We will be attempting to keep the after-school clubs and activities going in spite of the budget cut resulting in the discontinuation of the late bus at 5pm to Aultbea on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  This week and next we are grateful to Allan Jones for his assistance and we are hopeful that with the support of other volunteer drivers and parents that opportunities for the pupils will not be curtailed.

S5/6 Prelims – Pupils in S5/6 have been working with their teachers preparing and planning for their exams which start at the end of January. They have been given appropriate materials for their subjects and advised about the steps they need to take to achieve their best grades. The booklet ‘Information and Study Advice for Pupils and Parents’ was issued prior to Prelims in S4 and remains relevant to these exams. It is also available on the school website. We would ask that parents support pupils in preparation for these important exams.

A Christmas Carol – We hope that everyone who attended our production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens enjoyed the experience.  Well done to the S2 pupils who worked hard throughout the term to prepare for the two evenings of the show in December.  They did a great job and rose to the challenge admirably.  Thanks to Miss Hunter, Ms Mackison and Ms Gulliver for working with the pupils throughout and also to Hayley Savage from Eden Court Theatre for her valuable contribution.  Many other staff also assisted both before and during the performances to ensure the whole event was a success for the pupils.  Click on the photo below to see many more images!

School Dance – Immediately after two evenings of Dickens’ we assembled again for the Christmas Dance. It was a great success with music, food and dancing right up to the end at 11pm. Thanks to everyone who makes this fabulous occasion possible – the list is long but the pupils appreciate it.  Office staff in the school that sell tickets and manage the finance.  Mrs. Fraser and Mrs. Mackenzie, along with others too numerous to mention, who purchase and prepare the half-time banquet.  On the night this group of ladies spend the first half of the evening in the school preparing the food while the pupils dance to the music.  This year music was provided by Roya Maclean and her Ceilidh Band.  The three musicians were great while Campbell Elder gave a creditable performance as Master of Ceremonies!  Prior to the dance the PE staff work hard in school teaching and reinforcing the dance skills required to allow S1 to S6 pupils to participate comfortably with reels, waltzes and Boston Two Steps.  Our piping tutor, Mr. Andrew Shilliday supported four senior pipers (and a drummer) who provided a rousing start to the evening as is traditional at our dance.  We also rely greatly and are appreciative of the support of the local garage for transport to and from the dance along with additional minibus driving this year from Mr. Bowker.  Click on the photo below to see lots more images from the dance.

Finally it is worth mentioning that it is the pupils’ participation and enthusiasm that make this such an event and worthy of the effort put in by so many.

Krypton Factor, Indoor Rowing & School Quiz – We like to end the term with a variety of activities that are important educationally and encourage a sense of community and challenge.  Thanks to Mr. Hulme and Dr Caley the school quiz provided the challenge with questions that even some of the teachers couldn’t answer!  All the pupils are mixed into House Teams and they compete for House points.

The pupils also took part in an Inter-House indoor rowing competition Thanks to Mrs. Johnston and her S4 Skills for Work pupils who organised the event, more House points could be gained either as part of a team event or by taking part in an individual rowing challenge. Click on the photo below to see many more images!

Finally Mr. Johnston with help form many staff organized a Krypton Factor Challenge.  Pupils, again in House Teams, took part in Mental Arithmetic, Mental Agility, Observation and Listening, Strength, Endurance & Sports’ Skills.  All had good fun and we hope that pupils get to know each other a little better by taking part in events that are a bit different from the norm. Click on the photo below to see many more images!

Music Success – Well done to Ruairdhri Wright who has passed his Grade 5 Piano.  Ruairdhri was presented his certificate at assembly just before Christmas.

WELDTECH Cycle Maintenance – Andy Bowker attended a course at Glenmore Lodge before the Christmas Break and achieved a Gold Award.  This will allow us to further develop pupil skills in bike maintenance.  Well-done Andy!

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – Jake Bulmer has achieved his Silver Award and not Bronze as stated incorrectly in the last issue.  Apologies and well done to Jake who is now planning to work on achieving Gold.  This error has been corrected on the website.

Car Wash and Cake Competition Fund Raisers – A big thank you from Nick, Euan and Sandy in S5 to all who supported us in our Event Organisation car wash on Saturday 10^th December by turning up to have their cars washed and who gave generously for the privilege!  We took £110 which is a big boost to our funds for the main event, an educational visit to Edinburgh Castle Museum, which we now have to finish organising.  An especially BIG thank you must go to Andy Bowker who helped with equipment and came in to unlock and lock up the school; to Sandy Campbell who very kindly came down to set up and pack away the fire service hose, (now we know why fire people need big muscles…); to Mrs. Stein for getting Nick to Gairloch through the worst snow she cares to remember and for providing us with lunch to keep us warm and cheerful. Thanks also to Murdo MacLean for putting us in contact with Sandy.  Ms Newman said – once again, it was wonderful to witness the generosity and support of the community for the school, our activities and our pupils.

Nick and Euan also organised a ‘Guess the Weight of the Cake’ competition at the school and at the ‘Fair in the Square’ on the Square on 21^st December.  The cake, made by Nick and his mum, weighed in at 1905g and was won by Mrs. Bulmer with an excellent guess of 1900g.  We raised £34 for the same cause.

