Easter 2009 - Newbattle Community High School

N E W B A T T L E C O M M U N I T Y H I G H S C H O O LEaster 2009Issue 9Newbattle NewsReturn to school 21st April 2009African Visitors Enjoy Newbattle High In The SnowInside this issue:Young People Rock and Raise £300Newbattle Pupil VoiceHeriot-Watt University’s MultilingualDebateMasterchef Returns To NewbattleGreen Banana23Centre Stage 4Newbattle Sport & Recreation Pupils HelpIn the Community5Newbattle Students’ Creative Writing 6Celebrating SuccessEco Schools7Newbattle Attainment & Achievement 8As part of the British Council “Dreams & Teams”project, two teaching staff from Johannesburg in SouthAfrica visited Newbattle High. Our school has beenselected for the three year project to work closely witha South African school to encourage Leadershipthrough Sport. It is hoped in the future to exchangestudents in order that both schools can work and learnfrom each other’s culture.Mr Buti Baloyi and Mr Agsie Pillay from GautengProvince arrived after the heaviest snow fall this yearand both were astonished, as neither had ever seensnow in their lives. After a rousing pipers’ welcomefrom pupils Christopher MacInnes and Sean Dilworth,the visitors and their guide from the British Councilwere given a presentation by Mr Taylor on the Scottisheducation system and Newbattle High. Then, alongwith Mr Foley, the group made a tour of the schoolvisiting and talking to staff and students in PE, Art,Music, Craft & Design, Home Economics and a rangeof other departments. Both remarked on the energy,positive friendly atmosphere and commitment tolearning & teaching that they encountered.The tour finished with lunch in the Bite Site , where haggis,neeps and tatties were served to all and enjoyed greatly bythe visitors. Claudia von Eckerstein, an S6 Germanexchange student at the school, joined the group when itwas discovered that she grew up two miles from the schoolthat the teachers were from—what a coincidence! Afterlunch the visitors chatted and talked to pupils in the BiteSite telling them how school life was in South Africa.It was a highly successful visit, and one which will see moreeducational links made when Mr Taylor and Mr Foley travelto South Africa later in the session to work for a week in aSouth African school and exchange and learn from theirSouth African colleagues.“It is hoped in the futureto exchange students inorder that both schools canwork and learn from eachother’s culture.”“Friends find comfort in what they share and delight in how they differ” AnonymousOur School of Ambition

Page 2Check out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukNewbattle NewsCheck out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukYoung People Rock And Raise £300Two members of Newbattle YouthForum, Karen Watson andBronwyn Roe, both pupils atNewbattle Community HighSchool, worked together with thesupport of other people fromMidlothian Youth Platform andBob Paul from MARC to organizea rock concert for MacmillanCancer Support.The event took place at GreenhallCentre at Gorebridge on Friday12th December, providing aplatform for a number of localBottom Of The Nightyouth rock bands and acoustic actsand was attended by 120 youngpeople from all over Midlothian.There were performances byNewbattle pupils. Up first was‘Bottom of the Night’ a youngrock/pop/punk band consisting offour S4 and S5 students: DaleWylie (Vocals and Guitar); OwenGillespie (Vocals and Guitar); SeanLennon (Bass and Vocals) andThe pupils of Newbattle PupilVoice have recently been involvedin a team building event at Vogrie,and a visit to the ScottishParliament.During the team building events,pupils worked on communication,problem solving and cooperationin order to successfully completeboth physical and mental tasks.At the Scottish Parliament, theBronwyn Roe, Clare Taylor-Brownand Karen WatsonCalumn Bertram (Drums). Theirinfluences include Blink 182,Green Day and Lost Prophets.Adam Corse, an S3 pupil, is asinger, guitarist and songwriter. Heplayed a mixture of acousticanthems. His father taught himhow to play guitar and TomDelonge, (the singer from BlinkNewbattle Pupil VoicePupil Voice and members of theMidlothian Youth Platform weregiven the opportunity to visit thedebating chamber and find outabout the work of an MSP. Pupilswere able to learn how decisionsare made and how laws are passed.Both events were a great success,developing confidence anddecision making skills, influencinghow the Newbattle Pupil Voiceworks as a team and holdsdiscussions in meetings.182) is a positive role model forAdam.Adam CorseHis motto is “Do what you wantto do!”Also performing were ‘HolyBartenders’, a rock band fromPenicuik High School, ‘Dead TillFriday’, a five member rock/metal/punk band and a trio offormer Newbattle pupils: StephenWatson, Simon Charters andJanelle Reid.Karen and Bronwyn, organisers ofthe event said “We were delightedthat we had the opportunity to raisemoney for Macmillan nurses, becausethey have personally touched our lives.It was a fantastic evening showcasingsome of the best youth rock bands inMidlothian”.Your Newbattle Community High School...

