Newsletter December 2014 - Gracemount High School...GRACEMOUNT HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTER ISSUE NO.1 DECEMBER 2007DECEMBER 2014 Prelims will take place 12th-20th January 2015

PAGE ! www.gracemounthighschool.co.uk/1

Welcome!

NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO.1 DECEMBER 2007

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to the Christmas Edition of our Newsletter

As I write this many of our pupils are currently rehearsing for the Christmas Show which I am sure will be a great evening of entertainment. It is an ideal opportunity for our young people to showcase their skills and talents and I very much look forward to meeting you if you are able to attend.

Since I took up post on Monday 3 November I have spent a significant amount of my time out and about around the school engaging with staff and pupils and I have been very impressed with the majority of our learners who are working hard, dressing appropriately and behaving well. This enables teachers to really focus on the learning and teaching process and benefits all members of the school community. As we progress into a new year there will be an increased focus on respect across the school and this will link closely to a review of the current positive behaviour policy. I will update the Parent Council during our January meeting on our progress and I would welcome any input from members of our community. Please continue to read the Head Teacher blog which will keep you updated. It can be accessed here.

To date the winter weather has been very kind to us, however, we are well aware that Scotland can experience all seasons in one day and we do have procedures in place if the weather takes a turn for the worst. As always the safety of our staff and students is 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 to keep in touch by ensuring we have up to date contact details, particularly mobile numbers and email addresses, so that we can contact you at all times.

The article continues…

PAGES 1 & 2• Welcome

PAGE 3• S4-S6 Prelims (Jan 2015)

PAGE 4• Senior Cake Decoration

Show Their Colours

• Congratulations to Science Student Ryan Ferguson

PAGE 5• Christmas Cakes

• Question Time Debate

PAGE 6• Gracie’s Got Talent 2014

• Happy Hens Volunteering

PAGE 7• Business Eduction Coca-

Cola Trip

• John Muir Discovery Award

PAGE 8• Careers Academy Course

PAGE 9• Photography Trip

• Cute Pets Competition

PAGES 10 - 12• News from Drama

• Theatre Trip to Wicked

PAGE 13• Numbers Day

• Subscribe to our Calendars

PAGES 14 &15• Parental Support for

School Uniform

PAGE 16• Parental E-Mail Contact

PAGE 17• Sixty-Second Interview

PAGE 18• News from Modern

Languages

PAGE 19• News from Music

PAGES 20-22• News from P.E.

PAGE 23• Holyrood Apple Day

PAGE 24• Hour of Code

• Charity Committee Update

PAGES 25 & 26• School Term Dates

PAGE 27• Contact Details

GRACEMOUNT HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2014

Get all our latest updates here.

http://www.gracemounthighschool.co.uk/Latest_Updates/Headteacher_Update/index.html

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

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

http://www.gracemounthighschool.co.uk/Latest_Updates/Headteacher_Update/index.html



It has been an exciting few weeks in the school. First, a film maker from London has been working with the school shooting a video highlighting the sector leading practice of our 1:1 policy (iPads). We hope that this video will be available for viewing early in 2015 and I will keep you posted. We are committed to continuing with this 1:1 policy and planning ahead to ensure our new S3 cohort are provided with iPads for the start of the new session. Secondly, Mrs Semple has secured £5,000 for an Access to Education fund from Education Scotland which will be used to develop and sustain wider access opportunities in the curriculum for a number of our pupils. This is a fantastic achievement and will go a long way to support the school in continuing to provide an engaging curriculum.

Our Senior Phase students are studying hard for their prelim examinations which start on Monday 12 January. All pupils will be issued with a generic prelim timetable before the end of term and a personalised timetable when they return after the Xmas break. These examinations are very important as an indicator of individual progress. It is vital that work in school is supported by a programme of study out of school. The staff commit considerably to this and our GASS programme of supported study is ongoing. I would very much encourage all our learners to engage with the opportunity that GASS provides so they can maximise their potential and perform to a high standard in their examinations.

On a personal note it has been a delight to have joined the Gracemount High School community and I am thoroughly enjoying my time at the school. As each day and week passes I am feeling more at home and I am continuing to work hard to get to know the staff, young people, parents and partners. As a school we will be revisiting our vision, values and aims and will be engaging our pupils, parents/carers and partners in this process. It is an exciting time for the school as we continue our journey to excellence and I am keen to work with staff and our partner agencies to ensure the best outcomes for every young person that attends this school. It is a privilege to work at Gracemount High School and to serve the community. I very much look forward to building on the success of the school in the years to come.

