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weekly News

Wednesday 20 January 2010

From the Headmaster

The two nights before the weekend saw the production of ‘Jock and the Beanstalk’ by an S2 and S3 cast. This local adaptation of the more famous alternative pantomime was set in Glen Fruin and had the audience in stitches. I am very grateful indeed to Mrs Ritchie for her enthusiastic producing and directing of this performance and indeed to all members of the cast for their equally upbeat involvement. There will be further drama of a high quality at the end of this term with the Senior School Musical ‘Back to the 80’s’ and I hope that all families will be able to come and see and support this show. It promises to be very good indeed and tickets will be on sale shortly in the General Office.

With the terrible earthquake and unfolding human disaster with food and water shortages in Haiti the school will be running an exceptional emergency appeal on Friday. If you feel able to support this major humanitarian relief-effort please do send a donation with your child to school. There are estimated to be more than 50 000 casualties and up to 3 million people affected by loss of homes and infrastructure. The pupils and the Charity Committee have asked that this be an appeal that we respond to. All funds will go direct to Oxfam who are making an immediate on-the-ground response. Thank you in advance for this assistance.

This term has seen several new clubs start. J5, under the Adventure Club, are learning snowboarding on a number of nights of this term. The new Saturday morning Sports activities have begun with a large turnout for badminton this week. Mr Claxton and Mrs Serpell have initiated a Rowing Club for seniors which has proven very popular, and very exhausting. This has been focusing on indoor rowing initially and has been well attended by girls and boys of a mix of ages in the Senior School. They intend to enter the Scottish Indoor Rowing Championship in Edinburgh later this term and, when conditions allow, do training on Loch Lomond on a Saturday morning in the summer. There is an article on the Rowing Club in this newsletter. This is an excellent initiative that was generated by family interest and it is important to reiterate that Lomond is always keen to have the involvement of our parents in all areas of school life.

One area of parental involvement that is always helpful is with the Careers Department.  Mrs Barrett Bunnage is our expert and enthusiastic Careers Advisor who runs an excellent university, college and careers department. Several parents assist with specialist interviewing through the year, such as with our aspirant medical students, others offer valued Work Experience placements locally which are terrific (especially for S5 pupils who have two weeks of work experience in the summer term after their Highers) whilst others again are willing to act as points of contact regarding specific careers. Any offers of assistance would be gratefully received as we are aware what a diverse and widely experienced parental body we have. Mrs Barrett Bunnage can be contacted on j.bbunnage@lomond-school.org.

Keeping families closely informed is central to what we do at Lomond too. This newsletter is very much directed at regular contact and we have the ability to email important items to all families who wish communications instantly. In addition to the established means a new handy guide, known as the Blue Book will be posted out which will have key information on school events, contacts, term dates and pupil information in one place. This is designed to help the Lomond community stay in close touch. Please do contact the school at any time and suggestions on the best way to do so are in the Blue Book.

Looking ahead there will be some busy times for various ages of Lomond musicians. The Junior School will be competing and involved in the Inverclyde Music Festival (25 January to 6 February) and the Senior School Music Department are organising an Evening of Song in memory of the school’s singing teacher Mrs Heather Clarke who very sadly passed away in 2009. This will be on Friday 29 January in St Bride’s Hall at 7.30pm and there will be a good range of different musical items. Please do support this event which will be well worth attending.

 

From the Depute

• S1 Parents' Evening    Wednesday 20 January      6.30pm-9.30pm
• S4 Parents' Evening    Thursday 28 January          7pm-9.30pm
• S3 Parents' Eevning   Wednesday 3 February       7pm-9.30pm
• T1 Parents' Evening    Thursday 18 February         7pm-9pm    (Mrs Fullarton and Miss Boyd will also be available on Tuesday 23 February 4-6pm)
• Sign-up sheets are already available in Reception for the S4 parents' evening. The sign-up sheets for the S3 parents’ evening will be available from this Thursday (21 January).

 

• Higher/Advanced Higher Prelim exams begin on Wednesday 3 February and continue after half term.  The exam timetable is available on the website.  Lessons will continue as normal during the prelim exam period.
• S5/6 Burns Supper this Friday at 7pm in Larchfield Hall.  Dresscode: smart-casual - Highland Dress is optional.
• S2 Subject choices: Pupils will be asked to complete their options' form during PSD this Friday.
• Ski trip meeting this Thursday (21 January) at 6.30pm in St Bride's Hall.
• S3/4 reports will be posted to parents by the end of this week.

