Kilsyth Academy, Balmalloch, Kilsyth, G659NF – Tel : 01236 632157

Congratulations to Rachel Griffin who, following interviews held in the school, has been selected to be the Kilsyth Civic Queen, for 2016. Also successful at interview were her Ladies-in-Waiting, Aimee Paterson and Katie McDowall. We wish the three girls every success in these important and exciting roles.

A staff-pupil Volleyball match took place at the end of last week and the proceeds, nearly £50, will be added to pupil charities. The staff won by 26-22.

Pupils in S4, S5 and S6 have been given opportunities to register to vote, over the past couple of weeks. The final opportunity, mainly for S4, will be on Thursday 31^st March, during Tutor Time.

Many SQA practical examinations are already underway. These are marked by a mixture of school staff and SQA examiners and contribute to final course awards. We wish the pupils every success – most have worked very hard for these final assessments.

Pupils who have applied to attend Easter School should have received their joining instructions for the four days. Only those who have actually applied for Easter School can attend the tutorials, or use the transport provided. Any other pupils who wish to attend can take part in the supervised study facility.

Immediately after the holiday, from Monday 18^th until Friday 29^th April, S3 pupils will be undertaking extended assessments in all their subjects, during class time. The style of assessment will vary from subject to subject and pupils will have no more than two assessments/day.

Friday 1^st April will be a non-uniform day, with the proceeds going to pupil charities and pupil activities. It costs £1.00 to participate. The school will close on Friday 1^st April, at 2.30 p.m. for the two-week holiday, re-opening on Monday 18^th April.

Study Leave, for S4, S5 and S6 pupils sitting SQA examinations, will be from 3^rd May until 3^rd June (both dates inclusive). Pupils who have no examinations will not have Study Leave and will be expected to attend school, during this time.

A group of senior pupils is running a fundraising Race Night, in aid of Comfort Rwanda and Congo, on Thursday 24^th March, at 7.00 p.m., in the school. Tickets are now on sale, priced £5.00, and can be obtained from Reception. We would also be very grateful to receive raffle prizes.

Information has been issued to pupils in S4, S5 and S6, regarding our Easter School, which will run from Monday 4^th April until Thursday 7^th April. We would encourage all those who will be sitting SQA exams to take advantage of this opportunity to attend subject tutorials and to study in a quiet environment. All returns must be made by Tuesday 22^nd March, so final arrangements, including transport, can be put in place.

 

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Last week was S2 Numeracy Week, which got underway with the Maths department celebrating Pi Day on Monday 14^th March (3.14). During the week, the pupils have participated in a treasure hunt, solving subject related numeracy problems, around the entire school. S2 have also kept diaries of all the numeracy they have encountered in their various subjects.

 

Congratulations to Ben McDowall, Kirsty Imrie and Megan Shaw (all S3), who have qualified for the North Lanarkshire finals of the ‘Speak Up’ public speaking competition. The final will take place on 1^st April and we wish the team every success.

Sixteen pupils ranging from S2-S6 took part in a very enjoyable workshop delivered by three professional dancers from the Y-Dance company. They spent five hours learning hip-hop and contemporary routines and were also given the opportunity to be filmed for a promotional video for the company. The feedback from the dance tutors was very complimentary, praising the hard work and ability of the dancers involved.

In December, Holly McArthur represented Scottish schools at the international pentathlon and came 4th, her first major competition since returning from an 8-month injury. During the indoor season, Holly also won Scottish under-17 titles for the 300m and pentathlon. Last weekend, Holly competed at UK level, in Sheffield, where she won a silver medal, in a very competitive field. Well done on this excellent performance.

The school will be closed on Friday 25^th and Monday 28^th March, which is Easter weekend. We return for four days and will then close on Friday 1^st April, at 2.30 p.m., for the two-week holiday, re-opening on Monday 18^th April.

A group of senior pupils is running a fundraising Race Night, in aid of Comfort Rwanda and Congo, on Thursday 24^th March, at 7.00 p.m., in the school. Tickets are now on sale, priced £5.00, and can be obtained from Reception. We would also be very grateful to receive raffle prizes.

 

We were, once again, delighted to host the annual Rotary Club Young Technologist competition. There was a great turnout of teams from all over Lanarkshire and each one had to work on a bridge design. The winners of the junior competition were from St Maurice’s High School, the team from Cumbernauld Academy won the intermediate category and Kilsyth Academy, represented by Angus Buck, Calum Baird, Josh Wood and Dara Brown, were the winners in the senior event. Well done!

