Lasswade high school spring newsletter 2016

Lasswade High School Spring Newsletter April 2016 DREAM

BELIEVE

ACHIEVE

“Lasswade High School is a perfect example of the work being done to improve education in Scotland.”

Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister

Message from Acting Head Teacher, Mr Paris

Welcome to the Spring Newsletter.

I am delighted to be introducing this latest edition of our school newsletter as the Acting Head Teacher of Lasswade High School.

Mr Williamson left us in early February and I am sure you will join me in recognising his role in the school improvements over the last two and a half years and wish him well in his new post in Dubai.

Our new Head Teacher, Mr Campbell Hornell, joins us on Monday 11 April and we are looking forward to working with him to move the school from ‘good to great’ in the coming years.

It has been another outstanding term in Lasswade High School with a tremendous amount of student success and achievement. The Spring newsletter is packed full of excellent examples of effort and commitment across the school; you will read about students’ learning in class, in clubs and on excursions as far as New York.

It was wonderful to have the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, visit the school to make a major policy announcement. The First Minister visited a range of classes, met a number of students and was entertained by the school’s Ceilidh band.

During the visit she described Lasswade High School as a “perfect example of work being done to improve education in Scotland” and said the highlight of the day was taking away the breakfast bar she had made in Home Economics with S1 students!

As Acting Head Teacher, I was not surprised by how complimentary the First Minister and her team were about YOUR young people, however, we should collectively be very proud of how impressive our school community is and the improvements that we continue to make.

We also had an incredibly successful and humbling visit from a group of adults and students from Ulmazi, a South African township outside of Durban. The visit was arranged and coordinated by Ms Simpson, Mr Dinwoodie and the S6 South Africa Committee in collaboration with Selkirk High School and the ‘Journey to Change’ project.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Next term will be as exciting as ever with a range of trips organised during the Suspended Timetable Programme in June , the School Show and all of the activities associated with the P7-S1 Transition Programme as we prepare to welcome the next generation of Lasswade High School students into our school community.

Our senior students are working incredibly hard in preparation for final assessments and exams. It is important to recognise how important a time this period is in an individual’s educational journey. One that, for most, started over 12 years ago. My thanks are extended to our staff who continue to work hard to ensure students are as prepared as possible and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our senior students a massive best wishes as we approach the exam diet. I am a firm believer that there is no substitute for hard work and perseverance on route to success! Parents and carers of students in S4-S6 will be aware of the range of additional opportunities that are available over the coming weeks including Easter revision support, Student Masterclasses and ‘how to most effectively use study leave’ sessions. Please encourage your son/ daughter to attend these sessions in preparation for these important assessments.

Our Parent Council continue to provide valuable support to the school. They are always searching for new members who are willing to attend meetings and offer their own expertise and experience to support the school. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 19 April 2016 and I would actively encourage all parents to consider what contribution they could make. In addition I would highlight the National Parent Forum of Scotland website as a useful resource for keeping in touch with developments in Scottish Education http://www.parentforumscotland.org/.

Finally, a quick reminder that the Lasswade Centre (the Sport and Leisure element of the building, which includes the majority of the school Physical Education facilities) will be used as a polling station for the Scottish Elections. As such we have been given dispensation from the Scottish Government for S1 students not to attend school on Thursday 5 May 2016. I appreciate the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your support.

Enjoy the Easter holidays!

Mr G Paris Acting Head Teacher

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Nicola Sturgeon visits Lasswade On Wednesday 2nd March Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister visited Lasswade High School to announce a set of reforms to council tax in Scotland that will raise an additional £100m per year, which will be directly invested in education.

The First Minister said:

“These proposals will protect household incomes, support investment in our schools, make local taxation fairer and ensure local authorities continue to be properly funded while becoming more accountable.”

After her announcement the First Minister took the opportunity to meet Lasswade students. Her first visit was to S1 learners in a history class who are using Didbook to support their learning.

