December Newsletter 2013 - Gracemount High Schoolgracemounthighschool.co.uk/resources/School... · students on how we can improve, and we are more than happy to hear your suggestions

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NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO.1 DECEMBER 2007 GRACEMOUNT HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2013

Dear Parent,

Welcome to the Christmas Edition of our newsletter.

I am delighted to be writing to you while listening to

our wonderfully talented students practising for our

Christmas Concert this evening. This is clearly going to be a wonderful event which will put us all firmly in

the mood for Christmas.

The school has had a very busy Autumn term with lots of outstanding successes from

both our students and staff. You can read all about these in this newsletter but I would like to mention some of these in particular.

We were very successful at the recent

Children & Families awards. Mr Whyte was

awarded a very well deserved First Prize for his innovative work with LiveCode in the

classroom. Also, Miss Kennedy was Highly Commended for her work with student

projects in the school and Mr Drain and Ms

Gillan received their long service awards. We are all very proud of their achievements which

reflect their commitment to providing the very best for our school community.

I would also like to congratulate Kirsty Wilson who has had an outstanding term. Highlights

have included winning a national award for her short film for RESPECT week, giving a first

class presentation with Ezgi Denli to delegates

at a national Diversity conference and being selected as our Commonwealth Games Baton

Bearer. More can be read about this on page 3. Well done girls!!

The articles continues...

Welcome!CONTENTS

PAGES 1 & 2• Welcome• Calendar SubscriptionPAGE 3• Promoting DiversityPAGE 4• Parental Email ContactPAGES 5 & 6• Celebrating Success

(Nov & Dec)PAGE 7• Gingerbread House

ProjectPAGE 8• Xmas ConcertPAGE 9• News from Modern

Languages• News from Modern

StudiesPAGES 10• Links with the Primary

SchoolPAGE 11• Heart Start• Hour of CodePAGE 12 & 13• News from the P.E.

DepartmentPAGE 14• The John Byrne AwardPAGE 15• Charities Committee

UpdatePAGE 16• Parliament VisitPAGE 17• Christmas Card

Winners• A Note About Games

Consoles this XmasPAGE 18• Saltire AwardsPAGE 19• Swap the ClassroomPAGE 20• Sixty Second InterviewPAGE 21• School UniformPAGES 21 & 22• School Term DatesPAGE 23• Contact Details

http://www.gracemount.edin.sch.uk




To date the winter weather has been very bearable however we are well aware that Scotland can see

all seasons in one day and we do have procedures in place should the weather take a turn for the

worst. As always we have the safety of our staff and students at the heart of all our decisions and we

will keep parents and students fully informed about our ability to open during poor weather via Radio

Forth, our website and text alerts. Please help us keep in touch by ensuring our office has an up to

date mobile number in order to contact you at all times.

Now that the school term is in full swing our annual school evaluation program is well underway. As

part of this we have undertaken a number of parent and student surveys and I have been hugely

encouraged to see the positive results. As always we are keen to hear views from parents and

students on how we can improve, and we are more than happy to hear your suggestions at any time.

We aim to ensure everyone has the opportunity to have a genuine chance to contribute to the

school improvement plan and vision, and will be asking for your input throughout the year.

We are looking forward to 2014 and hope it brings many successes for all our students. We have a

very busy new term ahead of us as our first cohort of National 4 and 5 students work towards

completing their awards and our Higher and Advanced Higher students look towards their May

exams. Our Prelims for all students working towards exams begin on the 10th January and they will

all be working hard preparing for these. I would like to wish them all the very best of luck.

Our winter term will end on Thursday 19th December with all students taking part in a Christmas

challenge with their tutor group. A religious celebration will then be held which students can attend

if they wish. This will be led by our Chaplaincy Team. We will then have a whole school assembly for

all staff and students. This will be a celebration of many of our achievements during the session so far

and will include highlights from our excellent musicians and dancers. Students will be dismissed for

the holidays at 12pm.

Finally I would like to wish you all Seasons Greetings and a prosperous New Year. Please note school

resumes for students on Tuesday 7th January.

