StranraerStranraer AcademyAcademy NewsletterNewsletter All the latest news from in and around the school... Issue 41 www.stranraeracademy.org.uk October 2017 S6 Girls vs Mr Hyslop Great Scottish Run 10K Challenge! Mr Hyslop of Modern Studies was recently challenged to a 10k race by S6 girls Katie Macmillan and Ellen Watt with the aim of raising funds for the family of Stranraer Academy Network Technician Mr Andrew Glasgow, who sadly passed away on 28th August after a battle with cancer. The girls did very well and put in a great level of effort, but Mr Hyslop ended up with the fastest time of 00:49:59 with a pace of 05:00 min/km! The plan was for the girls to directly compete against Mr Hyslop at the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow but Katie was unable to take part in that event and therefore completed her 10k at another race in Musselburgh - with former pupil Duncan Anderson stepping in as her pacemaker. She finished her race in a great time of 01:04:26. Ellen enlisted the help of classmate Chloe Laverie to act as a pacemaker for her event and the girls did very well, finishing in a good time of 01:33:22. The trio set a target of raising £1000 for the Glasgow family and we are happy to announce that they surpassed that amount recently. Well done everyone! Donations are still being accepted from the following link: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mrhyslopellenandkatie?utm_term=QAmEB48wE Well done to everyone who took part! Page - 1 - SchoolSchool NewsNews Lessons from Auschwitz - Successful Applicants The school have been lucky enough to be awarded two pupil and one teacher place on the Lessons from Auschwitz project this year. Seven S6 pupils applied to take part in the project with Adam Dickson and Ruairidh Howatson being selected to represent the school. The boys will head to Glasgow next week accompanied by Miss Moffat for an orientation seminar before heading to Poland for a one day trip on the 3rd of October. They will then attend a second seminar to reflect on the visit to Auschwitz and on return to school will act as ambassadors for the project and pass on the lessons learned to the wider school and community. For more information on the Lessons from Auschwitz programme, please click on the following link: https://www.het.org.uk/lessons-from-auschwitz-programme Oyster Festival Presentation - S5/6 Business Management Last week, as part of the first ever Stranraer Oyster Festival, senior business management pupils took part in a presentation centred around the popular seafood delicacy. With Loch Ryan being the last remaining native Oyster bed in the country, the pupils learned a lot from local businesses involved in the seafood industry who harvest, process and sell local Oysters. The presentation was very informative and the pupils enjoyed taking part - even having the chance to sample Oysters for themselves! Page - 2 - SchoolSchool NewsNews Stranraer Academy Attends “Disability Confident” Scheme Today Stranraer Academy attended the Dumfries and Galloway launch of "Disability Confident". This is a scheme that encourages a new way of think- ing, a new way of recruiting and a new way of supporting employers to help young people with disabilities and additional support needs get into work. The Rt. Honourable David Mundell MP said he saw himself as "an ambassador for people with a disability to be part of the workplace" he highlighted the needs in Dumfries and Galloway to "support small businesses in employing people with disabilities." In discussion with the Better Lives Partnership today, Mrs McClelland has secured a working relationship to support young people with Additional Support Needs in Stranraer Academy with employability. Additionally, Access To Work provides independent special advisers assist young people into employment or work experience with the support they require. If you would further information on the Disability Confident scheme, please contact Mrs McClelland, Principal Teacher of Additional Support for Needs at the school. Non-Uniform Day - Jeans for Genes & Glasgow Children’s Hospital The non-uniform day on Friday 13th October raised a total of £525.30! The funds raised will be split £275.30 to Jeans for Genes and £250 to the Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this fantastic sum! Page - 3 - SchoolSchool NewsNews Girls Into Physics Trip Article by Jenna Hyslop, S4 “On Wednesday 4th of October, Lockerbie Academy hosted a ‘Girls into Physics’ day for S3 pupils. I along with a number of other girls in S3 who have taken Physics travelled to Lockerbie Academy to attend. Firstly, we listened to an inspiring speech from a female engineer who organised the whole event with Lockerbie Academy. Afterwards we went around multiple workshops by different companies and organisations such as the RAF, where we were informed about different careers we could go in- to if we would like to continue with Physics. I enjoyed the day very