dates for your diary - Meldrum Academy

MELDRUM ACADEMY
Colpy Road, Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, AB51 0NT
Tel: 01651-871300 Fax: 01651-871313
Email: meldrum.aca@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
www: www.meldrumacademy.co.uk
log: www.meldrumacademy.org.uk.
NEWSLETTER : No 3 ~ Session 11/12
March 2012
Dear Parent / Carer
1.
CONTENTS:
Text Message Trial in English 21. U18 Rugby
2. Macmillian Cancer Award 22. Role Of The United Nations
3. National Farmhouse Breakfast Week 23. News from the Science Faculty
4. Girls Football 24. U14 Football
5. North Aberdeenshire School Sports
Association Cross Country
25. P7 Parent Open Evening
6. Caledonian Award 26. Parent Council News
7. Business Management News 27. Curriculum For Excellence
Appointments
8. Active Schools News 28. Exams, Revision and Study Leave
9. Health and Wellbeing Leaders 29. Options Choices in S2/S4/S5
10. Rotary Euroscola Presentation 30. S1 Famous Mathematician Project
11. Silver Duke of Edinburgh Mapping 31. Primary Risk:
12. Report from MAFA 32. Burns Supper 2012
13. Rotary Young Chef of the Year 2012
and Springboard Future Chef
33. Pass Scheme 2012
14. 'An Inspector Calls' 34. Newspaper CBC
15. Senior Paris Trip February 2012 35. PGDE Students/BP Student Tutoring
Scheme
16. Eco Group 36. CITB
17. UCAS 37. Schlumberger Banff & Buchan College
Engineering Challenge S2
18. Improving Spelling 38. News from the Library
19. Connections Caledonian Award
Residential Trip 2012
39. Rotary Club of Oldmeldrum Haddo
Easter Egg Hunt
20. Lord Sewel Visit March 2012 40. And finally ….. Message from the
Head Teacher & Dates for your Diary
1. TEXT MESSAGE TRIAL IN ENGLISH: MR GERARD (PT ENGLISH)
The English department are currently trialling a system of using text messages to alert
parents to overdue homework.
Where a pupil has missed both the initial deadline, and the opportunity to resubmit
homework on a date negotiated with their teacher, a text message will be sent to ask for
the support of parents in ensuring that the homework is completed by a specified date.

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As homework often focuses on the completion of coursework which contributes to the
pupil’s final award, it is essential that pupils keep up-to-date and maintain a high standard
of work.
We hope that this will keep parents up to speed more quickly than the current system of
homework letters. Obviously, due to the limited number of characters, a full explanation
of the nature of the work will not be possible.
Please contact the class teacher for further information if required.
2. MACMILLAN CANCER RELIEF: THE BIGGEST COFFEE MORNING IN THE
WORLD 2011: Mrs A Wyness
MACMILLIAN CANCER AWARD – 31 JANUARY 2012
Wow, all we did was to organise a coffee morning with some tasty bites and a raffle. We
have done this as a staff at Meldrum Academy since the school opened and enjoyed them
all.
On Tuesday, 31 st January, we had a wonderful surprise when we were presented with a
trophy for being the school to raise the most money (£602.25) in Aberdeenshire for this
worthwhile cause.
The active bakers were Mrs Benton, Mrs Mitchell, Miss Van der Hoven, Mrs Dunbar and
myself. The raffle was organised by Miss McLeod. Mrs Gray cheerfully helped as usual to
serve as it is all done during the morning break. All staff were willing supporters, happy to

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give and to consume for a good cause. (Mrs Benton and Mrs Mitchell were unable to attend
the presentation so were not in the photograph).
3. NATIONAL FARMHOUSE BREAKFAST WEEK 6 TH – 9 TH FEBRUARY 2012: Mrs A
Wyness
The week was a great success in raising awareness and reinforcing the benefits of eating
breakfast regularly.
The MAFA group counted out the Home Grown Cereals Association breakfast recipe books
for distribution to all pupils and staff before the week began.
Our willing and creative canteen staff did a great job of cooking up recipes to provide an
all day breakfast menu all week.
Catering superviser, Mrs Thomson, said “ First thing in the morning when the children
came into school, we gave them the choice of breakfast dishes from fruit porridge to
scrambled egg on toast. There was a good response from the pupils. At break time and
lunch time we made up fruit smoothies as well as every recipe from the breakfast recipe
book that went home to each pupil. We thought this might encourage them to use the
Shake up your Wake up recipe book as many of the pupils like to cook. It also gave the
pupils a chance to sample different dishes from the canteen.”
The pupils did get added value at the canteen during the week with generous support from
Mr Beaton, Barra eggs, Mr Davidson, sausages and £150 QMS meats, Mr Ross, bakery
goods and Mrs Sharon , TPS fruits and vegetables.
Remember the one meal not to be missed is BREAKFAST.

4. GIRLS FOOTBALL: Miss A Watson (Health Faculty)
Tues 21 st Feb Meldrum 5 - 0 Huntly
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From left to right:
Back Row: Miss Watson, Lois Mussett, Holly Grigor, Rhona Cummine,Sophie Bowie, Robyn
Duncan, Stephanie Lawson.
Front Row: Rhiannon Bell, Jazmin Abel, Leanna Stewart-Tait, Samantha Cunningham, Naomi
Hazlerigg.
5. NORTH ABERDEENSHIRE SCHOOL SPORTS ASSOCIATION CROSS COUNTRY
EVENT THE GORDON SCHOOLS, HUNTLY – THURSDAY 1 ST MARCH 2012: Ms
Watson
Well done to all who took part in the Cross Country at Huntly. There were approximately
45 competitors in each race with each older age groups running a slightly longer distance.
1 st and 2nd year Boys and Girls = 1330m
3 rd year Boys and Girls and S4,S5,S6 girls = 1830m
4th year and Senior Boys = 2330m
Particular well done to the top 5 finishers who are as follows;
Robbi Baird -2 nd / Andrew Peet – 5 th / Lukas Kennedy – 3 rd
Jessie Mathewson– 3 rd / Emily Low – 5 th / Stuart Anderson -3 rd
All runners should be congratulated on their effort and success. (Miss Watson)