Page 3Newbattle NewsHeriot-Watt University’s Multilingual DebateOn Wednesday 25 th February, S4pupils Adam Kennedy, CalumMackie, Connor McArthur andBronwyn Roe, along with theirFrench teacher Miss Fuller, joined34 other schools at Heriot-WattUniversity’s Multilingual Debate.They were there to listen toarguments put forward on thisyear’s motion (This house believes thatthe increasing marginalisation of men ishaving a detrimental effect on society) bylinguists from the Universityspeaking not just English butFrench, Spanish and German aswell. To make sure they couldfollow the differing views, theaudience were given wirelessMasterchef Returns ToNewbattleThe Home Economics Departmentwas delighted to welcome backGerry Goldwyre (former BBC Masterchef).Gerry officiated at the formalopening of the Hospitality Suitelast November and was keen to passon skills to the Hospitality class.Under his expert guidance our seniorpupils produced an ambitiouslunch for twenty guests includingcouncillors, senior management andHM Inspectors of Education. Thetables were set by S2 pupils.The meal which included chickencurry, nan bread, pizza with a secretrecipe topping and fresh fruit salad,was made from scratch; no conveniencefoods for a Masterchef! Ourpupils acquitted themselves withgreat aplomb and their efforts weregreatly appreciated by all. We lookforward to a return visit.Bronwyn Roe, Calum Mackie, Adam Kennedyand Connor McArthurheadsets and simultaneousinterpreting was provided by thefinal year interpreters. This eventGreen Bananagave some of our pupilsthe opportunity to seew h e r e , w i t h f o c u s a n dperseverance, a career in languagescan take them.Green Banana is a video enterprise project run by Y2K. It is aimed at pupilswho are disaffected with school, pupils who have attendance issues, difficultieswith social skills, or pupils with low self-esteem/confidence. The aim ofGreen Banana is to foster team work, commitment and develop social skillsthrough the production and presentation of a DVD. The pupils attendingalso receive one to one counselling from the staff.The course lasts for 6 weeks and operates on a Tuesday and Thursday from9:30am until 3:30pm.The 8 young people who attended the last session of Green Banana felt thatit was very worthwhile and they would encourage any pupil offered a placeon the Green Banana project to attend.Some quotes from the young people are:• ‘Staff respect you and work hard to make sure your time at Green Bananais memorable.’• ‘Attending Green Banana builds your confidence.’• ‘Green Banana encourages you to give school another chance.’• ‘Green Banana helps you think about your future and what qualificationsyou might need.’• ‘You learn how to use filming equipment and also how to use differentsoftware packages on the computer.’Our School of Ambition

Page 4Check out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukNewbattle NewsCheck out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukCentre Stage.Newbattle High Drama departmentis now the proud owner of a custombuilt stage. Following on from theamazing catwalk built in 2008, thestructure has been designed andcrafted by Peak Performers from theCDT department and it consists ofversatile blocks (or ‘rostra’) whichcan be moved to suit the needs ofthe performance and the studentsalike.Every block is constructed usingplywood and can be used asindividual theatre props or laidout to form various types ofstaging such as Thrust, Theatre InThe Round or End-On.With the recently acquired lightingsystem, the department is aninspiring area for all prospectivedrama kings and queens!The Drama Peak Performers arelooking forward to using it everyThursday but of course it will be afantastic addition for all thestudents of Drama at Newbattle.Ms Stoney would like to take thisopportunity to say a big thank youto Mr Bayne and Mr Watt formaking this possible and a specialthank you to the students whoworked on the staging.From the moment the projectwas suggested, Mr Bayneembraced the challenge ofproducing the blocks and thestudents have worked solidly toget the job done. Ms Stoney looksforward to many dramaticmoments enhanced by our newstage.‘ThursdayDrama Clubfor S2’Newbattle Drama Department is about to launch an S2 Drama Club. It will take place atlunchtime on Thursdays. The aim of the club is to give those pupils who love to act anopportunity to do so. If you want to know more please come along to the Drama Departmentand speak to Ms Stoney, or read the notice outside the studio door.Your Newbattle Community High School...

