Activate Success

Pupils from Doon Academy who took part in the Activate Programme from the summer of this year attended the Odeon Cinema in Kilmarnock on Friday 12 December for a Celebration of Success. The programme aims to help young people make the transition from school to further education, training or employment and covers aspects such a teambuilding, communication, job search, employability skills and career exploration. During the morning on Friday they heard a presentation from Mark Beaumont who has recently broke the Guinness World record for cycling around the world. Mark covered 18,297 miles in just 194 days smashing 81 days off the record. His motivational talk was extremely inspiring and this was a good opportunity to bring to life some of the important aspects of the Activate programme. Pupils could learn first hand from someone who had set goals and worked extremely hard to achieve his target.

ICT

In ICT 1st year pupils are busy compiling their presentations on Past and Present Dalmellington.

Maths Prelims

In January, S5/6 and S3 Mathematics pupils will be sitting their Higher Still prelims.

Body Attack Back

After the Christmas holidays the Body Attack class will resume for pupils, staff and parents. This will be perfect for shedding the christmas pounds!

Art Exhibition Opening

The opening of the Doon Academy Art Exhibition in the Doon Valley Museum was a great success. The Exhibition will be on display in the Museum until the end of January. Also in Art, 3 Doon Academy Pupils artwork has been chosen for the East Ayrshire Calendar for 2009. The three pupils are, Daniel Whiteford, Reese Wigglesworth, and Natasha Allison. Congratulations to them all for their excellent artwork.

Burns Competition Winners

Well Done to all the participants in the S1/2 Burns Recitation competition. The judges, Dr. Morrall, Mrs. Skilling and Lauren Mitchell were impressed with the high standard of entries. Congratulations to runner-up Fiona Kennedy and the winner Lauren Shaw.

Crime posters

Congratulations to the winning maths group, Cameron Smith, William Paton, Lauren Young and Jordan Berretti, for their poster analysing the crime statistics in the local area. PC Poulter judged the poster competition.

FOCUS

Pupils from S3 to S6 undertook various Campus Days as part of the FOCUS West project. Everyone had very interesting and informative days finding out about courses and life as a student.

Netball win!

Well done to our junior netball team who won their first game. We all wish them every success in the future.

Motor Vehicle News

As the festive season approaches the students of the Doon Academy and Kilmarnock College Motor Vehicle and Fabrication Department have completed their 6 months projects. They now have a sectioned single point injection, which has been completely overhauled by the students and is now a priceless teaching aid. Finally, the quad bikes rewired and almost back to their original build. The team go-cart engine has now been remounted, tested and will hopefully be in full working order early in the New Year. These projects would not be possible without the assistance of college lecturers Billy Tomlinson and Tom Bone who have a huge input, out with school time, preparing for these tasks.

BBC mentor visit

Doon Academy’s BBC School News Reporters were very pleased that their mentor, BBC Sports editor Tom Connor, visited the school to check on their progress. Whilst he was here he presented Lauren Young with her prize for winning the Accelerated Reader “Wall of 100%” prize draw. Everyone who gains 100% in a quiz receives a ticket for the draw. Many thanks to Mr. Connor and congratulations to Lauren.

Christmas lunch

The school’s catering department prepared a wonderful Christmas Lunch. Everyone enjoyed a delicious meal consisting of a choice of starters, steak pie or traditional turkey with all the trimmings followed by Christmas tree ice cream and Christmas pies. There was also homemade ginger wine and shortbread. Our grateful thanks to the staff in the cafeteria for all their hard work in preparing and serving this scrumptious celebratory meal.

Craigengillan visit

In PE, S1 pupils, Varri Murdoch and Michael Harvey gained awards for Pupils of the Month for November. They have shown to be Confident Individuals, Responsible Citizens, Successful Learners and Effective Contributors during their lessons. Also, the P.E. Department held their ACE Rich Task Day on Monday 8th December. All S1 pupils visited the Craigengillan Estate. Girls had a go at grooming the horses and mucking out the Stables. The boys had a go at fishing, completing tasks such as fly tying, fly casting, beach casting and spinning. Pupils spent all morning at Craigengillan and had a wonderful time. Many thanks to Craigengillan staff for their time.

Goodbye to students

Doon Academy’s staff and pupils bid a fond farewell to our student teachers, Ross Nisbet in English, Kirsty Maxwell in Biology and Louise Davidson in Art. We have enjoyed the students input into the teaching curriculum of the school and we wish them the very best of luck for the future.

Readers' Cup quiz

The first round of the Readers Cup quiz will be taking place in school in the run up to Christmas. Everyone in S1/2 will get a chance to have a go at this fun quiz with prizes. Winners will also have the opportunity to represent their clan in the next round.

New Teacher

We welcome new member of staff Mrs Wendy McKenzie, previously of Kilmarnock Academy, who will be job sharing as PT in Modern Languages.

Coffee Morning

The Supported Learning Centre, for their rich task, held a successful coffee morning for the school and the local community. There was a raffle for a Christmas hamper, guess the weight of the cake and various items for sale. The ASDAN group also made goods, which they sold.

Citizenship programme

9 S2 pupils have successfully completed the After School Citizenship Programme. The Pupils took part in engineering activities with lecturers from Kilmarnock College; they prepared healthy fruit smoothies and they took part in litter pick-ups in the local community. There will be a graduation, which will be attended by the pupils, family members and teaching staff. We congratulate the pupils who successfully completed the 10-week programme.

Army in

The Army visited the school for a training session with pupils from the Duke of Edinburgh Award Group.

Celebration of Success

Careers Activate Group will attend their Celebration of Success event at the Odeon Cinema, Kilmarnock. Mark Beaumont, Guinness world record holder for cycling the world will be joining them for the day to offer some words of inspiration.

Tree of Hope

The Tree of Hope outside the Dalmellington area centre is now adorned with messages from the community. The messages are all wishes and hopes for the future. This was organised by the S1 PSE rich task group.

BP Carbon Challenge Roadshow

Pupils in Doon Academy were delighted to receive a visit from the BP Carbon Challenge Roadshow. The pupils worked in teams to examine a school's carbon footprint and learn about carbon reduction though a variety of activities. The S1s had a very interesting and informative morning and will be implementing what they learned in conjunction with the school’s Eco-code.

Community tasks

Doon Academy S1 classes will all be involved in a curriculum for excellence cross-curricular rich task based around our local community. In French pupils will be interviewing people in the community and then translating their replies into French. The Supported Learning Centre is hosting a community coffee morning. For personal and social education pupils are composing messages of hope to be displayed throughout the community. In Science for their community rich task, S1 Pupils will be presenting a persuasive argument to other Doon Academy pupils on the conservation of the Artic Charr. This is a type of Salmon, which is found in Loch Doon. Good Luck to all the participants with their tasks.

Art Exhibition

On Thursday 11th December the Art Department are opening their Art Exhibition in the Doon Valley Museum in Dalmellington. This is to show the artwork, which Doon pupils have been working on this year. There will be refreshments and a raffle. Parents, pupils and the local community are all invited to attend. Also in Art pupils are busy making the hall decorations for the Christmas Dance.

Netball match

Our junior and senior netball teams took a Christmas trip to another seaside town in North Ayrshire. After an eventful journey to Largs, that included a late bus and witnessing an overturned lorry, we started our game at 5pm! Our junior team played well against Largs’ 1st team but were unable to stop their shooters scoring 9 nets. Thanks go to Lauren Shaw and Claire Boyd in defence, because without them our deficit would have been much more! The seniors played next and well done to those in the team who did not stop trying even when the score to Largs went into double figures! Special mention goes to Melissa Napier who kept up team morale and was awarded Player of the Match. Well Done girls.

New Car

Doon Academy has taken delivery of a Vauxhall Vectra 1.8 16 valve petrol estate from Kilmarnock College. The school is delighted to announce that a two-poster lift will be installed before Christmas allowing the students to be involved with basic servicing tasks simulated upon the donated vehicle. It is anticipated by June 2009 that the school and college partnership will be able to offer a formal qualification in engineering disciplines.

Maths

In the Maths Department S1 pupils were investigating famous mathematicians from the past. They presented their findings to DHTs Mr. Reid and Mr. Mackenzie.

Round Table Quiz

Doon Academy, as reigning champions, hosted the Kilmarnock Round Table Quiz. Our team consisted of Mark McLean (S1), Alistair Paton (S2), Kyle McCormick (S3) and Grant Reid (S4). Each group battled it out with their competitors from schools across East Ayrshire. Doon did well in the individual rounds with Mark McLean making the play offs for S1 and Alistair Paton winning the S2 round. Unfortunately Doon narrowly missed out on a place in the final. Auchinleck Academy was the overall winner beating Grange in the final. Congratulations to Miss. Borthwick who won the teacher’s round. Everyone involved in the event had an enjoyable night.

Cycle Competition

3 rd Year Doon Academy students in the Motor Vehicle and Fabrication Department have been competing against each other to build a cycle, which must have more than 2 wheels. Designs for this project were downloaded and built by the students with assistance from lecturers Billy Tomlinson and Tom Bone.

Well done!

The Supported Learning Centre at Doon Academy have raised £68.77 for Clic Sargent, Caring for Children with Cancer charity, through Conar Currie collecting loose change that has been dropped in the playground and also receiving money given to him by pupils and staff.

To Autumn

In the English Department Mrs Brotherston’s S4 pupils created an exciting display of essays about the poem ‘To Autumn’ by John Keats. The English corridor is now looking very autumnal!

STUC Visit

Representatives from the STUC carried out successful workshops with S4 students in social subjects. These included awareness raising of rights in the workplace and also a negotiating role-play exercise. Pupils enjoyed the experience and would like to thank the STUC members for their time and effort.

Activate Group

At the request of the Activate Group it was decided that for their Enterprise activity they would set up a cake and sweet sale. On the day all group members worked together to decorate the stage and made the stall look attractive to encourage as many sales as possible. Sweets were wrapped in paper and sold for 10p each and cakes were bought in and sold for 20p. The pupils also ran a themed ‘guess the number of sweets in the jar’. In total £42.46 was raised and donated to Breast Cancer Research. Jennifer Pettigrew won the jar of sweets guessing correctly that 123 chocolate balls were inside.

Netball game

On Thursday 20th November, Doon Academy’s S1 netball team took part in their first ever league game which was against St. Joseph’s. With some great defending from Claire Boyd and Lauren Shaw, St. Joseph’s were unable to get anywhere near the net. It wasn’t long before Doon took the lead with a great net from Jade Scott. St. Joseph’s quickly came back scoring 2 nets in quick succession to take the lead. Hazel Limond, Raegan Heggie and Paige McMahon performed some fantastic manoeuvres in the 2nd half, which meant the two teams, were then on equal terms. Doon was able to score another net after Tami McLelland came on as sub. But, unfortunately, St. Joseph’s were too quick for our girls and the final score meant a 6-3 defeat for Doon. Well done to all girls who took part, as this was a great first game for everyone. Our seniors played a friendly netball game against St Joseph’s on the same day. All put in a great performance.

BAE Systems

David Gubierrez from BAE Systems visited the French Department to present a talk about using French in their future careers. The pupils and staff really enjoyed Mr. Gubierrez’s talk and we thank him very much for visiting the school.

BBC School News Report

Doon Academy’s BBC School News Reporters were delighted to receive a visit from their mentor Tom Connor who is the Sports Editor for the BBC. After a brief tour of the school Mr. Connor spoke to the pupils about the roles of reporter and editor in BBC programming. He also told the news reporters about the interesting people he has interviewed and the many places he has travelled in his career.

Activate trip

A team of pupils from the Activate group took part in a teambuilding day at the Glasgow Climbing Centre. The main aim of the day was to show the importance of working together as a team and to start to prepare pupils for entering into the world of work. Pupils worked in pairs while instructors taught the basics of rock climbing and how to use the safety equipment. Under supervision, one team member climbed while the other worked the belay line to ensure the ropes were tight at all times and there was no danger to their partner if they lost their footing on the wall. The instructors also taught everyone how to abseil back off the wall once they had reached the top. There were various walls to try each one progressing in difficulty, everyone put in a huge effort to make the day a success. Lunch was as McDonald’s where everyone had the chance to wind down, stretch out tired muscles and talk about their experience.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme participants from Doon Academy have been raising money for Children in Need. The following people raised money Mark Webster - £96.00, Adam Lindores - £48.50 and Reece Wigglesworth - £15.00. Well Done to them all for their efforts.

Children in Need

The Doon Academy Children in Need talent show was a great success! The show uncovered many hidden talents and provided some wonderful entertainment for the school staff and pupils. Other activities included ‘Guess the name of the Teddy, non-uniform day, face painting and an auction for teachers of S6 pupils to help them in their classes. The school pupils and staff raised over £600 all of which will be donated to help the needs of children. The Maths Department gave a terrific (their words) singing performance of the Quadratic Formula song. Well Done to everyone in the school who took part in events and raised money for a very worthwhile cause.

Art Exhibition

Doon Academy’s annual art exhibition will have its grand opening at the Doon Valley Museum on the 11th December. Also, good news from the Art Department that artwork from three pupils, Natasha Allison, Daniel Whiteford and Reece Wigglesworth has been chosen for this year’s East Ayrshire calendar. Congratulations to them all.

