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.

End of Term Events

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We’ve lots of activities planned for the end of term. Please note 16th (or 23rd) June as we can dress up as Superheros for our MOVE/Potted Sports Day.

From Monday 14th June       

Caroline’s Treasure Hunt – Individual classes will organise to go on a special treasure hunt, but what special prize will they find at the end? 

Wed 16th/23rd June (weather dependant)             

MOVE/Potted Sports – MOVE and PE will provide a sporting/active challenge for all classes but remember this is also superhero day so dress as your favourite character! 

Friday 18th June                                                                        

Creativity Day lots of different activities all linked to pasta!  

Monday 21st June                                                                     

Leavers Ceremony for 2020 and 2021 leavers – digital invite to follow for parents and carers of these specific pupils. 

Thursday 24th June                                                                   

Picnic in the Park/Musical afternoon- This is our pupils’ tribute to Caroline, fine food and musical interludes. 

Tree Planting in Outdoor Education

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We were very grateful to have trees given to us by the Woodland Trust. We have planted these at the front of the school to create our very own orchard. Thanks to Sharon for supporting us with this project, and for all the hard work she’s put into Outdoor Education this session.

Room 14 also helped to ‘plant a tree for the Queen’s Jubilee’, planting a Christmas tree at the front of the school. How long do you think it will take for it to grow taller than you?

Superheroes In Room 5

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This term our book study has been based on the book ‘Traction man’ by Mini Grey. You can listen to the story on YouTube using the link below.

In class we have listened to the story and enjoy hearing about the ways in which Traction man saves the day.

AS part of the book study we designed our own super hero character. This was so much fun that even the staff got involved. After we designed our superheroes we named them –

Traction Man
Ash Attack
Quantum Conor
Cosmic H
Electric Jamie
Super Lulu 
OJ Man
TamaHawk
Wonder Granma
Scarlet Debz
Phantom Dede
Agent Lilla
Captain Robbie 

As well as designing our own superhero, we also set up and actively participated in a fun and lively science experiment. Traction Man needed a new suit to wear and so we investigated a range of materials to find out which ones would be best. Dressing Traction man in plastic, tinfoil and cotton wool we put him in water to see which material was water resistant and which material was not! We thought the plastic bag would win but actually tin foil was the best keeping Traction Man dry and absorbing the least water.

It has been so much fun learning with Traction Man in Room 5 he has inspired us all to be superheroes!!

Storytime In Room 3

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Room 3 pupils have been having a great time exploring the story ‘Mrs Vicker’s Knickers, written by Kara Lebihan and illustrated by Deborah Allwright.

In the story, poor Mrs Vickers is pegging up her pretty pink knickers when a gust of wind whisks them up into the sky. Her pink frillies spiral away on the breeze, causing quite a commotion. They land on a fire-engine’s windscreen, get hooked over the traffic lights, twirl through a classroom, twist over the zoo and even round a rollercoaster. Finally Mrs Vickers’ knickers startle a parachutist who spins down to earth, crashing into Mrs Vickers’ washing-line and sending all her other knickers off on their own adventures.

Using Mrs Vicker’s knickers as their inspiration, we have been looking at movement and forces. This included using toy cars and ramps, creating artwork using salad spinners, pushing Big Macs, passing objects to our friends, feeling water spray on our faces.

Why don’t you have a look at all the fun we’ve been having!

Science In Room 8

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Who would have ever thought that a plastic bag, some water and a few bamboo skewers would have kids enjoying so much? Learn how to poke holes in a plastic bag filled with water without spilling a drop. Well, that’s the theory we were testing…and it’s wise to practice your liquid trick over the tray, just in case!

Supplies:

  • zip-up bag
  • water
  • bamboo skewers /sharpened pencils

We filled a zip-up bag about half-way with water and sealed it up. We held the bag high over a tray and the kids poked the sticks straight through the bag, from one side to the other.

We had to be sure that the stick didn’t travel through the bag. We didn’t want to have water leaks.

We kept adding sticks until we had enough. Before removing the sticks, we took a moment to talk about what we saw. When the sticks went into the bag, the bag seemed to magically seal itself around the sticks.

When we were done, we removed the sticks over a tray. So much fun! And so much water everywhere!

More Sensory Fun In Room 7

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The pupils in Room 7 have continued to participate in and enjoy their sensory exploration of food. Remember, the sticky and messy fun they had with jelly from their last web post? This time they have been using Angel Delight! But they haven’t just been having fun exploring the different textures and smells, it was also an opportunity to learn about measuring and volume as well as practising mixing (yes even with your hands!) and pouring skills.

National Numeracy Day: 19th May 2021

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19th May is National Numeracy Day. There are events throughout the day on the National Numeracy website:

https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/numeracyday

Numeracy is all around us. It helps us to understand the world and process our environment. Colours, patterns, shape, size and texture are all related to numeracy and play can support our early understanding of these concepts. As our pupils develop, we focus on functional numeracy, learning about time through our daily routine, money in practical situations such as knowing we have to pay in the shop, measurement in HE and outdoor learning. Numeracy skills are developed across the curriculum.

There are lots of things you can do at home to support your child’s numeracy development. Why not some of these activities? For Primary / early Secondary learner here are some ideas. Follow the link below for more:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EIwt0gKHQ-0tJ7N1p1J9XeYrV3OBIUOx0KXplmkf5zQ/edit?usp=sharing

For our Senior Phase learners:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSl3vrEw2_6rLo8diWVck-jzCk2OMK5RZ81ZAe6isXMGMf1dWo2qD-xW6I0En-8f9Tq6ReYeie3tIdI/pub

We’d love to see how you use numeracy at home. Please share any photographs or comments by e-mail to: gw19russellclare@ab-ed.org

Things Are Growing Well In Room 2!

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This term Room 2 pupils are growing sunflowers, cress and salad leaves from seeds. Each morning one pupil has responsibility for watering them – they all like to take their turn.  Our pupils have done a good job of nurturing the plants and this week it was time to transplant our sunflowers, which are about 4cm tall, into individual plant pots.

Look out for sunflowers coming home for you to grow on a windowsill.