Friday 2 October PTA Curry Night, with Fairtrade focus · I feel proud to say that Gryffe High School has conquered Mount Kili!’ Miss Higgins and Mr Findlay led Team 2. Emma Kelly

Gryffe High School Old Bridge of Weir Road, Houston, PA6 7EB Tel: 01505 690633 Fax: 01505 690888 e-mail: [email protected] web address: www.gryffehigh.com Head Teacher: Mr Colin H Johnson BSc

Date: 2/09/15 Dear Parents/Carers/Relatives/Pupils I hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter.

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Gryffe Conquer new heights Mount Kilimanjaro – Please read pages 2, 3 & 4 for further detail on the fantastic achievement.

SQA Examination results Gryffe attain the best results to date in 5 out of 6 of the key performance indicators. Please look at pages 5 & 6 for further detail. We continue to strive to be amongst the very best in Scotland regarding successes in both achievements and attainment

Index Page 1 Gryffe Conquer new heights; SQA Results 2,3,4 Mount Kilimanjaro Conquered 5,6 Pupil attainment in SQA Examinations; Achievements; Parent Council 7 Meet the new staff 8 Pupil Management Group 2015/2016 9 New S1 Pupils Settled in Well 10 Activ8 11 S6 Guidance Team Training Advanced Higher attend live broadcast 12 ROAR – How YOU can help! 13 Mark in Scottish Space School 14,15 Mission Discovery 16 Olivia has a Winning Design - GLOW Showjumping Honour for Ellie 17,18 Duke of Edinburgh Award 19 Gryffe Careers Website;

The Parent Zone Website 20 Medecins Sans Frontieres; Upcoming priorities/events

Friday 2 October PTA Curry Night, with Fairtrade focus

Look out for details, on the school website, of this exciting event coming soon. We will also send out a reminder via our school ‘app’ and via a text message.

Please feel free to give the codes below a try and tell us what you think via [email protected]

Caring • Learning • Achieving www.gryffehigh.com

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http://www.gryffehigh.com/

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

The Expedition – Mount Kilimanjaro Conquered! Mr Findlay, Miss Higgins, Mr O’Hare and Miss Badger led 2 teams of Gryffe pupils on a World Challenge adventure to Tanzania over the summer. It was an amazing trip with every single pupil (and staff) making it to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. It was arduous at times as it was very cold towards the summit and the altitude was having an adverse affect on their balance. However, they made it and were all justifiably proud of their achievement. The climb was only part of their challenge, which included Project work teaching local children and also a little Safari relaxation. Headteacher Mr Johnson is justifiably proud of the team effort - 'Two years of hard work, fundraising, trial expeditions and tears which came to fruition through four weeks of highly visible adventure, an unforgettable and thoroughly enjoyable life experience. I am extremely proud of the achievements of our pupils, and staff, in conquering the highest free standing mountain in the world, as well as supporting local communities in Tanzania. I congratulate them, with a little envy, and have been enjoying the last few weeks as the pupils, and staff, have been telling me about their many escapades.' Miss Badger and Mr O’Hare led Team 1. Miss Badger says, ‘World Challenge has been an amazing experience that has given me the opportunity to work with a fantastic group of young people. It was an absolute privilege to have been able to share so many wonderful moments with the pupils that I will be able to remember and share for years to come. I feel proud to say that Gryffe High School has conquered Mount Kili!’ Miss Higgins and Mr Findlay led Team 2. Emma Kelly S6 was part of Team 2 and she has kindly taken time to recount her adventure. What we did (the beginning): After getting 3 flights, we eventually arrived in Dar es Salaam and travelled to ‘Econolodge’, the hostel we would be staying at for a few days before a ten and a half hour bus journey to Moshi, where we would start our project. When we arrived in Moshi, we camped at ‘Weru Weru’ lodge before going to the school. The project: Emotionally and mentally, the project may have been the hardest part of the full month. From the moment that we arrived, it was clear to see that the people there had nothing, but were still so appreciative and happy. This was humbling, but made us all have a second thought about how lucky we really are. At the project, we gave money to the school to pay the engineer and bought a lot of material to build a new classroom. We also decorated a classroom, cleaned, painted and made new posters for the children. Apart from decorating, we also had time to interact with the children which was so heart-warming. At the end, we left some gifts for them such as pens, pencils and a parachute- they were so happy!


