Here - Beaconhurst School

April
13
From the Headmaster
Welcome to the Easter edition of Beaconhurst E-News. This is a very exciting time to be part of the
Beaconhurst Community. At half-term, the last piece of the jigsaw – a gas meter – was removed from the
maintenance compound by the Music block, and we are now all systems go for the completion of our long
awaited astro. This will signal another step forward in terms of facilities but also, much more significantly, it is
testament to the direction the school is taking, in this instance in sport. It will help the Junior School in
particular with their extra-curricular provision, but seniors will benefit from it too. This represents another
example of the school raising the bar, but we have been doing this in other areas too. Outdoor Education goes
from strength to strength across the school, and pupils in the senior school have been encouraged to stretch
themselves academically too. Although the pupils have been told this enough times in school already, it bears
repeating here: this isn’t really a holiday for our exam candidates – it is merely an interlude which will enable
them to get ahead with their revision efforts. I hope all our S4s, 5s and 6s will seize this opportunity fully.
Whilst we are on the subject if maximising academic potential for our senior years, families should note that I
have changed the dates for the Easter holiday in 2014 as Easter is so late next year. This also serves to set the
pattern for future holidays at this time of year too. We will aim to break up in the last week of March and take
the first two weeks in April. If Easter falls outside this time, we will take Good Friday and Easter Monday
inclusive as a holiday and make this time up elsewhere in the year. This will mean pupils can access their
teachers before the exams start in the summer, for a worthwhile period and so iron out any last minute
wrinkles.
I hope everyone else will have a rewarding holiday after a frantically busy term. If you want to know why they
need a rest – read on!
Wishing you all a very happy Easter break.
John Owen
Headmaster
Bannockburn Outreach Visit
On Friday 1st March, J5
attended a Bannockburn
Outreach workshop. Here
they had the opportunity to
experience the wearing of
chain mail, peasant’s outfits
and handle weapons used
in the medieval times. They
learned
about
battle
strategy and concluded with a DVD showing how this strategy
was employed. Tania and Calum from the Outreach team made
this a very enjoyable and informative session.
Ann Harley
Rev Sally Fulton
Sally Foster Fulton came to visit Junior 2 to talk about her daily routine as a minister. As she is the
assistant minister at Dunblane Cathedral she told them a very short history of the magnificent
building which Junior 2 will actually be visiting in May. The children were very interested to find out
how varied her days can be and were given the opportunity to ask her further questions. Then she
told them the relevance of each part of her uniform, the cassock, the hood, the minister’s collar and
the preaching stole. Molly was lucky enough to be picked to try everything on and admitted she was
very hot! This visit was to further their RME topic about Special People and the life of a minister and
will be furthered next term when they study Special Places and visit the Cathedral.
Claire Shaw
Rev Sally Fulton with Aaryn McKenna
and Lily Blackhurst
Molly McCaig dressing up in ministerial robes
Going Bananas for Fair-trade Fortnight!
The Junior School Eco Committee decided to support Fair-trade by holding a Banana Day on 26th
February. Bananas are Great Britain’s favourite fruit. Everyone from Junior 1 to Junior 6 was asked
to bring a Fair Trade banana for morning snack. The pupils increased their awareness of the
importance of products with the Fair-trade logo and how purchasing these items can help to make
sure farmers and producers in the developing world receive a fair price.
Banana Facts....
 In Britain we eat over five billion bananas every year
 The word banana comes from the Arabic word “banan”, meaning finger
 A medium sized banana contains only 95 calories
 The inside of a banana skin can be used to polish shoes!
 The trunk of a banana plant is not made of wood. It is made of tightly overlapping leaves.
Shirley Jack
Win a Royal Family Day Out!
To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of her launch on 16 April, 1953, The Royal Yacht Britannia in
Edinburgh, is offering readers a fantastic Royal day out with a difference. The prize is a day ticket for
a family of four, with lunch on board in the Royal Deck Tea Room, with its stunning views over the
Firth of Forth.
The Queen’s former floating Royal residence is now berthed in Edinburgh. Recognised as Scotland’s
best attraction by VisitScotland and awarded the TripAdvisor Award for Excellence, you can now
follow in the footsteps of Royalty and discover the very heart and soul of this magnificent ship.
