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Stranraer Academy Newsletter

www.stranraeracademy.org.uk Issue 39—March 2017

All the latest news from in and around the school...

School News p1-7 | Showcase p8 | Sports News p9-11 | Information p15 - 18 | Parent Council p18

Congratulations to Stranraer Academy pupils Emma Currie and Neal McCulloch who successfully won the two seats available for Galloway & West Dumfries in the Scottish Youth Parliament yesterday! This is a fantastic achievement and would not have been possible without your help in voting!

To view a video of the results as they came in, please click this link: https://www.facebook.com/DGSYP/videos/228427987561223/

Our newly elected MSYPs have their own Facebook pages and email addresses to easier for people to get in touch!

Emma Currie: Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/emma4msyp/ Email: ecurrie40@gmail.com

Neal McCulloch: Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/neal4msyp/

Well done Emma and Neal!

MSYP ELECTION SUCCESS!

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School News

Stranraer Academy has been successful in receiving over £9,000 from Awards For All and Kellogg’s. The money will be used to develop after schools activities with a focus on girls participation. The money is also going towards equipping and starting the schools first bi-weekly breakfast club. Pictures courtesy of PR Imaging - http://www.primaging.net

"Awards For All" Funding Success!

On Friday 24th February 2017, the school welcomed a Songwriting Workshop into the school music department. The tutors worked with pupils to gather ideas and formulate the creation of music and a song to go along with it. Pupils found the experi-ence to be engaging and very worthwhile! Some photos taken by S6 Digital Photography students Victoria Cochran and Shaun Hilferty are available to view on the school website and Facebook page...

Website: http://www.stranraeracademy.org.uk/songwriting-workshop.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StranraerAcademy/posts/1166974766705474

Songwriting Workshop!

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School News

Stranraer Academy’s Art Department has recently taken charge of two pieces of contemporary art. The works have been loaned to the school through Sea Pyot Arts, ( Stranraer and Galloway Visual Arts Society ) and they complement the six paintings from the Wigtownshire Educational Trust which are already on display in the Art department.

“St. George and the Dragon” a digital print by Rachel Maclean and a large drawing entitled “ Prometheus Sets the Greenhouse on Fire” by Colin Macleod are both inspired by myths and they offer Academy students the opportunity to see contemporary art in the flesh.

Art teacher Kelvin Butler said, “Our students, because of our geographical position, do not have the opportunity to visit galler-ies and having access to contemporary works of art is important. Sea Pyot Arts have helped bridge that gap and we look for-ward to cooperating with them in the future.”

Pupils Benefit from Contemporary Art Loan

S5/6 Health and Food Technology students recently had a rare opportunity to visit Stranraer Creamery that is operated by Groupe Lactalis. The pupils had a guided tour of the Stranraer production site and saw first-hand the cheese production pro-cess. The visit has strengthened the pupil’s knowledge of the food production process, HACCP, food safety and hygiene practic-es and sensory testing. The trip was the first time a school group have had the opportunity to tour the creamery and we would like to extend our thanks to Derek Ashton and his team for making the visit possible.

Groupe Lactalis Creamery Visit - S5/6 Health and Food Technology

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School News

Well done to our S1 pupils who took part in the first ever wider achievement days this term. The pupils participated in a variety of workshops run by partner agencies and senior pupils. Activities included: Heartstart training, Ranger Training, Teambuilding and basketball. The aim of the Wider Achievement day is for pupils to work on and enhance skills they have identified as a weakness through health & wellbeing classes in previous weeks. By completing one of four skills areas in the AIM HIGH programme, pupils will be awarded with a pin badge to wear on their blazers to celebrate their success and achievement. Some more photos from the event are available to view online: Website: http://stranraeracademy.org.uk/wider-achievement.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StranraerAcademy/posts/1125197054216579

For more information on the Wider Achievement programme, please follow this link: http://stranraeracademy.org.uk/wider-achievement.html

“AIM HIGH” - S1 Wider Achievement Days

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School News

S1-S3 Writing Competition!

The Literacy Group are once again running their annual writing competition for all S1-S3 pupils. The winner of this popular competition will be awarded the "Writer of the Year" shield at the Awards Ceremony and will also receive a £25 voucher! Run-ners up will receive a £10 voucher. Entries for the competition can be in the form of stories, reports or magazine style articles and should be submitted to Mrs Fay on or before Tuesday 18th April.