Finally, I would like to wish you all Seasons Greetings and a Prosperous New Year.

Pupils will be released from school at 12:35pm on Friday 19th December 2014 and they will resume on Tuesday 6 January 2015.

Mr Ross HunterHeadteacher

NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO.1 DECEMBER 2007 GRACEMOUNT HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2014




Prelims will take place 12th-20th January 2015. The prelim timetable can be downloaded here.

Please find below some guidelines for prelims.

S4-6 pupils should check the prelim timetable to make sure you do not have any examinations that clash with each other. If you have a clash, see Mr Mackenzie (Business Manager) immediately. Pupils will also get a personal prelim timetable after the holidays.

School uniform must be worn as normal.

Please report for each exam 10 minutes before the start time.

You must attend school as normal and you will be released from classes to sit exams. You should return to class after your exam unless it is break, lunch or the end of the school day.

You will be allocated seat numbers for each exam. These will be on the Drama Studio door and your personal prelim timetable. Make sure you know your seat number before entering the exam room. You must sit in this seat – this is so we can check you are present.

Be polite and follow the instructions of the Invigilators. They will tell you when you can leave the exam room.

Bring all the equipment you will need. All exams must be written in black or blue pen unless you are told otherwise.

NO MOBILE PHONES, iPADS OR MP3 PLAYERS SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO THE EXAM ROOM – IF YOU DO THEN THEY MUST BE SWITCHED OFF, IN YOUR BAGS OR

HANDED IN TO THE INVIGILATORS.

BAGS SHOULD BE LEFT AT THE FRONT OF THE EXAM ROOM.

Good luck!

By,

Mr S. MacKenzieBusiness Manager

Important information about…

Prelims in 2015 for S4-S6 Students

http://gracemounthighschool.co.uk/resources/Short-Term-Documents/2015-Prelim-TT-PUPILS.pdf


http://gracemounthighschool.co.uk/resources/Short-Term-Documents/2015-Prelim-TT-PUPILS.pdf


The senior Cake Production class were asked to design and make a cake to show their house colour.

House points were awarded so the competition was fierce. The winner this year was Tiree with the Beehive cake. Well done Tiree!

Thanks to Mrs Sinclair, Mrs Brown and Mr McKenzie for their unbiased judging. Unlike The Great British Bake Off there was no tasting.

Article by,

Ms GillanTeacher of Home Economics


Senior Cake Decoration class…

Show Their House Colours

We are absolutely delighted to report that Ryan Ferguson, our Head Boy has got through to the finals

in the National Science and Engineering Competition. Ryan has been invited down to Birmingham in

March to present the findings from the project he carried out in the summer at The Roslin Institute.

Ryan worked very hard in the laboratory doing research work on bone development in mice and

writing up his findings. He produced a poster which is currently on display in the Science corridor.

We would like to congratulate him on reaching this far in this very demanding national competition

and wish him luck in the finals.

Article By,

Dr. Burt

Curricular Leader of Science

Congratulations to Senior Student…

Ryan Ferguson



This has been one of my favourite classes this year, I have enjoyed making all the cakes and coming up with different ideas with the fondant icing and type of cake I want to make.

The latest thing we had been making has been a Christmas Gingerbread house, this was one of my favourite bakes as this had been quite challenging as all the shaped of each wall and roof had to be exact, and I enjoyed working on my house with royal icing and making small snowmen and Santa's feet from the chimney made out of fondant icing.

Article by,Jack LaneCake Decoration Student


Senior Cake Decoration class…

Create Christmas Cakes

The seniors attended a Question Time debate featuring our elected MSPs

and MP who discussed the Independence Referendum. Our Business

Manager Mr Mackenzie chaired the event. Many thanks to Ian Murray (MP),

Alison Johnstone (MSP), Kenny MacAskill (MSP) and Gavin Brown (MSP) for

participating.

