Parent Council

Recording of PC meeting 19th March now available

24 March 2024: Many thanks to everyone who was able to attend the meeting of the JGHS Parent Council on March 19th.

The recording of the meeting is now available on YouTube:

JGHS Parent Council 19 March 2024

You can also download an update from the JGHS PC Chair, a presentation about the teaching of the English curriculum, an update on the A+ Group’s activities to support pupils of colour and their families, and the headteacher’s report. There is also a supplementary report on lesson plans for Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenting (RSHP) that the headteacher shared, after interest was shown in the meeting.

PC Chair Update

Teaching the English Curriculum at JGHS

Activities of the A+ Group

Headteacher Update

Lesson Plans for RSHP

N.B. For more information about the A+ Group, please see this recent PC Post, from November 2023. The next A+ meeting will take place on March 27th. Please contact A+ Group Coordinator Zaki El-Salahi if you are interested in participating.

Parent Council meeting on Tuesday 19th March

The next meeting of the JGHS Parent Council will be held online on Tuesday 19th March at 7 pm. We warmly welcome all parents and carers to join with us.

Agenda

Teaching of the English curriculum
Activities in the A+ Group
JGHS updates from the Headteacher
PC update
Q&A session

If you have any questions or issue that you would like to have addressed at the meeting, please get in touch with the PC by email:

Email to Parent Council

The MS Teams link will be shared by the school on the day of the meeting.

Links to the current JGHS improvement plans and the JGHS Standards and Quality report from 2022/23 can be found below:

JGHS School Improvement Plan 2023/24 (opens as pdf)

JGHS School Improvement Plan 2023/24 Priorities (opens as pdf)

JGHS Standards and Quality Report 22/23 (opens as pdf)

February Fundraiser

2 February 2024: As was mentioned at the PC meeting on Wednesday 31 January, the Parent Council is launching Fundraising February!

The Parent Council’s Small Sums Fund distributes funds raised by the school back to the School Community. More information about the Small Sums Fund is on our website.

Last year, the projects we supported included:

SfL: Bike repair tools
PE: Sports strips and dance leotards
Art & Design: Resources for the photography club
GME: Basketball hoop & ball for Darroch playground
Modern Studies: Anti-racist books
English: Subscription to The Week Junior
Modern languages: Pearson online textbook subscriptions
Geography/ES Digimaps subscription

This fund is made up primarily by donations by parents and carers so we are asking you all to consider supporting important educational projects at JGHS, and providing help to our pupils who need it most.

Whilst we normally request donations to the Fund around Christmas time, the Parent Council acknowledges that December is often a difficult month for families so this year we are having a Fundraising February. If you can, please consider playing a donation via Parent Pay:

Click here to visit ParentPay

Look for the “Parent Council Fundraising” button at the bottom of the list of payment items for your JGHS student(s).

All funds raised during the Fundraising February go directly to the Small Sums Fund.

Thank you!!

Reports from Parent Council Meeting 31 January 2024

9 February 2024: Many thanks to everyone who was able to join the meeting of the Parent Council on 31 January. It was a full and fruitful session.

Presentations

You can now access copies of the presentations given via the links below (links open as pdfs).

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please get in touch

Email the Parent Council

Parent Council meeting on 31st January 2024

The next meeting of the Parent Council will be on Wednesday 31st January 2024. The meeting will be held in the school library at 7pm.

Agenda

Brief report on activities from the Parent Council
Apologies and minutes of AGM
Update on Active Schools – Eliot Ambrose
School Improvement Plans – Neil McCallum
Curriculum and coursing – Deirdre O’Brien
Headteacher updates – Neil McCallum
Open Q&A

If you have any questions or issue that you would like to have addressed at the meeting, please get in touch with the PC by email:

Email to Parent Council

Links to the current JGHS improvement plans and the JGHS Standards and Quality report from 2022/23 can be found below:

JGHS School Improvement Plan 2023/24 (opens as pdf)

JGHS School Improvement Plan 2023/24 Priorities (opens as pdf)

JGHS Standards and Quality Report 22/23 (opens as pdf)

Recording of Parent Council meeting now available

7 December 2023: Many thanks to those who attended the parent council meeting held last Tuesday 28 November.

The recording of the meeting is now available, along with the introductory slides from the PC acting chair, the presentation from Mr Cockcroft about Support for Learning activities in the school, and the headteacher’s report.

Recording of the meeting on 28 November 2023 – opens link on YouTube

Opening comments by PC Acting Chair – opens as pdf

Support for Learning at JGHS November 2023 – opens as pdf

Headteachers’ report – opens as pdf

Next meeting

Our next meeting will be held in the school on Wednesday 31 January 2024 at 7 pm.