2012 GHS Calendar – A few copies of the school calendar (displaying pupil art work) is still available from the school office and local shops. Cost £5 and all proceeds go to school funds.

One of the Christmas posters produced by pupils under the guidance of Ms Gulliver.  These large format poster hang in the Hall.  Click on the photo to see more.

Duke of Edinburgh Award – Callum Vickerstaff, Gemma Urquhart, David Robertson and former pupil Jake Bulmer have achieved Silver.  Chris Young and Rebecca Dreisbach-Pollington  have each achieved Bronze.  Well done to all.

S5/6 Prelims – Pupils in S5/6 have been working with their teachers preparing and planning for their exams which start at the end of January. They have been given appropriate materials for their subjects and advised about the steps they need to take to achieve their best grades. The booklet ‘Information and Study Advice for Pupils and Parents’ was issued prior to Prelims in S4 and remains relevant to these exams. It is also available on the school website. We would ask that parents support pupils in preparation for these important exams.

Farewell – Yvonne Spence received a thank you from staff and pupils this week for her contribution to school life over the last few years.  Since moving to Gairloch, Yvonne has supported the school in many ways.  She was an active member of the Parent Council helping in a large number of events, fighting over staff cuts in the school and raising funds along the way (e.g. the burger stand at the Gathering).  Recently she has been helping develop the cooking skills of pupils taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.  We will miss Yvonne but we wish her well in her next family venture!

Enquire – The Scottish Advice Service for Additional Support Needs is the national advice service for additional support for learning.  The service is funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Children in Scotland.  Enquire helps children, young people, families and professionals understand their rights and responsibilities under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 and related legislation.

Enquire operates a helpline that you can call or email if you require advice or information about any aspect of additional support for learning.  The service is confidential.

Telephone helpline 0845 123 2303

Email info@enquire.org.uk

Website for adults www.enquire.org.uk

Website for young people www.enquire.org/yp

A range of easy to read guides and factsheets explaining everything from additional support in the early years to transition can be downloaded from their website.

2012 GHS Calendar – The calendar (displaying pupil art work) is still available from the school office and local shops. Cost £5 and all proceeds go to school funds.

School Dates of current importance

• 16^th Dec 2011 – Christmas Dance
• 22^nd Dec 2011 – School closes for Christmas
• 9^th January 2012 – School opens for all!

Christmas – As I write this (9th December) S2 pupils are putting the final preparations into the Christmas play A Christmas Carol.  Everyone is also preparing for the Dance.  We also say farewell this weekend (December 18th) to our Malawian guests.  Mr. Chibwera and Mr. Maseko have had a very busy time in Gairloch taking part in classes, playing football, meeting parents and visiting local estates.  They met with Primary children, played basketball, learned some Scottish dances and planned for future projects between our two schools.

Click on the photo to see more of their visit

They experienced weather like they have never encountered and will fly home this weekend with a large amount of Highland goodwill in their pockets.  Thank you to everyone in the community who contributed to making their visit a successful, productive and friendly affair.  A special thanks to Dr Caley and Mr. Hulme for their help in planning and executing the successful visit.

Information and photographs of many school activities can be seen on the website.  

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone from all at Gairloch High School!

Charity Fund Raising– S6 raised £350 for Children in Need recently by organising a cake sale followed by the chance for pupils to throw wet sponges at some of the teachers!  Previous to this event around £85 was raised for Poppy Scotland.  Eilidh Owens (S3) raised an additional £78 by doing a sponsored walk through her home village of Lochcarron.  Well done to all the pupils (and staff) involved in these events.

Pupil Success – Well done to Kirsty Alexander (S6).  After a week on the Isle of Coll she has been successfully selected for a Project Trust placement.   Kirsty now has to fund raise with the intention of going to India next year.

Well done to Megan Crueize, Sofie Banister and Fraser Hinchliff for coming 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd respectively in the 12-18 category of Two Lochs Radio’s 106 Words writing competition.

Rebecca Griggs, Freya Baptist and Oscar Howard all took part in the Highland Youth Regional Music Group Aviemore Concerts on the 19^th November.  An exciting event for all!  Read more about the music groups and see lots of photos by clicking here.

Louie O’Brien (S1) performed very well recently in the U13 Highland Badminton Championship.  He competed in several categories and is clearly one to watch for the future!

2012 GHS Calendar – The new full colour calendar is now available from the school office – cost £5.  There is a copy on display outside the library. All proceeds go to school funds!

Calum’s Road – Culture Club travelled to The Craigmonie Centre in Drumnadrochit to see the stage version of ‘Calum’s Road‘ by the National Theatre and a company called Communicado.  The play was set in Raasay and was popularised by a recent book of the same name.  The performance was tremendous and the use of staging, props and back projection very effective.  The story was inspiring, with a ring of truth and poignancy for any small, rural community. Our next intention is to see Scottish Ballet perform Sleeping Beauty in January.  That should be popular.

Future Chef Competition – Eight pupils (S2 to S5) entered the School Heat of the Future Chef competition.  They had one hour to prepare and cook a hot main course for 2 people within a budget of £4.  The meals had to be plated up, ready to eat.

