Response to feedback submitted from HT Update week ending 25/08/23.
| My Question | Comment | Suggestion related to the school this week is: | HT’s Response |
| When does the DoE Bronze programme start? | Our lead in school is Mr Phillips who is part of our Humanities Team. He’s asking those interested to sign up through a Google Classroom. The code is on posters around the school, including outside Room 214. He tells me the sign-up closes this Thursday, 31st August. The programme of activities will begin shortly after that. |
| Will there be any school excursions. For such a big school I feel there are very few opportunities for the children to experience off campus activities. I know many schools give each cohort the chance to experience some excursions, some residential, some not. I’m aware of the ski trip but that was very limited in spaces. I am also very aware of the financial implications but other schools are making this work since Covid times. | There are school excursions planned, both residential and ‘day’. For example, the next one away is our Modern Studies Trip to London in mid-September. What we don’t have are whole year group/cohort trips that some schools do. We are finalising an ‘Opportunities Calendar’ for the session which will go live on our website after the September Weekend. That will list our trips and clubs. The financial impact of trips is something we discuss and mitigate against in a variety of ways. I would accept our Covid recovery, in relation to trips, has been slower than we may have hoped. We’ll keep looking at what we can do as I agree school trips can be a magnificent part of a young person’s school experience. |
| How do I go about ordering the individual and friendship photos that were taken by the photographer on Wednesday this week? She didn’t come home with any proofs. Thanks. | We are expecting the proofs back from the photographer at the end of this week. They’ll be distributed to students through PSE week beginning 4th September. That will give ordering details. |
This concise weekly HT Update is generally published every Friday afternoon. It’s a simple opportunity for you to also feedback/ask questions via the link at the bottom of each Update. Feedback received, where appropriate, will be responded to and published by Monday afternoon on the school website link.
Key messages from this week
Calendar: Just a wee reminder that our ‘Whole School – Lasswade High School’ calendar is now visible on the school website. Click here to view the calendar. Next week seems remarkably quiet: on Monday afternoon all S2 will take part in a substance misuse workshop as part of their Personal and Social Education programme; by Friday we aim to finalise initial SQA levels for our students within our management and reporting systems. This is a necessary activity as we complete re-coursing.
S4 Work Experience November 2023: Preparation is underway to get as many as possible of our S4 students ‘out’ on a week’s work experience from 6th-10th November 2023. This is in the school calendar and teams will adjust learning, teaching and assessment plans accordingly. We are seeking, through our parent/carer community and their contacts, any businesses that may be willing to offer a work experience placement to one of our students. Please let us know through the feedback form at the bottom of this update and I’ll pass details onto Mrs Sharp. This plea for support recognises the changing nature of some workplaces and the rise of home working or hybrid working. Spaces seem to be at a premium and we have a S4 year group of almost 300.
Praise Postcards: Our staff classroom focus next week is on praise , including our Praise Postcard system. We have reminded our staff about the power of praise click here and we anticipate that this will aid a consistent approach. This term we have sent 104 praise postcards to date. These arrive via email to parents/carers.
School/Home/School Communication: The following items are coming home with students over the course of next week.
Cost Of Living Support: Midlothian Council have asked us to share this with our school community. If you have a child or young person in your family in P6 and above then you may be eligible for free school meals and clothing grants, depending on your income. Find out more and apply at www.midlothian.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals
If you have any feedback/questions relating to this update, or are able to sign-post us to a potential work experience placement, please submit them via the link below
Take Care
Campbell Hornell and Ali Mitchell, Head Teachers
Feedback submitted from HT Update week ending on 18/08/23.
| My Question | Comment | Suggestion related to the school this week is: | HT’s Response |
| Re S4 First Aid qualification mentioned in HT update – will the new S5 year group be given the opportunity to undertake this training ? | We picked up almost all of the current S4 for this qualification when they were in S4. Last year was the start of the switch from S6 Induction to S4. We are aware there were a few who missed it. Those students should keep an eye on their Year Group Google Classroom. We’re planning to offer ‘mop-up’ sessions soon and will post details in Classrooms. |
This concise weekly HT Update is generally published every Friday afternoon. It’s a simple opportunity for you to also feedback/ask questions via the link at the bottom of each Update. Feedback received, where appropriate, will be responded to and published by Monday afternoon on the school website link.
Key messages from this week
First Week Back: This week our staff have re-engaged with school and their roles. We clarified our school mission, improvement priorities and completed relevant training, including information sharing, on Monday and Tuesday. We also welcomed several new colleagues. From Wednesday we welcomed our students. This is when the school comes ‘alive’ again and it has been a delight to see new faces and returnees. Our aim was to get students back into their learning as quickly as possible, establishing productive routines and habits. Our ‘Welcome Back’ Assemblies also took place this week where we saw all year groups to remind students of our values and purpose and how to ensure they are ready to learn and engage. We are pleased overall with the dress code compliance and our new policy is being reinforced at the front doors each morning by SLT and Student Support. The half-zip hoodies seem to be a real success. Thank you for all your support.
Calendar: Key events in school next week; on Monday through Thursday our S4 students will work with Edinburgh College to secure a First Aid qualification. Our students will have photographs taken on Tuesday and Wednesday. Friday is our first Dress Down Day of the session.
Staffing Update: This week we welcomed a number of new colleagues to our school. Maia Aiken (Art & Design), James Casey (Mathematics), Rebecca Edgar (Spanish), Grace MacKenzie (Maternity Cover in Home Economics), Richard Scobie (Modern Studies), Harry Gaughan (Physics), Courtney Naismith (Chemistry) and Kirstie Scott (ASN). We have 3 Newly Qualified Teachers this session; Abby Cleland (Art & Design), Morgan McCurdy (English) and Robbie McDonald (PE). Marion Reid has switched roles and now works within ASN in our Pod in a Pupil Care and Welfare Officer role. We have 4 new Learning Assistants in ASN; Diane Baena, Catherine Douglas, Julie Brown and Yvonne Chan. In addition, our new Business Manager, Pawel Padziunas, started with us, as part of our Senior Leadership Team, on Monday 7th August. We would also like to pass on our best wishes to Jackie Costello who will be taking early retirement in October following over 21 years service, largely in Student Support in Lasswade HS. Jackie will be greatly missed by her colleagues in SLT and Student Support. We congratulate Mel McGurk on securing a well deserved promotion. She heads off to her new PT post at Gracemount High School on Thursday 31st August.
S4 First Aid Qualification: Next week all S4 students will be attending Edinburgh College for 1 day to complete a First Aid Award. They will largely be going in house groups, accompanied by members of staff from each house team. There are a few students who can’t go on their house day so have been moved to a different group/day. This award was previously completed in S6 as part of the S6 Induction Programme. Our concern, and reason for the switch of year group, was that students who left at the end of S4 or S5 missed out on this excellent opportunity.
Senior Phase Awards Ceremony: This annual event ceremony will take place from 6.30pm on Wednesday 13th September, a little earlier than previous years, in an effort to allow more recent S6 Leavers to attend. Mrs Brown leads on the planning of this important event which aims to recognise the attainment and achievements of our 2022/23 Senior Phase students. We have secured a wonderful guest speaker, Ben Smith, who I am sure will be a real highlight. Click here to find out a wee bit more about Ben.
Bike Shelter: There is a new secure bike shelter at the front of the building. See our social media feeds for details. This will be open from 8am to 8.45am and again from 3.15pm to 4pm (Mon-Thur) and 8am to 8.45am and 12 noon to 1pm (Fri). It is designed for staff and student use only. The shelter will be locked out with these times. As always we’ll monitor these arrangements, seek feedback from those using the service and adapt our practice, if necessary, as the weeks progress.
School Photographs: Coldwell’s Art, our school photographers, will be in on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. All year groups will be involved. Please click Photographer August 2023 to see what they’ll do and your options to purchase. We use the individual photos in our school management system and the S6 Group is displayed in our Assembly Hall.
Senior Phase Re-coursing: S5/6 Student re-coursing arrangements were shared last week and reinforced this week. Miss Petrie is leading on this and requests for an appointment, through a Google Form in Year Group Google Classrooms, close today. Requests are being processed with changes made. Class lists will be finalised by the end of the month. Senior Phase Year Heads are also analysing coursing to ensure we maximise the ambition and potential achievement of all our students. It’s a competitive world and our aim is to ensure that our students achieve as much as they can to broaden their options when they are ready to leave.
