Article Date: Wednesday 08th October 2008
TEST
Article Date: Tuesday 07th October 2008
In an effort to raise money to support school activities, our Parent Council has chosen to repeat last session’s successful issue of the Spree Voucher Book. Each book has hundreds of discount and 2 for 1 vouchers for a huge range of leisure and dining activities. Full details are contained within the Parent Council leaflet enclosed with this month`s Headteacher`s Newsletter. Please support this initiative to allow our pupil activities to continue and grow.
Article Date: Tuesday 07th October 2008
Your Parent Council are keen to engage with parents to ensure that we work together with school staff to provide the best possible education for our children.
Every adult who has caring responsibilities for a pupil currently attending Duncanrig is automatically a member of the Parent Forum and is encouraged to attend this year’s AGM.
The AGM will take place on Monday 27th October at 7 pm in the “street” area of the school and will include a presentation by Mr Wynne, Headteacher, about the development of “Curriculum for Excellence” and the review of National Qualifications exams.
Article Date: Tuesday 07th October 2008
It is my pleasure to invite parents of pupils currently at our partner primaries to our P7 Parents as Partners evening on Wednesday, 22 October from 7 pm to 9 pm. The purpose of the evening is to allow us to make you more aware of what life will be like for you and your child as he/she moves from primary to secondary school.
The evening will consist of a short presentation by the Headteacher, followed by the opportunity to visit the different departments. Staff will be on hand to answer any question you may have.
The evening will include a break for tea/coffee which will be served in the “street” area.
I hope that you can attend and look forward to seeing you.
Article Date: Wednesday 24th September 2008
Refresher Course in Maths
Are you nervous about helping your child with Maths homework now that he/she is at high school? Do you need to brush up on your Maths?
We are running basic Maths workshops for parents and carers of pupils in S1 at Duncanrig. They will provide help and support with various aspects of the S1 curriculum. Come along and learn in an informal and friendly environment.
Venue: -
Date: - 6 week course will commence on Wednesday 29th October 2008.
Time: -
To reserve your place or for more information, please contact Caroline Stewart, Home School Partnership worker at
Help your child be the best they can be!
Refreshments will be provided.
Speakeasy
Do you feel comfortable and relaxed talking to your children about growing up, sex and relationships? Do you want to be more prepared for the kind of questions your child may ask? Are you sure of all your facts? Would you welcome some support?
Come along to an informal 10 week course that will help you build on what you already know about sex and relationships. This course is open to parents/carers of children of any age.
Venue: -
Date: -
Time: -
For more information or to book your place, please contact Caroline Stewart, Home School Partnership Worker at
Article Date: Tuesday 23rd September 2008
A number of trade unions for local government employees have notified the Council that their members will be taking part in strike action on
However, I wish to advise you that:
· Our school will be open on
· Our Autistic Support base will be closed. Support Services have advised that as a result of the industrial action, an insufficient number of support assistants will be available to guarantee that pupils’ needs will be fully met. Because of this the base will be closed.
· Because of uncertainty over catering availability, all pupils are asked to either bring a packed lunch or make alternative arrangements for lunch on this day.
· Parents should be aware that the school crossing patrol(s) may also be affected. I would wish to remind parents that it is their responsibility to ensure their child(ren)’s safety to and from school.
The decision on whether a school is open or closed has been taken after assessing the impact of the industrial action on a school by school basis.
Your support in limiting telephone calls to the school on Wednesday to emergency calls only would be greatly appreciated.
Whilst the school will be open I also ask that in case of any unforeseen circumstances that you make precautionary childcare arrangements should the school circumstances change that may require the school to close at short notice on Wednesday.
Article Date: Sunday 31st August 2008
It is my pleasure to invite you to our S1 Parents as Partners evening on Wednesday, 10 September from 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm. The purpose of the evening is to allow us to help you support your child through the first year of secondary school.
The evening will consist of a series of presentations and workshops focusing on the main areas of concern for parents. Staff will provide advice and guidance on how you can become a more effective supporter of your child and how to establish and maintain positive relationships with key members of staff.
The evening will include a break for tea/coffee which will be served in the “street” area.
I hope that you can attend and look forward to seeing you.
Article Date: Sunday 31st August 2008
Many thanks to those parents who attended our recent Parents as Partners evening for parents of S5 pupils. The feedback on the evening was very positive and parents found it so useful that they have asked for a follow-up event on Wednesday 17th September. The follow-up evening is open to parents of pupils in both S5 and S6 and will concentrate on providing more subject-specific help and guidance from Principal Teachers. Letters of invitation were issued to Senior Pupils last week. If you wish to attend please complete the form issued with the letter.
