Our Columba Experiences

Columba 1400 was a great experience for our pupils and teaching staff at Clydeview. The course included some meetings with a couple of workers from Skye, they were our main leaders for our journey before Skye. For one of our meetings, we went out on a values walk at Finlaystone and we worked on getting to know each other better and conversing with our values stones (that we had made in a previous session) about what we wanted to achieve on our journey through the Academy.

Our journey up to Skye was fun but tiring. The journey overall took us 8 hours on the road with several stops and a bus change. Once we arrived, which was about 17:30, we were greeted with open arms by the workers from Skye. They made us a lovely roast for our first night as a celebration of our arrival.

Over the course of the week, we participated in many activities such as search & rescue and going for walks where we talked about doing the right thing in difficult situations. One of our favourite group activities together outside of sessions was going to the Beach where we played non-stop rounders.

Here are some student Comments about their experiences:

“My Experience at Columba was very memorable, from the activities we did down to the food we ate it was all good. One of my favourite parts of the experience was the stretcher activity, we had to climb down a hill. All in all, it was an amazing experience.”
Matthew L

“My Experience in Skye was incredible; I strengthened my relationships with my peers and shared some amazing experiences with them. We went from scaling the edge of a cliff together to enjoying every meal together. I can’t wait to get started on planning our Christmas event together!”
Chloe M

Here are some teacher comments on how their look on teaching has been changed:

“My week in Skye with the Columba 1400 group has been one of the highlights of my teaching career so far! It was a fantastic opportunity to build positive relationships with colleagues and learners, and I learned a lot about myself too.
Whilst in Skye, I was able to see just how capable our young people are to be leaders and use their initiative and creativity. Since returning from Skye, I have been very conscious of this, and added more creative tasks to my lessons, along with activities that allow learners to show their leadership skills too.
I have also been inspired by all the learning and activities we did outside on the beautiful Isle of Skye and have taken more advantage of the outdoor space at the school for outdoor learning (whenever the West of Scotland weather allows!).”
Mrs Scott

“Going to Columba was a great experience. In the wonderful surroundings I felt that we had time to truly reflect on what it is to be a teacher. Along with my colleagues, we had a day away from students- talking about our past, present and future aspirations for teaching. Teaching is a vocation; we get to shape young minds. Skye and Columba 1400 helped me and my colleagues refocus and remember the immense responsibility and gift of purpose that we had been given. I will always remember the week very fondly.”
Mr McLaughlan

 

Home - Columba 1400

Clydeview’s Exam Tips to Counter Stress

As time marches on in Clydeview Academy in what is another busy year for us all, we are now approaching the dreaded exam season. The first set of prelims are for National 5 students and are currently taking place which are then followed by the Higher/Advanced Higher prelims which take place in January and February. Prelims are always a stressful time for any student, so in line with Stress Awareness Week, some of our S6 pupils have given you their best exam tips to counter that feeling we get when everything is getting a bit too much. We hope this can provide some support to pupils of any school and want to remind everyone that they can always speak to a pupil, teacher or any trusted adult if the stress is getting too much for them!
Callum Charteris, Head Boy

1. Keir’s Top Planning Tips!

Planning and organising is very important when it comes to your exams. Make sure you have a set study plan so you are consistently revising and do not have to cram any study in last minute before an exam, as this can be extremely stressful! The SQA study plan app is very good for staying on top of your studying.
Keir A, Study Skills Ambassador

2. Ailsa’s Awesome Advice!

Hi there, my name is Ailsa and I am this year’s Head Girl. Exams can be extremely stressful especially if you’re like me and often over catastrophise the situation. My top tip to help you remain calm is to understand that doing some revision is better than doing none. I, like many others, am notorious for my procrastination and that only leads to me feeling more stressed. It can be incredibly difficult knowing where to start when it comes to being prepared for an exam because it can often feel like the pile of knowledge you’re expected to know is endless, that’s why even if you only have 10 minutes to spare use that time to begin formulating a plan on how you will tackle your revision- it’s better to take one step towards the end of that pile of knowledge than none at all. By continually picking away at what you need to know it will ease your stress levels because it will allow you to feel more in control of the situation. However, make sure you also take time for yourself and don’t for one second feel guilty for taking a break if you need it. Although exams are important, they are not the be all and end all and there will always be other options so remain calm and just try your best.
Ailsa Russell, Head Girl

3. Holly’s Helpful Insight!

Hi, I’m Holly M, and I’m one of the Health and Wellbeing Ambassadors. My top tip for dealing with stress when exam time comes around would be to make sure that you are taking time for yourself by finding a good balance between studying and downtime. Make sure that you are getting out to see friends, taking wee breaks from studying and doing things you enjoy as this will help you maintain good mental health throughout exam season, which is crucial!

