Brief Updates 2016/17
Wednesday 5 July -The JULY NEWSLETTER, and the 'End of Season Sports Report - July 2017', have been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Friday 30 June - World Challenge Team 2 finish trek and head for some well earned R&R at Hot Springs. Great time had by all! More pictures on Twitter @GryffeHighSch
Tuesday 27 June - ......and Team 1 Mongolia have signal......they seem to have had an amazing time so far - Horse riding, wild camping, trekking and learning a lot about the Mongolian culture. Thanks Miss Badger for the update.
Friday 23 June - S6 enjoying the 'Summer Theme', and at the same time many are involved in the Leadership Day
Friday 23 June - Please find our end of term letter to parents/carers under the 'NEWS' tab, then 'Letters'. Please also have a look at our Gallery Links for last weeks:Vertical Learning Day https://www.makewav.es/post/1043646/title/verticallearningday
and Global Goals
https://www.makewav.es/post/1043645/title/globalgoals
and Global Goals
https://www.makewav.es/post/1043645/title/globalgoals
Thursday 22 June - An emotional day as some of the Bridge of Weir pupils say thank you to Head Teacher Mrs Vallance as she is retiring, next Wednesday.
Yesterday was the P7 Valedictory Service, and today was a day of surprises - Flash Mob - and who knows what the next few days will bring. We wish Mrs Vallance all the very best in her retiral, good health and happiness.
Yesterday was the P7 Valedictory Service, and today was a day of surprises - Flash Mob - and who knows what the next few days will bring. We wish Mrs Vallance all the very best in her retiral, good health and happiness.
Thursday 22 June - Congratulations to 41 of our S3 (new S4) pupils studying Geography, who have been successful in achieving the Discovery Award from the John Muir Trust. More detail to follow in the July newsletter.
Wednesday 21 June - As a result of their dedication and commitment to the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative in S4, Ewan Robertson, Scott Blair, Lauren Lindsay and Samual Dickie represented Gryffe High School and Renfrewshire at the annual YPI National Event in Perth. They met with and introduced the founder of 'Finding Your Feet' charity, Corinne Hutton, on stage. She spoke proudly to a packed auditorium of how the £3000 donation has greatly impacted on the lives of those in our community. The pupils are a great inspiration for future years of philanthropic activity in Gryffe! Excellent work!
Wednesday 21 June - Louise, Rory, Olivia and Indeah are pictured here presenting a cheque to Mr. Paul McGregor who is a Fundraiser with St. Vincent's Hospice in Howwood. All S1 pupils took part in an enterprise project in ABC, where they personalised mugs and sold them to family members with the profits going to charity. The pupils pictured were the 'best sellers' in the year and overall the year group raised £242.10. Very well done!
Tuesday 20 June - Last night was our first P7 Parents into Transition Programme and it was encouraging to have a good attendance of parents who attended classes in Literacy, Numeracy, Growth Mindset and Social Media. The concept of the event was to provide a series of workshops designed to help support pupils in their transition to High School. Mr Anderson and Ms Dhesi would like to thank all staff involved in making the night a success, our workshop providers and all of the parents who participated so enthusiastically.
Monday 19 June - Great to hear from Mongolia - Team 2 have just completed their project in the Lotus Children's Centre. Follow @GryffeHighSch on Twitter for updates.
Monday 19 June - PTA Annual Raffle.The winners are as follows:
Our thanks go to the PTA Members for their tremendous efforts all year round.
- The Star Prize of “Little Mix” tickets were won by Alan Blair
- One month’s free Family Membership to Strathgryffe Tennis & Racquet Club was won by Lois Greene
- One free squash coaching session at Strathgryffe Tennis & Racquet Club was won by J.Taylor
- Two decorative candles donated by stall holder Susie Hooper was won by Liz Andrew
- A lunch for two at the Carrick Centre was won by Anne Thomson
Our thanks go to the PTA Members for their tremendous efforts all year round.
Friday 16 June - Vertical Learning Day involving the whole school is well underway. This is the last day in the P7 Induction Week. Pupil groups are from mixed stages and Miss Holmes has organised a varied range of events and activities for the day. P7 - S3 are taking part in their themed event 'A Day in the Life of an Athlete', which includes guest athletes and Doping analysis in science.
S4 - S6 are between the school and Houston and Killellan church hall taking part in a series of Skills development and Motivational workshops.
Wednesday 14 June - .....and they are off! World Challenge Team Mongolia 1 and 2 pictured today at Glasgow Airport. сайхан аялаарай
Tuesday 13 June - An exciting day for World Challenge Team Mongolia - it is Build-Up day - checking kit and paperwork before Take-Off tomorrow morning.......we wish them well on their exciting adventure!
Tuesday 13 June - A busy day ahead - P7 / S2 Global Goals Event today. This is an Eco themed event and is part of the P7 Induction Week. A wide range of guest speakers and activities have been organised. As you can see, the new S6 pupils are using their Event Management skills
Tuesday 13 June - Last nights P7 Parents' Information Evening presentation has been uploaded under the tab - ..SQA/ASSESSMENTS / Broad General Education / P7/S1
School uniform and blazers are available from -
www.schoolwearmadeeasy.com or telephone 0141 889 7206
School uniform and blazers are available from -
www.schoolwearmadeeasy.com or telephone 0141 889 7206
Friday 9 June - Congratulations to our prize winners in this year's Paisley Arts Institute Competition 2017.
Sarah Feechan First prize S1-3;
Libby Cole Runner up S1-3
The following pupils also have work in this exhibition at Paisley Museum & Art Gallery to the end of the month - Christian Galvin; Laura Maskrey; Ciara Nicholson; Olivia Teller; Paul Hamill; Alix Stewart; Emma Campbell; Calum Farmer and Laura Workman
Please feel free to go along to the exhibition and ‘check out’ the fantastic display.
Sarah Feechan First prize S1-3;
Libby Cole Runner up S1-3
The following pupils also have work in this exhibition at Paisley Museum & Art Gallery to the end of the month - Christian Galvin; Laura Maskrey; Ciara Nicholson; Olivia Teller; Paul Hamill; Alix Stewart; Emma Campbell; Calum Farmer and Laura Workman
Please feel free to go along to the exhibition and ‘check out’ the fantastic display.
