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

Piping success

Congratulations to Luke Shearer (S4) on his continued success with the bagpipes. Luke, who has already achieved success at the World Pipe Band Championships last summer, has now won the National Piobaireachd (under 18’s) that took place in the National Piping Centre.  Luke was also placed in the Jig, March and Reel categories.

 

World Book Day

Thursday March 3^rd is World Book Day and, to mark this event, all pupils in S1 will have the opportunity to participate in a quiz organised by the school librarian with each pupil receiving a book in return.

 

Rotary Speaking competition

The Rotary Club Speaking competition takes place this week with a number of pupils from S1 – S3 involved. Good luck everyone participating.

 

Rotary Technology Tournament

On Wednesday March 8^th, schools from across Lanarkshire will gather at Kilsyth Academy to take part in the annual Rotary Technology tournament.  Working in teams, pupils will be given a problem to solve and provided with a limited selection of resources to encourage creative approaches to successfully achieving the specified aims.  We look forward to welcoming participating Schools and pupil’s to Kilsyth.

 

Employment and Modern Apprenticeship Opportunities

Employment and apprenticeship opportunities are regularly received in school and displayed in the senior’s area of the café and also on our careers notice board. These are updated regularly and pupils considering both routes when they leave school are encouraged to check the notices regularly.

 

Mark Scott Leadership for Life Award

There will be a meeting for S5 pupils on Thursday, 2 March to hear more about the Mark Scott Leadership for Life Award and how to apply to participate in the award scheme next session. This award, run by The Outward Bound Trust Scotland, is an excellent opportunity for senior pupils to develop their leadership skills and new friendships and participate in a very worthwhile and rewarding personal experience that includes outdoor learning, a residential experience and participating in community-based projects.  It is a programme that supports young people to develop their skills and CV’s essential for a successful transition from school.  More information can also be found at www.mslfla.org

 

S2-S3 Curriculum personalisation information for pupils and parents

There will be an information evening for parents of S2 pupils on Monday 6 March 2017 starting at 6.30pm regarding the upcoming curriculum personalisation for pupils moving into S3. We will give you information regarding the process and support available for young people and you will have the opportunity to ask any questions. Pupils will also receive a presentation regarding this process on Thursday 2 March. We look forward to seeing as many parents as possible.

 

Careers Fair

Parents and pupils in years S2 through to S6 are invited to attend our Careers Fair on Thursday 6 March 2017. This will take place in the school café and there will be a number of employers, colleges and universities in attendance on the evening to provide information and answer any questions. This is a great opportunity to find out more about the different career options available to you upon leaving school or to help with your subject choices for options while you are here.

 

Parent council

The next meeting of the Parent Council takes place on Thursday 2 March 2017 at 7.00pm in the school.

 

S4/5 Options deadline

Pupils in s4 and S5 are reminded that the deadline for returning senior options forms is Friday 10 March 2017.

New Head Teacher

Mr Orrock has now taken up post as the new Head Teacher of Kilsyth Academy. In his first few days he has addressed both staff and pupils and a letter of introduction will follow soon to parents.

 

Cross Country Championships

Kilsyth Academy held their annual Cross Country Championships last week with over seventy athletes competing in either the junior or senior events. This event also doubles up as one of our inter-house events which led to increased competition for every place in the field.  Furthermore the organisation and management of this event is led by our Sports Leaders and is an integral part of their course, allowing them to put their impressive leadership skills into action.

The individual results after some very close racing were;

• Junior Boys Champion ; Robert Lang, Silver, Calum Smith and Bronze Andrew Bendoris
• Junior Girls Champion;   Hayley Conroy, Silver, Robyn Stark and Bronze Sarah Bateman.
• Senior Boys Champion; Fraser Gallacher, Silver, Scott Lilburn and Bronze Ryan Barr.
• Senior Girls Champion; Jessica Curle who successfully retained the trophy from last year, Silver Rebecca Love and Bronze Rachel Thomson.
• House Competition.      Junior Trophy; Balmalloch – 122 points                                                     Senior Trophy; Antonine – 88 points.

All athletes who finished in the top ten in the individual competition, will now represent the school at the North Lanarkshire Championships in March.

 

Senior Tracking Reports  

Senior tracking reports will be issued to pupils and parents this week. Reports for pupils in S5/6 will be issued on Tuesday 21/2/17 with S4 reports being issued on Wednesday 22/2/17.

