You are invited to join Pencaitland Community Choir celebrate the festive season with Christmas Songs and good cheer.
We can’t all meet in person this year, and we can’t all enjoy singing together at the annual Tree Lighting event, or around the village and care home, but we did want to connect and join together in a cheery Christmas Chorus – all across the village and beyond.
Don’t worry about how good you can carry a tune, no-one else will hear you, so come along join in the fun. (Only one ticket needed for each household, if using 1 device – maybe grandparents will want to join in too.)
What? Signing up to SchoolPay system. Why? Parents / Carers, Schools and ELC are working in partnership to cut down unnecessary expense and to streamline payments easily for parents – improve efficient use of staff time and maximise resources at school and council level. How? Follow link on PPS Edubuzz home page – and follow the information in this clip above. (viewers will be taken to external You Tube link for ELC channel).
Please sign-up if you haven’t already done so and help us to use the school budget and staff time far better – not to mention the ease of paying for most families.
With the unprecedented events occurring to help combat the impact and spread of COVID-19 – Corona Virus, schools around the UK closed on Friday 20th March.
Information around essential key workers accessing child care through the six Children’s Hubs in East Lothian was shared – and forms shared to all parents / carers for completion and return.
These forms must be returned to Pencaitland Primary – by emailing to admin@pencaitland.elcschool.org.uk on or before Monday 23rd March. If anyone needs help to email this in, please ask for help through a friend / neighbour or Cncllr Shamin Akhtar. Mob: 07975 543406
East Lothian Council has today (20 March 2020) issued an update from Lesley Brown, Chief Operating Officer (Education) to parents and carers on its plans to continue supporting children and young people during the national closure of schools as a result of the Coronavirus.
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday the Education Secretary, John Swinney, confirmed that:
Councils will be taking measures to protect vulnerable children who rely on schools for hot meals or a safe and supportive environment.
Children of key workers will have continuing access to learning or childcare.
The update includes information on:
Children’s Hubs – Pencaitland’s cluster hub is Sanderson’s Wynd (Tranent)
As you may be aware, the First Minister announced yesterday that the children of key workers should have continuing access to appropriate learning and childcare, potentially beyond the normal school day, that allows their parents/carers to participate in the national response to Covid-19.
In response to this, East Lothian Council will be providing learning and childcare for the children of keyworkers who are registered in local authority schools and early learning and childcare centres. This provision is for key workers who do not have a trusted adult at home to care for their child/ren whilst they are at work. This provision will be delivered through a Children’s Hub located in each of our six largest communities in East Lothian. Where possible, parents/carers will be expected to transport their child/ren to their Hub.
School meals will be provided for those who are currently eligible for free school meals or clothing grants and families wishing to receive this meal entitlement should order online and collect from Sanderson’s Wynd Primary School 11.30 – 12.30 Mon-Fri.
Scottish Government have identified key workers in three categories:
**Priority will be given to families in Category 1 initially**.
Category 1 – Health and Care workers directly supporting COVID-19 response, and associated staff, Health and Care workers supporting life threatening emergency work, as well as critical primary and community care provision; Energy suppliers (small numbers identified as top priority already); staff providing childcare/learning for other category 1 staff.
Category 2 – All other Health and Care workers, and wider public sector workers providing emergency/critical welfare services (e.g. Fire, Police, Prisons, Social Workers etc.) as well as those supporting our Critical National Infrastructure, without whom serious damage to the welfare of the people of Scotland could be caused.
Category 3 – All workers without whom there could be a significant impact on Scotland (but where the response to COVID-19, or the ability to perform essential tasks to keep the country running, would not be severely compromised).
If you are a Keyworker and require support with childcare please could you complete the Keyworker Childcare Form (this is an editable PDF which you can enter text and then save) and email this information back to admin@pencaitland.elcschool.org.uk no later than 5pm Monday 23 March, 2020 with the subject heading ‘KEY WORKER SUPPORT’. Once this information has been collated by East Lothian Council we will contact you regarding the learning and childcare support we can provide for your child/ren.
Unless a place is confirmed, no children should attend any school.
Realising the Ambition: Being Me builds upon the original principles and philosophy of Pre-Birth to 3 and Building the Ambition.
This refreshed early years national practice guidance for Scotland presents key information about the characteristics of child development based on research and evidence.
