EAST LOTHIAN COUNCIL
Winter 2011
Winter Newsletter All staff and pupils at North Berwick High School wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
International Ceilidh As the 50 students from the International school in Brussels entered North Berwick High School on Thursday 10th November, they were welcomed by the sound of traditional Scottish bagpipes and a crowd of smiling faces and cheers. For several weeks the International Committee of NBHS had been organising this memorable event. The hall was decorated with festive fairy lights and the tables were covered with traditional tartan cloths, while the Clappy Doo ceilidh band introduced dances and enriched the lives of the international students with our Scottish culture. During the interval, the students and staff of both schools were able to socialize over food and drinks while being treated to a musical performance by the NBHS Ukulele Orchestra. The whole event proved to be a great success for the second year in a row, the visitors once again leaving us with a great impression of Scottish hospitality and the warm welcome they received. A huge thank you goes out from the International Students and all of us here at NBHS to the International Committee for all their efforts, especially to chairperson, Lucy Gibbons, who co-coordinated the event very successfully. Over £300 was raised for the Malawi Project.
Christmas Concerts We are rehearsing hard for the Christmas Concerts! We look forward to seeing you there on Monday 12th December at 1.30 pm & 7pm. Tickets are now on sale from the school office.
Drinking Water In School Stop The Spread of Germs Further to advice at Assembly, please could all pupils ensure that they bring a WIDE NECKED bottle with them to school, if they wish to use the drinking water fountains. Narrow necked bottles, or those without a drinking spout that can be removed, mean that germs may be spread from one person to another. Thank you for your cooperation.
Pupil Money/Notes In an emergency, the Office staff can pass on money / notes to a pupil. Ideally, the pupil should be made aware of this by the parent / carer, by text message, to inform them to come to the Office to collect it. Unfortunately, we are unable to do this on a regular basis, and alternative arrangements should be made for items such as weekly pocket money. Thank you for your co-operation. If you have a particular concern, this should be raised with the relevant Guidance Teacher.
Recent Woodwind Results Eilidh McSherry - Flute – Grade 2 – Merit Rosalind Renwick – Flute – Grade 3 – Merit
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Royal Scottish National Orchestra
CAREERS
Concert 2 November 2011 Thirty three of our pupils attended another great concert this year at the Usher Hall specially geared towards S3 – S6 pupils studying music. Music was selected from different eras, each piece being put into context and presented with great charisma by Paul Rissman. One of our pupils, Wendy Smith, was given the fantastic opportunity of playing the clarinet alongside the RSNO musicians in Beethoven‟s 5th Symphony. Well done Wendy! “The orchestra was amazing and well-formed and I really like the Usher Hall. It had an amazing ceiling! I liked the diversity of composers and it was really fun.” (Cleo Denholm S3) “I thought the RSNO Concert was great! Loved the multimedia and especially Beethoven‟s 5th Symphony! I will certainly attend another concert.” (William Hodges S5)
All S4/5/6 students have received their careers input and you can view the sessions via these links S4, S5 (hosted on another school site due to technical problems), S6 and download any related materials such as careers newsletters. Please feel free to contact me if you want to discuss any aspect of talks or presentations. In addition to these a 6 week employability programme was organised for selected S6 students, covering areas such as: creating the right impression, CV building, relaxation and a mock interview. Our employers were wide and varied, travelling from as far as Berwick and Livingston! The evaluation report from all the participants is available here. I continue to offer employability sessions to targeted groups in S4/S5 as well as the above. September saw the completion of the School Leaver Destination Return which shows the first destination of all the school leavers across Scotland. The report will be published on the scottishschoolsonline website soon. This cohort of leavers will have a second follow up in March 2012. Careers interviews are usually available on Wednesday and Thursday each week and you can access information or ask questions via the careers blog at edubuzz.org/blogs/careers or email me direct at mick.burns@sds.co.uk Skills Development Scotland have launched their new website and you can access this at www.myworldofwork and try some of the services on offer.
School Dress Code The Student Council recently carried out a survey amongst pupils in all year groups regarding the school dress code. A large majority of pupils would like to be able to wear black shirts. The senior management team has agreed to add black shirts to the dress code from 10 January 2012, when school re-opens after the Christmas break. Please note that white shirts must still be worn on formal occasions. The rest of the dress code remains the same, so we expect pupils to be wearing black shoes, black skirt/trousers and a school tie.
Finally, can I add my thanks and congratulations to everyone who was involved with or attended the Careers Convention in September. It was a fantastic evening and goes to show what can be achieved by partnership working.
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THE GREEN FLAG
Fast Feet Walk to School Campaign
The awarding of a green flag to NBHS - the first for an East Lothian secondary school - was a testament to the hard work of the students, staff, parents and the wider school community. It was a real team effort with all students involved in one way or another in a wide variety of activities. Many took part in activities designed to reduce the school's environmental footprint and to develop global citizenship. All pupils took part in keeping the school clean.
During the week beginning 31st October all pupils were actively encouraged to walk to school or if they travel by bus to seek out other opportunities to walk throughout the day. This initiative was promoted at house assemblies, during PSE lessons and during registration time. We are hoping that pupils experienced improved concentration and sense of well-being from this exercise and will continue the regime. We held a prize draw with all of the scorecards. Congratulations to our lucky winner Rowan Terry in 6F2 who received a ÂŁ50 shopping voucher!
We sent backpacks to Malawi, set up a beekeeping group, planted trees at the Law, sold Fairtrade products and grew our own vegetables in the school garden. The staff are immensely proud of the way the students have responded to our bid for the green flag and we look forward to carrying on the good work over the coming years.
