Pupils at Braidhurst High School along with Mrs McKay in the RME Department recently raised £50 for the charity Barnardo’s.   The charity provided the school with the bear to raffle off and the pupils and staff were offered the chance to purchase a numbered square for 50p.   The winning number was 76 and the winner was Mrs Allison (Principal Teacher of English) pictured holding the bear.   This is just one of the worthwhile causes supported by the Charity Committee.

This years Christmas concert will take place on Wednesday 19^th December starting at 7.30 pm in the school.   Tickets priced £2 are available from Ms Ruth Watson at the school.

As an Adistar ambassador, Braidhurst High pupil Connor Gray’s goal was to promote and live out the Olympic and Paralympic values as an inspirational figure for other young people as well as adults.  The values were determination, equality, inspiration, excellence, courage, respect and friendship.  Promoting these values allowed him to use them in his own performance and participation in sport.  In school Connor helped organise a rugby club for S1-3 which will begin this term, which will hopefully catch the eye of the lower school and grow as the year goes on.  There are a range of sports which Connor had to promote such as Badminton, Basketball, Volleyball, Trampolining, Fitness, Rugby, Football, Hockey, Boxing including every Olympic sport.

As an ambassador Connor was also involved in the Olympic torch relay.  He helped primary school spectators to have the best view as the torch went past.  It was a great day and an event he will remember for the rest fo his life.  Another Olympic events Connor attended were the France vs USA and Columbia vs North Korea women’s football matches at Hampden.  Being a part of the Olympics and having influenced young people to get involved has given Connor great experience and has been a wonderful opportunity for him.  Connor is honoured to have had this opportunity to get involved with sports and he hopes to get even more people participating and taking an interest in sport as the Commonwealth Games 2014 in Glasgow draws near.  He also hopes to become more involved with sports activities within schools and in the local communities.

Braidhurst High School recently appointed their school captains for academic year 2012-2013.  The role of School Captain is a high-profile and prestigious one amongst the senior student body, performing a range of important functions through the academic session.  Duties and responsibilities accompanying this role include being a positive role model in the school and community, representing Braidhurst HS at public events, attending and organising inter house and whole school events, organising the Senior Prom and representing the ‘pupil voice’ within the school.

Braidhurst expects their captains to be inspirational to other students with a clear commitment to the ethos and values of Braidhurst High School.  The captains have to lead by example with energy, enthusiasm and a visible pride in our school.  This is a post which challenges them to show initiative, achieve goals, and become more confident in how they communicate and interact with people.

STAFFING has recently been increased in the school in line with an increase in the pupil roll. All classes were fully staffed from the start of term with the additional staffing giving extra support to pupils.

As well as many new pupils, the school also welcomed several new teachers to the school including Ms Karen lamb in Drama, Ms Gemma Collins in Music, Mr James Thompson and Ms Natalie Durrant in Physical Education, Mr Alan Dickie in Biology and Ms Jennifer McKenna in Technical Education. All these staff seem to have settled very well into their new school and staff and pupils hope that they enjoy working in Braidhurst.

Braidhurst High experienced an increase in the school roll at the beginning of term. All of the new pupils were in full school uniform and were looking fantastic. The pupils in the new first year had senior pupils allocated as guides to ensure they quickly settled into the secondary environment. Initial reactions from staff and pupils indicate that they will quickly feet at home.