Friday 1 November

1. It was great to see so many S1 parents at our two parent consultation evenings this week. These meetings give us the opportunity to identify any settling in issues that may have arisen in the transition to High School and to strengthen partnership working between our staff and parents/carers.
2. Our S1s enjoyed their Halloween party on Tuesday evening. I’m delighted to hear that the ‘Green Lady’ who has ‘lived’ in Bruntsfield House for hundreds of years made her customary appearance. Thanks to Andrew Digance (DT Faculty) for coordinating the event.
3. S4 reports will be issued to pupils on Wednesday 6 November.
4. The planning application to upgrade Darroch to a modern school went live earlier this week. We are scheduled to be using Darroch as an Annexe from August 2021.
5. All the very best to Mrs Edwards (Modern Languages) who is now on Maternity leave and to Mrs Charnley (Gaelic) who will shortly leave us to take up a Gaelic post at Breadalbane Academy.
6. Parents are advised that under no circumstances should pupils take any fireworks to school. We remind all to be careful at this time of year and to be especially mindful of the negative impact fireworks have on other people and on animals who share our neighbourhoods.
7. We look forward to welcoming pupils and staff from Law Ting Pong (our partner School in Hong Kong) to JGHS next week. Sincere thanks to the families who are supporting this partnership by hosting HK pupils. JGHS is one of several Edinburgh schools who formed a HKSSISP partnership (Hong Kong Scottish Schools Improvement Partnership) a few years ago. Our partnership working with Law Ting Pong Secondary School is now in its third year and developing in scope. We are a founding member of this group and now work closely with schools, both independent and state, to promote educational and cultural links with HK. JGHS also has exchange partnerships with schools in South Africa, Spain, France and Germany. We are in the early stages of developing a Gaelic school partnership with school(s) in Nova Scotia.
8. Many thanks to all who have contributed so generously to our Food Bank. Items delivered to us will be collected at 130 this afternoon. The Food Bank collection is now closed.
9. JGHS has recently embarked on achieving ‘Right Respecting School’ Status. Our coordinator is Ms Tania Peters, one of our Pupil Support Leaders.
10. This week we launched Gaelvember/Gàidhlig Sa-mhàin, courtesy of Miss MacIver’s hard work. The idea is to encourage S1 and S2 pupils to use their Gaelic in more social settings for the month of November (and hopefully beyond) 
11. Well done to all pupils involved in the various charities we support as a school. Earlier today bake sales raised £138 for our local Foodbank and a further £200 for Islamic relief. I am so proud of the efforts of all in supporting such worthy causes.
12. Our Higher History pupils have been invited to a Higher History Conference at Stewart’s Melville College to hear speakers on the Scottish wars of Independence on the morning of Thursday 7th November. 
13. We are looking for donations of good quality PE/Sports kit (tracksuit bottoms, shorts, t-shirts) and Winter Coats. If you have any of these items which your child has grown out of then we would love to find them a new home. We may share out donations with pupils who are in need and/ or use for fundraising / charity events. If you have any donations then please hand them into the school office.

Congratulations to:

1. Sam Shannon in 2S1 who won the Central Junior Squash Open Division 1 at Bridge of Allan Squash club at the weekend. He was seeded fourth, but defeated the number one and two seeds to take the title. He will now captain the U13 Scottish Team at the British Closed Championships in Nottingham this weekend.
2. Darcey McConville who now represents Scotland at U19 level in Water Polo.

