19.3.20 NEW update from Midlothian council regarding school closure

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

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

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 daysIt 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

World Book Day 5th March 2020

Please see below.

World Book Day         Thursday 5th March

This year, instead of dressing up, we would like all children to produce a 3D model of their favourite character or book. Anything can be used to produce this but it must be 3D.

Some suggestions for the base: different size/shape boxes, tubes, potatoes, origami, lego or other construction materials, eggs (hard boiled). These can then be painted and decorated with anything of your choosing.

If anyone needs any help from school please let us know.

We will have an exhibition of all the models for the classes to view. There may even be some prizes too!

We will be giving out the vouchers for a free book on Thursday too.

Below is the link to the World Book Day website. Here you will find lots of fun activities and ideas to encourage your child with reading for enjoyment.

On Thursday we will be doing ‘Drop Everything And Read’ your child can  bring a book from home if they would like to…when the bell rings in school they will stop whatever they are doing and read for pleasure. We will be counting up the number of stories we share with each other from Monday until 29th March as part of the ‘Great Story Share’.

In school we will do some story sharing among other fun activities.

https://www.worldbookday.com/

Loanhead’s Got Talent update

Update for the Talent Show:-
The bar will be open from 6:15pm – 11pm.
We will have a program of events , order of performance etc on the night.
This has been selected at random.

First performance is 7pm so please arrive sharp as not to disturb performances. If you child is performing please arrive in plenty time !


There are tickets left for anyone wishing to come along and support our acts!

 

Thanks

Loanhead Poems

As you know Black Diamond came into school to record our pupils performing their Scots poems. They have now went live on the internet and thought you might want to hear. We are all so proud!

 

They can be found at:

P7 news and Information 5th June 2018

Not long to go now and I cannot believe the first of our High School transitions is nearly upon us.  I wish all soon to be S1s an amazing time and encourage them to have a growth mindset and give everything a go because this is such an exciting time for them.  Each and every one has made amazing progress in P7 and I cannot believe we are almost at the end.

SPORTS DAY – NEXT MONDAY PM @1.15

LEAVERS DAY OUT – Is to the Dominion cinema and then McDonalds for lunch 🙂

LEAVERS ASSEMBLY – Everyone is expected to embrace this opportunity for one last performance at Primary School but the interest in having speaking or singing parts is low – please chat to your child about having confidence to take part.  Cinderella in P5 was fantastic so I know they have great dramatic skills.

LEAVERS NIGHT – Organised by parents, Pupils have opted for a pizza party in school.  They can come to school in Gala Day attire or just normal party clothes, listen to music, play football, take selfies and have some fun as a class. Parent council supply the food for this (thank you!) It is hoped that all can attend (times TBC but usually arond 6.15pm) There will need to be a few helpers on the night- Mrs Hinton hopes to attend too.