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Thursday 12 January 2006 |
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Welcome to the
This newsletter is published every two weeks for staff in the Children and Families Department. It is available online at the Edinburgh Grid for Learning at http://egfl.net Editor's
note If
you have not already made a new year's resolution, I've got a suggestion
for you. Why not resolve to boast a little more about what you do and
submit your story (good, bad, thought-provoking...) to the Children and
Families Newsletter? 100 words will do. Get in touch if you would like
to submit something more in-depth. Like the Fostering Recruitment team and Youth Justice Services, you can send us an article to go in the section 'What do they do?' It's
easy to submit a story Thank you for your support and all the best for 2006. In
the news
Over the past few weeks, Clovenstone’s P7 pupils have been coached on how to cook, serve, toast and eat the traditional meal themselves in preparation for their Burns supper to be held at the school and attended by their teachers, parents and the pensioners of Wester Hailes. From making a Scots Burns banquet to delivering the toast and speeches and learning how to play the chanter, the boys and girls of Clovenstone Primary have risen to the Burns challenge. More.
A secondary teacher, Audrey Fairgrieve has now been seconded for a year to work alongside a Crime Prevention Officer PC Susan Kerr within the Safer Communities Department at the West End Police Station. Their joint role is to produce an educational programme for all secondary schools in Edinburgh on the subject of personal safety. This is a unique post and one which will continue to promote the City of Edinburgh’s and the Police’s approach to partnership working and is also an important part of their ongoing youth strategy. Full story.
Peter said: "It was a great honour to receive the CBE in the New Year Honours list for services to education. I believe it is an acknowledgement of all the work that we have been doing in Trinity Academy over the last 22 years and has been made possible because of the tremendous support from staff, parents and of course pupils." Peter has been head teacher at Trinity Academy for the past 22 years. He was a member of the influential Determined to Succeed working party. The school received its International School Award Status from the British Council in November 2004, the only Scottish school to do so. Peter was one of three Edinburgh head teachers who visited 10 Downing Street in September to meet Tony Blair. Their work ensuring that children and young people receive the best start in life was recognised at this special reception.
What
do they do? Who we are Some young people are referred for child support work because the issues which brought them to be looked after are affecting their school day. Very often exclusion is a possibility, which can often lead to carer placement stress. What we do We support the school
staff in helping the child attain their curricular requirements. We also
work with social work staff, education staff, the people looking after
the child, and those involved with the hearing and review systems. Very
often we are the main link to all of these people. If you are social work carer (foster, respite, day-carer, etc) and want to discuss working in child support work, please first discuss with your Liaison Social Worker. Professional enquiry:
creativity Starting in February 2006 Stirling University Institute of Education is offering a Post Graduate Certificate for professionals working across all aspects of education and community work. This course will explore creativity and its practical applications.The course is designed to accommodate the pressures of part time study whilst working and addresses the needs of the reflective practitioner who wishes to enhance their professional skills and resources. For this years pilot project, fees for the first double
module will be covered by the university. Success
stories Roy Jobson selected a design by Liam (age 10) from Dalry Primary School and Councillor Rev Ewan Aitken selected a design by Gillon (age 3) from the Buggy Brigade (featured above). Winning entries were displayed
in City Chambers along with a
selection of the 100's of other entries. The prize winners were
presented with packs of their cards by Roy and Ewan. Team
Talk This month’s issue focuses on the Best Value Audit which may have a direct impact on us all. An external audit team from Audit Scotland will be in the Council for around 6 weeks after the initial introductory meeting which is provisionally scheduled for April/May 2006. Team Talk also outlines work towards modernising pay for “Red Book” employees (i.e. former Administrative, Professional, Technical and Clerical staff and Manual Workers), aiming for implementation from May 2006. If you would like to provide feedback on the issues raised in Team Talk or suggest issues for discussion please e-mail Teamtalk@edinburgh.gov.uk For full details of Team Talk click here Just before the Christmas break, I visited all three newly amalgamated schools (Canal View, Pentland and Currie). I was very impressed with the way staff, pupils and parents have made things work so well in sometimes challenging circumstances. My thanks go to those who have taken on the task of building new school communities with such courage and creativity. I am grateful that we have people who can turn a challenge into an opportunity. Creativity was also the theme when Davidson’s Mains choir sang Christmas carols at both the Council Executive and the full Council meeting. They were outstanding, bringing a real sense of the season to all of us as we prepared for our decision-making. My thanks go to them also for reminding the Council just how high our standards are in the creative arts. I was similarly inspired by the Christmas concert I attended at Leith Academy, a plethora of wonderfully talented pupils encouraged by motivated staff. The real sense of achievement amongst the pupils who performed was palpable. I know that there were many similar concerts across the city and if I could have attended them all I would have done. My thanks and appreciation go to the many staff and volunteers across the city who create these opportunities for their pupils to both entertain and discover more about their abilities and their potential. Cllr Rev Ewan Aitken For
your information Do you want to become more active but feel you don’t have time? Taking the stairs is a fast, easy way to improve not only your physical but also your mental health - and it’s free! If you have been in Wellington Court
this year, you may have seen the new signs and posters
which have gone up encouraging HQ staff to use the
stairs more often. This, of course can apply to any establishment
with stairs.
Look out for further information on work–based health promoting
activities over the coming months. If you would like to know more or
offer your suggestions, contact Michelle Rogers, Health Improvement
Officer michelle.rogers@educ.edin.gov.uk
or Barbara Schilling, Health
Strategy Implementation Officer barbara.schilling@educ.edin.gov.uk
For details of teaching vacancies in
Edinburgh please visit the following link: http://channel1.internal.egfl.net |
What do they do?
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