1. Holly Morrison (Sausage, haricot bean ragu with mustard mash)
2. Josie Ogle (Mushroom crepes with asparagus and bechamel sauce)
3. Ann Sabu (Chicken Kiev)

Thanks to Susan Kirkness who kindly came to blind judge the dishes.  Susan’s daughter Rosie (a previous Future Chef success) is now training with Michel Roux Jr in London.

FilmG – Air Dimàirt 1 den t-Samhainn, ghabh sgoilearan aig a bheil Gàidhlig ann an S2 – S4 pàirt ann am FilmG – co-fharpaisean Gàidhlig filmichean goirid. ’S e cuspair na co-fharpais am-bliadhna “Air an Stairsich”. Bha aig a’ bhuidheann againn ri sgriopt a chruthachadh, caractaran a chur air dòigh, uidheaman a lorg, filmeadh agus gearradh – le beagan cuideachaidh air a thoirt dhuinn.

Am-bliadhna, rinn sinn film mu bhalach aig a bheil gràin air an sgoil, obair-dachaigh, tidsearan agus mar sin air adhart. Tha e air a thoirt air ais ann an tìm dha na 1940an agus tha e a’ gabhail uabhas nuair a tha e a’ faicinn mar a bha an sgoil an uair sin. Tha e a’ faighinn an srac agus tha e a’ dol air ais dha na 1900an agus a’ faicinn mar a bha beatha mus robh sgoil ann. Tha e a’ coinneachadh ri a shinn-sheanair air a’ chroit mus tèid e air ais dhan linn fhèin (2011) far a bheil e a’ faicinn cho math ’s cho furasta ‘s a tha a bheatha. Aig an deireadh, tha a character air atharrachadh gu tur.

Bidh am film againn ri fhaicinn air loidhne tràth anns an Fhaoilleach.   Ciaran MacAlasdair, S3

On 1^st of November S2–S4 Gaelic speaking pupils took part in a Gaelic short film competition. The theme of the competition this year was “On the Threshold”. Our group had to create a script, a cast, find props, film and then edit the production with some outside help.

We produced a film about a boy who dislikes homework, teachers and everything else about school.  He is transported back to the 1940’s and finds out to his horror what school was like then.  Having got the belt, he travels back again to the 1900’s and sees what life was like before there was a school. He meets his great-grand father who works on a croft before being transported back to his own time (2011).  In the end his character is transformed.  Our entry into the competition will be available online early in January.  (Ciaran Alexander, S3)

U14 Boys Highland Regional Basketball Development League – Played on Saturday 19^th November.

Game 1: Gairloch 25, Elgin Eagles 4

Game 2: Gairloch 19, Inverness Bears “A” 15

Game  3: Gairloch 28, Inverness Bears “B” 11

Played 3, won 3 – a great start to the league! The win against the Bears “A” team raised lots of eyebrows!  On 22^nd November the U14 teams played against Fortrose Academy in the Schools’ Cup.

Girls: Gairloch 3, Fortrose 26    Boys: Gairloch 49, Fortrose 31

Well done to all boys and girls attending training and playing for their school.

Car Wash Fundraising Event – A car wash will be held at the High School car park between 10am and 2pm on Saturday 10^th December to coincide with the Christmas Market in the Community Hall.  The cost per car will be £3.  Please support this enterprising event by the pupils.

Congratulations to Ceitidh Alice and Anna who returned to Gairloch with the trophy they received on November 30th as the winners of the 2011 National Gaelic Debate. On Tuesday evening they defeated The Nicolson Institute, Stornoway in the semi-final. On St Andrew’s Day they took on and beat Millburn Academy in the final in the Scottish Parliament.  Anna was also presented with the trophy for the best debater in the competition. What a wonderful achievement!

Read about the final at CnaG

We also heard that the following motion was delivered in the Scottish Parliament:

“Rob Gibson: Gairloch Wins Gaelic Debate—That the Parliament congratulates Gairloch High School debating team on winning the BT Scotland Gaelic Schools Debate for 2011 and wishes it well in future debates and in its skilful use of Scotland’s oldest native tongue.”

Here is Ceitidh Alice & Anna Hulme’s account of the trip to Edinburgh:

