Head Teacher's Letters

Parental Newsletter May 2006

Dear Parent

SQA Examinations

The examinations started at the beginning of the month for S4, with S5/6 going on study leave on 12^th May.

The invigilators have been complimentary about the behaviour and the serious attitude pupils are showing at this time. I am concerned, however, about the difficulties we are having as a school in contacting parents when pupils are absent from an examination – can you please ensure that we have accurate contact numbers as we may need to contact you in an emergency? This point was mentioned in the last newsletter.

PTA Car Boot Sale

The car boot sale held on Saturday 22^nd April was highly successful with the sum of £321 raised for the school.  My thanks to all who came and my appreciation to the members of the PTA for organising this.

PTA Newsletter

Please find enclosed a copy of the latest PTA Newsletter. Can I draw your attention to a meeting arranged for 12^th June to discuss the Parental Involvement Bill which has the support of both the School Board and the PTA. You can also respond on the Council’s Exc-el website(www.exc-el/org.uk), which is a very exciting new development.

Uniform

Please find enclosed a copy of the school uniform details  - there is no change from last year. Giving parents details at this point should help you buy the correct uniform for August. Thomson’s, based in Dalkeith, are the school suppliers for sweatshirts and can supply other items too. A copy of their order form is also enclosed which can be handed in to the school with payment or sent to their shop in Dalkeith or items can be ordered online. Where parents are in difficult financial circumstances, the school (thanks to the PTA) can assist and a pupil’s Head of House is the person to approach on this matter.

The inspectors were very happy with our approach to uniform in developing a positive school ethos and I would ask all parents to continue being firm with their children over uniform each and every day.

Activities Days

We have designated Thursday 24^th and Friday 25^th May as our Activities Days this year and pupils should be listening to announcements in registration and looking at noticeboards to see what is on. The normal teaching timetable will be suspended on these days.

S2 pupils: MidYis tests

S2 pupils sat MidYis tests at the end of March and the results of these tests are now with us. They will help us keep an eye on pupil progress over the next 2 years. The authority has provided the funding for this and I think it will be money well spent.

Trinity / Guildhall Guitar Examinations

My congratulations to the following pupils for their performance on guitar: Mark Johnston - Merit at Grade 6; Danielle Malinen – Honours at Grade 3; and Melissa Harper  - Merit at Grade 1.

Staffing

Mrs Laidlaw, appointed on a temporary contract since August, has now joined us as a permanent member of the office staff following a successful interview.

Mrs Gieben has joined us as PT Communication Provision as the authority is establishing a Communication Base at our school for pupils on the autistic spectrum. She previously supported this group of pupils at a similar Base at Musselburgh Burgh Primary School and they are now of age to come to secondary school.

Work outside Sports Centre

The contractors started work some time ago and we were quite insistent that the school gates would remain open as the pupil point of access in the morning, lunchtime and at close of school. We were not prepared to have pupils trying to come in through the vehicle entrance in the middle of the turning circle for obvious safety reasons at the busiest times of the day.

U16 Football

Congratulations to the Under 16 Football Team on winning the Lothian School’s Football Association Knock Out Cup.  They beat Holyrood High School 2-1 in a thrilling match on Saturday 20 May.  This made up for the defeat by Newbattle High School last week in a pay-off for the League title.

Yours sincerely

RONNIE SUMMERS

Head Teacher

April 2006 Parental Newsletter

Dear Parent

Parental Newsletter April 2006

I would like to welcome everyone back to school after the Easter break.

PTA Car Boot Sale ( from 10 o’clock until noon)

A reminder that following the successful event earlier this year, another car boot sale is planned for this Saturday 22^nd April. Admission is free to customers, with a charge of £5 for sellers with cars or £7 for vans.

Pupils late back to school after lunch

Pupils should be back in the school grounds by 1.25 ready for classes to start at 1.30. Some pupils are choosing to go down the street for their lunch and are not reappearing by the stipulated time. It is being claimed that the new arrangements at Tesco are a cause of this. That excuse is not being accepted – all pupils are currently served in the Dining Hall by 1.05 and pupils can have lunch in school rather than going down the street, and Tesco also say that they have finished serving by 1.05. If you choose to go down the street, you accept the responsibility of being back on time. Persistent offenders will be put on detention.

We have seen a reduction in pupil latecoming in the morning since we started setting detentions last month.

Parents dropping off and collecting pupils

I would ask that all parents who drop their child off by car stop either in the turning circle outside the school gates or on Inveresk Road itself, please. The school car park was not designed for this purpose and there is an increased risk of accidents when cars are coming both in and out in the morning.

Similarly, please do not collect your child by parking inside the school gates at the end of the school day.

Parents who have business in the school during the working day are welcome to use the visitor car park bays nearest the playground.

Uniform

Generally, most pupils are wearing school uniform, but we have noticed an increasing tendency for girls in S3 and S4 to be taking liberties with uniform items. Pupils should be in white or light blue polo shirts or shirts, not t-shirts; large belts and excessive jewellery are considered to be fashionable items and should not be worn.

A recent consultation with pupils about to move into S5 and S6 showed an enthusiasm for a shirt and updated tie. Some work still has to be done in finding a top to go with this.

We have made arrangements with Thomsons who can supply polo shirts and school sweatshirts. Parents can either visit their shop in Dalkeith, order online, or complete an order form available from the school.

Parental Phone Numbers

All parents are asked to ensure that the school is notified when there is a change of home, work or mobile number so that we can reach you in case of emergency and so that we can contact you for automatic absence from school calls.

SQA Examinations

Pupils in S4-6 will commence their national SQA examinations in the coming month, with Standard Grade Art and Design being first on Wednesday 26^th April, and Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2 and Higher Art and Design occurring on Friday 5^th May.

S4 examinations will commence on Tuesday 2^nd May – with exam leave from that date until 5^th June – and S5/6 examinations commence on 12^th May  - with exam leave from that date until 5^th June also.

All pupils will have an individual timetable issued to them this Friday and a parent should be aware of the days and times of all exams for their child.

No pupil should miss any examination or any paper whatsoever without good reason. If your child is ill, please contact the school to notify us. A letter from the doctor is required to allow us to request absentee candidate consideration from the SQA – without this, your child will not be given an award in this subject.

All pupils will receive very clear instructions for all examinations which they should follow. In particular, no candidate should have any electronic device with them in the examination hall – this includes mobile phone and MP3 players – whether on or off. One candidate had an examination result removed by the SQA for this last year – it is an absolute rule and must be obeyed. Leave them at home please.

Education Maintenance Allowances

A letter will be sent to the home address of every S4 and S5 pupil next week from East Lothian Council explaining the allowance and urging as many pupils as possible who are eligible to apply for the allowance. Please discuss this with your child if they are in these yeargroups.

PPP Work during Easter holiday

A new floor was laid in the Dining Hall, holdback systems were fitted to doors on the ground floor, a repair was made to a leaking water pipe and FES commenced key suiting in the school.

Parents4Parents - Workshop

I received a communication from this group who are running a workshop on “Homework –who needs it?” on Friday 21^st April from 1-4p.m. at Haddington Corn Exchange. A place can be booked by phoning 0131 653 3977.

Significant dates this term

Monday 1^st May – Holiday for staff and pupils

Tuesday 2^nd May – Holiday for pupils, staff in-service day; start of S4 examinations

Tuesday 16^th May – start of S5/6 examinations

Tuesday 23^rd May – S1 Parents’ Evening 7.00-9.00

Wednesday 24^th May – School Sports Day

Thursday 25^th and Friday 26^th May – Activities Days

Monday 29^th May – start of new timetable for S1-3 pupils

Monday 5^th June – start of new timetable S4-S5 pupils

Tuesday 6^th and Wednesday 7^th June – P7 pupil visits

Thursday 22^nd June – Summer Concert

Monday 26 and Tuesday 27^th June – Merit Awards ceremonies

Wednesday 28^th June – School Prizegiving

Friday 30^th June – close of school for summer holidays

Yours sincerely

RONNIE SUMMERS

Head Teacher

Industrial Action Tuesday 28th March 2006

Dear Parent

Industrial Action on Tuesday 28 March 2006

You will probably be aware from the press and broadcast media that various unions including UNISON intend to take industrial action on Tuesday 28 March. Local press reports about the probable impact on schools are not accurate and no-one from the press has contacted me to clarify the position for our school. Let me do so now.

Musselburgh Grammar School will remain open.

The school will have been cleaned, FES FM who maintain the building will arrange for it to be opened as usual even if janitors are involved in industrial action. Teaching staff are not taking industrial action so pupils will be following their usual timetable and will be taught by their usual teacher.

Catering staff will be taking industrial action, however. Pupils who are on free school meals will be able to collect a packed lunch from the Dining Hall at lunchtime on Tuesday.

Other pupils should NOT load money onto their Smartcard for Tuesday meals as no service will be available for them either at morning break or at lunchtime. I would suggest pupils bring a packed lunch or make arrangements to go outwith the school for lunch.

I would stress that the absence of catering facilities is not sufficient reason for pupils not to attend school and I expect pupils to attend as normal.

I have been notified that Lothian Buses will be on strike – parents of pupils from Wallyford will need to make other arrangements to get their children to school. The school will be sympathetic to such pupils and will not mark them as late so long as they are in school by 9.30am. The Whitecraig  bus is a private hire and is not affected by industrial action so pupils will be able to travel to school as normal.

Where a pupil is not at school and we have received no indication of the reason for absence, parents will receive an automated phone call in the usual way.

Yours sincerely

RONNIE SUMMERS

Head Teacher

March Newsletter

Dear Parent,

Staffing

Mr Wishart has taken over Miss McIntosh’s  remit as Interim Acting Depute Head Teacher, with Miss Morton joining Miss Wilkinson in Caird House and dealing with the pupils in Mr Wishart’s Guidance group.

Several members of staff will be staying with us as permanent members of staff in August – Mr O’Connor in English, Ms Young in Geography, Ms Armstrong in CDT and Ms McGregor in Biology.

PTA Car Boot Sale ( from 10 o’clock until noon)

A reminder that following the successful event earlier this year, another car boot sale is planned for Saturday 22^nd April – first Saturday after the Easter holiday, so plenty of time to clear the attic and the garage! Admission is free to customers, with a charge of £5 for sellers with cars or £7 for vans.

HMIE Report on Musselburgh Grammar School

The report has been written: the official release date is Tuesday 28^th March. All parents will receive a copy home via your son or daughter along with an accompanying letter from me. I think parents will be very pleased with the contents of the report.

Easter Study

Mrs Mackie is finalising the Easter Study programme for this year, and information should be reaching S4-6 pupils quite soon. Parents should realise that staff involvement in the Easter Study programme is entirely voluntary and that not all subjects will be involved. Parents should encourage their children to sign up for the relevant sessions as they are a very effective way of improving a pupil’s knowledge, skills and exam technique.

SQA Examination Schedule for Diet 2006

We issue personalised timetables closer to the start of the examinations. However, all pupils in S4 – S6 should have started on their revision programme at the start of March.

To help you know the running order of examinations, you can find out the dates and length of subject examination papers by going to the SQA website. The address is: www.sqa.org.uk. Click on the “Who are you?” box as a pupil and GO,  click on “Exam Timetable 2006”, and click on “Access the Personal Timetable Builder”. If pupils enter the subjects they are taking they will get their own timetable.

Please note that the actual start and finish times of examination held in the school may vary from the SQA details – go by your personalised timetable. (The Art Practical Examinations occur before the first listed examinations and will be notified to you on your timetable.)

Detentions for Latecoming

The Senior Management Team and Guidance staff have become increasingly concerned at the number of pupils strolling into school well after 8.45 p.m. and decided some action was required. Good timekeeping is an important life skill and poor timekeeping will not be tolerated by employers – nor by us.

When a pupil arrives after 8.55 (thus completely missing registration) they are being handed a detention slip unless they have a very good reason for being late. Detention takes place from 12.45 to 12.55 that same day under SMT supervision in the Hall. We pursue pupils who claim to “forget” they have been set detention.

Having now operated this system for a week, we are seeing a decline in the numbers of latecomers. Where a pupil is persistently late, we are asking to see parents.

If your child has a medical or dental appointment which means they will arrive late, it would be very helpful if you could provide a note so that your child is not set detention.

Course Choice Forms

S2 pupils should now have submitted their course choice forms for next year: they are being processed and we will soon begin to identify problematic course choices and be in touch with pupils.

S5 and S6 pupils are approaching the deadline for submission of forms along with their signed Senior School Contract form. S6 pupils should be carefully considering their option choices in the light of their performance in their preliminary exams: the interim reports have just been issued to parents.

End of term events

The Easter Service will take place on Thursday 30^th March. The Senior Pupils are running a Talent Show competition on the morning of the last day of term Friday 31^st March. Pupils and staff return to school on Tuesday 18^th April at 8.45 – I wish everyone connected with the school an enjoyable holiday.

Ronnie Summers

February 2006 Newsletter

Dear Parent,

Staffing

Mr Stewart MacKinnon, Senior Depute Head Teacher, has taken over as Acting Head Teacher at North Berwick High School from Wednesday 15^th February while Mr Sutherland is on secondment for 18 months. We wish him every success in his new acting post.

Miss McIntosh has taken over his remit as Interim Acting Senior Depute Head Teacher, with Mr Virtue taking over her remit in the meantime. Mr Plimer will now be Interim PT CDT.

Mr Burns takes over as Acting DHT for Moray House following Mrs Graham’s retirement.

PTA Car Boot Sale

Following the successful event earlier this year, another car boot sale is planned for 10-12 noon on the morning of Saturday 22^nd April – first Saturday after the Easter holiday, so plenty of time to clear the attic and the garage! Admission is free to customers, with a charge of £5 for sellers with cars or £7 for vans: sellers can arrive from 9 o’clock to set up.

S2 and S4/5 Course Choice Information Evenings

These were held on 1^st and 8^th February respectively, with a good turnout of parents on both occasions. The presentations from myself, Miss McIntosh and Mr MacKinnon were followed by lively question-and- answer sessions with the audience. Many thanks to the parents who attended. These events will now be an annual feature on the school calendar.

S2 pupils are now being briefed on the course choice process in their PSE classes. Their reports will be issued on Wednesday 22^nd February and the S2 Parents Evening is on Wednesday 1^st March at 7 p.m.

Penumbra Charity

You will recall from last month’s newsletter that Mrs Graham was doing a lot of fundraising for Penumbra last month in the final weeks before she retired. Various events took place – a dance display organised by the pupils themselves, a bring and buy sale, non-uniform day etc – and a total of to date of £1494. I would like to congratulate everyone who has contributed in any way to this sum.

OVER

Queen Margaret University College Roadshow

S2 pupils were involved in a series of workshops run by QMUC staff on Tuesday 7^th February, following an introductory talk from staff and students at QMUC. The workshops were well received by pupils. Later on, there was the opportunity for the community to see a model of the new campus and illustrations of what the building will look like internally. Rosalyn Marshall, Vice-Principal of QMUC, gave a presentation on details of the new campus and what it means for them and for the local community.

Enterprise Day for P7 pupils

Later that week on Thursday, we hosted an Enterprise Day for P7 pupils when they came up to the school for a morning or afternoon session and worked in groups on various problem-solving and design activities. The groups were made up of pupils from the different primaries so pupils had a chance to work with future classmates. It was a lively day and I would like to thank Mrs Clark of Campie Primary and Mrs Williams of Pinkie St Peter’s Primary in particular for their excellent organisation and co-ordination of the event. Even at this stage, the pupils are looking forward to their two days with us in June.

Personal music centres and mobile phones

Following consultation with pupils, we have agreed that pupils may have their phones on during break and lunchtime but that they must remain off at all other times and in pupil bags. The ban on using phones to take pictures remains absolutely in place. We have warned pupils that if phones are misused, we will revert to the old policy.

We have noticed an increase in the number of pupils bringing personal music centres like IPods to school. Rather than banning these entirely, we suggest that these need to be used sensibly – on at breaktime and lunchtime only. They should be out of sight in bags and switched off at all other times - never on when travelling between classes or in classes. Any pupil bringing personal items like these to school does so entirely at his or her own risk.

Parents may wish to consider whether such items are really necessary as part of a pupil’s educational experience in school.

Calendar for Session 2006/7

Please find enclosed a list of holiday dates and in-service days for next session. I would remind all parents that the school does not approve of term-time holidays and that a letter should be sent to the school requesting permission if it is absolutely unavoidable. Holidays during term-time are a significant factor in pupil absences and in their attainment.

Yours sincerely,

Ronnie Summers

Head Teacher

January 2006 Newsletter

I wish everyone connected with the school – staff, pupils and parents – a happy and prosperous new year in 2006. 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.