 

Primary News

Lunch w/c 25 January 2010 – Mon – Savoury mince with finger carrots and mashed potato, jelly and fruit: Tues –– Macaroni cheese with sweetcorn and French bread, seasonal fruit flan: Wed– Haddock, peas and chipped potatoes, scone and jam: Thurs – Roast pork with apple sauce, roast potato and broccoli, St Peter’s Mud Pie: Fri – Lentil soup and assorted sandwiches, Viennese biscuit. A selection of fresh fruit and vegetables are available daily.

• At Transitus Assembly Reverend Clark described the tragic situation in Haiti using some very interesting images. The whole Primary School community supports totally the money raising efforts for this worthwhile cause.
• At the Clarendon Assembly on Friday Mr Calder discussed the need to think carefully about the path through life that children can take. He did this in the context of the poem ‘A road not taken’ by Robert Frost. On Tuesday Mr Gordon McCracken and Charlie (ask the children) discussed faith in a most entertaining way.
• Scottish Culture Week: Very well done to all of the children who took part in our poetry declamations. The standard was extremely high and Mr Campbell had a difficult job in choosing a winner. The standard of the musical items was equally high. A full set of results will be in next week’s newsletter.
• Clubs: Now that we have clarification about the availability of the old Gym and the music festivals, a revised clubs list has been sent out. Please let Mrs Ferguson know if you do not have one. Thank you.

 

Nursery News

• Little Schools' Birdwatch is designed to educate and inspire three to five year olds about the birds that share their outdoor space, and will take place in the Nursery garden on Thursday this week.
• Royal Scottish National Orchestra Monster Music Concert:  Parents of children in their pre-school year should have recently received a letter outlining details.   Please could we politely ask that payment be sent in as soon as possible as we need to confirm numbers. 
• Room on the Broom: This favourite childrens' story is live on stage at the Macrobert Theatre in Stirling on 2 and 3 February. Further details at www.macrobert.org/index.php?id=169

PTA NEWS...The PTA sessions in the Sports Hall have now started.  There is a great fitness session in the Dance Studio, Fit'n'Mix Friday which is being held between 11am and 11.45am on Friday mornings.  It is 45 minutes of aerobic exercise, toning and relaxation and caters for all fitness levels.  It is being run by Julie Smith who is an aerobics instructor and is well known in the area for her enjoyable mix of exercise styles.  If you are free on a Friday morning, do come along for a quick burst of exercise before the weekend.  

ROWING AT LOMOND SCHOOL....Many of you will be aware that an opportunity has been created to allow pupils at the school to become involved in the sport of rowing. The aim of this is to provide more detail of what is available and where this is heading.

In conjunction with Loch Lomond Rowing Club (LLRC), the overall aim is to establish a school rowing club which, by affiliation with LLRC, will be able to enter athletes in rowing competitions run under the auspices of Scottish Rowing (the national governing body for the sport in Scotland). Opportunities will also exist to take part in national competitions. In the early days as the sport becomes established in the school and until a school rowing club structure is put fully in place, those taking part will require to become members of LLRC in order to allow access to LLRC boats and facilities and to provide the necessary insurance cover. The membership charge for under-18s is currently £80 per annum. In addition it will be necessary for rowers to obtain an annual Scottish Rowing licence in order to enter competitions. These licences currently cost £19 (18 –13 year old) 12 years or younger £8. Pupils who express an interest in the sport will be able to have a trial period before committing.

Rowing will be undertaken both on water and indoors. The school sports facility has a number of indoor rowing machines which provide an excellent vehicle for technique training and to develop the necessary fitness. The LLRC clubhouse at Balloch also has similar machines which will be used where necessary. The key aim however is to develop and enhance the skills and fitness necessary to row competitively in boats. LLRC has a range of sculling boats from single seat through two seat “doubles” to four seat or “quad” sculls for crew racing. For older pupils the opportunity also exists to sweep row using a single oar in a pair, four or an eight.

Training will initially be undertaken on Wednesday evenings between 5.30pm and 7pm at the school sports facility. These sessions will also include visits to use the indoor training tank and gym within the Scottish Rowing Centre at Strathclyde Park. As soon as practicable water based training sessions will also take place on Saturday or Sunday mornings 9am-11am from the boathouse at LLRC. The number of sessions run each week may increase depending on demand and availability of supporting resource. Any parents who wish to assist with the water sessions are more than welcome! Please note that rowing on Loch Lomond is weather dependant and if boating is not possible then indoor training will be substituted.

The first target is for the school to be represented at the Scottish Indoor Rowing Championships being held at Heriot-Watt University on Sunday 31 January. Athletes will compete as individuals in groupings determined by their age. In addition if we have at least four under-15 yr olds there is also a team event. Full details may be found at http://www.scottish-rowing.org.uk/IndoorRowing.html.