Air an 28mh den t-Samhain shiubhail Ceitidh Alice Hulme, Anna Hulme agus Mgr Cuimeanach sìos  a Dhùn Èideann, airson pàirt a ghabhail san Iar-Chuairt Dheireannach dhe Deasbad BT Alba 2011.  ’S ann an aghaidh Sgoil MhicNeacail à Steòrnabhagh a bha sinn, agus is e ‘‘Se amaideas a th’ ann ùine neo airgead a chosg air a bhith fasanta’, an moladh a bh’ againne, is sinne a’ cur na aghaidh. ‘S ann an Ionad nan Sgeulachdan air a’ Mhìle Rìoghail a thachair seo. Bha Ceitidh Alice caran nearbhach, oir ‘s e sgoil làidir a thaobh na Gàidhlig a tha ann an Sgoil MhicNeacail.  An deidh dhuinn ar n-òraidean, ceistean is co-dhùnaidhean a dhèanamh, bhruidhinn na britheamhan a measg a cheile, is co-dhùin iad gur e sinne an sgoil a dheigheadh troimhe dhan ath chuairt.  Bha sinn uabhasach fhèin toilichte, ach bha tòrr obair againn ri dheànamh an ath latha, is a’ chuairt dheireannach gu bhith a’ gabhail àite ann am Parlamaid na h-Alba am feasgar ud.   ‘S ann airson a’ mholaidh ‘Tha thìde aig Alba ìomhaigh ùr a’ shireadh an àite seann eachdraidh, pìobaireachd is tartain’ a bha sinn a’ deasbad, agus nar n-aghaidh, bha Acadamaidh Allt a’ Mhuillinn.  Bha sinn air bhoil airson a’ chuairt dheireannach agus chòrd e ruinn a bhith a deasbad san togalach iongantach seo gu mòr, ach dh’ fhàs cuisean fiu ’s na b’ fhèarr nuair a chaidh innse dhuinn gun robh sinn air a bhith soirbheachail, is air Deasbad BT Alba  a bhuannachadh!  Tha sinn cuideachd uabhasabh pròiseil a Anna, a bhuannaich ‘an Oraidiche as fhèarr’ a-mach à uile an luchd-deasbaid a ghabh pàirt am-bliadhna.

On the 28th of November Ceitidh Alice Hulme, Anna Hulme and Mr Cumming travelled down to Edinburgh to participate in the semi-finals of Deasbad Bt Alba 2011.  We were against the Nicholson Institute from Stornoway, and the motion was ‘It is foolish to spend time or money on being fashionable’, and we were against it.  Ceitidh Alice was quite nervous because the Nicholson Institute is a strong school for Gàidhlig.  After all the speeches, questions and conclusion were finished, the judges talked amongst themselves and decided that we were the school that would go through to the finals.  We were very happy, but we had a lot of work to do the next day, with the final taking place in the Scottish Parliament that evening.   We were for the motion ‘It’s time Scotland looked for a new image instead of old history, piping and tartan’ and opposing this was Millburn Academy.  We were very excited about reaching the finals, and we enjoyed the experience of debating in the Parliament.  After we had finished, we were delighted to hear that we had been successful, and won Deasbad Bt Alba!   We are also very proud of Anna, who won best speaker out of all the contestants who participated this year.

On their return from the heats in Stornoway Ceitidh Alice Hulme  provided the following report:

Air an 8mh là den t-Samhain, chaidh Anna Hulme agus Ceitidh Alice Hulme dha Steòrnabhagh le Mgr Cuimeanach airson pàirt a ghabhail ann an Deasbad BT na h-Alba 2011.  Bha sinn a’ deasbad an aghaidh a’ mholaidh  “Tha peataichean nan companaich nas fheàrr na daoine”, is bha sinn an aghaidh Sgoil Lionacleit, à Uibhist.  Bha sinn soirbheachail san deasbad seo, is an ath là bha sinn a’ deasbad le Acadamaidh Hazlehead, à Obar Dheathainn.  Bha sinn a’ deasbad an aghaidh a’ mholaidh  “Tha cus saorsainn aig daoine am beachdan a chur an cèill air làraichean conaltraidh sòisealta”.  Bha sinn soirbheachail san deasbad seo cuideachd.  Aig deireadh na mìos, bidh mi fhìn is Anna a’ deasbad an aghaidh Sgoil Mhicneacail, à Steòrnabhagh, an aghaidh a’ mholaidh  “’S e amaideas a th’ann a bhith a’ cosg ùine neo airgead air a bhith fasanta”.  Tha sinn a’ coimhead air adhart dhan iar-chuairt dheireannach ann an Dùn Eideann, is tha sinn a’ toirt taing dha Mgr Cuimeanach airson a bhith a coimhead as ar dèidh!

On the 8th of November, Anna Hulme and Ceitidh Alice Hulme went to Stornoway with our tidsear Mr Cumming to participate in a Gaelic debate.   We were against the motion:  “Pets are better companions than people”, and we were debating with  Sgoil Lìonacleit, Uist.  We were successful in the first round, and had to debate against Hazlehead Academy, Aberdeen, in the next round, the following day.  We were against the motion  “People have too much freedom to express their views on social networking sites”.  We were successful in this round too, and went through to the semi-finals in Edinburgh.  We will be debating against the Nicholson Institute, Stornoway, at the end of the month.  We will be against the motion  “Its foolish to spend time and money to be fashionable”.  Thank you to Mr Cumming who looked after us!

The girls have already received congratulations and accolades from MSP Rob Gibson, Director of ECS, Highland Council Hugh Fraser, Calum MacSween, Acting Head of Education, Ward 6 Councillors Richard Greene and Isabelle Campbell as well many locals in the Gairloch Community.  Everyone is very proud of their achievement.

