Lasswade summer newsletter 2015

Lasswade High School Summer Newsletter July 2015

Dream Believe Achieve @ Lasswade

Message from the Headmaster, Mr A Williamson

Welcome to the final Newsletter of another highly successful and exciting session in Lasswade High School.

Once again it has been a session of fantastic achievement and attainment for our students.

As you may know, in Early 2015, we experienced a very complimentary visit from a team of Inspectors from Midlothian Council and Headteachers from other Local Authorities who sent a very positive report to Her Majesty’s Inspectors.

This session saw another positive shift in Lasswade’s attainment – the best ever for our S4 (new S5 cohort) and increased positive destinations for our students. We expect similar outcomes for SQA 2015.

On Friday 26 June we said goodbye to our current S6 with an evening of dancing and entertainment at the annual Prom in the Balmoral Hotel. I would like to say a particular ‘thanks’ to the outgoing Student Head Team – Jack Allan, Alex McGregor, Iain Levett, Eilidh Lyall, Erin Murray and Jack Sutherland - and in particular to Alex and Jack for their highly effective organisation (with Mr Mitchell of course!) at the Prizegiving 2015.

Prizegiving is always a wonderful evening celebrating student attainment and wider achievement. A very proud Headmaster also enjoyed an evening of musical entertainment from our talented students and Music Department supported by the wonderful Midlothian Music Instructors.

At the end of the session we will celebrate further success through the first session of the new CONABOR Awards where the vast majority of students will join us for celebratory events with their Pastoral House Teachers and Year Group Depute Headteachers. We look forward to finding out who will win the mystery prize!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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It has been a remarkable year in Lasswade and it is always challenging to highlight particular events or individual student successes. It would be remiss of me not to highlight the school music and drama productions in December, the successful start of our School of Rugby and Army Cadet Force, the enormous amount of silverware collected by the PE Department on behalf of outstanding students – football triumphs at all levels in Midlothian and beyond and finally winning back the Midlothian Athletics Championship. Incredible school trips to Ghana, New York, London and Sorrento and many more…

Looking forward, we are excited about the new session. We experienced a wonderful P7 Transition programme and look forward to welcoming 297 enthusiastic S1 students in August. This followed a highly successful transition camp. As you may know we are introducing a new Broad General Education tie which has been designed and democratically chosen by our students and we look forward to the introduction of the blazer into the Senior Phase. In terms of extra-curricular success, we will be doing very well to excel further than the incredible achievements of this session but I believe we can do ‘better than our best’.

At the end of the term we say a fond farewell to seven highly valued staff as they move onto new schools, new careers and into retirement ...

Miss K Dunlop – Kelso High School, Scottish Borders Mr I Gray – other PE related work Miss L Hepburn – Musselburgh Grammar School, East Lothian Miss J Lidddell – St Andrews High School, Kirkcaldy Mr S Steinbach - Canada Miss L Watt – Eastwood High School, East Renfrewshire Mr H Cochrane - retiring While on the subject of fond farewells, I must pay particular tribute to Miss Julia McLaughlin who has been a superb Chair to the Parent Council and we look forward to working with Mrs Lindsey McGregor who is taking over that position in the new session – please consider supporting her and joining the Parent Council.

Finally, I hope that you were able to join us for the end of term entertainment from the production of ‘The Wiz’ and I look forward to working with you all in August.

Enjoy the summer

Mr A. Williamson Headmaster Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Prize Giving S1 - S3 The General Excellence prizes awarded in S1 - S3 are awarded to students who have shown excellent work, effort and attitude throughout the year. Teachers are asked to nominate 3 students each from their S1, S2 and S3 classes .

S1 Award for ‘General Excellence’ Lauren Benn , Devon Boyle, Bayley Brock, Kayleigh Cameron, Louise Hamilton, Aliki Kavoussanaki, Chloe Lauder, Lauren McDermid, Sarah McGee, Grace Murdock, Lauren Murie, Jack Owens, Emma Paden, Innes Philp, Nicholas Rietvel, Cieran Slater S1 Sports Awards Blair Angus Kyle Burns Jack Masson Lauren Murie Lewis Thomson Megan Van Den Bosch

Team Award: East and Midlothian League Cup Football Rugby: Coach’s ‘Player of the Year’ Trampolining, Athletics (800metres) Swimming Netball

S2 Award for ‘General Excellence’ Kiersten Aitchison, Megan Bond, Charlotte Bowe, Chloe Bryson, Russell Chisholm, Sara Convie, Luke Cormack, Baillie Cuthbert, Caitlin Denton, Emma Dickson, Olivia Heckles, Emily Hutchison, Eilish Johnston, Mya Kidd, Rachel Kinnear, Cameron Merron, Emily Moffat, Charlotte Mulholland, Alexia Murdoch, Jack Ramage, Iqra Rashid, Sarah Robertson, Abi Scotland, Racheal Shanks, Jessica Smales, Chloe Sneddon, Lusy Spratt, Chloe Summers, Jennifer Sutherland, Wojciech Szymanski, Nicholas Thompson, Jay Thomson, Lucy Tod S2 Sports Awards Sean Allan Sara Convie Ethan McVicker JJ Neil

Rugby: ‘Most Improved Player’ Netball Athletics (800metres) Football

S2 Gold Award for Junior Maths Challenge Holly Brown, Maia Hollins-Kirk, Jack Ramage S3 Award for ‘General Excellence’ Leia Ainscough, Paul Allan, Niamh Archibald, Declan Cummings, Amy Deacon, Christopher Dickson, Emma Foster, Ewan Gilchrist, Nicole Goodalll, Jordan Herron, Teigan Hunter, Zainab Hussain, Louise Jones, Luke Kennedy, Jodi Millar, Rhanna Misselbrook, Ben Mitchell, Gillian Morrison, Kiera Murray, Rhiannon Preston, Mathias Rietvelt, Michael Sargent, Owen Scollon, Ben Shanks, Ciara Tait, Phoebe Traquair

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Prize Giving S3 - S4 Departments are asked to nominate 1 student from each senior year group, S4 S6, who has excelled academically. These Department Awards are awarded directly to S4, S5 and S6 students.

S3 Sports Awards Liam Dalgetty Katie Golder Max Gordon-Tennant Matthew Ireland Fraser Judge Kate Lawrence Liam McClune Chad Nisbet Mathias Rietvelt Nicole Selkirk Daniel Shanks

Football: Winners, Lothian League and Lothian League Cup Swimming Athletics (80metre hurdles) Athletics (Relay) Rugby: Player’s ‘Player of the Year’, Athletics (Javelin, 400m, Relay) Athletics (100metres) Athletics (Relay, Shot) Lasswade Rugby Academy Award Swiming Athletics (200metres) Athletics (Relay)

S4 Department Awards Bethany Campbell Home Economics Reece Carr English Samuel Crawford Music Rachel Fergusson Modern Studies Amber Foster Physical Education Caitlin Gillis Geography Chloe Grimley Dance Kari Hall Art Marc Hughes Chess Rebekah Lansley Drama Jerin Mathew Physics Murray McDougall History Eilidh Murray Expressive/Performing Arts Thomas Rietvelt German Eilidh Selfridge Biology, Chemistry, French, Mathematics, History Becky Shanks RMPS Summer Wood Design and Technology S4 Sports Awards Cameron Duff Angyl Learmonth Murray McDougall Eilidh Morris Ellie Neil Kirsty Robertson Amy Wright

Karate: UK Gold Medallist/Black Belt Football Football Netball Swimming Skiing Dance

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Prize Giving S5 - S6 S5 Subject Awards Zsofia Blair Ruth Higginson Blair Jones Ross Kerr Rebecca Laing Robyn Laing Rachel Lamb Jayne Murdock Catriona Sargent Cameron Watt James Wilson James Wood Lindsay Young

Biology, English, Mathematics Home Economics Physical Education, Modern Studies Geography Design and Technology History Physics Chemistry, French German Music Technology RMPS Music Dance

S5 Sports Awards Matthew Duffy Jennifer Henderson Rebecca Laing Caitlin Lynch

Rugby Swimming Swimming Football

S6 Subject Awards Molly Duffield Hannah Forrest Ajay Joshi Amber Kelly Alexandra McGregor Calum McCabe Holly McNie Rebecca Marr Sophie Miller Rebecca Milliken Frances Munro Erinn Murray Seonaid Philp Josh Shanks Abbie Short Abbie Simpson Rebecca Thomson

Drama, English, RMPS Geography Biology Physics Mathematics Music Design and Technology Modern Studies French Photography Home Economics German History Chemistry Dance Physical Education Drama

S6 Sports Awards Sam Jones Holly Heatley

Football Snowsports

Lasswade High School Newsletter, April 2015

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Prize Giving Special Awards YASS Students Sarah Eunson Hannah Fergusson Holly Heatley Claire Lovett Eilidh Lyall Alexandra McGregor Louise Millar Erinn Murray Lauren Thomson Rory Turnbull

Molecules, Medicines and Drugs: A Chemical Story An Introduction to Law in Contemporary Scotland The Frozen Planet An Introduction to Law in Contemporary Scotland Understanding the Autistic Spectrum Introduction to Financial Services An Introduction to Law in Contemporary Scotland Understanding the Autistic Spectrum An Introduction to Law in Contemporary Scotland Engineering in the Future

Citizenship and School Contribution Awards Amber Foster, S4 Chairman’s Shield: Contribution to S4 Rachel Dobbie, S5 Headteacher’s Shield: Contribution to S5 Emily Batchelor, S6 Charities Prizes, Citizenship Prize for Charities Claire Lovett, S6 Citizenship Prize for South Africa Committee Holly Heatley, S6 Saltire Award Alexandra McGregor, S6 Stuart Milne: Contribution to S6: named after a former pupil and Edinburgh University Student who tragically died in Australia. It is awarded to the student who has made the greatest contribution during their sixth year at LHS Frances Munro, S6 Citizenship Prize for Charities Chloe Rutherford, S6 Citizenship Prize for Charities Matthew Robertson, S6 Yearbook Erinn Murray, S6 Citizenship Prize for South Africa Committee Martin Wilson, S6 Website Rory Turnbull, S6 Enterprise Special Awards Nathan Abinou, S5

Emman Hope Award: named for a former classics teacher at Lasswade - awarded to a student who has displayed significant effort Georgia Curtis, S5 Jay Joshi Memorial Award: named for Jay Joshi, founder member of the PHAB club. It is awarded to an S5 student who has displayed determination and resilience.

