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Phased Return to School

Dear Parents, Carers and Learners of Castlebrae.

I trust you are staying safe and enjoying the summer break. I hope that as lockdown has eased you have been able to meet up with friends and family.

It has been clarified today that schools will reopen on Wednesday 12th of August.  This first week will be a phased reintegration to support staff and pupils. Our plan for this is below.

From the 18th of August All pupils will return fulltime.  We can’t wait to have all our young people and staff back in school.

Induction plan

Day8.30am-2.25pm9.25am – 3.15pm
Wednesday the 12th of August  All S1All S5/6 Pupils
Thursday the 13th of August  All S2/3 PupilsAll S4Pupils All S1 Pupils
Friday the 14th of AugustAll Pupils S1-6 (Finish at 12.55) 

It is important to support our learners as they return to school. Our Protecting the Learning policy had been so successful, we must all focus on to returning to clear expectations it provided.

SQA

On Tuesday 4th of August all our S4, S5 and S6 will be receiving their SQA results. We wish them all the best of luck. If you would like to discuss your results please come into school on the Monday 10th or Tuesday the 11th.We will be there to help you out.

School uniform

All pupils should wear full school uniform.

  • Plain black school trousers.
  • Plain black school skirt, with leggings or black trousers.
  • A school tie must be worn and clearly visible.
  • A plain white shirt or blouse.
  • A plain black jumper or cardigan.
  • Black shoes. (no white laces)
  • S4-6 School blazer (provided) must be worn in class.

Any over-garment if not plain black must be removed in class.

Our community has been extremely supportive of our school uniform policy and I am sure with this support we can continue to have high standards.

School lunches

There will be a limited pre-ordered grab and go packed lunch service via parents pay and FME.  Pupils are also welcome to bring a packed lunch.  If young people go of site for lunch, they should follow the rules for wider society for example wearing a face covering when entering a shop.

Timetable: Will be provided during induction day. S3-6 If you would like to make any changes to your timetable Mr Johnstone will be available to discuss.

ICT: If you have been provided with an ICT device during lockdown, please bring this to the induction day. These devices will need to be cleaned and put on the school server for pupils to access the internet whilst at school.

Health and Safety: Further information will be provided to pupils, parents and carers regardingmeasures put in place to ensure good hygiene.

Our Learning Mentors will be in touch on Monday 10th or Tuesday 11th of August to answer any queries but please e-mail or phone the school office if you have an urgent query.

We will continue to do all we can do to support a safe return to school for learners and staff.

Stay safe.

Kind regards,

Mrs Prentice

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Virtual Activities Week

Coming to Castlebrae – a week of fun activities.

Check the website and our Twitter for each day’s challenge.

Wednesday: Cookie Challenge! Solve 13 mini challenges to get letters and unscramble the letters to find the password. Once you’re finished click the link below and enter the password (no spaces, all lowercase). Full instructions are on the first page.

Tag us in twitter with a photo/screenshot of the final page or post it on Teams year group registration pages. Email Jessica.2.Heatlie@castlebrae.edin.sch.uk if you need any wee hints! Enjoy! 

https://castlebraechs.wordpress.com/mathscookiechallenge/ 

Tuesday Task: Pick one of these Science Tasks. Upload evidence to Teams year group  registration pages.biology physics chemistry

Monday- Quiz! Answers to be sent through assignments in year group TEAMS registration page. https://sway.office.com/GVLLQJo7Gyt5vbq4?ref=email

 

 

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May/June Timetable + New S1 Learners!

NEW S1 learners for Aug 2020 – welcome! Please click here for a comprehensive guide to Castlebrae.

Please find direct links to year group information about the timetable and staff support.

S2 S3 Seniors

To access Microsoft Teams please click here.

We have listened to feedback from parents and carers. A guide to remote learning is in the post and will be with you soon or access an electronic copy below. The information will give step by step instructions in how learners can access their work. Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any questions.

castlebrae-learns-at-home-may-2020-pdfDownload

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Coronavirus – Covid-19 Emergency Information

Please use the mobile numbers listed below if you need to contact the school urgently in an emergency situation.

For more general questions and advice on how to support home learning, please use the information available on this website via the Menu Bar and through our school and subject Twitter feeds.

The documents that can be downloaded below include important information that has been published recently.

