School News – Page 6 – JMAC- The Blog Experience

JMAC Reporting of Chris’s House in Wishaw Press

The Wishaw Press published your collaborative coverage of the Chris’s House Event. Well done!

Press Report 15th November

Hello to the JMAC team. Your work on the Zoolab visit featured prominently in the most recent school press report. Here is a draft copy of it for your perusal…

Beyoncé is Back at Saint Aidan’s….

Second year students at St Aidan’s High school had their rainforest topic brought to life by an exciting visit from The Zoolab Company. From the shadowy depths of the rainforest, all the way to Wishaw came Arthur the snail, Beyoncé the tarantula and many more exotic creatures. Eager, brave young students, fuelled by a mixture anticipation and dread were given the opportunity to interact with the creatures.

For the most part, the curiosity overcame the fear and the pupils learned fascinating facts about the miniature beasts such as Lily the millipede from the Congo and her 500 legs.

Zoolab has been running for 20 years and caters to several functions such as birthdays, school visits and public events. The company aims to ‘amaze, educate and inspire’ the public about the lives of animals. The Zoolab rangers care for the exotic creatures at home and show great care about each of their charges. The second year students commented enthusiastically, saying ‘It was a really good experience, which was totally unique and holding the animals was so much fun’.

Mental Health Awareness

Over forty parents attended an evening presentation given by Chris’s House that followed on from our presentations to all of our students. As part of our school community’s drive to break the stigma about mental health issues a group of our Student Mental Health Ambassadors have also attended the launch of the “Sound Minds” project in Coatbridge. You can get more information about the school’s progress in raising awareness of these issues on the Saint Aidan’s High Twitter account under the following hashtags: e #mentalhealthawareness #breakthestigma #partnerships #staidansfamily

Football Successes

The Saint Aidan’s High football teams have been enjoying a run of good form with notable victories by the first year boys and a sparkling performance by the fourth year boys against Our Lady’s High School.

The under 14 boys are also looking good in their new strips thanks to the generosity of the Parent Council.

Primary Seven Partnership Evening

Our annual P7 Partnership Evening took place on Tuesday 7^th November and attendance was in excess of 340.

The evaluations completed are incredibly positive but also give a few suggestions as to how we can make it even better. Mrs. Elizabeth Fagan, Depute Head for first and second year commented on the success of the event, “This evening requires lots of planning, preparation but most importantly the willingness and commitment of both staff and pupils. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to every member of staff who came on Tuesday night and made the night such a memorable experience for both parents and pupils alike. The parents were extremely complimentary of our fantastic S2/5/6 helpers and found them to be polite, mannerly and confident. Parents also felt reassured by having the opportunity to meet and talk with many of our fantastic S1 pupils and welcomed the opportunity to speak to staff. Many stated that they felt much more comfortable about their child coming to high school.”

Parents of children about to make the step up to high school next year commented, “This was an amazing night with lots of information that put both my child and my mind at ease.” Another parent evaluation of the evening was very positive about the impact that our current first year students had on them, “Pupils did very well and using present S1 pupils was very helpful for the children.

Overall it was a highly successful night and we look forward to seeing the primary seven students as our new first year in 2018.

The School Library Becomes Hogwarts for a Day

The S1 Harry Potter Bingo and Spelling Bee which took place recently was good fun and a great success.

Harry Potter Bingo Two games of Harry Potter Bingo were played – the bingo uses images and words from the HP books instead of numbers. Tiernan Donohoe and Mikolaj Matusik won a game of bingo each and received chocolate skeletons and chocolate money as their prize.

Harry Potter Spelling Bee

A happy and enthusiastic audience of S1 pupils came along to the event to support their friends who were taking part. Molly Kelly and James Walsh were the joint winners of the competition which resulted in a tie breaker. James won the tie breaker with the correct spelling of the word quidditch. His prize was a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

The following fourteen good sports took part in the Harry Potter Spelling Bee: Molly Kelly, James Walsh Tiernan Donohoe, Luke Chambers Gabriel Woods, Kaitlyn Grayson, Millie Low, Amy McIntosh

Lauren Fuller, Kerri Anne Templeton, Holly Sweeney, Mikolaj Matusik, Olivia Sneddon and Valentina Joseph.

Saint Andrew’s Hospice Cheque

The school presented representatives from Saint Andrew’s Hospice a cheque for £1801.66. The funds were raised by a magnificent effort by all the students who took part in the 6K fun run in September. A great effort by everyone involved!

