Dunoon Grammar School celebrated Languages Week Scotland by creating a video of pupils and staff sharing their favourite words every day of the week. Click on the links below to see each day.
Hermitage Primary Loves Languages
 
During Languages Week Scotland parents came in to Hermitage Primary School to teach the children about their language and culture (Dutch, French, Russian, Lithuanian and German).
Dalmally Loves Languages
As part of Languages Week Scotland, the Pupils of P5-7 at Dalmally Primary School created a word cloud of their favourite words in different languages including French, Gaelic, Spanish, Croatian and Japanese.
During Languages Week Scotland use the hashtag #ScotlandLovesLanguages to share your favourite word in any language.
My favourite French word is pamplemousse
In Gaelic it is damhan-allaidh
I just love the sound of those words! What’s yours? Also find out your pupils’ favourite words and share with the nation.
During Languages week you could find out how many languages are spoken in your school community and celebrate this. For example, make a poster representing all the languages spoken by pupils and their families.
Why not use technology in languages- For example, try out Duolingo for schools in your class.
Learn a song in another language
Most importantly enjoy language learning during this special week and use the hashtag #ScotlandLovesLanguages to share what is happening in your school.  Alternatively, send anything you would like to be shared to gwen.mccrossan2@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Do you think you could sing or rap in French? Do you have the skills to make a video clip for your song? If so, this competition is for you!
To find out more about this exciting competition for primary and secondary schools click HERE
New Christmas Resources in French and Spanish
Here are some new Christmas resources available on PowerLanguage Schools
French Christmas Resources
Spanish Christmas Resources
Autumn/Winter Primary School Menu in Gaelic and French
The current Argyll & Bute primary school menu is available in French and Gaelic and has been sent to all schools. This is a useful resource to help embed your L2 into classroom routines. Click below for a copy of the menu.
Identity Matching in Glow is Changing
Significant changes to Glow’s identity matching are coming on October 28th 2019, which will affect teachers transferring between local authorities. These changes are being made to ensure correct data handling by Glow in accordance with current legislation.
For full details, please see the information below from Education Scotland:
“When is this happening? The expected release date of this updated functionality is October 28th.
Who will be impacted? From the 28th October all teachers who move to a new position in a school in a different local authority will receive a new Glow account rather than continue to use their existing account. Their new account will have a different username and password. Access to old content will be removed along with their old account.
Non-teaching staff accounts are not currently matched as they move between local authorities and therefore they will see no change. Pupils will continue to be matched.
Teaching staff who currently have an account that is manually transferred between 2 schools, allowing them to use the same username and password to access more than one school, will no longer be able to do this if their accounts are in different local authorities. Â When the identity matching is removed, their username and password will allow them access to one school only, whichever school was their establishment on the 28th October.
What do you need to do? Please update the teachers in your local authority to ensure they are prepared if they are moving to a school in another local authority after the 28th of October.
If their access is still to their old school then they need to ensure that their RM Unify administrator manually transfers their account to be linked to their new school. If the work record in the old school is closed then this will happen automatically but if not it will require a manual transfer to be completed.
What about the future after the 28th October? Teachers who move between local authorities will need to remember that the content that they currently have access to via their existing Glow account will not be accessible once they start their new role in their new local authority.
We have posted a news item on Glow Connect: https://glowconnect.org.uk/2019/09/27/important-news-for-teachers-using-glow/
Glow account guidance has also been updated to reflect the changes: https://glowconnect.org.uk/glow-account-guidance/“
Virtual Gaelic taster sessions
Jackie Mullen, one of the tutors for the national Gaelic Language in the Primary School (GLPS) course, will provide two taster sessions for beginners on Tuesday the 29th October and Tuesday the 5th November, from 4.05-5.30pm. These sessions will provide a fun introduction to simple Gaelic phrases that you can use with your learners in class. You can access the sessions from your classroom using Google Meet. If you are interested in attending please contact gwen.mccrossan2@argyll-bute.gov.uk
French Follow-On courses Next Term
Click Here to find out about all the available French follow-on courses taking place, next term. These courses are suitable for those who consider themselves to be post beginners or have already completed the French beginners course.
