All posts by Mr Hamilton

Update from HT

We have been delighted to welcome our pupils back to school this term.  We have had a very successful start with our pupils looking great in full school uniform.  This helps make them easily identifiable and brings a real sense of belonging.  The following provides an update to help keep you informed.

  1. Update on COVID procedures

As per guidelines, all pupils must wear a mask in school unless they are exempt.  If your child is exempt, you must provide a note for pupil support.  Please encourage your child to bring their own mask with them.  There are lots of hand sanitising machines around the school as well as bottles of hand sanitisers in classrooms.  Your child should use these regularly.

Lateral flow testing kits are available from the school office, and we encourage all pupils to use at least twice a week.  Your child must have returned a consent form to be able to receive one.

As a school we have erred on the side of caution throughout this pandemic.  Please do not send your child to school if they have Covid symptoms, been identified through track and trace as a close contact or have had a positive result from a lateral flow test.  You should book a PCR test as a matter of urgency.  Please keep us informed of all steps or if you need help or guidance.

  1. Future Friday

As you are aware we now finish at 12.30pm on a Friday.  There are various activities on a Friday afternoon throughout the school which your child is more than welcome to stay and enjoy.  These finish at 2.55pm.  If your child wishes to participate, they should speak to Mr Pryde (PE) to sign up.

  1. Data Forms/Flu Vaccination

All data forms, ICT returns etc. (which were issued during the holidays) should have been returned to the school.  It is important that we have the most up to date contact details in case of an emergency.  This is the last year when Annual Data Checks will be issued on paper, in future you will be responsible for updating your child’s record via North Lanarkshire Council’s Parent Portal.  Details of how to sign up for the portal were included in the paperwork issued during the holidays.  Please contact the school office if you have problems accessing this.

Your child should have brought home a letter about Flu Vaccinations which should be completed.  All forms should be returned to the school office as soon as possible.

  1. Parent Group Meeting

The first meeting of our Parent Group is scheduled for Tuesday 14th September at 6.30pm.  The meeting will be held virtually at present so you will be able to join us in the comfort of your own home with a coffee!  If you are interested in coming along or finding out more, please contact the Chairperson, Mr David Clark on dclark@phoenixss.co.uk

  1. S1 Information Evening

Unfortunately, we are still unable to hold Parent Meetings in the building.  We are therefore planning to hold a virtual meeting for our S1 Parents on the 9th of September 2021 from 6.30pm until 7.30pm.  This will enable us to give you some more information about the school, our procedures and processes.  Ms Kerr, the DHT responsible for S1, will speak about how we will report on your child throughout the session.  We will then break out into smaller ‘rooms’ where your child’s pupil support teacher will briefly chat about their role in supporting your child.

  1. S5/6 Information Evening

There will be a virtual meeting on teams for S5/6 pupils and parents.  This will include information on the courses your child is following, study techniques and how we support your child to access career advice.  We will also be discussing some of the leadership opportunities that are open to them.  This will take place on Wednesday 22nd September from 6.30pm until 7.30pm.

I hope you find the above information useful.  Working in partnership ensures the best education for your child.  If there is anything we can do to help, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

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Please click Newsletter 29th Aug 2021 to download this newsletter as a PDF

Pride Alliance: Sep 2021

This month the Pride Alliance invites you to celebrate the purple stripe of the Pride Flag.  This colour represents spirit.  Faith is an important part of many LGBT+ people’s lives.  However, the misconception that LGBT+ people cannot belong within faith communities has been deeply damaging.

Research by the LGBT+ charity Stonewall found a third of lesbian, gay and bi people of faith (32%) aren’t open with anyone in their faith community about their sexual orientation.  One in four trans people of faith (25%) aren’t open about who they are in their faith community.

Faith has this almost unparalleled ability to bring people from all walks of life together in the name of love. LGBT+ people of faith should feel respected and included in their faith communities, just as they need respect and acceptance in wider society.

There are lots of faith groups for LGBT+ people.  We have included their details below if you feel you need to reach out to them:

  • Diverse Church – Christian https://diversechurch.website/
  • Hidayah – Islam https://hidayahlgbt.com/
  • House of Rainbow – BAME https://www.houseofrainbow.org/
  • Imaan – Islam https://imaanlondon.wordpress.com/
  • KeshetUK – Jewish https://www.keshetuk.org/
  • Open Table Network – Christian https://opentable.lgbt/
  • Quest – Catholics https://questlgbti.uk/
  • Rainbow Pagans UK – Pagan https://rainbowpagansuk.wordpress.com/

S1 Impact

Fantastic to see the impact Braidhurst has already made on our new S1!  We are delighted to support you in your journey! #supportingaspirationsachievingexcellence
Follow us on twitter if you don’t already do so @braidhurst

Pride Alliance: Aug 2021

Serenity – The Blue Stripe

This month the Pride Alliance invites you to celebrate the blue stripe of the Pride Flag.  This colour represents serenity.  Sometimes it can be very difficult to feel calm and serene, especially given current global events.  LGBT+ people around the world have had a difficult summer:

  • The participation of openly gay, lesbian and transgender athletes in the Tokyo Olympics has led to an upsurge in anti-LGBT commentary on Russian state TV.
  • Many LGBT+ around the world still face imprisonment and death, with the current situation in Afghanistan causing a great deal of fear in the LGBT+ Afghan population.
  • Governments in Europe are using anti-obscenity laws as an excuse to isolate and remove LGBT+ people’s rights.

However, there are more people doing good in the world to support LGBT+ people and to make them feel welcome and cared for in their community.  This is an easy thing for you to contribute to:

  • Be kind to the people around you, no matter the differences between you.
  • Question people when they use homophobic, biphobic or transphobic language.
  • Don’t share homophobic, biphobic or transphobic language memes, videos or comments via your group chats or social media. You can also report these sorts of comments anonymously to the social media provider.
  • If you hear or see anything that worries you in the school, bring it to the attention to a member of staff.

Serenity is about developing calm attitudes in the face of difficult circumstances and supporting others to do the same.  Let’s make Braidhurst a great wee school for everyone.

IDL EVENT – EURO 2020

On Monday 14th June the Braidhurst community were given the opportunity to participate in a special IDL event during periods 6 and 7 to celebrate the Scotland team in their first match of the Euro 2020 tournament. Whilst watching the Scotland vs. Czech Republic game pupils accessed the ‘Learning through Football’ platform developed by the Scottish FA in an effort to engage more young people into football. Pupils and staff were also invited to wear something blue and donate £1 for St Andrew’s Hospice. Despite Scotland losing the match those in attendance still had a great time and managed to raise the fantastic amount of £210.