WHS Parents’ Newsletter Autumn 2016

Dear Parent/Carer,

I am pleased to report that once again our pupils have performed very well in the SQA diet of exams. We

are particularly pleased with the percentage of our S4 pupils who gained 5 or more passes at National 5,

and the percentage of our S5 pupils who achieved 5 or more passes at Higher. We also performed very

strongly in S6 where we outperformed our comparator school on every measure at Advanced Higher

level. Well done to our staff and pupils for the perseverance and hard work that has ensured this success.

As a school we work hard to support our young people to enter what is now being termed “a positive

destination” when they leave school. Moving on to university, college, employment or an apprenticeship

is counted as a positive destination. Again I am pleased to report that this is an area where we perform

particularly well when compared to the national and local picture. Almost all of our pupils who leave

school go on to a sustained positive destination. This is in no small part due to the hard work and

commitment of Lynn Melvin, our Skills Development Scotland worker, and our Pupil Care and Support

team who work tirelessly to ensure that our pupils follow the best pathway possible when leaving school.

As a school we are already well into the throes of this session and staff are working extremely hard to

ensure that session 2016/2017 will be the most successful one yet in terms of outcomes for our pupils. Our

School Improvement Plan remains focused on three main areas: high quality learning and teaching, a

curriculum that, as far as possible, meets the needs of all of our learners, and the continued building of our

school community as described in our school vision below.

Our school vision is to be a community where individuals feel valued, safe and respected, are supported

to develop resilience and determination, and are inspired to a lifelong passion for learning.

We work hard to create a school culture that supports our vision and we believe that parents are key

partners in this. As is customary during the winter term, I hope to meet with a few parents from each year

group so that over a coffee and cake I can hear first-hand your views on what is going well and what

could be improved. I thoroughly enjoy these meetings and we do our best to act upon your suggestions.

As a school we are committed to working openly and honestly with parents for we believe that when we

work in genuine partnership with our parents, we can better support our young people to achieve and

attain. We take seriously our school values of compassion, integrity, justice and wisdom and we seek to

uphold these values in everything we do. Please do not hesitate to speak with any of the management

team if you have a concern that you wish to discuss; alternatively, if you feel you can support the school

in any way, we are always delighted when parents volunteer their services and we have had wonderful

examples of this already.

I look forward to meeting with you all at some point over the course of the session and in the meantime,

on behalf of the staff at Webster’s, may I wish you all a very happy and relaxing “tattie” holiday.

Yours sincerely,

Jane Esson

GOLF

Congratulations to Kirsty Brodie, S5, who

became the first ever winner of the Renee

Powell Cup 2016 at St Andrews. This event is

organised by the University of St Andrews

Ladies Golf Club and this year competitors

were competing for two new trophies, the

Renee Powell Cup and Carol Kaufman

Shield. Over 2 days competitors played the

New, Eden, and Strathtyrum Courses and

Kirsty won the scratch division following

impressive rounds of 76, 71 and 73. The

tournament was a fantastic opportunity for

Kirsty to experience playing the famous links

course and to meet fellow golfers.

RUGBY

We’ve only been back a term and we’re already two fixtures into this year’s Angus League.

School teams at S1, S2 and S3-4 level have played alongside Forfar Academy pupils as part of

Strathmore Schools Team. The teams have played exceptionally well so far and we are

currently 2nd in the league behind a very good Carnoustie rugby set up. With one more game

before the holidays and several after it’s looking like a good year for Rugby at Webster’s.

S1-2

Our S1 and 2s combined are arguably one of the best rugby teams we have put out as a

school and along with players from Forfar have won both fixtures so far. If any other pupils

would like to play for us training takes place every Monday lunchtime with Mr Burnett.

S3-4

This year’s group of players have put in some great performances and playing regular rugby

has had a huge impact on their performance. Training takes place every Thursday lunchtime

with Mr Burnett, again any pupil who is interested is welcome to come along.

FOOTBALL

Angus Select Under 15s Football Squad

This year’s Angus select football squad includes four S3 pupils from Webster's. Rohan Brown,

Gregor Dakers, Euan Dallas and Sam Black all successfully made it to the first team squad. The

boys went through an extensive selection process to make the squad. This is a fantastic

achievement from all four. The boys will be playing in a further 3 matches against other regional

squads throughout the year, we wish them well.

