On the 5th of June a group of 12 pupils from Arbroath High School travelled to Albi in the South of France to meet their French ‘pen pals’. Our pupils started exchanging letters earlier in the year as part of their ongoing work within the Modern Languages department. However, this is the first time there has been an exchange of this kind organised by the school and it represents an exciting opportunity for the pupils involved.

The pupils stayed with the families of their respective ‘pen pals’. During the week they were given the chance to take part in a wide range of activities which related to the work of other departments in school, with sports like kayaking in the river Tarn, art appreciation through a visit to the Toulouse Lautrec museum, and further visits to the local cathedral, a coal museum, the Cap’ Découverte theme park and a museum dedicated to the famous explorer Lapérouse who appears in the S2 History course at AHS. The pupils also had a chance to spend a day in Toulouse at the Cité de l’Espace theme park.

One additional feature was the chance to attend a French school and follow the timetables of their ‘pen pals’. This proved to be an enlightening experience for many of our pupils – not the least significant part of which was in learning that the school day begins at eight am and does not end until five pm!

Most pupils involved have already commented that their French has improved a lot and that they are more confident in using the language. Overall it was a very positive experience and now we wait for next year and the return visit to be made by the French ‘pen pals.’

The Arbroath High School Young Musician of the Year Competition for 2013 was held in June and was won by percussionist, Niamh Hill, an S5 pupil. Niamh chose excerpts from ‘the Black and White Rag” by George Botsford, playing the overture using full drum kit and the main score on xylophone, and she was a popular choice amongst judges and audience for her overall play.

In addition, the National Brass Band of Scotland has once again turned to Arbroath High School as it recruits new members and it has provided an opportunity for another talented young musician. Percussionist Peter Ney, in S4, was recently selected to join this prestigious group and we wish him well in his musical endeavours.

 Yesterday we left Edinburgh at 2.00 in the afternoon. We enjoyed the journey although it was quite long and tiring but we had fun and took lots of photos.

The airport at Toulouse had nice architecture and we noticed that the taps were different!

The weather was really warm, about 25 degrees. We were very nervous at meeting our pen pals. They had cards with our names, so they knew who we were. We spoke to them in French but it was quite daunting! We then returned to the school to meet everyone else and went to our penpals’ houses. We were shown round the houses and they were very polite. We noticed that the floors were tiled, there were shutters on the windows, lots of wood and some had even swimming pools! We tried to speak as much French as we could and hand signals helped!

The food in France was very different from the food back in Scotland. Some of us tried new foods such as“ Croque-monsieur”, French cakes, feta cheese ( Thalia is Greek), croissants etc…

France is very different to Scotland but we are having a great time.

The Glorious Twelve.

In recent weeks Primary 7 pupils in the Arbroath West Cluster have worked hard to prepare for their first transition event. A preparatory project was created by cluster teachers with an aim to introducing the pupils to the Tay Bridge Disaster. Pupils researched the disaster independently and in groups. They learned of factors which contributed to the disaster, how the bridge was designed and about the aftermath of the collapse. Pupils at Muirfield Primary were fortunate enough to have a visit from Ian Nimmo White, a poet who is vice-chairman of the Tay Rail Bridge Disaster Memorial Trust.

Every school was given the opportunity to display their learning and prizes were given for best effort. Pupils at Ladyloan and Muirfield illustrated McGonagall’s famous poem about the disaster and many colourful displays filled the Arbroath High School assembly hall as pupils arrived for the first of their formal transition events.

As part of the ongoing transition process from primary to secondary education, the seven cluster primary schools of Arbroath High School then took part in the Tay Bridge Challenge. The challenge was over a two day period on the 14th and 15th of February.

Pupils were given a design brief and worked in mixed teams from the various other schools. Each team was then asked to create and build a bridge to span the Elliot Burn without collapsing into the water. The teams were issued with the equipment and materials and enthusiastically set about their task. Judges from local businesses attended the event using their considerable experience and skills, advising the pupils on constructing their modules. A fun motivated morning each day.

Tuesday judges:

Mr Graeme Boyd – Design Engineer (Angus Roads Division)

Mr Jim Garvie  – Construction Course Leader  (Angus College)

Wednesday  judges:

Mr Mel Shepherd  – Construction Careers Adviser (ACIOB)

Professor David Muir Wood – Geotechnics (Civil Engineering – Dundee University)