Category Archives: Parent Information

COVID19, Parent Information

Moray Educational Psychology Service offer to parents

Did you know that you can contact Moray EPS as a parent during this COVID19 period?

Details below…

Moray Educational Psychology Service know that school staff are working hard to provide quality information to parents to help their children’s wellbeing and education. As these are unusual and challenging times we would like to provide a wider service to families to help support this work. If you would welcome the opportunity to chat about any social, emotional or educational concerns about your child with our link Educational Psychologist, Kirsty MackIntosh, they can be contacted via email on Kirsty.MackIntosh@moray.gov.uk or a telephone message can be taken on 01343 550999. Parents/carers that already have, or have had, involvement with the service can, of course, make contact in the same way. It is helpful if any emails received contain a preferred phone number for follow up.

COVID19, Parent Information

New Link for Keith Schools Food Larder

Keith Schools Food Larder – Request Form May 2020

There is a modest food larder from Moray Food Plus available for all Keith ASG families.  We know that folk may now find themselves in very different circumstances, and we are able to help a little by supplying some basic food and hygiene items.

Please complete the request form with your details and we will do our best to help.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=oyzTzM4Wj0KVQTctawUZKQXEa9gQsgpModCBj2sfWqZUNUhKNTFZSU1OUzZPN0ZORU9GT1BMQ1FNTC4u

A reminder that if you require help and would like to contact a member of staff at Keith Grammar, our admin email address is checked regularly and messages passed on, so please get in touch. We have been able to assist families with referrals for emergency financial help, ICT equipment, and referrals on to other organisations who can help in other ways. These are not ordinary times and we want to help where we can.

Take care.

Mrs Bain

Parent Information

Scotland Learns: newsletter from Education Scotland

Education Scotland are publishing a weekly newsletter for parents and carers to support learning from home.

You can see this week’s version in PDF here:

parentcarernewsissue1

You will need to subscribe for further issues:

https://edscot.org.uk/p/LQE-39I/subscribe

The first issue contains learning activities for Literacy and Numeracy, support on wellbeing and a focus on the theme of food. You will also find hints and tips, advice for engaging young people with autism in their learning and a creativity challenge.

COVID19, Parent Information, School Information

2019-20 S4-6 Students: form to be completed.

In order for us to make sure that we have accurate and up to date information on all of your plans for after the summer and for senior phase pupil destinations, we would like you to complete this form.
This will allow us to gather details of leavers as well as those of you who are returning to school for S5 and S6 for session 2020/21. 
It will help to make sure you get the right support and guidance and must be completed, especially if you are planning to leave school.
ALL S4-6 students from 2019-20 should complete the form but it is also acting as a ”Leavers’ Form”.
If you have any questions about the form, please contact our admin email address.
admin.keithgrammar@moray-edunet.gov.uk
Deadline:  Friday 15 May 2020.
 
 
 
COVID19, Parent Information, School Information

Contacting KGS during the COVID19 closure.

To contact us please use our email address:
admin.keithgrammar@moray-edunet.gov.uk
As the building is closed, this is the best way to get a message to anyone you need to. There may be no one to answer the phone but we are monitoring the admin email regularly.
KGS Twitter and Facebook are also checked during working hours so it is possible to send a DM.
Thank you for your patience- please keep in touch.

COVID19, Parent Information

Moray Council support with ICT for learning from home.

Please use the link below to register your need, Moray Council will verify this with us at KGS and then resources may be available to help.

Please read the following information from Moray Council:

We know that not every family with school-aged children in Moray will have access to IT equipment to support digital learning, but we want every pupil to be able to have that opportunity. Glow, and other learning websites, are widely used in schools and can support your child’s learning in and out of the classroom.

We’re asking families to let us know what equipment and broadband is needed, so we can make this happen. We can then work with our schools and community partners to make sure our all of children and young people are equipped and ready for online learning. 

https://online.moray.gov.uk/site/wss/request/Coronavirus_ICTEquip

 

 

Parent Information, School Information

Term 4

Wishing you all health and happiness as we go (virtually) back to school.

We return to  learning, studying, new experiences, helping, staying in touch, reading, drawing, exercising, cooking, writing, counting… and general STAYING AT HOME!

Check out Glow and SMHW for work and activities. Paper packs where required will be prepared during the week.

