GKC Staff Newsletter - January 2016

ONNECT 5 Jan 2016

Glasgow Kelvin College - Bi-Monthly Newsletter

West End

City

Springburn

East End Easterhouse

December/January Edition

Community Achievement

Drama Degree Residency MINDFULNESS

All Staff Conference

Flooded with Mystery!

This document is available in large print and text-only formats.

Contact:

hramsay@glasgowkelvin.ac.uk

That was the month that was...

an update from the Principal’s Blog (Excerpt from 22/01/2016)

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More Success...

It has been a bleak week on the weather front and certainly not what we would have wished for when welcoming our partners from India. Hopefully the fantastic friendly and warm welcome they received when they arrived on Tuesday made up for the shock of the cold and rain. The Musical Theatre students and the piper performing at the main entrance at the Springburn campus was a wonderful sight to see and hear as was the reception the delegation received from the staff and students who had been to India. One of the highlights of the visit will be the gala Fashion Show to be held in Paisley Abbey on Friday evening. Not only is holding the event in the Abbey a coup for the College we will also be part of the launch to make Paisley the UK City of Culture in 2021. There will be more on how the evening went next week.

The Health & Safety Committee meeting this week covered a number of topics including how we can all work collaboratively to discharge our duties in this area. There was considerable discussion on how we can promote take up in key Health & Safety CPD with our Trade Union colleagues making a number of very constructive suggestions on how to take thing forward - some of which will appear in upcoming staff conference programmes.

We have been informed recently that Rostov State University is now going through a merger with another University in the city. The process is rather different from our experience however it is not anticipated that it will impact on our partnership and

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we will be starting planning for the visit of Russian students, scheduled for June, shortly. We will also be working with staff to identify our students who would be interested in going to Rostov in August/September this year too.

The new Clerk to the Board of Management Paul McAllister has been in College this week as part of his induction process. He has been speaking to staff, finding his way around the Springburn campus and the ICT system.

The Executive Committee met this week to consider the College two year merger report which has to be submitted to SFC prior to their series of visits. All Board members and in-attendance union representatives were given the opportunity to attend and make comment. Read more...

North East Glasgow Adult Learners

Teddy Bears and Sweeties

In November, part of Scotland’s Adult Learning Week, the North East Glasgow Adult Learners’ Forum organised a ‘Celebration of Adult Learning’ event.

NEGALF is made up of representatives from a number of organisations that provide community-based adult learning in the North East. The forum gives providers the opportunity to gather feedback directly from learners which can then be incorporated into the ‘adult strand’ of Glasgow’s Community Learning Development Plan.

Kirsty Mcconville, Jade brindley and Louise Stevenson from NC Child Health and Social Care organised a fundraiser event for Sands Stillborn Charity on 28th January.

As part of their core subject, they set up a stall in the East End Campus. Guess the teddy bears’ name and guess the teddy bear’s birthday were two competitions offering a chance to win a cuddly teddy bear. ‘How many sweets in the jar?’ offered a chance to win a large jar of sweets!!

The teddys name and birthday game will carry on this week!

The jar of sweets was won by Tunweer Malik who guessed 400 sweets and was closest to the answer at 377. Well done!!

The girls enjoyed organising the event and described ‘getting to know each other better’ as an added benefit!!

Look out for the stall this Thursday in East End Campus for another chance to win teddys!!

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Paisley Pattern stars The Paisley Pattern was the star of the show during a cross-cultural fashion extravaganza featuring students from India and their Scottish counterparts.

The show in Paisley Abbey on Friday marked a spectacular finale to a knowledge and skills exchange scheme involving Glasgow Kelvin College and their Indian counterparts.

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A delegation from Scotland travelled to Andhra Pradesh in India earlier this month and a group from the Government Polytechnic for Women in the city of Guntur jetted over this week for the return leg.

The fashion show was hosted by Renfrewshire Council as the town’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021 gathers pace, and saw students from the College show off their

talents in disciplines including music, production, dance, hair & beauty and fashion.

While in India, the Scottish group worked with their local counterparts to incorporate the globally-recognised Paisley Pattern into their designs, to be paraded on the catwalk in the Abbey.

The group – including Paisley Museum master weaver Dan Coughlan – was the subject of massive interest from the Indian media, with their arrival featuring in the English-language The Hindu, read by more than two million people each day.

in spectacular UK Indian fashion show Councillor Mark Macmillan, chair of the Paisley 2021 Partnership Board, said: “We are delighted to welcome our Indian guests and our colleagues from the College to Paisley for this spectacular show.

“The legacy of Paisley’s one-time place at the centre of the global textile industry includes a brand which carries the town’s name around the world.

