NORTH BERWICK HIGH SCHOOL
Summer 2011
Summer Newsletter It is hard to believe that we have come virtually to the end of another session. As I write, the SQA examinations have just finished for another year (fingers will be crossed until the beginning of August), pupils are embarking on new courses and we shall shortly be welcoming a new group of First Year pupils on their two-day visit at the end of June. It has been a busy and productive year, as always, with many highlights easily coming to mind. We had another wonderful Christmas Fair at the end of November, organized by Fidra House and involving local businesses. We had our annual Holocaust Memorial Day events, including another welcome visit from holocaust survivor Harry Bibring, with the poignant and moving addition this year of the Anne Frank Exhibition, which no one who visited it will ever forget. We also went through the most awful time when Niall Anderson died in November after his long battle with cancer. Nothing can take away from that dreadful event, and yet somehow we moved on to have the most wonderful and uplifting event before Easter when our Pirate Day celebration of Niall‟s life really brought the school together and raised over £4000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. I think that that has been our „finest day‟ in the twelve years I have been in post. As the newsletter shows, we are a busy, lively, incredibly active community school and I am very proud to be the head teacher. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff, pupils and parents for another highly eventful session and to wish everyone a relaxing and thoroughly-deserved holiday. Colin Sutherland
Charities Committee The Charities Committee has been busy with various activities over the session. In March we participated in Red Nose Day and raised £878 by selling Red Noses, a Dress Down Day and a bake sale. The culmination of the year‟s activities was the cheque presentations at recent assemblies. Motor Neurone Disease Scotland and North Berwick Music Therapy each received cheques for £1450. Mr William Downs (MND) and Mrs Sandra King (Music Therapy) were happy to attend the assemblies and receive their cheques. In addition a cheque for £4000 was presented to Teenage Cancer Trust as a result of the fantastic week of fundraising building up to the climax of Pirate Date on 8th April in memory of Niall Anderson. The committee would like to thank all pupils, staff and parents for their support throughout the session.
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Health and Wellbeing (HWB) What do parents want most for their children? Qualifications? Wealth? Popularity? As a school, clearly we think qualifications are important, but when we asked parents of P7 pupils what they care about most, the overwhelming answer was „health and happiness!‟ This newsletter will see the start of a new section dedicated to health and wellbeing. Curriculum for Excellence has the health and wellbeing of pupils at its heart and this is now the responsibility of all staff – both teaching and non-teaching. HWB experiences and outcomes are in keeping with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and we recognise the importance of a „health enhancing‟ school ethos – one characterised by care, respect, participation, responsibility and fairness for all. The framework builds on the excellent work of Health Promoting Schools and the main purpose is to develop the knowledge and understanding, skills, capabilities and attributes necessary for · · · · ·
Mental Emotional Spiritual Social Physical wellbeing
So nearly everything we do, both inside and outside the classroom, comes under health and wellbeing. Departments most closely associated with this curriculum area are PSE, Pupil Support, Home Economics, RMPS and PE, but of course all subjects contribute through interdisciplinary work and the way in which learning takes place. Extra curricular activities and wider achievement are all part of HWB. Our partners in the community are essential to help us in delivering HWB and we‟re extremely grateful to North Berwick Youth Café, the Community Centre, Uprising East Lothian and the Seabird Centre, for all their help in delivering this aspect of the curriculum. We have lots of exciting things happening around the school – the main problem is how to fit them all in!
S2 Pupils Go Global Starting this new session the S2 pupils will have the opportunity to have a look "Into Africa" as they get involved in an exciting new cross curricular project run by the English, Music and PE departments. There will be: game-making, using ideas from Maasai spear throwing; telling stories of Africa using puppetry; and playing music using African drums and other instruments. The pupils will also be teaching each other and, we hope, performing to the Primary pupils. In September, to support our global citizenship education and expressive arts, we have managed to book a performance of the Osiligi Warriors. This means that our S2s will be watching and joining in an amazing performance of Maasai dancing, singing and jumping in our assembly hall. Further to these events the pupils have the opportunity to attend an event at the Brunton Theatre on 27th June where they will watch a screening of the film Invictus imaginatively portraying the issues when Nelson Mandela used the 1995 Rugby World Cup to unite the South African nation) and then take part in a panel discussion including people who were there at the time. Finally, to get the whole African experience started the pupils took part in a Show Racism the Red Card event where they were discussing related issues with, among others, ex-professional footballers. Sport, particularly football, is a powerful vehicle which can highlight the way forward and the pupils have a great opportunity to meet people who really make a difference. Read some comments from pupils who took part in the event on page thirteen.