The First Minister then dropped in on a home economics class, and joined in as the students made some breakfast. Many people will have seen this moment on the STV and BBC Scotland news.

Later, she finished a round of media interviews by being interviewed by the school’s Head Boy, Blair Jones, and Head Girl, Carys Ross, on the announcement she had made.

The First Minister then spoke with students who, as part of Lasswade's work on China, have or are about to visit China. She had previously met some of the students in Beijing last summer.

The First Minister left to the musical accompaniment of the Senior Ceilidh Band.

See the interview and other photos on the school website. http:// lasswadehsc.mgfl.net/2016/03/02/ first-minister-interviewed-by-carysand-blair/

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Senior School Hustings Ahead of May’s Scottish Parliament elections, local candidates from six of Scotland’s political parties visited Lasswade on Thursday 10th March for a pre-election hustings.

Newly enfranchised students from S5 and S6 were given the chance to quiz the panel on some of the salient political topics of this election, as well as local issues, and issues affecting young people in Scotland.

The event saw a broad range of questions, with discussion about the future of the Scottish Health Service, the changes to council tax announced by Nicola Sturgeon on her visit to Lasswade, and the impact on us here in Scotland if there were to be a “President Trump”.

The panel were:

Jeremy Balfour, Scottish Conservatives Jacqueline Bell, Liberal Democrats Bernard Harkins, Scottish Labour Party Ben Macpherson, Scottish National Party Alys Mumford, Scottish Greens Natalie Reid, RISE The hustings were ably chaired by Edinburgh-based advocate (and Lasswade parent) Mr Malcolm McGregor.

Thank you to Mr McGregor and all the party representatives.

The event was organised by the Social Studies department.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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New York 2016 During the February break a group of S5/6 students and staff hit the Big Apple to sample the culture and adventure of the city.

The adventure started with a walk around the Flatiron area before hitting Macy’s for a look around and a burger.

Next it was out to brave the cold night for a trip up the Empire State Building to get the amazing views of Manhattan.

Next day it was up bright and early for a visit to the United Nations Visitor Centre to see the work they do. After a lunch stop at Grand Central Station we took a subway ride up to Columbia University for a tour of the university and grounds.

Later that night we went to a basketball match at Columbia: The Lions V Penn University with the students from Lasswade making the fan tunnel for the players.

After an American breakfast on Saturday morning it was on the subway all the way down to Battery Park to catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

After a windy & cold sail out to the statue there was time to visit and get some fab photos of the skyline of Manhattan. Then it was back on the ferry to Ellis Island to learn about the fate of many of the immigrants who came to the USA .

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Back in Manhattan it was a trip on the aerial tram across to Roosevelt Island, with magnificent views of the city as we crossed the East River.

Back on land it was time to hit 5th Avenue for some shopping, ending the day with a night at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square.

Next day was an adventure with a trip down to City Hall and then a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge – we needed our hats , gloves and scarves for this!

The afternoon was spent exploring Central Park on the coldest day recorded in the park since 1914. The cold did not spoil the adventure of visiting all the well known sites from the movies.

The evening was spent exploring Times Square and a final visit to Macy’s. Next day was a time to reflect on 9/11 with a visit to the 9/11 Museum and the memorial pools. In the afternoon we had a trip to visit the Financial District, including Wall Street & the Wall Street Bull.

Throughout the trip students embraced all that New York City has to offer, as well as all of the big must see sights students were equally delighted to be soaking up the atmosphere of New York’s streets, cafes, diners and subway.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Journey for Change Article by Mhairi Bruce, on behalf of the South Africa Committee On the 22nd of February four South African students and two teachers, came to Lasswade High School for a two week visit.

After almost a year of fundraising the group arrived on the Monday afternoon of the 22nd of February to the sound of James playing the bagpipes at Edinburgh airport. Two students from South Africa then went down to Selkirk where they stayed for a week, and then joined us on the Sunday. The other two students came to Lasswade.

