Inspection of Loanhead Primary School and Nursery ClassMidlothian Council
Please be advised that the Summarised Inspection Findings (SIF) have now been published on our website and are available from this link:
https://education.gov.scot/education-scotland/inspection-reports/reports-page/?id=3483.
Primary 4 worked amazingly hard on their assembly which was for last Friday. Sadly then never had their usual audience and parents were unable to come along and see them.
I took a wee video and some photos so they can share their learning with you.
Enjoy
Mrs Hinton
Dear parents,
You might be inclined to create a minute by minute schedule for your kids. You have high hopes of hours of learning, including online activities, science experiments, and book reports. You’ll limit technology until everything is done! But here’s the thing…
Our kids are just as scared as we are right now. Our kids not only can hear everything that is going on around them, but they feel our constant tension and anxiety. They have never experienced anything like this before. Although the idea of being off of school for weeks sounds awesome, they are probably picturing a fun time like summer break, not the reality of being trapped at home and not seeing their friends.
Over the coming weeks, you will see an increase in behavior issues with your kids. Whether it’s anxiety, or anger, or protest that they can’t do things normally – it will happen. You’ll see more meltdowns, tantrums, and oppositional behavior in the coming weeks. This is normal and expected under these circumstances.
What kids need right now is to feel comforted and loved. To feel like it’s all going to be ok. And that might mean that you tear up your perfect schedule and love on your kids a bit more. Play outside and go on walks. Bake cookies and paint pictures. Play board games and watch movies. Do a science experiment together or find virtual field trips of the zoo. Start a book and read together as a family. Snuggle under warm blankets and do nothing.
Don’t worry about them regressing in school. Every single kid is in this boat and they all will be ok. When we are back in the classroom, we will all course correct and meet them where they are. Teachers are experts at this! Don’t pick fights with your kids because they don’t want to do math. Don’t scream at your kids for not following the schedule. Don’t mandate 2 hours of learning time if they are resisting it.
If I can leave you with one thing, it’s this: at the end of all of this, your kids’ mental health will be more important than their academic skills. And how they felt during this time will stay with them long after the memory of what they did during those weeks is long gone. So keep that in mind, every single day.
Stay safe. x
From all of us in the Loanhead Primary Community
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
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.
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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
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
Hello and a huge well done to all those pupils who took part in the Scottish poetry competition last Friday. P4 were particularly proud of FC and AP for their fabulous contribution.
Homework
LOOK THINK COVER WRITE CHECK
to write out their new spelling words three times in neat columns. They should also complete a green activity card which will earn pupils 2 credit card points. An optional red activity may be completed for extra practice (and 1 credit card point) but is not mandatory
Additional Information
Thursday 6th February 2020 – Learning Trio, 3:45pm – 8:00pm, Appointment slips will come home with pupils on Monday 27th January
Friday 7th February 2020 – Learning Trio, 1:00pm – 4:00pm
As always, many thanks for your continued support,
Mrs Watts & Mrs Roy
