Knox News December 2011
-
Upload
knoxacademy -
Category
Documents
-
view
219 -
download
0
Transcript of Knox News December 2011
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 1/20
From the Head Teacher
The Newsletter of Knox Academy nox ews
December 2011
Dear Parent/Carer,
Welcome to the last Knox News of 2011. As usual, the term has been very busy and details of various events and successes can be found in this edition of the Knox News.
I would like to congratulate the school community on the various events organised to raise funds for charity. The senior pupils have taken the lead in this, resulting in money being send to a wide range of good causes: Amnesty International, Macmillan Cancer Support, Breast Cancer Campaign, Children in Need, the British Legion Poppy appeal etc. Also, Tutor Groups have been busy making up Christmas Boxes for the local community. Well done to all the pupils who took part and/or made a donation.
Pupils in fourth year have just completed their prelim examinations and Work Experience placements. I am sure you will encourage all of them to build on their prelim performances to achieve the very best results possible in the summer. I know they will study hard and try their best. Fifth and sixth year pupils begin their prelim examinations at the end of January, I hope they find some time to study over the festive season. I am sure you join with me in wishing them all every success.
With concerts, ceilidhs and assemblies, the festive spirit is alive and well at Knox and we plan to
have an exciting, fun‐packed and, of course, educational, last day of term, the centrepiece of which will be the, now traditional, S6 Panto. We finish the term on Thursday 22 December at 4 pm
and the new term for pupils begins at 8.44 am on Tuesday 10 January 2012.
I wish everyone an enjoyable and relaxing holiday and a happy New Year.
Best wishes
JB Craig
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 2/20
During the first week of December, Knox Academy and King’s Meadow Primary School were
delighted to welcome two teachers from our partner schools in Rwanda – Hyacinthe Furaha and
Vincent Dukuzumuremyi. Hyacinthe is a Primary school teacher, specialising in Mathematics while
Vincent teaches Physics at Ruhanga Secondary School.
It must have been with some trepidation that Vincent and Hyacinthe set off on the long journey north
to be met at Edinburgh Airport, not just by Dr Wilson (Biology) waving a welcome sign, but also
by snow and ice. On their first evening Vincent asked me ‘Is Scotland near to the North Pole?’ It
certainly felt like it!
This is the second time that Knox Academy and King’s Meadow have hosted teachers from the village
of Ruhanga in northern Rwanda. Our schools have worked in partnership for some 4 years now.
Currently we are working on projects with a focus on ecology, and environmental issues, which affect
our local communities. In our partnership meetings during the exchange we discussed recycling,
endangered animals, planting trees and vegetables and the problems caused by litter.
Hyacinthe and Vincent had the opportunity to visit and observe a number of lessons in Science and
Social Subjects, where most of our education about environmental issues takes place. Our pupils
were very interested in a presentation that Vincent gave about Ruhanga Secondary School and what
a typical day is like for pupils there. Vincent was asked many questions such as:
Do you enjoy being a teacher? Answer – yes!
How far do you have to walk to school? ‐ 5 kilometres every day (cue gasps of surprise from some
pupils).
What do you eat for lunch? – Potatoes, beans, peas, rice.
What happens if your pupils are late to school or forget to do their homework? – They have a
detention, and if this happens three times, their parents are invited into school for a discussion. (Knox
pupils nod in an understanding way...they are familiar with this system).
Our pupils are fascinated by the differences between going to school in Scotland and Rwanda.
However, they seem reassured by similarities as well. Rwandan pupils study many of the same
subjects, enjoy sports, spend break time catching up with friends and take part in various
extra‐curricular activities.
As well as meetings, observations and presentations, Vincent and Hyacinthe have been treated to
various aspects of Scottish culture. On their first day in Haddington they heard traditional music
played by clarsachs, bagpipes and drums at Knox, and fiddle playing at King’s Meadow. A group of S6
pupils entertained our visitors with homemade tablet and Irn Bru!
The visit was a resounding success and I would like to thank the staff and pupils at both Knox
Academy and Kings Meadow Primary School who have helped out in various ways. Look out for
further updates on our partnership in future issues of Knox News.