If any pupil or parent has any questions please do not hesitate to contact me on 07743 893 279.

Martin Claxton, Rowing coach

 

NORWAY/SWEDEN TRIP...Please note that the final instalment for this trip is now overdue. Please send a cheque for £400 payable to Lomond School as soon as possible. Thank you.

BOARDING HOUSE APPEAL...The Boarding House is looking for unwanted outdoor kit (boots, waterproofs etc) in all sizes. All donations will be gratefully received.

 

PE

HOCKEY

Saturday 23 January            Hockey v Kelvinside Academy

• 1st XI, 2nd XI, 1st Yr ‘A’ team meet at Sports Hall for 7.55am. 1st XI travel in full tracksuits but bring school uniform, 2nd XI and 1st Years travel in school uniform. Return approximately 1pm.
• 3rd Yr ‘A’ meet at Ardencaple for 8.45am, wear full tracksuits, finish 10.10am. Please bring indoor shoes to go upstairs for match teas. All players must be wearing tracksuits before they go upstairs.
• 2nd Yr ‘A’ meet at Ardencaple for 9.40am, wear full tracksuits, finish 11am. Please bring indoor shoes to go upstairs for match teas. All players must be wearing tracksuits before they go upstairs.
• 2nd Yr ‘B’ meet at Ardencaple for 10.30am, wear full tracksuits, finish 12 noon. Please bring indoor shoes to go upstairs for match teas. All players must be wearing tracksuits before they go upstairs.
• On Saturday T2 Girls all meet at Sports Hall for 8.55am to practise hockey inside. From 9am-10am Miss Boyd will be taking the group. Hockey matches next week.

 

RUGBY

Saturday 23 January

• 1st XV and U16 XV away to Robert Gordon’s, KO 11am.  Meet at Sports Hall 7.15am return 3pm.
• S1, S2 and S3 home to Robert Gordon’s. KO 11.15am.  Meet at Sports Hall 10.30am CHANGED finish by 12.30pm.  (No changing facility available this weekend due to late start)
• Transitus vs Morrison’s & Robert Gordon’s (away at Morrison’s, triangular competition), Meet at Sports Hall 8am return by 1pm (tbc).

 

Sports Hall on Saturday

Sporting activities for those not involved in team fixtures are as follows. Please come along.

10am – 11am              Badminton for Transitus  

11am – 12 noon          Badminton for Seniors S1 – S6  

 

Cross Country Primary and Senior

• Garscube Harriers Cross Country League at Mugdock. Unfortunately the event on Saturday 23 January has been cancelled after a course inspection. The final date fro the diary is Saturday 27 February at Mugdock.
• T1/T2 Inter-House Cross Country on Friday 22 January

All pupils bring outdoor shoes and House T-shirts. Finish at 3.25pm from Sports Hall.

 

Congratulations to …… Nicki Skrastin and Connie Zehentmeier who have both been selected for the West District Indoor Squad. Both will be involved in the Inter-District Tournament on Sat 30 January.

 

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If you would like to receive this newsletter via e-mail please send your e-mail address to admin@lomond-school.org.

 

 

AD V E R T I S E M E N T S

The school is happy to advertise articles for sale for example 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 ½ page and ¼ page will be £10.  Small ads (1/8th page or less) will be charged at a rate of £5 per week.

Deadline: Tuesday 12 noon.

Click on the image to enlarge to full size

weekly News

Wednesday 13 January 2010

From the Headmaster

It was very good to have a smooth start to the Spring Term, and although the snow and ice has caused some interruption to matches the school has been able to operate normally in all other aspects. Training has been able to run on with many indoor sessions in the Sports Hall and this has been proving invaluable to let the Games and PE programme run on through the bad weather. A variety of Games will also be run from 10am-12 noon on Saturday in the Sports Hall for any Senior and Transitus pupils.

There is a focus on House sport this term and a regular variety of events for the Senior School has been arranged. This week the focus is on House Basketball, with a focus next week on Climbing, Rowing and the Bleep test. For those who are not acquainted with the bleep test I urge you to ask your sons and daughters. It is a testing activity. Further events will come for Volleyball, Cross Country, Badminton, Hockey and Rugby. S1 is on Monday, S2 on Tuesday, S4-6 on a Wednesday and S3 on a Thursday, with S1-3 from 3.45pm to 4.45pm and S4-6 from 4-5pm.

It was excellent to have the S2 safely back from the Eurospace Centre trip to Belgium. There are some very good images on the screen from the trip and all the pupils had a most enjoyable and stimulating trip. It was hands on science at its best and I am most grateful to Dr Tully, Mr Butler and Miss Ward for organising this trip and leading it so well. It was very reassuring to hear of the good reports of the Lomond pupils who had clearly impressed various staff who had been receiving them in Belgium.

