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Tag: Session 2023-2024 Term 4

Performing Arts showcase & Young Musician of the Year 2024

Performing Arts showcase & Young Musician of the Year 2024

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Performing Arts showcase & Young Musician of the Year 2024

On the 20th June we finally we were able to hold the performing arts showcase led by the Performing arts faculty; a brainchild of Dougie Trueman (Faculty Head) with his team including Louise Hunter (music) and Hannah Walker (Drama).

At the performing arts showcase event we also held the Young Musician of the Year Competition 2024.  The night was split into 3 spaces; the main stage was in the canteen area and had a full set list showcasing all our bands, choirs and solo acts who have been working on their craft for the last year.  In the theatre we had a theatrical extravaganza from drama performances as part of SQA work to acts by the drama clubs.  Finally in the staff room we held the Young Musician of the Year competition.

We had 11 pupils in the competition ranging from S1-S6 who performed for our 2 judges Jon and Jen Wilson. Feedback from those watching the event was the highest it has been in praise for the talent of our young people and the confidence shown was exceptional.  To perform in such a way is always a challenge at such a young age but these folk showed great professionalism and dedication to their practice.  Sharon Hassan (local music instructor) compared the evening and Laura Bleck & Dougie Trueman accompanied musicians on the piano.  Thanks must go to all 3.

The judges had a very difficult decision to make and this year they had the toughest challenge yet but the winner and runner up were quite phenomenal and well deserved.

Winning the Alford academy Young musician of the year 2024 was Thomas (S4) who played the guitar and then had to rush off to perform with the band and in various other acts through the night.  He was also playing at the awards nights.  Our runner up this year was Fionn who played a set on the fiddle which was also exceptional.

The Young Musician of the Year Competition is supported by the Rotary Club of Alford and as such we were delighted to have them present at the night and not only did they present the prizes but they also donated the gift cards each winner received! Thank you!

The showcase was closed by our own star Stuart who sang his song Mars which not only did he perform himself but also wrote all the music and lyrics as well as recording all the backing music and vocals.  A real talent!

Holiday Entertainment : Kids Visit Free Deals

Holiday Entertainment : Kids Visit Free Deals

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Save on family days out with ScotRail.

Get one free child entry when you purchase a full price, standard entry adult ticket to any of these fantastic attractions when you travel on our Kids for a Quid ticket .

From Edinburgh Zoo to Dundee’s RRS DIscovery – find out which incredible places in Scotland you can visit with Kids Visit Free and enjoy great value family days out, all year round.

Further Information : Kids Visit Free Deals (scotrail.co.uk)

Daily Bulletin – Thursday 4 July

Daily Bulletin – Thursday 4 July

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Alford Climbing Wall

Alford Climbing Wall are running Teen Climbing which is open to Academy aged pupils. Sessions are running on Tuesday 9th July 1630-1830 and Friday 12th July 1645-1845. There cost £5.82 per person and needs to be pre-booked on the Live Life Aberdeenshire app.

Gordon Skiers Summer Camps

Gordon Skiers are running summer camps over the holidays at Alford Ski Centre. They run on various days from 9am-3.30 and cost £40. The days will include drills, skills, relaxed fun racing, dual slaloms and games. For more information or to book please visit the ‘Gordon Skiers Racing’ Facebook page.

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.

 

Daily Bulletin – Tuesday 25 June

Daily Bulletin – Tuesday 25 June

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Purchasing Items at the School Canteen

All pupils require to use their YoungScot / NEC card when purchasing goods at the canteen.  From Monday 1st July, if a valid NEC card is not available, the canteen will issue you with a six digit pin number which will be required for each transaction until you are able to produce your NEC Card.  To enable a pin to be generated the Canteen Staff will take pupil details (name, year group) and it is up to individual students to collect this pin from the Canteen the following day (breakfast / break or lunch) prior to use.

If you do not have a YoungScot / NEC card please go online at Home | National Entitlement Card (nec.scot)

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.

Daily Bulletin – Wednesday 19 June

Daily Bulletin – Wednesday 19 June

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Performing Arts Showcase

Could all pupils who are taking part in the Performing Arts Showcase, please come to a meeting in A1-08 at the start of morning interval on Thursday.

Art Work

“Last warning for anyone who wants to keep their artwork. Could anyone who is continuing with art this year, and wants to take home any work from last year please request it next time you are in art. Anyone who is not continuing with art, but wants to keep work from last year, please come and make a request for it at lunch or breaktime, and it will be prepared for your collection. Any work not claimed by Friday June 21st shall be disposed of.”

LGBTQ+ Group

LGBTQ+ Group is on Wednesday lunchtime in D0-67, All welcome bring your Lunch.

Debate Club

Debating Club will be running Friday lunchtimes in D-062, all year groups are welcome.

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