Free Get Creative primary music CPDs
All primary teachers and support staff are invited to attend free Get Creative primary music CPDs in September 2019 and January 2020. Continue reading Free Get Creative primary music CPDs
Local Gaelic Learners in the Primary School Course
 
GLPS is coming to you
Jan Kersel, one of the tutors for the national GLPS course will provide GLPS training in Inveraray.
2 days beginners’ training-Â 18th Sept 2019 & 2nd Oct 2019
2 days follow-on training- 15th and 29th January 2020
This is a fantastic opportunity to access GLPS without traveling to Stirling for 18 days training. This training provides an accessible alternative. This condensed version will provide an introduction to Gaelic in the primary. Contact Gwen McCrossan- gwen.mccrossan2@argyll-bute.gov.uk to enrol on this course.
Education Scotland Professional Learning Events
Oban High School- Wednesday 28th August, 1600-1730
Lochgilphead Joint Campus- Thursday 29th August, 1600-1730
Education Scotland will deliver sessions which focus on progression from first to second level in languages with reference to the recently published guidance on the National Improvement Hub:    https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/modern-languages-progression-framework This resource brings together all the national documentation practitioners need to plan and deliver language learning. Please contact Gwen McCrossan gwen.mccrossan2@argyll-bute.gov.uk to register for these events.
French Twilight Training Opportunities for 2019-20
6 week block of beginners’ and follow-on French training being delivered by a language specialist in your area. Courses starting in August 2019. Click HERE for more details.
St Andrew’s Primary – Digital Learning Week
Leadership in St Andrew’s is seamless from the staff to the pupils! Our P6/7 Superheroes are supporting our youngest children to be familiar with their new laptop. All children across the school now have their own device. The technological methodology is an integral part of our children’s learning.
National Digital Learning Week 2019
National Digital Learning Week is a weeklong event led by Education Scotland to give pupils and teachers in all local authorities across Scotland the opportunity to take part in five curriculum focused challenges in STEM, Social Studies, Expressive Arts, Literacy and Numeracy.
This year the event will take place 13 – 17 May.
Education Scotland’s aim is to reach all early learning and childcare centres and schools across Scotland to let them know about the event.
To help you get involved and get started, a pack of support materials has been produced by Education Scotland. In this pack, which can be downloaded below, you will find: key messages; suggested promotional text for websites, e-bulletins and publications; social media posts; a promotional video and a promotional flyer.
You can download the pack here: NDLW19 Stakeholder Comms Pack Final
Here’s a 2 minute video that tells you everything you need to know about the event.
St Andrew’s Primary – VE Day
Today is Victory in Europe Day and a very proud moment in St Andrew’s history as our P6/7 children were invited to attend the memorial service, the reflection on the sacrifice of so many, and the twinning of Bute branch of Royal British Legion with Skipton British Legion.
Curriculum for Excellence came to life for our children in a very real and meaningful way, as they marched, prayed and honoured the fallen and those left to entrust their memory on to a new generation.
“Take One Picture”
The Creative Learning in Schools Team (CAST) have been piloting a project in primary schools in Kintyre, “Take One Picture” installing artworks from the Argyll Collection in six schools to inspire cross curricular creative learning. Pupils and teachers from Carradale, Castlehill, Dalintober, Drumlemble, Gigha and Rhunahaorine Primaries have been working with artists Sian MacQueen, Nicole Heidtke and Stefan Bamberger and dancer Tony Mills to create new work inspired by the artworks, taking part in workshops on conductive printmaking, relief sculpture, dance, digital sculpture, life drawing, shadow puppetry, collage and painting.
Continue reading “Take One Picture”
Parklands School #30daysoflearning
Follow Parklands school on their twitter feed as they show 30 days of learning for the month of May. Each day photos will be displayed to show the learning experiences that occur in Parklands on a day to day basis.
Twitter@SchoolParklands
#30daysoflearning
Get Creative Music CPDs May 2019
Are you interested in developing your skills in delivering music in the classroom?
As part of the Youth Music Initiative, the Creative Arts in Schools Team (CAST) have run CPD sessions in 2018-9 using Get Creative, a new music resource for primary school teachers full of creative ideas, activities and learning outcomes to enable you to deliver musical activities with your class, regardless of your musical experience.
