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/ 

Sciennes Summer Fair Saturday 7th June 1-4pm

                                  Sciennes Summer Fair will soon be here. Only 9 days to go!

Please buy your tickets online now via Wisepay to avoid any queuing on the day.

Take the opportunity this weekend 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.

Finally, we call upon all you Great British Bakers out there. Please start to 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 on Friday 6th June or even early on the day of the fair.

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

Swimathon Awards P4-7 2014

Thank you to all the parents who volunteered to assist poolside during our annual whole school Swimathon and to Fiona Denvir and Bethan McEwan for all their fantastic organisational efforts. Many of our children achieved personal bests and we congratulate Robert in P7C for setting a new school record of 42 and a half lengths. The PTA arranged for him to receive a specially engraved medal, presented by Fiona Denvir and Mr Scott at the P4-7 Upper School Assembly on Friday 23rd May, assisted by our P7 Sports Captains. P4 -P7 pupils who achieved Bronze, Silver and Gold medals can be seen in the slideshow below. Mr Scott gave a Special Award for most progress in swimming to Haseeb in P6B who is one of a group of children who have been taking lunchtime swimming sessions funded by the PTA. The PTA also funded medals for P1-3 pupils presented by Ms Anstruther during her Friday morning Assembly.

All sponsorship money raised will be put towards increasing sporting opportunities for all our children and this can be handed in to the School Office or paid in online using this link:
https://mydonate.bt.com/events/sciennesswimathon2014/126616


Or use the mydonate button on the Home Page of the school website.

 We greatly appreciate parental support in donating sponsorship.

/

P4 7 assembly swimathon awards from SciennesPS

Thank you.

Swimathon Week w/c 12th May

Friends of Sciennes School Trust, with the help of the School Council,  are once again holding an annual sponsored event. After a hugely successful Swimathon last year in which over £8,000 was raised it has been decided to hold a similar event this year. The event will take place in Sciennes pool during the week beginning 12th May.

Click on this Doodle Poll to volunteer for time slots if you are available to assist poolside. (Click on Show All 22 options to find your child's class on the weekly timetable.)

We greatly appreciate parental support in donating sponsorship online using this link:
https://mydonate.bt.com/events/sciennesswimathon2014/126616

or using the mydonate button on the Home Page of the school website.

 Thank you.

Sciennes Swimathon 2014

Friends of Sciennes School Trust, with the help of the School Council,  are once again holding an annual sponsored event. After a hugely successful Swimathon last year in which over £8,000 was raised it has been decided to hold a similar event this year. The event will take place in Sciennes pool during the week beginning 12th May.

Click on this Doodle Poll to volunteer for time slots if you are available to assist poolside. (Click on Show All 22 options to find your child's class on the weekly timetable.)

We greatly appreciate parental support in donating sponsorship online using this link:
https://mydonate.bt.com/events/sciennesswimathon2014/126616

or using the mydonate button on the Home Page of the school website.

 Thank you.

EPSSA Swim and Dive Gala 2014

Thank you to Mrs Beth Walker, our wonderful PE Specialist, for organising and compering the Swim and Dive Gala event for all city primary schools on Wednesday 2nd April 10am -12.30pm at the Royal Commonwealth Pool. It was a thoroughly enjoyable event for all 500 children competing. Thank you to all the families who lent their support and cheered everyone on. All our P7 swimmers swam really well in the Breaststroke, Backstroke and Front Crawl, managing to reach the Finals of the Breastroke and Front Crawl and narrowly missing a place in the Backstroke Final. Phoebe and Cerys in P6 competed very well in the Diving and Alistair in P6A performed superbly to achieve a Silver medal. 'A' and 'B' schools competed in the event and 'A' Schools results are shown below. ('A' schools are larger city schools. All primary schools have an EPSSA - Edinburgh Primary Schools Sports Association - number and ours is 70.)

William sports one of our new swimming caps. 

Thank you to Sciennes' parent Jacqui Wright for acquiring our new caps and to the PTA for funding.

Here is a message from Mrs Walker:

Thank you to all school staff, parents and coaches for bringing their teams to our fantastic Commonwealth Swim Relay and Dive Gala yesterday at the Royal Commonwealth Pool.

Thank you to all Active School Co-ordinators, Edinburgh College students, Edinburgh Leisure Top Up team, Tyrie and his starting team and Warrender Baths Club officials for their support on the poolside.  Thank you to all swim specialists for their trialling of teams and their continued hard work to provide swimming for all in the City.

The Commonwealth Baton comes to Edinburgh on Saturday 14th June!

Enjoy a well deserved holiday.

