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

The whole school community was deeply saddened to hear of the untimely death of Mr Stuart Neilson, who was one of our Pupil Support teachers for eleven years. Mr Neilson had been ill for a very long time and he passed away peacefully, in hospital, on Monday 8^th December. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr Neilson’s family at this difficult time and Kilsyth Academy will be well represented at his funeral.

Over the past two weeks, the school has been represented by a number of musicians, in the North Lanarkshire Christmas Concerts. Both events were excellent and well supported by parents, friends and staff from across North Lanarkshire. The concerts were the culmination of the work done by the various music groups, over the past 5 – 6 weeks, resulting in very polished performances. Well done!

Our own Christmas Concert took place last week too. It was a fantastic celebration of Christmas with a wide variety of vocal and instrumental performances, singly and in groups. All the performers did a superb job and the packed audience was entertained throughout the evening. Special thanks go to the Expressive Arts faculty for all their hard work on putting the event together and to the many other staff who assisted.

The annual English Premier League trip took place on Saturday 6th December in Manchester. This year there was a visit to Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium for a tour, followed by the Manchester City v Everton game at the Eithad stadium. 44 Kilsyth Academy pupils were accompanied by Mr Urquhart, Mr Parker, Mr Sexton and Mr McAllister. Everyone had a great time and cheered on Manchester City to a 1-0 victory.

Crazy Day is almost upon us once again. It will take place on Monday 22^nd December and will also be a non-uniform day. Pupils will participate in three or four activities in the morning and will attend the Crazy Day Show, in the afternoon. In return, everyone is asked to pay £3.00 which will go to the charities selected by the Pupil Council – a local, a national and an international charity. All money should now be paid.

Please note that the school will close on Tuesday 23^rd December, at 2.30 p.m. and will re-open on Monday 5^th January.

There are still some tickets available for our annual Christmas Concert, which will take place on Thursday 11^th December, at 7.15 p.m. They can be purchased from the Music department or the School Office, priced £5 for adults and £3 for concessions. This includes tea or coffee and a mince pie. We hope that a large number of people will come along to support the pupils and to enjoy an evening of Christmas entertainment.

Collections of gifts for the Kilsyth Community Food Bank are also now well underway. In particular, we have been asked to collect: Salmon, Tuna, Shloer/Fruit Juice, Chocolates, Tinned Ham, UHT Milk, Puddings, Cheese, Crackers. Butter/margarine, Toiletries. Other acceptable items, however, include: Soup, pasta sauce, tinned stew/mince/ curry, smoked sausage, Frey Bentos pies, super noodles/pot noodles, pasta ‘n’ sauce, jam. Members of the Pupil Council are happy to collect the items, in the café, every morning interval until 15^th December.

Supported Study for pupils in S4 – S6, continues to operate during lunchtimes and after school. This is a great opportunity to help pupils prepare for the forthcoming prelims, which will run from 19^th to 30^th January. Pupils sitting National 5, Higher or Advanced Higher will also be issued with homework to be completed over the Christmas holiday. This will help them with revision for these very important examinations.