I am delighted to begin my comments with the news that, over the last few days, the builders have moved into the Gressy Loan bui lding, formerly Shetland College/Train Shetland. Hunter and Morrison have been awarded the contract to transform the building into our Additional Support Needs unit, allowing the teenagers currently going to school in the Bells Brae Special Unit to join us, on one secondary school campus, by Autumn 2005. All going well, this building will form a key part of the new Anderson High School complex. The recruitment of the architect for the new school has begun, with recent advertisement in the press. Once again, I must thank all those who worked on the school building over the Summer Holidays. I continue to be impressed by the way

everyone is committed to seeing that our pupils return to as pleasant a school environment as is possible. This summer, we saw the old Engineering Block change use, into a gym area, allowing us to improve the G.P. area into a more comfortable social space for the Fifth Year. All pupils now have access to a reading room, opposite the school library, with soft seating to encourage reading for all ages. In addition, we have up-dated parts of the k i t c h e n s i n H o m e Economics. The S.I.C.’s I.C.T. Department were busy as well, up-grading the school’s computer network. I would like to commend the work of some of our Sixth Year pupils. Forty of them volunteered to take part in the Peer Support training, at the end of August. This allows Class 6 to work with younger pupils, as part of the Class 1’s

P e rs o na l an d S oc ia l Educat ion Programme. F r i e n d s h i p s c a n b e fostered between younger and older pupils, supporting those who may feel a little overwhelmed by secondary school. In addition, a number of Class 6 are taking part in the work of the Additional Support Needs department, working with younger pupils who enjoy help with everything from reading to socialising. When we read about education in Scotland today, much is made of the need for inclusion. As I read the items in this Newsletter, I feel that our school community, through the work of our pupils, teachers, support staff and international visitors, as well as the development of the building, is making real progress in this area.

Head Teacher’s Comment by Ms V Nicolson

Term 1 Monday 16 August 2004 - Friday 08 October 2004 inclusive October Holidays Monday 11 October 2004 - Friday 22 October 2004 inclusive Term 2 Monday 25 October 2004 - Wednesday 22 December 2004 inclusive Christmas Holidays Thursday 23 December 2004 – Wednesday 05 January 2005

inclusive Term 3 Thursday 06 January 2005 - Friday 01 April 2005 inclusive Easter Holidays Monday 04 April 2005 - Friday 15 April 2005 inclusive Term 4 Monday 18 April 2005 - Friday 01 July 2005 inclusive

(Summer holidays are 6 weeks long) IN-SERVICE CLOSURE: Monday 16 August 2004

Thursday & Friday 11 & 12 November 2004 Monday & Tuesday 13 & 14 June 2005

OCCASIONAL HOLIDAY DATES: Wednesday 26 January 2005

Friday & Monday 25 & 28 February 2005 Monday 18 April 2005 Monday 02 May 2005

School Term Dates 2004/2005

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Inside this issue:

Issue 24

September 2004

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Page 2 Anderson High School

Health education has become more and more important in recent times with the talk of children becoming less active and eating a less healthy diet. The Anderson High School is committed to becoming a Health Promoting School and saw a health week as an ideal opportunity to promote the importance of healthy life-styles. Pupils and staff participated in a variety of activities during the week and the response has been very positive. Pupils were able to participate in activities at lunchtime and experienced different health topics in class across all departments in the school. Leisure activities at lunchtime:

Box Fit: Pupils had the opportunity to do circuit training in our newly refurbished teaching area in P.E. which has proved to be an ideal space for such an activity. Pupils punched punch bags, hit focus pads, tried to keep a speedball going and swung and missed several times while trying to hit a floor to ceiling ball. As well as this, pupils worked very hard on other body weight exercises.

Skipping: The School was very fortunate to have Mandy Henderson in to take a session on skipping. Pupils were able to try tricks on both a short rope and longer rope. At one point they managed to have 4 pupils all skipping at the same time on one rope. Aerobics: Pupils showed that they could not only work hard while exercising but managed to do it in time to music.

Tap Dancing: Tap dancing was tried in the school for the first time which received a very good response. The clickety click of the tap shoes got more and more in time as the pupils progressed during the lunchtime, resulting in a fine performance by the end of the lunch hour.

Health Promotion Week: 20th September – 24th September 2004 by Mr K Smith

Cross Country Run: Following their marathon experiences in London and Edinburgh, Mr Clubb and Mr Turner offered to take pupils on a cross country run. Pupils were brave enough to face the elements in late September and worked hard during their run.

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Beep Test: The Beep Test, otherwise known as the Multi-Stage Fitness Test has always been a popular activity and was done twice during the week. A new record has been set for the school by Ross Moncrieff who scored level 14, shuttle 5. Well done! Born To Win: The Born To Win competition was launched during the week with the pupils starting the first of many challenges to identify the fittest pupils in each year group. Over the coming weeks pupils will be tested on agility, coord inat ion, speed , s t rength , endurance and power to get a male and female champion of each year group. Outside Speakers. Audrey Smith – the NHS Smoking Cessation Officer was at hand to give pupils very important information on the dangers of smoking. A drop in service was provided at lunchtime as well as input to classes during timetabled periods. Jurgen Kurtz from the Alcohol Resource Centre was also in school to give information and talks on the dangers of alcohol. Joyce Donohue – the NHS Senior Dietician gave very informative talks to Class 6 on diet and cooking in preparation for going to college or university.

Other activities: The School Library offered sessions for pupils to come and try more unusual and more exotic fruits. Pupils were participated in quizzes and were given the opportunity to do some research on the fruit they had been tasting. The school canteen provided healthy option all week. Sandwiches, soup, freshly prepared fruit and salads proved to be very popular during the week as did hot options such as fish, chicken and pasta.

