Head Teachers Letter - August 2008 August 19, 2008
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August 18th 2008
Dear Parent,
While it is unusual for me to write to you in the first week of term, it is necessary for me to notify you of two matters. My first full newsletter of the term will follow to you in the September mailshot.
Roadworks
The turning circle outside the school gates and Inveresk Road itself are being resurfaced by the Roads Department. This work was scheduled to be completed by the end of the school holidays, but the bad weather meant workers were diverted away to emergencies. The automatic pedestrian crossing is out of operation as there is no white lining: a crossing patrol will be in place for pupils instead. SMT will be in attendance also at the start of lunchtime and close of school. I have emphasised to pupils via assemblies and a notice in the bulletin that they must take great care until the lights are reinstated. I have been given as assurance by the Roads Department that they will endeavour to complete the work as soon as possible, recommencing Monday 18th August. Pupils crossed very sensibly at lunchtime.
Industrial Action by UNISON staff on Wednesday 20th August
Most parents will have seen in newspapers that UNISON intend to take industrial action nationally on this date.
The school will be open as usual on Wednesday and I expect all pupils to attend. Teaching staff are not members of UNISON and should thus be in school. The janitors will open the school as normal and will be present in school all day. Packed lunches will be provided for pupils entitled to free school meals. Other pupils should thus bring a packed lunch that day which can be eaten in the Dining Hall or go down the street to food outlets.
However, we will have to make some changes to our usual procedures. We will not be answering telephones during the day, nor will we operate Truancy Call. We will deal with enquiries in person at the School Office. Please do not send your child to school if he or she is unwell – keep them at home. Some pupils need to collect and take medicines at particular times of the day: we will designate a member of SMT to distribute those medicines. The Sick Bay will be manned by a qualified person.
If there are any changes to these arrangements, I will write to all parents again tomorrow.
Yours sincerely,
Ronnie Summers
Head Teacher
Wednesday 20th August Industrial Action August 19, 2008
Posted by rsummers in : Uncategorized , add a commentDear Parent
I wrote to all parents on Monday this week notifying you that the school will be open for pupils and teaching staff on Wednesday and that we expect all pupils in all years to attend.
A copy of the letter is posted in Head Teachers letters.
Ronnie Summers
Head Teacher
June 2008 Letter to Parents June 25, 2008
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Dear Parent
Staffing
The time after Easter usually involves the school in interviewing for new staff for the coming year and this year is no different. We have a number of staff retiring, a number moving to pastures new, and a number coming to the end of their year with us as newly qualified teachers.Miss Neilson in PE is retiring after many years service and has spent her whole career in Musselburgh since 1970. Mrs Simpson in Mathematics is also retiring, having been with us since 1993. Mr Aithie in Chemistry is also retiring after many years service here also. Mr McNaught PT Guidance is moving abroad to teach and Mrs Jackson leaves the English Department. Ms Kent, Mr Rooney, Ms Strachan, Ms McCabe leave at the end of their year here and we wish them all well for the future. Mrs Braine also departs her post as an auxiliary in Learning Support. Other staff like Ms Innes, Mrs McElroy, Ms Shone and Mr Bolton have been covering on a temporary basis for other staff and I would like to thank them for their work with our pupils.Mr O’Connor will take over as Acting PT Guidance for Moray House in place of Mr McNaught. Mrs Barrass will join us in the Computing Department. Miss Roddy will join the English Department and there is a post to be filled in Mathematics.Mrs Bonnar in History/ Modern Studies leaves us for a year as she is going on an exchange for a year with an American teacher. Mr Brigham who teaches in Carl Sandburg High School in Illinois joins us with his family in August and will be taking her timetable. This is a Fulbright Exchange and is very prestigious and we are very honoured to be involved.
Celebrating Success
Congratulations to our Enterprising Mathematics team of Ross Dowie, John Gibson, Calum MacKinnon and Fraser Pike who represented us at Meadowbank. We came 7th of the 38 entrants from the Lothians and were the highest placed East Lothian school – we now represent the county in the national competition later this year. The team was drawn from pupils who did very well in the Scottish Mathematical Council Challenge – Ross now in S4 achieved a Gold, with John, Calum and Fraser achieving Gold Awards in the UK Junior Maths Challenge. Emma McWhirter, Angus MacKinnon, Callum Kerr and Joanne Stewart also achieved Gold Awards in this.Congratulations to all our prizewinners who were out of school recently at Borders Books to select their prizes which will be awarded at the Annual Prizegiving on Wednesday 25th June.Mr Bowers decided to shave his head to raise money for the Christian Aid appeal in Burma and raised £345 – definitely a cut above the average!I am delighted to announce that Michael Heneghan of S5 has been awarded an Arkwright Scholarship. Both Michael himself and the CDT department benefit financially from this and Michael had to go through competitive interview to be selected – well done!Lynsey Buchan S6 and Tosi Moyo S6 came runners up for the ‘Promoting Positive Ethos Award’ presented by ABEL (Anti-Bullying East Lothian) at their AGM at the end of May. They received a Quaich Trophy for their hard work and involvement within the school community.Sarah Warnock won the gold medal for the long jump at the Scottish Schools Athletics Championship while Rahel Meli took bronze in the 400m hurdles.