Mr Stebbing/Mrs Logan
Community Sports Leaders Award We have introduced a new course this year for S5 and 6 pupils. The sports leadership course gives young people a nationally recognised qualification to lead and deliver activities and sport out and about in the community with minimal supervision. It encourages participants to take responsibility for others as well as instilling and building confidence. It also provides lifelong skills in leadership and builds community links. It covers areas such as safety, sports and recreation in the UK, fitness, sports events and competitions, and disability and sport. It culminates in pupils selecting, planning and leading their own sporting event. Pupils also have to complete ten hours voluntary practical experience. We have been delighted with the uptake: 11 pupils in S5 and 21 in S6. The course is providing lots of opportunities to build on our links with Law Primary School. So far the sports leaders have helped out at swimming lessons, East Lothian hockey, basketball and football festivals, North Berwick brownies, plus lots of events which took place during Law Primary School's Health week. They also observed the Tesco bank Football Challenge and received some coaching tips from the Hibs under-19 football coach. Thanks to the finance committee, who made a generous contribution towards the purchase of hooded sweatshirts, the sports leaders can now be easily identified when coaching and volunteering. In (November), the sports leaders completed a first aid award and listened to talks on child protection and disability awareness, followed by an opportunity to try out some adapted activities. The sports leaders are a highly motivated and enthusiastic group of young people who are shaping up nicely to be excellent sports leaders and ambassadors for North Berwick High School. Mrs Logan
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FINDING NEMO On Wednesday 26 October, fifteen very excited Higher Physics students from North Berwick High School, and two even more excited teachers, set off at what felt like the crack of dawn (7.30am). Three hours later, after an uncomfortable mini bus ride, we arrived at Faslane submarine base. The first thing we noticed were the armed police officers standing at the gates, with automatic machine guns. It all looked scary and official. There was silence on the bus. We were told to drive inside and were met by Lara‟s uncle, Colin Wade, who greeted us in his purple jeep (it attracts the ladies). Colin handed us our official badges, fluorescent waistcoats and yellow hard hats. We got a safety talk and an introduction from Brian, one of the workers, complete with a surprise fire drill! Intruder alarm and radiation alarm drills were also discussed. We were given a tour of the base, which had lots of machines in it. The equipment was HUGE. Diving straight into the physics, we all tried to use a torque wrench which required 276Nm to tighten bolts. It was very hard to get it to „click‟, and all the boys were competing against each other to see who could manage it. Then Colin showed us the hydraulic screwdriver. It works by pressure, force and area, a topic that we have been looking at. Hunger was a major distraction at this point, so we went to have lunch, which was kindly provided by Rolls Royce. The macaroni cheese was great! After lunch, we went to the classroom and met Paul, who is an ex-Navy diver and is in charge of the Transfer Under Pressure System (TUPS). He talked to us all about pressure and the effects on submariners. We then went to the Baryonic decompression chambers, which are part of TUPS. These are chambers that are used if there is an accident underwater because the submariners and divers cannot be brought straight up to the surface or they may be become very ill. We used the chambers to look at the effect that decreasing and increasing pressure had on balloons, water bottles (empty and water-filled) a syringe and Uncle Colin. The balloons represented human lungs, and they shrank with increasing pressure. The syringe compressed the air inside it. The empty water bottle shrank with increasing pressure, similar to the balloons. The one filled with water experienced no change. A balloon was blown up 20m below sea level and as it came back to sea level it grew until it eventually burst. We all found this fascinating as we had already made predictions of this using our physics knowledge. Due to the group being large, half of us went on a proper tour of the warehouse and the whole process of rescuing was explained to us in detail. We got to go in „Nemo‟, the rescue submarine. Colin showed us all the gadgets, which were pretty cool, and told us about travelling in a submarine. It was quite small and conditions were cramped with only eight of us in there. Normally there will be twelve full grown male marines! We went to the classroom once again to do some buoyancy problems related to the submarine, putting more physics into action. We were all completely stumped, including the teachers, but we got through it in the end and Colin was impressed. Miss Nicholson won a hat and a group of boys won mouse mats. We all got pens, so more freebies from Rolls Royce! Happy children! Sadly, it was time to go home. We said thanks to Colin and Paul and we were presented with a NSRS plaque which now hangs proudly in the Science Department. We had a brilliant day and are extremely grateful to all the people who made it happen. Lara Frostwick and Nandini Nagra S5
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East Lothian Year Group Outdoor Challenges So far this session all year groups except S2 have competed in their Year Group challenges, facing up to stiff competition from their peers in the other East Lothian secondary schools. Although pipped at the post in some events, our teams all did really well! The remaining challenge of the session is S2 in March, at John Muir Country Park. These challenges are a fantastic opportunity for developing our pupils as successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. They also encourage a great deal of interaction between school pupils and staff alike. The core values of Curriculum for Excellence echo the key concepts of outdoor learning: challenge, enjoyment, relevance, depth, development of the whole person and an adventurous approach to learning. (Education Scotland) It has been hugely rewarding to watch the teams using a huge variety of skills at these events, and to witness some of the benefits of outdoor learning and the power of experiential learning in action. The Year Group outdoor Challenges could not run without the commitment of the dedicated staff at the East Lothian Outdoor Education Service, based in Musselburgh. Ms Ritchie
Lost Property All lost property is held by the office, with valuables being held in the school safe, whilst clothing is organised by Mrs Cunningham. Pupils should contact the office / Mrs Cunningham in the first instance. If parents wish to view lost property, they should contact the office to arrange a suitable time. Clothing - if clothing is not claimed, this will be recycled at the end of the month following when it was found. i.e. clothing found in November will be recycled at the end of December.
