St Andrew’s Hospice

We had pupils and staff head down to Strathclyde park again for this year’s Santa Dash to help raise funds for St Andrew’s Hospice.  Following this, along with 4 pupils, I got talked into doing the zip line across the loch! Great fun!  Thanks to Mrs Smith in RE for organising, and to the pupils who came along to join in.

Catholic Education Week

Catholic Education is celebrated between the Feast of St Margaret (16^th Nov) and the Feast of St Andrew (30^th Nov).  This was celebrated at the start with pupils completing passports on each of our new houses (Lourdes, Loreto, Carmel, Guadalupe and Tinos), attended a house assembly and enjoyed a prayer breakfast with pancakes.

Christmas Fayre

It was great to get our Christmas Fayre back up and running again after a few years absence.  The turnout was excellent and I would like to thank all those who organised the evening and those that came along, raising over £1100 for school funds.

Month of the Holy Souls

November is the month of the Holy Souls when we remember those in our families who have died.  Pupils across the school have been remembering their dead by creating a display of crosses and candles at the main entrance to the school.

ASDAN

Recently our pupils in the ASDASN class completed their First Aid and Mental Health First Aid courses.  A great opportunity for them to be involved in and a fantastic life skill! Well done!

War Memorial Mass

Each year there is a Mass to remember the lives of the pupils and staff connected to the school who lost their lives in WWII.  This has been unable to take place in the school’s War Memorial Chapel for a couple of years so it was lovely to welcome everyone back to the chapel again this year for the Mass, celebrated by our new chaplain, Fr. Christopher Morris.

Prelims

Well done to all of our S4 pupils who have now completed their prelims. It’s always a strange experience being in the big hall for exams like this for the first time but they all coped admirably.  The S5/6 prelims are planned for January and a timetable has already been issued to all pupils.

S1 Pantomime

We had a group of S1 and S2 pupils head down the road to the pantomime Cinderella in the Motherwell Concert Hall. Thanks to the Pupil Support department for organising this.  Everyone seemed to have a great time.  Oh yes, they did!!

Senior Citizens’ party

Mrs Zambonini and her Professional Development class spent a great deal of time raising money and preparing for the Senior Citizens’ lunch.  It was the first time we have been able to get them back into the school since 2019 and once again, it was a great success. Thanks to all those in the preparation for the day and all those involved in helping out and entertaining our guests!

Christmas Concert 

It was a great pleasure to welcome so many along to our Christmas Concert this year.  Given the impact that covid has had on extra-curricular activities over the last few years, particularly in the Music department, it was a fantastic evening with great talent on display.  Thanks so much to the staff for preparing the pupils so well and for a lovely evening enjoyed by all.

Ceilidhs

We had our Ceilidhs last week and it was great to see the pupils joining in and enjoying themselves.  There was a great turnout from pupils particularly on the Friday afternoon for the S1-3 Ceilidh. Thanks to the PE staff for preparing the pupils with social dancing in classes , and for running both ceilidhs.

Industrial Action

Industrial action by teaching unions has had an impact on all school across the country in November and December.  Just advance notice that there is planned industrial action again in January with the EIS union identifying the 11^th January as a strike day in all secondary schools across the country and 19^th January as a strike day in North Lanarkshire.

Farewell

As you know I will be finishing up as HT of Our Lady’s this Christmas.  I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you for all the support I have had in the school for over 5 years.  Managing the Covid situation in school was up there as one of the most challenging times in my career but one which was made easier for me due to the support I received from staff and parents.  I have enjoyed my time as HT in Our Lady’s and it has been an absolute privilege and honour to be part of this wonderful school and community. From a personal point of view, I was delighted to have become a part of a community that my dad had also been a part of, attending Our Lady’s from 1945 – 1951.

I have always tried to keep positive relationships at the heart of the school and what I do, and hope that any success I may have had is measured by that more than anything else.

From the beginning I was always made to feel welcome and I have no doubt that the incoming Head Teacher Mrs Louisa McGraw will be extended the same warm welcome I received over 5 years ago.

To finish off, I would just like to wish all our young people and their families every success in the future.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, when it comes.

Caritas Commissioning Service

Before the October week, around 60 of our S6 pupils gathered along with many other S6 pupils from the diocese for the Motherwell Caritas commissioning Service.  We have always had a good record of pupils working on the Caritas award, serving the school and Parish, and are delighted once again with the numbers participating this year.  It was a lovely service led by Bishop Toal.

St Andrew’s Hospice

Following the 6K run in September we were visited by a representative from St Andrew’s Hospice to pick up a cheque from the school for £1426 from sponsorship at the event.  There will be a number of pupils involved in the Santa Dash for the Hospice this weekend to raise funds, which will also include me and some pupils heading over the loch on a zipwire!

Halloween Dance

Our S6 pupils organised a very successful Halloween dance for our S1 pupils.  There was dancing and games organised and there were many excellent outfits on display. Well done to S6 pupils for arranging this event for the S1 pupils!

All Saints Day

The Feast of All Saints is a holiday of Obligation and we had the opportunity for the first time in several years to have a whole school Mass.  Fr Bobby Kane was good enough to help us out and celebrate the Mass for us.  The participation and behaviour of pupils was excellent.

Primary Schools

We do a lot of work with our Primary Schools to ensure the transition from primary school to secondary school is a smooth one for the hopping people.  As part of this programme, Mr Lang and I visited Cathedral, St. Brendan’s and St Bernadette’s primary Schools and had the opportunity to speak with parents and pupils, to pass on information about the school and outline the work that will be done over the coming months as part of that transition process.

S1 Parents Evening

After online Parents evenings, we were delighted to welcome parents back into the building for our first face to face reporting evening for a while. It was a great turnout and feedback from staff and parents was positive.  Forthcoming evenings for some of the other year groups are listed below.

Bannockburn trip

Our annual S2 trip to Bannockburn resumed again this year and around 60 pupils attended. They had the opportunity to participate in a virtual battle which included a 3D projection of the Battle of Bannockburn in a state-of-the-art digital theatre. They handled weapons and armour from the period, participated in a role-play workshop, and visited the battle ground and surviving monuments. Pupils had a great time and once again staff were impressed with the way in which they represented the school.

Parent Council

Th AGM took place recently where office bearers were appointed.  Gerry Bonnar has stepped down as the Chairperson and we thank him most sincerely for his great work for the Parent Council.  The Vice-Chairperson, Ian Munro, has stepped up as Chairperson with Stuart Angell as Vice Chairperson.  The Catholic rep will be Elaine Fitzpatrick.  I would like to thank them all for their contribution to the Parent Council and to everyone who forms this group, who have been very supportive to me and the school over a number of years.  If you are interested in joining the Parent Council, please contact the school.  Currently it only involves 5 meetings a year which usually last no more than an hour.

Forthcoming Events

Monday 14th November – Inservice Day (holiday for pupils)

Thursday 17th November – S4 Parents’ Evening

Wednesday 23rd November – Christmas Fayre

Thursday 24th November – Diocesan Education Mass

Thursday 1st December – S5/6 Parents’ Evening

Friday 2nd December – Main diet of S4 Prelims begins (practical exams take place beforehand)

Wednesday 7th December – Christmas Concert

Thursday 15th December – S4/5/6 Ceilidh

Friday 16th December – S1/2/3 Ceilidh (in the afternoon to replace Future Fridays)

Thursday 22nd December – last day of term

St Andrew’s Hospice 6K

After a few years the St Andrew’s Hospice 6K took place again in Strathclyde Park.  We were delighted with the number of young people from Our Lady’s who came along on a pleasant Sunday morning to participate and raise money for this worthwhile cause. Well done to everyone who participated. Even I managed to get all the way round without stopping! #wellchuffed

Rights Respecting School

As you will know we achieved our UNICEF Gold Rights Respecting Schools award in June. Recently we received our banner which has been put up next to the car park and Mrs Wooley organised a press release.  You can read this here:

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/in-your-area/lanarkshire/motherwell-school-celebrates-after-receiving-28091896

Reading award

We were delighted to find out recently that The Scottish Book Trust had granted us Silver Reading Schools status.  The Scottish Book Trust is a national charity changing lives through reading and writing  and is funded by the Scottish Government in partnership with Education Scotland. Reading Schools is a new accreditation programme for schools that are committed to building a culture of reading for their learners and communities.  Thanks to our school librarian, Mrs Macfadyen who has worked hard in pulling all the evidence together and collaborated with staff, pupils and parents, not only in Our Lady’s but across other schools as well.

