Due to unforseen circumstances the performance by NC ATP pupils on Wednesday 6 February at 7 pm has had to be cancelled.
We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.
Advance ticket sales will be refunded in due course.
February 2013
Published: 04 February 2013
Our first meeting of 2013 began with many happy faces after the Christmas break!
In matters arising, the lunchtime radio is still in progress with CD's being made by Donald Turvil, all which will hopefully be aired soon. Also, an S3 representative expressed that some of the year group were still unsure about the changes from Standard Grades to the new curriculum so an assembly was held for S3 to try and make the changes clearer and some information was posted on the school website for parents to look at. Posters were also created to explain that some of the school toilets were closed due to vandalism and the only toilets in use are the ones in the social area. We have had numerous complaints about some of the toilets being closed but we hope this makes the current situation clearer to understand. We also spoke to the dinner ladies as many pupils have asked for the food products to be individually priced and they told us that pupils have just to ask them the prices of products as they find it very difficult to find the time to price things.
The new dress code has been fully enforced and many pupils seem to be following it well! We would also just like to clarify that navy is allowed in the new dress code as this seems to have caused some confusion. Four of our council representatives will be taking pictures to show what is excellent dress code and what is not acceptable. Watch this space for these photographs.
Now on to the S1-S6 issues, we only received one complaint. S4 reps stated that pupils would like ore places to sit at break and lunch. Myself and the Head Boy have already discussed this with Mrs Ingham and we think that bean bags could be a possibility. However, much of our budget was spent on seating last year so we will see what we can afford but we would like to remind pupils that many teachers allow pupils to sit in their rooms at lunch times. The Head Boy and Head Girl have an email address (erin_ben@hotmail.com) so if you have any issues please get in touch and we will do our best to try and resolve these issues.
The School Council has a lot to do in the coming months. We will be giving an assembly to the school on our progress so far and we will be helping Mr Blair and Mr Dempster film the S1 FAQs.
Published: 04 February 2013
On Friday (8 February) there will be a 'Dress Up' day to raise awareness of the UN Day for Change.
Both pupils and staff are encouraged to pay £1 to dress up as smartly as possible (there really is no limit...within reason).
The focus of the UN Day for Change this year is 'Food' so there will also be a Fair-trade cafe (organised by China Team 1) in RME1 at morning interval - fair-trade snacks, juice etc will be on sale.
The presentation delivered to al pupils at an assembly this morning can be viewed here.
Published: 04 February 2013
Senior pupils may be interested in the following online 'live" session entitled "Examination Preparation and Revision with Scholar" if they have a study period on Wednesday Period 4.
Presented by: Mike Falconer, SCHOLAR Area Coordinator.
When: Wednesday 6 February 2013, 12.30 – 1.30pm (Lunchtime)
Adobe Link (sign in as a guest): Click here - This link will be open approx. 30 minutes before the session begins.
Further information on the content of this session can be found on the SCHOLAR website.
Published: 04 February 2013
Excerpt from an article in The Sunday Times – 3rd February 2013 by Sian Griffiths
Noel Janis-Norton’s tips on how to do homework:
She recommends following her sacred homework rules, which are to be applied six days a week (Sunday can be a day off).
The rules are:
- Homework should be done at the same time every day.
- It should take an hour a night for primary school children (with a break every 15 minutes) and two hours a night if your child is at secondary school. Youngsters should not be allowed to work longer than this.
- On coming home from school, children should be allowed to have a short, active break, doing something such as playing catch or trampolining. Then they should complete their homework before being allowed to watch television, or to telephone or Facebook their friends.
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The homework area should be free of distractions, such as pets, younger siblings, TVs or computers.
If the rules are followed strictly, says Janis-Norton firmly, within two to three weeks they will work.
Once a child has settled to study, she has further suggestions. Every assignment can usefully be divided into three parts, she says.
First comes “the think through” — when you ask your child questions to ensure they understand the homework that has been set: how many pages should they write, should the answers be in full sentences or will one-word responses suffice, and so on.
Next your child should work alone to finish the task.
Finally comes the “improving” stage, where parent and child look through the work together.
Before you and your child each find two things that can be improved about the work, advises Janis-Norton, first find three things you can praise. Don’t just say vaguely: “It’s good.” Be specific about what has been written. “You might say, ‘Look, you wrote three facts about photosynthesis,’ ” she explains.
She’s keen on what she calls “descriptive praise”, which means biting back vague superlatives such as: “You are clever; well done.” Instead, parents should notice and mention every tiny step in the right direction. “So you might say, ‘Every letter in this word is sitting exactly on the line.’ ”
Calmer, Easier, Happier Homework is published by Hodder & Stoughton, £14.99