Parent Council meeting on 28 November 2023

13 November 2023: The next meeting of the Parent Council will be on Tuesday 28 November at 7 pm. The meeting will be held online and the link will be circulated by the school beforehand.

Agenda

Presentation by Rob Cockcroft, Head of Support for Learning
Headteachers Report, Neil McCallum
Parent Council report, including update on office bearers of the Parent Council
Open Q&A from meeting attendees

If you have any questions or issue that you would like to have addressed at the meeting, please get in touch with the PC by email:

Email to Parent Council

JGHS Parent Council AGM October 2023

12 October 2023: Many thanks to everyone who was able to attend the Annual General Meeting of the JGHS Parent Council on Wednesday 11 October.

Meeting business

We were very pleased to welcome several new members onto the PC for the coming year, as well as appointing the PC office bearers (see below).

However we were very sorry to see Sarah Scott step down as Chair, and Ros Ingle come to the end of her term as Treasurer. They have both made huge contributions to the work of the PC over the past years, and we are extremely grateful for all they have done. Thankfully both will remain members of the PC, and will continue to share their wisdom and experience.

We are also very grateful to Kirstin Leighton who has agreed to step into Ros’s shoes as Treasurer, and to Aileen Nimmo who will continue to coordinate the fundraising refreshment stalls.

Office bearers elected for 2023-24

Kirstin Leighton (Treasurer)
Aileen Nimmo (Refreshments)
Hilary Snaith (Communications)

PC Members 2023-24

Carissa Barenblat*
Tiziana Basciani
Laura Bird
Liz Hilton*
Orla Hobson
Ros Ingle
Christiane Kerlen
Padraic Kinsella
Barbie Lyon*
Vanesa Magar*
Kathryn Pak*
Bec Phipps
Kate Pinault
Vikki Plant
David Pollock*
Joanne Sapienza Chapman
Steffi Schultze
Sarah Scott
Leda Sharkey*
Penny Tarsia

*New members. At present the PC is without a Chair or Secretary, so if anyone from the wider parent body is interested in taking on either of these roles, please do get in touch

Email the Parent Council

Reports and updates

The meeting discussed annual reports from outgoing Chair and Treasurer, as well as updates on school activities and on Active Schools from the Headteacher Neil McCallum. The meeting also approved the minutes for the last in-person PC meeting on 31 May 2023.

Next meeting

Our next meeting will be held online via MS Teams on Tuesday 28 November at 7 pm. Further information will be available nearer the date.

All parents and carers are warmly invited to join us.

Parent Council Annual General Meeting 2023

27 September 2023: All parents and carers are warmly invited to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Parent Council on Wednesday 11 October at 7 pm in the JGHS library.

The minutes from the AGM in 2022, the accounts and annuals reports from the Chair and Treasurer of the Parent Council, and the JGHS Trust, plus an updated description of the roles and responsbilities of office bearers of the PC are now available – all links open as pdfs.

If there are any issues that you would like to raise at the meeting, or if you would like to join the Parent Council committee, please get in touch.

Email the Parent Council

Meeting agenda

Welcome
Minutes of last in-person meeting
Updates
- Donald J. Macdonald prize
- Rising rolls
- PC fundraising
- Arrangements for future PC meetings
Minutes of last in-person meeting
Chair’s Report
Finance Report
Election of Parent Council and Office Bearers
Report from JGHS Trust (PC representatives)
Headteacher’s Report
AOCB
Date of next meeting: 28 November 2023 (online)

Download meeting agenda

Small Sums Funds support for sports and classroom activities

9 September 2023: The Small Funds Fund of the JGHS Parent Council provides small grants to support and enhance the experience of youngsters in the school and in extra-curricular activities.

About the Small Sums Fund

At the start of term we heard from some of the teachers who were awarded funds last year, just how much difference the extra support has meant:

Thanks from teachers

Allocations for this year

Earlier in the summer, new applications were received from across the school – PE, Modern Studies, Science, English, Modern Languages, Art, Geography, Gaelic Medium Education and Support for Learning. A group of parents met at the end of August to assess the applications and funds have now been allocated.

This year we are delighted to be able to support a wide range of activities that will benefit many pupils across the school. For example, sports strips and gym leotards, resources for a photography club, subscriptions to newspapers and magazines, digital maps, language online textbooks and playground sports equipment.

More details are available below:

Applications Received for 2023/24 (opens as pdf)

Small Sums Fund Allocations 2023/24 (opens as pdf)

Small Sums Fund Summary 2015-2023 (opens as pdf)

Please consider donating

Please consider if you would be able to donate as little as £5 to the Small Sums Fund, or more if you can, to help the Paret Council to continue supporting these activites for all our pupils. If you would like to help, please login to ParentPay via the link below, and contribute directly through the ‘Parent Council Fundraising’ option.

ParentPay

Thank you!