S2 and S4/5 Course Choice Information Evenings – change of date

I mentioned in the last newsletter that we intended to hold these events on February 1^st and 8^th February. Unfortunately, I transposed the dates in error. (As a number of S4 parents will wish to attend Mrs Mackie’s Tree of Knowledge Study Support session on Tuesday 7^th February, it is not logical to ask them to come to a meeting the next night as well! Mrs Mackie is about to issue the letter about the Tree of Knowledge to S4 parents.)

The revised dates are 1^st February for S4/5 parents and 8^th February for S2 parents as indicated below.

Parents of pupils in S2 will soon receive a letter inviting them to the S2 Course Choice Information Evening on 8^th February in the Assembly Hall at 7.30. While we issue a course choice package to all pupils and do explain the process of choosing 8 certificate subjects in S3 to PSE classes, we realize that the process can be rather daunting to parents if you have not experienced it before with an older child. 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. We would encourage all S2 parents to attend.

Parents of pupils in S4 and S5 will be receiving a similar letter inviting them to the S4/5 Course Choice Information Evening on 1^st February in the Assembly Hall at 7.30 as they prepare to make their choices for next year. With the development of National Certificate courses at Intermediate 1 and 2 as well as Highers 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. We would encourage all S4 parents in particular to attend.

School Events

S6 pupils and several members of staff organised a Fashion Show on the final day of term and raised £734 which will be used to support various activities around the school. Miss Moore’s pantomime “Beauty and the Beast “ and her sponsored walk with pupils raised £623 for the World Vision Charity.

British Heart Foundation Launch of “Food 4 Thought”

On Wednesday 11^th January, we welcomed Susan Deacon MSP and the British Heart Foundation to the school for the launch of their educational resource Food 4 Thought. The resource emphasises to pupils how healthy eating contributes to a healthy body and is a welcome resource for schools. Ms Deacon had the chance to talk to a number of pupils who are making healthy choices in the Dining Hall each day by going to the Deli Bar for a choice of healthy fillings, a variety of vegetables, drinking milk and water rather than fizzy juice. Three photographers were present, so look out for pictures in the Evening News, East Lothian Courier and elsewhere.

QMUC Roadshow

A reminder that a proportion of our S2 pupils will be involved in the QMUC Roadshow event on the afternoon of Tuesday 7^th February. There will be a chance for the community to come to the Roadshow from 5.30 to 7.00 the same day and I would encourage people to come in even if just for 30 minutes. Pupils are welcome to come at this time too.

Staffing

I am delighted to welcome two new members of staff to the school. Following Mr Whyte’s appointment as Principal Teacher of ICT at Beeslack Community High School, Mr Lynch joins the Computing Department. Following Mrs Georgeson’s appointment as PT Modern Studies at Boroughmuir High School, Mr Nicolson joins the Modern Studies Department.

Mrs Anne Graham, Depute Head Teacher and Head of Moray House, retires on 27^th January.  She joined us in August 1996  from Beeslack Community High School, where she had been PT Guidance. She is a highly respected colleague who handled the Guidance part of her remit with particular skill and care. The praise offered by HMIe on the work of the Guidance staff is in no small part due to her leadership and commitment. We all wish her well in her retirement.

She is about to become involved with the children’s mental health charity Penumbra and we have had a speaker from this organisation talking at assemblies this week. I have agreed that the last day of her time here, 27^th January,  can be a Non-Uniform Day, with pupils donating money to this worthwhile charity. She is also organizing a “Bring and Buy” activity in that final week

Reports

The S5/6 reports were issued just before the Christmas holiday to pupils. I cannot stress enough how important it is to digest teacher comments and advice at this stage of the year: Preliminary examinations will soon be upon the senior school and good results provide an important safety net for the national examinations in May. Act now on advice and do not leave it until after the preliminary examinations.

The S4 reports are imminent also. Much of the report will be about a pupil’s performance at the preliminary examinations in November, but it is important to refer to the target which has been set for the national examinations in May and to the comments which have been made. These targets are achievable by hard work and perseverance for the remainder of the year: at this stage, nothing can be taken for granted. If a pupil wishes to sit a Higher course next year, they must achieve Grade 1 or 2.

Many S4 pupils have worked hard and done well in these preliminary examinations – well done.  Some others have discovered that gaps in their knowledge have led to disappointing results.  They can improve if they learn lessons from this and prepare better next time.  For all S4 pupils, the next target is to ensure the submission of all internal coursework to the best standard they can reach. Good internal coursework can help them reach their target grade if they have a bad day in their examinations in May.

Uniform

Our normal supplier of school uniform – Thomson’s – has closed down in Musselburgh and now operates from Dalkeith. Should you wish to purchase school uniform then you will see from the attached price list, that this can be done by contacting the shop or the school. We are keen to assist parents in any way possible in the purchase of correct school uniform.

Important dates this term

Wednesday 25th January	S3 Parents’ Evening at 7pm
Wednesday 1st February	S4/5 Course Choice Information Evening at 7.30pm
Tuesday 7th February	Queen Margaret University Roadshow 5.30 pm to 7pm S4 Parents Tree of Knowledge Study Support Evening
Wednesday 8th February	S2 Course Choice Information Evening at 7.30 pm
Thursday 9th February	Valentine Disco
Monday 13th – Wednesday 15th February inclusive	Holiday for pupils
Thursday 16th February	Start of S5/6 Preliminary Examinations
Wednesday 1st March	S2 Parents’ Evening at 7pm
Thursday 16th March	S3 examinations start
Friday 31st March	Final day of term, close at 12.30
Tuesday 18th April	School restarts for staff and pupils at 8.45 am

Yours sincerely

Ronnie Summers

Head Teacher

December 2005 Newsletter

HMIe Inspection of Musselburgh Grammar School w/b 5^th December 2005

The inspectors have been very busy interviewing staff and pupils and visiting classes. The inspection of the four departments was completed by Tuesday and it became the turn of staff in other departments to be visited later. The Managing Inspector gave the SMT a verbal report on Friday. A draft report is to be produced and discussed with us, then the final published report will appear in late March 2006. I am not permitted to say much at present: I would merely say that they found very many strengths in the school. My thanks to the very many parents who completed questionnaires about the school and sent them to the Inspectorate. Your views will feature in the report’s early paragraphs.

