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HEAD TEACHER'S NEWSLETTER
Our House Heads led House Assemblies this week, again focused on our school value of respect, and the importance of it in everything we do and say, not just in school but in our community. It also includes respect for ourselves in doing the best we can in every class in school, respect for our school building and our environment. Many students are preparing for life after school and employers are looking for employees who are the best versions of themselves everyday.
S6 House Captains are leading next week’s House Assemblies and sharing which S3 pupils have been successfully appointed to junior leadership positions.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
Jodie Hannan
Staffing:
There are several changes of staff and faculty structures in the pipeline as Wallyford Learning Campus recruits staff in preparation for opening to pupils in August 2023.
Congratulations to Mr Valentine, PT Guidance in Caird House, who has been appointed to DHT Pupil Support at Wallyford Learning Campus, and whose last day with us will be Friday 3 March. This post is being advertised nationally and we hope to have Mr Valentine’s successor in place in March.
Congratulations also to the following colleagues who have also been successfully appointed to Curriculum Leader (Head of Faculty) posts at WLC:
Mrs Anderson, PT Modern Studies and RMPS at MGS to CL Social Subjects,
Ms Roddy, PT 1 Literacy at MGS, to CL Languages and Literacy, and
Mr Thomson, PT CDT at MGS to CL Science and Technology.
Mrs Anderson, Ms Roddy and Mr Thomson will take up their new roles post Easter holidays with exact dates still to be confirmed.
Ms Chisholm, currently PT Geography and History will then take up post as Curriculum Leader of Global Citizenship (History, Geography, Modern Studies and RMPS).
Mrs Donnelly, currently PT Business Education and Computing, will then take up post as Curriculum Leader of STEM Technologies (Business Education, Computing Science and CDT).
Mr Greig, currently PT English, will then take up post as Curriculum Leader Communications (English, Literacy and Media).
Mr Dickson, currently PT Expressive Arts (Art and Music), will then take up post as Curriculum Leader Expressive Arts (Art, Drama and Music)
MGS wishes all these colleagues every success in their new roles at WLC.
It is with regret that I must let you know of the significant staffing challenges in the CDT department as Mrs Marshall has left and Mr Bowman leaves next week. In addition, Mr Gallagher is currently absent from school for a month. We are recruiting for a full time permanent member of staff but until that person is in post (hopefully in March/ April) we must prioritise the Senior Phase classes in preparation for SQA exams and completing courses so do not have the staff capacity to teach all S1 and S2 pupils CDT. Leaving cover work for a non specialist to teach to S1 and S2 is not an option so we are looking at what different subjects they can be taught in their CDT time and I will let you know these plans next week.
I know this is very disappointing for S1 and S2 but necessary to give them the best alternative experience and we would hope to reintroduce the CDT syllabus when staffing allows.
EIS Industrial Action Monday 16.01.23
School will be closed to all pupils on the above date. Teachers who are not striking will attend school to deliver online learning to pupils to complete at home. We are unable to share exact details of which staff will be working and are aware that some non-striking staff may not attend in support of their colleagues. However, learners should log on to Google classroom in the morning and complete any tasks set by staff on the day.
If your young person would like additional work, please direct them to BBC Bitesize and follow the links to https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/secondary and follow instructions for Scotland for particular subjects.
Families who are in receipt of free school meals will have the cost credited to their accounts.
Kayla and Rory's Weekly Rundown
Hi guys, welcome back to another one of Rory and Kayla’s weekly rundown. We hope everyone has enjoyed their first full week back and everyone is back into their school routine.
A reminder to all S6s to make sure you are fully up to date on all dalguise forms and information which can all be found on the google classroom. And we both hope any seniors who have their university application deadline coming up are all prepared for their applications to be sent off. Best of luck to everyone.
We also hope any pupils who are going through their course choices have started to make up their mind and are picking subjects they are really interested in. As it is a very important choice.
Have a lovely weekend and we will see you all next week! :)
House Points
S4-6 Academic Progress Meetings
Dear Parent/Carer,
As part of our strategy for improving academic outcomes for all young people at Musselburgh Grammar School, progress meetings will be held with learners between 16th and 27th January to discuss their next step for learning. The focus will be to support their studies through planned teaching and learning interventions until courses finish or exams begin in April/May 2023.
Meetings will be arranged for the following reasons:
If a young person is ‘on track’ with their learning but not meeting their potential, a learner conversation will take place with their class teacher or the Principal Teacher of that subject to plan their next steps for learning, with the view to improving their current ‘working grade’. Next steps will be shared with parents at the next parents evening or earlier where appropriate.
If a young person is ‘off track’ with their learning in one subject, a learner conversation will take place with the Principal Teacher of that subject to plan their next steps for that subject with a view to becoming back ‘on track’. Next steps will be shared with parents at the next parents evening or earlier where appropriate.
If a young person is ‘off track’ with their learning in two subjects, a learner conversation will take place with their Guidance Teacher to plan their next steps for those subjects. The next steps agreed at this meeting with then be shared with their subject teachers with a view to becoming back ‘on-track’. The agreed next steps will be shared with parents.