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After the project/before Kili: Between the project and Kili, we completed a 3 day acclimatisation trek on Mount Longido. Apart from a few aches and pains it was great! After that, we were lucky enough to go on a Safari at the Ngorongoro Crater, which was amazing! We then headed back to Weru Weru to relax for a day before tree planting, and the day after that was Kilimanjaro! KILIMANJARO: Kili was the best and most challenging thing I have ever done. The first few days up there were fine, until the temperature dropped and the altitude hit…then out of nowhere, it was summit night. On that day we had lunch and dinner at base camp and were then told to try and have some sleep as we would be leaving at midnight in order to reach the top for sunrise. Summit night was something that I have never experienced before - people were frozen and tired but regardless of that, the team kept each other going. This team spirit, along with our amazing guides might just have been the main reason we made it. The relief when we reached the top was crazy!! There were hugs (and tears) all round. Everyone was so happy (as you can see from our pictures). When we came down after being on Kili for 8 days, we had a ‘tipping ceremony’ to tip the porters, guides, and everyone who helped us reach our goal. It was amazing. They sang and danced with us, and nobody could actually explain how great they were. Absolutely fantastic! Zanzibar: The part we had all been waiting for………..time for relaxation. We went to the most amazing beach, which was only a minute walk from our rooms. Our time in Zanzibar went way too quickly, but we did manage to fit in a lot, including beach time, the stonetown, snorkelling and eating out. Coming home: Over the month, we became really close as a team, and made friendships with people that we will keep forever. The whole experience was seriously an experience of a lifetime and that is down to many aspects of the trip. We could not have asked for any better teachers to be on our team (Mr Findlay and Miss Higgins), or a better world challenge leader (Helen). It was the most amazing trip of my life so far and would definitely, 110%, recommend to anyone, if they get the chance.


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PUPIL ATTAINMENT IN SQA EXAMINATIONS

In 2013 we obtained our best set of SQA Examination results at BOTH Higher AND Standard Grade and last year, 2014, we obtained our best set of SQA Examination results at Higher and our National 5 results were a step up from our old standard grade results.

I am delighted to state that this year, 2015, we have surpassed these results in 5 out of the 6 key attainment areas.

Our best overall results to date were achieved in the 2015 SQA examinations, as shown below. There were many notable performances at all levels, including 9 pupils achieving 5 A passes. The overall statistics for our results continue to place the school amongst the top attaining schools in Scotland. Such good results are only achieved when there is genuine commitment from pupils and when staff, pupils and parents work in partnership. This partnership is one of the key strengths of Gryffe High School.

Picture courtesy of Paisley Daily Express

%S4 pupils who attained 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 5+ Highers at ABC

37

39

35

33

24

33

22

24

23

3+ Highers at ABC

66

63

56

55

49

53

43

42

43

1+ Highers at ABC

86

83

78

72

68

71

66

62

72

5+ National 5 Awards A-D 5+ Standard Grades at 1-2 3+ National 5 Awards A-D 1+ National 5 Awards A-D

78

87

96

78

86

94

71

66

65

60

69

59

65

ACHIEVEMENTS In addition to our award winners who received their well deserved certificates and trophies at our Awards Ceremony, a large number of pupils have received Letters of Commendation in recognition of their effort and behaviour during the session or for their achievements while representing the school. Throughout the session, Gryffe pupils have achieved notable successes in a wide range of activities either by winning competitions or by being chosen to represent Renfrewshire or Scotland. Many of these achievements have been recorded in our newsletters, at our Awards Ceremony, and/or on our school website, however further detail of our Achievements focus is given on the next page.


