ST JOSEPH’S ACADEMY 2016 - LT Scotland · Dan Cardle (Head Teacher) NEWS FROM THE PAST MONTH...

ST JOSEPH’S ACADEMY 2016

Cover design by Amélie Davidson

Young Jour-

nalist Society

Production RED BLACK

News– Departments 3

Awards Ceremo-

nies

4-7

School Updates 8-9

The O Factor 10

Caritas Awards 12

Sir Tom Hunter

Challenge

14

Athletics Champi-

onship

18

S1 Poetry 20

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Head Teacher’s Note

Dates For The Diary

30th June– School closes

at 1pm

16th August– Teachers

return

17th August– Pupils re-

turn

Issue 8

Summer

2016

As we get to the end of an-other academic year, it’s a time, since I started teaching, when I would normally reflect on what has happened over the last 10 months. This is partic-ularly so this year, as I com-plete my first year as Head Teacher of St. Joseph’s Acade-

my.

I recall quite clearly starting in August and day after day meet-ing new people – pupils, staff, parents, visitors to the school, etc… I wondered if I would ever remember anyone, as it was just a sea of faces to me. As well as this, despite being warned, was the shock at all that was involved in being a Head Teacher. I was regularly being taken out my comfort zone having to deal with new

situations.

As time has gone on, things have settled for me and I have been able to see the great things that are happening in St. Joseph’s. Teachers offer so many different opportunities for the pupils and they respond well to these. The pupils are friendly and welcoming and the staff offer so much support to

them.

I was in my last school for 10½years and loved it. It was

therefore difficult to move to another school and start all over again. So how do I feel now? I love being part of St. Joseph’s! It didn’t happen straight away but as time has moved on I have felt more and more a part of this school com-munity. I enjoy coming to my work (most days!) and know that it will just keep getting bet-

ter.

So, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the pupils, staff , parents and the wider community of St. Jo-seph’s for welcoming me and helping me to settle in. I am looking forward to next year but am certainly looking for-

ward to a break before then!

Have a great holiday and I hope that you all enjoy great times with family and friends over the sunny (hopefully) summer holi-

days!

Dan Cardle (Head Teacher)

NEWS FROM THE PAST MONTH

ISSUE 8

Design and Technology

S2 pupils visited the

new Forth Crossing

We won the Sir Tom

Hunter Final 2016

(more about this later

in the issue)

Music

Pupils from the Art

and Music department

had a fantastic week-

end in Arran where

we learned how to

make a fire, abseil and

put up with Mr

Ritson’s nonsense!

We took a group of 28

pupils to City Halls in

Glasgow for a concert

by the BBC Scottish

Symphony Orchestra.

It was enjoyed by eve-

ryone

Home Economics

We have been prepar-

ing for the Royal High-

land Show trip

Science

Six S5/S6 representa-

tives are attending the

Mission Discovery

event organised by

NASA. They will com-

pete to design an ex-

periment that will be

tested in space and

they get to meet an

astronaut!

R.E.

31 S6 pupils gained

their Caritas Award

(more about this later

in the issue)

Maths

iPads have been used

to develop exciting

new courses and mate-

rials

Social Subjects

Miss Devanney is re-

turning to the depart-

ment in August as our

new Modern Studies

teacher

P7 pupils visited the

department in June and

produced some excel-

lent work on the Euro-

pean Union

English

The London trip is fast

approaching! Only

some last minute or-

ganisation is required

and then we will be

away bright and early

on 26th June!

Modern Languages

S2 pupils visited the

global market where

they sampled some

foods from around the

world

S3 Barcelona trip is

preparing to leave on

Sunday 26th June. Vis-

it highlights include a

trip to the Camp Nou

stadium and the Port Aventura Theme park

as well as the Sagrada

Familia

S1 AND S2 PRIZE GIVING

It’s awards season at Saint Joseph’s Academy with S1 and S2 Prize Giving Ceremonies kicking things off. Pupils’ success was celebrated and parents and car-ers cheered them on– with some even getting a little

teary!

At the S1 Prize Giving Ceremony, Mrs Shearer gave a lovely speech, ending on this inspirational message

for the new year:

“First Year my hope is that your time so far in St Joseph's has been challenging, enjoyable and memo-rable and has given you a thirst for more in Second Year, coupled with a desire to always Aim High, Be

Curious, Take Part and Think of Others.”

ISSUE 8

Our S2 Prize Giving Ceremo-

ny was also a fantastic oppor-

tunity to celebrate even more

pupil success and Mr Cowan

had these words to say to the

talented pupils:

“The young people gath-

ered in front of us today

are being recognised for

their active participation

in lessons, their involve-

ment in our school com-

munity and their com-

mitment to wider

achievement activities.

They will receive awards

based on their effort and

excellence in subjects as

well as their eagerness to

live out our eight school

values and they should

be proud of their

achievements.

Third Year my hope is

that your second year in

St Joseph's has chal-

lenged you, motivated

you, inspired you and

given you a desire to al-

ways Aim High, Be Curi-

ous, Take Part and Think

of Others during S3.”

On Tuesday 21st June at 7pm,

S3 pupils, parents, carers and

teachers joined together for

the Diploma of Achievement

ceremony.

Each pupil had the responsibil-

ity of asking teachers to award

points for their best work this

year– both in and out of the

classroom. Diplomas were

then categorised depending on

these points (alongside a varie-

ty of other factors) as a certifi-

cate, bronze, silver, gold or

platinum.

S3 DIPLOMA OF ACHIEVEMENT

Certificates of Achievement

Silver Diplomas of Achievement

Bronze Diplomas Of Achievement

The Diploma of Achievement ceremony was a fantastic event. We started with some excellent speeches from Mr Cardle and Mr Lang, S3 Year Head, summing up the pupils’ success over this year. Fa-ther Martin also told us an inspirational tale of a young man that he had met and

the struggles he had faced.

We were then treated to an exceptional rendition of Hozier’s “Cherry Wine” by Shannon McPartland and a stunning duet by Isla Grant and Abbie McLelland from a

hit musical.

Three S3 pupils also bravely took to the stage to give some inspirational speeches about their time at Saint Joseph’s so far. Olivia Iles told us all about her favourite poem– and how “The Man Who Can” motivates her. Ciara Bertoncini-Gilmour explained just how special her time at Loch Eil had been and our very own Amélie Davidson gave a heartfelt speech on all of the incredible opportunities she has had here at the school– and made everyone weep when she mentioned how inspirational her friend, Zoe Brown,

had been to her this year!

It was a fantastic night where the best of

Saint Joseph’s was on display.

ISSUE 8

Mr Lang had this to say of

his successful year group:

In the last 8 weeks I have been deeply impressed with St. Joseph’s Academy: by the commitment and pro-fessionalism of staff, the hard work of the pupils and the welcome that you have given me over the last cou-ple of months. Your achievements, at various levels, in the Diploma of Achievement is a testament to you, your parents and of course the staff who have supported you over the last 3 years. I believe that eve-rything you have had the experience of, in your Broad General Education, has made you ready and willing for the challenges and opportunities that the Senior Phase of your educa-tion will provide. I look for-ward to supporting you in the years ahead and a fresh start for your fourth year in

August.

Platinum Diplomas of Achievement

Gold Diplomas of Achievement

During Home Room, pupils have been walking

twice around the school - a mile. The aim is to

improve the physical, mental, emotional and so-

cial health and wellbeing of our pupils. It's a sim-

ple but effective concept, but its impact can im-

prove not only fitness, but also concentration

levels, mood, behaviour and general wellbeing. It

takes just 15 minutes, is social, non-competitive

and lots of fun!

By Amélie Davidson

DAILY MILE

ASTRO-TURF PITCH

After what seems like forever, our

Astro-Turf pitch is finally ready! PE

teacher Mr Boyle was the first to try

out the new pitch. Pupils have al-

ready been enjoying the benefits of

the pitch and have loved being able

to play football during PE again.

By Amélie Davidson

On the 16th of June, the

Summer Showcase

(organised by Mr Boyle and

Mrs Todd of the Music depart-

ment) was held. It was a very

successful evening with there

being something to suit every-

one’s musical taste. The

evening commenced with the

vocal ensemble performing a

selection of songs from the

musical ‘Sister Act’ and then

Sian Lockhart sang the popu-

lar chart song ‘7 Years’.

