Author Archives: Loanhead P.S

19.3.20 NEW update from Midlothian council regarding school closure

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The following statement was sent to schools this evening. At the bottom of the statement are links to parental guidance and advice which will be very useful in this time. We will keep you updated as, and when, we know anything else.

All schools will be closed to Primary Pupils and S1-3 Pupils with the following exceptions:

· Saltersgate School will remain open to support our children with severe and complex needs. The Head Teacher will be in contact with individual families outlining the individual arrangements which will be in place.

· All Secondary Schools will be open to S4-6 Pupils only in order to complete any SQA mandatory coursework and assessments prior to the published deadlines. Please refer to individual High School Websites for further updates. We are planning a phased approach to distance learning however priority will be given to S4-S6 to begin with.

· We are now focussed on planning for the families of staff belonging to the following groups key worker groups: Emergency Services, NHS, Health and Social Care Partnership including Care at Home, Teachers and Council Staff who have requested assistance with Childcare in order to ensure that we deliver critical services. This requested provision will be delivered through 4 secondary and 4 primary schools acting as Hubs. Individual Schools will be in touch with the individual families to alert them to the arrangements which will be put in place.

· Free School Meals: We are currently working with catering services in order to finalise arrangements for the distribution of food for children entitled to free school meals and further information will be communicated as soon as plans have been finalised.

Public health advice and guidance should continue to be followed for staff and pupils with underlying health conditions and self-isolation.

As you will appreciate there is significant planning needed to move this forward and we will continue to update our website to keep you informed.

You can listen to the Deputy First Ministers announcement at this link:
https://news.gov.scot/speeches-and-briefings/statement-on-covid19-managing-the-impacts-on-scottish-education

Andrew Sheridan
Schools Group Manager (ASN & Inclusion)

Guidance for parents and carers in the event of school closure due to Coronavirus

A1 – Midlothian SLT Telephone Helpline info 2020

COVID-19 Information and links for parents/carers

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COVID-19 Information and links for parents/carers

When the school closes on Friday, pupils will be sent home with learning packs for the next week which should be done at home.  The weeks to follow (except for holidays) will involve digital learning via Glow-Google classroom.  Our staff have varied experience with this and we all learn and teach differently both in the classroom and online.  We appreciate your support, patience and understanding during this time.

As well as digital learning passwords, this letter was sent home on 18th March to give information about how to access Glow and Google Classroom within Glow. Digital Learning Letter 18.3.19 Pupils/Parents have teacher emails and can contact their teacher during school hours.  If you have any technical issues or questions please contact Mrs Hinton who will try her very best to help you. k.hinton@mgfl.net

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A list of websites that you can use to support learning can be found in pupil packs or Click here 

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Midlothian Speech & Language Therapy Department offer a weekly telephone help line, for parents and professionals to ring us to discuss any concerns they have about a child’s speech, language and communication skills.

INFO POSTER CLICK HERE

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P7 Update Re: School Closure Friday 20th March 2020

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Hi all,

It’s a very sad and emotional time for us all with school closing indefinitely from Friday lunchtime. I understand that P7 are very anxious and upset about missing out on the final term and all the fun events planned. I am too!

Mrs Donnelly has assured P7 that IF schools do not reconvene before the summer holidays ( obviously no-one knows yet what will happen week to week in the future) then pupils will have an opportunity to come back to Loanhead Primary after the summer break to have their Leaver’s send-off. No-one wants P7 to simply leave tomorrow and not have a chance to say farewell properly and have proper closure leaving primary school.

Children have the chance to get their red hoodies signed today and tomorrow .

When at home in term time, can P7 please log into Glow daily to complete their online lessons. Please also check this web page weekly – I’ll try to update for Mondays each week and keep you posted.

I can be contacted through my email :   S.Brunt@mgfl.net     I will be working from home and available during school hours.

Finally, can I just take this opportunity to express how much I have enjoyed teaching this class for nearly two years. There are so many talented, enthusiastic and creative pupils in this group. But most of all, I will always remember, all the daft chats and laughs we have had along the way!

I really hope everyone gets through these unusual and unique times safely and healthily.

Thanks for all your support,

Miss Sara Brunt

 

 

Primary 3 Announcement (19/3/20)

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Hello everyone,

As you may have heard, all schools will be closing after this Friday and online learning will be utilised to help children continue learning. This news is likely to be a source of uncertainty for many, however I would like to assure all of you that I will be doing whatever I can in order to make this period a success. I will personally be prioritising making the online learning experience personal for Primary 3, and I will try and implement little touches to Google Classrooms that reminds P3 children of their classroom. If technology allows it, this will include morning greeting videos that run down the school day and a guitar and singing video a week. I consider these little touches to be of importance as I want everyone in Primary 3 to feel reassured that their teacher is still there for them and that we are still working together as a class socially.