It explores the range of interactions, experiences and spaces we need to provide for babies and young children to help them learn and grow best from their earliest days through to being a young child in early primary school.
In essence, ‘Realising the Ambition: Being Me’ increases expectations of high quality but still provides the necessary support for all who work in the early years sector and beyond.
Two additional in-service days were granted for session 2019/2020 as part of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers’ pay negotiations. These dates for these were: Tuesday 22 October 2019 and Tuesday 7 January 2020. Pupils did not attend school on these dates.
For future planning, parents and carers may find this information useful.
June 12/06/2020.
Update: Following the Scottish Government decision for schools to re-open in August 2020 – the 10th and 11th shall be staff in-service days and Pupil Return will start from the 12th August, but to a blended learning model. Each school will be in touch with families directly regarding which days and times will be allocated – and the procedures for attending school on those days. As the start back date is a week earlier than planned, the school year will end on Friday 25th June 2021. A revised Session calendar will be available in due course.
Our Junior Road Safety Officershave information to share.
Too many people are turning right, towards the school, instead of left for pick up and drop off times etc.
Everyone coming into The Glebe, that doesn’t work in the school or live on The Glebe, should follow the one-way system, but we think that not everyone knows about it. It’s in the handbook for the school we know….but we wanted to share it more clearly.
Please see letter from school – and the map. There is NO RIGHT TURN towards the school after coming into The Glebe.
Junior Road Safety Officers share the one-way pick up and drop off agreement for PPS
Highway Code – parking near a junction.
There also should be no parking anywhere near, on or opposite a junction – like it says in the Highway Code – and most near misses or damage have happened because of this parking, so please don’t park close to, on or near the junctions and corners.
The Parent Council have been working with local residents, families with children at the school, the pupils and staff and East Lothian Council for some time on these matters. Residents on the main road have also noted an increased difficulty to get in and out of driveways, due to parking on road near junction, and the traffic crossing staff have reported worrying trends too.
A TRO application was accepted and the consultation process is well underway – which is planned to result in yellow lines around the main area of concern. As always, we would ask that parents and family members / adults collecting or dropping off children, park / wait considerately when on The Glebe.
We absolutely don’t want to have children lacking in experience of being around traffic, but we do want to avoid elevated and unnecessary risk to pedestrians, and to drivers / cars as well, so everyone’s co-operation is key. Please do share with extended family who may not be familiar with our one-way and road safety agreement.
Your say matters!
Letters were recently sent home, advising families of proposed plan in East Lothian, to enable as many as possible to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of VE Day in 2020.
Photograph from BBC announcement of VE day anniversary celebrations.
Various options were discussed by elected members and the decision made reflects on all school children and staff. The Education Dept have asked for parents and carers to respond to their consultation, prior to requesting an extra day of closure for EL schools on 8th May.
**Please find some of the key points about the VE Day – 75th Anniversary Celebrations – Friday 8 May 2020**
UK Government has approved a change to the date of the May bank holiday from Monday 4th May to Friday 8th May 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
East Lothian Council does not have a universal fixed holiday in May so there is no opportunity to move any existing May holiday for all council staff.
Schools are in a different position – the Education Service has already published term times for East Lothian Schools for 2019/20 showing a range of holidays including Monday 4th May 2020.
A range of options to mark this were considered Full Council, 29th October 2019.
A decision was taken to recognise Friday 8 May 2020 as an additional one-off leave day. Permission will have to be sought from Scottish Government for exceptional closure of schools on this day.
In agreeing this option it was requested that Parents/Carers be consulted on their views regarding an additional day’s school closure on Friday 8th May 2020.The link to the questionnaire about this is here. It is open until 6th Dec.
Of course, it starts with our warm welcome to our new Head Teacher, Sarah Morgan who began her post with the #PencaitlandTeam on Monday (21st).
We look forward to getting to know Sarah and vice versa.
Well done to PTA too for all their work on the fantastic quiz night!
There’s still a short time to complete a survey for Connect around out of school hours care simply by joining Parent’s Voice.
Also, earlier this week, Fiona Robertson, current head of education, children’s services and E. L Works, announced she is leaving her post and will be moving to Midlothian Council. More info here on East Lothian Courier post
“All change” it seems, at East Lothian Council with Chief Executive, Angela Leitch also having recently left her post.
