Dept template

Welcome to the third Newsletter of the session and the last one of 2009. Busy and demanding though this term has been, it has contained a significant number of successes in a wide range of activities and will end on a series of very positive notes.

In addition our pupils have continued to be involved in a wide range of activities outwith the school where they have proved themselves to be excellent ambassadors for Woodmill.

These achievements reflect well on what is a busy and successful school with a skilful, committed staff and able, talented young people There is more to come this session. We are committed to maintaining and developing a culture of high expectations in Woodmill in everything we attempt and I am sure that there will be further successes to report on as the session continues.

Parents and carers will already have received copies of this very positive report. The school is very pleased with the Inspectors’ findings which recognise the many strengths which exist in Woodmill and the improvements which have taken place since the original inspection in September 2007. Credit is due to all staff for their commitment to improvement and to our pupils for their involvement in the decision-making in the school and contribution to our successes.

There is still much to do to continue the drive towards improvement as well as maintaining our proud record of regional and national achievement.

I hope that parents and carers will see Woodmill as a vibrant and dynamic school whose steadily increasing roll reflects the excellence of the educational opportunities on offer.

Thank you to everyone who responded to our consultation on the School Values. The final version is provided at the end of the Newsletter. I hope that respondents to the consultation process will see where their suggestions have been adopted.

None of these successes are achieved without hard work and dedication from everyone who is part of the Woodmill ‘community’.

Parents / Carers for your continuing active support for the school. Your involvement with your child’s education in its widest sense is absolutely vital and we welcome and encourage your participation. In particular I want to thank Friends of Woodmill High School for their energetic and positive influence in the school. In addition to their statutory role, the parent body has recently been involved in organising a highly successful S1 parents’ curriculum evening. I would like to record my gratitude and appreciation for the high quality of parental support and involvement which Woodmill continues to enjoy.

Staff for their continuing energy and commitment to providing a high quality of education in all aspects of the school’s work. In addition to the ongoing improvements to the curriculum and to teaching and learning, the impressive range of extra-curricular activities in Woodmill continues to be the envy of other schools. The single most important resource in any school is its staff and the staff in Woodmill, teaching and ancillary, show a consistently high standard of skill and dedication on a daily basis.

Pupils for continuing to respond to staff with an enthusiasm and imagination which is reflected in the wide range of successes which come to the school. We are proud of the academic attainment of our pupils but the confidence and life-skills which are acquired through participation in extra-curricular activities are just as important. We hope that ALL our pupils will find a way to participate in these activities.

Other partners for their continuing support for the school and everything which we are trying to achieve. These partners include the school medical service; the school nurses; our educational psychologists, Carolyn Brown and Malcolm McGovern; our school counsellor, Rachel Eastop; our Careers Adviser, Lisa Welch and our Integrated Community Schools Family Worker, Jean Appleby as well as our community police officers, PC Lee Randall and PC Russell Craig. Finally a word of appreciation must go to FMC Technologies for their support during the past session.

Our best wises go to Stacey Ramsey, Active Schools Coordinator, who leaves Fife this term to take up a post in East Lothian. Stacey has made a significant contribution to the extra-curricular support in the school.

As you will note, the Woodmill community is a wide and diverse one which works very effectively together for the benefit of the young people in the school.

Pupils will receive copies of the prelim timetable and will have exam arrangements explained to them.

Can I ask that parents / carers go over the prelim timetable with your child? Be aware of pressure points in the timetable so that you can support him / her to give of his / her best.

It is very important that pupils perform as well as they can at this stage and aim to match or exceed the targets which have been set for them.

We have high expectations of this year’s S4 in the SQA exams and the prelim process is a key part of raising attainment.

Pupils are expected to attend for prelim examinations in school uniform. Although S4 pupils will be on study leave, exam days are very much ‘working’ days.

School closes at 12.00 noon on Friday 18 December. Pupils will be informed of bus and lunch arrangements.

On behalf of all the staff in Woodmill I wish you and your family a very good winter break and best wishes for 2010.

ENGLISH

In January we will be welcoming Mrs Lindsay to Woodmill. Mrs Lindsay will be offering an additional, temporary 0.6 capacity to the English timetable.

Ms Tennant leaves us at the end of term to go on maternity leave. We wish all her all the very best.

SCIENCE

I would like to thank Mr Ross for his contribution to the science department since the start of session. We welcome Mr Miller who will be joining us in January on a temporary 0.6 basis.

CHEMISTRY

In November the Standard Grade and Higher Chemistry students had a very interesting lecture from Doctor Henderson of Heriot-Watt University about Forensic Chemistry. He told us all about how Chemistry and other sciences can help solve crimes. Dr Henderson was very funny and told lots of little stories to make the lecture interesting - including the best clothes to wear if you are going to commit a crime!

Mrs Urquhart

DRAMA

This class has been working on extracts to be performed in front of mixed audiences of pupils. The drama students are assessed on acting, or a technical role which includes costume, make-up, lighting and directing. One group have been looking at an extract from Philip Ridley’s play “Sparkleshark”, and the other group chose a scene from Gregory Burke’s acclaimed play “Black Watch”. The class would like to thank Jim Magee of Army Careers and Captain Gary Wallace from the Black Watch who lent them 6 sets of desert combats, helping Kayleigh fulfil her costume role!

