Holidays & Parents’ Evenings 11 August: In-Service Day 5 February: S3 Subject Evening 12 August: In-Service Day 12 February: In-Service Day 13 August: School re-opens for pupils 13 & 16 February: Holidays 6-17 October: Autumn Holiday 6-17 April: Easter Holiday 27-31 October: Outward Bound 4 March: S4 Parents’ Evening 6 November: S1 Parents’ Evening 17 February: S3 Parents’ Evening 19 November: S4 Parents’ Evening 16 March: S2 Parents’ Evening 27-28 November: In-Service days 4 May: Holiday 9 December S5/6 Parents’ Evening 26 June: Summer Holiday 24 December-7 January: Christmas Holiday

Key Contact Information School Phone Number: 01575 577200 School Email: webstershigh@webstershigh.angus.gov.uk Websites Webster’s High: www.webstershigh.angus.sch.uk (not yet live) Webster’s Parents: www.webstersparents.org.uk/ Angus Council: www.angus.gov.uk/ There have been various difficulties in building and maintaining an adequate school website in recent years. However, we believe the main problems have been solved there will be a much more satisfactory site in 2014-15. It will contain key information about the school (and we welcome the opinion of parents on what they would like to see available) and it will also have a Twitter feed which will be used to provide up to the minute news on, for example, snow closures, delayed buses, trips out, sports’ fixtures, etc. The Parents’ Council website is an excellent resource. The PC will shortly be choosing a new chair and committee. Details will be published before the October break. Headteacher: Mrs Jane Esson (from August 2014) Year Heads: S5/6 Mr Currie S4 Mr Smart S3 Dr Matthew S1/2Mrs Collins Pupil Care & Support Staff (contact for any pastoral issues):

Clova: Ms Hutchison; Isla: Mrs Tosh; Moy: Mrs Murray; Prosen: Ms McGregor

School Trips: A 3 year major trips’ schedule will be issued early in the new session.

WHS Parents’ Newsletter

Summer 2014

School Dux 2014

Webster’s highest academic accolade – School Dux – goes this year to Jack Dunham who did outstandingly well in all his Higher subjects. It is quite a triumph for the Dunham family because Jack’s sister, Alice, was Dux two years ago. Runner-Up – our Proxime Accessit – is Heather Horsman. This is a tremendous achievement for Heather because she only came to Webster’s from Canada some eighteen months ago. She has fitted in very well and has been a real star academically. Many congratulations to both Jack and Heather who are pictured above at the Edinburgh-Angus Garden party. This club awards prizes to local secondary schools every year at a reception held in one of the area’s country houses. This year it was in the superb setting of Glamis Castle.

S4

County Sports

Once again Webster’s athletes punched well above their weight at the County Sports. In spite of missing some potential medallists who were on the Barcelona trip, the team finished third overall, a really impressive performance. Listed below are the medallists but it was a real team effort, with excellent spirit shown throughout the day.

Pictured above are our three double Gold Medallists: Katie Anderson – 400 & 800 metres Ben Starkey – 100 metres & Long Jump Connor Campbell – High & Triple Jump

Event P Pupil High Jump 2 Robbie Bannerman 80 Hrdles 3 Robbie Bannerman 800 mtrs 2 Lewis McLure Javelin 3 Lewis McLure Shot 3 George Horseman

Event P Pupil Relay 3 George, Lewis, Robbie, Euan 1500mtrs 2 Morven Adams 200 mtrs 1 Hannah Dryden High Jump 1 David Carr 800 mtrs 3 Kirsty Randalls Discus 1 Aiden Yule 1500 mtrs 3 Kirsty Randalls Discus 1 Niamh Grunenberg High Jump 1 Connor Campbell 100 mtrs 1 Ben Starkey Triple jmp 1 Connor Campbell Long Jmp 1 Ben Starkey 400 mtrs 2 Ben Reid High Jump 1 Chris Reid Hurdles 3 Louis Starkey Triple Jmp 1 Kane Alison 800 mtrs 1 Katie Anderson 80 hurdles 2 Kane Alison 400 mtrs 1 Katie Anderson 800 mtrs 2 Scott Gordon 200 mtrs 1 Eilidh de Klerk 200 mtyrs 2 Finlay Scott High Jmp 2 Eilidh de Klerk 1500 mtrs 3 Evan Whyte 100 mtrs 2 Eilidh de Klerk Discus 2 Maggie Maxwell 1500 mtrs 1 Molly Redford 200 mtrs 2 Niamh O’Callaghan Triple Jmp 2 Molly Redford 100 mtrs 2 Niamh O’Callaghan Shot 2 Grace Eadie 75 Hrdles 2 Pip de Klerk Discus 2 Dana Soutar 1500 mtrs 3 Adele Robertson Long Jmp 3 Maddie Heath Shot 3 Bethany Cowan Relay 2 Molly, Grace, Maddie, Eilidh

