Dear Parent/Carer
I hope that you are well and are looking forward to the weekend.
We had Yeargroup Assemblies this week with an input from the School Nurse Team, explaining about the services they offer, including our sexual health drop-in, pregnancy testing and contraception service which runs every Friday. They also reiterated the official advice about head lice. We’ve had a couple of cases reported recently and the official response is to use lots of conditioner and a tight comb to “wet comb” hair if lice are present. Pharmacists can also prescribe a special shampoo for free, but this is not usually required. Please do be alert rather than alarmed, but also remember that head lice are quite easily transmitted in a close community like a school. Our S5/6 pupils also had a focus on The Science of Learning and how important it is to space out their learning frequently in terms of revisiting it at home and also making a big effort to optimise their results in the assignment internal assessment element of their courses.
On Tuesday evening, it was the Annual General Meeting of our Parent Council. Chairman Derek Dunsire welcomed several new members and it was a very positive meeting. I was able to share the good news about the SQA exam results and Mrs Aitken went over our Improvement Plan from a parent’s perspective. We also had inputs from Mr Dick (Teacher Representative) and an update from Jay Elder and Isla Wright (Head Boy and Girl), who explained their roles and talked about recent developments in school, such as our involvement with “Respectme”, Scotland’s anti-bullying charity – perhaps you saw a piece in the Fife Free Press about this?
The next Parent Council meeting will be an information session for you on “Internet Safety”, especially issues such as online grooming, “sexting”, sharing images and the use of social media, including “Snapchat” and other apps which can sometimes be used inappropriately or in unsafe ways. This will take place in our Library on Tuesday 28 November and I hope that many of you will come along … the Parent Council thought that this was a bit of a “hot topic”. You will receive a formal invitation after the break.
S1 Parents/Carers will know that our trips to Fordell Firs were postponed this week after a problem at the outdoor centre. Given the poor weather, I think we’ve been lucky! Fordell have admitted fault and reduced the price to £12 per head. All those who paid £15 will receive a £3 cash refund on the way home after their outing. These now take place next week with Adam Smith House on Wednesday, Carlyle on Thursday and Oswald on Friday. It’s an adventure and team building day with rock climbing, caving, archery etc
Yesterday, our S4 Modern Studies pupils had a very informative talk in school from Lesley Laird, the new MP for Kirkcaldy. S6 pupils with a university place in their sights attended the “UCAS” Convention, which took place at the Rothes Halls, Glenrothes, in the afternoon.
Last night, it was my pleasure to be the guest speaker at the Annual General Meeting of the “Clued Up” Project. This is an excellent support for the school which mainly works with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and especially those affected by drug and substance abuse. They are based at the east end of the High Street opposite the harbour and offer counselling and groupwork in KHS. I spoke about the impact of poverty on learning and the important work which agencies such as “Clued Up” do.
Today, a group of female Business Management students are attending the “Future Assets” Conference at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. It’s all about empowering young women and the main speaker is First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
As of next week, S1 in RME are embarking on the annual Scottish Interfaith Week schools competition. This year’s theme is creativity and the arts, and S1 will be designing “An Interfaith Place of Worship for the 21st Century”. Pupils will be working on this in class, and at home, and we will be aiming to have KHS represented at the launch of Scottish Interfaith Week 2017 on completion of this.
Also next week, as well our outdoor education trips for all S1, it’s our “Employability Week” for S3. This is always a great event which involves many employers and other partners helping us to link our young people to the world of work more effectively. Many thanks to those who are part of it; The Cottage Family Centre, Kirkcaldy Galleries, The Sign Company, Pay Wizard, The Spiral Weave, Chapel Level Care Home, Sainsburys, Bank of Scotland, Robertson’s Coffee Shop, Dunnikier Golf Club, Fife College, Bright Green Hydrogen (Methil), ASDA, Michael Woods Leisure Centre, Fife Council Apprenticeship Centre and the British Army. All our pupils will have an employer talk in school and a visit to a local workplace as well as other career pathway related experiences in and out of classes. Many thanks to Miss Nessel for her excellent organisation of this complex event.
We also have assemblies with Adam Smith House on Tuesday and Carlyle on Thursday. The Oswald Assembly is cancelled due to “Employability Week”. The main speaker at assemblies is Ken Froude, the school chaplain. On Wednesday evening our Drama Department are off to the Adam Smith Theatre to see “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams. In other words, it’s another busy week ahead!
Next week’s menu is
Monday: Lentil soup, Macaroni Cheese, chips, vegetables
Tuesday: Tomato soup, Red Thai chilli beef and noodles, vegetables
Wednesday: Minestrone soup, Roast turkey, potatoes and vegetables
Thursday: French onion soup, Pork sausage casserole, potatoes and vegetables
Friday: Leek and potato soup, Breaded fish/Steakbake, chips, peas
Please never hesitate to be in touch with any enquiries
Fond wishe
Derek Allan
RECTOR
22 September 2017
