Headteacher's bulletin

Bulletin No. 8: May 2008

An ‘Internet Safety for Children’ training session for parents will take place on Thursday

15 May from 7.00–8.30 pm. Please come along and find out what you can do to keep your children safe while they are online.

Dress Code. Parents and pupils are reminded of the school’s expectations on Dress Code. All pupils on exam leave are respectfully reminded that adherence to dress code is expected when examinations are being taken. This helps enormously in creating and sustaining the best school environment at a time of year when all pupils in our school need to be fully focussed and engaged with their learning. As always, the support of parents is much appreciated.

Staffing update. I am pleased to say that three new staff will be joining us in the English Department over the coming months. I expect that Ms Rankin and Ms Gallagher will join us for the change of timetable in June. Ms Thayne will join us in August, when we resume after the summer vacation. Mr Thomson (PE) is restored to health and is back with us.

Mr Major (English) will be leaving us in August this year to take up a post at Stewart’s Melville College. Ms Birrell will be joining the Biology Department and Ms Hay the History Department in August 2008.

Catering. Message from HQ: “For both pupils and staff, there will be a packed lunch only service on Fridays from Friday 9 May. Where a morning service is provided, this will remain”.

Well done to Helen Traill 6C, who was accepted again for the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra for 2007/08 and was playing with the Orchestra over Easter 2008. Ann Traill 1C was offered a place on the NCO Strings Training programme during Easter which she completed successfully. Ann also passed her Grade 4 piano examination in March 2008.

Fizzy Drinks. A reminder that fizzy drinks are now banned from the school grounds. Once again, I seek the support of all parents in encouraging pupils to choose one of the healthier options available in our canteen and in all good shops.

Ski Club. The Easter Ski trip to Italy was a fantastic success. Both the coach company and the tour operator have contacted us to comment on how enthusiastic the pupils were and how well they conducted themselves throughout the whole week. Ms Mathie has just about recovered and has already started planning for next year’s trip!

Liberton High School Golf Club. Preparations for this year’s outing to the Isle of Arran are going well. Please contact Mr I Hutchison at LHS if you would like to contribute to fundraising.

Budding film directors! Ms Mackinnon (English department) has been informed that one of the films made by the Media Studies class this year has been selected to be shown at a special screening as part of the Edinburgh Film Festival in June. This is a fantastic achievement as we have just recently started to teach Media Studies at Liberton High. Well done to all concerned!

Well done to the S3 pupils who took part in the French play competition in Dundee last month; they were excellent and represented their school very well. They won a prize for best costumes and everyone performed exceptionally. They all received certificates and prizes.

Forty of our S1-S3 pupils will be taking part in the Edinburgh Youth Games on Thursday

15 May. They will be representing Liberton in a number of sports including basketball, volleyball, football, golf and hockey. Our pupils are very excited about the day and we wish them lots of luck!

Well done to Joanna Greig on her selection for the U-16 Scotland Hockey Squad.

Pupils from all cluster primary schools will be taking part in an afternoon of sporting activities on the 13 and 22 May. The PE department are very much looking forward to working with them and finding out who the next up and coming PE stars are going to be!

The School Garden is now looking quite colourful as a result of Mrs Perriss’s Intermediate 1 Biology class planting seeds, bulbs and shrubs. You may also spot a mushroom made by Lindsey Pretswell and some pupils in his class last year. Thanks to Dave Watson and the pupils who have built and installed a bird table and bird houses.

The ICT Department would like to say congratulations to all pupils who are sitting their exams in S2 (Intermediate 1 Computing) and S3 (Intermediate 1 Business Management and Administration). Good luck and well done for working so hard over the year.

LHSA are holding a Car Boot Sale on Sunday 25 May 9.30 am to 12.30 pm in Liberton High School Car Park - £6 per car. Set up time from 9.00 am onwards. In case of inclement weather, sale will take place inside the School. If required, tables will be available for an additional cost of £2. Come along to buy or sell and support your local school. All proceeds go towards funding for the school.

100 Club Lucky Winners

February Draw March Draw April Draw

1^st Bill Harris £20 1^st Carol Scott £20 1^st Alan Smith £20

2^nd Mrs Pringle £10 2^nd Zela Jones £10 2^nd Sharon Stevens £10

3^rd Michael Campbell £6 3^rd Mrs P Knox £6 3^rd Moira Lamb £6

It’s still not too late to join, only £1 per month until September, or download a form for next year from the school website.

Our next LHSA meetings are on 14 May and AGM 12 June at 7.00 pm in the school staff room. Come along and join us, and see what we do.

Dates for the Diary

Thursday 15 May (7.00 pm) Internet Safety night for parents

Monday 19 May Monday Holiday (Pupils and staff)

Tuesday 20 May Staff training day (Pupil holiday)

Thursday 5 June Sports day

Thursday 5 and Friday 6 June Induction days for new S5 and S6 pupils

Monday 9 June Timetable changes – start of new session

Wednesday 11 June School Prizegiving

Wednesday18 Dance Show

and Thursday 19 June at 7.30 pm

Monday 23 June Activities week

Please share any news with me that you would like me to publicise or let me know if there is anything in particular that you would like to see included in future editions of this bulletin.

Many thanks.

Donald J Macdonald (Headteacher)

9 May 2008