The Humbie Blog

Innerwick on PhotoPeach

Innerwick on PhotoPeach

Progressive Football – Football club @ Saltoun Primary every Wednesday
The following club is available:
THE PROGRESSIVE ACADEMY – P3 – P7 – Every Wednesday
3:30-4:30pm
“A structured program of training and competition. PROGRESSIVE Academy creates an ideal environment for footballer guided by our experienced and high quality coaches. They ensure continual progression and development for all players enabling them to reach their full potential.”
Each session costs £3 each. This can be paid weekly or in full until the end of term at a cost of £21.00. If you are interested in your child taking part, please contact Progressive Football Development ‎[progressivefootballdevelopment@gmail.com]‎-

20th May 2013
Well, we all survived Innerwick-round 1 and are looking forward to round 2 with P5-7. The P4’s had a great time and I was proud of the way they overcame the difficulties met along the way. One or two knew that they were a little anxious about being away from home but they talked it through and coped really well. Having planned the menu together I didn’t anticipate any problems about eating and they certainly enjoyed their food! Thanks to those who sent goodies to share- it was much appreciated. A chocolate brownie is a great comforter when you are flagging a little.
I was impressed by the ability the children showed in making up their beds and in keeping their dorms in order. They also managed, more or less, to pack their bags for the way home- some sleeping bags and duvets had to be wrestled into submission with the help of a friend or two.
Some children were absolute stars about helping in the kitchen or laying tables or in tidying the garden- all credit to you as parents for that.
We had a few house rules- one was to smile when it got tough and I can say that everybody managed that one- even the staff! We also had a rule of one request whereby we expected children to do as they were asked without us having to repeat the request. This cuts out the need to nag- good for those of us who do it and for those who have to listen to it.
In thinking about these basic house rules I realised that we have a need in both schools to remind ourselves of rules for in class too. This rule of one request worked very well in general and it is something we will use in both schools to cut down on unnecessary repetition and waste of teaching time. The children saw the sense in this rule and there is a universal acceptance that what they are asked to do is sensible, reasonable, has a point and is above all fair.
One area we have to work on is listening when required and not talking when instructions are being given. This leads to a considerable waste of teaching time in repeating instructions or answering unnecessary questions. There are times when children will need repetition or clarification of teaching points and that is absolutely fine. It is not fine if this is done because children were talking at the wrong time or not listening. I will be talking to all the children about this in the next couple of weeks.
I am sorry if this is a bit of a rant but I have noticed in the last few weeks how much time is lost in teachers having to repeat themselves unnecessarily or in asking children not to talk over them. Our children are well-mannered and polite on the whole and this is just a bad habit they have slipped into. Perhaps if both home and school are giving the same message in the next few weeks, we can improve on performance in this. Ultimately it will help teaching and learning in every class.
If you wildly disagree with this, please let me know- you know I love a spirited debate! If you have ideas of your own for raising the levels of polite behaviour, we would be interested to hear them.
This is a short week for children, resuming on Wednesday. Staff meet tomorrow to audit our performance this year, plan the calendar for next and to agree on a school improvement plan for 2013/14. If you have any thoughts on these matters, let me know and I can share them with staff- I am sure they will listen politely and not interrupt!

Have a great week,
Lindy Lynn

At camp we did orienteering, bug finding, kyaking, gardening and walking. It was at Innerwick and the food was good.  I really enjoyed it!

Humbie and Saulton were together. My favorite part was kyaking and I nearly capsized  four times!

By Struan

Humbie and Saulton have been to school camp and it was good fun!  I liked the food and I had a lot of it.

At night we all had a chat I was sleeping with Struan,Dylan,Matteo and Reuben.My favourite activity was kayaking but we kept crashing in to each other!

After a while the gardening that we did was getting a bit boring but over all camp was great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Sam

So excited to see the photos from camp! Looks as if you all had an amazing time. Lovely to see everyone outdoors looking happy and relaxed – what a great experience. I’m really enjoying reading your messages and keeping up to date through your posts – keep them coming! I’m sure the P4′s will enjoy their long weekend!

P4 at Innerwick 2013 on PhotoPeach