Brief Updates 2018/19
Thursday 15 August - We were delighted to have all our pupils return to school today, looking forward to a great year ahead. Every year group had an Assembly where we reiterated our commitment to our School Values and Charter; our procedures for things like attendance, latecoming, lockers, social areas and behaviour in the community; Fire procedures; Activ8 and key dates of importance over the next few weeks. We also stated and explained how our school continues to improve year on year in both pupil achievements and in the SQA Examination Results - last year had been our most successful year for results, and this year our pupils managed to improve yet again in 7 out of the 9 key benchmarks areas......... fantastic.
We would also like to thank all parents/carers for their support in the introduction of Blazers across all year groups. We had just over 95% of pupils wearing Blazers today, incredible, and most of the pupils not in Blazers have actually ordered one. Our aim, as you would expect, is for ALL pupils to be in Blazers.
We would also like to thank all parents/carers for their support in the introduction of Blazers across all year groups. We had just over 95% of pupils wearing Blazers today, incredible, and most of the pupils not in Blazers have actually ordered one. Our aim, as you would expect, is for ALL pupils to be in Blazers.
Pupils return to school on Thursday 15 August, for a prompt 8:50 am start, in full school uniform, including all Year Groups in Blazers.
Please read the accompanying file with detail on our school uniform and communication via Show My Homework.
| School Uniform and SMHW |
| Re-negotiation of S5&S6 timetables |
S5 & S6 subject re-negotiation day detail, for Wednesday 7 August, can be found on the accompanying file
Monday 5 August - Congratulations Matthew!
Former School Captain Matthew McCaw just passed his Private Pilot skill test after completing the Initial Flight Training programme over the summer with Tayside Aviation. Matthew now has a little time for a break and hour building before starting his ATPL exams on the October Degree Course.
Well done Matthew - Enjoy the flying! Photographs used with kind permission from Tayside Aviation.
Former School Captain Matthew McCaw just passed his Private Pilot skill test after completing the Initial Flight Training programme over the summer with Tayside Aviation. Matthew now has a little time for a break and hour building before starting his ATPL exams on the October Degree Course.
Well done Matthew - Enjoy the flying! Photographs used with kind permission from Tayside Aviation.
Thursday 1 August - Mrs Costello has been busy presenting at the Nurture UK Summer School Conference in Birmingham. She was showcasing Gryffe’s use of Nurture UK’s Wellbeing Tool-kit as part of the school’s Wellbeing Programme.
Wednesday 31 July - Some Nuclear Physics CPD for some familiar faces last night, at the amazing Jim Al Khalili talk at the SEC Armadillo. Nice to meet former pupil Robbie Wishart, who is doing a PhD in Nuclear Physics at the University of Glasgow and was explaining his work. This was part of the International Nuclear Physics Conference which is held every 3 years.
Monday 15 July - Very well done to S3 pupil Leo Downes, who has achieved a Bronze medal in the TRA Level 3 - Men 13+ Trampoline and Tumbling NDP Finals 2019 Ricoh Arena, Coventry this weekend.
Saturday 6 July - Gryffe High 2018 leavers Ben Telfer, Christopher Willbond & Cameron Baird received their Gold DofE Award from Prince Edward yesterday at Holyrood Palace. Well done!
Wednesday 3 July -The JUly NEWSLETTER, has been uploaded and can be found under the 'NEWS' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Friday 28 June - Huge congratulations to Evie Livingstone (3M). It has just been announced that Evie is a National Finalist in the Inspiring Purpose Awards. Evie was shortlisted from over 18,000 applicants across the country and features in this years, "Inspiring Purpose: Global Citizens in the making" magazine.
Friday 28 June - Well done to Eva Horne in S2 who has thoughtfully raised £520 by getting an amazing 17 inches cut from her hair for the Little Princess Trust. The Little Princess Trust provides real hair wigs free of charge to children and young people that have sadly lost their own hair due to cancer treatment and other illnesses....... link if you wish to support Eva's efforts for the Little Princess Trust:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Kirsty-Horne7?utm_campaign=lc_frp_share_transaction_fundraiser_page_donation_received_-_nth_donation&utm_content=f18e8557-e0a3-4f7b-a9ba-2ac0ba6fc8ea&utm_medium=email&utm_source=postoffice&utm_term=1560887222182&fbclid=IwAR1tMD1ypMHct1PG67KZSQ9XZInAOMR0LLjcXjOOFRMNf3WkJGttCAe3MIo
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Kirsty-Horne7?utm_campaign=lc_frp_share_transaction_fundraiser_page_donation_received_-_nth_donation&utm_content=f18e8557-e0a3-4f7b-a9ba-2ac0ba6fc8ea&utm_medium=email&utm_source=postoffice&utm_term=1560887222182&fbclid=IwAR1tMD1ypMHct1PG67KZSQ9XZInAOMR0LLjcXjOOFRMNf3WkJGttCAe3MIo
Thursday 27 June - Many thanks to everyone who managed to come along to Gryffe High School’s first ever Dance Showcase last night! The talent on show was fantastic and demonstrated the hard work and dedication that our dancers have put in, preparing for the show. With a nice balance of music, singing and dancing, the audience were treated to no less than 27 different acts, with pupils from all year groups. The Dance Show was a team effort that involved multiple departments, pupils and teachers.
Wednesday 26 June - The 'End of Term June letter' to Parents/Carers has just been sent to all via Show My Homework (SMHW), and can also be found on the school website under the 'NEWS' tab, then 'Letters'. It provides detail on: The School Show - Hairspray; Behaviour in the Community; Attendance in the last few days; School Uniform - with all pupils expected to be wearing their Blazer in August 2019; and upcoming priorities/events for August.
Wednesday 26 June - Very exciting news!!! Molly Barry (S6) has just enjoyed a residential week at Scottish Space School at the University of Strathclyde. Of the 100 attending, Molly has been selected to take up one of the much coveted 10 places that will take her to Space School in Houston (that's Texas!). Huge congratulations Molly and very well deserved. Molly is pictured here with our 4 former pupils who have also made it to Houston.
Wednesday 26 June - Enjoy our Hairspray Picture Gallery
https://sway.office.com/EW5uBwFFvxAhk7FH?ref=Link
Monday 24 June - Higher History pupils enjoyed a trip on Friday to the Glasgow Women's Library. Glasgow Women’s Library is the only Accredited Museum in the UK dedicated to women’s lives, histories and achievements. The focus was learning about Women and The Vote.
Thursday 20 June - Following Tuesday and Wednesday 'HAIRSPRAY' nights, tonight's show was incredible. It was a joy to watch so many of our children in full flow and delivering a truly outstanding show - song, laughter, dance and many many many smiling faces. What a performance, with well over 100 pupils and staff involved..... more pictures to follow soon.
Thursday 20 June - Well done to our team who competed in the Scottish Final of the Geography Worldwise Quiz this week. They qualified for the national final having won the regional heat in May. We are extremely proud of their efforts in what was a very tough final.
Thursday 20 June - Naomi is really gathering momentum in her racing, and has recently become the Junior RAF Air Cadets Champion for the Scotland Northern Ireland Region. She through to the RAF Air Cadets Nation Finals on Saturday 22 June in Grantham, Leicestershire.............. we wish her the very best and look forward to hearing how she gets on.
| Parents in Partnership 2019-2020 |
Tuesday 18 June - Parents In Partnership 2019/20 - Gryffe High School are once again offering new S1 parents and carers an exciting opportunity to learn more about their child’s new school and be involved in the lessons they will be taught, by the teachers they will be taught by. Please read the information letter opposite and email Mr Anderson to confirm your place.
Friday 14 June - A fantastic turn out of 170 parents, carers and pupils enjoyed a competitive treasure hunt around Houston followed by refreshments and fun at the Carrick Centre. Thanks to all who made the PTA Treasure Hunt and BBQ such a great night.
Have a look at the photo gallery here - Photos by Tracy McQuillan Photography -
https://sway.office.com/lZjm2laPJhAJfGm3
Have a look at the photo gallery here - Photos by Tracy McQuillan Photography -
https://sway.office.com/lZjm2laPJhAJfGm3
Friday 14 June - The final day of the induction week saw all new S1s and the current S2 participate in a full morning of activities. The Global Goals Event encourages pupils to think about the role that they play within their school, local and global community. The event saw many local businesses, charities, the science community and Renfrewshire Council staff work alongside school staff in delivering an excellent day. The feedback from the 350 young people involved has been very positive and they have clearly had fun being involved in such a wide variety of activities, learning a great deal about how their actions affect the world around them.
Wednesday 12 June - After almost 20 months of planning, the Gryffe High School World Challenge 2019 trip to Bolivia is set to DEPART. The expedition is a trip of a lifetime and we wish all our pupils, and staff, a safe, adventurous and fantastic experience.
'Follow @gryffewc on Twitter for all the latest news from the Teams.'
'Follow @gryffewc on Twitter for all the latest news from the Teams.'
Wednesday 12 June - The Advanced Higher Physics class enjoyed a Particle Physics Masterclass yesterday at the University of Glasgow. They hunted the Higgs with real collider data and explored the fundamental properties of an electron using a 5kV electron beam.
Monday 10 June - The presentation from the P7 Parents' Information Evening can be found under the 'CURRICULUM' tab, then 'Broad General Education'... P7/S1
Parents can use this as a recap, or if you missed the evening it will give you a flavour of the detail that was covered. Please remember your homework - sign up as a Facebook follower, and in August sign up for SMHW (Show My Homework).
Parents can use this as a recap, or if you missed the evening it will give you a flavour of the detail that was covered. Please remember your homework - sign up as a Facebook follower, and in August sign up for SMHW (Show My Homework).
Monday 10 June - It was a busy first day for the New S1 pupils familiarising themselves with all things Gryffe and getting to know their new fellow peers. The day culminated in our 'Freshers Fayre' which gave the opportunity to find out more about the extensive range of clubs, teams and committees on offer to all pupils and inspire them to get involved in something that will develop the skills and personal qualities that they will require for future learning, life and work. Our picture shows just some of the 'older' pupils ready to pass on their knowledge.
Monday 10 June - Our new Pupil Management Group met for their first weekly 8:00 am breakfast meeting. We discussed the format of future meetings, their key roles and responsibilities and the P7 Induction Week. We have high hopes of this team leading key initiatives across the year and ensuring that Gryffe High School continues to offer our pupils exciting opportunities for all to flourish.
Please remember to look at our 'Sports Updates' shown by scrolling down on the right hand column ...... Well done Leo and Caitlin, both winning Silver Medals.
Friday 7 June - Some of our (new) S2 pupils pictured here enjoying the Salter Festival of Chemistry, which was held at the University of Strathclyde yesterday. This group came 3rd in the Soap Bomb Challenge and are receiving their award from Mrs Helyn Gould, Depute Associate Principal of Management Science along with lecturer Dr Jane Essex.
Friday 7 June - Our new S6 pupils start their S6 with a very impressive 'Summer Themed' non uniform day.
Thursday 6 June - It was a joy to see our former S6 pupils enjoying their PROM at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel. The young ladies and gentlemen were looking great in their special outfit, ladies in their gowns and many of the gentlemen in their kilts. A great evening was had by all...... a link to pictures of the evening to follow.
Wednesday 5 June -The JUNE NEWSLETTER, has been uploaded and can be found under the 'NEWS' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Tuesday 4 June - The June letter to Parents/Carers has just been sent to all via Show My Homework (SMHW), and can also be found on the school website under the 'NEWS' tab, then 'Letters'. It provides detail on: Communication; Show My Homework; The School Show - Hairspray; Non-Uniform Day on Friday 7 June; School Uniform - with all pupils expected to be wearing their Blazer in August 2019; PTA Annual Raffle and upcoming priorities/events for June.
Friday 31 May - Today it was the turn of the new S6 pupils to take part in a Leadership Morning, before they embark on their S6 journey of Advanced Highers and Highers. A big part of S6 is also taking on new responsibilities, with an opportunity to be part of the Pupil Management Group.
Thursday 30 May - With their first taste of SQA exams behind them, today saw the new S5 pupils in school for their Induction Day, before embarking on their new timetable of classes tomorrow. Pupils rotated around workshops which included Skills Tasks, My World of Work and Wellbeing. In addition, the new S5 pupils met in smaller groups with new S4 pupils where the S5 pupils reflected on their year and gave some very useful advice to the S4 pupils.
Friday 14 December - Today we supported 'Christmas Jumper Day', with all proceeds going towards 'Save the Children'. Well done to all those who took part, with quite a range of colour on display. Thanks to Euan in S2 for photography. Enjoy our gallery here -
https://sway.office.com/WRKpHzReHMHvKV7F?ref=Link
https://sway.office.com/WRKpHzReHMHvKV7F?ref=Link
Thursday 30 May - The results of the Junior Maths Challenge have just arrived.
60 pupils from S2 and 2 pupils from S1 took part in the competition and they achieved excellent results. There were 3 gold awards for Katie Allison, Andrew Bogan and Phoebe Singer. There were also 10 silver awards and 19 bronze awards for S2 and Arran McGown in S1 also gained a bronze award.
Katie Allison qualified for the next round of the competition (The Kangaroo) later in June. Well done to everyone who took part and good luck to Katie in the Kangaroo.
60 pupils from S2 and 2 pupils from S1 took part in the competition and they achieved excellent results. There were 3 gold awards for Katie Allison, Andrew Bogan and Phoebe Singer. There were also 10 silver awards and 19 bronze awards for S2 and Arran McGown in S1 also gained a bronze award.
Katie Allison qualified for the next round of the competition (The Kangaroo) later in June. Well done to everyone who took part and good luck to Katie in the Kangaroo.
Friday 14 December - Over a hundred excited young people donned their Santa hats and picked up their litter picker as they made their community a little brighter ahead of the festive period. Pupils from Gryffe High, St Fillan’s Primary and Houston Primary took their minds off the upcoming festivities for just a minute as they joined forces to clean up the area around their schools.….. the tall and small taking on the joint responsibility of supporting our local community, all with a smile on their face and a determination to make a difference.
Thursday 13 December - S4 History pupils had a fantastic experience today as they visited the Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre. Many of the pupils loved seeing the actual battlefield and gained a greater understanding of what life would have been like.