London trip

There will be a trip to London from the 12th to 14th June 2009. 44 places are available and the cost is £199.00 please ask Ms. Fuller for details.

Friday Credit Union

The Friday Credit Union is now open to all S1 pupils. Any pupils who wish to begin start saving should ask for an application form from Mrs. Lake.

Dancers

Pupils taking dance in 1st and 4th year danced at the Grand Hall in Kilmarnock to promote the Girls into Sport, Art, Health and Well-Being Forum. Well done to all the girls who took part in this event.

Motor Vehicle Project

Doon Academy and Kilmarnock College’s 3rd year Motor Vehicle and Fabrication students have started their next joint project to be completed for Jan 2009. This task involves a complete strip down of an engine and gearbox from a Ford Fiesta. They will then cut away various parts of the engine to gain an insight of how the internal parts of the engine and gearbox operate. The Fabrication Students will build a stand to mount the engine. This task gives the students and opportunity to have a practical task where upon completion they will have an invaluable teaching aid for all groups.

Eco Day

Doon Academy’s Eco Day to promote the launch of the Eco Code will be on Friday 21st November. Groups of pupils from each year group will be involved in a variety of activities throughout the day from S1 Litter Picking to S5/6 Constructing a greenhouse. The Supported Learning Centre will be planting spring bulbs. The Eco Code will be launched during the whole school mentoring period.

BBC School News Day

S1 pupils in Mrs Dorans English class will be taking part in the BBC School News Report. The pupils will work with a mentor from the BBC, and on School News Report Day, the 26th March, they will be making the news for the day.

Burns Competition

S1/2 pupils are busy learning their Burns poem for the Burns Recitation Competition, which will take place in December. Good Luck to them all.

Careers Roadshow

The Business Education and ICT Department are at present busy organising a Careers Roadshow for S2 pupils. Various employers will provide workshops for pupils to experience what a career in their field would be like.

Trade Union visitors

Members of The Scottish Trade Union Council (STUC) will be visiting Doon Academy on Wednesday 26th November. They will take workshops with all S4 pupils on how trade unions work.

Fashion Show

Glasgow School of Art will be sending students from the college to help Doon’s budding fashion students with their designs for the school fashion show.

Carbon Challenge Roadshow

In the Science department BP will be visiting the school to deliver the ‘Carbon Challenge Roadshow’. The Carbon Challenge is a high-impact Science, Maths and Enterprise Roadshow where students work together to examine the school’s carbon footprint and learn about carbon reduction through a variety of activities. This will be a highly enjoyable and informative day for students and teachers.

Tough Challenge

The Doon Academy/Kilmarnock College Motor Vehicle Department’s 4th year group have just finished their toughest challenge to date. The task was to align a damaged frame on a Honda 450 Quad Bike. This task included the Fabrication Group under the guidance of college lecturer Billy Tomlinson and Motor Vehicle Groups under college staff Tom Bone and Jim McCubbin. The Motor Vehicle Group completely removed all components from the quad carefully labelled and stored them. When left with the bare frame the fabrication Group straightened and reinforced it to its proper shape. This was then passed onto the Motor Vehicle Group who assembled the Bike to its original condition. This project span over a 6-month period and was a tremendous success of cooperation, problem and team working between both groups and college lecture staff. The Bar Stool Racer and Go-cart are almost completed

Open Day

Senior pupils studying art and design really enjoyed their visit to the Glasgow School of Art Open Day. They were able to see the campus and find out about courses.

Football coaching

Kilmarnock Football club are sending coaches funded by the Bank of Scotland to Doon Academy on Thursdays after school. The coaches will be working with S1 boys and girls.

Art Competition

The Art Department is currently running an art competition, which is open to all pupils at the school. The winner will have a main piece put on display at the Coalfield Exhibition, which will be open to the public in December.

Turkey Trip

After a very successful Bridges4Europe project reunion in Turkey, where the teachers discussed teaching methods and demonstrated sample lessons to each other and the visiting students, the countries agreed the dates of the final reunion in Scotland. Our visitors will be here from the 1st to the 5th of June 2009. Our Turkish hosts entertained us very well with tours of a cable factory, a sightseeing tour of Cappadochia, a view of their national day parade, and visits to various local dignitaries.

Student teachers

Welcome back to our student teachers, Kirsty Maxwell in Biology, Louise Davidson in Art, Ross Nisbet in English and Ian Gray in PE who will be with us for 5 weeks until the 5th December. We wish them good luck and hope they enjoy their teaching at Doon Academy.

Leadership

S3 pupils who completed leadership courses at Dalguise and Kilmarnock College played host to pupils and staff from Brechin High School. This event was to showcase the types of tasks that our leaders undertook during their leadership courses.

Wall-E

S1 pupils enjoyed their trip to the Odeon Cinema for National Film Education week to see WALL-E.

Campus Day

FOCUS West (formerly GOALS) will be hosting a Campus Day in December for 30 S3 pupils. Pupils will undertake tasks to assist them in their future goals in Higher Education.

Children in Need

Everyone is looking forward to Children in Need Day on Friday 14th November. There are many activities planned including a Talent Show and a football competition.

Parent's night

There will be a Parent’s Evening for S4, 5,6 on Wednesday 12th November 5.30pm – 7.30pm.

Prelims

Prelims for S4 will be the week of Monday 8th December – Friday 12th December.

Cross Country Championships

The Ayrshire Cross Country Championships at the Magnum Centre took place in almost baltic conditions but Doon Academy’s team of 28 pupils performed heroically in the inclement weather. S3 pupil Marc Dyer came in 4th out 180 runners narrowly missing winning a trophy. Well done to all our team and special congratulations to Marc.

Leadership

S3 pupils who attended the recent Leadership Academies were awarded with certificates and polo shirts signifying their accomplishments. All pupils who attended agree that it was a very enjoyable experience. Dalguise and Kilmarnock College attendees will be staging a conference to showcase their achievements. More details soon.

Cancer Research

Congratulations to Mrs Cassidy who ran a 10k race in Glasgow. Mrs Cassidy raised over £800 in aid of Cancer Research UK. Everyone at Doon Academy is extremely proud of her.

Netball

Doon Academy’s S5 netball team made a valiant effort against Kyle Academy. Kyle started well with a few early nets but Doon looked like they were on a comeback when some great passing was witnessed from Ashley Thomson and Kelsey Dunn, getting the ball to the shooters in the top circle. With some superb defending from Chloe Wallace and Jennifer Pettigrew, Kyle looked like they were in trouble but unfortunately it was not to be Doon Academy’s night when the game finished with an outright win to Kyle.

Well done to all the girls who competed in the first game of the league. We look forward to some wins against other Ayrshire schools in the near future.

Cricket News

Former pupil William Rowan is being shipped off to Australia again: this time to the Cricket Academy of Sydney. He will be sponsored by Telford College, where he is studying sports sciences, and by Cricket Scotland. Willie will be leaving on the 2nd of January next year and will be back after 3 months. Everyone at Doon Academy wishes him great success.

Cricket training has recommenced on Monday evenings in the games hall at Doon Academy from 6.30pm till 8.30pm.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Three 5th year pupils, Caroline Crosby, Tami Drynan and Ashleigh Smillie are trying to raise money for the Yorkhill Sick Children’s Hospital as part of their Duke of Edinburgh award scheme service section. Also, for their Duke of Edinburgh Award certificate Blair O’Neil and Mark Webster will be completing a sponsored swim to raise money for Cancer Research UK. The DOE group are planning a fundraising event on the 14th of November for Children in Need.
See the photos in the gallery.

Cancer Research

On Friday the 26th of October an ‘In the Pink Day’ coffee morning raised £522 for Cancer Research UK.

Halloween Disco

On Thursday 30th October Doon Academy will be holding a Halloween Disco with a twist: All pupils will be encouraged to wear pink. Plus all ticket sales will be donated towards breast cancer.

Wee Red Box

Guess who’s back? The return of the Wee Red Box in the Maths Department. Mr Renwick has been visiting Doon Academy to show S1 to S3 pupils the new Wee Red Box in its physical form. Since the abolishment of the website many people had thought it gone forever. Luckily we can still make use of it.

Art

In Art the S1 elective class are making bookmarks for their enterprising activity. S4-S6 pupils who are taking art exams will be visiting the Glasgow School of Art to see an exhibition to help them with their studies.

Miss Fuller is arranging a weekend visit to London in June. Please contact her for further details of this trip.

Bridges4Europe trip to Turkey

Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Bax will be visiting our partnership school in Kayseri Turkey as part of the Comenius Project. They will be seeing how English is taught in schools in Turkey and exchanging pedagogical methods of classroom practice. Teachers from our partnership schools in Bulgaria, Italy and Romania will also at the project meeting.

Bridges4Europe trip to Turkey

Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Bax will be visiting our partnership school in Kayseri Turkey as part of the Comenius Project. They will be seeing how English is taught in schools in Turkey and exchanging pedagogical methods of classroom practice. Teachers from our partnership schools in Bulgaria, Italy and Romania will also at the project meeting.

Credit Union

The Credit Union for P7 pupils in the Maths Department is proving to be a great success. Pupils are learning how to save and the benefits of saving to prepare them for the future.

Duke of Edinburgh Award Group

The Duke of Edinburgh Awards participants will be hosting a stall at intervals called the ‘Staff of Doom’. They will be selling items relating to Halloween to raise money for the project.

Cricket

In cricket Doon Academy won against Prestwick but were narrowly beaten by Ayr in the final of the Floodlit Tournament. Robert McDowall was the top scorer for runs and the top bowler was Darryl Grover. Several members of the team will be going forward to play in the league county cricket, which begins in November. Well done, boys!

OYT trip

The Ocean Youth Trust voyage was a great success and the girls had a wonderful time despite the stormy weather. Claire McWilliam said “It was a great experience. I learned how to work in a team and I saw many different places such as Ailsa Craig, Rhu, Kyles of Bute and Tarbert from the boat. I gained my ‘RYA Start Sailing’ certificate which was really great.” Well done to all the girls who took part and we wish them good luck in their future sailing adventures.

Memories of Mike Hanson

I know that all staff who worked with Mike during his time at Doon will have their own memories. My own memories include:

• His wonderful attempts to beat 1000 miles per gallon at the Shell Mileage Marathon - from memory he achieved 960 mpg
• His annual paper aeroplane competition.
• Building his own car which he drove to school for several years
• Building a recumbent cycle which he pedalled to school one day.
• Going on an exchange year to America.
• His fascination with boomerangs and his ability to inspire students with his passion for his subject - it was nice to see several of his former students at the funeral
• His wonderful photograph which was published in several national newspapers showing the complete flight of a boomerang in the night sky over Drongan!
• Introducing cribbage to Doon Academy.
• His eco friendly ‘Christmas Cards’
  

Mike was delivering a Curriculum for Excellence 20 years ago! He will be sadly missed.
R L Reid

Motor Vehicle Dept.

Doon Academy/ Kilmarnock College’s Motor Vehicle Department has taken delivery of two quad bikes and a Vauxhall Vectra for pupils to work on to develop their motor mechanic skills. Vehicle ramps and tyre-changing facilities will be fitted to the base in the near future. For their courses S3 pupils have been given the task of designing a cycle with more than two wheels. They will compete against each other around various designated circuits. S4 pupils have almost completed their 6month project to design a barstool racer. Plans were downloaded from the Internet and, upon completion, the group have to file a report and send photographs to the designer in the U.S.A.

Mike Hanson

The school staff and pupils were very saddened this week to hear of the death of Mike Hanson a former physics teacher who retired from Doon a few years ago. Mike was a well respected, much loved teacher and colleague whose ‘inventions’ will be talked about for many years to come. Former colleagues and pupils of Mike would like to take this opportunity to pass on their sincere condolences to his family.

Eco-Group

The Eco-committee, chaired by Mrs Elder, is aiming to achieve a bronze eco-award this year. The greenhouse made from reused plastic bottles is being moved to a sunnier site and 2 compost bins are being delivered. 5 pupils, so far, have volunteered for the eco-committee- Stephanie Smith, David MacLean, Lindsay McCracken, Darren McLelland and Ryan McKnight, who will draw up an eco-code for the school. Recycling by Recycool and collections of old clothing by RagBags are to be set up. 30 native trees, donated by the Woodland Trust will be planted in and around the school grounds in November. Offers of help to clear the science garden are appreciated. Mrs Elder is collecting ‘Let’s Grow’ vouchers from Morrisons for free seeds and garden equipment. We hope that parents will send in the vouchers with their children.

Film Show

On Tuesday 4th November all S1 pupils will be visiting the Odeon Cinema in Ayr as part of National Schools Film Week. The pupils will see a screening of W.A.L.L.I.E. which is an ideal film for the study of camera angles and shot types which will help pupils’ understanding of media techniques

Fashion Show

In the Art Department a decision is soon to be made on the date of the Fashion Show. This will be a huge event for the school. S2 pupil Stephen Grant and S4 pupil Tazmyn Hearton received a commendation, and Tazmyn’s image has been used for the 2008 Friends of Royal Scottish Academy art competition. Glasgow School of Art Open Day is on 30th October and senior pupils will be visiting the exhibition.

