September 2008
S3 ASDAN
Mrs Findlay’s S3
ASDAN Group had a very successful trip to the Dundee Food and Flower Show where
they took part in lots of craft and environmental activities. They also
designed a bug hotel and won a third prize in the under 16 Arts and Crafts
Section.
Dear Parents
As always it is a great pleasure to welcome you all
to the new school year and to give a very special welcome to our new
parents. Last session proved to be very
successful and I am confident that this will continue.
At the end of June many of you will recall the
wonderful performance of Bugsy Malone and what a tribute to the talent of so
many pupils and the commitment of so many staff!
Over the summer our examination results showed a
great improvement at both Standard Grade and in S5/S6. I was asked to congratulate the staff by the
Head of Secondary Education and that made me very proud.
Our pupils have done very well in the arts
too. Sarah Finnegan of last session’s S6
won the prestigious Mackintosh Patrick Award for Art with Ryan Livingstone as a
finalist. Sean Crossan also of last year’s
S6 became Dundee Schools Young Vocalist of the Year. 30 pupils have been involved in the Dundee
Schools Team production of Jesus Christ Superstar - more than from any other
school in the city. Sean Crossan took a
lead role as Judas.
Now that we are back it is very pleasing to see our
pupils in full school uniform. They look
very fine and I thank you for supporting us.
Our major event of the new term is the opening of
the Ambition Hall in late September.
Eddie Mair BBC Radio 4 presenter and former
pupil will open it officially and unveil a plaque. We are all very much looking forward to what
will be a sparkling occasion.
At the end of this term Mr Hutton leaves us to
become Head Teacher of Drumsturdy Academy – a well
deserved promotion. I am sure you will
want to join me in congratulating him and wishing him well.
As we move into the term I look forward as always
to seeing you in school at our parents meetings and other occasions. In the meantime please do not hesitate to
contact us if you wish to discuss any issue concerning the school or your
child. We look forward to working with
you.
Mrs B M Hadcroft
Head Teacher
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Gregor
Murray
Gregor, former Head Boy has successfully
graduated as MA (Hons) in Politics at
Sarah Finnegan
Sarah
achieved an ‘A’ Pass at Advanced Higher Art and received the Mackintosh Patrick
Award for the best piece of work submitted by a pupil in S6. In addition to her artistic talents, Sarah
also achieved Highers in Maths, English and Music and
is currently in her first year at
Sarah
is also a keen swimmer, training roughly ten hours a week and has been a member
of Ye Amphibious Ancients Bathing Association since the age of seven.
Do you know any former pupils who would like to
share their achievements with us? Details to Ms J Swann (Support for Learning).
SCHOOLBAGS
Now that our pupils have gained a well deserved
reputation in the city for being the best dressed please ensure they are the
best prepared for class.
All pupils should bring a schoolbag every day along
with a pencil, pen and their LTiD planner which was
issued on day one. That way they can
carry their homework with ease!
ENGLISH
DEPARTMENT
WRITING
PROJECT
A
group of S2 pupils has been involved in a project with the Dundee Rep which has
involved them writing a script which will be performed by senior pupils at the
theatre. The creativity and enthusiasm
of the children shone through and their hard work has impressed many, both in
and outwith the school.
WORLD
PROJECT
To
broaden their knowledge of their local area, a group of S2 pupils were invited
to collaborate with staff from
LIBRARY
QUIZ
Junior
pupils recently took part in a city-wide quiz.
The competition was organised by librarians from the city and involved
the pupils answering questions contemporary fiction and classic texts. The team performed well and were excellent
ambassadors for the school. We have high
hopes for this session.
Staff and pupils
in the English department are currently enjoying a trip to
In June, forty pupils attended a lecture by
Joan Lingard. Lingard, one of the important British writers for children,
read to the pupils and answered questions on her extensive back catalogue. This event really helped pupils understand
her work in greater depth and certainly encouraged some creative ambitions.
MEDIA
STUDIES
2007/2008 saw
the English department offer a new course to Braeview pupils. Fifteen senior pupils opted to take Media Studies. This was a development in their skills in
communication and analysis through examination of mass media. The moderator, who saw some of their work,
commented a high standard of understanding of the topic and the good teaching
and learning that was obviously taking place.
Staff from the
English Department organised and ran two trips during activities week. Almost eighty pupils enjoyed either a visit
to the Edinburgh Dungeons or St Andrews Sea Life Centre. A good time was had by all.
NEVERWINTER NIGHTS
A number of S2
pupils was involved in a computer games for literacy
project, created by LTS. Braeview was
the only school involved in this pilot project which was very popular with the
pupils and saw a real improvement in their 5-14 Writing levels through a more
interactive learning and teaching approach.
CHRISTMAS SHOE BOX APPEAL
For
Christmas 2008 Braeview Academy pupils helped to make the Christmas of 39
people – from babies to grandparents – in countries such as Romania, Serbia,
Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary, Ukraine and Moldova.
This year, for Christmas 2008
we hope to double this to 80 shoeboxes and we need your help to do this.
Our
Braeview Ambassadors are going to help take the lead with this and involve
registration classes to bring in gifts to fill shoeboxes, but you can also fill
a shoebox of your own to send away.
Shoeboxes
(not boot or wellie boxes) can be filled with any of
the following items but please consider who will receive the shoe box i.e. a
baby, girl/boy 3-7 years, girl/boy 8-12 years, girl/boy teenager, man or
woman. Last year there was a lack of
boxes for boys of all ages, and perhaps we can do a bit more for the boys this
year.
Items
to fill your box:
Soap/shampoo/shower
gel Pens/pencils/coloured
pencils
Face
cloth/moist wipes/sponge Notepads/colouring
books
Deodorant (not
spray) Small toy
Comb/brush
T-shirt
Hat/scarf/gloves Pyjamas
Socks/tights Jumper
Make-up Shirt
Sweets
– best before March 09 (not chocolate)
Items
of clothing need to be new
Sweets
need to be in a packet and not loose
Donations
can also be made. Last year £70 was
raised and passed to Blythswood Care towards their Shoebox
Appeal. Complete shoebox and donations
need to be in the school by Thursday 30 October at the latest.
I
hope you continue to support us with this worthy cause where our pupils can MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.
L Adam
PT Business Studies
Dates for your Diary
2008-2009
Friday 3 October End of Autumn Term
Monday 06
October Start of Autumn Holiday
Friday 17
October End of Autumn Holiday
Monday 20 October Start of Winter Term
Thursday 13
November In-Service Day
Friday 14
November In-Service Day
Tuesday 23 December End of Winter Term
Wednesday 24
December Start of Christmas
Tuesday 06
January End of Christmas
Wednesday 07 January Start of Spring Term
Friday 13
February Mid
Term Break
Monday 16
February Mid
Term Break
Tuesday 03
March In-Service Day
Friday 03 April End of Spring Term
Monday 06
April Start of Spring
Friday 17
April End of Spring
Monday 20 April Start of Summer Term
Monday 04
May May Day Holiday
Friday 22
May In-Service Day
Monday 25
May Victoria Day Holiday
Thursday 2 July End of Summer Term
(School closes at 12 noon)