MELDRUM ACADEMY
Colpy Road, Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, AB51 0NT
Tel: 01651-871300 Fax: 01651-871313
Email: meldrum.ac a@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
www: www.meldrumacademy.co.uk
Blog: www.meldrumacademy.org.uk.
NEWSLETTER : No 4 ~ Session 08/09
June 2009
Dear Parent / Carer
CONTENTS:
1. Staff Changes 22. Engineering Skills
2. A Fond Farewell 23. Common Purpose Your Turn
3. Teacher Exchange 24. Meldrum Community Development Group
4. Probationer Teachers & PGDE 25. Battle Of The Bands 2009
Studen ts
5. Rotary Young Chef of the Year 2009 26. Interschool Sports & PE Departmen t
6. A Taste of Grampian Secondary 27. Primary Netball Festival - forming closer
Schools Competition links with Primary Schools
7. Home Economics 28. Inter Schools Athletics Event
8. Talented Writer Hits A Hat-Trick 29. SFA/Bank Of Scotland Secondary
School Football Initiative
9. S1 – S3 Italy Watersports Trip 2009 30. Pupils attending Aberdeen College SFW
Courses
10. Art and Music Summer Exhibition 31. Performing Arts Faculty
11. Homecoming Exhibition 32. Modern Languages Faculty
12. Meldrum Academy's Ho mecoming 33. P7 Induction Days
Event
13. Meldrum Pupils go sailing at Loch of 34. Young Enterprise
Skene with Splash and OYT
14. Meldrum Young Enterprise Club 35. Mr Graeme Flood
15. S1/2 ICT 36. Meldrum Sport Bursaries
16. Changes ahead in food provision at 37. Parent Council
Aberdeen shire Secondary Schools
17. Revised School Meal Charges 38. Lost Property
18. Newsletter Book Buddies Session 39. Changed your Mobile/Contact Details
2008/2009
19. UK Junior Maths Challenge 40. Education Maintenance Allowance
20. Fairtrade 41. SQA Results
21. Eco Group News Summer 2009
1. STAFF CHANGES: M r A Travis (Head Teacher)
Our congratulations and many thanks go to Linda Evans, Depute Head Teacher for her work
that has played such a large part in shaping our school. Linda who has twice been acting Head
Teacher a t Meldru m Academy is moving to become Head Teacher a t Mintlaw Academy. Linda
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was in with the ‘bricks and mortar’ as has seen the school develop from a building site into
the fully developed Academy tha t it is today. Sandy Smith, PT Faculty Social Subjects, will
join the Senior Management Team as an Acting Depute Head Teacher.
We say farewell and best wishes to another long serving teacher. Ian Jackson, PT Design
Technology, is moving to be Depu te Head Teacher a t Dyce Academy. Irene Flint, PT Art &
Design, will become the Principal Teacher of the new Faculty of Design combining Art &
Design and Design Technology.
Congratulations go to David Strudwick, Michelle Mortimer, Alice Forbes, Sarah S tockton-
Rice and Laura Downie who have all completed their successful one year proba tioner teacher
placements a t the school. Sarah will be returning to the school after the holiday to take up
a post in the science faculty.
Our best wishes go back to Denver with Joy Jojola, SFL Faculty, a t the end of her Fulbright
Teacher Exchange year.
It is all change in the Health Faculty where Jenna Drummond who has been working with us
for this session joins us as a permanen t member of staff bu t we wish farewell to Colin
MacPherson who is leaving the sa me faculty to join Dyce Academy. Kelly Craig also comes
back after maternity leave.
Mary Leith will join us after August in the English faculty and Mark Hay joins the BEIT
faculty. Scott Wa tson, Social Subjects, is our sole Proba tioner Teacher for the coming
session.
Our furthest travelled leaver this session must be Bobb Turner, Pupil Support Worker, who
has left the school to take up an appointment as language teacher and cultural adviser in
Kobe, Japan.
2. A FOND FAREWELL: M s L Evans (Depute Head Teacher)
I still have the letter inviting the candidates for the post of the first Depu te a t Meldrum
Academy to the u sual ‘show- round’ of the school building prior to interview. It was the only
letter of its kind in Aberdeenshire – asking us to bring Wellies in case of wet weather, and
asking the female candidates to wear trousers as we would be climbing ladders! Such was my
introduction to the building site which has grown and evolved into the thriving busy and
interesting place tha t is Meldrum Academy to day.
I was appointed in March 2002, and spent the nex t four mon ths in a hectic and, at times,
surreal world which included interviewing the staff, writing the timetable, setting up
quality assurance procedures, agreeing the school calendar – which was all very challenging
with no pupils and no courses yet in place! As others joined the staff, the climate of
feverish effort sp read to all corners of our first base in Meldrum Primary - taking full
advantage of the exciting opportunities that a ‘blank page’ has to offer. What an
experience!
The whole staff team even tually met for the very first time on the In -Service day in
August. The builders were still in carrying out ‘finishing touches’ – although some of them
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seemed to be still involved in tasks a little larger than that! I will admit to a tear in my eye
when I watched the very first pupils arriving by bus tha t first day of term in August 2002,
proudly wearing the brand new Academy uniform. Tears of laughter followed as we showed
the pupils round the building, surreptitiously looking at the maps which we still needed
ourselves.
We had to brace ourselves very quickly in preparing for our Royal opening – only a matter of
a week after tha t first day. Through a mammo th effort from staff, pupils and supporters
of the school, Princess Anne was duly impressed with wha t she saw in terms of facilities, and
the keen, polite pupils she met on her tour. Thankfully she did not realise that she had met
some children several times over in our attemp ts to make sure there was an activity to see in
every departmen t – with only S1 and S2 when we opened, there weren’t enough numbers to
fill the building! I like to think that the staff were most impressed with my sprinting up and
down corridors out of sight, keeping pupils moving from one place to another.