Miss Orr
Music Department
Global School Partnership—Rwandan Exchange Page 2
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 3/20
Samye Ling 2011 Page 3
On the 10th of November a bus full of excited RMPS pupils headed down to Dumfries and Galloway to
visit the largest Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Europe. The pupils were welcomed to the Temple by Ani
Jinpa, the resident nun who provided our fascinating tour. After being shown to our rooms we were
given a vegetarian supper of soup, bread and pudding. After dinner, pupils attended the Chenrezig
prayer. Chenrezig is the Tibetan Bodhisattva for compassion and prayers are said for anyone who is
suffering in the world. It was an uplifting and calming experience. After that we were given a talk and
video on Buddhism over many cups of tea. Ani Jinpa happily answered our many questions about
what life is like as a Buddhist nun. With 5 am starts, work every day, no meat, no alcohol or
intoxiciants and having to shave their hair we agreed it wasn’t an easy life. However, Ani Jinpa’s
positive and helpful attitude showed that it was certainly an admirable way of living. We turned in for
the night excited about what the next day would bring. Some of us woke at 6am in order to attend
the optional Tara prayer which was a relaxing start to a busy day. At 8 am we had breakfast and met in the temple where we were given a talk and an opportunity to meditate. We went on a rather
muddy walk to visit the resident yaks who, like everyone else at Samye Ling, seemed pretty chilled
out. The tour of the Peace Garden was enjoyed by everyone and we got to see the Stupa and the
various statues, spin the prayer wheels and tie a wish on to the “cloutie” tree. We enjoyed a
delicious vegetarian lunch and then had some free time to explore. We ended the day with a trip to
the Tibetan Tearooms for the most delicious hot chocolate and, of course, the gift shop so we could
bring home some gifts and momentos of our trip. It was both an enjoyable and educational
experience that we won’t forget.
The Samye Ling crew – Staff (Mrs Montgomery,
Mr Woolley, Mrs Baird and Mr Wren) and pupils studying
Intermediate 2, Higher and Advanced Higher RMPS (Beth
Revuelta, Torquil MacLeod, Rosie Murray, Claire Wilson,
Abbie Scott, Iona Lee, Rhiannon Underwood, Melissa
Trotter,
Martin
Buist,
Lindsay
Donaldson,
Jessica
Hickman, Fraser Thompson, Lauren Falconer, Ben Nisbet,
Kirsty Stenhouse, Liska Crofts, Phoebe Roebuck, Holly
Donaldson, Angela Barrie, Julia Cockburn, Louise Boyd,
Sam Donaldson, Steven Knox, David Spiden, Megan Richardson, Kenny Harper)
Mrs Montgomery
RMPS
Dept
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 4/20
Christmas Greetings from all the members of the KASG.
It has been another successful year, thanks to the members and helpers of KASG.
To date we have provided a water bottle for every pupil in the school as well as making
a donation to the Leavers’Dance funds.
At the present time we are planning a Burns Supper for the 25th January, which we hope parents
will support by attending. It looks like it's it going to be a very good night.
Tickets will be available from the 10th January from school.
We are always looking for new members, as a few of us will be leaving KASG this year,
myself included (after thirteen years.!!).
So please think about joining, we only meet every six weeks depending on events planned, it’s a
really good way to meet other parents and good fun whilst helping to raise money for our children's school.
So on behalf of KASG may I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.
Ann Richardson
(Chair)
Money raised so far has funded:
PE Department Senior boys football strips. Weight plate set, olympic bar and weights storage stand , folding weights bench system, spring
collars.
Medical Room ‐ Lightweight folding wheelchair.
Home Economics ‐ Kenwood Chef food mixer Premier KMC560 , Hostess hot tray HT 6030.
Drama ‐ Panasonic Camcorder, 6’ Costume Rail.
Knox Academy Trampoline Club ‐ Repair of bed and re‐stitching.
Knox Academy Support Group Page 4
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 5/20
The Amnesty Group has been working hard again this year as Christmas approaches. The small but
dedicated team delivered an assembly to S1 and S2 pupils in order to raise awareness of the work
Amnesty International does to promote human rights around the world and to help those who have
had their rights taken away or abused. They have set up a stall to sell badges and other goodies in
order to raise money for the charity. The whole school has beee getting involved in the Amnesty
International Christmas card campaign in which pupils design and make a card and send it to either a
prisoner of conscience or someone else who has had their basic rights violated.
This picture shows the wife of Ramze for whom we made cards last year – some of the Knox
Academy cards are in the picture. Ramze sent this message:‐
“I have now received the solidarity cards and they made me very happy. I want to thank all those who
sent me their support.”
Thanks to all pupils involved in Amnesty International, especially Rosie Murray, Torquil MacLeod, Matthew Moore, Katie Holton, Emma Murray and Beth Revuelta.
Mrs Montgomery
RMPS Department
Amnesty International Youth Group Page 5
Book Bar The Book Bar is open to all pupils and staff every Tuesday and Thursday lunch‐time in the Food Court Classroom. It is a good place to drop in after lunch to do a bit of reading, swap a book, or do
an Accelerated Reader Quiz. Also there is the chance to play games (Scrabble, Chess, Nintendo DS),
or read a newspaper.
If you have any books at home, which you no longer need, we will happily take them off your hands.
Teenage or children’s fiction would be especially welcome. You can donate your old books, or we
are happy to swap!
Mr Swinney
English Dept
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 6/20
In July 2010, Knox Academy together with the Scottish Seabird Centre, was awarded a grant from the British Council to participate in a Comenius Regio project with a secondary school
called the Gymnazium Karvina, in the Moravian Silesian Authority of the Czech Republic. During the project, participating organisations have focused on elements of the curriculum that support the education of pupils on environmental sustainability.
This term, our partners from the Moravian Silesian Authority have visited Knox twice. On both occasions, visitors have spent some time in school looking at the different experiences our pupils obtain during their time at Knox. Also the visitors enjoyed other attractions in the area including Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh and Deep Sea World.
A reciprocal visit is planned for January 2012, with Mrs Barber, Mrs Slowther and Miss McPhee accompanying Mr Jappy for a 2 day visit to the city of Karvina. In the future we hope to further our ties with Gymnazium Karvina and encourage pupils to become more involved in building links with their counterparts in the Czech Republic.
Mr Jappy
Chemistry
Dept
S3 pupils are shadowing the 2012 Carnegie Award. This year’s nominees include Anne Fine, David
Almond, and Michael Morpurgo but the full list is available online. The S3 pupils will be
encouraged to share their responses to the novels with pupils from all over the country using the
online shadowing site.
The shadowing runs until the end of May and the winner will be decided by Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals [CILIP] in June.
Any other S3s wishing to get involved should speak to their English teacher or Mr Plain.
Visit http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/shadowingsite/index.php to find out more about how
you can get involved or just to find inspiration for a good Christmas
holiday read.
Mrs Maxwell
English Dept
Comenius Regio Project Update
The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Children’s Book Awards
Page 6
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 7/20
Dear Mrs Craig,
I have pleasure in informing you, that this year, one of your former students, Graham Holden,
obtained the IMechE, awarded “to the Best Student 3rd Year ME” in the Discipline of Mechanical
Engineering, and the Agnes Rhind Bursary, awarded “to the Best Overall 3rd Year Student” in the
Discipline of Systems Power & Energy.
We are proud to have a student in the School of Engineering attain this level of achievement. We
appreciate that this is a result of the student’s diligence, innate abilities, and parental support, but
also, to a great degree, the quality of teaching they experienced in primary and secondary
education.
We thank you for the efforts you have made to build good foundations in Mathematics and
Science in your students. Those foundations have certainly stood this student in good stead.
Yours sincerely,
John H Marsh
Head of School of Engineering (University of Glasgow)
So far in the Advanced Higher Modern Studies course we have had the opportunity to take part in
many different aspects of the subject that is centred on the topics of Crime and Punishment. We
were able to interview two Community Police Officers who allowed us to gain a first‐hand insight
into crime in East Lothian that was extremely helpful to our course. Through our interviews they
provided a large amount of primary information for each of our dissertations, so a major thank
you to them! Also we had the opportunity to interview Graeme Pearson MSP for South of
Scotland, who kindly took time out of his busy schedule to come in and talk to us. He was able to
discuss aspects of his job and also his views and experiences of Crime and Punishment, so again
thank you to him also.
Two of our class mates had the chance to visit the Scottish Parliament. They took part in a
question and answer session with Kenny Macaskill MSP and Cabinet Secretary for Justice,
attended the Justice Committee Meeting and even appeared on Holyrood TV. Our final visit was
to Haddington Sheriff Court where Mrs Lowe provided a tour of the Courts and explained the
procedures to us. We would like to thank her as it was an incredibly interesting experience and
allowed us a valuable insight into the workings of a court.
We are all working hard to put our dissertations together and all of these opportunities have
been of great benefit to us.
Katie Morris , S6
Former Pupil’s News
Advanced Higher Modern Studies
Page 7
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 8/20
The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Club allows us to explore, investigate and discover STEM subjects. Activities involve practical experiments, investigations, discussion and reflection. Most of all, they are fun.
The
club
at
Knox
Academy
is
open
to
S1‐
3
but
is
currently
made
up
of
a
group
of
sixteen
S2
pupils.
