Category: Uncategorized

Well done to everyone for helping to celebrate World Children’s Day last Friday by wearing something blue. The whole school shared what they have been doing this term with their Buddy Class at a special Friday assembly. Each pair of Buddy Classes have been focussing on November’s UNCRC Right of the Month – Article 24: Every child has the right to the best possible health and the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing. Pupils spoke about the healthcare facilities they have access to within their local community such as medical practices, dentists, opticians, hospitals and pharmacies.

Some classes had visits from parents and friends of the school who work in these sectors who spoke about what their job entails. Many thanks to all the guest speakers who shared their knowledge with us.

Welcome to Leith PS Miss Kennedy!

A very warm welcome to our new school administrator, Alex Kennedy, who started with us on Monday. Miss Kennedy is getting to grips with the long list of school systems, routines and procedures and is looking forward to supporting our children, staff and families. I know that you will all give her a great Leith welcome.

Bilingual Parent Morning

Thank you very much to all the parents who were able to attend our session on how best to support children who have English as an additional language. Kim and Maide from the EAL service chatted to parents with the help of translators and ably supported by Mrs Moloney and the pupil Equalities group.

Reminders

• SICKNESS – If your child has sickness or diarrhoea please remember that they must stay off for 48 hours. A few children have been coming back to school sooner than the recommended 48 hours and have passed on these seasonal viruses to classmates meaning we have had quite a few children absent recently with similar symptoms.
• LUNCHES – Please remember to order your child’s lunches the Wednesday before the commencing week. If you order after Wednesday, your child will only receive a baked potato that week as the food is made to order.
• FRIDAYS – Please remember that Fridays are a mandatory part of the school week. A Friday equates to 11% of the school week and is 3/4 of a full day. If your child is absent on a Friday, they miss vital parts of the curriculum including numeracy and literacy lessons. We no longer have Friday assembly or Golden Time so each Friday contains key parts of your child’s learning. Regular Friday absences will result in your child falling behind in their learning and may lead to a referral to the Educational Welfare Service. Every day counts so please ensure you child attends every day including Fridays.
• UNIFORM – All pupils should wear their school sweatshirt/hoodie/colours every day. A few children have been turning up in tracksuits citing PE lessons as the reason. Children are permitted to wear tracksuit bottoms if doing gym but should still wear their school sweatshirt/hoodie to school. Pupils are given the opportunity to change for PE which they should have two or three times per week. Pupils are expected to wear their school jumper five days a week. Thanks for your support with this.

Christmas Plans

Here are some key dates for your diaries for next month in the lead up to Christmas.

• Thu 8^th December – P4 – P7 trip to the Lyceum to see A Christmas Carol – FREE this year thanks to your votes for free trips using the KPE4 funding and funding from LPPC. [P1-P3 will enjoy a free trip to the theatre in the spring]
• Tue 13^th December – Christmas parties in classrooms (PM) Teachers to advise parents next week
• Wed 14^th December – Christmas parties in classrooms (PM) Teachers to advise parents next week
• Thu 15^th December – Christmas Lunch for pupils. Details on how to order have already been shared. Deadline Wednesday 30th November.
• Fri 16^th December – Christmas Jumper Day – wear something festive just for fun.
• Friday 16th December – P1, P2 & P3 trip to Leith Academy for pupil Christmas show (AM)
• Friday 16th December – Parent Council event with Santa’s Grotto in gym hall – 12.30pm onwards
• Mon 19^th December – P1 – P7 trip to St Andrews Parish Church for Christmas Sharing Assembly – 1.45pm – parents and carers welcome
• Tue 20^th December – Christmas Movie Day with early finish @1.00pm (note: pupils are having lunch in school before leaving – soup & sandwich)

A Note From Danni, our school Family Support Worker

With the cost of living and energy crisis really taking hold, many families are feeling financially stretched. I wanted to let you know that we offer a Pantry to all those who have child(ren) who attend Leith Primary every Wednesday 2.30pm -3.30pm in the downstairs infant cloakroom – access to this is via the side door at the alley. This is a warm and welcoming place where you pick which food you think your family would like, and we also have some pre loved clothing free to a new home. There are also other supports in the community so please get in touch if you are struggling and we can do our best to help. 

I wanted to clarify some supports that are in place at local and national levels. Please note eligibility varies for each support. 

• Scottish Child Payment: £25 per week per child. This has now been extended to all children under 16. Please check website for eligibility as it is slightly different than usual, for example, you may not be eligible for Free School Meal but will be eligible for the Scottish Child Payment. Applications can be made here – https://www.mygov.scot/scottish-child-payment

• Scottish Bridging Payment: This will be doubled in December to £260 per child. This benefit is connected to Free School Meals and is an automatic payment. Please be sure you are receiving Free School Meals if you are eligible to receive this payment. Applications and eligibility details for Free School Meals – https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schoolgrants

• Energy Support Scheme: This is a UK wide and every household is eligible. They ways in which you receive your discount depends on whether you are pre-paid, smart meter or monthly. Each provider applies discount different, too. Any questions please contact ChangeWorks – https://www.changeworks.org.uk/

• Warm Home Discount Scheme – Each energy provider should offer a discount to those on low income. Each provider has their own criteria and should be available to access and apply for on their website. 