In response to requests from parents, the presentations used on the S5 evening have been uploaded to the Documents Download Area section of this website.
Article Date: Friday 22nd August 2008
Article Date: Tuesday 19th August 2008
On Wednesday the 27th August we will be repeating our annual, highly successful, evening for parents of S5 Pupils. The evening will run from approximately 7 pm to 9 pm and will provide parents with advice and guidance to enable them to support their children better as they all cope with the increased demands of S5.
The evening will consist of a short introduction from the Headteacher followed by workshops and informal Q & A sessions. It will provide parents with an explanation of the SQA exam system in S5 and advice on how to help your child get the best exam results possible. The thorny topic of maintaining a positive relationship with your child during this stressful time in their life will be addressed. There will also be opportunites to talk to staff who can provide help and advice.
I very much hope that you will come and join us.
Article Date: Monday 18th August 2008
Our school will open as normal on Wednesday for staff and pupils. The only exception is the Autistic Unit which will not open for pupils.
A copy of the letter to parents handed to all pupils on Monday afternoon can be found in the Document Download section of this website.
Article Date: Monday 11th August 2008
I hope that your summer break was very enjoyable and that your child is looking forward to his/her first week of the new term. I hope that he or she is ready to face the opportunities and challenges of the new school session.
Examination results for pupils in S3-S6 were excellent this year and maintain our tradition of academic excellence. Staff at Duncanrig are committed to the continued success of our school and I trust that I can rely on the support of all parents to ensure that the we enjoy a successful session together.
The external aspects of our new building near completion with the construction of our car-park and recreational areas within the campus. Our external courtyard has had work done to it and now has increased capacity for pupils at lunchtime and intervals due to extensive slabbing of an area previously devoted to “soft” landscaping. We await the delivery of additional benches for this area.
The completion of the car-park led to a review of access arrangements by SLC Health and Safety personnel. They have advised me that the new pedestrian gate in Winnipeg Drive and the increased use of the vehicle area could create potential problems for pupil safety. Therefore, I have agreed with them that all pupils will avoid the main entrance and will enter and leave school through the pupil entrance at the rear of the school. This is a change of arrangements for pupils in S5 and S6.
Parents who wish to drop off and pick up their children at the start or end of the school day, or at lunchtimes, should do so in Vancouver Drive/Cree Place and not in Winnipeg Drive. Parents should not enter the car-park to drop off and collect pupils unless this has been agreed in advance.
If a pupil is to be collected or dropped off during the school day then the main entrance can be used as all other entrances will be secured.
I appreciate your co-operation in making these new arrangements work smoothly.
At the beginning of last session I made specific mention of our drive for high standards. I stressed our total ban on chewing gum, the drive for 100% full school uniform, the ban on mobile phone usage during class times and changes of period and consistent punctuality. Pupils responded very well to this and we witnessed a tremendous improvement in standards of pupil dress, punctuality and attitude.
We obviously wish to continue this in the new session. I ask you to ensure that your child comes to school properly equipped for classes and in full school uniform. School uniform is black trousers/skirts, black jumper, black shoes and a Duncanrig tie. Those of you who attended the uniform showcase in June commented favourably on the quality of the clothing, particularly the blazer.
Lockers will be available for all pupils who wish to hire one for the session.
All pupils are expected to pay £2.50 for a Duncanrig Pupil Diary. We hope that you will use it with your child to ensure that homework is planned and completed on time. The diary is invaluable for parents; it allows you to check the issue and completion dates for homework, it provides information about school contacts and school rules and gives you a copy of the school calendar. Please do not be tempted to buy a generic Pupil Diary from shops in the Town Centre: although they are cheaper they do not contain the information you need, nor are they the correct format. Sections of our diary are used in the course of lessons and your child will be unable to participate fully in these lessons without a Duncanrig Pupil Diary.
Departures
Last term saw 4 members of staff retire or move on after many years of service to Duncanrig. They left with our best wishes.
Mrs Bell in RME retired. Miss Anderson has been appointed as Acting PT RME until the post is filled.
Mrs Brady in Modern Studies retired.
Ms Hendry in PE retired.
Mrs Maxwell in History moved to Stonelaw High School.
Arrivals
We welcome a number of new staff for this session:
English - Mr Morrison, Mr McLean and Mr Newman.
