Notre Dame High School - Easter 2014
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Notre Dame High School - Easter 2014
A Message From the Head Teacher
Dear Parent/Carer,
As we approach Easter I would like to thank you for all your support
during our Lenten Campaign. As you will see from the range of
articles our pupils and staff have been involved in a variety of
fundraising activities for S.C.I.A.F. Our fourth year pupils have led
Lenten services and we look forward to their presentation of the Way of the Cross on
Friday 4 April. Staff and pupils have had the opportunity to attend Mass each Monday at
8.25. In addition there have been opportunities both before and after school for meditation Notre Dame High School
and reflection led by pupils and members of our St. Julie Billiart Group. 160 Observatory Road
Glasgow G12 9LN
Many thanks for your support in our fundraising efforts and food donations for our Saint Phone: 0141 582 0190
Patrick’s Day Treat. We also appreciate the support of Fareshare for their food donations. Fax: 0141 582 0191
Our third year pupils were outstanding not only in their preparation for the day but also on
Web: http://www.notredamehigh.glasgow.sch.uk
the day itself. We have received many cards of appreciation from the senior citizens in our
community. They had a wonderful afternoon and commented on the excellent Twitter: @ndhsglasgow
entertainment and food. One senior citizen said, “ I attended the St Patrick’s Day Concert
on 14th March and enjoyed a wonderful day. I would like to say a big THANK YOU to you,
all your staff, 3rd year pupils, orchestra and Irish dancers. You all must have worked very School Holidays 2013-2014
hard to produce such a great show.”
Ÿ Easter Break - School closes Fri 4 Apr.
returning on Tue 22 Apr.
Those senior citizens who had attended in previous years said it was the best ever St. Ÿ May Bank Holiday - Mon 5 May
Patrick’s Day Treat and a number of people who were attending for the first time said it Ÿ May Weekend - Fri 23 - Mon 26 May (Inc.)
was the best afternoon they had. They really appreciated the gifts they received. Ÿ Close for Summer break - Wed. 25 June
As you are aware our aim is to continue to deliver the highest quality learning and teaching
and to provide our young people with opportunities to develop their full potential. Your
continued partnership is vital. As we prepare our School Improvement Plan for next Parents’ Evenings 2013-2014
session I would be delighted to hear your views regarding how we can move forward in
Ÿ S1: Tues 20 May
partnership. Please contact me at school if you wish to make a comment or include a Ÿ S3: Thu 5 June
particular aspect in the Improvement Plan.
As we look forward to the summer term the calendar is already filling up with exciting
learning opportunities and events. During the Easter holidays pupils will have the Parking at School Gates
opportunity to attend Supported Study classes. We also look forward to our SQA Masses, Please remember that it
S6 Values Conference, S6 Leavers’ Awards Ceremony, and Awards Ceremonies for S1- is illegal to park on the
S3 and finally to our Activities Week. zig-zag lines outside the
As you are aware school will dismiss on Friday 4 April at 2.30 for the Spring Holiday. school. Due to
congestion in the
Pupils resume school on Tuesday 22 April. surrounding area,
parents who collect
On behalf of the staff and pupils of Notre Dame High may I wish you a happy, holy and their children will find it
peaceful Easter. May you have a restful and enjoyable holiday. easier to meet with their child a short distance
from the school. Please be advised that you
must not stop your car in the middle of the
With best wishes road causing inconvenience to other drivers,
and please be courteous and considerate to
local residents.
