All posts by s. aberdeenshire

Kemnay Academy

Rock Challenge 2013 @Kemany Academy

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I was so lucky to get a main part in rock Challenge this year, but it is a lot of work.  You have to try to set an example and the standard you want everyone to reach.  You need to try your best all the time.  Also, I got to choreograph dances which I love to do.  I worked so hard this year trying to get the dances I helped choreograph absolutely perfect, and it paid off as the judges actually commented on one of the dances saying the choreography was amazing (this is down to Sarah Michie and Rachel Mackie too)!

I also put a lot of effort into the drama side of things which, in previous years, I’ve never really bothered to do.  That also paid off as we got a high mark in drama, so overall I am very proud of how well we’ve done this year!  I was also over the moon to get 4 awards and then to find out a week later that we made it to the finals even though we were fourth place because our points were so high.

The actual day was very emotional for me.  I hurt my knee only 5 days before the event so I had to rest it and sit out of the morning production meeting and the afternoon production meeting.  I also was so nervous that I ate almost nothing and had to rest and sleep for about half an hour to get my energy back.  Before going on stage I cried.  I’m not completely sure why but I think it may have been down to nerves!  And as soon as the lights went down at the end of the performance I cried again because it was all over.  Little did I know that it actually wasn’t!

All in all, Rock Challenge has always been a big part of my life ever since first year, and in my opinion this year was one of the best.  I a so proud of everyone and am very excited for the Scottish Finals in Dundee.

Catriona Sweeney 4Y

Kemnay Academy

Business Breakfast Event @Kemany Academy

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A very successful Business Breakfast event took place at Kemnay Academy on the morning of 27 February 2013.

Local business representatives, from small to multinational companies, answered questions from S5 and S6 pupils in regard to skills, qualities and qualifications relating to their area of expertise.

The aim was to provide pupils with an understanding of the realities of the work place, and broaden pupils experience using the expertise of delegates.

The event also allowed pupils to recognise their interests, skills, strengths and preferences to help them make informed choices related to manageable goals and plans for their future careers.

All delegates enjoyed catering from the school canteen – bacon, sausage and vegetarian rolls, fruit, coffee and tea.  Some of our S6 boys clearly enjoyed this.

Business delegates benefitted from a presentation on Curriculum for Excellence, Senior Phase and New Qualifications from Dr Hunter and musical entertainment was provided by the ever talented Music Faculty of Kemnay Academy.  Pupils work from the Technical and Art Faculty and Social Studies Faculty was on display throughout the event.

Pupils reported that the event was very worthwhile and that it gave them a real idea of what would be expected of them in the world of work, a number of pupils discussed the possibility of visiting some companies.  The business delegates were very positive about the calibre of pupils at Kemnay Academy and their interest in the companies they were from. One delegate stated: “pupils were well prepared and had good questions, full marks to all”!

Kemnay Academy

Young Health Leaders @Kemany Academy

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This year a group of S5 and S6 students have formed a group called “Young Health Leaders”. As a group our aim is to try and improve health within our school, we do this by making the staff and pupils aware of the nutritional values of the food they are consuming and by offering them healthier alternatives for these foods.  This year we targeted oral health in particular.  We have accomplished several tasks throughout the year so far, including going to Inverurie Academy to meet the Young Health Leaders of other schools and getting the chance to brainstorm ideas about health issues in our schools and local communities.  This year the S5 leaders were put in charge of promoting healthier alternatives for food and making all members of Kemnay Academy aware of what was in the food they were consuming.  This task was completed through the use of posters in the canteens and around the school.

An S5 leader also created a healthy eating booklet which offered several healthy recipes that could be made at home and some interesting facts about which foods are good for you and which foods are better to avoid.  On each page it also informed the reader if the recipe was high in phosphorus, calcium, vitamin D, or low in sugar.  Some of the other S6 leaders created an oral health campaign which they presented to the S1 pupils.  This campaign gave the S1 pupils information on the best way to clean their teeth, on how to spot signs of any problems in the mouth which could lead to disease in the future and also told them the best foods to avoid with alternatives available.                                                                                             Joanne Findlay S6

Kemnay Academy

Tree-mendous Effort @Kemany Academy

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Pupils and staff at the Academy were joined by local folk to plant trees in Kemnay on Sunday (March 17).

Very rainy weather, plus sleet, did not deter Keren Lovie, Nathan Di Marco, Catherine Chadbourn, Emma Thomson, Isobel Thomson, and Ewan Guild joining teachers Mr Bayliss, Mrs McGregor, and Mrs Tumelty in planting trees in and around the Academy area.

The tree-planting event was organised by local group, Greener Kemnay, and saw some two dozen people – local residents, guides, and family of the pupils and staff – plant hundreds of trees around the village.

