Interscholastics at Meadowbank 28th May

Elena P6 receives silver medal for 80m sprint

Elena with event organiser Mrs Beth Walker

Well done to all our P6 and P7 athletes who competed today in the EPPSA (Edinburgh Primary Schools Sports Association) Interscholastics at Meadowbank. 30 P6 and P7 pupils took part in relay, cricket ball throw, 600m, 150m, 80m, high jump and long jump events. We moved position in the stands a couple of times to enjoy the glorious sunshine but also to cover up in the shade. Thanks very much to Mrs Sally Nowell for accompanying and to Flora's mum and dad and Jack's mum who came along to lend their support. It was good to see Mr Wallace and Miss Logan and very well done to Mrs Beth Walker, our PE Specialist, for co-ordinating the entire event for the city. Pupils achieved many healthy fourth place positions, in the heat and up against strong competition from the 40 schools who took part. P6 boys made the semi finals of the relay and P6 girls did very well to reach the finals of the relay. Congratulations are in order for P6 pupil Elena Santoyo-Brown who gained a silver medal for the 80m sprint event.

More photographs on the P6 and P7 pages Class Pages>Primary Six and Primary Seven published soon.

PTA Summer Fair Volunteers Welcome

Sciennes School Council Communications Group has produced an online form for volunteering at the PTA Summer Fair on Saturday 9th June. 

Dads, mums and carers are needed to volunteer for the Sciennes PTA Fair - we have an online form to make it easy to sign up. Please click on this link to see all the different ways you can get involved. Any amount of time, however small, will be very much appreciated.

The link is http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5C3DNFT

Thank you.

Dozen Decades Picnic in the Playground Friday 1st June 12pm

We are very much looking forward to the 1^st June 120th Celebration Family Picnic and do hope for sunshine. You should have received a separate email with a timetable for the day. Please note that the picnic is for current pupils, parents/ carers and younger siblings. Unfortunately we do not have space to include older siblings. Wonderful to see all the model birthday cakes arriving already. Final day due day is Monday when competition winners will be judged in each class.

P5B Bake Sale

Congratulations to Anna, Grace, Lily, Eva, Rosie, Isla and Megan from P5B who raised a spectacular £179 for Marie Curie Cancer Research.

Cabinet Secretary Michael Russell at Sciennes

It was a pleasure to welcome Mr Michael Russell (Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning) and Jim Eadie (Edinburgh Southern MSP) to Sciennes on Wednesday 16th May to announce a national project examining best practice in using tablet computers and mobile devices for learning and how they can be introduced in schools on a wider scale. Mr Russell was warm and relaxed in his manner and gracious with his time. We were all impressed by the attention he gave to our P6 and P5 pupils. Thank you to Bruce Crawford, Chair of the Sciennes School Council, David McKee Senior ICT Development Officer, Karen Prophet Education Manager (with remit for Technologies), Derek Robertson National Adviser Emerging Technologies Education Scotland and Mary Turner Thomson, Sciennes' parent and author, for attending.


In a classroom crowded with P6 and some P5 pupils, school administrators, Scottish Government officials and journalists, Michael Russell, Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, saw students Amir and Mixie deliver a presentation on the history of games consoles, using iPad apps and including a video produced on the device.

“There are a number of pilots already underway around the country, including the use of iPads here at Sciennes. I have asked Education Scotland for recommendations on how we can realise the benefits of mobile technology for all learners in Scotland, including ensuring how we get the best possible value for our schools, and whether national guidance is needed for the sector,” said Russell.

In two of the Sciennes' pilot classes, Ms French's and Mrs Barker's students get to keep the iPads throughout the day, taking them home to complete assignments. In other classes, particularly Miss Gaffney's and Mrs Watson's,  pupils are using the devices only in school.

Students at Sciennes showed visiting adults not only their astounding ease with technology that most of their elders have yet to get to grips with, but also the ways the technology is being used to enrich the learning experience. Classes have set up their own ‘wiki’ pages to share information and research; can be set work by their teacher in a blog format, and return it for correction; and can use a variety of free educational applications. Over the school’s wifi network, the students also have free access to the digital collection of the City of Edinburgh Libraries, introduced to Sciennes by Susan Varga.

The pilot raises a variety of interesting questions – not least whether the technology can  improve education outcomes. As well as the recommendations Education Scotland will compile, research is being conducted by Apple and by Hull University to try and establish the impact of such pilots. The pilot also raises issues of cost – both of the hardware and software involved – as well as safety questions relating to unsupervised access to the internet. However, the enthusiasm of the pupils and staff at Sciennes for the devices was self-evident.

What is also clear is that an iPad in every Scottish state school pupil’s book bag is not on the immediate horizon. The Scottish Government is conscious of the cost that would entail, and Russell confirmed that there is currently no budget to purchase iPads for students across Scotland.