The rules are as follows:

THE COMPETITION IS ORGANISED BY THE STUDENT LITERACY GROUP AND IS OPEN TO ALL S1-3 STUDENTS.

ENTRIES SHOULD BE NO MORE THAN 1000 WORDS. T HE WORD COUNT SHOULD BE WRITTEN ON THE ENTRY.

ALL WORK MUST BE ORIGINAL. ALL ENTRIES SHOULD HAVE A TITLE.

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED TO MRS FAY. ENTRANTS MUST INCLUDE THEIR NAME AND REGISTRATION CLASS.

STUDENTS MAY SUBMIT AN ENTRY FOR EACH GENRE.

Good luck!

Stranraer Academy will be offering S4/5/6 pupils the chance to gain extra study and tui-tion from some teaching staff through Easter School this year. Pupils who wish to attend can sign up for classes with individual teachers. If their own subject teacher is not offering classes then pupils can sign up to other classes in the same subject. Pupils attending Easter school should be aware of the following:

- Easter school will run from 9.00am to 3.25pm each scheduled day with the normal break and lunch time. - Pupils must sign in and out of school at the main entrance for Health and Safety reasons. - School uniform is optional but pupils should wear appropriate clothes for study. - The library will be available for quiet study although some sessions are timetabled in the library computer areas. - The canteen will be available to pupils but there will be no refreshments on sale. The timetable is available to view / download from the school website and here on the app. Please use the links below to find out more:

App: More > Files > Easter School 2017

Website (Curriculum tab): http://www.stranraeracademy.org.uk/easter-school-2017.html

Easter School - S4/5/6 Pupils

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School News

D&G Dance Workshop! On Tuesday 14th March, Stranraer Academy were lucky to receive a Dance work-shop led by the Regional Dance co-ordinator Charlotte Grieveson and her assis-tant. They delivered energetic workshops to an S1 PE class and also to pupils who had signed up for the event. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and had a great time! More photos from the day available:

Website: http://www.stranraeracademy.org.uk/dg-dance-workshop.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StranraerAcademy/posts/1177452162324401 Well done everyone!

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School News

Team Medley Win Regional Young Enterprise Event! Congratulations to our pupils who took part and won in The Young Enterprise Scotland - Dumfries & Galloway Awards. The event was sponsored by DG Chamber's DYW project and brought together student groups from across the region, who of whom had taken part and formed a Young Enterprise company. ‘Medley’ from Stranraer Academy and ‘Bespoke Green Glass’ - Wallace Hall Academy showcased their products to present-ers, guests and of course the Judges and then took to the stage to present a 4 minute presentation of their experience - with the Stranraer company winning overall! To gain this success, the group won the following categories: Best Business Advisor, Best Presentation, Best Display Stand and Best Report. DG Chamber DYW would like to congratulate all the teams for their fantastic work and an a huge congratulations to the Overall winners, Medley with the brilliant children’s storybooks illustrating diversity, inclusion and acceptance. Medley will now go on to represent Dumfries and Galloway at the Young Enterprise Scotland National Finals in Glasgow. Well done everyone and good luck for the finals!

DYW Stranraer Academy works to develop sustainable links between our school, parents, employers & col-

leges. Our Facebook page will include information regarding: business offers which we have created

alongside our partner agencies, apprenticeships, DYW work experience opportunities, business presenta-

tions due to take place in Stranraer Academy and assessment days. Search: @DYWStranraerAcademy

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Showcase 2017!

The annual Stranraer Academy Showcase took place on Tuesday 28th March and was a fantastic night with a variety of acts performed by our very talented pupils! There was singing, dancing, instrumentals, cheerleading and some vaulting all on display to delight the crowd! Here are some photos of the event...

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Sports News

Girls from Stranraer Academy went to see Scotland's newest professional sports team, the Glasgow Sirens play in their opening match of the Vitality Superleague against Wasps at the Emirates Arena in early March. The Glasgow Sirens are the first Scottish team to join the new 10 team UK league that is being broadcast on TV exclusively by Sky. The team are backed by the Uni-versity of the West of Scotland. Unfortunately, the Sirens team lost 57-43 to Wasps in front of a sell-out crowd of 4000 (more than attended three of the weekend's Scottish Premiership football matches!) The girls who went on the trip did not let the defeat spoil the occasion and a great time was had by all!

