Dundee Choral Union Concert - Messiah - Caird Hall 7:30pm Sunday 18 December 2016

Dundee Choral Union
Christmas Concert
Sunday 18 December 2016 7:30pm
Caird Hall, City Square Dundee

Handel - Messiah
Orchestra of Scottish Opera

Soloists
Sarah Power - Soprano
Beth Margaret Taylor - Alto
Mark Wilde - Tenor
Andrew McTaggart - Bass

Musical Director - Derek Clark
Tickets from Dundee Choral Union members when available and also from the City Square Box Office
£15.00 and Students and Unemployed £5.00.
Accompanied School Pupils FREE
Further information contact Mrs Kay A S Simpson, tel: 01334 870277

Grove Academy Christmas Fayre Saturday 3rd December 2016 from 10:30-14:00

Jingle on down to Grove Academy’s Christmas Fayre this Saturday - 3rd December from 10:30-14:00 in aid of the school charity, Macmillan Cancer Support Dundee and Grove Academy's School Fund.   

Come along and browse over 40 Christmas stalls, visit Santa’s grotto and support this festive fundraiser.

Special guest appearances from Disney’s Belle and The Beast! 

Entry fee is only £1 and can be made at the door on the day. Under 5's go free. 

Festive Fun for all the family! 

BBC Black History of Britain Features Dundee

Dundee featured in the episode of the BBC2 series ‘A Black History of Britain’, which was broadcast last night.

We learned that in 1845 the African-American Abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass began a speaking tour of Britain which lasted for 19 months.

One of the places he visited in 1846 was Dundee. He made his speech against slavery in the US in the Bell Street Baptist Church which has more recently been used by the City Council as a music centre.

As part of the documentary Dr Brunache, from the University of Dundee, was interviewed at the centre, where Douglass once stood.

The plaque commemorating Douglass's visit was unveiled outside the Music Centre.

Catch up with this programme on BBC iPlayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer

Book Week Scotland Free Event at Broughty Ferry Library 7pm Wednesday 23 November 2016

Book Week Scotland runs from 21 - 27 November 2016.

Broughty Ferry Library are hosting one of the events planned in Dundee.

The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgwick: Wednesday 23rd November 7.00-8.00pm, Broughty Ferry Library, Queen Street, Broughty Ferry DD5 2HN

Helen Sedgwick has an MLitt in Creative Writing and won the Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2012.

Described as One Day meets The Time Traveller’s Wife, this debut novel from a former research physicist uses comets as a way of bridging time in a scientific romance that follows its characters from 1066 to present day Antarctica.

This is a free event for adults, refreshments will be available. Helen’s book will be available for sale.

To book your place
either email broughty.library@leisureandculturedundee.com
or call 01382 436919

Monthly Meeting with Michael Wood Executive Director of Children and Familes Service

Yesterday morning I had my regular meeting with Michael Wood, Executive Director of Children and Families' Service, along with my colleague, Councillor Georgia Cruickshank. 

This is an opportunity to have a briefing on the Agenda Items for the Children and Families' Service Committee meeting next Monday 28 November 2016.

In our meeting in Michael's office, we discussed each item but we paid most attention to the items about the Attainment Challenge Update and the Teacher Numbers in Dundee Schools. 

The Attainment Challenge Update is essentially a progress report on Dundee school projects funded by £4 million from the Scottish Attainment Challenge. As this update is reporting on the first full year of this programme, the report maps out more about the additional staff appointed and the arrangements in place for future evaluation of 'closing the attainment gap' rather than detailing rising attainment.

Th item on Teacher Numbers in Dundee Schools reports to the Committee and the general public on the number of teachers in post in our primary and secondary schools in the designated census week in September 2016. These figures are meticulously reported to the Scottish Government. Additionally I think the figures should be reported more widely, thus my insistence at an earlier meeting of the former Education Committee that these details should be reported annually in the Autumn. This year the report records a creeping up of the pupil teacher ratio. While the report refers to some indicators of improvement in the recruitment and selection of teachers, it continues to be a shortage of teachers. While we should be vigilant in tracking the number of teachers in our schools, we should also be concerned about the learning outcomes achieved from this investment.

Homelessness: Far From Fixed

This morning I joined Shelter Scotland in City Square Dundee to show support for their campaign, 'Homelessness: Far From Fixed'. 

This campaign is calling on the Scottish Government to urgently develop a National Homelessness Strategy to ensure:

#There is a safe and affordable home for everyone; #There is help available for everyone to keep or find a home;
#There is a strong housing safety net to catch people if they do lose their home and
#That no-one should ever have to sleep rough on Scotland’s streets.


On a freezing day like this, the dangers of rough sleeping are especially apparent.

I think, we should be ashamed that, 50 years after the founding of Shelter, homelessness is far from fixed.

Show your support for this campaign by signing up online.

Christmas Light Night in Broughty Ferry from 6pm on Thursday 24 November 2016

Organised by Broughty Ferry Traders' Association, the evening of events leading up to the switching on of the Christmas Lights in The Ferry has become a firm favourite in our community. It marks the start of the festive season with fairground rides and street entertainment.

The funfair and Radio Tay stage will be running from 6pm, while local traders including Scotts Butchers and Visocchis will be on hand to offer food and drink throughout the event with some shops staying open throughout the evening.

The event, held on 24 November 2016, gets under way with live entertainment from 6pm. Dundee Lord Provost Bob Duncan will then switch on the lights at 7.30pm.

