Spring 2010 - 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 LSpring 2010Issue 12Newbattle NewsOn 4 th of February 2010 NewbattleCommunity HighSchool took dance a step furtherwhen staff and pupilstook to the floor and got theirgroove on! Dance groups including‘Class Act’, ‘RainbowEffect’ and ‘Candyman’ performeddazzling routines to anenthused crowd. It was clearfrom the quality of the dancesperformed by our pupils thatthe school Dance Academieshave been working really hardto put on a brilliant show. Thelevel of effort put in by staffand pupils alike is commendable.Return to school Tuesday 20th April 2010Newbattle Dance Showcase a Spectacular Success‘Candyman’Showing the pupils who isboss were Strictly Newbattle winnersMiss Reynolds and Mr Baxter, whoperformed their winning salsa. It wasalso good to see another set of Strictlycompetitors, Mrs Heneghan and MrDocherty, take to the dance floor andwe were glad to see that with all thespinning no hips popped out of place.As well as staff and pupils from Newbattle,we saw Gorebridge PrimaryGorebridge Primary SchoolSchool’s P6/7 group’s interpretationof Beggin’ which wowed the audienceand was thoroughly enjoyable towatch.Overall, the night was a success withspecial thanks to Miss Wanstall whoorganized the event and has obviouslytaught the pupils well. Everyonedid themselves incredibly proudwith their amazing performances andwe look forward to any further danceshowcases.ContentsJamie Andrew—An InspirationCosta Rica Expedition 2011Commonwealth Gold MedallistVisits NewbattleHOLA!Community Police Officers VisitNewbattleBy Alison Telford 5ALCalum Mackie 5BLStaff ‘Stars in Your Eyes’ 2009.The Construction Challenge 2010News for Summer School LeaversCraft ClubBusiness Experience FinalistsTraining Sessions for S2 and S3with Hearts Football ClubCelebrating SuccessFormer PupilsPageAttainment and Achievement 8234567Our Our School School of of Ambition

Page 2Check out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukNewbattle NewsCheck out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukJamie Andrew—An InspirationThis article by two of our S6 pupils waspublished in the Royal College of SurgeonsNewsletter ‘Surgeonsnews’ January 2010Think about who inspires you… Are theya popstar? Are they a famous actor oractress? Or even a sports person? Mostyoung people are more than likely to lookup to a person who falls into one of thesecategories.Prior to the lecture at Surgeons’ Hall wehad never before heard of the Scottishmountaineer Jamie Andrew. Uponentering the hall that afternoon andseeing Jamie for the first time, it was easyto feel sympathetic towards himconsidering his unfortunate handicap.12 pupils fromNewbattle aretravelling toCosta Rica inthe summer of2011.We had ourvery first fundraiseras a coffeemorning inthe staff roombefore Christmas.On 28 thFebruary we were bag packing in Tescofor 6 hours, and over the next year and ahalf we intend to do LOTS more!Our first Group Development Day washeld on Friday 5 th March; during this dayHowever, it’s not very often you see aman pour himself a glass of water with nohands at all, nor help from anyone else!We were already witnessing just one ofthe many activities that Jamie has relearntsince losing his limbs, whereas weall take this for granted.When he first took to the stage we couldinstantly tell he was comfortable with thesituation. Giving speeches in front ofcrowds of people is something that Jamiedoes regularly and therefore takes it in hisstride and opened with a couple of jokes.The tragic story he told of how he lost hislimbs and best friend whilstmountaineering in the French Alpsshocked the audience. Battling throughhorrific weather conditions andexperiencing severe frostbite would trulybe the darkest point in any person’s life,and for Jamie this was no exception.However, after only three and a halfmonths, Jamie’s determination, a new pairof prosthetic legs, and the support andencouragement of his close friends andfamily enabled him to walk again. Jamietook each little challenge as they cameand is now able to do everything he oncecould, only with no hands.Since fully recovering from his ordeal hehas participated in numerous physicalchallenges such as swimming, runningand snowsports. He has also managed toovercome any fears he may have had ofmountaineering by returning to themountains, climbing mountains such asCosta Rica Expedition 2011we worked on team building and gettingto know other group members. We alsochose our itinerary for the three weeks weare away. This includes one communityproject called La Flor: we will spend 5days working in La Flor helping the underprivilegedlocal kids and helping tobuild community buildings. Here we willstay with local families.As well as volunteering work we haveadventure aspects to our expedition.Whilst in the La Flor area we will spendone day white water rafting. We have alsochosen to include two substantial treks inour itinerary. We will ascend the mountainCerro Chirripo, which is 3820m, andtrek through jungle territory and 18kmalong the Costa Rican coastline. We willYour Newbattle Community High School...Ben Nevis in 2000 and Kilimanjaro in anall-disabled ascent in 2004. In 2007, Jamietook part in the North Sea Yacht Racewith two other amputees. As little as amonth later, Jamie performed his ownversion of the Iron Man Challenge: “TheTitanium Man”. In this triathlon, heswam for 2.4 miles, cycled for 112 miles,and ran/walked a full marathon of 26.2miles, all in 24 hours! Throughout all ofthis, Jamie raised huge amounts of moneyfor charities for amputees.Think about who inspires you now. Weconsider Jamie to be an inspiration, notbecause he’s a good singer or is in thenext big Hollywood movie, or even a topscoringfootballer (although he might beall those things!), but it’s because he’sshown us that even if you’ve lost as muchas he has you should never accept defeator give yourself limitations.by Stephanie Clason 6Pand Dale Wyllie 6Mcamp in tents and live without the luxuriesof showers and beds and electricity.We expect the noise of the jungle animalsto replace our iPods and activities likesourcing our own food and water to becomepart of our daily routine.Our expedition will conclude with twodays R&R in Uvita- a utopia beach area.We will fully appreciate lounging in hammocksin the Costa Rican sunshine aftertwo and a half weeks of trekking andbuilding and camping.We are all looking forward to this lifechanging experience and are hoping thepositive effect it has on us will make usmore successful in the future.By Sarah Landells 5FP

Page 3Newbattle NewsCommonwealth Gold Medallist Visits NewbattleSteve Frew with theS5/6 RecreationAs part of the Sky Sports for Livingproject, Steve Frew who won goldfor Scotland at the Manchester 2003Commonwealth Games, came toNewbattle to work with fifteen S5/6students. The students who are allworking on the Intermediate 2 Sport& Recreation course had the wholemorning to learn about Steve’s lifeand his struggle to get to the goldmedal podium in 2003. The studentsCommunity Police officers Blair Watsonand Martin Doyle have been inschool to give lessons on Internet Safetyto S1 pupils, Youth Crime Prevention toS2 pupils, and Drugs talks to S3, 4 and5. The talks were intentionallyalso worked with Steve on the YouthSports Trust initiative of Six Keys toSuccess, which they will use to seeksuccess at school and in working lifein future. The session involved apractical and fun time in the gymwith the group working with youngerpupils as part of their course.It was an excellent day.Thank you to Steve and Sky Sports forLiving!Community Police Officers Visit Newbattlethought-provoking and included quizzes,videos, and question & answersessions. Some of the quiz questionsinvestigated the pupils’ knowledgeabout the law. Did pupils know thatPolice can legally question under-16year olds without their parents beingpresent, or that it is a crime to knowinglyaccept stolen property, even ifyou weren’t involved in the theft?Pupils were able to talk to the policeofficers about things like ‘Whatshould you do if you receive a nastytext message?’, ‘How often have youused your tear gas spray?’ and ‘Is itokay to smoke cannabis if you don’ttake other drugs?’ Blair and Martinpointed out cannabis is known as a‘Gateway Drug’ which can lead tomore serious drug dependency.They commented that, generally, heroinaddicts are not happy people withOur School of AmbitionHola amigos!Tuesday lunchtimes many pupilsenjoy the chance to practise theirSpanish at the Spanish Club inroom 98.At Spanish club we play fun games,draw our own posters about Spainand sometimes even sing songs tolearn Spanish. Miss Rehbein gives uslittle treats if we are good or if weimprove on our Spanish. Spanishclub is a great way to meet newfriends and learn a different language.Learning a new language isfun and creative and will help youwhen you go on holiday. If thissounds like something you wouldlike to try then come along and learnsome Spanish with us.Caitlyn MacBeath 1HPDionne Telfer 3EPAll pupils are welcome!Hope to see you soon- Hasta luego!a bright future ahead of them and lotsof friends.Before they left, one ‘lucky’ pupilmodelled the new rigid handcuffs,and was lucky that they had rememberedto bring the key! We look forwardto Blair and Martin returning inthe near future to give talks on AlcoholAwareness and Personal Safety to S2 andS3 pupils.Mrs Jansch

Page 4Check out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukNewbattle NewsCheck out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukStaff ‘Stars in Your Eyes’ 2009.Mr McEwenas ‘Susan Boyle’Mr Wilson & Mr TaylorJoin in the fun!Miss Wozniak &Miss Carruthers as ‘Salt’n’ Pepa’On Monday 21 st December theschool hall was transformed into aglitzy and sleek entertainment venueas the annual Staff Stars in Your Eyesproduction opened its doors to pupils.An excellent staff response particularlyfrom the English departmentensured that the pupils were spoilt forchoice with thirteen acts taking to thestage. Acts included contemporarygroups like ‘Black Eyed Peas’ as wellas more 1980s guilty pleasures such asMorrissey and incorporated stylesranging from hip hop to country.Some