Old Bridge of Weir Road, Houston, PA6 7EB...We would also like to thank Holmes Butcher Bridge of...

Caring • Learning • Achieving www.gryffehigh.com

Date: 5/02/20 Dear Parents/Carers/Relatives/Pupils I hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter.

Visit to the Scottish Parliament

Some of our S4 Modern Studies pupils, looking great in their Blazers, went on a trip to the Scottish Parliament

.... more detail on page 11

S4 into S5, S5 into S6 Information Evening Four of our S6 pupils shared their experiences in moving from S4 into S5, their thoughts and reasoning, and then likewise on their journey in moving from S5 into S6. The full presentation, and our Options Booklet and West College Scotland Senior Phase Programmes, can be found on the school website under the 'CURRICULUM' tab, then 'Senior Phase'.

Index Page

1 Visit to the Scottish Parliament 2 Parent Council update 3 PTA News 4 Holocaust Memorial Day 5 Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI)

Launch 6 Learning and Teaching update 7 Rainbow Turtle Fairtrade Event 8 Digital Ninjas; Strathclyde Youth Jazz

Orchestra Visit 9 Young Musicians Final 2020 10 REHIS Awards for 52 S3 Pupils 11 S4 Modern Studies visit the Scottish

Parliament 12 Young WEIR-WISE 13 Advanced Higher Chemists visit University of

Strathclyde 14 Department of International Development

visit; Prison Officer visit 15 Artist of the Month; Chefs of the Month 16 Mathematicians & Science Stars of the Month 17 House News and Points; Saltire Volunter

Hours update; Harry has a trial for the Scotland Under 14 Football Team

18 World Challenge 2021 Vietnam; MADD Show 19 Gryffe High - Featured Partner of the Month

DYW WEST Charity News, Fantastic Foodbank Response

20 Upcoming priorities/events

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@GryffeHighSch @Gryffe_Sports

Website

Gryffe High

Old Bridge of Weir Road, Houston, PA6 7EB Tel: 0300 300 1323 e-mail: [email protected] web address: www.gryffehigh.com Head Teacher: Mr Colin H Johnson BSc

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.gryffehigh.com/


Parent Council Agenda and brief detail of our last meeting 1. Welcome, Sederunt and Apologies 2. Introductions & Minutes 3. Achievement and Attainment

A range of staff provided detailed updates on our focus and processes in Achievement and Attainment

The full Parent Council presentation can be found on our school website, under the ‘PARENT ZONE’ tab, then ‘Parent Council and PTA’

4. Personal Social Education(PSE) Provision Mrs Carmichael and Miss Holmes provided an overview of our Personal Social Education(PSE) Provision, including how we are changing our structure to have a bigger focus on: Responsibility of All- Wellbeing Mental Health Relationships, Sexual Health and

Parenthood (RHSP)

5. Renfrewshire Parent Council Liaison Update ...Mr Murray gave an update on the work of Renfrewshire Parent Council Liaison group

6. PTA Update ... ...Mr Murray gave an update on the work of the PTA, and that we looked forward to our first Burns Supper on Friday 24 January, being organised by the PTA

7. Head Teacher brief Update Date of Next Meeting – Monday 2 March 2020


PTA News PTA Burns Supper & Ceilidh

Friday 24 January saw Gryffe High school host the inaugural Burns Supper and Ceilidh, with family and friends tucking into traditional Scottish fare whilst being thoroughly entertained by pupils and teachers.

The evening started with a welcome from school captains, Lewis Da Silva and Lauren Rodgers followed by the ‘Selkirk Grace’ delivered by Aaron Mills. The haggis was then piped in by Matthew Hill, Ben McHarg and Jenna Telfer and toasted by Esme James and Sarah Feechan. A Scottish feast then followed including soup, haggis, neeps and tatties followed by delicious trifle, all carefully prepared and served by staff and pupils of the HFT department. Throughout the evening poems were read, songs sung and games played all celebrating the life of Robert Burns. After a short break for tea, coffee and shortbread the evening finished with some energetic ceilidh dancing. The PTA would like to thank all staff and pupils who contributed to the evening and to the family and friends who came along for making the night the fun filled success it was. We would also like to thank Holmes Butcher Bridge of Weir for the haggis, McHarg Bakers for rolls and shortbread and Brian Steele for providing Irn Bru and water for the evening. Personally, I would also like to thank the PTA members who worked very hard to make this event happen. A total of £550 was raised for school funds ….well done everyone!! Watch out for the date of the Ceilidh next year…..I think it will be a sell out. Article - Sheila McHarg, PTA Chairperson

Our thanks to Gordon McHarg and Mrs Thomson for photos.