We meet every Monday and Wednesday at lunch time and we participate in the STEM Challenges. The challenges have been inspired by London 2012 and each one is a competition and focuses on a different aspect of the preparations or the event itself. STEM club is a fun and exciting way to get interested in many subjects. Previous challenges have
included creating a swimsuit for a triathlete and creating a website for Paralympic cyclist Rachel
Morris. One of our teams managed to make it to the finals in London in the summer ‐ the first team
in Scotland ever to do so!
We are currently on the 9th challenge which is to design a spectacular human‐powered invention for
creating the spark which lights the Paralympic Flame. This is proving challenging as we need to
provide enough evidence to convince the judges that our inventions will work. Although the STEM
Club is run by Mr Blair in the Maths Department, STEM
Ambassadors are invited into School to help and this
we really appreciate.
The STEM Club is open to everyone in S1‐3. We have
great fun and welcome anyone who wants to come
along. This is the second year that Knox Academy has
run a STEM Club and not only has it proven very
popular but we have also been very successful, being highly commended for our teamwork and research.
Peter Macaldowie, 2G1
Chloe Craig, 2L2
On the 12th December around 80 Standard Grade History pupils took part in a live webcast of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Christmas Lecture. The lecture was delivered by one of Scotland’s
leading historians, Professor Tom Devine. The lecture examined Scottish migration in the Victorian
era, which is a topic covered in the Standard Grade course. The pupils enjoyed the experience and
I am sure that they will find it useful when it comes to the exams.
Ms McPhee
History Dept
STEM CLUB
RSE Christmas Lecture...Virtually!
Page 8
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 9/20
On 16th and 17th
November, a group of pupils from the Higher Music class was given the opportunity to watch Rossini’s famous opera ‘The Barber of Seville’ in Edinburgh’s Festival
Theatre. The
production
was
put
on
by
Scottish
Opera
and
was
nearing
the
end
of a successful
tour.
The story tells how a young count tries his hardest to win the heart of Rosina, a young girl who is the ward of Dr Bartolo, an old, fat and ugly man. As Rosina finds herself trapped in the Doctor’s house, it falls on Figaro, a young barber, to help the count out. The pair try different disguises to get in and rescue the girl, but each time their plot is foiled. Finally Figaro rescues the girl and they all live happily ever after, apart from Dr Bartolo, who ends up sad and lonely. A few members of the group compared the story to that of Sweeney Todd, except it was less gruesome and more colourful!
On the 16th November we watched the ‘Unwrapped’ version of ‘The Barber of Seville’. This is an event where the audience gets to see how the technical aspects of the opera work. We began our experience by getting an exclusive behind the scenes tour by Jenny Kempton, one of the Assistant Stage Managers for the production. She was able to take us on to the stage and tell us a bit about what her job entails. She showed us how the sets fitted together and how she gives her cues to the singers to go on stage, along to the music score. We were able to see how the Deputy Stage Manager was able to contact her and other crew members from her booth at the side of the stage. After our tour we took our seats for the ‘Unwrapped’ performance. During this, we
watched the understudy cast perform a few of the well known songs along to the voice of the Stage Manager who could be heard cuing the lighting and actors. We also got to see the more humorous side of the opera, with flying nuns etc!
The following evening, we went back to see the full performance. As the opera is sung entirely in Italian, we read the translation of the opera on small screens above our heads. A large proportion of the music was very recognisable, having been used in television and films. The joking and light‐hearted feel of the opera kept us entertained and was a great introduction to opera for those of us who had never seen one before.
The experience was both entertaining and inspiring. We all really enjoyed the whole package of seeing the technical aspects of how a professional opera is put together, and then seeing the finished performance. Personally, I hope this opera visit was the first of many.
Ben Nisbet, S5
Higher Music Opera Trip Page 9
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 10/20
The S1 History pupils from the first rotation have been taking part in an exciting inter school competition to promote the new heritage centre opening in Haddington.
They have explored the life and times of John Gray, a little known minister born in Haddington,
who was very famous in his day and a strong moral leader. They have participated in a number of Drama‐based workshops to uncover information about John Gray and a number of workshops to learn how to use the computer programs.
The S1 pupils were then set the task to use this information and their new IT skills to create models and film an animation for the centre’s website.
Well done to all those who took part and thank you to the organisers and specialist tutors who helped complete the project and the CDT Department for the glue guns and equipment.
The winning animation will be announced when all the schools have submitted their entries. You will be able to see some of the models and animations on display when the centre opens early
next year.
History Department
John Gray Centre Animation Project
EcoLife was planned and delivered by the Biology Department on 1st December. Once again, the
evening was a great success and was incredibly well attended. The evening aimed to make people aware of simple steps that can be taken to reduce their carbon footprint, to get people thinking more about the environment and to strengthen links between Knox Academy and the local com‐
munity.
We had a wide range of stalls selling goods, such as Sue Ryder Care and Tearcraft. In addition, we had many exhibitors who delivered messages about the environment, such as the Countryside Ranger, the “Stop Idling” campaign and the Scottish Seabird Centre.
Entertainment was provided in the form of an environmental quiz, run by Mr Jappy and a stunning performance by Knox’s Venus group! The main event of the evening was a fashion show, where pupils and staff modelled clothes from charity shops – proving that recycled clothes can be fashionable. The fashion show was hosted by Forth One’s Mark Martin and our very own Graeme Morton (S6).
We would like to thank all the sellers and exhibitors, the models and the members of staff who helped to make this a hugely successful evening. Most importantly, thanks to everyone who came along to support the event. We look forward to seeing you at EcoLife 2012!
Biology Department
EcoLife
Page 10
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 11/20
Congratulations to the following pupils:
Brass:
Eilidh Watt 1T1 Tenor Horn, Grade 1 pass with Merit.
Alasdair MacFarlane 1T2 French Horn, Grade 1 pass.
Strings:
Joanna Burgmans 6L2 Violin Grade 4 Pass
Rebecca Cole 3G2 Violin Grade 3 Pass
Hannah Mitchell 6T2 Violin Grade 4 Merit
Angus Riddell 3G2 Viola Grade 3 Merit
Yet again the Drama department, the S6 and some other willing staff pulled out all the stops and put on a Panto of the highest quality…oh no they didn’t! This year saw Knox’s take on the classic tale of Cinderella. We seem to have a particularly fine batch of ugly sisters to draw upon this year!
As ever the Panto shows off Knox pupils at their best, having worked together and put in long hours to put the show on, all in addition to the other numerous other activities they take part in and, of course, their studies. Huge thanks also to the Drama Department and other staff for all the hard work they put in – the cast and audiences really appreciate it.
Mr Illingworth DHT
Music Exams
It’s that time of year again...Oh yes it is!
Page 11
Exploding Christmas! On Tuesday 13th
December, the Chemistry Department took a group of 45 S3 pupils to the Royal Society of Chemistry Xmas Lecture ‘Dr. Bunhead’s Exploding Christmas’. Dr. Bunhead investigated the flammability of custard, exploding hot water bottles, spontaneously combusting jelly babies and many more Christmas conundrums. There was lots of smoke, bangs and explosions and the pupils thoroughly enjoyed the show.
Ms McIntyre
Chemistry Department
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 12/20
Knox Academy continues to host seven Active Schools trampolining classes a week for Secondary
& Primary children in the Haddington Cluster. These classes remain popular and have been a source
of new talent progressing onto the Scottish Competition Circuit.
In light of this, City of Edinburgh Trampoline Club (CETC) has launched their first satellite
Development Class (in partnership with Active Schools) at Knox Academy on Wednesday evenings,
7.15‐8.45pm. This class is designed for those wishing to progress into competitive trampolining and
spaces are currently available.
Details on classes can be obtained from [email protected].
Congratulations to Lloyd Connel who is now ranked 28th in Scotland for trampolining. He
successfully qualified for the 2011 Scottish National Trampoline Championships after a medal win in
September.
Lloyd’s
trampoline
career
is
looking
promising
as
he
has
now
attained
qualifi
cation
into
the next level for Scottish Trampolining, Regional F, to start next season. Recently he has been
paired with British medallist Callum Connarty (from Edinburgh) to form a synchro pairing for
Scottish & British Competitions next
season. He was also awarded “Best Senior
Male Newcomer” at the CETC Awards’
Night on 26th November at Edinburgh Corn
Exchange.
There are further plans to develop trampo‐
lining at Knox, so keep an eye out for excit‐
ing news in the future.
City Of Edinburgh Trampoline Club
www.cityofedinburghtrampolineclub.co.uk
Trampolining Page 12
Business education senior Teambuilding Event On Thursday 15 December 2011, 58 pupils and 12 members of staff gathered together in anticipation
of what was to be an exciting teambuilding event. The 58 pupils included members of the Intermediate 2, Higher and Advanced Higher Business Management classes as well as other guests from S5/6. Staff from Biology, Computing, Geography, Mathematics and the Office joined the Business Education staff for this fantastic evening. Down in the stalls the few people who late were initially heckled by the cast who then reappeared with torches, pointing at them and further embarrassing them. Thankfully Knox Academy was seated in the Grand Circle and everybody was on time. Plenty of audience participation saw it snowing within the King’s Theatre – Scottish weather is continuing to get worse! Well done to all who behaved impeccable and made the evening a great success.
