Friday 8 January 2021

Dear Parent/Carer,

 

During the past few days, school staff have been busily preparing for the resumption of online learning from Monday 11 January. In line with Government guidelines, all pupils, other than the children of Keyworkers and those deemed to be vulnerable, will be learning from home. Those pupils who are eligible for a place in school have been contacted directly in relation to their in-school arrangements. In this communication I will focus on arrangements for online learning.

 On Monday morning Mr Warden (DHT) will send out information to all parents and pupils regarding various items such as accessing Microsoft 365 accounts, support with Teams, use of GLOW and SCHOLAR resources and much more. It is especially important that pupils and parents read the information that will be provided regarding two-way video communications and the expected protocol for any use of this function. Please be assured that we are in a strong position to provide an improved experience in using digital technology for learning and teaching and we will continue to build on this in the coming weeks. We intend to make greater use of the School App to share information and invite those who haven’t already, to download the School App for Parents. This can be found in both the Google Play and Apple App Stores.

In relation to SQA arrangements, Mr Shankland(DHT) sent communications to all S4, S5 and S6 parents (as well as all students) earlier in the week.  These detailed the two important points that:

 

•             The formal assessments for all Higher and Advanced Higher courses, previously scheduled to run between Monday 25 January and Friday 5 February, have now been cancelled.

•             The publication of the proposed schedule for National 5 class assessments activities has now been postponed until a further update has been received from the Scottish Government regarding when students will likely return to school.

 

Until further guidance is received from the SQA, it is difficult to advise as to what will be our plans (or requirements) for the assessment of students sitting SQA courses.

 

Our current advice to students is to focus fully on the online learning tasks that will be set by their class teachers from next week and try to not become too concerned with the current changes to circumstances and plans.

 

The ‘SQA Qualifications 2021’ document housed in the ‘Exams and Assessment’ section of the school website (found under both the ‘Parents’ and ‘Pupils’ tabs) and will continue to be used as a working document that reflects the most up-to-date information we have.  Please be assured though that when notable updates are given, Mr Shankland will contact parents, carers and students to highlight this.

 

 

Online Learning from 11 January 2021

 

In response to feedback from last year’s online learning we are making a number of changes to what will be on offer from Monday 11 January. These changes include:

1. Structure                             Pupils will follow their ‘normal’ school timetable.
2. Teacher interaction          All teachers will be interacting online at agreed times with pupils.
3. Feedback                            All teachers will be offering feedback on progress to pupils.
4. Manageability of tasks    Teachers will aim to differentiate and streamline tasks for all pupils

 

Please note that, as last year, Microsoft Teams will be the online learning platform we will use.

 

The attached documents will be emailed to all pupils today and we would request that parents and carers take time with children to ensure that these are read and understood.  Lessons will start from 0840 on the morning of Monday 11 January. Please contact your child’s Pupil Support Leader to let us know of any barriers to your child’s online learning.

 

As with any new way of working there are bound to be areas that are unclear and there will be teething issues as we settle into new and unfamiliar routines.   This is as true for teachers as it will be for you as parents and pupils. There will be some issues you can resolve at home but others will need input from school staff. Please continue to communicate with us; we will do everything we can to help. We plan to evaluate our online learning programme at the beginning of February and will email you at that time to gather your views.

 

Many teachers, like you, will be working to deliver this online delivery from home and will have young children and other dependents that they remain responsible for. That means that while teachers will be available to provide support during each lesson we cannot promise an instant reply service. If the teacher is called away from their computer to deal with something they will respond to questions from pupils when they return. We ask that S3 to S6 pupils, wherever possible, ask their teacher questions during the allocated ‘live’ interactions which will be scheduled by the teacher after the ‘live’ lesson has taken place. We know from previous experience that working for long periods on a computer is more tiring than working in class. That means that teachers need to take screen breaks and so do pupils. Wherever possible, we would encourage pupils to work offline.

 

And finally, these next few weeks are going to be challenging. Online learning is different and, in many respects, more challenging than being in school in the classroom. I am aware that for you as parents, online learning will add to the pressure of what you are already having to cope with. Nevertheless, given the uncertainty around SQA arrangements and when pupils can return to school we are deliberately raising expectations of pupils and teachers in relation to our online programme in 2021. In a classroom, a steely stare is sometimes enough to get a pupil back to work but that is a little more difficult through a computer so can I ask you, as much as you can, to provide that stare if it is needed and help keep your child(ren) engaged with the work being set?  Having teachers and parents working in partnership is crucial in normal times but even more so in the coming days.

 

My quote for this week: ‘If you only carry one thing throughout your entire life, let it be hope. Let it be hope that better things are always ahead. Let it be hope that you can get through even the toughest of times. Let it be hope that you are stronger than any challenge that comes your way. Let it be hope that you are exactly where you are meant to be right now, and that you are on the path to where you are meant to be...because during these times , hope will be the very thing that carries you through. " –(Nikki Banas)

 

Wishing all a peaceful and safe weekend.

 

Donald

 

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher