1. education
2. school

Magazine 2013/14
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enQuiries
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[email protected]
Principal’s Welcome
“This is a very special year for the school as it marks the
120th Anniversary since Mrs Murdoch had the vision to
set up a school for young ladies on the 5th of September
1894, in the house in Dalziel Drive house known as
Craigholme. The school has established its position in
Scottish education over the years and is at the forefront
of delivering quality, all-round education for girls.”
Gillian Stobo, Principal
At the start of this session our current
S6 Higher results placed us in the top
five schools in the country and our
Advanced Higher results were
acknowledged as outstanding by the
HMIE inspectors when they visited
the school in March. Given that we
have open access to sitting exams
these results are impressive and a
credit to our pupils, our staff and the
support given by family.
In the inspectors’ report I was delighted
that they agreed with us that we place a
strong focus on meeting the needs of
individual pupils as members of staff
know each learner well. Our two
inspectors were most impressed by the
pupils’ enthusiasm, knowledge and desire
to learn, their articulate expression of
ideas, thoughtful mature opinions and
high levels of achievement.
It is encouraging that the inspectors’
findings reflect the many happy and
successful experiences on offer for pupils
at Craigholme. Many of the pupils talked
about the high-quality opportunities that
support their broader achievements, for
example in music and sport. Our pupils
are at the heart of the school, they are
what the school is all about and what
matters most, so we were delighted that
they were consulted and represented so
well throughout this process.
Impressive as our attainment is, it must
be matched by equally impressive wider
achievement and the girls have
successfully been sharing and developing
their talents too.
The school has continued to be heavily
involved in sport at all levels and we are
delighted that Craigholme girls are the
U16 Scottish Hockey Champions – an
absolutely massive achievement and one
of which we are particularly proud.
S1 girls were also very involved in the
BBC School News Report. The girls had
the opportunity to attend the Press
Conference at which the team for the
Sochi Paralympics was announced and
interviewing the wheelchair curling team. This is where they met Aileen Neilson
who was our guest of honour at the Junior
School Prize Giving.
In September our Music Department
continued its International Concert Series
programme in New York. The Festival
Choir was welcomed most warmly by the
British International School of New York
(BISNY) and enjoyed performing for their
pupils, staff and parents. Further
performances included St. Paul the
Apostle Church at Central Park and a
Broadway workshop with some of the
cast from Wicked. Many memories were
created and many friendships forged with
our new friends at BISNY.
The S2s visited Raasay, S3s to S6s have
been exceptionally busy completing Duke
of Edinburgh Awards, the school
continues to be a presentation centre for
the Trinity Music Examinations, S3s were
involved with the Youth and Philanthropy
Initiative through the Wood Family Trust,
fund raising took place for the St
Margaret’s and St Columba’s Hospices,
we have hosted author visits in
conjunction with Waterstones, S4
continued the exchange programme with
Fintona Girls School in Melbourne,
Australia and we have welcomed many
distinguished visitors to the school
through our speakers’ programme. These
are the experiences on a daily basis that
build confidence and promote
achievement through a “can do” attitude.
When the Commonwealth Games came
to Glasgow in July we were delighted to
be involved. Our Sports Complex was a
fully functioning training venue, many of
our staff and pupils participated in
volunteering roles and our Games
Captain, Heather Mackie, took part in the
Baton Relay. We are proud of all of them
and are delighted to have helped the Host
City.
This is my last magazine contribution as
Principal and I have been overwhelmed
by the kindness and generosity I have
received from pupils, parents and staff.
Thank you all so much. I have had the
privilege of being your Principal for the
past ten years. In that time I’ve admitted
hundreds of girls to the school and
watched hockey on Saturday mornings at
the fabulous sports complex, which has
been a wonderful addition to the school’s
facilities since 2007. I have dressed up for
innumerable charity days, answered
thousands of emails, written screeds of
reports, represented the school on all
sorts of committees in locations
throughout the country and applauded
our girls’ talents at hundreds of concerts.
The school is in good heart and I hand it
over to its next guardian with immense
pride in what we have achieved together.
I will continue to be singing the praises of
this school long after I have left and I’ll
appoint myself to my last post as a
Craigholme Ambassador and you are all
welcome to join me.
I would just like to finish by saying that
this has been another successful session
for the school and I would like to thank
each one of you for the part that you have
played in that success.
Gillian Stobo
Principal, 2004 - 2014
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Principal’s Welcome
“Craigholme School is as a warm and welcoming
School, where our girls are given a wide range of
opportunities and emerge as well rounded individuals
who contribute fully to society. It is a School where our
girls are happy but challenged to be their best.”
Brendan Farrelly, Principal
It is with great pleasure that I take on
the role of Principal of Craigholme
School in its 120th year. I am looking
forward to building upon the excellent
work of my predecessors and taking
the School forward in to the future,
maintaining the special kind of
education for girls, which allows them
to be themselves and explore what is
best for them, whilst leading to greater
academic achievement and personal
fulfilment. I am proud of the warm,
compassionate and caring
environment of Craigholme School and
the positive ethos and personal
approach within the school, where
individual needs are catered for,
achievement is celebrated and learning
is valued and enjoyed.
My role at Craigholme School is to give
every girl the opportunity to realise her
potential and to be her best. Our girls
know that if they work hard and use their
talents then they can achieve. I firmly
believe that the only barriers to
achievement are the ones we create
ourselves and Craigholme aims to build
the confidence and resilience within our
girls to overcome all barriers before them
and to succeed in all aspects of their lives
in order to achieve their goals and to make
a meaningful contribution to society.
At Craigholme we place an emphasis on
respect for each other and working
together to achieve our goals. We have
an ethos of achievement and a desire to
fully realise our potential. My challenge
to every girl is for her to realise her
potential and everyone in the
Craigholme community is intent on
helping every girl to be her best.
This magazine gives the flavour of the
huge variety of events which occur at
Craigholme School and I hope you enjoy
perusing the activities and achievement
of our girls over the past year.
The Commonwealth Games Commitee presents a flag and medal board to Craigholme School
Head of Junior School
“In the Junior School, we love to explore new and
innovative learning opportunities for the children
and for the teachers.”
Jeanette Smart, Head of Junior School
Our Junior School is a happy and
hardworking place to be. A wide range
of school trips, speakers, clubs,
committees and special events are
built into the curriculum. This session,
we welcomed a number of memorable
visitors to the Junior School including
Storyteller, Marjorie Leithead, who
was our special guest during our
Scottish Day back in February.
Olympic medallist Rona Simpson
recently launched the school’s HWB
week at Senior Assembly and we all
enjoyed a fascinating visit from NASA
Astronaut Colonel Jim Dutton at the
beginning of June. Visits out have
been many, including the Science
Centre, Vikingar, Pollok House, The
People’s Palace, the Burrell Collection
and Amazonia. Once again, J7 pupils
very much enjoyed their annual
residential trip to Manor Adventure in
Lockerbie. They were able to take part
in outdoor activities including
climbing, abseiling and canoeing.
In the Junior School, we love to explore
new and innovative learning
opportunities for the children and for the
teachers. We have well-established
paired reading programmes at J1 and J3
and our Nursery children work really well
with J2 on their joint Magic Nursery
project. This work, which is led by Mrs
McColl, inspired us to extend the
programme right across the Upper
School as part of a National Project for
Education Scotland. The children worked
on this project with the teachers and
myself and I’m delighted that our
completed case study was awarded a
Quality Mark, which is the highest
possible grading. Our project has now
been uploaded to the Education Scotland
website for schools around the country
to use.
This is just one example of the
development work undertaken by the
school. We were all absolutely delighted
that our hard work and enthusiasm was
acknowledged by HMIe when they
visited us in March. Our lead Inspector,
Lesley Brown, who is also assistant
director of Education Scotland, wrote
this about the pupils: ‘Children are very
positive about their school and about the
opportunities they have. There are good
opportunities to take on leadership roles
and they enjoy being involved in
committees and arranging school events.
Children are friendly, work very well
together and are highly motivated and
engaged in their learning.’ We know that
these comments are not given out lightly
so the report was an excellent
endorsement of the hard work of the
staff and pupils.
A major highlight of the year was of
course the wonderful Junior production
of ‘Annie’ at Eastwood Park Theatre.
Annie fever seemed to take over the
whole school. Thank you again to all J4-7
girls who really rose to the occasion
delivering top-class, professional
performances of Annie over two nights.
As always, December was hectic but
filled with fun. The Nursery presented its
Nativity to a packed audience of family
and friends and a week later J1, 2 and 3
presented their Nativity. This one was
organised and project managed by the
J3s and is a great example of the
up-and-coming talent at Craigholme.
In the Young Musician of The Year
Competition in March, the Junior School
was well represented by our talented
musicians. Well done to Jennifer Riddell
who gained a Highly Commended place
in the Elementary Section.
The J6s have been extremely loyal at
coming to hockey training and have
played in sport predominantly in J7
teams throughout the season. We
entered the Hutchesons’ Invitation J6
Tournament with our two teams ‘Forever
Red’ and ‘Tartan Terrors’ – both named
by the girls themselves. As always, the
parental support on the sideline has
been greatly appreciated.
There are several excellent athletes in J7
who featured in the Junior Athletics
Championship this term. Megan
McDonald was 5th overall and Erin
McLean, Eve Coffey and Olivia Bremner
also won points.
Fourteen pupils are celebrating a 100%
pass rate in their English Speaking Board
(ESB) exams, with all receiving a
distinction, merit or merit plus grade. The
English Speaking Board is a national
body which provides graded
assessments for pupils. Each of the girls
had to recite a poem, sight read from a
novel and speak on a subject of their
choice and they all performed
exceptionally well.
We know that we simply couldn’t offer
everything that we do here at Craigholme
without the help from our parents and so,
on behalf of all the staff, I would like to
take this opportunity to thank all of you
for your contributions and never-ending
commitment that you give your
daughters and the school.
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Board of Directors
“At Craigholme individual progress is however
measured across a broad range of achievements.
Each girl is encouraged to engage and contribute to
the broad range of activities on offer. This
participation builds confidence, a can-do attitude
and is the foundation for our strong academic
results which pave the way to successful careers.
Ian Curle, Chairman of the Board
Firstly, I would like to recognise the
achievements and progress of our
girls. They have worked hard
throughout 2013/14, learned new
skills, shared experiences, advanced
their knowledge and grown in stature.
All of this under the excellent
supervision of the dedicated and
talented staff at Craigholme.
Studies have shown that girls learn
better, perform better and participate
more in a girls-only environment.
Evidence of this progress is witnessed by
the excellent SQA results achieved by our
senior girls in recent years.
Earlier this year the school was assessed
by the Charities Regulator and I am
pleased to report that Craigholme passed
the charities test first time. This confirms
that the school is meeting its charitable
purpose, providing access through
bursaries and providing a wider public
benefit.
The school was also highly commended
in the recent Quality Inspection (QUIPE)
conducted in March. This involved a
two-day visit, interviews, classroom
observations and staff, parent and pupil
questionnaires. I would like to thank the
Principal, SLT and staff for their excellent
work which is recognised by this
inspection.
This year also marks the retirement of our
Principal, Mrs Gillian Stobo. Mrs Stobo
joined Craigholme as principal in 2004
and over the last 10 years she has
dedicated herself to the school. She has
built a strong, professional and talented
SLT and Staff at Craigholme.
High standards have been set and
achieved as witnessed by the SQA
results, OSCR pass and the recent
Quality Inspection.
Gillian leaves Craigholme in good heart
and I would like to thank her for her
commitment and dedication over the
past 10 years.
The success of the School relies on the
hard work and collaboration of a number
of people. In this regard I would like to
thank the Principal, Mrs Gillian Stobo, the
Senior Leadership Team and all of the
Teaching and Support Staff at Craigholme
for their on-going commitment and
dedication.
I would also like to thank the Board of
Directors who volunteer their services to
ensure the governance and development
of the School, and to the contribution
provided by the Parents’ Association who
support the social and financial aspects
of the School.
The Parents’ Forum is now in its third
year. It has representatives from every
year group and works together with the
School Board and Staff as a sounding
board for developments and
communication. For some of the girls, this year represents
the end of one chapter in their life and
the beginning of another. Our leavers
have achieved their grades and are ready
for the challenges ahead - to all of those
leaving the Craigholme community this
year, I wish you well and future success
and I hope you will look back on your
time here with fondness.
Parents’ Association
2013/2014 has been another successful year for the
Craigholme School Parents’ Association.
We started off the new school year in
September by hosting the New
Parents’ BBQ. This was a great
opportunity for new parents to meet
each other as well as members from
the CSPA, the Principal and
representatives from the SLT, staff ,
Board and the Parents’ Forum. It was
a well-attended event with several
parents offering their help to the
CSPA for future events.
Our fundraising events kicked off in
October with the J5/J6 and J7/S1
discos, both of which proved to be a hit
with the children from Craigholme,
Hutchesons’ Grammar and St Aloysius.
In November we ran the third annual
CSPA trip to Fenwick of Newcastle. This
event has proved to be a well-supported
and very popular Ladies Pre Xmas
Shopping Extravaganza. The feedback
from the ladies was that they were
looked after from start to finish and were
treated like VIPs from the moment they
stepped onto the coach. This year saw
for the first time a record number of
ladies attending with the tickets selling
out in the first week. November also saw
the first ever Nursery and Lower Junior
School Halloween disco, at which
everyone participated and dressed for
the occasion.
The Christmas Fair was held in
December and, as usual, this was a very
popular event with everyone from
parents and pupils participating and
enjoying the atmosphere of the day. This
year we enjoyed the delights of the Xmas
afternoon tea with fizz for Parents. This
was very well received and a special
thank you to Sarah Booth for the
preparation of the sandwiches. AnneMarie MacTaggart again took on the
responsibility of organising the stall
holders and I’m sure we are all in
agreement that Anne-Marie does a
fantastic job, ensuring there is a wide
range of products on sale. Once again a
huge thank you to Anne-Marie for taking
on this daunting task and doing such a
marvellous job. Thanks must also go to
Santa John Coles and his Little Helper
Susan Welsh for adding to the
excitement of the day. Thank you to
everyone for a fantastic job in organising
and helping out with this event, the work
and effort put in is greatly appreciated. I
would also like to take this opportunity to
thank Mr Donnelly, Mrs Craig and the
girls from the award-winning Festival
Choir and Junior Choir who performed so
well on the day. A special thank you must
go to our property team who every year
take the time to re-create and build
Santa’s Grotto which looks magical on
the day.
Moving into the Spring Term we had
another two discos which were quickly
followed by the Parents’ Dance which
had a “School Daze” theme. Special
thanks must go to Carolyn and Stuart
McArthur for providing their amazing
lighting on the night. Without their help
and support the hall would not look as
good. Thanks also to our bar staff on the
night who were kindly on loan from
Sharon Bonner, to Andrew and Hazel
Campbell, the CSPA members and
parents for the set-up of the hall and to
our Head Girl Rebecca Deas and her
team for helping out on the night.
