May 2014

30 May 2014
Published: 30 May 2014

The focus of the week here at Knox has been the annual extravaganza known as “Activities’ Week”. 

Pupils from S1 to S3 have been out and about (some in foreign climes) experiencing learning outside the normal classroom experience.  Pupils have been engaged in various activities and visits and, thank fully, the weather seems to have held up for the most part.

S1 pupils had a series of visits to places within “coach” distance – Dynamic Earth, Bonally etc.  On one of their days they completed an enterprise challenge where they developed and marketed board games.  I judged the competition on Monday and I have to say the standard was exceptionally high.

S2 and S3 pupils had choices of school-based activities and trips as diverse as walking in the Cairngorms, to canoeing down the Ardeche.  As ever, being away from home and communal living 24/7 with people who aren’t your family have caused some people to have a “wobble”, but that’s all part of the learning experience.  I’ve been keeping an eye on the school’s Twitter Feed and the photos that people have posted, and the texts that we have received, lead me to believe that people have been having a ball.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all staff who have organised activities, especially Mr Taylor and Mrs Weir who have been coordinating it all.  It is a mammoth task ensuring that the best part of 400 pupils has a good week.

The new S5 pupils came in to school today to collect their timetables and sort out any issues with their choices.  Hopefully that will mean that they will hit the ground running on Monday and get straight into their courses.  June is the time to sort out teething problems and glitches, so pupils should not worry if things aren't perfect right from the get-go.  If pupils have concerns they should see their Guidance Teacher or Head of House in the first instance.

The timetable changes for everyone on Monday – how the time has flown.  So, unless youngsters have an exam on Monday, I expect to see all pupils back in school at 8.44am, in full and proper Dress Code, ready to get on with work.

Have a good week.
S Ingham

 

23 May 2014
Published: 23 May 2014

There are lots to tell you this week, so here goes:

Last Friday I attended the School of Rugby Dinner hosted by Haddington Rugby Club.  It was a great night that celebrated all that is good about the partnership between the rugby club, pupils, parents and the school.  The speeches were funny and thoughtful.  I was particularly impressed with Simon Duke’s speech.  Simon is S2 Team Captain and has shone on the field this year, and he shone when giving his speech – it was a large audience and he spoke with respect and humour.

On Monday I found out that two of our pupils will be representing the school at the finals of the Disability Sports to be held at Grangemouth on the 4th June.  Ashleigh Lawson and Josh Nisbet will both compete in the Long Jump and the 100m.  I know that they will do themselves and the school proud.  Good luck to both of them.

On Wednesday I, along with some other staff, got to play at being a “dragon” (insert your own joke here) in the S3 Business Studies version of “Dragon’s Den”.  The pupils presented their pitches for business ideas and I, Ms Adam and Ms McCafferty had to declare whether we were “in” or “out”.  The pupils did really well, coming up with some ingenious ideas.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable time.

On Wednesday evening I attended the final PSP meeting of the session.  Vicky Cole stood down as Chair and Greg Cookson resigned his Vice Chair position.  Louise Elder has agreed to take on the Chair and Dave Neillans will be Vice Chair.  I would like to thank all the PSP for their support and good advice and I look forward to working with Louise and Dave next session.  I shall miss Vicky’s wise counsel and Greg’s eternal positivity, and hope that they will still pop in to meetings every so often to see what we’re up to.  Do check out the PSP website for information, and an opportunity to give your views on various topics.  There is a survey about the new qualifications at the moment that S3 and S4 parents might want to respond to.

Yesterday saw the final of the Little and Large Cookery competition.  Each secondary school in the authority sent a team comprising of a senior pupil plus two primary compatriots.  By all accounts it was a hard fought final but Knox triumphed again (albeit sharing 1st place with Dunbar Grammar School).  Congratulations to Claire Thomson and her King’s Meadow cohorts, and huge thanks to Ms Hossack and her team for hosting and organising the event.

Also yesterday, 26 excited pupils went on a trip to Queen Margaret University with Dr Wilson and Miss Ward for the "Broken Bodies" event. We followed 'patients' as they received treatment then rehabilitation before being released from hospital. There was a patient with a knee injury, a patient with diabetes, a patient with a suspected stroke and a patient with hearing loss. We learnt a lot about different professions and really enjoyed seeing round QMU. The pupils were exceptionally well behaved and were a credit to the school.

This morning the first of our Activities' Week foreign trips departed.  Thanks to everyone for organising the trips and I hope the weather stays good.  I look forward to hearing how everyone got on when they return.

And finally: good luck to the Knox Academy team running in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival 5k and 10k tomorrow.  I wish them all the best and hope that the wind is at their backs all the way!

Until next week,
S Ingham

 

16 May 2014
Published: 16 May 2014

I was delighted to see in the Scotland on Sunday, an article about a former pupil, Neil Stewart, who has developed an app “…to give smallholders in south-east Asia access to vital agricultural information…”  “The programme provides weather forecasts as well as information about crops such as soil types, diseases and growing advice, with a messaging service letting farmers connect directly to agricultural experts.”  I am so proud of him and wish Neil all the best in the development of this project.  In 2011 a professor at Duke University was quoted as saying that 65% of pupils entering schooling that year would end up working in careers that had not yet been invented.  I know that Neil was always keen on going into IT, but I wonder if he ever thought this would be where it took him?  I think that’s one of the biggest challenges that we face as a school – to ensure that we are skilling people up to meet the future job market.