Summer Newsletter
Farm Visit
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From Farm to Fork
In May this year 1F1 (now 2F1) went on a visit to Luffness Farm, near Gullane. Luffness is a potato and wheat farm. The potatoes are mainly exported and the wheat goes to a distillery near Govan. Luffness Farm is quite large with the potatoes we saw covering four hectacres of land that was one field! Also, as we went in May we had the chance to see last yearâ€&#x;s wheat and potatoes in storage. The room in which they keep the wheat was huge! When we walked in it was like seeing giant sand dunes. We were allowed to sieve the wheat on our hands as Mr Stevenson talked to us and it felt like bulky sand. Then he told us that this method of storage was much safer than keeping it in silos. Not to say that this method canâ€&#x;t be deadly. We went through a door in the wheat store and virtually stepped into a gigantic fridge. This we soon found out was where they kept their potatoes. When we stepped in it was pitch black and stretched for miles on end. We were told that potatoes grew in warm, light places so the store was the exact opposite, to keep them for up to ten months. All in all, our class loved visiting Luffness. Thank you! Eilidh McSherry 2F1 A group of S1 pupils from Law House recently visited a farm near Dirleton owned by Bob Simpson. After dipping our feet in disinfectant, Bob took us on a tour round his farm and introduced us to his herd of beef cattle and some machinery he uses for his crops. He explained to us about how he keeps his potatoes in the right conditions for selling on to factories to make crisps and chips. Bob then showed us a very large pile of grain that he had harvested earlier this year and explained to us the process that it had to go through before it could be sold. Once we had all washed our hands and dipped our feet through the disinfectant again, we piled back onto the bus. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed this experience and learnt a lot about the industry of beef farming and arable farming! Samantha Muir 2L
Halflands Mushroom Visit We arrived at Halfland Mushroom farm after a short journey. Instead of the usual cows and pigs, the small piece of land was covered with poly-tunnels. We were greeted by the manager of the farm. We dipped our feet in a small tub of disinfectant then followed him into one of the polytunnels. Inside the tunnel were long planters full of soil which had small seeds that soon would become mushrooms. There was a long tube on the ceiling circulating the air to make sure the temperature was just right. We left the humid tunnel and went into another which was nearly identical, except that the seedlings had grown and clusters of mushrooms had begun to appear. After a while we left this tunnel and went into another. Again the tunnel was identical, but this time huge mushrooms filled the planter. We found out that mushrooms only take about two weeks until they are in the supermarket. Also, they are not a vegetable, but are in fact a fruit as they have microscopic seeds under the head. We found out a lot about a process that we hear little about and found it very interesting. Hannah Crowe 2C1
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Pupil Support The start of the summer term saw some young people from the Support Base start a gardening project on a plot at the Law. The group visited Merry Hatton and were shown around the centre. Bee, the gardening specialist, advised the young people on crop rotation, what vegetables should be grown, how to grow seeds and using plug plants and fruit bushes. The young people had a very enjoyable afternoon and thanked Bee for her advice and time. The young people have been attending the plot on a Tuesday morning and have planted many vegetables (which the rabbits seem to like) which are watered and weeded. The young people are keen to grow the vegetables, especially the potatoes, so they can use them in their life skill lesson when practising their cooking. May saw the start of the SQA exams which is a very busy time for Support staff who were heavily involved in supporting the young people with their SQA assessment arrangements. We wish all the young people very best wishes with their exams. The paired reading scheme ended in May when exam leave started. This again was another successful year, with the S6 assisting and supporting many young people with their reading. We would like to thank Mrs Lawson and Mrs Barlow for organising this important scheme. This term saw a very busy Activities Week. The first activity was the coastal walk from Aberlady to North Berwick. It was a windy day but the young people enjoyed themselves, especially as the rain stayed away. The young people also visited New Lanark Heritage Centre, the Glasgow Science Centre and Laserquest. As part of the Active Schools Programme, the Disability Athletics Programme saw a number of the young people complete a range of activities at different venues in East Lothian. It was a great opportunity to meet up and play sport with other young people with Additional Support Needs. Two young people from Primary 7 joined the group as part of their transition programme and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. June has seen the Support Department busy visiting the feeder primary schools as part of the transition from Primary 7. Support teachers work with the P7 teachers and the pupils to enable a smooth transition to the High School. A number of the young people with Additional Support Needs are also visiting the High School again to ease their transition. On a final note, the Support Department said farewell to Matthew Wort who left us after completing his secondary education. His mum, friends, some pupils and staff came to the base to wish Matthew very best wishes for the next phase in his life. We all wish him well.
FLIP FLIP (Family-led information point) is a group for parents and carers of children with disabilities. It offers members the chance to share experiences, knowledge and information about services and support for children with disability and their families. FLIP normally meets once a month or so to discuss what's happening. Find out more about FLIP at www.eastlothian.gov.uk/flip
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'Little and Large' Cookery Competition Samantha Perkins, Siobhan Smith, Eliza Sutton Manders and Katie Watson from S3 and Stephan Johstone from S4 recently teamed up with pupils from Primary 6 to join in with an East Lothian - wide cookery competition: 'Little and Large'. Two primary 6 children from Aberlady, Gullane, Law and Dirleton worked with one S3/4 student to try and win a place at the county - wide cook off in Haddington on Thursday 19th May. The primary children compiled recipes and brought ingredients to North Berwick Community Centre and each pair worked tirelessly with their 'large' helper to produce a main course and a dessert. The standard was extremely high and the dishes were judged by our own Mrs Ralph proudly watched over by Mrs Howie, Mrs Neri and Mrs McCormack. Mrs Ralph's task was far from enviable as the standard of cooking was extremely high and all the meals were healthy and delicious. The winners were Aberlady Primary's Reilly Schulte and Aidan Young who were taken to Haddington with Stephan Johnstone. Reilly and Aidan's own dishes were pasta and tuna salad and a wonderfully colourful fruit flan. The boys arrived in Haddington and met similar trios from every other cluster in East Lothian and the cook-off began! The Home Economics department at Knox was a hive of industry and wonderful aromas as fabulous dishes from international cuisines emerged. Our chosen country was Italy and, again, the boys showed fantastic culinary skills. The prize went to Musselburgh Grammar in the end but North Berwick and Aberlady were valiant runners up with the other four groups. The whole experience was tremendous fun and one we hope to repeat each year from now on.
