HT Weekly Update: Week-ending Friday 14th June 2024

Friday 14th June 2024

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 on Monday on the school website.  

Key messages from this week  

Calendar:  Significant calendar events next week;  on Monday we hold two of our Broad General Education Awards Ceremonies (ME/MK); on Tuesday the Scottish Youth Film Foundation will work with 30 students, also on Tuesday through Thursday it’s our Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award Expedition; on Wednesday we hold our remaining two Broad General Education Awards Ceremonies (SA/SL);  on Thursday we’ll have 30 students on a school trip to the Royal Highland Show.

Staffing:   On Tuesday we expect to appoint our DHT Curriculum on a permanent basis.  We are down to two candidates, both excellent, and I’m grateful to the three parents who are joining Ms Struthers and I on the interview panel, along with three Elected Council Members.

Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI):  Congratulations to all our S3 who took part in the annual YPI programme led by Social Studies and English on Monday of this week. After a very competitive final, we can announce that Bonnyrigg Rose Football Charity were the winning group and will be awarded £3,000. A big well done to Orla, Daisy, Karys and Isla who delivered a fantastic presentation.  

Heriot-Watt University’s Multilingual Debate:  Four Higher students, with knowledge of at least two foreign languages, attended Heriot-Watt University’s Multilingual Debate at the end of May. The event showcased the interpreting skills of undergraduate students on the Interpreting and Translating degree programme and the MSc Interpreting and Translating programme.  Our students listened to a formal debate about the risks of artificial intelligence, with two multilingual teams arguing for and against a motion that AI represents a threat to the future of humanity, while speaking a range of languages. The teams delivered their views in their own languages and our students listened to the debate with a special set of headphones allowing them to seamlessly switch between the different languages. 

Google Classrooms: We are requesting that teachers now archive old Google Classrooms; as new classrooms are being created it’s challenging for students to manage so many.  This process should be completed by Friday 21st June. 

Chromebook Clinic: Next week all S4 students will be provided with 1:1 support from the Midlothian Digital Learning Team, to ensure their Chromebook is ‘healthy’ and ready for the Senior Phase. This could cover any minor repairs. Students have been allocated a 25 minute time slot each, as part of this, students will learn some basic skills to support themselves in improving the performance of their device. Details of appointments have been shared via the S4 Google Classroom.

P7/S1 Induction: This week we were pleased to welcome over 300 new S1 students to our school.  I’d like to offer my thanks to all staff (LHS and primary), our new S6 Buddies and parents/carers of the students for supporting the visit over the past few days. We look forward to the students returning in August.

SQA 2024:  Ahead of Results Day on Tuesday 6 August, SQA have produced a new learner booklet called ‘Your Results’. The booklet contains information on all the support available to learners as they receive their results and consider next steps. It includes: an overview of what to expect when receiving their results; details around certificates; frequently asked questions; how exams are marked; appeals information and more. Please click here to access the booklet.  

School Captains:  We are pleased to announce the following seven students as our 2024/25 School Captains; Tareena Anim, Ellen Brown, Libby Aaron, Alister Doig, Nia James, Millie Laing and Susanna McKinney.  Congratulations to these outstanding young leaders who have come through a highly competitive process.  

We Will Rock You:  Just a gentle reminder that tickets for ‘We Will Rock You’ are on sale now and are selling very quickly!  The show takes place on Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th June at 7pm in the Assembly Hall. Tickets are £8 are available for purchase on ParentPay, click here.

School Uniform T-Shirts & Polo Shirts: We have introduced the option to buy t-shirts and polo shirts with the Lasswade Logo, these are now available to order on the BE Uniforms website.  For ordering information and price details, click here. 

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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