Balfron Matters

21 March 2022

Weekly communication for staff

Dear colleagues,

I hope that you find the weekly CLPL Corner helpful. It's good to plug into a podcast when you're walking the dog or doing chores around the house. At the L&T group, we discussed having a better way to hold the CLPL that is highlighted in BM. So here is a one click link to the Balfron High Learning, Teaching & Assessment CLPL resource. We will add to it as we go. Please do share anything of note that you come across - I'd be delighted to add it to the padlet.

Today we welcome Mike Haines back to Balfron High School. He leads the charity Global Acts of Unity He work was inspired by losing his brother in 2014, murdered by ISIS. He will be sharing his message with S2 and S3 in the theatre today as follows. Thanks to David and the Project Leads for organising this - I know that you will be moved by the presentation. To aid a prompt start, please register and bring you class down as quickly as possible:

S2 - Period 2

S3 - Period 3

Live-N-Learn are in to provide some Mindset for Exam workshops with S4 and S5 on Wednesday and Thursday. There will be three sessions available to S4 (Wednesday) and S5 (Thursday). We have been made aware of many assessments for S4 on that day so have asked Form Class leaders to have pupils sign up for a session when they do not have an assessment. If pupils do not sign up, they will be allocated a session. The links have been sent in an email and are on the S4 and S5 yeargroup Google Classrooms.

If you are not teaching and would like to come along to any of the sessions, you are very welcome.

Elaine

This week at Balfron High:

  • Global Acts of Unity (Monday)

  • Assemblies (daily)

  • S4 Live-N-Learn (Wed)

  • Leadership Team (Wed)

  • S5 Live-N-Learn (Thurs)

  • S2/3 FCL interviews

The Balfron High Revision Website

A massive thanks to Heather who has recorded and developed our very own study website for learners. There are six techniques for learners to use. The videos are deliberately recorded without sound so that learners can access them in busy households without worrying about hearing or noise. Please do plug these and show to your form classes.

  • Flashcards

  • Revision Clock

  • Folding Frenzy

  • Word and Picture Challenge

  • Mind maps

  • Mnemonics and Acronyms

Staff appointments

Last week we interviewed for the first of two ASN posts. It was great to include staff and young people in the process. Mrs Smith was appointed and will start with us following the usual checks. We are currently planning similar processes for Business and Chemistry. This will inevitably put additional pressure on cover and we will do our best to minimise this. Thanks in advance for your support.

Easter School Update

Many thanks to those able and willing to offer revision sessions during our Easter School. The programme will be shared with pupils and parents this week. Pupils will be required to sign-up in advance so that numbers can be considered.


Here are links to our the programme for our Easter School:


National 5 programme


Higher programme


Post-Easter Sessions

We can support payment for Saturday sessions.

They will run 10.30-12.30

Check that the date you can offer suits your SQA exam date .

Sign up if you are available to offer Saturdays here

CPL Corner - understanding memory & supporting revision

With a heavy focus on revision for our young people, here are some resources that will help us reflect on the approaches that we are building in to pedagogy and encouraging learners to embrace.

  • Watch the videos:

Kate Jones, ScotEd, Retrieval Practice

Dr Robert Bjork, The Power of Forgetting



  • Read, Teacher Head, going a bit deeper, distinguishing between when we are rehearsing (an encoding process) and when it's time for Retrieval Practice

The Revision Revolution with Helen HowellListen to this episode from Becoming Educated on Spotify. This week I am Joined by Helen Howell.  Helen is director of English at the Blue Coat School in Oldham. She previously worked at the Radclyffe School as English AST and lead teacher for literacy, where she was instrumental in developing a knowledge-rich KS3 curriculum and a culture of reading for pleasure. Helen recently published a great book, alongside Ross Morrision McGill of Teacher Toolkit, 'The Revision Revolution, How to build a culture of effective study in your school' and we explore this in depth in todays episode. We discuss the following and so much more: Why students dont revise? Why creating a rich curriculum is the first step towards a revision revolution? Why we should start with staff training? How to kick the revolution off by sharing key revision strategies with year seven or s1 for us in Scotland What teachers can do in lessons to support students learn the content How to train students to support themselves How to engage adults in supporting the revision revolution. I loved this interview with Helen and the book is fantastic. A must have if you want to supercharge your students learning. You can find Helen on twitter @cura_dora Get involved and share widely. Keep the conversation going using #becomingeducated and tagging me @dnleslie If you have time I would love for you to review Becoming Educated and share what you love about the podcast. You can support the podcast by buying me a coffee here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dnleslie Finally, if you would like to sponsor an episode of the podcast and reach thousands of listeners please contact me using darren@becomingeducated.co.uk  
BHS Assembly Programme Feb - May 2022.doc


