JUNE NEWSLETTER

Our vision for School is a secure, happy place to learn where everyone is encouraged to take pride in themselves, those around them and their work and where everyone’s efforts are valued and celebrated.

Dear Parents/Carers enthusiastically and really cheered each other on Go Run For Fun with several being placed in their events. Very On Thursday 10th May the P5 – 7 class, alongside well done to our team: Blair, Reegan, Rohan, around 800 pupils from schools across north east Sienna, Jack B, Melissa, Jacob S, Thomas, , took part in the Go Run For Fun Gregor, Luc, Amber and Harry. event held at Aden Park. The aim of the event is to get children outdoors and active. The pupils Active Schools Go for Gold Activity Challenge had a super day really entering in to the spirit of To celebrate this year’s Commonwealth Games on the event. I was very proud to hear that other the Gold Coast, Active Schools organised a Go adults at the event were commenting on the for Gold Activity Challenge for primary pupils. positive behaviour and enthusiasm of our pupils – The aim of the challenge was to encourage pupils well done P5 – 7s! You can find out more about to get active by regularly taking part in a club, the event and see pictures of the day by trying a new activity and joining a new activity following the link below. club during the challenge period; 15th January – http://www.gorunforfun.com/events/galleries/vi 16th March. Pupils were awarded medals and ew-event-gallery/?id=9274 certificates depending on the number of points they achieved. You can see all our medal and Sports Day certificate winners on our Achievement Wall with The weather was very kind to us on Tuesday 15th James achieving the highest level – May when we held our annual Sports Day. We Commonwealth Champion – for collecting 120+ kicked off with an aerobics routine to get points. Well done to everyone who took part in everyone warmed up – well done to all the adults the challenge – I hope you all had great fun and who bravely joined in for the second run through tried something new. – your enthusiasm and good sportsmanship really made the children’s day! The pupils worked in Festival their collaborative groups for the first part of Following our school poetry the morning when they took part in potted sports recitation competition in activities linking with the athletics skills they January, Brooke, Jack M, have been learning in PE and morning aerobics. Stewart, Anna and Ruairidh All the children took part enthusiastically and it represented our school at the was great to see their team work and positive Strichen Festival on Saturday team spirit. Some of our older pupils also showed 19th May. The pupils all did great leadership, organisational and motivational very well reciting their poems skills. The second part of the morning was the in front of a large audience and judge Robert more traditional races where again it was Lovie. It was a close competition and although wonderful to hear the pupils supporting each none of our pupils were placed, Robert was very other and cheering everyone on. Many thanks to impressed by the high standard of the all the parents and grandparents who came along competition. Each child received a feedback to watch and a particular thanks to all the sheet with scores and comments from Robert. volunteers who helped on the day – we cannot Well Done for taking part! offer the range of activities we do without your support and this is very much appreciated. Generation Science On Wednesday 23rd May we were visited by the Athletics Generation Science team to deliver 2 workshops The weather also held out for us on Wednesday to our pupils. In the morning P5 – 7 took part in 16th May when pupils form P5 – 7 took part in the Fizz, Boom, Bang! A hands on chemistry Buchan Athletics inter schools event held at workshop that looked at what constitutes a School. For our size of school we had a chemical reaction and the steps involved in a strong team. All the pupils took part scientific experiment including hypothesis, controls and variables. The children were kitted the Gardening Club will give guided tours of our out in aprons, gloves and goggles and after garden. teaching input on acids and alkalis, worked in groups to formulate experiments to answer P1 – 4 Aden Trip questions set by the team. As well as the hands Mrs Robertson and Miss Morrison are planning a on experiments the pupils were given a trip for their classes to Aden Park to visit the demonstration of some quite spectacular sensory garden there as part of their class topic chemical reactions. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed Healthy Eating and Senses. They hope this will the workshop and worked very well on their help with the development of our own sensory experiments. garden in school. More details to follow.

