Head Teacher Blog
Dear Parent/Carer,
Well we’ve made it to the end of Week B on our timetable which now means we have gone through the full timetable cycle since remote learning started. As a result, we are now keen to gather the views of pupils, parents and staff and use this feedback to inform our ‘lessons learned’ journey. All pupils have been invited to their respective year group assembly next week where DHTs will check in with pupils and explain how important their feedback will be in shaping the offer and the structure for learning. The link to the form will be posted to the team during the assembly and will be available thereafter for pupils who are unable to attend. All assemblies take place during PSHE (or core subjects in S3/4) and the assembly and form will be the only engagement expected for that block of time next week.
| Year | Day | Time |
| S1 | Monday | 10 am (during period 1&2) |
| S2 | Monday | 2.15 pm (during period 6&7 |
| S3 | Wednesday | 11.15 am (during period 3&4) |
| S4 | Tuesday | 9.30 am (during period 1&2) |
| S5 | Monday | 1.30 pm (during p5) |
| S6 | Tuesday | 1.30 pm (during p5) |
The Parent Council Agenda for Monday evening also features capturing the views of parents, so expect a groupcall message early next week seeking your feedback!
I am acutely aware that we are approaching the time of year when we are involved in the options process of subject choice for relevant year groups and we are finalising how we can deliver our normal programme of information evenings, pupil support sessions, 1:1 interviews etc through a virtual platform. As soon as this is in place information will be shared with pupils and parents. In the meantime, however, I am delighted to say that our Developing the Young Workforce Day which is an integral part of our S2 programme, will take place on Wednesday 2 February. We are indebted to our partners and parents who have agreed to contribute to our virtual event which will give S2 pupils an opportunity to step away from their normal timetable routine and use the information on DYW day as part of their planning process for subject choice.
Our P7 information evening for parents is taking place on Tuesday 26 January and a link to the meeting has been shared with all of our cluster primary schools and is available on the school website on the P7 transition page of our school website.
Reports for S4/5/6 were posted out to families on Wednesday this week. The accompanying letter explains the current position regarding mid-term assessments (MTAs) and recognises that there will be anxieties surrounding the collection of evidence for SQA purposes. However, it is worth reiterating that MTAs will most certainly not be the sole basis for provisional grades and at this point in time are only ONE piece of evidence. All senior phase pupils in Scotland face the same anxieties right now and we will share updates as soon as we are in a position to know when schools will return and what our revised procedures and timelines will look like. Please make use of the contact details within the letter if you wish to follow up on any aspect of your child’s report.
We are grateful for the very strong communication links we have just now between home and school and these conversations are very much shaping the offer we can make for families. In response to a number of concerns surrounding access to class teams, organising software, overcoming hardware issues etc we have developed a Troubleshooting Time slot each day. If you are experiencing any of these issues, then please contact the school where we can arrange for you to come in for some 1:1 support and hopefully remove one of the headaches of remote learning! Similarly, Mrs Luc, our school librarian has produced a newsletter which has been sent to all families offering access to resources.
As ever we are mindful of how stressful and difficult remote working is for all us. We all thrive on our interactions with each other and not being able to meet in person is hard – a school just doesn’t feel like school without its pupils! Our Health and Wellbeing team of pupils and staff are currently working on their latest newsletter to focus on ways of keeping connected and looking after our mental health. In the meantime I would emphasise again – be kind to yourselves. Some days will go well; others may feel insurmountable. Whatever you can do IS good enough.
Take care and best wishes
Linda Park
Head Teacher