There was also Ruairidh

Heron who played ‘The Shape

of Things to Come’ on the pi-

ano and Madeleine Jessop

playing ‘Kids’ on the harp. The

evening concluded with a

rousing rendition of ‘Happy’,

and the audience certainly felt

happy leaving St Joseph’s

Academy!

By Amélie Davidson

SUMMER SHOWCASE

ISSUE 8

IDL

IDL (Interdisciplinary Learning) is a subject

unique to St Joseph’s Academy. It is simply

learning that involves two or more subjects at

the same time, and challenges you to apply

what you have learned in one subject to a task

in another subject. For example, you could learn

about the experiences of soldiers in World War

One in History and about gases in Science. In-

terdisciplinary learning is important as it is like

real life; taking skills and knowledge that we

have learned at school and applying it to a multi-

tude of situations and experiences, collaborating

with others who have different experiences and

skills. IDL prepares us for this. It is also im-

portant for future employment and study. Em-

ployers, colleges and universities all place great

value on young people leaving school who are

able to think for themselves in a creative way,

with the initiative to make decisions and think

things through. Interdisciplinary learning projects

help us to develop in this way. Everyone thor-

oughly enjoyed their time in IDL, and thought

that it was challenging but great fun. It wasn’t

about finding a right answer but instead explor-

ing possibilities and creating knowledge. To suc-

ceed, we were required to be curious, open-

minded and determined. Our IDL projects were

also a key part of our S3 Diploma of Achieve-

ment and an important achievement in our first

three years of secondary school. Here are just

some of the excellent pieces produced by S3

pupils.

By Amélie Davidson

THE O FACTOR

In the middle of a week of sunny weather, when every school was getting children outdoors to learn in the sun, dedicated teachers were put-ting together a spectacular display of their Out-

door Learning for the O’Factor 2016.

On Wednesday 11th May the assembly hall of St Joseph’s Academy literally brought the outdoors indoors with planters, branches, wellies and

bikes which brought the displays to life.

Displays were incredibly varied, floor books, photos, PowerPoints, art work, pupil folios and sound recordings, all powerful evidence that the outdoor context can provide meaningful learn-ing that is memorable and often retained longer. Speaking to a number of the staff, hearing them recount endless stories where pupils have ‘got it!’ in light bulb moments. As they tell the story they light up themselves, remembering the posi-tive experience it was. A great testament to

quality teaching.

Taken from the “O Factor Newsletter”

Outdoor Excellence Practitioner Award 2016

The 2016 'Excellent Outdoor Practition-er Award' was given to Gary Yemm, one of our Janitors here at St. Joseph's Acade-

my.

The nomination form was glowing with all of the volunteering Gary has been do-ing for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme across a number of secondary schools, in addition to training he has un-der-taken on the climbing wall. Well done Gary and thank you for all your hard

work!

ISSUE 8

The 2016 “O” (outdoor)

Factor has been an annu-

al event since 2013. Held

on Wednesday the 11th of

May in our school, it was a

chance to see this year’s

best outdoor practice from

all of the establishments

and vote for East Ayr-

shire’s Education Ser-

vice’s Outdoor Excellence

Award. Everyone who at-

tends votes for the best

Nursery, Primary, Second-

ary and Special outdoor

learning, with the winners

awarded an Excellence

trophy and school prize.

Over 40 East Ayrshire es-

tablishments competed

and 183 visitors voted.

The award recognises

those who have gone the

extra mile to deliver inno-

vation and fun to children

in outdoor learning. The

winners were:

Early Childhood Centres -

Cairns Nursery

Primary Schools - Hillhead

Primary

Secondary Schools -

James Hamilton Second-

ary School

Special Establishments -

Park School

The Graham Short Quaich

for Outdoor Teaching Ex-

cellence - Joyce Robin-

son, Nether Robertland

School and Early Child-

hood Centre

Outdoor Excellence Prac-

tioner of the year - Gary

Yemm, janitor at St Jo-

seph’s Academy

By Amélie Davidson

CARITAS AWARDS

On the 6th of June, pupils from across the country gathered at the SSE Hydro to reap the rewards of their hard work at the an-nual Caritas Awards. A co-hort of 31 S6 pupils from St Joseph’s were there to celebrate the culmination

of their hard work.