Bus passes
Pupils who travel by bus from Wallyford and Whitecraig were notified in March that they need to renew their bus pass. Any pupil who has not done this for the end of term can be refused transport by the operator or charged for travel – so it is important to deal with it.
School meal prices
I have been notified that school meal prices will rise in August, with the equivalent cost of a free school meal for pupils rising from £1.70 to £1.80. School meals still remain a healthy and economical option for pupils and I would always encourage pupils to take advantage of this service. Copies of new costs are on noticeboards in the school.Changes of course and SQA appealsSQA examination results will be published on Tuesday 5th August. Pupils in S5 and S6 often wish to change their subjects or their level of study after their results envelope arrives. Mr Burns will be in school on 12th and 13th August from 10 a.m. to 1p.m. to start dealing with this. Pupils should realise that it is in their best interest to see him as soon as possible – we will not hold places open for pupils.Pupils are sometimes disappointed with their results and ask if the result can be appealed. While we will happily take requests from parents and pupils that an appeal be considered, this is a matter of professional judgement for the department concerned. Nor is the department’s decision to appeal any guarantee of success as we play no part in the SQA scrutiny of scripts and appeal evidence – it is done by an independent examining team. Mrs Booker deals with appeals and parents should contact her.
End of term activities
Our S1 pupils departed in two separate batches for Loch Lomond at the end of May just before we changed timetable. A good time was had by all with the pupils and staff enjoying the activities on offer. Pupils in other years were spread all over the country during the activities days and pupils had their usual enjoyable trip to France. Last Friday saw the Glam Gig in the Hall.
New uniform
I am enclosing a separate note about the new uniform in August so that all parents are very clear about uniform. We will arrange to distribute ties free of charge to S3-6 on the first day back in August.
End of term
School finishes for pupils and staff for the summer at 12.10 on Friday 27th June. I wish everyone connected with the school a pleasant holiday break. Pupils return on Monday 18th August 2008.
Yours sincerely,
Ronnie Summers
Head Teacher
May letter to Parents June 25, 2008
Posted by rsummers in : Uncategorized , add a commentDear Parent
School Uniform Consultation
All parents would have received a school uniform consultation form last month with a closing date for return of 12th May. Parents were in favour of the school’s proposals by a ratio of 3:1, with a lot of written comments approving the move too. We thus will be expecting all pupils to be in the new school uniform in August – having done the consultation it applies to all pupils. I look forward to seeing our pupils look as smart in shirts and ties as other schools in the authority
There were also some concerns though beyond people expressing a preference for one style over the other, and it would be fair to cover some of those here.
There was the suggestion that S6 should not be expected to wear uniform at all. I’d gently point out that S6 pupils are part of the school community like everyone else and in fact are expected to set an example to younger pupils in terms of behaviour, appearance and attitude – and this is identical for all six secondary schools. A couple of parents said that the sweatshirt was relatively new - would children be able to continue to wear the school sweatshirt for a while after August? I think it would be entirely sensible to agree to that suggestion for six months. Girls can choose to wear skirts or trousers as before.
Some parents raised the issue of cost. The school has always said parents can contact guidance staff if the purchase of school uniform is a financial problem and I am happy to reassure parents that this will continue. To mark the change to a new uniform and to assist parents with the cost of the change, we have purchased ties which we intend to distribute free of charge to S3-S6 via the pupils. More details will follow. (Obviously, if the tie was lost, we would expect pupils to purchase a replacement promptly.)
Timetable and new school day
The new school timetable starting Monday 2nd June for all pupils is now constructed and pupils will receive their new timetables that day. My thanks to my Depute Head Mrs Booker and to Mrs Gibson in the school office for transferring all the timetable data onto the school‘s management information system so that everyone has a printed copy of their timetable showing subject, teacher and room – rather than have to copy it out by hand in class. It’s a big job inputting all the data!
