HT Update: Week-ending Friday 15th August 2025

Friday 15th August 2025

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.  Any feedback received will be responded to and published on Monday afternoon on the school website.  

No feedback received from last HT Update

Key messages from this week  

Calendar:  Significant events week beginning 18/08/25;  by Friday we will have completed all Senior Phase Re-coursing.  Parents/carers should continue to note that the Whole School calendar is live on the website, click here.  See the item below re Key Dates Calendar.  

Staffing:  On Monday we welcomed some new staff to our school.  Kelly Smith, Teacher of Business; Natalie Stevenson, Teacher of Computing; Luke Peggie and Emily Jack both Teachers of Biology;  Ellie Wood, Teacher of PE; Mark Millar, Teacher of Home Economics and Patricia Currie as Teacher of Additional Support Needs in The Pod.  David Kelly has also joined as a Learning Assistant.  We also have three Newly Qualified Teachers as part of the national induction programme; Laura Day in English, Gareth Fleming in Creative Design and Mia Tracey in PE.  We welcome all these new members of staff to our school.  Some of you may recognise the name Mia Tracey who has joined our PE Team.  Mia is a former student and School Captain, returning now to work in the school.  I am now officially old.  No need to provide me feedback on that!

Key Dates Calendar:  As indicated above the Calendar element of our website highlights important dates for parents/carers.  You’ll see three calendars that I ask you keep an eye on.  However, to give you a two-sided summary of Key Dates click on the link, Key Calendar Parents 25_26.  This will give you Inset days and Holidays,  the dates that Reports are issued via Parentsportal, the dates of our Student Progress Consultation Evenings (SPCE), Course Choice windows and Parent Council Meetings.   Next week I’ll do an update on the rationale behind our Reporting and SPCE pattern.  Submit any questions via the feedback option and I’ll build that into next week’s Update.    

Parentsportal:  Thank you to the many of you who have already signed up for Parentsportal.  This application is now available to our new S1 parents and carers. If you have not yet done so please access this link for more information. This session Parentsportal will be the platform through which you will access all student Reports, as well as a number of other functions designed to support communication and engagement including reporting student absences and the ability to view student timetables.   It is therefore important that you sign-up.  If you have any questions or problems please get in touch with the school office lasswadehsoffice@midlothian.education

Student Voice:  Student Voice is our democratic system of communication with our students.  We look for year representative for all stages of the school.  Year Councils meet regularly through-out the session so that our student’s ‘voice’ can be heard. Representatives form Year Councils also attend the regular Parliaments where all year groups meet with myself.  This system allows student concerns and suggestions to be heard and responded to through our actions.   This week Mrs Atkinson posted sign-up messages in Year Group Classrooms.  Please encourage your child to consider signing up.  If they have any questions they should see Mrs Atkinson in 114 or Mr Bain in 115.

 

Feedback here

Take Care

Campbell Hornell,  Head Teacher

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