In March, St Crispin’s were very kindly invited to have a trip to Edinburgh Zoo! This visit was courtesy of the RZSS’s Bursary-funded excursion pilot programme, in partnership with TalkTalk, which allowed all of our pupils to have this wonderful day out. Some pupils even took part in animal handling sessions with an array of weird and wonderful insects! Everybody had a very fun and memorable day; made extra-special by the glorious weather we had for the occasion.
In amongst all the fun and exploration, we managed to get some snaps of our pupils immersing themselves in this unique and enjoyable trip. The Edinburgh Zoo team also very kindly gave all our pupils a lovely figurine to take home as a souvenir – each pupil was given the choice of a panda or a giraffe to remember their special visit!
We would like to say a massive thank you to the Edinburgh Zoo and TalkTalk for allowing us this opportunity – all our pupils and staff thoroughly enjoyed it. And you can see for yourself just how much fun we had…
Message from Rhoda MacDougall headteacher and NHS Lothian
As you may already know, we are aware of a person in the school who has tested positive for COVID-19. We have been working closelywith NHS Lothian Health Protection Team and following all national guidance.
A number of people have now been contacted because they have been in close and sustained contact with the case and the tracking process is now complete.
These contacts will need to self isolate and appropriate guidance and advice has been given.
If you have not been contacted directly to tell you your child is a close contact, then your child should attend school as normal.
Enhanced cleaning and infection control measures are in place in line with national guidance. The school is safe and remains open.
If you have any concerns in the meantime, or if you need to book a COVID-19 test because your child has developed symptoms (high temperature, a new continuous cough and/or a loss or change in sense of smell or taste) please visit the NHS Inform website www.nhsinform.scot or for non-clinical advice call 0800 028 2816.
Our Garden Gathering took place on Friday (8th Sept) at the school and we had a wonderful time – we hope all our attendees did too! This was the first official event held at St Crispin’s to celebrate our wonderful new building, but more importantly, an opening for our new gardens. Our pupils will benefit and enjoy having these outdoor spaces in many different ways for years to come and we are honoured to name them after two very treasured figures – Ellie and Gilbert.
Ellie was a Nursery Nurse at St Crispin’s School for over 20 years and sadly passed away this year; she was loved by many at St Crispin’s and brightened the lives of countless pupils and staff members over the years. She also loved gardening and nature, taking a keen interest in supporting our pupils to experience the therapeutic joy of the outdoors too. Ellie’s Garden is on the Junior side of school, with Gilbert’s Garden on the Seniors’. Gilbert was an active member of the local community and a founder member of the Friends of Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park. We are grateful for a donation from Gilbert’s Church towards the development of our gardens. Both Ellie and Gilbert have a hand-carved bench made in their names on school grounds to symbolise their impact on the school and our gardens. We hoped this event would would be a fitting tribute to them, as well as a celebration of their contribution to St Crispin’s – and to invite families/carers and friends of the school to join us in a big garden party!
What a party it was and we were spoiled with the lovely weather! David Fox (HT) welcomed everyone with a speech before Fischy Music performed. Our pupils loved this as Fischy is a firm favourite in our school. After some tunes in the sun, guests were invited into the hall where crafts and baking made specially from our pupils and staff were on offer, alongside teas and coffees. We also had a visit from Les’ Menagerie, who brought an array of animals including alpacas, donkeys, goats and sheep! Our pupils absolutely loved the chance to walk amongst the animals in Ellie’s Garden – as did our staff and guests. The day was topped off with ice-cream delivered to pupils in class to help them cool off, and a lovely slideshow for family and friends in the Gym Hall, featuring photos of our school’s journey from Watertoun Road to Burdiehouse Crescent.
We are thrilled to have had such a successful event, with the Garden Gathering proving to be a wonderful day for our pupils, families & friends of St Crispin’s, staff and honoured guests. We also managed to raise an amazing £342.43! This money will go towards buying resources and materials to continue the development of Gilbert & Ellie’s Gardens and ensure our pupils are getting as much from these outdoor spaces as they can. We are incredibly grateful for all donations and extend our gratitude to all who attended and donated. Many thanks also to Starbucks and Morrisons for donating resources for this event.
We hope to see you all again for another event soon! 🌳🌷🎸🎉
Many thanks to all parents, carers and friends of St Crispin’s who attended our Craft and Bake Sale at the start of the month. It was a lovely event for all in attendance and our pupils (and staff!) were very proud to have their beautiful artwork and delicious treats on offer for the occasion.
Aside from being a fun morning, we also raised an incredible amount – £521.62! This will go towards our fund for new resources at St Crispin’s and is very much appreciated.
We are incredibly proud of our wonderful chef, Nicky, and our Mouse Class pupils after they were shown on STV News last night! Watch the clip above to see our starring moment on the 6pm news, featuring award-winning Nicky and some of our pupils choosing their favourite lunchtime options.
Congratulations to all involved – and what a lovely way for our school to be celebrated on the TV!
The spotlight has been shining on our talented pupils again, as well as our PE Teacher, Rory, as he has just had his article featured in TES Magazine. In it, he details the positive impact delivering lessons in Parkour has had on our pupils.
Well done to Rory for always helping our pupils excel in new ways, as well as writing a lovely article that opens up about how important movement is for our students! Congratulations are also in order for Otter Class who gained some new skills whilst having a blast. And you can see just how much fun our pupils had in the photographs below…
Our incredibly talented pupils in Mouse Class have been having regular sessions with Katie Davies from Drake Music in order to produce their very own song! Titled I’m Alive, this feel-good song is written by the pupils as they share some of their favourite things to do to feel good. Our Mouse musicians are also responsible for the vocals and instrumentals featured on the tune! Visit the Drake Music website to see the amazing work they do – featuring our very own maestros on the homepage.
The Shop and Give scheme offered through The Giving Machine allows your purchases to make money for great causes – and St Crispin’s is one of them!
How Does It Work?
When someone clicks from The Giving Machine’s website or mobile app onto a retail page and makes a purchase, The Giving Machine receives a percentage of the total purchase price – this is generally known as affiliate marketing. They pass these donations onto us and we put it towards exciting things around the school – such as new gardening equipment and plants for our allotments, fun playground games and toys for pupils and exciting opportunities to visit new places… and much more!
It’s so easy to get involved, simply visit the online shopping site through The Giving Machine’s website or app and start buying! They have links with hundreds of online retailers including Amazon, Tesco, HelloFresh, B&Q and more. You can set your ‘causes‘ to include St Crispin’s and they will automatically send us a percentage of your purchase costs.
Please find the following newsletter. It contains information about a webinar being held to support the use of visuals at home. The first sessions are on 25th of January and 8th of March. A link is included in the newsletter on how to join.
This is our last day at Watertoun Road and whilst we are really looking forward to new beginnings in our lovely new school, we will be leaving our dearly loved school behind. I have only been at St Crispin’s for just over two years now but, so many of our families and staff have been here for so much longer and will be sad to be leaving our old school.
We have been busy sorting, packing and planning ahead for our new classrooms and learning spaces at our new location in Burdiehouse. When our children return after the February break they will be able to explore our new classrooms, outside play areas and so much more. We have had very successful visits to the new school over the last two weeks, so we are confident that our children and young people will enjoy their new learning space.
Please have a lovely, restful mid-term break and we will welcome our children and young people into our new school on Wednesday 23rd February.
Best wishes, Rhoda MacDougall Headteacher St Crispin’s School
