Welcome to our final newsletter of the school year. In this edition we will reflect on the Parent Council achievements over the 2019/20 year, and we also have a big ask for corporate laptop donations to help those SMPS families who are currently going without.
👩💻 Corporate Laptop Donations
There are a number of families who didn’t have access to computer devices to use Microsoft Teams during lockdown. The school loaned iPads to these families, but as the school year returns in August, these devices will need to be returned.
The Parent Council is looking to our parent body to see if anyone is able to source old laptops or tablets from local companies who might have them spare. The organisers of our Code Club have offered to help clean up any laptops, and they have also offered some guidance:
- AGE: Any Windows laptop/Chromebook/Macbook newer than 10 years of age
- MEMORY: 4GB+
- HDD: 128GB is fine for a home schooling Windows machine
- OS: Windows 7 at a minimum (though laptop age probably guarantees this)
If you might be able to help, or if you have any questions, please email chair@sm-pc.org.
🖼 Reflections on 2019/20
What a year it has been, quite unlike anything any of us can really imagine.
We had a fantastic first term despite a lot of changes within the parent council and a lot of challenges on the accommodation front. This year we have introduced two new chairs, a new treasurer and an entirely new fundraising team. Thanks to excellent hand-overs and a lot of energy and enthusiasm, we organised a fabulous Winter Fair at short notice in a brand new venue and managed to raise over £5,600! It was a great achievement from all involved.
There have been many challenges on the accommodation front. We saw a much-needed refurbishment start at Comiston Road with new ceilings, heating improvements and windows throughout the school which is looking great. This did, however, cause huge challenges with many of our clubs, but thanks to our clubs admins and many convenors, we still managed to run many clubs at different sites this year.
In January, we saw work start on the new school at Deanbank. It has taken many years to get to this point so it was a huge milestone for the school and the PC. Unfortunately we did see rather a lot of issues with the construction firm and site logistics at the start, but thanks to quick work from the school’s management team and our accommodation group, we managed to work with the council and the construction firm to make the site a safer place for our P1/2 families. The PC will continue to work with the council and the construction firm as work restarts shortly and the main building work commences.
All of this changed, of course, in March with the coronavirus lockdown. It has been a huge challenge for teachers, parents and pupils alike but thanks to the resilience and determination of all involved, we are managing to get through it and it looks like we might be able to see a return to something resembling normality for the school in August. We are continuing to work with the school on contingency plans for how we can support parents if we need to return to a blended model at some point.
ℹ️ The PC needs your help!
If you’re interested in helping the Parent Council in the 2020/21 year we would love to hear from you. We have a number of key roles to fill, including:
- Treasurer
- Vice Chair, to shadow current co-chairs (Brendan and Olly are both stepping down in 2021)
- Volunteers to join our subgroups such as fundraising, communications, accommodation, transport and finance
If you are interested in helping in any way, please get in touch via chair@sm-pc.org.
🗓 PC meeting dates for 20/21
AGM
- 14 September 2020
Meetings 20/21
- 12 October 2020
- 23 November 2020
- 18 January 2021
- 8 March 2021
- 26 April 2021
- 14 June 2021
We hope you have a lovely summer – see you at our AGM in September!
☀️ The Parent Council Team
South Morningside Parent Council 