wb 21 March - Assemblies will be led by Kate Reid and David Whiteford and focus on the theme of awareness raising and supporting Ukraine. Fundraising eventst o follow next week.


Our programme will coincide with updated COVID mitigations. In addition, we will add the following in-house mitigations:

  • seat pupils with free row between form classes

  • CO2 monitors at front and back to monitor levels.

If you have items that would be helpful to share in assembly, please let me know. I will be starting with a back-to-basics approach.



DYW Trip to Cameron House

Briliant feedback from the young people who attended the culinary showcase at Cameron House. Judging by the picyures, I can see why! Thanks to Neil Cameron and Daniel Bryant for reposnding to the email and offer the trip.

Balfron Team Reach Top of the Bench Final

A team of young people from S2, S3 and S4 collaborated to think about sustainability in chemistry. Thinking about the UN Sustainable Development Goals the group focussed on Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. This led to the discovery of biodegradable plastics, and thus to lactic acid as their molecule of choice.

The young people researched about the uses and history of lactic acid, then made a lactic acid molecule out of recycled drinks cans and compostable rope as a metaphor for the need for alternative, planet-friendly packaging options. This is because polylactic acid, a biodegradable plastic made from lactic acid molecules, can be used as compostable packaging. All of this information was displayed as a poster, and won the Mid-Scotland heat for the Top of the Bench competition run by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The team are now through to the national final which will take place this week. We wish them the best of luck, and thank them for highlighting the unsustainability that we face with current packaging options across the world.


Well done!


Calendar 2021-22

23 March Leadership Team Meeting

28 March Team meetings

1 April Last day of term

Calendar 2021-22


19 April Return to school

Team meetings

22 April Leavers' Brunch/Graduation morning

25 April SQA Exam Leave starts

Leadership Team Meeting

29 April In-service Day

11 May Working Groups- Tri-Learning

Health & Wellbeing - Counselling for staff

Did you know counselling is available through Stirling Council?


Employee Counselling is available through our Occupational Health provider, People Asset Management (PAM)

There are a few ways employees can request Counselling.

  • Stuart Shaw on shaws@stirling.gov.uk

  • Contact hr@stirling.gov.uk

  • Call Ann at PAM on 0800 882 4102

If you want some more information about counselling, what to expect or looking for self-help resources then please pop in and see Karin Figliolini or drop her an email.

20220107143917395_Changes-to-Self-Isolation-Jan-2022 (1).pdf



H&S should always be on your Team Meeting Agendas.


Although it does look like the Covid situation is improving nationally, please ensure that you continue to be aware of – and observe – all Covid guidelines.


The latest information can be found in the Google Staff Shared H&S Folder here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1NzmJ3aMg1bipnSyVTNJin5hukriH7oKs

And also on the Glow Stirling Site here:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/st/policiesguidelinesandforms/covid-19-guidance/


Useful Links

Supervision Rota 21-22
Reducing+Risks+in+Schools+guidance+-+version+6.1+-+September+2021.pdf
Extra-Curricular Programme 2021-22
BHS SIP & Recovery Plan 202-22.docx
Extra Curricular Poster Times.docx

Quality Assurance 2021-22 - Classroom Visits

Term 1 Classroom Observations


Our observation pro forma is based on the HGIOS QI, 2.3

Features of highly effective practice are on page 2 along with challenge questions.


Classroom Observation 2.3 Learning, Teaching and Assessment.doc

Quality Assurance 2021-22

Open Doors Dates

I will be joined by a PT for Open Doors this session as follows:


7 October Expressive Arts L McAllister

19 October English G MacKay

28 October Science N Macquarrie

9 November Health M Skinner

25 November Mod Languages A Barrie

29 November Technologies D Gormal

6 December Social Subjects S Boyle

10 February Maths M Young