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.
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 Voteon 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:
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!
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!
A very warm welcome back to a new school year at Leith Primary School. A special welcome to all our new families who have joined us. You are now part of the Leith Primary family – once a Leither, always a Leither!
A big thank you to LPPC for decorating the outside of the school for the pupils returning. It really brightened up the school for us coming back.
We have been delighted by the enthusiasm that our pupils have brought to their learning over the last week and a half. Thank you for supporting the wearing of school colours on all days of the school week – especially Friday! The children look smart and ready to learn and represent their school out in the Leith community. Please let us know if we can support your child to wear school colours or by purchasing or being gifted a school sweatshirt. We expect all pupils to wear school colours on all days.
News
We wished a fond farewell to Ms Rose our school administrator who takes up her new post at Heriot Watt University next week. We would like to wish her well in her new career and thank her for her support of the school. She will be missed by many.
Whilst we recruit a new school administrator, the main reception area window will only be manned until 9.30am and at the end of the day. If you need to get in touch with the school please either leave a voice message, a text message or an email to the admin email address. Messages are checked regularly throughout the day. We thank you for your cooperation during this busy period.
Free School Meals/School Clothing Grant
If you have not done so already, please re-apply for Free School Meals ASAP. Most children receive a free school meal if ordered through Parent Pay already. However you must apply for Free School Meals to be entitled to free milk, the £100 clothing grant and other subsidies through out the school year. If you require support with this, please request an appointment with Danni, our Family Support Worker.
Data Check, KIC and Photography Forms
If you have not already received this, please check your child’s school bag for these forms which must be checked and completed and sent back as soon as possible please. It is vitally important that we have your current phone number and email address so that we can get in touch with you when required and pass on important information.
Communication
This year, Nursery – P4 will use Online Learning Journals to share individual targets and best pieces of work with parents. You can also contact your child’s class teacher through OLJ. Second level classes, P5-P7, will be trailing the use of One Note to share their work with parents. Parents can also email the individual and admin email addresses when corresponding with teachers.
Regular newsletters, such as this one, will be posted on the school website and emailed to you. You can subscribe directly to the website if you have a WordPress account to get news directly to your inbox.
Home Learning Grids and Class Newsletters will be sent to individual classes next week.
Check our Twitter account @leith_primary for posts about class learning and events. The Twitter feed can also be found on the website.
Some Dates for Your Diary
September
October
November
December
January
7th One Planet Picnic 11th Harvest Festival 14th LPPC Meeting 16th/23rd Meet the Teacher 19th Monday Holiday 25th Rosh Hashanah
4th Yom Kippur 10th World Mental Health Day 14th Term Ends 24th Diwali 25th Pupils Resume 31st Halloween
2nd P1 Open Day 3rd/4th Parent Consultations 5th Guy Fawkes 11th Armistice Day 13th World Kindness Day 14th Anti Bullying Week 16th LPPC Meeting 18th BBC Children in Need 20th Universal Children’s Day
18th Hanukkah 20th Term Ends 25th Christmas Day
5th Pupils Resume 18th LPPC Meeting 22nd Chinese New Year 25th Burns Night
February
March
April
May
June
3rd/10th Open Classroom Morning 6th Children’s Mental Health Day 8th-10th Lagganlia Ski Trip 14th-17th February Mid term break 14th Safer Internet Day Pupils Return 20th 21st International Mother Language Day 21st Shrove Tuesday 25th International Stand Up to Bullying Day
1st St David’s Day 2nd World Book Day 2nd/3rd Parent Consultations 8th International Women’s Day 8th Holi 13th Sleep Awareness Week 14th International Day of Maths 15th LPPC Meeting 17th St Patrick’s Day 20th Neurodiversity Week 22nd Ramadan 27th Earth Hour 31st Term Ends
15th Guru Nanak’s Birthday 17th Pupils Resume 21st Eid Al-Fitr 22nd Earth Day 23rd St George’s Day
1st/2nd Holiday 2nd-5th P7 Benmore Week 15th Health Week 22nd Holiday 24th LPPC AGM 31st Sports Day
5th World of Work Week (7th Sports Day option 2) 8th P1 Visit Day 20th-22nd P7 Secondary School Visit Days 27th Leaver’s Assembly 28th Term Ends
Stress and the Teenage Brain
Following on from a survey we completed with parents about which sessions and courses around children and young people’s mental health would be relevant, we are delighted that a new partnership has been developed to run regular parent sessions again.
VOCAL Parents Carewell, Health in Mind, the CEC Parent and Carer Support Team and other partners are busy planning regular sessions for parents and carers. These will be an opportunity for parents to meet other parents and supportive professionals in a safe relaxed environment. In response to the feedback from parents some of the sessions will run face to face and some will run online.
