Head Teacher Update – February 2016
Welcome to
my third official blog of the session.
Better Relationships, Better Learning, Better Behaviour
Policy
As outlined in my open letter to you on 6 January
2016, Phase 2 of our Better Relationships, Better Learning, Better Behaviour
Policy was launched on 11 January 2016. Our focus centred on
improving levels of punctuality in the morning and after lunchtime as well as
developing the House system and banning the use of Snapchat in classroom on
school iPads.
Our House
system is really beginning to take shape. We have Attendance and Behaviour Champions
each week as well as an overall House Champion announced by the successful House
Captain(s) every Monday morning. In the 4 weeks since we have started, Lewis
has won twice with Skye and Tiree each winning once.
In the
same 4 week period there has been a 24% reduction in late coming in the morning
and a 66% reduction in late coming after lunchtime. I am absolutely delighted
with this and although we still have some way to go to achieve a sustained
improvement, this is a very positive step forward.
We have
issued 51 detentions for late coming after lunch and all 51 students have completed
it. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have supported the
implementation of this policy, as it really is making a difference. A number of
students have reflected on their late coming and have made every effort to
improve – I am very pleased with their response as well as the positive impact
this has had on learning in the classroom.
Improvement Planning – 5 key priorities
We
continue to focus in school on our key improvement priorities:
1. Learning and teaching
2. Ethos
3. Pupil Support
4. Curriculum
5. Self-Evaluation
We have
developed a video for parents/carers which can
be found by following the link below and your feedback would be very welcome.
Staffing
All
schools are now planning for the forthcoming session and staffing is an
important part of this. Please see below for an update on staff changes in the
school.
Pupil Support
We were
very sorry to see Mr Rodger leave us in January but also very excited to
welcome Mr Whale who will join our Pupil Support Team on Monday 22 February as Leader
of Lewis House. Mrs O’Connell, Leader of Tiree House, Dr Lyon, Head of Support
for Learning and Mr Winton, Support for Learning have all settled in very well. I now look forward to a much more settled
time in this area.
Mathematics
Mr
Rafferty and Ms Mirrlees left us at the end of last term. Mr Montier has joined
the Dept until the summer to replace Mr Rafferty and we are still seeking a
replacement for Ms Mirrlees who had been covering Mrs Kelly’s maternity leave.
Mrs Kelly will return to work for the start of the new timetable and in the
meantime we are covering classes with specialist supply whilst still seeking to
recruit for this short term post.
Business Education
We are
delighted to announce the appointment of Mrs Spencer who will join us after
Easter. Ms Taylor will also return after maternity leave in May/June. In the
meantime classes continue to be covered by Ms Cargill, Mrs Mathieson and Mr Kuryluk,
all of whom are very experienced Business teachers.
Home Economics
We are
currently planning to recruit a full time
teacher to replace Mrs Gillan who leaves us at Easter. In the meantime Miss Langley
has joined us on a part time permanent basis and Miss Gayle has joined us until
the summer on a part-time basis.
Social Subjects
I am
delighted to say that Ms Macmillan has joined us on a full time permanent basis
after her successful appointment.
I will
keep you informed of any future staffing changes in my blogs.
Expressive Arts Show.
A real
highlight of this term
was our recent Expressive Arts Show held on Wednesday 10 February. This event
showcased our students’ creative and aesthetic talents through the medium of
Art, Photography, Dance, Drama and Music. A big thank you to all parents/carers
and staff who attended and supported the event.
It was a fantastic display of the wonderful talents of our students.
Staff who supported the students to prepare for the event worked incredibly
hard and I am very grateful for their considerable input. This event certainly
made me feel very proud to be part of the Gracemount High School community.
Community Action Team
Our
Community Action Team, led by the Head Boy (Paul Reilly) and Head Girl (Kirsty
Farmer) took part in their first initiative this session. In response to some
community concerns about litter, we went out into the community and
participated in a litter pick. We took the opportunity to post a letter to
local residents and business leaders to inform them of our visit and highlight
some of the positive work the school is trying to do in the community.
I believe that
excellent schools play a central role in their local community and we will encourage
all our young people to care about their local community. This is one way in
which we hope to demonstrate our commitment to the Gracemount
community. We will be planning to hold similar
events in the next session.
Key Dates
A list of the
remaining Key Assessment and Reporting dates and plans for study leave are
outlined below for information.
S1 Reporting and Parent
Consultation Evening
- 03 May S1 Tracking Report 2 deadline
- 09 May S1 Tracking Report 2 issued
- 18 May Parent Consultation Evening
S2 into S3 – Reporting, Parent Consultation Evening and Option Process–Key Dates
·
03 March - S2 Parent
Consultation Evening
·
07 March - S2 Option forms return
deadline
·
18 March - S2 interviews
complete and options finalised
S3
into S4 – Reporting, Parent Consultation Evening and Option Process–Key Dates
- 29 February - S3 interviews to be completed and options finalised
S4 and S5 - Reporting,
Parent Consultation Evening and Option Process–Key Dates
- 22 February - Options form deadline.
- 11 March - S4/5 interviews completed and options finalised
- 14 March - Tracking Report 2 deadline
- 21 March - Tracking Report 2 issued
S4-6 Formal Assessment– Key
Dates
- 24 February – Formal Assessment Week 3
S4 -6 – Study Leave
As of Monday 2 May students will be involved
in a two week catch up/revision timetable. All students will remain in school, following their timetable, until Friday 13 May.
If a
student has an external examination, they will be given three days off prior to
the exam in order to revise at home for the exam. Classes will run as normal
and they will be permitted to attend the subject class to revise and seek
advice from the class teacher. This will however be optional.
From Monday 16 to Friday 27 May students who
have more than 3 external examinations will be permitted study leave but they will
also have the option to participate in Meaningful May activities. Those who do
not have external examinations will participate
in a Meaningful May project.
From Monday 30 May the new timetable will begin and all students will return to their
new classes.
Values Focus – Aspiration
Our value of Aspiration encourages our students to strive
to be the best they can be in all that they do whilst understanding that hard
work and effort are key to their success. Hard work
and effort is central to our school ethos. I want all our young people to
understand the importance of both and to aspire to better themselves.
I often hear our young people
mention that despite their hard work and effort, they do not feel they are
making any progress. The inevitable mindset “what’s
the point in trying” then takes over. My response is always to encourage them to
find another approach as sometimes their own one is not necessarily the most
appropriate one and there is always another way– this is where good learning
and teaching comes in. With effective support, every young person can find
another solution with a cautionary note that we should not encourage an over reliance
on teachers to “give” the answer. Some of our young people expect the teacher
to provide the answers to difficult questions but a good teacher would rather guide
a student and “scaffold” their learning so they arrive at the answer of their
own accord. This is key to learning and key to what is happening in the
classroom at Gracemount.
Aspiring to be the best you can
be is fundamental to sharing in the success of the school, but we must back
this up with hard work and effort as well as the grit and determination to see
it through and face up to the challenge. If we can develop this drive in our
young people, it is my view that we will not only be serving their needs in
school but also preparing them with lifeskills beyond school.
Ross Hunter
Head Teacher
