Proud to represent and serve the diverse area of South Leith in Edinburgh
A picture of the girls after breakfast this morning. Due to wind and rain, the group were going gorge walking this morning and trying out their skills on the dry ski slope this afternoon.
ETA updates will be texted to parents later on this afternoon.
Time on the snowy slopes this morning followed by dinner and movie this evening.
The crew made it up safely and have collected their skiing gear for tomorrow. Some interesting sights were observed during the bed making session! Dinner, nightline, hot chocolate and a big sing song before bed. All well and in great spirits.
There has been some great learning happening so far this term. Here are some highlights:
Primary 1a
We have been learning about freezing and melting and decided to make our own ice cream. We tried this intially using school milk cartons but unfortunately it didn’t work for us as we needed to use whole milk rather than semi skimmed. We tried again and managed to successfully make vanilla ice cream in a bag! It was interesting to see the milk slowly freeze into ice cream as we shook the bag.
We also had Nicola from Trinity House this afternoon to tell us stories about maritime Leith! We jumped aboard her ship and sung songs together. We learned about the expedition to the Antarctic that docked in Leith and found out that penguins were brought to the Edinburgh zoo over 100 years ago from this expedition! We even got a cuddle from her penguin cuddly toy and a look through her telescope.
Primary 1a and Primary 4 Buddy Class Time
All classes were given the opportunity to meet up with their buddy class and enjoy some ceilidh dancing with Ceilidh Kids to celebrate Burns Day. These are some pictures of Primary 4s having fun with their P1a buddies.
Primary 5
P5 have been making Islands of Personality for mental health week.
Primary 7
P7A and P7B have been investigating earthquake proof buildings as part of our IDL topic on Natural Disasters. Here they are in action trialling different structures to discover which is most effective against an earthquake.
P7 a and P7b have enjoyed exploring their listening skills through the Edinburgh festival workshop exploring music and sound. They also learned and experimented with renewable energy with a visit from Generation Science.
Pupils across the school have been learning about how to stay safe online as part of this years’ Internet Safety Day which falls on 11th February. This year’s theme is ‘Too Good to Be True?’ which highlights scams and phishing. It was alarming to see the large number of pupils who could talk about a time when they had been encouraged to give their details to a strange source via gaming platforms, group chats and social media accounts. Most P3-P7 children were familiar with ‘pop ups’ on websites that request email details in order to access the main site or are promised free gifts if personal details are entered. Most pupils were confident about knowing to tell an adult if they were unsure about something and many spoke about only accessing games off line. Parents and carers who would like to know more about keeping their children safe online should go to the CEOP website: https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/parents/
This year’s Mental Health Week focussed on developing resilience by recognising and understanding our emotions. This year, Place 2 Be, the charity that started Children’s Mental Health Week ten years ago, linked in with the Pixar film, Inside Out 2. Pupils ended the week with a Dress to Express Day on Friday. It was lovely to see so many different types of outfits on display! You can find out more about Children’s Mental Health Week here: https://www.place2be.org.uk/about-us/childrens-mental-health-week/
Many of the Active Schools sports sessions have a fewer than usual number of sign ups this session. The Leith Primary School community took the decision some years ago to reduce the expectation of regular more traditional homework in favour of encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and to take up wider interest opportunities including youth clubs and sports which develop other aspects of a child’s learning and personality. The relaunch of the JASS programme last year at Leith Primary, recognises pupils achievements in sports, hobbies and outdoor education for children in P3 to P7. We feel it is especially important that all our pupils’ skills, talents and interests are nurtured and celebrated, not just their academic achievements. It is more important now than ever for children to be supported to develop new interests and a healthy, active lifestyle as a generation that is increasingly drawn into addictive online gaming platforms, social media and being indoors, which we know negatively impacts children’s mental health.
All the clubs run by Active Schools and by us at Leith Primary are free to all pupils. Children who attend CLASP will be brought back after their session if it is one held at Leith Academy. We are happy to support pupils to get to Leith Academy if this is a barrier to them joining, please let us know. Some of clubs are held during lunchtime, such as Mr Egae’s basketball club and Ms Downie’s girls football sessions, which makes attending even easier. Get in touch with Aidan Haughey if you wish to discuss anything further.
Here is the Active Schools brochure for this term:
And if you are happy to venture further afield, here are the details of clubs across the North East of the city:
We have a brilliant team of Lost & Found leaders at Leith Primary School. Our P7 prefects Kieran and Mario manage the day-to-day lost items and the Lost Property box which is stored outside our main office and put at the bottom of the main steps on Fridays. Their job is made much easier by items that are labelled with children’s names and classes. These items are usually returned very quickly back to their owners. Meanwhile, Mrs Thomas and Mrs Elbekhti clean and sort through items that are never collected by anyone and add them to either one of our pre-loved rails or to one of the local charity shops. In a final bid to reunite items to their rightful owners, we have taken photos of some of the un-named items left behind since January. Please let us know if you recognise any of them.