Wednesday 12 December - The Christmas Concert was brimming with talent. We are very proud of the many pupils who performed in the concert last night. The audience were treated to a range of instruments and voice including the Pipe Band, Flute Trio and the String Ensemble (with special guests from St. Ninian's High School). Many more pupils helped with sound, technical and backstage. Enjoy our gallery of photos here -
https://sway.office.com/Gl2YFh0v4frik6xe?ref=Link
Watch a video clip of the evening on our YouTube Channel here -
https://youtu.be/otjIJCzSOVk
https://sway.office.com/Gl2YFh0v4frik6xe?ref=Link
Watch a video clip of the evening on our YouTube Channel here -
https://youtu.be/otjIJCzSOVk
Wednesday 12 December - Our S6 Snowball is up and running with our young ladies and gentlemen, all very impressively dressed, thoroughly enjoying themselves ...... along with some staff!!!! More pictures to follow soon.
Thursday 30 May - Several days into our new timetable, the memories of Activities 2019 remain. Barcelona, Lanzarote, Manchester, In Your Element, Scary Scotland, In-School Cakes or London (only listing a few), it was a week of sunshine, activity, friendships, education, adventure and simple enjoyment! Thanks to the pupils for making it a pleasurable experience.
Our full gallery of pictures can be seen here -
https://sway.office.com/B7NbYJXmoKokx9rK?ref=Link
Our full gallery of pictures can be seen here -
https://sway.office.com/B7NbYJXmoKokx9rK?ref=Link
Friday 7 December - Senior Linguists enjoyed SCILT (Scotland's National Centre for Languages) Business Brunch at the Royal Concert Hall this week. Business Brunch events aim to take learners on an exciting journey exploring a variety of inspirational presentations. These opportunities help gain a deeper understanding of why successful employers view languages as a key skill in today’s globalised world.
Friday 7 December - S4 pupils are pictured here with Sarah, the head of Citizenship. These are just a fraction of the shoes that were collected this morning for our UNICEF Shoe Share Appeal run in conjunction with Clarks Shoes. Thank you for such a fantastic response. Clarks have been working in partnership with UNICEF since 2008, supporting the education of vulnerable children by raising money through shoe donations. You can still donate old or unwanted shoes on Monday.
Friday 7 December - Gryffe High School hosted the Renfrewshire School Captains' Conference today, where the key young leaders of our schools shared effective practice with each other. Each pairing of Captains gave a presentation on key focus areas within their school and then there was discussion around their role as School Captains, the challenges they face and how they have led improvements within their own school. A very impressive grouping of young ladies and gentlemen.
Friday 7 December - Higher Business Management pupils enjoyed taking part in the Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce Networking lunch accompanied by Mrs Hadden. They learned about Business Networking as well as hearing about how University of the West of Scotland operates as a business from Principal and Vice Chancellor, Professor Craig Mahoney. Official Photograph courtesy of Kieran Chambers Photography
Friday 7 December - S2 pupil Olivia MacCormack (far right in the picture) is one of a trio who has achieved selection to represent Scotland in the 2019 Junior World Cheerleading Championships scheduled to be held in April 2019 at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Florida USA. As Vice-Captain of the team, Olivia has had to dedicate many hours a week to training. This commitment will build up as April approaches. Very well done Olivia. We look forward to hearing all about your adventures in Florida.
Friday 7 December - Gryffe Eco Committee are proud to announce the arrival of their 2nd Green Flag. This is a well deserved award for the Committee who have worked tirelessly to raise the profile of Eco issues in and around the school.
Monday 27 May - Well done to Matthew in S1 who completed the Junior 5k at the Edinburgh Marathon Festival on Saturday. Matthew raised £455 for Glasgow Children's Hospital in memory of a 4 year old boy, Rayhan Majid, who sadly passed away last year after fighting a brain tumour.
Monday 27 May - During the month of May, we have welcomed over 100 P7/S1 parents who have been enjoying learning about all areas of Wellbeing within Gryffe. Our final event on Wednesday 22 May, was a series of parental workshops delivered by both external partners and pupils! Look out for more information in the June newsletter.
Tuesday 4 December - Pupils from the Advanced Higher Modern Studies class enjoyed a fantastic and educational tour of Greenock Prison Today. Thanks to Prison Officer Chris and all of the prisoners we spoke to. The rest of the class are looking forward to their visit.
| Departmental Additional Study Support as of October 2018 |
| Childhood Infectious Diseases Letter Oct 2018 |
Thursday 29 November - What a night......the PTA Christmas Fayre 2018 was a real success. A huge thank you to the PTA, Pupils, Parents and Staff as well as the vast range of stallholders who supported the night in any way. Thanks also to our guest, Scottish Internationalist Jo Love. The girls' football team were delighted to meet and chat with her. Enjoy our picture gallery below -
https://sway.office.com/VYpPlehRfxEcFUJb?ref=Link
https://sway.office.com/VYpPlehRfxEcFUJb?ref=Link
Monday 20 May - All S1 to S3 pupils are looking forward to Activities 2019, which starts tomorrow. Barcelona, Holland, Lanzarote, London, Paris, Fishing, Scary Scotland, and Ultimate Experience just to name a few, as well as In-School Activities. Some of the Residential Trips are already at their destination. First in with photographs is the Lanzarote trip. Enjoy!
Friday 17 May - The PTA are organising a Treasure Hunt and BBQ to take place on Friday 14 June 2019. Tickets cost £5 per person and include treasure hunt sheet and food. Please complete the pre-registration sheet and food order form and return with money to the school office in an envelope marked Treasure Hunt PTA as soon as possible and by Friday 31 May at the latest to help with catering.
Wednesday 28 November - Our ShoeShare campaign is being launched this week in school, our local primaries and local churches. Unicef and Clarks ShoeShare partnership raises funds, through shoe donations, to support children around the world to go to school. On Friday 7 December we will be collecting unwanted Shoes. All shoes should be in a reasonable condition. The shoes donated can be for any age group. The more shoes we collect the more money we can raise to support education around the world.
| PTA Treasure Hunt & BBQ Friday 14 June 2019 |
Friday 17 May - Tickets for our school show, Hairspray (Tuesday 18th, Wednesday 19th, Thursday 20th June at 7pm) are now on sale from the school office! If you have not yet bought yours, get them soon! Closing night is already almost sold out.
Friday 17 May - What a fantastic array of skills displayed by our S3 Tourism Apprentice Challenge Finalists this morning. Presenting in front of your year group and a panel of judges can be daunting but they rose to the challenge and impressed, well done all! Thank you to our judges; Ms Higgins from the University of Strathclyde, Mrs Bartholome from Prestwick Academy and our very own Mr O Hare - merci/gracias!
Wednesday 28 November - Thanks to the Violence Reduction Unit for visiting the Advanced Higher Modern Studies class today to answer our questions on tackling crime. Great information for our dissertations.
Monday 26 November - We now have 1200 Followers on Twitter! Are you following @GryffeHighSch for all the latest news and updates?
| Parent Council Agenda June 2019 |
Monday 26 November - Please come along and support the PTA Christmas Fayre - This Wednesday 28th November at 6.30pm. We are DELIGHTED to let you know that Scottish International football Midfielder Jo Love will be joining us on Wednesday to help out with the raffle!
Parent Council Meetings - At the last Parent Council Meeting there were discussions around a variety of school focus areas - The presentation given can be found under the school website 'PARTNERSHIPS' tab, under Parent Council and PTA. Details of the meeting can also be found in each copy of our monthly Newsletter, page 2.
The draft Agenda for our next meeting, on Monday 3 June at 7:00 pm is shown. Please feel free to come to our meetings and help us discuss our school priorities and ways of making improvement.
The draft Agenda for our next meeting, on Monday 3 June at 7:00 pm is shown. Please feel free to come to our meetings and help us discuss our school priorities and ways of making improvement.
Tuesday 14 May - Great to see S1 out and about in their Blazers enjoying the sunshine, before they move on to become the new S2 on Tuesday 28 May. Thanks to Euan in S1, who is in the Media Team for capturing them so well on camera.
Friday 23 November - Today marked the end of a busy 'Book Week Scotland' with the theme 'Heroes and Villains'. Thanks to Miss Lawson and the English Department for organising this. Enjoy our gallery here...
https://sway.office.com/gUUbxiJWGKgGKGn1?ref=Link
https://sway.office.com/gUUbxiJWGKgGKGn1?ref=Link
Tuesday 14 May - A sunny day in Houston provided the ideal setting for this year's School Athletics Championships. 142 pupils competed in the Pentathlon event. Results have now been collated.
Winners for each category are -
S1 Girls - Ellie Nayar S1 Boys - Harry Provan
S2 Girls - Evie Livingstone S2 Boys - John-Mark Kermath
S3 Girls - Amelia Shields S3 Boys - Alex Gray
Winners for each category are -
S1 Girls - Ellie Nayar S1 Boys - Harry Provan
S2 Girls - Evie Livingstone S2 Boys - John-Mark Kermath
S3 Girls - Amelia Shields S3 Boys - Alex Gray
Friday 23 November - The first round of the Gryffe Valley’s Rotary Club’s Young Chef Competition took place in Gryffe High last night. Huge congratulations to S2 pupil Phoebe Singer who won this first round of the competition. She now progresses through to the District final in January.
Wednesday 8 May -The MAY NEWSLETTER, has been uploaded and can be found under the 'NEWS' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Wednesday 21 November - Massive thank you to Stephen Strong who came to chat to the Advanced Higher Modern Studies class about being a Prison Officer. Great information for our essays and dissertations.
Tuesday 20 November - Pupil Voice - 'An extremely productive meeting was held today with some S4/5s regarding the School Improvement Plan and the ways that this can be promoted and developed. Mr Johnson and Mrs Brown discussed some excellent points raised by pupils in the meeting chaired by School Captain, Shaun.'
Wednesday 8 May - It is going to be an exciting night tonight for S1 pupil Caleb Murray as he makes his debut performance in 'The Magic Flute' with Scottish Opera at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. Caleb will be on tour with Scottish Opera and be part of performances in various venues in Scotland, as well as London and Belfast. Photograph credit James Glossop.
Wednesday 8 May - Nice to see that School Captain Matthew McCaw is still flying high as he begins a 12 week flying course with Tayside Aviation. Best of luck Matthew with your new venture.
| PTA Treasure Hunt |
Tuesday 20 November - Lots of excitement this week in the English department for Book Week Scotland and we are decking our halls! Who belongs to which door?...
Friday 16 November - The English Department are looking forward to Book Week Scotland (starting on Monday 19th November). Deadline for creative writing competition is this Monday. Pupils can come along to our heroes and villains quiz next Friday (23rd Nov) at lunchtime. Remember pupils can dress as their favourite hero or villain on Friday too. Happy reading!
Wednesday 1 May - Please support the PTA in their upcoming Treasure Hunt and BBQ event on Friday 14 June. Full information and a return can be found in the attached letter from PTA Chair Mrs Sheila McHarg. Look out for copies of this letter coming home. Remember also to get your Raffle Tickets back into school as the draw will also take place at this event.
Friday 16 November - Enjoy our Photo Gallery and Video of 2 recent events -
Confucius Launch - https://sway.office.com/X5EBxWfRc8iIcQZS?ref=Link
and
MADD Show - https://sway.office.com/isgDG6U99Gx6tEaV?ref=Link
Confucius Launch - https://sway.office.com/X5EBxWfRc8iIcQZS?ref=Link
and
MADD Show - https://sway.office.com/isgDG6U99Gx6tEaV?ref=Link
Tuesday 30 April - TO ALL PARENTS / CARERS - We are looking for any feedback that you have regarding the Learning Diaries and if there is anything you would like to see or find useful for next year. Please help us by completing our very short survey using the following link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9ZVCR3W
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9ZVCR3W
Tuesday 30 April - The music department organised a trip to the Edinburgh Playhouse to see the musical “Matilda”. Here is a mini review from some S2 pupils. 'The play as a whole was fulfilling and interpreted the story of Matilda into a more theatrical and creative performance. The quirky music and amazing set design made the play stand out from any others from this decade. The young actors on stage delivered the performance with powerful voices that left us blown away with their bravery, as they are so young but delivered the performance to such a high standard. We recommend this musical to all families with the itch to be entertained and be inspired.'
Thursday 15 November - Another great week with the Senior Linguists, who have been building links in the Community by teaching Spanish in a local Care Home. The notice board in the Care Home is filling up and staff are doing a great job of encouraging practice of our new words between weekly visits.
Monday 29 April - Today Gryffe hosted Renfrewshire Council's Fairtrade Steering Group Meeting. Thank you to everyone that attended including local councillors, Rainbow Turtle, Just Trading Scotland (JTS), Mary Russell School and members of local Fairtrade groups.
Thursday 15 November - #AntiBullyingWeek2018 Our Anti-Bullying Pledge has been created by pupils and staff and is now on display in every classroom throughout the school.
Wednesday 14 November - Our team of four pupils: Laura Workman, Jack Young (S5) and Ruadhri McDougall, Jenny Hall (S6), participated in the regional heat of the Senior Team Maths Challenge, held in UWS (Paisley). The team performed very well, achieving 5th place from a total of 27 schools taking part. Well done!!
Sunday 28 April - RECORD ALERT - CALLUM HAWKINS SETS NEW MARATHON MARK! What a moment in London for CALLUM HAWKINS as he lands a new Scottish National Marathon Record in London.
The Kilbarchan AAC athlete clocked 2.08.14 for 10th place and a silver medal in the British Champs.
That outstripped the 2.09.16 set by Allister Hutton in London in 1985 and stood as the Scottish record for fully 34 years.
Callum has also stamped his ticket for the World Champs in Doha later in the year and firmly put behind him the agony of Australia a year ago.
His own PB prior to today had been 2.10.17 at London 2017.
Many congratulations to Callum, his family and coach Robert on a superb performance in London! We have used the above picture with kind permission from Scottish Athletics.
The Kilbarchan AAC athlete clocked 2.08.14 for 10th place and a silver medal in the British Champs.
That outstripped the 2.09.16 set by Allister Hutton in London in 1985 and stood as the Scottish record for fully 34 years.
Callum has also stamped his ticket for the World Champs in Doha later in the year and firmly put behind him the agony of Australia a year ago.
His own PB prior to today had been 2.10.17 at London 2017.
Many congratulations to Callum, his family and coach Robert on a superb performance in London! We have used the above picture with kind permission from Scottish Athletics.
Saturday 27 April - S2 pupil Olivia MacCormack, gave fantastic performances competing in 'The Cheerleading and Dance World Championships' in Orlando this week. Team Scotland Junior came 8th in the world and Team Scotland Senior finished 12th in the world. Olivia was part of both teams. How amazing is that!
Tuesday 13 November - Anti-Bullying Coaches and Mr Christie started National Anti-Bullying Week by delivering assemblies to all year groups yesterday. Pupils then went back to class and had group discussion with their teacher about particular statements/actions that could be considered as bullying. The focus this week is talking about bullying as behaviour and the impact this can have. Many more events to come throughout the week.