The Caritas Award is a faith based award inspired by Pope Benedict which encourages pupils to carry out works of charity. In order to gain their ward, they have to complete a minimum of 40 hours of school or parish/

community hours.

The school activities have

included : helping teachers out with the lower years—particularly in PE and mod-ern lan-guages—, the school Christ-mas campaign and helping at various school events such as information evenings and parents’ nights. Out of school, pupils have helped out at mass, taken the children's liturgy, given readings and provided tea and coffees after mass. Some have also visited care

homes and volunteered at the local food bank. In ad-

dition to this, pupils also undertake a series of scrip-ture reflections throughout

the year.

Well done to all of our pu-pils who have worked so hard through-out the year to achieve this fan-tastic

award!

ISSUE 8

The Pope Benedict XVI Caritas Award

was introduced to recognise and pro-

mote the active faith commitment of

young people in their final year of sec-

ondary school. To obtain the award,

those in Catholic schools and parishes

volunteer to serve in their local com-

munities through committing their time

and talents to benefit others. One ex-

ample

of how

the

Caritas

pupils

helped

their

com-

munity

was

when they helped to prepare and or-

ganise a Charity Night for Group 138,

which raised £2,135. The money was

donated to HCPT, who provide pilgrim-

age holidays to Lourdes to change the

lives of children and adults. Over 1,000

people were awarded across Scotland

this year. On Monday the 6th of June,

the Caritas Award Ceremony was held

in Glasgow’s Clyde Auditorium, with 31

sixth year pupils from our school re-

ceiving the award:

Toni Barr Olivia Gater

Courtney Murdoch

David Brown Rachel Gibb

Amy Park

Conor Buchanan Gabriel Gunn

Matthew Pieroni

Matthew Cowan Louise Hanlon

Laurie Rowan

Michael Custodio Tomas Holly

Ariadna Sanchis

Eilidh Cuthbertson Jaoa Luis

Aidan Shearer

Caitlin Doogan Liam McGuire

Luke Shearer

Hannah Dougan Emma

McWilliams Aiden Tonner

Marcus Ferguson Iona

McWilliams Rachel Wallace

Jennifer Gallacher Rebeckah Mei-

klem

Abby Garland Jack Moran

By Amélie Davidson

Sir Tom Hunter Challenge—East Ayrshire Heat

ISSUE 8

St Joseph’s Academy was

crowned the winner of the

Sir Tom Hunter Enterprise

Challenge last night after

an ‘enthralling and passion-

ate’ business pitch from

their company, Musery.

Sixth year pupils, Raymond

Houston and Joao Luis,

devised a customised mu-

sic therapy service for de-

mentia sufferers.

Their powerful delivery,

which wowed the judges,

included a video of a de-

mentia sufferer called Hen-

ry who, after listening to

music from his youth, be-

came animated and was

able to communicate clear-

ly with carers.

The team, who are commit-

ted to taking their business

venture forward when they

leave school this summer,

also spoke passionately

about their experiences

with Dementia Scotland,

Hansel Village and charity

Dementia Friends.

Raymond and Joao said:

“At the start of the night Sir

Tom asked if we thought

we could change the world

and we didn’t put our hands

up. We didn’t think we

could change the world.

But as the night progressed

we chatted about what was

possible and now we know

that we might not be in the

business of changing the

world but we are in the

business of changing lives.

“By treating dementia suf-

ferers respectfully we hope

our business will enhance

the lives of sufferers and

their families bringing a

new quality of life. To quote

the great Oliver Sacks –

‘music evokes emotion and

can bring with it memory. It

brings back life when noth-

ing else can’.”

Raymond and Joao re-

ceived a trophy from Sir

Tom and a prize of £5000.

They have also been of-

fered support from Sir Tom

and the expert panel of

judges to take their busi-

ness forward.

