HT Update: Week-ending Friday 21st February 2025

Friday 21st February 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.  Feedback received, and where appropriate, will be responded to and published on Monday afternoon on the school website. 

Key messages from this week  

Calendar:  Significant events week beginning 24/02/25;  on Monday and Tuesday S3 and some Senior Phase students are involved in the NHS Teenage Booster vaccination programme;  on Tuesday, from 4.30pm, it’s our S1 Student Progress Consultation Evening for SA and SL students,  see below,  it’s also The Pod Parents’ Evening;  on Wednesday we’ll hold a S3 Assembly;  on Thursday it’s year assemblies for S1/2/4/5 and 6,  it’s also our Dance Show,  see below;  on Friday it’s our February Dress Down Day   

Staffing:  We’re beginning the process of teacher recruitment for August.  We have a Teacher of Business Studies vacancy now ‘live’ on myjobscotland.  More posts will be advertised in the coming weeks/months as there is usually a bit of staff movement from this period through to the summer break.  

SPOTY 25: Today all teachers were asked to show a short promo video to support the launch, from Monday of next week,  of SPOTY 25.  This is our annual Sports Personality of the Year Ceremony and will be held on Thursday 20th March.

Lasswade High School Dance Show:   This event is taking place next Thursday 27th February. The dancers have been working really hard and are excited to showcase their work. We have a variety of performance styles and year groups involved. Click here for more information.

LASSLANG: A huge thank you to our Modern Languages Team and their student helpers (current and former) for hosting the ASG P7 pupils on Monday and Tuesday this week. The P7’s had a productive and worthwhile visit.  We also ‘plugged’ the benefits of the opportunity for P7 pupils to apply for our ‘School of Modern Languages’ which will launch in August 2025.   

Transport Review:  We’ve been asked to advertise the following consultation with our school community. Midlothian Council is developing an integrated transport policy covering Home To School Transport (HTST), Additional Support Needs (ASN), Children’s Services, and Adult Social Care. This approach is essential to ensure the policy is consistent and accurately reflects the transitions between services. As part of this online engagement, they are keen to gather the views of ASN parents and carers regarding current and future transport provision. Please ensure that any feedback is provided by Wednesday 5 March 2025 using this link,  click here.  

Scottish Space School 2025:  We advised S5 students of this opportunity this week via their Year Group Classroom.  It’s  through the University of Strathclyde and applications opened on Monday. The programme will run at the University from Monday 9 – Friday 13 June 2025.  There are 100 places available on the week-long programme at which attendees will hear from staff who will provide an insight into studying and working in the field of engineering, as well as hearing from some of the world’s leading figures in space travel, including NASA Astronauts and engineers. Participants will also take part in a group project which they will present to a selection panel made up of staff from the University and NASA on the final day.  At the end of the programme in June, 8 lucky students will be selected to travel to Houston, USA in October 2025 to complete the ‘Learning Journey to NASA’ trip.

There is no cost associated with attending the programme in June, or the trip to Houston in October. Further information is available on the Space School website, click here.   All students who are interested in attending must apply using the online form which is available via the link above. The deadline to apply is Monday 17 March 2025 and decisions will be sent to all applicants by Tuesday 22 April 2025.

Student Fundraising:    On Friday 21st March, Grace Rogers, 4SA1,  will be participating in a fundraising event for the local charity Bethany Christian Trust. It involves her sleeping outside overnight in the city centre, alongside others, with no tent, heating elements or duvet – just cardboard and a sleeping bag.   She is doing this to help Bethany raise awareness about poverty and homelessness in cities around Scotland, including Edinburgh, and also to raise funds to support their valuable work. The money she is raising will go directly towards their work: such as homeless shelters, drug recovery programs and free meal vans.  If you’d like to support her efforts,  click here.

Google Guardian Summaries: We have now invited all parents/carers to access Google Guardian Summaries. We are hoping you’ll find these weekly summaries to be a helpful stimulus for discussing your child’s learning with them. To support you with the use of Google Guardian, click here.  For wider information on how Midlothian’s digital Equipped for Learning  programme supports learning, click here.

S1 Student Progress Consultation Evenings:  We’ve posted details on our website.  The first evening for ME/MK students was held this week.  The second is on 25/02/25 for SA/SL students.  Further details on our website,  click here.

Minibus Drivers:  Third time lucky.  C’mon you know you want to help!  We are seeking to work with some volunteers from our school community and build a pool of minibus drivers.  Ideally we’re seeking people who passed their driving test before January 1997.  Those folk have an automatic feature on their license that will speed up the process.  Please just use the feedback link at the end of this update.  Add in your name and contact details and we’ll be in touch.   

Message 3 from Tareena Amin, School Captain:  Almost two years ago, a war broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces due to power struggles between the two leaders of each group. The initial mass violence in their capital city, Khartoum, spread to other cities which eventually resulted in reports of mass graves, rape campaigns, and ethnically motivated killings. Half of the Sudanese population, which includes more than 24.8 million people, more than half of which are children, are in need of urgent humanitarian aid. 

UNICEF reported that the number of displaced people is at the worlds largest right now, with more than 5 million children displaced within the country and across borders. Children and families are experiencing a famine in northern Darfur. The ongoing conflict has also damaged Sudan’s healthcare system – hospitals are destroyed, medical supplies are limited, and many reports have indicated that medical aid from humanitarian convoys are either blocked from reaching those in need or get looted. There have been outbreaks of diseases like measles and malaria among displaced communities, children being the most vulnerable.

As the war in Sudan continues, millions of innocent civilians are trapped in this cycle of violence, hunger, and displacement. By using our voices to push for a ceasefire and donating to charities so that humanitarian aid can be provided to those who desperately require it, as a school community we can take a step toward ending the suffering of Sudan’s innocent citizens.

If you have any feedback/questions relating to this update please submit them via the link below

Feedback here

Take Care

Campbell Hornell,  Head Teacher

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