Article by,

Ms Livingston

Teacher of Modern Studies

Students attend an organised…

Question Time Debate



Pupils across the school were asked to demonstrate their talents by entering Gracies’s Got Talent 2014. There were lots of acts who were brave enough to put themselves forward and the quality of talent on show was of a very high level. There were many dancers, singers and musicians but surprisingly no comedians!

Each house’s acts went up in front of our panel of staff judges and two were picked to go forward to the semi final. The semi finals took place in the dining hall at lunch time and each house was the able to vote for the act they wanted to represent them in the final. We wait in great anticipation for the Final which will take place during the assembly on the last day of term.

Article by,

Mr GregorTeacher of Physical Education


Pupils gear up for…

Gracie’s Got Talent 2014

Jay Watson and Destiny Duncan have been volunteering at Happy Hens in the Scottish

Borders. This is a working farm with many animals – not just hens! When at Happy Hens, Jay

and Destiny help out in all areas of farming. They have proven themselves to be hard working,

responsible and confident. Well done to both

Jay and Destiny!

Article by,

Ms Semple

Teacher of Behaviour Support

Students do a terrific job by volunteering at…

Happy Hens



In October, 25 S3 pupils went on a Business trip to Coca Cola Enterprise in East Kilbride. This is the only plant in Scotland that makes and bottles many of Coca Cola’s products.

On arrival we had to put on high-visibility vests, then informed of the rules for being in this working plant. We were introduced to the history of Coca Cola through a brief video then we were shown (via raised, and covered walkways) the production process.

We saw the process starting up for Coca Cola 500ml plastic bottles, from the bottle being blown to the end process of them being packaged up in lots of 24. Approximately 700 bottles are produced every minute, one for every pupil in school with a few spare – if we weren’t a healthy school. Bottles flew round the production room, being filled, labelled, sealed and packaged up.

We all received a refreshing drink of either water or Capri-Sun while taking part in a brief discussion around brand labelling and product containers. On our departure all pupils received a pen. The bus journey home was a quiet one as many pupils fell asleep – recovering from a very productive morning.

Article by,

Mrs S. ValentineTeacher of Business Education


S3 Business pupils take part in a…

Coca-Cola Trip

Congratulations go to 7 of our S1 boys who successfully

achieved their John Muir Discovery Award.

The boys have been working hard over the past 6 weeks

discovering wild places, exploring their natural

surroundings and conserving the environment. The boys

visited Dunbar to research John Muir whom the award is

named after and volunteered at the Mansion Garden

Project, Gracemount. To recognise this marvellous

achievement a ceremony was held in school where family

and friends were invited to share in their success.

Well done Brandon Bova, Dylan Butler, Rourke McCardle, Brendan McKenna, Colin McKinnon, Dylan Redpath

and Mark Wilkinson.

Article by,Ms S. SempleTeacher of Behaviour Support

Congratulations to pupils who achieve their…

John Muir Discovery Award



11 Gracemount pupils have embarked on a 2 year Career Academies course aimed at developing their career aspirations and employability skills.

“We applied for Career Academy to gain more confidence and experience. Another reason was to get more of an understanding of the working world and completing this course will help us find jobs in the future.”Jack and Craig

“To join Careers Academy we had to fill in an application form. We were then given an interview from Mr Gregor and a lady from the council. This let us know if we got into the Career Academy and also what would be expected of us during the course.” Jordan and Scott

“The launch event was a day to meet our mentors and talk about what the next two years hold. It was a great experience to listen to many speakers and their journey. Craig Mathieson spoke about his incredible journeys to the north and poles, which was really inspiring.”Siobhan and Amy

“We meet up with our mentors to discuss future plans and how to achieve them. My mentor helped me create a CV and educate me on the skills I need for the work environment.”Erin and Caitlyn

“We have attended a PENNA workshop in which we gained a realisation of our own personal skills and how we can promote these when going for a job. We also learned about the benefits of our internship and interview skills. We found this very useful for our entry to the world of work.”Katie and Aimee


Gracemount High starts a new...

Careers Academy Course



Senior photography students got the chance to visit Venture Photography Studio.

The trip allowed students to learn about the business/industry and possible careers as well as looking at the professional equipment.


Senior Students take part in a...

Photography Trip

Thank you to everyone who entered this competition.

We now have a winner and have added up all of the money. The winner is Wallace Davies, well done!