“That unique history includes links to India in the form of the original

Kashmiri shawls which the Paisley versions descended from, and this project allows us to continue those links into a new century.

“The town’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021 is all about the retelling Paisley’s unique story and events like this help us do that.”

The college’s trip to India came about via the UK-India Education and Research Initiative.

College Principal, Alan Sherry said: “This

exciting event is the culmination of many hours of hard work for our students and Indian colleagues.

“The dynamic UKIERI-AICTE programme is providing excellent opportunities for skills and knowledge exchange between our Indian and Scottish partners.

“The visit has been a great chance for our students to experience, first hand, the creativity and talents of learners at the Government

Polytechnic for Women, learning new techniques in textile design.

“They have been able to immerse themselves in India’s very diverse culture and bring back relevant skills and ideas to enhance their own learning.

“We are very grateful for the valued input of our partners and I would like to thank everyone involved in creating our Paisley Pattern themed fashion extravaganza.”

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Recognition for Innovative Partnership

The Marie Trust and Glasgow Kelvin College were recognised at the College Development Network (CDN) Annual Awards ceremony last week, taking Commended in the Essential Skills Award category for their highly successful partnership in delivering an exciting pilot project.

The project is designed to develop and support learners’ skills and confidence to enter and sustain education, employment and training. It was felt that the project used a highly innovative and effective approach, which uniquely services the community to provide positive destinations and progress for vulnerable learners.

Each year the CDN Annual Awards

celebrate the outstanding projects and initiatives taking place in colleges the length and breadth of Scotland.

Around 200 guests from the college sector, industry and Scotland’s key educational agencies gathered to recognise the talent, skills and achievements of colleges, their staff and learners.

This year the awards featured eight categories, reflecting key priorities in the college sector.

Alan Sherry, Principal, was there to proudly cheer on the worthy nominees. He said: “Glasgow Kelvin is delighted to be involved with this innovative

Pictured with the award are, l to r Lynn Rae, Marie Trust Tutor Maggie Murphy, Glasgow Kelvin College Curriculum Manager Frances McKinlay, Marie Trust Team Leader Martin Steel, Marie Trust Administrator and Frances Curran, Glasgow Kelvin College Tutor.

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project with the well-respected Marie Trust. The impact of the programme on the lives of the learners involved is remarkable and the support they receive throughout is second-to-none. It is the hard work of the learners themselves and, of course, the skilled staff who work with them, which continues to make this trail-blazing programme such a success. We are delighted it has received national recognition in this way. Well done to everyone!”

Congratulations go to all staff, from the College and Marie Trust, and to the learners who have been involved with the project.

College Continues Its Winning Ways...

Glasgow Kelvin College is proud to report that, once again, their Building Services Engineering students have beaten almost all comers at the Scottish Building Services Engineering Apprenticeship Awards, which were held at the Walled Garden, Penicuik.

Ten of Kelvin’s students walked away with awards, with the first prize in all four categories (Service & Maintenance, Heating & Venting Pipe Fitting, Heating & Venting Pipe Welding and Refrigeration/Air Conditioning) being swept up by the talented engineers: William McCaskill, Cameron Fletcher, Gary Bickerton (who also won the overall Craft Apprentice of the Year

Award) and Nicholas Stevenson.

Other Kelvin College winners included Donald Peteranna, Jonnie Donnelly, Mark Simpson, Daniel Cooper, Jordan Verrecchia and Ryan Foley.

This is a real tribute to the excellent working relationship which the College’s BSE staff have with partner employers and with their students, helping them to learn and flourish to be the best they can be.

skills they have learned are recognised by professional bodies as this stands them in good stead for their own future career and for a growing economy.

“These young students are to be commended for their commitment and hard work which will continue to make their employers proud of their achievements.”

Congratulations to everyone involved!

A delighted Alan Sherry, Principal, said: “Once again our talented students have excelled themselves by scooping up these prestigious awards. It is so important that the

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IN ASSOCIATION WITH PLATFORM Ditch the February Blues

by Embracing a Good Night out at the Theatre Maybe you're in your 30s and dont feel like you have done, achieved, decided, owned everything someone in their 30s should have...you're not alone.

Taking us into February is the innovative and touching 30:60:80, a performance created by Amy Conway which was described as 'beguiling' by Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman.

For more information about the performances, click on the image to be taken to the Platform website.

ALL COLLEGE STUDENTS AND STAFF ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE LOWEST TICKET PRICE OF £3.50 PER SHOW FEB FRI 12 | 7PM FEB SAT 13 | 2PM £8 / £4.50 / £3.50

Platform The Bridge 1000 Westerhouse Road Glasgow G34 9JW Page 8

Amy Conway in association with Platform. “we used to find things a lot easier... meeting people... I used to go dancing five nights a week... ten to one I got a date on Sunday night...”

