Copy of Learning Update Letter sent 0ut to all parents today
8th January 2021
Dear Parents and Carers Primary 1 – Primary 7
Information for remote learning from Monday 11th January – Friday 29th January 2021
Following the First Minister’s decision to move to remote learning this letter will detail the arrangements we have put in place to support you and your child/children over the next month of learning at home.
Log-In
Every pupil has a log-in to Google Classroom, if you or they are unable to log your on then please contact the school on 01368 863773 so we can support you getting access.
As from Monday 11th January we will have a class catch-up 3 x week open for 30 mins. The class teacher will send details of when this will be for each class. As a school we are expecting every pupil to log-on at these agreed 3 times, talk briefly to their teacher e.g. ask questions about any work that has been set, sort out any concerns, check in on work completed, etc.
This will then allow us to ensure pupils are engaging with the set work. We are posting new learning and new material each week, we will be teaching new concepts and developing skills in different contexts of learning. We recognise that remote/on-line learning is not ideal but we need all of our pupils to be engaging and completing work to ensure they are remaining on track and not falling behind.
Teacher Contact
We are running a Hub at John Muir Campus from 11th – 29th January and most of our teachers and support staff will be working on a rota basis working in school or working from home. This will mean that on some occasions the support for remote learning questions will be provided by another teacher from the stage. It might also mean that a member of the Senior Management Team might be taking the catch-up session.
The google login the pupil has is just for them, please can we ask that you do not use this to email the teacher, but use your own email to the admin email box at Dunbar – Thank you.
We ask that in the first instance if you have a question or concern for the class teacher you send it to the admin email: admin @dunbarprimay.elcschool.org.uk and mark it for the attention of the class teacher or the member of management you want to contact. This will mean that it will be dealt with quickly as teachers maybe teaching in the Hub and not check their email until later in the day.
Devices
To support on-line learning we have in the past week delivered 125 laptops and some access devices, as part of the Scottish Government initiative, to support our remote learning offer. We know that sometimes even an extra one is not enough so we will provide chrome books to borrow for pupils who need one.
Can I also ask if you upgraded your old laptop over Christmas and are able to donate your old machine, we would be very grateful to receive any, just contact the school office.
Jotters
More of the on-line learning activities will be work pupils will need to do in a jotter or on paper – we intend doing more handwriting skills, morning challenges, maths problem-solving, writing sentences as part of RWInc and literacy activities that will need a jotter. Some of the extended writing can be done on the laptop and this will also develop typing skills.
We will be leaving jotters for you to collect for your child/children in Knox’s Newsagent, Co-op and Asda. Some are specifically for P1 & P2 (Purple or Red) others are for P3-P7. Please help yourself and if they run out please give the office a call.
Other Activities
As part of the learning and teaching over the next 4 weeks we will be using our specialists to provide science, German ( P6 & 7) and some musical activities. We will deliver some short assemblies and there will be the usual weekly Google Meet with the teacher and the whole class – this will be decided by each class teacher.
At the end of our last slot of remote learning we surveyed pupils to find out what worked well or what could be improved on. I hope that you will see some changes as we shared these findings with our teachers. We know that sitting in front of a computer screen all day was not popular, and I couldn’t agree more! So we will be adding in activities that take children outside or need them to be creative or imaginative, that provide some fun and challenge their thinking.
We have ensured that some of the learning activities can be completed independently by pupils, some will be delivered by the teacher on-line and some will need some adult input.
Dunbar Primary School is here to help and support as much as we can with the remote learning that you will be juggling with alongside your own jobs and ‘lockdown life’. We do not want to add to your stress so we ask that you fit in the home learning around your family and your situation. Please call us for advice if you find things are tough, we understand how hard the next 4 weeks will be and working together we can get through it.
Helen Gillanders. Head Teacher.
Website
Resources and help guides and videos have been added today to the school website. Links and resources to support learning will be added frequently over the coming days and weeks. Please favourite the site and check regularly. Weekly updates will be published each Friday.
Why are some children at school?
We are providing in-school supported learning for the community of Dunbar children of key workers and also for our families who require support for a variety of circumstances.
As always, if your child is attending school for the
critical childcare, please do not send them if they have any Covid-19 symptoms and should self-isolate and book a test for them.
Requests to Borrow Chromebooks
As stated above we have distributed 125 Chromebooks this week, however we can still send out devices still available for students who require access for home learning.
Please contact admin@dunbarprimary.elcschool.org.uk to request a
device, giving the name of the child that it should be allocated to. Chromebooks can be collected only by prior arrangement, pick up times are between 10am and 12pm on Monday 11th January. Collection at a later time may be possible and can be arranged
with the office at John Muir. Please note that these additional devices must be returned when schools open in the same condition as when they were issued.
Supporting Families During Lockdown
During the first lockdown, our Senior Leadership team worked hard to help pupils and their families. We will do our best over the coming period to support you and your family. Please contact us if there are concerns or issues you need guidance with.
Please note that the school office in John Muir Campus is manned and calls can be made on 01368863773. There will 2 members of the Senior Leadership team available on call everyday to support the children in and out of the school. We will respond to calls as soon as we can.
Dunbar Primary Parent Council
The next Parent Council meeting will be held online on Tuesday 12th January at 7pm. Please e-mail parentcouncil@dunbarprimary.elcschool.org.uk if you would like to attend. Click below for the agenda and minutes of the previous meeting.
Agenda – January 2021
Minutes of December 2020 Meeting