Contact Details: 07840258304/Danni@citadelyouthcentre.org.uk

e-Scooters

A recent Police Scotland information sheet has highlighted a marked increase in the popularity of e-Scooters. This information sheet seeks to address some questions regarding the legality of their use in public spaces. 

The Department for Transport has issued guidance on the use of “Powered Transporters” (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/powered-transporters/information-sheet-guidance-on-powered-transporters) 

e-Scooters prohibited in public places

Privately owned e-Scooters cannot legally be used in any public place, including on any footpath or cycle tracks.  They can only be used on private land with the consent of the land owner. 

The reason for this is because they do not conform to various road traffic laws, including construction and use regulations that motor vehicles are required to adhere to.  Additionally, as e-Scooters are classified as motor vehicles they are required to have a policy of insurance.

E-scooter use within school grounds

The City of Edinburgh Council has not provided consent for the use of e-Scooters within school grounds. e-Scooters must not therefore be used within school grounds. 

Hazard

Many schools do not permit cycling within the school grounds and will ask cyclists to dismount before entering the site. This is to manage the risk of a cyclist colliding with a pedestrian. A comparable risk exists with e-Scooters, with the potential for them to accelerate quickly placing the operator and user at risk from collision. The fact e-Scooters are quiet and do not present an obvious audible warning also increases this risk. 

If a person rides a personal light electric vehicle, e.g. e-Scooter, in a public place then they are committing an offence and could be charged.  

Control

Pupils and visitors are advised that E-scooters are not permitted to be used on school sites. 

ASD and Enabling Eating

CEC Holiday Club Newsletter

Autumn term has already been jam-packed with learning, activities, visitors and exciting plans.

Many thanks to our Parent Council, LPPC, for putting on the first Halloween Discos in quite a few years. It sounds like everyone had a tremendous spooktacular time.

We enjoyed opening our doors to our prospective August 2023 P1 pupils on November 2nd whilst on the 3rd and 4th, we finally welcomed parents and carers back in to the school for our first in-person Parent Consultations in a long while. Thank you again to everyone who made it along last week to hear about their child’s progress in learning.

Friday 18th November: Wear Something Blue to Mark World Children’s Day

Whilst many will be taking part in the BBC Children in Need day on Friday, this year Leith Primary School has decided to mark World Children’s Day on Friday with a ‘Wear Something Blue Day’.

The Leith Primary School Rights Respecting School Champions (top picture) are working towards achieving the Silver Status Award next spring. In support of this, pupils are invited to dress up in any way they like – so long as they wear something blue.

Children have been learning about the many health services on offer to them within the community of Leith. However not all children in the world have the access to health care that we enjoy. At a special assembly, pupils will share what they have been learning about with their buddy classes.

World Children’s Day is officially celebrated on Sunday 20th November. This year, the main theme is Inclusion for Every Child.

Remembrance Day with a Boy Called Primrose

At assembly this week, pupils learned about a former Leith Academy pupil who attended the same building we now call our primary school. This pupil attracted intrigue initially because of the name on our war memorial on the first floor corridor. A few years ago, some P7 pupils remarked that there was a girl’s name, Primrose Fairweather, on the memorial amongst all the names of fallen male soldiers. With a bit of online research, the pupils discovered that in fact Primrose was the name of a young man who had been called up to fight on the battlefields during World War I. We discovered that Primrose had moved to Leith from Aberdeenshire and had attended Leith Academy before being called to service at the age of twenty. Pupils saw a picture of how one of the classrooms on the second floor would have looked at the time Primrose attended – a very different look from how the classrooms are set up now. Sadly for Primrose, as with all the names on our memorial, he was killed in action in Belgium. His name can be found etched into the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium, along with the thousands of other names who died in through out the Great War. On Friday at 11am, our Primary 7 pupils laid a wreath to remember those who attended our school and who gave their lives for their country.

Calling All Gardeners!

Do you have green fingers or access to a wheelbarrow? We are looking for some volunteers to help Mrs Young and the Eco Committee, clean out the raised planters in the playground and move the new soil from the big bags in the playground to the new beds in readiness for next year’s planting. If you can spare an hour or so on Friday 25th November from around 1pm, please come along to lend a hand. Younger pupils should be accompanied by an adult. P6 and P7 pupils may attend alone with parental permission. Please let the school office know if you can come along.

Equalities Event This Friday: 18th at 11am in Gym Hall

A final reminder that all parents of pupils who have English as an additional language are warmly welcomed to an information and support session this Friday with EAL teachers, Maide Thomas and Kim Almond, and Mrs Moloney, our Principal Teacher and Equalities Lead. If you are interested in how best to support your child with learning English and making the best progress they can at school then this is the session for you. Please let us know in advance if you would like an interpreter to attend this session to support you. We look forward to seeing welcoming you on Friday at 11am.

