Rector
We had a marvellous day on Saturday for the Games and other festivities, and were fortunate to stay dry until all was finished. Then, in the early evening, the heavens opened to remind us of previous joyous occasions, endured in thunder and lightning. Thank you to Mr Saunders and to all who worked so hard on the Games, and congratulations to all athletes who took part, some of whom showed that records are there to be broken, not merely respected. An enormous thank you also to the organisers of the Big Picnic; it was a wonderful event, informal, friendly, lively – but it took a huge amount of work to bring it together. To Tory Craig and to all the team, congratulations and our admiration. Finally, a warm farewell to parents, pupils, colleagues, other readers. We have had thirteen wonderful years at the Academy, and have been so happy and, indeed, so privileged to be part of a great school which is centred upon people, not statistics. It is a very special community, and I hope very much that all feel welcomed and encouraged when they first join, and supported as they move on. Best wishes to all, especially this week to leavers – and thank you for all that this school has meant to us and to our family. Katy and John Light |
Headteacher
Last week was an action packed week, and it was good to see so many of you supporting all the different events which were going on in school. Thanks to your wonderful support, we were able to raise over £3000 for our African Children’s Choir, who gave an inspirational concert on Wednesday evening. I was delighted that we could repay the compliment the following evening by inviting them to Aladdin, our P6 musical. This was a show fit for the West End. It was superb and a fitting finale for our producer, Mr Dickenson, as he leaves for Kelvinside at the end of this week. Well done to all who were involved from lighting crew, to sound engineers, to costume designers, and to our musical director, Mrs Russell. It was a great team effort, just as the magnificent Big Picnic was on Saturday, organised and run by the Parents’ Association. And to cap it all today, I have just officiated at my first graduation – yes, all our pre-school nursery children graduated from nursery in a lovely ceremony, which was held in the Junior School hall and witnessed by many a proud parent! Many thanks to all the nursery team for orchestrating the whole event, including the ‘singalong’. Now all that remains for me to say, is to wish you a very relaxing summer break; we look forward to welcoming you all back at the end of August for the start of another busy session. Happy holidays! Caroline Bashford, Headteacher |
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Reviews
MindLab Olympics in IstanbulThe winner of the team event was Israel, where the MindLab concept originated and in fact where it is part of the curriculum in their schools. Our member of the Scotland team, Ben Jourdan, P5T, did win a gold medal for his game, Abalone. Ben was an outstanding ambassador for the Academy and I quote from the organisers: “The Olympics was great, it was really quite a prestigious event; lots of important people from education in Turkey there. Ben was absolutely wonderful, he has such self-confidence, he remembers to take his things with him, he talks to adults and children he doesn’t know, he has utter composure. He was well over and above all the other children in terms of how he behaved, even though he was nearly the youngest.” Well done Ben!! If you want to find out more about MindLab, you can visit their website, www. Mindlab.com Pipes & Drums – School Piping & Drumming CompetitionThe annual School Piping & Drumming Competition took place on Friday 20th June. As always, there were excellent performances on display from drumming and piping students at all levels of experience and ability – around 90 performances all together! The prizes won on the day were as follows: Beginners Chanter 1st Calum Reynolds 2nd Coinneach Carmichael 3rd Hamish Spilsbury Intermediate Chanter 1st Patrick Edward 2nd Kamran Ashfar 3rd Kumayl Zaidi Advanced Chanter 1st Angus MacPherson 2nd Jamie Black 3rd Jamie Allan Junior Piping 1st Hamish MacPherson 2nd Magnus MacPherson 3rd Ross Welsh Intermediate Piping 1st Angus Lutton 2nd Christopher Allan 3rd Nicholas Keyden Jigs 1st Graham Inglis 2nd Edward Seaman 3rd Bertie Allison Piobaireachd 1st Graham Inglis 2nd Edward Seaman 3rd Bertie Allison Senior Piping – M/S/R 1st Graham Inglis 2nd Edward Seaman 3rd Bertie Allison Beginners Practice Pad 1st Calum Lothian 2nd Scott Robertson 3rd Robbie Brown Junior Drumming 1st John Smyth 2nd Joshua Haining 3rd Sean MacDonald Intermediate Drumming 1st Lewis Marlborough 2nd Rory Simpson 3rd Fraser Graham Senior Drumming – M/S/R 1st Jack Davis 2nd