Staffing
Although Mr
Hunter our new head teacher to be will not be officially in post next week he hopes to attend our Open Evening on Thursday 9
October so please come along and welcome him to our community.
Ms Muir
Teacher of behaviour and pupil support continues to be absent and as we have
still not been able to source appropriate supply staff there has been reduced
provision in our Inspire support base. We are hopeful she will return next
week.
Donna Lawrie
our Youth support worker from Caledonia Youth starts her maternity leave from
10 October. I would like to thank her for her support to our young people here
at Gracemount and wish her all the best in the coming months. Carol Traynor
will be covering Donna’s responsibilities at Gracemount High School and has
already been in to meet with staff and pupils.
Pupils are
invited to nominate a teacher as teacher of the month and this month Miss Barker
from the English department is our star.
In memory
Next week
our House assemblies will be led by Mr Rodger and some S3 pupils as we pay tribute to Robbie McDonald who died earlier
this term. We will welcome back his sister Caitlin who will also take part in
the event.
On Friday 10
October we will have a dress down day and assembly to pay tribute to Mr Drain.
It would have been Mr Drain’s birthday during the week and we all fondly remember
him wearing his shorts so the theme of the dress down day is of course shorts and T shirts!
The assembly
will be joined by some of Mr Drain’s family and is being led by pupils and staff.
Any parent or friend who remembers Mr Drain and is able to join us will be very
welcome. We hope to start the assembly shortly before noon on Friday.
S1 Settling-in parents evening
It was great
to welcome so many S1 parents to the parents’ evening last night. Parents/carers
are the single biggest influence in a young person’s life and by working
together we will be able to help all our young people fulfil their potential.
Those parents who were unable to attend will receive their youngster’s tracking
report early next week.
Open Evening Thursday 9th October
Open Evening Thursday 9th October
Doors will
open at 6pm to allow parents into the Dining hall to look around a marketplace.
The evening
will then begin with a brief welcome and introduction in the drama studio at 6.30pm,
tours starting at 6.40.
As the
evening draws to a close at 8.30pm there will be an opportunity to ask
questions which the Senior Leadership Team, including Mr Hunter, will be happy
to answer.
This year we
would like to open this event to all parents and carers and hope that you will save
the date and come along. The evening will be a great opportunity for us to
showcase the life of the school and for you to see some of your child’s work.
Focus Fortnight
Pupils have
been rewarded and entered into a prize draw for the second GRACIE Focus Fortnight
with the focus on R - The 3 Rs:
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Reflection
I was delighted so many pupils were nominated by staff and the lucky winners were Amy Darling, Jamie Goldie, Leanne Selkirk and Hafsah Hussain.
The WOW
class was 1LY in Science with Dr Burt. Congratulations to all winners the next
focus is A - Actions: be prepared, have full uniform, participate in class so
please encourage your youngster to be prepared for school.
Pupil News
Tutor group
L9 had the opportunity to go on an excursion on Tuesday afternoon. Mrs Gillan took
her group out as a team building exercise and a great time was had by all.
Teen Titles
Teen Titles
is a magazine published to promote Reading and Literacy and improve reading within
Edinburgh and beyond. The most recent issue has articles from four Gracemount pupils.
Well done to Jane Collins, Millie Lawrie, Morrigan Millar and Lauryn Whyte.
This could be the start of their literary career.
Career Academy
Our 11
pupils involved in the programme will attend the launch event for this at RBS Gogarburn
today (Friday).
They will
meet with their mentors and take part in workshops, as well as
getting a chance to hear from previous pupils about their experiences of the course.
PE NEWS
Friday 3rd October is
Active Girls Day. To mark this occasion, the PE department are inviting all S1
– 3 girls to come down to the PE department and take part in a fun fitness session
in the Games Hall.
As part of
the core PE programme they are offering our S4/5 pupils ‘taster’ activities.
The first activity is American Football and will run on Friday 3rd Oct.
Macmillan Coffee Morning
Mrs Gillan
and members of the Charities Committee made some wonderful goodies for the staff at
break last Friday. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the total raised of
over £130 (not to mention the few centimetres which were added to waistlines
including my own!)
Bin It
Concerns
have been raised on a number of occasions recently about the amount of litter
in our neighbourhood. This is the responsibility of all and in an effort to
raise awareness Mr King our ECO warrior has arranged for a presentation in
school. Wrigley’s Bin It team will be
coming into school on Thursday the 9th of October
to give a one hour presentation to all first year pupils.
The Wrigley team aim to influence and change students' attitude and behaviour towards gum litter and make a long-term positive
change.
A wee reminder
Aerosol cans
should not be brought into school by pupils. This ban was put in place some time
ago as they have proved to be a fire hazard in the past. Pupils are advised to
bring roll-on or stick deodorants for their personal use. I would ask for your
support with this.
Health promoting school
Workshops
“Raising Teens with Confidence” continue to take place each week and are well received.
Attendance at every session is not compulsory and if the topic is of interest
to you then please feel free to come along. Next week’s session is the last for
the time being at Gracemount High School and is on Wednesday 8 October 2014, at
6.30pm – 8.30pm and is: Looking After Your Own Wellbeing: Coping with the
Changes.
Feedback
from parents who have attended has been very positive and we would be pleased
to welcome you along as I am sure this will be an interesting and useful topic.
L Sinclair
Acting Head Teacher