Na koniec przypominamy, że wszyscy rodzice uczniów, którzy mają angielski jako dodatkowy język, są serdecznie zaproszeni na sesję informacyjną i wsparcia w ten piątek z nauczycielami EAL, Maide Thomas i Kim Almond oraz panią Moloney, naszym głównym nauczycielem i liderem ds. Równości. Jeśli jesteś zainteresowany tym, jak najlepiej wspierać swoje dziecko w nauce języka angielskiego i robieniu jak najlepszych postępów w szkole, to jest to sesja dla Ciebie. Poinformuj nas z wyprzedzeniem, jeśli chcesz, aby tłumacz uczestniczył w tej sesji, aby Cię wesprzeć. Czekamy na powitanie w piątek.

تذكير أخير بأن جميع أولياء أمور التلاميذ الذين لديهم اللغة الإنجليزية كلغة إضافية يتم الترحيب بهم ترحيبا حارا في جلسة إعلامية ودعم يوم الجمعة مع معلمي EAL ، مايد توماس وكيم ألموند ، والسيدة مولوني ، معلمتنا الرئيسية وقائدة المساواة. إذا كنت مهتما بأفضل طريقة لدعم طفلك في تعلم اللغة الإنجليزية وتحقيق أفضل تقدم ممكن في المدرسة ، فهذه هي الجلسة المناسبة لك. يرجى إعلامنا مسبقا إذا كنت ترغب في حضور مترجم فوري لهذه الجلسة لدعمك. نتطلع إلى الترحيب بكم يوم الجمعة.

Останнє нагадування про те, що всі батьки учнів, які мають англійську мову як додаткову мову, тепло вітаються на сесії інформації та підтримки цієї п’ятниці з вчителями EAL, Мейд Томас та Кім Алмонд, та місіс Молоні, нашим головним вчителем та керівником з питань рівності. Якщо вас цікавить, як найкраще підтримати свою дитину у вивченні англійської мови та досягти найкращого прогресу в школі, то це заняття для вас. Будь ласка, повідомте нам заздалегідь, якщо ви хочете, щоб перекладач відвідав цю сесію, щоб підтримати вас. Ми з нетерпінням чекаємо зустрічі з вами в п’ятницю.

ایک حتمی یاد دہانی ہے کہ طالب علموں کے تمام والدین جن کے پاس انگریزی ایک اضافی زبان کے طور پر ہے، اس جمعہ کو ای اے ایل اساتذہ، میڈ تھامس اور کم المنڈ، اور مسز مولونی، ہمارے پرنسپل ٹیچر اور مساوات لیڈ کے ساتھ ایک معلومات اور حمایت سیشن میں گرمجوشی سے استقبال کیا جاتا ہے. اگر آپ اس بات میں دلچسپی رکھتے ہیں کہ انگریزی سیکھنے اور اسکول میں بہترین پیشرفت کرنے کے ساتھ اپنے بچے کی مدد کرنے کے لئے کس طرح بہترین ہے تو یہ آپ کے لئے سیشن ہے. براہ کرم ہمیں پیشگی طور پر بتائیں اگر آپ چاہتے ہیں کہ کوئی مترجم آپ کی مدد کے لئے اس سیشن میں شرکت کرے۔ ہم جمعہ کو آپ کا استقبال کرنے کے منتظر ہیں.

एक अंतिम अनुस्मारक कि एक अतिरिक्त भाषा के रूप में अंग्रेजी रखने वाले विद्यार्थियों के सभी माता-पिता का इस शुक्रवार को ईएएल शिक्षकों, मैदे थॉमस और किम बादाम और श्रीमती मोलोनी, हमारे प्रमुख शिक्षक और समानताओं के नेतृत्व के साथ एक सूचना और समर्थन सत्र में गर्मजोशी से स्वागत किया जाता है। यदि आप इस बात में रुचि रखते हैं कि अंग्रेजी सीखने के साथ अपने बच्चे का समर्थन कैसे करें और स्कूल में सबसे अच्छी प्रगति कर सकें तो यह आपके लिए सत्र है। कृपया हमें पहले से बताएं कि क्या आप चाहते हैं कि आपका समर्थन करने के लिए कोई दुभाषिया इस सत्र में भाग ले। हम शुक्रवार को आपका स्वागत देखने के लिए उत्सुक हैं।

একটি চূড়ান্ত অনুস্মারক যে ছাত্রদের সমস্ত পিতামাতা যারা একটি অতিরিক্ত ভাষা হিসাবে ইংরেজি আছে ইএএল শিক্ষক, মাইডে থমাস এবং কিম আলমন্ড, এবং মিসেস Moloney, আমাদের প্রধান শিক্ষক এবং Equalities সীসা সঙ্গে এই শুক্রবার একটি তথ্য এবং সমর্থন অধিবেশন উষ্ণভাবে স্বাগত জানানো হয়। আপনি যদি আপনার সন্তানকে ইংরেজি শেখার সাথে সর্বোত্তমভাবে সহায়তা করতে এবং স্কুলে তারা যে সর্বোত্তম অগ্রগতি করতে পারে তা নিয়ে আগ্রহী হন তবে এটি আপনার জন্য সেশন। দয়া করে আমাদের আগে থেকে জানান যদি আপনি কোনও দোভাষীকে আপনাকে সমর্থন করার জন্য এই সেশনে উপস্থিত হতে চান। আমরা শুক্রবার আপনাকে স্বাগত জানানোর জন্য উন্মুখ।

