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Welcome to the first Parental Newsletter of 2010. This term is a vital one for the vast majority of pupils in the school. Pupils in S4, S5, S6 and some in S3 are on the final run-up to SQA examinations; S5 and S6 have started their prelims and S2 will shortly be making their choices for next session.

There is an extensive range of Parents’ Evenings and Options Evenings this term and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on these occasions. Woodmill staff will be doing all we can to support pupils and parental involvement and encouragement are utterly invaluable if your child is going to attain the level of success which they deserve.

Thursday 25 February : Parents’ Evening
Please note change of date

S5

Following the success of the S1 Curriculum Evening last term, another one will be held on Wednesday 10 March and will feature an insight into the S1 curriculum of Design Technology and Science.

Between now and the SQA examinations, individual staff and departments will be offering a range of additional study and revision opportunities to pupils. A list of all the study support classes available for S4 will be posted out with report cards. There will also be additional study opportunities for S5 and S6. For example the maths department has organised an Easter study weekend for Higher maths pupils at Heriot-Watt University. I would encourage pupils to take advantage of all these opportunities where they are offered.

Websites

In addition to these supports, there are valuable revision websites which can be accessed either directly or through Woodmill’s own website by clicking on ‘Web Links’. These sites are:

BBC Education : Look for the ‘Browse’ section and click on ‘Bitesize’. There is a wide variety of study aids relating to most Standard Grade and Higher subjects

SQA: Click on ‘Services for Learners’. This will give you access to past papers and other material for each SQA subject at every level. The website also carries the SQA 2010 timetable which you can download and also use to plan an individual timetable.

Topmarks: This site should be used very carefully as the majority of resources are geared at the English examination systems. However, certain subject areas contain material specifically aimed at SQA examinations.

The school has very high expectations for this year’s SQA examinations and we are committed to doing all we can to maintain the current improvement in attainment.

S4 are to be congratulated on their behaviour and attitude during their prelims: the invigilators commented to school staff on the high standard of pupil conduct.

S5 and S6 are expected to maintain this standard during the Senior prelims and it essential that seniors do all they can to perform to the best of their abilities during this exam period.

Recently we have become aware that a number of parents / carers are starting to park in the spaces reserved for taxis in the DAS car park at the end of the day.

This has forced taxis which are picking up our pupils to park in Shields Road or Dunn Crescent. This represents a risk to our pupils.

Could I ask parents and carers to ensure that the taxi spaces at the entrance to the DAS are kept clear?

Since the last Newsletter, Woodmill pupils have continued to achieve at a very high level, both individually and as part of groups. These are all detailed in the Newsletter but one notable example is:

The Dunfermline United Burns Club presents the Mel Rennie Quaich to the secondary school pupil who scores the highest marks in Fife’s Annual Schools' Burns Competition for singing and recitation.

This year the Quaich was presented to Esther Garrow of S3 to recognise her successes in the 2009 Fife Schools Burns Competition. Uniquely in the history of this award, the Club deemed the standard so high that a runners-up quaich was also awarded to Shelby Lynch (S5).

Woodmill is very proud of Esther’s and Shelby’s achievement and it is worth noting that this is the second year in a row that the award has come to Woodmill as last year’s winner was Zoë Cuthbert, currently in S6.

I would also like to remind parents and carers about the Senior Charities campaign which reaches its climax this term. The target is £4000 to be shared between the Sierra Leone Association, the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Diane Fossey Fund and Friends of Engcongolweni in Malawi. The seniors are well on track to achieve their target: please support their activities this term.

Woodmill is committed to involving parents fully in the life of the school. One of the ways in which we do this is by giving you the opportunity to comment on our performance by means of an annual Parental Questionnaire. You will find this at the end of the Newsletter.

This questionnaire is an important element in the school’s programme of self-assessment and I would be grateful for as many returns as possible.

These continued achievements and successes of Woodmill pupils at regional and national level depend on the continuing and unstinting support of staff, parents and carers. My thanks and appreciation go to all of you.

As noted in December’s Newsletter, three new members of staff have joined us on a temporary basis:

Five pupils received a ‘Highly Commended’ award and their work will be displayed in the RSA as part of the ‘New Contemporaries’ exhibition to be held from 3 – 21 April. The five pupils are Rachel Irvin, Anna Hurst and Katie McNulty (S3) plus Kristina Ross and Callum Cant (S6).

Kimberley Bowman (S6) is on the short list for one of three main prizes and she will be attending the Award Ceremony to be held in the RSA on Tuesday 30 March. Kimberley’s work will be wall-mounted in the RSA’s exhibition.

