St. Joseph's College Christmas 2021 Newsletter

www.stjosephscollege.co.uk A Message from the Head Teacher

Christmas Newsletter 2021

ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE

It’s almost the end of term! As always, a busy one, but the only one that sees a two course Christmas meal being served to pupils, and on this occasion almost 300 of them! Many congratulations to our catering staff and student servers who all now deserve a good break.

Indeed the whole school community does!

Unfortunately coronavirus, with all its different variants, continues to make life in school and out of it very challenging indeed. I am extremely grateful and very proud of staff and pupils for coping with all the mitigations we have in place which have allowed us to maintain our focus on teaching and learning.

Session 2021-2022 th

Wednesday 22 December: School closes 3.15 p.m.

Wednesday 5th January: Staff In-Service Thursday 6th January: Staff In-Service Day Friday 7th January: Pupils return 8.50 a.m.

Friday 14th January: S4—S6 Assessment Diet Thursday 20th January: Parent Council 7 p.m. via Zoom Friday 28th January: S4 –S6 assessments end Monday 14th February: School Holiday—Mid term Tuesday 15th February: Staff In-Service Day, Pupil Holiday Wednesday 16th February: Staff In-Service Day, Pupil Holiday

As you will see from this newsletter some great work has been produced across the curriculum. I am also delighted to report that there has been a safe return to many extra-curricular activities from which we know pupils benefit so much, not only in terms of their physical health but also their mental wellbeing too. As I write we are looking forward to our Carol Service, led by our school band. This event is a long standing tradition, but I think the first time it will be held outside. I hope that the weather will be reasonably kind! Restrictions did not lift enough to allow our famous Christmas ceilidh’s to take place. However with the majority of the population, including our young people, now being vaccinated against Covid, and other advances in effective treatments, we look with great hope towards 2022.

Thursday 17th February: Pupils return 8.50 a.m.

I wish you and your family peace and joy this Christmas and send you every best wish for a happy and healthy new year.

Thurs-Friday 2nd - 3nd June: Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Holiday

Mrs Jones

Wednesday 23rd February: S4 Full reports to Parents Thursday 24th February: S5 Full reports to Parents Friday 25th February: S6 Full reports to Parents Wednesday 9th March: PFA Meeting 7 p.m.

Wednesday 16th March: Parent Council 7 p.m.

Friday 1st April: School closes 3.15 p.m.

Tuesday 19th April: Pupils return 8.50 a.m.

Tuesday 26th April: Scottish Qualification exams begin Monday 2nd May: May Day holiday Monday 9th May: S2 Tracking Reports to Parents Thursday 19th May: S1 Full reports to Parents Wednesday 25th May: S3 Tracking Reports to Parents Thursday 26th May: S3 BGE Celebration of Learning Wednesday 1st June: Scottish Qualifications exams end Monday 6th June: Provisional start of new timetable Friday 1st July: School closes 3.15 p.m.

Monday 22nd August: School re-opens to pupils 8.50 a.m.

S1 wishing you a healthy and happy Christmas.

Message from School Chaplain As we see from our shops and High Streets and culture in general, the temptation is to pre-empt Christmas and to start early.

Christmas Day is the First Day of Christmas not the last! We still have a few days of the Advent season left and they are important. Advent is given to us for preparation time, to get ourselves ready for the Nativity. One of the main themes of Advent is Hope. We wait for the birth of our Saviour hopefully. We are called to be a people of Hope. This is a quality even more in demand at this time and after the two years we have all experienced. May we project and proclaim hope in ourselves, in others and in our world. A very Happy Christmas season when it comes.

Fr Gerald Donnelly, School Chaplain

As part of the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow, His Excellency Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain, together with the Bishops of Scotland celebrated Holy Mass in Saint Augustine's Church, Coatbridge. St. Joseph's College was represented on this special occasion by Fr Gerald Donnelly, our School Chaplain, Mrs Jones and Vice-Captains and Prefects, Callum McGill, Robyn Anderson and Lauren Kerr.

During this mass Archbishop Gugerotti delivered a personal message from Pope Francis. His message, directed to the young people assembled, spoke of looking after the environment and protecting God's creation, for the common good. The young people were then asked to be 'brave and committed in striving to ensure the future of all inhabitants of our earth'. Addressing the 600 plus congregation, School Captains from the local Secondary school said 'As young people, we stand ready to come together as one to address this crisis which threatens our world', words which certainly rung true with our own school representatives.

Although these challenges are complex, we rely on our faith to guide us and our communities to walk with us. We pray that our young people may flourish within our schools and parishes and be future ambassadors for our shared mission.

Our deepest sympathy is extended to the Williams family following the death of past pupil Sir Frank Williams.

We have very fond memories of the visit of Sir Frank and his daughter Claire to St Joseph's College in 2015. Sir Frank very much enjoyed retelling stories of his time here which included spending much of his time in classes drawing and designing cars! Sir Frank's engaging personality and determination of spirit was a great inspiration to the whole school community. Pupils were delighted when he dropped in on them unexpectedly as he chose to tour his old classrooms before paying a quiet visit to the Chapel.

May you rest in peace Sir Frank.

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 2

In the current climate, with all the everchanging rules and regulations most of our typical festivities have been unable to run.

As we all miss the events that gave us an opportunity to get together and share our good tidings, a solution was needed that allowed everyone to feel part of a community at this important time of year.

St Joseph's Video Advent Calendar provides such a solution. Short videos are being posted each day of advent on the school's social media. Through these videos we are able to adapt to the new guidance and keep all students and staff safe, through mask wearing and avoiding large groups, while at the same time creating content that is accessible to our community. Please look forward to festive musical performances from our Soul Band, Bagpipe and Guitar groups, readings from pupils and our school chaplain, Father Gerald Donnelly, and much more! We have all worked really hard to produce something everyone can enjoy, so your support online is very much appreciated. Whether it be through sharing, liking or commenting, we want to spread the Christmas spirit as far as possible!

Page 3

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Our S5 Marist Group have been very busy in recent weeks. They have worked hard to ensure that people in need have not felt left behind during the pandemic. They worked hard to collect items for the Operation Christmas Child Appeal and created some great shoeboxes that will spread some cheer during the holiday season.

Not content with this, their next idea was to create Christmas cards to distribute to local care homes and with the help of S1 RE classes these are now being completed. Well done to our S5 Marist Group for their hard work this term!

As part of our Caritas Award, we arranged a food drive. This involved contacting the food bank and asking what items they needed. The main items included pasta, toothpaste, body wash, shampoos, conditioners and non-perishable items. As a group we worked together, each with our own tasks, to organise this in the lead-up to Christmas. Tasks included making posters, creating awareness through the bulletin, decorating food collection boxes, receiving permissions and writing emails, and Groupcall messages. We collected more than expected and we are grateful for all the donations made.

Thank you to our school community for your support!

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 4

Last term, a group of S6 pupils organised a tuck shop for S1 and S2 pupils to raise money for the Dumfries Hospital. This process helps the pupils towards gaining their Pope Benedict XVI Caritas Award. This award promotes an ongoing faith journey in pupils within school and parishes to help them to learn about God’s love and how to share it with others. The tuck shop was very successful and the pupils have managed to raise a considerable sum of money to help support DGRI.

Hi, we are the S4 Marist leaders for session 2021/22.

We are trying to promote Marist values (family spirit, simplicity, love of work and living in the way of Mary) around the school. We have been meeting regularly in order to discuss the best ways to promote these values. This term, we were in the process of organising a quiz night to encourage family spirit, when it was unfortunately cancelled due to Covid. That won't stop us though! We started planning the next term straight away, ready to help people with the stress of next term.

Feel free to talk to any of us in school if you have any problems as we are happy to help.

We are pleased to welcome Lydia Munden back to the school, hosting Chaplaincy sessions for all year groups. Lydia brings with her a joy when working with our young people and her involvement in our school is much appreciated. Pupils are welcome to join the chaplaincy sessions no matter what their faith background may be, this is way of exploring and discussing ideas within an atmosphere of mutual respect and openness.

Page 5

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 6

Page 7

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 8

Well done to senior pupils Caitlin, Emily and Louise who along with S1 pupil Madoc, took part in the NYCoS Dumfries Winter Presentation recently. The children had only a short time to practice since coming back together as a choir in person. Their pieces which included 'California Dreaming', 'Do You Hear What I Hear?' and 'In Dreams' from the film Lord of the Rings were very well received, not least because this was the first time that they were able to perform in a live concert for 2 years due to Covid restrictions.

NYCoS Dumfries meets on a Thursday evening in Maxwelltown West Church Hall where training is offered by very experienced music staff. New members are always welcome. Anyone interested should check out the NYCoS Facebook page for further details.

List of Monthly Prize winners:

Page 9

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

This year fourteen pupils have completed their Christmas cakes. They are putting together the skills they have learned throughout the year to create an individually designed decorated fruit cake. Well done to everyone for completing the cakes in record time. A good effort made by all.

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 10

Pupils have been making tasty Christmas treats in Home Economics this week. Our S1 pupils are very pleased with their truffles and S2 pupils have made delicious Yule Logs. We hope the parents have managed to get a taste!

Page 11

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

S1 Science Club S1 Science Club is up and running, with almost 21 members, S1 pupils have been busy; setting fire to methane bubbles (and Mr Scarlett’s hands!) and making elephant’s toothpaste in pumpkins. S1 have enjoyed carrying out these practicals, getting to know new people and learning about the science behind the experiments. One of the latest experiments carried out at science club was icing sugar flame throwers, this involved Ms Morton blowing a plastic syringe full of icing sugar toward a Bunsen burner resulting in a projectile flame. The first attempt was amazing, the flame went very far, but the following attempts were not so great, the S1s still enjoyed it though. Another experiment carried out included a bowl of methane bubbles being lit on fire by a burning splint.

The pupils took turns setting fire to the bubbles and were very excited by the massive flames produced! Mr Scarlett also joined in the fun by dipping his hands in the methane bubbles and letting Ms Haley set them on fire!

Back in October, S1 Science Club carried out a spooky Halloween themed experiment.

Appropriately named, puking pumpkins, this experiment was basically, elephants toothpaste, but instead of conical flasks there were pumpkins! Elephant’s toothpaste is a fun chemical reaction that usually involves the mixture to explode out of the bottle (or pumpkin!)

S1s say about Science Club “it’s been a very good experience, we’ve been doing experiments like changing the flame colour on a bunsen burner”. Another says “it’s fun to come with friends”. Science club is a fun way to learn more about science experiments and is an exciting opportunity to make new friends, explore different chemical reactions and learn more about chemicals, chemical reactions and how to stay safe while having fun in a science lab.

Hopefully S1 pupils that attend Science Club will be inspired to take science in further years.

For any S1 pupils that are interested in science, Science Club is a fun way to spend your lunchtime!

Article by Mary Kennedy and Samya Ishmael St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 12

Our Senior Science Ambassadors are already involving themselves in a variety of Science & Technology activities. We are delighted to have a group of such positive role models enthusing our younger students about all things scientific. Many of our senior pupils are applying to study STEM courses at college and university and they are keen to share their experience of studying science subjects in the senior phase.

With this in mind, S2 pupils will soon be given an opportunity to interview a senior pupil about their school “career” particularly with regard to STEM subject choices.

S6 pupils are also involved in assisting with weekly Science Club, transition activities such as the Science Fair and Mr. Rossi’s ever-popular Stellar Pentathlon.

Some Ambassadors will be working towards a SCQF Level 6 Young STEM Leader (YSL) Award. This is a Scottish governmentfunded programme which aims to spark greater interest and participation in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) among young people. Participants are given the chance to inspire, lead and mentor their peers through the creation and delivery of STEM activities and events within their school.

This scheme allows pupils to develop important personal skills increasingly in demand from employers and it is hoped that, by working towards the YSL Award, our young people will be motivated to continue their interest in STEM beyond school and into a related career.

Congratulations go to Aditi Menon who was chosen to complete the Smallpiece Trust’s RAF Humanitarian Engineering Course in October. Humanitarian engineering uses STEM to promote the wellbeing of communities facing grand humanitarian challenges and demonstrates how engineering is a force for good.