The following seven years hold many, many fond memories for me, and this school will always
be a very special place for me. It was a genuine privilege to be the first Depu te Head
Teacher of Meldrum Academy. I have enjoyed linking with a really fantastic group of
Primary Head Teachers in our associated schools. The Academy staff are an enthusiastic,
skilful and hard working team and I will miss them grea tly. Paren ts have been consisten tly
supportive and eager to work with us a t all times. The pupils have made it a pleasure to come
to work each day.
I am excited to be moving on to pastures new and am looking forward to taking up the post
of Rector of Mintlaw Academy in August. When I look back for a momen t though, I a m
proud of what Meldrum Academy has become. It makes me smile when I think tha t the
mo tto I leave behind, ‘Working Together for Success’ has successfully been brought to life
by the team-work of our whole community. Well done everyone – and I wish you all the best
for your continuing journey.
3. FULLLBRIGHT TEACHER EXCHANGE: M s J Jojola
From the USA to living in the UK, my one year teacher exchange has flown on by however, I
shall not cry as I travel eastward across the ocean I will reminisce my emotions.
Witnessing such vast growth with all the individual studen ts, enlightening the variety of
their knowledge experiences. Exercising deeper metho ds to decipher, decode, crea te, and
calculate with the occasional deba te.
Meldrum Academy has an amazing staff that contribu tes and devotes so much of their
wisdom, ensuring an education for your studen t’s good will and decisions. I have learned a
considerably amount from my fellow professionals, I will futuristically use without a doubt.
As I travel back to the Rocky Mountains of Denver Colorado, Scotland will forever hold an
exceptional place in my heart. Fro m the School Panto to The Burn’s Supper to Meldrum’s
Fashion Show along with the gorgeous rolling hills honestly bring me chills. What an awesome
place to be blossoms, bees and all the green trees. I have had such a blast, which will be my
heart forever last.
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4. PROBATIONER TEACHERS & PGDE STUDENTS: M rs L Prosser (Depute Head
Teacher)
We have benefited this session from the input of 5 Proba tioner Teachers (Science, Art &
BEIT) and 8 PGDE Studen ts (Music, Modern Languages, English, Social Subjects, Design &
Technology, PE). They have contributed much to their departmen ts and to the wider school
and we wish them all well for the future.
5. ROTARY YOUNG CHEF OF THE YEAR 2009: M rs A Wyness (Health Faculty)
Meldrum Academy S5 pupil Craig Rochester came in second place at the District level of the
competition held a t Dundee Technical College in February and again second at the Regional
level held a t Whitley Bay in March. He was commended by the ju dges on his skills and choice
of menu. He had to p repare, cook and presen t a three course menu from scratch in
2 hours.
He has missed out on the Na tional level in Hitchen in May but did benefit a lo t from the
experience of working under the eyes of various top chefs in unfamiliar surroundings
especially using the larger scale catering hobs and ovens at the college. Didn't he do well?
Thanks to our super chef Craig Rochester for pu tting Meldrum Academy on the map.
6. A TASTE OF GRAM PIAN SECONDARY SCHOOLS COM PETITION: M rs A Wyness
(Health Faculty)
Finalists in the competi tion held a t Thainstone Agricultural Centre were Stephanie Cowie and
Jessie Mathewson. They planned an exciting menu to meet the challenge of The Homecoming,
modern twist and using local produce. Salmon return to spawn in the river they came from so
they chose to make Salmon Olives, Chilli Kale Stir Fry, Rosemary roast po ta toes and Cherry
vine toma toes. For a modern twist to their menu they chose to make a Duo dessert - Wild
Berry Crumble and Bird's Custard, S trawberry and Blaeberry Yoghurt Cream Chocolate
Basket.
The girls worked very well together and were grea t a mbassado rs for the school and
thoroughly enjoyed bo th the experience and the even t. Well done. Mrs Wyness
7. HOM E ECONOM ICS: M rs A Wyness (Health Faculty)
Parent/carer-son/daughter evening class on Tuesday 23rd June '09. We had a very
enjoyable and productive evening with the pupils leading their paren ts through the processes
to pro duce a two course meal. Health Pro mo ting School sponsored the activity and Frances
Thompson our can teen manageress came along as our link with Hungry for Success.
Thanks to all the paren ts who came and gave us their support.
8. TALENTED WRITER HITS A HAT-TRICK: M r J Gerard (PT English)
Advanced Higher English studen t Jenny Gray pulled off a tremen dous treble by winning
school, authority and regional writing competitions this year.
Jenny, who also writes a regular column in the Ellon Times, is the current holder of the
senior prize in the annual Oldmeldru m Ro tary Club sponsored Writing Award.
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Her short story 'Lo ttie's Room' was chosen as the senior winner in an Aberdeenshire wide
competition sponsored by Meldru m Writers' Group. Jenny's age-group was judged by the
First Minister, Alex Salmond, and prominent local novelist Stuart McBride.
Jenny rounded off the year as one of the winning entries to be published by the University
of Aberdeen Word Festival as part of their annual 'What's the S tory?' competition.
Jenny's success was announced at the launch of the pu blication of last year's winning stories
which included a story fea turing the work of another Meldrum Academy pupil, Rowan Flint.
Jenny's short story 'On Display' will be published nex t year and launched a t the Word
Festival in May 2010. She hopes to go on to study English and Crea tive Writing at Chester
University.
9. S1 – S3 ITALY WATERSPORTS TRIP 2009: Mr S Cookson
In May 2009, 43 pupils took a trip to
Villeneuve, Italy for a water sports adven ture
activity. The highlight was the incredible
alpine white water raf ting with the Italian
Alps as a backdrop.
The pupils also took part in rock climbing, abseiling, canoeing and kayaking along with a
spectacular hill walk near Mont Blanc.
