chs summer newsletter - Carnoustie High School
Transcription
chs summer newsletter - Carnoustie High School
CHS SUMMER NEWSLETTER June 2016 For Parents/Carers As with all school terms, the period from April to July is busy for staff and pupils, with course choices decided, a new timetable introduced and meeting the new S1s during our induction days. The SQA exams are such an important feature of the summer term for our seniors, taking centre stage through May and early June and with initial feedback from our pupils very positive, we anticipate a very strong SQA performance this year. In moving to our new timetable we have made adjustments to how we use form time, boosting the range of skills courses in S1 to S3 and giving S4 classes additional time in Maths and English. Our S3 cohort has been given the opportunity to specialise in those subjects they enjoy most, and they have settled well into this new curricular arrangement. Summer term also sees a large number of sporting events, particularly in athletics and we have had some notable successes this year; more details inside. Our Annual Awards Evening, the second to be held at Carnoustie Parish Church, recognised excellent performance whether academic, sporting or in community service and it was a pleasure to see so many of our pupils recognised for their hard work and dedication. Senior languages pupils have been in Spain on a learning visit, the school band performed in the shadow of Notre Dame Cathedral and at Disneyland Paris, S1 raced their own cars in the annual F1 challenge, our team turned in a winning performance in the Creative Spaces eco-design competition, our STEM club competed at the National Final of the Saltire Challenge, we‘ve had young musician of the year and DofE Award expeditions out on the hills, senior pupils creating murals at the beach and supporting community projects with some of our older citizens. And of course the hard work in classes has continued, as young people have worked with their teachers developing their knowledge and skills across all of their curricular subjects. The chance to relax and recharge is an attractive prospect for everyone in school after such a hectic session. Staff and pupils have worked tremendously hard over the session now past and I thank them for all their efforts as I thank you, our parents, carers and friends for your continued support. I look forward to us all returning in August, refreshed and ready for the school year ahead. Every school year is a year of challenge, a year of change and a year of hard work, and I anticipate that it will be the same next session, another year of great success for Carnoustie High School. Mr Donald A Currie Headteacher SQA & Exam Results Exam results will arrive on Tuesday 9th August 2016. Royal Mail will deliver to the address we have on file for all pupils. Those pupils registered for ‗My SQA‘ will also receive text and/or email notification of results at 8am on the same day. Registration for this service is open until 5pm on Monday 18th July. For more information please log onto www.mysqa.info. A telephone service — SQA‘s Candidate Advice Line — will be available from Tuesday 9 August to Friday 12 August. You can ring this line for help and advice on the content and layout of the certificate. However, advisors will be unable to help with any queries regarding SQA‘s Post-results Services or the breakdown of marks, and they will not be able to speak to parents or carers without candidate consent. The advice line number can be found on the letter that accompanies the pupils‘ certificate. If pupils do not receive the examination results they hoped for please do not panic. Pupils should make an appointment with their PCS teacher on their return to school on 16th August to discuss possible changes to their subject choices. There are no appeals. SQA offer candidates who do not receive the expected result two post result services: A clerical check - an administrative check by SQA staff to ensure the marks had been accurately counted during the examination process. A marking review - where a senior SQA examiner reviews the marking of a pupil‘s exam paper. If a pupil did not receive an examination result they require to secure a place at college or university we can request a priority marking review. The deadline for this priority marking review is the 19th August. If your child is in this position please contact Miss King at the school before the 16th August. The deadline for non-priority marking reviews is the 30th August 2016. Using these services do require caution; results can be altered down e.g. from a C to a D. No clerical checks or marking reviews are requested by the school without consultation with parents. Decision to submit the clerical check or marking review is based on an individual case by case basis and is done in consultation with Miss King. If you have any SQA related queries please contact Miss King. Further information on SQA Results Service can be found at www.sqa.org/resultservices . We would like to extend our thanks to Mr McHardy and his team of invigilators for ensuring the successful and smooth running of the SQA exams this year. They were very impressed by the attitude and