S1

News relevant to S1 year group parents carers and students.

Headteacher’s Update – 15th September

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Good afternoon,

Here are this week’s updates:

Monday holiday – 18th September 2023

A reminder that school is closed on Monday 18th September. We look forward to welcoming pupils back to school at 0830 on Tuesday 19th September

Curricular excursions/fieldwork

Higher and Advanced Higher Geography pupils were out this week completing their urban fieldwork.

UNCRC Article 29 Aims of Education

Jeans for Genes Day

Today was Jeans for Genes day, many thanks for all the donations already received. You can still make a contribution via ParentPay until 1800 on Tuesday 19th September.

UNCRC Article 6 Life, survival and development

Support study offer 23-24

The Senior Phase (S4-6) study support offer is now available on the padlet Balerno Community High School (padlet.com) and on our website.

UNCRC Article 29 Aims of Education

Extra-curricular clubs

Our extra-curricular offer for all year groups is now available on the padlet Balerno Community High School (padlet.com) and on our website.

UNCRC Article 29 Aims of Education, Article 31 Rest, Play, Culture and Arts, Article 15 Setting up or joining groups

International excursions update

I previously shared that I hoped to be able to provide you with information in relation to our International Excursions offer at the start of September. Staff are currently completing and submitting approval paperwork for the excursions they plan to offer. Once we have approval we will share the information, but to avoid disappointment I do not want to share information in advance of approval. At present we hope to run excursions from January 2025, many thanks for your understanding and patience.

UNCRC Article 31 Rest, Play, Culture, Arts  Article 29 Aims of Education

S1 – lunchtime permission to attend Balerno village

As from Tuesday 19th September, S1 pupils have the option of leaving the school grounds during lunchtime. All pupils can still order a school lunch but if they hope to purchase food off site can you remind them there is likely to be queues and it is their responsibility to be back at school ready for classes by 1350. Many thanks.

UNCRC Article 29 Aims of Education

Parent Information Sessions

The Parent Council have arranged for Fast Forward to run 3 information evenings on the topics most mentioned in the parental surveys. The first information session is on Internet Safety and Social Media on the 26th September, 6.30pm in the Drama Studio. Hopefully this will also be available via Teams. The next 2 sessions are, 24th October on Vaping and 28th November on Risk Taking Behaviour. You will be able to book a place on using the Parent Booking System next week.

Addition to ‘Our Balerno Way…dressing for excellence’

Many thanks to the parents/carers who completed the form last week to express an interest in purchasing a black round neck Balerno sweatshirt. We have been in touch with Stevensons and will update you when we hear back.

UNCRC Article 12 Respect for children’s views

‘Our Balerno Way’ – Communications Padlet

We hope you are finding the padlet available on the school website helpful Balerno High School | 0131 477 7788 (wordpress.com) Balerno Community High School (padlet.com)

If you have any feedback it would be much appreciated so we can take this into account https://forms.office.com/e/hZv1jq46jU

Kind regards,

I hope you manage to find some time to relax over the long weekend.

Ros Ranger

Head Teacher

Headteacher’s Update – 18th August

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Good afternoon,

I hope you all had an opportunity to rest, relax and recharge over the summer break.

Can I start by welcoming all our new parents/carers and young people to the school, we are delighted you are part of our school community.

I endeavour to share a weekly email with an update on activities/events happening within the school and I hope you will find them informative

Included in this communication:

My vision for Balerno High School

I am honoured and feel immensely privileged to start the new academic year as your permanent Head Teacher.

My vision and focus will be driving Balerno High School towards excellence, having high expectations and being ambitious for every young person in our school community.

Working with our young people, yourselves, staff and external agencies to drive forward improvement in all areas will be at the core of our school business and as we move into a time where education for S4-S6 students is going to change we will keep you informed with the outcomes of the review of qualifications and assessment  https://www.gov.scot/publications/future-report-independent-review-qualifications-assessment/

As we move forward, I will share how this drive for excellence will look and the actions the school will be taking. You will hear me talking about our school culture, Our Balerno Way…aiming for excellence and I look forward to working in partnership with you to achieve this vision.

UNCRC Article 29 Aims of Education

Our Balerno Way…dressing for excellence

We have been delighted with the response to Our Balerno Way…dressing for excellence this week. We want all our young people to be proud to be part of the school community and we are incredibly impressed how they have embraced the uniform review. We cannot thank you enough for your support.