Sir Tom Hunter, entrepre-

neur and philanthropist

said: "This schools compe-

tition is about preparing our

young people both for the

world of work and in creat-

ing their own work; their

own businesses, giving

them the confidence and

motivation to do so. Why?

Because 100% of the net

new jobs in our economy

will come from businesses

less than five years old

and, as importantly, around

half of the young people in

primary school today will go

to jobs not yet created! We

need to do all we can to

help our educators support

our young people in a high-

ly dynamic and changing

economy; educating them

for the future world of work.

"The Ayrshire schools tak-

ing part were a huge inspi-

ration and should be round-

ly congratulated as should

the teachers and Councils

supporting them. The ideas

the teams came up with,

the teamwork they put in,

the opportunities they iden-

tified, all contributed to an

exceptional outcome.

These young people can

and will succeed either in

the world of work or in

building their own entrepre-

neurial workforce.

“Ayrshire schools - a true

inspiration for all of Scot-

land."

Taken from EAC Press Re-

lease

We at St Joseph’s can only

echo the lovely comments

made by the judging panel

and those in attendance.

We are incredibly proud of

Raymond and Joao and

wish them all the best for

the future.

Sir Tom Hunter Challenge Final

ISSUE 8

On 24th of May a group of pupils from S1-S3 trav-elled to Dam Park in Ayr to compete in the hotly contested, “Ayrshire Schools Athletics'’ Champion-

ships.

The P.E. department were so impressed with the behaviour, sportsmanship and conduct of our pupils and noted that they all excelled themselves whilst

doing the school proud.

Listed below are our winners who came away with fantastic results. A huge well done to all who took

part!

Winners

Sky McGill - 1st in High Jump S2 Girls

Conan Mackin - 2nd in 400m S3 Boys

Kudzai Tapatapa - 1st in 200m S3 Boys

Kudzai Tapatapa, Conan Mackin, Lewis Hood and

Bailey McDerment - 1st in S3 Boys 4x100m relay

Melissa Maitland - 2nd in Shot Putt S1 Girls

Lewis Hood - 3rd in Triple Jump S3 Boys

Athletics Champion

ISSUE 8

At midnight in the alley,

The tom cat comes to heel,

He chants a tune so full of hate,

As he moves his snaky tail.

Venomous, skinny and mottled,

Tiger and Satan and bard

Where demons roam free his eyes are

from

And his heart is black and hard.

He turns and cowers and capers

And shows his arched sharp claws

He sings a demon’s song in the night

Ere cities were, or laws.

Monster from a secret world

Where demons roam free in the night

When the speckled moon looks down

on

The roofs, we all know to run and

hide.

He will sit on the rug tomorrow

And clean his soft white fur

And hide his demon-like eyes

And play he’s tame and purr.

But at midnight in the alley

The demons come to see

The normal cat with a secret life

And not what they’re meant to be.

By Erin McLeod

At the strike of midnight

A sinister cat comes to cry

And he shouts the hate of all humans

As he yells goodbye, goodbye.

Tiger-like, skinny, sinister

Devilish and evil and creep

His eyes are lava from the middle of

hell

And his heart is black and deep.

He turns and sneaks and plays

And closes his fierce spiky claws

And he cries to the stars of notorious

nights

Ere cities were, or laws.

Monster from a world primeval

Him and his jumping clan

When the blood moon appears over

the roofs,

Give voice to their fear of man.

He will sleep on the carpet tomorrow

And lick himself clean

And store the fear in his yellow eyes

And jump around and lean.

But at the strike of midnight,

In the alley he will sneak again,

And cry and beat the demon’s song

With the darkness of the narrow lane.

By Barney Pollock

A tom cat in the alley

Went to scratch and jump

As he tops the bin he comes to wail

As humans around him slump.

A mix of cat and tiger

Fearsome and intimidating

He has curved, sharp claws and a

scary face

“Is there prey out there? I’m waiting.”

His movements are sly and snaky

He runs at the speed of light

As he plots his revenge against human-

kind

He won’t go down without a fight

He is brutal beyond compare

He leads a mighty clan,

And with that clan they will sing a

song

Showing off their hate of man.

