May 2013

31 May 2013
Published: 31 May 2013

I have to say that Activities’ Week has gone with a bang (in a good way) and apart from an Italian family taking one of our pupil’s bags home from the San Siro Stadium by mistake, nothing has really gone wrong.  Now you might think “Neither it should”, however, when there are about 400 pupils involved in Activities’ Week, I think it’s a miracle.  The major reason why it has all gone so well is down to the organisation of Mr Taylor and his team.  They have worked tirelessly to get pupils and staff organised.  So a HUGE thanks to them and all the staff who have given so freely of their time and expertise to give the pupils an experience that has been so valuable.  If you want to see what some of our more adventurous youngsters got up to, have a look at this.

Next week sees the start of the new timetable.  We have managed to iron out a lot of the coursing issues but, inevitably, there will be pupils who will need to be sorted out on Monday and Tuesday.  I would urge parents of the new S5 and S6 not to get too anxious if things aren’t fitting for your child at the moment – things will change in August once exam results have come out – some people will have done better, and others not quite as well, as they’d hoped.  It is my experience that matters right themselves over the course of time.  In the meantime, we will find a meaningful course for your child to follow.

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of attending the opening service for the Haddington Festival.  Thanks to Finlay Munro for carrying the flag at the head of the parade.  It was no easy task, but he carried it off with dignity and aplomb.  Two Knox pupils were nominated for the John Lockhart Award and I was so proud to see and hear about Daniel Smith and Gaby Jackson.  I know it’s trite, but for me both are winners and you could see how much the nominations meant to both of them.  In the end the award went to Gaby.

It was with great sadness that I heard of the death of Sir Garth Morrison on the 24th May.  Although I did not know him well, he struck me as a man of huge integrity and as having a massive affection for, and loyalty to, East Lothian.  I extend the sincerest condolences of the school community to Lady Gillian and the rest of her family.

If this year has been anything to go by, the month of June will fly in.  We will welcome the P7s on their two day visit on the 18th and 19th June and by the sound of all I was hearing from some P7 pupils I visited this week, they are really looking forward to it.  If you are a P7 parent and have any concerns about what is coming up, please give us a call.
 

24 May 2013
Published: 24 May 2013

Now, those of you who read this update regularly will know that I’m not really competitive (ahem!), however, you can imagine my delight when I found out that the Knox/Yester team won the final of the authority “Little and Large” cookery competition.  Thanks to Ms Hossack and her team for organising the event and hearty congratulations to our Knox chef, Claire Aitchison and her Yester Primary School team.

So, Activities’ Week is almost upon us.  Some trips are already wending their way to the continent: we wish the staff and pupils on the Italy and PGL Trips the best of the weather and as much fun as it is humanly possible to have.  The other two residential trips: Amsterdam and London will get under way at the weekend or early on Monday.  Thanks to all the bleary-eyed parents for dropping pupils off at school at ungodly hours of the morning.  If any parent has any concern about their youngster on a residential trip, give the school a call and we should be able to help out.  If trips are delayed getting back we will inform you and we’ll put information on the website.

The in-school packages have shaped up nicely and I hope that the weather is kind to us – we have had snow before now – so keep your fingers crossed.  The amount of hard work and organisation that staff put into this week is phenomenal and I must thank Mr Taylor and his team (especially Mrs Weir) for all their hard work.  That’s at least two people who will sleep very well come the evening of the 31st May. 

We do expect all youngsters to be in school as usual (unless they are on Exam Leave) during next week.  Absences must be explained in the usual way – telephone call followed by a letter, please. 

The new timetable will start for S1 to S3 pupils on the 3rd June and we look forward to welcoming all the S4 and S5 pupils back on the 4th.  Changing timetable in June means that youngsters can get a head start on their courses and whilst we know there’s a lot going on in June, we do expect pupils to maintain good attendance.  As ever, we really appreciate all that parents and carers do in supporting this.

Have a very good weekend.
 

17 May 2013
Published: 17 May 2013

Last Friday evening Mr Simpson and I joined our Community Police Officers for part of their cover shift.  It’s  part of the school’s reciprocal working with the community – the police support us hugely and it’s only right that we give a little back and show our support for them.  It was a fairly uneventful shift (thank goodness), but we did get to speak to some pupils who were out and about.  Thank you to Lynn and Debbie for looking after us so well.

On Monday I received a lovely email from a former pupil (Joe Hall) who has just completed his PhD at Cambridge. He wanted me to pass on his thanks to the school for giving him opportunities to follow his passions, and to particular staff who inspired him.  As a school, we send our warmest congratulations to Joe and wish him all the best in the future.

The School of Rugby has been a particular jewel in the crown of our sporting and extra-curricular life this session.  The pupils have turned up regularly for their training and have been impressing Scott Marnoch (SRU & Haddington Rugby Club)with their determination and resilience.  The S1 School of Rugby group were invited to lead a number of Health and Wellbeing events in the local community over the last week.

• ‘Getting Ready to Learn'. An event run by the NHS and East Lothian Council at Neilson Park Pavilion aimed at getting toddlers involved in physical activity.
• Followed by a series of ‘Active play sessions’ At Haddington Infant School as part of their Health Week.

During these events the pupils planned out and delivered a number of sessions to promote the importance of leading an active lifestyle to parents, staff and young people across the Haddington community. Using an array of games and equipment the group took to the task and it was clear that all participants enjoyed the sessions delivered by the pupils. The parachute games went down particularly well.  The feedback from organisers was brilliant – many of whom could not believe that the pupils were so young and praised them for the maturity that they displayed.

