HOLY CROSS HIGH SCHOOL

HOLY CROSS
HIGH SCHOOL
SESSION 2014/2015 – ISSUE 8
MAY/JUNE 2015
AN EVENING OF
CHEERS, TEARS AND CELEBRATION
AT
HOLY CROSS HIGH SCHOOL
On Wednesday 10th June, our Annual Awards Ceremony for our young people in S1, S2 and S3 took place. Once again,
this was a fantastic occasion which highlighted, recognised and rewarded the outstanding achievements of our young
people.
Principal Guest was Mrs Isobel MacDougall, Area Education Manager for the Hamilton and Clydesdale areas. Mrs
MacDougall spoke warmly of her experiences in education and her affection for Holy Cross High School.
As always, the ceremony was attended by parents, staff, family, friends and many invited guests, including former Holy
Cross High School Head Teacher, Mr Danny Boyle; our Partner Primary Head Teachers and members of our Parent
Council.
Joining Mrs MacDougall on the platform (and pictured below) as special guests were Mrs Liz Bradshaw, Head Teacher of
St Elizabeth‟s Primary School and Mrs Kathleen Stewart, Head Teacher of St Mary‟s Primary School, Hamilton. Both Mrs
Bradshaw and Mrs Stewart will retire at the end of June having given wonderful service to their respective school
communities.
It was an emotional evening for both, particularly on receiving a bouquet of flowers from former pupils of their schools.
The evening, quite rightly, belonged to our young people – receiving awards and recognition in a host of different
categories from attainment and endeavour to community service.
Musical entertainment was provided once again by our Junior Band and Soloists – led by our music staff.
An outstanding evening in which the Holy Cross High School, School Community enthusiastically enjoyed the success of
their own.
Our Special Award Winners
S1 Award Winners Show Their Certificates
Our Delighted S2 Award Winners
Our Award Winners of S3
Mrs Isobel MacDougall:
Head of Education
Mrs Kathleen Stewart:
Head Teacher of St Mary‟s Hamilton
Mrs Liz Bradshaw:
Head Teacher of St Elizabeth‟s Hamilton
Both Head Teachers were given a huge round of applause from the audience on receiving their bouquet of
flowers from former pupils of their respective schools.
PRIMARY 7 INDUCTION DAYS
On Thursday 11th and Friday 12th June 2015 we were delighted to welcome all of our P7 children who will be our new S1
in August of this year. The young people enjoyed two days following their timetable and being taken around the school
by our S6 students.
The P7 children were excellent, acquitting themselves superbly well on both days.
th
We look forward to welcoming them all officially, in their full Holy Cross High School uniform on Monday 17 August 2015.
Many thanks to Year Head Mrs Fagan for all her planning and organisation of our excellent Primary/Secondary transition
programme.
CELEBRATING SUCCESS
Congratulations to Adele Martin and Ciaran Reilly for their Celebrating Success Awards at the South Lanarkshire Council
Pupil Award Ceremony held in The Hamilton Town House. Adele and Ciaran (pictured below with Councillor Jackie
Burns, Depute Leader of the Council) were nominated for their continuing contribution to their local communities. Both
young people have visited China in their role as Young Ambassadors for the Universal Connections Chinese Cultural
Group. Both young people have completed hundreds of hours of volunteering within their local community. Adele and
Ciaran are a credit not only to Holy Cross High School, but to the local communities they serve so well. At the end of the
Awards Ceremony, a small number of Special Awards are presented.
Councillor Jackie Burns informed the audience that Holy Cross High School had recently been awarded The Sports
Scotland Gold Award – the first school in South Lanarkshire to be awarded this prestigious award and one of only six
schools in Scotland who currently have this status. Consequently a Special Award was presented by Councillor Burns to
Adele and Ciaran on behalf of Holy Cross High School.
