Category: Senior phase

Senior Phase is for pupils in S4-S6 and this is when we see the introduction of SQA qualifications, work experience and have a greater focus on life skills to support our pupils for leaving school and into positive destinations. We offer further opportunities such as Duke of Edinburgh and residential trips which allow all pupils to access activities that may be difficult for them and their families to access otherwise.

Room 19 on Work Experience

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Two of our pupils have been on regular work experience at Airyhall Community Centre. They support with keeping the centre clean and are doing a very thorough job. Our work experience opportunities promote independence in our pupils. In addition to learning about the skills needed for work, we also engage with other people in our workplace, communicating with other staff and members of the public depending on our work environment.

Maritime Museum Visit

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Last Monday, Room 17 visited the Maritime Museum. We had a lovely snack in the café before exploring each floor of the museum. Pupils were engaged with the interactive displays around the museum and enjoyed the learning experience that each display had to offer. We found lots of interesting areas to explore in the museum and even had fun dressing up! As we were leaving, staff from the museum commented on how well behaved we all were.

Back to Work in Howes Hoose

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Howes Hoose hit the ground running, getting right back into their SQA work last week. All pupils were involved in preparing for their mid-year verification where their work is shared with teachers from other schools to ensure everyone across Scotland is working to the same standards.

Pupils in Howes Hoose are working on a range of curricular units to develop skills and independence as they are all moving on to new destinations in summer.

Uniform Exchange: Save money and help the environment!

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We are pleased to announce that we now have a Uniform Exchange in the front reception area of Orchard Brae. We have a small stock of clothing at present including footwear, trousers, school sweatshirts and polo shirts. We also have some bodysuits in smaller sizes. Free sanitary products will be available at all times.

You are welcome to come in and browse at any time, taking what you need for your child.

Donations of clothing (footwear, outdoor jackets or trousers, school uniform) are welcome and can be sent in with your child – please pop a note into the diary so that we know they are for the Uniform Exchange. Our pupils are aged 3 – 18, so all sizes are welcome including adult sizes.

Let’s help ourselves by saving money and passing on clothes that our children have outgrown, and help the environment too by re-using good clothing.

A Christmas Outing for Room 17

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Room 17 thoroughly enjoyed a special outing yesterday, bowling and then to Pizza Hut for lunch. Everyone enjoyed the bowling and as you can see in our photos, we became more independent during the course of the game. We all really enjoyed our pizza lunch, one of us trying pizza for the very first time! I suspect it might not be the last!

Noodles, Reindeer and Remembrance in Outdoor Education

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Room 19 have been looking at preparing food for our Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award.  We tested 2 different brands of noodles, and enjoyed eating them both.  Even those who were not sure, once they tried them, discovered that they were nice to eat.

We assembled and used a Trangia stove to boil water, and add then added to the dried noodles.  Part of our assessment will be making a hot meal, from scratch, using a stove.

We have also cooked sausages outside which were very popular.

This week we even made hot chocolate, heating up chocolate milk on a stove.

We all agree – food tastes better when cooked outside!

 

Outdoor learning has looked at using natural materials like grass, beech nuts and twigs to make textured animals.  We have made spikey hedgehogs from twigs. We also made soft fluffy reindeer for their fur, and small twigs to make their antlers.  Some of our reindeer also had a shiny red nose like Rudolph.

 

We also made poppies to celebrate Armistice Day out of heart shaped pieces of red paper.  We were using scissors, paint, different colours to recreate poppies in the wild.

Secondary Futures Event

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We would like to thank everyone that attended the Secondary Futures Event this week. It was a successful evening with a wide range of partners attending – some who support pupils through work experience at Senior Phase, and others who support our young people on leaving school. The evening was relaxed with plenty of time to chat and find out about services following a talk from Elaine Thomson, Head of Secondary, on the senior curriculum.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Room 19

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Room 19 are working on their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award this year. So far, we have chosen our physical activity and are working on basketball, table tennis and yoga.

For our skills section we are fundraising through our sandwich enterprise. We are also volunteering by helping out in classes with younger pupils and supporting an older gentleman in his home and garden.

In outdoor education, we have learned how to use fire sticks to light the gas for cooking with the trangia stove, all in preparation for our residential expedition next year.

Shoebox Appeal

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A huge thank you to everyone who sent in items for the Shoebox Appeal.  We filled an amazing 100 boxes which will go to people who would otherwise have had no gifts for Christmas. David, from the Rotary, came to pick the boxes up last week. He also wished to pass on thanks from the Rotary and to let everyone know what a huge difference this will make to the lives of those who have less than we do. This was a great learning experience for the pupils from shopping for items, collecting and sorting the items donated, decorating and packing the boxes. But the lesson of giving to others was the most important thing achieved.

From all the Howes Hoose Staff and pupils