He can lead a different life,

Tomorrow he will be “home”.

He must cover up the brute in him,

As his owner gives him a comb.

He will go back to the alley

To scratch again and jump

And wail again as he tops the kin,

The humans around him will slump.

By Daniel Hoggard.

S1 POETRY– TOM CAT

Pupils in S1 have been writing their own versions of the

poem “The Tom Cat” by Don Marquis. At first, they

worried they would not be able to come up with their

own rhythms and rhymes but, as you can see, they did a

fantastic job in the end!

ISSUE 8

School’s not cool

I’ve been doing Maths like 7/12

and 1/6,

But I’d much rather be at home

watching Netflix;

I could be watching Avengers or

Terminator,

Instead I’m using a stupid cal-

culator.

It will soon be Friday and then I

can go home;

I will play all night and day on

my phone.

But then will come Monday, the

week starts again;

It may just be five days- it feels

more like ten.

A new week comes; I’m doing

more sums.

But, at the end of the day, I like

my school-

Even if that doesn’t make me

cool!

Catriona Ballantyne

A Morning Disaster

Waking up for school is such a

struggle:

My brain is always in a muddle;

My hair sticking up like hedge-

hog spines;

My quilt wrapped round me like

clinging vines.

I look in my cupboard for a pair

of socks

But all I can find is an old pair of

Crocs.

I drag a spiky brush through my

frizzy hair;

I stare in the mirror, I look like a

pear.

I find a shirt lying crumpled on

the floor,

Spot a jumper slung on the back

of my door.

I fumble around and find a pair

of shoes

It’s nearly 9 o’clock; oh I wish I

could snooze.

Sprinting speedily down many

wooden stairs

I lose my balance and go flying

through the air

I look around for my family

Strangely there is no-one to be

found.

Suddenly, I realise-

Today is Saturday!

Ava Heron

The Wrath of Mrs Mill

I’m walking down the narrow

hall

Chatting away to my best friend

Paul;

Even though he’s a little chubby

He’s always been my best bud-

dy.

I feel a cloud come over me

I didn’t do my homework before

tea!

I have the infamous Mrs Mill

And she has a growl that could

kill.

An excuse was needed to avoid

her wrath

Maybe I could tell her I dropped

it in the bath?

Then I remembered that would-

n’t do

Because Paul needed a good

excuse too.

Aaaahhh!

The dog ate my homework

That mischievious pup

He put it in his bowl

And gobbled it all up!

Mirrin Doolan

S1 POETRY– SCHOOL

Check out these

fantastic poems

about school too!

Amélie Davidson has caught up with Mr Cardle to hear what he had to say about his first year as Head Teacher of

Saint Joseph’s Academy.

Have you enjoyed your first

year at Saint Joseph’s?

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year. Starting at a new school can be tough and there will always be ups and downs but the more I have been here the more I see the wonderful work that staff and pupils are doing and the great support from par-ents. As time has moved on, the more I have enjoyed be-

ing here.

What is your favourite school value and how have you

demonstrated it this year?

My favourite school value has to be “Make a differ-ence.” The reason for this is that we all have the poten-tial, one way or another, to make a difference to some-one, to the school or to the wider community. I high-lighted this to staff in partic-ular at the in-service day in October, also saying that we may never see the difference we can make to a young per-son. I hope that I have demonstrated this in some of the dealings that I have had with pupils and their parents over the course of the year and will continue to strive to make a difference

in Saint Joseph’s.

What are your highlights of

this school year?

There are so many highlights throughout the year. It has been so good to see the dif-ferent opportunities that pupils are offered in the way of educational excursions and it always really pleases me to see them come back excited about their adven-ture away. I loved the Strictly Come Dancing at Christmas time, seeing the pupils and staff perform (some better than others!) Mostly, I have really enjoyed the informal chats in the so-cial area, trying to get to

know pupils better.

What do you think is the most successful change that you have made to Saint Joseph’s

Academy

When I first started in the school I made it very clear to staff that I was not look-ing to make big changes straightaway. I wanted to spend time seeing what was happening in the school and how things worked. This first year has been very im-portant for me and as I move into my second year, I will be looking at how we can make the many good things happening in the school even better. I am very happy with the new staff appointments made over the last year as I firmly

believe that with great staff, the school can only get even

better.

