St Andrew's High School

• All Saints Day Masses
  • Thanks to Fr Gilhooley, Fr Ghislain and Fr Travers for supporting our school by celebrating Mass with us on the All Saints Feast Day on Friday.
• S1 Halloween Disco
  • S1 students had their Halloween Disco on Wednesday.  Thanks to the Senior Personal Development class for organising the event and well done to our Fancy Dress winners.
• Social Subjects Achievement Avenue
  • Congratulations to all the recent Social Subject Achievement Avenue Winners
    • S1 – Lewis Raybould, Chloe McLeary, Sarah Simpson, Brooke McCallum, Grace Tighe, Lucy Slavin, Millie Taylor, Katie McKenzie
    • S2 – Tommy O’Connor, Eva Murray, David Sheernan, Sophie McVeigh, Kayleigh Sim, Tricia Walker, Keation McCluskey, Kirsten McLean, Georgia Graham, Wiktoria Minicz
    • S3 – Noah Buchan, Rhys Martin, Maria Guzierowicz
    • Click on each year group for examples of the work produced
• Science Club
  • Another great week at the Science Club.  This week the club were learning about and having fun with Oobleck.  (Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid and has properties of both liquids and solids.)
• Read to Succeed S1
  • Glow Worm were with us this week as part of the NLC ‘Read to Succeed’ initiative.  The initiative gifts all S1 pupils one free book that they could keep.  There was a huge selection of books on offer and so many great titles to choose from.   Thanks to Glow Worm & North Lanarkshire Council for supporting this initiative.
• Football News
  • It was a busy week for our Football Teams.  Well done to the u16 Football team who had a resounding 8-1 victory over Clyde Valley in the Scottish Cup.   The U13 team were also victorious in the (Competition) against (Team), with the U14 losing out in the Lanarkshire Cup against Chryston High School.
• Higher Photography
  • The Higher Photography class were out in Edinburgh as part of their location task.  Students used the sights to take some great shots and we look forward to seeing the final efforts.

• International Recognition 
  • Congratulations to Caitlin Moran & Ami Robertson who both gained their first International Caps this week with the Scotland U15 team against Wales. This is a great & extremely proud moment for both Caitlin & Ami.
• St Andrew’s Hospice
  • S6 students Euan Morell & Lucy Carr handed over a cheque to the St Andrew’s Hospice following the recent fundraising 6K run.
• Study Guide
  • Mr Shaw (PT Attainment) has developed a new Study Skills Guide for students in S4 – S6.  This is a great resource for all these students and we encourage all students to download a copy. It can be accessed by clicking on the Study Guide header or through the Study Support section of the Pupil Menu.
• PE Pupil of the Block
  • Congratulations to all the recent PE Pupil of the Block winners, click on the links below to see all the winners for each year group.
    • S1
    • S2
    • S3
    • S4
    • S5/6

• New York Trip
  • Thanks to the Social Subjects faculty for organising the trip to the USA.  The 42 S5 pupils were joined by Mr Mullen, Mr Boyle, Mrs McMahon, Ms McDonald & Mrs Lynas on their week long expedition to New York.  The group also took in Baltimore, Philadelphia & Washington DC.  Some of the trip highlights included visits to Congress, the UN General Assembly, the Lincoln Memorial, Smithsonian Monument, the Philadelphia Museum of Art as well taking in the NBA game between the New York Knicks & Washington Wizards.
• S2 Sky TV Visit
  • S2 students recently enjoyed a trip to the Sky TV studios where they learned what it takes to produce & make a live news broadcast. Students enjoyed taking on roles in front of & behind the camera. Thanks to Miss Barr for organising the trip, everyone had a great time.
• Numeracy Across The Curriculum
  • Thanks to all parents & carers who attended the  Mathematics Information Evening this week.  All those who attended on Tuesday were given away a copy of the Numeracy Across the Curriculum booklet.  Copies were issued in class for those who could not attend.  A copy of the booklet can also be accessed here.
• Netball Success
  • Well done to our Open & S2 Netball teams who were both victorious in their Scottish Cup matches against Bishopbriggs Academy. Players of the Match were Sophie Hamill (Open) and Leah Currie (S2). Well done to both teams, a good start made to this years fixtures so far.
• Science Club
  • A new science club started this week for students in S1 & S2.   The club runs every Wednesday lunchtime from 12:45 – 13:15 and takes place in Lab 8.  The first week saw a series of fun and safe experiments involving explosions & fire hands.
• S1 Basketball Challenge
  • Congratulations to Team Precision (under the guidance of S6 Sports Leader John O’Hagan), on winning the S1 Basketball Challenge. After a very tight competition the team won on a tense deciding game of ‘Killer Basketball’.  Thanks to our 5A Sports Leaders class for their involvement over the weeks in organising and running the competition.  The Sports Leaders each had a specialised role from explaining the rules, to being referees, coaches, equipment manager, time keepers, organising the competition format, scorers & encouraging each of the participants.  A great group of role models
    Well done to all students who have taken part over the last few weeks.