If you were still hoping to order a school hoodie please visit https://www.stevensons.co.uk/ , ties remain available at the main office. £4 for S1-5 tie, £7 for a S6 tie.

UNCRC Article 29 Aims of Education, Article 2 No discrimination

Access to the school building

As part of a review of the school, this week we have shared with all young people that fire doors cannot be used as a point of entry or exit to the building. Throughout the day all young people should only enter or exit the school via the two doors at reception. However, at the start and end of the day there will be an additional pupil entrance/exit from the concourse.

For security purposes, if you are accessing the building after 1800, please be aware that entry can only be made via the main door which is accessed from the side of the swimming pool carpark.

UNCRC Article 29 Aims of Education

Senior Phase Curriculum Evening – 6-8pm, 24th August 2023

This evening is for parents/carers of S4-S6 students and will offer an opportunity to find out more about the subjects your child is undertaking and how you can support them to achieve this session. Please refer to Mrs Anderson’s email sent yesterday for further details.

The Parent Booking System is now open to sign-up and closes on Wednesday 23rd August, timings of the event will follow next week.

UNCRC Article 29 Aims of Education

Parent Council Welcome Evening – 1830-2000, 28th August 2023

The Parent Council invites all parents and carers to an informal event to connect with others members of the school community. If you are a new parent/carer we hope you will manage to join us. Further information will follow.

UNCRC Article 29 Aims of Education

S1 Welcome Evening  – 30th August 2023

Session 1 will run 17:00- 18:00 for 1M1/1B1/1C1

Session 2 will run 18:00 -19:00 for 1M2/1B2/1C2

The evening will include:

  • A welcome to Balerno High School
  • Introduction on how to access support on the school website, and meeting the support team.
  • Raising teens with confidence
  • Update on empowered learning (iPads)
  • Pathways in Maths  
  • Literacy across the curriculum
  • HWB across the curriculum
  • Rights Respecting Schools 

Booking will open on the Parent Booking System on the 22nd August and close on the 25th August. You will receive information on how to log into the Parent Booking System at the start of next week prior to the event opening.

UNCRC Article 29 Aims of Education

International excursions

I am delighted that I will be able to share details on the International excursions we have on offer 2024-2029 at the start of September.

UNCRC Article 31 Rest, Play, Culture, Arts  Article 29 Aims of Education

‘Our Balerno Way’ – Communications Padlet

We hope you are finding the padlet available on the school website homepage helpful Balerno High School | 0131 477 7788 (wordpress.com) Balerno Community High School (padlet.com)

For new parents/carers, the padlet is available via the two links provided and is a place so you can access support, school successes and general information. It is updated on a Friday for the following week.

If you have any feedback it would be much appreciated so we can take this into account https://forms.office.com/e/hZv1jq46jU

We look forward to working with you to ensure the best outcomes for all the young people at Balerno High School in the academic year ahead.

Kind regards,

Ros Ranger

Head Teacher

Parent’s and Carer’s News

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Good morning,

I hope your week has gone well, here are this week’s updates.

Included in this communication:

Monday 22nd May

Just a reminder that Monday is a school holiday for S1-S3, pupils should return on Tuesday 23rd May at 08:30. Pupils sitting their N5 Practical Cookery SQA exam on 22nd May should be aware Mrs Anderson will be in school if they have any questions.

Sponsored walk S1-S3

S1-S3 pupils have their sponsor forms for the walk next week on Friday 26th May. Pupils should come to school in PE kit and have appropriate footwear e.g. trainers suitable for the 5K walk. There are no timetabled classes on the day and pupils can leave bags etc in the Tutor’s class which will be locked. The money raised will support an opportunities fund, wider achievement and the school charity. Sponsorship money can be handed in as cash or paid via ParentPay by Friday 2nd June.

UNCRC Article 31 Rest, Play, Culture and Arts, Article 26 Social and Economic Help

Activity Days S1-S3

I have now met with all pupils who have requested a change to an activity. ParentPay is currently being updated to reflect these changes. If you are unable to access ParentPay for the activity your child has been allocated please contact the Main Office who can help you. Also, if you child would still like to make a change they must see me on Wednesday 24th May as no changes can be processed after this date.