Best wishes,

Mrs Pauline Walker

Headteacher

GHS Calendar



http://www.gracemounthighschool.co.uk/Calendar/index.html

http://www.gracemounthighschool.co.uk/Calendar/index.html



Gracemount High School were invited to contribute a workshop to the Promoting Diversity and

Equality (Sharing Good Practice) on the 26th November 2013. This was held in the Hilton in

Glasgow. This was an excellent opportunity to share some of the excellent practice we have seen

emerging across the school. We decided to focus on our work for our RESPECT week and also one

of our projects to promote racial equality. A small group presented the workshop which consisted of

Mrs Walker Headteacher, Mr Else CL HWB, Kirsty Wilson S6 student and Ezgi Denli S6 student.

After an introduction from the Headteacher, Mr Else and Kirsty

spoke about their work in positively promoting Diversity across the

school. This included launching our annual RESPECT week with

pupils through a short drama presentation and a video made by

Kirsty. This video recently won a national award from 2000

entries. To continue raising awareness of the RESPECT week

throughout the school year all staff and students were given band

to wear which demonstrates our stance against any form of

discrimination and bullying. Mr Else and Kirsty spoke about their

ongoing work tackling all types of inequalities and how this has

been much more effective since the students began leading and

publishing the project.

Ezgi then spoke about her experience of promoting positive diversity through anti-racism. As a result

of a negative experience in the school and local community, Ezgi and another student worked to set

up a national pressure group called TRUE Colours. This aims to promote positive race relations in

young people and is going from strength to strength. As well as changing attitudes without our own

school community, Ezgi and the group are working in primary and secondary schools across the city

to raise awareness as well as lobbying politicians to make changes at national level.

The workshop was very well received by the delegates and prompted an excellent Q&A session. Both

Kirsty and Ezgi were the stars of the show and received outstanding comments from the workshop

participants.

Link to RESPECT week award winning video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNwIZcJx2VI&list=UUG6Ej049ZA7mjbfzl8mRkBw&index=1

Article by,

Mrs Walker

Gracemount High School and Educating Scotland...

Promoting Diversity and Equality (Sharing Good Practice)








Keeping in touch through...

Parental Email ContactGracemount High School is committed to ensuring that you are kept informed about school developments and

initiatives which affect your child. Through effective communication we aim to further develop the partnership

approach between parents and the school.

We would like to develop the use of email communication as an alternative to providing paper copies of the

type of information currently sent home by pupil post. The type of information would include the parent

newsletter, target setting records and routine information letters. Formal information about progress, such as

year reports, would continue to be sent home by conventional means. Email could also be used to update

parents in the event of an emergency school closure or if a school trip was delayed.

In order to receive email communication with the school, you are asked to register your e-mail address with us.

This will allow the school to improve the effectiveness of our regular communications and to ensure that you

are kept up-to-date with all news, views and developments. Parents who do not wish to use email will continue

to receive paper copies of all school communications.

If you wish to receive email updates from Gracemount High School please complete the form below and return

it to the school office.

I consent to receiving information from Gracemount High School by email. If I wish at any time to stop

receiving communications I understand I can contact the school and have my email address removed from the

contact list.

You can also click on the Parental Email button on the front page of our website to contact us by email:

www.gracemount.edin.sch.uk

Contact Name:

Pupil Name:

Tutor Group:

Phone Number:

Email Address:

Gracemount High SchoolParental Communication by Email




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https://mail.edin.org/OWA/redir.aspx?C=6af35212d9d64324b715c77e7e7e7af7&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.gracemount.edin.sch.uk%2f



Appreciating Hard Work...

Celebrating Success - November 2013Class of the Month

Class: National 5 Mathematics

Nominated by: Ms Yeoman

Why they are class of the month:

• "They are very friendly, polite, and willing to learn and contribute”• “They are really keen to understand all of the work”• “They make my day more enjoyable and I really look forward to teaching them!

Success out of School

Pupil: Lewis Gill (S2 Student)

Success:

• Lewis has had an interest in golf for the past few years and was recently chosen to play in an Edinburgh Schools Golf tournament.