Philomena McFadden
Notre Dame High School - Easter 2014
Salesian Sisters
Parental Partnership
In November 2013 and January 2014 the school was joined by Salesian Sisters
Partnership working is an important Connie, Bernadette, Esther and volunteers Zara and Becky. As part of the recently
aspect of our success in Notre Dame High established Salesian Outreach Project, UR Space, the team led day retreats for our
School. As parents you show a keen S3 and S4 pupils, focusing on the themes of Relationships (S3) and Letting your
interest in your child’s education by
participating in many events enabling us Light Shine (S4). Pupils were led in prayer, meditation and a series of activities,
to work together to ensure all children giving them the opportunity to reflect on important relationships in their lives - self,
achieve their full potential. The list is family, friends and God. S6 Caritas pupils also assisted in the running of the
extensive but here are a few examples. events. The following words of Pope Francis during World Youth Day 2013 in Brazil
Events such as:
capture the essence of the retreat experience “If we are truly in love with Christ and
Ÿ Parents’ Evenings if we sense how much he loves us, our heart will ‘light up’ with a joy that spreads to
Ÿ Information and Options everyone around us.”
Evenings Welcome Evenings
Ÿ Awards Ceremonies
Ÿ Concerts
Ÿ Workshops
Ÿ Masses
Your views and involvement are essential
and very much appreciated. If you wish to
make any contributions to the work of the
Parent Council please contact Mrs.
McFadden on 0141 582 0190.
School Improvement Plan
Thanks to parents who contributed to the
Improvement Plan through our
consultation process. Copies of the
Improvement Plan are available for any
parent from the school office. Our
Improvement Plan Priorities in the current
school session are:
Ÿ Raising Attainment
Ÿ Recognising and recording
wider achievement
Ÿ Curriculum Development
Ÿ Continue to engage young
people in the highest quality of
learning & teaching
Ÿ Develop Staff & Pupil
Leadership capacity
Ÿ Promoting Positive Behaviour
Ÿ Effective Transition
Page 2
Notre Dame High School - Easter 2014
Study Weekend Missionaries of Charity
Our annual Study Weekend for Upper School
pupils took place from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 As part of the S4 syllabus, pupils study the life
and work of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Their
January. Forty pupils spent the weekend at research and study were consolidated this
Stirling Youth Hostel working hard in session by a visit from the Glasgow community
preparation for their prelims. Over the course of the Missionaries of Charity. Pupils were
of the weekend, the girls received tuition in a given invaluable insight into the life, work and
spirituality of the Sisters based here in our own
range of subjects including Maths, English, city. The very sight of the distinctive habit worn
Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Modern Studies by the Sisters further enhanced pupils'
and History. On Saturday afternoon there was awareness of Blessed Teresa, her Order and
also an educational trip to Stirling Castle where their calling to serve the poorest of the poor.
they enjoyed a tour and met costumed
performers depicting 16th century life in the
castle. The pupils all agreed that this Study Weekend was a worthwhile experience and
it has greatly helped focus their studies.
The Study Weekend was a really great experience. Having the teachers there to
support us while we were studying helped us a lot. Also, studying with other pupils was
enjoyable because it helped me to discuss certain subjects and understand them
better. - Amaal Kebabti 5I1
Through my experience at the Stirling Study Weekend, I was able to improve my study
skills and build upon my existing knowledge which benefitted me greatly when it came
to my January prelims. The weekend was enjoyable and worthwhile and one which I Science Department News
would thoroughly recommend to others - Lisa Croft 5I2
It has been another
busy term in Notre
Dame’s Science
Department. Our focus
Pila Skip Trip over the last few
months has
The 2014 Ski Trip to Pila, Italy was a great unsurprisingly been
getting our young
success with 24 pupils enjoying amazing people ready to
weather and good skiing. This year saw the best experience success in
weather for our annual ski trip, temperatures in their upcoming National, Intermediate, Higher
Aosta reaching 29 degrees and on the ski and Advanced Higher examinations.
In S1-3 we have had time to focus on some
slopes temperatures peaked at 13 degrees. Sun outdoor learning with Mr Harte’s Eco school
cream was an essential part of this year’s master class, and as always BAE systems have
equipment! In the evenings the pupils enjoyed been working with Mrs Scrimgeour ‘s S2 class
the experience of Italian culture including a to help design and build a ship. The ship will be
entered in competition at BAE’s facility in
pizza night and a visit to the old town centre of Govan shortly after the Easter holiday.