Please find attached information on the first session-
Stress and the Teenage Brain-Thursday 25th August 6.30-8.30pm at VOCAL Edinburgh Carers’ Hub, 60 Leith Walk, EH6 5HB
This session is most relevant for parents who are concerned about their pre-teen or teenager’s emotional wellbeing and mental health. It will allow parents and carers to explore the impact of teenage brain development and stress on young people’s emotional wellbeing and consider ways we can all manage stress more effectively.
The session will be facilitated by the City of Edinburgh Parent and Carer Support Team and Health in Mind.
Places will be limited. For more information or to book a place please contact Jillian Hart, Parent and Carer Support Development Officer by emailing supportingparentsandcarers@edinburgh.gov.uk or call 07860 736129
Parents and carers can also sign up for the Parents Mind Well Roundup – Information on Mental Health supports for children, young people and their parents and carers
This quarterly newsletter will share the latest mental health news, activities and support available for children, young people, and their parents and carers in Edinburgh. All of the new Mind Well support sessions for this term will be listed in the Autumn edition. The newsletter will be sent by VOCAL (Voice of Carers Across Lothian) and parents can sign up by visiting the following page on their newsletter platform: Sign up to receive the Parents Mind Well Roundup newsletter
Українські друзі, за літо у нас було багато запитів на зарахування до школи від сімей, які живуть на борту MS Victoria. Ми починаємо обробляти ці заявки зараз і будемо на зв’язку, як тільки зможемо, щоб або запропонувати вашій дитині місце в одному з наших класів, або повідомити вам, якщо у нас більше немає місця на цьому конкретному етапі. Ми дякуємо вам за терпіння, оскільки ми робимо це якомога швидше.
[Ukrainian friends, we have had many school enrolment enquiries over the summer from families living aboard the MS Victoria. We are beginning to process these applications now and will be in touch as soon as we can to either offer your child a place in one of our classes or to let you know if we no longer have space at that particular stage. We thank you for your patience as we do this as quickly as we can].
I hope that you have all enjoyed a restful summer break, whether you stayed at home or ventured further afield. I am looking forward to welcoming everyone back next week and wanted to let you know about a few things before we return.
Staff have begun to get ready for the new term, painting walls, rearranging classrooms and planning an exciting first few weeks back. They will return to work officially on Monday and Tuesday with pupils returning on Wednesday 17th August at 8.50am.
I am enormously delighted to welcome our new Leithers to the LPS family, including our P1 pupils who will start in two smaller groups before joining together on the 22nd. Letters were sent to all P1 parents at the end of last term with details of both groups. Please get in touch with our office next week if you did not receive this.
I am very happy that we will be able to offer a warm Leith welcome to a group of Ukrainian children who are currently living on the MS Victoria, currently docked at Leith. I know that the school community will extend their friendship and kindness to our new Ukrainian friends during this challenging time in their lives, as we do to all our families seeking refuge in sunny Leith. It’s just what Leithers do!
The first edition of the new school handbook is now available with updates that you may find useful for the new school year, including how to purchase school sweatshirts. The schools handbook is now produced centrally with additions relevant for Leith Primary to ensure consistency across all schools within the authority. It is therefore much more comprehensive than previous editions.
Unfortunately, our new breakfast club provider, ELOSCN, has been unable to recruit sufficient staff in time for the start of term. If you or someone you know would be interested in working approximately eight hours a week for the school breakfast club, please get in touch with us or with ELOSCN directly as we would love to have you on board. Without committed staff, the breakfast club cannot run and it is such a vital service for many of our families so please do consider applying.
Once again, I am really looking forward to welcoming you all back next Wednesday at 8.50am. I hope that you get the chance to enjoy the remainder of this lovely warm summer weather.
A massive well done to our fantastic P6 class for their wonderful performance about Leith’s maritime history. The class have spent the last few months working with Historic Environment Scotland in partnership with Leith’s Trinity House Maritime Museum and Illuminate an arts and heritage education organisation with whom the school have worked for almost ten years. Pupils learned about what it would be like to be a whaler away from home working on a whaling ship at sea for up to nine months at a time. They also learned about Leith’s links to the African slave trade in the West Indies with Scottish companies often profiteering from the proceeds of slavery on sugar plantations. Pupils also learned about how important the Newhaven fishwives were in maintaining a steady family income when their husbands were gone for most of the year. Importantly, the class learned shared with their audience how Leith has always had diverse multicultural links with the rest of the world through its vibrant port. The pupils did a magnificent job of portraying sailors, fishwives, pirates and archivists. They delivered their confident performance through drama, object handling and song on the school’s outdoor stage on two consecutive afternoons to their family members. They also gave a great final performance at Friday’s assembly to a captive P3-P5 audience.
Next Session Class List
Please find the list of classes and their teachers for the next academic year.