Holocaust Memorial Day

Holocaust Memorial Day marked the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau. There were two ways that we marked this remembrance. Firstly, each year group received a Holocaust assembly. This was led by S5 and S6 pupils Blair, Rachel, Mhairi and Marc. They all visited Poland in September 2019. The pupils gave excellent information which the pupils found engaging and interesting. Secondly, we had a reflections room where pupils got the chance to discuss different issues around the Holocaust. We had three stations, Catherine, Simran, and Jenny, all members of our Citizenship Committee delivered a station on rights, Callum and Rachel delivered a History session on memorisation, and Eleanor Blackstock very kindly visited to run a session on Holocaust remembrance. As we prepare to visit Poland again in September 2020 pupils have been thoroughly engaged and have gained a strong understanding of the need to learning and engage with Holocaust education.

Article - Mr A Vannet, Teacher of History


Wednesday 22 January saw the launch of the S4 Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) project. The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) is an active citizenship programme which empowers young people to make a difference in their local communities while developing a host of skills. Each participating school, each year, is responsible for directing a £3000 YPI grant to a local charity through a unique programme of teamwork, research and competition. On the launch day, pupils learned about philanthropy and charitable acts. They also heard from several visiting charities, to understand, first hand, the excellent work that is taking place in our local community to address a variety of social issues. Pupils then had the opportunity to ask more detailed questions in a smaller group setting. Decisions were made about charities and time spent in teams making a very good start to compiling their presentations. House presentation heats will take place in PDA classes and then the winning groups will take part in the YPI Final in March 2020, where one charity will be awarded £3000. What a rewarding initiative for all involved! Article - Mrs S Carmichael Principal Teacher Pupil Support: Burns House

Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) Launch


Learning and Teaching

Ensuring high quality education for all learners with the development of skills in Literacy, Numeracy, Health and Wellbeing and Skills for Learning, Life and

Work. Last year, the Learning and Teaching team worked to create the Excellent Learning poster as a summary of all areas that our school believe are instrumental to high quality learning and teaching. Over the next few months, we will explore the core elements in more detail, to provide context and understanding of the everyday classroom in Gryffe High School. Ethos As part of Gryffe High School’s commitment to Promoting Positive Relationships, a safe and positive classroom ethos is recognised as being the foundation of excellent learning and teaching. Respect, co-operation and motivation are all school values and are a shared responsibility between staff and pupils as well as being promoted as part of the school charter. As the school works towards the Rights Respecting School Gold Award, we are reminded that our school charter and expectations, created with pupils, is at the very heart of the decision making process. Meet and Greet/End and Send To help create and maintain this ethos on a day-to-day basis, all staff are encouraged to Meet and Greet and End and Send – a natural and important communication to establish the start of a new lesson and helping pupils to be ready to move into a new learning space with a positive mind set. Think about how you left the house today; it might have been calm and organised or perhaps it was one of those last-minute days. Think about how this then impacted you as you entered school or work and how you feel about yourself and your ability to achieve tasks. By having these small steps in place, we hope to ensure that all pupils feel valued and are organised and motivated to learn, with clear expectations in every class.