Kind regards

Beth Walker

		Breaststroke A Final
Place	School	Time
1	James Gillespies	1.18.43
2	St Peter's	1.19.94
3	Craiglockhart	1.20.40
4	Wardie	1.21.08
5	Dean Park	1.22.37
6	Blackhall	1.22.56
7	Buckstone	1.22.84
8	Sciennes	1.24.60
9	Davidsons Mains	1.26.23
Backstroke A Final
Place	School	Time
1	Bonaly	1.07.70
2	Blackhall	1.08.16
3	Dean Park	1.09.44
4	James Gillespies	1.10.56
5	Crammond	1.14.12
6	Craiglockhart	1.15.47
7	East Craigs	1.17.05
8	Broughton	1.19.29
9	St Peters	1.19.55
Freestyle A Final
Place	School	Time
1	Dean Park	0.55.40
2	James Gillespies	0.56.84
3	East Craigs	0.58.68
4	Blackhall	1.01.33
5	Sciennes	1.01.92
6	Bonaly	1.02.23
7	Craiglockhart	1.02.22
8	Bruntsfield	1.02.74
9	Broughton	1.03.26

Diving Boys
Place	Name	School	Time
1	Danny	Liberton	112.80
2	Alistair	Sciennes	107.40
3	Eddie	Duddingston	106.00
4	Lachlan	Liberton	100.45
5	Lachlan	Duddingston	91.90
6	Finlay	Longstone	88.70
7	Cameron	Bonaly	83.05
8	Luke Wilson	Royal High	82.20
9	Sebastian	St Peters	67.50
Diving Girls
Place	Name	School	Time
1	Ciara	St Mary's	126.05
2	Ellen	James Gillespie's	119.60
3	Anna	Sth Morningside	118.75
4	Lauren	St Catherine's	113.15
5	Lois	James Gillespie's	112.30
6	Caitlyn	Duddingston	111.25
7	Darcy	Currie	104.35
8	Katie	Buckstone	98.30
9	Anna	St Catherine's	96.40
10	Phoebe	Sciennes	92.65
11	Zoe	Royal High	95.70
12	Cerys	Sciennes	87.70
13	Jade	Pentland	74.90
14	Faith	St Peters	74.40
15	Lucia	Sth Morningside	73.95
16	Demi	Pentland	67.00

 It was lovely to see former Sciennes' Active Schools Co-ordinator Gael Logan presenting medals at the event. Gael is Captain of the Scottish Water Polo Team and is Commonwealth Games Legacy Manager.

Gael Logan

Sciennes Parents’ Night? …..Some Advice from Fellow Parents

We hope you will enjoy coming to Parent Consultations 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 pupils have been invited to join the meeting with you. Please wait outside on the landing until called.

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.

Tuesday 25^th March 5-8pm

Thursday 27^th  March 4-7pm

School Council Communications Group

P6/7 Disco: Tickets only £2!

The PTA P6/7 Disco is 6.30-8pm Thursday 6th March.
Tickets can be purchased via Wisepay – they are only £2 and include a drink and a snack.  If the discos have not sold out there may be tickets available at the door on the night. Pupils should leave their jackets in one of three infant classrooms on the ground floor and wait there until called into the Hall. Pupils should also wait in their cloakroom at the end of the disco to be collected.

CLOAKROOMS: P6A, P6B Ms Ross' room; P6B, P7B Mrs Gibb's room; P6C, P7C Miss Phillip's room.
Many thanks to the PTA and all the parent volunteers who lend their support to make the discos so successful.

P4/5 and P6/7 Discos: Tickets only £2!

The PTA P4/5 Disco is taking place 6.30-8pm Thursday 27th February.
The PTA P6/7 Disco is the following week 6.30-8pm Thursday 6th March.
Tickets can be purchased via Wisepay – they are only £2 and include a drink and a snack.  If the discos have not sold out there may be tickets available at the door on the night.

PTA Meeting Mon 20th January 7-8pm

Sciennes Primary School PTA

Our Parent Teacher Association is a subgroup of the Sciennes School Council.
Agenda for meeting on Monday 20 January 2014

Business 7pm-8pm, Catch up 8pm – 8.30pm in Staffroom.

1.  Welcome and apologies

2.  Minutes of Last Meeting and matters arising not dealt with elsewhere in Agenda

3.  Financial Report

4.  After School Clubs

5.  Grant Application Strategy (“GAS”)

6.  Forthcoming Fundraising Events

7.  AOB – new ideas ?

8.  Date of next meeting – 20 April 2014

All Welcome ! Happy New Year Everyone

Instrument Tuition in City of Edinburgh

As a direct result of the School Council's Parent/Carer Survey (conducted in the summer term last session) parents Fiona Denvir and Bethan McEwan (PTA Clubs Co-ordinators) have organised additional music clubs, including Acapella Choir, Guitar, Spanish Guitar, Fiddle, Recorder and a Music Club. See PTA Clubs for more information.

Some families in the survey expressed an interest in receiving more information about City of Edinburgh Council's Instrumental Music Service. Details about Music provision at Sciennes specifically will be published in due course on the school website. Meanwhile here is a link to the Council's information.

James Gillespie's High School has produced a policy detailing instrumental music tuition in the feeder primary schools and high school which can be found in the POLICIES section of our school website or by clicking here.