Their week was packed with new experiences. The visit began with a detour to Holyrood Park on the way home from the airport thanks to Mr Marr. Our guests then had a quiet night with host families so students could settle in. Throughout the week, the students were in school following timetables to gain experience of what life in Lasswade is like.

On the Tuesday night we had a games night, Wednesday was a host night and Thursday we attended a ceilidh in Selkirk where the group met up for the first time, both Scotland and South Africa. On the Friday the group of students from South Africa attended and performed at a charity launch night for Sphepehlo, a charity that supports homeless girls and young women in Durban.

On the Saturday we spent a day with both the Lasswade and Selkirk committee, where we tackled Arthur’s Seat and then went to the National Museum of Scotland, and finally a meal together. After the Selkirk committee went home, some of the Lasswade committee members went ice skating, which was a challenge to say the least!

The South African students were able to meet First Minister Nicola Sturgeon when she visited Lasswade on 2nd March

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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On Sunday the girls from South Africa who were in Selkirk joined us up in Lasswade. A further week of packed activities followed. The Monday was a history tour of Edinburgh, and on Tuesday we had a board game night.

On Thursday we had a rehearsal for the Conference which was on the Friday.

During the school day on the Friday we held the conference which was a huge success. We had drama, songs and a panel which discussed issues which face youths in both Scotland and South Africa. On Sunday it was time to say an emotional farewell. For all involved the experience was life changing and memorable.

Students in Lasswade, Selkirk and South Africa have been moved by the experience, have a better understanding of the issues young people in both countries face, and have made memories and friendships which will last a lifetime.

The South Africa Committee would like to thank everyone for their support during the visit. Special thanks to our host families for the generosity, kindness and support they gave to our visitors and to the staff and students at Lasswade High School for making our visitors feel so welcome.

These photos are from the Journey to Change conference which took place in Lasswade on Friday 4th March.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Chinese Spring Festival Chinese Spring Festival was celebrated at Lasswade High School, Midlothian's Confucius Hub. The S6 readers meet regularly with S1 students.

For Chinese New Year the morning read was the story of the Monkey King and the students all learned about The Journey to the West.

Miss Hanratty in the Art Department made lanterns with her S1 classes. Each lantern was decorated with Chinese characters and icons.

Ms Hou, our teacher from Tianjin, showed that her teaching skills are not limited to Mandariin when she visited the school’s successful cookery club.

Mrs Hou showed Lasswade's lively cooks how to make dumplings.

Mince, spices and vegetable were mixed with chopsticks then the flour flew as dumplings were made from scratch. Boiling the dumplings made a steamy finish to an excellent lesson.

The main atrium was decorated with lanterns, banners and kites. The students enjoyed sharing their predictions from fortune cookies. Ms Hou gave her S3 Mandarin learners a traditional Red envelope to celebrate New Year and the arrival of our new Mandarin teacher Mrs Zhao.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Languages Live 2016 Staff and students from Lasswade High school attended the Languages Live Exhibition at the SECC in Glasgow.

The Lasswade staff and students were representing SCEN (Scotland China Education network) as official ambassadors.

The exhibition brought together language charities, organisations and companies who promote and support language leaning across Scotland.

This is the first time this event has been run in Scotland and we are very proud that Lasswade were able to be involved.

International Centre for Mathematical Studies A group of 10 S2/3 students were invited to attend a lecture at the International Centre for Mathematical Studies in January.

They were able to hear Rob Sparks talk about the importance of mathematics in networking and how this is used to solve problems. After the talk the students were then involved in a workshop where they had to solve networking problems including the famous Chinese ‘postman puzzle’ and also they had to figure out another problem to make sure all 25 roads in a village were gritted without repeating any road!

A fun day was had by all the students and the Lasswade team picked up some of the prizes on offer – well done to you all.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Modern Languages Department: Spanish ยกHablamos!

In S3 Spanish we have been getting chatty about our free time, chores and favourite hobbies...all the topics that relate to life outside of school!

Using cross curricular themes of art and maths we have proudly come up with fabulous work to show what we have been talking about in class.

Conversations, questionnaires, surveys: the only way to get practicing the language. ยกFenomenal chicos y chicas!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Modern Languages Department: French En ville S2 French classes have been learning about amenities around town and even more exciting, we have been looking at the question “Qu’est-ce qu’on peut faire...?” “What can you do in...?” far flung places like Australia, China, Dubai...and of course, Paris.

We have been working hard to promote world travel in the French language, classes have created excellent tour guides to tell you what you can do in these places.

Fancy a holiday somewhere fun?

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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John Muir Award Club The John Muir Award Club have had a great few winter months indoors making individually designed bird boxes to be put up in the small wooded area in the school grounds. The bird boxes were created with the skilful teaching of Mr MacInnes in CDT using a variety of woodwork machinery and a combination of wood and Perspex materials. Now that the days are becoming milder and the afternoons are much lighter we have planned the next few months of clearing the pathway, pruning the bushes, making room for young trees to develop, planting new flower containers, spreading wildflower seeds and encouraging more wildlife to the area.

Each student keeps a diary of the hours they spend conserving this area of the school grounds and once they have achieved their allotted hours they will be awarded the Discovery Award. This will hopefully culminate in an event in June when the students will share their knowledge of John Muir, their journey of discovery and conservation and the skills they have learned. So far it has been a very positive experience for everyone involved.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Geocaching Article by Teigan Campbell, S1 In Social Studies, as part of the geography Mapping Challenge topic with Miss Conlan, we took part in Geocaching.

Geocaching is like a treasure hunt as Geocaches are like mini time capsules and are hidden all over the world. If you find one you can put your name in the log book inside along with the date you find it.

Once you’re finished with the Geocache you must re-hide it exactly where you found it. Larger Geocaches - such as plastic storage containers - can contain items for trading like toys and trinkets.

In our Geocaching experience we worked in pairs to decide where we were going to hide the Geocache within the school grounds and then worked out the six figure grid reference for our hiding place. Then we had to make up six clues and the answer to each of the clues would be each of the numbers in the grid reference. We then swapped worksheets with another pair, worked out their six figure grid reference and tried to find the Geocache. Also, before you hide your Geocache you had to write a message inside it too, so when someone found it they were to write down the message.

Overall I really enjoyed the Geocaching experience and I would definitely do it again!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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National Museum of Scotland’s Career Hive Article by Connor Pell, S1 On the 4th of March 2016 15 lucky students, including myself, were selected by our science teacher (due to our interest and hard-work in the science department) to go by bus to the National Museum of Scotland’s Careers Hive.

We had been told there were 3 parts of the trip. First we would visit the auditorium where 3 professional programmers/engineers/scientists would share their life story on how they became who they are today. Next we’d go to a ‘Find Your Future’ workshop where we’d discover our scientific abilities in creativity and teamwork. Finally we would go to a Careers Hive Exhibition where we’d walk around some activities to discover more about jobs in science.

The following students came on this trip: Eve Baillie, Elidh Babbs, Paige Denholm, Finlay Doig, Jamie Fergusson, Caitlin Fourie, Jamie Higgs, Katie Inglis, Josh Jones, Lucy McDonald, Jay McLeish, Ross Notman, Connor Pell (myself), Eilidh Philips and Ella Swan.

Once we arrived at the museum we were introduced to Jamie, our tour guide, and set of to the auditorium. We entered the doors to the auditorium and awaited the first speaker. Talk one was from a programmer/coder who has loved computer games since her older brother introduced her to them. Coding games was her dream and despite her bad attitude towards school managed to push to a university that allowed her dream to transform into a reality.

Talk two was from the director of his own company, Astrosat, which is an organisation which uses machines and satellites to solve everyday problems such as GPS. Talk three was from a designer who is currently creating a database which people who want to make/design products can look at to make it easier to find a factory right for them.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Next, outside the auditorium, was a workshop where we discussed the problems of the world (such as world hunger and war), discussed the problems of the creation of the aeroplane, created a blueprint for a hover board and took part in a quiz.

Finally was the Careers Hive Expedition. This was where we could wander round different stations such as: Electricity, programming, housing (such as water connections and WIFI) and 3D printers etc. We could also ask questions to the visitors who were professionals in science.

I myself had a very interesting talk with someone who could answer the following question: How did the first person to programme a computer know the ‘language’ of the computer and how does that get to the computer we use today? He answered in great detail but the point was (like a staircase) you can’t get from one step to say 5 steps up but you can take the steps in between.

After that it was back on the bus and back to the school. To conclude, this interesting trip was successful in getting us thinking about the jobs in science and I myself have taken into account that my future could be in computers.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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S2 science at the National Museum of Scotland In February, a group of 20 S2 Science students attend the ‘Get Energised Science Investigation Day’ at the National Museum on Chambers Street in Edinburgh.

The event was focused on renewable energy technology and gave students the opportunity to test their problem solving and design skills, working on a wave machine model and a hydro-electric turbine model.

The students enjoyed the day and were an absolute credit to the school with their impeccable behaviour and enthusiasm - really capturing the school’s DREAM values!

Well done to everyone who attended.

The students were investigating the best designs to get their wave machines to generate the most electrical energy, with creative designs drawing inspiration from flowers and bananas, to boats and ducks, to name but a few.

Discussion, designing, testing and refining; students were encouraged to think methodically and scientifically to come up with the best design for their hydro-electric turbines.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Science Club It has been another busy session for our science club members with a range of exciting activities to get stuck into! We have been looking at acids and alkalis and even had a go at the ‘Traffic Light Challenge’, using chemicals and indicators to create the Traffic Light colours, a feat that is harder than it sounds!

We have also been making some of our own microbes and finding out more about these fascinating organisms, some with the most unpronounceable names! We used felt, coloured thread and a bit of creativity to create our own microbes and shared what we had found out with one another.

We also had a session with Mr Lauchlan all about chemicals that produce light. We used ultraviolet lamps to look at everyday objects that carry out this effect and got to see a fluorescent fountain!

We have also been experimenting with bath bombs just in time for Mother’s Day, as well as making an optical illusion to take home.

Lots more science club fun coming soon so watch this space!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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World Book Day 2016

Authors (almost) live Lasswade Library was full to bursting on World Book Day as students attended our virtual author talks. Videos of three author events were streamed onto the big screen thanks to Puffin Books and the Scottish Book Trust. The library had the buzz of a big book festival with over 230 students involved across the three events.

The day started off with Jeff Kinney, the extremely popular and hilarious author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. His talk was brilliant as he spoke about his characters, the Wimpy Kid films and did a little bit of drawing - blindfolded!

Just before lunch students joined us in the library for John Green - best selling author of The Fault in Our Stars. As well as talking about the books he had written John also spoke about his second career as a YouTuber.

To finish the day 64 students crammed into the library classroom to listen to Jacqueline Wilson talking about her multi-million selling books. In the audience were several talented S1 and S2 creative writers who listened intently as Jacqueline shared her ideas for creating stories, characters and getting your work published.

S1 student Alix Hamill tells us what she thought of the day... “I really enjoyed the talks mainly because you got to hear the authors side of their stories, for example how they got their ideas. You also got to hear about the authors interests, for example hearing Jeff Kinney talking about his cartooning and John Green talking about his YouTube videos. I liked hearing about how Jacqueline Wilson came up with the name Tracy Beaker. I really got inspired hearing these talks and now have some ideas on what I would like to write a small series on. They were really good to watch and we should do something like that again. I would recommend it.�

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Diorama Competition Well done to Grace Murdock, S2, who was crowned the winner of our World Book Day Diorama Competition.

Grace submitted a brilliant diorama inspired by the Narnia series. She received a certificate and a £10 book token.

