Braidhurst High School staff and pupils enjoyed a fun packed afternoon entitled “Braidhurst’s Got Talent”.   Pupils from all year groups competed against each other; with Lorne pupils winning best house act and S1 pupil Karla Luxton winning best solo performance for her version of “All of Me”.   The event raised £510 from ticket sales for Children in Need.   In addition to this, pupils donated over 600 tins and packets for the school’s annual Christmas charity parcels.   School staff have been overwhelmed by pupil generosity and their desire to help the needy in our community.   Any food items not used for the Christmas parcels will be donated to the local food bank.

Braidhurst Higher Geography pupils spent a wild weekend in Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae.   Students attend a 3 day course with the Field Studies Council carrying out research in preparation for their higher coursework with their teacher Kirsty Logan.   Pupils studied soils, coastal transport and flood defences with experts from the centre, taking samples and measuring the physical landscape in order to study the underlying processes affecting the island.   Time was spent reviewing the research in the classroom, but it wasn’t all work.   Free time on the beach was spent exploring rock pools, making friends with seals and dolphin watching.   Staff at the centre were full of praise for the pupils’ hard working attitudes and helpful natures.   Even the weather can’t dampen Braidhurst spirits.

A group of Art pupils from Braidhurst High set up an exhibition of work for the recent S4 parents’ evening.   This included expressive and design folios and helped to promote the excellent work that the pupils have produced.   The exhibition was extremely popular and it was viewed by many of the parents and pupils who attended the very successful evening.

Senior pupils Eryn Lawrie, Greg Mackenzie and Marc Armitage were delighted to accept an invitation from the Holocaust Educational Trust met to attend an intimate reception at the Scottish parliament on Tuesday 3^rd November.   The event was held to commemorate the work of the HET in delivering the Lessons from Auschwitz Project (LFA) and the invitation was in recognition of Braidhurst High School’s involvement in the initiative over the past 5 years.

Accompanied by Mrs Ballantyne, the pupils were welcomed by Ken McIntosh MSP and met with Ruth Davidson MSP and Alisdair Allan MSP.   Amongst the guests were Holocaust survivors Henry and Ingrid Wuga who previously visited Braidhurst in 2012 and were delighted to recognise the school badge and uniform.   The pupils were delighted to have the chance to speak briefly with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP who complimented them on their smart appearance and on Braidhurst’s commitment to the LFA Project.

The HET and LFA is supported by the Scottish Government and allows two pupils from every secondary school in Scotland to participate in a unique opportunity to witness first-hand the atrocities of the Holocaust and the impact it had on the victims, survivors and their families.   As in previous years the pupils will now work as Ambassadors for the HET in sharing their experiences with their peers and the wider school community.

On Thursday 26^th November at 7 pm Braidhurst High School’s Parents’ Group will be hosting a fashion sale in the assembly hall.   To get you in the mood for some Christmas shopping come along and check out the discounted clothing from brands such as Topshop, Next and Monsoon (prices ranging from £5 to £30).   Tickets for this event cost £5 and include a glass of bubbly and a cupcake.   If you are interested please contact Miss Watson on 01698 274999 for tickets.

Braidhurst senior pupils Nathan Smith, Nicole Baird and Caitlin Watson volunteer every week with the local Parkinson’s self- help group.

The pupils are working with the group to produce an information leaflet for people newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

The group are also learning new computing skills as part of the Digital Inclusion Project.   Supported by the Community Learning Development workers Peter McNally, Linda McGurk and Cheryl McGuire.

For further information about the group please contact: 01698 337460