A reminder once again that we start the new school day from Monday 2nd June also – 8.45 start as before, only 5 minutes for registration; period 1 8.50 start; period 2 9.50 start; 10.50 interval start; period 3 11.05 start; period 4 12.05 start; lunch 1.05 start; period 5 1.50 start; period 6 2.50 start; send of school day 3.50.
On Friday it is slightly different : 8.45 start but registration until 8.55; period 1 8.55 start; period 2 9.55 start; 10.55 interval start; period 3 11.10 start; end of school day 12.10.
SQA examinations.
I am delighted to report that pupils took their examinations very seriously. They heeded our advice to arrive in good time, the standard of behaviour was very high and attendance among S4 pupils was particularly good with minimal unexplained absences. The only downside was that despite warnings, one pupil is likely to lose an examination result when her mobile phone rang in the examination hall in the middle of an examination. The examination diet is running later this year, so the foyer is still out of bounds to non-examinees until the end of next week.
P7 visits
We are looking forward to having our new S1 pupils join us on Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th June for their visit. There has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes by primary and secondary staff to make this a smooth transition as usual.
Celebrating Success
Congratulations to Ross Muir of S1 who is the Under-14 Scottish Schools Snooker Champion… and who is also the U-16 Champion. Winning against pupils much older than himself is a major achievement and his reward is to represent Scotland in Wales this September.
Congratulations also to Sarah McLean of S2 who entered the National Galleries of Scotland Art Competition for Schools –where there were 4000 entries from schools - and who has been awarded Special Merit in Category E. She receives her prize at a presentation on 18th June. Her work and that of the other winners will be framed and displayed from 13th June to 28th October.
Congratulations to Mrs Lyall and the Mathematics Department who, working with primary colleagues, have been developing a new unit of work for primary pupils and S1-3 pupils on Money. We have won an award for the most original idea in the Royal Bank of Scotland Personal Finance Education Awards this year. We will find out whether we are the runner-up or the outright winner in this category at the award ceremony in London on 26th June.
Dates for the rest of this term
Wednesday 4th June – Parent Council 7pm- 9pm
Thursday 19th June – Visit of Honest Lad and Lass 2pm
Thursday 19th June - Summer Concert 7.30 pm (Tickets available soon from the office)
Friday 20th June – Senior Prom
Wednesday 25th June – School Prizegiving 7pm
Friday 27th June – close of school at 12.10 for summer holiday
(Pupils return on Monday 18th August 2008)
Yours sincerely
Ronnie Summers
Head Teacher
April 14, 2008
Posted by rsummers in : Uncategorized , add a commentDear Parent
East Lothian Council Budget 2008/9 and Efficiency Savings of 1.5% for schools
Since my last newsletter, all schools have had details of their funding for next year, though I hesitate to call it final since it is dependent on the school roll in September and funding for probationer teachers in August. I had expected to be asked to find £75,000 in efficiency savings out of a £5 million budget, but am in fact being asked to find £97,000. This will not be easy to do.
It is my intention not to replace an auxiliary who has left in the first instance. I will then not spend any money on IT equipment in this coming year, nor will I replace any damaged or lost equipment, nor carry out any repairs to equipment. These are short-term savings: at some point in the future, items will have to be replaced. I will try very hard not to reduce the money which goes to departments as this impacts on supplies to pupils in classrooms.
I cannot at this stage comment on the impact on courses as we are still gathering course choice requests for S2 and S4/5 – some courses may fall because of low uptake. Parents should be aware that the council has notified schools that we will be expected to make further efficiency savings of 2.25% in 2009/2010 and 2.25% in 2010/2011.
World Maths Day 5th March
This has been a hugely successful event. All of our pupils were registered for this and many went on to the site in advance in their own time to attempt practice questions – at one point Mrs. Lyall was telling me that we were in the top 50 schools in the world for hits on the site!
Modern Studies New York trip
Our pupils returned saying they had a fabulous time in New York and were very grateful to Mr. Richardson and Miss Hamilton for their initiative in organizing the visit. Various places
Celebrating Success event
On Friday February 29th, we held a joint event in the Assembly Hall with our associated primary schools on the theme of Musselburgh Past Present and Future. It was a lovely afternoon and very interesting for the different ways each school had interpreted one of the themes. Our own contribution was a big frieze duplicating the Ordnance Survey Map of the area, various posters and interviews on the theme of Musselburgh Present. Congratulations to all the pupils involved. (We had intended to bury a time capsule in the garden that day but unfortunately the day coincided with the Musselburgh Monsoon – it will occur at a later point of the term.)