maturity of those pupils who were sitting exams; their conduct throughout was superb. Those pupils not sitting exams this session were also praised. They clearly understood the pressures that their fellow pupils were under and demonstrated high levels of respect and compassion during the diet. Pupil Council Our newly established pupil council has been going from strength to strength throughout the course of the year. Through a variety of pupil feedback surveys the council have established an effective ‗pupil voice‘ and unveiled a variety of issues they would like to address. These issues range from purchasing additional seating for the outdoor area to improving the catering facilities. Members of the council have been meeting with Mr Currie on a termly basis to discuss their priorities. The minutes from these meetings are being used to create ‗You Said, We Did‘ documents which are posted on the Pupil Council noticeboard and GLOW. Calum McGillvary (School Captain and Pupil Council member) is currently working with the management team to update and improve the pupil council section of the school website. The pupil council will upload the minutes of their weekly meetings along with the ‗You Said, We Did‘ documents they have generated. Over the course of the next few meetings the pupil council will be: Evaluating the school‘s promoting positive behaviour policy Working with their local MSYP to generate a survey aimed at identifying issues within the local community Setting up a stationary shop to generate profits which will be used to purchase rewards for merit winners Meeting with Tayside Contracts to discuss improvements they would like to make to the school amenities. Welcoming our New S1 Pupils This session, Primary 7 pupils have undertaken a varied programme to introduce them to secondary school life. The programme ―kicked off‖ with a multi-sports event in October where all P7 pupils in the cluster participated in team sports. This was followed in Terms 2 and 3 by visits to Carnoustie High School to experience lessons within different curricular groups, tours of the school, library visits, drama workshops and interval within the social area. Our transition programme culminated in the 3 day induction where our ‗new S1‘ followed their timetable, met their new classmates and teachers and truly experienced life in a secondary school. On the Friday afternoon, 160 tired but happy young people left Carnoustie High School eagerly anticipating the new session! It was a pleasure to meet them and we look forward to their return to us on Tuesday 16 August 2016. Spanish Immersion Trip From 15th-19th June 15 National 5 Spanish students and two of their teachers took part in an immersion visit to the coastal town of Comillas, in the northern region of Cantabria. This was a very hectic, yet fun-filled trip with visits to museums, a national park, interactions with Spanish students and even a trip to the beach! Overall, the students found it to be a very positive experience and said that being ―thrown in at the deep end‖ really helped improve their Spanish! ―I really enjoyed our Spanish immersion visit to Cantabria in Spain. When we were there, we got the opportunity to speak and interact with the local villagers and Spanish school children that were our age. I also really enjoyed getting to know the local culture of the area that we visited and getting the chance to improve my Spanish speaking skills.‖ ―I thought that it was very fun. I really enjoyed meeting new people and we made lots of new friends.‖ ―I really enjoyed practising and learning new phrases in Spanish that were really useful; then testing our skills in real situations. My favourite experience was the treasure hunt.‖ ―The highlight of the trip was meeting up with the students from the Salesianos school in Santander. However, all of the other activities followed closely behind!‖ Right’s-Respecting Schools Award We are pleased to announce that Carnoustie High School achieved the first stage of UNICEF‘s RightsRespecting School‘s Award ‗Recognition of Commitment‘. The RRSA steering group have been meeting fortnightly to devise strategies to embed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into the school culture and ethos. The group recently prepared a variety of form-time lessons that allowed staff and pupils to begin to understand the role of this important document in our school. The activities within these lessons included; Video clips on history of the UNCRC A card sort activity allowing pupils to explore what young people need (their rights) and what young people want (their luxuries) UNICEF and Rights quizzes A Right‘s poster competition The steering group have also been fundraising for children around the globe through UNICEFs ‗Day for Change‘ initiative. During their first week of fundraising the steering group has collected over £127 in loose change from pupils and staff. The steering group hopes to exceed its target of £200 by the end of term by selling home-baking. Thanks to all staff, pupils and parents that supported this very worthwhile fundraising venture. A special thank you to Mrs Smith, Mr Bell, Mr McLorinan, Mrs Kiddie, Mr Bailey, Imogen Crozier, Kirsten Ireland, Neve