Friday 18 June

 

1. In the past few days, a number of parents have been in touch to express concern at the lack of productive teaching and learning in recent weeks. The delay to starting our new timetable will have added to those concerns. Please be assured that we have tried our level best to maintain some semblance of normality but that has proved enormously challenging when we have had so many staff either being absent or unavailable to take classes. This includes but Is not restricted to: Vaccinations, Post vaccination illness, staff family members having to self-isolate, assessment/grading/moderation duties. Over the past month we have been ‘covering’ classes for 10-15 teachers each day. On a few days this number rose to 25. In a ‘normal’ June, we would only have one or two ‘absent’ teachers. I’m grateful to the flexibility and willingness of staff across the school for stepping in, often at short notice, to best keep the show on the road. Throughout the past few weeks, senior officers at the Council have been very supportive and helped us find additional teachers to cover classes.
2. As communicated yesterday, we will be changing to next session’s timetable on Monday morning. Thanks to all for your patience and understanding (and offers of help!) as we resolved a number of issues earlier this week. Understandably, some parents have raised concerns that students may be adversely affected as a result of a later start to this year’s timetable. I have been informed that the SQA will be making some adjustments to courses for next year to compensate for disrupted learning over the past 15 months. Once we receive that information, teachers will adjust schedules of work to ensure we best prepare all pupils.  
3. You will be aware that, as part of the SQA’s Alternative Certification Model (ACM) for courses at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher level, our teachers are busy determining provisional grades for your child, which will be submitted to the SQA on Friday 25 June.
1. Your child will be emailed their provisional grades after school on Wednesday 23 June and you will also receive a copy of the letter by email.
2. The letter will include details of the SQA’s appeals process, details of which can be found on the SQA website: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/79049.html 
3. The SQA has also produced an information booklet for pupils: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/SQA-Appeals-2021-what-you-need-to-know.pdf Should you have any questions at this stage, please email Admin@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk
4. Police Scotland have offered to do a bike marking session this Monday 21st June  between 0745-0830 hours.
1. Registering your bike helps police and retailers identify and verify the legitimate owner of bikes that have been stolen or are being resold
2. Please arrive early to the bike shed to have time to complete the registration form if you have not already been given a timeslot.
3. We will have another bike marking session at the start of next term.
5. The Parent Council is planning for next year and would like to hear from parents about your priorities and how you would like Parent Council to meet them.  Are you interested in putting forward your views?  Would you like to support and diversify our work representing parents and children?  What do you want PC meetings to look like?  Please complete our survey at: Parent Survey for 2021/22It will only take 5 minutes, and we want as many responses as possible.
6. Any S1 pupils who missed the opportunity to apply for a Young Scot card through school, can obtain one via the following link. https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schools-learning/young-scot/1
7. Join us on Monday 21st June for the digital premiere of ‘Syncopate’, in celebration of Make Music Day UK and the fantastic musical activities that have taken place across our 23 high schools, 89 primary schools and 11 special schools over this past year. There will be hundreds of participants from across Scotland’s capital taking part – we’re confident this will represent the largest single digital concert ever produced in Edinburgh. Look out for the fabulous contribution from JGHS! The Syncopate Digital Premiere will screen on Reel Youth Media’s YouTube Channel at 7.40pm on Monday 21st June: https://www.youtube.com/reelyouthmedia
8. AREYC (Anti-Racist Early Years Collective)  is a collective comprising of academics,  early years practitioners and grassroots activists. In partnership with Queen Margaret University we are conducting a pioneering research project that's looking at the impact of Covid-19 on children of colour in Scotland.).  We are looking for participants from Black, Brown, Asian, mixed race/ biracial minority ethnic groups aged 0-18 to participate in our research. There is a £10 e-card that participants can avail of, and the process will be explained by our research assistant. All relevant details are in our flyer (attached).  If you would like to follow them on Twitter;  handle is @AREYCScotland.
9. Any pupils requiring supplies of any sanitary product over the school holidays can come to the welfare office any time before the end of term and collect as many products they may need.
10. Also, Locker keys must be handed into welfare on Monday 21st June. If a pupil has lost/misplaced their key please come to welfare to let us know what the locker number it is.
11. Well done to:
1. Sarah Johnson (S4) for after riding strongly at two recent UK Series Omniums at the outdoor track in Dundee, has qualified for the National Youth Omnium Final in London in July.
2. Erin Sheehan, 4W1, has been selected to take part in the Scotland Womens'  Under 17's Squad Training Camp on Thursday 24th June at Ainslie Park.  We are immensely proud of Erin's achievement.

 

Term ends at midday on Friday 25 June.

 

 

My quote of the week: ‘Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.’ (Joshua J. Marine)

 

Wishing all a lovely weekend.

Donald