This is an invite to parents and carers to have tea with Mr Robertson, Headteacher, at 3pm on Friday 29th January.
This will be a virtual meeting via the video platform WebEx. WebEx will work on any web browser so there is no need to download a new App.
If you wish to take part then please email ht@calderhead.n-lanark.sch
Hope to see you on Friday,
John Robertson
We currently use a variety of methods and platforms to communicate with parents: SchoolApp which can be downloaded free from the App Store or Play store; the School Website; Twitter @CalderheadHS; Text; and Email.
We have the facility to email the Main Contact of each pupil using a system called GroupCall. We can use this for Headteacher Letters, notifications of school closures, for reporting on pupil progress etc. We have the email address for over 76% of the Main Contacts.
Today we will be sending out an email similar to this one to the 76% of Main Contacts that we have a current email address for. If you receive the email then clearly we have the correct email address for you and you do not need to take any further action.
However, if you are the Main Contact for a pupil at Calderhead High School and you do not receive the email today can you please contact the school office using O’HareA@calderhead.n-lanark.sch.uk to inform us of a current email address.
Thank you for your cooperation.
John Robertson
Headteacher
Calderhead High School
I hope you are well. This is a quick update at the end of the first week of lockdown two!
Microsoft Teams are now up and running for all classes following the heavy traffic causing delays on Monday morning. You might find however that you are experiencing some difficulties. If this is the case then please contact us as we are here to help.
Here are four ways we might be able to help:
1. No ICT or internet access? Phone the school on 01501 826701 and ask to speak to your son/daughters’ Principal Teacher of Pupil Support. They might not be in every day due to COVID protocols but the office will forward them a message and they will get back to you.
2. Lost or forgotten GLOW Username or password? Email technology@calderhead.n-lanark.sch.uk or phone the school to ask that this be reset.
3. Having difficulty accessing specific aspects of the curriculum? In the first instance ask your son/daughter to message their class teacher through Teams. If this doesn’t fix the problem then contact their Principal Teacher of Pupil Support by phoning the school.
4. Speak to us about any pastoral issues. Phone the school on 01501 826701 and ask to speak to your son/daughters’ Principal Teacher of Pupil Support. In an emergency please ask to speak to the Depute Head for their Year or in their absence the “Duty” member of SLT.
We also have whole cohort Teams and House Teams in order to support pupils. However if there is any other way we can support your young person’s learning that we have not listed above please contact us and we will do our utmost to try to help.
At the minute with pupils being off the ability for staff to assess pupils’ work is very limited, in particular “under exam conditions”. It is therefore even more crucial that in S4 to S6 we can evidence pupils accessing Teams in case, for whatever reason, the SQA for this year changes again and we are asked to submit “professional judgements”.
John Robertson
Headteacher
Calderhead High School
Yesterday our staff met in school to plan for the online learning due to begin on the 11th January. As you know pupils will not return to school until at least 1st February. We have been asked by the Scottish Government to provide learning in school for pupils whose parent or parents have been classed as key workers. We have also been asked to provide places for pupils who may require additional support due to circumstances (vulnerable group). School Transport will run as normal but may change as the lockdown goes on depending on demand.
To cut down on the amount of movement around the school and reduce the risk of spreading the virus we introduced a Red/Blue week timetable. There will be no Red/Blue timetable during this lockdown, this applies to the pupils working from home and the keyworker/vulnerable pupils attending school.
We do not intend at this time to have live online lessons, our experience from the last lockdown was that they were fraught with difficulty and it was much easier for pupils if staff uploaded Presentations and set weekly assignments. Pupils should engage with their learning on a regular basis, obviously some sort of routine, e.g. a timetable that had been agreed within the family, would be best.
We expect that pupils will be always respectful when engaging with GLOW and TEAMS.
For those pupils whose circumstances mean that they are attending school they will be supported by staff to complete the work set by their subject teachers. In order for staff to prepare, deliver and provide feedback for online learning the supervision of pupils in school will be carried out on a rota basis. I tended to use the phrase, well known to parents across the world, “What do you think the teacher means by that?” when supervising Primary Pupils during the last lockdown.
We plan to have online assemblies on Tuesday morning for all year groups. Pupils will be invited on Tuesday morning to join their assembly through their Year group Team. A message will appear on Tuesday morning in their Year group Team with a JOIN button, just click it when it is time for your Assembly.
Assembly Times
S5/6 1030
S4 1100
S3 1130
S2 1200
S1 1230
I hope you have had a good holiday. Similar to the last TEAMS Assemblies that we had in June 2020 pupils can post questions in the chat section and I will try to answer them at the end of my presentation. All cameras and microphones should be turned off, this will help with the quality of the video feed from the school.
The following online resources are available and are highly recommended:
For all pupils BBC BiteSize, materials and resources
For S3 to S6 pupils
SCHOLAR courses, tutorials and resources
Bright Red course materials
E-Sgoil resources and live online lessons
You can find more information and resources on our ‘Learning at Home‘ page.
