It has been a busy few weeks at Knox Academy and I can hardly believe we are about to enter the last week of term – the year has flown by! This will be my last update of the year so I would like to thank parents/carers for all their support throughout the year and we will look forward to working with you again next session. In the meantime, have a great summer holiday.
Staffing
A huge thank you to Hannah Milne, who has been part of our Geography and Social Subjects team at Knox Academy over much of this session. We wish her all the very best for the future.
I am delighted to say that our current probationers, Elijah Morris, Rebecca Milliken and Katy Coats have been appointed to posts in ELC and the City of Edinburgh. We have been so lucky to have them here at Knox Academy for this year and hope the experience gained here has prepared them well for their next steps in their new schools. Thank you for all you have done here and all the very best for the future.
Evening of Celebration
It was great to come together, on Wednesday night, as a school community, to celebrate the achievements of our young people. There were many awards for academic excellence and achievement in our local and wider community. Congratulations to all our young people who received an award last night and to all parents/carers and partners of the school, who came along to support them. Thank you also goes to John McMillan, our Provost and also Haddington Rotary member, who provided a number of awards on the evening. It was also wonderful to welcome Glenn Campbell as our Guest Speaker at the Senior Awards Ceremony and for him to talk about the opportunities and challenges life presents and how to rise to these. Glenn also talked about ‘no wrong path’ and how we will all navigate our careers differently and gain insight from our experiences along the way. His speech was pitch perfect and what he talked about resonated with all in the audience.
I would also like to say a huge thank you to the staff at our school for their unwavering support of our young people across the year and in helping them to achieve their potential and goals. Also, thank you to all our parents/carers who are the inspiration for their young people’s achievements on a day to day basis.
Finally, on behalf of all at Knox Academy, I would want to pass on our best wishes to any of our young people who are leaving school this year and venturing on to pastures new. Create meaningful and purposeful, fulfilling lives for yourselves and learn how to use that to make an impact and a difference to the lives of others. Please do keep in touch to let us know how you are getting on.
Uniform
A letter was issued to all parents/carers around uniform expectations for the new session. It would be great if parents/carers support us with this, for the reasons outlined in the letter. Thank you.
Duke of Edinburgh
Last week saw 3 teams, comprising 18 pupils from the new S4 successfully completing their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award qualifying expedition. This is the culmination of a year's work for pupils who have been busy throughout the year with weekly training sessions as well as working on physical activities and skills in their own time. In addition, they have all been working voluntarily in the community as part of their award which has helped them gain new confidence and skills as well as making a valuable contribution to a wide range of local organisations and charities.
The expedition (and the practice expedition back in May) are always highlights for DofE participants and this year was no exception, being blessed with lovely weather for both expeditions (perhaps even a bit too hot on each occasion! We're grateful to the Lanterne Rouge cafe in Gifford for filling pupils' water bottles each time they passed through Gifford!). Pupils really enjoyed the challenge of planning all aspects of their qualifying expedition and being self-sufficient throughout. There were many great examples of teamwork throughout the two days, each team working as an efficient community to help each other through the various challenges they faced.
We look forward to presenting participants with their award certificates and badges in the new term and to starting a new Bronze Award programme soon after that.
Trips
We have had a number of trips out this week: The Royal Highland Show, The Army Leadership Course (S6) and an S2 (new S3) camping trip (Thursday/Friday).
We also have an S5/6 Spanish trip (to a film) going out next week. Thank you to staff for organising these and I know a great time was had/will be had by all.
Pupils’ Successes
Dates for your diary:
26 June – end of term – school finishes at 3.25pm
13 August – school resumes for all pupils at 8.28am.
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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