Zoolab Visit

Second year pupils at St Aidan’s High school had their rainforest topic brought to life by an exciting visit from The Zoolab Company. From the deepest depths of the rainforest, all the way to Wishaw came Arthur the snail, Beyoncé the tarantula and many more. Eager, brave young students were given the opportunity to interact with the creatures and were fuelled with anticipation and interest. The pupils learned fascinating facts about the miniature beasts, like about Lily the millipede from the Congo and her 500 legs. Zoolab has been running for twenty years and caters to several functions such as birthdays, school visits and public events. The company aims to ‘amaze, educate and inspire’ the public about the lives of animals. The Zoolab rangers care for the exotic creatures at home and show great enthusiasm about each of them individually. The children commented saying ‘It was a really good experience, which was totally unique and holding the animals was so much fun’.

Joanne Hamilton and Rebecca Simpson

Facing Fear

When face to face with your biggest fear, you can be overcome by a wave of anxiety and dread, and there are only two options of survival. Fight or flight. Flight results in forever being afraid, and fight allows you to conquer your phobia. From quivering at the mere word ,’snake’, I found myself to be staring right in the eyes of the creature itself. I am flooded with terror. Yet all of a sudden, the soft snake is resting in my trembling hands, with my heart still beating wildly in my chest, I could slowly feel the tension drain from my body. My phobia no longer controls me, I am proud.

Hollie McConville and Nicolle Muir

Exam Preparation

Preparing for exams can be nerve wracking and a scary experience, here are my top tips on how to deal with exam stress and how to effectively prepare.

Ensure to organize your study space.
Set up a time period to study in.
Use flow charts and diagrams. This can make things more clearer.
Practice on past papers. This will help you get used to exam layouts.
Explain your answers to others. Teaching other people can help you become better at a subject.
Organize study groups with friends. Studying with other people can be just as effective as studying alone however it’s important not to get distracted.
Take regular breaks. Pushing yourself too much can cause more stress.
Have a snack. This can help you think more clearly as often we forget to eat when we are so concentrated.
Plan your exam day. This can ensure you don’t accidentely miss your exam.
Do not say “I can’t do it”. As long as you put your mind to something you can do it.

By Lauryn Omeike

Being a Student Journalist.

Being a student journalist comes with its pros and cons. One day I’m photographing an event and the next I’m spending three hours editing these photographs. This course can be very demanding at times, I can be given an assignment to complete for the end of the week, but the work that I would have to put in to complete the assignment should be taking me two weeks. There is a slight feel of authority when working on an assignment, especially after taking a group photograph or conducting an interview.

The professional aspect of the course is always with me even when I am not in class. I am constantly being asked to cover different things throughout the school day from teachers in different departments of the school. While doing the course its not all hard work, I am constantly involved in different events in school as if I was a part of the event.

Overall, being a student journalist is great fun even though it comes with hard work. I would definitely recommend this course to the younger members of the school.

Reece.

The Magnificently Spooky Night of Halloween

Halloween Party- Magnificently Spooky

Halloween came early for St Aidan’s High School this year, with the annual Halloween disco to raise funds for the Victoria Park Charity. Student journalists Nicolle Muir and Joanne Hamilton went undercover in their spookiest but most glamourous attire to slip in and cover the ghoulish goings on that transpired on that most eldritch of evenings…

The event took place on a chilly night of October 26^thfrom 7pm until half 10, for both the youngest and the eldest pupils, to allow them to interact and for the seniors to welcome the first years to the fun ways of the school at this festive time. Teachers and students alike both got involved and creative with their spooky and scary costume ideas, leading to once again a massively successful night full of laughter, socialising and dancing.

With £3 to enter and an impressive tuck shop available all night, money for the charity was easily raised. The disco was well attended with over 30 S1 pupils and over 60 S6 students. The money collected from the highly-anticipated night goes towards funding brilliant Christmas presents for the young children of Victoria Park School who visit annually in December for yet another exciting and annual school event.

Mrs. Sandra Devlin, Depute Head for Fifth and Sixth Year, reflected on the success of the evening, pointing out the underlying and ongoing positive message of events like this. “The entire school would like to thank Mrs McKenna- who doubled as a magnificent Maleficent- and the Victoria Park Committee for their sterling work in organising the event. Special thanks to janitors and the school’s very own DJs, Jamie Kelly and Josh Miller, for providing a great contribution as their alter-egos “Deepcat and Ginger” got busy laying down some great beats.

St Aidan’s High School take pride in their work for Victoria Park and other charities alike. As a student body we believe it is important to support those in need, give back to the community, and have fun doing it!”

Contributing Writers

Nicolle Muir and Joanne Hamilton

Chris’s House Presentation.

Chris’s House in Saint Aidan’s

St Aidan’s High School received a very special visit on Monday 30^th October. Every student was invited to attend a mental health awareness workshop at assembly.

The school was visited by “Chris’s House” which stands for “Centre of Help, Response and Intervention Surrounding Suicide”. The organisation started up to help offer people who are going through some difficult times in life a safe environment.

The well trained staff are there to encourage people of any age to come forward and speak up about their crisis. The organisations motto “Let’s Talk” clearly shows that the staff and members want anyone who needs to have a chat about what they’re going through to feel free to contact Chris’s House as they want to help.

