UPCOMING DATES
Just a quick reminder that we will have S5/6 Parents’ Evening on Monday 2 December 2024,with information on online booking sent to the Main Contact we hold on our records. Skills Development Scotland will be holding an online support session for parents and carers for S3-6 pupils to prepare for making Option Choices on Thursday 5 December 2024, with booking via the link: https://ow.ly/b3vO50T4RVV
S4-6 SUPPORTED STUDY
Next week’s S4-6 Supported Study timetable is attached. Staff are hugely committed to running these sessions, but we do need minimum numbers to make them worthwhile. I would ask parents and carers to encourage their young person to attend for any Courses they are sitting ahead of the Assessment Diet in January.
ATTENDANCE
As you know, one of our priorities as a school is to improve student attendance overall, aiming for the majority of students to have satisfactory attendance of over 90%. We also ask parents and carers to make sure that if your child is off school, please contact the School Office to provide a reason for absence and likely duration. This is a statutory requirement for parents and carers to provide a reason for all absences, and for us as a school to maintain this on our records. Finally, if for any reason your child or young person needs to go home during the school day, please ensure arrangements are made only through the School Office – students should not leave the building until they have been given clear authorisation from the school via parents and carers to do so. Many thanks for your ongoing support with this matter – it makes such a difference.
DEMERITS
A quick reminder that staff are now issuing Demerits to students without Reflective Exercises, following an early review of our Promoting Positive Relationships Policy. This should normally take place as part of a staged approach where there is ongoing support and guidance, a reminder, then a warning, then a consequence so that when the Demerit is issued, a student has had ample opportunity to change their approach prior to the concern being shared with parents or carers. I hope this information is helpful. Once again, thank you for your ongoing support – only a very, very small minority of students are in the situation of receiving Demerits either during class or across the school day and for almost all students, conduct and relationships are excellent at all times.
REWARDS ACTIVITY
Staff are currently finalising details of this term’s Reward Activity, which will be extended to S1-3. This will be for pupils who have shown consistently good conduct and attendance in school, with very Demerits and no Referrals or other concerns. A range of activities will be offered to students ranging from a dodgeball tournament, swimming, board games, arts and crafts and a festive film experience. This will provisionally take place on Thursday 19 December 2024. Information will be shared with students through Personal, Social & Health Education classes very soon.
STUDENT SAFETY
It’s really hard to believe we are now at the end of November! As we are starting to see it getting quite dark in the mornings and later on at the end of the school day, can I please ask parents and carers to reinforce with students the importance of safe travel when walking to and from school, particularly around main roads. Sometimes it is quite hard for cars to see students at the zebra or pelican crossing because of the dark, and so I would ask that students take extra care, crossing only at these points and only when it is clear and safe to do so.
Have a lovely weekend!
David Falconer
Head Teacher
QUOTE OF THE WEEK – KINDNESS
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.”