Pupils were also given free fruit all week at interval time, which again proved to be very popular. This was kindly supported by the Co-op and our school nutrition action group. The Shetland Recreational Trust was very keen to support the activities in health week by providing prizes which included free swimming sessions and free inductions for Apex. Tom Smith also donated 2 free beginner sessions for canoeing. Thanks to Mrs Norma Smith, our Educational Development Officer, for her advice and encouragement. Staff Activities. Staff, were also involved in health week with a twilight course on Suicide Intervention being run. Box fit was again on offer twice and a more relaxing session of yoga was run. Probably the most competitive session for staff was the annual staff quiz, which included a section on health topics. Finally, special mention must go to the office staff who kept their chocolate supplies empty for the whole week which is quite an achievement!

Health Promotion Week: 20th September – 24th September 2004 by Mr K Smith

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Miss Ann-Marie Jamieson, Teacher of English Mr Stephen McCormick, Teacher of English Miss Alison Muir, Teacher of English Mr Joseph Walls, Teacher of Craft, Design and Technology Miss Julie Keenlyside, Teacher of Physical Education Mrs Davina Morrison, Teacher of Additional Support Needs Miss Emilie Dantreuille, Language Assistant Miss Imke Meynecke, Language Assistant Miss Martina Pries, Language Assistant

New Teachers

Coming soon . . .

Mrs Caroline Simpson will be joining us as Teacher of Biology, after the October Holidays.

Parentzone Website

www.parentzonescotland.gov.uk website encourages parents to be involved in their children’s education. Parents can access information on a wide range of educational matters, relevant to each stage of education, including links to useful organisations and helpful recent publications.

School Board News by Mr S West, Chairperson High School build. The Task Force reported their findings to Council earlier this year and work has been proceeding whilst the Best Value Service Review has been on going. It is hoped that the tenders will be issued by the end of the year.

I trust that all our new 1st and 5th Year pupils have settled into the Anderson High, and are finding their way around the buildings, and I wish all our pupils every success in their studies.

For your information, Mr George McGhee stood down as Chair at the beginning of the Summer holidays, to avoid any conflict in interest during the Best Value Review. I would like to thank him on your behalf for the years served as Chair of the Board.

We as a Board are here to represent your views and so please feel free to contact any of us if there are any matters you wish raised.

The Board has just gone through one of its busiest periods during he past few months with the planning of the new school and hostel buildings and the Best Value Service Review.

As you will be aware the consultation period for the Best Value Service Review has just finished. May I, on behalf of the Board, thank you for your participation in this review. Of the 435 responses we received from Parents, Staff and Pupils, 98% were in favour of maintaining the current provision and catchment area of the Anderson High School and maintaining current level of Residential provision in Lerwick. We now await with great interest the Council’s decision on the review, as this will shape the future of education provision in Shetland. This decision should be made at the full Council meeting in November.

Once this decision is made we will then be able to move forward to the design tendering phase of the new Anderson

MEMBERS ON THE BOARD

Mr Sandy West (Parent Member) Chairperson Mr David Gardner (Parent Member) Mrs Patricia Thomson (Parent Member) Mr James Hutton (Parent Member) Mr George McGhee (Co-opted Member) Mr William Spence (Parent Member) Mr Robin Calder (Staff Member) Mrs Hazel Tulloch (Staff Member) Miss Claire Thomson (Co-opted Member Student Representative Council) Mrs Arlene Gardner Clerk to Board Ms Valerie Nicolson Head Teacher Mr Cecil Eunson SIC Councillor

by filling in a Careers Scotland contact card available from Pupil Support at school, by visiting or phoning the Careers Centre in the Toll Clock Shopping Centre, or by logging on to the Careers Scotland web site. Careers Advisers will also be on hand at the S5/S6 Parents Evening on Tuesday 23rd November to offer advice to pupils and parents. We look forward to seeing you there for an informal chat and a browse at our up-to-date career information.

At this time of year pupils will be focussing on the Careers Convention. However, this event does not happened in isolation. Careers Advisers visit AHS weekly to help pupils plan for the future. Career planning is all about being able to make and carry out good decisions. As you go through school, these decisions will be about what subjects to take, what to do when you leave, etc. Some decisions may be easy for you – others may be more difficult and you may feel you need some help. If you’re having difficulty with your planning let us know. You can do this

Careers Scotland by Ms J Mackay, Careers

Retirals

The following teachers retired in July 2004: Mr Gordon Johnston, Principal Teacher of Modern Studies (35 years in AHS) Mr Douglas Johnston, Teacher of Mathematics (31 years in AHS) Miss Mavis Robertson, Principal Teacher of Biology (26 years in AHS) Mr Bobbie Robertson, our Groundsman for the last 23 years, will retire at the October Holidays.

This session has seen a significant expansion of the Additional Support Needs Department at the Anderson High School with lots of new pupils and staff. Everyone has settled into their role and it continues to be a busy and bustling department. To accommodate some of the new pupils we now also use space at the Janet Courtney Hostel and Quarff School. There is exciting news on the accommodation front as Hunter and Morrison have secured the tender for refurbishing the Gressy Loan site and building work begins on October 4th. The contract is planned to take nine months so hopefully by this time next year secondary pupils with severe and complex needs will also be accommodated at the Anderson High School. Here are some of the activities and events that are going on in the ASN Department this term; Signing classes The department now holds a series of classes for pupils and staff to learn Makaton signing. The open session began on 13th September and was well attended by pupils from S1 to S6 plus some adventurous staff members! It is

important that we become a signing community as we have pupils within the school who communicate primarily in this way. Learning to sign is great fun and anyone is welcome to come along to B1.1 at 1.30 on Monday lunchtimes. Come and have a go. It’s a Knock Out Seven pupils from the Department, Sean Robertson, Christopher Sinclair, Leanna Smith, Hayleigh Wood, Aiden Ward, Natasha Hunter and Hannah Hunter plus their teacher Davina Morrison will be representing Shetland at an It’s a Knock Out Competition in Inverness at the end of September. Events will include curling and games on large inflatables. We wish the Shetland team every success. ASN Peer Support We are delighted to have a number of sixth year volunteers who are providing peer support to ASN pupils in the Department. The enthusiasm and commitment of the sixth year pupils is wonderful and they are certainly an asset to our pupils. By the comments I have heard from the sixth year pupils they also get a lot of enjoyment from the peer support programme. Peer S u p p o r t a c t i v i t i e s i n c l u d e accompanying pupils in the canteen, lunch time activities such as sports, art and craft, games, visiting the library and

hostel, or just chilling watching videos and playing on the computer. C u r r i c u l u m ac t i v i t i e s i nc l u de physiotherapy exercises, massage, music classes plus individual sessions for language and maths. Thank you to all the sixth year pupils who have become involved in the programme so far. Fresh fruit The department continues to provide fresh fruit daily for ASN pupils. This has proved very successful and tastes are becoming quite adventurous, including mangos and kiwis. Visit to Sweden This month I visited a school in Ange, Sweden with Mr Hay. We are hoping to establish an exchange programme for ASN pupils. Travel can be challenging for pupils with special needs for a wide variety of reasons. This will be an exciting venture and one which will provide a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to experience a different country and culture.

