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Friday 22 April 2005 |
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Welcome to the new Children and Families newsletter Replacing Inform and Social Work News, this newsletter will be published every two weeks and aims to reach out to the entire Children and Families Department. You will be able to read about all the good work happening in your department as well as learn about your new colleagues. There will even be the odd chance to win prizes (see competitions below). This newsletter will also be available online at the Edinburgh Grid for Learning at http://egfl.net Over the next few months the look and feel of this newsletter will grow and evolve to fit the new department but to ensure it's a success, we need your input. Please call or send us your stories, pictures, info on new staff, celebrations, special events, news etc. If you don't tell us about all these things, how will we ever know? So go ahead, email us at gayle.st.croix@educ.edin.gov.uk or give us a call on 0131 469 3429 with any story idea and we'll see that it makes it to print. New approach to
services for children and families The new department will be the largest in the Council and will encompass a wide range of services enabling closer working relationships between schools, social workers and other professionals and making it easier for them to share information and provide more integrated services. Although the new Department came into operation on Friday 1 April, changes are being phased in to ensure minimal disruption to existing services. Five new ‘local service areas’ will be introduced in August 2005 and further developments will be taking place until April 2007 to ensure local services can fully meet the needs of their own local communities. Leading the way in Europe: the
Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework in the social services Special schools gear up for
the G8. The agenda of the conference is to learn a little about the South African spirit of Ubuntu – "I am alright only if you are alright". Pupils will be involved in singing and dancing with a South African theme. The pupils will also be sending a pictorial petition to the G8 Summit via Robin Harper, MSP, in order to request that the G8 countries keep to their promise from the Millennium Development Goals to provide universal primary education by the year 2015. Competitions It's got to be snappy, easy to remember, and appropriate for the aims of the new Children and Families Department. Please send your suggestions to myself by email to gayle.st.croix@educ.edin.gov.uk or call me on 0131 469 3429. Win with 'Wow' The competition is open to all
primary and S1 pupils in the UK and the deadline for all entries is
Wednesday 27 April. The 12 winners will be announced during national Walk to
School Week, on Wednesday 25 May. Prizes, including trophies, will be
awarded to all twelve winners and the badges will be in circulation as of
Wednesday 7 September. For more information, please call 0131 469 3429. Judging of the three age groups and the winners will be announced during the Trading Standards Institute's annual conference, taking place on 21-23 June 2005, in Brighton where the entries will be on display. There are prizes for each of the three age group winners and their school, but one outright winner will also receive £1000 worth of IT equipment for their school. The deadline for entries is 31 May 2005. Entries should be sent directly to Annie Tarpey, LTA Communications, 156 Bridgenorth Road, Wollaston, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DX8 3PD. If you would like more information or have a quick chat about entering, please contact Lindsay Grant on 0131 469 5257, by email at lindsay.grant@edinburgh.gov.uk or Alex Jones on 0131 469 5162, alex.jones@edinburgh.gov.uk Professional development opportunity for
teachers at the Children's International Theatre Festival The event is aimed at primary and lower secondary teachers who are interested in using the performing arts in education. The programme will provide expert and practical advice to enhance teachers' professional development and unlock the potential of their students. The event includes practical information and advice about how you can make the most of the performing arts in education, teaching resource packs and a performance by Wee Stories Theatre for Children and refreshments. This opportunity is being offered free to teachers thanks to funding by the Scottish Arts Council. Please contact Stevi Manning, Principal Officer, Arts and Learning for further details. Tel. 0131 469 3359
Preparing learners for their future, NOT our past Success
stories
When the guests arrived, they were treated to a guided tour and some very impressive homebaking prepared by the children for the event. Architect Alan Murray did a presentation on the background to the design and development of our prize-winning building. The evening was a great success. One of the Association members commented: It was ‘fascinating to see round a hidden local treasure with metal and stone on the outside and a house full of wonders within’. Young Consumers at
Craigmount Both Craigmount and Kyle now go forward to represent Scotland at the UK Final in June which is part of the annual Trading Standards Conference in Brighton. Portobello group scoop the enterprise
awards As the overall winners they will now go forward and represent Lothian at the Scottish Finals in June to compete for a place in the national finals. Scottish Schools Africa Challenge The competition encouraged pupils to
think about the value of education in Scotland and Africa and the
connections between them. The Leith team worked through lunch hours with
their Home Economics teacher Aileen Cairns to produce a fantastic poster
which greatly impressed the competition judges Midge Ure (Band Aid and
Ultravox), Lesley Riddoch (radio journalist) and Dr Josephine Munthali
(a Malawian citizen whose work focuses on international
development)
Sheila Tulleth retired as Secretarial
Assistant with the Department of Social Work on 1 April 2005, having
spent her career working with children and young people.
She started her career working in Social
Work Centres in Wester Hailes and Gorgie/Dalry, managing the Adoption
Panels and undertaking clerical duties. She then became a
Secretarial Assistant in 1988 and worked until her retiral in this post.
She will be missed for her commitment to the
job and to her colleagues. She was given a bouquet of flowers and a
cheque at a retiral party held on 1 April in 17 Waterloo Place.
Jean McIntosh also retired on 5 April. She has worked with the Department since 1964. A number of friends and colleagues attended her retiral at Sighthill Child and Family Centre to wish her well in the future.
She was presented with a bouquet of
flowers and, being a keen gardener, a token for Dobbie's Garden
Centre.
She will be missed by the families in
Sighthill and her staff as she has always taken a keen interest in the
local area and the welfare of the families using the Centre.
Sighthill Child and Family Centre also has gained Charter Mark, much of
this due to Jean's hard work.
A healthy step forward Suzanne and Barbara have an office based at Royston Primary School and can be contacted on 0131 551 3062 or by email. An online version of the Health Strategy can be accessed from the EgfL homepage. Have You Ordered Your New Bike
Yet? http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/council/green_travel.html If you visit the Staff Benefits site you will find some excellent offers for City of Edinburgh Council Staff. If you do not have a Staff Benefits card or booklet and would like one, please call 0131 469 3314.
For more information, please visit the following
link:
Jobs
For details of teaching vacancies in
Edinburgh please visit the following link: http://channel1.internal.egfl.net |
Success
stories
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