Tuesday 23 April - We had an Awards night, with Pizza and Pakora, for pupils who have recently achieved their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. This is the first batch of 45 pupils, with another batch of 36 just having to update and finalise some of their volunteering detail. Well done to all the pupils. We are currently looking at dates now for those pupils who wish to move on to the Silver Award.
We are also looking to launch detail for our new Bronze cohort in either June or August.
We are also looking to launch detail for our new Bronze cohort in either June or August.
Thursday 18 April - Some of our S2 pupils out litter picking this afternoon in order to ensure a litter free start to the Easter Holiday long weekend.
We wish you a very Happy Easter, hopefully in lovely sunshine.
We wish you a very Happy Easter, hopefully in lovely sunshine.
Monday 12 November - Gryffe Pupil Voice - 'It was an honour to represent the school in Paisley yesterday to remember those who died in wars and conflicts throughout history and to commemorate the centenary year of the end of the First World War.' - School Captains Shaun and Matthew. S6 pupil James Holmes also laid a wreath on behalf of Paisley Sea Cadets. Photos used with kind permission from 'Paisley Online'
Thursday 18 April - The sun shone at the right time today for our S1, S2 and some S6 pupils to walk to Freeland Church in Bridge of Weir for their Easter Service. Rev. Kenneth Gray and Rev. Hanneke Marshall led the service, with pupils helping out and also providing beautiful music.
Thursday 18 April - Very well done to the pupils who received Awards at our annual Awards Ceremony last night. More than 550 awards were presented for a vast range of both academic and wider achievement, with the main focus on pupils excelling in giving their best. Guests presenting the awards were former Head Girl and Boy, Emma Harper and Calum Sheils, as well as Mr Steven Quinn Acting Director of Education / Chief Education Officer Children Services. We are extremely proud of ALL of our pupils.
Have a look at our Awards Ceremony Gallery https://sway.office.com/BfRQCut2yPr7jOEN?ref=Link
Have a look at our Awards Ceremony Gallery https://sway.office.com/BfRQCut2yPr7jOEN?ref=Link
Wednesday 17 April - For parents/carers attending tonight's Awards Ceremony we would ask that you please remember to bring your tickets with you. With this being such a busy night we will need to ask all parents/carers without a ticket to queue until others with a ticket are seated. At 6:50pm we will allow all in on the understanding that the seating availability may be limited.
Friday 9 November - Our thanks to Rev. Hanneke Marshall who helped with our Remembrance Assemblies, in conjunction with History Ambassadors and the music department. To mark the 100th anniversary of the Armistice, Gryffe History went 'Live' with their Senior assembly. You can catch up with it on the link below (watch from 1min 10s). It was also a 'Wear it Red' day to commemorate Remembrance, with all donations going to 'Poppy Scotland'.
https://twitter.com/GryffeHistory/status/1060847326221131776
https://twitter.com/GryffeHistory/status/1060847326221131776
| Uniform and Blazers in all year groups for August 2019 |
Thursday 8 November - Should you wish to join us, on-line, to commemorate and reflect on 100 years since the armistice was called then take a look at Gryffe High History (@GryffeHistory):
https://twitter.com/GryffeHistory?s=09
https://twitter.com/GryffeHistory?s=09
Wednesday 17 April - Please read the attached letter which gives some detail regarding the measuring of Blazers for current S2, S3 and S4 pupils during lunchtime, and periods 6 and 7, tomorrow Thursday 18 April.
The letter has also been sent out to all parents/carers via Show My Homework
The letter has also been sent out to all parents/carers via Show My Homework
Thursday 8 November - MADD - Music Art Dance and Drama - (or it could be Marvellous Amazing Delightful and packed with Dedication!). From start to finish last night, the audience were treated to a highly skilled and colourful performance from a huge number of very talented pupils. The Confucius theme continued from during the day. The artwork on display was absolutely fabulous. Very well done to all involved in any way.
Tuesday 16 April - S1 to S3 pupils were treated to an inspirational guest this afternoon in their House Assemblies.
Former pupil Brett Wild is a submariner for the Royal Navy. Brett has been given time to be a guide for skier Millie Knight and they won 2 Silver medals and a Bronze medal at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. This was in the Downhill, Super-G and Slalom. Brett brought his medals in for pupils to see and he also gave pupils some very good advice about maximising the opportunity that they have at Gryffe.
Brett has realised his dream and inspires all pupils to do the same.
Former pupil Brett Wild is a submariner for the Royal Navy. Brett has been given time to be a guide for skier Millie Knight and they won 2 Silver medals and a Bronze medal at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. This was in the Downhill, Super-G and Slalom. Brett brought his medals in for pupils to see and he also gave pupils some very good advice about maximising the opportunity that they have at Gryffe.
Brett has realised his dream and inspires all pupils to do the same.
Thursday 8 November - S6 pupil Molly Speir is BEAMING today. Molly very ably compered the MADD show yesterday and sang a brilliant version of the Belle and Sebastian song 'Best Friend'. It turned out that the wife of the drummer in the band was actually at the MADD show. She was so impressed by their version that she came in this morning and presented Molly with a fully signed album from the band.
Listen to a wee clip of her song here -
https://www.facebook.com/gryffehighschool/videos/351464108937833/
Listen to a wee clip of her song here -
https://www.facebook.com/gryffehighschool/videos/351464108937833/
Wednesday 7 November - Today we welcomed partners from the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools and the Scottish Schools Football Association joining us for the launch of our Confucius Specialist Hub. Our guests enjoyed watching Futsal, Jianzi and a preview of tonight's MADD show....
https://www.facebook.com/gryffehighschool/posts/2244240119144217
https://www.facebook.com/gryffehighschool/posts/2244240119144217
The school will have a new telephone number from Tuesday 2 April 2019. The new number is 0300 300 1323. The old number will operate as normal for a few days after 2 April but will be removed thereafter so please use the new 0300 number.
Tuesday 6 November - Watch as our own S6 pupil Eve Grant interviews the one and only Benedict Cumberbatch! Lucky girl!
'The Grinch' film will be released this week and Eve travelled to London to interview the voice of the Grinch himself with 'Get into Film'.
https://youtu.be/NkWhpgd_itA
'The Grinch' film will be released this week and Eve travelled to London to interview the voice of the Grinch himself with 'Get into Film'.
https://youtu.be/NkWhpgd_itA
Wednesday 27 March - S4 Youth and Philanthropy Initiative finalists battled it out today in a bid to win £3000 for their chosen charity. The winners, from a strong field, represented the Ubuntu Women Shelter. Congratulations to Simran, Esme, Aliya and Catherine in the winning team. Well done to all involved and thank you to our judging panel - what a difficult decision to make!
| Letter to Parents-Carers of pupils in S4 S5 S6 regarding Study Leave starting Monday 29 April 2019 |
Tuesday 6 November - Well done to Milly Devine in S5 for taking the time to produce such wonderful photographs of the exterior of the school.
Exterior Gryffe High School Autumn 2018
Exterior Gryffe High School Autumn 2018
Tuesday 26 March - Attached is a letter for S4, S5 & S6 Parents/Carers regarding SQA Examination Study Leave. The first day of Study Leave for all 3 year groups will be Monday 29 April.
Friday 22 March - As part of the preparations for their upcoming trip to Bolivia in June, World Challengers yesterday completed a fitness test to ensure that they are fit for travel. Mr Johnson, who was not only keen to support the pupils taking part, but also not one to pass-up on a challenge (presented to him by one of the S5 pupils) also took part. Let’s just say that said S5 pupil may think twice about challenging again!!
Well done to all pupils. The Countdown to expedition is well and truly on with less than 12 weeks until departure.
Well done to all pupils. The Countdown to expedition is well and truly on with less than 12 weeks until departure.
Thursday 21 March - The video compilation of the Spring Concert has now been added on the school YouTube channel. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/eOW_5KWMd-w
https://youtu.be/eOW_5KWMd-w
Friday 2 November - We are delighted to announce that we have won the Renfrewshire Fairtrade trophy for the 3rd time. Our pupils are thrilled that their efforts to promote Fairtrade have been recognised and this will continue to motivate them to raise awareness of Fairtrade both in school and in our wider community. We also extend our congratulations to Todholm Primary School who win in their category.
Wednesday 20 March - The Glasgow Herald School League Tables were published today, with Gryffe High School placed 7th equal within their Top 50 State Schools. Our S5 pupil attainment at Higher Level placed us in the top 3 schools in Scotland. As a school we are proud of the attainment of our pupils, and equally of their many significant achievements, some of which were evident at last night's Spring Concert. The attainment tables are only one reflection on the success of our school, as we are very proud of the significant achievements of all our pupils. We aim to enhance the Attainment and Achievements of each and every pupil and hold true to our focus on:
CARING - LEARNING - ACHIEVING
CARING - LEARNING - ACHIEVING
Wednesday 20 March - All S1 to S3 pupils took part in very informative Knife Crime Awareness Assemblies today, delivered by PC Gordon Aitken of Police Scotland and Paramedic Brian Forbes of Special Operations Response Team (SORT). Pupil feedback has been very positive.
Wednesday 20 March - Pupil talent was brimming in last night's Spring Concert with bagpipes, Concert Band, Jazz Band, String Ensemble, Guitars, Young Musician Winners, Senior Vocalists, Hairspray and the Choir. The audience sat back, relaxed and enjoyed! Well done to everyone involved, not forgetting all the pupils who worked behind the scenes.
Check out our full gallery here -
https://sway.office.com/DRdWE7dJUyxXYphG?ref=Link
Video to follow.
Check out our full gallery here -
https://sway.office.com/DRdWE7dJUyxXYphG?ref=Link
Video to follow.
Wednesday 31 October - S1 and S6 thoroughly enjoyed a fundraising Halloween Event during period 4 today. S6 pupils organised a variety of Halloween themed party games. There was a fantastic range of costumes on display, including from staff with the Music and Modern Languages Faculty taking the prize for best dressed staff. All proceeds from the event will go towards the school’s nominated charity, The Beatson.
Wednesday 31 October - Our new Anti-Bullying Coaches (S1-S5) presented to all staff today during October’s Sharing Effective Practice meeting. All pupils delivered a confident and well informed presentation. Their goal is to create a culture within Gryffe where bullying cannot thrive.
Tuesday 19 March - Pamper Night 22 March cancelled .
On behalf of the PTA, I regret to inform pupils and parents that due to very poor ticket sales we have taken the decision to cancel this event.
I would like to thank local salons and therapists from DIVAH SALON ,SO Beauty Lounge & Julie Devine Hair And Tan as well as students from West College Scotland for their support alongside the many artisan gift Vendors who had pledged to come along on Friday evening . If you had purchased tickets please visit the school office for a refund .
Sheila McHarg, PTA Chair
On behalf of the PTA, I regret to inform pupils and parents that due to very poor ticket sales we have taken the decision to cancel this event.
I would like to thank local salons and therapists from DIVAH SALON ,SO Beauty Lounge & Julie Devine Hair And Tan as well as students from West College Scotland for their support alongside the many artisan gift Vendors who had pledged to come along on Friday evening . If you had purchased tickets please visit the school office for a refund .
Sheila McHarg, PTA Chair
Wednesday 31 October - Please see the detail below which provides information on some of the additional support offered to S4, S5 & S6 pupils by subject Departments and staff. This detail is changeable - for any further detail then please contact Ms Dhesi, Principal Teacher Attainment
Tuesday 30 October - Tickets on sale now for Gryffe High School's MADD Show 2018. Come along and experience a fabulous display of art and performance celebrating Chinese culture and the launch of The Confucius Hub.
Monday 18 March - Huge congratulations to S3 pupil Matthew Sweeney who represented Gryffe High School at the 2019 British Schools Judo Championships in Sheffield and won GOLD! This was in his category of U66kg. Amazing news Matthew - very well done!
Check out a wee video clip of Matthew in action here - https://www.facebook.com/gryffehighschool/videos/2278648699062422
Check out a wee video clip of Matthew in action here - https://www.facebook.com/gryffehighschool/videos/2278648699062422
Monday 18 March - Alan Cameron from ‘Soundtrap’ visited our S3 music classes last week to demonstrate the online composing tool Soundtrap; a collaboration platform for making music online. Our S3 pupils were engaged and thoroughly enjoyed the enthusiastic presentation. We look forward to working with Soundtrap over the coming months and to hearing some fantastic compositions from our pupils.
Tuesday 30 October - Childhood Infectious Diseases. Please see the letter below containing important information for Parents/Carers. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Departmental Additional Study Support for SQA Examinations
| SQA Study Support |
Wednesday 13 March - We welcomed Mrs Liz Fairbairn to the school this morning to present REHIS Awards. Mrs Fairbairn works closely with the HFT Department on The Rotary Young Chef Competition. Thirty five S3 pupils successfully completed The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland Elementary Qualification. Well done to them all!
Wednesday 13 March - Our Junior and Senior Pupil Councils met this morning to discuss progress over the session. Led by School Captains Shaun and Matthew, they discussed actions from previous Pupil Council meetings as well as from the weekly Pupil Management meetings. Potential focuses were highlighted to take forward for the remainder of this session and into next. Well done to all that have contributed to the Pupil Council this session, meetings have been highly productive with pupils using the opportunity to voice their opinions.
Tuesday 12 March - Pupils from 1M tried their skills working with BBC iReporter today in Social Subjects. BBC have launched a simulation where pupils pretend to post on the BBC Live feed. They are ranked on their speed, accuracy and impact for their contributions. As you can see, they were quite engrossed in the task and really enjoyed the challenge.
Monday 11 March - To all year groups - We do our best to keep up with the many sporting achievements of our pupils and would like to recognise these achievements at our Annual Awards Ceremony in April. We are keen to ensure that no-one is overlooked in this respect. Please let Mr. O'Hare know by emailing the school (for his attention) on gryffehighenquiries@renfrewshire.gov.uk if you have either been an Internationalist or have been a Winner at National Level in your sport in the past year. Please include brief details of the achievement. Thank you.
Friday 8 March - Today we celebrated International Women’s Day. Well done to head of Citizenship Sarah White, who led an S6 assembly on gender equality and organised a stall in support of Glasgow Women's Aid
Thursday 7 March - Our Junior Young Musician final took place yesterday with our Senior pupils being the audience and Mr Andrew Laird adjudicating. All pupils performed with accuracy and flair, demonstrating a very high standard for this category. Finalists were Josiah Kennedy S2, Amy Spearing S1 and Lucy James S2. Amy took the title of Junior Young Musician of the Year. Very well done to all our finalists.