Highland Council Press Release

BBC ALBA

Deasbad BT Alba

Read about the semi-finals @ CnaG

Read about the heats @ CnaG

Click on the photo to s ee more photos of the event

On Saturday (November 26th 2011) the Gairloch Community Climbing Wall Group held an open event in collaboration with the Gairloch Leisure Centre and the High School Parent Council to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the opening of the upgraded climbing wall. Between 12 noon and 4.30pm the climbing wall was buzzing with dozens of climbers, young and old, novices and hot shots. Around 150 folk turned out for this community event. As well as climbing the event had trade stalls, tea and cake (courtesy of the Parent Council) and a chance to take part in other activities. The martial arts demonstrations encouraged participants to train alongside the masters and the indoor rowing machines (sponsored previously by donations from the Great Wilderness Challenge) were available for good-natured competition. There was also a chance to try some Zumba with local trainer Katrina. The younger children also had fun on the play equipment and enjoyed creating a climbing wall birthday banner. No charge was made for admission however over £200 was raised through donations. This money will help fund the refreshments as well as allow further spending on equipment to support climbing groups using the wall.

Headteacher Mr. John Port thanked everyone who helped make this a great day out including the catering team, activity leaders, belayers and all the keen young volunteers from Gairloch High School. He particularly thanked members of the Parent Council for providing a great spread of cakes. “As well as lots of locals we had visitors from Ullapool and other far flung places. The wall has proved a great benefit to the school and leisure centre. I am very grateful to all the sponsors who helped fund this substantial improvement to the facility and the success of this event just shows that it was worth the effort. The Leisure Centre is now running climbing classes several times a week and school pupils and the public use the wall extensively at other times. Saturday’s celebration of the wall’s first anniversary was a great success and much of the credit for the planning of the day should go to young Amy Tattersall and her dad Paul. I imagine that they may be planning for a second anniversary event already!”

Local fund raising supplemented by contributions from the Great Wilderness Challenge, INEOS, sportscotland and Highland Leader funded the building of the wall by Dundee based company Avertical World.

National Gaelic Debate – Anna Hulme (S6) and Ceitidh Alice Hulme (S3) travelled to Stornoway to represent the school in this competition.  On Tuesday 8^th November Anna and Ceitidh won their first round debate against Sgoil Lionacleit (Uist).  They performed exceptionally the following day against Hazelhead Academy (Aberdeen) and have qualified for the semi-finals of the National Debate in Edinburgh at the end of the month. They were judged among the four best teams out of the twelve who had reached the second round. Well-done girls!

Click on the photo for more pictures

School Proms – Becky Griggs travelled down to London to take part in the The School Proms at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday 8^th November.  During the October Fèis she was invited to take part in the Advanced Groupwork class of 30 traditional musicians joined by 10 of the best brass players from Scotland’s schools.  They developed an 8-minute arrangement of Scottish Music with tutors Corinna Hewat and Dave Milligan (both founding members of The Unusual Suspects.  Well-done Becky for achieving such recognition!

Culture Club Opera Trip – Our third Culture Club outing in the current session took us back to Eden Court to see The Barber of Seville by Scottish Opera.   Our group was entirely made up of S1 and S2 pupils.  It was a long performance – about three hours, including the interval, but it was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.  The sets and costumes were tremendous and the singing was, as expected, really impressive.  But on top of this, the performers were also very talented actors who were able to portray the amusing story with great effect.   We were late home but everyone agreed that it was very much worth being a little tired the next day!

Blythswood Shoebox Appeal – Thank you to all the staff and pupils who made or helped to make a shoebox this year. Altogether we have sent 27 Christmas shoeboxes to make life happier for people less fortunate than ourselves.

Each shoebox is packed with toothbrushes and toothpaste, hats and gloves, pens, pencils and notepads.  Blythswood deliver them each Christmas to a number of countries and Gairloch High School is proud to contribute to this work.

Basketball Result – The girls’ U14 basketball team played the first of their matches in the National Schools’ Cup, against Fortrose Academy, before the October holiday.  Although they lost 28-6, the game was much closer than the scoreline suggests, especially in the first half. Going into the last quarter, Gairloch were only trailing by 4 baskets. Well done to all involved. Thank you Strath Stores for supplying refreshments!

Thanks to Mr. Johnston and Mr. Gorman we have a thriving group of pupils playing basketball.  All three teams having been playing games against other schools recently and each has acquitted themselves well.

The U14 boys won against Inverness Royal Academy 36 – 30 on Tuesday 1^st November at home and our senior boys known as the “All Stars” team, who won 58 – 29.

The boys U14 team then won 40 – 10 against Alness on Wednesday 2^nd November at home. The Gairloch All Stars also played a game against a very strong and experienced Alness senior team. They lost a physical encounter 25 – 8 but acquitted themselves admirably.

The U14 girls’ and boys’ teams both played away to Culloden Academy in the National Schools’ Cup on Tuesday 7^th November. Culloden are the current Scottish champions and both teams contain members of the Scotland squad. Our teams lost their games but gained the respect of their opponents. The boys lost 45 -28. This is an absolutely remarkable result and the closest Culloden have been run in a long time. Well done to all.

Remembrance Assembly – On Armistice Day, 11/11/11, the school community gathered to hold a special assembly of remembrance leading up to a two-minute silence at 11am.  Members of the ATC joined others at local ceremonies at Poolewe, Cove and Gairloch throughout the weekend.  Head Girl, Anna Hulme piped at the Gairloch War Memorial on Sunday morning.

SCHOLAR is one of the world’s largest school e-learning education programmes and it is available to pupils studying a wide range of Highers, Advanced Highers and some Intermediate courses.  Departments in Gairloch High School have enrolled pupils and will have user names and passwords to access their courses. Any pupil who does not know his or her access details should speak to their teachers about this.

