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Category: Wider Achievement

Horizons – S6 Driving awareness and safety

Horizons – S6 Driving awareness and safety

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Tuesday 25th June – S6 Driving awareness and safety

Today we had a very successful Horizon event for our S6 students. The theme today was for young drivers and focussed on:

  • Driving Safety – a session delivered by the Fire service and Police Scotland with a hard hitting message regarding dangerous driving.
  • DVLA – Highway code theory test delivered by local driving instructor
  • Car  Maintenance –  a practical session from John Reid, working on a car: Changing a tyre, looking at brake pads, oil filter, how to fill your car with petrol.

All the sessions were very informative and the pupils recognised the relevance to them as they think about or have started driving lessons.

An S6 pupil who attended the sessions shared:

The fire service delivered a presentation to us about staying safe on the road. We participated in group discussion identifying which factors may contribute to collisions and how these may be avoided. For example, we identified the reasons that people may speed to be; you could be running late, you could be trying to impress someone, or you could be seeking an adrenaline rush. We watched a case study and listened to the story about a road accident in Ayrshire. We learned about common hazards on the road and how exceeding the speed limit can have worse consequences than expected.

We participated in an activity with Jim Reid car sales and services. This saw us learn about the basic maintenance of a car and take a hands-on approach, getting involved with the changing of a tyre and being shown the essential parts of the engine such as the windscreen wiper fluid intake. Jim explained that for a car to remain in good condition its engine must be maintained and checked often. This includes monitoring the oil, coolant, and brake fluid level. Jim and Craig were very friendly and our active participation kept everyone eager to learn more.

We also talked to a driving instructor about theory and practical tests. He gave us tips and explained the necessary components for someone to receive their licence. He talked us through what we could expect in a driving lesson. As well as resources we could use to prepare ourselves for our theory tests. We enjoyed taking an online mock theory test, which turned out to be more difficult than most of us were expecting.

 

Higher Biology River Field Trip 2024

Higher Biology River Field Trip 2024

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Higher Biology River Field Trip 2024

We were delighted to have Keilidh Ewan (Education officer) and her colleague Jamie from the River Dee Trust visit the school on the 13th June to talk to the Higher Biology pupils about their work in conserving the Rivers local to Alford.

Part of the higher curriculum focuses on understanding invasive species and using techniques to sample indicator species.  The River Dee trust specialise in this and took time to work with pupils to complete sampling tasks on the River Don.

Keilidh completed a pre visit with both classes before facilitating a site visit on the 14th June where 38 pupils took part in a range of activities to support classroom learning.

The 2 main tasks completed are as follows:

  1. Kick Sampling & Biodiversity Scoring

The presence or absence of invertebrates in our watercourses can tell us a lot about the health of our river systems. Pupils had the opportunity to try kick sampling. Life jackets and nets were provided as well as trays and identification sheets at the riverbank. Pupils scored the diversity of invertebrates to see what they can tell us about the main stem of the River Don. We established that the water quality was high and many clean water indicator species were seen as well as catching smaller fishes.

2. Invasive Plant Identification & Recording

Many invasive non-native plants have found their way to the riverbanks of the Don. Following on from our learnings in class, pupils surveyed the riverbank in search of non-native species with identification sheets at hand. Where non-native species are found, the class will complete survey forms, including details such as quantity / patch size and location for submission to the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative.

Himalayan Balsam has been found upriver of the Haughton Country Park which is at risk of spreading downstream, while non-native varieties of Butterbur are known to occur throughout the Park.  We also found a new patch of giant hogweed which will now be officially reported as it can be dangerous to humans.

We are so grateful to have these opportunities to enhance the classroom environment for our students and help bring these topics into a real world context.

Bioblitz 2024

Bioblitz 2024

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Bioblitz 2024

The aim of a bioblitz is to record as many different species as possible for a site in the space of a day. On the 13th of June three Science classes worked with nature specialists to find out which plants and animals live in and around the Alford Academy campus.

Everyone involved recorded wildlife and every piece of information adds to our understanding of biodiversity. Our pupils used different ways to record the plants and animals we found and why it is important to gather the data. This data can now be used to help us to protect and promote nature on the school campus. The data will become a useful part of the North East Scotland Biological Records Centre (NESBReC) database and can be used by the school to see how the campus develops for nature in years to come.

Everyone involved recorded wildlife and every piece of information adds to our understanding of biodiversity. Our pupils used different ways to record the plants and animals we found and why it is important to gather the data. This data can now be used to help us to protect and promote nature on the school campus. The data will become a useful part of the North East Scotland Biological Records Centre (NESBReC) database and can be used by the school to see how the campus develops for nature in years to come.

We had 3 specialists support our students; Judy Baxter from the Cairngorm ranger service, Caitlin McLeod from Buglife and Aileen Salway from NESBReC.