Congratulations to Sasha as she successfully auditioned for a place at the New York Conservatory for Performing Arts. She will take part in a four-week summer intensive course staying in Brooklyn Heights. Sasha was the youngest person accepted on the course and this leads to a chance for her to be offered a place on the two-year performance programme. The department is delighted for her and believe that this is the first step in a wonderful, successful career as a performing artist.

The group of students pictured below have been involved in specific dance training on Saturday afternoons. They have been training in contemporary, street and break dance. The initial teaching was funded by The European Social Fund and the Abbyview Locality manager.

The sessions have run from September 2009 through to December 2009. So far the group have been taught by; Andy Howitt, artistic director of Y-dance, Allan Irvine, Tom Pritchard from Scottish Dance Theatre, Alan MacIntyre, Daniel Aing, capoeria / break-dance and David Aing, break-dance.

The group now join the “Ignite” funding provided by The Scottish Arts Council. This is to support the opportunities in dance for boys and young men.
As part of this project the group will continue to train throughout 2010 with their teachers/choreographers towards developing performances. The group will link with other groups in Scotland. The group will also take part in tours, which are yet to be confirmed and a visit to London to explore further training opportunities in dance.

On Sunday 29th Nov this group went to see Scottish Dance Theatre perform at the Traverse. We went to “Jimmy Chungs” restaurant beforehand. A special treat as Miss Jeffries joined us for the meal before getting her train to England.

DESIGN TECHNOLOGY

The Design Technology Department has been very busy since the summer. The department is pleased to be involved in a partnership with FMC Technologies Fife. So far this has benefited both pupils and the Design Technology staff through guided tours of their production and Computer Aided Design departments. During discussions both parties recognised the importance for young people to be able to visualise objects in 3D. The department is pleased to announce that we now have two computer suites with Autodesk Inventor Professional 2009 operating, sponsored by FMC Technologies. This has allowed our S2 to S6 pupils to use an industrial standard package that is used the world over.

In line with a Curriculum for Excellence the department has been continuing to develop its S1 and S2 courses to provide a balanced content. This term we have been focusing on the implementation of additional subjects to be offered at Standard Grade, Higher and Advanced Higher. The department feels it is very important that pupils and parents can see a clear path in a subject from S1 to S6 and beyond. This is why we are developing these new areas as they will give pupils skills and indeed career area choices for life. The Design Technology department and the school are eager that pupils experience a broad range of transferable skills to prepare them for all scenarios. We are looking forward to these interesting and challenging courses appearing on the up-and-coming course choice forms for S2 and S5/6. To give parents a better insight into the changes that are planned and what the new subjects will cover, the Design Technology department are working on co-hosting a parents information evening prior to the S2 course choice forms being issued. More details will follow.

GUIDANCE

An extremely busy second term is drawing to a close for the Guidance team. We are pleased with the work so far to embed the new Guidance House structure and we look forward to 2010 and the challenges that will unfold.

The current UCAS process is well underway. The vast majority of university applications to UCAS have been completed and sent well in advance of the final UCAS deadline. Some lucky students have even received offers of places at university already. Well done to all the fifth and sixth years who met the school deadline and good luck with all the offers.

It is important now that any other pupils thinking of leaving school at the end of this academic year start to consider their options. Woodmill High School’s Careers Advisor, Lisa Welsh, is in school for lunchtime drop in sessions every Tuesday and Thursday. Also any pupil can request an appointment by filling in a Careers Scotland Appointment Request Card at the school library. It is imperative that all school leavers are pro-active and consider their options in advance to improve their chances of securing college or training places in an increasingly competitive market for further education.

In January 2010 the new Guidance form for monitoring behaviour, attendance and attitude will be launched. This will be a weekly monitoring system with individualised targets that will replace existing daily attendance and behaviour sheets for pupils who currently receive support to modify their behaviour, attitude or attendance. If your son/daughter is currently monitored on a daily basis, by their Guidance teacher, the form they are using will be replaced by a weekly card to allow a more thorough overview of weekly performance. We would ask that you sign the form nightly and your son/daughter should return it their Guidance teacher every morning before registration.

With the prelims fast approaching S4 pupils are covering learning styles and study skills in Social Education. They have spent time investigating their own learning style and how best to register, record and recall information. Some practical sessions explored information on the Learning Teaching Scotland website (www.ltscotland.org.uk/studyskills) There are many helpful tips on essay writing, note-taking, mind-maps and more on the website. In addition pupils have been given advice and templates for designing their own study timetables and advice on handy hints to support study.

Over the course of the next two terms all pupils in S2 to S4 will cover, among other topics, sex education in Social Education. We deliver the SHARE resources (Sexual Health and Relationships Education) as part of a Fife wide programme that aims to build on the input offered at Primary school and explore this topic in an informative and responsible manner. If you have any questions about the content of the lessons or would like further information please feel free to contact your son/daughter’s Guidance teacher. That’s :
Cleish- Mrs Shandley, Devon- Mr Marshall, Forth- Mrs Dunlop, Lyne- Mrs Aitken and Tay- Mrs Drylie.

MATHEMATICS

In November our S5 and S6 pupils took part in the UK Senior Maths Challenge. Pupils were given an hour to answer as many challenging puzzles and problems as they can. We were pleased with the results as 5 pupils received certificates. Christopher Curry in S5 achieved the best in school prize.

Ashleigh Weir (6F3), Craig Skicko (6T5), Douglas Taylor (5L4) and Christopher Curry (5F4) competed against schools from throughout Scotland in the Regional Final of the UKMT Senior Team Maths Challenge. This took place on Thursday 19th November at Edinburgh University. This was a very challenging day and congratulations to the team for an excellent performance which resulted in us finishing in 14th place.

Puzzle of the month will continue throughout the year and the winners so far are:

September – Coral Darjee 1F8
October – Christopher Atherton 3F9
November – Andrew Foster 5F5

Santa needs 300 Christmas lights to decorate the North Pole. He already has 32 red, 26 green, 9 yellow and no blue but he needs to have an equal amount of each of the four colours.

The bulbs cost 25 pence and you get 20% off if you purchase 50 or more of the same colour and 30% off if you purchase 60 or more of one colour.

The Maths department will be very busy next term competing in the following competitions.

World maths day – 3rd March 2010
S1 and S2 Team – 15th March 2010
S3 and S4 Challenge – 4th February 2010
Mathematiques Sans Frontieres - March

S3 Credit pupils are looking forward to the Maths Study Experience in Disneyland, Paris, in January. Pupils will undertake a series of case studies looking into the engineering, finance and logistics of the theme park.

MODERN LANGUAGES

On the 30th of November, we (S3 German students) took a trip to St Andrews University to the Berlin Wall Exhibition. After the long journey there, we entered the Gateway Galleries and we were given a quiz. There was a small room in the reception where an exhibition was taking place. It was very interesting and the quizzes were finalised by the information given. Also, in the display cabinet our work was on show for the view of the general public, we were very grateful that our hard work was being acknowledged. Afterwards, Dr Sara Jones from the University of Bristol spoke to us about communism and gave us lots to think about. Such as what we would find would be the best for our own society.

General Mr Mossinger also gave us a talk about his personal views on the fall of the Berlin Wall. This was intriguing as it was a first hand account of the times. It was also very insightful as this was a man who knew a lot on the subject.

We then walked to the Buchanan Building where there was a presentation on the Stasi by Dr Sara Jones. The talk was thought provoking, as there were 0.8% under 18’s informing on their family or friends. This was a shocking statistic as sometimes the Stasi or secret police tortured individuals or used psychological terror.

The students of St Andrews, Canterbury and Bath performed two plays concerning The Stasi and the informers that were sometimes forced to do the job. The play “Anne in den Fangen der Stasi” takes place in the GDR during the 70’s. The divorce of her parents and the new marriage of her mother made Anne spend more time with her new circle of friends “The Trampers”. As the teenagers listened to “rebellious rock music” Anne becomes a target for the Stasi. Having problems at home, and being in contact with “The Trampers” Anne would make an ideal “unofficial collaborator”. When Anne discovers that her friend Olli is planning to escape from the GDR, she finds herself in a dilemma: Should she keep Olli’s secret and commit an offence? Or should she go to the Stasi and betray Olli and his plans? Her close friend Tom offers help in this decision making process.

The day was ultimately very enjoyable and we had a fantastic experience. We would be very grateful for an invite next year!

“Wenn Engel reisen, wird sich das Wetter weisen” - und so sind wir bei strahlendem Sonnenschein am Montag, den 30. November nach St Andrews aufgebrochen.
Der Bus setzte uns vor den “Gateway Galleries” ab, wo wir von Nathalie Vogelwiesche, Susanne Krauss, Sonja Altmüller und Anja Krüger, den Organisatorinnen, empfangen wurden.
Zuerst besuchten wir die Ausstellung “Von der friedlichen Revolution bis zur Deutschen Einheit”, in der alle Hintergrundinformationen für das Quiz zu finden und auch unsere Projektarbeiten ausgestellt waren.
Danach wurden wir von Herrn Mössinger (Consul General) begrüßt, der uns seine eigenen Erinnerungen an den Fall der Berliner Mauer mitteilte.
Gemeinsam mit allen anderen SchülerInnen gingen wir dann zu den Buchanan Building, wo wir den Rest des Tages verbrachten.
Zuerst spielten Studenten von St Andrews, Bath and Canterbury zwei “Stasi-Stücke”, um uns die Verhältnisse in der DDR und die Macht der Stasi vor Augen zu führen.
Dann gab es Mittagessen!! Das Buffet war reichhaltig und sehr gut, besonders die Laugenbrezel!! (Lecker!!!- sagt Frau Lynch)
Am Nachmittag gab es eine Podiumsdiskussion, in der sich Menschen aus dem früheren Ost- und Westdeutschland über ihre Vergangenheit und Gegenwart unterhielten.
Danach wurden Preise vergeben. Wir gewannen einige Bücher mit unserem Plakat “Reise in die Freiheit”.
Um 3 Uhr hieß es zurück zum Bus und auf nach Hause. Ich denke, der Tag war ziemlich gut.

MUSIC

By the time you read this newsletter, the department Winter Concerts will have taken place on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 December.

The programme was full of wonderful music, performed by pupils from S1 to S6. Among the highlights were solos from S5 pupil, Sasha Pender, who tap danced to '42nd Street', and sang a big number from 'We will rock you'.

There were solos on piano, cello, trumpet, cornet, violin and flute. Duets included Zoe Cuthbert (piano) and Becci Shearer (voice) performing 'Love Song' by Sarah Bareilles. There was also a fun version of 'Galop' played by 2, 4 and 5 hands on a piano. Most innovative!

The evening concert was a complete sell out well in advance. The Thursday concert was for Primary pupils from local schools. All who attended enjoyed the many and varied musical talents of our wonderful pupils.

On Monday 7 December, Miss Bogie's Higher and Advanced Higher class performed for the 'Rainbow club' at Touch. Again all their hard work was much appreciated.

PHYSICS

Members of the Advanced Higher Physics class recently spent two full days in the under-graduate laboratories of Heriot-Watt University. Each pupil worked through a tailored group of experiments which they had previously chosen and researched as part of their Advanced Higher Investigation. During two marathon sessions, each consisting of over five solid hours of lab work a day, Woodmill pupils investigated (list illustrative, but not exhaustive!) the speed of light, polarisation, the speed of sound and its variation with temperature, pendulums, laser diffraction, Malus’ law and practical aerodynamics. Overall, an excellent headstart with an important element of their coursework.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

1st Year
The A and B teams had a tough game against Queen Anne, narrowly losing both games. However the standard of play continues to rise and several players show good promise for the future. They also played Auchmuty, with the A team drawing 3-3, and the B’s winning 4-3. Men of the match were Rachel Watson and Shannon.

2nd Year
The A team played their first Scottish Cup game, drawing the team they beat in the final last year. However, sloppy passing gave the victory to Grove Academy on this occasion, with a 19-16 scoreline. Man of the match was Holly Gordon. They then played Auchmuty, also Scottish Cup, and won 38-8. Man of the match was Sarah Gibson. They now face 2 more group games against Perth and Madras. The A and B teams played a friendly against Queen Anne, the A’s winning 11-9, with Chloe Miller and Eilidh Reid providing a solid defence. The B’s lost 9-10, losing out due to some weak passes. Men of the match were Lauren McCall and Andie Rae.

3rd Year
The team started their Scottish cup challenge with a home game to Madras. After a shaky start the girls pulled together producing some very slick teamwork. The final score was a 14-4 win for Woodmill. Men of the match were Sophie Balsillie and Laura Bowman. They then played the Scottish Cup holders, Arbroath, away from home. The Arbroath team had already won all of their games by a minimum of 30 goals, so we knew it would be a case of damage limitation. The girls started nervously, but after the first quarter they regained some composure. The final score was a 35-10 loss. However the girls must be praised for never giving up. Men of the match were Jess Barrie and Sophie Balsillie.

Seniors
The A team played Beath in the league and due to poor passing, lost 19-31. The B team played Beath B and won 9-6. Men of the match were Lauren Queen and Siobhan Hall.
The B and C teams played Buckhaven A, losing 4-16 and 9-28. Men of the match were Gemma Lane and Kerry Keilloh.
The A team had a narrow 22-21 win against Auchmuty. The B team lost 12-16 to Auchmuty B.
The A team then began their Scottish Cup campaign with a 14-4 win against Madras. Men of the match were Kirsty Thomson and Lauren Queen. The B team played Madras in the Fife league and won 8-1. Men of the match were Tiffany Concannon and Gemma Lane. The A team then played Buckhaven in the Scottish Cup and won 41-18. Men of the match were Claire Sneddon and Becci Shearer.
Next was the senior tournament and we were hoping for a place in the final, as Beath were the only team to have beaten us this year. However luck was not with us. Two weeks before the tournament Hazel Johnston chipped a bone in her finger. The week before, shooter Becci Shearer tore ligaments in her thumb, and on the day, centre Lynn Cowan twisted her ankle in the group games and could not play in the final stages. Great play throughout the morning however saw the girls win their section (Becci and Hazel both playing with strapped up fingers and thumb).
The draw was set for a Woodmill – Beath final! Beath, however, hadn’t read the script, and lost a section game to finish 2nd in their group. This meant we drew them in the semi-final. The game was outstanding, with some excellent defence by Kirsty Thomson, good shooting by Claire Sneddon and Becci Shearer, and excellent play and effort by all. However, despite our best efforts, Beath won 9-8. They then won the final against Buckhaven by 10 goals!

The team has the first match of the season against Beath at home. We beat them by a devastating amount, some of us not even breaking sweat! The score was 56-6 to us. It was a great performance by everyone. Top shooter was Chris Atherton.
Thanks to the seniors who coach us and who refereed the match.

SENIOR PARENTS’ EVENING

Information about seniors’ progress towards their targets will be issued prior to the Parents’ Evening

S2 PARENTS’ EVENING

OPTIONS EVENINGS : S2, S4 & S5

Separate Options Evenings for parents, carers and pupils in S2, S4 and S5 will be provided in February and March 2010.

Further information about all the above opportunities to meet staff will be issued at the start of next term.

‘TASTER DAYS’ FOR NEXT SESSION’S S1

Planning for next session is already well under way. We hope that numbers in next year’s S1 will show another rise.

“Taster Days’ for Primary 7 pupils in our associated primary schools will take place in January 2010.

SCOTTISH ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE FINAL

On 16th November, 60 pupils from S3 were selected to take part in the Make Your Mark Challenge, as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.

The Make Your Mark Challenge was an excellent way of improving student’s enterprise skills through work-related learning. It gave pupils the opportunity to work as part of a team, identify and make use of individual strengths, deal with uncertainty and risk-taking, develop problem-solving qualities and strategic thinking, and allowed them to develop financial literacy skills.

In school, the day was run by Mr Wyse, S3 Year Head and Mrs Drylie, School Enterprise Co-ordinator, with the assistance of Mr Colin McKenzie, Business Adviser, and two S6 pupils – Kelli Blyth and Andrew Ewing.

All pupils approached the day with hugely impressive enthusiasm, commitment and creativity without which the day could not have been so productive.