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6. CALEDONIAN AWARD: MRS TEVENDALE AND MR THOMSON
As part of the Caledonian Award Mrs Tevendale and Mr Thomson are taking a group of S2
Connection pupils to stay overnight at Fyvie Girl Guides House in Turriff on 21 st March to
Thursday 22 nd. The plan is to walk round Fyvie Lake, Visit the Aquarium in MacDuff and go
for a walk along Cullen beach. More news to follow in the next Newsletter.
7. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT NEWS: Mrs Jessamine
Hi folks, I just wanted to give you an update regarding some of the activities which have
been taking place in our Business Management classes.
We have been really lucky this term to have in 3 fantastic speakers who have shown our
pupils that having a business qualification will be a great boon to them when they leave
Meldrum Academy.
Our pupils have been working extremely hard preparing for exams and speakers, especially
of the calibre that we have had in, really motivate the pupils to work harder and be the
best they can.
� The Importance of Finance in Business – Presented by Stuart Heslop
Stuart very kindly agreed to stay on after the S2 Events Management Conference and give
a presentation to S4-S6 Business Management pupils about the importance of finance and
cash flow to firms.
The presentation was extremely interesting and humorous and touched on many of the
elements which the pupils study within the Finance topic.
Stuart really made this topic ‘come alive’ and provided relevance to the pupils.
� Chris Lawson Visits S3 Business Management
Work and Charities.
On 8 February our S3
Business Management class
welcomed Chris Lawson the
Rugby Development at
Garioch Rugby Club.
Chris came in and spoke to
the class about his job at
the Rugby Club which
involves promoting rugby
and encouraging people to
come and try the sport. He
also spoke about initiatives
which Garioch Rugby Club
take part in and their
partnerships with bodies
such as the Police, Social

Chris spoke about how his degree in Sports Management helps him in his day to day work.
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S1 CBC News
After speaking to the S3 pupils, Chris then went and spoke to Mrs Cheyne’s S1 CBC group,
they were joined by 2 pupils from Mrs Jessamine’s CBC Group.
The pupils had prepared questions which Chris was happy to answer. They were
interviewing him as part of their S1 Newspaper project.
� Visit by Stuart Innes to S3 and S4 Business Management Classes
Stuart, who is part of the HR team at HMP Aberdeen visited our S3 and S4 classes on 15
February. His excellent presentation covered all aspects of the course and gave a great
insight into the operational workings of the modern prison service.
As with Chris Lawson, Stuart has helped our pupils to see the relevance of Business
Management and how having a knowledge and understanding of the subject will help them
in their future careers.
I would like to say a huge thank you to both Chris and Stuart and hope they will come back
and work with us again next year.
S2 Events Management Conference
January 20 th saw our S2 pupils become conference delegates as they attended our first
Events Management Conference. As part of Curriculum for Excellence pupils are
encouraged to undertake an introduction to business course in S1 and S2.
Our S2 pupils had prepared for the conference by learning about the importance of team
working, problem solving and logistics planning through undertaking a number of tasks
within class time. Our pupils had already thought about planning an event and what it could
entail before they attended the conference.

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Daniel Turner, Senior Lecturer in Events Management from RGU introduced the event and
set the scene by discussing some of the events he and his students have helped out with
and the importance of having ‘a plan’! Through the work of Stuart Heslop (RBS), pupils
were introduced to the concept of financial planning and the importance of working to a
budget; David Mutch (RBG/Stork) discussed Health and Safety and took the pupils
through a Risk Assessment. The how, the where and the when events could take place in
Meldrum Academy and its grounds were explained by Graeme Flood (Meldrum Academy
School Support Co-ordinator) and some of our S6 pupils led a ‘hands on’ workshop where
pupils came up with ideas for events.
Some of our pupils even became celebrities in the local newspapers!
The pupils had a great experience, and some of them even ended up appearing in the local
papers. Feedback was extremely positive and we are all looking forward to seeing what
type of Fair Trade event they will decide upon for their assessment which will take place
during this term.
The Faculty Staff had a great time and we are looking forward to next year’s event
already.
8. ACTIVE SCHOOLS NEWS
Contact details melanie.alexander@aberdeenshire.gov.uk. or 07917 5806250020
� Giant Heptathlon
For the second year running, Meldrum Academy sent a talented young group of athletes
along to the Active Schools Giant Heptathlon on 28 th February. 7 girls from S1 & S2 made
up the team who went along to Aberdeen Sports Village to take part in an exciting indoor
competition against academies from all over Aberdeenshire.
Emma Levitt, Isobel Knowles, Caitlin Crawford, Eilidh Mackintosh,
Megan Knight, Nicole Harper and Phoebe Lentell.
Unfortunately Meldrum didn’t come home as overall champions but the girls put in some
strong performances in individual events, particularly the shot putt and long jump. Other
events were the hurdles, triple jump, step ups, sprints and an endurance challenge.

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Senior pupil Kelly Bodley, who is also a Grampian Leader, Community Sports Leader and
Ellon AC athlete, assisted with a lunch time training programme in the run up to the event
and came along on the day to score the shot putt and support the team.
� LEAD 2014 Conference
Active Schools invited 8 of Meldrum’s Community Sports Leaders along to the LEAD 2014
Conference at Robert Gordon University on 8 th March. The conference was an educational
event for young adult volunteers and was attended by pupils from schools from within
Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire. On the day the 8 leaders took part in practical
workshops, discussions and good practice sharing sessions aimed at helping them plan and
deliver exciting events and festivals for younger children. Their attendance will also stand
them in good stead should any of them want to sign up to volunteer at the next
Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014, recruitment starts in 2013.
The leaders now have to plan an event to highlight and promote Glasgow 2014. With this in
mind Active Schools and the CSL’s will be hosting a sports hall athletics event on April 20 th
at Meldrum Academy for all P4’s in the network primary schools. The CSL’s will be asked to
plan, set up and deliver this event for 150 youngsters who will come along on the day to

take part in events such as javelin, speed bounce, sprint and long jump. A Commonwealth
theme is planned with schools being nominated a country to represent.
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� LEAD 2014 – RGU 8 TH MARCH 2012: (Hayley Dawson 6W and Rachel Lucken 6S)
Participants – Hayley Dawson, Scott Dawson, Rebecca Hines, Rachel Lucken, Jess Mckay,
Kirsty Mitchell, Luke Slattery
On the 8 th March members of the community sports leader course visited RGU sport to
take part in a Lead 2014 Workshop. This was run by the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and
aimed to increase our interest in the upcoming event and gave young leaders ideas to host
their own events to get the community involved. During the day, the young leaders were
taught communication skills and
motivational techniques which would
help involve young children and
increase their participation and
enjoyment. Throughout the day the
leaders took part in various games
and activities that they could adapt
to teach to younger people in their
local area. Other skills that the
young leaders developed were
confidence, motivation and
organisation. They also learned how
to adapt games to suit the ability of different peoples needs through equipment and team
work. The best part of the day was when we got a free t-shirt. The sports leaders now aim
to organise their own event in the next few months, using the skills that they have
learned… watch this space!
� Extra Curricular Activities
Senior pupil Jack Conn has had a helping hand this term to deliver the after school
basketball club. Kenny Gibb, Garioch Basketball, has supported the training sessions for six
weeks mentoring Jack who is keen to progress as a coach as well as a player. Jack has been
an inspiration to our youngsters and under his guidance the S2’s won the NASSA
basketball festival in February and also the Active Schools festival last November. As well
as supporting Jack, 16 pupils have benefitted from Kenny’s coaching skills on a weekly
basis.
The after school dance club has proved popular this term with girls from S1 – S6 attending
regularly. It finished on 5 th March but street dance tutor Lisa will be back for another
block on a Monday after the Easter holidays. Dates will be advertised in the PE
department.
Sadly a new lunchtime netball club never really got going as only a few girls turned up every
week. This was a big disappointment as we had both staff and pupil volunteers giving up
their free time to get a school team ready for festivals in April and June.
Fit for Girls funding has now finished and we are looking at revamping the programme
after the break. We are trying to get more girls active but in particular our senior girls.