Thursday 8 June - Gryffe High School win the Under 15 Scottish Cup Shield ..... Look under the SPORTS UPDATES, right hand column of this homepage, for video and pictures.
Gryffe High School
Under 15
Scottish Cup Champions June 2017
Gryffe High School
Under 15
Scottish Cup Champions June 2017
Thursday 8 June - Higher Physics pupils learned about Capacitive Touch Screen Technology from a Guest Speaker from the Department of Engineering from University of Glasgow. Pupils were able to control a fan and television in a model house by using a phone app.
Thursday 8 June - 180 pupils across all year groups thoroughly enjoyed a treat today. They are all in Mackintosh house, which was the winning house this year. They started their day at Intu Soar Braehead and enjoyed 10 pin bowling, Paradise golf and then lunch, before returning to school to enjoy a cinema experience in the theatre. Well done to Mr Findlay and Mackintosh house - who will be the winning house next year?
Wednesday 7 June -The JUNE NEWSLETTER has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Tuesday 6 June - 'Old' S6 Pupils had a fantastic night at their PROM in the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow.
Monday 5 June - It was Horse riding lessons for team Mongolia staff this weekend! Getting prepared for World Challenge 2017. Well done Miss Badger, Mrs Dunlop, Mr Findlay and Miss Higgins........ 9 days to go!
Activities Week 2017 - All S1 to S3 pupils enjoyed an amazing week of Activities (Week beginning 22nd May). With a fantastic range of activities to choose from, there was something for everyone - Barcelona, Lanzarote, London, Rome, 'Float your Boat' Cumbrae, Braehead Experience, Fishing, Goal, Scary Scotland, Days Away......... click below for our Activities gallery.
https://www.makewav.es/post/1041415/title/activities2017
https://www.makewav.es/post/1041415/title/activities2017
Thursday 1 June - S1 girls thoroughly enjoyed a day attending a SmartSTEMs event at University West of Scotland. The aim is to encourage more girls to consider a career in a Science Technology Engineering or Mathematics related career. As well as presentations from female speakers, the girls took part in hands-on workshops
Thursday 1 June - New S5 returned to school today after their SQA exams and they took part in a full day of Induction. Mrs Skillen DHT (with responsibility for S4 and S5) had organised a welcome, some inspirational messages about the importance of the coming year and distribution of their new timetables in the morning. The pupils then spent the afternoon deep in group discussions, recognising their strengths and looking for evidence for any prospective employer. In News Bulletin style, the pupils then presented to their peers.
Friday 26 May - Beautiful sunset tonight from Club La Santa, Lanzarote. It is the last night there for the pupils. #GryffeActivities17 is coming to an end for another year. Pupils have had a fantastic week of fun.
Barcelona, Lanzarote, London, Rome, 'Float your Boat' Cumbrae, Braehead Experience, Fishing, Goal, Scary Scotland, Days Away. There was also fabulous in-school Art and Crafts and an amazing opportunity in ICT for pupils to try out some (on loan) high-tech Virtual Reality equipment.
Thank you again to Mrs Mullan, the Activities Committee and all staff who helped to make all of the activities happen.
Thank you to the pupils for making the week so enjoyable!
Photo Credit - GHS Pupil Support @GHSSupportTeam on Twitter
Barcelona, Lanzarote, London, Rome, 'Float your Boat' Cumbrae, Braehead Experience, Fishing, Goal, Scary Scotland, Days Away. There was also fabulous in-school Art and Crafts and an amazing opportunity in ICT for pupils to try out some (on loan) high-tech Virtual Reality equipment.
Thank you again to Mrs Mullan, the Activities Committee and all staff who helped to make all of the activities happen.
Thank you to the pupils for making the week so enjoyable!
Photo Credit - GHS Pupil Support @GHSSupportTeam on Twitter
Monday 22 May - Today sees the start of Activities Week for all S1, S2 and S3 pupils. Pupils have chosen from a wide range of destinations and ventures and some residential trips are already 'on location'. Groups are already enjoying the sights in Italy, Lanzarote and London. For those staying closer to home, the weather is looking favourable! Thank you Mrs Mullan, the Activities group and all staff involved. Hope that all pupils have a most enjoyable week. Watch out for some updates on Twitter @GryffeHighSch and the full report in the June edition of the newsletter
Friday 19 May - This morning 7 teams of linguists took part in our Apprentice Challenge Final. All of our finalists did a fantastic job presenting in French or Spanish to an audience of their peers and a panel of judges. We were all very impressed by their wonderful presentations, posters and events flyers which supported Paisley's bid to become City of Culture 2021. Congratulations to our winning team members; Louie Ferris, Ryan Sims and Jack Young- first-time Spanish champions! Very well done to the runners up, we are proud of each and every one of you. Thank you to our panel of judges.
Friday 19 May - Senior Art & Design pupils enjoyed a most inspiring trip to Edinburgh College of Art. Lots of very creative costumes on show from graduates.
Wednesday 17 May - The Science department welcomed pupils from Houston Nursery today. The pupils enjoyed carrying out experiments exploring healthy diets and how to keep an elephant's teeth clean. Both staff and pupils had great fun.
Friday 12 May - A huge thanks to Sky Sports Mentor, Steve Frew, for inspiring our S1 and Primary 7 pupils by sharing his key tips to overcoming challenge and being successful! Pupils learned more about Steve's pathway to success and were treated to a gymnastics demonstration before getting involved in some team work and leadership challenges!
Thursday 11 May - S3 Modern Studies enjoyed an informative and thought provoking talk today on Disability Hate Crime from Quarriers Inclusion Team.
Thursday 11 May - Amy Ross's (S3)design has been selected for this year's Fringe Poster exhibition during the summer in Edinburgh. Amy designed this poster in her own time as part of her DoE personal activity which is terrific personal achievement. Well done!
