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Dear Parents and Carers

Firstly, a very Happy New Year to you all! I hope that you and your family have had a relaxing seasonal holiday break and have kept in good health.

A reminder that pupils start back tomorrow (Thursday) with no changes to the start and finish times.

We are ready for some disruption this month due to COVID related absences. We are thankful that school will at least be open as usual. Once again, thank you for you understanding of any potential changes to our service during this period.

Parents are again asked to keep to 2 metres physical distancing from other adults at drop off and pick up times and not wait any longer than needed.

We kindly ask that all nursery parents use the black gate entrance at the right-hand side of the school and do not cut across the main playground when the school children are lining up. Thank you for your continued cooperation with this request.

Children may wear extra layers of clothing to keep warm in class as windows must be kept open for ventilation.

We ask that additional items from home such as toys and balls are not brought in to school.

Parents are kindly asked not to enter the school building unless by prior arrangement. Please continue to call, text and email first wherever possible.

Our new Office Administrator, Ms Catherine Rose, starts with us this week. She will need some time to get up to speed with our school systems. Can I thank you in advance for your patience and understanding whilst she settles into her new post. We will do whatever we can to ensure a smooth service for parents and pupils during this time however there may be some delays with support of some services eg; ParentPay. I am certain you will find Ms Rose a very friendly and helpful addition to our team. She is eager to support our pupils and families in any way she can.

Please let us know if your child has tested positive for COVID either by a home LFD test or PCR test. 

Finally, please can you let the school know if you have changed your phone number or home address recently. It is very important that we have working contact details for you in case you child becomes unwell during school time.

Thank you again for your ongoing support of the school and we look forward to welcoming the children tomorrow morning.

Yours sincerely

Fiona Craig
Head Teacher

Despite the many pressures and challenges faced by our pupils, staff and families this term, our wonderful school community have continued to persevere and demonstrate amazing resilience and kindness towards others.

Huge thanks to Mrs Ciechanowicz for organising our yearly toys giveaway with support from Cash for Kids. Thanks also to Liz and Danni, our Family Support Workers, who arranged for food packs to be distributed to families before the end of term. Thanks also to our mysterious guardian angel who donated a selection box for every pupil within the school. Finally, enormous thanks to everyone who was able to donate something towards our Christmas collection for the Citadel Youth Centre who continue to provide fun, friendship and support to a large number of our pupils and parents.

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all our parents and carers a very Merry and relaxing Christmas holiday and a Happy New Year when it comes.

Fiona Craig – Head Teacher

The school said a fond farewell to two of our moved loved members of staff, Mrs Kelly and Mrs Kean. Both are moving on to promoted posts, Mrs Kelly to Stanwell Nursery as Nursery Administrator and Mrs Kean as school Business Manager at Lorne Primary. Staff, pupils and parents are very grateful to both for all the help they have given the school community over the years and wish them well in their new positions.

CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES

Pupils enjoyed a week of Christmas festivities including class parties and an online pantomime. Huge thanks go to our parent council, LPPC, for generously funding the pantomime and snacks for the class parties. In the absence of a Christmas show or church visit for he second year, pupils have created a Christmas showreel for parents and carers. We hope you will enjoy singing along. Click here or below to watch.

Pupils’ Health and Wellbeing Sway Newsletter – The Leith Calamari

Pupils have created a newsletter sharing some of the things they have been learning about linked to their Health and Wellbeing. The Leith Calamari will focus on two of the Scottish Wellbeing indicators starting with Safe and Healthy. Read on to find out why such an unusual name here.

Digital Access Survey

We still have no way of knowing what COVID-19 mitigations will be in place after the Christmas break. Information about pupils’ return will be shared with parents and carers on the 4th January when Head Teachers have been briefed on what to expect. If you have not yet managed to complete our updated Digital Access Survey yet, please do so here. The survey deadline has been extended to December 31st.