Champion Young Engineers

Webster’s High School in Angus has been awarded the Lloyd’s Register Foundation Secondary Club of the Year 2014 from Young Engineers and Science Clubs Scotland (YESC), a programme run by the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI), during its recent annual get together at the Celebration of Engineering and Science at the BT Murrayfield

Stadium, Edinburgh. Jim Milton of Webster’s High School said: “We are thrilled to have been recognised by Young Engineers and Science Club Scotland. Our pupils had a fantastic day at the Celebration and the Awards Ceremony and it’s great recognition for all of the staff and pupils involved”. Jane Martin, Programme Director of Young Engineers and Science Clubs said: “Webster’s High School richly deserved its award and this is entirely down to the commitment and enthusiasm of the staff and pupils. Our event showcased all that is good about Science and Engineering and Webster’s High School showed particular prowess in bringing the subject alive in the classroom in a challenging but fun way. They fully deserved the award.” Young Engineers and Science Clubs is a leading source of inspiration, excitement and resources for past, present and future generations of young scientists and engineers in Scotland. Pictured with their trophy are: Andrew Smith, Hannah Dryden, Rosie Robertson, Gemma Robertson & Matthew Low

Retirals This summer sees the retiral of four long serving members of staff. Pride of place must go to Mrs Alison Ramsay. Alison has been teaching Home Economics in Webster’s for thirty-one years. For some of that time she was a Guidance teacher and also the EIS representative in the school. She has worked with three rectors and three heads of Home Economics and witnessed three extensions to the original school building. She is professional in absolutely everything she does and we wish her a long and happy retirement. Her husband Derek has been a stalwart mini-bus driver for us in the last couple of years. We hope Alison will release him from domestic duties to continue this good work next session as well. Mrs Gail Foulis and Mrs Alison Summers have been on our permanent staff since 2005 and 2004 respectively, though Alison first worked at Webster’s in the late 1980s. In Business Studies and History they have prepared many pupils for external exams, retaining a keen interest in their subjects which we are sure they will continue into their retirement. Also leaving is the rector, Mr Eric Summers, after seventeen years in charge at Webster’s. His reflections on his time in post are printed elsewhere in this Newsletter. We wish all four an excellent retirement and hope they will stay in touch with the school over the coming years.

Parent Council As you know we are raising money to buy a new minibus for the school and we’re very nearly there. As a final push, we thought it would be great to support the school’s eco-aware agenda by promoting recycling in the form of a second hand school uniform sale! The idea is that parents donate those items of clothing that were grown out of/ discarded far before their use-by date and we sell them to raise funds for the minibus. Recycling good quality school uniform makes a lot of sense. As well as reducing waste, it reduces carbon emissions caused by manufacturing the clothing, which in turn offsets slightly the emissions we will generate with the new minibus. And of course there is the added bonus of helping our pockets with a bargain or two. Please donate CLEAN, GOOD QUALITY, items of school uniform (removing all names first please!) to the school and we’ll collect them, sort them and size them and when we have enough, we’ll announce a sale which we really hope that you’ll support, feeling very green about yourself! If successful, we’d like to continue this idea on an annual sale basis and once we’ve raised enough to buy the minibus, we’d propose splitting any future profits between the Kenyan School Link and a future Minibus fund. The Parent Council would like to extend a warm thanks to all the families for their generosity of time, money and energy in helping to raise the funds necessary for the minibus and very much hope that you’ll support this one last final push to get a new bus for the new term. Many thanks Jane Stork (Chair, WHS Parent Council) The Rector adds: Jane is stepping down in September. She has been a wise counsellor and wonderful supporter of the school. She is seen here speaking to P7 Parents. She will chair our Prizegiving at the end of term and her final duty will be to lead the PC AGM in September when her fine work will be properly recognised, perhaps with a photograph alongside our new minibus for which she has so assiduously campaigned.