Email, Glow, SMHW, Twitter all being checked regularly. Please get in touch if you need anything at all. We will see what we can do!

A reminder that the school building is closed but you can reach us on email:

admin.keithgrammar@moray-edunet.gov.uk

I have attached 2 letters which went home today- one to all parents and one to Senior Phase parents re SQA.

Kindest regards to all

Mrs Bain

Term 4 Letter – 8.4.20

SQA Awards – 8.4.20

COVID19, Parent Information

Coping with Lockdown for Parents/ Carers

I have been a teacher since 1994. I spend time with lots of different  children day in and day out and I love it. A class of 30 is no problem. English, PSE, covering classes, taking assemblies, holding meetings, patrolling outside or in corridors…

But my own children at home on ‘lockdown’ is a different proposition. This is different. I am not their teacher. Sure, I teach them lots of things all the time: how to load the dishwasher, how to pack the shopping, how to make a pancake, how to pick your dirty washing off the floor (that hasn’t worked)… but I am not their teacher.  And this is the same in houses all over the world at the moment; parents find themselves in a different role and are unsure what is expected of them. Uncertainty and disruption is very stressful.

We are all now cooped up in the house, trying to make sense of what work has been set by school, if we can even find it or figure it out.  Trying to get everyone out of bed before it’s technically lunchtime is a challenge in itself. I know some of you have a real dilemma on your hands regarding childcare. There are other current additional financial and work related strains.

So…what do WE need to do to get through this but make sure our children also make it through healthy, well balanced and still learning?

1  Slow down. If they get up a bit later, so what? They don’t have to cram 7 subjects into one day. There will be other distractions and other priorities right now. And it looks like we are going to have lots of time…

2  Set a routine which suits you. If they need to get up earlier for some jobs that’s fine. If they sleep in that’s fine. As long as it suits your household. Please don’t make them wear school uniform! I actually read that this was suggested somewhere. PE kit may come in handy for the 9am Joe Wicks though. Remember to factor in some exercise outdoors while we still can. Breathe in that fresh air. If you have to share online time that is fine. Not everything has to be done on a device/pc/online. If you have to take turns at the table, so be it. Not everyone has a separate desk or office space to turn over to be a ‘school space’. Set times, have a rota, it’s all good.

3  Pick your battles. Does something really need to be done right now/ exactly as you are insisting/at all? Decide on what really matters as this could go on for a long time. Don’t make a rod for your own back by setting up situations where you will lose long term by ruining your relationship.

4  Give an element of choice so that children can maintain some control. They have lots of freedom away from the home when they are at school. Don’t try to control everything they do as this will cause resentment.

5  Be honest. Admit your own feelings. Show them it is ok to be worried and how to deal with that together. Discuss ways to cope. Have a family conference perhaps.

6  Don’t panic. Stop hoarding the toilet roll for a start! We’re going to be ok for loo roll. Don’t panic about covering all the work your child has been sent/ set online. Your child’s teachers will have tried to be helpful by giving them lots of things to do. It can be quite overwhelming depending on what has been set. Don’t be afraid to ask for more (but not this week!) or just to pick out what you can manage.

7  Stay in touch. Hopefully our new Facebook page can help make us feel more connected as a school while we are apart. In less than a week it already has as many followers as we have pupils!

@keithgrammarschool

There has been a lot of communication on Teams and SMHW this week and it’s great to see so many people connected. ASN and Gudance staff have been checking in with families they have a lot of contact with as well. The school admin address is monitored daily in term time and Facebook and Twitter DMs will be picked up regularly as well.

Finally, I have been thinking a lot about the fact that our children will remember this time for the rest of their lives. Whether they remember it fondly is pretty much down to us.

What do you want your child to remember about this time at home?

Would you want them to remember a time of fighting and arguing over opening a book or laptop or a time when you spent some quality time, doing things together. Children learn from us how to react as an adult in difficult situations so show them we can stay safe and well; help each other; remain calm and keep learning!

You are not alone.

Mrs Bain

Here’s a link to a very good article on staying connected through this crisis.

https://www.epinsight.com/post/i-see-you-being-connected-during-the-coronavirus-crisis

And a couple dealing with talking to children about Coronavirus:

https://youngminds.org.uk/blog/talking-to-your-child-about-coronavirus/