We were put into groups of 6, then worked all day on a brief given to us that morning (the brief had only been available to Mrs Drylie at midnight the night before). Each group had to design a product or service to improve the local area, while also reducing the carbon footprint.

First we created an ideas sheet, then a competitors’ outline and also a money matters sheet, which provided a financial breakdown of the start-up and running costs of our business idea based on internet research. The Business Education department kindly made their facilities available to us for this. Finally, we had to sell our ideas in a 3 minute Dragon’s Den-style pitch.

Our team, made up of Chevonne Walls, Emma Smith, Ellie Wyatt, Nathan Tully, Gary Wood and Russell Yates, was declared the winner by a panel of judges, which included Mr Gilmour.

Our entry was then submitted to the Make Your Mark organisers for judging by ‘Determined to Succeed’ (the Government body responsible for Enterprise in Education). 2 days later, Mrs Drylie received an email saying that we had reached the Scottish final.
Over the following 3 lunchtimes, we improved our idea and pitch. Our idea was a fun and educational Eco-centre which would be set up in Pittencrieff Park.

First thing in the morning we travelled through to Glasgow Science Centre where we were to present our idea alongside pupils aged between 14 and 16 from 19 other school from all over Scotland.

The ultimate winners were from the High School of Glasgow, and, although we didn’t win, we had a really enjoyable day. We enjoyed watching other teams’ presentations, and some of their ideas were very similar to those from other Woodmill groups.

Our presentation went well and we have all gained a lot of confidence from the whole experience (as well as an Achievements Tie!).

It is worth noting that over 70,000 pupils from across Scotland took part in the challenge, so to have reached the Scottish finals is a tremendous achievement. A number of staff from other schools commented on how impressively the Woodmill group had performed in the final.

This is the first year that Woodmill has been involved in this challenge, and although only one entry could have been put forward from the school, the standard of ideas generated by all of the teams was extremely high and any of the Woodmill teams would have been worthy representatives in the final.

WORK-SHADOWING FINAL

The 2009 Fife Work Shadow Project was launched at the Victoria Hotel, Kirkcaldy on Wednesday 17 June, at a meeting attended by employers, school representatives, school students and members of the Chartered Management Institute.

The aim of this project was to highlight the importance of management in the world of industry and commerce, the skills and qualities which combine to make a good manager, and to promote management as a future career target. This is the fifth time the scheme has been run in Fife.

The project was well supported, with 36 students of Fife's 19 Secondary Schools participating. Our representative, Kelli Blyth 6D6, shadowed Iain Wishart, Finance Director at FMC Technologies, where she observed management in action. Each student compiled a report based on their observations and the best six reports, including Kelli’s, secured the students a spot in the final at the Carnegie Conference Centre, Dunfermline, on Thursday 3rd December 2009. Here they had to make a presentation to their competitors, the judging panels as well as parents and professionals from industry.

The standard of the presentations was very high indeed and the Judging Panel, had a very difficult task in selecting a winner. Kelli gave an outstanding presentation which was slick, informative, professional and humorous! Although unsuccessful in securing the top spot, she was an outstanding ambassador for Woodmill High School. Well done Kelli!

ECO COMMITTEE

Thursday 26th of November was a busy day for the Eco Committee and the school. For the last 2 years we have been working towards our Green Flag.

My job was to show the inspector around the ASN dept and explain what we have been doing. Class 5A1 have embarked on an Enterprise activity selling bulbs to make the community a brighter place and also to make money for the school. They also spend time clearing litter from the quads. 4A2 collect the paper bags weekly. Mrs Burns class has been working on a Reduce, Reuse and Recycle project. We attend the Eco committee on a regular basis. Myself and Emma work on part of the rota for gathering the compost from the home economics classes.

On Thursday the 26th of November Paul Cortopassi from Eco Schools Scotland visited the school for the morning. We showed him presentations about what we do on the committee and what we plan to do in the future. Keli Dick and Kate Schafferius told him brilliant eco stories which he thoroughly enjoyed. We gave him a tour around the school showing him our eco posters, bottle bins, recycling bins, ASN department and compost bin. We have had a compost bin for a while now and we hope to continue the same idea in more than just one Home Economics room. Pupils regularly collect food scraps from the Home Economics department and deliver them to the bin, this has been very successful. Paul Cortopassi and all of the eco committee had a great morning. He rewarded us with a green flag which was excellent news. We are only the fifth secondary school in Fife to have this honour.

Mr Maxton, Miss Millar and Mrs Urquhart would like to thank all the students involved in eco activities across the school for their commitment and enthusiasm over the years. We would also like to give special thanks to Mrs Burke in Home Economics and her class 1C2 and Mr Lyden with his Science class 1F5 for allowing the Green Flag assessor to visit their classes on the Thursday visit.
Mrs Urquhart

CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE

On the 13th of November 300 staff from Woodmill High School along with colleagues from local Primary Schools, the Asist Team and the Literacy Team celebrated literacy skills across the curricular areas. The event was organised by Mary Crawford, Headteacher, Duloch Primary School; Norah Black PT, English Department, Head of Literacy Group, Woodmill High School; Marjorie Kinnaird, Headteacher, Masterton Primary School. Woodmill High School hosted the event.

The keynote speaker was Sue Ellis, Reader in Literacy and Languages, from the University of Strathclyde. All who attended found her talk inspiring. This was followed by a programme of 30 workshops each of which celebrated the importance of literacy skills for learning, for life.

