knox news october 2009

8/14/2019 Knox News October 2009

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Knox News

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome to this, the first Knox News of session 2009-2010. I am sure that the session will be hectic,enjoyable and successful. I know you will support the school in encouraging your youngster to achievetheir potential, not only in examinations but also across a range of activities and areas and I am sure weall look forward to hearing about their achievements during the year.

The new term has been very busy and we have had a wide variety of events including the S1 InductionMorning, Live n Learn Seminars, sporting events, S1 Settling in Evening, Staff/S6 Weekend and more.Full details of all these events can be found later in the newsletter.

A summary of the SQA results is contained in this newsletter. Congratulations to staff and pupils alikeon an impressive set of results that reflect the hard work of last session. It is a great pleasure to see theseniors achieve the results necessary to move on to the next stage of their lives and careers.

Since the last Knox News in June there has been some staffing changes. In August we welcomed thefollowing staff to Knox: Ms S Auchinleck (Art and Design), Mrs Slowther, Dr Wilson and Miss Ward

(Biology), Ms C Sayers (Geography), Ms C Morgan (Drama), Mrs H Harpur and Mr E Williamson(Mathematics), Mrs D Ferguson (Business Education), Mr J Greig (Computing), Mr O Edwards(English) and Miss C Irvine (Reception). Also, we welcome back Mr J Stirling and Mr A Lambert (PE).Mrs M Maxwell (English) will be taking maternity leave after the October Break and she will bereplaced by Miss Z Machen.

Following the departure of Ms Black, Ms J Duff has been appointed Acting Principal Teacher:Curriculum (Expressive Arts).

We have an extensive range of extra-curricular activities on offer in the school; please encourage your youngster to take part in these activities, details of which can be found later in this newsletter.

We break for the October holiday on Friday 16 October at 12.05pm, pupils resume on Tuesday 27October at 8.44 am.

Very best wishes.

J B CraigHead Teacher

October 2009

T h e N e w s l e t t e r o f K n o x A c a d e m y



HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERN:

Knox News

USE OF THE CAR PARK

Once again we have been having great difficulty at the start and end of the school day.Too many parents are bringing their cars into the campus to drop off their youngsters.This is causing obstructions and holds up the movement of the buses. This has becomedangerous. The taxis have been unable to park safely and as a result, our pupils whorequire additional help have been put at risk and, on occasion, the wheelchair access has

been blocked.

PLEASE DO NOT BRING YOUR CAR INTO THE SCHOOL CAMPUS AT THESE TIMES UNLESS YOU HAVEA PRIOR ARRANGEMENT WITH ME.

Your co-operation with this is essential and would be appreciated.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this, please contact me at the school.

Thank you

JB Craig



RMPS N EWS

In September, pupils across the RMPS Department experienced special lessons to inform them aboutWorld Peace Day, which is held annually on September 21 st. Here are a couple of reflections on whatthey learned.

Peace One Day Poems

Peace is quiet, so people can sleepPeace is no war, no children who weepPeace is a world where we get our own wayThis our dream, to have peace one day

We know how hard this dream will beBut not if everyone helps, not just you and meIf soldiers can stop, why just for a day?

Can t they see that the world is better this way?

Lives can be saved, not crushed and forgotten Not left in the dark, alone, going rottenJust think, for a minute, of the life you would leadIf there we no games or no toys, or nothing to read

Today, peace seems so hard to achieveBut when we re finally there, we ll be so relieved This one-man quest for worldwide peaceMade humanity fit, piece by piece

No-one else can save the world, that is up to usYou might be wondering why we care, why we make such a fussBut even far, far in the future, years and years awayI promise you we ll have peace, we ll have peace for one day!

Abbey Ellis (2 nd Year)

Peace One Day was created by a single manA man with a passion for every humanHe travelled the world with his head held high,Stopping in Third World Countries as he passed by.Creating joy and spreading happiness,To people who are poor, starving, homelessA day without soldiers, no fighting no wars,Creating opportunities, opening doors.For the people of the world less fortunate than us,He met with world leaders and made such a fuss.But eventually he got his own way,So we now have Peace One Day

Kirsty Wallace (2 nd Year)

L FrancisRMPS



E XAMINATION R ESULTS

Knox News

The results for Knox Academy in the summer SQA examinations were good and are detailed below.

The results are as a percent of the relevant S4 roll and are pre-appeal for 2009. Figures in brackets arefor 2008.

Congratulations to all involved.

The results continue to be above the East Lothian (in all but one measure) andScotland averages, however, as a school we are not complacent and we have raisingattainment as a priority, we are committed to ensuring all pupils achieve their

potential. I am sure all parents and carers will assist us in this by encouragingyoungsters to work hard, complete homework, attend revision/study clubs, be

punctual and attend all classes. By working together we will help all pupils achieve success.

JB CraigHead Teacher

Knox Academy East Lothian Scotland

2008 2009 2009 2009

S4 STANDARD GRADE

Achieving 5+ at Grades 1-6 96 96 95(94) 88(89)



Achieving English at 1-6 101 98 97(97) 85(88)

Achieving Maths at 1-6 99 98 97(95) 85(87)

S5 HIGHER

Achieving 1+ Higher at A-C 49 46 44(41) 40(39)

Achieving 3+ Higher at A-C 36 28 26(25) 23(22)

Achieving 5+ Higher A-C 18 13 12(10) 10(10)

S6 ADVANCED HIGHER

Achieving 1+ AdvancedHigher at A-C 27 25 15(16) 13(13)



Alice Hill, 4G3, has had a spectacular year competing and winning Working Hunter horse showsthroughout the country. Alice and her eleven year old horse, Kian s Choice (or Paddy to his friends) havenow qualified for the Horse of the Year Show which is being held in Birmingham.

The road to the Horse of the Year Show started off in Glasgow where Alice qualified for the Ponies UK championships. She then won the Super League and was Reserve Champion at the championships held in

Nottingham in August, which now allows her to compete at the Horse of the Year Show. This year Aliceand Paddy have also qualified for the Burleigh Horse Trials.

We want to wish Alice the best of luck at the Horse of the Year Show and we will be keeping our fingerscrossed that she returns home with more rosettes.

R Couper Sport & Physical Activity Coordinator

R AG B AG T EXTILE B ANK

SET Y O U N G A MBASSADORS C HALLENGE

Last year the Technical Department entered a team of students (Gabby Jackson, Conor McHugh, GarethEvans, Kelvin Craig and Fraser Thomson) into the SET Young Ambassadors Challenge. Theycompleted a fantastic project about Energy and Renewables, and won the competition,which was opento all schools in Lothian region. Following their success the team are now entering their project into a

National Science and Engineering Competition; The Big Bang. We have our fingers crossed and we arewishing the team the best of luck!

This year we are entering another S2 team into the challenge; Molly Ferguson, Erin Craig, CaitlinBrock, Holly Merritt, Struan Stuart and Rebecca Friary. They have a lot to live up to but they are agreat team, and we are sure they will do the school and themselves proud.

A LeggattTechnical Department

H O RSE OF THE YEAR SHOW

Knox Academy has a new textile bank that you can use to recycle unwanted textiles of any quali-ty. You can donate adults and children s clothes, paired shoes, hats, bags, belts, curtains, towels and

bed linen (sheets, pillow covers, duvet covers). It is important that the textiles are dry, clean and in a bag. Please do not donate soiled or wet textiles.

Knox Academy receives £300 for school funds for every tonne of textiles deposited, so get recycling!!In June 2009 Knox Academy donated 145kg of textiles and raised £43.50 for school funds. Keeprecycling!!

N DavidsonBusiness Manager



E XTRA -C URRICULAR A CTIVITIES

Knox News

These are some of the extra-curricular activities on offer. Further details can be found on the school website in the extra-curricular pages and the daily bulletin.

Music:

DAY TIME ACTIVITY STAFF IN CHARGE ROOMMonday 1.20-1.55pm Wind Band D Robb/L Thorne Mus. 1Monday 4-5pm Orchestra K Johnston/E Orr Mus. 1, Mus. 2,

Social AreaTuesday 1.20-1.55pm Girls Choir E Orr Mus. 2Tuesday 1.20-1.55pm Soul Band/Big Band L Thorne Mus. 1Tuesday 4-4.30pm Brass Band D Robb Mus. 1Wednesday 1.05-1.30pm Guitar Group A Coady Mus. 1Wednesday 1.05-1.30pm Lower Strings Group P Hair Mus. 2Wednesday 4-4.45pm Senior Choir E Orr Mus. 2Thursday 1.20-1.55pm Junior Choir K Johnston Mus. 1Thursday 1.20-1.55pm Girls Choir E Orr Mus. 2Thursday 4-4.45pm Percussion Group D Swanson Mus. 2Friday 12.20-1.20pm String Orchestra H Turbayne Social Area

Sport & Physical Activity Extra-Curricular Timetable 2009-10

Activity Time Venue Coach/Instructor VolunteersMondayRackets Lunchtime Games Hall R Couper Rachael Weir

& Gemma Herkes Netball 4-5pm Games Hall Nicola Love Alex Muir &

Kirsty YoungGirls Rugby 4-5pm Playing Fields Keri Paterson Miss McBrierty

S1/2 Rugby 4-530pm Playing Fields Derek O Riordan &R Couper

Girls Football 4-5pm Playing Fields Megan McFarlaneSoccerone 4-5pm Playing Fields Mr Williamson Murray Baird

&Mr Stirling

TuesdayBasketball 4-530pm Games Hall Thomas MunroHockey 4-515pm Astro Turf Miss Johnston & Aidan Lindsay

Mrs GarwoodWednesdayTrampoline 4-530pm Games Hall Miss JeffreyS1/2 Rugby 4-530pm Playing Fields Derek O Riordan &

Mr LambertThursdayS6 Club Lunchtime Games Hall R Couper Adam SzymooszowskyjRun Club Lunchtime Playing Fields Mr MacDonald &

Ms EassonFit For Girls Lunchtime Drama Miss Morgan

Dance (RFD) 4-5pm Small Gym Jo Bain Francesca Campbell& Emily SandieFootball 5s 4-530pm Astro Turf Mr Flood



S CHOLAR

Is your child in S5 or S6?

Do you know about the SCHOLAR Programme?

Would you like a password to see what SCHOLAR is about?

…read on… Heriot- Watt SCHOLAR is the world s largest e -learning education programme, with 100,000 registeredusers. Created by Heriot-Watt University (http://www.hw.ac.uk/), based in Edinburgh, SCHOLAR

provides computer based learning materials to support teaching and learning in a wide range of subjects:

ADVANCED HIGHER:Biology, Business Management, Chemistry, Computing, French, Information Systems, Maths andPhysics.

HIGHER:Accounting, Biology, Business Management, Chemistry, Computing, Economics, French, German,Human Biology, Information Systems, Maths, Physics , Psychology and Spanish.

INTERMEDIATE 1 & 2:Maths

The SCHOLAR programme is designed to promote self paced, pupil centred learning in a teacher sup- ported environment. The online learning materials are complemented by opportunities for teachers to at-

tend staff development workshops and learn how to use SCHOLAR when teaching.SCHOLAR offers a well proven, innovative approach to academic study within schools, Further Education colleges and foundation programmes within universities. Over 400 secondary schools inScotland are benefitting from using SCHOLAR.The online learning materials have been professionally developed and consist of textual and graphicaldescriptions, animations and simulations and online formative tests. The material is embedded within aVirtual Learning Environment that provides channels for student and teacher communications, frequentlyasked questions and progress reporting and monitoring.Teachers in school have been provided with passwords to issue to all pupils studying a range of subjectsat Higher, Advanced Higher, Intermediate 1 and 2 Maths and Intermediate 2 Mandarin as summarised inthe table. If your son or daughter has not yet received their password, encourage them to ask their teach-

er.In order to see the course materials SCHOLAR provides for your son or daughter, go to our website athttp://scholar.hw.ac.uk/, click on Scotland then “Try Scholar” on the left hand bar.

You will be presented with a preview of the available SCHOLAR courses. This is just a small sample of the entire course. If you would like to see more , contact [email protected] for a password whichwill enable you to browse the content of the entire course. You can use the same email address to send infeedback regarding your Scholar experience.

J YoungDepute Head Teacher



C ALLING ALL PARENTS

Knox News

The Maths Department is interested in forging stronger links with the community whilst also makingMaths as relevant as possible. In order to do this we need your help.

Most jobs use Maths so many of you use Maths in your work on a day to day basis. We would like volunteers to come in and talk about Maths at work. I wouldenvisage this involving S1 pupils in the first instance. This need only be a shorttalk and then a question and answer session.

If you would like to help please contact me at the school.Many thanks in hopeful anticipation.

L.M.McInnesHead of Mathematics

Knox Academy have signed up to be a „Battery Back recycling centre, so if you have any batteries youwish to recycle please hand these into the school office.

Please contact Mrs Davidson (Business Manager) with any queries. Thank you.


B ATTERY B ACK

For the last few weeks the Technical Department has been running a lunchtime jewellery making club.This has been a popular club and we currently have pupils attending from years S1-S5. The pupils have

been designing their own jewellery and are learning different techniques to manufacture it from copper and silver. These techniques include cutting and shaping copper and silver, soldering, enamelling andcasting. Pupils will also be learning felting working with the Art Department.

This is a fun club and we are very impressed with the work the pupils are producing! They are all very

hardworking with a brilliant attitude, and are very keen to learn.

Lucy- Jade in S2 said “I m not bored on Wednesday lunchtimes anymore! It s great!”

Beth in S1 said “It s really fun and I always want Wednesdays to come!”

We are really looking forward to seeing the work the pupils produce on the run up to Christmas.

A LeggattTechnical Dept

J EWELLERY CLUB



My Goblin

Green face covered in spots.Ripped rags for clothes.

Bad, bad breathAnd a sharp, pointed nose.

Right there under the stair,If you dare you will share

The shock of his stare.

Stealing socks, food and more

That s what he does Every night, all night.

By Peter Gilmour, 1G1

E N G LISH D EPARTMENT U PDATE

It s been a busy start to the term in the English Department. We are all very excited about the arrival of Accelerated Reader – a very sophisticated computer programme which helps pupils progress their reading. September also saw the arrival of the Scholastic Bookfair to the library.All S1 and S2 pupils have been issued with two things this term: the Language Toolkit and aHomework book. The Language Toolkit is a vocabulary and language that should be used by the pupilsaround the school to note important vocabulary and to help learn spelling and grammar as well as thederivation of words. It has so far been a great success, encouraging our pupils to take a genuine interestin the English Language. The Homework booklet contains a selection of tasks, giving pupils the free-dom to choose which ones to undertake. Also it allows for extra work if pupils are feeling motivated.The first deadline, at the end of September, saw the pupils produce some fantastic work - they should bevery proud.The extra-curricular clubs in the department are all up and running. Debating club has been opened upto pupils from all year groups and a new club, a senior book group, has been meeting weekly. Watchthis space for further extra curricular opportunities.

K FairbairnEnglish Dept

P OETRY

My Special Place

My special place is hidden in the trees

but you can seeThe beautiful, blue sea.My special place has staff that are

brill . So is Trevor When he cooks bbqs on the grill.

In my special place the world justkeeps going round.I my special place I have been lost butthen found.In my special place I swim in the sea.

In my special place I feel safe, happyand free.

My special place is not just for me.My special place is for us all to see.And though some goodbyes are hard tosay,The memories are always alive inMy special place – Brighouse Bay.

