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HEAD TEACHER'S NEWSLETTER
Well! We made it. Another successful term behind us, and we look forward to a fortnight of rest and hopefully some sun!
I would like to thank all my colleagues at the Grammar for their incredible efforts and support over the last few months to get all our young people to this point- it is a privilege to work with such a committed team.
Whatever you have planned for the holidays, enjoy, and we will reconvene on Monday 17 April.
Jodie Hannan
Key Dates
Friday 31 March: Term ends for Easter holidays
Monday 17 April: All pupils and staff return to school
Wednesday 19 April: Spring Concert
Staffing Update
Welcome to…
Mr Davis in Computing who has now joined us on a permanent full time basis.
Mrs Hamilton Wylie who joins us in CDT on Monday 17 April.
Mr C Blair, currently Curriculum Leader Maths and Computing at Knox Academy, who takes up post with us as Acting DHT Grange, on Monday 17 April.
Welcome back to…
Mrs Duff and Mrs Kinninmont returning to Biology and English from maternity leave on Monday 17 April.
And thanks to…
Mr Dias whose temporary contract covering Mrs Kinninmont’s maternity leave ends today: thanks to him for doing such a good job.
Mr Gallagher, CDT, who leaves us today for a post at George Heriot’s in Edinburgh. We thank him for his lengthy service and wish him well.
And to Mr Webster, Acting DHT Grange, who also leaves us today to take up a well-deserved permanent DHT role at Levenmouth Academy. Huge thanks to him for a great job very well done at MGS.
S6 Leavers
We said our formal farewell to our wonderful S6 leavers this morning with shirt signing, pipers (thanks to Tom and Kieran) and a ceremony with all SLT and Guidance staff, followed by a bouncy castle and pizza( though not at the same time).
It’s always bittersweet saying goodbye to our pupils but we send them on their way with joy and pride in the fine young people they have become.
Personally, I have only known this group for a short while but I could not have spent the first residential since Covid, and my first trip since 2015, with a nicer group of people than them- it was a treat and a pleasure.
They have set the bar high for the year groups who will follow them and staff have always spoken of them so fondly.
It has been a pleasure working so closely with Rory, Kayla, Jamie and Orla, our team of Head Pupils this year and they should be proud of their legacies that future Head Pupils can build upon.
It’s sad to see them all leave but it has been our privilege to prepare them for the next phase of their lives.
Go well and be happy.
Spring Concert 2023
Come and join us for an evening of brilliant music (and some dance!) performed by our talented MGS pupils. See you all after the break!
Eco Week 2023
There will be lots to look forward to in the first week back as MGS will be holding Eco Week 2023!
What is Eco Week?
The week has been designed to promote sustainable and eco-friendly options for eating, shopping and travelling! For example…
Munchie Monday’s bake sale will offer mostly vegetarian or plant-based baking.
Pupils can add a pre-loved book to their collection on Text Tuesday.
Pupils can win a prize on Walk to School Wednesday for submitting a photo of their creative and eco-friendly journey to school.
Pupils can find clothes, games and books at Mrs Howie and Mrs Beveridge’s Free to a Good Home stall on Thrifty Thursday.
Will pupils need money?
If pupils would like to buy anything from the Bake Sale on Monday then they will need to bring a little money with them. They can also make a donation on the dress-down day on Friday.
The Book Swap and Free to a Good Home stall are entirely free!
Author Event
Author Event Monday 27th March
On Monday evening we welcomed young people and their families to MGS to our author event. We had no-secco and music on arrival, the Burgh Baristas doing their thing and not one or two but three pupil photographers circulating the room to take family photos.The main event was our young people themselves: they did brilliantly to walk across the stage to collect a copy of their published work. (Please note that all young author who couldn’t make the event will receive a copy in due course).
After an impressive team photo on the stage a hubbub ensued whilst our invited guests and authors sampled the stalls. We had senior pupils making commemorative badges, serving refreshments, selling books, running a book tombola and using polaroid cameras to take family photos as keepsakes. Young people and families were encouraged to write a message in our author event scrapbook and include a polaroid to mark the occasion. A big thanks to Mrs Allan for running this very popular stall. We were also delighted to have Mrs Scott and her colleagues at East Lothian Library Services with us and we were very appreciative of the yummy easter eggs that were being handed out. Thanks also to Miss Andrew, Ms Collins and Mrs Neill for keeping everyone hydrated throughout and for Mr Donnelly, Mme Dreon-Goold, the school office and our janitors for helping with the smooth running of the night before, during and afterwards.
The Grammar Sagas, a creative compilation written by S2s, and Journey Through Musselburgh: an (un)official guide written by S3s will be available for purchase from Musselburgh Library in the near future retailing at £7 and £10 respectively. These amusing texts will also be available on Amazon in due course and we’re pleased to announce that we sold £145 worth of stock on Monday night alone. Thanks again to Miss Andrew’s retail group!
We are looking forward to working with the Super Power Agency this coming winter and it goes without saying that we look forward to supporting more young people to become authors!