Gryffe represented at Rainbow Turtle Fairtrade Event

S6 Heads of Citizenship, Aaron Mills and Rowan Johnson, attended Rainbow Turtle’s Fairtrade fundraiser at the Tweedie Hall in Linwood on the Friday 24 January. Rainbow Turtle are a local community based shop in the centre of Paisley, dedicated to selling a wide variety of Fairtrade produce, from confectionary to jewellery. The event was targeted at primary school pupils across Renfrewshire in order to highlight the importance of Fairtrade and global citizenship. The school’s citizenship committee have maintained a strong link with Rainbow Turtle which led them to reach out to the school, to provide the opportunity for understanding and observing a successful Fairtrade event. Overall the event was an insightful experience for brainstorming new ideas for the school to use at the upcoming Fairtrade Fortnight next month. This will include using the Fairtrade Rice Challenge (where 90kg of Fairtrade rice have to be sold, in order to send a schoolgirl in Malawi to school for a year) and plans of a Fairtrade storytelling-based idea. The school’s Citizenship Committee are preparing for a number of Fairtrade events within the school in February and March, and would encourage any pupils interested in joining in to attend meetings on Mondays at lunch in the RE room. Article - Aaron Mills S6 on behalf of the Citizenship Committee

Photographs used with kind permission from Scottish Fair Trade


Digital Ninjas

Over the past few months a group of pupils have been working on developing an app for a competition organised by Vodaphone. They were tasked with creating an app that would help, fix or tackle an issue within their local community. It was straight to the drawing room. Within a few weeks, the group had started doing market research and suddenly two great ideas were in the works centering on two issues that are present in schools - Wellbeing and Dyslexia. They then completed some research within the school, surveying classes and students with dyslexia. Once results had come back it was clear that these two apps would benefit pupils in the school. Wellbeing being a big focus in Gryffe High School and dyslexia which many pupils must deal with. The two groups were inspired by these results. Next it was time to design the app and then onto creating the app on computers. So here we are in January and in less than 5 months the two groups have created marvellous ideas and are now sending their work to Vodaphone. Article - Euan Rennie S3

Strathclyde Youth Jazz Orchestra Visit the Music Department

The music department continue to enjoy partnerships with Strathclyde Youth Jazz Orchestra. Three jazz musicians have been working with all our S3 pupils teaching them popular jazz songs on pupils’ chosen instruments. Pupils have been engaged and inspired through Performance, Listening and Improvisation activities. We would like to thank SYJO for their continued input into our S3 music curriculum. Article - Mrs A Currie Faculty Head Music and Modern Languages


Young Musicians Final 2020

Our thanks to 12 amazing musicians who made the Young Musicians Final 2020 such a wonderful evening.

Mr David Murray provided detailed feedback and Adjudication. Congratulations to Glenn McFarlane (S1), Rebecca Graham (S4) and Esme James (S5) who won in their category (Junior, Intermediate and Senior). Glenn played piano, Rebecca sang and Esme played the saxophone. The audience were also treated to performances on trumpet and drum kit. Every performance was extremely well prepared and Mr Murray had some hard choices to make. Well done to all of the Finalists – a great achievement for everyone involved.

Each finalist was introduced by our presenters Hannah da Silva and Abigail Evans. Pupils from Houston Primary also thoroughly enjoyed the experience, which will hopefully inspire them in their own music.


REHIS Awards for 52 S3 Pupils

Well done to fifty two S3 Health, Food and Technology pupils who were presented with their 'Elementary Food Hygiene' certificates after successfully completing and passing the course! To achieve this award, which is an external exam, pupils study areas in: kitchen and personal hygiene

keeping food premises and equipment clean and disinfected

the importance of reporting possible food safety hazards

food storage temperatures

food poisoning sources and symptoms

food allergies

The pupils use this knowledge gained in the many practical activities undertaken in Health, Food and Technology

This nationally recognised qualification from The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland was emphasised to be a worthwhile certificate to have and one that is highly valued by employers. A great achievement S3 Article - Mrs R Thomson and Miss C Marshall Teachers of Health and Food Technology


S4 Modern Studies visit the Scottish Parliament

On 14th January, 36 S4 Modern Studies pupils went on a trip to the Scottish Parliament. Due to good traffic, we managed to have a look at the exhibition in the main foyer and have a look in the Chamber before MSP's started their afternoon session. This allowed the pupils an opportunity to ask questions about the layout and what they might see later. Pupils engaged in a session with the Education Service and were tested on their knowledge of Scottish Parliament powers as well as the makeup of the Parliament. They then had the opportunity to question their constituency MSP, Derek MacKay (SNP) and two regional MSPs - Neil Bibby (Labour) and Ross Greer (Scottish Greens). Pupils asked questions about Brexit, planning, tackling climate change and tackling poverty.

