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NEWSLETTER

NEWSLETTER
Wednesday, 1st February 2012

From the Headmaster

Last week was extremely busy for many pupils and very worthwhile. There was a very good atmosphere around school when 42 Argentinian pupils and staff from St Hilda’s School in Buenos Aires joined us on their Music and Hockey Tour. This was a major event for them and they gave a wonderful concert with an emphasis on Latin American music and in particular the tango which they demonstrated. Members of the Lomond Traditional Music Group, Kim Kay on the bagpipes and Wallis Jamieson with her Highland dancing closed the performance which gave a great Scottish feel to the end of an excellent concert. The hockey was a close fought affair on Thursday but the touring side had the edge. We fielded some very young players in our teams who played well.

 Many thanks are due to Lomond families who generously hosted the visiting pupils, commenting that they were great company. I have passed this feedback on and we hope to retain links with this school. Their Headmaster, Mr Ewan MacDonald, a Scot from Perth who has been teaching abroad most of his life,  felt that Lomond and St Hilda’s were very similar in many ways with a comparable scale, a focus on a wide variety of extra-curricular activities and a dedication to high quality academic results. There was mention of a GAP year possibility for pupils leaving S6 and any who are interested in this should contact me for further details. This would run from February to July and could equally suit a male or female.

Robert Bridge and Louise Burnet provided two fantastic concerts on Friday, the first for younger children and the second a Gala Concert focusing only on the piano. These were to mark the arrival of the new Grand Piano in the Music Department which is a very high quality instrument. It is now regularly in use with music classes and any pianist who wishes to practice on it is able to do so in agreement with Mrs Philips. We are indebted to Mrs Burnet for setting up these concerts on Friday which were stunning in the level of musical quality. We look forward to our next generation of pianists and musicians emerging.

Tickets have been selling very rapidly for the three performances of the S1-S6 musical ‘Summer Holiday’ which is performed this week. The cast have been in most weekends this term and regularly after school. Mr and Mrs McKillop have been doing a sterling job in producing the musical whilst Miss Boyd has done wonders with the choreography. There are a myriad of additional helpers as might be expected involved in costume, props, artwork, front of house and back-stage. We look forward to the final productions and send our best wishes to all involved.

The pupils who represented the school and the Loch Lomond Rowing Club at the Scottish Indoor Rowing Championships in Edinburgh at the weekend performed extremely well. This is their second attendance and they came away with several medals in both individual and team events. I would like to thank both Martin Claxton and Lesley Serpell very much for their organisation of this activity which has been a great source of enjoyment for a good number of pupils. Full results are published in this newsletter.

The S5 and S6 pupils have under a week now until their Prelims and although the bulk are just after Half Term there are a number of large sittings next week. Results are absolutely critical to all our pupils and there has been some hard work going in. The subject support classes after school have been busy again and I hope that all pupils sitting public examinations will be ready to give of their best in the Prelims. There are just a couple of months thereafter until the final examinations and, as we constantly stress, good results come through systematic hard work, past paper practice and high levels of effort. There are no short cuts to success and we will examine the results closely in the next part of term. 

Congratulations to….

• The following Lomond School pupils on their success whilst competing at the Scottish Indoor Rowing Championships at Heriot Watt University this weekend:

Girls u12 – Chiara Robertson(T2) – Bronze Medal winner (421m in 2 mins)
Boys u14 – Ryan Morrison(S2) – Bronze Medal winner (760m in 3 mins)
Boys u15 – Morgan Serpell(S3) - 10th, Oliver Monteith(S3) – 12th, Finlay Watson (S3) – 13th and Tom Crawford (S3) – 24th in a very large and competitive entry.
In the Boys u17 2000m event Tom Claxton(S6) set a new personal best time of 6mins 51.8secs and secured a Bronze Medal in a very close race that saw the top three times spanning just 4.2secs.
The Boys u15 team event earned Ryan Morrison, Finlay Watson, Morgan Serpell and Oliver Monteith a Bronze Medal and the Boys u19 event gave Tom Claxton and Ben Cartwright(S3), and two of their Loch Lomond Rowing Club colleagues, a very creditable 2nd place.  Very well done to our medal winners and other competitors at this event.

• Sabrina Chan(S4) who has recently gained her Grade 8 Piano which is a very high level of musical success.

Warmest Congratulations to all!
(The Helensburgh Advertiser will have coverage of Lomond School stories once again this week.)

Depute Head (Academic)
Higher Extra Revision Lessons
Extra revision lessons for Higher subjects are running at lunchtime and after school.  Letters have been sent home to those pupils that departments feel would benefit from attending.  All pupils in Higher classes are encouraged to attend.

S5 & S6 Prelims
Prelims for S5 and S6 begin on Wednesday, 8th February, and run until Wednesday, 29th February.  The exam timetable can be found in the Parent/Pupil Resources section of the school website.

Depute Head (Pastoral)
Trophies:  Could all pupils who still have trophies from last year’s prize-giving please return them to school. They can be delivered to reception.
Primary News

• At the Transitus AssemblyMr Mills spoke about the inspirational Amelia Earhart and her approach to life. We considered a few quotes about how to approach life and try new things but also to remember that preparation is everything.
• At the Clarendon Assembly Mr McCracken visited on Wednesday and entertained the children with his storytelling. On Friday Mrs Hart presented certificates to the Scottish Music and Poetry recital winners.
• Burns Events:  On Friday afternoon Transitus 1 & 2 travelled to perform in a Scottish Celebration at Cardross Primary. Mrs Davis, Head Teacher at Cardross, reported that the afternoon was a success and that she had been impressed by the talent on show.

Pupils from P1 to P5 in Cardross were hosted here at Lomond and we were treated to an array of talent from Cardross pupils and also from our own competition winners. The event culminated with Scottish canapés in Larchfield Hall and an opportunity for the children to mix socially.

Both events were a fitting end to our week long celebration of all things Scottish!

• Scottish Week Competition Winners:

Well done to all of the children who took part in our Scottish Week competitions, there had clearly been lots of commitment to learning the pieces they performed and our invited judges had the unenviable task of placing the winners. The results were:

T1 Music Winners:
1st Hannah White, Cara Cawley & Miriam El-Djazairy
2nd Charlotte Caskie
3rd Robyn Hodgson & Molly Keating

T1 Poetry Recitation Winners:
1st Duncan Robinson
2nd Sophie Paterson
3rd Robyn Hodgson

T2 Music Winners
1st Equal Abigail Swigciski & Felicity Hutchison and Cameron Kemp
2nd Equal Chiara Robertson, Finlay Gray & Tyler Thomas and Millie Grover & Olivia Gibson

T2 Poetry Recitation Winners:
1st Mackenzie Serpell
2nd Kara Bruce
3rd Lewis Robinson

Transitus Scottish Music Quaich Winner: Hannah White, Cara Cawley & Miriam El-Djazairy

Transitus Scottish Poetry Quaich Winner: Mackenzie Serpell

Clarendon Scottish Music Winners:
Violin - 1st Lily Garthwaite, 2nd Eilidh McQueen, Siobhan Monro & Lachlan Offord
Other instrumental -1st Michael Twaddle, 2nd Louis Page, 3rd Oscar Thomas
Singing - 1st Lily Garthwaite & Sophie Reid, 2nd Ava Keating & Sophie Morrison, 3rd Eilidh McQueen & Siobhan Monro

Clarendon Scottish Poetry Recital Winners:
J1  -  1st Oscar Deighan, 2nd Magnus Gray, 3rd Findlay Penniston
J2  -  1st Flora Lauchlan, 2nd Neve Hamilton, 3rd Marc Bannerman, 4th Luca Gibson
J3  -  1st Siobhan Monro, 2nd Sophie Reid, 3rd Aleah Mummery
J4  -  1st Ava Keating, 2nd Maia Jessop, 3rd Callum Gray
J5  -  1st Georgie Fraghista, 2nd Cameron Conway, 3rd Izzy Roberts

Well done to everyone!

• Kilt Appeal! We have some boys in J1 and J3 who are keen to wear kilts to school. If you have a kilt your child has an outgrown and would like to sell, please could you get in touch with me at Clarendon. Thank you.  (Mrs Judy Ferguson)
• A Junior Scottish Country Dance is being held on Saturday, 24th March, in the Victoria Hall from 6.45pm to 9.15pm. If any pupil, from J1 to S6, would like to attend they would be made most welcome. Tickets are £7 per child, this includes juice and biscuits. There will be a simple programme of Scottish Country Dancing and Easy Ceilidh Dancing. If parents wish to watch, tickets are £5 per spectator, this includes tea & biscuits. For more information and tickets, please contact Helen Rodger on 07930 156225.  