Queen Margaret University College Roadshow 7^th February 2006

As many of you will know from the local press, Queen Margaret University College is relocating to Musselburgh. Having a university campus right on our doorstep is a wonderful prospect for the town and a real advantage to our young people.  The college will be coming to the school to talk to our S2 and S3 pupils on 7^th February in the afternoon, but there will also be an opportunity for local people to come along to the Roadshow later in the day, from 5.30 to 7.00, with a presentation by Rosalyn Marshall, the Vice Principal, at 6 o’clock. Please put this date in your diary.

Class Act

A group of our S6 pupils have been working with the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh for the last few months, writing brief plays with the assistance of a playwright, on a variety of themes and in various styles. The series of 13 plays were finally performed on Wednesday 31^st November at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh by a group of young actors. I felt immensely privileged and proud to be in the audience that evening – writers, friends, family and teachers ensured we had a full house for the performances. My congratulations to Ms Hyslop and her team of authors.

Course Choice evenings for parents of pupils in S2 and in S4/5

Several parents have mentioned to us that they would find it helpful to have the option choices process explained in more detail face to face rather than just by the booklet which we issue.  We therefore have arranged to hold an evening meeting for each group: on Wednesday 1^st February 2006 for S2 parents at 7.30 and on Wednesday February 8^th 2006 for S4/5 parents at 7.30. Mr. MacKinnon, Miss McIntosh and myself will take the meetings from the Senior Management Team and we will be happy to take individual queries after the presentation. I intend to seek Careers Scotland presence at the evenings as well. Specific queries can then be directed to departments on the S2 Parents Evening on 1^St March 2006.

East Lothian Complaints Leaflet

Please find enclosed a leaflet with this newsletter. It outlines the procedure which parents should follow if they have a complaint about any school in East Lothian, emphasising that the school should always be given the opportunity to address the complaint first. 

As a school, we think we deal with parental concerns and complaints quickly and honestly. Contact us by telephone or letter just as before.

East Lothian Autism Group

The National Autism Society has been involved in establishing this group locally. The group, composed mostly of parents, is keen to involve others. The next meeting will take place on Wednesday 18^th January 2006 at 6.30 p.m. at Hallhill Healthy Living Centre in Dunbar. Contact either Marie Prior on 01620 829909 or Robert Moffat on 0141 221 8090.

Tribute to Musselburgh World War Two Veterans

This event will take place in the Brunton Hall on Friday 27^th January 2006. Various pupils are likely to be involved as representatives for the school. The organiser Dr Tom Renouf is very anxious to trace any Musselburgh born or bred WW2 veterans who are not aware of the event. If any parent knows of a veteran who has not been contacted, please contact me at the school and I will pass on details to him.

Children in Need

A recent coffee morning organised by Elite Catering and the seniors raised £520.

End of term – events and arrangements

As usual, we have a very busy end of term.

Wednesday 14^th December – Pantomime afternoon for a group of S1/S2 pupils, Pantomime performance in the evening for seniors and adults – tickets £1.50 for both adults and children, with the proceeds going to the World Vision charity.

Thursday 15^th December – Christmas Concert at 7.30 in the Assembly Hall. Tickets are £1 for adults, 50p for children.

Monday 19^th December –             S1-3 Dance 7.00 – 10.00 Tickets are now on sale.

Tuesday 20^th December -             Christmas Service 9.15-9.55

                   S4-6 Dance 7.30 –10.30 Tickets are now on sale.

Wednesday 21^st December  - Fashion Show (Tickets £1.50 from 10.00 to 12.45)

School closes at 2.30 on Wednesday 21^st December for pupils and staff.

The school reopens on Monday 9^th January 2006 at 8.45 for both pupils and staff.

I wish everyone connected with the school a good holiday.

Yours sincerely,

Ronnie Summers

Head Teacher

November 2005 Newsletter

HMIe Inspection of Musselburgh Grammar School 5^th December 2005

All pupils have been issued with a letter or parental questionnaire from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of education. The school is to be inspected in the week beginning 5^th December 2005, with four departmental inspections of English, Mathematics, Computing and Music, though the inspectors will also be in the school the previous week.

25% of parents receive a questionnaire and I would urge all parents who receive a questionnaire to complete it and return it.

We feel that we are an improving school. There are many positive features of the school, many of which I have spoken about in my newsletters, and which have been shared with the local community. The inspection gives us a chance to share those positive features with a wider audience through the inspection process and in the inspection report. The school will be graded using the new 6-point scale for inspections.

School Board Elections

East Lothian Council has notified us of our new School Board members who were elected unopposed. My thanks to Mr Shaffer, Mrs Loggie, Mrs Dalglish and Mrs Simpson for their decision to stand and I look forward to working with them. Mr Knox continues as Chair of the School Board. Mrs Mackie stands down as a Staff Member to be replaced by Mrs Park, our PT Partnership with Pupils and Parents.

Parental Consultation Bill

The Scottish Executive has distributed a small number of parental leaflets outlining the details of the new Bill which can be collected from the school office. Comments on the draft bill can be made via the Parentzone website with a closing date of 18^th November. No dates have yet been released of the various stages of the parliamentary process for  the Bill.