Mr
Dempster
Business Education Dept
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 13/20
Knox Academy could not provide such variety of experiences for our pupils without the generosity and assistance of others and we are fortunate to have such a vibrant and helpful local community. We are extremely grateful to those listed below for their contributions to the school this term.
On behalf of the school I'd like to say a big MERCI to the Haddington Twinning Association for its continued support for Knox's links with Aubigny, our twin town.
This year, as well as liaising with their counterparts in Aubigny to welcome our pupils during
the visit, the HTA is giving very generous funding for our accommodation in Aubigny while 19 of
our S3/4 pupils will be in France during the Activities’ Week trip to Paris and Aubigny in 2012.
As a reciprocal gesture I would encourage parents to support Haddington Twinning Association's
fund‐raising
ceilidh
in
February
and
events
during
the
Haddington
Festival.
P Hutchinson A huge thankyou to Kayleigh, Kirsty & Lauren M, the Coaches from City Of Edinburgh
Trampoline Club. They do a fantastic job of coaching the Active Schools classes at Knox on
Wednesdays and Fridays.
L Jeffrey
We would like to thank Jenny Kempton, Assistant Stage Manager at Scottish Opera who gave some Higher pupils a backstage tour of the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh before an opera trip.
E Orr Thanks to Jennifer MacRae for visiting the school to speak to pupils and allowing us to come down and visit the Church.
Also
Thanks to the parents and carers of pupils from the Amnesty Group for providing homebaking ‐
Torquil MacLeod, Rosie Murray, Katie Holton, Matthew Moore, Beth Revuelta, Liska Crofts, Emma Murray and Mary‐Beth McFern.
L Montgomery
Thanks to Joe Forte, Councillor Trotter and Jo Lochead for speaking at the school’s Community Assemblies.
R Flood
Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Page 13
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 14/20
The EcoLife event was a great success and made possible by the contribution of the following:
EcoLife Sellers & Exhibitors: Tear
Fund
‐Ruth
Gordon
Sue Ryder Care ‐ Shona MacLean
Kilcheran ‐ Fiona MacPherson
Stop Idling ‐ Tom Bur Scottish SeaBird Centre ‐ Jenny McAllister
Love Food Hate Waste ‐ Isobel Knox Capability Scotland ‐ Clarissa Ford Countryside Ranger ‐ Roger Powell For donating clothes for the fashion show, the Haddington branches of: Oxfam
Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland Cancer Research Capability Scotland Sue Ryder Care Many, many thanks…
C Slowther, G Wilson and L Ward
Thank you for a much appreciated and valuable contribution from the following, for their help given to the Advanced Higher Modern Studies class with their course work and Dissertations.
Haddington Community Police Officers Graeme Pearson MSP Mrs Lowe from Haddington Sherriff Court
K Bulloch
The Business Education
Department would like to say a very big thank you to:
Robin Stenhouse, Baguette Express for an inspiring discussion with S3 Business Managment pupils. Scotprint for inviting senior pupils to visit and learn about their operations function. Robert Duncan, Team Vedana and Finlay Marshall, Light of the Lothians. Thank for your weekly visits to advise the Young Enterprise companies 2011.
Thanks to all the parents involved in the back to school disco, it was a fantastic event, enjoyed by all.
L Woolley
Page 14
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 15/20
In RMPS the S1 classes were given the task of creating their own Nativity scene.
Pupils did a fantastic job and surpassed all expectations by handing in beautiful drawings,
paintings, cards, cakes, 3D scenes, a felt tapestry, origami, lego,
plasticine and even a lampshade! Well done to all pupils involved
for their hard work and creativity. The entries were judged by
Jennifer MacRae and the Head Teacher Mrs Craig. Well done to all
pupils who took part.
Mrs
Montgomery,
Mr
Woolley
and
Mrs
Baird
RMPS Department
Curriculum for Excellence
Nativity Projects
Page 15
Like all schools, Knox Academy is implementing the Curriculum for Excellence, an initiative to
refresh and revitalise the curriculum in Scottish schools.
