Oldmachar Academy
2013—2014, Issue 2, September
September Message from Mr Brown The half term holiday is approaching and it is difficult for everyone to believe that eight weeks of term have already passed. Since August, a lot has happened, and this twenty-one page newsletter tries to capture the story for parents. As usual, we are using the newsletter to open up for parents the learning that takes place in school. For example, we have a number of new things happening this session that are energizing the curriculum for our young people. These include some new programmes of learning that our newsletters this session will focus on. In addition, we have recently staged some extra-curricular activities that have provided different types of learning experiences for students. Some of these are shown here, including our Referendum Question Time event, which was the first major event our S6 students have coordinated. The newsletter also flags up some of the other important work our S6 students are engaged in, which is part of their work towards the SQA Leadership Award. For example, our 30th Anniversary celebration project and the S6 Film in Education Project are highlighted. We are also including in the newsletter a section which used to be published separately for parents. This is our annual Standards and Quality report, which documents our progress in 2012—2013. Lastly, we are advertising the fact that we will be conducting a survey of parental perceptions after the October break. It is two years since our last survey and we want to take stock of our progress since then. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a fantastic October holiday.
Inside this issue Global Issues .......... 2—3 Learner Pathways .. 4—7 Curricular Update ... 8—9 Leadership Projects 10—11 Referendum Event.. 12—13 Trips and Activities . 14—15 S1 Health Day ......... 16—17 Standards & Quality 18—19 Announcements ..... 20—21
Special Features
Read the stirring match report on the S2 match against Harlaw
Word has spread to Africa of our Global Issues Assembly programme
How will Oldmachar students vote in next year’s referendum?
The Future
Global Issues
Our Global Issues programme addresses the challenges humanity will face in the future and asks young people to consider the world their children will inherit. This section shows some of our themes so far. We also include a letter we received from Africa, to where news has spread of our work.
International Day of Peace Mr Brown led a series of assemblies to mark the International Day of Peace on September 21st. He talked about peace and conflict and the major challenges that human beings face in war and conflict zones. In particular he focused on the effects of these things on children. Lastly, he focused on peace-building projects around the world and asked all the young people to use the day to celebrate their very own day of peace.
Human Goals and Aspirations From Leif Erikson to the International Space Station, the issue of human goals and aspirations was the focus of another assembly. All students have to set themselves goals for learning in school. They were encouraged to see this process within the context of the wider project of promoting human achievement. Realizing our goals is part of developing our sense of well being,
Population “Mr Fogiel’s assembly was quite harrowing. It informed everyone of the issues we are to face in the future. The biggest thing that worried me was whether we are going to have enough food to feed the human population of around 10 billion we are likely to have in 2050.
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He also put up a timeline about how the population will grow. We have kept on advancing and have been able to find new ways of avoiding disasters in the past. But will we be able to in the future? We just don’t know.” Christy Foster (S6)
World Literacy Day Mr McCabe led a series of assemblies to celebrate World Literacy Day on September 8th. He focused on the amazing social technology that is the human capacity to express themselves in language. He then went on to note some of the amazing human achievements that have been possible due to literacy. Lastly, he talked of the costs of having poor literacy skills and the effects that this has on people’s life chances and economic prospects. The resources for all assemblies are available on our website, at :
http://
s416003572.initial-website.co.uk/global-issues/
World Teachers Day Mr Brown, I am a physics teacher from Newbattle Community High School in Midlothian Council. I have been granted a 1-year career break to live and volunteer as a teacher in Zambia. My wife is a medical doctor working at St Francis' Hospital, Katete and I am teaching physics in Katete Day and Chisale Day secondary schools. I have been writing a blog at http://www.newbattle.org.uk/News/ zambiablog.html if you are interested in reading more about my time in Zambia. The schools in Zambia have a 1-day holiday to celebrate World Teachers' Day and I was interested to note from http://www.worldteachersday.org that your school is the only one in Scotland that appears to be recognising this occasion. Here, all teachers working in Katete District were invited to a ceremony at Omelo Mumba PS in Katete where they were seated beneath a huge mango tree for shade. Various dignitaries from the local government were present and awards in the form of money, bags of cement, mattresses, bed sheets and saucepans were distributed to teachers who had been nominated by their respective head teachers. These awards were presented for hard work, punctuality, dedication, creativity, perseverance and - rather bizarrely - being neatly dressed. I hope your week of assemblies passed without similar incident! Best wishes, Simon Tyler
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Learners’ Pathways Promoting Positive Destinations from School Curriculum for Excellence says that every student is entitled to support in planning a positive destination from school. One our aims over the next two
Rhys Small Currently
Working as a trainee draughtsman for Fowler McKenzie. This involves on-site training
Academic Study in School
Rhys achieved an A pass in Higher Graphics and 4 good grades in Intermediate 2 subjects in S5. In S4 he achieved 4 Credit Awards at Standard Grade.