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Recognising & Celebrating Achievements Last session saw the launch of Gryffe High School’s brand new system for recognising and celebrating the achievements of all our pupils. This system is closely linked to the House system, with pupils accumulating house points for their achievements. Pupil achievements are recognised and celebrated in 4 categories:

• Curricular Areas • Across the Curriculum (Interdisciplinary Learning) • School Ethos • Personal Achievement (mainly out of school)

Teachers will award tokens to pupils who ‘go the extra mile’ in class, with regards to standard of work or participation in class activities/department initiatives. These tokens are recorded and pupils gain points for their house. For outstanding achievements, or achievements out with school, pupils can be nominated to receive a Recognition of Achievement Award, which will be presented by their Year Head during assembly and displayed on our new ‘Wall of Achievement’ in the Canteen. It is very important that the school is made aware of all pupils’ achievements, in order that these achievements can be recognised and celebrated.

PLEASE HELP US RECOGNISE YOUR CHILD’S ACHIEVEMENTS. Parents can nominate their child via the nominations form on the Achievements/MerIT section of the school website, or directly via www.gryffeachievements.weebly.com.

Parent Council Meeting At the first Parent Council Meeting of the new session, on Monday 24 August, the new ‘Pupil Management Group’ started the meeting by introducing themselves and then gave a very informative presentation on their plans for the session. I have very high expectations of the Management Group and believe their plans to drive improvement, both in the school and within the local community, are realistic and achievable. I look forward to working with them during the session, particularly at the 8:00 am Monday morning meetings!!, and they will provide updates at each Parent Council Meeting of their progress to date. Following the Pupil Management Group, Miss Zoe McFadyen (Graduate Intern working in Gryffe), gave a presentation on both the Careers Section and the Parents Zone updates areas on the school website. Please take the time to look at page 19 and these sections on the school website and I would hope that you will be impressed by the information and support offered within. We would welcome your own thoughts on these pages, or on any part of the school website, as we are constantly aiming to improve on our communication. I took the opportunity to provide detail of some of our recent outstanding achievements – including our SQA Examination results (as detailed on pages 5&6). I hope that by reading this newsletter you would agree that our pupils excel in so many ways. I believe that last year was one of our most successful years to date, with so many pupils achieving significant success in SQA Examinations and in their overall many wider achievements. Our aim is to sustain this success and we are working very hard to ensure we promote the right values in our pupils, via our work in our Rights Respecting Schools Initiative, with CARING, LEARNING, ACHIEVING being at the heart of all we do. I provided the Parent Council with topics that we intend to provide updates/presentations on throughout the year. This will help to keep the Parent Council up to date with the life of the school, as well as offering to provide presentations on any aspect that the Council have a particular interest in.


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http://www.gryffeachievements.weebly.com/

MEET THE NEW

STAFF

Mr W Insch TECHNICAL

Mr R Tangney PE

Miss L McAllister

RME Miss C Maguire

RME

Miss A Kerr HISTORY

Mr B Evans COMPUTING

Miss N Still PE

Miss M Liddell

MODERN STUDIES

Mr P McClelland

TECHNICIAN

Mrs A Bell MODERN

LANGUAGES

Mrs S Stevenson

OFFICE


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PUPIL MANAGEMENT GROUP 2015/2016

Head Girl – Katie Bone Head Boy – Calum Russell Depute – Megan Anderson Depute – Craig Fleming Depute – Sophie Cairns Depute – Andrew Ritchie Depute - Samantha Dunlop Depute – Douglas Robinson Depute – Eve McKenzie Depute – Ewan Shiels Depute – Jennifer Mellon Depute – Euan Trout