Measles Information For Schools There has been a recent increase in the number of measles cases in Scotland and the rest of the UK, mainly affecting teenagers and younger adults. Many of the cases have been associated with recent travel abroad especially to France. A number of current measles outbreaks have been reported from France, Belgium and Switzerland. Measles is highly infectious and can be a dangerous illness. It spreads easily in schools, universities and summer camps. Those who are not fully immunised with two doses of MMR are most at risk of developing measles. As we approach the time of year when many children and students are travelling abroad on summer trips and family holidays, NHS Lothian is urging parents to protect their children against measles. If your child has missed out on two doses of MMR vaccine please consider getting your child fully immunised with MMR before you travel abroad during the summer break. Please contact your GP or practice nurse to arrange MMR vaccination as soon as possible.
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PTA The NBHS PTA has had a busy and successful school year, not only making connections with parents and pupils but raising much needed funds for the school. The events included a very successful Coffee Morning last October, the legendary annual Quiz Night, the renowned Burns‟ Supper, a fun raffle at the Fidra Christmas Fair and the welcome refreshments at the school concerts and parents‟ evenings throughout the year. The 100 club continues to run and is always looking for new members to ensure its success. A staggering £3500 was raised this year and we were able to contribute £1500 to the Pupil Council, who were organising much needed and much appreciated renovations to the pupil social area, and the balance to school funds to purchase the school diaries and other departmental uses. The members of the PTA thank everyone for their support this year and look forward to the same next year. We really do need more members to help with events and allow the great work the PTA does for the whole school community to continue. If any parents would like to join the PTA, could spare a little time to help with events or would like more information please contact Ellie Catleugh on 895845 - bothcatleugh@hotmail.com or come along and meet us at the AGM on Tuesday 23rd September at the school at 7pm. Ellie Catleugh
London 2011 From Monday 16th to Friday 20th May a group of third year pupils enjoyed our trip to London for the 2011 activities week. We stayed at the Ibis hotel which was a stone‟s throw away from the gigantic Wembley stadium! The group took part in many activities in the capital such as visiting the Houses of Parliament and meeting our local MP, crossing London on the underground, taking a tour of the magnificent London 2012 Olympic grounds, visiting the interesting bank of England, going on the incredible London Eye, shopping on Oxford Street and stopping by the terrifying London dungeons and much, much more! We spent our evenings trying different foods such as Chinese food from a restaurant in Chinatown, chicken from Nandos, burgers in Planet Hollywood and pizza from Pizza Hut! During the entire trip everyone was smiling (except from when we were all just woken up in the early mornings!) and we all had a fantastic time! A big thank you to Mr Burgess, Mr Hamilton, Mrs Andrews and Mrs Logan for making the trip a huge success and creating wonderful memories!
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PGL Trip 2011 For our third year trip this year we chose to go to PGL in Southern France. It is a water sports trip which includes kayaking, sailing, canoeing, rock climbing, archery, abseiling and banana boats. The trip took place in two parts in the South of France – Mimosa on the Mediterranean and Segries on the river Ardeche. We arrived in Mimosa after a very long coach journey and were met by our Groupies Scotty, Ben and Summer. All of us got on really well with them as they were lovely people. They looked after us brilliantly and they really bonded with us – it was difficult to leave them behind on the Wednesday when we moved to the Ardeche.
Ben, Scotty and Summer One of the most memorable moments on PGL was playing a game on the beach where you sat in a circle and passed a ball around. When it hit the ground you counted back from 10 and whoever caught the ball at zero had to do a dare – such as running along beside a French jogger. It was such a fun game because the instructors all took part too. In Mimosa we all went sailing and kayaking. It was so much fun because it was extremely relaxing and the sun was scorching. The highlight of Mimosa was the banana boat – there were six of us on a boat and the instructors made sure that we all fell into the water as often as possible. On our final day on the Mediterranean we went to the amazing town of Carcassonne where all the shops are inside a castle. We bought presents and sat in the sun eating ice-cream. Some people went into the haunted house which was really terrifying because the „ghosts‟ inside actually grabbed on to your clothing. Before the disco on the last night we watched the instructors demonstrate „A Day in the Life of a Groupie‟ on Mrs Barlow, Mr Kastelein and Scotty. It was really funny as they got really messy – banana, water, flour, sand and sun cream on their hair, face and clothes. We went to Segries on the Wednesday and arrived at lunchtime. The accommodation was better because we were in bunk beds in rooms of eight in an old farmhouse. In the afternoon we went straight into canoeing. The first day we canoed 4km, 12km the second day and 14km on the third day. The weather was stunning and we stopped for activities such as cliff jumping, trying to walk up a rapid, swimming into caves and floating down the river all holding on to each other. All too soon the trip was over. PGL was unforgettable. It was one of the best experiences of our lives. Being with most of our closest friends definitely made the trip more fun and enjoyable because we all got on really well. We were very sad to leave, it was a lot better than we expected. We miss it very much and will remember it for a very long time. Jessica Tate 4C1, Joanna Whitelaw 3L, Julia McMillan 3L
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A cut above the rest – the NBHS Hairdressing Salon The salon finally opened its doors in March and the official opening ceremony took place after Easter. Guests, who had all been involved in making the dream a reality, were treated to demonstrations and to a lovely spread served by salon pupils. Mr Sutherland cut the ribbon while S3 pupils cut the cake. Mr Sutherland told guests, “We‟re really excited about being the first school in East Lothian to offer this vocational qualification”. It‟s proving very popular, with classes in S3, S4 and S5/6, all taking qualifications at Intermediate 1 level initially. Susan Frame is our hairdressing tutor, assisted by Lauren Cowie from the Youth Café, and they are putting pupils through their paces to achieve their qualification in hairdressing. Literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing skills run throughout the course and as well as learning practical hairdressing skills, pupils have „heads‟ to style, and take units in salon awareness, creativity, employability and working in a salon. One S4 pupil said “I‟ve always
wanted to do hairdressing – this is great – the best part of the week!”