However, the Cabinet Secretary declared himself to be “excited” by what he saw at Sciennes and said the Scottish pilots offer a unique learning experience around how technology can be better put to use in the classroom.

“I want Scottish school pupils to be both connected and collaborative and I want to see digital technology being used purposefully both in and out of school,” said Russell. “The range of mobile devices that are now available and the promise of what they can bring to teaching and learning is very exciting and something that must be embraced. I want to drive forward a culture change in Scottish education and ensure new technologies can be embedded into learning. This is an exciting time to be at school, and we must ensure that the potential for technology to aid learning in Scottish schools is maximised.”
by Paris Gourtsoyannis
Photographs with acknowledgement to Stewart Attwood The Herald, David Bremner The Scotsman and The Evening News. Thank you to Seonag MacKinnon, Education Correspondent for BBC Scotland.


Mr Russell commented kindly about his visit on his Blipfoto site and took the photograph below using an iPad:

"This morning I visited Sciennes Primary in Edinburgh to see the Primary 5 & 6 iPad Pilot Class.

It was a fantastic visit to a school with real enthusiasm and strong educational leadership visible at every level. The children themselves were immersed in deep and connected learning and their teachers are dedicated and committed to getting the best every day.

I think Education Scotland and the country is going to learn a lot from these pilots in various places, using various technologies. And much joyful learning is already taking place."

 

The Daily What - iPads for Learning

P6 Pupils Win Tag Rugby Competition!

Congratulations to P6 pupils Amaya, Sam, Eimear, Alex H, Elena, Jude, Hector, Murdo, Esther, Iqbal, Danny and Struan who won the inaugural EPSSA (Edinburgh Primary Schools Sports Association) Tag Rugby competition on Monday 14th May at Murrayfield. Many thanks to Mr Jonathan Wallace (our Active Sports Co-ordinator) and Rory (Tag Rugby Sports Development Offficer) for accompanying and helping select the team, along with our PE Specialist Mrs Beth Walker who also helped co-ordinate the event. Not only did the pupils win, but they also showed fantastic sporting attitudes. A genuine credit to themselves and the school.

Bea Wins Silver Medal for Fencing

Congratulations to Bea in P6A, sporting a silver medal won in a recent fencing competition.

Swimathon Timetable Mon 14th - Thurs 17th

MON 14th	1A 9-9.45	1B 9.4-10.30	1C 11-12	5B 11.35-12.30	5A 1-2 EARLY  LUNCH	5C 2-3
TUES 15th	7B 8.50-9.45	2C 9.45-10.30	2A 10.45-11.35	7A 11.35-12.30	2B 1-2 EARLY LUNCH	7C 2-3
WED 16th	6B 9-9.50	6C 9.50-10.40	3A 10.50-11.40 EARLY BREAK	6A 11.40-12.35	3B 1-2 EARLY  LUNCH	3C 2-3
THURS 17th	4B 9-9.50	4C 9.50-10.40	4A 10.50-11.40 EARLY BREAK

P5 Scottish Opera

Well done Primary Five for a truly spectacular performance with Scottish Opera on Tuesday 8th May. Superbly well prepared and word perfect! The P5 teachers worked so hard to help prepare the children. Thank you to families who helped support at home and for the fabulous turnout on the day.

http://p5sciennes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/photos-from-big-bang-show_08.html

A reminder that Monday May 7th and Monday May 21st are holidays.

PTA Swimathon

Less than 2 weeks to go before our Swimathon starts. Your child should have received a sponsor sheet and timetable. Although we have provided hard copies of the sponsor sheet we would encourage you to donate through our Charity page at BT MyDonate https://mydonate.bt.com/events/sciennesswimathon/67517.This will substantially reduce the administration time involved in collecting money and claiming back Gift Aid. We would welcome helpers to count laps/lengths and to generally cheer and encourage. If you are able to spare some time please contact the Chair of the PTA, Emma Laurenson at ielauren@aol.com.

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT 2012

Thanks to all who supported this year's fairtrade fortnight. This year, Sciennes pupils and staff made individual pledges to take a next step towards supporting Fairtrade in their own way. There were lots of fabulous ideas from having Fairtrade bananas for snack time to giving Mum Fairtrade flowers for Mothers' Day. The Fairtrade tuckshop, cake sale and hampers raised £204.12 which will be used to buy Fairtrade resources for the school. Congratulations to Daisy Phillip (6A) and Romy Purser (1A) for winning the hampers.

Ms Ross

Information about Trips/School Events

A reminder to all parents and carers that information regarding trips/events is posted on Wisepay. To alert parents an e-mail is sent to the relevant class/year group when a new posting is made.

