Dear Parent / Carer

It’s been a busy session as some of the highlights of the last six months demonstrate (see

values pages). We moved into the new Campus at Easter and have never looked back! Largs

Academy remains an excellent school with a proud academic record and our new building

provides even greater opportunities for excellence, closer collaboration with our primary and

early years colleagues, and 21st Century facilities for fantastic learning and teaching. Pupils and

staff are clearly enjoying their new school and the recent Malawi summer fete, the open

evening and our summer concert provided opportunities for parents to visit and explore the

new building too, and appreciate the type of learning environment we are able to offer young

people.

On Wednesday 13th June the First Minister of Scotland, Rt. Hon Nicola Sturgeon, MSP, visited

to undertake the official opening of the Largs Campus. Arrangements for this prestigious event

led to a decision to postpone our annual prizegiving ceremony until Thursday 13th September.

We decided to hold our open evening on the same day as the First Minister’s visit and,

following a brief presentation in the assembly hall, we offered tours of the building. During a

break for tea, coffee and cake there was an opportunity for parents to comment on the

school’s improvement priorities too. This feedback will be collated and discussed with the

Parent Council in September, and we hope it will also influence the school improvement

agenda for the new session.

I’d like to thank all parents and carers for the support you have given us this session. We are

planning some additional events next session to promote the work of the school and to

engage parents and carers in the improvement process as we strive to do our very best for

all our young people. Please take a note of the dates listed later in this newsletter and join us

to have your say in shaping the future at Largs Academy. I want to ensure effective learning

and teaching is happening for every pupil, every day, in every classroom, and continue to

work hard to ensure that this is the reality at Largs Academy.

On behalf of the staff and pupils at Largs Academy I hope you enjoy a long summer break!

Mrs Heather Burns

Head Teacher

SCH

OO

L N

EWS

Sch

oo

l Ne

ws

Largs Academy

A Message from the Head Teacher

Summer Newsletter

June 2018

SCH

OO

L N

EWS

Sch

oo

l Ne

ws

Official Opening of Largs Campus

Wednesday 13th June 2018

What a fabulous day for the Largs Campus! Nicola Sturgeon’s visit was a

wonderful experience for all the young people (and staff) who were treated

to a very personal, attentive and interested First Minister. Ms Sturgeon was

very keen to spend time with pupils - a lot more time than we were led to

expect, despite her aides trying to hurry her out. She was rushing off to

Edinburgh after our visit, but she was clearly enjoying the day. After the

ceremony she went round all the pupils in the hall, encouraging them to have

their photographs taken with her. She spent lots of time chatting with them

and even grabbed Ryan Scott's (S5) camera from him and got her own selfie

with Ryan's camera! After her formal interview she visited more young

people in the library, and you can check out some of her tour through our

twitter page and via a link to the Scottish government: https://firstminister.gov.scot/opening-of-new-largs-campus/

Our young people were a credit to the school and to the Largs community. They talked about the Amnesty Group and Rights Respecting School, our stained glass windows, the music technology course, Art and Design courses and PE. Ms Sturgeon even managed a quick game of badminton with Matthew Jarvie - I don't think I've ever seen a pupil try so hard not to win!

Our young people were a credit to the school and to the Largs community. They talked about the Amnesty Group and Rights Respecting School, our stained glass windows, the music technology course, Art and Design courses and PE. Ms Sturgeon even managed a quick game of badminton with Matthew Jarvie - I don't think I've ever seen a pupil try so hard not to win!