ASN News: September 2004 by Ms N Thomson

If you are unable to come along to the coffee morning, but would like to help out by providing home bakes or prizes, then all donations will be gratefully received. This year we are try to raise funds for Forget-me-Not, CLAN (Cancer Link Aberdeen and North) and the Anderson High School Fund, so mark off Saturday 4th December in your diaries and come along to the Anderson High School for a fun, festive morning.

This year the fund raising committee have two events to plan for: Comic Relief, which is in March, and the ever-popular Christmas Coffee morning, which is going from strength to strength. Last year we managed to raise just over £1,500. This year, the Coffee Morning will take place on Saturday 4th December, and we look forward to seeing you all there. We will have Santa in his grotto, home bakes, teas and coffees, and a whole array of stalls to satisfy all age groups.

School Fund Committee by Mr S Nield

Traffic Safety around the School by Ms V Nicolson

In our March Newsletter, I asked parents to be extremely careful when dropping their children off at school. The school’s front door is used by 1000 people every day, with the ASN buses and delivery vans needing access. I requested that pupils are dropped off at the grassy turning circle off Lovers Loan, or at another point around the

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school’s campus - not the front door. Many thanks to those of you who have made an effort to improve pupils safety and stop congestion at the front door.

On 20th May 2004 at 7 pm, 44 Anderson High School pupils and 5 teachers left the Holmsgarth ferry terminal in Shetland to embark on the journey to Spain. The travelling went smoothly until we discovered on reaching Barcelona airport that half of us including 4 teachers were without their luggage, which was still in London! All we could do was continue our journey by bus to Salou and hope that the cases would arrive on the following day as promised. When we got to the hotel Cap Salou, we were all impressed by the hotel and the surrounding amusement area. There were bungee trampolines, remote control cars and mini dodgem cars and a few little cafes and bars. The hotel also had a nice big pool and a private beach. Luggage arrived early the next day and we all put on our swimming costumes and jumped into the pool. In Spain we visited Port Aventura, a massive theme park whose main attraction was the 8 looped roller

coaster Dragon Kahn. It was really good fun and we could even buy embarrassing photos of ourselves hurtling down the big drop. The next day we went to Costa Caribe, a water park just next door, which was a good chance to sunbathe then cool down on the water rides. We also enjoyed shopping in Salou and were given freedom to go where we wanted within an area of the town, which made it even better. Salou had so many shops, there was enough to keep you busy all evening. There were places to get braids in your hair and portraits drawn. We went on a couple of day trips to Barcelona where we visited the Gaudi Houses and the Sagrada Familia (a massive church). Both were very impressive and good to see. On one of the hottest days we went to Barcelona aquarium, which was really interesting with a walk through a shark tunnel. The thing that most people were looking forward to was the visit to the Nou Camp Stadium (especially

Mr Clubb, Mr Calder and Mr Turner). The Nou Camp is Barcelona Football Club’s main stadium and it holds about 100 thousand people. We got a really good tour around the changing rooms, the pitch and the press conference room. We even got to see some of the players run out of the pitch to train and held a full size replica of the Champions League Trophy. One thing that all pupils commented on was that all of the year groups from one to three mixed and everyone made friends with people that they had never even spoken to before. Some of us also made friends with Spanish children in the hotel and there was a good atmosphere everywhere we went. On the last night Mr Clubb, Mr Calder and Mr Turner did karaoke. It was extremely funny and entertaining but we all thought that they should stick to teaching! Overall the trip was a huge success. Thank you to Mr Clubb, Mr Calder, Mr Turner, Mrs Yeaman and Mrs Reid for taking us.

Impressions of Spain (Barcelona Trip) by May Cooper 4A

Paris Trip 2004 by Amy Mair 2E and Emma Young 2E

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The trip to Paris was great fun, and although there was a lot of travelling, we had a great time. When we got off the boat in Aberdeen, we were picked up by our coach driver John, and began the journey down to Newcastle. We stopped off in Edinburgh at the Gyle Centre and spent a couple of hours shopping. When we got to Newcastle we got on another boat, the Duchess of Scandinavia, which had a disco which was a good laugh The next day we travelled on the bus through Holland and Belgium to France, and we arrived at our hotel in time for

tea. After we had eaten and unpacked, we went for a walk around Villejuif and we found a McDonalds just along the road from the hotel The next morning, we were up early for our first day in Paris. We went for a boat trip along the Seine, and then up to the top of the Eiffel Tower – some of us walked down from the second level, and we walked to the Champs-Elysee where we had lunch and went shopping. We then went on an open-top bus around Paris before getting the Metro back to the hotel Another early start but our best day by far, we spent the whole day at Disneyland Paris, it was so cool, and the rides were brilliant. The next morning, we headed to the Musee D’Orsay, an art museum, where we had a guided tour, it was interesting and we saw a lot of famous paintings. We then walked along the river to Notre Dame where we had our lunch. In the afternoon we went out to Montmartre and went to Sacre Coeur. It was a fine day. That night, we went 10-pin bowling and got lovely ice cream shaped into a flower. On our last day in Paris, we went swimming at the Aquaboulevad, the flumes were excellent, and there was a wave machine. In the afternoon we went to the Cite des Sciences, but to be honest it was a bit boring. We then

went shopping in Villejuif to buy some last minute gifts. The next day we began our journey home; the boat back to Newcastle was even bigger and better than the one we were on before. It had a great shop, and a very lively disco. We made back to Aberdeen just in time to spend an hour shopping before getting the boat back to Shetland. All in all, the trip was a great success, and I would recommend it to anyone.