If a young person is ‘off track’ with their learning in three or more subjects, a learner conversation will take place with their Head of House, or the Head Teacher, and parents/carers will be invited to attend this conversation on-line or in person to support planning their next steps. The agreed next steps will then be shared with their subject teachers with a view to becoming back ‘on-track’.
If you have any subject specific queries, please do not hesitate to contact your young person’s class teacher or the appropriate Principal Teacher. Some young people are already on personalised learning programmes that will remain in place until the end of the academic year. If this relates to your child a meeting at this point may not be required.
Thank you for your support.
Mr J. Webster
Depute Head Teacher
Becoming a Reading School
Reading Schools is an accreditation programme created by the Scottish Book Trust for schools that are committed to building a reading culture for their learners and communities. Research proves that reading for pleasure is central in supporting equity and wellbeing, positively impacting learners’ attainment across the curriculum, critical thinking, creativity, empathy and resilience. We at MGS see the value, enjoyment and importance of reading and we want to celebrate that. Consequently we are excited to say that we have signed up to become a ‘Reading School.’ The programme will offer us an accreditation, with the option of advancing to silver and gold status later down the line. This programme will open up some fantastic opportunities for collaboration within and between schools as well as pathways to engaging with families and the wider community.
We have already been involved in lots of book and reading related activities to showcase our love of reading. Some of these include:
Celebrating Book Week Scotland
A video to highlighting how staff at MGS have developed a love of reading and what they see are the benefits of reading,
Link to ‘Authors Live’ from the Scottish Book Trust – this will help us see the thought process and creativity implemented when writing a novel
A new list of reading recommendations
Creative Writing Club
Book swaps
The Readaxation group in the Library.
As we continue to build our evidence, you will see more activities for students, parents and the wider community to get involved in. We are really excited about these first steps, so please keep an eye out for more things to come!
Ms Dodd, English Teacher
PE Practical Assessments
The practical assessments for National 5 and Higher, which are worth 50% of the pupils’ overall grade, are taking place as follows:
31st January : N5 Football (period 1-3), Gymnastics and Dance (period 4-5)
1st February: N5/H Basketball (period 1-3), badminton and AH Swimming (period 4-5)
Pupils can find full lists of who is participating in which activity on their Google Classrooms. Any issues or concerns with this should be relayed to their teacher immediately.
Pupils should arrive at school in school uniform but ensure that they have a full change of appropriate PE kit for the assessment.
Badminton and Basketball practice for the assessments is available for pupils being assessed in these activities on Tuesdays after school. Gymnasts and Dancers can also arrange practice space. Please see your PE teacher if you wish to attend.
S4/5 Personal Development
The Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra visit
On Thursday 19th January 2023, East Lothian Council Instrumental Music Service Secondary School String Ensemble are collaborating with the Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra to perform in Venue 1, at the Brunton Hall, Musselburgh.
During their week long residency, the orchestra will be working with musicians from all East Lothian Secondary Schools. On Thursday, the CWSO will be rehearsing at MGS alongside our own string players. This will include a rehearsal for the evening concert and a short performance to MGS pupils in the school hall. We’re incredibly excited to have the opportunity for our young people to rehearse and perform alongside these professional musicians.
The evening concert on the 19th will be an opportunity for the wonderful Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra to perform for our young people and community. The start of the second half of this concert will also feature our talented East Lothian young musicians performing several pieces side-by-side with the orchestra.
The concert starts at 7pm, in Venue 1, at the Brunton Hall, Musselburgh, and your free tickets can be reserved by clicking here. I hope you will consider coming along to support our talented young string players and to enjoy hearing this professional orchestra performing in our county.
Apprenticeships
Torness currently has an advert out for Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technicians.
The link to the page is as follows: https://www.edfenergy.com/careers/apprenticeships
Skills Development Scotland Webinars
Scottish Apprenticeships: Supporting your pupils, parents and carers
Tuesday, 17 January, 4pm-5pm
Get the latest information on Foundation, Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships and hear from a teacher, apprentice and employer on the benefits of apprenticeships.
The session will share information on how to access resources and tools and include a Q&A, to help you support pupils, parents and carers with information on in-school and post-school options through apprenticeships.
This live webinar will support:
Teachers, including Pastoral Care Support Staff
DYW school co-ordinators
If you have any questions, please contact careers.events@sds.co.uk
Overview of Scottish Apprenticeships for Parents and Carers
Thursday, 19 January, 6.30pm – 7.15pm
How much do you know about Scottish Apprenticeships? Sign up to the national webinar to hear about Foundation, Modern and Graduate Apprenticeships and how work-based learning can open the door to a wide range of careers.
In order to access this session, you will require to have downloaded the Microsoft Teams app on your device - we would advise that if you are using a mobile or tablet, you download this prior to the session.
Medical
All vaccination forms must be returned by the end of January. Please return your forms and direct any questions to Ms Harvey. The vaccination day is Thursday 23rd February.
Lost Property
There are lots of jackets, jumpers, etc. Please come and see if these belong to you. Thank you, Ms Harvey
Newsletter Archive
There's an archive section on the newsletter site with all of the previous newsletters organised by date. It can be viewed by clicking on 'Archive' in the menu or using this link: https://bit.ly/ht-newsletter-archive.
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