Helen Rodger runs Scottish Country Dance classes on Tuesday afternoons at the Guide Hall in John Street, from 3.45pm to 5.15pm or Wednesday afternoons from 4.15pm to 5.15pm.  Pupils are most welcome to join the classes and tickets will also be available at these classes. 

• Transitus Parents’ Evenings: T1 and T2 parents have the opportunity to meet with teachers on Tuesday, 7th February between 6.30-9.00pm.  T1 class teachers will meet parents in their classrooms.  All other subject teachers, including Support for Learning, will be available in Larchfield Hall to meet with parents.  Sign-up sheets for teacher appointments are now available in St Bride’s reception.

The second Parents’ Evening will be held on Thursday, 9th February, between 4.00 and 6.00pm for T1 Parents.  However, Mrs Greig will also be available at this time to accommodate T2 parents who were unable to secure appointment times on 7th February to discuss their child’s progress in maths and language.  Support for Learning teachers will be available.  Sign-up sheets for this evening are also available in St Bride’s reception.

Lunch – Week Commencing – 6th February
Monday          Chilli con carne served with rice and nachos.  Red pepper, celery.  Marbled chocolate sponge and vanilla custard.    
Tuesday          Honey roast baked gammon.  Cucumber, tomato.  Strawberry cheesecake.    
Wednesday    Chicken curry served with rice and naan bread.  Carrots, cherry tomatoes.  Jelly and fruit.      
Thursday        Traditional lasagne.  Red onion, courgette.  Toffee Apple Crumble.   
Friday              Pizza of the day served with chips and beans.  Lettuce, tomato and cucumber.  Chocolate cookies.   

Nursery

• Our sponsored Chatterbox Challenge raising funds for the charity ICAN which helps children with communication difficulties starts on Wednesday – please see separate letter for details.  Sponsor money may be handed in at any time.

Tips for parents on developing children’s communication skills through singing and building this into everyday activities can be found at:
http://blog.ican.org.uk/2012/01/chatterbox-challenge-2012-developing-communication-through-singing/

• We politely ask you to please check your child’s sweatshirt to make sure you have the correct one. It is helpful if your child’s name is clearly legible, so we can reunite stray sweatshirts with their correct owners.  Thank you.
• On Tuesday, 7th February, Eye Tests will be carried out for children in their pre-school year (with the exception of those who had their eyes tested last year).  Please could permission replies be returned by Monday, 6th February.
• An Eco Committee Meeting is planned for Thursday lunchtime.  Please let Mrs Windsor know if you have any thoughts about how we can make good use of the £200 raised through the fabulous eco initiatives at Christmas.

Music
The Music Department has been working in overdrive this past week, with Junior School Scottish music competitions, assisting St Hilda's School Tango Band, performing at Cardross Primary with duets, solos, the T1 and T2 singing groups, followed by transforming the Music Studio into a concert venue for the wonderful Children's Cushion Concert on Friday afternoon and the Bluthner Grand Piano Recital in the evening. Whew!
It is a great joy to have so much excellent musical talent in both the Junior and Senior Schools, and this was much in evidence last week. Particular thanks to Mr Donald Feist who adjudicated the Junior music competition and to Mrs Louise Burnet, our flute and piano tutor, who organised the Cushion Concert and Piano Recital. The department is extremely fortunate to have loyal and dedicated instrumental tutors - they are an integral part of the Music team.
Next week, several pupils will be performing as part of a charity concert in aid of Scottish Autism on Thursday, 9th February @ 7.30pm in the URC Church and our junior musicians will be entertaining the Helensburgh Stroke Club in the morning that same day.

General Notices
Sailing Meeting:  There will be a meeting on Friday, 3rd February, at 1.00pm in Lab 2 to discuss qualifications and courses for 2012.  (Mrs Normand)

Hadrian's Wall Trip:  S1 and S2 parents have been separately advised of a proposed trip to Hadrian's Wall on 28/29 April.  Please note that this trip is now cancelled because of insufficient take-up. 
sic transit gloria mundi ... (Mr Laceby)

S1-S6 Senior School Musical  -  Summer Holiday:  Tickets (Adults £5, Children £3) are now on sale from the General Office for this production which will run from 1st – 3rd February (Wed-Fri) at 7.30pm in St Bride’s Hall.  Ticket payment required at time of booking.  Tickets only available for Wednesday night’s performance – Thursday/Friday now sold out!