Netball Trip to Glasgow Sirens!

The Stranraer Academy girls netball teams recently received a boost of some classy new net-ball kit thanks to funds provided from the Awards For All Funding . A key element towards securing the funding was to ensure that the school would use the money to help improve girls participation rates in sport and activity. As a result, the school decided to get the new strips as it will raise the profile of netball within the school and ensure the girls are not looking out of place when they go to tournaments and games. The photo on the right shows girls from the vari-ous teams across all age groups sporting the new kit. Back row (L-R): Emma Donnan, Anna Ramsay & Ellie Arnott. Front row (L-R): Jemma Ramsay, Molly McLean & Bronagh Gibb

New Netball Team Kit

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Sports News

Scotland V Ireland Rugby Report by Sam Mitchell, Connor McGurk and Kyle McDonald (All S3).

"On Saturday 4th February, 38 pupils (accompanied by Mr & Mrs Law and Mrs Gibb) travelled to Edinburgh to see our home nation take on Ireland. We were all really excited about the trip as Ireland had beaten the All Blacks in the Autumn Internation als, so we hoped it was going to be a thrilling match. We had no idea how thrilling it would turn out to be!

We left Stranraer at 9am in terrible weather, but by the time we reached the capital the sun was out and we were buzzing! When we arrived at Murrayfield we were given an hour of free time to walk around the grounds of the stadium and watch the entertainment – Connor, Sam, Kyle, Dylan and Neil were invited to dance with the cheerleaders. This was hilarious and was one of the highlights of the trip!

When we got into the stadium we were delighted to find out we had seats right at the pitch-side, and when the national an thems played the stadium was BOUNCING!

The first half saw Scotland play fast, open and expansive attacking rugby, and we didn’t have long to wait until Stuart Hogg scored the first try – in the corner right in front of us! We were close enough to hear his roar above the noise of the crowd! Dun bar’s sneaky try from a lineout set piece was also right in front of us, and we thought the day couldn’t get any better.

The second half saw a slight shift in fortune, with Ireland coming back to take the lead. However, some solid Scottish defence kept us in touch, and when the crowd realised Scotland had a penalty with only one minute of the match remaining, we knew it was won! ‘Flower of Scotland’ was echoing as the captain Greig Laidlaw fired the ball across the bar and the entire stadium erupted!

Our journey home was all singing and talk of rugby, made even better by all the messages we received telling us we’d been on TV and had made it onto the BBC Sport match highlights video! We had a fantastic day out and can’t wait for the next tip to cheer on Scotland!"

6 Nations Rugby Trip - A Pupil Perspective

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Sports News

Last weekend the Scottish Schools Curling Championships were held at the Intu Braehead, Glasgow. Twelve Stranraer Young Curlers in three rinks represented Stranraer Academy after qualifying earlier in the season. The Championships were held over three days with each rink having to play five, eight end games to go through to the quarter finals on the Sunday. In section two playing in Stranraer 2 was the rink skipped by Frazer Taylor, 3rd Kaleb Johnston, 2nd Harry Hay with Ross Plant lead. This team topped their section with 7 points, 24 ends, S/U24, T/S42 and through to the quarter finals on the Sunday. This was the second time this rink has reached the quarter finals where they were eventually beaten by eventual Championship winners Perth High School. In section C playing three of their five games on the Friday was Stranraer 2 skipped by Blair Haswell, 3rd Brendan Todd, 2nd Cameron Stevenson with Drew Murchie lead. They were third in their section with 6points, 16ends, S/U7 T/S29. The third rink playing was a mixed rink Stranraer 1 skipped by Stewart Kyle, 3rd Katie McMillan, 2nd Niall Ryder with Karlyn Lyon as lead. top their section with 10points, 20ends, S/U20 T/S44 and through to the quarter finals where they then beat Dumfries High School. In the semi-finals the team also went down to eventual winners Perth High School after a closely fought match. Thanks to Jim Ryder and Ross Plant for the match report and photos. Well done to everyone who took part!