The CSPA keep fundraising all year round
and June was as busy as ever, as we
supported the Family Fun Day by
providing refreshments for the Parents
and a tuck shop for the children. We sold
our strawberry tarts at Tournament Day
and this year saw the Burger Stall for the
first time. We also held our annual
Uniform Swap Shop which as always is
well supported by all.
Our fundraising efforts this year have
contributed towards the refurbishment of
the Hub and new kitchen facilities as well
as donations to several departments and
providing the jackets, polo shirts and
back packs for the 2013 trip to New York
for the Festival Choir.
I would like to thank all of the committee
members and parents who have helped
to make this a very, successful and
profitable year. Thanks must also go to
our marvellous Head Girl Rebecca Deas
and her enthusiastic S6 team for their
support over the year.
A special mention and thanks must go to
our property team for their absolutely
tremendous help and support throughout
the year. I would also like to take this
opportunity to thank Suzie Harbison and
Hazel Campbell from the Business Office
as well as Cathy Gibson and Aileen Grant
from the main school office who take
time to help from the background.
I would like to formally welcome our
newest committee members Abigail
Dickson, Paula McBride and Elena &
Martin Welsh who joined the CSPA at the
start of the school year. Finally we must
say our farewells to all members who are
leaving the committee this year after
many years’ service.
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The Parent Forum
The Parent
Forum
The Parent Forum was established by
the Craigholme School Board of
Directors in January 2012 as a
representative body of Parents to help
provide support and assist in
communication between the Board,
school, pupils and parents. The forum
has now settled into its role and
works well as a team in providing
positive assistance to the School with
its many and varied initiatives.
The aims of the Parent Forum are:
To provide an improved channel of
communication between parents, the
school, its pupils and the Board
To engage with all parts of the
Craigholme Community to create a
welcoming school which is inclusive
for all
To develop, engage and promote
activities which support the education
and wellbeing of the pupils
To identify and represent the views of
parents on the education provided by the
school and other matters affecting the
education, health & wellbeing,
communication and promotion of
the school.
To act as a sounding board for the school
This school year the Forum has provided
support on marketing and promotional
matters and the following, key projects
DROP-IN PARENT FORUM MEETINGS
The forum opted to promote their
meetings in advance to all parents as well
as the year reps to encourage parents to
come along and participate without the
need to be a PF representative. This
proved very successful with many parents
opting to attend meetings, whether they
had a particular matter they wished to
raise or simply wanted to observe and
participate in that evening’s discussion.
This format provides an opportunity for
parents across the school to meet other
parents and chat informally about areas
of interest and the Forum will be
continuing with this format in the next
academic year.
GYM SHORTS
A new style of Kukri gym shorts was
introduced to the school in June 2014,
just in time for Tournament Day and are
now available for purchase from Man’s
World.
SCHOOL LUNCHES
The re-introduction of meal deals for
junior school pupils and forward planning
details of menus as well as bringing back
the use of the Smart Café as an area for
pupils to eat packed lunches – freeing up
more space in the hub to accommodate
hot lunches and longer sittings for pupils.
TESTIMONIALS & GOOD NEWS
A number of year reps have provided
these testimonials and we continue to
encourage parents to provide them and
good news stories about the school and
pupil achievements. These personal
stories are invaluable in helping the
school promote its strengths to
prospective new pupils and parents
(via the website, social media and other
promotional literature) as well as
spreading the latest good news amongst
the existing, greater pupil and parent
body! If you have any stories of your own
which you are happy to share, do please
let us know. This year we heard our U16
hockey team became Scottish Schools
Champions. We were so impressed that
we produced a banner congratulating and
featuring Craigholme’s winning team in
time for Tournament Day – June 2014.
The Parent Forum is currently looking into
a number of wide-ranging projects
working with the school. These are all
areas of interest that affect our
daughters’ education and we welcome
input and views from all parents on these
and any other matters you may wish to
raise.
MARKETING
Communication – encouraging greater
communication between the school,
parents and pupils
New Parents
Revised gym sportswear and optional
extras
Wet day activities & School Clubs
Website
School lunches
The Parent Forum is a total team effort!
We meet around once every two months
and have a maximum of two
representatives from every year group
from Nursery to S6, along with a member
of the Board and the Senior Leadership
Team in attendance. We will be looking
for new volunteers at the start of the new
School session and if you don’t want to
volunteer or are not sure and would like
to see what it’s all about, first – why not
come along and drop into one of our
meetings?
You can also see our latest report and
working projects on the Parent Forum
area of the School website as well as a
list and contact details of all the current
Parent Forum Representatives for
each year.
For further information on the
Parent Forum please contact
Audrey Johnstone at
[email protected]
Principal Farewell
A Fond Farewell to...
Gillian Stobo
Principal 2004 - 2014
Gillian Stobo came to Craigholme School in August 2004 from the High School of Glasgow with the
experience of Deputy Rector behind her. But more importantly for her role as Principal of
Craigholme, she had been very involved in the Girl Guiding Movement and had worked with girls
for many years. All that experience was put to good use at Craigholme with the outdoor education
trips she undertook. She led the S6 Aberfeldy trip nine times and accompanied the S2s to Raasay.
She has been white water rafting on the Tay many times and was always ready to participate in
the girls’ activities.
Gillian was at her happiest in the classroom,
more particularly in a Chemistry laboratory
but she thoroughly enjoyed teaching young
people. In fact in the HMI Inspection in 2005,
her inspiring practice was commented upon.
She led the S1 Critical Thinking class, taught
master classes in Latin and organised S6
PSHE. She was always full of ideas and
activities to make her classes interesting and
challenging and she particularly enjoyed
team teaching with colleagues.
Craigholme achieved a great deal while
Gillian was Principal and the completion of
the Sports Complex was a notable milestone.
It gave Gillian great pleasure to see the
Complex used so extensively by the school
and the community, playing an important role
in retaining the school’s charitable status.
She was equally proud of the successes of all
the pupils, from the SQA results to the
sporting achievements and musical talents,
she enjoyed celebrating them all. It was
appropriate that her time as Principal began
with a full HMIE inspection and ended with a
Quality Improvement and Professional
Engagement (QUIPE) visit which validated
her leadership of the school. Always modest,
she recognised others’ contribution before
her own; she was clear that her role was to
enable others to lead and manage their area
of expertise and she valued the contributions
of those around her.
One of the greatest challenges she faced
was when a group of S6 girls came to her
asking to take part in the 24 hour Speyside
Challenge. Unfortunately there were no adult
volunteers to supervise the girls and rather
than let them down, she agreed to undertake
this gruelling walk. It was a testament to her
determination and her faith in the girls that
she completed 40 miles of the Speyside Way.
Having worked with Gillian for 10 years as
Deputy Principal, I have seen at first hand her
commitment to Craigholme, her enthusiasm
and dedication, working long hours, seeming
to cope with little sleep and always ready
with another idea. She can now spend her
time on all those things she has not been
able to – reading, the theatre, travelling. I am
sure she will have a busy and interesting time
in the next phase of her life and the
Craigholme community wishes her a very
happy and fulfilling retirement.
Carolyn Erdal
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Staff Farewells
A Fond Farewell to...
Fiona Adams SCIENCE TECHNICIAN
Mrs Fiona Adams joined the science
department in January 2012 and she has
been an outstanding science technician
whose support for the science staff and
pupils has been invaluable. She has
involved herself in science education from
nursery to S6 at Craigholme and her quiet,
supportive manner and willingness to help
in all situations have been appreciated by
all. We are glad that her time at Craigholme
confirmed her desire to become a teacher
and she started her graduate diploma in
primary education course at the University
of Strathclyde in August. We wish her
every success in her course and a very
rewarding career thereafter.
Gillian Stobo
Robert Arbuckle HEAD OF HISTORY
Mr Robert Arbuckle left us in October 2013
to take up a Head of Faculty post at St
Columba’s School, Kilmacolm. In his four
years as Head of History at Craigholme he
shared his love of the subject and
enthused significant numbers of pupils to
study history and achieve outstanding
results. His organisational skills and
meticulous attention to detail made him a
worthy Examinations Coordinator and he
holds a number of significant positions
within the Scottish Qualifications Authority.
Numerous class projects were shared with
Education Scotland as examples of good
practice and the impact of his approaches
to learning and teaching were second to
none. We thank him for all that he
contributed to the school during his time in
post and wish him and his family every
happiness in the future.
Gillian Stobo
Elaine Brunton HEAD OF MATHEMATICS (JOB SHARE)
Mrs Elaine Brunton joined the maths
department in August 2008 moving from
Ross Hall Academy where she gave
specialist maths assistance to visually
impaired pupils. She also had a wealth of
experience of delivering Financial
Education to senior pupils. On her
appointment to Craigholme her pupil
centred approach soon became obvious
and she was promoted to Head of
Guidance and latterly as part of a job
sharing Head of Maths post. We thank her
for her valuable contributions to the school
over the years and we are sorry that she
has decided to leave for personal and
family reasons. We wish her every
happiness in the future.
Gillian Stobo
Nursery
& Junior
School
Page 12
Nursery
The journey to educational
excellence begins in
Craigholme Nursery School.
Nursery life starts with building strong
relationships with both the children and
their parents. The warm and friendly
ethos within the nursery is created by
a very experienced team of nursery staff
who are themselves all parents. This
allows everyone to have a shared
understanding of the very rewarding but
sometimes demanding task of bringing
up and educating young children.
Creating beautiful felt for
our yurt
The Care Inspectorate, Glasgow City Council and most recently HMIe have
all commented on this approach. ‘Across the nursery and school, staff have a
clear sense of direction and have a strong focus on ensuring young people
achieve all that they can’ and ‘children and young people benefit from a high
quality learning environment and a climate of mutual trust and respect.’
HMIe May 2014.
All Ready for the Nativity
a pigs’ birthdays!
Celebrating our guine
Craigholme Nursery School is not only a fun place to be but children, parents
and staff have the opportunity to contribute ideas and shape the planning
and running of the nursery. Last year we started a very exciting project which
had evolved from the children wanting to ‘make a tent.’ We looked at styles
and shapes of tents and the material used to make them and, inspired by a
yurt we found on the internet, we decided to make our own. Children, family
members and staff have been led in the art of felt making by Mrs Fleming.
Unspun merino wool is made into felt panels which we have been joining
together. Eventually these will form the covering for the wooden structure
in the garden and we will have our own version of a story-telling yurt. Our
deepest thanks are given to Barry James and Donald Thomson, parents from
the school community, who kindly gave of their time and expertise to build
the wooden frame structure. This is a wonderful and innovative project, with
learning experiences spanning across all curricular areas. The children have
become such experts in felting that during an evening workshop many were
able to lead their parents in the art of felt-making.
Creating art
Nursery
Spotting wildlife in our Nursery gardens
Children learn best when they are immersed in what they are
doing and there is no better environment than the nursery
garden for providing a context for rich and absorbing learning
and play. The ‘Mud Kitchen’ is an area loved by children and
provides a variety of learning experiences. To the untrained
eye children are simply making mud pies, mixing and stirring
potions in pots and have lots of messy fun. However this
environment provides cross curricular learning experiences.
For example children will be counting, weighing and
measuring how many spoonfuls of mud required to fill a pot,
ordering the pots and pans according to size, estimating
volume, etc. These are all early mathematical skills. Sharing
and turn-taking of resources, negotiation and discussion with
others all happen in the kitchen also and are valuable skills
required by children in all aspects of their learning.
Creating beautiful
felt for
our yurt
Parents and extended family members are always made to feel very
welcome within the nursery. Last year we were very fortunate to have
a large number of parents attending the formal and informal evenings,
coffee mornings and work-shops. Parental views are sought in a
variety of different ways and are used to shape the running of the
nursery and nursery events.
This type of enriching learning culture allows children to see that their
voice and opinion can make a difference and lead to change within
their environment. We are beginning to build the skills they will
require when they themselves leave school and become the
workforce of the next generation.
Karen Grant
Nursery Manager
r Nursery gardens
Spotting wildlife in ou
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Junior 1
Junior 1-3
Gardening Club
With the help of some of our parents and staff Junior 1
to 3 spent some happy afternoons in the Junior School
Garden, weeding, clearing and planting. Pupils formed
their own committee and made the decisions
themselves about the party and what would happen
next to our Garden!
We then celebrated all of our hard work with some
dancing, games and fantastic food!
Junior 1 Digestion Lesson
(All About Me Topic)
All the pupils in Junior 1 chose the focus of a lesson.
Beth was very keen to learn outside the classroom, so
during National Science and Engineering Week Junior
1 took a trip to the Chemistry Lab where we found out
how food goes in, travels through and then comes out
of our bodies!
Picture by Olivia Dickson
Junior 2
Page 15
Commonwealth Games
We had to mime
the actions for some
of the sports in the
Commonwealth
Games
People’s Palace Visit
Dear Granny Bryce,
Dear Granny Bryce,
Thank you for taking us back in the time. I enjoyed the work in
the house when it was wash day and the steamie. I learned that
the baby slept in a drawer and how many people slept in the
single end. We got to run around the fountain and we got our
picture taken.
Thank you for taking us back in time. I enjoyed doing the
household chores because you could beat the carpet and
sweep the floors. I enjoyed going to see the single end.
Love from Zahrah
Love from Morgan
Materials Project
So far I have
learned that glass is
transparent. Now I
know that materials
have properties.
- Ananya -
I have learned
that materials have
different properties,
properties mean they are
useful for their purpose.
- Faith -
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Junior 3
J3 Treasure Hunt
Olivia, meet Olivia
This is a picture of me and my buddy.
When I met her it was a bit funny because
she is called Olivia and I am called Olivia.
Now I am a bit sad because I am not going
to be her buddy anymore because I am
going into Junior 4 and she will be in Junior
2. I hope we will still be friends because I
liked working with her.
Olivia Middleton
Mrs Mitchell told us we would go on a
Treasure Hunt when we earned enough
points. We went to HQ and some of the
J3s read out the clues. We worked out it
must be in someone’s office and we
decided it must be Mrs Stobo’s. So we
all went to her room and she did have
our treasure. When we looked inside
the treasure chest there were
chocolates, calculators and note pads.
We were all allowed to choose two
things. It was great fun.
Kelsey O’Keefe
Micro Fitness
This year J1 to J4 did Micro fitness in the
sports complex. We used lots of different
gym equipment and played ball games.
There was also a bouncy castle, a bungee
run and other inflatable games. We had a
great time and another school was there
too. Afterwards we were very tired but had
enjoyed everything we did.
Harnisha Aulak and Rebecca Scott
The BIG Lunch
J3 Nativity
This year the J3 classes directed the nativity and
it was hard work. Mrs. Mitchell helped us decide
on the staging, props and acting. We also took
part in the play and really enjoyed it. We even
painted the stable and arranged costumes. It
was a big responsibility.
We made a Big Lunch and cooked it all by ourselves. We decided on the menu
and checked recipes for the ingredients. For starters we could have olives and
cheese or sweet potato soup, for the main course there was curry or pizza and
for dessert you could have pavlova or chocolate cake. We invited some guests
and made decorations too. It was great fun and I am really proud that we did it
all by ourselves.
