MUSSELBURGH GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Health & safety: Covid

East Lothian currently has the second highest number of Covid cases in Scotland and I ask that all our pupils continue to follow all Covid guidance in and out of school. Our refurbishment continues as planned and we will get the S6 dining room back shortly. I expect a decision to be made on the designation of the toilets soon and will let you know.

Uniform

We will be launching the updated uniform procedures in the next few weeks- we are proud to be a uniform wearing school and it’s vital that shirts and ties are worn so all young people in the building are clearly identifiable as our pupils. We also believe that uniform sets the tone and expectations for learning. Please note that sportswear, grey joggers, non-black trousers, hoodies or jumpers are not part of our uniform and PE kit should not be worn to school. If we can help with uniform please email pupilsupport@musselburghgrammar.elcschool.org.uk

Lateness policy

We are several weeks into our new lateness policy and have seen a significant increase in punctuality to school which means that pupils are not missing out on learning, and helps settle them into a good routine after the disruption of the last few years.

Thank you for your feedback on how we can continue to encourage pupils to be in time to school. You can read the policy here: https://bit.ly/mgs-latenesspolicy

Key dates:

Wednesday 2 February: S2 Parents’ Evening online - details on how to join this will be issued nearer the time

Staffing:

Unfortunately we were unable to appoint a temporary full time Maths teacher in this week’s interviews and will readvertise shortly. These classes continue to be covered by a combination of Maths and non-specialist teachers.

Mr May leaves us on 4 February to take up a post in Midlothian. We thank him for his service to our school and wish him the best for the next stage in his career.

Mrs Kinninmont, Teacher of English, is teaching her classes from home until her maternity leave officially commences, and the learning in class is facilitated by Mrs Watson, supply teacher.

Respect for our neighbours

Tesco staff have contacted me to let me know that they are having problems with pupils not wearing face coverings in the store, being disrespectful to staff and dropping litter. It’s really disappointing to hear that that our people are not behaving well and it’s below what we expect. I ask all pupils to respect our neighbours, environment and community at all times by using litter bins and behaving kindly.

And my last point, but certainly not least…..Vaping

I do not want to alarm parents and carers but this is increasingly worrying and seems to be gaining ground with a significant amount of young people.

Vaping is not new, yet since the beginning of this school year the number of young people vaping has risen drastically. E-cigarettes, ‘Vapes’, used to be expensive and this in some way prohibited young people from taking this up. However, it has been brought to my attention that it is now possible to buy disposable vapes for as little as £6. It is these disposable vapes that we are seeing more in and around school.

It was incredible to see that the years of educating people to the dangers of smoking, as well as costs, was having such a positive effect on the number of young people taking up smoking. I personally had seen this number plummet throughout my time in education. And so it is even more upsetting to see that vaping is now taking its place. I am concerned that young people do not appreciate the addictive nature of vaping.

Although it seems to be widely regarded that vaping is less dangerous than smoking, the evidence is now showing a vast array of health concerns linked to vaping.

As the smell is not quite as powerful as cigarettes this is also easier for young people to hide. Add to that these disposable vapes can often look simply like a marker pen, making it easier for children to hide.

Pupils vaping in our school toilets corridors and classrooms does unfortunately seem to be taking place so I would remind everyone that East Lothian Policy is very clear that the smoking of cigarettes or e-cigarettes (of any kind) is not allowed in or around the premises of council buildings. This rule also stands for children and so should anyone be caught appropriate consequences will be put in place: vapes confiscated and parents/ carers contacted.

The dangers of smoking and vaping are taught by your child’s Guidance Teacher in the school’s PSE (Personal and Social Education) programme and obviously very many young people would never dream of starting to vape, and this is a very small minority. However we know that peer pressure can be a significant factor in young people starting things they normally wouldn’t dream of and so I felt it important to make you aware and ask you to have a discussion about this with your child.

As always, thank you for your ongoing support of our school, and wishing you a lovely weekend.