The focus of the workshops covered a variety of very interesting but entertaining aspects of literacy. These included Visual Texts and Philosophical Inquiry; Practical Communication strategies as used in ASN; collaborative Learning approaches; Literacy in Choreography; Music literacy; Artistic literacy; Command words in Business; Preparation for the Sciences; A storyline approach to literacy activities; a Writing Enterprise project talk; Literacy Circles to name but a few.

The excellent quality of all workshops made this an excellent day for all staff involved. The opportunity to share the expertise in a very practical way was something that staff appreciated.

Given that Language and Literacy are of personal, social and economic importance as well as fundamental to all areas of learning (Principles and Practice – Curriculum for Excellence), the day was not merely a day which allowed for professional development, but one which clearly demonstrated the professional skills of staff across the Cluster Group.

LESSONS FROM AUSCHWITZ PROJECT

The visit to the Polish town Oswiecim, Auschwitz 1 and Auschwitz 2 were experiences that will not be forgotten. I feel that the trip to see the death camps was educational as well as emotional. It was interesting to learn the life of the Jews before the Holocaust and the impact that the Holocaust had on everybody’s lives, including the perpetrators. It is important to remember these times. “And make sure that future generations learn from our experiences. Could it all happen again? Only if the past is forgotten” – Kitty Hart-Moxon (survivor).

EYES – Medium
HAIR – Medium
WEIGHT – Medium
HEIGHT – Medium
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES – None
NUMBER OF FINGERS – Ten
NUMBER OF TOES – Ten
INTELLIGENCE – Medium

This year I was selected by the school to attend the Lessons from Auschwitz Project. This is a project run by The Holocaust Educational Trust aimed to enrich the understanding of the Holocaust and the role played by camps such as Auschwitz Birkenau and to understand that everyone that was involved in the holocaust were individuals, both the perpetrators and the victims. All together there were roughly 200 of us sharing the life-changing experience.

Before the actual trip to Poland we attended an orientation seminar in Edinburgh where we reflected on pre-war Jewish life and heard a Holocaust survivor speak about her experience in Auschwitz. This was a very emotional and surreal moment and brought the Holocaust, for me, into a whole new perspective. We also looked at how Auschwitz is viewed today as a tourist attraction and how this takes away the respect that it should be given as a site of mass genocide. One example was a travel brochure that was advertising stag weekends in Krakow and part of the package was a trip to Auschwitz between vodka shots and clubbing in the city.

On the day of the trip it was absolutely roasting. I had gone prepared with winter clothing, waterproofs and wellies. Not a good plan. Our first stop was the town of Osweicim (it was taken over and renamed by the Germans as Auschwitz) which was a fairly typical Polish town. It was weird to think that the Auschwitz camp was just a mile away from such beautiful buildings. Here we visited a synagogue where Rabbi Barry Marcus (who was a pretty cool guy) told us about the Jewish religion and the thriving Jewish communities before the war. We then went to Auschwitz 1 where the Nazis kept most of the non-Jewish prisoners. This camp serves as a museum. Everything you see is just as shocking as you would imagine, probably even more. Seeing all the cut hair with little girls’ pigtails still intact, the millions of pairs of shoes all weathered and torn and the suitcases with names on them all stacked up behind massive pieces of glass simply can’t be described in words. It’s just crazy thinking about the scale of mass murder that went on. Also at Auschwitz 1 we got to go into the remaining gas chambers.

Next we went to Auschwitz Birkenau, the death camp. This was definitely the most hard-hitting sight of the day. It’s so quiet, so eerie, so big, it’s just mind numbing. Hundreds of huts lined up in rows are everywhere. Only a few of the original wooden huts are still standing. On going into one it was weird to notice that it was so warm. Whenever you think about Auschwitz you always think about it being a cold, wet place. It had never really crossed my mind what it would have been like on hot days. With hundreds of men and women crammed into each hut, it must have been unbearable. We also went into one of the few toilet blocks where we were told the horrors that went on in there. Walking up the railway track to the ruins of the gas chambers where hundreds of thousands of Jews were killed was surreal. Around the gas chambers are marshy bits of land whre you can still see piles of ash lying amongst the mud and flowers. At the end of our Birkenau tour we were taken to a room full of pictures of Jewish people in their lives before the war. Wedding photos, school photos, days out at the beach, nights out with friends…..it was hard to imagine that all of these people had been murdered.

To finish off our Auschwitz experience Rabbi Barry sang some prayers and some of the participants read some thought provoking excerpts. We then walked back along the railway track laying down candles as an act of respect and remembrance for all those affected by the Holocaust.

The last part of the Lessons from Auschwitz project was a follow-up seminar where we all reflected on our individual experiences. It was interesting to hear how everyone felt about the trip. Overall the whole event was very educational and beneficial. I am very grateful for being allowed the opportunity to go.

THE ROTARY CLUB OF DUNFERMLINE - SECONDARY SCHOOLS' QUIZ

In the midst of the cold, damp start to the Christmas season, with the nights "fair drawin' in" the idea of dragging myself out on a dreich December evening was less than inspiring. However...