In these times of financial constraints, we are very fortunate to be able to offer this facility. None of this would have been possible without help from our partners, both in the conversion of the room, in equipping it and also in the running of the salon. Without North Berwick Youth Café, in particular, we wouldn‟t have been able to achieve this and we also received help from the Enterprise Fund, East Lothian Council and FES, for which we are very grateful. Under Curriculum for Excellence we need to be working with partners to provide a wider range of skills and qualifications in the senior phase of education. At a time when competition for places is tough and travel costs to our nearest college are expensive, this is an area we‟ll be exploring more in the future. With courses on offer such as transition/moving on and hairdressing, we are truly „at the cutting edge‟.
Haddington Festival, May 2011 A number of NBHS pupils took part in this year‟s Haddington Festival. Some stunning art work from our senior pupils was on display and pupils performed in the East Lothian‟s Got Talent Show. The overall winner of the Talent Show was S5 pupil, Rachel Coll. A big well done to Rachel!
Cost of School Meals Please note that the cost of a school meal will rise to £2.10 from Wednesday 17 August 2011. The price of snacks will increase accordingly.
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The S2 pupils in Craig House were some of the lucky few who were picked to take part in the Champions in Schools programme recently. During PSE periods, the famous golfer and former pupil, Catriona Matthew, came in to talk to us. She spoke about making the most of what we can, and gave us advice on how to set our own goals and keep to them. We also discussed how to keep a healthier balance in life. Each pupil was issued with a Champions in Schools booklet. We filled out sections on different topics such as goal setting and a food diary. We also kept a 100-repetition diary to encourage us to exercise and we practised doing 100-reps, for example sit ups, press ups and pull ups. We all enjoyed being part of Champions in Schools and we have learned lots of new things. Liam Campbell and Ruaridh Bennett, 2C
Champions In Schools really showed what skills we need to be the future. We learned so much about a healthy lifestyle. Catriona Matthew, a professional golfer who attended North Berwick High School, taught us how to succeed and reach our goals. The first lesson taught us about goal setting. Catriona explained distance and journey goals, and how to set them using SMART. The second lesson was all about true fitness, mental and physical. We did a circuit of different stretches and activities. In the third lesson, Catriona took us outside to play golf with her. We enjoyed this because we got to watch Catriona hit winning shots. We were given booklets at the start of the course so we were able to set and record challenges at home. The 100 rep challenge was the favourite, letting us set ourselves challenges to do 100 repetitions a day of a certain thing. We really appreciated Catriona coming in because we all gained skills and self-confidence for the future, and we all believe we can achieve anything as long as we try. Lauren Campbell, Hannah Collins and Anna Mitchell
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Unexpected Guests in the Vegetable Garden
Is this a dagger I see before me?
When tending the school garden, to our surprise and delight we discovered, amongst the mint, a wagtailâ€&#x;s nest complete with five perfect little eggs nestled inside. Mum was a bit cross at being disturbed so we left quietly and watched discreetly over the next couple of weeks. All five eggs hatched and the little birds grew very quickly. Graham, our Janitor, was able to capture their growth cycle and has produced some beautiful photographs. The birds have now all flown the nest to begin their new lives elsewhere. We are delighted to have brought such a wonderful piece of nature into the heart of the school and will be watching carefully for their return next year. With the addition of some new bird nesting boxes, perhaps we can encourage even more wildlife into our garden.
On Thursday 9th, Friday 10th and Saturday 11th June, a stunning performance of Macbeth was delivered to both students and the public by members of S4, S5, S6. Playing the lead role of Macbeth was Fraser Fulton with his wife, Lady Macbeth, played by the talented Liz Nicholls. The performance was well received with nearly a full house on the Saturday night. Preparation for the play had begun at the start of the 10/11 session, and many of the cast members would say that all the hard work was well worth it! Also a big thanks to Mr Maxwell and Shiona Liddle for putting everything together, Steven Selby for doing the lights, Steven Taylor for the sound and John Hamilton for the fantastic costumes!
Ms Prete
James Leslie S5
Pupil Council In order to be elected to the Pupil Council, pupils had to: complete an application form, which was then countersigned by a teacher referee and by a guidance teacher; give a campaign speech to the whole year group; and receive a majority in a year group vote. Congratulations go to the following pupils who have been elected to represent their year group on the Pupil Council for 2011 – 2012: S6 S5 S4 S3 S2
Dan Corrigan 6L Nandini Nagra 5C Amy Ireland 4L Rebecca Forbes 3G2 Samuel Mason 2C2
Jasmine Lauchlan 6C2 Rachel Coll 5C Fraser Thomson 4G Ruaridh Bennett 3C Daisy Chambers 2F1
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(Mixed )Hockey Club This club meets every Friday from 12:15 to 2:30/3:00pm and all year groups are welcome. The
idea is to get some exercise, meet people and have some fun, a social occasion. You will learn and get better at hockey very quickly. We have 3 simple rules: 1. Safety first (gum shields, shin guards, ...); 2.Have FUN and 3. Encourage each other. Many pupils who come to the hockey sessions have improved and enjoyed playing hockey. Some joined in S1 and have played right through to S6. This club is for anyone, whether you can play or not. If you cannot play or need to improve we will teach you the basic skills you need and you will learn quickly by doing some drills, but mainly by playing games where you observe and copy what the good players do. Pupils agree it is the most enjoyable, amusing and coolest activity they participate in at the end of each week. So come along and get rid of the stresses and energise yourself, feel good and have FUN! If you just want to enjoy your hockey, come along every Friday!
