St. Joseph's Academy Weekly Newsletter Issue 19.3

Ben Davis, Acting Headteacher Grassyards Rd Kilmarnock KA3 7SL

ST. JOSEPH’S ACADEMY Weekly Newsletter

01563 526144

ISSUE 19.3

www.saintjosephsacademy.co.uk Twitter: @StJoAcad

APRIL 24TH 2015

INSPIRE AND TRANSFORM: NURTURING FAITH-FILLED WORLD CLASS LEARNING

FOR PARENTS, CARERS, FAMILIES & PARISHES

Mr. Yemm, Super-Janitor In the Christmas edition of redblack we focused on character, featuring contributions from Home Rooms across the school. One Home Room described how Mr. Yemm was an inspiration for them and, as a result, our janitor received not one, but two honours from Mitie, the school’s Facilities Managers. Well done Mr. Yemm and thank you for all you do!

S2 No Knives Better Lives

Study Leave & Study Days

This week’s S2 Enspire Day saw the year group examining the serious

The programme of study days for study leave has now been published

issue of knife crime. The pupils watched a challenging, entertaining and

and accompanies this newsletter email. Pupils are expected to attend

hard-hitting drama production that examined the experiences of those

in school for these days. We have also introduced twice-weekly

affected by knife crime. They then went into discussion groups and

wellbeing drop-in sessions throughout the exam diet. These take place

workshops to explore the issues in greater depth. The following day in

on Mondays and Thursdays in the Oratory and are for all S4 - S6

Home Room, S2 were challenged to discuss what they had learnt with

pupils who are anxious, worried, stressed or need some breathing

their fellow pupils.

space.

S1 Enspire Day

SQA Exams and results

S1 also enjoyed a challenging Enspire Day, focussing for some of it on

Parents, carers and pupils can download a range of advice and

developing their ICT skills. All pupils logged on to GLOW and learnt

support from the SQA during their exams.

how to use its various functions, included email. In addition, they

Revision guides: tinyurl.com/lwxh8ez

accessed their e-profiles on Learner Journey, allowing them to record their learning and development. Parents and carers can now view both GLOW and Learner Journey at home allowing them to share their childs' learning better and discuss issues such as the safe use of the

Specimen papers: http://tinyurl.com/ob4qqlu Register to receive your results by text or email on August 4th: tinyurl.com/klpyub2 Check the exam timetable: tinyurl.com/nyr2dko

internet.

Miss Woodward and S6 pupils raising money with a bake sale this week.

Advanced Higher Art Exhibition We are delighted that Veneer Gallery in Glasgow has kindly agreed to host an exhibition of work by four Advanced Higher pupils. ‘Diverse Unity’ is a collection of portraits by four young artists illustrating how they see themselves in the world they live in.

The work explores themes of personal and cultural identities, relationships, individual development and existence. It demonstrates a personal journey that each respective artist has accomplished and in some means still living.

Declan McCluskey, Jennifer O’Rourke, Tatenda Tapatapa and Nadia King are four young adults from Kilmarnock all currently completing their advanced higher art qualification. Their work displays a fresh distinctive and emerging selfhood. It is a bold body of work illustrating the uniqueness of these four characters. The exhibition opens on May 1st and runs until May 10th. Veneer Gallery, 1184 Arglye Street, Glasgow, G3 8TE www.veneergalleryglasgow.com

Community Planning Awards Pictured on the right of this page are six S1 - S3 pupils who performed at the East Ayrshire Community Planning Awards over the Easter holidays.

Talk About It Just before the Easter holidays we launched our pupil-led mental health initiative, Talk About It. This offers an online forum for pupils to promote positive mental health and to discuss and address their concerns and challenges. The pupils leading the initiative are also appointing Positive Mental Health ambassadors in each year group and have designed an aspect of the primary 7 transition programme.

