Rapid Response Engineering Challenge

Doon’s Academy’s S2 pupils undertook the Rapid Response Engineering Challenge week, produced in cooperation with Institution of Civil Engineers. On Monday engineers, Hazel Wilson and Craig Striker, came into school and gave a presentation on the work of civil engineers and then co-opted S2 to be emergency response engineers to help with the aftermath of a hurricane in Honduras. During the rest of the week the pupils learned about disaster relief, hurricanes and other useful skills they might need as disaster workers. Last Friday all S2 pupils were split into teams and they faced a series of 7 challenges which ranged from building an emergency shelter, transporting water, cleaning water, orienteering in Spanish, preparing an emergency meal, and making weather instruments. Despite the bad weather forecast, some activities were able to be held outside. The pupils all enjoyed themselves and found the day quite hard work and very challenging. Congratulations to the winning team Lauren Kennedy, Halle Fitzsimmons, Lorelle White, Darren McLarty, Damien Slocombe and Lewis Weir.

Cricket success

The school cricket team has batted to another success in the Glasgow Schools C.A. League by winning their match against Stonelaw High School. Stonelaw were 32 all out (11.5 overs) and Doon was 33 for 5 wickets (4.1 overs). Doon won by 5 wickets. Congratulations to the team and man of the match Daryl Grover.

Reading Week

Doon Academy held its second Reading Week from 16th to 20th May. It was very much enjoyed by pupils and staff. Mrs Bax, the school librarian stated: “During Reading Week pupils passed 57 Accelerated Reader quizzes and earned 207 points compared with a random week in March when they passed 41 quizzes and earned 147 points. Once again Reading Week was a great success.”

SportsAbility

Supported Learning Centre S1to S3 pupils took part in a SportsAbility Event at the Magnum Centre in Irvine. Pupils undertook activities in Boccia, curling, archery, football and dancercise. Everyone really enjoyed their day learning new sports.

Army Work Experience

Congratulations to S3 pupils Paige McMahon, Amy Fulton, Raegan Heggie and Annabel McTaggart who all successfully passed their Army Work Experience Week at the Garelochhead Barracks in Helensburgh.

Successful Leadership Academy

Last week, 14 pupils and 3 members of staff attended our Leadership Academy at the PGL outdoor centre in Dalguise, Perthshire. The programme, facilitated by Mrs McLay, Mr McCrorie, and Mrs Gillespie was a great success with everyone participating in indoor workshops and outdoor activities relevant to the code of leadership for each day. Everyone gave 100% throughout the week, both individually and as a member of a team. A celebration dinner was held in the Atholl Arms Hotel, Dunkeld and everyone received their certificate and polo shirt, on the final day, at the graduation ceremony.

New staff

Congratulations to Leanne Kerr who was successful at interview and is appointed teacher of Chemistry.

Gothic Adventure

30 S1/2 pupils visited the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock for a drama workshop based around the 1839: Gothic Adventure exhibition. Under the direction of the drama leader Michaella Mullen pupils took part in many activities including a procession march recreating the Eglington Tournament of 1839. Everyone really enjoyed their day and thank you to Michaella for her energy and expertise.

Sad news

Doon Academy’s staff and pupils were saddened to hear of the death of Ina Whalen who was a great supporter of the school. Our sincere condolences to her daughter Georgie and family.

Visit to Poland

Mrs Stewart and Mr Ellis together with 2nd year pupils John Anderson, Alexander Nutt, Halle Fitzsimmons and Rachel Murphy have returned from their Comenius visit to Olecko in Poland. The theme for the project was ‘Health 4 Life’ and during the visit the group, together with staff and pupils from our partner schools, visited Wigierski National Park, Suwalski Landscape Park and took a walk along the educational path “Czarna Hancza Valley”. A visit was also made to the Stanczyki bridges which are the biggest bridges in Poland. Staff and pupils were given a tour of their partner school in Wieliczki before staff were taken to the Town Hall to meet the Mayor who gave an interesting talk about the surrounding area. Pupils from the school in Wieliczki gave a presentation which was followed by a sightseeing tour of the town. On the last night of the visit, staff and pupils were treated to a farewell BBQ party in Gize before returning to their hotel to prepare for the return journey. Many friendships were made during the visit and the school are now looking forward to the next mobility to Greece in October.

Campus Day in Glasgow

As part of the FOCUS West project 30 S3 pupils visited the University of Glasgow for a campus day. Together with pupils from two Glasgow schools Doon’s pupils took part in a wide range of activities relating to Higher Education. Everyone had a very interesting and informative visit and pupils are looking forward to their FOCUS two day study skills course later in the year.

Cricket win

Doon Academy’s 1st year/P7s from Dalmellington Primary cricket team played against Wellington School at Wellington Sports Ground. Doon won by 6 wickets with Colin McDonald 5 wickets for 14 runs including a hat trick. This was a superb team effort in their first competitive cricket game. Thank you to their coach Mr. White and to Mrs. McNair and others who braved the atrocious weather to support the team.

S3 English exams

The S3 English examination will take place in the English rooms on Tuesday 31st May during periods 5, 6, 7. Pupils will sit the writing and general papers.

Smarties for orphans

As part of Doon Academy’s fund raising activities all S1 pupils are collecting money in smartie tubes to raise funds to take children from a Bulgarian orphanage on holiday.

ASDAN visit to Craigengillan

The S3 ASDAN group visited the Craigengillan Estate to help raise awareness of the Country Code. While there, we saw and heard plenty of wildlife as well as meeting some very friendly horses. Mrs Chapman showed us the outdoor curling rink. We were careful to leave gates as we found them and although we admired some wild flowers (bluebells), we didn't pick them. We were all fascinated by Kody's observation of a snail crossing the road. She marked its starting point with a coin so we could see how far it had got on our way back- not very far was the unanimous decision! It was a blustery day but we managed to dodge the showers and we all agreed the fresh air made a pleasant change from the classroom!

S6 Leavers

Doon Academy’s staff and pupils bid a fond farewell to our S6 pupils and wish them every success in the future.

Celtic Dragons trip

On Thursday 5th May, 42 pupils from Doon Academy and Dalmellington Primary visited the Kelvin Hall to watch a professional netball game. The Glasgow Wildcats took on the Celtic Dragons in a highly competitive and fast paced game. We stopped for dinner on the way to the Kelvin Hall, with all pupils proving that Doon Valley pupils have good manners and are a credit to their school. At the Kelvin Hall we watched both teams warm up and everyone was impressed with the amount of stretching and drills that were carried out. With all girls on court, it was obvious that the average height of a netball player is more than the average height of a non netball player! The game proved to be very entertaining with loud cheers every time Glasgow scored. All pupils were recorded for Sky Sports and we were on television later that night. The Celtic Dragons were ahead at half time but this slightly disappointing result was forgotten as we were entertained by the cheerleaders. The Wildcats managed to pull some points back after half time but the Celtic Dragons were definitely the stronger team, winning 49-30. It was a late night with pupils not returning until 10.30pm but I think everyone agreed it was worth it. Well done to all pupils who behaved impeccably during all aspects of the trip.

New Acting PT

Congratulations to Ian Power who has been appointed Acting Principal Teacher of Business and ICT.

Cambridge Liaison Visit

Joshua Jowitt, the Schools Liaison Officer, from the University of Cambridge will be visiting the school on Thursday 9th June to speak to S3 pupils. If any parent would like to have an appointment with him please contact the school 01292 550521.

OYT voyage to Inverary

A very successful OYT Scotland voyage with a group of S3 pupils took place from 2nd to 8th May 2011. They sailed from Greenock to Campbeltown and Inverary via East Loch Tarbert and Portavadie and ended up back at Greenock. The pupils all worked really hard and participated in all aspects of the voyage, from planning where they went, steering the boat, cooking the meals, cleaning, and hoisting the sails. It was a very full-on experience under challenging weather conditions, with winds up to Force 6, thunderstorms and heavy rain. The pupils rose to the challenges and made the most of the trip. They had time ashore in East Loch Tarbert and Inverary, to explore the towns and see the sights.

Sportability Award for Most Active School

Well done to all the active pupils in the SLC for achieving the Sportability Award for Most Active School in Ayrshire. In a recent award ceremony the SLC were presented with the Award in recognition of the excellent work that the pupils have achieved. The initiatives that the pupils have been involved in include Boccia, Tai Kwon Do, football and swimming.
We would like to thank Nicola McCormick for working so hard to provide all these opportunities and for nominating the SLC - Ayrshire Champs! The S1 - S3 pupils at the SLC will be attending a team building day at Culzean Country Park with many opportunities to learn how to work together and to get muddy. The day will involve hard work, sharing ideas and plenty of fresh air. Mr Kerr from the SLC would like to thank all the staff at Park School, Grange Campus for their hospitality in his recent visit. Mr Kerr said “It was a great opportunity to share ideas and learn new approaches. I am looking forward to developing new ideas for pupils at Doon.”

Kilmarnock College Leadership Course

S3 pupils Jordan Berretti, Daryl Grover, Connor Halliday, Tammy Reid, Ross Mellis, Robbie Ogilvie, Jade Scott and Dylan Thirtle attended the week long Kilmarnock College Leadership Programme. Congratulations to them all for graduating from the leadership course.

S1 - S3 Achievers

Pupils from S1 to S3 received their certificates for 100% attendance, no late-coming and 45+ merits. Well done to them all.

Netball success

Doon Academy’s netball team travelled to Kilmarnock to play St. Joseph’s Academy. The game got off to a tight start with both sides scoring alternatively. Annabel McTaggart controlled the game well from her centre position with Paige McMahon and Amy Fulton helping in the wings. With a very fast Jade Scott passing the ball to Sophie Dobbie, Doon was able to score 5 points in the first half. Unfortunately St. Joseph’s scored 6 putting Doon in a trailing position going into the second half. After a quick team talk and some substitutions from St. Joseph’s, Doon got off to a quick start equalising in the first minute. With Claire Boyd and Lauren Shaw determined not to let St. Joe’s score any more, the game was certainly in Doon’s control. With Jade’s quick thinking and movement, she was able to give the ball to Sophie who scored a phenomenal 9 goals in total during the game. The final score ended with Doon winning 10-6. Well done to everyone including Paige McMahon and Claire Boyd who received joint ‘Players of the Match’

Health4Life t-shirts

Pupils in the Art department have been designing T shirts for the Comenius Health4Life Project. The brief was to design a logo incorporating some aspect of healthy living and then paint this onto their T shirt. The T shirts will be worn at project meetings in the partnership countries.

Acting Depute Head Teacher

Congratulations to Audrey Stewart Principal Teacher of Business and ICT who was successful at interview and has been appointed Acting Depute Head Teacher.

Trip to Culzean

Mr. Gooding’s S3 Standard Grade Biology class will be visiting Culzean Country Park to research the environment for their Shore land, Woodland and Ecology unit

Modern Languages commended

In Modern Languages the department were commended at verification for the sound quality of their speaking tests. Also, Intermediate 1 pupils Rebecca Stirling, Dillan Dunn and Megan McCleary were commended for their speaking tests. Well done

Rapid Response Engineering Challenge

During the week of the 16th to 20th May S2 pupils will be involved in the Rapid Response Engineering Challenge.

In the Science department the lessons will be focussed on the challenges of water purification.

Health4Life trip to Poland

As part of the Comenius Health4Life Project, Mrs Stewart, Mr. Ellis and 2nd year pupils, John Anderson, Halle Fitzsimmons, Rachel Murphy, and Alexander Nutt will be attending a project meeting in Olecko, Poland together with teachers and pupils from our partnership schools. The main focus of the meeting will be on learning foreign languages. Bon Voyage!

Dalmellington Town Trail

Well, it's full steam ahead for the super fit SLC pupils who are working really hard with a whole range of fitness opportunities in place right up to the summer holidays including football, swimming and a day event at Sportsability at the Magnum Leisure Centre Irvine. Will it be six-packs all round come the summer???

SLC 3 and 4 pupils have been enjoying the recent good weather and taking the Dalmellington Town Trail to investigate and report on the interesting information provided in the locally produced history booklet.

Further to the current learning programme some pupils have been leading their own learning and have identified local people of historical interest and the Covenanters as areas for further learning. Furthermore, these outings have also been a great opportunity to meet with the local community who have been very interested in what we have been learning and have been very helpful in sharing their own knowledge.