Parents Association

Big Picnic Stallholders Meeting

Thursday 15th May 7pm at the Junior School

Please could all stall coordinators attend a meeting to discuss arrangements and preparations at the above place and time.

Any queries please contact Tory Craig 07745130987 torylintoncraig@aol.com

Big Picnic 2008 - 21st June

Your Assistance is Required!

We need -

· Toys - new or old -complete and in good condition! No 2nd hand soft toys please!

· Books, DVDs, CDs and PC/PS etc Games - new or old in good condition!

· Bric-a Brac - good condition - no electrical goods please!

· Empty Jam Jars - any size, empty and clean, with a lid please!

Full Bottles and Jars - unopened and within Use by Date - anything will do but nothing poisonous!

Please start your spring clean now!

Any items can be delivered to either Senior School office, or Ronnie Paxton's office in Junior School from Monday 5th May onwards

Any queries and any other offers of help please contact Tory Craig 07745130987 torylintoncraig@aol.com

Plant Stall

There will as usual be a plant stall at the Big Picnic-please start preparing now! If you are digging up plants you don't want, or splitting ones that are too big, or planting out and have too many -please think of us and hang on to them for us until June.

Any queries please contact Heike Campbell 01314671946 campbellz@blueyonder.co.uk

Raffle Prizes

The bigger the better - but size isn't everything! Any raffle prizes gratefully received - can be left for Gill Peters at Junior or Senior School.

Any queries contact Gill Peters 07769902027 melford@quik.com

Jam Jar Tombola

P5T will be running the Jam Jar Tombola for children, and the Bottle Tombola, for adults, at the Big Picnic this year. Please start collecting jam jars for the Tombola. Jars are most useful if jam jar size, clean, with lids and the labels washed off. From the first week of May there will be a box in which to leave your empty jars outside Ron Paxton's office at the Junior School.

With thanks Julie Fontana (P5T Rep) and Anne Maclean (P5T)

What's On?

Mountaineering Club Junior Meet

Sunday 4th May

Meall nan Tarmachan – a Munro walk (but starting 450m up the hill). Near Killin (petrol permitting!). There are still spaces.

Applications to or information from Mr Fenton quickly.

Third Year Play

Thursday and Friday, 8th and 9th May 7.30pm Watt Theatre

“Macbeth And The Rebel’s Plot”

Tickets available from the Senior School Office. All welcome.

Summer Concert

Saturday 17th May 7pm Queen’s Hall

Featuring our orchestras, concert bands, Dance Band and Chamber Choir – plus final year soloists.

Tickets will be on sale at the School Office from Wednesday.

There will be pm rehearsals for all groups on the day at the Queen’s Hall – schedule to follow in next week’s Newssheet.

The Edinburgh Academy Ball 2008

Friday 7th November

Tables are selling fast as expected for The Edinburgh Academy Ball which will be held on Friday 7th November at The Assembly Rooms in George Street. This is a biannual event open to all parents and staff from both the Junior and Senior School and it would be great to see lots of new faces coming along. The Ball begins with a Champagne Reception followed by 3 course meal and then dancing, both ceilidh and rock and roll! There is also fundraising fun during the evening as well as a casino. To avoid disappointment please talk to friends and organise a table of 10. To reserve a table contact Sally Spilsbury on sallyspils@btinternet.com or call her on (0131) 552 4942. Tickets cost £70 per person and a non-refundable deposit of £100 is required per table. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR TABLE RESERVATION CANNOT BE GUARANTEED UNTIL DEPOSIT RECEIVED. All profits go to projects within the school. The Ball Committee hopes many of you will come along.

Academicals In the News

March – April 2008

We are sad to announce the death on 16th March of Donald Sloan (32-44) but pleased to see a fulsome tribute to him in the Evening News. Donald went straight from school into the Royal Scots, and on returning to Edinburgh in 1948 started playing rugby for the Accies. He played for the Barbarians in 1949 and 1950 and was capped seven times for Scotland between 1950 and 1953. Donald's father, Allen, was also at the Academy (06-11) and they were the first Academical father and son both to play rugby for Scotland.

A report in The Scotsman at the end of March featured Jamie, son of Colin Whittle (52-56). Jamie, who has recently written a book on a canoe journey down the River Findhorn, works in environmental law for the firm R & R Urquhart LLP, in which Colin is the senior partner. Jamie says he enjoys working with his dad, who is 'an outstanding lawyer and he's a great mentor.'

Richard Loudon (62-75), who is residential property partner with Simpson & Marwick, was pictured in the Scotland on Sunday last month, alongside an article on the activities of his firm. Simpson & Marwick won the Residential Property Team of the Year Award, presented at the Scottish Legal Awards ceremony in the Hilton, Glasgow. These awards are the 'Oscars' of the Scottish legal profession.

