We said good bye to Mr Cairns on Friday as he retires from his duty as Crossing Patrol Officer. Mr Cairns has safely crossed so many of our pupils over the last 8 years and always with a cheery smile or word, no matter what the weather is doing! We all wish Mr Cairns a long and happy retirement.

We are aware that parents and families have been unable to visit school this term so we thought you might enjoy having a look around, here on the website.

We thought you might to see some of the fun we have at break and lunchtimes in our different zones.

It has been an emotional day at school today as we said good bye to Mrs Griffin who is moving to work at Longstone Nursery after 24 years at Currie. I know Mrs Griffin has been very touched by all the cards and messages from pupils and parents, past and present and wishes to thank everyone for the kind words and for taking the time to pop in and see her over the last couple of weeks. Over the last 24 years Mrs Griffin has been a driving force behind new initiatives and the development of our nursery alongside the rest of our nursery team and I would like to thank her for her hard work and dedication to nursery and school over the years. We wish Mrs Griffin all the very best in her new adventures at Longstone Nursery.

For some the return to school may be a busy and exciting time, for others it may cause some anxiety and worry. We have developed these Back to School Tips to support families with some ideas to help support wellbeing.

Your child: Notice when is a good time and make space for your child to talk about things. This may be walking the dog, in the car or at bedtime. Create opportunities for your child to build a relationship with another family member, trusted adult or professional.

Be available to actively listen to what your child is thinking or how they are feeling. Name what you think they are feeling, let them know you understand and try not to jump in too soon with a solution. For example. “It sounds like you’re worried about having no one to play with, I can see why that’s upsetting you.”

After the school day, your child may need time to wind down before telling you about their day. You could try sharing something about your day first.

                                                                                                                                                                    You: Think about who you can talk to about any concerns or worries you have, such as a friend, family member or maybe a professional.

 Our brains are wired to notice threats, sometimes that stops us seeing the good stuff. That can mean we have to really try to be positive.

Your child: Help your child identify the positive things about lockdown easing or returning to school. Who might they be looking forward to seeing or what might they be looking forward to doing?

                                                                                                                                                                 You: Consider the positives for you of lockdown easing and children returning to school.

                                                                                                                                                                Together: It can be helpful to make time each day to think of one or two positive things. It may be nice to write these down in diary or post them in a jar, share them with your child and listen to their ideas. You could have a phrase like “Today I loved…. playing football with you”

For more information about going Back to School and supporting your own and your child’s wellbeing visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/backtoschool

The Health and Well-being, Parent and Carers Support and Psychological Services teams have been busy working with the Parent and Carer Support Collaborative to produce training and resources to support the well-being of parents, carers, children, young people.

We all want to help children and young people make as smooth a transition as possible back into school and to feel safe and happy there. These tips have been developed as a resource for parents and carers to use to support themselves and their children to become more resilient and develop the skills needed to cope with challenging times.
The tips have been designed to complement the Building Resilience primary and secondary school resource. The themed units engage pupils, families and staff in raising awareness and understanding of 10 protective factors for our mental health and well-being. These protective factors have been drawn from key research around mental health and emotional well-being.

Your Child: Support your child to contact a friend from school, chat online or spend some time together before the start of term. For children who may find this difficult, help plan an activity or discuss ideas of what they could talk about.

Think of ways your child can feel connected to you when they return to school, E.g. give them a picture, a written message or a familiar object that they can take with them in their pocket or bag. Schools will give advice on what your child can bring with them initially.

                                                                                                                                                                    You: Arrange to meet or call a friend or another parent, have a chat and share your plans for returning to school. Suggest walking to school together or arrange to meet up after school starts.

 Together: Share anything important that has happened during lockdown with school at the start of term- let them know about any family changes, positive achievements or challenges experienced. Your child may want to draw a picture or take a photo of something positive they have done to share with a staff member or their friends.

We are sure many families will be starting to make plans to help with the return to school. We hope you find these Back to School Tips useful.

Your Child: Encourage your child to think of ways they can be kind to others and pay attention and praise your child when you notice them doing this. “It was kind of you to… share with your friend/ include them in your group at break”

Children learn by watching others- show or tell your child ways you have been kind to others. For example, “I had a chat with our neighbour, she looked a bit sad.”

                                                                                                                                                            You: Notice other parents on their own in and around the school, you never know who may welcome a friendly greeting or chat.

Above all, be kind to yourself. We’ve all been through exceptional circumstances.

For more information about going Back to School and supporting your own and your child’s wellbeing visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/backtoschool

P7 missed out on the Quali last week but put together this video instead! Thank you to P7 for letting us share this with you all.