A great big thank you to all the parents and carers who were able to make it along to Friday morning’s Open Classroom event. It was so lovely to see so many of you in school, joining in with your young people and finding out a bit about the learning in class. Our pupils and teachers have been working really hard this month and will continue to do so to achieve their expected levels at the end of this school session. Supporting your young person by coming to events such as these can really have a big impact on their motivation and enthusiasm for learning so many thanks again for showing your support.
If you were unable to come to today’s session, you have the upcoming Parent-Teacher Consultations on the 2nd and 3rd of March we warmly invite you all to attend. Look out for invitations to book a slot in your email inbox (or Junk mail!) on Monday. We have created this as a hybrid event so there will be in person and video-call slots available for parents who may find it tricky to attend in person.
Mock Court Success for P7 Teams
A huge congratulations to all of our Primary 7 pupils who were highly praised at this year’s Mock Court trials at Edinburgh’s Sheriff Court this January. Two teams were entered to deliver a case, the pushers, and to defend a case, the defenders. Both teams won their cases (one draw and an outright win). It was the end of months of whole class preparation including the design and making of gowns, the making of artefacts which were used as evidence and the creating and learning of scripts for the final teams who acted as solicitors and witnesses. We are enormously proud of all our Primary 7s who each contributed towards a very successful competition for Leith Primary.
Parking Issues Around School
The Leith Community Police have begun taking a different approach to the parking issues around the school at drop off and pick up times. St Mary’s Primary, Leith have had similar difficulties. This week, twelve fixed penalty fines were issued by officers in plain clothing around the St Mary’s Primary area. From next week, community officers will take the same approach around Leith Primary School at drop off and pick up times. Anyone observed to be driving in a reckless or dangerous manner could be charged with a motoring offence or fined on the spot. Officers have confirmed that they will be in plain clothes and not in uniform. Contractors, company and goods vehicles will not be exempt unless in exceptional circumstances, nor will taxis unless there is proof of a booking by a council organisation. Waste Management have also been contacted by the police to advise of the Safer Street times for refuse collections.
Tesco car park at the bottom of Leith Walk is our designated Park and Stride area. Parents who must drive their children to school can use this area to leave their car whilst they accompany their children on the short walk to school. We thank everyone for their support of these measures to ensure all our children and parents are kept safe in the mornings and afternoons.
Wider Achievement
Pupils have been really enjoying Article 29 of the UNCRC, the Right to be supported to develop their personalities, talents and abilities. Our huge new range of lunch clubs and after school clubs has meant a massive surge in pupils learning new skills, making new friends, developing new interests and having different opportunities to grow in resilience and achieve success. We have loved learning about the fabulous new interests of our Wee Leithers.
Free Swimming Lessons
Active Schools – Swimming Lessons FREE
Active Schools in partnership with Stepping Stones have organised a Swimming Teacher course. With this there are a number of free swimming lessons for the pupils in the Drummond/Leith Cluster. Please see below the times and days of the FREE swimming sessions and the link to sign up. Spaces are limited so please sign up as soon as possible.
Lesson Schedule:
Course 1: Monday 13th Feb – Wednesday 15th Feb (Morning Delivery 30mins slots between 10am – 11:30am)
Course 2: Monday 13th Feb – Wednesday 15th Feb (Afternoon Delivery 30mins slots between 3pm – 4:30pm)
Course 3: Friday 24th Feb – Friday 24th March (Weekly Delivery 30mins slots between 2pm – 4pm)
Stepping Stones: Community Swimming Lessons Link
https://createsend.com/t/d-305D2DA3B843B2A62540EF23F30FEDED
At our Thursday assembly, Ms Craig chatted to pupils about the meaning behind our shared school vision and about how we arrived at those three special words: Believe. Persevere. Achieve. Having taken on board the views of parents, pupils, staff and school partners about what their dream was for what our pupils would take with them from their time spent at Leith Primary, a number of similar themes emerged: Confidence, determination, independence, consideration for self, others and the planet, resilience, success and happiness were common suggestion from all parts of our school community. Having used a short statement that encapsulated these ideas as our vision for a couple of years, it became apparent that no one could easily remember or tell you what the school vision was – not even the staff! Our ‘rule of three’ had been very successful for our school rules: Ready, Respectful, Safe which all pupils were easily able to recall. So when we asked parents to help us distill our vision statement into something snappy and memorable, Believe, Persevere, Achieve was voted a clear winner.
BELIEVE – captures the ideas of nurturing self-belief, self-esteem, confidence, a growth mindset, aspiration, a positive mental attitude, hope and the importance of having and/or respecting others’ beliefs, be those religious, political, societal, philosophical, environmental or spiritual. It also refers to the unconditional positive regard and deep belief parents and staff have in all our wonderful young people to be the very best version of themselves, no matter their starting point.
PERSEVERE – it is hard to imagine being a true Leither without having this at the heart of who we are as a community. Determination, grit, resilience, tenacity, drive, motivation, enthusiasm, commitment, loyalty have the been the hallmarks of Leithers for generations. At our assembly, we spoke about the perseverance needed by the brave sailors, whalers and fishermen who would go off to sea for months on end and their industrious wives and families who would work tirelessly to keep roofs over heads and young mouths fed. More than ever, perseverance is a quality that will see our pupils through all sorts of challenges.