Aosta. During the summer term, we will as always take
a full part in Glasgow University’s Science
The pupils also enjoyed mixing with the group from St Andrew’s Secondary who Week. This week provides a number of
opportunities to engage all the young people
accompanied the school on this trip. from S1-6 in some relevant and challenging
science. In previous years we have been able
to experience a wide range of events dealing
with Chemistry, Biology & Physics.
Notre Dame High School - Easter 2014
Pupil Support Saint Patrick's Day Senior Citizens' Event 2014
If you have any concerns or comments
regarding your daughter’s progress or
Saint Patrick may have been born in the
welfare please do not hesitate to contact year 387, but at Notre Dame he is only 35,
her Pastoral Care teacher shown below: and very much in his prime! Back in March
1979, pupils at Notre Dame hosted our first
Pupil Support: Ms M Friel - Principal Saint Patrick's Day treat for Senior Citizens,
Iona: Mr C Harte (Acting Principal) and it has been an established annual event
Kelso: Mrs E Henderson - Principal ever since.
Melrose: Mr B Henry - Principal On Friday March 14th, our Third Year pupils
Trinity: Mrs M McLaughlin - Principal welcomed 150 guests to the school, and the
/ Miss M McGinty (Acting Principal)
day more than matched up to the high
standards that have been set in previous years. While all pupils in the
school had contributed by donating grocery items for gift parcels for our guests, it
SfL/EAL was the Third Year girls who took centre stage, before, and during the event. They
were involved in various activities, including
Ms M Friel manages all Support for producing excellent wall decorations for the
Learning/EAL matters, and also has Assembly Hall, preparing food for the famous Saint
Pastoral responsibility for a number of Patrick's Day buffet, and fund-raising for the event.
pupils across the house groups. A special mention should go to the girls in the Trinity
House PSE classes, who managed to raise over
Our Deputes / Year Group Heads are
also available to contact:
£640 with such activities as organising a Movie
Afternoon and various sponsored events.
S1/ 2: Mr J Kane Our Irish dancers from Notre Dame, as well as
S3/4: Mrs A Pickard visiting dancers from Hillhead Primary School, mesmerised everyone with their
S5: Mrs. P Griffin competition-class routines. The Notre Dame Ceilidh Band led the gathering in an
S6: Mrs R Martin enthusiastic sing-along of old favourite songs and tunes. A stark contrast to the
lively communal singing, were beautifully delivered solo pieces by Sophie McKellan
and Demi McIntosh, during which a dropped pin could have been heard. Our
guests were not merely spectators, and became involved by leading impromptu
Child Protection song solos. One distinguished lady swept away the decades by performing dance
All staff in our school participate in an
steps she had mastered in her youth. Head of Music, Mrs Miller, will take on board
annual training event covering Child for next year a request from one guest to change the keys in some of the songs!
Protection issues in August of each Our Head Teacher Mrs Philomena McFadden delivered a well-deserved vote of
academic session. The school has a thanks at the end of the day. She thanked all staff who had supported the pupils in
policy on matters of Child Protection and this keynote event. The most important thanks were left to the end - the real stars of
clear guidelines and procedures to the day - namely our Third Year girls, and our young at heart guests.
follow should a concern be raised. The 36th Saint Patrick's Day celebration is only 50 weeks away!
What to do if you are concerned?
If you are worried about a child or young
person, speak to someone. This might
be a health visitor, nursery staff,
teacher, GP, social worker, police officer
or children’s reporter.
We are entirely committed to ensuring
that everyone takes responsibility for
protecting young people.
Page 4
Notre Dame High School - Easter 2014
Travel & Tourism Physical Education
Pupils studying Travel and Tourism are Table Tennis
involved in an exciting project of creating
an interactive map of the local area to be Alisa Khalid 3T1 is a rising star in the World
of Table Tennis. Her recent achievements
used by visiting tourists. This has involved include winning the Junior League held at
many trips to Byres Road with cameras Drumchapel High in February. Alisa took part
and has included visiting many local in the 6 Nations in Guernsey on 14 March
attractions including the Botanic Gardens, and will compete in the Senior Schools
competition in Wales later this term.
