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

International School Meals Day 2018

Thursday 15 March 2018

My Food
Share your favourite meal, what you like to eat at school, or locally-grown food you love. Get involved – @intschoolmeals – #ISMD2018 – #MyFood www.internationalschoolmealsday.com

International School Meals Day (ISMD) encourages children and young people around the world (with support from their teachers) to connect and talk to each other about the food they eat and the role that it plays in their lives.

In 2018 the theme is
‘My Food’

The way that food is prepared and consumed offers opportunities to share time with family, friends and your community.

This year’s theme allows pupils to share their favourite meal, perhaps provided at school or cooked at home with food that is grown locally. Through the written word, drawings or photographs, they can demonstrate why this particular food is so special to them.

In the run-up to International School Meals Day, you can encourage young people to think about and discuss their favourite foods and meals in the way that is best suited to your learning environment. The main thing is to celebrate the rich diversity of recipes that is sure to exist in every classroom, and to enjoy ISMD!

Stories and pictures will be featured on the website and on Twitter, so follow @IntSchoolMeals and the hashtags #ISMD2018 #MyFood.

Supporters of ISMD since 2013:

Association for Public Service Excellence; Association of Service Solutions in Scotland; BBC World Class; British Council; Children in Scotland; Children’s Food Trust; Countryside Classroom; Education Foundation; Education Scotland; Food For Life; Global Child Nutrition Foundation; Mary’s Meals; Northern Ireland School Caterers Association; No Kid Hungry (Share our Strength); Lead Authority in Education Catering; Scottish Government; Skype in the Classroom; USDA; Welsh Assembly; and World Food Programme.

ISMD is funded by the Scottish Government and Children in Scotland.

posted my Andy Garnett, Active Schools Lead Coordinator, Schools and Learning

Join the Step Count Challenge this spring and step into a healthier workplace. Walking more can energise you and make you feel fresh and alert. You’ll feel healthier too.

Whether it’s walking to work, going for a lunchtime stroll or simply using the stairs rather than the lift, we just want people to enjoy the benefits of an active lifestyle.

Here’s the lowdown:

• The challenge starts on Monday 22^nd January and lasts for 4 weeks
• Enter as a team of 5 people
• Create a user account at the Step Count Challenge website where you can record your daily steps, get personal step goals, share comments with your team and track your team’s progress on our leaderboards
• If you need a way of counting your steps, we can provide you with a pedometer – just let us know at WalkAtWork@pathsforall.org.uk
• You can also use your own pedometer, activity tracker or favourite app
• There will be regular updates, challenges and prizes throughout to keep you and your team motivated

To register your team email WalkAtWork@pathsforall.org.uk and we’ll let you know how you can sign up.

Curious, but not sure? Have a look at our website www.stepcount.org.uk, our Twitter https://twitter.com/step_count, or read about North Ayrshire Council’s Step Count Challenge on our blog: http://stepcount.org.uk/2017/04/livewell-step-count-challenge

If you have any questions please feel free to email WalkAtWork@pathsforall.org.uk.

posted by Kim Walker, Schools and Learning Support Officer, Workforce Development

Are you currently a Principal Teacher? Are you interested in developing your Middle Leadership Skills?

SCEL are running four free training events for Principal Teachers. These cover:

• Leading Professional Learning
• Collaborative Leadership
• Pedagogical Leadership
• Curriculum Leadership

These events are now available for booking on a first come first served basis. Numbers are limited so you are urged to apply as soon as possible if you wish to attend. Further information on each of the events can be viewed on the SCEL website here: http://www.scelscotland.org.uk/events/

In order to secure a place, all booking should be completed online (direct with SCEL) by following the relevant link from the list below.

Leading professional learning – GLASGOW – Tuesday 23 January 2018

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scel-successful-middle-leadership-leading-professional-learning-tickets-41420488797

Collaborative leadership – EDINBURGH – Wednesday 7 February 2018

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scel-successful-middle-leadership-collaborative-leadership-tickets-41993104506

Pedagogical leadership – DUNDEE –  Thursday 22 February 2018

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scel-successful-middle-leadership-pedagogical-leadership-tickets-41993212830

Curriculum leadership – ABERDEEN – Thursday 1 March 2018

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scel-successful-middle-leadership-curriculum-leadership-tickets-41993517742

posted by Brenda Roddy, Project Officer, Environmental Strategy, MIEMA, CEnv

Fancy a 4 week challenge to shake off those holiday pounds? Starts Monday 22^nd January.

Take part in our Step Count Challenge (free!) Register your team of 5 to track how many steps you take each week over a 4 week period. Cyclists, runners and swimmers can convert their activities into steps too. All you have to do is find a team of 5 (we can help), pick a name, a team captain and get the captain to register your team here:

Team registration:     https://challenge.stepcount.org.uk/RegistrationVoucherShare?code=0Da7NoeJY0y%2B5E2AJKV3DA

To find out more        http://stepcount.org.uk/faqs/

Any questions?          Contact    WalkAtWork@pathsforall.org.uk

We’ll have prizes over the 4 weeks for best team names, teams with the most activity, teams with the greatest improvement, the most interesting activities and best images.

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

Children’s Mental Health Week 2018 will run from 5-11 February and is all about #BeingOurselves. Having a positive view of ourselves can help us to cope with life’s challenges, and recognising the different qualities of others can allow us to connect with those around us, which is vital for our own and others’ wellbeing. Find out more about how to get involved and download teaching resources.

posted by Andy Garnett, Active Schools Lead Coordinator, Schools & Learning 

Applicable to current P7 children.

The Scottish Football Association (SFA) Performance Schools will again operate at strategic locations around the country for the 2018/19 school session. The aim of the Performance School is to develop talented footballers as well as supporting their education. The Performance School for the Tayside area is established at St John’s High School, Dundee.

The pupils being targeted for selection are those presently in P7, and selected pupils would join the S1 cohort in St John’s HS Dundee next August, and be part of the Performance School until S4. Selected pupils would receive regular football coaching sessions from a highly qualified coach, and an appropriate education programme planned around the football coaching.

Pupils selected from P7 will be of a particularly high standard of football ability for their age, and will have to achieve a high standard across a range of competencies in trials.

The application process is explained in this link, and applications should made via this route https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/performance/jd-performance-schools/applications/

Trials will then be held at St John’s HS, Dundee. The closing dates for applications are:

Thursday 1^st February 2018 for players signed by recreational clubs and girls
Thursday 15^th February 2018 for players signed by professional clubs.

If your school has a pupil wishing to apply please direct them to the above section of the SFA website.

Trial 1 – Tuesday 6th Feb 2018, 5.30-7.00 pm – this is for recreational players & girls only.
Trial 2 – Tuesday 27th Feb 2018, 5.30-7.00 pm – this is for players successful in trial 1 and players already signed by professional clubs.
Trial 3 – Tuesday 13th March 2018, 5.30-7.00 pm – this is for players successful in trial 2.