Congratulations are due to all the award-winners and to the Art Department for attaining this high standard.

Once again 5A1 are selling bulbs. This time they are summer flowering. We have decided to offer these to all pupils in S1, the DAS pupils and all staff. Hopefully we will make a bigger profit than last time and brighten our gardens into the bargain. Thanks for your support.

On Thursday 28th January 5A2 went to Dynamic Earth. We got the bus to Edinburgh Park then walked to the train station. We then got on the train to Edinburgh Waverley station and then walked from the train station to Dynamic Earth.

We got to Dynamic Earth and waited on the leader to take us around the different places and we got sheets to fill in as we went round. We saw all different kinds of things like where polar bears live, what volcanoes are and how they erupt.

After having lunch we walked back to Edinburgh Waverley Station and got the train back to Edinburgh Park to get the bus back to school.

This club, open to S1 and S2 pupils, meets on a Wednesday night from 4-5 pm in the Drama Studio. Under the supervision of Miss Kirkaldy, the group is encouraged and coached by two S4 pupils, Colin Young and Kieron Guthrie.

The group have started working on a piece of devised drama using the theme of Nursery Rhymes – the underlying stories of which can be much darker than you first imagine. The group hope to have a performance ready before the summer. Watch this space!

This is a busy term for everybody in school with prelims, reports, parents’ evenings and the course choice programme. Every pupil in S2, S4 and S5 will have an individual interview with their Guidance teacher this term to discuss their options for the next academic year. Parents/carers will be invited to options evenings and will receive written information about the process but should you want extra information please feel free to contact your child’s Guidance Teacher.

As part of the S4 into S5 course choice process all S4 Social Education classes have had input from “Lift Off” and Lisa Welsh, the school’s Careers Advisor. “Lift Off” is an organisation that supports students in Fife and Dundee. They offer advice on everything from choosing further education courses to student funding and advice on student life. In addition, the Careers Advisor introduced pupils to the school’s careers library, offered advice on options after S4 and gave information on useful websites to help prepare for future careers. Ms Welsh does drop-in sessions in the school library every Tuesday and Thursday lunchtime and pupils can request individual appointments at any time by filling in a card in the library.

Any S4, S5 or S6 pupil who is considering applying to college for August 2010 should speak to the Careers Advisor and start completing applications as soon as possible. Support with completing application forms and doing transition forms is available from your child’s Guidance Teacher.

S3 Focus Week- Health and Well-being

S3 have been involved in a Health and Well-being Focus week from 15th-19th February. The Valentine’s theme for the week was “Heart Matters” and many subject departments got involved in promoting healthy hearts as part of their curriculum for that week. The theme was launched at an assembly for all of S3 and the pupils were entertained by a fun-filled presentation that looked at: the physical heart in PE and Biology; the romantic heart in English and Drama; the healthy heart in Home Economics; the spiritual heart in RMPS; and the social heart in Business Studies.

This term House Captains will be organising a set of Interhouse Sports competitions in both basketball and football. These are designed to raise the profile of the Houses, as well as to show off the skills and expertise of the pupils. The House Captains are also in the process of creating unique symbols for their Houses, which will be selected by pupils once sketches have been created. The House Captains have been working hard this year to re-establish the House system and have had considerable success. Well done to all House Captains.

S1 Social Education has been focusing on an anti-bullying message over the past few weeks. Pupils have been involved in group discussion, role-play and creative activities all exploring this sensitive issue. In addition, a special first year assembly explored this issue and what we as a Guidance team, and school, are doing to stamp out bullying. All S1 classes have responded very well to this message.

In addition all first year pupils have access to their Senior Buddies who are willing to help and advise if any issues arise. The Buddy drop-in sessions are available every lunchtime in E20.

A number of year groups are currently covering relationships and sex education in Social Education. For most year groups we are using the SHARE (Sexual Health and Relationships Education) materials used in most secondary schools throughout Fife. If you would like any further information on the material covered you should contact your child’s Guidance Teacher.

The new Guidance monitoring system is now being used with a number of pupils. The individualised target sheets are used by Guidance Teachers to support pupils to improve their attendance, punctuality, progress, behaviour or attitude. Parental support is much appreciated in ensuring the system works effectively. If your son/daughter is on a Guidance Support Timetable we would ask that you discuss it with him/her every evening and sign the sheet to acknowledge that you have seen it. Also it should be noted that pupils on GSTs are expected to report to the Guidance Base (F3) before registration to have their timetable checked and signed.

