Month: December 2024

PARENT & CARER WEEKLY UPDATE (24/25-17)

CELEBRATING SUCCESS NEWSLETTER

I’m delighted to share with you this half-term’s Celebrating Success Newsletter. As you can see, it is packed full of lots of activity our young people have been involved in over the course of the last eight weeks or so and their fantastic achievements. Well done everyone. I hope you enjoy reading! The SWAY can be accessed using the following link: https://sway.cloud.microsoft/iBMoJ42oWXAv1h5H?ref=Link

TERM 2

The School is now closed for the festive period and will re-open for staff and students on Monday 6 January 2025 as normal. Our School Value for next term will be ‘Determination’ and on return, we will initially have a further focus on upholding good standards of School Uniform.

FESTIVE GREETINGS

On behalf of the whole team of staff, I’d like to wish our young people, parents, carers and families a wonderful festive holiday, a safe, relaxing and enjoyable break, and a very happy New Year when it comes.

Best wishes

David Falconer

Head Teacher

PARENT & CARER WEEKLY UPDATE (24/25-16)

S4-6 ASSESSMENT DIET

Well done to our Senior Pupils, some of whom have already undertaken prelims in some of their practical subjects this week. Please find attached the main timetable for the Assessment Diet which takes place for two weeks, commencing Monday 13 January 2025. Students should follow their normal timetable when they do not have a prelim exam to take.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

As we have recently reverted to three Depute Head Teachers as is our Core Allocation as a school, there will be a revised remit responsibility for the Senior Leadership Team effective 6 January 2025.

  • Ms Boyd, Depute Head Teacher (Acting) has whole school strategic responsibility for Learning and Skills, and will continue to be year head for primary transition and stage S1 and S6 pupils;
  • Mrs Egerton, Depute Head Teacher has whole school strategic responsibility for Wellbeing and Inclusion and will be year head for stage S2 and now S4 pupils;
  • Mr Hendry, Depute Head Teacher has whole school strategic responsibility for Curriculum and Attainment, and will be year head for stage S3 and S5 pupils.

Year heads also have responsibility for pupils in their stages within the Communication Centre. Moving forwards, year groups will remain with their Depute Head Teacher throughout their school journey from S2 to S5.

I hope this information is helpful at this time.

DEMERITS

As you know, we recently changed the approach to addressing concerns with pupils and their parents and carers by noting a Demerit and communicating this home. The objective is that with parental support, any issues can be ‘nipped in the bud’.

I would wish to clarify that in most cases, this will follow the model of ongoing support, a reminder, a warning and consequence. In some situations, it is appropriate for staff to move to the warning stage directly.

Also, for Ready, which includes not handing in homework, being late or out of class or not wearing school uniform, the Demerit will be issued without the above steps being in place.

Should parents or carers have any questions about Demerits, the School Office will forward this to the appropriate member of staff to respond.

Again, I would wish to highlight that almost all students in the school have no Demerits at this stage in the year, which reflects on excellent relationships across the school and very good conduct and engagement in almost all cases.

CELEBRATING SUCESS SWAY

Look out next week for our half-termly SWAY, packed with lots and lots of great success stories of our young people in the last couple of months in a range of activity. Coming soon!

STUDENT LEADERSHIP ACTIVITY

Well done to our S6 Leadership students who organised a festive Candy Cane gift messaging service for pupils, a staff Secret Santa, a Christmas-themed lunch for staff in Barista, and next week, an S1 Disco on Wednesday 18 December 2024 during Period 6-7 – sign up via PSE. Superb team effort, making such a positive difference for other young people and the staff!

END OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS

A quick reminder school will close for the End of Term on Friday 20 December 2024, slightly earlier at 2.30 p.m. with transport in place for students who need this. We are hoping for high attendance throughout the course of the week until this point.

 

Best wishes

David Falconer

Head Teacher

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK – KINDNESS

“Sometimes it only takes one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life”

PARENT & CARER WEEKLY UPDATE (24/25-15)

S4-6 SUPPORTED STUDY

Next week’s S4-6 Supported Study timetable is attached. I am delighted to say that sessions have had great uptake and been really beneficial for students taking part. I would be grateful if parents and carers could continue to encourage their young person to attend for any Courses they are sitting ahead of the Assessment Diet in January.

PARENT COUNCIL – CHRISTMAS HAMPER RAFFLE

Our wonderful Parent Council group once again are running the annual fundraiser – £2 per ticket via ParentPay to enter the raffle for either a Mens, Womens, Kids or Family hamper. These have always been really popular and filled with great goodies for the festive season. Monies raised go directly to the Parent Council Fund which supports projects and activities in school.

CHRISTMAS DOOR COMPETITION

We’ve had a lovely vibe in school this week as staff have eagerly taken part in a Christmas Door decoration competition, ably assisted by the talented young people in their classes. The designs are really creative and have brought real joy and togetherness – it has been brilliant and helped to set us into the festive spirit in the best of ways.

CASHLESS CATERING

We will introduce a new cashless catering system on Thursday 12 December 2024. All students will receive a four digit PIN code that is unique to them which they will present at Dinner Halls or Kiosk to access their school meal account. This will make service quicker for pupils, with less queuing. Pupils can still use their Young Scot / National Entitlement Card (NEC) as an alternative identification method. We will support students getting set up in their classes on the launch day next week.

SCHOOL MEAL DEBT

I have also been asked to make sure parents and carers know that the overdraft facility on all paying School Meal accounts will be reduced to prevent the build-up of unnecessary debt. Parents and carers are asked to make sure that pupil accounts have adequate funds for meals to be paid for in advance. If your child has a negative balance on their account, we would be grateful if this could be brought into a credit balance by Thursday 12 December 2024. Please discuss with the school if you are unable to do this so that we can make alternative arrangements.

Best wishes

David Falconer

Head Teacher

QUOTE OF THE WEEK – KINDNESS

“How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment. We can start now, start slowly, changing the world. How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make a contribution toward introducing justice straightaway. And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!” – Anne Frank.