Easter 2019 Newsletter

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

Easter Newsletter 2019

ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE

Well here we are at the end of a genuinely long term—13 weeks in all! As you will see from this newsletter it has been yet another busy one with much good work carried out both in and outwith the traditional school day.

Our recent St. Joseph’s Day celebrations allowed for a little light relief amongst all the hard work. Pupils participated in a choice of 28 wide ranging activities during the afternoon of fun and in addition raised money for the Scottish international Aid Fund (SCIAF).

Our fundraising has continued throughout Lent with the Wee Box appeal, a raffle and lunchtime events such as quizzes, bake sales and a football tournament on our new artificial pitch. The pitch is certainly proving to be a very welcome and extremely well used resource for both the school and local community.

This term we were delighted to welcome Mr R MacKay as Principal Teacher Social Subjects. He has settled in very quickly and we wish him well in his new role. Like all of us , including the pupils, he is looking forward to the holiday—but not before Easter School on the 8th and 9th April. Good luck to all our senior pupils as they continue with their important revision and very best wishes to them for the forthcoming SQA examinations.

Key Dates for Next Term th

Monday 8 April– Tues 9th April: Easter School S4-S6 Tuesday 23rd April: School reopens 8.50 a.m.

Wednesday 24th April: Leavers’ Ceremony 2.40 p.m.

Thursday 25th April: SQA 2019 Exam Diet begins Friday 3rd May: S2 Tracking Reports issued Monday 6th May: May Day Holiday Tuesday 14th May: Parent Council Meeting 7 p.m.

Thursday 16th May: S2 Masterchef Final Wednesday 22nd May: S2 Parents’ Evening 4.30-6.30 p.m.

Friday 24th May: S3 tracking Reports issued Tuesday 28th May: S1 Reports issued Wednesday 29th May: S3 Celebration of BGE Friday 31st May: SQA Exam Diet ends Monday 3rd June: Start of new timetable Thursday 6th June: St. Joseph’s Young Musician of the Year Friday 7th June: Belgium Trip departs Tuesday 11th June: Belgium Trip returns Friday 14th June: School Show Dress Rehearsal 1 Monday 17th June: School Show Dress Rehearsal 2 Tuesday 18th –21st June: School Show Performances 7.30 p.m.

Wednesday 19th June- 21 June: P7 Induction Days Tuesday 25th June: Awards Evening 7.30 p.m.

Friday 28th June: School closes 3.25 p.m.

Monday 19th -20th August: INSET days

Happy Easter .

Mrs Jones

Wednesday 21st August: School reopens 8.50 a.m. for pupils

Claviere, Italy 2019

A Message from Our School Chaplain We are travelling through Lent at a rapid rate of knots. We are already over halfway through.

Every year on the First and Second Sundays we hear the Gospel of the Temptations in the wilderness and the Transfiguration respectively. Together they present to us a fundamental tenet of faith. Jesus Christ is truly human and truly divine. The centuries of Christian thought and theological writings have tried to express this belief. It ties in with the very early Christian tradition of Baptism and reception into the Church at Easter. Lent was a period of intense preparation for new Christians and they had come to know Christ, truly human and truly divine. Every year the school community is very aware of the season of Lent and especially the connection with SCIAF and a lot of fundraising and almsgiving goes on to support SCIAF and other worthy causes. We must bear in mind though that this is not the purpose of Lent.

These acts of fundraising and almsgiving are to allow us to grow in love of Christ and of neighbour. Just like the first Christians, to know Jesus as True God and True Man. May we use Lent well and come to the joy of Easter.

Mrs. Stoppard’s S6 R.E class has been working towards their Level 5 Religion, Belief and Values award. The class decided that through this work they would support SCIAF. SCIAF is a charity dedicated to helping poorer countries and works under the umbrella of Caritas International. They believe in giving people a hand up, not a hand out - which means they give people the resources they need to help themselves and their families build a brighter future.

This year we are mainly focusing on the story of SCIAF’s work in Uganda, although the money we raise could go to help any of their projects across the world. The country has suffered from years of conflict and is currently in the middle of a refugee crisis. The country now hosts 800,000 refugees. SCIAF is working with radio stations to promote peace and working with local partners to teach young people new skills so that they might work and earn an income.

The class organised various events during Lent to raise funds for SCIAF. These included lunchtime quizzes, lunchtime football, a bake sale, the Wee Box appeal, a grand raffle and the non-school uniform day. We are very grateful to all those businesses who supplied some of the prizes.

School Dress Code All students of St. Joseph’s College are expected to attend school dressed appropriately for lessons and other activities within the school day and during excursions. The wearing of school colours is compulsory and the support of parents and carers is actively sought in this matter.

S1 & S2  School polo shirt and school sweatshirt or school tie and white shirt/blouse (not sleeveless)  Black skirt or black school trousers (not jeans, sportswear or leggings) S3 to S6   

White school shirt or blouse (not sleeveless) School tie Black skirt or black school trousers (not jeans, sportswear or leggings)

This also applies during study leave and over the exam period. Ties are available from the school office at the cost of £7.

SQA Examinations take place from Thursday 25 April 2019 until Friday 31 May 2019. Classes will run as normal until Friday 26 April although some pupils will have exams prior to then.

Please note that Monday 6 May 2019 is a school holiday.

During the exam period normal timetabled teaching periods will be cancelled although staff will be in school and available for pupil consultations. The purpose of the leave period is to allow students to prepare as well as possible in their own way and their own time when classes are disrupted by scheduled examinations. Students may wish to make use of the library or other ICT facilities for study purposes when not involved in an examination. Any student coming in to the school for any reason during the exam period must wear school uniform and sign in and out at the School Office. It is important to point out that SQA have very strict rules regarding the possession of headphones and mobile devices. These are not allowed in exam rooms even if they are switched off and in bags. Penalties for a ringing phone or the use of a phone are severe in terms of examination results e.g. results for papers can be cancelled and candidates can be barred from sitting examinations again. We wish all pupils every success in the forthcoming exam diet.

All students returning to S5 and S6 should be back in school by Monday 3 June 2019.