Christopher Seaman 3rd Jack Connor Senior Drumming – H/J 1st Jack Davis 2nd Christopher Seaman 3rd Jack Connor Thanks are due to the many parents who came to support and listen to the boys playing. Congratulations to all the prize winners and well done to all who participated. J Jørgensen CongratulationsBlair Bowman (7TB)has been chosen as one of Scotland's 20 young Climate Change Advocates for the British Council's Challenge Europe - Low Carbon Futures: more action less carbon campaign. The British Council is unveiling 220 Climate Advocates across Europe; teams of dynamic 18 to 35 year olds in 15 countries from all walks of life who will work together as ‘Climate Advocates'. Blair has attended the first full day workshop in Edinburgh and with others in London and across Europe in the next year. The issues that they will explore will include transport, economics and taxation, the built environment and energy use. In June 2009 the groups will present their ideas to European government leaders and experts on climate change, energy, generation, commercial organisations, and entrepreneurs across a range of fields in an effort to turn their ideas into reality. Parents Association
Big PicnicA huge thank you to all the parents and pupils who got involved, who volunteered or who were bullied into helping last Saturday, and to all those who helped beforehand by baking, spring cleaning, filling jam jars, putting up bunting and gazebos etc; and to Brodies and Campbells Prime Meat for donating the coffee and meat respectively. Special thanks to John Light and Andrew Dickenson for agreeing to be soaked, to the Accies who helped out, and as usual to Ronnie Paxton who worked his socks off. We do not have final figures yet but gross income is in the region of £8000 which is fantastic. Leavers’ Parents PartyThe parents of the 7ths leavers had an excellent party on Saturday while their offspring were having their own celebration at the Leavers’ Ball. Nearly £300 was raised which will go to leavers’ issues and other school Bursary funds. Many thanks to all who contributed to the success of the evening, especially the Leiper family for providing such an ideal venue. Gerard & Fiona Paton Parents Association AGM - Seminar on Internet Safety10th September 2008 7pm in the Main Hall, Henderson Row All are very welcome especially those parents new to the school. The formal business of the AGM will be (very!) brief, and after an interlude for wine and nibbles will be immediately followed, at around 7.30pm by a seminar on Internet Safety, highly recommended for parents of pupils of all ages, junior and senior, girls and boys. It will be presented by Anne Darling who is Development Officer: Child Protection for the City of Edinburgh. She was involved in the development of the Keeping Myself Safe programme and is very knowledgeable generally on matters of internet safety. If you would like to come to the AGM and/or seminar please email parentsassoc@edinburghacademy.org.uk or phone Tory Craig 07745 130987. Rector's RetirementFor those of you who did not receive my letter, to mark the Rector's retirement the Parents’ Association will not for once be holding a champagne reception or organising a collection for a gift. Instead at our suggestion, and with his specific approval, those of you who wish to mark your appreciation of his dedication and contribution to the school over the last decade and more, are invited to make a donation to the Bursary Fund, a cause close to the Rector's heart (and one to which he has been contributing personally for the last ten years). To start the ball rolling the Parents’ Association will be donating £250. If you wish to make a donation please send it to the Senior or Junior School office in an envelope clearly marked for the attention of the Parents Association. All cheques should be made payable to the Edinburgh Academy Foundation. www.easyfundraising.org.ukFund raising the really easy way! EAPFA have registered with this website and now you can help us make money just by shopping online at no extra cost to yourself. And if you register and shop before the end of June you will go in to an easyfundraising prize draw every time you make a purchase - this time to win a Manchester United Shirt signed by 10 players. Just register on the website as an EAPFA supporter and then shop online in your usual way (there are 500+ retailers e.g. Amazon, John Lewis, Boden, ITunes, Game etc etc) and those retailers will pay us either a small percentage of your total spend with them or a one off donation - but you just pay the same as you normally would-and some even have special offers for registered supporters. So please have a look at the website-it's an effortless way for you to help without even leaving your chair! What's On?