All pupils have been issued with a copy of the Head Teacher’s Newsletter, which contains information about a number of school events and about the forthcoming SQA examinations.

 

The inter-House football tournament, for S1/2, took place last week. The teams all played very well but the tournament was won convincingly by Antonine House, with Colzium in second place, Balmalloch third and Dumbreck fourth. Well done to everyone who participated.

The North Lanarkshire Cross Country championships were held last week, at Airdrie Sports Centre. All the runners performed well and the S1 boys’ team finished in third place. Congratulations on winning bronze medals!

Pupils studying Higher Geography took part in a field trip last week, as part of their SQA assignment. The group looked at urban land use is and around the city of Glasgow and this will now form the basis of their write-ups back in class.

The school will be closed on Friday 25^th and Monday 28^th March, which is Easter weekend. We will then close on Friday 1^st April, for the two-week holiday, and re-open on Monday 18^th April.

 

On Wednesday 9^th March, there will be an Options Information Evening for parents of pupils who will be entering next year’s S5 and S6. This will also incorporate advice about Higher Education and considerations that have to be borne in mind, when choosing subjects. The evening will begin at 7.00 p.m.

S2 Tracking Reports will be issued on Tuesday 8^th March and this will be followed by a Parents’ Meeting on Tuesday 15^th March, from 4.15 – 6.45 p.m. Thereafter, S2 option sheets should be returned by Friday 18^th March.

 

All S4 pupils have been participating in the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative, over the last few months. This has focused on social enterprise projects, engaging with local charities and preparing a pitch to win their charity £3000. Each class held heats and the charities in the final were CACE, Merklands School, Broadwood Amateur Boxing Club, Chris’s House and Hope for Autism. The presentations were excellent and the winners were Chris’s House, which is based in Airdrie and provides 24 hour support and counselling for potential suicide victims. The pupils in the winning team were Lucy Laggan, Katie McDowall, Aimee Paterson and Robyn Shaw. The girls gave an outstanding and creative presentation and showed real passion for their chosen charity. Well done to everyone who took part – the standard was extremely high – and a special congratulations to the winners.

S5 and S6 pupils participated in an excellent Question Time event last week, featuring politicians from all the main political parties – Jamie Greene (Scottish Conservatives), Ross Greer (Scottish Greens), Mark Griffin MSP (Scottish Labour), Katy Gordon (Scottish Liberal Democrats) and Jamie Hepburn MSP (Scottish National Party). The panel was ably chaired by Mrs Carol McPherson, Education Support Officer at North Lanarkshire Council. Pupils chose a number of topical issues to ask questions about, in advance, and were also happy to pose questions from the audience. Our thanks to everyone who gave of their time to support the event – it is greatly appreciated by the school and the young people achieved greater political understanding from the event. Thanks too to Blair Anderson (S6) and his team, for organising the event, as part of the SQA Leadership Award. Well done!

Our second group of S3 pupils enjoyed a great week of challenge and adventure at the Outward Bound Centre, at Loch Eil. The group participated in a wide variety of activities, alongside pupils from other North Lanarkshire schools. Many thanks to Mr Urquhart for accompanying the group.

On Monday 29^th February, there will be an Information Evening for parents of pupils in S2. This will centre on choices of subjects for S3 and implications for National Qualifications in S4. The meeting will be in the school assembly hall, starting at 7.00 p.m.

The Parent Council will meet on Thursday 3^rd March, at 7.00 p.m., in the school and new members are most welcome.

Many thanks to the Rotary Club of Kilsyth, for once again giving up their time and expertise to provide our S4 with mock interviews. The interview and feedback contribute to the evidence for pupils’ ‘Self and Work’ unit and provide a valuable opportunity for the young people to demonstrate their employability skills.

Archie Grant and Ross Quinn have made presentations to both the Pupil Council and Parent Council, outlining their recent experiences with the Holocaust Educational Trust. These included a day-trip to Poland, to visit the former concentration camps at Auschwitz and Birkenau, and the school is looking forward to welcoming two Holocaust survivors to share their experiences with S4 pupils, later this month.