Wednesday 10 May - Gryffe Under 14 Football Team win the
St Mirren cup: Gryffe 1 Williamwood 1 Gryffe win 4-3 on penalties
St Mirren cup: Gryffe 1 Williamwood 1 Gryffe win 4-3 on penalties
Wednesday 10 May - Local company Jenier Teas www.jenierteas.com kindly supplied a lovely range of teas for staff to taste at this morning's 'Tea & Biscuits' for Mental Health Awareness Week
Tuesday 9 May - Under 15 Football
Gryffe 5 Craigmount 2
GRYFFE REACH SCOTTISH SHIELD FINAL
Gryffe 5 Craigmount 2
GRYFFE REACH SCOTTISH SHIELD FINAL
Monday 8 May - Lovely spell of weather for S3 to complete their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Practice. There will be more groups out over the next 2 days
Wednesday 3 May -The MAY NEWSLETTER has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Wednesday 3 May - 24 S1 Scientists thoroughly enjoyed a workshop, exhibition and tour today at Whitelee Windfarm. The pupils learned all about the importance of 'pitching' turbine blades, before touring the 215 Wind Turbines.
Tuesday 2 May - Pupils experienced state of the art Virtual Reality technology first hand in the computing department. They looked a blue whale dead in the eye on a sunken ship at the bottom of the ocean, ascended 400 feet in the air to peer of the edge of a sky scraper (walk the plank!) and destroyed some pesky robots in Space Pirate Trainer.
Friday 28 April - S6 ready to leave on their last day out trip to Millport...... suitably dressed!
| Additional Support Class times during the SQA Examinations 2017 |
Thursday 27 April - The attached file details the Additional Support times for S4, S5 & S6 pupils during the SQA Examinations.
Wednesday 26 April - How amazing are these? National 5 Cake Craft Final Assessment cakes. Very well done!
Monday 24 April - You can now view all of the Award Ceremony photographs here at
https://www.makewav.es/post/1036934/title/awardsceremony2017.
If you wish a full quality copy of your child's photo emailed to you, then please email the school (with subject FAO Mrs McGeough) at gryffehighenquiries@renfrewshire.gov.uk
https://www.makewav.es/post/1036934/title/awardsceremony2017.
If you wish a full quality copy of your child's photo emailed to you, then please email the school (with subject FAO Mrs McGeough) at gryffehighenquiries@renfrewshire.gov.uk
Friday 21 April - There were miles of smiles on display at last night's Awards Ceremony. Almost 600 awards were presented in a wide range of categories, all reflecting and celebrating the endeavours of not just the pupils receiving awards, but of all Gryffe pupils. Several pupils spoke about their involvement in various rewarding activities within school. Awards were presented by former head pupils Rebecca Richardson and Angus Gane. Special Category awards were presented by Steven Quinn who is the Assistant Director of Education / Chief Education Officer for Childrens Services. Current Head Girl Jodie Costello and Head Boy Jamie Muir gave the vote of thanks to a packed Games Hall of pupils and their proud parents and carers, with pupils also providing wonderful music to add to the evening. Thank you to EVERYONE involved in the preparation and organisation leading to a most enjoyable event........with a special thanks to Mrs Willbond and the office staff. It was indeed a night of Caring, Learning and Achieving.
Friday 31 March - Today, we welcomed the Rev. Hanneke Marshall and the Rev. Kenneth Gray to lead our Easter Services, together with the Head Girl and Head Boy (Jodie and Jamie). Beautiful music was provided by the school choir and band in services for both S1 and S2 pupils. We wish all pupils and parents/carers an enjoyable Spring break.
Wednesday 29 March - The Spring Letter to Parents can be found under the 'NEWS' tab, and then 'LETTERS'
Monday 27 March - S2 Social Studies classes enjoyed visits to Hawaii, the Great Barrier Reef and Machu Picchu this morning when 'Google Expeditions' visited the school this morning. Pupils enjoyed exploring the world using 'Virtual Reality' headsets.
Monday 27 March - S4 National 4 Biology pupils enjoyed an early morning trip today to Thermo Fisher labs in Inchinnan, to learn all about cell culture and DNA Extraction from Strawberries.
Friday 24 March - Tomorrow is WWF Earth Hour 2017, which raises awareness of the issue of Global Warming by encouraging people to turn off their lights between the time of 8.30pm - 9.30pm. The Eco Committee supports this challenge. As well as organising an informative short presentation for all S1 to S3 classes this morning, subjects were challenged to teach in the dark for a period. S2 can be seen here in the Maths Department engrossed in a maths related Treasure Hunt - working in the dark!
Wednesday 22 March - A group of senior pupils today attended the Multilingual Debate at Heriot-Watt University. The debate, in a number of languages, centred around the role of sport in promoting integration in society. Pupils then visited the Confucius Institute for a cultural experience where they tried traditional Chinese cuisine, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese costumes and Chinese string art.
Wednesday 22 March - A busy theatre thoroughly enjoyed the exceptional musical talent of our pupils last night in the Spring Concert. As they say, 'Practice makes Perfect' and that certainly shone through with each well thought out performance. As well as the Jazz Band, Concert Band, Choir and String Ensemble, the audience was treated to solo recitals from our Young Musicians of the Year winners. Watch the choir singing here
https://www.makewav.es/post/1034023/title/springconcertsunshineonleithmedley
https://www.makewav.es/post/1034023/title/springconcertsunshineonleithmedley
Thursday 16 March - Very well done to the 6 pupils who delivered CPD on Dyslexia to all of the Principal Teachers of Support for Learning in the local Authority as well as Michael Harker, Lead Educational Psychologist for Renfrewshire Council. The pupils had previously presented to Gryffe staff and the Parent Council.
Thursday 16 March - Well done to our Young Enterprise Team who were successful today in the Young Enterprise Finals in winning the best Company Marketing trophy.The pupils were an absolute credit to the school on all fronts, from their standard of uniform and organisation and presentation skills to the respect and courtesy they paid their fellow competitors. Pictures courtesy of Young Enterprise Scotland
Thursday 16 March - What a busy morning keeping up with the ideas of the young reporters of the Media Team taking part in BBC News School Report day. Read their reports here https://www.makewav.es/GHSMedia and check Twitter @GryffeHighSch
Wednesday 15 March - Pupils gave a warm welcome to the Paisley 2021 Tour Bus today. The Media Team will be reporting on Paisley 2021 tomorrow, as part of BBC News School Report Day. Please follow their reports on https://www.makewav.es/GHSMedia or http://www.gryffehigh.com/media-team.html
Tuesday 14 March - Gryffe Valley Rotary Young Writers Success -
Junior Category Winner – Esme James (S2) and Runner Up Rachel Jamieson (S1)
Senior Category Winner– Rachael Bell (S2) and Runner-up Mia Trolan (S3)
Rachael Bell was also Overall Winner in her Age Category.