10. ART AND M USIC SUMMER EXHIBITION: M rs I Flint (PT Art & Design)
The third annual Art and Music Summer Exhibition took place last mon th showcasing a wide
range of talent from all year groups. Artwork exhibited ranged from expressive drawings
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and paintings to large scale sculpture and photography. A display of Design units and SQA
Higher final models were presen ted along with carefully crafted furniture by the Design and
Technology departmen t. A particular note of interest was the artwork presen ted by the S6
Art stu den ts as part of their Advanced Higher course. The quality and diversity of the work
shown was excellent and we wish them well as they move on to various Art colleges around
Scotland including Glasgow School of Art and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and
Design in Dundee.
Accompanying the evening were many talen ted young musicians who sang and played an
assortmen t of instrumen ts beau tifully throughout.
Visiting guest ju dges Mr Lennox Dunbar, Mr Jim Livingstone and Mr Glenn Neil Commended
and Highly Commended many pieces of the artwork displayed and awarded the following
studen ts with Art Prizes:
⇒ Freya Whittaker S2
⇒ Rowan Flint S3
⇒ Charlotte Burnett S4
⇒ Ellyn Oliver S5
⇒ Peter Hollstein S6
⇒ Tilly Armstrong S6
Congratulations to the prize winners and all the young artists whose work featured in the
exhibition.
11. HOM ECOM ING EXHIBITION:
M rs I Flint (PT Art & Design)
‘The Homecoming Project’ is a coming home or returning to
roots projec t celebra ting Scotland’s cultural heritage. Our art
departmen t have based their ideas on images of the
surrounding landscape and villages.
Paintings were used from S4 and S5 classes, p ho tographs
were taken by the Digital Imagery S3 short course class,
collages using mixed media were made in S1 and pen and ink
washes were used in S2.
A big ‘ Well Done’ to all pupils who were selected and received
invites to the exhibition. The exhibition is currently being
displayed with schools of the Shire and the City in Woodhill
House Council Building in Aberdeen and will also be displayed
at the AECC and the Sco ttish Parliament buildings.
12. M ELDRUM ACADEM Y'S HOM ECOM ING EVENT: M rs R
Robertson (Librarian)
Advance Notice for your Diary - Meldrum Academy's Homecoming Event will be held on
Friday 2nd October and Saturday 3rd Oc tober. Senior pupils and staff are already working
with the primary schools and the local heritage societies to gather ma terial for an exhibition
celebrating the history of educa tion in Meldrum and the surrounding areas. If you have any
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photographs or information tha t would add to our even t we would be delighted to hear from
you eg: old school pho tographs and reminiscences of days gone by in Oldmeldrum and the
surrounding catchment area. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you there.
13. M ELDRUM PUPILS GO SAILING AT LOCH OF SKENE WITH SPLASH AND OYT:
M rs I Flint (PT Art & Design)
On Sunday 21st June the above studen ts had their first taste of
sailing at Loch of Skene. As well as sailing the stu den ts were also
involved in team building games and activities. They proved
themselves to be good communicators and pro blem solvers. A
welcome BBQ was also laid on by volunteer members of The Ocean
Youth Trust Scotland. Pam Cornwallis (above right) coordinated
this free event to raise awareness of the ac tivities of the OYT
and to encourage young people to become involved in what can
prove to be a life long interest in boats and sailing. Mrs Flint,
Principal Teacher of Art at Meldrum has been a member of OYT
for over 20 years and organises sailing trips within the school. There will be a sailing trip
during activities 2010 for S1-S3 and other weekend trips for senior years.
14. M ELDRUM YOUNG ENTERPRISE CLUB: M rs W Jessamine (BEIT Faculty)
Once again we are overwhelmed by your
help and support this term.
Our chickens – 2 of which escaped to
Australia (pictures to come soon) raised
£100 which allowed us to adop t a new
guide dog puppy called Orla.
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We would like to thank R & M Leisure for dona ting the Bungee
Run, Sumo Suits and Bea t the Goalie inflatables. These along
with our face painting stands, ice poles and chocolate fountain
raised £200. This means tha t we can donate £150 to The
Willows a local animal shelter and £50 to Scottish Wildlife
Trust’s Beaver Campaign.
We’re still looking for new members to help us with up-coming
events such as Rainforest Café events and the Christmas Ex travaganza.
15. S1/2 ICT: M rs W Jessamine (BEIT Faculty)
The BEIT Faculty ran 2 competitions this session. S1
classes designed quizzes using PowerPoint software and
S2 groups designed games using Game Maker software.
For bo th competi tions each class voted for the quiz or
the game they liked best. Thanks to Mrs Prosser for
helping us to decide on the winning category titles and for
presen ting the awards to class winners.
S2 winners are waiting to see whom Mr Travis will select in a Dragon’s Den type showdown
with the winning team being given their award during this year’s Award Ceremony.
16. CHANGES AHEAD IN FOOD PROVISION AT ABERDEENSHIRE SECONDARY
SCHOOLS: Aberdeenshire School M eals Service
At the beginning of the new term August 2009 the School Meals Service at every Academy
will have to comply with requiremen ts set ou t in the Schools (Health Promo tion & Nutrition)
Scotland Act 2007.
The School Meals Service already places special emphasis on providing foods tha t are made
fresh daily, popular and good value for money. There is a wide range of snack and lunchtime
options available at your Academy tha t enable pupils to be ‘fuelled up’ for the business of
learning.
But changes required by ‘The Act’ will mean the removal of confectionary and chocolate
products from service counters and vending machines in all Academies across
Aberdeen shire. In addition, all drinks on offer will be either plain or fruit flavoured waters.
Bearing in mind the impact of these new requirements the School Meals Service will
continue, within the limita tions of ‘The Act’, to provide as varied a selection of products as
possible.
In the light of the changes made to conform with ‘The Act’ the Kitchen Supervisor and all
the catering staff invite you to continue to support them as they make every effort to
provide alterna tive items for snacks, lunchtime foods and drinks.
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17. REVISED SCHOOL MEAL CHARGES from 17.8.09: Aberdeenshire Council
This year’s review of school meal charges has been carried ou t following a
Best Value Review of the School Catering Service. In order for the Service
to remain cost effective, charges have been increased more than usual to
cover a requirement to meet new nutritional guidelines which came into
effect for Primary & Special schools in August 2008 and in August 2009 for
Secondary schools. As well as complying with these nutrient standards, the increases are
necessary to cover above inflationary costs of some raw ma terials.
The menu in all Secondary schools features the traditional two course meal a t two price
levels, Soup or Pudding/dessert a t 54p and the main course either £1.40 or £1.59– which
includes pota toes/pasta/rice & vegetables as appropriate, depending on the selec tion. There
will be a choice each day of the two levels. With rising food prices we are no longer able to
maintain sandwich prices at last year’s levels bu t they still remain good value at £1.10 and
£1.30 with Paninis at £1.50.
There will be just two meal deals - a t Breakfast - - - - - toast & Fruit Juice at 35p and a t
Lunchtime - - - - - Soup & Sweet a t £1
The two-course standard meal allowance for pupils in receipt of free school meals will be
£2.13.
The increase, which is to take effect from 17 th August 2009 is required to allow the
Authori ty to fully meet the required nu tritional standards as well as to cover inflationary
price increases e .g. food costs.
18. NEWSLETTER BOOK BUDDIES SESSION
2008/2009: M rs Peck (SFL)/M rs Robertson,
M rs Edwards (Library)
Book Buddies has enjoyed a very successful year
at the academy with fourteen partnerships working throughout the academic session to
develop pupils’ reading accuracy, rate, comprehension, vocabulary, confidence and enjoyment
of books. Furthermo re a number of Book Buddy Tu tors also supported the developmen t of
reading within English classes as well as working 1:1 with pupils from Connections and
Supported S tudies. All who participated have acknowledged and appreciated the
development in their skills and enjoyed a most posi tive learning experience. Unfortunately,
we have to say goodbye to all of our tu tors who have finished their studies a t Meldrum
Academy and thank them for all their efforts in making this club such a success. We will be
continuing this positive run next session: a large number of tu tors have signed up and a
significant number of tu tees have opted to return for session 2009/2110. Mondays will be
our new day for running Book Buddies and we will continue to develop Book Buddy provision
within classes.
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19. UK JUNIOR MATHS CHALLENGE ~ April 2009: M r A Reid (PT M aths)
In April 2009 a group of 50 S1 and S2 pupils participated in the UK
Junior Maths Challenge, a problem solving competition attracting
entran ts for all over the UK. Well done to all who took part.
As usual the standard of en try was very high and the prize winners are
listed below:
Gold Award Silver Award Bronze Award
S2
Caitlin Price (Best) Lei M itchell Ross Connell
Ciara Williamson Angus Phimster
Imogen Jones Donald M air
Jill M arshal Rowan Cannell
Ross Cummine Alison Mcintosh
Scott Jamieson Jamie Strathearn
Shaun M assie Stuart Anderson
Lliam Wiliams
Fran Hill
S1
Kirsty Lappin Sophie Smith
M egan Burr M atthew M ilne
Rebecca Walker Yasmine Crombie
Aaron Duff
Andrew M anson
Alex Jones
20. FAIRTRADE ~ JUNE 2009: M rs A Thow
Farewell this term to the girls who have been
so committed to Fairtrade for the last 3 years
in the school, thank you for all your hard work
and enthu siasm for the weekly running of the
stalls and also for the Christmas and summer
extravaganzas.
We are pleased to have new 6th year pupils,
Ellyn Oliver, Erin Henderson, Becky Powell,
Sarah Rusin and Lizzie Entwhistle to take
charge of Fairtrade with several more also
having indicated their wish to be involved in the en terprise. We have also recruited new S5
pupils to train them up to run the stalls this year and next.
We were delighted to be invited to take part in the Formartine Traidcraft Fair in May when
the area achieved official Fairtrade sta tus. Fortuna tely the rain stayed off, after a day of
torren tial rain on the Sa turday. Our girls were models in the fashion show and we also sold
helium balloons. It was good to be part of a large community event with one aim in mind.
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We were awarded the sta tus of ‘Top Fairtraders’ by our stockists Traidcraft in April – this
comes after a year of selling over £5,000 of fairly traded produc ts fro m them (no t to
men tion the £600 we sold through another source as Christmas p resen ts). So well done,
Meldrum Academy for being so active in responsible citizenship. We have also pledged our
10% ‘profits’ to the Gambia expedition, which is in Gambia now as we write this article. So we
feel proud tha t we doubly con tribu te on a daily basis to the improvemen t to lives of people
who are worse off than ourselves.
We would like to be able to continue this commitmen t and even improve on it as we move into
a new session.
21. ECO GROUP NEWS SUMM ER 2009: M iss Catton
It has been another busy and successful year for the Eco Group. Since being awarded the
Green Flag by Eco Schools earlier this year the Group has been working tirelessly to keep it
flying high in the School.
One of our highlights this term was an Eco Day held in May in which all S1 to S3 pupils took
part. Pupils were split into House groups which gave them the valuable opportunity to work
with pupils from other year groups. The day was intended to raise pupils’ awareness of
environmental issues around the School as well as locally, nationally and even internationally.
Pupils took part in a variety of tasks which included attending an interesting and informative
talk by Paul Cortopassi which really started to get them thinking. Pupils then thought of
environmental problems before coming up with a variety of excellent solu tions. Their
findings are now proudly displayed on our house tree ou tside the cafeteria. O ther
workshops included producing models of our House animals out of piles of junk. Pupils were
also able to take part in eco deba tes, produce posters highlighting key issues such as litter
and energy, and make fashion from trash.