P7 links

Primary 7 pupils from the Learning Partnership have started their transition to Doon Academy. The pupils will be attending Doon every Friday morning where they will have Maths, swimming, dance and science classes and also a literacy period.

Maths

Senior pupils in Maths have completed the first part of their maths course and are due to sit their NAB.

S2 Citizenship programme

The S2 Citizenship programme is under way. 14 S2 pupils are working, after school, with Mr Tomlinson, Mr Lynn, Mrs McRoberts and Mr MacKenzie. They will be studying Car Maintenance, Welding, Community service and making video diaries. The programme runs until the middle of December when there will be a graduation for the successful citizens.

Leadership

Doon Academy's S3 pupils will be taking part in various leadership activities from the 6th to the 10th of October. Pupils will be attending a residential leadership course, non-residential course in conjunction with Kilmarnock College and a sailing trip.
The first of the leadership courses will be held at our own Leadership Academy in Dalguise and will involve a mixture workshops and outdoor activities (wellies at the ready!).
The Kilmarnock College course will be structured in the same way as our Dalguise course, although this will mainly be focused on the arts.
Lastly, the girls only sailing trip will involve a team of 10 girls sailing an ocean-going schooner, Alba Venturer, around the Firth of Clyde. The destinations will be entirely dependant on the weather conditions.
All of the courses have one common goal; they will all involve team-building skills. Everyone at Doon Academy would like to wish all the pupils the best of luck in their designated Leadership Course.

Sponsored Walk

The recent sponsored walk has raised over £2000. Well Done to all staff and pupils who took part and raised money.

Maths' visit to Cumnock Academy

Ms McClue's Maths visit to Cumnock Academy was a great success. The programme was to help pupils to develop their lateral thinking skills through competition. 2 S3 pupils and 2 S4 pupils attended the event. It was a very enjoyable morning and the pupils performed very well.

Citizenship

Mr. Mackenzie’s after school Citizenship programme has now restarted. The first group attending will be S2 boys.

Work experience

Pupils in S4 and S5 will be attending a variety of work experience placements from the 6th to the 10th of October. Doon Academy would like to thank all businesses for accepting pupils on placements.

Bridges4Europe

Staff and pupils involved in our Comenius Project ‘bridges4europe’ gave a presentation to a contingent of Danish visitors who were visiting East Ayrshire.

World Acrobatics Championship

Pupils from S1 to S6 attended the World Acrobatics Championship in Glasgow. Everyone had a great day and thank you to Ms. Griffin for organising the event.

PE pupils of the month

In PE, pupils of the month for good behaviour and cooperation are Connor Strang and Paige McMahon in 1st year. Congratulations to both of them. Also, gymnastic classes begin this week.

Eco Group

Mrs. Elder is the new chair for the school Eco group. The school is currently developing an eco code with a view to working towards accreditation for the Eco Schools bronze award. For more information see Doon goes Green! blog.

Baldy Bane Theatre Company

Baldy Bane Theatre Company performed two plays at the school. S1 pupils saw ‘The Nine Lives of Roddy Hogg’ and S5/6 saw ‘Friends Disunited’.

Baldy Bane Theatre Company

Baldy Bane Theatre Company performed two plays at the school. S1 pupils saw ‘The Nine Lives of Roddy Hogg’ and S5/6 saw ‘Friends Disunited’.

Careers Scotland Opportunity Fair

Some S5 pupils attended the Careers Scotland Opportunity Fair, which was held at the Volunteer Rooms in Irvine. The Fair was held to showcase career opportunities for pupils when they leave school.

French Assistant

Pupils and staff say ‘Bienvenue’ to our new French Assistant Andre Valente. Andre is from Toulouse in France and he is delighted to be in Scotland and at Doon Academy assisting pupils with their knowledge of the French language and culture.

Body Attack Club

Ms Griffin is running an after-school body attack club on Thursdays after school. Parents, pupils and teachers are all welcome to attend.

Leadership course

A group of S3 pupils will be attending a leadership course in partnership with Kilmarnock College. The course will be held in Kilmarnock and will be running from the 6th to the 10th of October. The course will be Arts orientated.

Supported Study

The Maths Department will be running Supported Study sessions after school on Wednesdays. They advise all pupils to regularly attend these sessions.

Gala Concert

East Ayrshire Instrumental Music Service Gala Concert will be held on Wednesday 1st October 7.30pm in the Grand Hall, Kilmarnock.

Work experience

S4 pupils are busy preparing for their work experience, which will be held the week of 6th to 10th October.

Guitar Club

Mr. Paton’s guitar club meets every Wednesday after school. All pupils interested in learning to play the guitar are welcome to attend.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Duke of Edinburgh Award members are completing their service award and raising sponsorship by washing staff cars.

Competition Winner

Congratulations to S2 pupil Robbie Welsh who became the International Champion at the Young Handlers Sheepdog competition. Robbie with his sheepdog Maid competed against young handlers from different countries to win the trophy.

Sponsored Walk

Doon Academy’s ‘Craigengillan Estate’ sponsored walk will be held on Thursday 18th September. Pupils have their sponsorship forms and we are hoping for a record amount this year to be raised.

New Teachers

Welcome to new teachers Ms Griffin in the PE Department and Mr Richardson in Physics. We hope you enjoy working with the pupils and staff of Doon Academy.

European Day of Languages

On the 26th September all S1 pupils will be taking part in the ‘European Day of Languages’. There are many activities planned including food tasting, quizzes and learning European dances

Leadership Academy

The launch of the 08/09 Doon Academy Leadership Academy was held at the school. The Leadership Academy is cleverly structured to bring out the best in pupils, hone their leadership skills, develop self awareness and gain more confidence not only in working as part of a team but also individually. S3 pupils are given the opportunity to take part in leadership courses in Dalguise, or workshops with Kilmarnock College or on a sailing adventure with the Youth Ocean Trust.

Cricket

Cricket training will resume in school at lunch times. There will also be after school training on Mondays’ beginning in October. Alan McDonald and Robert McDowell played alongside Willie Rowan and represented Prestwick in the U18’s National cricket final. Our technician in the technical department Mr White has been re-appointed county coach for 2009 following the successful 2008 season. Thank you to Minerals Trust for their kind donation to our cricket team. The donation will help towards funds for a minibus for away games and cricketing equipment.

Competition winner

Reece Wigglesworth of S2 has won a competition for his artwork, which will be featured in a banner signifying Cumnock's heritage and history. Reece with Mrs Humes and Mr. O’Rourke attended a ceremony for the unveiling of the banner. Congratulations Reece from everyone at Doon Academy.