Zsofia Blair, S5 The Young Prize: S4 Dux: named after a former headteacher, William Young (who retired in 1867). It was the original school Dux medal and is now awarded to the student with the best results in S4.

Holly Brennan, S3 DREAM Award: Awarded to students who embodies the schools DREAM values Caitlin Wright, S5 DREAM Award: Awarded to students who embodies the schools DREAM values Alexandra McGregor, S6 The Marshall Memorial Medal: School Dux: the highest honour awarded by LHS. It is named for Robert Marshal who became headteacher in 1867. It has been awarded continuously since.

Silvia Renon, S6 Joyce Anderson Award for Art: Awarded to a senior student who has exclled in the art department. Named after a former Lasswade art teacher.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, April 2015

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Prize Giving Music Awards Music Awards Jack Whittaker, S3 Megan Carlisle, S4 Harry Noble , S4 Jack Gilchrist, S5 Jack Wood, S5 Alexandra Darling, S6

Junior Musician of the Year, Craig Gerard Memorial for Excellence on Piano Vocalist of the Year Senior Musician of the Year

Alex Ellrick Memorial for Excellent Service in Music Department David Crisp Memorial for Composition Gertrude Kirk Memorial for Excellence in String Playing

Conabor Awards The CONABOR Award was launched at the beginning of Feb 2015 with the aim to help promote positive behaviour and acknowledge the efforts of every one of our students, with focus on our DREAM values.

We are now at the end of this first session and are delighted with our first ever CONABOR Award achievers.

In total, 82 Bronze, 96 Silver and 3 Gold certificates were handed out in the last week of term.

There will be a prize draw for each level in each House group also.

We are delighted with the response from both staff and students, engaging in very positive work and discussion around receiving Merits in school. We look forward to continuing this drive for success in the new session.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, April 2015

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2015/2016 Head Team We are delighted to announce the new Head Team for 2015/2016.

Head Boy: Blair Jones Head Girl: Carys Ross They will be supported by deputes; Hamish Misselbrook, James Wilson, Rachel Dobbie and Catriona Sargent.

The selection process for the Head Team involves a staff vote, speeches in front of the S5 and S6 students followed by a vote from senior students.

8 candidates are then selected for interview. This years candidates were interviewed by the Headmaster, PT English Ms Struthers and 2014/15 Head Boy and Head Girl, Jack Allan and Alex McGregor .

Primary 7 Transition Days On Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 June Lasswade High School welcomed the new S1 cohort for two primary 7 transition days.

On these two days pupils joined their classmates for next year and followed the timetable of classes that they will have in S1. New S6 buddies accompanied the classes to and from lessons; helping pupils to navigate the three storeys and many classrooms of Lasswade High School.

Special lunchtime activities were organised for the transition days - including sporting activities in the PE Department (more information about this can be found on page 46 of the newsletter) and a sneak preview of ‘The Wiz’.

Smaller groups of pupils have also been visiting the school on enhanced transition days; visiting, in particular, the Support for Learning department.

The two transition days are supported by other primary 7 cluster events such as the Maths and Science transition day and the ASG Cluster camp.

Photo from P7 Cluster Camp which takes place at PGL Dalguise every year

Lasswade High School Newsletter, April 2015

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Lasswade’s new S1—S3 school tie S1 students were asked to put forward their design ideas for a new S1—S3 school tie. Students completed these designs in art. All the designs were given to the senior leadership team in school who narrowed it down to a short list of 7 ties.

New S1—S3 students were asked to vote for their favourite from the short listed ties. Two designs were very popular so the decision was made to amalgamate the designs ideas.

The final tie combines the stripes designed by Anna Brotherston and the Eagle design created by Ashleigh Gabayoyo.

The new S1-S3 tie will be available to buy from the school office from 10th August – we will send a text message to parents closer to the time as a reminder.

More information on our school uniform policy can be found on pages 57 and 58 of the school newsletter

A Chinese Language trip to St Georges Article by Louise Allan A cluster of students, from an assortment of local high schools attended an event, to celebrate and embrace Chinese culture, hosted by St George’s School for Girls – 16 S2 students from Lasswade High Schools included. Representing our school with pride, we were given the opportunity to interact with others who chose to further their education in the language, and participated in a variety of activities that enriched our understanding and knowledge of Chinese customs. This included internal and external Tai-Chi, ShuttleCock, Chinese Flag Dancing and more.

This experience was beneficial in both an educational aspect and a cultural aspect. I, personally would like to express my gratitude as a student to the staff and specialists that provided the facilities and workshops.

Zaijian!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Confucius Hub: Official Opening in Lasswade On 27 April 2015, Deputy Consul General Zhang presented Mr Williamson with a plaque to signify the launch of Midlothian’s Confucius Hub based in Lasswade High School. The event was marked with full celebrations in the school atrium. Our VIP guests were piped into the school by our school piper and drummers.

The celebration included speeches from Mr Zhang, MSP Dr Alasdair Allan, Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Languages and our Headmaster, Mr Williamson. The Lasswade Music and Drama Departments arranged excellent performances and there was a musical performance by the Chinese students.

Read more about the visit of pages 11 and 12 of the school newsletter.

Lots more photographs of this event can be found on our school website. lasswadehsc.mgfl.net/2015/05/22/ confucius-hub/ Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Visit to Scotland by Tianlin No 3 Middle School In April, 4 staff and 12 students from our twin school in Shanghai flew in for a 4 day visit. Students from Lasswade were waiting at Edinburgh Airport on the Saturday night to welcome the Chinese visitors, most of whom had hosted when Lasswade students visited China in October. The students have been keeping in touch since our visit to China and were really excited to be meeting up again.

A brief stop at the high school and the visitors were dispatched to the host homes.

On Sunday the host families had arranged to take the visitors to a variety of locations: Arthur's Seat, the Forth Bridges and North Berwick. The staff braved the cold weather on the open-top bus tour of Edinburgh, eventually having to find warmth from plates of soup!

Monday was spent as a whole group visiting Edinburgh Castle. Bright sunshine but very cold weather meant that by the time the students had marched down the High Street they were ready for home. The staff from Shanghai were keen to do some shopping, spending a considerable time in Clark's buying shoes!

Tuesday started with a tour of the school.

Mr Williamson took the group for a walk round the Lasswade Centre. In the PE Department the visitors were able to display their table tennis skills.

The rest of morning was spent rehearsing for the official Opening of the Confucius Hub. Mrs Du presented badges to the students from Lasswade who had travelled to Szechuan Province and Shanghai in October, also receiving a recognition for the trip was Sandie Robb for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. The visiting students, resplendent in their school uniforms and pioneer scarves sang a traditional Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower" which complemented the school choir and musicians. After the presentation, everyone linked arms to sing "Auld Lang Syne" or as the Chinese know it "The Friendship Song".

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Visit to Scotland by Tianlin No 3 Middle School Although we were celebrating the opening of the Midlothian Confucius Hub it was also a fitting celebration of the 10 years of friendship between our two schools. More information about the opening of the Confucius Hub can be found on page 10 of the Newsletter.

On Wednesday, it was back to the reality of life at Lasswade when Lasswade Home Economics teacher, Miss Anstruther, who had also been to Shanghai in October, baked cupcakes with the visitors.

After break, hosts and visitors travelled to Musselburgh for a picnic and a walk along the beach. We did get ice-cream at Luca's but again we were defeated by the cold weather. In the evening the hosts had arranged a ceilidh in the school. In October there was dancing and singing in Tianlin No, 3 Middle School. A great time was had by all in the Drama studio where everyone joined in singing "Caledonia" and dancing. The visiting girls changed into national costumes and performed the "Peacock Dance".

On Thursday, Lasswade Art teacher, Mrs Hanratty, shared some silk painting with the visitors while some of the students visited Languages teacher Ms Zhang's Mandarin classes. All too soon we were meeting in front of the school and saying farewells before leaving for the airport.

You can see lots more images from the visit in a great video available on our School Website http://lasswadehsc.mgfl.net/2015/06/01/shanghai-visit-toedinburgh-and-lasswade/#more-8815

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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YASS Reception S6 students Rory Turnbull and Erinn Murray are pictured with Lasswade Depute Head Teacher Mr Mitchell, MSP Minister for Children and Young People Fiona McLeod and James Miller, Director of The Open University in Scotland The Open University celebrated the achievements of students across Scotland at a reception held at the Scottish Parliament.