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Silver Duke of Edinburgh On 27th October fifteen 5th years, Mrs Waddell and Miss Ritchie set off on their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award Practice expedition. Weeks of route mapping, kit checking and obsessive watching of the weather forecast led up to our three day expedition in the Lammermuirs. Our mini-bus, complete with stuffed-full backpacks, spare tents and an inordinate amount of sweets, arrived in Longformacus mid-morning. After a quick lesson in using our compasses we set off northwards, getting off to a good start by climbing a barbed wire fence. For the four of us who had done our Bronze Duke of Edinburgh this wasn‟t that much of a surprise but it was certainly an interesting way for everyone else to start. Following the course of a burn we reached the first hill, which was quite a shock to our systems. However, it made everything afterwards feel a lot easier and the journey continued with Miss Ritchie setting a brisk pace. Day one was not without its hitches (a sprained ankle, the boys drinking unsafe water and one of the teachers falling over) but undoubtedly the greatest problem came when the campsite was within sight. The words „so close yet so far‟ were mentioned as we stood in front of a river, gazing longingly at the campsite on the far side. This problem was solved by Miss Ritchie, the mini-bus and a convenient road - a privilege we won‟t be able to enjoy on our final expedition. After a very cold night, the second day began with repacking our bags – more difficult than it sounds – and setting off towards Crystal Rig wind farm. Having learnt a lot about pacing and map reading on day one, we raced through our second day, arriving at the campsite around 3.30pm. This gave the teachers time to fetch an air mattress in the mini-bus (which is cheating, by the way) while we started a bonfire. Apparently, starting a fire between our tents and a house is not going to help us pass our DofE but it did solve the temperature problem very well. The sun rose on the third and final day, highlighting a sea of less than hygienic cooking equipment and fire-melted gummy bears. With the incentive of showers, toilets and somewhere warm we reached the mini-bus cold, wet but happy in the early morning. Despite its ups and downs, our practice expedition was not only educational but a lot of fun. And everyone survived relatively unscathed, making the expedition a great success. We would all like to say thank you to Miss Ritchie and Mrs Waddell for tolerating us for three days. Caitlin Rollison and Catherine Bunney S5
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NBHS Parent Council Every parent with a child in North Berwick High School is a member of the Parent Forum. The membership of the Parent Council consists of up to twelve volunteers from the Parent Forum and together they have a key role to play in working alongside the school to provide the best education and opportunities for pupils. There is also the possibility of becoming an associate member of PC. The parents who have volunteered to be part of the Parent Council try to effectively represent parental views and keep them informed and involved in what it is doing. They work with the school to assist in the delivery of the best educational opportunities for pupils and, with the assistance of the Parent Forum, can be very effective in raising the quality of the educational experience of pupils at the school, developing community spirit and, by direct discussion with East Lothian Council, making a real difference in protecting the school from the adverse impact that budgetary cuts can have on our children‟s education. We would encourage parents to discuss concerns and issues with us, and whenever possible help in some small way to improve educational opportunities within the school. Last year was a very busy year for the PC and involved considerable input from a small number of people. Some examples of the significant benefit that parents can provide can be seen in last year‟s projects. Some of the highlights included the NBHS Careers Convention in September which was organised by the PC and school staff and was attended by over 700 people. We also submitted a response to the public consultation on the proposed development at Gilsland and Mains Farm. This could have a negative impact on pupils due to the forecast increase in traffic driving past the school. It could also restrict future expansion of the school if the adjacent land was developed for housing and the school became “land locked”. Last but not least, following concerns from parents about homework, the PC discussed the development of a new Homework Policy with the school. The finalised policy is now available on the school website. The PC AGM held in September was well attended by a large number of parents and we were pleased to welcome on-board new parents and increase parental representation on the PC to the maximum number of twelve. Scott Murphy, the liaison officer from the Scottish Qualifications Authority, presented a short talk about Curriculum for Excellence qualifications, exams and assessment followed by a very informative question and answer session. At our first PC meeting in October, we discussed feedback received from parents and set up a series of sub-groups to consider topics in detail such as Curriculum for Excellence, Communication, Fundraising and the school‟s Eco School status. In the New Year, we are planning to undertake a survey of parents to better understand the current topics of concern to parents at the school. We ask you please to assist us with this and take a few minutes to fill in your responses when it‟s launched. The sub-groups set up for this year and some of the main objectives are as follows: Communication, Education & Vocation – parent feedback, school website, support for learning, Curriculum for Excellence, homework policy, school development plan. Planning & Development: Mains Farm & Gilsland development, Ferrygate development, safeguarding land from future development to ensure the school is not “land locked” and prevented from future expansion Representation & Networking: Scotland Parent Teacher Council, East Lothian Association of Parent Councils, and National Parent Forum of Scotland
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Parent Council contd Volunteering & Careers: skills for schools, parent presentations about career opportunities, Sports Initiatives: sports programme, school facilities, a new thrift shop that will run alongside the current tuck shop by parent volunteers. If you would like any more details you are very welcome to come along and contribute to any of the forthcoming PC meetings (dates listed below) between 7pm and 9 pm at the school or refer to the PC webpage on NBHS website. Alternatively, please email: parentcouncil@northberwickhigh.elcschool.org.uk If you would like to assist or contribute to the PC please contact us. We would particularly welcome assistance from those with IT expertise or Eco warriors. Dates of planned PC Meetings 2012: 17th Jan, 6th March, 1st May and 19th June Jeff Knight, Chair of the Parent Council