The last few weeks of term have seen the eco group eagerly preparing for the Eco Fashion
Show. This marks the culmination of a huge amount of effort tha t has gone into designing
and producing some wonderful outfits from old clothes and o ther i tems such as ribbons,
tissue paper, binbags … .and the list goes on! The jewellery produced during the Eco Day was
also on display as our models stru tted down the catwalk in style! The clothes were also
modelled by teachers, who appeared as they have never been seen before following their eco
makeovers. The crowd was also en tertained by some superb dance acts who worked hard to
put their routines together.
Staying with the fashion theme, staff took part in a clothes swap which saw them exchange
old clothes for items to pu t in their new wardrobes. The Eco Group intends to hold ano ther
clothes swap for senior pupils next term, so they now have the su mmer holidays to start
rummaging for anything they no longer want.
Finally, a huge thank you from the Eco Group to everyone who has supported us this year.
We hope you all have a great and of course green summer holiday!
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22. ENGINEERING SKILLS – 10 June 2009: M rs L Prosser (Depute Head Teacher)
A group of 12 senior pupils, some of whom will be studying an HNC concurrently with their
school subjec ts, benefited from a day’s coaching from CTC and Nautronics to help them
identify their skills and streng ths and to determine the aspec ts of engineering to which they
might be best suited. Advice on CV building and interview Skills was also much appreciated
by all the pupils.
23. COMMON PURPOSE YOUR TURN (16,17 & 18 June 2009): M rs L Prosser (Depute
Head Teacher)
The above organisation challenges young people to think in new ways about their area and
their world. 5 pupils, one from each house, in the curren t S4 were selec ted after
competitive application to attend the above 3 day course at various venues in Aberdeen.
Atten dance at the course is designed to enhance decision making skills and active
participation. All 5 thoroughly enjoyed the experience. This group will now be expected to
consider what contribu tion they can make to their school/community.
24. M ELDRUM COMMUNITY DEVELOPM ENT GROUP: M r Neil Ironside (Senior CL&D
Worker)
Meldrum Community Development Group has been in place for a number of years in different
forms. Tha t said the g roups aim has never changed its a bout “Making a Difference”. No one
knows more about what it means to live in an area than the local residents. Local people are
connected to local networks and understand the learning needs of their area whether it’s
with young people or adults o r in specific needs of sports or arts.
If you feel you have something to contribute to the work of the CDG be it an idea or request
please contact the phone number below. If you wish to volunteer bu t are no t sure tha t you
have enough knowledge – don’t worry Community Learning Staff will provide you with training
and support. Con tact – 01651 871323
25. BATTLE OF THE BANDS 2009: M r B Turner
On Tuesday 23 June Meldrum Academy was transformed from
a school into a top -notch music venue for one night only. A full
professional PA system, lighting desk and soundmen were
brought in to make this a night to remember.
Four bands from our school competed for the coveted prize of
Best Meldru m Band of 2009. The bands were Rhythm Bro’s,
Forgotten Subjects, Next State Exit and Dysception.
This year we employed a crowd cheer scale to judge the bands, it was ho tly con tested
between Forgo tten Subjects and Nex t S tate Exit bu t Forgo tten Subjects had the edge
on the evening and became Meldrum Academy’s 2009 Battle of the Bands Winners! I
particularly enjoyed their covers of Muse and The Red Ho t Chilli Peppers.
Once again the Battle of the Bands proved very popular; over 180 pupils bought tickets
and we raised a whopping £450 after paying for the PA and Soundmen.
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Last years winners Hallucinagenix played us out a t the end to an en thusiastic crowd and
produced a great punky set which was the perfect end to a perfect night.
All in all this years Ba ttle Of The Bands was a grea t success again and we look forward to
seeing what bands 2010 will produce… A big thank-you goes out to everyone who helped
make this a night to remember.
Here's a picture of the winners, Forgotten Subjects:
26. INTERSCHOOL SPORTS & PE DEPARTM ENT: M rs O Fraser (PT Health)
TENNIS
Meldrum Academy have won the North Aberdeenshire School Sports Association
(NSSA)Tennis Championships for the second year running. The team, comprising Harriet
Turnbull, Rachel Dow, Charlie Barclay and Steven Benzie, won all of their ma tches a t Turriff
Tennis club. The pupils completed in Boys doubles, girls doubles and mixed double and were
excellent ambassadors for the school.
GOLF
The Golf team: Gordon McKechnie, John Elrick and Mathew Royce participated in the
NASSA Championships at Hun tly early this mon th. They braved less than pleasant
conditions to represen t the school. Gordon McKechnie was narrowly beaten into second
place with a score equal to the winner but with one more stroke on the back 8.
SPONSORSHIP DEAL
Following our appeal for sponsors in the last newsletter the Senior football team are to be
proud recipients of new kits and rain jackets courtesy of FMC Technologies Ltd. Many
thanks to Mr McKay for his generous sponsorship. The boys will be kitted ou t in time for
the start of the new season.
PE DEPARTMENT
Over the holidays school uniform will no doubt be being purchased for the year ahead. The
PE departmen t would like to take this opportunity to remind parents/carers tha t PE kit
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should consist of shorts or tracks suit bo ttoms and a plain T-shirt. Foo tball strips and T-
shirts with large slogans should no t be worn to PE. Many of the girls have been wearing
strappy vest top s recen tly due to the pleasan t wea ther, It is important tha t pupils wear
appropriate clothing for participating in PE & we would appreciate your support with this
matter.
27. PRIM ARY NETBALL FESTIVAL -
FORM ING CLOSER LINKS WITH
PRIM ARY SCHOOLS: M iss A Watson
(Health Faculty)
On Tuesday 21st April Meldrum Academy’s
Community Sports Leaders held a Primary
Netball Festival for P4-7’s. Their main
responsibilities were to set up the courts,
create the order of play, time keep and
umpire. The event ran from 10am -
12noon with 27 teams coming from the
following schools; Methlick, Oyne, Daviot,
Crombie, Old Rayne, Craigievar and Pitmedden. The leaders also attended a TOP link day at
The University of Stirling in March to help them plan for delivering a sports even t.