The Government website is promoting a scheme for pupils who do not have a fixed broadband connection : “Who can get help? This scheme is open to children and young people who:
Please click the link below for more details:
https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk/about-increasing-mobile-data
Can I remind parents, carers and pupils that we are here to help. If there is something bothering you or you are unsure about then please ask. No such thing as a daft question during a lockdown!
Take care,
John Robertson
Headteacher
Calderhead High School
Microsoft Teams is the platform that Calderhead High School are using to provide online learning. Please click here or see below for information on how to access Teams.
Click to access Accessing-Teams.pdf
Following on from the First Minister’s announcement at the weekend, please click on the image below for a letter from Derek Brown, Executive Director, Education and Families regarding pupils’ return to school in January, together with a Key Worker form.
In October of this session the Scottish Government announced the cancellation of the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) 2021 National 5 exams and last week they also announced the cancellation of the 2021 SQA exams for Higher and Advanced Higher courses. One week ago the SQA published on their website their plans for an Alternative Certification Model (ACM) for National 5 and we expect a similar plan for Higher and Advanced Higher in due course.
For National 5 the SQA have asked for pupil estimate grades to be based on between 2 and 4 pieces specific pieces of work. Each subject has their own specific requirements. Between now and the end of May 2021 the SQA will be checking with schools that the work is of the correct standard and that agreed National standards are being applied in all schools across Scotland. We will continue to let pupils know what grade they are working at through the Tracking Reports, the first of which was issued in November. Depending on pupil performance these Working Grades can be adjusted up and down as they move through each course. We have been asked to submit provisional grades by the end of March and final grades by the 28th of May 2021.
Given that we now know what the SQA are looking for and that there are no final exams in May 2021, and having consulted with pupils and staff over the last week, we have cancelled our Prelim Diet for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses that was scheduled for February 2021. Instead we will have regular assessments at a time when staff think pupils will perform to their best. As such we are in the process of developing an assessment calendar that we will share with S4, S5, S6 pupils through Teams. We are very mindful that the SQA have asked schools to ensure that assessments used are valid, reliable, practicable and fair. We will be working with staff from North Lanarkshire schools and beyond in order to moderate pupil work and to verify that we are consistently marking to the correct standard.
Mr Graham took the time this morning to speak to all S4, S5, S6 pupils to explain the situation regarding the prelims, cancelled SQA exams and future assessments. Staff are well aware of the competing demands on pupil time and have been asked to bear this in mind when scheduling future assessment dates. As there are less than 90 days between now and the 28th May 2021 we expect pupils on average to be undertaking at least one assessment per week when we return in January.
The SQA still intend to publish certificates on the 10th August 2021, and through the regular sharing of Working Grades we hope that there will be few surprises at that stage.
This is a new situation for all of us Parents, Carers, Pupils and Staff, we will need to work together to ensure the best outcome for the pupils. This will not be easy, however I am confident we will succeed. Please contact Pupil Support in the first instance if you have any concerns.
John Robertson
Headteacher
Calderhead High School
Every year in the lead up to Christmas, Calderhead High School asks pupils to donate items to our local food bank. This year the parcels will be going to local charity, Paul’s Parcels.
Pupils are asked to donate some of the items listed below in order to make up food parcels:
The donation boxes can be found in the nurture room and outside the sixth year common room, or can also be given to any member of the prefect team.
This is a whole school house event with the house with the most donated items winning house points that go towards the end of year trophy.
Items need to be in by Friday 18th December and we would be most grateful if you would donate to this very worthy cause.
Paul’s Parcels is a food poverty prevention charity, operational in the town of Shotts and the villages of Harthill, Salsburgh, Allanton and Hartwood. They began in 2018 with a Christmas campaign which aimed to provide families with a 3 course Christmas dinner, delivered to their homes. On Christmas Day they provided food for 98 adults and children as well as a further 38 food parcels with surplus food donated.
However, realising the scale of food poverty/ insecurity within the area and after being messaged and approached to ask if they could help provide food, they set up a food bank in April 2019. They began gathering donations and asking families in need to contact them. Following lockdown in March 2020, the charity’s service was in high demand and they began helping furloughed and self employed families as well. In April 2020 they had outgrown our room in the Scout Hall and had to find bigger premises so moved to their current location in Dykehead. In May 2020 Paul’s Parcels were granted charitable status and are now Scottish Charity SC050157.
The charity is called Paul’s Parcels in memory of Tracey’s youngest brother Paul, who sadly passed away age 37. Paul was a manager within the Charity sector and it was his life’s work, so when it came to naming the project, it seemed only fitting. The volunteers who work with the charity are Tracey, Gerry, Isabel, Kathleen, Gemma, Kaitlyn and our very own S6 pupil, Kayla.
The Calderhead Captain and Prefects team organised a coffee morning for staff on Friday, 27 November. They raised £233.80 for St Andrew’s Hospice. The Hospice provides specialist palliative care to people living with life-limiting illnesses, and their loved ones and carers too.
It was a slightly different event this year with Covid 19 restrictions in place but staff nonetheless enjoyed their sandwiches and cakes!
Well done to Matthew and the team for organising the coffee morning.
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