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

Burns Supper
Our annual Burns Supper will take place on Tuesday 5^th February.  This event is entirely organised by senior pupils as part of their Leadership award.  This year both Findlay Sword and Ewan Chalmers are leading what will be a very enjoyable event. Tickets are now on sale priced at £12 and can be purchased from Findlay Sword.

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Dance
Three junior school pupils recently attended a Dance workshop run by the world famous Pineapple Dance Studios at Greenfaulds High School.  Samantha Graham, Gracie Currie and Aimee MacDonald experienced some creative choreography and a fantastic opportunity to improve their technique.  In addition to this, four of our junior Dance Leaders in the school are linking with Balmalloch Primary school to take their Primary 2 and 3 pupils for dance sessions.

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Inter-house competition
House Captains will be visiting classes across this week to encourage pupils to sign up to compete in the next Inter-house event, our annual Cross Country Championships. We ask for your support as parents to encourage as many pupils to sign up as possible remembering pupils that points will also be awarded to houses for the highest level of participation as well as for race places. You don’t have to be the best runner, participation counts and this is a great opportunity for all of our pupils to be involved in a healthy pursuit and the wider life of the school.

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Sports clubs
This term a number of new clubs will start up the week beginning the 4th February.  Activities on offer include Badminton, Tennis, Volleyball, Junior Netball, Handball and Indoor Football.  There are posters promoting these around the school and further information is available by looking on the Active Schools Noticeboard outside the back gym.

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Girls football
Girls are invited to come and join our girls’ football club which takes place in the back gym every Thursday from 4.00 to 5.00pm.  This is a great opportunity for our girls to become involved in the national sport, learn new skills and make new friends, all under the guidance of SFA coach and former professional Robert McGraw.

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Library news
The library is open at lunch time Mon-Thurs for personal reading, writing, drawing, board games, homework, study, research and more.  As of Monday 21^st January, entry to the library at lunch time for S1-S4 is by pass only.  You can pick up a pass in the morning before school and at break time.  Seniors do not need to collect a pass.

Our first ever Inter-house Reading Challenge starts Monday 4^th Feb 2019.  Everyone can get involved and participate in winning points for your house and the house that reads the most books wins.  Teachers can also get involved as everything they read can count towards final totals as well.  This is an event that everyone, pupils and staff can take part in with the challenge running until the 31^st May, so you have plenty time to read lots and lots of books.  Progress in the challenge will be on display outside the library so everyone can keep up to date.  See Mrs Smith in the Library for challenge rules and information on how to participate.

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Paris Trip
The next instalment of £75 for the Paris Trip is due by the end of January. If you are unsure of what you have left to pay, please come and see Miss McFarlane.

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Dates for your diary
S2 Parent evening – Thursday 7th February 2019 – 4.15 – 6.45pm

S3/4 tracking reports issued – Friday 9^th February 2019

February mid-term break – Please note that the school will close for the mid-term break from Monday 11^th to Wednesday 13^th February.  Pupils return to school on Thursday 14^th February.

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Our annual Careers Fair will be taking place in the school cafeteria on Tuesday 29th January from 5.30 – 7pm.

 

This is your chance to meet with employers face to face including BAM Group, Coca- Cola, Police Scotland, the Armed Forces and many more. Major Universities and Colleges will also be represented including St. Andrew’s University, University of Glasgow, City of Glasgow College and more. You can speak to our Careers Adviser from Skills Development Scotland to find out how you go about finding careers information. You will have the opportunity to learn first hand from the many representatives there exactly what skills and qualifications you need to pursue your chosen career. If you have no idea what you want to do then come along and broaden your horizons!

Pupils and parents from all year groups are welcome.

Please contact the school for further information.

House Captains
Following on from the recent appointment of our school captaincy team we are delighted to announce our house captaincy teams for the coming session. Thanks to all pupils who put themselves forward for the role of house captain and congratulations to our successful pupils who are:
Antonine House:
Fiona Armstrong, Rebecca Love, Rory McKenzie
Balmalloch House:
Jennifer McDonald, Heather McClurg, Olivia Elliot
Colzium House:
Laura McCartney, Jack Boyd, Orla Duncan
Dumbreck House:
Erin Oliver,  Eleanor Walker,  Robert Beveridge

Club Open Day
On Wednesday 3 October, pupils from across the school will have the opportunity to take part in our club open day event. At this event, there will be a range of sporting and non-sporting clubs from both within the school and the wider local community. Pupils will have the opportunity to learn about and sign-up to participate in these clubs.

