St Modan’s High School Newsletter – June 2014 SCHOOL SHOW BEAUTY AND THE BEAST More than 50 pupils took part in St Modan's annual School Show which, this year was the musical spectacular 'Beauty and the Beast'. For 3 nights the school hall was packed with hundreds of friends and family who were treated to a colourful musical display of talent. Well done to all who took part and to those who supported this event. As always the school is hugely proud of the achievements of our young people and the many staff, especially Miss Shona Collin (Musical Director) who worked so hard to support each and every one of them. Thanks also to Tony Walker and other members of the PTA for their efforts in raising money to support similar school activities through sales of hot dogs, ice cream and raffle tickets. Raffle winners have been notified by email and should contact the school to collect prizes before the end of term. Planning for next session's show is already well underway! We are all looking forward to it STAFFING CHANGES NEXT SESSION Several staff moving on We bid a fond farewell to a number of staff leaving St Modan’s and wish each and every one of them all the very best for the future. Mr Breen (English Dep’t) retires after almost 30 years of hard work, dedication and commitment to serving the community of St Modan’s and for this we all say a huge thank you and hope that he enjoys his time in retirement. Mr Boyce moves on to a PT post in Dunblane and Miss Beaton moves to a Mod Lang post closer to home. Our Chaplain, Fr Kenneth is on his way too as he relocates for a short time to California and to studying there. We know that each of them will be sorely missed by the pupils, parents and staff of St Modan’s and we wish them well. We bid farewell also to the following staff whose probationary year at St Modan’s comes to an end and who will soon take up posts in schools across Scotland, England, Canada, China and elsewhere; Megan McWhinney, Julie Dalgetty, Anthony Finn, Heather Ainslie, Kirsten Stewart, Emma Hagen, Ashleigh Clark, Callum Johnson. We owe each of them an enormous debt of gratitude and thank them all for their huge contributions to the St Modan’s community over the past session. We are also delighted to welcome back Mrs Schoenhoffen (Support for Learning), Mrs Foulser (Maths), who returned to St Modan’s recently in time for our new timetable.We look forward to welcoming our new permanent staff in August; Mrs Charlene Mitchell (PT PSD – S3) and Miss Anna Carr-Gomm (Music). We also welcome temporary teachers of English and Biology and our new probationer teachers S4 - PIONEERS FOR THE NEW NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS Congratulations and well done to our S4 pupil who were recently the first year group to sit the new National Examinations and courses. 2013-14 was a challenging year for many but none more so than for our pupils who rose to the challenge. I am delighted to report that the National 5 examinations produced very few surprises and our pupils left exam halls with confidence. We wish all of our S4-6 pupils all the very best and hope that they do well when the results come through the door. A CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE As we continue to develop our new curriculum in line with National Guidance pupils currently in our new S3 at St Modan’s continue into the third year of the Broad General Education as outlined earlier in the year at our Parent Briefings. All S3 have been timetabled for subjects across all curricular areas. By doing so pupils will not ‘drop’ subjects until end of S3 where they will choose 6 subjects for S4. In some curricular areas S3 pupils will be able to select from a menu of ‘electives’ allowing them to specialise in some areas for part of the week or year without ‘dropping’ others. Further information about our new curriculum model will be provided at our Parent Briefings early in the new session. UNIFORM A small number of pupils are still arriving to school wearing garments which do not meet the high standards of our School uniform – in particular leggings, trainers, short lycra skirts, black jeans and outdoor jackets other than the school one. We need YOUR support to ensure this does not continue. The very high standard maintained by the school with regards to uniform directly impacts on the positive learning environment and aspirations of our young people and on this there is no compromise. Items of non-uniform will be removed and where necessary parents will be contacted so that pupils can go home and change. Parents are asked to check uniforms before children leave the home to ensure that full school uniform is worn. Your support is hugely appreciated