Lasswade christmas newsletter

Lasswade High School Christmas Newsletter December 2013

Duke of Edinburgh Expedition, pg 11

Cookery Club, pg 10

Trip to Samye Ling Centre, pg 15

Science Alive Gala Day, pg 8

Music & Drama News, pgs 18 - 19

Craft Club, pg 11

Sport News, from page 20

Message from the Headmaster, Mr A Williamson It is with a great sense of pride that we present our Christmas Newsletter which captures a flavour of the outstanding work from staff, students, parents and our community partners in the first session in the new school.

An incredible amount of work has gone into all aspects of the ethos and life of the school in this first part of the session. There have been some amazing highlights – by selecting a few it by no means diminishes in my eyes all the other good news stories, only a small sample of which are included in this newsletter.

Last week’s Christmas Concert was a brilliant evening and tremendous success showcasing the ambition of our new school. If you could ‘bottle’ the talent, creativity and positive ethos in two hours of music & drama there could be no better celebration of all that Lasswade High is about in terms of our superb young people and the staff that work with them.

We have had local, national and international success for individual students which is a real source of pride for me as the Headmaster. I have enjoyed meeting these students to find out more about their contribution to their school and community in various fields from sport, music, charity work and academic success.

Lasswade High School is moving forward in terms of developing our curriculum within and beyond the classroom. We have opened consultation with all stakeholders on our ‘Lasswade’s Curriculum for Excellence’ and have engaged in fantastic debate with the growing Parent Council. Parent engagement is paramount to a successful school and we are delighted to see more and more of our parents attending the Parent Council Meetings.

This term we have also set out in our new environment to establish a vision statement for our new school, underpinned by strong core values, in a consultation process that has involved staff, students and parents and the results of which will be communicated to all stakeholders early next term. The Student Leadership Team will work with me to evaluate the feedback from all our young people and the final result will become embedded within and beyond our school.

It is my aim to ensure that the new school is about ambition and excellence and we are determined to push forward innovative and transformational change with positive outcomes for our young people. As part of this process over 500 iPads will be in use within Lasswade High by the end of January and we are really excited about the impact that this teaching & learning tool will have on pupil motivation, achievement and attainment.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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People often ask me what the measure of an excellent school is and what it is about Lasswade High that is so special? There is no easy answer. It is certainly about the curriculum we deliver, the quality of learning and teaching and the professionalism and commitment of our staff who make our young people the school’s own VIPs. Improving headline figures about exam attainment and individual student successes, set within the context of high aspirations and goals are undoubtedly important but these achievements must be set within the context of a compassionate values-based culture, where all young people feel they belong. Without doubt an excellent school requires hard work from staff, students, parents & stakeholders and in my opinion we have the potential to form a ‘formidable team’ in Lasswade High School.

In January we will have a follow-through visit from Her Majesty’s Inspectors from Education Scotland and we approach this valuable experience from a position of confidence that the school is moving forward in the right direction on a journey to ‘excellence’. As always, we welcome this ‘outside eye’ in terms of evaluating the service we deliver for each child and family. I have set out a clear vision within which there is no room for complacency and we will not settle for second best in terms of delivering our priorities for improving the school.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and look forward to the new term with great excitement.

I trust that you will enjoy our Festive Newsletter Please read on ...!

Former Lasswade High School pupil, Hearts Manager Gary Locke, was a surprise visitor on Children in Need day, see page 8 to hear more about the day.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Official Opening of Lasswade High School Centre The Lasswade High School Centre was officially opened by Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, on 30th October 2013. The whole school were involved in celebrating this event.

Article by Lasswade Head Boy, Iain Rose The opening of the new school building began with the First Minister, Alex Salmond, being greeted by the Headmaster, Mr Williamson and the Pupil Head Team. After being given a tour around the new building, and getting a first hand view of learning within a variety of classes Mr Salmond, Mr Williamson and the Head Team all addressed the pupils and staff of the school before officially opening the school building. After the ceremony, which included a special performance from the school’s choir and music from the school bands, the First Minister was invited outside for interviews with the press.

Head Boy, Iain Rose and Head Girl, Maeve Dale are photographed with the official opening plaque.

Staff and pupils have been working hard in the new building this term and benefiting from all that it has to offer.

“It’s great to meet young people benefiting from one of the first secondary schools of our Schools for the Future programme. Lasswade High pupils are developing their skills and talents in a wonderful environment, including bright, airy classrooms and social spaces and with excellent, fully-equipped sports facilities.”

