Balfron Matters

25 April 2022

Weekly communication for staff

Dear colleagues,

Thanks for your commitment and hard work in preparing our young people for the exam diet. Exam leave starts officially today. Despite that, I know that many of you are continuing work with pupils through meetings and supported study. There is still some funding available for anyone who would like to offer Saturday Supported Study sessions (link below).

A massive thanks to everyone who worked hard to pull together all of the SQA evidence for uplift. I left Phil late on Friday afternoon organising all of the envelopes, meticulously double checking everything was in place - a massive job well done.

This Friday we have an in-service day. First you are invited to the atrium for a staff breakfast. To help Hilary and her team with planning, please complete this breakfast order form by Thursday lunchtime.

We will start the day with our first whole staff meeting in two years. It will be fantastic to have everyone together again in the theatre. Please bring your lap-top. You will get an update from some working groups and be invited to comment and make suggestions that will help shape and influence improvements next session. This will feed into the new 2022-23 plans.

A link to the in-service day programme is on the right.

As part of our Tri-Learning programme, groups of nine will meet at the end of the school day on May 11th. If you have not managed to arrange your visits, please make that a priority.

Have a great week.

Elaine

This week at Balfron High:

SQA exam leave
Alternative to exam programme starts on Wednesday
Friday - In-service Day

Notice Boards

Learning, Teaching & Assessment CLPL

Expressive Arts

Pupil Support Notice Board

Science Notice Board

Inset April 2022

Alternative to exam leave programme

Working with Clair, David and Heather, Neil Thompson, Aileen Crawford and Emma Harvey, we have devised an alternative to exam leave programme. Pupils in S4 and S5 with fewer than three exams have been targeted for this programme. Six weeks is a massive amount of time away from school for these, our most vulnerable learners.

The purpose of the programme is:

to maintain a connection with school and learning
to enhance and build on positive relationships
to develop skills that will build confidence
to develop team building skills
to consider career/future options
to provide activities that will support pupils who struggle to attend school, to get back into the building

As these pupils mainly are working towards National 4 qualifications, they may have some outstanding work. This is part of their programme. If you would like some time with any of them, please contact Clair, David, Heather or me.

A link to the list and programme is below.

____no prelim leave TT May 22.xlsx

Saturday Supported School Programme

Thanks to those of you who have already shared availability for Saturday sessions. Payment will be made in the same way that was managed for Easter School. The payment for sessions is £ 25.17 per hour. Each session is 2 hours. We used around half of our budget total (£6,400 aprox) for Easter school which leaves us a max of 64 two hour sessions.

They will run in mornings only from 10.30-12.30pm
If you are keen to offer a session, Check that the date you can offer suits your SQA exam date .
Sign up if you are available to offer Saturdays here

BHS Assembly Programme April - May 2022.docx

From wb 25 April - S1-3 assemblies will run in the theatre.

Celebrating success assemblies will kick off the new term.

CPL Corner

Free Mental Health Events for Teachers

Myth Busting Series

Anxiety - 26 May 5pm - https://www.acamh.org/event/myth-busting-anxiety/

Join Chloe Chessell, University of Reading, who specialises in Anxiety, and OCD. Plus join in on the live discussion to answer your questions.

Hearing Voices - 29 June 5pm - https://www.acamh.org/event/myth-busting-hearing-voices/

Dr Sarah Parry, Clinical Psychologist and Practice Fellow, Manchester Metropolitan University, who specialises in trauma and children's mental health is our host.

CAMHS around the Campfire informal journal club

Tech delivered CBT for anxiety - 24 May 5pm - https://www.acamh.org/event/camhs-campfire-tech-cbt-anxiety/

Dr. Matti Cervin, Lund University, Sweden, discusses his JCPP paper

Adolescent gender diversity - 28 June 5pm - https://www.acamh.org/event/camhs-campfire-adolescent-gender-diversity/

Assistant Professor Dr. Akhgar Ghassabian, Department of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine to discuss her JCPP paper.

Retrieval Practice Summary

This week's short podcast (9 min 20 secs) on retrieval practice is a great summary.

We are looking forward to sharing some research on the in-service day that will kick off our whole school approach to promoting challenge through the science of learning.

If you'd prefer to watch a short video outlining the key principles of the science of learning, click on the Youtube video below.

Exam Preparation: Retrieval PracticeListen to this episode from Psychology in the Classroom on Spotify. Retrieval practice is quite simple the act of retrieving information from memory and research has shown that the process of retrieving information aids information retention more strongly than simply reading information through. The challenge is getting students to do retrieval practice more than looking over notes or watching youtube when they are revising for exams. In this video we consider the research that underpins retrieval practice and ways that you could implement retrieval practice in revision lessons and encourage students to do it in their independent study. If you want to learn more about using retrieval practice and other evidence based learning strategies in your classroom please do visit our Science of Learning Course on this link.

Calendar 2021-22

25 April SQA Exam Leave starts

29 April In-service Day

2 May Holiday

6 May CfE - Social Subjects

11 May Working Groups - Tri-Learning

Calendar 2021-22

13 May S1 Reports completed

CfE - Maths

16 May Team meetings

20 May CfE - Expressive Arts

24 May S3 Humanutopia (all day)

26 May S4 Induction - Being Successful

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.

Useful Links

Leadership Team Minutes

SLT Minutes 21-22

Staff supervision rota

Reset Pupil G Suite Password

Prelim schedule (Jan 2021)

Collegiate calendar 21-22

2021-22 school holidays

S:\_Shared\_Weekly Info\Staff Cover\2021-2022

Balfron HS Who's Who?

Features of highly effective digital learning

Supervision Rota 21-22