• Lewis did extremely well at this competition and finished under par.

• He has played in several golf competitions at Liberton Golf Club and recently was awarded as winner with a shield for his age category.

• I’m sure we will see more of Lewis and his golf skills in the future!

Well Done Lewis!!

Teacher of the Month

Teacher: Mr Knight (Teacher of Biology)

Comments from pupils:

• “He engages everyone in the class and helps us learn!”

• “He is our register teacher so we seem him everyday”

• “He has good banter!”• “He is a good teacher and has good relationships with pupils!”

Well Done Mr Knight!!





Appreciating Hard Work...

Celebrating Success - December 2013

Class of the Month

Class: S3 Art and Design

Nominated By: Mrs Shannon

Why they are class of the month: • “My S3 class are hardworking, creative and intelligent. • “They have produced some excellent design units and are able to work very well independently.” • “They are also very supportive of each other and happily share ideas and skills. It is a pleasure to

teach them!”

Great work!

Success out of School

Pupil: Cailin Calder (S5)

Success:

• Cailin started Judo when he was 3 years old. His hobby started after his dad got him interested in the Sport.

• Cailin has worked hard at the sport and is now on his brown belt.

• He competes regularly in competitions all over the world.

• In the past few months he has won 3 golds and 2 bronzes. 1 of these made him Scottish champion.

• Cailin will continue to pursue his hobby and will hopefully achieve his black belt in the next few months.

Well Done Cailin!!

Staff of the Month

Staff: Mrs Shannon (Teacher of Art and Design)

Comments from pupils:

• “She is kind and helpful”• “She is a really nice teacher”• “She always supports us and makes sure we are making good progress”• “She is brilliant at Art and has loads of really good ideas!”

Well Done Mrs Shannon!!

!

!

!



Cake Decoration Class take part in a...

Gingerbread House ProjectWe as a class were set the assignment of designing, baking and decorating a gingerbread house. This

assignment was a combination of two units those being the cake finishing and cake baking units and

took four days to complete. We started by designing on paper the ideas we had for the gingerbread

house and what decorations we could use. Then we had to select the correct recipe from three

different ones, and then finally we had to bake the gingerbread house.

Once they were baked it was completely up to us. We used royal icing and a mixture of sweets to

decorate the gingerbread house and cake drum. Some people decided to use fondant icing to

decorate their house and other used smarites, wine gums and chocolate buttons.

For an exam the class decisively decided this to be incredibly enjoyable and fun.

Article by,

Christopher McKellarSenior Student





Gracemount High School’s Annual...

Christmas Concert

This year’s Christmas Concert was a great success and provided

everyone with fabulous performances by talented musicians. It

was great to see so many friends and family enjoying the music

and getting into the Christmas spirit.

Special guests Primary 7s made an appearance and the school

band played various Christmas pieces. There were many solo

acts throughout the evening including Logan Scott singing “I’m a

Believer” and “This Love”.

Edric Ho also performed two spectacular piano pieces towards

the end of the festive night. Overall, an excellent evening!

Here is what some of the pupils had to say:

‘It was a great experience to be on stage with the senior band when I

was in primary 7. People understand if you make a mistake and now

I am in S1 they expect more so there is more pressure’.

Thomas Jamieson – Performer (S1)

‘Fun and exciting.’

Kelly - Audience (S1)

‘It was amazing and fun.’

Chantal - Audience (S1)

‘Amazing - not enough space! Good times and laughs.’

Kyra Watson – performer (S1)

Article by,

Liam JohnSenior Student





News from the...

Modern Languages Department

On 13th December, some of GHS French Higher pupils attended “L’Institut

Français” along with fellow pupils from other city schools. The activities

provided will help our pupils with their French pronunciation and give them

more confidence in their French. This event will be a welcome warm up

prior to our Higher trip to Paris in January where the pupils will be speaking

French all weekend!

John Watson’s TrustMany thanks go to “John Watson’s Trust” who have kindly provided our French pupils with funding

towards both French trips in January and June. We will also be fundraising soon to ensure our pupils

have the best experience possible.