Walker, Glen Byars and Alix Webster for supporting the RRSA work this term. F1 Challenge Technical Education ran the annual F1 Challenge race in the social area on the 14th of June. The track was provided to us once again by Dundee University. Pupils began this project back in February and used their understanding of aerodynamics and manufacturing skills to produce their cars. Well done to all pupils who took part. This years fastest car and overall winner was Ross Adair (1.5), with Thomas Ogston and Struan Gorrie a very close 2nd and 3rd. STEM Club News We are proud to announce that our ‗all girls‘ team, the ‗Sparky Surfers‘, made it through to the prestigious Junior Saltire Competition Final this year. The tidal wave energy converter that the girls designed and constructed was tested at Edinburgh University‘s Flowave Ocean Energy Research facility on 9th June. The girls went on to impress the competition judges with a presentation about their device at a ‗Celebration of Science and Engineering‘ event at Glasgow on the 10th June. Although we didn‘t take the winning title this year, the judges gave the girls excellent feedback on their efforts. STEM club members were also given the opportunity to showcase their civil engineering skills at the Glasgow Science Centre in the YESC ‗Go Forth‘ competition. In order to meet the competition criteria, our pupils made a suspension bridge spanning 2.6 metres with 1000 lollipop sticks, cable ties and string. They aptly named their bridge ‗The Fifth Bottle Bridge‘. The strength of the bridge was tested by loading the bridge with full 500 ml water bottles. Our pupils managed to load an amazing 43 bottles before the bridge buckled! A fantastic effort! In addition to the projects outlined above our STEM club members are close to completing their bronze CREST awards. These awards are nationally recognised achievements and can be used to enhance future University and College applications. This year‘s CREST award projects range from forensic fingerprinting to the effects of pollution on brine shrimp. This year‘s annual Go4Set competition will run from September to December this year. Last year, CHS took home the ‗Best Team Effort‘ trophy after competing against a variety of schools across the region. This competition is run by the Engineering Development Trust and its purpose is to engage young scientists and engineers with potential strategies for securing a sustainable future through science and technology. We are currently looking for an enthusiastic group of S2 scientists to take part in this year‘s competition. Please encourage your child to speak to Dr Mustard if they would like to find out more about this exciting opportunity! S6 Options Beyond School S6 pupils will be exploring their options beyond school after the summer break. Pupils considering applying to University should be checking websites for Open Days and scheduling visits to these. This is an important time for them to research course content and entry requirements. Parents will find a UCAS presentation on the school website in Pupil Care & Support section. Also on ucas.com there is a Parental Guide which can be downloaded. Pupils will be attending presentations for University and D&A College regarding progression routes on Thursday 15th September Creative Spaces A group of S2 pupils took part in Creative Spaces Competition where they were set an architecture based challenge. The team of Grace Paterson, Adam Fenton, Harry Dougan and Niall Mitchell were chosen with a few reserves and all attended an initial meeting with Doug Binnie at Monifieth High School earlier in the session. where they were given a talk on tips regarding preparation and where best to spend most of their time and focus on. They were then emailed some initial information regarding the country and city which they were to be allocated for the challenge, China -Shanghai. The group met Friday lunchtimes with Mrs Hill where they made good use of the Creative Spaces website. Mrs Murdoch one of our Chinese teachers very kindly prepared a presentation on Shanghai- it's culture, history, meaning behind features that appear in their buildings, etc. and taught the group some Chinese phrases to assist with the presentation. After a lot of prep work by both pupils, staff and previous participant Will Prescott (who is now going on to study Architecture) the group travelled to Space Dundee on May 18th. All pupils are given the brief at 9.15 where they had to design a pop up building that would house a shop, restaurant, toilets, offices and performing space. A scaled model had to be produced that illustrated their ideas and principles. At 3.30pm all 22 schools had to bring their model to the theatre space where 2 of the team had to give a 3 minute presentation. Nerve wracking time awaiting the judges decisions and wondering if we would be placed, pupils and staff were delighted when placed first in this prestigious competition beating back stiff opposition from 21 others schools from across Dundee, Fife, Perth and Angus. Each pupil was presented with £60 and the school £600 to be spent on Design based materials or equipment. Well done to all concerned in the challenge. . School Captains and