Alex Salmond 30/10/2012

You can watch a video from Alex Salmond’s Official Opening of the new school building on You Tube. This includes Mr Salmond’s views on the school, interviews with Mr Williamson, Iain and Maeve and clips from the school’s official opening events. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJzzYuNdVJM

You can browse the excellent photos from the Official Opening of the Lasswade High School Centre including Alex Salmond’s visit on Stockpix: http://stockpix.photoshelter.com/gallery/Alex-Salmond-Lasswade-School-30-October-2013/ G0000w0UXDm0OTw8/C0000R8bs7oUY1Vg

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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S1—S3 Learners’ Forum There is a very active S1—S3 Learners’ Forum which meets regularly and discusses issues relevant to these year groups. Pupils suggestions are welcomed and, as a result of pupil requests, the following has been achieved: Comments/Suggestions from S1—S3 Forum

Action taken as a result

1. Picnic benches in the wrong place

The picnic benches have now been moved to the centre

2. More picnic benches would be good

Additional picnic benches have been ordered for the spring

3. Games for the playground would be a good idea

A group of pupils will select appropriate games and these will be ordered for the spring

4. Could we have hot chocolate served in Hot chocolate now available in the the morning before school? morning before school Meeting with Mr Williamson Recently the Headmaster, Mr Williamson, attended the forum and asked pupils for their views on proposed curricular changes. Pupils engaged in high quality discussion about the proposals and provided useful feedback.

Learning Charter Recently the S1—S3 Learners’ Forum have discussed the school’s Learning Charter and suggested improvements both in content and layout. The revised Learning Charter will now go out to other pupils for their consultation.

So, if you’re in S1—S3 and want to make a difference, come and join us!

Lasswade Youth Forum The Lasswade Youth Forum is a group of pupils from Lasswade High School who meet regularly to look at local issues.

Their focus lately has been on tackling smoking amongst young people and they have applied for a Youth Tobacco Action Grant to help them produce a DVD that could be shown in school to coincide with stop smoking day, 12th March 2014.

If you’d like to get involved with the directing, acting or filming then find us on Facebook or get in touch with Catherine Duns, Community Learning and Development, Catherine.duns@midlothian.gov.uk or 0131 270 5769.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Lasswade Eco Group Mount Esk Nursery Sensory Garden The S6 Eco Group have been working in partnership with Community Learning and Development over the last two years to make a sensory garden for Mount Esk Nursery. To plan the garden the Eco Group consulted with the nursery children about how they think the garden should be designed and the plants they would like. The garden aims to increase biodiversity and be multisensory including a variety of plants to small, touch and feel using different textures and materials.

The garden has been cleared and most of the landscaping is now complete. We look forward to planting in the spring and the nursery children being able to enjoy this exciting environment. Students have raised over £300 by organising refreshments at various school events including S1 parents evening and the P7 open evening.

The Eco Group have put a lot into this project and its success has been supported by local business and the community. In particular Dobbies and Thistle Timber have been very generous. Special thanks to Ronnie Duffy (parent and local landscape gardener) for advice and help. The project also benefitted from the Kickstart fund through Midlothian Council. We would welcome any help from parents and grandparents who are keen on gardening and would like to help and get involved.

Our new Eco Notice Board will soon be on show in the foyer so that everyone in the school and the wider community can see what’s happening. We would encourage everyone to follow our new Eco Code which says ‘Calm it, Janet!

Let’s save the planet!’

Fairtrade The Eco Group runs a Fairtrade Friday tuckshop, with fairtrade products on sale each Friday at interval. This tuckshop aims to raise awareness of products that can make a huge difference to less fortunate people overseas. At present there is a selection of very reasonably priced Christmas gifts as well as jars of jam and chutneys. Lasswade is working towards Fairtrade School status. Please support this worthwhile cause.

Energy As part of our action plan the group are investigating how energy efficient our new school building is. We will do this by interviewing BAM (the designers of the new school) and will report back to the school community in the near future. Deputy Headmaster, Mr Mitchell, is leading a group of S3 students who are looking at alternative energy. Some S2 students are organising the Lasswade Police Authority (LPA).

They are creating a Lasswade ‘jail’ to remind students and staff to save energy and protect our environment.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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iPads Lasswade High School has made a significant investment in new technology this session. Every member of staff has been provided with an iPad. 6 ‘classrooms in a box’ of iPads have been purchased. These can be booked by teachers to use with their classes.

A group of dedicated staff has been brought together to form an ICT in Learning & Teaching Group to investigate learning opportunities and to share good practice around the school.

We are very excited to launch a one-to-one computing program for S3. Every S3 pupil is being provided with an iPad mini to use in school and to take home to enhance the curriculum and their learning. Many educational studies that show that if used properly this device can have a significant impact in raising attainment.

This one-to-one initiative was launched at an information evening with a fantastic turnout of over 300 parents and pupils to hear the Headmaster give a presentation about this exciting development in Lasswade High School.

Creative Writing Club Pupils from the Lasswade Creative Writing Club have submitted entries to a national competition run by Young Writers. The submission criteria is to write a 100 word story on the theme ‘A Twist in the Tale’ Two of the Lasswade entries can be read below: Story by AB, S1 Sleeping Beauty After dashing up the long winding stairs, Philip was almost out of breath. He was going to save Sleeping Beauty. Eventually he arrived at the top. Slowly and carefully Philip gently pushed open the door. There on a silky soft bed lay a beautiful and dazzling girl. Silently Philip crept over to the girl and bent down to kiss her. Suddenly her eyes opened and she snarled bearing sharp teeth.

Slowly the girl sank her teeth deep into Philip’s soft flesh. Philip now understood the reason why no one had ever rescued Sleeping Beauty. She was a vampire!

Story by LJ, S2 Just Wake Up Dorothy stepped outside, Toto at her heels, this wasn’t Kansas anymore, the sky was beautifully blue. No more hurricane, no more family. The grass was emerald green and the path was shimmering gold. She followed the sparkling path and was met by a green man, “Hello, I’m a Munchkin.” “Where am I?” “You are in OZ” “How do I get home?” “I can be of assistance” A floating lady dressed all in pink exclaimed “Oh, yes please! What do I do?” “Just wake up” “Please wake up” “Please...okay doctor, pull the plug” “you sure?” “yes, she won’t wake up”

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Design and Technology Website Design and Technology are launching their new pupil and parent focused website going into the new year. It is still awaiting pupil work from this year and as we near completion coming up to Christmas we are excited to add some pictures of our young designers work.

The purpose of the website is to provide a bridge between school and home enabling support materials and exemplification of pupil work to be accessed with the click of a button. We aim to bring the classroom into the home with online forums for discussion and teacher blogs that will contain videos and homework hints and tips!

Our aim is to reduce the barriers that can prevent learning out with the classroom and provide a window into the department for parents and the community.

You can find us here: http://designandtechnologyatlasswade.weebly.com/ We will use the site to communicate homework deadlines with dedicated teacher calendars, allow communication with the class teacher out with the classroom for support, update pupils and parents on department news and progress, provide important course exemplars and information to help with choosing the correct course for you, celebrate pupil progress and excellence in our new online hall of fame and the most exciting element for us is to ask for your ideas and suggestions of what you would like to see from us as teachers in the Design and Technology department via our suggestion box.

The website is going to be an evolving machine within our teaching in Design and Technology over the coming months and we would also like to hear your opinions on the site via our suggestion box. All suggestions will be read and discussed at departmental meetings. We value all input as we strive to improve our pupils learning experiences in the department.

We have a software section of the website that details the main pieces of software that we are using or planning to use in the coming new year. We would invite you to visit this section of the site and the subsequent software providers websites and read their terms and conditions of use to ensure you are happy with your child using the packages. We have selected them as we feel they will contribute significantly in the pupil learning experience and have selected them with security of personal data in mind. Please familiarise your self with the software and get in touch with any concerns you may have. We will issue parental agreement forms in due course where required.

We really do feel that with the support of parents and pupils engaging with the forums and support areas of the site that we can provide a richer and more informative experience within Design and Technology. We look forward to embedding the site in our teaching and we hope you find it useful. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Design and Technology department!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Science Alive Gala Day Article by Megan Carlisle, S3 The Science Alive Gala day was a big hit when it came to Lasswade High School on Sunday 13th October. Over 300 people came to the school between 10am and 4pm and enjoyed the interactive stalls and shows that took place over the duration of the day.

A small group of pupils that go to the new school volunteered to come along and help with the day. This involved showing people about and even holding their own science stalls. For example two S4 pupils held an elephants toothpaste demo and two S1 pupils made up a soap experiment. Another stall was set up by some S6 pupils that explained how the skeleton works and what happened inside the brain. I has a box of ‘cornflour goo’, also known as Gluck!

We all had a great time with our lab coats on and it was a great experience.

The icing on the cake was when our science teacher, Mr Boyle, gave us muffins he had made as a thank you for helping out. The fair had a great community spirit and all in all was a great experience for everyone involved.

If and when the Science Alive Gala Day is held again I hope that it will as big a success.

Burns Supper, 30th January 2014 Our Burns Supper will be held on Thursday 30th January, 7—9.30pm.

Tickets: £10 per person This event is for S6, parents and staff and will be held in the Atrium of Lasswade High School. There will be food, drinks and a céilidh.

All funds will be donated to the FAB club and Thornton Rose. More information will be on the school website soon, tickets available from the Lasswade High School Centre Reception from Monday 6th January.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Lasswade Charities Committee Wear it Pink A fantastic cheque for £2,000 was handed over to Breakthrough Breast Cancer by S6 pupils Maeve Dale and Lauren Minshull.

Lasswade pupils raised this donation with a ‘Wear Pink to School Day’.

Children in Need In November Pudsey Bear visited Lasswade and £1,000 was raised for Children in Need.

The 6th year wore their pyjamas to school, Pudsey cakes were for sale, there was a karaoke in the Assembly Hall, a staff chess match, face painting and a guess the teddy bear's birthday competition.

A surprise visitor on the day was former Lasswade pupil and Hearts Manager, Gary Locke.

SCEN - Gleneagles Summit The students who will be travelling to China next year took part in the 2nd Scottish China Education Network at Gleneagles Hotel.

Our Youth Ambassador Ruth Higginson co-chaired the afternoon session introducing Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, former Governor of Hong Kong.