In the afternoon P1 – 4 pupils took part in the School Council Fun Run Marvellous Magnets workshop which introduced The School Council are holding a Fancy Dress Fun concepts such as magnetic attraction and Run on Friday 15th June. The pupils have been repulsion, fields and poles. The interactive practising for this as part of their morning workshop allowed pupils to use a variety of aerobics with a field run on Wednesday and magnets to explore magnetic forces first hand Friday mornings. You should have already and learn about the effects magnets have on the received information on this and a sponsor form. world around us – like the amazing Northern Thank you to the parents who have already Lights. Again the pupils worked well in their volunteered to help on the day, if you are able to groups to take part in all the activities. help and have not already contacted the office please do so as soon as possible. The Pupil Once again we were fortunate to receive these Council are also working hard on the organisation workshops free of charge through sponsorship for this event. funding by Total. Games Con Quality Improvement Visit Congratulations to On Thursday 24th May we welcomed Quality Rohan, Ramsay and Improvement Officers (QIOs) Mrs Sinead Jack B from P6 who Lindsey and Mrs Moira Lawson to our school. The have progressed to aim of the visit was to answer 3 main questions: the finals of How are we doing? How do we know? and Where Aberdeenshire’s do we go now? The officers spoke to myself, Games Con Competition. The pupils had to design pupils, parents and staff as well as visiting and programme a game using SCRATCH. The classes to observe the learning and teaching game had to focus attention on how to keep taking place. Both ladies were very impressed children and young people safe online. The final with the quality of work going on in our school program had to be interactive; a game, or and in particular mentioned our whole school way animation that shows some aspect of the 5Rights of working – our mixed collaborative groups and initiative (… young people should be supported to clubs, they also noted the range of opportunities access digital technologies creatively, open to the pupils. One area to work on is being knowledgeably and fearlessly). The pupils had to more explicit in explaining the skills pupils are record their progress throughout the learning that they will need in later life competition keeping photos, notes, any research (Developing the young Workforce or DYW). findings, program design, testing and debugging Many thanks to the parents who came to meet findings. All pupils in the P5 – 7 class took part with the QIOs. in the project although the competition is only open to P6 & 7 pupils, they then presented their Community Café projects to parents at their assembly on Tuesday It was lovely to see so many parents and family 10th May. The winning team will take their members at our Community Café and Open presentation to the GamesCon final at RGU on Morning on Friday 25th May when we also had Tuesday 19th June when they will also have to plants and produce from our school garden for recode their game. Good Luck boys! sale. P5 – 7 Aden Dig The next Community Café is on Friday 29th June Pupils in P5 – 7 will once again take part in the and will also be an Open Garden when pupils from Archaeological Dig on Monday 25th June. This year ‘The Dig’ has been sponsored by the Book of Deer Project and we will be digging encourage progression, support curricular in . Pupils will be searching for the outcomes and involve children in a cultural long lost Monastery of Deer where ’s activity. The organisers design the challenge to oldest book The Book of Deer was written. The ensure that children of all abilities are able to format will be the same as last year and Ali take part and encourage participants to read Cameron of Cameron Archaeology will be their own choice of books, listen to talking books coordinating the digs. or download and read e-books/e-audiobooks over the school summer holiday period. Library staff IYH Visit across Aberdeenshire promote the Challenge As you know our school is within their CSN and local community and as a twinned with Sidhartha result participation has grown year on year. School in Nepal through our involvement with In Your The Challenge will start on Thursday 28th June Hands Charity. In February of last year Pauline and will run until Saturday 25th August 2018. Sanderson, one of the co-founders of In Your Alongside the reading challenge, there will be a Hands visited our school and gave a short creative competition for children to enter as in presentation to pupils and parents on the work of previous years. the charity. She also gave her motivational talk, Below are links to a short introduction to this Everest Max: The World's Longest Climb, to year’s challenge and further information: parents and members of the local community in https://youtu.be/saQVyFHoYDY Auchnagatt Village Hall in the evening. Pauline is hoping to visit our school once again on Tuesday http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/libraries/young 26th June, this time bringing with her Shanta /summer-reading-challenge/. Nepali, the Nepal Manager for In Your Hands, to again update us on the work of the charity and in Aberdeenshire School Summer Camps particular our twinned school. Once again The Leisure team are offering summer camps in parents will be invited to this assembly. It will various locations over the summer holidays for be very exciting to hear first-hand the progress children aged 5 – 14. Children may attend from that has been made and how this is impacting on 9am to 5pm or for half a day. There are optional the lives of the children and their families. You early drop offs from 7:30am and late pick-ups to can find out more on the progress IYH has made 6pm so that working parents can put their by following the links below – the Blog section of children on the camps without disruption to their the website is particularly interesting: day. http://www.inyourhandscharity.org/ The daily price of £27 is reduced by 60% to https://www.facebook.com/NepalChapter/ those on a low income and is covered entirely by Once we have final details of this visit I will let Aberdeenshire Council for Looked After you know. Children. Booking and payment can be done online or on site. For more information follow the link Tuck Shop Plea below: As most people now pay for their lunches online https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/leisure-sport- Mrs Matthews now has very little cash in the and-culture/sport-and-fitness/holiday- kitchen and is really struggling to have change programmes/#camps for the tuckshop. If possible please could you send children to school with small coins rather Internet Safety than £1 or £2 coins when they are buying tuck. See below for the latest internet safety news I know this can be difficult as we all use cash so from Gooseberry Planet: infrequently now but your help would really be appreciated.