Incredible Years Course for Parents

Well Done To Our Hard Working Leithers This Week and Last Week

Kaeem	Primary 1a	Kaeem has been trying extra hard to be a kind member of the class this week. He also made a lovely new friend at our first Buddy Class meeting with the nursery. Well done Kaeem, we’re so proud of you!
Ryan	Primary 1b	Ryan made a fantastic contribution to our RME lessons this week and was able to talk to the class about how he celebrates Diwali. Thank you for being such an enthusiastic and responsible member of our class Ryan!
Esmee	Primary 2	Esmee has been a great learning partner this week.  Esmee is always a helpful and supportive classmate who happily takes on responsibility in the classroom whether it is with her peers or the adults in the school. Esmee is also always ready to learn and share her ideas.  Keep up the good work Esmee.
Ruth	Primary 2/3	Ruth has put a tremendous effort into her writing recently.  She’s worked really hard to use her non-negotiables of capital letters, finger spaces and full stops and also to check that her writing makes sense.  Well done Ruth, you’re doing a great job!
Rayyan	Primary 3	Rayyan for trying so hard in numeracy this morning. He can recognise his numbers confidently. Well done Rayyan!
Fatima	Primary 4a	For her interesting and relevant contributions to our class discussion in Health and Wellbeing this week.
Harry	Primary 4b	Harry is an enthusiastic learner who is always keen to help others. He offers to help me with jobs around the classroom and is happy to help his classmates whenever they are stuck. Thank you, Harry!
N	Primary 5	For excellent creativity inwriting and writing an excellent poem using lots of poetic techniques. Great job 🙂
Alexander	Primary 5/6	Alex for his perseverance when learning a difficult new maths strategy (TUxTU formal method)
Titan	Primary 6	For working really hard with angles in maths and demonstrating his understanding. For being really focused all day on every task. Well done!
Zara C	Primary 7	Zara C had a fantastic spooky story with a beginning, build up, problem, problem-solved and ending.  She included suspense and remembered all of her non-negotiables.  Fantastic work Zara!

Mason	Primary 1a	Mason has had a brilliant week and has been trying particularly hard during phonics time. Well done for all your hard work, Mason!
Maci	Primary 1b	Maci is a very kind and considerate member of our class who always spots the good choices that her classmates make. Maci takes turns, plays fairly and includes everyone in her games. Maci, you are a star!
Korra	Primary 2	Korra created a fantastic menu for our bakery and cafe this week.  She took her time to illustrate it and write it out making sure it was her best work. Well done, Korra. Keep up the good work.
Benji	Primary 2/3	Benji has worked really hard to focus and listen very well at the start of activities.  He is also more focused on the carpet and shares his ideas much more too.  Well done Benji, you’re doing a great job!
Layla	Primary 3	Layla for being such a good listener and always trying her best in class. She has made me feel very welcome on my first week back to work
Ala	Primary 4b	Ala is a polite member of the class who shows kindness to others. She shows respect towards her classmates and is eager to help others. Thank you for being so kind, Ala!
Alexander	Primary 5	Alexander has been very kind, helpful and supportive of his friends. He has helped and supported when needed, he has done this without being asked to and just noticed who needs help. Well done 👍
Gary	Primary 5/6	For his fantastic ‘design an animal’ literacy starter task.
Erin	Primary 6	Erin for being kind and inclusive to other classmates and for working out ways to help them by problem solving, well done Erin.
Lewis	Primary 7	Lewis is always engaged in class discussion and expresses himself confidently.  This week he asked the solicitor who visited P7 some great questions and showed fantastic active listening.

Thank you to everyone for making this a very positive and productive start back to the session. This week, we started our Buddy Class work again. Pupils will be learning about the UN Sustainable Development Goals with their buddies, starting with Goal 3, Good Health and Wellbeing. This week, we also had our first Pupil Parliament session. The Pupil Council used De Bono’s Thinking Hats to gather pupils’ ideas for the school playground which they summarised at assembly on Thursday. Also on Thursday, our Pupil Equalities Group spoke about Black History Month, which we celebrate in October. We look forward to seeing everyone back again next term on Wednesday 26th October.