Well Done to all of you!!
Junior Category Winner – Esme James (S2) and Runner Up Rachel Jamieson (S1)
Senior Category Winner– Rachael Bell (S2) and Runner-up Mia Trolan (S3)
Rachael Bell was also Overall Winner in her Age Category.
Well Done to all of you!!
Tuesday 14 March - The Maths Department had great fun celebrating Pi day. 1Mk had the longest Pi paper chain and won 30 points for Mackintosh House. The pupils also listened to the Pi song during class.
Sunday 12 March - Low visibility for the two Duke of Edinburgh Bronze groups out practising their navigation skills today. Both groups doing very well.
Saturday 11 March - Our Fairtrade Community Coffee morning at the Church Halls in Houston, raised the fantastic sum of £360 for Traidcraft and Rainbow Turtle. Thank you to everyone who supported this and all of the events during Fairtrade Fortnight.
Saturday 11 March - World Challenge Mongolia 2017 staff spent a busy Saturday involved in summit training at the Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. Only 13 weeks to go!!
Thursday 9 March - A group of S2 pupils had a most enjoyable and successful day at West College Scotland on 'Developing the Young Workforce'. Jack McLean won a 'Rising Star' award. His prize is lunch for four at the College and a set of professional knives for the school - well done!
Thursday 9 March - Thank you to Waterstones Braehead for visiting Gryffe today with a great selection of World Book Day titles. To encourage reading, all school pupils receive a World Book Day voucher and they can use that to pick a book.
Thursday 9 March - Great to see that our Litter Picking team is making a positive impact in the Community. Well done to them and to the local community for all their hard work and encouragement!
Wednesday 8 March - The Glasgow Herald School League Tables were published today, with Gryffe High School placed 6th within their Top 50 State Schools. As a school we are proud of the attainment of our pupils, and equally of their many significant achievements. We aim to enhance the Attainment and Achievements of each and every pupil and hold true to our focus on CARING - LEARNING - ACHIEVING
Wednesday 8 March - Mrs Malloch accompanied a group of S3 girls to a 'Renfrewshire STEM Awareness Programme for Young Women' event held at West College Scotland. The skills enhancing session in renewables, carpentry and joinery, bricklaying and painting & decorating was part of Scottish Modern Apprenticeship Week and International Women’s Day.
Wednesday 8 March - Showing our support for equality for all on International Women's Day. During lessons in the Humanities faculty today, pupils learned about examples of gender inequality from across the world and discussed the importance of education in helping to tackle inequality
Monday 6 March - This morning S3 attended the launch of the 'Apprentice Challenge'- a project that enables pupils to work in groups to produce marketing materials in French and Spanish to promote a tourist destination. This year we chose Paisley in order to support the town's campaign to become City of Culture 2021. This event was attended by representatives from Renfrewshire council and the Paisley 2021 marketing team.
Monday 6 March - S4 pupil Alexandra Finnie recently enjoyed the red carpet treatment at the Premiere of the David Tennant film 'Mad to be Normal'. Alexandra stars as Susie Laing in the film and is pictured here with Film Director Robert Mullan
Friday 3 March - Higher Modern Studies and Geography classes were visited by two speakers from the UK Government Department for International Development (DFID) on Friday 3rd March.
The speakers talked about the work of DFID generally and had a particular focus on the work of DFID in South Sudan. They also highlighted career pathways within the civil service.
The talks were highly relevant to the course content and provided students with excellent examples to use to support their exam answers.
The speakers talked about the work of DFID generally and had a particular focus on the work of DFID in South Sudan. They also highlighted career pathways within the civil service.
The talks were highly relevant to the course content and provided students with excellent examples to use to support their exam answers.
Friday 3 March - All S2 pupils enjoyed a 'Choices for Life' presentation, delivered in conjunction with Police Scotland, providing them with the information required to make positive life choices. This was followed by an interactive evaluation session in house groups!
Friday 3 March - Author Alan Bissett delivered a most enjoyable and inspiring Creative Writing workshop to the Advanced Higher English pupils this morning
Thursday 2 March - S2 pupils (along with the Drama Group) thoroughly enjoyed a most informative talk from a special guest to Gryffe this morning, former pupil Erin Armstrong. Erin is best known for her role in the BBC Shetland series. As well as describing and sharing the reality of her job, Erin was able to offer pupils an insight into a wide range of related careers. Thank you Erin for taking time out of your busy schedule.
Wednesday 1 March -The MARCH NEWSLETTER has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Wednesday 1 March - A lovely afternoon for the final group of S5 pupils to collect river data for their Higher Geography assignments at Green Water in Kilmacolm.
Tuesday 28 February - Thank you to Mary Russell School in Paisley for inviting our Citizenship pupils to share in their Fairtrade Coffee Morning this morning. They had a lovely time and were treated to delicious baking. This is one in a series of events taking place as part of Fairtrade Fortnight.
Monday 27 February - The S2 into S3 and S3 into S4 Information Evening Presentation February 2017, and Options Booklet, can be found under the tab
'SQA/ASSESSMENTS'/ Broad General Education/ S2/3
'SQA/ASSESSMENTS'/ Broad General Education/ S2/3
Monday 27 February - Very well done to S1 pupil Keir Gaffney, who has just been presented with the 'Jet of the Year' Shield from his cycling club 'Johnstone Jets'............and more points for Fleming House!
Thursday 23 February - Our Under 14 Football Team won the Paisley & District Futsal Cup at Lagoon Indoor Arena, Paisley. The Futsal is a 5 a-side competition, playing games of 15 minutes duration, and started with 16 teams from across the district, which narrowed to 4 teams in a play off this evening. Well done to all boys involved.