School Experience
Reece feels that he received a lot of support in school from his teachers. He did additional classes in a number of subjects which reassured him. This also raised his confidence, especially in S5. He particularly appreciated the enthusiasm of his teachers and credits Design and Technology teachers with inspiring him towards the career pathway he has chosen.
Preparing for a Positive Destination
Conversation with the school’s Support Services Manager, Mrs McKenzie, led to Rhys considering whether to enter the workplace directly at the end of S5—at that point he had a number of options, including returning for a sixth year, or going to college.
Future Plans
Rhys is happy with the on-site training he is doing and has no long term goal other than to make sure he does a good job as a draughtsman.
years is to get 100% of our students a positive destination. In this session’s newsletters we will feature articles that document our successes in helping students find their route to future success. This month we highlight the stories of four former students making their way in the world beyond school. We are proud of what they are achieving and wish them well.
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Ryan Bishop Currently
Working as an apprentice bricklayer for BANCON Construction
Academic Study in School
Ryan achieved 5 Credit / General Grades at Standard Grade, including a 2 for Craft and Design.
School Experience
He proceeded into this line of work because of his study of Craft and Design and Graphic Communication at Standard Grade. He always received positive feedback on his work in these courses and enjoyed them. The hands on aspect of these courses suited his learning style.
Preparing for a Positive Destination
The job with BANCO was offered after his Guidance teacher had got him to sign up for an on-line system of application for apprenticeships. He had wanted to do joinery, but was offered a job as a brick layer.
Future Plans
In future he plans to complete his two year bricklayer apprenticeship. He might want to become a site manager. Alternatively, he would do a further apprenticeship in joinery, to build up a set of trades.
Matthew Harazim Currently
Matthew is doing a single honours Music degree at Aberdeen University. He is doing an auxiliary course in Latin.
Academic Study in School
In S6 Matthew got 2 Advanced Highers—an A in Music and a Higher in Psychology. In S5 Matthew achieved 5 Highers passes.
School Experience
Matthew felt that the Highers and subjects he chose were both challenging and enjoyable. He also felt that the opportunity to study Advanced Higher courses was good preparation for university. He feels it is important to apply yourself in all of your subjects because they all count later—he gave the example of how he is now glad he devoted time to other subjects than music.
Current Students’ Pathways We will also give attention this session to the plans of our current students, especially those who are experiencing the new curriculum.
Preparing for a Positive Destination
From S3 to S6 he felt that there was good progression in the extent to which he was encouraged to be an independent learner. He says he worked with really committed teachers, who supported him.
Future Plans
He wants to follow his course up with a Masters in Music Technology, which would lead to work in the music industry. He hopes to open a recording studio and have his own record label.
We hope to do this to inspire everyone to imagine the possibilities that they might reach towards. On the next page we feature Bilal Benzahia, a student in the current S4 year group.
