Dean Park Primary School Parent Forum

😀😍 Dates for the End of Term 😍😀

Highlighting for all: Meet the Teacher for current p1-6 on Thurs 22nd June.

Note: P5 picnic is on Tues 27th (due to swimming on the 23rd).

** Volunteers Needed - Community Foodbank **

We are looking for new parents and carers to join a wee group of fellow DPPS parents to support the Parent Council maintain the school community food bank.

You would be:
*date checking
*keeping it tidy
*keeping it clean
*removing unsuitable products (nuts etc)
*update group if an appeal for donations is required

This usually takes 15 minutes or less, would only be once every one/two months with a rota being used for the weekly check. We communicate using a WhatsApp group. The box the food bank is within is located at the nursery/library entrance at the bottom of the Main Street.

In the coming months it’ll be vitally important for families to know there is an option locally in the village, to take whatever they might need if required.

If you are interested email [email protected]

😀😁Reminder that it is a Dress Up/ Down/ As You Please day on Friday. 😄😄

This is to raise funds for Balerno Children's Gala. If you are able, please either donate using the gofundme link or your child could bring some money/change to school with them on Friday.

Balerno Children's Gala, organized by Gordon Taylor The Balerno Children’s Gala takes place each year and is a fantastic community event arranged f… Gordon Taylor needs your support for Balerno Children's Gala

💃👕👖 Dress for Joy - tomorrow (Fri 17th) 💃👕👖

All children in nursery - p6 are invited to dress for joy on Friday (tomorrow), in support of Comic Relief. The money raised will support many local and national causes as well as those affected by the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey. To donate follow the link below:

Dean Park Primary School's Red Nose Day 2023 Help Clare Thomson raise money to support Comic Relief

🤩🤩 Dean Park Parent Council Meeting - Monday 20th March at 7pm 🤩🤩

Our meeting is open to all parents and carers, so if you would like to attend please send us an email for a link to join at [email protected]

If there is something that you would like the Parent Council to consider for the Agenda before the meeting then please email by 19th March.

🎼🥁Balerno and District Schools Pipe Band Concert Thursday 23rd March 🎼🥁

The Pipe Band would like to invite you to their first concert, which will be held in Balerno High School on Thursday 23rd March at 7pm. Their band will be playing, along with the high school's ceilidh band, the Pentland Junior Singers and Craigmount High's Traditional Music Group.

👉Tickets are £10 (and under 12s go free)👈

Buy direct from eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../balerno-district-schools...
All the proceeds go to pipe band funds and it will be great for our kids to see as many of you as possible, so please bring along friends and family if you can!

🥦🥬 Garden Workday - Sat 18th March 🥦🥬

In preparation for getting pupils out to do some planting, Dean Park Primary School are looking for volunteers to repair vegetable beds and the bottle greenhouse. There is also plenty of weeding and pruning needing done. Workday starts at 11am. If you can help out email [email protected]

🐦🦉The Scottish Ornithologists' Club and British Trust for Ornithology Camp for 10 - 16 year olds 🐦🦉

Applications have just opened for young nature enthusiasts to apply to take part in the Scottish Bird Camp - a fully-funded weekend this May, in East Lothian, learning about Scotland's birds among like-minded others. Camp will include (subject to weather): a boat trip to the Bass Rock, bird ringing and nest finding demonstration, trips to nature reserves and more. The deadline for applications is Friday 31 March at 5pm.

You can find out all about this year's opportunity on our website: https://www.the-soc.org.uk/soc-bto-scotland-scottish-bird-camp-2023 . This is a link to last year's Camp to learn more about what the children got up to: https://www.the-soc.org.uk/blog/soc-bto-scotland-scottish-bird-camp

SOC/BTO Scottish Bird Camp On the one hand, a birdwatching club. On the other, a network of volunteers across Scotland, gathering vital information about Scotland’s wild birds. SOC will help you further your knowledge and enjoyment of Scotland’s wonderful birdlife.

😍Dean Park Primary School PTA Craft Club need helpers 😍

The current PTA craft club will sadly close after the Easter holidays unless they find someone to help. This person would assist pupils in the craft for that day. The craft club is on a Wednesday afternoon 3:25- 4:25pm.

They are also looking for someone to lead this club after the summer holidays.