S1-3 Homework Club
Struggling to get yourself organised and complete homework on time? Our new Homework Club started on Wednesday 19th September at 3pm in the Library. All pupils from S1-S3 are invited to bring along homework from any of your subjects, which you can complete with the help and support of a teacher and your peers. You can also use the library computers if needed. This Homework Club runs every Wednesday, 3pm-4pm in the Library.
If you have any questions or would like to know more, please see Miss Davies in Room 231 (French). Hope to see lots of you there!

The Scottish Apprenticeship Show
The Scottish Apprenticeship show will be held on Sunday 7th October from 10.30 to 4pm in the Glasgow Science Centre. This is a free but ticketed event where you and your family can find out about apprenticeships in a variety of sectors. North Lanarkshire Council will have a stand there to present information about their Foundation and Modern Apprenticeship opportunities.

Christmas Panto
A panto is being planned as part of this year’s Christmas Concert. We are looking for actors for speaking and non-speaking parts, a stage crew, technical crew, wardrobe and make -up team and general helpers. Previous experience is not necessary, however, genuine enthusiasm and a willingness to work hard and attend rehearsals is. Any pupils who are interested in being involved in any way must attend a very important meeting in the Drama Studio on Thursday 4th October at 12.45 prompt.

MacMillan Coffee Morning
Last week our S3 Hospitality pupils hosted a MacMillan coffee morning for staff to raise funds for MacMillan Cancer Support whilst testing and showcasing the skills they have learned in Hospitality including their bakery skills. The very successful and well attended event raised a total of £147.39.

Numeracy Leaders
This week a number of pupils from S4 were underwent training as Numeracy Leaders. These committed and talented young mathematicians will use their newly developed leadership skills to support pupils in S1 to better develop their numeracy skills. Acting as positive role models they will support others helping to improve attainment and achievement for junior pupils who find numeracy challenging whilst promoting our values of fairness, ambition and respect.

Dates for your diary
Tracking reports – Our first tracking reports for pupils in S5 & S6 are due to be issued on Friday 5/10/18. Tracking reports for pupils in S1 7 S2 are due to be issued on Friday 12/10/18.
October holiday – The school closed at 2.55pm on Friday 12/10/18 for the October holiday and re-opens on Monday 22nd October.

Teachers Go Bald for Cancer
Last Friday, Teachers and Pupils braved the cut of the scissors and the buzz of the trimmer to either go bald, or donate pony tails as part of or charity drive to support the Teenage Cancer Trust.  TCT are currently looking after our very own Nicole Lowther who was regretfully diagnosed with Hogkins Lymphoma before the summer.  As a show of support for Nicole the entire school came together for this event in what has been an incredible display of school and community spirit.  Special thanks go to Mrs Jayne Gordon (RMPS teacher) and Ms Lynne Forster (AFA) for coming up with the idea and organizing the event.  Both Mrs Gordon and Ms Forster together with Mr Rennie (Maths) and Mr Orrock (Head Teacher) were fully shaved whilst Mrs Kay (Depute Head Teacher) and two pupils, Rachel Egan and Emma Carrigan donated ponytails.  Fundraising has now reached over £12000 and is that total is still rising.  You can read more about this on our School web-site.

STEM Club
A Science, Technologies, Engineering and Maths club will be up and running Wednesday lunch times as of 19th September! Pupils from all year groups are welcome.  Our first challenge will be to construct a Rube Goldberg Instrument!  The club is a good opportunity to have some fun as well as earn yourself recognition for achievement through the CREST awards scheme!  Please come along Room 225 and bring your lunch if possible.

Dates for your diary
21^st and 24^th September – the school is closed for the September Weekend holiday.
25^th September – UCAS information evening – 6.30pm

Mental Health First Aid Ambassadors
Last week, a number of pupil volunteers in S4 and S5 received training as Mental Health First Aid Ambassadors. This formal training will serve to better raise awareness throughout the school about issues affecting mental health and will also provide additional support to young people by better recognizing the signs of mental health issues and providing mentoring and support to pupils.

Arnold Clark visit
Earlier this week, Arnold Clark brought their Apprenticeship Vehicle to school. This custom built lorry allowed pupils to take part in interactive activities and gave insight into the opportunities that are available as an apprentice with Arnold Clark and careers in Automotive or STEM. This was very popular amongst pupils supporting their understanding of the world of work.

S4/5/6 pupils, St Andrews Hospice 6k
The St Andrews Hospice 6k will be held at Stratchclyde Park on Sunday the 16th of September at 10:30am with schools from across North Lanarkshire taking part. This is a charity fun run/ walk which helps raise money for a very worthwhile cause. Any S4-6 pupils (or staff) who are interested in taking part in the event should see Mr Pryde in PE for more details.

S1 – S3 Junior Science Club
A Junior Science Club for pupils in S1-S3 will start on Monday 3^rd September at Lunchtime in Room 226. Pupils interested in taking part should either see Mrs Findlay or turn up on the day.

Senior STEM Club (S4-S6)
There will be a STEM club starting September 12th, the club will run every Wednesday afternoon. Interested pupils should please give their name to Mrs Stirling-Young by the 12th of September if you are interested. Any other questions regarding the club pop in to see me in Room 225.

Fire Up Scotland
Next week most of our S4 pupils will attend the Fire Up Scotland event at the SECC Hydro in Glasgow with 12000 pupils from around Scotland. This event, organised in partnership with North Lanarkshire council and Tree of Knowledge is the first of it’s kind and promises to be a truly unique learning experience for Scotland’s young people. Think ‘TEDx meets the Fringe’ and you’re half way there. Now add in a healthy dose of inspirational role models challenging our young people to be the best they can be while proving there is truly no wrong path to a positive destination. Presenters, speakers and performers from across the world of education, business, entertainment, art, sport and culture will gather, all rolled up into a giant fireball of energy creating one enormous, interactive, fully immersive learning experience never to be forgotten…we dare our young people to not be inspired!

Dates for your Diary
The first meeting of our Parent Council, our annual AGM, will take place on Wednesday 12th September, at 7.00 p.m, in the school.

Kilsyth Civic Week – Art/Poetry winners
Our congratulations go to Zoe Walker, Kirsty McDowell and Alana Thomson (all S3) who are all winners in this year’s civic week art competition and also to Fergie Henderson (S1) who won the poetry competition.  Well done to you all your Art and English teachers are very proud of you.

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YPI National event
Following their successful interview on STV2’s Live@five show, last week our winning YPI team presented at the National Celebration event celebrating 10 years of the Wood foundations YPI Scotland scheme.  Hannah McFarlane, supported by a video message from her team mates Carly McLaughlin and Zoe Rutherford who were in London, took to the stage alone to deliver a challenging and powerful message to an audience of 1200 young people about the power of youth action.  Sharing the stage alongside comedian Anna Devitt and singing superstar Emile Sande. Hannah more than held her own and we are very proud of all three girls achievements this year.

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Junior and Senior Awards Ceremonies
Last week we held both our junior and senior awards ceremonies.  Our seniors were addressed by guest chairman Professor Frank Clarke C.B.E. and our guest speaker Mr Ken Lewandoski who delivered a thoughtful, direct and inspirational message to our pupils.  Our congratulations go to all pupils who received either a prize or award recognising their efforts and achievements over the course of next session.

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S1 Residential trip
A number of our S1 pupils recently returned for a three day residential experience at Auchengillan Outdoor Centre where they took part in a wide range of outdoor activities and challenges.  The pupils were more than up for the challenge and were a credit to the school.

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London Trip
A number of pupils returned for our London trip last week after a very full few days that involved a West End show, a visit to Harry Potter studios, the Natural History Museum and a tour of the Houses of Parliament where they met local MP Stuart MacDonald.  This was a busy and exciting experience for all the pupils involved.