Learning Lessons from Finland & Estonia

Finland and Estonia have highly regarded education systems internationally. In the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings these countries

came first and second respectively for pupil attainment in science education in Europe (Britain by comparison is ninth in Europe). In February of this year I received notice that I had been awarded a Winston Churchill travel scholarship which would enable me to travel to Finland and Estonia to spend time in schools to try and learn the secrets of their success. On the 3rd of May I arrived in Finland and spent the first week in the Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Natural Sciences. The school specialised in science education for pupils aged 16-19. During the second week I visited a school called Kulosaaren which was a bilingual school teaching in both Finnish and English to pupils aged 14-19. In both these schools it was interesting to learn about the Finnish science curriculum as well as the way pupils are taught science and how they are assessed. After two weeks in Finland I made the short ferry crossing to Tallinn the capital of Estonia. Here I spent time in two schools called Realkool and Viimsi. Realkool was a highly selective school where pupils had to pass entrance tests just to study there. It also specialised in science education. Viimsi school was like Webster’s in that it did not select pupils based on their ability. In all four schools I spent time observing lessons, talking with teachers and pupils and recording my findings on a daily basis. The trip has certainly opened my eyes to many different aspects of teaching. The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust would like me to broadcast my findings to as many people as possible. I have already given a talk to staff and if parents/carers would like to hear about what I have learned they should write to me at the school (webmcintyren@webstershigh.angus.sch.uk). If there is sufficient interest I will arrange a presentation in the new term after the summer holidays. By the end of September I have to produce a report of my findings which will be made available to the public. The report can be found on the Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts website: http://www.wcmt.org.uk/ Dr Neil McIntyre (Chemistry teacher)

Webster’s Teacher at CERN

In February this year Physics teacher, Mr Taylor, visited the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva with a group of science teachers from across the UK. The visit gave teachers the opportunity to have the functions and operations of a variety of cutting edge experiments explained by the scientists and engineers who work at CERN.Mr Taylor attended lectures from some.

of CERN’s top researchers, took part in practical workshops and visited key site facilities such as the Large Hadron Collider’s CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) detector, which was instrumental in the discovery of the famous Higgs Boson particle. Since his return Mr Taylor has given talks to all year groups at assembly and has delivered more detailed lessons on the research being carried out at CERN to his science and physics classes. Along with Mrs McGregor, who visited CERN in 2013, Mr Taylor is using his experiences to help develop the new CfE Higher Physics course which contains lots of exciting new content on particle physics. Mr Taylor described his visit, which was organised and funded by the National Science Learning Centre, as “the trip of a lifetime and one which I will try to make sure is of benefit to the whole of Webster’s High School. I certainly know a lot more about the important work being carried out at CERN and I hope to pass this on in my science lessons in the future.”

Queensferry Bridge Outing

A party of new 4th year pupils travelled to Queensferry in May to view the construction of the new bridge over the River Forth. This is the only place in the world where three major bridges constructed in three centuries are so close together. The students learned about the new bridge’s design, construction techniques, quantities of major materials involved, etc. A follow-up visit has been confirmed for next May when the structure of the cable-stayed bridge will be much more visible.

Some Reflections on Leaving Webster’s My retirement has taken me by surprise. Suddenly it has come upon me in a completely unplanned way and that has left me a little bewildered. How, I’m wondering, has this happened because, surely, it was only a few weeks ago that I was sitting behind the Rector’s desk at Webster’s High for the first time? The words of my own first headteacher, spoken in Falkirk more than thirty years ago, were clearly in my mind on my first day in Webster’s. “You’re off to Angus,” he said. “That might be for a few years. It might be for the rest of your career.” It has, indeed, been for the rest of my career, working first in Forfar Academy, then Montrose Academy and finally Webster’s High. I had a year at Montrose Academy as Acting Rector and I’ve done seventeen years here. Eighteen years in charge. It’s probably enough and, unexpected or not, it is time for someone else, with fresh thinking and new energy and enthusiasm to take the school on to the next stage. That person will be Mrs Jane Esson, a very highly-regarded Depute at Forfar Academy. I wish her well for all her years in charge at Webster’s. She will find it an exciting experience. Certainly I myself am not in any way bored by the job, or any less convinced of the importance of education, or any less committed to its delivery in a comprehensive, local authority, burgh school. It is good that Webster’s High is part of Angus Council and especially good that it still sits at the heart of the community of Kirriemuir and the surrounding area. Webster’s High was founded in 1837 by local banker John Webster and 177 years later it is important that it is still seen as “our school” with close links to local people and organisations. I trust it never becomes just a processing machine for anonymous young people who have to obtain exam certificates. I hope it is and will remain one part, albeit a particularly important part, of a community that values its young people and collectively wishes to support them as they grow up and become responsible and confident citizens. They are on a journey and we should all be travelling with them. My own professional journey has taught me much, has had its highs and lows, its thrills and its challenges, but throughout I have worked with some remarkable people, especially here in Webster’s. The support and trust from parents has been extraordinary and the work of the School Board, now Parent Council, under the chairmanship of Jim Ritchie, Alastair Cluley, Alan Weir and latterly Jane Stork has been exemplary. From the Police I worked closely with Phil Aiken and Pam Colvin who both hugely exceeded what was reasonable to expect of them in their dealings with young people. The Rotary Club and the Alexander Trust have been very generous to the school. The external agencies of Angus Council have been unstinting in the way they have provided additional input to the school. The Chaplaincy