Adele and Ciaran receive their Awards
Councillor Burns presents the Special Award to Adele and Ciaran
Assisting regular host Angus Simpson to compere The Awards Ceremony were Laura Maguire and David Hayburn of the
new S6. Both Laura and David did a fantastic job and are pictured below with Angus Simpson and Mr Des Dickson
(Operations Manager South Lanarkshire Council).
CARITAS AWARD: CONGRATULATIONS!
A great achievement by forty of our S6 young people who have gained The Caritas Award.
Throughout the session the Award recipients have worked hard in their local Parishes and in our School Community
contributing to the Liturgical and Pastoral Life of both. The recipients kept a detailed reflective journal of their activities
and how participation in them has helped them to understand and deepen their own Faith.
At a sparkling ceremony on Wednesday 3 rd June our Caritas Award Winners received their medals and certificates at the
Clyde Auditorium. The Bishop‟s Conference of Scotland were present – including Archbishop Tartaglia and Archbishop
Leo Cushley, as well as dignitaries from all corners of public/civic life in Scotland.
In short, a tremendous achievement for all young people and a ceremony they will never forget.
DEBATING SUCCESS
It has been another busy term for the school's debaters. In May, our juniors took part in the annual invitational tournament
in Hutchison‟s' Grammar School. It proved once again to be a challenging yet worthwhile day. During the heats the teams
debated the possibility of 'opt-out' organ donation, votes for prisoners and the value of 'selfies'. As always, all young
people gave an excellent account of themselves. Our 'A' team of Ciaran McGuire and Nicholas Creechan (making his
debating debut) managed to reach the grand final, but were piped at the post by an excellent team from St Columba's
High. At national level, Edward Asken and Max Feeney have qualified for the semi finals of the English Speaking Union's
Junior Mace, in their first year debating; a fantastic achievement! Well done and good luck, boys!
And many thanks to Mr Donnelly for his meticulous work in preparing our debating teams for competition.
From left to right: Max Feeney, Ciaran McGuire,
Ciaran McGuire, Nicholas Creechan,
From left to right (back row) Matthew Docherty, Ciaran McGuire
Nicholas Creechan, Niamh Gallagher, Beth Gibney and Max Feeney
From Left to right (front row) Edward Asken, Francesca Downie,
Rhiannon Stewart and Marie Therese Kerr
LOCKERBIE MANOR
41 S1 pupils enjoyed 4 exciting days at challenges and activities at Lockerbie Manor. Activities varied from Kayaking,
Canoeing, Rock Climbing, Absailing, High Ropes, Zip Wires, Orienteering to name but a few! We even had a birthday
celebration for Mark McGhie at the Disco. The pupils and staff had a fabulous time and the centre staff commented on
the excellent behaviour and manners of our children.
Roll on Next Year!
Well done to all and many thanks to Mrs Fagan for all her planning and organisation of the event.
The Group before Leaving for Lockerbie
Learning Canoeing Skills
Building a Raft
Scaling the Heights at Lockerbie Manor!
“NEW YORK, NEW YORK IT‟S A WONDERFUL TOWN” (AND TRIP!)
A group of young people from S5/S6 set out on Sunday 14 June 2015 for an
exciting trip to the city that never sleeps. They will spend 6 days visiting all the
sights, soaking up the atmosphere and taking in all the magnificent views that
New York has to offer. Whist there, they have a demanding itinerary, including
visits to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Wall Street, Empire State amongst
other iconic attractions. This is a fantastic experience for both young people and
staff which I am sure will leave them with a lasting memory of a wonderful trip.
You will be able to follow them on Twitter: @holycrossham
S2 TRIP TO BELGIUM/PARIS
Once again Mrs McLaughlin, Mrs Hamilton, Mrs Kennedy, Mr Donnelly and Mr McKay are with 40 of our young people in
the new S3 in Belgium and France. This is the third consecutive year the trip has taken place and it remains as popular
as ever.
Many thanks to all the parents and family members who came along, early on the morning of Monday 15 th June to wave
their children off.