The total we have raised for Macmillan Cancer is £43.72. Here is Wallace sleeping on the trainers.

Thank you for your support. Miss Davies - your Pets at Home voucher is on its way! Tara Scott and Jay WatsonGHS Students

Gracemount students organise a charity...

Cute Pets Competition




News from the...

Drama DepartmentS1s have been working hard over the last couple of

months to develop their mime skills, and have just

completed their assessments titled 'The Burglary.'

These have been very entertaining - well done S1!

Physical theatre is the unit that S3s have focussed on

over the last few weeks, and the class have created

some very visually stunning work. See photographs on

Twitter - @DramaGHS

Seniors who have chosen Acting for their performance

examination have been cast. The two N3/4/5 classes are

doing edited versions of Be My Baby by Amanda

Whittington, and Blooded by Isabel Wright. The Highers

are doing a range of extracts from Antigone, The

Importance of Being Earnest, Waiting for Godot, Men Should

Weep, Miss Julie, Hoors and Mogadishu. Holiday

homework is learning lines please! The Performance

Exam will likely take place in late February or March.

Mrs Whyte is very excited to see how our senior

students interpret these roles when we return in

January.

Article by,

Mrs Whyte

Teacher of Drama

https://twitter.com/dramaghs

https://twitter.com/dramaghs




More news from the...

Drama DepartmentDrama Club is open to all, but comprises mostly of

S1-3 pupils. Pupils are invited to use their

imagination and skills of improvisation, devising, and

performance every week.

The Drama Club Christmas Show on Monday 8th

December was an informal production, sharing our

recent work with friends and teachers.

This included dramas, monologues, comedies and rehearsed readings of new work the pupils had

written themselves. This event followed our hugely successful Summer Show which showed a range

of immensely high quality work, and was well attended by friends and family.

For the next few weeks, we plan to have fun workshops on a weekly basis, but we may do another

Drama Club show for the Summer - watch this space!

"Drama Club is an amazing group of about 20 people. If you like performing, Drama Club is the place - we

perform small plays for our friends and family. It helps a lot if you want to learn at bit more about Drama.

Come along and join in the fun - Mondays 3:30-4:30pm. We have a great laugh.”

Cara Wood-Conway, S3 Pupil

The Drama Committee

The Drama committee is a small group of pupils in S1-S6 who all

love Drama. We meet up once a week on a Monday lunchtime and

we plan and organise what Drama events we'd like to do e.g.

workshops for younger pupils, the Summer and Christmas Show,

and theatre trips like Wicked. If you what to get a say about the

Drama department, talk to someone has a drama badge on their

tie.

I had to do a proper application form to join the committee, and

I'm so happy I got in, because everyone that goes loves Drama. The

reason way I joined drama committee is I feel I can do more for

the drama department.

Stephen Hughes, S3 pupil




School trip to see...

WickedThe Drama Department organised a school trip for twenty-five S1-6 to see Wicked - The Musical. This was on Wednesday 26th November at the Playhouse Theatre.

The musical tells the untold story of The Witches of Oz. The costumes and make-up were wonderful, and the singing was simply stunning - especially local lass Ashleigh Gray performing ‘Defying Gravity’ at the end of Act 1. Themes of friendship, identity, individuality, tolerance and bullying are explored, which makes Wicked a perfect choice for a school trip. Pupils and staff loved Wicked! We’d definitely recommend it for anyone who hasn’t seen it!

Thank you to Mrs Fraser, Miss Greig, Mrs Valentine and Miss Taylor who helped supervise.

Article by,

Mrs WhyteTeacher of Drama




Subscribe to our instantly updating whole school and subject based

calendars by clicking on the links below:

GHS Calendars

Ms Purdie and the rest of the Maths Department organised a Numbers Day in order to raise funds for NSPCC on Friday 5th December 2014.

Activities included lessons across the school were numeracy related and included a Maths Fight on the iPads. Students battled against each other to try to get 10 maths questions correct. Chloe Eaton in S3 remained unbeaten in Computing Science until James Malone finally managed to beat her at the game just before the bell.

Other activities included a student question race which involved students answering maths questions by looking at teacher number badges.

A dress down day which involved students wearing clothes which had numbers on them allowed us to raise £350 for NSPCC Well done to all involved!

The Maths Department organise a...

Numbers Day

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


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


Parental Support for....