Thursday 7 March - We were delighted to welcome 'Scotland’s Police Officer of the Year' in today to Modern Studies, to answer questions with National 5 and Advanced Higher pupils. Constable Kirsty Boyd - known locally simply as 'PC Kirsty' is a Gryffe parent and former pupil.
Thursday 7 March - S2 pupils visited Houston Primary School today to help with the P6 Bridge Building challenge. The pupils had a great time and were fantastic at helping with the challenge! The parents, pupils and teachers were full of praise. Well done to everyone!
Thursday 7 March - Some pupils from the Citizenship Committee visited Mary Russell School today to hear a talk from the Managing Director of the Sholi Coffee Cooperative in Rwanda, Aimable Nshimiye. We learned about the coffee growing process and the benefits Fairtrade brings to the producers. This is all part of Fairtrade Fortnight events.
Wednesday 6 March -The MARCH NEWSLETTER, has been uploaded and can be found under the 'NEWS' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Wednesday 6 March - Euan, Max, Robbie (S1) and Ellie, Euan, Luke and Peter (S2) are working hard this morning as part of Gryffe Media Team meeting their lunchtime deadline for BBC Young Reporter News Day. The finished version of the Media Team's work can be viewed on our school Youtube Channel here -
https://youtu.be/7RXzqeSV59w
https://youtu.be/7RXzqeSV59w
Tuesday 5 March - Ten of our S2 pupils (balloted from pupils who indicated an interest in the event) attended a STEM event at West College Scotland in Paisley today. The day included interactive workshops, speakers and role models within the STEM sector. Pupils enjoyed participating in the challenges and a great day was had by all.
Date for your Diary - Spring Concert
Tuesday 19 March 7:00 pm
Get your tickets from the school office - £3 / £2
Friday 1 March - Excellent news from the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships tonight at the Emirates Arena for Caleb, Sarah and Grace. Caleb's Kilbarchan AAC team took SILVER - very well done!!! The girls also had a fantastic run and their team came in a close 5th. There was also SILVER at Senior Level for S5 pupil Matthew Cliff as part of the U17 Boys Relay Team. A great experience for them and a chance to meet many other athletes.
Friday 1 March - S3 pupils were introduced to their tourism Apprentice Challenge yesterday. A lot of motivational words to get the thoughts going - watch this space over the next 8 weeks.
Friday 1 March - Another highly competitive Fairtrade Bake Off today. Well done to this year’s winners: Rebecca, Isla, Kaylyn, Isla and Emily. Thanks to Gemma from Rainbow Turtle for being our guest judge.
View our gallery of Bake Off photos here -
https://sway.office.com/hBsTnaUNYma0gvpD?ref=Link
View our gallery of Bake Off photos here -
https://sway.office.com/hBsTnaUNYma0gvpD?ref=Link
Friday 1 March - S3 and S4 pupils Steven Barclay, Shaun Lynch, Alex McKay, Fox Harris and Gregor Hewitt attended the British Schools Karting Championship this week. The two teams from Gryffe competed against three other schools across Scotland in 10 minute races. Great fun was had by all! And some good finishes too.
Wednesday 27 February - We held our S2 Parents in Partnership ‘Re-Connect’ event today. This brought together our group from the PIP initiative in 2017/18. The event focused on the S2 options process with inputs from a number of staff to promote the wealth of information available to parents and pupils regarding their subject choices. Mr Anderson and Mr Findlay would like to thank the parents for attending, as well as the staff who presented to the group!
Wednesday 27 February - S1 pupils, Caleb Murray, Sarah Lyle and Grace McColgan were involved in the Relay Races at the Emirates Arena and their teams qualified for the European Championships that will also be held there this weekend. This is an amazing achievement. Caleb will be part of the U13 Boys team and Sarah and Grace U13 Girls team. They will all now be taking part in the Final of the 4 x 200m Club Relay on the evening of Friday 1st March. This event has been included in the programme of the opening night of the European Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 2019. We wish them all the very best, but no matter what, qualifying is a great achievement in itself.
Friday 22 February - Pupil Voice would like to say a massive well done to our fantastic House Captains for organising all of our events this week! And thank you to all the pupils who participated throughout the week! Today we had a busy lunchtime Karaoke and then House photographs.
Wednesday 20 February - The RMPS Higher class went to the Central Gurdwara in Glasgow yesterday to deepen their understanding of Sikhism. We were given an excellent tour and were invited to have a meal in the community kitchen (langar).
Tuesday 19 February - This is House Week and to celebrate the House System and raise money for the House Day out in June, there will be several house events taking place. Today, pupils and staff enjoyed 'The Chase' Quiz show in the Theatre and tomorrow (Wed) there will be Bubble Football in the Games Hall. There will be a Harry Potter Quiz in the Library on Thursday and Karaoke in the Theatre on Friday. Remember that this Friday is also a House Colours non-uniform day, with a suggested donation of £1
Wednesday 13 February - Thanks to Shaun Sweeney, World Challenge Team, who provided a splendid, healthy lunch for staff today to raise funds for the trip in June. The lunch tied in well with Health and Wellbeing Activities that staff took part in just before lunch. The In-Service day started with an interactive session on 'Teacher Led Improvement' with Mr Ian Fraser, followed by a presentation and discussion groups on 'Promoting Positive Relationships'. The rest of the day was spent in Departmental Development work for CfE and National Courses.
Friday 8 February - A group of 21 S3-6 pupils from the Design & Technology subjects attended Houston Primary School to help with the P7 technology challenge. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed participating in the various tasks and the Houston Primary School pupils were very appreciative of the help!
A great time was had by all.
A great time was had by all.
Thursday 7 February - Lucy Anderson 2Fm, has been working tirelessly to support her mum Catherine in raising money. This is to help fund future treatment to help her mum who sadly has cancer. Lucy took part in the fashion show at the ladies afternoon tea in December which raised £4,800. She also participated in the super spin day in January which raised £1,700. Lucy is now training to run 5k in April as a running event is being organised around the local villages. Lucy’s mum said ‘Lucy is a great support to me and works hard to help raise money.’ Very well done Lucy.
Wednesday 6 February -The FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER, has been uploaded and can be found under the 'NEWS' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Tuesday 5 February - S3 Geographers had an amazing opportunity to meet Scottish wildlife and expedition documentary cameraman Doug Allan. They learned all about his work in the Antarctic and Arctic, and the impact that climate change is having on these regions.
Friday 1 February -The Senior Phase Options Booklet has been uploaded and can be found under the 'CURRICULUM' tab, then 'Senior Phase'.
Friday 1 February - It is Van de Graaff time for S2, who have been learning about Electricity and Energy.
Thanks Catriona for being a willing volunteer!
Thanks Catriona for being a willing volunteer!
Friday 1 February - Excited for the start of LGBT history month. Posters have been put up around the school today. The committee will be running several events and assemblies throughout February.
Friday 1 February - S3 Geography have been revising coastal landforms - making models of how a headland can be reduced to a stump over time, using cake. At the end of the lesson there was very swift erosion of cake happening as their models were consumed!
Thursday 31 January - Iain Milne (4W) recently raised the sum of £2000 in aid of The Beatson Cancer Charity. Iain accomplished this through a sponsored bike ride around Millport that he completed with his family. What a fantastic achievement, well done Iain!
Thursday 31 January - Fantastic news for Lara Cabrera-Myram in S4! She has just achieved selection for the 27-strong Team GB for the Sarajevo 2019 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival. Lara will be Snowboarding. An amazing achievement. Very well done Lara!
https://twitter.com/TeamGB/status/1090555498653499393
https://twitter.com/TeamGB/status/1090555498653499393
Thursday 31 January - We are very proud of Shaun Sweeney (who happens to be one of our School Captains) representing Gryffe High School in Strasbourg this week with Euroscola; what an opportunity to have an immersive experience in the Chamber of the European Parliament. Follow the group’s journey:
https://blog.articulate-languagecamps.com
https://blog.articulate-languagecamps.com
Thursday 31 January - As part of the Advanced Higher Chemistry course, S6 pupils visited the Chemistry Department at the University of Strathclyde yesterday. The pupils were there to carry out analysis techniques on Organic samples that they had already synthesised in school. This provides the pupils with very useful information, necessary for their SQA Project.
Tuesday 29 January - Thanks to our visitors from the Department for International Development for coming to the Modern Studies department today to discuss their work and career options with the Higher course.
Monday 28 January - The presentation given this evening at the S4 into S5, S5 into S6 Options Information Evening can be found under the tab 'CURRICULUM', then 'Senior Phase'
Saturday 26 January - I would like to remind all Parents/Carers, as stated in the letter of Friday 11 January, that we are using Show My Homework for issuing all key information. An 'Events' notice has just been sent to Parents/Carers of S4 and S5 pupils with a reminder about our S4 into S5, S5 into S6, Parents/Carers Options Information Evening.
Friday 25 January - Wishing S2 pupils Keira McGarvey, Hannah McLarnon, Amy Anthony and Elisa Terra the very best of luck with their entry to the CyberFirst Girls Competition. Calling themselves Team 'Gryffe Graingers', the girls have worked tirelessly giving up all of their lunchtimes to work in ICT. They have also been working at home to move through the stages of the competition. The online competition aims to provide a fun but challenging environment to encourage and inspire the next generation of young women to consider computer science as an option with a view to a future career in cyber security.
Thursday 24 January - Well done to Phoebe Singer, S2, who participated in the District Final of the Young Chef Competition yesterday at South Lanarkshire College, East Kilbride. Phoebe had won the qualifying round of the Gryffe Valley’s Rotary Club’s Young Chef Competition that took place in Gryffe High last November. Phoebe planned, costed, prepared and presented three courses in two hours.
~Menu~
Carrot and Orange Soup served with Irish Soda Bread
Caramelised Baked Chicken served with Rice and Spiralised Vegetables
Molten Chocolate Puddings
Fantastic work Phoebe!
~Menu~
Carrot and Orange Soup served with Irish Soda Bread
Caramelised Baked Chicken served with Rice and Spiralised Vegetables
Molten Chocolate Puddings
Fantastic work Phoebe!
Tuesday 22 January - Have a listen to some clips from our recent 'Young Musician of the Year 2019' competition on the school You Tube Channel - https://youtu.be/Pl7dss_It1I
Friday 18 January - Last night's Young Musician Competition, adjudicated by Mr. David Murray, was a most enjoyable evening. Many congratulations to all of our Finalists, who brought a very high standard of music to the theatre. Special congratulations to winners Sasha Kaloheris (Intermediate) and Laura Workman (Senior).
We were delighted that pupils and staff from Houston Primary were also able to join us and experience our Young Musician Competition. They may be our stars of the future.
Wednesday 16 January - S1 pupils were creative in Social Subjects, while learning all about ancient Hill Forts. They were encouraged to use a range of skills in their presentations with some fabulous results. Pupils baked cakes, made models, used their IT skills
Friday 11 January -The JANUARY NEWSLETTER, and the Mid Season Sports Report - January 2019, have been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Friday 11 January - Please find a letter to parents/carers, regarding Show My Homework and our new Parentpay cashless system, under the 'NEWS' tab, and then letters. Please ensure that you as a parent/carer register for Parentpay prior to Thursday 24 January as the school will be unable to accept any cash payments from that date.
Thursday 10 January - S4 Modern Studies enjoyed a trip to the Scottish Parliament for First Minister's Questions today. Questions included a variety of topics such as the investigation into Alex Salmond, Universal Credit and ASN provision in schools. Pupils also got to meet some of their MSPs for a question and answer session. Pupils are pictured here with Ross Greer MSP and Maurice Corry MSP. Today was the first time for British Sign Language interpreting at First Minister's Questions.
Monday 7 January - Welcome back and wishing you all a very Happy New Year. Some good news to start the year with S1 pupil Liam O'Brien winning the Scottish Tennis Junior Indoor Boys U12 title at Scotstoun yesterday afternoon. Liam scored an impressive 6-4 6-1 in the final. Congratulations Liam! Thank you to 'Tennis Scotland' for allowing us to use their photographs.
We wish one and all a fantastic Christmas and a very Happy New Year
As we look forward to a fun filled Christmas, please remember
what all our Gryffe pupils want from Santa.....
...................... please click the graphic to enlarge.
We wish a Merry Christmas to one and all.
what all our Gryffe pupils want from Santa.....
...................... please click the graphic to enlarge.
We wish a Merry Christmas to one and all.
Friday 21 December - Two groupings of pupils out to litter pick this afternoon - down South Street/Park and the Co-op run - as we try and leave our community clean and tidy for Christmas and New Year.
| Letter to Parents/Carers - 19 December 2018 |
Tuesday 18 December - Yesterday, S1 teamed up with S6 to take part in the Winterhouse Games. Each house had the opportunity to participate in all events and gain points based on the best scores. Pupils took part in Basketball shooting, Sit up challenge, Boxing challenge, Keepy up challenge and the Gauntlet run. Many S6 pupils took on the role of Gladiators, helped S1 pupils around the events and kept score. After completion of the 5 events, Mackintosh House took first place. Well done to all involved!
Tuesday 18 December - All of S1 had a fun and festive Christmas Party this afternoon. Not only was there the opportunity to show off polished dance moves, but traditional party games, such as "Pass the Parcel" and "Musical Chairs" were also enjoyed. The event was organised and run by the S6 House Captains.
Tuesday 18 December - For the past few months, Higher and Advanced Higher Spanish pupils have been making weekly visits to the Mosswood Care Home in Linwood. Pupils have spent time going over basic vocabulary, including greetings, colours and numbers. As a Festive treat, the Spanish pupils were accompanied by the school's jazz band and performed a number of Christmas classics, including Feliz Navidad.
Tuesday 18 December - A group of Higher Geography pupils attended the Faculty of Geographical and Earth Sciences Christmas Lecture at the University of Glasgow. The lecture was entitled 'From a drop of water to a whole Earth System’.
Tuesday 18 December - Another amazing series of interviews from S6 pupil Eve Grant as she gets the Mary Poppins Returns filmstars talking. Check out her latest videos made with GetIntoFilm here –
Emily Blunt https://youtu.be/MttNd-fJnAk
Lin-Manuel Miranda https://youtu.be/5Ilp8v4_qz4
Rob Marshall https://youtu.be/6xhgoIvJhL8
Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer https://youtu.be/IOVK0dSSIro
Listen in the last interview and you will hear some great compliments about Eve’s questions!