SCH

OO

L N

EWS

Sch

oo

l Ne

ws

The joint Largs Primary, St Mary's Primary and Largs Academy choir were a highlight of the ceremony. Well done to Mr Smith for their amazing singing and up-lifting performances of songs from The Greatest Showman. The plaque was unveiled, the cake cut, speeches delivered and flowers presented in a very well organised and successful ceremony. Our own pupils helped out as ushers and tour guides and a special mention should go to Robyn Graham and Catherine Nordo who were outstanding ambassadors, leading the secondary tour with Ms Sturgeon, and to Glen McTaggart and Naeve Ramage, our Sports Ambassadors, who talked to the First Minister about the PE facilities and encouraged her to join in on the badminton court. Thanks also to our Hyper Pipers, who not only piped our guests into the Campus, but they also arrived at the start of the Open Evening to welcome parents into the school. They are very much in demand these days and are aptly named - they played at the opening of St Mary's Confucious Hub last month, and were here again at the pre-prom reception on Thursday evening. Well done boys! Another popular aspect of the day was the selection of musical pieces from our award winning concert band, led by Mrs Montgomery. Our VIP guests were treated to their amazing performance in the upper plaza.

The Open Evening was a similar success, following on from the official opening ceremony, with a packed Hall and 10 separate tour groups! I estimate around 280 in attendance, possibly more, and would like to thank the staff and pupil tour guides for their help in making this a successful and memorable event. Special thanks go to Mr Higgins, who managed to accommodate two tours as he volunteered to take a group of Cumbrae parents round at 6pm, allowing them time to complete a school tour and get back in time for the last ferry! The response from parents was overwhelmingly positive. They couldn't believe the facilities we have and commented on how lucky their youngsters are to have this new building.

We have a fantastic facility, airy bright and comfortable. It’s a campus fit for purpose and it is already providing greater opportunities for collaboration. Staff and pupils are enjoying using the upper learning plaza and the breakout spaces across the school, for flexible learning. The Senior Management Team and Guidance Teachers greet our young people as they arrive each morning, starting each day in a positive and friendly way, building community and preparing to learn in this welcoming environment.

PE, Art and Design and Music are often highlighted as they offer state of the art facilities, but other areas of the school are also designed to make learning more interesting and encourage creativity. The Learning Resource Centre is at the heart of the school and the Librarian is now able to offer the use of this area to our Early Years Centre, and both St Mary’s and Largs Primaries on a regular basis. There is great potential to build on the good relationships we have with our colleagues across the campus and we are already seeing new links developing.

Our Decant Champions and Janitorial Team deserve special mention for the work they put in making the move to the new campus as smooth as possible. Our Senior Technician, Mr Reid, and Science Technician, Mr Connor, went above and beyond what was asked, working long hours to ensure we were ready to go from the start. The Janitors also did a fantastic job - their friendly and obliging attitude has been appreciated by staff during this busy time, and we feel very fortunate to have such a dedicated team, led ably by Mr Lewis.

This is an exciting time to be at school in Largs. We are a very lucky community and this new campus provides the potential for learning which our young people deserve.

SCH

OO

L N

EWS

Sch

oo

l Ne

ws

Parent Council & PTA

2018-19

From next session the Parent Council and

PTA will meet together. Meetings are

always held on Thursday evenings at 6pm,

in the staffroom.

27 September AGM

1 November*

6 December

24 January*

21 February

25 April

23 May*

*November, January and May meeting are

preceded by an SMT Surgery, 4pm-6pm.

This is an informal drop-in, open to all

parents who wish to speak to a member of

the Senior Management Team.

School Holidays

2018-19

Term 1 In-service Day 1 In-service Day 2 Pupils return In-service Day 3 Close

Thursday 16 August Friday 17 August Monday 20 August Monday 24 September Friday 12 October, 3.05pm

Term 2 Pupils return Local holiday Local holiday Close

Monday 22 October Friday 16 November Monday 19 November Friday 21 December, 2.30pm

Term 3 Pupils return Local holiday Local holiday In-service Day 4 Pupils return Close

Monday 7 January Friday 8 February Monday 11 February Tuesday 12 February Wednesday 13 February Friday 29 March, 2.30pm

