Staffing Update
We welcomed two new staff this week. Mr Daniel Davis started in Music (replacing Ms Loughrey who is on maternity leave) and Nadia Ghanim in Biology.
School News
Knox Academy’s school vision
Following a long period of consultation with pupils, staff, parents/carers, community partners and our associated primary schools, our school vision is, ‘Always to choose kindness and create a respectful environment where staff and pupils can inspire each other to achieve their goals and become life-long learners.’ This will now link directly with all we aim to do as a school community and our outcomes for young people. This vision links well with our school values of Ambition Respect and Community (ARC).
Pupil News
Concert in Aid of Macmillan Cancer Support
This took place on 26 and 30 October and although the pupils who took part came from a number of East Lothian schools, Knox Academy was particularly well represented. The performances were of a very high standard and extremely enjoyable. A number of our pupils played solos or were members of small chamber ensembles, and the quality was really something to be proud of. It was also lovely to see pupils from different schools playing together in groups, particularly the jazz band. A particular thank you goes to Ms Woodsend and all instructors involved for making this event such a spectacular one through their hard work and commitment to our young people and the young people across East Lothian. A superb concert for such a great cause.
Achievement Ties
It was great to award our first ever achievement ties at the school this week. From 15 nominations we awarded 13 ties. All pupils were informed of the outcome of nominations by letters to their home address so if they applied, or someone did on their behalf, and you haven’t received a letter then please contact Mr Moncrieff. A few applications arrived after the deadline date and after the Achievement Tie Committee met so they will be carried over to the next meeting in March. The committee only meets twice yearly to award ties. Please do read the criteria for an Achievement Tie, as we have amended this slightly, following parental feedback, to make these clearer. Please do nominate your young person or encourage them to apply in March if they fulfil the criteria. We are keen to recognise and celebrate the achievements of our young people in and out of school.
Squash
Congratulations to Dylan Pearman (S3) who came 41st in the British Junior Squash Championships last weekend. This is a fantastic performance following an injury that has prevented Dylan training for the last six weeks. Well done and we look forward to continuing to follow his progress.
Parents/Carers Information
SQA Qualifications Information for Parents/Carers
To learn more about SQA qualifications and the range available, visit the Parent Zone on our website to read about the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.
Hong Kong link school visit
We welcomed pupils and staff from Tsung Tsin Christian Academy (TTCA) HK this week to Knox Academy. They had an enriching experience in classes on Monday and Tuesday and said that the learning and teaching is much more active here than it is in Hong Kong where the teaching is mostly directed by the teachers. The really enjoyed the learning approaches here and meeting all the teachers. In Hong Kong pupils do not move from classroom to classroom and the teacher goes to them. They really liked the practice here where on the bell all of our young people move to a new teaching area and meet their teacher. One of the pupils described it as ‘a mass migration.’ Very well described! The pupils also really liked the genuine interest teachers showed in all of their pupils and taking time to really get to know who they taught. Both the teachers and pupils described our staff and pupils as warm and welcoming. They also said they learnt a lot in their few days in the school and from their walk around Haddington, their visit to the Museum of Flight and their day trip to Edinburgh to see the sights. The pupils also said their host families from Knox Academy were amazing and most welcoming and they felt like part of the family. They enjoyed tasting a traditional roast, Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes, as well as many other family favourites. They also enjoyed playing Monopoly, Pictionary and other family games with their host families. We also welcomed John McMillan to our Burns Supper to ensure our guests heard about Scotland’s most famous bard and to taste some haggis, neeps, tatties and Irn Bru. We ended the week at the Scottish China Education Network conference at the EICC on Friday. It has been such an amazing week working with and alongside staff and pupils from our newly formed link school in Hong Kong and I think we all learned so much from this visit. We hope to visit them next year in Hong Kong and to make this an annual experience for pupils and staff and use it to improve our educational knowledge from this joint work to improve outcomes for all of our young people.
Dates for your diary
(please also refer to the CALENDAR on the school website for all events across the year):
- 25 November – 12 December – S4/5/6 Prelims
- 3 December – Parent Council – School Library – 6.15-8pm
- 4 December – S1 Parents’ Evening
Sue Cook