For those of you who had children in school yesterday, you should have received a digital learning bookmark which contains usernames and passwords for Sumdog, Education City and Google Classrooms. If your child has not been in school and is unlikely to be before Friday, I can provide these by email.

On Friday, I will be handing out packs for a week of home learning. This will include general Primary 3 tasks for next week while teachers set up for digital learning for the rest of the school year. This will also include one of your children’s jotters for writing in at home.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask at s.mcgaff@mgfl.net.

Thanks a lot,

Mr McGaff

P2 Information – 18.3.20

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Hi all,

On Wednesday I sent the children, who were in school, home with 2 jotters, 2 numeracy workbooks and an orange bookmark that contains all of their logins for digital learning. These orange bookmarks are so important as this is how you and your child will access online learning. It contains their glow, sumdog and education city logins. On glow the children can access ‘Google Classroom’ which will be the hub for all learning. The jotters are to be used to complete tasks in and the numeracy workbooks can be used for additional/challenge tasks. If your child has not been in school then you will be emailed all the logins needed, so you can access online learning, please do not worry about this. 

Today, the children received:

  • a letter detailing how to access digital learning
  • a physical education (P.E) letter with ideas for the first week of home learning
  • a list of learning tasks that could be completed (this is handwritten and has tasks such as, ‘write a story like your going on a magic key adventure’)
  • a letter detailing a variety of phonics websites you can use to support your child, alongside sounds/tricky words we have learned and the ones we have left to learn

Tomorrow (Thursday) I will be sending out a ‘one week home learning pack’ for children. This includes maths/numeracy, grammar, writing and phonics worksheets which they can complete. It is all work we have covered in class already, so there shouldn’t be anything they don’t know.

As you will be aware, the class assembly which was due to be happening tomorrow (Thursday) is cancelled, along with our trip to Rosslyn Chapel next week. I can only thank you for all of your support during this year, and please never hesitate to contact me: L.Waller@mgfl.net

Many thanks for your cooperation and support,

Miss Lauren Waller

 

Digital learning update

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Digital learning update

This week most pupils should bring home their digital learning passwords for Sumdog, Glow and Education City.

In class, pupils will practise logging into these and using them to enhance learning.

Google classroom is an app within Glow Scotland where each class has a ‘google classroom’.  It works best on Google chrome and is accessible on most devices.

There are also tiles on the Glow home page for typing, maths, literacy games and activities too.

Pupils are asked to have a play about with these at home but also have passwords in school bags every day. This will be a learning curve for many and we appreciate your support, patience and cooperation at this time.

Thanks

Mrs Hinton

 

P4 Information & Update w/b 16.03.20

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Hello Parents/Carers,

**A letter was given to all children on Friday to remind all that if your child presents a new persistent cough and/or fever then they should remain home for at least 7 days. It is extremely important that these guidelines are followed as it will help to reduce the spread of germs/illness. In addition to this the children have had an increase in hand washing, we are washing our hands when we arrive, before and after break/lunch and then once again before we leave. If the school soap is leaving your child’s hands irritated, could you please send in a clearly labelled bottle of hand soap for them to use. Thank you.**

At this time of uncertainty please know that we are doing everything we can to ensure consistency in your child’s education. Although Mrs Roy and myself have had to self-isolate, due to our daughters showing symptoms, we will be working on putting together Online Learning resources in the event that schools close. At present, however, school remains open under government guidance.

Pupils will shortly be receiving green bookmarks with Online Learning passwords for Education City, Sumdog and Glow.  These are all subscriptions, paid for and used by Midlothian schools. P4 are encouraged to log on at home and report if they experience any issues.  Look out for a green card with 3 passwords on them – this should be in school daily!

Mrs Hinton has kindly offered to begin demonstrations on how to use Google Classroom with pupils during ICT time.  Pupils will soon be able to use Google Classroom to access resources and work and can access this through  Glow which also has links to Maths  and typing games.

Water Bottles – Please can these be cleaned daily, they should also have  a lid on them to ensure cleanliness.

Washing Hands – All pupils and staff will continue to wash hands with warm, soapy water several times per day. If the school soap irritates hands then please bring in a clearly labelled bottle and/or hand cream.

I will continue to update with news as and when received.

Many thanks for your cooperation,

Mrs Watts & Mrs Roy