The Sports Leaders were commended on their commitmen t, hard work and effort to run
such an event. Thanks also go to Ac tive Schools Coordinators Gary Cameron, Kathy Ya tes,
Abi Hay and Kerry Massie for their assistance. The Leaders involved were Laura Anderson,
Stephen Boddie, Chris Milne, Sam Bruce, Kelly Guthrie, Jamie Clow and Anton Booth.
28. INTER SCHOOLS ATHLETICS EVENT, CATTO PARK ,PETERHEAD: Miss A Watson
(Health Faculty)
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Well done to all who competed at the In ter Schools Athletics Event on Thursday 11th June.
Meldrum Academy finished overall 4th out of 8 Aberdeenshire Secondary Schools. Individual
first place winners included:
• Rebecca Thow (Hi gh Jump)
• Emma Hami lton (100m and Long Jump)
• Stuart Anderson (800m)
• Kelly Bodley (Di scus) and
• James de Tommaso (800m).
Second places included:
• Jenny Hami lton (100m and 800m)
• Kati e Armstong (200m)
Third places included:
• Davi d Mi llar (100m)
• Mella Slattery (800m)
• Ryan Duncan (200m)
• Fi ona Rei d (400m)
• Fraser Bleakley (400m)
• Conni e Henderson (400m)
• Kerri Ruther ford (Hi gh Jump)
• Harri et Gi bb (Javeli n)
We also did exceptionally well in the relays finishing first in the following sections:
• S2 Girls (Emma Ha milton, Emma Foy, Jill Marshall and Loren Christie)
• S3 Boys (Andrew Logan, Lewis MaColl, Shaun Burr and James de To masso)
• S4 Girls (Rebecca Thow, Emma Hamilton, Ka tie Armstong and Hannah Watson)
The 2nd year boys were 2nd and senior boys 3rd. Excellent effort and attitu de from all
involved.
29. SFA/BANK OF SCOTLAND SECONDARY SCHOOL FOOTBALL INITIATIVE:
M iss Watson (Health Faculty)
On Monday 15th June Meldrum Academy S1-3 Girls Foo tball Team bea t Aboyne Academy 3-0
to qualify for the national finals day at Toryglen in Glasgow. Goal scorers were Loren
Christie (2) in 3W1 and Cara Sangster in 3T1. We then joined the Northfield Academy Boys
team on a trip to Toryglen Foo tball Academy in Glasgow on Thursday 18th June.
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Meldrum Academy Girls were rep resen ting Aberdeenshire to join with football tea ms from
across Scotland. The team did very well finishing 4th in their group.
Well done to all for their great football, sportsmanship and fairplay. The Girls involved were
Loren Christie, Alisha Ross, Amanda Walker, Leanne Tewnion, Alyx Harrison, Cara Sangster,
Jenny Hamilton, Hayley Dawson and Emma Raeper.
30. PUPILS ATTENDING ABERDEEN COLLEGE SFW COURSES: M rs L Prosser (Depute
Head Teacher)
A number of our pupils were again successful in college competitions in hairdressing and
construc tion crafts. The Awards Ceremony for the la tter was held once again in the very
beautiful hall of the 7 Incorporated Trades. Congratula tions to:
A further 28 pupils who have just en tered S3 are preparing to start Skills for Work Courses
in August which they will study over the coming two sessions).
31. PERFORM ING ARTS FACULTY: M rs S Robertson (PT Performing Arts)
School Show
Auditions for the Christmas Show have just been completed - "Hairspray" the musical, has
got everyone hyped-up and raring to go in August. Over one ten th of pupils at Meldrum
Academy auditioned for a part in the show which will be put on in December 2009. Nearly
one-hundred of the cast performed "Good Morning Baltimore" at the annual Awards
Ceremony on Thursday 2nd July. As the first school in Scotland to perform the show tha t
has become a worldwide phenomenon and blockbusting film we are sure it will be a Christmas
sell-ou t show.
Fiddlestix
Our Ceilidh Band have had a busy year as usual and have been playing for ceilidhs throughout
Aberdeen shire this past session.
The highlight this year has to be performing in the Aberdeen You th Festival for a Ceilidh at
the Beach Ballroom on Sunday August 2nd this summer- we can't wait! Our S6 members of
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the band have agreed to come back to perform - and we have several new members who will
share the stage with them tha t night.
The ou t-going members of the band - Caitlin Trail, Jessica Turnbull and Sam Bidgood have
been excellent ambassadors for Meldru m Academy, along with Harry Reeder, Lachlan Broad,
George Davidson and Carmen Cousallis. Two new members - Kim Hay and Sam Williams (our
new caller) joined us for the awards ceremony and a birthday gig on the 27 th June at Undy
Green.
A huge thank you to the long-suffering parents of the band, who have the unenviable task of
picking up the band in the early hours of the morning! The long-standing 'roadie' for the
band - Gary Robertson (Whole School Technician - and married to Mrs Robertson !) deserves
a medal for loading up the trailer at school, delivering it to the venue, off-loading the gear
and then coming back to load up the trailer again before taking it home until Monday, when
he takes it to school again and empties it ou t again - ready for the next time.
The members of the Ceilidh Band are chosen because of their musical ability, commitmen t to
the school and the community, as well as their commitmen t to team-work, the art of
performance and enterprise.
Theatre Performances Summer 09: M r E Walton (Drama)
The Performing Arts Faculty have been busy this term organising rich thea tre experiences
for our Senior School. The critical analysis of live thea tre has been a centre piece of
Meldrum Academy’s drama education for a number of years, and as part of our annual
calendar of thea tre visits the Senior drama studen ts travelled to Glasgow’s Theatre Royal to
see National Theatre Scotland’s mo dern classic Peer Gynt, a t the end of its sell out tour of
Scotland. All studen ts were inspired by the high quality performance and were happy to cha t
about the show all the way home on our long return journey.