Feedback from girls on what activities they would attend is welcome and would help us
provide new activities if the demand is there.
� Can you Help?
Active Schools is always looking for volunteers to help with their after school programme
and although Meldrum Academy currently has a comprehensive range of activities including
football, hockey, rugby and basketball, we would welcome any new activities. Volunteers
would be supported by school staff and training opportunities sourced for all volunteers
looking to further their qualifications. Please get in touch if you would like any further
information.
9. HEALTH AND WELLBEING LEADERS: Mrs Fraser (PT Health Faculty)
Pupils from Meldrum Academy met this month with pupils form schools across
Aberdeenshire to showcase health and wellbeing projects they have led in their schools.
This is the second year of Aberdeenshire Council's Health and Wellbeing Leaders
initiative, delivered in partnership with NHS Grampian and Aberdeenshire Alcohol and
Drug Partnership.
It aims to increase opportunities for young people to develop leadership skills and to
impact on their communities through projects resulting in improved health.
The pupils involved have been leading projects developing pupils' awareness of mental
health issues within the school. They include using
the SEE ME campaign and producing a survival guide for school leavers.
10. ROTARY EUROSCOLA PRESENTATION: George Bruce (S6, AH French)
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This year, after an interview process which involved answering questions in English and
French, I was lucky enough to be chosen by Oldmeldrum Rotary to go through to the final
selection for one of the 26 places for the Euroscola trip to Strasbourg.
The highlight of the trip was undoubtedly the Euroscola Day which took place in the
European Parliament. We took part in games revolving around knowledge of European
languages in groups with students from all over Europe, we took part in debates which
allowed us to discuss European issues which affected us all and get completely different
perspectives from members of our Europe-wide group. Following the debates, we got to
take part in another part of the democratic process: voting on the issues discussed in the

debates. Over the course of the day, I made friends from all over Europe with whom I
hope I will keep in contact.
The day was capped off with a ceilidh involving students we had met that day. It was a
wonderful opportunity to introduce students from all across Europe to aspects of our
culture.
The week provided an unparalleled opportunity to improve my language skills and
confidence, make many new friends and get a real insight into the role of the European
Union.
I am eternally grateful to both Meldrum Academy and Old Meldrum Rotary Club for this
opportunity.
11. SILVER DUKE OF EDINBURGH MAPPING SATURDAY 3 RD MARCH: Mrs S
Edwards
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Jamie Duncan, Rosie Rees, Siobhan Reid, Kieran Booth, Angus Phimister, Mary Williams and
Jenny Hamilton.
A couple of weeks back myself along with 34 of my fellow classmates proceeded in
completing our mapping day for our Silver Duke of Edinburgh award. We did this training
on Bennachie during a very wet and windy Saturday. We started with an orienteering
exercise which involved finding certain marker posts in forest using our mapping skills. We
were in our groups that we are going to do our final expedition in. After lunch in the
Bennachie centre we concluded our day by walking up to the top of Millstone hill. It was a
truly horrible day by the time we reached the top we could hardly see the person a metre
away from you. As a group we all enjoyed the day and did not let the weather spoil it, at
least there was no snow like last year.
I know a lot of us including myself really enjoy taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh award
so we see days like this as not only valuable experience for our final expedition, but also an

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enjoyable day with our friends. We all thoroughly enjoyed our day and it has made us even
more excited for both the practise and final expeditions.
12. REPORT FROM MAFA: Mrs Wyness
We have had a busy agenda this year so far with many interesting guest speakers and a
visit out to a local farm.
John Watt from Masstock came with lots of interesting plants, Mrs Ingram told us about
Robbie Burns farming life at our Burns supper lunch, Neil Smith explained how Ring Link
works, Stuart Presly enlightened us about pest control on farms, Neil Shand gave a history
of the growing Simmental Cattle Society and we saw prime Aberdeen Angus cattle,
machinery and fertilisers at our visit out to East Fingask farm where farmer, Willie Ritch,
showed us around. Our next visiting guest speaker, George Skinner, is coming with one of
his Clydesdale horses to show us and explain the power of the working horse.
We do realise how lucky we are to have the support of so many business people as they
make our lunch time meetings so worthwhile.
13. ROTARY YOUNG CHEF OF THE YEAR 2012 AND SPRINGBOARD FUTURE CHEF
2012: Mrs A Wyness
Georgie Ligertwood has been going the extra mile this term as she represented the school
and Meldrum Rotary Club first at Aberdeen College on the 4 th February. She cooked up a 3
course menu of Prawn and Spinach stuffed Red Pepper, Roast Pheasant, Apple sauce,
Broccoli and Carrot, Sautéed Potatoes and Chocolate Orange Mini Pavlovas. The winner was
from Charleston Academy in Inverness and goes to the final in London.

Then on the 1 st March she represented Meldrum Academy at Inverness College for the
Springboard Future Chef competition. She was mentored by restaurant owner and chef
Norman Mundie from the Fjiord Inn and cooked a two course menu of Chicken stuffed
with Black Pudding and rolled in Bacon, Cox’s Apple and Parsley Sauce, Ribbons of
Courgette and Carrot, Bashed Potato and Chives, Trio of Meringue Nests with Orange
Cream and Chocolate Sauce. The winner was from Ardnamurchen and goes to the final in
London.
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Georgie has gained from both the competition experiences and enjoyed representing her
school and meeting successful chefs who have given her positive feedback. Well done
Georgie.
14. 'AN INSPECTOR CALLS': by Teagan Limer and Mhairi Rutledge
On the 29th of February, forty-two pupils from S4 upwards took a trip to His Majesty's
Theatre to further our understanding of the play 'An Inspector Calls'.
'An Inspector Calls' is a dramatic play written by J.B. Priestley which has been recently
revived by award-winning director, Stephen Daldry. Set in 1912, a seemingly innocent upper
class family are shaken by the revelation of events which lead to a morbid suicide.
Mysterious Inspector Goole unexpectedly arrives at the Birlings' home to investigate the
family's role in Eva Smith's suicide. His questioning unveils the responsibility which each
member of the Birling family - including Gerald Croft - has in the suicide.
It was interesting to watch the play in action after weeks of studying the script in class.
The atmosphere in the theatre elevated the brilliant performance by all of the characters.
We recommend it to anybody as you'll be surprised by the comedic aspect of such a
storyline.
15. SENIOR PARIS TRIP FEBRUARY 2012
After a busy day of school on Thursday 9th February, we all arrived at Aberdeen train
station in the evening to meet Ms Yule and Mrs Sayers to head off to Paris. Once we’d
endured a long night on the train, we arrived in a snowy London to get the Eurostar to
Paris. It was a huge relief when we got to Paris eventually and we headed straight onto the

