National Poetry Day

To mark national poetry day on Thursday 8 October I particularly like this poem.

UNITY

I dreamed I stood in a studio
And watched two sculptors there,
The clay they used was a young child's mind
And they finished it with care.

One was a teacher; the tools he used
Were books and music and art;
One a parent with a guiding hand
And a gentle and loving heart.

Day after day the teacher toiled
With a touch that was deft and sure
While the parent laboured by his side
And polished and smoothed it o'er.

And when at last their task was done
They were proud of what they had wrought,
For the things they had moulded into the child
Could neither be sold nor bought

And each agreed he would have failed
If he had worked alone.
For behind the parent stood the school
And behind the teacher, the home.

(Anon – cc 1998)

Young writer of the year

Warmest congratulations to Hannah Ledlie (S6 pupil at James Gillespie's) who has been shortlisted for the BBC Young Writers' Award.

This is an amazing achievement. Well done to all who have worked with Hannah and inspired her.

Parent Council

The school Parent Council is open to all parents. The next meeting  will take place on Tuesday 27 October  7pm in the new Malala building library (entrance from Warrender Park Road). The agenda for the meeting will be available through the following link: Parent Council Website

All parents, carers and local elected officials are very welcome to attend, in particular those new to the school – this is a good way to find out more about what is going on at school.

Dress Code Consultation

I came across this article in the Edinburgh Evening News earlier today.

Interesting reading.

Funds for Syrian refugees

Huge thanks to everyone in the school who contributed to raising £865 to support Syrian refugees. Pictured are Captiva Mills (S6 Pupil Voice Leader) handing over a cheque to Victoria Telford from Mercy Corps.

Dress Code Survey

At our Parent Council Meeting on Tuesday 15 September, Eilidh Grant from our Maths department, presented a summary of the data we gathered during our recent consultation on school dress code for pupils. This link allows you to view the slides shown. In excess of 1850 responses were received. Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote and to offer very detailed and eloquently argued points of view. My senior team will now go through all of the responses and aim to make a decision on what we intended to change by 9 October 2015. Any changes will come into effect for August 2016 when the entire campus rebuild  is completed.

http://jamesgillespies.co.uk/dress-code-survey-data/

Premier League Football experience

We are delighted to be able to offer S3-4 students the fantastic opportunity of a Premier League football trip.

Follow this link for more details and how to apply.   Football excursion

Financial planning for students

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have produced a practical new guide on student finance for 16 to 19 year olds in Scotland considering studying HNC/Ds at college or degree courses at university.

A copy of the guide is can be viewed and downloaded at:

Finance Planning