Your day will begin in the Visitor Centre where you’ll find out about Britannia's fascinating story.
Then step aboard with your self-led audio handset, to explore her five decks and enjoy a unique
insight into what life was like on board for the Royal Family and 220 crew.
Highlights include the magnificent State Apartments, the Honeymoon Suite where Prince Charles
and Princess Diana honeymooned, the Crew’s Quarters and the gleaming Engine Room. You’ll also
enjoy a delicious lunch, courtesy of Britannia, with all the food made on board in the original Royal
Galleys and take home a box of our delicious home-made fudge.
Question: When was Britannia launched?
Please send your entries to:
The Royal Yacht Britannia, Ocean Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ or by email to
[email protected] by 30 April 2013.
One Child Goes Free Offer
Please present this voucher on arrival at The Royal Yacht Britannia.
*
Terms and Conditions: One child goes free with a full-paying adult or senior citizen with this
voucher. Not valid with any other offer or for advance tickets. Valid until 31 May, 2013. Ref: 4110.
Name:__________________________________
Email address:______________________________________________
Please tick this box if you would like to sign up to our mailing list and keep up to date with Britannia's
news, special offers and events. Your details will only be used by The Royal Yacht Britannia and will not be
made available to any third party.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Terms & Conditions
The prize is for a family admission ticket to visit The Royal Yacht Britannia and lunch for two adults
and two children to include a main course, dessert and tea/coffee/juice each. There is no cash
alternative and the prize is non-transferable. Britannia’s ‘Child goes free’ offer cannot be used in
conjunction with any other offer.
Please visit www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk for more details. The Royal Yacht Britannia, Ocean
Terminal, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ. Tel: 0131 555 5566
Monsters!
Juniors 1-3 have been studying the topic of Monsters this term. The
classes were divided into three mixed groups and asked to dramatise a
well-known children’s storybook about
monsters. Mrs Shaw’s group performed
“The Gruffalo’s Child”, Mrs Jack’s group
performed “Where the Wild Things Are”,
and my group performed “The Day Louis
Got Eaten.” Each group made their own props and everyone had a
part to play. Well done, everyone.
Mike Bray
Intrepid Yeti Hunters- outdoor learning at its best!
As the sun was shining one Tuesday afternoon in January, pupils
from J1, 2 and 3 were enthusiastically following a trail of large
footprints in the hope of finding a yeti
monster! Up and down hills, through
sticky mud and deepest undergrowth,
they eventually came out in a clearing
(Mr
Sanderson’s
new
outdoor
classroom). There they found a message waiting for them... the yeti had
moved on up towards Sherrifmuir, but had left them some of its
favourite food. Everyone had enjoyed the hunt and had been places on the Beaconhurst campus
they’d never been before.
Shirley Jack
Toys R Us
In Junior 1 we have been learning about toys through the ages. We all brought in an old toy
belonging to parents or grandparents and a new toy. We made comparisons and were amazed to
see how much toy cars, teddy bears and dolls have changed.
Helen and Kelda from the Hub toy shop in Dunblane came to visit us.
They showed us loads of different toys and it came as no surprise to
learn that lego is still the most popular toy. Skylanders is the most up to
date toy on the market, combining a computer game with action
figures. Everyone was thrilled to receive a goody bag from Helen and
Kelda.
We also went to the Toy Museum in Callander, where every single nook and
cranny is filled with toys. Over 4,000 toy soldiers, dancing puppets and a
clockwork crocodile were some of the favourites.
The topic and the term ended with a teddy bears’ picnic. Everyone, including
Mrs Jack, was allowed to bring one bear to school. Pupils and bears enjoyed a
picnic of sandwiches, crisps and delicious cakes.
Shirley Jack
Coca Cola Trip
Once again, S4 Business Management pupils have enjoyed the
trip to the Coca Cola plant in East Kilbride and have found this
on-site visit a great benefit to their studies of Business
Management and how a global company operates on such a
vast scale. During the visit, the Education Manager at the
plant presented on Business Ownership and Location;
Production Method and Just-in-Time; Job Roles; CCE Business
Objectives; Market Research and Marketing. Pupils also
participated in a practical task on the Marketing Mix and
Brand Planning for designing a product. In general pupils
gained a deeper understanding of Operations Management
within a large manufacturing company which appears in
Business Management courses.
