CHS SPRING NEWSLETTER - Carnoustie High School

CHS SPRING NEWSLETTER
March 2016
For Parents/Carers
As the days lengthen, the better weather and lighter nights herald the coming of
spring. For many of us the Easter holiday, with the first flush of new leaves and bulbs
flowering is a time of renewal, whether physically or spiritually this time of year brings a
sense of possibility, of optimism and hope. For our senior pupils in particular it is vitally
important that they adopt this positive mindset as they make final preparations for
SQA presentations in May. As teachers and parents it can be difficult to hit that sweet
spot between being supportive and having high expectations and applying
excessive pressure and adding to stress levels. Each of our young people will have
their own view on whether we have managed to strike that delicate balance. As a
school we will continue to provide all the additional help we can and information on
study support sessions is published on our website, the timetable for our Easter revision
school appears within. Please do encourage your young people to make the most of
these opportunities.
While our staff have been extremely busy on our core business with timetabled
classes, there has also been a significant effort in planning for next session. More
detail on our re-shaped S1-S3 curriculum follows inside. But, as ever, the newsletter
celebrates some of the many achievements of the young people of Carnoustie High
School and sporting, cultural and charity events have figured prominently this term.
On a personal note I would like to express my thanks to staff, parents and pupils for
the support and encouragement I have received since my appointment as Head
Teacher last March – I can hardly believe it’s been a full year.
As we continue to improve our curriculum and our learning and teaching, as we
strengthen our links within our community and with employers, as we establish the
patterns of work and of conduct that will prepare our young people for a successful
future, I am acutely aware that the constant demand to improve is difficult to sustain.
Our aim is to achieve excellence and we will sometimes fall short of our target, but
real success happens when we work together, when we insist on the highest possible
standards from everyone associated with the school and remain dedicated to
improvement. Your sons and daughters deserve no less.
Mr Donald A Currie
Headteacher
Our Confucius Classroom Hub
On Friday 19 February, Angus
Council’s Confucius Classroom
Hub in Carnoustie High School
was launched in a blaze of
colour and music, celebrating
the cultures of China and
Scotland. The ceremony, hosted
by senior pupils Rebecca Cook
and
Kevin
Shand,
was
conducted in both English and
Mandarin to an invited audience
of more than two hundred
guests.
Spectators were treated to music from the award-winning Carnoustie High School
Brass Band followed by a song in Mandarin by pupils Woodlands Primary School
led by our Hanban teacher, Ms Sun. One of the highlights of the morning was a
performance by the Chonqing Chuanju Theatre Company who delighted the
audience with their colourful spectacle, featuring some impressive acrobatics
and ‘face changing’ mask skills. The ceremony included the recital by Kevin
Shand of a poem in Mandarin, especially written for the launch, entitled
‘Scotland My Home’ and a rendition of Auld Lang Syne including a verse in
Mandarin by the Junior Girls’ Choir, led and accompanied by Mrs Strachan.
Mr Limin Zhang, Depute Consul General of the Chinese Consulate extolled the
virtues of building relationships between China and Scotland and welcomed the
establishment of the independent hub in Angus. His presentation of toy pandas to
the hosts was greeted with warm approval by the audience. The event
culminated in the handing over of a plaque to mark the launch of the hub and
the cementing of links between our two countries. As an independent hub we are
now looking forward to giving even more young people the opportunity to learn
about the language and culture of China. Our S5 pupils, Kevin Shand and
Alexandra McCombie have
been successful in gaining
places on an immersion course
in China this summer.
We greatly appreciate the
efforts of Ms Jang, Ms Wang, Ms
Sun and Modern Language
teachers in Carnoustie High
School and other Angus schools
who have worked hard over the
last three years to establish this
Confucius Classroom Hub.
Glamis Castle International Marketing Challenge
Glamis Castle staff have been
supporting the development of
the employability skills of the
young people in Carnoustie High
School by raising their awareness
of the importance of Tourism in
both Angus and Scotland and
the value of language skills within
this economic sector.
