Thursday 28 February 2013

France and Belgium trip

To raise funds for the France and Belgium trip Miss Steele in the Social Subjects Department will be hiring a bouncy castle for a Bounce-a-thon! Pupils going on the trip have been asked to collect sponsor money; however pupils who are not going on the trip can still join in at a charge of £1.50. The Bounce-a-thon will take place throughout the day on Friday 15th March in the Gym; staff are more than welcome to come along for a bounce! The more the merrier! See Miss Steele for more details.

Glasgow School of Art Students

Two students from the Glasgow School of Art will be coming into the Art and Design department for a two day placement. The two second year students are currently studying Product Design and will be working with S1-S3 pupils in March.

Mentors in Violence Prevention

Doon is in the second group of Scottish schools to be trained to develop the skills of pupils, parents, staff and community workers in reducing violent behaviours. So far, pupils, teachers, administrative and janitorial staff (10 in all) have had intensive training and 15 senior pupils have now joined the programme. A programme of training for mentors has been prepared for delivery over the next 7 months. The first of these trainings will take place on Thursday 7 March. This will be delivered by the MVP group which consists of representatives from Community Learning and Development, Barnardos, the Police, Women’s Aid and Education Scotland. Footballers from Ayr United have pledged their support for event to raise awareness of the programme with its target audience.

Mardi Gras

The Modern Languages department is having their annual Mardi Gras celebration for S1 pupils on the afternoon of Wednesday 13 march 2013. This will be a fun filled afternoon of music, Mardi masks, dance and chocolate crepes!

Monday 25 February 2013

Business Management Revision Conference

A Pupil Revision Conference run by AOK Learning is available for Higher Business Management pupils during the Easter holidays. This will be held on the afternoon of the 3rd of April in Glasgow Caledonian University. The session will focus on exam preparation and pupils will be given an insight into what the marker is looking for to allow pupils to boost their grade. The cost of the session is £9 per pupil and further information is available from Mrs Allen.

Mentors in Violence Prevention

Doon is in the second group of Scottish schools to be trained to develop the skills of pupils, parents, staff and community workers in reducing violent behaviours. So far, pupils, teachers, administrative and janitorial staff (10 in all) have had intensive training and 15 senior pupils have now joined the programme. A programme of training events for mentors has been prepared for delivery over the next 7 months.

The first of these trainings, for school staff and others, will take place on Thursday 7 March. This will be delivered by the MVP group which consists of pupils and staff of Doon Academy and staff members from Community Learning and Development, Barnardos, the Police, Women’s Aid, Education Scotland and other bodies. Footballers from Ayr United have expressed their support in raising awareness of the programme with its target audience.

Annual Burns Supper on Thursday 7 February

A new team of behind-the-scenes organisers delivered another fantastic annual Burns Supper. Guests included our local councillors, parents, education service staff and other friends of the school who have become weel kent faces. The talents of our pupils found an appreciative audience. We were entertained by dancers, singers, instrumentalists and speakers of the highest standard.

Robbie Uriarte was welcoming and humorous as MC for the evening. Lauren Shaw, Hayley Bone and Frazer Buchanan were witty and accomplished speakers – Frazer was also our piper. Daniel Dutton addressed the Haggis and Raegan Heggie delivered the “The Immortal Memory”. “Ae fond kiss” and “Caledonia” were beautifully sung by Paige McMahon and Nicky Fairbairn, and Fiona Kennedy’s cornet playing of “Ye Banks and Braes” was another treat. Mr Sullivan’s piano accompaniment to the girls was lovely.

 Another highlight was the Doon Dancers’ (Paige McMahon, again, Stephanie McMahon, Olivia Hiddleston, and Tyler Hiddleston) modern take on the theme from “Last of the Mohicans”. Mr Wilson’s version of “Tam O’ Shanter” is rightly famed and he was in fine form again.

We also enjoyed great food provided by our canteen staff and served by an efficient team of junior pupils. Pupils’ Burns-themed art works decorated the hall.