You can follow the group‟s adventure on our school twitter account: @holycrossham
ALTON TOWERS
In light of the recent circumstances concerning the closure of the Alton Towers Theme Park, we took a decision to
postpone our planned outing for S4/S5 on Friday 5 th June.
The new date for the re-arranged trip will now be:
Friday 28th August 2015
A reminder of this information will be issued to our young people and parents/carers.
SUMMER CONCERT
On Tuesday 2nd June, our Summer Concert planned and organised by our Music Department – Ms Lyon, Ms Perrie and
Mrs Carr – took place.
Approximately 100 young people were involved – performing in the String Orchestra, Soul Band, Junior Choir, Junior
Band, Senior Choir, Senior Band; as well as performances from soloists, trios and quartets.
All of the performances had a packed audience in raptures such was the standard.
Also, for the first time, we were delighted to welcome children from our partner primary schools who joined the Junior
Band to play „Happy‟ and Funky Rokin „Choo Choo‟.
The Home Economics Department provided tea/coffee/cakes at the interval which were delicious!
The turn out and response from our audience was absolutely outstanding and much appreciated by all of our parents and
staff.
Our music instructors also deserve a huge vote of thanks for all their help and support that they give our young people
throughout the year –– Mr Michael, Mr MacDonald, Mr Longalong, Mr Walker, Mrs Chalmers and Mr Harris.
Well done to all for a fantastic evening‟s entertainment.
The Performers, including P7 Children take their final bow
The Soul Band in Action
UK JUNIOR MATHEMATICAL CHALLENGE
Congratulations to our students in First and Second Year who took part in this national competition which took place in
April. Sixty of our best Mathematicians took part; collectively achieving the following:
5 Gold Awards
7 Silver Awards
14 Bronze Awards
An outstanding performance.
Our Gold Award Winners were:
Marie Therese Kerr
Jack Halforty
Leah Louise Hendry
Niamh Gallagher
Alex Wilson
2B
2D
2H
2F
2H
Our top four gold winners have been invited to the next stage of the event, the Junior Kangaroo Competition.
A magnificent achievement.
Well done to all; and to Mrs Mackichan and her colleagues in the Maths Department.
The Junior Maths Challengers
Leah Louise Hendry, Jack Halforty, Niamh Gallagher, Marie Therese Kerr
PRIMARY MATHEMATICS CHALLENGE
Thirty six pupils from our associated primary schools took part in the Primary Maths Challenge organised by the Maths
department. The pupils took part in a paper and pencil problem solving round followed by a speed round. The finale was
a relay round. It was a close-fought contest with the eventual winners being Our Lady and St Anne‟s Primary. Well done
to them!! Everyone received a maths set and certificate for taking part and the winning school a framed certificate to
display back in their school.
The standard of mathematical ability displayed by all schools taking part was absolutely outstanding. Well done to all, and
a BIG Thank You to Mrs Scott and her colleagues in the Maths Department; and to all of our primary colleagues who had
prepared their mathematicians so well.
Also to our own S4 students, pictured below who assisted the Mathematics Staff on the day.
Mrs Fagan and Mr Reilly with the triumphant Our Lady & St Anne’s Team, complete with Team Mascot
S4 Students Hep out
The Relay
“We’ve got to calculate what!”
SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNTY SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS
S CHAMPIONSHIP
On Tuesday, 35 pupils travelled to East Kilbride to compete in the finals of the South Lanarkshire County Sports
Championship. Every pupil gave their all as they competed against 17 other schools, vying for those elusive medals.
Many of our young people came very close with several finishing in 4th place overall. We had 10 that achieved their goals
of a medal which they proudly received on the day. Amazing Gold performances by Louise Gill (S1- 200m), Andrew
Arthurs (S1 – 1200m), Michaela Dwyer (S2 – 100m), Lauren Shanks (S2 – 200m), Olivia Vareille (S3 – 800m) and
Ruaridh Bryce (Open Javelin) were ably supported by Steffen Connelly (S3 – 1500m Silver), Jenna Kennedy (S1 –
1200m Bronze), Kathleen McGovern (S1 – Shot Putt Bronze) and Sophie Watters (S3 – 1500m Bronze).