Easter School

Planning is currently underway for our annual Easter School to support senior pupils preparing to sit SQA exams in the up-coming diet. This will take place from Monday 3 April until Thursday 6 April with pupils currently being consulted on likely participation to allow us to finalise our programme. This is a further excellent opportunity for pupils to receive specific support or indeed, an opportunity for private study knowing that support is available if required and, as such we would strongly recommend pupils in S4,5 & 6 consider taking part if available.

Date for your diary 

There will be an information evening on Monday 6 March for parents of pupils currently in S2 to provide information about the upcoming curriculum personalisation process. Further information will follow in due course.

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.

Our S3 Parents’ Meeting will be on Thursday 2nd January, from 4.15 – 6.45 p.m. and we hope that this event will be well supported. It is an excellent opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss progress and agree priorities for the remainder of S3. S3 pupils should be making individual appointments with their class teachers.

Congratulations to ‘Born and Raised’ who achieved third place at the ‘Rockfest Battle of the Bands’ event, at Motherwell Concert Hall. Well done to Ross Quinn (guitar & vocals), Rachel Griffin (keyboard & vocals), Archie Grant (keyboard), Courtney Campbell (drum kit) & Cameron Comrie (bass).

To help support a local initiative, our pupils are collecting clothes and shoes that are suitable for use by the Serbian Red Cross, for distribution to refugees passing through Serbia, Northern Greece and Iraq. The ‘Kilsyth Supporting Refugees’ group will uplift the items from us at the end of this month. Pupils are asked to bring items to school, between Friday the 20^th and Friday 27th January, and hand them in at the Reception, at the start of the school day. We hope that this collection is well supported.

The mid-term holiday will be on Monday 13^th and Tuesday 14^th February and there will also be an in-service day on Wednesday 15^th February. The school will therefore be closed to pupils on these three days.

The Parent Council will meet on Thursday 2nd February, at 7.00 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 16^th until Friday 27^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.

A group of talented pupils will represent the school as finalists in this year’s ‘Battle of the Bands’ event, to be held at Motherwell Concert Hall, on the evening of Thursday 5^th February.  Best of luck to the band who are called ‘Born and Raised’, and the members are Ross Quinn (guitar & vocals), Rachel Griffin (keyboard & vocals), Archie Grant (keyboard), Courtney Campbell (drum kit) & Cameron Comrie (bass).

Tickets, priced £5.00 are available from members of the band or from Mr Russell.

Congratulations to Holly McArthur, S6, who took gold with a score of 3804 points in the England Athletics U20 Pentathlon at the weekend. A winning score exceeding 3700 points should give automatic GB selection to an International Combined Events Match in Prague later this month. This is another superb achievement and we are extremely proud of Holly

We are please to welcome our new Classroom Assistant, CarolAnn McMahon. We hope she enjoys her time at Kilsyth Academy.

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Our Christmas Concert and performance of the Pantomime, ‘Cinderella’ were great successes. During the concert, a packed audience was entertained by a range of musicians and singers. This included the Swing Band, Saxophone Group, Rock Band and numerous individual and small group performances by Luke Shearer, Kieran McCann, Ross Quinn, Archie Grant, Robbie Brown, Hannah McFarlane, Rachel Griffin, Kira Lundy, Leoni McLay, Abigail Newey, Katie McDowall, Emma Carrigan, Erin Robertson, Olivia Elliot, Carly McLaughlin and Rebekah Machray. As always, the considerable talent of our young people was outstanding and everyone was extremely impressed by their high standard.

The second half of the evening consisted of a very accomplished performance of the Pantomime ‘Cinderella’, starring Rachel Griffin as Cinderella, Andrew Jack as Ugly Sister Lavinia, Dylan McLay as Ugly Sister Davina, Abby Bankier as the Fairy Godmother, Andrew McRae as Buttons, Martin Murphy as Prince Charming, Jennifer Wright as the Wicked Stepmother, Baroness Hardup, and Adam Boyd as Major Dommel, the Prince’s Equerry. This was a fantastic climax to the evening, extremely funny and with perfect timing in every part of the production. Again, the level of talent was exceptional and left the audience on a real high.

Sincere thanks to all staff who played a part in making the evening happen but, specifically, to Mr Russell, Mr Clarke, Miss Young and Mrs Wewiorski for all their work with the performers.

S1 and S2 pupils have enjoyed a Christmas Party and Dance and thanks are due to the PE department for ensuring that everyone had a great, fun afternoon.

Pupils in the S1/2 Science Club have almost finished their robot arm models, as part of the Ultimate Stem Challenge. The challenge is sponsored by BP and the pupils have been tirelessly working to complete the models. They also must create a PowerPoint presentation to describe their model and justify why they chose to construct it in this way. Thanks to Mrs Stirling-Young for leading this.

After Christmas, Mr Paul Reilly will be taking on the role as Acting Head Teacher, pending Mr Orrock taking up post, in late January/early February. We wish him every success in this role.

The school will close for the Christmas holiday, on Friday 23^rd December, at 2.30 p.m. and will re-open at the usual time, on Monday 9^th January. We wish all families and friends of the school a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2017.

It’s not too late to buy your tickets for our Christmas Concert and Pantomime ‘Cinderella’, to be held on Thursday 15^th December, at 7.00 p.m. Tickets are priced at £5.00 for adults and £3.00 for children and are available from Music, Drama or the school Reception. We hope to have a large turnout, for what promises to be a very entertaining evening.

Pupils are still seeking donations for the Kilsyth Foodbank, as part of our drive to help the community at Christmas. Please bring items to school up to Friday 9th December and hand them in at the House boxes in the café, any day at the interval. In particular, we have been asked to collect: Salmon, Tuna, Shloer/Fruit Juice, Chocolates, Tinned Ham, Cheese/Crackers, Mince Pies, Steak Pies, Christmas Crackers, and Shortbread.

The S4 Modern Studies class visited the Scottish parliament, on St Andrew’s Day, and enjoyed finding out about the workings of the parliament and what goes on behind the scenes.

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A group, made up of almost 50 pupils and staff, spent a great weekend in the North West of England, taking part in an amazing football experience. They attended two premier league games – Burnley v Manchester City and Manchester United v West Ham United. They also took part in a training development session with coaches from Burnley FC, visited the National Football Museum and toured the Etihad Stadium. Everyone enjoyed the trip and thanks go to Mr Urquhart, Mr Buchanan, Mr McAllister and Mr Brown for giving up their weekend to accompany the pupils.

The S1 and S2 Christmas Party will take place on the afternoon of Friday 16^th December and Crazy Day, our annual charities day, will be on Thursday 22^nd December. The three charities that we will be supporting have been agreed by the Pupil Council. They are Glasgow City Mission, Cash for Kids and Médecins Sans Frontières.

 

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Children from our associated Primary schools joined us last week, for the annual Primary Maths Challenge. As always, it was a hard fought event, but lots of fun at the same time. For the second year in succession, Lennoxtown Primary School were the outright winners. Well done to them and to Miss Rae for organising everything.

Tickets are now on sale for our Christmas Concert and Pantomime ‘Cinderella’, to be held on Thursday 15^th December, at 7.00 p.m. The tickets are priced at £5.00 for adults and £3.00 for children. They are available from Music, Drama or the school Reception. We hope to have a large turnout, for what promises to be a very entertaining evening.

Congratulations to Eilidh Brown 1B, who has designed this year’s school Christmas card. Her design, based on a snow globe, is very eye-catching and was a unanimous winner from the panel of judges.

This Christmas we will be collecting food items to distribute to the Kilsyth Community Food Bank. Pupils are asked to bring items to school between Monday 28th November and Friday 9th December and hand them in to representatives of their house, who will be in the café, every day at the interval. In particular, we have been asked to collect: Salmon, Tuna, Shloer/Fruit Juice, Chocolates, Tinned Ham, Cheese/Crackers, Mince Pies, Steak Pies, Christmas Crackers, Shortbread.

Thanks to Kieran McCann and Luke Shearer for, once again, accepting a bagpiping engagement at the launch of the Transplant Games, which took place at Colzium House last week.

More than thirty senior pupils participated in a whole-day Urban Land Regeneration workshop, led by industry professionals. This was a great day and a fantastic opportunity for the pupils, to work with such a high calibre team.

The Parent Council will meet on Thursday 1^st December, at 7.00 p.m., in the school.

S5 and S6 tracking reports were issued last week and acknowledgement slips should be returned by Thursday 24^th November. Our S5/6 Parents’ Evening will take place on Tuesday 29^th November, from 4.15 – 6.45 p.m. This is a really important event, prior to the prelims, in January. It is an opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss any issues and to set targets for the months ahead, at this vital time. Supported Study is taking place at lunchtimes and after school, across a range of subjects, and S4, S5 and S6 pupils are encouraged to take full advantage of these opportunities.

Pupils have been raising money for Children in Need, through the sale of wristbands and a Pyjama Day for S6. Altogether £210 was raised. Well done to Jack Rennie and his team, for coordinating this, as part of the SQA Leadership Award.

Two debating teams took part in the first round of the Donald Dewar Debating Competition. Craig Melvin, Archie Grant, Iona Brownlie and Amy Smith gave outstanding performances but, against very stiff competition, did not progress to the next round. Congratulations to St Maurice’s HS and Our Lady’s HS (Motherwell).

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We were pleased to welcome the Geobus to the school last week. Staff on the bus provided a workshop on fossils and rock formation, which is part of the Environmental Science course.

The Senior inter-House football tournament took place at the all-weather pitch in Kilsyth. Antonine won all three games, to finish first, followed by Balmalloch in 2^nd place, Colzium 3^rd and Dumbreck 4^th.

The Parent Council will meet on Thursday 1^st December, at 7.00 p.m., in the school.

We had a great evening with P6 and P7 pupils and parents, last week, at our annual transition event in Kilsyth Academy. There was an amazing turnout and, in particular, everyone found the tours to be very enjoyable. It was great to see so many people and there was a great buzz around the school. Many thanks to Kilsyth Academy staff and pupils who gave up their time to come along and help, to the Parent Council for looking after teas and coffees and to the Primary Head Teachers, for their support.

Our Parents’ Evening for S5/6 will take place on Tuesday 29^th November, from 4.15 – 6.45 p.m. This is a really important event, prior to the prelims, in January. It is an opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss any issues and to set targets for the months ahead, at this vital time. Supported Study is taking place at lunchtimes and after school, across a range of subjects, and S4, S5 and S6 pupils are encouraged to take full advantage of these opportunities.

Three pupils represented the school at the first meeting of the North Lanarkshire Pupil Council, held in Airdrie last week. Well done to Mark Donnelly, Eve McTiernan and Grant Douglas.

Throughout the last two weeks, pupils have been donating money to The Poppy Appeal, following presentations from members of S6, at assemblies. The collection has been a great success, this year, and culminated with the whole school marking the national silence, at 11.00 a.m., on 11^th November.

Congratulations to Lucy Laggan, Katie McDowall, Aimee Paterson and Robyn Shaw, last session’s YPI Winners, who will receive the prestigious Diana Award, at a ceremony to be held in The Emirates Arena, next month. This is in recognition of the work that the girls did for Chris’s House and we are delighted that they will be recognised in this way.

Rehearsals are well underway for our Christmas pantomime, Cinderella, which will take place as part of the Christmas Concert, on the evening of Thursday 15^th December. Tickets will be on sale soon, but please save the date, meantime.

Monday 21^st November will be a staff in-service day and so the school will be closed to pupils.

The S1 Parents’ Meeting will take place on Tuesday 15^th November, from 4.15 until 6.45 p.m. This is an opportunity to meet class teachers and Pupil Support staff, to discuss how the young people are settling in at Kilsyth Academy and to agree targets for the remainder of the session. In the meantime, pupils in S1 and s2 have been issued with tracking reports.

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P7 pupils from our cluster Primary schools enjoyed a very full morning of Science at Kilsyth Academy, delivered by our senior pupils. The senior pupils were mentored by Science staff, on the experiments that the primary pupils would be carrying out, over a period of time. Pupils completed a record book of the experiments they carried out, with seniors helping them to complete the questions. The day was very successful and enjoyed by all involved. A big thank you to everyone involved.

A group of S5 pupils spent a morning working with representatives from the University of Glasgow, as part of the Reach and Access programmes. This was the start of a series of workshops, designed to support pupils with entry to their chosen university courses.

Representatives of our peer mentor group attended the national ‘Children in Scotland’ conference, held at the Westerwood Hotel, last week. The group led a workshop on the ‘Mentors in Violence Prevention’ scheme, which was very well received by the professionals concerned, and the pupils received very positive feedback. Well done!

Natasha Riddel and Olivia Anderson participated in a meeting of the Rotary Club of Kilsyth, to give a presentation on their recent Challenge Enterprise experience, which was funded by the club. The girls provided an excellent insight to their experience and entertained the members. Well done!

Monday 21^st November will be a staff in-service day and so the school will be closed to pupils.