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HEAD TEACHER'S NEWSLETTER
Friday 14 March 2025
Friday 14 March 2025
With best wishes for the weekend.
Jodie Hannan
Key Dates
Friday 4th April: S6 Leavers Celebration (further information later in the newsletter)
Friday 4 April: Term ends
Tuesday 22 April: Staff and Pupils return
Remember you can find all events on our school calendar, and you can add the calendar to your own too.
Reporting on pupil progress
Reporting dates
There are several reporting stages coming up. Please note reports will be issued to learners at the following times:
Year Report type Issue date week beginning
S3 level and rating only 17th March
S4,5,6 SQA estimate only 31st March
S2 level and rating only 28th April
S1 level. rating and comment 19th May
An explanation sheet for S4/5/6 reports (issued to pupils this week) has been sent to all parents/carers. Please contact the school office if you do not have one at admin@musselburghgrammar.elcschool.org.uk
Parent Council Meeting dates
Tuesday 20 May: MGS PC Online briefing 7-8pm meet.google.com/tkd-rakc-dor
Monday 16 June: MGS PC full meeting – in person, in school 7-8pm
Parent Council
Join the Community Lottery and Help Our Parent Council raise valuable funds
Did you know that just by playing the East Lothian Community Lottery, you can support Musselburgh Grammar School Parent Council AND have the chance to win amazing prizes? 🎉
For the past three years, we've been part of this fantastic local initiative and have already raised £750 for our school!
💷 What’s in it for you?
A chance to win up to £25,000! 💰
A portion of every ticket sold goes straight to our school – a win-win! 🏫
Bonus draw alert! ✨ Sign up by 29 March and you could win a Home Robot Bundle! 🤖🏡
It’s easy to join, and every ticket you buy helps make a difference. Let’s get our school soaring – one ticket at a time!
🎟 Sign up today: https://www.eastlothianlottery.co.uk/support/musselburgh-grammar-school-parent-council
Thank you for your support – and good luck! 🤞✨
SQA Exam Diet
The SQA exam diet now commences on Friday 25 April, not Monday 28 April https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/files_ccc/nq-2025-exam-timetable.pdf
SQA’s learner booklet – Your Exams – is available to download from their website. The booklet contains important information for learners sitting National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exams. It also highlights the rules that learners must know and follow to ensure they are not penalised. Please encourage your child to download and read the booklet. If you have any problems accessing the booklet please ask your child to speak to their pupil support.
Download Your Exams booklet: https://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/100863.12732.html
A link to this booklet has already been made available to pupils in their google classroom.
SQA Assemblies will take place for pupils week beginning 31st March 2025.
Easter revision programme
There are only 3 short weeks until the Easter holidays, and 3 days in school after those holidays before exams start.
I am aware that some senior pupils aren't aware of the school’s study support poster so am including it here again, will email it all pupils on their edubuzz accounts, and re post in year group Google classrooms.
E-sgoil is offering revision classes over Easter- more information and to sign up with a GLOW password e-sgoil.com/senior-phase/e…
MGS Revision Resource Poster.pdf
MGS Easter Revision Study Support
The Easter Revision Programme offered by MGS teachers is now available in pupil google classrooms and on our school website, using the student > study support tab: https://sites.google.com/edubuzz.org/musselburgh-grammar-school/home?authuser=0 . Please complete the google form you would like to attend any of the available sessions.
Pupils must note that sessions will run from 10am - 12pm and 1pm to 3pm. Pupils must arrive 10 minutes before the session begins to gain access to the building and they must remain for the duration of the study session. Late admission will not be permitted.
We will review the sign up forms and may withdraw sessions that do not have enough participants.
Beating exam stress
Coping with Exam Stress & Your Mental Health:
A Guide for Students
Musselburgh Grammar School
Pupil Voice Equality group
While the cause of exam stress is in the name, there can be many different reasons as to why you may be struggling with your mental health. Whatever the reason, stress or mental health difficulties can have both physical and mental effects on your body.
These struggles can affect people in many different ways, including, but not limited to:
Feeling anxious or down.
Getting irritable or angry.
Struggling to sleep.
Changes in your eating habits.
Having negative thoughts about yourself or your ability to succeed in an exam.
Worrying about the future and things you can not control.
Losing interest in activities that you normally/used to enjoy.
Having difficulty concentrating.
Feeling unwell, e.g. experiencing headaches, feeling sick, or feeling tired.
While it is expected that most people will feel stressed about sitting exams, that doesn’t mean you are expected to ‘just deal with it’. Therefore, this guide aims to give you ways of coping with exam stress and your mental health, charities and organisations that provide helpful advice, and about who to tell if you are struggling due to exam stress or your mental health.