It’s a bumper review of all our nominated Leithers of the past few weeks, all of whom have displayed one or more of our school values, Kindness, Perseverance, Responsibility or have exemplified our school vision: Believe. Persevere, Achieve! Every one a star of Leith.
| Aria | Primary 1a | Aria has been working hard with her writing this week both during phonic sessions and in her play to share her thoughts and ideas. She tries her best to sound out words and write them independently. Well done, Aria! |
| Otis | Primary 1a | Otis has been keen to share his learning from home and in school with the class. He is proud of his achievements and speaks in a clear, loud voice. Well done, Otis! |
| Eric | Primary 1a | Eric has made fantastic contributions to our class discussions this week! He is keen to share his knowledge with others and asks lots of interesting questions. Keep it up, Eric! |
| Coby | Primary 1a | Coby has been persevering in phonics this week! Even though he sometimes finds it tricky, he has been working hard on writing his sentences which is reflected in his weekly writing in class. Great job, Coby! |
| Oisin | Primary 1b | Oisin for his super writing and persevering with his letter formation this week. Oisin wrote about his new years resolution and drew a lovely detailed picture. Well done Oisin! |
| Nathan | Primary 1b | Nathan has been trying really hard in phonics this week. He has been listening and concentrating during our group work and persevering to write his initial sounds. Well done Nathan – we are really proud of your hard work! |
| Bradley | Primary 1b | Bradley has been trying very hard during his writing this week, sounding the words out and remembering the letter formation. He wrote some Scottish words we had learned for Burns week and drew fantastic detailed pictures. Well done Bradley |
| Khalari | Primary 1b | Khalari has tried really hard with his writing this week – particularly writing his name. He has persevered every morning to practise this and can now write his 1st and 2nd name independently. Well done Khalari, we are really proud of your effort and determination. |
| Eyad | Primary 2a | Eyad has started this term with a great attitude and has made super choices to line up quickly, move about the school sensibly, safely and silently and listen to instructions. Well done Eyad, we’re so proud of you! |
| Louis | Primary 2a | Louis has been demonstrating his classroom responsibilities this week and has has been an excellent line leader. He’s lined up on time for break and lunch and has walked sensibly, safely, and silently around the school. Well done Louis, you’re a good example to your classmates! |
| Brodie | Primary 2a | Brodie has made fantastic progress in numeracy and has used what he knows about counting in 2s and addition of 2 digit numbers, to help him share larger numbers of objects into equal groups. He’s made such great progress that he can solve more challenging division problems and can also use his skills to help others. Amazing work Brodie! |
| Miles | Primary 2b | Miles has been working really hard on developing his ability to write independently. He has been writing stories on his own, persevering to spell unknown words and coming up with creative ideas. |
| Austin | Primary 2b | Austin has shown great dedication to uplevelling his work in his writing jotter. He has been revisiting pages and making sure his work is of the highest possible standard. Well done Austin, your jotter looks amazing! |
| Zite | Primary 2b | Zite is a joy to have in our class. He always tries his best and does everything with a smile on his face. |
| Eevie | Primary 2b | Eevie has been completing work to a high standard independently. She has completed some exciting pieces of writing and brilliant pieces of numeracy work too. |
| Heidi | Primary 3 | You have been showing great kindness when working with others. You are working so hard in your reading too and challenging yourself every day. You should be very proud of all that you have achieved! |
| Ameli | Primary 3 | You have been persevering in your reading and it is paying off. It’s brilliant to hear you reading with such confidence and I’m so proud of you. Keep it up! |
| Lori | Primary 3 | You have been working so hard in your reading and me and Mrs Ciechanowicz are so pleased to see you reading with confidence. You are also always such a kind and considerate classmate and you always look out for your friends in P3! |
| Talia | Primary 3 | You have been a very kind pupil this week and have made Mr Lamb feel very welcome. You have represented Leith Primary very well this week. |
| Iris | Primary 3 | You have persevering in your Maths and showing kindness to your classmates, making sure they all feel included and encouraged to achieve. |
| Emily | Primary 3/4 | Emily, you have had a great start to the new term! You have been so enthusiastic, kind and helpful Thank you for bringing lots of positive and happy vibes into the new year! |
| Marya | Primary 3/4 | Marya has been working very hard to become more confident with writing her sentences. She always has a positive mindset and never gives up! |
| Matthew | Primary 3/4 | Matthew you are becoming much more confident within yourself in the classroom and I have been so impressed with your literacy learning this past week. Well done! |
| Balques | Primary 3/4 | Balques, you are growing in confidence in all your learning and we are so impressed by how happy you are in everything you do in school. We love your cheery smile and energy! |
| Najah | Primary 3/4 | Najah always has a smile on her face and such a positive attitude towards her learning. She has been working incredibly hard in literacy and numeracy and her confidence is soaring! Well done Najah- keep it up! |
| Elijah | Primary 4 | Elijah has shown perseverance and determination in Maths this week. Well done! |