Final Week of TermIn the Senior School, days end as follows: Tuesday 3.30pm except Rugby Squad training Wednesday 3.30pm except Middle Division Cricket Thursday 2.50pm Friday 12.00 noon approx – after the Exhibition Edinburgh Academy Pipes and Drums Family Reels NightSaturday 27th September An evening for all members of the school community, families and friends. Further details next term. |
Notices
Junior School ExhibitionPlease note children should not come to school before 10am on Thursday 26th June, the day of the Exhibition. School finishes after the Exhibition at around 12noon and there is no after school care. Car Parking for Senior School ExhibitionParents attending the Exhibition on Friday 27 June are reminded that a limited number of parking spaces will be available in the school yards from 9.00 am. Anyone needing assistance to get into the St Stephen’s Centre or requiring a reserved, disabled parking place at Henderson Row should contact Dr Blackmore via the School Office now. ExamsAfter six weeks of continuous torture, the exams are over for another year. Congratulations are due to candidates – not (yet) for their results, but for failing to miss a single exam, and for cooperating so well in and around the exam rooms. The Fifths in particular, who are new to the game, acquitted themselves admirably. I hope that the results are at least as good as they deserve to be! J J C Fenton Enterprise Shop InformationThe Shop has moved to the former Biology Labs, behind Donaldson’s. Details of Enterprises shop location, opening hours for term time and the holidays, fitting, payment methods etc. are on the Enterprises website. Orders may be collected from the Shop, or the Junior and Senior School Offices If you have any queries please contact EA Enterprises on 0131 624 4919 or email jmclaren@edinburghacademy.org.uk Sport
P4-6 Games photographsA number of photographs taken at the P4-6 Games are now posted on the website. The webmaster is always pleased to receive photographs of school activities. Scottish IAPS Athletics ChampionshipsOn a sunny but windy afternoon at Fettes, our Academy team performed brilliantly to achieve fantastic success. The boys and girls also showed an excellent sporting attitude, great team spirit and camaraderie and a real competitive edge especially in closely fought events. A special mention to Blair Kinghorn, Innes Murray and the boys’ U10 relay team who all broke championship records, with Blair receiving the Knight Frank Trophy for an outstanding individual performance taking 0.5s off the previous 150m record! Well done to everyone and thank you to all who supported the team. Results:U10boys: U10girls: U11boys: U11girls: U12boys: U12girls: ATHLETICSThe 150th Games were very successful. A glorious sunny day, a good crowd and some tremendous athletics. Houses were the overall Division Winners, just beating Cockburn by 4 points: 788 to 774. Calum Brown won The Burma Cup, awarded to the competitor who was adjudged to have achieved the best performances in the Open Events. Freddie Smith was the outstanding all round junior athlete on show, breaking 4 records; and Chris Thomson beat the Javelin under 14 record by 11 metres throwing 45 metres. Sam Nicholson beat his uncle’s Under 17 Shot record by 80 cm throwing 13.24. A fuller Games report will appear in the 2008 Chronicle. Scottish Schools Results (from last week) Ballantine Brodie Boys A O/17 110m Hurdles BRONZE 17.06 Franchi Gianpiero Boys B 15-17 1500m 4th in heat 4m.27.2 Normand Angus Boys B 15-17 400m 7th in Final 53.58 Farndale Jamie Boys C 14-15 200m 4th in Final 24.91 Inwood Angus Boys C 14-15 800m 3rd in heat 2m.17.23 Munro Fergus Boys C 14-15 Pole Vault 4th in Final 2.2 Nimmo Fergus Boys C 14-15 Pole Vault BRONZE 2.4 Catonio Davis Boys D U/14 Pole Vault 5th in Final 2.2 Smith Fredrick Boys D U/14 200m BRONZE 25.29 Thomson Christopher Boys D U/14 Pole Vault SILVER 2.3 Normand Stewart Boys A O/17 Javelin BRONZE 41.06 Franchi Gianpiero Boys B 15-17 800m 5th in heat 2m.11.0 Peace Alex Boys B 15-17 Pole Vault 6th in Final 2.40m MacNeill Malcolm Boys A O/17 Pole Vault BRONZE 2.8 McDonald-Williamson Boys B 15-17 Pole Vault 5th in Final 2.4 Campbell Thomas Boys C 14-15 High Jump 6th in Final 1.55 Farndale Jamie Boys C 14-15 100m 5th in Final 12.3 Inwood Angus Boys C 14-15 1500m 7th in Heat 4.48.26 Catonio Davis Boys D U/14 High Jump 4th in Final 1.45 Smith Fredrick Boys D U/14 100m BRONZE 12.5 Smith Fredrick Boys D U/14 Long Jump GOLD 5.27 Thomson Christopher Boys D U/14 80m Hurdles BRONZE 13.73 Thomson Christopher Boys D U/14 Javelin GOLD 42.98 Nicholson Sam Boys B U/17 Shot SILVER 12.86 CanoeingBradley Forbes-Cryans was successful at Cardington yesterday, winning the UK Junior Championships K1M J13 title for whitewater canoe slalom. Last year he won the J12 title with ease, and this year although the competition was fierce, he won by 1 second! He is currently 3rd in the UK J14 rankings: see the website www.canoeslalom.co.uk |
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