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PEEBLES HIGH SCHOOL PARENT COUNCIL/PTA

Parent Council Meeting

Monday, 16th March 2015 at 7.00pm

in the meeting room in the new Sports Facility

MINUTES

Apologies:

Apologies were received from Sandra Grieve and Paula Edmiston.

Welcome:

Michael Pryor welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced Mr Fraser Moffat who is a probationary Music Teacher who has recently started at Peebles High School.

Minutes from Last Meeting

MP asked if there were any comments on the minutes from the last meeting. They were accepted as correct.

Matters Arising from Last Minutes

Update on Learning Transitions

At the moment current P7’s are being tested using the INCAS system that SBC have implemented. This is a diagnostic test to help PHS identify educational needs of students. The results are for SBC to monitor learning transitions. A separate test is done by PHS for maths which will be used to determine which S1 maths class they will start in.

Website

Simon Fraser has trained Neil Smith who is now updating the website and will be updating the site removing some defunct pages.

Buses

SBC have rejected the PC request, supported by the school, for a 4pm bus from Peebles to Blyth Bridge, Romano Bridge and West Linton. MP will write to the local SBC councillors, as will individual parents in a personal capacity, to see if this decision can be changed.

There is also a problem with the Manor bus (no 20) which is leaving too quickly, it is also running late in the morning by stopping outside houses waiting for children. CW to find out more about this. He will also put another staff member at the bus stop in the afternoon to monitor buses leaving.

Rectors Update

SBC - Director of Children and Young Persons

CW reported the new Director of Children and Young Person Services is Donna Manson.

‘Heals 4 Hearts’ – British Heart Foundation

PHS are collecting second hand shoes (that are resellable) over the next week for ‘Heels 4 Hearts’, a British Heart Foundation initiative. For every 200 shoes collected they will get 1 place on a CPR training programme.

PTA Update

Susan MacDonald reported there was a meeting on 9th March which was well attended. Many parents are not interested in regular meetings, but are happy to help with fundraising events. There is a S1 parents evening on 30th March which the PTA will attend to attract new parents to join the PTA.

The PTA will be holding a coffee morning at the Burgh Hall, Peebles on 27th June. CW to send the PTA a spreadsheet of how the money from the last round of teacher bids was distributed.

Refreshments for the Spring Concert on 26th March are being organised at the moment by the PTA. If anyone is interested in helping, please contact Susan MacDonald. There will be a raffle and hamper. Several local businesses have been donating; Sainbury’s have donated 150 hot cross buns, Bonnington Farm are donating eggs, The Rugby Store have donated £150 in raffle prizes, the Co-op and Semi Chem have also sponsored the event. Students are interested in purchasing the raffle tickets but aren’t attending the Concert. Kirsten Worsley is to get clarification on when tickets can be sold (ie; during the day of the event) without falling foul of gambling laws.

Tracking and Monitoring

PHS and the Parent Council applied for a £500 grant to spend on a tracking and monitoring system. Unfortunately the bid failed. CW is still taking this forward and is meeting with two companies over the next week to hear more about their tracking and monitoring products. Members of the PC and PHS200 will be present for these meetings. Laura Robertson lodged her interest in this subject for future reference.

CW advised that this is also a topic being discussed across Scottish Borders and a meeting is being held at the school on Friday 20th March with the Director of Education and Senior Teachers from Scottish Borders High Schools, again to be attended by parent representatives.

Sainsbury’s Vouchers

A Parent asked if PHS collected the Sainsbury Vouchers. CW to send out an e-mail to parents to ensure they know the school accept them.

Show My Homework

Parents advised some of the documents that teachers upload to the site are in Microsoft Word format which not all people have on their computers. They are also putting links to Wiki sites which require a password to enter. There is also the issue of not all teachers using it. CW to advise staff to ensure all documents are uploaded in the PDF format which is able to be done in the new Microsoft Word, and look at linking to websites outside of Show my Homework to ensure that these are easily accessed. CW advised if students need to print anything, it can be done at school either by e-mail or memory stick.

Deputy Chair

Due to MP’s work commitments a Deputy Chair position has now been created. Margaret Hogg volunteered for the post, Kirsten Worsley proposed and Monica Shaw seconded the motion.

Any Other Business

S1 Residential

Margaret Hogg raised the issue of students not going on the S1 residential. CW is looking at a new venue as Aberdovey, although a great venue, is too far to travel to. Venues closer to Peebles wouldn’t be able to take the S1 year in one sitting. It was suggested something organised by the school and parent volunteers in the Tweed Valley might be an option. CW will be looking at this further and would like PC involvement. CW (via Jeremy Lee) will e-mail MP about this.

Early Retirement Voluntary Severance (ERVS) Scheme

This scheme has been re-opened by SBC, with several school staff interested likely to apply. CW advised because of this, there may be more staff turnover this year. SBC are holding an event on 28th March to entice teachers to the Borders. PHS will have a stall at this event and CW would like 2 parents to attend if this is allowed by SBC. CW to find out on Friday 20th March is this is possible. Kate Whalley and Kirsten Worsley volunteered to attend.

The meeting concluded at 8.40pm.