Jessica Gomez Banderas Currently
Studying for a four year honours degree in Biomedical Sciences at RGU
Academic Study in School
In S5 Jessica achieved 5 Highers, with 4 A passes.
School Experience
In her senior years she felt the classes were focused and that everyone in the classes wanted to do well. That was helped by teachers who took time to listen and answered any queries, which helped students understand. She felt that Mrs Grant and Ms Cussac were examples of teachers who were particularly helpful to her when she needed particular support in her work.
Preparing for a Positive Destination
She chose to do this particular field of science because it is relevant to life and she feels she can relate to it. She had enjoyed subjects which explored issues which related to the field of study she ended up following.
Future Plans
Jessica has no particular plan for what she wants to do in her chosen field of science, but thinks that the course she is doing will be a positive experience.
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Oldmachar Academy 30th Anniversary November 30th Crafts / charity stalls Foods of the world Entertainment Want to hold a stall
to celebrate a culture or sell handicrafts? For more information contactMrs Stopani / Mrs McKenzie 01224 820887 / enquiries@oldmachar.aberdeen.sch.uk
One Learner’s Journey: Bilal Benzahia Bilal Benzahia is a student in S4 of Oldmachar Academy. He has just started the Senior Phase of education. This is his story… In S2 Bilal was given opportunities to specialize in Computing as he was interested in programming. He took up the option to study our 3 Science programme. He wanted to keep all of his options open. He appreciated the pace of this programme and it suited his style of learning—he continued with this programme in S3. In S3 he took Music as he really enjoys playing drums. He thought this would be challenging but not stressful. He also chose Modern Studies because he enjoyed it. He did well in the S3 examination diet. He attended the Careers’ Evening at Bridge of Don Academy last session. This event was run as part of the school’s consortium Arrangements with St Machar and Bridge of Don Academies. From this he generated an interest in medicine, He also picked up the importance of extra-curricular activities and relevant work experience. As a result of that he has continued to get music tuition and is also doing voluntary work at the Jesmond Care Home.
“I have appreciated the opportunities I have had at Oldmachar Academy and have felt supported by the school.” Bilal says that his peers thought his academic programme of Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and French would be intense. They wondered if he would have any fun at all in S4. But he says he is glad that he took on this challenge. At the moment he feels that all of these subjects are going smoothly. The one surprise to him about National 5 courses is the regularity of assessment. In S5 he knows that he will have to drop one subject It is likely to be one of the science subjects. But it will depend on how successful he is at National 5 Level. He intends to come back for S6. He still thinks that he might like to medicine for a career. He particularly loves learning in science and finds this rewarding. Bilal says that “I am a big believer in understanding what you are learning. It makes it easier to remember and it becomes a solid part of your knowledge. By Mrs Stopani
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New Curricular Programmes: Update This year Oldmachar Academy has a new and exciting curriculum plan which is challenging our students more than ever. It is backed up by improved systems for support. While some our new programmes are still in the early stages of development, our teachers are putting a lot of energy into working on them. Pupils are benefiting from this activity. Three examples of programmes we are developing are shown in this section. The first is our S4 Entitlements Programme, exemplified by the work of Miss Norrie, below. The second is our Skills for Work programmes, which are shown on the next page. These create specific work related learning opportunities in industry supported contexts. The third is our new Interdisciplinary Learning programmes in S2 and S3, which are giving students very different learning experiences. We will update everyone on progress as the year unfolds.
“All young people are entitled to support in planning a positive destination from school.” Curriculum for Excellence Skills for Learning
S4 Entitlements Programme
The students are building up re-
This session S4 students are following a programme devoted to delivering Senior Phase Entitlements. This programme takes place on Friday afternoons and covers three skill areas:
search on people who have achieved success. They have to work in teams and explore a per-
Skills for Learning
son whom they admire. They
Skills for Life
work together to gather infor-
Skills for Work
mation. Then they use Prezi to develop a presentation, which they deliver to an expert panel of judges and their peers. This will give them important skills that they can use in other subjects. Miss Norrie (Art)
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All young people benefit from this programme, which is delivered in six modules. Miss Norrie is quoted here talking about the Visual Communications course that she has developed for students. This should help them in building research, team-building and presentation skills.