| Bella | Primary 4 | Bella has worked well in Maths this week, showing confidence and skill when working with arrays. Well done! |
| Ivy | Primary 4 | Ivy showed great teamwork this week during cooperative learning. Well done! |
| Finlay | Primary 4 | Finlay has shown worked hard and persevered in Maths this week. Well done! |
| Kasey | Primary 4 | Kasey has shown kindness and responsibility supporting others this week. Well done! |
| Mamadou | Primary 5 | Miss Wilson noticed Mamadou persevering and trying really hard in writing this week, using lots of great adjectives. Well done! |
| Layla | Primary 5 | Layla has been making an extra effort to show that she is ready to learn and ready to listen. Keep it up, Layla! |
| Archie | Primary 5 | Archie has been trying particularly hard in all areas of his learning this week. He was also a focused and enthusiastic participant during our Generation Science workshop. Well done Archie! |
| Meera | Primary 5 | Meera has an excellent attitude towards her learning and produced a fantastic report about the respiratory system this week. Well done Meera! |
| Kieran and Jamie | Primary 5/6 | Kieran for last week as I forgot to send it – Working really hard on his fractions of an amount work and using short division to achieve this. Jamie for this week – for persevering with his writing when he found it difficult and working independently. |
| Henry | Primary 5/6 | for showing understanding of the differences between democracy and dictatorships and collaborating well with the peers in his class. |
| Mirhir | Primary 5/6 | For his understanding in Science when looking at pH scales with Generation Science and for working collaboratively and explaining the experiments to his peers. |
| Aaron | Primary 5/6 | For excellent concentration and following instructions on Mondrian art task |
| Cooper | Primary 6 | For being a role model for the school values, responsible and kind. |
| Erin | Primary 6 | For persevering and working really hard on his reading and writing. |
| Harry | Primary 6 | Showing his kindness by helping and encouraging our P2 buddies. |
| Lucia | Primary 6 | Lucia is a finalist in the Green Pencil Award – a fantastic achievement! Well done to her and the whole P6 class for their hard work and perseverance. Congratulations! |
| Elle | Primary 6 | For persevering on her work and showing her drawing skills while helping others. |
| Alfie | Primary 7a | For being recognised for his hard work in violin. Alfie is working really hard. Well done! |
| Anya | Primary 7a | For sharing insightful ideas during our Art of Listening trip and for representing our school positively. |
| Andrew | Primary 7a | For supporting other people during PE and demonstrating his fantastic gymnastic skills. |
| Nina | Primary 7a | At generation science Nina showed a good use of questioning and a trial and error approach to improve their design. |
| Ricardo | Primary 7a | Ricardo is motivated to improve his literacy skills and has shown a positive attitude towards any challenges he faces. Well done Ricardo! |
| Marley | Primary 7b | For being kind, welcoming and supportive to new people joining the school. Well done |
| Struan | Primary 7b | For showing great focus and challenging himself during writing. |
| Coryn | Primary 7b | For showing good team working skills and challenging herself. |
| Maya S | Primary 7b | Maya has been taking active part in all lessons. She has been challenging herself to share her answers more and doing her best. Well done. |
| Kieran | Primary 7b | Kieran has been working very hard in all subjects. He has also been writing his own story which has excellent use of descriptive language and interesting descriptions. |
You only have a couple of days left to vote for our Leith Primary Parent Council, LPPC, who are trying to raise funds to extend our Trim Trail – a community resource that is enjoyed by our own pupils as well as the after-school club CLASP and the local community at all times of the year. Please use your vote to vote for LPPC and consider using one of the other votes for our long-time partners, The Citadel, for their Intergenerational Project. Time is running out so if you have not already done so, please vote NOW! The vote closes this Monday. https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/leithchooses2025/
Dear Parent and Carers
You will be aware that the Met Office has issued a red weather warning for wind from 10am to 5pm on Friday 24th January. Further information can be found below:-
Areas affected: Central, Tayside & Fife | SW Scotland, Lothian Borders | Strathclyde
Very strong winds associated with Storm Éowyn causing very dangerous conditions and significant disruption on Friday – Flying debris resulting in danger to life – Very dangerous driving conditions with fallen trees on roads – Damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down – Roads, bridges and railway lines closed, with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights – Power cuts affecting other services, such as mobile phone coverage – Large
waves and beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and homes
This Red weather warning will be preceded and followed with Amber weather warnings amber weather warning for wind for Friday 24 January from:
As always, the safety of our young people, families and staff teams is paramount. In light of this, the decision has been taken to close all schools and early years settings. This is in alignment with other Local Authorities both regionally and nationally. This will include out of school childcare.
We appreciate that this will have childcare implications for many of our families so we have tried to provide as much notice as possible. Head teachers and Heads of Centre will communicate with parents and carers about local arrangements regarding accessing learning at home.
With sincere thanks for your understanding.
