Staffing
Acting Curriculum Leader of Communications (English and Modern Studies) – Mrs Verity Sinclair was appointed to this position and will start with us on 12 August 2024.
English (temporary post until May 2025) – Hannah Milligan was appointed to this post
A huge congratulations to Erin Laing, our Modern Studies probationer, who has been appointed to a permanent post at Beeslack High School and starts there in August.
Sports Day (S1-S3)
Thank you to all those that took part in this years' Sports Day, albeit later than usual in the calendar, the enthusiasm and support provided by all pupils was exceptional and many results saw improvements for those that recently represented and competed at county sports.
The first event of the morning saw the competitors is the 1500m, the longest track event. This was well attended and was great to see so much encouragement from those not competing. The standout results from this event were from Emily Westgarth (S1); Laurie Scott (S1); Freddy Fendick (S2); Ava Smith (S3) and Lachlan Bailie (S3). As the morning progress, the year groups rotated around all field events. Harry Lewis (S1) also put in an exceptional effort that we were all extremely proud of.
The high jump provided a great source of entertainment with Euan Shephard (S1) clearing 1.55m with a huge jump and Ingrid Maycock replicating a great performance for the S1 girls. Morven Kenny gave a strong performance for the S2 girls and Max Wishart and Aaron Baptie shared the S2 boys high jump accolades, clearly taking inspiration from Tamberi and Barshim's performances at the Tokyo Olympics! Oscar Libberton was successful with his jumps for the S3 and took home that crown! The long jump saw some of our performances close to clearing the sand pits with S1 Euan Shephard taking the crown in 4.50m (the furthest jump of the day) - and with Dillon Burns only a few centimetres behind. Gabia Jagminaite (S2) showed her composure to jump an exceptional 3.90m, closely followed by Morven Kenny. Emily Westgarth (S1), Matthew Cecil (S2), Kyla Hynd (S3) and Oscar Libberton (S3) also put in great performances!
The shot putt was another fiercely competitive event with great support from all. Annellisse While and Robbie Hamilton took him 1st place for S1; Aifric Fisher and Ruaridh Mainstone (S2) and Luke Marshall (S3) of the further throw of the day with over 10m! Further throwing opportunities came with the discus with Robbie Hamilton, Ingrid Maycock, Jack Fraser all putting in exceptional performances.
To wrap up the day, the 100m, 200m and 800m were undertaken by the masses! The 800m saw Morven Kenny (S2) accelerate to an early lead and a strong finish in the girls race, as well as Freddy Fendick (S2) leading the way for the boys. The 100m races were split from photo finishes with the following pupils taking home 1st place: Euan Shephard (S1); Rosa Middlemiss (S1); Addie Eardley (S2); Morven Kenny (S2); David Hunter (S3); Ava Smith (S3). The 200m saw some new faces on the podium with Summer Gaffney (S3) taking a storming performance in the S3 girls race (By PE Dept).
The full results are now published in the PE department.
Free bus travel
If your child is turning twelve, you will need to apply for their new National Entitlement Card (NEC) with a photo so they can access free bus travel.
Photo-less NECs are valid until the day before your child’s 12th birthday, and you can apply for their new card with their photo any time from their 11th birthday. You can choose between a Young Scot NEC, which also provides rewards and discounts and is a PASS accredited form of ID, or a non-branded NEC.
Open up a world of possibilities with easier access to education, social and leisure opportunities. And save money on public transport, making regular journeys and new adventures more affordable for your family!
Find out how to apply and read tips for parents, guardians and carers at freebus.scot
Devolved School Management (DSM)
The revised DSM guidelines were presented to the Education Committee at its meeting on 21 June 2022. These can now be viewed here.
Successes
Pupil Leadership Team and House Captains
Following applications, manifestos, interviews and voting, we now have our Pupil Leadership Team for Session 2024-25. They are Aimee Walker and Rosie Graham (Head Pupils) and the Depute Head Pupils are Thomas Robertson, Ruaridh Morrison and Lucy Darling. Thank you to all of our young people who applied for these positions and I hope we can harness your leadership skills too throughout the coming session.
Our House Captains, who were voted in, are as follows: Garleton: Fraser Bennett and Freya Maycock; Lammerlaw – Ava Marnoch and Helen Stoddart; Traprain – Chris Neilson and Sasha Hockey. Thank you to all our young people who put their name forward for these position and we hope you can also support the leadership of the Houses.
Music News
Knox Choir enjoyed joining with Haddington Community Choir at St Mary's Parish Church on Saturday 22nd June for their Summer Concert. Thank you to choir leader Kenny Hutch for inviting us along and well done to Bella, Isla, Brogan, Poppy, Robyn, Yanis, Robert and Susanne Fox for pursuing our school value of Community on a Saturday afternoon!
Huge congratulations to Jemma Grosse (new S5) who has accepted a highly sought after place at the prestigious St Mary's Music School in Edinburgh. There was a considerable process to go through to be selected and we are absolutely delighted that all Jemma's hard work has paid off. Jemma has been totally committed to the musical life of Knox through Jazz Band, Goats' Toes and Orchestra and we will miss her greatly. Jemma's ultimate dream is to be a professional orchestral musician and we wish her all the very best as she pursues this!
Congratulations also goes to two outstanding S1 (new S2) musicians: Emily Westgarth achieved a Distinction in her Grade 5 piano exam and Dylan Ramsay achieved a Distinction in his Grade 6 drum kit exam (By Mrs Middlemiss)
Squash
Jamie Pearman (S3) came 3rd in the Portuguese Squash Championships.
Although he won against his opponents from USA, Portugal, Egypt & Spain, he lost to the Portuguese no 1. However he played really well in all of his matches.
Finally, all staff at Knox Academy would like to thank our parents/carers for your support throughout the session. We hope you and your young people have a lovely summer break and we will look forward to welcoming everyone back on Wednesday 14 August 2024. A letter with information for the new term will be emailed home on 5 August 2024.
Dates for your diary:
14 August – school resumes for pupils at 8.26am
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
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