reposted by Rodger Hill, Service Manager

Tayside and Fife Teacher Education Partnership
Local Legacy Event
Date: Saturday 12^th September 2015
Time: 10am -1pm
Venue: Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee http://j.mp/UoDDalhousie

The Tayside and Fife Teacher Education Partnership will host this event to share information about the partnership projects (Early Phase and Masters Level learning) that teachers have been engaged in over the past year. There will also be an opportunity to hear about the exciting new developments planned for the coming session and how you can become involved.

Angus Council have been allocated 50 places for this free event. A hot breakfast of bacon rolls with tea and coffee will be provided to welcome you on the day.
If you would like to attend, please email Morna Duncan, Admin Assistant (DuncanMH@angus.gcsx.gov.uk). Places will be allocated on a first-come, first served basis. 

Hope to see you there. 

Rodger Hill
Service Manager Schools and Learning

The Carnoustie High School STEM club led by Dr K Mustard have been up and running now since January. The club have tackled a diverse range of exciting projects including purifying their own DNA, hatching brine shrimps, building monorail trains, constructing steam powered boats and creating fruit batteries!

The dedication and enthusiasm of the club members recently paid off when they were announced winners of the prestigious Junior Saltire Competition 2015.  This competition was open to all primary and secondary schools across Scotland. It was funded by the Scottish government and managed by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) in partnership with SCDI’s Young Engineers and Science Clubs Scotland. Working in teams of four, pupils had to design and construct a floating energy converter. The CHS STEM club team ‘The super Scientists’ (Ragnall Simmons, Maya O’Connor, Hamish Bartle and Glen Byars) were short-listed as finalists from a selection of over 200 schools. They were invited to test their device at the FLOwave research facility at Edinburgh University before being announced the S1-S3 Scottish Junior Saltire Winner 2015. Fergus Ewing MSP, Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism and Dr Heather Reid OBE presented our pupils with £600 and the Junior Saltire medal at an awards ceremony held at Glasgow Science Centre.

Photo : Proud winners of Junior Saltire Medal and £600

From L to R, Neve Walker, Imogen Crozier, K. Mustard, Kirsten Ireland, Fergus Ewing MSP, Glen Byars, Heather Reid OBE, Ragnall Simmons, Maya O’Connor.

posted by Pauline Stephen, Head of Schools & Learning

Some of you might remember that we started work on looking at our values last year as we came together as a People Directorate.  A task that stemmed from this original work was to explore what our core business is, what we are all here to do.  The focus of this commitment is to the children and young people of Angus as we anticipate changes to working arrangements following the health and social care integration.     Here is what a group of us have come up with so far:

Our Commitment to the Children and Young People of Angus

Our job is to help you grow safely and happily.  We will listen to you and hear what you have to say.  If things go wrong, we will help you.  We will support you to make a difference.

This is a first attempt.  Does this  truly reflect our shared core purpose and aspirations for our children and young people?  It’s really important that we get your input.  Please leave your suggestions in the comment boxes.

posted by Alita Spink, Schools and Learning Support Officer

As term resumes for the 2015/16 academic year, 190 Scottish secondary schools are preparing to take part in the Youth & Philanthropy Initiative. Over the next year over 20,000 students will take collective responsibility for directing a total of £570,000 to small, local charities through YPI.

YPI Scotland is an active citizenship programme that raises awareness amongst young people about philanthropy and their local community. Each participating school, each year, is responsible for directing a £3000 YPI Grant to a local charity through a unique programme of team work, research and competition. YPI Scotland is about creativity and passion, leaving the four walls of the classroom behind and supporting the issues young people care most about.

The programme itself is delivered as a core feature of the school curriculum across a full school year group with flexibility from school to school. To date, YPI has been recognised in 12 HMIE reports with specific reference made to the programmes ability to develop wider achievement, enrich the life of the school, and support employability skill development. The Wood Foundation launched YPI Scotland in 2008. Since then the number of participating schools has rapidly increased. If you’d like to learn more please visit the website.

posted by Andy Garnett, Active Schools Lead Coordinator

The charity TCCL (Tayside Children with Cancer and Leukaemia) are looking to build on the success of their 2015 fundraiser in schools across Tayside, the Monster March, and increase the number of schools registering to take part in 2016. The ‘Monster March’ is a great way to get active and raise money for a good cause at the same time. The charity are fundraising to set up a holiday lodge in St Andrews for the use of children, and families, who are going through treatment. This includes Angus children and is intended to provide somewhere within an hour drive of the hospital that these families can go for a worry free holiday to spend time as a family during such a stressful period. The charity is hoping that an annual Monster March will help towards raising the money required and that getting children involved in helping other local children in need will raise their awareness of their ability to make a real difference to others in their local area.

The ‘March’ element can be down to the individual school and could be a parade/walk in the school grounds to be held on a day in March of the school’s choosing. This time the organisers, ‘Along Came Kirsty CIC’ who manage the fundraiser on behalf of the TCCL Lodge, are keen to expand on this opportunity for a more physical event or ‘march’. For more information about the TCCL Lodge including the Monster March, or for registration information, please got to www.tccl-lodge.co.uk or email fiona@alongcamekirsty.co.uk.