Hundreds of students across Britain applied, and Aditi was one of the few successful candidates. She has written about her experience: Recently I got selected for the humanitarian engineering course hosted by the RAF. I initially heard about the course through school and applied for it. The application process was fairly simple and only required to write a short paragraph about why this course was of interest to you. When I got selected for the course, the RAF mailed a box of all the items I would need for the course in advance. During the course we had a chance to build some fantastic stuff like a functioning water pump, a battery powered car and a functioning wind turbine! We also got put into groups with a few other people and got to work on missions and problem solving in our little groups. At one point during the course, we even had the opportunity to meet a Squadron Leader and learn a little bit about her career in the Air Force! Through this course I got to learn many new skills and had a chance to improve my problem solving and team work as well, and I also got to meet some amazing people! Overall, it was an incredibly fun and unique experience and I'm glad I got to be a part of it.

Aditi Menon S3 Page 13

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

The Science and Technologies department have welcomed back the Rural Skills course this year. The group of pupils who have taken up the opportunity to study this qualification have been hard at work and are gaining experience in Estate Maintenance, Crop Production and Land Based Industries.

Some of the class have been involved in various activities in and around the school grounds. They have not only fixed the polytunnel and tidied up the vegetable planters and large areas of shrubs at the front of the school building, they have also carried out landscaping to help a local resident. The group spent a couple of hours clearing the leaves and tidying the garden of a neighbour of the school who was unable to do so themselves. This offer of help in the community will allow pupils to achieve another element of the course award.

Researching the ‘Land Based Sector’ is a further course requirement and, in order to carry this out, the class were invited to visit Overton Beef Farm, owned by the Kingan family at New Abbey. The trip was organised through the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) and pupils enjoyed spending a morning learning about careers in agriculture. They were given a tour of the farm from the farm owners - Alistair and Suzy Kingan, in addition to participating in some hands-on agricultural work. They moved cattle from the shed to various pens around the farm and drove the cows into a crush where they were weighed and the average daily increase in weights were calculated.

The group of 7 pupils managed to help the farmer and the cattleman to weigh 150 cows during the trip.

Pupils were also shown two different tractor models and taught details of the advanced technologies that each machine worked on. They were even offered demonstrations of the machines where a programme had been used to plot a route around the farm which the tractors were able to follow with minimal control by the drivers. Finally, pupils were shown how data is collected and handled for each animal.

All those on the farm helped to make this trip a great success. Pupils expressed that they would be happy to have a morning on this farm each week! Many thanks to the Kingan Farm workers and Tracy Martin at RHET for organising this successful excursion.

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 14

This Summer, Julia Pjeternikaj, now in S6, was successful in her application to the Nuffield Foundation for a research placement.

The Nuffield Research Placement programme offers much sought after, engaging, hands-on research projects to those meeting certain eligibility criteria in which S5 students have the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution towards the work of a host organisation. Students complete an independent research collaboration relating to an area of science, quantitative social science, computing, technology, engineering or maths (or a combination). Julia has summarised her experience below: I carried out a research project investigating the relationship between depression and face processing at the University of Edinburgh under the supervision of Dr Elizabeth Kirkham.

During my Nuffield research placement I learned how to properly write a research report at a university level with the help of certified research psychologist. In addition I was taught how to use applications that help with processing data and applying the results to the hypothesis I came up with. During this I also had the opportunity to apply for a Crest Award and a chance to present my work to the other students also enrolled in Nuffield.

I highly recommend this for anyone looking to pursue a scientific career.

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is… doing maths for all to see!

Mrs Stoppard’s S1 maths class have completed MTH3-16a work, demonstrating the skills required to draw mathematically accurately. We practised drawing triangles using a ruler and protractors when some sides and angles and were known. When we had mastered these skills we then moved on to triangles where we only knew the lengths of the sides. We used a compass to measure each length from the appropriate vertex and where the two arcs overlapped then this gave the third vertex of the triangle which completed our tree leaves. No Christmas tree is complete without baubles, we created different sized baubles by drawing circles on various colours of paper. Some of the class created circles on white paper to complete our white ChristMATHS tree. The pupils hard work is spreading Christmas cheer as seen in the window of classroom F11.

