My word, another week comes to an end in Abbeyhill. It has been very busy, once again.
Thank you to everyone who has sent in donations for the Poppy appeal.
My highlights this week have been:
Seeing beaming smiles as the children learn and practise their Scottish country dancing.
P1 and P2 continuing to be Responsible Citizens by clearing the leaves at lunch time. They are bagging them up ready to create a mulch over the winter ready to put on our raised beds. Miss Lee has been inundated with volunteers. 😊
At assembly this week we focussed on Growth Mindset. Having a positive outlook and can-do attitude towards learning in school and the wider community.
We were delighted to have our children in school on Wednesday as we await the result of the Unison Consultation. I will keep you updated if there are any further plans which may affect the school.
Thank you to all the P7 parents who popped into our drop-in session on Wednesday to ask the last-minute questions.
It was wonderful to celebrate the wide range of cultures in our school. This week we welcomed parents and carers into school to share information and traditions about Diwali. Have a wonderful day on the 12th of November if your family celebrates this festival.
Our Class Buddy system is in place with all classes getting out in the fresh air developing and sharing outdoor learning skills.
Road Safety is a huge part of enabling our children to get out and about in our community. These skills are taught in school and we appreciate this being reinforced at home. For families with Nursery, P1 and P2 children, talk to them about road safety as part of everyday life.
Reinforce the importance of walking on the pavement with an adult or friend, waiting at crossing points and walking across the roads.
A Snapshot of our Learning:
P7 making junk model monsters to help them plan the villain in their story.
P2/3 consolidating their number bond knowledge using numicon and playdough
P2/3 have been learning about what diya lamps symbolise after reading the story of the legends Rama and Sita for Diwali. We made our own diyas using old CDs and electric tea lights ready to light on Sunday.
P1/2 and P4 went on an autumn walk in Holyrood Park as part of our buddying this week. We used our senses to look for signs of autumn.
P1/2 were learning all about Remembrance and why we wear poppies in November. They made a large poppy picture to remember those who fought to protect us from harm.
Primary 6 and Primary 2/3 working with their buddies to make ‘Red Word’ books.
P1 learned about remembrance day and made some poppy art. They continued to practise their handwriting and names. In PE they developed their understanding of positional language and learnt two new sounds ‘n’ and ‘p’.
For this week’s update I include:
Reminders
P1 Health Questionnaires and Child Smile Forms (sent home last week).
- Final date to return the Health Questionnaire is 22nd November
- Final date to return the Child Smile is 23rd November.
Scottish Book Week
- P1-P3 Book Gifting Session with Parents – 16th November at 2.30. Please come to the office to sign in.
- Book Week Scotland Disco Mile – 17th November 9.00am – All children to dress as a character, wear a onesie/ pyjamas or just bring a book or character from one. Please do not go out and purchase a costume, often home made is best and lots of fun
Achievements
- Please keep sending achievements from home into school so we can celebrate at assembly.
School Calendar of Events
- Check the Calendar for updates. Please note that dates and times may need to be changed. If this is the case, we will give as much notice as possible.
New items
- Staffing
- Snacks
- Breakfast club
- Key Christmas Dates
- Survey of Funded Early Learning and Childcare 2023
- Supports for Children who are Neurodivergent and their Parents.
- School Calendar
Staffing
We are delighted to be welcoming our new PSA, Mrs Onea, to the staff team on Monday.
Snacks
Reminder that you child needs a small healthy snack at break time. A small packet of crisps, a piece of fruit or veggies or a biscuit is plenty. Please do not send anything with nuts, high sugar sweeties, big bags of crisps or bars of chocolate.
Breakfast Club
A reminder that the Breakfast Club opens at 7.45. All children need to be booked in advance on parent pay.
If you child has been allocated a space by school, we will explain the process for this.
All children should be signed in – unless agreed with Mrs Robertson or Mr Combe.
If your child is new to the breakfast club, we must have a completed registration form before they can start.
Thank you for following these procedures which allow Breakfast Club to run smoothly.