The rest of the group had the honour of following the main speakers in the morning session giving the first group presentation summary of our nearly 10 years twinning with Tianlin No.3 Middle School in Shanghai.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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MYJET Programme 2013 A big well done to Kyle McIntosh, Jack French, Nathan Wallace, Rhys Peacock, Jordan Paterson and Lee Perfect.

They are now more than half way through the MYJET Programme (Midlothian Youth Job & Education & Training) and are all doing exceptionally well.

All reports from employers are excellent.

Keep up the good work boys.

S1 Buddy Club The Buddy Club runs at lunchtimes from Monday—Thursday 1.15 - 1.40 in Room 110.

The Buddy Club is for S1 pupils and is staffed by S6 Buddies and guidance teachers. Pupils can catch up with their homework or come along for a chat to make new friends and improve their social skills.

Feel free to come along and join us any lunchtime.

S1/S2 Cookery Club Lasswade High School Cookery Club have had an exciting term creating lots of fun and easy to make dishes on Tuesday evenings after school. 40 pupils attend the club each week to learn and develop their food preparation skills and meet new friends. They are assisted by senior helpers and staff members from departments across the school. This year we have made dishes including; Firework Nachos, Cheese and Ham Pasties, a seasonal Fruit Crumble, Spooky Fairy Cakes and Danish Christmas Trees.

Cookery Club will restart in January 2014. Thanks to all pupils and staff who make the club really good fun and such a success.

Happy Holidays! See you all back in 2014.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Craft Club This year saw the opening of the ‘Craft Club’ at LHS, a popular club with over 20 members who worked hard on their first project - making a scarf for Christmas.

The lunchtime club has a great atmosphere, with pupils and teachers chatting, creating and learning new craft skills together.

The scarves have been finished for Christmas gifts, and we are now looking at our next craft projects.

Do you fancy getting creative? Why not come along and get involved, bring a project you want to achieve or just join in the fun and the chat on Wednesday lunchtimes in Room 205.

Duke of Edinburgh Expedition Article by Catriona Sargent (4SL2) and Rachael Lamb (4SL2)

We began our Duke of Edinburgh at the beginning of 3rd year in 2012. Through this year we have taken part in activities which train us in first-aid, orientation, navigation and other necessary outdoor and camping skills like setting up tents and using portable stoves.

DofE is not just about camping and the final expedition though. You must also complete 3-6 months taking part in a physical, skills and volunteering activities. For the physical activity people chose a variety of different sports like rugby, swimming, badminton, dance and football. For skills there were activities like life-saving, first-aid, musical instruments and cooking. Many have carried on with these activities in their free time. Most of us had to take up a volunteering activity and we ended up volunteering in nurseries, charity shops, local clubs and Sunday schools. In September 2013, we used all of the skills and knowledge we had gained from our training days throughout the year to succeed in our practice expedition. In the practice expedition we were given a planned route in the Pentlands and had to, in groups, navigate our way to the campsite. After a full day walking we reached the campsite and set up camp. In the evening we cooked and went on a bat watch. In the morning we had breakfast and broke camp before we set off on a slightly shorter and different route back home. This was a tough and challenging weekend and experience however, overall, very enjoyable and great for team-building. We are all very excited to plan our own route and complete our qualifying expedition in springtime!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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‘Respect Us’, Anti-Bullying Week Respect Us is Lasswade High School’s Anti Bullying Group which formed in September to work together to take action on bullying. The group is supported by Community Learning & Development in partnership with Lasswade High School.

During Anti-Bullying Week: 18th -22nd November 2013, the Respect Us group carried out a number of activities in the school: • S1-S3 Assemblies power point presentation on Tuesday, Thursday & Friday • Lunchtime information stall, including help on: Bullying, Cyber bullying and Sexting • Bullying survey – 153 responses • Take the Pledge – 357 pupils & teachers took a pledge to stand up to bullying • 200 Beat Bullying blue wrist bands were handed out • Collective Stance – 250 pupils & teachers took part in the stance to stand up against bullying.

• Respect us Facebook page established on the 18th November, highlighting the work of the group.

The group will continue to work on bullying over the rest of the academic year with Lasswade High School Staff and Community Learning & Development.

To find out more, Visit: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Respect-US-Lasswade -High/620825027955968?ref=hl

Remembrance Assemblies For our remembrance assembly we sat on the stage in rows that a war time class would have sat in for photographs. Each of us were holding up a picture of a solider to cover our faces. The music started and the assembly began, people read out quotes such as a sergeant rallying his troops, soldiers reasons for joining the war and trench life. One by one we started turning our pictures around and on the other side there was a poppy which represented the dead and how a whole class could be wiped out. At the end we shared facts about war and figures of the millions who died and finally two cadets marched on the front of the hall and marched back in their uniforms. The assembly was an amazing way to show people the impact of war and it was an effective way of keeping their interest throughout the assembly. Overall I really enjoyed it and will always remember it.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Nelson Mandela, 1918—2013 On Friday 6th, the school reacted to the sad, but anticipated, news of Nelson Mandela's passing. Outside, Lasswade High School showed its respect by flying the South African flag at half-mast; whilst inside, Modern Studies pupils were taught about the life of the great man. Pupils made a timeline of Mandela's life, before considering what they thought his greatest achievement was. Given that these encompassed victories over adversity, restorative justice and personal achievement, pupils had plenty to consider and relate to their own lives. Rest in peace Madiba.

MP Visit, David Hamilton David Hamilton came to see all S4 Modern Studies students on the 22nd of November. He gave a talk on his work as an MP for Midlothian and students asked him questions about his life and work. We had some very thoughtful questions which tested David. One pupil asked him what he thought of Alex Salmond, another about his views on Scottish Independence. We were gripped by his account of what happened during the miners’ strike to cause his arrest and a spell in prison.

Thanks to Fraser Clark and Jacob Campbell in S4 for organising the visit.

Alex Salmond in Modern Studies During the opening of our new school Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond visited two Modern Studies classes. 2MK2 had a very lively debate with him about immigration in the USA and Scotland. Well done in particular to Jack Duffield who held his own in this debate when put under pressure by the First Minister.

Mr Salmond’s time with a Higher class focused on Scottish Independence and changing the age to vote for General Election from 18 to 16 years. Again our students proved to be very confident contributors.

Well done, you all did us proud.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Tyne and Wear Young Writer winner, Rachel Fergusson Congratulations to Lasswade High School S3 pupil Rachel Fergusson who was the overall winner in the Secondary category of The Tyne and Esk Young Writer of the Year Competition 2013.

There were over 700 entries from all over Midlothian and East Lothian, many of which were of an extremely high standard. Well done to all of the Lasswade pupils who entered the competition.

The Tyne and Wear Young Writer competition is run annually be Midlothian Library Service and East Lothian Libraries.

Midlothian Spell Masters, Lasswade Victory Midlothian Spell Masters 2013 was held on Wednesday 9th of October.

This regional competition was won by 3 Lasswade High School S2 pupils; Matthew Lannagan, Reece Bertram and Lucy Hanlon.

Matthew, Reece and Lucy received an individual prize of a voucher each and the team were awarded the Spell Masters trophy.

Well done team!

Scottish First Aid Award Winner, Shona Chalmers The Scottish First Aid Awards were held on Saturday 30th November at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh.

Fifth Year pupil Shona Chalmers won the Young Volunteer First Aid Award.

Shona is pictured with her award and St Andrews First Aid Trainer, Steven Clabby, who has been training Shona since she was 8 years old.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Trip to Samye Ling, Tibetan Buddhist Centre Article by Alice Tod, S6 In September a group of S5 and S6 pupils and our teachers visited Samye Ling monastery at Eskdalemuir in Dumfriesshire. Buddhism is the world religion that we study in Higher RMPS so seeing the monastery first hand and asking the monks and nuns questions was very informative.

After driving for hours through fields and countryside, we saw the white building with multicoloured flags and a huge gold statue outside in the middle of a pond.

It was so strange to suddenly see this in the middle of nowhere. When we got off the bus we met our guide; a nun who showed us around.

The thing I can remember most about the day was all the colours. In the prayer room the walls are bright gold and red, full of little gold Buddha statues and golden prayer wheels.

Another very good thing was seeing two monks praying. Actually going to see Buddhists meditate was so helpful in understanding the Buddhist religion.

Now, back at school, the trip has proved very useful when studying Buddhism. When answering past paper questions we can refer to our visit and sometimes our teacher only has to mention something that happened at the monastery and we can produce a full mark answer.

Seeing the lives of Buddhists at Samye Ling was one of the most helpful things we could have done to improve our understanding of Buddhism.

Lasswade High School Library Lasswade High School Library is now part the new Lasswade Public and School Library in the Lasswade Centre. Open to pupils, staff and the community 7 days a week the library is easily accessible and well used by the school.

In November the school welcomed a new School Librarian, appointed to ensure all Lasswade pupils and staff have access to quality resources for learning and teaching.

Lasswade pupils visit the library from departments across the school as well as in their own time to develop literacy and research skills, study, research and read.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Swimming Success Dillon Polok 3MK3, Ethan Brooks 2SL2 and Emma Stewart 2MK2, all took part at an event at Dalkeith Campus on Tuesday 1st October and won medals in their events.

Dillon and Ethan then went on to represent Midlothian at the Scottish Additional Needs Swimming Gala, which was held in Glasgow on Wednesday 20th November. Dillon won a Bronze and Ethan achieved a Gold medal.

We are all immensely proud of the pupils who have taken part in events over the last year, and look forward to them building on their achievements and making even more progress next year!

Lasswade High School Horticulture Group It was with some trepidation that the Horticulture Group moved to the new school: leaving behind an established garden with raised beds, apple trees and a pond full of wild life was not easy. However, the new challenge of an untouched garden was awaiting.

Breaking the ground in the new garden was hard work but we were fully equipped, right down to overalls and wellies. Our brand-new garden shed allows us to store and maintain our tools and waterproofs. We found the ground to be quite heavy so planted late potatoes, which we have just harvested. Our potatoes are small but perfectly formed. We hope that the bulbs we planted will appear in the spring, bringing colour to the school garden.

Presently we are finishing off the paper work for ‘Managing an Environmental Area’ which is the SQA award we are working towards. Kyle McIntosh, a member of the group, said, “We have learnt so many new skills around the garden, not just to do with gardening, but skills we will use for employment. I used these when I was on work experience and was told I worked well in a team and had good communication skills.”

We are now working on a plan for the new garden. Next term, the horticulture group will be planting pots which will be available in March 2014 for pupils to buy for Mother’s Day. Anyone out there who could help us by sharing their gardening skills should contact Mrs Carol Easton in Support for Learning.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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F.A.C.E. Fundraising Dear All I would like to thank you for your donations over this year to Fight Against Cancer Edinburgh. The money is used throughout the year to help the children who are facing life threatening illnesses to have some fun.

The culmination each year is a trip to Lapland to see Santa. This trip took place on Sunday 15 December. I was privileged to be invited to be part of the support team. It was marvellous to see these courageous children becoming happy and excited. All of this was possible due to your help.

In all £3,200 was raised through selling badges and especially the ‘Lasswade Strictly’ night. You were all so generous.

This night is to be repeated on 6th March so watch out for tickets.

Carol Easton Photos from last year’s Lasswade Strictly fundraiser . The 2014 event will be held on 6th March.

S1 Small Group Work All first year pupils have taken part in Small Group work for the last 7 weeks in Personal and Social Education. Classes are split into groups of 10 and taken by other teachers and Community and Learning Development staff (CLD) who work with Guidance on this programme.

As the title suggests, the 7 weeks involve a lot of group tasks with the aim being to encourage collaborative learning with an emphasis on strong communication and culminates in a full group task. Pupils seem to particularly enjoy the tower building week, the egg drop week (don’t worry they are hard boiled) and the final News report.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Music and Drama News It has been a very busy term for the music and drama departments. In September some performers from June’s production of Grease entertained at Dalkieth Country Park as part of Midlothian’s ‘Midfest’ Arts Festival.

October was a busy month preparing music for the visit of Alex Salmond for the official opening of the new school building. That month everyone worked hard to launch the departments new record label ‘Phoenix Records’, Miss Grigor’s singers performed at Dobbies Garden Centre and auditions took place for the years production of Hairspray.

In November members of the Lasswade High School String Group performed at the ‘Celebrate Midlothian’ Award ceremony.

December has seen various bands perform Christmas music at locations and events around Midlothian culminating in the school’s own Christmas concert with music from all the school groups and bands and a performance of Cinderella from the Junior Drama Group.

Lasswade String Group provided the entertainment at the Celebrating Midlothian Awards

Lasswade Choir Soloists, Findlay and Lewis

Hairspray Coming June 2014!

Rehearsals are now underway for the schools annual musical; this year we will be putting on Hairspray. After rigorous auditions the cast list was finally revealed. The cast is now assembled, excited and raring to go...this is a show not to be missed!

Concert Band The Concert Band are busy in rehearsals for their trip to Valkenburg, Holland in June 2014. They are busy participating in various fundraising events to fund the trip. This includes bag packing and carolling at local supermarkets. The band consists of players from S1—S6 and is led by Mr Dickson and Miss Doherty.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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‘Phoenix Records’ ‘Phoenix Records’ is a record label created and run by the 6th year music pupils at Lasswade High School. It gives talented individuals the chance to compose their own music or create a cover of another song. The label aims to produce a compilation CD showcasing the amazing talent of pupils from Lasswade. After holding auditions and choosing artists to sign to the label ‘Phoenix Records’ can start work on producing the CD and arranging a launch gig.

Clothes Show Live 2013 Home Economics / Art and Design

On Friday 6th December, 40 S3-S5 Fashion & Textiles pupils took their annual 7 hour bus journey to the NEC Birmingham for this year’s fantastic Clothes Show Live.

The highlight of the day was the amazing fashion show with over 800 outfits, dancers and the girl band Stooshe! All the girls left with too many shopping bags to carry and lots of memories of a very fashionable day out!

Dance Club

Dance Club Mondays 3.45- 4.45pm All Welcome!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Lasswade Snowsports Trip Snowsports 2015 – Return to Coumayeur It is hoped that we will be able to run this successful excursion during February 2015, which is being offered to current P7, S1 and S2 students.

All of the previous excursions to Italy have enjoyed stunning days in the Italian Alps with varied après ski in the evenings. Currently there are still spaces available for both skiers and snowboarders who are keen to enjoy the varied terrain that the Aosta Valley provides.

The excursion would be arranged through Interski who offer an extensive infrastructure throughout the valley, covering tuition, equipment/ clothing hire, medical services and a wide range of evening activities.

Accommodation is provided by a small family run hotel with students sharing rooms with en-suite facilities.

To fully benefit from this excursion students would be expected to be able to descend the slopes of Hillend Snowsport Centre both safely and in control.

For more information about this unforgettable experience please contact Mr Haggart in the Guidance department.

Sunderland V Liverpool, Trip to the ‘Stadium of Light’ In September Mr Dolan, Miss McGuire and Mr McQueen accompanied 40 students to the Stadium of Light; the home stadium of Sunderland A.F.C. The trip also included a tour of St James’ Park, home stadium of Newcastle United F.C, before heading on to the big game; Sunderland V Liverpool. It was a good afternoon, especially for the many Liverpool supporters on the trip as the Merseyside team won 3-1. Luis Suarez was the star of the show scoring 2 goals, including one in the 89th minute! Well done to all pupils for their excellent behaviour, with a number of comments about this received throughout the day.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Queens Baton Relay Lasswade High School had the opportunity to select one pupil to be part of the Commenwealth Games 2014 Queen’s Baton Relay. A number of pupils were nominated by a friend or member of staff as well as through an application process.

Erin Feeley (S6) was selected as Lasswade High School’s Batonbearer.

Erin was selected due to her commitment and enthusiasm for Athletics. Erin has made a positive contribution to the lives of others in her school and community by volunteering at Athletic events as well organising a number of ‘run, jump, throw’ clubs.

Erin has gained her 200 hour Saltire Award which recognises her commitment to volunteering. She is an excellent role model; displaying a high level of individual achievement. She is twice the Scottish Schools champion for discus and also competes at national events. Congratulations Erin!

S5/S6 Sport and Recreation, Intermediate 2 The S5 and S6 Sport and Recreation Intermediate 2 candidates have been busy since August in preparation for employment in the leisure industry.

Each candidate has acted as a personal trainer to a S3 pupil to complete a gym induction and a six week fitness development programme.

Candidates have taught Primary 3 pupils from Hawthornden Primary school a variety of activities over six weeks, including organising a Christmas party.

Each pupil has also gained the Cycle leaders qualification from the CTC, more information about this can be found here: http://www.ctc.org.uk/case-study/light-bulb-moment-teenagers-become-trainers

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Edinburgh Schools Swimming Championships The Edinburgh School Swimming Championships were held on the 26th of November. A number of Lasswade pupils competed with great success.

The medal winners: 100m and 200m freestyle (14/15 year old girls) 1st: Jennifer Henderson 4SL2 100m and 200m breaststroke (16-18 year old boys) 2nd: Iain Rose 6SL 100m backstroke (16 –18 year old girls) 3rd: Sarah Eunson 5SL3 100m backstroke (12/13 year old girls) 3rd: Katie Golder 2SL1 4X50m freestyle relay (14/15 year old girls) 1st: Lasswade 14/15 years girls team Ellie Neil 3SL1, Bryony Eunson 3SL3, Rebecca Laing 4SA2, Jennifer Henderson 4SL2

Lasswade Rugby Teams The S1/2 team have had a very successful first term. They currently sit top of the Midlothian league remaining unbeaten in both tournaments. They have also travelled into Edinburgh and after a clean sweep in the first tournament were only beaten in the second by a very talented Royal High team.

The U16 team had a great semi-final win in the Brewin Dolphin Edinburgh, Mid and West Lothian U16 Plate against Linlithgow amid the fireworks on November 5th, running out 19-10 winners. They then lost in the final, again to a very good Royal High team.

The U18 team have still to play a decider against Craigmount High School in the Brewin Dolphin Edinburgh, Mid and West Lothian U18 Regional Bowl—Pool B. Over 100 staff, parents and pupils attended the 3 Autumn Internationals at Murrayfield.

Rugby training continues indoors over during the winter on Thursday at lunchtime in the games hall.

Lewis Burns, S2 Player of the Term

Well done to Jack Sutherland, S5, who has been selected for the Edinburgh U16 squad

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Lasswade Netball Article by Rachel Fergusson, S3 Netball is a fun and exciting team sport that can be enjoyed by anyone of any ability. The team are friendly and encouraging and always look forward to lots of laughs and fun during Thursday lunchtimes. Each week we practice and learn new skills through a range of fun games and challenges. We then put our skills into practice during a game where we alternate positions so everyone has a go at everything. We are hoping to organise a tournament soon so we can get more experience playing as a team and competing against other schools. We are delighted to welcome any new members at any time; Netball is easy to learn so it doesn’t matter if you’ve never played before. If you are unsure about what Netball is or how to play, come along and give it a try.

Lasswade Hockey Team ‘Hockey Highlights’ The hockey season is now firmly underway and the team is growing in strength with each match. In both tournaments played so far this season Lasswade has finished runner-up. They are now building a regular squad and attracting new members from all year groups.

Over the winter period the upcoming indoor hockey festival will be their prime focus with their sights firmly fixed on that top spot!

Lasswade High offers a wide range of sporting activities for our pupils to participate in throughout the week at lunchtimes and after school. All pupils are welcome to play and with 2014 only days away joining one of our clubs would be a great New Year's resolution!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Lasswade S1 and S2 Boys Football This season is proving to be yet another successful one for Lasswade High School football. We have teams competing in the S1, S2, S3, S4 and Senior boys league and Scottish Cup competitions.

