Reviews

The Edinburgh Academy CCF Centenary: 1908-2008

This year the cadet movement at the Edinburgh Academy will be 100 years old.  A number of activities have been planned in order to celebrate this important anniversary.  The first of these events took place on Monday 5th May. The entire contingent lined up for a photograph in the main yard; the sun shone and everyone looked fairly smart although the hair was a little longer and more colourful than it would have been 100 years ago.  The Rector presented all cadets with a commemorative medal thereafter which everyone seemed pretty pleased with.  All personnel will have the opportunity to purchase a photograph; distribution details will be announced once the proof prints are returned.

The next key event in the calendar will be The Scottish Schools Combined Cadet Forces Massed Pipes & Drums Beating Retreat Ceremony held on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle on Wednesday 21st May; the Edinburgh Academy will host the event.  The retreat will be open to the general public from 1945hrs with the retreat due to commence at 2000hrs.

Parents Association

Download a Big Picnic Flyer
(left - 390K pdf)

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! Contact Helen Strachan 556 5097 hstrachan@rnsolicitors.com

Books, DVDs, CDs and PC/PS etc Games - new or old in good condition! Contact Athol Bowman 07801 042811 athol.bowman@virgin.net

Bric-a-Brac - good condition - no electrical goods please! Contact Barbara Reid 07899 793315 barbara.reid@virgin.net

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! Contact  Anne Maclean 07789 463992

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 now onwards

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 01314 671946 campbellz@blueyonder.co.uk

Homebaking and Preserves, Jams etc

Nut free please!  Contact Jenny Benfield 313 2684 jenny.benfield@fsmail.net

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 07769 902027 melford@quik.com

And finally there will as usual be -

The Bike Exchange

Bikes scooters trikes heelies and wheelies welcome! Seller gets 50% of sale proceeds and school gets 50% Contact Josie Inwood 556 3268 maxwell.inwood@blueyonder.co.uk

Or just donate your time! We always need more help! If you've never done it before now's the time to start!

Any queries and any other offers of help please contact Tory Craig 07745 130987 torylintoncraig@aol.com

What's On?

Summer Concert

Saturday 17th May 7.00pm Queen’s Hall

Featuring our Orchestras, Concert Bands, Dance Band and Chamber Choir – plus final year soloists.

Tickets are on sale at the School Office. All pupils should have had a letter with order form.

There will be pm rehearsals for all groups on the day at the Queen’s Hall as follows:

12.45 Dance Band;
1.15 Senior Concert Band;
1.45 Junior Concert Band;
2.15 Chamber Choir;
2.45 Junior Orchestra;
3.15 String Orchestra;
3.45 Senior Orchestra.

We aim to be finished by 5.00. Performers please arrive ten minutes before rehearsal times.

Lunchtime Concert

Tuesday 20th May 12.45 Robertson Room

To include performances by bassoonists and guitarists.

Edinburgh Academical Cricket Club (EACC)

Junior Section 2008

EACC is again offering regular coaching and matches for juniors. These will start in May and will continue through the summer until August (see below). EACC will play and train at New Field while Raeburn Place undergoes development.

A team comprising the new EACC professionals and qualified coaches Michael Raso, and Matthew Williamson,  EACC qualified coach Mike Thomson, assisted by EACC current 1st XI League players, will provide coaching. The subscription is £50 per first child with progressive £10 reductions for brothers and sisters.

P3 to P6 children: sessions at New Field every Sunday from 11a.m. to 12.30p.m. starting on 4 May. The emphasis is on Kwik cricket style activities and the basics of cricketing techniques. No spiked footwear. This will include tournaments with other clubs.

Senior school children: sessions at New Field every Tuesday and Thursday from 5p.m. to 6.15p.m. starting on 22 April. The emphasis is on cricketing techniques and an appreciation of tactics. No spiked footwear. There is also a full programme of U.13 and U15 matches.

All children born on or after 1st September 1992 are eligible for the U15 side. All sessions are weather permitting. Assistance from any parents with the coaching or helping out on match days would be most welcome. Could all parents of children who wish to play, or who might want to play cricket for Accies this summer, please email Mike Thomson at mike@acciescricket.co.uk For more details contact Mike Thomson 556-2312 or 07875 392 210, Alastair Carmichael 552-0233, Mr Allingham or go to www.acciescricket.co.uk. Otherwise, just turn up at the appropriate practice day and we’ll be able to help you out.