Emily Blunt https://youtu.be/MttNd-fJnAk
Lin-Manuel Miranda https://youtu.be/5Ilp8v4_qz4
Rob Marshall https://youtu.be/6xhgoIvJhL8
Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer https://youtu.be/IOVK0dSSIro
Listen in the last interview and you will hear some great compliments about Eve’s questions!
Friday 26 October - Bridge of Weir School Bus Contract 5512J will be affected by a road closure from Monday 29 October to Sunday 23 December 2018 inclusive. Three pick up points will be affected and pupils should make their way to the nearest alternative pick up point for the duration of these works. Please see the letter below for full details.
Friday 26 October - A great turn out at the first House Event of the year with pupils and teachers participating in a Just Dance competition. A closely fought competition resulted in Burns coming out victorious. Thanks to all pupils that took part and those that came to watch - House Captains.
Friday 26 October - As we reach out to support our community we were very proud to see our Senior Linguists building relationships and teaching Spanish at a local care Home this week
#caringindividuals #buildingrelationships #communitylinks'
#caringindividuals #buildingrelationships #communitylinks'
Friday 26 October - Brian Donnelly, of Orbis training, former Service Director of RespectMe Scotland, developing anti bullying approaches and supports with our pupils.Today, 25 pupils and staff were trained on Anti-bullying supports and prevention strategies ahead of National Anti-bullying week in November.
Friday 26 October - Lovely autumnal colours at Gryffe this morning before a busy Friday..... Anti-Bullying Support and Prevention Strategy Training with pupils and staff, Non Uniform Day for House Funds, Henna at lunchtime and also Just Dance House Event.
Thursday 25 October - The Citizenship Committee are Celebrating Global Diversity by showing off their henna skills.
Wednesday 24 October - Come along and support your house in the 'Just Dance' House Competition this Friday lunchtime in the Theatre. Each house will take it in turn to dance to win house points. It is a 50p entry fee, with all proceeds going to the House Day at the end of term
Wednesday 10 October - Eleven of our pupils attended a STEM event in Paisley today as part of the drive to attract more females into industry! They represented the school amazingly well and really enjoyed the variety of workshops
Wednesday 10 October - Enjoy listening to the beautiful harmonies in this S3 Music Class Concert clip by Alisha, Abigail and Carys.
https://twitter.com/GryffeMLM/status/1050034958650277888
Many more clips of musical talent on @GryffeMLM on Twitter
https://twitter.com/GryffeMLM/status/1050034958650277888
Many more clips of musical talent on @GryffeMLM on Twitter
Wednesday 10 October - The majority of pupils should now be quite comfortable with using 'Show My Homework' to keep track of tasks, class tests and much more. We hope that parents are also becoming familiar with the app. Just a wee reminder that you can find further information about the app on our dedicated page on the school website, under the 'CURRICULUM' tab.
If you would like to get in touch with the school or provide feedback, please contact Mr Taylor, Education Support Manager or Ms Sharp, Faculty Head via gryffehighenquiries@renfrewshire.gov.uk. If you experience any technical difficulty using the system then you can also get in touch with SMHW. Just visit help.showmyhomework.co.uk
If you would like to get in touch with the school or provide feedback, please contact Mr Taylor, Education Support Manager or Ms Sharp, Faculty Head via gryffehighenquiries@renfrewshire.gov.uk. If you experience any technical difficulty using the system then you can also get in touch with SMHW. Just visit help.showmyhomework.co.uk
Friday 5 October - Today our S1, S2 and S3 pupils were all mixed together to experience the theme of Wellbeing in some of our practical subjects for Vertical Learning Day. There was everything from team building, programming and character study, to the physiological effects of music!
Enjoy our gallery here -
https://sway.office.com/ovhi6C8QqDmP5S5N?ref=Link
Friday 5 October - Today is SportScotland's Active Girls Day. This annual event celebrates the amazing work going into girls' sport, the progress around girls' participation, and the incredible role models making it happen. Here at Gryffe High, our S3 girls took on the challenge this afternoon in a Girls Only session. The U15 Basketball Girls recorded an away win yesterday in the Scottish Cup against Auchinleck Academy. Recent press highlights have shown that former pupils National Golfer Eilidh Briggs and Athlete Rona Tytler are still showing their dedication to their sport with top performances as they continue to be an inspiration to all.
Friday 5 October - This is the last day of S4 Work Experience week. We hope that all of our S4 pupils had a productive week. Thank you to everyone who supported our pupils this week and to the Gryffe Advertizer for sharing this picture of Brooke.
Wednesday 3 October -The OCTOBER NEWSLETTER, has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Wednesday 3 October - Well today was the last session of Parents in Partnership. It has been great working with all the parents who have been 'back to school' for the last 6 Wednesdays.
Enjoy looking at your journey in our gallery.... Click through each frame.
https://sway.office.com/bV9V6CtGOUkIho6r?ref=Link
Enjoy looking at your journey in our gallery.... Click through each frame.
https://sway.office.com/bV9V6CtGOUkIho6r?ref=Link
Wednesday 3 October - All S1 pupils listened intently to a thought provoking bonfire and firework safety assembly this morning. This was presented by personnel from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. We thank them for taking the time to come in to raise pupil awareness of the dangers of fireworks and provide them with some timely information and advice to keep them safe.
Tuesday 2 October - Senior Phase Information Evening on Monday 08 October 2018 at 7:00pm. This meeting has been organised to raise awareness of the challenges faced by pupils studying for national qualifications and the support and advice available to all pupils, parents and carers. Please see letter below for more detail. We look forward to welcoming you on Monday night.
| Senior Phase Parent/Carer Info Evening Monday 8 October 2018 |
Saturday 29 September - The World Challenge Bolivia 2019 Team are up bright and early this morning. They are off to do their Practice Hike.
Wednesday 26 September - Paris, Venice, Santorini, Barcelona... just a few locations visited during our European Day of Languages 2018 photo booth. The day also included S1 Assembly (with Salsa moves) and a European themed Bake Sale. Many thanks to our S5/S6 Linguists for all their contributions today.
Wednesday 26 September - It was heads down today for our Parents in Partnership. Lots of concentration on display in lessons in Geography (Social Studies for S1) and then in Graphic Design(Technologies for S1). This is session 5 of 6 and parents have also enjoyed an information session at the end of their lessons each week.
Wednesday 26 September - Congratulations to S4 pupil Holly-Rose McCamley who came 6th out of a strong field of 28 competitors at Kilgraston Inter School Hunter Trials challenge on Sunday 23rd September. An amazing result. Very well done Holly-Rose!
Tuesday 25 September - Taken from Twitter ...https://twitter.com/JohnsRenfPolice/status/1044603635433451520
Johnstone & Renfrew Police
✔@JohnsRenfPolice
Community Officers from Johnstone were out in Houston today working with pupils to tackle the issue of lunch time litter! Thanks to @RenCouncilNews for the support from the Wardens and to @GryffeHighSch for their continued assistance.#teamwork#usethebins
Johnstone & Renfrew Police
✔@JohnsRenfPolice
Community Officers from Johnstone were out in Houston today working with pupils to tackle the issue of lunch time litter! Thanks to @RenCouncilNews for the support from the Wardens and to @GryffeHighSch for their continued assistance.#teamwork#usethebins
Thursday 20 September - Well done to the 700+ participants in today's 3k fun run. An excellent day with money raised to be donated to the Beatson Charity. With four different races, including P7 pupils from Bridge of Weir, Houston and St. Fillans. Well done to S6 on their 80's fancy dress and thanks to the Sports Leaders for ensuring that the event ran smoothly alongside PE staff and RLSportServices staff.
Enjoy our full picture gallery here of Gryffe pupils and staff -
https://sway.office.com/h5laxBlJynDzUOpu?ref=Link
Enjoy our full picture gallery here of Gryffe pupils and staff -
https://sway.office.com/h5laxBlJynDzUOpu?ref=Link
Wednesday 19 September - The annual Buddy lunch was held today, where all senior (S6) Buddies met their junior (S1) Buddies. Lunch was enjoyed, questions were answered and friendships were made.
Wednesday 19 September - Young adult author Nicky Singer visited S1 to talk about her new novel The Survival Game. The novel is set in a future world destroyed by climate change. Nicky encouraged S1 pupils to think of innovative ways to stop climate change. Hand in your suggestions to Miss Lawson and the best suggestion will win a t-shirt and other book themed prizes! #ChooseLoveforSurvival #The Survival Games
Wednesday 19 September - It is Parent and Partnership Week 4 and it is time for some healthy food preparation in HF&T followed by some healthy exercise in PE. The parents are really showing that learning can be fun!
Monday 17 September - S6 Drama Leaders were treated to a day at The National Theatre of Scotland, exploring careers in the Creative Industries. From casting to marketing; special FX to costumes; artistic development, education, finance, stage management, sound engineering and set transportation.
Monday 17 September - To start off Gryffestyles week, all S1 pupils were involved in the S1 Health Day. Pupils engaged with several stations aimed at achieving a healthy mind, body and spirit. These ranged from 'Resilience' to 'S1 vs S6 Sporting Challenges'.
Well done to all involved in a healthy and happy day!
Enjoy our photo gallery here - https://sway.office.com/ISHTUKwlsG4ji1kW?ref=Link
Well done to all involved in a healthy and happy day!
Enjoy our photo gallery here - https://sway.office.com/ISHTUKwlsG4ji1kW?ref=Link
Friday 14 September - A great finish to Maths Week as some senior Maths and Biology pupils attend a most interesting lecture at the University of Glasgow. Thank you to Professor Mark Chaplain for an incredibly interesting talk on using mathematical modelling in the fight against cancer. Inspired some young minds today!
Thursday 13 September - There are lots of events happening around the school for Scottish Maths Week. Today Rebecca McKay from Morgan Stanley delivered an exciting series of lessons on foreign currency to our S2 pupils. Follow @gryffehighmaths on Twitter for all the Maths Week news and also watch out for today's puzzle.
Wednesday 12 September - Activ8 continues to be very well attended with many pupils enjoying the range of activities on offer. Today was Session 4, but do feel free to participate next week even if you have not been along before. 3pm to 4pm and just remember your PE kit if you are taking part in a sporting activity.
Wednesday 12 September - It is Parents in Partnership Week 3. The parents are clearly taking their Science lesson very seriously, but can you guess what subject they were in for their other fun-filled lesson this morning? #CaringLearningAchieving
Tuesday 11 September - More than 40 S6 Wellbeing Ambassadors received their official Buddy Training today at the church hall. This means that these pupils will have the skills to support other pupils, especially those in S1.
Tuesday 11 September - This is Maths Week and the Maths department have organised several exciting events, including an Enterprising Maths competition on today. You will also notice that many departments across the school have some maths themes for you as well - our photo shows S4 chemistry pupils enjoying completing a decimal solutions card sort. Follow @GryffeHighMaths on Twitter for updates. There will be 4 puzzles (Monday-Thursday) and all 4 answers should be submitted to your maths teacher by Friday. All complete & correct entries will be put into a draw to win a voucher! Good luck!
Tuesday 11 September - Auditions for ‘Hairspray’ will take place on Monday 17th from 3:45-5:00 and Wednesday 19th September from 2:50-4:30.
Pick the date that suits you - no need to audition both days.
So if you can’t stop the beat, join us next week! 🎭🎵
Pick the date that suits you - no need to audition both days.
So if you can’t stop the beat, join us next week! 🎭🎵
Friday 7 September - It is disappointing to announce that the PTA BBQ and Quiz planned for Friday 14th September has had to be CANCELLED due to a lack of confirmed advanced ticket sales. The PTA work tirelessly for the school to enhance equipment and provide opportunities for pupils. Please look out for information in the next newsletter about ways in which you can support the PTA. Thank you to the PTA members for the organisation that has gone in to this event.
Thursday 6 September - Activ8 Week 3. Still thinking about coming along? There is still time for pupils to enlist in Activ8, just turn up on a Wednesday. If you are taking part in a sporting activity then bring your PE kit with you.
Wednesday 5 September -The SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER, has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Wednesday 5 September - Hungry Gryffe Golfers after the annual Staff v Pupils match, won AGAIN by the staff with a score of 3-1. The match was played in tremendous spirit and a big thanks to all who took part. The game was played at Ranfurly Castle GC where professional Tom Eckford was on hand to provide a warm welcome and the course was in excellent condition. The players then retired to Old Ranfurly GC for some well earned food and the presentation!
Wednesday 5 September - Excellent and informative input for our Advanced Higher Modern Languages pupils this afternoon at the Scottish National Centre for Languages, University of Strathclyde.
Wednesday 5 September - PTA BBQ - Friday 14th September - 6pm to 8pm at Gryffe High School. Check the details on the flier. To assist catering, tickets should be purchased in advance from the school office.
Wednesday 5 September - Parents in Partnership Week Two. The parents enjoyed a Maths lesson, before going on to prove that they are Music Maestros!
https://www.facebook.com/gryffehighschool/videos/475371206205811/
https://www.facebook.com/gryffehighschool/videos/475371206205811/
Friday 31 August - Higher Human Biology pupils have been busy doing some creative learning. They enjoyed making these DNA Replicate Models. Well done - they look amazing!
Friday 31 August - All in a day's work.....Modern Studies pupils had a fantastic day in London yesterday visiting Westminster. They also took in Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and the Imperial War Museum. No doubt we will hear more about their adventures!
Thursday 30 August - Introducing our team of Wellbeing Ambassadors for this year. The team of S6 pupils have extensive remits and are led by Mhairi Gaffney and Cara Conway, both members of the Pupil Management Group. Responsibilities include organising awareness weeks, assembly presentations, lesson delivery, attending lunch clubs, organising and holding wellbeing days/focus groups and much more. All ambassadors have now been trained in mental health practices and are soon to receive their official buddy training.
Wednesday 29 August - Parents in Partnership Week One started today. Parents attended lessons in English with Ms Donnelly and Art with Ms MacDonald. We look forward to welcoming the group back next Wednesday 5th Sept for Maths and Music!
Tuesday 28 August - There were some great discussions last night at the first Parent Council meeting of the new term. The newly formed Pupil Management Group presented to a very well attended meeting, with almost 30 parents in attendance. Watch out for more detail in the September edition of the newsletter which will be published on Wednesday 5 September.
Thursday 23 August - Mr O’Hare is delighted to report that a full programme of events is up and running again this year for Activ8. Pupil numbers in week one reached well over the 150 mark, with us hoping to reach 200 pupils involved in week two. Activ8 involves taking part in the many after school clubs on offer at Gryffe for 8 Wednesdays from 3pm – 4pm. There is still time for pupils to enlist in Activ8, just turn up on a Wednesday. If you are taking part in a sporting activity then bring your PE kit with you.
