 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Children’s Christmas leaflet rocks Rosemount!
Children from Skene Square and Mile End Primary Schools, Aberdeen, have created a colourful new leaflet to promote the joys of Christmas shopping in the city’s Rosemount area. The leaflet has been produced as part of the Rosemount Rocks! 2007 schools and community project, launched this year by M&M Media’s award-winning community magazine, Midstocket Matters.
The project aims to foster community spirit, promote the social, economic and environmental benefits of shopping locally, and give youngsters the opportunity to find out first-hand about the unique character of Rosemount, as shaped by its people, history, buildings, location and issues.
Around 70 P6 & 7 pupils took part in the initiative, which was launched in November. Midstocket Matters invited the children to work in groups to research and create their own local guides, explaining ‘Why Christmas is Cool in Rosemount’’. They were asked to provide interesting information about Rosemount past and present, the different types of shops and businesses in the area, great gift ideas for all the family, where to relax and take time out, and to feature quotes from local residents and traders.
Ten outstanding leaflets were produced and the best elements were selected to create the ‘official’ Rosemount Rocks! leaflet – now being distributed locally and at key points across the city.
Local Councillors John Corall and Bill Cormie had the difficult task of judging the children’s work. Councillor Corall said: “As a former graphic communication teacher, I am tremendously impressed by the quality of all the entries. They have stuck to the brief and some of them, I have to say, are Standard Grade standard – and that is outstanding”.
Councillor Cormie added: “It’s very obvious looking at these leaflets that the children appreciate the environment they live in – they’re probably more aware of what’s going on in Rosemount than many adults are! They have really put their heart into this project and created some very impressive work.”
Midstocket Matters editor, Judy Montgomery, said: “The pupils had only four weeks to research and create their leaflets and we are absolutely thrilled at the outcome. One of the most rewarding aspects of the project has been the interaction between the schoolchildren and local business owners, who told us they were delighted to be interviewed about their services and role in the community. This is something we hope to build on next year, as the intention is for the project to develop into a wider activity involving more local people.
“We are most grateful to principal leaflet sponsor, The Atholl Hotel, and to project supporters Astra Print and Forget Me Not, whose early interest and enthusiasm greatly contributed to the initiative’s success.”
Rosemount Rocks! 2007 was celebrated this month at a special community event to showcase the children’s leaflet and full range of work. This was hosted by the Rosemount-based Aberdeen Environmental Education Centre, which has provided valuable educational and technical input into the project.
Rosemount Rocks! Feedback:
“The high quality of the work produced indicates that pupils engaged in the project with great enthusiasm. Their knowledge of Rosemount is apparent, with carefully-crafted phrases to convey the history and shopping attractions of the area.” Allan Paterson, Service Co-ordinator, Aberdeen Environmental Education Centre www.aeec.org.uk
“This project is extremely worthwhile – it makes children and adults look at their environment in a different way and think about how it was in the past, how it is now and how they would like it to be in the future. It’s an ideal topic for a school project.” Councillor John Corall
“I think the project is absolutely fantastic. It’s great that kids are taking note of their local shops and telling adults about them. Midstocket Matters is helping people realise the quality that’s in Rosemount and how important it is to keep local shops and local produce in their community.” Councillor Bill Cormie
“Given the short timescale, I think the children's efforts were truly outstanding. It would be wonderful if this community project could become an annual event as anything that fosters community spirit should be actively encouraged." Councillor Jenny Laing
"The Rosemount Rocks! project has given P6 and P6/7 pupils at Skene Square a fantastic opportunity to work closely with and learn from people living and working in the local community. The remit has afforded them a real sense of purpose and audience and has promoted learning across a wide range of curricular areas. The children have truly and realistically addressed the four key capacities of Curriculum for Excellence and through this work have ably demonstrated that they are Successful Learners, Responsible Citizens, Effective Contributors and Confident Individuals." Pauline Repper, Headteacher, Skene Square School
“We have found this such a worthwhile initiative and have been very pleased to be involved. It has allowed the children to become actively involved in the local community. We welcomed the co-operation of local businesses in allowing the children to interview staff and research their articles. It is wonderful when two schools and local businesses are all working together to support the local community and we are looking forward to Rosemount Rocks 2!” Pam Michie, Headteacher, Mile End School
“This has been a fantastic example of how community spirit is still a central part of local life. In undertaking this project the next generation have worked with people at all levels across the community and we are very pleased to have been involved from a business perspective.” Gordon Sinclair, Managing Partner, The Atholl Hotel
Pupil Comments:
“I really enjoyed making the final leaflet on the computer.”
“It was challenging with a lot of work to do in a short time but it was great fun.”
“I found out about things in Rosemount and it was actually very interesting.”
“I found that it was rather satisfying to go out into the community.”
“A lot of the shopkeepers were very nice to us.”
“I learned lots of new facts.”
“I liked getting out of the classroom.”
“I especially liked drawing pictures of the Rosemount shops.”
“You won't believe there’s that much history in Rosemount until you read our
leaflet!!”
“I am so glad our class was chosen!”