Accies is an open club, and if your children have any friends, not at E.A. who may wish to play cricket, they are always welcome at Accies.

EA Summer Rugby Course

Open to all EA pupils from the current P3 to the current 5ths. Monday 11th August to Friday 15th August 10am to 3pm each day. Cost £90 per person. Free gift included. Cheques to be payable to Mike Allingham. To book a place contact Mike Allingham on 624 4959 or mjga@edinburghacademy.org.uk

RUGBY

Edinburgh Academy v Merchiston 150th celebration Dinner

To recognise the oldest consecutive Rugby football fixture in the world, 150 years, the Edinburgh Academy Football club and Merchiston Castle School Football club will be holding a dinner at Murrayfield on Friday October 31st. The 150th match between the schools will take place at Raeburn Place on Saturday 1st November 2008. We are hoping to attract at least 400 people and we have space for more.

Sponsor required

In order to help with the significant expense of such an occasion The Edinburgh Academy Football Club are seeking a sponsor for the event at a fee of £2500.

Please see small ads for details.

Notices

Half Term

After School Club

Please note that on Friday 23rd May, P1/2 finish at 2pm, P3-6 at 2.10pm and Senior School at 3pm. Mackenzie House After School Club will operate till 5pm only. Prior booking is essential. If you have not received a booking form for this already and need to book, please contact Shelagh Sharp 624 4908, or afterschool@edinburghacademy.org.uk

junior After-School Activities

Note that there will be NO AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES on Wednesday 28th, Thursday 29th or Friday 30th May. Booking for Mackenzie House After School Club on these days is essential. It may not be possible to take extras on the day.

S Sharp afterschool@edinburghacademy.org.uk

Holiday Club

The Junior School Holiday Club will NOT run on Monday 26th or Tuesday 27th May. However, the Academy Sports Centre are running a Holiday Camp on both days. Contact Andy Utterson on 624 4900 or au@edinburghacademy.org.uk for information and booking.

New Nursery Slide Show

Behind the building site screens at the Junior School, the new nursery and after school care building is rapidly taking shape.  You can follow its progress in the regularly updated on line slide show accessible from www.edinburghacademy.org.uk/
nursery/facilities.htm

School Office Half Term Holiday

Please note that the School Office, Henderson Row, will be closed on both Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th May for the Half Term Break.

Exams

The season has started, and 6ths are now on Study Leave.

GCSE candidates have a special study leave afternoon on Monday 19th May, between their Maths and English Literature exams.

Academicals In the News

Fiona Houston,  EA Court Director and EA Mum (Adair Wood, P6K) and , is the author of  a new book "Seaweed and Eat It: A Family Foraging and Cooking Adventure" (published by Virgin Books, available in Waterstones, and online www.foragerangers.com). Fiona, Adair,  and some other faces you may recognize, will be featuring on BBC One Scotland's Landward programme, Fridays, 7pm, for the next four weeks.

Fiona and fellow Edinburgh mum, Xa Milne, wrote the  'forage rangers'  column for the Weekend Telegraph, and "Seaweed and Eat It" has recently featured in The List, Scotland on Sunday, Sunday Herald, Independent, Telegraph and Guardian.

Sport

U11 cricket v Ardvreck (24 overs)

Ardvreck 78 all out
EAJS     79 for 5

Result:   Won by 5 wickets

On a beautiful afternoon the Academy elected to field and proceeded to bowl some excellent line and length balls to skittle Ardvreck out for 78 in 19 overs. The fielding was kept tight despite losing 34 runs to extras! All the bowlers contributed with nearly everyone taking a wicket! In reply a solid foundation was set by Dent and Mackay reaching 24 without loss. Ardvreck then took 2 quick wickets and Kinghorn came in to steady the ship with a hard hitting 21 before being caught and bowled. It was then up to Troup (15no) and Melvin-Farr (2no) to reach the winning line with 5 wickets to spare in 21 overs. This was an intelligent display of accumulating runs with good running between the wickets and some excellent striking of bad balls for 4. Great effort! Well done, everyone! Thank you to all who supported the team.