Well Done to This Week’s Hard Working Pupils

Clova	P1b	Clova was in the Recogntion Book for being an incredibly kind and helpful member of the class
Arthur	P1a	Arthur is a kind and hard working member of our class. Well done!
Tabitha	Primary 2/3	Tabitha has done an amazing job in her new reading group!  She is taking her time to sound out unfamiliar words slowly and is growing in confidence every day.  Well done Tabitha, you’re doing a great job!
Emma	Primary 2	Emma has been a star learning this week – well done!
Ibra	Primary 3	For working very hard and being very helpful in class.
Jamie	Primary 4a	Jamie has made splendid efforts to focus on his learning and follow the school rules. Keep up the good work Jamie!
Kieran	Primary 4a	Kieran was very helpful in the playground, volunteering to clear up sand which he did very responsibly. Thank youKieran!
Troy	Primary 4b	Troy set an amazing example of how to behave while on a school trip. He was a super team player and was very sensible when walking to and from the rugby club. Well done Troy!
Maya	Primary 5	Maya is very supportive, respectful and organised. She always tries her best and aims to achieve as much as possible. Well done Maya 🙂
Alfie	Primary 5/6	Alfie has worked well as part of a team/group in class and with Miss Richards this week.
Stanley	Primary 6	For his mature attitude to learning, he always tries his best and listens carefully to instructions. Well done Stanley, What a great class member!
Iman	Primary 7	Iman has been working very hard in maths this week. Well done.

Well done to Rubi-Anne, who received perhaps one of the last ever letters from the late Queen, thanking her for her Platinum Jubilee wishes in the summer. Rubi wrote her letter along with the Brownies from her Brownie Pack, who each received a letter and card of thanks.

ELOSCN Breakfast Club Starts on 26th October

We are delighted to tell you that ELOSCN, our new breakfast club provider, will be open again from Wednesday 26th October. If you are interested in enrolling your child at breakfast club, please complete the registration form here: Leith Primary Breakfast Club Registration Link

The Big Vote – The Results

Many thanks to everyone who took time to vote for their preferred use of the charitable trust funding the school receives. There was shared agreement amongst everyone that class trips should be prioritised. Free activity groups for pupils, support for residential trips, school uniform help and support for sensory needs were also voted for in high numbers and will receive a proportion of the funding.

Healthy Leith – We Need Your Help!

We are looking forward to reintroducing our buddy class activities again this session. This year, our buddy classes are focussing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals as part of the school’s work towards being accredited as a Silver Level Rights Respecting School. In October and November, classes will be focussed on Goal 3, Good Health & Wellbeing. As part of this, we would like to invite any parent or carer involved in the health care industry to get in touch if they would like to talk for a few minutes with their child’s class about their job. Alternatively, they could send in a short video or some photos of what they do at work. For those not involved in working in health care, we would love for pupils and parents to send in photographs of their local dental practice, medical practice, pharmacist, optician, physiotherapist etc as we would like to create a map of all the health care services within the community of Leith. Please get in touch via the admin@leith-pri.edin.sch.uk if you would like to join in and help.

Free Hibs Family Tickets for Home Games

Our friends and partners at Hibernian Football Club have very generously offered to donate free family tickets (2 children, 2 adults) for each home game this season to Leith Primary School families who might struggle to attend the games due to the cost of living crisis. All you have to do, is note your interest on this Form and we will pick out at random one family to receive the family tickets. Please note, that at least one child must attend with two adults to be eligible. Submissions close on Friday 14th October at 12 noon. Good Luck!

Leith Primary School Receives Sport Scotland Bronze Award

We are delighted to announce our recognition at Bronze level of the school’s commitment to delivering high quality health and fitness opportunities to children of all ages. This also marks the start of our journey to receive our Sport Scotland Silver Award status. We look forward to updating you on our progress over the next few months.

School Administrator Status

Thank you for your understanding as we move through the process of recruiting a new school administrator. As you may know, there is a city-wide backlog of recruitment tasks to clear within the council however, we are near the point of closing our advert and hope to interview within the next few weeks. We thank you for your patience and understanding around matters relating to Parent Pay, school attendance and general school administration which are taking longer than usual. We do check voicemail and the school admin email inbox regularly so please send any queries here and we will try our best to get back in touch to help.

Recognition Book Names – Well done everyone!

Manvir	Primary 1a	Manvir has been trying really hard this week to be a kind friend. He made some beautiful artwork for a friend and is also remembering to use lovely manners. Well done Manvir!
William	P1b	William is always ready to learn and loves to be challenged with new learning every day. He makes thoughtful contributions during teaching time and shows respect to others by listening carefully to their ideas. Well done, William!
Ayda	Primary 2	Ayda has been a excellent team-mate this week. She has been supporting her classmates to use their indoor voices in class. Ayda has also been a great role model for her classmates by being ready to learn on the carpet and doing fantastic lining up.  Keep up the good work Ayda.
Yat Yat	Primary 2/3	Yat Yat is always ready to learn!  He has a positive mind-set and tries his best at every activity.  Well done Yat Yat, you’re an inspiration to your classmates!
Archie	Primary 3	For coming into the line every morning.
Darcy	Primary 4a	Darcy persevered with some very tricky numeracy work and showed a growth mindset. Well done Darcy!
Kaleb	Primary 4b	Kaleb worked really hard on creating a notice for our class noticeboard this week. He also took his line leading duties very seriously and set a super example for the rest of the class. Keep it up, Kaleb!
Seren	Primary 5	Seren has been very organised, supportive and inclusive towards all her class mates. She sets a good example and shows the school values of Kindness, Perseverance and Responsibility.
Jack	Primary 5/6	Jack for his hard work in literacy on Tuesday.  He wrote lots of great sentences in spelling and for our VCOP starter.  He also worked well for Mrs Watson.
Amber	Primary 6	For always following the school rules – ready respectful and safe – and for her excellent attitude towards her learning. She is always keen to push herself and gives 100&% effort to every task. She is a wonderful example to others. Well done Amber!
Ashaz	Primary 7	Ashaz worked hard on his autobiography this week using descriptive words and commas in a list.  Well done!