Term 4 Pupils return Close Pupils return May Day holiday In-service Day 5 Close

Monday 15 April Thursday 18 April, 3.05pm Tuesday 23 April Monday 6 May Monday 27 May Friday 28 June, 1pm

Session 2019-20

Teachers return In-service Day 1 Pupils return

Friday 16 August 2019 Monday 19 August 2019

We wish our S6 pupils all the very best for the future as they leave us for pastures new. Our S6

pupils have been excellent role models and we will miss them greatly! The Sixth Year Prom

took place on Thursday 7th June at Gailes Hotel in Irvine, and parents and other family

members joined us at the Campus for a brief reception prior to our young people travelling to

the venue. The hotel staff and the photographer commented on our pupils’ impeccable

behaviour and good manners as the pupils and staff danced the night away!

Primary 7 pupils joined us for the second and third S1 Induction Days on Tuesday 5th and

Wednesday 6th June, and their parents attended an information evening on Monday 4th June.

All S1 pupils participated in our annual Communities Day on Monday 4th June, and this year a

group of S4 pupils worked with staff to coordinate activities in the local area, giving something

back to the community through helping out with gardening, cleaning, washing emergency staff

vehicles, entertaining local care home residents, bag packing, beach cleaning…..all to help our

own community and say thank you to for all for the continued support given to us by local

people.

SCH

OO

L N

EWS

Sch

oo

l Ne

ws

On Saturday 2nd June, we held a fete to raise money to bring a small group of Malawi pupils and

teachers to Largs. We are delighted to announce the visit is now arranged for November, thanks

to a massive effort from Mrs Tait and the Charities Committee who worked tirelessly this session

to raise the additional funds needed, as well as continue to support both Malawi Partnerships in

Mazambazi and Nansambo.

The Music Department organised a special summer concert on Wednesday 20th June. The

theme was movies and musicals and we were treated to some wonderful performances as well

as being wowed by the sound quality in our new auditorium. With that amount of talent,

passion and enthusiasm we can’t wait for next year’s school show….definitely not to be missed!

The last week of term was a fabulous Activities Week, with trips to the London Pineapple Dance

Studios, Theatre Trips to Wicked, Les Miserables and Phantom, a tour to Lake Garda and

Venice, Alton Towers, white water rafting in Perth, snowboarding and skiing at Soar, visits to

Ryze, Glasgow’s ultimate trampolining experience, trips to the outdoor swimming pool in

Gourock, cycling and photography field trips to Cumbrae, not to mention a host of in-school

activities, including cake decorating, crafty knitting, football, badminton and rounders….phew,

it’s exhausting just writing about it! A huge thanks to all staff who led these activities, what a

great way to end the session.

Largs Viking Festival has presented a stained glass artwork to Largs Academy to celebrate the opening of the new Largs Campus. The artwork, a stained glass roundel commemorating the Battle of Largs in 1263, was designed by local artist Crystal Proven. It was commissioned by the Viking Festival Board in 2013 on the 750th anniversary of the Battle. Pictured are Alex Gallagher Chair of the Festival, Heather Burns, Head Teacher, Ray Young, Director Largs Viking Festival and Linda Young, Secretary Largs Viking Festival.

Dressing for Excellence

We firmly believe the way pupils dress says a lot about the type of school we are. We set high standards in every area of school life and encourage all our pupils to dress for excellence. The introduction of blazers has proved very popular and can be purchased from Smiths of Greenock. A £10 discount is available for orders placed before the new term starts. All pupils should wear:

a school blazer

white shirt and school tie

black school trousers or knee length skirt

black v-neck jumper or black cardigan

plain black shoes

trainers, black shorts and white t-shirt for PE

What we don’t want to see are football colours, slogans or pictures (eg promoting bands,

advertising alcohol, etc.); jeans, denim jackets or studded leather jackets; any clothing which is

deemed unsuitable in terms of health and safety, such as large belts, dangling or hooped

earrings, etc.