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Metro (one of quite a few journeys on there) to get to our Hotel, Losserand Montparnasse.
The hotel was lovely and our rooms were nice too.
After a quick change, we went out to the Metro again and headed to Notre Dame
Cathedral. It was very sunny, however it was quite cold. Notre Dame was beautiful and
there was such a calm and peaceful atmosphere inside. Once we had spent some time
there, we went for a wander to the Latin Quarter and found somewhere to eat. After we
had our tea – there was some interesting meals on offer, we had a look around some shops,
then arrived back to our hotel after another trip on the Metro.
The following day we were up and off to L’Opera Garnier to see a beautiful Opera house
which is home to The Phantom of the Opera. This was followed by a trip to a huge shopping
centre called Galaries Lafayette where we had a chance to shop and we got our lunch.
Afterwards we took another journey on the Metro and had a short walk to the Eiffel
Tower; Ms Yule was panicking at this point, as we were running a little late for our
allocated time slot, but never the less we got there on time. It was really sunny the whole
time we were in Paris, but it didn’t bring heat- as we found out whilst waiting to go up and
then come down the Eiffel Tower! We got such a lovely view at the top however. This was
then followed by a walk back to the Metro for a quick journey to the Champs Elysees. Btu
it wasn’t as easy as that – we just about got caught up in a protest for Bull Fighting, but
JUST managed to get by the side of it and got there in the end. When we got to the
Champs Elysees, we went for tea, where we got a lovely meal (Pizza) and then headed to
the Cinema to watch Sherlock Holmes. The screen we were in was tiny – about 8 seats in a
row and maybe only 12 rows?! It was quite late when we got out, so we headed back to the
hotel.
Sunday morning soon came and we were soon away to Pantheon, where we had a bit of
bother trying to get in, however once we managed, it was a lovely inside! We then walked to
Rue Mouffetard, which was a lovely little square where we were left to find our lunch-
croque monsieur’s were a big hit! After this we too the metro to the Musée d'Orsay which
was a big art gallery and we stayed there for a while. Then it wasn’t long before we were
off again and heading to the Louvre. This of course is where we found the very famous
Mona Lisa! Along with all the other stunning art work. Our evening was full of laughs once
again, and we loaded a boat for a cruise along the Seine. This was lovely and we saw some
of the sights we visited, like the Eiffel Tower and when it was all lit up and for 10-15
minutes sparkling – was beautiful. After this, we went to get our tea along one of the
streets we had been to before and had a fine meal. On departure of the restaurant, we
were looking at the menu and saw some…interesting translations!
Monday soon arrived and this was our last day in Paris. But not before we had visited Les
Invalides, which was a war museum where Napoleon – King of France was buried. His coffin
was massive and very grand, it was lovely too see this. Sadly this was the last place we
visited, which was followed by a journey back to our hotel, where we got our suitcases and
headed to the metro (for the final time) and arrived at Gare Du Nord, which is where we
waited and got the Euro Star back to London.
I think it’s fair to say we all had a wonderful time and Paris and wouldn’t change any of it.
All the laughs we had and good times we had won’t be forgotten anytime soon I’m sure!

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16. ECO GROUP: Mrs Rees-Jenkins
Another successful winter has been completed by the Eco Group. Thank you to everyone
who has bought fat balls and fed the birds; please remember to do it for the rest of the
year. The group have been sweeping the school and checking energy usage- please see our
graph. The school community have been improving their energy usage- keep it up! The litter
pick is going ahead on the 28 th of April at 10am, meeting at the front of the school. We
need as many people as possible, and Greggs the bakers are sponsoring us by providing free
fine pieces. We need all your support so please come along. We are in the process of
compiling local-grown recipes for our cookbook. If anyone has any ideas or good
suggestions for local healthy recipes please send them to us at
ima07rodgersj@meldrumacademy.aberdeenshire.sch.uk. Over the holidays why not have a
think about designing a logo, as we’ll be launching our Eco logo competition after the
holidays. Have a wonderful Easter holiday and our top tip for Easter is: be kind to chickens
and buy organic free-range!
17. UCAS – KEEPING PARENTS INFORMED: Mrs MacLeod (PT Pastoral Care)
UCAS is the national body through which applications are made for university. Support is
available from UCAS for parents as follows;
o You can sign up for monthly e-newsletters at www.ucas.com/parentform and receive
a copy of the Parent Guide
o Unravel the myths of what a place at uni means financially at the Independent
Taskforce’s website www.studentfinance2012.com
o Watch ‘How to’ video guides at www.ucas.tv for a step-by-step look at the
application process.
o Got a question? ‘Like’ the UCAS Facebook page and ask the experts
www.facebook.com/ucasonline
o Follow UCAS on Twitter and tweet the team www.twitter.com/ucas_online

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Support for pupils is available through the Pastoral Care team. This will include help on
registering with UCAS, help in completing the in-line application, advice on writing a
personal statement and help in researching ideas and courses. We also arrange a session
with staff from either Aberdeen University or RGU on personal statement writing and
offer the pupils the chance to visit the Higher Education Convention held in Aberdeen
every September where the pupils get the chance to speak directly to admissions officers
from individual institutions and also get a presentation from UCAS on the application
process.
The Pastoral Care team are here to help with any concerns you may have about the
process. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
18. IMPROVING SPELLING: Miss Massie (PT Social Subjects)
In Social Subjects, Class 1.3 and Miss Massie have been working with Miss Bruce with the
aim of improving spelling.
Pupils have been learning the skills needed to learn the spelling of new vocabulary in Social
Subjects however these skills can be used in any subject class to improve spelling. Pupils
were given the learning intention ‘I have the skills to learn to spell subject specific
vocabulary’ and Miss Bruce, Teacher of ASN, took the class through a whole range of
methods to develop these skills. These included using senses and colour when spelling out
words correctly. Each week 1.3 are given a list of at least 10 words associated with the
unit they are working on which they have to learn to spell properly. Every Friday, time is
set aside for the spelling test to take place. There has been a marked improvement with
the spelling of subject specific vocabulary and the number of pupils who receive full marks
or close to full marks has been increasing every week. Well done 1.3 and thank you Miss
Bruce for your help and support.