Parent/Carer Health & Wellbeing

Whilst many of our families look forward to spending time with each other over the festive period, we know that it can be a time of stress and unhappiness for others. There are sources of information and support for adults on a range of areas on the NHS Lothian Wellbeing website here. Further information on anxiety and worry for parents and carers is available below. Information on a variety of issues for families is available on the Support for Families website. Parents/carers can also access a wealth of information from the CAMHS website here.

Please remember that the team at Leith Primary are here to support parents and carers in whatever way we can. Drop us a line at admin@leith-pri.edin.sch.uk or on the comments sections of the website here. You can also contact either of our Family Support Workers via email: danni@citadelyouthcentre.org.uk and lizj@citadelyouthcentre.org.uk

In our Friday Assembly, we reviewed the learning we have done in our Building Resilience Unit: Talk Things Over. We know that it is normal for us all to have worries, especially at times like this, and it can help to share them with a trusted adult. This term, all pupils have identified a trusted adult within the school who they know they can talk to if ever they are upset or worried about something. Pupils can also use the Worry Monster or Worry Box in their classroom to let their teacher know that they are feeling worried and would like to talk. A problem shared, is a problem halved.

COVID 19 – Omicron Update

As you will have seen, the First Minister has warned that the new variant of COVID is spreading quickly across Scotland. If anyone in your household tests positive for COVID 19, everyone must self isolate for 10 days, irrespective of vaccine status or negative PCR test. It remains very important for us all to observed FACTS and to ensure pupils do not come to school if they display the common COVID-19 symptoms. Further school-based mitigations may be necessary in the days to come. We will keep you informed as regularly as is necessary. Please make sure we have your most up-to-date contact details.

Well Done to Our Leith Learners!

Vivienne	Primary 1/2	Vivienne always has a positive attitude towards her learning and loves to be challenged! She should be so proud of all that she has achieved since the start of P1. Well done, Vivienne!
Matthew	Primary 1a	Matthew has been trying particularly hard in phonics this week and has made excellent progress. Well done Matthew!
Momen	Primary 1b	Momen has been a super kind member of our class this week. He always looks out for others and makes sure no one is left out when playing. We are so lucky to have you, Momen!
Blake	Primary 2	Blake quietly quietly and conscientiously gets on with things, always trying her best, never making a fuss – truly a responsible and independent learner 🙂
Felix	Primary 3a	Felix has a fantastic attitude towards his work. This week he has been working hard on the formal method for addition, he is always ready for a challenge and helps his peers when they need it.
Adela	Primary 3b	Adela has shown a lot of kindness to others in the class this week and is a lovely classmate to have.
Jakub	Primary 4a	Jakub has been working really hard in class. He is trying his best in all tasks and has both written some excellent stories and challenged himself in maths. keep up the great work Jakub 🙂
Patryk	Primary 4b	Patryk has created some amazing homework this term!  He put a massive effort into the research and presentation of many of his activities and was very proud of his work.  This is a fantastic achievement Patryk, well done!!
Isla	Primary 5a	Isla has demonstrated responsibility in group this work this week and has persevered with her independent tasks making great progress with her numeracy. Well done Isla!
Nathan	Primary 7b	Nathan is in the Recognition Book for his perseverance in maths. He had some difficult problem solving questions to solve. He worked hard and kept going.  I was very impressed with his resilience. Well done Nathan!