Articles by,

Mrs Towers

On December 12, the S3 Modern Studies Class visited the Scottish Parliament.

We were lucky enough to get tickets to see First Minister’s Questions. This is when the First Minister

(Alex Salmond) is grilled by his opposition on the political issues that have arisen that week. It was an

interesting and lively debate involving lots of heckling and disagreement between the opposing parties.

Funny to watch!

After First Minister’s Questions, we met up with our Constituency MSP Kenny MacAskill for some

lunch. It was a relaxed and informative hour where we had a chance to ask Kenny about all things

political. Questions ranged from: “Do you ever get bored being an MSP?” to “Will we still get to

watch Eastenders if Scotland becomes Independent?” Kenny was keen to ask us a few questions too.

All in all, it was great day out and a nice way to round off the term! Special thanks to Laura McGravie

at Kenny’s office for organising our FMQ tickets, Q&A and lunch.

Article by,

Miss Livingston Teacher of Modern Studies

News from...

Modern Studies





Gracemount High School continues its...

Links with the Primary School

Mrs Rose Islambolipoor retires from her post as Head Teacher for several years at the primary

school and I would like to take the opportunity to wish her well on behalf of all the staff, pupils and

parents here at Gracemount High School. We have worked very closely to the benefit of all pupils

over the years.

As part of our transition process Gracemount primary 7 pupils have been regularly joining us here at

the high school this session.

All primary 7 pupils come over to the high

school 2 hours a week to take part in lessons in

Science, Music and Home Economics. This

allows them the opportunity to get used to

being in high school and to have the opportunity

to experience activities that are not available in

the primary. The pupils all seem to be enjoying

this opportunity and this will hopefully ease the

transition and help them to settle in to high

school next session. We are very lucky to have

such good partnership links with our cluster

primary and look forward to continuing the

transition process.

Before the holidays all primary 7 pupils in our catchment area who have been allocated a place here

for next session should have received an information welcome pack. Any pupil who is in our dual

catchment area or out with our catchment should submit their request for a place here by the 24th December.

Parents should make Placing Requests for non-catchment schools using a new online form see:

www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schoolplaces

Article by,

Mrs SinclairDepute Head Teacher

Biology Teacher Mr Knight teaches P7 Primary students in

ahead of their move up to Gracemount High in August 2014



http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schoolplaces

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schoolplaces



Mr Gregor’s Sports Leaders class have recently completed the British Heart Foundation emergency life support course.

They now know how to perform actions that are needed to keep a person alive in an emergency until professional help arrives.

This covers a wide range of emergency situations from choking and serious bleeding to cardiac arrest. It was a unique experience in that the pupils were taught skills that they will hopefully never have to use. However, the Gracemount community can a rest a little easier knowing these pupils are prepared to respond should any emergency situations arise.

Article by,Mr GregorTeacher of Physical Education

P.E. Students take part in...

Heart Start

Mr Stobie’s S1 ICT and S3 Computing classes have recently completed the Hour of Code competition.

For this, students had to work out how to solve a programming problem within an hour. Here is what some of them had to say about their experience:

Here is a few comments from the pupils doing the hour of code:

Abbie Thomson“Coding looks really hard, but to be honest, it really easy! Once you have finished what you are doing with coding, you feel really happy with what you have done!”

Courtney Woodhouse“Coding is actually really easy even though it looks really hard. When it is explained to you, you start to get the hang of it. I am enjoying using coding especially how we are doing the santa game. You can really get engrossed in coding.”

Article by,Mr WhyteCurricular Leader of Technologies

Computing Students take part in...

The Hour of Code



News from the...

P.E. Department

Boys Football

This season we have teams at S1, S2 and S3 level playing on Saturday mornings. The teams have played several league and cup games and you can see how they are doing by visiting http://www.lsfa.co.uk/

The Under 16’s Football Team

The U16 team, who are only playing in cups this season, have yet to be beaten and will play their next round of games in the New Year.

Girls Football

The S1-S3 girl’s football team have been training hard over the past term and took part in an Edinburgh schools girl’s football festival at Holy Rood High School in October. The girls really enjoyed the experience playing against other schools and are looking forward to the next festival in January.