MER On November 2nd, nine MER (Managing Environmental Resources) students, Mrs Morrison and Mr McFarlane set off in the minibus towards Dunbar. We were on a trip to Viridor, to the infamous (!) landfill site near the cement works, home to 5 million tonnes of our rubbish. After a terribly exciting journey, we arrived. A Viridor official came out to meet us and we were issued with hard hats and high-vis jackets. Then we climbed back into the minibus and were taken on a tour: to the depot where waste from Edinburgh and East Lothian arrives by train; then the sorting shed; and finally over to the landfill site. Most of us were surprised how „clean‟ the site was, and how well managed it was. We expected litter blowing everywhere, and an overwhelming smell, much like at the end of Toy Story 3. Instead the dump was well kept, hidden behind the hill and with virtually no smell at all. We were given a talk on how the site was managed and how it had been designed to be much better for the environment. We also found out future plans for the site, and how it would be managed when it had been filled. The site operates an extraction system for the methane released from landfill – gas is taken from the decaying landfill and turned into energy to power the cement works. Viridor also has future plans to build an incinerator with carbon capture, as an alternative waste disposal system. The site is surprisingly well kept – the waste is covered over at night to stop rodents getting in, and they employ a bird keeper with hawks and buzzards to keep seagulls and vermin away. We came away with a completely different view on landfill. Catherine Bunney and Caitlin Rollison S5
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French Alps June 2011 On the last week of term before the summer holiday, a group of S5 and S6 year geography students took a well-earned early break and embarked upon a gruelling 26-hour bus journey to the French Alps. The long journey had us all worn out, but spirits were high when we eventually reached our hotel in Notre Dame de Bellecombe. The glorious French weather proved to be an extreme contrast to the dull drizzle we are all accustomed to in Scotland. Our first day of field work took us to the mountains of Switzerland where we studied the retreating Glacier du Triente. This involved us using our creativity to sketch a diagram of the glacier in the valley, somewhat a challenge for those of us with limited artistic talent! After that, we hit the summer luge! Breaking the laws of physics with our extreme speed, the rushing winds cooled us down after hiking in 32 degree heat. Luckily, there were no major injuries, just the odd patch of sunburn and, strangely, several nose bleeds. Our second day of field work began with a pleasant train journey up the steep ascent towards Mer du Glace, another glacier. Up the mountain, we got the opportunity to go inside the glacier, which was something of a novel experience! Once back down the mountain, we conducted tourism studies on the town of Chamonix before heading up to higher altitudes again in a cable car. This gave us some phenomenal views of the Mont Blanc Massif with its snowy peaks, and of the town below which we were suspended several hundred feet above. The following day, we took a trip to the lovely town of Annecy and the Gorge du Fier. Here, we finally got to match real images to the diagrams of limestone features we have learnt about. While in the town of Annecy, we studied the urban land uses and characteristics of the area, and took time to investigate the town centre and central business district. It was then back on the bus home for tea and our nightly games of tennis and basketball in the local park, making sure to dodge the hornets! The next morning, our bus came to a halt only ten minutes into the journey due to lack of petrol. It perched on a narrow road half-way up a mountain, intersecting a hair-pin bend. But being the enthusiastic geographers that we are, we clambered off the bus and occupied ourselves for a short period while the situation was recovered. We then made our way to the Beaufort cheese factory, where many of us began to feel queasy due to the pungent stench and humid heat of the building. After purchasing some French cheese, we got the opportunity to put our French skills into practice by browsing in a local market. After a long day, the group got on the bus once again and stopped at a bowling alley, where we had a competitive game. To finish the day and to top off our excellent week, a disco was organised in the hotel when we took the chance to show off our Scottish dancing talents. This left the hotelâ€&#x;s host family intrigued and, not surprisingly, dizzy. The trip to the French Alps was a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable experience. Everyone gained valuable knowledge from it and the constant laughter and chatter suggested that it wasnâ€&#x;t too educationally strenuous! This incredible trip would not have been possible without the input and dedication from our teachers, so a massive thank you goes to Mrs Morrison, Mr Rutter, Mr McFarlane and Mrs Cunningham for organising and leading the trip to the French Alps. By Maggie Goodlad and Morag Ainslie S5
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Macbeth Review On 26th October, two fourth year classes and various teachers in the English department went to see a performance of “Macbeth” by the travelling drama group, lcarus. It was a small production with a cast of just seven members, but the characters flowed together well and the action was dynamic. All the actors had an obvious chemistry on stage, and it was apparent that real time and effort had gone into the production. The audience‟s eyes were all glued to the actors on stage, and at times there was some genuine fear flowing through the crowd. The fight scenes in particular were extremely realistic, Macbeth at one point attacking with two axes flailing simultaneously. The actors retold the play in such a way that it really brought to life the characters, with good use of costumes, props and music. The clarity of the actors was also very good. The central character, Macbeth, was very convincing. All the emotions of the bloodthirsty tyrant‟s journey were portrayed incredibly well, using techniques to make the audience shiver. There was an undeniable chemistry and tension between him and Lady Macbeth, which showed the destructive essence of their love. I felt that the best acting was used in portraying the witches‟ characters, since they were dark, mysterious and, frankly, peculiar! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the production and would have no hesitation in attending future performances. Katie Fegan S4
Advanced Higher Modern Studies Field Trip Crime and punishment was the theme for Mr Docherty‟s Advanced Higher Modern Studies class in November, as they travelled to Edinburgh to attend a criminal justice event run by the organisation SACRO (Safeguarding Communities, Reducing Offending). After spending the morning in Edinburgh‟s Sheriff Court, where the class gained a basic insight into how the country delivers justice, the group then travelled to SACRO‟s headquarters on Aubigny Street. A detailed presentation was given by key members of the organisation, describing how SACRO helps reduce and prevent offending through practices such as Restorative Justice and Early Intervention Programmes. After the presentation, a Q&A session commenced, giving pupils a valuable opportunity to ask questions relating to their ongoing dissertations. The event proved hugely valuable. Immeasurably useful dissertation research was gained and the event also demonstrated what a great interest Scotland has in exploring ways in which sky-high offending and re-offending levels can be reduced.
