Friday 31 May

1.      I have no doubt that all of our senior pupils and parents/carers are relieved and happy to have this year’s exam diet behind them. All can now relax and look forward to learning of progress when the results are released in early August.

2.      It was a pleasure to have our outgoing S6 back in school this morning for their last time. They enjoyed a breakfast together and a chance to say farewells to peers and staff. Many chose to wear fancy dress to mark the occasion. All were very well behaved and respectful of others who were in the school. We will have a further opportunity to mark their leaving us at the S6 ‘graduation’ ceremony and champagne reception at Greyfriar’s Kirk on Thursday 27 June. Additionally this year, for the first time, I am delighted that the JG Trust have arranged a special reception at the City Chambers for the parents and carers of the outgoing S6. This will follow after the event at Greyfriar’s kirk.

3.      Good luck to all of our swimmers who are taking part in next week’s Scottish relay championships.

4.      Unfortunately, we have had two further incidents of bike theft in the past three weeks. All are strongly encouraged to use the more robust ‘D’ locks and to ensure that frames are security marked.

5.      Following the success of last month’s Wine Tasting event we are keen to further develop and strengthen opportunities for parents/carers to come together and get to know each other and staff on a social level. To that end, The Parent Council would like your views on the type of school community events you would like to attend. Please take a few minutes to complete this short survey before the end of the school term. The Parent Council will use this information to consider what events it might run next year. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/JGHScommunity

6.      Well done to:

a.        Felix McDonald-Walker, S3, who gave a reading in Gaelic at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland last week. Reading a passage from the Bible might not seem to be the most onerous of tasks, but for a 14-year-old in such surroundings, with 700 commissioners watching him, it was quite a daunting prospect as well as, of course, and honour. Reports confirm that he stole the ‘show’!

b.      Esther Silverton (S3) whose passion and commitment to addressing climate change was rewarded with her being invited to represent Edinburgh’s young people when she addressed all of Edinburgh’s councillors at yesterday’s full Council meeting.  

7.      Very best wishes to Mrs Sajida Saqib who is relocating to Manchester with her family. Mrs Saqib has taught Urdu at Gillespie’s for the past 13 years and has achieved outstanding results in National examinations.

Dates

8.      The A 'Level and AS exhibition open evening is on Tuesday 4th of June from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. All are welcome to come along and enjoy the amazing artwork of our senior pupils.

And finally, best wishes to all pupils as they all move on a year on Monday 3 June when we change timetable for session 19/20.

My quote of the week:

‘I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed.’ - Michael Jordan

Friday 24 May

1. Our next Parent Council meeting is on Tues 28^th May @ 7pm.  Our guest speaker is Ruth Cox, Curricular Leader for Performing Arts and standing agenda items include WiFi and rising rolls.  We would also like to plan more social events following on from the success of our wine-tasting in April and it would be great to hear from parents and carers who might be interested in helping out.  We meet in the library in the Malala building and everyone is welcome.  Thanks - JGHS PC
2. I’m delighted to report that this week’s two days of ‘Alternative Timetable’ were very successful. The pleasant sunny weather added to the enjoyment for those involved in outdoor activities. Thanks to all who contributed and especially to Mrs O’Brien and Ms McLennan for their sterling efforts.

Calendar:

3. Pupils in S1,2 and 3 will have their participation in today’s Climate Protest recorded as ‘Authorised’ if parents have written to us to give their consent. I have been very impressed at our pupils’ involvement and planning around this.
4. A sizeable number of S1-3 pupils will pupils will be attending a percussion masterclass at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland next Monday, 27th May.

Well done:

5. Well done to our Guitar Ensemble (led by Mr McGeary) who gained a third place and bronze medal in last weekend’s Scottish Schools Guitar Ensemble Competition.
6. Sean Gallacher (S3) who enjoyed success with his team in last weekend’s Golf Dispatch trophy held at the Braids.
7. We had over 50 S1 and S2 pupils take part in the UKMT Junior competition. We are delighted with the results this year.
1. 18 Gold, 16 Silver and 9 bronze.
2. The top result in S2 was Chirag Shetty and in S1 was Willow Yuan

The following pupils have also qualified for the Kangaroo round on June 11th:

                                                               i.      Rachel   Allan

                                                             ii.      Iona       Patrick

                                                           iii.      Anton   Sigurdarson

                                                           iv.      Kenneth  MacIver

                                                             v.      Alasdair Scott

                                                           vi.      Robert  Newman

                                                          vii.      Emil        Griffin

                                                        viii.      Sam       Mackintosh

                                                            ix.      Willow  Yuan

                                                             x.      Yu Fan  Huang

                                                            xi.      Rudy      Adair

Chirag Shetty has qualified to do the Junior Maths Olympiad round which will also take place in school on June 11th.

Any questions about results or competitions for next year please speak to Ms Dolan.

8. Our U14 football team who recently won their final against Firrhill HS to become Edinburgh Schools’ League Cup Champions 2018-2019. This is the first football trophy that Gillespie’s have won for 12 years and a massive achievement for the boys and Mr Asif Mohammed their volunteer coach. The Champions are:

1. Abdul Osman
2. Harris Walker
3. Fletcher Patterson 
4. Jamie Beattie  
5. Harvey Gibb  
6. Calum Gillings  
7. Rui Hunter 
8. Moray Bean 
9. Henry Glackin  
10. Charlie Cowdy  
11. Ryan Munro  
12. Jake Welsh
13. Danny Welsh 
14. Rayan Mohammed
15. Michael Cameron
16. Ayaan Sharif

Best wishes to all for a wonderful weekend.

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher

Friday 10 May

1.       All in the JGHS community are reminded to be vigilant in regard to looking after personal possessions. Please be aware that neither the Council nor the school has insurance for personal belongings.  

2.       Thank you for your continuing support in ensuring that all pupils come to school on time each day (including Fridays!) with a schoolbag, stocked with the relevant books/jotters for the day and, ideally, a well-stocked pencil case. It is recommended that all carry with them a water bottle which can be refilled at various places across the campus.

3.       Dates:

a.       There are S1 consultation evenings on Tuesday 14 and Thursday 16 May. Both run from 5 – 7 Pm.

b.       On Friday 20 May we will have our annual Founder’s day assembly for S1. The assembly will give me the opportunity to talk about who James Gillespie was and how the school has evolved since it was set up in 1803. I will include reference to recent work carried out by researchers who have looked at links with the abhorrent practices around slavery and the merchants of that era. Our Guest speaker for the morning will be Ann Henderson. Ann is a former pupil of JGHS and is chair of the JG Trust.

c.       On Friday 7 June James Gillespie’s High School S2s will perform an adaptation of ‘The Pied Piper’. This play, performed in Gaelic, encourages audience participation of all their favourite Gaelic nursery songs from earlier years.  Parents and carers are encouraged to sing along too! Guaranteed fun event for all ages! Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh.

4.       Congratulations to Aiden Devlin 2s2 for his recent success in the U16 boys’ Mayfest dance  championships in Glasgow.  

5.       Our Support for Learning Department is currently exploring how we might deploy ‘therapets’ to enhance pupils’ learning.

6.       Best wishes to both the Duke of Edinburgh group that is involved in this weekend’s expedition and to the group of 50+ pupils who are heading to Belgium/France today on our annual ‘Battlefields’ Trip’.

7.       We are currently drawing up dates for the school’s annual calendar. We work broadly on the principle that dates (for prelims, parents’ nights, trips, reports etc.) transfer across from one year to the next. I would welcome feedback on the dates for the various events based on this past year’s experiences.

I take this opportunity of wishing all a wonderful weekend.

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher