One of our priorities this session is to re-establish Meldrum as a Rights Respecting School. In order to do this we have set up a steering group led by Mrs Lang which includes class representatives from P3-P7, Miss Ross (Class Teacher), Mrs MacDonald (Pupil Support), Mr Smith (School Chaplain), and Mrs Moffat and Mrs Stewart (Parent Council).

On Friday 5th February we are delivering a school assembly to inform the children about the Rights Respecting School Award and the work of UNICEF.

A Rights Respecting School is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out the rights of every child under 18 years across the world and how these rights should be met. All children have these rights, no matter who they are or where they live.

Young people and the school community learn about children’s rights by putting them into practice every day through learning in Health and Wellbeing, Literacy, Global Citizenship, Social Studies, RME, Class Charters and Assemblies.

There 54 Articles or Rights in total. Article 1- States Everyone under 18 has all the rights in the convention and Article 42 states that governments must make the convention known to children which is why they are included in our school curriculum.

UNICEF is the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and is the main UN organization defending, promoting and protecting children’s rights. It also works towards protecting the world’s most disadvantaged children.

Day for Change is UNICEF UK’s annual fundraising campaign for UNICEF’s work to keep children safe around the world.

This year the challenge is to collect as much loose change as you can from January to May – from around the house, down the sofa, your pockets – and anywhere else you can think of! All the change you collect will go directly to the Children’s Emergency Fund to save and protect children caught up in emergencies around the world.

In school we are going to have a container at the office to collect any loose change. We are going to start our fundraising with all proceeds from Friday 5th February’s Dress down Day going to this charity and we hope to have some more events in the future to raise funds. So any spare 1p, 2p, 5p that are in your home please bring into school so that we can help to raise as much money as possible.

Thank you.

http://www.unicef.org.uk/rights-respecting-schools/

http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publications/Child_friendly_CRC_summary_final.pdf

http://www.cypcs.org.uk/ www.unicef.org.uk/Get-Involved/Your-organisation/Schools/day-for-change/