4. Zoe’s Knowledgeable Guide!

Dealing with stress during exam time can be hard, some of the things that helped me stay calm were:

  • Taking breaks to do something that distracted me from exams- last year between past papers I liked to draw or paint to help level out my stress.
  • Being productive helped me a lot- the more I achieved the better I felt about exams, not overworking myself but doing enough that my mind was at rest, and I knew I wasn’t going to be stressed last minute.
  • Starting to study as early as possible- starting to get ready for exams as soon as you can will really limit stress nearer the time.
  • Getting enough sleep and keeping a healthy routine- it was so important for me to keep a good routine and have set times to study, eat and sleep just like I would during school terms. This helped me stay balanced and feel better.
  • Exercise- going on walks or runs every day and making sure to move enough and get fresh air helped me a lot.

Zoe A- Clydeview Connect Blogger

Charity Dodgeball

On Friday, 10th November, at lunch time, teachers who were brave enough decided to face the S6 pupils in an ultimate dodgeball battle in the gym hall organised by the social justice committee. Many pupils came along to watch this unfold and had fun watching this competitive game. The money raised from donations at the door of the gym hall will go towards the social justice committee, a group of S6 pupils who are raising funds for a cause of their choice, this year being children who are less fortunate than ourselves in order to give them a present to open on Christmas morning. The teachers managed to get the better of the S6 pupils and beat then in both games. Over £320 was raised through the game!

A group of S6 students play dodgeball in the gym hall against a team of teachers. All are dressed in sportswear.

 

 

Meet the Team

 

Hi there pupils, parents, teachers and the wider community. I am Callum Charteris, the current head boy of Clydeview Academy, and I am delighted to be able to bring you the new pupil-led online blog,  Clydeview Connect. Together with Mr Wallace and the strong team of bloggers, we cannot wait to get started, bringing you the latest pupil insight on everything going on in our school. We would love to dive straight into the action, but first, let me introduce you to the team!

 

S1

Hi. I’m Kiara and I am one of the new students in S1. Callum asked me why I wanted to be in the Clydeview Connect team and the reason is because it’s a great opportunity for learning and just a great opportunity in general.

My name is Jillian and I am a new S1, age 11. In my free time I have two passions they are ice hockey and drama because I am so drama-tic. When I saw the opportunity to join something new I’d always give it a try, plus I thought this would be good for me to learn more about Clydeview Academy.

Hi, I’m Moiz. I’m one of the new S1s in Clydeview. I wanted to join Clydeview Connect to get more into tech. I like writing and in my free time I like to play rugby, fishing and football!.

Hi, my name is Eilidh. I am in S1 and I wanted to join Clydeview Connect to help out the school and tell others about our learning.

Hello, my name is Lauren and I am in S1. I wanted to join Clydeview Connect to show other year groups and staff the things we have been doing around the school.

 

S3

Hi, I’m Chloe. Writing this I am currently in my 3rd year in Clydeview. In my spare time I enjoy practicing percussion or talking to my friends. I wanted to be in Clydeview Connect as I thought it would be a great opportunity to help have an impact on the school and I can’t wait to get started.

 

S4

Hi, I’m Catherine and I’m a S4 student at Clydeview Academy. When I’m not in school you will usually find me playing music with Riverside Youth band or hanging out with my friends. I wanted to be a part of Clydeview Connect because I am a member of several groups and committees within Clydeview and enjoy keeping the members of the school community informed on what’s happening around the school. I’m really excited to be a part of the team and look forward to getting started!

S5

Hey, I’m Jian Bao and I’m currently in 5th year here at CV. In my free time, I enjoy ice skating and playing the clarinet. I wanted to be part of Clydeview Connect because I have an interest in journalism and a passion for writing. I’m so happy to be part of the team and cannot wait to get started!

S6

Hello! My name is Zoe and I am currently an S6 here at Clydeview, I wanted to become a part of Clydeview connect because I have a love for writing, the media and journalism and hope to pursue these in the future. I’m also part of many other things around Clydeview like ambassadors and the leadership team!

Hello! My name’s Martina. I’m a 6th year student and I originally wanted to join Clydeview Connect because I felt a bit sorry for the team after hearing that they needed more S6s, so I was like “Why Not?” and put an application in and here I am! I hope you have a good day!

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