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“Love
Burns” – An Album
I first began performing with Alan when I was still at school: in S5 he invited me to sing “Ca‟ The Yowes” and “John Anderson” with his guitar group. At the time, I wasn‟t particularly keen on Scottish folk music, but gratefully accepted. I wasn‟t to know then that I would grow to be fond of Burns‟ work, and it was to play such a part in my life later on. After that, we went to certain events representing the school, sometimes with the guitar group, along with performing at local Burns evenings and events. Things took a step up when Alan‟s confidence in us as an act got us into the line up for the 2009 Burns Homecoming Ceremony in St. Mary‟s Church in Haddington, alongside other acts prominent in the folk scene such as Dougie Mclean and Phil Cunningham. As time went on, our frequency of performances increased and our repertoire expanded, until we decided it was about time we made a record of our work. I had already been involved in making an album of original work two years ago, „Join The Dots‟, with two other artists, This has made £3000 for charity to date, as well as covering the production costs, so it seemed realistic that this project could achieve at least an equal level of success. The bulk of the songs featured are from our original repertoire, though some new ones were added specially arranged and rehearsed for the album itself. Besides the Burns songs and a rendition of an Irish folk song, “She Moved Through The Fair”, Alan has three guitar solo tracks, two of which are also written by him. I can speak for both Alan and myself to say recording the album has been an absolute pleasure. Something that I have learned from my experiences in the B & B Studio work is that having a friendly, talented and patient sound engineer is an absolute must – and Richard Werner was all of these things. On my breaks from takes, I enjoyed watching his techno wizardry as he preened and polished our performances. He maintained a very supportive atmosphere throughout the whole process, even when I became ill with a bad cold halfway through the week – more than a hiccup for all involved! Another thing I enjoyed about the album was getting to meet and work with other musicians, (Su-a Lee – cello, Marc Duff – whistle, Rebecca Knorr – flute and North Berwick High School‟s own percussion teacher Dave Swanson). There was satisfaction in hearing their playing complete Alan‟s arrangements in the final master at the end. All in all, “Love Burns” has been an enriching and rewarding project, and I am grateful to everyone who helped make it happen. For every album sale, a £1 donation is made to The Sick Kids Friends Foundation and The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum. For more information, visit our website at: www.loveburns.co.uk Listen to us also on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycH4MATC1P4 Zoe Moskal-Guy
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Senior German Trip to Forst Our traditional trip, in partnership with Dunbar Grammar School, started on a fortuitous day - 11/11/11. We flew to Berlin for a gentle introductory weekend to all things German. Under a blue sky with plenty of sunshine we visited a number of sites including the TV tower, the Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gates, testing out our German as we went. All of our experiences in Berlin are on the Modern Languages Blog for you to share (http://edubuzz.org/nbhslanguages/)! On Sunday evening we continued to the former Eastern German town of Forst. Forst is around the same size as Dunbar, and it lies directly on the Polish border. Once known as the Manchester of Germany because of its wealth of cotton mills, Forst‟s derelict chimneys now bear witness to a time gone by. But modern day Forst is a town on the up. Their International Relations Co-ordinator, Jana Handrischeck, is responsible for orgainsing visits from the numerous and varied international guests that Forst welcomes each year. Several of our pupils will, for example, have visited Forst to participate in the Folklore Lawine – the annual traditional music festival patronised by bands from Canada, Israel, Scotland, and many, many more. Next Easter, North Berwick Colts will be playing football in Forst with Alex Galloway, a fellow German afficianado and teacher. Our pupils‟ visit had little to do with music or sport, but everything to do with continuing our long-standing partnership. From Monday to Thursday, the pupils were engaged in a range of activities: some of them attended Forst Gymnasium (a Grammar school in the traditional sense), others worked for Forst Council in the Environmental Department, in the Food Hygiene Department, in Forst Library and in the local primary school. Now was the time to really put our German to the test! Questions came thick and fast every evening as we sat to write our daily diaries. Everyone made excellent progress in their German and really enjoyed the experience. Our trip even made it into the local paper! (see page 13) My thanks in particular go to Naomi Barnes from Dunbar Grammar School, for organising this year‟s trip, to Jana Handrischeck for her continuous support, and to all the Council representatives and employees in both Forst and East Lothian who have accepted one of our pupils for work experience. Their support is critical in making these experiences available for our young people. Ms Ritchie