ACHIEVE – We want all our young people to grow to live a life they value. Whatever we can do as a school community to support pupils to achieve this is our primary goal. Whether as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens or effective contributors, we aim to support everyone to reach their own goals and fulfil their full potential. We also believe that achievements should be shared and celebrated!
Speak Out, Stay Safe
Adapted assembly for home use
The NSPCC has developed an adapted version of their assembly for parents/carers to use at home with their children. This can be found here: www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/safety. With the help of celebrities, the film focuses on how a child can get support if they have any worries or concerns.
To complement the assembly, there are some resources that can be used to enable further discussion whilst doing activities with your children. These are hosted on the NSPCC website www.nspcc.org.uk/activities.
Online safety hub
You may also like to visit the NSPCC Online Safety Hub where you will find advice and information on a range of different online safety topics including gaming, social media, sharing nudes, parental controls and more.
You will also find online safety information for families of children with additional needs and disabilities. We have worked with Ambitious about Autism and parents and carers who have children with additional needs and disabilities to create activities to help talk about online safety which you can find at www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/online-safety-families-children-with-send.
Childline Under 12’s Website
Childline also have a website with age appropriate advice for primary school children on topics such as bullying. It also has games and other interactive tools. Your child can visit it at www.childline.org.uk/kids.
If you’d like to know more about the NSPCC’s work, or take a look at the wide range of information and advice which is available for parents and carers, please visit their website www.nspcc.org.uk/parents.
Talking PANTS with your children
Talk PANTS is a simple conversation to help keep your child safe from sexual abuse. From P through to S, each letter of PANTS provides a simple but valuable rule that can help keep your child safe. You can find out more and download the free resources at www.nspcc.org.uk/pants.
Penguin and Ladybird have partnered with the NSPCC to create a brand new Pantosaurus book aimed at children ages 4 – 8. You can find copies of the new book on sale, either in Matalan’s selected stores and online, selected SPAR stores or at https://shop.nspcc.org.uk/. All profits from the sale of this book will support the NSPCC.
Parenting Programme
Please find information attached and below on the next Incredible Years course which will run at Northfield Community Centre, 101 Northfield Road, EH8 7PP starting on Tuesday the 21st of February 2023. 9.30am – 11.30am.
Incredible Years is suitable for parents of children age 3-5years who may benefit from support with their child’s behaviour.
Applications can be made at https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/support-families/parenting-courses-help-ages-3-6-years/1
For more information contact Morag Lang Morag.Lang@edinburgh.gov.uk Tel: 07783171817
or Lyndsey Mullen Lyndsey.m@homelinkfamilysupport.org Tel 0131 661 0890
Supporting Children and Young People with Bereavement
Date: Monday 6th February 6-8pm
Venue: Richmond’s Hope, 227-229 Niddrie Mains Road, EH16 4PA
This session, run by Richmond’s Hope is for parents and carers of children and teenagers who have experienced bereavement in their lives. Parents will have an opportunity to learn about some of the supports and resources the service can offer and gain valuable information on helping children cope with bereavement.
Parents and carers can book to attend at Carer Events & Training Supporting Children and Young People with Bereavement – Carer Events & Training (carerstraining.co.uk)
Leithers of the Week(s)
Bumper review of all the amazing achievements of our fabulous Leithers over the last three weeks. We are proud of every single one of them. New postcards for home and stickers arriving soon!
