The Banter 2018-19 Issue 4 – December

The Newsletter of Keith Grammar School, School Road, Keith, Moray, AB55 5GS Tel: (01542) 882461 E-mail: admin.keithgrammar@moray-edunet.gov.uk

Web: www.keithgrammarschool.co.uk Twitter: @KeithGrammar

I am writing this with the faint sounds of rehearsals for the Christmas Concert wafting through the corridors and following the hugely successful Christmas Dances last week. With the Christmas Service on Friday there really is no escaping the fact that the holidays are upon us.

Although it is the end of another year it is just a brief pause in the school session, soon enough we will be back to Subject Choices and Prelims. It is still a good time to reflect on a time of great success and progress for our school. As you will read throughout The Banter there are a huge number of opportunities for our young people’s learning to be made interesting and valuable through links to the world of work and the many career opportunities that are out there. These opportunities would just not be possible without the support of local employers in giving of their time. Equally we are grateful to all who support our fundraising efforts that allow us to provide transport to these activities.

Partnerships with Moray College UHI, all the Moray Secondaries and Banff Academy, The Gordon Schools and Buckie High mean we are able to offer a greater variety of courses despite ever tighter financial pressures.

It is an exciting time to be in education and a really exciting time to be at Keith Grammar School. Have a great Christmas and New Year. I look forward to working with you all in 2019 to provide the best possible educational experiences for the young people of Keith.

Message from the Rector...

Jamus Macpherson

@kgsRector

Tales to Tell, Stories to Share

Storyteller, author and Traveller Jess Smith visited Keith

Grammar School library on the 5th December, to work

with the Higher English pupils on creating stories. The

audience listened intently as Jess briefly spoke about her

background and early life. It was often from the older

generations that Jess heard stories and tales and she

shared several of these with the group, including one she

heard originally from Willie McPhee in Perth called

‘Frozen Boots’ which proved very popular.

Jess encouraged the pupils to take that story and share it with others and put their own feelings into it

and to create their own fear and atmosphere. After speaking about the history of travellers in Scotland

and her young life growing up living on a blue bus, Jess got the group joining in with the tale Apples and

Oranges.

After this it was the Higher English pupils

turn to get creative. Jess provided them

with a framework to use to create a setting

for the story to take place using elements of

landscape and nature, emotions, weather

and seasons and to take your character on a

journey through this. The pupils have all

been challenged to use this to create a

story or other creative response for their

portfolio for Higher English.

St Andrew’s Day

The School celebrated St

Andrew’s by having a

Mass Orcadian Strip the

Willow in the hall.

Donations were used to

buy food items for our

collection point for

Moray Food Bank.

Thanks to everyone who

took part or donated.

Modern Languages S3 Benromach visit

On Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th November, all S3 pupils studying French or German visited

Benromach Distillery in Forres as part of our Business Language Champions project.

This project, now in its second year, has been developed between the Modern Languages

Department, Gordon and Macphail (the parent company of Benromach distillery), DYW Moray and

SCILT (Scotland’s National Centre for Languages).

Pupils had the opportunity for a site visit of the distillery to learn about the whisky making process by

viewing the visitors centre film and touring the distillery. Pupils also had the opportunity to find out

about the importance of languages in this industry (food, drink and tourism is one of the eight

employment growth sectors in Moray).

Throughout December in Modern Languages classes, our S3 pupils have been tasked with creating

French and German subtitles for the visitor centre film. Each group has been given approx. 30

seconds of the film to create subtitles for.

As well as developing their language skills, pupils will be developing their communication and

employability skills, by working in small groups to a set deadline.

Well done to Bent Michielsen (S3) and Eilidh Simmers (S6) who

competed in the ESU ‘Speakers Corner Challenge’ and the ‘Senior

Public Speaking Competition’ on Wednesday 21st November.

Both pupils competed against a number of speakers from

Inverness and Aberdeen schools. Eilidh successfully gained a

place in national finals which will be held in Edinburgh in

March. Both delivered excellent speeches.

Well done to Iona Alexander and Cassie Findlay (S2) who

competed in the COPFS Public Competition for S2/S3 on Thursday

29th November. The girls competed against a strong side from

Speyside and ensured that the judges’ decision was a difficult one.