By Mary – Beth McFern, 2L1



P ARTNERSHIP WITH R WANDA

Knox News

For over a year now, Knox Academy and King s Meadow Primary School have been working on a partnership with the primary and secondary schools in the remote village of Ruhanga an northern Rwan-da. In April of this year, we were visited by the head teachers of the schools, Arsene Dukundigena andJean de Dieu Ngendahimana. They spent a week observing classes at Knox and King s Meadow, find-ing out a bit more about Scottish culture and how we approach learning and teaching.In May, I set off for a reciprocal visit, along with Russell Clegg from King s Meadow Primary. We were

both excited, but a little apprehensive about our trip. Neither of us had been to Africa before, and mostof what we knew about Rwanda had come from television reports or films about the 1994 genocide. Weread our guide books studiously on the long flight¸ hoping to find out a bit more information about thissmall country. In terms of land area it is smaller than Scotland, with a population of 8.5 million. Unlikemany African countries the landscape is lush and green, with steep mountains and beautiful lakes.The purpose of our visit was really to visit our partner schools in Ruhanga, and find out how learning

and teaching takes place there. The village was a 2 hour drive from our hotel, along a steep, pot-holed,single-track road. When we first arrived at the school, we were greeted by groups of Primary andSecondary pupils who sang and danced a song of welcome for us. We had a tour of the classrooms –

bare concrete rooms where classes of 45-50 pupils would receive their lessons. I observed lessons inPhysics, Music and English where teachers simply taught using the blackboard and nothing else – noother equipment or resources. It made me realise how much we take for granted in our schools here, andhow fortunate we are to have access to technology.The Rwandan pupils and staff were extremely friendly, and very keen to practise speaking English.Some of the pupils gave me letters and photos to bring back to Knox pupils. On our final day at theschool, we were treated to a Cultural Exchange. Pupils from both the Primary and Secondary schools

put on a display of traditional song, dance and drama. This was a very prestigious occasion, attended by

the mayor of the district, and head teachers from several other schools in the region. Russell and I didour bit to promote Scottish culture by attempting to teach some Rwandan pupils to ceilidh, but theyseemed to find it very difficult!Our week in Rwanda passed very quickly, but it was an experience which we will not forget in a hurry.Although we found a lot of the culture different and new, we found that we also had a lot in common.We share values about the importance of education, and we realised that we share common ground inthe use of song, dance and drama in cultural celebrations. Knox Academy and King s Meadow Primaryare now committed to linking with their Rwandan counterparts in a whole-school capacity. S1 pupils atKnox are finding out more about Africa and Rwanda in one of their ACE projects, and there are plansunderway for fundraising events later in the year. We hope that the links will be strengthened andmaintained in years to come, and that some Knox pupils may even get the chance to visit Ruhanga

themselves.

E Orr Music Dept



S5 & S6 S TUDY S KILLS W EEK : S EPTEMBER 22 ND -25 TH

Knox News

All parents of pupils in S5&6 should now be aware these pupils were involved in a week concentratingon Study Skills. The Study Skills Working Group in school had come up with the idea after a number of

parents, pupils and teachers had said that pupils didn t know how to study, what they should be stud-

ying and how much time they should be spending on study. As a pilot the group decided to pro-gramme a week of activities for S5&6.

The week consisted of a number of events, starting with a Live „n Learn Seminar. The intention duringthis seminar was to motivate pupils, encourage them to achieve the best they can and to look to their fu-tures and the achievements they would like to make.

On Wednesday morning Mrs Ingham presented an assembly discussing general Study Skills and all pupils were issued with a Study Skills booklet specific to their chosen subjects. Each department had provided information tailored to their subject and intended to support the pupils in how to carry outstudy at home.

During class time on Wednesday and Thursday teachers were asked to present a Study Skills lesson thatwas specific to their subject. The aim of this was to make clear to pupils what the expectations were interms of revision times and tasks and to look at different ways of revising and learning for specificsubjects.

On Friday, pupils attended a short session to consider the use of Study Timetables, and they were givena further opportunity to collect any subject specific information they had missed earlier in the week.

In a move towards greater parental involvement we asked all pupils to get a parental signature on the back of their booklet. This was simply so that we knew the booklets had made it home and that parentswere aware we had discussed methods and expectations with their children.

It is now our intention to put all the Study Skills information on the website so that pupils and parentscan access the help sheets and if you would like to know more or make a comment, please contact Ms HMacLeod

H MacLeodSupport for Pupils Faculty/PT Curriculum: Support for Pupils

Congratulations to the following pupils who have reached 125 points in the Pupils Points System andhave been awarded the Bronze Certificate. This is a fantastic achievement so early in the session, the

boys have got some catching up to do!

Emma-Lee Dick (2G2) Oliver Massie (2G2)Ben Fairgrieve (2T3) Eve Swinton (2G1)Stephanie King (3L1) Connor Tinch (2G2)Danielle Kitt (2G3) Kirsty Wallace (2G1)Jodie Lavin (3T1) Beth Watters (3T3)Eilidh McClure (1G1) Megan Wilson (3L1)

P ILIN G UP T HEIR P O IN TS



2M O RO ’ S DRIVER

Knox News

Knox Academy was given the opportunity to attend the „2Moro s Driver event on Wednesday 2September 2009. The event was organised by Lothian and Borders Police Road Safety Unit and wasopen to all pupils in S6.

It was a multi-agency event, which was based on a play funded by Road Safety Scotland and performed by the Baldy Bane Theatre Company. It dealt with the fun, risks and the responsibilities involved when becoming a new driver and getting a first car.

The event was held at the Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh and 74 S6 Knox Academy pupils attendedthe event. This was an extremely worthwhile event, especially at this time of year when our current S6will soon become tomorrow s young drivers.

E GarwoodPT Guidance

Pupils from the Standard Grade Drama class have been making their own radio plays based on fictionalsoap opera „Victoria Square . Each group had to create a mini -episode that would be turned into a radiodrama. The mini dramas included; a granny dying and leaving her money to her dog (much to her children s anger), a man set on revenge for his family s death and a hard -hitting scene about drugs. Allvery dramatic!