Rose Vekic
S4 at the Coca Cola Plant
Junior School Maths Challenge
Katelyn Todd, Jessica Lifson,
Victoria Johnston and Ellie Pender
at the Junior Maths Challenge
On Thursday 7th March, four Junior 5 pupils, Victoria
Johnston, Ellie Pender, Katelyn Todd & Jessica Lifson,
attended the annual Junior 5 Maths Challenge at
Merchiston Castle, in Edinburgh. The day consisted of
working together in a team to solve various puzzles
involving problem solving, visual perception and logical
deduction, as well as calculations focusing on mental
agility. Our J5 team worked extremely well together, and
enjoyed mixing with the other children from different
schools.
Fiona McCluskey
The Big Walk
Junior Start went on their sponsored “Big Walk” on Friday 1st March to Stirling University and they
walked around part of the loch. The sun came out and it was a beautiful day with many parents and
Junior Start children joining in. The aim of this walk was to raise as much money as possible for the
charity ‘So Precious’ which was set up by the parents of Lliam Kilgour who is currently in Junior Start 1.
Lliam has benefitted from the care that he received in hospital. Donations are always welcome and you
can make a donation online at www.everyclick.com/beaconhurstbigwalk.
Laura John
The Big Walk children with
Junior Start staff
and parent helpers
Some of the ‘Big Walkers’
Lliam Kilgour
The Clarsach
I have played the harp for a few years now. I began lessons at my
previous school with Declan Heggarty. I began to get out of school
tuition once I moved, so now I travel to Milngavie to learn from harpist
Cheyenne Brown. After having a number of lessons my parents bought
me my own harp which allows me to practice regularly at home. On the
2nd of March I played at the Glasgow Music Festival, which took place at
St Steven’s Church. As of this year, the Glasgow Music Festival will have
been running for 101 years. The annual festival covers performing arts
such as music, dance, speech and drama. This year I entered to play in
the harp solo B category. There were eight other people performing in
the same harp category as I did. I had to play two pieces for my
programme including the set piece “Ian MacDonald’s Jig,” in front of the
adjudicators and audience. I scored 85 marks out of a possible 100
which surprisingly put me in first place. I am really pleased with these
results and it has increased my confidence while playing in front of
larger audiences.
Amber Healey S4
Athletics
Amber Healey
with her Clarsach
Cross Country Success
Senior 2 pupil Kelsey Campbell represented Beaconhurst at the Scottish
Schools Indoor Track and Field event on the 7th February. Kelsey
performed well achieving a personal best in the 60m hurdles and
reaching the finals. There was no rest over the half term break as Kelsey
competed in the Indoor National Combined Events. Her performance
continues to improve with 5 new personal bests recorded and an
improved overall pentathlon score. We look forward to watching Kelsey
continue to progress throughout the athletics season.
Central Athletics
Jack Haughton J6, was selected for the under 11 boys Central Athletic A
team for the Scottish Athletics Indoor League. Over 3 events at the
Kelvin Hall and then Emirates Stadium in Glasgow competing against
teams from all over Scotland, his team won each meet and then went
on to the final where they won the league taking Gold over all. At the
same event, the team won a silver medal in the 4 x 200m relay final.
Jack managed to maintain his PB, running the 60m sprint in 9.18
seconds.
Jack Haughton (far left)
Blair Buchanan
SwimEasy
Blair Buchanan J2 has graduated from a "beginner" swimmer (red cap)
with SwimEasy to a "learner" swimmer (yellow cap). A delighted Blair
is pictured holding his certificate. Blair also achieved Level 1 of the
Scottish Gymnastics Award Scheme.
The
school
was
well
represented at Stirling Schools
Cross Country Championships
on Thursday 7th February. Jack
Haughton
J6
and
Ruth
McPherson Tr were placed 6th
and 11th respectively in their
age group races. This is a
fantastic result with over 32
primary schools participating
and over 100 children in each of
the races. Both pupils have
qualified for the Regional
Championships which were
held on the 8thof March.
In the senior event Leia Glading
S3 won gold for the S3/S4 age
category and Florie McLeish S5
won gold in the S5/S6 event.