Pro Rugby Player in School

Our Active Schools Co-ordinator, Magnus Moncrieff, arranged a visit to the school from

Glasgow Warriors player and Scotland international Zander Fagerson. Zander was born in

Perth and attended school in Dundee, moving from school to club to professional rugby. He

delivered a short Q and A before leading a training session with all interested pupils. It was a

fantastic opportunity for pupils to gain insight into what it takes to become a professional

sportsman.

Mini Mudder

The Mini Mudder was an event that took place on Saturday 17 September at Southmuir

Primary School and saw the Kirriemuir cluster come together as hundreds of Primary aged

pupils took on an obstacle course full of slime and gunge. This event could not have

been anywhere near as successful if not for the help of many senior pupils including:

Marshall Gray Ben Anderson Abbie Taylor

Hannah Dryden Morgan McVicar Christie Phillips

Orla Sutherland Ryan Cormack Leah Buist

Jade Logan Caitlin Milne David Carr

THE NUFFIELD FOUNDATION—LUKE MELVIN, 6I

I have been interested in science for quite some time. The

subjects, particularly biology and chemistry, have kept me

engrossed and I have a desire to contribute to and work in the

world of science. So, when the opportunity to do just that

came in the form of a representative from The Nuffield

Foundation doing a talk in school, I jumped on it immediately.

The Nuffield Foundation is a charitable trust that offers research

placements in different areas of STEM in order to provide

experience and improve the skills of students across the UK.

They offer placements in universities, voluntary organisations,

commercial companies and research institutions.

I sent in my application with details about myself and a

personal statement about why I thought this opportunity would be good for me and what I

hoped to achieve from the experience. I had to be thorough about my goals and why I was

applying as I was competing against everyone else who had applied from my region (Scotland),

this amounted to 492 people of which 110 were successful. I was very lucky to receive a response

detailing an available placement that might be of interest to me. It was within the realm of

environmental science and required that I work for six weeks at The James Hutton Institute, a

world-leading research institute for land, crops, water and the environment. I would be working

on a project set by my supervisor, Dr Alison Bennett.

The project I was working on started on 13th June until 22nd July. During this period I worked along-

side 3rd year students from Dundee University and staff from The James Hutton Institute where I

was able to focus on my research and complete my project, which was to assess the success of

arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) cultures in plant roots and to identify the species of

spores present. A mycorrhiza is the symbiosis between plants and AM fungi in their roots. I worked

on my own in the laboratory which enabled me to become more confident at working inde-

pendently. Also being more confident in using laboratory techniques, including using machin-

ery for scientific research, creating solutions of accurate concentrations and being aware of

Health & Safety in the workplace. I also had the opportunity to develop my skills in data analysis

and report writing.

When I finished my project I created a poster about my project, where the methods and the

results could be displayed for people to view and ask questions at the Nuffield Foundation

Celebration Day that was held at the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh. I was also required

to write a 20 page in-depth report outlining my research, my methods and conclusion. This was

assessed by my mentor and uploaded onto my Nuffield Foundation account to go forward for

the Nuffield Award. I presented my poster and research at the Royal College of Surgeons in

Edinburgh, where I received my Nuffield Certificate alongside others from my region. My project

is also eligible to be put forward for a Gold CREST Award and I will also be submitting the project

for the Big Bang Science competition.

This has been a fantastic opportunity for me, and I strongly urge anyone interested in STEM to

look at the Nuffield Foundation website and to consider putting in an application. The

experience you will gain is tremendous, the support received was second to none and it is such a

boost to your UCAS application and CV. This has been a positive experience and I am glad I

took part. I hope others will do the same.

2016 TAYSIDE SCHOOLS SWIMMING TIME TRIALS

QUALIFYING GALA FOR TAYSIDE TEAMS FOR SCOTTISH

DISABILITY SPORT

NATIONAL JUNIOR GALAS

Pupils from Webster’s HS again experienced great success at a recent swimming gala in

Dundee. Eleven pupils from S2 to S6 competed at the Gala. As always they represented

themselves and their school very well. This was a time trial event for the National Finals in

November where a number are likely to be selected to represent the team from Tayside.