S3 and S4 pupils sat the Intermediate Maths Challenge on Thursday 4th February. We are now awaiting the results and will update you in the next newsletter.

Can you place the numbers 1 to 8 into the following grid? No two consecutive numbers can be directly next to each other, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

World Maths Day is on Wednesday 3rd March 2010. All pupils have their password and can practice on the website, www.worldmathsday.com, before the actual event. Prizes will be given to high scorers.

S3 Credit pupils have now settled back into class work following their recent trip to Disneyland, Paris. They took part in seminars which detailed how the Maths they use in the classroom is used in the day-to-day running of the theme parks. This was enthusiastically received and pupils then enjoyed experiencing the theory in action on the rides. The trip was a great success and a very enjoyable experience. Well done to all pupils for representing the school in such an exemplary manner.

The staff and instructors in Music have been busy with the Fife Festival of Music for the past two weeks. Individuals, bands and choirs took part in many of the competitive classes and I am delighted to say that every entrant was a credit to Woodmill and to the standard of teaching achieved by the music instructors and classroom staff.
Special mention must go to the following winners:

All school groups were awarded certificates for their efforts and all achieved a 'V' for 'very good' standard. Adjudicators praised the crisp, sensitive and disciplined playing of the band, the excellent diction and phrasing of the Junior choir and the emotional, powerful and impressive singing of the Senior choir. A very creditable well done to all pupils and staff involved.

On Wednesday 24 March the music department will be holding its annual 'Spring Fling' in the School Hall at 7.30.

As ever, some surprises are planned! However, I can exclusively reveal that a percussion group will perform for the first time along with strings, band and choirs. Seats always sell quickly for Music Department concerts, and are available in advance from the department, costing £4 each. They will go on sale on Monday 8 March.
SQA exams

The music pupils studying for Intermediate and Higher exams will welcome their visiting assessor, Mr Malcolm Wood, on 15 and 16 March. Rehearsals are continuing apace.

The 1st year have now played several games. They played well against Lochgelly 2nd Year, narrowly losing. They have played Buckhaven, again losing narrowly after a good start. Man of the match was Rachel Watson.

The 3rd year played Beath at home and had a disappointing match, losing 13-16. Their next match had to be cancelled.

The senior B played Glenrothes A and drew 12-12. Man of the match was Lauren Queen. The C team beat Glenrothes B 21-7, man of the match was Tiffany Concannon.

The A team then played Glenrothes A the next week and won 32-7. The A team also reached the last 16 of the Scottish Cup, and played St Margarets from Aberdeen, winning 46-37 in a game which was close until the last 10 minutes. This was a great play from the whole team. They now travel to Robert Gordon’s in Aberdeen (last year’s runner up) for the quarter final.

3rd year – they have played 2 games. Against Beath High School they had a 38-4 win. Strong defence from Craig Stephen and great fast breaks from Chris Atherton, combined with solid teamwork saw us lead from the start.
Against Viewforth they won 48-18. Men of the match here were Connor McGregor and Gary Wood.

Great teamwork has produced great results. They are currently top of the Fife league with two games to go.

Connor Nally S1, Erin Brown S2 and Ailidh Brown S4 all competed in the Scottish Schools Championships on 30 January 2010.

The swimmers put up creditable performances although unfortunately didn’t manage to make the finals.

On February 4 Kirsten Galbraith (S3) won the Gold medal in the Scottish athletics under-16 60 metre sprint and also took the silver medal in the long jump with a leap of 5.25 metres. Kirsten has now been selected to represent Scotland in the Schools International in Cardiff on Sunday 21 February. She will compete in the 60m sprint and in the 4 x 200m relay.

This is a great honour for Kirsten. The school is very proud of her and we wish her well for the coming season.

* 3 March Football tournament for local schools organised through the SFA Development Officer

* 10 & 17 May Taster afternoons in a variety of sports for Woodmill’s associated primary schools.

Congratulations are due to Darren & Christopher Campbell (S4) who have been selected to play for the GB Youth (U-17) team which participated in a tournament in Poland, competing against Czechoslovakia, Poland and Bulgaria, as well as playing a further international against Slovakia.

The seniors, ably led by captain, Dale Allan (S6), have had a very decent season thus far. The team has worked hard at Thursday training sessions and benefited from being joined by ex-pupil, Scott McCrindle during a number of practices.

