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Friday 09, March 2007
Rector's Newsletter January 2007 |
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Rector's Newsletter January 2007
Dear Parent/Carer,
May I wish you all a very happy New Year and I hope that 2007 will be a terrific year for you and your family - and, indeed, for Graeme High School. Again, please accept my apologies for the fact that this Newsletter is only just coming to you now, but it has the benefit that I can let you know about all the events right up to the Christmas break.
Christmas Events
We had a terrific run-up to the Christmas holidays with a whole range of exciting and very worthwhile events.
Christmas Dances
Both our Junior and Senior Dances went exceptionally well. They were extremely well attended, with well over two hundred pupils at each of them, and the pupils were all well behaved and had a great time. It was super this year that we re-introduced the practice of “social dance” (Gay Gordons, St Bernard’s Waltz, Dashing White Sergeant etc) in addition to the more informal disco dancing. As someone who learned these (albeit not very well) when I was at school, I was pleased to see this generation learning a skill which will help them at various times in their lives. My thanks go to the members of the Physical Education Department who tutored the pupils in the weeks approaching the Dances. Thanks go too to all staff who helped with the ticket sales and the catering. The events demonstrated the real team spirit of the school and it was great to see.
Christmas Concert
This very traditional part of the run-up to Christmas was another huge success. The entertainment was widely varied and aptly highlighted the depth and breadth of talent we have among our pupils – and indeed, staff. There were well over three hundred in the audience and everyone seemed to have enjoyed it enormously. Again, my thanks go to the huge group of staff and pupils who worked tirelessly to make the evening so successful.
Christmas Services
On the second last day, we held three Christmas services in the Assembly Hall – for First and Second Years, Third and Fourth Years and for the Senior pupils. Each service was very different from the others but all of them captured the spirit of Christmas. I would like to thank all the School Chaplains who put so much thought and effort into the preparation for the services. Their efforts on behalf of the school are greatly appreciated not only at Christmas but throughout the year.
Charity Work
Our work for others continues to make me very proud of our pupils. At a time like Christmas, when our pupils will receive so much, I think it is important that they can look to help others who will be less fortunate than they are. Therefore, it is with great pride that I can tell you of our efforts for charity in the weeks before Christmas. As in previous years we sent out Christmas hampers to some of our more elderly neighbours. Last year we managed around fifty hampers, and we set ourselves the target of sixty this year (one per Form Class). I am delighted to report that we delivered seventy four hampers this year – a fantastic achievement! In addition, we set out in the week approaching the end of term, to raise enough money to fulfill the seven “wishes” identified by World Vision, an international charity helping people across the world in a range of ways. To achieve the seven wishes, we needed to raise just over seven hundred pounds. We achieved this on the morning of the last day – another terrific accomplishment. When we remember that we are still meeting our targets, on a monthly basis, to support the street school in Nepal, I believe that the charitable work done by the pupils of Graeme High School is truly exceptional. I’d like to thank Mrs Diana Cameron of the Chemistry Department who has taken the lead in this work, this year, and who is doing a tremendous job.
Staffing News
It is not usual, at this stage in the year, to have significant staffing changes to tell you about, but this year is different.
At Christmas, Mrs Maureen Duncan, who was formerly Principal Teacher of Modern Languages took early retirement after 26 years in Graeme High School. We wish her all the very best for a long and healthy retirement.
Perhaps even more surprisingly, we found out just before the Christmas Holiday, that Mr Fraser Lamb, one of our Depute Heads, is to take early retirement in the middle of March. Mr Lamb has been at Graeme HS since 1973 and has, no doubt, taught a number of you reading this Newsletter. He has been a stalwart of the school for so long, it will seem strange when he is no longer working here. I’d like to offer my personal thanks to him for all his hard work and for the support he has unstintingly given me. I know that there are generations of pupils who feel equally grateful for his support over many years. We wish him all the very best for his retirement.
At Christmas, albeit temporarily, we said goodbye to Mrs Dunning, Principal Teacher of Lockhart House, who left us awaiting the imminent arrival of her baby. Similarly, Mrs Lumsden of the Music Department will leave in a few weeks for the same reason. We wish both of them all the very best for the weeks ahead and look forward to seeing them back after the summer.