in this regard. Please contact the school in advance if uniform is likely to be an issue for your son/daughter when returning in August. MODERN LANGUAGES 1 plus 2 Project This session, Saint Modan’s was invited by Education Scotland to be a Pilot school for the implementation of the 1 plus 2. This was due to high uptake of Modern Languages. The 1 plus 2 is a Scottish Government initiative which aims to embed the experience of two Modern Languages plus mother tongue from Primary One to at least the end of S3. In our school, this was rolled out with an S4 class who had the opportunity to study both French and Spanish and have in fact gained an SQA qualification in doing so. In addition, Saint Modan’s is working closely with partner Primary Schools to support further implementation of this. Next session, S6 pupils will work as Language Ambassadors to support our Primary schools to embed language learning further. Paris 2014 S2 pupils left us for France on Sunday 22nd June and are currently enjoying an unforgettable experience in Paris. Please remember to check the school website and twitter account for updates especially regarding our return journey. Un, deux, trois, prêts, PARTEZ ! Every year on 20 March, French speaking countries throughout the world celebrate “La Francophonie”. As part of their Global Citizenship project, every pupil in S2 was entered into an online national competition called “Vivela Francophonie” organised by the Institut Français d’Ecosse. Schools entered from all over Scotland and the highest scoring team from St Modan’s was “Les Poulets Rôtis”. Well done to Sandra Christ, Jamie O’Hare, Natalie Anderson, Thomas Abraham, Emma Cowan, Louise Alexander, Joanne Gilvear, Niamh Hardie and Emma Kennedy! Bon travail! FROM OUR AUTISM PROVISION FVD Sports Well done to the St Modan’s pupils from the Autism Support Provision who excelled at the FVD Sports Junior Track and Field Championships held in Grangemouth Stadium on Wednesday 14th May. Gold, silver and bronze medals were proudly displayed by returning athletes. Conner Bell S3 was delighted with his 2 gold medals and Titus Salt S2 went on to win 3 gold medals. Kids Day Out Thank you Stirling Rotarians Every year at the Stirling Rugby Club, pupils from St Modan’s and other schools in the district are treated to a grand array of entertainment, fun events, and goodies to eat and drink. Everything is free and Jamie Gardner S1 managed to make the most of the free burgers for lunch claiming they were ‘amazing!’ Or did he have an amazing appetite? GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND Interdisciplinary working The Art and History departments came together to take a group of S1 pupils to visit the Great Tapestry of Scotland, which was being exhibited in Paisley. This is the longest embroidered tapestry in the world and shows 12,000 years of Scotland’s formation and history in 160 panels. Pupils were able to look at panels related to topics studied in class, including the Battle of Stirling Bridge and the Battle of Bannockburn. They were also able to examine the intricate stitching techniques used to produce this amazing work of art. Some pupils have now even been inspired to join Mrs McMenemy’s embroidery club after the holidays! PROMOTING POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR NEW "Get Raffled" Week commencing 2nd June saw our S1, S2 and S3 pupils participate in the first ever "Get Raffled" assembly. Pupils had been working hard all term to ensure they gained enough merits to obtain a raffle ticket for the Grand Raffle. Merits were awarded to pupils who had shown consistently excellent behaviour, preparation, effort and cooperation in class. All pupils obtaining 3 or more merits were issued with certificates and 24 pupils won some superb prizes including cinema tickets, free meals at Nandos and vouchers for iTunes, JJB sports, The Thistle Centre and many more! We look forward to the next "Get Raffled" assembly just before the October holidays and hope the excellent standards of our pupils continue to rise so we can issue even more merits! CARITAS AWARDS Six pupils from S6 recently completed the Pope Benedict Caritas Award course and received their medals at a ceremony attended by over 800 other successful candidates and their families at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow on May 31st. This award recognises work carried out in schools and local faith communities as well as reflection on faith and Liturgy. Photographed here are the 4 candidates who attended the ceremony and are (L to R) Ellie Settery, Cathal McIver, Rachel Haxton and Colette Cooper. The other 2 candidate who could not attend were Alana Cairns and Rebecca France.