For the last eight weeks the S4 Personal Development class have worked with volunteers from SANA to prepare for a fishing trip. During this time we have learned how to set up fishing rods and how to fly tie. We also learned about water safety so we wold be safe on the day. On the day we went trip to Cowans Law to try and catch fish. We caught six fish, took five home and we let one go. We caught four fish on the bate rod and one fish on the fly rod, it was a good outcome. It was a good experience; we did very well and achieved a John Muir award.

By Grant C and Ross O

As part of their Personal Development course Cameron B and Megan B have launched an eco-project in the school. This has involved recycling used print cartridges across the school. The pupils have organised a company to collect the cartridges and funds will be donated to a children’s charity. The pupils will also support cluster primaries to launch the initiative as part of our rights respecting school agenda to promote sustainability.

As part of the Higher Personal Development course Alex B and Simrin K raised over £500 for Yorkhill hospital. Both pupils demonstrated their practical abilities by contacting the charity to organise Christmas merchandise for sale and working at various school events to promote the charity to raise funds.

Article 12: You have the right to an opinion and for it to be listened to and taken seriously.

On the 17^th of December, members of our S2 pupil council visited the residents of Whitecraigs Care Home to spread some festive cheer.  The pupils met with the residents and performed a variety of Christmas carols with musical accompaniments.

As part of out  journey towards achieving the Rights Respecting School Award Level 2 pupils became active citizens by co-ordinating the ‘Mary’s Meals Backpack Project’. The pupils asked teachers to sponsor the purchase of a backpack and pupils throughout the school were asked to donate items to be included in the bags. In addition, the pupils also held events to raise funds and managed to send away a fantastic 75 backpacks. The project will help children from countries like Malawi and Liberia attend school by providing them with educational materials.

This month, 24 pupils studying RMPS at National 5 and Higher visited Samye Ling Tibetan Monastery in Dumfriesshire. National 5 pupils have been studying Buddhism as the world religion part of the course, and greatly benefited from this trip. A guide gave us a tour of the grounds, led us through some meditation techniques, and we were able to watch some Buddhist worship, which included Tibetan chanting and some very loud music! The day was an excellent chance for pupils to revise their knowledge of Buddhism, to see it being practised by Scottish Buddhists, and to ask some searching and very intelligent questions. It was evident that pupils have embraced the study of Buddhism and were keen to understand how it differed from their own beliefs.

Article 14 You have the right to think and believe what you want and to practise your religion, as long as you are not stopping other people from enjoying their rights.

UNCRC Article 24

You have the right to good quality health care and to clean water, nutritious food and a clean environment so that you can stay healthy. Rich countries should help poorer countries achieve this.

S2 pupils had the opportunity to be involved in the annual Fairtrade poster competition to learn about and promote the work of Fairtrade.  Our winner this year is Callum W in 2.3.  Well done Callum!

Following the recent success of the creative approach to homework taken by S2 in Social Subjects, S3 RMPS pupils were tasked with creating work to help each other revise.

This handmade, 3D drawing of the Wheel of Samsara is just one example of Sarah Y’s (S3) excellent RMPS homework this term. The wheel of Samsara is a Hindu and Buddhist depiction of the belief of constant rebirth, which we have studied as part of the RMPS National 5 course.

John Rettie recently achieved a Saltire Award for the independent research he has conducted into his family history. For the past year John has been researching online and at the Mitchell Library, uncovering documentary evidence providing a fascinating insight into people and events from his family’s past spanning six generations.
John has discovered his showman heritage on his father’s side of the familyand a shipbuilding and naval tradition on his mother’s side.

John decided to contact several long-lost members of his family, and organised a meeting to reunite his gran and her cousin’s family, thus using all of his hard work and research skills to bring distant family members back together. Well done, John!