Ukulele Orchestra of NBHS I have never been able to play any string instrument and sing at the same time, but this all changed within a week of me picking up the ukulele. When I saw one in a music shop for ÂŁ15 I said, "I must have that". I brought it to school and played a wee tune. Wow. I soon got requests to buy some ukuleles for pupils! It started off with 4 pupils wanting to play and have fun strumming and singing. More pupils heard us sing and play and wanted to join. Fraser Fulton suggested that we should perhaps form an orchestra and play at the school concerts. With the help of Mrs Wilson we got started and have now played in two Spring concerts and a Christmas concert with great success. We have covered songs like Its a Heartache, 1234, Merry Christmas Every One, Little Lion Man, Dreaming of You, Take on me and Hey Soul Sister. We have also played in three ceilidhs, a charity event for Dunbar Choral Society and at the Day Care Centre in North Berwick. We all love to perform and are frequently asked to play for events. The ukulele is very easy to learn, small enough to take anywhere and it sounds great too. Elliot Bruce had never played an instrument or performed before and he is now a firm contributor, especially with his cool deep voice. One of our singers, Alison Wright, now plays the ukulele! We have had our fair bit of having the micky taken out of us but we have proved them wrong. "What is the difference between a ukulele and an onion? ... If you cut a ukulele in pieces, nobody cries!" However, at every concert the laughs, applause and comments we have received are very much appreciated. This is what we are about, having fun, having a laugh and hopefully to entertain! If we have made you happy and put a smile on your face, then we have done our job! So, thank you to all who have supported us! Current members are:- ukulele players :Robert Turton, Elliot Bruce, Gregor Wood, Alex Rycroft, Alison Wright, Mr. Roderick; Jacob Cusworth (Bass); Rowan Wood (Cajon); singers are Jasmine Lauchlan, Sarah Patrick. The Orchestra would like to say goodbye to Fraser Fulton, Callum Devine and Johnny Ginty (and last year to Iain Shand and Maggie Hoyt). Callum Devine did say "The Ukulele Orchestra is one thing I will genuinely miss at NBHS" before he left. So, we are looking for more ukulele players to join us. If you haven't played before and want to learn just come to computer room 2 any break and most lunchtimes. There are pupils in my classroom every break and most lunchtimes who can teach you, along with myself. Mr Roderick
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DO YOU SHOP ONLINE? WOULD YOU LIKE TO RAISE FUNDS FOR NORTH BERWICK HIGH SCHOOL AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU? If yes, then every time you shop online, please do the following: 1. Log onto www.edupayment. co.uk or click on the edupayment link on the NBHS website home page. 2. Select North Berwick High School as the school that you would like to receive the commission on your purchase. 3. Click on the icon of the shop you require. This will take you directly to the website of the shop you have selected. Websites included are Amazon, ebay, John Lewis, Sainsbury‟s and Tesco. 4. Make your purchase as normal. 5. Edupayment will then calculate the commission on your purchase and pay this to the school. Please note that your purchase will not cost you any extra and all sales are completed directly with the retailer. The only difference is that a commission on your purchase from participating retailers will be donated to North Berwick High School. For other schools, on average 5.9% commission has been paid on purchases. In the next newsletter, we will report the amount of commission we have received.
So, when you shop online, remember www.edupayment.co.uk. Many thanks in anticipation of your donation and happy shopping!
Moving on/Transition After a pilot year with S3 and S5 students the school has implemented a new course for S3/4/5/6 Moving On/Transitions. The programme is delivered jointly with Youth Workers from the Youth Cafe and it actively encourages young people to reflect on who they are, what they want and how they can achieve their goals. The activities and challenges promote and support the development of a number of core transferable skills. Last year's pilot involved a Forest Schools Programme and a basic Go Mountainbiking programme. This year we hope to build on the success of last year and include work experience, volunteering, physical exercise, outdoor learning, learn about healthy living, learn about managing money, being independent, making the right decisions, and being responsible. The programme is designed to equip young people with skills and knowledge to plan and manage their learning and make effective transitions. We also hope to increase young people‟s understanding of the concept of “self” and their awareness of their own needs, thus motivating and empowering them to make informed decisions. The course will hopefully stimulate young people in their learning, to gain knowledge and skills that help them to achieve goals and achieve an SCQF qualification into the bargain.
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North Berwick High School Parent Council proudly presents… CAREERS CONVENTION Wednesday 14 September 2011 North Berwick High School Hall, 7 pm – 9 pm Open to all NBHS pupils and their parents Take this wonderful opportunity to meet representatives from many different professions, all happy to give you the lowdown on what the job is really like and elaborate on careers within their sector. Sharpen up your interview skills; learn the techniques for successful CV writing. Careers include: accountancy, additional support needs, agriculture, apprenticeships, architecture, armed forces, arts, banking, beauty, catering, construction, dentistry, energy, engineering, equine events management, finance, forestry, hairdressing, health care, heritage, hospitality, interior design, journalism, law, leisure, local authority, marketing, media, medicine, nursing, optician, pilot, pharmacy, physiotherapy, police, public relations, retail, social care, sport, surveying, technology, telecommunications - and many, many more! Get the date in your diary now!
Careers Summertime and the chance to kick back, relax, recharge your batteries and forget about all those deadlines etc. Well, if you are returning to school and intend to leave next summer, not really! Everyone in S6 will need to start planning their post-school options soon and I am taking this opportunity to highlight some of the important dates between August and January to help you focus on where you need to be and what you need to be aware of. The following information is taken from the UCAS website. There are three application deadlines for courses through UCAS - 15 October, 15 January and 24 March. It is important to check the deadline for your chosen course(s). If you are applying from the UK, you should submit your application by the relevant deadline below: · 15 October - application deadline for the receipt at UCAS of applications for all medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and veterinary science courses (course codes A100, A101, A102, A103, A104, A105, A106, A300, A200, A201, A202, A203, A204, A205, A206, A400, D100, D101 and D102), and for all courses at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. · 15 January - application deadline for the receipt at UCAS of applications for all courses except those listed above with a 15 October deadline, and art and design courses with a 24 March deadline. · 24 March - application deadline for the receipt at UCAS of applications for art and design courses except those listed with a 15 January deadline.