Laura McNeill and Lucy Tankel
Felicity Boyle and Grace Campbell
Junior 4
Viking Project
In the Spring Term we did a Viking project!
At first, we wrote down what we wanted to
find out, then went and gathered all the
information from books on Vikings. We then
made little Viking boats, which were called
longships because they were really long!’
Alexandra, J4
The life of a Princess
“In Junior 4 we got the chance to write about
princesses. We had to describe their life and then draw
them in their bedroom wearing beautiful clothes.”
Samiyah, J4
Eco Committee Work
“I was in the eco committee. It was great fun and I
learned that you can do many things with pen lids,
like making necklaces or bracelets etc. I am very
happy I am helping us become eco warriors!”
Millie, J3
George Birrell
“J4 were asked to copy a painting of George Birrell’s.
George improvised from memory and he used bold
colours instead of original natural colours. His paintings
were mostly of Scottish coastal fishing villages.”
Cate, J4
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Junior 5
Amazonia
‘Amazonia is an artificial tropical indoor
rainforest and we saw kinkajous, bats, a toucan,
gold and blue macaws, red bellied piranhas, a
royal python, poison dart frogs and tarantulas
and many more exotic animals! Morven
‘After walking through the rainforest, we went
to handling sessions and I held a fat tailed
gecko, a royal python, and a hissing cockroach.
I thought the fat tailed gecko was really cute!’,
Daisy
At the handling session, I was too scared to
handle any, but I did touch Ralph, a
cockroach!, Cerys
Junior 6
Commonwealth
Inspiration!
We have been exploring the work of artists from
across the Commonwealth and have used what
we have learned to inspire our own masterpieces!
by Eilidh Haughan
by Lena Boraei
by Libby Campbell
by Anais Bonner
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Junior 7
Girl of Dust
Imagine having everything you love taken away
from you, your home, your food and your fun.
Your life would be nothing but a speck of dust.
That’s what happened to Anne Frank. At the age
of just twelve years, the Nazis had occupied the
Netherlands which was where Anne and her
family lived.
Anne had a happy, outgoing personality. She loved swimming,
going to the cinema and playing with her friends. Anne could no
longer do any of the things she loved. Happily weaving through
seats to get a good spot at the cinema or cheerfully playing around
at her father’s work. A happy little heart filled with excitement.
The Nazis came and took away all of the Jews’ rights. When
everything began to get out of hand, Anne’s dad, Otto, decided the
family had to move. After living in Amsterdam for a while, they ran
away to an Annexe to hide, as the Nazis had invaded Amsterdam.
Whilst living in the annexe, Otto’s secretary had to go out to get
Anne’s family their food. Hopeful, yet terrified, Anne spent her days
whispering when she had to talk. She had to be so silent as the last
thing her family needed was Germans hearing them. She couldn’t
even flush the toilet or eat loudly.
For Anne’s thirteenth birthday she received a diary which she used
to write down everything that happened to her. Anne lay wearily in
her bed wondering where her life was heading. She was unsure
what to do with her diary. “Every day is the same” she thought. Not
once was she ever able to go outside and breathe in fresh air. She
was desperate to open the dull, miserable window beside her bed
though she knew she would die if she did so.
Anne did record many of the things that happened. For example,
still living in the annexe, they heard burglars breaking into the
warehouse below. Anne was writing in her diary as all of the chaos
happened.
After two years of hiding, she was discovered. She couldn’t believe
this was actually happening. Anne and her family were taken to a
prison camp. Her sister Margot sadly died of starvation after just a
few weeks. Her family, especially Anne, couldn’t bear to see her
go. Even just the smallest thing that is edible could keep her sister
alive. It broke Anne’s heart knowing she couldn’t help Margot.
Manor
Adventure
“Margot, if you must leave us, please go to heaven, I will never forget
you. I love you Margot.” Anne struggled to get her words out with all
the tears.
The rest of the Frank family managed to survive for a little bit longer
but they all unfortunately died of starvation except for Otto. It
seemed like everything was happening in slow motion.
“I can’t live for much longer father.” said Anne very weakly. “It’s
okay, I will be able to visit Margot and that is all I’ve wished for ever
since she passed.” Anne was lying in her bed quietly, her eyes
beginning to close. Her extraordinary life was fading, but as she lay,
she realised that her life was better than a speck of dust. She had
lived through a dangerous adventure. Unfortunately it was time for
her to go but thanks to her humble diary, her plight will never be
forgotten.
Our Junior 7s had an action packed visit to
Lockerbie Manor this Summer, spending
three sunny days at the adventure centre,
trying all sorts of new and exciting activities,
including archery, fencing, climbing and
orienteering.
“Every single moment of the trip was so
much fun!”, Erin J7
Expressive
Arts
Page 22
Art
The Art Report
It was another busy, action
packed year in the Art and
Design Department with our
talented girls producing a range
of fantastic, high quality work.
In brief, highlights included trips to Jupiter Artland
and Kelvingrove Art Gallery, our annual visit by
professional portrait artist Andrew Ratcliffe and S3
participated in a Paper Construction Workshop. Well
done to everyone for their hard work and commitment
in producing work of such a high standard and
another enjoyable year in the Craigholme Art and
Design Department... from J7 to S6!
Ailsa Mitchell
Head of Art and Design
Art
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Art
Music
Advanced Higher
Our talented Art and Design Advanced Higher girls, Kirstie
Hardie and Heather Mackie produced work of a fantastic
standard this year, with Kirstie’s folio chosen for the official
SQA Advanced Higher Exhibition at the Tramway.
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Music
‘Small to enough to be all inclusive,
big enough to make an impact.’
The Choir enjoying the beautiful New York skyline
TERM ONE
The Music Department continued its prolific output of concerts, events, performing
opportunities, and new initiatives led by inspirational and motivated staff all of
which make Craigholme Music Department truly sector leading.
September proved to be a very exciting
and busy time for the girls and staff. Within
two weeks of returning to school we were
delighted when some of our senior
musicians represented the school at
WOSIS orchestral weekend culminating in
an impressive orchestral concert at
Kelvinside Academy.
During the September weekend five staff
and 35 girls travelled to New York
continuing our impressive International
Concert Series programme. We were
welcomed most warmly by the British
International School of New York (BISNY)
and enjoyed performing for their pupils,
staff and parents. Further performances
included St. Paul the Apostle Church at
Central Park and a Broadway workshop
with some cast from Wicked. Many
memories were created and many
friendships forged with our new friends at
BISNY. We are delighted that they will
make a reciprocal visit to Craigholme in
April 2015.
In October the Music Department
presented its annual Harvest Festival from
the Nursery to J7. Held in the Nursery and
Senior School Assembly Hall, every child
played an important role in delivering a
selection of songs conveying the message
The Choir performing at the British
International School
of Harvest. They also conveyed to parents
and friends an important message, the
need for sustainable food sources in third
world countries. A retiring collection of
£300 was donated to Charity.
Craigholme was again honoured this
month with an Invitation from Trinity
College of Music in London for their award
winning Junior Choir and Suzanne Murphy,
who scored one of the highest marks in
the country in a recent exam, to take part
in a High Achievers’ Concert. The choir and
Suzanne were outstanding Ambassadors
for Craigholme performing alongside some
of the country’s leading young talent.
One of the highlights during this month
was of course the Junior production of
‘Annie’ at Eastwood Theatre. The girls
really rose to the occasion delivering top
class, professional performances over
two nights.
As always December was hectic but filled
with fun. The Nursery presented its Nativity
in the Senior School Assembly Hall to a
packed audience of family, friends and
teachers. A week later our J1s – 3s
presented their Nativity. It was organised
and project managed by the J3s supported
by staff, and was a great example of the up
and coming talent we have at Craigholme.
With BIS-NY hosts at the John Lennon Memorial in Central Park
The term drew to a close with every pupil
in the school taking part in our Christmas
Service at Sherbrooke St. Gilbert’s Church.
Music
TERM 2
Towards the end of January we welcomed, for the third time
to Craigolme, our friends from the choir and orchestra of St.
Andrew’s School in Buenos Aires, Argentina. St. Andrew’s
performed for Craigholme doing a workshop with some of
our pupils before heading out to collaborate with the
Bothwell Philharmonic Choir in an evening performance
with some of our girls at the historic Bothwell Parish Church.
We are delighted to be continuing to forge strong bonds
with this school and perhaps look forward to a reciprocal
visit at some point.
In February the heats of the Musician of
the Year Competition were launched and
an outstanding 35 entrants put
themselves forward for the preliminary
rounds.
The children of the Junior School
celebrated Chinese New Year in song, art
work and poetry writing as part of the
Music Department’s Creative Curriculum.
In March the Nursery attended Monster
Music in The Royal Concert Hall with the
Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Our glittering Musician of the Year
Competition reached its exciting finale in
March with a packed hall of parents,
families and friends supporting our nine
finalists across the three categories.
Following a nail biting wait, our
adjudicators Opera Singer and lecturer,
Dennis Haggerty, Fiona Pitcathley from
the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and
Flora Speedie from our sponsors the
Director of Music at St. Andrew’s School with the Choir
Bothwell Philharmonic Choir, announced
the winners:
ELEMENTARY WINNER
Joy Guse S1 – Clarsach
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Jennifer Riddell J6 – Voice
INTERMEDIATE WINNER
Lucy Welsh S2 – Voice
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Sophie Luc S1 – Violin
SENIOR WINNER
Suzanne Murphy S5 – Voice
In the last week of term we became a
centre for Trinity College, London exams.
Around 20 girls undertook these exams
and we are delighted to report that 90%
of them received merits or distinctions.
Our Music Captain, Heather Lyon gained
a grade 8 distinction on clarinet, a major
achievement for any musician.
Some of our senior pupils attended the
second WOSIS event of the year at the
Glasgow Academy with a performance at
the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
April saw the Instrumentalists receive
their turn in the spotlight for our Annual
Instrumental Evening. Every Instrumental
Ensemble and the Musician of the Year
Winners performed a wonderful selection
of music from Classical to Pop. Our
youngest soloists Mia Johnson and Faith
McDermott in Junior 2 made their solo
debut playing the violin.
Finalists pictured with adjudicators
& music staff
TERM 3
The Clarsach Choir
directed by Alice
Guse S5 performing
at the Spring Concert
The Summer term is always very busy with performances,
exams and outings.
In June all pupils receiving instrumental lessons invited their
parents and friends to their Classroom Showcase Events
where every performer played one piece they had been
working on during the year. The events were project
managed and hosted by the girls themselves.
Trinity College Exam Board once again visited us for two days
to examine around 25 girls in a variety of instruments. Our
Instrumental tutors held an open week inviting parents to join
their daughter in a lesson.
We continue to offer violin lessons at the Nursery and J1. Elaine
Sexton teaches using the Suzuki method which is an holistic
approach to learning an instrument. Every pre-school pupil and
some J1 pupils have been enjoying this initiative which once again
puts Craigholme at the forefront of Musical Development.
Our Junior Choir was thrilled to be invited to perform at The Clyde
Auditorium in an International concert ‘In Concert with the
Cosmos.’ They performed alongside Tenors Unlimited and the
Springfield Cambridge Choir and Orchestra. One of the highlights
was meeting the star of the show, Col. Jim Dutton, a former NASA
Astronaut, who made a surprise visit to Craigholme.
In June, an impressive Arts Showcase was organised by Suzanne
Murphy and Alice Guse in S5. This event was aimed at showcasing
the brightest talent we have in the mediums of music, art, drama,
dance and public speaking. It was a perfect way to celebrate
Craigholme as a vibrant and creative environment in our 120th
anniversary year.
Our exceptionally busy year came to an end with the prize giving
ceremonies and end of term service.
We now have around 120 girls from Nursery to S6, along with
members of staff receiving instrumental lessons in 10 instruments
from 13 teachers. We are delighted to have been able to continue
the scholarship scheme which enables the most talented and
dedicated pupils to receive a contribution towards their
instrumental fees.
Mark Donnelly
Head of Music
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Drama
It has been another energetic and
creative year in the Drama Department.
‘Our experience of Drama this year has been inspiring
and enjoyable. Throughout the year, Drama has
allowed us to build our self-confidence and become
better contributors to classwork and group discussion.
We have been able to develop important skills and
qualities, such as thinking on our feet and opening our
minds to creative ideas. We have had to step outside
our comfort zone and work to the best of our ability, no
matter the task or setting.’
S3 Drama Class
Senior 1 and Senior 2
S1 had a fantastic time exploring drama and
production skills. Their most memorable moment
was definitely re-enacting the sinking of the
Titanic- complete with an iceberg and ocean!
The classes delved deep into the world of
characterisation, using class performances to
experiment with naturalistic acting.
S2 kicked off their year by devising and performing in a whole
class production of the gruesome tales of, ‘Burke and Hare’ or
‘Sweeney Todd’ (disclaimer: no girls were turned into pies). The
girls created mini production teams for all class performances,
developing their acting and technical skills.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR
Drama club have been meeting throughout the
school year and all members have enjoyed
working on a variety of musical theatre based
projects. This has allowed the girls to showcase
their singing, dancing and acting skills.
Since May, the Junior and Senior Drama clubs have been
rehearsing for our school production of, ‘The Wizard of
Oz’, taking place at Eastwood Park Theatre in October.
We have whopping 65 girls involved in the show, with
numbers growing. It’s shaping up to be a great night out
at the theatre, with energetic, humorous and polished
performances. It’s not to be missed!
The S3 Drama class have staged a variety of productions this
year, experimenting with style, form and genre. Particular
highlights included a Winter Show for J1/2 girls and a promenade
piece around the school set during the Second World War to
celebrate the school’s 120th anniversary.
The Fourth Year class had a busy year preparing for their National
Five exam. The girls created some hard hitting modern dramas
and provided technical support for each other’s pieces. The girls
were transported back to 1930s Edinburgh for their acting exam,
performing extracts from, ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’.
Advanced Higher focused on the work of the practitioners,
Stanislavski and Brecht and used this knowledge to inform their
performance of Tennessee William’s, ‘The Glass Menagerie’.
The class went on a number of Theatre trips, seeing critically
acclaimed and innovate Scottish Contemporary Theatre. The
class favourite was a reworking of Dostoevsky’s, ‘Crime and
Punishment’, at The Citizens Theatre which featured some
incredible Brechtian performances and a snow storm on stage!
Languages
Page 30
English
Cathy Macphail Visit
Award winning author Cathy Macphail spent the afternoon with
S1. Cathy is always a most welcome visitor to Craigholme.
Cathy used the session to explore creative writing ideas. She
suggested that one of her greatest fears would be to meet
another version of herself, similar to the heroine of her bestselling
novel Another Me. Cathy built on this fear and asked the girls
what would be their greatest fear if they were alone in the library
in a deserted school at night! Cathy told the girls that even
ordinary objects surrounding us in the library could be used to
create atmosphere and tension. She encouraged the girls to use
their creative imaginations and turn these objects into ideas for a
spine tingling ghost story. Cathy said: “to get a good idea, get lots
of ideas.” The girls are eagerly awaiting the English version of the
film of the book Another Me, having been privileged to watch the
Spanish trailer of the film with Cathy.