Sixth year student journalists David Russell and Chris Quigley went on to interview Mrs. Kathleen Keeney, the Depute Head Teacher who organised the event. She said “With Chris’s house coming in today, we’ve just touched on the large amount of support that’s available to us.”

Mrs Keeney added “It’s good for our young people to know that people are here to help, whether it be a pupil support teacher, or Chris’s house, there’s always support”. Mrs Keeney went on to say “I hope that pupils and staff have raised awareness of the importance of looking after their mental health. I think as well as looking after each other, people knowing it is okay not to be okay is vital. It’s okay to ask for help, and Chris’s house are here to offer help”.

The workshop was highly interactive and the team from Chris’s House received a great reception from the young people of Saint Aidan’s High. Activities included a focus on developing self-esteem and a highly interactive and colourful demonstration about the power of connections between people as a way to develop personal strength. Sixth year photographer Reece Larkins put himself into the heart of the event to secure some fantastic photographs of the students getting involved in the activities.

The organisation was founded by Anne Rowan who created it following the suicide of her own son Chris in 2011. Sixth year student journalists Rebecca and Hollie McConville took the opportunity to speak at length to Anne after the final workshop event of the day.

They discovered that her aim is to create a place where people can get the correct help they need: the help that her son who was suffering from PTSD was deprived of. Chris’s House is not partnered with any other agencies but if somebody comes to Chris’s House in need of help regarding sexual abuse or domestic violence they are signposted to another agency. Volunteer Lynn spoke about the loss of her own son in 2013. Although she did not lose him to suicide she saw Anne speaking at an event during what she said was one of her darkest days. Anne was able to give her hope. Lynn said “I just had to reach out to that woman and tell her I was willing to help, and that’s where it started for me.”

As a non-medical based service their motto “Let’s Talk” promotes their use of counselling services and holistic therapies which work really well with all of the visitors at Chris’s House.

Lynn emphasised her enthusiasm for the event by telling our student journalists that she thought visiting schools was vital, commenting, “It’s so important to catch people at a very young age and let them know that their mental wellness is just as important as their physical wellness. A lot of people who visit Chris’ House have suffered from mental illness at a young age and have been medicated. To then realise that when you get to a certain level medication isn’t helping anymore. So our job is to find alternatives to medication that work for each individual.”

The positive response of the students to the input of Chris’s Houses staff was a great indicator of how successful the day was. Mrs. Keeney, who attended all the workshops, was somewhat tired – to say the least- by the end of a great day, commented, “This was such an important day for our young people. Bringing the issue of mental health into the open can only be a positive step for everyone.”

Journalism by Rebecca, Hollie, Chris and David

Photo Editing and Communications by Reece

Tinto Charity Climb

A group of dedicated students who attend St Aidan’s High took on the challenge of overcoming Tinto hill in order to raise money for APD charity, even though most of the climbers peers were participating in the St Andrews Hospice Fun Run, Sunday was the only day suitable for the dedicated students. One of the teachers who took part in the challenge Miss Kelly, “The trip was a fantastic experience, as we got to look at glacial features while also getting some exercise” She also commented that “ I loved that the trip also peoples first time climbing a hill” The weather on the day improved the situation as one of the students that day said “ It was dry and sunny until we reached the top where it was very windy” The group also enjoyed the event with the company of their family and friends, as commented on by Miss Kelly “We met quite a lot of participants due to pupils bringing their families along who worked a side to raise money for the supported charity

Visiting Vesuvius

The geography department are just back from Italy. On Sunday the 18th of June, 32 new 4th and 5th year students and 3 members of staff took a 2:30 flight to Naples airport to learn of volcanoes and costal features and enjoy the sun. Students visited the active super volcano Solfatara, with its boiling mud pools and gas vents. They climbed to and toured the summit of volcano Mt Vesuvius, where they learned of its activity and the areas disaster plan. They visited the ancient city of Pompeii and viewed the bodies preserved under the ash and viewed Mt Vesuvius from a much further distance. They took a hydrofoil boat to Capri, toured the island, its town, took in the coastal views of Naples and finished the trip off with a funicular rail trip to the top of the island. The students benefitted from this trip as they were visiting Volcanoes, enjoying costal features and the impacts of coastal towns on tourism and overcrowding, all things featured in the course they will study in the following year. It is also a part of the John Muir award. The trips leader Mrs Kennedy said: “The trip was an amazing experience for pupils and staff. The trip allowed pupils to visit an active volcano and active tectonic area and see the effects volcanoes have on people. Pupils also gained an excellent afternoon of coastal features and Italian culture.” The students returned home on Wednesday the 21st of June and thanks to Miss Kelly, Mr Bradly and especially Mrs Kennedy, the trip leader, for accompanying the students and making this incredible trip possible.