All S3 pupils in Carnoustie
undertook an international
marketing challenge to create a
poster for Glamis Castle in either
Spanish,
French
or
Mandarin. They were prepared
for this task by their Modern Language and Expressive Arts teachers.
The young creators of the forty best posters were rewarded with a tour of the
castle conducted by Chimene, a Glamis Castle Guide. The pupils thoroughly
enjoyed their visit to ‘the most haunted castle in Scotland’ and learned more
about its role in Scottish history.
Posters will be displayed in Glamis Castle and may also be used in social network
promotion of this important site.
Fundraising for Rwanda
In order to improve the lives of children globally, Mr Bell (teacher of RME) and his
team of dedicated pupils are raising funds for a local Carnoustie based charity
‘Level 8’. Mr Bell initiated the Level 8 charity in 2009. Level 8 funds short to medium
term projects in various countries, all of which benefit local communities. The
priority for this charity during 2016 is to raise £5000 to fund the building of a nursery
classroom for a school in Rwamagana in Rwanda. This will cater for 20 pre-school
infants and one teacher.
Mr Bell is taking a team of young people out to the school in Rwamagana later
this year. All of the young people on the team are either current or former pupils
of our school. They will work with the children at the school in Rwamagana for
three days. The hope is that we might establish an educational and cultural link
between the two schools which can be developed over the next few years.
So far, through a variety of fundraising ventures, Level 8 have raised £3,517! The
pupils will be organising a range of additional fundraisers in order to hit their £5000
target. Well done to Bethany Craigie, Lauren Campbell, Sophie Meek, Eve-Lili
Prescott, Sarah Kerr, Sophie Law and Anna Forbes for all their efforts so far!
Junk Couture
This January Alex Borrie and Maisie Paterson
were lucky enough to be one of 80 teams
that were selected to go through to the
grand final of the Junk Kouture Scotland
competition. We had to design a garment
made completely from recycled materials
that showed of our talent but also flattered
out model. We spent most of our
lunchtimes (for nearly two months) in the
Art department creating the dress made
from an old jigsaw puzzle and un-spun
video tapes attached onto a wire and
material structure( all recycled).
On the 5th of Feb we set of for Glasgow
both excited and prepared for a very busy
day and we were even adding some
finishing touches to the outfit (shoes) whilst
on the train. When we arrived at Glasgow we went straight to the Royal Concert
Hall where we signed in and were shown to our dressing room, where we spent
the rest of the day preparing for the show and speaking to the other teams about
their creations.
We were very proud to represent Carnoustie High
School, when showing off the dress and answering
questions from the judges who were a Sheri Scott, a
Scottish fashion blogger, Jimmy Stephen Cran, a
lecturer form Glasgow School of Art and Louis Walsh.
We then went to the auditorium where we waited in
anticipation for the show to begin and to see our dress
on stage. We felt relieved and proud to see our design
on stage in front of over one thousand people.
Although incredibly stressful, it was an amazing
experience that we are both so happy to have been
part of.
We would love to thank everyone who supported us
and to say a big thank you to Kirsty Melville, our
amazing model and to Miss Mac who supported us
and was so valuable throughout the whole
experience.
Alex Borrie and Maisie Paterson S5
Rights Respecting Schools Award
Our school is currently working towards achieving accreditation within the RightsRespecting School Award (RRSA). The staff and pupil steering group are pleased
to announce that they are close to applying for the first level of the award
(‘Recognition of Commitment’). In summary the award involves:
Making pupils aware of their rights (as they are laid out in the ‘United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child’)
Creating a school with a Rights-Respecting ethos (a school where pupils know
their rights and respect the rights of others).
Empowering pupils to contribute to decisions on matters that affect their
learning and well-being (The Pupil Council will play a significant role in
ensuring this happens).
Encouraging pupils to take action to improve the lives of children locally and
globally.
Pupils have now been introduced to the United Nations Convention on the Rights
of the Child during assemblies and form-time. After the Easter break, pupils will be
carrying out a variety of different activities during form time that will allow them to
understand the importance of this document.
