Parent and Carers' Update 30th September

Dear Parents and Carers, 

As we approach the holidays can I thanks all our parents and carer for their continued support. It has been a busy term but also a really positive one. 

​Mr Neil Ewing 
Acting Head Teacher 

Today’s update contains 8 notices 
1. Inset days and October holidays 
2. Parent Council 
3. Family Fridays @KGS 
4. Breakfast@KGS 
4. E-sgoil Study support for senior pupils 
5. Maths for S1 Parents 
6. Attendance 
7. S1 Parents Evening 
8. S4-6 pupils: SQA Additional Assessment Arrangements for pupils who need additional support in SQA exams. 
 
1. Inset days and October holidays 
KGS will be closed to pupils on Thursday 6 and 7th of October for Inservice days and then from Monday 10th October Friday 21st for the October break. 

2. Parent Council 
The Parent Council AGM will take place on Tuesday starting at 6pm in the Conference room. All KGS parents are welcome. 
Prior to the official part of the meeting there will be a short presentation from the Schools Careers Service. The PC is keen to recruit new members and we have a desire to fill the post of Secretary or Treasurer. 

3. Family Fridays @KGS 
Over the course of this session the Parent Council would like to invite parents into KGS on Friday mornings for school visits. The visits would be in small groups and run between 10am and 11am. Each visit would include a tour of the school in action, a chat with the Senior Leadership team over a cup of coffee, and a visit to some classrooms.  The next visit will be on Friday 28th October and parents can email [email protected] by Wednesday 26th October to book a place.  

4. Breakfast@KGS 
Breakfast is available for pupils from 8.20am. The breakfast menu is on the school website and includes toast and cereals with hot food such as filled rolls and scrambled eggs available on demand. 

Securing the Best Outcomes (Mr McCall) 

4. E-sgoil Study support for senior pupils 
A reminder that Webinars in Maths, English, Social Subjects and Science subjects have started More details can be found here 
https://www.e-sgoil.com/media/2745/twitter_study-support-overview-sept-2022-copy.pdf 

All other subject webinars will start in the week beginning October 31st. 

​Registration for Evening Webinars will be via the link below. 
(Pupils must log on to Glow before accessing the link to the registration form, and should check the timetable carefully before choosing the webinars they wish to attend.) 
https://www.e-sgoil.com/study-support/ 

5. Maths for S1 Parents  
Roz McMahon, our Acting PT of Maths, launched the first of our Maths information events last week and the session is available here: 
http://www.kgsorkney.com/ 
The second online meet will be on Wednesday 5 October 7.30pm to 8.30pm on Vscene and will cover: 
Number and how we teach it 
Join here: 
https://app.vscene.net/r/uYOoVaC7XL 

Promoting Positive Behaviour and Relationships (Mr Harvey) 

6. Attendance 
As well as regular study both within and out with school, other factors have a direct impact on a pupil’s success in school. Included in this are attendance and timekeeping. As you may be aware, we have mechanisms in school to track both in line with OIC guidance.   
The table below outlines the procedure we follow to support young people and families with regular school attendance: 

We do work hard to ensure that we are aware if there are valid reasons for a pupil being absent or late, and where this is the case, support our pupils to catch up.    
However, there is no doubt that poor attendance may significantly impact on achievement, as does poor timekeeping. We would ask that parents and carers are particularly mindful of this and continue to support us in ensuring that absenteeism is kept to a minimum, where possible, and that pupils are in school on time.   

7. S1 Parents Evening 

This week we had a very successful S12 Parents Evening in school. It was fantastic to welcome the parents/carers of our S1 into school to meet with their child’s teachers face to face for the first time in a couple of years. There was a lovely atmosphere, and we hope that S1 parents/carers enjoyed the event. We look forward to welcoming the parents/carers of other year groups as the year progresses. 

Securing the Highest Level of Universal Support (Ms Devlin) 

8. S4-6 pupils: SQA Additional Assessment Arrangements for pupils who need additional support in SQA exams. 

School staff are in the process of having discussions with S4-6 pupils with a learning difference, eg. dyslexia and ASD regarding special arrangements needed for their Prelim examinations in January 2023 and SQA examinations in May 2023.  

At National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher levels staff can make a request to SQA for the following:  

• extra time 
• a staff member or reader pen to read exam scripts 
• a scribe  
• a prompt  
• a small room out with exam room with a small group of pupils 
• a word-processor to type scripts 
• digital papers - papers in a pdf form format. 
• scripts printed on yellow, blue, green, pink or purple. 

 
Your child’s class teacher needs to provide the SQA with evidence that the special arrangement (known as an accommodation) is needed on a day-to-day basis in school to access class activities, tests and assignments and that it has made a significant positive impact on their attainment. 

​In addition, the KGS Curriculum Support department needs to provide the SQA with evidence of a specific learning need, for example dyslexia, visual impairment, ASD etc. 

Please ask your young person if they feel they need these accommodations to discuss them with their class teacher.  If your young person is unsure if they meet the SQA criteria, please ask them to speak with Ms Marie Phillips in room GO38.