Cathy launched her annual writing competition. The challenge is
to complete a short story in no more than 500 words starting with
the sentence “I heard them knocking and I knew they had come
for me.” We look forward to welcoming Cathy back next term to
announce the winner.
“I found her very inspiring and I can’t wait until the movie of her
book, Another Me, comes out. Since her visit, I think that my
creative writing has improved and I have read some of her other
books, which are really good and have great plots.”
Anna Brennan S1
English Captain Report
“The role of English Captain was introduced this year
and I was delighted to be appointed. It has been a
fantastic experience working with staff, pupils, visiting
authors and the ESU. I have carried out a variety of
different roles within the English department, but
space is limited, so what follows are my highlights.”
The RED challenge is one which I focused heavily upon. From the
research carried out it was evident that minor changes could be
made to update the challenge and encourage all pupils to strive
for the Gold Award. I met with the girls in S1 and S2 and following
this some changes were made. The impact of these is evident in
the number of girls achieving the Gold Award this year!
As a creative person I was keen to introduce an interactive and
thought-provoking display in the department. A “Quote Wall” was
introduced. The display features a sample of various favourite
quotations of pupils and teachers from a variety of literature.
The visual display of thought-provoking quotations is something
that I hope will continue to expand next year.
I was also keen to work with younger pupils and share with them
my love of creative writing, so during the year a Creative Writing
Club was introduced. The girls explored many different genres of
creative writing through fun activities and completed tasks
designed to not only improve their writing technique but to imbue
in them a passion for writing.
Another aspect of the role I particularly enjoyed was helping to
organise and host various events from Debating Workshops to
Author visits. This really helped develop my organisational skills
and my confidence in working with a variety of people.
I now take these important life skills with me to university and I
wish my successor every success for next year as the role
continues to develop and expand.
Chloe McAlister
Eriskay Cup for Excellence in Writing
This cup was donated by Katherine Longmuir on her retirement
from the post of Head of English. It is awarded annually to the S4
girl who demonstrates outstanding skills in writing across a
variety of genres. This year’s winner is Jocelyn O’Keefe. She has
kindly given us permission to share her Creative Folio piece titled
“I Remember.” The merits of this piece do not need highlighted…
I Remember
I remember the feeling of falling. The rush it sent through me.
Falling through an upward wind.
What must have only been seconds felt like hours. And for these
seconds, it was impossible to think of anything but the fall. The
pain of hitting the surface never once occurred to me.
A defining moment. A moment you realise you truly have no
control of your life. The moment I realised I am in a coma. It
almost seems like a cruel joke, or karma. I don’t know what
condition I am in; I have heard doctors mumble words of doubt.
I heard the conversation between the doctor and my mum about
how long they would hold out before having to switch me off.
The switch. Literally, it is simply an on and off button.
Metaphorically, it is what is keeping me here. My passage. I was
so sure this was the only way, and had done everything possible
to prepare myself. The idea of being switched off still scares the
hell out of me. A coma was never on the cards.
I have no sense of time while in this state—both my physical state
and my state of mind. Tuning into what is going on around me
selectively. Hearing my mother, sad and scared, and being able to
do nothing to console her. Completely paralyzed, I know they can
only care for me for so long, soon they’ll have to stop caring for
me. Then I’ll get what I set out to achieve. Which is nothing. No
pain. Just black.
Hearing the voice of the person that led me to do this to myself
was just twisting the knife. I felt no anger, probably because of
whatever they’re pumping through my body. Knowing he was
English
near my mother. Knowing my father would tear him apart if he
knew this was his doing. Or even if he knew what he’d done.
I am not. And all I can think is I hope she can be as strong when I
go, as she was the night of the funeral.
Forgiveness is a greatly misunderstood word. When people tell
someone they forgive them, do they really, or are they simply
choosing to forget. Pretending it never happened. Moving on.
And what for? Just so they can live a life as close to perfection as
possible. Finding a way to forgive my husband would do no good.
My forgiveness means nothing. It doesn’t undo what was done. It
just says you are ready to let it go. Move on. Soon I will be moving
on to an entirely different place. The only thing that can distract
me from my thoughts is hearing my mother’s voice reading to me
by my bedside.
In a way I am lucky. I will never feel the sting of my youth pouring
out of me. Feel my heart grow cold and my thoughts leave me.
But maybe you are supposed to feel that. Maybe, I am unfulfilled.
I remember my mother reading to me. Every night, until I could
read to myself. I remember the fairy tales she told with such
honesty. Her voice always soothed me. I remember the things I
learned from the books. The princesses were always in distress
so I could learn from their mistakes. I remember the first time my
heart froze and my world stopped. The night my grandpa died. I
remember the lonely tears from my gran. The insincere
condolences. Crying in my bed after the funeral. Most of all I
remember my mother pushing her grief to one side, picking up
“Alice in Wonderland” from my book shelf and lying beside me.
She began to read. She read for hours. Her calm voice radiated
through me until my head finally stopped spinning and I became
hopelessly captivated in the story, I’d heard so many times
before. Just once I looked up at her. Her skin was pale and her
eyes were red rimmed and heavy. Eventually my eyes too fell
heavy. And I fell asleep to the wistful sound of my mother’s voice.
I remember wondering if I would ever be as strong as my mother.
I remember the day I met Keith. He walked up to me out of
nowhere. We talked for what could have been hours or minutes.
Without caring, or even noticing the torrential rain bouncing off
the pavements. He proposed a year later. I was so naïve. I had the
heart of a ten year old, charmed by the idea of love and happily
ever after. I remember the first time he lifted his hands to me. It
was my birthday, I told him he’d had enough to drink. That was all
it took. All it took for him to see me as nothing. I forgave him
instantly; I should’ve known in that moment. I should have left.
I saw them. Together. A girl from my work, and my husband.
Holding hands. Laughing. He’d been so distant, working late,
going on “business trips.” I’d suspected without proof. Now I had
proof. It was all I needed to detach. It was that moment I made
the decision.
I’d lost. Lost myself. In every way a person can. I had no friends,
not since they all hated Keith. I was broken and alone. Normally
I’d pretend I wasn’t hurt. But no fake smile could conceal my
irrevocable pain. My mind was made up. But now it just seems
stupid. I destroyed my future for something that happens to
people every day. And now I’m stuck here. In between two
worlds. Just as close to one as I am to the other.
What is this feeling? I am floating. Floating. Up. Up. Up. To the
surface. But to the surface of which world?
Procurator Fiscal Speaking competition 2013
The competition is now an annual event originally launched in
2012 by the Procurator Fiscal at Glasgow and it has proved to
be a challenging, stimulating and enjoyable experience for the
young people, teachers and staff of the Procurators Fiscal
Service who take part.
Competitors are invited to speak on topics which seek to
raise awareness of equality and diversity and how those
issues affect young people in Scotland. The competition not
only provides young people in Scotland with an opportunity to
develop their skills in public speaking, argument and
persuasion, but is also a forum through which the city’s
prosecutors can hear the views of young people on issues
which are at the heart of our work as public prosecutors and
as a public service more generally.
We were delighted to host the semi-final at Craigholme this
year. Rather than following the usual format of the round
being chaired by a teacher, Mrs Cuthbertson invited Rebecca
Deas (Head Girl) to chair the round. Rebecca’s cool, calm and
collected performance was highly commended by Andrew
Beardsworth (PF). Mrs Cuthbertson and Andrew plan to work
collaboratively next year to further develop pupil involvement.
This year the Craigholme team: Fiona Bell, Rebekah Kerr,
Chloe Sockalingum and Lucie Robbie were runners up in the
final. Appropriately the topic was “Gender is not a barrier to
success”
“This year I was offered the opportunity of acting as
chairperson in the Glasgow Schools Public Speaking
Competition. This is the first time in the competition that
a pupil has taken on this role. Although I have previously
been a competitor in similar competitions, it was
interesting to view the debate from this different angle.
This allowed me to increase my focus and understanding
of what makes a good debate; particularly as I had to
juggle the questions from the panellists in the floor
debate – and intervene when it got heated! I was really
impressed by the standard of the competition, but
particularly by the Craigholme girls who did fantastically
well getting into the final, and finishing up Highly
Commended.”
Rebecca Deas
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Modern Languages
Junior 4 – Bon appétit!
BONJOUR
PIERRE!
The pre-school children have had great
fun in French this year. Pierre the French
teddy bear has helped the girls and boys
to learn and as well as chatting to Pierre,
the children have experienced songs,
stories and games. They even learned a
French song to perform at their festive
play. Specialist language learning at this
age is beneficial in all sorts of ways –
children improve their listening skills, they
learn about other cultures and their
confidence increases.
Junior 4 have been learning how to say what they have to eat and drink for breakfast
as part of their Food topic and recently enjoyed a “real” French breakfast in the
classroom where they had to order breakfast from a menu. The girls enjoyed
sampling croissants, pains au chocolat and baguettes. Bon appétit!
JUNIOR 6
Junior 6, in addition to continuing with French, have learned some German in the
summer term and have enjoyed finding out about Austrian culture, people and food.
This was part of an interdisciplinary project with the Music Department and the girls
were very positive about learning a second foreign language.
Senior 1 Les Crêpes
“In class we read a French recipe for crêpes and then we
got to make them in real life in the Home Economics class.
It was really good fun!” Zara Rehman
“It was fun flipping the crêpes in the pan and it was good
because the recipe was in French and we used new French
words and phrases.” Caitlin Scullion
“I really enjoyed tossing the pancakes and we laughed a
lot when someone didn’t catch it! C’est délicieux.”
Gillian Henderson
Modern Languages
Senior 2 - Au Travail!
S2 have been working on an SQA
unit called ‘French for Work
Purposes’ in which they look into
careers involving languages, the
skills that learning languages can
develop, and the skills and qualities
they have as language learners that
make them desirable to employers.
There is a real-life flavour as they read job
adverts, prepared their CV’s in French and also
took part in a job interview in French. This has
been combined with the S2 Business Education
course to provide a meaningful inter-disciplinary
experience for our pupils.
A Spaniard
at Craigholme
“We were lucky enough to have Cristina from
Spain joining us for our first term. Cristina was
already quite fluent in English but came to learn
more which we all found pretty amazing. She was
very popular with all of us and with the teachers!
She made it into our hockey team and was a very
good maths student. In the Spanish department
pupils loved having the opportunity to practise
their Spanish conversation with Cristina. She is
pictured here with some Higher pupils. We cried
our eyes out on her last day and now we miss her
so much. I made great friends with her and we still
keep in touch.”
By Amy Brown S1
Our Swiss Visitor
“We really enjoyed having
Mandula here because it was
really interesting to find out
about the differences between
school in Switzerland and in
Scotland. She helped us a lot
with our German pronunciation
too! She was really fun and
having her here made us want to
learn more about Germanspeaking countries.”
Jenny Crawford and Faith Borland, S3
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Library and Resource Centre
Story Time
Sessions
Reading for pleasure and levels of
literacy were boosted by Reading
Challenges including RED for S1-S3,
an inspirational author visit from
Cathy MacPhail, Junior 7 participation
in the Scottish Book Awards and a new
Book Club for Junior 6 as requested
by pupils.
All the Junior School pupils were visited weekly by either Mrs Luc or Mrs
Cheyne and enjoyed story time sessions and the chance to borrow from a
wide selection of handpicked books. The Upper Junior School participated in
Literature based quizzes, with Emily Thomson and Libby Campbell proving
impossible to separate in the J6 Book Club Harry Potter Quiz. The use of the
new school information screens to market the new additions to library stock
increased book borrowing throughout the school. Left in the capable hands
of the S6 librarian, the Library displays were particularly impressive this year.
Rawan Al-Qabandi linked her love of books, history and photography with
some informative displays capturing the essence of International Women’s
Day and inspirational women in literature and history.
Information Literacy has never been more relevant with the introduction of
National 5 examinations and the new Highers. The girls, for example, have to
use various sources, analyse the information and comment on the reliability
of the source. We have had fun and intriguing sessions with the ‘tree
octopus’ but with the underlying message of being critical of what is
encountered on the internet; how to reference sources and create a
university standard bibliography. We have been busy ensuring the girls have
the skills required.
Science & Maths
Page – Science and Maths Divider
[INSERT SCIENCE AND MATHS DIVIDER
PHOTOGRAPH]
Text – Science and Maths
Page 36
Biology
Nursery has a Heart!
Mrs Sweeney and Mrs Adams attended the nursery to carry out
a workshop all about the heart. Mr Donnelly had arranged an
interdisciplinary project involving music, health and food
technology and the biology department to expand the pupils’
knowledge of this very important organ.
Mrs Sweeney gave pupils a short talk about their heart using the
heart model. We then walked around the heart using our giant
floor poster and sang our heart song with actions. The workshop
concluded with pupils writing one thing they had learned on
their heart cut-out.
A fun event for all involved!
S1 Explore Africa…..
Mrs Fielding once again arranged an interdisciplinary
event for S1 called Africa Day. The Biology department
decided to focus on African ecosystems and the particular
fauna found in the various regions. From the African
elephant to the Nile crocodile there were animals for
everyone to ponder. We focused on the varied and
unusual adaptations these animals have that help them to
successfully thrive in their environment. This culminated
with a poster competition on an African animal of your
choice. The winners being Sophie Luc, Elle Marsh & Katie
Scullion. All three girls produced clear, concise and
informative posters.
S1 Africa poster winners
S6 Cancer Research UK
& Beatson Institute visit
Mrs Sweeney, Alice Calder, Caitlin Clements, Ella Gilchrist and
Heather Lyon attended an evening of talks and tours at the
Beatson Institute.
This was an awe-inspiring evening, during which we heard the
amazing work of eminent scientists in this field. Talks included:
• Cell suicide and cancer: from cause to treatment
• Understanding cancer cell migration and invasion
• Pancreatic research, the experience of a general
surgical trainee
• Research to improve treatments for brain tumours:
from the laboratory to the clinic.
We then had a tour of the facility, where the equipment available
to the scientists is second to none. We saw microscopes &
cameras filming cell movement, tissue cultures in incubators,
laser cutting tissue microscopes and the magical proteomics
laboratory.
The evening was extremely worthwhile and will have hopefully
helped the girls’ understanding of Unit 1 of the Advanced Higher
biology course.
S6 Ella Gilchrist extracting DNA
Chemistry
Salters’ Festival of
Chemistry
St Andrew’s Masterclass
For the third year, four girls from S1 represented Craigholme
in the annual Salters’ Festival of Chemistry at the University
of Glasgow.
They had the opportunity to carry out some interesting
synthesis experiments using state of the art technology and
attended an interesting lecture about ‘Fighting Bacteria in the
21st Century’.
All S1 girls were invited to enter a competition to design a
poster looking at the relationship between Art and Science.
They were asked to use different methods and artistic
techniques to design their posters and four of the best were
chosen to attend the festival.