Jackie Reid
Service Director for Education and Chief Education Office
Happy New Year! سنة جديدة سعيدة শুভ নববর্ষ नववर्ष की शुभकामनाएँ Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku An Nou Fericit З Новим роком نيا سال مبارک
Here are the citywide Teen Triple P Parenting group opportunities that will be running January – March 2025. Group sessions run during term time therefore no group during February break. Teen Triple P is a positive parenting programme suitable for parents, carers and grandparents of pre-teen and teenage children. Teen Triple P can help parents and carers to:
We welcome applications directly from parents and carers or someone can apply on your behalf. Applications can be made by completing our online application form found here https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/teentriplepform
Day Face to Face NW Venue: Royston Wardieburn Community Centre 11 Pilton Dr N, Edinburgh EH5 1NFDates: Thursday’s 30/01, 6/02, 20/02, 27/02, 6/03, 13/03 telephone session no group, 20/03 telephone session no group, 27/03Times: 9.45am -11.45am
Evening Teen Triple P Virtual Group – access to laptop, pc or tablet required, we will be using TEAMS for delivery. Dates Tuesdays 28/01, 4/02, 18/02, 25/02, 4/03, 11/03 telephone session no group, 18/03 telephone session no group and 25/03Time: 6.00-8.00pm
There’s been some changes to the extra-curricular program, please see attached the most up to date booklet for school clubs.
Biggest changes are the Hibs Mcdonalds Thursday football is no longer running due to funding constraints and The Ripple community basketball age has increased to P6-S4. My sincere apologies for any inconvenience this has caused. Aidan
Neurodiverse or possibly neurodiverse (eg; Autistic, ADHD, dyslexic, dyspraxic)? Love football? Join Team United!
Many of our families are housed in temporary accommodation across our school catchment area. Although ‘temporary’ sounds like a short-term situation, many families can be housed in this type of accommodation for multiple years until more suitable accommodation can be located for their family. This can be a stressful time for parents and children who may have a constant feeling of uncertainty about the future. There are a number of ways we try to support families who are living in this situation. Our Family Support Worker, Walma is a good first port of call. You can call her on: 07518495141 or email: Walma@citadelyouthcentre.org.uk (Tuesdays Wednesdays)
Kerry Anderson is a money advice worker from CHAI. You can call her on: 07837 214 689 or email her at: kerry.anderson@chaiedinburgh.org.uk or take a look at the CHAI website: https://chaiedinburgh.org.uk/ (Thursdays)
Support with Finances
There is lots of financial advice in the leaflets below about how to access food, clothing financial advice. There is also a new link on CEC website too Cost of living – The City of Edinburgh Council and you need urgent help the Advice Shop run a drop in service Benefits and debt advice – The City of Edinburgh Council
Support With Travel
Families can now apply for free bus travel for Children and young people. Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme | How to apply | Transport Scotland If you need help, drop into your local library who always have staff there trained to support this process.
Support with Period Poverty
Period products are available for free in school. They are also available to pick up, no questions asked, in Libraries and Community Centres across the city. Re usable pants, pads and cups are also available in Libraries. The City of Edinburgh Council website information Free period products – The City of Edinburgh Council and also the app: PickupMyPeriod app ( maps all pick-up points).
Support with School Holidays
The Discover Programme which helps low-income families with food and activities and other supports during the school holidays. Please let us know if you feel you would benefit from this as we can make a referral. Please find below the latest 1 in 5 newsletter which details some FREE activities for families to enjoy.
Support with Food At Home
In addition to referrals to foodbanks, if a family needs urgent help you may want to draw attention to the Shrub Coop where people can drop in anytime 11-6pm from Tuesday to Saturday – Food Sharing Edinburgh | SHRUB Coop
Crisis offers support and advocacy to families and individuals who are currently homeless or at risk of homelessness in Edinburgh and the surrounding area. We can help with finding housing that is appropriate to your needs, keeping your current home and preventing eviction. We also offer support to sustain your housing and resolve homelessness permanently. If you think we can help you we can be contacted either by email; edinburgh@crisis.org.uk, Phone 0131 209 7700, or by completing the form on our website at https://www.crisis.org.uk/get-help/edinburgh/
| Aria | Primary 1a | Aria has been working hard with her writing this week both during phonic sessions and in her play to share her thoughts and ideas. She tries her best to sound out words and write them independently. Well done, Aria! |
| Otis | Primary 1a | Otis has been keen to share his learning from home and in school with the class. He is proud of his achievements and speaks in a clear, loud voice. Well done, Otis! |
| Oisin | Primary 1b | Oisin for his super writing and persevering with his letter formation this week. Oisin wrote about his new years resolution and drew a lovely detailed picture. Well done Oisin! |
| Nathan | Primary 1b | Nathan has been trying really hard in phonics this week. He has been listening and concentrating during our group work and persevering to write his initial sounds. Well done Nathan – we are really proud of your hard work! |
| Eyad | Primary 2a | Eyad has started this term with a great attitude and has made super choices to line up quickly, move about the school sensibly, safely and silently and listen to instructions. Well done Eyad, we’re so proud of you! |
