Dear Parent/Carer

Welcome to the update email or “Rector’s Log”. Hoping all is well?

On Tuesday, we were back in school after the holiday weekend and we had another successful vaccination session with the NHS Fife nurse team. This time it was “catch up” opportunities against diphtheria, typhoid and polio. We’ll have another of these, and the last of this session, next Wednesday, 16 June.

It was my honour to present our Dux medallists for 2021. Very well done to Maryam Imran, our Dux, and also to Cameron Batchelor and Cara Hayes, joint runners-up. I know that all three were delighted to be recognised for their academic achievement. I can also confirm that this was a very difficult choice with so many strong claims from a large group of high achievers this year. We tracked back exam and qualifications results to S4 and used a points system to select to winners. Well done to all who have tried their very best, especially throughout this most difficult of times. A good number of our S5/6 will be rewarded with subject based prizes, with letters and prize vouchers being prepared next week. Thanks to Mrs Davidson, who is organising all of this and to all our sponsors, who support our book token prizes. The prizewinners and sponsors will be acknowledged in next week’s “Log”.

I wonder if you saw Paige Dougall on STV News on Tuesday evening? Paige (S5) has been unwell lately and has Stage 4 cancer in the form of Ewing Sarcoma. She has taken to song writing as means of self-expression during such a difficult time and STV arranged for her to hook up online with Ella Henderson, the million selling singer/songwriter to meet and chat about music. The Courier also covered the story.

Paige is truly a remarkable young woman. She is the bravest of the brave and an inspiration to us all and I am delighted that Paige will be a KHS Prefect next session. And on Wednesday, Mrs Davidson and I presented our new Prefects with their certificates, badges and braid for their blazers. We’ll have a group of about 90 Prefects for 2021-2022 and we currently have an election process underway for Head Boy and Head Girl (and the Deputes). Again, next week we’ll share the finalised Prefect list and announce the leading positions.

Today is the first meeting of our new S1 “Pupil Action Group”. I’m indebted to Mrs Duckett (Music), who has recruited a group of pupils to be our junior “pupil voice” on matters such as wellbeing, community and young people’s involvement in school. It’s been especially difficult with Covid, but we are keen to get all our young people being heard and being part of decision making. We’re looking to give the group some authority to spend some allocated funds on school improvement as part of a “participatory budgeting” pilot scheme. In KHS we always believe that decisions are best made by those most affected by them.

Also today, and it’s a coincidence that it’s also the start of the Euros, we’ve been asked by the Scottish Schools Football Association to present international caps to two KHS pupils who have recently represented Scotland. Mr English, who is President of the SSFA, and I will be meeting with Lewis Anderson and Liam Newton this afternoon. Very well done to the lads. It’s such a unique honour to represent one’s country. We’re all very proud of them both.

On that sporting theme, Monday afternoon will see Scotland’s men’s football team competing in a major finals tournament for the first time in a generation. It’s a wee bit of history and we’ll be keen for our young people to have the chance to be part of it. In fact, in several subject areas, the Euro Championships have already been the focus of project work over the past few weeks. Some teachers might choose to show the game, which has a 2pm kick off, to their class, depending on the level of interest and the circumstances. For some pupils this won’t be appropriate as they may well have SQA assessments to complete or some final preparation to do. Please be aware that this is our plan. I understand that in some schools, the game will be screened in all classes. However, we’ll leave it to the teachers to decide, along with the students they have at that time. Of course, none of us know how this will go. Let’s hope that celebration rather than commiseration is the order of the day. In either case, it’s a feeling best handled in a shared context, given the community and cultural significance of our national sport.

For those in S4-6, the SQA certification process is now almost done, with assessments for almost all finishing next week. I must thank the staff for the sensitive and professional way in which they have overseen this difficult and stressful process. It’s been hard, especially for the kids. Well done to them for seeing it through. By 23 June (or thereabouts) we should be able to share the provisional results by email. Please see the attached letter from Maria Lloyd (Head of Education) which explains how Fife is ensuring fairness and consistency across all our schools and what the next steps will be.

Next week we are holding online parents’ evenings for our P7 intake, at 6pm on Wednesday. These are on “Zoom” and will be by House group. It’s such a shame that we can’t have our usual transition events. That said, I’m grateful to Mr Young, Mr Farquharson the Guidance team who are making the very best of it. We have some spectacular transition video clips to make our new pupils feel welcome. Check out the KHS video channel on “Youtube”. Mrs Kerek (Guidance) has been very busy organising all the new classes. Once again we are expecting a particularly large intake, just shy of 300, with a very high percentage of “placing requests” from outwith the local catchment. I think that it’s good to know that the wider community is appreciative of what we try to do. Our anticipated roll is just over 1450, which is the highest it’s been in quite some time.

I know that many of you will shop at ASDA. Please keep an eye out for the “Green Token” scheme as this month our Supported Learning Department features as one of the good causes you can support by putting the wee token in the right box. The project with most support is awarded a £500 grant. The others receive £200 each from the ASDA Community Fund and Mrs Squires and her team intend to purchase outdoor and sensory equipment for our kids with the highest needs in terms of autism, learning difficulties, mobility etc. Many thanks in advance for your support.

We have further staffing news to share … it’s that time of year isn’t it. Well done to Mrs Esther Brown of the Classics Department. After interviews this week, she has been appointed to the post of Principal Teacher of Humanities at KHS, and I am sure she will excel in the role. Mrs Brown will be supporting Mrs Morris in the running of the Faculty, with Mrs Morris replacing Mrs Shearer as Faculty Head in August as she takes her well earned retirement. It’s all change as we say farewell to a true KHS legend. Luckily for us, Mrs Shearer has been generous with her legendary status, and leaves behind a highly satisfactory “succession plan”. As well as Mrs Morris, who will be fantastic in the lead role, we’ll be joined by Miss Dora Burbank, Teacher of Latin and Miss Shannon Coggill, Teacher of French and Spanish. Miss Burbank is moving from Cambridge to Fife and Miss Coggill is a teacher at Waid Academy, Anstruther.

We’ll also be welcoming Mrs Robyn McMahon to KHS after the holidays. Mrs McMahon will be part of our growing Home Economics Department. She currently has a similar position at Queen Anne High School in Dunfermline and is delighted to be joining us here from August.

Thanks, as ever, to Mr Paterson for the latest jobs bulletin (attached).

A wee Covid update to close, and once again we have avoided significant disruption this week, despite there being new infections among the school population. We are picking up on asymptomatic cases using LFD tests and this is preventing large numbers having to self isolate. Please encourage your son or daughter to do his or her bit … take the test twice a week. It really does help keep on top of things. Thanks for that.

As always, do be in touch as required. We are happy to help with any matter. And do take care.

Aye yours

Derek Allan
RECTOR
11 June 2021