Motorists should note that the central sections of Brook Street and Gray Street will be closed to traffic from 2pm until 9pm although shops in Broughty Ferry will remain open as usual.

Visit to New Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery

On Friday morning, with Councillor Kevin Keenan and Councillor Georgia Cruickshank, I had the opportunity to visit Sidlaw View Primary School and Jessie Porter Nursery School in their new school buildings on Harestane Road.

This two-stream, two-storey primary school has a co-located but separately managed nursery school which incorporates the Young Mothers’ Unit. Overall, the new building was designed for an anticipated maximum of 400 pupils, with 100 FTE nursery places and nine places for babies / under two year olds, for mothers attending Baldragon Academy next door.

Mrs McCaffery, Head Teacher of Sidlaw View and Mrs Ferrier of Jessie Porter showed us round. Their two co-located schools have admirable facilities and well defined approaches to learning that are already taking advantage of their enhanced facilities.

Reporting on Quarterly Meeting of The Ferry Community Planning Partnership held on Thursday 17 November

On Thursday afternoon, I attended the Quarterly meeting of The Ferry Local Community Planning Partnership which was held in Broughty Ferry Libary beginning at 17:30.

I always find this a useful meeting to attend because the agenda includes updates from voluntary, council and community organisations as well as presentations and consultations about new and proposed developments.

At our meeting on Thursday, the LCPP heard a formal presentation and consultation from Council staff about the proposed enhanced facilities for charging electric vehicles in the Queen Street Car Park. I have previously reported about this in this blog. Folk who want to hear this presentation may do so when it is repeated at the next meeting of the Broughty Ferry Community Council to be held on Tuesday 6 December 2016 beginning at 7pm in Broughty Ferry Library. 

The LCPP also had a presentation on initial results of the Engage Broughty Ferry survey and the implications of the 'A Fair Way to Go: Report of the Dundee Fairness Commission'. A follow up event to tease out the way forward for partners will be held in early 2017.

Two new PCs from the local policing team for Broughty Ferry introduced themselves and committed to resuming their regular attendance at further meetings of the LCPP and other community organisations.

Charity Quiz Night for Maggies Centre Dundee at Post Office Bar on Tues 22 November 2016

Commenting on Community Meetings I Have Attended This Week

On Tuesday evening, after my weekly surgery at the Library, I attended a meeting of the Broughty Ferry Development Trust. It was good to hear about the projects which they are working on. I am sure their efforts will help to enhance The Ferry.

On Wednesday evening, I divided my time between the Parent Council meetings at Barnhill and Forthill Primary Schools as their meetings had been arranged for the same night. To my mind, both groups are positive examples of involved parents and carers leading to inspired children. At both meetings I heard about issues that are important in connection with their children's primary schooling. Unfortunately, there remain road safety issues in relation to the dropping off and picking up of children around Barnhill and Forthill. I will raise these issues at the next meeting of the School Parking and Pupil Safety Working Group.

Potholes at Entrance to Car Park on the Esplanade Reported

Constituents have complained to me about the very uneven surface at the entrance to the car park located midway along The Esplanade. As can be seen in the picture, a number of potholes have developed and are getting worse. 

This is a well used free car park which offers visitors and residents alike a good place to park with easy access to the beach and the grassy margin between the dunes and The Esplanade.

I have asked the Environment Department to arrange for the potholes to be filled in and a more even surface restored.

Support Our Local Charity Timebank Pop-Up Shop

Starting next Monday, 21st November, our own Timebank in The Ferry will be running a Christmas Emporium at 69 Gray Street Broughty Ferry. 

As a local charity, Ferry Time, need to raise funds so that they can continue to operate the time bank and thereby enable skills exchange between folk. 

This pop up shop will be selling hand made crafts, donated new items as well as vintage and previously enjoyed goods. Teas, coffees, biscuits and home baking will also be on sale. Tombola.

One Day Traffic Restrictions Junction of Reres Road and Abertay Street Thursday 17 November 2016

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 SECTION 14(1)

THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of Scottish Water manhole repair works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Reres Road / Abertay Street junction (prohibition of left turn into Abertay Street and right turn into Reres Road), Broughty Ferry.

This notice comes into effect on Thursday 17 November 2016 for 1 day.

Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained.

Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Panmure Terrace / Abercromby Street / Hamilton Street and Abertay Street / Monifieth Road / Reres Road.

For further information contact (01382) 433082.
Mike P Galloway Executive Director of City Development Dundee City Council

Commenting on Homework Policy for Dundee Primary Schools

The recent news that a Primary School in the Highlands has opted to stop setting homework is one which I think we should take notice of in our Primary Schools in Dundee. I am not suggesting that we abandon homework as a Council policy but that each of our schools review its value and place especially in the early primary years. 

Many parents and carers may be surpised to know that the research evidence that regular homework is effective and beneficial is at best mixed. If there are no clear benefits, then the potential damage it can do in adding to pressure on our young people already makes homework not worth doing at that point. Sometimes less is more. 

It is also argued that the role of ‘homework policing’ by parents creates tensions in the family. I can certainly remember 'issues' when having the responsibility to sign off the homework tasks when these had been completed.

"Whether you're pro- or anti-homework, keep in mind that research gives a big-picture idea of what works and what doesn't, and a capable teacher can make almost anything work. The question isn't about homework vs. no homework; instead, we should be asking ourselves, 'How can we transform homework so that it's engaging, relevant, and supports learning?' "

I am sure that many pupils, parents and carers would say 'yes' to that.