The Salters’ Institute hosts festivals to allow pupils from around
the country to visit a university and take part in a variety of
experiments and challenges. This year the girls took part in a
‘CSI-style’ investigation to catch a thief and then carried out a
series of experiments as part of their ‘Mission Impossible’.
S5 pupils Alice Fee and Hiba Sultan, accompanied by Mrs
Cameron, attended the Annual SCIS Chemistry Masterclass at
the excellent facilities of St Andrew’s University.
Every year the girls have an amazing experience at this
Masterclass and this year was no exception.
“The SCIS Chemistry Masterclass in St Andrew’s
University gave me a glimpse of what Chemistry is
like in a university setting. We were able to use
important machinery such as a mass spectrometer
and produce paracetamol in a very well equipped
university lab.”
To end the day, they watched an interesting lecture which
included some chemical magic and explosions.
Alice Fee, S5
“I really enjoyed doing lots of experiments and
finding out who was the criminal. I especially
enjoyed the magic demonstration at the end. It was
an incredible experience and I would jump at the
chance to do it again!”
“I really enjoyed my time at the SCIS Chemistry
Masterclass. I met new people, learned new things in
the lecture, which was all about ‘Fighting Bacteria in
the 21st Century.’ Most of all I was able to use new
and complex equipment! It was a great experience
and I would recommend it for S5 next year.”
Joy Guse, S1
Hiba Sultan, S5
“The Chemistry festival was one of the most
enjoyable experiences and can never be forgotten. I
personally learned many new skills from the
challenge and all the activities. I really enjoyed the
Mission Impossible challenge as it was very testing,
but with teamwork, every task was successfully
completed and we even managed to try some bonus
tasks. I would recommend this to anyone who loves
science and has an opportunity to go.”
Maryam Abdallah, S1
National Chemistry Week
The Higher and Advanced Higher classes took part in National
Chemistry Week. This involved working out how much vitamin C
is present in a variety of foods. To do this we used fruit,
vegetables, some fizzing tablets and a scalpel. Kirsten and Ella
compared the vitamin content in raw and cooked broccoli. Then
Klaudia, Iqra and Kirsty found out that there is more Vitamin C in
Spanish oranges than there is in South African Oranges! The
Higher classes also did some very similar experiments and they
posted the results to the Royal Society of Chemistry website,
sharing them with other chemistry enthusiasts across the world.
Nursery
Halloween Visit
The Advanced Higher Chemistry class
invited the nursery children and staff
along for some Halloween fun.
They all dressed up and put on a display
of fiendish experiments, including
custard goo, puking pumpkins, fiery
cauldrons and magic paintings!
The nursery children had a great time
and thanked the S6 by performing their
Halloween song.
Nursery Halloween Visit
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Physics
Throughout the year, our physics pupils have
been worthy competitors. We began the year
with an S5 visit to the University of the West of
Scotland. In their heat of the WoSPEG (West of
Scotland Physics Education Group) competition,
the girls gained the advantage with their physics
knowledge, but narrowly missed out on victory,
losing by just one point in the fast-fire general
knowledge round. Aliya Hussain made up the
team with Phoebe Claxton and Anisa Haleem,
who are pictured.
Tea with an Astronaut
Phoebe Claxton and Anisa Haleem
Introduction of National Courses in Physics
S2 Engineering Club
The S2 Engineering Club was very popular again this session.
Led by S6, they built and tested bridges using K’nex, entered
their bridge designs for the Institute of Civil Engineer’s
WestPoint Bridge building competition and investigated building
materials using chocolate! The girls, Iona Cook, Clark Stewart,
Kimberley Murray and Margery Justice, worked hard. They
produced reports and a display of their work, earning them a
Bronze Crest Award from the British Science Association for
their efforts.
“I have really enjoyed attending engineering club
this year. I have learned loads in the process of
participating in the Crest Award. It has been great fun
and a good experience. I recommend it to anyone
who gets the chance to take part in this club.”
Kimberley Murray S3
During the recent visit of Col. Jim Dutton to the school, we took
the opportunity to introduce many of our physics students to
the highly-accomplished astronaut after his talk. They asked him
questions about space and careers in science and engineering.
Advanced Higher students, Kirsty McGhee and Heather Lyon,
along with Head Girl Rebecca Deas, asked the Colonel if he had
been allowed to keep his space suit and wanted to know if
NASA was an equal opportunities employer. They were
encouraged to learn that NASA employs the best person for any
job, regardless of gender, but that sadly space suits are too
valuable to be given to astronauts.
This year saw the first examinations for the new National
Courses in Physics. National 5 has three units: Dynamics
& Space, Waves & Radiation and Electricity & Energy. Active
learning to encourage independent thinking, practical and
problem solving skills, is the focus of the new courses.
“I like physics because it’s fun, we do a lot of
experiments and it’s interesting to learn.”
Bethan Marsh S4
“I really enjoy physics because we do lots of fun
experiments and learn about everyday things that
happen all around us!” Hannah Gilchrist S4
Maths
UKMT
Winners
Maryam Malik (S4), Millie Steiger(S4), Vaidehi Shah(S3) and Maliha Khan(S3)
Enterprising Maths Competitors
We’ve had lots of puzzles and competitions this year in the
Mathematics Department. Congratulations to all our UKMT certificate
winners. The lunchtime puzzle club has been well attended and board
games, during lunch break, was enjoyed in the Autumn term.
Four girls from S3 and S4 took part in the
“Enterprising Mathematics” competition
at George Watson’s College in Edinburgh.
Here’s how they described their
experience.
Enterprising Maths Competition. There
were three rounds throughout the day
with a break for lunch. We solved maths
problems, played group games and
participated in a relay race. We got a
chance to practise our maths skills and
work in a team. It was a great experience
and a fun day, we all really enjoyed it.”
“On the 17th September, we travelled to
George Watson’s College for the
Here are a few of the questions the girls
answered.
Our “problem of the week” competition
was popular with S2 and S3 and was
completed on a weekly basis.
UKMT
Challenge
This year the girls once again had an
opportunity to enter into the UKMT
Challenge. Due to her score in this
challenge, Vaidehi Shah was offered the
opportunity for her and two of her peers to
attend a masterclass at Edinburgh
University. After the experience Vaidehi
had this to say:
• Find the exact area of the regular
hexagon. 8mm.
• How many different ways can the letters
JACK be arranged?
• What about the letters JILL?
• A square is inscribed in a circle. If the
area of the circle is 2π what is the area of
the square?
“I really enjoyed the maths masterclass.
It was very exciting and I got to discover
some of the different aspects of maths
which I haven’t encountered before for
example making pictures from Rubik’s
cubes and learning a bit about the theory
of infinity. It was such a fun day and if
anyone else gets the chance to go to one of
these masterclasses, I would totally
recommend the experience.”
Page 39
Social Studies
Business Management
Business Management pupils
have been busy this year, from
attending conferences to visiting
bakery factories. Here is a
snapshot of what has been going
on in the world of the Business
Department this session…
The year started off with a Scottish Trade
Union speaker coming to talk about
equality at work and employment rights to
4th year, who found the discussion
around the equality act particularly
helpful, given this is part of their human
resources topic.
Towards the end of October, the S3
Business class attended the
Entrepreneur Live Conference in
Edinburgh. Not only did we hear from
many successful - and hugely
inspirational - entrepreneurs (such as
SuperJam’s, Fraser Doherty and
Morphsuits, Gregor Lawon), but we were
also given the opportunity to represent
Craigholme in an unique one-to-one
interview with Doherty himself, where we
were able to find out more about how he
came to create his successful SuperJam
business.
November was Social Enterprise month for
the S3 Business class.
Rachel Smillie of Glad Café came to talk about her social
enterprise where, through the work of the Glad
Foundation, profits are ploughed into providing affordable
music lessons for local people. The girls also heard from
the social enterprise organisation Micro-Tyco, which
encourages pupils to become entrepreneurs and send
profits to developing world countries in order to help
other people – females in particular - set up their own
business, with the hope of transforming lives. Inspired by
Micro-Tyco, the girls set up a number of fundraising
initiatives, from raffling teddy bears and beauty baskets
to washing cars, raising a total of £218.30.
As Christmas approached, a talk about balanced eating was on
the cards, with Founder and CEO of Eat Balanced, Donnie
McLean, coming to talk to all the Business Studies pupils about
entrepreneurship. Joining him was the company’s Sales Intern
and former Craigholme pupil Alison Howie, who kindly brought in
samples of their pizzas for the girls to try. Of course, they were
made with all natural ingredients and designed to be a balanced
meal.
To tie up with their summer term topic of Operations, S3 had
the chance to visit Kerrs Bakery in Motherwell. Here, they saw
first-hand how the cakes and biscuits were produced,
witnessing the various methods of production and learning the
importance of quality control. Aside from the in-factory matters,
the girls also learnt about legislation, finance and human
resources. A very interesting – and tasty – trip!
December, as always, is the key month for the Young Enterprise
group, with the Young Enterprise Trade Fair culminating months
of hard work. This year’s group, Invidia, relays their experience…
What a rollercoaster of a year! On our first day in Mrs Caplan’s
room, we could scarcely imagine the highs and lows of the year
to come. At some points it was tough, with fallings out among
the group – period book or cushion hearts? Which? Which?
Both! In the end, we pulled through as one, and have become
even better friends as a result.
We owe a huge thank you to Mrs Caplan and Hilary Harris
(Business Advisor) for helping us out along the way, and allowing
us to achieve second place in ‘Discussion and Feedback’, third
place in the company report, and ‘Highly Commended’ overall,
with the best exam results Craigholme has ever seen.
We would highly recommend participation in Young Enterprise
to everybody – it truly is a great experience.
Invidia at the Young Enterprise Trade Fair
Page 41
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Geography
Iceland 2013
Visiting the island of fire and ice.
Twenty one S4 – S6 pupils and 4
members of staff enjoyed a very different
September weekend with a four day trip
to Iceland. With thermals packed and
well warned about the sulphur-smelling
showers, they flew out from Edinburgh
airport eagerly anticipating the visit to
one of Scotland’s nearest neighbours.
“The waterfalls were amazing”.
Caitlin, S6
There are very few places where you can
visit two continents in one day but they
did just that at Thingvellir National Park.
Here the North American plate and the
Eurasian plate meet so you can have a
foot in both continents! It is a fantastic
and varied landscape and all were
impressed by the huge waterfall at
Gulfoss; the black beach of Vik and the
glacier at Myrdalsajokull.
“Iceland was spectacular; we saw
many features in real life that we
have learnt about in the
classroom. I especially loved the
glacier and the Blue Lagoon.”
The group took a ferry over to the island
of Heimaey where they climbed “Eldfell”
(the fire mountain.) This had last erupted
in 1973 but it is still possible to feel the
hot rocks below one’s feet. The second
hotel was close to the volcano with the
unpronounceable name, Eyjafjallajokull
(E16 for short.) It was amazing to think
that this beautiful serene snow-covered
mountain had caused so much disruption
in April 2010. A swim in the geo-thermal
Blue Lagoon brought a hectic trip to a
relaxing end.
“The best experience of my life
– educational but fun”
Sophia, S6
“It was an amazing experience
giving us an insight into another
culture and different lifestyle. It
was both fun and adventurous.”
Catherine and Nadia S4
Alice, S5
S1 Africa Day
Anticipating the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, S1
enjoyed a day off timetable experiencing different aspects of
Africa’s 18 Commonwealth member countries.
Mrs Anne Strang, from Save the Children Fund, set the focus for
the event describing how this charity helps children living in
problem areas of the world, including Africa. A lively, energetic
game highlighting issues faced by many African countries was
delivered by Wendy, from Christian Aid; linking in to the
Geography and Modern Studies curriculum.
The Biology department used the opportunity to investigate
African animals and History researched African culture. The S1
girls used their artistic ability to create African masks, and their
culinary skills to make a delicious African treat, shuku shuku, a
coconut truffle. The day concluded with a very energetic and
fun session on African dance and music led by Erick from
Ayawara.
“The whole year really enjoyed Africa Day. We loved
learning about a different part of the world and
would love to have the chance to do it again.”
Sophie and Navkiran S1
“Overall the day was amazing! I most enjoyed the
dancing and the poverty game.”
Katie, S1
“Africa Day was really interesting. We did lots of fun
and exciting activities.”
Iman, S1
History
History Trip
The History department has had an exciting and busy year with
preparations well underway for our upcoming trip to France and
Belgium to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.
The girls will visit Ypres and the Somme and will have the
memorable opportunity to take part in the moving Last Post
Ceremony at the Menin Gate.
“I took History to Higher as I found it fun
and interesting at National 5. The Class is
very interactive and I love getting involved
in class discussions and debates.”
Ailsa Henderson, S5
Menin Gate
Auschwitz
Two advanced Higher Pupils, Chloe McAllister and Kirstie Hardie
had the opportunity to visit the Auschwitz Concentration Camp
in Poland through Craigholme’s involvement with the Holocaust
Educational Trust. Chloe and Kirstie met a holocaust survivor
and had the privildge to hearing his story. The girls, clearly
moved by the whole experience decided to deliver a message of
hope to the Craigholme Community on their return. Kirstie and
Chloe taught a number of lessons to younger pupils about the
causes and consequences of the Holocaust. All pupils in the
Senior School were asked by Chloe and Kirstie to fill a handprint
with their hopes and dreams for the future. The handprints will
now be collected together to form a permanent memorial for
the six million victims of the Holocaust.
Page 43
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Modern Studies
This has been another
busy and exciting year
for Modern Studies.
In September Modern Studies and a number of PACS
(Politics and Citizenship) senior girls, accompanied by Mrs
Erdal and Dr Cameron, attended the Global Citizens
Conference held at the Conference Hall in Perth on the
theme of ‘Education Beats Poverty’. The event was highly
stimulating and thought provoking and all were impressed
with the first class organisation which made this a
successful and rewarding day.
Third and fourth year Modern Studies classes took part in
workshops delivered by the STUC which outlined the
importance and role of trade union representation in the
workplace which prompted many interesting observations.
A particular focus of discussion centred around the
discrimination and prejudice women often face in the work
environment.
At the end of October, along with the History and
Geography departments, the 2nd year travelled through to
Edinburgh and visited the Scottish Parliament. We were
welcomed by the Parliamentary Education Service who
explained how the parliament was organised and led us on
a tour of the building. Later on in the term, in November,
Senior Modern Studies pupils in S3 and S4 managed to
secure tickets to attend a very lively First Minister’s
Questions where we saw often quite heated exchanges
between many of Scotland’s leading political figures.
Higher Modern Studies Conference
In November Higher Modern Studies girls from S5 and S6
attended the Higher Modern Studies Conference in Hamilton.
In a very intense but rewarding day girls heard presentations
from a number of leading academic, political, business and
government figures including Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer,
Sir Harry Burns and celebrated co-author of ‘The Spirit Level,’
Professor Richard Wilkinson.