Loretto Golf Academy U11 Golf Championships 2008

Rory Mellis attended this 14 hole stableford event at Haddington Golf Club and returned with a first place finish on a gross 62 (36 stableford points). What a fantastic achievement and congratulations, Rory!

Mark Enos, Head of Junior PE

ATHLETICS

v Merchiston: Lost 144.5 to 129.5

Another very competitive athletics match and an enjoyable afternoon. In the Open competition Brodie Ballantine won the 400m (58.1) and 110m hurdles (16.7), Rory Paterson picked up his first win of the season in the 800m 2m16.1, and Zak Muluzi won the shot (11.86m).

In the U17 competition the Academy had wins with Angus Normand in the 400m running 56.9, Marshall Catonio in the High Jump jumping 1.65m, Sam Nicholson in the shot with a putt of 12.49m. The star of the afternoon was GP Franchi who won both the U17 800m 2m10.6 and 1500m 4m49.5 in two very competitive races.

Despite the thunder and lighting the match was completed . Well done to all athletes who have represented the team this year at senior level. We have one junior match left against Heriot’s on  21st May and then the Edinburgh and Scottish Schools events for our elite performers.

CRICKET

1st XI report
It was a very competent peformance in the Cup semi final against Lothian Schools. We batted intelligently with our openers building a strong base followed up with a good aggressive knock from David Rushworth. The bowling was steady with good spells in particular from Alex Murray and Nick Hunt.

The Merchiston challenge is always a tough one with the quality of their South African exchange student usually a strong determining factor. He was certainly influential with a brutal and classy 123 not out. Their 19 year old West Indian, in his third year, pitched in with an impressive 68 and their opener stroked an equally impressive 58. Playing against quality batsmen is a true test for a bowling attack and we held it together pretty well in the pre-lunch session. Post-lunch was carnage as the first 5 overs went for 65! Pick of our bowlers was again Nick Hunt with good accuracy and variations. Unfortunately our batting reply was disrupted and eventually foiled by the weather, but not before a swashbuckling knock from Adam Simpson.

Cricket scorer needed for 1st XI.

A chance to be involved with the 1st XI and earn some pocket money. I will help out with training. If keen see Mr Allingham.

Results: Monday 5th May

D1 v Lothian Schools. 20 overs. Won by 35 runs. EA 93 for 9   (C. Dent 18, M Scott 17) Lothian Schools 58 for 7 ( G Ramsey 3 - 6)

Saturday 10th May

1st XI v Merchiston. 50 overs. Match abandoned. Merchiston 293 for 4 EA 77 for 4 (A. Simpson 33 no)

2nd XI v Merchiston. 35 overs. Match abandoned. EA 159 for 5 (G. Morecroft 81, R. Bredin 28, R. Waddell 23)

3rd XI v Merchiston. 30 overs. Match abandoned. Merchiston 93 all out (R. Kemmett 2 for 15, T. Macdonald 2 for 20)

B1 v Merchiston. Time. Match abandoned. Merchiston  98 all out  (D. November 4-28, J. Pardoe 2 – 10, N. Keyden 2 – 20) EA  23 for 3

B2 v Merchiston.  Match abandoned (no details came in).

C1 v Merchiston 30 Overs. Match abandoned. Merchiston 134-5  (M. Nimbley 2-12) EA 54-2 from 10 Overs (R. Orr 36 Not Out)

C2 v Merchiston 30 Overs. Match abandoned. EA 146 for 5  (A. Harris 52, M. Macpherson 23) Merchiston 65 for 3 (14 overs)

D1 v Loretto. 20 overs. Won by 83 runs. EA 125 for 6 (A. Swan 54 no) Loretto 42 all out (H. Macpherson 3 - 12, G. Ramsey 2 - 4, J. Balfour 2 - 1)

D2 v Strathallan. 25 overs. Won by 7 wkts Strathallan  64 all out (C. Newell 5 for 15) EA 65 for 3 (C. Turner 25)

JA1 v Strathallan. 25 overs. Won by 96 runs. EA 124 for 2 (C. Carmichael 77no, C. Rust 14no) Strathallan 28 all out (C. Rust 5 for 3, J. Moynihan 2 for 1)