St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

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This term the Charities Committee has been raising money for House of Grace which is an orphanage in northern India. Naomi Joseph S6, will be volunteering at the Orphanage this summer. Sadly, the children have very little in terms of toys and stationary and the money we have raised will help to buy these items. On Tuesday 5th March, Pancake Day, we held a Pancake bake sale and a Pancake Coffee morning for S6 pupils and staff. Two hundred and fifty pancakes were spread by the Committee and sold within 6 minutes – we think this has been the quickest bake sale held at St Joseph’s College. £70 was raised from this event and our second event was held at the Expressive Arts Concert where a cheese and biscuit buffet was organised for guests. This term we have also helped and supported the RE Department by raising money for SCIAF during the period of Lent.

We say a very sad goodbye to the S6 members of the Committee. Many have been members for all six years, dedicating a phenomenal amount of their time to organising events and raising awareness and money for numerous charities. It would be scary to imagine how much they have raised over the years and it is highly possible it will be over £50,000! We would like to thank them for their enormous efforts over the years, they will be greatly missed by us all and we wish them continued success in their future.

The S6 MVP mentors delivered their final session to S2 Social Education classes this term. They have been a credit to the school in delivering over 12 MVP sessions to S1, S2 and S3. The impact they have had on younger pupils has been highly beneficial in helping them to identify negative behaviours and how to be a positive bystander. St. Joseph’s College would like to thank you for all your hard work, commitment and dedication to the programme over the two years and wish you huge success for the future.

For S4 and S5 pupils who are looking for a leadership programme, recruitment for new mentors will take place next term. One S6 MVP Mentor said: “MVP has been a fantastic opportunity, it not only looks good on your personal statement but it has allowed me to build confidence in public speaking. At first presenting to the S1 classes was daunting but after practice I now feel able to. Thanks to MVP I now feel a stronger sense of school community and as I leave it is great to know that I have put work back into the school to help those in younger years.”

Hurt to Hope Conference Niamh Mitchell and Anania Sanchana attended the Hurt to Hope Conference and ran a stall about MVP, talking about its purpose, how it is implemented at St Joseph’s College and their experience to date. The Hurt to Hope Conference involved a number of agencies including Police Scotland and Social Work to help highlight the impact of trauma on women and children and what we can do to reduce the number that experience harm. The MVP programme has been designed to help young people identify negative behaviours and what they can do to help. The girls said: “During the Hurt to Hope Conference, we were particularly interested and fascinated by the story of a man named James, who had a very difficult childhood. Learning about his struggles and what everything was like from his perspective really brought to light just how much of an issue domestic abuse is in homes, on the streets and even in schools. This conference really broadened my view in regards to the domestic abuse of women and children. Learning that Scotland has one of the highest rates of domestic abuse was very sad to hear but highlights the importance of the MVP programme in helping young people to identify negative behaviours and how to address them.

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

News from Parent Council and PFA Congratulations to our recent Parents & Friends Association (PFA) 100 Club winners.

100 Club Winners Month January

February

Number 38 13 33 16 85 10

Name Mrs A. Da vi es Mrs R. McMi nn Mrs S. McCa ughey Mrs McNa y Mrs A. Di a s Mi s s K. Green

Prize Month £20 March £10 £5 £20 April £10 £5

Number 41 67 83 77 9 89

Name Mrs L. Powel l Mi s s K. Green L. Ca rnocha n Mrs Anders on Mrs G. Stewa rt Mrs K. Brown

Prize £20 £10 £5 £20 £10 £5

This year we have added an extra draw for a special prize of £50 at the Christmas Carol Service as a thank you for your continued support. The money raised by the PFA and PFA 100 Club is used to support the pupils in the school. Our latest donation was £400 to the Youth for Lourdes team which is working hard fundraising for their trip later in the year.

In light of the fact that we have had so many new members this year, we have decided it is time to increase the prize amounts. So, from May 2019 the prizes will be £25, £20 and £10. Entry forms are available from the school office!

The next big job for the PFA will be organising and ordering uniforms for the incoming S1s and all other pupils that need to top up their school wardrobes. As well as this we will be providing refreshments for parents and staff at the S2 Parent’s Evening in May and then we’ll have the ice creams ready for the school show intervals in June! If you would like to help with any of this, please contact us at stjosephscollegepfa@gmail.com. Thank you.

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Free school meals Free school meals are provided for all pupils in Primary 1, 2 and 3 as well as those families on qualifying benefits. Free school meals can lead to a large saving each year, nursery and primary school pupils can save £351 and secondary pupils can save £370. You'll also be helping your child's school if you qualify for free school meals. Some Scottish Government funding provided directly to schools is linked to the numbers of pupils who are entitled to and take up the offer of free school meals.

Your child will receive free school meals if you receive any of the following:  Income Support  Jobseeker's Allowance (Income based)  Employment and Support Allowance (Income based)  Child Tax Credit on its own, with an annual taxable income of less than £16,105 (subject to change)  Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit with an annual taxable income of less than £6,420 (subject to change)  Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999  Universal Credit with a monthly earned income of not more than £610 Apply here: https://www.dumgal.gov.uk/schoolmeals If you would like any assistance with your application then please email our School Support Manager at gw09johnstoner@ea.dumgal.sch.uk Pupils are reminded that they can use their free school meal entitlement at break or lunch.

St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

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PRESENTATION OF THE DIOCESAN COAT OF ARMS

On the 26th February an intrepid band of St. Joseph’s pupils made the long journey to Ayr by minibus for the formal presentation of the Coat of Arms for the Diocese by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. The youth of the diocese were represented by pupils from the four Catholic secondary schools, Queen Margaret Academy (Ayr), St. Matthew’s Academy (Saltcoats), St. Joseph’s Academy (Kilmarnock) and St. Joseph’s College. The presentation took place within a beautifully structured service presided over by Bishop Nolan. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, Joseph Morrow, gave a very informative and entertaining speech outlining the importance of heraldry as a symbol of belonging and identity. Harry McGowan, one of our School Captains, confidently gave one of the readings outlining the importance of St. Ninian in establishing Christianity in Scotland.

Coat of Arms of the Diocese of Galloway

The Arms consist of the Kirmadrine Cross in blue on a silver background. This cross dates from the sixth century. The motto, “Te Dominum Laudamus,” (We praise you, Lord) is from the Latinus stone perhaps dating from 450 A.D. The service was followed by a buffet lunch which allowed pupils and staff from the four secondaries to chat and share experiences. All too soon it was time to make the journey home. The consensus was that it had been more than worthwhile and had given us all a better understanding of heraldry and its importance in people’s lives. Finally a word of thanks to Mr. McCaughey, our driver, and Mr. Jones who accompanied us.

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

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On Thursday night we saw a packed evening of entertainment delivered by the Art, Drama and Music Departments. The Music Department offered a variety of performances by the school band, staff/ pupil choir, the school show cast and instrumentalists showcasing the talent being nurtured in the department. SQA Drama pupils performed extracts from one of their exam pieces showing the variety offered through the curriculum. Artwork and pupil photography was projected throughout the night along with work being displayed around the hall. It was fantastic to see so many parents and relatives coming along to support the event. The Charities Committee organised refreshments with donations collected going towards the House of Grace orphanage in India where Naomi Joseph of S6 will participate in voluntary work throughout the summer.

Congratulations go to Erin Howat of fourth year on her selection as the St. Joseph’s College attendant to the Queen of the South for this year’s Guid Nychburris festivities in June. We are delighted for Erin and know that she will be an excellent ambassador for the school.

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

A Young Enterprise Company, Dumfries and Galloway

THE TEAM

The Products

Once again a team of young entrepreneurs took up the challenge of the YE Company Programme. Our S6 team comprising: Chloe McNaught (MD), Sophie Kibble and Euan Purdie (Finance), Holly Irving (Production), Cara Saunderson and Ellis Middleton (Marketing), identified two products that were stylish, useful and environmentally friendly.

Plates were decorated with recycled CD and DVD pieces, grouted and carefully polished to ensure a high quality attractive plate.

The tealight holders were made from 2 CD/DVDs heated and moulded to beautiful flower-like dishes. They even thought about the packaging and made their bags from recycled newspaper!

THE CHALLENGE The competition tasks changed this year and involved the team in designing, producing and selling their products but this year they had to have a significant digital presence. YE Marketplace proved challenging to use but the team made sure they were using Facebook and Instagram as well. They also made heavy use of WhatsApp group chats to make sure they stayed in touch between meetings. They had a physical presence around Dumfries as they sold their products at a number of Christmas Markets including our very own.

They had to work together as a team; learn how to communicate and to keep their promises to one another; to share the load in terms of making products and selling them whilst studying and working part time in paid employment. They had to make decisions, some of which proved difficult, and they had to make a conscious decision to commit to the project.

The final hurdle was to produce a detailed report of their experiences; undergo 2 interviews, one regarding their overall experience and the other to discuss their use of social media; put together a trade stand and finally deliver a presentation to a full auditorium at Easterbrook Hall.

The team were worthy contenders of the competition and St Joseph’s College is very proud of them.

A clear message from the Reflections Team: “Reflections has been significantly successful over a challenging year. There have been many ups, such as the great laughs we shared and the success in our products at various markets, and a few downs, dealing with multiple commitments, trying to juggle the pressure of assignments, other school responsibilities and Young Enterprise deadlines.

But in the end our company and our achievements are something we are extremely proud of. We strongly recommend that other year groups to take on this opportunity in the future as it was a great learning experience and gave us a taste of the business world.”

St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

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Hospitality pupils had the opportunity to take part in a Tourism Takeover Day organised by Springboard at The Bridge in February. Practical activities were organised by several companies including Holiday Inn, Easterbrook Hall, Cream O’ Galloway, Dumfries Museum and local chefs. The pupils enjoyed making mocktails, tasting ice cream and cooking chicken tikka masala. St Joseph’s College pupils won the best overall school prize for participation and achievement on the day. Well done to everyone who took part and contributed to the winning team.

All S1 pupils have been designing and making cushions in Home Economics. Pupils have enjoyed the creative aspect of designing the applique for the front of the cushion and learning how to use the sewing machine when applying the applique and constructing the cushion. Well done to all; there were some excellent designs this year.

PURPLE FRIDAY KARAOKE 2019 February is LGBT History Month and the last Friday of the month is Purple Friday - a day when society can take action and stand up for equality. Purple Friday, named after the purple stripe on the LGBT rainbow flag (meaning ‘spirit’) was created in Canada in 2010. It shows support for LGBTI equality and makes Scotland a better place for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people to grow up. At St. Joseph’s College we celebrated Purple Friday to support our local LGBT Youth Scotland centre at Laurieknowe. Pupils organised a busy karaoke at lunchtime. ‘Baby Shark’ was enjoyed and hated in equal measure and Caitlin Purdie’s rendition of ‘Despacito’ was of note.

Pupils supported the event by wearing Purple Friday badges to raise awareness.

Sweetie cones were also on sale and pupils raised over £30 for LGBT Youth Scotland.

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

Early in the morning on the 26th of January we left for Edinburgh airport and then on to Claviere in Italy. Having rested on the Saturday afternoon, on Sunday morning we set out for our first of six days on the slopes. Our hotel was less than five minutes walk from the ski school, this made it beautifully simple to get skiing. The weather was fantastic for five days blue skies, sunshine and amazing views of the surrounding alps. But on our last day it snowed all day and this made for an adventure. We were skiing through waist deep drifts causing a number of impressive falls. On one of the days we skied down the valley to Montgenevre in France, this is a much larger resort and so provided plenty of new slopes for the groups to explore. There was even a snow park where many attempted jumps and only a few were successful, a pair of well loved salopettes were also fatally ripped. After ordering our hot chocolates in the best French we could manage we returned to Claviere.

Most evenings we were all pretty tired after a days skiing but we also managed to fit in bum boarding, going out for pizza, an exhilarating skidoo ride and some of us even went skiing at dusk. We all felt that our skiing vastly improved over the week with even those who had never skied before hitting the slopes with confidence at the end of the week. Thanks go to the teachers, especially Mr Brown for organising a very enjoyable week away. Although we all spare a thought for Ellie who injured her knee on the third day and we hope she has a swift and healthy recovery.