We are delighted to share the first edition of the new Parents Mind Well Roundup This quarterly newsletter shares the latest mental health news, activities and support available for children, young people, and their parents and carers in Edinburgh. All of the new Parents Mind Well support sessions will be listed in each edition. The newsletter will be sent by VOCAL (Voice of Carers Across Lothian) and parents who still wish to, can sign up by visiting the following page on their newsletter platform: Sign up to receive the Parents Mind Well Roundup newsletter

You will see in the Roundup, information about or next Parents Mind Well Sessions. These sessions have been planned in partnership with VOCAL, Health in Mind and The City of Edinburgh Council Parent and Carer Support Team. They provide an opportunity for parents and carers who are caring for a child or young person with emotional or mental health issues to meet other parents and supportive professionals in a safe and relaxed environment. Please note these sessions are for parents and carers not professionals.

• An introduction to eating disorders (Mon 10 Oct, 7pm – 8.30pm, Online). Delivered by the NHS Lothian Eating Disorder Development Team, learn about eating disorders in adolescents and gain information on the supports available. Register on VOCAL’s website. 

• Family conflict – reflect and respond (Fri 11 Nov, 9.30am – 11am, Online). Delivered by Scottish Centre of Conflict Resolution. Reflect on your relationship with your pre-teen/teenager, explore triggers that can escalate difficult situations, understand how emotions drive behaviours and gain insight into managing responses to relationship conflict. Register on VOCAL’s website.

• Emotional wellbeing for parents (Mon 5 Dec, 7pm – 8.30pm, Online). This session from Health in Mind and VOCAL will help you consider the impact of caring for a young person experiencing mental health difficulties on your own mental health and explore techniques which can enhance your emotional wellbeing. Register on VOCAL’s website.

Open Classroom – Meet the Teacher

Thank you to everyone who was able to make the Meet the Teacher event today. We had a brilliant turn out from every class. It was such a wonderful sight to have our parents and carers back in the building again talking about learning and finding out a bit about what happens at school. Our next whole school event will be Parent-Teacher Consultations on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th November. The booking link will be sent out in the next few weeks.

Funding Suggestions – The Big Vote on Tuesday

Another big thank you to everyone who took the time to share their brilliant ideas for how we should spend the £20,000 gifted to Leith Primary School from a local charitable trust. We have now consulted with all pupils, parents and staff and are ready to take the best suggestions to a big vote on Tuesday 20th September. Parents and staff will be sent a link to a voting form. Voting will be open from 8.30am – 6pm. Pupils will vote on a paper form. We will announce the final results of The Big Vote next Friday. We hope that all our parents and carers will take part in this important piece of participatory budgeting.

Financial Support – What We Offer Already

Some of the excellent suggestions from our parents mentioned a few things that the school already currently offers pupils and families. Here is a brief summary of how we can help:

• Free school uniform/school sweatshirts/school bag/ gym kit for those who need them
• Free healthy snack/breakfast items for those who need them
• Free winter jacket and school shoes
• (Previously and hopefully coming back soon again) fully funded places at our breakfast club for those who need them
• Cycling proficiency lessons for all children with access to free bikes to borrow
• Heavily discounted places for residential trips for older pupils and funding to buy appropriate clothing
• Free Christmas packages with toys and food hampers for families this would help
• Free financial support and support with housing issues
• Coming: Free School Meals for Nursery to P7
• Free weekly food bank, The Leith Primary Pantry, for anyone who needs this
• Referral to the local Leith food bank
• Support to apply for a free child bus pass (all children in Edinburgh are eligible)

We are committed to reducing or eliminating the cost of the school day for as many families as we can. Ideally, we would love to have universal supports to reduce any stigma and where we can do this, we will. We are aware how many of our families, including working families, are already financially stretched and facing uncertainty with the cost of utility bills. As a school, we cannot pretend that we will be able to support you directly with household bills but we can plan to take away as many school related costs as possible. And if you are worried about your money and bills, we can refer you to our partners at Maximise, who have full time money advice workers ready to support you with these concerns. Please just let us know how we can help you and your family.

