posted by Louise Kirby, YMI Coordinator and Creative Learning Facilitator, Schools & Learning

On Tuesday 22^nd March primary 6 & 7 pupils from Warddykes Primary took part in a performance on the stage to showcase what they have been learning at After School Bass Guitar with Mirek to an audience of parents, pupils and staff.

Pupils played bass guitar to these songs supported by Mirek –

La Bamba (Ethan, Blake and Declan), Declans Song (Declan) * song created by Declan, Sunshine for your love (Ethan and Declan), Star Wars (Abbie, Keiran on Bass, Tony and Cameron on mic), James Bond (Tony Cameron and Kyle), Chicken Song (Ruby, Emily, Alivia and Victoriaella)

“I was impressed by the differenced in confidence since we saw them at Christmas.  Well done everyone!” said Jerry Randalls, Instrumental Music Service Officer.

School quote – “I think there was a marked improvement in confidence and children are very engaged in what they have been learning.“ said Mrs McLean, Depute of Warddykes.

Music is taught in an informal way through listening and practicing rather than through books. As well as learning the bass guitar pupil are on social skills such as working together, listening to each other and peer to peer sharing.

Arbroath Academy pupil Owen Ohren who attends and volunteers at Rock College, helped with the set up and dismantle of the equipment to give an opportunity to experience stage management. Owen and Mirek did an improvised jam on the bass guitar. Rock College is also funded by YMI.

Warddkyes Primary School After School Bass Guitar is funded by YMI.

Twitter – @AngusYouthMusic
#creativitymatters

posted by Lesley Fraser, Teacher of the Deaf, Carnoustie High School

Pupils from Carnoustie High School ASN department are delighted that their new bird tables are now in place in their garden. Over the last few weeks they have worked tirelessly sanding and painting the tables ready for the Carnoustie bird families to enjoy. Niamh Bennett, Aidan Gallacher, Calum Morrison, David Ramsay and Innes Wilson want to thank Mr McWhirter of Dave’s Garden Workshop and Miss Lownie from the Technical Department in the high school for all their help and support with their project. We look forward to spotting all the different birds that come to visit the area.

posted by Fiona Dawson, Catering Advisor, Schools and Learning

The links below are variations of the new primary school menu which runs from April 2016 to March 2017.  The different variations will allow you to print off the version you require in your particular school:

Carb_Info_Primary
Kind 2 – 2016-17 Pictorial Menu 4 Choice
Primary Menu 2016-2017-Polish 3 Choice
Primary Menu 2016-2017-Polish
Week 1
week 2
week 3
week 4

posted by Lesley Watson, Business Liaison Officer – Schools & Learning, Children & Learning 

Partnership Recognition Event – Award Nominations

Successful education and employer partnerships can enhance learning across the curriculum from the early years onwards. They bring mutual benefit to employers and young people alike: building on good practice and responding to local circumstances in order to equip all young people with the skills and knowledge they will need to flourish in learning, life and work, as well as support diversity in the workforce.

Embedding purposeful employer engagement is a key theme within Developing the Young Workforce – Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, with the expectation that every secondary school in Scotland and its feeder primaries should be supported by at least one business in a long-term partnership.

In order to celebrate the excellent partnerships which currently exist within Angus, we are once again organising our annual Partnership Recognition Event to be held in September 2016.

* Nominations are now being invited for this year’s Partnership Excellence Awards

Further information:  http://staffnetlive/Archive/EDS/Award_Info_2016.pdf

Nomination Form:  http://staffnetlive/Archive/EDS/Award_NomForm_2016.doc

Previous Case Studies:  http://staffnetdev/Archive/EDS/Prev_CaseStudies_2016.pdf

* The closing date for nominations is 5pm on Friday 3 June 2016

With more and more employers recognising the value of investing in the young workforce and working with our schools, this is a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge their contribution, let them know their support is valued and convey thanks, which, in turn, may encourage the development of a meaningful and sustainable partnership.  The awards also provide a way to celebrate success and share best practice from each of our schools/clusters.

If you require further information or support, please contact Lesley Watson, Business Liaison Officer on:  01307 476443 or email: WatsonL@angus.gov.uk.

We look forward to receiving your nominations and highlighting the many fantastic examples of employer and community partnerships throughout Angus!

posted by Louise Kirby, YMI Coordinator and Creative Learning Facilitator, Schools & Learning

Little Rabbit

***SPECIAL OFFER ***

FAO – Private and School Nurseries

Little Rabbit transition performance/workshop at a reduced rate of £50 instead of £150 per workshop

Target Audience – Pre-school and private nurseries for children going to P1 in August.

Little Rabbit is a charming theatre performance for pre-school children preparing to move into primary one. The performance is an engaging, interactive and enjoyable, experience that supports children’s exploration in the themes around transition. The use of creative techniques encourage pre-schoolers to voice their concerns about starting primary one in addition to supporting the Little Rabbit who is unsure about starting school.  The performance concludes with a hands on workshop using drama and art techniques to further explore transition from nursery to primary one.

Maximum 20 children per workshop.

Delivered – April – June

Places are limited please send your booking enquiries to Amy Hall Gibson GibsonA@angus.gov.uk  or Louise Kirby KirbyL@angus.gov.uk

posted by Alita Spink, Schools and Learning Support Officer – Schools and Learning

News from the Commonwealth

Get ready for Commonwealth Science Class

We have teamed up with The Royal Society to launch an exciting new series of science resources and activities.

Enthuse your students’ interest in science and excite their curiosity about the world around them. Our new learning materials are designed to encourage young people to take part in experimental science experiments and share and compare their results with others around the globe.

Get started by taking a look at the first resource in the series – Renewable Energy: How can we keep the lights on? Each resource comes with a video featuring an eminent expert on the subject.

There will also be opportunities for you to join in with debates on the subjects and continue the discussion on our forum pages.

Prepare for the next Commonwealth debate

What if there are no rules?  Ask your class to consider what would happen if they came to school one day and there were no longer any rules. Join us in discussing this in our next Commonwealth Class debate on Thursday 21 April. The debate starts at 9:30am GMT and will be facilitated live until 11:00am GMT, but you can post your comments up until 28 April.

In focus: rule of law:  The Commonwealth believe the rule of law provides protection for all its citizens. Prepare for the next debate by sharing and discussing your thoughts on the legal system, why rules and laws exist, and access to justice. Get the conversation going – start thinking about different justice systems all over the world and consider whether they are fair.

Justice, rules and Shakespeare: Our Shakespeare Lives resource contains fun ideas and ways for you to explore the theme of justice and rules in more depth right across the curriculum.  The activities are designed to help students think critically and creatively, and are also ideal for collaborating with a partner school.

More Activities

Win a trip to London!   Take part in The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition and win a trip to London! This year’s theme is ‘An Inclusive Commonwealth’. It is a chance for students to express themselves through creative writing and think about citizenship, tolerance and respect. Open to all citizens and residents of the Commonwealth aged 18 and under. Deadline 1 May 2016.

Tell us what you think:  We would love to hear your feedback on our Commonwealth Class resource packs. This will help us to develop future resources that are most relevant to your needs. Help us by filling in our short survey – it should take no more than a few minutes.