team, led throughout my time by Malcolm Rooney, has shared with the school a belief in the potential of our young people and has regularly provided superb enhancement to the learning process. School staff, teaching and non-teaching, show a passion for this school every day. We are human. We can get it wrong! But most of the time I think we have got it right because, at the end of the day, we are all wanting the same thing: the best possible education for our pupils and your sons and daughters. The young people themselves have provided the best moments in my career, and these have been recorded over the years in Parents’ Newsletters. Exam results, the Curriculum 2000 Award, the fantastic Talent Shows, the success in cross-country and other sports, the girls winning the Scottish Cup, our athletes winning the County Sports, our skiers becoming Scottish champions, most recently our engineering team’s triumphs (recorded in this very Newsletter) and so much else. The list could go on and on. We should all take pride in these successes. These are our young folk. So what of their journey? Growing up and making your way in the world has always been challenging. Previous generations lived through – or didn’t – the horrors of the Great War, the Second World War and the Cold War. In truth we should be grateful that we live when we do. But our 21st century world does have its own perils: globalized competition, uncertain employment, a changing world order, terrorism, global warming, resource shortages, mass migrations and much more. Our job as educationalists and parents is to build in our young people resilience and ingenuity, compassion and understanding, willpower and wellbeing, knowledge and skills. We try to equip them to cope; more than that we wish to help them find satisfaction and happiness in their lives. Just as previous generations wanted it to be better for us, so we must have the highest hopes for our children. That is the big picture! As we struggle with the complexities of the new National exams and the intricacies of curriculum change in our schools, we must remember what ultimately Curriculum for Excellence is about: preparing our young people for the rapidly changing world they will inherit. It has thrilled me throughout my time as Rector to see children grow up, become young adults, leave Webster’s and go off to make their way in the world. I thank them all, and the parents and the staff I have worked with for so many years, for giving me such a happy and fulfilling career. And I wish all who work in and with Webster’s in the future every possible success in the years to come. Eric Summers Rector Webster’s High 1997-2014

School Captains and Prefects 2014-15

The new school captains who have been chosen after a very rigorous selection process are Lewis Headridge and Caitlin Whatley. They are pictured here with their team of vice-captains: Amy-Jo Randalls, Grace Eadie, Danielle Mackay and Lorcan Dyer. They have already made a terrific start to their duties, helping with the appointment of a new Rector and running a disco for P7 pupils.

We wish them a very successful year. At the time of writing interviews are ongoing for all the other prefect positions. A full list will be published next session.

New Head Teacher

The new Head Teacher of Webster’s High is Mrs Jane Esson. She succeeds Mr Eric Summers in August. Mrs Esson has built a very strong reputation locally in recent years for her work as Depute at Forfar Academy. Before that she was a Physics teacher and then Principal Teacher in charge of raising attainment at Arbroath Academy. We wish her a long, happy and successful time at Webster’s as she leads the school into the next phase of Curriculum for Excellence.

Curriculum for Excellence – the Next Stage Webster’s pupils along with young people across Scotland, have been sitting the new National exams. It is difficult to predict how the results will turn out but what we can say is that the exams turned out to be fair and impressively trouble-free. It has certainly been a challenging year with plenty of stresses and strains along the way, but the candidates and teachers got over the finishing line and they deserve everyone’s congratulations. The effort put in by our SQA candidates this year has been exceptional (the Library was full during the Easter break!) and that willingness to commit to the task in hand – that mindset - will stand them in good stead for life, whatever passes they achieve or fail to achieve on this occasion. And now it is on to the new Highers. Apart from a very few exceptions Angus schools, quite rightly, are building on what has been accomplished so far and are implementing the next stage of CfE in 2014-15. We can be sure that the 13-14 drive to exam success will continue in 14-15.

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games are only weeks away and as Glasgow makes its final preparations, Webster's kickstarted the excitement with its own games. All pupils from S2 and S3 adopted a Commonwealth country and over 3 days competed against each other across a number of activities. Pupils worked individually and in groups to learn about the Commonwealth and their adopted country. Using their artistic abilities and ICT skills pupils also created mascots, flags

and postcards. All pupils experienced a range of Commonwealth sports from rugby to lawn bowls. Thanks to funding, brand new equipment was introduced and boxing padwork proved very popular! Every pupil represented their country

in sporting tournaments, knock-out competitions, and races. Pupils enjoyed a bbq lunch in the sunshine before the medal ceremony took place. Every country took home a medal but it was India who topped the table overall! Special thanks to the young ambassadors.