Page 5Newbattle NewsCheck out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukNewbattle Sport & Recreation Pupils Help In The Community.Back Row—Joanne McIntosh, Sean Allan, Danielle Hay, Rachel Schooler, Haley Gilchrist, Willaim Simpson, David Wyse,Ms S Wanstall.Front Row—Mr B Foley, Heather Hamilton, Greg McPherson, Blyth Adams, Natasha Slight, Chelsea Bruce, Ross Waters(plus Jade Chisholm, not in photo)A new course at Newbattle hasbeen making a very positive impacton life and work skills for our S5/6pupils as well as on the Primary 7pupils in the associated primaries.The fourteen pupils doing theIntermediate 2 award are followinga course that is training them to beeffective leaders and workers in theSport & Leisure Industry. Theunits involve each pupil being ableto: plan and run a lesson for agroup of P7 students; perform as asports centre employee able tohandle all the setting up and takingdown of equipment; run a fitnesssession for S1 pupils; and finally topractise application and interviewskills in order to be in pole positionto gain employment.Since August the students haveassisted successfully and beenpraised highly for their work in SFAP7 Football Festivals, P7 MidlothianB asketbal l Ch ampio nships,Midlothian Indoor AthleticsChampionships, and have earnedhigh praise from the MidlothianActive Schools Team, who theyhave assisted.Well Done!Danielle Hay, an S6 student on thecourse, has successfully appliedand been accepted for CampAmerica, where she will spend thewhole summer in the USAworking with youngsters.Ms Wanstall and Mr Foley whorun the course are delighted withits success, in particular how it hasbuilt self confidence and selfesteem in the group. The coursewill be a firm favourite now forS5/6 looking to build life and workskills.Robyn Russell 2CM represents Scotland at gymnastics. She recentlyachieved 11 th position in a national gymnastics event in Perth, inwhich over fifty gymnasts competed.Our School of Ambition

Page 6Check out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukNewbattle NewsCheck out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukNEWBATTLE PUPILS’ CREATIVE WRITINGUp NorthThrough the gate and the sea ofgreen opens up; trees waving to sayhello; the yellow coin in the sky; theroad dancing in front of us and thegiant grass spinning and twirling.Mr Jones and his glass of happiness:a 35 year old in an 85 year old man’sbody; his head reflected the sun likea mirror and his grey beard wasfilthy and bushy.Mrs Jones and her box of moans: aleech sucking the fun out of life;piercing eyes looking into yourheart; mud for hair and tree trunksfor legs.Lifting suitcases that weigh thesame as double decker buses: alifesize dollhouse as pink as a pig;sheep talking to one another andthe monkey I call my brotherrunning around like a lunatic.The clouds gathered plotting theirevil scheme: the rain coming down,beating itself off the road; runningafter dumb one and dumb two;water streaming down my face andstreams like a baby crying.The beach was our corner of earth:the sea circled its prey; the moaningof seagulls; golden powder undermy feet and the puffy cloudswalking along the sky.By Megan Sneddon 2DMand the sea eating the sand; as wewere walking along there was a slightbreeze that blew onto our faces; andmy legs were trembling from the longlength that we had walked.Newbattle CommunityHigh School’sPortobello BeachPortobello Beach was a magical place:it was filled with adults havingconversations of their own; childrenrunning about giggling; hot goldenpowder underneath my feet; seagullssinging about the sky; waves crashingover musical rock pools; the fear ofterrifying claws moving about in thedeep dancing water; the white puffyclouds above all of us; the squishyjellyfish lurking beneath the goldensand; the long ribbon road in front ofus; and the warm golden coin in thesky.It was the place that my family and Iwent every summer. It was great withthe boiling sun scorching down on usI can remember all the jellyfish lyingabout on the sandy surface and melifting one up and launching itthrough the air and it went down witha splat on my big cousin’s back whileshe was looking like a beached whaleon her towel. All I heard was thescream from her as the jelly fish laythere on her back. Another thing I canremember from the beach was goinginto the amusement park and winninglots of money and a teddy. Thisbrought an end to my brilliant day atPortobello Beach.By Samantha Haddow 2DMYour Newbattle Community High School...VALUES FOR LIFETrust – to feel confident and secure bybuilding relationships based on honestyand fairnessRespect – to be considerate of theneeds, wishes and feelings of others as wellas your own worthPerseverance – continueddetermination to succeed and never giveup in spite of difficultiesResponsibility – making informeddecisions and being accountable for yourown actionsHumour – maintain a positiveoutlook on life even in the face ofadversityFocus – concentrate fully on the taskin hand and avoid distractions

