Please find below the new lunch menu which starts in Monday 12th April. This can also be found and downloaded from:
https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/education-and-childcare/view-school-meals-menu
DolphinFest will help celebrate Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters by giving locals to the Granite City and communities further afield, even more opportunities to engage with, and be enthused by, local marine wildlife with a host of online marine-themed events for people to get involved with.
Running from 7-11 April, DolphinFest is a celebration of the amazing marine wildlife around Aberdeen and the North-East coast, especially the bottlenose dolphins which are seen regularly from Torry Battery, and aims to encourage people to help protect it. It will also celebrate the end of the Dolphinwatch project which has been running in Aberdeen since 2013.
Thanks to support from EventScotland as part of the Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21, and the involvement of organisations and individuals across Scotland, the Festival has a wide range of online events from pub quizzes to talks, music and storytime.
Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland, said: “We are delighted to support DolphinFest as part of Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21. Scotland offers the perfect stage to explore our natural environment and this year’s festival provides an opportunity to enjoy online events and learn about the marine wildlife of Aberdeen and the North-East coast.”
Registration is now open for the mostly free-to-attend festival and the full programme can be viewed on the RSPB Dolphinwatch webpage. Leading up to the Festival people are being encouraged to show their excitement for DolphinFest and their love for the marine environment by decorating a dolphin or marine animal and putting it in their window.
Sadie Gorvett, RSPB Scotland’s Community Engagement Officer, who is organising the festival said: “I am so grateful to EventScotland for giving us the chance to run DolphinFest this year. With the disappointment of so many events having to be cancelled in the past 12 months, I hope DolphinFest will be something people can look forward to. It won’t be quite how we had imagined, with it now being online but, thanks to the support of so many organisations and individuals, the programme of events looks to be just as exciting. I hope DolphinFest will inspire people to get out in their local areas to experience the incredible marine environment and wildlife we are lucky to have, not just in Aberdeen but across Scotland.”
The Festival will include a series of take action talks and live Q&As from a range of organisations, a young conservationists webinar with inspiring young speakers, suggested wildlife walking trails, a series of storytime sessions with TV presenter Rory Crawford, recorded tours and videos from amazing marine locations such as St Cyrus and the Scottish Seabird Centre, activities and games with the RSPB’s Wild Challenge, Aberdeen Science Centre and The Locked Door and quizzes by Aberdeen University Marine Society and Goose’s Quizzes.
Throughout the Festival people will be encouraged to not only enjoy the marine environment on their doorstep but to take action to protect it by taking part in the Big Blue Clean Up event, with Turning the Plastic Tide offering their top tips for safe litter picking.
DolphinFest is part of Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21 where Scotland continues to celebrate its coasts and waters with a programme of activities and events which will shine a spotlight on these vital elements of our landscape.
The festival this year will also celebrate the end of Dolphinwatch, a project led by RSPB Scotland in Partnership with Aberdeen City Council and Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) and Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters – celebrating the water that makes the country’s landscape so special and loved.
Running since 2013, the project included the popular Dolphinwatch viewing which brought thousands of locals and tourists to the iconic Torry Battery to see dolphins and latterly a schools’ programme, community talks and DolphinFest. The project was supported and funded throughout the years by a number of other organisations.
The full programme is available to download at rspb.org.uk/dolphinwatch along with a special DolphinFest colouring in sheet. Most events are free and do not require booking, but people need to register for the festival at https://rspb.eventsair.com/dolphin-fest/reg-form/Site/Register
Tickets for Treasure Quest must be purchased separately from thelockeddoor.co.uk. Details of other events that require booking or have charges are available in the programme.
You can also keep up to date and share your dolphin colouring in at facebook.com/RSPBNorthEastScotland
We have reached the end of another term and I would like to thank you all for the way you have supported the school and worked with us to get through another challenging period of national lockdown. I congratulate you all in the many ways you have embraced online learning with your child and joined in and contributed to the many sessions and activities that have taken place over the term.
As we go into the 2 week Easter break we can remain positive that on 6th April the First Minister will confirm that a full return to school will be possible from 12th April as long as the virus levels stay low.
I have a couple of links that I would like to share with you which I hope you will find helpful.
Firstly, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that as unpaid carers you are eligible to sign up for a covid-19 vaccine. Please use the link below to register:
https://www.nhsinform.scot/campaigns/vaccinating-carers
Hopefully many will apply and uptake on this option – the more of us that are vaccinated the more protection we have for our whole school community.
