I just wished to get in touch with our families to say hello and thank you all for what a wonderful job you are all doing! Everyone has risen in their own way to the different learning that is taking place and it has been magnificent. I’ve loved seeing the pictures and comments around what you have been doing – please keep sending them on to teachers or emailing me them.

It has also been super to be able to join the P4-7 classes on Google Meets throughout the week and actually see and talk to everyone. We hope to extend this into P1-3 in the next few weeks once they have got more familiar with Google Classroom.

Everyone is now managing to register each morning through Google Classroom or daily emails and I really appreciate everyone’s support with this. I also continue to update our Family Learning site with new ideas and pages including BBC Bitesize programmes and our children’s ‘Right of the Week’ page with many activities to try.

If any family requires support with anything, please do not hesitate to get in touch with my email ~ kerrie.laird@highland.gov.uk or kerrie.laird@glenurquharthigh.org.uk

I am also more than happy to arrange a phone call or Google Meet with families if they wish support in this way – again, just let me know through email.

I attach below a Scottish Government document – ‘Supporting Pupils, Parents and Teachers – Learning During Term 4.’

We are aiming to follow the advice in this the best we can and recognise;

“We are living in extraordinary times and we understand that learning in Term 4 will be different. We also know that this is a new and evolving situation and that we must be both ambitious for our learners, yet realistic too. In addition to supporting wellbeing, a key goal during this period will be to maintain engagement in learning, with approaches that are appropriate to children and young people in different age groups; in different home circumstances; and with different levels of digital connectivity.

Not all learning, however, will be done online or through digital channels or platforms. We know that there are many other learning resources and activities, including books, television, radio, and creative activities that will help with learning at home.”

This is most definitely what we are seeing from our chilldren with baking, gardening, outdoor activities, following online experiments and inventions have all been going on daily and these will be providing our children with fantastic learning experience to develop wide ranging skills.

Thank you all for your perseverance in working and learning from home, your kindness shown to each other, your hard work and commitment to continued learning and your creative approaches to these. We really are demonstrating what a super school community we have.

Please find information below on the launch of Stòrlann’s new site for the pre-school sector –  www.gaidhlig-nan-og.scot 

The Stòrlann team have been working hard to streamline their own resources by grouping them in levels and a fab-looking site will open this week. Home-work help is extended to secondary and is embedded in the new site.

We have been informed that Highland Council have taken the decision to block all Primary School pupil Google emails. This is for a variety of reasons with the main one being inappropriate emails being received. This should not affect Google Classroom or the Google Meets that the children have been working within.

Prior to the lockdown and school closures, the children were very excited and enjoying learning about children’s rights. We continue to work towards our Gold Rights Award. To support this, Unicef have released weekly activities relating to a ‘Right of the Week.’ I have posted these along with further information to families on our Family Learning website below:

https://sites.google.com/glenurquharthigh.org.uk/family-learning-gups/rights-of-the-child

These are extra for any families that wish to take part. I’d love to see some of the activities children choose to do from these.

A kind reminder to register each day before 11am. Many thanks to all who have managed to do this. Remember if you have any difficult just to drop me an email and I will give you a phone to help set it up – kerrie.laird@glenurquharthigh.org.uk

This week staff have been discussing the best way of recording attendance. Today I had it clarified from Highland Council that we need to keep a daily attendance record. Staff feel that the best way to do this would be for the already set up Google Classrooms for P4-7. These have also been established for P1-3 (please see separate post on P1/2 and P2/3 class blogs for information on accessing these for each child.) A guide to Google Classroom can be found here:

https://sites.google.com/millburnacademy.org.uk/highlanddigitalschoolshub/digital-skills/parents?authuser=0

Please can we ask that all children login to their Google Classroom and complete the registration question by 11am daily. A sample question for today has been posted for you to give it a go. If you are having any trouble with this please contact Mrs Laird on kerrie.laird@glenurquharthigh.org.uk.

Please see updated information below on Free School Meals. Vouchers can now be used instore or online at Asda. For Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsburys and Marks & Spencers, the vouchers must be used in store. This refers to the store vouchers, not PayPoint vouchers, which can be exchanged locally. 

Please see guidance below on distance learning from Highland Council.

Guideline for Learners on Distance Learning

•  Dedicate appropriate time to learning as guided by your teacher/s.

•  Regularly check either Seesaw or Google classroom for information on classwork.

•  Identify a comfortable and quiet space to study/learn.

•  Try to complete all the learning activities posted by your teacher.

•  Ensure you look after your own health and wellbeing. Don’t worry if you can’t do everything that your teacher has set. Pupils can contact their class teacher/Guidance teacher through email or Seesaw.

Guidelines for Parents on Distance Learning

•           Parents know their own child best and individual circumstances will dictate the pace and type of learning which is appropriate

•           Support their child/ren in their learning by:

o          Providing an environment to support learning (access to technology if possible, safe and quiet space during daytime).

o          Engaging your children in conversations on posted work.

o          Monitoring time spent engaging in online and offline learning.

o          Support health and wellbeing by providing plenty of time for physical activity, conversation and play.

o          Parents can contact the school if they have any queries around virtual learning.

Please see the information poster below from GURCA. The helpline is operating from Monday-Friday 9am -5pm and offers assistance for those in the community who may be elderly, vulnerable and/or experiencing financial hardship. The community are now offering food parcels to those who are in need too. All enquiries and requests should be made through the helpline.

The Highland Council Covid 19 helpline is also still available. The generic number is 0300 303 1362 and will connect you to the relevant Council specialist teams. This will operate Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm with all calls coming with no charge.

Fàilte – We welcome Mr Ewen Kelly to Glenurquhart Primary as our new Gaelic Medium teacher. Thankfully Mr Kelly had the opportunity to meet the Gaelic class prior to the school closure and has been working closely with Mrs MacVicar to ensure he gets to know the children. She will continue to support Mr Kelly over the next few weeks to become familiar with the class so that he is able to take over setting work for them. We extend a very warm welcome from all at Glenurquhart and look forward to working with you.

Mar sin leibh agus beannachd leat – Goodbye and good luck Mrs MacVicar. We know this won’t be the last time we see you but, we thank you so much for what you have done for Gaelic learning in Glenurquhart.  We are in a super place with this and really appreciate all your efforts and time in supporting it’s growth, the children, nursery and community.  We wish you the very best on your next ventures. We will invite Mrs MacVicar back once the school is open again to say a proper good bye and good luck to her.