Actress Lynda Bellingham launches the Generations@School Project at Sciennes

Actress Lynda Bellingham joined the children at Sciennes Primary School, Edinburgh, to launch the European Commission Generations@Schools Project in the UK on Thursday 26th April, 2012.

Lynda talked to the children about what it is like to be older and the bond many children have with their grandparents. She read a short extract from a book and afterwards answered questions from the children about what it was like being on Dr Who and how much she enjoyed dancing on Strictly Come Dancing.

"It would be lovely to see as many schools as possible getting involved in the Generations@School project in the same way Sciennes Primary School in Edinburgh has today", Lynda declared. "It’s a good way to help encourage more interaction between our generations."

The Generations@Schools project is part of the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations 2012, and it encourages schools to invite local community members like the St Catherine’s Argyle Church Lunch Club in Sciennes, who also joined the launch, into the classroom to build closer intergenerational relationships.

Head Teacher at Sciennes Primary School, Alison Noble, said: "Our choir, orchestra and classes perform at the lunch club, which helps to build our children’s confidence. We’re very keen to develop this project to help develop and expand our established links."

Wider Achievement Day Friday 4th May

So many of our children have  had tremendous success in their pursuits and activities this session and P6 and P7 pupils are aiming for Bronze and Silver in Edinburgh's Junior Award Scheme Scotland (JASS). All pupils P1-P7 have been asked to dress up on Friday 4th May for Wider Achievement Day. Pupils can decide to carry a musical instrument, or book or tennis racket, or wear a badge or medal to illustrate their personal achievements.  Ms Mackintosh and Mr Hewitt have organised the day in celebration of the pupils' achievements.

Thursday 3rd April

A reminder that school will be closed to pupils on Thursday 3rd May for election day.

House Captains

Very well done to P7 House Captains Daniel and Emily H in Grange, Anouk and Angus in Lauder, Murrin and Milly in Sienna and Hazel and Abdul in Tantallon for their excellent presentations using iPads at House Assemblies on Friday 27th April.

This session we have been focusing on inspirational people such as Nelson Mandela, Helen Keller, Martin Luther King and Ernest Shackleton. At the start of the year our House Captains invited pupils to nominate inspirational people to be included in our Assemblies.

Our House Captains themselves inspired others, by creating and delivering excellent presentations on Winston Churchill, Ghandi, Barack Obama and John F Kennedy, which you can view on the House pages in the Community section of the school website or here:

Grange
Lauder
Sienna
Tantallon

Pupils in each House can add their own achievements to the online Achievement Walls on the House pages. (Comments are moderated so may take a little while to appear.)

Brownie Badge for Zoe P4

Well done Zoe for achieving your Sixer Brownie badge! 

All pupils have been asked to dress up on Friday 4th May for Wider Achievement Day. So many of our children have  had tremendous success in their pursuits and activities this session. Ms Mackintosh and Mr Hewitt have organised the day in celebration of the pupils' achievements.

A Rosette for Theo P4

Congratulations to Theo, sporting a rosette he won at a recent chess competition.

PTA Swimathon

Event information - BT MyDonate

During the week beginning the 14th May, Sciennes PTA is organising a Sponsored Swim to raise funds for playground equipment, benches, a bike container and replacement bikes for cycle training and smaller bikes for Early Years children. All children in the school are encouraged to take part, even non-swimmers. Thank you to Emma Laurenson and Alison Platts for setting up the BT MyDonate account and organising the Swimathon event.

Launched!

Thank you to all our families and visitors who attended our official launch on Thursday 19th April. Special thanks to Dave McKee, ICT Manager DigITal Learning and Teaching, City of Edinburgh Council and his team of ICT Development Officers, Fiona Hunter, Janet Wallace, and Jenni Robertson and also to Susan Varga from City of Edinburgh Libraries who gave an outstanding demonstration of the wealth of free ebooks, audio ebooks and eresources available through library membership.

Thank you to our pupil presenters and apologies that the movies played up rather than played! They are now posted in the 1:1 section of the school website.

Special thanks to Sciennes' parent Nigel Douglas (Ellie and Robyn's dad) who implemented a 1:1 Learning Hubs programme with us in 2007 and to whom we are indebted. We learned an enormous amount from our participation which readied us for our current pilot.

Launch animation now working!

Launch Information

You'll need your Glow password to log in once you scan this QR Code. You should then reach our Glow 1:1 section. Many thanks to Chris Hill for introducing us to QR Codes!

School Uniform

Details can be found in our Information section and are also posted below:

School uniform can be ordered online. (See Links section) and samples can be viewed at the School Office before ordering. T-shirts for each of the House teams - Grange, Lauder, Sienna and Tantallon - can also be ordered online.