Three St Joseph College students have been rewarded for their efforts on the Town Trail competition as part of Scottish Mathematics week. This event took place at Cuckoo Bridge, Dumfries. Well done to the following students:

James Gray McNicol Leena Samer Alfie Hannah Page 15

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

In the run up to St. Andrew’s Day on the 30th November, pupils in the Home Economics Department were very busy creating the fantastic #LambForStAndrewsDay recipes. These were provided by @Make it Scotch who are working with schools across the country to get pupils eating nutritious and exciting Scotch lamb recipes. All the lamb was very kindly donated and we are thankful to all who have been involved in this initiative. The wraps and burgers certainly went down very well with the pupils. #QualityMeatScotland #IAAS

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 16

S c i e n c e

&

T e c h n o l o g y

A W A R D S

R e c o g n i s i n g

D e p a r t m e n t

C O R N E R

A c h i e v e m e n t

O

ur new way of recognising hard work and deavour is termly class awards for our

en-

pupils in

Science and Technology. Each term a pupil from

each class is chosen this can be for anything from consistently producing exceptional work to citizenship and helping others. A virtual certificate is sent home and the pupils names get placed on certificates on display in the corridor.

B

est work of the term.

This term, S1 pupils are well

through

their

designer clock project and whilst

FUTURE DESIGNER A Charles Rennie MacKintosh inspired piece of work by

this piece of work is not quite finished, it is an exceptional design that has been carried out

Rowan Terrace

to a very high standard. It was completed

by

designer of the

an

inspired

future, Rowan

Terrace in 1.10. Well done and

S1

keep working hard.

Page 17

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

D e s i g n & Te c h n o l o g y Making hard work of it

O

ur Design and Manufacture classes are coming up with innovative

and

interesting

designs. They then make them using our wonderful facilities whether it be computer aided manufacture or in the workshops using the tools and machinery. It is helping them to develop skills not only in design but practical and vocational based skills needed for

the

world of work.

The photos show pupil work from our S3 Design class and our National 5 group.

The S3 class have made a tablet stand and are moving on to design their bird houses and the National 5 group has made a shelf unit and are currently working on a child's chair design along side preparing for their prelim.

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 18

Inspiring the future of design

Page 19

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

In early December, both of our Young Enterprise teams represented the region’s young people at a Breakfast Networking Event held by South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) at the Crichton Central.

The breakfast meeting was hosted by Kenny Bowie, the Director of the Dumfries & Galloway Chamber of Commerce and was an information session on how SOSE plan to support businesses across Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders. They are keen to involve young people in the development of their plans and recognised the opportunity to discuss with our Young Enterprise group how they could support young entrepreneurs. The meeting was also attended by local business owners ranging from textile manufacturing to fishing industries.

Attending the event gave our young people an opportunity to hear how future plans and developments will affect them when they enter the world or work, or continue to pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations. Our young people were given the opportunity to ask questions and were credited for representing their age group and asking the Chairman relevant and challenging questions.

The photo is of both our Young Enterprise Groups; Purple Coo and Abstract Design, with the Chairman of SOSE, and Young Enterprise link teachers Mrs True and Mrs Plunkett.

Both groups are currently trading and your support in the run up to Christmas would be greatly appreciated. Details of the groups’ products, upcoming markets, and how to get in touch with them are below:

Dragon’s Den Competition Win In November, we took part in a Dragon’s Den competition hosted by the Dumfries and Galloway Young Enterprise board. All the teams in our region were given the opportunity to present their business idea to the board, explain what their future plans are and how an investment from the board would be used to grow the business. The Dragons were so impressed with our business idea that they awarded us a cash investment to help us build on our idea! The first thing we plan to do is use the money to improve our trade stand for future market stalls.

Our Journey So Far We at Purple Coo feel young people’s art in Dumfries and Galloway is greatly underappreciated. To help bring art into the limelight we sell original pieces of art produced by young artists which is either donated by the school or sold as commission pieces to help young, budding artists to sell their work. We have appeared at various markets including the Dumfries Market (20 Nov) and the Young Enterprise Market (18 Dec) on the High Street. As a massive thank you to the school Art Department, we will donate a portion of the profit we make back to St Joseph's College Art Department.

Interested in Finding Out More?