YASS (Young Applicants in Schools Scheme) is an unique opportunity for S6 students in Scottish schools to bridge the gap between school and full-time university through independent learning.

Run by The Open University in Scotland, YASS offers motivated and able students a chance to study a range of university level modules in school alongside their other studies. Courses on offer include ‘An Introduction to Contemporary Scottish Law’; ‘The Frozen Plant’; ‘Understanding the Autism Spectrum’ and ‘Engineering the Future.’

YASS 2015/2016 Last year 11 students studied Open University online courses through the Young Applicants in Schools Scheme (YASS). The courses ranged from geography, Scottish law and autism to Mandarin, chemistry and engineering.

A list of students who received their YASS Certificates at Prize Giving can be found on page 6 of the School Newsletter.

This year 30 new S6 students have applied to YASS courses which start in October.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Sutton Trust Summer School In the last week of June 6 students from Lasswade (Jack Wood, Megan Finlay, Hannah Darling, Carys Ross, James Wilson and Fraser Clark) will be spending a week at St Andrews University on the Sutton Trust sponsored summer school.

This initiative runs every year supporting students into Higher Education.

In July, 3 students (Jamie Riley, Gemma Alexander and Isla Toner) will be attending the summer school at Edinburgh University.

Senior Induction At the start of June, following their SQA exams, we welcomed back our new senior students following their exams by having two Senior Induction Days. On day one S5 carried out various activities looking at the topic ‘Healthy Body, Healthy Mind’. All of them participated in workshops with MYPAS, on sexual health, and the Community Police on personal safety.

They also took part in taster workshops in dancing, African drumming and judo. Meanwhile the new S6 attended four workshops looking at ‘Diversity and Working Together’. They did team-building with the Army and a group activity called ‘The World Trade Game’. They also had a session with LGBT Scotland and were involved in a workshop on disability.

We devoted day two to careers and future planning. Once again our ‘So You Want to Be A....?’ event was an amazing success and we would like to thank all the professionals who gave up an hour of their time (28 of them!) to come in and talk to the students about their careers - an insight into the real world and also inspiring for many. In the afternoon our potential university candidates headed off to Napier University where they not only thoroughly enjoyed themselves but also received a lot of useful advice about applying to university.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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‘The Wiz’

June saw two very successful evening performances of this year’s production of “The WIZ”, an upbeat adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz”. The cast and production team also had a very busy month playing two lunchtime shows to Primary 7 pupils during their transition days and an extra showing for Conabor prize winners.

All the performances were excellent. Eilidh Murray, perfect as Dorothy, was accompanied by Rebecca Thomson as Scarecrow, Rebekah Lansley as Tinman and TJ Connell as the Lion - all on mission to meet the Wiz (played extremely well by Hamish Misselbrook). Meeting some good (.....and bad!) witches (Susan Hirst, Amy Wright & Erin Bowden), many munchkins (chorus) and a great number of poppies (KIC dancers) along the way, they journeyed along the Yellow Brick Road (chorus), on their way to the Emerald City.

With music performed by a live band, made up entirely of Lasswade students, the songs were catchy and confidently performed by everyone in the cast.

Everyone worked extremely hard to produce yet another outstanding and memorable performance.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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‘The Wiz’ Coldwells Art Company Limited visited Lasswade on Monday 29 June to take these official photographs of the cast.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Community Project News It has been a very busy first year in the Community Project. Situated on the ground floor of the school next to the Assembly Hall, it includes a classroom, meeting room and a staff office. A key vision for the school is inclusion and this is at the heart of the work of the Project. A person-centred-approach is taken to develop self-esteem and interpersonal skills through a range of vocational options and practical activities.

School Garden We reported in the Christmas Newsletter that we had been busy clearing the school garden of weeds and we have since been busy with all sorts of other jobs. Once the snow and frost cleared we were able to dig over the whole allotment. We have planted all sorts from tatties to peas to turnips. Our greenhouse has been filling up with tomato plants grown from seeds. It is our long term aim to be self funding and we are grateful to receive a number of donations of seeds, plants and equipment. We have been successful in securing some funding from The Access to Education Fund which will allow us to invest further in the garden. Watch this space.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Community Project News Army Cadet Force Lasswade High School’s first ever regiment have just completed their first year in the Army Cadet Force and we have been delighted to see a number of these S3 students continue into a second year on this course. The ACF now runs in both S3 and S4 with students working towards a leadership qualification, The Duke of Edinburgh Awards together with learning first aid and shooting disciplines, military tactics and community involvement. This is done under extremely close supervision and only after a strict training and testing regime. With no emphasis on recruitment the Lasswade cadets are sampling army life and the order and discipline associated with it.

Cooldown Crew In conjunction with Dalkeith Fire Station three groups of Lasswade students have attended and completed separate week long courses with the Scottish Fire Service.

Groups of S1, S2 and S4 students have worked well in teams, increasing their confidence, motivation and learning many new skills. They learned first aid, ladder climbing, how to operate a hose, put out fires, working within confined spaces and much more.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Royal Highland Show On Thursday 18 June students from Home Economics made their annual visit to ‘The Royal Highland Show’.

30 students from S4 – S6 were excited to visit Europe’s largest agriculture/rural show, where all the current work for Farming and Scottish production were on show.

After a tour of the ground the students engaged in the ‘Scottish Larder’ where many foods from around Scotland were showcased, and available to taste.

This included several cookery demonstration areas, where students enjoyed the opportunity to watch a variety of food demonstrations, and learn more about food preparation, food safety and food production.

Many ventured as far as the animal enclosures to get a deeper understanding of farming and how ‘Farm to Fork’ affects all our food choices.

The day ended with a visit to Quality Meat Scotland, where the students had the chance to make Moroccan Lamb, stir fry beef or pork salad. All demonstrated the skills they have learnt at school, and had the opportunity to learn more about the work of Quality Meat Scotland.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Sorrento Trip, June 2015 This term the Geography Dept ran a trip to Sorrento, Italy for S2-S5 students. Those who attended had a great time and developed their geographical knowledge as well as their independence and personal and social skills. On day one the group visited the Solfatara volcano which is an active volcanic site and students were overwhelmed by the strong smell of sulphur gas and by the steam escaping from inside the earth.

They learned lots about volcanoes and how they are monitored on a visit to Mt Vesuvius, an active volcano which last erupted in 1944. They saw the destruction a volcanic eruption can cause by visiting the ancient city of Pompeii which was buried by a huge pyroclastic flow in 79AD. On day three students visited the beautiful island of Capri where they enjoyed a boat tour highlighting magnificent features of coastal erosion. There was also some free time to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the shopping and ice-cream.

The final day was spent in Rome where the group completed a walking tour of the city and visited many sites of interest including the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain.

Many laughs were shared and friendships made during this short trip which will be remembered by all for years to come.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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IKEA Design and Technology Award Congratulations to all the nominees who were entered into the 2015 Midlothian Schools IKEA Competition held on Wednesday 22 April at The Mining Museum.

All the students worked extremely hard this year.

The entries were as follows: Higher Design and Manufacture - Murukh Shafiq and Holly McNie. Higher Graphic Communication - Rebecca Bainbridge and Rafia Mahmood.

Design and Manufacture National 5 - Stefan Johnson, Jack McNeill and Douglas Jones.

Graphic Communication National 5 - Rachel Boynes, Thomas Rietvelt and Rachel Fergusson.

Practical Prize - Nathan Paris.

The entries from all schools this year were excellent and a huge congratulations go to Rafia Mahmood and Rebecca Bainbridge who came 1st and 2nd in the Higher Graphics category respectively. Rafia received a week’s work experience at the IKEA store at Straiton as part of her prize and thoroughly enjoyed it! This was a huge achievement for all students involved and the Design and Technology Department are very proud of them all! We’re looking forward to the 2016 competition already!!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Ikea Design and Technology Award Designs

Rafia Mahmood

Stefan Johnston

Douglas Jones

Jack McNeill

Rebecca Bainbridge

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Holly Heatley, Saltire Summit Award The Midlothian Volunteer Awards were held on Thursday 4 June. At this event Lasswade senior student Holly Heatley was awarded the Saltire Summit Award.

This award is given to a young person who has made an outstanding contribution to volunteering and exceeded expectations. Over 1500 young people are registered to the Saltire Award Scheme in Midlothian and Holly is now one of only 13 who have been presented the Summit Award.

Holly already had her 500 hour Saltire Award for her commitment to volunteering with Midlothian snow sports when she started working with the school sports council.

This year she has given up a tremendous amount of her own time attending all sports council and active school events, during lunch and after school and is always one of the first to turn up and the last to leave. She has made a significant contribution to promoting extra-curricular sport in Lasswade and this award is thoroughly deserved!

Erinn Murray, Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2014/15 Depute Head Girl, Erinn Murray has an exciting time to look forward to in Autumn 2015.

In her spare time Erinn is a drummer with Newtongrange Band (European World Champions in 2013). She recently auditioned and successfully achieved a place participating in ‘The Piper’s Trail‘ as part of the 2015 Edinburgh Military Tattoo. This is a group of 27 highly talented pipers and drummers who will perform for the whole Edinburgh Military Tattoo season. The theme this year is ‘East meets West’ Following an excellent school career at Lasswade, Erinn is off to university to train as a teacher. We are very proud of Erinn at Lasswade and wish her well for her future.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Aidan Steel, Nuffield Research Placement In the summer holidays senior student Aidan Steel will be undertaking a six week Nuffield Research Placement based at Heriot-Watt University.