Good luck to:

14. The following pupils who sat Oxbridge admissions assessment earlier this week:
1. James Beeston – Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment
2. Ellen Beattie – Thinking Skills Assessment
3. Molly McMahon – Thinking Skills Assessment & Modern Languages Admissions Test
4. Liam McLaughlin – Thinking Skills Assessment
5. John Dabos-Doukas – Mathematics Admissions Test
6. Ruoyu Li – Thinking Skills Assessment
7. Rebecca Sparks – Biomedical Admissions Test
8. Neelu Saraswatibhatla – Cambridge Test of Mathematics for University Admission
9. Siddharth Kalappurackal – Engineering Admissions Assessment
15. The following pupils who, on Monday 4th Nov, will take part in the Senior UK Maths team competition.
1. Abi Hossell (S6) 
2. Minnie Peacock (S5)
3. Catriona Forrest (S5)
4. Neelu Saraswatibhatla (S6) 
16. Isabel Scott [S6] and Natalie Cameron [S6] will represent James Gillespie's High School at this year’s National Gaelic Debate. The first two rounds will take place in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis on Tuesday 5th November and Wednesday 6th November. Gura math a thèid leibh!

And finally, a reminder of what our school values are, as updated from earlier this year:

Respect; Kindness; Integrity; Inclusion and High Expectations.

Wishing all a lovely weekend.

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher

Friday 25 October

1. It was lovely to welcome all the pupils back to school on Wednesday of this week.
2. Thanks to Mr Crosbie who, on Wednesday of this week, arranged for a celebration/education of Caribbean culture to take place at JGHS as part of ‘Black History Month 2019’. In thanking colleagues for arranging the event, one of our senior staff wrote: ‘The workshops, facilitated by members of the Edinburgh Caribbean Association, were engaging, informative, thought-provoking, passionate, fun and from what I saw, were very well received by all of the students.  On a personal level, I can honestly say that I have not smiled and laughed as much in a long time while watching all the students and staff dancing and singing in the Theatre.  It was really special and joyful, but with a clear and important message of inclusion, togetherness and unity.  I also had Bob Marley’s Redemption Song in my head for the rest of the day, which was no bad thing!’
3. After the success of running it last year, we have decided to run the Legal Experts in Schools initiative again for this session. A number of our S2 pupils have signed up to take part and will be involved in 6 x 1 hour long sessions over the next few months. The first of these is on Monday 28th October. The Legal Experts in Schools initiative is a programme which provides opportunities for practising and trainee lawyers to engage students in interactive discussions about legal issues. The legal professionals draw on their expertise to increase young people’s understanding of the law, how it relates to their daily lives, their rights and responsibilities, and support students to develop their legal capability
4. Work has now started in earnest towards getting Darroch Secondary School ready to be used as an annexe for JGHS from August 2021. It is our intention to relocate as much of our Gaelic Medium Education (GME) provision to Darroch from August 2021 in anticipation of GME relocating to a dedicated Gaelic School from August 2024. (The location of this dedicated Gaelic Secondary school has yet to be decided).
5. This week and for the next two weeks we are fortunate to have speakers in school from the Samaritans to run sessions with S6 during Personal and Social Education lessons and also Stewart Ivory Finance who are running sessions to provide financial planning and advice on saving, budgeting and different types of loans.
6. On Fridays during break time, we often have bake sales to raise money for a variety of causes. Today, Eilidh Cargill (S6) organised a bake sale to raise funds for her Project Trust year after summer. She is going to be doing primary teaching in India from the Autumn of 2020.
7. Good luck to our pupils who have been selected to represent JGHS in the U13’s Scottish (Football) Shield against St. Kentigern’s this afternoon.
8. Thanks to all who have already contributed to the school’s Foodbank. The deadline for contributions to our Foodbank is a week today – Friday 1 November. Any items with a reasonable shelf life are welcomed.
9. Well done to:

1. All pupils who took part in last week’s Royal National Mod which was held in Glasgow. Amongst our many winners and performers were: Seona Macdonald (3R1) and Eimear McShea (3L2) won the Comunn na Clarsaich Cup for their Clarsach duet performance (age 13-18). All the 2019 Mod results can be accessed here. Notably and most impressively, as in previous years, JGHS and Bun Sgoil Taobh na Pairce had very strong representation amongst prize-winners for the various Clarsach competitions. (Clarsach is Gaelic for Harp)
2. This year the JGHS Clarsach players were collectively awarded the Tom Mathews Trophy. The Clarsach Society warded us the prize this year to recognise our pupils’  ‘overall demeanour maturity  and musicality’.
3. Kirsty Johnson (s4) who has been invited to join the Great Britain Cycling Team’s Olympic Apprentice Development Programme for 2019-20. 
4. Sean Gallacher (S4) and Mollaidh Nicholson (S4) who continue to achieve tremendous success in Golf. Both continue to impress with a string of winning performances in various competitions in recent months.
10. Dates
1. The S1 Halloween Party will be taking place on Tuesday 29 of October. The party will include a disco, a scare tour and various games and activities with prizes available for the best costume and the best dancer. Tickets will be on sale from the 23rd to the 29th of October in the Forum at break-time and cost £3. Food and drinks will be served throughout the night at no additional cost.
2. Tickets for our annual Christmas Concert at the Usher Hall are now on sale from their box office. Book early to avoid disappointment! http://www.usherhall.co.uk/whats-on/james-gillespies-high-school-christmas-concert-1
3. On Monday 28 and Wednesday 30 October, there are 2 parents’ nights for S1 pupils. Details of how to book meeting times with teachers has been emailed to S1 parents.

 And finally, please remember that the clocks go back one hour this weekend. This will make the mornings lighter for the next few weeks. All are requested to leave plenty of time for travelling to school so that pupils are on campus no later than 0830. Classes start at 840 on the dot!

My quote of the week: "The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice." (B Herbert).

Wishing all a delightful weekend.

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher

Friday 11 October

1. It was encouraging to see so many at the Parent Council AGM on Tuesday evening. Our thanks to Ailsa Macintosh who chairs the Parent Council and has agreed to continue in that role for the coming year.  Details of the Parents Council’s business and activities can be found at:  http://jghscouncil.btck.co.uk/ Thanks also to all of our parents who do so much to support our pupils in a myriad of ways. Ann Henderson (Chair) of the James Gillespie’s Trust also attended the Parent Council meeting to explore how both the Trust and the Parent Council can further coordinate to support the school.
2. Any pupils requiring Cambridge Assessment admissions tests for entry to university next year should have already registered with Mr Warden. https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/    Any outstanding registrations can be completed but only up until 14th October.  No late entries will be accepted. Please email Mr Warden directly if you have any questions about this or have a last minute registration to make.  Jeff.Warden@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk
3. Congratulations to Mrs Laura Stewart who has been appointed to the post of DHT (Rising Rolls), working on planning future accommodation and supporting our current situation.  This 2 days per weeks commitment will enable better planning across the school as our roll continues to grow.
4. Thanks to everyone who contributed to ‘MusicFest’ last evening. An absolutely fantastic effort from all who performed and all the staff who contributed and organised, especially Mrs Shearer.
5. On Wednesday of this week we held a ‘Parent Engagement’ event to allow us to better support learning for a targeted group of pupils. We used assessment data and professional judgement to determine where we could offer the most effective support. The event was led by Modern Languages and our Family Learning working group comprised from staff across the school. Particular thanks to Julie Francis, Craig Watt and Robin Andrews who presented on the night and managed to obtain a host of free resources to support learning at home.

Dates

6. The S1 Halloween Party will be taking place on Tuesday 29 of October. The party will include a disco, a scare tour and various games and activities with prizes available for the best costume and the best dancer. Tickets will be on sale from the 23rd to the 29th of October in the Forum at break-time and cost £3. Food and drinks will be served throughout the night at no additional cost.
7. Tickets for our annual Christmas Concert at the Usher Hall will be on sale from their box office from 10am on 21st October. Book early to avoid disappointment! http://www.usherhall.co.uk/whats-on/james-gillespies-high-school-christmas-concert-1
8. On Monday 28 and Wednesday 30 October, there are 2 parents’ nights for S1 pupils. Details of how to book meeting times with teachers has been emailed to S1 parents.