S4-6 pupils
Senior pupils have just finished their preliminary examinations and a report to parents is imminent. S4 pupils are finishing off coursework which is to be sent off to the Scottish Qualifications Authority in the next few days.
While I hope these pupils will enjoy their break, I would remind all parents and pupils that they cannot stop working altogether. This is the time when revision of work should be starting – every year pupils leave revision until too late and run out of time to revise properly. While the pupils will be on exam leave, it cannot all be left until then.
Pupils should be organising their notes together if they have not already done so and planning out when they will revise over the holiday (and sticking to that plan!) - and balance it between seeing friends and doing other things. Lots of pupils plan their time collectively and find that helps – you study at the same time as your friends then meet up later.
Easter Revision classes will run as normal this year and pupils have already had details given to them by Mr. Bray. Other revision classes run after school – not every school has staff giving up their time for this and pupils should be making the most of this opportunity.
S3 examinations
S3 pupils return after the holiday and go straight into S3 examinations a week later. These examinations are important as they teach pupils the importance of revising a whole year’s work, working in the hall under examination conditions, concentrating for the length of the examination, and working under pressure of time – all skills they will need for S4-6 national examinations in the near future. All of this is very different from revising for an end of unit test done in the classroom in familiar circumstances.
Celebrating Pupil Success
· Craig Owenson (S6) has been selected for the Under -18 Scottish rugby squad.
· Our Support for Learning pupils did very well in the recent Secondary School Regional Football 5s tournament at Gracemount Leisure Centre, coached by Mrs. Glennie. S1/2 pupils reached the semi-final while the S3/4 pupils won the cup for the school.
· Intermediate Maths Challenge – we collected 3 silver and 16 bronze certificates in the recent challenge event. The 3 silver certificates were won by Scott Thomson (S3), Callum Clague (S3) and Debbie Cain (S4).
· Our S3 Prince’s Trust held a Tea Dance last week for around 50 old folk – our visitors were very complimentary to the pupils and enjoyed the tour of the school.
· Alistair Brown (S6) came second in the recent Peter Potter Art Gallery Competition
· Morag Barton (S6) was winner of the Rotary Young Photographer Competition 2008. Morag won two categories - ‘My Home Town’ and ‘My Countryside’. A presentation was held at The Quay on Monday 10th March. Morag’s winning entries now go on to the Scottish National stages of the competition
Artist in Residence
The school has recently appointed Edinburgh artist Malcolm Cruickshank to work with several classes on a residency basis on the subject of Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum. As part of the program Malcolm has planned he would like to encourage pupils to visit the museum in their own time to learn about the history and ‘get a feel’ for the place.
Whilst the museum site is open 24hrs, the visitors’ centre will be open for the season from Saturday 29 March between the hours of 11am and 4.30pm. An audio tour is available from museum staff, or pupils may wish to download it to their MP3 player by visiting the website www.prestongrange.org. (Prestongrange is located on the coast road between Musselburgh and Prestonpans.)
End of term
We hold our Easter Service on Wednesday 19th March and then finish on Thursday. Pupils and staff are thus on holiday from Friday 21st March until they return at 8.45 on Tuesday 8th April.
I hope everyone has a good holiday. Please note that the school will also be closed on Monday 21st April.
Yours sincerely,
Ronnie Summers
Head Teacher
S2, S4 and S5 Course Choice Evening February 14, 2008
Posted by headteachersletters in : Presentations , add a commentWe recently held course choice information evenings for parents and students in S2, S4 and S5. Copies of the presentations used are below.
If you have any questions on course choices - please contact your childs guidance teacher in the first instance.
January 2008 Letter to Parents January 29, 2008
Posted by rsummers in : Uncategorized , add a commentDear Parent
I hope everyone has a happy and prosperous new year in 2008. A list of the main events this term is enclosed at the end of this newsletter, drawn from the mailshot issued at the beginning of the academic year.
Efficiency Savings
In the final week of last term, schools were notified that the council was proposing to make 3% efficiency savings in the coming year. Don Ledingham asked us to examine our budgets accordingly and to indicate where these savings could be found - in our case it amounts to £203, 319. Like other head teachers, I have responded to this and my paper is with the council. (The Concordat with local government states that 2% will be asked for in each of the following two years also.) I stress that none of this is yet definitive - it may all change, as this is a great deal of money for us to lose.
