November 2022

HEAD TEACHER'S UPDATE 25 NOVEMBER 2022
Published: 25 November 2022

Children in Need

The funds raised this year was a whopping £1795.14. This was a joint effort with Haddington Primary in our bid to raise even more money for Children In Need. A huge thank you to our S6 who coordinated the fund raising activities for the morning and were instrumental in the success of it.

Staffing

Best wishes to Rebecca Graham (PE) who leaves us today to take up a post at Berwickshire High School. 

Parents’ and Pupils’ Information

S3 Parents’ Evening

Due to strike action, we are looking to re-schedule this parents’ evening and will update parents/carers ASAP with a new date.

Diligence Awards

Diligence nominations, from subject teachers, are given to those pupils who have demonstrated hard work and commitment, on a day to day basis, throughout Term 1 (August – December).  We hope to issue these certificates just before the end of term.

These certificate will detail all subjects they have been nominated in. The ultimate aim is for pupils to be nominated in all of their subjects. If they are not, the goal for term two (January – April) is to aim higher and achieve this. The idea behind these awards is to create ambition (one of our school values) and raise attainment and achievement through sustained effort and commitment to their studies, thus ensuring they achieve their potential. These are really important awards and parents/carers should review these with their young person to identify their successes and also support them where ‘subjects’ missing require more sustained effort. More information on our diligence awards is available by clicking on this link Diligence Awards.

End of Term Arrangements

All parents/carers should have received the letter, on Wednesday, about the end of term arrangements.

Achievement Ties – Applications Open

Applications close today, Friday 25 November.  Nominations can be completed through the google form found here . Further information can be found in this presentation.

Christmas kindness

During the month of December we are asking registration classes to bring in items of non-perishable food, toiletries or a donation which will be collected and distributed to the local food banks including the Lammermuir Larder in Haddington.  With the ongoing cost of living crisis this is an important way of coming together and helping our local community.  We appreciate all your generosity at this time of year

Festive Fayre

On Saturday 10 December our inaugural "Festive Fayre" will take place in the school from 10 am - 12 noon.  S1 Business and Administration classes, as well as other groups including S6 Young Enterprise, will be presenting stalls offering a variety of festive products and gift ideas as well as some fun activities.  There are no tickets for this event and parents/carers and pupils are invited to come along on the day to browse items and hopefully make some purchases too.

Christmas Dance payments.

The Christmas Dances are approaching quickly, and we are very much looking forward to them.

Junior Dance (S1-S3): Tuesday 6th December 7pm-9.30pm

Senior Dance (S4-S6): Thursday 15th December 7pm-9.30pm

In order to ensure the event is appropriately staffed, final payment of tickets is required by Friday 2nd December via the iPay system, as there will be no tickets available on the night.  If you have not already registered for the iPay system, please contact the School Office for log-in information.

Pupils should arrive no earlier than 7pm to the school on the evening of the dance, and ensure they have transport home available at the end of the dance. 

Amnesty International Write for Rights

The Amnesty International group will this year be writing letters and cards to people around the world who have had their rights taken away in some way.  For example, Sasha from Russia who is in jail for opposing the invasion of Ukraine peacefully and Yren and Mariana, Trans students from Paraguay who simply want to be who they are without fear of attack.  This is an opportunity for pupils to get creative and be a part of a global community showing solidarity.  

Parents’ Information

Parent Council

The final meeting of the Parent Council will be on Thursday 1 December, from 6.30-8pm, in the school library. Please do come along. At this session we will be looking at a parental response to the National Discussion and Hayward Review – very important to have the parental voice on the table in relation to the direction of Scottish Education and the future of Qualifications and assessment. It would be great to see as many parents/carers along giving your views. There will be tea, coffee and biscuits too!

Photographs

The S3, S4, Meadowpark and absentees photographs will take place on Monday 6 February 2023.