Relics of St Bernadette

The relics of St Bernadette were in Carfin for a week with many celebrations taking place over the course of that time.  Mrs Maguire went along to a lovely Mass on the Friday with Matthew, Alliyah and Kaludia, from Lourdes House,  representing the school.

P7 Visits

Mr Lang and I have started visits to our associated Primary schools as part of the transition programme. The information evenings for parents give us an opportunity to tell them a bit about the school and what will be involved in the transition programme between now and the pupils starting with us in August 2023.

Awards Ceremony

For the first time since 2019 we managed to have our Senior Awards Ceremony in the school to celebrate the great successes of our pupils during the 2022 SQA exams. It was fantastic to be able to welcome parents back into the school for such an event and we were delighted that Professor Jason Leitch was able to join us and speak to the pupils and present the awards.  Well done to our school captains, Matthew and Miya, who compered the evenings proceedings.

S3 History Trip

Over the course of two mornings, S3 groups went on a visit to walk the Glasgow slavery heritage trail, learning about the connections between Glasgow and the trade.  A really interesting and informative morning and once again, the conduct of our pupils representing the school was exemplary.

ACN Youth Rally

Recently, around 30 S2 pupils joined many others from across Scotland for the Aid to the Church in Need Youth Rally, Stand up for Faith and Freedom.  It was an opportunity to meet students from schools across Scotland for a day of celebrating our faith through music, Adoration and testimonies from guest speakers from the persecuted Church.

Forthcoming Events

Thursday 6^th October – Caritas Commissioning Service (10am in the Cathedral)

Monday 17^th – Friday 21^st October – October week holiday

Tuesday 25th October –  S1 Parents’ Evening

Thursday 27th October – P7 Transition Day

Thursday 27th October – S1/6 Halloween Dance

Tuesday 1st November – Feast of All Saints

Monday 7th November – Parent Council AGM

Monday 14th November – Inservice Day (holiday for pupils)

Thursday 17th November – S4 Parents’ Evening

Wednesday 23rd November – Christmas Fayre

Thursday 24th November – Diocesan Education Mass

It has been a quick start to the term and I can’t quite believe that we are already 5 weeks into it! The year has got off to a good start and we welcomed a lot of new faces in S1, all of whom have settled in well.  We also welcomed a number of new staff to the school.  They are:

• Mrs Keenan (DHT & Biology)
• Mrs Reilly – Drama
• Ms McGuire – English
• Ms Armstrong – Maths
• Mrs Jaswal – Business
• Ms Byrne – Biology
• Mrs Byrne – Geography
• Mrs Parisot – Modern Languages
• Ms Murphy – History
• Mr Bartlett – PE

School Captains

We were able to appoint our School Captains early on and congratulations go to our successful applicants:  Matthew & Miya (School Captains) and Kian & Klaudia (Vice Captains).  We will be working with them to try and some implement some of the great ideas they spoke about during their interview.

Houses

As we were adding an additional member of staff to our Pupil Support Team we made the decision to rebrand our Houses and to rename them after Marian Shrines.  After consultation with pupils, staff and parents our new houses have been named as:

• Guadalupe (Mr McGurk)
• Carmel (Mrs Conner)
• Tinos (Mrs Darroch)
• Loreto (Mr McVeagh)
• Lourdes (Mrs Maguire)

The House captains have now been appointed and congratulations go to:

• Lewis and Katie (Guadalupe)
• Ellie and Erin (Carmel)
• Christopher and Lucy (Tinos)
• Bailey and Donatha (Loreto)
• Gabrielle and Aaliyah (Lourdes)

Feast Day Mass

As you will know the changing rooms are still being completed, however we hope to have them back in use very soon.  As a result of the work we have had to postpone or cancel events.  Unfortunately we were unable to have our big Feast Day Mass but were delighted that Fr Bobby Kane was able to come into the school to celebrate a  Mass with the S6 Captains along with their S1 buddies.

