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For our end of term, we held a pumpkin competition where each class was given a pumpkin and asked to decorate it.
This morning we displayed our pumpkins in the hall and classes had the opportunity to come and see them and vote to see which one we liked the most.
We are delighted to announce in third place were Rooms 10, 12 and 18 with 8 votes each. In second place was Room 3 with 10 votes and the winner was Room 7 with 13 votes!
Today we held our monthly Celebration and Rights Respecting assembly. It was great to say ‘well done’ to so many pupils for their hard work and efforts which included graduating from the MOVE programme, independent walking, building confidence and relationships, as well as developing life skills and enterprise!
We then focused on our right of the month from the UNCRC, which is number 27 – ‘I have the right to a proper home, food and clothing.’
We looked at the changing seasons from summer to autumn, and how this brings about changes in the weather and the types of clothing we need to wear. We also looked at how the change of seasons leads to harvest and the variety of foods available in autumn.
Here is a copy of our assembly slides, if you want to share them with your child at home.
Today we held our first Social Snack of the school year. We were delighted to have pupils and staff join us from across the school and everyone had a super time socialising and eating together. It was great to see pupils from different classes spending time together and mixing with other pupils that they might not come across within their normal school day.
Pupils were actively encouraged to come and choose their snack from a selection of cereals, fruits and toast and where possible, independently prepare them.
Social Snack will be a regular event, being held monthly and we can’t wait to see how it grows over the year – we just need to work out who’s turn it it’ll be for the washing up!
Another school year has gone and as I sat through the various ceremonies and prizegiving’s this week, it made me reflect on how well the community comes together to celebrate all our successes. This year we have been involved in lots of whole city events, where our children and young people have been recognised for their talents, skills and potential, a trend that I hope we can build upon. Once again, the pupils have made me so proud (and tearful) when I see all of their achievements.
Outdoor Classroom
It will finally be open in August! Many thanks to our partners, Fairhurst, especially Bob McCracken and Stuart Thompson who have been invaluable in moving this project forward. Also, we have many more “thanks” to give which we will do in due course. The official opening will happen in August.
Thanks
Many thanks to Orchard Brae Connect and Friends of Orchard Brae, whose support to the school is invaluable.
Thank you to all the staff who have, once again, worked hard to support all our pupils to be the best they can be.
Finally, thanks to all the parents and carers who have supported us this year, our community couldn’t thrive without you.
Important Dates
In-service day – Monday 19 August 2024
Term starts – Tuesday 20 August 2024
September holiday – Friday 20 September to Monday 23 September 2024
In Room 6, we recently transformed our classroom into a busy bakery, providing a fantastic hands-on opportunity for our pupils to learn about money and the concepts of big and small items, particularly in the context of £1 and £2 coins. We brought the shop into our classroom instead of shopping in a real shop!
Our bakery project was designed to teach the children essential skills in a fun and engaging way. Each pupil received some play money, including £1 and £2 coins, to spend at our bakery. They could choose between big and small loaves of bread, pay at the till, and even wait for their change. This activity helped them practise counting, recognize different coin values, and understand basic transactions.
Moreover, this experience was multi-sensory. The kids used their senses to immerse themselves fully in the bakery environment. They enjoyed the fresh aroma of the baked goods, felt the different textures of the bread, and, of course, tasted the delicious results of their purchases. This sensory engagement made the learning process enjoyable and memorable.
The bakery project also introduced the concepts of big and small amounts of money and the corresponding bread sizes. The children learned that larger loaves cost more and smaller loaves cost less. This practical exercise helped them grasp these abstract concepts in a real-world context, understanding that bigger items often require more money and vice versa.
Overall, our classroom bakery was a resounding success. It was an excellent way for the kids to learn about money management while having fun. They gained confidence in handling money, making choices, and understanding the value of different amounts. Well done, Room 6! This experience has been educational and enriching for all involved.
Room 9 have continued our community focus for this term with a new book study, “Poppy’s Busy Week” by Suzanne Miell-Ingram and Tracey Upton (Singing Hands). In this story, Poppy visits a different place in her community each day.
We started off by exploring the library, setting up our own class library (and library cards), choosing books and cosying up for a story and playing games to see how quiet we could be!
After that we headed to the dentist, and alongside a focus on our toothbrushing skills we set up a wee dentist practice in class for role play and exploring symbol recognition skills – we enjoyed seeing our reflections in the mirror! We had mark-making activities using toothbrushes and sang about brushing our teeth for our listening activity.
Following on from dentist week we explored the Post Office. We set up a Post Office in class, with posting activities, envelopes, stamps, cards and more. During our expressive arts lesson we designed cards which we have since posted to our home addresses, walking to the local post box to post them ourselves.
Throughout all of this we continue to offer free play options which explore other community roles, including dressing up (Room 9 are fabulous at taking on the role of different emergency services!) and toy figures.
Next week we’re exploring a more familiar community feature, school, before moving on to doctors, hairdressers and then houses and homes. We’re especially looking forward to our end of term community feature – the beach!
8 May was World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. Globally the Red Cross delivers lots of humanitarian assistance including first aid. Room 17 pupils have also been doing some first aid and have been working towards their Basic First Aid SQA.
To celebrate the success of Room 17 pupils and World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day we had a ‘Pour a Cup of Kindness’ coffee morning. We invited Room 17 parents and our friends from Howes Hoose to join us. We also had a visitor, Colin, from the British Red Cross. Colin presented all the pupils with a First Aid Certificate. We also had fun with some tea cup photo props.
Lately the pupils in Howes Hoose have had a go at taming the grass in their garden. Everyone was very keen to take a turn and enjoyed getting dressed up with all the safety equipment, they all looked very official! Everyone listened carefully to instructions and carried out the job safely. A few pupils had already tried out grass cutting at home and were able to show off their skills. There will be plenty more work needing done in the garden to neaten it up before the Summer Holidays begin!
The Primary 1 class at Ashgrove have been developing their community skills. We walked to the local shop to buy ingredients for our cooking class. Everyone used visual instructions to look for the correct section in the shop and find the right items.
The next day we used our pouring and mixing skills to make a sweet treat!