19. CONNECTIONS CALEDONIAN AWARD RESIDENTIAL TRIP 2012: Mr N
Thomson (ASN Faculty)
On March 21 st and 22 nd 5 pupils from the Academy’s Connections base attended a
residential trip as part of the Caledonian Award.
S2 pupils Morgan McKenzie, Jack Sim and Meghan Weston along with Crystal James and
Kyle Watson from S1 accompanied by Mrs Tevendale and Mr Thomson from the ASN
Faculty enjoyed the glorious weather.
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The group stayed at the Guide house in Fyvie and visited several places of interest. High
marks were given to the Macduff Marine Aquarium and the pupils were introduced to life
below the North Sea by a qualified guide Tracy, who was impressed by the children’s
knowledge and enthusiasm. All the pupils saw this as a highlight of the trip and Meghan and
Jack enjoyed touching the fish.
The pupils also played football on Banff Links and Mr Thomson gave a master class in stone
skimming. The pupils also visited the Duff House grounds where they posed for photos and
visited the Ice House.
On return to Fyvie, the group took a walk around the grounds of Fyvie Castle, where geese,
swans, ducks and coots could be seen swimming on the lake. Crystal particularly liked Fyvie
Castle and took a lot of photos.
In the evening the pupils prepared and made their own pizzas from scratch. Morgan and
Kyle particularly liked this. Imaginations got the better of the pupils as night progressed
as spooky sounds were fuel for their already excited minds.
Day 2 began with Mr Thomson’s famous cooked breakfast and the long drive to Cullen. A
super day which included a walk and lunch on the beach followed by ice cream saw all the
pupils comment on what a good time they had had on the trip.
The drive back to Meldrum saw a quick stop at the Maiden stone to see a bit of Scottish
History and then the short drive back to school.
Overall the trip was a splendid success and all the children were a credit to Meldrum
Academy. Here’s to next year’s trip.
20. LORD SEWEL VISIT MARCH 2012: Miss Massie (PT Social Subjects)
Higher Politics and Higher and Advanced Higher Modern Studies pupils welcomed the visit
of Lord Sewel to Meldrum Academy. After getting a tour of the school and questioning
junior classes on the differences between a democracy and a dictatorship he sat down
with senior pupils to give a talk and Q and A session about the corridors of power at
Westminster and the scrutiny function of the House of Lords. Pupils learned about the
effectiveness of the 2 nd chamber when passing legislation and scrutinising the work of
government departments as well as how its functions can be seen to compare more
favourably than with the Senate and House of Representatives in the USA. The visit was
arranged through the Peers in Schools Programme.

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21. U18 RUGBY: George Bruce (U18 Captain)
This season has been one of the most successful and enjoyable for the Meldrum Academy
Rugby team. Following a slow start due to weather, Meldrum gained early success through
an U18s win in the Garioch Schools 7s Plate and a 3 rd place finish for the U16 in the
Garioch Schools Cup. The enthusiastic team went forward to win a three-way 10s
tournament against Banff and Turriff, outplaying both teams with quick-paced, fluid rugby.
To assist with very low numbers for Inverurie and Kemnay Rugby teams, Meldrum Academy
formed a hybrid outfit. The addition of first team Inverurie and Kemnay players John
Stewart, Gavin McKenzie and Kieran Ewan created a much stronger Garioch Schools team.
The team had an impressive streak in the Brewin-Dolphin Cup with an emphatic win over
Turriff before a much tighter game against an impressive Ellon side. The team reached
the final of the competition, unfortunately losing out to Moray Schools whose onedimensional
rugby made it impossible for Meldrum to play flowing rugby.
Although that was the end of the Inverurie-Kemnay-Meldrum partnership, it was be no
means the end of the season and the Meldrum team, albeit slightly weaker without the
additional players, took part in Northern Schools competition. The first game was another
big win for Meldrum, and another big lose for Turriff, this time at the margin of around
88 points to nil. Although the score line reflects badly on the Turriff boys, this was a
much better squad than lost out to Garioch Schools in the Brewin-Dolphin Cup.
However, success in this competition was to be limited as Meldrum met a very strong
Robert Gordon’s College side in the quarter finals of the competition. Although the
Meldrum team were out played, the underdogs (with only four club rugby players) gave
100% effort throughout the game, playing disruptive rugby and upsetting the flow of the
RGC team.

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Despite the end of season loss, the Meldrum Academy team have come on leaps and bound
over the course of the season. As the majority of the team is still in the lower half of the
senior age group, this success should continue over the next few seasons as top players
such as Jamie Gillan and Liam Cousins come to prominence.
Unfortunately, the team will have to say goodbye to both Captain and Vice Captain, Gregor
and George Bruce (no relation) and I’m sure they will be sorely missed.
22. ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS: Miss Lynn Massie (PT Social Subjects)
Dr Trudy Fraser, a post doctoral research fellow at the United Nations University, Tokyo
recently visited Meldrum Academy to speak to two fourth year Modern Studies classes
about the changing role of
the United Nations. She
gave a presentation about
how the United Nations has
found it increasingly difficult
to deal with international
peace and security across the
world and what changes need
to be made in order to
become more effective. She
also took part in a question
and answer session with the
pupils and spoke about her
job with the United Nations.
Her talk was beneficial to
pupils as they have recently studied alliances and international peace and security. Trudy
is happy for any pupils to contact her with questions about the United Nations, whether it
be about the role of the United Nations or about careers at the United Nations at
fraser@unu.edu.
23. NEWS FROM THE SCIENCE FACULTY: Mrs Martin (PT Science Faculty)
� SCI-FUN ROADSHOW 2012
Meldrum Academy Science Faculty were happy to welcome the SCI-FUN Road show on
Monday 19 th and Tuesday 20 th of March 2012. The road show was sponsored by Edinburgh
University and funded by Opito and was geared towards S1 pupils.
The road show consisted of around 30 exhibits which the youngsters had the opportunity
of using to help them develop knowledge of the everyday applications of Science and
Technology.
Some pupils commented:
“The Sci-fun road show was fun and exciting because there were lots of experiments to
do. It was really interesting and I learned a lot about the world of Science. ”
“I liked the optical illusions best!”