60 pupils from Mrs Rees-Jenkins BGE classes (S2 and S3) took part in this mini bioblitz to gather baseline data from the school.  In future years all our S2 pupils in Science will be taking part each year to track changes and hopefully see an improvement in biodiversity.

The summary of our findings are as follows:

Mammals Birds Invertebrates Plants Fungi
Common pipistrelle Blackcap Sawfly Creeping buttercup Russula fungi
Red squirrel House martin Snipefly Yorkshire fog  
Roe deer Pied wagtail Ground beetle Sessile oak  
Rabbit Robin Tree bumblebee Sycamore  
Roe deer Carrion crow Scorpion fly Larch  
  Oystercatcher Millipede Cleavers  
  Starling Spider Birch  
  Goldfinch Large white butterfly Alder  
  Blackbird Soldier beetle Rowan  
  Willow warbler Scorpion fly Daisy  
  Goldcrest Silver ground carpet moth Broad leaved dock  
  Swallow Caddisfly Broom  
  Wood pigeon Wolf spider Nettle  
  Common gull Hoverfly Heath bedstraw  
  Herring gull froghopper/Cuckoo spit Germander speedwell  
  House sparrow froghopper/Cuckoo spit Pignut  
  Willow warbler Green lacewing Rosebay willowherb  
  Blue tit   Cleavers  
  Carrion crow   Elder  
  Yellowhammer   Red clover  

In successive years we can monitor how species diversity changes over time as we work to improve the school grounds.  We have a new outdoor learning group who will be working with our partners to develop ideas with our pupils to make the grounds more enjoyable and a better home for nature.

Coding Prize Winner Announced

Coding Prize Winner Announced

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The Faculty of Business and Digital Education are proud to announce the latest winner of the DressCode coding competition held back in October.  Brodie in S3 coding a wonderful entry that caught the judge’s eyes and has been awarded a prize.  Brodie received his Tobbie the Robot Interactive IR Robot Kit this week.

We are thrilled Brodie has won a prize and his excellent coding skills have been acknowledged within this UK wide competition for both primary and secondary schools.  Very well done Brodie.

https://www.dresscode.org.uk/

 

Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA)

Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA)

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The RYLA 2024 camp is being held at Abernethy Outdoor Centre this year. This is a week-long residential trip focusing on leadership in the outdoors, with like-minded people from across Scotland. Throughout the week, you will take part in a variety of activities such as raft-building, gorge walking, climbing, hiking, mountain biking and archery, working as part of a small team to support and encourage each other to achieve your goals. There will be a focus on leadership skills during the activities, including group management, health and safety considerations, team problem solving, and your individual performance as a leader. During the week, your group mentor will accompany you on your activities and provide feedback about your individual and team progress.

RYLA is a wonderful opportunity to try new activities, push yourself out of your comfort zone, meet people who may become friends for life, and make lasting memories. The experience isn’t just limited to during the day – evenings are an important time to get to know others on the course by organising group game sessions, exploring the centre, going for an evening swim, or forming an impromptu band in the music room.

 

Girls’ camp: 6th – 13th July

Boys’ camp: 13th – 20th July

 

The camp is open to young people of age 16-17, and participants are fully sponsored by their local Rotary club. Candidates must submit an application form and complete an interview with a member of Alford Rotary Club.

If you think you would be a good candidate for the course, find out more information and submit an application, by visiting www.ryla1010.com or talk to Fionn Sewell (S6) or Mrs Rees-Jenkins in science.

Ending the Term on a Festive High Note

Ending the Term on a Festive High Note

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Well done to S3 pupils Christopher, Logan and Katie who took their fiddles down to The Richmond Fellowship in Alford to play some festive tunes on the last day of term.

The Richmond Fellowship Scotland is a charity which supports around 2500 people across Scotland with a broad range of needs to live as independently as possible in their own homes and communities.  They are the largest provider of social care services in Scotland, providing personalised, high-quality community-based support services for those who require support in their lives.

Well done to our three musicians who delighted their very appreciative audience with a selection of festive music.

Red Dot Day for Academy pupil!

Red Dot Day for Academy pupil!

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As part of Techfest, one of our fifth year pupils recently completed her own TedEd talk on the famous red dot.  Isabella, was one of only 12 pupils chosen from across Aberdeenshire to take part in the programme.  TedEd Aberdeen is a new initiative created in the spirit of TED’s overall mission to inspire, educate and share “ideas worth spreading”.  Isabella’s talk was on ‘Underappreciated women in STEM’.   Well done for all your hard work!

U15 Girls Football v Ellon

U15 Girls Football v Ellon

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The team travelled to Ellon yesterday and faced a well organised and composed Ellon side.  After a difficult first half the team bounced back and worked hard to bring back the deficit, putting lots of pressure on the Ellon players and being rewarded by a goal from Leia (S1).  However three late goals by Ellon led to a comfortable win for them.  The team wore their new pink kit for the first time, this was purchased through fundraising by the players as well as a financial contribution from our parent council.

 

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