18 March 2005
Dear Parent/Guardian
Newsletter March 2005
Laura Womersley
It is with great sadness that I inform you of the sudden bereavement of one of our S5 pupils, Laura Womersley on 28th February after a short illness. Over 50 pupils and staff from the school attended her funeral where Mrs Bovill read a tribute to Laura. Everyone who knew her is greatly affected by her departure from this life and our thoughts and feelings are with her family at this time.
Easter Revision classes
Mrs Mackie has distributed information to S4-6 pupils about free revision classes which are run in the school by our own staff during the Easter holidays. This is an excellent opportunity for any pupil to prepare well for the forthcoming examinations and I would urge as many pupils as possible to apply for places.
Pupils in S4-6 should now be ensuring that all their notes are organised effectively in the first instance. They should be putting in place a revision plan for all subjects which should include study at home over the Easter holidays – examination pupils cannot afford to walk away from their studies for two weeks! A balance needs to be struck between recharging batteries and this steady preparation. Some pupils find that planning to work at a particular time of day helps to keep them ticking over during the holiday.
Staffing
Welcome to Mrs Deas who joins us as one of our job-share Librarians.
School website
Our website www.mgsonline.org is Learning and Teaching Scotland’s Website of the Month for February. My congratulations to Mr McIntosh who maintains and develops the site and to the staff and pupils who have contributed articles and material.
School successes
We are on a roll at present – a group of S1-3 pupils won the prize for the best comedy play at the National Competition at the French Institute last week; our 2S team won this year’s East Lothian Orienteering Competition; Mr Fruish’s under-16 football team won their Scottish Cup quarter-final tie 4-3 against Milne’s High School on Friday.
UK Intermediate Mathematical Challenge
Congratulations to a number of our S3 and S4 pupils who participated in this year’s Mathematical Challenge - which attracted a total of 188,000 entrants – gaining 12 silver and 18 bronze awards.
Scottish Executive Consultation
The Scottish Executive have issued a consultation paper on a draft bill called “Making the Difference – Improving Parents’ Involvement in Schools” which deals with School Boards and other matters of parental involvement in schools. The consultation period does not close until 7th June and I will return to this issue in my next newsletter. In the meantime, the document can be read in full on the Scottish Executive website www.scotland.gov.uk
PPP
The project is proceeding very well at present with work on C Floor and in Music scheduled to finish at Easter. Similarly, five Mathematics classrooms will be upgraded by the end of the Easter holidays. This will mark the completion of the refurbishment of all teaching areas in the school. Some work will continue to complete the corridors and stairwells. Additional refurbishment work will take place in the Library during the summer holidays.
Cashless Catering
From Wednesday 20th April the school will be operating a cashless cafeteria system. Pupils and staff will only be able to provide food or drink by loading money onto their Smartcard. Loading machines (that take notes or coins) are being positioned in the school social areas. Pupils can bring a cheque into school but there is no guarantee that the card can be validated that day – but the credit will certainly be added to the card for the following day.
New telephone system
Our new telephone system has been installed, giving us more lines in and out – I hope this has made it easier to get in touch with the school. I know it has often been difficult to phone the school to notify us of pupil absence. The switchboard is manned from 8.15 a.m. each day until 4.30 p.m.
Make It in Scotland
Our S2 yeargroup attended the Make It in Scotland Day at Brunton Hall last Wednesday as part of their preparation for choosing subjects in S3 and thinking ahead to their future careers. The manufacturing sector in Scotland is big business and there are many vocational opportunities for pupils. My thanks to Mr Dewar for his organisation of the event.
Easter Holidays
The school closes at 3.45 on Wednesday 23rd March for staff and pupils. There will be a service on the morning and a fund-raising concert in the afternoon. I hope everyone has an enjoyable holiday. We resume on Monday 11th April at 8.45 a.m.
Yours sincerely
R I SUMMERS
Head Teacher
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