Student Views
“In World of Work we look at different workplaces. In the second unit we look at job opportunities and jobs that might suit us. Then we look at CVs. It is useful because you can see what qualifications you need for particular jobs and you can also Mr Lambrou’s Entitlements Group
see what it will be like to work outside of school.” Russell Tennant (S4)
Skills for Work Mr Lambrou is pictured above working with a group of students in Week 1 of a four week module designed to help them learn about collaborative, work related challenges. Students are given a design brief and some resources to work with. They have to find ways to solve problems and work creatively in groups to achieve their goals. In the fourth week of the module an expert panel of teachers and people from the world of work is assembled to test the work of the groups. This element is to be built up over time. We would welcome any offers of support for this project from any parents who would be able to give their time on a Friday afternoon every four weeks to help us judge the students’ work and give them feedback.
“In the Visual Communications course we are learning about Prezi. Normally when we do presentations we just use Powerpoint. This gives us a different way to present ideas. When you are doing it, you can set Prezi to move from one image to another in really smart ways—through letters for example. It is also cool because you can attach videos to slides and play them when it’s the right time.” Callum Milne (S4)
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S6 Leadership Projects Peer Listeners A team of Peer Listeners are available to support younger stu-
6th year students are organising an event based on the 30th Anniversary of Oldmachar Academy. This event will take place on the 30th of November from 11.30am to 4pm and will include many stalls and activities for you to take part in.
dents every break time in the foyer of the
International Street Party
school. Parents are encouraged to pass on this information to their children. There is always someone to listen. There is always someone to help. There is always someone who cares!
The event is going to be an International Street party theme with different countries producing foods and goods for you to try and explore, this will also give you an opportunity to experience different cultures in different countries. There is going to be 20 stalls in total for you to explore which will have a variety of different things such as foods and also gifts. All funds will be put towards to the school and also will be raised for charity. An advert for this project is found on Page 6.
Planning Your Stall We are also giving you an opportunity to participate in this event with your own stall. We would be grateful if you all participate to help make this event successful. Your own Your stall should include the following: stall could include anything you want as long as it is related to the country. foods of the country the produce that the country is famous for Art work of famous monuments 10
Film in Education Project Opportunities seem to always arrive out of nowhere, their perceptibility usually varying between the blatantly obvious and the subtly concealed, and they seem to strike at opportune times. This was the case with the formation of the Oldmachar sixth year film club. The opportunity came about as a result of the senior student leadership team election and the fact that not everyone could be accepted onto the team. Those not successful were given the opportunity to be involved in a film production project that would run through the year and that would provide them with a different leadership opportunity. At first it was looked upon as simply a consolation for failure to be a member of the senior student leadership team, which admittedly were my first thoughts on it as well, but after the first meeting of the members it seemed now to be a much more interesting project. Formed just six weeks ago and after hours of constant planning, negotiation-the sort that involves constantly asking for appointments-and filming the sixth year Film in Education project is now well on its way to producing its first film. An opportunity that was looked down on has now turned out to be far more than anticipated and continues to throw surprises in at every turn of its journey. So to conclude, opportunities big or small can be surprising, it all depends on how you use them. Leonard Atorough (S6)
We have a large number of S6 projects running this year, as students prepare to complete the SQA Leadership Award
Learning Buddies Last week Mr Reid (Building Learning Coordinator) trained our team of S6 Learning Buddies. These students will support younger students with their learning in Tutor Time. They will provide support with homework, organization of Pupil Planners and also in the use of e-portfolios. Mr Reid’s work in the school has focused on ensuring that young people have positive mindsets towards learning and are effectively supported in using strategies that help them take effective control of their learning. These are difficult things to do and young people can really benefit from older students helping them. 11
Referendum Question Time Event Question
Gen
Yes
No
Undecided
Will you be eligible to vote in the election?