The curriculum is based on developing youngsters to be successful learners, confident individuals,
responsible citizens and effective contributors. It covers eight curriculum areas: Expressive Arts,
Health and Wellbeing, Religious and Moral Education, Sciences, Languages and Literacy, Social
Subjects, Mathematics and Numeracy and Technologies. Each pupil is entitled to a coherent
curriculum from 3‐18years, a broad general education from S1‐3, opportunities to develop skills
for learning, life and work and to achieve to the highest levels they can, a senior phase from S4‐6
and a positive destination post school. Developments at Knox reflect the principles and entitle‐
ments of the initiative.
Whilst information has been sent home and presentations made at parents evenings, assemblies
and to the Parent School Partnership, I am sure some parents will be concerned about how the changes affect their youngster. In particular, what happens at the end of current S2 (June 2012)?
Knox Academy plans to maintain a broad curriculum, pupils will be timetabled into all the Facul‐
ties (that cover the eight curriculum areas) to ensure the breadth is maintained. What happens in
S4? During S3, pupils will have the opportunity to choose the subjects they wish to specialise in
and that they require for their career choice. We envisage that pupils will be able to take up to 8
subjects at Level 5 (equivalent to Credit Standard Grade), although the arrangements will be
tailored to meet the needs of individual pupils. Staff are working hard to develop courses and
structures to meet the demands of the curriculum changes and we will hold an open evening
early in the new term to present the details to parents for comment and clarification.
In the meantime, DON’T PANIC; all the plans for Knox Academy are aimed at improving the
educational provision and experience for pupils. We will not take risks with your child’s future,
everything will be monitored closely.
JB Craig
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 16/20
Every year I look forward to the fine display of Christmas boxes that Tutor Groups decorate and generously fill with goodies. These boxes are then distributed to some of the older members of our community.
This year
I was
not
disappointed
as there
was
an
excellent
variety
of boxes
with
the
theme
of
simply “Christmas”. This gave everyone the opportunity to let their imaginations run wild! The effort and thought were there for all to see. I have often been accused of taking the box decorating a little too seriously but as a mathematician it is nice for me to be involved with some‐thing artistic. I really enjoy helping the Tutor Group decorate the box, which they generously fill with tea, coffee, chocolate, Christmas puddings etc. I was very impressed by the enthusiasm of my S1 group this year. Many Tutor Groups also included a card from the class. This year Mr Duddin kindly agreed to judge the boxes and it was lovely to see him back at Knox Academy. Rumour has it that he may be of an age to receive a box himself, but I’m sure that’s not true.
Well done everyone for all your efforts and the lovely display of the boxes. They certainly brightened up my day.
The joy that they bring to those that receive them makes everyone's efforts so worthwhile.
Mrs McInnes
Maths Department
A group of S2 pupils (Chloe Craig, Sophie Hay, Harriet Lomholt Welch, Alexa Hay and Megan Sproule) took part in an exciting Science and Technology project on Wednesday 13th
December
with six other secondary schools at Heriot Watt University. In the first workshop they made slime in a fun but scientific way, finding out all about it’s gooey properties. After lunch the girls took part in an electronic engineering lecture, this then lead onto a second task, to solder components to a printed circuit board, making a musical organ. All the girls worked very accurately but quickly in this task. Knox Academy was the first school to complete the assignment, Harriet being the first within the school. All the girls had a fun but educational day. They discovered all about possible courses and careers within engineering. Of particular interest was the fact that within Chemical Engineering at Heriot Watt University this year, all the students found jobs and these jobs are all well paid. The day certainly opened up their eyes to different opportunities for girls in Science, Technology and Engineering.
