Category: School News

 

If you were looking for the premier social event in the Wishaw area this Christmas season then the Fifth Year Ceilidh in Saint Aidan’s High school would be the invitation you would have wanted. Over one hundred and fifty students and staff celebrated the festive season in style. The young people were elegant and stylish in attire while sitting down to a three course banquet before launching themselves into some of the most energetic Scottish dancing to be witnessed at any ceilidh, anywhere! A great night, made all the better by the fact that the young people, ably assisted by their Principal Teacher of Guidance- Mrs Emma Large, organised the event themselves.

Mrs Large commented, “The students have organised a great evening and have been a real credit to themselves and the school. Special thanks go out to the Ceilidh Committee who put so much hard work into organizing this wonderful evening”

Edited by Christopher Quigley

 

Thanks to Miss McGrogan for the photographs.:-)

 

The S6 charity committee did some great work in support of Breast Cancer Care recently.

The group got themselves out into the school community and raised £196.88 for this amazing cause during October by selling pink ribbon badges, bands and collecting money in their pink buckets!!

Parent and pupil event

 

Last Wednesday a member of St Aidan’s staff Mrs Hyslop organised and even for pupils and parents to bond through interactive and fun activities. The Pupils involved were pupils who took part in Summer School even during the summer holidays, were asked to come along with their parents to participate in the event to help with their transition in coming in to secondary school. Mrs Hyslop said “We had a variety on Christmas activities such as making a soap bombs in the science department and a wooden candle holder in the tech department”. There was 8 parents and 9 kids which attended. Mrs Hyslop mentioned “We got a lot of positive feedback from parents as they said things like “it’s good to actually be able to sit down and do something with my son, as he sits in his room and plays his PlayStation all the time.” The event was very successful and helped parents and pupils bond.

 

 

Caritas Students Represent the School.

Our senior students who are actively involved in the Caritas group within the community represented the school recently at the Annual Mass for deceased clergy in the Diocese of Motherwell in St. Ignatius Church.

Lauren McCulloch and Nicole Findon both read the intercessions. Students are pictured with Bishop Toal, Father Maguiness and Mgr. Conway.

 

Saint Ignatius Book Week Visit

Our first year drama students have been polishing up their reading and performance skills during class recently. The aim of this fun immersion in some classic children’s fiction such as “The Gruffalo” and “The Cat in the Hat” was pretty serious though. Groups of our new first year are returning to their old primary schools to read these great stories to small groups of primary two pupils.

The visits are part of the focus on great literature that Scottish Book Week promotes but are also a great opportunity for the first year students to return to old friends and faces from their primary years.

The confidence and skill that the students have demonstrated in their performances are a great testimony to the real effort that they are putting into their study of drama.

Thanks go out to school librarian, Marie McGough, who not only helped to coach the young people in their reading style, but accompanied the students back to their primary schools. The students pictured have returned to Saint Ignatius, their former primary school.

 

Peer Advocates Tackle Big Issues

Our S5 and S6 Peer Advocate group attended a workshop that examined the impact that drug use can have on young people.

The event was put together by Landed, a charity that “Provides and promotes education services for young people in North Lanarkshire.”

The senior pupils participated in a wide range of interactive activities and came away with a deeper insight of the impact that cannabis use can have on the lives of people in the community.

 

Saint Aidan’s Student is British Champ

Congratulations go out to fifth year student Haydon McAvoy British Taekwondo Champion in the 50 kilogramme division.

Scottish Parliament Workshop

On Friday, 24^th November, 8 Higher English pupils accompanied by Principal Teacher of English, Miss Fiona McGrogan, visited the Scottish Parliament to learn how the language skills they are learning are applied in the world of politics.

After a tour of the debating chamber with groups from all over Scotland, the pupils took part in workshops on drafting legislation, persuasive speechmaking and accurate reporting of the proceedings of the parliament, all delivered by members of the Parliament staff.

Lots of lively and fun examples were provided to show how the placing of a comma or choice of a word could change the impact or meaning of what was said or written. At the end of the day, a Question and Answer session with a new MSP allowed pupils to learn about day to day life in the Parliament.

 

Boys Under-13 Football Results

The Under-thirteen boys football team are flush with success following a 3-1 victory over Cardinal Newman High School. The emphatic score line hides the fact that this was a closely fought win between two well-matched and highly competitive teams.

The first Saint Aidan’s strike came from Nicholas Wells, ably assisted by Michael Craig. Michael went on to score the next Saint Aidan’s goal, finishing off a great pass from Mark Henderson. Calum Moon put a seal on the victory with a superb solo effort to round off the day.

Sports Leaders First Aid Course

 

The group of sixth year students who are currently studying for the Sports Leadership Award were immersed in a full day first aid course on Thursday 23^rd November.

The group gained a formal qualification in First Aid, a vital qualification for anyone who is professionally involved in Sport Leadership. The young people in the group clearly enjoyed the experience and benefitted from the practical, hands on nature of the workshops involved.