What are your hopes and aims

for the next school year?

I hope to be able to work more closely with the pupils, parents and staff in ensuring pupils are being challenged enough and therefore ensur-ing they reach their full po-tential. Apart from what is happening in the class, there are many other things that contribute to this including attendance, time-keeping, attitude and the support we offer pupils when things get difficult. My hope will always be that we are not only helping the pupils achieve their potential but at the same time developing them into responsible citizens, ef-fective contributors, suc-cessful learners and confi-

dent individuals.

What is your proudest mo-

ment of this school year?

I have been very proud when I see the pupils achiev-ing success in class and at events out of school and al-so being recognised at award ceremonies. More recently, I have been very proud watching various pupils’ mu-sical performances at events, seeing the success of the school when we recently won the Sir Tom Hunter Challenge Final for

the second year in a row.

CATCH UP

ISSUE 8

As we approach the end of

another term at “The Joe’s”,

our diligent reporter Amélie

has been asking each depart-

ment about their highlights.

Here are just some of the

fantastic things that have

happened this year!

Design and Technology

Winning the Sir Tom

Hunter Final yet again!

Some of the excellent

S3 IDL projects

Music

Our showcases

(Christmas and Sum-

mer) have been high-

lights as our extremely

talented pupils are giv-

en the opportunity to

share their ability with

others

Mr Boyle winning

Strictly Come Dancing

along with Miss Glen-

corse

Generally enjoying the

craziness that is the

Music department .

Dancing, galloping and

singing cheesy songs

are all a common oc-

currence!

Home Economics

Taste of Ayrshire

Future Chef

Great Saint Joseph’s

Bake Off

Science

S1 Science Centre trip

where the whole year

group enjoyed shows

and the iMax experi-

ence

S4 Dean Castle and

Edinburgh Zoo trip– all

Biology pupils had

great fun

Maths

P7 Numeracy Chal-

lenge

Cinema trip to see the

new Star Wars

R.E.

The HCPT fundraiser

organised and catered

for by Caritas pupils

31 S6 pupils gaining the

Caritas Award

Social Subjects

Mrs Fulton starting the

Green Gym pro-

gramme to improve

the school grounds

English

S1 Pantomime trip

where we got a shout-

out from Buttons

Modern Languages

S2 Spanish Day

S3 trip to Business

Breakfast to meet local

companies who em-

ploy language experts

DEPARTMENTAL SUCCESS

Exciting things to come next year!

New S1 Debates Club with Mrs Hill

New Film Club with Mr Brogan

New study ‘drop-in’ with Mr Brogan

Social Subjects will run a trip to the Scottish Parliament

and the Mock Courts Programme

R.E. will support the Ecuador fundraiser at Celtic Park

in October

Design and Technology will hold a STEM Fayre and

introduce bigger and better S3 IDL projects

More exciting opportunities with the Young Journalist

Society!

Former pupil Natasha King, 21, has become one

of the best young jewellery designers in the coun-

try by gaining 3rd place at the prestigious Gem-

Set2016 competition for her beautifully designed

brooch.

This is a huge achievement for Natasha, especially

as becoming a jewellery designer was not even

her original plan. Natasha had begun to train as a

firefighter but was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos

syndrome and had to change career paths. Now,

in a truly inspirational tale, she is training to be a

jewellery designer at Glasgow Clyde College.

Natasha had this to say about her success:

“Winning this competition makes me feel like

there might be a market for the jewellery I make

and that I might be able to make a go of it as a

career.”

Grassyards Road

Kilmarnock

KAS 7SL

01563 526144

St Joseph’s Academy

YOUNG JOURNALIST

SOCIETY

Until next

time…!

ST JOSEPH’S ACADEMY 2016 - LT Scotland · Dan Cardle (Head Teacher) NEWS FROM THE PAST MONTH...

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Transcript of ST JOSEPH’S ACADEMY 2016 - LT Scotland · Dan Cardle (Head Teacher) NEWS FROM THE PAST MONTH...