Please follow us on social media to find out our latest news, to contact us about artwork for sale, or to find out how we can help you sell your artwork.

Any students who wish to sell their art through Purple Coo should contact us via social media or the phone number below. purple._.coo (Instagram)

purplecoo.com (Website)

Purple-Coo (Facebook)

07746 391615 (Mobile)

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 20

About Us We are taking part in the Young Enterprise program this year with our company Abstract Design. Our main focus is on the environment and doing our bit in order to tackle the current surfacing issues. One of our main focuses is on building a sustainable business which doesn’t negatively impact the environment. This sustainable focus is evident in our products.

Our Products We sell handmade products from reclaimed materials. These products include; burnt wood candle holders, fabric tree decorations, cards, brooches, coasters and knitted snowflake decorations. The candles, tree decorations and cards all come in different designs and colours to suit a variety of decors. The majority of our products are produced using scrap materials, wood and fabrics which were destined for the scrapheap but have been lovingly repurposed by us.

Giving Back As a collective, we are hoping to raise awareness of environmental issues. One way we will do that is by donating a percentage of our profits to an environmental charity.

Market Stalls and Future Sales Held at school during morning break time, our first stall was a resounding success, . Within the 20 minutes of break, we sold all of our candles and received pre-orders for our other products. From this stall we learned a lot about our target audiences and received a lot of positive feedback from both students and staff.

On the 18th December we will be holding a stall in town on Dumfries High Street.

If you are interested in any of our products contact us on our social media platforms or speak to Brodie Thomson, Dillon Marsden, Bo Cain, Tabitha Robinson, Julia Pjeternikaj, Amy Murray, Lindsay Cameron, Harry Sinclair, Sean Taylor or Declan Roper.

Contact Us or Follow Our Journey on Social Media Abstract Design (Facebook) AbstractDesign0 (Twitter) abstractdesign.scot (Instagram)

Page 21

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 22

Page 23

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Alana Nosratzadeh

Ava Nosratzadeh

Eve Young

Devon Sinclair

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 24

Jessica McLean

Francesca Seton

Maya Nassar

Logan Thomson

Page 25

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

I played for the Scottish School’s FA U15s South West regional football squad on Friday 26th November in an inter-association tournament against Central Region and West Region. We finished first after a win and a draw. This meant we would travel back to Toryglen and play against South East Region in the National Trophy final. It was a fantastic experience and I was really proud to represent St Joseph’s in the squad. The best part was we won 2-0 and became winners of the SSFA

Eve Crombie

U15 Regional Football The following S3 pupils have been selected to represent D&G in four Scottish Cup games this term: Finlay Millar Johnny Green Zak McGill Kasey Little Alex O'Hagan

Very well done!

U18 Regional Football The following senior pupils have been selected to represent D&G in four Scottish Cup games this term: Lewis Crombie (top left)

est h No-

Lewis Downie (bottom left) Matthew O Hagan (top right) Aidan Tarap (bottom right)

Congratulations to all!

Lewis Downie has also been selected for Senior Scottish Boys’ trials.

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 26

On the 24th October I travelled to Perth to take part in the Scottish National Championships 2021. This would have taken place earlier this year in March but didn't happen due to COVID. This competition runs over two days, Saturday and Sunday. I only took part on the Sunday playing in three events: Junior Girls, Junior Girls Doubles and Cadet Girls. Although my focus this year was to retain my cadet's title. I used Junior Girls used as a preparation. Some games were better than others but in my group I won one out of three and didn't get through to the semi-finals.

Next in the day was Junior Girls Doubles. My partner and I had never played with each other before, but we obviously played well together to come out as the Junior Girls Doubles winners!

Lastly, the most important time of the day, Cadet Girls! There were two groups of three although one girl pulled out (making it easier for me). I came out top of my group meaning that I would have to play the runner up of group 2 in the semis. The semis were a walk over and I came out with an easy win making it to the final. The final was almost a repeat of last year but this time I only had to play the girl twice in the day whereas last year I had to play the girl that pulled out three times in one day including the final. Although I had already won against her in the group stage I knew it wouldn't be a walk over and that I would need to keep a steady head and stay focused. I did this throughout the game ending the game with a big shout winning 3-1 and retaining my title for the second and final year!

