Grange Academy

Becoming the people we are capable of being…

June 26, 2020
by Mr COWAN
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Summer Update

Dear Parents/Carers and Pupils of Grange Academy,

It seems strange to be sending you our best wishes for a great summer holiday under the circumstances however I think it’s important to acknowledge that we have finally reached the end of another school year.

 

These past 14 weeks have been the strangest and perhaps the most challenging experience of most of our lifetimes, an experience from which we will hopefully learn and talk about for many years to come.  While working hard and doing our best to keep learning and teaching going it has also been a time for us to reflect and think about the future.  As a staff here at Grange Academy we have had to learn and develop new skills and ways of teaching and in many ways this has been a very positive experience.  Hopefully the lessons and new skills we have learnt and continue to develop will stand us in good stead for the new session when we get back to school.

 

As learners, you have done an amazing job in keeping up with your studies.  Many of you, at all stages, have shown great maturity as you have engaged with digital learning.  There have been many obstacles which you have had to deal with but you have shown great resilience and creativity in rising to this challenge. Your teachers are very proud of the way you have engaged with learning at home but we are really missing you and can’t wait to have you all safely back in school!

 

We learn best through reflecting on our experiences and interacting with other people. Digital learning at home is wonderful but it certainly cannot replace being in a class with other learners and a teacher and I know that many of you are desperate to get back to school.  Hopefully the COVID-19 virus will continue to be suppressed over the coming weeks and we can plan for the safe return to school in the not too distant future.

 

We will keep you up-to-date with plans for the new session over the summer so please please keep an eye the following sources for information:

 

  • East Ayrshire Council website and Twitter feed
  • Grange Academy School App, Twitter feed and website.

 

Thank you to all parents and carers for your forbearance throughout lockdown.  It has been a challenge for everyone in our school community and I sorry that I am unable to give you definitive answers at this late stage to many of the questions you will have about our return to school.

Please accept our best wishes to you and your family for the summer break.

 

Yours faithfully,

Robert Johnston

Head Teacher

June 23, 2020
by Mr COWAN
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Statement from Linda McAulay-Griffiths (Head of Education, East Ayrshire Council)

Linda McAulay-Griffiths said: “We acknowledge the statement by Deputy First Minister John Swinney this afternoon regarding the aspiration of a full-time return of pupils to school in August.

The Deputy First Minister has been clear that this will be predicated on further data and scientific advice, and that further guidance will be issued nationally that will then be enacted at local authority level.

Our priority in our planning for schools return has always been the safety of our staff, children and young people and it will be important to be assured on how a full return will be achieved in a way that recognises this.

The central education team will await the full guidance and will enact this accordingly, in consultation with all interested parties, as soon as it is received.

Individual schools will not be in a position to publish adapted plans until further information becomes available. Communications to parents and carers will continue over the Summer break to ensure that they are kept fully informed and updated on plans to return.

As always, we look forward to welcoming our young people back to school in a safe and measured manner.”

 

Statement from Linda McAulay-Griffiths (Head of Education, East Ayrshire Council)

May 27, 2020
by Mr COWAN
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NEW TIMETABLE 20/21

NEW TIMETABLE 20/21

Today sees us move virtually to our 2020/21 Timetable.  There has been a considerable amount of work undertaken to bring us to this point – both administratively and digitally.  As always, there will be teething problems as we move to a new timetable and there will be requests for subject changes etc.  Where these have been reported to us – we will work through these requests as quick as we possibly can.

We are aware of a few classes which slightly over subscribed – it may be that these are resolved naturally through requests for subject changes etc and we will continue to review these.

Show My Homework is a third-party platform and therefore any changes made on our School Management System need to be transmitted through and this can sometimes take 24 hours to show on Show My Homework.  It has been working fairly efficiently since the weekend, but we are aware of a few areas that have not pulled through fully.  It is hoped these will be rectified in the coming days.

 

ONLINE LEARNING

As we begin our new timetable we are moving to slightly different structure to our Online Learning.  One of the recurring positives from our Pupil Survey was that pupils enjoyed having the freedom to structure their own day/week and to engage with work as and when they could.  However, this was made more challenging as often they were receiving messages/tasks on different days or times spread throughout the week and it could make it difficult to plan out their learning.  As a result, pupils asked us to consider:

  • Allocating more time to tasks
  • Shorter tasks
  • Posting all tasks for the week on a Monday
  • Not setting work over the weekend/holiday
  • Using Zoom for real time lessons

To action this and to build on the positive features highlighted above staff have been asked to outline the tasks for the week in one single post.  This will be shared on a Monday with a end date of Friday.  Whilst these posts may be slightly larger they will contain the tasks to be completed, if able, over the course of the entire week.  This will allow pupils to plan out their learning to suit them.  This will apply to all S1 – S3 subjects (excluding Maths).

Although the initial post will be released on the Monday (Wednesday of this week), pupils will still be able to engage with staff on the content and submit work throughout the week.

We have learned a lot about how Show My Homework works over the past few weeks and are aware that the experience for pupils using the mobile app is different from those accessing via a web browser.  It is hoped that the changes above will further help this.

As we begin our new S4 – S6 courses, some departments may follow the same plan as detailed above but there may initially be a need for additional contact due to courses just beginning.  Therefore, S4 to S6 will remain slightly more open and we will review this as the term progresses.

We have had a number of requests about Zoom meetings or Microsoft Teams Video Lessons.  At present, due to East Ayrshire policy we are not able to provide these.  We are exploring other ways to best use these facilities to enable more interactive sessions for pupils where possible.

Staff have been working incredibly hard to generate course materials for online learning, upskilling our own digital skills and finding ways to be creative with our curriculum – particularly for subjects which rely so heavily on access to specific resources that may only be available within the school building.

As ever, we thank you for your continued support, encouragement and patience as we work together at this time.

Thank you

May 26, 2020
by Mr COWAN
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Skills Development Scotland – Instagram Live Session for Leavers

Skills Development Scotland, Kilmarnock and Cumnock Careers Centres will shortly make contact with all potential Summer Leavers to offer help and support with your career journey.  Every young person is entitled to this support and it is one that we would strongly encourage you to take up at this time.

We understand that there is a lot of uncertainty and confusion around COVID-19 and what the lock down means for young people seeking further education, work or training. However, we wish to assure you that SDS are here to help your child prepare for when things begin to return to normal.

In addition, we are hosting an Instagram live @kilmarnock_sds on Tuesday 2nd June at 2pm for anyone leaving school with no definite next steps.  Participants will have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have.  Please encourage any leavers in your household to join us and feel free to listen in yourself. Alternatively for more information please call the SDS Centre on 01563 527165. 

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