We have loaded SCHOLAR’s Parent Information Leaflet onto the school website.  It is available here by clicking on this link.

Senior Football – On Saturday 29^th October eight pupils and two teachers travelled to Dornoch to the Highland Small Schools’ Seven-a-side football tournament. We played four gruelling games against very strong teams and unfortunately we failed to qualify. Going into our final game, we had won two games and lost one. We had to at least draw to go through to the semi-finals. Despite Dale Cunningham opening the score line with a superb long-range volley we lost 2-1. Our boys didn’t have an easy time however they managed to score seven goals. Five of these came from Dale Cunningham. Kenneth MacLennan scored a sublime goal and David Gorman neatly tucked the ball into the bottom corner. Our defence was strong.  Murdo and Kenneth MacLennan managed to withstand the opposition on many occasions.  Our goalie, Reece MacDonald, made some great saves. We had Sandy Garrioch playing on the right of midfield creating some very good attacking opportunities and myself on the left doing the same. On the whole we were happy with our team’s performance and we look forward to next year’s tournament. We would like to thank Mr. Cumming for organising training this year and we would also like to thank Mrs. Gorman for taking five of our players to the tournament. Without the adults we would not have been able to go – so once again thank you very much – Ryan MacLean, S4

Car Wash Fundraising Event – A message from Nick Stein: We are a group of S5 pupils who are doing a new course in English, which involves   organising an event of our own choice.  We have been learning how to research using the Internet and to compose letters and emails to make the event happen.  Any money raised goes toward our visit to the Edinburgh Castle Museum, including overnight accommodation, food and transport.

The car wash will be held at the High School car park between 10am and 2pm on Saturday 10^th December to coincide with the Christmas Market in the Community Hall.  The cost per car will be £3.  Please support this enterprising event by the pupils.

Pupils had one hour to prepare and cook a hot main course for 2 people within a budget of £4.The meals had to be plated up, ready for judging.
Susan Kirkness – Rosie Smith’s Mother – kindly came in this morning to judge the dishes. As a result of Rosie’s participation in this event, she is now in London training with Michel Roux Jr.

1. Holly Morrison -Sausage and Haricot Bean Ragu with Mustard Mash.
2. Josie Ogle -Mushroom Crepes with Asparagus and Bechamel Sauce
3. Ann Sabu – Chicken Kiev

Holly will now get the chance to enter the competition at the next level.  Thanks to Susan who judged this without any prior knowledge of who cooked what.  Click on the photo above to see more pictures of the event.

S4 Prelim Exams – These important exams begin on the 23^rd November and all S4 pupils should be working several additional hours a week at home to prepare for them.  These exams cover all the work they have covered, in each of their subjects, since they began the courses at the beginning of S3.  If your S4 son or daughter is struggling to put in the commitment required to be successful please give them practical support.  If you are not sure what you can do to help then contact Pupil Support at the school.  Study Club will start shortly.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – Ian Paul, Isla MacKenzie and Luke Gorman have been presented with their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at assembly.   Well done to all three!

Pupil Success outside School – Oscar Howard (S3) participated in the Scottish Junior Masters Golf Tournament finals at Gleneagles during the October holidays. In spite of fairly awful weather he managed a creditable 25^th place in the event.  Well done Oscar!

Fund Raising for Charity – The school pupils have received a certificate of thanks for raising £250 on the Jeans for Genes Day last term.  S6 organised a single day event where pupils were allowed to wear their jeans for a small donation.  We received another certificate from Oxfam for raising £573 during Water Aid Week.  S2 pupils were sponsored for carrying buckets of water around the sports field simulating the efforts of many people around the world to collect water.

So You Want to be a Doctor? – Jasmine Easby, Callum Vickerstaff and Fraser Hinchliff attended an event held in Inverness before the holiday that gave detailed information for anyone interested in entering the medical profession.  The pupils reported the worth of the trip and would like to thank Dr Mitchell for assisting with transport.

Basketball Result – The girls’ U14 basketball team played the first of their matches in the National Schools’ Cup, against Fortrose Academy, before the October holiday.  Although they lost 28-6, the game was much closer than the scoreline suggests, especially in the first half. Going into the last quarter, Gairloch were only trailing by 4 baskets. Well done to all involved. Thanks also go to Strath Stores once again for refreshments.  Training takes place on Tuesdays after school.

Crofting Connections – Mrs. Fraser, Rosie Mackenzie and Deborah Connop travelled to Skye before the October holidays to join in with schools from crofting areas as far away as Argyll and Shetland.  This has become an annual event set up by Pam Rodway of Crofting Connections.  Young people meet and share music and legendary tales from their local areas.  The children then perform at the annual Scottish Crofters Federation Convention and later on in the evening at Portree High school.  A busy and enjoyable three days.

2012 GHS Calendar – The new GHS Calendar for 2012 is in the hands of the printer right now and the presses are going to roll very shortly.  So, if you would like to pre-order any copies for Christmas presents, please ring the school office, 712275, to leave your details.  This is the last edition of the calendar so make sure you get a copy of it.  All proceeds to school funds!

