Friday 11 December

1. Please remember that whilst you are waiting for the result of a COVID test, all members of your household should self-isolate until the result is known.
2. Please remind pupils to bring their own face coverings to school. We have a small supply of spares for those who genuinely forget or lose theirs.
3. A reminder that the next Parent Council meeting will be held online on Tuesday 15^th December at 7pm. It will be focusing in particular on arrangements for assessments for SQA certificated subjects.  A link for the meeting will be circulated via school email at the beginning of next week. Any questions can be sent in advance to the PC at jghscouncilcomms@gmail.com and where possible these will be included in the updates. A recording of the last PC meeting on 18^th November is available at: https://youtu.be/YICdgNAxPTk and the Q&A from the meeting can be found on the PC website at: http://jghscouncil.btck.co.uk/Minutesandfiles.
4. The S6 Group Photo is now available to view and order from the Tempest website - http://htmp.st/JamesGillespieHS.  Click on the photo and enter your email address and child’s name. If orders are placed before Friday 8th January 2021 they will be delivered free of charge to the school.  Any orders after that date can be posted to your home address  but £5 postage will be charged.
5. We are currently involved in fundraising on three fronts:
1. Parent Council Fundraising (See previous correspondence)
2. Children 1^st (Shopping vouchers)
3. Save the children (Xmas jumpers on Friday 18 December)
6. Well done to:
1. Toby Ward (S6), who was runner up in the Nevis Ensemble Christmas Carol Competition where he had to set his own music to the words of 'In the Bleak Midwinter'.  The Nevis Ensemble's vision is music for everyone, everywhere.  He has won a composition masterclass with the composer Stuart MacRae and
2. Rosalind Orr (S6), who has been accepted as a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland (Jazz) as a saxophonist. All being well by summer, the orchestra will have a week’s residential at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Skye, before going on tour, probably in the UK.
3. Anna Maria Tomala (S2), who passed her Grade 5 Piano exam (ABRSM) with merit results.
4. Katrina Cochran (S6), Maja Cochran (S6), Felix Hagdorn (S6) and Bronwen Stahl (S6) whose Advanced Higher German work featured in this month’s Napier University's award-winning online magazine. https://issuu.com/edinburgh_napier_languages/docs/wwn6
5.  

7.       Thanks to Kayleigh and Liane of Marchmont Hardware for their efforts in putting this YouTube video together.  This heart-warming alternative replaced the annual community carol singing event round the Christmas Tree.

8.       Please continue to share stories of pupils’ achievements with me so I can share with our wider school community.

9.       This term will finish at midday on Tuesday 22 December.

 

My quote for the week: “Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate”

(Albert Schweitzer)

 Wishing all a happy and peaceful weekend.

 Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher