Maths Week Scotland 2017: 11-15 September

Our pupils and staff were celebrating all things mathematical as part of this national initiative. This included:

Higher Maths Inter-Authority Student Conference

The Maths department were delighted to plan and host this event which included students and staff representing 6 local authorities: St Thomas Aquinas Secondary (Glasgow), Dumfries Academy (Dumfries and Galloway), Douglas Academy (East Dumbartonshire), St Benedict’s High (Renfrewshire), St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High (South Lanarkshire). This event enabled students and staff to share their experiences of their mathematical journey so far – the challenges and support as well as sharing top tips for success.

We were also joined by Craig Spence from Skills Development Scotland, who gave an inspiring presentation on the diverse range of career pathways beyond school for our young mathematicians.

Students then participated in a workshop, delivered by University of Strathclyde post-graduate students, on the use of Mathematics in the control of infectious diseases.

Our guests left with a Maths goody bag, which included Maths Week cupcakes specially designed and made by our S6 Personal Development pupils.

Advanced Higher Mathematics Students at St Joseph’s Primary

Our AH students were delighted to be invited by University of Strathclyde to work with their post-graduate students to deliver workshops with pupils at St Joseph’s Primary School.

University of Glasgow Workshop

Our Higher maths students worked with Dr Alan Logan from Glasgow University, investigating Mathematics and cryptology.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this successful week of Mathematical celebrations!

Edinburgh Book Festival 2017

S2 pupils visited the Edinburgh Book Festival on Thursday 24th August and they enjoyed the chance to hear author talks including one from the excellent David Almond. They also had a great time soaking up the literary atmosphere and enjoyed one or two ice creams in the late August sunshine! Thanks very much to librarian Mr Boyle and Mrs Ferris-Bell for accompanying pupils on the trip.

Parents Council Meetings

The Parents Council meeting dates for the 2017-18 school year are:

• Monday 28th August 2017 7pm
• Monday 18th September 2017 7pm
• Monday 13th November 2017 7pm
• Monday 5th February 2018 7pm
• Monday 12th March 2018 7pm
• Monday 14th May 2018 7pm

The Parent Council can be contacted at: enquiries@ourladys.n-lanark.sch.uk

Improving Our School

A key part of our work in Our Lady’s High School is to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement to ensure our learners have consistently high quality learning experiences, and are fully supported in all aspects of their school life. Over the course of the last year we sought opinions from a number of stakeholders to inform our work in this area.

To read more about this please click here to access the Parents section of our website.

BGE Award Ceremonies

The annual BGE Awards Ceremonies for pupils in S1, S2 and S3 took place on Thursday 22 June. This occasion is one of the highlights of the school year and all three events were a tremendous success with over 400 pupils being recognised for their academic success and also their wider achievements. A special thanks to everyone involved, particularly the musical and dance performers and to the pupil speakers. Thank you to all parents, carers and relatives who came along to support our pupils on the day.

Blackpool Pleasure Beach Trip

Nearly 300 pupils enjoyed a fantastic day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach as a reward for their positive behaviour throughout the year.

Despite the poor forecast the weather seemed to hold up ok. Everyone had a great time!

S3 House Games Olympiad

As part of the BGE Numeracy for Learning, Life and Work programme of Events, S3 pupils all participated in a fun-filled afternoon of games and activities, using not only Numeracy skills, but communication, group tactics, strategy, teamwork, fair play and enthusiasm. S4/5/6 pupils assisted in ensuring the event ran seamlessly.

This year’s winners were St John Ogilvie House – well done to all!

CoderDojo Success

Lucas Huggins has recently received great success in an international coding competition. He represented the Scottish CoderDojo in an annual showcase of projects which covers 17 countries.

Lucas and his partner from another school were awarded the runner up prize for their age group. It was the first time a Scottish entrant has ever received a prize. The Evening Times published an article on the boys and will soon publish a follow up about their success.

Business Awareness Day

Some of our senior Business Management pupils attended a Business Awareness Day in the school library on Thursday 15 June 2017. Pupils took part in workshops run by Scottish Enterprise, Morgan Sindall and Business Gateway. Activities included deciding which business ideas should be awarded government funding, designing and planning a construction project profitably and working as a group to develop a new business idea.
This was a great chance for pupils to develop their communication and team working skills, as well as increase their business knowledge. All pupils involved were really enthusiastic and a credit to the department/school – even if a few of them showed their competitive side!

County Sports Success

Well done to the following pupils for their fantastic performance at the recent County Sports Championships at Wishaw Sports Centre.

Gold Medal winners: Sean Kennedy (S6)100m hurdles, Sam McNee (S4) 400m and Louis O’Hare (S2) 800m.

Silver Medal winners: Anna McGinness (S6) Long Jump, Alexander Peters (S2) Long Jump, Jacob Brown (S3) 1500m and Christy McCormick (S1) 80m.

Bronze Medal winners: Sean Kennedy (S6) High Jump, Lewis Smith (S2) Long Jump and Rico McCreery (S4) 200m.