S1 French pupils have been learning all about Halloween in France.   Although not celebrated to the same extent as in Britain, the French have begun in recent years to organise activities to mark this special day.   Yann Koebel, the French Assistant, prepared power point presentations to introduce the various Halloween vocabulary used in French, and pupils took part in French online games and quizzes on the theme of Halloween.   Posters were made for the Modern Languages corridor and the classroom walls.  Activities were extended into the Modern Languages for Life and Work class in Upper School and they researched how German people celebrate Halloween and its similarities to the German festival of ‘Walpurgisnacht’.   Spooky!!

A group of pupils studying Higher German at Braidhurst High School travelled to Glasgow last week to take part in a German Immersion Day organised by the Goethe Institute.   The group worked with students from other schools in the division and engaged in a number of purposeful as well as fun activities in the foreign language.   They played various games in German, and attempted to deliver tongue twisters in the foreign language, which is no easy task!   They also conversed with young German people to discover more about the culture and music of modern day Germany.   Braidhurst pupils were assisted by their German Assistant, Mr Tim Sentz, who works with the pupils in the Higher German class for part of the week.   All pupils thoroughly enjoyed getting to know other young people out with their own school, as well as having the opportunity to practise their language skills and extend their knowledge of various aspects of Germany today.

The school hosted a Senior School Information Evening for all pupils, parents and carers to focus on overcoming the exciting challenges that are faced by pupils in S5 & S6.   A series of informative presentations from senior pupils covered topics such as study skills, volunteering opportunities, work experience as well as relevant SQA information.

The Under 18 football team started their season with a dominant performance in the Scottish Cup.   Playing Balfron High School away from home the Braidhurst team were always on top although they struggled to convert their dominance into goals until Jamie Leslie slipped past the defence to score.   Despite maintaining their pressure Braidhurst lost the next goal but with penalties looming David Thomson found space in the box to fire home giving Braidhurst a well-deserved 2-1 victory.

The S3 parents’ evening took place on Tuesday 28^th October from 4.00 – 6.30 pm and was very well attended.   The evening was the first chance parents have had to find out about their child’s progress in the new SQA National Qualifications.   The staff were delighted to take this opportunity to furnish the parents with accurate information on individual pupils and display examples of their work.

The S4 parents’ evening is next being held on Tuesday 10^th November from 4.00 -0 6.30 pm.   We would like to extend a warm welcome to all parents of pupils in S4 and encourage them to attend this very important meeting and have the opportunity to discuss with class teachers the progress of their child.

Congratulations to Eryn Lawrie and Justin Hogg who have been chosen to represent the school at the 2015 Lessons from Auschwitz (LfA) Project.   Eryn and Justin will attend an Orientation Seminar on 25^th October in Glasgow where they will meet with fellow participants from around Scotland.   They will have the remarkable opportunity to meet with a Holocaust Survivor and to hear their incredible experience of survival against all odds at the hands of the Nazi’s.   Eryn and Justin will travel to Poland on 28^th October to tour the authentic site of Auschwitz-Birkenau to develop their knowledge of the events and witness the atrocities of the Holocaust.   On their return, Eryn and Justin will become Ambassadors for the LfA Project by completing a project of their choice aimed at disseminating in their school and community, the lessons they have learned from the experience.   Eryn and Justin are sure to be excellent ambassadors for Braidhurst High School.   Justin commented “It is a great privilege and honour to have been given this once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in the event and to represent my school”.   Eryn added “The visit is an excellent opportunity to explore my History studies further and to gain first-hand experience of a historical event which should never be forgotten”.   We with them both well as they start their journey of learning and exploration.

The Braidhurst girl’s football team have a busy few weeks ahead of them with competitive games and festivals.

A group of S1-S3 girls from Braidhurst High School have been invited to participate in a 7 aside football festival at Fir Park Stadium, Motherwell.   Following this the girls will be given complimentary tickets to watch and show their support to the Scotland Women’s National Team as they take on Belarus in their second UEFA Euro qualifier of the campaign.   The event will take place on Friday 23^rd October 2015 with the festival starting at 2.40 pm and the SWNT match kicking off at 7.45 pm.

The following week Braidhurst will be hosting a 7 aside festival where 5 other local North Lanarkshire schools will bring their girls teams to compete in the tournament.

Good luck to all the girls representing the school girls’ team over the coming weeks.