Category: Primary

 

Broad General Education

The Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is Scotland’s education framework for ALL learners; its main aim is to enable children and young people to develop the four capacities; successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. In Orchard Brae School each learner is enabled to become as independent as possible, developing skills for life, learning, leisure and where appropriate work. Our curriculum offer is personalised to each pupil throughout their learning journey, as we maintain a focus on positive future destinations.

Our learners in P1 – S3 work within Broad General Education (BGE) at a level and pace that is suited to their individualised needs.  Personalised targets focus core skill development within Literacy and Communication, Numeracy and Health and Well Being.  The ethos and life of the school community is structured to enable pupils to learn and practise life skills as part of their daily routines. Through interdisciplinary approaches and specialist courses, we offer real life learning contexts, deepening and practicing knowledge and skills within Expressive Arts, RME, Science, PE, Technologies and Social Studies.  Interdisciplinary learning, through ‘Our world’ contexts over a 5 year cycle, facilitates pupils’ exploration, experience and learning which is practiced within community contexts, ensuring confidence and success is generalised and secure.  Family learning is a vital part of our pupils’ success and, along with our termly learning challenges, we offer a range of workshops, activity nights and holiday schemes for families. Achievement and success is recognised and celebrated.

Houses and homes with Room 10

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Our topic this term is “Houses, Homes and Buildings”, which we’re exploring through the story “In Every House, On Every Street”.

We started the term with a big focus on understanding the concepts of “house” and “home”, including playing communication games with our photos on the symbol for home and making cereal box houses. Our numeracy focus for this term is building with blocks, and the engagement with communication resources for this topic as well as the understanding of directional language has been brilliant. Our favourite prompt is definitely “knock it down!”

We’ve explored what we do in the kitchen, with communication games exploring who is in the kitchen (“me!”), moving to songs about baking, food art and craft and some fabulously messy sensory play! Bucket time that week whisked up a bowl of bubbles, had a cake splat and a flying balloon of flour!

We’ve also used this theme as a chance to understand our daily routines. We’re learning about what we need to have to go home, such as our bags and coats, and building independence with accessing them.

What makes a house a home? The relationships! We’ve built our confidence talking about the people around us and our comfort sharing preferred activities and taking turns, and have been developing our shared attention skills with our Attention Autism sessions.

We’re only just getting started! Look out for bathroom week, we’ll be making a splash!

Exploring Houses And Homes In Room 12

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Here are some pictures of the work we have been doing on the topic of Houses and Homes.

We have made both 2d and 3d constructions. We recycled materials to make a colourful village.

We used Google Maps to find our own houses and then made a map of our own.

We used large cardboard boxes to explore den-making and imaginary house building.

We have been out and about, visiting Doonies Farm to see how animal homes are different from ours. 

We have also been looking at nests and bird houses. Then we used crackers, suet and bird seed to make some small edible bird houses for our school garden.

A Wander Through Aberdeen With Room 8

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The built environment is an integral part of our lives. Buildings and houses not only provide shelter, but they also have a significant impact on our physical and mental well-being. Recently, our group had the opportunity to visit some places around Aberdeen to observe the houses and buildings in the area.

One of the highlights of our visit was the David Welch Winter Gardens at Duthie Park, one of Europe’s most extensive indoor gardens and Scotland’s third most visited gardens. The garden spans over 11 acres and is home to a vast collection of plants worldwide. It is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, who enjoy the garden’s beauty and tranquility.

The David Welch Winter Gardens is a prime example of how buildings can enhance our lives. The glass walls and ceiling allow natural light to flood the space, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. The plants and flowers provide a sense of serenity and calm, making it an ideal spot for relaxation and contemplation.

We also visited Footdee, an area in Aberdeen that was once known as ‘Fish Town.’ Footdee refers to the housing squares built in the mid-19th century to house local fishermen and their families. Over time, the name ‘Footdee’ was used to refer specifically to the housing squares, and the name ‘Fish Town’ was forgotten.

The houses in Footdee are unique and charming, with small gardens and colourful doors and windows. The area has a distinctly village-like feel, with narrow streets and alleyways adding charm. The houses are built close together, creating community and neighborliness.

The visit to Footdee reminded us of the importance of community in building design. The layout of the houses and streets creates a sense of togetherness and belonging, which is crucial for a healthy and happy community. The small gardens and bright colours of the houses also add to the importance of pride and ownership that residents have for their homes.

In conclusion, our visit to different areas of Aberdeen highlighted the importance of buildings, homes, and houses. From the David Welch Winter Gardens to Footdee, we observed how well-designed buildings could enhance our well-being and foster community. As we continue to build and design our environments, it is essential to keep in mind the impact that buildings can have on our physical and mental health and the importance of creating spaces that foster a sense of community and belonging.

Flying High In Room 12

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The pupils in Room 12 have been collecting data and making charts about the planes and helicopters we have seen flying overhead. We did this for 4 weeks. It was a great opportunity to talk about the idea of “more than”.

During Steam Week we had an amazing opportunity to visit a helicopter hangar, to see the size and scale of real helicopters as well as the details. We got to sit in the seats, try on their ear defenders and experience the noises and smells of the heavy machinery. Thank you to the welcoming staff at NHV!

Recycling with Room 2

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The staff team and pupils in Room 2 are on a mission to further raise the amount of recycling which we do at Orchard Brae. We now collect the recycling which states that it must be recycled at supermarkets. If you have any of this recycling (often the bags which have multi-packs of crisps in them or fruit bags) please send them into school for us to collect.

Giving and Receiving with Room 8

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Giving and Receiving

Why are these concepts important?

Giving and receiving become synonymous with presents. 

Giving and receiving are partners. To do both gracefully is a beautiful balance to achieve at any age. When you receive, you are giving the gift of receiving. The internal feeling of genuine giving of oneself and proper receiving are particularly kindling for peace of heart and mind. When ulterior motives enter into either domain – of giving or receiving – the precious purity and resource of both are diminished. If children can come to know through experience that there is an internal glow present with pure giving and receiving, they will develop a heritage of warmth and closeness which will be priceless in their life journeys.

Usually, we like to connect when giving and receiving with direct eye contact and heart-to-heart connection. We want to thank you so much for our gift from Shell – our great green sofa that is loved and valuable in Room 8. Thanks a lot, Alison, for making this happen. 

We managed to send them a card having this in our mind: “What comes from the Heart goes to the Heart…. What comes from the Heart goes to the Heart.”

It encapsulates the most powerful lesson with SUPERKID POWER skills today for the Easter season. Giving and receiving from the Heart. It’s not just with presents, but giving the gift of being a good listener and commenting for acknowledgement, giving and receiving a hug, being there for someone… So many ways to give and receive. Definitely, we are going to practise more of these beautiful skills. 

Planting with Room 4

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In room 4 we went out to the polly tunnel and planted our pea seeds. The boys were very interested to see the seeds and investigate the soil. We will need to remember to water them to make sure they grow! This will give them the experience of looking after plants and if we are lucky their hard work will pay off and we will see the plants growing!