of the many highlights includeda startlingly lifelike Jedward, an excellentKate Bush and an Elvis Presleycomplete with own toilet throne. Themorning performance was won bylocal-lady-turned-global-phenomenonSusan Boyle, while an energetic danceonslaught saw ‘Salt ‘n’ Pepa’ triumphin the afternoon performance. Theticket sales raised over £600 for thecharity Richmond Hope who had acouple of representatives attendingand braving the front row. A massivethanks goes out to all staff and pupilsfor participating in and helping run asuccessful event which raised lots ofcash for an important organisationand was thoroughly enjoyed by thepupils and watching staff members.The Construction Challenge 2010On the 12th of November2009 a group of ten selectedCDT pupils attended the semi -final of the construction challengewith Mr Bayne (CDTteacher). The group managedto get through to the finalwhich was held at The EdinburghCorn Exchange on the21st of January.In order to get through to thefinal we had to complete threechallenges in 30 minutes. Theyincluded using a lot of teamwork and skills which is whatwe were also being marked on. Ourteam completed all of these challengesin time and must have used theskills and team work considering wegot through to the final. The final wasan excellent experience and we alsogot free T-shirts. In the final we hadYour Newbattle Community High School...to take part in eight challengeswhich were much more difficultthan the ones in the semi final.We completed all the challenges,but unfortunately wedid not win.. However we didmeet some really nice peoplecalled Tom and Casper whoseschool did win, and they allreceived HMV vouchers. Anyway,we all had an excellenttime and to wrap it all up had anice trip to McDonalds on theway home after persuading MrBayne to take us!By Brannagh Murphy 2IL

Page 5Newbattle NewsCheck out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukNews for Summer School LeaversCraft ClubLeaving school in the summer?Where to go for help?Get Ready for Work Training andTargeted Pathways to ApprenticeshipTraining for 16 – 18 year olds are noton offer at Job Centres, but can beapplied for at Careers ScotlandCentres. Young people leavingschool in the past year have beenhelped into getting jobs by takingpart in one of these trainingprogrammes.The training focuses on goodattendance and employability skills,gives help and advice on applying forjobs and going for interviews, andprovides work experience and areference. That helps when peopleare applying for jobs, as employersget to know the person wants towork and would make a goodemployee. Parents continue toreceive Child Benefit and a trainingallowance is paid to the youngpeople.A group from Newbattle CommunityHigh School took part in the BusinessExperience final on Tuesday 12 thDecember at the Heriot Watt University/Borderscampus inGalashiels.The group named D&S -competed against otherteams from Midlothian andBorders schools with theirinnovative product, the‘Lean-on’.The ‘Lean-on’ is a travelpillow with a difference.The back of the pillow hassuction cups to enable it tostick to a window if travellingas a passenger by car,bus or rail. Its velcro stripalso means that it can stickto fabric and could be usedAnyone planning to leave school thissummer should pay a visit to theDalkeith Careers Scotland Centre at29 Eskbank Road, Dalkeith(opposite the First Bus Garages)from the end or April 2010, to getthe best chance of help.An appointment is not needed. Theopening hours are 9 – 5, Monday –Thursday and 10.30 – 5 on Fridays.Telephone: 0131 663 7287.See Mrs Alison Ambler in school forfurther information, contact viaalison.ambler@careers-scotland.org.ukor telephone (0131) 653 1019. Morenews next term!Business Experience Finalistsfor air travel. The pillows come in arange of colours and can be made indifferent shapes to suit all tastes.With a removable washable cover andD&S - Scott Dubickas,Craig Simpson, Sean Lennonand Callum DalgleishOur School of Ambitionluxury memory foam stuffing, it is theRolls Royce of travel accessories.The group had to pitch their productidea to a group of judges in aDragon’s Den type final,answering some toughquestions about theirproduct idea and theirBusiness Plan. All of thejudges agreed that the‘Lean-on’ was a practicalproduct that would dowell in the market placeand that they would definitelybuy one themselves.Although the group didnot win on the day, theypresented themselves in amature and professionalmanner that they and theschool should be proudof.The‘Lean-on’Thursday lunchtimes are a hive of activityin the Fabric Room in the HomeEconomics Department as pupilsgather to socialise and learn new craftingtechniques. The pupils have madeValentine’s cards, earrings, braceletsand are learning the art of decoupagewhilst decorating small trinket boxes.Craft Club is great place to meet newpeople, have fun and learn about crafting.Over the next few weeks we hopeto make more cards and jewellery anduse scrap booking techniques to displayphotos.Mrs GracieCraft ClubThursday LunchtimesFabric Room13.05 to 13.40.All Welcome!