Congratulations also to Eilidh Babbs (S1) and Amber Rankin (S2) who were awarded 2nd and 3rd place.

Eilidh created an excellent, and very moving, diorama based on the Dan and Diesel picture book. Amber’s diorama was a forest scene capturing the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. Eilidh and Amber were both presented with a certificate and a £5 book token. The winning dioramas are on display in the library.

The Big Read At 11.05 on World Book Day classrooms across the school were invited to participate in ‘The Big Read’ - 20 minutes of uninterrupted reading time for everyone.

Across the school reading was happening in some unusual locations; pictured are S1 and S2 students reading in music, science and design & technology.

Staff and students alike took advantage of the opportunity to put down their work and focus on their choice of book.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Harry Potter and the Library of Secrets Here at Lasswade Library we celebrated Harry Potter Book Night with several days of Potter mania.

A particularly magical highlight was Lassswade’s debut Muggle Quidditch tournament. 14 enthusiastic students, many of them dressed up in Hogwarts uniforms, joined School Librarian, Kat Brack, in the Games Hall after school. We started with training: getting used to your broom, throwing and catching the quaffle and dodging the bluger. After learning the rules (slightly adapted to accommodate for our lacking of flying) we had half an hour of games. Everyone had a brilliant time and Kat will definitely be encouraging the PE staff that the Games Hall could be used for more Quidditch!

On the official Harry Potter Book Night, from 3.30 until 6pm, children and families took part in a variety of Harry Potter activities in the library.

Favourites included the Chamber of Secrets treasure hunt, making up your own spells and designing socks to free house elves. Visitors to the library were assisted by some unexpected new library staff - Lucius Malfoy, MadEye Moody and Sirius Black.

Throughout the week Lasswade High School students were treated to some Harry Potter themed lunchtimes including Harry Potter cinema and a fiercely contested (and very difficult) quiz. The winning team scoring an impressive 28 out of 30!

An S1 student who took part in all of the Harry Potter activities summed up the day. “This has been the best afternoon ever!”. We agree!

Our second annual Harry Potter Book Night was a brilliant success and we are already thinking of ideas for our third; would turning the whole library into Azkaban be a bit much?

We learnt two ways to make our own golden snitches: 1. Origami (difficult) 2. Forrero Rocher (tasty) Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Love Your Library Week Each year Midlothian Library celebrate Love Your Library Week in the lead up to National Library Day. This year Lasswade Library celebrated with many events for all of our visitors, including Lasswade students and staff.

During their library lessons with Kat students were encouraged to share what they love about the library on heart shaped pieces of old books. We brought these all together to make a big wall of library love.

Some of the comments: “I love the library because of all the events that go on.” “I love the library because it is quiet and you can do your homework.” “I love the library because all the librarians are really nice to me.”

The Nick Sharratt Illustration Prize When we asked the world famous, award winning, critically acclaimed (and generally brilliant) writer and illustrator Nick Sharratt to judge an illustration competition for Lasswade we didn’t really expect him to say yes but, amazingly, he did!

The students were equally excited about this news and in February S1 - S3 students submitted illustrations, caricatures and picture books for Lasswade’s first Nick Sharratt Illustration Prize. After looking at the entries Nick choose the picture book ‘Roy G Biv’ as the winner. This brilliant piece of work was created by a team of writers and illustrators in S1 - Una Dale, Phoebe Housley-Smith and Adam Steedman. We honoured everyone's success and effort in a lunchtime celebration. What a group of talented and motivated students they are!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is the worlds leading achievement award for young people. It is highly-regarded by employers, universities and colleges and enriches young peoples lives with new skills and experiences.

There are 3 Award levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold. S3 students at Lasswade begin with Bronze level.

Activities for each DofE section take a minimum of one hour a week over a set period of time, so they can be fitted in around academic study, hobbies and social lives. Development and regular progress must be shown.

Bronze timescales: Volunteering section: 3 months Physical section: 3 months Skills section: 3 months Expedition section: 2 days/1 night You also have to do 3 more months in one of the Volunteering, Physical or Skills sections.