30:60:80 is a celebration of three lives, collectively spanning fifty years with the women of one family and inviting audiences to consider the richness in their own maternal herstory.

When Amy’s grandma turned 30, she had three children and was thankful to finally live in a house with an indoor toilet. When Amy’s mum turned 30, she was an NHS professional, had a mortgage and was pregnant with her first child. Amy just turned 30. She’s single, chancing it, and certain about exactly nothing.

Utilising an innovative form of verbatim theatre in which the testimony of each person is presented as authentically as possible, 30:60:80 is an invitation to three landmark birthdays to meet three remarkable birthday girls.

RECOMMENDED FOR 14YRS+ | DURATION APPROX 70MINS

As part of the BA Drama Degree programme, run as a collaborative partnership with the University of the Highlands and Islands, the programme seen GKC host the annual residency and master class workshops where students from both institutions worked together with input from some of the leading practitioners in this field of the performing arts.

The workshops and master classes took place at the Bridge in Easterhouse and allowed students from both institutions to extend their learning into new and exciting areas, as well as network with the students and staff from the partner organisations.

Positive comments were the order of the day and this is particularly due to the hard work and dedication of Caroline Hurst from the Acting and Drama section for having organised and co-ordinated the very vibrant and well received event. Indeed the workshops and masterclasses delivered by Caroline and Lucy Amsden, also of GKC seemed to attract the greatest number of positive comments.

Overall feedback from all concerned included highlights such as :• “Voice coaching was inspiring’” • “Workshop taught me to lose all my inhibitions and how to work with an audience” • “I enjoyed the change of energies between people from both companies’’

GKC/UHI Drama Degree Residency

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Bringing Mindfulness into YOUR Life George Gillen, from the Faculty of Business, Hospitality and Leisure Services will be facilitating a short series of introductory Mindfulness techniques in the East End Campus. The sessions will start on Tuesday the 2nd of February and will run for eight weeks (excluding holidays). They will take place from 17.00 until 18.00 in room MF12 .

Unfortunately, numbers will be limited to 15 and participants are expected to attend every session. If you are interested or would just like to find out more, please email George at ggillen@glasgowkelvin.ac.uk What is Mindfulness?

“Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment, non- judgmental awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and surrounding environment” John Kabat-Zinn.

Mindfulness can be practiced in everyday life and also as a meditation technique.

What are the benefits of Mindfulness?

Research show that regular practice of Mindfulness can help to: - Manage stress - Control anxiety - Lift mood - Improve relationships - Lessen pain - Enhance creativity and much more.

Mindful meditation can be very relaxing and those who partake often report a feeling of well -being even after only one session.

Whizz Kidz The learners on the Personal Achievement Awards programme raised £372.00 pounds during a fundraising project.

On Wednesday the 13th of January they presented a cheque to Lindsay Campbell, the fundraiser representative from Whizz-kidz, a charity that provides disabled children and young people, with vital mobility equipment, training and work placements.

Well done to all involved.

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Calling All GKC Artists and Bands!

Last year GKC’s record label Electric Honey put on a superb day and night of Scottish music talent at Kelvingrove Bandstand, in association with Magners Summer Nights.

The good news is that we have been given the thumbs up to go ahead and plan events for this years event.

We are looking for bands/artists who would be interested in performing at this years event on August 7th.

Auditions will be held on March 1st, 2nd and 3rd at The Record Factory, Byres Road.

This is an unbelievable opportunity!

The chance to appear alongside internationally

recognised bands, performing to over 1000 people is one that cannot be missed.

Vic Galloway a big advocate of the event, means that radio play is highly likely.

Acts will be expected to sell their own tickets and must have at least 30 minutes original material and at least one member a current of former student of GKC. The winning act will be announced the second week in March.

Students who would like to participate should send a short bio and a link (soundcloud, bandcamp etc) to glenthomson@glasgowkelvin.ac.uk

The Art of Painting

Lecturer Alastair Strachan, Faculty of Creative and Digital Industries, was recently shortlisted for a major painting prize.

The show at the Dovecot Gallery in Edinburgh is on until till the 30th of January.

The W Gordon Smith Award, a painting competition in association with Scotland on Sunday, seeks to champion the neglected art of painting.

The judges shortlisted 50 paintings to be displayed in a show at the Dovecot Gallery in Edinburgh.

Alistair’s painting ‘Yellow Cabs, Times Square’ which was completed while he was on an artist residency in America. made the cut and is part of the Gallery Exhibition. There is also an image of his painting in an article in the Scotsman...

