Category: Calderwood Community
Should I keep my child off school or nursery?
WOW Travel Tracker
Calderwood Primary School has started to use the award-winning WOW Travel Tracker bringing walks to school challenge to life.
What is WOW?
WOW is a pupil-led initiative where children self-report how they get to school every day using our interactive WOW Travel Tracker. If pupils travel sustainably at least once a week for a month, they are rewarded with a collectable monthly WOW badge.
Pupils will log daily journeys to school on the system. The WOW Travel Tracker also confirms which pupils have walked enough to earn a badge each month and these key statistics can be used to earn your school a Modeshift STARS award.
The WOW Travel Tracker can use icons instead of pupil’s names, but classrooms have the option to display name tags should they wish to. Our ‘Walk/ Wheel’ icon on Travel Tracker counts as an active journey. This icon includes pupils walking with the use of mobility aids, including wheelchairs or wheeled walkers.
WOW badges
WOW rewards children who travel actively to school with collectable badges. The badges are unique and designed by the pupils themselves in our annual WOW Badge Design Competition.
All of our WOW badges are made from recycled plastic material, including old fridge trays, plastic plates and even yoghurt pot off-cuts that were otherwise destined for landfill. They are produced locally in Cornwall, reducing our carbon footprint. The badges also arrive to schools in environmentally friendly, biodegradable packaging.
Please see some of the badges which have won so far!
P6 Active & Sustainable Travel
Primary 6 have started a new topic to develop their learning about the benefits of active travel and exploring the world around us. This will involve exploring the local community. Carol Smith & Martin Bucknell are AST Support Officers and will be supporting the school this term to deliver this exciting project. The pupils have had their first session with Carol & Martin and were developing relationships and discuss active travel in the local community.
Impactful Parents Creative Employability
Please find information about Impactful Parents Creative Employability sessions below. Impactful Parents Creative Employability sessions for lone parents and ethnic minority (non-white or non-British) parents.
The dates are as follows:
Wednesdays (January 21st-March 18th) from 9:30am-2:30pm at Voluntary Sector Gateway, Bathgate
Thursdays (January 22nd-March 19th) from 9:30am-2:30pm at Reconnect Howden Park, Livingston
Fridays (January 16th-March 13th) from 9:30am-12:30pm ONLINE
As part of the programme, participants will gain employability skills and an SQA qualification, receive 1-2-1 support towards future employment, and enjoy plenty of fun and engaging creative arts activities. As part of attending, participants can receive up to £15 per day training allowance for attending the programme, plus travel expenses. In-person participants will receive a free catered lunch at every session whilst online participants will receive an art pack with a variety of arts materials which they can use both within and beyond the sessions.
Impact Arts’ friendly, supportive delivery staff will work with participants to ensure everyone reaches their potential and has a great experience. Our dedicated Wellbeing & Opportunities Worker will support participants to gain an SQA qualification and will offer tailored pastoral support. Our Creative Lead tutor will introduce participants to new artistic techniques and will support them in creating artworks using various artforms.
At the end of the programme, there will be a celebratory showcase of work that will be planned, collated and hosted by the participants. Friends and family members can help the participants to celebrate their achievements.
We aim to help each participant to build confidence and develop employability skills to ensure they go on to a positive destination once they complete the programme. This could be further training, education or employment.
This programme is open to lone parents and ethnic minority (non-white or non-British) parents who live in West Lothian who are experiencing barriers to employment.
If you are a lone parent or an ethnic minority parent living in West Lothian or a referral agency, and you’d like to express an interest in joining the Impactful Parents programme, please complete our REFERRAL FORM. A member of staff from Impact Arts will then be in touch. If you’d like more information about the programme, you can visit our website: IMPACT ARTS WEBSITE .
If you have any further questions regarding the project please feel free to contact fin.russell@impactarts.co.uk.
3rd West Lothian Santa Sleigh Event
West Lothian Scouts
Piano Lessons
West Lothian District Scouts
West Lothian District Scouts are looking into the possibility of starting a new scout group in the East/Mid Calder area. We are holding an information, consultation, and taster event on Tuesday 13th May at 7.00pm in Calderwood Primary school.
Please register you intention to attend here https://tinyurl.com/ScoutEastCalder so that we will know how many attendees to expect.
Best Regards
Neil
Neil Rowland
District Lead Volunteer
West Lothian District Scouts
The Little Children’s Market