After this session, pupils returned to the Chamber to watch the start of a debate on 'Improving the Lives of Gypsy/Travellers'. Due to the nature of the topic discussed, the pupils were able to see that political parties can and do work together, but that there is sometimes friction too! Article - Mrs S Jardine

Teacher of Modern StudiesEIR-WISE


Young WEIR-WISE

Discovering Engineering with S2 Girls

‘One hundred pupils from almost 70 schools were welcomed to the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Strathclyde as part of the ‘Young Weir Wise: Discovering Engineering programme’, funded by the Weir Group.

The non-residential two day programme saw female students from Aberdeen to the Borders taking part in a range of team based challenges, including designing a water filter and building Virtual Reality headsets.

Evidence shows that there is poor gender balance within many engineering degree courses in the UK. Science and engineering subjects can be viewed as being male dominated, which is increasingly far from the case.

S2 is a crucial time, as if pupils fail to select Physics and Maths in their National 5 subject choices, it is more difficult to get the required qualifications to apply for an Engineering Degree.

Participants on the two courses in January learned about the benefits of choosing these subjects, creating an opportunity to study engineering that might otherwise be lost.’

Two of our pupils Erin and Stephanie were successful in their application. Here is their account of their course. ‘Going on the Young Weir Wise course was very enjoyable and enlightening and has helped us understand which aspects of engineering we enjoy the most. On the course we spent our time learning about all the types of engineering: civil and environmental engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, biomedical, and chemical and process engineering. This was very interesting as it taught us about what having a career in engineering could look like. Some of the amazing activities we took part in whilst learning about civil and environmental engineering was making a water filter with Professor Vernon Phoenix. We listened to a brief history on space debris with Dr. Stuart Grey. Paula Cousins from the Weir group spoke about Biomedical engineering. We learned about nano gels and a brief background of chemical engineering with Dr. Joy Leckie. We also got to make some amazing salt water cars with some of Strathclyde University’s very talented students who are studying engineering there. We are both very grateful to have been granted a place on this amazing course; we would recommend it to any young girls who are budding engineers!’ Article - Erin Daly and Stephanie Morton (both S2)


Advanced Higher Chemists visit University of Strathclyde

The Advanced Higher Chemistry class visited the University of Strathclyde Chemistry department, where they worked with 3rd year Undergraduate Masters students as part of the university's Chemistry Clinic. The purpose of this visit was to analyse samples they had previously prepared through practical work in class. Pupils were given a demonstration of the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy facility, where their samples will be analysed by university staff, and had the opportunity to use the Infra-Red (IR) Spectrometer to analyse their own samples. Pupils will then interpret these results and the information gathered from both techniques will then be used for the formal write-up of their project which contributes 25% of the overall course award. In addition to this, the pupils were shown aspects of the university facilities including lecture theatres and laboratories and had the opportunity to speak to the students about their university studies. Overall, the pupils found it to be a very informative and beneficial afternoon. Article - Tom Runcie and Rowan Johnston (S6)


DFID visit to Modern Studies

We were delighted to once again have two speakers from the UK Government Department of International Development DFID in school in December to speak to all three of our Higher Modern Studies classes. Maureen Scott a Procurement Specialist / Corporate Manager and Cindy Patrick a retired Procurement Specialist / Programme Manager gave highly informative talks during their visit. They detailed the role and remit of DFID and gave lots of information about their areas of expertise as civil servants working in the East Kilbride office of DFID. Maureen again talked about her experiences of living and working in South Sudan, including the time she had to be rescued by US Navy SEALS when conflict broke out during her time there. Cindy talked about her former role in supporting fragile states many of whom are experiencing conflict. She outlined the relevance of this to UK interests and explained how the focus of UK Aid has been shifting much more in this direction in recent times. The Higher Modern Studies classes are studying under-development in Africa as part of their course work. The opportunity to have these speakers in allowed them to gain greater insight into the UK response to this issue. Maureen and Cindy again really enjoyed their visit and commented very positively about the school and the pupils. This was their fifth time visiting our Higher classes and we thank them for their commitment to this over the years. Cindy has recently retired and Maureen will be retiring later in 2020, so sadly this will be their last visit to the school. We wish them all the very best in their retirement. We hope to still continue the link with DFID in future years.