Page 7Newbattle NewsWe always like to celebrate the success of former Newbattlepupils who have gone on to achieve success in the widerworld. If you are, or know of, a former pupil that we couldfeature in a future issue, please contact Miss L Fuller at theschool by emailing fullel62@staff.mgfl.netCheck out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukCelebrating SuccessRecent Leavers & Former PupilsLaura Muirhead (left Newbattle 2001) worked as a clinicalsupport worker at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for afew years, and is now in her second year of an AdultNursing degree at Napier University. She is due to graduatein 2010.Laura Bennett (left Newbattle 2001) graduated from Heriot-Watt University in 2005 with a first class Bachelor of Sciencedegree in Mathematics with a European Language(French). She then went on to get a distinction in a Mastersdegree in Applied Mathematical Sciences with Biological andEcological Modelling, also at Heriot-Watt. She is currentlystudying towards a PhD in Bioinformatics at Kings College,London.David Wilson (left Newbattle 1999) graduated from theUniversity of Aberdeen with a First Class honours degree inLaw in 2003, and completed the Post Graduate Diploma inLegal Practice in 2004. He qualified as a solicitor (specialisingin commercial property finance) in 2007 and worked for theworld’s largest law firm, before he took up a new positionwith the Scottish Government Legal Directorate in January2009.Grahame Young (left Newbattle 1999) graduated inPharmacy from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen in2004, and became a fully qualified pharmacist in 2005. He isnow a senior clinical pharmacist at St John’s Hospital,Livingston.Dr Sean Kennedy (left Newbattle 1999) graduated inBiochemistry from the University of Stirling in 2003, andcompleted a PhD in 2007, and is now recognised as aninternational expert in his chosen field of aquatic lipidbiochemistry. He now works for a global pharmaceuticalresearch and development company. In 2008, Sean marriedLaura Grieve, who is also a former Newbattle High Schoolpupil, who works as a nurse and is due to give birth to theirfirst child in 2009.Gordon Brown (left Newbattle 1999) had a short spell as aprofessional footballer at Berwick Rangers, and then starteda three-year metal work apprenticeship and completed aSVQ level 3 computer aided design course and a SVQ level3 electrical and electronic engineering qualification. He wenton to be a field engineer with Capital Solutions, duringwhich period his job was to repair businesses’ electricaloffice equipment onsite, including Newbattle High School'soffice equipment! Since June 2008, he is now a salesexecutive in Capital Solutions' sales department.After leaving Newbattle in 1985, Tracey-Ann Sinnetjoined the HMF (Army) when she was 21. Tracey-Annsettled quickly and gained promotion twice before endingher service after 8 years. She then found herself in anadministrator’s job in Morecambe, Lancashire. Tracey-Annhas since returned and settled in Mayfield again and for thelast 7 years has been concentrating on an entirely differentvocation as a Homecare Co-ordinator for Community Carein East Lothian and she is also currently studying for herHNC in Social Care. The master plan is to hopefully go onto do a Diploma in Social Work.Shona Sinnet (now Shona Oliver) (left Newbattle 1976) ismarried with a daughter who is due her first baby in June2009. She works as a team leader with NHS Lothian whichshe enjoys and works with great girls. Shona enjoys goingon holiday and plans to go on a cruise this year. Over theyears, she has helped on various committees within theMayfield area and enjoyed the time she helped on the galaday committee. A few of them are planning aNewbattle school reunion for 2009 as most of them willbe 50 this year.Eco-schools is an internationalinitiative which encourages pupils tolimit their school’s impact on theenvironment. Newbattle has held theBronze Award for some time and iscurrently striving towards achievingthe Silver Award. The recentlyformed Eco-School Pupil Committeehas carried out an environmentalreview of the school and identifiedEco Schoolsthree areas for improvement this term.Under the guidance of Miss Wynne, thecommittee hopes to decrease thevolume of litter that is dropped in theschool grounds, prevent unnecessaryenergy loss and provide access to plasticrecycling facilities. The committeemembers are working together to drawup an action plan that will outline howthese eco-improvements will beachieved. These pupils have showngreat decision-making skills and areclearly passionate about this cause. Thelong term goal of the committee is toachieve a Green Flag Award, the highestaward of the eco-schools programme.Our School of Ambition

Check out Your our Newbattle website Community at www.newbattle.org.ukHigh SchoolNEWBATTLEATTAINMENT & ACHIEVEMENTThings are hotting up!The 2009 SQA Examinations are a matter of 8 weeks away as I write this article. Prelim exams for S4, 5 and 6 areover and we have reported to parents on the results.The next step is to seriously estimate our candidates’ performance come the summer. The indications so far are verypositive and I am optimistic that we can meetour targets in most areas.We held our Parent Power Plus eveningrecently – the photograph shows parents inthe library learning about the examinationhelp available via the internet.The pupils themselves have been target-settingand have taken part in the Get In The Zoneworkshops during March.We all have a mountain of work to getthrough before the end of term – finishingcourses and assessment and preparingourselves for the start of the exams – the 5 thof May is Day 1.G. Moffat, Depute HeadteacherGood luck to all of our hard-working students – they can do it!NewbattleCommunity HighSchoolSCHOOL HOLIDAYSAll Resume 21st April 2009May Holiday 4th May 2009Victoria Day 18th May 2009In-Service Day 19th May 2009Term Ends 3rd July 2009Return to school 21st April 2009Your Our Newbattle School Community of Ambition High School...64 Easthouses RoadDalkeithMidlothianEH22 4EWTelephone 0131 663 4191Fax 0131 654 2611Email newbattle_ hs@midlothian.gov.ukwww.newbattle.org.uk