Edinburgh Lyceum Theatre Offer

Well done to all this week’s hard working Leith Primary pupils

Holly	Primary 1/2	Holly loves exploring writing through her play and has produced some fantastic pieces of independent writing this week.  You are star, Holly!
Napiu	Primary 1a	Napiu has been working especially hard this week to share his thoughts and ideas with the group during play and also during carpet sessions. We are so proud of you, Napiu! Well done.
Dorcas	Primary 1b	Dorcas has been trying her best during literacy and maths this week. She brings a lot of enthusiasm, especially when singing, and always shows she is ready to learn. Great work Dorcas, keep it up!
Keira	Primary 2	Keira is a responsible person who consistently makes positive choices and challenges herself in her learning.
Annabelle	Primary 3b	Annabelle has made some really great contributions to our work on climate change this week.  Well done!
Kieran	Primary 4a	Kieran has been experimenting with logging on and using word in ICT. He wrote an excellent story with lots of detail and description. He also edited it using spell checker. Great work Kieran!
Taya	Primary 4b	For the care and effort she puts into the presentation and content of all her pieces of work.  Well done Taya, you’re an inspiration to your classmates!
Joseph	Primary 5a	Joseph successfully created a table top Advent wreath applying problem solving skills. He has also persevered with his numeracy and literacy tasks. Great work Joseph!
Rory	Primary 5b	For perseverance!  He worked hard to ensure he had corrected all of his work in maths.
Niko	Primary 6	Niko has engaged really well with maths problems involving fractions. He has also made inciteful contributions to our class discussions on our class novel ‘Holes’.
David	Primary 7a	David has been doing a great job in maths multiplying decimals.  He is challenging himself and supporting other pupils in their learning.  Well done David!
Joe	Primary 7b	Joe is in the Recognition Book for his excellent spooky story. He created suspense and used detailed description all the way through to keep the reader’s interest. He used onomatopoeia effectively and had a fantastic unforeseen ending. Well done Joe!

Enormous congratulations to our wonderful new Pupil Council. These pupils from P4-P7 were successfully voted in by their classmates after presenting reasons why they would be the right people to represent the views of the class at council meetings. The new Pupil Councillors will be involved in the School Development Process, evaluating the things that are going well in school and helping to identify what can be done better. We are all very excited to work with them.

Vaccination Information

Larger venue

Lowland Hall, Royal Highland Vaccination Centre, Ingliston. Everyone over 12 can attend this drop-in clinic as well as utilising booked appointments.

Smaller local clinics 

Leith: Ocean Terminal, 74 Ocean Dr, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ. Mon-Sun, 11am-7pm, Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca all available. This clinic is also open for 12-15 year olds. You can get your first dose or your second, as long as it’s been more than eight weeks since your first.

Leith: Leith Community Treatment Centre, Junction Place, Edinburgh, EH6 5JQ. Mon-Fri, 8:30am-12pm / 1pm-6pm. Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca all available. This clinic is also open for 12-15 year olds. You can get your first dose or your second, as long as it’s been more than eight weeks since your first.

Christmas Dates

How can it be that time already? Our Christmas activities will be low key again this year due to ongoing COVID restrictions. The focus will be on giving and doing good rather than getting and wanting. Classes will have a Random Acts of Kindness Advent Calendars and we will be recognising all types of Kindness and Responsibility each week at our assemblies. In this spirit, we would like to request that if children or parents were thinking of giving a small gift to a member of staff, they choose instead to donate to the collection we will be doing for a local charity (details tbc).

Thu 9^th December – Christmas Lunch

Fri 10^th December – Christmas Jumper Day (if you have one, wear one – donations welcomed for local charity but not necessary)

Tue 14^th December – Afternoon Christmas Online Show (with snacks kindly provided by LPPC)

Wed 15^th December – Christmas parties in classrooms (PM)(classes to be texted)

Thu 16^th December – Christmas parties in classrooms (PM) (classes to be texted)

Fri 17^th December – Pupils’ Christmas Variety Show Reel. End of Term

Equity

Some of you may have seen the news report this week featuring some of our pupils at the Citadel Youth Centre with Cabinet Secretary for Education, Shirley-Anne Somerville. Ms Somerville announced that the Pupil Equity Fund for schools will continue in Scotland for another four years. This means that we can continue with the great support we receive from people like Liz and Danni, our Family Support Workers from the Citadel, maths support from Mrs Clarkson, support with play-based learning from Ms Weir and Ms De La Cruz and from January, nurture-based mental health support for pupils from Elspeth Richards.

In today’s assembly, we discussed the difference between equality and equity. Many of are used to hearing the phrase, “it’s not fair”. Equality is when we make sure that everyone is treated equally but being treated equally sometimes does not make things fair for everyone. Equity takes into account people’s needs and circumstances so that they can be treated fairly. Leith Primary continues to work towards both excellence and equity for all pupils.