Secondary Transition into JGHS: Note for Parents/Carers

"Your child will not be required to audition again in S1 for lessons at James Gillespie’s High School if they received lessons at primary school - their lessons will automatically continue with the appropriate instrumental teacher and they will be contacted at the start of S1.

At James Gillespie’s High School, the expectation is that pupils who embark on learning an instrument in primary school should continue this journey into secondary on the same instrument.
The school instrumental policy states that pupils who have learned an instrument for 18 months or more since the first audition process (if auditioned in P. 4 or 5), have thus entered into the agreement of progressing these skills on this instrument and will hopefully benefit from the skills, teaching and  many opportunities available at secondary level.

If a pupil gives up instrumental lessons after 18 months of learning, or during P.7 (unless auditioned in P6), they will not be given priority for auditioning for an alternative instrument at James Gillespie’s High School. They will be placed on a waiting list and, if a place does become available, will then be called for audition.

Please refer to the JGHS school website and music department for more details."

Information about opportunities between the primary and secondary school in Music is also available on the Sciennes school website> Policies.

Edinburgh Young Musicians

It also emerged through last session's parental survey, organised by the School Council Communications Group, that some parents were interested in pursuing music outwith school. Edinburgh Young Musicians offer Saturday morning Music Classes at local high school St Thomas of Aquin's:

http://www.e-y-m.org.uk/index.htm

Sciennes PTA Family Ceilidhs

Sciennes PTA Family Ceilidh

6.30pm – 8.00pm

Thursday 23 and 30 January

A great family event with children welcome

Ceilidh dancing with the McAlastair Ceilidh Band with Jane Underwood. A fabulous evening for everyone. Tickets on Wisepay NOW and are selling fast! Adults £4 and Children £3 each.(Tickets include a glass of wine/soft drink and shortbread.)

PTA Clubs and Active Schools Clubs Now Online

Sciennes' Parent and Teacher Association (PTA) runs a fantastic range of clubs and activities. Click on the link below for the latest timetable and contact info on PTA Clubs:

PTA CLUBS
http://sciennesschool.wordpress.com/pta-clubs/

We are hugely indebted to parents Fiona Denvir and Bethan McEwan for their tremendous - and highly valued -organisational skills and efforts. Thank you also to our fantastic Active Sports Co-ordinator, Jonathan Wallace, who has worked closely with the PTA to align both sets of clubs.

ACTIVE SCHOOLS CLUBS
All Active School Club details, can be accessed via Jonathan Wallace's extra curricular blog http://sciennesactiveschools.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/sciennes-active-schools-term-2-clubs.html

N.B. All Active Schools Clubs continue to be paid for through Sciennes online WISEPAY system.  
For PTA Clubs, contact tutors directly to arrange a place.

School Council Feedback Tree

A wonderfully innovative way of sharing the work of the School Council is being tried out this year. The School Council Feedback Tree has been created by parents Estelle Keller and Misol Bae. Each leaf details a goal met from the School Council Action Plan which was informed by parent feedback. Please take the time to look at the tree when you see it on display – it is informative and a work of art. Thank you Estelle and Misol.

Next School Council meeting is on Thursday 16th January 7.00-9.00pm in the Staff Room. All welcome.

Professionally Produced Nativity DVDs

 

We are indebted to Alasdair Allen's grandfather, David Allen, (alias 'Papa David') who professionally filmed and edited outstanding footage of this year's P1 and P2 Nativities. Geoff at Quadrille Media produced the DVDs for us and they are now on sale through WisePay. They can be collected from the School Office.

David Allen worked as an executive producer and director at the BBC for 33 years. As well as making programmes, he was responsible for the BBC Computer Literacy Project before moving on to work on multimedia and production development. Since retiring in 2002 David has produced videos for organisations such as the BBC, Historic Royal Palaces (Kew Palace and the Tower of London) and the Bluebell Railway.

We humbly thank utterly charming David for his time, effort and great expertise.

Wow! Record Breaking Christmas Fair

This year’s Christmas Fair raised a whopping £6,129! Thoroughly well organised and supported.  Grateful thanks to the Sciennes PTA and all volunteer helpers. A phenomenal total!

Thank You Sciennes Shoppers!

 

Thank you to the 111 supporters of Sciennes Primary School PTA who have raised an amazing  £1,148.19

just by shopping online with easyfundraising.org.uk. There are no catches and it's completely free to use.

It's really simple – just shop online via easyfundraising.org.uk with over 2,700 well known retailers like Amazon, Argos, M&S, eBay (and many more!) and whenever you buy something online, the retailer makes a donation to your chosen good cause.

It doesn't cost you a single penny extra.

Get started now –  http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/sciennessch

No one can see details of what you have purchased - or any of your personal details - only a running total of amounts raised. Friends and family could raise funds for Sciennes, too! If you join and then refer someone who joins, Sciennes PTA will receive a £5.00 donation automatically.

Thank you to all our Sciennes Shoppers!