All posts by Mrs Millar

Education City – Advice for parents

In response to a query from a parent this week about how to check a child’s progress on Education City, here is some information which should help you find that information:

Parents can see any activities that their children have completed by checking the student’s dashboard within the “My Scores” area.

They can then filter via three folders:

  1. Pick and play – This will show any scores that students have achieved from independently finding content.
  2. Classwork – This will show scores via classwork allocated in Mycities
  3. Homework – This will show scores via Homework Mycities

This document may also help:

An Overview of MySuccess

Hope this is useful.  If you have any difficulties, please don’t hesitate to email or call the school and we will try our best to support you.

How you can keep young people safer online over the Christmas period … and beyond!

No doubt you’ll be working with a young person who has asked for some form of technology that links to the internet for Christmas, be it a new smartphone, tablet or games console.

While their device will provide them with hours of entertainment, it can also present new risks. Here are 4 steps you can take to make sure that young people are safer online over the Christmas period and beyond.

1. Set up parental controls

Parental controls can be a great tool to help protect young people online, and should be installed on any new device that they use. Give parents and carers the information they need to use these controls effectively by signposting them to this Thinkuknow article.

Let them know that they’ll find plenty of further advice and support on how to keep their child safe online on our parents website.

2. Start a conversation about communicating safely online

A new device enables young people to gain access to new communities through online gaming and social media.

If you can, make time before the end of term to start a conversation with young people about how they use online technology and what it means to them. You can use this as a way to remind them of some key strategies for safer internet use, for example:

  • Be careful with what they share, including images, videos and personal information.
  • Take control of who sees what they post by using privacy settings.
  • Be mindful of who they are chatting to and gaming with – do they really know and trust them? If not, don’t share personal details or agree to meet them in other online spaces.

3. Remind young people how to report anything worrying

It’s important that young people know where to go if they come across something online that worries them or makes them feel uncomfortable – especially as contact with trusted sources of support may not be available over the holidays.

You should:

  • Help them to identify a trusted adult that they can approach during the holiday period, and encourage them to the speak to the adult immediately if they have any concerns.
  • Talk them through how they can make a report to CEOP if something has happened to them online or they’re worried about what a friend is doing online.
  • Remind them that they can contact Childline if they have any other worries, for example if they are being bullied.

 

Throughout, remember that your focus shouldn’t be to put young people off using their new device or encourage parents not to buy it in the first place. Scaremongering is not effective and makes young people far less likely to ask you for help if they encounter a threat online. A balanced view encourages them to share their thoughts and engage with new ideas about staying safe.

Save the Children, #MurrayfieldcomestoMurrayfield

https://we.tl/t-O6MRlFRt8G

Save the Children, Scottish Rugby Union and some of our wonderful families from Murrayfield Primary School explain in this video (please click on the link above and download), how the Families Connect programme enables parents to engage in their children’s learning.

If your child has just started in Primary 1 or has just gone in to Primary 2, please watch out for details of upcoming Families Connect groups which we will be running at various points throughout the year.

 

Great family shows at Howden Park Centre this summer

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show

The timeless classic has made its way off the page and onto the stage.

For more information see:-

http://www.howdenparkcentre.co.uk/article/39812/The-Very-Hungry-Caterpillar-Show

Thursday 18th July, 1.30pm. 

Tickets £11, £9 concession, £36 family of 4

 

Funbox: The Wild West Show

Yeee haaaa!  Saddle up partners as Funbox head out on the prairie for their brand new spectacular, The Wild West Show.

For more information see:-

http://www.howdenparkcentre.co.uk/article/37733/Funbox-The-Wild-West-Show

Saturday 3rd August, 1pm and 3.30pm.  Sunday 4th August, 1pm and 3.30pm.

Tickets £14, £52 family of 4, £12 groups of 10+, £16 parent & child (up to 12 months with no seat allocation)

 

To book tickets please contact Howden Park Centre Box Office on:- 01506 340700

 

Supporting gender balance and equality

This page provides ideas to help ensure your child has equal opportunities to develop a range of skills and confidence regardless of their gender.

Gender stereotypes

Stereotypes are based on an assumption that all boys will be the same and like the same things, and all girls will be the same and like the same things.  This can lead to children being restricted in the interests, skills and behaviours they develop.

This page focuses on different expectations that can be placed on girls and boys.

Gendered messages

Children receive and absorb gender stereotyped messages about what they can and cannot do as a girl or as a boy from a very early age.

