Our October Newsletter is now available for download HERE
Lockdown Lowdown Survey
The Scottish Government is gathering opinions about the impact of Covid-19 on the lives of young people aged 11-25. If you want to take part, you can fill in the survey here
Keep it Real Parents Group
Pop up parents group
At present we are unable to have parents in the school building therefore we are planning to offer Pop up parent groups at various locations within the Falkirk district. This will take the form of a gazebo and fold up chairs (2m apart).We will hopefully be able to offer a varied programme of activities from our pop up base in the near future.
Walk and Talk
We have started our new walk and talk sessions for parents/carers which are proving to be very popular. During lockdown and the school holidays this service was offered to pupils and was a great success. Pupils and staff learnt a lot about the local area and enjoyed various walks around Denny, Bo’ness Harbour, Grangemouth, Carron Valley and Falkirk.
During our walks with parents we are encouraging them to practise mindfulness. A mindful walk is an excellent way to clear the mind of clutter and restore your sense of focus. Several studies have shown that taking a break to look at or be in nature can have a rejuvenating effect on the brain, helping to free up the mind when you feel stuck and boosting levels of attention.
Garden/Craft group
Our new Garden and Craft group is due to start on Monday 28th September. This group will take place on a Monday and Wednesday mornings. We will be offering pupils a ranges of activities within the school garden and when our Scottish weather is unkind to us we will move indoor and enjoy a range of garden related crafts.
One of the first activities will be to plant spring bulbs. This activity will be open to everyone. If you would like to take part please speak to Joyce or Gail
COVID-19 Information for Parents and Carers
Schools, including IWBS, are now reopening for pupils. To ensure the safety of all pupils, staff and parents and carers, pleased follow the following guidance:
- If your child, or anyone else in your household, displays symptoms of Covid-19 (see below), do not send your child to school.
- Members of the household should follow NHS advice to self-isolate for 10 days and arrange to get tested (see link below)
- Symptoms of Covid-19 include any of the following:
- Persistent cough
- High temperature
- Loss of taste or smell
- Click HERE to access links to NHS guidance and HERE for links to testing
Risk Assessments For Schools Returning
Sealock House has issued the following document regarding school risk assessments following the return from the summer break.
Changes to term dates from August 2020
Falkirk Council have just published important dates for next term – please note that at this time, the main Falkirk Council school holidays page has not been updated.
- Staff return to IWBS from Monday 10th August 2020
- Pupils return to IWBS from Wednesday 12th August 2020 (see communication from IWBS to check your child’s exact start date and schedule)
- The October holidays will now run from Monday 12th October to Friday 23rd October (inclusive). This is now 2 weeks rather than 1 week due to the shorter summer break.
The Great Bug Hunt 2020
The Great Bug Hunt 2020 is now open
Due to the closure of schools, this competition is now open to all primary school children at home!
The challenge is pretty simple – go into the garden or any outside space you own and see what bugs you can find!
Check out the nearest hedges, flower beds, trees, long grass, logs, stones, rocks (well, you get the picture)… explore and then report back to us what you have found.
More details at:
http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/bughunt
Our latest Newsletter is available now –
A bumper edition courtesy of Mr Hutchinson, and a lot of pictures of how we used to go to school 😉
Latest advice from NHS about Coronavirus
The NHS has issued the following advice for schools dealing with the current Coronavirus situation.
New device for Christmas?
Have you or your child got a new device for Christmas, like a mobile phone, tablet or laptop?
Here are a few suggestions which may be helpful to you – whether it’s a new device or an existing device.
All Falkirk pupils are entitled to FREE Microsoft Office for use at home and on mobile devices – this works on all mobile devices and PCs (on multiple devices per person) – the following link describes how to get it
Keeping safe – the Government’s National Cyber Security Centre has provided links to how-to guides from mobile device manufacturers to steps to keeping safe with a mobile device
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/securing-your-devices
as well as 5 Simple Steps everyone can take to help provide protection for users
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/blog-post/staying-smart-with-your-christmas-gadgets
The BBC OwnIT app has been designed to help keep children safe online. Here’s a link to more information about the app on the BBC website
