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Duncanrig NewsOctober NewsletterThe first term of 2014/15 was marked by a sense of purpose and industry throughout our school. Pupils settled down into their routines and staff in departments were busy teaching and addressing their priorities for this session.All departments have been working to get the pupils settled and making progress in courses whilst taking forward their improvement plan targets. Pupil attainment and school ethos remain at the heart of the work of our staff.Our Parent Council met several times and we now have newly-elected office bearers and new members following our Parent Forum AGM.Our teams of Captains and the Pupil Council have also been busy; both working to improve the life of the school for our pupils.All this hard work from all our stakeholders underlines our philosophy of “Give all you can give” for Duncanrig. I wish to thank everyone for their continued contributions to the life of our school. As you read this edition of the newsletter you will see these collective efforts reflected in the successes and achievements of both pupils and staff.
George Wynne, Headteacher
Parent Council NewsAt our Parent Forum Annual General Meeting, held on Monday 15th September, the following office bearers were re-elected to our Parent Council:
Chair Mr Brian ForbesVice Chair Mr Andrew MacquireTreasurer Mrs Lesley Nicoll
Co-opted Teacher Members Mr Randall and Mr Collins
We welcome one new parent member in Mrs Valerie Martin
The next meeting of the School Board will be held on Monday 20th October. The minutes for all School Board meetings are available on our school website.
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Duncanrig NewsPupil Council
I am delighted to announce the appointment of the following pupils as representatives of their Register classes onto our Pupil Council for session 2014/2015.
1A1 – Euan Stirling 1A2 – Reece McAneny1B1 – Emily Brown1B2 – Cameron Weir1C1 – Karen Greer1C2 – Lewis McCann1D1 – Milllie Peckham1D2 – Lauren Stewart 1D3 – Lauren Stewart
2A1 – John Speir2A2 – Shon Steen2A3 –Andrew Hughes2B1 – Grant Airdrie 2B2 – Osama Moghrabi2B3 – Thomas Johnston2C1 – Heather Gildie 2C2 – Eleanor Hardy2D1 - Ross Gunning2D2 – Lewis Brown
3A1 – Samantha Scott3A2 – Robert Rintoul3B1 – Kirsten Docherty3B2 – David McNutt
3C1 – Patrick Provan3C2 – Cameron Brewster3C3 - Bryan Watson3D1 – Abbie McLuckie3D3 - Jay Lawrie
4A1 – Robert Griffiths4A2 – Simon Mukulumani4A3 – Kyle Still4B1 – Oisin Owens 4B2 – Lynsey Hamilton4B3 – Jay McKenna4C1 – Joe Llewellyn 4C2 – Thomas Cashel4D1 – Nicholas Savage4D2 – Liam Lawson
5A1 – Gordon Shields5A2 – Greg Hughes5B1 – Lucy Devlin5B2 – Lauren Jackson5C1 – Scott Joyce5C2 – John Knowles5C3 – Ross McColl5D1 – James Smith
5D2 – Danielle Hamill5D3 – Lewis Milligan
6A1 – Rachel Boyd6A2 – Clare Gowrie6B1 – Marc Riddell 6B2 – Connor Campbell6C1 – Ross Arthur6C2 – John Hardy6D1 – Christopher Scholes 6D2 – Ross Kirkpatrick
1CSB – Demi Thomson2CSB – Brad Dalglish3CSB – David Allen 4CSB – Aidan Murphy5/6CSB – Daniel McBride
Amy Jarvie 6D1– Leadership Group LiaisonPaul Nally 6C2 – Luwero Group Liaison
The Student Council has proposed that we support the following charities between August and December:
Wear it Pink Day (10th October) - Breast Cancer Awareness, Tartan Day (29th Nov 2014) – non-uniform day for Poppy Scotland and Help for Heroes, Nov/Dec 2014 – East Kilbride Food Bank donations,
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Duncanrig NewsElf Auction (December 2014) – Greenburn School and Yorkhill Hospital.
Luwero Group departs for UgandaAs you may be aware, a group of our senior pupils, accompanied by Mr Randall have left for Luwero. They will spend 2 weeks in Uganda lending support to the work being done at the Luwero Community Project by Gabriel Kijjambu and his team.The group would like to express their thanks to all staff and pupils for their support in raising funds to offset some of the cost of the trip and to make a contribution to the Project.
When they return from Uganda they will be making a number of presentations to pupils and staff to let them know about their experiences there and giving everyone an update on the progress being made at Luwero. An article will appear in the next edition of this newsletter.
Parent Council Clothes Bank
Parents may not be aware that we have set up our own clothes bank. The bank is the brainchild of our Parent Council and sits at the front of our school on the path down to Duncanrig Sports Centre. The Parent Council has taken forward this initiative to raise funds for school activities. It is hoped to raise a four-figure sum each year to pay for extra-curricular equipment and transport costs for pupils representing our school in competitions and to help fund the costs of educational visits.
Please support this venture by depositing old clothes in the bank whenever you can. Your support will be greatly appreciated and help us support the huge range of activities that our pupils are able to take advantage of. I remember making the first deposit having “pruned” the wardrobes of my 4 children. Please dare to venture into the wardrobes and drawers of your children and fill some bags – it means less washing and ironing!
Business Partnership – Mentholatum LtdEarlier this session we received a donation of £1,000 and were invited to be an education partner of local firm Mentholatum Ltd. Mentholatum are located in Peel Park and have a global presence in the manufacture and supply of high quality healthcare products. We look forward to working with them to show the application of the subjects studied at school in the worlds of science, manufacture and commerce.
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Duncanrig NewsSenior PrizegivingSenior Prizegiving
On Tuesday 16th September we celebrated the achievements of our S4 – S6 pupils from last session through our Senior Prizegiving. The evening also gave us the opportunity to recognise some of our S3 pupils whose achievements came too late for the Junior Prizegiving in June.
We recognised the success of pupils across a huge range of activities including academic attainment, sporting success, musical success and contributions to the school and wider community as outstanding citizens. Our prizes were awarded by our special guest, Mrs Lynn Sherry, Head of Education. Highlights of the event are shown over the next 2 pages.
Clockwise from top left:
School Captains Payam Givaki and Alexandra Perrie delivering their speech.
Outstanding Contributors:Kirsty McDonald?, Andrew Pirie, Morgan Perrie and Cara Long.
Musical input from Fraser Gray and Emma Clark.
Solo Performance from
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Duncanrig NewsSenior PrizegivingSenior Prizegiving
Some of our S4 Outstanding Attainment
winners
Dux Abigail Dornan, joint Proxime
Accesits Kirsty Purden and Cara Long
School Dux and Gold Medal winner
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PE KitApproved PE Kit can be purchased from Corston Sinclair Ltd, College Milton, EK.
Duncanrig NewsAbigail Dornan
School of Football
Duncanrig Secondary School in partnership with Active Schools and the Scottish Football Association (SFA) has launched a School of Football for selected first year pupils.
School of Football is a project developed by the SFA and is about more than just the playing ability of the pupils; it aims to develop their football skills alongside their academic abilities and social skills. The pupils follow an enhanced timetable where they have a period of football every day. Three of the periods are at the end of the school day and 2 within the school day. Applications were invited from P7 pupils in our associated primary schools and 15 pupils were selected based not only on their playing ability but also on their academic achievements and the effort they put in to their school work.
Coaches Rudi McKenna and Dave McKenna from East Kilbride Football club are valuable supporters of the project and work with the pupils 5 days per week. Garry Hay, Player and Coach Development Manager for the SFA has worked with both coaches to support them and provide them with all the necessary knowledge, materials and resources to run the School of Football.
Duncanrig has been lucky to secure 2 sponsorship deals for School of Football from Arnold Clark Toyota and ‘EK, East Kilbride’. Their support has allowed the
Congratulations to our U16s and S1/2 rugby teams who emerged victorious at the annual Duncanrig Rugby Festival. They defeated teams from Calderglen HS, Cathkin HS and Lenzie Academy to lift The Spie Trophy (U16s) and The Kaiser Cup (S1/2s)
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Duncanrig Newspupils to receive top of the range training kit and equipment. Duncanrig would like to thank both sponsors for their valuable support.
Attention All Parents/Carers! Homework Club Update
Our Homework Club is now well established and all pupils are encouraged to take advantage of it. The club runs every week from
Monday to Thursday for an hour after school. It is run by S6 pupils and is for all pupils, not just those having problems with homework.
If your child would like a place to go to at the end of the school day to study, revise or just complete homework in peace then please
encourage him/her to come along to the School Library.
Not all the pupils seem to have tuned in to the message that the homework club is for all pupils and this notice is to alert parents and
carers to the existence of the club and the potential it offers for pupils who would appreciate somewhere to go to revise, study or complete homework. It is open to all pupils but has particular importance to S1 pupils to develop good study habits at high school and to S4 and S5
pupils as they progress through national certificate courses.
Chaplaincy in Duncanrig Secondary School
There is a long tradition in non-denominational schools of chaplaincy (either an individual or a team) providing support for pupils, staff and parents/carers without reference to whether not they are people of faith, as well as a link to the community of which the school is part. South Lanarkshire Council recommends that there is a written chaplaincy agreement for all of its schools.
The model for chaplaincy within Duncanrig Secondary School is that of team chaplaincy with the team being both ecumenical and interfaith. Duncanrig Secondary School reaches out to all of the faith partners within our community to help support the moral and spiritual development of our youngsters. South Lanarkshire Council’s guidance recognises and welcomes diversity and promotes respectful understanding.
Details of our Chaplaincy Agreement can be found in the Useful Documents section of the school website.
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Duncanrig NewsPresentation of cheque to MND Scotland
We were delighted to be able to present a cheque for £300 to MND Scotland to support research into the prevention of motor neuron disease in Scotland. MND representative Mr McWhirter is shown here receiving the cheque from Mr Wynne and the Leadership pupils who took part in the Ice Bucket Challenge that was sponsored by S1 pupils and members of staff.
The Referendum
Regardless of your views of the outcome of the recent Referendum it was clear that the pupils of Duncanrig were very engaged in the discussions leading up to the event. Awareness within our school was very high and pupils were happy to share their views with anyone who would listen and were equally happy to listen to the arguments of others as they prepared to exercise their first vote.
Below you can see a selection of our first-time voters and the group of pupils who attended The Big Debate at the 02 Arena in Glasgow in the run up to the Referendum.
First Time Voters
Pupils attending the Big Debate
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Duncanrig News Pupil Success: Young Artists
In May last session the Department of Art & Design took a bus-load of enthusiastic S1 to S3 artists to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum to participate in the 110th Glasgow Museums Annual Art Competition. In this prestigious competition qualifying work must be produced on the premises of one of Glasgow's many fine museums, within a 3 hour sitting, and must be inspired by a museum artefact or exhibit.
On September 10th we were contacted and asked to notify one particular young artist, Gabrielle McGowan, that she had been awarded a coveted Gold Medal, for her powerful drawing of a dinosaur skeleton: a simple but elegant tonal interpretation of the skull and upper vertebrae. Jade Hand was also successful, winning a certificate of commendation.The icing on the cake for Gabrielle was the Award Ceremony in Kelvingrove Art Gallery, hosted by Glasgow Museum when she received her medal and enjoyed the reception that followed with her invited guests, along with the other winners from schools across Scotland. Glasgow Museums marked their 110th year by launching their first on-line Award Winners Gallery. Click the link below to view this year’s award winning artworks.http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/artcomp/Pages/imagegallery.aspx?folder=GoldGabrielle's piece will be exhibited in the school in the near future, along with the other commended Duncanrig entries.
International Day of LanguagesOur Modern Languages Department recently led our school in celebration of the International Day of Languages. Various members of staff were videoed speaking a range of over 30 languages emphasizing our school motto “Together we are Duncanrig”. They issued all junior pupils with an International Day of Languages passport to allow them to shop at the multicultural café that ran during the morning interval and lunchtime.
As a result of the activities of the department we now have 3 new posters on display in the Street area with versions of the school motto in French, German and Spanish.
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Visit our school website and add yourself to our mailing list if you wish to receive updates and notifications by email.
www.duncanrig.s-lanark.sch.uk
Duncanrig News
Dates to RememberP7 Open EveningMonday 3rd NovemberS4 Tracking Report #2 Friday 6th NovemberS5/6 Tracking Report #2 Friday 21st NovemberS1 Parents EveningMonday 24th NovemberS2 Interim Report Friday 4th December
S5/6 Parents EveningMonday 8th December Scotland Week w/b Monday 24th November S4 PrelimsMonday 8th – Monday 15th DecemberChristmas BreakFriday 19th December – school closes at 2:30 pm
Staff NewsMrs Evelyn Ritchie, our much respected Principal Teacher of Home Economics has retired after many years of service to our school. All at Duncanrig wish her a long and happy retirement. Mr Paul Hollinger was appointed to the post of Principal Teacher of Home Economics for the remainder of this school year.
Plea to Parents from the ladies in our School Office
Could you please ensure that you notify us when you change email addresses and mobile telephone numbers? Some of our communications to parents are “bouncing back” because house and mobile numbers and/or email addresses are no longer valid.