More information can be found on the DofE website:http://www.dofe.org/

Current S3 students: look out for details on how to start on the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme later in the Summer term!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Higher Fashion Visit to Harvey Nichols On Monday 1st February the Higher Fashion and Textile Technology class visited Harvey Nichols as part of their initial research for their final assignment.

This year the two assignment themes are a Summer Music festival or Bespoke 1920's inspired garment. On arrival we were welcomed by Francesca and Chui from the Harvey Nichols team and we got a peek behind the scenes of the iconic Edinburgh store.

We then were given an in depth presentation on how the brand was created and how the company operates today. Chui then discussed key trends which met our themes and we were able to try on some of the luxury garments from these trends before heading onto the shop floor to research (and try on) more luxury garments. It was an interesting and exciting lesson...it's not every Monday you get to try on a ÂŁ3000 Dolce and Gabbana coat!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Sports Personality of the Year Our first ever Sports Personality of the Year takes place on the evening of the 28th of April. There are a whole host of awards being presented ranging from Team Awards, Future Starz and the four main prizes; Pupil Volunteer of the Year, Staff Volunteer of the Year, Coach of the Year and, of course, Sports Personality of the Year.

Our 4 nominees for the 2016 Sports Personality of the Year are Cameron Duff (S5), Jodi Millar (S4), Kirsty Robertson (S5) and Fraser Judge (S4). Their campaign videos and posters can be accessed in the daily bulletin and on the SPOTY section of the school website. Here is a link to the campaign video https://youtu.be/yrn_gUI49j8 With Forth 1 Radio DJ Mark Martin hosting the evening, and a selection of sporting celebrities attending to share stories and present awards, make sure you don’t miss out on what will be a memorable night celebrating sporting success at Lasswade High School.

Tickets for the evening will go on sale from the PE department after the Eater break.

Tickets are prices ÂŁ2 each. First come first served, so get your ticket fast.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Lasswade Rugby As the 15 a side season comes to an end we have been many fantastic games to look back on. Excellent determination, skill and teamwork have been on show from all the teams.

Memorable performances have been from the S1 squad in a victory against Melrose on the main pitch at the greenyards, the S2 team beating Royal High away, the u15s winning streak beating Kelso, Pebbles and Merchiston and the u16s in some titanic battles against Royal High, Merchiston 2’s and Peebles.

A huge amount of effort has gone in from all players and this has had a big impact on team performances. We have a very busy 7’s calendar for all teams with the Gala 7’s fast approaching.

A big thank you to all the coaches and parents for their commitment and support throughout the season. Moving into next year our fixture list has evolved with the addition of George Watsons, Bell Baxter, Queen Victoria School and St Columba’s from Kilmacolm. Lasswade rugby is recognised nationwide as a very successful rugby model and we have a very exciting 16/17 season ahead.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, October 2015

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Former students sporting success honoured Former students Lewis Clarke and Ben Mackenzie have donated their first international strips to the school.

Lewis, an Edinburgh Eagle, gained his first Rugby League Scotland cap against France.

Ben, who played in the Scottish Schools football squad, has donated his goalkeeper's shirt and cap.

The strips will be displayed at the entrance to the atrium, beside the Scotland strip belonging to British Lion and Scotland legend Peter Wright.

Peter is also a former student of Lasswade High School.

Lasswade Football S1 Boys The S1 football team have continued their excellent form this season, having won every game since the start of September. This has included some impressive wins in the league and progression into Round 4 of the Scottish Cup. The run started with an excellent 5-0 victory at home against Queensferry High.

We were then drawn against our rivals Ross High in the next round. In what was a fantastic effort we managed to gain revenge on Ross High in a thrilling 2-1 victory, with goals from Cameron Eaton and Lewis Walker. It was a fantastic effort from the boys and they have done the school proud.