Hannah Mortlock

St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

The team arrived feeling confident going into the group stages of the tournament. On Friday we managed to get two good wins under our belt making us feel very confident for the next three games the following day.

We had a strong performance in the morning to get us our third win meaning we had to win just one of the next two games to qualify for the quarter finals.

In the afternoon the team played a poor game and we ended up suffering our first loss to Lockerbie Academy. Unfortunately, this put the pressure on us since we now needed to win the next game in order to qualify. Thankfully we managed to pull it together and secure ourselves a place on Sunday.

Scott Hyslop, Nevin Harmjanz, Jack Carrick and Finlay Kennedy

After a tough day on Saturday we knew that in order to do well we had to forget about our poor performance and focus on the games in hand . We were faced with Stranraer Academy, another strong team and were falling behind in the first half of the game. However, we managed to fight back and take the game to an extra end where it came down to the very last shot.

Thankfully we managed to come out on top. Knowing that we needed to step up our game in order to get further in the competition we played our best game in the semi-finals. The whole team performed excellently and secured another very good victory, boosting out confidence for the final later in the day. We were up against Kelso High School in the final. Both our team and the oppositions were identical to last year's final, so it was a true rematch. Both teams were putting in very good performances and were keeping the game very close for the first half. Unfortunately, a stellar performance from the opposition in the 5th end left us suffering the loss of a huge end essentially putting an end to the game. With only a few ends to go and being so many shots behind the opposition we knew we couldn’t recover from this position. We put in one more good end before conceding the victory to Kelso High School Even still we managed to get to the final two years in a row and take home the silver medal. We would like to thank the Holywood Trust for their very generous sponsorship.

On Monday 4th March, two junior teams took part in the annual Andrew McClune Memorial Cup Secondary School's Bonspiel at Lockerbie. Both teams played well and had great fun. Unfortunately neither team finished in the top two, with Stranraer and Lockerbie taking the trophies this year. All competitors were treated to supper, which they happily devoured. Well done to all the young curlers who took part.

Lucrezia and Megan competing as part of Solway Eclipse in France.

Louise - 2nd in the Solway Sk8ing Club Level 2 Elements Competition.

Congratulations to Iona Watson (S1), Louise Jones (S2), Lucrezia De Gregorio (S2) and Megan Douglas (S3) who are all Scottish champions following Solway Comets, Lightning, Eclipse and Stars success at the Trophy d’Ecosse Synchronised Ice Skating Championships in January. St. Joseph’s College would like to thank all Council coaches and team managers for their support and hard work on behalf of our pupils.

St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

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Skye’s the Limit Skye helped coach gymnastics routines to the pupils of St. Michael’s Primary. She went along every Thursday after school to prepare the pupils for the regional schools competition. Well done Skye and St. Michael's.

The Centenary Shield

Jamie Thomson (S6 wearing number five) has been representing Scotland in the Centenary Shield, a series of internationals against the home nations. Jamie plays in central defence, most recently on Thursday 27th March against the Republic of Ireland at Somerset Park, Ayr. Jamie had an excellent game and can be very proud of his performance. Scotland took the lead but Ireland equalised later in the game to make the final score 1-1. Jamie can now look forward an away game against Wales on the 11th April.

U15 Hunter Shield result: St Joseph's College 11-0 Dumfries Academy The U15 team progressed to the semi finals of the Hunter Shield with an emphatic win against Dumfries Academy. The boys raced into an 8-0 lead at half time courtesy of some excellent, free flowing football. The boys controlled the second half, moving the ball about well and adding to their goal tally. The team will play Douglas Ewart High School in the semi finals (date tbc).

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

Our 2018-19 Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Group have made a strong start to their expedition season completing one day walks both in Mabie Forest in February and through Dalswinton Windfarm in March. The group of twenty S3 students are working towards their Bronze Award and have been learning to navigate and prepare food while on expedition.

After some navigational hiccups in Mabie, our Dalswinton walk was a great success by all measures. Our two walking groups demonstrated an excellent level of fitness, navigational skills and teamwork. They cooked their lunch successfully and were all smiling at the end of the day.

From here, our teams turn to camp craft training in tents, rucksack packing and kit selection as they prepare for their first overnight expedition in May. Beyond the expedition element of DofE, students must also complete three other sections in Volunteering, Skill and Physical categories. This year our students have broadened their horizons in a huge variety of ways.

Some have been volunteering across the town and further afield with community radio stations, park run initiatives, charity shops, charity events and children’s or youth groups. They’ve been physically active in activities like martial arts, badminton, netball, basketball, skating and curling, some even competing nationally in these sports. Finally in addition to expedition skills we have students involved in learning about sports coaching, animal care, computer programming, musical instruments, singing and acting.

As always, the DofE team could not offer this opportunity without the continued support of the wider school community and the abundance of extra-curricular opportunities which exist for our students.

We are very proud of their accomplishments of all our students and are always looking for new opportunities to broaden their horizons and help them to achieve their DofE award. If you know of organisations looking for volunteers or know of any other way you could support our students through the award, we would be glad to hear from you. Please get in touch with the school.

Work Experience- Nadine McDonald Last year I was given a chance to apply for work experience with the Delfont Mackintosh Theatre Company which is based in London’s West End, and are home to many of the greatest musicals.

The chances of receiving this were very slim as there were many applicants put forward.

Fortunately in January 2019 I got the good news that out of the thousands of people that applied, I was one of the few that were selected to work at a West End show in London. In March this year, I travelled to London for a week’s work experience at one of the most popular West End shows. I got to shadow actors and other workers at the Victoria Palace Theatre where the musical ‘Hamilton’ is based. During my week at the theatre, I had the opportunity to experience the different areas of work in the theatre and the different jobs that contribute to the success of the show.

Throughout my time I worked at the box office, front of house, stage door and I even got to go backstage for some of the shows. This was an incredible experience as I saw how every actor copes with the pressure and adrenaline during a show. Everyone, in and around the theatre was very welcoming and kind during the week that I was there. From my experience at the Victoria Palace Theatre I have been able to see how demanding and exciting it can be working in the theatre industry. I hope to pursue a career in musical theatre when I leave school, so this opportunity was perfect to help me achieve my goals.

St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

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UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge Thursday 7th of February saw the S3 and S4 pupils enter the Intermediate Maths Challenge. This challenge is comprised of twenty five multiple choice questions. After question sixteen, the pupils are penalised if they get a wrong answer. This is to encourage strong mathematical thinking.

Pi–day Challenge This year teachers of S1 and S2 were invited to enter pupils from their class into the Pi day Maths Challenge. This challenge consisted of a past paper from the UKMT. Marks have now been collated with the top 70 being invited to sit the official paper in April.

UKMT Junior Team Friday the 15th March saw the UKMT Junior Maths Team Challenge take place in Caldew School in Carlisle.

The team was made up of Emilia Chierici-Black, Shannon Smith, Scarlett Willacy and Alana Nosratzadeh.

They competed against some stiff competition from the north of England. Round 1 was the group round where they worked as a team to complete ten questions in 45 minutes. Round 2 was the girls’ favourite round, the cross number challenge. The teams were split into pairs with one pair completing the down clues and the other the across. Many clues are dependent on answers from the other half of the team so the had to develop good communication skills. Round 3 is the shuttle round where again they work in pairs passing the solution to the other pair to allow them to complete their question. We ended the day with the famous maths relay race. Although the girls didn't win, they did themselves, as well as the school proud.

International Statistics Literacy Poster Competition Jake Pollock, Emilia Chierici-Black, Calum O’Halloran and Dominic Lavell made up the S2 team who worked independently to create a poster about climate change in Dumfries.

Jonasz Gofron, Harry Jackson, Teagan Ishmael and Gregor Donachie were all part of the S3 team who looked at the impact that voltage had on different coloured LED’s.

Both posters were submitted early March and we look forward to hearing how the teams got on.

S1 Monthly Maths Challenge S1 continue to be competitive in the completion of the monthly maths challenges. These along with the Pi-day challenge will help us to select the pupils best suited to sitting the junior UKMT maths challenge on April 30th.

S1 House Group Maths Challenge S1 participated in the first ever House Maths Challenge at the start of February. Round 1 consisted of the “Famous Mathematician” Experience & Outcome. Pupils were split in to House groups and then into mixed ability groups. Due to the numbers in S1, we had to run the event twice in the hall so two House groups competed at the same time. Round 2 was a simple ten questions to solve together, sourced from the UKMT primary challenges and some of the easier UKMT questions to ensure the challenge was accessible for all. The picture shows the winning teams for each house group. This years overall winners were Stewart house who received the trophy designed and created by Mr McKellar in the Technical department.

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

NATIONAL 5 DESIGN SOLUTIONS

MATTHEW ASHER

LAURA DARLEY

MENNA KUENHAL

CONNIE McKENZIE

HENRIQUE DE SOUSA CHAN St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

EVA ZUTIC

CHARLOTTE MACGREGOR Page 16

Higher Photography 2018-19

Navid Ali S5

Finlay Brown S6

Lochlann McGill S6 Page 17

St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

S2 pupils have been competing in the Masterchef heats in Home Economics this term. Pupils have thoroughly enjoyed the planning and cooking of the dishes and presenting them to the judges. The judges had a very difficult job trying to pick only two winners from each class! The winners now go through to the school Masterchef final which will be held in May and will be judged by a local chef. Thanks to parents for supporting the practising of the dishes at home!

St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

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Messages of Thanks from New Zealand

On Friday 15th March, a horrific terrorist attack took place at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 50 people.

School pupils in Christchurch and around New Zealand wanted to show support for the victims and families of those involved.

Basing their actions on the Martin Luther King quote:“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,” students made colourful paperchains decorated with messages of love and support, and used these to decorate areas surrounding the mosques.

Pupils at St Joseph’s took part in this show of support by making their own paper chains with messages of support, and sending photographs of them to contacts at schools in Christchurch. These are the replies we received: Please send a HUGE thank you for the lovely support to St Joseph's College. We appreciate their kindness and thoughts. :) Cindy McKenzie Year 5 Teacher Hillview Christian School, Christchurch NZ That is amazing. Thanks for sending the message through!

Regards, Steve McKenzie

Thank you so very much for your email and kind words of support. This is a very difficult time for our school community but we are extremely proud of our staff and students, their compassion, kindness and support for one another.

Please pass on to your students our thanks for their support.

Kindest regards Heidi Ball

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

The Rural Skills group have had another busy term with excursions, upkeep of the polytunnel and helping in the local community.

The first excursion early this year was to Hardgrove Dairy Farm, just outside Carrutherstown. Pupils were given the opportunity to tag newly born calves and move them into their pens. A few students even volunteered to carry out some milking. The cows were lined up in the parlour and pupils had to go down into the pit where they inspected each in turn; cleaned the teats on the udders and attached the milking machine cluster. Each cow could produce as much as 60 litres of milk per day.

In February the class attended a visit to Millbank Venison Farm near Lockerbie. This was a smaller scale family run farm where they put a lot of effort in to sustainability and ensuring that their venison is ethically produced. Attention is also given to keeping food miles and carbon footprint low. After an interesting tour of the farm, our pupils were invited into the butchery where they made venison sausages. These were brought back to school and cooked the next day – a delicious snack for the class!

Back at school, the pupils have been doing an excellent job of maintaining the polytunnel and planters in the grounds.

Weeding and soil improvement have been a priority and now the class have sown early seeds of parsnips, spring onions and a variety of herbs. Keep an eye out for our ‘home grown’ crops being used in Health and Food Technology! With this experience in maintaining the planters in school, the class have also able to offer to help at St Teresa’s Primary. Here they have made ground improvements and dug out vegetable patches for this season. Mr. Slattery and pupils are very appreciative.

Finally – our salmon eggs have hatched in the classroom and we now have between 50 – 80 salmon fry in our tank which will be released into the river at Auldgirth before the Easter holidays. The pupils’ hard work will be rewarded with an afternoon of fishing at Blackwood Loch. An update will be given in next term’s newsletter.

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S3 Chemistry students have been celebrating British Science Week by participating in an on-line activity called “I’m a Scientist Get me Out of Here”. Pupils are given the opportunity to ask a group of scientists questions about their research interests and careers. Based on the answers our pupils receive, they decide which scientist should win a cash prize through a voting system resulting in a series of eliminations.

In addition to learning the skills of questioning, pupils gain an insight into a variety of scientific careers related to Chemistry. All the professional chemists are based in Scotland. One designs new drugs from toxins to treat pain, another covers microscopic gold rods with molecules from tea to diagnose infections more quickly and another is researching high pressure crystal formation.

During the week there was an opportunity for classes to participate in live chat sessions, during which scientists were subjected to some incisive questioning by St. Joseph’s College pupils. A tough bunch who took the interviewing and decision making very seriously. St. Joseph’s College certainly has some potential scientists of the future!

Spectroscopy in a Suitcase

Advanced Higher Chemistry students were treated to a visit from Lindsay Ferguson, a postgraduate student from University of West of Scotland, who presented a workshop on different types of spectroscopic techniques used in chemical analysis. Lindsay brought two portable, yet high powered machines with her.

This was an ideal opportunity for pupils to ask questions and to develop their understanding of the practical applications of UVVis and IR spectroscopy. Lindsay had studied forensic chemistry, so was able to describe the use of spectroscopy in assisting with the identification of illegal substances in many situations such as in sport, at crime scenes and at music festivals. Pupils also learned about the important role of analysts in many chemical industries.

They were then given problem solving activities and gained some experience of using the UV-Vis and IR spectroscopy equipment.

Both machines were the size of large handbags; not suitcases. In years to come analysis should be possible using mobile phones (spectroscopy in your pocket?!).

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

Meet the Researcher Showcase

S5 pupils who are currently studying for Highers in Chemistry, Biology or Physics enjoyed a visit to Glasgow Science Centre to meet a variety of professionals and postgraduate students working in a diverse range of scientific fields – all related to medical research. This was a fantastic opportunity to learn about a range of potential university courses and the impact current research is having on the treatment of many health conditions.The morning started with an inspiring talk from Professor Paul Hoskisson, a microbiologist from Strathclyde University. He focussed on the importance of research into the development of new antibiotics; those that will be effective against bacteria that are resistant to treatment. Alongside global warming and terrorism, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are considered one of the three biggest threats to humankind. His team have travelled to rainforests, the Chilean desert and up Caribbean mountains to isolate microorganisms from which new antibiotics can be cultured.

One of the most interesting examples was the isolation of peptides from the foam nests constructed by Tungara frogs. Products developed from these proteins are being tested in the treatment of wound infections and in novel drug delivery systems. More rapid diagnosis of sepsis is also possible as a consequence of the work being done in Scottish universities by microbiologists to identify ways of quickly identifying microbial resistance.

Professor Philip Winn, Chairperson of Medical Research Scotland emphasised the interdisciplinary nature of medical research. Most projects involve chemists, biologists, physicists and engineers all working together. Computer scientists are also playing an increasingly important role in the development of technologies that allow patients to monitor health conditions at home. He spoke about the many different pathways that can be taken in the study of medical sciences, the flexibility of subject choice within most degree courses and the funding available from Medical Research Scotland to facilitate postgraduate research linked to industry.

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Shapes of Molecules Talk – Dr. Ellis, Heriot Watt University

St. Joseph’s College Chemistry students received a booster revision opportunity when Dr. David Ellis from Heriot Watt University visited to give his topical lecture on Shapes of Molecules. Dr. Ellis spoke about how important shape is in determining both the physical and chemical properties of molecules. He reminded pupils about the importance of understanding the basics of electronic configuration, electronegativity and symmetry in molecules. He also gave many real life examples in which an understanding of chirality (mirror image molecules) has been crucial – from their use in food flavourings to their presence in banned performance enhancing drugs in sport. We are grateful to Dr. Ellis for providing some useful information on courses at Heriot Watt University and for his kind offer of NMR analysis for pupil experiment samples in Advanced Higher project work.

Biology Olympiad Ten senior pupils took part in this year’s Biology Olympiad which is organised by the Royal Society of Biology. The BBO challenges and stimulates students with an interest in biology to expand and extend their talents.

The challenge consisted of two 45 minute online papers testing a wide array of Biological topics. Two of our 10 students, Maya Saunders and Hannah Mortlock gained bronze which is an excellent achievement considering only 14.9% of all particpants achieved Bronze. The others gained Highly Commended and Commended. A huge well done to all involved!

Biology Challenge Twenty of our S3 pupils took part in this year’s Biology Challenge organised by the Royal Society of Biology. The Biology Challenge stimulates students’ curiosity for the natural world and encourages them to take an interest in biology outside of school. The Challenge consists of two 25 minute online papers testing a wide array of biological topics. The students did extremely well and persevered with the challenging questions.

Results will be awarded after the Easter Holidays.

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

British Science Week Engaging with research relevant to our local area.

On Wednesday 13th March Professor John Lockhart, Director of the Institute of Biomedical & Environmental Health Research at University of West of Scotland captured pupils’ attention during two assemblies when he shared the detail of on-going research in to COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - in the South West of Scotland and Northern Ireland. These two locations have in common a particularly high incidence of the lung disease, yet the causes are not yet fully understood.

Professor Lockhart described COPD as a “Cinderella Disease” – very important yet overlooked.

While one of the most significant risk factors for COPD is cigarette smoking, Professor Lockhart explained that this is not the only factor as, despite a considerable decline in smoking rates over the past 25 years, morbidity and mortality from COPD remain high. Teams of scientists from UWS are conducting research in to factors such as genetic susceptibility, climate and air quality. One worrying factor that he highlighted was the rise in the use of e-cigarettes. These contain a cocktail of harmful chemicals and often flavourings that are the most hazardous of all.

During the morning Carly Woods, a PhD student from the research group, and Professor Lockhart presented to S1 and S2 classes, giving pupils the chance to develop their understanding of lung disease, ask questions and to test their own lung capacity. Pupils also enjoyed the chance to interact with some models and handle the preserved lungs of a rat and a mouse.