Laurence Whitley (54-67), the minister of St Mungo's Church in Glasgow, is quoted in a Scotsman article describing how the Church of Scotland is to give more financial autonomy to its constituent parishes. The effects of this decision were compared in his church and a church in Craigmillar. Laurence's comment was that 'it requires the strong to look after the weak, and it is my job to make people understand that'.

Twins Phil and Tom Bancroft (76-85) are both part of the jazz threesome, AAB, whose recent concert got a four-star review in The Scotsman in March. AAB was apparently 'formed sometime back in the late 1980s when a bass player didn't show up for a gig'. The critic, Sue Wilson, reported that 'matching dynamism with wit and mischief, this was music to make you smile and tap your feet…'

Also in the entertainment world, Sophie Wu (00-02) appeared in the 1st April episode of the BBC series Hotel Babylon, where she played a 'young-looking' Chinese escort. Sophie has also appeared in an episode of Casualty in 2006 and in the 2007 film, Far North.

Scotland on Sunday's business section on 24th March had a photo of Jake Millar (69-82) and his wife Tia holding glasses of bubbly outside The Shore in Leith. The Fishers restaurant chain, owned by Jake and Tia, has recently bought The Shore, which is one of Britain's first gastro-pubs. We wish them luck in their new venture.

There has been much about Academicals' homes and gardens in the news in March and April this year. The first article was a gardens feature in Scotland on Sunday, which showed several photos of George Burnet (34-46)'s garden and its glorious camellias. It seems that George first tried growing camellias simply because, when he first moved into the house, he was told by neighbours that it was impossible.

All is not so rosy in the New Town. The Scotsman of 5th March reported the end of a dispute between neighbours. Siggi Bennett (62-74), nephew of the late Magnus Magnusson (35-48), has had his case upheld in the Court of Session. It was claimed that his neighbours had 'changed the use of their property from a dwelling house to an entertainment venue'. A Council notice, a public enquiry and a lawsuit later, the case has been resolved in Siggi's favour.

The cover of The Scotsman's property section of 20th March featured Scotland's rugby team captain Mike Blair (86-99), who is selling his Manor Place flat. There were good photos of both the flat and Mike, who explained that his was never really a bachelor pad. He told Viv Mackay (96-98) that she could live there while he went to Australia for the 2003 World Cup. 'She never really moved out,' he said, 'so it definitely became more of a bachelorette pad, which is probably no bad thing'. They were married in June last year.

Lastly, we've heard of two Accies running in the recent London Marathon. Andrew Wilmshurst (69-82), who is a doctor in Kirriemuir, and who trains on Mayar and Dreish, completed the course in 2 hours 45 minutes and 49 seconds, and in the process raised £1,600 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Also running, though not quite at Andrew's pace, was Tom Duff (73-87). His was still a fine effort, though, at 3 hours 57 minutes 47 seconds.

Notices

Revised Enterprises Shop Opening Hours

Please note the revised shop opening hours commencing on Wednesday 7th May will be:

Wednesday and Friday 11.00–11.30am and 12.30-1.00 pm

Jim McLaren

Junior Piping Competition

The following are the leading results from the Junior Piping Competition held at Loretto School on 25th April.

Chanter Competition Age 10 years and under

1st Angus MacPherson

Chanter Competition Age 12 years and under

1st Jamie Black

2nd Jamie Allan

Bagpipe Competition B Grade Age 13 years and under

1st Tom Grey

2nd Hamish MacPherson

3rd Ross Welsh

Bagpipe Competition A Grade Age 13 years and under

3rd Angus Lutton

Well done to all who received a prize and those who competed but were unsuccessful. The Edinburgh Academy was awarded 7 out of 12 prizes: a good effort by all.

Sport

JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORT

U9/11 Scottish Golf Championships

On a fine but cool day in St Andrews, our golf squad participated with excellent skills and concentration. In the U11s, Rory Mellis played a calculated and calm round to finish with a net 62 in fourth place - a fantastic effort! In the U9s, there were some fantastic swings on show and certainly much promise for the future. Leading Academy boy, Kamran Afshar, finished on an excellent gross 95 for 18 holes along with Henry Hunter and Cameron Mellis on 100, Lorne Scott-Dempster 120, Freddie Cliff 127, Christopher Jacobs 147 and Charlie Edward on 165. Well done, everyone!

Scottish Cross Country Championships

The P6 team, competing in a total field of around 2000 runners, ran a fantastic race on a mildly undulating course over 1 mile. In the boys’ race, Melvin-Farr led the team out from the front after a fast start and stayed in touch with the leading runners throughout the race to finish in an excellent 5th place, in a new personal best time of 7.05m. He was followed in by Gilmour (52nd), Ning (57th), Troup (69th) and Kinghorn (116th). The boys showed a real fighting spirit right to the end, overtaking others in a sprint finish. The girls’ race saw Berkmiller and Zaidi lead from the front, and they again showed a real strength of character and good running style to finish in 25th and 91st place respectively. A brilliant effort by all. Well done and thank you to all who supported the team.