| Miles | Primary 2b | Miles has been working really hard on developing his ability to write independently. He has been writing stories on his own, persevering to spell unknown words and coming up with creative ideas. |
| Austin | Primary 2b | Austin has shown great dedication to uplevelling his work in his writing jotter. He has been revisiting pages and making sure his work is of the highest possible standard. Well done Austin, your jotter looks amazing! |
| Heidi | Primary 3 | You have been showing great kindness when working with others. You are working so hard in your reading too and challenging yourself every day. You should be very proud of all that you have achieved! |
| Ameli | Primary 3 | You have been persevering in your reading and it is paying off. It’s brilliant to hear you reading with such confidence and I’m so proud of you. Keep it up! |
| Emily | Primary 3/4 | Emily, you have had a great start to the new term! You have been so enthusiastic, kind and helpful Thank you for bringing lots of positive and happy vibes into the new year! |
| Marya | Primary 3/4 | Marya has been working very hard to become more confident with writing her sentences. She always has a positive mindset and never gives up! |
| Elijah | Primary 4 | Elijah has shown perseverance and determination in Maths this week. Well done! |
| Bella | Primary 4 | Bella has worked well in Maths this week, showing confidence and skill when working with arrays. Well done! |
| Mamadou | Primary 5 | Miss Wilson noticed Mamadou persevering and trying really hard in writing this week, using lots of great adjectives. Well done! |
| Layla | Primary 5 | Layla has been making an extra effort to show that she is ready to learn and ready to listen. Keep it up, Layla! |
| Kieran and Jamie | Primary 5/6 | Kieran for last week as I forgot to send it – Working really hard on his fractions of an amount work and using short division to achieve this. Jamie for this week – for persevering with his writing when he found it difficult and working independently. |
| Cooper | Primary 6 | For being a role model for the school values, responsible and kind. |
| Erin | Primary 6 | For persevering and working really hard on his reading and writing. |
| Alfie | Primary 7a | For being recognised for his hard work in violin. Alfie is working really hard. Well done! |
| Marley | Primary 7b | For being kind, welcoming and supportive to new people joining the school. Well done |
| Struan | Primary 7b | For showing great focus and challenging himself during writing. |
We have had a lovely week full of festive activities. Thank you to LPPC for putting on their fun Christmas event last Friday in the gym hall and for coordinating the pupils’ photos, Christmas cards and the Leith Primary Calendar. Money raised from these events help us to make sure trips, such as the one to the Edinburgh Lyceum Theatre can be free to all so thank you if you have supported them by buying a calendar or a school photo. Thank you to the teachers for organising class Christmas parties and other festive activities this week and to the support staff for joining in the fun. Thank you to Mrs Beattie, Mrs Gatton, and Mr Stuart for arranging our successful P4-P7 trip to the Lyceum to see Treasure Island (pictured above) and to the P1-P3 teachers for organising the mini panto experience back at school. Thank you to Mrs Stewart and her kitchen team for making the Christmas Lunch so special again this year. Thank you to Santa [AKA Alan] for visiting our little ones during his busiest time of year! Thank you to Mrs Ciechanowicz, Mrs Clarkson and Walma, our new Family Support Worker, for organising the Cash for Kids giftaway this year. Thank you to Ms Ferguson, our new Principal Teacher, based in our nursery and to the whole nursery team for keeping the Wee Leithers going this term. Thank you to Mrs Aitken, our Pupil Support Officer, for all her work behind the scenes to get children in to school, supporting those who need a bit of extra support and care and for being an all round brilliant team player. And thank you to all the wonderful parents, carers and staff for contributing to our Just Giving page for UNICEF this Christmas. We have raised £125 so far and there is still time to donate: https://www.justgiving.com/page/leith-primary-1733308784426?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL
As we break up for our Christmas holidays, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very well deserved rest over the next two weeks doing whatever is important to you with those you most care about.
We look forward to seeing the children back on Tuesday 7th January at the usual times.
This term, our pupil council responded to complaints from our younger classes about the dog poo that was being left in the Links area in front of the school by dog owners.
The council installed railings around the perimeter of this part of the Links many years ago in recognition that our pupils use it frequently at lunchtime. However, this is public grounds and open to everyone in the community to use. It does not belong to the school. Many people choose to exercise their dog in this area, which they are entitled to do. But, not all dog owners pick up their dog’s poo, as they are legally required to do. This occasionally causes some unpleasant situations for our pupils if they step into the poo (eew!)
The pupil council took it upon themselves to start up a campaign to encourage local residents to remember to pick up their dog poo after using the Links. The children shared a video they had made at assembly and told the school what they had done. Their next step is to get more media attention and spread their campaign even wider.
Well done to all our classes for their decorated doors this season.
We welcome Walma (Valma) to the Leith team as our new Citadel Family Support Worker. Walma takes over the role from Kristy and will be in school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays as usual. Walma is available to help parents with a wide range of issues such as positive parenting/ home routines, housing, money concerns, family issues, local services and more. Translators can also be booked for appointments if required.
