We wish all members of our school community a joyful and holy Christmas and a prosperous 2019!

School closes for the Christmas holidays on Friday 21st December 2018 at 2.30pm.  It re-opens on Monday 7th January 2019 at 8.55am. Have a great Break!

As part of the centenary commemorations of the First World War, S4 History pupils visited the ‘Digging In’ mock trench site at Pollok Park in Glasgow at the end of November.

They braved the wind and rain to get a real experience of life in the trenches, communicated via semaphore, tried on uniforms and gas masks, used periscopes, handled memorabilia and created advertising campaigns on behalf of the wartime British government to eat more home grown vegetables.

This was an excellent experience designed to consolidate their studies of Scotland and the Great War. Below are some more photos of the trip:

 

Refently a cheque for £600 was handed over to a representative of St. Andrew’s Hospice to support the work of the Hospice.  These funds were raised by staff and pupils who took part in the annual St. Andrew’s Hospice Schools’ 6K event in Strathclyde Park in September of this year. Well done to all involved and many thanks to the staff of the hospice for the excellent work carried out by them day in and day out caring for members of our local communities.

Pupils are busy with a variety of Advent activities. They are encouraged to attend Mass on Tuesday and Thursday at 8:40am. These masses are celebrated by Fr. Martin Delaney, school Chaplain, in our new Oratory.

In Religious Education classes, pupils are making donations to fill Christmas parcels for the needy. As well as this, they are being asked to donate socks, gloves and woolly hats to donate to charities which work with homeless people. Pupils are also encouraged to provide the names of senior citizens who would like to attend the school’s Senior Citizens’ Christmas Party, which takes place this year on Thursday 13^th December at 2pm.

 

The Christmas Celidh season is now with us and Taylor High will be holding the following Christmas Ceilidhs over the next two weeks

Ceilidh dance (with some disco) for S4 – S6 pupils: Wednesday 12th December 2018 from 7 – 10pm in the school theatre.

This dance will feature a live ceilidh band and is not to be missed by students in S4 – S6!

S1 Christmas Ceilidh: Monday 17th December, 1.30 – 3.45pm

This dance, for pupils in First Year, will take place in the school theatre within the normal school day ending at 3.45pm. Tickets are currently on sale from Miss Evans, Principal Teacher of Pupil Support for First Year pupils. The lunch break will be extended on this date until 1.30pm to allow pupils to go home and get changed or, alternatively, to change in school.

S2/S3 Christmas Ceilidh: Tuesday 18th December, 1.30 – 3.45pm

This dance, for pupils in Second and Third Year, will take place in the school theatre within the normal school day ending at 3.45pm. Tickets are currently on sale from Mr. Phairs (Second Year) and Mrs. Cooke (Third Year), Principal Teachers of Pupil Support. The lunch break will be extended on this date until 1.30pm to allow pupils to go home and get changed or, alternatively, to change in school.

Pupils who do not attend the two ceilidhs held within the school day, for pupils in First to Third Year, will remain in class and work normally during these events.

The school’s annual Christmas Fayre will take place on Wednesday 5^th December from 3.00 – 6.00pm approx.  This will feature many of the usual stalls including Santa’s Grotto, Bouncy Castle, Tombola, Bottle Stall, the much sought after Taylor Christmas Hampers, Raffle and lots more.  Donations for this year’s Fayre are very welcome.  If anyone would like a stall at this year’s Fayre, please contact the school at 01698 274976. The funds raised will support a wide range of activities throughout the year ahead. Many thanks for the support we get from the local community each year for this event especially C& M Events who donate the Bouncy Castle each year and have done so for many years!

As part of the Holocaust Educational Trust’s “Lessons from Auschwitz” program, two of our Sixth year students recently visited Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps along with 200 other pupils from across Scotland. Our students, Freya Mitchell and Mariyah Arif,  were accompanied by Ms. McMillan of the Social Subjects department.

They flew to Krakow alongside First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, pupils and teachers from other Scottish schools.

The visit itself involved a tour around both Auschwitz and Birkenau camps from a guide who had worked there for over 40 years. The trip culminated in a memorial service with speeches from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Karen Pollock MBE Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust and Rabbi Daniel Epstein.

Our students expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to be a part of such an important initiative and spoke of the profound experience they had there, which will soon be used to educate other pupils at the school about the Holocaust as part of Holocaust Memorial Day in January 2019.

‘Catholic Schools: Good for Scotland’

The annual Diocese of Motherwell Education Mass will take place in Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral on Tuesday 20th November at 7pm. Parents/carers and pupils are welcome to attend this Mass.

Taylor High School choir will sing the musical liturgy at the Mass under the direction of Mrs. Kerry McKinlay, Acting Principal Teacher of Music supported by colleagues from the school’s  Music department. The Mass takes place on the eve of the hundredth anniversary of the Royal Assent for the1918 Education Act which occurred on 21st November 1918.

Recently, as part of the Motherwell Diocese celebrations marking one hundred years since the 1918 Education Act, Sixth Year students studying for the Caritas Award, undertook the role of tour guide for 50 pupils from primary 7 in our associated primary schools taking the pupils round Motherwell Cathedral. The tours highlighted important architectural and other features of the Cathedral and they were voted a big success by all who took part who now know much more about the background and history of this important church and Motherwell landmark. The photograph shows our tour guides on either side of the Icon, Jesus Our Teacher, which was a important part of the tour itinerary.