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careers contd: Make sure you check out other institutions that do not use the UCAS system for applying and confirm their closing dates. First up, anyone in S4-6 interested in a career in Medicine, Law, Dentistry or Architecture should be aware of the Pathways to the Professions programme and be signed up. All applicants to degree courses in Medicine and Dentistry must sit an aptitude test. The UKCAT (UK Clinical Aptitude Test) is being used by all Scottish universities (and the majority of those outside Scotland). This is an aptitude test which does not draw on any particular body of knowledge that a candidate can learn in advance. However there are practice questions on the UKCAT website. You must register on-line to take the test. Registration should be made between 3 May 2011 and 23 September 2011. The test must be taken between 5 July 2011 and 7 October 2011. There is a test centre in Edinburgh. The cost of taking the test is £65 (5 July - 31 Aug) and £80 (1 Sept – 7 Oct). Bursaries may be available to cover the cost of the test depending on parental income. More information is available on the UKCAT website www.ukcat.ac.uk The BMAT (BioMedical Admissions Test) is used by a small number of universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, London and University College, London for entry to Medicine, and by Cambridge and the Royal Veterinary College for entry to Veterinary Medicine courses. Next test date is on 2 November 2011. Closing date to register is 30 September 2011. More information at www.bmat.org.uk The LNAT (National Admissions Test for law) is being used by Glasgow University (and other institutions outside Scotland) to assess applications to all courses in Law, including joint degrees in Law and another subject. Full details of test dates and registration are on the LNAT website www.lnat.ac.uk The S6 careers talk takes place on Thursday 18 August and a full posting of resources and links will be placed on edubuzz.org/blogs/careers and I would recommend that all students download this. S5 will have their talk on 7 September and again the resources will be posted on the blog. The main careers-related activities happen after the summer break, the first being the Higher Education convention on 31 August for S6, the North Berwick High School Careers Convention on the evening of Wednesday 14 September (a real first, please try and attend) and the Skills Scotland event 8 November for 14-19 year olds, along with an employability skills programme for S6. Good luck to everyone who is moving on this year and a reminder that I will follow up every leaver in September 2011 and again in March 2012 for the school leaver destination return for the Scottish Government. Your cooperation is very much appreciated in replying when I do so. Mick Burns Careers Adviser mick.burns@sds.co.uk
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S3 Outdoor Activities trip to Rothiemurchus It was a pleasure to be back at Rothiemurchus after a couple of years trying different kinds of Outdoor Activity weeks. After a reasonable midday start on the Sunday, we unloaded our bags at the lodge in Rothiemurchus and headed down to the Taverna restaurant. Mrs Lowe, our own chef extraordinaire, had found an all-you -can eat buffet – and, boy, did these guys put that to the test! Finlay Williamson managed 29 (TWENTY-NINE!!) slices of pizza, while Michael Cleary came second with a measly 27 slices guzzled. I don‟t think the Taverna made much profit that night! As the week went on our pupils were going to need all the energy they could get. Every day presented a different challenge: mountain biking, hill-walking, climbing, canoeing or canyoning, we were never off the go. An all-round favourite was canyoning. Although the water was very cold, the thrill of jumping from high rocks and sliding down natural waterfalls made up for it. Ms Prete even did it twice – many thanks! Evening activities were mixed. We had a scavenger hunt, allowing our pupils to identify such wonders as Bog Cotton, Sphagnum Moss, and Reindeer Moss and to find a rash of Devil‟s Matchsticks. Then we went shelter-building, had a barbecue at Loch An Eileen, where Shannon Purves gained herself the distinction of being the one to stay the longest in the loch. Well done that girl! Our final night was a fun affair. Mr Sutherland had joined us the previous evening to enjoy the hills and witnessed the pupils‟ “Mock the Week” sketches. After a gold medal presentation, we relived our experiences of the week via the plethora of photos that had been taken. They thought it was all over…..but not yet! We still had Go Ape! to cram in on the way home. Several staff and parents met us so that we could fit the 1:2 adult/ child ratio, and particular thanks go to Mrs Wilson, Miss Nicholls and Stevie, Miss Wallace and Chris, Mr Parker, Mrs Jones (and Fergus!) Liz Brookes and Mrs Burrows for giving up a good part of their Saturday to meet us at Beescraig and allow our pupils to do Go Ape!. It was a fabulous week, spent with a fantastic bunch of pupils and staff. Thank you all for supporting our Outdoor trip! Our planned trip next year is to Lagganlia so if you‟ve just moved into S3, have a word with some of the pupils who went to Rothiemurchus this year and come along and join us! Miss Ritchie
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Senior Posts Our S6 senior postholders have just been announced: Head Girl Depute Head Girl Head Boy Depute Head Boy
Sophie Allinson Jasmine Lauchlan Jamie Black Daniel Corrigan
The procedure was an onerous one for the candidates: an application form, a speech to the year group, a vote by the year group and teachers then, finally, an interview with Mr Sutherland and Mr Peyton. Interviews are currently taking place to find the House Captains for the four houses; this is proving to be a difficult task for guidance teachers and deputes, as the standard of applications is extremely high. The successful candidates will join the Senior team to form Senior Council, which meets fornightly throughout the session. Congratulations to all the successful candidates and we look forward to working with you after the summer break!