Logan Arundel S6 took silver in
his age category. Jack Towers
S5 and Helen Mitchell S3 both
missed a medal opportunity by
one place. Senior School
runners who have qualified for
the regional championships in
March are as follows: Leia
Glading, Florie McLeish, Logan
Arundel, Jack Towers, Helen
Mitchell, Sally McPherson S1,
Ellie Towers
S1,
Fraser
McPherson S3 and Joanna
Lowrie S5. Congratulations to
everyone who took part.
My gold Duke of Edinburgh experience
During my Gold Experience I met some amazing people, walked a long way and learnt so many things. It
is something I will never forget.
The practice came around quickly and we headed up to the Cairngorms for a few days in the wilderness.
Being with a group of boys meant it was a challenging route but they kept us going and on the second
day, when we got to the top of our third Munroe, Loch Nagar, the views were certainly worth it! The rest
of the hike went without too many glitches as we curved around lochs and up mountains, through rivers
in hail, rain and wind. However, we made it and it was certainly an excellent experience.
Next came the residential, I travelled down to Dumfries to an Abernethy outdoor centre. I spent the week
doing a mixture of maintenance work and cleaning with outdoor activities such as a day canoeing down a
river and evenings spend tree climbing and doing adventure courses. I was lucky enough to meet some
really nice people whilst down there and the staff were all incredibly friendly. One evening we were
invited to the beach for a BBQ with the staff and their friends and family. It was really nice and they made
us all feel like a family.
The most memorable part of my whole experience would definitely have to be our final expedition. My
sister and I travelled to Arran to participate in an open expedition. The first day we arrived we stayed in a
hostel to get to know the team better and the following morning consisted of a navigation task up a nearby hill which gave us great views of the sea and surrounding mountains. That night was our first of many
in a tent. The next morning the sun was shining and we were in high spirits as we caught the bus to our
starting point. Up and up we climbed to our first check point, further we climbed until the top of a
mountain with views down the valley. We were lucky enough to see golden eagles as we trekked our last
stretch to the end. At the campsite we were graced with the presence of a deer that was certainly not
afraid of people and we were able to get some spectacular photos. The next task however, was the
simple task of eating dinner, not however very simple whilst wearing a midgie net! Belly full and tired
feet we headed off to our sleeping bags.
The sun shone again as we set off on our next stretch. It took us along the coast and past some seals to a
forest where we took a break and filled up our water. Finding a spot to put our
tent us was a bit of a struggle and looking back in hindsight sleeping on even the
smallest of slopes is never a good idea as you wake up in a heap at the bottom of
the tent. That night the midgies were unbearable as we physically couldn’t stay
outside the tent without getting eaten alive.
The next day had a daunting sight of the longest day with a grade 1 scramble with
our heavy bags. The midgies didn’t help however we made it and the views at the
top were certainly worth it. The rest of the day went without too many glitches
and the campsite was a happy sight.
Final day! We woke up to rain, with three members of the group injured and
unable to walk very quickly we knew we were in for a tough day! The mist and fog set in and as we
climbed higher, the visibility got really bad. By the time we got to the top of this hill the gale force winds
made it even harder to navigate using a map and compass. With three members already injured, a fourth
started the first stages of hypothermia which left me and one last member to navigate us back off the
mountain. As we made our way down a figure appeared out the fog, our assessor, she was incredibly
happy to see us as the conditions were so bad and told us that a mountain leader wouldn’t be asked to
do more. As soon as we got to a flat point we burst into life. We started treating the member with
hypothermia, putting the emergency tent up, making hot soup and putting as many layers as possible on.
We made our way down the last bit and finally we arrived at the bus stop where we were finishing. That
evening we went to the local pub for a dinner to celebrate the event we had just experienced.
As you can tell it’s quite hard to sum up a gold DofE experience in a few words.
It has taught me many valuable lessons and there are certainly some memories I will never forget. I
would strongly recommend doing their gold to anyone!
Kirsty Shaw S6
J1, 2 and 3 Zoo Trip
On Thursday 7th March J1, J2 and J3 enjoyed their annual visit to Edinburgh Zoo. Their classes were
about Penguins, The Panda Story and Simple Life Cycles. Unfortunately
for J1 the Rock Hopper Penguins had only been returned to their
newly built enclosure on the
Monday and other penguins
had just that day returned from
their holiday in Ireland but
were being kept away from
public view. The few Rock
Hoppers that were there were rather feisty and amusing to
watch! J2 were lucky to see the pandas who, as usual, were
very laid back. J3 enjoyed their class about Simple Life Cycles
and all the children enjoyed seeing many animals including
scampering otters, military meerkats and mischievous monkeys. The weather could only have been
described as ‘dreich’ but a great day was had by everyone.