Media Team Badminton Drama/MADD Volleyball
‘Doodle and destress’ Basketball Gymnastics
Netball Fitness Suite Workout Hockey
Dodgeball Table Tennis Rounders
Running Football Debating Reading club
Media Team Badminton Drama/MADD Volleyball
‘Doodle and destress’ Basketball Gymnastics
Netball Fitness Suite Workout Hockey
Dodgeball Table Tennis Rounders
Running Football Debating Reading club
Wednesday 22 August - One week on and it looks like S1 have been here for a year. They are settling in well to their new timetable and subjects and seem to be enjoying learning at Gryffe. With nearly all S1 in blazers, only a few waiting for them from School Wear Made Easy, they are looking incredibly smart and we look forward to watching their progress across the year....... starting with Activ8 after school today!
Tuesday 21 August - Gryffe Citizenship have been busy making a video entitled 'Right of the Month'.
Follow this link to watch their video and see a few familiar faces giving us their message.
https://twitter.com/GHSCitizenship/status/1031628150495752193
Follow this link to watch their video and see a few familiar faces giving us their message.
https://twitter.com/GHSCitizenship/status/1031628150495752193
Monday 20 August - This year we are organising an Activities Week for all S1, S2 and S3 pupils in order to offer a wide range of educational experiences that we cannot normally provide during the school year. We have tried to provide an exciting and varied programme for these days and we hope that every pupil will be able to take part. Please find the details in the document below.
| Activities Booklet 2019 |
Friday 17 August - S1 Parents in Partnership 2018 begins on Wed 29th August at 8.50am. Mr Anderson and Mr Findlay would like to thank all parents who have already confirmed. If you would like to take part or to gain further information, please email Mr Anderson at Chris.Anderson@renfrewshire.gov.uk
Tuesday 14 August - We look forward to welcoming pupils back to school tomorrow, all set for an exciting new session. Our two staff In-Service days have helped us focus on the many outstanding achievements of our pupils, including the very impressive recent SQA Examination results. Our aim is to focus on individuals and do out utmost to provide each and every pupils with an excellent learning experience. We will start in a very positive manner, however I do have to give you two updates recently received:
| letter regarding closure of the road between Houston and Bridge of Weir |
The cost of meals in all Renfrewshire Council schools has changed from 15th August. The school meal price is now £2.60 and individual menu items have also increased. Free school meals remain unaffected.
Wednesday 8 August - It was good to see some of our S5&S6 pupils who were in school today making some adjustments to their timetables. Overall our SQA results were very impressive, however our focus remains on individuals and trying our very best to support each and every pupil. Please feel free to contact the school for any advice or to discuss how we can further support our pupils/your child.
It was also nice to see Mhairi Gaffney, new S6, in her Glasgow 2018 uniform as a member of the flag team at the European Championships – a fantastic experience.
Tuesday 7 August - Today is the day that many of our pupils have been waiting for...it is SQA results day. It has been a busy morning here, as several pupils and their parents joined staff to share the opening of their envelopes on BBC Radio and Television. Watch out for them later in the day. We congratulate ALL of our pupils on their results. Our hope is that they are happy and that their results reflect their years of hard work. Remember that support is available if required.
Gallery of pictures from this morning - https://sway.com/RRWvpTVzLjw07Ien?ref=Link
Gallery of pictures from this morning - https://sway.com/RRWvpTVzLjw07Ien?ref=Link
We wish our S4, S5 & S6 pupils all the very best for results day on Tuesday 7 August 2018.
Students entering into S5 and S6 may, in the light of SQA exam results, require to reconsider their options for the new session.
Any students who wish to make changes to their timetables should attend Gryffe High School on Wednesday 8 August 2018 when a member of the Senior Management Team will see them - timetable for appointments is below
Students entering into S5 and S6 may, in the light of SQA exam results, require to reconsider their options for the new session.
Any students who wish to make changes to their timetables should attend Gryffe High School on Wednesday 8 August 2018 when a member of the Senior Management Team will see them - timetable for appointments is below
| Re-negotiation of timetable for S5&S6 pupils - August 2018 |
Wednesday 4 July -The JULY NEWSLETTER, and end of season Sports Report, have been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Thursday 28 June - It is wonderful to see former pupils achieving success. Very well done to Eve.......
Taken from the Glasgow School of Art Twitter feed -
https://twitter.com/GSofA/status/1011980985305587714?s=19
Taken from the Glasgow School of Art Twitter feed -
https://twitter.com/GSofA/status/1011980985305587714?s=19
Wednesday 27 June - 1:00 pm today and summer is here. A well deserved rest for all our hard working pupils and staff. There are three members of staff who will not need to set their alarm for school in August. In order of years of service to Gryffe – Mr Whyte (Physics), Mrs Park (Art) and Mrs Wilson (Faculty Head Art &Design Technology). We wish them a long and happy retirement and thank them for their outstanding dedication.
Wednesday 27 June - Out litter picking as we want to ensure we leave our community clean and tidy as we start our summer holidays.Thank you to the kind resident who bought the boys juice and crisps from the shop.
Tuesday 26 June - Congratulations to Erin Carson 3Mk who was selected as a national finalist for the Inspiring Purpose award. The entries were completed during S2 RME and we are delighted that Erin has received national recognition for her work. The aim and vision of the Inspiring Purpose programme is to give young people the opportunity to think about their values and character strengths, whilst also reflecting on who or what inspires them and their aspirations and goals for the future
Monday 25 June - Enjoy our gallery of the amazing 'Wizard of Oz' show by clicking here -
https://sway.com/hvFbYcTIa8PYmhFk?ref=Link
https://sway.com/hvFbYcTIa8PYmhFk?ref=Link
Monday 25 June - Following Gryffe tradition, the pupils in the winning House get a day off timetable to relax and enjoy. Well done to the pupils of Fleming House, who achieved the most points this year. They are seen here enjoying a day at M&D's Theme park. Can Mr Clark and his pupils repeat the success next year?
Friday 22 June - The JUNE, end of term, LETTER has been uploaded and can be found under the 'New' tab, then 'Letters'.
Friday 22 June - Well done to our 2018 Spanish Tourism Apprentice Challenge winners Marc Rennie, Sam Whaley and Tom Whaley who were today presented with their certificates of achievement and personal letters of acknowledgement and congratulations from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution, Derek Mackay MSP
Friday 22 June - S3 Biology are learning about parasites as well as practising their sewing skills with Mrs Henry. Crafty Critters is a project designed to promote microbiology knowledge through crafted models of microorganisms.
Friday 22 June - Miss Dunn and Miss McFadyen took some of our new S2 and S3 pupils shopping today to buy new books for the school library. A big thank you to Waterstones Braehead for all your help!
Friday 22 June - What a spectacular performance!! The school theatre has been packed the past 2 nights, as audiences have been treated to watching a year of tireless work by the Drama group unfold before us in the 'Wizard of Oz'. The show also had an amazing live orchestra. Congratulations and a huge thank you all of the pupils and staff involved, with a particular thank you to Mrs Carter for bringing the show together. It is summed up in this review by Alan Milligan on Twitter..... Congratulations to @DramaGryffe on their production of ‘The Wizard of Oz’! A fantastic performance! Enthusiasm & effort from supporting cast; great choreography (Jitterbug!), brilliant singing, & excellent leads! Well done everyone at @GryffeHighSch
Watch out for a gallery of amazing photography to
follow by Mr Vannet.
Watch out for a gallery of amazing photography to
follow by Mr Vannet.
Thursday 21 June - Our keen linguists studying languages at Higher & Advanced Higher enjoyed the chance at some real-life cultural experience this week. Our Spanish pupils were thrilled at their tapas treats and the French pupils tasted some new delicacies like boeuf bourguignon (the brave even attempted snails and frog’s legs for the first time!).
Thursday 21 June - Kate Carberry and Oliver Campbell (5B) represented their winning team at the YPI (Youth and Philanthropy Initiative) National Event in Perth yesterday. They thoroughly enjoyed listening to Sir Ian Wood, learning of the personal journey of Young Scot Award winner Chelsea Cameron, and listening to music from Callum Beattie and Emili Sandé. A great day, recognising the talent and effort of our young people.
Wednesday 20 June - No more sleeps! 'Wizard of Oz' day has arrived!
At 7pm this evening (and also tomorrow Thurs 21 June), the tremendous hard working cast of 'The Wizard of Oz' will work their magic in the school theatre!
Not got your ticket yet? There are a few tickets still available. Get them in the canteen at lunchtime, or from the office.Tickets for Thursday are going fast!
At 7pm this evening (and also tomorrow Thurs 21 June), the tremendous hard working cast of 'The Wizard of Oz' will work their magic in the school theatre!
Not got your ticket yet? There are a few tickets still available. Get them in the canteen at lunchtime, or from the office.Tickets for Thursday are going fast!
Wednesday 20 June - The PTA recently held its Annual raffle, with the draw taking place last week.
Main prize of Cirque du Soleil tickets - Won by J. Crawford
Voucher for Angelini’s restaurant - Won by S. Kerr
Odeon cinema voucher - Won by G. Ather
Many congratulations to all of the prize winners and thanks to all those who supported the PTA and purchased raffle tickets. All monies raised by the PTA goes to support a wide variety of activities at the school. See July newsletter for a full PTA report, including the ‘100 Club’ winners.
Main prize of Cirque du Soleil tickets - Won by J. Crawford
Voucher for Angelini’s restaurant - Won by S. Kerr
Odeon cinema voucher - Won by G. Ather
Many congratulations to all of the prize winners and thanks to all those who supported the PTA and purchased raffle tickets. All monies raised by the PTA goes to support a wide variety of activities at the school. See July newsletter for a full PTA report, including the ‘100 Club’ winners.
Monday 18 June - Some World Challenge Bolivia 2019 pupils have been busy bag-packing at Tesco in Linwood. Aaron Mills, Ewan Robertson, Lauren Lindsay, Eilidh McManus and Ruth Stewart raised just short of £600 over 2 evenings last week. Well done to them and thank you to the customers for their generosity.
Friday 15 June - Enjoy all of the photos from our tremendous 'I Can Do Anything' Day from Friday. Caring Learning Achieving. Well done and thank you to all those involved and congratulations to all the S3 and S4 pupils who are now Heartstart trained. Please click on the link below:
I Can Do Anything Day
I Can Do Anything Day
Friday 15 June - The Primary 7s, shown below, after a fantastic first week in Gryffe. We were very impressed with how well the pupils settled to life in Gryffe and look forward to welcoming them back on Wednesday 15 August - full uniform, including blazer, for a prompt 8:50 am start
Friday 15 June - Today we have ALL YEAR GROUPS and P7s involved in a variety of workshops in 'I Can Do Anything' Day. P7/S2 have a Careers Fair with more than 30 guest presenters - thank you to all of them for enriching the day and taking time to share their experience. S3 /4 are all involved in Heartstart Training and Team Building and S5 have an Employability day in the church halls with more guest speakers. S6 are doing a great job acting as Support and PAs. Some of the S6 pupils are pictured here ready to welcome guests along with Miss Paterson who is Project Leader of Employability and has overall responsibility for the day. A lot of careful planning and hard work - lots more pictures to follow!!!
Thursday 14 June - Amazing news! Arron and Evan Chambers, who have just left S6, have just been awarded Saltire Awards at the highest level called Summit Awards. The Summit is for an outstanding contribution to volunteering. It is awarded to recognise those who have not only completed the “Ascent” but have exceeded expectations. Arron and Evan have both dedicated over 1,000 hours of their free time to work with the Clan over the last few seasons and have been instrumental in making their match nights run smoothly.
See the link here –
http://www.braeheadclan.com/news/4610/saltire-awards-congratulations-to-arron--evan-chambers.html
Photograph courtesy of Braehead Clan
See the link here –
http://www.braeheadclan.com/news/4610/saltire-awards-congratulations-to-arron--evan-chambers.html
Photograph courtesy of Braehead Clan
Thursday 14 June - Class 2B excelled themselves today as they explained to P7 pupils the concept of Colour Run and how colours can be linked to certain types of anxiety. They then prepared their Colour Powders, led the warm up and then they were off! Enjoyment combined with raising Mental Health Awareness. Well done to all of the runners!
Wednesday 13 June - P7 pupils were given an update letter for Parents/Carers this afternoon in regard to the introduction of Blazers for new S1 pupils.
Wednesday 13 June - Please note that tickets are now on sale, from the school office, for our school show 'WIZARD OF OZ'
Wednesday 20 June, 7:00 pm
Thursday 21 June, 7:00 pm
£4/£2
Wednesday 20 June, 7:00 pm
Thursday 21 June, 7:00 pm
£4/£2
Wednesday 13 June - The Advanced Higher English class are on a flying visit to London. They are doing a little shopping (or in Euan's case trying before you buy!) at Covent Garden Market. They will then be doing a little sightseeing before some Shakespeare! Enjoy!
Tuesday 12 June - Mr Whyte accompanied AH Physics pupils to a Particle Physics Masterclass at the University of Glasgow. As well as some hands-on labwork, pupils enjoyed presentations on Collider Physics, Neutrinos and the Higgs Boson!
Tuesday 12 June - Well done to Erin Carson S2, Adam Graham S2, Sophie Robinson S2, Joy Adams S3, Rachel Hopkins S3 and Sarah Kelly S3 who were all selected for the Paisley Arts Institute Schools Exhibition. Rachel won 1st Prize in the 1st to 3rd year entries. A fantastic Achievement!
Tuesday 12 June - We would like to thank P7 parents for taking the time to attend our meeting and thank you for the very positive feedback. Please find last night's presentation for our P7 Parents' Information Evening under the tab 'Curriculum', then 'Broad General Education', then 'P7/S1'.
Due to the significant majority of parents in favour of Blazers for next year's first year pupils we will start to make arrangements for this to happen. Again, thank you for your time and please feel free to contact us for any other detail.
Due to the significant majority of parents in favour of Blazers for next year's first year pupils we will start to make arrangements for this to happen. Again, thank you for your time and please feel free to contact us for any other detail.
Tuesday 12 June - P7 Fresher's Fayre was a huge success yesterday. Many extra-curricular activities were showcased including Running, SfL, Citizenship, Eco, Young Sports Ambassadors, Music, Drama, Media Team and much more.
Monday 11 June - On Friday we had a Summer Themed Day. Pupils and Staff brightened the school with some amazingly cool summer outfits. New S6 took on their traditional role of decorating their social area with all things summer, including palm trees! Back to full uniform today, as we welcome the Primary 7 pupils into the school to start their Induction Week.