M
84%
16%
0%
F
86%
14%
0%
Do you have a clear idea at this stage of how you will / would vote next year?
M
63%
34%
3%
F
56%
43%
1%
Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?
M
24%
64%
12%
F
11%
73%
16%
The results of the poll we did on the day of the debate with S4—S6 students voting in a mock election. These results were shared with candidates at the start of the debate. “Both during and after the debate the pupils questions, comments and behaviour were first class and are a credit to the school. The opportunity for young people to engage with both sides of the debate and ask questions is a major part of this process, particularly given it is the first opportunity for 16 and 17 year olds to vote.” Callum McCaig (Yes Scotland) 12
Our Referendum Project Leadership team pictured with speakers after the event
“I think it is a fantastic way of engaging students, not only in the road to the referendum but, in democracy and citizenship.
The panel debates the issues at stake.
Political Literacy at Oldmachar On Wednesday 18th September the school hosted a referendum question time event in the common room to inform S4-S6 pupils of the upcoming referendum on Scottish Independence. Representative for the Yes Scotland campaign, SNP councillor Callum McCaig, and representative for the Better Together campaign, Conservative councillor Ross Thomson attended the event. Henry Hepburn, a journalist who is a former pupil of the school, chaired. Each representative had a university student who supported their views with them to reinforce their arguments. Hepburn asked the representatives questions which pupils had contributed to him and it was so successful that the event ran over time. The audience were able to ask questions at any time as well which helped contribute to the event as a whole. Pupils were also able to stay behind after the event to speak to the representative oneon-one if their questions had not been answered.
Politicos and pundits always talk about declining turnout at elections, by engaging with people when they are younger and still studying it helps enhance their understanding of the whole democratic process and the value of playing their role as a responsible citizen. I hope that more events such as this can help raise awareness and understanding and in the longterm help improve turnout at election time. The pupils I spoke with afterwards were engaged, articulate and intelligent, I was genuinely very impressed.” Ross Thomson (Better Together)
Mr Brown introduced the event and helped four 6th year students—Rebecca Anderson, Scott Hendry, Ryan Taylor and Shannon Hadden—organised the event. They were very much pleased with the outcome. and are planning another event in six months’ time to mark the six months before the referendum on Scottish independence to inform the students even further. They hope this will give pupils a full understanding of the referendum in an aim to develop the political literacy of young people, which is something the September event managed to achieve for the pupils who attended.
Shannon Hadden (S6)
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Enriching Learning
Trips and Extra– Curricular Activities
There are lots of things going on at Oldmachar Academy. Trips and extra-curricular activities enrich our curriculum and give different kinds of opportunities to young people. In this session’s newsletters, Trips and extracurricular activities will be featured regularly. On these pages, a number of things are highlighted for parents to read about. More information is provided in the news section of our website.
Biology Trip: Advanced Higher To progress in the Advanced Higher Biology course the students of Oldmachar Academy visited Aberdeen University to undertake an important piece of laboratory work.
GE Oil and Gas Visit On Thursday 19 September 2013 Emily Hunter and Malcolm Law went to GE Oil and Gas office beside the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) as part of our Higher Administration course. GE is a world leader in advanced technologies and services to support customers in the oil and gas industry. They both had a fantastic time. Firstly, they had a tour of the building by Claire Simpson (Executive Administrator) for Rob Christie (CEO and president of GE Oil and Gas Subsea System) and one of her assistants. They had a short meeting with the recruitment officer who is in charge of recruiting new candidates to the organisation. She also talked about the skills and qualities you need to have to be able to work in an office environment. We want to thank Claire, her administration assistant and the staff we met for giving up their time to give us the opportunity to come and see their organisation.