Buddy classes joined forces to create Christmas cards this year that have been given to the frail and elderly in a range of care homes around the city. Here are some photos from the older residents of LifeCare receiving their cards.
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our winter-themed Open Classroom session on Wednesday. It was lovely to see so many parents on such a cold afternoon. We understand that many parents have work and other commitments and were not able to come along. There will be other opportunities to share in the learning of your child later on this session.
The Whole Family Wellbeing Team have collated a list of free and low-cost activities to do in the run up to and during the winter school holidays.
Help Make the Magic Manageable!
There are so many demands at this time of year, the list just keeps on getting longer and the cost continues to rise. You can find a list of free and low-cost activities to do in the run up to and during the winter school holidays on the Family Holiday Activities webpage. The City of Edinburgh council are updating the webpage all the time, so please keep checking back in for new activities.
Support for Families
Check out the other Support for Families webpages for lots of other supports and activities provided by different organisations throughout the year.
The Financial support webpage might be particularly helpful just now when trying to stretch the budget for those extra holiday costs.
If you need any help finding support for you or your child, please email
supportingparentsandcarers@edinburgh.gov.uk
A reminder that we have chosen UNICEF this Christmas as an alternative to giving presents and cards. If you can and wish to do so, please donate using this link:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/leith-primary-1733308784426?utm_term=vMaadPn8P
Well done to all our recent Leithers of the Week for their hard work, effort and progress over the last few weeks. We’re very proud of you all 🙂
| Mason | Primary 1a | Mason is such a hard worker and keen to share his ideas in class. He is very responsible and a fantastic role model. Well done, Mason! |
| Victoria | Primary 1a | Victoria has been ready to learn during our maths sessions. She is working hard to identify 2D and 3D shapes. Fantastic job, Victoria! |
| Mohamed | Primary 1a | Mohamed is becoming increasingly better at following instructions. He has been challenging himself in phonics with writing and we are very proud of him! Well done, Mohamed! |
| Odin | Primary 1a | Odin has been working hard to follow our carpet rules and has been sitting beautifully on the carpet. He has also enjoyed creating some lovely artwork through messy play with paint. |
| Ranvir | Primary 1b | For his super writing all about picking up your litter with our buddy class. Well done Ranvir! |
| Mariatou | Primary 2a | Mariatou has been doing a fantastic job saying her forward and backwards numbers to 100! She concentrates very hard during our morning number songs and challenges herself to get her numbers in the right order by closing her eyes! Well done Mariatou, keep up the fantastic work! |
| Willow | Primary 2a | Willow has been building her confidence by contributing her ideas and opinions in class and group discussions. She carefully considers what she wants to share and can evidence her learning with very effective descriptions, topic facts and wonderful pieces of work. Well done Willow, you’re doing an amazing job! Ms Harris |
| Esmeralda | Primary 2a | Esmeralda has been so inspired by our Science activities about the planets, that she has created her own fact file. She put a huge effort into using facts that she had learned in class but also did her own research into other features of our solar system, using colourful illustrations, labels and information. Well done Esmeralda, it’s wonderful to see you deepen your learning in such a creative way! |
| Danya | Primary 2a | Danya has using her talking and listening skills and has challenged herself to use her home language of Arabic, to communicate with other Arabic speaking children. She made a new people feel very welcome by helping her to choose her lunches. Well done Danya, I love the way you are using your skills to help others and improve your own communication skills! |
| Austin | Primary 2b | Austin has been working very hard on making his handwriting super beautiful! He has also been producing very creative and exciting sentences. Well done Austin! |
| Tamara | Primary 2b | Tamara has been engaging brilliantly with our lessons on the carpet, including great listening, sharing her ideas and remembering and recalling details from our prior learning. |
| Mayar | Primary 2b | Using her kindness and skills in speaking Arabic to make a new pupil at Leith Primary feel welcome. |
| Dhanvika | Primary 2b | Dhanvika has been showing that she is an effective and dedicated leader of her own learning. She is building her skills on working independently and has completed lots of impressive work in both literacy and maths. Thank you for always trying your best Dhanvika! |
| Juniper | Primary 3 | You always show huge amount of responsibility in class, helping to keep the classroom organised and tidy. You have also been working so hard towards challenging yourself in writing and achieving your target and I always enjoy reading what you have written. |
| Mason | Primary 3 | You pushed yourself in writing this week and created an amazing description using adjectives, commas and your 5 senses! I’m so proud of you for challenging yourself to write the best description you could. |
| Kaeem | Primary 3 | You have been showing great responsibility in class and have been working so hard on being patient and taking turns. You make me laugh every day and I’m so proud of how caring and hard working you are! |