• S1 & S6 Photographs
  • School Photographs for students in S1 & S6 will be taken on Friday the 11th of October. Classes will be called down to the Assembly Hall via the school tannoy at their allotted time. As this is also “Jeans & Trainers day” please ensure students are wearing blazer, shirt & tie.
• Jeans & Trainers Day
  • Friday the 11th of October will be a Jeans & Trainers Day with pupils being able to wear jeans & trainers to school. A donation of £1 is all that is required with all proceeds going to our Malawi 2020 project. School shirts, ties & blazers are still required to be worn.
• Parent Council Meeting
  • The next Parent Council AGM will take place on Monday 28th October at 6.30pm. Contact sahsparentcouncil@yahoo.com or @sahs_parent on Twitter should you require any further information.
• Channel 4 Open Day 
  • DYW Lanarkshire & East Dunbartonshire have partnered with Channel 4 to host an open day on Saturday 26th October for young people aged 16-25 to explore careers in creative industries through participation in interactive workshops and career talks (see the attached flyer and further details below).  Any student who is interested in attending should register for the event at the following link
  • https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/4talent-x-livity-presents-new-material-glasgow-tickets-62483070546?aff=LESL

• Year Group Assemblies
  • The latest round of year group assemblies took place this week.  All the latest information was issued to pupils and Year Heads re-emphasised the importance of hard work, attendance, & uniform for each student.
  • The Top 10 finishers in the S1 & S2 Cross Country Championships were presented with their medals.  Well done to all medal winners.
  • The focus of the S4 assembly was how to study effectively using flash cards.  Flash cards are a great resource for studying, any students who are interested in obtaining a set free of charge can see Mr Cluckie.  A copy of the video shown can be viewed here.
• NET Ministries
  • The first of our retreats took place this week and many thanks again to NET Ministries for a great day with our S6 students.  Following the retreat we had the Commissioning Mass with Bishop Toal, and we thank Bishop Toal, Father James & Father Ghislain for celebrating this Mass with us.
• Outward Bound
  • A group of our S4 students enjoyed a residential trip up to the Outward Bound Centre at Loch Eil.  The students enjoyed a vast array of team building and outdoor activities to build self-awareness, confidence and resilience.
• Sports Success
  • Well done to the S1 Netball team who were victorious this week in their Scottish Cup game against Bishopbriggs Academy.  A good all round team performance with Faye Martin being Player of the Match.
  • Congratulations to Finley Smith of S3 who has been selected for the Lanarkshire Schools Football Select squad.
• Teachmeet
  • Forty of our teaching staff gathered after school for a differentiation teachmeet.   Thanks to all those who came along, particularly those who shared their experiences and research.
• Social Subjects
  • Well done to the overall Achievement Avenue winners for September 
    S1 – Piper McNair, S2– Roseanne Kelly,  S3 – Katy Reilly