Castlebrae Revision Resources Document

Advice for Supporting Children and Young People

covid19-advice-for-supporting-children-and-young-peopleDownload

EAL – Support for Bilingual Learners

Maximise – Financial Support for Families

what-to-claim_coronavirus-factsheet_march-24Download
maximise-support-memo-schools-and-social-work-covid-19Download

Letter to Parents and Carers from Andy Gray, Chief Education Officer

covid-19-letter-to-parentscarers-190320Download

Edinburgh Learns – Teaching, Learning and Getting It Right For Every Child during school closure. Guidance for Parents and Carers.

edinburgh-learns-guidance-for-parents_teachinglearninggirfecDownload

ASL – Additional Support for Learning Information for Parents and Carers

asl-info-for-parents-and-carersDownload

Statement provided by Deputy First Minister John Swinney on impact for Education (including information on SQA Exam Diet)

statement-from-the-deputy-first-minister-on-impact-on-education-thursday-19th-marchDownload

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Celebrations for the start of Construction on the new Castlebrae!

Norma Prentice (Head Teacher), Megan Douglas, Josh Heath and Sharon Street (Castlebrae’s longest serving member of staff) on the site of the new build to celebrate construction start.

An important milestone for the future of education in the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh has been reached as the start of construction work on a replacement Castlebrae High School was celebrated on Wednesday 15th January 2020.

Castlebrae students Megan Douglas, Josh Heath, Hamilton Cruikshank and Ahmed Khan joined parents, representatives from the City of Edinburgh Council, partners Hub South East and contractors Morrison Construction, at a special sod-cutting ceremony.

The £28m project, being delivered by Hub South East in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, Project Managers Currie & Brown, JM Architects, Ramboll, Woolgar-Hunter, Doig Smith and Wardell Armstrong (Landscape Architects) with Morrison Construction the main contractor, will see the school due to be completed by August 2021. 

Plans for the brand new 700 capacity building, which has the potential to be increased to 1200, were developed after extensive consultation with educationalists, service users and the local community.

The new Castlebrae is being built in the heart of Craigmillar, next to the East Neighbourhood Centre and Library.  An important aspect of the design is the provision of a variety of spaces for learning activities to support collaborative and inclusive practice, developing and enhancing strategies for continuing improvement in attainment and achievement.

Externally there will be extensive landscaped areas for outdoor learning activities and a 3G artificial football pitch, which will be available for use by the local community outside school hours, as well as a community town square. 

Councillor Ian Perry, Education Convener of the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “It was great to see work progressing on the site of what will be our fifth new high school we have built in recent years. This is an exciting time for the education in the Capital with two further new schools opening this year, and construction work having started on two others.

“Today’s event demonstrates our commitment to investing in our children’s education by creating a first-class learning environment for all our children which will also be an exciting, inspirational and creative hub for the whole community.”

Councillor Alison Dickie, Education Vice Convener, said: “As a Council we are taking every opportunity to innovatively build schools for the future that are fit for 21st Century learning – as this exciting design shows with extensive landscaped areas for outdoor learning activities.

“The new schools we are creating all support greater accessibility and inclusion for all our young people. We will continue to develop the designs of our future school projects so they can support the needs of all learners and provide a much more inclusive environment promoting greater health and wellbeing.”

Head Teacher Norma Prentice said: “It’s so exciting to be the Head Teacher of the new high school for Craigmillar. This new build is thoroughly deserved and will benefit the whole community by delivering high quality learning and teaching and enhancing the school’s journey of continued improvement. All the pupils and staff can’t wait to move in next year.”

Richard Park, Director at Hub South East: “It’s exciting to mark the start of construction on site at Castlebrae. In particular, we’re delighted to welcome two S3 school pupils Ahmed and Hamilton, as they learn about communications and PR as part of their World of Work Week.

“This is a great example of how a construction project can provide wider community benefits and we look forward to working with the Council and our supply chain to ensure the project is delivered successfully, realising positive benefits for the local area, as well as the staff and pupils who will enjoy the new, modern facility.”

Eddie Robertson, Managing Director for Morrison Construction Central Building, said: “The start of a new project is an exciting time for all involved and it’s good to note that we already have rapid progress on the groundwork for the new Castlebrae High School. Morrison Construction has a strong track record in developing and delivering education projects in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council and we will bring all that experience to bear in ensuring that the children of Craigmillar receive a school building to be proud of, while the wider community will be able to enjoy 21st century public facilities.

“We are also committed to a programme of exciting engagement activities that will benefit the pupils and surrounding community during this project.”