Aidan was offered a placement after a rigorous application process and was competing for a place against students from across Scotland.

The placement will be completed in the Chemical Engineering department. He will be involved in the construction of a number of rigs which demonstrate aspects of control engineering in the process industries. Through this he will gain knowledge of sensors and control systems; piping and instrumentation diagrams; pneumatics; electronics; signal transmission and alarm systems.

Earlier in the year Aidan was one of two students who attended the Scottish Space School at Strathclyde University.

Rory Turnbull, Young Enterprise In previous School Newsletters we have reported on the success of our Young Enterprise team and their product Intellicase; mobile phone covers created using Lasswade’s 3D printer.

Rory Turnbull, the driving force behind Intellicase, has received further plaudits from Young Enterprise Scotland for his pioneering work with the 3D printer.

The team’s use of the 3D printer was greatly increased with the support of Lasswade teacher, Mr Inglis, who has supported the team throughout the year.

Young Enterprise Scotland will be using the case study of Intellicase and the success of Rory and the Young Enterprise team as an example of highly effective practice.

You can read the full article on the school website lasswadehsc.mgfl.net/2015/05/28/ young-enterprise-case-study-3d-printing-at-lasswade/

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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S2 Science trip to National Museum of Scotland 30 students in S2 were given the opportunity to trial a new ‘Science and Beyond’ Event run by the National Museum on Chamber Street on Tuesday 12 May. At this brand new event, students got the chance to test their science communication skills, take part in a bridge building challenge, engage in science debate, hold a meteor, perform DNA extraction and received a lecture from a scientist about the challenges of space travel!

“I thought the trip to the museum was great. It was a great experience for those wishing to have a career in science and it was very educational and engaging, if I had the chance to go again I would. I really hope this event continues so that others can experience the fun and educational things science has to offer. I would totally recommend this trip!”

Mya Kidd

“Going to the museum was so fun we got to do presentations, see experiments and learn cool and wonderful things like how to extract DNA from a strawberry and see if we could pick out the fake asteroids, even learn things about the space race and how far the moon is to the earth. I thought that was a very interesting and fun way to learn about science and it was a very fun day. I’m so glad I got to go to the trip to the museum.”

Jessica Smales

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Salter’s Festival of Chemistry Article by the team On Wednesday 3 June, a team of four S1 students went to Heriot-Watt University for the Salter’s Chemistry Festival. We competed against a number of other schools to complete two different lab challenges. In the morning we used our science skills to solve a murder. We tested different dyes and powders to find a match with samples from the crime scene. We found this task quite challenging but worked well as a team to complete it.

After lunch we all went back into the lab and had to complete the second task.

We had to mix two chemicals and water together, and then leave it for a minute.

Our goal was to get the mixture to an exact temperature of 10.5oC. We managed to get the temperature exactly correct and won the competition. We all had a great day and we would definitely go back again as it was so much fun.

The students were a credit to the school and had a great time. The team was Nina Kaminski, Ryan Kilpatrick, Eilidh Maguire and Ross Munro.

Scrub up on science competition Article by the S3 students In May a small group of S3 students entered a nationwide competition run by the Society of Cosmetic Scientists to make our own bath bombs. We volunteered to give up our free time to make our own fragrances by extracting the essential oils from plants and mixing them to make different scents. We made three different bath bombs in total, each with their own personalised scent to make them stand out and wow the judges we added colour, glitter and even dried petals to them.

We submitted video presentations to the competition judges describing how the bath bombs were made as well as some of the science behind them. The winning entries will be invited to take part in the Finalists’ Day at the Science Museum in London to compete for the Scrub Up On Science Trophy so we look forward to finding out the results!

The students involved were Gillian Morrison, Emma Harniess, Lucy Jones, Louise Morrison , Katie Skilbeck, Ciara Tait.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Higher Photography The photography higher students had a successful trip into Edinburgh with Mr Dolan and Mrs Gatherar to take photos and to learn how to use a DSLR camera effectively. They took a range of photos with long exposures and took some candid people pictures as well as the odd pigeon! They also had a chance to look at a photography exhibition that was on at the Stills Gallery on Cockburn Street and had a guided tour around the facilities available there. Despite the rain they were all really enthusiastic and were able to take some great reflection shots in the puddles and also photos of people with umbrellas. The classic Edinburgh architecture provided good source material and some indoor shots at Waverley Station and the indoor market gave even more photo opportunities. A fantastic start to their photography higher course. Well done to all the students who took part.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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FairAware Award In May, Lasswade High School was awarded the Fairtrade, FairAware Award for our continued efforts to fight global inequalities.

Students from S1-S6 have been learning about Fairtrade through Social Studies lessons and have set up their own Fairtrade Group which hosts a stall every week as well as a Christmas market. We will continue to show our solidarity with our global community to ensure farmers and workers are getting better prices, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade throughout the world.

Next step - Our FairActive Award, watch this space!

Higher Fashion and Textile Technology For the first time ever Lasswade High School has presented students for Higher Fashion and Textile Technology. This course has been a huge success as it is innovative, practical and is a great introduction to the current fashion and textile industry in Scotland. The students have taken part in all sorts of different activities whilst studying for their qualification and completing their practical assignment.

They have visited Holyrood Palace to view a ‘Fashion through History’ exhibition, had a behind the scenes tour of Harvey Nichols Women’s fashion floor where they had the opportunity to try on designer gowns and outerwear by big name fashion designers including Prada and Valentino. The task for their final project was to design and produce an item for a teenager reflecting summer 2015 trends.

Below are some photos of the finished garments.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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‘Tots to Teens’ 2014 - 2015 Tots to Teens was an idea that first came about through the Lasswade Early Years Group. The Government is currently placing early years as a priority for all and the group felt that this could be explored in more depth, which could include the development of a school course called ‘Tots to Teens’.

The group started as part of the curriculum at Lasswade High School in June 2014. Students submitted their interest through their course choices and were then selected through an interview process. 14 girls completed the course in 2014/15.

Over the course of the year the group have had input from Community Learning and Development, staff at Mount Esk Nursery, Sure Start, Health Visitors, PEEP, Bookbug and Educational Psychology to name but a few. They have also completed the Raising Children with Confidence and Crèche Worker Training courses. As the year draws to a close we have asked the group to review why they signed up, what they hoped to achieve and what their future plans are.

Here is some of the feedback from the students.

Why did you apply for Tots to Teens?

I applied for Tots to Teens because I wanted a future career in childcare. I wanted to widen my understanding of children, toddlers and babies and what their needs and wants are. Also, I wanted to learn how they grow and develop over the years and what is best for them. I was really interested in becoming a nursery teacher/ primary teacher as it would help me gain experience for later in life and has made me decide that I really want to go into this.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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‘Tots to Teens’ 2014 - 2015 continued What did you hope to achieve from the course?

I hoped to achieve lots of things from this course as I wanted to learn stuff about how children develop and more aspects, how to learn how to support children and about their development, to be more confident around children, to know how they work and play, how to make learning fun for them.

What have you got out of the course?

I have got many things out of this course. I mainly think my confidence has risen and I have learned more about how children develop. From this course I learned all about the careers you can go into with childcare from the visitors we have had.

I have also learned from the courses Raising Children with Confidence, Child Protection, Crèche Worker Training and also going to nurseries for placements.

Out of this course I think I have achieved what I would have liked to achieve. I now feel more confident around children. All of what I wanted to achieve and more.

What have you enjoyed most about the course?

The things I have enjoyed the most are going on placement to the nursery and learning about what you should do if something happens to the children in the nursery and also it gives me experience of what it is like working with children. I have enjoyed my placement and meeting new people. I have really enjoyed the course in many ways as I really enjoyed learning about children through all our courses, but mostly I have enjoyed getting to go on placements as it’s easy to know all the information about children but applying it is a different story.

Is there anything you would change?

There isn’t anything I’d change as the course we do is what you would do at college so it gives you an experience of what to look forward to in the future. No I wouldn’t change it as I think this course was perfect for what I had in mind and more when I applied for it.

What do you plan on doing next with the skills and knowledge you have learnt over the past year?

I plan on taking the skills and knowledge further on for example, if I go to college I will take all the information I have learned. I am planning on going to college, studying childcare and hopefully using everything I know and have learnt to hopefully work with children in a nursery or in a P1 class. The reasons I want to work with children is I have brothers and a sister and I love to bake with them, go to the park with them and it made me think that actually I really want to work with children when I’m older. That’s when I started thinking I should apply for Tot to Teens. Maybe take it further into sport and develop my skills further. I plan on studying at the end of sixth year then I will use all this information for when I go to university, hopefully into teaching or something similar to this.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Archaeology lessons and Lasswade’s first museum In History, students in S2 recently took part in a series of archaeology lessons using historic artefacts borrowed from Archaeology Scotland. The students performed a series of archaeological digs using Viking and Roman artefacts including Roman and Viking money, glassware, pottery, combs, keys and jewellery.

As a group students had to complete Archaeology Recording Sheets on each of the items they found. This involved a great deal of debate and discussion as to what the item they found was and what it was used for. Students then had time to research the items they found to find out what they actually were and what their purpose was. It was a very enjoyable series of lessons on archaeology and the methods archaeologists use in order to gain information on their dig results.

Furthermore, after the archaeological dig, students became museum curators and established and operated Lasswade’s first ever museum. Groups created presentations on the Viking way of life including their food, dress, culture and their impact upon Scotland. This was presented to their year group and to all year groups across the school during a lunchtime viewing session. Other students became museum guides and experts who created information sheets on the Viking artefacts as well as informing visitors of what each artefact was and demonstrating how each artefact would be used. The museum curators did a fantastic job of informing their year group and other year groups about Viking artefacts that have been found all across Scotland. Well done to all archaeologists involved. Perhaps the next Indiana Jones is to be found right here at Lasswade High School!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Summer Reading Challenge The Summer Reading Challenge takes place in all libraries across Midlothian this summer!

The Summer Reading Challenge is an annual event and the theme this year is ‘Record Breakers’. Children are challenged to read 6 books over the summer holidays and can win prizes and take part in activities along the way. Children aged 12 and under can sign up at any time in their local library. There is also a teen reading challenge, called Dead Good Reads, which secondary students can complete.

Lasswade Library has a life size cardboard cut out of the worlds tallest man—come along to the library and measure yourself against him!

Lasswade Cookery Club The Lasswade Cookery Club ran in the first two terms with 40 S1/S2 students attending. The club was designed to build and enhance the practical preparation skills that the students were gaining from their Home Economics course.

The students and staff had fantastic fun cooking and preparing a range of different dishes which culminated in some fantastic Easter cakes.

For the new school year the cookery club has been developed and changed to a new and exciting format focusing on different skills.

So, are you the next “Great Lasswade Baker” or the next “Lasswade Masterchef”?

Come and join us in September for the new look Lasswade Cookery competitions that will be open for any interested S1-S3 students.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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‘Dogs are Therapy’ in Midlothian Base This term Jo has been bringing her dog Sam into the Midlothian Base. Sam is a ‘Dogs are Therapy’ trained school dog and has become a very welcome visitor on a Friday morning! He helps students to feel at ease when they are reading and they enjoy showing off their skills to him!

Base students have also visited Jo and Darius’ garden to talk to Darius about sustainable gardening and keeping animals such as ducks, hens and bees. The students will be working with Darius in the garden next term. Each week they will work on their own raised planter (which Darius has prepared for them), and also help with the animals and general tasks around the garden.

A Taste of Midlothian "A Taste of Midlothian" is a school based competition where all S3 students designed a desert to be served at the Midlothian Food and Drink Awards dinner in June 2015.

Only one group from each of the competing schools would be selected for the next stage of the competition. The winning team from Lasswade were given a fantastic opportunity to work with the chef from The Papermill. Together they practiced finessing their dish in order to prepare for the final cook off in front of judges. The winners from the final cook off would then have their dessert added to the menu and served at the Food and Drinks Award dinner.

Rachel Turrell and Emma Harniess were the two girls from Lasswade High School who were chosen to compete in the final cook off where they came runners up, which is excellent.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Enterprise Maths Challenge On 11 June, a team of 4 students entered the regional qualifying competition for Enterprising Maths.

Zainab Hussain, Holly Smith, Ben Shanks and Jack Ramage took part in the annual event where they successfully completed mathematics based activities such as a boat design project and ‘sink or swim’ presentation as well as various competitive maths games played against all of the other schools from City of Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian.

The team finished the day in 7th place out of 26 teams, a very impressive result. They were also the top team in Midlothian which means they will now represent the school in Glasgow at the Scottish National Finals, competing against 50 other teams from all over Scotland.

Well done to the team and good luck in Glasgow!

UK Maths Challenge Congratulations to Holly Brown, Jack Ramage and Maia Hollins-Kirk in S2 who all recently achieved Gold certificates in the 2015 Junior Maths Challenge.

The challenge is a national competition which involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in one hour and is sat in school under normal exam conditions.

Holly also achieved best in school and went forward to the Junior Kangaroo stage which is a further National Challenge for the best 1200 students from across the UK. Congratulations also to Ross Porteous, Sean Finlayson and Lewis Cameron in S1 for achieving Silver certificates- Ross achieving best in his year group.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award This term has been a busy one for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme, with practice and qualifying expeditions, a presentation night and the launch of a Bronze award for the new S4.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is the world’s leading achievement award for young people and requires participants to work on a skill, a physical activity and to work as a volunteer for a number of months. In addition, participants have to train and practice for an outdoor expedition in which they are, as a group, entirely selfsufficient . Each activity, including the expedition, is independently assessed and culminates with participants delivering a presentation to parents and staff (which in itself is an assessed requirement of the award).

As well as the activities, the award programme allows participants to learn and develop many personal attributes such as self-reliance, independence, responsibility, teamwork, organisation and planning skills and it is easy to see why the awards are so highly-regarded by employers, universities and colleges.

Bronze Award 2014-15 Hot on the heels of the first ever Bronze DofE group at Lasswade last session, this year’s Bronze group were keen to succeed, doing most of their work on the different elements of the award through S4. A year of hard work for the participants culminated in their assessed outdoor expedition in the Pentland Hills during the last weekend in May, shortly after the last of the SQA exams. After many months of training and preparation, groups successfully navigated routes they had prepared through various areas of the Pentlands with an overnight camp at Bonaly. The DofE assessor remarked that participants showed good navigation skills and good knowledge of many aspects of working safely outdoors, including first aid. The assessor was particularly impressed with the group’s campcraft skills. The group even found the energy to play particularly competitive games of rounders with other groups of young people at Bonaly during their stay there!

The students’ hard work was rounded off and their awards completed by a presentation night in mid-June where they all delivered presentations to parents and staff, detailing the skills, activities and volunteering activities they had been working on to achieve their award. The standard of all the presentations was particularly high with their talks illustrated by some great photographs, a video and even calendars and a scrapbook they had made following their expeditions.

We look forward to many of these students now going on to work towards Silver Award this coming year.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Bronze Group Presentation Evening

Silver Award 2015-16 Many of last year’s successful Bronze participants chose to build on their success by working towards Silver Award this past year. With the increased demands of the higher-level award, coupled by a busy S5 year for the participants, they are currently partway through their Silver programme. Highlight of this term for the group was a practice expedition in mid-June which, like all aspects of the Silver award, represented a real step-up in difficulty and timescale compared to the Bronze award. Participants completed their practice expedition mainly in some very remote areas of the south Pentlands, walking for 3 days and camping for two nights (compared to two days walking and one night camping at Bronze level). In a further twist, participants enjoyed a night of “wild-camping”, away from the organised facilities of a recognised campsite, on the banks of the North Esk reservoir.

As part of their practice expedition, Silver participants had a refresher of skills learnt at Bronze level and learned new skills, particularly navigation skills at a higher level of complexity required for the more remote terrain that they will complete their qualifying expedition in. Whilst the group found the terrain challenging (not to mention the increased weight of a 3-day rucksack!), they are all confident of success in their qualifying expedition, likely to take place in September/Early October 2015.

Bronze Award 2015-16 Students entering S4 this coming session were invited to apply to work towards Bronze award. Around 20 students will be commencing their activities for the various elements of the award shortly and can look forward to the commencement of their outdoor training soon after the summer holidays.

Scrapbook made by a Bronze group as part of the aim of their expedition

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Youth Philanthropy Initiative - page 1

This year for the first time Lasswade High School took part in the YPI project.

The Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) is an active citizenship programme that raises awareness amongst young people about philanthropy and their local community. All Lasswade students in S2 took part in the project as part of their Social Studies curriculum.

In teams S2 students started by researching social issues in Midlothian. They then identified local charities which met the needs of these issues and found out more about what they did; making contact with them by phone, inviting representatives into school or going out to visit the charity to see first hand the work they do in the community. Each team worked together on a presentation to compete for a £3000 YPI grant of funding for their chosen local charity.

There were a number of judging rounds with all students presenting in front of their classes and then 6 teams going forward to present in our first ever YPI School Final.

The 6 finalist teams did a fantastic job, confidently presenting in front of a packed assembly hall full of their whole year group, judges and invited guests.

They spoke on behalf of a range of local charities dealing with many important social issues such as bullying, those affected by the loss of a baby, the wellbeing of older people, as well as groups which help young people in our area. It was an extremely close final and the judges agreed that all of the finalists created imaginative presentations and spoke passionately about why their charity deserved the money.

After deliberation from the judges the giant £3000 cheque was awarded to Jack Hannah, Caitlin Low, Mirren MacKenzie, JJ Neil and Lucas Orsi. Their chosen charity was “Health in Mind” a charity whose Orchard Centre in Bonnyrigg provides creative, community based services to promote positive mental health & wellbeing in Midlothian.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Youth Philanthropy Initiative - page 2 Mrs Crawford spoke to the winning group about their experience and also to Irona Combe who was part of a group who were in the final: How did it feel when you found out you had reached the final?

Mirren: surprised Caitlin: I was so pleased and nervous at the same time Lucas, Jack and JJ: it felt great because we realised we could actually win the competition Irona: my group and I were extremely happy because we were getting recognition for all the hard work that went into our YPI presentation What was it like presenting in front of all of your year group and the judges?

Caitlin and Jack: terrifying JJ: it was pretty nerve-wracking but I’m glad I did it Mirren: really scary but a good experience Irona: I loved it, I really enjoyed taking over the assembly hall because I am a confident speaker, I also think it gave some of my group members a confidence boost because they are not used to speaking in front of big crowds Irona, even though your charity didn’t win what positive things came out of this experience?

Irona: One of my positive experiences of YPI was how well my group worked together and every lesson we had something different to do. I also enjoyed helping make people more aware of our local charities in Bonnyrigg such as Mondoloco What happened when you told your charity you had won?