Wednesday 22 February - Art & Design Technology pupils were treated to a visit from the Travelling Gallery bus today. The current exhibition is abstract work and is entitled EAT SLEEP WORK REPEAT. Pupils were encouraged to reflect on the art when they returned to class and compare it with their expectations. More detail in the March newsletter.
Tuesday 21 February - Today was the second session of the Shell Bright Ideas Challenge. Pupils meet in GD2 at lunchtime with Mrs Malloch and put their STEM Thinking Caps on to develop a solution to the world's growing energy crisis. Pupils will learn about sustainability and real global issues and will enter regional competitions later in the year.
Tuesday 21 February - Several pupils enjoyed success in the recent UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge. S3 achieved 1 Silver and 2 Bronze Awards and S4 achieved 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 11 Bronze Awards. Ross Moglia (S4) was Best in School and his High Score gives him selection for a further round of the competition. Well done to all!
Tuesday 21 February - Well done to Jennifer Boyd S2, who recently achieved a 'First in Class' Award at the Inverclyde Music Festival for her violin playing.
Wednesday 15 February - Modern Studies enjoyed an educational trip to London where they had the opportunity to visit The Supreme Court and UK Parliament. More detail in the March newsletter.
Wednesday 15 February - This is House Week and the S6 House Captains have several events organised. Today pupils enjoyed some amazing talent in the Karaoke event in the theatre at lunchtime which was judged by Miss Higgins, Mrs Costello and Mrs Kerr. Tomorrow there will be a Quiz and then a Tug of War event on Friday. Remember that Friday is an 'out of uniform' day and pupils are encouraged to wear their house colours
Friday 10 February - Staff started the day with a presentation from Mr Ken Edward, Skills Development Scotland, on Career Education Standard. This was followed by presentations on: our school's Vision, Aims and Values; Peer Partnership; Resilience; followed by staff enjoyed a range of Healthy activities at lunchtime, as part of a busy In-Service Day focusing on Pupil Health and Wellbeing. Our picture shows staff at lunchtime making a Lean Snack (in 15 mins), making a Bath Bomb and 'Clubbercise' (complete with Glowsticks). Staff enjoyed some delicious fruit at interval and gave a donation to World Challenge pupils who provided a lovely healthy lunch.
Friday 10 February - Pila Ski Trip - enjoy your first day on the ski slopes! Follow @GryffeHighSch on Twitter where we will be retweeting SkiSupreme who are giving regular updates.
Thursday 9 February - S2 pupils found themselves in 'Contestants Row' as Mr Anderson (who has apparently been rehearsing for this starring role for quite some time!) hosted an exciting edition of 'The Price is Right'. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed this S2 Money week event, where they even estimated the price of Mr Christie's golf clubs!
Thursday 9 February - S3 pupils enjoyed their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Day Walk at Greenock Cut. This was their first walk and they were able to put their recently learned map reading skills to good use. This was the second group out this week, with a third group out tomorrow.
Monday 6 February - .......and it is down to Money Business for the S2 pupils. The pupils enjoyed Savings advice from Scotwest Credit Union who visited the school this morning to launch Money Week. The pupils have each been issued with a Money Booklet to complete throughout the week. A finance theme will be integrated with normal subject lessons.
Monday 6 February - This is the start of Money Week! A numeracy focus primarily for S2, which includes a visit from Scotwest giving the opportunity to learn all about finance.
Wednesday 1 February -The FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Tuesday 31 January - renfrewshire24.co.uk/2017/01/31/stewart-milne-homes-support-schools-creative-space/ … - A wee boost to the Gryffe Theatre Improvement Group http://gryffehighschoolcouncil.org/theatre-improvement-group/ …
Friday 27 January - Gryffe hosted a most enjoyable Fairtrade Vertical Learning Conference today, in partnership with pupils from Mary Russell School in Paisley.
Wednesday 25 January - A fantastic response to the Blood Donor bus in Gryffe today. The booking sheet is full with more than 40 S6 pupils signed up to donate blood. This is a reflection on the highly informative appeal from the Blood Donor Service that all S6 pupils recently attended.
Friday 20 January - Well done to S3 Health, Food & Technology pupils on passing their 'Elementary Food Hygiene' course. This award is presented by the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland. REHIS acts as the awarding body for a number of qualifications in Food Safety, Food and Health, Control of Infection and Occupational Health and Safety.
Friday 20 January - 12 amazing performances were enjoyed last night in the theatre from extremely talented Young Musician of the Year Finalists . Adjudicator David Murray had the difficult job of choosing the winners. Very well done to everyone involved and special congratulations to the winners in each category - Gregor Hewitt (Junior), Katie Reid (Intermediate) and Jasmine Galvin (Senior).
Wednesday 18 January - S3 Scientists were treated to an exploration of the Zombie brain by chief Zombie Scientist Dr Howe from the University of Glasgow. Inspiring stuff!
Sunday 15 January - The Youth Speaks 2017 Intermediate final took place in Pollockshaws Burgh Hall, Glasgow. Our Gryffe team explored the extent to which prison is the best option when it comes to dealing with criminals. More detail will be in the February Newsletter.
Tuesday 10 January - Well done to - Laura Maskrey, Ciara Nicholson, Paul Hamill, Alix Stewart, Emma Campbell, Mhairi Reid Carly McCallum, Amie Moran & Libby Cole - for having their drawings selected for this year's Inspired exhibition in Paisley Art Gallery & Museum. The picture shown here is Laura Maskreys.
Friday 6 January -The JANUARY NEWSLETTER, and the Mid Season Sports Report - January 2017, have been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Thursday 5 January - Some great views from the school this morning (including Ben Lomond) to welcome everyone back to 2017. With S5/6 Prelims starting on Monday 9th, we wish all of our pupils, staff, parents/carers a happy and successful year.
Tuesday 20 December - S1, S2 and S6 pupils just keep coming over the hill and enjoy a brisk walk to Freeland Church, Bridge of Weir, for our Christmas Service.
Monday 19 December - Higher RMPS pupils had a highly enjoyable and informative trip to the Sikh Gurdwara in Glasgow.
Monday 19 December - The choir have been out and about singing for some very good causes. Firstly, in the Paisley Centre for Ronald McDonald House and then joining in the Big Sing in Houston and Killellan Church raising funds for Solar Lamps for Mwandi.