If you are interested in finding out more please email: [email protected]

🎼🥁Balerno and District Schools Pipe Band Concert Thursday 23rd March 🎼🥁

The Pipe Band would like to invite you to their first concert, which will be held in Balerno High School on Thursday 23rd March at 7pm. Their band will be playing, along with the high school's ceilidh band, the Pentland Junior Singers and Craigmount High's Traditional Music Group.

👉Tickets are £10 (and under 12s go free)👈
Buy direct from eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/balerno-district-schools-pipe-band-fundraising-concert-tickets-536197560337

All the proceeds go to pipe band funds and it will be great for our kids to see as many of you as possible, so please bring along friends and family if you can!

😀Coffee Morning on Friday 3rd March at 11am 😀

Dean Park Primary School are planning an informal coffee morning on Friday 3rd March at 11am for parents of children who are neurodivergent, including children with a diagnosis of autism, ADHD, intellectual disability and those awaiting diagnosis or exploring this. This is an opportunity for parents to connect and build relationships across the school community.

This is an open invitation to any parents from Nursery to P7 who would like to meet other parents in a supportive environment.

Please email [email protected] if you are planning to attend.

👉Reminder: Industrial Action Next Week (Tues & Wed) for p1-7👈

Please note that due to change in industrial action, Dean Park Nursery will now be open every day next week as usual. School will be closed to P1-P7 on Tuesday and Wednesday as planned.

🤩 Sibling Photos for p3-7 are tomorrow (Thursday) 🤩

Nursery siblings can be brought to school between 3-4pm by parents once the children are collected.

p1 & 2 individual photos will be taken on Friday.

😍Thrift Shop Open tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday 😍

Need shirts, jumpers or ties for the school photos this week?
The Thrift Shop will be open tomorrow and Thursday 8.30am-9am.

📷📷 Individual School Photographs This Thursday and Friday 📷📷

Children with a sibling in the school will also have the opportunity to have a photo taken together.

Parents can bring nursery children to school between 3-4pm to have their photo taken with p1-7 siblings if they would like.

😀🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scots Language Activities and Tartan Thursday/Friday 😀🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Children are invited to share a piece of Scottish artwork they have done, share dances, sing songs or recite poems they have learned in the Scots Language. All participants will receive a certificate.

🤩Children are welcome to wear something tartan on Thursday and Friday. 🤩

😀 School Nurse Drop In 😀

Come along to chat about health and wellbeing, or any aspect of family health, child development, anxiety or emotional/behavioural issues.

👉👀 Reminder: Dean Park Primary School will be closed on Wednesday 25th January 👈👀

The closure is due to industrial action being taken by staff across the city. Any staff not on strike will post work via Learning Journals (check after 11am)

👉👀 Reminder: Dean Park Primary will be closed tomorrow (Tues 10th Jan) 👈👀

The closure is due to industrial action being taken by staff across the city. Any staff not on strike will post work via Learning Journals (check after 11am)

Further action is anticipated on 25th Jan.

👉🎅 Reminder: School & Nursery close tomorrow (Tuesday 20th) at 1pm 🎅👈

Primary pupils who have ordered lunch will bring it home with them. Pupils are welcome to bring a more substantial snack for break time if they wish. 🥯🍌

Nursery pupils will be given lunch at nursery as normal. 🥯🍌

Note - Nursery pupils can be collected before 1pm to enable adults to collect older children at the primary school at 1pm.

👉🎅🌲 Reminder: Christmas Parties, Christmas Lunch, Winter Jumper Day and Brass/Strings Concert, all happening this week coming 🎅🌲👈

Details below 👇

😍 Christmas Parties 😍
Christmas parties are planned for each P1-P7 class next week. The children are welcome to wear their party clothes all day on the day of their party. Snacks will be provided for all of the children from the PTA and allergies have been catered for.

P1 and P2 Parties Thursday 15th
P3 and P4 Parties Wednesday 14th
P5 and P6 Parties Tuesday 13th
P7 Party Monday 12th

🍗🥯 Christmas Lunch Wed 14th December 🍗🥯
For those who have booked a lunch for Wed 14th, this will be a Christmas themed menu. All of the children are welcome to wear festive jumpers or accessories on this day.

👕 Winter Jumper Day Friday 16th December 👕
The children are welcome to wear winter, cosy or Christmas jumpers to school on Friday 16th December. We have spares for anyone who doesn't have one but would like one.

🎻 Strings and Brass Concert Wed 14th at 10am 🎻
There is a concert for parents and families of anyone who receives strings or brass tuition in school on this day. Please come to the main office for 10am.