Assemblies

Early in term we had assemblies for all year groups where we revisited our mission, values and aims and also went over some of the basics, including behaviour in and around the local community, particularly at lunchtime.  All behaviour, good or bad, will affect the reputation of a school, so we need to make every effort to ensure that our pupils behave and show respect outside school as well as they do inside school.

Vocations Mass

At the end of August the Annual Diocesan Vocations Mass took place.  We were delighted with the large turnout of S6 pupils who attended, representing the school.

Future Fridays

Our Future Fridays offer continues on a Friday afternoon and it is great to see an increasing number of pupils getting involved as the weeks go on.  There is also a large number of senior pupils getting involved in helping out with activities, which is an excellent opportunity for them.  Mr McMaster is organising this and pupils can sign up every week by going on to Teams and filling out the form.

School App

We have a school app which has a calendar, links to Twitter, general information and is also another way to send messages.  If you have not loaded it you will find it by searching for ‘School App for Parents’ on the app store or equivalent and then adding ‘Our Lady’s High School, Motherwell’.

Twitter

A reminder that there are a number of Twitter accounts in the school that you can follow to see what is happening in the school.  The details are below:

• School Twitter: @OLHSMotherwell
• Social Subjects: @OLHSSocSubjects
• Friday Afternoons: @FridayOlhs
• Expressive Arts: @ExpressiveOLHSM
• Health & wellbeing: @olhs_healthwb
• Support for Learning: @OLHS_SFL
• Developing the Young Workforce: @OLHSDYW
• Modern Languages: @OLHSModLangs
• Technologies: @OLHSTechnical
• RE: @OLHSRE
• Library: @OLHSLRC
• Maths: @OLHSMathematics
• English: @OLHSEnglish
• Eco Committee: @EcoOlhs
• Art & Design: @OlhsartD

Forthcoming Events

Sunday 18^th September – St Andrew’s Hospice 6K run in Strathclyde Park

Monday 19^th September – Bank Holiday for Queen’s Funeral

Friday 23 & Monday 26^th September – Holiday Weekend

Wednesday 28^th September – Senior Awards Ceremony

Thursday 6^th October – Caritas Commissioning Service (10am in the Cathedral)

Monday 17^th – Friday 21^st October – October week holiday

Staff

We say farewell to Mr Smith in the Social Subjects department, after 15 years in Our Lady’s.  Mr Smith has been a valuable member of the school and will be missed by staff and pupils.  After Christmas he will take up his new post as Principal Teacher of Pupil Support in Cathkin High School. We wish him all the best!

Congratulations go to Mrs Smith on her appointment as Principal Teacher of RE in the school.  Mrs Smith has been acting PT for over a year now and is a welcome addition to the middle leadership team on a permanent basis.

Walkathon & fundraising

Unable to undertake the usual Christmas activities we had our fun day again this year with our walkathon, Christmas film and quiz.  Thanks to Mrs Smith for organising this, and all the S6 pupils who helped out with an enjoyable day. Between the fundraising page and money raised on the day we have raised more than £200 for the chosen charities (St Andrew’s Hospice, St Margaret’s Children & Family Care Society and Teenage Cancer Trust.) The fundraising page is still open and can be found here:

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/kathleen-smith-5?utm_id=60&utm_term=rgmWgNxZE

Awards Ceremonies

Each year we would normally have an Awards Ceremony to celebrate the success of pupils in their SQA exams.  Obviously we couldn’t have this in the usual way again this year, but managed to have small ceremonies for S5 and S6 pupils.  Well done to all those who received awards, demonstrating success in their SQA exams in challenging circumstances.

Travel & Tourism

As part of their course, the Travel & Tourism class recently had the opportunity to visit the Torrance Hotel for some work experience. It was a fantastic insight into employability and customer service.  Thanks so much to the staff for having them!

Forthcoming Events

Wednesday 22^nd December         School closes at 2.30pm

Monday 10^th January                      School reopens

Monday17th January                       S5/6 Prelims begin

Tuesday 18^th January                      S3 Parents’ Evening

Thursday 27^th January                   S4 Parents’ Evening

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Covid 19

We have not had too many positive cases of Covid 19 confirmed in the school over the last few weeks, which is great.  We would like that to continue, especially as we approach the S4 prelims and the Christmas holidays.  A way of helping this stays the case, I would encourage pupils to test regularly, at least twice a week.  There are plenty of lateral flow tests available and pupils can collect these from the school office.