S1 Cognitive Ability Tests

The results of the tests have now been returned to the school. Individual parental letters will follow very shortly, showing a pupil’s overall score plus details of their performance in each of the three tests. These scores should be regarded as broad indicators of a pupil’s ability.

S1 Tree of Knowledge

As in previous years, we received very positive feedback from the Tree of Knowledge representative about the response of our S1 pupils to the various activities. Mrs Mackie also arranged an S1 Tree of Knowledge Parents’ Evening on Tuesday 25^th October which was attended by 50 parents.

European Award in Languages

Claire McBride (S5) and Jamie Ward (S6) have returned from Graz in Austria as the school’s representatives along with Mr McIntosh and Miss Leroux. Their week-long trip involved them in meeting representatives from all over Europe and was a super experience for them. Mr McIntosh has made a DVD of their joint presentation to 200 adults and there will be an opportunity to share their experience further via podcasts on the website.

School trip to Berlin October 2005

Mrs Bovill took a group of pupils and other staff to Berlin on Thursday 13^th October for a week as the final part of their citizenship project, having visited Auschwitz last year. The group visited Checkpoint Charlie and met a former political prisoner who had been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for assisting citizens from the East to escape to the west; visited the memorial to German Resistance, and sat at the actual table where there was a bomb plot on Adolf Hitler’s life. Other cultural activities and visits – including a visit to Sony’s European headquarters - also took place. A collection of photographs from the visit is on view in the English corridor.

The book “Reflections from Auschwitz”, a collection of essays written by the pupils last year, is about to be printed. It is a very mature and moving set of essays.

School attendance

I am very pleased to report on the improved attendance for the school from our return in August until the October holiday: there was a 3% rise on the same period last month – from 89% to 92%. It is very clear to us that the combined efforts of the Guidance staff, the Integration Team and the electronic absence call system are having an effect in bringing us up to the national average. 3% is a significant improvement – but it is important that this figure is sustained through the rest of the year.

One major factor in the rate of absence is the number of families taking holidays during term time and I seek parental co-operation in keeping pupils at school unless it is unavoidably due to your employer’s holiday requirements. No matter what age, your child’s education suffers by absence from school.

Determined to Succeed - Enterprise Showcase

East Lothian has organised an Enterprise Showcase in the Brunton Hall in Musselburgh from 10.15 to 12.45 on Tuesday 22^nd November. We will be represented at this event, which is designed to illustrate by exhibitions, workshops and awards how the enterprise aspect of education is being developed across the authority. All parents are welcome to attend free of charge.

Staffing changes

Three members of staff have recently been successful at interviews for promoted posts. Miss McAvoy of the PE Department is our new PT Health Education. We are also losing Mr Whyte in Computing, who will become PT Information Technolody at Beeslack High School in December, and Mrs Georgeson who will become PT Modern Studies at Boroughmuir High School also in December.

Mrs Thomson of Home Economics leaves us at the end of this month for a similar post at Ross High School. Mrs Jackson and Miss Cakal continue with us in English and Modern Languages respectively.

Mrs Craigie has gone on maternity leave and Miss Hyslop will be in charge of the English Department, assisted by Miss Moore.

Charity Fundraising

October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Mrs Lyall of the Mathematicss Department was instrumental in galvanizing the school into “wearing it pink” on Friday 28^th October after a series of house assemblies. Pupils and staff wore pink on the day – but pride of place has to go to Kyle Lancashire of S6 who offered to dye his hair pink if people would sponsor him and raised over £300. We raised over £1200 for the Breast Cancer charity – many thanks to all contributors and to Mrs Lyall for her hard work assisted by others.

Healthy Eating

Parents may wish to know that the new cafeteria system continues to be innovative in encouraging pupils to eat healthily with the opening of the Deli Bar last week which is proving to be popular with pupils. It offers a range of healthy fillings and milkshakes.

Joyce Marlow of Elite Catering recently spoke to the School Board about the aims of Hungry for Success and the effect of cashless catering in East Lothian schools.

Mentoring

For the last few years, the school has sought to support our S5 pupils taking 3 or more Highers, recognising that the jump from Standard Grade to Higher Grade is a large one, and that pupils often struggle to cope with the pace of learning and the quantity and quality of work demanded.

I am pleased to stay that 30 staff have offered to mentor our 65 pupils in this position this year. Mentoring involves meeting the pupils on a regular basis throughout the year and discussing their progress and offering suggestions and strategies on how to cope with the pressures of the year.

I briefed the pupils concerned on Friday last week and I am grateful to 8 S6 pupils who spoke with the S5 pupils in groups, talking about their own experiences of S5 last year. Their advice can be summed up quite readily as “Listen to your teachers, work hard and try not to make the same mistakes as I did!”  Mentoring should be starting by the end of this coming week.

My thanks to the staff concerned who have volunteered to give up their own time to do this.

History Home Front Project

On Tuesday 1^st November, a group of WW2 veterans met our S4 pupils in the Training Room to talk about their wartime experiences – an appropriate time with the approach of Armistice Day on 11^th November. The pupils were intrigued by the variety of photographs and other memorabilia they displayed. Perhaps the most interesting item was the actual watch belonging to Heinrich Himmler, Head of the SS. How it came to be in the Honest Toun is a long story……

Hallowe’en Disco

The disco on Thursday 27^th October was attended by 280 pupils and 20 staff. My thanks to the S6 pupils who made a big effort to come in fancy dress and gave us so much help on the evening.

PPP

Visitors to the school will note that the car park has recently been whitelined for parking spaces and that there is a one way system in operation – enter by the bottom gate and exit by the top gate.