In order to nurture an ethos of mutual respect within our school community we
have been working on a new ‘Promoting Positive Behaviour’ policy which
embeds the principles of restorative practice. The pupil council have been
consulted and have made valuable suggestions regarding development of this
policy.
The Pupil Council are also collating suggestions from their fellow pupils regarding
the school amenities. They are prioritising these suggestions and will be presenting
them to the Senior Management Team in due course.
One of the main aims of the RRSA is to allow pupils to have their say in the
improvement of school policies and practices. We are always striving to create a
stronger ‘pupil voice’. Please encourage your child to come along to pupil
council meetings and have their say.
STEM Club
STEM Club News
A huge congratulations to Freya Ross, Imogen Crozier, Kirsten Ireland, Neve Walker,
Ciaran Kane and Glen Byars for their recent success in the annual Go4Set
competition. This competition is organised by the Engineering Development Trust
and is open to schools nation-wide. Our Carnoustie High School team were proud
winners of the ‘Best Team Effort’ trophy. The pupils won their award after impressing
the Go4Set judges with their model ‘Eco-classroom of the Future’. Our pupils were
competing against a number of different schools from the Angus, Dundee and
Perth area. Well done team Carnoustie! Thanks to Carey's Construction for
supporting our pupils.
Pictured above from left to right: Kirsten Ireland, Imogen Crozier, Glen Byars, Freya
Ross, Ciaran Kane, Neve Walker.
As a result of winning the prestigious ‘Junior Saltire’ medal last year for their design
and construction of a tidal-wave energy converter, Glen Byars, Ragnall Simmons
and Maya O’Connor were invited to present their work at the opening of the
International Conference on Ocean Energy at the Flowave centre at Edinburgh
University. The pupils did a fantastic job of explaining the technology behind their
device to world leaders in the field of Ocean Energy. Well done Ragnall, Glen and
Maya!
Refreshing our Curriculum in S1-S3
Our Broad General Education (BGE) phase will see S3 pupils choose to spend extra
time in those subjects in which they excel. This type of specialisation allows deeper
learning in those areas of most interest so will increase pupils’ motivation, it will also
help smooth the transition to National level courses in S4. We are also reducing the
number of form periods from 5 to 3 and using the additional two periods for new
skills based courses and to promote wider achievement. In S4 these time slots will
boost the time available to teach Maths and English while most S5 and S6 will be
initially timetabled to study classes.
School Uniform
While the majority of pupils have maintained a high standard of uniform this
session things have slipped somewhat over the winter months. The summer term
will see us pursue our uniform policy more vigorously and we appeal again to
parents and carers to back our stance. There have been suggestions from pupils
and parents that we make wearing full school uniform, including school blazers,
compulsory and we will consult with pupil council, parent council and more
widely next term. We will let you know of any changes in plenty of time for the
new session in August.
Expected School Uniform:
Plain black skirt or trousers
White shirt/blouse which buttons up to the neck
Plain black v-neck sweater/cardigan
Plain black flat school shoes
School tie
Black school blazer
Appropriate school uniform is described above; skinny jeans, leggings, jeggings
and very short lycra type skirts are not appropriate items of uniform. Shoes should
be entirely black, without obvious branding, stripes, logos etc. Clothing brought
to school should be named or marked so that it can be identified as belonging
to your child.
School Uniform is available from Tesco http://www.clothingattesco.com/
carnoustie-high-school/invt/5307430 and from Academy Uniforms http://
www.academyuniformsltd.co.uk
Cycling to School
Cycling to school is a great way to get
exercise and it’s good to see so many
of our pupils choosing to use pedal
power to get here. We are working
with Police Scotland to promote road
safety and appeal again to parents to
ensure bikes brought to school are
roadworthy – in particular that they
have working brakes. We will continue
to monitor the situation and consult
with the Police on appropriate action if
individuals continue to place themselves and others at risk.