Prefects With the School Captains for next session in place, this term has been busy for our S5 pupils applying for Prefect posts. With the help of members of staff on the Prefect Working Group, pupils were invited to interview for the role following the completion of their application forms. Those pupils appointed have been allocated a particular department, based on their preferred choice. They will work with members of staff within this department as well as fulfilling overall school duties including helping with the P7/S1 transition. Hatches, Matches & Dispatches Congratulations and Goodbye to Mr Jim Bell who is retiring at the end of the summer term after 22 years as a teacher of RMPS at Carnoustie High School. We also say goodbye to Mrs Gallacher, one of our our Teachers of Computing who is moving to Braeview Academy at Principal Teacher of Computing and Mrs Cassidy, one of our Home Economics Teachers who is moving to Grove Academy as the Principal Teacher of Home Economics. We wish them every success in their new roles. On the matches front, our best wishes to Miss Munro, Art Teacher who is getting married this summer and also to Miss Broadley, MFL Teacher and Mr Shand, our RMPS teacher who are tying the knot this summer too! A Carnoustie High School Wedding! Finally huge congratulations to Mrs Walker, Geography and Mrs Crowe in PE on the birth of their babies this term! We look forward to them returning during next session. Contacting School regarding Illness Please can we remind parents and carers that they should contact the school as early as possible each day to advise us of their chid‘s absence due to illness. If you know that your child is going to be absent for more than one day, please let us know when you call. If your child takes unwell during the school day, can parents/carers please remind their children that they should go to the medical room where their condition will be assessed and parents contacted if their child requires to be sent home—pupils should not contact their parents directly, nor should they go home without permission as we are then not aware of their whereabouts. School Uniform Pupils show their pride in the school by wearing school uniform. School uniform is simple and practical. It is no more expensive than other kinds of clothing. All pupils are required to wear school uniform in school and on educational visits. All clothes and equipment should be marked with the pupil’s name. Every year, clothing, school bags and PE kit which have been lost in the school cannot be returned because there is no way of identifying the owner! The uniform for Carnoustie High School is: • Plain black skirt or trousers • White shirt/blouse which buttons up to the neck • Plain/embroidered black v-neck sweater/cardigan • Plain black flat school shoes • School tie (available from the school office for £3.00) • Black embroidered school blazer Embroidered Blazers and jerseys/cardigans can be supplied by Tesco www.clothingattesco.com/icat/embschoolwear or from Academy Uniform www.academyuniformsltd.co.uk These sites also stock v-neck sweaters and cardigans, t shirts for PE and other items with an embroidered school badge. Badged items are only available online for home delivery. Other items of school clothing are included on the site and are also available through many other retailers. Alternatively you can buy your own black blazer and embroidered school badges are available for purchase from the school office for £3.00 Blazers for S5/6 are supplied directly through the school. Appropriate school uniform is described above; skinny jeans, leggings, jeggings and very short lycra type skirts are not appropriate items of uniform. Shoes should be entirely black, without obvious branding, stripes, logos etc. Clothing brought to school should be named or marked so that it can be identified as belonging to your child. Uniform can be an area of dispute at home. By making clear our expectations and by offering you unequivocal backing when insisting on a consistently high standard for our young people, we make a visible, positive statement of our ambition for our school community. Our Carnoustie, one of our local charity shops will also have a rail with school uniform including blazers available for sale throughout the summer—please take any uniform, especially blazers, no longer required to the shop and they will ensure it goes to a good home. Carnoustie High School 2020 Vision Carnoustie High School‘s 2020 Vision represents the work of pupils, parents and staff, who together make a school where our pupils will Achieve the highest possible levels of attainment Be ready for the world; confident, resilient, adaptable Secure a sustained positive future Learning is at the heart of all that we do and we provide a challenging school experience. The contributions of all members of our school community are valued and everyone is treated with dignity, kindness and respect. We are an inclusive school and we reflect the diverse society of 21st Century Scotland demonstrating values that promote moral and ethical conduct across our school and wider community. We foster the active participation that makes our young people self-confident, well-informed