Maths - Mr McDade and Mr Ferguson.
Modern Languages - Ms Dollard and Ms Henderson.
Geography - Mr McCallum
History - Mr Scott
RME - Ms Stewart
Drama - Ms Logan
Music - Mr Dyer
Art - Mr Ferguson and Mrs Frey
Technical - Mr Lamb
PE - Mr Geatrell and Ms Neilson
Business Education - Ms Higgins
In an attempt to save on paper usage and address one of our eco-targets, I would like to send future copies of the newsletter electronically to as many parents as possible. In order to achieve this I would ask you to send an email to our school office with just a heading - Eco Newsletter. Your e-address will be noted and you will be placed on our mailing list for future issues.
office@duncanrig.s-lanark.sch.uk
S5 Parents Information Evening
Wednesday 27th August.
S1 and S6 Photographs
Tuesday 2 September.
S1 Parents Information Evening
Wednesday 10th September.
September Weekend
Friday 26th and Monday 29th September.
October Break
Monday 13th October – Friday 17th October.
Article Date: Wednesday 25th June 2008
I am delighted to announce that we have successfully completed the criteria for a Silver Award. Our school will receive a certificate in the next few weeks.
Carbon Footprint
Congratulations to Iona Halford, Rachel Currie and Iain White who gave a presentation on carbon footprints to the East Kilbride Rotary Club. They won a laptop for our school and were presented with a trophy and a certificate each.
Burns Federation Art Competition
Congratulations to Jessica McLaren (2C3) who was awarded 2nd place in the Burns Federation Art Competition. Her drawing entitled “To A Mouse” based on a Burns poem was awarded a special Robert Burns World Federation Certificate and £75.
Netball
Well done to our S2 Netball team who were Runners-up in the recent South Lanarkshire S2/S3 Secondary Schools Netball Competition. In the final against Holy Cross High School extra time had to be played after the score was tied at 6 -6. Unfortunately in the second half of extra time Holy Cross scored twice to win the game 8 – 6. Our girls conducted themselves excellently throughout the competition and were great ambassadors for our school.
Athletics
We had another very successful day at the SLC County Sports finals. A full list of medal winners is given below.
S1
Andrew Ravenscroft 200m Gold New South Lanarkshire Record
Darren Hutton Shot Bronze
Kirsty Jamieson 1200m Bronze
Kieran Rankin 600m Bronze
Emma Fairlie 600m Bronze
S2
Ainsley Douglas Shot Gold
Hayley Middleton Discuss Gold
Stephen Paris 1500m Bronze
S3
Craig Finnie Shot Gold
Craig Finnie 200m Silver
Rebecca Grant High Jump Silver
Kirsty Rennie Shot Silver
Adam Gatens 1500m Silver
Alana Clark Javelin Bronze
Rachel Thomson 800m Bronze
Senior
Ian Brown Shot Gold
Deborah Stokoe 1500m Gold
Stephanie Wright 1500m Silver
Fiona Borthwick 1500m Bronze
Rachel Barclay 400m Bronze
Article Date: Sunday 08th June 2008
Congratulations to our girls in the U-15s football team who secured 3rd place in the SLC Schools League. The girls worked hard and were unlucky to just miss out on 2nd place. As usual their behaviour was exemplary and they were praised by their opponents for their sporsmanship.
Article Date: Monday 19th May 2008
Cross-country Running
Adam and Kyle Gatens were both running at Balmoral recently. The boys had impressive runs with Kyle finishing 4th and Adam reclaiming his title. He finished 12 seconds clear of the runner-up.
Chess Success
The following pupils are to be congratulated on successfully completing an Introduction to Chess course:
Jordan McNab 2A3 Ashley Dewsberry 4D4
Angus MacLeod 4D3 Grant McKenzie 4D3
David Linton 4B2 Martin Kershaw 4D4
Jennifer Kilpatrick 4C3 Lewis Gribbon 1B1
Nicholas McRoberts 2B3 Mathew Devlin 2D3
S1 Boys 7-a-side Football
On Saturday 10th May 2008 Duncanrig’s team were runners-up in an unbeaten run of 7 games scoring 13 goals along the way. The tournament was over 4 rounds starting last November with 9 schools taking part. The team were:
Grant Neilson Jonny Powell Peter KElsall Iain Crawford
Jack Campbell Cameron Johnstone Ian Crum
Well done to all that have represented our school at this event over the four rounds.
S3