Higher Education Convention

Senior pupils attended a Higher Education Convention on Wednesday the 27th of August. The convention was designed to help students gain the most out of their education, whether they intend to go on to university or employment. The convention gave pupils the chance to speak to a wide range of advisors, helping them decide what path they want to take when they leave secondary school.

Sheep dog trials success

Congratulations to S2 pupil Robbie Welsh who has been selected to represent Scotland in the national sheep-dog trials. Robbie with his sheepdog, Maid, will be competing with dog handlers from across the UK. Good Luck Robbie.

European Day of Languages

S1 pupils and the Modern Languages Department are busy preparing for the European Day of Languages on the 26th September.

William Rowan

Former pupil William Rowan is being shipped off to Australia. He will be heading to the cricket academy in Sydney for three months as part of his first year of his scholarship at Edinburgh’s Telford College. We wish him well in his cricketing career.

15th May 2008

Mr O’Rourke is the Scottish representative presenting a School Showcase at an international conference in Belfast this week. His topic is ‘Well-being in Doon Academy.’ We are all proud that our school is being recognized for its achievements.
Some of our S3/4 leadership graduates have been asked to give a presentation to Clackmannanshire Headteachers at their conference in the Westerwoods Hotel, Cumbernauld on Thursday of this week.
Leadership graduates will also be holding workshops for our P7s during the Doon Learning Partnership Literacy & Numeracy Day next week.
The Cabinet Secretary, Fiona Hyslop is visiting the school on Monday afternoon. The focus for her visit is to discuss and view the positive changes that have been made in Doon through our participation in the Schools of Ambition and 2020 Vision programmes.
During a recent visit to the ‘U can do it 2’ Roadshow at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock, Ashleigh Mitchell and Jennifer Phillips together won second prize in the fashion contest competition organized by Ayr College. The competition was to dress a dummy with materials supplied by the college. The girls have been invited to the College catwalk show where they will see their garment modelled. The garment will then be available for display in the school from July. Congratulations to Ashleigh and Jennifer.
Ten S2 boys went on an Ocean Youth Trust Scotland sailing trip with Billy Tomlinson and Mrs Bax. The boat sailed from Rhu to Oban via Arran, Gigha, Jura and Tobermory. The weather was good but the wind was too gentle and they had to motor a great deal. Everyone had a great time though cooking and cleaning for themselves as well sailing the yacht.
The Barcelona Trip information evening for parents will be held on Wednesday 21st May in the school library.
The Art Department staff is excited that the mobile art gallery exhibition ‘Re/trato’ will be visiting the school on the 4th June. Pupils and staff will be able to board the bus to view and admire the exhibits.
S2 pupils took part in the Maths examinations for the Scottish Programme of Achievement. This programme records how results from East Ayrshire compare to other areas in Scotland.
7 staff and 15 pupils are presently attending the Leadership Academy at Dalguise. More news on this event in next week.
The Doon Academy cricket teams won both their matches against Wellington School. The S1/2 team won by 6 wickets and the 3rd year team by 5 wickets. Man of the Match in 3rd year game was Cameron McCrorie. Well done boys and good luck for the summer season.
The staff in the French department have taken advantage of the good weather to teach pupils the art of petanque (French bowls). Also Majorie Kippert the French Assistante has been teaching pupils the ‘Hokey Cokey’ in French!
Pupils and staff from the Support for Learning Base visited the Glasgow Museum of Transport. They sat in Harry Potter’s car and the Balamory minibus, and saw the flight deck of Concorde. Everyone had a really great day.

2nd May 2008

Welcome back to student teachers Miss Smith in Art, Mr. Merry in PE, Miss Gillies in Maths who have begun their last 5 week teaching placement.
Doon Academy’s junior cricket team have a game against Wellington School. Good Luck Boys!
S4 examinations began on Thursday 1st May and S5/6 examinations begin on Monday 12th May. Good Luck to everyone taking their exams. Pupils return to school on Thursday 5th June for their S5/6 classes.
There will be an information evening at the end of May for parents of pupils who are attending the Barcelona visit in June. Parents will be notified of the date and time.
In the Art Department, student teacher Miss Smith is organising a visit to Kelvingrove Art Museum for S2 pupils.
Well Done to all the Art pupils who have completed their examination art folio. These have now been submitted to the SQA.
Doon Academy’s refurbishment is continuing and all rooms in Social Subjects have now had their windows replaced.

28th February 2008

The Scholastic Book Fair was in the school library last week, and was a great success. Pupils purchased a variety of books and stationery
World Book Day is taking place on Thursday, March 6. To celebrate, pupils are holding a “Match the Teacher to the Book” quiz.
World Maths Day will be taking place on the 5th March. Pupils from S1-S5 will be taking part in this challenge, which involves playing online against pupils from all over the world – answering maths questions of course!
S6 GOALS Top-Up students will be attending a Campus Day at the University of Glasgow where they will be meeting students and taking part in seminars and tutorials.
Doon Valley’s Cricket Club Annual Dinner and Prize giving will be taking place this month. Pupils from Doon Academy will be receiving prizes. Guest Speaker is Jim Connell, previously Scotland’s foremost umpire, from Glasgow’s Old Grammarians.
East Ayrshire’s Spring Spectacular Concert took place in Kilmarnock. S2 pupils Laura Halbert and Ryan McKnight sang in the choir. More news on this event next week.
Pupils undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh Award will be visiting the Police Training Centre to find out more about the work of the Strathclyde Police.
In our Comenius Project ‘Bridges4Europe’ the pupils and staff, from the schools in the partnership countries, have produced their 1st page of the project newspaper on the topic ‘My School, My Town’. The newspaper can be accessed through the school website.
Art pupils in S3 and S5 visited the Glasgow School of Art Fashion Show on Wednesday, March 5. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the visit and cannot wait to return!
The Doon Academy Supported Learning Centre held their Burns Supper in January and parents were invited to a coffee morning on Friday, February 29 to view the excellent DVD taken of the event.