On the 26th of October I got more good news. On Tuesday evening, my mum received an email from Table Tennis Scotland saying that that I had been selected to represent Scotland in the Home Nations taking place on the 12th14th November in Largs as Scotland would be hosting this year. Scotland sent six teams: women's, men's, junior girls and boys and cadet girls and boys. I played in cadets with my teammate. Friday and Saturday were the team events, unfortunately we came last but we had some very close and tough games which all add to my experiebce. Next on the Sunday we had singles and doubles, again my teammate and I didn't do so well. I lost my first singles game 3-2 losing 11-9 in the fifth to a girl from Ireland. I also lost in the team event 3-1 missing out on the quarters. In the doubles, my partner and I got a bye to the semis and had to face the strong English team losing 3-0 and we picked up a bronze medal. Although it was a tough weekend, I was very glad to be back representing Scotland. On the 11th November we received a very important email from Great Britain Table Tennis saying that I had been invited to attend GB Development Squad Assessment camp which was held on the 20th and 21st of November in Nottingham. I was joined by another Scottish teammate, England, Wales, Ireland, and Jersey players. This has been my toughest weekend yet of my journey. This again was a real eye opener to what my standard of playing must be like as well as my fitness and what is expected at that level. I was very pleased to be invited and unfortunately can't say anything about selections until after the New Year.

In addition to our Duke of Edinburgh group that runs within St Joseph's College some of our pupils participate with those from other schools through a DofE group run at the Oasis Centre. Braving some of the recent extremely wet weather, many pupils completed both Bronze and Silver expeditions, walking miles around the local, beautiful countryside. Well, it is beautiful on a dry, sunny day ! Pitching tents brought challenges for some, but early breakfasts on the beach sustained the groups and all returned home safely. Character building opportunities well survived!

Congratulations to Lahari, Emilia, Louise, Kerra. Ishbel, Matthew, Thomas, Owen, Dominic and Joshua.

Page 27

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

November 24-28 saw the Scottish Junior Curling Archie Hyslop Championships take place in Aberdeen. This is the premier Junior event in Scottish Curlings’ calendar for Under 21s.

A total of five St. Joseph’s pupils made the long journey to Curl Aberdeen. Four of the pupils were making their debut at the event, whilst Archie Hyslop from third year was up for his third championship. Experience is a key requirement at the Championships, as the format is ten ends replicating World Championship conditions. In the Boys event Owen Kennedy and Edward Hanna playing for Team Kyle also returned with one win, which was a good return in their first Championship.

As for Archie Hyslop who plays for Team Carson, their target was a place in the knockout stages. They achieved this by securing six victories in their eight qualifying games.

Archie’s team were only beaten by the two teams that played in the final. This was a great result as Team Carson were the youngest team competing.

In the Final two former pupils Scott Hyslop (Archie’s big brother) and Jack Carrick won the gold medal and will represent Scotland at the World Junior Championships in March 2022( Covid dependant). We wish them luck!

In late November, Team Archibald ( Erin Stewart, Tia Laurie, Katie Donald and Jessica Trotter) also headed to Aberdeen for the Scottish Junior Curling Championships. It was our first year playing in the event and we were competing against the top junior women's teams from across Scotland. Despite the challenging competition, we played some closely fought games and even managed a win in our last. We learnt so much from all our games and are looking forward our next Scottish Championships.

We are also looking forward to a break before January when the whole team will be back for the second half of the competitive season.

Jessica Trotter

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Tia Laurie

Page 28

Seniors

Netball is back! Our netball teams were delighted to be back representing the school after over 18 months of no games.

Both the senior and junior teams made the trip to Wallace Hall Academy on Tuesday the 14th December and what a great night of school sport it was! All players performed well in two very close games. The girls gave every ounce of effort they had and wore the St Josephs College badge with pride. Well done to all those involved!

We are looking forward to getting back to training and playing the upcoming fixtures in the New Year.

Juniors

Page 29

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Congratulations to the Solway Synchronised Skating Club on their success at the Skate London 2021 national event at the iconic Alexandra Palace Ice Rink. Solway Comets with St Joseph’s team members Holly, Grace and Alice bagged a well deserved bronze medal in their category. Team Manager, Mrs McCubbin, was rightly delighted with her very well turned out charges.