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL ELECTION RESULTS 2004/2005

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S1 GIRLS S1 BOYS

Amy Harper Lorcan Henry

Selina Miller Harry Whitham

S2 GIRLS S2 BOYS

Caitlin Holmes Jonathan Polson

Sadie Tait Khalid Rasul

S3 GIRLS S3 BOYS

Lauren Irvine Ramsay Hogg

Kristen Saunders Darren Laurenson

S4 GIRLS S4 BOYS

Vicky Anderson Michael Hill

Amanda Morrison Gary Mouat

S5 GIRLS S5 BOYS

Hayley Leask John Leask

Kathleen Smith Lachlan Ward-Smith

S6 GIRLS S6 BOYS

Emily Garrick (Secretary) Ross Moncrieff (Chairperson)

Claire Thomson (Vice Secretary) Andrew Watt (Vice Chairperson)

Dates of SRC Meetings

Monday 4th October Periods 5 & 6

Tuesday 30th November

Periods 3 & 4

Wednesday 19th January Periods 1 & 2

Thursday 24th March

Periods 3 & 4

Friday 13th May Period 3 & 4

Anything Goes! by Mr K Turner

As you may be aware, the Anderson High School has recently resurrected the old tradition of the “end of year” show. If everything runs to plan we will be presenting the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes, at the Garrison Theatre from the 22nd June to the 25th June. But before then we only have the small task of auditioning, casting, and rehearsing the show, not to mention creating the staging and assembling the musicians!

At the time of writing this the production team, made up of staff from across the school, had received names from over 170 pupils interested in taking part, be it on stage, back stage or in the band! This is a tremendous response, so a big thank you to everyone in the school. We are now in the midst of auditioning the 100 or so pupils who are particularly keen on being in front of the curtain! We are hearing the pupils sing and giving them the opportunity to show off their acting skills with a short drama piece. Hopefully the show will be cast by the time you read this! So what’s it all about? For those of you who don’t know Anything Goes, the story is your classic tale of love, mistaken identities, and blackmail, all set onboard a luxury liner. In short, a fairly straightforward story with superb music and songs! That just leaves me, on behalf of the AHS Drama Committee, to say a big thank you to all the pupils for their interest and commitment so far. The

next few months promise to be very busy, as well as lots of fun, but we are all sure it will be worth it! We look forward to seeing you all at the Garrison in June supporting the school production. Thank you in advance for your support! If anyone thinks they would like to lend a hand in anyway it’s not too late. Just speak to one of the Drama Committee in the school, thanks.

Peer Support

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Big Dave by Jennifer Wright 2A and Sarah Cooper 2A

have other problems like abuse or they may have been bullied themselves and taking out their anger on a victim. Dave was picked on because he was smaller and shy, he stood out from the crowd at school because he didn’t like football and did not socialize all the time, usually he stood in a corner with no confidence. The bullies came round to him and started pushing him and calling him names, as time marched on the pushes turned to shoves, the names grew more violent. Eventually they made him steal and he would tell his parents he felt ill and sick just so he wouldn’t have to face the bullies. The bullies started affecting his schoolwork, he couldn’t concentrate. Eventually his parents sat him down and he ended up telling them everything. Dave started socializing and got on with a lot more people and

Big Dave came to our school to talk about bullying. He used three words to help when people are being bullied they were, “Talk, Talk, Talk.” When he came the secondary 1’s and 2’s all gathered outside the P.E department and lined up at the car park. He pulled a large sized bus, with his own strength, for at least 5-7 metres. After he pulled the bus S1 and S2 went into the Games Hall while he talked about bullying. He talked about his own childhood experiences and told us of how he was bullied as a child, which almost led him to crime and jail. He recently saw those bullies and the looked at him ashamed of themselves. They had been to jail quite a few times and were most likely criminals. This proves that nothing good will come of bullying. Most bullies are jealous and

had a happier childhood. Dave was lucky, his parents decided to work out what was going on. Some children are bullied so much it leads to suicide even, some people can’t tell their parents but Dave’s parents saw the problem. We thought the talk it really put things in perspective. It really opened our eyes to what goes on when being bullied. We think it helped adults too because it is their responsibility to sort it out and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Even though some kids cannot tell adults it is better to know what to look for and Dave did a really good job of showing us. So remember if you are being bullied take Dave’s advice and “Talk, Talk, Talk!”

At the end of August, 42 Sixth Year pupils were trained, by the Pupil Support Department, in Peer Support. They now go on to work with all 147

First Year pupils, in small groups, as part of their Personal and Social Education Programme. The above photo shows Class 6 pupils James

Smale, Aith, and Gemma Southren, Sandwick, with a group of 1B pupils.

In AHS we acknowledge that bullying occurs day in and day out. It is an issue which has to be addressed by all us in any school community: pupils, teachers, parents, auxiliary staff and janitors. More than that, it is an issue for the wider community. Bullying occurs in workplaces involving adults. Among young people, it is often conducted by telephone or text message, and via internet chat-rooms. At schools, on a Monday, teachers often have to deal with the aftermath of weekend soap operas. If a child is subjected to serious or persistent bullying outside school hours parents may decide to involve the police. Anyone trying to deal with bullying has to go into a situation with their eyes open and prepared to consider all sides of an argument. Situations tend to be riddled with complexities. At the simpler end of the scale there is downright aggression by one or more persons against an innocent victim. This is relatively easy to address if the victim has found the courage to tell a parent or teacher about their plight. More often bullying is alleged when there are relationship difficulties with peers. It may be that jealousy arises when a new person joins a friendship group. Or a young person may have done something to alienate their friends, who then exact revenge. It is in

human nature to tell stories. If stories about someone are made up or exaggerated, then we quickly have a situation where rumours are flying round schools, and it is very difficult to establish the original source. For sure, bullying comes in many disguises. In our school we try to maintain an ethos in which pupils can speak freely and express their opinions, as long as this is done in a reasonable way. Pupil Support (formerly Guidance) staff are available at all times to listen to pupils’ problems. We work hard to establish an atmosphere of trust so that bullying will be reported to us. All staff are vigilant and will contact Pupil Support if they suspect that bullying is going on. In Pupil Support we have no fixed response to bullying incidents. However, the perpetrators are always confronted and their behaviour is challenged. Depute Heads are consulted to decide on appropriate sanctions. All bullying incidents/allegations, and records of follow-up work, are kept in a central log. In AHS we have an anti-bullying committee to monitor and oversee our policy. I am named as anti-bullying co-ordinator but in reality anti-bullying work is always a team effort involving Pupil Support staff, class teachers and parents. Bullying trends and patterns are monitored by means of a confidential questionnaire completed annually by pupils. In Personal and

