28 October 2022: The James Gillespies High School Parent Council held its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 12 October, in the school library. We were joined by approx 30 parents, for this first in-person meeting of the PC in over two and a half years.
Meeting business
The meeting addressed a number of issues, and a full minute of the proceedings will be available shortly.
Updates from previous Parent Council meeting
Headteacher recruitment
Council engagement
Donald J. Macdonald prize
School events
Rising rolls
Arrangements for future PC meetings
Chair’s Report
Finance Report
Election of Parent Council and Office Bearers
Headteacher’s Report
There was considerable discussion about the rising rolls at the School, and this situation has been taken as an action for the Parent Council to pursue in the coming weeks.
The presentation made by PC treasurer Ros Ingle is available at the link below.
The PC heard from deputy head teacher Miss McIver about the refurbishment of the new Darroch Annex, which opened for business on 27 October 2022.
Pupils and teachers alike are very excited to be moving into the new teaching and activity spaces!
The images of the new annex at Darroch: clockwise from top left – new entrance, bright and spacious classrooms, gym hall (with a sprung floor), dining hall.
New members and office bearers
The meeting also re-appointed the existing office bearers of the Parent Council, and we were delighted that a number of new members have also joined the committee.
The full committee membership is below (new members are indicated by *):
Sarah Scott (Chair)
Kirstin Leighton (Secretary)
Ros Ingle (Treasurer)
Hilary Snaith (Communications)
Laura Bird (Communications)
Tiziana Basciani*
Nicolas Boyes
Rob Dunbar
Orla Hobson
Christiane Kerlen*
Padraic Kinsella*
Ailsa Macintosh
Caroline McKellar*
Aileen Nimmo
Bec Phipps*
Kate Pinault*
Vikki Plant
Joanne Sapienza Chapman*
Steffi Schultze
Lisa Sutherland
Penny Tarsia
María Angélica Thumala Olave*
Charles Warlow
We are very grateful to all the members, new and old, who have joined the Parent Council.
Next meeting
The next meeting of the Parent Council will be held online via MS Teams at 7 pm on Tuesday 29 November 2022.
More details will be available on our website in due course.
Contact us
If you have any questions for the Parent Council, or issues that you would like to raise with us, please do not hesitate to get in touch:
21 January 2022: We are delighted that the first meeting of the Parent Council for 2022 will be held this Wednesday 26 January at 7 pm.
Once again we will be using MS teams to host the meeting and details of the joining link will be circulated by the School next week, so please look out in your email.
There will be updates on:
The current Covid situation in the school
Prelims at JGHS
The Council’s new group to meet with parents of children with ASN in mainstream schools
Progress in discussions on Active Schools provision
The consultation on a new GME secondary
Concerns raised with the Council by Parent Councils on parental engagement in schools
If there any particular issues you would like to raise at the meeting, please contact the PC:
There will also be a Parent Council-led meeting (online) on Thursday 10 February for parents interested in joining an Events and Fundraising Group, with the hope that we can look forward to more in-person events in the coming year.
JGHS Parent Council 