This week we have run the gamut from UCAS forms, to interview panels all by way of County Sports and much more besides!
At the weekend I was delighted to hear that the show that the school contributes on East Coast FM, The School Bell, won gold in the British Community Radio Awards held in Birmingham. They were awarded “Best Community Show”, which is an amazing achievement. Ian, the Station Manager wrote, “We would like to add that The School Bell is doing fantastic work with your youngsters and without question giving them confidence and communication skills, a unique combination for life at, as well as outside, school, and for their future in the work place. We have had four students go to university to study media, which is another bonus.” I would like to congratulate all at East Coast FM for their hard work and dedication, and to the “School Bell-ers” in particular. Well done!
On Monday we opened our doors to parents of pupils going through the UCAS process. This followed on from the UCAS morning that we had for pupils earlier on in the session. It really focused on applying for funding and writing the all-important Personal Statement. I remember that being one of the hardest things I had to write when I was at school. Getting it “just right” seemed so important and was, frankly, terrifying. Needless to say that the evening isn’t the only support that we have in place for our university applicants – so if in youngsters are in any doubt they should pop in and see their Guidance Teacher, or Mrs Falconer (Year Head), or me, even, for advice. I know that the blank page can seem daunting, but just give it a go, as the writer David Mitchell said, “A blank page is also a door — it contains infinity, like a night sky with a supermoon really close to the Earth, with all the stars and the galaxies, where you can see very, very clearly… You know how that makes your heart beat faster?”
On Tuesday we took a number of our pupils to compete in the County Sports. I am told that everyone acquitted themselves well, playing hard and fairly. Thanks to the pupils for making us proud.
On Wednesday we started the whole cycle of P7 transition off with our P7 Open Evening. It was lovely to see so many new faces, and hopefully we’ve ensured that the P7s are looking forward to becoming part of the Knox family.
Earlier in the week I had the pleasure of interviewing for our Guidance vacancy. We now have a preferred candidate and we are undertaking the pre-employment checks. The candidates undertook a round of interviews, a discussion with senior staff and a discussion with a pupil panel. I think that the pupils were the most challenging part – but they gave a real depth to the process and I was very proud of them.
This morning I took assembly for S4. I spoke to them about the oft-heard phrase “I don’t have any homework”. I explained to them that that is rarely true – they could be reading texts, learning new vocabulary, practising musical instruments and, importantly reading over their notes. It has been proved that a pupil has a 30% better chance of remembering work if they read over their notes within 24 hours of taking them. So, if you are faced with the assertion that your son/daughter has no homework, please remind them of my assembly!
Today we said our final farewell to Ms McIntyre who leaves us to take on the next stage in her life. Ms McIntyre has been at Knox for twenty-two years and has been responsible for some smashing results in the Chemistry department. We wish her all the best.
School is shut on Friday 16 September and Monday 19 September. We re-open on Tuesday 20 September at the usual time.
Have a great week.
S Ingham