The members of the newly formed Pupil Management Group have been very busy already. They attend early morning meetings (yes 8am!) and have delegated tasks to each Depute. This includes Community Links, Eco, Citizenship, Pupil Council, Litter Patrol, Prom Organisation, Sporting Links, SfL Link and Yearbook. The Pupil Management Group have presented their objectives and aspirations to the Parent Council Meeting at their first meeting of the year and seem to be prepared for a year of hard work. The Head Boy, Calum Russell, and Head Girl, Katie Bone, stated: “Finding out that we were the new head boy and girl of Gryffe High in June gave us an immense sense of achievement and sparked even more excitement for our final year of school. Our duties began the moment we began sixth year. This year we plan on fundraising towards renovating the school theatre through working together with a variety of committees and holding various events throughout the year. We also want to ensure sixth year runs successfully and everyone gets the most of their final year at Gryffe, both academically and socially. Many events run throughout the year which are traditions for sixths years our plans are to make sure these are well organised and enjoyed by all. However we also want to help and encourage the rest of the school, we are in the process of organising Models of Excellence to support the younger years going through exams, and also arranging fun lunch time events and after school clubs for all years in the school to enjoy and gain new skills from. We are honoured to be the new Head Boy and Head Girl of our school and are very excited for the year ahead. We hope to succeed in our future endeavours within the school.” We look forward to them achieving their goals and reading about these in future editions of the newsletter.


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New S1 Pupils Settling In Well S1 pupils are settling in to their new timetables. They have very quickly come to grips with Secondary School life at Gryffe. The feedback from staff has been positive – they are off to a good start! Thank you for your support with uniform. S1 uniform is of an excellent standard and it is good to see some S1 wearing blazers. S1 are already taking their ECO commitments very seriously. They have been commended by the janitorial staff for leaving their areas tidy and using the bins provided. I am hoping that the newly formed S1 Gardening Club will help to improve the school grounds. Any parental support with this initiative would be appreciated. All S1 pupils have been issued with Homework Diaries and Literacy Logs. Please check Homework Diaries and sign these on a weekly basis. If you have any concerns about homework or class work, the diary can be used to send a note to your child’s teacher. Please encourage your child to become involved in the whole life of the school. Activ8 has now started on a Wednesday after school 3pm – 4pm. Extended curricular activities are a good way for them to learn a new skill and make new friends. Article - Mrs A Brown DHT S1 (and S6)


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Mr O’Hare is delighted to report that a full programme of events is up and running again this year for Activ8. He also reports that this year continues to see records broken. Pupil numbers in week one broke the 200 mark for the first time ever in the 6 years of Activ8 for a first week. Over 50% of our new S1 pupils participated in week one and we will hopefully reach closer to the 100% mark as the eight weeks go on. With so much choice, all pupils have been able to enjoy the activities on offer. Activ8 involves taking part in the many after school clubs on offer at Gryffe for eight Wednesdays from 3pm – 4pm. Media Team Badminton Book Club Volleyball Computer Games Development Basketball Craft Club Netball Special Effects Make-Up Hockey Dodgeball Table Tennis Rounders Debating Club Football Gymnastics Lacrosse Fitness Suite Workout Theatre Club Fighting Fit Fitness Class Engineering Club This is a list of the wide range of activities available. A lot of these activities are offered throughout the school year and this gives pupils a great opportunity to sample what is available. Pupils do not need to stay with one activity for the eight weeks. There is still time for you to enlist in Activ8. Just turn up on a Wednesday. If you are taking part in a sporting activity then bring your P.E. kit with you. Article – Mr O’ Hare FH Health and Wellbeing Photographs –Media Team Members (New and Old)


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S6 Guidance Team Training

We have got off to a great start with our Buddying plans this year. Our S6 volunteers participated in a very informative, exciting and thought provoking training session with the Guidance Support staff on Monday 17 August.

