HEAD TEACHER'S UPDATE 5th NOVEMBER 2018

The weeks seem to be whizzing by and there is so much going on in and around the school at the moment.  We had a very informative series of assemblies last week run by the Eco Committee on ‘Reduce, Re-use and Recycle’ and how young people and staff can contribute to this from in a very simple way - instead of drinking out of paper cups using re-useable ones instead.  The Eco Committee has also introduced a facility to recycle make-up containers in a new recycling container.  The Eco-Committee also welcomed MSP, Michelle Ballantyne last week and the details of this visit are discussed later on in this update.  Great to have our work in this area recognised beyond the school and our local community.

Staffing

A warm welcome to David Russell, who starts with us today as Depute Head Teacher.

English and Biology – interviews for both these posts will take place over the next week two weeks.

Pupil Support Worker, to replace Scott Marnoch, is currently being advertised.

Congratulations to Steven Elms who has been offered a position as a PE Teacher at Dunbar Grammar School.  This will leave a vacancy here and we will be advertising this post at the end of the week.

Rugby

Our U16s Rugby team travelled to Greenock and beat St Columba's 41-7 progressing to Quarter Finals of Plate competition.

Our U18s Rugby team travelled to Kingussie where the beat their opponents 74-10 and progress to the semi- finals of the Scottish Cup Plate.

Well done to all the players involved!

Poppy Scotland Launch 2018, Scottish Parliament

Mr Flood, accompanied by Georgia Greenan and Liam Govan, S6, attended the launch.

On Wednesday evening, we visited the Parliament in Holyrood, Edinburgh to attend the annual Poppy Scotland reception. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War so it was an extra special occasion. During the event we heard speeches from representatives from the Scottish Parliament, as well as members from Poppy Scotland charity committee. They spoke about the vital work they carry out to help veterans of war and about the importance of remembering our relatives who fought so hard in the war. They emphasised that if it wasn't for all the heroic efforts and sacrifices of men, women and animals, the world would be a very different place and we might not even exist.

It's important to realise that the charity itself cannot do what they do without our vital help and support. Thanks to volunteer groups all across the country Poppy Scotland continues their vital work.  It was very nice to know that our work as members of the Poppy Scotland Team at Knox Academy means so much in helping the charity take care of the veterans of war and keeping the memories of our ancestors alive in the hopes that nothing like that ever happens again. So please next time you are out and about and you see volunteers from Poppy Scotland selling poppies buy one and make a donation as it’s people like you that help fund this very important charity (by Liam Govan, S6)

East Lothian Council's Resilience Event – Brunton Theatre

Mr Flood, accompanied by Neil Watson and Matthew Nelson in S5, represented Knox Academy at this event.  

The event was very informative about what the Council will do in an emergency. Lots of different issues were brought up but the most talked about were flooding and what will happen if it snows.  The Met Office representative explained all of the weather warnings and what to do when they are issued. We then gave our ideas as to what the schools can do to help the community. We said that when the school closes a group of pupils could get together and clear some streets of snow. They could also check on vulnerable people in certain areas of Haddington (by Neil Watson)

Thanks to Mr Flood, Neil and Matthew for giving up their time to attend the event.

East Lothian Sports Awards

It was a privilege to attend this on Friday 26th October, at the Brunton Theatre, and mix with all the talented sports stars on East Lothian. Orla Winn was nominated in the category ‘Sports Person of the Year for someone with a Disability’ for her talents in Wakeboarding. Andrew McKnight, a former pupil of Knox Academy won the Coach of the Year award

Eco-School

On Monday afternoon, three students from Knox Academy’s Green Team hosted students from the Dunbar Eco Team to share ideas and make plans for some environmental initiatives in East Lothian. Both groups of students entered and won the Viridor Eco Competition in June and they have been tasked with coming together to make their ideas a reality. Furthermore, following on from the competition, both groups were contacted by MSP Michelle Ballantyne who was interested in learning more about the project.  Mrs Ballantyne visited both groups on Monday afternoon to discuss environmental issues relevant to young people. The groups talked about canteen packaging, recycling facilities in schools, and raising public awareness about what can and can't be recycled. Mrs Ballantyne also shared her experiences with avoiding plastic and offered some insight into the challenges of implementing a UK-wide ban on plastic straws. The afternoon was productive and we have some exciting ideas in the works so keep an eye out for them! (by Jess Laudi)

Have a good week and we will look forward to meeting our S5/6 parents/carers on Wednesday at Parents’ Evening.

Sue Cook