Everyone enjoyed their time behind the microphone, with sound effects and theme tune.

J CampbellDrama Dept

V ICTORIA S QUARE

No, the Second Year ICT classes haven t got an irritating disease, but they are itching to show their talents building programs in the SCRATCH environment. SCRATCH uses characters called sprites thatcan be controlled to run around, jump, make noises and much more. The program is built like pieces of a jigsaw. These can be re-arranged, broken up, or added to easily to try to program each sprite to act theway you want.

This software was developed at MIT in Boston. It is available for Mac and PC and it is FREE. Go tohttp://SCRATCH.mit.edu/ to download your copy at home. The site gives some useful tips andexamples of what can be achieved with SCRATCH.

Last year the University of Edinburgh Department of Informatics kindly lent us a set of interface boardsto use with SCRATCH programs developed by S4. The sprites were controlled using sliders, buttonsand light sensors on the board. Hopefully S2 classes will get a chance to try out the boards this year.Look out for examples of pupil work on the website.

B DillinHead of Computing

Get SCRATCHing in ICT



‘That really is the most enormous wardrobe, why somebody’s spilt sugar on the floor. It’s all crunchy.Why… it’s a lamppost. Whoever heard of a lamppost inside a wardrobe’.

Yes you are right… we are stepping into Narnia for our Christmas production this year. Pupils from S1 – S6 will take to the stage to recreate the wonderful story of „The Lion, The Witch and The Ward-robe . With Beavers, Lions, a White Witch and four lost children you will really be in for a treat!

„This is hopefully going to be a fantastic production says Mr Campbell who will be directing the show.„We really want to involve the audience in the magic of Narnia so we are going to incorporate someexciting staging. We have a wonderful cast from all areas of the school and I m extremely happy that wehave managed to cast the four children from S3 – S6. Our fighting director starts after the October hol-idays so the pupils are getting excited about working on the battle sequence.

Gavin McManus (S3) who plays Mr Beaver says „It s a good experience and I m really happy andexcited about getting the part of Mr Beaver and I m looking forward to the performance week. I mgoing to be nervous but it ll be fun .

„The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe will be staged in the main hall on 9 th and 10 th of December

2009. Tickets will go on sale from the school office. Look out around the school for more details.

C MorganDrama Dept

T HE L IO N , T HE W ITCH AND T H E W ARDROBE

D ALGUISE 2009

As a group of excited souls disembarked in the middle of the beautiful Perthshire scenery a wave of panicrippled through all 70 odd staff and pupils. How giant is the giant swing? Do I have to do it? What if Icry in front of all my friends? These questions and more were racing through everyone s head.

We were able to try and calm the nerves on the Friday afternoon by settling in to our accommodation and playing a few games…the teachers being „Funky Seaweed will live long in the memory. Despite Mr Stirling breaking Mr MacDonald s car they arrived in plenty of time to set up the evening s activities.We all crammed in to the small and sweaty hall and had a go at Mr Wren and Mrs Garwood s quiz. Thefact that Mrs Garwood forgot the answers made things a little trickier, but we muddled through!

And then there was the filmmaking, some good, same strange and some truly awful. I don t think we llhave to clear a space for Knox s first Oscar quite yet.

The next two days were a blur of mud, blood, snotters, tears, screams, strains, scrapes, dancing, half-drowing and huge amounts of fun. Everyone survived the giant swing - even Bruce Halloran andmyelf…although the primary children watching might not recover as quickly.

As Head of S6 it made me immensely proud to see Knox pupils throw themselves into everything we didwith such enthusiasm and represent the school so admirably. A huge thank you to all for making it soenjoyable for the teachers. A massive thanks to the teachers who came along, without whom the tripwould have been impossible – and the S6 would have no-one to laugh at. And extra-special thanks to Mr MacDonald for doing such a fine job of organising and leading the trip.

S IllingworthHead of S6



S PORTS ’ U PDATE

Knox News

Athle cs

Fiona Cleat, 5L2, has had an outstanding season on the athletics circuit which gained her selection for the Scotland team to compete at the Celtic Games held in Carmarthen, Wales in August. Fiona was partof the U17 relay team that came second and she also came fourth in the individual 300m hurdles.Fiona has also competed in the Scottish Schools Athletic Championships in June where she camesecond in the 300m hurdles and then again in the Scottish athletic age group under-17-titles where shemanaged to win the same event with a time of 47.81s (over a second quicker than her closet rival) inAugust.

Badminton

Megan Richardson and Hannah Laing (both 4G1) continue to build on their success in a season that isclassed as a development year. Megan and Hannah who have made the step up to Under 17 and Under 19 levels are now competing against opponents that are a few years older than them.On the 6 th September the girls played in the U19 Midland tournament at Grangemouth. Hannah reachedthe semis being knocked out by the number 1 seed. The same opponent then beat Megan in the final 21-15 and 21-19. They got through to the semis in the doubles but were again beaten by the number 1seeds before Megan and her partner reached the mixed doubles finals and won.On Sunday 13 th Sept the girls played in the U17 Glasgow tournament and won, narrowly beaten in thedoubles nal by the number 1 seeds.