Scottish Schools Curling 2016

Regional Rugby 7's Tournament

Last week, Stranraer Academy had boys and girls teams competing in the Dumfries & Galloway Rugby 7's Championship. There were 39 teams from 13 secondary schools involved. That counted for 390 students playing over 6 hours. 109 fixtures complet-ed. 6 pitches. 6 pitch coordinators. 16 Volunteer referees 75 + staff/volunteers. The Stranraer U16 boys capped off an excellent day by winning the U16 Plate competition. Well done boys and to everyone else who attended! Some photos are available to view online from the following links: Website: http://stranraeracademy.org.uk/regional-rugby-7s-tournament.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StranraerAcademy/posts/1177411515661799

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Comic Relief Fundraising News

The S6 Girls took on the Female staff today in a charity netball match for Comic Relief at lunchtime in the Queens Hall. The staff team won 20-5 in what was an exciting game! The match was played in the great spirit that you would expect from a charity match for a worthwhile cause! Well done to everyone involved! To view photos of the match, please use the links below: Website: http://www.stranraeracademy.org.uk/comic-relief-2017---netball---s6-girls-vs-female-staff.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StranraerAcademy/posts/1182699691799648

Netball: Female Staff 20 - 5 S6 Girls

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Comic Relief Fundraising News

The S6 Boys played the Male staff on Friday 24th March in a charity football match for Comic Relief at lunchtime on the 3G pitch. The sun came out for the huge crowd with some fantastic football on display from both sides. The staff team won 2-1 and restored some pride after their defeat back in November in what was an exciting game! The game was played in the great spirit that you would expect from a charity match for a worthwhile cause! The goal scorers for the staff were Allan Jenkins and Neil Hyslop and Christopher Chilton for the S6 Boys. More Photographs taken by S6 Digital Photography student Victoria Cochran are available to view on our website and Face-book page from the following links: Website: http://www.stranraeracademy.org.uk/comic-relief-2017---football---s6-boys-vs-male-staff.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StranraerAcademy/posts/1184565951613022 Well done to everyone involved!

Football: Male Staff 2 - 1 S6 Boys

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S5/6 Digital Photography Gallery

Some of the best work produced by S5/6 Digital Photography students over the course this year...

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Safety Notices - PC Boyce

Stranraer Academy Campus Officer, PC Boyce would like to highlight the following message to all parents/carers of pupils with-in our school.

"It has come to our notice of a new(ish) app that is becoming more and more popular with young people which has been de scribed as 'Tinder for Children'. This obviously opens a number of risks and vulnerability factors for young people if using this app and I ask parent & carers to have a look at two links at the foot of this message, which are reports from Internet Matters and also Web Wise describing in detail what the app is and the risks and also advice for parents etc".

"We are aware that apps come out regularly and we will aim to highlight the more potentially serious ones of which this is one of them, due to potential of placing young people at risk of being groomed/sharing pictures etc. I would ask all parents & car ers to check what apps their children have access to on their smart phones, lap tops etc. It is good to have an awareness and understanding of what apps your children are using. I would encourage all parents & carers have an awareness and dialogue with children over internet/social media use".

https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/news-blogs/yellow-dating-app-teens/ https://www.webwise.ie/parents/explained-what-is-yellow/

If you require further information please do not hesitate to contact PC Boyce at the school.

Warning! - ‘Yellow’ Social Media App

'No Knives, Better Lives' & 'Sharp Facts' - Knife Crime and the Consequences. "Thankfully we live in a very safe community, indeed one of the safest in Scotland, howev er we should never become complacent. I have posted a document called 'Sharp Facts' on the school website. This document gives a brief explanation into the risks both physically and legally if you choose to carry a knife". http://www.noknivesbetterlives.com/young-people/the-consequences/help-and-support http://www.noknivesbetterlives.com/parents PC Boyce is also available to respond to any questions and can be contacted by phone or email via the school office.

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Show My Homework

For a while now, Stranraer Academy have been using Show My Homework - an innova-tive tool for managing, completing and moni-toring homework issued by the teachers. Show My Homework is a new web based initiative where all pupils, staff and even parents / carers can become more involved with homework issued by the school. We hope this approach will enable pupils to improve their organisational skills, time management and help them to keep on top of their workload. Show My Homework can be accessed through an icon on the top right and footer area of the school website or by saving the following link to your favourites: https://stranraer.showmyhomework.co.uk/ Personal accounts have been created for all staff and pupils for effective manage-ment and tracking of homework tasks through a very intuitive user interface. All pupils have a gradebook and homework calendar that is automatically linked to their subjects, class and teacher. For more information, please visit the Show My Homework page on the school website: http://www.stranraeracademy.org.uk/show-my-homework.html

Here are some sample screenshots from the pupil Show My Homework Interface. It is really intuitive and easy to use through a very user friendly layout.

