HEAD TEACHER'S UPDATE 13 OCTOBER 2023

What a quick term this has been and we are very proud of our young people who have worked so well throughout it. Once we return after the October break our seniors will be working hard preparing for their prelims at the end of November/early December. They should take advantage of all the supported study sessions going on, across the school, at lunchtimes and after school.

Our first assembly, when pupils return after the break, will focus on our school value of 'respect' and the role we play individually and collectively, at Knox Academy, to make this the best environment to learn and flourish in.

In the meantime, we hope all our families have a nice autumn break and we will look forward to seeing our young people back at school on Tuesday 24 October.

P7 Information Evening

It was great to welcome our P7 pupils and parents/carers to the school last night.  After a quick welcome from me and the Senior Leadership Team our two S6 pupils, Leila and Romilly, led a brilliant introductory session on the ‘Knox Pupils’ Experience. Following this, families were put into groups and visited each department and heard more about their subjects and got the chance to engage in some active learning! It was a very successful evening. Between now and starting Knox Academy there will be lots of transition activities taking place prior to the P7s June visit, which will take place on 14, 17 and 18 June 2024.

I would also like to say a huge thank you to our prefects for doing such an amazing job showing the groups around the school and answering questions as you went. A special mention also goes to our three S3 pupils who led the Design Technology sessions – pupils leading learning in action. A massive thank you to all who attended and also to staff for setting up brilliant displays and activities.

Parent Council

A reminder of the next Parent Council meeting, which will take place on the 25 October and will be held online. Elaine Gorman (Developing the Young Workforce) and Chris Trotter (Skills Development Scotland) will be our guest speakers at it. Ms Breslin will also be joining us to speak about the school’s stage musical this session. If you would like the link sent to you, or there is anything you would like us to raise at the next meeting, please email us at parentcouncil@ka-net.org.uk before the 18 October.

Learning Support Update

The first term has been really busy in Learning Support and we are now running at full capacity.  All relevant students should have had an invitation to join us at specific times during the week for the following groups:

S1 Dyslexia group (short term)

S1 Literacy and numeracy classes

S2 Dyslexia group

S2 Literacy and numeracy classes

S1 and 2 paired reading

S3 Dyslexia group

S4 Dyslexia group

S5/6 Study support, exam technique and support sessions (after school Wednesday/Thursday) – no invite, all welcome.

If you think these sessions would be relevant and suitable for your child please check to see if they have an invite or get in touch.  If you would like more subject specific support then please contact the department directly in the first instance.

We have also produced a leaflet which outlines what Assessment Arrangements we can offer to those who need it.  We will be handing these out over the next couple of weeks. Please ask your young person to come and pick one up if you are interested.

Finally, it is Dyslexia Awareness week on the 1-7 November 2023.  The theme this year is ‘taking the temperature – life in Scotland for children, young people and adults with Dyslexia’.  We will be asking the Dyslexic young people of Knox what life is like for them in school and what they want us to know.

Please look out for more information on this over the coming few weeks. 

Dyslexia Scotland are running a series of events during that week, more information can be found on the Dyslexia Awareness Week site.

Local Development Plan Consultation on Outdoor Play - East Lothian Play Sufficiency Assessment

East Lothian Council is undertaking a consultation on ‘Outdoor Play Sufficiency’ in East Lothian. We are keen to hear views on the draft findings of our ‘Play Sufficiency Assessment’ (PSA) of East Lothian, which assesses the quantity, quality and accessibility of outdoor play provision across East Lothian. The views of children and young people across East Lothian have been gathered as part of this process.

The PSA is intended to provide an overall picture as to the provision and distribution of outdoor play opportunities for children, in both formal and informal public outdoor settings, across the whole of a local authority area, and it will inform the Evidence Report for the next East Lothian Local Development Plan. The consultation is available online and paper copies will be available in local libraries. The consultation is open until 13 November 2023.Further information about the consultation is available on East Lothian Council’s website. We would be grateful to hear your views.  Should you have any queries please contact ldp@eastlothian.gov.uk.

 

Success Stories

Rugby -  Loretto 7s tournament

A huge congratulations to our S1s team who finished 1st in Pool A against Loretto, Lasswade and Currie. In the semi-finals the beat Musselburgh, which then took them on to the final against Loretto, which they won! Great performance for this young team!

Football

Ava Smith has progressed to the next round of the Scottish Schools South East Squad for football (U15). She will now face other regions with the hope of making it to the full Scottish Schools team! We wish Ava all the best with this.

Squash

All the very best to Jamie Pearman (S3) who will be representing Scotland in the boys U15 at the British Junior Squash Championships in Sheffield at the end of October.

Music

A huge congratulations to our talented musicians who performed at the concert, at St Mary’s Church, on Tuesday and Wednesday evening this week. Great to contribute to the raising of funds for Macmillian Cancer Support.

Duke of Edinburgh

It was a pleasure to join Mr Boyle, on Tuesday, to present 26 young people (from S4/5) with their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh awards. A great achievement. We will have 14 new S3 recruits about to start on their Bronze DofE journey soon too. A huge thank you to Mr Boyle for his leadership of this award and the many hours he gives so freely to support it.

Our Community Kitchen

Thank you to two of our senior pupils who helped OCK run their recent quiz night last week. They turned up with smiles of their faces and were great helping mark papers on the evening and supporting the smooth running of it in general.

 

Support

Please do not hesitate to contact our Pupil Support Team by emailing your young person’s House Team if you would like to discuss any support for your young person or to arrange an appointment to come in to speak to someone.

 

Dates for your diary:

Monday 16 October – Monday 23 October (inclusive) – Pupils’ mid-term holiday

Monday 16 October – Friday 20 October – staff holiday (Monday 23 in-service)

Wednesday 23 October – Parent Council (online) – 6.30-8pm.  Please email parentcouncil@knox.elcschool.org.uk for the link.

 

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.

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