Claire Shaw
Mad Hatters Tea Party
Junior Start organised a Mad Hatters Tea Party on Friday 15th March and children were encouraged
to come in dressed as their favourite fairy tale character.
They had a picnic of ‘pink and blue’ cheese sandwiches and ‘Queen of Heart Jam Tarts’.
They have been studying language and literacy and this was a celebration of the end of the topic.
Yellow Group
Green Group
Blue Group
First Aid
During the first weekend in March, Eleanor Salthouse S3, completed and passed the full 14 hour 'Practical
First Aid' course run by British Red Cross & is now a fully qualified 'First Response' First Aider.
Tennis
Congratulations to Louie McLelland who has progressed to a ranking of Number One in the UK in her age
category in tennis. Louie has worked incredibly hard this year and her tennis has improved dramatically with
her inclusion in the National Training Programme.
Buddy Time!
Junior Start 2 children were
introduced to their Junior 5
buddies this week and spent time
playing with each other in the
classroom, with interactive games
and jigsaws.
PLUS Bake Sale
Morton House at Beaconhurst School have chosen PLUS as their charity this year. PLUS is a local
charity which has been providing support for young
people with disabilities in the Stirling area for 25 years.
A couple of disability awareness sessions were
facilitated by PLUS with the house group, where we
learnt more about disabilities and the impact they can
have on individuals within sporting and everyday
contexts.
On Thursday 7th February, Morton House pupils
brought in lots of home baking which we sold at our
bake sale. A total of £199.85 was raised for PLUS. Well
done to all pupils involved and it will be great to keep in touch with PLUS to see how the money can
be used!
Jenn Wright
Ultimate Frisbee
On Friday 15th March, the senior school held an Ultimate Frisbee tournament to raise money for Red
Nose Day. The game was a huge success, with ten teams (including the staff team) signing up to play!
A massive amount of pupils also showed up to heckle the staff and to cheer on their friends, all in the
name of Comic Relief.
Everybody played with a great deal of enthusiasm and the staff retired undefeated as Ultimate Frisbee
Champions! Maybe next time the pupils will prevail... what do you think?
Ailie Holmes
Pirates and Cat in the Hat
On Thursday 21st March, Junior Start held a Pirate Party and also hosted a Dr Seuss Cat in the Hat
party.
Mrs McKenna made
“Green Eggs” and the children
enjoyed strawberry and banana
kebabs! The staff all joined in too
by dressing up as pirates, with
Mrs McKenna sporting an
extremely tall “Top Hat”.
Keep Calm and Call Floodline!
On 7th March, “Keep Calm and Call Floodline” visited Beaconhurst, to educate us in a fun, energetic and
in an understanding approach. Before this assembly, I had no idea about flooding, or the risks or areas,
but after, I knew a lot more than I thought I would and the best bit was that it was in such a relating
way of how children think that it was easy to understand.
They taught me that wherever I am in Scotland, that Floodline can help with a 24 hour a day service.
You can contact floodline by a website www.sepa.org.uk/flooding or by telephoning 0845 988 1188.
I think that Floodline is a reliable and helpful source of information about the risk of floods across
Scotland. They have useful information on flood alerts and warnings which may be useful someday.
Floods are usually caused by lots and lots of rain falling in a short of space of time, causing a river to
rise quickly. Once the river is full, it cannot hold any more water, so it spills over the top, covering the
surrounding area in water.
Floodline taught me that there are currently around 100,000 homes and businesses in Scotland that
are at risk from flooding from rivers and the sea. They said THAT IT IS PREDICTED THAT BECAUSE OF
CLIMATE CHANGE, Scotland may get wetter and stormier in the future and sea levels will begin to rise.
This may result in increased flooding from both rivers and the sea, as well as other forms of flooding.
At SEPA, they have Scientists who study rivers and the sea and try to predict when a flood will happen.