21st February 2008

The annual ski trip for pupils to Aviemore was a great success. Ski conditions were excellent and the pupils were delighted by their experiences on the slopes.
Recently S2 pupils from Doon Academy took part in the “U can do it 2” workshops in the Park Hotel, Kilmarnock. These workshops, provided by local businesses, colleges and the armed forces, gave pupils a taste of life in various occupations and sectors of further education. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day. Miss Borthwick from the English Department was responsible for all the organizing in the lead up to the visit and Mrs Stewart and Mrs Strachan accompanied her on the day.
Doon Academy’s Leadership graduates are attending an Aedips conference where they will be giving a presentation. More news on this next week.
Twelve S3 pupils attended a GOALS Campus Day at the Glasgow School of Art and Royal Scottish Academy for Music and Drama. The pupils really enjoyed their day working with mentor students taking courses at these universities.
In the English Department exciting new texts have arrived and pupils are looking forward to reading work by new authors.
S3 ASDAN Group attended a ski practice at the Newmilns Ski Slope. Everyone enjoyed their day.
In the P.E. Department, S1 boys’ football team and the school rugby team have games against Loudoun Academy, Good Luck Boys. S2 pupil Keiran Mullen is competing well in the Concept rowing challenge.
Mr. Gooding is organising a visit for his Biology Higher students to Edinburgh Zoo.
Lab in a Lorry for S1 and S2 pupils will be in school on the 18th March. Pupils will be taking part in science experiments.
S2 and S4 pupils are busy choosing their options for next session. If parents need any further information please contact Mrs. McLay or Mrs. Cassidy in the Guidance Department or look at the Option sheets on the pupils pages of this site.
Mr. McPherson our Physics Teacher is attending a three-day conference at CERN for European teachers. He is one of 20 teachers from the UK who are being sponsored for this conference. Mr. McPherson will work with other scientists and engineers from throughout Europe at the European Particle Physics Laboratory. Have a great conference!

Burns Supper 7th February 2008

Doon Academy’s 9th Annual Burns Supper was a great success and everyone had a wonderful evening celebrating the life and works of Robert Burns.
Keeping everyone to time was our Master of Ceremonies, Russell Marshall. An honoured guest, Karl Lees, piped in the haggis which was then addressed by Kyle McCormick.
Sharon McConnachie presented an informative ‘Immortal Memory’ and Lee Orr gave a witty ‘Toast to the Lassies’ which was admirably matched by a humorous reply from Kelsey Dunn.
School Captain Ashley Mora presented the ‘Toast to the School’.
First year pupil Paisley Grey performed a superb Sword Dance and the Doon Dancers gave an accomplished display of Scottish Country Dancing.
Recitations were by S1/2 Burns Verse finalists Gail Limond and Lisa Taggart.
Mr. Wilson was outstanding with his rousing and powerful performance of ‘Tam O’Shanter’.
The Burns Choir harmoniously sang some of our favourite Burns songs and Sarah Urie, Steffani Paterson and David McLean entertained us with their musical renditions.
Vote of thanks on behalf of the guests was by Dr. Robbie McMahon, President of Alloway Burns Club.
At the end of a marvellous evening the company gave a hearty rendition of ‘Auld Lang Syne’.
Our thanks to all our invited guests, Lesley Baird President of Doon Academy Burns Club, Dr. and Mrs. Morrall, President of Ayr Burns Club, Mr. Graham Short Executive Director of Education and Social Services East Ayrshire, Councillor Filson and Councillor and Mr. Dinwoodie.
Next year will be Doon Academy’s Burns Club 10th anniversary and we look forward to meeting everyone again at our 2009 Burns Supper.

28th January 2008

Doon Academy’s team of S3 Business Management pupils attended the Stock Exchange Challenge at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. Our team competed against pupils from other schools in the West of Scotland and experienced how to live through a week in the life of a trader on the Stock Exchange by buying and selling shares. The team managed to invest wisely and ended the challenge with more money in their portfolio. Well Done to Lesley Baird, Claire Connell, Lorna Brown, Alan Napier and Allan McDonald. The team were accompanied by Mrs Stewart from our Business Education and ICT Department
Doon Academy’s annual Burns Supper will be held on Wednesday 6th February 2008. Our 9th Supper promises to be a great evening with pupils performing Burns speeches, recitations and songs. Chairperson will be 6th year Russell Marshall. Tickets £5.00 available from Mrs. Cassidy at the school.
In the Concept 2 Rowing programme we have two pupils at the top of the world rankings for their age group. Keiren Mullen in the 1000 metres and Calum McLarty in the 500 metres. Congratulations to them both.
Exciting news from the Art Department staff who are arranging a visit to the jewellery exhibition at the Glasgow School of Art.
In Work Experience, three 3rd year pupils are attending for a week on the Fire Outreach Programme at Cumnock Fire Station. Five 4th year pupils are attending Ayr College for a week learning Construction Skills.
In preparation for their ski weekend in Aviemore 20 pupils attended the Newmilns ski slope to develop their skills.
Pupils in Modern Languages will be taking part in a Spanish Cooking Day. They will be preparing, cooking and eating tasty Spanish dishes. Ole!
Support for Learning Department will be piloting a new reading programme ‘Read, Write, Here’ developed by retired teacher Miss. O’Rourke.
GOALS Campus Day, for 3rd years, at the RSAMD and GSA will be taking place on February 26th.

18th January 2008

Their BBC Mentor, Mike Higgins, visited Doon Academy’s S2 BBC School News Reporters. Mr. Higgins spoke to the pupils about the importance of deadlines in news reporting and about his work on the BBC news. The reporters enjoyed meeting Mr. Higgins and are looking forward to working with him in the future on BBC School News Report.
Doon Academy has been successful in the Royal Society of Art competition for the second consecutive year, winning two highly commended awards. S1 pupil Stephen Grant and Tazmyn Hearton (S3) have both won awards for their artwork. Tazmyn’s work has even been chosen as the image for next year’s poster! Well done to both Stephen and Tazmyn for their achievements!
The Shooting Starts exhibition, films made by S3 pupils and Colombian filmmaker Sergio, premiered on Thursday, January 15. The exhibition was a great success. S3 pupils enjoyed working with Sergio for the duration of the project.
Mr. McPherson Physics Teacher is holding a competition in school to design a drum kit for his band ‘HeHatesUs’.The idea is to complete a design for the front of the bass drum; however it must either follow the general design of the band’s logo, or include the logo in the design. The competition is open to all pupils, and staff, who wish to provide a design. Last date for entries is the 15th February. The band will then pick one of these to be made into the final design. There will be a fabulous prize for the winning entry. Further information is available from either Mr. McPherson or the Art department.
Reports for S4-S6 are being written now and should shortly be sent to parents. There will be a parents evening for pupils in S4-S6 on Wednesday, January 30 5.30pm-7.30pm.
The Barcelona trip in June for pupils in S2-S6 is progressing well. Deposits are being collected now and forms have to be returned as soon as possible to the Art department!
The Art department will be welcoming student Judith Smith to the department on January 29. Everyone is looking forward to working with Judith during her time at the school.