Social Education (PSE) classes, pupils are encouraged to talk openly about bullying. Lessons also deal with building positive relationships. Pupils are engaged in a range of activities: for example in designing anti-bullying posters to be displayed around the school. They are also asked to think about the issue in assemblies. Recently we had the visit of Dave Gauder, an inspirational performer and speaker who impressed a large number of young people in Shetland schools. More of the same will no doubt follow, supported by the Education Department of the SIC. I do not believe that it is possible to eliminate bullying altogether. However, we are determined to continue this work and to continually improve our PSE programmes. Parents can help by talking and listening to their children. Encourage them to talk freely about bullying and other issues which may concern them. Parents can contact the school at any time during the school day (692306).

The Shetland Careers Convention takes place on Thursday 30 th September in the Clickimin Centre, starting at 6.30 pm. During the day of Thursday and the following morning, Friday 1st October, representatives from the Scottish universities and a selection of colleges will be giving talks about Higher Education in the School. These talks will be of most use to pupils who are applying for university this year.

Last year, parents welcomed the financial information and general guidance about university life given by Lesley MacLennan of Aberdeen University University. So, we have again arranged for Ms MacLennan to hold an information evening for parents, on Tuesday 28th September at 7.00 pm, in the school staffroom. Before she attends the Shetland Careers Convention Ms MacLennan is also available for individual interviews with pupils during the day of Wednesday 29th September to answer general questions about university and specific questions about Aberdeen University. At this stage of the school year, as well as working hard in their courses, senior pupils need to be planning for the future. There are several important careers events and deadlines over the next few weeks.

S6 pupils have been applying for Work Experience recently and placements are currently being arranged. UCAS applications will be submitted online this year and Pupil Support will be meeting with pupils to prepare for this after the October holidays. Meanwhile, pupils should be researching suitable courses, entry requirements and polishing personal statements in preparation for applications. Those pupils applying for medicine, veterinary medicine and Oxford or Cambridge have an earlier deadline as their applications need to be with Pupil Support teachers before the October holiday; this small group will be given specific information at the end of September.

Anti-Bullying Strategies by Mr D McDonald, PT Pupil Support

Careers Information for Senior Pupils and Parents by Ms M Liddle, PT Pupil Support

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“A dynamic and well-designed school site that is already promising great things in this early stage of its development. Highlights include a comprehensive calendar of school events that helps to remind staff, pupils and parents of their forthcoming commitments, an impressive collection of subject-based web links and Amazon-style book reviews that have been written by the students themselves on a wide range of contemporary texts.”

These is how the National Grid for Learning (Scotland) described the school website which was awarded Website Of The Month for June 2004.

As well as the calendar, web links and book re-views there are photographs of school events, ex-amples of pupil work and a guest book used by former pupils and visitors. School newsletters and minutes of School Board Meetings are also avail-able to download. The school website can be found at http://www.anderson.shetland.sch.uk The school library will have it own area on the school website with new additions to the library, the school poetry magazine, monthly competitions and news of special events.

AHS Website by Mr P Thoresen

The Global Classroom Conference 2004 – Ange, Sweden by Christopher Silver 6H

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The town of Ange is situated in the heart of Sweden, clustered around a railway track – which runs the length of the country – and surrounded by hundreds of miles of forest. It had an air of being on the edge of a vast wilderness in what

often seemed like permanent isolation. It was to this small, fairly closed community that a group of one hundred Japanese, Czech, South Africa, German, and Shetland students gathered after days of travel to commence the 2 0 0 4 G l o b a l C l a s s r o o m Conference. For me it was as unique an experience as any offered to students at the AHS, or for that matter, any school that I know of. Ange was, in many ways it provided the perfect setting for such a gathering, mainly because there was no where to escape to. The town became alive with a far greater amount and diversity of people than it has probably ever see. Its shops, parks and lakes became centres for international intercourse between people from c o m p l e t e l y d i f f e r e n t , ye t

surprisingly similar backgrounds. The conference itself consisted of a variety of provocative presentations and discussions, walks in the surrounding forests, sports, music and some slightly bizarre Swedish t rad i t ions . The Shet land presentations were enhanced wonderfully by the work of Greg McCarron, who produced a fabulous film on the roots of Shetland – but unfortunately, due to ill health, he could not make the conference. The programme catered for as wide a variety of people as possible and it seemed that most found their forte among at least one event. The discussions tended to be rather vague and dominated by certain, more vocal participants. Although it was noticeable how easily many of the less fiery found their voice. Much of the experience however, took place on a much more personal level. In addition to meeting other part ic ipants, students also stayed with a great variety of host families. In this way each Global Classroom student enjoyed a completely unique experience. I, along with Jordan Smith stayed with a slightly eccentric, ex-army officer, who was now the Head Teacher of Ange High School. Our stay was probably as much of an education for him as it was for us, despite the fact that we only ever saw him first thing in the morning and last thing at night. For other students host

families became more important then the Conference itself, with their whole stay centring around family based activities. On the last night we were given an opportunity to expose Shetland culture to the world with an international Boston two-step. Other countries in turn demonstrate examples of traditional (and less traditional) song and dance. This all added to the amazing atmosphere of the final celebration.

For the group of twe lve Shetlanders who set out with little idea of what to expect and the stress of exams still fresh in their minds, it was a opportunity, at least for a short ten days, to become fully-fledged students of the world, an opportunity which should not be overlooked next year for Global Classroom 2005 in Cape Town, South Africa.

I came to Shetland in August 2003 and now, a few months after my year as an Extended Exchange student finished, I am starting to realise how massive an experience it was. Before I came, I thought it was going to be just a slightly more interesting school year where I will enjoy being out of my home country, speaking a foreign language all the time and getting contacts abroad. Of course, I was excited about it. However it was much different. Anderson High School, and a year spent there, are things I will remember forever. It was an experience that changed my life completely. I found out about so many different life styles, opinions, beliefs, knowledge and information that I could never imagine before. The stay in Shetland gave many things to me. First, I got many contacts with people from not only Shetland but virtually from all around the world. I was enabled to know people from the schools of the Global Classroom Partnership. Until coming to Shetland, I learned about different cultures, life styles and beliefs from books or TV. However, in Anderson High I started to learn by discussion with people from various circumstances. I could learn by sharing ideas with them, which is in my opinion the most effective learning

about people. You can never learn as much from a book as you can from talking to the people. Even now, several months after they left Shetland, I am still I contact with most of the Exchange students at AHS in 2003. Not many people can say that just from talking at school they learned about South Africa, Sweden, Japan or Germany. I am so fortunate to say that I did so. I was just sharing ideas and experience and learned much more about foreign countries that I would from sitting in a class reading a textbook. I stayed with a few host-families over the year spent in Shetland and all of them became my good friends. One thing I have been grateful for very much is that they accepted me in their homes as an absolute stranger and eventually considered me not only as a long-term guest but also as a member of their household. And what can be more helpful for a teenager 2000 miles from his loved ones than a place where he feels safe, welcomed, accepted and loved. During the year, I got many friends among the students as well. I think that the experience with foreign students at the school meant I have never met any anti-social behaviour against me as a result of being from somewhere else. Moreover, many of

the friends I have met have still been in contact with me, planning future meetings and cooperation, which I personally consider as an absolute positive for my future life – have international contacts that are not only formal but also based on friendships. Events I probably enjoyed most were connected to the Global Classroom Partnership. During the year, the project coordinators developed video conferencing with other partner schools and I was involved in a few of these international classes. It was fascinating that we could share ideas, thought and experiences about out school subjects, communities and problems via a screen and a microphone. We were virtually involved in a class in South Africa despite we were 10,000 kilometres away from there. During the school year, I managed to visit this country also physically as a member of a group of AHS students studying its history in either Advanced Higher History or Higher Modern Studies. The week spent there was an absolute revelation. Before it, we just saw photos from the township and read graphs about poverty and inequality there. However, being there was a big shock – we saw those people living in circumstances that were unbelievable, we felt the horrors of the Apartheid and we could not believe it. A year in Shetland was certainly a lifetime experience. Anderson High School enabled me to study in their educational system and pass Scottish Higher Exams, which I can use to prove my skills at any University I would wish to enter I the future. However, things I value the most are not written on a paper, they are written in my head. It is all the information, language skills, knowledge about not only others, but about me as well, which will hopefully become wisdom eventually. If I was now asked to participate in an international partnership project, I would never say no because despite it takes some things from you it gives you so much that you cannot believe it.

Extended Exchange Student 2003-2004 from Gymnasium Zlin, Czech Republic - Jan Semotam

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Silk Hangings Silk Paintings were created for the library during activities week in May, and were put on display during the summer holidays. They looked so good that the library threw a party to celebrate, inviting everyone who had helped to make them. The hangings are decorated with quotes relevant to education from a variety of characters, from Ghandi through John Lennon to Homer Simpson and Arthur Anderson. Clubs The library’s opening hours have been changed to allow more time for activities. Books can still be changed before and after school and during break time, and for 15 minutes at lunchtimes. The rest of lunchtime is taken up with groups : Tuesdays = Games (Board games, PC, PS2) Wednesdays = Reading club Thursdays = Arts and crafts club Fridays = Homework club The fact that the library is closed from 1.15 pm apart from clubs means that staff can devote their time to group, and clubs are already proving popular.

Library news by Mrs L Smale, School Librarian

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only half of one percent of all entrants to the Junior Maths Challenge get through to the Olympiad.

The Junior Maths Challenge was held in April this year when 56 first and second year pupils took part. Amongst them they received 17 Bronze certificates, 11 Silver and 3 Gold. Mandy Leask, then in class 2, scored highly enough to gain entry to the UK Junior Mathematical Olympiad. This was an excellent achievement as

Maths Challenge News by Mr G Dorrat, PT Mathematics

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We are going to make the keyrings, magnets, pencil toppers, etc out of FIMO and the Christmas cards, stationary and gift taks will be printed with a cartoon of a character. We hope to appeal to a wide market, with such a wide market of products.

We are “Da Peerie Mootie Company” group involved in Young Enterprise this year. For our product we have decided to make a range of products like stationary, keyrings, pencil toppers and magnets, for each our four characters. Our characters are going to based on Shetland (for example a Shetland pony or a Viking).

We will be launching the main bulk of our products at the Craft Fare in November but will be selling them in the school and hopefully a few shops throughout Shetland, as well as taking orders from out Website. We hope that you are interested in our company, if you have any questions or suggestions we would be delighted if you get in touch.