In This Week’s Recognition Book…

Anton	Primary 2/3	Anton is developing his attitude to learning and has listened and focused well on his tasks this week.  Well done Anton, you can do it!
Jayden	Primary 3	Jayden works hard, sets a good example to others and is helpful to all his classmates. Well done Jayden!
Noor	P4a	Well done to Noor who showed great confidence speaking to one of her class teachers – keep that great work up, Noor!
Diego	Primary 4b	Diego is always one of the first people to show me he is read to learn every morning. He moves around the school sensibly, safely and silently and is always very polite towards other people around the school by holding doors for them. Well done, Diego!
Hakeem	Primary 5	Hakeem has been taking doing his work and trying his best – Great job! He has also been very helpful to both Miss Christensen and his classmates helping organise devices and solve ICT issues 🙂
Nico	Primary 5/6	Nico is in the recognition book for his ‘What Makes a Good Friend?’ HWB task which he put a huge amount of effort in to.
Jude	Primary 6	Well done to Jude for making great progress in his reading this week. Keep up the super attitude to your learning, Jude!
Mya	Primary 7	Mya has had some fantastic ideas for our Mock Court project.  She has shown enthusiasm, taken in lots of information and come up with creative ideas on how we can win our case.

Don’t Forget!

Remember that we are all off school on Monday which is now a national day of mourning for the late Queen’s funeral. All pupils and staff return as usual at 8.50am on Tuesday 20th September. Have a lovely weekend!

The school was blessed by ninety minutes of beautiful of early Autumn weather for our annual One Planet Picnic before the heavens eventually opened! One Planet Picnic celebrates locally produced, seasonal healthy produce that avoids unnecessary transportation or over-processing. Pupils enjoyed a range of fruits, vegetables and grain and dairy-based foods with their classmates. The picnic coincided with the Harvest Festival this Sunday, which recognises the work of farmers and food producers and gives thanks for a healthy harvest.

Open Classroom/ Meet the Teacher

Parents are warmly invited to attend their first visit of the session to their child’s classroom this Thursday and Friday. Please see times below.

Class	Day	Times
P1a	Friday	8.50am – 9.30am
P1b	Friday	8.50am – 9.30am
P2	Friday	11.20am – 12.00pm
P2/3	Thursday	2.20pm – 3.00pm
P3	Friday	11.45am – 12.25pm
P4a	Friday	9.50am – 10.35am
P4b	Friday	11.45am – 12.25pm
P5	Friday	11.45am – 12.25pm
P5/6	Friday	11.45am – 12.25pm
P6	Friday	11.45am – 12.25pm
P7	Friday	9.50am – 10.35am

This will be an informal opportunity to see your child’s classroom, meet their class teacher and pupil support assistant, take part in a short, fun activity with your child and find out anything you would like to know about the focus of the learning this term.

New Funding – Have Your Say

Leith Primary School is very lucky to have been chosen as the recipient of an ongoing yearly fund of £20,000 from the KPE4 Charitable Trust. The trust gives funding to a handful of schools and organisations across Edinburgh to support improving the lives of people growing up in these neighbourhoods.

The overarching goal of the funding is to increase the proportion of people growing up in deprived areas of North Edinburgh to live fulfilling lives with a positive impact on society.

Other schools have used their money to support costs such asschool camp, cultural trips and/or additional pupil support (language, learning, mental health, as well as any emergency needs that may arise (e.g.Christmas gifts, winter jackets, food).

Our Primary 7s have suggested ideas such as free trips, free school uniform, free after school clubs.

We will take the best ideas and put them to a stakeholder vote so that the decision is a shared one amongst our school community.

We would like to gather initial ideas and suggestions from our parents and carers.

Please follow this link to complete this form here or by using the QR code.

Entries will close on Friday 16th September 2022.

Thank you for your input.

Look On The Bright Side

Our Building Resilience focus this term is Look on the Bright Side. Perhaps this is a skill needed now more than ever in the context of a challenging world. For those of you interested in learning more about changing your perspective, have a look at the following:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/how-happiness/201303/7-myths-about-happiness-we-need-stop-believing

Recognition Book Names

Nathan	Primary 2/3	Nathan has shown fantastic listening skills since the beginning of term.  He puts his hand up to say what he thinks in class or group activities and is always ready to learn!  Well done Nathan, your classmates are learning super listening skills from you!
Keira	Primary 3	For always listening well and being kind.
Ruth	Primary 4a	Ruth is a respectful and polite pupil who is always ready to follow instructions. She tries to achieve her best work with every task that she attempts. What a great role model for the rest of the class!
Mati	Primary 4b	Mati has shown he is ready to learn this week. He tries his best in all aspects of his school work and has been challenging himself in maths. He is also a very helpful member of the class. Great job, Mati!
Kade	Primary 5	Kade took part in our One Planet Picnic. He took turns and followed instructions very well when making both shortbread and overnight oats. Well done 🙂
Osh	Primary 5/6	Osh has shown me that he can complete very challenging place value tasks using large numbers this week.  He has grown in confidence and required little support!
Louis	Primary 6	Louis is in the Recognition Book for the excellent start he has made at Leith Primary. He always follows the school rules of ready, respectful and safe. He sets a great example for his classmates. Well done Louis!
Lucy	Primary 7	Lucy has been persevering in Literacy and making small steps each day.  Well done Lucy!

https://forms.office.com/r/FQQ9dhZm7h

https://forms.office.com/r/FQQ9dhZm7h

What a great first month back. Our classes are settling back into the flow of the day and showing us how determined and creative they are. We are looking forward to sharing our learning with you in a range of opportunities this session, including online. Many of you would like to hear more about how and what your child is learning in school so you can support their progress at home. Our first in-school event will be Meet the Teacher on or around Friday 16th September. Details to come. It will be great to finally have our parents and carers back in the building.