Friday 8 June - Please find full detail of our P7 Induction Week under the tab 'Curriculum', then 'Broad General Education', then 'P7/S1'
Wednesday 6 June -The JUNE NEWSLETTER, has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
The JUNE LETTER has been uploaded and can be found under the 'New' tab, then 'Letters'.
The JUNE LETTER has been uploaded and can be found under the 'New' tab, then 'Letters'.
Wednesday 6 June - A fantastic night for the S6 PROM at Oran Mor. Our young ladies and gentlemen, with over 30 staff, thoroughly enjoyed the occasion and are now all set for the next chapter in their lives. We are very proud of them and wish them the very best..... and in the Gryffe tradition - come back and visit us soon.
Wednesday 6 June - How amazing is this artwork by Eve Logan (new) S6?! This is a wee sneak preview of the Wizard of Oz Graphics that will be revealed at the school show on 20th and 21st June. Great work Eve!
Wednesday 6 June - Perfect conditions today for some outdoor learning! Miss Tipping is out with her National 5 Biology class, who are learning how to sample with Quadrats and also make some Pitfall Traps.
Monday 4 June - Today Miss Ballantyne demonstrated the burning of milk powder to our new S3 who are learning about chemical reactions.
Watch the short video here - https://youtu.be/zb_UVI4psX8
Watch the short video here - https://youtu.be/zb_UVI4psX8
Friday 1 June - .....and to finish a busy, but productive week back of new timetable and classes, (new) S6 were back in school today for their Induction. They will start their S6 courses on Monday. They had a great day, which concluded with some very competitive egg drop challenge team work!
Thursday 31 May - Update for Parents/Carers in regard to the introduction of Blazers for new S5 pupils
| Update for S5 Parents regarding Blazers |
Thursday 31 May - Tuesday of this week saw the start of the new timetable for (new) S2 to S4. This is ideal to allow classes to settle very quickly in August and also allow good progress to be made with all courses before the summer. (New) S5 have just returned today from Study Leave and they can be seen enjoying their Induction Day. The day included presentations from external speakers and advice on CV writing, Wellbeing and a very useful session involving the (new) S5 giving advice to the (new) S4 pupils.
Wednesday 30 May - Gorgeous morning for the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh campers. Early start for them - they were on their way at 7:15 this morning!
Monday 21 May - First picture in from the Barcelona group at the Sagrada Familia Basilica. Looks amazing! #GryffeActivities18
Monday 21 May - Very well done to S2 pupil Aimee McGrane, who captained the South West/ West/ South hybrid team yesterday in the U14 Girls' Notts Sport Inter-District 2018 hockey event at the Glasgow National Hockey Centre. This is one of the most exciting events in youth hockey and selection is a huge achievement!!
Monday 21 May - This is Activities week for all S1 to S3 pupils. Non-residential trips take place Tuesday to Thursday, with today being a normal school day. Some residential trips are already at their destination and Team La Santa are first with their pictures, having arrived in Lanzarote last night. Enjoy!
Join our 1031 followers on @GryffeHighSch on Twitter for updates.
Join our 1031 followers on @GryffeHighSch on Twitter for updates.
Friday 18 May - 1W Health and Wellbeing Achievements class raised £230 for Cancer Research UK by organising and participating in a ‘Sponsored...’ event. The event involved some blind-folded football, and a blind-folded guided run. An amazing effort from them!
Thursday 17 May - Several S1 pupils enjoyed the Salter’s Festival of Chemistry held yesterday at the University of Strathclyde. Challenges included solving the mystery of the stolen trophy and then identifying fizzy drinks. Leo Downes was amongst those to be selected to receive the ‘Margaret Minns’ prize for inclusion. Well done to all of the Challengers!
Thursday 17 May - As part of National Digital Learning week 3C Geography competed against each other in Kahoot challenge to test their knowledge on Urban Environments with Miss Iafrate today.
Thursday 17 May - A fabulous display of transferable skills as finalists of the S3 French/Spanish Tourism Apprentice Challenge presented their final projects to their year group and the judging panel - well done! A huge congratulations also goes to the winning group, Marc Rennie, Sam Whaley, &Tom Whaley! Thanks also to our judges from Scotland's National Centre for Languages and the University of Strathclyde and not forgetting our own DHT Mr Christie.
Thursday 17 May - A fantastic day of Athletics at Gryffe High School with 114 pupils competing in a range of events. Pupils will find out the result of the championships at assembly today!
Tuesday 15 May - We were delighted to host this S1 to S3 PSE Information Evening last night, covering the topic of substance misuse, and thank all of the guests for their informative presentations.
Tuesday 15 May - 2.6 Science were investigating cell structures using microscopes with Miss Badger today. To coincide with National Digital Learning Week, they managed to digitally capture these pictures. Can you guess what they are?
Tuesday 15 May - 7am and S3 Bronze Duke of Edinburgh pupils are looking active already this morning.
Monday 14 May - This is National Digital Learning Week and as we are the 3rd secondary school in Scotland to be awarded the Digital Schools Award, Mr Vannet has organised a scavenger hunt. Collect instructions from Mr Vannet in Humanities from Tuesday 15 May. There will also be a Prize Quiz in ICT 1 during lunch on Friday 18 May. All the activities are using Digital Technology.
| S1 - S3 PSE Parents Information evening Mon 14 May 2018 |
Thursday 10 May - Detail on school uniform focus. We would parents/carers of S4 pupils, to please complete a very short survey in regard to next year’s new S5 pupils wearing blazers.
| Uniform and Blazers for new S5pupils in August 2018 |
Thursday 10 May - To celebrate Responsibility of All Week, Mr Deans and Mr Anderson have been very busy directing their first movie.... https://youtu.be/NdDbTz2Vkf8
Wednesday 9 May - Today a group of S3 pupils attended UWS as part of the Joint Employability Project. The group undertook an ICT challenge to create the ‘Classroom of Future’! Two of our pupils were fortunate to win the competition along with St Andrew's. Well done to Andrew Hay and Euan Macdonald .
Wednesday 9 May - Yesterday, a group of S2 pupils attended West College Scotland for a construction taster experience. Pupils used their teamwork skills to build a wall in a practical task. The group are attending the college for four weeks to promote Positive Destinations for life, learning and work.
Monday 7 May - 😃 We now have 1000 followers on Twitter! Thank you and keep following us or start following us on @GryffeHighSch
Wednesday 2 May -The MAY NEWSLETTER, has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
The attached file details the Additional Support times for S4, S5 & S6 pupils during the SQA Examinations
| Additional Support Class Times during the SQA Examinations 2018 |
Tuesday 1 May - It is official! Mr. Deans was presented with our Digital Schools Award today at a ceremony in Tulliallan Primary School in Fife, attended by the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Shirley-Anne Somerville. Gryffe High was one of only 3 Secondary schools in Scotland to achieve the award, which recognises best practice in the use of digital technology in the classroom and across the curriculum.
Friday 27 April - Gryffe Under 15 Football Team, who are playing in the Champions League Final on Saturday 12 May, are out in the Community litter picking
Friday 27 April - S6 pupils all set for their leavers day at Kelburne Country Park. We wish them the best of luck in the coming SQA Examinations and look forward to seeing them all at the PROM.
Wednesday 25 April - Good news! We have just received a 'Digital Schools Award'. ABC Staff have worked hard with other staff throughout the school to achieve this. We are only the THIRD Secondary School in Scotland to receive this. The status is achieved by validation of Digital Excellence in areas such as Acceptable Usage Policy, Digital Technology Plan, the school website and recent effective use of any tools, practices or initiatives. The Presentation will be on 1st May so look out for a full feature in the June issue of the newsletter.
Wednesday 25 April - The Science department welcomed guests from Singapore. Miss Meney was being observed teaching her S3 Biology class about Food Webs by visitors from the University of Glasgow (Mrs Pat Duffy) and the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore (Dr TAN Geok Chin Ivy and Ms LIM Seok Lai). The aim of the visit was to observe the partnership model between the University of Glasgow and Gryffe High.
Monday 23 April - Very well done to this brave group of S4/S5 World Challenge Bolivia 2019 Abseilers! They successfully abseiled from the Falkirk Wheel on Saturday. It looks like they had a great day out - thank you to all who sponsored them and helped them raise funds for their expedition. Pictured L to R - Aaron Mills, Phoebe O'Neill, Lauren Lindsay, Elin Paton, Kayla Fraser and Scott Blair. Craig Newlands and Ewan Robertson were still doing their abseil when the picture was taken.
Monday 23 April - It has been a weekend of sporting success for Gryffe pupils. A group of boys won the Boys Brigade British Badminton Championship on Saturday. They were representing 1st Houston Boys Brigade. There was also success in the Scottish Junior Inter-Regional Squash Championships! See more detail in the Sports Twitter feed shown below. Remember to follow @gryffe_sports on Twitter for all the latest Sports news.
Friday 20 April - What a night! Such pride in our pupils when you see so many hundreds of smiling faces as they received their awards at last night's Annual Award Ceremony. Awards celebrate effort in a wide range of categories including Sport, Music, Community, Wider Achievement as well as Attainment. A packed hall was entertained by guest speakers, former DHT Mr Peter Holsgrove and BBC Shetland star, former pupil Erin Armstrong. Erin passed on a wealth of reassuring advice. School Captains Alex Evans and Abbie Mitchell gave the vote of thanks and spoke of their 6 years at Gryffe. Special Category prizes were awarded by Assistant Director of Education, Mr Steven Quinn. A big thank you to all of our guests. Thank you to all staff who helped, especially to Mrs Willbond for pulling the full evening together.
...................WELL DONE TO OUR PUPILS
Gallery can be viewed here - https://goo.gl/nWTS17
feel free to email Mrs McGeough gw07mcgeoughpatricia@glow.sch.uk if you wish an email copy of your child's photo.
...................WELL DONE TO OUR PUPILS
Gallery can be viewed here - https://goo.gl/nWTS17
feel free to email Mrs McGeough gw07mcgeoughpatricia@glow.sch.uk if you wish an email copy of your child's photo.
Monday 16 April - Great to see this picture this morning (posted on Team Scotland). Callum Hawkins looking happy and back with his team after his absolutely outstanding efforts. Safe journey home from the Gold Coast to the Team, including former pupils basketball stars Callan Low (youngest player at 17) and Chris Cleary.
Thursday 29 March - Some first year pupils out into the local community this afternoon to do some litter picking. In support of Houston Community litter pickers we want our community clean and shiny leading into the Spring Holidays.
Thursday 29 March - An ideal morning for S1 and S2 to walk down to St. Machar's church in Bridge of Weir for their Easter Service. Thank you to Rev. Hanneke Marshall for conducting the service, our Jazz Band for providing the music and our pupils who participated in the Service. Short video here -
https://goo.gl/9Ronxy
May I take this opportunity to wish all pupils and parents/carers an enjoyable and relaxing break, albeit I would expect our S4, S5 and S6 pupils to be studying hard for the forthcoming SQA examinations!
https://goo.gl/9Ronxy
May I take this opportunity to wish all pupils and parents/carers an enjoyable and relaxing break, albeit I would expect our S4, S5 and S6 pupils to be studying hard for the forthcoming SQA examinations!
Wednesday 28 March - How amazing do these cakes look? S5 pupil Shaun Sweeney organised an Easter Bake and Sweet Sale with all proceeds going to World Challenge Bolivia 2019. As well as macaroon, tablet and home-baking, there was an Easter themed competition. The pupils (and staff!!) seemed to love the produce!
Wednesday 28 March - The S6 SfL Ambassadors have been working very hard this week raising the awareness of ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder). This is World Autism Awareness Week and to tie in with this, the Ambassadors have put a range of informative posters around the school and also addressed all year groups at Assemblies. Their message is simply to help individuals with autism, by understanding their needs and then spreading that understanding to others. An example taken from the National Autistic Society expresses autism as 'having sensory overload then just shutting down;....it's weird, like being tuned into 40 TV channels.'
Monday 26 March -The MARCH LETTER has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Letters'.
Monday 26 March - A 6.30am start this morning for S5 and S6 @DofEScotland Gold pupils who did a 16k walk today in Inversnaid. Well done to all pupils involved - a most enjoyable day!
Sunday 25 March - Lovely early morning pictures from the S3 Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Practice Walk today. Pupils enjoying fresh air, while learning Orienteering skills..........and with one hour less sleep!
Friday 23 March - Very well done to Ewan Harvie (S6), Justin Langan (S5), Christopher Torrance (S5) and Jonathan Paris (S6) who represented the 1st Houston Boys Brigade in various regional rounds of the Badminton Championships and went on to win the Scottish Boys Brigade Badminton Championships 2018. This is the first time 1st Houston Boys Brigade have had this level of success in Badminton and it is an absolutely fantastic achievement. The boys will now represent Scotland in the National Boys Brigade Badminton Championships 2018 on 21st April in Largs. We wish them well!
Thursday 22 March - Following a fun filled morning taking part in their Health & Wellbeing Event, S1 pupils volunteered to take part in our 'Gryffe to the Gold Coast Step Challenge' in support of Sports Relief. They eagerly ran, jumped, moonwalked and sprinted their way around our outdoor course. We managed over 5000km, almost a third of the way to our destination! Well done to all involved who collected house points for participation, with Wallace house managing the most steps combined. Special Mention to Ryan Watson who came 1st overall and 2nd placed Deacon Stirrat!
Wednesday 21 March - A video showing a selection from the Spring Concert 2018 can be seen here https://goo.gl/eydeqd
Wednesday 21 March - Our budding S4/S5 linguists enjoyed the Heriot-Watt University Multi-Lingual Debate and cultural experience at the Confucious Institute in Edinburgh. The motion that was debated across the languages was - 'This House believes that social media present a serious threat to the health and safety of young people.'
Tuesday 20 March - Our Spring Concert was certainly a breath of fresh air for a packed theatre. From the Pipe Band's rendition of Scotland the Brave, to the Drama group's taster of The Wizard of Oz, over 100 pupils provided amazing performances, complete with a sprinkling of James Bond. Very well done to those involved! See our Picture Gallery here https://goo.gl/NTgjwL
Friday 16 March - Another year of YPI Scotland (Youth and Philanthropy Initiative). A fantastic account of a special, local charity that will directly impact our own pupils. Congratulations to Oliver, Brad, Molly and Kate (4B ) awarded with £3000 on behalf of Creative Therapies. 'We are a therapeutic arts organisation, who have been leading the field in delivering creative interventions to children and young people for nearly 20 years. We do this by providing art, music, movement and drama therapy on a one to one basis or as part of group work.'