Any girls interested in joining the girl’s team should come to training on a Wednesday after school from 3.30pm – 4.30pm or speak to Miss Neill in the PE department for more information.

Edinburgh Schools Select Football Squad

Callum Fitzpatrick and Liam McCabe in S3 were selected to represent Edinburgh Schools in this year’s Scottish Schools Cup. The boys have played several games but unfortunately the team did not do enough to qualify out the group stage after they lost narrowly to a Fife Schools select team 1-0.

Despite the team not proceeding, it was a great achievement for Callum and Liam to be part of this squad. Well done to both!

The article continues...

S1 Football Team

The U16 Football Team

Some of the girls football team



http://www.lsfa.co.uk/

http://www.lsfa.co.uk/



S1 – S2 Rugby

Our strong link with Lismore Rugby Club continues to develop. Several year groups have taken part in rugby during PE and from this the school have started up an S1 and S2 rugby team. The team have taken part in several festivals throughout the term and have enjoyed the experience and competition against other schools in the city.

The rugby team have recently been kitted out with new strips and the pupils now look the part when playing matches. After school rugby will start again in January on a Monday from 3.30pm – 4.30pm.

S3 – S4 Rugby

Gracemount and Liberton High School have joined up to compete in this year’s Brewin Dolphin U16 competition under the supervision of Lismore RFC coach Eric Jones. The team recently played their first game but narrowly lost by 3 point. The boys are looking forward to the next game and joining up with the pupils from Liberton to take on their next opponent.

Friday Skiing Club

A group of keen skiers have been going to Hillend on a Friday afternoon over the past few months. Under the instruction of Mr Else the pupils have developed their skiing and are now able to manoeuvre their way about the slopes at Hillend.

If you are keen to join the skiing group then please speak to Mr Else in the PE department as they are always looking for new members.

Gymnastics and Trampoline Clubs

The after school gymnastic and trampoline clubs have been a huge success in term. A number of pupils have been working hard and have enjoyed the opportunity to take part in these activities after school on a Tuesday. If anyone is interested in joining these clubs then please speak to Mrs Wilson or Miss Neill in the PE department.

Handball

Several S4 pupils took part in the Scottish Schools Championship at Napier University in October. This is the first time that Gracemount has entered a team in to this competition and the boys did extremely well. They played in several matches, winning 4 and losing 2. The boys did very well and hopefully next year we will be able to enter more teams at different age groups.

Article by,Mr KiddActive Schools Coordinator

S1-S2 Rugby Team

S4 Handball Team





Gracemount High students take part in...

John Byrne Award

This year two teams of S6 pupils took part in the John Byrne Award. It is a competition that encourages pupils to think about values.

This year the stimulus for their thoughts was ‘Capture Site’ by Marco Cianfanelli. This is a sculpture about the capture and imprisonment of Nelson Mandela. It is situated at the exact spot he was captured by the police.

The pupils had to research what the sculpture stood for, this included reading books, using the internet. They even had a meeting with Mr Chetty, our former Physics teacher, who lived in South Africa under the apartheid regime.

After their research the pupils then had to decide what values they were going to represent and what medium to use to illustrate that.

Ezgi and Saalihah submitted a very powerful piece of writing and paintings reflecting equality and justice.

Aiden, Mary, Louise and Taylor submitted a thought provoking video about Equality in Education.

Although neither of the teams won the overall award, their work was of a very high standard. The art work and the writing will be put onto the school website in the near future and the video can be viewed at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVtimqZ0i1U

Learners at our partner school in South Africa, Ogwini, are taking part in the Award too. Their submissions will be made available in January, so watch this space.

Article by,Mrs BrownSchool Librarian







An update on the excellent work of the...

Charities CommitteeLast year, the Charities Committee won ‘Team of the Year’ for their tremendous efforts, and raised an outstanding £3128 in fundraising! But not being ones to rest on our laurels, we have plans to do bigger and better things this year…

The first charities event of session 2013/14 was the MacMillan Coffee Morning on Friday 30th September which raised £122.10. A huge thanks to Mrs Gillan and Miss Campbell who organised the fundraiser, and of course to the S3 H.E. class and Senior Cake Decoration class who made such tasty treats!