A Christmas Carol – The whole of S2 is currently involved in preparing a musical version of  ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens.  Not only are the pupils doing everything on stage, but they are making the props, designing the posters and organising the costumes.  It could be called an ‘all-singing, all-dancing production’!  So keep your eye on this space for up-dates and keep one of the following dates free – Wednesday 14^th and Thursday 15^th December at 7.30pm.

National Outdoor Learning Conference – In recent years the Scottish Government has put great store on the use of the natural environment as a supporting resource for teachers.  Cabinet Secretary for Education, Mike Russell, spoke at the national conference held in the Cairngorm National Park on Friday 28^th October.  Gairloch High School was invited to display the work that we do with pupils alongside national organisations such as John Muir Trust and Outward Bound.  Mr. Port and Mr. Johnston were kept busy throughout the day answering questions from professionals interested in how we manage to provide such a wide range of outdoor learning.  These opportunities extend well beyond activities such as kayaking, bike skills and climbing and other sporting activities.  From the S1 SMART course working with Rangers in Inverewe Garden to the production of the vegetables in the raised beds through to Geography field trips to the Cairngorms, archaeology trips and environmental art projects, we have developed a wide range of outdoor learning that builds on the more established Nethy Trip and the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.  Crofting links are being established alongside work with Celtic Fringe giving pupils a better understanding of business and tourism in the Highlands.  During the visit to the conference Mr. Port took the opportunity to drop in on S3 pupils staying at Badaguish as part of their Hospitality course.  This included a trip for the pupils to the top of Cairngorm in the funicular and a visit to the Highland Folk Museum.

Since the summer of 2010, staff and pupils have been working closely with four other schools in Italy, Greece, Germany and Latvia on the project, “Our forefathers’ regional, historical and cultural heritage”. From 3rd – 7th October, it was our turn to act as host to staff and students from the partner schools.

Spirits among the young people, hosts and teachers were never dampened by what turned out to be a week of memorably awful weather! After formal introductions and tours of the school on Tuesday, our visitors enjoyed demonstrations of traditional skills given by volunteers at the Gairloch Heritage Museum. At the Culloden Centre on Wednesday, the group experienced an informative tour of the atmospheric battlefield, followed, in stark contrast, by a visit to Loch Ness.

On Thursday, half the day was spent on an archaeological trip to Port Henderson, where the visitors were also welcomed into the crofthouse home of Roddy and Alice MacKenzie, and the other half on a wildlife treasure hunt at Inverewe Garden.

On Friday, each group gave a presentation about their heritage projects to the school: the Greeks’ project is on the history of the Parthenon in Athens, the Italians’ the story of Charlemagne, and the Germans’ the history of the divisions in their country post World War Two. The Gairloch group gave their presentation on how the Gaelic language describes the landscape, then showed a series of photographs of Laide Wood, along with the recital of a poem about it by Miles Campbell, recorded in Gaelic by pupils Anna Hulme, Kenneth MacKenzie and Kirsty and Ciaran Alexander. The Latvians’ presentation was about their traditional musical instruments, and finally, in traditional costume, they demonstrated a lively folk dance to the accompaniment of accordion music.

In the evening the young people, parents, staff, members of the community and guests, including Acting Director of Education Mr Calum McSween, came to our community ceilidh, the highlight of the visit. Entertainment was provided by our folk band, C for Craic, pipers, combined junior and community adult choirs, harpists and the local ceilidh band, sadly its final appearance with Don Mackenzie. There were performances by all the partner school groups: memorable singing and dancing by the Latvians, Italian folk dancing, Greek bazouki playing and dancing, and a play by the Germans featuring a live performance by Beth Hunter’s dog Dimàirt!. S2 pupils Matthew MacLean and Jordan Gorman gave a rousing “Address to the Haggis” before the traditional fare served at the interval.

The evening, and the whole visit, ended with presentations to the partner schools by Mr Port, and a multi-lingual vote of thanks by Alison Campbell. Souvenir booklets made by pupils in S1 and S2 were presented to all guest students.

Alison Campbell and Beth Hunter thank everyone who made this visit such a success:

In the school – Mr Port, the senior management team, and the many teachers involved with the project; Andy Bowker , particularly for his invaluable help in driving the minibus; Rhona and Lorna in the office for helping with the admin for the project; Libby and her staff in the kitchen for catering for the extra numbers and their special ceilidh meal; Yasmeen in the library for creating displays for the public about the countries involved in our project.

In the community – the staff and volunteers at the Gairloch Heritage Museum, Paul Bolton, Forest Ranger, and staff at Inverewe Garden, Roddy and Alice MacKenzie, Anne MacInnes, of the Scottish Local Archaeology project, the band and all performers at the ceilidh, Colin Roy, and those of you in the community who supported us in many ways, whether by providing musical instruments, or coming along to the ceilidh..

Finally, and most importantly – all the families who generously opened their doors and their hearts to host visiting students. Without their kindness and hospitality, this venture would have been impossible.

Preparations will be underway shortly for the next part of the project in the high school and our visit to Breno in Italy with another group of pupils in February 2012.

To see photographs and click on the link.  More about the project can be found here at ourComenius link.