and independent-minded; prepared to be fully involved members of a democratic society. Individuals are supported to develop the personal attributes and the interpersonal skills required to accept increasing responsibility for their actions and respect the rights of others. Our pupils are globally-aware and know that they have a responsibility to make choices and take actions that work towards a sustainable future for themselves and for others at a local, national and global level. Our curriculum is designed to meet the needs of all learners and, working with partners, we offer pathways that build on pupils‘ enthusiasm and interest throughout the Broad General Education and Senior Phase of their school career. We work hard to inspire a lifelong passion for learning, encouraging ambition and excellence in all of our young people. We recognise and celebrate achievement in academic, sporting, cultural and community activities. Resources are efficiently used to provide a school environment that is a safe and stimulating setting for a happy, well-motivated community that works effectively and successfully together. Carnoustie High School Values Carnoustie High School Dux & Proxime Accessit Huge congratulations to our Carnoustie High School Dux 2016, Jamie Kearnan (Right in photograph), and our Proxime Accessit, Kieran Hingston (Left in photograph). As well as been honoured at our Annual Awards Evening in Carnoustie Parish Church, the boys were also honoured at the Edinburgh Angus Club Awards Afternoon, held in the West Park Centre last weekend. News from Support for Learning Bird Tables Pupils from Carnoustie High School ASN department are delighted that their new bird tables are now in place in their garden. Over the last few weeks they have worked tirelessly sanding and painting the tables ready for the Carnoustie bird families to enjoy. Niamh Bennett, Aidan Gallacher, Calum Morrison, David Ramsay and Innes Wilson want to thank Mr McWhirter of Dave‘s Garden Workshop and Miss Lownie from the Technical Department in the high school for all their help and support with their project. We look forward to spotting all the different birds that come to visit the area. Volunteering This year four pupils worked extremely hard volunteering to develop the sensory garden. Jonathan Herriott, Cameron Milne, Calum Morrison and Aidan Todd were all presented and successful in receiving their Saltire Awards. Cameron and Jonathan both contributed 50 hours each of their time to working within the garden whilst Calum and Aidan contributed 30 hours. All boys did extremely well and their help and support was greatly appreciated by pupils and staff alike. Well done! Personal Achievement Award in Promoting Health The ASN project group have been working towards their Personal Achievement Award in Promoting Health. Following some work within school, the group visited Sainsbury's to learn about healthy foods and where food comes from. Following the tour of the store, pupils received a goodie bag filled with the fruits we had been learning about. All pupils thoroughly enjoyed the trip and are keen to visit again soon. Farm Visit In May, Connor Black, Aidan Gallacher, Calum Morrison & Aidan Todd visited a local farm to learn more about farming life. The boys helped feed the lambs, they helped to plant beetroot and they collected fresh eggs from the hens. The boys had a fantastic time and especially loved the cake and juice at the end of the day! Thank you Mrs Hill and Miss Reid for helping organise this visit. Sporting Successes Carnoustie pupils have had a variety of successes this term particularly in regards to athletics. At the Scottish Schools championships Iona McFarlane achieved a silver in the pole vault and a silver in discus . Rac hel Broad foot achieved gold in the 75m hurdles and a silver in the long j u m p . J o e l McFarlane achieved a gold in the 100m hurdles also picking up the Ross Baillie Quaich for best sprint hurdles performance of the championship, a gold in the 400m hurdles also picking up the George Duncan cup for best distance hurdles at the championship and a bronze in the long jump. Liam From Left to Right—Iona McFarlane, Fotheringham achieved silver in Joel McFarlane, Rachel Broadfoot the 200m. Carnoustie's athletes also had a great turnout at the annual Angus County sports with one of the best team results in recent years. There were numerous medals and awards notably male and female athlete of the competition for Joel McFarlane and Rachel Broadfoot. Carnoustie's footballers have also started the year well with no fewer than 6 players making it into the Angus squads. Marc McCrory, Ethan Samson and Kieran Bradford at the under 15 level and Bailey Steel, Thomas Law and James Gall at senior level. Well done to all involved!! If there is any other pupils who have achieved success then please let the school know so we could celebrate your success. Brass Band Trip to Paris Carnoustie High School Brass Band travelled to Paris last week to perform in the shadows of Notre Dame Cathedral and also within Disneyland Paris. The band performed with gusto under the instruction of Mike Robertson, band leader and Brass Instructor and the pupils truly excelled themselves both musically and with their behaviour which was excellent and this was commented on everywhere they travelled. Both concerts were excellent experience for these young musicians and the audiences at both venues responded with loud applause! After the performance at Disneyland, the band were free to enjoy a day within the park, enjoying the rides, parades and of course, the shopping! A huge thank you to the staff and music instructors who made this trip possible.