Congratulations to Mrs Callaghan and the pupils who accompanied her to the Scottish Learning Festival at the SECC on 24 September 2015. The topic was:
“Ambitions, Expectations, Aspirations: How to challenge at point of transition”
Claire Callaghan, Coltness High School working with Glasgow University.
Building academic resilience is an important aspect of raising ambitions, expectations and aspirations. The session examined how our school is working with 1st Years to foster a climate of high achievement through inclusive enrichment opportunities.
The presentation went very well and all involved were a credit to the school.
Welcome back to Support for Learning in 2015/16. We especially welcome our new 1st Year pupils and the new 3rd Year ASDAN classes. We look forward to learning and working together on some exciting activities.
Parents and pupils of all years are very welcome to contact any of the Support for Learning staff if you need any specific advice. Remember to use the website links too.
Mrs McLeish has written a very helpful ASD booklet which can be found by clicking on the Autism page under Parent Zone. Links to external organisations are on the right hand side and we have a range of books available in the department.
We aim to keep our resources as up to date as possible.
Microsoft is seeking to recruit more autistic workers in a pilot project in the U.S.A.
In a blog written by Senior executive Mary Ellen Smith “People with autism bring strengths that we need at Microsoft.”
The move has been welcomed by the National Autistic Society as it highlights some of the strengths that people with autism may have. For example, “Many may have strengths such as accuracy, a good eye for detail and reliability, which can benefit all sorts of businesses, not just the technology industry.”
The S3 ASDAN group tried to see the partial solar eclipse this morning at 9.30 am but unfortunately it was a bit too cloudy in Lanarkshire. We had prepared for this rare event by doing some research on what happens during an eclipse and Mrs Bihet explained what was going to happen using a PowerPoint presentation. 95% of the sun was going to look like it was covered by the moon.
It was still quite an exciting lesson because we enjoyed a special Eclipse breakfast of croissants and orange juice whilst watching the build up on television. Sean Batty’s programme on STV was great. We found out what some other Scottish schools were doing and how the Glasgow Science Centre was getting ready.
We made pinhole cameras because we had been advised not to look directly at the sun without special glasses.
When we went out in the playground there were some other classes there already. It was cloudy and cold – brrrr – but after 9.35 am we noticed that the sky had started to brighten and expected it to get a bit warmer.
The bell rang for P2 so off to class we went – but it was an experience to remember as the next partial solar eclipse is not until 2026!
The ASDAN group enjoyed a very interesting tour of Ravenscraig Regional Sports Complex. They watched the Scotland Rugby 7s squad training on free weights, a French School of Sport squad training on the indoor football pitches and a very busy local schools gymnastics competition in the big hall. During the visit, the pupils completed a questionnaire about all of the facilities that Ravenscraig has available for all ages. Finally, they received a brief talk from Mr James Marshall who is the Group Catering Manager for NLC about the importance of eating the right foods for whatever sport they are doing. Altogether, a very worthwhile and enjoyable visit!
The S3/4 ASDAN group visited Greenhead Moss on Monday 11th September. Our guide, Aileen McKean was very helpful and told the pupils and staff lots of information about the history of the Moss and the plans for future conservation. It was an excellent walk as we found out more about the creation of this Community Nature Reserve and Park in 1999.
It used to mainly be an open cast mine and later a landfill site but some local people worked very hard to make it a welcoming place for nature lovers. Local volunteers are still helping to look after the Reserve including removing trees from the peat bogs. It was amazing to find out deep the peat bogs are from the Stratographic Stairway and ramp. We visited the Perchy Pond and learned about many different types of wildlife around the reserve from Roe deer to dragonflies!
Aileen also told us about the wee cottage occupied by a Dutch family 100 years ago who discovered the Cambusnethan Bog Body – the body and clothing (thought to be of a covenantor) were so well preserved that it is now in Kelvingrove Museum.
Altogether it was a very worthwhile visit which the pupils really enjoyed. Special thanks are due to our excellent guide.
The S3/4 ASDAN group visited the newly opened Armed Forces Memorial Garden in Belhaven Park on Monday 18th September.The pupils respectfully laid a spray at the memorial for the Lanarkshire Yeomanry.
They were also very keen to find out more information on WW1, WW2 and later conflicts by reading each of the six boards and filling in quiz answers. This information will be used as part of their further study in the lead up to the school Remembrance Evening on 11 November.
It was lovely to receive an email from Mr Campbell Thomson of the Lanarkshire Yeomanry thanking the pupils for their tribute.
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