Sunday 26 April

Dear Parents, Carers, Pupils, Partners and Colleagues,

On the Andrew Marr show this morning Prof Brian Cox (Physicist and TV Presenter) said that Science teaches you about uncertainty and doubt. I completely agree. We are all in the most uncertain of times, filled with doubt whilst having to adjust to new and evolving circumstances.  The roles of school staff, parents/carers, pupils and partner agencies are all having to change to adapt to our new ‘normal’. This is not easy for any of us so we will have to be patient as we settle into new ways of working and communicating. We will all make mistakes and get things wrong as we go. Importantly and crucially though, we will learn.  By pulling together as a school community we will get through this together and, in time, return to the lives we knew before the virus pandemic. We will also have learned new and different ways that will likely continue.

In previous years I would begin by welcoming everyone back to the summer term and, in particular, wishing S4, 5 and 6 well as they started exam leave. Years of hard work would culminate in final exams but, as we now know, there will be no SQA exams in 2020.  For, and as yet an undecided number of weeks, neither pupils nor staff will be physically attending JGHS.  Learning and teaching will all take place online supported by technology and online learning that, only weeks ago, would have been unknown to most of us.  Immediate challenges we face include but are not confined to:

1. Pupils accessing their learning remotely without face-to-face help and feedback from their teachers.
2. Parents balancing taking on new and unfamiliar roles in supporting their child’s learning with their domestic and work responsibilities.
3. School staff engaging with pupils ‘remotely’ and having to become familiar with ways of learning, teaching and assessment that may have been unknown to them 4 weeks ago.
4. Partner agencies delivering the support needed in the most timely manner.
5. School staff processing, interpreting and applying evolving SQA guidelines to award grades to pupils.
6. Our community supporting all of our pupils and especially our most vulnerable.
7. All of us continually adapting to quickly evolving circumstances.
8. Changing timetable for session 20/21.
9. Our school community supporting 300+ P7 pupils in the transition from Primary to High School and all other pupils as they transition to their next academic year.
10. Recruiting new staff to cater for our expanding school roll from August 2020.
11. Managing the logistics of how we will partially relocate classes to our annexe at Darroch from August 2021.
12. Communicating with all in our school community.

In the coming weeks, please be reassured that all at JGHS, strongly supported by the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government,  will continue to do their best to serve our community.  

In future ‘Friday Updates’ I will continue to report on the main educational areas specifically identified by the Scottish Government.  

SQA Arrangements (Mr Bob Shankland)

1. Mr Shankland will continue to update parents and pupils as we gain further clarification on how we are going to award grades to S4, 5 and 6 pupils. If you have any SQA related queries, please contact Mr Bob Shankland.
2. We would request that parents do not contact teachers directly to seek clarification on procedural matters related to SQA.  

Arrangements for children of Key Workers  (JGHS coordinator - Mr David Anderson)

1. City of Edinburgh officers have made arrangements for the children of key workers to attend schools (called HUBs) at various locations around the city.
2. JGHS is now one of 8 Hubs which provide childcare for the children of Key Workers in Edinburgh.
3. Staff from 15 local schools (Nursery, Primary and Secondary) will, on a rota basis, provide childcare for all children attending the HUB.
4. Key workers, whose children are unable to be at home during working hours (0800 – 1800), can check their eligibility and apply for a place at any of the City of Edinburgh Council HUBs by completing the booking form accessed here. https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schools/emergency-school-closures/1
5. This provision will continue over the summer term.
6. Marie Lyon, from the Council central team, is the person to contact if you have any general HUB related queries. Marie.Lyon@edinburgh.gov.uk

 Vulnerable Pupils (Mr Ian Porter and Mrs Laura Stewart)

1. I am grateful to all of our staff, supported by a large number of partners, who continue to support our more vulnerable pupils and families.
2. If you are in need of any support or you know of a family that is, please email us to let us know. If we cannot provide the support then we will find someone who can.
3. On Friday 24 April, Mrs Stewart, supported by JGHS staff, arranged for the delivery of Council food parcels to 25 JGHS families.

Online Learning (Mrs Deirdre O’Brien and Mr Jeff Warden)

1. In the weeks leading up to the Easter break, we focussed on providing online learning materials for pupils in S1, 2 and 3.
2. We surveyed those S1-3 families and will use this feedback to inform and refine future online provision for S1, 2 and 3 pupils. This feedback will also allow us to pre-empt what some of the issues may be when we plan online learning for our seniors. A summary of the survey feedback was shared with Parents on Friday.
3. Updates on online learning for all year groups were emailed to parents last week.
4. We appreciate that many are still finding their feet in regards to online learning and some may be struggling to manage the volume of tasks and activities that have been set. Please rest assured that tasks set are not prescriptive and should not become a source of stress or worry.
5. If there are issues around accessing a device for online learning please email Mrs Laura Stewart for help and advice.

Miscellaneous

1. Instrumental Music Lessons: Distance learning for instrumental lessons is currently being set up. Pupils should have received an email from their teacher by 24 April. Please could those pupils who receive lessons look out for an email from their teacher on their school email address which will have further information about how to engage with the Instrumental Music Service (IMS) in the coming weeks.
2. We are continuing to update The Spark (School Online Magazine). There are two very positive and uplifting articles by Alaric Bromiley and Daniel Williams that have just been added to the blog https://jghsthespark.wordpress.com/  They're well worth a read as they are both a lovely reminder of the positives that can be found even at this time.

Contacting us

1. Our admin email will continue to be checked each day and we will continue to respond to requests.
2. Please note that though the school is physically open for the HUB, the school campus remains off limits to everyone else. Some limited access will be made available to staff in the coming days to access resources.
3. Please continue to share positive news stories with me to share with others and lift our spirits.

Finally, I’d like to wish all members of the JGHS community a safe and peaceful week ahead. To those in our community who are involved in providing essential services; sincere thanks to you for all that you are doing for others.

Kindest regards to all,

Donald j Macdonald (Headteacher)

My quote of the week: ‘My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.   – (Maya Angelou)