School Captains for Session 2016-17
Our current S5 pupils have been
in the process of applying for
the positions of School Captain
and Prefects for next session.
Our new system provides pupils
with the opportunity to develop
their application and interview
skills ahead of them progressing
onto their chosen path after
high school.
The calibre of applicants for the
role of School Captain this year
was exceedingly high and
made it a tough decision for our
interview panel which included
one of our Developing Young
Workforce business partners, Tracy Strachan from the Bank of Scotland.
Congratulations to our four School Captains for the 2016-2017 session: Anna
Butchart, Sophie Law, James MacCallum and Calum MacGilivrary.
Carnoustie’s Big Conversation
Pupils from S1, S3 and S5/6 took part in
the Carnoustie Big Conversation at the
Golf Hotel. Along with representatives
from primaries and members of the
public pupils were asked to contribute
ideas on what would make Carnoustie
more attractive to visitors. Taking part in
workshops on digital signs and
developing the waterfront the energy
and commitment of our young people
really impressed the organisers of the
event.
Student Financial Support Information
Parents of pupils intending to study HNC/HND or Degree level courses should be
aware that pupils should apply for funding through SAAS. Their website can be
found at www.saas.gov.uk. This should be available from mid April. They need to
apply for this in order to get their course fees paid for as well as any student loans.
Its good to start applications as soon as possible to avoid any delays with payments
at the start of their course.
Fencing News
Having previously specialised in the Olympic discipline of epée, it was decided
that the club would also develop our fencers in Olympic Sabre. This would
require new equipment, new training methods and the input of external coaches
to get us through the early stages.
Thanks to the generosity of Robertson Group, For Carnoustie and continued
support of the High School, we are now well advanced in the project. We have a
useful amount of sabre equipment at our disposal, a Saturday training day has
been run, and all members of the club have had a number of sessions at the
new weapon. Progress is such, that we will take our sabreurs to their first
competition at the end of this season, instead of the beginning of next season.
Epée fencing continues to be a major part of what is done at the club. We are
currently enjoying a successful junior fencing season, with four gold, four silver
and twelve bronze medals shared between 9 of our fencers. In addition, Hannah
Marshall has picked up the Scottish Secondary Schools Individual title and is in
poll position to win the U17 Youth Development Series title with three tournament
wins to date.
Jodi Garden is in her first year at the club and was selected by Scottish Fencing,
following a series of ranking tournaments, to head out with the Scotland Junior
squad to a tournament in Poland as an U13 epéeist.
Senior fencer, Caitlin Philbin, has built on last year’s success with bronze at a
tough U20 tournament in Newcastle, Gold and Top School Pupil at the Dundee
Duel. Travelling down south to participate in ranking tournaments, Caitlin is
currently the top ranked Scottish Woman on both the U17 and U20 GB ranking
lists. As a result of this, Caitlin received a call-up to fence for Great Britain U17s in
Bratislava.
Photograph of the Carnoustie High School Fencing team at their Sunday training camp last
weekend with visiting coaches.
Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce (DYW)
Throughout the term there has been an increasing focus and development of
this key area. In February we had Scottish Government interest in our event to
start the Modern Apprenticeship week when we had a visit from Laura Burdin
(and ex-pupil and current Modern Apprentice for the Year for Scotland) who
shared her experiences and her journey through the Modern Apprenticeship
route with current pupils. She is fondly remembered in school and it was great to
see her again and recognise her success. Across the country there is, and will
continue to be, real progress in the number of quality of MAs on offer to young
people and we have continued our own education in this area with a visit from
members of the BT MA team who took time to speak to a number of S4-6 pupils.
MAs are a genuine progression option for all of our pupils and work will continue
in this area over the coming months and years with all age groups.