We talked and we listened, but most importantly we have set the ball rolling for planning a great programme of events to both support and involve S1 pupils. The Team are currently allocating groups of S1 pupils to S6 Buddies, as well as laying the foundations for a very positive year ahead. S1 pupils are encouraged to use the drop in service that will be provided in HWB Room1 on a Wednesday and Friday lunchtime, and keep updated with notifications on the ‘Buddy Board’ outside Support Base 1.

Article - Miss G Brand PT Pupil Support – Guidance

AH English attend a live broadcast of Othello

On Wednesday 26 August, the Advanced Higher English class attended a live broadcast of William Shakespeare's 'Othello', by the Royal Shakespeare Company. As a class we found it both vivid and thrilling from start to finish. The three and a half hour running time seemed to fly by as we watched talented actors and actresses take to the stage beautifully and really bring to life Shakespeare's famous characters.

Collectively the trip was eye-opening to the world of Shakespeare and as a class we look forward to studying the play as part of our Advanced Higher course. Article - Calum Russell S6

Caring • Learning • Achieving

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ROAR Highlighting Responsibility of All

The role of the focus of the Responsibility of All team in Gryffe High school is:

• to raise the profile of RoA aspects of learning across the school; • to engage pupils actively in developing the skills vital for life, learning and work in these key areas.

How can you help? Help your child by helping them to complete the ROAR Pupil Challenge. Uploaded weekly to website, app and twitter; announced in pupil bulletin; Offers challenges that encourage and support the transferring of skills across the curriculum and into their

daily lives. The first challenge asked pupils to:

Write down three examples of learning using Literacy, Numeracy or Health and Wellbeing in non traditional areas.

A sample of the responses are shown below: I had to use my Literacy skills to read and produce a written detailed sentence in Maths. I used my Numeracy skills when measuring water for a challenge in Science. I used Health & Wellbeing skills in RMPS when working in a group to complete a task. This week’s challenge asks pupils to: Write down three different examples of when you have used your reading skills outside of school this week. e.g. I used my reading skills to check when the next bus was due by reading the bus timetable. Entries should be handed in to any member of the RoA team by Monday 7 September. Subsequent challenges should be handed in each Monday.

Every pupil who makes a return will receive an achievement token.

A new challenge will be issued each week, covering all the RoA areas. Please encourage your child your get involved!

Mrs Anderson (Responsibility of All) Miss Lawson (Literacy) Mrs Condy (Numeracy) Miss Brand (Health and Wellbeing) Mrs Darroch (Skills)


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Mark at Scottish Space School ‘Scottish Space School took place this year on the week of 14-19 June and was held at the University of Strathclyde, predominantly within the Faculty of Engineering. Throughout the week, I was given the opportunity to see a small portion of what the University has to offer in subjects relating to different areas of Space.

As this was a residential trip, it meant I got to live within the campus for the week and gave me a real insight into what University life is like. Most of the emphasis of the activities I participated in was based around the engineering challenges of space exploration and the survival and wellbeing of humans in space. We were split into teams of ten for the week and as a challenge, each group was set the task of improving one aspect of an astronaut’s life on the Space Station – our aspect was eating. This was an opportunity to sensibly develop some sort of solution to real life difficulties faced in a microgravity environment. It was beneficial, as everyone in the group was new to each other, forcing us to improve our communication skills with those we did not know very well and at the same time apply what knowledge we had within a deadline to produce a poster detailing our idea. We had the chance to build our own small scale rocket and launch it to a height of around 50ft. The aim

was to try to get it to land within a target zone which highlighted to us the challenges faced during real life launches as many factors can interfere. We also built a heart rate monitor using more advanced circuits than any of us had ever seen before using an LED and a Light Dependent Resistor. We were also given the chance to meet several astronauts and scientists from NASA, whose jobs ranged from visiting the ISS to completing

