Dear Parent/Carer
It has been another incredibly busy
and rewarding term. It is almost impossible to keep track of all the
activities/events in school. If you can, please keep up to date with all
our school events via our school website www.gracemounthighschool.co.uk
I would like to draw your attention to two very important matters which I believe really matter:-
1.
Dress Code – our school dress code is well established and something
which I am very proud of. Visitors to the school always compliment us on
our school ethos. The positivity that surrounds our school does not
happen by accident and we all work incredibly hard to develop an ethos
in line with our school vision – placing young people at the heart of
all we do and ensuring the school is a safe, happy and Rights Respecting
environment. A significant contributor to this is our dress code.
I
ask you to continue to support our dress code by purchasing the correct
clothing, especially footwear. We expect all young people to be
suitably dressed for school and I have attached our dress code leaflet
as well as a letter from our Parent Council who very much support our
approach. We will revisit our expectations with young people in the new
year. Your support in making this happen is crucial and I thank you for
your continued efforts. Our uniform leaflet can be downloaded and viewed here.
Should you need any advice on
where to purchase school clothing or where to access school clothing
grants, please contact your child’s Guidance Teacher in the first
instance.
2. Attendance – young people must attend
school regularly in order to achieve and attain. A key part of our job
is to support young people and their families to access education,
especially those who, for various reasons, find access to education more
demanding. We are absolutely committed to ensuring the best outcomes
for every young person and the more they engage with the school the
better the outcomes are likely to be. Please play your part by ensuring
your son/daughter comes to school punctually and as prepared as
possible. Liaise with us if you feel you or your son/daughter need
support and be assured we will work together with you.
We
have set a school target of 95% attendance this year and to date the
percentage attendance is 89% which is well below the average for
Edinburgh schools. It is an area we must improve on and we can only do
this by making attendance a priority and working in partnership with you
and our partner services.
Formal Assessments
Senior
pupils who are sitting Highers have completed their first set of formal
assessments and teachers are using these to ensure that pupils are
receiving high quality feedback to support their learning. Our next set
of formal assessments for all senior pupils in S4-6 begins on Monday 29
January and we aim to support them in ensuring they are ready for the
final set of examinations next April/May 2017.
Winter Weather
To
date the winter weather has been very kind to us, however, we are well
aware that Scotland can experience all seasons in one day and we do have
procedures in place if the weather takes a turn for the worst. As
always the safety of our staff and students is at the heart of all our
decisions and we will keep parents and students fully informed about our
ability to open during poor weather via Radio Forth, our website and
text alerts. Please help us to keep in touch by ensuring we have up to
date contact details, particularly mobile numbers and email addresses so
that we can contact you at all times.
Key Dates
· Monday 18 December – Dance Show
· Tuesday 19 December - Dance Show
· Friday 22 December – last day of term (finish 12 noon)
· Monday January 8 – Inset day training for staff
· Tuesday 9 January - pupils return to school
· Wednesday 10 January – Options Evening and Careers Event
· Tuesday 16 – Thursday 18 January – S3 Personal Development Week
· Tuesday 23 January – Senior Phase Parent Consultation Evening
· Monday 29 January – Formal assessments begin
Option Evening and Careers Event for S2-5 Pupils and Parents
After
a very successful evening last year, our options evening will be held
on Wednesday 10 January. This is an excellent opportunity to meet with
teachers and partners of the school to discuss next steps for your
son/daughter. We have secured representation from over 30 local
employers who will be present at the evening and will be on hand to
discuss relevant career pathways for your child. We are thoroughly
looking forward to this event and hope it will be very beneficial for
everyone involved.
We very much look forward to welcoming you to the school and further details will follow after the Christmas break.
STAFFING
Science
At
the end of this term we will be saying farewell to Dr Burt who is
retiring from teaching. Dr Burt has worked at Gracemount for over 5
years and during this time has taken the Science faculty from strength
to strength. She will be very much missed by colleagues and pupils and
we wish her well in this new phase of her life.
We have
appointed Mr Robert Mackenzie to the post of Curriculum Leader for
Science. Mr Mackenzie is well known to many and has just returned to
Gracemount having worked during a career break at an International
school in Egypt for two years. We are now subsequently looking to
appoint a teacher of Biology.
