Update to our Learning Community: September 2024
Welcome to our first update of the academic year. The first two weeks of the school term have gone very smoothly indeed, and our young people have returned to school ready to learn. Thank you to all parents and carers for your support around school / PE kit and mobile phones as our young people are responding well to the expectations of them in and around school.
As a school we are very proud of what our young people who took SQA qualifications achieved in August 2024. It is great to see those returning to S5 and S6 doing so with a real focus and for those that have left the destinations that they are going onto. We wish them all the best going forwards whatever their destination.
A reminder that you will find all information relating to key dates and Parents Evenings updated on our website / Pupil and Parent Information site for 2024-25. Following consultation, S1 and S3 parents’ evenings will be in person as will our Senior Phase Pathways evening in February 2025 whilst S2, and Senior Phase Parents Evenings will remain online. The school is now in a position that we should be able to offer wi-fi access in school to any parents who may struggle to do so from home for an online evening. Should you require this service please contact your child’s Pupil Support and Attainment (Guidance) Leader in advance of the event.
Our Mackie Academy Pupil and Parent Information Site has been updated with new information in the following sections:
School News – as you will no doubt know funding for schools is under increasing pressures within the public sector and, as a school, we are always looking for ways to maximise fundraising to support our young people. We are working in conjunction with a company called “Easyfundraising” whereby individuals accessing known brands through registering with them and affiliating themselves to Mackie Academy can earn a donation for the school. If you think you could do this then you will find further information on our “School News” page.
National and Local Authority News – information about upcoming Community Council elections and how you can get involved as well as what is involved in being a community councillor. These organisations are always looking for new members so if you think this is something you could support find out more on this page.
Curriculum Pathways and SQA Information – a reminder that this page contains links to our Broad General Education (BGE), Senior Phase Pathways (S4-S6) and Developing Young Workforce (DYW) sites that are there to provide information and support to parents and carers.
Learning and Teaching at Mackie Academy – key information about how learning and teaching works here at Mackie Academy.
Health, Wellbeing and Support at Mackie Academy – support information for young people and parents. You can now find information about our First Aid service at Mackie Academy here and please note it is important that parents and carers understand what service we can provide and what we cannot.
The start of term is always a busy one and we look forward to our Parent Council AGM on Tuesday, 3rd September 2024 to which all members of the Parent Forum are invited. This year a new Chair and Vice-Chair will be appointed so if you think this is something you would like to find out more about come along for 19.00 to G3 at Mackie Academy. Parents and carers are welcome at any time to observe a meeting and information related to the Parent Council can be found at https://mackie.aberdeenshire.sch.uk/parent-council/
Finally, our website will be making a transition in the next few weeks to a new platform. It will be hosted as a Google site, similar to what we use for our Pupil and Parent Information site, so it should make life easier for all users. You will notice no difference other than the look and hopefully ease of access and navigation.
All the best for the month ahead and we look forward to another school year with our learning community.
Louise Moir
Head Teacher