Talking of things you might never have thought of happening…our pupils and those from our associated primaries have been learning all about the Moon this week.  Ms Dornan (Physics and Science) managed to get a loan of some “Moon Rocks” and pupils have been studying them, comparing them to rocks from Earth and learning more about what it’s like on the Moon.  When I went in to see part of a lesson, pupils were talking about the properties of “Moon Dust” and working out how some of the rocks from the Moon had been formed. 

On Tuesday of this week, pupils from Haddington Infant School joined pupils from the School of Rugby in our Games’ Hall for a Healthy Living event.  Pupils enjoyed a variety of activities, including trampolining.  I caught up with the youngsters when they were about to leave and they were showing no signs of flagging at all.  Everyone seemed to have a ball and it was good to start getting to know our future Knox Academy pupils.

This afternoon sees the first round of the “Little and Large” cookery competition where pupils from our cluster primaries team up with some of our pupils to cook up a storm.  This heat will determine which team represents Knox in the final next week.  I look forward to wandering along to Home Economics and seeing what they create.

Next Wednesday evening is the final Parent School Partnership meeting of the session.  It starts at 6.15pm and is in L.3 (follow the signs).  Any parent is welcome to attend and we have a packed programme and will have, if past meetings are anything to go by, some stimulating discussion.

School closes at 12.05pm today and reopens to all pupils on Tuesday 20th May.  Some senior pupils will have their Business Studies exam on Monday 19th (all starting at 1pm).  Remember that owing to the time of the exam pupils will have to make their own way to school, and because it is not a “school day” will have to make arrangements for travel home.  Parents should telephone the School Office if they need any help with this.

Have a very good weekend.
S Ingham
 

9 May 2014
Published: 09 May 2014

Even though it has been a short week for the pupils, a lot has gone on. The seniors survived their various Maths exams on Tuesday and are managing to keep up the momentum of their revision alongside sorting out the changes to the S6 Yearbook and undertaking interviews for apprenticeships, jobs and college courses. It's a testament to their ability to multi-task.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of interviewing teachers for the post of Teacher of Modern Languages. We have a preferred candidate and I look forward to announcing who it is shortly. Today I am interviewing for an English Teacher and I hope to be equally impressed by the candidates for this job as I have been for others.

Yesterday evening I attended the Junior Drama Club's performance of piece that has been devised by the cast. It is called "The Disappearance" and it tells the disquieting tale of several teenagers who find that all the adults in their lives have disappeared. They are given some advice on how to survive, but have some difficult choices to make.  All the pupils gave great performances to an appreciative audience. They had scripted, set and designed the piece themselves demonstrating great creativity. I was very proud of all of them and feel that we might have seen the start of some acting careers. Thanks must also go to Ms Whitfield and Ms Mackinnon for their input and the time spent in rehearsals. Also thank you to the parents who came to watch and help with refreshments.

The following pupils have won the school’s round of the Inspire-Aspire (formerly Learning for Life) competition.  This is run through the RMPS Department and encourages pupils to reflect on the “Big Questions” of life.  This year’s winners are:
Rachel Armstrong
Lauren Aitchison
Ailish Barry
Iona Riley
Finlay Hay

Congratulations to all of them for putting in a lot of effort and hard work.

A number staff and pupils have volunteered to run either 5k or 10k on May 24th as part of the Edinburgh Marathon Festival. They are trying to raise as much money as possible for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation - a charity which supports the work of the Royal Hospital for Sick Kids in Edinburgh.  The staff team consists of Mr Redford, Mr Illingworth, Ms Whitfield, Mr Flood, Mrs Maxwell, Mr Tait, Ms Leggatt, Ms Adam, Ms Montgomery, Mrs Allan, Mrs Forrest, Mrs Maguire, Ms Ward and Ms Orr...all six faculties in the school are represented, AND the Office, AND the Senior Management Team, they will also be joined by some senior pupils including Gemma and Mark, our out-going Head Girl and Boy.
The team are hoping to raise at least £1000 and you can donate via the link below:

http://www.justgiving.com/Team-Knox

 

Have a good week.
S Ingham
 

2 May 2014
Published: 02 May 2014

On Monday Mrs Maxwell (of the English Department) had the pleasure of accompanying one of our S1 pupils to receive his Pushkin Prize.  Connor Moore put together a creative writing folio that was submitted for judging in December.  There are 10 awards from entries received from all over Scotland – so competition is fierce and the standards high.  Connor’s prize is to attend a five-day, residential, Creative Writing course (that he is on right now).  Mrs Maxwell reported that she was extremely proud of Connor and that the ceremony was a real celebration of creativity, language and young people.  I look forward to hearing how Connor got on when he returns to school.

On Monday night the Staff played the S6 in their end-of-school football match.  The pupils defeated the Staff 7-3.  The Staff went down fighting, and I believe that Mr Illingworth’s goal was nothing short of exemplary.

On Tuesday the SQA exams started.  I think that our senior pupils are happier now that most of them have got at least one exam under their belts.  Please make sure that pupils read their exam timetable carefully, as they can only be admitted to an exam late within the first thirty minutes of the exam starting.

Unfortunately the Youth Games were cancelled this week owing to poor weather.  Athletes fear not!  The event is just postponed and I believe that they are looking for a date in June.

Next week is a bit of a short week for the pupils.  Monday 6th May is a holiday and Tuesday 7th is an In-Service Day for staff.  There are no examinations on Monday but there are on Tuesday and they are all Mathematics – so make sure dates are circled in diaries and alarm clocks are set!  S1 to 3 pupils will be returning to school bright and breezy on Wednesday morning at the usual time.

Have a lovely weekend.
S Ingham