Dear Parent/Carer
Welcome to the final weekly update of this session. I hope you are doing well enough.
Normally the final week sees a bit of “winding down” going on but this week has been an exceptionally busy one. Unfortunately, we have had multiple cases of young people testing positive for Covid 19 (not apparently transferred in school) and we have quite a few others having to self-isolate. Please urge your kids not to be careless. It now seems like the vaccines are greatly reducing infections among the older age groups, but those who are not vaccinated as yet remain at risk.
We have also been finalising the SQA provisional grades, having finished the assessment process last week. I have said this before, but I must acknowledge the exceptional commitment to this shown by our pupils and staff. This has been difficult and very stressful, with ongoing changes in arrangements to take into account. Pupils will have received, in a letter, final confirmation of grades yesterday, and this information should have been sent home in an email too. For those pupils self-isolating, the letter will be in the post.
You are likely aware that there are now plans to significantly modify the exam system and replace the SQA. Personally, I think this is overdue. In my long experience of education, I’ve reached the conclusion that, above all, exams test the ability to pass exams. Our curriculum is designed to promote problem solving, creativity, resilience, communication and teamwork. That just can’t be judged by sitting kids in rows in an exam hall.
Not that we don’t want to recognise academic and wider achievement of course! Very well done to all our prizewinners, the top students in each subject across the senior phase, with fewer than usual additional awards presented this year. I’m indebted to Mrs Davidson, as always. As well as overseeing our work with the SQA, she has looked after the awards too. Thanks to our sponsors too. Please see below for all the prizewinners and sponsor names;
| Forename | Surname | Class | Level | Subject | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nancy | Ayanouvi | 5C05 | Higher | French | Kirkcaldy Rotary Club |
| Jamie | Ballantyne | 4DE01 | Young Volunteer Award | Young Volunteer Award | |
| Rachel | Barclay | 6C13 | Higher | Business Management | Anne Middleton Award for Business Education |
| Cameron | Batchelor | 6O05 | NPA | Drama | Disability Sport |
| Cameron | Batchelor | 6O05 | AH | Physics | Bill Ritchie Award/Exxon Mobil |
| Kirsty | Brown | 5O02 | Higher | Geography | Elmwood College |
| Layla | Terris | 5C04 | Higher | Art | Kingdom Housing Association |
| Gemma | Carpenter | 5C01 | AH | Art | Kingdom Housing Association |
| Brandon | Clarke | 6A05 | Awarded to support move to University | Val McDermid Bursary | |
| Rachel | Cummings | 6C01 | AH | French | Kingdom Housing Association |
| Rachel | Cummings | 6C01 | AH | Spanish | Exterity Ltd |
| Rachel | Cummings | 6C01 | FoKHS – Derick Herning Linguistic Prize | FoKHS | |
| Paige | Dougall | 5A01 | Flt.Lt. Mike Withey Bravery Award | Flt.Lt. Mike Withey Bravery Award | |
| Emily | Dowling | 5O11 | Higher | Politics | Waterstones |
| Emily | Dowling | 5O11 | Higher | Spanish | Exterity Ltd |
| Karina | Ferguson | 6O09 | AH | History | Waterstones |
| Karina | Ferguson | 6O09 | Higher | Photography | Exterity Ltd |
| Hubert | Filip | 6O18 | AH | Engineering Science | Kwik Fit/Exxon Mobil |
| Sophie | Galloway | 5C18 | Higher | Design and Manufacture | John Smart and Son Ltd |
| Kayla | Greer | 5O12 | Higher | RMPS | Waterstones |
| Leah | Hadden | 6O14 | Higher | Art | Kingdom Housing Association |
| Cameron | Hamilton | 6C15 | AH | Music | Academy of Music/Binnie Prize |
| Cara | Hayes | 6O08 | AH | Modern Studies | Waterstones |
| Anneliese | Hodge | 5C06 | NPA | Photography | Exterity Ltd |
| Maryam | Imran | 6O04 | AH | Chemistry | Exxon Mobil |
| Maryam | Imran | 6O04 | AH | Maths | Exxon Mobil/Mrs Judith Kerr |
| Eilidh | Jackson | 5C04 | Higher | Drama | Disability Sport |
| Adam | Johnston | 6O18 | AH | Biology | Dr Guthrie Prize |
| Adam | Johnston | 6O18 | Higher | Classical Studies | Waterstones |
| Adam | Johnston | 6O18 | Higher | Computing Science | Kwik Fit |
| Jemma | King | 6A03 | Higher | Admin | Pet Shop Kirkcaldy |
| Jemma | King | 6A03 | AH | Business Management | Anne Middleton Award for Business Education |
| Jemma | King | 6A03 | Higher | Latin | Mr P Easson |
| Alexandra | Lithgow | 5C01 | Higher | Music | Academy of Music/Binnie Prize |
| Jessica | McGregor | 5O03 | Higher | Human Biology | Dr Guthrie Prize |
| Scott | Moffat | 5O14 | Higher | Engineering Science | Kwik Fit/Exxon Mobil |
| Scott | Moffat | 5O14 | Higher | Graph Communication | Exterity Ltd |
| Charlie | Murdoch | 5C01 | Higher | English | Mr P Easson |
| Charlie | Murdoch | 5C01 | Higher | History | Waterstones |
| Charlie | Murdoch | 5C01 | Higher | Modern Studies | Kirkcaldy Rotary Club |
| Reece | Nicholson | 5C06 | Higher | Physical Education | Dunnikier Golf Club |
| Katie | Ormiston | 6O14 | Higher | Environmental Science | Elmwood College |
| Matthew | Penman | 5O11 | Higher | Graph Communication | Exterity Ltd |
| Matthew | Penman | 5O11 | Higher | Maths | Exxon Mobil |
| Logan | Piotrowicz | 5O07 | Higher | Chemistry | Exxon Mobil |
| Logan | Piotrowicz | 5O07 | Higher | Maths | Exxon Mobil |
| Logan | Piotrowicz | 5O07 | Higher | Physics | Bill Ritchie Award/Exxon Mobil |
| Logan | Piotrowicz | 5O07 | Sciences | Ken Stewart Award (Excelled across Sciences) | |
| Lauren | Pitcaithly | 5C11 | Educate To Lead | Soropomist International | |
