Examinations are almost complete and pupils have now returned to school from study leave. The attendance and conduct throughout the examination period was exemplary.

Prizegiving will take place on the last day of term, Thursday 27^th June, starting at 10.30 am. Prizewinners will be notified very soon.

A group of S3 pupils studying German visited the Goethe Institute this week, as part of the Curriculum for Excellence for Modern Languages focus on a broad general education. Accompanied by Miss Dawn Lennox, teacher of French and German, they took part in exhibition on the theme of popular Grimms’ Fairy Tales and they were able to extend their knowledge of German culture through a guided tour of posters and exhibits depicting scenes from and offering information about famous tales such as Rotkappchen (Red Riding Hood). Aschenputtel (Cinderella) and Schneewittchen (Snow White), led by members of the Goethe Institute. A fairytale was narrated to the pupils in German, and they took part in a number of language activities including games and quizzes in the foreign language. The pupils were encouraged to discuss recurring themes in the fairytales, such as the role of animals and the depiction of universal qualities such as jealousy, conceit and greed.

All pupils thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were able to practise their listening, reading and talking skills, as well as learning new German vocabulary and finding out interesting facts pertaining to German folklore.

School Show tickets for Bugsy Malone are now on sale from the school through Mrs Jen Hunter. The show will take place from Wednesday 19^th to Friday 21^st June with tickets costing £2 for children and concession, £4 for an adult and £10 for a Family ticket.

Braidhurst u14s 5 v Craigmount 1

For the second year in row Braidhurst met Edinburgh side Craigmount in the final of the Scottish Shield. Both line-ups closely resembled the teams from last year’s game, which saw the Motherwell side running out 3-1 winners at Edinburgh’s Spartans’ Stadium.

This year saw a change in venue, with the tie switched to Airdrie’s Excelsior Stadium stadium however, there was no change in result. Braidhurst won 5-1 to retain their title, a real achievement.

Braidhurst started the game with genuine intent and scored with their first real chance after only 4 minutes. Andrew McNulty’s excellent through ball was latched onto by Dylan Falconer who took a touch before dispatching the ball low beyond the despairing keeper. Ryan Watt doubled the lead minutes later after good work from Jordan Duncan on the right wing. A customary Watt turn and strike saw the net billow with his powerful low shot.

This observer’s goal of the game then followed after a lightning break up the right saw Falconer pick Watt out with a perfect cross, the strikers header was expertly placed in the top corner for number three.

The second half saw the usual Braidhurst rotation of keepers, from Adam Sinnett to Tony Sharkey. Darren Wilson came on for Nicholas Mullen after the midfielder felt a strain. Craigmount came out with all guns blazing and made it 3-1 with a header from a corner. At that point, Braidhurst were down to 10 men because Rico Quitongo was receiving treatment for an injury.

After a period of Craigmount pressure and some near misses, Falconer restored the three goal lead with a cool strike. Quitongo made it 5 in the last minute to put the seal on a fine Braidhurst victory.

Rector Mr Derrick Hannan commented, “This was an absolutely fantastic team performance by the under 14 boys. They won the equivalent shield for under 13’s last year but to repeat the feat is just incredible. They are a very skilful group of players who have definitely gained a great deal from the daily coaching provided by Paul Burns through the School of Football scheme. They certainly fully deserved their win and played football of a very high standard. Thanks must also go to their two teachers Mr Madill and Mr Brandon for their management of the squad”.

S1 pupils studying French have been involved in peer work on the topic of ‘Ma Journee Scolaire’ recently. The pupils were set the task of designing, in pairs, a large poster outlining in French one particular day at school. They were asked to include factual information such as the times of the school day and what they do during the interval and lunchtimes, as well as activities carried out in classroom situations. They also expressed opinions and reasons for holding these opinions about a variety of school subjects in French. Details pertaining to the school uniform were also given and pupils were encouraged to check the accuracy of their French using their resources. Finally, the pupils illustrated their posters with images of their school life, taking into account the target audience. The posters were then judged by the class and awarded an appropriate grade at Third Level.

The activity was completed to a very high standard by all classes, and enabled them to work in pairs, showing respect for others and assuming areas of responsibility for the task. It was an excellent example of pupils carrying out Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes for Modern Languages, Literacy and Health and Wellbeing and they were able to practice skills for life, work and learning in the process.