School Calendar: Our 2023/24 Whole School Calendar of significant events is now available on our website. It is a ‘live’ document and the same calendar is shared with staff within our Google Workspace. This means when there are updates made they are effective at the same time and available for our staff and the parent/carer body. Click here to view the calendar on our website. Please check it semi-regularly and we’ll continue to highlight things on a weekly basis through this HT Update.
National Reform: Just a reminder that two significant reports were issued by the Scottish Government prior to the summer break. All Learners in Scotland Matter (May 2023) click here and It’s Our Future (June 2023) click here. You may want to read these. The Government will respond later in the year and are seeking feedback from schools before the end of October. We’ll do that, as you’d expect, and also keep you updated as the reform programme progresses.
If you have any feedback/questions relating to this update please submit them via the link below
Take Care
Campbell Hornell and Ali Mitchell, Head Teachers
The Midlothian Travel Team have shared this information with us this morning. It’s unfortunate it’s been issued later than we would have hoped. It builds on information Groupcalled to all parents/carers on Monday. The information give details on bus companies and pick up times/places and other reminders.
In addition, S1 students should take their letter, sent earlier this month, to the school bus and show it to the driver. We will issue a bus pass in coming weeks. If you were expecting a letter for your S1 child/young person and did not get one or you have misplaced your letter please email travelteam@midlothian.
Students S2-S6 who previously qualified for school transport should go to the same stop and get on the same bus as per previous terms. They are asked to use last year’s pass until a new one is issued. We are advised that if you can’t find the pass, operators will still let your child/young person on the bus.
The Midlothian Travel Team is contacting parents and carers of children and young people with Additional Support Needs (ASN) directly about new arrangements. Otherwise the same arrangements will be in place as previous terms for returning ASN pupils.
If your child/young person has moved homes and their previous arrangements no longer suit please contact travelteam@midlothian.
We hope students and families are having an enjoyable summer, despite the weather. We would like to share details with you regarding the first week back (Wednesday 16th – Friday 18th August).
All students return to school on Wednesday 16th August at 8.30am.
ALL Students
All S1-S6 students should arrive at school for no later than 8.25am and make their way to their ‘house room’ for 8.30am. For 15 minutes, ‘house teachers’ will re-issue students with their timetables, share important messages and complete registration. At 8.45am, all students will then attend their period 1 classes.
Please see the attached document for our full list of house teachers, house rooms and designated classes. House Teachers/Fire Wardens 2023-2024
Please remember to wear school uniform, bring your charged Chromebook and other necessary materials such a refillable water bottle.
S1 Students
S1 students should meet their S6 Buddies in the playground from 8.15am onwards each morning (just like the June transition days). Please remember to bring along your S1 information card, just in case you forget your school house or registration class.
For the first week (Wednesday 16th, Thursday 17th and Friday 18th August), all S1 students will have an extended break and lunch time to enable them to familiarise themselves with the dining hall and playground. S1 break time will be 10am – 10.25am and S1 lunch time will be 11.50am – 12.55pm (first week only).
As you are aware, all S1 students must remain on campus during break and lunch times. With this in mind, all S1 students must either bring a snack and packed lunch or have their ParentPay account topped up so they can buy food/drinks from the dining hall.
S6 Buddies
We are very fortunate to have over 70 fully trained and dedicated S6 Buddies, who will continue to assist our new S1 students during the first week of school in August (Wednesday 16th to Tuesday 22nd August).
S6 Buddies should ensure that they report to Mrs Brown, Mrs Main, Mr Paterson and Mrs Ramsay in the Atrium at 8.15am to collect their signs. S6 Buddies will then meet their classes in the playground and escort them to their house room/house teacher for 8.30am. At this point, S6 Buddies should then report to their own house room/house teacher before collecting their S1 classes again at 8.45am.
S6 Buddies will support their allocated S1 classes around the school and between classes for 5 school days. S6 Buddies will then also conduct a class visit in late August to touch base with their S1 students.
Head Teacher’s Update
At the end of each week, our Head Teachers (Campbell Hornell and Ali Mitchell), will share plans for the week ahead (w/b 21st August).
Please check our school website for whole school updates as well as our social media platforms:
X (Twitter) @LasswadeHSC
Instagram @lasswadehighschool