School Uniform


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

standard of uniform.

The following points will clarify queries:

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.

No shorts are allowed to

be worn unless it is for

P.E.

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.




Parental Support for....

School Footwear


Put your best foot forward in August! Make sure you buy the right shoes for the

new term. Acceptable footwear is plain black shoes, i.e. plimsolls/rubbers, leather shoes,

trainers, etc. See below for what’s acceptable and not acceptable at Gracemount High School:

NOT ACCEPTABLEMust be plain blackNo white rims


NOT ACCEPTABLENo logos


NOT ACCEPTABLENo StripesACCEPTABLE

ACCEPTABLE

ACCEPTABLE

ACCEPTABLE

ACCEPTABLE




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.

Contact Name:

Pupil Name:

Tutor Group:

Email Address:

Gracemount High School

Parental Communication by Email




Q&A Sixty-Second Interview

elcome to our sixty-second interview for the Christmas newsletter. This interview is with Modern Languages Teacher Mr Cardiet.

Here is what he had to say to our questions.

Catch the full podcast on our website here!

W


What is your favourite animal?

My favourite animal is the dolphin.

What is your favourite country?

I’m going to say two countries. The first is France as that’s where my family are and also Scotland because of the wilderness and the waves in the North Coast.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

When I was at university, I missed my bus for an important exam. When I eventually got to the exam, I tripped when entering the classroom. and everyone saw it and laughed.

What is your favourite movie?

My favourite movie is a film called Blade Runner. It is a Science Fiction movie.

What is your favourite food?

My favourite food has to be Crepes as I come from Brittany and this is a traditional food here.

What would you do with one million pounds?

I would probably do a grand tour of the world finding out lots of new places.

I would also go surfing around the world and do some charity work along the way.

What is your favourite sport?

My favourite sport has to be surfing.

What was your first pet?

When I was a kid, I had a rabbit called Zu Zu. It was a small rabbit at first but it ended up being absolutely massive!

What was your favourite subject at school?

P.E, Languages and English were my favourite subjects.

What is your favouritelanguage?

My favourite language would be between French and English, I can’t decide.


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

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




News from the...

Modern Languages Department

International Languages Day

On September 26 it was European International Languages Day.

At Gracemount we took it a stage further and made it last a whole week! We gave The Junior Phase

the opportunity to learn German , Chinese and Swedish. We also had a visit from some Chinese

students so they too had a chance to watch our lessons, learn a little French and help out a bit with

the Mandarin Chinese lessons. The school canteen put on a matching menu for us and the pupils had

a taster of some Bockwurst mit Pommes , Swedish meatballs or Chinese curry. A very busy but

successful week for all.

Boules

The S2 class had a good time playing the French games Boules

with Mr Cardiet and Mr Gregor from P.E. Mr Cardiet

certainly had the edge but then he is French! It was not quite

Cannes in the heat but everyone had fun!

Cinema Trip

Speaking of Cannes, we have had a couple of trips to the

cinema to see the French film "Belle and Sebastian" and the

Spanish film "Quince Anos y un dia." Both M.Cardiet and Ms

Davies said how much they and our pupils enjoyed the films .

Gracemount pupils were also a credit to our school in terms

of behaviour so well done on that front!

Exciting times ahead….

We have recently begun communications with a school in Lyon, France. In May a group of pupils will

visit Gracemount High with their teacher Mme Ferriol and then they will head off to Loch Lomond

and the Trossachs for a few days. Some of our S3 and perhaps the French Higher Class ( SQA exam

revision comes first though!) will join them for a day and an evening where we will get to know our

new French friends. Mme Ferriol came to visit Gracemount last year and she was so impressed she

has set up this exciting new project. Long live the Auld Alliance.




News from the...

Music Department

GHS Christmas Concert.

The lights went down and the audience relaxed as they enjoyed some festive refreshments and a wide variety of performances from Gracie pupils from S1 to S6. Mr Stephen Callaghan, our percussion teacher and Master of Ceremonies for the evening entertained us with his ‘cracker’ jokes between acts which were so popular that our new Head Teacher, Ross Hunter was taking note of them to use over the holidays!

The audience was entertained by dancers, the Junior Band, flute, guitar and vocal ensembles, a variety of soloists and duets and the evening was completed by a raffle draw, a vote of thanks by Ross Hunter and the final Christmas item from the Senior Band.