Unwanted Clothing Appeal:  The request from former pupil, Ailsa Morison, to assist an orphanage and street children in Uganda by donating unwanted clothing was extremely successful.  Thank you to all who contributed.

Chocolate/Sweet Making:  As part of our Learning Unlimited topic, J3 are studying ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’.  If anyone has a working knowledge of the art of chocolate or sweet-making together with a willingness to demonstrate it to the J3 class (15 pupils), I’d be delighted to hear from you.   (Miss Rae)

PTA
There will be a PTA Parent Forum Meeting on Thursday, 23rd February, which will focus on Social Media.  Chris Maquire of Maquire Advertising and JEMdigital will be speaking about the benefits of social media for business.  More details will follow shortly.

The PTA currently has vacancies for year representatives in T2 and S2.  If you have a child in either of those years and would like to become more involved or you would like more information about what's involved, please contact Kandy Muggoch (kandydundas@btconnect.com).

PTA School Shop
The School Shop will be open between 3.00 and 4.30pm this Friday (3rd Feb) as normal.   However, please note the next opening time will be Friday, 24th February, due to the half-term holiday. 
(Shani Lawn)

Parents’ Coffee Morning  -  THIS WEEK! (3rd Feb):  Informal coffee mornings are run throughout the school term for all parents from Nursery to Senior 6.  They are held on the first Friday of every month, from 10 o’clock, at the Commodore Hotel.  Come along for coffee, cake and a chat. 

PTA Saturday Morning Coffees – Sports Hall
We are always looking for volunteers to help serve the coffee and provide match teas for the teams.  If you can spare a Saturday morning to help, please contact Linda Pender via email at lindapender@tiscali.co.uk or call 07718 748478.

P.E.
Cross-Country
Garscube Harriers Schools Cross Country Races are being held at Maryhill Park in Glasgow on Saturday, 25th February.   This event is open to T1-S6 boys and girls.  The distance is 2.3km over a lightly undulating grass surface....spikes useful!  The race begins at 11am and a school bus will be available for transportation to and fro.  Please contact Mrs Serpell for an entry form.

Hockey
Saturday, 4th February   -   Hockey v Lomond Teams

1st Yr ‘A’ team v 2nd Year ‘B’ team meet at Ardencaple for 8.45am, start at 9.00am, finish 10.00am.

2nd Yr ‘A’ team v 3rd Year ‘A’ team meet at Ardencaple for 9.45am, start at 10.00am, finish 11.00am.

Senior Teams meet at Ardencaple for 10.45am, start at 11.00am, finish 12.00noon.

If the astro-turf is unplayable, there will be no Senior Hockey.  However, the 1st Yr 'A' & 2nd Yr 'B' teams will play indoor hockey in the Sports Hall from 8.00am-9.00am followed by the 2nd Yr 'A' & 3rd Yr 'A'  teams from 9.00- 10.00am. 

Girls’ Cancellation number is 0751 8430319.  Please phone after 7am on a Saturday morning.

T2 Hockey Tournament at Jordanhill  -  Thursday, 2nd February
Mini-bus will depart from school at 11.30am and return 5pm.  All players will receive a letter.

Badminton will be available on Saturday in the Sports Hall from 10.00am-12.00noon for S3-S6 pupils only (unless prior permission received from member of PE staff).   

Rugby
Fixtures for Saturday, 4th February
1st XV, S3 and S1 v Morrison’s Academy (A) – meet at Sports Hall for 7.50am, return by 1pm (Kick-off 10am).
U16, S2 and Transitus v Morrison’s Academy (H) – meet at Sports Hall at 9.15am, finish by 11.30am (Kick-off 10.15am).
Boys’ Cancellation number (07518 430155).  Please phone after 7am on a Saturday morning.

ADVERTISEMENTS
The School is happy to advertise articles for sale e.g. sports equipment, musical instruments, items of furniture and other small items.  The main intention is for the Lomond community to sell smaller items amongst themselves.  For these small ‘For Sale’ advertisements the charge is £2 per item per week.

Business Advertising
This is meant to be for small local businesses.  Some goods and services cannot be included such as property transactions, financial services, tuition and childcare.  Charges are per week - £25 for a full page, £15 for a ½ page and a ¼ page will be £10.  Small ads (⅛th page or less) will be charged at a rate of £5 per week.
Deadline:  Monday 3.30 p.m.
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