P6 Cricket v Watson’s

1sts: EA – 213 for 16, Watson’s – 236 for 8
2nds: EA - 147 for 12, Watson’s - 242 for 8

Some fine fielding and bowling kept the teams in the games but the batting and especially running between the wickets gave away too many wickets and runs in the end. Keep putting in the effort in practice, boys!

Mark Enos, Head of PE

ATHLETICS

Athletics v Strathallan was cancelled at very late notice on Saturday. Sorry to all those who came in to catch the bus.

Our next match Open and U17 is on Tuesday V Fettes, Merchiston and Stewarts Melville and Saturday sees all age groups versus Watson’s.

HOCKEY

Plate Competition of the Scottish Schools Cup

Final Score: Fettes College 5 Edinburgh Academy 2

The 1st XI were 3-0 down within 25 minutes. The opposition were given too much space in the last third. As attacks progress up the pitch it is crucial that defenders mark players tightly and deny the opposition pass options into scoring positions. The 1st XI improved as the game progressed and arguably finished the game the stronger side. Chris Duncan marked his last game, having represented the 1st XI for three years, with an outstanding game and a goal. Nicholas Aspinall, who has led by example, scored a deserved goal. Special mention must go to Jamie Thornton who was exceptional in goal. This was the last game for many of the 1st XI; they have been extremely enjoyable players to coach and I wish them every success with their future in the game.

James Pillinger

CRICKET

1st XI v Heriot’s and Watson’s

The cup match against Heriot’s was fairly one sided with only 48 set as a target, which we managed for the loss of one. The bowling had been fairly accurate against a weak opposition.

The roles were reversed on Saturday as we resembled a very weak batting line up with 8 players getting out bowled. Batting disasters can happen in cricket as it can be one mistake and out. Only Nick Hunt hung around for any length of time as we collapsed to 5 for 4. In fairness the Watson’s opening bowlers were impressive, but we were guilty of poor decision making and poor execution of shot. As ever, it produces an opportunity to learn and show some character.

Mike Allingham

RESULTS

Tuesday 22nd April

1st XI v Heriot’s (h) 30 overs Cup match. Won by 9 wkts.

Heriot’s 48 all out (A. Murray 3 for 11, R. Allison 2 for 8, A. Blair 2 for 9)

EA 51 for 1 (D. Rushworth 21 n.o. N. Hunt 17)

Saturday 28th April

1st XI v Watson’s (h) 35 overs. Lost by 7 wkts.

EA 39 all out (N. Hunt 16)

Watson’s 42 for 3

2nd XI v Watson’s (h) 30 overs. Won by 73 runs.

EA 170 for 6 (R. Waddell 38, A. Colam 37 no, R. Bredin 30, G. Neep 25)

Watson’s 97all out (A. Green 5 for 31, J. Woodbridge 2 for 29)

B1 v Watson’s (a) 20 overs. Won by 5 wickets.

Watson’s 66 all out. (D. November 4-9 inc hat trick; M. Zegleman 2-4; J. Connor 2-17)

EA 67-5 (J. Connor 29)

B2 v Watson’s (a) 25 overs. Lost by 29 runs.

Watson’s 90 all out (L. Graham 3 wkts)

EA 61 all out

C1 v Watson’s (a) 20 overs. Won by 65 Runs.

EA 114 - 1 (R. Orr 62 n.o. A. Rive 25 n.o.)

Watson’s 49 All out (M. Nimbley 4-1, C. Simpson 2-8, J. Bredin 2-9)

C2 v Watson’s (h) 20 overs. Won by 46 runs.

EA 93 for 4 (A. Reid 25)

Watson’s 47 all out (C. Sneddon 3 for 4)

D1 v Watson’s (a) 25 overs. Lost by 1 run.

Watson’s 113 for 8 (R. Simpson 3 for 15)

EA 112 all out (A. Swan 54 no)

D2 v Watson’s (a) 20 overs. Lost by 4 runs.

Watson’s 98 all out (J. Balfour 4 wkts)

EA 94 all out (J. Balfour 24, T. Grey 21)

JA1 v Watson’s (a) 20 overs. Won by 1 wkt.

Watson’s 57 all out (M.Petrie 3-14, M Finlayson 2-9)

EA 61-9 (C.Rust 11,C.Carmichael 10,J.Moynihan 10, A.Petrie 9no)

JA2 v Watson’s (a) 20 overs. Lost by 40 runs.

Watson’s 82 for 6

EA 42 for 3