experiments, developing the next generation of space suits to be worn and also building and programming robots that would carry out mundane maintenance tasks and allow astronauts to do the more complicated scientific work aboard the Station. Getting this rare opportunity to speak to someone who had been to space was very special and something that will be a lasting memory. Overall the week exposed me to an impressive side of engineering that I had not seen as much of until now and gave me valuable knowledge on what paths I could pursue in terms of further education. It also showed me other possible destinations that a career in the space industry could eventually take me to. In the end I was not chosen for the Learning Journey to Houston, Texas. I was not too downhearted as the week at Strathclyde had been very rewarding on its own. I would encourage all S5 pupils currently taking Physics to apply for the Space School for 2016, as it is a rare opportunity that can only be experienced by 100 pupils across Scotland so it means that you will get the chance to be a part of something only a few have done and it cannot be accessed any other way. I wish all those who do sign up the best of luck in their application and hope they enjoy themselves if they are accepted as it is something quite special that you will remember. Article - Mark Price S6 Our thanks go to Mark for taking the time to share his experience with us. Congratulations again Mark on achieving selection. Watch this space to find out about Scottish Space School 2016.


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Mrs McGeough – Space School Link Teacher Many Gryffe pupils started their summer holidays by choosing to continue their learning experience at Mission Discovery which took place in Paisley Town Hall. This was the 2nd Renfrewshire Mission Discovery and four of the pupils who were lucky enough to take part last year, took on their roles as Ambassadors this year (Ryan Ferguson S5 is pictured with one of the NASA team). Mission Discovery is being offered to Renfrewshire school pupils as part of a drive to establish Renfrewshire as a centre for excellence in the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).

S5 pupil Jodie Costello recounted her experience as an Ambassador. ‘During the first week of the summer holidays, I returned to Mission Discovery as a Student Ambassador, having taken part last year as a regular student. The thing that differed this year was that I helped guide the groups (using the skills that I learned the year earlier) along with mentors selected from Universities. The course contains talks from those working in Mission Control, University lecturers, and astronauts who travel from around the world to give speeches to those involved. The week also contains the planning of an experiment, and out of those involved, one group will be lucky enough to have their experiment sent up onto the International Space Station. The course brings together students from many different subjects, and the variety leads to experiments that are very distinctive from each other. Not only were the experiments unique, but the talks also covered a range of different topics, such as what it is like living on the International Space Station and the issues that they face when they come back down to Earth. A lot of students think it is based only on Physics, but you learn during the week that there are many things to be taken into consideration during space flight, from engineering to communication. There is also a focus on public speaking and building confidence that are useful when it comes to conversing in groups and also back in school. Organising the group experiments is another highlight of the week. When looking at the experiments, it is easy to see that everyone in the group had a part of them in it. At the end of the week, you leave with valuable skills that include assertiveness, communication, team working and leadership. The ISSET team is inspiring and helpful, and highlight how important it is to love the work you do and to give it your all. It is a week well spent, and does not feel like a chore. I would recommend everyone to take part if they get a chance, as the course is an opportunity that should definitely be grabbed.’ Also currently in S5, Aidan Randtoul experienced Mission Discovery for the first time this year as a student. This is what he had to say. ‘It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. It gave me the chance to meet new people and learn new skills that will help me in the future. We had many lectures and talks that were both interesting and inspiring. It was run by a great team of adults including an astronaut and other NASA personnel as well as a poet/barrister. A challenging task was set to create an idea of an experiment that could be carried out on the International Space Station. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.’


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Olivia has a Winning Design

World Oceans Day, held every year on 8 June 8, is the United Nations recognised day of Ocean Celebration and Action. This year, the theme was Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet, with a special effort to stop plastic pollution.

To promote World Oceans Day ‘Glow’, Scotland's national digital environment for learning organised a competition for students from primary and secondary schools all over Scotland to design a #Glogo (a logo for Glow, similar to a Google doodle) that would promote both World Oceans Day and Glow. The winning design would then take the place of the normal Glow logo at the top of each Glow webpage.

Congratulations to Olivia Harper (S4) for designing the winning entry.