Individual Photos

LPPC have again kindly arranged our individual pupil photos to be taken on Monday 26th September. Sibling groups will happen on the morning of Tuesday 27th September. All pupils will be expected to wear school colours on this day or will be provided with a school sweatshirt for the photo.

Form Returns

If you have not yet returned your child’s flu vaccination permission form, please do so ASAP. We also require the photo permission and yellow KIC Forms to be returned with the annual data check. If you still need to complete these, we thank you for giving them your immediate attention. Please ask us if you would like support with any part of completing these forms.

Pre-Loved School Clothes

Many thanks to those of you who have handed in new and pre-loved items of clothing to the school. Some of these can be used for children who have accidents during the day. The rest will be taken down to the Pantry to be taken or used as you need. The rail of jackets at the main entrance will be sorted through and the majority taken to a local charity shop.

As ever, please can you ensure all your child’s clothes are labelled with their name so we can take them back when found. A huge number of clothing items are left strewn around the school each term and without names on them, it becomes very difficult to return them to their owners. We do not want families in incur additional costs at this time so would really appreciate your support with labelling garments.

Leith Primary Food Pantry

A reminder that our weekly food Pantry continues on Wednesdays from 2.30-3.30pm from the entrance at the right-hand side of the main building. Danni, our Family Support Worker will be there to help and advise anyone who needs further support.

Ukrainian Language – Club Клуб української мови

Pupils are invited to Join Mr Stewart and Ms Craig on Mondays in Room 7 at 1.45pm (lunchtime) to chat in Ukrainian or to find out a bit more about the country and customs of Ukraine. Ukrainian speakers can come along to chat to friends and non-speakers can come along to learn a few words and ask questions about life and school in Ukraine. We look forward to seeing you there!

Учням пропонується приєднатися до пана Стюарта по понеділках у кімнаті 7 о 13.45, щоб поспілкуватися українською мовою або дізнатися трохи більше про країну та звичаї України. Українські спікери можуть прийти в чат до друзів, а не спікери можуть прийти, щоб вивчити кілька слів і задати питання про життя та школу в Україні. Ми з нетерпінням чекаємо вас там!

Singing Club

P5-P7 pupils are invited along to The Loft on Wednesday lunchtimes from 1pm to join our singing club. Come along to sing your favourite chart or Disney hits. The group are also running a competition to design a logo for the club. Anyone can take part in this. The winning logo will feature on Singing Club Posters. Submit your designs to class teachers on a sheet of A4. Good luck!

Seasons for Growth

Mrs Richards from The Loft will be starting up a new Seasons for Growth group this term. Seasons for Growth looks at loss and grief and coping with difficult emotions connected to losing someone very important in your life. Children who would be suitable for this may have lost a parent through estrangement, separation, divorce or death. They may have lost an important caregiver in their life such as a grandparent or close aunty or uncle. There may be another kind of loss they are experiencing and find it difficult to accept or understand. Seasons for Growth is a self-nominated group so any pupils who are interested, should tell their class teacher who will pass names on to Mrs Richards.

What You Said

Thank you to everyone who took a few minutes to complete the end of session survey last term. Steph Mason, mum of Grace (P6) wins the Tesco voucher. Congratulations!

The survey response was a tiny snapshot of views from parents (14%). From those who did respond, 91% told us that their child enjoys learning at Leith Primary School. 77% feel that their child is making good progress in their learning. 75% of you believe that your child has opportunities to be a part of clubs and groups. 77% of you feel that the school informs you about parenting support groups. However, 52% feel that the school does not inform you enough about your child’s learning progress and 25% feel that the school does not have the resources it needs to deliver a high quality education for its pupils.

We are keen to look at other ways of gathering views from our families this year and welcome suggestions from parents on how best to do this.

What They Said

Congratulations to Steven Martin (P7) who won the logo competition for our new school vision, Believe, Persevere, Achieve. Steven’s logo, which was created on a school iPad, will be added to letterheads, staff email signatures and school display materials.

Well done Steven!

Before the summer, our pupils also had the opportunity to tell us their views about the school. Some of the results were shared at our Thursday assembly this week. 83% of pupils feel that they are aware of their rights and that they show respect for others’ rights. 77% believe that Leith Primary is a welcoming school and everyone has the chance to make friends. 89% of pupils feel that they are being well supported to develop their digital skills in learning. However 14% tell us that they do not feel safe in the playground. 15% feel that adults do not tell them when they have done something well in class. 25% shared that they do not have a say in what or how they learn.

We will continue to take on board all views from parents, pupils and staff and reflect that in our plans to make things better for all.

Welcome Picnic

Thank you to LPPC for organising a wonderful Welcome Picnic for our families. It was lovely to see so many families on the Links enjoying the sunshine.

Recognition Book

Well done to the following children this week: Sarvesh, Jakob, Lucia, Sophie, Lucia, Scarlett, Grace, Oran, Daniel. Great work!