Former Pupil Success – We have been notified that the following graduations have taken place at the University of Aberdeen.  Eilidh Beaton, Degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Flora Donald, BSc Hons (First Class) in Plant Biology and Charmaine McGlennon, BSc Hons Marine Biology.  Well done to each of our former pupils!  Read more about our former pupils here.

Pupil Success outside School – Oscar Howard (S3) has been selected to play in the Scottish Junior Masters Golf Tournament finals at Gleneagles on October.  We wish Oscar well and hope to report his progress soon.

Focus on Cooking Bus Visit – On Monday 26^th September an articulated pantechnicon parked at the school and provided the support allowing pupils and staff to improve their cooking skills.  A big ‘thank you to members of the community who gave up their time to assist on the Cooking Bus.  We have more photographs here.

Visiting Author – On Friday 30^th September we had a visit from Lari Don.  She talked to S1-3 pupils about her writing.  Librarian Ms Hollenstein and Headteacher Mr. Port both wish to publicly thank the Parent Council for funding this successful event.

Art Course – S5 and S6 Art pupils had a treat recently.  John McNaught of the Highland Print Studio, Inverness visited for two days to teach them the art and science of Polymer Photogravure.  The pupils learned to make photographic images, moving from a digital source to a hand printed artwork by exposing images onto light sensitive plates using the power of sunlight.  The plates were then developed in water, inked up and printed using traditional etching techniques.

Mod Ionadail Rois an Iar – Is math a rinn gach sgoilear a ghabh pàirt sa Mhod Ionadail Dihaoine 23mh den t-Sultuain. Ghabh feadhainn pàirt ann an co-fharpaisean cànain - seinn, bàrdachd, còmhradh agus leughadh às a’ Bhìoball. Ghabh cuid eile pàirt anns na co-fharpaisean ciùil – a’ phìob, am bocsa-ciùil agus an fhidheall.

Wester Ross Provincial Mod – Well done to all those in the school who took part in the Local Mod on Friday the 23^rd of September. Some took part in the language competitions – singing, poetry, conversation and Bible reading. Others took part in the music competitions – pipes, accordion and fiddle.

Culture Club – There was an outing to Ullapool recently to see a performance called Last Orders by David Hughes Dance Productions.  It was an unusual mix of dance and physical theatre, with wide ranging subject matter presented as a collage of diverse situations, sometimes alarming and sometimes really funny.  The soundtrack and costumes were both bizarre and surprising.  Our reactions were varied – amazed, confused and bewildered, but we were certainly entertained!

Aquathon – Chris Young and Peter Banks went to Alness to take part in an Aquathon competition – a combination of swimming and running. Peter swam 400m then ran 3km while Chris swan 200m and ran 1.5km.  The boys enjoyed the experience overall although it was tough.  Thanks to Jonathan Young for taking them and supporting throughout the day.

Hockey Leaders Award – 9 pupils joined a group learning and qualifying to assist a coach in Hockey. Scottish Hockey Union Coaches came to Gairloch to show the group ways to help people improve skills.  This award will allow the young people to pursue further coaching awards in Hockey and some have already been assisting junior Hockey in the school.  Well done to everyone who took part: David Gorman, Anna Hulme, Kirsty Alexander, Kerry Smith, Carianne Johnston, Mags Matheson, Isla Mackenzie, Ryan Maclean and Gemma Mclean.

S3 History – Pupils have been making a film “Murder at Sarajevo” as part of their Standard Grade studying the causes of World War One.

Mountain Bike trip – Two weekends ago Kieran, Charmayne, Keith, Mags, Mr.Gorman, Mr.Johnston and Mr.Bowker went to Learnie Red Rocks forest trails near Fortrose for a day of Mountain Biking.   ‘This was training for our Silver DofE Bike expedition. We did several runs of varying difficulty throughout the day. It was enjoyable and entertaining but not so much the uphill bits though!’ Mags Matheson.  Click here for photos.

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre – CEOP is a UK department of the Serious Organised Crime Agency, which is tasked to work bringing online child sex offenders, including those involved in the production, distribution and viewing of child abuse material, to the UK courts. CEOP is committed to training teaching staff to provide internet safety training for pupils.  Several of our staff have this training.

S2 pupils have now learned about all aspects of internet safety in their PSHE lessons. This included issues such as personal safety when using smartphones, while gaming and using social network sites. Pupils also learned about the effects of cyberbullying and how various laws have been implemented to prevent the use of the internet and mobile technology for criminal activities.

Pupils also learned how to report online offences to CEOP. All pupils received an information leaflet with tips on how to stay safe online and a list of useful websites.  If you would like to find out more about CEOP go to www.thinkuknow.co.uk.  This website has a dedicated section for parents.

Comenius Visitors – Starting the 2^nd October groups of staff and pupils from four partner schools arrived in Gairloch.  Our guests stayed with local families and throughout the week have been involved in visits including Inverewe Gardens, the Heritage Museum and an archaeological walk around Port Henderson.  Culloden also features on the itinerary.

On Friday 7^th October, we say farewell to our European colleagues.  We end the successful week with a Ceilidh at the Community Centre, starting at 7pm.  This will feature dancing and musical items from out pupils and from our friends from Latvia, Greece, Germany and Italy.  We will also be serving a mini Burns Supper – Tickets at the door.  All welcome!  Click here for photos