They are called hydrologists and they keep records of how much water is in the rivers and how high the
water gets. Hydrologists get their information from special equipment inside monitoring stations on
river banks. These stations gather information about the river 24 hours a day and send the details back
through a telephone line to a computer at a SEPA office. This means the hydrologist can know what is
happening right now.
They also told us what to include in an emergency floodkit, things like a radio, important documents, a
phone, waterproofs, first aid kit, blankets, bottled water and a torch.
Caitie Corrigan S1
Wear something yellow to school
In aid of the Marie Curie Cancer Fund, the school had a “wear something yellow to school day” on
Friday 1st March. Staff and pupils paid money to wear something yellow and there were also daffodil
pin badges on sale and a Yellow themed Quiz. The total raised was a fantastic £232.00 and a huge
thank you to everyone who took part!
Introduction to Higher Education
The awards ceremony for S6 pupils who successfully completed the Introduction to Higher Education
course, run jointly between Beaconhurst School and Stirling University, took place at school on
Wednesday 20th March. Dr Bob Matthew, of Stirling University, presented certificates of completion,
commenting on the quality of their work throughout the session, and wishing them every success as
they moved on into the next phase of their education. Chat about university applications and offers
then followed over a light buffet laid on to celebrate the occasion.
The Introduction to Higher Education course is designed to provide senior pupils with an insight into
the changes they may expect when moving on to
study at university. Pupils attend lectures, seminars
and tutorials at Stirling University as well as
instructional sessions providing guidance on such
topics as note taking and essay writing in school. In
previous years, leavers have commented on the
benefits they have experienced when settling into
university life following completion of this course,
so plans for next year’s dates are already being
drawn up.
We were delighted to welcome several pupils from Wallace High School onto the course this year,
and their presence proved an excellent addition to the blend of ideas and discussions enjoyed at the
sessions. It was most pleasing to see the pupils from both schools working together and this
partnership is one we look forward to continuing again next year.
Ken Milligan
Head of Upper School (Course Coordinator)
Everyone from Junior Start to Senior School took
part in the Red Nose Day fun!
Skiing
Grant Dillon from S4 won his Club Championship on Thursday 7th March, winning first place for
under 16 boys and overall fastest male in the Muchart and District Snowsports Club Championship.
Grant also competed in the Scottish Children’s Championships at Cairngorm on Sunday 10 th March
and came third in the slalom, ending the Scottish season on a high.
Fairtrade Fortnight
At the end of Fair Trade Fortnight, on Friday 8th March, we were delighted to welcome Helen
Rothwell from the Scottish Fair Trade Forum in Edinburgh and Tomy Mathew Vadakancheril, a Fair
Trade producer from Kerala in India to Beaconhurst. Tomy gave a very thought provoking talk to the
whole of the Senior School about the changes he has been able to make to his farm due to Fair
Trade. The reliable trade and income has allowed him to put up electric fences to keep animals off
his land – it became clear just how important these are
when we heard that the kind of animals to be kept out are
herds of elephants which would destroy the whole farm. A
producer of coffee, spices, coconut, rubber, rice and
cashews, he gave some interesting insight into the
importance of Fair Trade as it allows farmers to maintain
their variety of products, which in turn sustains the
biodiversity of the local area and protects the Eco stability of
our planet.
Tomy was careful to explain that Fair Trade must be exactly that – “fair” – and that if it is taken too
far so as to disrupt world markets then this causes an imbalance which is harmful to trade, to the
environment and populations across the world. He spoke about global responsibilities and how
inter-connected we all are. It was a wonderful opportunity and a real privilege for our community to
hear Tomy talk about his experiences and perspectives and for us to reflect on why we continue to
support Fair Trade through our bake sales and tuck shops.
Dawn Haughton
Amour Ware’s Fair Trade Taste Test
Huge thanks to Amour Ware for baking 4 recipes for our Fair Trade taste test competition so that our
willing volunteers could enjoy them and then vote on their favourite recipe. Out of Whoopie Pies, Malteser
Cake, Choc chip cookies and Oreo Truffles – our keen tasters chose the Oreo truffles as the most delicious
recipe – well done to star baker Claire Agnew!
We had so many donations of baking from pupils and parents for our sale that we were able to raise
£193.00. We bought a wheelie bin which is now in the playground for composting fruit and veg peels. We
are investigating the price of benches for our outdoor spaces and we will also donate £30.00 to Amour
Ware to help them to support their chosen charity The Teenage Cancer Care Trust.
