Belgium trip

Pupils from S2 and S3 have just returned from a fantastic and informative trip to the First World War Trenches in France and Belgium.  The group were blessed with glorious weather which permitted them the chance to venture inside some of the Trenches that were used during WWI.  Pupils also paid their respects to those who perished throughout the war by visiting both Allied and German cemeteries.  Finally, the group ended their trip with a day in Disneyland where they enjoyed the 20th Anniversary Parade as well as the Roller coasters! Thank you to Miss Steele in the Social Subjects Department for organising this really successful trip both students and staff thoroughly enjoyed it.

Global market

On Friday 31 May, S1 pupils will be visiting the Global Market in Kilmarnock with the Social Subjects and Modern Languages departments. Pupils will have the opportunity to taste foods from around the world, buy crafts and practise their French and Italian speaking skills!

Belgium trip

The S2/3 France and Belgium trip sets off on Monday 3rd June. The group will travel overnight to Dover and sail to Calais the following morning where they will visit a hypermarket. The bus will then travel on to Belgium where pupils and staff will spend two days visiting war memorial sites such as Ypres, Flanders Field museum and trenches which have been preserved from the First World War. After leaving Belgium the group move on to Paris where they will sail down the river Seine and spend the following day in Disneyland Paris before returning home.

Bounce-a-thon

Social Subjects held a Boune-a-thon on Friday 15th March to raise funds for the trip to the battlefields of France and Belgium. The bounce-a-thon was well enjoyed by both students and staff. Well done to all students and teachers who took part in. This has raised almost £200. If you have not yet collected all your sponsor money please do so immediately and hand it into Miss Steele in the Social Subjects department.

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.

Trip to France and Belgium June 2013

Miss Steele from the Social Subjects department is in the process of arranging a trip to France and Belgium on Monday 3rd of June until Saturday 8th of June 2013. The trip will involve visiting the original trench systems of World War One, museums and monuments dedicated to the War and finally end with a day in Disneyland Paris. The overall cost is £329 per pupil. The first deposit of £100 is due on the 8th of February and the remaining balance by the 19th of April; this can be paid in instalments. Places are limited; please see Miss Steele for more information.

Geobus visit

Doon Academy pupils and staff were delighted that the Geobus project run by the University of St Andrews visited the school. The Geobus staff ran sessions with S1, S2 and S4-6 Science and Geography classes.

S1 pupils looked at ‘Fascinating Fossils’, they were invited to look and touch real fossils which are hundreds of millions of years old.

S2 pupils were ‘Monitoring Volcanoes’ where they looked at how geologists are able to predict an eruption using instruments such as infra-red cameras.

S4-S6 pupils were studying ‘Fluvial Processes’ and were given the opportunity to design their own river settlement. It was a very successful day and pupils thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Thank you to Mrs. Elder and Ms. Kerr for arranging the event.

Fairtrade Fortnight

Thank you to Mrs Elder and her Higher Geography pupils who raised £196 during Fairtrade Fortnight by selling craft items and holding a Fairtrade tuck shop.

Diamond Wood

Doon Academy will soon be involved in an exciting project to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Craigengillan Estate in Dalmellington has been chosen as one of sixty sites in the U.K where a ‘Diamond Wood’ will be planted. The project will be led by the Woodland Trust and will involve the planting of 60 acres of woodland. Pupils will be involved in the planting of the trees and the woodland will provide an outdoor learning environment for the school for many years to come.

History Author visit

As part of the Spring Read programme S2/3 History pupils visited Grange Academy to hear a talk by renowned author Allan Burnett. His talk was on the key themes in Scottish history related in his books, but he also spoke about the wider world of history. Mr. Burdett incorporated an awareness that certain themes, e.g., Wars of Independence, The Reformation, World Wars 1 and 2, are increasingly being taught in history classes in secondary schools. He also discussed how history can help us in a range of other subjects and disciplines, because they all have a history of their own. The law, economics and politics, in particular, all depend on an understanding of history if they are to be practiced and advanced at the highest level. Everyone found his talk very interesting and informative for their history studies.

Geography Development Day

On the in-service day Geography teacher, Mrs Elder, hosted a development day for East Ayrshire’s geography teachers. At the event the teachers discussed curricular planning for the new S3 courses.

Literacy Wall

The Music and Social Subjects departments are February's contributors to the Literacy Wall.

In Music S2 pupils worked in groups of four or five researching a genre of music and producing an information poster.

In Social Subjects S1 pupils learned about local government and wrote letters of complaint. In S2 pupils wrote pieces discussing the Holocaust. Another S2 group studied Mary Queen of Scots and wrote murder reports about Darnley. 

The best pieces of work were written by: Chole Chalmers, Wendy Roulstone, Fallan Smith, Chole Halliday, Amy Collins, Rebekah Copeland and Katie Burrell. Congratulations to them!

Auschwitz visit

Two of our senior pupils, Lisa Chalmers and Lauren Mitchell, visited the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland. The girls are Higher Modern Studies students and the visit was organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust. Lauren and Lisa attended a preparatory meeting in Glasgow during which they met a survivor of the death camp. The girls were shocked and saddened by their visit and they will share this emotional experience with other pupils at special assemblies.

Edinburgh trip

As part of their social studies curriculum S2 pupils, together with S5/6 Higher History students, visited the Scottish Parliament and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. At the parliament they were met by Amanda Gordon, parliamentary assistant to SMP Adam Ingram, and she led the group on a tour of the parliament building. MSP Ingram took time out from his committee to meet with the pupils.  At the Palace pupils undertook a workshop on Mary Queen of Scots. They all found the day very interesting and enjoyable and would like to thank MSP Ingram and Amanda for the visit to the parliament and the palace staff for the workshop.

Social Subjects trip to Edinburgh

 The Social Subjects department has organised a visit to Edinburgh where pupils will undertake workshops at the Palace of Holyroodhouse as part of their Mary Queen of Scots topic Also they will tour the Scottish Parliament and interview MSP Adam Ingram for the BBC School News Report. MSP Ingram will be reciprocating the visit by coming to the school on Friday 11^th November to speak to staff and pupils about the school’s improvement plans.

Climate Week Challenge

Doon Academy selected 2 teams of 4 pupils from S1, S2, and S3 to take part in the first national Climate Challenge for schools. The challenge takes place during Climate Week which is designed to spotlight what workplaces and communities are already doing to combat climate change, and to raise awareness of the issues involved. The pupils were asked to develop a green idea to save money or make money. Within the time limit the teams had to come up with an idea, show how it would achieve their objective and also how they would carry it out. Their final product was to be on no more than 2 sides of A4 paper. The challenge proved to be quite a tough task, but after a great deal of discussion and debate within the teams, they were ready to present their ideas to the school judges Mrs Ritchie and Mrs Bax. Well done to the winning team which consisted of Kieran Madden, Robyn McCluskey, Elleis Peters and Gareth Kerr from S1. Their idea was for a school garden with vegetables and flowers.

Geography trip to Patna

S4 Geography pupils, accompanied by Mrs. Elder, recently visited the BDF factory in Patna as part of their Standard Grade course. Pupils received a tour of the factory which manufactures single use surgical drapes for the NHS and a range of other companies. They then had the opportunity to interview the Production Manager, Andy Nightingale who provided an insight into the day to day operations. We would like to thank Andy and the rest of the staff at BDF for accommodating our visit.

Mock Election

In Social Subjects Mr Kavanagh’s S1 pupils are preparing for their own mock elections to mirror the national parties. Pupils are researching key party policies and campaigning for their chosen candidates. The pupils will vote on Election Day and see if their elected representative reflects the national voting pattern.

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.