Show Racism the Red Card On 13 June, the whole of the new S2 year group enjoyed a presentation in the Hall from the Show Racism the Red Card team. The presentation centred around racism in football and included a video with comments from many top Scottish players. Two of our pupils, seen in the photo below, gave their thoughts on the day. “At Show Racism the Red Card, I learnt many new things about racism in sports and around me. One of the things I learned was there is no place for racism.” Toby Kirkpatrick “My favourite part of the racism assembly was when the questions I asked got answered by the footballers. They gave me such in-depth answers which I did not expect. The video showed me something that opened my eyes to racism and the fact that it‟s a serious issue that needs to be resolved. We can all start by doing little things to make a big difference.” Greer Thomson
Pirate Day at North Berwick High School! On Friday 8 April, North Berwick High School held a Pirate Day. Pupils and staff came to school dressed as pirates and there were lots of pirate-related activities throughout the day, such as searching for the buried treasure, counting the gold doubloons and guessing the identity of the mystery pirates. There were also lots of home-made goodies on sale. Pirate Day was organised by a group of teachers and senior pupils, with the aim of raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. The magnificent sum of £4,300 was raised throughout the week. The day was also to remember former pupil, Niall Anderson, and we were very privileged to have his mum, Izzy, join us for some of the events on Pirate Day.
We’re on the web! www.northberwickhigh.net
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WOODWIND EXAM RESULTS The following pupils successfully passed these exams in April. Lindsay Hart – Clarinet Grade 2 Jessica Thomson – Clarinet – Grade 4 Julia Fletcher – Clarinet – Grade 4 Kathryn Wilson – Clarinet – Grade 4 Lewis Bennett – Tenor Saxophone – Grade 5 Euan Cragg – Tenor Saxophone – Grade 5 with Merit Ivy Pottinger Glass – Alto Saxophone – Grade 2 Lorna Scullion – Flute – Grade 7 with Merit
Parent Council Annual Report The Annual Report, detailing the work of the NBHS Parent Council throughout the session, will appear on the Parents‟ section of the school website shortly, so do look out for it. You will also find on the website details of the Parent Council AGM, which will be held in the School Hall on Tuesday 20 September 2011. The school is extremely grateful for the support we receive from the Parent Council, who work in partnership with us to ensure our children receive the best education possible.
Golf Trip 2011 This year the golf trip took place on the West Coast of Scotland, Stranraer. We played a variety of courses: Cally Palace (twice), Stranraer, Portpatrick main course and the par 3 course. The hotel we stayed in was very nice. We had a full English breakfast everyday if we wanted and for dinner we had a delicious three course meal every night! The weather was always warm but was quite often drizzly and overcast. On the last day of golf, for the second round at Cally Palace, the sun eventually came out and it was an amazing day, perfect for golf. We had a competition going on for the best two score cards of stableford net throughout the whole week. Nicolas Thompson won this. The teachers organised a separate competition for a trophy and this was for the best net stableford score for one round. On the last day, Gary Brownlee won this. The golfers handicaps in the group ranged from 5 to 40! Every night after the golfing we chilled out in the games room, went out to Morrison‟s or went down to the sauna and other leisure facilities such as the swimming pool and gym! This didn‟t faze the group dynamic though, we all enjoyed ourselves both on the course and off! We managed to sweet talk the staff and manager into giving us extra drinks and food for free. On the first morning of golf, Mr Langlands and Mr Young were pleasantly surprised to find that Kieran Floyd had almost lost his voice! We all thoroughly enjoyed the golf trip. It was great fun, and even though the weather at times wasn‟t the best, we made the most of it! Thank you very much to Mr Langlands and Mr Young for taking us all! Finlay Hutchison
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Battlefields Trip At the ridiculously early time of 11.45a.m (well it was a Sunday!) forty one bleary-eyed students and five wide awake staff met at the turning circle ready to board the bus. After emergency journeys home for forgotten essentials (?) we waved goodbye to suspiciously relieved-looking families and made our way to the ferry. Most devoured their lunch before the A1 was reached so all were more than ready to refuel at the first stop. After an uneventful journey we got on the ferry fairly quickly and went off to find our cabins and explore. After dinner we entertained ourselves until bedtime and either sleep or, in some cases, talk the night away. Those who had talked the night away regretted it next morning when we were woken up very early by the ship‟s loudspeaker blaring out a wake up call. Some failed to make it to breakfast despite several calls from the teachers. Soon we were on our way and looking eagerly out the coach window as the Dutch scenery passed by. Some people had difficulty grasping the fact that they were not yet in Belgium. Our first taste of Ipres was Tyne Cot cemetery, the biggest British War Graves cemetery. It was very sobering to see so many graves and to realise that some of those who were killed were the same age as many of our S6. The walls were also covered with thousands of names of those killed but with no grave. Everyone was quite subdued when we returned to the coach. We then visited the „In Flanders Field‟ museum in Ipres which has lots of exhibits showing what life was like in the area during the war. After time to take photos of the beautiful town square (and for some to ignore instructions and to run in and out of the fountain) we went to the hotel to claim our rooms and eat dinner. As soon as dinner was over we returned to the coach for the short journey back into the centre of Ipres to the Menin Gate. Here we watched the incredibly moving „Last Post‟ ceremony before returning back to the hotel. Next morning the teachers hammering on our doors signalled another early start. We had a busy day across the border in France where we visited various parts of the Somme Battlefield. Visiting the area really made us appreciate just how big the area of the battle was. We had a guided tour of Beaumont Hamel where we walked along part of the original trench system and laid a wreath at the 51st Highland Division Memorial. We also visited Thiepval Memorial, Delville Wood, Lochnagar Crater and Fricourt German cemetery. Our last stop was Bernafay Wood British cemetery where we heard the story of one soldier who was killed during the war and read some of the letters that were written about him. Some people were quite emotional during this. After such a harrowing day we were more than ready to relax at the bowling. Finlay Pratt overtook high scoring Kyllie Hay in the last round to secure overall victory. Mr Smith was delighted to outbowl Jack Kennedy - yet another victory for Mr Smith in their ongoing competition! There was no problem getting everyone up on the Wednesday when we were heading for Plopsaland amusement park. We arrived just as it opened and everyone rushed to Anubis – the big ride! The lack of queues meant that Calum and co managed to ride this seventeen times – and fit in other rides as well. Miss Smith very sneakily conned Mr Smith and Mr Fell to accompany her on Anubis. They both looked somewhat shaky when they came off but Miss Smith went straight back on again – twice! Mrs Mitchell and Mrs Livingstone were much less gullible and chose, instead, to wait at the exit of the ride to laugh and take photos of those who survived the experience. We stayed at the park until closing time when we reluctantly left to return to the hotel. After dinner and packing we had a quiz and games before falling, exhausted, into bed. A big thank you goes to all staff who made this such an amazing trip.