Monday 19 December - Well done to S6 pupil Aqib Afzal awarded 'Young Achiever of the Year' at The Scottish Asian Business Awards held at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow. Aqib has started his own promotion company called 'AQMedia' specialising in short, fast paced videos. Photo used with kind permission from 'The Scottish Asian Business Awards'.
Friday 16 December - It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!........Today pupils and staff took part in National 'Save the Children' Christmas Jumper Day. A little Festive Fun, but a more serious message that the money raised will help children around the world enjoy basics like healthcare, education, protection and food.
Thursday 15 December - Former pupil Elle Wilson gives a presentation to pupils about career pathways in the Film and TV Industry.
Thursday 15 December - The Higher/Advanced Higher Preliminary Examination diet for January 2017 has been uploaded under the 'News' tab, then letters.
Wednesday 14 December - It was great to see a packed theatre last night for a most enjoyable Christmas concert. A Festive Feast of excellent musical talent on display from more than 100 pupils across all year groups.....including a little ballet, the S1 Drama Bake-Off and a return guest conductor to encourage A LOT of audience participation. Full detail in the January newsletter.
Monday 12 December - Following our application for a sportscotland School Sport Award at the end of last session, we were delighted to receive a Gold School Sport Award.
More detail will be in the January Newsletter.
More detail will be in the January Newsletter.
Monday 12 December - A group of senior A&D pupils visited the Fashion & Textiles departments at Glasgow Clyde Cardonald campus. It was an opportunity to see the range of courses on offer and also meet up with some ex pupils studying these courses at present. This was both a productive and enjoyable trip for everyone.
Friday 9 December - S2 pupils excelled themselves today with their ABC Cafe Project presentations. They had to come up with a full Business Plan, including marketing, finance and interior design of their cafe with some special features. One group including Alanna Bell, Emily Robb, Morven Sanderson and Eilidh Campbell even baked some lovely cakes to complete their Cafe!
Friday 9 December - An incredible 18 pupils set out in their DoE Gold Award practice walk in Aberfoyle..... all smiling faces ready to challenge the rain and terrain .. approx 18 km walk!
Thursday 8 December - S3 have been busy in HFT making festive treats. Well done on your designs.
Wednesday 7 December - A thoroughly entertaining evening tonight at the MAD show in the school Theatre. Music, Art and Drama combined to dazzle the audience with a very skillful, fast moving and vibrant performance. Well done to Mrs Wilson and everyone who contributed their time and talents. Full detail in the January newsletter.
Saturday 3 December - Gryffe's Young Enterprise team had a very successful night of trading at the Braehead Clan game.
Friday 2 December - The HF&T Department were delighted to host this years Rotary Young Chef Competition. Well done to all who took part, especially to Amy Cooper who won runner up!
Thanks again to Gibb Stuart for their fantastic prizes!
Thanks again to Gibb Stuart for their fantastic prizes!
Thursday 1 December -The DECEMBER NEWSLETTER has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Saturday 26 November - 15 pupils took part in the Citizenship Foundations Mock Trial competition at Glasgow High Court.
Friday 25 November - Gryffe staff win the prestigious Hillpark Volleyball Tournament, in a gathering of over 20 Secondary Schools from across the West of Scotland, beating Bishopbriggs Academy in a hard fought final.
Friday 25 November - A nice end to Book Week with a Harry Potter themed day. Looks like some staff are taking this very seriously!
Friday 25 November - The NQTs (Newly Qualified Teachers) and student teachers have been busy lining up events for St Andrew's Day Celebrations. Today was Scottish themed day and pupils enjoyed Highland Games at lunchtime. See the Gryffe Sports Twitter feed below for some more pictures.
Thursday 24 November - There was something for everyone at the PTA Christmas Fair. Fantastic raffle prizes, bottle stall, home baking and an amazing array of Christmas Crafts. The choir and Christian on the guitar added to the Festive fun. Thanks to the PTA and everyone who put a tremendous effort into making a success of the evening. Thanks also to Steven Thompson.
Thursday 24 November - These look good! A selection of gingerbread houses from the SQA Practical Cake Craft pupils, who have recently completed one of two assignments based on Christmas Themes.
Tuesday 22 November - Amazing achievement from our school community - collecting hundreds of items to be sent to refugees through Re-Act Scotland.
Monday 21 November - We welcomed a panel of experts to discuss a variety of questions about ethics and philosophy with our Higher RMPS and Biology pupils. Thank you to our guests.
Monday 21 November - Can you tell that the English department are really looking forward to Book Week Scotland which starts today? All dressed up and ready to go to Hogwarts! Lots happening all week with a Quiz, Book sale, Bookbug and Harry Potter dress up day on Friday.
Please come along and support our PTA Christmas Fair on Thursday 24 November, 6:30 pm start. Click on the picture to enlarge.
Tuesday 15 November - A group of 55 S3 geography pupils had a great morning at the IMAX cinema watching 'The Beautiful Planet'. Thank you to Intofilm Education for inviting us.
Monday 14 November - The World Challenge Teams braved the winter conditions at the weekend in Aviemore, as part of their build up for their expedition to Mongolia in June 2017. Teams camped overnight, climbed neighbouring hills and undertook a variety of team building activities aimed at preparing them for the challenges that they will face. More details to follow in the December newsletter.
Friday 11 November - A very pleasant way to end a busy week with a delightful Community Fairtrade Afternoon Tea with the proceeds going to Rainbow Turtle. Parents, Pupils and Staff enjoyed a chat, some delicious homebaking and were even treated to the sound of the harp and guitar.
Friday 11 November - Pupils respected a 2 minute silence today to mark Remembrance. Poppies have been on sale throughout the month of November and there was a Reflection room set up for pupils. Today was also 'Wear it Red' day where pupils were encouraged to wear an item of red with their school uniform.
Thursday 10 November - Confirmation of an excellent total raised in a very short time, from our "Big Pink" coffee morning last month
Wednesday 9 November - Author Keith Gray talked to S3 pupils about his writing and being a reluctant reader as a teenager. He also gave them some writing advice and told them about his gripping ghost story 'The Last Soldier', which has been shortlisted for the Scottish Teenage Book Prize 2017
Tuesday 8 November - Miss Hannigan from the Modern Studies department gives evidence to the Local Government and Communities Committee of the Scottish Parliament. Miss Hannigan had been selected to speak about the role of Modern Studies in increasing voter turnout in Local Council elections next year.
