Thank you to everyone who volunteered at the Summer Fair on Saturday. After expenses we raised £850 towards next years Cultural Fund for the school. Our external stall holders and volunteers all commented on how happy and polite all of the children were. I am sorry that our demonstrations from Parkour and Edinburgh Dance Academy did not go ahead as planned. Hopefully the Summer Fair 2020 will be a scaffold-free occasion where more activities can be held within the playground.
Please complete our feedback surveys so that results can be collated and brought to the next PC meeting:
Wednesday 19th June, 6:30-8pm, in the Link building we are having our last Parent Council meeting of the year. Kicking off the meeting will be a Powderhall update from the City of Edinburgh Council.
If there is anything you'd like to have raised on the 19th can you please let me know ASAP, as I am meeting with Mrs Gowans on Friday 14th June to go over the agenda before it is sent on to everyone.
Friday 7th June - the P7's are hosting a bake sale during the morning to raise funds for their parent organised party at the end of the month. All classes have allocated times to go down to the lunch hall so please ensure your child has a few pennies to buy some lovely treats.
Below is the latest newsletter from Connect. Connect is our go-to source of all Parent Council information. If you are interested in taking a role within the Parent Council/PSA next year, please look at the information available on the Connect website as there are very thorough FAQ sections and online training sessions available.
Our Gardening Project is up and running. Mrs Gowans has given any parents and children permission to plant, weed, water and tidy up the playgrounds between 2:55pm-4pm Monday to Thursday and from 11:55am-2pm on a Friday. This is allowed until the start of the Summer term when the project progress will be reassessed for the last 9 months of the project. If you would like to be a part of the project please get in touch with our Vice-Chair Rachel Blythe, whose email is in the CC field.
Pupil Support Assistants. If anyone read the news yesterday about the council's decision to cut PSA funding next year. I have been told that Mr Gow is to have given a statement to the press reversing this announcement within the last few hours. More information will be shared on our Facebook group as and when it's brought to the attention of all PC Chairs.
PC Chair, broughtonparents@gmail.com
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Welcome to our June eNewsletter!
In this issue, read about
Please share this eNewsletter with other parents and education professionals and invite them to subscribe to it here.
For tips, pointers and the latest news on the world of Scottish education, follow and like us on Facebook and Twitter. We are also on LinkedIn. |
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Summer Backchat 149 - Out Now!
Your summer edition of our termly newsletter Backchat is available here. In it, you'll find
- information on improvements to your Connect Membership services
- author Carol Craig's ten key messages on developing resilience in children
- links to our survey reports on subject choices and on musical instrument tuition charges
- a Partnership Schools Scotland case study on a Life Skills room.
If you receive Backchat by post, it should be with you by now. Please consider switching to email. Let us know you've changed your preferences by emailing info@connect.scot, including your name, your parent group's name and your school. Thank you!
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Connect's Parent Survey Report: early learning and childcare and 1140 hoursThank you to everyone who took part in our survey on early learning and childcare. We asked about the trials of 1140 hours which will be offered to all three- and four-year-olds from August 2020. Our survey highlighted
- considerable variation in 1140 hour trials across Scotland,
- most trials have taken place in local authority nurseries, not in partner provider settings
- a lot of confusion and frustration amongst parents, with provision changing from year to year
- different, sometimes contradictory, criteria being used in the allocation of the 1140 hours to families (eg parents in work, parents not in work)
- families feeling they are being unfairly treated - the cost saving on childcare can be more than £2500 per year.
Read our full report on the survey here.
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Learning Together: The Scottish Government's Family Engagement Strategy Remember the publication last year of Learning Together? This Scottish Government plan is about improving parental engagement in children’s learning and school lives. It sets out ambitious targets for the education system to recognise the importance of parents and families to children's learning.
Connect - along with others, including NPFS - has been involved in working groups on different aspects of the plan. These include changes to teacher education, new guidance on parental engagement, a refreshed ParentZone and access to home-school link workers.
The most significant piece of work for parents and families is the new guidance on parental engagement. We expect this to go out to consultation early in the next school year. We’re also waiting to hear about future plans for home school link workers. |
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Connect Supports Campaign to Stop Nitrites in School Meals - Result!Connect supported the Herald on Sunday's recent campaign against school and hospital food with nitrites in it eg processed meat such as sausages and ham. Research has linked nitrites with cancer. Cabinet Secretary for Education & Skills John Swinney has now agreed to address this in school nutritional guidelines. Read the Herald on Sunday's campaign piece here and the latest update here.
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Connect Membership Renewals Now Due for 2019/2020! If your parent group pays for its own Connect Membership, renewals for 2019/20 are now due! We've refreshed our Membership package for you - from August, 3* Membership will be enhanced to include Extended Public Liability cover for external stallholders and entertainers.
Please advise us of any changes to your Parent Council/PTA's main contact details - email info@connect.scot with your school's name, your local authority area and your main contact's name and email address. |
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New Resource from Connect: Parent Council Health Check for Activity Clubs Does your Parent Council run activity clubs and groups? If so, you'll find our new Parent Council Health Check - Activity Clubs useful for making sure you're running your activities effectively and well. It covers financial record-keeping, child protection, managing risk and much more. You can find it here - you will need to register on our website here to access this resource.
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Thank you to everyone who completed our Members' Survey
You told us you really like our website, the membership-linked insurance, our face-to-face Information Sessions, our Facebook page and our online Information Sessions. We're expanding and improving these for you over the coming months - watch this space for more information on our area-based face-to-face Information Sessions, scheduled well in advance, and for our programme of online Information Sessions for next term.
Congratulations to Linda Hughson, Lunnasting Primary School, Shetland who won the £20 Amazon voucher!
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Easyfundraising in JuneThe easyfundraising June planner is full of top tips to help make this a sizzling hot summer of fundraising for your parent group. You'll find ideas for raising
- cash with home and garden improvements
- BIG donations on last-minute holidays
- more funds in Double Donation Week
For all this and more, register your group here.
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There are lots of ways to keep in touch!
Please encourage other parents to sign up for this eNewsletter here or follow, like and share us on Facebook and Twitter, and please join our Parents' Voice online survey group. We are also on LinkedIn as Connect (formerly SPTC). Read our Privacy Policy to find out how we look after your personal data. |
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