Basketball

Knox Academy hosted the first round of matches for the U15 girls team and senior boys team in thisyear s East Lothian Basketball Cup in September. This is the first year that this event has run and after

being part of the event I am sure it will continue. With 5 out of the 6 East Lothian schools representedthere was a great atmosphere in the Knox Games Hall and the matches did not disappoint.First up was a strong Knox senior boys team that beat an injury plagued Ross High team 30 -14. NorthBerwick then beat Musselburgh before Knox triumphed over Dunbar 28-14.The U15 girls tournament sadly saw the Knox team lose both their matches but with promising

performances to the new-look team, Knox will surely get their first win in the next round of matches being held at Knox in the future.Eilidh McClure (1G1) attended the Basketball Scotland s Talent Identification Programme on Sunday4th October at Bathgate Academy and was successful in gaining access to the programme for 2009/10.This is the first step on Scotland s high performance pathway and a key development experience for aspiring young players.

County Sports

Last year s County Sports were cancelled due to the heavy rain in June but thankfully the PE staff fromall East Lothian Schools managed to work hard to rearrange the date for the 2 nd September this year.However, our top athletes were a little off the pace after a long summer vacation and Knox Academyonly managed to finish 5 th.Missing some of our athletes on the day due to other commitments did hamper our performance butthere were some individual displays that deserve some recognition. Fiona Cleat (5L2) on the track wasas usual a great success in the senior championships. Neil Black, 2T2, on his first attempt in the sand piton the junior boy s triple jump and Kimberly Smith, 3L2, competed in three different age groups in therelays.It was a tremendous effort from all the participants and we will be looking to improve on our 5 th place inthe next County Championships next June.



S PORTS ’ U PDATE C ONTINUED

Knox News

Knox Academy s first game of the S2 rugby season was against a strong Dunbar Grammar side that hadalready beaten Preston lodge and Ross High. However it was Knox who got on the score sheet first and

never looked back. In the first minute a surging run saw Neil Black cross the line which was thenfollowed by a brace from Paul McLung and a superb solo effort from Harvey Blake. Dunbar did manageto pull one try back before the half to make the half time score 28-7.The second half was much like the first with another try for Neil Black, a debut try from first year LorneBlack and tries from Connor Munro and Alexander Ingram. Paul McLung had a great day with the bootconverting 5 and Connor Munro slotted over the kick after his own try. The final score was 52-12.

Knox Academy travelled to Royal High on a windy Saturday morning on 3 rd October. Only managing totravel with thirteen boys Knox thought they may struggle against a strong Edinburgh side. However,with the home team plagued by illness the game was played as an eleven-a-side match.Knox continued their great start to the season with a 27-65 victory that saw Neil Black bag 6 tries.

Others on the score sheet were Harvey Blake, Alexander Ingram, Gregor Denholm and new comer Sasha Dubitskiy with a double. Captain Connor Munro and Harvey Blake shared the kicking duties.

The under 15 team had a hard start to this year s Brewin Dolphin (formally the Bell Lawrie) Cup with around 1 tie versus local rivals Dunbar Grammar. With a relatively young and inexperienced team KnoxAcademy were on the wrong end of 10 try thriller. However, the try of the day needs to be awarded tothe Knox Academy captain Jordan Currie 4L3 who took a short pass from Peter Wilson 3T2 to beatthree defenders and race to score under the posts.

The team that was made up of a large number of S2 pupils will now compete in the lower tier competition where they can build and practise for next year s Cup when they will be competing against

boys of the same age and development.

Soccerone

The first East Lothian Soccerone event took place at the Aubigny Astro Turf on Tuesday 29 th

September. The S2 and U15 boys teams competed in the first round of matches and both the Knoxteams got off to flying starts with one win each and one draw each. Both the S2 and U15 team beatMusselburgh and drew with North Berwick. The next event that Knox will host will see these teamsface Ross High and Dunbar.

R Couper Sports and Physical Activities Coordinator

Soccer Results

Knox Academy under 16 boys football team were victorious over Whitburn Academy in the ScottishSchools Shield. Knox took a one goal lead when Jonathan Bisset scored the opening goal early in thefirst half. Whitburn then took the lead with a goal either side of half time but Knox equalised quicklywith a goal from David Fairgrieve. After 80 minutes of normal time and twenty minutes extra time thegame could not be decided so it went to penalties. Knox Academy finished the game with good savesfrom Josh McFarlane in goal and a winning penalty scored by Richard Waddell.

J. StirlingKnox Academy Director of Football



Our team of 8 enthusiastic entrepreneurs have begun our quest to create the best product/service ever tohave graced Knox Academy s Business Department.

This year Young Enterprise is all about challenging ourselves as much as possible and putting in thehard graft to give you all an exciting new product/service.

Watch out around the school for up-dates on our progress!

Bruce Halloran6L

Y OUNG E NTERPRISE : R ISE

L ITTLE S HOP OF H ORRORS

The S4 Standard Grade Drama Pupils went to Festival Theatre in Edinburgh to see the TouringProduction of the West End hit „Little Shop of Horrors .

„Little Shop of Horrors tells the story of lonely shop worker Seymour who is in love with his co -worker Audrey. When Seymour finds a mysterious plant one day his luck changes and suddenly everybodywants to be Seymour s friend but when the plant suddenly likes the taste of blood things take a nastyturn because this is no ordinary plant, this is a man eating plant from outer space!

S4 pupil Jordan said „I thought the production was brilliant, I had seen the movie and I didn t like it butthe stage show was really good. I thought the plant was amazing how it kept on growing and moving. Itwas really good. The show was good and meeting the stars topped it all off .