Friday 16 March - Well done to all of the pupils pictured receiving their Certificates of Achievement from Mr Johnson at one of our Monthly Award Ceremonies. Do not forget that pupils can be nominated online through our school website. Simply click on 'Pupil Zone' - 'Attainment & Achievement' - 'Certificate Nomination Form' - complete brief details and submit. We love to hear about all the fantastic and varied achievements of our pupils!
Friday 16 March - Well done to all our Great Gryffe Fairtrade Bake Off Winners. As always competition was fierce. Congratulations to our star bakers Ella, Eimear, Orla, Rebecca and Keira.
Thursday 15 March - Two awards for this year's Young Enterprise Team 'Pets at Gryffe' at the Regional Finals day today held in the Normandy Hotel (17 teams in total). This was a well deserved achievement for a group who have worked really hard on an innovative and popular idea.
Thursday 15 March - The Media Team had a busy day reporting for BBC News School Report Day. See all their work here - https://t.co/8GO2VBq95s Topics included 'Brett Wild at the Paralympics, Plastic Bottles, Memories of Stephen Hawking and an interview with Mr. Johnson. Listen here https://goo.gl/a1b6AJ Well done to all involved!
Wednesday 14 March - Today is Pi Day! We held a small Pi reciting competition in the Maths department today with S2. We had a few entries that all did extremely well, however our winner was able to recite Pi to a most impressive 65 digits! The prize was a £10 gift voucher for intu Braehead.
Wednesday 14 March - The final group of S5/6 pupils collected their river data in Kilmacolm today in preparation for their assignments for Higher Geography.
Tuesday 13 March - We are proud to present our 4 newly trained Police Scotland 'Keep Safe' Ambassadors, who will work on behalf of 'I am Me', to promote respect and support across the whole school. They are now busy planning their vision for future promotion.
Monday 12 March -The MARCH NEWSLETTER, has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Sunday 11 March - Paralympic Success
Congratulations to former pupil Brett Wild who won TWO silver medals (so far...... !!) at the 2018 Winter Paralympics as guide for Paralympian Millie Knight in the downhill event in Pyeongchang.
Congratulations to former pupil Brett Wild who won TWO silver medals (so far...... !!) at the 2018 Winter Paralympics as guide for Paralympian Millie Knight in the downhill event in Pyeongchang.
Friday 9 March - Citizenship pupils have been busy with Fairtrade Fortnight....here they are getting ready for the Rich Person Poor Person breakfast. Full feature in the next newsletter.
Thursday 8 March - S1 Social Subjects classes have been studying Egypt and Celtic Scotland. Mr Taylor’s class were lucky and conducted 'an exclusive interview with Howard Carter', the man who excavated Tutankhamun‘s tomb. Watch the interview (set in 1922) here! https://goo.gl/WdhJHG
Thursday 8 March - S1 and S2 pupils enjoyed an entertaining and inspiring visit from author Philip Caveney (who also writes as Danny Weston). He is best known for the Sebastian Darke series which has been published all round the world. Philip kindly messaged us on Twitter @GryffeHighSch 'A great day at this excellent school talking about all things fictional. Thanks for having me!'
Wednesday 7 March - Today we had our annual Ice cream stall as part of Fairtrade Fortnight. Ben and Jerry’s are a committed Fairtrade company who source all of their ingredients ethically.
Wednesday 7 March - After a House Week packed full of events and activities, the whole school came together in House Colours and packed into the Games Hall for a House Photo. The operation was very swift, thanks to the organisation and precision from Mr Findlay and Mr Blue.
Monday 5 March - Delighted to state we are back to normality.
Our S2 Parents' Meeting has been rescheduled to this Thursday 8 March, 4:30pm start. Previous appointment times made will be the same and pupils can make further new appointments as appropriate over the next few days.
Our S2 Parents' Meeting has been rescheduled to this Thursday 8 March, 4:30pm start. Previous appointment times made will be the same and pupils can make further new appointments as appropriate over the next few days.
GRYFFE HIGH SCHOOL WILL BE OPEN TOMORROW, MONDAY 5 MARCH.
Snow has been cleared from around the school and we are ready to go.
A massive well done to the local community spirit during the extreme bad weather, with many supporting and caring for one another.
Snow has been cleared from around the school and we are ready to go.
A massive well done to the local community spirit during the extreme bad weather, with many supporting and caring for one another.
Can all NAT 5 & HIGHER music candidates who have still to sit an exam please attend a short meeting in the music department at 8.50am on Monday 5 March.
DUE TO SCHOOL CLOSURE the music exams have been rescheduled to the following days:
ORIGINAL DAY RESCHEDULED TO
WEDNESDAY 28 February FRIDAY 9 March
THURSDAY 1 March MONDAY 5 March
FRIDAY 2 March TUESDAY 13 March
Your exam will take place at your original exam time but on a different day.
All Gryffe pupils should be using this time for consolidating present work, revision, preparing for assessments(S3 Maths) or assignments, and for Senior pupils past paper work where possible
.... Please use this time wisely.
DUE TO SCHOOL CLOSURE the music exams have been rescheduled to the following days:
ORIGINAL DAY RESCHEDULED TO
WEDNESDAY 28 February FRIDAY 9 March
THURSDAY 1 March MONDAY 5 March
FRIDAY 2 March TUESDAY 13 March
Your exam will take place at your original exam time but on a different day.
All Gryffe pupils should be using this time for consolidating present work, revision, preparing for assessments(S3 Maths) or assignments, and for Senior pupils past paper work where possible
.... Please use this time wisely.
GRYFFE HIGH SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED AGAIN TOMORROW, FRIDAY 2 MARCH, DUE TO EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Our S2 Parents' Meeting THIS EVENING has been cancelled .... further detail will follow on Monday
Our S2 Parents' Meeting THIS EVENING has been cancelled .... further detail will follow on Monday
GRYFFE HIGH SCHOOL WILL BE CLOSED TOMORROW, THURSDAY 1 MARCH, DUE TO EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Our S2 Parents' Meeting has been cancelled .... further detail will follow on Friday or Monday
Our S2 Parents' Meeting has been cancelled .... further detail will follow on Friday or Monday
.... It is all quiet at Gryffe .....
GRYFFE HIGH SCHOOL, AND ALL OTHER RENFREWSHIRE SCHOOLS, WILL BE CLOSED TODAY, WEDNESDAY 28 FEBRUARY, DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Tuesday 27 February - Excellent entries for the John Byrne National Drawing Competition run by 'Education Scotland'. These are from Junior pupils and look stunning. John Byrne, along with a selection panel, will choose the overall winners and 30 runners up, whose work will then be exhibited at Paisley Museum and Art Gallery on Friday 16 March. Best of luck!
Monday 26 February - We held our S2 Parents in Partnership ‘Re-Connect’ event today. This was an opportunity to bring together our very first group from the PIP initiative from 2016/17. The event focused on the S2 options process. Mr Anderson and Mr Findlay would like to thank the parents for attending, as well as the staff who presented to the group! It was great to see everyone together again and we look forward to planning the S3 event!
Sunday 25 February - Perfect conditions today for S3 DofE Bronze walking practice at Greenock Cut. Thanks Miss Badger for the lovely pictures of the pupils learning their map and compassing skills.
Friday 23 February - S5 pupil Shaun Sweeney is an Ambassador for Scottish Parliament’s Year of Young People 2018. Last night he attended the annual Consular Corps Reception in Edinburgh Castle. Shaun met various foreign diplomats from across the world and also members of the European Commission, MSPs and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. In his words, 'It was an amazing experience'.
Tuesday 20 February - Humanities recently welcomed visitors. Cameron Hill, a data analyst from the Violence Reduction Unit of Police Scotland, spoke to the Advanced Higher Modern Studies class about the work of the unit in trying to tackle violent crime. There were also two speakers from DFID (Department for International Development) visiting our Higher Modern Studies and Geography classes to talk about the work of UK Aid.
Monday 19 February - Today is the start of House Week and the House Captains have organised a packed week of events. As you can see, today was Face Painting. Still to come.....Pop Quiz, Gameshow, Pictionary, Quiditch....all 50p each to enter. On Friday, remember to bring a donation and wear your House Colours - BURNS, FLEMING, MACKINTOSH, WALLACE
(or full school uniform).
(or full school uniform).
Sunday 18 February - S3 having lunch on their Duke of Edinburgh walk today at Greenock Cut. A little cold ("freezing!") and wet, but otherwise enjoyable.
Saturday 17 February - Last week on Good Morning Sunday there was a discussion about Science Education and the BBC Science Correspondent Ken MacDonald comments on Gryffe Nursery Science Visits ... click on the link below
https://www.makewav.es/post/1060706/title/gryffementiononbbcradioscotland
https://www.makewav.es/post/1060706/title/gryffementiononbbcradioscotland
Thursday 15 February - An amazing day with S2 Centre Stage!Today all S2 pupils had the opportunity to experience, through a range of presentations and workshops, the skills used in Drama which could further benefit them in their chosen careers. From drama games and theatrical makeup to a presentation from our own star (of BBC show Shetland) Erin Armstrong, a stimulating and enjoyable time was had by all!
Wednesday 14 February - Well done World Challenge Bolivia 2019 Team 1 who made a beautiful selection of cakes especially for their Valentine's Bakesale at lunchtime today. This proved really popular with the pupils.
Friday 9 February - World Challenge Bolivia 2019 pupils Craig Newlands, Elin Paton and Ewan Robertson (all S5) worked extremely hard to provide staff with a lovely healthy lunch on In-Service day today. Staff gave a donation towards their expedition and thoroughly enjoyed fruit salad, water melon, delicious homemade soup and fresh sandwiches. Well done to the pupils for being so well organised and all on their day off school!
Thursday 8 February - Both S1 and a group of S3 pupils were delighted to meet renowned YA (Young Adult) writer Catherine MacPhail today. Both sets of pupils have read books written by Catherine and were very excited to meet her in person, thoroughly appreciating the chance to hear her speak and ask her some very interesting questions. A great time had by all!
Wednesday 7 February - Well done to S3 HFT pupils on passing their Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) course! We were delighted to welcome Mrs Joyce Beaton, a former lecturer in the Hospitality industry to the school to present the certificates.
Wednesday 7 February -The FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER, has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Newsletters'.
Tuesday 6 February - Well done to the staff and pupils who took part in 'See Me' Walk a Mile Tuesday. Part of our Week of Wellness with the aim of promoting Mental Health Awareness and breaking down the stigma around it. Special thanks to the pupils who braved the cold to act as stewards at various points around Houston.
Monday 5 February - Today is the start of our Week of Wellness. Staff will be participating in some healthy / active events. Lunch today (Connect Monday) was delicious Curry and Chaat prepared by members of Glasgow's Gurdwara. This should give staff plenty of energy for Tuesday's Walk a Mile event after school.
Monday 5 February - S3 Bronze DofE Award pupils went to Auchengillan Outdoor Centre today, to perfect their tent building skills in preparation for their expedition. See a full report on DofE groups in the February edition of the newsletter (online this Wednesday).
Friday 2 February - A group of S1 pupils enjoyed a trip to Linwood library this morning as an introduction to Paired Reading. The project involves them picking a book which interests them and taking the book home to practice reading it. Over the next few weeks they will be assisting with Paired Reading at the associated primaries. The aim is to enhance Literacy Attainment.
Renfrewshire Libraries commented on their Facebook page - 'Thank you to the fantastic S1 pupils from Gryffe High School who visited Linwood Library today to take part in a storytelling workshop. What a great group of pupils who were a pleasure to have in the library and a credit to their school.'
Renfrewshire Libraries commented on their Facebook page - 'Thank you to the fantastic S1 pupils from Gryffe High School who visited Linwood Library today to take part in a storytelling workshop. What a great group of pupils who were a pleasure to have in the library and a credit to their school.'
Thursday 1 February - Our thanks to the Strathclyde Youth Jazz Orchestra, who have just finished three most enjoyable sessions working with S3 and the school Jazz Band. This has now become an annual visit. Pupils are encouraged to develop their performing skills, with a focus on improvisation - creating music on the spot.
Tuesday 30 January - Thank you to all who attended last night's Options Information Meeting. The presentation slides, the Options Choice Booklet and the YASS Open University Modules have been uploaded under the tab 'CURRICULUM', then 'SENIOR PHASE'.
Monday 29 January - S4 onto S5, S5 into S6 Options Information Evening, 7:00 pm start....... please feel free to come along, listen to the presentations and ask questions.
Wednesday 24 January - Mr Blue and a group of pupils attended the opening of Renfrewshire schools "INSPIRED" exhibition. Their work has been selected for this event from all of the schools in the region, and we are all very proud of their achievement, well done! This exhibition will run until the end of April at Paisley Museum & Art Gallery, why not go along and be creatively inspired yourself!
Tuesday 23 January - We were delighted to welcome a group of parents to join us for our Internet Safety evening at Gryffe High School on Tuesday 23 January. The parents enthusiastically took part in interactive activities and discussion around some scenario based videos, allow our parents to promote a Positive Digital Footprint to their children. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive ... Thank you.
Monday 22 January - S1 pupils make some stunning hillforts in History. As Mr. Vannet says - 'Hard work pays off!'.
Friday 19 January - Congratulations to all of the Young Musician 2018 Finalists for providing such a high standard of music last night in the theatre. Adjudicator David Murray admitted that he had a difficult task on his hands to select the winners. Well done to winners Rebecca Graham (Junior), Christian Galvin (Intermediate) and Charlotte Stuart (Senior). S1 pupil Ben McHarg also made his Debut appearance piping in the audience - an amazing performance.
https://www.makewav.es/post/1058986/title/benpipesattheyoungmusician2018
https://www.makewav.es/post/1058986/title/benpipesattheyoungmusician2018
Wednesday 17 January - Excellent first day of the brand new weekly club in the ABC Faculty with pupils coding Micro:bits. West College Scotland lecturers & STEM ambassadors were very impressed by our pupils engagement & skills. Open to all S1-S3 every Wednesday 3.00pm-4.30pm
Tuesday 16 January - Find attached details of our S1-3 Parents' Internet Safety Presentation and workshop on Tuesday 23 January, 7:00pm. Please read and we look forward to you joining us for an informative evening.
| S1-3 Parents' Information Evening - Internet Safety |
Saturday 13 January - Well done to the pupils who took part in the Active Communities Firewalk today in association with Headstrong. They were accompanied by Miss Rowan who said that it was an amazing feeling to be able to overcome fear.
Friday 12 January -The JANUARY LETTER has been uploaded and can be found under the 'News' tab, then 'Letters'.