In a follow up to part of last week’s posting congratulations go to Josh Marsh in S4.  At the tender age of 16 he is now a qualified Piping Instructor and Pipe Major for the ACF UK and Northern Ireland Pipes and Drums.  He has to manage 50 pipers and 15 drummers.  Josh was also asked to go to the Moscow Tattoo but had to decline owing to other piping commitments.  We wish him well in his endeavours and hope that he goes from strength to strength.

On Tuesday Knox hosted the first heat for the “Little and Large” cookery competition.  Pupils from Knox team up with teams of two pupils from our associated primary schools.  In these teams of three the pupils had to produce a pasta dish and a multi-layered, cream and vermicelli covered, chocolate sponges.  Whilst it was Yester’s day, all the pupils did exceptionally well and were a credit to themselves and their schools.  Speaking of which, I was very impressed with Shaun Lund’s progress in Chef’s Protégé.  Sadly he didn’t make it into the final three with Tom Kitchin.  Shaun showed great strength of character under a lot of pressure and was very gracious in defeat.  I suspect cooking for Michel Roux Jr and Theo Randall is something that he will never forget.

Finally, we promoted fifteen S3 pupils to Prefect status this week.  I am sure that they will be a credit to us and will be ably led by Harry Bowles and Louise Kirkpatrick.

Next week the school is closed to pupils on Monday and Tuesday (unless they have exams) and everyone resumes on Wednesday.  There is a PSP meeting on Wednesday at 6.15pm and all parents are welcome to attend.

Have a good weekend. 

 

10 May 2013
Published: 10 May 2013

I would have thought with the success of the KWN crowd last week that other good news might be a bit thin on the ground this week.  Not so!

I recently heard that one of our S5 pupils, Matthew Moore (good luck with the exams!), has been selected as one of the members of the ACF Pipes and Drums (GB) Band that is going to tour in Moscow in September.  There are only 16 cadets in the band and, as the name suggests, they are chosen from cadets all over the UK.  No other cadets from Lothian and Borders have been chosen.  So, congratulations go to Matthew and I look forward to seeing all his photographs of Moscow.  Whilst I know he will relish the experience I don’t believe that Matthew will be overawed at playing in the tattoo in Red Square as he informs me that he has “already played Berlin”!

The Staff versus S6 football match took place on Tuesday after school.  Unfortunately football isn’t one of those games where age and experience trumps youth and exuberance, and whilst it wasn’t a whitewash, the 3-1 scoreline against the staff was telling. I must say, though (completely impartially), that Miss Stobie’s goal being disallowed was a travesty.  The match was played in extremely good humour (smiling was about all the staff were fit for at the end), and standing in the sun watching other people run around was a very pleasant end to my Tuesday.

Tuesday saw the senior pupils go on Exam Leave.  Please remember that they are more than welcome to come into school to study and seek advice from staff.  All pupils must be in Dress Code, though, if they are coming into school.

I have offered S3 the opportunity to become prefects for May and June.  Applications close at the end of the day today (the deadline was extended to make sure everyone who wanted to could apply).  I look forward to reading through the letters of application and hope to be able to let the successful youngsters know early next week.

Next Monday (BBC2, 6.30pm) sees the start of a new cookery programme called “Chef’s Protégé”.  Tom Kitchin, Michel Roux Jr and Theo Randall mentor young chefs, each having a week to select and train up their strongest candidates before coming together to compete to see who has found the best protégé.  I hear on the grapevine that one of our former pupils, Shaun Lund, will be appearing, and I suspect will be mentored by Tom Kitchin.  Anyway, tune in to root for Shaun.

A reminder that there is a Parent School Partnership meeting coming up on the 22nd May at 6.15pm.  All parents are welcome to attend.  If you can’t make the meeting and have an issue to raise, let the PSP know through their website (click here), alternatively, if it’s something that we can help you with, let the appropriate House Head or Guidance Teacher, or me know.

Have a good weekend.
 

3 May 2013
Published: 03 May 2013

Taking telephone calls is one of the things that adds a bit of spice into the life of a head teacher.  You never really know how they are going to go. 

Whilst dropping something off in the office yesterday, Mrs Allan turned to me, ‘phone in hand, saying words to the effect of, “Mr Dempster’s on the ‘phone and wants to speak to you”.  In that millisecond various scenarios flew through my mind – mostly involving images of car malfunction or accidents or long delays on motorways.  Usually I am a glass-half-full kind of gal, but when you have two staff and eight pupils travelling to Redditch (having left at 3am), it pays to be cautious.

However, you can imagine my delight when Mr Dempster announced to me that not only had the team of pupils been awarded “Best Picture and Sound” for their short film “Lacey’s Story” (a film tackling the subject of Teenage Cancer), but they had, for the second year running, been awarded the UK “Grand Prix”.  The screaming that could be heard in the background was, thankfully, excited and jubilant. I spoke to most of the pupils, but really was only able to determine their sense of joy and pride, rather than any great detail.  What I do know is that they will be invited to the international awards’ ceremony (but I don’t know where that is yet). 
I can only reiterate what I said to them, which is how proud I am of all of them; how much I admire their dedication and hard work; and that I am looking forward to hearing all about their experience.  Huge thanks must also go to Mr Dempster, Mr Bristow and Ms Duff for all their help and support in getting the pupils to where they are.

You can find out more about the Panasonic Kid Witness News Project and see the pupils’ film here.

Please remember that school is closed to pupils on Monday 6th May and everyone resumes on the 7th.  There are no exams on the 6th May.

Have a grand weekend.