QMA News Christmas 2013 www.queenmargaret.sayr.sch.uk Dear parent or guardian, It has been an exciting and full term and in this newsletter we have endeavoured to give a flavour of the extra curricular work of the school. We were particularly pleased that we were asked by SCIAF to represent them at a charity event with First Minister Alex Salmond. Details are on Page 2. We have formed a good working partnership with SCIAF over the past years. Our St Margaret’s Day celebrations were a great success. The Mass with Bishop John, Canon Keegans and our own Fr. Philip was very uplifting. Once again the pupils exemplified the true ethos of QMA in their attitude and behaviour during the Mass and the afternoon’s activities. A special congratualtions to Lauren Maxton in S1 whose entry for an art competition was judged overall winner and is on display on Ayr High Street. Finally can I wish all our pupils, parents and staff a holy and peaceful Christmas. Best wishes Mr A Flynn. Parent’s Nights 2013-14 S4 21st Jan 2014 S3 25th Mar 2014 S1 20th May 2014 Columba 1400 At the beginning of December 14 of our S3 pupils accompanied by two members of staff travelled to the Isle of Skye to take part in the Columba leadership development programme. The leadership training course concentrates on the development of the S3 group at their final workshop six Columban values of Awareness, Focus, Creativity, Perseverance, Integrity and Service. At the end of the week the leader of the Columba team said to the headteacher of QMA, that he could only think of one other school group in the past who had demonstrated the level of commitment and unity which he observed in The Columba centre in Staffin on Skye the QMA group. Their response was terrific. The group will take forward their leadership ideas next session to build on the training with other pupils within the school community. A futher two groups will attend the sessions in 2014 and 2015. Fun Maths Road show’ The Maths department ran the ‘Fun Maths Road show’ on Monday the 9th of December for S1 pupils. This event was supported by Science ConnectsGlasgow University who sent a STEM ambassador to lead the event. It was an enjoyable and worthwhile day for all pupils involved. Mrs Leishman and Miss Allen with S1 pupils Dates for the diary Start of term 2 6th Jan 2014 End of term 2 4th April 2014 Start of Term 3 22nd April 2014 End of term 3 27th June 2014 1 Christmas Concert 2013 A Cracker of a show! QMA, once again, showcased some of the best talent South Ayrshire has to offer. Showcasing their talent was the School Orchestra directed by Dave O’Connell, performing Skyfall and selections from Les Miserables. The Senior Voices were outstanding singing Pie Jesu and Bring Him Home - giving us some real tearjerking moments. The Junior Choir sang You Gotta Be with soloist Niamh Mullan and finished off with a cheeky performance of Santa Baby! Also showing off their skills were the Ceilidh Band, Rock Band, Wind Band, Cello Quartet, Woodwind ensemble and String Group. A truly brilliant evening spent with our extremely talented pupils! S1 DAY RETREAT Feast of St. Margaret Our annual S1 day retreat tries to bring the pupils closer to the person of Jesus but also Margaret our patron saint. It aimed to inspire them to live out the Gospel command to love their neighbour. A number of sessions were held throughout the day. The Gideons annual visit to present pupils with their own copy of the New Testament and Psalms was held in the Oratory. The Gideons spoke about their work and the importance of the Word of God for daily living. They used DVD input, powerpoint and personal testimony. A session on St Margaret included both information on her life and an exploration of how we can follow in her footsteps. Pupils worked with a partner and produced posters. A music session was used to prepare pupils for Mass. As well as teaching pupils a number of praise hymns the Mass responses were also practiced. S6 pupils involved in the Caritas Award helped to lead this session. When we recently celebrated St Margaret’s Day this year we were graced with the presence of Bishop Cunningham, as well as Canon Keegans, who joined Fr Philip to concelebrate this Mass. We commissioned some S6 pupils during the Mass to be Eucharistic Ministers Lauren Maxton Lauren Maxton from Queen Margaret Academy created outstanding artwork to celebrate the festive season and won the Owen Kerr Signs Christmas banner competition. Every year Owen Kerr Signs run a competition for primary school children to design a banner to go up in Ayr as part of the Christmas festivities. This year, for the first time there was also a competition for secondary pupils too. The talented young artist visited the premises of Owen Kerr to see her designs made up into a banner that people will be able to enjoy during the festive season. School senior choir Its Panto time......Oh yes it is! QMA Senior Choir Wind band performing Mass led by Bishop John Cunningham S1-S3 pupils at the Panto in Gaity theatre in Ayr Wind ensemble Owen Kerr said: “We are delighted once again to sponsor the Schools Christmas Banner Competition”. 