With Burns Night approaching fast there will be several cultural events on to mark this time of year. Clarendon will have a series of events under the banner of Scottish Cultural Week starting on Monday 18 January. S5 and S6 pupils are all invited to a formal Burns Supper on Friday 22 January (7pm – Larchfield Hall) and Transitus will have their Burns Supper (at lunch!) on Monday 1 February. These are excellent events and I am grateful for the planning and preparation that is going into them.

Another cultural event that is awaited is the S2 pantomime which had to be postponed last term due to illness. The S2 pupils, under the energetic guidance of Mrs Ritchie, have been rehearsing hard after school and everyone is invited to see Jock and the Beanstalk in St Bride’s Hall on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 January. Performances start at 7.30 pm and tickets are available at the door.

The new term marks an important time for a strong academic focus and all pupils are urged to make maximum use of every lesson and homework. S5 and S6 have Prelim examinations shortly and need to be finding the next gear in terms of effort. Reports will be published very shortly for S3 and S4 with S1 having their Parents’ Evening next on Wednesday 20 January.

In last week’s newsletter many of the prizes and awards that were presented at closing assembly on Friday 18 December were mentioned. Listed below are the remainder of commendations awarded: 

Inter-House Awards:  

• Public Speaking          Bergius
• General Knowledge    Colquhoun

 

Merit Awards:

S4  Bronze -  Laura Baird, Gareth Bannerman, Magnus Brown, Giles Calder, Euan Cameron, Emily Carroll, Tom Claxton, Lochlan Gatley, Laurence Hickman,   Douglas Jagger, Nicole Johnson, Fillan Kennedy, Aidan King, Sarah Leslie-  Carter, Sophie McLachlan, Robbie McLaughlin, Rachel Mansley, Hamish Marsh, Chantelle Nash, Duncan Redstone, Craig Stewart, Morven   Thompson, Sean Watson, Katrina Wylie

S5 Bronze  -  Florrie Black, Scott Casey, Tim Kelbie, Lucas Perduss, Hamish Thomson

     Silver    -  Lucy Dunlop, Malcolm Feist, Camilla Mosley, Matthew Underwood, Katrina Wallace

S6 Silver    -  Iain Cameron, Tom Cameron, Zoe Canty, Chantelle Fry, Fraser McClelland, Reg MacDonald, Andrew Mortimer, Sarah Newton, Michael Pretswell, Peter Scholarios,Ginny Scott-Park, Constantine Thanopoulos, Chloe Wilson, Heather Wylie, Constanze Zehentmeier

     Gold  -   Anna Burnet, Mark Cook, Shona Cordner, Catherine Humphreys, Rebecca Lightfoot, Johnathan Marmont, Alison Mowat, Ailsa Pender, Nicola Skrastin, Katherine Stanley-Whyte

Once again our congratulations to all those listed above.

 

Lomond pupils were successful in the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examinations held in the Autumn Term – the results are as follows:

Grade 1          Violin               Jimi Oniya (J5)                       Pass with merit

                      Violin               Angus Guy (J3)                      Pass

                      Singing            Jasmine Leila (T2)                  Pass with merit

Grade 2          Violin               Constance Gatley (S2)           Pass with merit

                      Flute                Kitty Cugley (S2)                    Pass with merit

Grade 3          Violin               Rowan Clark (T1)                   Pass

Grade 5          Violin               Katie Johnson (S3)                Pass with merit

                      Piano               Lois McLatchie (S3)                Pass with merit

Grade 6          Violin               Rachel Mansley (S4)               Pass with merit

Grade 7          Singing            Malcolm Feist (S5)                 Pass

From the Depute

• S1 Parents' Evening    Wednesday 20 January      6.30pm-9.30pm
• S4 Parents' Evening    Thursday 28 January          7pm-9.30pm
• S3 Parents' Eevning   Wednesday 3 February       7pm-9.30pm
• T1 Parents' Evening    Thursday 18 February         7pm-9pm    (Mrs Fullarton and Miss Boyd will also be available on Tuesday 23 February 4-6pm)

Sign-up sheets are already available in Reception for the S1 parents' evenings. The sign-up sheets for the S4 parents’ evening will be available from this Thursday (14 January 2010).