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Malcolm Law
S1 Football "After many years, competitive football has returned to Oldmachar Academy. Mr Biggart and Mr Grieve have started running an after-school football club for S1 pupils from which a squad is selected for match days. So far the S1 team has won two games, drawn one and lost one. An impressive start! Outstanding performances from Irvyn Hall and Murray Esson have helped to contribute to the team's initial success. Long may it continue!" Mr Grieve
Thanks to Fowler McKenzie for providing us with strips for the S1 football team.
Oldmachar Under-14’s Football Team This season, Oldmachar have been fortunate to enlist an under-14 football team to the Aberdeen Secondary Schools Football League. The U14 team is currently coached by Mr Jooty, Mr Lambrou, and Mr Alexander. Multiple S6 pupils have also been kind enough to assist with training sessions too. The initial trial proved to be popular, with over 20 young footballers vying for a chance to represent their school and showcase their ability against other schools. However, only a squad of 16 players could be selected. Squad selection was based on player performances during drills and a match. The U14’s first match was a tricky away fixture against Harlaw Academy. Due to all three coaches being new to Aberdeen, and the players being unfamiliar with the opponent school, the team was confident but, as one would expect, wary. First impressions were good, with the team holding their shape and the players being vocal and strong. However, an early break in concentration led to Oldmachar conceding an early goal. Despite the play being fairly even, Harlaw were capitalising on scant chances, which eventually led to Oldmachar trailing 4-1 down at half-time. The character of the team shone through, when despite their three goal deficit, the players were vocal and visibly still “up for it”, with no signs of any heads dropping. The coaches had their half-time talk with the team, and made a few substitutions to introduce some energy to the team’. The infallible never-say-die attitude of Oldmachar proved to be as useful an asset as their undoubted technical ability, as the team brought the score line back up to 4-4 within ten minutes of the second half start. However, Harlaw snatched a goal in the last 10 minutes to bring the score line to 5-4. Again, the mental resilience of the team was put to test, and again they passed with flying colours. The coaches decided to switch to the risky 35-2 formation, leaving the defence exposed but flooding the midfield. This switch paid dividends when Oldmachar forced an equaliser to make it 5-5. Where most teams would have taken the 5-5 draw in the last 5 minutes (especially after being 4-1 at half-time), Oldmachar had the wind in their sails and kept pushing. This pressure led to the, by now, inevitable winner for Oldmachar, and the game finished with Oldmachar sealing a 6-5 victory. Overall, Oldmachars U14’s first fixture was a truly exciting match, and definitely a rollercoaster of emotions for the team, coaches, and spectators. However, the quality of the team shone through in the end, and victory was deserved of a tough and resilient team performance. The team will build on this victory, and it will be the first of many to come.
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Mr Jooty
Higher RMPS Class Visit On 10th October, the Higher RMPS class visited the Sheriff Court. The reason for our visit was to link to our learning of causes of crime and purposes of punishment. We received a talk from a Sheriff and then witnessed 7 trials in court room 1 which was extremely interesting. 15 of the pupils even sat in the jury seats to understand the effects of being a juror and witness
“Every child is entitled to develop skills for learning, life and work, with a continuous focus on… health and well-being.” Curriculum for Excellence
Getting Messages Across Every week young people meet with Guidance teachers to explore Health and wellbeing related topics in Tutor Time. In addition, we run collapsed curriculum days for students to explore ideas in more detail. This gives students time and space to think about healthy lifestyles, relationships and other aspects of health.