The October Dress Down Day raised over £400 for one of our nominated charities of 2013/14 - Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre - which is located in Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital. The centre offers free support for anyone affected by cancer. This support includes practical advice on benefits or nutrition, a support group, relaxation courses, or simply meeting people who are going through the same thing.

Gracemount High School also supported Movember which is responsible for the sprouting of millions of moustaches around the world! This charity promotes often ignored issues in men’s health, particularly prostate and testicular cancers, and mental health. The Charities Committee raised awareness too by sharing facts during Friday registrations.

The Charities Committee would like to thank our Gracie Mo Bros: Mr Whyte, Mr Patterson, Mr Swan, Usaid Tariq, Michael Chan, Curtis Chan, Cameron Gill and Scott Forbes. Together we raised over £300!

Our Christmas Dress Down Day will be in aid of the Syria milk appeal. All proceeds will go towards buying a carton of milk to help malnourished babies in a Syrian hospital and refugee camp.

Thank you for all your support so far this year! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Charities Committee.





Senior pupils visit the...

Scottish Parliament

We had the opportunity to visit the Scottish Parliament a few weeks back to attend an event which would benefit those doing Higher English. A select group of schools from across Scotland were chosen to participate and Gracemount High was one of the lucky ones.

The day consisted of four main tasks. Our group of mixed school pupils started off with a short interactive lecture teaching us about how spoken language may not necessarily translate well into written language and how important it is that what we are trying to say comes across correctly.

Grammar and spelling is very important in situations like these. You need to be very careful when handling the words of others as you don’t want to change the meaning. The sentences are vital in the Scottish Parliament, as it can be taken and translated in a different way than the writer was trying to convey. It can be ambiguous towards different readers, so this task gave an insight in making the context precise to get the correct point across.

The second task involved learning some speech writing techniques. We sat down and watched some famous speeches to talk about how they had an impact on the listener. Speeches can be written by or for politicians. The techniques of speeches are very powerful if it is written well. During the task we were divided into small groups and discussed many speeches. However we were mixed with other pupils from other schools. This gave us a chance to hear and give our discussions to other pupils who we had never met before.

After lunch, we proceeded to the third task, which was wording and legislation. We had the chance to view and discuss different legislation.

Having the chance to look at an official legislation on a hard copy, gave a true idea of what happens and observe the final output in the Scottish Parliament. Also during this task, it emphasises the grammar structure in each sentence, as it may be viewed differently from what the writer is trying to convey.

Lastly, we had the opportunity to ask three MSPs some questions. We used this opportunity to ask any questions relevant to the Scottish Parliament which was not covered during the day. The MSPs were very friendly and humorous whilst talking to us.

Although only five pupils were chosen to participate, it was of great benefit to our Higher English and language skills. I would recommend other pupils to grab a chance to be involved in this in the future.

The best thing overall was the free lunch!

Article by,Jenken KwokSenior Student





Well done to our..

Christmas Card Winners

"In the run up to the festive period many Gracemount High School pupils will be looking forward to receiving exciting gifts on Christmas Day. It appears that one of the most popular gifts is a computer game for the play station or other game consoles.

While it is recognised that the majority of families are responsible about exposing young people to these games (particulars ones with certificate18+) some pupils may find themselves playing games such as GTA5 for considerable lengths of time during the holidays. Current research shows that playing these violent games for a prolonged period of time can have a detrimental effect on young people, including attention deficit, decreased school performance, increased aggression and the possibility of computer game addiction which can lead to significant mental health problems.

We would urge all families to have fun responsibly over the festive period so pupils can return to school in the New Year ready to learn effectively. Remember there are lots of other fun activities to do in the city over Xmas. Why not walk off that Christmas Turkey with a hike to the top of Arthur's seat, go for a wander around the German Market in Princes Street Gardens or go swimming at the Gracemount Leisure centre. But most importantly make sure you have a very Merry Christmas!"

Article by,Miss DickieSupport for Learning Leader

A note about..

