Queen Margaret Academy welcomes back senior students

Jun 11 2008 Ayrshire Post

THIS week the senior pupils returned to Queen Margaret Academy to begin their fifth or sixth year studies.

Each group enjoyed an induction event, both of which culminated in a special mass being served for them by Father Stephen McGrattan who is our school chaplain.

The whole school community would like to welcome the return of our senior students.

DENIS McFadden who joined the school recently, is already making his mark with the current first and second year pupils as well as our primary seven pupils.

He has been spending a lot of time visiting our associate primary schools to meet first year 2008-9 and he has been visiting his year groups in their classes to make sure that they are upholding the standards of the school by giving of their very best.

KEVIN Mallon was recently appointed to the post of principal teacher guidance. He currently teaches in Greenwood Academy and he has already had experience as acting principal teacher of guidance as well as acting principal teacher of geography.

Everyone is looking forward to him joining us in August.

AT a recent meeting of the Pupil Council pupils volunteered in droves to become part of the Eco Schools Committee.

The first big drive of the Eco Committee will to reduce litter in and around the school. Some of the boys have already begun to make an onslaught on the litter which collects around the perimeter of the school and all of the pupils are taking a more responsible attitude to the environment by picking up litter in the playground at the end of interval and lunch time.

The council have agreed to give us litter picks and gloves and overalls so that we can get pupils actively involved in clearing up our environment.

We have already been in negotiation with the council regarding recycling.

THE COMMUNITY of Queen Margaret Academy wish to say a huge thank you to Daniel McCroskrie and Nadia Ness who have been our reporters this year. Everyone will miss them greatly but we wish them well in their future careers and we are sure that they will be hugely successful in whatever careers they choose.

ON Monday staff from across Queen Margaret Academy Cluster met in the school to work together on developing literature circles.

This is part of the drive to enhance cross sectoral links and to improve the delivery of learning and teaching across the Cluster.

Everyone is extremely grateful to Kay Hall and Moira Nimmo who led the day and it is planned to hold many more cross sectoral events to ensure that pupils have the best possible education.

ALL the guidance principal teachers, the depute head teachers, RE staff and some of the science staff have now attended the training for Called to Love.

This is a teaching package developed by SCES which offers pupils sexual health advice within a moral, spiritual and ethical context. This package is not only proving successful in denominational school but many non-denominational schools have begun to use it because of the quality of presentation and the values which it promotes.

Parents of the pupils will be invited to the school next session so that they can find out what this package offers to their children.

QMA Annual Sports Day - Champions 2008.

S1 - Girls’ champion: Kate Haining, runner-up: Michelle Martin. Boys’ champion: Shaun Flynn, runner-up: Cieran McHugh and Lewis McGill.

S2 - Girls’ Champion: Deborah Lawrence, runner-up: Zoe Dodds. Boys’ Champion: Ross Lomako, runner-up: Christopher Mair.

S3 - Girls’ Champion: Ciara Gracie, runner-up: Amanda Houston. Boys’ Champion: Aaron Gray, runner-up: Michael Eastcott.

CONGRATULATIONS to all those who participated in the South Ayrshire Athletics Championships. They were a credit to themselves and the school.

The following pupils have qualified and are going on to participate in the Ayrshire Sports.

S1 - 800m H McEleary; Long jump C Woods RES.

S2 - 1500m Sarah Cassells, Javelin Caitlin Dodds RES, Javelin Connor McCulloch RES.

S3 - 100m and Long Jump Ciara Gracie, High Jump Aaron Gray, Long jump Thomas O'Ware, 400m Gary O’Brian RES.