Tuesday 8 November - Launch of our Non Residential Activity Booklet for S1 - S3 pupils.
Monday 7 November - Today a group of S3 pupils enjoyed an input from the University of Northampton on 'Leather is my Job' - Follow @GryffeCareers to keep up to date with all Careers news and opportunities.
| Non Residential Activity Booklet 2017 |
Monday 7 November - The first in a series of Higher Human Biology visits to the Biolabs at the University of Strathclyde. The pupils carried out PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) to amplify DNA.
Friday 4 November - S2 Social studies and ABC IDL projects on Africa came to a conclusion this week with insightful country presentations from pupils highlighting how diverse the continent is.
Friday 4 November - The National 5 Prelimary Examination Timetable Nov-Dec 2016 has been uploaded under the 'SQA/ASSESSMENTS' tab, then 'Senior Phase'.
Wednesday 2 November -The NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
The NOVEMBER LETTER to Parents/Carers has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Letters'.
.... Please browse through our Newsletter to read about the
many significant achievements of our pupils.
The NOVEMBER LETTER to Parents/Carers has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Letters'.
.... Please browse through our Newsletter to read about the
many significant achievements of our pupils.
Thanks to local photographer Les Forbes for allowing us to use his lovely autumnal view of the school.
Tuesday 1 November - Mr Gerry McMurtrie who is a Senior Professional Advisor for Rights Respecting Schools (Scotland) with UNICEF UK visited the school today and then he tweeted this fantastic news!
Delighted to award @GryffeHighSch Renfrewshire with Level 1 Rights Respecting School Award!
Thank you for a lovely day #RRSA #UNCRC #UNICEF
Delighted to award @GryffeHighSch Renfrewshire with Level 1 Rights Respecting School Award!
Thank you for a lovely day #RRSA #UNCRC #UNICEF
| Please support our winter charity appeal |
Monday 31 October - S6 pupils wore a variety of splendid traditional costumes from all around the world, to mark the end of what has been a busy Global Diversity month.
Sunday 30 October - Gryffe Choir join some other school Choirs - accompanied by The Orchestra of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Musical Director Andrew Nunn - at Glasgow City Halls. An incredible performance. More detail will be in the November newsletter.
Thursday 27 October - Dedicated ‘Young Enterprise’ team, CLA Scents had an after school meeting yesterday. They have been very fortunate to have teamed up with Mr. Andy McLaughlin who is a Commercial Director with Braehead Clan. The team were busy developing their business plan and you will have the opportunity to purchase their product of candles in the very near future at various events.
Wednesday 26 October - Congratulations to S3 pupils Jack Young, Mia Trollan, Marc Sermanni, Alex Lee, Laura Workman and Drew Surgenor who have qualified for The Association of Speakers Club's Grand Final of the 2016 Youth Speaks Competition. Jack, Mia and Marc won first place for their outstanding presentation on whether there should there be positive discrimination to try and redress the gender imbalance in government. Following the winning team's success, Alex, Laura and Drew secured second place for their highly engaging speech on introducing a new subject into the school curriculum.
Tuesday 25 October - Our Pupil Management Group met at 8:00 am this morning to discuss the priorities for the week. We also discussed Saltire volunteering and are proud that between the management group of 12 we have over 1000 hours of volunteering. Further detail will be in the November Newsletter.
Friday 14 October - Members of the World Challenge Mongolia 2017 Team gave up their day off school to make In-Service day staff a lovely lunch and raise funds for their trip.
Thursday 13 October - Today marked the final day of the Parents in Partnership Programme. Thank you to all of the parents involved over the last 7 weeks!
Tuesday 11 October - Vascutek opened it's doors to pupils for the first time yesterday. Four senior Biology pupils thoroughly enjoyed learning about the technology they produce to help treat cardiovascular disease.
Tuesday 11 October - Higher Geography classes had some great weather for their fieldwork at Green Water in Kilbarchan. Pupils measured the width, depth, velocity, gradient, bed load shape and size at various stages along the river.
Tuesday 11 October - The Support for Learning staff remind us that October is ADHD Awareness month. Thanks also to Geraldine Mynors of ADHD Parent Support West Glasgow, who gave a very interesting presentation to a very busy CPD session for staff last week.
Monday 10 October - Over 120 parents/carers came along to our Senior Phase Information Meeting, with input coming from Ms Dhesi, Lynne Biagioni - Scholar Advisor, and Brian Costello - Director of Headstrong. Please look under the 'Parent Zone' tab for further advice on how to help your child.
Monday 10 October - S1 pupils spent an enjoyable afternoon at Thermo Fisher labs in Inchinnan, extracting DNA from Strawberries and learning how cells grow. This is part of a STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) series.
Friday 7 October - Thank you to all who supported the PTA Curry/Quiz night, over 200 people of all ages -parents, pupils and staff....a FANTASTIC night. Our S6 Quiz masters ensured everything ran like clockwork. Further detail will be in the November Newsletter.
Friday 7 October - The OCTOBER Newsletter has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'. Apologies for the delay in uploading this Newsletter.
Friday 7 October - Pupils and Staff participated in 'The Cube' House Event at lunchtime and entertained pupils in a busy school theatre. The event consisted of a variety of challenges, ranging from drawing skills to 'After Eight' balancing skills! Fleming House won - well done!!
Friday 7 October - Our Librarian Mrs Kerr organised a Big Pink Coffee morning and got lots of staff baking lovely Pink Cakes all for Breast Cancer Care. Raffle prizes and even a cake auction all to raise money for a very good cause. Full details and total raised in the November newsletter
Thursday 6 October - Our S1 Drama programme has a focus on bullying and how we can prevent it in the lead up to November, anti-bullying month. This video clip was a homework submission by Sasha Kaloheris, S1.