I received information from the Child and Family Mental Health (CAMHS) Early Intervention Team this week with a link to a series of webinars they have available to support parents and carers.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCID3OzHwlngMuHVcoQXZvYQ
The webinar topics include:
Please don’t forget you all very welcome to join in with our Virtual Kiltwalk activities on 23rd April. The day will be full of activities from walking to dancing and we would love it if you could join us in any way you can. A wee hint of tartan will be the dress code of the day.
If you wish to raise funds for Friends of Orchard Brae you can register for free by emailing Lisa Simons at friendsoforchardbrae@mail.com
I hope you all have a good Easter break.
Take and stay safe and well
Regards
Caroline
We’ve been very happy to see the majority of our secondary pupils returning over the last couple of weeks. Pupils have enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect with staff in school and see some of their friends again. Staff have been delighted to welcome pupils back and to return to some semblance of our normal routine. We do hope this will continue after the holiday, but as detailed in the letter from our Chief Education Officer, we have to await further guidance on next steps.
We’ve been very busy in the time that we’ve been back in school. Here is a selection of what we’ve been doing:
Learning Outdoors
We’ve been making the most of the good weather and enjoying learning in the fresh air. Some of us have enjoyed local walks and outdoor play.
Others have been busy in the grounds with gardening and litter picking. Room 14 particularly enjoyed the litter pick.
Health and Wellbeing
It has been great to see so many of our young people observing the safety rules around school. We’ve all become increasingly independent in maintaining good hand hygiene. Target work has continued and we have also been working on our ASDAN units. We’ve also had lots of fun!
Working Hard
We’ve been delighted with how well our pupils have settled back into their routines. Lots of learning is taking place, with good use being made of games and technology.
Who could fail to be happy to return when learning is so much fun?
If you’d like to engage in some messy activities at home our advice is:
Take it outside OR get your child involved in the tidying! It’s never too early to work on independent living skills.
Qualifications in the Senior Phase
Our senior phase pupils have continued working towards their ASDAN and SQA qualifications and we thank everyone that has supported in this during our period of remote learning. Room 19 have been successfully working on SQA Science: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. They’ve created some beautiful instruments.
Happy Holidays!
While some pupils have just returned to school, others have been supported throughout the lockdown period. We’ve had lots of learning going on remotely and thank all parents, carers and staff for supporting our pupils with this. In speaking with families, I know that there have been differing levels of engagement for a host of reasons, and we would like to thank all of you for the support you’ve given during this challenging time. Google Classrooms will remain ‘open’ should you wish to make use of activities during the holidays, but please do take a break if you can, relax, enjoy time outdoors, and focus on well-being.
Please find below a letter for parents and carers from Eleanor Sheppard (Chief Education Officer).
On Friday 23rd April, Orchard Brae will participate in some fun Kiltwalk activities. Pupils and staff will be dancing and walking, along with potentially other fun activities. Pupils can wear something tartan to school that day if they wish. There is no expectation of fundraising or donations.
However, if anyone is keen to fundraise, Friends of Orchard Brae still have Kiltwalk places available for both adults and children to help raise money to further develop our Outdoor Learning Area. Registration for these places is free and if interested please e-mail: friendsoforchardbrae@mail.com
All money raised through this year’s Kiltwalk will be topped up with an additional 50% from The Hunter Foundation.
Please find below an updated version of the Orchard Brae Covid-19 Risk Assessment. All updates have been highlighted in green.
This document can also be found on the Covid-19 website page. https://orchardbrae.aberdeen.sch.uk/covid-19/
It has been great to see so many more children return to school this week and we look forward to a full return from 12th April which I hope First Minister will confirm.
We have 1 week left of this term before we break for the Easter holidays. I know First Minister published the route map out of lockdown this week which had many different dates and what is to happen on those dates.
I have included a link for you below which I hope you might find useful.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): timetable for easing restrictions – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
This link takes you to the government web page and lists each date and the changes that are proposed as long as the virus levels continue to be supressed.
I have attached 2 documents that Police Scotland has asked that all schools share with families regarding online safety and railway safety. These documents will also be posted on our website.
I hope you all have a good weekend.
Caroline
Orchard Brae are beginning the journey to becoming a Rights Respecting School. In line with our vision and aims (https://orchardbrae.aberdeen.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Orchard-Brae-Visions-and-Aims.pdf), we aspire to be a school where children’s rights are at the heart of our ethos and culture, to improve well-being and to develop every child’s talents and abilities to their full potential. Moving towards summer we will be working to put together an action plan to allow us to progress this work with pupils taking the lead as we go forward, our aim being to gain Rights Respecting School Awards through Unicef UK in recognition of sustained practice in this area.