Games Consoles this Christmas




As part of the wider curriculum a selection of senior pupils have been supporting pupils at Gracemount Primary School. The seniors provide in-class support in the primary classes as well as assisting during ‘Golden Time’ activities.

This opportunity is helping our senior pupils build on skills such as working in a team; self-management; planning, organising and implementing projects and leading others. As well as this they are working towards gaining a Saltire Award for Volunteering.

The Saltire Challenge is designed to introduce young people to volunteering. Saltire Awards are the new Scottish awards designed to formally recognise the commitment and contribution of youth volunteering. Supported by the Scottish Government, the Saltire Awards enable young volunteers to record the skills, experience and learning gained through successful volunteering placements in school or provided by local and national voluntary agencies.

The Awards are split in to four sections - The Challenge, The Approach, The Ascent and The Summit and achievement is recognised in the form of Saltire Award certificates and Young Scot reward points. This award can be included in job, university and college applications.

Miss Kennedy visited the Primary last week to see how the seniors were getting on. As you can see from the photos they are an asset to the school and provide invaluable support. Keep up the excellent work!

Article by,

Miss KennedyTeacher of Pupil Support and History

Seniors pupils take part in the...

Saltire Awards





The pupils undertaking the N5 Retail Course (taught by Miss Taylor in Business Education) have now all completed a very valuable and essential part of this exciting new course offered at Gracemount High School.

The N5 Retail pupils swapped the classroom for a work experience with Ikea where pupils were introduced to the many real experiences that workers will deal with.

Pupils were involved in ‘Loose Handling’ where stock was delivered to departments on trollies and those trollies had to be cleared and onto the shelves before the store opened to customers. This gave pupils the opportunity to show how well they could handle a tight deadline. When departments had to be re-arranged and large amounts of stock organised pupils played a very active roll, this contributed to their team working skills.

Towards the Christmas period many pupils where involved in displaying seasonal stock, tree decorating, biscuit decorating for trees and even building gingerbread houses.

One pupil stated that the best bit was interacting with the customers. They enjoyed solving problems and helping customers throughout the store.

Pupils all returned to school after the experience with something positive to share with the class, which is what it is all about – bringing the subject to life.

Article by,

Mrs ValentineTeacher of Business Education

National 5 Retail Students...

Swap the classroom for the Real Life

As part of our prefect events, the events team organised a team building exercise for all prefects. We were put into teams and played team games. We also had a mini photo shoot for 6th years for our yearbook.

For all of our hard work we were all rewarded with a lovely Christmas dinner made by our dinner ladies.

Article by,Molly MeikleSenior Student

S6 Prefects take part in a...

Team Building Exercise




Q&ASixty-Second Interview

elcome to our sixty-second interview. Mr Wyllie has bravely volunteered to be our next interviewee for Xmas edition of our newsletter.

Here is what she had to say to our questions.

Catch the full podcast on our website!

W


What was your first pet?

My first pet was a goldfish named Jaws. I think I had it for around 20 years. I eventually gave it away as I was sick of looking after it.

What is your favourite subject at school?

Surprise, surprise, my favourite subject at school was Geography. I liked it a lot because I’ve al-ways wanted to travel to different countries and learn about different cultures. I also liked His-tory, especially learning about the Second World War and Biology because it tied in with Biology. I liked English too.

What would you do with £1 mil-lion pounds?

That’s a difficult question. I don’t think I would retire because I really like teaching. I would probably put some of the money aside into university account for my two son’s they could choose to go to whatever university they wanted. I’d also do a bit of travelling, I’ve got Iceland in mind!

If I had any money left over, I’d design and build my own house by the sea.

What’s your most embarrassing moment?

I’ve got lots of embarassing moments! One that comes to mind was when I was visiting some caves with my wife. The tour guide told us not to take any photos but I really wanted to. So what I did was I stayed back and let the group go on and then quickly took some pictures.

However, the group had went far on ahead and I got lost. I quickly ran to try and find them and banged my head on a low part of the cave. I fell backwards and landed on my back. When I got up and ket searching and eventually managed to catch up with the group.

What is your dream job?