Pupils had the chance to meet the cast after the show, asking them questions about their work as actorsand having their photo taken with Claire Buckfield (2.4 Children and Dancing on Ice star) who playedAudrey and Alex Ferns (best known as Eastenders baddie Trevor) who played the Dentist.

Mr Campbell said „The pupils were excellent in the theatre and it was great for them to experience thisexciting show in Scotland at the Festival Theatre. The cast were amazing and I think everyone had a re-ally enjoyable evening.

Previously the Standard Grade pupils have seen „Mary Poppins at the Edinburgh Playhouse and „TheMystery of Irma Vep at the Royal Lyceum.

C Morgan

Drama Dept



I N SID E S TORY H EADLINE

Knox News

Time Capsule 2009

We have created a Time Capsule which is intended to preserve photographs of everyday objects for future generations of pupils to discover.

The objects in the Time Capsule reflect the inventions that were useful to us in the 21 st Century. Someof the things we buried include: a mobile phone, money, school bag, deodorant, pens and school work!

Here is our letter to future pupils.

Dear future person(s)

We have buried these photographs to show you some of the things we found useful in 2009.

Bikes were a common form of transport. We hope you still have them. Maybe you get around on skycycles in your days. Nearly everyone seemed to have a mobile phone. I expect you now communicatewith special bio- chips. At least you won t get into trouble like we did at school!

Shoes were important to us. Everyone loved trainers, we never took them off. Perhaps you are bornwith them on your feet nowadays.

Well, these are just some of the things we valued.

We expect you are now all getting educated in a big shiny class with a robot teacher and holograms and

things.

Bet you are still late for class though.

Some things never change.

Yours truly

Mr. Halliday s S2 English class of 2009.

A big thank you to all who helped with our two summer events: the Duck Derby and Teas in the Park.We raised a massive £1298.

Events that are planned for the next term are:

AGM – 27 th October in the school Library from 6.30pm. This will be followed by a meeting of theSupport Group. We would be delighted to welcome new members. You can decide what level of involvement you want with the group, but the more the merrier!

Whole School Dance – Tuesday 1 st December 7.00pm-10.00pm

M Ball

K NOX A CADEMY S UPPORT G ROUP



T ONER C ARTRIDGES

YOUR TRASH IS WORTH CASH!!!

If you are guilty of throwing away old inkjet cartridges and mobile phones, read on…..

Knox Academy has signed up to a leading recycling programme Recycool, a scheme that will help boostschool funds and divert products from landfill. Every time you donate a cartridge or old mobile phoneto us for the Recycool programme, the school will receive a cash donation and the company will planttrees in our name.

Please put your old mobile phones, inkjet and toner printer cartridges to one sideYou will be helping the environment and helping our fundraising. What s more, it won t cost you a pen-ny.

This session we have already recycled 4 mobile phones, 28 laser cartridges and a whopping 229 inkjetcartridges!!!

FACTFILE

Mobile phones contain cadmium, a dangerous toxic substance.Binned mobile phones end up in landfill sites, where corrosion to their batteries causes cadmium toleech out into the surrounding soil.Mobiles and printer cartridges are valuable and can be recycled to help the environment.Phones that are unsuitable for recycling are disposed of safely, without harm to the environment.Fewer than one in 25 mobile phones is recycled.Only 5% of printer cartridges are recycled. The rest, worth approximately £57 million, are buried in

landfill sites. They could be helping worthwhile charities.It takes more than 1.5 pints of oil to make a new toner cartridge.In the last decade it is estimated that printer cartridges worth around £500,000,000,000 were dumpedin landfill sites. They could have been used to provide much-needed cash to worthwhile charities.

Please contact Mrs Davidson (Business Manager) for more information. Items for recycling can behanded in to the school office. Thank you.


T HURSDAY F OOTBALL FOR S3-S6

Thursday Football takes place at the Aubigny Centre, with 7 teams each week, approximately 45 boys.Games are very competitive, but played in a good spirit. The Jetsons have made a flying start and arewell ahead of the rest of the teams.

R FloodTechnology Faculty



A U BIG N Y & T WIN N IN G

Activities’ Week

For Activities Week this session, a large number of pupils have chosen to go to Aubigny and Paris,which will help them to know our twin town as well as helping towards the work for their Standard

Grade exam. They will be able to write to pupils in our twin school in Aubigny and meet them whenthey re there. The French pupils won t be able to visit our school and town this year as they did lastyear, so we hope they will manage in 2011.

Twinning Scholarship

This scholarship is offered to S5 &6 pupils who would like to spend a month in Aubigny in the sum-mer.Haddington Twinning Association provide travel and accommodation with a family. You just needsome spending money. You don t have to be good at French to do this and some work experience is pro-vided.Anyone who is interested should speak to Mrs.Elliott and write (in English) why they would like toapply.

Nick Thompson came into school in September to talk to some S5&6 pupils about the month he spent inAubigny this summer. He enjoyed working at the primary school as well as the tourist office. Aubignywas busy in the middle of July celebrating the franco-scottish connection.

Nick writes...

As I was awarded the Twinning Scholarship during my sixth and final year at Knox Academy last year,I spent a month of the summer in Aubigny staying with two French families and gaining work experience. I started off as a classroom assistant in the town s primary school and then spent two weekshelping out in the tourist office. Although it was a little daunting at first I soon settled in and of coursegot plenty of practice speaking French, while getting a valuable insight into daily life and Frenchculture. I think the main reason I enjoyed myself so much was just because everyone I met there, in

particular the families I stayed with and the people I worked with, were so welcoming and kind tome. I m trying to keep in touch with some of the friends I made over there and I d love to go back oneday. And I d also like to say a big thank you to everyone in the Twinning Association who worked toorganise my trip - it was a fantastic experience and a wonderful opportunity for me.