Social Subjects
Ms
Diana Barry will leave us at the end of term to take up a post at Ross
High School. We wish her all the very best and she will be missed by
many in our school community.
We are currently in the process of recruiting her replacement in the History Department.
Maths
We are in the process of recruiting for a vacancy in Maths and hope to fill the post before the end of term.
English
We continue to seek a replacement for Ms Flannigan
Pupil Support Officer
I
am delighted to confirm that Mrs Hurd, a well established member of
staff, has been appointed to our new role of Pupil Support Officer. Mrs
Hurd will continue with many of her current duties, however, this role
recognises the considerable input that Mrs Hurd makes to the school in
supporting our staff and young people.
Last Day of Term – Friday 22 December
Please note pupils will be dismissed from school at 12 noon.
Finally…...since
taking up post 3 years ago I have always felt very privileged to work
in your community and support your children. Gracemount High School is a
wonderful school full of talented and ambitious young people and very
committed staff. The overwhelming support we receive from our parents
and carers makes a huge difference to what we do each day in the school.
I want to thank you for your continued support and may I
take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy, safe and peaceful
holiday.
Kind Regards,
Ross Hunter
Head Teacher
Thursday 14 December 2017
Monday 20 November 2017
Headteacher Update 15 - Monday 20th November 2017
November 2017
Dear
Parent/Carer
We
are now well into the school term and pupils have returned and settled in after
the October break. We have a very busy schedule right up to the Christmas break
and I hope you find the information detailed below useful and informative.
Staffing
Update
Maths
Ms
Purdie continues to be absent and until last week, Mrs Ustun was covering her
classes. Mrs Ustun has now begun her maternity leave. We secured short-term
supply cover which has now ended and we continue to seek more supply cover. To
ensure pupils get as much access to subject specialists as possible there will
be some changes to Maths classes. Further details will follow.
Physics
We
have successfully appointed Mr Chasomeris to replace Mr Nugent who left us last
month.
Drama
We
have successfully appointed Ms Vidotto who will take up the 2 day-a –week
vacancy that has existed since the start of term. The start date is yet to be
confirmed.
Art
We
have successfully appointed Ms Saez-Martinez who will cover for Ms Shannon’s continued
absence. We are hopeful that she will be able to take up post very shortly. In
the meantime, classes and timetables have been altered to ensure that senior
classes are getting as much access to subject specialists as possible.
English
Ms
Flannigan has left us to take up a full-time permanent post as Pupil Support Leader
at Forrester High School. We wish her well and thank her for all the hard work
over the last three years at Gracemount High School. We are currently in the
process of recruiting her replacement.
Mr
Swan continues to be absent and in the meantime, Mrs Morrison is working on a
supply basis to support the English faculty.
Social Subjects
Mrs
Corsar has taken up a fixed-term post as Pupil Support Leader at Castlebrae
High School. Mr Nolan has been appointed to fill the vacancy.
Pupil Support
Assistants
We
welcome Ms Devine and Ms Laing into post.
School Support Assistants
We
welcome Ms Donaldson and Ms Galbraith into post as School Support Assistants.
Supporting
the School Dress Code
Recently
we have witnessed a decline in the standard of dress. A small number of pupils
are not wearing the correct footwear and/or a school tie. There is also concern
with some girls who are not wearing leggings with skirts as per school policy.
We
are very proud of our school and our dress code contributes to a positive and
safe ethos. We ask again for your support in ensuring your child is suitably
dressed for school and is adhering to the school dress code.
Opportunity
Fund - Financial Assistance
The
school is committed to ensuring that no pupil misses out due to poverty related
issues. Our opportunity fund is designed to support young people and their
families and we ask that parents contact their child’s Pupil Support Leader in
the first instance should they have an issue regarding purchasing items for
school.
It
is important to note that school clothing grants are now paid directly into the
parent’s bank account, which gives the family greater choice about where they
shop and the school has pre-loved uniform that can be purchased at a
significantly reduced cost.
We
will continue to do all we can to support all our young people and ensure an
equitable provision of education across the school.