Mrs Moore
CDT Department
Boxing clever for Christmas
Science, Technology and Engineering
Page 16
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 17/20
This year saw S4 pupils experience placements from Dublin to Inverness; they were in T.V. studios and laboratories; they swept floors and wiped noses, told stories and taught classes. There were 136 pupils on placement and there were 136 different experiences. Feedback from the fourth year has been excellent and the vast majority have had a great time. A few have landed them‐
selves part‐time jobs and a few have learned the valuable lesson of what they DON’T want to do when they leave school. Knox Academy would like to thank the many local businesses, including the council who welcomed our young people into their companies and helped show them what being at work is really like. Gateway, the company that checks that each and every placement is safe, did a power of work and my thanks go to their staffwho surely have me on their “friends and family” due to the number of times I spoke to them on the phone! A huge thanks to all the parents and carers who did a magnificent job in making sure the pupils were well prepared for the week and who fetched and carried them throughout the authority. Below are just two impressions of work experience: For my work experience placement I went to Charles River Laboratories at Elphinston. I chose to go to a laboratory because I wanted to learn more about the kinds of scientific work that goes on in that kind of environment. On the first day I was really looking forward to it but I was a wee bit nervous too. When I arrived, and after we had had a talk from the head of HR, we went on a site tour to see all the different departments. I was amazed by all the different types of labs that I saw and it all looked really exciting. On Tuesday, first thing, we had a session with the vet. We went to the dog’s area and saw some of the dogs receiving an ultrasound. It was astonishing to see all the little puppies inside the mother dog. On the same day we went to the Pathology Department, which ended up being my
favourite part of my visit. In Pathology they cut up dead animals into sections and prepare them on slides so that they can be examined under microscopes. We had a bit of practical to do and we got to cut up parts of a dead, and pickled, mouse! Wednesday was the day that we looked at In Vitro (in glass) experiments. We made a model of the kind of experiment that they might do to test products on skin grafts. I also got to look at mucus under a microscope and watched a fish dissection. On Thursday we checked a study outside on the effects of weed killers. It involved counting all the plant species in a certain area and seeing how much the percentage coverage changed with different types and concentrations of weed killer. We saw how they do their tests on the metabolism side of things and saw how they carry out the radioactivity experiments with slices of
frozen rats. On the last day we were with the scientists who do clinical chemistry. We saw some experiments with blood and urine samples and even got an opportunity to attempt to do some of it ourselves. The most interesting thing we saw was the centrifugal machine separating the plasma and the cells in the blood samples. Overall I had an amazing week during work experience and I know that that is the kind of work that I want to do in later life. I had a lot of fun and learned loads of new information as well!
Kirsty Wallace 4G1
S4 Work Experience Page 17
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 18/20
In the mornings I helped Mr Plain the Librarian. I put some labels neatly in a pile of books with glue. I scanned the books onto the computer. I tidied the books on the shelves. I liked working in the Library.
Later in the morning I worked in the Food Court. I cleaned the tables and made them nice and clean. I had to wear an apron and a hat. I set the tables for the staffwith knives and forks. I also sorted out the cutlery for the pupils. I had an early lunch. After lunch I went to work in the School Office. In the Office I did some shredding. I had to be careful not to shred my fingers because that would hurt. I also sorted the mail and put it into the teachers’ pigeon holes. The following week I worked with Mr Brunton the Janitor. I helped to clear up the rubbish. I set up the Hall for EcoLife and helped with the lighting for the fashion show. I enjoyed my work experience but the Library was the best.
Daniel Smith,
4T1
Ms Easson
Guidance Department
Work Experience continued
Congratulations go to John McFern and Rachel Watson for their winning designs.
Haddington Christmas Lights Art Competition
Page 18
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 19/20
Knox Academy Christmas Card Page 19
Congratulations go to Naomi Rogers, 3L2, for her winning design in the annual school Christmas
Card Competition. It’s never an easy job deciding on the winner, but this year the judges felt that
this design captured both the spirit of the school and the season. (Please visit the School website for colour versions of the cards on these two pages: www.ka‐net.org.uk).
8/3/2019 Knox News December 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knox-news-december-2011 20/20
Knox Academy
Pencaitland Road
Haddington
East Lothian
EH41
4DT
01620 823387
Monday 9th January Staff Return
Tuesday 10th January Pupils Return
Pantomime
(7‐
9pm)
Wednesday 11th January Parent School Partnership (6.15pm)
Thursday 19th January S3 Parents’ Consultation Evening (5‐7pm)
Monday 23rd January S5/6 Preliminary Exams begin
S5/6 Study Leave begins
Wednesday 25th
January
KASG
Burns’
Supper
(6pm)
Friday 27th January End of S5/6 Study Leave
Tuesday 7th February School Production (7‐9pm)
Wednesday 8th February Parent School Partnership (6.15pm)
School Production (7‐9pm)
Thursday 9th February School Production (7‐9pm)
Friday 10th
February
End
of Term
Monday 20th February All Resume
Thursday 1st March S6 Cabaret (6‐9pm)
Wednesday 7th March Parent School Partnership (6.15pm)
Tuesday 13th March S4/5 Parents’ Information Evening (6.30pm)
DATES FOR THE DIARY 2012
Tuesday 20th & Thursday 22nd March S4 Coursing
Monday 26th & Wednesday 28th March S5 Coursing
Wednesday 28th March Spring Concert (7pm)
Friday 30th March End of Term
Tuesday 17th January Dance Another Day Disco