Yours sincerely,

Ronnie Summers

Head Teacher

Parental newsletter - October 2005

Dear Parent,

Parental Newsletter October 2005

PTA Car Boot Sale

You should already have received a flyer for this via pupil post. The car boot sale will take place from 10 a.m. on Saturday 8^th October. Members of the PTA will be on hand to charge sellers and direct car parking for customers. A chance to clear away those unwanted items or find some bargains…..

School Board Elections and Parental Consultation Bill

Closing date for applications to become a School Board member is 4^th October. Details of the new bill came out on Friday and can be accessed via the Scottish Parliament website.

Absence notes

When your child is absent from school, please write a note explaining the reason for his or her absence and have your child hand it in to his or her register teacher on the first day back. Guidance staff are wasting time having to chase pupils up for absence notes.

We introduced an automated call system for absence for all years in August. The system is working well apart from the occasional mistakes caused by human error, and is certainly helping us identify when pupils are absent without parental knowledge. When your child is absent from school, it is still obligatory for you to provide a written note explaining his or her absence on his or her return even if you have telephoned the school.

Languages

Our Modern Languages department has been busy! Mr. McIntosh was in London in late September collecting the European Award for Languages which we won earlier this year, and will be taking 2 pupils with him to Graz in Austria later this session as part of that award. Last week was Languages week and pupils had the chance to learn German, Italian, Swahili and Sign Language at lunchtime from Monday to Thursday. Pupils also had basic words from other languages read out to them each day from the daily pupil bulletin including Greek and Turkish.On the theme of languages, a group of our S6 pupils took part in the annual East Lothian conference “Europe: the Business” which seeks to make pupils aware of the importance of modern languages to business ventures.

S1 pupils

Parents of pupils in S1 will be pleased to know that their children have very quickly settled into life at the Grammar and have found their feet – and their voice, since several have been elected to serve on the Pupil Council. We look forward to hearing their views.

S1 pupils also sat their Cognitive Ability tests after the September break – three separate tests over 2 days in the Assembly Hall. Mrs Mackie and I were very impressed with their powers of concentration, positive attitude and behaviour during these tests and we now await the results. The school will send details of a pupil’s results to each parent inside the next 4 weeks.

Assemblies for S1-S4 on the theme of homework

I spoke to each of the above yeargroups recently about homework. My assembly on the opening day had been about pupils taking responsibility for their own learning. This assembly continued on the same theme. I emphasised the need for all pupils to be carrying a bag to school with their planner in it and for the planner to be used to record homework for the day it is due. Pupils need to practise their skills, test their knowledge and work independently of others – homework allows them to do all these things. We expect homework to be set by teachers and completed and handed in on time by pupils.

No pupil in the school should be without homework and parents should contact their child’s guidance teacher if they hear claims to this effect. We will be happy to investigate further on your behalf.

Health Issues

I am pleased to announce that East Lothian have appointed Robert Woodhead as our Active Schools Co-ordinator. He will be responsible for encouraging more pupils to become more physically active and to encourage new sports and activities in the Musselburgh area. There are already many opportunities for pupils to participate in sporting activities at the school – junior pupils have these listed in their planner and details are also up on the noticeboards in the Transit area.

Roger Knox, Chair of the School Board, reported to me that a number of parents had said that their children had been unable to get their lunch finished in the Dining Hall by the end of lunchtime. Senior Management were surprised at this claim since our perception is that all pupils are served by about 1.10, 20 minutes before the end of lunchtime. Roger came in last Thursday to see how the Dining Hall was functioning with the new Smartcard arrangements and to see how quickly pupils were being served – and pupils were indeed all served by 1.10.

We would encourage all parents to urge their children to use the school’s facilities rather than go to fast food outlets in the main street. We also note that the number of pupils carrying water to school in the last 12 months has risen noticeably. Pupils can of course purchase water bottles from the vending machines and at the meals counter – and are allowed to drink water in class.

I will be interviewing for the post of PT Health Education later this week. Miss Atkinson was the previous appointee but has moved on to be PT Science.  The successful person will act as a co-ordinator for the many health initiatives at local and national level and will assist departments build health education issues into their curriculum.

Auxiliary and Special Educational Needs Auxiliaries Posts

Joanne Fairgrieve of the Personnel Department has asked me to point out that the authority has vacancies for these posts, which are proving difficult to fill. Anyone interested should contact her at Personnel and ask to be placed on the supply list. She can then send out an Information Pack and other details.

Work Experience and industrial expertise for Determined to Succeed

Like other schools, we look to arrange a week’s work experience for all of our S4 pupils, but we are finding that the database provided for this purpose by Careers Scotland is shrinking. If any person is in a position to offer work experience places and is not on the database, could he or she please contact Mr. Dewar at the school?

On a related matter, the school is trying to develop contacts with the world of work to prepare pupils for adult life. We already arrange visits to a number of workplaces and have visiting speakers for pupils. If you are interested in this, please contact Mr. Dewar.

Photographs for School Handbook

At this time of year, the school begins to gather together material for the school handbook which is distributed to P7 parents. The handbook always includes photographs of Musselburgh Grammar School pupils, though any pupil featured is never named. Any parent who expressly does not want a photograph of their child to be used in this way should please make that request to me in writing by the end of October 2005.

Yours sincerely,

R I Summers

Head Teacher

Newsletter September 2005

September 2005

Dear Parent/ Guardian

I welcome you and your child back to Musselburgh Grammar School for the start of a new academic session.

I hope you find the accompanying information useful for the year ahead – parents expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the contents of the mailshot when we did an earlier consultation exercise, but we are always willing to listen to other suggestions – and some suggested a booklet would be easier to store over the year, so the format has been changed.