Active Schools

We have been absolutely delighted with the response to Extra-Curricular since returning in January. It really has been great to see so many of our young people choosing to be active and taking part in many of the fantastic sport, and physical activity opportunities we have on offer. Participating in physical activity has a huge potential to enhance our wellbeing, and even the smallest amount can make a big difference. Did you know that 10 minutes walking, alone can increase mental alertness, energy and positive mood!

At Musselburgh Grammar School it is very important to us to get our young people more active and more often. This week we have also added Volleyball and Fitness to our programme. For more information on these clubs and to see our full Active Schools programme please click on the link below:

Musselburgh Grammar School Active Schools Online Booking System

Our Active Schools Programme runs throughout the whole school year and pupils can be signed up at any time, space permitting. Miss Hall is also on hand in A45 to answer any questions and support pupils into our extra - curricular programme.

Let's see if we can make 2022 our most active year at Musselburgh Grammar yet!

Thanks

Ms Hall

YPAG Basics

• Age: 12 to 25

• Dates: December 2021 – June 2022

• Location: you need to live, work or study in East Lothian. Workshops will be held online and face-to-face in East Lothian (if Covid rules allow). Your travel and food costs will be covered

• Time: There will be approximately 10 meetings of YPAG each around 2-3 hours (Covid regulations permitting). Meetings will be organised in the evenings/weekends. There will be some tasks in between meetings that members of the YPAG can volunteer for.

What will YPAG do?

If you join YPAG you will help to decide what services for young people should focus on over the next three years and lead the development of the Youth Strategy. YPAG will:

• Discuss and agree what the Youth Strategy should look like

• Engage and consult with other young people, stakeholders and partners to get their thoughts and ideas

• Analyse consultation responses

• Work with staff from across the council, other youth workers and organisations like the NHS to develop the Youth Strategy

What do you get from joining YPAG?

Volunteering is a great way to make a difference in your community. It also helps you develop new skills, meet other young people, build your confidence and have fun. All the work you do can contribute towards Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Youth Achievement Awards, Dynamic Youth Awards and Saltire Awards.

How do you get involved?

You do not have to have any previous skills or experience to join YPAG. You just need to be willing to get involved and keen to make a difference. YPAG aims to be an inclusive group and welcomes all young people. We want to make sure that any young person who wants to can join YPAG. If you need any support or adjustments in order to participate you can let us know on the application form. If you would like to get involved you can apply online using the link below:

Apply to join the Young Person’s Advisory Group

If you would like a word version of the form to print and fill in or would prefer to apply with a video or audio recording, please send us an email kelly@northernstarassociates.co.uk or cdavis@eastlothian.gov.uk and we can help.

Next steps

After you’ve applied we will be in touch with more info about YPAG and an invite to the first workshop in December.

Any questions?

You can contact us on kelly@northernstarassociates.co.uk or cdavis@eastlothian.gov.u if you have any questions.

In February we will be hosting a teacher vs senior pupils charity football match to raise money for Young Minds. Since the pandemic more young people than ever before are finding it hard to cope with how they're feeling. Charities like Young Minds helped young people to fight their battles. More information on how to donate and dates will be posted later on.

We again wanted to emphasise how important it is to complete and submit your UCAS applications before the deadline on January 26th. Many of us have already submitted our applications and are awaiting responses from the universities we have chosen. We wish everyone who is submitting an application the best of luck! Guidance teachers in S6 PSE classes have continued to support students who want to attend university as well as those who are attending college, apprenticeships or looking for jobs.

We are thankful for the Guidance department's assistance and we appreciate how far they are willing to go to ensure that we all meet our deadlines. Thank you to all students for following the rules and continuing to wear face coverings throughout the school and using sanitiser when necessary. We appreciate you going to such an extent to ensure the safety of not only ourselves but also our staff and their families back home.

As always we wish everyone a wonderful weekend and hope to see you all again next week!

Em and Nic