Well, March is certainly marching on and we are not far off the Easter holidays. Our Seniors are very focused on the last few weeks of intense preparation for their exams and I would ask parents/carers to encourage them to use the Easter holidays to their advantage (as well as having some down time to recharge batteries of course). All the final hours of preparation will pay off. The Leavers’ Ceremony will take place on Wednesday 24 April with a breakfast (kindly funded by our local branch of Tesco), a Quiz, signing of t-shirts/shirts and speeches. Staff will all then come to the hall to shake hands with our leavers as they venture forth. This ceremony will end at midday to allow pupils to study in the afternoon as a number of pupils have an exam on Thursday 25 April.
Staffing
We are currently advertising for a full time teacher and an ASN Auxiliary for Meadowpark.
Tesco Bags of Help Scheme to support Knox Academy's Activities Week.
Please vote for us! Voting will take place between Wednesday 1 May 2019 to Sunday 30 June 2019. As I am sure many of you know, Knox Academy Activities Week provides pupils with access to a whole range of different extra-curricular activities. The aim of the week is to allow pupils in S1-S3 to gain important skills that in turn allow them to become successful, valuable and responsible members of their community. Experiences in the past have included a huge variety of different activities such as cooking, mindfulness, mountain biking, sailing, build a band, cultural excursions and arts/crafts. Pupils are able to gain life skills, independence, resilience, accountability, all while having fun.
I cannot put it into words the difference these experiences make to our pupils, the only issue is that for some of them it is no longer an option to take part due to financial restrictions, however, thanks to various funding opportunities from members of our local and wider community, Knox Academy is breaking down this barrier! (by H McBride)
Drama
Congratulations to the National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher performers who presented to the SQA examiners over the course of the last week after months of work. Now to focusing our ambition on completing the best written papers in the exams on Thursday 23 May! (by E Whitfield)
Scottish Youth Parliament
Angus Langlands, S5 attended SYP68 as a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament. This was his final attendance representing East Lothian, so a very important day for him. As part of his membership Angus was an active member of the Sports and Leisure Committee and during his time on it the committee tabled a motion to promote Equal Opportunities in Sport, regardless of ability and income. His experience of inclusion in local sport meant that he had a great deal of personal knowledge which he used during his presentation of this motion. I am pleased to say that the motion was successfully carried forward and it was a fitting end to Angus' two years as an MSYP. It has been a pleasure to support Angus during his time at SYP and he has gained a great deal of confidence from this opportunity. (by Karen Fraser)
House and Achievement Ties
After the voting closed last Friday, the following ties have been selected: House Tie B won (this is the House colour in the narrow band – Red for Traprain, Yellow for Lammerlaw and Green for Garleton) and Achievement Ties A1/A2 won by over 150 votes over Achievement Tie C (please follow the link for pictures). Thank you to everyone who voted. The criteria for being awarded an Achievement Tie will be shared soon with pupils, staff, parents/carers and community partners Achievement ties are not linked to attainment but will be awarded to pupils who have shown a high level of commitment and endeavour in an activity over a sustained period of time. It will recognise commitment in areas such as sport, arts, enterprise and citizenship and pupils can be nominated for an Achievement tie by staff, pupils, parents/carers, coaches and community partners. Our approach to the recognition of achievement arose from a recent pupil survey that asked us to be better at recognising their achievements both in and out of school and it also fits with our value of ‘community.’
Aubigny Scholarship
Congratulations to Isla Booth, who has been awarded the Aubigny scholarship. This means Isla will spend a month in Aubigny in the summer, living with a host family and participating in a work experience. What a fantastic opportunity and I am sure her French speaking skills will also benefit hugely from this fantastic opportunity.
Knox Academy PTA
Please support the PTA in raising funds for Knox Academy by joining the 100 club. For as little as £3 per month you could be in with a chance of winning £50. It is very easy to sign up for. Please contact the PTA to do so. Thank you! (by PTA)
Library
As you may be aware Mr Plain has now left to become the librarian at Wallyford Primary School. We have appointed a Librarian who will start with us at the beginning of May but at present we do not have cover for our Library but are working closely with Library Services to try and get this in place as soon as possible. Classes can still visit the Library with teachers but we are aware that seniors do use this area as a study resource. I have asked that staff across the school be as flexible as they can in supporting our seniors with access to computers at this time should they require them.
Scottish Swimming Championships
We have four pupils away this week competing in these championships - Aidan Ballantyne will compete in 8 events (breaststroke/butterfly/freestyle and individual medleys); Louisa Stoddart will compete in 10 events (breaststroke/butterfly/freestyle and individual medleys); Owen Williamson in 7 events (backstroke, butterfly and freestyle) and Lauren Clark in 2 events, the 200m and 100m butterfly. The dedication to their training and school work is commendable and all in the Knox Academy community would like to wish them the best of luck in their performances and we look forward to hearing how they all get on.
Dates for your Diary:
Thursday 28 March - Spring Music Concert – 7pm- School Hall
Friday 5 April - School finishes at 12.05 for Easter Holidays
Tuesday 23 April - All resume
Wednesday 24 April - Leavers’ Ceremony (pupils only who are in S4/S5/S6 and are leaving this session) – midday finish
Thursday 25 April - SQA Exam leaves starts and the first SQA exam takes place
Monday 6 May - School holiday (all)
Tuesday 14 May - Parent Council 6.15pm – Library