pool programme details before you visit.

Ainslie Park Leisure Centre (0131 551 2400): pool programme
Dalry Swim Centre (0131 313 3964): pool programme
Gracemount Leisure Centre (0131 658 1940): pool programme
Leith Victoria Swim Centre (0131 555 4728): pool programme
 
Free swimming is also available as part of the scheme at Wester Hailes Education Centre: http://www.whec.edin.sch.uk/
 
The earlier you get there the more fun you can have. Arriving no later than half an hour before the Public Swim session's finish time is recommended. It's important that children are safe whilst in the swimming pools. To make sure they enjoy their swim time and stay safe,  normal adult/child ratios will be observed (see below). Please note - the free sessions are only available at the venues and Public Swim times mentioned and do not apply to other Edinburgh Leisure swim centres.

Adult/child ratios

• Under 5 years old: one adult to one child (with or without armbands), or one adult to two children with armbands
• 5 to 8 years old: one adult to two children (with or without armbands)
• Mixed ages: one adult to one child under five with armbands, and one 5 - 8 years old (with or without armbands)
• Over 9 years old: children can use the swimming pool on their own

Contact the Centres on the numbers listed with any queries. Enjoy your swim!

http://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/news/free-swimming-primary-school-kids-28th-june-12th-august

P7 Silver JASS Awards

Congratulations to our Primary Seven pupils who received their Silver JASS (Junior Award Scheme Scotland) certificates and badges on Friday 13th June.

http://jassawardsciennes.blogspot.co.uk/

ECO Team and Mr Kearton

The Eco Team has been effectively and tirelessly led by Mr Iain Kearton. He has been ably supported by Mrs Susan Mackay and Mrs Sally Nowell, with wonderful input from parents Phoebe and Corrine, and the entire team of pupils, staff and parents has achieved a tremendous amount this year under his direction.

On 23rd May, Mr Kearton organised a fantastic celebration at Lauriston Castle as a 'thank you' for the energy, enthusiasm and dedication the pupils have put into Sciennes' many eco-projects and pilots this year. Read about the huge amount achieved on the Eco Team Blog and view photos from the Lauriston Castle event.

We want to thank Mr Kearton for all his hard work and expertise in leading the Eco Team so successfully and with a fond farewell, we wish him and his family every happiness as they get ready for their new adventure in the north of Scotland.

Amazing Raising at the Summer Fair!

We would like to thank all volunteers and fair goers to this year's Summer Fair. On Saturday, despite the weather, we raised an amazing £4,109.48 which is 65% higher than last year and a record breaker by around £1500 more than ever before!

We would also like to make a special mention to Papa John's Pizza in Newington. Their stall raised an outstanding £530.50 and the stall was manned by their own staff with 100% of the proceeds going to Sciennes school, at no cost whatsoever.

 
Thank you all for making this possible!

Please join us again on Thursday at 7pm for this year's School/Parent Council AGM.

Summer Fair Today!

SCIENNES PTA SCHOOL FAIR

Saturday 7th June, 1pm – 4pm

SPORTING ACTIVITIES – HAVE A GO!

MUSIC AND DANCE PERFORMANCES

TOMOBOLA

BALLOON MODELLING

MAKEOVER STALL

STREET CEILIDH DANCE AT END OF EVENT WITH THE MACALASTAIR CEILIDH BAND

SCIENNES FAIR-BEAR RAFFLE

SECOND-HAND UNIFORM SALE

SILENT AUCTION

DELICIOUS FOOD (ARRIVE HUNGRY!): BARBEQUE AND PIZZA

HOME BAKING

TEAS, COFFEES AND SCONES

ICE CREAM STALL

TABLE SALES

SECOND HAND BIKE SALE

PLANT STALL

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE!

FUNDS RAISED IN SUPPORT OF SCIENNES PRIMARY

THIS YEAR’S SCIENNES SUMMER FAIR IS A CELEBRATION WITH A COMMONWEALTH  THEME!  SPECIAL APPEARANCES BY  COMMONWEALTH GAMES GOLD MEDALLISTS ALEX ARTHUR, MBE AND SUSAN JACKSON. 

Tickets: £2 per person. 

Sciennes Summer Fair - This Saturday!

Tickets are no longer available on WisePay but can be purchased on the day at the gate.

Take the opportunity to sort out your wardrobe and bring in any unwanted school uniforms to school for our second hand sale uniform sale.

We are looking for donations for our tombola so please bring in boxes of biscuits, jam jars, bottles of wine or any other suitable tombola items.

Any plants that you are happy to donate to the schools fair are welcome and will be sold at our plant stall.

Please hand in any clothes, tombola or plant donations as soon as possible to the school reception this week.

Finally, we call upon all you Great British Bakers out there. Please start think of what to bake for the baking stall. If you don't know what to bake or you don't know how to bake, then please bring in scones (home baked or purchased) to be served with tea or coffee on the day.
Please bring in any bakery items this Friday, 6th June (or early on the day of the fair).

We look forward to see you all there this Saturday the 7th June at 1pm. Just don't forget to dress for the weather come rain or sunshine.

School Council Meeting - All Welcome!

The School Council AGM is taking place on Thurs 12th June, 7pm.  (Follow the signs that will be posted directing you to where it is being held in school.) It was wonderful to have such a great turnout last year and we look forward to welcoming you.

This year important changes are being proposed to change the name of the School Council to ‘Parent Council’ and to the structure itself. Click here for new proposed structure / governance model and here for the proposed revised constitution.

All Sciennes Primary parents and carers are very welcome and there will be updates on funds raised and on the work of the different subgroups.

Hope to see you there!

Find out more about the work and achievements of the School Council at
http://sciennesschool.wordpress.com/ 

P5 Parent/Carer Benmore Information Session

 

Two information sessions will be held on Thursday 12th June about the forthcoming residential week to Benmore Outdoor Education Centre in February 2015 for current P5 pupils, 

when they reach P6.

 3.45pm - 4.15pm 

or 

6.00pm - 6.30pm