This is the biggest collection of gold meals the school has won in many years; add to this the silver and bronze medals
and the overall performance and achievements of this group of athletes just gets better and better.
A very special group indeed.
As usual all our young people taking part were a credit to themselves and to Holy Cross High School. We are very proud
of their excellent achievements.
Many thanks to team coach, Mrs Boyd.
Left to Right: Michaela Dwyer, Louise Gill, Lauren Shanks, Andrew Arthurs, Ruairidh Bryce,
Steffen Connolly, Sophie Watters, Olivia Vareille, Jenna Kennedy, Kathleen McGovern and Mrs Boyd
SCOTTISH SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Congratulations to Olivia Vareille who won Gold in the 800 metres to become Scottish Schools Champion. Olivia also
won the gold medal in the 300m and is Scottish Schools Champion for this event also. She has now been selected for an
International multi event in December and is now ranked 5th in Britain in her age group for the 800m. An outstanding
achievement.
Well done Olivia.
Lauren Shanks also competed in the 200m of the Scottish Schools Championships and Ruairidh Bryce finished fourth in
the discus breaking his PB by 3 metres. Well done to Lauren and Ruairidh.
Olivia Vareille receives her Gold Medal
Olivia with the Honorary President of
the Scottish Schools Athletic Association.
Olivia takes the tape in the 800 m leaving the field behind
IT’S A……….RAP!
This month the four winning rappers from Holy Cross High School visited a professional recording studio to record their
winning raps having defeated Larkhall Academy and Cathkin High School to win the South Lanarkshire inter-school Word
War Project earlier this year. Edward Asken, Mya Thompson, Lauren Lowell and Ellie Smith have now cut their own track
which will be released on itunes in the coming months and will be available to download with all proceeds going towards
charitable causes.
This was a fantastic opportunity for our winners with Holy Cross winning the contest for the second year in a row. Look
out for their new single on itunes soon and well done again to all who were involved in this fantastic project.
Thanks to Ms Cunningham for all her planning and preparation for this event in fact …….
„Well done to the 4 who took part.
Word War Rapping is certainly an art.
Can Holy Cross High make it 3 on the slam.
Every possibility with Ms Cunningham!‟ (P.S. Mr Reilly did not make the final!)
Edward Asken and Mya Thompson
Ellie Smith in action
From left to right: Laurel Lowell, Ellie Smith, Edward Asken and Mya Thompson
PASTAMANIA ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE
Congratulations to Leah Hendry, Chloe Davies, Holly Lafferty who won the Pastamania Enterprise Challenge 2015!
Tasty Mama‟s, the team name, also included Venus Pedley who was unable to make the final, and developed a cook/chill
pasta product for sale in local delicatessen, Di Mambro‟s. The winning dish, „Salsiccia Explosione‟ was most definitely an
explosion of taste and colour and proved to be the favourite of the judges. The final 7 teams were judged by Annette
Curley proprietor of Di Mambro‟s, Mrs Fagan DHT, Mrs Ann Jackson former SLC Development Officer and Mrs Karina
Sneddon of the Business Department.
The Home Economics department are very grateful to Annette and Jonny from Di Mambro‟s for their continued support of
this annual inter-departmental challenge. Thanks also to the Music, Computing, Business and Technical Departments for
working with the teams on their promotional jingles, marketing, photography and packaging.
Pictured below are all the finalists, the judging panel and the winning team at the centre.
“THE INNOCENTS” VISIT HOLY CROSS HIGH SCHOOL
Representative of The Innocents visited the school
recently and were delighted to receive an „extra‟
donation from Ellie Brennan and her friends. Ellie‟s
great aunt Mrs Marie Campbell of Our Lady and St
John‟s Parish had knitted some lovely cardigans and
jumpers for some of the babies and families being
supported by The Innocents. Ellie and her friends were
delighted to pass these on.