Thursday 6 October - We now have 381 followers on Twitter! Can we make it to 400 by the October holiday? Follow us on @GryffeHighSch
Tuesday 4 October – Our Broad General Education Vertical Learning day, with lessons on - HGIOS 4 Pupil Voice; Digital Literacy; Refugees; Responsibility of All - was thoroughly enjoyed by Renfrewshire Chief Executive Sandra Black, Director of Children’s Services Peter MacLeod, the majority of the Corporate Management Team, parents, pupils and staff. More detail will be in the November Newsletter
Thursday 29 September - World Challenge Mongolia 2017 - the teams are pictured here on the starting line for their latest Bleep fitness test. Read how their preparations are going in the October edition of the newsletter.
Sunday 2 October - Great Scottish Run Success - What a performance from Glasgow's 1st Callum Hawkins. The first Scottish winner since 1983. S3 pupil Alisha Sivell also came 8th in her category in the Great Scottish Junior Run. Well done Alisha!
Wednesday 28 September - YPI Finals Day and finally 'Finding Your Feet' will benefit from the hard work and passion of this team of pupils and £3000 from The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative
Thursday 22 September - Pupils received their 3k Fun Run medal from Olympian Derek Hawkins who took time out of his busy schedule to support today's event. More detail and pictures will be in the October newsletter.
Thursday 22 September - Parents attended the school for week 4 of 'Parents in Partnership' today. Teachers provided lessons in Social Subjects and Science which were enjoyed by all!
Tuesday 20 September - Advanced Higher Biologists experience the clinical research labs at Glasgow Royal Infirmary Hospital.
Monday 19 September - Today sees the start of Gryffestyles week. There will be many activities throughout the week for all year groups, finishing on Thursday with the 3k Fun Run. All S1 pupils enjoyed a Health Day today which included Heartstart Training, Yoga, Trampolining, Smoothie Making and several Wellbeing talks.
Friday 16 September - S5 pupil Luke McFarlane brought along his pet African Bullfrog (called Betsy) to show to the S4 National 5 Biology classes. The biology pupils were fascinated and Luke was able to give them lots of interesting information about how to care for his pet. This species of frog commonly lives for 20 years and sometimes up to 50 years!
Wednesday 14 September - The Media Team have an amazing afternoon learning to make the news and produce their own video at Sky Academy in Livingston.
Tuesday 13 September - It is good to be early! These boys travelled 229 miles to see the Champions League match at the Etihad Stadium - unfortunately the game was cancelled due to horrendous weather, but the boys still managed to get to their seats, go to the stadium shop and see a few players. The travel company very quickly offered to get them to a future match.
Friday 9 September - All S1 pupils enjoyed an inspiring talk from Alan from Live-N-Learn this morning about devoting a growth mindset.
Friday 9 September - S2 pupils had a highly entertaining visit from author Kirkland Ciccone.
Thursday 8 September - 163 S1 pupils thoroughly enjoyed a trip to the King's Theatre today to watch the David Walliam's book 'Gangsta Granny' being performed live on stage.
Wednesday 7 September - The SEPTEMBER Newsletter has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Tuesday 6 September - The S5/6 Practical Cake Craft class enjoyed a visit from Mrs Aileen Shaw who put their modelling skills to the test as they worked with sugarpaste
Friday 2 September - Launch of our RESIDENTIAL Activities Week programme. Our non-residential day trip programme will be launched in a few weeks time.
| Residential Activities Week Booklet 2017 |
Monday 29 August - The newly appointed Pupil Management Group met the Parent Council members at their first meeting of the new term tonight. The S6 pupils gave the members information about their individual roles, their targets and ideas for the coming year and an insight into their own career hopes.
Friday 26 August - Very well done to S5 pupil Abbie Mitchell. Abbie achieved FULL marks in her National 5 Expressive and Design Art Folios (marked externally by the SQA). 160/160. An outstanding result. See Abbie's work in the September edition of the newsletter.
Sunday 21 August - Former pupil Callum Hawkins has an AMAZING run today in Rio and finishes 9th in the Marathon. Callum was leading the race for a good stretch as well. Very well done! Derek also did really well to finish. Picture taken from BBC Sport.
Tuesday 16 August - Please feel free to look at @GryffeCareers on Twitter for updated detail on jobs, MA's, Uni Open Days etc.
Tuesday 16 August - Look who have arrived in Rio!! Former Gryffe pupils and Scottish brothers, Derek and Callum Hawkins will be joined by Tsegai Tewelde to represent Team GB in the marathon from 1.30pm on Sunday 21 August. This will be the Athletics Finale. We will be tuned in and supporting you both!!
The Media Team are looking forward to participating in BBC News School Report Day again this year on Thursday 16th March 2017.This will be the 6th year that we have taken part.
This page will be full of our news reports on that day so remember to revisit then……
For your interest, this is what we have covered over the years on this day!
March 2012 – Pi Day + Body Image at BBC Pacific Quay – Mentor Kenneth Macdonald (BBC)
March 2013 – Full CfE Conference (in school) – Interview Michael Russell (then Education Secretary) at Holyrood + Interviews at Pacific Quay
March 2014 – Derek Hawkins Interview
March 2015 – Partial Solar Eclipse – Interviews at Carrick Centre – visit from Coats Observatory.
March 2016 – Paisley Museum – Return visit from Kenneth Macdonald (BBC)
In the meantime, have a look at the work that we reported on last year (see below)...
This page will be full of our news reports on that day so remember to revisit then……
For your interest, this is what we have covered over the years on this day!
March 2012 – Pi Day + Body Image at BBC Pacific Quay – Mentor Kenneth Macdonald (BBC)
March 2013 – Full CfE Conference (in school) – Interview Michael Russell (then Education Secretary) at Holyrood + Interviews at Pacific Quay
March 2014 – Derek Hawkins Interview
March 2015 – Partial Solar Eclipse – Interviews at Carrick Centre – visit from Coats Observatory.
March 2016 – Paisley Museum – Return visit from Kenneth Macdonald (BBC)
In the meantime, have a look at the work that we reported on last year (see below)...
Monday 15 August - S1 pupils at their first Assembly, looking smart in their perfect uniform. A very good first day.
Tuesday 09 August - RE-NEGOTIATION OF SENIOR SCHOOL TIMETABLES
| RE - NEGOTIATION OF SENIOR TIMETABLES |