Arriving at St Columba's to the buzz of teams of pupils preparing themselves to do intellectual battle there was an air of excitement. The schools who had sent teams were St Columba's, Dunfermline High, Inverkeithing High, Queen Anne and Woodmill, with special guests St Andrews High from Kirkcaldy. I joined the combined teacher team with trepidation, expecting ritual humiliation at the hands of the pupils, all much smarter than myself and the other teachers.
Then we were ushered into the hall and the quiz was under way. The quiz had 10 rounds with questions contributed by staff in St Columba's. Mr Cowan, our host, was extremely funny and the midway interval, during which stovies were served, this helped console those who were losing and fight off the winter cold.

In the end winning and losing seemed unimportant, though just for the record Woodmill did lose and St Columba's did win, well if you don't count the teachers. The money raised for charity was what it was really about.

As for next year, despite being last (only by 2 points) the pupils enjoyed it so much that Woodmill's Head Boy - Stuart Baynham - volunteered to host it here at Woodmill. Of course he will be gone and so whoever are next year's head boy and girl will land the responsibility. It will be something to live up to. The annual interschool quiz certainly adds a little gilt to the winter gloom.

CHRISTMAS SHOE BOX APPEAL

Once again during the autumn term the school has participated in the shoe box appeal organised by the New Hope Trust. This year the emphasis has been on collecting toiletries for orphans in Moldova where the Government has cut back on funding to orphanages to pay for damage to parliament buildings.

Many thanks to all pupils, parents and staff whose generous contributions have enabled the school to send off over 60 shoe boxes plus several additional boxes of nappies, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Thanks to the House Captains for organising the collections in registration classes and “encouraging” pupils to part with their loose change. They also held a very successful cake ‘n’ candy sale to raise money for transport costs. (Special thanks to Mrs Shearer for her scrumptious chocolate muffins!!)

Pictured are Heather Reid, Emma Campbell, Christie Duncan, Ashleigh Weir, Becci Shearer, Andrew Ewing, Siobhan Scott with some of the shoeboxes.

CHARITY WALK

As part of the school’s cross-curricular week in September a group of pupils walked from South Queensferry to Aberdour in aid of The Mary Leishman foundation. Director of Football at Dunfermline F.C., Jim Leishman, received a cheque for £200 which the pupils had raised through sponsorship. Jim has since written to thank pupils for their generous donation and to praise their enthusiasm and commitment. It is hoped this will become an annual event in aid of a charity that benefits the whole community. Photographs show the group setting out on their walk and Jim Leishman receiving the cheque from some of the pupils.

HEALTH & WELL-BEING COURSE

This four-week course involved a group of S1 & S2 pupils finding out what keeps us healthy. They took part in an activity session as well as discussing healthy snacks and learning how to prepare them. In addition they completed a certificated First Aid course. The group agreed they had fun participating and had learned about healthy choices. Photo shows pupils with their First Aid certificates. Missing from photo Liam Hosking.

NATURAL CONNECTIONS PROGRAMME

Two groups of pupils received certificates for completing elements of this outdoor learning programme. An S4 group successfully completed 'Discovering Nature' and an S3b group received an award in 'Working Together'. Well done.

Pictured at the recent Royal Mail Book Awards in Edinburgh are Emily Gonnella and Rebecca Reed along with other members of the Dunfermline Library Teen Book Group. The group had been shadowing the awards prior to the ceremony, reading the books and voting for the short-listed authors.

PUPILS’ WRITING

On 27 November our Higher and Advanced Higher German pupils had the opportunity to attend the Goethe Institut in Glasgow for a ‘German Immersion Day’

On Friday 27th November, I was part of a group of Higher and Advanced Higher German pupils who travelled to Glasgow to visit the Goethe Institut in order to participate in an ‘Immersion Day for Senior Pupils’. The Goethe-Institut (GI) is a non-profit, politically independent German cultural institution operational worldwide, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. The GI fosters knowledge about German culture, society and politics. In my opinion it is extremely important, as well as highly beneficial and enjoyable, to learn other languages. Upon our arrival the receptionist greeted us in German, setting the tone nicely as we spoke minimal English the whole day. After the introduction, we headed off to our first workshop. There were four workshops, each endeavouring to improve our German knowledge and increase our confidence in German. They were all very interesting and valuable, concerning, for example, ‘The 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall’ or ‘German Music for Young People’. During lunchtime, we were able to consider the many German and French newspapers and magazines in the building, which was very appealing. After lunch we were lucky enough to receive a visit from prominent German cartoonist ‘MAWIL’, who spoke to us about his work before taking questions (all in German of course!).
All of the Germans who led the workshops and organised the day were really nice and helpful (whoever said Germans were unfriendly?). Overall, it was brilliant to actually put our language skills to use in realistic context with native speakers and it was a very engaging and profitable experience.