The vote of thanks was made by Mr Jack Paterson, returning to one of the places he recently graced, and special thanks were made to Mrs McLay, Mrs Reid and Mr Wilson, and their small army of helpers.

Performers and guests.

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Dance Fest

On Tuesday 5th February, five talented dancers from Doon Academy attended the annual East Ayrshire Dance Fest at the Grand Hall in Kilmarnock. Shania Brown, Caitlyn Steele, Lauren Ferguson, Chloe Chalmers and Cheryl Allison had the honour of performing first in the show which added extra pressure on the girls.
The girls rose to the challenge and showed that even with pressure; they were able to perform to a very high standard. Dancing to a mash up of songs including Boom Boom Pow, Gangnam Style, Beautiful Monster and Run the World, the girls showed that Doon Academy has a real flair for dance.

They excelled in their performance with many teachers and pupils from bigger schools commenting on how good they were at rehearsals. After a lengthy dress rehearsal, the girls had time for a quick dinner before getting their costumes and hair and make up ready for the show.

The Grand Hall was packed with parents and teachers and with professional lights and sound, the girls felt like they were on Broadway! The show was a resounding success and everyone agreed it was the best year yet.

A special mention to Shania Brown and Caitlynne Steele who taught P5/6 from Dalmellington Primary the dance they performed on the evening. Not only are these girls fantastic dancers, they a clearly great teachers too!

Well done to everyone involved.

Fruit Day

On Wednesday 6th February, Doon Academy celebrated all things fruit by taking part in Fruit Day! Tesco provided one piece of fruit to all pupils during morning interval. Alongside apples, pears and oranges, the fruit available included passion fruit, every kind of melon, pink grapefruit, blood oranges, a variety of berries, sharon fruit, kiwis and mangoes.

 Pupils tried many fruits that they had never heard of before. All pupils agreed that the different fruits tasted delicious. It was wonderful to see a full dinner hall of pupils eating healthy, nutritious snacks and enjoying them.

Thank you so much to Tesco in Ayr for providing all the wonderful treats at no cost to the school. We are hopeful that this Health and Wellbeing event has encouraged our pupils to eat more fruit and to try different types of fruit.

Burns Supper Art competition

Congratulations to Caitlin McCreath and Samantha Torbet for being placed in our annual Burns Art competition. Caitlin received first prize and Samantha was placed a close 2nd. Caitlin’s winning entry will be used for the school’s Burns supper programme cover.

An overall class prize was awarded to Olivia McCutcheon 1B, Lewis McKnight 1F, Kieran Gallacher 1R, Gabrielle Graham 1D, Fallon Smith 2B, Brooke McCulloch 2D, Scott Arthur 2F and Ryan McCreath 2R.
Well done to all students involved!

Interaction project

The following Doon Academy pupils took part in the East Ayrshire Interaction Project held in East Ayrshire Council HQ on Thursday 31st January: Gareth Kerr, Wendy Roulstone, Carla Strachan, Colin McDonald, Sarah Murdoch, David Gracie, Rory Parker, Katie Roberts and Colin McDonald.

The students created a model of the Doon Valley area which would be used as a portable promotional product to increase tourism in the area. The model was then presented to a group of local dignitaries along with representatives from each secondary school in East Ayrshire.

Doon Academy shared the Kilmarnock College Prize for Partnership due to the nature of the project which focused on promoting the local area and amenities. Well done to all students that took part and to Miss Steele in the Technical department.

Beatle Drive

Doon Academy will be having a Beetle Drive on Monday the 18th of February at 6:30pm until 8pm. Tickets will be priced at £3 and will include a complimentary tea or coffee. There will be a prize for the highest score and all funds raised from this evening will help support the students involved in the Vex Robotics project to go to London in March 2013 where they will be competing in the British finals. Please see Miss Steele in the Technical Department for more information. Tickets can be purchased from the school reception.

Supported Study

Supported study will take place on a Wednesday and Thursday afterschool from 2.45pm until 3.45pm for S4 to S6 students. Please see individual subject teachers for more information.