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Promoting Health and Well-being
Mr Brown’s Assembly Mr Brown’s assembly on Respect is on the Global Issues section of the school website. He talked about the ways in which human beings can form social bonds that can exclude other people and the harm that this can cause. He asked everyone to remember that under-
S1 Health and Well-being Day The theme for the first S1 Health & Wellbeing Day was Keeping Myself Safe. Pupils worked in non-class groupings during the morning to given them an opportunity to work with others and to make new friendships. They attended 4 workshops: Road Safety, Fire Safety, Internet Safety and Emotional Wellbeing. Our thanks go to partners from Police Scotland, the Fire Service and NHS Grampian for their contributions to these sessions. During the afternoon pupils worked with their respective PT Pupil Support (Guidance) and Tutors. The focus was on AntiBullying issues and the school’s Respect Me policy.
neath the face that people put on to face the world, human beings often feel fear and anxiety. He also asked people to observe the Golden Rule of Reciprocity in Ethics, which is: “Treat other people the way you would like them to treat you.”
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Partnership Projects
The school has a number of important partnerships that support personal achievement. Some examples are:
Sparrows Partnership (Engineering in Education Scheme Award Winners) SHMU (leadership and work experience projects for individual young people) Aberlour Trust (Early Education and Childcare) Foyer (for young people with additional needs Aberdeen College (for pupils at risk of leaving school with no positive destination Wood Group Trust (Youth Philanthropy Initiative) Primary Schools (Community Involvement activities) Jesmond Centre (and other Sport Aberdeen Facilities) (Get Fit for the Weekend) Scottish Football Association (SQA Refereeing Award) Mains of Scotstown (Support for Hospitality related projects).
There are a number of other partnerships that we have developed to support other aspects of work related learning. In May 2012 the school staged a business breakfast on behalf of our consortium of schools to promote business partnerships. This was supported by the North East Chamber of Commerce and was a set event in North East business week.
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Standards and Quality 2012 – 2013 was an important year in Oldmachar Academy, with some major developments overtaken:
Implementation of the school’s Senior Phase curriculum in light of Aberdeen City Council’s decision to implement a uniform senior phase The consultation on the future of Universal Personal Support – and planning to implement this The evolution of systems for senior phase profiling – S4/5/6 pupils writing reports on progress after prelims Progressing of the school’s Respect Campaign – and the implementation of Restorative Practice Consultation on and implementation of formal blazers for senior school Expansion of the Building Learning Power programme Reinforcement of new quality improvement systems Evolution of teacher Learning and Development Groups
Impact of Improvement As a result, there is clear evidence of young people being more effectively engaged in their education. The benefit from a wider range of effectively planned experiences related to developing their skills for learning, life and work. They do better academically than in previous years and are much less likely to behave in such a way that they court exclusion. Teachers are increasingly confident in taking forward the school’s vision and understand how this relates to developments in pedagogy. There is evidence of learning and teaching improving significantly due to these developments. There are increasing numbers of examples of the school’s development of shared leadership paying off, with teachers taking ownership of key strands of the improvement agenda. These developments are orchestrated within the school’s overall strategic planning. Pupil leadership is also progressing, with increasing opportunities provided for young people to take on leadership roles.
Learning and Teaching In session 2012 - 2013 there were significant developments in learning and teaching policy and practice. In around forty observed lessons, the head teacher found almost all lessons to feature appropriate tasks and activities. There was increasing use of collaborative learning strategies and reference to the school’s core skills framework in the planning and delivery of lessons. As a result, there is increased teacher awareness and confidence in the policy, with young people benefiting from improved learning experiences. For this session the school has evolved and trained all staff in its revised arrangements for learning and teaching, which includes a set of pilot arrangements for recording and sharing the progress of young people within the broad, general education. The policies were shaped by staff groups and there is ownership of them by the teaching staff of the school. Key sections of policy were tested in consultation parents and
In a comprehensive survey of the perceptions of students about the school, S1—S3 students rated it as having improved significantly since the last survey in 2010.