Am 27 November bin ich mit meinen Mitschülern nach Glasgow gefahren, um das Goethe Institut zu besuchen, wo wir an einem ‘Eintauchen in Deutsch’ Tag teilgenommen haben. Das Goethe-Institut (GI) ist eine gemeinnützige, deutsche kulturelle Organisation, die überparteilich ist. Es arbeitet weltweit und versucht sowohl das Studium der deutschen Sprache, als auch internationale Beziehungen zu fördern. Das GI gibt Auskunft über deutsche Politik, Gesellschaft und Kultur. Meiner Meinung nach, ist es extrem wichtig Fremdspachen zu lernen; es macht Spab und ist auch sehr nützlich. Als wir angekommen sind, wurden wir von einem Mitarbeiter empfangen, auf Deutsch begrübt und wir haben den ganzen Tag minimal Englisch gesprochen. Nach der Einführung sind wir zu unserer ersten Arbeitsgruppe gegangen. Es gab vier Arbeitsgruppen, die darauf abgezielt haben, unser Deutschkenntnisse zu verbessern und unser Selbstvertrauen zu stärken. Sie waren alle sehr interessant, zum Beispiel die Arbeitsgruppe bezüglich des “20 Jahre Mauer Fall” oder “Deutsche Musik für junge Leute”. Während des Mittagessens konnten wir die vielen deutschen und französischen Zeitungen oder Zeitschriften lesen. Nach der Mittagspause, hatten wir das Glück, einen Besuch von dem bedeutenden deutschen Cartoonisten “MAWIL” zu bekommen, der mit uns über seine Arbeit gesprochen hat (alles auf Deutsch natürlich!). Alle Deutschen, die die Arbeitsgruppe geführt und den Tag organisiert haben, waren sehr angenehm und hilfsbereit (wer hat gesagt, dass die Deutschen unfreundlich seien?). Insgesamt war es ausgezeichnet unsere Deutschkenntnisse in einem realistischen Kontext mit Muttersprachlern auszuprobieren. Es war eine einträgliche und verbindliche Erfahrung.

Vendredi le 27 novembre je suis allée à Glasgow avec un groupe d’élèves de mon lycée. Nous étudions l’allemand ensemble. Nous sommes allés au GI pour participer au “jour d’immersion pour les élèves aînés”. Le GI est une organisation culturelle et sans but lucrative. C’est aussi politiquement indépendent. Elle travaille dans le monde entier et essaie de promouvoir l’étude de l’allemand et des relations internationales. Donc elle fournit des informations sur la culture, la société et la politique. A mon avis, parler les langues étrangères est très important et aussi agréable qu’utile. Quand nous sommes arrivés, nous avons été salués par la réceptionniste en allemand, toute la journée nous avons parlé un minimum en anglais. Après l’introduction, nous sommes allés à notre premier atelier. Il y avait quatre ateliers pour améliorer notre allemand et augmenter notre confiance. Ils étaient tous très intéressants. Par exemple, il y avait un atelier au sujet de ‘l’anniversaire de la chute du mur de Berlin’ ou ‘la musique allemande pour les jeunes’. Pendant le déjeuner nous avons pu lire beaucoup de journaux ou de revues allemandes et françaises. Après avoir déjeuné nous avons eu la chance de recevoir une visite de ‘MAWIL’ le dessinateur de films d’animation allemand éminent, qui nous a parlé de son travail. (tout en l’allemand bien sûr!) Tous les gens qui ont fait les ateliers et organisé cette journee étaient vraiment agréables et serviables (Qui a dit que les gens allemands étaient froids?). En général, c’était bien d’utiliser notre allemand dans un contexte réaliste. C’était une expérience enrichissante et bénéfique.

GREAT BIG LIFT-OFF CONFERENCE : ELMWOOD COLLEGE, CUPAR

A group of 36 S5 pupils, accompanied by Mr Marshall and Mr Gilmour, attended this Conference at Elmwood College on Friday 20 November. In total over 200 pupils in S5 from schools in Fife, Dundee and Perthshire attended the Conference over the two days on which it ran.

All pupils attended a session on ‘Funding for Higher Education’ and one on ‘Student Life’. In addition, each pupil had to attend two further sessions from the following four options’

There was also the opportunity to talk to staff from many different colleges and universities and to gather copies of prospectuses.

These conferences are extremely valuable in providing our S5 students with information about study options after school and the feedback has been very positive.

The Woodmill seniors entered into all the activities with considerable enthusiasm and skill and were a credit to themselves and the school.

Mr Marshall and Mr Gilmour would also like to commend the seniors on their spirited rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ which made time pass so quickly during the return bus journey!

FIFE SCHOOLS SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS – NOVEMBER 2009

Four swimmers representing Woodmill High School at this year’s Fife Schools Swimming Championships returned to school with 7 medals amongst them.

In the 12-13 years age group, Conor Nally (1F6) won two Bronze medals in the 100m Freestyle and the 100m Butterfly events, just missing out on a medal in the 200m backstroke, taking fourth place. Meanwhile, Sandy Norman, swimming in the same age group picked up Bronze in the 100m breast stroke.

Also swimming in the 12-13 years age group, Erin Brown (2C1) collected Silver medals for both the 100m breast stroke and 200m breast stroke events. Erin also swam in the final of the 100m Butterfly, finishing in 5th position.

The 14-15 years age group saw Ailidh Brown (4C5) pick up Silver and Bronze medals in the 100m breast stroke and 200m Individual Medley, respectively. Ailidh also finished 4th in the 100m back crawl.

All swimmers have consideration times for the Scottish Schools Swimming Championships and await confirmation of swimming in this event in Glasgow in January 2010.

SCHOOL VALUES

SCHOOL CLOSURE INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

Since 1st November 2006, Fife Council has continued to make it easier for you to find out if your school is closed. You can also access information on road closures and other key Council service closures.

The News Centre (www.fifedirect.org.uk/news) gives details of all the latest school closures information plus a range of other information including winter advice, services, activities as well as weather and travel updates for Fife. This is another way to access all the latest information during severe weather.

As early as possible on the morning of severe weather or other situations such as water, heating and building problems, there will be an update of what information is available and that parents can access from their home. Further updates will be given throughout the day.

Log on to www.fifedirect.org.uk/closures
Click on Closure Alerts
Click on School Closure Alerts and follow the instructions to either sign in or register