We have also had a training session with Box Soccer where the boys had to endure some horrific weather conditions on top of an intense training session. During the training session you average around 1000 touches of the ball which will significantly increase your technical ability! The training session was well received and the squad enjoyed the session.

Keep up the good work boys!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Lasswade Football S2 Boys The S2 boys have been on an excellent run of form since the turn of the year. In the league, we are still challenging near the top of the league after a brilliant 3-1 away win against Ross High School in Tranent.

This result keeps our title hopes alive but we are depending on some other results going our way. We have some important league games coming up against North Berwick, Musselburgh and Newbattle.

The S2 team are currently competing in the Scottish Plate and defeated Balfron High School 9-1 in difficult conditions. The boys put in a good team display, showed determination and played some great football! As long as the boys keep working hard as a team and show the right attitude we have a chance of lifting a couple of trophies. C’mon the Lasswade!

Senior Boys Article by James Wilson, S6 This years senior football team could not have had a more spectacular start to the season, with 20 goals scored and 0 conceded in the opening three games. This early form suggested that this team could have a serious chance of challenging for the league title as well as progressing far in the cup competitions. In the 4th game of the season Lasswade played host to local rivals Newbattle and came out on top with a 6-1 victory, further enhancing our reputation as one of the teams to watch in the league. However, as the season progressed games began to become more difficult and the team’s form deteriorated.

After progressing through a number of rounds in both the Scottish and Lothians cups, the senior team eventually bowed out at the expense of Peebles High School and Royal High school respectively. Both these defeats were tough to take for a team that was so eager to get its hands on some silverware.

Despite these disappointments, the team still lie at the top end of the table in a respectable 3rd place, with two league matches still to play.

The 5th year contingent will ultimately be left hungry for more success next season in their final year.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, October 2015

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Lasswade Football S3 Boys It has been a fantastic year so far for the S3 football team and now at the business end the boys still have a lot to play for. Despite a slowish start to the league the team has recovered well and thanks to a notable win at table topping Royal High we are still in the hunt for the league flag. Similar success has flowed in the League Cup and at the time of print we have a tantalising semifinal clash rapidly approaching. There has been some disappointments and a controversial last minute goal in Glasgow left the team and management wondering what might have been in the Scottish cup, however the boys have bounced back superbly and their now infamous ‘team spirit’ was again evident by the time the mini-bus reached Glasgow’s city limits.

Overall it has been a fantastic season and the management team of Dinwoodie, Murray and coach McQueen would like to highlight all the hard work, commitment and amazing team spirit shown by the boys this year. A team spirit which we are still very hopefully will carry them forward to silverware this season.

In terms of the payers on the park there have honestly been too many stand outs to mention individual names but in all areas of the park the players have exceeded expectations. We would, however, like to give a special sportsmanship mention to Blake who has been an (almost, he missed the team photo!) ever present this year and although having less game time than some others has shown amazing commitment to the team and embodied the spirit of the ‘crazy gang’ in everything he’s done.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Hannah Darling, golf success When arriving at Lasswade High School S1 student Hannah Darling was already an accomplished young golfer.

Playing with a handicap of 12, she was then accepted into the Scottish Golf Academy in recognition of her talent and hard work.

Through rigorous training with top level national coaches Hannah has developed her game and is competing in Tier 1, 2 and 3 events across the UK. Dropping her handicap to 10, Hannah won a Tier one event with a round of 79 and won one of only two matches that the SGA played in against the North of England at St Andrews in February.

Hannah is an inspirational student, showing dedication and commitment to her sport and to all of her work in school. Well done Hannah!

Final note...Important dates for next session Staff and students resume after the Easter holidays on Monday 11th April.

The last day of term before the summer holiday is Friday 1st July.

PLEASE NOTE There are two Monday holidays for students next term: Monday 2 May and Monday 23 May.

Scottish Parliament Elections: we been given dispensation from the Scottish Government for S1 students not to attend school on Thursday 5 May 2016.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, Spring 2016

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Lasswade High School Spring Newsletter 2016