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Have you Completed your online Training?

Display Screen Equipment online training Who needs it?

Any member of staff considered a ‘“user”. This means an employee who habitually uses display screen equipment as a significant part of his/her normal work. In simple terms, if you cannot do your job without a computer, you would be regarded as a user by the College.

What does it do?

Provides the employee with training which will allow each individual to set up their workstation in the most ergonomically suitable configuration , and be able to recognise where there are potential problems with this set up (self-assessment).

How is the training done?

Geoff Lawson, Health and Safety Manager, will email a ‘training notification’. This will alert the member of staff to the requirement to conduct the training and self-assessment

Fire Safety online training Who needs it?

Every member of staff.

What does it do?

Provides every member of staff with key fire safety information and an overview of the fire safety arrangements How is the training done?

Geoff Lawson, Health and Safety Manager, will forward a ‘training notification’ to alert the member of staff to the requirement to conduct the training and self-assessment.

Wellbeing Survey The Health and Wellbeing Committee are working with Health Working Lives to achieve recognition. As part of this exercise we will be asking staff to complete a wellbeing survey This will be launched and promoted throughout February. Watch out for this Logo!

Kick start 2016 with FREE Meta Fit Classes Did you know that GKC staff can take advantage of the FREE Meta Fit classes that are taking place at Springburn Campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12.15pm in the 3rd Floor Dance Studio?

These classes are designed to give you an intense work out that keeps workingeven after the

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class has stopped. If you can make it along to the Springburn Campus on a Tuesday or Thursday at 12.15pm why not give it a go?

Contact Carol Goodwin for more information cgoodwin@glasgowkelvin.ac.uk

Moodle drop-in support for staff Day

Location

Time

Monday

EHC - FLC

12.00 - 13.00

Tuesday

EEC - FLC

12.00 - 13.00

Wednesday

WEST - Library

15.00 - 16.00

Thursday

SB - FLC

15.00 - 16.00

Learning Technologist, Tom McInnes, is available across campuses for Moodle drop-in sessions at the above locations and times.

Tom is on hand at these times

to help staff answer Moodle and other learning technology related questions. The new Glasgow Kelvin College Moodle helpdesk is now available at: moodlehelp.glasgowkelvin.ac.uk.

If you are looking for advice and/or help with any aspect of Moodle, please email queries to the helpdesk.

A new Moodle staff forum is also available within the staff section on Moodle. The staff forum exists to help you with Moodle technical matters, advice on learning and teaching with technology, and also provides an area where staff are able to share good practice and ideas.

All Staff Conference

Wednesday 17 February 2016 Springburn Campus We are currently pulling together a programme of workshops that are relevant to all staff’s working needs.

Watch out for the final event list and make sure you get booked on to the workshops of your choice.

Also on the day faculties and departments will have the opportunity to meet up with their staff from other campuses. Listed below is a flavour of what will be happening on the day...

The courses will be bookable through Eventbrite and links to the courses will be sent out soon.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Admissions 2016 Design Thinking – Gazelle College’s Community Learning Services Corporate Parenting Lesson Planning Mindfulness Fire Evacuation Training Science Teachers Workshop Fire Safety Training Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Training Skype For Business as a Teaching Tool Several Moodle courses One Stop Searching and Curriculum Building Twenty Thousand Worldwide Online Journals Line Management Training Use of Questioning Techniques to Facilitate Effective Learning One Drive Quality Systems Ushare

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Flooded with Mystery!

Knowing that flooding was only occurring overnight, and rather than have someone stay and watch, Paul Haslett and Marcus Keogh from Estates, and Paul McGrevey from ICT, set up a time-lapse video camera. The resulting film can be seen by clicking on the image above. Mystery Solved!

Well done all three!

Food Glorious Food Students from the NC Employability course delivered 9 food bags to the NE Foodbank. The caring students collected donations from friends and family as well as staff and students at the College and they would like to thank everyone who supported them.

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Quit & Win Are you a smoker? Fed up with smoking?

Worried about the effects of smoking on your life?

Are YOU ready to quit?

Why not take part in the Quit & Win campaign!

Quit & Win is a workplace quit smoking campaign: Starts on No Smoking Day and runs for 12 weeks Weekly emails/text messages with helpful tips 4-weekly prize draws offering fantastic prizes including ÂŁ300 worth of shopping vouchers, Cineworld tickets, Free memberships to the Glasgow Club, Theatre vouchers Speak to your workplace co-ordinator now to register!

Patricia Currie

pcurrie@glasgowkelvin.ac.uk Page 17