Strategies to Help You Cope with Your Mental Health and/or Exam Stress:
Talk About How You’re Feeling -
Telling someone else how you are feeling. Voicing your worries and concerns, as well as anything else that is troubling you, can help in many ways. Letting it all out can feel like a weight off your shoulders, or the other person may be able to offer you some advice or consolation.
People you can talk to about exam stress or your mental health include:
A parent/ carer/ guardian.
Other family members, e.g. an aunt or a sibling.
A friend.
A teacher or your Pupil Support Leader.
The doctor (GP).
A trusted adult.
Each of these people can help in different ways, and if your mental health or exam stress is particularly difficult to manage, then it may be best talking to the doctor.
Living Healthily -
While getting enough sleep can be easier said than done when it comes to feeling stressed or struggling with your mental health, eating and drinking the correct food and drink can be very beneficial.
This is because eating and drinking the right kind of things fuels your body, meaning it can cope better with the effects that stress has on your body.
Keeping in Contact with Friends and Family -
Making sure you check in with your friends and family is really important when you're struggling with exam stress or your mental health.
If your friends are preparing to sit exams too, then chances are they feel the same way, which means you can both lend a sympathetic and understanding ear.
Try Relaxation Techniques -
There are many types of relaxation techniques, some which are breathing exercises or grounding techniques. These can help curb stress and anxiety, as well as distract you from how you are feeling.
Examples of relaxation techniques include:
Deep breathing - a relaxation technique where you concentrate on breathing in relaxation and breathing out stress. It is scientifically proven to lower your blood pressure and reduce stress levels. Here is a YouTube video of deep breathing exercises that you can try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acUZdGd_3Dg
Progressive muscle relaxation - this involves tensing and then relaxing your muscles, one by one. This helps you release physical tension from your body and feel more relaxed. Here is a YouTube video that guides you through progressive muscle relaxation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=912eRrbes2g
Meditation - meditation is the focusing of your attention to bring about feelings of calm and increased energy. It increases your calm feelings, concentration, and awareness. Here is a YouTube video that guides you through meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyy0ra2WcQQ
Engaging in Hobbies and Activities You Enjoy -
Taking part in hobbies or activities you enjoy can make you feel happier. Whether you enjoy reading books, playing video games, or taking part in a sport, setting aside as little as 10 minutes a day for your enjoyed activity/ activities can improve your mood and reduce stress.
Exercise -
Staying active in some form is great for your physical and mental health. It can help your body stay strong and cope with the effects of stress or poor mental health.
However, playing sports isn’t for everybody, so even just going for a walk or doing some stretching/yoga can be nice, relaxing, and low-intensity exercise.
Strategies to Help You Cope with Exam Stress:
Ask for Help -
If you struggle with a subject, it’s always a good idea to ask your teacher or tutor for advice, or to go to them with questions that you have.
You could also ask teachers or other students for advice on how to juggle revising for all of your subjects, and if they have any tricks and tips for revising.
Getting advice from people who know your subjects well and have been through it before can be very beneficial. It can make you feel more confident and prepared, which therefore can lessen your stress.
Attend Study Support -
Attending study support for your subjects, especially any that you struggle with, can help you learn how to study effectively and get help when you need it.
Revise Little and Often -
Revising smaller chunks of a subject can make it less daunting and more manageable. Making sure you study the subjects you struggle with the most more often can help you feel more confident about them.
If you find it difficult knowing what you should study and when, or if you have a habit of only studying, making a revision timetable might help. This way you know which subjects to study on certain days, and you can schedule time to see friends and relax.
Resources You Can Use:
If you’re struggling with exam stress or your mental health, there are charities and organisations that give advice for how to cope.
Some charities and organisations are:
Student Minds ( https://www.studentminds.org.uk/ ).
Young Minds ( https://www.youngminds.org.uk/ ).
BBC Bitesize study support ( https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/study-support ).
MYPAS ( https://www.mypas.co.uk/ ).
Some apps that can help are:
DARE: Anxiety & Panic Attacks.
Stresscoach: Reduce Anxiety.
Rootd - Anxiety & Panic Relief.
Finch: Self-Care Pet.
Mobile Phones
A reminder that phones are only permitted in class for teaching and learning purposes. These symbols are used in classes to let pupils know if phones can/ not be used.
Last official day for S6
Friday 4th April:
S6 Leavers Celebration
Parents and carers are invited to join us on the morning of Friday 4th April for a celebration for S6 leavers followed by coffee and pastries. Please complete this form to indicate if you are attending so we can plan for the right numbers.
S6 students will be dismissed from school at the end of the event.
Times for the day:
08.45 - 09.00 Students and parents/carers assemble in the hall
09.00 - 10.00 Leaving ceremony
10.00 - 10.30 Coffee and pasties with students, families and staff
10.30 S6 can leave at this stage unless they plan to attend class
Please note that all S6 pupils are expected to return to school after the Easter holidays until study leave begins on 25 April.
