Dear colleagues,

It will feel like a much quieter school this week with sixty S2s and thirty S3s away on trips to Spain and the Yorkshire Dales respectively.  I appreciate the commitment both of colleagues taking young people away and the support given to cover by those of us at home.  Thanks to everyone.

It was lovely to get such positive feedback from parents at the S1 Parents' Evening on Thursday. A number of parents spoke to me about how pleased they are with the school, how well teachers know their child and grateful for the many varied opportunities that we offer. It is lovely to know we make a positive difference in so many ways.

Thanks to David and his efficient work, our new timetable is ready for us to start next week. It is a time of change, reflection and planning, and with that in mind I would like to thank our current probationers, Emma, Naomi, Ruairidh, Cara and Steph for their fantastic input this session at Balfron High School.  They have been an excellent addition to our staffing and made a positive difference.

For 2025-26, we are expecting 10 new probationers in August. Keep your fingers crossed that they all pass and are available.  In addition, I am delighted to welcome Alasdair Shearer to our PE Team.  Ali, a former Balfron High pupil, has been working with the Primary PE Team for a number of years.  Due to council changes, Ali has been redeployed and has come home to Balfron.  I know he is delighted, just as we are pleased to have him. Claire and I are interviewing for a new part-time ASN teacher on Monday.  Please also be aware that Interviews for permanent PTs PS are taking place before the end of term.  Massive thanks to Andrew and Fiona for the fantastic jobs they have been doing in their acting positions.

When the timetable changes next week, our mobile phone policy will roll out to include an expectation that S4 will use the phone boxes.  Please ensure that you are reinforcing the policy and confiscating any phones (S1-6) that appear in classrooms.  This has been a most significant deterrent. The policy has been updated and is below for your information and guidance.  We will review this again next year to coincide with Mobile March.

The next two big phases of our strategic approach to improving Learning &Teaching are approaching fast.  Our final Tri-Learning meeting takes place in the Strathendrick Suite at 3.45pm on 29th May. The purpose is to  reflect on plus ones from an observation perspective across the school and what was learned from  your trio.  If you do not work on a Thursday, please pass your observation sheet to Sheena in advance of the meeting. Sheena will add it to the group.  Here is a reminder of the groups.

Open Doors will take place across the school in May and June. Supported by a PT, I will spend a morning in every area of the school observing lessons. This brings a fantastic opportunity to see our learners in action and moderate standards for observations using our toolkit.  we will feedback at the end to the receiving PT and provide a report for the wider team.  Thanks in advance for your welcome.

As always, thanks for your hard work and professionalism. 

Have a great week.  #buildingfuturestogether

Elaine