Summer Reading Challenge Gooseberry Parent ‘Tips’ of the week Aberdeenshire Libraries’ It can be difficult to manage and understand Summer Reading your child’s life online, including the types of Challenge is a fun and online games they are playing. Amongst other accessible activity for things, the most popular online games often children of all ages and aims to promote reading, contain inappropriate content, have features that tempt players to keep playing or that allow Email us: players to communicate and connect freely with [email protected] anyone who might be playing at the time. As a parent, you have a responsibility to help End of Session Assembly manage and monitor your child’s online gaming and Our annual End of Session Assembly takes place promote a healthy balance between time on and on Friday 6th July at 2pm. All parents are warmly offline. Online games should be fun and can be a invited to attend. great way for you and your child to interact with each other and with trusted friends, but they Diary Dates must be played safely. Fri 15 June Fun Run – 1.30pm Some important things to ask yourself... Tues 19 June Games Con Final - RGU What online games is my child playing? Wed 20 June – Academy transition Who are they playing the games with? Fri 22 June days When and where are the games being played and Wed 20 June Moving up day for how long? New P1s 9:30 – 12:00 noon Is playing online interfering with daily life? Thurs 21 June Moving up day Am I happy for my child to be playing the games? New P1 9:30 – 12:00 noon Our Top Tips for making informed and safer Mon 25 June P5-7 To Deer Abbey 10.00 – decisions with your child when online gaming: 12.30pm Ensure that your child plays games that are Tues 26 June IYH visit - TBC appropriate for them. Using age guidelines can be Thurs 28 June New P1 playdate 2 – 3pm helpful when making your decision. Fri 29 June Community Café and Open If the game requires an online profile, check garden what personal information is required and how Tues 2 July New P1 playdate 2 – 3pm this is shared. When creating a gaming profile, Fri 6 July End of Term create usernames and avatars to help protect Assembly 2pm your child’s identity online. Mon 20 Aug In Service Day Manage or consider disabling in-game chat; Tues 21 Aug Start of Autumn Term unplug headphones and microphones.

Take time, with your child, to secure and manage Finally ………. privacy settings within the game or on the As we approach the end of another very busy device. session I would like to thank you all for your Take time to read the reviews and play the continued support. A particular thanks go to the games for yourself to see what they are about. many parents, grandparents and friends of our

school who have volunteered their time and In the news... In the news... In the news... talents to lead clubs and groups, help out in the App Alert: Fortnite – Battle Royale (PEGI Rating classroom and on trips. All of these experiences 12, App store 12+) really do have a positive impact on the pupils in Fortnite - an interactive, multiplayer military our school, ensuring they have a wide range of themed, online game where players go PvP (Player experiences which help to grow and develop their vs Player) to compete and battle against each talents as well as opening up new interests, other for ultimate survival and victory. without your support we cannot offer this wide It's no surprise that this ‘free’, downloadable, range of experiences to pupils. online, ‘survival of the fittest’ adventure game is the current favourite amongst younger gamers. I wish you all a very happy and safe summer It is available for all popular consoles and mobile break and look forward to working with you again devices and if your child is not playing it, then next session. To Blair who is moving on to the their friends probably are. Academy and Miss Morrison who is moving on to a Problems are emerging with inappropriate in- full time permanent post in I wish you game chat and contact, costly in-app purchases, every success in the future – do keep in touch wellbeing issues and its addictive game play. and let us know how you are getting on. These are common concerns for many online games. Yours sincerely Stay alert for our helpful advice, including tips for safer game play. Jill Thomson Want to know more? Visit us at Head Teacher www.gooseberryplanet.com