• S1 Entry Assessments will be taken on Thursday 14 January 8.30am-2.30pm.  These assessments are for new pupils entering S1 in August 2010.  Pupils entering T2 are not required to come in on 14 January but are invited to come and spend another morning with peers in Transitus One.  Please contact Mrs Wylie at Reception to arrange a date for a visit. 
• S3/S4 reports will be posted to parents on Friday 22 January.
• Subject Choices ....All S2 pupils will meet with Miss Dudley and Mrs Barrett Bunnage (Careers Advisor) this Friday morning to run through the process of option choices for S3-4.  They will be asked to confirm their choice of subjects on Friday 22 January.  Handouts from the parents' presentation last week are available on the website.All S4 pupils will meet with Miss Dudley and Mrs Barrett Bunnage next Tuesday morning to run through the process of choosing their Higher subjects for S5.  Notes from this meeting will also be made available on the website for parents to read.  They will be asked to confirm their choice of subjects on Tuesday 2 February, following the S4 parents' evening.
• S2 Pantomime...Jock and the Beanstalk is being performed at 7.30pm in St Bride’s Hall this Thursday and Friday (14 & 15 January). Tickets are available at £2.50 for adults and £2 for children – a production not to be missed.
• Nice Trip...A reminder that there will be a brief meeting for those going on the trip on Thursday 14 January at 7pm in the Art Department. Parents are welcome.
• S5/S6 Burns Supperat7pm on Friday 22 January.  All S5/6 pupils have received a letter about this and should return their reply slip with payment to their form teacher this week.  This promises to be an excellent event with a programme of speeches and music from pupils and staff and we strongly encourage all pupils to attend.
• The Higher and Advanced Higher prelim exams will begin on Wednesday 3 February and continue after half term.  The timetable will be distributed to pupils by the end of this week and put on the website. 

Primary News

Lunch w/c 18 January 2010 – Mon – Chicken fajitas with tortilla chips, chocolate orange gâteaux: Tues –– Penne pasta with tomato, chilli & cheese, French bread, fruit platter: Wed– Jumbo fish fingers, chipped potatoes, peas and carrots, rice pudding and fruit: Thurs – Gammon and pineapple with creamed potato and sweetcorn, fruit mincemeat tart and custard: Fri – Cheese and tomato pizza, beans and croquette potatoes, pears and butterscotch sauce. A selection of fresh fruit and vegetables are available daily.

At the Transitus Assembly Mr Mills gave a very enlightening talk about R F Scott of the Antarctic and Captain Oates. This focused on bravery, leadership and teamwork but also highlighted the fact that Scott’s early school reports didn’t augur well.

At the Clarendon Assembly on Friday Mr Calder discussed the blank page in the book that is the story of the new year. On Tuesday he discussed the need to think about what we say as, unlike horses, we do not have bits in our mouths to help keep us under control.

Scottish Culture Week: We are very much looking forward to Scottish Cultural week in Clarendon. Could we politely remind parents to hand in their child’s £3.50.

Clubs: Now that we have clarification about the availability of the old gym and the music festivals, a revised clubs list has been sent out. Please let Mrs Ferguson know if you do not have one. Thank you.

Clarendon Eco Committee & Club: Order forms for purchase of Eco bags have been distributed from J1 to T2. Could we urge you to please support this initiative – the bags are very strong and very competitively priced, samples available for viewing in Clarendon. All money raised will go towards our next Eco project. Many thanks.

T2 bicyclesThere is one pink T2 bike waiting to be collected from Clarendon. Mrs Ferguson would be delighted to return it to its owner! Thank you.

Norwegian Teacher: If anyone knows of any teachers of Norwegian in the local area (for young children) could they please approach Mr Calder.

Nursery News

• Pre-School PE: Please note that this will take place in the old gym in Upper John Street instead of the new Sports Hall for the next 3 weeks.  The times of sessions remain unchanged.
• Dressing up clothes: Can anyone help please..?  We are still looking for 'mummies and daddies' dressing up items for our home corner - any old hats, flat caps, men's scarves, waistcoats, long beads, bangles, head scarves or such like would be very gratefully received.  We are also looking for a pair of nursery themed curtains to hang at the home corner window, and a roll of nursery wall paper for the wall.
• RSPB Birdwatch:  The children are learning about birds in winter in preparation for taking part in the RSPB Little Schools' Birdwatch next week - information about this, and fun activities can be found at http://www.rspb.org.uk/youth/learn/earlyyears/index.asp  Why not take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch at home - details at http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/
• Infection Control Policy:  We have developed a parent information leaflet which every child should bring home. As correspondence sometimes goes astray if children go home with someone else, please let us know if you do not receive your copy.
• A plea from the Nursery staff... if you are buying new winter boots or shoes for your child, it would really help if you could please buy ones that can be put on and taken off with ease as some of the latest styles are really challenging!

CULLODEN TRIP 

A  reminder that the balance of £40 for the Culloden trip is due by Friday 15 January.  Please make cheques payable to Lomond School.