I spoke to the Parent Council and the staff last week about this. It is not possible to make these savings from expenditure - a considerable amount will have to come from staffing. Savings from expenditure means that I will be unable to invest any money in ICT equipment like computers, laptops and interactive whiteboards, nor will I be repairing equipment or replacing equipment. This will create difficulties in the future.
Savings from staffing means a number of things. Broadly speaking, it means that we will have bigger classes in S3-S6 and fewer subjects will be on offer in each column, so pupils may not be able to get all the subjects that they wish to study. It means that I will need to examine the viability of some classes where the uptake is small, and that includes Higher and Advanced Higher classes in the senior school. It means I will have fewer staff in the school and less availability of staff to cover when staff are absent - this could mean when cover is tight that some classes will have to be supervised by SMT in the Hall.
Please be assured that I will keep parents informed as the situation becomes clearer.
HMIe Inspection Follow Through
Two Quality Improvement Officers from the Council were in school on Tuesday 22nd January gathering information and talking to staff and pupils as part of the final follow-through, to confirm that the school has taken forward the action points arising from the inspection in December 2005. While I am unable to reveal their findings in detail, I will merely say that I am satisfied with the discussions we had. A report now goes to the Council’s Education Committee and will be published in due course. Parents will either receive a copy of the follow-through report or we will duplicate our copy for parents.
S2 and S4/5 course Choices - Combined Information Evening Wednesday 6th February
We intend to run the two course choice information evenings back to back this year - 7-8pm for S2, and 8-9pm for S4/5.
We have been delighted with the response of parents for both evenings in the last two years. Even though there is a full course choice booklet distributed to every pupil, making eight subject choices for S3 can make pupils and parents quite anxious if you have not been through the process recently, and it can all feel very different from when you were at school yourself. Members of the Senior Management Team will explain the process in detail and will be on hand to deal with individual concerns at the end.
Choosing 5 subjects for S5 and S6 can be no less worrying. With the development of National Certificate courses at Intermediate 1 and 2 as well as Higher and Advanced Highers, it is important to understand the importance of making a good selection of subjects which link to career patterns and university and college applications. Again, members of the Senior Management Team will explain the process in detail and will be on hand to deal with individual concerns at the end.
Parent Forum
The Parent Forum has now had three meetings. Dates for future meetings this year are: 25th February, 15th April and 4th June, all at 7pm. We intend having a Parent Council section on the school website.
Staffing
Mr. Bolton has joined the Computing Department as a replacement for Ms Henderson who is on maternity leave. Mrs. Malcolm is now unable to join us as the Home Economics auxiliary, but Mrs. Stewart joins us instead at the end of this month.
Presentation policy and S/6 reports
We made it clear to S5/6 pupils at the beginning of the year that presentation in a subject was not automatic - it depended on their progress over the course of the year - and we set a threshold of 35% pass rate for the preliminary examination.
S5/6 reports were issued at the end of last term and while it was pleasing to see many pupils working hard and making progress, it is clear that a number of pupils are not working hard enough - no doubt discussed at the S5/6 Parents Evening just passed. Preliminary examinations, starting 14th February, usually provide a very accurate indication of success or failure in the national examinations - please make sure your child is well prepared for them and does not offer up the excuse that they do not matter and that he/she will “really start to work after the examinations”. That’s just too late.
Restructuring the School Day
I issued a consultation paper to parents in December, asking for comments by the end of the term. The proposals were almost universally accepted with no major concerns arising. I now intend to implement the change to the school day in June 2008 when we change timetable.
School uniform
A number of pupils have approached us to discuss uniform issues. We have listened to what they have to say and there has been a discussion at the Pupil Council. We think we should be like the other schools in East Lothian - i.e. in shirts and ties. It has been some time since we had the last consultation with parents on this and SMT feel that it is time to move this forward as part of an improving school ethos. After discussion, we are likely to propose that S1 and S2 remain in polo shirts and sweatshirts, with S3-6 moving to shirts and ties. More information will follow on this item - this is just a quick indication.
S4 reports
These were issued last week to pupils at assembly when I spoke to them. I would ask parents to take the time to talk through the comments on the reports with their child and not just look at grades.
While I am very pleased at the reports for a number of pupils, it is clear that a lot of pupils did not take our earlier advice about revising thoroughly enough, and have not been giving equal efforts to all their subjects, not just the ones they like. I usually say that your subjects should be across two grades only - i.e. Grade 2 and 3, Grade 4 and 5 - and not scattered. (Someone went from Grade 1 to Grade 7!)