On Monday 29^th February, there will be an Information Evening for parents of pupils in S2. This will centre on choices of subjects for S3 and implications for National Qualifications in S4. The meeting will be in the school assembly hall, starting at 7.00 p.m.

A group of S3 pupils – Kirsty Imrie, Ben McDowall, Jodie Owens and Megan Shaw – attended the North Lanarkshire ‘Speaking Up’ workshop, accompanied by Blair Anderson and Cameron Costiff, who were demonstrating good practice and acting as mentors on the day. It was a very enjoyable day and the pupils now feel better prepared to go forward to the competition phase, in the coming weeks.

Two of our senior pupils, Connie McFarlane and Courtney Forsyth provided musical entertainment for the Kilsyth Senior Citizens group this week, as part of their Burns celebrations. The girls gave excellent performances, as always, and the audience was very appreciative of their contributions. Well done!

Pupils in S1 have been issued with Tracking Reports, together with appointment sheets for the Parents’ Meeting on Thursday 11th February, from 4.15 until 6.45 p.m. We hope that there will be a good turnout of parents, to discuss progress during S1 and set targets for the year ahead.

Our congratulations and best wishes to Mr Paul Dudman, on his appointment to the post of Teacher of Physics at Douglas Academy. Mr Dudman will be taking up his new post after the mid-term holiday and we wish him every success.

The mid-term holiday will be on Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th February and there will also be an in-service day on Wednesday 10th February. The school will therefore be closed to pupils on these three days.

The Parent Council will meet on Thursday 4th February, at 6.00 p.m., in the school.

Kilsyth Academy took part in the 2^nd round of the Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament last week, proposing the very challenging motion “This House believes that compensation should be paid for the injustices committed by past generations.” The school was represented by Blair Anderson and Courtney Forsyth, who spoke extremely well against their opponents, The Glasgow Academy. In the second heat, Blair and Courtney proposed the motion once again, facing St Maurice’s High School, albeit they were only judged on their performance in the first heat. The standard was exceptionally high and the chairman of the Law Society’s panel of judges spoke about the high quality of debating from all three teams, before congratulating St Maurice’s High School on winning the heat and progressing to the next round. Well done!

The S4/S5/S6 prelims are in full swing and parents will receive reports during February, together with recommendations for final presentation levels. Supported Study continues and it is vital that pupils take full advantage of this extra support, which is available at lunchtimes and after school.

S1 Tracking reports will be issued this week, on Thursday 28^th January and the S1 Parents’ Meeting will follow this on Thursday 11^th February, from 4.15 until 6.45 p.m. This is an opportunity for S1 parents to meet class teachers and have more in depth discussions about their child’s progress during the first half of S1.

We have launched a new website and hope that our school community will find it engaging, worthwhile and vibrant. Please take time to check it out www.kilsythacademy.org.uk

We are encouraging all young people who will be aged 16 or over by 5 May 2016 to ensure that they are registered to vote in the forthcoming Holyrood elections. As part of this drive, we will be holding a ‘Register to Vote’ event during March. The closing date for registering to vote in the Scottish Parliament elections is 18^th April.

The mid-term holiday will be on Monday 8^th and Tuesday 9^th February and there will also be an in-service day on Wednesday 11^th February. The school will therefore be closed to pupils on these three days.

The Parent Council will meet on Thursday 4^th February, at 6.00 p.m., in the school.

At the start of this very busy term, pupils in S4, S5 and S6 are getting ready to sit their prelim examinations, in preparation for the final SQA exams in May. Our prelim diet will run from Monday 18^th until Friday 29^th January and all pupils are expected to be in class, when they do not have an examination. Lots of advice about revision is available from class teachers and supported study has been running across many subjects.

The renovations to our cafeteria are now complete, incorporating many of the ideas suggested by the Pupil Council. It’s looking great, with a far more modern feels to it.

The S5/6 Burns Supper will take place on Thursday 4^th February and plans are well in hand, for what promises to be an excellent evening of entertainment.

We are delighted to welcome Mrs Frame back to the English department and Mrs Wewiorski to the Drama department. Mrs Frame will take over the classes of Mrs Coggill, following her move to Brannock High School and Mrs Wewiorski will be coving for the duration of Ms Langan’s maternity leave. We hope they both enjoy their time in Kilsyth Academy.

The Parent Council will meet on Thursday 4^th February, at 6.00 p.m., in the school.