ABRSM exam results

The following pupils achieved their grade exams in music recently. They are:

Esme Page Grade 1 piano

Murray Scott Grade 1 piano and Grade 4 tenor horn

Congratulations to them both and good luck for their next set of exams in the New Year!

Articles by,

Ms Kerr

Teacher of Music




News from the...

P.E. Department

News from the Court

Basketball is continuing to grow in numbers, with

teams playing across all levels.

Our senior boys won their final group game against

Holyrood. For boys like Brian Aquino and Jenken

Kwok this was their first victory in 6 years of

school Basketball! The commitment and effort

shown with Alex Forster at training on Thursdays is

finally starting to pay off. Well done boys!

Our S2 girls have had a tough season, as the

restructuring of the competitions meant they had

to play against teams a year older. However this

has not dampened their enthusiasm towards the

team, and Kirstie Cook is doing a great job

motivating the girls.

Finally our under 15s boys also managed a win in their last group game, hopefully some of the

footballers can attend more regularly to develop their skills.

Staff -v- Pupil Sport Activities

Over the last few weeks of term the pupils at Gracemount have challenged staff to matches in

various sports. In some close and entertaining ties in Football, Basketball and Badminton – the staff

emerged victorious with a 3-0 clean sweep. All games have been played with great attitude, effort

and sportsmanship. These will be repeated in the

summer term and are a great way for pupils to

build relationships with staff by seeing them out

with the comfort zone of their classroom.

Articles by,

Mr Gregor

Teacher of Physical Education




News from the Higher P.E. Class

Some of the Higher P.E. Pupils enjoyed a day at the Emirates Area, Glasgow for a BBC Get Inspired

event. After a question and answer session with Commonwealth medal winners Euan Burton,

Kimberley and Louise Renicks the pupils took part in some different activities.

As well as a highlight of meeting Grado a professional Scottish Wrestler!

SKIING

Skiing has gone from strength to strength in the PE Department. Look out for more session in 2015.




News from the GHS - School Football Teams

Under 13’s (S1)

The under 13s have had a good start to the season. Ex Gracemount pupil Ross Dray coaches the team every Wednesday after school and the team have played several games so far this season. They currently sit 4th in the league with a couple of games in hand over the team above them so hopefully a good run of results in the New Year will see the boys climb up

the table. S1 practice will start back on Wednesday 7th January 3.30 –

4.30pm.

Under 14’s (S2)

The under 14s have also had a good start to the season. Having moved up from the B division to the A division this season the S2’s have come up against some stronger teams. The boys have risen to the challenge and they currently sit 3rd in the league. S2 practice will start back on

Tuesday 6th January 3.30 – 4.30pm.

Under 15’s (S3)

The under 15s have had a mixed start to the season. They have not managed to play many games due to a number of other schools cancelling last minute. Despite this the boys continue to work hard at practice and will go in to the New Year hoping they can get a run of games together and start climbing the league.

S3 practice will start back on Wednesday 7th January 3.30 – 4.30pm.

S1 – S3 Girls Football

The girl’s football team took part in the Games @ The Hub Football competition back in October where they finished 2nd out of 10 schools. More recently the girls played a friendly match against Liberton High which the girls performed excellent at and deservedly won the game.

Miss Neill is keen to get girls along to practice after school on a Wednesday and is hoping to get a game organised against Holy Rood in January. Information about the start date for practice and the game will be in the bulletin.

Article by,

Mr Kidd

Active Sports Coordinator




Pupils and staff attend the..

Holyrood Apple Day (26th September 2014)

Last session Mr Mackenzie and Mr Patterson collaborated with groups of pupils to design, lay

out and plant a mixed-fruit orchard in our grounds. As a result of our involvement in this

project several of us were invited, along with Mr Patterson, to attend this year’s Holyrood

Apple Day in the Scottish Parliament. This annual event, organised by John Hancox, founder

of the Fruitful Schools project and sponsored by several MSPs, celebrates the planting of

orchards and the growing of different varieties of fruit across Scotland.

As well as an amazing range of apples – many of which we had never seen or even heard of

before – there were some fruit-based cakes and dishes such as quince jam. Amy hadn’t tasted

anything like it before; but Sean and Emmanuel really enjoyed the completely fresh

unprocessed apple juice being squeezed by the press in the corner!