Twitter: @SJAtalkaboutit www.sjatalkaboutit.tumblr.com

Isla Grant (S2) is walking 420 this summer to raise money for SAMH. You can sponsor her here: justgiving.com/IslaGrant

POSITIVE ASPECTS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Easy to sign in by welcoming pupils Lovely pupils at coffee/tea bar, very welcoming Good to see pupils welcome parents to school

warm friendly atmosphere Lovely warm welcome and coffee from the Parent

Council Very nice to put a face to a name and teachers knew

my child very well Teachers knew my child well (x5) Teachers very helpful and gave us plenty of

feedback (x2) Teachers are very helpful and informative as always

well done and thanks Teachers all very professional and knowledgeable

about my child, a pleasant time Teachers all very friendly and approachable, lots of

information regarding new Curriculum for Excellence Teachers very informative and enthusiastic, very

impressed, thank you Good parents’ evening, all teachers very pleasant

and well informed Well organised and flowed well, teachers were

interested, enthusiastic and prepared to discuss and

answer questions

Very well laid out, very welcoming, teachers all very

accommodating

Information well mapped out Well organised Well organised evening, only issue with daughter

organising times!

Good comments, running on schedule

• • • • • • • • • • •

No need for a schedule as teachers were busy at allocated

times and others were available

Floor plan confusing, time slots mix up as one slot runs into

another

Clearer labels for teachers – having to read the table is

ridiculous

Coat stands to make it easier to spot teachers

Please cover the dotted wall behind the teachers, it is awful

and starts off my visual migraine – sheets of paper etc. will do

the job

The room was too hot!

School’s response: Thank you for your feedback. It does not seem to be the case

that most parents and carers find that the teachers they have

booked to see are busy at the allocated time. However, this

can happen (and is unavoidable) if parents or carers are running

late. We do try to take account of this by reorganising some

appointments as the night progresses and by asking all

participants to stick to five minutes per appointment. We are

endeavouring to improve the quality of the signage in the hall at

Parents’ Evenings and are aware that it can be unclear or

confusing. There is not an easy solution to the appearance of

the walls in the hall, but as this matter has been raised several

times we will endeavour to find a solutions. We will also raise

S2 Parents’ Evening Feedback

the temperature of the hall with the facilities managers.

Here are the comments from parents and carers as gathered by the

Thanks to the Parent Council for running the refreshments

Parent Council. The attendance was 60%.

stall and gathering feedback at the evening.

IMPORTANT DATES…………………………………………………

May 1st Advanced Higher Art & Design

April 24th Study Leave for S5/6 begins

exhibition opens in Glasgow

April 28th SQA exams begin

May 4th Public holiday

May 1st Study Leave for S4 begins

May 18th Planned change of timetable

WEEKLY HOME ROOM REFLECTION: Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was an American diplomat, but also a scientist, becoming the inventor of the lightning conductor. After the War of Independence between Britain and the American colonies, Franklin was one of those who wrote the Constitution for the newly independent United States of America. He died on this day in 1790.

One day, Benjamin Franklin gave some- one a list of practical suggestions about getting along with others. This is what he wrote: “The best thing to give your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your ear; to your child, good example; to your father, reverence; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; - to all people, love.”

Let us pray: Lord, give me patience and tolerance with everyone. Lord, show me how to be kind and generous to everyone. Lord, help me to live positively and cheerfully for everyone. Amen.

PARISH MASS TIMES St. Matthew’s: 9.30 am, Fr. Chambers St. Joseph’s: 6.00 pm (vigil), 11.00 am Fr. Latham St. Francis Xavier, Patna: 5.00 pm (vigil) St. John the Evangelist: 10.45 am, Fr. McGrattan Our Lady of Mount Carmel: 9.30 am, Fr. McGhee St. Michael’s: 4.30 pm (vigil) St. Paul’s: 11.30 am, Fr. Chambers Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Patrick: 6.00 pm (vigil), Fr. McGrattan St. Sophia’s: 6.00 pm (vigil) Fr. Chambers St. Thomas the Apostle: 9.00 am, Fr. McGrattan