The big push for all pupils is to finish off coursework like the English Folio to the very best level they can to the correct deadline and to make sure they are working as hard as possible for the rest of the year. I think S4 have the capacity to do very well, but only if a lot of people buckle down to some hard work and are here every single day.
Congratulations to…
- Campie Primary School whose inspection report was published this week - with one indicator at “excellent” and everything else at “very good” or “good” - congratulations to Mrs. McCall and her staff;
- Marcus Gaines of S1 who won the overall prize for the East Lothian Smoking and Health Partnership poster competition, and to Aaron Hay of S1 who won the S1 competition. Marcus’s design will be used as a poster to advertise stop smoking services, and Daniel’s design will be incorporated into an information sheet. Prizes will be presented at the next Education Committee meeting in February.
Important dates this term
| Friday 18th January | S4 Reports issued |
| Wednesday 23rd January | S5/6 Parents’ Evening (7pm -9 pm) |
| Wednesday 6th February | Course Choice Evenings - 7pm S2, 8pm S4/5 |
| Monday 11th / Tuesday 12th February | School holiday for staff and pupils |
| Wednesday 13th February | In-service day for staff; holiday for pupils |
| Thursday 14th February | Pupils resume, S5/6 Preliminary Examinations start |
| Wednesday 20th February | S2 Course Choice package issued |
| Friday 22nd February | S4/5 course choice forms issued |
| Wednesday 27th February | S2 Parents’ Evening 7pm |
| Thursday 28th February | S5/6 Preliminary Examinations finish |
| Monday 3rd March | S4/5 course choice forms returned |
| Tuesday 4th March | S2 course choice forms returned |
| Wednesday 19h March | S5/6 Reports (Supplementary) issued |
| Tuesday 8th April | Staff and pupils resume |
| Monday 14th April | S3 examinations start |
| Monday 21st April | Spring holiday |
Yours sincerely,
Ronnie Summers
Head Teacher
Restructuring of the School Day December 13, 2007
Posted by rsummers in : Uncategorized , add a commentDecember 2007
Dear Parent,
Restructuring of the School Day
I have been in consultation with the school staff this term regarding a set of proposals to amend the school day. Staff are in broad agreement with these proposals and I am now seeking the views of pupils and parents.
At present, we operate a timetable which has three different lengths of period – 35, 40 and 60 minutes. This timetable is not working to the advantage of pupils. We are seeing more classes split between teachers. Subjects are not spread evenly throughout the day and over the week. There are difficulties in accommodation in several subject areas, as the school roll is rising and more pupils are staying on into S5 and S6. We are seeing that pupils in the 35 minute periods particularly are getting little meaningful work done by the time they arrive in class, get settled, have the work explained to them and then finally get started. This stop-start curriculum is unhelpful – pupils need longer periods of learning.
Most of the secondary schools in East Lothian are operating a system of 60 minute periods, 27 periods in the week, and this is the system we are proposing. We think this will benefit pupils as there will be far less movement around the school and thus increase the amount of meaningful teaching and learning.
The 27 period week would be composed of 4 days of 6 periods and Friday would have 3 periods. Staff have agreed that it is better to have the six periods split up evenly through the day, starting at the same time of day. It looks like this:
Monday to Thursday
School commences at 8.45am and finishes at 3.50pm
Registration 8.45am to 8.50am
Period 1 8.50am to 9.50am
Period 2 9.50am to 10.50am
Interval of 15 minutes 10.50am to 11.05am
Period 3 11.05am to 12.05pm
Period 4 12.05pm to 1.05pm
Lunch break of 45 minutes 1.05pm to 1.50pm
Period 5 1.50pm to 2.50pm
Period 6 2.50pm to 3.50pm
Friday
School commences at 8.45am and finishes at 12.10pm
Registration 8.45am to 8.55am
Period 1 8.55am to 9.55am
Period 2 9.55am to 10.55m
Interval of 15 minutes 10.55m to 11.10am
Period 3 11.10am to 12.10pm
In essence, there is an earlier interval; lunch starts 20 minutes later but is the same length of 45 minutes; we finish 5 minutes later Monday to Thursday but gain the 20 minutes back on Friday by finishing 20 minutes earlier.
The allocation of time to each subject is a good near-fit to current allocation and identical to other schools. For example, pupils in S1/2 will study the same subjects at present and the times are close to current allocations. An S3 pupil would have 3 periods for each of his/her 8 Standard Grade subjects plus one period of PE, PSE and RME. (The last inspection report criticised us for not having RME in S3 and S4 and that needs to be addressed – it has the side-effect of reducing core PE time to 60 minutes per week.) An S5 pupil would have 5 periods for each of his/her 5 subjects plus one period of PSE and one elective period, where pupils would go to a non-certificated non-examinable interest class of their choice.
