Following the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II and Queen of Scots on Thursday 8 September, her funeral took place on Monday 19 September. East Lothian Council observed this day as a National Bank Holiday. As this was a holiday Monday in East Lothian, this holiday will now be ‘given back’ to staff and pupils on Monday 24 October. This means that our school in-service day will move to Tuesday 25 October, which will become a holiday date for pupils only.
This evening, Lauren Clark, Mr Flood and I will be attending the thanksgiving service, at St Mary’s Parish Church, in honour of HM Queen Elizabeth. It is a privilege for us to represent Knox Academy at this.
Pupils’ News
The Christmas Dances Are Back!
After a hiatus for several years, we are delighted to officially announce the re-launch of the Christmas Dances for this year. These will take place on the following dates:
Dasher's Dance BGE (S1-S3): Tuesday 6th December 2022 7pm-9.30pm
Blitzen's Ball Senior Phase (S4-S6): Thursday 15th December 2022 7pm-9.30pm
Information has been delivered to registration teachers, where the School Dance policy has been shared with pupils and can also be found here. If pupils are unsure of any of the conditions, they should speak to their registration teacher in the first instance. Once pupils have made themselves aware of the policy, and should they wish to attend, they should complete the appropriate Google Form (see below) indicating their intentions to attend. Further details will then follow to those interested with information on the school iPay system where a ticketless purchase can be made.
BGE Google Form
Senior Phase Google Form
European Day of Languages
This week we have celebrated the European Day of Languages! Classes have dedicated time at registration each day to European language and culture. Activities have included putting pupils' recognition of languages to the test with a quiz, listening to French and Spanish music and learning about different celebrities and professional athletes whose language skills have allowed them to progress in their careers.
Orchestra
The Knox Academy Orchestra have resumed sessions, and will be on every Tuesday 3:30-4:30pm in the Hall. All are welcome! (Ms Martin)
National e-Learning Offer: e-Sgoil Evening Study Support Webinars
The NeLO/e-Sgoil evening Study Support programme for 2022/23, is starting now. Study Support comprises live, interactive webinars focussed on Senior Phase courses. Webinars are delivered by experienced, GTCS registered teachers. 50 different webinars are on offer each week during term time, covering all the larger subject areas as well as an extensive range of other subjects. The service is focussed on delivering equitable access to all learners in Scotland and is completely free.
The following links give you more information about this offer: Nutshell guide for learners ; FAQ document ; Short promotional video ; 2022 – 2023 Evening Webinars Study Support timetable
Registration is now open. The link to the registration and information page on the e-Sgoil website is here
Vaccinations
A huge thank you to S6 pupils who supported the NHS and Mrs Fraser with the queueing system for the Flu Vaccinations on Tuesday. Your support was much appreciated to help the process run smoothly. (Mrs Fraser)
Parents’/Carers’ Information
Parent Council – your views
The Parent Council is keen to get your views as parent/carers of young people at Knox Academy. The questionnaire will take no longer than 5-10 minutes to complete and they would really appreciate your input. The link to the questionnaire is here. Please can parents/carers respond to it by Friday 14 October. Thank you.
Annual Data Check
All data check forms have been issued to all pupils for review and completion. Please complete and return any outstanding forms to the school office as soon as possible. (Knox Academy Office)
UCAS Evening
Thank you to all Parent/Carers and pupils who attended the UCAS Information Evening led by our Pupil Support Leaders on Tuesday evening. We hope you found it useful. If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact Mr Meekison, who leads on this at Knox Academy.
LGBT Youth Scotland Silver Charter Award
Next week we will be handing in our completed LGBT Silver charter portfolio to LGBT Youth Scotland. The LGBT+ Allies group wanted to share with all parents and guardians the journey the school has gone on since starting up the LGBT+ Allies group. The group would like to thank the whole school community for all the work that has been done in the last few years to make the school more inclusive. (By Nicola Stobie)
Information Session on Scholar for Parents and Carers (S4-S6 pupils)
Scholar is holding an online information session for parents and carers on Wednesday 9 November 2022 to provide an overview of SCHOLAR and how it can support their young people in S4-S6, as well as answer any questions. Click here for details of this event and how to register for it.
Dates for your diary:
Thursday 6 October P7 Information Evening – at Knox Academy
Monday 17 – Tuesday 25 October School holiday for pupils (staff return on Tuesday 25)
Wednesday 26 October Pupils return
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.
Please also remember to follow us at: www.ka-net.org.uk 
@knoxacademy @knoxacademyHT for the latest information and updates