| Raegan | Primary 3/4 | Raegan, you have made more wonderful choices this week and we were all very proud of how well you represented our class and school during our cinema trip on Tuesday- well done and keep it up! |
| Yumna | Primary 3/4 | For being confident and working incredibly hard on writing her sentences independently this week. We are all very proud of you Yumna- well done! |
| Ayda | Primary 3/4 | Ayda has shown excellent listening skills this week and has set a very positive example to others. Thank you for your hard work and kindness Ayda! |
| Korra | Primary 3/4 | Korra has grown in confidence and has demonstrated a very positive attitude to recent changes in the classroom and playground. Well done Korra- we are all very proud of you! |
| Anthony | Primary 4 | Anthony showed perseverance and determination in our Outdoor Learning session. He managed to start the fire so we could all toast our marshmallows! |
| Brooke | Primary 4 | Brooke showed kindness and responsibility when supporting our P1 buddies with a recycling project. Well done! |
| Emma | Primary 4 | Emma consistently shows kindness and responsibility both in class and around the school. Well done! |
| Taylor | Primary 5 | Taylor is always respectful, kind and has been trying hard to answer comprehension questions in reading. Well done Taylor! |
| Sharan | Primary 5 | For being helpful, tidying up and working hard in maths. Well done Sharan! |
| Evan | Primary 5 | Evan has worked hard this week, showing perseverance in numeracy and kindness when working with her P1 buddy. Well done Evan! |
| Belle | Primary 5 | Belle worked hard in numeracy this week to solve addition and subtraction word problems, well done Belle! |
| Ritaj | Primary 5/6 | For working hard during our lessons, and making lots of progress in Maths especially! |
| Jana | Primary 5/6 | For making a big effort during our literacy lessons (with clear improvements as a result!). |
| Alfie | Primary 5/6 | For putting lots of thought and effort into in all lessons, and for being a kind and helpful member of our class. |
| Tempy | Primary 5/6 | Lamar Alzoubi. For perseverance in Maths learning new strategies for solving word problems in addition and subtraction. |
| Juliet | Primary 6 | For exemplifying the school’s values, especially in demonstrating responsibility and a growth mindset. |
| Shaniah | Primary 6 | She is always ready to share her kindness with a smile and sense of humour. |
| Omar | Primary 6 | Omar is always ready to help and demonstrate kindness to all the adults and children in the school, as a proper Leither. |
| Polly | Primary 6 | For showing her confidence and contributing to the class with kindness. |
| Julia | Primary 7a | Julia for always working hard and being focused in all areas of her learning. |
| Fraser | Primary 7a | For his effort and team work creating a magnificent festive door for P7a. |
| Kade | Primary 7b | Kade has shown a good level of understanding for how to stay safe – both at school and when out and about on trips. |
| Zaynb | Primary 7b | Zaynb has been engaging very well in her learning. She challenges herself and aims to achieve her best. She recently wrote an amazing poem with an other child. |
| Lilyan | Primary 7b | Lilyan has been showing great perseverance and independence in leading her learning and taking on her role on the sports council. Well done. |
| Mario | Primary 7b | For sharing his knowledge with others when completing a coding task. |
As ever, it has been a very busy winter term for our Leithers with numerous trips and activities undertaken by all classes. We celebrated Scottish Book Week with each class walking along to Leith Library to join the Edinburgh Library Service and borrow a book. Primary 3 – Primary 7 celebrated Into Film Week, a British Film Institute and National Lottery funded organisation that promotes the cinema and the film industry to schools. It was also a great opportunity for children to celebrate their successes this year for being accredited as a Gold Level Rights Respecting School and for contributing to a successful school inspection in October. Well done Leithers!
Farewell and thank you to our Citadel Family Support Worker Kristy Johnson, who is returning to her home country of Australia. Kristy has been a great support to a number of our parents and will be greatly missed by the Leith team. We look forward to welcoming Valma Walmann next week who will be taking up her position as our new Citadel Family Support Worker.
We also welcome Ms Kirsty Ferguson as our new Principal Teacher. You may remember that Mrs Dawn Moloney retired at the summer, having been the school’s Principal Teacher for a number of years. Ms Ferguson’s role will be primarily focussed on our school nursery although she will spend short periods of time in almost all classes across the school each term. We are delighted to have her onboard.
Here is a round up of the main Christmas activities we have planned this year.
Wednesday 11th December – Christmas Open Classrooms: P1 & P2 2.30pm: P3-P7 2.40pm
Fri 13th December – LPPC Christmas Event (12.00pm – more detail to follow from them)
Mon 16th December – Christmas Parties (afternoon)
Tue 17th December – Christmas Movie Day (in classes)
Wed 18th December – P4 – P7 (Including 4s from 3/4) trip @ Lyceum – Treasure Island – Mini televised Panto for P1-P3 in hall – Santa Visit to Nursery, P1 & P2 – After lunch
Thu 19th December – Christmas Lunch for pupils & Christmas Jumper Day (optional donations to charity)
Fri 20th December* – Christmas Sing Song for pupils only (9.30am in gym hall)
*Break up times as normal for Friday.