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Activities days
This week pupils participated in activities trips to M&Ds and Blackpool Pleasure beach in a final reward before the summer holidays.

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Twitter
Thanks to everyone who has helped us break the 1000 followers mark.  If you haven’t yet, please follow @KilsythAcademy for up-to-date news and events from the school.

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Last Day – Thursday 28 June
The school will close for the summer, on Thursday 28^th June, at 1.00 p.m. SQA results will be published on Tuesday 7^th August.

The school will re-open for pupils on Thursday 16^th August, at 8.55 a.m. Pupils travelling by school bus can go on any Kilsyth Academy bus that day, pending the issue of bus passes.

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We are delighted that two of our pupils have won places on the prestigious Creative Residency. The Residency, held annually at the Kilbowie Outdoor Centre, offers an inspirational opportunity to pupils studying in schools across North Lanarkshire. Pupils who have demonstrated excellence in a specific field are nominated by teachers to enter a competitive authority-wide application process.
The course is delivered by industry professionals and takes place at a crucial time in their creative life and artistic development. The Residency not only provides pupils with the opportunity to explore, investigate, interact and communicate with like-minded individuals, but also challenges and stretches the creative thinking and practical skills of participants.
This year, Kilsyth Academy will see two pupils attend this excellent programme from 24^th-28^th June. Eilidh McDowall will study Creative Writing and Dylan McLay, Drama. Both students have produced outstanding work at National 5 this year.

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P7/S1 transition
Last week we welcomed our new S1 pupils to Kilsyth Academy for two days of lessons and activities in preparation for starting in August. It was great to see the enthusiasm of all our new S1 pupils who, worked hard, participated with energy and enthusiasm and left a smile on everyone’s face. They thoroughly enjoyed their time in school and we look forward to welcoming you all back in August.

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North Lanarkshire Council – Languages Awards
At the recent NLC Languages awards held in the Excelsior Stadium, Airdrie a number of our pupils were recognised for their progress and achievements in language learning this session. Pupils were recognised as being either an Outstanding Language Learner or the Most Improved Language Learner in French, German or Spanish over the course of this year based on performance and participation in class and performance in assessments. This is a great achievement for our pupils being awarded and we are very proud of their efforts. Pupils were presented with their certificates by Nathalie Kormaz from the Alliance Française, Dr. Sabine Schluter from the Goethe Institut, Xabier San Isidro from the Spanish Education Office in Edinburgh and Louise Glen from Education Scotland.

Our successful language learners recognised are as follows:
Outstanding Language Learner of the year S1.
French
James Dick
Gracie Currie
Abby Paterson

Spanish
Gemma McConnell
Robbie Brady
Erin McFarlane

Outstanding Language Learner of the year S2.
French
Fraser Anderson
Cameron McCaffer
Katie Watkins

German
Martyn Donaldson
Daniel Doyle
Katie Walker

Spanish
Katie Watkins
Aimee Kimmet
Euan Fitzsimmons

Outstanding Language Learner of the year S3.
French
Morgan Waite
Kathryn Wildsmith
Millie Mason

German
Lewis Robertson
Eve McTiernan
Stephanie Dow

Spanish
Layla Morris
Mark Donnelly
Kirsty McDowall

Most improved Language Learner of the year S3.
French
Emma Roberts
Iona Gilchrist

German
Graham Law

Spanish
Rachel McIntyre

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North Lanarkshire School’s Athletics Championships
Over the last two weeks, pupils from Kilsyth Academy have been taking part in the annual county athletics championships at Wishaw Sports Centre. Our pupils were a credit to the school and our local community, competing fiercely but with dignity and sportsmanship and always giving 100% effort. The following are some of our notable successes but we’d like to extend our thanks and congratulations to all our pupils who participated.

Day 1 medalists: S2 Niamh McCann Gold in Discus, S2 Hannah Matthews Silver in Discus and S1 Alanna Kimmet silver in Triple Jump.

