The school’s St Andrew’s Hospice ambassadors for 2019-2020 are Marc Leslie, Caitlin Diggle, Chloe McDerment, and Sarah Leighton. Congratulations to each of the pupils who will be working on fundraising ideas and organising events over the coming school year. Mr Campbell, PT Science, will undertake to the role of co-ordinator between the school and the charity.
Category Archives: Whole School News
School Vision
Thank you to everyone who participated in our recent survey to help us review and update our school vision. Please find below a summary of the responses from all those who took part on what was considered to be the most important:-
| Staff | Parents/
Carers |
Senior Pupils | Junior Pupils |
| Achievement | Attainment | Supportive | Achievement |
| Challenging | Achievement | Achievement | Inclusive |
| Aspiration | Aspiration | Attainment | Supportive |
| Supportive | Supportive | Opportunity |
Opportunity |
From this we had the following key words.
Key Words (in order)
- Achievement/Supportive
- Aspiration/Attainment
- Opportunity
- Challenging/Inclusive
We were keen to have a vision which would be short and snappy and yet sum up what is important at Braidhurst. Following discussion with groups of pupil and staff we have agreed on the following:-
Supporting Aspirations, Achieving Excellence
This sits well with our five key values:-
1. Integrity
2. Empathy
3. Respect
4. Trust
5. Courage
Thank you for ensuring your child comes to school in full school uniform as it makes everyone in the building easily identifiable. As winter approaches can we remind you that school lockers are available for winter jackets and other belongings to be kept during the school day. Pupils should continue to wear their blazer, shirt, tie, v-neck jumper or sweatshirt and school trousers/skirts throughout the day. School shoes/boots should be plain black.
It is pleasing to note that visitors frequently comment on how smart our pupils look and on the positive ethos in the school.
CONNECTIONS FESTIVAL 2019
All S1-S3 pupils took part in the school’s annual Connections Festival which celebrates young people as they make connections to the world around them through literacy, numeracy, STEM and Health and Wellbeing.
Over the two days the timetable was suspended for almost 400 pupils who participated in a series of fun, educational and inspiring activities from 25 external providers, including: author talks from Cathy Forde, Lari Don, Alex Nye and Kirkland Ciccone, yoga and relaxation sessions from the Health and Wellness Hub, clubbercise, science and engineering workshops from Terumo Aortic, a graphic novel taster from Rossie Stone of Dekko Comics, Brazilian drumming from Beats of Brazil, lego workshops from Bricks for Kids, reading with pets from Therapets, an elite athlete talk from Inspiration for Schools, sports journalism from Gordon Duncan of Clyde One Superscoreboard, and a variety of activities provided by the school’s staff, all of whom contributed to a fantastic events.
The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the event which was launched on the Thursday morning with a special ‘Read to Succeed’ author talk from Gill Arbuthnott with the entire S1 year group.
ST ANDREW’S HOSPICE 6K RUN
On Sunday 15th September Braidhurst pupils and staff participated in the annual St Andrew’s Hospice 6K run at Strathclyde Park. Not only were participants showing off their running prowess but they were also raising essential funds for the charity through sponsorship from family and friends. Plus our very own DHT of S1-S2 Mr. Gardiner came first place overall. Congratulations to all the runners.
CONNECTIONS FESTIVAL COFFEE MORNING
The Connections Festival Committee hosted a coffee morning on Friday 6th September to raise funds for two of the festival’s contributors Therapets and Inspiration for Schools. Both contributors are charities and rely of donations in order to continue their excellent work in schools and the wider community. The coffee morning attracted a large number of staff who eagerly bought cakes and raffle tickets to help raise over £260 which will be divided between the two contributors. Thank you also to our senior peer tutors who helped to run the event.
HOUSE CAPTAINS
Congratulations to the school’s new house captains who were selected after completing a successful interview with pupil support staff. The new team of captains and prefects are as follows:
Captain Eleanor Day, Vice-Captain Chloe McDerment, and Prefects Sharleen Brandt and Darci Burns for Atholl House, Captain Nicole Watson, Vice-Captain Ellie McNeil, and Prefect Karis Cowan and Marc Leslie for Lorne House, Captain Lorraine Tollan, Vice-Captain Ellie Murphy, and Prefects Aimee Harper and Kori Turnbull for Morven House, and Captain Caitlin Diggle, Vice-Captain Jenna Young, and Prefects Chloe McLaughlin and Leah McTavish for Rannoch House.
Good luck to all the senior pupils involved for the year ahead.
S4-S6 INFORMATION EVENING
On Wednesday 4th September the school hosted a very successful information evening for its S4 to S6 pupils. This event was an opportunity for pupils and their parents/carers to find out more about how the school can work in partnership with its young people who are leaving school and ensure they reach a positive destination which reflects their abilities and interests. A number of workshops were available for pupils to attend including: volunteering, UCAS, study techniques, SQA, Education maintenance Award, mock interview skills and Scholar.