Practical guidance on course and exam preparation was
provided by John McTaggart and there was a lively question and
answer session with leading political figures including party
leaders Johann Lamont, Willie Rennie, Ruth Davidson and
Patrick Harvie. The day also included thought provoking
sessions from Unison and Living Wage campaigners, as well as
Colin Borland, Scottish Head of External Affairs for the
Federation of Small Businesses.
‘Everyone enjoyed the conference greatly and thought
that the day was extremely useful. It helped, in
particular, with our ‘Wealth and health Inequalities’ topic
which made up 50% of the exam marks so it gave us a
lot of information that we could use. More generally, it
made you really think about major social issues like ‘the
living wage’ and helped make you aware of the problems
that many people have to face in their daily lives.’
Hiba Sultan, S6
In May S1 Modern Studies pupils participated in our ‘Africa
Day’ which focused on our historical, cultural, geographical,
political, economic and artistic ties with Commonwealth
countries of that vast continent.
Health & Food Technology
Africa Day
Strawberry Tea
In the annual tradition, some of the Senior 4’s
helped to prepare the strawberry tarts for the annual
Strawberry Tea party for the S6 leavers and their
parents! The girls did a wonderful job, and the tarts
were enjoyed all who attended later that day!
As part of the Senior 1
interdisciplinary event for Africa
Day, Mrs Taylor worked with the
pupils to make Shaku Shaku,
traditional coconut truffles – the
HFT Room smelled wonderful while
they were baking, and they didn’t
last too long once out of the oven!
Royal Highland Show
The Health and Food Technology department along with the Geography
department ventured to the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston on the
20th June this year.
“The Royal Highland Show was a great opportunity to see many local
producers and taste many different foods. There were many activities
that we all took part in; one of them being about the European Union,
which really tested our knowledge. After the activity there was a chance
for us to taste some different products from the countries in the EU.
Many local shops were there including Lidl and Aldi where many of us
liked tasting all the free food and drink.”
Emily Harrow, S4
“The Royal Highland Show was a great day out. Everyone came together
and interacted in different activities. It was a chance to bond with one
another. The Royal Highland Show had many different activities to take
part in. The weather was beautiful and I enjoyed the day out.”
Hannah Khot, S4
J7, S1 and S2
Competitions
It has been a busy year in the Health, Food and
Textile Technology department. Pupils in J7, S1 and
S2 have taken part in cookery competitions within
the department; where they have had the
opportunity to create fantastic new recipes and
showcase their skills that they have developed in the
subject. All pupils who take part receive a certificate
from Sainsbury’s as part of the ‘Active Kids get
Cooking’ initiative.
In Junior 7 the girls had the opportunity to create a
healthy biscuit. There were lots of fantastic creations
made on the day and both Mrs Smart, Head of Junior
School and Mrs Taylor, Head of Health and Food
Technology had the difficult job of selecting the best
biscuit. The overall winner was Becky Trotter who
made a delicious apple and vanilla biscuit.
The S1 girls task was to make a
hearty soup. Their enthusiasm was
overwhelming and they all created
fantastic soups, making it a very
difficult job to decide on the winner.
The soup that came first was a Hot
and Sour Prawn soup made expertly
by Olivia McLeish.
Finally the S2 pupils had
the chance to devlop and
make their own pizza.
There were a variety of
tasty pizzas on offer which
were all hand made by the
girls. The winner with her
Veggie surprise was
Huda Sultan.
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Page 46
Health & Food Technology
J7 and S2 textiles
During their time in the department, the Junior
7 girls were given the task to create bunting for
their bedroom. They set to work researching
designs before transferring their inspiration
onto mood boards. The finished results show
how well their ideas worked on their bunting.
S2 pupils designed and made a personalised bag. The girls were given the
opportunity to use a variety of textiles, embellishments and fabric paints to
create their chosen design. They then manufactured the bag using the skills
that they had developed during their time in the department.
S1 Crepes
The Health and Food Technology and Modern Languages departments’ worked
together to enhance pupils learning experiences whilst they learnt about foods
native to France during their French lessons. They then arrived to Health and
Food Technology to create Crepes, which proved to be very popular. The girls
demonstrated their skills, in particular flipping their creations!
For this year’s National 5
Hospitality exam the girls had
to produce a three course meal
for 4 within 2 1/2 hour
timescale. The meal consisted
of Red lentil and Vegetable
soup, Spiced Turkey with
Flatbreads and Berry Cream
towers. All the girls produced
fantastic dishes.
Nursery visit
The Health and Food technology department visited the
nursery to discuss the benefits of eating healthy. The
children had the opportunity to make their own fruity kebabs
which they had great fun making and eating.
The S2 cuisine club had
another great year making
delicious foods from other
countries. The girls have the
opportunity to create a
variety of dishes from Italy,
Germany and France. This
year they made apple tart
tatin to stolen slice.
S6 Leavers Course
As part of the S6 leaver’s course the girls had a ‘survival cookery’ session in the
Health and Food Technology Department. This lesson provided them with advice
and tips on how to create delicious dishes on a budget while living away from
home before they tried out some tasty recipes for themselves.
Physical Education
Page 48
Hockey Report
Hockey Report 2014
We had nine teams playing for the school every Saturday this season –
with all the girls loyally attending a weekly extra-curricular practice.
The season always starts with U16 and U18 West District Trials with
the focus being the Inter-District Tournament, to be held at Glasgow
Green over the two days of the September Weekend. Rosie Shanks
(S6) was selected into the U18 West team coached by Mrs Wendy
Justice. Millie Steiger (S4), Kayleigh Justice and Rebecca Conroy
(both S3) were selected into the U16 West District Team. (There
was a clash of dates with the Iceland School Trip and unfortunately
Millie Steiger had to withdraw before the Tournament). Kayleigh and
Rebecca were members of the winning West team. In December
Millie was selected to play in the West District Indoor Team.
Later on in the season Faith Borland and Margery Justice (S2) were
selected to play in the U14 West District Team which was a great
achievement. The 1st and 2nd X1 had mixed fortunes throughout
the season. The S4s did well to step up to a faster tempo of play
and a different tactical focus. Whether playing attacking centre
midfield or as a long forward Millie Steiger thoroughly deserved to
win the “Bookless Cup” as the best player in the school. The FP
match was a highlight of the season with Nicky Wilson assembling a
formidable array of former pupils to play the 1st X1. We were out
gunned with Jilly Bell showing no mercy in front of goal!!
The 3rd year A team started off with a 4-1 victory over Mary Erskine
and that set the scene for the rest of the season. Hockey is fun
when you are winning every week – however their will to work for
each other, their attitude, and sheer commitment saw them play 18
games, scoring 59 goals and recording only one loss 1-0 to
Hutchesons’. On this wave of success they played the West District
Junior Tournament with the following results – they won each of the
Section Games against St Aloysius, High School and Hutchesons’.
In the Semi-Final against Glasgow Academy, Remy Bonner scored
the winning goal. Emily Harrow scored the winning goal in the Final
against High School.
The Scottish Cup Finals on the 13th March 2014 was an
unforgettable day. Mrs Justice was a vital addition to the coaching
team as was the inclusion of Margery Justice and Natasha
Sockalingum into the squad. Nicky Wilson was our umpire, Mrs
Cannon and Mrs Speirits came to support. Mr Bell was our official
photographer, Mrs Bonner, Mrs Dickie and Mrs Hart our official
hairdressers and Mr Justice an unofficial but just as important,
coach. ALL the parental support in the stand was crucial to our
success.
Tennis
We got off to a great start winning 5-1 against Glenalmond –
Rebecca (2), Molly, Kayleigh and Trudy scored. We drew 1-1 with
Strathallan with Molly Hart scoring the crucial equaliser. We won
4-0 against St Columba’s - Kayleigh , Rebecca (2) and Remy all
scored. In the Final against George Watson’s, Fiona Bell dived at
one point to deflect the ball off the sideline – it was a very exciting
game. In the second half Emily created a channel by moving wide
and Rebecca Conroy surged through that space into the circle and
cracked the ball into the goal to win the Cup.
Scottish Champions – Fiona Bell, Trudy Mansbridge, Hannah
Gilchrist, Chloe Sockalingum, Lynsey McNaughton, Rebecca
Conroy (capt) Kayleigh Justice (capt), Emma Dickie, Emily Harrow,
Molly Hart, Remy Bonner, Rebecca McEwan, Anna Protheroe,
Margery Justice and Natasha Sockalingum.
Mrs Hilary Cannon coached the 2nd year team and they too had a
very successful season. They played 18 games and scored 50 goals
with Margery Justice the top goal scorer. Team work was key to
their success in the Hutchesons’ Invitation Tournament. In the
Section they beat Hutchesons’ ‘B’ 3-0 - Margery (2) and Kimberley
Murray. Against High School they won 3-0 – Margery, Iona Cook
and Kimberley. Against Jordanhill, Elle Bryce scored the only goal.
They won on running penalties in the Semi-Final against
Hutchesons’. In the Final against Glasgow Academy – Margery
Justice score 2 to win the Clare Brown Cup.
The 1st year team show great promise for the future and Tia
Mansbridge merited winning the Mirner Cup as the best hockey
player in S1. As the centre midfield she has the drive and vision at
the heart of the team. In the West District 1st year Tournament– in
the Section games against Kelvinside they won 1-0, and Olivia
McLeish scored. They drew the second game 0-0 against Lomond
and won 2-0 against St Aloysius, with Olivia and Amy Brown
scoring. In the semi–final against the High School of Glasgow it was
0-0 at the end of full time. The game then went to running penalties
which was again drawn 2-2 after 5 each. It then went to sudden
death running penalties which the High School won.
The J7s attended all the extra-curricular practices with the team
being made up of quite a few new girls. The potential is there and
they just have to continue to consolidate their skills next season.
As Mr Bremner said to me after another narrow defeat,” It’s okay
Mrs Robertson we don’t want them to peak too early!”
The J6s are a super enthusiastic year group. They played most
Saturdays against J7 opposition and won more often than they lost.
The atmosphere generated by the parental support was
outstanding. They named their teams “Forever Red” and the
“Tartan Terrors” in the High School Invitation Tournament and were
a credit to the school.
The Inter Year / Inter House Tournament was a great success and
an opportunity to showcase our new houses - Arran, Bute, Iona and
Skye. It is one of our favourite days in the calendar. We like seeing
sisters playing together and 1st years tackling 1st X1 players! It was
won by Arran.
We have got great parental support and it is an opportunity for the
Department to thank the girls and the parents for making it a very
enjoyable season.
Mrs SA Robertson
TENNIS REPORT
Craigholme Tennis players had a very
enjoyable season. There were practices
after school and on Saturday mornings and
matches against other schools.
In the AEGON Championships the Under
15’s team of Eilidh Baird (S4), Molly Hart,
(S3) Kayleigh Justice (S3), Margery justice
(S2) and Clark Stewart (S2) won their
matches against Hutcheson’s Grammar
School and High School. They lost their
match against the eventual section
winners Strathallan. All the girls played
very well.
In the Under 13s AEGON Championships,
Olivia McLeish (S1), Tia Mansbridge (S1),
Gillian Henderson (S1) and Ellie Bryce (S2)
played very well. Unfortunately they lost
their matches to Hutchesons’ and High
School.
In the Craigholme Tennis Championships
the Junior Competition was won by Olivia
McLeish (S1). She played very well beating
Margery Justice (S2) in the final. The Senior
competition, which was played on
Tournament Day, Eilidh Baird (S4) beat
Nicole Ewing (S4) to become the Senior
Tennis Champion.
At the High School Invitation Tournament
the team of Eilidh Baird (S4), Nicole
Ewing(S4), Molly Hart (S3), Margery Justice
(S2), Olivia McLeish (S1) and Tia
Mansbridge (S1) had a great morning of
tennis. The team finished fourth out of
eight schools.
The Craigholme Tennis tournament was
played on a beautiful summer’s morning.
The team of Heather Mackie (S6), Lucy
Booth (S5), Margery Justice (S2), Alice
Williams (S2), Claire McKaig (J5) and
Hannah Burnett Godfree (J5) competed
well and deserve credit for their efforts.
I would like to thank the P.E. Department
on behalf of the players for all their help
and support in making this a fun and
successful tennis season.
Amy Watson
Page 49
Page 50
Tournament Day
Athletics Championships Results
JUVENILE CHAMPIONSHIP (J5/J6)
INTERMEDIATE CHAMPIONSHIP (S2/S3)
80m Sprint...................................................... ANOUSHKA NABILI
60m + 100m......................................................... EMILY HARROW
600m...............................................................AURELIA TIFFONEY
200m........................................................CHLOE SOCKALINGUM
High Jump...................................................... ROSALIND MURRAY
800m.......................................................................... ELLE BRYCE
75m Hurdles.........................................NATASHA SOCKALINGUM
ARGYLE SHIELD
High Jump................................................................ EMMA DICKIE
Long Throw........................................................... CLAIRE McKAIG
Long Jump.................................................................. MOLLY HART
Long Jump............................................................HANNAH COLES
Shot Putt .....................................................TRUDY MANSBRIDGE
Juvenile Champion.............................................AILSA MARSHALL
Discus .........................................................................FIONA BELL
Runner –Up..........................................................HANNAH COLES
Javelin .........................................................TRUDY MANSBRIDGE
Intermediate Champion........................NATASHA SOCKALINGUM
JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP (J7/S1)
60m......................................................................MORVEN CRAIG
100m + Long Jump......................................................SOPHIE LUC
Runner-Up ................................................................ MOLLY HART
SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP (S4/S5/S6)
200m + High Jump + Hurdles.............................. OLIVIA McLEISH
100m + 800m + Hurdles....................................... MILLIE STEIGER
800m.........................................................................AMY BROWN
200m................................................................ KIRSTEN BUCHAN
Long Jump...................................................................SOPHIE LUC
Long Jump, Shot Putt + Discus..........................JOCELYN O’KEEFE
Shot Putt...............................................................SOPHIE TANKEL
Senior Champion.................................................. MILLIE STEIGER
Long Throw.................................................................. ZAINA BAIG
Runner-Up.........................................................JOCELYN O’KEEFE
Junior Champion.................................................. OLIVIA McLEISH
Runner Up...................................................................SOPHIE LUC
Tennis
Tournament Day
Tournament Day was a huge success this year with
the sun blazing down on all the families who came
along throughout the afternoon.
From the Sack Race to the Inter-house Relay,
everyone had great fun taking part, with the tug of
war proving especially competitive!
Tournament Day proved to be an excellent way to
round off the summer term, as you can see from
the photos below.
Page 51
School’s Out
Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
Our Commonwealth Project began in 2012 after registering our interest to be
involved in the Commonwealth Games as a Training Facility for Netball. Several
months of hard work passed and had paid off and after much anticipation our
bid was successful. We were then given the seal of approval from the World
Netball Federation and Commonwealth Games Committee to host the training
schedules of the world’s best netball athletes.
It was all the more special for us to truly value and play our part
in accommodating these athletes and welcoming them to our
very special training facilities. The Commonwealth Games is the
most prestigious event in Glasgow’s most recent sporting
history and our involvement will live on through the history of
the school and the lasting legacy we create. Sport in Scotland
has never been more exciting than it is today with our success
in being recognised as the “friendly” games and through the
people of Glasgow who add to the atmosphere and quirkiness of
our wonderful City of Sport and Culture.
Pre Phase:
Our policy, planning and procedures phase of this project was
very rigorous and involved hours of training, meetings and visits
to the venue by a range of organisations some including netball
specific bodies, Police Scotland, Commonwealth Organising
Committee and equipment specialists. We even underwent
security and counter-terrorism analysis and training, installed
ice baths for athletes and controlled the set-up.
Delivery Phase:
We delivered all aspects of the games for this facility and whilst
in our operational phase we accommodated all 12 of the
competing netball teams: Scotland, England, Northern Ireland,
Wales, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, Barbados, New
Zealand, Australia, Malawi, Jamaica and South Africa. Our facility
was open to up to 7 training slots each day from 13th July – 31st
August 2014. Not only did teams use our facilities for single
closed training sessions we also hosted a few friendly matches
between countries. To showcase the speed and athleticism truly
harboured the spirit of the Commonwealth Values and above all
else was a real treat for Clydesiders and staff to watch world
class sport. Our sporting facilities are recognised as world class
and sector leading so much so that the wonderful team from
Barbados wished to take our facility on the plane back home
with them.
Legacy Phase:
The legacy of the commonwealth games will benefit Craigholme
in a number a ways: it is now categorically ingrained in our
history and make up, it will provide us with stronger community
links and sporting partnerships which will further heighten our
status as a sector leading community sports hub. It will allow us
to focus sport and wellbeing as an integral part of the
Craigholme way of life.
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Page 54
Equestrian & Raasay
Equestrian Report
This year has been another great year for Craigholme’s equestrian team. In February
Hannah Gilchrist (S3) and I competed at the Kingbarn Equestrian Centre in the schools
dressage competition. Hannah won her first class on her pony Peggy and I came second on
my pony Jack. In the second class, Jack and I achieved 67.91% and Hannah and Peggy
achieved 66.67%; great percentages against tough competition. Jack and I won the qualifier
in June to compete at the Pony Club Championships in Cheshire, while in May, Peggy and
Hannah competed at the Scottish Schools Equestrian Extravaganza at Ingliston Equestrian
Centre. Jack was due to compete in the blue ribbon class, but unfortunately had to pull out
due to injury. Peggy and Hannah had a fantastic day, going double clear in the intermediate.
Placings came down to time and unfortunately Hannah just missed out.
Ella Gilchrist, S6
Jazzy Raasay
23 of our S2 girls made the long trip up
north to visit the island of Raasay for a
week of adventure! The girls started
their activities within hours of arriving,
taking part in a team-building raft-race
on the Loch. The other activities the
girls enjoyed that week included
rock-climbing, abseiling, hill-walking,
sailing and kayaking. In the evening
the girls took part in some games and
tried toasting marshmallows on the
beach bonfire!
As always, the trip was a great
experience for the girls. They developed
their teamworking skills and
confidence, whilst learning about the
great outdoors in the process. They
enjoyed it so much, they have even
discussed coming back again in S6.
Charities
Charity begins at Holme
As with every year at Craigholme School, we have had another eventful
session with a great deal of charitable activities taking place.
We started collecting tins for the Glasgow City Mission harvest appeal and through the
generosity of the school, we collected over 100 tins.
The sixth year charity committee decided that our chosen charities for session
2013/2014 would be St Margaret’s Hospice and St Columba’s Hospice. To kick off our
fundraising, we held our first charity day, which had a festivals theme. The committee
arranged a short lunch time play as entertainment for the whole school to enjoy. The day
was a success and left the whole committee feeling positive for future events.
At Christmas time we launched operation Christmas child, Samaritans Purse and
successfully reached over 100 boxes. After the great success of the shoebox appeal we
swiftly moved onto organising our next charity day – our Pyjama Day. This involved
everyone in the school coming in dressed in their pyjamas or onesies and made lessons
a much more comfortable experience!
For our final charity day in this session, the committee came up with the idea of having a
Disney Day! Again, the committee arranged a fun show at lunch time for the whole
school to enjoy. It was such a success that it left the paying staff and pupils wanting
more! As well as this, due to the wonderful support from the pupils, we received many
handmade cakes and sweets to sell during break time for a cake and candy sale.
Throughout the year, there have been many other events that have helped us raise
money, such as the Junior Enterprise, Senior Enterprise, Christmas service collection
and the Go Yellow Walk, in which many staff and pupils participated.
On behalf of the committee we would like to thank the entire school for getting involved
in all of our events and raising the fantastic total of: £5456.59!
Page 55
Page 56
Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards
Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards
This has been another successful year within the school with 43 girls being awarded D of E
Award certificates at various levels. 5 S6 girls and 4 former pupils have been awarded their
Gold brooch. This Award has been gained through a huge variety of ways, with each girl
making her own choice on how she would complete the different sections. These options
included Drama Club, learning to drive and volunteering in charity shops. Gaining the Award
shows commitment, organisational skills, team work and an ability to continue onwards even
when faced with difficulties. It is therefore not surprising that a Gold Award is viewed
favourably by employers.
Congratulations to Rebecca Deas, Ella Gilchrist, Kirstie
Hardie, Heather Lyon, Heather Mackie and former pupils
Hannah Bramhill, Lindsey Irvine, Lorraine Boyd and Amy
Groden.
26 S3 girls signed up to participate in the Award at Bronze level.
The sections are the same as at Gold level but over a shorter
period. Volunteering, Physical, Skill and an Expedition have to
be completed over three to six months. Maryam and Aleena
reflect on their experience.
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award
On the 17th-18th of May, 26 S3 took part in their D of E Bronze
Award two day expedition. We walked 15 miles in groups over
the weekend and camped overnight at Dounans campsite, near
Aberfoyle. We really enjoyed this experience. Although the
weather was challenging, we bonded as a team and overcame
any problems we encountered. Everyone gained a wide variety
of skills they previously did not possess, for example map
reading and navigation, time management and pacing.
To complete our Bronze Award we also have to spend a period of
time participating in various other activities under the
categories of skills, volunteering and sports. This really helps us
build confidence and gain new skills. It gives us a chance to
take part in some really enjoyable activities that we may not
have considered doing had we not participated in the Award.
Maryam and Aleena, S3
During our Silver DofE hike we really bonded as a group,
especially at the campsites. It was tough living without the
normal services we usually take for granted like running water
and beds but we all helped each other out and kept the spirits
high allowing us to complete the three day long expedition.
Millie, S4
Health & Wellbeing
Health and Wellbeing
Our values and aims underpin every aspect
of our community’s health and wellbeing
Our Vision:
‘Craigholme School aims to be a healthy and
inclusive school free from discrimination and
exclusion, where everyone is respected, supported
and encouraged. The thoughts, feelings,
emotions and opinions of everyone will be valued
and respected resulting in the whole community
feeling affirmed, validated and appreciated.’
Our Values and Aims:
Caring and Respect in Words and Actions
Through my words and actions I will contribute to
a climate of mutual trust, respect, compassion
and caring.
Self-Respect
As an individual I will respect my own health and
wellbeing. I will ensure my voice is heard especially
when my rights and dignity are challenged.
Sharing our Talents
I will use the privilege of my education for the good of
others as well as for my personal development. I will
use my voice to speak for those who have none.
We feel that everyone who picks up this document whether that
is a student, teacher, parent or board member should relate to
it, live it and be examples of it.
Health and Wellbeing, in line with national guidelines, is an
integral part of community life at Craigholme.
Our aim, as laid out in our Health and Wellbeing (HWB) policy, is
to be an inclusive, supportive and caring environment where
everyone’s opinions, feelings and views are respected and
appreciated. We aim to be supportive and caring to pupils, staff,
parents and indeed the wider community. We have many
mechanisms in place to ensure the HWB of everyone is
paramount in our day to day activities.
Our curriculum is designed with HWB in mind and it is the
responsibility of all to ensure that HWB is evident throughout
the curriculum. We have a dedicated team of staff, parents,
community members and pupils working together in committee
to ensure that every aspect of HWB is taken care of and
delivered to the usual Craigholme high standards.
The Committee:
Mr Mark Donnelly
Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator
Mrs Avril Thomson
Health Advisor
Mrs Carolyn Erdal
Deputy Principal and
Head of Pastoral Care
Engaging with the Community
I will be aware of the needs, strengths and diversity of
my community and the wider world. I will honour the
dignity of every member of that community.
Dr Fiona Gavin
Board and Parent
Member
Councillor
David Meikle
Community Representative
Striving for Excellence
I will work to achieve my full potential in curricular and
extra-curricular pursuits displaying commitment and
diligence and showing resilience in adversity.
Mrs Lynn Forsyth
Nursery
Mrs Karen Savage
Junior School
Mrs Zoe Young
Senior School
Skills for Learning, Life and Work
“I will aspire to emerge from Craigholme as a welleducated, understanding, thoughtful, confident and
articulate young woman ready to play my part in a
vibrant and challenging modern world.”
Mrs Kathryn Taylor Head of Health
and Food Technology
Ms Amanda Currie
Community Sports
Development Co-ordinator
Rebecca Deas
Pupil
Dr Stephen Cameron Senior School
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56
Health & Wellbeing
One of the main priorities in session 2013/14 was to introduce
a monthly HWB focus delivered by a variety of special guests
and pupils at a morning assembly. The theme was then
highlighted in classes and extra-curricular events to maintain
and promote it throughout the month.
Guests this session included Rev. James Gibson, Chaplain to
Her Majesty the Queen, Mary Bissland, Pilates Instructor, Anne
Strang from Save the Children, double Olympian Rhona
Simpson and NASA Astronaut Jim Dutton. All guests spoke on a
variety of social, emotional and physical topics and added so
much to our monthly focuses.
HWB co-ordinator and Head of Music, Mark Donnelly, said: “To
be able to invite these very interesting guests to Craigholme to
deliver thoughtful and inspiring talks to our girls is an example
of the excellent provision we deliver at Craigholme and the
importance we place on developing every aspect of the health
and wellbeing of our entire community.”
Health and Wellbeing Week
9-13 June 2014
On the June 9th, double Olympian Rhona Simpson launched our annual
HWB Week. She spoke of the importance of working together, resilience,
determination and physical and mental endurance. It was a perfect start
to our week of fun, talks, workshops and demonstrations.
Throughout the week we had healthy
food focuses with menu competitions,
yoga and pilates workshops and of
course Tournament Day which involves
the entire community in a fun and active
sports day.
Our week concluded with Dr Alison Gavin
talking to our senior girls about women’s
health issues.
You may recall last session we had a visit
from Education Scotland who spent the
day looking at how and what we provide
in terms of HWB across the school and in
the curriculum. Following a rigorous day
we were highlighted as examples of ‘Best
Practice’. This session, during the Quality
Improvement visit, HMIE endorsed this
further by saying:
“The appointment of the sports
coordinator has had a measurable
impact in increased engagement with
community activities through after
school care, family learning and
recreation events, community group
usage and classes including lets of
facilities and holiday club provision. As
part of this the school has established
positive partnerships with a range of
local sports clubs and national
Governing Bodies.”
“The school places a high priority on
providing support for young people’s
health and wellbeing and this is well
evidenced across the school. The whole
school HWB wall provides convincing
evidence that its approach is one which
permeates across all subjects and at all
stages. It regularly reflects on its work
in this area and plans for improvements
are based on young people’s views and
their experience. Increasingly young
people are being given the opportunity
to meaningfully reflect on their progress
in HWB and to identify their next steps.”
We are once again delighted that the
hard work and dedication of our HWB
team has been endorsed in this way at a
National Level. Next session we have
been invited to host an Independent
Schools’ HWB forum, where we will
highlight our best practice and share our
journey with other independent schools
across the country.
Mark Donnelly
Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator
Moving on
Page 60
Head Girl Report
Head Girl Report
We’ve had a pretty wild year! We started it all in Aberfeldy where
we bonded so well both with each other and with the SLT –
particularly in that infamous game of charades. Doubtless Rosie
will remember Aberfeldy particularly well for the problems she had
there! We did also get some work done though, in a gruelling four
hour session during which we, dressed in onesies, made decisions
about what we aimed to do in the year ahead.
However, for Heather, Kirstie, Amy and I
our busy year started a few weeks before
at the Head Girl Conference which was a
great opportunity to get some advice for
the year to come, and to meet others
who were looking forward to the same
experiences as we were. As Craigholme
was hosting this year we also had the
opportunity to hear from Erin Curle, who
was Head Girl during the 2009-2010
session, who shared all of her top tips for
the year ahead.
As the year progressed we had the
benefit of yet more advice from many
speakers in Friday One. One of our
favourites was when representatives from
Bobbi Brown came in and showed us
make up techniques prior to the
Christmas Dance. Rawan, Klaudia and
Ella all looked utterly fabulous after their
mini-makeovers!
The fabulous looks continued into the
Dance which was well organised by Amy
and Kirstie and took place in the
Millennium Hotel with George Square’s
Christmas lights as a beautiful backdrop
to the evening. The jazz band in particular
was a lovely and unique addition which
really emphasised the 1920s theme. The
turnout of both staff and pupils was really
strong, and everyone had a great night
with the DJ playing some amazing classic
cheesy songs.
We also had the privilege of being at the
school in the 120th year, which means
we benefited from many of the exciting
events that have been going on; such as
the inaugural Murdoch Lecture which
featured a highly interesting talk from
Mrs McIntosh, a Craigholme parent who
has completed several marathons and an
ultra-marathon. She talked to the Fifth
and Sixth years about her experiences
and was truly inspiring as she related the
challenges she faced to ones which we
could. In addition, we had the opportunity
to help out at several of the 120th events,
including the Murdoch Supper and the
Craigholme Ball in the lovely setting of
Kelvingrove Art Gallery. We probably
enjoyed helping out at these events as
much as those invited enjoyed attending!
This was a running theme throughout
Sixth Year as when we were asked to
help out at PTA events. We had an
absolute blast doing things such as
attending the discos – which really
allowed us to rediscover our inner child,
and dance the night away.
Discovering our inner child was
something we tried to do at every
opportunity. On charities days we put on
a big song-and-dance-musicalextravaganza and, headed by Heather
and Caitlin, managed to raise an amazing
£5456 which will be split between the
two hospices we chose to support due to
a personal connection within our year:
St Columba’s and St Margaret’s.
This was an exciting year for us as there
was the introduction of the new house
system which meant we were dragged
from the five castle themed houses we
were used to, and thrust into a new world
of four island themed houses! The four
House Captains of Sanna, Sophia, Ella
and Kirsten managed to rally us all
together, however, with Bute winning
House Day, and Iona winning Sports Day.
It has been a highly successful season for
the first eleven, who managed to score
an amazing nineteen goals this season,
only very narrowly beaten by the third
year team who scored fifty-three goals,
and won their Scottish finals.
The year has ended on a high with a
successful prank day, which culminated
in a ‘Sponge the Sixth Year’ event,
enjoyed by pupils and teachers alike!
