Are you planning to do some shop online for Christmas? You can help to raise money for JGHS at no extra cost to you by signing up to easyfundraising.org.uk. Every time you buy something online through a partner retailer, they will give a donation (up to 5%) to James Gillespies High School  Parent Council which will be used to improve the educational experience of all our children.

At the last count we have raised over £450 through the 41 people already registered.

Here’s how it works:

1. Let’s say you want to buy a computer from John Lewis. Instead of going to johnlewis.com directly, you first go to easyfundraising.org.uk. 

2. From the easyfundraising website, click through to JohnLewis.com to make your purchase. This tells John Lewis you came from easyfundraising. The price of the computer is exactly the same.

3. After you buy the computer, John Lewis will donate money to JGHS via easyfundraising.org.uk

Almost all the major retailers are signed up, including John Lewis, Sainsburys, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Boots, Amazon, iTunes and many more (2,700 + in fact).  There are also many travel companies and service providers such as insurance companies.  There are also business suppliers, so if you run your own business, please consider purchasing through easyfundraising.

It's super easy to register (for free) and you don't need to provide any payment details. And if you think you might forget to shop via easyfundraising then the Donation reminder will help you. It provides a little reminder everytime you shop online. There can't be many easier ways to raise money, visit here to sign up now:

http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/JGHSparentcouncil

Please don't delay.  Register now, bookmark the website, download the “find and remind” facility.  Please also sign up grandparents and friends by forwarding this email.
 
Thank you 

on behalf of the JGHS Parent Council

Farewell to Hamish Macdougall

Earlier this afternoon I had the pleasure of joining a group of current and former staff from Gillespie's to bid farewell to Hamish, 37 years, almost to the day, after joining James Gillespie's High School. Apart from a spell in the early 00s as a Guidance teacher Hamish has taught Biology throughout his time at Gillespie's. I took the opportunity to share a few reflections on my experiences of Hamish. A gentle giant of a man, patient and caring to the nth degree, all who have been taught by him speak of his warmth and of a man who always saw the good in everyone. All say he was a wonderful teacher and more importantly, he cared for them as individuals and as young people preparing for an uncertain world. In his younger days Hamish played premier league rugby and, by all accounts, could also wield a cricket bat with some aplomb.

After I had spoken and presented him with a card and a cheque on behalf of staff, Hamish spoke warmly and fondly of his years at Gillespie's. Spanning almost four decades, Hamish regaled us with tales and shared many amusing stories from his days at the chalk face. Highlights included the camaraderie with colleagues and the many young people he made a difference to over the years.

We look forward to keeping in touch with Hamish over the years. I hope he enjoys time now to relax with  friends and chasing that wee white ball around the fairways.

Music at the high school...

We have a very strong music department at Gillespie's. In order to ensure that pupils in our local primary schools know what to expect at High School some of our pupils visit to contribute to assemblies. Here is an account of a visit that took place at Sciennes PS as reported on in their school blog.

Sciennes PS blog

Common Weal

A colleague sent me a link to this insightful and thought provoking critique of Scottish Education by Professor Brian Boyd.  Transformational change, if that is what we wish to achieve, needs buy-in from all of our stakeholders if we are to compete more effectively in a rapidly changing world.

‘The ongoing debate about the future of Scotland creates an opportunity to explore the

contribution which schooling should make to civil society. If the Common Weal is principally about a Nordic- style, fairer, more equitable society, underpinned by institutions which empower and enable Scots to fulfil their potential and contribute to the common good, then schools, as a universal service, must have an important part to play. Can we focus on the whole child and allow schools to develop citizenship and promote wider achievement? Can schools, in turn, help civilise society by encouraging creativity, celebrating diversity and reconciling the demands of quality and equality?

Read the full paper by clicking on this link.

 

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & Sold to the tannery.......if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor"

But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot......they "didn't have a pot to piss in" & were the lowest of the low
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June.. However, since they were starting to smell . ...... . Brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting Married.
Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!"
Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof... Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."
There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold.
In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire.. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme: Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old. Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.
Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.
Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would Sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial.. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.
England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realised they had been burying people alive... So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.
And that's the truth....Now, whoever said History was boring?

Volleyball success

Well done to the boys who were picked to represent East of Scotland. They were:

1. Cameron Hardman
2. Lars Fisher and 
3. Sean Stobie 

They achieved success at the sainsbury schools games last weekend, when they won bronze medals, winning 2-0 against England cadets in the 3/4th play-off. 

Well done to the boys!

Consultation on School's approach to Religious Observance

Dear Parent/Carer.

School is now up and running again after what I hope was a great break for all of our families. I am pleased to say that the rebuilding of the new school continues apace and that we remain on schedule to complete the first phase by Easter 2015. I am delighted to report that our pupils have performed to a high standard, once again, in the exams this year; testament to their hard work and excellent support provided by staff and parents in so many different ways.

During this session we will be using email to communicate with parents and in this email I wish to share with you a proposal for JGHS to meet Government requirements to provide religious observance in our school.

This consultation was included in the summer 2014 newsletter (on school website) but as you may have missed it I thought it best to share it with you again so that you may share your views. This consultation closes on Midnight on Sunday 7 September.

