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Mr Bray and Miss Seymour have been working with groups of S3 on camping and outdoor skills (good preparation for their Duke of Edinburgh Award later in the year). Today as well as looking at stoves, filtration and water purification we group made hot chocolate by melting snow.
Our Rural Skills class was out on placement today. Work was varied for this group on Alvie Estate who were involved with clearing branches & digging out snow bound vehicles.
As KHS we use an electronic sticker system to reward learners in S1 – S3. Stickers and postcards are given out for good and for wider achievement. Each sticker and postcard is worth a certain amount of points that the pupil is responsible for logging the points on the computer. At the end of each term the house group with the most points is given a reward and also the top boy and girl in each year group is also given a prize and a certificate.
The winners of last terms reward stickers were given their prizes at assembly recently. Well done to all pupils who have been earning stickers and logging them on their accounts. Pictured with their certificates and £10 vouchers are Erin Miller, Ruaridh Malcolm both S3, Matilda Keegan, Finlay Guy both S2, Tor Brown and Charlotte Convery both S1. Well done and keep up the good work.
Despite what the media says the snow conditions are pretty good in parts of the Alps at the moment and last week 44 pupils from both Grantown Grammar and Kingussie High School headed to Risoul (Forêt Blanche region in the Southern Alps) to slide on the snow on both boards and skis. This is the first time that Grantown and Kingussie have teamed up for a ski trip but it really was a winning formula that kept the cost down and allowed all participants to make the most of the conditions.
“What I love about taking pupils from Grantown and Kingussie skiing,”
said Headteacher Ollie Bray,
“is the look on the instructors faces when they realise that we have kids that can ski and that can ski well! We just don’t have typical school groups and that allows the French instructors to progress their skiing to the next level.”
During the week participants skied a variety of piste and off-piste runs as well as having an opportunity to explore the freestyle snowparks and also get a shot on the giant airbag.
As well as skiing the group participated in a wide variety of Après-ski activities including bum-boarding, ice skating, the luge and a mini winter olympics. The 2016 joint school Ski trip will be advertised in February.
Recently KHS had a magnificent trip to Edinburgh with all of the S4, S5 and S6 Art, Design and Photography. As part of the trip the group visited the National Gallery where they had a tour of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection before being able to explore some of the other famous artworks. The group were then lucky enough to be the first school in Scotland to get to use the contemporary jewellery handling box at the National Museum where we were able to handle and try on some of the designs and technical samples. Finally, the group even managed to squeeze in a quick trip to the Portrait Gallery to see this years BP Portrait Award before collapsing onto the train back home.
Art Teacher Katy Thomson said, “As part of the course pupils have been studying Still Life and Jewellery Design and the trip to Edinburgh was a great way to see some real life examples of the artists and designers that the students had been studying in class. I was really impressed by the enthusiasm and maturity of everyone throughout the day.”
Kingussie High School re-opens at 08:55 on Monday 5th January to all staff and pupils.
For School closure information please click here.
To enquire about school closure information please phone:
The Highland Council number:
0800 564 2272
Enter the pin code for Kingussie High School when prompted:
04 1120
Press ‘1’ for severe weather and ‘3’ for general information.
Four Kingussie High School pupils are among the first in Scotland to be named as My World of Work School Ambassadors.
The pilot programme from Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is inspired by the web service myworldofwork.co.uk, which offers careers information, advice and resources for an individual at any stage of their education or working life.
Pupils in six schools in Scotland will get the chance through the pilot to build on lessons they are already learning in classrooms, developing the career management skills they need to make informed decisions about their future.
The School Ambassadors will bring the online world of My World of Work into the real world of their school through a series of events and presentations across the academic year. This will include interactive sessions with younger pupils to introduce them to the service and the My Strengths tool, talking to their teachers about the resources in My World of Work’s Partner Zone, and making a video diary of their experiences.
16 year old My World of Work School Ambassador Rebecca Gale from Kingussie High School said: “I’m really enjoying being a My World of Work School Ambassador because I get to take part in events and I get to take a leadership role. Since joining I have learned that I love working in groups and discussions, leading me into an interest in marketing and working with others.”
The Kingussie High School pupils are also using their My World of Work School Ambassador experience towards earning Saltire Awards, and have already been awarded the Team Challenge Saltire Award. Each participant will also receive three thousand Young Scot points for completing the programme.
My World of Work School Ambassadors are given dedicated support from SDS staff throughout the pilot, including training sessions, face-to-face time for discussion and ideas, group work, and practical resources and support materials.
SDS Depute Director of Digital Services George Boag said “The energy and dedication of the pupils who’ve volunteered to become My World of Work School Ambassadors is so impressive. Not only are they building up their own skills and confidence, they’re also making a vital contribution to the wider school community, and I want to thank them for getting involved with such gusto. I’d also like to thank all of our partners taking part in this pilot for their help in developing such a worthwhile programme.”
Our Christmas dances are one of the Highlights of the year at Kingussie High School. Build up to the dances starts weeks in advance when the PE Department modify their curriculum to include ‘Social Dance’ and we put on a couple of extra dance classes for both senior students and staff to remind them of some of the classic dance steps.
Decoration of the dance area is also a project in itself and this year Miss Katie Thompson (from the Art Department) and her Monday Lunchtime Art Club made some great new decorations and up-cycled a lot of old ones. This combined with hundreds of fairy lights, an inflatable snowman and the dressing of the school hall under the watchful eye of Mr Andy ‘Versace’ MacDonald and Mr Kenny ‘Gok Wan’ Reid simply transformed the hall.
Live music is an important feature of KHS School Dances and as has become tradition this year the music was provided by Tom Cruikshank and his band. Dances included some good old Scottish favourites such as Highland Scottische, Strip the Willow, Dashing White Sargent, Canadian Barn Dance and the evening finished with a St. Bernard’s Waltz followed by Auld Lang Syne.
Dances were called by Acting Head of PE Mr Scott Douglas, PE Teacher Miss Kirsty Deans and Head of Guidance MrKenny Deans. “I was really impressed with how well all the kids danced at both the junior and senior dance,” saidMr Douglas, “those extra dance classes have obviously paid off”.
Headteacher Mr Ollie Bray seemed delighted with the evening, “Our young people danced professionally, behaved appropriately and looked absolutely fabulous. They were a real credit to their parents and Kingussie High School. Dances like this are important to us, not only do they pull the whole school community together but also when pupils leave the school they often tell us that the ability to be able to get up and dance at a wedding or a ceilidh are some of the most valuable social skills that we have taught them.”
In between dances there was a break to give the band (and the dancers) a rest where pupils were able to have a buffet style snack.
“We have a truly committed staff here at KHS,” said Mr Bray, “some of them have given up three evenings in a row this week to support our students at dances and the Christmas Concert. I want to thank everyone who have been involved. The buzz of these Christmas events are just one of the things that makes KHS a very special place to work.”
More photos on our Facebook Page.
Yesterday, the Spanish class went on a trip to “La Tetera”, a Spanish tapas bar in Kingussie. The class got to experience a small taster of the Spanish culture through food and language. They had Lentejas y chorizo sopa con pan (Lentil & Chorizo soup with bread) for starters then moved on to a range of tapas including “Tortilla” (like an omelette), Pastelo de atun (Tuna Pie) and Patatas Bravas (Potatos with a red sauce). Although the food may not have always been to the classes taste they all tried it and attempted to order in Spanish.