Pupils have experienced great success at the Tayside and National events in the past, and

the Tayside Gala was no exception. All pupils completed their events, some competing in 3

events. Those finishing within the first 3 places are:

Mary Simpson S3 1st 50m Backstroke, 3rd 25m Breaststroke,

1st 25m Freestyle

Murran Mackay S3 1st 25m Backstroke, 1st 25m Adapted Breaststroke

1st 25mFreestyle

Hamish Fulton S3 2nd 25m Freestyle

Kyle Simpson S4 3rd 25m Backstroke, 1st 25m Breaststroke

2nd 25m Freestyle

Amy Johnstone S5 1st 25m Backstroke, 2nd 25m Freestyle

Latisha Ogilvie S2 1st 25m Backstroke, 1st 25m Freestyle

Oliver Relph S3 1st 25m Freestyle

Joshua Eadie S6 1st 25m Breaststroke, 2nd 25m Freestyle

Haig McIldowie S4 2nd 25m Freestyle

Young People’s Event for the Scottish Rural Parliament

On 14 September 2016, Webster’s High was represented at this important event for the

development of Scottish rural areas by five pupils: Sam Sutherland (S2), Carly Cameron (S2), Tally

McGowan (S1), Victoria Johnston (S6) and Rebecca Quirie (S5). The event was part of a three-

day programme to bring together more than 400 people of Angus to explore the rural challenges

of the area and to discuss a Manifesto for Rural Scotland. Pupils from four Angus High Schools and

three Primary Schools came together at Brechin Community Campus to provide feedback on

what improvements and further developments the young people of Angus recommend the

Council and the Scottish Parliament carry forward in their long term planning. The pupils were

exemplary in representing the values of the school and in their participation at the event.

Webster’s High pupils were among the first to submit issues and questions for consideration and

their group work was admired by the organisers who came frequently to their table to discuss their

input. Issues proposed by our pupils that attracted much attention included policing in rural areas,

flood protection and providing shelter for people living in flood stricken areas. The pupils gained a

valuable insight on how the democratic process works at local level and helped the Scottish Rural

Parliament formulate an agenda for their discussion with the Scottish Government for further

development of rural areas. Further information about the Scottish Rural Parliament and how you

can get involved can be found at www.scottishruralparliament.org.uk.

YOUNG AMBASSADORS

Eight new Young Ambassadors were selected by Mr Lawson and Mr Moncrieff to join the

current S5 and S6 Young Ambassadors. Their role is to raise the profile of sport in the school,

encourage more pupils to be more active, organise events in the school and celebrate the

success of achievements in the school.

Our new Young Ambassadors are:

Leah Buist Abbie Taylor Morven Adams Caitlin Milne

David McFarlane Ryan Cormack Mac Whyte David Carr

Leah and David McFarlane attended the National

Conference in Perth on Thursday 2 September and met many

Young Ambassadors from other neighbouring authorities. They

met with Olympians Robbie Renwick (swimming), Caitlin

McClatchey (swimming), Colin Gregor (Rugby 7s) and current

Scotland Women’s football goalkeeper Gemma Fay.

All the Ambassadors attended a further regional conference

at the Brechin Community Campus, learning a little more

about their role and sharing ideas about what they could

organise or set up at the school.

JAGUAR LANDROVER

Over the year, a group of pupils formed a team and took part in the “Jaguar Land Rover 4x4 In

Schools Technology Challenge”. The aim of the challenge was to design and engineer a remote

control car that not only worked, but was able to complete an obstacle course and tow an

object within a given time limit.

The group, consisting of Dylan Davidson, Jack Wilkie, Lewis McClure and Rosie Robertson,

managed to reach the world finals in Coventry over the summer where they enjoyed three days

of cultural visits, competition and socialising with teams from all over the globe. In the end the

team came 15th in the world and narrowly missed out on a prize for “Innovative Thinking” for their

hydrogen fuel cell. Congratulations to the team! Lewis McClure 6P

HEADSTART

The “Headstart EDT” programme is a scheme where pupils can apply to study a university course

of their choice for up to a week on a university campus.