much and think it was a great opportunity for all the girls who went. Hopefully this has inspired some of the girls to pursue a ca- reer in Physics and improve the gender imbalance in the UK. The pupils from Stranraer Academy who attended are all also very grateful to Miss Burgess for organising this trip.” Page - 4 - SchoolSchool NewsNews S5 MVP Training On Friday 22nd September all S5 pupils took part in an induction day to the MVP programme which Stranraer Academy has embarked upon this session. The programme was delivered by an experienced team of external presenters. This is a nation wide initiative being evolved across all authorities with the ambition to promote tolerance, respect and responsible citizenship. Embedded at the core of this programme is the notion that we can all make a difference and there is no room for silent bystanders. The pro- gramme will ultimately result in a cohort of our S5 pupils being trained to deliver lessons to our S1 pupils; this peer education we hope will be mutually beneficial to senior and S1 pupils. Please see the following link for more information: http://www.mvpscotland.org.uk/ Accelerated Reader Programme Launched! Stranraer Academy have introduced the Accelerated Reader programme in S1, S2 and S3. This literacy programme will raise reading skills at every level - supporting developing readers where needed, and challenging good readers to become even better. It provides pupils with immediate feedback on their reading through its popular book quizzes. It helps them choose books they enjoy and understand, and encourages them to keep aiming higher. Accelerated Reader helps English teachers set individual reading targets and monitor pupil progress at regular intervals. You will also be able to follow your child's progress through Home Connect - details to follow shortly. The Parent's Guide to the programme is available to view / download online from the following links: App: More > Files > Literacy > Accelerated Reading Programme Website (Curriculum tab): http://www.stranraeracademy.org.uk/s1-3-accelerated-reader- programme.html S2 Teenage Cancer Trust Presentation The Teenage Cancer Trust were in school to deliver their annual presentation to all S2 pupils on Thursday 28th September. This has been a feature of the Health & Wellbeing S2 calendar for several years now and the presentation is always highly regarded and well received by the students. The pupils were no exception this year and found the presentation very informative. Page - 5 - SchoolSchool NewsNews AIRD Refurbishment - Amey PLC Amey PLC and contracting staff have been in school today working on planned refurbishments to AIRD. Amey operate the school building and have been very supportive of the refurbishment programme for AIRD. Amey will be replacing all flooring and refreshing the paint work which will enhance the learning environ- ment for young people. Further improvements are also scheduled that involve AIRD staff working with Higher Art and Design students to create a purposeful engaging physiotherapy area. Macmillan Coffee Morning The Macmillan Coffee morning that took place on Friday 29th September raised a fantastic £335, which is the highest amount we have raised for a number of years. Thanks go to Miss Irvine and Laura McClymont for allowing the Charities Committee to use the Breakfast Club. This definitely contributed to the overall success, as well as all the books kindly donated. On behalf of the Charities Committee, thank you so much to everyone - including all our excellent bakers! Page - 6 - SportsSports NewsNews S1/2 Mini Triathlon Event Pupils took part in a Mini-Triathlon event organised by Triathlon Scotland / Triathlon Trust and Wigtownshire Active Schools on Monday 11th September 2017. Despite windy weather, the pupils took part with great effort and motivation to ensure the event was a success! All pupils who took part in the mini-triathlon received a medal and gift bag at the end! Page - 7 - SportsSports NewsNews Female Staff Defeat S6 Girls In Charity Netball Match! Yesterday, the S6 girls took on female staff members in a charity netball match. The match was very close but the staff team edged a narrow victory by 2 points as the game finished 21-19! A total of £65.28 was raised for charity. Well done all who were involved! Photos of the game were taken by S6 digital photography student Ross Plant and can be viewed on the school website and facebook page from the following links: Website (Photo Galleries > Fundraising & Charity Events tab): http:// www.stranraeracademy.org.uk/charity-netball-2017---s6-girls-vs-female-staff.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StranraerAcademy/posts/1342090669193882 Page - 8 - SportsSports NewsNews Netball Results - Stranraer Academy vs Douglas Ewart High School The girls netball season is well underway and the Stranraer Academy teams recently travelled to Douglas Ewart High School to play their away league fixtures.