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Upper School Prelim Exams

Prelim examinations for  pupils in S5 & S6 begin on Monday the 6th of February and end  on Thursday the 16th. Pupils should attend school at the time of their exams.

In the interim we encourage all pupils to study hard and attend supported study where available.

Good luck to all the pupils involved!

“Don’t doubt yourself,  WORK HARD and make it happen”

                                                                                                                                 T Edison

Exam Results

The following advice lines will operate to support  candidates with their queries around the time of results day.

SQA Candidate Advice Line

The Candidate Advice Line will run from Tuesday 9 – Friday 12 August 2016, providing general information to candidates and answering questions about the Scottish Qualifications Certificate. The Candidate Advice Line operators will have no access to candidates’ results. Candidates enquiring about their results should contact their school .

The Candidate Advice Line will be open from 8am until 6pm on 9 August, and from 8.30am until 5pm on 10, 11 and 12 August.

Candidates can telephone 0345 279 1000 or complete and return our Candidate Enquiry Form, which they can find at www.sqa.org.uk/candidateenquiryform

Candidates should also seek general information from www.sqa.org.uk

Careers Helpline

Skills Development Scotland will run an Exam Results Helpline from 8am – 8pm on 9 and 10 August, and from 9am – 5pm on 11 – 17 August, offering candidates impartial careers advice and information. Candidates can telephone 0808 100 8000 or visit www.myworldofwork.co.uk/examresults

New Term 2016-17

We are all looking forward to welcoming all our students for our new term which begins on Wednesday 17 August at 8.55am. New S1 students will go straight to the Theatre and all other students will attend a special registration slot to get a new timetable. Lists will be published around the building to direct you to your registration room. See you soon…..

Cyber Course Opportunity for University Entrants

An exciting opportunity has arisen at short notice  for outgoing Fifth or Sixth Year  students who intend to take up a place at university in Autumn 2016 studying a STEM course – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. 

It is a 3-week cyber course targeted at young people with a place on a STEM course at University in the autumn.  The summer course is fully paid for – food and accommodation (Monday – Friday, students go home at the weekends).

It will be held at Glasgow Caledonian University in July. There are 30 places available and the deadline for applications is 17th June.

Those who attend can also be considered for the Cyber First bursary of £4k per year.

http://www.arkwright.org.uk/exclusive/cyberfirst_advanced.htm

Please contact Ms. McCrone, DHT, at the school for more information.

Physics SQA Exams Past Paper Practice Days

Message from Mrs. Brown on behalf of Mr. Phairs:

All students studying Physics who will sit SQA Physics exams on Tuesday 24th May are invited to attend Past Paper Practice Days with the following arrangements:

National 5 Practice Day – Thursday 19th May, all day.

Higher Grade Practice Day – Monday 23rd May, all day

All Physics students are welcome to attend for final revision on the relevant date.

In-service Day 5 – Thursday 5th May

Thursday 5th May is the fifth in-service day of this session.  It is a pupil holiday except for SQA exam candidates. Staff will attend school as normal on what is also the Feast of the Ascension, a Holy Day of Obligation. Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Martin Delaney, our school Chaplain.

School will re-open as normal at 8.50am on Friday 6th May.

SECOND YEAR PARENTS’ MEETING – TUESDAY 26th APRIL 2016

The Second Year Parents’ Meeting will take place on Tuesday 26th April 2016 from 4.00 – 6.30pm.  All parents and carers are invited to attend this important meeting next Tuesday to meet with their child’s teachers and obtain up-to-date information about their progress.  Subject choices have now been made by all pupils for entering Third Year in June and this move from a common course to a group of 9 academic subjects encompassing all 8 curricular areas is an important transition point in the education of the young people concerned.

We encourage all parents and carers to attend this meeting if at all possible.

MATHS CAMP

49 Fifth and Sixth Year pupils studying Higher and Advanced Higher Maths set off to the Kilbowie Outdoor Centre in Oban on for the Annual Maths Camp Weekend. Students are given the opportunity to participate in an extensive study programme for the forthcoming examination. A great time was had by all with pupils also being given the chance to take part in an Outdoor activity as part of the school’s Health Promotion Programme. They took part in Coaststeering which involves rock climbing and sea swimming and the group finished off with a seven metre jump into the sea. Credit goes to the students involved as this is an activity where participants get extremely wet jumping in and out of the sea on what turned out to be a particularly cold and wintry day. All staff who participated in the weekend were impressed by the pupils’ effort and application. It is hoped that their efforts will be rewarded by excellent results in the final examination. The weekend is part funded by the Edinburgh University Mathematical Association and we thank them for their continued support. Thanks to Mr. Mark Dorris (Principal Teacher of Mathematics), Mrs. Liz Bergen and Mr. John Harty (Teachers of Mathematics) and Mrs Anna Robertson (Principal Teacher of Support for Learning).

LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

Sixty Third Year students recently returned from the annual Joe Ferrie Leadership Academy. This course took place at Ardentinny Outdoor Centre Dunoon, with students having the opportunity to participate in a variety of outdoor activities promoting leadership in young people. The aim of the course is to develop self-confidence, problem solving and team building. Students were given the opportunity to reflect on their achievements in order to reflect upon valuable skills that will help them to succeed in what is a very challenging academic year ahead. Staff and students enjoyed some typical Scottish weather, but the students took this in their stride, and thoroughly enjoyed all the activities! The staff had nothing but praise for the manner in which students conducted themselves throughout the course.

They were a credit to themselves and the school. This setting for the academy is spectacular and we thank the centre and their team of staff for their hard work during our visit, making our pupils feel so welcome. Thanks go to Taylor staff members who attended the Academy with our students, Miss Suzanne Evans, Principal Teacher of Pupil Support, Mr. Andy McPake Miss. Anna Blyth, Mr. Ian Macfarlane and Mr. Alex Steele from Pentland School. The only complaint about this very successful event from students was that they wished they could have stayed longer!