SCH

OO

L N

EWS

Sch

oo

l Ne

ws

Staffing News Our roll at the September census was 1055 which allows us a staffing entitlement of 76 full time

equivalent teachers, including 3 DHTs, 10 Faculty Leaders and 5 Principal Teachers of Guidance.

Mr Sturrock, Mr McCallum, Mr McFadzean, Miss Lawson and Mr Revolta all left us at the end

of term, and our Geography Probationer, NAC’s Probationer of the Year, Mr Harris secured a

post in Banff Academy at the start of the holidays. Mr Sturrock and Mr McCallum both begin a

well-earned retirement, having served the school for a long time as Faculty Leader in charge of

PE and teacher of computing respectively. Both gentlemen will be missed by staff and pupils

alike. They both made an impact on the lives of many young people and were very popular

teachers and colleagues. Another popular member of staff is Mr McFadzean, who has been a

Guidance Teacher here since 2012. He is moving on to Clydeview Academy in August as DHT

and we wish him every success in his new role. Miss Lawson and Mr Revolta are both moving

to full-time posts, Miss Lawson to Garnock Academy and Mr Revolta to Cedars School of

Excellence, and we wish them both the very best. Mr Frew will continue in his role as Acting

DHT(0.4), taking the lead on Pupil Equity, and Mr Sinclair is now Acting PT Guidance, sharing

responsibility for Kintyre House with Mr Frew. Mr McCoy takes over from Mr McFadzean as

Acting PT Guidance for Arran House. Once again I would like to express our gratitude towards

our supply teachers, and in particular would like to thank Mr Kelley, Mr McLellan, Mr Syme, Ms

Sloan, Mr McLaren and Mrs McCrone for all their support this session.

Dates for the diary:

Parents’ Evenings: Mon/Tues

4.30pm-6.30pm Wed/Thurs 4pm-6pm

Report

Dates:

Interim

Report 1

Interim

Report 2

Full

Report

First Year Tues 14 May S1 12 Oct 3 May 12 Dec

Second Year Wed 14 Nov S2 12 Oct 3 May 30 Jan

Third Year Tues 11 Dec S3 12 Oct 3 May 15 Feb

Tracking

Report 1

Tracking

Report 2

Tracking

Report 3

Fourth Year Thurs 31 Jan S4 28 Sept 28 Sept 28 Sept

Fifth and Sixth Year Wed 23 Jan S5&S6 28 Sept 28 Sept 28 Sept

P7 Transition Evening Mon 3 June 7pm UCAS

Evening

Thurs 6

Sept

7pm

Careers Evening Thurs 14 Feb 7pm YPI Final

(S2) (tbc)

Thurs 13

Dec

7pm

BGE Morning (tbc) Sat 3 Nov 9.30am-

12.00pm

How to

Pass

Exams

Thurs 8

Nov

6.30pm

Third Year Exams Mon 15 April - Tues 24 April

Prelim Exams Mon 3 - Fri 14 December

SQA Exams Thurs 25 April - Wed 29 May

SCH

OO

L N

EWS

Sch

oo

l Ne

ws

NEW ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES – EVERY SCHOOL DAY MATTERS

North Ayrshire Council recently produced a set of guidelines for all schools to allow us to

work with young people and their families to address any barriers to good attendance. For

young people to make progress it is vital that they are in school every day. While at times

there are very genuine and unavoidable reasons for absence, it is also evident that some

young people are not engaging fully with their education, putting them at risk of

underachieving and impacting negatively on their wellbeing and social development. The

graphic below provides an indication of the impact of non-attendance.

Your child’s pastoral support teacher and year head will monitor attendance. Should your

child’s attendance fall below 90% in a four week period you will be contacted by the school

to discuss reasons for non-attendance. Key actions will be agreed to remove any barriers

for your child. You will be contacted again if attendance continues to fall below 90% over

an eight week, twelve week, and sixteen week period. These new procedures emphasise

the importance of early intervention to prevent poor patterns of attendance from

developing. The school is very keen to work in partnership with families in a supportive way

to bring about positive changes.