Dawn Haughton
Woodworms Club
On Friday 15th March, the children of J1 and J2 invited their
families along to Beaconhurst to show them what they’ve
been doing in Woodworms Club. The group gathered in the
school grounds at The Clearing which has been purpose
built for Forest Schools sessions. Children safely used
bushcraft knives to prepare tinder and kindling for
firelighting and
showed their
parents
how
they use a flint and steel to make a spark. They lit storm
kettles to make a hot drink for the adults. Some of the
children showed their parents how to whittle a stick and
use it for toasting marshmallows over the fire. Parents
and grandparents even had a chance to use knives to
split firewood and toast some marshmallows
themselves! Happily the weather stayed nice for us and
everyone had a great time.
Dave Sanderson
Poland 2013
How do you sum up the sheer horror and magnitude of the Holocaust? How can you explain why people
committed such atrocities? I can’t, I simply struggle to find the words to do any justice to what I saw, but
what I can say emphatically is that I feel it is so important to bear witness to what happened.
We have always studied the Holocaust at the school, but for some time, myself and Miss Sutherland have
wanted to take trips with senior pupils to see it for ourselves. With this in mind, in February we went to
Krakow in Poland. We walked through the heavy snow seeing the beautiful old Jewish area of the city, now
eerily quiet with only 100 Jewish residents, compared to the 30,000 that lived there before the war. The
streets are spacious and the buildings well appointed, move a couple of blocks away and you see the
ghetto they were herded into, buildings crowd together and light seems difficult to find in the closely built
alleys. They were kept away from the world for months awaiting deportation to their unknown
destination. In amongst the tales you hear, it seems difficult to find any sense of hope; the Jewish faith
believes that if you save one man then you save the world. We got a sense of this as we visited the
Schindler factory. Oscar Schindler was by no means a saint, the Guides at the “Fabryka Emalia”, his factory,
give you a true character analysis, but he was a man who was able to make a difference. The museum
gives you an insight into the way life changed in Poland, not just in the Nazi era, but also under Stalin.
The longest and most harrowing day of the trip was spent at Auschwitz and Birkenau camps. There is a
quietness to both places that is difficult to quantify; it’s not just that the tour groups keep a reverential
hush, but that wildlife shy away from the place too- the sites cover acres and not one bare tree showed a
bird’s nest. The scale of both places took me back; it seems incomprehensible when you read about the
dimensions and the geography of these places, but standing there, seeing it for yourself puts things into
context.
We will be offering trips for older pupils soon and details will be available in the near future.
Fiona Casey
Ma
Athletics
On Sunday 17th March, Leia Glading
S3, came 3rd in the U15 Scottish
Athletics
Junior
Road
Race
Championships. This means she has
qualified to represent Scotland at the
combined UK Athletics Junior Road
Race Championships/Virgin Money
Giving Mini London Marathon on 21st
April.
Leia also attended the Scottish
Schools Athletics Association training
camp at Pitreavie for Middle Distance
coaching, as she has won the Scottish
Schools 800m race for her age group
for the past two years.
International Cross-Country
Florie McLeish S5 and Leia Glading
S3, have been selected to represent
Scottish Schools in the International
Cross-Country match in Llandeilo.
This will also include schools from
England, Ireland and Wales.
Junior School Mathematicians
The J1-3 Mathematicians of the Month for February were:
Zoe Gourley J1
Aidan Beveridge J1
Tara Mathewson J3
Sammy Bell J3
Caught in the Net
Pupils from McLaren High, St Modan’s, Stirling High and Balfron High were invited to attend a
performance of ‘Caught in the Net’. The drama was written by Rachel Vevers and S5 pupil Fraser
Morrison and is based around the dangers of the Internet, including issues such as cyber-bullying, proanorexia sites, identity theft, online grooming and fraudulent use of social networking. The play was
endorsed by the Central E-Safety Partnership and those parents who attended the performances said
they “believed they had learned a thing or two” in a way which makes information accessible and
enjoyable.
Cookery Book
J6 recently put the finishing touches to their 2013 Cookery
Book. The winning cover design was created by Sally Reid
and a vote was held to decide of the most popular recipe.
