MUSSELBURGH GRAMMAR SCHOOL

THE GRAMMARIAN

Friday 13 February 2026

House assemblies this week let all students know about the plan to distribute Chromebooks to all S1-S6. There will be assemblies on Wednesday 25 February to let pupils know of expectations and devices will be distributed to all classes over Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 March.

We have also let all young people know about the expectations of having a school bag in which to carry their Chromebook, and that it needs to be fully charged each day: thank you to all parents and carers for their support with this.

It has been a very enjoyable week visiting classes in Expressive Arts as part of their review. The Review Team thoroughly enjoyed talking to dozens of young people about their experience across Art, Music and Music Tech, and seeing how creative and interesting their learning is.

Our 400 Acts of Kindness campaign continues, and it is lovely to see students recognising each other’s kindnesses, no matter how small: Grange is currently in the lead with 177 Acts recognised. Still all to play with Caird and Moray until the end of February!

It’s been a very busy term, and we know that it will be even busier when we return from February’s holiday, so we’re all looking forward to switching off for a bit next week.

With best wishes,

Jodie

KEY DATES

Monday 23 February: Inset day for staff only

Tuesday 24 February: all pupils return to school

SCQF Ambassador Update

As SCQF Ambassadors we have been really busy this term, spreading the word (and our enthusiasm) about SCQF courses and the different pathways that are available to pupils at Musselburgh Grammar. This is an important time of year for pupils in S2-S5 as they are choosing their subjects for next year; we visited around 20 PSE lessons to speak to pupils about the huge variety of SCQF courses on offer, and to tell them about our own experiences of courses as varied as Barista Skills, Bee Keeping, Duke of Edinburgh, Lab Skills, Games Design, First Aid and Foundation Apprenticeships!

We are well on our way to achieving our Silver SCQF Award (which recognises schools who are committed to providing a flexible and relevant curriculum) and hope to submit our evidence for this in the coming weeks.

Anna, Amy, Marcy, Nicole and Holly

PARENT COUNCIL MEETING DATES

These are the dates for this session’s Parent Council meetings:

Wednesday 1st April 7-8pm online https://meet.google.com/csy-mvmg-mtu?authuser=0&hs=122

Thursday 4th June 6.30-8.30pm in school

READY TO LEARN 1:1 Devices

Further to the letter sent to parents several weeks ago about the provision of Chromebooks for all S1-S6 pupils in MGS, I am delighted to let you know that the roll out is planned for the beginning of March.

Further details will follow, including the Learner Promise which must be read and signed by all students before a Chromebook can be given to them.

This is a fantastic opportunity for all our young people and we are all looking forward to using them to learn.

Please be aware that as part of our Ready to Learn approach pupils are expected to bring their fully charged Chromebooks into school every day.

Jotters, pens and pencils will still be used in class alongside Chromebooks, and in order to support high quality learning in every classroom every day, I ask all parents and carers for their support in ensuring that all students come to school with a school bag, ready to learn.

Thank you for your support.

READY TO LEARN Mobile Phones

Once all pupils have their own Chromebook there will no longer be any need for students to use a mobile phone in classrooms for learning purposes.

Our mobile phone policy is clear that mobile phones should be switched off and in school bags, or placed in a receptacle such as a phone tray or phone pocket to avoid all distractions. The policy can be read on the website.

East Lothian Council is currently surveying all parents and carers about mobile phones in school and I encourage you all to respond. Staff and young people will be surveyed in the near future. There are different views on this subject and it’s important that they’re recorded.

To support our Ready to Learn approach, the policy of phones being switched off and away, and not taken to the toilet during class time will continue until further notice and your support with this is appreciated.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday to this legend who as you can see does not give up!

Margaret has been at MGS for 24 years . We wish you all the best lovely lady for your special birthday tomorrow!

Congratulations - SSAA Indoor Track & Field Championships

Last week, MGS students Nina Millar (S1) and Tom Ibbs represented the school at the SSAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Glasgow. Both students competed across two days progressing into their respective finals.
Nina gained new personal bests (PB) in the 60m sprint and long jump. Tom also got a new PB in the 1500m finishing 4th in a stalked final- so competitive that it was only 0.35 seconds between 2nd and 4th place.
Congratulations to both students who represented the school amazingly. Both had achieved the best results they have ever done. This is down to their hard work and commitment along with the support of their families and coaches.

Sports Courses Available!

Spaces have just been available for students across East Lothian to take part in sports courses run by Preston Lodge High School. The courses will run across the February holidays led by development officers and coaches. To find out more, please click on the link to sign up. Places are first come first serve so make sure you sign up asap!

Rugby: https://forms.gle/xNt5ruGYWNe6KDb6A

Golf: https://forms.gle/inukdD7A23h7aL2G6

Netball: (coaching and umpiring) https://forms.gle/QMhD6orw8hSjcL7g8

Hockey: https://forms.gle/fGbHNFySu485c1WW6

MGS Football

Since the new year, our various school teams have been getting back into playing the second half of their respective leagues. Both our senior and S1 boys teams have narrowly missed out on their wins at home. However, both coaches have praised the team saying the level of play has greatly improved over a number of games.