• Senior Awards Ceremony
  • Congratulations to all our current S5 & S6 students who were recipients of an award at our Senior Awards Ceremony tonight. We were delighted to also welcome back last years S6 students to receive their awards. We are extremely proud of all their achievements & successes.  We were delighted to welcome Mr Derek Brown, Executive Director of Education & Families to the Awards as our guest speaker. Mr Brown gave a very passioned & motivational speech & we know our students will be able to take his words forward & enrich their life journey as a result.
  • A special thanks to S6 year group leaders Aidan Barlow, Lucy Carr, Olivia Kerr, Laurie Leith, Orla Costello, Olivia Lannigan, Hannah Grant & Mairi Brennan who led the Award presentations and to School captains Rosie Traynor & Euan Morell  who offered up the vote of thanks. We would like to echo their thanks to all family members who attended to support our students and to Ms Taggart & the Celebrating Success Committee for all the work done to organise this amazing event.  A great example of the role our student leaders play in the daily life of our school.
  • A special congratulations to the highest-ranking student in the SQA examinations and this years Senior Dux Medalist winner – Laurie Leith.  Congratulations also to our proxime accessit winner – Adele McGonigal.
• Columba 1400
  • Our new S3 Columba Leadership Academy enjoyed a week long excursion to the Isle of Skye.   The group had a great time in stunning scenery & took part in a series of tasks and activities to develop their leadership potential.  Thanks to Mr Cassidy, Miss Wallace & Miss Campbell for going on the trip with the students and to Ms Taggart who joined them after the Awards Ceremony.
• S1 Maths
  • An exciting new event is coming to the Maths Department.  We are inviting all parents of S1 to the school on the evening of Tuesday 8th October from 6:30-7:30 to see how things are done in Maths and ask any questions to support your child.  Letters will be issued soon.
• Scottish Schools Football
  • Congratulations to S3 students Ami Robertson & Caitlin Moran who have been selected for the Central Scottish Schools Squad, a great achievement for both.
• Read to Succeed
  • S1 pupils attended the ‘Read to Succeed’ closing event in St. Ambrose High School. The students enjoyed a great talk by author Dan Freedman and Keith Charters was a superb Master of Ceremonies. All the pupils received a signed copy of a book by Dan Freedman
• Cross Country 
  • Well done to all S1 & S2 students who took part in the Cross Country Championships on Wednesday.  Congratulations to our 4 winners – Grace Tighe 1E, Cathal Skeffington 1C, Carissann McCulloch 2C & Ciaran Dempsey 2C. Medals for the Top 10 will be presented at the next available assembly for each year group.  The Top 10 for each race can be viewed here.
• Personal Development
  • Both Personal Development groups have been busy organising events for staff & pupils.  Our S6 Personal Development group organised a MacMillan Coffee morning for senior pupils and our S3 Personal Development Group have been busy undertaking some enterprise initiatives and have been selling doughnuts to their fellow pupils.  Pupils in S3 also cooked up a storm and produced two different types of pasta lunches for St Andrew’s staff this week.
• Cycling Group
  • Our S4 cycling group have been out utilising the new cycle path that runs alongside the A8. A great workout & lots of great team work being shown again throughout the cycle with Velo Scotland.  A special thanks to Engie for supplying the cycling group with their brand new waterproof jackets for use during the cycling course. Not only do the jackets provide protection from the Scottish weather but also keeps them safe & visible out on the roads.  The boys and their new jackets can be seen here.
• Gaelic Football
  • Our Gaelic Footballers were in action v St Ambrose.  Our S1 boys team were victorious in their game with the girls team & the S2 boys team narrowly defeated in their games. Great performances by each team with players of the matches – Liam Allington, Grace Tighe & Liam Walsh.
• Netball 
  • Well done to our S1 Netball team who were victorious against The Glasgow Gaelic School in the Scottish Cup. A great team performance in their first game of the season. Player of the Match – Grace Tighe.

• St Andrew’s Hospice 6K
  • A thank you to all students & staff who came out to support the St Andrew’s Hospice 6K race.  We really appreciate everyone giving up their time on a Sunday for such a great cause that is so close to the hearts of many in our community.  Congratulations to Mr McCrossan (PE) who placed 5th overall in the race & 2nd in the teachers category.
• Business & ICT
  • S3 Business Management classes have been busy mastering the Sway programme, developing four key skills for the future – communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity
• Inter Class Basketball
  • The Inter Class Basketball challenge continues on Tuesday & Thursday lunchtimes.  Thanks to all  S1 participants for taking part so far as well as the S6 Sports Leaders for assisting with the running of the competition.  
• Columba 1400
  • Final preparations are being made ahead of our next Columba 1400 cohort making the week long expedition to Skye.   Thanks to all parents & carers who attended the final meeting as well as Rebecca and Katie from Columba 1400 who joined us for the meeting.
• Dragon’s Lair
  • We had some of our senior students judging our S3 Dragon’s Lair candidates. The girls are through to the next selection stage.  The S3 boys came a very close second in the Dragon’s Lair selection process and delivered a very passionate presentation.
• PE – Pupils of the Block
  • S1 Winners 
  • S2 Winners
  • S3 Winners
  • S4 Winners
  • S5/6 Winners
• Social Subjects – Achievement Avenue winners
  • S1 Winners
  • S2 Winners
  • S3 Winners
• Science Supported Study
  • The Science department are running a series of Supported Study sessions at lunchtime & after school.  Click here to see what sessions are on offer.
• RE
  • Learning about St Thérèse of Liseux this week in S1 RE and looking at some of the places her Relics have visited on their journey around Scotland.
• Geography
  • S4 Geographers felt the pressure this week as they revised the ‘Formation of a Corrie’. Pupils had to rely on their memory and instruct their group members of what to draw/annotate.
  • More S5/6 Geography fun. This time we looked at individual scenarios and created a ‘Living Graph’ filled with people’s own accounts and stories of Global Development
  • 1A have worked extremely hard on their landmark models, click here to see some of the excellent examples

• UK Maths Challenge

Mrs Rocks (Principal Teacher of Maths) came to the S3 Assembly to present the certificates from the UK Maths Challenge.  Well done to all the winners.