13th December 2007

Staff and pupils from our partnership schools in Bulgaria, Italy, Romania and Turkey visited Doon Academy for a meeting on our Comenius Project ‘Bridges4Europe’. The visitors had a tour of the school and a Burns Presentation. The conference was a great success and activities for the project were completed. Everyone at Doon Academy enjoyed meeting the visitors and look forward to hosting a future gathering in May 2009.
Congratulations to James McAllister in S3 who was runner-up in the Ayrshire Schools Future Chef 2008 competition. James was commended for his preparation of the pear and apple pudding.
GOALS staff visited the UCAS group for a mentoring session preparing students for university.
S4 prelims are taking place for all subjects. Good luck everyone involved!
Exciting news from the Science Department: Mrs. Brooksbank informs us that ‘Lab in a Lorry’ will be visiting Doon Academy in the New Year'.
Pupils in the Art department are busy preparing decorations for the annual Christmas Disco which takes place on Thursday, December 20, between 7pm and 10pm. Buses are available for pupils travelling from Rankinston, Patna, Burnton and Bellsbank. Tickets are on sale from S6 prefects, priced at £2.
New, state-of-the-art computers have been delivered to the Business Education and ICT department and everyone is looking forward to using them.
The Doon Valley Art exhibition was a great success, as was the now-annual Silent Art Auction. The school managed to raise over £400 from the auction, so well done to everyone involved!
Doon Academy won the East Ayrshire Secondary School Quiz held at Loudoun Academy on Wednesday 21st November . This event is organised annually by Kilmarnock Round Table.
Congratulations to the team and thanks to Bryce McPherson, Shonagh Borthwick and Sarah Peacock for organising and escorting the team to this event.

15th November 2007

The UCAS group were delighted when former pupils Heather MacColl and Alex McFarlane visited the school to talk about their university experiences. Trainee Doctor Heather and Computer Graduate Alex enlightened pupils on the requirements for university. The group found the talk very interesting and informative. Staff and pupils at the school send congratulations to Heather and Alex, who are now engaged to be married.
Congratulations, as well, to S5 pupil Grant Conway who has been selected to be a member of a Scottish team of 50 pupils travelling, in February 2008, to the NASA Centre in Houston, USA for a 10 day experience at Space School.
The school’s annual Children In Need fundraising events were a great success. Pupils took part in a non-uniform day, a talent show and were asked to guess the number of sweeties were in a jar. Physics teacher Mr McPherson shaved off his much-loved beard and sixth year prefect Stephen Harvey waxed his legs. Well done to everyone who was involved!
The Art department’s Silent Auction will take place on Thursday 29 November from 7pm until 9pm. All artwork is for sale and refreshments will be provided, so everyone is welcome to come along. Mrs Humes and Miss Fuller would also like to thank the local businesses, including the Co-Op, Keystore, CJ’s Discount and Pound Store and the Chemist for donating prizes to the school!
An Art exhibition will be held on December 1 in the Doon Valley Museum. Artwork that pupils have produced throughout the year will be on sale.
Colombian filmmaker Sergio was in school on Thursday, November 15 to start work on his filmmaking project.
Yearbooks from 2006-07 are still on sale for £6 each. Contact the Art department at the school if you are interested in buying one!

1st November 2007

Congratulations to Alistair Paton in S1 and Connor McCallum in S2 who have won the Accelerated Reader of the Month for October for their respective year groups. Last months winners were Shannon Rodger 1B and Chelsea McLarty 2D. Keep up the good work!
Sci-Fun took place in the week beginning Monday 29 October. All the pupils who took part had great fun and cannot wait for next year’s event.
Preparation is underway for the Art department’s Silent Auction, which is due to take place on November 29th. Staff and students are busy creating their artwork for the auction.
The Ayrshire Schools Cross Country Championships took place on October 31st. Doon Academy pupils performed well in the races.
Doon Academy’s 1st year Boys football team played Cumnock Academy. The team lost narrowly in the first game of the season. The School Girls football team also played Cumnock.
To celebrate the European Day of Languages 2007, lots of events were organised at Doon Academy. S1 students took part in a Europe Quiz, devised by Mrs Bax, the School Librarian. They had to work together in teams to do research on one of the countries of Europe. They searched for information in books and online. Afterwards, they were given the task of compiling a Quiz about their chosen country for the other students to do. The results were collated and prizes were awarded to the Best Quiz Questions and the Best Quiz Answers. In the afternoon, S3 students took part in a fun European language quiz, and prizes were given to the winning teams.
Mrs Lake and Mrs Brotherwood from the Maths Department are busy organising the Shoebox Appeal. The boxes are ready for shipping next week. Well Done to all the staff and pupils who contributed to this worthwhile appeal.
The UCAS group had a very interesting and informative talk, from Strathclyde University’ s Imelda Devlin, on their personal statement for their UCAS application.

3rd October 2007

The Art department have been selected for the East Ayrshire “shooting Stars” project. Pupils will be working with the Colombian filmmaker Sergio Aliarez Uribe for a total of three months. Sergio will be based in the Doon Valley museum, and all pupils are looking forward to working with him.
The Art club will be running every Wednesday from 2.50pm until 4.25pm in Miss Fuller’s room. All budding artists are welcome!
All after school clubs are now up and running. On offer at the moment are Trampolining, Rugby, Boy’s and Girl’s football, Cricket, Music, and Puzzle Clubs and a wide variety of subject tutorials.
The group selected for the next Leadership Academy had their induction afternoon this week, and they have our best wishes for the course at Dalguise in Perthshire next week. They will be led by S4 Leadership Graduates Lee Orr and Ashley Thomson and Leadership teachers Mrs. McLay, Mr. McCrorie and Mr. Taylor.
S1 –S3 pupils celebrated National Poetry Day on Thursday 4th October by writing poems of the theme of “Dreams”. It can take hours to walk along the English corridor now, as all the poems are displayed on the walls.
Six of our Student Council representatives attended a conference in the Scottish Parliament on Drugs and Alcohol in 2025. They presented the views of young people on these issues, and looked at Government Policies and how public services are dealing with the problems in society surrounding these issues. Maybe we will get a brief report from them next week.
Pupils studying standard grade music attended the Glasgow Concert Hall for a recital from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Everyone had a fantastic time and look forward to the next concert.
Aimee McKnight won the International School Library Day logo competition.
The school photographer was busy snapping our new S1 last week, and up-dating the pics we have of S3 and S5 which are now two years old. Group photographs will be taken in November.
Past Papers for all subjects are available from the Maths department for £6.40 each. All order forms and money must be handed in to Mrs Lake before the October holiday.

1st October 2007

Accelerated Reader now has a Reader of the Month. For September the Readers are Chelsie McLarty in S2 and Shannon Rodger in S1. Well done girls!