It has been wonderful to see all of our young people back this week and engaging in face to face teaching and learning. I am sure they enjoyed seeing their peers and staff and being back together again, albeit it in a physically distanced way. S1-S3 have had three hours of literacy and numeracy (not English and Maths necessarily but subjects taught with a focus on these aspects) and health and wellbeing. S4-S6 pupils have been following their normal subjects in three hour blocks, which has allowed them to be immersed in their subjects, which supports both their learning and retention skills. We have been so pleased with our young people’s positivity and engagement in these sessions and we are very proud of their approach to the blended learning model.

I am sure like me, you are all really hopeful that transmission rates continue to decrease and we can return full time after Easter. The First Minister will give more information about this shortly but in the meantime we all need to continue to play our part in following the rules. Although school is set up to ensure 2M physical distancing, I would ask that parents/carers ask their young people to comply with these measures when walking to and from school, and if meeting others outside, to ensure the phased return to school continues to go well. The more we can all do the quicker we all get back together. Thank you for your support with this.

Staffing

We are advertising for a teacher of Home Economics – this goes live today.

Congratulations to our Science Technician who has been appointed to a post at Charles River. We will be advertising for a new Science Technician in the next week or so.

Pupil News

Career Ready

A huge congratulations to three of our S6 pupils who graduated from Career Ready at yesterday’s virtual ceremony.  Career Ready gives young people career experiences, insights and a mentor to help kick-start their futures. We have a further five pupils enrolled on it this session and working alongside mentors from Charles River, HSBC and Diageo. Thank you very much to Mrs Ferguson who coordinates this for the school and support our young people with their journey.

Knox Academy 2021 - Scottish Parliament Election Countdown

Knox Academy invites all pupils, parents/carers, family members and staff to attend a series of live webinars, hosted by our pupils and staff to mark the Scottish Parliament Elections to be held on Thursday 6 May 2021.

Many of our pupils in S4, S5 and S6 will be able to vote for the first time in this national election and Mr Miller and a group of pupils are marking this exciting occasion with a series of informative, fun and participatory sessions which will be held in the weeks running up to the election.

The programme will include live “How to” guides on registering to vote and voting on Election Day - delivered by pupils and staff. There will also be a live Virtual Knox Academy Question Time Debate Night with an opportunity for you, as our audience, to ask questions at live Q&A sessions with the candidates for the East Lothian constituency seat. Paul McLennan (SNP), Craig Hoy (Conservatives), Martin Whitfield (Labour) and Euan Davidson (Liberal Democrats) have already been in touch to express their excitement at the prospect and can’t wait to answer your questions.

There will also be an opportunity to flex your political knowledge with prizes on offer for predicting the outcomes of various elements of the election result.

The full programme, with dates and times for all of the webinars, and more information is to follow. We look forward to you joining us…

Any questions please email Mr Miller and his pupil team at: amiller@knox.elcschool.org.uk

Squash

Congratulations to Dylan (S4) and Jamie Pearman (P7) who were selected last weekend to represent Scotland in a virtual Home International Strength & Conditioning fitness competition - 4 x 1hr sessions starting on Friday evening and finishing on Sunday morning. The event had circa 180 juniors taking part from the 4 Nations. Dylan & Jamie completed all 4 of them, with Scotland coming second to Wales at the end of the weekend. Well done to both!

Sky Competition

A huge congratulations to Flo Fendick (S1) who was announced by Sky as having being placed 3^rd in the nationwide competition to design a poster to illustrate , “Apprenticeship are for Everyone.”

P7 Transition

This week Knox Staff started meeting P7 classes to talk about their subject and what the P7s can expect in that subject when they move to Knox Academy.  This is part of the transition programme we shared with parents and pupils at the end of February. A huge thank you to S3 pupils who have been coordinating this with staff (Mr Illingworth, DHT)

Parents/Carers Information

S4 and S5 coursing

Many pupils have submitted their coursing requests for next session but there are a number of pupils who have intimated that they are returning have yet to do so, and the date for these submissions has now been and gone. Please can I ask parents/carers to check with your young person about this and ensure if they are returning, their form has been submitted. If you do have any questions about the coursing, please contact your young person’s Pupil Support Leader (Mrs Doig, Mr Meekison or Ms Adam). Thank you.

HPV Programme

This will take place over the next few months and will be offered to all S1 and S2 girls. The HPV vaccine has been offered free to girls in secondary schools in Scotland since 2008. High uptake of the HPV vaccine has reduced levels of cancer-causing HPV in young women in Scotland by 90%.

• The gender neutral programme was due to launch in Lothian in 2020 and was postponed due to school closures.
• Please ensure that your child’s consent form is returned (completed and signed!) by 31 March. Unfortunately, pupils whose forms are received after that date may not be vaccinated.
• Every S1 pupil, regardless of gender is eligible for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for free.
• There is no catch up programme for boys other than those who were in S1 from the launch of the programme in 2020.
• The HPV vaccine protects against HPV which can cause head and neck, cervical and anogenital cancers.
• In the last term before the summer holidays 2021, NHS Lothian will be vaccinating eligible pupils in S1-S6 in school who have either not started or not completed their HPV vaccination course.
• Two doses are generally recommended for full protection.

More information

• Please visit www.nhsinform.scot/hpv for more information.
• For more information on HPV-related cancers visit www.hpv-vaccine.scot

LFD Test Kits

These are being issued to all young people from S1-S6 (S1-S3 during week of 22 March) who have consented to being part of the programme.  Pupils over 16 can consent themselves but parents/carers must consent for those under 16 (before any testing kits can be handed out to this age group). The e-consent form can be completed here. These LFD tests are only for use by pupils and cannot be used by anyone else other than those whom they are registered for. Please can you remind all young people to log their results each time they complete a test. Thank you.

Although participation is voluntary it is recommended as it is helps support our safe return to school and keeps our families/community safe too.

COVID-19

Positive Cases: Please continue to report any positive cases to covidinschools@eastlothian.gov.uk or telephone 01875 613921.

Please note: If your young person is attending school (or in-school provision), please do not send them if they, or anyone in your household has tested positive or has Covid-19 symptoms.  Please self-isolate and book a test. If they are in S4-S6 and attending school for a practical subject(s) and they test positive using the lateral flow device testing kit, they should also self-isolate and book a PCR test.

Have a lovely weekend and stay safe.

Sue Cook

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