All teaching staff are entitled to 300 minutes non-class contact time for marking and class preparation. Moving to 60 minute periods also makes that easier to deliver. To achieve a uniform pattern of 60 minute periods, we need registration to shorten to 5 minutes - but it will mean that pupils will need to be punctual to school or they will miss registration and then be given detention. Staff have expressed concerns to us about the shorter length of house assemblies which are seen as contributing strongly to the ethos of the school and Senior Management Team have promised to try to find ways to address this.
It would be the intention of the school to move to this new school day when we change over to the new timetable in June 2008. Catering arrangements would be provided as at present and I would notify the bus company that pupils for Whitecraig will need to be picked up at 12.10 not 12.30.
I feel it is important that parents have the chance to make their views known, so I am inviting comments and enquiries from you by 20th December. If it is more convenient, I can respond to emails on: Dear Parent/ Guardian S4 pupils have just completed the above examinations. The Chief Invigilator was very complimentary about the behaviour and attitude of the pupils in the examination rooms, so well done S4. Staff are now busy marking the papers. The pupil reports will follow to parents in January. There was a near-fatal accident in a school in the Borders recently in a CDT workshop when a girl was wearing a scarf which then became tangled in machinery as she worked. All parents should be reassured that we do not allow pupils to wear scarves in workshops and that pupils are expected to follow staff instructions on the use of safety glasses and oven gloves in Science and Home Economics respectively. Pupils who refuse to follow safety instructions will not be allowed to take part in practical work and parents will be notified. I have been talking to staff about proposed changes to the school day which affect all pupils and I spoke to the Pupil Council about it this week and to the Parent Council last month. A separate letter has been issued to pupils about this, and a copy of the letter is on the school website under Head Teacher’s Letters. I am seeking parental views on these proposals by 20th December. (The email address in that letter was wrong - it is in fact rsummers@musselburghgrammar.elcschool.org.uk) All S1/2 pupils were issued with a copy of the quiz last Friday. All correct entries - by close of school on Friday 7th December - will go into the draw for a £20 voucher. Feel free to help your child complete the quiz - there’s a lot of East Lothian questions in it too. Children in Need Day If you have been keeping in touch with the website news page, you probably saw reference to the Pyjama Day pupils arranged (with other events too like a sponsored silence - and well done Connor!) on Friday 16th November. Pupils did very well here. Truancy Call This is the system where parents receive an automated call if the school does not know why a pupil is absent that day. If a pupil does not arrive in time for registration, the established procedure is that they have to sign in at the reception office. The office tell me that a number of pupils recently have not signed in: this leads to a Truancy Call, concern from parents who have sent their child to school, and time wasted and classes disrupted as we then have to get the pupil sent to the office to confirm they are in school and then re-contact the parent. This failure to sign in must stop - so I have instructed the office that a double detention will be set unless there is an exceptionally good reason otherwise- once for being late and doubled for failing to follow procedures and giving work to school staff. Staffing Ms Turner has been appointed to the vacancy in Business Education and will join us in the New Year. Mrs Jamieson is retiring from her post as auxiliary in the Home Economics Department: she has given the school many years of quiet reliable service and I wish her a long and happy retirement. Her replacement is Mrs Malcolm whom we welcome to the school and hope she enjoys her time with us. Mobile phones At this time of year when pupils may well receive new phones for Christmas, I would remind parents that phones must be used responsibly. They serve very well for emergency situations, but have the capacity to be misused by thoughtless people. They should always be switched off in class, not used for offensive or threatening calls or texts as a form of cyber-bullying, nor for taking photographs of other pupils or staff. We are trying to develop pupil understanding to use them sensibly. Where pupils misuse them, we will continue to confiscate them for the rest of the day and ultimately will refuse to allow some pupils to bring them to schools at all. I would also repeat our request to parents that if they change their mobile phone number, the school is notified.