Apple and fruit projects from all over Scotland were there – apples from Clyde Valley, the

Borders and even Shetland. A number of awards were made and Gracemount High collected

the secondary Wee Apple Award for our orchard planting. Our presentation was made by

Alison Johnstone the Green MSP for Lothian.

A really unusual day and event – we look forward to when our orchard bears its own fruit

and we can enjoy tasting it!

Article by,

Amy Drysdale, Sean O’Brien and Emmanuel Ogayemi

Senior Students




Computing Science students take part in the...

Hour of Code 2014

There has been a lot going on since our return from the Summer holidays. Here’s what the Charity

Committee has been up to:

Our staff raised £130.22 for Macmillan Coffee Morning. Thanks to Mrs Gillan, Miss Campbell and

Charities Committee helpers for organising.

'Dance for Drain' raised £145.50 for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Well done to Kirsty Farmer for

organising the event.

The Shorts and T-Shirt Dress Down Day raised £406 towards Mr Drain's memorial bench.

Drum off from Clinton and Emmanuel raised £23 for Marie Curie.

Cute Pets Competition led by Tara Scott and Jay Watson raised £52.00 for Macmillan.

Numbers Day raised £350 for NSPCC- thank you to Maths Department for organising this.

Exciting news from the...

Charity Committee

S3 Students in Computing Science took part in an hour of code. This is a worldwide event which

raises awareness of the importance of being able to code.

Both classes worked hard to produce a program as part of

Numbers Day. The program asked the user some simple,

medium and difficult addition and multiplication questions and

then let the user how many of these questions they got

correct.

After creating this program they created an attractive user

interface and then deployed it to their own iPad Mini as a

working app. Well done to all who took part!

Article by,

Mr Whyte

CL Technologies




Dates for your diary...

School Term Dates (January 2014 - February 2014)

Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1

5th Jan 6th Jan 7th Jan 8th Jan 9th Jan

Staff Resume

Inservice DayPupils Resume

2


S4-S6 Prelims S4-S6 Prelims S4-S6 Prelims S4-S6 Prelims S4-S6 Prelims

3

19th Jan 20th Jan 21st Jan 22nd Jan 23rd Jan

S2 Parent

Consultation

Evening

S3 Tracking

Reports Issued

4


Parent Council

Meeting

19:00 - 21:00

HPV

Immunisations

S3 Parent

Consultation

Evening

Instrumental

Parents

Evening

52nd Feb 3rd Feb 4th Feb 5th Feb 6th Feb

6

9th Feb 10th Feb 11th Feb 12th Feb 13th Feb

February

Holidays

Commences

at 12:35pm

Parents/Guardians 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.





Dates for your diary...

School Term Dates (February 2014 - March 2014)

Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1

16th Feb 17th Feb 18th Feb 19th Feb 20th Feb

Holiday Holiday Holiday Holiday Holiday

2

23rd Feb 24th Feb 25th Feb 26th Feb 27th Feb

All Resume

3

2nd March 3rd March 4th March 5th March 6th March

8 Weeks Until

SQA Exams

Commence

49th March 10th March 11th March 12th March 13th March

Final Dates for Course Choice

Forms

5

16th March 17th March 18th March 19th March 20th March

Vote For Your

School

Prefects

6

23rd March 24th March 25th March 26th March 27th March

7

30th March 31st March 1st April 2nd April 3rd April

Swim

Awareness

Week

(S1, S5 & S6)

Swim

Awareness

Week

(S1, S5 & S6)

Swim

Awareness

Week

(S1, S5 & S6)

Swim

Awareness

Week

(S1, S5 & S6)

Easter

Holidays

Commences

at 12:35pm




NEWSLETTER PUBLISHERS

Conlan Robertson Interviewer

Mr S. Whyte Editor and Designer

Mrs E. Whyte Proofreader

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]

Web: gracemounthighschool.co.uk

Follow Us On Twitter: @GracemountHigh


Get all our latest updates here.




mailto:[email protected]

http://www.gracemounthighschool.co.uk

https://twitter.com/gracemounthigh

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.gracemounthighschool.co.uk

https://twitter.com/gracemounthigh