Some Key Christmas Dates:
Nativity and Christmas Concert
This will be held in Meadowbank Church on 14th December at 1.30. P1 will be performing “The Nativity” and P2 and 3 will be singing and narrating the story.
The Choir will be performing to open the concert. All parents’ carers and wider family are welcome to join us there.
**All children will be collected from school at the end of the day**
Strings and Choir Concert
The Choir will also be joining the Strings Groups at their Concert on the 7th of December- Parents of Strings Groups and Choir are invited to attend.
Survey of Funded Early Learning and Childcare 2023
The City of Edinburgh Council is seeking the views of parents and carers with children under 5 years of age to ensure we provide a high-quality service that is responsive to the changing needs of our local communities.
The online survey aims to gain the views of parents and carers regarding the following areas:
- The current delivery models available to access the funded entitlement to 1140 hours of early learning and childcare.
- The quality of early learning and childcare parents and carers experience.
- The criteria for allocating places in local authority early years settings.
- The demand for an additional year of funded early learning and childcare.
- Experience of accessing additional support for learning for your child.
- Parent & carer engagement with our early year’s settings.
The findings from the survey, which is open until Friday 25 November, will be used to inform future delivery of early learning and childcare in Edinburgh and ensure our children continue to receive high-quality provision that is flexible, accessible and affordable for parents and carers.
To help us capture the views of parents/carers accessing funded early learning and childcare we would appreciate it if you could complete this survey.
If you have any questions or queries in regards to this, please contact earlyyears@edinburgh.gov.uk
Link: Survey of Funded Early Learning and Childcare 2023
Supports for Children who are Neurodivergent and their Parents.
Please find below some great supports for families:
NDwell
The NDwell service is for children and young people aged between 5 to 24 years old and/or their parents, who live in the City of Edinburgh and are neurodivergent. This includes children and young people with a diagnosis of autism, ADHD and intellectual disability and those awaiting diagnosis.
Please find attached information on the next NDwell Drop-ins which are running at Craigmillar Library on Tuesday the 14th of November and the 12th of December from 10.30 am -12 pm
The NDWell Drop in Service can provide-
• a listening ear from a skilled and experienced support worker, access to information, resources and guidance as needed, referrals to their own services where suitable, as well as their partners or signpost you to other services that will best fit your needs. To book a slot to attend please email NDwell@barnardos.org.uk
NDwell also run a series of young people and parents information and support sessions and courses. These are suitable for parents of primary and secondary age children.
Find information on this terms’ dates for Zones of Regulation a 4 part course and sessions on -well-being, sharing with your child that they are neurodivergent, sleep, energy management, and emotional regulation at https://tailoredfoundation.co.uk/online-parent-information-sessions-autumn-23/
For information on the children and young people’s Understanding Autism or Wellbeing groups and/or to request a place contact NDwell@tailoredfoundation.co.uk
Autism Parent Info Sessions – High School
ASL Service and Psychological Services together with NHS partners are coordinating a series of 6 Autism Parent Information Sessions for parents and carers of autistic children in attending City of Edinburgh, mainstream High schools. The sessions are appropriate for parents, grandparents or carers. Young people themselves should not attend. Parents of children without a formal diagnosis are welcome to attend. The sessions will take place at lunchtime each week on Microsoft Teams. Interested parents should book a place follow the details on the attached flier, book via Eventbrite or contact 0131 4692850.
Mindroom Parent and Carer Peer Support Group -For parents and carers of neurodivergent children and young people in Edinburgh. Future dates attached.
These groups are to help parents and carers to share their knowledge and lived experience of supporting neurodivergent children. Peer support is when people use their own experiences to help each other.
Each monthly online group will have a topic where parents and carers can share information, resources, and strategies. To sign up to the Parent and Carer Support groups or to find out more information about any of Mindroom services. Tel: 0131 370 6730 Email directhelp@mindroom.org Website: www.mindroom.org
Information on other Autism supports is on our Support for Families webpages.
School Calander
Kind Regards
Moira Robertson
Abbeyhill Primary School 
