This Sunday would have been the annual Hospice 6K. Taylor High School have participated in this race for many years. The money raised goes to St Andrew’s Hospice, which this year, will not happen as a result of the current restrictions due to the pandemic.

St Andrew’s Hospice  provide specialist palliative care to people living with life-limiting illnesses. Their goal is to provide physical, psychological, social and spiritual care for patients in a calm, peaceful and welcoming environment.

If you wish to donate during this difficult time, you can do so via the link below:

St Andrew’s Hospice 

Thank you on behalf of Taylor High School for contributing to one of our main charities.

This week marks a very poignant moment in the history of Taylor High, the 10 year anniversary of the Papal Mass held in Bellahouston Park.

Our Performing Arts Vocal Ensemble represented not only NLC, but Scotland, as the only secondary school to perform a piece of original music composed by the students. Behind us now are the wonderful reflections of outstanding teamwork, beside us are solidified friendships and shared memories that will endure forever.

This was a momentous occasion for the pupils of Taylor High.

After a very different end of term this year, our amazing class of 2020 returned to school last Friday to collect their leavers hoodies and Caritas awards.

On behalf of all the staff at Taylor High, we would like to congratulate the class of 2020 and wish them all the best on their future journeys.

…it’s not Goodbye, It’s a ‘see you later’

 

Common Cold and COVID-19 Symptoms

Please see attached letter from Jason Leitch, National Clinical Director, Scottish Government to all parents and carers.

Coronavirus – Jason Leitch Letter

This letter provides advice to parents and carers on key differences between symptoms of the coronavirus and the common cold and how to manage minor illnesses which are common at this time of year.

The number of positive COVID-19 cases among school age children remains very low. The Government believes that slots for testing for COVID-19 maybe being used by children who are self-isolating with the common cold, a virus which often circulates when schools return.

The letter from the National Clinical Director, Jason Leitch, is designed to provide reassurance to parents and carers and to help them avoid unnecessary absences from school on the part of their children.  We hope you find it helpful.

Thank you for you cooperation and understanding.

As you will be aware from updated Scottish Government Guidance issued earlier this week; from Monday 31 August, face coverings should be worn by staff and pupils when:

• adults and young people in secondary schools (including ASN schools) are moving about the school in corridors and confined communal areas (including toilets), where physical distancing is particularly difficult to maintain;
• adults, young people and children aged 5 years and over are travelling on dedicated school transport.

Pupils should ensure they:

• bring their own face coverings to school;
• store these safely in a washable, sealable bag or container when not in use;
• wash reusable face coverings in hot water at the end of each day; and
• safely and hygienically dispose of disposable face coverings after use.

If, for some reason, your child will be unable to wear a face covering e.g. for medical reasons, I would ask that you provide a note on Monday for their Pupil Support Teacher and that position will be respected.

Please remember that a face covering can be as simple as a scarf, snood or other piece of cloth which covers the nose and mouth.

If you require further information, Please contact your child’s Pupil Support Teacher or Stage Head.

I take this opportunity to thank you for your co-operation with this important matter.

2019-20  – Sixth Year Hoodie / Prom Money Refund / Caritas Award

All hoodies, prom money deposits and Caritas medals/certificates can be uplifted from outside the front of the school on Friday 28^th August at the designated times given below.

To ensure social distancing guidelines are being observed, we ask that you adhere to the uplift time and that you arrive at the school yard in socially distanced small groups. Please do not arrive in large groups. On collection, we request that you make your way promptly off the school campus.

We look forward to seeing you on Friday. For further information, please contact the school on 01698 274976.  

3.30 – 3.40pm    Registration Class 6.1

Erin Corella, Kirsty Cowan, Amber Donaghy, Aidan Donnelly, Hadia Elahi, Jennifer Fairley, Ellie Gilmour, Callum Hall, Emily Higgins, Stephen Higgins, Alana Hillcoat, Lauren Howley, Jude Macauley, Emma MacIntyre

3.40 – 3.50pm    Registration Class 6.1

Justine MacDonald, Amy McGuigan, Carly Nimmo, Kayleigh Jo O’Neill, Martin Oates, Michael Owens, Rachel Phillips, Nadine Robb, Holly Sommerville, Jemma Steele, Louise Stewart, Simone Wallace.