Foundation Apprenticeships
We were delighted to welcome Sandy Begbie, a former Grammar pupil, back to school yesterday to speak to pupils about the importance of
apprenticeships to pupils’ careers.
Sandy spoke to classes in Business Education which already teaches pupils about meta skills (the skills we need to help us learn, such as collaboration and critical thinking) and also runs a very successful Foundation Apprenticeship for pupils across East Lothian. He shared with us his own career roadmap after he left school, including how as a former pupil he came to be CEO of SFE and chair of DYW.
He talked about the difficulties he overcame, the meta skills he used and also what opportunities are out there for pupils in finance that they may not have thought about possibly – what might a day in the life of Sandy look like and Qs about what skills might be important to learn at school – again please see the meta skills in first attachment for some context.
Sandy’s impressive biography is here, and a few notable achievements are:
CEO of Scottish Financial Enterprise- the representative body for Scotland’s financial services industry (worth £14.3 bn GVA to Scottish and UK economy)
Chair of Developing Young Workforce Scotland
Sandy was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in August 2018 for services to business and social inclusion.
In December 2024 Sandy was awarded Freedom of the City of London for his transformative leadership in Scotland's financial sector and his enduring commitment to fostering economic growth and social inclusion across Scotland.
You may also find this interesting:
Job opportunities
Mrs Watson regularly updates job opportunities in S4 to S6 Google classrooms. This week there are a number of Modern Apprenticeships.
SQA Drama
We will celebrate the success of the SQA Drama pupils by putting on a showcase evening on Tuesday 18th March at 6.00pm in the school hall. Parents, Guardians and peers are all invited!
These performances will showcase the progression from National 5, through Higher and finally the Advanced Higher Drama students. Please come and be entertained, through tears and laughter.
The performances will be from scripted plays which have been rehearsed, performed and assessed as part of the SQA courses.
They are truly fantastic and I am very proud of all involved!
See you all Tuesday evening 6.00 pm for an absolute treat! What a great way to celebrate success!
Mrs J Wood
SQA Assessment and Assignment calendar
Almost all N5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses require pupils to complete an Assignment, Dissertation, practical performance or other assessment before the SQA exam diet.
These assessments must be completed and deadlines cannot be missed.
To help pupils and parents/ carers see what is required over the next few months and plan out study time accordingly, we have collated these in a spreadsheet for all parents and pupils. This can be found on our website under 'Students', also in 'Musselburgh Learns/SQA' and will be posted in the S4, S5 and S6 Google classrooms - so you can't miss it 😀.
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.
S1: 91 %
S2: 88%
S3: 89%
S4: 90%
S5: 92%
S6: 91%
Head Team
Hi everyone!
It’s crazy to think that there are only 3 more weeks for us sixth years, it really has flown by! For the seniors, exams are coming up. We know first hand how stressful this time is so we wish you all the best.
Coming up to our finals weeks, we are extremely excited for the S6 vs Teachers football match on the 1st of April. 4:30 at Pinkie, everyone is welcome.
We are also looking forward to our end of year assembly on the 4th of April. We hope to see many family and friends there to celebrate our amazing year group.
To add to the schedule, we are looking forward to Musselburgh Festival election night on the 28th of March. We will be celebrating the newly appointed Honest Lad and Lass and we hope to see many of you there.
Last week, we joined the last parent council meeting of the session. We would like to personally thank everyone involved for their continued support of the school.
We hope that the seniors have the best last three weeks before exam leave, and everyone enjoys a much deserved Easter break.
Katie, Ailsa and Summer
School Medical Records
We are updating our school medical records to ensure that we hold the most up to date and accurate information for all our pupils.
If contacted, please return paperwork as soon as possible. In some cases this is vital to ensure access to school medical equipment in the case of an emergency.
If your child has a medical need that the school does not yet know about please contact our admin office mailbox.
Medical
Polio/Dip vaccinations
All S3 Boys and Girls and also some catch ups will have received a polio/dip/meningitis form.
Please return this to school asap.
The vaccines will take place on Thursday 20th March 2025.
HPV VACCINE
All S1 and also some catch ups will take place on Tuesday 3rd June 2025. Please return your
form back to school asap.
MMR VACCINE - Catch ups (only if you received a blue form) will be vaccinated on Tuesday
3rd June 2025
Reminders to parents:
We are in the process of updating our medical records. If we have contacted you to return a form, or to provide information, please do this asap. It will ensure we are able to help your child if necessary. Without the correct form in place, we may not be able to administer emergency medication.
We are unable to hold antihistamines in school, unless your child has had them prescribed.
If your child requires an inhaler, this must be carried with them at all times, and we must have received your asthma consent form.
Infection Control - if your child has had vomiting/diarrhoea, they should not return to school before 48h after the last episode. This helps limit the spread of any bugs - thank you for your co-operation.
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