And finally, I take this opportunity to wish everyone a super October break. Pupils resume on the morning of Wednesday 23 October.

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher

Friday 4 October

1. In the interests of others’ safety, we would request that  unless there are significant mobility issues, car drivers should not enter school grounds to drop off or collect pupils.
2. On Friday 4 October pupils ran a bake-sale at beak, in the Forum, to raise funds for Amnesty International.
3. On Monday 7 October, the author Michel Faber will visit JGHS to talk to Higher Pupils studying his novel ‘Under The Skin’.
4. The JGHS Parent Council would like to invite everyone from our school community to our next PC meeting, which will be our AGM, on Tues 8th Oct @ 7pm in the Library in the Malala building.    Ian Porter, DHT, will be reviewing Key Adult Time and we will have updates on WiFi,  rising rolls and capacity .  Everyone is very welcome but if you can't make that date our minutes will be online at http://jghscouncil.btck.co.uk
5. On Thursday 10 October there will be a bucket shake collection to raise funds and awareness of Young Minds World Mental Health Day.  The theme of this year’s event is suicide prevention.
6. This year's MusicFest (Thursday 10th October) will feature 14 exceptionally talented acts! Our audience will be treated to performances by pupils from S1-S6, who are budding songwriters, singers, or musicians, performing as soloists and in bands. We are lucky to be joined this year by our school Jazz Band, and our amazing headliners CHAOS AND SELENA. The evening will start at 7pm with tickets priced at just £3 (doors from 6.30pm). Tickets will be available to purchase from Monday 7 October in the Performing Arts Base at lunchtimes. Tickets will also be available on the door on the night. Please come along and support our extremely talented pupils as they showcase their exceptional musicality!
7. On Wed Oct 23^rd, to mark Black History Month, we will be hosting Lisa Williams of the Edinburgh Caribbean Association and some colleagues from the Caribbean, who will be running music, dance, poetry and cookery workshops throughout the day.  S2 will be a main focus during the day, though other year groups will also be involved. 
8. Food collected in our Foodbank will be picked up on Friday November 1st after school between 13:30-14:00. Donations should be dropped off in the foyer area by Reception where there will be crates for the food.
9. As per last year, between now and Christmas, our lovely S1s will be engaged in little acts of kindness throughout the school as part of our RME curriculum.
10. The deadline is looming for those who wish to apply for an Oxbridge start in 2020. Further details are available from Mr Warden, who coordinates support for students who wish to apply.
11. Thanks to the following S2 pupils who helped out at last week’s S3 parents’ evening:
1. Hoja Gaye
2. Ben Cadger
3. Matthew Dickson
4. Chloe Watson
5. Ella Robertson

Congratulations to

12. Antonina Porsch (S2) who was runner up in last week’s Scottish U13 girls table tennis.
13. Louis Opit (S6) and Robert Lightfoot (S6) who have been successful in applying for a work/research placement with the United Kingdom Astronomy and Technology Centre at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh. The placement is for one week beginning on 28th October, 2019.
14. S1 Residential - Thank you to those parents who have already signed their children up for our 2020 excursion. For any children still interested in attending, the £30 deposit must be paid via ParentPay by Friday 11 October.
15. Two teams competed at last week’s Enterprising Maths (Lothians) competition. The team consisting of Fedya Cheltsov (S4), Ruaridh Usher (S4), Chirag Shetty (S3) and Rachel Allan (S3) came 1st and have qualified for the national final. The second team consisting of Josie Reid (S3), Pia Rogers (S3), Alasdair Scott (S3), Andrew Wright (S3) came 11th, despite only having a few days notice to prepare and having no S4s in the team. Abi Hossell (S6) acted as a team supervisor for the day to help enable the smooth running of the event. All 9 pupils had a great day and were a credit to the school in their performance and the way they carried themselves throughout. We won the national final in 2018 so no pressure on the team that will represent us in the final!
16. The October holiday begins at 1255 Pm on Friday 11 October. Pupils resume on Wednesday 23 October.