T-shirts and polo shirts in white, red and navy blue with the school emblem may be ordered online but please note that it is perfectly acceptable for pupils to wear plain white T-shirts or polo shirts purchased from supermarkets or department stores. 

We have a school tie which can be worn with a plain white shirt if you prefer.

Plain grey skirts and plain grey or black school trousers can be purchased online or elsewhere. Plain navy blue jogging trousers are also acceptable.

Girls can wear a red or blue gingham checked summer dress.

Most of our pupils wear a navy blue Sciennes sweatshirt with the school emblem. Only our P7 pupils wear royal blue Sciennes sweatshirts and fleeces.

Fleeces and jackets in navy blue, as well as schoolbags and gym bags are available online

We prefer our pupils to wear school shoes in dark colours. 

At Sciennes we are grateful for parental support in ensuring all our children wear school uniform. We discourage wearing jeans and encourage our pupils to bring indoor gym shoes and a change of clothing for sporting activities.

Ready to Launch

Parents and Carers in the Pilot Project classes can sign up to attend using the Doodle Poll sent by Angela Christie. A great tool, introduced to us by parent, Claire Wheeler (School Council Communications Group).

School resumes for all pupils and staff on TUESDAY 17th April when we look forward to welcoming you back. We hope you have had a good holiday and are ready for the busy new term with full pencil cases and school uniform. Remember to bring your gym kit too please.

Help Write the iBook

ATTENTION: CALLING ALL FORMER PUPILS AND STAFF

Click here to access the draft content of our 120th Anniversary iBook.

Find the year you attended Sciennes and add your own memories, anecdotes and photographs directly into the draft. The text in this document will be added to interactive content - photographs, audio, video, animations - and it will be restructured to appear in a freely available iBook to be published in iTunes.

Thank you to all the former pupils and staff who have already contributed memories using our online form.

You can also use this Dropbox online storage facility to add photographs  - drag and drop directly. 

120th Anniversary iBook Update

Thank you to everyone who has been contributing to our online memories form and sending photographs. (See tab at top of page '120th Anniversary.') Our commemorative iBook is well underway, with the help of Sciennes' parent and published author Mary Turner Thomson. We will invite some of our former pupils into school in May to be interviewed or given a tour. Mary has managed to digitise the content of the Centenary Booklet, written by Sciennes PTA in 1992, and this will form some of the core content in our new digital book. Strangely - I wonder if anyone knows why? - the content of the book ends in the Seventies. We welcome all anecdotes from throughout the dozen decades of the school and will make the iBook freely available in iTunes when it is complete. We will add content from the anniversary celebrations so hope to have it complete by the end of term or the start of the new term. Information will be posted on the school website about how to access it.

We would be very grateful if you could copy and circulate this link to anyone you know who may be willing to help contribute to our memories of Sciennes:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGxIOUJ2MGQwQ1RTWkZQaDhuVFF2UlE6MQ


Perhaps it could be posted on social networking sites on our behalf?

You can also use this Dropbox online storage facility to add photographs  - drag and drop directly.


Thank you.

Earth Calling Afterschool and Holiday Clubs

Sciennes is delighted to link with Earth Calling. Gus and his wonderful team run highly successful afterschool and holiday clubs which pupils at Sciennes thoroughly enjoy attending.

"As one of the leading voices in environmental education, Earth Calling supplies ‘hands on’ unique environmental projects and activities to schools and the community. Established in 1999, our ethos is simple… through the passion and motivation of our team we encourage children and young adults to get involved in the future protection and conservation of their local environment."

Here is a link to their Gallery from last summer: Summer Clubs 2011 and to an online sign up for Summer Club 2012.

20mph Limit Comes into Force in South Central Edinburgh

Pupils from Sciennes Primary (including Willard in P3 pictured above) and James Gillespie's Primary Schools helped launch the 20mph speed restrictions. Click here for more information from the Scotsman or the Edinburgh Evening News.

MILK ORDERS

If you would like your child to have milk in the Summer term please log on to Wisepay and place your order. If you paid for the full year in August 2011 your child will automatically receive milk next term. https://www.wisepay.co.uk/store/generic/template.asp?mID=20019&ACT=nav

CHESS CLUB

Sunday 25th February was the final day in the Lothian Primary Chess League schools team

competitions.

Sciennes represented this event with 24 players split into 2 teams of P6/7 and 4 teams of P5 and
under.

In the P6/7 A league Sciennes came second and in the B league came third.
In the younger group we came first and fourth and in the Edinburgh league the
teams came second and fifth.

Well done to all players, some of whom had not played in a chess tournament before and thank you to all the parents who came along to support them.

SECOND-HAND UNIFORM SALE

Many thanks to Phoebe Cochrane and her team who raised a whopping £300 from the second-hand uniform sale.