I have also included a new item this year for S1/ S2 only– Making the Difference: Parents’ Evenings, one of a series of publications from the Scottish Executive. We are aware that the number of parents coming to each consultation evening rose last year, and we would like that trend to continue. I hope you find the booklet helpful and look forward to seeing you.

Posting all this information home is expensive, but helps ensure everyone has a clear understanding of the expectations we have of our pupils and it lays out the important dates for the coming year.  It would be advisable to keep it in a safe place.

As before, we will place all the mailshot information on the school website www.mgsonline.org.uk.  Any documentation issued to a year group or the whole school population will also be posted on the website, so a regular look at the website will help parents and guardians keep abreast of school events. Many parents and members of the local community have commented very favourably on its content and layout.

Our SQA results for this year are satisfactory and in line with our projections from preliminary examinations. Last year’s results were our best ever, and while we found it difficult to match that, they are broadly comparable to those of the last 3-year period – this was a year of consolidation.

At Standard Grade, many pupils picked up Credit passes and the percentage of pupils passing five or more S Grades at Credit level was 28%, our second highest ever score. While the number of pupils gaining 5 passes at Grades 1-4 dipped slightly to 70%, the percentage of pupils gaining 5 or more Standard Grades at grades 1-6 increased to 87%.  As teachers, we all believe that these figures can rise further – there is still capacity for improvement. For example, the results of the boys this year lags behind that of the girls. One major factor inhibiting pupil performance is the poor attendance rates of many pupils – if you are not here, you are not learning. I hope that the pilot project of automated contact with parents on the day of absence will help us work together with parents to reduce casual non-attendance.

Support was offered once more in the mentoring of S4 and S5 pupils, and I would wish to thank all the staff involved for giving up time voluntarily to support these pupils.

15 pupils passed 5 Higher examinations in a single sitting, an increase on last year. However, slightly fewer of our pupils managed to pass 3 Higher examinations, though we hope that the appeals system may assist some pupils to reach this national benchmark. It is clear many pupils find the shift from the two-year Standard Grade course to the single year Higher grade demanding. Many other pupils in S5 made progress by sitting examinations at Intermediate 1 and 2 levels, in preparation for taking the Higher course in S6.

As many of you will know from previous newsletters, the bulk of the building work carried out through the PPP project is now complete, and the school is a far more pleasant building in which to work. The summer works programme was subject to delay and will now be rescheduled to weekend and holiday working. Steps however have been taken to reduce the temperatures in rooms which face the sun for most of the day, which has been a concern for some time now.

Our school roll has stabilised at 1322, and I welcome 16 permanent and temporary staff to the school, including 8 trainee teachers in a variety of subjects:

Art and Design – Ms Main, Ms Walker

Biology – Ms McGregor

CDT – Ms Armstrong, Mr Dewar

Chemistry – Ms Moonie

English – Mrs Sweetnam, Mr O’Connor

French – Ms Cairns, Ms Cakal

Geography – Ms Young

History – Mrs Anderson

Home Economics – Mr McLaughlin

Mathematics – Mr Schmitz

Modern Studies – Mr Nicholson

Office – Mrs Laidlaw

Mrs Wilkinson returns as PT Guidance for Caird House, with Mr Bowers moving to Moray House as Acting PT Guidance for Mr McNaught.

I spoke to all pupils at a series of assemblies on the first day. As well as reminding them about the importance of attendance, good timekeeping, good organisation and the like, I spent a little time talking about the need for pupils to take responsibility for their own learning and work hard with their teachers to achieve their potential. Success in school is not just down to native intelligence – hard work, application and persistence are also important: qualities which are carried forward to adult life. My other theme for the day was respect – for oneself, for one’s fellow pupils, for all adults connected with the school, and respect for the local community as they travel to school and mingle at lunchtime – good citizenship begins in one’s own neighbourhood.

Yours sincerely

R I Summers

Head Teacher

MUSSELBURGH GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Attendance and Attainment

For the last three years, the school has been monitoring the performance of pupils with poor attendance. It is now quite clear to us that poor attendance seriously affects the attainment of pupils in national examinations – which in turn affects their employability and future life chances.

The average attendance rate in Scottish schools is 93% - but this aggregate figure hides wide variation between schools: we stand at 89%. Our statistics show that attendance below 85% sharply increases underachievement and this applies to both girls and boys. Bear in mind that 80% attendance means a pupil is off on average one day a week: an employer would not accept this figure as acceptable, and neither will we.

Quantity of passes

Virtually all our S4 pupils are presented for a total of 8 Standard Grade or National Qualification examinations at the start of S4. Some pupils had to be withdrawn from one or more examinations because they had not completed coursework – largely due to absence. Only 3 pupils above 85% attendance had to be withdrawn from examinations. An employer will ask why a child does not have 8 results on their certificate.

Quality of passes

The school is increasing the number of passes at Grade 1 and Grade 2, on a ratio of one Credit pass to every 3 presentations. The group of 44 pupils below 80% in 2004/5 had only 16 Credit passes between them out of a total of 352 possible presentations, a ratio of 1 Credit pass to every 22 presentations. This poorly attending group almost exactly matched those who did not pass 5 examinations at Grades 1-6.

Non-appearance for examinations

Every year, we have a group of pupils who simply do not turn up for all of their examinations. That group is almost exclusively drawn from those below 85% attendance – because they have got out of the habit of coming to school every day.

The conclusions from this are very simple: my staff cannot teach children who are not in school, and such children underachieve at school and leave themselves disadvantaged in the employment market. I would urge every parent and guardian to ensure their child is at school as frequently as possible. As a school, we must improve our attendance rates.

R I Summers

Head Teacher