The statistics confirm some high scoring and exciting games with the 4:0 league win over Lochgelly being their most accomplished performance to date. Leading goal scorer is Dale Allan (on 17), one of a large number of S4 pupils who have bolstered the senior team with such energy this year. The seniors are still unbeaten, and remain in contention in the Fife Schools’ U18 League with games against St Columba’s, Inverkeithing and Queen Anne still to play. They also look forward to defending their Inter-counties Senior 7s trophy on March 17th, when Woodmill will host schools from Perthshire, Edinburgh and Central regions. They are aiming for their third successive victory in this event.

The U16s’ season has been seriously disrupted by the winter weather, however, excellent wins against Lochgelly, Beath and more recently, old rivals Inverkeithing in the Fife Cup, have been very encouraging.
Many of the squad are regulars in the senior team and this has strengthened individual players in terms of confidence and match fitness. A disappointing exit from the Scottish Cup at the hands of Buckhaven only made the team increase their resolve to repeat last year’s successful Fife Cup campaign. They look forward to playing Bell Baxter (A) in the quarter finals on February 22nd. They are in determined mode and would love to reach the final again this year to defend their title.

The U15s have also had a number of games cancelled due to bad weather this season. They had two excellent away wins in the Scottish Cup against Forfar and Brechin. The match against Brechin must rank as one of their best and most exciting wins to date. With ten men and 2:1 down with thirty seconds remaining it looked all over. But this team never gives up and the equaliser, followed by the nail-biting penalty shoot-out will live long in everyone’s memories. The team only narrowly lost to Wick Academy in the 4th round of the Scottish, but remain focused on the Fife Cup where they are scheduled to meet Kirkcaldy HS next. Recent training sessions at the Hearts FC Academy at Riccarton will hopefully have given the squad a winning edge.

The ever-enthusiastic U14s had the best run of all Woodmill’s teams in the Scottish Cup. They reached the 4th round before losing to Old Machar Academy in Aberdeen. The big day out to Aberdeen was a great experience and the U14s gave an excellent account of themselves against a physically powerful team who had hundreds of their fellow pupils out supporting. It was a learning curve!

Following a great 4:1 win over Queen Anne, the players were very disappointed to lose to St Andrews in the Fife Cup. However, they still have an SFA Fife U14 tournament to play for, and recent friendly results, including a 10:2 win over Dollar Academy, suggest they are right back on form. This team are to be commended on their fantastic team spirit and sportsmanship, as well as their footballing skills. This was noted by Scotland Youth Coach, John Ritchie, who was extremely impressed by their attitude and capacity for hard work, when he came in to train the squad for six weeks earlier in the season.

The U13s continue to enjoy weekly practice sessions and many will participate in the forthcoming inter-house matches at the beginning of March. The U13 A team narrowly lost to Inverkeithing in the Scottish Shield but had a great 8:1 win over Perth HS in the Scottish Plate and await the draw for the third round (see match report). The U13 B team lost to St Columba’s B in the same competition. Forthcoming events include an SFA run tournament in March, the Fife Cup in April, and an Inter-country 7s tournament to be hosted by Woodmill in May.

The U13s had a great day and dominated the game from the start. Woodmill pinned back the Perth visitors for most of the first half and then in a momentary lack of concentration a goal was conceded. That was the wake up call the team needed. After that, the defence were like a brick wall. Both teams played hard, then a couple of nasty tackles in midfield resulted in players being advised to calm down. Woodmill took the advice and the goals started coming.

The goal of the game came from Ross Watt when he cracked the post then the ball turned in….he finished on a hat trick. Further goals from Gideon Stewart (2), Bruce Taylor (1), Gavin Anderson (1) and Aidan McGuire (1) sealed the win.

More work needs to be done on set pieces, but the team played really well and some brilliant balls were pushed through by the midfield.
Overall it was a great performance.

James Donaldson          David MacNamara                  Chris Lane
Fraser Wilson                 Baillie Robbie                Hamish Anderson
Bruce Taylor                  Aiden McGuire (C)           Gavin Anderson
Matthew Henderson       Ross Watt                       Reagan Strathearn
Aiden Stevens

Second year pupils were enjoying the magic and excitement that Science has to offer when they experienced the Contemporary Science Roadshow from Abertay University on Wednesday 20th January 2010.

The Roadshow was presented by the University of Abertay in Dundee and was designed to promote the value of Science to S2 pupils before they move on to Standard Grade. During the day around 120 students carried out experiments, conducted by University scientists, which were designed to stimulate interest in the subject and open pupils’ eyes to the possibilities and opportunities available. The experiments were all designed to show the practical applications of Science in a wide range of situations: ‘Identify Fast-Fingered Freddie’, ‘Relief from Indigestion’, and ‘Pressure Under Stress’.

As they were leaving, the Abertay staff commented on how, ‘attentive, well behaved and enthusiastic’ all of the groups had been throughout the day.

On Wednesday 16th December 2009 there was the chance for us (Amina Mahmood, Ruth Main, Kirsty-Marie Moran and Megan Robbie) to go on a once in a lifetime visit to the new control tower at Edinburgh Airport. We were accompanied by two teachers, Mr Maxton and Miss Hutchison. Mr Maxton arranged the event as he is a former pilot. He is a friend of one of the Air Traffic Control supervisors in charge of training. We were all able to have an insight into the hard work that goes on in the control tower and radar approach control room. We all found this very interesting. Our guide was very nice and answered all our questions in a lot of detail. The whole trip was an experience which we will all remember for a long time. It’s a great view from the top of the tower!

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award continues to go from strength to strength in the school. After a successful expedition season last year, several students have now completed their Awards and some are in the process of doing so. The majority have decided to continue on to the next level and so preparations have begun for the next round. Fourteen new participants have joined at Bronze and six at Silver.

Congratulations to Philip Curry (S6) who is the first participant to achieve a Gold Award through the school. Philip has been consistently pro-active in pursuing the Awards from Bronze through to Gold and deserves credit for his dedication. He continues to be involved by mentoring the younger groups along with some of his fellow Gold participants.

The annual Awards ceremony will take place on the evening of Tuesday 30th Match 2010 and we anticipate presenting over 30 participants with certificates of accomplishments in First Aid and at Bronze, Silver and Gold level.

The long spell of adverse weather in December caused a number of problems for us at the start of term. Heating failures in areas of the school and leaks in five rooms in ‘G’ corridor meant that we could open only for S4, S5 and S6 on the first day of term. In addition, the frozen and dangerous condition of the DAS car park meant that pupils in the department could not return. It is to the credit of school staff and Fife Council that swift action allowed us to open completely on Wednesday 6 January. We have subsequently sent a report to the Council listing the school’s concerns and making a number of recommendations. This has been shared with the Parent Council.

As a result, improvements have already been made to the heating systems in the school. The school has also requested that consideration be given to completing the programme of window replacement on the Shields Road frontage.

Dunfermline United Burns Club invited two Woodmill pupils to their annual Burns Supper in January. Esther Garrow (S3) was awarded the prestigious Mel Rennie Quaich following her success at The Scottish Schools’ Burns Competition where she won a silver medal and was the top scoring Fife representative. Shelby Lynch (S5) was also rewarded with a trophy for her excellent result at last year’s Fife Schools’ Burns Competition, and both girls recited their poems for the 300+ audience.

Amongst distinguished company, they stole the show and their performances of Tam Glen and What Can A Young Lassie? Were hugely accomplished and highly entertaining.

Woodmill will again be entering all categories of the Fife Schools Burns Competition in March and we wish all our pupils the best of luck in the verse speaking, singing, instrumental and piping events.

Last term, there was a story running in the media about Scots lacking any knowledge of the origins of St Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. S1 pupils were set a homework task to research the topic and the standard of reporting was excellent. Here is an example of one of the reports submitted.

St Andrew was born in the early first century AD in Bethsaida and was Jesus’ first disciple. He is the patron saint of Scotland, Greece and Russia. When Jesus died he and the other disciples split up to tell the rest of the world about the story of Jesus Christ. But when he reached Greece the Greeks did not like him telling the story of Jesus because they had their own religion. So he was crucified on an x shaped cross in Patras, Greece, in the mid first century.

St Andrew’s bones were entombed, and around 300 years later were moved by Emperor Constantine to Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey). A legend suggests that a Greek Monk (others describe him as an Irish assistant of St Columba) called St Rule was told in a dream that St Andrew’s remains were going to be moved and was told by an angel to take as much of the remains as he could to the “ends of the earth” for safe keeping. St Rule followed these instructions by removing a tooth, an arm bone, a kneecap and some fingers from St Andrew’s tomb and taking them as far away as he could. Scotland was close to the end of the known world at that time and it was here that St Rule was shipwrecked with his precious cargo. St Rule is said to have come ashore at an ancient settlement on the East Coast of Scotland and this later became St Andrews. So then the association of St Andrew with Scotland was said to have begun.

Perhaps more likely than the tale of St Rule’s journey is that Acca, the Bishop of Hexham, who was a known collector of relics, brought St Andrew’s relics to Scotland in the year 733.

St Andrew’s Day should be a Scottish holiday because all other countries in Britain have their own patron saint day. England has St George’s Day, Wales have St David’s Day and Ireland have St Patrick’s Day so why should Scotland be any different?