—the band definitely had a trip of a lifetime, infact one member said as we arrived back in Carnoustie that it had been the best week of their life! Young Musician of the Year Our Young Musician of the Year Competition of the Year 2016 took place on Wednesday 20th April which showcased the talents of some of our pupils from across all year groups and instruments. The evening, appreciatively sponsored by the Rotary Club of Carnoustie and adjudicated by Marina Kyle, Music Teacher from Arbroath Academy, The results of the evening were: Junior Winner—Iona McFarlane (Cornet); Junior Runner-Up – Raghnall Simmons (Euphonium). Intermediate Winner - Dougie Hill (Fiddle)Intermediate Runner-Up – Finlay McGhee (Euphonium) Senior Winner and Overall Young Musician of the Year – Christopher Flynn (Euphonium) Senior Runner-Up – Ellen Kerr (Flute) Well done and thank you to all pupils who took part in the heats and the final competition. Pictured from left: Archie Leiper (Chairman of the Rotary Club of Carnoustie), Dougie Hill, Christopher Flynn, Iona McFarlane, Marina Kyle Carnoustie Twinning Association Young Ambassador For the second year in a row, Carnoustie High School has had the honour of accepting the Carnoustie Twinning Association Young Ambassador Trophy. This year the Modern Language teachers in Carnoustie High School and Mme Virginie Ernoult, Coordinating Teacher of English Teaching in Collège de la Mauldre have maintained the links set up last year to provide opportunities for our young people to communicate with pupils of their age in the partner school. In total, over 200 pupils and four teachers took part in the letter exchanges. The pupils were motivated to write about themselves and their lives. They now feel a personal contact to someone in the language they are learning and several have asked about a potential visit. Virginie Ernoult has been very active at setting up a secure blog that both schools can access. The blog, and indeed our whole project, has been named ‘Maule-Carnoustie Connect’. Carnoustie pupils will soon be busy adding information about our school and town to the blog – in both English and in French. The impact on the young learners goes beyond motivating and improving their language skills. They see the commonalities and not the differences between their lives and cultures. This helps them grow into, it is hoped, confident global citizens . Carnoustie High School Parent Council We have had another busy time this year, working on behalf of all the parents to optimise the school experience for all our children. The head teacher and several senior teachers, along with senior pupils, all attend our meetings which occur approximately once a term. This allows for an open and constructive discussion with all the groups involved at the school and we think it is steadily helping the whole school. Our minutes are available on the school website and we can be contacted via the school office or directly using our email address [email protected] . Hopefully you will be seeing the results of what we do and you are all warmly invited to our AGM on 7th September 2016 at 7pm in the theatre at the school. We are very lucky to have special guest, John Paul Fitzpatrick from Winning Scotland Foundation, an independent charity, who will be doing a presentation on Growth Mindset. John is a great speaker and Growth Mindset is something you may have heard your children talking about: it has been used within the school over the last year or so by all the staff and without wanting to make it sound too simplistic, the principle is to help our children to raise their expectations and not be limited by thoughts that they can't do something. I hope to see as many of you there as possible. Dr Alistair Crozier, Chair, Carnoustie High School Parent Council. Important Dates for Your Diary Friday 1 July 2016 Summer Term Ends Tuesday 16 August 2016 Autumn Term commences Wednesday 7 Sept 2016 Parent Council AGM Thursday 22 September 2016 S2 Parent Contact Evening 30 Sept—16 October 2016 Autumn Holiday Monday 17 October 2016 Winter Term Starts Tuesday 25 October 2016 S1 Parent Contact Evening Wednesday 23 Nov 2016 S4 Parent Contact Evening Mon 28 & Tue 29 Nov 2016 Inservice Days—school closed Wed 30 November 2016 St Andrew's day holiday, schools closed Wed 21 December 2016 Winter Term Ends 22 Dec 2016—4 Jan 2017 Christmas Holiday Thursday 5 January 2017 Spring Term Commences Thursday 12 January 2017 S5/6 Parent Contact Evening Tuesday 7 February 2017 S3 Parent Contact Evening Fri10 Feb & Mon 13 Feb 2017 Mid Term Holiday Tuesday 14 February 2017 In Service Day—School closed Friday 31 March 2017 Spring Term Ends 1 April—17 April 2017 Spring Holiday & Easter Monday Friday 30 June 2017 End of Summer Term