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Update from Mrs Rooney
As we get ready for our autumn break on Friday I just wanted to update you on some of our plans for the next term.
- Update on COVID procedures
We are still expecting staff and pupils to wear masks in school and if they travel to school via bus or taxi as we await further guidance from the Scottish Government. Testing is also an important part of our process to keep our pupils as safe as possible. Lateral flow testing kits are available from the school office, and we encourage all pupils to use one at least twice a week.
Please do not send your child to school if they have symptoms, have been identified through track and trace as a close contact or have had a positive result from a lateral flow test. If the latter is the case you should book a PCR test as a matter of urgency. Please keep us informed and get in touch if you need help or guidance.
- Future Friday
Our programme for Friday afternoon activities continues to expand and your child is more than welcome to stay and enjoy them. These finish at 2.55pm and transport is provided for any pupil who is normally transported to the school. To find out more your child should speak to Mr Pryde (PE).
- Reports/Parents’ Nights
S1 will receive their reports this week – please check school bags! Our S4, S5, S6 will all receive a report by the end of October.
Please go over the report with your child and, if there are any questions or issues, please speak to your child’s pupil support teacher in the first instance.
As it is unlikely we will be able to invite you into the school at present we are planning to hold virtual parents’ nights. Information on how to sign up for these events will be issued in due course. Please make sure we have your most up-to-date email addresses to enable us to continue to keep you updated.
Our S4 event is first and is planned for Tuesday 26th October from 4.15pm until 6.45pm. Our S1 evening is on the 9th of November with S5/6 on the 23rd of November. Our S2 and S3 nights are after Christmas and we will wait to see if there are any changes to the guidelines before organising these events.
Please do your best to participate in these events. We are conscious that pupils have missed a considerable amount of work throughout the last two sessions and it is important your child works hard in school and at home to ensure they reach their potential. Staff will be able to share the best way you can support your child.
- School and House Captains/Prefects
We are delighted that following an interview process we have the following senior pupils representing the school in leadership opportunities:
School Captain – Iona Eldhose
School Vice Captains –David Blair, Andrew Clark and Louise Day
Atholl
- Captain – Zoe May
- Vice-Captain – Amanda Hamilton
- Prefect – Olivia Rae
Lorne
- Captain – Rebecca Nevans
- Vice-Captain – Kara Tollan
- Prefect – Rebecca McLeod
Morven
- Captain – Kate Mitchell
- Vice-Captain – Katie Wright
- Prefect – Emily Dougan
Rannoch
- Captain – Ellie Anderson
- Vice-Captain – Amy McAlonan
- Prefect – Katie Morrison
I look forward to meeting with them after the holiday and working with them throughout the year.
- October Week
The school will close on Friday 8th at 12.30pm for the October break. Our Future Friday activities will run as normal. We will reopen on Monday 18th October at 8.55am.
We will also be delivering some bags of food before the October break. Please let us know if this is something that could be helpful for your family at this moment in time. Any donations would be very gratefully received and can be handed in to the school office.
I hope all our staff and pupils have a good break and come back refreshed as we move into our winter term.
- Natasha’s Law
New legislation has recently come into force regarding food labelling. This means that pre-packaged food will have a list of ingredients, protecting those with food allergies. The school canteen and our outdoor service area (van) are following these procedures closely to ensure pupil safety. Both of these cater to all tastes. Pupils using these services can eat in the canteen, along with those who bring a packed lunch.
Please remember we are here for you, if we can do anything to help, please get in touch. CLICK HERE to contact us
School of Netball
Recently, Braidhurst hosted trials for its S2 School of Netball, which were a roaring success. Well done to all the pupils who participated and to those few who are now School of Netball pupils for session 2021-22.
Breakfast Club
Every weekday morning, Braidhurst runs a breakfast club from the school canteen which any of our pupils can attend to enjoy a breakfast and get themselves ready for the school day ahead. This is part of Braidhurst’s ongoing work to help tackle poverty within our community, making sure all our pupils get a breakfast before starting their day. A range of Staff help out at our breakfast club and it is well attended by our pupils. The school also organises a food bank of dried and non-perishable food items to any of our families who find themselves in need.
Family Drop-In Session
On Thursday 30th September, Braidhurst organised a ‘Family Drop-In event at Forgewood Community Centre, where our pupils and their families could seek help and advice on a range of topics. The session took place during the afternoon, and offered information on free school meals, clothing grants, life after school and much more, whilst families enjoyed tea, coffee and cakes. The school was particularly keen to reach out to families where English is their second language, and as such, advertised the event in various languages, to ensure their attendance. The session was very successful, with many families now more knowledgeable about matters relating to their child’s education. Thank you to all who came along to the event and to our Staff who volunteered to help.
Kids October Camps
Please click the link for more info: https://www.nlleisure.co.uk/holiday-programmes/october-break-club
Pride Alliance Oct 2021
This is the last month of our celebration of the Pride Flag, and we are celebrating the pink stripe, love. You may not know that the original pride flag had 8 stripes, but the pink stripe was removed to make the flag simpler. Now, we have seen the return of a pink stripe with the inclusion of the trans flag colours into the modern flag. Love has always be central to activism within the LGBTQ+ community.
LGBTQ+ people have faced centuries of prejudice – and still face it today, even from friends, family and work colleagues. Yet, the fight for equality has pushed LGBTQ+ communities to truly celebrate their sexuality and gender, take pride in it and explore what it really means – something heterosexual or cisgender couples may take for granted.
One exception here is that this celebration of sexuality doesn’t always apply to the public arena. An Open University study found that LGBTQ+ partners were less likely to show affection in public, often caused by fears around social stigma and personal safety. Living in a society where your wellbeing is at risk takes bravery and courage to be who you are. It also requires you to own your vulnerabilities and be sensitive to those of your partner.
This is why many people are upset at the fact that conversion therapy is still legal in the UK.
Conversion therapy (or ‘cure’ therapy or reparative therapy) refers to any form of treatment or psychotherapy which aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or to suppress a person’s gender identity. It is based on an assumption that being lesbian, gay, bi or trans is a mental illness that can be ‘cured’. These therapies are both unethical and harmful.
In the UK, all major counselling and psychotherapy bodies, as well as the NHS, have concluded that conversion therapy is dangerous and have condemned it.
Stonewall has found that 7% of LGBTQ+ people have been offered or undergone conversion therapy. Trans people are nearly twice as likely to be targeted and asexual people are also at higher risk. Our government is moving towards a ban on conversion therapy, but you can help move this along faster by contacting you MP and MSP. You can also visit Stonewall Scotland at the address below for more information on how to help:
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