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“All the world's a stage” could not have been more apt for the Macbeth acting troupe's trip to
Stratford-Upon-Avon from 12th to 15th of June Having successfully, completed our very own interpretation of Macbeth (with no major slip ups though James mispronounciation of 'Scone' in the final scene cut it pretty close) – we decided to travel down to the Bard's birthplace and home of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Braving an eight hour bus journey, we arrived at Stratford late on Sunday night completely shattered. Stratford is well known as a beautiful town with much to do but there was a unanimous decision we'd go to see Shakespeare's birthplace first next day. It was surprisingly big, with a glass window on the top floor signed by famous people who had visited Shakespeare's house. Unfortunately Stuart had a hard time getting through the doorways as he is 6ft 5'' and 400 odd years ago people were around a foot smaller! Having watched a monologue from Much Ado About Nothing in the gardens of Shakespeare's house, armed with a milkshake from a shop sporting over 50 different kinds, we got into real tourist mode. Walking around town with cameras in tow, we ended up lounging beside the Avon for the majority of the day until we had classically English fish & chips. Sated, we went to see the RSC's adaptation of the ''Merchant of Venice''. We were amazed. The RSC set it in the 1960s era in Las Vegas – to anyone familiar with the play this will seem ridiculous – but it worked incredibly well. The humour and acting were second-to-none and the play directed with incredible imagination. Afterwards we went the full stretch and lurked outside the stage door for a glimpse of the main star Shylock played by the famous Patrick Stewart. Scott Handy – the actor who played Antonio, came out earlier and chatted with us about our own production of Macbeth, forewarning us that the RSC's version was ''something really different''. Having waited over 15 minutes, only the most dedicated still waited to see a glimpse of the star – to be rewarded by a smile and autograph of the man himself. The next day, having woken up way too early, we went for breakfast at a lovely Italian cafe. We then went on the infamous Stratford-Upon-Avon bus tour. Having joked earlier about how short the tour would probably be, we were pleasantly surprised to enjoy an hour long trip round Stratford. 'Enjoy' however would be argued by some of the group, in particular Lawrie. To anyone who's planning to ever go on the Stratford bus tour, don't sit on the left on the open top deck. Even though we were warned to watch out for 'low branches' we didn't quite take the warning seriously and Lawrie was unfortunately smacked right across face by a branch. Hilarious to the rest of us watching, I don't think Lawrie was quite as impressed. After the bus tour, we hung out by the canal again, deciding to go on a boat cruise along the Avon. Anne and Liz decided to embark on their own boat ride along the Avon, fuelled with disaster as they rowed backwards along to the shouts of passers-by telling them they were going in the wrong direction. Afterwards we decided we'd enjoyed the bus tour so much we went on it again (i.e. It was too hot and we just wanted a breeze on our faces). That evening, we went to a lovely loft restuarant where we had delicious pizzas. Unfortunately the pizzas didn't arrive at our table until 15 minutes before the Macbeth performance started – so we didn't really have time to savour them! Running (on a full stomach I might add) to the RSC, we got there just in time for the performance. I think I speak for the group when I say this was the better play. Again the RSC took the performance to a whole new level. The Witches were played by three young children, eerily descending from the rafters of the theatre in their first scene. The Porter provided a comic madness to the play, brief humour in what is otherwise a very dark story. However, we all thought that Fraser was a better Macbeth – though we are obviously going to be biased! After the last night of the trip, we said our goodbyes to the town and left for the dreaded eight hour bus journey. “All's Well That Ends Well'' has never been used so appropriately as a finality to our trip... except in a certain play by William Shakespeare. Hannah Hunter Hill S6
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DAY SCHOOL SESSION DATES 2011-2012 Wednesday 17th August 2011 Monday 19th September 2011 Monday 17th October 2011 Tuesday 25th October 2011 Friday 23rd December 2011 Tuesday 10th January 2012 Monday 13th February 2012 Monday 20th February 2012 Monday 2nd April 2012 Tuesday 17th April 2012 Monday 7th May 20112 Tuesday 8th May 2012 Wednesday 9th May 2012 Monday 4th June 2012
Pupils resume September holiday First day of October holiday Pupils resume First day of Christmas holiday Pupils resume First day of February half-term holiday Pupils resume First day of Easter holiday Pupils resume May Day Holiday Teachers‟ Inservice Day Pupils resume Queen‟s Diamond Jubilee Holiday
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Phone: 01620 894661 Absence line: 01620 894716 Fax: 01620 895495 Email: northberwick.hs@northberwickhigh.elc
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