Issue 125 Kirkcaldy High School July 2017 Respect for Self, for Others, Newsletter for Learning Diary Dates The Rector Writes ... On the Tuesday evening we had SQA acting performances and Wednesday was a special S6 Games Night in the staf- froom. It was good for the "Class of 2017" to enjoy some Tues 8 Aug SQA s I pen these words, the session winds social time together just before they leave. Thursday's results published Assembly was for all of S4-6 and covered SQA exam ar- Mon 14 Aug SQA to a close. I have to say that 2016-2017 rangements. Recoursing (if re- has been a particularly successful one quired) 1.30pm- A On Thursday 20 April, Morgan Faulds and Cara 2.30pm for our school on a variety of fronts. It started Hayes represented Fife in the Sheriffdom finals of the Wed 16 Aug P upils Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Public Speaking. This time return to school with some very encouraging trends in exam it involved schools from Tayside and Central Scotland as Fri 18 Aug Year passes in the last exam diet. For example, well well as Fife and took place at Perth Sheriff Court. We assemblies S2-6 were up against Grove Academy from Broughty Ferry and Mon 21 Aug Edin- over half of our pupils enjoyed success in the McLaren High School from Callander … and KHS won again, burgh Book Festival progressing to the national semi Trip Higher exams by -final. The girls were both on Tues 22 — Thurs 24 the time they sparkling form at Perth and Aug House assem- gave passionate speeches about blies, Social Subjects reached Fifth ending the stigma of mental Sky Academy trip to Year and almost health. Many thanks to David Livingston (S2) on Torrance MSP, who put a motion Tues a quarter man- of congratulations to the Scot- Wed 23 Aug tish Parliament after the girls Kindrogan Geography aged five or had won the Fife final in March. Fieldwork Residential more Highers by Mon 28 Aug Year There was also a meeting of the assemblies this week Sixth Year. We "Friends of Kirkcaldy High Tues 29 Aug also had our School" that night at which a Friends of Kirkcaldy date was set for their fund rais- High School Meeting best ever pro- ing race night to be held in at 7pm school. Please keep Friday 3 Wed 30 Aug S3 gression rate to November free if you are inter- Jupiter Artland Trip a University ested, more details in due Fri 1 Sept Visit of course. Katie Rafferty, Direc- course. tor of “Respectme” Mon 4 Sept Kw ik Fit Kirkcaldy high School Prizewinners 2017 Week 2 Highlights, Trip, work experience However, excel- from 24 April at Broxburn During this week we had House Assemblies led by our Tues 5 — Thurs 7 lent schools, and we aspire always to be one, leavers from the Class of 2017. As always, it was Sept House Assem- an emotional experience and all were particularly moved blies are about much more than paper qualifica- by the lovely tributes paid to Gregor Smith, who passed Thurs 7 Sept UCAS tions. It’s about the “whole person” and their away, from meningitis, in 2013 and would have been part Parents’ Night (S6) of this leavers' group. Fri 8 Sept Social character. This, for me, is where we certainly Subjects trip to Sky do excel. At the Prizegiving a couple of weeks On the Tuesday evening, one of those leavers took centre Academy (S1) stage at the Dean Park Hotel. Well done to Ashley Da- Wed 13 Sept S1 ago, I offered a quote from Hugh McDiarmid, vidson (S6), who reported back to Kirkcaldy Rotary Club Numeracy – Growth on her recent "Euroscola" trip to the European Parliament Mindset Parents Night the Scots poet. I urged our leavers to be them- in Strasbourg, sponsored by the Club. It was a highly com- Thurs 14 Sept selves, and “mak’ that worth the bein’”. You’ll petitive process and Ashley’s presentation was very inter- “Yerma” Drama Trip esting and thoughtful. Mon 18 Sept Year find lots of evidence of that in our latest news- assemblies this week That evening, Ashley was also joined by Chloe McGlashan Wed 20 Sept For- letter. Best wishes for the summer break. and Kyle Dick (both S5), our successful RYLA Leadership dell Firs team building Camp candidates, who have won places on the Rotary's and outdoor experi- The Easter Break highly regarded Outward Bound course in the Cairngorms in July. They will report back to the Club in September. ence for S1 (Adam The main feature of the Easter Smith) Also attending were Rachel Cummings (S2) and Connor break was probably our netball Haining (S1), who gave an excellent talk about our Thurs 21 Sept For- training camp in Barcelona! Well