Pupil News
You may well have seen in the local press last week the story of Louise Cooper from our Fifth Year. Louise left on Friday to go to the NASA Space School in Houston, Texas for an eleven day trip of a lifetime. Louise won her place on this trip through a competition, run by Careers Scotland, based on completion of a Physics project. Louise was interviewed by Central FM and her interview was broadcast on Friday morning. I’m sure she is having a fantastic time as you read this. It is an enormous achievement for Graeme High School to have had pupils on this prestigious trip for each of the last three years – there are few schools, if any, who can boast of such a record.
It seems that I have a good reason to mention Jade Nimmo and Stephanie McKenzie in just about every Newsletter – and this one is no exception. You will remember that both girls have been achieving great things in the athletics field and it is now the case that they are being recognized nationally for their successes. Jade was nominated recently as one of the top three young Scottish athletes in a national awards ceremony sponsored by a national newspaper. Now both girls have been nominated for young sportsperson of the year in the Daily Record. This will be publicised shortly in the newspaper and the winner will be chosen through a ballot. Voting papers will appear over the next few weeks in the Daily Record and I would urge you to support our girls by voting for one/both of them. Whether or not they win, both of them have been fantastic ambassadors for the school. Well done.
School’s Performance Review
Every year the school is visited by a range of officials from Falkirk Council Education Services in what is a sort of mini-inspection. This happened in November of last year and I have just received the written report of the two day visit. I am delighted to tell you that the report is very good and that our “bosses” were pleased with what they saw and heard over their two days in the school. The Review has identified ways in which we can make further progress and it is pleasing to note that these are the same areas which we, ourselves, have already earmarked for development. I’d like to thank all those staff, parents and pupils who took part in the discussions with the Review Team.
New Parent Councils
You will be aware from literature sent out to you before Christmas that legislation from the Scottish Parliament will come into law in the summer. This legislation, the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006, is designed to encourage more parents to become involved in their youngsters’ education.
At the moment, parental involvement is quite a formal thing with participation in the School Board seen as the “normal” way parents can be involved. The new Parent Councils are much wider, and much less formal, than this. Therefore,
• if you wish to be involved with the school, and in helping to improve your child’s educational experience,
or
• if you simply want to find out more about what such involvement would mean
why don’t you come along to the school next Tuesday evening when we will try to give you more information.
We will be meeting in the School’s Conference Room from 7.30 pm and you can find out more. You will be making no commitment to anything by attending this meeting, which will be solely to give out information and to hear your views.
I believe strongly that we can deliver truly effective education only if we, the school, are working in partnership with you, the parents/carers and with the pupils. This new legislation offers great opportunities to develop further these partnerships.
Please come along next Tuesday at 7.30pm to hear more about it.
Picking Up and Dropping Off Pupils
Since the school opened in 2000, we have had difficulties with the inadequacy of the official drop off/pick up area which is at the Laurieston end of the school. I know that there are far more cars using the area than space allows. Because of this, an increasing number of parents are using the Falkirk end entrance to the school. This entrance/exit was designed to be for staff and school buses, but I can understand why parents have gradually come to use the area more frequently. I don’t have any real solution to the problem, but there have been a few altercations recently between those who are trying to exit at the end of the day and the bus drivers. I would therefore ask all users of these areas to act responsibly and considerately and avoid blocking in other drivers. Ultimately, my main concern is for the safety of children who are leaving the school.
This is a problem to which there is no easy answer. Can we please all work together to minimise the difficulties.
Dates for your Diary
Tuesday 23rd January - Parental Involvement meeting (7.30pm)
Monday 12th February - First Year Parents’ Evening (4.30pm – 7.00pm)
Wed 14th/Thurs 15th Feb - Staff In-service Days – School closed to pupils
Friday 16th/Mon 19th Feb - Mid Term Holidays – School closed
Thursday 1st March - Second Year Subject Choice Information Evening
Monday 5th March - Second Year Parents’ Evening (Classes L1–L20 + M1- M10)
Monday 12th March - Second Year Parents’ Evening (Classes M11–M20 + ST1– ST 20)
Friday 30th March - School closes (3.40pm) for Easter Holidays
Monday 16th April - School opens for Summer Term
Yours sincerely,
W. Thomson
Rector. |
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