Dear Parent / Carer,
Welcome to this weeks Rector’s Log. I hope you and your family are keeping well!
The week that’s been…
It has been a great first week back after the October break, and many positive experiences continuing here at KHS. We had some fantastic news during the break, with the school achieving SCQF Ambassador Gold status and award. This award is testament to the commitment of the school, learners and community in embedding the SCQF framework in practice and developing a wide range of pathways for young people in the Senior phase (S4-6). Well done to all involved!
This week, it was great to welcome back our young people and to hear about their break. Learning resumed for all and the school had a very settled start to the new term.
On Tuesday, Year Heads met with their respective year groups for a welcome back assembly, sharing our school expectations. The theme for the assembly was around the rights of the child, and the right of young people to have their views heard. This term, as set out in a previous letter, Senior leaders and staff will be meeting with young people to hear their views on a wide range of issues affecting our school.
Over the coming weeks and terms, we will continue to focus on the rights of the child as part of our commitment to the Rights Respecting schools charter. There will be a new focus every 2 weeks, linking into our school practice and calendar. This work is led by our Rights Ambassadors and will be shared in the daily bulletins.
Today, we had a number of young people from S5/6, undertaking a full day first aid course. The course organisers were full of praise for the young people in terms of their attitude and respect for them and the course. This course means that 70 young people have now gained a level 6 First aid course that has given them practical skills as well as the additional achievement. Well done to everyone involved. A special thanks to Friends of Kirkcaldy high who supported this course financially and continue to be a huge support to our young people.
You can read about much more through our school website and blog.
A wee update from Ms Black and Supported Learning:
“A great first week back and so good to see all our learners. It has been very busy, and you might want to check out our photos on Social media.
In SLD1 we have been setting learning around books we’ve chosen including Matilda and A Kind of Spark. They have been working on shape and symmetry both in the classroom and outside and in CDT they have produced absolutely fantastic wooden cars.
SLD2 have been excited by their Media learning this week with lots of work on camera angles and the impact of these and on Monday SLD3 visited The National Portrait Gallery. The pupils enjoyed a tour around the gallery and then completed some artwork of their own. Part of the learning involved a lot of discussion around themes of the portraits and commissions to carry out paintings. The pupils engaged well and enjoyed the learning. Afterwards we headed to Princess St to hear the one o’clock gun! They were great ambassadors for the school.
We will very much miss Miss Wilkie and Mandi who are going on Maternity leave and onto a new job respectively and we send so many best wishes. We are excited for what comes next for you both and thank you for everything you have done here.”
House Point totals for the week and session so far are as below:
This weeks total:
Adam Smith – 121
Carlyle – 101
Oswald – 180
Overall total:
Adam Smith – 1582
Carlyle – 1503
Oswald – 1626
Great to see everyone continue to do well! Well done!
Lastly, this week we say goodbye to a much-loved member of our team. Mandi Lister, currently a Pupil Support Assistant, and former head of our kitchen has been successful in gaining a Pupil Support Officer position at St Andrew’s High School and starts on Monday 28th October. Mandi has been a longstanding member of our community and we wish her every success in her new post.
We also say a temporary goodbye to Mrs Wilkie in Supported Learning who finished this week to go on maternity leave. We hope all goes well and look forward to hearing amazing news at the right time.
We have appointed a temporary teacher to supported learning to cover Mrs Willkie’s maternity leave. Ms Rachel Thomson was successful at interview on Thursday and will start with us over the next few weeks. In the interim, we have supply staff supporting in the Supported Learning department.
The week ahead…
Next week, we welcome parents / carers and young people from S1 to the school for our S1 Parent / Carer evening. We look forward to seeing and hearing about the experiences they have had over the past 8 weeks. There will be a bake sale and raffle, hosted by our S6. Please bring some change to buy something sweet.
Also, tracking reports will go live on Friday, 1st November 2024 for parents / carers of young people in S1-3.
Some advance notice that we will host our annual Christmas Fayre and Concert on Tuesday 17th December from 5pm. Ms Lipton has asked if you can consider donating items to create hampers, & support a raffle for this. These can be handed in to reception or passed to Ms Lipton by young people. Thank you in advance.
I hope you have a great weekend when it comes.
Best wishes,
Chris McKay
Rector
25 October 2024