In This Week’s Recognition Book

Ivy	Primary 1/2	Ivy has a wonderful attitude towards her learning and has enjoyed challenging herself this week! Ivy is kind and respectful to everyone and we are so grateful to have you in our class.
Zerin	Primary 1a	Zerin has shown fantastic perseverance this week as she became more confident speaking in front of the class. We are so proud of you, Zerin!
Ediz	Primary 1b	Ediz is an extremely helpful member of our class and always tidies up after himself and others. He shows respect by listening and sitting beautifully on the carpet. Keep up the good work, Ediz!
Tania	Primary 2	Tania brings so much enthusiasm and creativity to everything that she does, independently taking responsibility for her own learning, that is really inspiring.
Aleksander	Primary 3a	For working hard on his targets this week and for some super progress in his reading and number work. Well done Aleksander!
Seren	Primary 4a	Seren has been working hard and making good progress with using formal method to both add and subtract. She also focused on her layout and it made a big difference. Great work Seren, keep it up 🙂
Nico	Primary 4b	Nico for his excellent focusing and fine motor skills, during the ‘speedy paperclip join’ challenge.  Well done Nico!!
Zarko	Primary 5a	Zarko has made a real effort to be Ready, Respectful and Safe. He is also working hard on his literacy and numeracy. Well done Zarko!
Arthur	Primary 5b	Well done Arthur for working really hard in maths this week. Great job!
Mya	Primary 6	Mya has challenged herself both in Drama and in Maths over the last few weeks. Well done for pushing yourself and trying new things!
Harleigh	Primary 7a	Harleigh has been working hard in Maths this week converting decimals into fractions and adding and subtracting decimals. Well done Harleigh, keep up the good work.
Edgar	Primary 7b	For his great biography of Barack Obama. He made use he met all the steps to success and is developing a great style of writing. Well done Edgar!

This week we have being sharing One Kind Word with each other, the theme of this year’s Anti-Bullying Week. Kindness is such an important value to us at Leith. It has been lovely to hear how our pupils have shown kindness towards each other. Some of them have even made it to today’s Recognition Book.

New Staff

At this week’s LPPC meeting, we were delighted to announce the long list of new staff who have been recently appointed at interview.

Six new Pupil Support Assistants have been appointed: 

• Ms Sara Gatton* 
• Ms Sabia Begum*
• Ms Julia Gavilan
• Ms Yvonne Thomas
• Mr Stuart Paul
• Ms Sara Shafiq 
• Mr Kevin Matthews* (until Christmas)

Additional CEC funding for support with play-based pedagogy in schools means that Mrs Stewart from nursery will support Primary 1 with learning through play and Ms Clodagh Weir will begin supporting Primary 3 with learning and development from Monday in addition to the PSAs currently in those classes.

Plans for additional support groups targeting numeracy, literacy, social, emotional and communication skills across all year groups have been made to start as soon as new staff are in post.

Elspeth Edwards has been successfully appointed as our new PEF funded Pupil Support Officer with a remit of supporting targeted nurture and positive mental health interventions for pupils and linked support for parents.

An additional PEF funded class teacher will soon be appointed to enable class release for teachers to lead on a range of school improvements including: 

• Embedding the Leith Primary School Learning and Teaching Toolkit 
• Development of pupils’ numeracy skills in P4 and P5
• Developing Outdoor Learning opportunities for pupils
• Driving forward digital learning across the school and nursery
• Targeted support for Primary 5 with social & emotional skills and writing 
• Further targeted support for Care Experienced pupils and Young Carers
• Raising pupils’ aspirations for lifelong learning and the world of work

Congratulations to Mrs Kean who has been successfully promoted as the new Business Manager at Lorne Primary. Ms Cathrine Rose will join us as the new Office Administrator on Mrs Kean’s departure. Congratulations also to Mrs Kelly, one of our longest serving PSAs, who has also been successful in being promoted to part-time Office Administrator at Stanwell Nursery. We wish both very well in their new promoted posts.