👉⭐️ Earlier deadline for School Lunch Bookings ⭐️👈

Place all lunch orders by MIDNIGHT Sun 11th Dec, for the period Mon 12th Dec - Fri Jan 6th. 🍏🥯🥗

👉🤩 P1 & 4 - Important Dates for Next Week 🤩👈

P4 -Singing for Parents, 2pm on Monday 5th - (1 guest per child please)
P1A - Nativity Friday 9th 0915-0945
P1B - Nativity Friday 9th 1000-1030
P1C - Nativity Friday 9th 1100-1130

🦶🚴‍♀️🛹🚗 School Travel Plan - Parent Survey 🦶🚴‍♀️🛹🚗

The Road Safety Team are carrying out a School Travel Plan Review across all schools in the city by cluster. This will be carried out over the next 2 years.

The aim of the review is to develop a 5 year action plan with children and the schools to make the routes and streets surrounding the school safer and to encourage more active travel to school

Please complete this short form to support this work in the community: https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/a80bc22e

The survey closes on 26th December.

Dean Park Primary Parent Travel Survey December 2022 - City of Edinburgh Council - Citizen Space Find and participate in consultations run by City of Edinburgh Council

☃️⛄️ Festive Lunch - Wed 14th Dec ☃️⛄️

Now available to book on Parentpay. 👉👉 ALL PREVIOUS BOOKINGS FOR THIS DATE HAVE BEEN DELETED. PLEASE LOG IN AND REBOOK. 👈👈

👉👉 Pupils who are not having the pre-ordered Christmas lunch, bring a packed lunch on Wednesday 14th December 👈👈. Unfortunately school will not have the facility to provide them with a hot meal.

🎅🎅 To add to the occasion, pupils are very welcome to dress festively and wear, if they have, a Christmas top, hat, or hair accessory, or all three! 🎅🎅

If you have any problems with the above, please contact the school office on telephone 0131 449 4529 or email [email protected].

😀😀😁 Reminder that the Thrift Shop is open on Fridays until the end of term: 8.30-9.30 and 12.00-12.45 😀😀😁

👉👉 Reminder: Dean Park Primary School and Nursery are closed Thursday 24th November 👈👈

Schools are shut due to industrial action being taken by teaching staff who are represented by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and the Association of Heads and Deputes in Scotland (AHDS).

There will be no online provision of teaching and learning for children on this day. Contingency Learning Grids are available on the CEC webpage: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/homelearning
Alternative forms of learning, including e-sgoil, are also available on the CEC webpage above.

Parent Pay refunds will be provided to those families who have prepaid lunch on Thursday 24th November, as soon as possible.



Dean Park Primary School will be closed to all primary and nursery school children on the scheduled date of Thursday 24th November 2022.

Support for learning at home – The City of Edinburgh Council Support for home learning

⭐️Change to Last Day of Term Arrangements ... ⭐️

👉👉1pm closure on Tues 20th Dec 👈👈 - not 12pm as previously stated (edit 15/11/22)

🤩🎉 Reminder: Dress Up/Down Day on Friday (18th) 🤩🎉

Primary 5-7 pupils in the Poverty Action Group at Dean Park Primary School are organising a dress up/down day on Friday.

Pupils have asked that if you can, please donate some toiletry items for a collection for Fresh Start and local people in need.

Please don't worry if you can't donate anything - we know that you might be struggling to buy these things yourself. If you can, we are looking for:

Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Soap
Shower Gel
Toilet roll
Shampoo
Body wash
Deodorants

Something small can make a big difference to someone else. Thank you for any donations you are able to make.

🎅🧑‍🎄🤶🏻☃️❄️🎄 December Dates For Your Diary 🎅🧑‍🎄🤶🏻☃️❄️🎄

Some important dates for Xmas parties, Xmas jumper days, assemblies, songs, concerts, dress up/down and Xmas lunches. 👉👉1pm closure on Tues 20th Dec 👈👈 - not 12pm as previously stated (edit 15/11/22).

Ho ho ho!. 🎅🧑‍🎄🤶🏻☃️❄️🎄

🎼🥁 Balerno and District Schools Pipe Band will be playing tomorrow at the Framer's Market. 🎼🥁

They will be outside the library from 10am on Saturday. Come and see the kids of Dean Park Primary School play: they sound fantastic!⭐️

The Pipe Band are raising money to fund them through 2023; this will include completing fundraising for their own bagpipes and kilts, and supporting families with the costs of lessons, as well as travel for competitions. They are hoping to take the children to the Scottish Schools, and the Worlds Pipe Band Championships next year which will be such a great experience for them.