Prison Officer visits Advanced Higher Modern Studies

On Friday 20 December, the Advanced Higher Modern Studies class were privileged to be able to hear a presentation from Prison Officer Paul Burns who is a Prison Officer at Her Majesty's

Prison (HMP) Greenock. The class heard about the background of HMP Greenock, the changes and challenges that have faced the staff and prisoners in recent years.

Much of the presentation and the following question and answer session focused on government policy, aspects of rehabilitation and the impact of mental health on the day to day running of the prison. The insight this gave to our AH students was invaluable especially those focusing on prisons in their dissertations. A huge thanks to Paul for giving up his time to speak to our students and well done to the students who asked detailed questions. Article - Mrs L Blackstock Teacher of Modern Studies


Saltire Hours by House Latest

news…..

The Saltire Awards are the Scottish Government’s way of celebrating, recognising and rewarding the commitment, contribution and achievements of young volunteers in Scotland, aged between 12 and 25. All pupils are registered and can gain nationally recognised certificates, signed by Scottish Government Ministers, for the different amounts of volunteering they do. For each certificate, pupils will also be awarded vital house points which contribute to our yearly house competition. Volunteering can be back dated up to 3 years and can be used as part of another award - e.g. Duke of Edinburgh. Employers recognise these as part of a CV and volunteering demonstrates key skills and personal qualities that are desirable for university/college personal statements.

Booklets can be collected from house board displays in the canteen or from Support Bases 2 and 4. Speak to your House Achievement Ambassadors or Miss Holmes for more information.

Pupils have made an excellent start to the year, achieving across many aspects of school life to gain points for their house. They have consistently gone above and beyond expectations to achieve within classes, used their knowledge across subject areas and contributed to the wider school ethos through the various committees and clubs that are available to them. Many continue this commitment out with school and are regularly nominated through our school website by coaches/parents/guardians for ‘Achievements Certificates’. Our first house point count for 2020 has been carried out with our house captains checking and re- checking the result before announcing which house is in front to pupils at their House Asssemblies.

And a head start for WALLACE this year……….. How will the rest of 2020 turn out?

Harry achieves final stage SFA Trial

Best of luck to Harry Provan in S2 who has been successful in the preliminary trial stages in achieving a final stage trial place in the U14 Scotland Football Team. Harry will take part in the final stage trial later this month. We wish him well. No matter the outcome, this has been a great achievement. Well done Harry!


MADD Show Join us on Wednesday 19 February at 7:00 pm for an immersive evening celebrating all things creative. This year we are honouring our beautiful planet with our “Eco” theme. Pupils have been working furiously for weeks in preparation for this captivating event. On the night pupils and staff members will be strutting along our catwalk sporting upcycled creations. We are also holding Gryffe High School’s first ever Swap Shop! Bring along clothes you'd like to swap, exchange them for tokens, wait for the signal and then...grab yourselves a bargain! A wardrobe refresh at no cost to you and no cost to the planet. Hand your clothes into the Art department or Eco committee before the event to get your token. You can also bring items to swap on the night! In addition there will be breath-taking performances from singers and dancers throughout the night, and a display of stunning artwork by our talented pupils. Don’t miss it! Article - Miss L MacDonald Faculty Head Art and Design Technology

World Challenge 2021 - Vietnam

The pace of world challenge has heated up significantly. Pupils have been working hard to fundraise their sums of money. Since Christmas, we have had Aliya, Eve, and Holly selling Christmas Slates at the farmers market, raising £200. Others have worked together such as Skye, Simran, Robyn and Alice who have raised over £150 each at bag packing alone. In addition, a very successful psychic night raised £800. Some have gone it alone such as Aidan making £152 at a local car boot sale, and Eilidh raising more than a £1000 from bucket collecting. More things are planned such as walking the West Highland Way in July, race nights, and some group activities. In other news, our preparation weekend will take place in the Lake District during September 2020. One of the key dates of the calendar will take place on February 18th as we plan our itinerary. This is driven by the pupils and allows them to choose where they go and how they will encounter Vietnam. Things are shaping up well and it will not be long until we head for Vietnam! Article - Mr A Vannet World Challenge School Leader


