October 2010

29 October 2010
Published: 29 October 2010

The theme of the assemblies this week has been the environment and the work of the school’s Eco Group. The Biology Department presented the assemblies, encouraging pupils to join the group and take part in the various activities that have been planned. The first major event is the ‘Ecolife’ evening that will take place in the school on Thursday 4 November from 7-9pm (details can be found on the website).

On Wednesday evening the school hosted a very busy S4 Parents’ Consultation Evening. I hope parents/carers found the evening informative about their youngster’s progress. The Preliminary Examinations for all S4 pupils begin on Thursday 4 November. I am sure you join me in wishing all the pupils good luck in these important examinations.

On Wednesday and Thursday evenings, the Higher Drama pupils performed a series of short plays, written and directed by members of the class. I was lucky to catch the Thursday performance and I was impressed by the high standard of every aspect of the performances. The subject matter did not shy away from hard-hitting material, proving very moving on several occasions. Congratulations to all involved.

The S5 ‘Self in Society’ Groups have been very busy. Several groups joined forces to organise a Halloween bake sale and fancy dress. All funds raised will go to the ‘Children in Need’ appeal. Another group has been assisting with a Halloween special for S1 pupils as part of the ACE AM. This has involved a pumpkin carving competition and monsters’ pictures and Halloween quizzes. Other S1 pupils undertook the drumming workshop as part of the Destination Africa section of ACE AM. A good time was had by all!

Best wishes.

JB Craig

15 October 2010
Published: 15 October 2010

The theme of the morning assemblies this week has been ‘Protect the Human’. The school’s Amnesty Group presented the assemblies, drawing attention to human rights abuses around the world and, in particular, Burma. Yesterday, a fund-raising Amnesty Stall followed up the assemblies, where the group sold home baking and badges and balloons and raised £113. Congratulations to Ms Montgomery and the Amnesty Group for a successful week.

On Tuesday evening the school hosted a very busy P7 Evening. After being welcomed to Knox Academy, the parents and their youngsters were able to tour the school, ask staff questions and see pupils ‘in action’. I hope our visitors found the evening enjoyable and a good introduction to Knox.

On Wednesday, Mr D Ledingham (Director of Education and Children’s Services) met with the School Council for ‘A Right Blether’ about issues affecting youngsters in schools. Mr Ledingham was very complimentary about the pupils, in particular their caring and positive attitude.

Today the school is alive with the Faculty Inter-House Challenges. Each faculty is offering activities to challenge groups of pupils (mixed S1-6). Challenges range from quizzes to origami to fun maths to sports to Harry Potter. Points are awarded for participation and highest scores and will contribute to the overall House winner of the session. Congratulations to all pupils for their enthusiastic participation and thank you to all staff involved and, in particular, Ms Duff for organising the morning.

Today the school closes for the October holiday, pupils resume on Wednesday 27 October. The school office will be open during the holiday period and can be contacted in the usual way.

Best wishes.

JB Craig

8 October 2010
Published: 08 October 2010

Last week finished on a high when S3 pupils, Kerri Scambler and Shannon McLauchlan, emerged as the winning team in the East Lothian Young Chef Competition, held at Knox Academy on Friday. The teams from the secondary schools had to cook a two-course meal using local produce. The judges, Richard Jennings (Head of Education), Vikki Cope (Co-owner of the Waterside Bistro) and Andy Rees (Head Chef, Waterside Bistro) named Kerri and Shannon’s Chicken Feuilletes with Celeriac Bake and Steamed Blackberry and Apple Pudding with Crème Anglaise as the winning meal. Congratulations to them and thanks to all involved in the organisation of the event.

On Monday, the Advanced Higher pupils visited the Brunton Theatre to see the film ‘Skin’. The film was very interesting and posed questions about genetics and ethnicity that were explored in a Q&A session after the performance.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Assembly Hall was a hive of activity for the S2 Enterprise Event, the Land Yacht Challenge. All S2 pupils worked in small groups to design, cost and build a land yacht. Each yacht was ‘road tested’ (using the power of the hairdryer) and the groups judged on creativity, accounting and design. Everyone enjoyed the activities and staff reported that the pupils were enthusiastic and hard working. Many thanks to the guest judges and the Design and Technology Department for organising the two days and congratulations to all the budding inventors and engineers.

The Parent School Partnership (Parent Council) met on Wednesday evening and various issues and areas, including the School Development Plan, were discussed. Minutes will be available on the Parents’ website.

Best wishes.

JB Craig

1st October 2010
Published: 01 October 2010

The annual S6/Staff Team Building weekend at Dalguise was a resounding success. All the pupils took part in the activities, they worked well together and there were no complaints, even though it was very cold (and at one point they had to do press ups in a river!). Mr Illingworth (Head of S6) reported that the Talent Show was quite an eye opener (we expect to see the Deputy Head Boy on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ very soon). Congratulations to all involved, and a big thank you to the staff who attended the weekend, in particular Mr MacDonald who led the organisation of the event.

Following last week’s S1 ‘Settling In Evening’, at an assembly on Tuesday, the feedback from staff on how the pupils have settled in was presented to S1. The feedback is overwhelmingly positive, although I have challenged S1 to try and cut down on the ‘chat’ in lessons, a concern raised by many staff. Also, Mr Hutchinson, Head of Modern Languages, introduced the European Week of Languages. During the week, pupils have been able to take part in various activities and games using a range of languages.

Also on Tuesday, 3 ‘Hibs’ players visited Knox to launch a new football league for youngsters with learning difficulties. The league competition is sponsored by Hibs FC and includes training opportunities as well as matches for the pupils involved. Good luck to the Knox team.

The Drama continues, as yesterday afternoon, the acclaimed Catherine Wheels Theatre Company returned to Knox. They performed ‘Hannah and Hanna’, the themes being refugees and immigration. Pupils in S3/4 studying Drama attended the performance and it was a very successful, thought-provoking afternoon that provided an opportunity for the pupils to see theatre being performed here at school and not using a 'theatre space'. It was quite an emotional piece ‘but with lots of laughs too’. The company said the pupils were an excellent audience.

Best wishes.

JB Craig