22 December 2024: Wishing everyone a peaceful, restful and restorative festive season, from all at James Gillespie’s High School Parent Council.
Latest newsletter from Connect
5 December 2024: The December 2024 newsletter from Connect is now available.
Presentations from November meeting of Parent Council
26 November 2024: Many thanks to those who joined the online meeting of the Parent Council.
The meeting heard an update on recent activities by the Parent Council, a presentation by DHT Nigel Cotter on the SQA exam results at JGHS in 2024, and a report from HT Neil McCallum.
The presentations from the meeting, and the link to the meeting recording on YouTube are now available.
James Gillespie’s High School Parent Council meeting, 26 November 2024 (opens on YouTube)
Parent Council November 2024 update (opens as pdf)
SQA results at JGHS (opens as pdf)
Headteacher update November 2024 (opens as pdf)
If you have outstanding questions that were not addressed by the meeting, please let us know.
JGHS Parent Council meeting 26 November 2024
17 November: The next meeting of the JGHS parent council will be on Tuesday 26 November at 7 pm on MS Teams. The meeting link will be circulated by the school, and all parents and carers are most warmly invited to join us.
Agenda
- Brief report from the Parent Council
- Report by Mr Cotter (DHT) on the 2024 SQA exam results at JGHS
- Update from Mr McCallum (HT)
- Q&A
If there are any issues that you would like to raise, you can email the PC in advance of the meeting, or put them into the chat on the evening.
Previous meeting
Information presented at our AGM on 9 October, and at the last online meeting on 10 September is availalble below:
Read all about it!
5 November 2024: The November 2024 newsletter from Connect is now available:
You can also read Connect’s termly newsletter BackChat:
Home-school communications
Connect is carrying out a survey to understand experiences of parents in communications with their child’s school. To add your views, please visit the link below:
The survey closes on 6 December 2024.
Report from “theChat” project now available
28 October 2024: Earlier this year, theChat project engaged parents and carers to discuss how to support better to communication with young people about sexual health, reproduction and parenthood.
The project was carried out Scotland-wide, on behalf of several NHS health boards.
Conversations with parents – called ‘chats’ – and a national survey have provided insight into life at home and how parents want to support their child from the early years, through childhood and into the teenage years so that they are equipped to be healthy, happy and safe in their friendships and relationships.
A group parents and carers from JGHS participated in one of the ‘chats’ in the Spring of 2024.
theChat report
The final report from the project has just been published
New members of Parent Council appointed at AGM
9 October 2024: The Parent Council held its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 9 October 2024 in the school library.
The following officer bearers were appointed for the 2024/25 session:
- Tiziana Basciani – co-Chair
- Hilary Snaith – co-Chair
- Liz Hilton – co-Vice-Chair
- Sam Ross – co-Vice-Chair
- Kirstin Leighton – Treasurer
- Padraic Kinsella – Secretary
- Kate Pinault – Communications coordinator
- Julita Burgess – Refreshments coordinator
New members joining the Parent Council:
- Duncan Bell
- Shane Buckeridge
- Adam C
- Ulrike Peter
- Séamus Spencer
Reports presented at the meeting
Annual PC reports and meeting agenda
Parent Council report – Hilary Snaith (opens as pdf)
Active Schools update – Eliot Ambrose (opens as pdf)
Headteachers update – Neil McCallum (opens as pdf)
Minutes
A draft of the minutes of the meeting are now available. The minutes will be formally approved at the next in-person meeting on 29 January 2025.
Minutes of 2024 JGHS Parent Council AGM (draft, opens as pdf)
JGHS PC refreshments and fundraising activities 2023-24 – Aileen Nimmo (outgoing refreshements coordinator, opens as pdf)
Latest update from Connect
7 October 2024: The most recent newsletter from Connect is now available:
Annual General Meeting on 9 October 2024
28 September 2024: The Annual General Meeting of the James Gillespie’s High School Parent Council will be held on Wednesday 9 October at 7 pm in the school library. All parents and carers are most warmly invited to join us for this meeting.
The key business of the meeting will the appointment of the members and office bearers of the parent council, and presentation of the annual reports and accounts.
All carers and parents are very welcome to come to meetings of the Parent Council. If you would like to get more invovled with our activities and become a member of the PC for the upcoming session, please let us know before the meeting, or volunteer on the night.
The following people have indicated that they are willing to stand as the PC office bearers:
- Co-chairs: Tiziana Basciani, Hilary Snaith
- Vice-chair: Liz Hilton
- Treasurer: Kirstin Leighton
- Secretary: Padraic Kinsella
- Comms: Kate Pinault
- Refreshments: Julita Burgess
Draft agenda
- Formal business of AGM
- PC report for 2023/24
- Treasurers report for 2023/24
- JGHS Trust comments
- Appointment of office bearers and PC members
- Headteacher’s report – Neil McCallum
- Active School report – Eliot Ambrose
- Discussion, including school capacity issues, especially study space for S6; establishment of short life working groups; use of digital education and phone
- AOB
If there are other topics you would like to have raised at the meeting, please contact the Parent Council.
Reports
JGHS Parent Council Report 2023-24
JGHS Parent Council refreshments and fundraising
JGHS Parent Council Accounts 2023-24
Links to related documents
Roles and responsibilities of Parent Councils
Parent Council meeting information
10 September 2024: Many thanks to all the parents and carers who joined the meeting of the JGHS Parent Council this evening.
Update 2 December 2024: The meeting recording is now available on YouTube:
James Gillespie’s High School Parent Council meeting 10 September 2024
The slides presented are now available:
Welcome and introduction from the Parent Council (opens as pdf)
A summary of the information discussed by the Headteacher is also available:
Headteacher’s report 10 September 2024
Pupils and parent surveys June 2024
Information about the surveys discussed by Mr McCallum about pupil and parent experience at the school, carried out in June 2024, is available at the links below:
Results of pupil survey (opens as pdf)
Results of parent/carer survey (opens as pdf)
JGHS Parent Council 