UNCRC Article 31 Rest, Play, Culture and Arts

‘Our Balerno Way’ – Communications Padlet

We hope you are finding the padlet available on the school website helpful Balerno High School | 0131 477 7788 (wordpress.com) Balerno Community High School (padlet.com). If you have any feedback it would be much appreciated so we can take this into account https://forms.office.com/e/hZv1jq46jU

Kind regards,

Ros Ranger

Parent’s & Carer’s News

/ balernohighschool

Good morning,

I hope you have had a good week, here are this week’s updates.

Included in this communication:

Sponsored walk S1-S3

S1-S3 pupils received their sponsor forms today for the walk on Friday 26th May. The money raised will support a opportunities fund, wider achievement, and the school charity. Sponsorship money can be handed in as cash or paid via ParentPay by Friday 2nd June.

UNCRC Article 31 Rest, Play, Culture and Arts, Article 26 Social and Economic Help

Activity Days S1-S3

S1-S3 pupils have now received their activity information for the 30th and 31st May. Activities off-site are all full, so changes are not possible at this stage. For any young person who would like to amend a choice the option would be school based and allocated on the actual day. For any young person who would want to do this they should pop in to see me by the end of the day Tuesday 16th. All pupils will meet the staff taking the activities on Wednesday morning next week to receive more specific trip information.  Excursions with charges will be available on ParentPay later today.

UNCRC Article 31 Rest, Play, Culture and Arts

S1 Social Subjects trip

The S1 pupils were a credit to the school this week while they were out on their excursion, I hope they enjoyed their day out learning about Scottish History and Scotland over time.

UNCRC Article 31 Rest, Play, Culture and Arts

School uniform

I hope you have had the opportunity to read the email about the updated school uniform.

As shared in the email, if you have any questions or need clarity please complete this Form by 26th May and we will create a FAQ which we will share with you by mid-June. 

Also if your young person requires any bespoke uniform requirements owing to medical or additional support needs, please make contact with their Pupil Support Leader so they can discuss and make staff aware. Any current arrangements in place will continue to be in place in August if appropriate.

Finally, the Parent Council are going to start collecting second hand blazers and school branded sportswear. If you have any items you would like to donate these can be handed into the school reception. Donated items will be available for sale before the end of the school year for those who want a pre-loved option.

UNCRC Article 29 goals of education, Article 2 No Discrimination, Article 26 Social and Economic Help

School Communication

We want to make you aware that it has come to our attention that some young people are blocking the school number on their parent/carers phone so the phone does not receive school attendance texts as they do not come from the main school number. We ask that you check that you can receive these messages, the number is 07860029539 or ##7860029539. Depending on your phone you should access settings, messages, filter unknown senders or blocked contacts. Many thanks for your support with this matter.

UNCRC Article 18 

S6 Induction

For young people currently in S5, just a reminder that the S6 Induction day is the morning Friday 2nd June 2023. 

UNCRC Article 29 Aims of education

‘Our Balerno Way’ – Communications Padlet

We hope you are finding the Padlet available on the school website helpful Balerno High School | 0131 477 7788 (wordpress.com) Balerno Community High School (padlet.com) If you have any feedback it would be much appreciated so we can take this into account.

Wishing you a restful weekend.

Kind regards,

Ros Ranger

S1 Vaccinations

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Consent packs have been sent home for S1 pupils and those older pupils requiring their HPV vaccine, which provides vital protection against developing several types of cancer

Please read the pack carefully and return signed consent forms by Friday 31st March. We will be coming to Balerno High to vaccinate on 27th April. If your pack has been lost or misplaced, speak to the school’s office to re- quest a replacement.

For more information, visit: HPV vaccine – Immunisations in Scotland | NHS inform

Immunisation Info

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HPV – Immunisation

The Community Vaccination Team will be in school on 23rd March 2020 to administer the HPV vaccination to all S1 girls and boys and the second phase vaccination to S2 girls only.

All S1 pupils have received a consent form today. Please can this be completed and returned to the school office no later than Friday 28th February.

S2 girls already completed consent forms last year.

School Photographs

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sSchool Photograph – S1, S3 & S5

The school photographer will be in school on Tuesday 19th November to take individual photographs of all S1, S3 & S5 pupils, please ensure that full school uniform is worn, a white shirt, school tie and blazer.              

HPV Vaccinations

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HPV Vaccination – S1 & S2

The NHS Vaccination Team will be in school on Wednesday 4th April to administer the HPV vaccination. Please can you ensure your daughter is wearing either a short sleeved school shirt or a t-shirt under their school shirt to enable the vaccination team to access their arm easily.