James Gillespie’s High School

Message from the Head Teacher It is March already although the tem-peratures might tell us otherwise.

We have come through our inspec-tion. I was very proud of the staff and students who were exemplary throughout the visit. I believe we pro-vide an excellent education with a fully committed, hardworking and creative staff. I hope the Report will reflect this. It will be published on 30th March. We will send copies home.

One area where our students are far from exemplary is punctuality. Please encourage your young person to get in on time. It is massively wasteful of time and energy to follow this up.

I hope, as always, you will be im-pressed by the individual achieve-ments features on the newsletter. I know I am.

Finally, if you are a parent/carer of someone S4 to S6 you will be experi-encing the pre-exam hysteria that is an annual event. Stay calm. If you don’t they won’t. Be supportive and encouraging. Avoid threats such as “you will be grounded for life” if they fail to do five hours revision each evening. Remember consistency is better than severity. Try to be patient, encouraging, occasionally forgiving but always positive.

“Optimism is our best resource”

March 2010

Inside this issue:

Read two winning poems, one by Robert Wright, the other by Joe Highet from the Poppy Poetry Competi-tion

2

Former student Kristen Braden has been honoured for the best undergraduate thesis

3

James Gillespie’s High School has been awarded the Health promoting Schools Stage Two award.

4

Local MP writes to Hannah Fisher to congratulate her on reaching the final of the UK National Science and Engineering Competition

7

Rajan Bhopal and Edward Cogliano win the Scottish Badminton Under 19 Title.

9

Special points of interest: ♦ The English Department in

running their S3 Summer Citizenship Project again this year. Last year it at-tracted a range of national politicians, lecturers and charity workers to meet with the students to dis-cuss important issues of the day. If you are willing to come to school to discuss serious issues with the students or know someone who would be, please con-tact Mr. Crosbie, Principal Teacher of English.

♦ Keep up to date with what’s happening by noting in your diary our forthcom-ing events, see the back page.

♦ Our website also contains huge amounts of useful information which you should check out.

We are about to install a new tele-phone system to replace the one we have had for years and for which spare parts are now becoming in-creasingly difficult to source. There will be a couple of hours on 16th March during which incoming calls will not be possible, although we have made arrangements to be able to call out to parents should the need arise.

This month we are also starting the long awaited and much needed boiler replacement programme. The first phase is to remove the old boil-ers and prepare the boiler house for the installation of the new ones. Money has been reassigned to repair and replace the rest of the heating system so, in theory, next winter, we will be nice and warm.

Mr. A. Wallace

English Department I have some fantastic news regarding the Poppy Poetry Competition. Robert Wright 1M1 has won the Secondary 1-3 category with his poem, “Birds of the Battlefield”. Joe Highet 1M4 was commended for his poem, “War”. There were 3,800 entries submitted to the competition. The theme of the competition was “Remembering”. The classes were in-spired by the photographs and analysis of the poetry on the Poppyscotland web-site. We also spoke about war and its wider impact in the world and on immedi-ate family. Robert for example remem-bered an article he had read from “British Birds” magazine dated May 1919 where Captain Arthur De C. Sowerby.F.R.G.S. spoke eloquently about observing birds in the Trenches. The class attended a prize-giving cere-mony at The Lady Haig Poppy Factory and then were given a tour of the factory. We had a great afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed celebrating the achievement of Robert and Joe. Ms. Ross (English Department)

SECONDARY WINNER BIRDS OF THE BATTLEFIELD Hooded crow, magpie, rook, starling, Hedge sparrow, blackbird, partridge, hawk ... To kill some time before the killing time, the soldier Was counting birds in a field in France. They find a living in the stricken field, the birds, They favour smiling farmland and shell-torn wilderness alike. The soldier imagined gliding home to his newborn son. No danger in no man’s land if birds don’t fly away. Sometimes the soldier even stumbled upon some nests with eggs in them. In the stricken field. Inspired by and remembering the words of Capt. Arthur De C. Saverby, F.Z.S., F.R.G.S. from his article in ‘British Birds’ Magazine, May 1, 1919 Robert Wright (1M1)

SECONDARY COMMENDED (1 of 4) War The soldier’s face shows dimensions of war, past and present because there is no future. War is a tornado, a twister, warping and consuming anything and everything it touches. The soldier’s heart is a blood-pumping void where love once was. Ready to implode with rage for those lost. War is a jar of chaos spilled by an innocent child on the floor of the earth. It is acid rain falling on a forest. Joe Highet (1M4)

March 2010 Page 2

Former Student Honoured

Strathclyde graduate wins prestigious education award A Strathclyde graduate has won a prestigious award for the best undergraduate thesis in teacher education in Scotland.

Kirsten Braden was announced as the winner of the George D Gray CBE MA Award at a meeting of the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) in Edinburgh. Kirsten graduated from Strathclyde with a BEd (Hons) First Class in June 2009.