My quote for the week: “You can’t tell just by looking at someone what they are dealing with inside.”

I hope all have a lovely week.

Friday 27 September

1. I would request that parents are as vigilant as you can possibly be in ensuring pupils never take a knife/replica gun with them into the local community and certainly not to school. We are aware of recent cases where some boys in different parts of Edinburgh have been charged for being possession of a weapon in a public place. Possession of a weapon in school will lead to an immediate 999 call and an exclusion from school.
2. Parents’ assistance in getting pupils to school on time each morning is much appreciated. When there is a genuine reason for lateness parents should provide a note of explanation. Next week, we will be writing to parents of pupils who have been late for a class on 5 or more occasions in the month of September. Please be reassured that it is a minority of pupils who are regularly disrupting classes in this way.
3. Dates:
1. There will be an S3 parents’ consultation on Tuesday 1 October.
2. The JGHS Parent Council would like to invite everyone from our school community to our next PC meeting, which will be our AGM, on Tues 8^th Oct @ 7pm in the Library in the Malala building.    Ian Porter, DHT, will be reviewing Key Adult Time and we will have updates on WiFi,  rising rolls and capacity .  Everyone is very welcome but if you can't make that date our minutes will be online at http://jghscouncil.btck.co.uk   
3. Over the next 2 weeks the 30 pupils studying Advanced Higher Physics will be at Heriot Watt University to hone their skills in a university environment.
4. A coachload of S4 pupils will attend a curriculum trip to Torness Nuclear Power Station on Monday, 30th September.
4. Warmest congratulations to:
1. Bryan McPhail (Pupil support leader) who received a ‘September Monthly Outstanding Achievement Awards; from Andrew Kerr, our Chief Executive. Mr McPhail’s ward was in acknowledgment of his support for both Blair and Fraser Purves in recent efforts to raise funds for MacMillan Cancer.
2. Bronwen, Lili and Katrina who, with their clarsachs, provided the background music at a dinner earlier this week for the delegation of the International Council of Education Advisors hosted by the Deputy First Minister. Reports confirm the girls played beautifully. We are fortunate to have such a rich pool of musician s (and teachers!) in our school.
3. Our pupil run KJ’s café who on Tuesday of this week raised around £200 in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support by organising a lunch for staff.
5. Best wishes to two of our S6 pupils (Ben McCluskey and Sophie Misslin) who will be representing JGHS as part of a Scottish delegation visiting Poland to learn more about the horrors of the holocaust. During the excursion they will visit Birkenau Memorial and Museum.
6. The following students will be at Lagganlia Outdoor Centre from Tuesday 1st October until Friday 4th October, carrying out Field work for their Advanced Higher Biology projects in glorious Autumnal weather:
1. James Baker
2. Lorna Brockbank
3. Andrew Chambers
4. Angus Crawford
5. Arif Faisal
6. Alexander Goodall
7. Struan MacDonald
8. Rebecca Sparks
9. Robert Wright
7. It is always lovely to hear from former pupils and especially so when they offer to help current pupils. In the past week, Jamie Clarkson, who left Gillespie’s in 2017 and about to enter his third year studying engineering at Cambridge, contacted us to offer assistance to our current S6 with their applications to Cambridge and Oxford. Well done and thanks to Jamie and I extend a warm invitation to others who may have particular skillsets to contact us so that current pupils have the best possible support in realising their aspirations.
8. A very warm welcome to Salomon Thielen, our new German Assistant who started with us this week from the university of Mainz.

The HT’s ‘Friday Update’ is a roundup of key events and news. Please contact the school if you have something you’d like to share.