Young Enterprise – ‘Da Peerie Mootie Company’

hand-painted glassware for those seeking a more up-market gift. Choosing a catchy name which incorporated glass and sweets proved to be difficult, but the company eventually voted on the name “Meidmar”. This is the Old Norse word for “treasures”, which we felt reflected both aspects of the product. Look out for us and our tasty sweets over the coming months! At the moment, we are doing everything we can to get production up and running as soon as possible. Complications include the fact that all those making and packing the products require Food Hygiene Certificates, but only one of our company members is currently qualified to do this. As well as

This year, I am lucky enough to be participating in the “Young Enterprise Scotland” programme as a member of one of the two Anderson High companies. I did not initially sign up for the programme, but the company kindly accepted me as Company Secretary at short notice. My duties as Company Secretary mainly involve taking minutes, or a record, of everything that is said and done in our meetings, and sending these to everyone by email. My position also qualifies me for a few choice treats, for example, writing newsletter articles such as this one! There are a variety of titles and roles to play in a Young Enterprise company, involving m a n a g e m e n t , a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , marketing, finance, sales, operations, and many more aspects. Luckily, our Link Teacher (Marion Ockendon) and our able Advisers (Dougie Grant and John Gear) give us help whenever we need it, while encouraging us to think and act independently. Our company quickly decided on products, opting to sell handmade confectionery baked in the local style. We will also put some of them inside

finding training courses for our members, we are investigating online glassware sources where we can buy quality items in bulk, with plenty of success on the part of our ICT personnel. Now that we are set t ing up manufacture, we need capital as quickly as possible. For this reason, shares in the company are now available at 50p each. Up to 20 shares can be bought per person, and they can be purchased from our Director of Finance, Claire Thomson. This is your chance to invest in a new, dynamic company with excellent prospects, so don’t miss the opportunity! I have greatly enjoyed working with the other company members so far, and I would like to commend the team for all the effort they have put in so far. My message for any future 6th year pupils is: if you want to experience life at the top of a real business, join a Young Enterprise company. You won’t find a more realistic or enjoyable introduction to the world of business anywhere else.

Young Enterprise – First Impressions by Sam McEvoy 6C

Technology upgrade At the time of writing the department is poised to launch its newly acquired computing and technology resources following a large-scale investment over the summer holidays. The council's busy technician service has been working flat out to get our new PCs up and running with E -Magic Logic multi-tracking software, internet connections et al, and classroom staff look forward to improvements in teaching and learning conditions relating to the creative and technological elements of the modern day music curriculum. We would envisage the full impact of this upgrade will become more obvious over the next few academic sessions and that this session will amount to a familiarisation exercise for pupils and staff. While we seldom encounter pupils lacking in motivation in music, we think the new pathways to music made possible through music technology will also help particular pupils to become more engaged in music, provide more stimulus and help raise levels of achievement. In the meantime thanks to all who have helped this project in any way to date.

SQA National Review of Music Music is in phase 2 of the current Higher Still National Review of all subjects at all levels, and it looks likely that the current arrangements for music may change. To give some idea, currently, pupils being presented for Advanced Higher Music must complete an 'all singing-all dancing' Unit in Per-forming, Inventing, and Listening (compulsory at all levels) after which they can opt to complete their Course by presenting any 1 of the following specialisms:

� Performing on an additional contrasting musical instrument

� Composing an additional body of creative work

� Midi Sequencing using multi-track software

� Sound Engineering � Listening – including written

investigations on aspects of music

� A c c o m p a n y i n g o t h e r musicians – open to harmony instruments only

� Training and Directing of music groups in school

The music teaching profession are de l i gh ted w i t h t hes e c u r ren t arrangements as they provide diversity and clearly match pupil profiles. We hope there will be no reduction in choice, but there are two hopeful signs. Firstly the Accompaniment route looks likely to be retained despite low uptake across Scotland, our department currently presents around 20% of Scotland's uptake! Secondly, the Midi Sequencing route is liable to be retained, i.e. our computer/technology upgrade is going to be particularly useful!

Winter and Summer Concerts The concert will take place on Wednesday 8th December when the emphasis will be on small and larger scale music groups. At the time of writing discussions are taking place regarding the venue for this concert as the school assembly hall continues to give us problems – its far too small! Among the items at this concert, we plan to include a showcase on the art of song writing through a representation of the work of Paul Simon, while the orchestra (currently 50 + members), along with other smaller combinations of instrumentalists aims to present Mussorgsky's acclaimed "Pictures at an Exhibition". We won't manage all the 'pictures' but we hope to present a substantial 'tableau', including at least one picture a la Emerson Lake and Palmer. The Summer Concert will be in

Lerwick Town Hall on Wednesday 4th May when the emphasis will be on individual and small group musical achievements in the senior school.

Advanced Higher Music Trip Thanks to assistance from the school fund, the current class of 12 pupils will head to Edinburgh in early December to see the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in action, and will also get a tour of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow, and a look at Napier University's B.Mus (Hons) in Popular Music – currently in its 3rd year of operation, where we hope to team up with Arthur Nicolson, the first Shetlander to enrol for this new course.

Music Department by Mr G Yeaman, PT Music

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After months of hard work in rehearsing, performing, and of course fundraising, Capella and Fiddle Finale left for Bergen on the Norrona on 7th June with their directors Deirdre Hayward and Alan Gifford, and accompanied by Nigel Hayward, Eileen Tait and Marion Ockendon. Taking the musical side first, the group spent 2 days on the Isle of Sotra, organised by Roger Martin of the Fjell Kulturschool and Aashild Eriksen, director of the Centre’s choirs. They performed for all the pupils at Ulveset Primary School, and Capella then worked and rehearsed with the children’s choir while Fiddle Finale returned to Bergen for a joint learning exercise with a Hardanger Fiddle group in the Bergen Kulturcenter. The 2 days at Sotra culminated in a concert in the Landro kyrkje (kirk) where all the Shetlanders performed, but with additional items by local children. Some of these joined Capella for some numbers, singing in both English and Norwegian. While on Sotra, a thought-provoking visit was made to the Museum at Televaag. This was the village razed to the ground by the Nazis. There were strong links between Televaag and Shetland during the war with many of the Shetland Bus trips either starting or finishing here. The curator, Egil Christophersen, was exceptionally good and could talk from his own personal knowledge of some of those involved at the time. A lasting impression was made on many of us for whom war is normally something we normally only read about or watch on TV.

An interesting time was spent in Ulvik in the beautiful Hardanger region. Out contact there had been introduced to us by Annlaug Oydvin, a Hardanger fiddler who had been working in Shetland schools earlier this year. Despite out persistence in trying to tie Anne Marie down with specifics about what we would actually be doing, she cheerfully told us that we would see how things happened ‘on the day’. A mutual friend in Shetland had told us not to worry, she knew what she was doing, and indeed she did. With her team of dancers and fiddlers she took us all in hand to teach us some traditional dances, and of course they all now know how to hooch in a Boston two-step! A friendship concert was held in the evening, featuring local dancers and fiddlers as well as Capella and Fiddle Finale, and again Ulvik youngsters joined in with the groups.