Virtual Parents’ Evenings

We have now managed to have two virtual Parents’ evenings, which have been fairly successful.  We are aware that there have been issues for some parents getting logged on and hopefully these can be ironed out as we go along. I believe there have been similar issues being seen across all the schools using the same system.  However, it has been good to have that opportunity to report to parents again, albeit on a digital platform.

Good Luck!

Good luck to all our S4 pupils who begin their prelims on Monday 6^th December.  They have been working hard and so here’s hoping it has all paid off!

Visits to Primary classes

Preparation is ongoing for the transition for our new cohort of S1 pupils who will be joining us in August 2022.  There are a number of different things going in the background to help us gather as much information as we can.  Recently, Mr Lang and I had the pleasure of visiting the Primary 7 pupils in our associated Primary schools (Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral, St Bernadette’s and St Brendan’s) to introduce ourselves and answer any questions.  Mr Lang has set up a group on Teams and this can be used to answer any questions that the pupils or parents may have.

Young Enterprise

Recently a group of S3 pupils had the opportunity to take part in a Young Enterprise Scotland Challenge.  This was a great day that pupils got a lot out of.  Once again, our visitors to the school were very impressed with the participation of our pupils.

Christmas Activities

Once again we are having a Christmas Activities Day this year on 16^th December, consisting of a Quiz, a Christmas Film and a Walkathon.  We are hoping to raise £2000 for our charities chosen by the pupils (St Andrew’s Hospice, St Margaret’s Children & Family Care Society and Teenage Cancer Trust).  A Just Giving page has been set up and we would be grateful for any contribution you can make:

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/kathleen-smith-5?utm_id=60&utm_term=ANPEVB7Qd

Police visit

We were recently visited by a community Police Officer who came to the school to give a talk to S1 pupils on the dangers of social media and also the language we use with each other.  We have had a similar talk form a local lawyer given to S2 pupils on the dangers of uploading pictures and videos to social media.  These talks have been very informative and hopefully our young people will take on board any advice given.

Prisoner Officer visit

S3 and S4 Modern Studies pupils were in the lecture theatre recently, speaking to an officer from HM Low Moss. There was an excellent discussion surrounding the causes of crime and how the prison tackles this issue through various initiatives and programs… and what prisoners got to eat for dinner!

Catholic Education visits

As part of Catholic Education Week this year we were once again able to go out to our local parishes where one of our S6 Caritas pupils gave a talk on the benefits of Catholic Education and the work going on in Our Lady’s HS and our associated Primary Schools.  Thanks to the parishes for welcoming us and allowing us to speak at the Masses.

St Andrew’s Day

The Feast of St Andrew was celebrated on 30th November. Mrs. Connor and pupils from Andrew House organised a stall at interval and lunchtime to help raise funds for St Andrew’s Hospice.  Thanks to all who helped raise over £100 for the hospice, a very worthy cause.

MSP visit

The S6 Politics class recently had an enjoyable and informative session with our local MSP Claire Adamson, who visited the school.

Friday afternoons

Mr McGurk continues to work on ensuring there are offers available for pupils to engage in on a Friday afternoon and uptake continues to be high in the school.  Pupils should sign up each week using the form available on the Team that has been set up by Mr McGurk.  Updates can be found on the twitter account @FridayOlhs

As part of the Friday afternoon activities we had a group of pupils participate in a dance showcase event in Taylor High School involving other local schools.  They performed well and congratulations to Rachel and Emily for their winning performance!  Thanks go to our S4 dance leaders, Emily, Katie and Eva for all their hard work!

School App

Just a reminder that we have a school app that has a calendar of events, a link to the twitter account, website and blog as well as many of the messages that are sent via email.  Just search for ‘School App for Parents’, download and add the school.  If you already have the app for another school, go to the top right of the home page and add another school – search for ‘Our Lady’s High School, Motherwell’.