PTA NEWS

• The PTA sessions in the Sports Hall have now started.  There is a great fitness session in the Dance Studio, Fit'n'Mix Friday which is being held between 11am and 11.45am on Friday mornings.  It is 45 minutes of aerobic exercise, toning and relaxation and caters for all fitness levels.  It is being run by Julie Smith who is an aerobics instructor and is well known in the area for her enjoyable mix of exercise styles.  If you are free on a Friday morning, do come along for a quick burst of exercise before the weekend.  

BOARDING HOUSE APPEAL

The Boarding House is looking for unwanted outdoor kit (boots, waterproofs etc) in all sizes. All donations will be gratefully received.

PE

Indoor training for the following hockey teams – Saturday 16 January

• 1st Yr ‘A’, 2nd Yr ‘A’ and 3rd Yr ‘A’ team players.  MUST WEAR INDOOR SHOES, not astro-turf shoes. Meet at the Sports Hall on Saturday morning at 8.55am for a 9am start and finish 10am.
• Senior 3 – Senior 6 Girls meet in the Gymnasium up at school for Netball training from 9am – 10am on Saturday morning.

Rugby

No fixtures this weekend due to the weather. 

Training

S1 – S3 boys meet in the Sports Hall 8am finish at 9am. 

Senior Rugby meet in Fitness Suite 8am finish at 9am.

Sports Hall

The Sports Hall will be open for all pupils who are not involved in fixtures from this Saturday onwards.  These sessions will be for social purposes and led by two sports coaches: Calum Arthur and Mark Donohue (both former pupils).

The following activities will take place this weekend (Saturday 16 January):

10am – 11am                S1 – S6 Badminton

11am – 12 noon            Transitus Badminton and Basketball

Inter-House

Next week’s inter-house programme will be climbing, rowing and bleep test:  Pupils should check with House Captains to ensure they know which event they are selected for. Pupils should bring their House T-shirt to PE lessons.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE LOMOND SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

If you would like to receive this newsletter via e-mail please send your e-mail address to admin@lomond-school.org.

AD V E R T I S E M E N T S

The school is happy to advertise articles for sale for example 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 ½ page and ¼ page will be £10.  Small ads (1/8th page or less) will be charged at a rate of £5 per week. Deadline: Tuesday 12 noon.

 

The next concert of the Helensburgh Music Society is on Saturday 16 January 2010 at 7.45pm at

Victoria Halls, Sinclair Street, Helensburgh

 The internationally renowned British pianist,

Steven Osborne will be accompanied by his

American wife, the clarinettist, Jean Johnson.

Together they will perform a wonderful mix of works by Ravel, Saint Saens, Schumann and Gershwin.

 Tickets £11, £9 (concessions) £5(students), £1 (u16s) and are available from the Membership Secretary on 01436 672402, The Pink Gallery, 28 Sinclair Street, Helensburgh 01436 678848 and on the door.

 

 

2 x metal (IKEA) single beds – top and bottom with slats) - £20 each

 2 x children’s violins - £20 each

Please contact Anne Ritchie 01436 672009

 

weekly News

Wednesday 6 January 2010

From the Headmaster

I would like to wish all Lomond families a very Happy New Year and an excellent start to 2010. It is good to be getting back to term with a whole new calendar year in front and I trust that families enjoyed a good Christmas break together.

Certainly the snowy weather gave a very seasonal feel to Christmas and New Year. It does represent a difficulty as we resume school. As much gritting has been done as possible but care is still needed on entry to the car parks and on walkways and roads around the site. This may be a problem that stretches into next week. All school activities will proceed as normal and the PE Department will give early notification of the situation regarding matches for the weekend.

There have been some staff changes with Mrs McKillop returning to the English Department from maternity leave. We are delighted to see her back and also to welcome our two new PE Assistants who are Mr Michael Jennings and Miss Rebecca Wills. Both are PE graduates from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. They have enormous enthusiasm for sport and will be working with the PE Department.

As previously communicated, Miss Dudley takes over as Depute following Mr MacKenzie’s retirement. This is also supported by the amendments to our structure of pastoral care in the senior school with the introduction of three new Heads of Year. Mrs Guy takes control of S1 and S2, Mr Dunlop of S3 and S4, and Mr Dodson of S5 in conjunction with S6. Matters of academic and pastoral concern will be dealt with by the appropriate Head of Year in the first instance if it cannot be dealt with by the Form Teacher. Miss Trevena and Mr Fitzgerald take over as mentors.

Many pupils in S2 start the year with an exciting trip to the Eurospace Centre in Belgium and we await to hear what blue touch papers this will ignite on their return. One new development that will happen shortly is the production of a Blue Book. This will give a central compendium of key information such as school contacts, calendar, and dates in one handy pocket sized format. We hope these will be available for families shortly.