Support

Please do not hesitate to contact our Pupil Support Team by emailing your young person’s House Team garleton@knox.elcschool.org.uk, lammerlaw@knox.elcschool.org.uk, traprain@knox.elcschool.org.uk if you would like to discuss any support we can offer.

Pupils’ Achievements

Scottish Young Sportswoman of the Year

It is with great pleasure and pride that we can announce that Orla Winn (S5) won the Scottish Young Sportswoman of the Year 2022 for her outstanding performances in wakeboarding. Orla is the World Wakeboarding Champion for her age group.

Dates for your diary:

Friday 25 November – Monday 12 December - S4/5/6 Prelims

Tuesday 6 December - Dasher's Dance BGE (S1-S3): 7pm-9.30pm

Wednesday 14 December - Christmas Concert

Thursday 15 December - Blitzen's Ball Senior Phase (S4-S6):  7pm-9.30pm

Tuesday 10 January – S4 Parents’ Evening (online) 4.30-6.30pm

Monday 16 January – Course Choice Information Evening S2-S5 (online) – 6.30-7.30pm

Wednesday 18 January – Careers Fayre – at Knox Academy – all year groups – 6-8pm

Thursday 9 February – Diversity Evening – 5-9pm – at Knox Academy (tickets £5/£3)

Our school calendar is updated regularly and should be used to access all information throughout the year and allows you to plan ahead too.

Sue Cook

Parent Council

The Parent Council has requested a footer on my HT’s update that remains there year round and which offers quick links to remote learning resources, course choices, supported study and careers news. Clicking on these headings takes you straight to these pages.

Please also look at our website for lots of other information. Please also follow us on Twitter for up-to-date news on a day to day basis.

Please also remember to follow us at: www.ka-net.org.uk 96D4F7EE for the latest information and updates

HEAD TEACHER'S UPDATE 18 NOVEMBER 2022
Published: 18 November 2022

We started off our week with our Carbon Footprint day, aiming to keep the lights off in rooms as much as we could. We also had a vegetarian day in our school canteen to offset our carbon footprint by not eating meat. Pupils and staff were also encouraged to walk/cycle to school or share cars to reduce emissions in terms of our travel to and from school. A great way to heighten everyone’s awareness of our role in reducing climate change.

Children in Need

It’s been a busy morning already with our young people in various dress-ups across the school from notable characters and a whole register class dressed up as The Incredibles.  We have the much awaited pieing of the teacher a breaktime still to come and this is always a popular choice with the pupils (I can’t possibly think why)! Hats off to all the staff who have volunteered (or is it coerced) in to participating in this.

The funds raised this year will be a joint effort as we have teamed up with Haddington Primary in our bid to raise even more money for Children In Need. I will let you know the total next week and will put an update on Twitter too.

Staffing

We are looking forward to welcoming Aileen McSherry as our new PE teacher as Rebecca Graham moves to a Pupil Support Leader post at Berwickshire High School. Mrs McSherry will start on 28 November. We wish Rebecca Graham all the very best in her new role.

Congratulations to Laura Bates, who was appointed to our 0.65FTE Biology Post and to Katherine White, who was appointed to our part-time temporary Biology post. 

 

Parents’ and Pupils’ Information

Strike Action on 24 November 2022

All parents/carers should have received a letter to let them know that the school will be closed on Thursday 24 November due to strike action. No pupils should come to school on this date.

S3 Parents’ Evening

Due to strike action, as detailed in the letter sent to parents/carers on Wednesday 16 November, the school will be closed all day on this date and therefore the S3 Parents’ Evening has been cancelled.

Supported Study

Our supported study timetable is up and running and pupils of all age groups can access these sessions. They will be particularly useful for Senior Pupils in preparing for their prelims and SQA exams. Information for parents/carers about how the National Qualifications for pupils will be assessed this year can be found here. This is definitely worth reading.