Both judges remarked how impressive the girls were when

delivering their speeches – especially as this was their first

competition. Although they did not progress through to the next

round this time, we’re already looking ahead to next year!

Public Speaking Success

S2/S3 Career Pathway Planning event

On Tuesday 20th November, we welcomed local representatives of the key growth employment

sectors to our Career Pathway Planning event for S2 and S3 pupils.

The 8 key employment sectors in Moray (Early Education and Childcare; Health and Social Care;

Engineering; Construction; Food, Drink, Travel and Tourism; IT and Creative Industries; Business and

Professional Services; Land Based) were represented by more than 25 local employers.

This was an ideal opportunity for pupils to talk to local employers and consider possible future

career sectors, find out about the jobs within each sector and the skills and subjects required by

them. We were delighted that so many parents were also able to join us on the day.

Prior to this event, all pupils had time in PSE to discuss their learning journey so far and consider

subjects and careers of interest to them, which is now leading into their subject choice.

Subject choice is an important stage in a pupil’s educational journey. We believe that it is vital that

our young people have appropriate support, access to relevant information and the opportunity to

reflect, as they strive to make informed choices to support their future plans. This Career Pathway

Planning event was just part of the subject choice process our young people are involved in.

Many thanks go to the staff organising group, parents and employers who attended on the day. We

are now looking to see how we can improve the event for next session.

RURAL SKILLS

Keith Grammar School – Rural Skills

Presentation to the NFU and were awarded £2000 in funding for a trip to the JCB Factory, Stoke on Trent

We got a talk from Brian Smith Engineering about agricultural engineers.

We visited Thainstone and attended the Christmas classes event. Then we travelled to SRUC Agricultural College near Aberdeen. Three lecturers showed us the campus and gave us a tour.

Our current topic is crop production so we went to CC Powells near Macduff to learn about the different types of machinery for planting and harvesting crops. Then at Benzies farm we saw large-scale crop production, mainly potatoes and carrots away to be sold to Asda, Lidl and Aldi stores throughout Scotland.

Crop rotation demo at

CC Powells

Brian Smith Engineers talk

A tour of Thainstone with an

Auctioneer

A visit to Craibstone

Potato Storage at

Banzies Farm

NFU Presentation with Scott Cousar and Rachael Davidson

Football

A group of KGS pupils will be going

on a trip next year to Manchester for

a Premiership Football Experience

and to watch a football match

between Manchester City and

Watford. This has proved to be a

popular trip and is now fully booked

Junior Netball

On the 1st November, the Junior Netball team took part in the Moray Schools Netball tournament at

Gordonstoun, Duffus. The team played well, especially considering it was their first competition

together as a new team. Although they didn’t win all their matches, it was great to see the girls playing

and working well together getting the ball down the court.

In future practices, we will continue to work on improving their general ball skills and improving team

play down the court. Juniors train on Wednesdays 3.45-4.45 in Keith Community Centre. All girls in S1-

S3 are welcome.

Kirsty Duncan

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Meetings are running every fortnight for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and we have very healthy

numbers of pupils talking their Bronze and Silver Awards.

On Wednesday the 12th of December we had the Christmas cook off, where participants were presented

with a bag of groceries and challenged to come up with something edible!! Meals were cooked on the

trangias (portable stoves and gas canisters). This task was designed to allow participants to get a feel for

cooking a proper meal out on expedition and to get them to think about what kind of food it would be

easier to carry.

Taste testing was successful!! Next meeting is Wednesday 9th January 2019 where navigation training

will be taught along with route card planning which is of the upmost importance. Dates for expeditions

have already been arranged and will be shared in January with participants so parents/carers are aware

of these.

Follow DofE at KGS on twitter @DofEatKGS

Outward Bound 2019

Learning logs and kit lists have been issued to the pupils who are attending this course on 14th January –

18th January in Fort William. Pupils should be looking at their learning log and completing some of their

intentions before the course. This week long course is a fantastic opportunity for our young people to

gain confidence and learn teamwork and leadership skills. It will enhance their C.V’s, make them stand

out from all other pupils and enable them to talk about exciting real life situations during job interviews.