We are also hugely indebted to the input of our current business partners – DJ
Laing, Lloyd’s/BoS, Denfind Stone and The Carnoustie Golf Hotel in helping us
meet our aims for DYW. This input has been wide and varied – from a meet the
teacher session where they shared what their business was all about and the skills
they looked for in employees/apprentices, to participating in our ongoing review
process as part of our BGE review team – from helping prepare, interview and
feed back to our candidates for School Captains, to interviewing young people
on-site and offering interview feedback and work placements where possible –
and from engaging with groups of pupils in school to showing them around a
current building site and explaining the requirements for different trades. The
outcomes we are aiming for and the developments required in the area of DYW
and, indeed, the aims of the Wood Commission report http://www.gov.scot/
Topics/Education/developingtheyoungworkforce
could not be achieved without their ongoing support and this support is greatly
appreciated (if there are any other businesses out there who would also like to
help us with this very important area of development, we would love to hear
from you. Contact Mr McInally, Depute Head Teacher is you would like to be
involved.
Finally, in the area of Work Experience, the school has been selected to be one
of the two pilot schools for ‘Angus Works’ which will provide supported work
placements within and across
Angus Council for S4-6 pupils –
more details to follow within the
next few weeks.
This will only
enhance the already wide ranging
work placements that over 20
current S6 pupils are benefitting
from and help us in our aim to
provide every young person with
the opportunity for a meaningful
experience of the workplace
before leaving school. Photograph
shows pupils at one of DJ
Laing’s local sites learning
about the building trade.
Easter Revision Timetable
SQA candidates have been issued with the timetable shown below and can sign
up through departments
Date
Subject
29th March Spanish
Spanish
Biology
30th March French/Spanish
Accounting
10.00 - 12.00 1.00 - 3.00
Higher
Nat 5
Nat 5
Higher
Higher
31st March French
Teacher
Miss Broadley
Miss Liddle
Dr Mustard
All Lev els Miss Broadley
Higher
Mrs Couttie
All Lev els Miss Liddle
4th April
Computing Science
Physics
Physics
Nat 5
Nat 5
Higher
Nat 5
Nat 5
Mr Clark
Mr Finch
Mr Bailey
5th April
Maths
Physics
History
Modern Studies
Nat 5
Nat 5
Higher
Higher
Higher
Mr McCall
Mr Bailey
Miss McHardy
Ms Cunningham
6th April
Health and Food Tech
Health and Food Tech
Art
Art
Physics
Higher
Nat 5
Higher
Nat 5
Nat 5/Higher
Nat 5
Higher
Nat 5
Higher
Mrs Cassidy
Mrs Mitchell
Miss MacPherson
Mrs Hill
Mr Bailey
7th April
Maths
Maths
Maths
Nat 5
Nat 5
Nat 5
AH
Higher
Nat 5
Mrs Gerrard
Miss Strachan
Miss Orr
8th April
Physical Education
Computing Science
Business Mgmnt
Higher
Higher
All lev els
Higher
Mrs Crow e
Higher
Mrs Gallacher
All lev els Mrs Croll
Higher
Higher
Important Dates for Your Diary
28 March—8 April 2016
Spring Holiday—School closed
Monday 11 April 2016
Summer Term Starts
Monday 2 May 2016
Mid-term Holiday—School closed
4 May—3 June 2016
SQA Exams
9 May—20 May 2016
Study Leave for S4-S6 Pupils
Monday 16 May 2016
Change of Timetable
Monday 30 May 2016
In Service Day—School closed
Friday 1 July 2016
Summer Term Ends
Tuesday 16 August 2016
Autumn Term commences
30 Sept—16 October 2016
Autumn Holiday
Monday 17 October 2016
Winter Term Starts
Mon 28 & Tue 29 Nov 2016
Inservice Days—school closed
Wed 30 November 2016
St Andrew's day holiday, schools closed
Wed 21 December 2016
Winter Term Ends
22 Dec 2016—4 Jan 2017
Christmas Holiday
Thursday 5 January 2017
Spring Term Commences
Fri10 Feb & Mon 13 Feb 2017
Mid Term Holiday
Tuesday 14 February 2017
In Service Day—School closed
Friday 31 March 2017
Spring Term Ends
1 April—17 April 2017
Spring Holiday & Easter Monday