Article - Miss A Iafrate, Geography

Showjumping Honour for Ellie S6 pupil Ellie O’Donnell and her horse Memphis have been chosen to represent Scotland in the Scottish International Working Hunter Teams. Ellie beat off tough competition to achieve this fantastic selection. Ellie has also qualified with Memphis to compete at the Horse of the Year Show. This is the ultimate prestigious equestrian competition which takes place every October in Birmingham. Ellie won her class at The Scottish Horse Show in Edinburgh. Well done Ellie and Memphis and we look forward to finding out how they get on in these events!


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There are currently 91 pupils involved in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme at all levels as follows:- 53 Bronze 28 Silver 10 Gold Pupil participation numbers usually reduce at this time of year as many have completed their awards and are waiting to enrol at the next appropriate level. 53 pupils in the new S4 are in the process of going through their practice and final expeditions for their Bronze Award. The pupils will hopefully complete their expeditions in August and September.

28 Pupils in the new S5 and S6 are in the process of completing their Silver Award final expeditions over the next few weeks and it is anticipated that a number will progress immediately to Gold Award level.

9 pupils - Megan Brawley, Eleanor Ward, Hannah Meikle, Michaela McStay, Laura McGinn, Louise McMillan, Emily Campbell, Jay Ward and Fraser Bone in last session’s S6, have recently completed the practical side of their Gold Award including a 4 days/3 nights gruelling expedition. They are now working with a view to completing their Award by the end of 2016. This is the first ever Gold Award Group in the school and we are extremely proud of them. All being well, the 9 pupils will attend Holyrood Palace in the summer of 2016 to receive their Gold Award from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. The group participated in several planning days in February, a river crossing day in April and a safety briefing in May. Their expeditions were in June, July and August which consisted of a 4 days/3 night expedition. During their expedition, they carried out a study on a topic chosen by the group themselves and they must present this to the Senior Management Team.


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Each of the group members must also organise a 5 day residential experience without any assistance from the school. This is an essential part of the Award criteria.

This picture shows the first five pupils to complete their final expedition: - Megan Brawley, Eleanor Ward, Hannah Meikle Laura McGinn and Louise McMillan

Pupils are supported by the School Awards Team who are in turn supported by Gordon & Graham Gregory from Renfrewshire Council's DofE Team and Calum McKerral who is a parent and qualified DofE Instructor. This year we have recruited seven S5 pupils as DofE Young Leaders who will assist the School awards Team and supporting all DofE groups across the school. They will assist with training, navigation walks, and production of evidence. They will be an invaluable part of the school Awards Team and we are very excited to see how they progress. As Young Leaders they will gain a National Young Leaders Award equivalent to SCQF level 5. The 7 pupils (below) are: Emma Rodgers, Emma Fulton, Rachel Boyd, Tegan Arnott, Lauren Newlands Erin Campbell and Ben Couttie


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Gryffe Careers Website Over summer, we revamped and updated our Career Site to give it the WOW factor. It’s now brimming with valuable career advice, CV writing guides, interview tips and is updated daily with exciting career opportunities for our pupils! The aim of the site is to help prepare pupils for life after Gryffe by assisting them through each stage of their career process. Below is a quick guide to the site:

• Pathways – this section informs students of the various routes available to them after school such as University, College, Modern Apprenticeships or Employment. Pupils are given an insight to each pathway to encourage them to make the best decision. This section also provides pupils with dates of upcoming Open Days at various institutions.

• Careers – this section allows pupils to book an appointment with the school career advisor and sign up for the available career workshops. This section also gives pupils crucial information about useful websites and upcoming career events.

• Skills Development – this section is designed to help develop pupils’ employability skills and prepare them for employment by providing them with expert CV writing guides, interview guides and Volunteering information.

• Latest Opportunities – this section is updated daily with exciting new career opportunities for pupils in their senior phase. This includes Modern Apprenticeships, funded training opportunities, job opportunities and so much more.