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Pupil Support Newsletter The Support Department welcomed the new S1 to the school at the start of the session in August. Support teachers had visited the feeder primaries last session as part of their transition. September saw some of the young people from the Support Base visit Meadowmill near Prestonpans to play badminton with Scottish champions, Niall Jarvie and Dave Quarrie, who were with their coaches Alex Bird and Christine Black. The young people had a super time and received a certificate and T shirt for their efforts. Every Monday and Wednesday during September pupils from the Support Base went to the gardening plot near the Law. They were actively involved with weeding and picking the fruits of their labour. The courgettes were particularly good this year and were used in a cooking session in the Support Base kitchen. Also in September, S1 young people from the Support Base were involved in bonding days at East Links Family Park. They had a very enjoyable day out although it was very tiring. The Support paired reading scheme was organised and started in September by Mrs Barlow and Mrs Lawson. S6 pupils volunteered to read with the young people in S1, S2 and S3. This is very popular and is part of the school‟s development of citizenship within the school community. October saw the successful Open afternoon for parents of S1, meetings with Support teachers and visits to the Support Base. Support staff also had a farewell lunch munch to say goodbye to Mrs Wendy Howie, Depute Head Teacher (Pupil Support) who left NBHS to start a secondment at John Muir House co-ordinating Curriculum for Excellence for the secondary schools in East Lothian. We all wished her well in her new post. The Support Department has started inviting different departments to the Base for coffee and cake one Thursday break time every month. The Science department were the first to be invited. The young people in the Support Base assisted in the setting up of the table and food, welcomed their science teachers and some members of the senior management team and took orders for tea, coffee and cake or biscuits. December will see an invitation to the maths Department prior to the Christmas holiday. Finally, a note of celebration as the Pupil Support Department was nominated for an East Lothian Council STAR Award. The ceremony was on Friday 18 November and five staff attended and had a super evening as they won the Award for „Working with the Community‟. The Department works very closely with staff from North Berwick Youth Cafe and has developed a number of excellent initiatives in supporting young people outside the normal classroom.
Paris Steele Sponsorship of school rugby jerseys The school is very grateful for Paris Steele‟s continuing sponsorship of the rugby jerseys for all teams, to the sum of £600. This allows our boys to purchase a top-quality garment at a greatly reduced price. Thanks also goes to Mr Brian Gannon of Rapid Repairs who also subsidise school sportswear.
Rugby Achievements Three NBHS boys - Scott Burnside, Lewis Carmichael and Reece Patterson - were in the Edinburgh Knights U17 team which played against Glasgow Warriors on October 26 at Murrayfield. This match was effectively a trial for the Scotland U17 team. Also, three NBHS boys - Scott Burnside, Findlay Glynn and Leo Gordon- attended a 5-day Scotland U16 camp during the October break at Loretto School in Musselburgh, with around 70 boys from Scotland and Exiles. Well done to all the boys, and we look forward to following the next stage of their rugby career.
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Residential Excursions NBHS has a proud tradition of offering pupils a variety of residential trips during their years in school. These trips provide the opportunity for young people to try new experiences – some cultural, some scientific, some sporting, some in the great outdoors. What the trips all have in common is that, through them, pupils are encouraged to face challenges and take risks, develop their learning, learn how to get on with each other away from school and perhaps even make new friendships. It is hoped that every pupil will take the opportunity to go on at least one of these residential trips during their school career. There is no doubt that each trip will provide many long-lasting happy memories. We are aware that in these financially-straitened times, parents need to plan well in advance so details are included below about the trips that your child may be offered over the coming years. Financial assistance may be available for some pupils; however, you should be aware that there is no guarantee of such assistance and, if it is awarded, it can only be given for a maximum of two trips during a pupil‟s school career. Year group
Trip
S2
Annual ski trip to Alps in January
S3
Annual Activities Week in May, e.g.
S3/S4 S4/S5/S6
Approximate £780 - £820
north of Scotland outdoor activities
£330
south-west Scotland golf
£360
watersports in Ardeche
£560
history battlefields in Belgium/France
£425
business management in London Exchange trip for French, German or Spanish
£375 £400
Social subjects trip in June - alternates each year between: geography field trip to the Alps (odd years) history and modern studies trip to, e.g. Washington and
£600 £900-£1300
S5/S6
Cultural and climbing trip to Morocco in June 2012 (may be
£900
S5/S6
Choir tour to Malawi in June 2013, including working with partner school (fundraising activities planned to offset some
£2500
Advanced Higher modern languages cultural/work experi-
£380
S6
Senior Citizens’ Party Last year our annual Senior Citizens‟ Party had to be cancelled because of the snow, so we were delighted that the event was able to go ahead this year. On 7 December, over fifty elderly residents from North Berwick and the surrounding villages enjoyed a lovely afternoon in the School Hall, listening to musical performances from our pupils, followed by a delicious afternoon tea of sausage rolls and home baking. One lady said, “What talented musicians you have. The music is super.” While another said, “The meringues are the best I‟ve ever tasted!” Well done to all the pupils and staff who helped make this such a special occasion for our guests.