Kemnay Academy

A Scottish Baccalaureate First for Kemnay Academy

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This year two S6 students, Fergus Milne and Alistair Mackay, have been working on the Scottish Baccalaureate in Science.  This unique course is only open to students that are studying two science subjects at Advanced Higher level, along with an additional Higher subject.  The Baccalaureate project involves researching and collating information on a topic of the pupil’s choice, in preparation for a final presentation.  The presentation itself can take any form – it can be a written report, a talk, a video, or anything else that the student can come up with.  However, the majority of the work for the Baccalaureate lies in the many reports and progress reviews that the student has to complete throughout the course.

The topic that Alistair has chosen for his project is ‘Food Sustainability’.  This involves looking into the amount of food we consume in our culture and the inefficient practices inherent to their production.  Fergus’ topic charts ‘The Development of Prosthetics’, following the changing nature of artificial limbs through history from wooden Egyptian toes to thought-controlled bionic legs.  Alistair has chosen to present his findings in the form of a written report, while Fergus is planning to give an oral presentation to a group of students of different ages.

Peterhead Academy

Sporting Lunch at Peterhead Academy

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Youngsters at Peterhead Academy learned how to cook meals fit for the Nation’s sports stars. They followed recipes provided by some of the top chefs in football, rugby and athletics

British Olympic swimmer Robbie Renwick also shared his advice on the benefits of healthy eating. The aim of the lunch was to promote healthy eating by demonstrating how important diet is to people competing in professional sport.

 The Active Schools event was held in conjunction with the Buchan Feeling Good Festival, and the S3 children cooked meals such as boiled chicken and pasta, chicken pizza melts and chorizo pasta with mixed vegetables.

 Top football clubs such as Peterhead, Aberdeen, Celtic and Rangers shared some of their dietary tips, while the Scottish Rugby Union also provided details of meal plans followed by top rugby professionals.

 Peterhead Football Club manager Jim McInally was one of those on hand to witness the cooking of the meals, while supporters of the Active Schools programme – Gillanders Motors – also unveiled a notice board promoting the activities of the programme.

 Local social enterprise company Cfine – who promote the consumption of fruit, vegetables, pulses and other healthy products – provided some of the ingredients that the pupils used when cooking the various recipes.

 Chair of Education, Learning and Leisure Committee, Councillor Isobel Davidson, said: “This is a great event to show the many benefits of healthy eating. Many of these teenagers will have aspirations to follow a sporting career, and this lunch will allow them to develop first-hand knowledge of how important a healthy diet is.

 “Being able to cook healthy meals is a skill which can be so important in following a fit and active lifestyle, and we hope the children enjoy this experience and take a lot away from the sporting lunch.”

 Vice-chair of the committee, Councillor Ron McKail, added: “This event looks like being great fun for all involved. Finding out how their sporting idols are able to supplement their sports training will inspire them to follow their own healthy lifestyle.

 “This event shows the great work being done by the Active Schools programme, and activities like these can only help encourage others to follow a fit and active lifestyle.”

 Malcolm Grant, Active Schools Coordinator, is keen to hear from any volunteers interested in getting involved in after-school sport, and added: “Along with the schools and supporters like Gillanders Motors, we deliver a wide range of activities and sports in the local community.

 “These require good quality coaching, organisation and levels of progression to ensure that the pupils can benefit from the sporting opportunities that exist in the Buchan area. We would like to hear from anyone interested in getting involved.”

 Peterhead Academy and Mintlaw Academy are both accepting new applications to the programmes and details can be found at www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/recreation/active_schools/groups/peterhead_network.asp .

 Further information can be gained by contacting Malcolm on 07733 001894 or emailing malcolm.grant@aberdeenshire.gov.uk 

Well done to all involved 🙂

Oyne School

Scots Film & Song Success in Oyne

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Enthusiastic Oyne School pupils have just completed an exciting project to
promote Scots language and song on DVD, the aim of which is to support
other teachers and their classes to explore Scots language, songs and
culture in a motivating and enjoyable way. Broadcaster/traditional singer,
Frieda Morrison, who is currently Artist in Residency for Scots Language
and Song for the School of Scottish Studies at Edinburgh University,
invited the children to select and work on a song from the Greig-Duncan
Folk Song Collection – this being the anniversary of Scotland’s most
extensive historical collection of Scots ballads and songs.

Through the film and song project, the children explored the words and
music of the song, Johnny Sangster – support was provided through
Enterprise Funding; by local musician, Sharon Hassan and drama specialist,
Margaret Hearne. Gary Swan of our Media Unit enabled the children to
experience how a film is made; giving the children a taste of the media
world as well as the rich culture of the north-east.

The resulting production is now available to view on our GLOW Wiki. The
link is http://glo.li/Tzdamx. If you right click, you can choose full
screen. Please enjoy and any feedback would be welcomed by the children.
The children are currently working on an Oscar style ceremony to celebrate
their achievements with family and friends which they will stage in March.