A sincere thanks to all of our pupil helpers:
Aimee Grant
Anna Russell
Caitlin Menzies
Amy Neilson
Craig Kenny
Emma Hamilton
Charlie Haynes
Guerin Thomson
Max Mackenzie
Scott Radley
Sophie Legge
Thanks too to MGS staff
Mrs Allan
Miss Andrew
Ms Collins
Mr Donnelly
Mme Dreon-Goold
Mrs Lock
Mrs McElhaney
Mrs Neil
Mrs Scott
Office and janitorial team
British Red Cross
The British Red Cross invited MGS young people and staff to a presentation at Riddle’s Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday 29th March in order to personally thank them for their fundraising efforts in support of Ukraine.
Pictured below are Grace McGill and Anna Russell. MGS staff included Mrs Lock, Mrs Scott and Mrs Walker.
The event kicked off with an introduction by Community Legacy Manager Brian Sharkey and was followed by a talk on the work of the Red Cross in Scotland by the Director for Scotland Rob Murray. Noel Trew - Senior International Law Advisor - then spoke about the international work of the Red Cross and gave a brief history of the organisation. Following a lovely lunch we were given a tour of Riddle’s Court by Fiona Sim from the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust. Higlights included a spectacular view of Victoria Street from above, a toilet featuring an original stone bread oven and chimney and a hidden close no longer accessible to the public. We would definitely recommend a visit there if you haven’t been.
We hope that this isn’t the end of the incredible work of MGS pupils like Anna and Grace who get involved in causes that matter to them.
Scottish Instrumental Music Services Young Musician of the Year Competition
This past weekend, multiple MGS music students participated in the Scottish Instrumental Music Services Young Musician of the Year Competition. Emelia Duffy, Tom Ferguson, Julia Scott and Fraser Walters performed in the solo competition at St. Mary’s Church in Haddington. Fraser, Julia and Tom all managed to proceed to the final round of the competition. A huge congratulations to these pupils for doing such a fantastic job and a special well done to Tom for placing as one of two runners up!!
Katie Horrel, Charlie Devine, Fraser Walters, Michael Hoole , Martha Bremner, Tess Devlin, Hannah Scott and Julia Scott were also highly commended for playing in the Woodwind, Brass or String ensembles for the Ensemble competition!
Well done to all of these pupils, we are so proud of you! Many hours spent practising has paid off! 😀
S2 Dynamic Earth Trip
Five S2 classes visited Dynamic Earth as part of the ‘Restless Earth’ unit this week for an explosive day of activities! The groups took part in an ‘Explosive Earth’ workshop where they were learning interesting facts about volcanoes, touching volcanic rock specimens and finding out about how they formed, and thinking about the impact that an eruption can have on the people and landscape. We also visited the exhibit at Dynamic Earth to learn about the creation of the earth from the big bang, how glaciers and volcanoes/ earthquakes shaped the landscape and the development of life on earth. We all enjoyed the interactive experiences and the chance to bring our classroom learning to life!
Glow log on details
If you are in S4, 5 or 6 and would like your Glow account activated to access e-Sgoil, please email Ms Craigie on Edubuzz at jcraigie@edubuzz.org.
Click here for access to e-Sgoil study support and resources:
French Secondary School Visit
This week, pupils from one of the Modern Languages department’s partner schools in Rouen, France visited Musselburgh Grammar School to experience some time in a Scottish school. Our S3 and S4 French pupils at MGS gave the visiting French pupils a tour of the school, complete with codebreaker challenges. They worked on a range of French and English spoken activities together in the social space. It was particularly impressive to hear our MGS pupils trying out their French language skills - bravo tout le monde!
The pupils commented on the excellent time they had, as well as the new friends they made. We in the modern languages department are so proud of the way in which all those involved conducted themselves, demonstrating determination and respect in abundance. Well done! Chapeau! 👏
Mrs McIntosh, Mr Jordan and the Modern Languages Faculty
MYPAS Bluebell Trail Run
Apprenticeship Opportunities
School leavers and those considering their options, including moving on from school, may be interested in new apprenticeship opportunities advertised in Edinburgh and East Lothian. Please check the following links for examples of vacancies in **construction and other industries: Apprenticeships | Apprenticeships.scot: Work, Learn & Earn and EduBuzz Apprenticeships and Jobs | East & Midlothian Young People . Students should not procrastinate with their applications as deadlines for some of those vacancies are approaching fast. Requests for support with applications or other senior options can be directed to the school career adviser Karolina Green: karolina.green@sds.co.uk or 07887832386 .
Easter Revision 2023
S4/5/6 pupils will be offered an Easter Study Programme during the two weeks of Easter Holidays from Monday 3rd April to Friday 14th April.
Sessions will be organised and taught by MGS teachers in person in the school building. A variety of subjects and levels are offering sessions. The timetable for these sessions can be accessed here: MGS Student Hub.
These sessions are designed to help support our learners in the lead up to SQA exams and qualifications.
From Monday 6th March pupils who are interested in attending any of the sessions should sign up with their relevant subject teachers.
Any questions please see Miss Chisholm
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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