Sponsored
Walk
Our
very first sponsored walk took place on Friday 6 October. This was a hugely
successful event and almost all of the school participated in the 12km walk
around Edinburgh. The pupils and staff were fantastic as were the parent
helpers who came along with us. We were very well supported by local businesses
who provided food and water for our walkers.
To
date we have raised just over £1600, which is an incredible effort from our
young people and our community. We are so thankful for all the support we
received and delighted that we were able to have so many young people
positively contribute to the school community. We very much hope this will
become an annual event.
Rights
Respecting Schools
We
continue to promote our Rights Respecting Ethos and our aim to achieve the
Rights Respecting School level 2 award is on track. Our Rights Respecting
School Ethos is promoted across all levels of the school and permeates all our
work within and beyond the classroom. Part of this includes our Respect Week
initiative detailed below.
Respect Week
Our
annual Respect Week takes place week beginning Monday 13 November. A number of activities are planned during the week
which will help to promote our Rights Respecting School Ethos.
We
will be launching our updated and revised anti-bullying policy. We decided to
focus on this for the coming session in light of pupil feedback from last year.
Please look out for the new policy which will go live on the school website.
Leaflets will be available to collect from the School Office and pupils will be
informed during assemblies.
We are holding a staff training event on Friday 17 November to familiarise the new policy.
Latecoming
(mornings)
A
revised approach to promoting punctuality and skills for life, work and
learning has been launched this week and all parents/carers should have received
information about this.
We
are asking for your support in ensuring that all young people arrive to school
on time. This helps them get a positive
start to the school day.
There
are 3 bells in the morning as follows:-
1.
8.27am
- (Warning Bell) – we encourage all pupils to be in the vicinity of the school
building at this time.
2.
8.30am
– This bell indicates the start of the school day. All pupils should make their
way to registration or assembly.
3.
8.32am-
This is our late bell. Any pupil who arrives after this bell will be recorded
as late to school.
Any
pupil who is late twice in one week without a reason will receive a below
expectation detention. This will be completed at lunchtime on the day they are
late for the second time. Pupils who are late more than twice in a week will
receive a detention each time they are late in that week.
Magic Breakfast
- TOA5T
We
are delighted to announce a forthcoming partnership with Magic Breakfast, which will enable us to provide food and snacks
for pupils across the school in the morning. This is not your typical breakfast
club and we aim to make it as inclusive as possible so all pupils will have
some form of access.
In
the meantime, we continue to provide a breakfast option in our HE departments (TOA5T
club) and any pupil can attend and access a range of breakfast food and drinks.
Reporting
On
the back of national advice from Education Scotland this session, we have
launched a new style of report which we hope is easier to understand. Our aim
is to report more frequently on the progress of all our young people and the
new style of report is the start of this process. Reports have gone home for
both senior and S2 pupils and as I write this blog S3 reports are due to be
issued on Friday 17 November.
Mentoring
(Senior School)
This
session we have 2 forms of mentoring taking place as follows:-
1.
Positive
Intervention Programme (PIP) is aimed at S5/6 pupils who are studying 3
Highers. The Senior Leadership Team is leading this initiative and a range of
pupils have been allocated a mentor from the Senior Team who will meet up to 4
times per session with the pupils. Two meetings have already taken place in
preparation for the forthcoming formal assessments.
2.
Learning
to Learn Mentors – this programme is aimed at S4 pupils. 10 staff have been
assigned a mentor role and will mentor 5 targeted pupils each throughout the
session. A parent engagement session is planned for Wednesday 15 November and we very much hope parents can make it
along. All parents invited will have received a text message and email from the
school.
Pupil
Achievements
Football
Congratulations
to Abigail
Hunter (S1) who has been playing for Hearts ladies under 13s. She has been
playing an age banding above her own because she was shining in her own age
group. Abigail's league recently finished and they achieved a second place
finish.
Abigail was spotted by scouts and
has recently participated in trials for the Scotland girls under 13 team.
We will find out if she has been successful in the next fortnight. Good luck
Abigail.