In addition to this some pupils qualified for finals but narrowly missed out on the medals. S3 Calum Smith 4th in 1500 meters, S3 Hamish McMillan 4th in Discus S2 Robyn Stark 6th in 70m Hurdles and S1 Gracie Currie 5th in Triple Jump

Day 2 of competition was very exciting with many of our pupils making finals in both track and field events.
Day 2 medalists and finalists are as follows:

Silver in Javelin            Leah Pollock   S2
Silver in 300m             Alana Thomson S3
Bronze in Discus         Scott Reid   S5

4th places David Veitch in Long Jump
Sophie Bridges in High Jump
Senior Boys Relay squad lost out on bronze by 2/100’s of a second!
Blair Buchanan   in Discus
5th place   Regan Halliday in Discus
6th place   Duncan Grant in Hurdles final
Sam Dunbar in 200m final
Christopher Gibb in Shot Putt.

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Royal duties
As part of the 70th Birthday Patronage Celebrations for Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday 22nd May 2018 our very own Luke Shearer was lucky to be invited to play with the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland and also had the opportunity to meet the Prince of Wales. Our congratulations go to Luke for this amazing experience.

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Television appearance
Hannah McFarlane, Carly McLaughlin and Zoe Rutherford (S5) our winning ‘Youth Philanthropy Initiative’ (YPI) group this session will be interviewed live on the STV2 programme Live at 5 on Friday 15 June 2018 and we hope as many of our school community as possible can tune in to watch and give the girls their support.

The three girls have been on an amazing journey this year winning The Wood Foundation’s YPI grant of £3000 for their chosen charity ‘Friends of Merkland School’. In addition to winning they providing a significant, moving and inspiring talk to delegates at this year’s ‘The Gathering 2018’ conference in Glasgow, the largest 3^rd sector conference in Europe. They are following this up with their live TV duties about their experience of YPI and will round of the year next week by providing a final keynote speech to the annual YPI conference at the Perth concert hall immediately before Scottish music star Emilie Sandie takes the stage to close the conference. It’s been quite a year and our thanks go to the girls for their hard work and commitment in representing the school on the national stage.

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MasterChef
Last week, pupils from across S3 and S4 studying Hospitality were lucky to have a lesson from BBC’s MasterChef the Professionals Champion 2016, Gary MacLean. Gary kindly gave up his time to spend a morning with us in which pupils learned cookery skills and techniques in addition to hearing about Gary’s experience on MasterChef and the opportunities it has provided him. This was a really engaging and exciting opportunity for our young people and our thanks go to Gary for his time and support of the school.

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Senior Social
Last week senior pupils, together with staff, enjoyed their formal end of year dinner at the village hotel in Glasgow. This was a great night enjoyed by all and we wish all those leaving school our very best wishes for the future.

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 Junior and Senior Awards Ceremonies
This week sees both our junior and senior awards ceremonies. Our congratulations go to all pupils who received either a prize or award recognizing their efforts and achievements over the course of next session.

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Twitter
Thanks to everyone who has helped us break the 1000 followers mark. If you haven’t yet, please follow @KilsythAcademy for up-to-date news and events from the school.

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Dates for you diary
School uniform sales will take place in the school café on Monday 18^th June from 5.00 to 8.00pm.

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Rwanda
We are looking for your support to help us collect donations of childrens’ clothes, shoes, school equipment i.e. pens, pencils, bags that we can take to Rwanda and give to the young people and families we will work with when there. Any donations should be handed into the school by Friday 8^th June.  We very much appreciate the generosity of our school community in helping us raise funds for Rwanda and will be very grateful for any further donations you can give.

Litter Pick
Our thanks go to everyone who turned out on Sunday to support our community litter pick along the highline organised by Cllr Mark Kerr. The efforts of everyone have made a real difference to this pathway.

Twitter
We are pleased to launch our latest Twitter account @KA_English_Dept were you will get news and information about English and literacy. Our thanks to everyone who follows us, just a few more and we will reach 1000 followers so if you haven’t already, please follow @KilsythAcademy .

Dates for you diary
S1 tracking reports will be issued on Wednesday 23 May 2018.

The school will be closed to all pupils for the summer half-term holiday on Friday 25^th and Monday 28^th May.  SQA exams in RMPS and Woodwork will take place on Monday 28^th as scheduled and transport information has been provided to pupils.

School uniform sales will take place in the school café on Wednesday 30^th May from 5.00 to 8.00pm.