we are appealing for donations for the foodbank and contributions to a new display in memory of Emma Liddle and there slides can be found here

As you may be aware, the Scottish Government plan to launch a new national travel concession scheme to provide free bus travel for young people under the age of 19. They anticipate that legislation to underpin the scheme would be required to be laid in Parliament in early 2021 and the scheme would come into effect later in 2021.

For the next six weeks (until Monday 7th December), Transport Scotland are running a consultation in regards to this scheme to gather information on the most appropriate ways to provide this free travel to best suit young people. They are hoping the consultation will reach as many members of the public as possible, especially to those who will be impacted by the proposals, including children and young people, their parents and carers and people who work with children in a paid or voluntary capacity.

The consultation can be found on https://www.transport.gov.scot/consultation/consultation-on-free-bus-travel-for-people-resident-in-scotland-aged-under-19/

More information on the proposed scheme can be found on https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/consulting-on-free-bus-travel-for-young-people-under-19/

Please find here letter from Lesley Brown, Head of Education and Children’s Services that we have been asked to circulate.

Dear Parent/Carer,

We have been monitoring the ongoing Coronavirus situation and how it has impacted on our youth theatre & move it classes. At the beginning of March all classes were postponed and we have been working extremely hard during these difficult times to provide a solution for delivery.

As many council venues remain closed and restrictions on face to face teaching, we have taken the decision to break into the online world and developed an online Arts Programme which will be delivered over Zoom, an online video-conferencing platform.

Our Youth Theatre, Move It, Dramarama and seated exercise classes will all be offered online from the beginning of November and run for 7 weeks. All classes are led by experienced and qualified drama and dance professionals who work as freelance performance artists and have a wealth of knowledge and talent.

Classes are being offered for a very low fee of £5 for a 7 week block, plus an additional £1.50 booking fee, thanks to funding which the Brunton has secured through Creative Scotland.

We know how important it is to stay connect right now and we would love to keep our amazing community of young drama and dance students together at this time.

Booking is now open and can be accessed using the link below, this will be exclusive to members until Sunday 25^th October. From Monday 26^th October booking will open to the general public and close on Saturday 31^st October for everyone. We are anticipating high demand for these classes and would suggest booking as soon as possible to avoid missing out as spaces are limited. *Please note class times may have change, please check this before booking.

https://www.thebrunton.co.uk/en-GB/categories/online%20classes

Online booking is limited to two children, if you require booking for a third child please contact the box office on 0131 653 5245 10am – 3pm Monday to Saturday.

 I am aware cyber security may be an issue for some, therefore I have attached a list of security measures we will be putting in place to ensure the safety of all who are participating in our online sessions.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to get in touch with our Development Officer of Dance and Drama: youththeatre@eastlothian.gov.uk moveit@eastlothian.gov.uk

I look forward to seeing you all very soon.

*Should we not reach sufficient numbers to run the class, we will look to facilitate your booking within another one of our online sessions.

Best wishes,

East Lothian Youth Theatre

On Thursday evening at 7.30pm we will hold a ‘Facebook Premiere’ event to showcase the Instrumental Music Services’ collaboration with RAF Music Service – an exclusive performance of ‘Lass of the Loch’. It would be much appreciated if you could share either the facebook or twitter links below through your school’s accounts to draw it to the attention your school community and as many people in East Lothian as possible.

This has been a great opportunity for all of our young musicians and we hope that everyone watching the performance on Thursday night enjoys their hard work, dedication and talent.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ELCouncil/status/1314133845990572034?s=20

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/376946749091416/posts/3281631378622924/?d=n

Dear Parents/Carers,

Thank you for everything you are doing to help keep your school safe, open and COVID free.

The measures your school has in place are necessary to protect children, staff and you as parents/carers. We must continue to work together and support our school staff in making the school as safe as possible, even if this feels difficult at times.

Staying two metres away from people who are not in your household will help to limit the spread of coronavirus. This is just as important outside. I wanted to highlight the importance of keeping a two metre distance from others at the school gates. If you can, please wear a face covering to help limit spread of the virus. Face coverings help reduce the spread of droplets, and so help limit the spread of coronavirus. Whilst we appreciate this is a difficult time and these measures can be trying, if we keep working together and do our best now to stop COVID-19, for example by not gathering at school gates and by wearing face coverings, we will get through this with fewer people becoming unwell.

The new restrictions announced by the First Minister include not having family and friends who don’t live with you inside your house and you not visiting other people’s houses. Having visitors and visiting other people’s houses has been the source of many COVID cases in recent weeks. This means that if we avoid having visitors and visiting others, we will all help limit the spread of coronavirus across households at this difficult time whilst cases are rising. This will help us to keep our schools and other services open.

Finally, please remember if your child or anyone in your household has one or more symptoms of COVID-19 (a new, continuous cough, a high temperature/fever, or loss of, or change in sense of smell or taste) you should ALL stay at home and the person with symptoms should get tested. Find out how to organise a COVID test on NHS Inform or phone 0800 028 2816. Please contact your school or local authority if you feel you may need help with self-isolation.

This has been a hugely difficult time for us all, and there are trying times ahead. However, everyone can make a difference, and by working together and following the FACTS we can help limit the spread of the virus, keep our schools open and our communities safe.

F – Face coverings

A – Avoid crowded places

C – Clean your hands regularly

T – Two metres distance

S – Self-isolate and book a test if you have symptoms

Yours sincerely

Alison McCallum

Director of Public Health and Health Policy

We have been requested to circulate the letter from Jason Leitch regarding testing and common colds.  It can be found here