Mirren: The lady who runs it Katherine was really excited. She told us afterwards everyone in their office was cheering!

Lucas: and they are bringing us in certificates and a t-shirt What did you learn about your local community from taking part in the YPI project?

Mirren and Cailin: We learnt there are a lot of very good charities not very well known that do a lot for us JJ: I didn’t even know that our charity existed and it is great all the work that they do.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Youth Philanthropy Initiative - page 3 What did you learn about yourself from taking part in the YPI project?

Mirren: that I can achieve something which benefits others Caitlin: that I can speak in front of large groups Lucas: I found out that I was more confident JJ: that I can speak in front of a large crowd, I never thought I could do that and now I know I could do it again Irona: that if I work hard and put my mind to it I can achieve a lot working with my group What would you say to next years’ S2 about the project?

Caitlin: do something you can relate to – we chose mental health because I have anxiety Mirren: it is a really good experience. Pick something special to you, it is worth it.

Lucas: that you should definitely take part and not be scared JJ: definitely take part and try your hardest because you are doing a great thing for the charity and you can make a difference in the community Irona: to find a charity you are passionate about and run with it and just enjoy it What was the National YPI Event in Perth like?

Mirren: It was really good. Some of the work we got told about was really amazing.

Caitlin: yeah it was really great JJ: There was a speaker called Josh Littlejohn who is a Scottish entrepreneur who was really inspiring

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Sculpture Project, ‘An Experience of a lifetime’ Article by Leia Ainscough Since the start of this school year, Lasswade High School students and teachers have been working on what we've called the 'sculpture project’. From the design to the (almost) finished piece of work all the students have been involved. The sculptor, Susheila, came into the school in August and spoke to a selection of students who have expressed a particular interest in art. She showed us some of her past work and got a feel of what we thought the school was about. We brought together all of our ideas and in groups mind mapped ideas and also thought about how to link the art work with the schools DREAM values, we then reported our ideas back to Susheila - a bird with ambitions written on it, a wish tree with inspirations and ambitions hung from it and also a set of totem poles that had DREAM carved in it. The next stage was to experiment a bit, Susheila brought in MDF to have a shot of carving, she brought some clay to think of ideas for totem poles and also we used paper to lay out ideas as well. We then decided on the totem poles idea and started to get to work. All of the students got to help transfer the designs onto the massive pieces of wood and then we spent 3 weeks carving all the pieces of wood. Every day we would go in to carve and the poles looked completely different. When they were finally complete it was a sigh of relief as carving is quite the workout! But the feeling of fulfilment after seeing the finished work will be worth it. Start to finish, we have all really enjoyed this experience and probably won't get another like it in the future.

Thank you to Susheila, Mr Miller and everyone else involved for giving us this chance and I can't wait to see the finished artwork, hopefully in the front of the school.

The students involved in creating the sculpture were Skye Baigen, Laura McMaster, Wiktor Rosinski, Anna Blair, Katie Thomson, Wojciech Szymanski, Shona Martin, Sophie Bryce, Brodie McCorquodale, Leia Ainscough, Abbie Steedman, Reece Jones, Jade Knowles, Mhairi Foley, Innes Philp, Nicole McDonald, Jay Thomson, Lewis Murphy, Clare Brown, Samantha Fisher, Grace Murdoch, Rachel Dobbie and Douglas Jones

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Isle of Skye, Gaelic Trip In June 17 S1 - S5 students took a trip to the Isle of Skye to find out more about Gaelic language and culture.

As well as Gaelic language classes the group also visited the RNLI centre, produced their own Gaelic drama, visited the Clan Donald Centre, tried step dance classes and learnt about Gaelic history and song before ending the final night with a traditional ceilidh.

Katie Brown tells us a little bit more about her favourite part of this trip: “My favourite part of the Skye trip was definitely when we went to the RNLI Centre as I quite like anything to do with water. I also really enjoyed learning Gaelic as I was able to pick it up quite quickly.”

Lasswade’s very own ’Highland Lass’ and Gaelic culture expert Miss McGuire says: “The trip was a fantastic one. All the students were enthusiastic and keen to learn about the language and culture of the highlands. My own personal highlights were the step dance class and going over the Glenfinnan (Harry Potter) Viaduct on the train to Mallaig.”

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Isle of Skye, Gaelic Trip A couple of days after this trip the Headmaster received a letter from Derek Murray, a journalist and presenter based in Stornoway. This letter was highly praising of all the Lasswade students he met while they were working together on Skye. Here is a snapshot of what he had to say about “the exemplary behaviour” of the Lasswade students: “We [the Arts Council] all agreed that we had never come across such a well behaved, well mannered or orderly group in our lives.

I really am impressed Your children are a credit to your teachers, school, parents and, most importantly, themselves.”

Mr Williamson sent a reply to Mr Murray thanking him for his kind words about the students. Our young people had an amazing opportunity to be able to visit Skye and immerse themselves in Gaelic language and culture.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Lewis Thomson, Swimming S1 student Lewis Thomson qualified for the Scottish National Age Group Swimming Championships in Aberdeen which took place from 1 - 5 April. After competing every day Lewis achieved an amazing 3 medals; 2 silver medals for the 100m and 50m breaststroke and a gold medal for the 200m breaststroke. Lewis competed in the 12 and under category.

Lewis trains with Midlothian Swimming Club.

Lauren Murie, Trampolining Article by Lauren Murie On the weekend of 29—31 May I travelled to Peterborough to compete in the British Regional Trampoline, DMT & Tumbling Final. I travelled to the competition with my team mates and coach. My trial was on the Saturday for competition on Sunday. I spent Saturday watching other competitors, it was good to experience the competition atmosphere before competing. Later in the day I went for a trial on the equipment to prepare for competition the next day. I had trials on the DMT (double mini trampoline) in the warm up hall (private for competitors only) and in the arena. I got the chance to work with Team Ireland and Team North West England. By the end of my training session I felt prepared for the next day.

It was a really early start at the arena on the Sunday morning. I had a back stage warm up with the rest of the competitors in my group. We were then marched into the arena and led to our DMT. We were given two shots of the DMT in front of the crowd then went to compete. There was tension when the competition started but I felt a lot of relief after pass 1 was complete, my other 3 passes went well apart from a small deduction on pass 3.

Overall I finished in 3rd place. I was very pleased as this was my first competition representing Scotland.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Kirsty Robertson and Aaron Hollins-Kirk, Skiing On the very last day of term Aaron Hollins-Kirk and Kirsty Robertson will be attending an Interski Scholarship Selection Day. Both students were invited to this selection day after impressing instructors on their respective ski trips to Italy earlier this year.

Of the 30 young people who take part in the selection day 10 will be offered a place on the Interski Scholarship Programme leading to BASI qualifications for ski instructors.

Kirsty tells us a little bit more about this opportunity: “Each week over the 16 week ski season each instructor is asked if they have anyone in their group who they feel might make a good ski instructor in the future so that they can be filmed along with 400 more people selected from that season. My instructor selected me for the chance, so I was filmed the next day skiing down one slope and then they take there footage away to assess with all the others at the end of the season. I hadn't head about it for a couple months so didn't think anything of it anymore, then one day before my product design exam I was told Mr Haggart wanted to speak to me, when he showed me the letter I was so exited as I was selected as one of 30 out of the 400 to go!”

Jodi Millar, Irish Dancing Article by Jodi Millar I attended the Irish Dancing World Championships in Montreal over the Easter holidays and I came 6th in the world in the U15 category!

This was an amazing achievement and relief that all of my hard work had payed off. On the day there were about 200 girls dancing so it was a long day. We had to do two dances and then the top third got a recall to do a final dance.

Jodi dances with the Haughey McAuley Academy of Irish Dancing’. There are lots of photos of the World Championships on the Haughey McAuley website http://www.haugheymcauley.com/world-irishdancing-championships-2015-rachel-5th-jodi6th/ Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Cameron Duff, Karate Cameron Duff has trained with Chris Ewing Karate for over 10 years, competing all over Britain and Europe.

This last year has been outstanding for him; highlights include being awarded his black belt, winning 3 gold medals at the Scottish International Championships and 2 golds at the British 4 Nations Championships. Last month he was selected to fight for the Scottish Karate Federation at the European Championships in Luxembourg in October and this week was selected to fight for Scotland in the World U21 Championship in Indonesia in November.

He also kept up with his school work and sat 7 National 5 exams.

SSSA Dual Slalom Midsummer Event The Scottish Schools Snowsports Association Midsummer Dual Slalom event took place at Hillend on Wednesday 17 June.

The Lasswade ski race team for this race were Aaron Hollins-Kirk, Holly Heatley, Fraser Lyall, Rebecca McGregor and Kayleigh Cameron.

Edinburgh Half Marathon Senior students Chloe Rutherford and Frances Munro ran the Edinburgh half marathon in aid of the Scottish Huntington's Association.

Sponsorship from friends, family and Lasswade High School students and staff, raised an impressive ÂŁ1,500.

Dina De Sousa is pictured with the girls receiving the cheque.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Young Ambassadors for Sport 2015/2016 We are pleased to announce this year’s Young Ambassadors (YA) for Sport are Jack McNeil (S5) and Jacob Morris (S6). The YAs will be working with the Lasswade Pupil Sports Council to:  Increase participation and promote healthy lifestyles  Promote the positive values of sport  Be a role model in advocating PE and school sport  Be the young people's voice on school sport in their school and wider community Look out for the noticeboard in the PE corridor for further updates from the YAs or join the Sports Council next year if you wish to get involved!