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Winter Newsletter
ART NEWS
Royal Hospital for Sick Children Competition
Rosie Watson from last year's S6 had her Advanced Higher Art and Design folio selected by the SQA for an exhibition celebrating excellence. Her folio was on display at Dollar Academy in October along with those of forty other pupils from across Scotland . Rosie's folio showed off her work in the field of textile design where she based pieces around her lovely observed drawings of natural forms; she then developed these by using screenprinting, embroidery and applique work to produce designs for soft furnishings fabrics. Rowan Wood from last year's Higher Art and Design had his work selected for publication in The Times Educational Supplement Scotland. His Expressive folio featured beautiful wildlife studies of creatures and scenery from the East Lothian coastline. In his Design folio Rowan‟s ideas resulted in him producing a very impressive architectural model. Well done to both pupils! Their work is just a small example of the diverse range of activities that go on in the Art Department at NBHS. Mr Baillie
A large number of our First Year and Third Year pupils recently took part in a competition which was being run by the Royal Hospital for Sick Children. The theme we were working to was “My Dream Garden”. Pupils were encouraged to choose from a variety of media, including paint, oil pastels, coloured pencils, chalk, collage and even sequins and glitter! This resulted in some creative and highly individual pieces of work, and I would like to quote from the letter sent to the school by Denise Claxton, Voluntary Services Manager: “ On behalf of the Family Council and Sick Kids Friends Foundation I would like to thank you for sending in so many entries from your school. We have been overwhelmed with the quantity and indeed the quality of the pictures. This has made the judging very difficult. We received lots of help in short listing from people who visited or work in the hospital. The patients had the extremely difficult task of picking the winners. I am delighted to say that two of your pupils have won prizes. Rachel Jackson was Highly Commended in the 8-12 years category and Amy Irvine was placed 1st in the 13 years and over category.” Whilst writing, although one of your pupils, Kailey Pollock didn‟t win a prize, the quality of her work was very good and we would still like to display this in the hospital”.
Congratulations are extended to the pupils who have won a prize, and they will be travelling to Edinburgh to collect their prize on 21st December. A HUGE big THANK YOU and WELL DONE! To all the pupils who took part.
Mrs Calder
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This article appeared in the Scottish Review, published by the Institute of Contemporary Scotland, in November this year. It gives a lovely impression of a very special visitor to NBHS: A man called Gerald Nsengyumva My life interferes with my rugby. I played it, coached it and now, as the body begins to give out, I referee. I‟ve had a great time, multifarious injuries apart, but they are part of what was described by the great New Zealand player Wayne Shelford as “Not a contact sport, it‟s a collision sport...” and I blame no-one but myself for each and every break and tear.............. But the purpose of this story is not to talk about my limited exploits on the rugby pitch, rather it is to tell you about a man who I had the great privilege to meet recently as a result of my involvement in the sport. A year ago Colin Brett, the SRU Referee Development Manager for the Edinburgh Rugby Referee Society, visited Rwanda along with Frank Hadden, the former Scotland Rugby Head Coach. Both were humbled by what they saw there, and the immense friendliness of the people. Out of that visit, Colin arranged for 2 referees from that country to visit Scotland on an exchange with the intention of helping them develop the fledgling sport in their home country. Unfortunately because of red tape, only one finally arrived, and Gerald Nsengyumva was with us over the last 10 days in October. Rugby being the social sport it is, he spent his time refereeing, sightseeing, and meeting people, this being his first trip out of Africa. However as part of his trip he kindly agreed to speak to the 4th year pupils at North Berwick High School, where my wife teaches, and asked if we could record his talk so that he could give a copy to the Rwandan Government‟s Reconciliation Committee. He hadn‟t prepared a script, so I had no idea what he would say. He isn‟t a teacher, he runs a small transport company in Kigali, but this man for whom English is a 3rd language, held over 100 young people, their teachers and others in the audience enthralled for nearly an hour. He talked quietly and gently and with great presence. He said he was glad to talk about what had happened in his country during the genocide of 1994 (when he was 20 years old), because he said that unless Rwandans talked about it then they would be in danger of forgetting, and if they ever forget, then they might be in danger of repeating the same mistakes. But he also talked about there being a time to forget. He said that while Rwandans must never forget that 1 million of their countrymen were massacred over a 100 day period, they must learn to forget what individuals did, not to personalise the tragedy, but to see it as being a consequence of the selfish ambitions of a very few people, not that of all Rwandans as a whole. He laid blame firmly at the doorstep of the United Nations, whose Canadian military commander in the region was prohibited from preventing literally hundreds of thousands of men, women and children from being cut down in the street, because “the UN had „no mandate to intervene‟”. Yet he wanted most of all to talk about forgiveness, because he said, unless you forgive, you will never be healed. He talked simply about forgiving his neighbours, about rebuilding his country as a place to bring up his beautiful little 10 month old daughter. He explained how he was no longer a member of either the Hutu or the Tutsi tribes, he was a Rwandan....... The young people opened up to him in a way their teachers told me afterwards was astonishing, they asked honest and open questions about the genocide, and how Gerald had been affected personally by it. He answered equally honestly and his answers made horrendous listening, but for the youngsters, this was history made real. One girl later described the experience as “brutal but brilliant”. But throughout his talk what impressed most was his dignity, his calmness and through his quiet eloquence, his desire to help the audience understand and learn from the experiences of himself and his fellow Rwandans; to allow us to use his history as a means of learning and avoiding the same mistakes.
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contd Only once did he show any visible anger when, in response to a question, he said that “No......justice has not been done as many of the people responsible for the genocide are still free living under the protection of governments throughout the world....” In this deeply impressive man there is a message for all of us in our materialistic desire to seek revenge for all slights no matter how trivial, that sometimes in order to find real peace, we have to look beyond blame and, like Gerald, somehow learn to forgive. Bill Mitchell November 2011 (Biography: Bill Mitchell is a member of the SRU senior panel of officials. In his professional life he is a Partner in The Ghost Partnership which works with organisations to improve their performance through their people.)