Brandyn Bain (S3) has been on trial
at Hearts under 15s. Brandyn played five games on trial with some strong
performances in goals - most notably Brandyn saved a penalty in a victory over
Rangers. After these strong performances, Brandyn is set to put pen to paper
and join the team.
Brandyn also successfully trialled for the Edinburgh under 15 select squad and has played in two of the qualifying fixtures in the nationwide competition.
Brandyn also successfully trialled for the Edinburgh under 15 select squad and has played in two of the qualifying fixtures in the nationwide competition.
Our Senior Football team remain unbeaten
in the league and are top of the Lothian’s Under 16’s league. This is a great
effort and the boys are now playing in the new strips funded by Gilmerton
Grocers. A huge thank you to them for supporting the school and helping us to
purchase the strips for the boys.
Active Schools - Girls Day Out
4 girls from S3, Anna Munro, Nicole
Gilroy, Rachel Forbes and Erin Neave took part in 6 workshops; dance, step,
boot camp, yoga, health and wellbeing and clubbing.
Sports Ambassadors
Maja Majerowicz and Amy Dickson from
S4 have been appointed as our sports ambassadors and they are working hard to
promote participation in a range of sports across the school.
Princes Trust Programme
Congratulations to Mitch Mitchell and Brandon Bova
who completed the Achieve Level 4 Programme at the Princes Trust programme.
Both boys demonstrated real commitment to achieve the overall award and we are
very proud of them.
Robert Burns World Federation
Congratulations to Luke Alexander who received a
certificate of distinction for his work, which was entered in the RBWF writing
competition. Luke received his
certificate at assembly on 7 November.
Edinburgh Schools Rock Ensemble
Congratulations
to Jamie Aquino
who has been selected to sing a solo as part of the Edinburgh Schools Rock
Ensemble concert.
Lessons from Auschwitz
Samantha Foggo and Cara Wood Conway both visited
Auschwitz as part of the lessons from Auschwitz programme.
Winter Windows Competition 2017
Congratulation
to Amie Cowan who has won the Winter Windows Competition. Amie will attend a celebration
event at the National Gallery on Friday 24 November.
Future Chef
Congratulations to Meryn Parsons and Gary Watson who
won the school heats in the future chef programme and will now compete in the
local final at Edinburgh College on 4 December. Good luck to both pupils.
Important
Forthcoming Dates for your Diary
13
November Respect Week
16
November Gracemount does
strictly
20
November Formal assessments
(Higher Pupils Only)
20
November Parent Council
(6.30pm School Library)
1
December S1 Tracking
Report issued
12
December S2 Parent
Consultation Evening
15
December Senior Tracking
Report 2 issued
18/19
December Gracemount High School
Dance Academy Show
22nd
December School term ends
Please
note the school will be holding its very first Burns Supper Event in
Partnership with Edinburgh Food and Wine. The event will take place on Thursday
25 January. A number of tickets will be made available to parents and
communication regarding this event will follow in due course. We hope to see
you there.
Kind
regards
Ross Hunter
Head Teacher
Monday 18 September 2017
Headteacher Update 14 - Monday 18th September 2017
September 2017
Dear Parent/Carer
It has been a pleasure to welcome our students back to school after the
summer break. The significant majority are smartly dressed, punctual and
working hard in class. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your
continued support in these matters.
Staffing Update
I
wanted to update you on our staffing, as we have had a number of new staff who
have joined us since the start of term. Details are as follows: -
•
Moira
Wilson (Support for
Learning Leader)
•
Rachel
Patterson (Support for Learning
Teacher)
•
Beata
Kilkiewicz (Maths)
•
Rachel
Jones (Modern Studies)
•
Mazhar
Yusaf (Maths)
•
Iain
Nugent (Physics)
•
Alan
Wilkins (Drama on a Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday)
•
Daniel
Davis (Music)
•
Rory
Wallis (Equity in
STEM)
•
Angela
Verity (Equity in
literacy and assistive technology)
•
Anne
Young (Education
Welfare Officer)
Due to staff absence in the Art Department,
some classes may be taken by different teachers since we allocate our experienced
staff to senior classes. We have been able to source a subject specialist
supply teacher so classes will always be taught by an Art teacher during this
time.
