Last Week Of Term

We have had a wonderful activities week as we prepare for the summer holidays!

On Tuesday we enjoyed an Orchard Brae ‘Proms In The Park’. Unfortunately, the weather meant that we couldn’t enjoy a picnic outside but as you can see from the video below, everyone had a great time listening to the live music provided by the Fyvie Folk Club.

On Thursday, we all took part in our Animal Themed Sports Day. Use the QR code or link below to view a Thinglink showing all the fun!

www.thinglink.com/scene/1596498655605424129

And finally we would like to wish you all a very happy and relaxed summer holiday. Have lots of fun and we can’t wait to hear what you’ve been up to what you’ve been up to when we return in August!

Enjoying our Learning in Secondary

Burns Celebrations to start the week

We’ve had another busy week of remote learning. Starting on Monday with our whole school Burns Day Celebration, the week was started with great enthusiasm!

Daily Circle Time

To keep our routine going, many classes continue to do daily circle time. Some of our learners have their own circle time packs at home to support the familiar routine, others use the class slides to provide structure. It’s great to receive feedback on how our learners are getting on: ‘He thoroughly enjoys circle time.’

For one young man, circle time is also an opportunity to practise his bench sitting.

Personal Independence and Life Skills

We continue to develop independence in personal care. Staff take time to support us in doing things for ourselves. Handwashing is very important during a pandemic!

We’ve been cooking and baking. There was some delicious French Onion Soup on offer this week and beautiful golden shortbread. Look out Masterchef, here we come!

Expressive Arts

We enjoyed art, PE, drumming and music through Makaton Choir. A very detailed drawing was done to decorate a drum for a music session with Keith – the drawing is of a hunter being chased by an African lady that is protecting the animals!

We also took time to relax, both indoors and out.

Working Hard

We worked hard on a range of learning activities and tasks, some online and some more practical.

One of our senior pupils made an amazing cat house as part of her SQA work. I think you’ll agree, this is for one very lucky cat!

Assembly

Finally, to round off the week we had an Assembly. We talked about mental health and the theme ‘Express Yourself’. Staff shared the ways that they express themselves and show that they’re unique. The slides are available to view in the Google Assembly classroom for anyone that was unable to join us. Our challenge for the next assembly on 12th February is to share a photo of us doing something that we enjoy – anything goes!

A Busy Week In Primary

All the staff at Orchard Brae are missing seeing all our pupils every day and we are always eager to see and hear what you’ve been up to.  We love seeing what everyone has been busy doing while they are at home and we have some wonderful photos and videos to share with you this week.

If you would like to share what you have been up to at home, please send any photos or videos via your child’s teacher, the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page or email Amy Dunnett (Principal Teacher Primary) adunnett@aberdeencity.gov.uk.  Downloading videos from the Orchard Brae School Facebook Messenger page appears to be working again (fingers crossed!) however if you are having any issues, please send them using a free transfer site such as Dropbox or WeTransfer.

Working Hard

We’ve been delighted to see how well some of our pupils have been working and learning at home .

There has been lots of work on this week’s story ‘The Snail And The Whale’, listening to the story, making seaside inspired pictures and creating seaside sensory tubs.  Some pupils enjoyed taking their daily exercise at the beach – I wonder if they managed to spot any whales?  One pupil even managed to find a seaside themed treasure trove when he was out for a walk!!

Others have been busy practising their writing or simply taking part in a familiar school routine such as circle time and some enjoyed exploring science and technology by making their own sensory bottles .

Some of you have been enjoying listening to stories, and the Bedtime stories shared on the school website and Facebook page have been a nice way to see some familiar faces and hear some familiar voices from around the school!

Making Music

It’s been a fun, musical week, listening and joining along with your favourite tunes!

Out And About

We’ve loved seeing where you’ve been visiting when you’ve been out and about in your local communities.

Getting Active

You’ve all been busy this week exploring different ways to keep yourselves active from swinging around, bouncing about on balls and on the trampoline, climbing trees, enjoying a bike ride with your family or working on building your core strength.

And Always Remember…

We love seeing all your smiles and even during this difficult and strange time it’s important to have fun, whether it’s on your own exploring nature…

…playing with your favourite toys…

…or simply chilling out and having some sensory fun.

Remember to make some wonderful memories and have fun with those you love.

We can’t wait to see what you get up to next week!

Movement Time in Room 3

The children in Room 3 have been doing incredible work on their movement skills since returning to school! The children use their equipment daily as part of class routines and work so hard to stand up tall in their standing frames or take steps in their walkers.  Twice a week we do focussed movement sessions where we use a range of floor based positions as well as equipment.  On a Tuesday we focus on trying out activities in a range of positions, sometimes these are new or challenging but the children are so motivated.  On a Friday we have a music and movement session which is linked to our story.  We have been exploring all the animals’ movements from ‘The Animal Boogie’ while moving our bodies to different pop and Disney songs in a range of positions.  The children work together in pairs or small groups throughout the week in their equipment and are further developing their awareness of each other…sometimes there’s a real sense of competition while we throw/kick balls or try to press the computer first but likewise sometimes it is nice just to lie together during a relaxation time or even help encourage a friend by holding up a favourite toy for them.   Being active is great – amazing work Room 3!