S1 The S1 boys are currently sitting 4th in the league and will play Musselburgh in the 3rd round of the Scottish Cup. Brodie McCorquodale has been a key player for the S1 team this season and was awarded Player of the Month for December.

“We have started the season very well with high standards from everyone. We have only had two defeats and the rest of our games we have won. We have a Scottish Cup games coming up and hopefully we can do the same that we did in the first round, with an amazing win of 6-1. We have all stood out but one player that has had a clean sheet most games and kept us in some games is Jake Grandison, our goalkeeper. And a magic 8 goals from Tyler O’Neill.

S1 Captain Luke Cormack

Left: S1 player of the month Brodie McCorquodale Right: S2 player of the month Bradley Barrett

S2 The S2 boys are currently sitting 2nd in the league are waiting to hear who they will meet in the 4th round of the Scottish Cup. Bradley Barrett has shown real class in front of goal and for that reason has been awarded S2 Player of the Month.

“We've had some great team and individual performances this season especially in the Scottish Cup! The last minute goal to win at Currie and the 6-5 comeback against Preston Lodge were the 2 highlights so far this season. After the Christmas break myself and the team are looking forward to our 4th round Scottish Cup tie with Larbert High School."

S2 Captain Cameron Watson

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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Lasswade S3, S4 and Senior Boys Football S3 The S3 boys team are sitting 6th in the league and lost narrowly 2-1 to Craigmount High School in the 2nd round of the Scottish Cup. There was no shame in their result as Craigmount have been in the final of the Scottish Cup for the last 2 years.

“In the current season our team has played very good football and deserved to win games. On the other hand we lost some games due to small mistakes that didn’t reflect the game. We have gained new players who have helped us in many games and we are all looking forward to continuing the season after the Christmas break.”

S3 Captain Douglas Jones

S4 A superb start for the S4 Boys Football so far. A string of impressive wins has seen them sitting comfortably 2nd in the Lothian's League with European football next season looking a real prospect. Undoubtedly the season will end in some form of success for the boys. The only question mark hanging over the season is given recent premiership interest can the team hold onto the dynamic coaching duo of Dinwoodie & Murray?

“The 4th year team have excelled in both league and cup competition this year. Thanks to a great team ethic and dedication from our two coaches, Mr Murray and Mr Dinwoodie, we are in contention to win the league and have reached the last 32 of the Scottish Cup. The team have only been beaten once this season, to a very good Dunbar side who were last years league winners, Scottish Cup finalists and coincidentally Mur Murray’s old team! Hopefully the team can maintain this level of performance and do the school proud for the rest of the season.”

S4 Captain Blair Jones Senior Boys The senior boys team are only in the Scottish cup and Lothian's cup this year.

They have played three rounds in the Scottish beating Linlithgow 2-1 in a strange game which was eventually abandoned due to the other team being taken off by their Headmaster with 20 minutes still to play. In the next round we played Gala on a very cold afternoon and got a good victory winning 4-2 with quick goals being scored in the first half sealing the victory. In round three we played away at Firrhill and had not only the other team to play against but a very vocal home support of around 50 pupils with a drum and a load haler, it proved to be to much and the boys lost 4-1 the end of the Scottish cup for this year. In the Lothian's cup we played an under strength Gillespie's team and ran out comfortable 6-0 winners a good result for our confidence and hopefully the start of a good cup run for the team.

See next page for comments from Senior Boys Captain Sam Jones Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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“So far this season we have played 4 games, winning 3 of them and scoring 13 goals. Our best player for these games has been Craig Forrest who has scored in all 4 games and performed brilliantly. Even though we got put out of the Scottish cup I am confident we can push on and go far in the Lothian’s cup.”

Senior Captain Sam Jones

Lasswade Girls Football Team Lasswade Girls A special mention to the U15 girls team who reached the final of the Scottish Cup last season. The girls have started this season very strongly with some very convincing results.

They won 4-1 in an away game against Taylor High School in the first round, a startling 14-0 against Gillespie’s High School at home in the second round and are soon to play at home again to Mintlaw Academy in the 3rd round.

We played a very difficult away tie against Taylor High school and won 4-1 where Eilidh Morris was the best player scoring 2 goals! We then played against Gillespie's beating them 14-0 and this was a great team performance. Very proud of everyone! Angyl Learmonth and I have also been selected to play for the South East Scottish Schools. We played against North and beat them 1-0 and against East and beat them 4-1. This was a great experience!”

U15 Girls Captain Lauren Watters

All of this would not be possible without the support from staff involved in running the teams: Mr McQueen and Mr Dolan (S1), Mr Clelland (S2), Mr Dewar (S3), Mr Murray and Mr Dinwoodie (S4), Mr Gallacher (Seniors) and Miss Paul (U15 Girls). A big thanks must go to all the parents who come and support the teams in all weather conditions and also help with lifts to away games. Without you, school football wouldn’t happen!!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from everyone at Lasswade High School Lasswade High School Newsletter, Christmas 2013

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