The candidates for Young Amassadors for Sport were all very stong. Well done to Bryony Eunson, Sarah Judge, Nic Thomson, Angyl Learmonth and Kirsty Robertson who all gave excellent interviews.

Primary 7 Transition Day: PE activities P7 pupils from across Midlothian visited Lasswade High School on 11 & 12 June as part of their transition days.

During the visit pupils were offered a range of activities including American football, dance, rugby, football and basketball. This was a fantastic opportunity for the new pupils to try some of the varied extra-curricular sport we have on offer at Lasswade High School.

As a member of the Lasswade Community Sport Hub, we work in close partnership with the local sports clubs. Support for the P7 Transition was provided by Lasswade Rugby Football Club, Kic Dance and Lothian Storm American Football.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Lasswade Football Yet again Lasswade High School has had a successful season with teams participating in all competitions at all age groups. This accounts for over 100 students participating in extra-curricular activities for the school. All of this would not be possible without the commitment from the students and the parents who come along and support the teams. A special thanks to the staff in the school who contribute so much to their respective teams. This really helps to contribute to a positive ethos within the school and local community.

U13 Boys Congratulations to the Lasswade S1 boys football team who won the East and Midlothian School Football Tournament held at Dalkeith Campus.

In a competition consisting of seven teams, the boys showed determination, effort and motivation to win the trophy. A special mention must go to Kyle Burns who had an excellent tournament and scored the winning goal against Ross High School. The boys did themselves and their school proud and brought the trophy back where it belongs. They also had a very successful Scottish Cup run and made it to the 5th round before losing to a very good team from Oban High School. Well done on a great season!

U14 Boys The U14 Boys teams are the 2015 league champions. Well done to all the boys and their coach Mr McQueen. In other league news, they unfortunately lost to Peebles in the first round of the Scottish Cup but this gave the team the opportunity to play in the Scottish Shield. They were put out by eventual finalists in a closely fought match 2-1 in the quarter final.

U15 Boys The U15 boys team have been flying the flag for the school in terms of trophies this season. They have had an extremely successful season winning both domestic competitions. They pipped Musselburgh Grammar to win the league and then beat Holyrood High School 2-1 in the Lothian League Cup final. They also lost 4-1 to eventual Scottish Cup finalists St Andrews th and St Brides in the 5 round. This has been their most successful season so far and hopefully this will continue next season at U16.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Lasswade Football U16 Boys The U16 boys team have competed in all competitions and finished mid table in the Lothian league. They lost to James Young High School in round 3 of the Scottish Cup after a very closely fought match 5-3 on penalties.

U18 Boys The U18 boys team started off well in the league but struggled towards the end of the season eventually finishing 4th in the senior league. They lost to the Scottish Cup winners, Penicuik High School, in the 2nd round of the Lothian cup 4 -1 and were put out of the Scottish Cup 2-1 by Royal High School in the first round.

Girls’ Football The U15 girls have had amazing success recently by winning the Scottish Cup last year and being nominated ‘Youth Team of the Year’ at the Midlothian Sports Awards 2014. They started the retention of their U15 Scottish Cup trophy in style with a 7-4 victory over James Young High School but lost 2-1 in the next round to last years semi finalists Linlithgow Academy. Lasswade entered an U18 girls team into the Scottish Cup for the first time in recent history and made it to the quarter final before losing to a very strong team from Williamwood High School.

Rugby Trip to Murrayfield Lasswade’s ‘School of Rugby’ teams were invited to Murrayfield on Friday 12 June as part of the Rugby World Cup’s tour around Scotland.

The teams took part in a touch tournament against schools from across Scotland and were treated to a tour of Murrayfield Stadium. They were particularly delighted to have their photo taken with the cup.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Gymfest

Lasswade's S1/2 gymnasts headed to Gymfest in Perth on Saturday 16 May. Gymfest is a non-competitive festival for gymnastics groups from schools across Scotland. The gymnasts displayed routines to one another and had an opportunity to see displays by other gymnastics clubs.

Lasswade gave a spectacularly creepy performance, which terrified the crowd, as they balanced and tumbled as broken toys. Mrs Burge and Miss Hepburn were very proud of them all!

Edinburgh Race for Life On Sunday 14 June Miss Lyon and 11 students took part in the Race for Life to raise money for Cancer Research as part of Team Lasswade. The heat wave that had graced Edinburgh during the week was long gone by Sunday meaning there was a cooler climate for us to tackle the 5km route around Arthur’s Seat. The race started at 12pm with participants facing a challenging 2km uphill climb.

After this point we were able to “enjoy” the fantastic views across the city before embarking on the downhill road towards the finishing line. The girls all did extremely well and raised money for an excellent cause! Lasswade students have been taking part in the Race for Life for many years and the money raised this year will make our running total a staggering £26,000.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Cycle to School Day 20 students participated in Cycle to School Day on Friday 19 June. All the students who cycled to school took part in morning workshops on route planning, cycle safety, bike skills and bike maintenance. These workshops, organised by Gillian Bathgate, were ran by Midlothian Council Transport Team, Police Scotland, Active Schools and RUTS. The students also enjoyed a delicious healthy breakfast provided by Mrs Ross and the Home Economics Department.

Dr Lyon, London Marathon Following a back injury that led to spinal surgery in 2013 I decided to run the London Marathon for Spinal Research UK. The aim being to run for those that can't. This led to a marathon year of running that totalled 5 marathons, 2 half-marathons, the Seven Hills of Edinburgh, and one sprint triathlon. Over the course of the year with the support of my family, friends and colleagues I raised ÂŁ2000 for this great cause.

London this year was a nice grey and drizzly day. Perfect running conditions. The experience of running across London Bridge, past Buckingham Palace and finishing on The Mall was amazing. The cherry on the cake being to take part in the same race as Paula Radcliffe in her last competitive race (albeit it 3 hours behind).

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Midlothian Schools Athletics Championship Lasswade are the Midlothian Schools Athletics Champions!

On Tuesday 26 May 2015 a group of 30 S1 - 3 Lasswade students competed at Dalkeith HS in the Midlothian Schools Athletics Championships. Our team competed to a high standard across all track and field events. After a tense presentation of gold medals for each event the schools waited to hear the announcement of the overall winning school. After many years of defeat from Dalkeith HS - this year we took home the trophy!

This success was not only down to our many 1st place competitors and record breakers but the overall efforts from all students resulting in many 2nd and 3rd places secured Lasswade the title.

Bring on 2016!

20 Gold Medals

S2 Boys Relay Lewis Allan Guy McIntyre Ethan McVicker Rhys Thomas

S2 Boys 800 Metres Ethan McVicker

S2 Girls Relay Kate Lawrence Natasha Selkirk Nicole Selkirk Megan Wilson

S2 Girls 800 Metres Lauren Murie

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

S2 Boys 100 Metres Daniel Shanks

S2 Girls 200 Metres Nicole Selkirk

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Midlothian Schools Athletics Championship 6 Championship Records

S3 Boys Javelin & 400m Fraser Judge

S3 Girls 100m Kate Lawrence

S3 Shot Putt Liam McClune

S3 80m Hurdles Max Gordon-Tennant

S3 Boys Relay Matthew Ireland Fraser Judge Liam McClune Daniel Shanks

Scottish Schools Athletics Championship Article by Hannah Cameron Kirsty Robertson, Sarah Robertson, Sarah Judge, Jamie Darling, Rachel Fergusson, Carolyn Cameron and Hannah Cameron all took part in the Scottish Schools Athletics Competition at Grangemouth Stadium on 12th and 13th June. All students enjoyed the event and reported back to having had an enjoyable day.

At the final Scottish Schools competition I finally won gold for Lasswade in the senior girls 800m, it only took me 6 years to get it! Over those 6 years I have won 2 silvers and 4 bronze medals along with 5 4th places, so to finally win in my last ever schools competition was extra special, I also won a gold and a silver representing Scotland (and Lasswade) at two international schools competitions in 2013. It's been an honour representing Lasswade over the past 6 years and I hope I have made them proud.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Learn to Swim Programme This year 18 students have taken part in the Lasswade Learn to Swim Programme.

This programme has been put in place to help those students who are weak or non swimmers to improve their confidence and technique in the water. Students are identified by their PE Teacher and invited to participate. Everyone involved this year has made significant improvement and grown in confidence.

Swimming is a life skill which the PE Department are committed to help all students to master.

A special thanks to the Lasswade Parent Council who have funded the programme. All students who took part received a free pair of goggles.

The Lasswade Leisure Centre have also supported the initiative by issuing all students involved one free swim pass each. It is hoped that with these rewards participants to continue to develop their swimming skills in their own time.

Well done to all students involved this year!

Ladies Night Fundraiser The Concert Band will be hosting a Ladies Night in the atrium on Thursday 10 September from 6 - 8.30pm.

We held this event in June last year and it was hugely successful. There will be stalls from local businesses, home baking and mini massages!

On the night there will be live music from the Concert Band, Jazz Band, Ceilidh Band, Nancy Stewart, Megan Carlisle and Cameron Watt.

Proceeds will go towards new equipment and music for the bands as well as the Concert/Jazz band trip to Belgium next June.

Tickets cost ÂŁ3. This will give you free entry into a raffle for a ladies hamper as well as a free refreshment on the night.