Page 6Check out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukNewbattle NewsCheck out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukTraining Sessions for S2 and S3 with Hearts Football ClubOn Wednesday 27 th January the S2 FootballAcademy were given an excellent experiencefrom Hearts Football Club. Duringtheir Peak Performance class Period 6,Hearts Coach Paul Greig visited Newbattleand put the boys through their paces in atraining session.At night the S2s travelled to Tynecastle towatch Hearts play Aberdeen in an SPLleague match. The boys had a special treatat halftime as they were given the opportunityto run out the tunnel in front of the11,000 crowd and play a 10 minute gameon the pitch during half time. In thecrowd were also pupils from all age groupsin the school who were given the opportunityto buy a ticket for the game.The boys in S2 all received an official Hearts photo oftheir group standing in front of the main stand. A thoroughlyenjoyable experience which the pupils will rememberfor the rest of their lives!On Thursday 11 thFebruary the S3Football Academys p e n t t h ea fternoon a tHearts FootballClub trainingc o m p l e x a tRiccarton.The afternoonstarted with thepupils getting a 20minute questionand answer session with First TeamCoach Gary Locke, who spent a shorttime working at Newbattle beforetaking up his post and Craig Thomsonwho is a former Lasswade pupil. Theboys were able to ask Gary and Craigquestions related to life as a footballerand what it takes to become aprofessional footballer.The rest of the afternoon was spent outon the excellent training facilities whereS3 Trainingthe pupils were led through a45 minute training session bytwo Hearts Coaches. Theyfinished off their sessionwith a small sided roundrobin tournament.A great afternoon for thepupils and a chance toexperience a glimpse of aprofessional footballer’s life.Your Newbattle Community High School...

Check out our website at www.newbattle.org.ukYour Newbattle Community High SchoolAttainmentand AchievementG Moffat DHTThe session speedson. The 2010 SQAExams are looming… S4, 5 and 6have finished theirPrelims and wewill be sendingtheir EstimatedGrades to SQAsoon. The pupilshave been settingfinal targets forthemselves at theGet In The Zoneworkshops in recentweeks – thephotograph showsthe seniors at theirworkshop lastweek. S3 will havetheir year examinationsin the last two weeks of term – a bit early thisyear due to a late Easter.Values For LifeTrust – to feel confident and secure by building relationships based onhonesty and fairnessRespect – to be considerate of the needs, wishes and feelings of others aswell as your own worthPerseverance – continued determination to succeed and never give up inspite of difficultiesResponsibility – making informed decisions and being accountable foryour own actionsHumour – maintain a positive outlook on life even in the face of adversityFocus – concentrate fully on the task in hand and avoid distractionsWe wish our candidates all the best for theirimportant up-coming exams!Easter HolidayAll ResumeHolidays3.30pm Thursday 1st April 2010Tuesday 20th April 2010May Holiday Monday 3rd May 2010Victoria DayIn Service DayS5/6 students at the ‘Get in theZone’ workshop in March 2010Monday 17th May 2010Tuesday 18th May 2010Term Ends Thursday 1st July 2010NewbattleCommunity High School64 Easthouses RoadDalkeithMidlothianEH22 4EWTelephone 0131 663 4191Fax 0131 654 2611Email newbattle_ hs@midlothian.gov.ukWebsite www.newbattle.org.ukReturn to school Tuesday 20th April 2010Your Our Newbattle School Community of Ambition High School...