Earlier in 2015, three pupils applied for places in exclusive “Headstart” programmes and learned

later in 2016 that they were accepted. The courses took place over the summer and the pupils,

Lewis McClure, Andrew Smith and Gemma Robertson studied their courses, Power for the Future,

Aeronautical Engineering and Nuclear Physics, respectively. Each pupil has said that the course

they studied both enthralled and left them hungry to learn more.

Lewis McClure 6P

BALHOUSIE CASTLE, PERTH

On a sunny Wednesday morning at the beginning of September, some pupils from the Support

for Learning discrete group visited the ‘Weeping Window’ display at the Black Watch Museum

in Perth. We were met by Major Ronnie Proctor who guided us around the display and

explained the interesting story behind the poppy display. The poppies poured from a window

on the side of the castle, cascading down to the grass below. Over 880,000 poppies were

made last year for the original display at The Tower of London. Each poppy representing a

British military life lost in the First World War.

As a memorial to the Black Watch soldiers who lost their

life in battle, a wall of remembrance sits behind the

museum. Every day at 11 am a small ceremony is

conducted and a wooden cross is placed on the wall for

each soldier who died on that particular date. Family

members are invited to lay the crosses as each name is

read out. A very touching ceremony and poignant

reminder of lives lost.

Everyone enjoyed the experience and our thanks go to

Major Proctor for his time and interesting stories!

‘KIRRIE CONNECTIONS’

This term Webster’s High School students, Victoria Johnston, Jessica Ogilvie, Rebekah Mitchell,

Esme Anderson, Robyn McLaughlin, Caitlin Robb and Danny Stork took part

in the ‘Kirrie Connections’ project. This project was aimed at finding new

and innovative ways of improving Kirriemuir using residents’ ideas. The

discussions about how to improve Kirrie started in school when one of the

organisers of the project came to the High School to speak with them. He

was particularly impressed by one of the ideas that Victoria had and asked

her to speak about it in a presentation to the wider Kirrie Connections group. Victoria’s idea

was to have an app that would include a map of Kirriemuir and be able to tell you stories and

a small bit of history of the many different points of interest in the town. Everyone enjoyed

taking part and we hope that the group’s ideas help to make Kirriemuir a better place for

everyone to visit. Rachel Grieve, 6P

PARENT COUNCIL

Next meeting is on Wednesday 26 October at 7.00pm in the Staffroom. All parents/

carers are welcome to attend.

Contact us by emailing: chair@webstersparents.org.uk

secretary@webstersparents.org.uk

Or find us on: facebook.com/WebstersParents

Geoff Hobson, Chair

The London International Youth Science Forum (LIYSF) is a

two week science event held in Imperial College London

which aims to give a deeper understanding of science

and its applications for the benefits for all mankind.

Two pupils represented Scotland from Webster’s at the

event, Gemma Robertson and Andrew Smith, who were

supported by the Arkwright Scholarship Trust. Over fifty

different countries were represented at the two week event and included lectures from guests

such as Monica Grady, who worked on the Rosetta Stone Landing Craft Project, Dr Ada

Yonath and other esteemed scientists. Andrew Smith 6M

LONDON INTERNATIONAL YOUTH SCIENCE FORUM

Top of the Bench Chemistry Competition

Pupils at Webster’s High will again be entering the Top of the Bench Chemistry competition next

term. The team meet every Thursday at lunch time to learn more about the subject. From

October the group will compete against other schools in Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perthshire in

the hope of reaching the Tayside and Fife final at St Andrews University in January.

Taking part are –

S2: Ferne Lindop, Alix Burness, James Ross, George Fyles and Alex Walker.

S3: Niamh Henderson, Isla Sullivan, Jacob Barr, Abby Thomson and Lukha Heath.

S4: Brendan Tierney, Samantha Robertson and Kyle Grant.

If any other pupil in S2-S4 would like to join the group please come to room 5b every Thursday

at 1.30pm.