Unicef UK is the world’s leading organisation working for children and young people and their rights. In 1989, governments across the world agreed that all children have the same rights by adopting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and earlier this week the Scottish Government reached agreement that the UNCRC will become be incorporated in domestic law. These rights are based on what a child needs to survive, grow, participate and fulfil their potential.
Pupils and staff will learn about children’s rights, with staff supporting children to access their rights every day. Rights and respect will be modeled in all relationships, supporting our children in developing their awareness of good citizenship.
We really hope that you will be able to support our school on the journey towards becoming a Unicef UK Rights Respecting School. Further information sessions will be scheduled for parents and carers next term.
A user friendly version of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/3rYe27f
The full UNCRC convention can be found here: https://cypcs.org.uk/rights/uncrc/full-uncrc/
For further information about Rights Respecting Schools please visit: www.unicef.org.uk/rrsa
We look forward to sharing our learning with you as we move forward together at Orchard Brae.
In previous years we have been successfully hosted a Futures Event alongside our work experience partners and providers of post-school provision. The purpose of these events is to share information on the curriculum offer at the Senior Phase (S4-6) and to allow young people and parents the chance to consider life beyond school. Sadly, due to restrictions this year we have been able to do this, so instead have been given some information to share virtually as an alternative.
If you have any questions around this, please feel free to raise them with your class teacher, Elaine Thomson (Head of Senior Phase), or Clare Russell (Principal Teacher Secondary).
Senior Phase Presentation
Delivered by Elaine Thomson (Head of Secondary), this presentation gives an outline of the curriculum and opportunities that have been enjoyed by pupils during their Senior Phase, particularly focusing on their final year in S6.
Social Work Transitions Team
Pupils are referred to the the Social Work Transitions Team when they are in S5. The Transitions Team have recently reviewed their processes and have sent updated information on how they are working as we move forward.
North East Scotland College (NESCol)
Some of our pupils attend the NESCol Link Course in S6. They are supported in attending by PSAs from school. Information on the Link Course has been shared by Catherine Stollery, our college contact.
Moving on from school, pupils who are independent in their learning and working at National 2 (or above) may be able to access the Preparation for Work course.
Project Search
The transcript below accompanies the attached slides kindly shared by Shirley from Project Search. There are links in the final slide if you wish to find out more about this option.
Project SEARCH is a transition to work programme for people with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum conditions in their last year of Education. It effectively takes the classroom into the premises of a local employer and teaches Interns employability skills on-site in a real workplace environment.
The programme helps the Interns to learn real job skills that will prepare them for work by rotating them through a variety of different work placement experiences. This work-based learning is then supported by classroom activities each day alongside the provision of constant feedback throughout the programme.
Project SEARCH originates from the USA, where it began in Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in 1996. The Director of the Emergency Department felt that, because the hospital served individuals with developmental disabilities, it made sense that they committed to recruiting members of staff from this group. She came up with the idea that it would be possible to train people with developmental disabilities to fill some of the high turnover, entry level positions in her department.
Project SEARCH has now spread to 521 sites across the world – there are sites in every state in the USA, as well as Canada. In Europe, there are 50 Project SEARCH sites – 47 in the UK, 1 in the Netherlands and 1 in Portugal.
Our programme is delivered in partnership with North East Scotland College, Values into Action Scotland and Skills Development Scotland. We have previously partnered with Inspire PTL and Aberdeen City Council. We are currently working closely with Aberdeenshire Council and also enjoy close links with the DFN Project SEARCH Foundation
Our Interns are registered students with North East Scotland College for their one year on Project SEARCH. Each year, we recruit up to twelve Interns, who receive support from our on-site Job Coach (Shirley) and Tutors (Andrew and Ann (IT)) to undertake 3 work placements within the University, whilst studying to attain a vocational (City & Guilds) qualification.
Work placements available across the University include :
• Groundskeeping – Estates and Cruickshank Botanic Garden
•Portering/Cleaning
•IT Services
•Administration – Music Department, Business School, Suttie Centre
•Catering Assistant – kitchen/barista/customer service opportunities at various coffee shops and stations around campus
•Maintenance Assistant/Trades Mate
•Childcare – Nursery Assistant in the Rocking Horse Nursery
We also have external Internship opportunities available with :
•NHS Grampian – Groundskeeping and Physiotherapy Department
•Aramark Catering – based at North East Scotland College
•Business & Community Development Team at North East Scotland College – admin/office role
•Aberdeenshire Council – grounds and administrative placements
Project SEARCH is based on our Old Aberdeen campus. In 2017, the University made a significant investment in the programme through the development of a new classroom in the Butchart Building on University Road. As you can see from these photographs, this classroom provides our Interns with a high quality learning environment, including the provision of technologically enhanced learning through an internet-connected white board and Skype facilities through which they can connect with other Project SEARCH sites in Scotland and beyond.
