Grange Academy

January 20, 2021
by Mr COWAN
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Headteacher Update – 20th January 2021

Wednesday 20^th January 2021

Dear Parent / Carer,

We are now half way through our second week of home learning and I hope by this stage many of the earlier technical problems have been addressed allowing your son/daughter to engage with each of their classes.

Following the First Minister’s statement yesterday afternoon extending the period of school closure for most pupils until at least the middle of February, it is important that we continue to try to improve and develop our learning and teaching experience at home.

We have received valuable feedback from both young people and parents regarding their experience at home trying to manage the sometimes competing demands of learning and day-to-day life at home. The general consensus is that the principle of trying to follow the timetable of classes each day seems to be a good idea in the main however there is a need for greater flexibility here recognising that some pupils will not be able to get to/submit work on the day it is issued as they may only get access to a device/support when their parent or carer finishes their work for the day. Some families may also choose to prioritise certain tasks to work through given their own home environment.

To address these issues, instead of issuing a task at the exact time of the class ‘arriving’, work will now be issued at the start of the day, however the teacher will endeavour to be available online at the actual time of the class for some form of ‘live’ input, feedback to pupils or further teaching input etc.

Staff have also been asked to only issue work for the class on the day of the actual class, although this will not be issued out with the school day. There is nothing more annoying or stressful than school/work notifications ‘pinging’ from your phone in the evening!

Hopefully these small changes will give greater flexibility in planning the school day in the context of family life and alleviate some of the pressures some young people are experiencing.

This is indeed a very challenging time for everyone and I hope you are bearing up. Home learning will never be equal to the face-to-face experience in school but our staff here at Grange Academy are working hard in many creative and varied ways to make it as effective and enjoyable as possible.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Robert Johnston
Head Teacher

January 15, 2021
by Mr COWAN
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Requesting Resources

January 11, 2021
by Mr COWAN
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SQA Update from East Ayrshire Council

Please see the following attached letters from Linda McAulay-Griffiths (Head of Education at East Ayrshire Council) in relation to Senior Phase Courses.

Letter to Pupils

Click to access Letter-to-Pupils-11.1.21.pdf

Letter to Parents/Carers

Click to access Letter-to-Parent-Carers-11.1.21.pdf

January 8, 2021
by Mr COWAN
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Online Learning – January 2021

Dear Parent / Carer,

JANUARY 2021

I hope you have had a good holiday and wish you all a Happy New Year. As we begin this New Year with a return to the very surreal experience of lockdown and school closure I would like to provide some further update on our way forward through these coming weeks.

The latest guidance from Scottish Government is that schools will be closed until at least 1st February for most pupils. We opened our doors on Wednesday of this week to provide childcare for a number of identified young people and will be supporting the virtual learning of these young people in school from Monday 11th of January.

From our perspective as teachers and parents we share the anxiety and sense of uncertainty which is very much part of this experience. Managing learning at home and working from home is a challenge for both parents and teachers.

As a school we have learned a great deal from the experience of the lockdown last year and we will continue to build our skills and capacity in this respect. While learning from home is certainly not the route any of us would choose we will endeavour to support and teach our young people to best of our ability.

ONLINE REMOTE LEARNING – STRUCTURE

From Monday 11^th January 2021, our plan is to follow our school timetable meaning that staff will be available at the time (period) that pupils would normally attend that subject. This will allow for a blend of tasks, real-time interactions which, at times, may also include live sessions.

This is a different approach from the period of remote learning that took place from March to June 2020. Due to the time of the year and the stage of course delivery we are keen to continue to explore new course content and concepts in addition to consolidation activities.

This does not mean that young person will be online from 8:45am until 3:35pm. Rather, their teachers will post work at the allotted period time and will then be available for them at their normal timetable period. This will, hopefully, provide a sense of structure to the day for both staff and pupils.

Please note that there will be instances where staff are not always available due to:

their own childcare/caring responsibilities that arise from working from home
assisting in the school hub for the identified children
unplanned absence such as illness etc

As with the previous period of remote learning it will be important for pupils to ensure they give time away from technology, to get some fresh air and make sure they have a healthy balance of activities.

Our main platforms will be Satchel One (Show My Homework) and Glow (which gives access to MS Teams and the Office 365 suite).

Should there be any issue with digital access or the need for a device to support learning please contact us via the methods detailed at the bottom of this email.

ONLINE LEARNING SUPPORT

Last session we launched our Online Learning Hub on our school website which includes some helpful videos and guides to support you at home.

In addition, there are a range on online resources developed by Education Scotland which pupils can access. To reduce the length of this letter and the amount of information released we will continue to update this with further information and new resources will be communicated through our School App.

SQA

All S4-6 pupils have been receiving SQA updates from Miss MacKinnon via their year group Microsoft Teams page. As such, they will already be aware of changes to the previously-published January assessment calendar. This week, an agreement has been reached across all EAC secondary schools regarding our joint approach to SQA assessment for the coming months. Pupils, parents and carers will shortly receive a letter from Mrs McAulay-Griffiths, Head of Education, explaining what this will look like.