Following this, Leavers Week really
rounded off the year with a bang.
However it is not just the Sixth Years who
are leaving this year, Mrs Stobo is retiring
after ten years as Principal. I’d like to
thank her for making our last year so
fantastic and I really hope that we did the
same for her. I am really proud of us as a
year, and what we have accomplished
with the support of the Craigholme
community, not just over this one year,
but over every year we have been at the
school. Even though the time has now
come for us to leave, it’s really not the
end – just the time for us all to go off and
have our adventures so we have
something good to talk about at our
reunion.
TEAM CRAIGHOLME ALL THE WAY.
Rebecca Deas
Head Girl
S6 Farewells
S6 Leavers
Sophia Akhtar
Ruth Connaughton
My time at Craigholme has been amazing.
Being here since nursery I can definitely say
that there has never been a dull moment.
I believe that all the friendships I have made
over the years will last a lifetime and I will never
forget the times we shared together.
Craigholme has given me so many
opportunities for which I am so appreciative for
and it has also made me the person I am today.
I am very sad to leave and move onto the next
stage of life but I am looking forward to what
the future holds. I am happy to say I am a
Craigholme girl and I wouldn’t have it any
other way. Good lucks girls and all the best
in the future.
I can’t quite understand how six years can have
flown by so fast, and that now it is time to say
goodbye to the school I love so much. Walking
shakily into assembly on my first day six years
ago, I could not have imagined the fantastic
memories I would carry with me as I take my
first steps from Craigholme and into the ‘real
world.’ The friendships I have made will last a
lifetime, as Craigholme undeniably has the
loveliest, funniest and most compassionate
girls there are. I feel so privileged to have had
teachers who care about us all as individuals
and prepare us for everything that lies ahead.
While I’m sad to leave, I know that feeling this
way is positive as it only proves that I’ve had
the best six years I could ever have hoped for,
and therefore Craigholme is certainly not
worth missing.
Business Studies, University of Strathclyde
Sheena Bell
Music, University of Edinburgh
I first joined the school in junior 7 and have
enjoyed every second since! It is safe to say at
the start I was a nervous wreck but as time
went on the school has brought me countless
opportunities which helped build my
confidence through drama productions and
music concerts. Without Craigholme I would
never be able to say I stage managed a show or
performed a Greek tragedy in front of a large
audience, played a lead role in a play for the
school’s sponsored charities or took part in
countless music events. The school really has
brought out the best in me and helped push
me to do things I never thought I would be able
to do as well as helping me build strong
friendships along the way. I am truly thankful to
the school and am sad to say goodbye after 7
years of fun and achievement!
Caitlin Sarah Clements
Medical Sciences, University of Edinburgh
I can’t believe my time at Craigholme has come
to an end. The past 14 years from nursery to
sixth year have been unforgettable and I will
cherish the memories forever. The school has
become like a second home and the girls like a
second family so leaving in June will be
emotional to say the least. However, although it
may be sad to leave, my time at Craigholme
has been invaluable and has shaped me into
the person I am today. So now as I am ready to
move on I want to say a huge thank you to all
the staff and pupils at Craigholme for making
my school life so amazing! And good luck class
of 2014!!
Northern Ballet School
Rebecca Deas
Law, University of Aberdeen
I cannot imagine that a better school than
Craigholme exists. It truly is a place you can
look forward to coming back to after each and
every holiday, and when the first day back
comes around going into school really does feel
like going home. Leaving seems slightly scary
now, but the level of preparation given by the
staff means that I’m not sure I could be more
ready. Craigholme has taught me so much and
I know that no matter what I do next, I will be
indebted to the school for providing me with
the building blocks to *wink wink* achieve my
potential. The friends I’ve made here are truly
special and I know that I’ll be holding onto them
as tight as I can in the years to come. I will
always be a Craigholme girl.
Ella Gilchrist
Biological Science, University of Edinburgh
Craigholme has been a part of my life since I
was three and each year has been better than
the last. Everyone I have met during my time at
Craigholme has contributed to making it
special. Craigholme has given me so many
opportunities; however I am still disappointed
that in nursery I had to be the angel without
wings because otherwise we wouldn’t have all
fitted on the stage. Despite this I have made
some fabulous friends at Craigholme and
shared some amazing memories. Luckily
setting the grass of fire in the pouring rain on
bronze DofE didn’t hold me back from
achieving my gold. I will be sad to leave it
behind but I am excited to explore the
opportunities Craigholme has given me.
“Leaving seems
slightly scary now, but
the level of
preparation given by
the staff means that
I’m not sure I could
be more ready.”
Rebecca Deas
Heather Greig
Primary Education, University of Aberdeen
From my very first day in Craigholme nursery to
my last few days in sixth year, Craigholme has
been a huge part of my life. My first tooth came
out, I met my best friends and I found myself, all
whilst being a part of this school. Craigholme
has been a second home to me, where I can
trust everyone and feel safe. Having to let go of
all these memories is definitely not going to be
easy, but Craigholme has prepared me for this
next journey in my life, and I cannot thank them
enough. The friends I have made are for life and
the memories are unforgettable to say the
least. Craigholme will always be in my heart and
I can only hope it is in many more in years to
come, as it really has helped me become the
woman I am today.
Kirstie Hardi
History, University of Durham
Craigholme has quite literally been my ‘holme’
away from home for the last thirteen years. I
could not imagine my life without the
community that I have grown up with around
me, and that has shaped me into the person I
am today (which is hopefully a good thing!). I
have so much to thank the school and the girls
here for - not least for putting up with me. Just
know that no one is getting away from me that
easily! Coping without the glorious tartan to
brighten my day (literally) will obviously be the
most difficult part of leaving, but I know when I
remember it, it will undoubtedly be with the
fondest of memories. Page 61
Page 62
S6 Farewells
Heather Lyon
Isla McIntyre
I have had a great time at Craigholme since
joining in J1, and the small size has made a nice
atmosphere where you know many pupils and
teachers. Playing in various sports, hockey,
athletics, tennis, swimming, and even cross
country, have all been great opportunities
which I am privileged to have had. Over the
years, music has also contributed greatly to my
experience, and learning to play instruments
has given me skills which I will carry forth. I will
very much miss my lessons with these
teachers, who have taught me for many years,
as well as all of the friends I have made here.
While sad to be leaving, Craigholme has set me
up well for the future which I look forward to.
As I have been at Craigholme since primary
one, I can’t even imagine what my school years
would have been like elsewhere! I have made
some great friends, many of whom I hope to
stay in touch with as I move on to university.
Craigholme has taught me many valuable
lessons, all of which will help me develop and
grow - it has helped me realise my potential and
I will always remember it with fond memories. Neuroscience, University of St Andrews
Heather Mackie
Sports Studies, University of Stirling
Looking back on my years at Craigholme I
could not have asked for a better education,
friends and experiences. Craigholme gave me
more than grades; it has built me as a person
(a fabulous one) and has given me skills I never
thought I would be able to achieve. My gold
DofE will forever be a highlight as well as the
hours I spent on the hockey pitch, I loved every
second of tackling and injuries (including
smashing Sheena’s nose...lol). One memory I
shall never be able to erase is the amazing art
department and my corner that shall forever be
a tip that no-one can touch. Craigholme has
made my education more than I could ever
imagine and I shall forever cherish memories of
the teachers, the school and most importantly
the girls that made the whole experience
perfection, I will see you all soon, good luck with
all your futures which I have no doubt will be
spectacular, but never as good as the laughs
we have shared as a year.
Chloe McAlister
History, University of Stirling
Though I do not remember my first day at
Craigholme I most certainly remember the
momentous hike up the hill each morning with
my Barbie lunchbox in hand. Whilst those days
are long gone it genuinely feels like yesterday
that I was fighting with every other kid in the
playground over monkey bar priority. I cannot
comprehend where my 13 years have
disappeared to yet I take with me so many fond
memories. I’ll miss absolutely everything about
Craigholme, the lovely staff and pupils who
have made my time at school so enjoyable,
thanks for all the amazing memories girls, good
luck!! xx
“Craigholme has
given me so
many wonderful
opportunities both
within and outwith
the class room.”
Chloe McAlister
Art History, University of St Andrews Sanna Rehman
Psychology, Edinburgh Napier University
For each year I have spent in Craigholme
School I have had at least one experience that I
know I will never forget. From taking refuse in
bathrooms in junior five to Aberfeldy in senior
six, my nine years at Craigholme have been
incredible. I am thoroughly looking forward to
moving on and enjoying the future that
Craigholme has prepared me for.
Laura Robbie
International Business with Modern
Languages, University of Strathclyde
I can’t believe that my time at Craigholme has
ended already. Throughout these past six years
I have made so many memories and made
friends who I know I will keep in touch with for
many years to come. The decision to come to
Craigholme was definitely the best one I have
ever made as I know that this school has
shaped me into the person I am today.
“Craigholme has
taught me many
valuable lessons, all of
which will help me
develop and grow - it
has helped me realise
my potential, I will
always remember it
with fond memories. Isla McIntyre
Amy Henderson
International Relations with Management,
University of St Andrews
Having been at Craigholme from the age of four,
and having loved every single day, saying
goodbye was never going to be easy, and
although I’m sad to go I feel ready for the next
step. Life at Craigholme has been a truly
unforgettable and unique experience, with sixth
year being the pinnacle of the best thirteen
years a girl could ask for - so a huge thank you
goes to everyone that’s been a part of it! The
friendships and memories made will last a
lifetime. As cheesy as it sounds I can honestly
say that there is no place like ‘holme! Klaudia Jasionowska
Neuroscience, University of Dundee
“Life at Craigholme
has been a truly
unforgettable and
unique experience.” Amy Henderson
Iqra Saleem
Pharmacy, Robert Gordon University
I can’t believe that my time at Craigholme has
already come to an end! I still remember the
very first day I joined Craigholme, where I made
wonderful friends that I have created amazing
memories with. I’m sad to be leaving however
I’m grateful for the endless opportunities and
memories Craigholme has provided me with
and I will remember them for the rest of my life. Rosie Shanks
Economics, Lafayette College, USA
I honestly cannot believe that my time here at
Craigholme is now truly over. I have been at the
school since primary 1 and with every year that
has passed I have created more and more
memories that will last with me for a lifetime.
Craigholme has given me so many wonderful
opportunities both within and outwith the
class room. Had I not gone to this school,
I truly believe I would not be the person that
I am today, and I am going to miss everyone
so much!! I am heading to the University of Dundee to
study Neuroscience and it has been my time at
Craigholme that has shaped my interests and
passions in such a way that has led me to this
course. I have learned so much about myself
and what I want to do in my life and I couldn’t
have discovered any of this without the teachers
and friends here at Craigholme. My time here is
something I will always remember and always
appreciate and I hope everyone else has shared
my amazing experience of Craigholme School.
Amy Watson
Law with Spanish, University of Strathclyde
I loved how everyone was so supportive of what
I was doing and I was always encouraged to do
what I wanted to do. I miss that support system
since going to uni (and also miss waking up in
the morning and not having to think of yet
another outfit to wear!!) I loved the fact that
Craigholme was so small and everyone knew
each other. I thought the whole “family” aspect
was so lovely. I made some amazing friends
since going to Craigholme, and I know that even
though we are all in different places now, we will
keep in contact and still be friends in years to
come. I always thought it sounded really cheesy
when I read past former pupils comments in the
magazine, about how Craigholme made them
who they are today etc. However, since leaving
school, I strongly believe this is true, I would
definitely not be who I am now, OR where I am
now if I had not gone there.
Friends of Craigholme
Friends of Craigholme
Craigholme Class of 2003 Reunion
We walked up to the school on a bright morning, but this time, things were a bit
different. We were entering through the front door; not the basement. We didn’t
have to worry about wearing heels higher than 2 inches, and nobody threatened
to remove our make-up or nail polish!
We were welcomed with a warm smile from a familiar face –
Shirley Reid, known to most of us as “the office lady”. Despite
having now retired, Shirley continues to help out at the school,
and very kindly agreed to help us organise a reunion. This
involved a tour around the school by the current Principal, Mrs
Stobo, followed by some coffee and cake with many of our
former teachers.
There was a lot of excitement and nostalgia as we wandered
around the school. We strolled through familiar rooms and
reminisced about the memories that they evoked - Mrs
Broadbent’s Maths Class, Mrs Tuck’s Chemistry Lab, and
Matron’s Room, to name only a few. We recalled racing down
the basement corridors, and playing ridiculous games in the
junior school playground. Of course, many areas were less
familiar, and we had to accept that whilst we have been growing
up and moving on, so too has the school! Major improvements
have been made to the Home Economics Department, the Music
Department and the PE facilities, and we were all very impressed
with the changes.
After the tour, we were provided with refreshments. This was a
great chance to catch up properly with each other. It was really
lovely to see the paths people have chosen since leaving school,
and reconnect with old friends. In addition to former pupils, we
were joined by some of our former teachers. These ladies
provided so much support and motivation for us in our school
years, so we were really delighted to have the opportunity to
meet up with them again.
The day was thoroughly enjoyable, and I would encourage other
classes of former pupils to organise similar events. Many thanks
to Shirley Reid, Principal Gillian Stobo and all of the former pupils
and teachers who attended.
Diamond Anniversary
Celebration Class of
1954-1967
Our diamond celebrations started early, when in July, twelve of us met
for lunch to welcome Jan Nicol (Rev Brodie) who was visiting Scotland
with her brother 32 years after leaving Glasgow. Jan is a Priest in the
Diocese of Christchurch, New Zealand where she works in a
retirement complex. The day started with an informative guided tour
of Glasgow Cathedral and then a tour of Glasgow sights before lunch.
Our Vice Head Girl, Margaret Allan, made a very humorous welcome
speech and proposed toasts to Jan and absent friends. Following
lunch, a few of us climbed the 134 steps of the Lighthouse for a 360
degree view of the City before a well-earned rest and coffee in Princes
Square. It was a noisy, fun, happy day, greatly enjoyed. Thanks Jan for
giving us an excuse for a get together.
Page 63
The Bothwell
Philharmonic Choir EST. 2000
One of Scotland’s leading amateur choirs is proud to be associated
with Craigholme School as sponsors of:
•Craigholme Musician
•The Scottish Girls’ School
of the Year Competition
Association Choral Competition.
This year’s Christmas Concert takes place on Thursday 22nd December 2015
at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
The Bothwell Philharmonic Choir is sponsored by Tunnock’s Bakeries Ltd.
EuropEan CEramiCs and Glass
Edinburgh
Free and confidential valuations available
a larGE WEdGEWood Fairyland lustrE vasE
By daisy makEiG-JonEs
‘Imps on a Bridge and Tree House’, circa 1924
Sold for £25,000
bonhams.com/edinburgh
Prices shown include buyer’s premium. Details can be found at bonhams.com
EnQuiriEs
0131 240 0911
[email protected]
Craigholme School, 72 St. Andrew’s Drive Glasgow G41 4HS Tel: 0141 427 0375
email: [email protected] www.craigholme.co.uk
Craigholme School is recognised as a charity by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (Number SCO 14860).