Classes will take part in the annual Christmas Doors design competition, judged by the pupil council. Everyone will also make a Christmas card for an elderly person in one of our local sheltered or care homes. As ever, we discourage the gifting of presents to staff and encourage a small donation to our chosen charity, UNICEF.
Please see our Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/leith-primary-1733308784426?utm_term=vMaadPn8P
We are very sad that this year we will not be able to have our usual school community Singalong at St Andrew’s Parish Church, as the parishes of Pilrig, St Paul’s, St. Margaret’s and St Andrew’s prepare to amalgamate as LARCH Leith Walk, based at the Pilrig church from February. This year, we will have a Singalong with staff and children together in our own gym hall. Parents are welcome to come along on the 11th to enjoy some Christmas activities during our Christmas Open Classroom session starting at 2.30pm.
Advocacy for Race Equality in Schools Scotland (AdRESS) is a new organisation for parents and carers whose child has been affected by racist incidents or racially motivated bullying in school.
There AdRESS website has a very clear explanation of what we mean when we use the term racism.
This week, our Equalities group are speaking at assembly about how we can become an Anti-Racist school.
Oh, why must we kill the planet?
There was a time when the world was still spinning, still turning, still living.
When the plants were still thriving, still growing, still free from us,
Oh, why must we kill the planet? Can we stop it now?
There was once a time when the animals were free from the abuse of us, still alive, still content.
Why don’t we just reduce, reuse, recycle? Why can’t we just compost, grow and help?
Oh, why must we kill the planet? Can we stop it now?
Must we litter? Spread our rubbish? Kill the only things we’ve known?
Since we were created, we’ve cared and loved since when have we turned to kill and blood?
Oh, why must we kill the planet? Can we stop it now?
Every step in humanity is one step back for planet Earth, can’t we just stop and pause see what we’ve caused?
For our sake it’s not that hard if we just fix our mistakes.
Oh, why must we kill the planet? Can we stop it now?
Thump… thump… thump… can you hear the heartbeat? It’s slowing dying down, one day it will end, and we will be nothing, but dust and the Earth will lose our trust
We live in paradise while the Earth is dying, the animals suffering and plants burning.
Oh, why must we kill the planet? Can we stop it now?
Can we stop using Earth’s energy in our machinery?
Made by Megan and Zaynb P7B
Stepping Stones in partnership with Edinburgh Active Schools are offering free swimming lessons to P4+ pupils who for any reason have struggled to meet their proficiency school swimming levels.
Please register your interest with the below link, after registering once a space becomes available stepping stones will reach out to you. https://www.steppingstonesswimming.com/communitylessons ‘
There are still a few places left on our optional P5 – P7 Skiing Trip to Lagganlia in the Scottish Highlands. The trip takes place on the 19th – 21st February 2025. Tiered funding is available to suit all budgets. If you think your child would enjoy trying out skiing or snowboarding please fill out this short form: https://forms.office.com/e/8BKT45SdxX
| Tamara | Primary 2b | Tamara has been engaging brilliantly with our lessons on the carpet, including great listening, sharing her ideas and remembering and recalling details from our prior learning. |
| Juniper | Primary 3 | You always show huge amount of responsibility in class, helping to keep the classroom organised and tidy. You have also been working so hard towards challenging yourself in writing and achieving your target and I always enjoy reading what you have written. |
| Raegan | Primary 3/4 | Raegan, you have made more wonderful choices this week and we were all very proud of how well you represented our class and school during our cinema trip on Tuesday- well done and keep it up! |
| Yumna | Primary 3/4 | For being confident and working incredibly hard on writing her sentences independently this week. We are all very proud of you Yumna- well done! |
| Anthony | Primary 4 | Anthony showed perseverance and determination in our Outdoor Learning session. He managed to start the fire so we could all toast our marshmallows! |
| Brooke | Primary 4 | Brooke showed kindness and responsibility when supporting our P1 buddies with a recycling project. Well done! |
| Taylor | Primary 5 | Taylor is always respectful, kind and has been trying hard to answer comprehension questions in reading. Well done Taylor! |
| Sharan | Primary 5 | For being helpful, tidying up and working hard in maths. Well done Sharan! |
| Ritaj | Primary 5/6 | For working hard during our lessons, and making lots of progress in Maths especially! |
| Jana | Primary 5/6 | For making a big effort during our literacy lessons (with clear improvements as a result!). |
| Juliet | Primary 6 | For exemplifying the school’s values, especially in demonstrating responsibility and a growth mindset. |
| Shaniah | Primary 6 | She is always ready to share her kindness with a smile and sense of humour. |
| Julia | Primary 7a | Julia for always working hard and being focused in all areas of her learning. |
| Kade | Primary 7b | Kade has shown a good level of understanding for how to stay safe – both at school and when out and about on trips. |
| Zaynb | Primary 7b | Zaynb has been engaging very well in her learning. She challenges herself and aims to achieve her best. She recently wrote an amazing poem with an other child. |
Proud to represent and serve the diverse area of South Leith in Edinburgh
Believe. Persevere. Achieve. 