For example, toy manufacturers often market more aggressive toys to boys and more passive toys to girls, construction activities to boys and creative ones to girls. In picture books, women and girls are often portrayed as performing more domestic tasks while men are largely under-represented as parents. These stereotypes are unhelpful for both boys and girls.

Stereotypes suggest that girls and boys are very different and naturally like different things. For example, that girls are better at being carers and are not as good at maths, and boys are less emotional and are better at science or construction. Research suggests, however, that this is not the case. There is overwhelming evidence that there are no inherent differences between girls and boys which should limit a child’s interests or ambitions. Genders are more alike than different.

Gender stereotypes can affect:

  • The toys and games a child chooses and therefore the skills they develop
  • How children learn to express emotion
  • How important a child feels the way they look is
  • Whether a child feels they want to work hard at school
  • How a child feels about sport
  • What kinds of jobs a young person considers

 

There is, of course, nothing wrong with making choices along traditional lines, as long as those choices are not being limited by ideas about gender.

Challenging gender stereotypes

  • Talk with your child about how girls and boys, women and men are shown in books, TV shows or films.
    • What does it mean to be brave? Can girls be brave?
    • Is it ok for dads to stay at home and look after the baby?
    • Can women be firefighters? Can men be teachers?
    • Would the story change if the main character was a boy or girl? What would the story be like if you didn’t know what gender any of the characters were?
  • With older children, you could talk about how men and women are portrayed in adverts and social media. You might discuss jobs, roles at home, expectations of behaviour and appearance.
  • Look together at toy advertising:
    • How are they marketed? What messages are being given?
    • What makes something a girls’ or a boys’ toy?
  • Talk about different jobs and the skills needed for them. Few jobs can only be done by just men or just women.

Unconscious bias

We all have unconscious biases that can lead us to treat people differently without us realising we are doing it.

Research shows that adults tend to play differently with babies dressed as boys compared to those dressed as girls. Adults tend to offer ‘girl’ babies dolls and tend to hold them gently. They are more likely to offer ‘boys’ toy cars and balls and tend to play in a more rough and tumble way.

Things to think about

  • Praise: we often praise girls for appearance rather than their efforts or achievements. This can lead girls to thinking that how they look is the most important thing about them.
  • Crying: boys are often encouraged to stop crying quickly. This can lead to boys having difficulty sharing emotions when they are older.
  • Reading: research suggests we read to girls more than we do to boys. This can lead to girls being more likely to read themselves and having better literacy skills.
  • Chores at home: when you ask your child to help in the home, consider whether the tasks are reinforcing stereotypes.

Related links

Let Toys be Toys: Why it matters

Girls toys vs boy toys: The experiement – BBC Stories

MMR Campaign Summer 2019

There are outbreaks of measles in the UK, Europe and the USA. Measles is very infectious but can be prevented with MMR vaccine. MMR protects against mumps and rubella too. NHS Lothian is inviting S1-S6 pupils who have not been vaccinated to clinics this summer term and in the holidays. Look out in the post for your clinic invitation. Make sure to get vaccinated! Together we can stop the spread of measles! #VaccinesWork #NHS_Lothian

Dates for your diary – Blackburn Gala Day

Blackburn’s got talent : Friday 24th May 7pm in Blackburn Partnership Centre

(Children selected must live in Blackburn)

School relay – Sunday 2nd June 12 noon at Blackburn juniors park: 

Four pupils from P6 and P7 – relay race

Blackburn interschool quiz – Tuesday 4th June at 6.30pm at Murrayfield:

One child from P3, P4, P5, P6 and P7 to take part in the quiz

Gala day – Saturday 8th June 11.30am

Rotary Club Quiz 2019

Murrayfield’s team had their thinking caps on tonight when they won the Rotary Club, Whitburn’s Annual Primary School Quiz.  There were some tricky questions and some new categories to contend with this year but we thoroughly enjoyed the evening and you kept us all on tenterhooks until the very end.   Great work Murrayfield!

Well done to all the teams who took part, to the Rotary Club Whitburn for organising, to Polkemmet Primary for hosting and to the families and friends who came along to support everyone.

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Dounans school camp meeting reminder

A reminder for parents that we are having a meeting tomorrow night, Thursday 21st February at 4pm for this year’s school camp.

Don’t worry if you can’t make it.  We are doing it a bit earlier this year and will meet again the week before in case you have any questions before we leave.

Please remember to bring your completed EE2 forms with any medical and dietary requirements clearly listed.  This will give us plenty of time to make arrangements with Dounans to provide any required support.