HT Weekly Update: Week-ending Friday 9th February 2024

Friday 9th February 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 each Monday on the school website link.   Given the holiday week, we’ll respond on Monday 19th February.

Key messages from this week  

February Week Holiday:  I’m sure you need no reminder (just as I offer one) that the school breaks up today, with staff and students returning, fully refreshed, on Monday 19th February.  I hope you have a lovely week. 

Calendar:  events on week beginning 19th February include:  from Monday we begin the Senior Phase Course Choice process;  Tuesday is our POD Parents’ Evening;  on Wednesday we’ll hold a S5 Course Choice/LEAPS Assembly, provisionally we also plan to hold a Industry Insights-Investments workshop for senior students (t.b.c.),  also on Wednesday we’ll hold our school day consultation drop-in (see below);   Friday is our February Dress Down Day.

Staffing:   This week we welcomed back Emma Haynes (PE) as she returned from maternity leave. We also have a number of posts live on MyJobScotland as we begin our recruitment for August 2024.  

School Day Consultation:  A reminder that our Midlothian wide consultation on aligning the school day across all 6 secondary schools is live.  Details are available via our website, click here.  To support your understanding of the proposal we are holding an informal drop-in session on Wednesday 21st February from 5.00pm to 7.00pm,  please come to that if you’d like additional information.   I am recommending that you support the proposal and am asking for as many parent’s and carers to respond, click here, as possible. There are only 5 questions to respond to in the feedback/survey.  The main changes for us are minimal and the benefits of aligning the secondary school day across all schools are significant and highlighted in the Consultation Paper.  Students, through PSEd, will be given the opportunity to respond during w/b 19th February.

Senior Phase Coursing: Senior coursing will begin straight after the February break. We will endeavour to keep disruption to senior exam classes to a minimum.

Parent Council 5:  Please note the change of date for our next Parent Council Meeting.  It was Tuesday 19th March,  we’ve had to move it to the following Tuesday, 26th March.  The meeting will be in-person, beginning at 7.00pm.  

Midlothian Council:  Please find attached information on the proposal to relocate Beeslack Community High School and realign the associated primary catchment areas as well as the secondary catchment areas of Penicuik and Lasswade High Schools.  For us the main aspect is that the proposal re-zones Loanhead and Paradykes Primary Schools from Lasswdae to Beeslack.  This consultation opens on Monday 19th February and closes on Tuesday 16th April and Midlothian Council are seeking your views.   You can find more information, such as the consultation proposal document and online survey, at https://midlothiancouncil.citizenspace.com/education/replacement-beeslack-consultation

This page will go live on Monday 19th February – please do not attempt to access it before this date – and Midlothian Council would welcome your views on these proposals.

S6 Leavers Sets:  Our S6 Students were issued with their Leavers Photo Sets from Coldwells this week.  If your young person has not received theirs yet they can collect it from Student Reception.  To see additional information from Coldwells, click here. If you do not wish to purchase your set please return these to Student Reception.

Young Musician of the Year Competition:  Congratulations to Maggie Goodall who achieved first place vocalist in the area final for the Rotary Young Musician of the Year Competition.  She will now go on to perform in the South of Scotland Final on Sunday 18th February at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. Maggie impressed judges with an outstanding performance, accompanied by Mr Brown on piano. Well done and good luck in the next phase of the competition. Thank you to Mr Brown for his time in supporting Maggie. 

Free School Meals:  Information on the holiday arrangements for students in receipt of free school meals are available on the Midlothian website,  click here.

BGE Movie Night:  Apologies, the ‘save the date’ details around the Junior Movie Night (Thursday 29th February) shared last week don’t now apply. Details will be shared with BGEd students after the February break.  

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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