*already started in post

External Supports and Parenting Programmes

The Parent and Carer Support Team have transferred valuable information on free or low cost programmes, activities and groups available for families which were previously listed in their booklets and leaflets to this online version. They hope this will make it much easier for parents and professionals to find support when it is needed. 

Find up to date information on the support and activities available for families across Edinburgh at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/supportforfamilies

If you need help finding support for you or your child, email supportingparentsandcarers@edinburgh.gov.uk

#EdinSupportingFamilies

Parent-Teacher Consultations

Many thanks again to parents and carers for attending the first parent-teacher consultation this month. We would appreciate if you could take a few minutes to give us your feedback so we can take your views onboard when planning for the future. Please click HERE.

Well Done to Everyone in Today’s Recognition Book

Martha	Primary 1/2	Martha is always kind and respectful to her classmates and goes out of her way to make others feel included. Thanks for bringing a little bit of sunshine to our class every day!
Libby	Primary 1a	Libby has been trying particularly hard this week to be a kind friend, using kind words and actions. Well done Libby!
Freya	Primary 1b	Freya has been extremely kind this week, making sure she holds doors for her classmates and remembering to thank those who hold the door for her. She also showed kindness to a new member of our class by offering to play with her. Well done, Freya!
Aaron	Primary 2	Aaron applied his learning from our reading sessions to improve his writing, taking responsibility for himself – well done!
Sunny	Primary 3a	This week when we were sharing kind words about each other so many people mentioned Sunny as someone who is kind, caring and thoughtful. What a great friend you are Sunny!
Shaniah	Primary 3b	Shaniah always tries her hardest to be kind to everyone in the school. She is helpful and friendly and always cheers others up.
Alexa	Primary 4a	Alexa is always willing to help. She is kind to everyone an very caring. She noticed what might need to be done and always offers to do it. Well done Alexa 🙂
Hadley	Primary 4b	Hadley has recently made fantastic progress with his reading.  Great job Hadley, well done!
Arthur	Primary 5a	Arthur for his kindness in supporting others to learn new skill in our PE this week.
Amna	Primary 5b	For always being a kind and considerate member of p5b
Steven	Primary 6	Steven showed kindness and consideration towards his classmates when he came up with an idea to share his group reward with other pupils if they had not had a chance to have this reward yet! This was a very kind and generous thought, which others have also said they will take up.
Murray	Primary 7a	Murray is always willing to help to undertake any jobs that need doing in the classroom and around the school.  He often supports with handing out lunches and does this responsibly.  Well done Murray!
Autumn	Primary 7b	For always treating people with kindness and a caring attitude and for demonstrating respect and responsibility in her perfecting role.

Tomorrow marks World Kindness Day and I have been delighted to see so many acts of kindness amongst our pupils this week, especially as it is one of our important school values. Kindness comes in many guises, whether it is holding the door for each other, showing consideration for a classmate in need or helping a friend with a problem in the playground, our pupils have demonstrated this value in spades this week.

Anti-Bullying Week

Next week, is Anti-Bullying Week. Our Rights Respecting School reps met with Miss Wilson this week to talk about how the school will highlight this important matter which they have linked to Article 19 of the UNCRC – the right to be protected from violence, abuse and neglect. This year the theme is One Kind Word, demonstrating that what we say to someone can make all the difference and lead to the spread of more kind words.

Remembrance Day

As always, pupils were encouraged to observe a one minute silence on Thursday at 11am. Many classes engaged in learning about the two World Wars and the significance of the poppy. A poppy wreath was laid on our school War Memorial to mark the falling of ex-Leith Academy pupils.

Lost Property

As we move into the colder months, it is very important that all pupils come to school wearing a warm waterproof jacket with a hood. Please remember to mark all items of clothing, including jackets, with your child’s name. We continue to collect large numbers of un-named school sweatshirts and jackets after lunchtimes. Our Lost Property rail is now located at the main entrance. Please feel free to collect your child’s missing items from this area, observing physical distancing and mask wearing at all times.

