Dear Parent/Carer
As always, I hope you are well. Welcome to the weekly news from KHS.
We’ve had another busy week in school, despite many of our usual activities being “on hold” due to various restrictions. However, we did manage to host C Sinclair Seafood in the Home Economics Department on Monday. Sinclair’s is the fishmonger with shops in Burntisland and Kirkcaldy High Street and the staff gave terrific demonstrations and taught out pupils to gut, fillet and present various fish. There was also a tasting session too. I’m grateful to Mrs McMahon for setting this up. It’s great to link to business like this, and to show kids where their food comes from. There are some terrific pictures on “Twitter”.
I mentioned “restrictions” there again, and these include the problems associated with a shortage of teaching staff. I am pleased to say that once again our own staff have once again been magnificent. Miss Diamond asked for volunteers to take an extra class or two yesterday and was immediately swamped with offers. The guys here really are the tops. Also, we’ll have we new recruits in a couple of areas in January. I’ll give full details in next week’s “Log” and will include information about impending changes within the Guidance team too. Mrs Kendrick is in the late stages of pregnancy and will be going on maternity leave shortly.
Looking ahead to next week, and we’ll be holding a meeting of the KHS Parent Council on Tuesday 7 December, online at 6pm. Please reply to this email if you would like the details for “Zoom”. I will report back on latest developments affecting the school, issues such as staffing, Covid etc. We’ll be joined by other staff and also by Jessica and Daanish, Head Girl and Head Boy. We’ll be happy to take any questions and if there is any matter you would like to raise, please contact the school and you will be given email details for Victoria Stokoe, our parent chairperson. Victoria will happily add any of your input to the agenda.
On Wednesday and Thursday, we will host Poppy Scotland’s “Bud Bus”. This is a travelling museum with a focus Remembrance and the story and ongoing work of Poppy Scotland. The Bud has been to KHS in the past and it’s an inspiring and moving experience. Well done to Miss Osborne of the History Department who is behind this initiative and has made all the arrangements. She is also working with Mr Harrower to plan a school trip to the battlefields of the Great War in the spring of 2023.
I’m grateful to Mr Paterson, our “Young Workforce” Coordinator, who has compiled our latest job opportunities bulletin. We are keen to support all or learners to move on to a positive destination on leaving KHS. The other attachments are the Prelim timetables for January 2022. Thanks to Mrs Davidson for drawing up such a comprehensive plans. All pupils will receive a paper copy next week
As you are aware, “Friends of KHS”, or FoKHS, supports the school in numerous ways, including raising funds for resources/equipment etc with two fantastic social events every year (a Race Night and a Ceilidh). Recent financial support has included transport costs for S1/2 Fordell Firs Trips, additional funding for laptops in school, new equipment for the Computing Dept and new football strips for PE Dept. Due to COVID, fundraising capacity has been limited, but FoKHS did organise a successful “virtual raffle” last year raising over £1000.
We are going even bigger and better this year when we’ll have multiple Christmas Hampers as well as many other prizes. Tickets are £5 and the draw will take place on Friday 17 December. Anyone wishing to buy a ticket can pay cash to the school (FAO Mrs Davidson) or purchase by bank transfer to FOKHS, the details are: Friends of Kirkcaldy High School, Sort Code 83-23-25, Account No 10987910, Reference – your name. Thanks for your support and wishing you all ‘good luck’ in our festive fund raising raffle.
So, here’s to the weekend. Please support your son or daughter to take a Covid test on Sunday. If anyone needs kits they should ask either their Tutor teacher or the PSO team for a box. Also, please arrange a Covid vaccination if that isn’t yet done. It makes sense and helps keep the virus suppressed at community level, especially now that another variant is spreading.
Take care, and please request the Zoom details if you want to be part of the Parent Council next week.
Derek Allan
RECTOR
3 December 2021