dell Firs (Carlyle), "Interact" Group. done to Miss McIntosh, Miss “Clued Up” AGM, with Malcolm, Miss Ashby, Miss Rector as Guest On Wednesday we had a rather Mitchell and the 40 girls special hi-tech science input Speaker who enjoyed a great experi- Fri 22 Sept Fordell when large groups of young people ence, with a had the chance to undertake a Firs (Oswald), Future packed itinerary … and it Assets Business Con- "virtual reality" expedition to the was lots of fun too. Great Wall of China, Mount Everest ference in Edinburgh Mon 25 Sept S3 or even the Moon! Many thanks to Closer to home, it the Google VR educational team, Employability Week was satisfying to see such a Tues 26 — Thurs 28 who provided this brilliant oppor- good turnout for all our tunity. Sept House assem- study support classes in- blies with Chaplain cluding our regular On Thursday 27 April, we were Rev Ken Froude "Saturday School" sessions Wed 27 Sept particularly busy, with our S1 Girls' and "Easter School". This Netball Team involved in the Fife “Streetcar Named shows great commitment to Desire” Drama Trip tournament. Well done to Hannah learning and should pro- Payne, who was voted as the tour- Fri 29 Sept First duce positive outcomes Year Settling In Re- KHS Netball Training Camp in Barcelona nament's "fairest" player. It was when the SQA results come also the Junior UK Maths Challenge port Issued out in a few weeks. Tues 3 Oct S3 P ar- and we had a team competing in the Faraday Science ents’ Evening Competition at Glenrothes High School. Fri 6 Oct Dress First Week of the New Term Down Day for charity, We had Yeargroup Assemblies in the first week back. Ms The Friday was the last day in school for S4-6 before the Maths CSI “Court Mahr (RME) shared some really heart-warming stories from SQA exams. Study leave started after the May Day holiday. Case”. Holidays begin her volunteering trip to Rwanda and all were especially S6 finished up at lunchtime after picking up their year book Mon 22 Oct School impressed that the laddie who was top of his class (of 72 in the morning, adding their names to the traditional leav- returns after the pupils) was delighted to be presented with a Raith Rovers ers' mural, and shedding a tear or two at our farewell get break. strip which had been donated by a First Year here. together in the library. 1 Week from 1 May That week ended with another Friday 19 May was our annual Also on that Wednesday, 24 The SQA exams started right after primary liaison event ... our P7 Activities Day. All young people in May, it was good to welcome the Monday Holiday with Design Sports Day, with competing teams S1-3 had the opportunity to take Sarah Clark, the Commonwealth and Manufacture on the Tuesday, from Capshard, Fair Isle, Torbain part in a great range of trips; Games gold medallist and Europe- Spanish on Wednesday, Latin and and Valley. trampolining, snowboarding and an Champion judo player. Sarah Music on Thursday and Maths on ski-ing, crazy golf, white water was in school as part of a sports Friday. Candidates got off to a Week Beginning 15 May rafting, bowling and M and D’s mentoring programme sponsored good start and made full use of On Monday 15 May we had a vac- Theme Park near Motherwell. by Sky Sports. the "masterclass" arrangements cination catch up session for those Thanks to all the staff involved, which applied to the day before who were absent when the visiting the day was a great success. Along with fellow judo champion, each exam. NHS nurse team administered Sarah Adlington, she worked with HPV, polio and diphtheria jags Week 6 Highlights a group of KHS' budding champi- On the Wednesday evening, our recently. The week's SQA exams were Biol- ons of the future as part of U13 football team competed well ogy and Human Biology on Tues- the "Living for Sport" pro- in the Scottish Shield final played That week was also our S1-3 day, Health and Food Technology ject making a primary transition at Stenhousemuir FC. Unfortu- Health Week with a particular on Wednesday, Engineering Sci- video covering all the important focus on physi- ence on Thursday and Geography points around the High cal activity and last Friday. School, with an emphasis on mental sport, physical activity and wellbe- health. We On the Tuesday of that week, it ing. had S3 on was good to welcome the Primary Tuesday, S2 on 6 pupils from Capshard, Fair Isle, On the Thursday we hosted a Wednesday and Valley and Torbain for a themed primary cluster netball competi- S1 on Thurs- learning day.