The Spring Term always has a number of Parents’ Evenings and we look forward to a good dialogue to help advance pupil progress. The T2 Parents’ Evening is the first of these on Thursday 7 January and S2 Parents Evening quickly follows on Tuesday 12 January. Booking sheets for times are available in the main school Reception.

We look forward to a busy and productive term. There are many fine events to come and I hope that families will continue to keep the school informed of any successes of pupils outside normal school events.

At closing assembly on Friday 18 December there were many prizes and commendations awarded:

• Hockey Colours – Half Colours were awarded to Zoe Canty, Heather Wylie and Constanze Zehentmeier.
• Rugby Colours – Half Colours were awarded to Iain Cameron, Andrew Homer and Johnathan Vickers.

UK Senior Mathematical Challenge

• Bronze Certificate to Mark Cook
• Silver Certificate to Harry Hickman
• Gold Certificate to Iain Cameron
• Gold Certificate and Best in school – Abdul Tarmal

Individual Prizewinners General Knowledge

T1        Daniel Clancy                         T2        Ella Keating

S1        Aidan Sutherland                    S2        Fraser Alcorn

S3        Katherine Bull                          S4        Giles Calder

S5        Niall Hope and Max Page       S6        Iain Cameron

Academic Commendations

S1        Anina Hinds-Lange, Harry Johnston, Katherine McPhie, Oliver Monteith, Blair Perella, James Woodward

S2        Fraser Alcorn, Fiona Burnet, Eilidh Cameron, Fiona Cameron, Laura Dodson, Shannon Kemp, Louise McCahery

S3        Joseph Anderson, Katherine Bull, Kirsty Savage, Serena Town

S4        Tom Claxton, Ryan McCrorie, Rachel Mansley

S5        Danielle Arnott, Annie Carroll, Katrina Wallace

 

Warm congratulations to everyone detailed above. Inter-House Awards and Merit Awards were also issued and details will be given in next week’s newsletter.  

 

I would like to pass on this message received at the start of term:  Mr MacKenzie would like to sincerely thank all pupils, colleagues (past and present) and parents who, by word and deed, made his recent retirement so memorable.  He wishes you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

 

From the Depute Head

S2 Course Options meeting in St Bride's Hall at 7.30pm tonight. All S2 parents are invited to come to the meeting at which the process involved in selecting subjects for S3/4 will be outlined. For parents unable to attend the meeting, notes will be made available in the Parents’ Resources section of the school website. Following the meeting, there will be the opportunity for further discussion with the Careers Adviser and subject teachers at the parents’ meeting next Tuesday before pupils are asked to choose their options on Friday 22 January.

• T2 Parents' Evening     Thursday 7 January           7pm-9.30pm  Mrs Brown and Miss Springett will be available for further appointments on Tuesday 12 January.
• S2 Parents' Evening     Tuesday 12 January           6.30pm-9.30pm
• S1 Parents' Evening    Wednesday 20 January      6.30pm-9.30pm
• S4 Parents' Evening    Thursday 28 January          7pm-9.30pm
• S3 Parents' Eevning   Wednesday 3 February       7pm-9.30pm
• T1 Parents' Evening    Thursday 18 February         7pm-9pm    (Mrs Fullarton and Miss Boyd will also be available on Tuesday 23rd February 4-6pm)
• Sign-up sheets are already available in Reception for the T2 and S2 parents' evenings. The sign-up sheets for the S1 parents’ evening will be available from this Friday (8 January 2010).

• S1 Entry Assessments will be taken on Thursday 14th January 8.30am-2.30pm.  These assessments are for new pupils entering S1 in August 2010.  Pupils entering T2 are not required to come in on 14 January but are invited to come and spend another morning with peers in Transitus One.  Please contact Mrs Wylie at Reception to arrange a date for a visit. 

Primary News

Lunch w/c 11 January 2010 – Mon – Lasagne with French bread and side salad, jam tart and cream: Tues –– Mexican meatballs and noodles, Swiss roll: Wed– Haddock, peas and chipped potatoes, mousse: Thurs – Steak pie with roast potato and spring cabbage, apple and blackcurrant sponge with custard: Fri – Chicken korma and rice, fruit platter. A selection of fresh fruit and vegetables are available daily.