• Cycling Group

The S4 cycling group are now working towards their Bikeability level 2 qualification after successfully achieving their Level 1 qualification with Velo Scotland.  They are starting to develop their confidence of cycling on the road throughout the course to achieve their Level 2 alongside their SVQF qualifications

• Sportscotland Young Ambassadors Conference

S4 students Kaitlyn Berry & Sophie Hamill attended this years Young Ambassadors conference at The National Stadium, Hampden.

• Science Trip – Paris 2020

A reminder for all those S2 & S3 pupils going on the Science trip to Paris that they need to remember to bring in their passports to Mr Friel or Miss Walsh in the Science Dept as soon as you possible.

• S6 Leadership Team Meeting

The S6 Leadership Team had their first meeting of the year with Mr Holmes (HT) & Mr Cluckie  (DHT S6).  A very productive meeting with lots of ideas & plans beginning to be put in place for the year ahead.

• Sports Captains

• Congratulations to the following pupils who have been selected as Sports Captains & Sport Scotland Young Ambassadors for this year.

  • S3 – Ami Robertson & Conor O’Grady
  • S4 – Ellie Jaap & Aaron Condron
  • S5 – Katie Hamill & Kayleigh Mitchell
  • S6 – Kelsey Foley & Melissa Kerr
  • Sport Scotland Young Ambassadors – Sophie Hamill & Kaitlyn Berry
• Higher Physics 

Congratulations to S5 students Erin Wilson, Courtney Cheyne & Saoirse McDavitt on securing 2nd place and taking St Andrew’s through to the semi-finals of the West of Scotland Physics Education Group quiz which will take place on the 2nd of October.

• S1 Inter Class Sport Competition

This week saw the start of our new S1 Inter Class sport competition for classes 1A-1D taking place every Tuesday (1A-1D) & Thursday (1E – 1H) at lunch time for the next 5 weeks.  Thanks to Stephen Conroy (Active Schools Coordinator) & our S6 Sports Leaders for organising and running the event.  

• Gardening Group 

Our St Andrews Prince’s Trust Group have been out helping  in our Community Garden, first stage of their work involved tackling the compost.  

• World of Work Ambassadors

Our current World of Work Ambassadors have been busy recently training our new recruits from S3/4.   A great example of developing leadership and employability skills.

• Malawi 2020

Congratulations to the following students who have been successful in their application to join our next Malawi project.  Aiva Martin, Cody Carswell, Jennifer Carey & Kayleigh Mitchell.  They now will begin their fundraising journey in preparations for their visit to Malawi in 2020.

• Caritas Award

S6 Caritas students Hannah Grant, Sophie Lane, Erin Delaney and Michael Hughes have been down helping at the offices of Missio preparing the schools and parish packs for the Extraordinary Mission Month.  The four students are volunteering every Tuesday to help the mission church as part of their Caritas Award project. 

• Gaelic Football

We had another good turnout for our new Gaelic Football club. Thanks to Melissa Kerr, Aidan Barlow & Lee Rettie our magnificent Sports Leaders for helping to develop our players. The clun runs every Friday lunchtime, all students are welcome regardless whether they have played Gaelic Football before.

• Newsletter

A copy of the school attainment newsletter can be accessed at the link below

Attainment Update Newsletter AUG 19

• Faith

A group of our S6 students attended the Annual Vocations Mass at Motherwell Cathedral on Monday the 26th with Mr Cluckie & Mr Cassidy.  On Friday the 30th Aiva Martin S5 & Aoife Kelly S6 represented the school at the Mass and Procession to welcome the Relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux to Carfin Grotto.

• St Andrew’s Hospice

Thanks to Margaret from the St Andrew’s Hospice team who came out to speak to our S5 & S6 students ahead of the annual 6K fundraising run. The Hospice does incredible work & requires £88,000 a week to provide the valuable care needed for its patients.  Any student (aged 14 or above) who is interested in participating at the 6K run on Sunday the 15th of September should give their name to Miss Barr in PE.  

• Go MTB

Two groups of our S4 students have begun studying a mountain biking course as part of an alternate curriculum initiative.  The initiative is being run in conjunction with Velo Scotland with a focus on gaining additional qualifications and developing core life skills in relation to the ever increasing cycling industry and future job opportunities.  Students will utilise the new school mountain bikes as well as visiting the Endura Lifecycle Trust facility in Stirlingshire.  Thanks to Mr Shaw (PT PEF) for organising this opportunity for the students.