Solway Stars, with which Megan and Emily skate, were leading after day 1 with their extremely well executed and high scoring Short Program. However, the Icicles from the National Ice Academy in Nottingham just pipped them to top spot following the Free Program Competition. Solway Eclipse did skate to number 1 on the podium with their lively and well choreographed performance. A great achievement for the team which included Eva, Evie, Sydnee and Louise together with Solway Star crossover Emily. Thanks from St Joseph’s College go to Head Coach Philip Carter and past pupil Molly Coxon who has brought her enthusiasm and experience from skating with Nexxice in Canada back home to share with local skaters, while at the same time managing to continue her studies at university.

A huge well done to all involved! It is great to see you all back involved in sport, having lots of fun and making Dumfries and Galloway proud!

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 30

Madelaine Archibald (S4) and her sister Eleanor (S1) have been competing up and down the country this year with both girls being selected to represent the Scottish 128 team (Eleanor) and Scottish 148 team (Madelaine) at the Welsh and English Home Pony Competitions, securing three bronze medals and one silver. Eleanor has notched up wins at the Royal Highland Showcase, the Scottish Horse of the Year show and recently bagged herself the Scottish Indoor 128 Championship.

Madelaine also secured a win and claimed the Scottish Indoor 148 Championship, as well as being placed well throughout the year at various other competitions across the UK.

Page 31

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 32

We were delighted to welcome Jen Kemp from Live-N-Learn to St. Joseph’s College for two days. Jen delivered sessions to all of S4, S5 and S6 over the two days covering a range of techniques and strategies for effective study. These included time management, the study process ,prioritisation and a growth mindset.

Course outcomes: Customised to the context of each school year group and focus, students experience a variety of practical & effective study tools & techniques required to achieve success. By tackling the challenge of ‘how to study’, young people recognise how their attitude towards their own capacity for improvement, plays a key role in their motivation to revise independently and persist in the face of setbacks. Previously named ‘Mindset for Exams’, many young people may not have a final ‘exam’ however this could always have been named ‘attitude to learning’ or ‘mindset for studying’, in fact without a final exam or for those who do have them for the first time in years this can be a daunting times full of anxieties. Live-N-Learn can offer a perfect timely inspirational boost to help your students achieve their potential.

Topics covered:  Taking personal responsibility and ‘making it happen’  Time management & prioritisation  Developing a growth mindset & building resilience  4 step revision process with 30 study strategies  Overcoming distractions  Grasping opportunities

S1 pupils joined in the fight to tackle climate change through their interdisciplinary learning (IDL) experience.

The group researched different types of renewable energy, the electrification of the automotive industry, and inspirational figures within the industry who inspire and innovate transformational change.

Pupils used this information to produce their own advertisement - a magazine cover, poster or article.

They also designed and made their very own operational electric car which they raced – tested and evaluated.

The pupils’ articles, magazine covers and posters were then exhibited - at the open evening reception in GLASGOW’S influential COP26 (climate change event).

Page 33

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Curran (S6) piped on Saturday 13th November at Annan Distillery for a symbolic tree planting ceremony to mark the Glasgow COP26 climate conference. The tree was planted by Ambassador Hasanthi Dissanayake (Director General - Ocean affairs, Environmental & Climate change, Sri Lanka) and Oliver Mundell MSP.

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 34

1. On sculpte des visages dans les citrouilles.

2. On met une bougie dedans pour créer une ambiance aussi sinistre que possible quand on éteint les lumières.

3. Pour apprécier la lumière on doit accepter de voir les ténèbres, mais ce soir il y a une lune complète dans le ciel.

4. On se déguise en vampire et on se maquille en zombie, même les chats ont peur!

5. On s'amuse bien quand on fait la fête quand les chauvessouris volent...

6. Ça fait peur!

How good is your French?

Page 35

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Go to young.scot/card to find out how to get a new Young Scot NEC or update your photo.

With free travel soon being offered to young people it is important that you have a Young Scot Card.

St. Joseph’s College Christmas Newsletter 2021

Page 36