Trip to Ecuador
On Friday 16 June, eleven pupils and two members of staff from Greenfaulds are leaving on the trip of a lifetime to Ecuador. They are spending a week in the tropical rainforest taking part in important ecological surveys. The results are to be used to convince the Ecuadorian government about the importance of preserving these wild regions.
The party are then making their way to the Galapagos Islands where they will take part in further research projects aimed at protecting marine environments.
Everyone is really excited about the trip and the positive contribution they can make to conservation in these remote areas.
Performing Arts
Last week the Greenfaulds High Performing Arts faculty went on their annual ‘Grand Tour’ of our associated primaries. This ever-popular event was highly anticipated by both the primary school and high school pupils and on Monday morning, no fewer than 90 performers and a whole array of instruments, from xylophones, to accordions and even a flat pack drum-kit were loaded onto 4 buses to begin 3 days’ worth of concerts at Baird Memorial, Woodlands, Eastfield, Condorrat, Westfield and Ravenswood Primaries. This year’s tour featured FOUR bands – the Junior Band, Traditional Band, Jazz Band and Senior Band – plus the cast of our show ‘Hairspray’.
The Junior Band, featuring woodwind, brass and percussion players from S1 – S3, kicked of the first concert in style with the song ‘Best Day of Our Lives’ which got the primary kids singing along from the outset and let the P6 and P7s see the types of instruments that they themselves could begin playing next year. The traditional band followed with a quieter acoustic set, of which ‘The Star of County Down’ was really popular. The show cast then gave primary pupils a sneak preview of some of the songs from this year’s show ‘Hairspray’, which included some incredible soloists (and stand-in soloists), upbeat singing and energetic dancing – get your tickets now for the shows on Wed 21st, Thu 22nd and Fri 23rd, available from the school office, before they sell out!
The Senior Band showed off their new percussion section and even got the primary pupils to help play the tubular bells in their version of Bruno Mars’ – ‘Marry You’! Finally the Jazz Band ended each concert in style with the big singalong numbers ‘The Bare Necessities’ and ‘We Are Family’. With audience members giving comments such as “This was the best concert yet” and “This was the best example of a transition event I’ve seen”, we think it’s safe to say the tour was a resounding success and we WILL be back next year!
Greenfaulds Geography 30 Days Wild #adventuresoutside
Greenfaulds High School is taking part the Wildlife Trusts 30 Days Wild- the UK’s first ever month long nature challenge. The idea behind this challenge is to do something wild in the outdoors each day for the month of June. You can climb a hill, take a photo or plant a wild garden.
As our school breaks up near the end of the month the competition in GHS will run from May 25th to June 23rd. Pupils will be issued with a checklist of tasks to complete within the 30 days; the first three S1 pupils to complete all of the tasks (with a photo as evidence) will take home prizes. If no pupil has completed all tasks by Friday June 23rd, then the pupil with the most challenges completed will be announced as the winner on Monday June 26th.
Pupils should document their adventures with a photo as evidence – or they can tweet @GHSGeography with their name, task number and the #GHSwildchallenge
Greenfaulds High School Art and Design Department
2017 is the year of History, Heritage and Archaeology and the Art and Design Department at GHS have been successful with a heritage lottery fund bid for Stories, Stones and Bones sharing heritage funding. The amount of the bid is £10,000.
The Art & Design project is called ‘A Sense of Place: The Roman Presence in Cumbernauld’ and the key local heritage sites are Bar Hill Roman Fort and the Antonine Wall. The Art & Design department are looking forward to taking pupils on trips to see the Roman fort and Antonine Wall, as well as Roman artefacts in collections at the Hunterian Museum and the National Museum of Scotland. A main part of the project will involve S1-S3 pupils creating a series of large mosaics with the Scottish artist Alan Potter (for display at GHS). Pupils will also be working with Scottish artist Kate Leiper to create illustrations for an illustrated brochure about the heritage sites and the Roman presence in Cumbernauld. The grant will also provide materials for Roman-themed printmaking, illustration and pottery activities for hundreds of S1-S6 pupils at GHS, and staff and pupils at GHS are also looking forward to creating some artworks with pupils at Redburn School. Everyone is excited about showcasing the project at the local Cumbernauld Museum and in special exhibitions at GHS throughout the next year, engaging the local community with their heritage.
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
Looking further ahead to the end of the month, school closes for the Summer Holidays on Wednesday 28th June at 1:00pm. Buses have been arranged for 12:30pm. Lunch will be available at 12 noon.
Dates for the Dairy
14th June – Awards Ceremony S4-6
15th June – Graduation Prom
16th June – Awards Ceremony S1-3