E ElliottModern Languages

C OACHING A WARD

In early September one of our Geography Staff, Miss L Jeffrey, was awarded the Coach of the Year Award at the Scottish Gymnastics Awards Dinner. This was in recognition of her work with youngstersin the City of Edinburgh Trampoline Club.

Congratulation to Miss Jeffrey

J B CraigHeadteacher



D ATES S ESSIO N 2010-2011

Knox News

Staff Pupils

TERM 1Staff Resume Monday 16th August 2010 (In-Service Day 1)

Tuesday 17th August 2010 (In-Service Day 2)

Staff Break Friday 17th September 2010 Pupils Resume

Autumn Holiday Monday 20th September 2010

Staff resume Tuesday 21st September 2010 Pupils Resume

Staff Break Friday 15th October 2010 Pupils Break

Staff Resume Monday 25th October 2010 (In-Service Day 3)

Tuesday 26th October 2010 Pupils Resume

Staff Break Thursday 23rd December 2010

Pupils Break (End of Term 1)

TERM 2

Staff Resume Monday 10th January 2011 (In-Service Day 4)

Tuesday 11th January 2011 Pupils Resume

Staff Break Friday 11th February 2011 Pupils Break

Staff Resume Monday 21 February 2011 Pupils Resume

Staff Break Friday 8th April 2011 Pupils Break (End of Term 2)Spring HolidayGood FridayEaster Monday

Monday 18th April 2011Friday 22nd April 2011

Monday 25th April 2011

TERM 3

Staff Resume Tuesday 26th April 2011 Pupils Resume

May Day Holiday Monday 2nd May 2011 May Day Holiday Schools Closed

Staff Resume Tuesday 3rd May 2011 Pupils Resume

Victoria Day Monday 23rd May 2011 Victoria Day Schools Closed

Staff Resume Tuesday 24th may 2011 (In-Service Day 5)

Wednesday 25th May 2011 (In-Service Day 6)

Thursday 26th May 2011 Pupils Resume

Staff Break Friday 1st July 2011 Pupils Break (End of Term 3)

Please take note of the session dates above when planning for holidays. Holidays that are takenduring term time, unless because of exceptional circumstances, will be recorded as“Unauthorised”. Holidays taken during term time will impede your child s academic progressas they often find it difficult to catch up on work that has been missed.Last session 97 pupil working weeks were lost due to unauthorised holidays.



P HOTOGRAPHY

Amateur photographer, Emma Campbell, 5T2, recently had her talent recognised in the Rotary YoungPhotographer competition winning the regional section. Her composition is entitled “Shadwell ArmyAttack”.

D RESS C ODE

The Dress Code for Knox Academy is outlined below.

Years 1 to 6 inclusive:

· White collared shirt (boys shirts should be tucked in) · School tie (to be worn at the neck) · „V neck sweater or fleece (plain – navy or black). No other colours allowed · Smart black trousers from waist to toe. (No jeans/cargo or hipster trousers.) · Smart black skirt · Black shoes (no trainers) · Shorts may not be worn other than PE in classes · Headwear may only be worn in school for religious or health reasons · Jewellery should be kept to a minimum and be discreet

· Accessories should be in dress code colours only eg bags, scarves and hats · Belts should be black or navy only.

Items that are NOT Dress Code: Hooded Tops Strappy/Vest tops Hipster trousers Skirts worn over trousers or footless ghts Footless ghts Big belts that are not black or navy

Large beads/pieces of jewellery Shorts of ANY kind (long or short)



Phone: 01620 823387Fax: 01620 823186Email: [email protected]

Pencaitland RoadHaddingtonEast LothianEH41 4DT

T h e N e w s l e t t e r o fK n o x A c a d e m y

W E’RE ON THE WEB AT WWW.KA-NET.ORG.UK

Dates for the Diary:Tuesday 27 October Pupils ResumeThursday 29 October S4 Parents Consultation (5 -7pm)

Dep Tet Polio Injections (S2)Tuesday 3 Novermber S4 Music Prelims

Wednesday 4 November Parent School Partnership Meeting (6.15pm)Wednesday 4 November &Thursday 5 November Higher Drama Event (6pm)

Friday 6 November S1 ChallengeMonday 9 November S4 Prelims beingTuesday 10 November S1 Progress Reports IssuedMonday 16 November S1 Parents Consultation (5 -7pm)

Enterprise Week Monday 23 November S4 Work Experience Week Wednesday 25 November S5/6 Progress Reports IssuedTuesday 1 December Whole School DanceWednesday 2 December &Thursday 3 December S5/6 Music Prelims

Tuesday 8 December S5/6 Parents Consultation (5 -7pm)Wednesday 9 December & Drama Production -

Thursday 10 December The Lion, The Witch and The WardrobeThursday 10 December HPV Injections (S2/4/5 Girls)

Friday 11 December S6 ChallengeMonday 14 December S2 Progress Reports IssuedWednesday 16 December Christmas Concert (1.45 & 7pm)Tuesday 22 December S6 Pantomime

All Break Wednesday 6 January 2010 Pupils Resume

knox news october 2009

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