The pupils are: (back row L-R) Isla Sullivan (S3), Lukha Heath (S3), Kyle Grant (S4), Brendan Tierney (S4),

Samantha Robertson (S4), Alix Burness (S2).

(front row L-R): Jacob Barr (S3), Niamh Henderson (S3), George Fyles (S2), Ferne Lindop (S2).

Former Webster's pupil Donald Hobson is setting off to Cambridge University

at the end of September to study Maths with Physics.

Before joining Webster’s High School he was a pupil at Southmuir Primary. His

early interest in Maths was inspired by reading many of the Murderous Maths

books by Kjartan Poskitt. On arriving in S1 Donald joined the Science Club as

an enthusiastic member. Through this he joined the Top of the Bench

Chemistry team, led by Dr McIntyre. The team won the regional final and

went on to the National Finals in London, coming 12th in the UK and the top

Scottish team. In S6, Donald became a Science prefect and ran the Science

Club enthusing younger pupils with his love of science.

He entered the UK Maths Trust competitions each year in S1 to S4, winning gold medals and

twice being one of only 50 UK-wide to win a book prize.

Webster’s supported Donald to take his Maths Higher two years early in S3 gaining a Grade A.

He went on to take Higher Chemistry and Advanced Higher Maths in S4. By the end of S6

Donald had achieved six Advanced Highers.

Last December Donald had three interviews at Cambridge, early on a Sunday morning. He

described them as “great fun”! Cambridge made him an offer conditional on his results in their

challenging STEP Maths entry exam. He gained a place at his chosen college, St John’s

College. Donald is looking forward to his course which even has lectures on Saturday

mornings.

Computing Science Trip

On the 26th of August, senior members of the Computing Department from the Advanced Higher

and Higher classes travelled to Dundee to visit 3 video game developers: Ninja Kiwi, Tag Games

and Maker Space. We started off the day at Ninja Kiwi, developers of Bloons Tower Defence 5,

and learned about the company’s origins and were given some good tips about how to start a

career in the video games industry. After this, we headed downstairs to meet with members from

Tag Games Studios, they included talent from their art department, programmers and designers

and they discussed their department’s importance in the development of video games. Finally

we visited Maker Space where we were treated to a presentation about the future of video

games and witnessed gameplay of their most recent game which is an ethical statement about

the use of drones in warfare and the innocent lives they can take. In conclusion it was a very

insightful day that helped to build our knowledge of the inner workings of the video game

industry.

Alex Miller, Beth Ogilvy and Harry Ellis (Computing Prefects)

National Lottery Awards for All

The school has been successful in securing funding through the National Lottery's Big Lottery Fund.

This money will be used to purchase sporting equipment to enable all cluster primary schools the chance

to experience quality extra-curricular clubs, led or assisted by the school's S6 Sports Leaders and other

senior pupils.

PEER MEDIATION

Peer Mediation is a new thing that we have started at Webster’s High School. A group of pupils

volunteered to be part of this course. There were 2 training days with a lovely lady called Roxan from

Edinburgh and she taught us the basics of peer mediation. We learnt a lot of new skills and are going to

apply them to other pupils in the school. Peer mediation is if you didn’t want to talk to a teacher about a

conflict you could come and talk to the peer mediators. We hope that this would make you more

comfortable about coming to talk to someone about any problems you may have.

Six of the peer mediators attended the youth talk conference where they had the opportunity to speak

with qualified mediators, take part in workshops to develop their skills and skype with mediators in the USA.

One of the group won a prize for her comment on what peer mediation has done for her.

The plan this session is to:

train S1 pupils in peer mediation and have annual training for new S1’s

start mediating

The peer mediators shall have a purple badge so that you can identify us.

EDUCATION MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCE

The school recently received a letter from John Swinney, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for

Education and Skills, regarding the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) programme. The Scottish

Government want to raise awareness of recent changes to the programme’s eligibility criteria and to

ensure that those who are entitled to EMA know how to apply. The EMA is a way to support young

people from lower income families to continue with their learning. If you are 16-19 years old you could

get £30 a week to help you remain in learning. The payment is based on attendance and on you

fulfilling any learning agreement you may have. To find out if you’re eligible for the EMA speak to your

Guidance Teacher about getting an application form or visit www.emascotland.com

Progress Interventions

As part of our ongoing tracking and monitoring process we are trialling a new intervention programme

with pupils. If your young person is involved in any of these intervention discussions a letter will be

generated and given to them at form time to bring home for your information or to sign as required.