• At Transitus Assembly Mr Calder spoke about the fact that each pupil starts a new year with the power to have a major hand in shaping their own destiny.
• Clarendon Eco Committee & Club: Order forms for purchase of Eco bags have been distributed from J1 to T2. Could we urge you to please support this initiative – the bags are very strong and very competitively priced, samples available for viewing in Clarendon. All money raised will go towards our next Eco project. Many thanks.
• T2 bicyclesMr Calder would appreciate it if the remaining two T2 bikes could be removed from the back of Clarendon as soon as possible. Please let Mrs Ferguson or Mr Calder know if you will be unable to pick up your bike.
• Norwegian Teacher: If anyone knows of any teachers of Norwegian in the local area (for young children) could they please approach Mr Calder.
• Thank you for your support at the Primary Carol Service on Thursday 17 December. The magnificent sum of £445 was raised for CHAS.

 

CULLODEN TRIP... A  reminder that the balance of £40 for the Culloden trip is due by Friday 15 January.  Please make cheques payable to Lomond School.

 

YOGA... Exams are understandably associated with stress, and managing personal stress levels is key to maximising an individual’s potential. Last year a yoga programme, specifically aimed at managing exam stress, was offered to S5 and S6 year groups. Evaluation by the pupils was very positive with each claiming benefit. With this in mind, it will again be offered to S5 and S6 year groups and the offer will be extended to include S4. The course will commence on Thursday 14 January 2010 at 3.45pm and will run for 10 weeks. Numbers are limited to 15 and the cost will be £40. Interested pupils should register their name in the General Office.

 

PTA NEWS

• Parents’ Coffee Morning -Friday 8 January 2010.   Our usual monthly catch up, chat and coffee at the Commodore. All parents welcome from Nursery through to S6. Look forward to seeing you there at 10am.
• The PTA sessions in the Sports Hall have now started.  There is a great fitness session in the Dance Studio, Fit'n'Mix Friday which is being held between 11am and 11.45am on Friday mornings.  It is 45 minutes of aerobic exercise, toning and relaxation and caters for all fitness levels.  It is being run by Julie Smith who is an aerobics instructor and is well known in the area for her enjoyable mix of exercise styles.  If you are free on a Friday morning, do come along for a quick burst of exercise before the weekend.  

 

BOARDING HOUSE APPEAL ...The Boarding House is looking for unwanted outdoor kit (boots, waterproofs etc) in all sizes. All donations will be gratefully received.

 

PE

Hockey           Saturday 9 January 2010

• 1st Yr, 2nd Yr and 3rd Yr matches v Douglas Academy unfortunately are cancelled due to frozen pitches.
• Senior Girls Indoor Hockey at Sports Hall from 10am -12 noon.

 

Inter-House Activities start on Monday 11 January, please could House Captains contact the PE Department.

Monday           S1 Basketball

Tuesday          S2 Basketball

Wednesday     Senior Basketball

Thursday         S3 Basketball

Friday              T1/T2 Benchball

 

Any pupil wishing to compete at the Scottish Indoor Athletics Championships at Kelvin Hall on Thursday 4 February 2010 must see Mrs Taylor as soon as possible with your individual event and personal best performance.  Entries must be sent off by Thursday 14 January.

 

Rowing...The Rowing Club will commence training on Wednesday 6 January from 5.30pm - 7pm. All interested pupils should attend.

 

Rugby

Saturday 9 January  Lomond v George Watsons’

1st XV, U16, S3, S2 S1 and Transitus (Away) at George Watsons’ College. 10.30am KO. Meet at Sports Hall at 7.30am and return at 1.30pm.

If matches are off there will be training in the Sports Hall 8am-10am. Details on the PE noticeboard.

Please can I take this opportunity to remind pupils that they are expected to attend fixtures unless they have been given permission by the Headmaster not to. Can I also ask parents not to organise activities/parties on Saturday mornings as this severely hampers the ability to run teams due to our small numbers.

 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE LOMOND SCHOOL NEWSLETTER ... If you would like to receive this newsletter via e-mail please send your e-mail address to admin@lomond-school.org.

 

NEWSLETTER ADVERTISING

The school is happy to advertise articles for sale for example 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 ½ page and ¼ page will be £10.  Small ads (1/8th page or less) will be charged at a rate of £5 per week.  

 

AD V E R T I S E M E N T S

(Rates: Please see above) Deadline: Tuesday 12 noon.

                                                                        

The next concert of the Helensburgh Music Society is on Saturday 16 January 2010 at 7.45pm at Victoria Halls, Sinclair Street, Helensburgh

The internationally renowned British pianist,

Steven Osborne will be accompanied by his

American wife, the clarinettist, Jean Johnson.

Together they will perform a wonderful mix of works by Ravel, Saint Saens, Schumann and Gershwin. 

Tickets £11, £9 (concessions) £5(students), £1 (u16s) and are available from the Membership Secretary on 01436 672402, The Pink Gallery, 28 Sinclair Street, Helensburgh 01436 678848 and on the door.