Please note that all payments should now have been made.

There are still some spaces available on this course which is open to S2 and S3 pupils. It is really worth

considering attending this course as it will develop so many skills in our young people. Please contact

the school if you are interested. Financial support is available, please speak to PT Guidance.

A group of keen pupils braving the elements and enjoying a Rowing session at Cullen

Mr and Mrs Tubbs had

their heads shaved to raise

money for CLAN Cancer

Support. Brave, bald and

still smiling - well done

guys!

Buckie Business Conference

All 62 Business Management pupils at Keith Grammar School had the opportunity to attend Buckie High School’s Business Conference day on 19th November 2018. This event was an invaluable opportunity for the pupils to experience a range of activities and speakers that will develop their marketing and team-building skills, providing an insight into the world of Business. Many thanks to the Parent Council for funding transport for this event.

The First speaker was Sandy Young from Baxter’s Food Group. He gave an insightful talk about the necessity for organisations to be pro-active in their marketing activities in order to survive in a competitive world. This was demonstrated when pupils had to carry out an activity where they were encouraged to taste some products and develop a social media campaign.

The second speaker was Rob Clunas from the Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI). He provided a motivational talk about the future of farming and the exciting innovations within the industry, whilst facing challenging external factors. He re-iterated the need to forge industry links with education and the farming sector.

Pupils then had to interpret a scenario and problem solve a sustainability solution.

The third speaker was Sarah O’Hare from Strategy cards. This was an interesting talk about introducing “traditional” card games in an educational, training environment.

Pupils were given a set of educational cards as an example, where they then had to create a festival, utilising the cards.

Travel and Tourism

This academic session, Keith Grammar School is delighted to have been able to introduce National 4/5 Travel and Tourism for the first time.

This course has proved to be very popular with pupils in the senior phase. The class has just recently completed the unit on Customer Service, where they were assessed on their customer service skills.

They are currently undertaking the Employability unit. This unit allows pupils to explore the extensive variety of opportunities that are available in the surrounding area.

On Wednesday 21st November, we were fortunate to welcome a number of industry speakers.

Laurie Piper from Moray Speyside Tourism opened proceedings. His enthusiasm for the area we live in, the facilities Moray and Speyside offer and the potential career progression rewards really had an affect on the class, opening their eyes to the opportunities around them.

Jenna Collins from Chivas, and a former pupil of Keith Grammar School came next. Jenna shared her career journey to date and how she came to be working with Chivas. Again her enthusiasm for her job, the area and the potential to have a career within the industry, along with current growth trends was an inspiration to pupils.

Aimee Stephen from DYW Moray (Developing the Young Workforce) kindly attended the session. Aimee was able to inform pupils of various courses and additional vocational opportunities that are in the area. Aimee is currently undertaking a Modern Apprenticeship through her employment demonstrating another exciting career path open to our young people.

At the end of the session, following questions all the speakers emphasised the importance of networking and being pro-active in their pursuit of a career (which is not in the too distant future).

A very good session indeed. A big thank you to all our speakers for giving up their valuable time to support our students.

With the support of DYW Moray all Travel & Tourism students have also undertaking World Host training. This is an industry recognised qualification applicable to all areas of hospitality, tourism and customer service. Another exciting way we are helping our students develop a wide range of employability skills as they plan for life beyond school.

LOOKING FOR A GIFT IDEA FOR THE PERSON WHO HAS EVERYTHING? LOOK

NO FURTHER! BUY A TICKET FOR OUR 200 CLUB WHICH STARTS IN 2019!

Any ticket which is purchased as a present will receive a special gift card to hand over

on the special occasion. One ticket costs £12.

How does 200 Club work? You pay £1 per monthly draw per ticket. Each ticket purchased is given a

number. A number is drawn at random and the lucky ticket holder wins half of the money taken in.

(The other half is for KGSPC funds.) The aim is to have 200 members where the monthly prize is £100.

More than one ticket can be purchased by a single person. Ticket holders will receive a monthly email

(or letter) notifying them of their allocated number(s) as well as the identity of the lucky winner and the

amount which has been won!

Who can join? Anyone over 16 years old.

