PACAD is the name of Perth Academy's Parent Newsletter.
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pacad Perth Academy is looking forward to welcoming an inspection team from HMIe to the school on 1st of March. This will be the first time the school has undergone the new inspection process and we are looking forward to showing the Inspectorate where the Perth Academy is in relation to its Journey to Excellence. HMIe Professor Iain Stewart (call me 'Iain'), star of BBC's How Earth Made Us, took time out of his incredibly busy schedule to visit Perth Academy to talk about The Culture of Catastrophe. In an entertaining and informative talk Iain introduced Standard Grade, Int 2 and Advanced Higher pupils to the conflict between peoples' desire to live in areas of geological danger and the risks associated with doing so. As well as his immense knowledge, he shared some thoughts on the importance of Geography as a subject for study, and admitted that he is becoming more interested in Human Geography as he continues his studies. He was incredibly accommodating and down-to-earth and it is just a shame that he works so far from Perth as we would love to have him back at the school... mind you, I suspect there may be a few more applications to study at the University of Plymouth as a result of the visit! FEBRUARY 2010 Iain Stewart: Geography Masterclass
Transcript
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Perth Academy is looking forward to welcoming an inspection team from HMIe to the school on 1st of March.This will be the first time the school has undergone the new inspection process and we are looking forward to showing the Inspectorate where the Perth Academy is in relation to its Journey to Excellence.
HMIe
Professor Iain Stewart (call me 'Iain'), star of BBC's How Earth Made Us, took time out of his incredibly busy schedule to visit Perth Academy to talk about The Culture of Catastrophe. In an entertaining and informative talk Iain introduced Standard Grade, Int 2 and Advanced Higher pupils to the conflict between peoples' desire to live in areas of geological danger and the risks associated with doing so.
As well as his immense knowledge, he shared some thoughts on the importance of Geography as a subject for study, and admitted that he is becoming more interested in Human Geography as he continues his studies.
He was incredibly accommodating and down-to-earth and it is just a shame that he works so far from Perth as we would love to have him back at the school... mind you, I suspect there may be a few more applications to study at the University of Plymouth as a result of the visit!
FEBR
UA
RY 2
010
Iain Stewart: Geography Masterclass
As we are all aware charities the world over support and aid individuals, groups or countries, provide facilities to make people’s lives better, support opportunities for development or indeed conduct vital research into cures for our most life-threatening conditions.
As healthy, fit human beings it is essential we realise how difficult it may be for others around us to cope or indeed survive from day to day as we do. Historically Perth Academy pupils have been involved in helping others and working with charities. Way back in 1900 a hospital bed was maintained for injured soldiers in the South African War by the £210 they raised. The plaque that marks this is in the corridor outside the school office. Last session a group of charities received a total of over £3500 raised by Perth Academy pupils with both national and local charities being supported such as Bravehearts, CHAS and Children in Need.
We have this year asked the charities team to research and select a number of charities to raise funds for. The team has selected an international school charity and a local inter-school charity that they will work with the other schools to raise money for. Those proposed are Wateraid and Cornhill Hospice. They then will have a number of house charities with each house championing their charity by organising various events throughout the year.
Atholl House pupils are raising money for Children 1st; Birnam are raising money for Homestart; and Clunie have chosen to raise money for Bravehearts and MND Scotland.
We realise that our young people give as much as they can and in this way set a very good example as caring individuals who will become charitable in their adult outlook on life.
Are you ready and willing to be involved or to make a contribution to these charities as Perth Academy pupils? You can make a difference to someone else’s life!
You can find more details of the charities chosen by our young people by visiting the following websites;
Just as we went to press we learned that Perth Academy has been making the news in a big way!The latest edition of the Times Educational Supplement Scotland (26/2/10) is carrying a feature on the excellent and innovative work the school has been doing to recognise wider pupil achievements, while BBC Scotland’s Learning Blog highlights how a whole school Fairtrade project being lead by a group of S6 computing pupils is “…inclusive, progressive and perhaps most importantly, fun.” (See page 7 for more details on the Fairtrade project)
Hold The Press!
Partnership Working
The 2010 Perth Academy Battlefields Trip is fast approaching. Lead by Mr Winton, 43 of our S3 pupils will be setting off on March 19th to visit the Somme, Vimy and Ypres to name but a few.
As well as the battlefields, the group will also be visiting a number of museums, walking through preserved trenches, and taking in a tour of the tunnels under Vimy Ridge.
The trip culminates in the school’s participation in the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate.
You can get more information at the trip blog:
http://pabattlefields.wordpress.com
Thirty S2 Business Awareness pupils took part in a ‘Bringing Insurance to Life’ event at Aviva Headquarters. Pupils spent the day at Aviva learning about the business, touring different departments and were challenged with the task of presenting a marketing campaign for a recruitment drive.Some comments from the participants included:“Great fun”. “A good learning experience”. “Learned a lot”. And the cryptic: “Very good... but cheese and pickle are not everyone’s favourite!”
STOCK MARKET CHALLENGECongratulations to S3 Accounting pupils Christopher Hill, Christopher MacDonald, Calum McEwen, Jack Stewart and Callen Young who took part in the national competition in Dundee. The team performed brilliantly and was placed in the top 10. Well done.
“I enjoyed it, it was good fun and would do it again”. “Showed how important it was to work as a team”.“It was fun and was a great experience to be involved with, I would do it again”.“Great day, fun as well”. “Do it again any day”.
Mrs Hood, PT Business Education
Stock Market Challenge
PEER EDUCATION PROJECTFollowing on from the completion of last year’s Peer Education project on Tobacco and Safer Choices a presentation event was h e l d i n t h e F a i r fi e l d Neighbourhood Centre on Monday 8th February.
The following pupils who gained a Dynamic Youth A w a r d f r o m t h e i r i nvo l vemen t w i t h t h e project were presented with their certificates.
MUSICAL NOTESCONGRATULATIONS to Joe Norris who reached the final 5 for Woodwind entries for BBC Young Musician of the Year. He was filmed in and around school by the BBC as part of the back story for the programme.
Monday Senior Singers: In our performance at Princes Square at the end of last term, we raised £165 for Hansel Village in Ayrshire with a 45 minute sing and some can collectors. Great work!
45 of our S3-6 pupils took a trip to the Edinburgh Playhouse to see "We Will Rock You". It was phenomenal!! All staff and pupils had a great time.
Our Christmas Concert on the 16th December was a roaring success!! We were bursting out of St. John's Kirk. The Wind Band, Orchestra, String Orchestra, Brass Band, Junior Choir, Junior Class Ensemble, Senior Choir, Pipe Band, Percussion Group, Chamber Groups and Readers provided a great feast for the ears on a cold winter's night! A great job by all.
This term, we are gearing up for final Performance Exams and many of our talented pupils will be competing at the "Perform in Perth" Festival. Good luck to all!!
Miss Pollock, PT Music
BUSINESS DYNAMICS DAY90 third year Business Education and Computing pupils took part in a highly successful Business Dynamics Day organised by Colin Campbell from Enterprise Education Trust. The programme focussed on the core skills of Problem Solving, Communication and Working with Others.Pupil comments on the experience included: “The day helped me understand how much core skills are needed”. “I like working with people that I don’t normally work with”.
“The day has made me more confident”.Mrs Hood - PT Business Education
The National Youth Orchestra of ScotlandThe National Youth Orchestra of Scotland was founded in 1979 under the leadership of John Pack CBE, and has two concert seasons every year. During the summer, NYOS rehearses for a week at Merchiston Castle School, before undertaking a major tour. I was lucky enough t o b e a c c e p t e d t o t h e 2008/2009 winter course and more importantly the 2009 summer course ‑ a tour of Poland and The Netherlands lasting two weeks! In the winter, we have a similar week of rehearsals at Strathallan School, although we only play two concerts. This year ' s win ter course was conducted by Christopher Adey ‑ a distinguished conductor who has worked with high‑class professional ensembles such as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
I enjoyed a very snowy and cold week of rehearsals, rounded off with a New Year's Cei l idh and two fabulous concerts ‑ the second being given the rare merit of five stars from Michael Tumelty! The 2009/2010 winter course has been my third course with NYOS, and I have enjoyed each of them with fellow pupil Joe Norris.
Andrew Forbes S6
Andrew warms up at St John’s Kirk
PACAD NEEDS YOU!We’ve had a lot of very positive feedback about the overhaul to the newsletter… and we aim to make it better yet.If you have any suggestions for items or features that will make ‘pacad’ even better, please email us at:
BRONZEExpedition training is now well underway with classes taking place every Wednesday after school. 25 S3 participants are getting ready for their first expedition on 15th/16th May.
SILVER19 participants from S4 have signed up to take on the challenge of the Silver Award and will begin preparing for expeditions later this month. Silver expeditions this year will take place in June and September.
GOLD18 participants from S5 have signed up for Gold – the largest number for a long time. The training expeditions will take place over the first bank holiday weekend in May and the qualifying expeditions will take place in June after the exams.
GOLD FINISHERSS6 participants completing their Award before the middle of March will be invited to attend this year’s presentation at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The date for this year’s presentation is Friday the 16th of July.
VOLUNTEERSWe are always on the look out for extra adult volunteers to help supervise expeditions (parents and teachers). If you would like to find out more about helping out please contact Mr Barlow.
Third and fourth year pupils from Business Education and Maths spent an activity based day learning about the value of managing
money. The activities included budgeting, debt management and organizing a gig for 16 year olds. The programme was organised by Colin Campbell from Enterprise Education Trust and funded by Gannochy Trust.
Pupil comments –
“I now understand more about what my future with money will be like than I did before”.“I came out of my comfort zone for this course as I usually would not talk in front of a big group of people, but it was good”.“It was competitive yet fun and interesting”.
STUDY SUPPORT TIMETABLE FOR SQA EXAMINATIONSAs in previous years, the school will be offering a number of study support
sessions in the run up to the SQA Examinations. Full details of these will be available in school and on the school website as soon as they are finalised.
FAIRTRADE CROSS-CURRICULAR PROJECTAs you read this newsletter, S2 pupils are learning about aspects of Fairtrade in a whole range of subjects right across the school: French, Modern Studies, Home Economics, Geography, Business Awareness, Computing, Technology, and Art. This is the second year that the project has run in the Academy, and it is developing and expanding each year.
Activities range widely: boardgames and campaigning in French, cake design in HE with cake packaging design in Technology, designing posters based on West African motifs in
Art, learning about international trade in Business Awareness and Geography.
Other yeargroups are also involved as tutors. S3 pupils are designing a presentation to teach S2 pupils about Fairtrade in Modern Studies and also organising The Chocolate Test (a popular activity!). In Computing, S6 pupils have designed games and animation programmes which S2 pupils will play and develop - all in French.
Pupil reactions to the project were very positive last year, and one pupil reported that her greatest achievement was getting her parents to buy Fairtrade products, so check your shopping lists and watch out for the impact of the project going well beyond the walls of the Academy!
Mrs FranzPT Modern Languages
datesThere are a number of important forthcoming dates for your diary. These are just a few highlights from the forthcoming months and you should check with your child or the school if you are unsure about any dates.
march april maydatesThere are a number of important forthcoming dates for your diary. These are just a few highlights from the forthcoming months and you should check with your child or the school if you are unsure about any dates.
1HMIe arrive to carry out an Inspection
1S3 Examinations concludeLast day of term - 3:30 finish
3May Day holiday
datesThere are a number of important forthcoming dates for your diary. These are just a few highlights from the forthcoming months and you should check with your child or the school if you are unsure about any dates.
4S4/5 Parent Information Evening
21Pupils return from Easter breakNB: PLEASE NOTE that an extra in-service day is arranged for Tuesday 20th April
datesThere are a number of important forthcoming dates for your diary. These are just a few highlights from the forthcoming months and you should check with your child or the school if you are unsure about any dates.
29S3 examinations commence
28SQA Examinations commence
!
First Class PiperSome of our musicians are performing very well through Scottish Music Competitions. Congratulations to Laura Oswald (S3) for coming first in her class with Scottish Pipes and also to Alex Stewart (S1) for his recent Accordion work.
Calling All Budding ReportersAre you interested in helping us write news reports for Pacad? We are looking to have some new writers to help bring us all the news around the school.If you think you can help, please speak to Mr Winton or email us at:
UES PUPILS… YOU'RE NICKED! Pupils participating in the Uniformed and Emergency Services Course visited Barrack Street Police Station last term to find out more about the roles and responsibilities of the Police Force. PC Turner escorted us around the station showing us behind the scenes.
We were shown the holding area where criminals are kept when they arrive at the station. PC Turner showed us the desk where the people have to hand over all their possessions and we even spent some time in a cell which was a daunting experience!
As part of the visit we were taken into the CCTV Room and everyone was allowed to try out manoeuvring one of the cameras in the city centre. It was very tricky but lots of fun! We were also shown the Control Room and the Sergeant explained what her role was when dealing with 999 calls.
The trip was excellent and we all learned a lot about behind the scenes of a Police Station.
Mrs Dwyer
FRENCH FOOD-TASTING FOR S2 PUPILSThe Modern Languages department provided a French buffet for S2 pupils last week, with a backdrop of a French film and a slideshow. Olives, blue cheese, pains au chocolat, cornichons, goat's cheese and various other delicacies were on offer, and it was good to see pupils trying out unfamiliar foods and even enjoying them! The experience fits in well not only with a module of study on food and eating habits, but also with the Fairtrade project which is now under way.
Mrs FranzPT Modern Languages
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EXTRA-CURRICULAR SPORTS PROGRAMMEA recent survey of the extra-curriculum programme revealed that a good percentage of the school population has taken part in the programme at some point since the start of the school year. The challenge now is to retain these pupils’ interest i n p hy s i c a l a c t i v i t y a n d encourage those that are not participating. A reminder of the activities on offer include: netball, basketball, football, rugby, hockey, gymnastics, badminton, table tennis, karate and dance.
The programme is run by volunteers. These include staff, pupils, coaches and parents. In order to sustain and develop the programme, we need more volunteers. There are a variety of roles available for volunteers such as:
Assisting with sessionsDelivering sessionsSupervising during games
and matches (home and away)Helping with administration
Training, funding for courses and support are offered to all volunteers. Please contact me if you have some free time and are interested in
volunteering. We are especially keen to attract volunteers for activities we currently do not offer.
SUCCESSFUL SWIMMERSCamilla Hattersley and Stephen MilneBritish Gas Swim Wales New Year Dragon Meet, 8 to 10 January 2010Although the weather did its best to be unhelpful on the long journey there and back, and facing stiff competition from swimmers from clubs across England and Wales, both Camilla and Stephen put in maximum effort in all their races, especially the all-important distance events. It is a great pity that they had to travel so far to be able to participate in suitable qualifying Level 1 50m Championships, but the results certainly justify their resolve.
Camilla was second overall in the 400m individual medley, winning gold in the Youth Section and achieving a qualifying time for the British Gas ASA Youth Championships this August. In the Women’s 1500m freestyle, the penultimate event on Sunday evening, she also achieved a qualifying time and took the Youth bronze.
Stephen achieved ASA Youth Championship qualifying times for the 200m backstroke, 800m freestyle, and 1500m freestyle: his time in the 1500m also giving him a qualifying time for the British Championships at Sheffield in March – the principal reason for the trip. He won gold in the 200m backstroke and 1500m freestyle, silver in the 800m freestyle and 400m freestyle, and bronze in the 100m backstroke.
Scottish National Short Course Swimming Championships, Glasgow, 15 to 17 January 2010In the 15 and under age group Stephen won gold in the 400m freestyle; bronze in the 100m individual medley; gold in the 1500m freestyle and bronze in the 400m individual medley.
In the Men’s Open events, Stephen progressed to the B finals in both the 100m backstroke and the 200m freestyle, and was
Scottish Junior Champion in the 200m freestyle.
FOOTBALLCongratulations to Rebecca Foote [S1] who was part of Mr. Mylchreest's S.S.F.A. U-15 East of Scotland football squad. Rebecca has been a regular starter for this squad which recently won the S.S.F.A. National
Inter-Regional competition defeating the West of Scotland in the final at Toryglen, Glasgow.
Rebecca's performance is all the more noteworthy as she will still be young enough to play for the Squad for
a further two years. Well done!Mr MylchreestPT Technology
You can download the full colour version of this newsletter from the school website:
www.perthacademy.net
The 50th Anniversay Perth Academy 7s will take place on Wednesday 31 March, commencing at 11am and finishing around 3pm. Twelve schools will compete for this prestigious trophy. Many players who have played in this tournament have gone on to have illustrious rugby careers,including some who have achieved international honours. To mark the occasion, a Former Pupils' lunch will be held in the school on the day of the tournament. All former pupils of Perth Academy are warmly invited to attend. The cost is likely to be around £15.
If you would like to attend the lunch please email the school at the following address:[email protected] or phone the school office on 01738 458000 giving your name, addressand the years you attended Perth Academy. Please get your details to usby Friday March 12 at the latest. We will email or write to you to confirm final details in the week before the event.We look forward to seeing you.