They will be collecting donations on the day (cash and card reader), so please support them if you can, and if you can't be there, please consider dropping a donation into their justgiving:

Help raise £3000 to help fund our band in 2023 Weʼre raising money to help fund our band in 2023. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

😀 😀 First meeting of the new Parent Council this evening 😀 😀

The meeting is hybrid: on Microsoft Teams or in person.
Time: 7pm
Venue: Room F10 of Balerno High School (front office will direct you through the building) OR
On Microsoft Teams. Please email [email protected] for the Teams link to join the meeting.

All welcome - it would be great to get your views.

🏑🏑 P4-7 PTA Hockey Club is Back 🏑🏑

Please go to the after school clubs section of the school’s website to enrol your child https://deanparkschool.org.uk/pta/after-schools-clubs/

Class times are as follows:

Fridays at the 2G pitch, Balerno High School:
Primary 4/5 - 4pm
Primary 6 - 5pm
Primary 7 - 6pm

Children must have shin guards and a mouth guard to take part and hockey sticks can be borrowed if you don’t have one.

AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS After School Clubs The PTA run a number of clubs over the course of the school year. Each club is managed by a club coordinator, who administers the club and is the intermediary between the cl…

⚽️⚽️ Football Coach for P3 Needed ⚽️ ⚽️

The PTA Football Club are still looking for a P3 football coach. They have a helper lined up so they're almost there, but not quite.

If they can't find a volunteer, they can't run the club this year. One hour a week in the evening is all you need to offer. P3 don't play competitions, but learn about co-operation, build confidence and make friends through play.

You don't need to be a P3 parent, just a parent who wants to see kids having fun. The other coaches are full of hints and tips and infectious enthusiasm.

If you even thought "Hmmm", email Steven Watson ([email protected]) for more details and encouragement.

Christmas card update from park primary

As those trying to order Christmas cards last night will have noticed, there was an issue with getting on the sforders.co.uk website. We have spoken to the company who run this,and they have assured us that a fix is in place, so if you were unable to place an order last night, you should be able to do so now. They did say that the website will be running slower than usual today, due to the fix being applied, but it should remain up and running.

If you experience any problems ordering please contact [email protected], not the school office, so this can be expedited.

The deadline for orders is tonight (Midnight on Tuesday 1st November). After this date the online shop will be closed and you will not be able to order.

PTA Online Shop PTA Online Shop

🤩🤩 Dean Park Primary School Nursery Parents 🤩🤩

Reminder that tomorrow (Wed 2nd November) is Primary 1 Open Day for families with children due to start in August 2023. Open Day from 10am - 12 noon.

🥙🥪 School Lunches this week - please check 🥙🥪

Dean Park Primary School asks for parents and carers to check their child's school lunch bookings for this week, due to a possible system admin error.

Should you establish no lunches have been booked, please can you arrange for your child to bring in a packed lunch for the remainder of the week.

🎅Christmas Card Deadline Reminder – midnight Tuesday 1st November 🎅

The children of Dean Park Primary School have been busy creating some amazing Christmas card designs and now you have the opportunity to order cards/gift tags/mugs with these designs on. This is a great way to help raise funds for Dean Park Primary PTA as they will get commission for everything sold.

All orders are made ONLINE. Your child should have received home an order form with the details of how to go to the website and order whichever products you would like. If your child's name has been misspelled you will have the opportunity to amend this at the time of order (it cannot be done afterwards so please check this while ordering).

The deadline for orders is (Midnight on Tuesday 1st November). After this date the online shop will be closed and you will not be able to order. This is so that products get back in good time for Christmas.

If your child has created a drawing in school, but you have not received an order form, please contact [email protected]

Please email the address provided here if there are any problems, not the school office.

School Nurse Drop In –

Elizabeth Scotston, School Nurse, will be running parent drop-ins again this term.

Sessions are:
3rd November 2022
17th November 2022
1st December 2022
15th December 2022

Come along to chat about health and well-being and seek advice about any concerns you may have about family health, child development, anxiety or emotional/behavioural issues.

Please see the attached poster for more information and to sign up. Sign up link:
https://forms.office.com/r/nH66s0FxtV

The Autumn Fayre has begun 🎉🎉

We are seeking the views of parents and families. Stop by our stall to chat to us or drop your comments into our suggestion box. We are looking forward to meeting you.

Enjoy your day 😀