Our S1 boys (at the time of writing) are due to play against Lasswade in the EMSFA Cup. Before the holidays, the team secured their place in the top half of the league, allowing them to qualify for the U13 EMSFA Championship League. A big thank you goes to parent coach Allan Russell who has given up his time to support the boys across their games. His knowledge and experience with Musselburgh Windsor FC has proven advantageous for our S1 boys team. A personal thanks needs to be given to the parents and carers who help assist with transport and support for the boys at all their games. Family support and buy in is appreciated by the school greatly.

SCHOOL TOILETS

Our pupil toilets are checked on a regular basis to ensure everyone’s comfort and safety. These checks may be done by male or female staff members, and signage is in toilets to make pupils aware of this.

NOTES FROM THE OFFICE

Reminder that all absences should be reported before 8am by texting 07860 049075. Please help us cut down on staff time and costs by notifying us before we have to contact you.

We have been asked by the Dining hall staff to remind pupils that if they are topping up cards on Ipay Impact, to do so at least 10 minutes before break or lunchtime please. Thank you

Please also remember to let us know in advance of any healthcare appointments for your young person, to save time at the point they need to leave school. If we haven’t been notified in advance, we will need to call you to verify, which may delay their departure from school.

THE HONEST THREAD

Our Honest Thread, “free to a good home” initiative is a new way to share gently used school uniforms within our school community. Anyone who is in need of these items are welcome to request them free of charge.

If you would like to receive any uniform items, please complete the short Google Form below. This allows us to organise requests and prepare your order for collection from the School Office.

https://forms.gle/8NGk3eGnr5M9bMd56

The form will be added to on a regular basis and we hope that we will be able to include items other than schoolwear; this scheme is entirely donation based, so families are always invited to donate clean, good-quality items they no longer need. All donations are much appreciated and can be dropped off at the School Office FAO Ms Ritchie.

YEAR GROUP ATTENDANCE

Improving attendance to improve attainment is one of our school improvement priorities this year and we expect pupils’ attendance to be at least 90%. We are tracking pupils’ attendance carefully throughout the session and more information about our attendance strategy will follow. I hope parents and carers find this weekly update on each year group's attendance useful.

S3 RESIDENTIAL

All pupils attending the S3 Residential in May should hand in the Final Consent Form to Ms Ritchie. If you still need to collect one, please go to B29 during break or lunch.

Reminder that the final payment for this trip is due by 13th March.

Our Healthy Respect drop in service runs every Wednesday lunchtime in the Training Room. This NHS run wellbeing service is in a discreet area of school, is free and confidential, and offers support and advice to young people on a range of matters including sexual health information for pupils over the age of 13.

CAR PARK SAFETY

A safety reminder to all families who drop children off at school in the morning that they should be dropped off in the turning circle

outside the main gates and then use the footpath to the main doors, not walk through the car park.

This is due to a few near accidents recently with the volume of cars in the car park and pupils walking through it. If it is essential to come into the car park then the one way system must be used, again, to prevent accidents.

In addition, any S6 pupils having driving lessons should not be using the school car park for any part of the lesson due to the amount of cars in the area including narrow lanes and parking bays.

Thank you for your support.

UNIFORM REMINDER

Thank you for your ongoing support of our dress code.

Wearing uniform in school continues to be an important feature in school, not least for a safety aspect, as it allows us to identify who all our pupils are.

As our S5 and S6 pupils have chosen to return to school and are aware of the expectations of uniform and attendance laid out at the beginning of the session, I do expect our seniors to uphold our uniform standards. This is not only for safety reasons but also as role models to all younger students.

To encourage this, uniform wearing will be considered alongside attendance as a deciding factor for seniors attending social events.

Our uniform expectations are:

Trousers/ skirt- black only
White shirt and tie
Black jumper

Blue jeans, ripped jeans, cropped/ belly tops, band t-shirts and joggers/ tracksuits etc are not part of our dress code.

Please get in touch with the school office or your child’s PSL (Pupil Support Leader) if we can support with any uniform items.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our dress code.

LOST PROPERTY

Various items of lost property have been handed in to Ms Harvey in the Medical room.

MEDICAL

Polio/dip/tetanus/meningitis for all S3 Boys and Girls and catch ups will take place on Thursday 19th March 2026. Please hand all forms back to the school office asap.

HPV will take place on Thursday 11th June 2026. Please return all forms to school asap. All S1 Boys and Girls and some catch ups too.

Thank you C Harvey

MGS WEBSITE AND SCHOOL HANDBOOK FOR PARENTS

Our website has lots of useful information for parents, and includes our School Handbook and School Policies. Have a look! We welcome your feedback.

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