Closer to home, Meldrum Academy was lucky to be a venue on the highly impacting and
successful tour of Fleeto, directed by Mintlaw Academy’s Irene Adam and sta rring the
talen ted young men of Mintlaw’s drama departmen t. Wha t a blast of fresh and vibrant
cultural fresh air! Fleeto was a poetic exploration of teen aggression and remorse, and a
powerful forum for the young people of Aberdeenshire to engage in a discourse on this
important issue! The young men threw themselves a t the audience of 200+ Meldrum
Academy English and Drama studen ts, and took us by the throa t as we all were brought face
to face with our responsibilities and the results of our ac tions. Here at Meldrum many eyes
were opened to the p recarious knife edge tha t is walked by some youngsters, as they
struggle to find their identity and get embroiled in the arms race of the streets. In
addition, a whole generation of studen ts have been turned on to the power of live thea tre to
make a difference and cause positive ripples of awareness to spread.
Mintlaw Academy has set a real precedent with this projec t: can Aberdeenshire maintain a
culture of performance and cultural exchange across the community schools networks,
marrying the eagerness of performers with the social needs of the community?
We certainly hope Meldrum can be part of sustaining this culture, and we thank all at
Mintlaw who have enabled this example of excellent learning and teaching to happen.
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32. MODERN LANGUAGES FACULTY: M s F Patrick (PT Modern Languages)
Au revoir! and ¡Adios!
We say farewell to our two Foreign Language
Assistan ts this year, Nathalie Guilbaud and Marta
Diaz-Salado Antonio, who have now returned home
to France and Spain respectively. We have very
much appreciated their efforts and the pupils they
worked with certainly benefited fro m the
experience. It is hoped tha t Na thalie will return
to Meldrum nex t session as she has enjoyed her
stay in Aberdeenshire and wants to spend another
year in the area.
Festival of Languages
An inaugural Festival of Languages was held at
Meldrum Academy in May to mark the end of
this session’s Foreign Language Assistants’ time
with us in Aberdeenshire. Eleven Assistan ts
(six French-speaking, four German-speaking and
one Spanish) have been working alongside
Modern Languages staff in secondary schools
across the au thority. Assistants help pupils with
their language learning in a variety of ways –
especially preparation and practice for speaking
tests and the development of pupils’ listening
skills - and are of ten very creative and resourceful in the work they do with their groups.
And this was certainly apparent from this event when groups of pupils from various schools
presen ted a performance they had rehearsed with their Assistan t. They were all very
entertaining and the pupils’ use of the three languages was impressive. The judges – Alison
Frydman from The British Council Scotland and Aziza Ouardani from L’Institu t français
d’Écosse – were delighted with wha t they saw and heard. Advanced Higher French pupils
from Meldrum created part of the video backdrop to the performance of a group of younger
pupils from Turriff Academy, the whole pro duction designed and put together by Na thalie,
the French Assistan t shared by bo th schools.
33. P7 INDUCTION DAYS ~ M rs Karen M acleod (PT Pastoral Care)
Our new S1 pupils for next year took part in a 3 days Induction programme on the 9th, 10th
and 11th of June. Over the 3 days the pupils spen t time getting to know the school, their new
classmates and some of the teaching staff. They visited the school library, had their pho tos
taken for the National Entitlemen t Card, experienced taster lessons in some su bjec ts and
took part in a day of sports. The new S1 pupils were ably supported by S6 pupils who acted
as guides and men tors for the three days and also met so me S2/S3 pupils who shared their
experiences of life at Meldrum Academy. Some of our curren t pupils also performed a
fashion show to show off the school uniform for the paren ts of the new pupils. As a final
part of the induction programme we are now planning a team building activity day a t Haddo
Esta te which is being run for us by Banff and Buchan College.
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34. YOUNG ENTERPRISE: M rs L Prosser (Depute Head Teacher)
We will once again benefit from the excellent advice of 2 Business Advisers, Stuart Common
and Natalie Gibb, for the coming session. Stuart and Natalie guided last year’s seniors
through the process and seven pupils were successful in the University of Stra thclyde
administered Young Enterprise examination. The Young Enterprise Group will be co-ordinated
again by Stuart Cookson.
35. M R GRAEM E FLOOD (CSN SUPPORT SERVICES CO-ORDINATOR): interviewed by
M egan Smith & M elissa M cDonald
On the 26th June, we spoke to
Graeme Flood who works a t the
Academy as the CSN Support
Services Co-ordinator. He has also
worked hard for 15 years as a
member of the RAF. Today it
caught our a tten tion tha t he was
wearing his RAF camouflage as it
was ‘Uniform at Work’ day, which is
part of the Armed Forces Week.
Mr Flood is a member of the 2622
(Highland) Squadron Royal
Auxiliary Airforce Regiment, based
in Lossiemouth. The jo b involves a
minimum of 12 days training plus two weeks annual continuous training. As part of his job, he
has to do 2 weekends a mon th and is required to pass fitness and marksmanship tests, like
the regular members of the forces. There is a large age group ranging from 18-60 years of
age. ‘Even some of the older men pu t the younger ones to shame!’. Mr Flood is a Flying
Officer and as part of the role the squadron provides force protec tion i.e. the defence of
the aircraft, airfield and personnel whenever the RAF may opera te. During his time in the
force he has been called to participate in the Gulf War which happened in 2003, based in
Iraq and Cyprus. In 2005, he volunteered for a four mon ths deploymen t to the Falklands,
South Atlan tic. He could possibly be called ou t a t any point for up to 12 mon ths to places
such as Afghanistan, Iraq or any location where force protection is required.
36. M ELDRUM SPORTS BURSARIES
The sc hool is extremely gra teful to the Meldrum Sports Commi ttee for their continuing
support of our senior pupils by their provision of £1000.00 towards the cost of further
education. This year’s winners of the bursary are: Suzannah Bremner, Joanna Ewenson and
Ishbel MacFarlane, Louise Wilcox.