Over the coming months Professor Lockhart’s team will be continuing their local engagement and will be involving pupils in monitoring air quality close to their schools.

This was a very interesting and informative visit for St. Joseph’s College and one that was enjoyed immensely by our pupils, who received some powerful messages regarding protecting their own lung health for the future.

St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

PC Currie, our school based police officer, worked in collaboration with the S3 Graphic Communication class.

He presented them with a design brief to create a bonfire and fireworks safety poster. The pupils then began to plan, research and develop their posters. The winners from each class were Chloe Bil and Olivia Watson each receiving a ÂŁ10 iTunes voucher. The designs will shared locally (in supermarkets, hospitals, doctors surgeries and schools) and will be put forward for a nationwide competition. We would like to congratulate both girls at this stage and wish them all the very best of luck for the finals. A big well done to all participants.

W

e don’t just do great House contests to get our pupils enthused about learning and having fun but be also make utterly unique trophies. The bespoke designs are developed in collaboration with the event organiser and made using our fantastic workshop and maker space facilities. Elements may be designed on the computer using 3D modelling software and printed using our bank of 3D printers.

Other parts may be turned in our workshop out of wood that has been milled onsite using the lime trees. These trees, which had to be felled during the school development, have overseen many generations of young people come through our gates. Other parts have been fabricated in metal and plastic using our new facilities in our design and manufacture workshop. We now endeavour to make all our trophies onsite and our new lunchtime maker club will be happy to receive requests for new projects.

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MAKING

IT in D&T

I

n February there was a display of S1 and S2 pupil design work and practical abilities. There was a steady flow of traffic where pupils and staff enjoyed viewing the work on show. Many were amazed at the level off effort and creativity that was put into each project. Well done to all our S1 and S2 pupils. We are looking forward to seeing what you make next.

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

2019 Science Fair Winners Impress Judges All S1 pupils were given the opportunity to put their investigation planning and experimental skills to the test when they carried out a research project of their own choice. Those projects achieving the highest score progressed to the Science Fair at which pupils had their work judged alongside winning entries from our cluster primaries, St. Andrews and St. Teresa’s.

All entries were again of a high standard this year. Pupils produced excellent poster displays to summarise their findings and evaluate their experiments. There was evidence of careful graph drawing and tabulation of data with units.

During the Wednesday of British Science Week, thirteen St. Joseph’s College S1 finalists and five pairs of primary pupils displayed their work for judges, Mrs. Gwen Ferguson (retired Depute Head Teacher) and Mr. Ross Gibson (Structural Engineer, Asher Associates). Pupils were also required to answer probing questions and demonstrate an understanding of the underlying science of their chosen investigation topic.

This year’s winners were Jason McPhillips and Sam Layagoba from St. Andrew’s Primary with an investigation in to how the colour of light affects the growth of plants. Their poster display was certainly eye-catching and colourful.

Second place went to Alana Nosratzadeh from S1 who investigated water waste in the home and made us all consider the number of showers we take in a week.

Maya Nassar and Francesca Seton from St. Andrew’s Primary took 3 rd place with a beautifully presented project called “Going Nuts”, investigating the type of nuts squirrels preferred to eat.

In addition to showing creativity and diligence, our S1 finalists demonstrated confidence when they presented their project summaries at British Science Week assemblies. All S1 pupils will have benefited from the opportunity to find out more about an area of science they are interested in and hopefully this will inspire them as young scientists to develop further scientific investigative skills.

S1 Finalists: Jake Brennan, Mary Kennedy, Scarlett Willacy, Alyssa Kingstree, Mikey Turner, Lexi Anderson, Skye Jardine, Tia Laurie, Innes Magee, Samya Ishmael, Mia Brownrigg, Alana Nosratzadeh.

Cluster Primary finalists: Madison Kennedy, Millie Murray, Kevin Rayen, Archie Hyslop, Maya Nassar, Francesca Seton, George McGeoch, Tomas Vyrostek, Leo Neil, Erin Trory, Jolie Wells, Cian Campbell & Christopher Hill.

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Congratulations to Shannon Brown on her success at the Scottish Table Tennis National Championships which took place in Perth last month. Shannon is the U13 national champion. Well done Shannon!

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

S3 Media - The class has been creating different effects with stage make-up… from wounds made following experimental recipes for the creation of artificial skin using flour, Vaseline and cocoa powder, and fake blood made with red food colouring and syrup…. to the making of alienlike monstrous mouths which take up the whole of the human face for use in a collection of class magazine articles about aliens. The help of S6 students has been encouraging and invaluable for their make-up expertise and willingness to be a blank canvas on which to practise!

Bethany demonstrated how to achieve the alien mouth effect on Hamish and Michael. Then pupils were given the opportunity to become either the ‘artwork’ or the special effects make-up artist. Photos were taken later and these images were edited by each pupil to make an ‘alienesque’ poster. Accompanying articles were written in a range of styles from NASA-type scientific reports to short stories to complete the class’s alien-based magazine project.

Harry as

a canvas

d Jay’s alien e

it

Jack’s stov e pipe alie ns

Daniel as a canvas

Dan

iel’s

alien

edit

Kristina

’s alien

Lewi

St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

edit

s’s a li

Tess’s alien edit en e d

it

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Modern Languages Another busy term in Modern Languages throughout the cluster.

Senior Modern Languages students have had several opportunities to engage with the French language this term. In February, senior classes went to Dumfries High School to watch a French production by Onatti Theatre, “La salle des énigmes”. Pupils enjoyed this experience and even got to go on stage to show off their knowledge of French.

In March, along with some Higher and Advanced Higher Maths pupils, the Higher French class competed in the Mathématiques Sans Frontières competition. The paper has difficult problems to solve in French and English. The paper requires a lot of team work and pupils certainly enjoyed the opportunity to use their knowledge of French and Maths together. Fingers crossed for the results!

First year pupils have settled well in to the routine of Modern Language classrooms and have completed various projects across the department. Some have created “les animaux extraordinaires”.

They have written about their strange creations and created models too. Other first year classes have prepared French presentations about “la météo” and put on performances showing off their written and spoken skills.