| Logan | Priotrowicz | 5O07 | Higher | Engineering Science | Kwik Fit/Exxon Mobil |
| Aarron | Pirrie | 3O02 | Community Service | Abbotsford Care Award Services to the Community | |
| Emillie | Ramsay | 5A06 | NPA | Admin with Business | Adamsons Drinks Ltd |
| Emily | Samson | 6O14 | H | Fashion and Textiles | Kingdom Housing Association |
| Amber | Thompson | 5O15 | H | Dance | Disability Sport |
| Finley | Tracey | 6O08 | AH | English | Mr P Easson |
| Ross | Williamson | 6O01 | AH | Graph Communication | Kingdom Housing Association |
| Cameron | Batchelor | 6O05 | Joint Dux Runner Up | FoKHS | |
| Cara | Hayes | 6O08 | Joint Dux Runner Up | FoKHS | |
| Maryam | Imran | 6O04 | Dux of the School | FoKHS |
This week has seen the final of our Youth Philanthropy Initiative Project, which will result in the award of £3000 to Maggie’s Centre, Kirkcaldy. YPI is sponsored by the Wood group and is a competition which sees teams making a pitch for different local charities. Well done to Ewan Simpson, Lewis Stokoe and Macauley Symon (S3), who delivered a fantastic presentation to the judging panel. The runners up will be supported by receiving a share of our end of term “dress sown” collection. Well done to the pupils who promoted “Stop It Now”, Bliss and the Abbeyfield Care Home. they are all winners.
On Tuesday evening, it was a pleasure to tune in to a special seminar run Abertay University and led by our own Mr Paterson, Miss Fotheringham and Rachael Barclay (S6). It was about giving university admissions staff across Scotland an insight of how hard it has been in schools since March 2020. I’m so very proud of all involved, they gave a fantastic insight into lockdown learning and its potential impact. Thanks also to Mr paterson for this week’s jobs update (attached).
It’s been an emotional couple of days for our S6 leavers as they head off to college, university or the world of work. What a splendid bunch of young people. I am proud of every single one of them, especially given that no Yeargroup has ever had a year like the “Class of 2021”. Best wishes to them all.
We are also involved in primary transition this week. Mr Young and I, joined by new Head Boy and Girl, Daanish Mahmood and Jessica McGregor, who have both been excellent in their new roles so far, have been visiting Capshard, Torbain, Valley and Fair Isle Primary Schools to meet the young people, answer any last-minute queries and present our prospectus and a gift of a KHS pen. We are all really looking forward to welcoming our new intake on August 18. Before then, we will post out timetables and a letter with all the most up to date information. We expect to be able to post the letters out towards the end of the first week of August.
Speaking of August, I was in a meeting this week with the Heads of Education, and it was made clear that we shouldn’t expect the public health rules for schools to change much, even if we do move to “Level Zero” by then. We’ll need kids to be testing for Covid twice a week and continuing to use face coverings inside the building. Let’s hope that early in the new term, these expectations can be relaxed. I’m hoping that everyone will continue to be careful.
Very best wishes to all our staff moving on at this time. Good luck to Mrs May Brewster and Mrs Louise Proudfoot (Pupil Support Assistants), who are taking retirement after many years of dedicated service to KHS. Also, to Miss Angela Murray (Computing) who is leaving KHS after a remarkable 38 years at the school. Miss Murray has been a great servant to the school and will be missed by her pupils, colleagues and friends here. Of course, we also wave off our legendary Head of Languages and Classics, Mrs Jennifer Shearer. Jennifer has been an inspirational teacher of Latin at KHS since starting here in 1992. Apart from the regret that she is stepping down, my other regret is that I never had the chance to be one of Mrs Shearer’s pupils. I have found her to be one of the very best teachers I have worked with, and I’ve been around a while ye ken!
Mr Barry Mitchell (RE and Guidance) will also be a big loss, moving on to a Guidance post at St Andrews High. Good luck Barry, you’ve been terrific here and will excel along the road. We also bid farewell to the following new teachers, moving on from KHS to take up fresh opportunities elsewhere; Mr Lagorio (Modern Languages), Mrs Imran (English) and Miss Devenney (RE), who are moving to Edinburgh, Dundee and London respectively. All have been assets here and we wish them all the very best in their future careers.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been updating you about our new staff as details have become available. I’m confident (with crossed fingers) that we’ll be starting the new session with no vacancies. I don’t think all schools will be in that position. When I write in August, I’ll give a full update on new staff. You can always check our website too. Please remember it’s now www.kirkcaldyhighschool.com. On that theme, it’s been really good to see Mrs Thompson (Guidance) and Ms Cunningham (English) back in KHS this week, both returning from maternity leave.
So, that’s all folks I suppose. It’s been some session … a challenging and difficult time for us all. But we are still standing and have continued to learn. I can’t sign off without acknowledging the huge sacrifices made, and the effort put in, by all our staff and young people. Thank you. And thanks to you too … your ongoing support means everything. Together, we strive to the utmost.
Derek Allan
RECTOR
24 June 2021