37. PARENT COUNCIL
The Paren t Council AGM was held at Meldrum Academy on 24 June. A very busy and
successful year was reviewed by Dave Marshall the Paren t Council Chair. In looking forward
to the nex t session the Parent Council identified keeping in touch with paren ts as a key issue
along with changes to the curriculum and keeping kids safe on-line. These and o ther ma tters
will be followed up during session 2009/10.
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Fund raising is always at the top of our agenda and we are pleased to report tha t the 'Buy a
pixel, win a picture' campaign has raised over £1,000 since April. We still have some way to
go to hit our grand to tal of £8,000 by March 2010. This money goes to support pupil
activities across the school. The picture (shown below) is available to view in the Library and
you can follow the campaign on the school websi te where you can also find information on
how to donate and to support the campaign.
'Buy a pixel, win a picture'
A Parent Council grant enabled the Science Departmen t to get Mr Bug and his collection of
creepy crawlies into school. A pupil wrote "Dear Parent Council, Thanks for the time tha t you
spent raising money so tha t we could see Mr Bug. We really enjoyed seeing all the weird
animals and would hope tha t they come back. We really loved the lesson and also learned a
lot too. Keep up the good work"
38. LOST PROPERTY: M r Flood (CSN Support Services Co-Ordinator)
Please note all ‘Lost Property’ lost p rior to Ap ril 2009 will be passed to the Local Charity
Shop at the beginning of the Summer holidays. If your child has lost anything please remind
them to look in the ‘Lost Property’ racks as soon as possible or ask a t the school office for
smaller items of Lost Property i.e. glasses, keys, wa tches etc.
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39. CHANGED YOUR MOBILE/CONTACT DETAILS? : School Nursing Assistants/Office
Would all parents please ensure tha t the con tact numbers we have are up-to-da te. This
includes numbers for emergency contacts. (As the school number comes up as ‘withheld’
alterna tive numbers are essen tial if your home phone is set to block withheld/anonymous
calls.) We collect this information from parents in the 2009 update forms issued to all pupils
early in the new session.
40. EDUCATION M AINTENANCE ALLOWANCE (EM A): Message from Aberdeenshire
Council
It is ex tremely unlikely tha t the EMA application forms will be delivered to schools before
the end of this term. This is due to a further delay in the final version of the form being
sent to us from the Scottish Government. Given tha t the form still needs to be printed, I
would estima te that it would be in schools around the start of Monday 13th July. Although
the school will be closed to pupils, staff will be in the office to distribute copies of the form
to pupils. The alterna tive is to contac t Woodhill House (Fraser Mitchell Tel: 01224-664367)
and a copy will be posted ou t.
41. SQA RESULTS
Candidates will receive their results by first class post on Wednesday 5 August. Candidates
who have registered with ‘MySQA’ will have results sen t by tex t and email between 8.00am –
9.00am on the sa me day. Pupils can still register for ‘MySQA’ online until the 16 July 2009
please go to the SQA websi te for further details.
A SQA candidate advice line will be available (Tel: 0845 278 8080) to give general
information to candidates on the layout of the Scottish Qualification Certificate.
Candidates will however be asked to raise all results queries direct with this school.
Careers Scotland will provide a telephone helpline offering expert careers advice on
University/College vacancies and next step career op tions for candidates. The helpline
number is 0808 100 8000. The lines are open from 5-22 August 2009 10.00am – 6.00pm.
Finally ……
I hope tha t you have enjoyed reading our bumper Summer Newsletter. If this newsletter
had a theme it would be the school’s triple 'AAA' rating.
Our first ‘A’ is activity. As a school we try to run as many activities as possible, we believe
that you can establish a life long interest be it in learning, sport, art, music, performing,
travelling, reading or voluntary service if you have a chance to try it out.
The second ‘A’ is achievement, if you are endeavouring to do your best then your
achievement can and will be recognised and then we try to build the celebra tion of this into
the life of the school. The Summer Festival of Art and Music was an excellent example of
this.
Our final ‘A’ relates to adventure. During this term we have had pupils in The Gambia, Paris,
the Italian Alps, Duke of Edinburgh Award Expeditions and taking part in new and exciting
ventures across the leng th and breadth of Scotland. But our biggest adventures must be
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the desire to learn and a love of life. It is these capacities tha t we are trying to develop in
all of us at Meldrum Academy.
My thanks go ou t to everyone; pupils, parents, staff and all our friends and supporters in the
community who have made this very successful session possible.
On behalf of all tho se a t Meldru m Academy I hope that you have a great su mmer and enjoy
this time with your family and friends.
Best wishes
Andrew Travis
Head Teacher
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
SUMMER HOLIDAY : Monday 6 July – Monday 17 August
WEEK 1
AUGUST 2009
Monday 17 In-Service (Staff only)
Tuesday 1 8 School opens for pupils
Wednesday 19 School Photographs Tempest – Asse mbly Hall
Thursday 20
Friday 21
SCHOOL CALENDAR FOR SESSION 2009-10
Monday 17 August 2009 In-Service Day
Tuesday 18 August 2009 Sc hoo l op en s fo r pu pi ls
Monday 1 2 - Friday 23 October 2009 HOLIDAYS
Monday 26 Octo be r 2009 Winter Term begins
Monday 16 – Tuesday 1 7 November 2009 In-Service Day
Monday 21 Dec – Monday 04 Jan 2010 CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS
Tuesday 05 January 201 0 Spring Term begins
Friday 1 2 February 2010 Occasional Holiday
Monday 1 5 February 2010 MID-TERM HOLIDAY
Tuesday 1 6 – Wednesday 17 February 201 0 In-Service Day
Monday 29 Ma rc h - Friday 9 April 201 0 EASTER HOLIDAYS
Monday 1 2 April 201 0 Summer Term Begin
Monday 03 May 201 0 May Day Holiday
Tuesday 04 May 2010 In-Service Day
Monday 7 June 2010 Local Holiday
Friday 2 July 2010 Last day of Session