Dear Parent/Carer

Welcome to the latest news from KHS. I hope that you are looking forward to the mid term break.

It’s a shortened week due to the In-service Staff Training Day tomorrow and the two day break. Hence the reason for the earlier message from me.

Yesterday, we had the NHS Fife immunisation team in school doing catch up sessions for Meningitis, TB etc in the Hall.

This morning, Social Subjects students involved in the trip to London headed off by train. This is always an excellent experience which includes a tour of the House of Commons. The group is also visiting Madame Tussauds, The Museum of London, The Imperial War Museum, The London Dungeon, a show at Covent Garden and cruising on the Thames as well as riding the London Eye. Many thanks to Ms Young Mrs Meek and Miss Ashby who are looking after the group.

At Tutor today, we held a special S5/6 assembly on the theme of teenage mental health. I am very grateful to Mrs Kendrick for her leadership and to Christine Paterson of “DAPL” for her input.

Also today, we held an extensive consultation with NHS Fife to support their “Excellence in Care” initiative. Around 100 of our young people took part in focus group discussions about services and expectations led by Jennifer Grant of the School Nurse Team and Tara Irvin from the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership. Many thanks to all our volunteers, who have been assured that all their comments and suggestions remain completely anonymous (photo).

For the staff training day tomorrow, it will be a real pleasure to welcome teaching and support staff from Capshard, Fair Isle and Torbain along in the morning for a session on “Adverse Childhood Experiences”. Morgan Faulds (S4) is up first, offering a report on her attendance on the “ACE Aware Nation” Conference in Glasgow, before she introduces Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive Officer of “Children 1^st”.

We’ll also have our own Mr Broadway (Head of Supported Learning) introducing the “Be That Person” film, made by Fife Council to help promote awareness and understanding of the impact of childhood trauma. There is compelling data which shows that neglect and abuse can have a severe negative impact on young people in school, and on their life chances. There is an emerging science behind this which is of interest to all education professionals. Mrs Kendrick (Principal Teacher of Guidance) has put together an excellent programme for staff on teenage mental health issues, including a session on our increasing involvement in the delivery of meditation, yoga etc.

Mrs Gannon (Biology) will also raise staff awareness of the defibrillator we have recently had installed at reception. This was the result of student fund raising. We will be offering pupils training in its use and encouraging them not to be afraid to use any life-saving equipment which is out there in the community. These facilities are becoming more and more widely available.

To continue with that theme of adolescent mental health issues, and to involve you, please find attached an advice leaflet on the theme of teenage anxiety. This has been very kindly prepared for you by Carolyn Brown, our school’s Educational Psychologist. I hope that it may be helpful for you and develop a better understanding of what seems to be a growing problem for young people. Carolyn is prepared to do other similar short articles on issues such as exam stress, self-harm and body-image. We will maybe have one of these roughly every month and I am very grateful for her work with this.

Also tomorrow, our LGBT+ Group will be delivering staff training for medical and nursing staff at the Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline. Then, on Friday, despite the fact it’s a holiday, they’ll be running the same training at the Vic. The group are rightly recognised as leading the way across Scotland.

Next week we’ll be holding a special options “Fair” for S4 and S5 learners to help them with course choices for next session. Each Department will have a stall manned by staff and students to go over course requirements, expectations and links to further study or careers. All S4 will attend (by House) just after interval and all S5 just before lunch. Parents and carers are very welcome to join us. Please sign in at reception and you will be shown up to the Hall. The event starts at 10.55am and the last “session” is at 12.20pm. We hope to see you there.

We are also having House Assemblies next week on the theme of Diversity and Equality. These are being led by KHS LGBT+ to mark LGBT History Month. The group is offering further staff training on Wednesday, this time to teachers at Juniper Green primary School, Edinburgh. Also on Wednesday we will be hosting the next round of the Disability Sport Fife football tournament and after school, our “First Chances” pupils will have more study/revision sessions with their undergraduate mentors from St Andrew’s University. Many thanks to Mrs Hunter (Guidance), who leads on this. We are also looking at another University link up. The programme is called “Lift Off” and will involve us working with Dundee University to broaden the experiences of kids from working class backgrounds. Mrs Davidson and I are attending a launch meeting shortly.

On Thursday and Friday we’ll be hosting a visiting examiner for the SQA Music Practicals and the NHS Fife Immunisation team for further vaccination catch up sessions on Thursday. That afternoon, our S5 “Sexperts” are being trained to deliver their sex and relationships education programme to S3, again supported by NHS Fife, who are excellent partners in much of our work.

The Saturday School sessions for 23 February are in French, PE and CDT (Design, Graphics and Engineering Science). Also next Saturday, our LGBT group will attend a get together organised for all of Fife’s school based equalities groups at Queen Anne High School, Dunfermline.

Next week’s canteen hot meal menu is as follows:

Monday: Lentil soup, Macaroni Cheese, chips, vegetables Tuesday: Tomato soup, Red Thai Chilli Beef and noodles with vegetables Wednesday: Minestrone soup, Pork sausage casserole, potatoes and vegetables Thursday: French onion soup, Roast Beef, Potatoes and vegetables Friday: Leek and potato soup, Breaded fish/Steakbake, chips, peas.

We also have baked potatoes, pizza, pasta, sandwiches and salad available every day as well as our outdoor snack bar. Please do be aware that we offer a free cup of soup with bread for all our young people, regardless of their “free school meals” status. We also have our “Breakfast Club” available from 8.10am and this is free to those facing hardship (it costs 44p otherwise). We have cereal, toast and jam and juice on offer.

Please do get involved in the ongoing public consultation about the future of Templehall Community Centre. There are exciting plans for redevelopment and an exhibition has been set up at the Centre. Other plans include a “pop up” van and a family fun day this Thursday, 14 February. Get your voice heard.

A wee reminder about our S4 Parent/Carer Evening on Wednesday 27 February … the “PEBS” online booking system goes “live” at 6pm tonight. All S4 parents and carers should have received a message this afternoon. Paper instructions are available at the school office.

Of course, if there is anything with which we can be of assistance, please do be in touch.

With best wishes to you,

Derek Allan

RECTOR

12 February 2019