Dear Parents and Carers

There is no update today, but it’s important we say thank you for all your support throughout the term.

We are disappointed not to have been able to invite you in for any face-to-face events, but we will look to organise something as soon as the covid-mitigations allow.

You can find the carol service on the KGS YouTube channel from 19:30 tonight:
https://www.youtube.com/.../UCvEeXEKX_jT92P2QmGdBK0w/videos

We wish you all a happy, healthy, and relaxing holiday.

​Miss Claire Meakin

Dear Parents and Carers
 
Whilst we have had very few cases of covid in our school community, we are aware that there are instances in the wider community so thank you for your support in reminding pupils to: bring a face covering to school each day and to complete an LFD test twice-weekly, reporting the results online. Pupils continue to behave in a considerate manner in school, wearing their face coverings, sanitising their hands regularly and keeping their distance, where possible, and we are incredibly proud of how responsible they are acting.

In the event of a pupil needing to isolate, they can access the resources from their lessons on Teams.  If any pupil has difficulty accessing this, they can always contact their Guidance Teacher who will be happy to help.

Orkney Islands Council, working with the Scottish Government, are keen to ensure that all pupils have access to a device at home – whether for their homework, revision or if they need to access learning remotely due to isolating.  If your child has limited or no access to their own device, please contact your child’s Guidance Teacher who will liaise with OIC on your behalf about the possibility of receiving a Chromebook.
 

Securing the Best Outcomes – Mr Ewing

SQA have released information for parents about carers about this year’s qualifications: National exams in 2022 – information for parents and carers on next year’s National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses - Qualifications 2022 National, exams, 2022, assessment, information, parents (sqa.org.uk)
 
We are also spreading the news about e-Sgoil Study Support sessions.  Each week there are live webinar lessons designed to support pupils across Scotland with their school subjects.  This week's timetable is below and it tends to be similar each week. The webinars have been getting rave reviews and more information can be found here: https://www.e-sgoil.com/media/1279/dl-6pp-pupils-web.pdf To attend an online event pupils need to register here: https://e-sgoil.com/study-support/ Once registered pupils just pick the subjects they would like to attend. The sessions run after school so it's an excellent way to get extra support.
 
 
Universal Support – Ms Devlin

We would like to remind all parents about the new button on the school website homepage of links to financial support, which we hope may be useful.  Your child’s Guidance Teacher would be happy to chat through some of these links if that would be helpful.
 

Promoting Positive Behaviour and Relationships – Mr Harvey and Mrs Watson

The school had seen an increasing number of pupils arriving to school late.  (As a reminder, pupils need to be in their registration room by 08:35 each morning.)  We are incredibly grateful for your support in addressing this and we are really pleased to report that the number of pupils regularly arriving late now has significantly reduced. From January, we aim to keep parents updated about their child’s punctuality so that we can work together to ensure they have the very best start to each day. 
 
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Finally, our carol service is due to go live at 19:30 on Tuesday. The video will appear on our YouTube channel, and we’ll share the link with you on Tuesday.  We look forward to watching it online with you!

We hope you have a lovely weekend,
 
Miss Claire Meakin

Dear Parents and Carers

We’ve been feeling festive this week listening to the rehearsals for our carol service. This year it will be an online event again.  The pupils have been working very hard, mostly in their own time (lunchtimes and after school) on putting together a programme of music for you.  We have managed to get a choir back together (in well ventilated but freezing rooms!) and they will be singing 5 songs as well as 2 Christmas Carols with our Orchestra.  The String Group will be performing a piece from Handel’s ‘Messiah’ and the Wind Band will play two seasonal tunes.  The Rev. Fraser McNaughton will also be saying a few words.  This will be recorded next week and will be made available on the school’s YouTube channel from 7.30pm on Tuesday 21st December.  We hope you tune in and enjoy the seasonal music!

Our catering team are busy planning our Christmas lunch for next Thursday (16th December) and we’ve also been taking part in so many fundraising activities led by our incredibly kind and caring pupils that you couldn’t help but feel very proud to be part of this special school!

When shopping for books, did you know that every order over £10 with Scholastic Books earns 20% of the order value in free books for your chosen school?  If you're buying books, please consider shopping there and choose Kirkwall Grammar School to help our library.  Thank you.
 

Securing the Best Outcomes for All (Mr Ewing)

Please can we invite parents and carers to 'like' the SDS and DYW Facebook pages, as they both provide current information on training and employment opportunities for pupils. This can include part- and full-time employment, as well as apprenticeship opportunities in Orkney and beyond.
 

Promoting Positive Behaviour and Relationships (Mr Harvey and Mrs Watson)

Punctuality. Thank you for your support with ensuring pupils are arriving to school on time and in their registration room by 08:35 each day. This allows staff to work with pupils to ensure they are ready for the day ahead.
 

Universal Support (Ms Devlin)

Financial Support for Parents. We are aware that many families may be experiencing a change in their financial situation, particularly during this current pandemic, and we thought that you might find it useful for us to share information about the different types of funding that is available to support you at this time.  On the school website, you will notice a new tab at the top: “Financial Support”. If you click on this, you will find links to the various types of financial support available. We very much hope that you find this a useful addition to the website, and we would welcome any comments about it.  

Uniform and Costume Donations Wanted: Do you have any KGS uniform or Children in Need/Halloween costumes that your child has outgrown or no longer needs? The Equity Group are looking to promote a zero-waste approach to school clothing as well as hoping to save everyone some money in the future by recycling pre-loved items. Please make any clothing donations to the designated (and creatively decorated) collection bins in the foyer next to the theatre. The more we can collect, the greater impact we can make!
 
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We hope you all have a wonderful weekend,

Miss Claire Meakin