On Sunday we held a concert in a beautiful little venue in the centre of Bergen where the excellent acoustics helped both groups sound their best in

the last official performance before returning to Shetland. There were of course various impromptu sessions, including on the Norrona and in the Youth Hostel, where some Norwegians accepted the invitation to join in the dance. Apart from all the music, there was time for sightseeing and shopping, and learning more about our Scandinavia neighbours. With careful planning we were able to include the funicular railway up Mount Floyen and the Ulriksbahn (cable car), a trip o the world famous Flam railway, and visits to Edvard Grieg’s house and museum, and also that of the violinist Ole Bull. The bus trips enabled everyone to enjoy some of the most spectacular views of fjords and waterfalls. From a staff point of view, apart from the practical experience of working with our Norwegian colleagues, we met a number of teachers in the Youth Hostel who were accompanying school trips. It was good to meet these people socially and informally and exchange experience. All the young people on the trip have been excellent ambassadors not only for their schools, but also for Shetland as a whole. Whilst there were inevitable minor hiccups, it was a trouble free experience and we are proud of all the singes and musicians who participated in this cultural adventure.

memorable concert in the Town Hall to a close with three tunes written for the visit. Let’s hope we can do it again! It is hoped to form a twining with a new School of Music in Orkney for the two understudy groups No Strings Attached and Unreel. Orkneys ‘Wrigley Sisters’, Jennifer and Hazel, are opening a music school in the Islands and are keen to from a partnership with the two groups. So who knows, a trip for these groups may be possible out through the year. The current session is the tenth year of rehearsals for High Strings. The group will celebrate its Tenth birthday in August of 2005. Plans as to how to mark this anniversary are still under d iscuss ion but could inc lude

Since our last news letter High Strings played host to our Irish counterparts Le Chiele for a wonderful six day tour in July. We visited Eshaness, Unst, Yell and the South Mainland, with performances at Bells Brae Primary, Sound Primary, Anderson High School, The Accordion and Fiddle Club, Uyeasound, Cullivoe, Voe and The Town Hall. We had workshops from local players as well as the opportunity to hear local musicians perform. We also had a dancing workshop courtesy of Maria Leask and a visit from Guizer Jarl Stanley Manson and some of his Squad. We were very ably supported by the other two High school groups, No Strings Attached and the newly formed ‘Unreel’, at our Town Hall concert. All the musicians, numbering approximately 70, brought the final and

entertainment in the county’s Care Centres and Homes for the Elderly as well as Fund Raising concerts for Charity and possibly a celebration CD for all Anderson High groups. Either way it is planned to give something back to the generous community which has supported us over the last 10 years

Capella and Fiddle Finale by Mrs D Hayward and Mr A Gifford

Fiddle News by Mrs M Scollay

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Anderson High School Lover’s Loan

Lerwick SHETLAND

ZE1 0JH

Phone: 01595 692306 Fax: 01595 695688

Email: andersonoffice@ shetland.biblio.net

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Lunch Time Activities by Mrs H Hogg

These have started quietly with Football taking centre stage at the moment. Students for 6th Year (Paul Grant, Matthew Medley, Gary Pottinger, Lee Williamson, Heman Cheng and Andy Harper) have volunteered to run the boy’s day on a Friday. There has been a big turnout of boys, particularly in 1st and 2nd Year with 12 teams signed up for a league competition. Because of this, the league will be split into 2 divisions with alternate weeks in the games hall and the new gym hall. This will happen once the protective mesh is in place over lights and widows. Boys will have to look out for information on venue and opponents. Girls have not been forgotten, Miss Watt has stated sessions after school on Mondays and is also proposing a lunchtime session for 1st and 2nd Year girls. There has been a

large and enthusiastic uptake on this activity. There will be opportunities to participate in Rugby, Netball, Basketball, Badminton to name but a few. Next term sees Hockey and Trampolining starting and students are asked to look out for information via tannoys and posters advertising them as they start. There will also be the usual inter school competitions happening at various times of the year.

Physical Activity and Expeditions. The main aim is for young people to improve their abilities in their chosen activities. Most pupils start off at Bronze level which can be completed within one year, depending on an individual’s commitment. This is the best time of year for pupils to start the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The school’s Award group meet at lunchtime every Friday, at 1.30 pm in room A2.3. Come along and find out more, or speak to Mr Dorrat, Miss Coyne or Mr Turner.

This is the time of year which marks the end of outdoor activities and the start of a new session for the Award. The weekend of 11 th to 13 th September saw two groups of senior pupils undertake a Silver level expedition amid the dramatic scenery of Ronas Hill and North Roe. They routed via various prehistoric sites covering thirty miles and camping two nights. The Award is open to any pupil from third year and up. It consists of four sections in which participants chose one activity from several hundred. The sections are: Skills, Service,

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award by Mr G Dorrat & Mr K Turner

Fancy a new challenge? This is the time of year that the school’s Duke of Edinburgh award scheme group looks to recruit a new members. The scheme is open to any pupil from class 3 upwards. The award works at three levels; bronze, silver and gold and involves a range of activities including learning new skills, new sports and of course an expedi-tion! If you at all interested in joining the award scheme or just want to know a wee bit more speak to Mr Turner in Geography or come to one of the Friday meetings at 1.30pm in C3.9.

AHS Running Group by Mr K Turner

After a successful run round the Knab as part of the AHS Health Week there will now be a weekly running group for staff and pupils, no matter what your fitness level! The group will head out on Thursdays at 1.15 pm. If you would like further information please speak to Mr Clubb or Mr Turner.

STOP PRESS . . . . . . . AHS 13 MONTROSE 11

Our Rugby team wins in the first round of the Bell Lawrie Scottish Schools Rugby Cup in Aberdeen on Friday 24th September. Well done Mr Calder and the boys!