Well done to all involved 🙂

Mill o' Forest

Winning Artist at Mill O’Forest

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Mill O’ Forest Primary School has an off-site allotment at Baird Park in Stonehaven which the Primary 5/6 pupils visited in November of 2012. They walked through the local community considering the natural beauty that surrounds them, taking photographs to capture all the wonders on their doorstep. Their journey took them by the rugged coastline to the peaceful woodlands at Dunnottar, past wild birds in the River Carron and a number of flora and fauna. The pupils entered their wonderful photographs into the Shutterbugs competition run by GTCS. We are delighted to report that many of the photographs that were taken on that chilly day are now featured on the webpage showing entries from primary school children from across Scotland.

Yesterday we received a letter informing us that Rikki Gilchrist, a Primary 5 pupil, had won first place in the Shutterbugs competition! His picture of trees against the skyline thoroughly impressed the judges and earned him first place! The school are very proud of his wonderful achievement and are thrilled that he has been recognised in a national competition.

Many congratulations, Rikki!

 

 

 

 

Kennethmont School

Fundraising Coffee Morning at Kennethmont

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On Wednesday 30th January pupils from Kennethmont Primary School held a fundraising coffee morning in aid of Mary’s Meals.

 The coffee afternoon had a Scottish theme and visitors were served coffee and shortbread and enjoyed a range of entertainment by the entertainment group.  This included Highland dancing, Scottish music and recitations of Scottish poems.

 They successfully planned and organised the event through a joint initiative between the Health & Eco Group and the Pupil Council.

 A total of £70 was raised at this event and 15 filled back packs were also collected on the afternoon.

 The Coffee Afternoon was very well attended by all members of the community.

 The Pupil Groups plan to make this a regular monthly event with different themes and any monies raised will go to different charities. 

Dates for your diary – Wednesday 27th February     Coffee Afternoon from 2-3pm

                                 – Wednesday  27th March

                                 – Wednesday 24th April

                                 – Wednesday 29th May

                                 – Wednesday 26th June

Kennethmont School

STEM – Scottish Engineering Leaders Award – Kennethmont

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Two pupils from Kennethmont Primary School were shortlisted to as finalists in the STEM Scottish Engineering Leaders Award. 

As part of the competition  all pupils in the school were involved in researching science, technology, maths  and engineering initiatives  in Scotland; interviewing volunteer engineers who attended the school; and  4 lucky pupils enjoyed a day out to BP in Dyce where they were involved in interviewing a range of  engineers and video conferencing with engineers on an oil platform.   This day out was a great experience for the pupils and they were inspired by a range of engineers and also inspired the engineers. The interview questions the pupils came up with were thought provoking and interesting.

From their research and interviews pupils then had to either write or draw about what they would invent if they were a young engineer in Scotland today.   The designs and inventions were many and varied and certainly set us thinking.  Pupils enjoyed the work for the competition and were excited about their entries. 

 To our great delight two of our pupils were shortlisted for a special mention and another pupil’s design was used in the invitations to the prizewinning event.  The shortlisted entries were put on display at the Barony in Glasgow and pupils and parents received a special certificate and invitation to the event. 

Copy of a letter re-competition

Dear Annabel,

The judging took place within the last 24 hours and out of over 1500 entries only 155 were shortlisted which included Kirsten Henderson and Arwen Scott from which 10 winners were selected. 

Although Kirsten Henderson and Arwen Scott were not selected as one of the 10 winners their work will be displayed with all other shortlisted entries in The Barony on 14th (by invite only) and over the weekend of 15th and 16th.

I have attached the public weekend invite as we would like it if Kirsten Henderson and Arwen Scott and their families could come along to see their work on display in The Barony of course everyone is welcome.

Address for The Barony is:

Rottenrow East
Glasgow
G4 0RA

All other entries although may not have been shortlisted do receive their certificate.

 Best regards,

 Susan Loxley

 Copy of an e mail from one of the engineers

Good questions from the kids today

One further piece for the kids on who inspired me when I was there age – I guess there were two people Kenny Dalglish (great footballer) whom I named, but the other key person who had a strong influence and really generated my enthusiasm for science, was Neil Armstrong. I remember to this day sitting in the school canteen and they brought in the black and white TV and let us watch Neil Armstrong taking his first steps on the moon.  Having watched the rocket launch and followed this on TV, to see someone stand on the moon was truly awe inspiring.  I then bought all the material I could get my hands on (what my parents could afford) on space exploration!  Had I not become and engineering/scientist, being an astronaut would have been my dream job.

Please pass this along to the kids and thank them again for a thought provoking session.

Cheers

Trevor Grose

Well done to the pupils involved 🙂