Dear
Parents, Carers, Pupils, Partners and Colleagues,I hope this finds you all happy and well.
Schools returning in August.
You will likely be aware that the Scottish Government released an overview yesterday of how schools will reopen from 11 August. Over the coming weeks I will, supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, be working closely with all members of the JGHS community to plan how this will work out in practice.
Parent Council
We would like to invite you to
the next Parent Council meeting which will take place online on Tues
26th May at 7pm via this link Join
Parent Council Meeting. If you join via the link on the web,
and then select join anonymously the link will take you straight to the
event without having to sign in to Microsoft or download the Teams App.
This will be an opportunity for
us to hear about the challenges facing the school, its staff, pupils and
parents, and how these are being dealt with in this difficult period.
·
Donald j Macdonald, Head Teacher – overview
·
Deirdre O’Brien, Deputy Head Teacher – online teaching
·
Ian Porter, Deputy Head Teacher – pupil support and wellbeing
·
Laura Stewart, Deputy Head Teacher – IT & Equity
·
Questions & Answers via Teams Q&A typed chat facility
You will appreciate that there
are some technical challenges in trying to set up a meeting of this kind, and
we ask for your patience should things go wrong e.g. with individual access, or
Wifi failures on the night. We are also aware that not all parents will
be available on the date of the meeting and we are planning to record the
presentations so that they can be viewed later. If you would like to
raise any issues or ask any questions ahead of the meeting please let us know
via the Parent Council email: jghscouncilcomms@gmail.com by 2pm
Monday 25th and where possible these will be included in the
presentations or we will aim to cover with them at our next online PC meeting
on Tues 23rd June. Thanks - JGHS Parent Council
Arrangements
for children of Key Workers (JGHS coordinator - Mr David Anderson)Booking is now open for week commencing 1 June. It was be extremely helpful if you could book by Tuesday 26 May. Direct link to JGHS Booking Form
MySQA is an online service for learners
where they can view their qualification information, check their personal
details and sign-up to receive their exam results by text message or e-mail (in
addition to their paper certificate).
To register for this service, learners should must have:
- Scottish Candidate Number (which is also their school computer login number)
- An e-mail address
We would encourage all candidates to register with MySQA and
ensure that their qualification and personal information is recorded correctly.
Any discrepancies should be highlighted to the school as
soon as possible by emailing: admin@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk
2020 Leavers’ Form
A reminder that Mr McPhail sent out a communication for the
attention of all potential schools leavers, stating the requirement for them to
complete our online Leavers’ Form. It is essential that all students
planning on not returning to JGHS for academic session 2020-21, complete
this form. Otherwise, they cannot be removed from the school
roll.
Your help in ensuring that these forms are completed would
be greatly appreciated.
The 2020 Leavers’ Form can be accessed by using the following
link: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=af6sSGo3tUKfacnke7-5xNXkpAnUVFdLr9EwY6VuiGlUQlJGWEg0QkI3MlRHMlROSjBJUlUyR0VKWS4u
Edinburgh Young Carers- Edinburgh Young Carers (EYC) are still open during this time to offer families help. A link to Edinburgh Young Carers website: https://www.youngcarers.org.uk.
- All JGHS Young Carers are invited to a 'Teams' group to keep in touch with each other.
- There is an opportunity for all Young Carers to acquire a card to provide greater access to pharmacies and supermarkets.
School magazine
The JGHS school
magazine, The Spark, is currently being updated weekly with new articles,
creative writing, photography, reviews and more. I would like to encourage as
many of the JGHS pupil community to get involved with writing for The Spark, so
if any are interested in being part of this magazine please get in touch with
Ms Kirkwood (Fiorenza.Kirkwood@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk) to
find out more.
We are also
currently conducting a survey which one of our writers will use to inform her
next article so we would really appreciate it if you could visit https://jghsthespark.wordpress.com/2020/05/22/impact-of-covid-19-survey/
in order to answer 3 short questions.
1.
If any pupil is finding it difficult to access or complete tasks,
they must let their class teacher and/or PSL know.
2.
Mr Meechan has created a comprehensive training video for pupils
in the use of Microsoft 365 and with Teams in particular. There is a contents
list along with time stamps in the video description so pupils can navigate to
specific parts. Pupils will be issued with this link by their Key Adult next
week, and we request that all pupils view this, and especially for new S4 and
S5 who may not have much experience with Teams. The video is now embedded on
the Digital Learning page of the school website and can also be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur-zRIMWjGg
3.
S2 pupils will engage with their next stage in learning from this
week. Pupils will remain in their current S2 class Team until Monday 1
June but are only expected to complete tasks for the subjects they have
chosen to study in S3.
4.
We have been working on a policy to support all pupils in
engaging with their schoolwork. This policy is based on a clear rationale and
evidence and feedback from staff, pupils and families.
5.
The timetable will be officially changing on Monday 1 June. Pupils
always get excited when they move up a year, so please celebrate this next
important milestone in their lives with them!
6.
From 1 June, S3, S5 and S6 classes will be placed into new ‘Teams’
and allocated their teachers for next session.
7.
New S2 and S4 classes will remain in the same class Team but may
have a different teacher assigned.
Miscellaneous- Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have launched a TeenCovidLife survey designed for 12-17 year olds. If you'd like to share it with your children, please share the link below: www.teencovidlife.scot The young volunteers will be asked about topics including loneliness, sleeping patterns, family relationships, how they are spending their days, and how lockdown is affecting their physical and mental health. A key aim is to ensure that young people’s voices will be heard by policy makers on how to best deal with the areas that directly affect them and how society should return to normal.
- Best wishes to Lolly Deazley (S6), James Baker (S6) and Dougal Deazley (S5) whose art work has been entered into the Annual (2020) Paolozzi competition. The award winners will be announced on Wednesday 3 June. Special thanks to members of our Art departments who have supported and inspired our pupils.
- Yesterday afternoon I ‘met’ with Mr Porter, Ms Peters and the (outgoing) S6 prom committee to look at alternative arrangements for the prom that was to have taken place in June. We are all determined to find a date that suits some time in 2021.
- Our admin email will be checked each day and we will continue to respond to requests.
- 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.
My
quote for the week: ‘The best portion of a good man's life is his little,
nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love’. (William Wordsworth
I’d
like to wish everyone a lovely weekend.
Donald j Macdonald (Headteacher)
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