ST ANDREW’S HOSPICE S1 TINTO HILL CHALLENGE
Over 100 children from Holy Cross High School participated in the St Andrew‟s Hospice S1 Tinto Hill Challenge. The
conditions at the top of the hill certainly were challenging! However all pupils and staff made it safely to the top and were
very grateful of their lunch at the bottom! The amount raised for the Hospice was a phenomenal £2809.15p. What a
tremendous effort for all those pupils and staff for one of our partner charities!
MARY’S MEALS FASHION SHOW
On Monday 22nd June at 7.00 pm, our young people, will again, walk down the cat-walk in aid of Mary‟s Meals.
This event has become a regular feature on our School Calendar and we are extremely grateful to parents, friends, family
and staff for the tremendous support given to the event, year on year.
Mrs Gribbin and her team have been working non-stop to stage the event to its usual superb standard.
Please come along on Monday evening at 7.00 pm.
We look forward to seeing you.
S1 CHARITY CYCLE
Congratulations to Lucy McShannon who completed a charity cycle ride for the Bobath Centre for Cerebral Palsy.
Lucy cycled from The Riverside Museum in Glasgow to Balloch Country Park, raising over £200 in the process.
A wonderful achievement.
Well done Lucy!
INTERVIEW DATES FOR 5TH AND 6TH YEAR STUDENTS
The SQA Examination Results for our young people in The Upper School are due out on Tuesday August 4th.
I am sure we will continue to pray for the success of all of our young people who sat national examinations this year.
Should any young person in 5th or 6th year wish an interview to discuss/amend their option choices for August
2015, then please telephone the school to make an appointment for an interview. All interviews will take place on
Thursday August 6th 2015.
Members of the School Leadership Team and Pupil Support Team will be available to interview young people at this time.
“WEDDING BELLS”
Congratulations to Ms Marianne Douglas of our PE Department who was married on 2nd May and is now Mrs Bradley
(although she still has to be reminded of this occasionally!)
Forming a magnificent guard of honour for her on the big day were members of her all conquering netball team, who
came along to wish her well. From left to right with Mrs Bradley are: Adele Baillie, Bethan Goodwin, Kim Mulder, Erin
Egan, Chloe Lewis, Anna Wilson and Claire Birch.
Many thanks for all of the netball girls for such a lovely gesture…and for taking the famous Holy Cross High School
Banner to its first wedding!
STAFFING NEWS
MISS EILEEN MCGUINNESS
This summer marks the end of an era not only in the Modern Languages Department, but also for Holy Cross High
School. After 40 years of dedicated service, 32 of these to the School Community of Holy Cross High School, Miss Eileen
McGuinness has decided to retire.
Miss McGuinness in many ways is part of the fabric of Holy Cross High School, having taught so many of our past and
present students French, German and Religious Education.
Throughout her career in Holy Cross, Miss McGuiness was a key member of the Pastoral Team, helping to plan and
organise the religious and pastoral life of the school.
Most recently, she has been actively involved in the organisation of the annual fashion show for Mary‟s Meals.
Apart from her dedication to her vocation as a teacher, Miss McGuinness also lived her faith with a quiet humility and
commitment on a daily basis, giving excellent example to all of us in the process.
On your behalf, may I thank Miss McGuinness for everything she has done for the young people of Holy Cross High
School and wish her a long and happy retirement.
MRS LISA MILLAR
Mrs Millar of the Drama Department was recently successful at interview for the Principal Teacher of Pupil Support post at
St John Ogilvie High School.
While we are all delighted for Mrs Millar, we are also sad to see her go; our loss, is most certainly, St John Ogilvie‟s gain.
Mrs Millar has given tremendous service to the young people of Holy Cross High School since 2003 – in Drama, Pupil
Support and most recently, in our Nurture Group.