3.50 – 4.00pm      Registration Class 6.2

Jack Anderson, Aqdus Aziz, Carly Brock, Holly Canning, Grace Clark, Finlay Collins, Spencer Connor, Niamh Cusick, Courtney Devine, Aleena Farooq, Areeba Farouq, Emma Formosa, Amie Gallacher

4.00 – 4.10pm     Registration Class 6.2

Lucy Gilchrist, Aidan Greenan, Hayden Hamilton, Amy Higgins, Sophie Ho, Rio Kerr, Demai McGowan, Stephen Muir, Nathan Noble, Aidan Quinn, Areeba Ramzan, Natalia Slazak, Lewis Smith

4.10 – 4.20pm      Registration Class 6.3

Maariya Amjad, Cara Baldwin, Aaron Blair, Alisha Boota, Louise Callaghan, Amy Carson, Abbie Cunningham, Eve Dalgarno, Amy Louise Docherty, Raymond Ferguson, Antony Gallagher, Thomas Harvey

4.20 – 4.30pm      Registration Class 6.3

Johanna Hughes, Niamh Hughes, Lewis McCallum, Niamh McGinn, Ellie McParland, Aimee Pollock, Liam Poutney, Sarah Shannon, Nicole Trower, Emma Walker, Charlie Watson, Nathan Welsh

We have introduced staggered dismissals during the course of the day to  ensure pupil safety. Less crowded corridors improve social distancing measures in the school.

The following rota will be adopted for dismissals at break, lunchtime and end of the school day. This rota applies to all days of the week.

Break

S1 – S3 classes will be dismissed at 10.30am with the S4 – S6 following at the normal time of 10.35am.

Lunchtime

S1 – S3 classes should be dismissed into lunchtime at 12.25pm with S4 – S6 following as normal at 12.30pm.

End of the School Day

S4 – S6 classes will be dismissed at 3.40pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and at 2.50pm on Wednesdays and Fridays.

S1 – S3 classes will remain in class until the normal dismissal time on these days of 3.45pm and 2.55pm, respectively.

 

 This means that the students in S4 – S6 with SQA exams to face next year will dismiss early from class on fewer occasions than pupils in S1 – S3. In addition,  at the end of the school day, younger pupils will remain in class until the normal end of day dismissal time.

Here are  some more educational talks that will happen this week.

The BP inspire me series features BP employees sharing their inspirational stories, related to eight key skills identified as essential for success in education and employment. Next week sees the final week of this talk series.

Each session gives an insight into one of the skills when the speaker will bring to life how they have cultivated this through their experiences and how it helps them in their career today and its relevance to the workplace. These skills have been identified as a universal framework of essential skills by the Skills Builder Foundation.

Below are the dates and times for the bp inspire me series:

Date	Info	Link
Tuesday 25th August 14:00-14:45pm	Skill: Creativity Before taking on her current role, Carol ran bp Shipping and was the chief operating officer for IST oil. She has more than 20 years in the energy industry, many in supply and trading. Previous roles, include chief operating officer for natural gas liquids, regional leader of global oil Europe and finance. Carol also served as the head of the group chief executive’s office. Carol will talk about her experiences in the energy industry and share examples of creativity and innovation during a time of transition in bp and the energy industry.	https://bit.ly/2OFvafR
Thursday 27th August 14:00-14:45pm	Skill: Leadership Kerry leads people and culture at bp. As a key enabler of business delivery, people and culture aims to create an inclusive culture and collaborative and agile workplace which enables emotionally connected leaders and dynamic teams to work together to help bp achieve its purpose – reimagining energy for people and our planet. Kerry will talk about leadership in the context of the energy transition and reinventing bp.	https://bit.ly/39evOdW

I write to ask all parents and carers to follow the clear guidance from North Lanarkshire Council and avoid parking too close to the school when dropping off or picking up children.  All parents/carers are forbidden from using the school car park to drop off and pick up children except in emergencies e.g. accident in school.

This is Council policy which the school is required to enforce as part of the Covid-19 mitigations designed to reduce the risk of virus transmission.

Parking dangerously is leading to significant risks related to congestion, double parking and pupil safety because parents and carers are parking too close to the school . This is also causing major problems to local residents,  a significant number of whom have complained to the school about the matter… including some who are also parents of children at the school.

Regrettably, a significant number of parents and carers have continued to ignore this request about parking and I appeal to all parents and carers once again for your co-operation with this vital request.

**Only school buses and taxis are allowed access to the school car park to drop off or collect children.**

Once again, I ask that all parents and carers take care to park at a safe distance from the school. By doing so you will reduce the risk to all  – yourselves, pupils and local residents.

Please follow the NLC guidelines to maintain safety for the school and the surrounding community.

A few reminders about hygiene in the Library! 

The Library will still be open for pupil use.  Sterile gloves will be available for pupils to  wear when accessing books of their choice. They can then be disposed of after use.  All books returned  will be quarantined for 72 hours before being re-shelved.

SEE HERE FOR PRIZE OPPORTUNITY

** Please don’t forget to return your borrowed library books to the library. When you bring them back, your name will be entered into a prize draw to have the opportunity to win something special! Three have been returned already, many more to go!**