We are still seeking to recruit a
Drama teacher for Mondays and Tuesdays to support Mr Wilkins.
We are still actively seeking a
suitable supply teacher with subject specialism in English and Media to cover
staff absence in the English Department. In the meantime, and with effect
Tuesday 5 September: -
S1 classes have moved from 5 to 4 sets. Class
sizes will be approximately at 27.
· S2 classes will access the library for personal
reading development. These classes will continue. Please note that classes on
Monday P5 and Friday P2 will be allocated non-subject specialists but will however
be supported by the School Librarian for personal reading.
· S3 classes will move from 5 to 4 classes. Class sizes
will be approximately 28.
· S4 – Miss Flannigan will assume an additional N5
class and Mr MacDonald will assume an additional N4 class.
· S/6 (Higher) – Mrs Gordon will assume full
responsibility for this class.
· S3 Media – Mr Foley will take 2 periods of the allocated
4. The other periods will be allocated to cover teachers.
Please be assured that we are doing
all we can to address these staffing issues. Please do not hesitate to contact
your child’s Pupil Support Leader (Guidance Teacher) if you have any concerns.
SQA Examination Results
We continue to review our performance
in SQA examinations.
·
Our
S4 performance was strong with 19% of our cohort achieving a minimum of 5 qualifications
at level 5 or above. This was a 9% improvement on last year.
· Our
S5 results showed a slight dip in the number of pupils achieving 1, 3 and 5
Highers by the end of S5.
· Our
S6 results showed improvements in the number of pupils achieving 1 and 5
Highers by the end of S6. We maintained the number of pupils achieving 3
Highers by the end of S6.
· Our
Advanced Higher results also improved with 11% of the cohort achieving at least
1 Advanced Higher, the highest since 2013.
SQA Update – Changes to National Qualifications
We
are continuing to liaise with colleagues in the SQA over changes to national
qualifications. We have finalised our SQA policy which is now available to all
parents via the school website.
You
can keep up to date with the proposed SQA changes to by visiting www.sqa.org.uk/nqchanges
iPads
We continue to invest heavily in our 1:1 approach to give
all our pupils in S3-S6 equal opportunity of access to technology. We continue
to ask for your support in ensuring that the device including the cable and
charger are looked after. It is only with your support that we will be able to
continue to implement this policy which includes the safe return of the device
and its accessories when a pupil leaves school.
Please note that all pupils intending to leave school should
ensure that they return their iPad, cable and charger, otherwise they will
incur a charge.
School Funding Success
I am delighted to announce that we have made a bid for and successfully
received funding in the following areas: -
Food for Thought Programme
- The Food for Thought Education Fund gives financial support to
develop Food and Health as a context for learning. The fund aims to improve
practitioner confidence in providing progressive, high quality learning
experiences which help to embed food education into the ethos of the
establishment. Ms Bird successfully bid and received over £1000 to take forward
initiatives relating to Food and Health in school.
Cycle Scotland – On the back of our very successful first
year in delivering Bike Maintenance, Mr King made a bid to Cycle Scotland to
enable us to continue to develop this cycle friendly award. We have received £2,285
funding which will be used to purchase bikes and secure access to this
equipment for pupils across the school.
Trips Policy
We intend to devise a policy which will make the funding
process transparent and clarify how the school will support fundraising for
trips to support young people who may experience financial hardship. Further
details will follow.
Gracemount High School and Primary School Parents Big
Night Out
You may be aware that our parents are organising a
fundraising event for both the primary and secondary school. The event is to be
help on Friday 15 September at Gilmerton
Miners Club. Tickets can be purchased from the school reception at a cost
of £7.50 each.
We really hope you can make it along and support both our schools.
·
Monday 11 September – Parent Council Meeting –
6.30pm in the School Library.
·
Friday 15 September – Parents Big Night Out –
Gilmerton Miners Club - 7.00pm
·
Monday 18 September – school closed (Holiday)
·
Wednesday 20 September - S1 Settling in Parents
Evening from 4.30 6.30pm
·
Friday 6 October – Senior tracking issued
·
Friday 6 October – whole school sponsored walk.
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