Her thesis concerned whether or not background music in classrooms was beneficial to children as they learned. The study concluded that the music’s impact varied over different curricular areas and that advantages were greater in some areas than others. On receiving her award Kirsten said: “I am honoured and delighted to be receiving. A fourth-year project is a big undertaking so I was pleased to be able to share my research with a wider audience.

"In accepting this award I would like to thank all those who helped me with my project. In par-ticular I would like to thank Charles Byrne (of Strathclyde's Faculty of Education) and Professor George Gettinby (of Strathclyde’s Department of Maths and Statistics) for their assistance.

"I am enjoying my proba-tionary year and continue to think about how to cre-

ate a positive classroom environment."

Awarded annually to the student who produces the best Bachelor of Education dissertation in Scotland, The George D Gray award has now been running for seven years. All entries are judged rigorously by a GTCS panel including Chief Executive Anthony Finn who said: “Kirsten Braden is another deserving winner of the George D Gray Award; an award that has highlighted, year after year, the high quality of student teachers and teach-ing throughout Scotland."

Kristen Braden, a former student of James Gillespie’s has been awarded the George D. Gray CBE MA Award for the best undergraduate thesis in teacher educa-tion in Scotland. Kristen is currently a probationer teacher at Gracemount Primary School. The following excerpt comes from the Strathclyde University website (http://www.strath.ac.uk/press/newsreleases/headline_232863_en.html)

March 2010 Page 3

This is to certify that

James Gillespie’s High School

has successfully achieved

Stage Two

Health Promoting Schools

28th January 2010

____________________

NHS Lothian

____________________ City of Edinburgh Council

Stage Two January 2010

March 2010 Page 4

IT has now been confirmed officially

that the school has achieved Level 2

Status for Health promotion . Con-

gratulations to all who worked so hard

to make it possible – Health promoting

Group, Teachers , colleagues who

work in the school , Pupils ,and par-

ents .

Ms. Westerman

Library News

We will be collecting tokens again to add tour current banked stash of 6854. I would ask everybody with access to Tesco to choose NOW to buy your new TVs or extra frozen peas and hand in any vouchers to the School Library or to the collection box at school reception. We will make good use of these accumulated vouchers when we see something that will benefit some area of the school. A Inglis

The UNESCO sponsored City of Literature ‘Carry a Poem’ event in February was very suc-cessful and lots of fun. We even had our HMIE visitors carrying their own poems and staff and pupils joined in with inventive ways to display and talk about their own favourite poems. Individual English classes made very imaginative displays of their poems, but the prize went to Mr Warden for carrying “The Road less travelled” tied to his shoes. The Poetry posy and Plan pot and pretty pouch poems certainly brightened up the School Library. The results make a colourful display for our new electronic display board in the foyer. A Inglis

World Book Day 4 March 2010-03-03 Yet again all pupils should receive a £1 voucher towards the cost of a book purchase. The voucher is valid until 28 March so make sure it is not wasted. There are even special books published at £1 each, making a free book a real bargain. Enjoy ! A. Inglis

March 2010 Page 5

From Around The School

Congratulations to Ishbel Hender-son (1M1) who came 3rd in the Scottish Bouldering Championship competition held in Aberdeen at the beginning of March. Last year Ishbel was 7th in the Scottish Youth Climbing Series so all the hard work and effort that Ishbel puts into her training is working.

Mr. Stewart of the Geography Department took a group of students to the International Learning Event "Global Kids" at Broughton High School on the 10th of February.

Felix Shillcock Pete Swan Oliver Ireland Louisa Helfer Cal McCutcheon Stuart Kumar Francesca Parsons Trucco Emma Gray Struan Wilson Yegor Milyaev

all in S2 took part in this exciting event organised with foreign consuls and cultural organisations based in Edinburgh. There was an international fair and quiz, in which the Gillespie's pupils won a goodie bag for third prize. Pu-pils then took part in a workshop on police translation and learnt Urdu with our own Mrs Saqib. Mr. Stewart, Geography Department

March 2010 Page 6

Congratulations H

annah

March 2010 Page 7

English Department S3 Summer Citizenship Project Calling All S3 Parents

In May, all S3 English classes will take part in an excit-ing Citizenship Project to debate and write about con-troversial issues of their choice. From now until May, all S3 pupils have the chance to take a lead in, and to set the agenda for, their class’s project, to invite speakers in and to decide on the topics to be explored and debated. In the pilot project last year, apart from the politicians in the photographs on this page, S3 pu-pils invited in the manager of a Gaelic website, a city planner, a university lecturer to discuss gender stereo-typing in careers, a religious youth worker, and staff from development charities and Campaign Against the Arms Trade.

This is an exciting opportunity to bring the real world to your child’s classroom – and you can help!

Please consider doing any or all of the following:

• Helping your child to come up with interesting research topics and controversial issues.

• Helping them to find contacts from a variety of organisations who might come in to classes.

• Volunteering to come in yourself to educate classes on a particular issue or career – this need not be your own child’s class.

• Approaching parents of children in other year groups who you know might be good contacts.

• Making sure your child is completely up to date with English folio deadlines before May – pupils who are behind may well miss out on the best bits of the project.

Contact Mr Crosbie and leave your details and suggestions.

Many thanks in anticipation. Mr Crosbie, Principal Teacher, English

March 2010 Page 8

Under 19 Badminton Champs

Edward Cogliano (5K3) and Rajan Bhopal (6M3) winners of the Scottish Badminton Under 19 Doubles Title.

Thought we'd share with you these photos of Rajan and Edward, after their very exciting victory in Perth this weekend.

They had an extremely thrilling match (against kids from Glasgow School of Sport, who train at least 12-15 hrs/week in school time...) to win the U19 dou-bles title! Frank and Mimi Cogliano

Valuables The P.E. staff take great care to impress upon the pupils the importance of security. However, many pu-pils still leave their valuables in the changing rooms. If valuables are left in the changing rooms and they go missing there is nothing the P.E. Dept. can do. Would parents/carers please impress upon their chil-dren the importance of handing all valuable in to their P.E. teacher?

It would be even better if the pupils brought only ESSENTIAL valuables to school. Many thanks for your assistance in this matter. Mr. Watson, Principal Teacher of P.E.

March 2010 Page 9

James Gillespie’s High School

James Gillespie’s High School Lauderdale Street,

Edinburgh, EH9 1DD.

Telephone: 0131-447-1900 Facsimile: 0131-466-7035

Email:

Admin@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk

Website: www.jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk

JGHS Diary Wednesday, 17th March 2010 JGHS School Council Meeting, 19:00hr. All welcome. Friday, 19th March 2010 S5/6 Progress Reports (2) issued Monday, 29th March 2010 Junior Maths Challenge Thursday, 1st April 2010 All break for Easter Holiday (12:00hr) Tuesday, 20th April 2010 All resume Friday, 23rd April 2010 Last day of classes before S4 exam leave Monday, 26th April 2010 S.G. Art exam Tuesday, 27th April 2010 JGHS Trust Meeting, 19:00hr Wednesday, 28th April 2010 Start of SQA exams Thursday, 29th April 2010 Junior Maths Challenge Monday, 3rd May 2010 May Day, School closed Tuesday, 4th May 2010 All resume Monday, 10th May 2010 Last day of classes for S5/6 before exam leave Wednesday, 12th May 2010 S5/6 SQA Exams start Monday, 17th May 2010 Victoria Day, School closed Tuesday, 18th May 2010 Staff Only Wednesday, 19th May 2010 Staff only Thursday, 20th May 2010 Students resume Friday, 21st May 2010 S1 reports issued Friday, 28th May 2010 S3 Induction Monday, 31st May 2010 New timetable starts (S2-S4) Tuesday, 1st June 2010 S5 Induction Wednesday, 2nd June 2010 New timetable starts (S5) Wednesday, 2nd June 2010 JGHS Events Group Meeting, 19:30hr Thursday, 3rd June 2010 S6 Induction Friday, 4th June 2010 S6 Induction Friday, 4th June 2010 S3 reports issued Monday, 7th June 2010 New timetable starts (S6) Tuesday, 8th June 2010 JGHS School Council Meeting, 19:00hr, all welcome Wednesday, 9th June 2010 S3 Parent Consultation Evening Friday, 18th June 2010 Diversecity Saturday, 19th June 2010 Diversecity

March 2010 Page 10

SQA Exams The time for the SQA exams is fast approaching especially for fourth year students. Before the end of this term the parents/carers of all seniors will receive a letter showing all the subjects your child is sitting and at which level. If there are any problems with this, you must contact me before 29th March. After the holidays each student will receive an individualised timetable giving the date, times and seat number for each exam. If you wish to find out the dates of the exams prior to this, please use this link to the SQA: www.sqa.org.uk/files_ccc/NQExamTimetable2010.pdf A few students have more than one exam timetabled at the same time. For coincident exams like this, I will be rearranging the times to enable them to sit both exams. Unfortunately this means a long day for those involved. I will be in touch with the students affected by this. If any student is ill on the day of an exam, please let me know as soon as possible and get a doc-tor’s line into me at school. For S4 the last day in school is Friday 23rd April with the first exam, Standard grade Art on Monday 26th April. Fourth year students will return as fifth year on Tuesday 1st June. For S5/6, the last day of teaching is Monday10th May with the first exam being on Wednesday 12th May. Fifth year students will return as sixth year on Thursday 3rd June. I hope all our students are working hard for their exams and we wish them the best of luck D. Greig, Depute Head Teacher