Pre-loved sweatshirts are free-to-take and are stored in boxes labelled by age on the large windowsill in the main entrance. All pupils should continue to wear school colours every day and not ‘weekend’ clothes. Our thanks for supporting the school with this.

Achievements

Today in assembly, we spoke about what is involved in achieving something. All the pupils in today’s Recognition Book have demonstrated a Growth Mindset, which is a vital part of being a successful learner. Well done to them all!

Alex	Primary 1/2	Alex enjoys learning every day and perseveres when faced with new challenges. We love having Alex as our classmate in P1/2 and we are so proud of him!
Alyn	Primary 1a	Alyn has been working really hard to make excellent choices and be a very helpful member of the class this week. Well done Alyn!
Skand	Primary 1b	Skand always shows he is ready to learn by sitting beautifully on the carpet and making sure he is listening. He worked really hard this week during our phonics time and even managed to write the word “box” all by himself as he played. Go, Skand!
Jakub	Primary 2	Jakub has made an excellent return to class after being off, taking responsibility for his own learning and treating all of his classmates with kindness.
Jamie	Primary 3a	For working hard on his money tasks this week and for showing some strong leadership skills whilst organising class games and challenges!
Jack	Primary 3b	Jack tries his best at all tasks and always wants to challenge himself further.  Well done!
Sofia	Primary 4a	Sofia has worked very hard in literacy this week. She wrote a lovely poem about her favourite type of weather and experimented with using technology to support her writing.
Fraser	Primary 4b	Fraser has shown great organisational skills and has done a great job being our RRS Rep!  Well done Fraser!
Dina	Primary 5a	Dina has persevered with subtraction strategies and has become more confident when applying and explaining them.
Jack	Primary 5b	For spelling, he practised double the amount of words he was set
Ashaz	Primary 6	Ashaz has had a great first week in Primary 6. He has persevered with new tasks, begun make friends and worked very hard. well done Ashaz1
Blake	Primary 7a	Blake has been working well with his prefect class this year and taking the responsibility seriously.  He has also been working hard in Maths and has grasped converting fractions into decimals well.  Great work Blake!
Isla	Primary 7b	For being unrelentingly cheerful, helpful and kind

It has been a really positive week of learning in school. Classes continue to make the most of the outdoor space on our doorstep and children have enjoyed playing with the Autumn leaves.

Parent-Teacher Meetings

Thank you to all of you who attended your child’s virtual Parent-Teacher consultation appointment this week. It was great to see a very good level of attendance online. We continue to look forward to the time when we can welcome parents back in to school.

Seesaw

We shared with you a few weeks ago that we were looking into a system that was a better fit for pupils sharing their home learning and for parents communicating with teachers. Seesaw is a system that many schools use successfully to do these tasks. We continue to develop our ambition to train all pupils in P3-P7 to use Microsoft Teams however these accounts are for the exclusive use of the pupils. With Seesaw, parents can communicate with their child’s class teacher in the same way that they have done using OLJ. The system represents much better value for the school meaning that we can direct the money saved to purchasing new learning resources for pupils. More information on Seesaw will be sent to you in the next few weeks. Until then, please use the email address your child’s class teacher has provided you in the most recent class newsletter or the school admin email address.

Calling Any Experienced Football Coaches!

Are you an experienced football coach who would be willing to start a school football team? Our older children would love to be part of a competing school football team but do not yet have a coach. If this is something you have experience of running or you know someone who does, please let us know.

School Houses – Parent Vote

Parents and carers, please give us your views on whether we should reintroduce our school house teams again. To vote, please click here.

Well Done to All These Hardworking Leithers This Week!

Farewell to Robert!

Primary 4 pupils said farewell to Robert Stewart, our long-serving Crossing Patrol Guide last Friday. The school Parent Council gave Robert a trophy for all his hard work over the years and the girls presented Robert with a card signed by all the children at Leith Primary. We all wish Robert a very long and restful retirement and thank him for his cheerful service.