All ladies welcome; Lasswade students, staff, mums, aunties and grannies.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Lasswade School App

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

pg 54

Lasswade Learning Community The Lasswade Learning Community were keen to develop a shared Vision and Values statement and a common poster to display this shared purpose for every school.

The Headteachers in the Lasswade Primary Cluster asked our Art Department and our Graphics Design Department in Design & Technology to work with students to come up with a design. The students worked with Mr Miller, Lasswade’s Principal Teacher of Creativity, to investigate what a design for this purpose might involve.

The students were keen to connect the history of education in Lasswade (the parchment background) with the future and the use of the iPad as an image for new technology. The design team then incorporated photographs from each of the schools. We will now have the poster displayed prominently in each of the Learning Community Schools. We hope you like it!

Mr Miller tells us more about the design concept behind the poster: “This poster was designed to celebrate the partnership between the schools in our learning community.

The concept of the imagery was to combine traditional and contemporary technology using the image of the ipad alongside the cork notice board.

The use of the parchment is to communicate the idea of a charter enhancing the importance of the Mission Statement.

The photographs reflect the wide variety of activities that our students experience.”

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Health & Pupil Attendance Support Assistant Ms Christine Pitkethly As we approach the end of the school year I thought now would be a good time to give a brief description of my role here at Lasswade High School. The following gives a little insight into what I can and cannot do for students and what parents and students can do to help.

I deal with all day to day student health matters. I offer first aid and, when needed, hold medication for students along with the relevant care plans/forms. If students are feeling unwell they should report to me at the ‘Medical Room’ which is on the first floor, opposite room 101. I will assess how each student feels and see what I can do to help them remain in school. If I feel it is necessary then I will call parents/carers to come and collect any student too unwell to stay.

It is very important that all students, no matter what year group they are in, report to me and I will arrange for them to go home rather than students texting/phoning parents. This way all attendance records are kept up to date, ensuring student safety. 

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One of the most common complaints among students is headaches: having bottled water to drink throughout the day can often help combat this. So where possible students should bring in plastic bottles of water.

I can offer first aid for any injury or ailment; however I am not permitted to give out paracetamol, ibuprofen or any other over the counter drug unless students have their own medication here along with a completed medical consent form. If this is a requirement for any student then I can arrange for forms to be sent home. Medication can be stored here for when it is required.

Any student vomiting during the night or in the morning before coming to school should ideally remain at home. NHS Scotland advises that all students should be 48 hours clear before returning to school. This can help minimise the number of sickness bugs being passed around.

Please remember that although I am fully trained in many aspects of first aid, I am not a doctor. If your son or daughter is sick or injured out of school hours please seek appropriate medical attention and communicate any relevant details to the school.

Please ensure that all contact names and numbers are kept up to date. This helps alleviate any stress for students and saves time if I am required to contact parents/carers.

For parents/carers – please feel free to contact me should you have any health concerns or questions regarding your child For students - please never be afraid to come and say if you feel unwell. The health of our students is very important and sometimes we can help make your day better.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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School Uniform: Dressing for Excellence ‘School Uniform and Dress Code’ is an important way of reinforcing this drive for excellence.

Lasswade High School expects and strongly encourages all students to have as high a standard of uniform as possible since it can:

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contribute to school security and personal safety

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instil pride in the school and contribute to its values

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promote a positive and professional work ethic

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help students to see school as a place of learning

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support positive behaviour and discipline

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promote equality of opportunity and social justice

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protect children and young people from social pressures (to dress in a

particular fashionable or expensive way) 

nurture cohesion and promote good relations between different groups of students, and

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foster a spirit of partnership among students and staff, between home and school, and between community and school.

Purchase of School Blazers and School Ties Order forms for new blazers should have been handed into the office before the end of term.

We are inviting leavers to consider returning their blazers (assuming they are in good condition) through a ‘buy-back’ scheme. As such we are anticipating that there will be second-hand blazers available for purchase from the school office. These will be priced at £15.00 The new S1-S3 tie will be available to buy from the school office from 10th August – we will send a text message to parents closer to the time as a reminder.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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School Uniform

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Dressing for Excellence CHECKLIST LHS School Blazer (compulsory for all students in the Senior Phase S4 to S6) White school shirt with sleeves – no polo shirts LHS house tie or S1 to S3 BGE tie Plain black full length school trousers or skirt/dress (respectable length) or knee length shorts. No jeans, leggings or jeggings Belt, if visible, plain black only Black jumper/cardigan – plain black Plain black shoes Plain black tights No extremes of hair colour PE Kit - Black shorts/tracksuit bottoms, white T-shirt, sports training shoes, no leggings School bag Homework diary Pencil case Calculator

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July2015

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S6 Prom 2015 On Friday 26 July 160 students and staff attended our senior leaving prom at The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.

The drinks reception was awash with fabulous dresses, smart suits and the traditional kilts. We were then called into the Sir Walter Scott Ballroom for the real celebrations to begin! Our retiring Head Boy and Head Girl, Alex and Jack, gave personal speeches reflecting on their time at Lasswade; thanking each other, our committed staff for all that they do and their year group.

Mr Williamson also wished all the students well and reminded them to always remember the Lasswade DREAM values. Dinner was served with the stunning views of the city and Edinburgh Castle visible from our tables. The dance floor was full from beginning to end and the photo booth was a welcomed new addition to the evening - providing photos that will most definitely be cherished for a long time to come. The evening ended with every guest joining hands on the dance floor as the band performed Loch Lomond. It was a truly memorable evening, a fitting goodbye to a fantastic year group who will be missed.

The Balmoral staff commented on how brilliant the students were; the class of 2015 are a credit to Lasswade and we wish you all the very best for the future.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July2015

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S6 Prom 2015

A message from the Headmaster about Prom 2015 I just wanted to take a moment to thank the Prom Organisers for making it such a fantastic evening and to thank the staff that attended and supported the event. I know many months were spent planning the event - and it showed. I have heard nothing but praise from all who attended the Prom. It was an terrific way to celebrate the end of their school career at Lasswade High School and our sixth year students were fantastic.

Congratulations on both a successful and a memorable Prom. New standards have been set for next year!!

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

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Lasswade Parent Council The Parent Council met three times this term and has continued to work closely with the school. At each meeting we have received a presentation from students and staff. This term we have heard from Mr Haggart and three students who were on the ski trip to Italy. We also heard from the students who had taken part in the drama trip to London. Finally the art department and students involved in the sculpture project, to be unveiled in the autumn term, provided an exciting presentation on the development of the sculpture which symbolises the DREAM values.

The Parent Council have discussed a number of topics this term. We have participated in a consultation with Midlothian Council about the use of the new pitches beside the school. We had a long discussion about the impact of the Midlothian Council policy on exam leave on the school and students. We also discussed the number of Higher prelims which took place before the actual SQA exams. We debated the fast tracking of some students in maths and English who will bypass National 5 and move on to the higher course in 4th year.

The fund raising sub-group continues to be very active in order to raise funds for the benefit of the students. This term we have organised refreshments at school events and at the school show we organised a range of fund raising activities in order to fund the cost of the new school app for the first term. We also provided £600 to the school for the Conabar Award which was raised from the bingo night.

We were very sad to say goodbye to our Chair, Julia McLaughlin who intimated in May that she intended to stand down as her daughter had decided to leave school.

Julia has been a parent at Lasswade High School for 10 years and has been an active member of the Parent Council during this time. She has been Chair for the last four years and we are very grateful to her for the time and commitment that she has given to Lasswade High School.

Lindsey McGregor has agreed to be interim Chair until the AGM next term and John French, who is currently Vice Chair, has agreed to remain on the Committee as a “Co-opted” member until his daughter, who is currently in primary 6 joins Lasswade in 2016. His son also left this year.

We are extremely grateful to all the parents who have attended the Parent Council meetings and contributed to the lively discussions and who continue to volunteer to help run our events. Thanks also to all those parents who continue to give so generously at those fund raising events. We do hope you will see the positive impact this fund raising is having, particularly in relation to the specific projects which the Parent Council is currently supporting. We are looking forward to the school app being launched so that you are more aware of the role of the Parent Council and events that we are organising. We will be using the school Facebook page to publish the agenda and previous minutes in advance of the meetings.

The dates for next term are: 25 August, 24 September (AGM), 27 October and 24 November.

If you have any comments or ideas for fundraising or simply have a question please email the Parent Council on lhspc3@gmail.com.

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

pg 61

School Term Dates for 2015/2016 TERM 1

Mid Term

TERM 2

Mid Term

TERM 3

Staff Resume

Monday

17

August

2015

Pupils Resume Wednesday

19

August

2015

Autumn Holiday

Friday

18

September

2015

Monday

21

September

2015

All Resume

Tuesday

22

September

2015

Pupils Break

Thursday

8

October

2015

Staff Break

Friday *

9

October

2015

All Resume

Monday

19

October

2015

Term Ends

Friday

18

December

2015

Staff Resume

Tuesday*

5

January

2016

Pupils Resume Wednesday

6

January

2016

All Break

Friday

12

February

2016

All Resume

Monday

22

February

2016

All Break

Thursday

24

March

2016

Good Friday

25

March

2016

Easter Monday

28

March

2016

All Resume

Monday

11

April

2016

May Day

Monday

2

May

2016

All Resume

Tuesday

3

May

2016

Victoria Day

Monday*

23

May

2016

Pupils Resume Tuesday

24

May

2016

Term Ends

1

July

2016

Friday

Lasswade High School Newsletter, July 2015

pg 62