Barcelona

At the start of June thirty-four pupils, accompanied by four members of staff, visited Barcelona. Leaving at 3am on Sunday 8th June, much of the first day was spent in the hotel recuperating from the early start and making good use of the hotel swimming pool. Monday saw the group visiting the Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona, before heading into the city centre to have lunch and then see examples of Gaudi’s famous architecture, including Casa Batlló, the Sagrada Familia and Parc Güell. On Tuesday, the group visited the Dali museum in Figueres in the morning. In the afternoon, the group returned Barcelona to visit La Boquería market on Las Ramblas, travel by cable car to Montjuïc and spend some time in either the Olympic swimming pool or the Miró art museum. The group spent Wednesday in Port Aventura theme park, with all pupils and (most) teachers making the most of the opportunity to experience rides such as Dragon Khan and Hurakan Condor. After four full days of sunshine and searing temperatures, the group returned home. All pupils were a credit to the school throughout the trip and their excellent behaviour was commented upon by passengers and crew on both flights, particularly during the long hold on the runaway before the plane took off for home. (A later Paris trip will be reported in the next Newsletter)

Commonwealth Baton Carrier

Robin Baillie was selected after a searching selection process to be a baton carrier for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games when the relay passes through Angus on 28 June. Robin is a Sports Young Ambassador. That led to his nomination and the vote which followed decided that he would be the one to receive the honour. He’ll be running 200 metres through the centre of Kirriemuir at 3.56pm if everything goes to plan. He has been given a Commonwealth tracksuit. At the time of writing he still has to decide whether to wear the tracksuit or a kilt.

Angus Spirit of Jubilee Adventure

The 3rd Jubilee Spirit of Adventure walk took place on June14. All concerned enjoyed a fantastic day. There were pupils from across Angus who mixed well, enjoying the camaraderie of the walk which finished at the Glen Clova Hotel. Several pupils won themselves a Ridgway Adventure Centre Holiday including Caitlin Milne from WHS.

Angus Book Award The pupils in class 2C took part in the Angus Book Award this session. They read three books: "Heroic" by Phil Earle, "The Night Sky In My Head" by Sarah Hammond and "The Savages" by Matt Whyman, the latter being a clear favourite. While some class time was given over to reading the books and discussion of the plots, characters and themes, most of the work was done at home and the pupils engaged well with this task, with many of them reading all three books. In preparation for the final ceremony, the class spent time getting to grips with Movie Maker and created digital book trailers which showcased their understanding of the central concerns of the texts. The visiting author was Sarah Hammond and one of the trailers for her book was selected by the class to be shown at the ceremony. The pupils were delighted to hear

that the author requested a copy of their trailer as she found it impressive. The author visit was very successful and the pupils who attended the evening ceremony clearly enjoyed themselves as all comments were positive; some pupils even bought signed copies of the authors' latest novels and were looking forward to reading them. This demonstrates the importance of the Angus

Book Award in encouraging reading for enjoyment.

From Blackboard to Smartboard

I started teaching in WHS in 1983 when the Home Economics Department was in a separate building next to the original 1837 building, which sadly burned down. This building had been used as an annex of Webster’s Seminary since early in the 20th century and indeed as a pupil there I must

have used some of the original equipment! It was an interesting place to work especially in colder weather when the mice would scamper across the floor during lessons. In 1992 the HE Department moved into the main building so my “wellies” became (almost) redundant. For the first time the whole school could savour the sounds and smells of HE in full swing. Finally another move to the new custom built extension so that the Health faculty could truly work together. During my teaching career like many before me I have seen so much change. I started out using large blue Registers which had to be completed manually at the end of each week – woe betide you if you made a mistake! During the intervening year I have moved from jotters and a chalk blackboard to computers, smart boards, ipads, internet and email. Harking back to an even earlier era there were also separate Ladies and Gents staff rooms. Even in 1983 the school had grown beyond its capacity to house all the classes in the building and many were taught in “temporary” huts in what was the garden ground used by the “vocational” classes. In their day these huts housed Geography, Science, Art, Business Studies, History, English even a fledgling IT department so it was a relief when the building was extended. The school today is a larger, better equipped school complex more fitting to meet the needs of its pupils and staff where all pupils, regardless of their abilities, are truly given a chance to meet their individual potential. So from blackboard to smart board it has certainly been an interesting adventure. Alison Ramsay Webster’s High 1983-2014