We would ask that you continue to communicate with the school regarding any absence

your child has to allow their attendance to be recorded accurately and to avoid any

unnecessary further action from being taken.

SCH

OO

L N

EWS

Sch

oo

l Ne

ws

Thanks to everyone for another successful fundraising year. Our main focus this

session was to raise money to allow a group of Malawi pupils to visit the school in

the new session. Through the efforts of the Charities Committee and the generosity

of many in the local community, we achieved our goal and look forward to

welcoming our visitors in November.

In addition to the charities listed below we have raised money for school funds,

which supports many school-based and extra-curricular opportunities for all pupils.

Mary’s Meals: Nansambo Christmas Jumper Day, £545.17 £1000.00 Primary School, Malawi & Mary’s Meals Lunch, £454.83

Kitchen/Classroom

Malawi Partner School Christmas Jumper Day, £242.24 £7,826.37 Mzambazi Race Night, £1168.40

Spare change Friday, £53.25

Casual Dress Day, £443.30

Malawi Black Tie Ball, £4,040.18

Malawi Standing Orders, £900

Malawi donations, £979

Blytheswood Care Shoebox Appeal £50

UNICEF Fast for Rohingya £804

Holocaust Educational Trust Holocaust Survivor visit £125

Poppy Appeal Mr Martin & AH History class £230

MacMillan Coffee Morning Home Economics Department £310

The Boys Brigade Wood Family Trust, £2,500 £3,000 Largs Academy, £500

James Reid School YPI Bake Sale £105

Age Concern Bake Sale £130.10

Largs Academy Charities Committee, Session 2017-18

SCH

OO

L N

EWS

Sch

oo

l Ne

ws

What does the new campus mean to us?

Largs Academy

Follow us on Twitter

@largsacademy

“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” Michelangelo

AMBITION

We continue to celebrate the work of the school using Twitter. Follow us @LargsAcademy for regular updates

on everything that is happening in Largs Academy. We live by our values of Ambition, Achievement, Respect,

Responsibility and Community and are proud to share our achievements, events and successes with you.

A motivational group

of young ladies

attended a STEM

event with

Mrs MacLean.

#thisayrshiregirlcan!

Inspiring visit from former pupil Rebecca Colquhoun

talking to Higher pupils about studying languages,

translation & interpreting at Herriot Watt University. Our Advanced Higher Biologists visited

the laboratories at Ayrshire College.

Largs Academy

Career Event

brought together

teaching staff,

local businesses,

universities and

colleges to outline

the opportunities

available to our

young people

upon leaving

school.

Some of the

Advanced Higher

Biology class

attended an open

evening at the

Beatson Cancer

Research

Laboratories

where they heard

talks from

experienced

scientists.

We are encouraging our girls to consider

careers in STEM subjects and with

organisations which promote STEM

subjects.

“Your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.” Anon

ACHIEVEMENT

Alexandra was

Largs Academy

Young Musician

of the Year and

Katie, Young

Singer of the

Year!

Congratulations

to Harry who

achieved full

marks in the

UKMT

Mathematical

Challenge!

Huge congratulations to Largs

Academy concert Band on their

success at the SCBF National Finals!

S2 Frazer 200 m Butterfly champion!

Cup & league double – complete!

Well done boys!

Congratulations

to the team

who are

winners of the

NAC

Enterprising

Mathematics

Competition

2018!

Congratulations to our successful

archers Sophie, Lucy & Ross,

members of Inverclyde's Archery

Club, winning gold medals at St

Andrew's University.

Congratulations

to Mark who is

our first

Accelerated

Reader Word

Millionaire!

Congratulations to

Peter who won the

Divison A piano solo at

the Ayrshire Music

Festival.

Congratulations

to Mr Harris who

was North

Ayrshire Council

Probationer

Teacher of the

Year!