My quote for the week: Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” Robert Louis Stevenson

Finally, best wishes to all for a lovely weekend.

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher

Friday 20 September

1. Thanks to all who gave us good notice of their child’s involvement in today’s ‘Climate Protest’ event in Edinburgh.
2. The latest information on JGHS ‘’Parents’ Social and Fundraising" can be found here.   We're also planning to include pupil-led fundraising, clubs, and events on the Facebook page, to help with building the sense of community. 
3. We are holding an settling in/social event for parents of our S1 on Thursday 26 September. The details are as follows and also message below -
1. Date: Thursday 26 September 2019
2. Time:  7- 9pm
3. Venue:      Forum (Malala Building)
4. Dress Code:    Casual
5. RSVP:        Friday 20 September by 12pm.
6. EMAIL:       admin@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk if you wish to attend so we can plan for the numbers. All welcome!
4. Following the redevelopment of our School website, our maths resources have moved. Please note that these are now available to pupils via Office 365.
5. Good luck to all those who are involved in next week’s (Gold)  Duke of Edinburgh expedition.
6. The Police attended on Wednesday morning and security marked 24 bikes. Pupils are asked to be vigilant in ensuring bikes are secured with a high quality lock.
7. It is recommended that pupil’s garments are marked with the individual’s name to allow us to return ‘lost items’ to the rightful owners. Lost property is located in the Welfare office.
8. Thanks for everyone’s support in ensuring that pupils arrive in good time for classes that start each day at 0840.All pupils should be on campus no later than 830.
9. Staff have raised concerns about some senior pupils’ attendance. We know from past experience that lateness to classes and/or poor attendance has a significant adverse impact on attainment. This will be followed up in the next week or two so that pupils causing concern are supported and clear in relation to expectations of all.

I wish all a lovely weekend and hope the sunshine prevails into next week.

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher

Friday 13 September

1. Thanks to everyone who has supported our fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Support. With the excellent support of the Edinburgh Evening News and Kathleen Mackintosh (Mackintosh Barbers in Marchmont) the total raised is currently rising towards £9,000. The JustGiving page will stay open for a few more days.
2. The latest information on JGHS Parents’ Social and Fundraising can be found here.   We're also planning to include pupil-led fundraising, clubs, and events on the Facebook page, to help with building the sense of community. 
3. We are holding an settling in/social event for parents of our S1 on Thursday 26 September. The details are as follows:
1. Date: Thursday 26 September 2019
2. Time:  7- 9pm
3. Venue:      Forum (Malala Building)
4. Dress Code:    Casual
5. RSVP:        Friday 20 September by 12pm.
6. EMAIL:       admin@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk if you wish to attend so we can plan for the numbers. All welcome!
4. S4 Music Trip, Tuesday 17th September: A reminder to our S4 Music classes that they are to meet in the canteen at 11:30am on Tuesday to attend the SCO Masterworks concert.
5. Musical Instrument Collection: A few instruments that were left in the Music department over the summer holiday have still to be collected. Please could you remind students to collect their instruments. We currently have a number of guitars as well as a few strings and woodwind instruments. These will be available to collect from the welfare office from Tuesday. If not claimed by the end of the month they will be redistributed for new S1 students.
6. On Tuesday September 17 at 6 p.m., a meeting will be held in the JGHS forum for all parents/carers of S4-6 students who are interested in undertaking their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award over the upcoming year. This meeting will be an opportunity for parents to meet our activity provider (for expeditions) MYAdventure, get information about the training schedule, costs and potential dates, as well as ask any questions they may have. We welcome anyone who is interested in the DofE, regardless if you have made a firm decision about participation or not.

And finally, please note that Monday 16 September is a holiday – best wishes to all for an enjoyable weekend.

Donald j Macdonald

Headteacher

“Do what makes you happy, be with who makes you smile, laugh as much as you breathe, and love as long as you live.” (Rachel Ann Nunes)