 

Library Book Fair

 

St Aidan’s High school library recently held a Scholastic book fair. S1 and S2 pupils visited the library during English periods to take part in the event. There was a wide selection of items on offer, with junior fiction, young adult fiction, puzzle books, and novelty stationery making up the bulk of the book fair.

 

S4 pupils Martha McGuire, Jack McClung, Rhianne Kelly, Chantelle Kean, Gabrielle Goldie and Emma McArdle manned the cash desk during the weeklong event.

 

Earlier in 2017, at the spring book fair, St Aidan’s library earned £170 worth of Scholastic rewards to spend on books. During the recent book fair a group of keen readers from S1 assisted the librarian in choosing £170 worth of books for the school library. These popular fiction titles are a welcome addition to the catalogue.

 

The recent autumn book fair proved a huge success with pupils and staff and earned the library £167 in Scholastic rewards. Rewards which we look forward to spending at the next Scholastic book fair.

 

 

Hello again to the JMAC team,

I have posted the school news report for you- your contribution on the Mathematics challenge features prominently.

Well done on your interviewing and reporting. Mr O’Brien

Olympian Efforts in Mathematics

Mathematics prodigies Christopher Corr and Claudia Kawik showed off their outstanding academic skills by taking part in the Senior Mathematics Challenge. While this is an impressive achievement in itself, something makes it even more exceptional. The two stars entered the challenge as juniors but were competing against senior students. The Saint Aidan’s duo, who have not yet sat their National 5 Mathematics exam, were pitting themselves against the best and the brightest from across the whole of Great Britain: competing against students who are currently studying at Higher, A-level and possibly beyond. Our high-flyers went on to ace a test supposedly out of their league.

Claudia Kawik and Christopher Corr are the two fourth year pupils who achieved the gold award for the senior maths challenge. We asked 15 year old Claudia how she felt about being in the top 1000 in the entire UK for the event. She said “It feels great”. Her peer, Chris, added “I feel the same however I was quite shocked.”

Claudia has qualified to participate in the highly prestigious British Mathematical Olympiad which is organised by the UK Mathematics Trust and Christopher will go on to compete in the Senior “Kangaroo” Challenge.

Both pupils have participated in the event for a few years now and both of them told us that they have achieved good awards in the past, so there was no reason not to have a go at the highest level.

Claudia thinks that the maths challenge could possibly help in her exams, because there are “Quite a few problem solving questions”. Chris isn’t sure what career path he wants to follow just yet. However Claudia has definite career plans, she said “I am planning on going into medicine, so that will require mathematics.”

Class teacher of the pair, Mrs. Harrity, was full of praise for the fourth years’ fantastic performance “The pupils excelled because they are naturally bright and they thrive in their studies. This always shows in their classwork and behaviour. They are not easily distracted and despite being young they are able to participate in really advanced work.

Mr. Anthony McDonald, Principal Teacher of Mathematics was equally fulsome in his praise of the young students, “To compete and achieve such a high level of distinction really places our two young people in the company of elite mathematicians. This award is a fabulous reflection of their very real talent. They are young people who have proved to be great problem solvers. The UK Mathematics Trust often looks at areas of mathematics that are not traditionally taught in the school curriculum, so both of our students can really think ‘out of the box’. They are going on to represent North Lanarkshire in the final of the Scottish Mathematics Challenge in the near future, so the very best of luck to them in their next endeavor.”

Head teacher Claire Connelly commented on the pupils. “It was an outstanding achievement for the school and it showcases the great talent of Claudia and Christopher. The school community is very proud.’

Claudia and Christopher are in the centre of the picture and are accompanied by Mr. Callaghan and Mrs. Harrity of the Mathematics Department to the left.  Mrs Connelly, Head Teacher and Mr. McDonald, Principal Teacher of Mathematics are to the right of the frame.

 

Brilliant Panto Visit.

Nearly two hundred first year students and ten lucky members of staff ventured off to the Motherwell Civic Theatre recently to enjoy a performance of Jack and the Beanstalk. The trip was organised by Mrs Caroline Mullen, teacher of Drama and English, ably assisted by Principal Teacher of English Miss Fiona McGrogan.

The weather on the day of the trip may have been somewhat dreich but the afternoon’s entertainment was electric. The first years created a crackling atmosphere and launched themselves into some brilliantly raucous audience participation: these young people know how to panto! They are clearly benefitting from the drama lessons that they have participated in and demonstrated that they know how to be a brilliant audience.

Santa Dash

Saint Andrew’s Hospice told us that Santa had to get fit for Christmas so that he could deliver all those presents. To help him out, and to support the Hospice at the same time, our Saint Andrew’s Ambassadors from sixth year along with their Principal Teacher of Guidance, Mrs. Eileen Murray, turned out in force to take part in the annual Santa Dash at Strathclyde part on Sunday 19^th November.  Suitably attired in Santa suits and red noses, our students’ staff “blazed” through the course around the loch.

There was a great turn out for the sponsored event and our students and their families demonstrated their support for the Hospice in the usual generous manner. More details to follow on this when the sponsor money has been collected.

 

 

The Zoolab article and photograph in this week’s Wishaw Press.

Well done to the JMAC team

Mr O’Brien