S3 Home Economics class test

their skills in a cake making

competition.

Karate success for the young

people of Largs Academy!

Well done

Jessica who

is a national

table tennis

champion!

U15 national

championships

where Jilly won

bronze in

hurdles, taking

nearly half a

second off her

pb, & a gold

medal in high

jump to end the

day as national

champion with a

new 1.62m pb!

“Treat people the way you want to be treated. Talk to people the way you want to be talked to. Respect is earned, not given.” Hussein Nishah

RESPECT

S1-3 Amnesty International pupils gathering signatures

for the petition for ‘the disappeared’ in Eritrea.

We hosted a fast in March for the

Rohnigya crisis. £804 on its way to

UNICEF for this worthy cause!

Fabulous S1 trip to Saltcoats Town Hall to see the Nanjing Little Red Flower

Troupe.

Pupils and staff working hard to raise money for our Malawi Partnership (Beat the

goalie, singing for Malawi, organising the Malawi Fete.)

“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die, and the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility. Eleanor Roosevelt

RESPONSIBILITY

Our S3 Child Care class are hard at work with little visitors from

Largs Early Years Centre.

Our partners in the police, social work and youth

services joined us for a morning to help S3 pupils

consider the risks of crime, alcohol and drug abuse.

Well done to S1 pupils Robbie, Calum, Alage and

Dylan who were presented with certificates by

Leeanne and Angela from NHS Ambulance Control

Centre commending them for helping with an

emergency incident.

We were delighted to take a group of

S3 pupils to the TEDx conference in

Glasgow. Our young people had the

opportunity to listen to some highly

creative and inspirational young people

with the view of inspiring them!

Our School of Rugby girls keeping

fit and working hard at a training

session with the Glasgow Warriors

W Warriers

The Joint Campus Choir

took their

responsibilities seriously

as they sang for the First

Minister at the official

opening of the Largs

Campus on 13 June.

“It is the efforts of individuals that create the ripples that can move mountains.” Anon

COMMUNITY

On Wednesday 28 March we closed the doors to the old Largs

Academy for the last time. We are now proud to be part of the new

Largs Campus.

Our annual

Communities Day

saw pupils involved

in community bag-

packing, park

tidying, and

gardening. Largs

Academy pupils are

encouraged to value

their contribution to

the local

community.

Activities Week

provided

opportunities for

extended school

based activities as

well as trips to

London, Lake Garda,

Ryze, skiing at Soar,

Cumbrae for cycling,

Gourock for

swimming and Perth

for water sports.

We enjoy strong

relationships with our local

Chaplaincy team who

provide excellent support

to the pupils and staff of

Largs Academy.

The ‘Hyper Pipers’ have provided a

real sense of occasion at many

school events this term. This

included the official opening of our

new school and the prom.

Our Bartisa class has gone

from strength to strength

with pupils gaining

invaluable vocational

skills. Members of the

class are pictured at the

Princes Trust award

ceremony where their

success was celebrated!

Largs Academy Senior Football Team

Winners of the Ayrshire Cup 2018

D Ewing of

S6 won

Ayrshire

Player of

the Year,

presented

by Mr

Wilson

LARGS ACADEMY TIMETABLE

SESSION 2018-19

Monday and Tuesday Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

09.00-09.10 Registration 09.00-09.10 Registration

09.10-10.00 Period 1 09.10-10.00 Period 1

10.00-10.50 Period 2 10.00-10.50 Period 2

10.50-11.05 Interval 10.50-11.05 Interval

11.05-11.55 Period 3 11.05-11.55 Period 3

11.55-12.45 Period 4 11.55-12.45 Period 4

12.45-13.35 Period 5 12.45-13.25 Lunch

13.35-14.15 Lunch 13.25-14.15 Period 5

14.15-15.05 Period 6 14.15-15.05 Period 6

15.05-15.55 Period 7