The primary aim of Project SEARCH is to move our Interns into paid employment upon graduation from the programme and I am delighted that so many of our graduates are in work. Indeed, some of them have even progressed their career further into new jobs with different employers since leaving us.
And, despite a very challenging local jobs market and economic climate, I am delighted to report that 68% of our graduates are now in work in a variety of organisations across the Grampian area. Four of our graduates who left our programme last year are now in work in a range of organisations including NHS Grampian, Instant Neighbour, a café in the centre of Aberdeen and a primary school. So far this year, one of our Interns will be leaving us in the next few weeks to take up a role as a Support Assistant in a Care Home.
Recent statistics have highlighted that 16,000 school children and young people in Scotland have learning disabilities and 26,000 adults in Scotland have learning disabilities and need support. In Scotland, young people with a learning disability have only a 7% chance of being in employment, but the national average rate of youth employment is 82%.
We also have to remember that here in the North East, our local economic climate is very challenging to all jobseekers – between 2009 and 2017, overall youth employment in Aberdeen City fell from 75.6% to 54.6%. Yet the Project SEARCH University of Aberdeen success rate for our graduates is 68% – that is nearly 10 times above the average employment rate for those with a learning disability who do not enter any type of post-school programme.
The ultimate goal of Project SEARCH is, of course, for our Interns to find and sustain paid employment that makes best use of their skills and enables them to make a recognised contribution to their employing organisation.
The success of a project like ours is dependent upon the engagement and support of our colleagues in the local business community. Therefore, it is important that those of us who are involved in developing and delivering the programme are aware of the needs and expectations of the wider world.
Our Interns undertake an exciting journey within the University during their time with us and I know that they can benefit local organisations in so many ways.
You can see one of our graduates in the photo behind me – this is Owen, who embarked last year upon a Groundskeeping Apprenticeship within our Estates & Facilities Directorate.
One of our graduates from the class of 2018 is now employed by the University in our IT Services department and he has joined Owen and three other Project SEARCH graduates from previous years in making a valuable contribution to the work of the University – employment gained through proving they were the best candidate for their respective jobs in an open recruitment process.
Success stories like Owen and his colleagues who have graduated since 2013 are the essence of Project SEARCH – young people who have grown, developed and flourished as a direct result of spending a year with us on our programme and who have now embarked upon a successful career in the local community. This is the future of Project SEARCH – I hope that everyone here today will be able to encourage other organisations in the local region to provide this type of opportunity to our young people.
I appreciate that employing young people, particularly those with a disability, may seem daunting to many employers, particularly smaller and medium size ones. However, we have been working hard to try to dispel some of the myths and overcome some of the obstacles facing our Interns in achieving meaningful employment that will enable them to make a contribution to our society and local area.
To encourage local employers to hire our graduates, we developed an “Interns into Employment” toolkit, which is available as an online resource through our website. It sets out the types of support that is available to employers who are interested in recruiting an Intern – sources of funding to provide them with financial support, the support available from our team to integrate and coach their new employee etc.
Our aim is to continue to deliver a sustainable pool of talent from which local organisations can draw future employees. However, we are acutely aware that many of our Interns may find it challenging to display the full range of their skills and talents through a standard 1:1 interview process. Therefore, our guide gives some ideas for alternatives to the traditional interview, including practical skills tests, work trials (where an Intern comes into your organisation and actually does the job for a period of time ranging from a day to 4 weeks) and other hints and tips.
Further information about our project is available from a number of sources – I have listed some of the key websites and am happy to make these slides available to you for circulation after today’s presentation.
As I mentioned before, our project cannot succeed without the support of people like yourselves in our local communities with links to so many of our local political, health, education and business sectors. We regularly hold ‘Meet the Interns’, employer engagement and fundraising events and I hope that I will be able to welcome you to our classroom to join us at some of our future events.
In the meantime, if our presentation today has inspired you to think about how you could become personally involved as part of our Project SEARCH family (or our “Business Advisory Council” as we call it), there are plenty of opportunities available, either in helping us to identify where there is high turnover/difficulties in filling vacancies that we could assist with, by delivering workshops to our Interns or by becoming a mentor to one of our young people.
I hope that this presentation has inspired you to think about how you, on either a personal or professional level, can celebrate the successes and achievements of young people with a learning disability, spread the word of how valuable they are to our local community and influence decisions that will ensure Project SEARCH has a sustainable future in Aberdeen. Project SEARCH is a wonderful worldwide example of how young people with a learning disability can be encouraged to shine. We all have a part to play in supporting them on their journey.