| Iris | Primary 1a | Iris has been trying hard to do her best and to give things a go this week. Well done Iris for showing great creativity and perseverance! |
| Lori | Primary 1a | Well done Lori for always showing kindness, trying hard and in particular this week trying a new activity. You are a star! |
| Manvir | Primary 1a | Manvir believed in himself and persevered when he wrote an important sign for his model in the block area. Well done and keep it up! |
| Ahmed | Primary 1b | Ahmed is a very kind, polite and respectful member of our class who tries his best every day. Ahmed always listens carefully and is an excellent role model for his peers. We feel very lucky to have Ahmed in our class! |
| Ameli | Primary 1b | Ameli has worked incredibly hard this week and has taken part enthusiastically in all her learning experiences. Ameli has made thoughtful contributions during class discussion and has set a fantastic example to her peers. Well done, Ameli! |
| Emily | Primary 1b | Emily has worked incredibly hard this week and has shared lots of fantastic ideas both during our Big Book and Writing lessons. Emily has a really positive attitude towards her learning and has go even when she finds something tricky at first. Keep up the super work, Emily! |
| Elhibr | Primary 1b | Elhibr has a very positive attitude towards his learning and enjoys sharing his ideas with the class. Elhibr worked particularly hard in his reading group this week and could confidently sound out unknown words, as well as being able to spot lots of tricky words. Well done, Elhibr! |
| Libby | Primary 2 | Libby shared a story she has been writing and illustrating over the holidays. She read part one to the class really well, we all enjoyed it. |
| Napiu | Primary 2 | Napiu has been showing hsuper listening skills and being ready every time on the carpet. He is a great role model for his classmates. Well done Napiu! |
| Ariana | Primary 2 | Ariana has been super supportive of her classmates this week, as always. Ariana is a great talking partner making sure her partners share their ideas and tasks and supports them to share these with the class. Always a positive role model for her classmates Ariana is a great team mate! |
| Matthew | Primary 2 | Matthew worked really well in his numeracy this week. He persevered with his sharing and grouping. Matthew always shows that he is ready to learn too, Making sure he is doing his good listening and sitting, Keep up the good work Matthew, |
| Riyaa | Primary 2/3 | She has made a huge effort to settle into P2/3 class life and make new friends! Well done Riyaa, you’re becoming a Leither! Ms Harris |
| Holly | Primary 2/3 | Holly showed her leadership skills on our trip to the museum! She helped her classmates find objects in our artefact hunt and worked with others to help them record their answers. Well done Holly! |
| Louise | Primary 2/3 | Louise has challenged herself and has been contributing more of her ideas, during group and class discussions. We have loved hearing what you think about something and why you think this! Well done Lousie, keep it up! |
| Jaivik | Primary 2/3 | Jaivik has worked really hard to spell his Tricky Words. He’s used different strategies like ‘Test a Friend’, Look Say Cover Write Check and recently did amazingly well in our fun Spelling B! Well done Jaivik, you’re a super speller and doing brilliantly! |
| Max | Primary 3 | Max tried extremely hard in writing this week. He managed to write a short piece of imaginative writing with no support. 10/10 for effort |
| Jayden | Primary 3 | Jayden has written a fantastic, imaginative piece of writing. He was able to demonstrate the use of a variety of connectives, openers and the correct punctuation. Well done! |
| Meera | Primary 3 | Meera has settled so well into Leith Primary School. It is a pleasure having her in our class. She is always ready to learn and respectful to everyone. Keep up the good work Meera. |
| Henry | Primary 4a | Henry was an ICT champion today! He was very good at his task but also extremely helpful when supporting others to log in and get started. Well done and thank you Henry! |
| Stefan | Primary 4a | Stefan has made impressive in numeracy and has been a supportive and friendly member of the class. |
| Anjola | Primary 4b | Anjola has been working really hard with her writing this week. Keep up the good work, Anjola! |
| Olive | Primary 4b | Olive was extremely kind to a friend in class who was poorly this week. She went above and beyond to look after her and make sure she was okay. We are so lucky to have you Olive! |
| Kamil | Primary 4b | Kamil is a responsible member of the class who takes good care of our resources. He has been doing an excellent job as digital leader making sure laptops and iPads are put away carefully and on charge. Thank you, Kamil! |
| Cooper | Primary 4b | Cooper did a fantastic job on his group’s stop motion video retelling the story on Chinese New Year. He added lots of expression which made the video engaging and fun for the audience. Keep up the good work! |
| Dash | Primary 5 | Dash always has an excellent attitude to all his work. He is a good class mate and he always tries his best. He shows kindness, responsibility and perseverance in everything he does. Well done Dash 🙂 |
| Emily | Primary 5 | Emily always challenges herself, she enjoys learning new skills and helps support others whenever she can. Well done Emily. |
| Anya | Primary 5 | Anya has been reflecting on her learning and asking excellent questions. She also shares her thoughts and ideas with the class. Great job Anya keep it up 🙂 |
| Iona | Primary 5/6 | For persevering in a (fairly hectic!) PE game which involved a skill she wasn’t initially confident with. |
| Angus | Primary 5/6 | I am sad to say that tomorrow is Angus’s last day at Leith! He is respectful of staff and his peers and is a fantastic team member, he also perseveres when things don’t go to plan and encourages others to do the same. |
| Marianna | Primary 5/6 | Marianna wrote a wonderful version of the story ‘Instructions’. She is working hard on varying her sentence openers, using creative vocab and a variety of punctuation. |
| Amos | Primary 5/6 | Amos came up with some fantastic ideas during our ‘Letter to an MSP’ writing task. He also completed an excellent letter within the time limit! |
| Titan | Primary 6 | Titan has made a really positive start to the New Year. He has worked hard in all areas of the curriculum but particularly in maths where he has showed great progress and understanding. Well done! |
| Lucy | Primary 6 | For offering to pick up litter in the playground and also for asking some really interesting questions in maths. Through asking those questions she demonstrated her understanding. Well done Lucy! |
| Shaheer | Primary 7 | Shaheer has been working hard on Mock Court coming up with questions for our court date! Well done Shaheer. |
| Al | Primary 7 | Al has been doing a fantastic job in researching and writing about Chinese New Year. He has lots of ideas and is able to express himself well! Well done Al. |
| Ayla | Primary 7 | Ayla works hard in class, she tries her best and consistently produces work to a high standard. This week she has been writing a non-chronological report which is well structured, with a use of rhetorical questions and alliteration. Well done Ayla! |
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Believe. Persevere. Achieve. 