The winning recipe was “Death by Chocolate” cake by Eva
Strang.
Junior School Achievements
Miss McCluskey has awarded the following Superstar Awards
Confident
Individuals
Successful
Learners
J2
Lily Blackhurst
Blair Buchanan
Mia Coppin
Lauren Dudley
Robynne Hendrix
Morgan Wicks
J3
Tara Mathewson
Archie Meldrum
Logan Russell
Responsible
Citizens
J5
Hollie Gilmour
Victoria Johnston
Jessica Lifson
Ellie Pender
Katelyn Todd
J6
Alex Clark
Hannah Howland
Sally Reid
Amelia Strutt
Effective
Contributors
Headmasters Certificates
Headmaster’s Certificates of Distinction have been presented to the following pupils since the last bulletin:
Arandeep Bassi, Lily Blackhurst, Sophie El-Nahas, Marissa Hunter, Joanna Lowrie, Fiona Robertson, Jemma
Russell and Cameron Tung. Apologies to Hollie Gilmour from J5 who received a Merit Badge and a Headmasters
Certificate, but was omitted from the last e-newsletter.
Well done to all those pupils who have distinguished themselves in their work and in their contribution to school
life. Many congratulations to all our pupils on their many and varied achievements. Apologies to anyone we
have missed out – please let us know for inclusion in the next bulletin.
Key Dates until End of Summer Term
Wednesday 17th April
Wednesday 24th April
Thursday 25th April
Friday 26th April
Monday 29th April
Thursday 2nd May
Saturday 4th May
Wednesday 8th May
Wednesday 8th May
Wednesday 8th May
Wednesday 8th May
Tuesday 14th May
Wednesday 22nd May
Wednesday 22nd May
Thursday 23rd May
Friday 24th May
Summer Terms Begins
S2 Girls HPV final inoculations
An Evening of Music and Song
Talk by Alistair Urquhart (author)
S4 SQA Exam Study Leave begins
PTA Meeting
Open Morning
S5/S6 SQA Exam Study Leave Starts
Junior Start Discussion Group Meeting
Inverness Trip Parents Info Meeting
Berlin Trip Parents Info Meeting
Introduction to Transition (J6 parents)
3 Day Inverness Trip departs (J4-J6)
S3 Parents/Staff/Pupil Meeting
Forth Valley Athletics Championships
HALF TERM
Tuesday 28th May
Wednesday 29th May
Monday 3rd June
SCHOOL RESUMES
Stirling Primary Schools Athletics
S4/5/6 return from study leave
Dining Hall
Cameron Hall
Cameron Hall
Dining Hall
Junior Start
Dining Hall
Dining Hall
J6 classroom
Cameron Hall
Grangemouth
0915 – 1100
1930
1400
0845
1545 – 1715
0930 – 1200
0900 - 0945
1545 – 1645
1900 – 2000
1800
0915
1800 – 2030
Stirling University
1430 – 1535
0845
Junior School
Stirling University
Dining Hall
Stirling University
Grangemouth
Briarlands Farm
Sports Hall
MacRobert Theatre
MacRobert Theatre
MacRobert Theatre
St Columba’s Church
1830
1330
1800
0900 – 1400
(except Int 2 & Higher Art and Higher PE)
Tuesday 4th June
Wednesday 5th June
Thursday 6th June
Friday 7th June
Saturday 8th June
Thursday 13th June
Friday 21st June
Tuesday 25th June
Tuesday 25th June
Wednesday 26thJune
Friday 28th June
Friday 28th June
Junior School Parents Cheese & Wine
Junior School Sports Day
S5 Info session & College applications
Senior School Sports Day
Scottish Track & Field Championships
Junior Start Briarlands Farm outing
Junior Sports Day
“Oklahoma” Expressive Arts Show
“Oklahoma” Expressive Arts Show
“Oklahoma” Expressive Arts Show
Prizegiving
TERM ENDS
0900
0915 – 1030
1400
1930
1930
1100
1200
Parents are invited to those events which are in bold.
Beaconhurst School
52 Kenilworth Road
Bridge of Allan
Stirling
FK9 4RR
Telephone:
01786 832146
Fax:
01786 833415
E-mail:
[email protected]
Website:
www.beaconhurst.com
A company limited by guarantee (SCO 39250) and registered charity (SC) 05753)