Author visit during Book Week Scotland (and linked to our focus on Diversity)

S1 and S2 pupils were treated to a most enjoyable event this week. Victoria Williamson gave a very interactive talk about her latest book, War of the Wind. In addition to finding out about the plot, we learnt a little about how wind turbines work, pupils used BSL to sign their own names, and we had an explanation of secret alphabet codes and then decoded information using the Caesar Cipher. We were not told how the story ends, so if pupils are interested in finding out, the book is available to borrow from the school library, as are the other titles by Victoria Williamson (Ms Fry, Librarian)

Achievement Ties – Applications Open

Applications are now open and the deadline for nominations this session is Friday 25 November. Over the last three years Knox Academy has recognised achievement in school based extra-curricular and non-school based wider achievements through the awarding of Achievement Ties. Nominations can be completed through the google form found here . Further information can be found in this presentation.

Festive Fayre

On Saturday 10 December our inaugural "Festive Fayre" will take place in the school from 10 am - 12 noon.  S1 Business and Administration classes, as well as other groups including S6 Young Enterprise, will be presenting stalls offering a variety of festive products and gift ideas as well as some fun activities.  There are no tickets for this event and parents/carers and pupils are invited to come along on the day to browse items and hopefully make some purchases too.

Parents’ Information

Parents Portal

Parents/Carers are encouraged to sign up for the Parent Portal, which a new way for parents/carers to access information on their children, interact with their schools and easily access other school services.  Access to the portal is via the same myaccount login (which is used for SchoolPay) to update parent/carer and child details, report absences and access SchoolPay.  Over time, more services will be available.  For more information on how parents can log into the Parents Portal and “link” to their children, please visit the East Lothian Council Parents Portal site.  

Paid Work Experience for Parents/Carers

Calling all parents – we are looking for enthusiastic, hardworking and committed parents to undertake a Paid Work Experience placement within the hospitality industry.  Whether you are just looking for some extra income or would like to pursue a career in this industry, we have many employers across East Lothian waiting to meet you.  Many of these positions have the potential to turn into permanent jobs. 

If you are interested please contact us.

Support

Please do not hesitate to contact our Pupil Support Team by emailing your young person’s House Team garleton@knox.elcschool.org.uk, lammerlaw@knox.elcschool.org.uk, traprain@knox.elcschool.org.uk if you would like to discuss any support we can offer.

 

Pupils’ Achievements

Scottish Young Sportswoman of the Year

Orla Winn (S5) is one of three finalists in the Scottish Sportswoman of the Year 2022. We wish her all the very best in the outcome of this. Orla is the World Wakeboarding Champion for her age group and recently travelled to Thailand to represent GB.

Swimming

Congratulations to Morven Kenny (S1) who competed for the school at the East Lothian and Borders U12 swimming competition at the weekend. Morven won a bronze medal in the 50m butterfly. Fantastic performance.

Halloween Art Competition

Congratulations to Corin Togher (S1), Roseanna Lyall (S1) and Cerys Young (S5), who were 1st, 2nd and 3rd (respectively) in our Halloween Art Competition. There pictures were stunning (you can view them on Twitter). Thank you very much to our local Coop for providing the prizes.

Our Community Kitchen (OCK)

OCK contacted me to say how fantastic our pupils were in helping run a charity quiz for “Our Community Kitchen” (OCK) at the local bowling club. This is what they said, “Lauren Clark, Oscar Pirie, Hannah Pathirana, Kirsty Dee and Olivia Dale, went above and beyond to support the running of this. They welcomed guests, sold raffle tickets and folded them, marked the quiz and collated the scores. They also promoted games that were played on the night. They also helped with the setting up of the event and clearing up afterwards. They worked their socks off and were polite, mature, helpful and enthusiastic. We raised £1008.50 at the evening, which was fantastic.

There will be an opportunity for Knox pupils to work with us every year as we are hoping this will be an annual event. If any parents/carers or pupils would like to get involved with the charity in any way they should email elaine@ourcommunitykitchen.org.uk.”