You can find the link to this site in the Pupil Zone section of the main website. Alternatively, you can visit the site directly at www.gryffecareers.weebly.com.

The Parent Zone Website We have recently created a website that is specifically designed to keep parents informed of the support and resources available to their child at Gryffe. The Parent Zone will keep you up-to-date with the school programme and will provide advice and tips to help you support your child's development at home. Below is a quick guide to the site:

• Supporting Your Child at Home offers helpful tips and advice on how to encourage your child’s development at home.

• Broad General Education gives you information about the educational framework at Gryffe and introduces you to the MyMerit system and the ways in which Gryffe recognise achievement. In this section you will also be able to nominate your child for an achievement award for their hard work and dedication outwith school.

• Curricular Areas provides you with a guide to all of the subjects taught at Gryffe. Teachers of each department have provided a brief introduction to their subject and have even included a guide to how you can help your child develop their subject skills at home.

• The Senior Phase provides you with essential information, advice and resources that will help you to support your child entering their Senior Phase as they prepare for exams.

• Extracurricular Activities provides you with information about the clubs available at Gryffe during lunch time and/or after school.

• Saltire Awards gives you information about the volunteering opportunities at Gryffe and the benefits of pupils taking advantage of this.

• Extra Support provides details of the Support for Learning Staff who support your child at school.


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http://www.gryffecareers.weebly.com/

Upcoming priorities/events SEPTEMBER Tues 1 Start of Year Group Assemblies S1 Literacy/Numeracy Club starts Wed 2 Activ8 session 3 Newsletter uploaded onto website Thurs 3 Rights Respecting Schools Award Steering

Group Meeting Wed 9 S1 RMPS Event on Positive Mindsets

Activ8 session 4; Higher Geography field trip

Mon 14 Start of S1 Pastoral Interviews Wed 16 Activ8 session 5 Thurs 17 S4-S6 Reports to pupils Mon 21 Start of Gryffestyles Health Week S1 Health Day Fundraising Events Wed 23 Activ8 session 6 Thurs 24 3K Fun Run Fri 25 HOLIDAY Mon 28 HOLIDAY ADHD Awareness Week Tues 29 Eco Action Plan finalised and uploaded

on school website Wed 30 Activ8 session 7 OCTOBER Thurs 1 Start of Global Diversity Month Start of Year Group Assemblies Launch of Activities Week Fri 2 Fundraising Day – Non uniform PTA Curry Night – Fairtrade. Mon 5 S4 Work Experience Week Photographs for S1/S3/S5 My MerIT Week 1 Parent Council Meeting, 7:00pm start Wed 7 Responsibility of All Event Activ8 session 8 Newsletter uploaded onto website Fri 9 End of S4 Work Experience Week In-Service Day 3 Monday 12 – Friday 16 October Week Holiday Monday 19 Pupil start back, prompt 8:50am start Mr Colin Johnson Head Teacher

Parent Zone continued - • Have your say contains links to surveys

designed to give you the opportunity to let us know what you think about Gryffe and the Parent Zone. Your feedback is always greatly appreciated!

You can access the Parent Zone from the school’s main website, in “More”. Alternatively, you can access it directly at www.gryffeparentzone.weebly.com Article - Miss McFadyen

visit Higher Modern Studies Class On Friday 21 August, Gillian Fraser from Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) visited the Higher Modern Studies class. Gillian spoke about the work of MSF as an organisation before discussing her own experience. Gillian is an HIV project specialist who spent 7 months in Malawi. She spoke about the team she worked with in Malawi and the political challenges encountered when delivering aid. Gillian is travelling to India in October to start another MSF health project. The Higher Modern studies class got lots of fantastic examples to use in their Politics of Development essays. Article - Miss H Rowan, Modern Studies


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Documents

Friday 2 October PTA Curry Night, with Fairtrade focus · I feel proud to say that Gryffe High School has conquered Mount Kili!’ Miss Higgins and Mr Findlay led Team 2. Emma Kelly