Class
Teacher/s
P1a
Mrs Young
P1b
Ms Wilson
P2
Mrs Kinnell/Mrs Cook
P2/3
Mrs Harris
P3
Mrs Slattery/Mrs Scott
P4a
Mrs Fraser/Mrs Moloney
P4b
Ms Kirkwood
P5
Ms Christensen
P5/6
Mr Mackenzie
P6
Ms McDonald
P7
Mrs Scott Dickins
SFL
Mrs Watson/Mrs Clarkson
Pupils will have the opportunity to meet their new class teachers on the afternoon of Monday 27th June. We are delighted to welcome back Mrs Kinnell and Mrs Scott from their extended maternity leave in August. We are also very happy to retain Ms Kirkwood for a second year. Mrs Fraser and Mrs Moloney will share P4a as they both reduce their working week to three days. We are already looking forward to getting started again in August.
Breakfast Club Survey
We are very pleased to announce that a new provider has been identified for our school breakfast club to start up again from August 2022. Edinburgh & Lothian’s Out of School Care Network (ELOSCN) is keen to find out how many of our families would be interested in using the breakfast club after the summer holidays. ELOSCN currently run a large number of after school and breakfast clubs in East Lothian, Midlothian and Edinburgh, including nearby Wardie Primary School. If you would be interested in registering your child/ren or would like to put in a note of interest please complete this online survey here.
School Logo Competition!
To link in with our new school vision, Believe. Persevere. Achieve. as voted for by the wider school community, we would like to invite the school community to design a new logo to accompany this vision. Pupils in school have been tasked with coming up with a design that sums up our vision in one simple logo or in three separate designs to represent each word. We would like to open up this task to all members of our school community including parents, ex-pupils and friends of the school. If you would like to submit a design for a school logo that links with our school vision, please do so by noon on Friday 1st July to the school office or admin email account, ensuring that your name and contact details are attached to you design. The design can be in any medium eg; hand drawn, painted, electronic, photograph, collage, etc but must embody the words Believe, Persevere, Achieve as a whole or in three connected parts. We are really looking forward to seeing the finished results on our school banners, posters and paperwork. Good luck!
Internet Safety Session
Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend the Internet Safety Session with Leeanne Turner on Wednesday evening. Leeanne, who is the council’s expert on child protection and a CEOP trained internet safety expert, shared some of current concerns around children’s access to the internet, apps and messaging services. If you were unable to attend her session, you can watch it here.
Here are video clips Leeanne showed or referred to during the session and below are the PowerPoint slides and parent factsheets on popular platforms:
An enormous thank you to everyone who was able to attend one of last week’s fantastic sports day sessions. It felt like a proper reunion of our school community after these difficult last years. The sun was out and our part of Leith Links was full of families who had come to cheer on their sports stars during their potted sports circuit. A big thank you again to LPPC who were selling amazing-looking baked goods to help raise profits for the school such as our recent whole-school subscription to Linguascope which supports pupils’ French, Spanish and English language skills. Again, a big thank you to Duke Street Tesco who supplied the cold pops as a welcome treat for pupils. It was also lovely to welcome helpers from Leith Academy pupils, some of who were ex-Leith Primary pupils. We hope that this will be the first of many more opportunities for parents, carers and families and share some time with their young people at school.
Welcome to P1 Sessions (Take 1, 2 & 3!)
On Thursday 9th June at 9.30am, we will welcome parents/carers and their children who will be starting at Leith Primary in August to meet their new teachers.
We would like to extend the invite to our current P1 and P2 parents who were unable to attend a session like this in person due to the lockdown restrictions. A second session will run from 11am in the gym hall for any interested parents. Afterwards they will have the opportunity to have a tour around the school and ask any questions about anything they are still unsure about.
Class Photos
A reminder to order your class photos on Parent Pay for your child or children by FRIDAY 10TH JUNE. Please make sure you order against each child if you have more than one at the school / nursery.
There is a Standard and a Funny photo for each class (except Nursery) and they are £3 each.
A big thank you to LPPC for organising the photo shoot to help raise funds to support the school.
100% Attainment Success for P7b
A huge congratulations to all the pupils in Primary 7b who have attained Second Level in all the main assessed aspects of the curriculum, Listening & Talking, Reading, Writing and Numeracy. This is the first time an entire class have achieved 100% attainment in all areas since the Curriculum for Excellence was full adopted by Leith Primary in 2010. We are enormously proud of their achievements, particularly in the light of the challenges of the last two years. Key indicators of their success in learning is a love of reading for pleasure and ongoing support and interest in pupil learning progress from parents. P7a also had strong attainment across the board in all areas. A collective well done to all the teachers and support staff over the years for their continued nurturing and encouragement of this year group. For the next few weeks, we look forward to enjoying their talents in acting, singing and dancing in their production of Bugsy Malone.
Supporting Children’s Mental Health
We understand that many young people are experiencing increased levels of anxiety and low mood which can be expressed in fears and phobias, issues with sleep, poor behaviour and tantrums and other concerning behaviours. The NHS have produced a number of resources to support parents who often feel helpless in knowing the right thing to do. Please get in touch with school staff if you are concerned about your child’s mental wellbeing so we can support.
Believe. Persevere. Achieve. 