The Curriculum Plan Pupils in the Broad General Education phase experience learning which is founded on E’s and O’s. The learning is challenging and effectively planned. The school’s ethos is reinforced by such experiences. In S3 young people personalize learning by choosing eight subjects within four curriculum areas to supplement learning in Literacy, Numeracy, HWB and Modern Languages. A consultation involving all stakeholder was conducted on the curriculum plan in 2012—2013, which resulted in a clear curriculum map which meets the entitlements for young people and facilitates partnerships to aid planning towards positive destinations beyond school The curriculum is underpinning by the Core Skills framework which is established within the learning and teaching policy, which ensures that messages about skills are consistently reinforced across the curriculum. Young people report that the curriculum in S1 – S3 provides them with a good level of challenge. This is supported by evidence of direct observation.
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Oldmachar Academy Launches its Big Reading Challenge This session we are having a drive to get everyone reading more and are staging our Reading Challenge for all students in S1–S3. This is a school wide initiative coordinated by the English Department and the Library, and is designed to promote private reading, which is a crucial way to ensure that young people develop important literacy skills while developing their enjoyment of reading:
We are challenging students in S1-S3 to read 30 books from now until June 2014.
We want them all to participate in the Reading Challenge, which will be rewarded in the following ways:
Gold Award
Students who read 30 books or more by June 2014
Silver Award
Students who read between 20 and 30 books
Bronze Award
Students who read between 10 and 20 books
There will be prizes and certificates for young people who take part and achieve these levels of success. Top prizes will include Kindle Fires. Pupils can get their log books from the library now to keep a record of the books they read. We want to encourage all our S1-S3 students to take part in the Challenge. Private reading is an important way to allow a young person an important opportunity to personalise his or her learning. Research from the National Literacy Trust shows that young people who read for pleasure regularly, are more successful in their studies. In fact, the research shows that if young people read four books a month, this has a huge benefit for them.
We are adding another dimension to the Challenge by holding events to celebrate books and reading throughout the year. This will include author visits, competitions and participation in various book awards, such as our local book award – the Grampian Children’s Book Award. The programme of events will start off with a Book Fair to mark this year’s Book Week Scotland at the end of November. The Book Fair will also be at the School’s 30th Anniversary celebrations on the 30th of November. For more information and to vote for your top four books from this year’s Grampian Children’s Book Award long list check out https:// blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ac/Oldmachar_Library/.
ANNOUNCEMENTS Upcoming Events Oct 28th: Stakeholder Survey
Park and Stride Parents are reminded that they should not bring cars into the school
Oct 29th: S5 Science Academy
car park in the mornings before
Oct 31st: Achievers Ceremony
school. If all of our parents were to do this, we would have a gridlock sit-
Nov 5th: S5 (Safe Drive‌ ) Nov 6th/8th: S1 (Old Aberdeen)
uation. Parents can use our Park and Stride scheme, which allows them to
Nov 14th: S2 Parents’ Evening
use the car park of the health centre
Nov 30th: 3oth Anniversary Event
as a drop off point.
Break Time Arrangements Parents are reminded that pupils are not allowed to go offsite at break time. This is contrary to our school rules. Pupils are supervised in school during this time.
Oldmachar Academy Jesmond Drive Bridge of Dnn Aberdeen AB22 8UR Phone: 01224 820 887 Please contact us at: enquiries@oldmachar.aberdeen. sch.uk
Litter We ask parents to remind their young people that they should not drop litter in the local community. This a problem at lunch time in particular, when pupils are not under the supervision of the school. Litter created by several hundred Oldmachar Academy students can be a problem for residents.
Stakeholder Surveys
Goobye to Mrs Kennedy
Parents are advised that we will be updating our Stakeholder Surveys of the Perceptions of Pupils, Staff and Parents
Last term we said goodbye to Mrs
in the new term. A full survey of the perceptions of parents is being
NHS.
commissioned through the same company that did the previous survey two years ago. We hope that all parents will take the time to complete the survey which will be used to inform future planning.
Kennedy, one of our PSAs. She has left us to take up a post in the Mrs Kennedy was much loved by her students, for whom she provide a fantastic level of care and support. They will all miss her. Best wishes Mrs Kennedy.
Please visit our school website at: http://s416003572.initial-website.co.uk/