I’d love to work in a crisp factory sampling all the crisps

What is your favourite food?

I like lots of different types of food. I love haggis, neeps and tatties and lots of different kinds of curry. I like curries a lot!!





Parental Support for....

School Uniform

NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO.1 DECEMBER 2007

With the continued support of parents and carers our pupils continue to maintain a high

standard of uniform.

The following points will clarify queries:

GRACEMOUNT HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2013

A school tie must be worn.A sky blue shirt must be

worn

Legg ings – p la in b lack

leggings can be worn to

school if a skirt / tunic is

worn on top. All skirts

must be to the knee.

Black “cottons” / jogging

bottoms are not school

uniform and should not be

worn.

Tops or jumpers should

be plain black with a

neckline or zip style that

allows the school tie to

be clearly seen.

A pupil who wears a hijab

is asked to wear one in

school uniform colours.

Footwear – black shoes

(no logos, stripes or

white soles).

Black trousers or a

skirt can be worn.

No jeans can be worn

although combats are okay

but with no buckles.

Polo-shirts are not school

uniform and should not be

worn.





Dates for your diary...

School Term Dates (December 2013 - January 2014)

Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

19 16th Dec 17th Dec 18th Dec 19 Dec 20th Dec

Parent Council

(7pm)Term Ends Xmas Holiday

23rd Dec 24th Dec 25th Dec 26th Dec 27th Dec

Xmas Holiday Xmas Holiday Xmas Holiday Xmas Holiday Xmas Holiday

30th Dec 31st Dec 1st Jan 2nd Jan 3rd Jan

Xmas Holiday Xmas Holiday Xmas Holiday Xmas Holiday Xmas Holiday

20 6th Jan 7th Jan 8th Jan 9th Jan 10th Jan

Staff Inservice Pupil Resume

Pupil Council

Meeting

(Period 3)Staff Inservice Pupil Resume

S4-S6 PrelimsNO EXAM LEAVE

21 13th Jan 14th Jan 15th Jan 16th Jan 17th Jan






MENTORING

WEEK

MENTORING

WEEK

MENTORING

WEEK

MENTORING

WEEK

MENTORING

WEEK

22 20th Jan 21st Jan 22nd Jan 23rd Jan 24th Jan

S3 Full Reports

Issued





Dates for your diary...

School Term Dates (January 2014 - February 2014)

Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

23 27th Jan 28th Jan 29th Jan 30th Jan 31st Jan

S3 Parents

Evening

Instrumental

Parents

Evening

24 3rd Feb 4th Feb 5th Feb 6th Feb 7th Feb

Teenage

Booster and

MMR for S3/S4

Pupils Who

Missed

Pupil Council

Meeting

(Period 3)S2-S5 Parents

Information

Evening

Pupil Council

Meeting

(Period 3)

25 10th Feb 11th Feb 12th Feb 13th Feb 14th Feb

All Break for

February

Holiday

26 17th Feb 18th Feb 19th Feb 20th Feb 21st Feb

February

Holiday

February

Holiday

February

Holiday

February

Holiday

February

Holiday

Pupils Resume from February Break on Monday 24th February 2014Pupils Resume from February Break on Monday 24th February 2014Pupils Resume from February Break on Monday 24th February 2014Pupils Resume from February Break on Monday 24th February 2014Pupils Resume from February Break on Monday 24th February 2014Pupils Resume from February Break on Monday 24th February 2014

Parents/Carers can pass on information about pupil attendance when the school is closed – just leave a message on the answer phone

(0131) 664 7440 and it will be picked up on the next working day.




NEWSLETTER PUBLISHERS

Conlan RobertsonInterviewer

Mr S. WhyteEditor and Designer

Ms E. TaylorProofreader

How to contact the school:

Gracemount High School

Lasswade Road

Edinburgh

EH16 6TZ

Tel. (0131) 664 7440 Fax. (0131) 664 3902

e-mail: [email protected]




mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

December Newsletter 2013 - Gracemount High Schoolgracemounthighschool.co.uk/resources/School... · students on how we can improve, and we are more than happy to hear your suggestions