Forthcoming Events

Monday 6^th December            S4 Prelims begin

Thursday 16^th December        Christmas Activities Day

Wednesday 22nd December       School closes at 2.30pm

Monday 10th January             School reopens

Tuesday 18^th January              S3 Parents’ Evening

Monday17^th January              S5/6 Prelims begin

Thursday 27^th January             S4 Parents’ Evening

Welcome to the latest update of the HT blog.  It’s been a busy time with lots continuing to happen in the school. It is a real privilege for me to be HT of this school, where I regularly see such a commitment from staff and pupils alike, both in and out of class.

Bannockburn

Recently we had around 60 of our S2 pupils out on a trip to Bannockburn. They had a great time exploring the battlefields, trying on different pieces of armour and weapons from the battle and visiting the Robert the Bruce statue. 

COP 26 Mass

As part of COP26, the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, His Excellency Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti represented the Pope, who was unable to attend.    To mark the occasion a mass was celebrated in St Augustine’s Church in Coatbridge along with the Bishops of Scotland. It was a privilege to attend this lovely Mass along with Cavan and Amanda along with other representatives form schools across Scotland. 

Flu Vaccinations

As part of the push to have as many people vaccinated as possible before the worst of the winter season arrived, we were visited by a number of NHS workers who vaccinated a large number of staff and pupils.  Thanks to Mr Lang for organising and coordinating this.   

Annual Education Mass

The Annual Education Mass at the start of catholic Education week was able to take place again this year in the Cathedral, after missing out last year. it was great to be able to attend this along with staff and over 30 of our Caritas pupils  in the school. 

Catholic Education Week

Catholic Education week is now actually 2 weeks long and runs from the Feast of St Margaret (16th Nov.) to the Feast of St. Andrew (30th November).  The theme for this year is Celebrating and Worshipping. Classes have bee discussing Catholic Education in RE classes and we have pupils visiting parishes over the next two weekends.  To celebrate, we finished this week off with a very successful Prayer Breakfast – plenty of pancakes eaten!  Thanks to Mrs Smith for organising events over the course of the week.

Caritas Retreat

Our caritas pupils have also recently had the opportunity to have a retreat in the school led by Fr. Mark O’Donnell.  The feedback from this has been overwhelmingly positive.  A big thanks to Father for coming in to the school to do this. 

Scottish Youth Parliament Elections

Once again the Scottish Youth Parliament Elections took place and we were in a position to organise for most of our pupils to vote in this. It was worth a bit of disruption during the day as this is an important platform to ensure that young people’s voices are heard.   Thanks to our S6 pupils for helping out!

War Memorial Mass

Our Annual War memorial took place in St Brendan’s Parish in Muirhouse again this year.  Due to restrictions it could not take place in our War Memorial Chapel in the school. So, we are very grateful to Fr Ness for hosting and celebrating the Mass for us. It was lovely to welcome the trustees and others to the Mass, along with Provost Jean Jones who took the time out to join us.  S6 pupils Niamh and Mark had the privilege of reading out the roll of honour at the Mass, remembering former staff and pupils from Our Lady’s High and St Joseph’s High who were killed during World War II.

Twitter

Staff continue to give updates on what is happening in the school via Twitter.  Please follow them to see lots of the things that are happening.

• School Twitter: @OLHSMotherwell
• Social Subjects: @OLHSSocSubjects
• Friday Afternoons: @FridayOlhs
• Expressive Arts: @ExpressiveOLHSM
• Health & wellbeing: @olhs_healthwb
• Support for Learning: @OLHS_SFL
• Developing the Young Workforce: @OLHSDYW
• Modern Languages: @OLHSModLangs
• Technologies: @OLHSTechnical
• RE: @OLHSRE
• Library: @OLHSLRC
• Maths: @OLHSMathematics
• English: @OLHSEnglish
• Eco Committee: @EcoOlhs
• Art & Design: @OlhsartD

Forthcoming Events 

Tuesday 23rd November – S1 Virtual Parents’ Evening 

Thursday 2nd December – S5/6 Virtual Parents’ Evening 

Monday 6th December – S4 Prelims begin 

Wednesdays 22nd December – School closes at 2.30pm 

Monday 10th January – School reopens