“There was a good range of experiments to try. My favourite was riding the bike to see
how power I could produce.”
“I think the road show should come again because it was interesting, educational and fun
for everyone”.
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The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the experience and we hope to have the team visit again in
the future.
� UK SPACE DESIGN COMPETITION
Meldrum Academy have been successful for the 2 nd year running in being the only Scottish
school to be selected to compete at the UK finals of the Space Design Competition at
Imperial College London. To get to the final, the team of 12 students constructed a 10
minute unedited video showing their design ideas for a space settlement on the moon to
accommodate a family of four. The design brief for the final was not given out until the
weekend of the competition but the team were given the indication that they would be
designing a settlement on a much larger scale.
On the run up to the competition, the students got some guidance from graduate engineers
from TOTAL who also provided funds to help with travel costs. Further funding was also
given by BP, Meldrum and Bourtie Parish Church and Morrisons Inverurie who allowed the
youngsters to carry out a bag pack on Christmas Eve.
The competition final involved 13 competing schools amalgamating to form 4 companies
each comprising of 40 students.
“The team of 12 Meldrum Academy students blasted off from Aberdeen airport to London
Gatwick. During the journey, 70 years rocketed by as the team arrived in London in the
year 2082 when a new element Reardonium had been discovered on the planet Mercury.
The teams had the job of designing a settlement for 10,000 permanent workers and 500
transient visitors on surface of the planet. For this to be feasible, many problems had to
be solved such as temperature extremes, structural and engineering problems and the
health of inhabitants. To conquer these problems, teams work together from 11am on the
Saturday morning until around 7am on Sunday morning. The technical brief and design was
then presented to a panel of 13 space engineers and dignitaries who then judged the
designs. The Meldrum team, part of Grumbo Aerospace, did extremely well but were
pipped at the post by Dougledyne-Fletchel who won the competition. 12 students from the
winning team were then selected to go on and represent the UK at the International finals
at NASA Houston.”
“We had an amazing time at the Space competition. Having to work together within a large
team of people I didn’t know was really challenging. I really had to use my maths and
science knowledge as well as dealing with many problems relating to engineering. It was
stressful at times but definitely an experience I would recommend other students to get
involved with.”

24. U14 FOOTBALL: Miss A Watson (Health Faculty)
Warren Anderson Managing Director of G.O.T Ltd has kindly sponsored the Meldrum
Academy u14 Boys team with new kits.
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Back Row: Miss Watson, Mrs Bremner, Josh Anderson, Lukas Kennedy (coach), Kyle
Smillie, Ruairidh Cole, Kris Benzie, Luke Galea Pace, Ronan Duff, Owain Thomas, Jack Bell
(coach), Matthew Tewnion, Mr Warren Anderson.
Front Row: Ross Hughes, James Low, Jonathan Leidland, Will Reed, Alex Wilkinson, Hogan
Ruddell.
25. P7 PARENT OPEN EVENING: Mr Martindale (Depute Head Teacher)
In January the school welcomed parents of the incoming S1 for session 2012-13. Mr Travis
gave a presentation on what Meldrum Academy is about and then Mr Matindale talked
about the primary-secondary transition process and the care that is taken to ensure that
this is as smooth and supportive as possible. The undoubted highlight of the evening was
the tours given by our current S1 pupils, as one parent said “they just tell it as they see it”
and another commented “I wouldn’t have been confident to do that when I was their age.
There will be another P7 Parent information evening on Wednesday 13 June (day 2 of the
P7 Induction).
26. PARENT COUNCIL NEWS
The Parent Council see one of their main roles as communicating with Parents and
encouraging and enabling them to support their children’s education.
We have been discussing aspects of the Curriculum for Excellence and all the changes that
this is bringing about. In recent meetings we have also discussed the school’s child
protection procedures and exam results. We would welcome all interested parents to
contact the Parent Council and give it a try. If you are interested you can leave your name
at the school office and we will get back to you.
� PHIL AND ALY CONCERT
One very practical way to support the school and which can involve a larger number of
parents and staff is through fundraising activities. As part of the Meldrum Academy 10 th
Anniversary Celebrations the Parent Council have arranged for Aly Bain and Phil

22
Cunningham to play in the school on Saturday 15 September 2012. Critics have described
them as ‘Simply the best traditional musicians you are ever likely to hear’. Tickets will be
available soon and are bound to sell quickly.
We know that many parents and carers want to support the school in a practical way and
find it difficult to get along to meetings. Over the next few months we will have events
where we need extra help. If you would like to offer your support, as and when needed,
then please contact the Parent Council Vice-Chair, Heather Mullan, through the school
office.
� SHOP ONLINE AND RAISE MONEY FOR MELDRUM ACADEMY PARENT COUNCIL
Have you heard about easyfundraising yet? It’s the easiest way to help raise money for
Meldrum Academy Parent Council! If you already shop online with retailers such as
Amazon, M&S, Argos, John Lewis, Comet, Vodafone, eBay, Boden and Play.com, then we
need you to sign up for free to raise money while you shop!
So how does it work?
You shop directly with the retailer as you would normally, but if you sign up to
http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/mapc for free and use the links on the
easyfundraising site to take you to the retailer, then a percentage of whatever you spend
comes directly to us at no extra cost to yourself.
How much can we raise?
Spend £100 with M&S online or Amazon and you raise £2.50 for us. £100 with WH Smith
puts £2.00 in our pocket and so on. There are over 2,000 retailers on their site, and some
of the donations can be as much as 15% of your purchase.
Save money too!
easyfundraising is FREE to use plus you'll get access to hundreds of exclusive discounts
and voucher codes, so not only will you be helping us, you’ll be saving money yourself.
So please help us to raise funds by signing up now (before your Christmas shopping starts!)
at is http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/mapc and start making a
difference...simply by shopping.
� HOW CAN PARENTS SUPPORT LEARNING? TOP TIPS BY PARENTS FOR
PARENTS SHARING, PLANNING AND LEARNING!
§ Listen, talk, share and encourage – this has a big influence on children's learning
§ Do things together – learn together and have fun together
§ Praise effort
§ Encourage a ‘can do’ approach – ‘give it a try, you might just like it’
§ Help them to respect others
§ Talk to them about their strengths and interests, and help them make choices
based on these
§ Find out what learning is happening at school and do what you can at home to build
on that
� PARENTZONE
The Learning and Teaching Scotland website has a Parentzone with support and
information about being at school in Scotland; from starting school to leaving and

everything in between. There are very good sections about the changes that will be
introduced under the Curriculum for Excellence and a lot of information about getting
involved with your child’s school.
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27. CURRICULUM FOR EXCELLENCE APPOINTMENTS: Mr Travis (Head Teacher)
During this term the school has been able to release teachers from their regular duties to
undertake some whole school tasks that are part of the Curriculum for Excellence
programme. This work will continue through the summer term.
Ms Scerbo and Ms Perk have been continuing to develop Literacy across the school and
have devised some new strategies for teachers to use. Mr Wright and Mrs Smart have
been undertaking Numeracy work and are looking into the application of Numeracy skills in
other faculties apart from Maths. Miss Drummond has been looking at how the school can
move forward in getting pupils to review their learning and plan the next steps and Mr Hay
will look at ICT solutions for doing this. Mr Coutts has been carrying out an audit of where
the school is in covering the experiences and outcomes.
Meanwhile the faculties in the school are starting to plan ahead for the new courses in S3
for session 2012-13. This is key work for our school as we move forward with the
implementation of the Curriculum for Excellence.
28. EXAMS, REVISION AND STUDY LEAVE: Mr S Smith (Depute Head Teacher)
The S4 exams start with Standard Grade Computing Studies on Wednesday 25 April.
The last day of classes for S4 pupils will be on Monday 23 April. The school organises
the practical section of the Standard Grade Art exam, this will be held in school on
Tuesday 24 April.
The S5 exams start with Information Systems on Thursday 3 May. Consequently the
last day of classes for S5 & S6 pupils will be on Tuesday 1 May.
See the very useful SQA website www.sqa.org.uk
Exam timetable – please note that, for some exams, the times may be adjusted
slightly for Meldrum Academy to fit in with school transport. The ‘Meldrum
Exam Timetable’ will be posted on the school website.
Free past paper (and answer) downloads are available for most subjects.
Look at the ‘Learner Services – School Learners’ for help and advice.
There are a range of handy links to revision resources on the school website at:
http://www.meldrumacademy.co.uk/Links/PupilLinks.htm
Over the remaining weeks faculties from across the school will be supporting pupils
through class work focussing on getting ready for the exams. Additional study sessions
take place across the school, either timetabled on a regular basis or on a drop in basis.
This is the time for pupils to do past papers, learn their notes, try questions and find out
those areas in which they need extra help, then go along to a teacher and get that extra
help.
All S5/6 students return to school on Wednesday 6 June.