When can you join? The 200 club starts in March 2019 and runs through to February 2020. To enter

each of the 12 draws it is best to enter at the re-launch which starts now.

How can you join or purchase as a gift for someone else?

You can purchase online using direct debit. Please use the following link:

http://keithareaparentcouncils.org/kgs/200-club/

If you prefer you can pay by cash or cheque made payable to KGS Parent Council. Please send along with

your name, address, email and contact phone number (as well as the same information for the person

who the ticket is for) in a clearly labelled sealed envelope to the school office.

Merry Christmas to all from your Parent Council

We warmly welcome all parents and carers of KGS pupils, as well

as staff and any interested persons from the Keith area, to attend

our meetings. Our next meeting is on Tuesday 8th January 2019

from 7 until 8pm in the Staff Lounge. (Please use entrance which

faces Keith Primary School.)

Tuesday

8th

January

7 – 8pm

ALL FUNDS RAISED ARE FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AT KGS!

General Information

Snow Addresses—we always try to make decisions about school closures well in advance using the best

information at hand but inevitable there will be a time that the weather catches us unawares. In the

event of us having to close school early all bus pupils must have an address visible from the road that a

bus driver can drop them at. In addition if conditions are bad enough buses may not run at all so all

country pupils must have an emergency address in Keith that they can go to. Staff need to have the

opportunity to return to their own families so in such circumstances school cannot remain open to allow

collection of pupils who do not have such an address. If you have not already done so please supply

details of snow address if you do not live directly on the bus route and emergency address in Keith as

soon as possible.

Time-keeping—we are currently having quite an increase in late-coming particularly in the mornings.

With the removal of Tutor-time lessons start at 8.45 so this is impacting on learning both for the pupil

who is late and their classmates. At a time when we are looking to really prepare young people for the

world of work a very basic expectation of all employers is that people arrive in good time, properly

prepared for work. To allow parents to properly support our young people and the school in developing

good punctuality you will be contacted every time your child is late.

Emergency Contacts—we have reminded our students that they should notify the Office if they need to

go home during the day. The Office will make contact with parents or the appointed emergency contact

to arrange safe collection. We have had a number of incidents where a student has contacted home and

then left without us being notified leading to much wasted time and worry.

We have also had some difficulty getting hold of any emergency contacts when a student has been taken

unwell. Please ensure that we have sufficient contacts so that there will always be someone with their

phone on.

Absence Procedures—Please remember to notify the school on the morning of any absence to let us

know the reason and when they are likely to return to school. Likewise for appointments, please notify

the Office in advance wherever possible.

Dates for your Diary 2018-19

Day/Date: Details:

Monday 24th Dec—Friday 4th Jan, 2019 Christmas Holidays

Tuesday 8th January Parent Council Meeting 7.00-8.00pm

Wednesday 9th January S3 Parents’ Evening 4.30 - 6.30pm

Monday 14th—Friday 25th January Prelims

Friday 8th—Monday 11th February Holidays

Wednesday 13th February S4-6 Parents’ Evening 4.30 - 7.00pm

Friday 22nd March Parent Council Quiz Night Keith Golf Club

Monday 1st April—Friday 12th April Holidays

Friday 19th April Good Friday Holiday

Monday 29th April (tbc) SQA Exams/Study Leave

Monday 6th June May Day Holiday

Thursday 16th and Friday 17th May Staff In-Service (school closed to pupils)

Monday 20th May (tbc) New Timetable start

Monday 3rd June Local Holiday

Wednesday 5th June KGS Awards Ceremony 7-9pm (tbc)

Friday 28th June Last day of term

Monday 19th August Staff In-Service (school closed to pupils)

Tuesday 20th August First Day of session 2019-20

Tuesday 10th September Parent Council AGM 6.30-8.00pm (tbc)

REMINDER TO PARENTS—DROP OFF POINTS

Parents are reminded that, in the interests of safety, students should only be dropped off within the KGS/Swimming Pool car park. There is no access for vehicles beyond this car park in order to allow safe passage to and from school buses. To ease congestion and again ensure safety of students walking to school there is no access to KGS for vehicles via the Primary School entrance.