2013 has seen a record number of entries and this year we launched a secondary school competition. As usual it has been a pleasure to see the creativity from the children and deciding on the winning designs has been difficult. Lauren Maxton, who created the nativity design said: “I was very pleased to be the secondary schools winner and felt very proud when I saw my banner in the High Street for the first time.” 2 SCIAF Christmas Appeal As part of our S1 Day Retreat, Mark Booker, SCIAF Education Officer, led a session on Inspiring People. He has posted a picture and some comments made by S1 pupils on the Blog Section of the SCIAF Website. Why not have a look. You could also have a look at the Real Gifts section of the Website as the RE department are encouraging all classes to collect money during Advent and send a Christmas Gift with a difference to people around the world. vvvvvvv Junior Choir in the Community The Junior Choir, led by Miss Phillips, were invited to Orchard House Residential Home in Ayr in December to perform to the residents. The all-female group performed a variety of popular songs and also a festive collection . The performance was excellent and very much enjoyed by the staff and residents of Orchard House. We look forward to visiting our new friends at Orchard House again very soon for another performance. First Minister Alex Salmon meets some S6 representatives from QMA and Music teacher Miss Karolyn Phillips vvvvvvvvvvv QMA S6 representatives for SCIAF meet local Provost Helen Mooney At the end of November a group of sixth year girls including Ann Ocampo, Celese McGarvie, Luca McQuillan and Amy Holmes ran a stall to donate money to those affected by the typhoon that has recently struck the Philippines. The girls sold ice cream which was supplied by Mancini's ice cream as well as homemade pancakes. They successfully raised £218.30 and we received further donation of £250 from a parent. Thank you to all involved! Modern Studies Dept.at Holyrood Parliament As part of their study of Scottish politics the S4 Modern Studies class visited the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, 28th November, to meet with local MSP John Scott, view the parliament at work and watch First Ministers Questions. The debate was lively and QMA were fortunate enough to have front row seats to witness the debate between the MSPs. We also featured in the backdrop of the BBC lunchtime news bulletin! John Scott MSP explains the work of the parliament to our young people. Nicola Sturgeon chats with pupils from QMA during the visit 3 Debating Teams Race Night Queen Margaret Academy was represented at the STV / Debating Matters Referendum Debate on Scottish Independence at the Burns Museum. Four fifth year pupils, Euan Scott, Joseph Shaw, Erin Clark and Thomas Shaw, showed off their debating prowess in an exciting and lively debate with Eastwood High and St Joseph’s Academy in Kilmarnock. It was a great day for all the young people involved. Our other public speaking team Hannah Paterson and Samuel Chitty are pictured with the Victim Support Public Speaking Competition Shield, following their win at University of West of Scotland. The race night organised by Colin Fitzsimmons, Vice Chairperson of our parent council was a resounding success. The event was held at Ayr United's Hospitality Suite. Connor Oates was the lucky winner of the £200 Freesat system donated by Mr C Fitzsimmons of Satellite Aerials Comms. A long weekend break donated by Seton Sands Caravan Park was won by Brian Tyrie. A big thanks to John and Jimmy Cope and also to George of GB Race nights. Everyone appeared to have great fun and there were even calls to make it an annual event. SAYF Awards 2013 Nearly 200 South Ayrshire young people, between the ages of 14 and 15, were nominated for the South Ayrshire Youth Forum (SAYF) Awards 2013 which recognise, celebrate and reward the achievements of our young people. This year a record breaking 33 finalists were selected. A number of Queen Margaret Academy pupils and initiatives were nominated. It was a great event, well organised by the forum, showcasing some excellent talent in our schools. Double Award Winner! Caitlyn McVittie won an award within the unsung hero category and she also won the ‘Young Start of the Year’ award. QMA Heartstart and the Pupil Leadership Team were finalists and runners-up. Dobbie Christmas event Once again the QMA music department were invited by Dobbies garden centre to provide music for a special evening event. The Ceildh band led by Miss Phillips provided entertainment for customers for the centres Christmas opening evening. As usual the group were fantastic and an unexpected delight for the shoppers. vvvvvv Mass and Adoration in QMA 4 Since the beginning of term the time of Mass and Eucharistic Adoration has changed. They are now: Adoration Tue 1.30 - 2.00pm Mass Wed 1.15pm