S1 Pantomime visit - Wednesday 12th December afternoon School Disco - Monday 17th December from 7pm to 10 pm. School Pantomime - Wednesday afternoon and evening 19th December School Service - Wednesday 19th December at 9.15 a.m. Christmas Concert - Thursday 20th December starting 7.30 p.m. S6 Show - Friday 21st December starting 10 a.m. Pupils and staff finish for Christmas at 12.30pm on Friday 21st December and both return on Monday 7th January 2008 at 8.45 am. All that remains is to wish you all a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. Yours sincerely Ronnie Summers Head Teacher Musselburgh Grammar School S1/S2 St Andrew’s Day Prize Quiz To celebrate St Andrew’s Day today (30th November) we have made up a quiz for you all about Scotland – its successful people, its places and its past. Some of the questions are easy, some are a little bit harder and you may need to ask parents or friends, or use the Library or the Internet. Asking teachers for the answers is cheating! (Hint – some of the answers are also on noticeboards around the school!) All entries must be returned to the School Office by Friday 7th December at 12.30pm – and then we will place all the correct entries into a prize draw for a £20 voucher – just in time for Christmas. Good luck and have fun! Mr Summers Musselburgh Grammar School S1/S2 St Andrew’s Day Prize Quiz Name of pupil ______________________________ Class _______________ History When did the Battle of Bannockburn take place? ___________________________ Which East Lothian village is famously associated with the Scottish flag? (14 letters) ______________________________________________________ Name the stone that the ancient Kings of Scotland sat on to be crowned? (5,2,7 letters) _____________________________________________________ Music –Singers and Groups (World famous violinist) N…c…o…a / B…n…d…t…i (You listened when you were wee) T…e / S…n…i…g / K…t…l… (They wrote your favourite national anthem) T…e / C…r…i…s Geography What was the coldest temperature ever recorded in Scotland? ___________________ Give the exact height in metres of Ben Nevis _______________________________ Which East Lothian Town is famous for its Witch Trials? (5,7 letters) _____________________________________________________ Sports Born in 1835 at Quarry House Musselburgh and won the Open Golf Championship in 1874 (5,4) ___________________________________________________________ Born in 1964, Musselburgh Grammar pupil, and won Bronze Medal in the 3000 m in 1986 Commonwealth Games and also Gold Medal in 1990 European Championship. (6,6) __________________________________________________________ Born 1979, Musselburgh Grammar pupil, and was named Scottish young footballer of the year in 2000. Played for both Rangers and Celtic (5,6) ______________________ Modern Studies What was the name of Scotland’s first First Minister? (6,5) _____________________ In what year was the Scotsman newspaper established? _______________________ The first 6 words of the Scotland Act establishing a new Scottish Parliament are inscribed on the Ceremonial Mace. What are these words? _____________________________________________________ Literature Who wrote “Treasure Island”? (6,5,9)
______________________________________________ In which city does Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus investigate crime? (9) ____________________________________________________________________ Where in Scotland would you find the cottage in which the national poet Robert Burns was born? (7) ____________________________________________________ What is the name given to the Edinburgh restaurant in which J.K.Rowling wrote some of the chapters of Harry Potter? ___________________________________________ Business – (Circle one answer in Q1-2) Baxters was started in 1868. How much did George Baxter borrow from his uncle to open the small shop in Fochabers. £100 or £1,000 or £10,000 Last year the turnover for Barrs Irn Bru was £450,000 or £1m or £120 m Who was the founder of Luca’s Ice Cream Business? (4, 12) ____________________and his wife (9) ________________________ Science This Scottish physicist can be seen regularly at 6.55 p.m on BBC 1. Who is she ? (It’s her rhyming nickname) (7,3,7) ____________________________________________ When this Scottish physicist died in 1922, all the telephones in the United States were stopped from ringing for 1 minute of silence. Who was he ? (9,6,4) ____________________________________________________________ What is the name of the most famous sheep in Scotland? (She is in the Museum of Scotland now.) (5) _____________________________________________________ How many legs has a haggis? ____________________________________________ Who was the scientist who discovered penicillin? (3, 9,7) ______________________
December 2007 Letter to Parents
December 13, 2007
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S4 Preliminary Examinations
Health and Safety
Restructuring of the School Day
S1/2 St Andrews Day Prize Quiz
End of term events
Musselburgh Grammar School: S1/S2 St Andrew’s Day Prize Quiz
November 30, 2007
Posted by rsummers in : one off letters , 1 comment so far
Religious and Moral Education
A school in East Lothian is named after the man who led the Reformation in Scotland.
What is the name of this school? (4,7) ___________________________________
Serving Scottish soldiers can ask to be married in the smallest church in Edinburgh. Where is this church? (9,6) ____________________________________________
On which Scottish Island is the Abbey founded by St. Columba the monk who brought Christianity to Scotland? (4) ______________________________________
And finally…. Which football team Mr Summers supports? The link is Alex McLeish, Gary McAllister, Billy Davies and James McFadden. ___________________