She has played an active part in the corporate life of the school, leading and taking part in countless school trips, such as
Howtown Outdoor Centre and the London Trips; as well as taking part in school concerts and organising theatre visits for
young people.
We will miss her dedication and commitment to the young people of Holy Cross High School and her sense of humour!
On your behalf, may I thank Mrs Millar for all she has done for the young people of Holy Cross High School and wish her
every success in her future career.
SCHOOL UNIFORM
At Holy Cross High School, we are determined to achieve excellence in every
dimension of the life and work of our school. This ambition includes aspiring to the
highest possible standards of school uniform.
Our school uniform is a genuine source of pride and the support we receive from
parents, staff and young people is outstanding.
However, that is not to say there is no room for further improvement.
Achieving a high standard of school uniform is essential as it:
 Represents our school as a centre of high standards, ambition and educational
excellence
 Promotes a positive and professional work ethic and encourages a focus on
learning
 Contributes to school security and personal safety
 Supports positive behaviour
 Protects our young people from social pressures to dress in a particular way
 Promotes positive relationships between our young people
 Fosters a spirit of partnership in our school community
The uniform for all young people at Holy Cross High School is very straightforward and designed to
make it accessible to all:
SCHOOL BLAZERS
A black blazer with a Holy Cross High School badge should be worn by all young people. Blazers should be
worn to and from school. Blazers should also be worn in school at all times, but can be removed during
lessons.
A black blazer with blue braid should be worn by all young people returning for Fifth and Sixth year.
SKIRTS
Two styles of black school skirt can be chosen, a box pleat skirt, or a straight skirt.
Skirts should be of an appropriate length – as a rule, skirts should be worn no higher than 2” above the knee,
with plain black tights. (See supplier‟s information on back page).
TROUSERS
Trousers must be formal, black school trousers.
SHIRT/BLOUSE
A formal white school shirt/school blouse must be worn.
TIES
A school tie must be worn at all times. Young people in first to fourth year must wear the blue/black stripped
tie; young people in fifth and sixth year must wear the plain blue senior school tie with the Holy Cross High
School badge. (Both ties are available from the school office).
FOOTWEAR
Black school shoes should be worn at all times. No trainers of any description should be worn.
PE KIT
Plain black shorts
White Holy Cross High School t-shirt
Change of indoor shoes
Tracksuit may be worn when class are outdoors
Football tops are not allowed
No Jewellery to be worn
HOLY CROSS HIGH SCHOOL
SCHOOL UNIFORM SUPPLIERS
ALSTON’S AP LTD
84 QUARRY STREET
HAMILTON
ML3 7AX
01698 283852
Alston’s Supply:
Blazer (S1 – S4)
Shirt/Blouse
Trousers
Ties
Please Note:
Alston’s supply three designs of school skirt which
are either a box pleat or straight:
Charleston: Davenport: Salisbury
Skirts made from Lycra are not acceptable
LOGOXPRESS

Delivery of the Senior School Blazer will take place on: Thursday 6th August from 1.00 pm.

Senior School Blazers can still be ordered (£45.00) online at the address below:
www.logoxpres-schoolwear.co.uk
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
DAY
MONTH
EVENT
Tuesday
4
th
August
SQA Examination Results Delivered
Thursday
6th
August
S6/S6 Opportunity for Interview
Thursday
13th
August
INSET Day 1
Friday
14th
August
INSET Day 3
Monday
17th
August
Pupils Return : Term Begins
Wednesday
26th
August
P7 Welcome Mass
31
st
August
UCAS/Raising Attainment Evening S5/S6
Monday
31
st
August
London Trip
Monday
31st
August
S4 Work Experience Week
Monday
DATE
KEEP IN TOUCH
HOLY CROSS ON TWITTER
Follow us @holycrossham
This is an excellent way of instantly finding out the latest news/events etc at the
school.
Should you wish to contact the school ………………
By phone: 01698 543450 email: [email protected]
Or
Comment in the space below and ask your child to return it to the school office.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
HOLY CROSS HIGH SCHOOL