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29. OPTIONS CHOICES IN S2/S4/S5: Mrs Prosser/Mr Horberry (Depute Head
Teachers)
Almost all pupils have now returned their forms and only a handful will have to look again at
their lowest priority to choose another subject. Where staffing permits additional
classes have been added to ensure pupil need is met.
30. S1 FAMOUS MATHEMATICIAN PROJECT: Mr Reid (PT Maths)
As part of their coursework in maths, S1 pupils have completed a Famous Mathematician
project.
Pupils were required to:
� Work together in a small group
� Select a famous person who has influenced the world of mathematics
� Conduct an investigation on the chosen person
� Note the sources of information used
� Plan and produce a powerpoint presentation to report the group’s findings
The overall standard of work produced was very good and a winning presentation was
chosen for each class. From these, two overall winners were chosen and these
presentations were shown and prizes awarded at a special S1 assembly.
Congratulations to the winners:
� Findlay Grant, Natascha Juszczak, Lucy Gray
for their presentation on Sir Isaac Newton.
Pythagoras: He is famous for the Pythagoras Theorem
Sir Isaac Newton: He discovered gravity by
watching an apple drop from a tree.
� Chloe Moir / Grace McClelland / Gregor Phimister
& Alex Ryan for Pythagoras.

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31. PRIMARY RISK: Mrs Prosser (Depute Head Teacher) & Cluster Primaries
Following on the success of our skills based RISK CBC (Research and Investigative Skills)
considerable work has been undertaken by colleagues in the Cluster to provide an
introduction in the last term of P7. Pupil booklets will then be transferred to the academy
in the summer ready for the pupils to build on their skills as they enter S1.
32. BURNS SUPPER 2012: Mr Horberry (Depute Head Teacher)
The annual Meldrum Academy Burns Supper was held on 19
January this term. Staff, 6th year pupils and invited guests
from the Parent Council and Meldrum Rotary Club were treated
to a fabulous evening of traditional Scottish food, song, dance
and word. This year's event was slightly different however, as
the whole evening was planned, organised and presented by the
pupil Events Committee. From organising the speakers and
speeches to decorating the hall and setting out the seating plan,
this was all the work of senior pupils who used their boundless
energy, enthusiasm leadership and persuasive skills coupled with their organisational and
administrative skills to ensure the evening went without a hitch. The Head Girl steered the
entertainment throughout the evening with her polished "master of ceremonies"
performance and the Head Boy took the mantle of the Immortal Memory to the Great
Bard.
A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all. Well done to the 6th Year!
33. PASS SCHEME 2012: Mr Horberry (Depute Head Teacher)
The Pupil Attainment Support Strategies Scheme (PASS) has started its 4th year run this
term. This is a scheme where teaching staff give up their own time to mentor, coach,
support 4th pupils in their run up to the crucial exams in May. This year over 40 pupils are
being mentored and developing revision strategies to help them prepare for the exams.
These include preparing revision timetables, creating mind maps, completing past papers or
simply talking through their concerns with a teacher in a confidential and supportive
environment. Mr Horberry has met with the parents of the pupils on the scheme, mentors
and pupils and is confident that, as in previous years, every single pupil involved will show
an improvement in their grades from the prelim exams. Thanks to all staff and parents for
supporting the scheme.
34. NEWSPAPER CBC: Mrs Prosser (Depute Head Teacher) & Mrs Ingram (Librarian)
We were extremely fortunate to once gain welcome Craig Walker (Deputy Editor Evening
Express) his colleague Lindsay Watling (Reporter P&J) who came to the Academy to speak
to all S1 pupils about their careers in journalism and how they got their current posts.
Pupils enjoyed the talk and are hopefully inspired to write articles for their own
newssheets which will be displayed in the Library over the Easter holidays and judges by
Craig and Lindsay.
35. PGDE STUDENTS/BP STUDENT TUTORING SCHEME: Mrs Prosser (Depute Head
Teacher)
A number of students have enjoyed placements in Art, ASN, Modern Languages, Social
Subjects and Science this session. These young men and women in early years of their

profession bring much to the pupil experience and we are grateful to them all for their
input.
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36. CITB: Mrs Wilson (PT Pastoral Care)
CITB Scotland came into school for a morning to spend time with our S4 & S5's looking
into and discussing all the different jobs within the construction industry. The pupils
really enjoyed these sessions and were surprised and impressed with the different jobs
and apprenticeships available to them within the construction industry. They came away
looking into new areas of work and eager to find out more about apprenticeships in
construction in this area. They will also be given a chance to sit the CITB test which can
help them find the right type of apprenticeship.
37. SCHLUMBERGER BANFF & BUCHAN COLLEGE ENGINEERING CHALLENGE S2:
Mrs Wilson (PT Pastoral Care)
Schlumberger alongside Banff and Buchan College have been spending time at Meldrum
Academy with our S2 pupils. The aim of the competition is to encourage youngsters to get
interested and involved in Engineering from a young age. The competition consists of 3
stages:
Classroom heats - where the whole class compete against each other, this year the
challenge was to build a model car with a working motor and get the vehicle to go as quickly
as possible. From each heat we had one winning boy and one winning girl. Each were
presented with a prize.
Year Group Semi-final - where the winners from each class competed against each other
to build a working motor from a drawing and also took a written test to find out their
general knowledge.
At this stage we have 2 winners both from Telford House Rhiannon Bell and Blair Craigen.
These two will go forward to the final on the 25th of May at Banff and Buchan College
where they will compete against 7 other schools from the area to win the trophy and a
prize (last years winners won an iPad2 each!) The pressure is on - as Meldrum won last
year and we need to retain our trophy - Good Luck guys!
38. NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY: Mrs M Ingram (Librarian)
� GRAMPIAN CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD (GCBA) – Jessica Hay (1W1)
S1s and S2s from Meldrum Academy are participating in the GCBA (Grampian Children’s
Book Award). There are three different parts to this competition. The main one is to
read any of the books from the shortlist and then vote for your favourite book. If you
would like to get more involved in the competition then there are two further activities
you can do. The first is to design a poster about your book from the shortlist as if it were
a film. The second is to write a book review about your favourite shortlisted book.
After the closing date there will be an awards ceremony on the 16 th May 2012 at Aberdeen
University. All winners will be announced at this ceremony and the author of the winning
shortlisted book will give a speech.

