Dear Parent/Carer
Welcome to the latest “Log” … and I’m hoping it finds you well.
First off, a hearty congratulations to our U18 Girls’ Footballers, who became Fife champions last Friday by beating Dunfermline High School on penalties in the Fife Shield final at Bayview. Very well done girls, it’s a terrific achievement. Our boys were also in the final, but sadly lost out to Balwearie on this occasion, I received a lovely message from that school saying that our team had competed very well and conducted themselves impeccably. Congratulations to Balwearie.
Our SQA exams are off to a positive start this week with Politics, Latin, Geography, PE and Photography exams now complete. It’s Chemistry today. We have been impressed by our candidates’ attitude and the respect shown by our S1-3 pupils, who have been quiet around the building, especially near the Assembly Hall.
On Tuesday evening we held a good meeting of the Parent Council. We had a healthy attendance at the meeting, chaired online by Victoria Stokoe. I am indebted to Laura Frew for the detailed notes she has prepared, please see the attached record of the meeting. We are planning our next meeting for 21 June and expect to be able to meet with Nicky Grant, the new Headteacher, online that evening.
At the meeting, Mrs Hamilton (Depute) explained that she was quite well on preparing the timetable for 2022-2023. We are trying to diversify our curriculum by promoting more non-traditional courses. One of these is Dance. The S3 Elective Dance course builds an excellent foundation for certificated dance for S4 and beyond. Pupils (girls and boys) will have the opportunity to experience a variety of dance styles such as Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Commercial and more. Dancers will also be expected to take part in leading a group choreography as well as completing written elements of the course to support this. Depending on their practical and written ability, pupils will either be presented at National Progression Award level 4 or National 5 at the end of S4. There is also an opportunity for pupils to progress to Higher Dance in S5/6. The uptake has been surprisingly low for Dance and I would advise any young person in S2 that it’s not to late to have a change of heart about selecting this course for S3 and beyond. We are keen to have a viable group. Please see Mr Stewart, Miss Kirkwood or Mrs Hamilton as soon as possible to take up this option.
On Wednesday at lunchtime, Miss Osborne and Mr Harrower held a “Battlefields” meeting for the S2 pupils involved next spring. This was very well attended and the next stage is a parent/carer evening planned for early June. Stand by for details soon.
Yesterday was a good day for our Sport Leaders, who did a fantastic job of officiating, timing and supporting the Disability Sport Fife swimming championships up at the Michael Woods Centre in Glenrothes. The really are fantastic ambassadors for KHS and I’m told they did a great job.
Today it has been an honour to welcome Mr David Gasana, from Rwanda. David is a genocide survivor from the time of the killings in the 1990s when 1 million people were murdered, mostly face to face, in 100 days. His is some story, very movingly told. As you can imagine, his presence in classes has had quite an impact on young people. I’m very grateful to Ms Mahr and Dr Murray, who are leading our link with a school on the outskirts of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. The visit was supported by Callum Henderson of the Comfort International Charity and we are planning to visit our partner school next autumn. We are targeting the current S3 to take part. Please expect specific details shortly. To coincide with David and Callum’s visit, I was able to present a cheque for £325, collected from our “dress down” at the end of last term.
Please remember that Monday is the May Day holiday, marking International Workers’ Day around the world. Tuesday is the SQA French exams and in the evening we’ll be holding a meeting of Friends of Kirkcaldy High School online. The next planned FoKHS fund raiser is a race night, which we intend to stage in school on 25 November. Save the date.
We have another online engagement on Wednesday, when our Mental Health Support Group will deliver a virtual parents’ evening. Mental health is a more prominent issue than ever before and it’s our goal to provide pupils, parents and the wider community with the best support and provision we can. Our information evening on Wednesday 4 May is open for S1-S6 parents/carers to find out about all the support available for young people in school and in the community. The meeting will be held on “Zoom” between 6-7pm. Contact us for the link to join in.
It’s also the Maths National 5 exams on Wednesday and as Thursday is the local elections, all schools are closed to pupils with the staff involved in in-service training. We will have a learning and teaching focus as well as some input on supporting young people into a “positive destination” from our “Young Workforce” Co-ordinator, Mrs Whyte. The only pupils in school that day will be those taking Modern Studies exams and those preparing for Higher Maths on the Friday. It’s also the Administration and IT exams on Friday. However, for me, the highlight of that day is likely to be our Eid Party at lunchtime to mark the end of the Ramadan fast for our Muslim pupils. I’m really looking forward to some traditional home cooking and must thank our families involved in advance for their contributions. The cash donations from those attending the buffet lunch will go to Islamic Aid.
Please do check out the Parent Council meeting notes, and please consider joining us in June. It’ll be my final Parent Council. Also, here’s the link to our employability website You’ll see that There are a lot of apprenticeships on offer eg Early Years Officer, Mechanic, Labourers and Engineering to name a few!. A few pupils are starting to look at getting part time jobs. First step is to write a CV – there is advice on the Padlet for this too. The Careers Advisors and Mrs Whyte are happy to help young people with this.
You will be aware that we greatly value uniform as a way of helping our pupils identify with the school and as a reminder that they are here to learn. It’s their “work” if you like. Please help by ensuring that your son/daughter has a white shirt, school tie which is visible and a plain black jumper if required. We need plain black trousers or skirt (of a reasonable length) and plain black shoes or trainers. All pupils need a complete change of kit for PE and please be aware that leggings without pockets, blue jeans, track suits and hoodies are not appropriate for school. If you need support to do this, please just ask. We will be in contact with you, probably by text in the first instance, if there is a problem. We greatly value your support.
Learners from all years have been working hard on the school show “Little Shop of Horrors”. The show tells the tale of Seymour, a lowly flower shop worker whose luck changes when an exotic plant lands from outer space and offers him everything his heart desires… for a price! Will Seymour get the girl? Will the down- and-outs of Skid Row find a way out? Will the sadistic dentist get his just deserts? With a live band and with a cast and crew made up entirely of KHS pupils we are sure it will be an unforgettable night of entertainment. The show will run from 22-24 June in our school Hall with tickets priced at £5 and £3. Stand by for ticket information shortly … please save the date. Many thanks to Director Mr McPherson and all the other staff doing their bit.
Massive congratulations go to Rachel Crouthers (S6), who last night won the “Career Ready” Student of the Year Award at a presentation ceremony at the Drapers’ Hall in London. Career Ready is a mentoring and work experience programme and Rachel so impressed those at her early years and childcare placement that she was nominated for this highly prestigious award. Rachel was expertly mentored by Carrie Lindsay, Fife Council’s Executive Director of Education and Childcare. We’re very grateful to Ms Lindsay for her support. Check out the photos on “Twitter”.
Very best wishes to Miss Anderson (Computing), who is moving on from KHS. Miss Anderson is taking up a position at St Columba’s High School in Dunfermline from next week and I must thank her for all her work here and wish her all success in her new school.
Looking ahead, and I should say that we have two parent/care evenings in May. These are for S1 on Tuesday 17 May and S3 on Wednesday 1 June. Please expect a specific email about the log in arrangements. I’m grateful to Mrs Hume (Head of English), who has taken on the lead role in organising our online parent/carer evenings.
Finally, this week’s Fife Free Press has a lovely story about our S6 visual tribute to Paige Dougall. I am incredibly proud of them all, and of Paige’s legacy.
You take care. Enjoy the long weekend.
Aye yours
Derek Allan
RECTOR
29 April 2022