A great accolade for the school and holding true to our value of community.

Dates for your diary:

Friday 25 November -                                   S4/5/6 Prelims

Monday 12 December (incl)

Tuesday 6 December                                    Dasher's Dance BGE (S1-S3): 7pm-9.30pm

Wednesday 14 December                            Christmas Concert

Thursday 15 December                                Blitzen's Ball Senior Phase (S4-S6):  7pm-9.30pm

Our school calendar is updated regularly and should be used to access all information throughout the year and allows you to plan ahead too.

Sue Cook

Parent Council

The Parent Council has requested a footer on my HT’s update that remains there year round and which offers quick links to remote learning resources, course choices, supported study and careers news. Clicking on these headings takes you straight to these pages.

Please also look at our website for lots of other information. Please also follow us on Twitter for up-to-date news on a day to day basis.

Please also remember to follow us at: www.ka-net.org.uk 96D4F7EE for the latest information and updates

HEAD TEACHER'S UPDATE 11 NOVEMBER 2022
Published: 11 November 2022

November is the month of Remembrance and Knox Academy is always proud to commemorate this in a variety of ways.  One of those ways is our S3 History classes who, every year, provide models and presentations to make a Remembrance Display.  This year’s classes have their work on display in the school foyer.  In addition, the school honours the two minute silence at 11 am, which will go ahead this morning. But perhaps the most far reaching of our actions is Knox Academy’s partnership with Poppy Scotland; a huge thanks to Mr Flood and the S6s who have been organising and collecting for Poppy Scotland both in the school and in the community.  And finally sincere thanks to all those who have donated during these collections – you make a huge difference in peoples’ lives.

We also held our Veterans’ Coffee Morning yesterday, when we welcomed many of our local veterans from a variety of the armed services. They spoke about their experiences with our young people and enjoyed some tea, coffee and poppy designed cakes made by our pupils. It was great to have them back at the school after nearly three years.

 

Parents’ and Pupils’ Information

Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI)

Our YPI final took places on Wednesday and it was a highly contested event with outstanding presentations from all the groups who were representing the six charities: Simpsons Special Care Babies; The Wave Project; Our Community Kitchen; Beech Wheelchairs; Keep the Heid and New Horizons. The judging panel took over half an hour to deliberate on all S5 presentations before we were able to agree on a winner! Alas, however, there can only be one winner of the £3000. The winning team, made up of Tess, Katie, Abi and Polly, made a fantastic case for The Wave Project to receive the funds. Well done to all teams – not just those who made it to the final. Every charity represented would have been a worthy cause and it was great for all our young people to research and find out more about them all and the amazing work they do to support people in our community and beyond.

S4/5/6 Prelims

The Prelim Timetable now has all accommodation added. Those young people with additional exam arrangements will have individual timetables with this detail.

BBC Bitesize has also produced some fantastic resources to help guide young people prepare for prelims/exams and well worth reading through this advice as it cover studying tips and issues such as how to get a good sleep in readiness for these.

Author visit during Book Week Scotland (and linked to our focus on Diversity)

We are delighted to be welcoming Victoria Williamson to Knox Academy on 15 November, when she will be speaking to our S1 and S2 pupils. A qualified teacher (in a career which included teaching in China, Cameroon and Malawi) and award-winning children’s author, she now divides her time between writing, visiting schools and running workshops to encourage young people to write.

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle and The Boy with the Butterfly Mind were based on her experiences of teaching children with diverse backgrounds, while Hag Storm is a spooky historical fiction novel based on the life of Robert Burns, who in the novel encounters the witches from his poem Tam O’Shanter.  Victoria Williamson's latest book, War of the Wind, is a teen eco-thriller, set on a remote Scottish island. For those who would like to buy a copy, signed by the author, please bring £8.99 to school on Tuesday. (Victoria Williamson will be bringing books to sell, so this will be the only opportunity to buy them at school.) 

We are very much looking forward to our first author visit in a number of years, and to hearing all about War of the Wind from the author herself. 

Children in Need

Next Friday we will be raising money for Children In Need and this will be a dress down day for all pupils. Our senior pupils will be ‘dressing up’ in a variety of fun costumes and organising a bake sale and some staff have been ever so kind and agreed to get pied!! I am sure this will be a popular fund raiser on the day!  This day is always a lot of fun at school, as we come together as a school community to support a great cause - it is also great for everyone’s morale.  It also links directly with our school vision of ‘kindness’ and value of ‘community’.

If you are able to donate any money to this charity please pass this to your young people so they can pop it in our collection buckets.  Last year we raised £780.47, so it would be great if we can equal (or surpass) that total this year.

Achievement Ties – Applications Open

Applications are now open and the deadline for nominations this session is Friday 25 November. Over the last three years Knox Academy has recognised achievement in school based extra-curricular and non-school based wider achievements through the awarding of Achievement Ties. Nominations can be completed through the google form found here . Further information can be found in this presentation.

DYW Live Scottish Careers Week and then Creative Careers Week

From 21-25 November Esgoil will be offering five different 30 minute sessions on creative careers. For more information and to sign up click here.

Open Days December

Media, Music and Sound open days in December. The Eventbrite booking links can are here: Milton Road and Sighthill.

 

Parents’ Information

School Photographs

Due to circumstances beyond our control, Tempest was only able to do half of the school photographs and will return on another occasion (TBC) to do S3, S4 and Meadowpark’s photos.  Proofs for S1/S2 pupils were issued yesterday and today and S5/6 ones will be issued next week. 

School Uniform

I am sure we have all been affected by the cost of living crisis. As a school, we want to make coming to school each day as accessible as possible. One of the ways we do this is by asking all of our pupils and parents/carers to support the wearing of our school uniform. Our school uniform doesn’t keep up with the latest trends and is far more about function than fashion. Uniform is also important for safety in the school as it allows us, at a glance, to know that pupils in the school building are ours.

School uniform also speeds up dressing in the morning as pupils don’t have to spend time picking out their clothes as they know what they need to wear. Often it is ‘dress down’ days when we have the highest absence rates as some young people feel ill-at-ease coming to school if they cannot wear the uniform and they do not have the latest trends to wear. This is one of the reasons we have moved away from these events as they demonstrated to us the need to retain a uniform as it allows everyone to look the same (although we appreciate there will be variations within styles of clothes worn) and attend the school with confidence.

Our school uniform is detailed here. The following are not part of our uniform and should not be worn to school: non-black trousers, ripped trousers, crew neck jumpers (can be worn over shirt) , leggings/sports leggings, jogging bottoms, hooded tops (banned over two years ago for safety reasons) and tops which are short/cropped.

If your young person doesn’t have uniform, or needs items replaced, we have a uniform bank with both brand new and high quality pre-loved clothing which we can arrange for them to have discreetly. Information about financial support/clothing grants can also be found in this link. Thank you for your support of this and hopefully it will also keep costs down for families as well as supporting our approaches to equity and inclusion at the school.

Please do not hesitate to contact our Pupil Support Team by emailing your young person’s House Team garleton@knox.elcschool.org.uk, lammerlaw@knox.elcschool.org.uk, traprain@knox.elcschool.org.uk if you would like to discuss any support we can offer.

 

Dates for your diary:

Thursday 24 November                                S3 Parents’ Consultation (in school) 4.30-6.30pm

Friday 25 November -                                   S4/5/6 Prelims

Monday 12 December (incl)

Tuesday 6 December                                    Dasher's Dance BGE (S1-S3): 7pm-9.30pm

Wednesday 14 December                            Christmas Concert

Thursday 15 December                                Blitzen's Ball Senior Phase (S4-S6):  7pm-9.30pm

Our school calendar is updated regularly and should be used to access all information throughout the year and allows you to plan ahead too.

Sue Cook

 

Parent Council

The Parent Council has requested a footer on my HT’s update that remains there year round and which offers quick links to remote learning resources, course choices, supported study and careers news. Clicking on these headings takes you straight to these pages.

Please also look at our website for lots of other information. Please also follow us on Twitter for up-to-date news on a day to day basis.

Please also remember to follow us at: www.ka-net.org.uk 96D4F7EE for the latest information and updates

HEAD TEACHER'S UPDATE 4 NOVEMBER 2022
Published: 04 November 2022

On Monday our Eco-Committee will be hosting its first assembly of the year and the aim of our assembly is to introduce our school to the idea of a Carbon Day of Action. This will take place on Monday 14 November. On this day, we want everyone in the school to engage with several simple actions in order to reduce their carbon footprint. These are:

  1. Go vegetarian – meat-free Monday at the canteen
  2. Use less electricity – Black Out Monday (keep lights off as much as possible during the day and at home in the evening)
  3. Recycle & Reuse
  4. Bin your litter 

There are, of course, more carbon-reduction actions (e.g. walking/cycling vs. driving) which we could all aim to try out to lessen our carbon footprint. Anything that pupils, staff and parents/carers can do to support our action on climate change would be amazing! 

 

Staffing 

Congratulations to Rebecca Graham (PE) who was appointed to a Pupil Support Leader post at Berwickshire High School last week. Ms Graham will start this post on 28 November 2022.

Polio - Wear a flash of purple

Last week we raised £147.82. Thank you to all pupils, staff and parents/carers who supported this great charity.

School Photographs

A reminder that Tempest will be here this coming Wednesday (9 November) to do individual photographs of all year groups so please ensure that your young person arrives in school uniform and a smile for these. If they need a tie/shirt please ask them to speak to their Pupil Support Leader who can organise this. Following these photos you will be able to order them Thank you.

Dyslexia Awareness Week

Great to see a number of parents/carers attending the Dyslexia session that Mrs Wright ran on Wednesday afternoon. Some great questions asked by parents/carers and some fantastic advice as to how best to support young people with dyslexia. If you missed the session for any reason you can access the information here.

 

Parents’ and Pupils’ Information

S4/5/6 Prelims

Senior pupils and parents/carers should have received the Prelim Timetable for all National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses between 25th November and 12th December 2022. This follows on from the letter you received last Friday with the details of the expectations around this assessment period. Mrs Falconer also held a remote assembly for all S4/5/6 pupils during registration on Wednesday 2 November to share some supports to help them in preparing for these exams and also covered the expectations within the exam room.

Pupils should study this timetable carefully and highlight their exam times. If there are any clashes pupils should speak to the teacher concerned and they will be able to support adaptations (this will only affect a minority of pupils where the combination of subjects is less common). If the Prelim Exam is in a classroom, pupils will be made aware of the exact classroom nearer the time, as in some cases the exam will not be in their usual classroom for that subject.

Digital Inclusion Chromebooks

All Digital Inclusion Chromebooks require to be returned to School Office for audit and software purposes.  If your young person has not yet done so, can you please ensure that this is done by Monday 7 November at the latest please. Thank you.

Achievement Ties – Applications Open Next Week

Applications will open next week, following an assembly for all year groups, with the deadline for nominations this session on Friday 25 November. Over the last three years Knox Academy has recognised achievement in school based extra-curricular and non-school based wider achievements through the awarding of Achievement Ties.  The ‘Achievement Ties Committee’ meets twice yearly to discuss nominations and allocation of these. There are two categories of achievement where 'half colour' ties and 'full colour' ties are awarded. Nominations can be completed through the google form found here . Further information can be found in this presentation.

Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI)

Our YPI final will take place next Wednesday (9 November). YPI is an inclusive, multi-award-winning approach to grant-making that grows compassionate communities by connecting high school pupils to social issues, local charities, and philanthropy at a pivotal stage in their school careers. All teams have been amazing this year but only six S5 teams could advance to the final. This year the charities they are representing will be: Simpsons Special Care Babies; The Wave Project; Our Community Kitchen; Beech Wheelchairs; Keep the Heid and New Horizons. The winning team will be awarded £3000 for their charity. We wish them all well in their quest to win this money for any one of these worthy charities.

DYW Live Scottish Careers Week and then Creative Careers Week

From 7-11 Scottish Careers week will take place. There will be a wide range of inspirational talks from industry experts.  From 21-25 November Esgoil will be offering five different 30 minute sessions on creative careers. For more information on both of these events and to sign up click here.

DYW Roadshow

Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian are delighted to be running our second DYW Roadshow.

The event will bring together employers, further education, higher education, and training providers with the young people in our region to help them find their next step.

DYW Roadshow is set to take place on Tuesday 8th November 2022, from 9:30am-1:30pm at the O2 Academy Edinburgh. The event will feature a range of organisations from the key sectors across the region, many of which will have live vacancies on the day and is free for young people, parents, and carers.

If you are a young person looking to find your next step, DYW Roadshow will provide face to face interactions with employers and education/training providers offering jobs, apprenticeships, training, volunteering, college, and university courses to give you the full picture of your options when you leave school.

Parents and carers are encouraged to come along to gain an understanding of the current and future landscape and the options available to their young person.

The event is free to attend. 

Open Days December

Media, Music and Sound open days in December. The Eventbrite booking links can are here: Milton Road and Sighthill.

 

Parents’ Information

Christmas Dance Tickets

Parents/Carers of all pupils who are attending the Christmas Dance should now have received an e-mail alerting them to make payment on the IPay system.  Tickets are £3.00 and early payment is appreciated.  

If you have not received an e-mail, please e-mail the school office admin@knox.elcschool.org.uk (School Office)

Safety

We know that all school staff, parents and carers want a safe environment for children and ask for your support in achieving this by reminding your school community of the following:

  • Families should aim to walk, cycle or scoot to school where they can. This is often the best way for a child to start the day and helps them arrive ready to learn;
  • If you have to drive, leave in plenty time and park as far from the school gates as possible;
  • Do not park on double yellow lines or zigzag markings;
  • Do not park on pavements or around junctions. This blocks children’s view of the road and makes it much harder for them to cross safely;
  • It is a serious criminal offense to drive along a pavement (i.e. dangerous driving) which could result in significant fines, driving bans and even jail. We will not hesitate to report this type of behaviour to Police Scotland, where we have the evidence to do so.

(By Sustainable Transport Officer, East Lothian)

Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment/Hayward Review

The public consultation for the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment/Hayward Review is now live. I would encourage as many parents/carers as possible to respond to this as this is about the future of National Qualifications which will affect many of your young people and the generations to follow. The link is here.

Pupils’ Achievements

Dates for your diary:

Wednesday 9 November                                            Pupils' photographs

Thursday 24 November                                               S3 Parents’ Consultation (in school) 4.30-6.30pm

Friday 25 November - Monday 12 December        S4/5/6 Prelims

Tuesday 6 December                                    Dasher's Dance BGE (S1-S3): 7pm-9.30pm

Wednesday 14 December                            Christmas Concert

Thursday 15 December                 Blitzen's Ball Senior Phase (S4-S6):  7pm-9.30pm

Our school calendar is updated regularly and should be used to access all information throughout the year and allows you to plan ahead too.

Sue Cook

Parent Council

The Parent Council has requested a footer on my HT’s update that remains there year round and which offers quick links to remote learning resources, course choices, supported study and careers news. Clicking on these headings takes you straight to these pages.

Please also look at our website for lots of other information. Please also follow us on Twitter for up-to-date news on a day to day basis.

Please also remember to follow us at: www.ka-net.org.uk 96D4F7EE for the latest information and updates