Shortlist 2012
Boys Don’t Cry by Malorie Blackman / Red Fever by Caroline Clough
Annexed by Sharon Dogar / Quarry by Ally Keenen / Agent 21 by Chris Ryan
27
� Rhymetime in the library for pre-school children
Academy pupils taking part in a Babysitting group came along to watch and hear the types
of rhymes and actions we use in storytelling session for pre-school children. This will be
developed at other Rhymetimes when the pupils involved will be choosing and delivering
stories to the children. This will help the pupils develop the use of practical skills in
storytelling and working with small children. This is an ideal opportunity for the
community library to bring together some of the different groups that use the library and
show how we can work together.
� World Book Day – How do you take your book?
Books now come in Hardback, paperback, e-book, and audio book accessible from the
library, your home or on the move.
On Thursday March 1 st w we highlighted to visitors some of the new digital technologies the
library is now using. This included a chance to meet and talk with some of the
Aberdeenshire Libraries IT staff who demonstrated the digital library and the use of the
different devices that you can use to read or listen to books.
These include e-books, I-pads, I-phone, I-pods and android phones. They explained how to
access these from home and download books through the Overdrive software.
If you want more information on these please come along to the library or visit the
website at http://aberdeenshirelibraries.lib.overdrive.com
� World Book Day Quiz
All classes who visited the library on WBD took part in a quiz and a word search. There
were 3 quizzes at various levels and some pupils did all 3 and the word search. Prizes were
awarded to Kieran Webster 1T1, Alasdair Glen 1G1, Callum Barclay 1T1, Emma Barry 1T1.
If you didn’t get the chance to take part in the quiz these can be found on GLOW in the
� Meldrum Community Library
As a community library we are open for use by the academy and members of the public. We
offer activities for the whole family including :-
� Rhymetime for Babies, Toddlers & Pre School Children - Monday morning every
fortnight from 10.00am.
� The Reading Group meets on the first Thursday of the month at 6.30pm. We are a
friendly informal group of people who enjoy reading and talking about books.
� Friends Group - first Tuesday of each month at 2.00 - 3.00pm. There will be a variety
of speakers/activities/discussions with refreshments available.
� Family History Drop In - Last Tuesday every month at 6.30 - 7.30pm.

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� Terrific Tuesdays - Family Learning Activities every Tuesday from 5.00pm - Contact
the library for details
For more information on Meldrum Library contact 01651 871307 or visit
www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/libraries
We are open
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9.00 – 19.30
Wednesday and Friday 9.00 – 17.00
Saturday 10.00 - 13.00
39. ROTARY CLUB OF OLDMELDRUM HADDO EASTER EGG HUNT:
HADDO COUNTRY PARK, TARVES SUNDAY, 8TH APRIL 2012 ~ 10am –
3pm: Ray Walker (President)
The Rotary Club of Oldmeldrum have been organising this great family event for ten years.
Last year more than three thousand people enjoyed the entertainment and fun so we will
expect to have a least the same amount of local and visiting families to turn out to enjoy
themselves, and join in the search for the 1,500 wooden eggs which are hidden around the
park and other events planned throughout the day. There will be many opportunities for
children to enjoy painting, face painting, rolling eggs, taking part in decorated egg
competitions and generally having family fun. We will also be putting up the Shelterbox
tent which so many of your pupils found so interesting this year.
The Rotary Club of Oldmeldrum is very pleased to have not only the support of Lord
Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Council, but also the many local volunteers who play a large
part in ensuring that local and visiting families have a tremendous day out.
40. AND FINALLY………Mr Andrew Travis (Head Teacher)
Well, here we are at end of a long twelve week term and the sun is shining. Thankfully the
weather has been exceptionally kind and we have not had a ‘snow day’ since December
2010. This term is the ‘powerhouse’ of the school year and we use it to get learning on the
fast track, get assignments in on time and, most importantly, to make sure that we are all
ready for the SQA exams in May. For pupils about to sit exams this is a key time, when
hard work revising will pay dividends. My advice is to draw up a revision timetable with
sensible balance of study and relaxation – and then stick to it. Do the work now and go
confidently into the exam!
As well as everyone working very hard this term you will see that the school continues to
flourish in so many different ways. The range of visitors coming into our school, the
numerous sporting endeavours, the developments in learning, the trips out of school, the
debates, the competitions and the concerts; these all show what a creative and
adventurous school we have. Again my thanks go out to everyone involved in making
Meldrum Academy special.
I wish everyone a most enjoyable holiday.

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DATES FOR YOUR
DIARY
APRIL
Monday 16 All pupils return to school after Easter holiday
S3 Exams Begin
Monday 23 S4 Last Day - Leavers Afternoon Tea
Tuesday 24 S4 Study Leave/Exams Start
Wednesday 25 Start of SQA Exams 2012
Thursday 26 S4-S6 Sports Day
Friday 27 S3 Exams End
MAY
Tuesday 1 S5/6 Leavers Afternoon Tea
Wednesday 2 S5/6 Study Leave (provisional) /Exams Start
Monday 7 MAY DAY HOLIDAY
Thursday 24 Whole School Sports Day
Wednesday 30 Activities Day
Thursday 31 Activities Day
Friday 1
JUNE
End of Study Leave (Seniors) – return to school Wednesday 6/6/11
Monday 4 OCCASIONAL HOLIDAY
Tuesday 5 QUEEN’S DIAMOND JUBILEE HOLIDAY
Wednesday 6 S2/S3/S4/S5/S6 New Timetable - Pupils return from Study leave
S3 Reports to Parents
Friday 8 End of SQA Exams 2012
Tuesday 12 P7 Induction
Wednesday 13 P7 Induction
P7 Information Evening –Assembly Hall & whole school (7.00-9.00pm)
Thursday 14 P7 Induction
Thursday 21 Awards Ceremony (Evening) – Assembly Hall & Staff Room – 6.30 pm,
start for 7.00-9.30pm
Friday 29 Last day of Session 2011/12
AUGUST 2012
EASTER HOLIDAY : Monday 02 April – Friday 13 April 2012
SUMMER HOLIDAY : Monday 2 July – Friday 17 August 2012
Monday 20 August IN-SERVICE DAY
Tuesday 21 August School opens for pupils