Osiligi Warriors Construction Challenge On Thursday 27th October, a team of ten S2 pupils and one reserve took part in the Edinburgh and Lothian's Construction and Built Environment Challenge (CABEC) 2011-12 at Napier University. The challenges faced included bridge building, plumbing and making the longest cantilever structure from 'Jenga' blocks. The teams were judged not only on results but on their understanding, communication and team-work throughout the event. After a very close fought competition they won their heat and now go forward to meet nine other schools in the final to be held at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange on 19th January 2012.
In early September, our S1 and S2 pupils were given a wonderful opportunity to see the Osiligi Maasai warrior dance troupe perform in the School Hall. We learnt about daily life for a Maasai person, including the home, school, clothing and food. We also got the chance to experience Maasai culture. For some of our S2 pupils, in particular, this was very special as they have been taking part in the „Into Africa‟ project as part of the enhancement rota. Now they could see the dancing and hear the music performed by experts. Everyone was extremely impressed by the dancing, which included some very high jumps. A number of pupils and teachers were encouraged to join in with the singing and the dancing, though none of us quite reached the heights of the Maasai dancers! This was a lovely occasion, and we are very grateful that the Maasai troupe were able to come to NBHS to entertain us and teach us about their culture.
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Careers Convention
The Takeaway Theatre Company
On the evening of Wednesday 14 September, North Berwick High School was buzzing with talk of future careers. Our Careers Convention, organised by members of the Parent Council and school staff, was a huge success, with over 700 parents and pupils attending to meet over 100 representatives from a huge variety of organisations. There were also presentations on interview skills and CV writing; these proved to be very popular and all agreed that they were extremely useful. One parent said, “Thanks very much – a night well spent!” An S4 pupil commented, “It‟s been fantastic. I feel even more motivated now!” A big thank you to everyone who helped to make the event such a great success.
The Social Subjects department were thrilled to welcome the Takeaway Theatre Company to the school in October this year to perform to our S1 students.
Recent NBHS Football Results
The three fantastic actors performed a one-hour play on life in Britain during WWII. They told the story of what life was like for a young girl, aged 13, and how she was evacuated from her home in London. The performance was filled with comedy and music from the time but did not stray from the facts. The S1 pupils seemed to thoroughly enjoy the performance, with many of them seeing things that they studied recently in History. Those who were not studying History at the time still received an entertaining and educational experience that will help them when it comes their time to investigate life during WWII. Overall, an enjoyable time was had by pupils and staff alike and we look forward to welcoming the Takeaway Theatre Company back to North Berwick High in the future.
Under 13 Scottish Shield, 3rd round North Berwick 4 Linlithgow 5
Mrs Forbes
Under 14 Scottish Shield, 3rd round North Berwick 3 St. Margaret's Academy 1
The Prison System: how much do we know?
Under 14 East and Midlothian League Lasswade 2 North Berwick 2 North Berwick 7 Preston Lodge 2 Under 16 Scottish Shield, 3rd round North Berwick 5 St Augustine's 0
PTA BURNS’ SUPPER Friday 3rd February 2012 Don‟t miss it! Details to follow in the New Year
Our Advanced Higher Modern Studies class wanted to know more about the topic of the prison system. We were visited by Craig Mercer, a Prison Officer form HMP Edinburgh, who was eager to answer those big questions and help with the development of our dissertations on individual areas of The Penal System and the Cause of Crime and Disorder. The floor was open for discussion and we gained a lot of information, especially on Restorative Justice offered inside the “prison village”. Thanks to Mr Docherty and Craig Mercer, we are able to understand the day-to-day prison life and the work that goes on behind closed doors to bring justice and security to us, as citizens. The visit was greatly appreciated and we hope the opportunity will always be open for future Modern Studies pupils.
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Malawi Initiative The school has just begun planning another choir trip to Malawi, in June 2013. Fundraising carries on apace for our partner school, Katunguwiri Community Day Secondary School, and in conjunction with the Scottish charity Mary‟s Meals. Below is an article from the front page of Mary‟s Meals most recent newsletter: North Berwick High continues to show incredible initiative, enterprise and sense of community in supporting Mary‟s Meals. North Berwick High School has been very successful in raising awareness and eliciting support from the whole community, involving local primaries, churches and business community among others. Over the past few years they have, in addition to continuing to grow their educational partnership with Katunguwiri, raised enough money to pay for the construction of two Mary‟s Meals kitchen/ shelters in Liwonde and continue to help with feeding costs. To date the school has raised an amazing £17,000 for Mary‟s Meals – the latest cheque being for £3,000. North Berwick have, in addition to so many imaginative fun fundraising events, used their support for Mary‟s Meals and partnership at Katunguwiri as a vehicle for embedding a global dimension in their curriculum. More details of the exemplar work of this school are available on their school website.
DAY SCHOOL SESSION DATES 2011-2012 Friday 23rd December 2011 th
Tuesday 10 January 2012
Pupils resume
th
First day of February half-term holiday
th
Pupils resume
Monday 13 February 2012 Monday 20 February 2012 nd
Monday 2
April 2012
First day of Easter holiday
th
Pupils resume
Tuesday 17 April 2012 th
Monday 7 May 20112 Tuesday 8
First day of Christmas holiday
th
May 2012 th
Wednesday 9 May 2012 th
Monday 4 June 2012 th
Friday 29 June 2012
May Day Holiday Teachers‟ In-service Day Pupils resume Queen‟s Diamond Jubilee Holiday School closes for Summer holiday
Grange Road
Phone: 01620 894661
North Berwick
Absence line: 01620 894716
East Lothian
Fax: 01620 895495
EH39 4QS
Email: northberwick.hs@northberwickhigh.elcschool.org.uk
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