Show My Homework provide a free mobile device App that is currently supported by Apple iOS and Android operating systems. Search for the App in your relevant App store to download.

Download the App Free!

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Information for Pupils, Parents & Carers

A document has been uploaded to the school app and website that outlines contact information Local and National Support Services. This is useful for pupils and parents who may be in need of additional help or support to deal with any issues impacting upon them. The document features a wealth of information and can be downloaded from the following links: App: More > Files > Local and National Support Services Website (Initiatives > Health & Wellbeing tab): http://www.stranraeracademy.org.uk/local-and-national-support-services.html

Local and National Support Services Information

A range of after school study classes available for pupils in the school. Many of these classes run all year round but more have been added in the run up to the SQA exams in the next few months. All classes are run by staff who give up their own time outside of contracted hours to provide many valuable supported study opportunities for the pupils in the school. Staff from almost every faculty and subject area provide some form of extra support. The list contains all details for classes that run and is updated fre-quently. The list can be viewed / downloaded from the following links:

App: More > Files > Extra Curricular & After School Classes

Website: http://www.stranraeracademy.org.uk/study-classes-2017.html

After School Supported Study Classes

Stranraer Academy has recognised national Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) History Month which aims to raise awareness of the contribution people from the LGBT community have made and continue to make to our society. All year groups have also had a presentation in registration based on LGBT history month which was well received according to staff and the Senior Support Ambassadors who delivered this. To conclude LGBT month on ’Purple’ Friday 24th February , a purple cake stall was selling baked goods in the Street with homemade cupcakes, rainbow wristbands and purple ribbons available for purchase to tempt the tastebuds. Pupils were encouraged to wear something purple for the day. For more information on LGBT history month please visit: http://www.lgbtyouth.org.uk http://www.stranraeracademy.org.uk/lgbt-inclusion.html

LGBT History Month

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Parent Council Meeting Dates

Please note that dates for future Parent Council Meeting have now been published. They are available to view on the left and also on the school website and Parent Council Facebook page. The next meeting of the Parent Council will be on Tuesday 14th April from 7pm to 9pm in the school library. Directions are available in school. The Parent Council would like to thank everyone for their support so far and hope you all have a Happy Easter!

STRANRAER ACADEMY

McMasters Road

Stranraer

DG9 8BY

Phone: 01776 706484

Fax: 01776 704748

E-mail: soffice217@ea.dumgal.sch.uk

www.stranraeracademy.org.uk

All newsletters are available in colour from

our archive on the school website. They can

be viewed / downloaded from the

Information menu tab.

Newsletters from May 2014 onwards are

also available on the school App files

section.

Change of address or Phone Number? Please remember to notify us if you move house or change phone number. Please also notify us of any other changes, such as for Emergency Contact Information.

The Stranraer Academy school App is completely FREE to download. It works on all Apple iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices. Please search for Stranraer Academy in your App store or visit the school website for details. Our Social Media Pages...

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/StranraerAcademy Twitter: @StranraerAcad

School App & Social Media

Stranraer Academy would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter!

Seatbelts on School Buses This notice is a reminder that it is a legal requirement that all school buses are fitted with seat belts. The responsibility for anyone under the age of 14 years old wearing a seat belt rests with the driver. Anyone aged 14 years and over, the responsi-bility rests with them. The fixed penalty for failing to wear a seat belt as a driver or passenger is a £100 fine. If the case is taken to court, you could face a fine of up to £500. The penalties for bus drivers are high, if children under 14 years old are discovered not to be wearing a seat belt. A bus driver takes their responsibility very seriously; any passenger boarding a school bus should ensure they put their seat-belt on as soon as they sit down. It should be a matter of course rather than waiting on instruction from the driver. If you as a passenger fail to follow this rule then you run the risk of a hefty fine, or being removed from the bus. The driver is within his/her rights to refuse to allow you to travel, if you fail/refuse to wear your seatbelt. Remember, the most serious penalty of all could be that you or someone else loses their life!

DO YOU HAVE A STORY OR SOME EXCITING NEWS RELATED TO THE SCHOOL? PLEASE LET US KNOW! WE’D LOVE TO PUT IT ON THE APP & SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES!

Information for Pupils, Parents & Carers