Primary 6 and 7 from Saint Andrew’s primary school have been attending Saint Joseph’s each week for a period of French. Primary seven have been working on the body and have learned head, shoulders, knees and toes as well as how to play “Jacques a dit”.

Primary 6 have been looking at school subjects and technology as well as French speaking countries and produced some wonderful posters. Come and have a look at the P6 projects in the Modern Languages corridor.

It has been another busy term at Saint Teresa’s primary as P1-3 have been learning how to say the date in French. P4-7 have been learning about family members and how to describe their families.

The upper school are now studying body parts and can do an excellent rendition of head, shoulders knees and toes.

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

In Languages for Life and Work we have been looking at French words in English and why there are so many French words in English. We have learned about the history of how the French words got into the English language and the different word categories of French words that are in the English language. We have also studied etymology, what etymology is and how to research etymology.

Why are there so many French words in English?

In 1066, Guillaume Duc de Normandie (also known as William the Conqueror), invaded England in pursuance of his claim to the English crown. The invasion succeeded, and William was crowned William I of England, overthrowing the preceding line of English monarchs.

The new monarch placed French noblemen in positions of authority and wealth throughout England, and French became the language of the ruling class. It was nearly 200 years before a descendant of William could manage enough English to address Parliament.

As a result of this, the language of the country became an amalgam of the older English and the French of the new rulers. The two languages existed side by side and terms from both came into modern English; the squires had to communicate with their serfs, after all. And gradually the French nobles became English, and the English took a fair bit of French into their language. French became incorporated into the language.

The difference between the French and English language As a result of the invasion the English language got a lot of French words, English was a lower class language and French was a higher class fancier language. French was spoken by the upper class and the royalty but English was spoken by the lower class and the peasants. We get our fancier words from French. Such as:

English cow drink

French beef beverage

French words in English Déjà vu – is a French word that we use eve-

ry day in English which means the feeling of already experienced.

Chic- a French word that we use in English which means elegantly and stylishly fashionable.

What is Etymology?

The study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.

By Kasey Thomson St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

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French words used in English – research In Languages for Life and Work we have been learning about French words in English.

We have learned that many English words come from French. Some words which come from French are: crème, salmon, market, jail, castle, judge, servant, etc. We have also been learning about etymology and how to research the etymologies of words. Mia Wilson S3 Je ne sais quoi – describes a quality that cannot be described or named easily.

Translated from the French ‘I do not know what’ - Shayne Robertson S3 Déjà –vu is a feeling of recollection. It comes from French and means ‘already seen’.

Touché is used as an acknowledgement during a discussion of a good or clever point. It comes from French and literally means ‘touched’- Aiden Currie S3 Chef- translates to boss and cook. Chic- means elegantly fashionable and stylish –Zye Rogerson S3 Coup de foudre –means ‘stroke of lightning’. It is often used in English to describe the feeling of love at first sight- Alisha Judd S3 Coup de grâce – comes from the French ‘stroke of grace’. In English we use it to describe a finishing blow or strike e.g. the final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal. – Aaron Stewart S3 Some words we learned that were from French were: Jury- from the old French juree which means oath Souvenir is from French it means to remember -Harry Sinclair S3 Avant-garde means ‘advanced guard’. In English it is used to describe new ideas.

Synonyms could be ultra-modern, pioneering or forward-looking. Marcin Furmaniuk S3 Coup d’état means a ‘blow of state’. In English we use it describe what happens when a government is overthrown.

After William the Conqueror became king the English language changed. Some words introduced from French are: portier, saumon, makerel, oistre, porc, salade, bacun, fruit and bescoit. - Munro Coltart S3

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

MAY

9

Scottish Schools Pipe Band Champions

School Piping and Drumming Instruction St. Joseph's College Thursday 9th May 2019 6:30pm - 7:30pm South West Scotland Piping and Drumming Academy would like to invite interested pupils in P6, P7 and S1 with their Parent/ Carer to attend an information evening about Piping and Drumming Instruction at St. Joseph's College. This will be for the new intake in August 2019.

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Application forms will be available after the Easter holidays to apply for our Young Musician and Young Artist of the Year competitions. Both competitions are open to pupils from S1 to S3 and have proven to be very popular in previous years. The event will take place on the 6 th June at 6.30pm. For more information please see Mrs Somerville, Mr Saadat, Mr Davies and Mrs Docherty.

Musical Successes Congratulations to all pupils who took part in the Dumfries and District Music Festival and the Dumfries & Galloway Burns Association - Regional Schools Competition. A number of our pupils were involved in different festivals throughout February and March. From vocal performance to recorder, to fiddle to bagpipes, we are lucky to have very talented pupils in our school community and who are keen to share their talent through performance.

Dumfries and District Music Festival Congratulations to Beatrice and Vidhi who were placed 1 st in their respective categories. Hadrian and Anthony represented the school as part of the Dumfries and Galloway Youth Jazz Group with Euan, Ellie, Ross, Cait, Emily, Callum and Andrew playing with the Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries Schools Band. Their performances were well received by the audience and the adjudicator. Hannah, Molly and Benjamin took part in the solo music categories.

Well done to you all!

Dumfries & Galloway Burns Association - Regional Schools Competition.

Jess Currie, Emily McLatchie, Anna Pearcey and Curran Stainthorpe recently represented the school in the Dumfries & Galloway Burns Association Regional Schools competition. Over 170 children took part in the annual competition where the adjudicators agreed that standards were extremely high. Due to their success, Jess, Emily, Anna and Curran were all invited to represent Dumfries and Galloway at the National Schools’ Festival in Irvine. Emily and Anna came first in their categories helping Dumfries and Galloway to win Overall Best Region and Best Singers in the competition.

Well done, we know this success is down to lots of hard work preparing for these competitions.

Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championship The Dumfries and Galloway Schools Pipe Band were crowned champions of the Junior B category. What a fantastic achievement!

Harry, Finlay, Curran and Jack represented the school in this newly formed competition band and after weeks of hard work they won their category. Callum Moffat who led the band and is our bagpipe tutor in school, was very proud of their achievement as are we.

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St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

St. Joseph’s College Easter Newsletter 2019

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