The Education (Scotland) Act 1980 makes it a statutory duty of the local authority to provide religious observance in Scottish schools. Guidance provided by The Scottish Government suggests that it be developed in a way which reflects and understands the diverse faith and belief traditions represented in Scotland while at the same time being sensitive to individual spiritual needs and beliefs. The Religious Observance Review

Group Report (2004) reiterates the view of Scottish Government Ministers that religious observance is an important educational experience for children and young people at all stages. At James Gillespie’s High School we are striving to improve our provision of inclusive religious observance

under the title used by the Scottish Parliament, ‘Time for Reflection’. The objective is to create a well thought out forum for personal/spiritual development, which recognises the dignity and worth of each individual and their contribution to the school and wider community.’

All pupils and staff should be able to participate fully with integrity without compromising their faith commitment or non-faith beliefs.

Our proposal for the 2014/2015 session is to enact the following:

1.      Plan a minimum of six opportunities for ‘Time for Reflection’ during the school year.

2.      As advocated by the Scottish Secular Society, make parents/carers explicitly aware of the full extent and nature of ‘Time for Reflection’ as well as the provision to withdraw children from participation. We aim to promote a high level of understanding and sensitivity so that there is no fear that a child would be singled out.

3.      Plan an equal number of worthwhile alternatives for pupils who are withdrawn by parents from participation in ‘Time for Reflection’. Allowing a conscious choice, free of compulsion, could make the entire activity more meaningful.

At present we are drawing up a calendar to mark a wide range of traditions and practices via an assortment of activities and forums. As the session gets underway in we would welcome feedback on the above from our parents, carers and pupils. Contributions and suggestions on how we might make ‘Time for Reflection’ even more valuable are especially welcome. All comments should go in the first instance to Mr. J Warden (Pupil Support) via email: Jeff.Warden@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk

We look forward to hearing from you.

The feedback received from parents will be collated and shared at the first meeting of the Parent Council on the evening of Tuesday 16 September from 7 Pm. All parents/carers are welcome

Yours sincerely,

Donald J Macdonald

Police Youth Volunteers

During recent months several of our pupils have been trained to become Police Scotland Youth Volunteers. The youngsters concerned have been fantastic. They have in the past few weeks helped out at the following events:

• The Royal Highland Show
• Edinburgh Marathon
• One Direction concert
• Queen's baton relay

Later this year they will be helping out at the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder cup!
Well done to all those concerned and particular thanks to PC Mark Sutherland (our Community Police Officer) for his patience, determination and encouragement with all those involved.

More of the Police activities involving Youth Volunteers can be accessed from here.

Summer newsletter

Please follow this link to access our summer newsletter.

Yes or No?

On Monday afternoon of this week around 700 senior pupils from both James Gillespie's and Boroughmuir High Schools took part in a joint debate on the issues our pupils considered to be of most interest in the lead in to the vote on 18 September. Guest speakers for the afternoon event in Central Hall, Edinburgh were Kezia Dugdale (Better together) and Sarah Beattie Smith (Yes). The 90-minute session saw Ms Dugdale, a Lothian Labour MSP, speaking up for the anti-independence Better Together campaign and Sarah Beattie-Smith, co-convener of the Edinburgh Greens, arguing for a Yes vote. Professor Charlie Jeffrey, (Vice Principal for Public Policy and Impact at the University of Edinburgh), our chairman for the afternoon, set the tone superbly for the event.

The event was a great example of how to run a debate and engage with young people. As I commented on in my vote of thanks, I was particularly impressed at how carefully and respectfully both speakers listened to others' points of view. We need much more of this in the weeks ahead.

This report in the Evening News is worth a read.

130 Anniversary for Children 1st

On Thursday 12 June around 170 of our S1 pupils and staff joined staff from Children 1st in marking their 130 anniversary by having an impromptu dance in Edinburgh city centre.

The video of the event is on you tube and can be accessed from this link. It was great fun and the sun shone for us as hundred of bemused tourists soaked up the enetertainment!

Guitar master class

In the past year we have seem a quite remarkable growth in the numbers taking up guitar at our school. To further inspire our pupils Ms Millar has arranged for Giulio Tampalini - widely regarded as one of Europe’s foremost classical guitar performers and educators - to give a master class to around 20 of our pupils.

We are delighted  that Louise Chan won 1^st prize in the Talent and Creativity category in the Paolozzi (*) Prize for Art in this year's competition. Well done Louise!,


(*) Sir Eduardo Paolozzi (1924-2005) was a ground-breaking, Edinburgh-born artist renowned for his sculptures, prints, paintings and tapestries. His most famous works include the coloured mosaic in London’s Tottenham Court Road underground station and the iconic foot sculpture located at the top of Edinburgh’s Leith Walk.

Tips for new session

As part of yesterday's meeting with our heads of department I asked each to write down one tip for our new S3 pupils as they embark on their new courses. Here is what they said: 

Here is what they said:

1.       Be organised
2.       Listen
3.       Make use of the supports on offer (x2)
4.       Keep to deadlines set by teachers
5.       Do your best
6.       Be on time (x2)
7.       Get involved in the wider life of the school
8.       Work hard
9.       Attend all classes (x3)
10.   After every lesson consolidate your learning by spending 10-15 minutes reviewing the work covered
11.   Don’t leave things until the last minute
12.   Maintain a balance between working hard and keeping healthy