Work Experience Links into Spanish

A group of Webster’s and Carnoustie High

School pupils were very lucky to have had the

opportunity to spend a week in Comillas,

Spain to carry out work experience. The pupils

shadowed and worked in a range of different

placements such as in a radio station, real

estate agency, shops and a hotel where they

were completely immersed in the Spanish lan-

guage and culture. During the trip the pupils

also had the chance to visit some Spanish

schools and meet with Spanish students of

their age as well as visiting some historical

buildings such as el Capricho de Gaudí and

el Palacio de Sobrellano. At the end of the

week each pupil had a challenge to give a

presentation on their work placement. It was

a very beneficial experience and the pupils

felt that they learnt a lot about the world of

work and that their skills in Spanish greatly

improved.

Celebrating Success — Wider Achievement

Over this year we will be holding success weeks where we ask both pupils and parents to tell

us any wider achievements they have done/been part of.

Congratulations to Rebecca Howie, S2, who was recently awarded five Barnardo’s

Scotland’s Dynamic Youth Awards. The awards were presented in recognition of her

dedication and impressive achievements. Rebecca’s awards included organising a P7

party at Southmuir Primary School and volunteering at the Gymnastics Club in Webster’s

Sports Centre. Well done Rebecca!

Partnership Excellence Award Winners

Webster’s were delighted to win the Secondary category of the Angus Council Partnership Excellence

Awards this week in recognition of our partnership with J & D Wilkie Ltd. of Kirriemuir. Presentations on

school-employer partnerships were delivered by short-listed schools at a ceremony held in the Canmore

Room, Forfar, with S3 pupils Caitlin Mather and Abby Thomson delivering part of the Webster’s presentation

about their experience as S2 pupils last session.

We have built on our partnership with J & D Wilkie Ltd. over the past year with the aim of affording as many

pupils as possible an insight into the range of career opportunities within the factory and their other

companies. Senior pupils have attended regular work placements and S3 pupils have all had a talk

delivered by the HR manager about career pathways, apprenticeship opportunities and career

progression. The whole of the S2 cohort attended visits to the factory in their form class groups between

September 2015 and May 2016, and the first visit of the new S2 took place this week. During the visits, pupils

listened to a presentation in the board room followed by a tour of the factory in two groups, one of which

was led by a former WHS pupil. They were provided with ear-plugs and high-visibility jackets which added

to the authenticity of the experience for them. The company also supported us during Apprenticeships

Week and our Vocational Qualifications Day in June.

Pupils have seen the Skills for Work being applied in the workplace and links are being made in both PSE

and IDL classes.

This is a growing partnership with great benefits for the school, the organisation and the community. Our

pupils gain an insight into a local company and the career opportunities on offer and the company are

keen to recruit local young people into their workforce as well as giving something back to the local

community. The pupil visits, careers talks and work placements have been a success and we have many

more ideas on how to build the partnership further as we move forward with the aims of Developing the

Young Workforce.

Important Dates

October Holidays

3 October 2016

Start of Winter Term

17 October 2016

S4 Parents Evening

22 November 2016

In Service Day

28 November 2016

In Service Day

29 November 2016

Holiday

30 November 2016

S3 Exams Start

1 December 2016

S3 Exams Finish

9 December 2016

S5/6 Parents Evening

8 December 2016

Ceilidh for Pupils

16 December 2016

Term Ends

21 December 2016

Term Starts

5 January 2017

Please note: Schools will no longer close at lunch time on the day before Christmas and

Summer holidays. That is, pupils are expected in for the full day on Wednesday 21

December 2016 with a 3pm closing time and Friday 30 June 2017 with an early school

closing time of 3pm.

Twitter

With thanks to all of those who have contributed articles

Just a reminder that you can follow us on Twitter at WebstersHigh@WebstersHigh