Should anyone in the community feel that they would wish to forge closer links with the school and help us

enhance the educational life experiences of our pupils, or if you would like a copy of our colour monthly

newsletter for your business/place of work then please contact us via email on:

[email protected]

Charity News Fantastic Foodbank Response

The Renfrewshire Foodbank is a charity that the school has supported for many years. A change in approach this session to create a competition between houses, increased the profile for this wonderful cause. House Captains visited PSE classes to drum up support with pupils donating to their House total. Congratulations to MACKINTOSH who ran out overall winners. Most importantly, the school collected a fantastic 297kg of food which equated to 707 meals. Well done to all that contributed! Article - Mr A. Findlay On behalf of the Charities Committee

Career Education and Community Partnerships

Gryffe High - Featured Partner of the Month

DYW WEST

Gryffe High have formed a strong link with Developing the Young Workforce over recent years. DYW have strong links with industry, bring the curriculum to life and help young people to prepare for life after school. They understand the skills that local employers are looking for and how to evidence them at school. At a recent Sharing Effective Practice Meeting, Bob Davidson from DYW presented to all staff to share some resources that can be used to develop links with local businesses who can come to Gryffe High to deliver parts of a course or can host trips to their businesses for our pupils. In addition to this, Bob Davidson has also presented to our senior pupils regarding CV’s and interview skills and will be our key note speaker for S5’s at the upcoming ‘I Can Do Anything Day’ on the 12th June. For more information about what DYW do and for Modern Apprenticeship/work experience opportunities – please follow: • Twitter - https://twitter.com/DYWWEST

• Facebook - www.facebook.com/DYWWestRegion

• Instagram - www.instagram.com/dyw_west

mailto:[email protected]

https://twitter.com/DYWWEST

http://www.facebook.com/DYWWestRegion

http://www.instagram.com/dyw_west


Upcoming priorities/events FEBRUARY Mon 3 S5 Careers Pathways Focus Wed 5 Newsletter uploaded to website Fri 7 In-Service Day Mon 10 HOLIDAY Tue 11 HOLIDAY Wed 12 Additional In-Service Day Thurs 13 Pupils Return, prompt 8:47 am start S4 Option Forms to be returned Fri 14 S5/6 Reports issued to pupils Mon 17 House Week Visit of HM Inspectors from Education

Scotland Wed 19 MADD Show, 7:00 pm start Thurs 20 S2 Reports issued to pupils Fri 21 House Colour Day Mon 24 Start of Fairtrade Fortnight S2 Options Information Evening,

7:00 pm start Tue 25 5th Deposit for Activities Week S3 Apprentice Challenge Launch Wed 26 S5 Options Forms to be returned Thurs 27 S2 Parents’ Meeting, 4:30 pm start March Mon 2 Start of S2 Option interviews Parent Council Meeting, 7:00 pm start Wed 4 World Maths Day Newsletter uploaded to school website

Mr Colin Johnson Head Teacher

MADD Show The MADD Show is coming! Join us on Wednesday 19 February at 7:00 pm for an immersive evening celebrating all things creative. ....... more detail on page 18

Reminders A copy of the 'Consultation on Admissions to

Schools and Placing Request Policy' has been uploaded under the 'NEWS' tab, then 'Letters'. A copy of the Consultation Letter was sent to all parents/carers via SMHW (Show My Homework), with paper copies available from the school office.

Parents/Carers of pupils in S4,S5 & S6 can find detail on our updated Gryffe High Study Support January/February 2020 under the 'PUPIL ZONE' tab, then 'Study Support'

Timekeeping reminder - The first bell rings at 8:47am, and the second bell rings at 8:50am We would like to thank all parents/carers who ensure their child is in school on time. We have 2 bells in the morning and their purpose is significant – the first bell is when pupils should be inside the school, the second bell is when pupils should be in class ready to start. If lessons start promptly then that maximises the learning and teaching time within the classroom, which I would hope we would all agree with.

Old Bridge of Weir Road, Houston, PA6 7EB...We would also like to thank Holmes Butcher Bridge of...

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