EMA

For pupils in receipt of EMA – this will continue to be processed throughout the period of closure.

CONTACTING US

To ensure that you are still able to make contact with us during this period when our school community are working from home we will relaunch a number of contact forms which were made available pre Summer 2020. Our School App Information tab will be updated to make these easily accessible.

General Contact Form – for general enquiries/contact

Wellbeing Concern Form – to allow pupils, parents and carers

Pastoral Team

Contact Mrs Quinn (Bruce 1)

Contact Mr Dixon (Bruce 2)

Contact Mr Faulds (Douglas 1)

Contact Mrs Causer (Douglas 2)

Contact Mrs Dunsmore (Graham 1)

Contact Mr Bruce (Graham 2)

Contact Mr Alldridge (Hamilton 1)

Contact Mrs McDowall (Hamilton 2)

Yours faithfully

Robert Johnston
Head Teacher

Please click on the image below to access the letter.

December 18, 2020
by Mr COWAN
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Senior Phase Assessment Block – AAA – January 2021

Pupils who have Alternative Assessment Arrangements confirmed (exam concessions) – confirmation of these arrangements and your alternative exam timetable have been emailed to your Glow email.

Any questions around these can be answered upon return during the first week after the holidays.

Have a lovely holiday!

Ms Reid
PT Support for Learning

December 18, 2020
by Mr COWAN
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Merry Christmas from the Grange Academy Concert Bands

December 18, 2020
by Mr COWAN
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Letter from Police Scotland and Vibrant Communities

Dear Parent/Carer

JOINT PATROLS IN KILMARNOCK

Following an increase in Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) around the Kilmarnock area, Police Scotland & Vibrant Communities have been working in partnership to undertake a series of joint patrols on a Friday and Saturday evening.

The partnership have been patrolling a number of areas where large groups of young people are congregating, mainly Kilmarnock Rugby Club, Kay Park, Burns Monument, Dean Park and New Farm Loch.

So far we have achieved some significant results, as we have been engaging positively and building relationships with the young people – with a reduction in the number of calls received by Police – and this has had a positive impact on the perceived behaviours of some of our young people.

Our local patrols are here to help. If your young person sees something that worries them, an illegal activity or if they are concerned about the wellbeing of one of their friends, please encourage them to speak to the staff or officers present.

Overall, our main objective is to ensure that our young people are, and remain, safe. However, parents should note that a number of actions are being pursued by Police Scotland for the protection and welfare of our young people. This is particularly pertinent to issues in and around New Farm Loch where the behaviour of some young people is escalating.

We encourage all of our residents, young and old, to take pride and ownership of their community and their surroundings. Be proud of where they stay and empower them to make Kilmarnock the best that it can be….for everyone.

These are challenging times and we need all parents and carers to work with us to ensure that our young people can make the most of the freedoms they are allowed under the COVID-19 guidelines. This will keep them as safe as possible, while also reducing the number of Anti-Social Behaviour incidents reported in the town over the weekend and throughout the Festive period.

Please encourage your young people to engage positively with each other, and remind them of Scottish Government’s restrictions and safety guidance:

Young people aged 12-17 can meet in groups of up to 6
They must maintain 2m physical distancing at all times
Face coverings should be worn in shops and public transport

Please discuss this letter with your young person/s and encourage them to adhere to the government’s COVID-19 guidelines.

Together we can make Kilmarnock a safer place.

December 17, 2020
by Mr COWAN
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Parent Council Christmas Raffle

A massive THANK YOU to our amazing Parent Council whose Christmas raffle raised £646!

Thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and special thanks to Mrs Clelland and Mrs McKinlay for their work.

Pupils: you’ll be deciding how the money is spent – we’ll hear your thoughts in PSE soon!

December 17, 2020
by Mr COWAN
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Christmas 2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

With the Christmas holidays here at last I would like to wish you and your family a happy Christmas and peaceful New Year. 2020 has certainly been a challenge in so many ways for everyone and we are all in need of good holiday.

The young people of Grange Academy have been a credit to themselves, their families and the school throughout all the challenges this pandemic has presented. Their attitude to giving of their best, to showing responsibility and to demonstrating resilience has been outstanding. We have asked so much of them in terms of learning to work and behave in new ways and they have stepped up to the mark. They are wonderful young people and it is a privilege working with them each day.

We start back in the New Year on Wednesday 6th of January and it’s my hope and prayer that we’ll see an end to this disruption at some stage in 2021. The pandemic has challenged us to think in new ways about how we work in schools and I believe we will emerge stronger from this experience.

Wishing you all the very best on behalf of myself and my colleagues here at Grange Academy.

Robert Johnston
Head Teacher

(Please click this link to view a Christmas message from our school chaplain, Rev David Cameron)

December 13, 2020
by Mr COWAN
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East Ayrshire Update – Self Isolation

Please find a copy of a letter issued on School Apps to all Parents and Carers regarding updated Self Isolation dates following the change to guidance issued on Friday by the Government. Please click on the image to access the full letter.

Wednesday 20th January 2021

Wednesday 20^th January 2021