Ashton Lane, Glasgow University and
Kelvingrove Art Gallery. The pupils have Mrs Loch
shown their creative side by designing
icons for each attraction and their arty
photos. Pupils now have a greater
appreciation and understanding of the
history, culture, humour and architecture
of the area in which their school is
situated!
S3 Business Management - In Business with the Games
As part of the Commonwealth Games Legacy Week a group of our S3 pupils Cross Country
participated in an Enterprise Challenge on Friday 28 February. The event was delivered
by staff from Young Enterprise Scotland and representatives from the Business world On Friday 28 of February twelve of our S1
who mentored the young people throughout the day. pupils competed in the Glasgow Schools
Cross Country at Netherpollock playing
Over the course of the day the young people were working in teams with their Business fields. The girls had to run 3km in poor
partners developing their knowledge and understanding of the Commonwealth Games weather conditions. It was a very wet and
legacy. Pupils were challenged to consider the impact hosting the Commonwealth muddy event. The girls, however, rose to the
Games will have on our country in terms of Business and Employment opportunities. challenge. They did very well as a team
finishing the course. ‘Well Done S1’.
Within their teams the pupils had to design a prototype of a product which would have a
positive impact during the Commonwealth Games in their chosen sector and make a Mrs Hall
business presentation to a panel
of judges. The pupils came up
with a wide range of innovative
ideas and thoroughly enjoyed the
experience.
Many thanks to Young Enterprise
Scotland and our Business
partners – a fantastic learning
experience for our young people!
Notre Dame High School - Easter 2014
Mathematics
Art, Design & Technology
UK Maths Challenge 2014
National 4 and 5 Art and Design
In February, two S3
classes participated in this S4 pupils were asked to make and design a handbag for their national 4 and 5
Maths Challenge at the portfolios. Their final designs were to be bright and eye catching. Pupils were able to
Intermediate level. Our
pupils were engaged in a choose their own theme and they all came up with some very original ideas from
number of problem solving cupcakes, snakes, and seaweed to butterflies. They all worked very hard and their final
activities within a strict bags look fantastic.
time limit. The activity was very challenging but
rewarding nonetheless. Renaz Rasul achieved
the ‘Best Score in the School’ award and
received a certificate for her efforts.
Supported Study
Staff have been offering supported study for
Higher and Advanced Higher classes leading
up to the Spring Break. There will be additional
Easter revision classes on offer for Higher and
Advanced Higher pupils during the holiday.
Social Media
Over the past year, Notre Dame
has entered the world of
Social Media where we
regularly use Twitter and Lampshade Design
Youtube as a way to
communicate with our pupils, S4 have also been studying the work of Isamu Noguchi and Clara Driscoll, designers
Parishes and the wider school of iconic lampshades. They were then asked to create a Lampshade for a child’s
community. Here are the links
to our pages: bedroom. The Design Brief specified that flowers and birds had to appear in some
form on the final design and the lampshade should be bright and attractive to children.
Twitter: @ndhsglasgow The pupils followed the design process of investigation, development and production of
YouTube: www.youtube.com/ndhsglasgow the final outcome. Here are some examples of the work produced.
Art, Design & Technology
Senior school - the next steps
In senior school all classes are working to
complete National 4 Added Value Units,
National 5 Assignments, Intermediate 2,
Higher and Advanced higher coursework
materials.
A number of our S5/6 cohort have been
attending interviews recently for Colleges and
Universities to study Product Design, Civil
Engineering, Art Portfolio courses and Print
Making courses, and a number have already
received places into courses of their choice.
Page 6
Notre Dame High School - Easter 2014
Art, Design & Technology
St Patrick’s Day Preparations
S3 were busy preparing for our forthcoming
It’s My Greener Glasgow Competition St Patrick’s Day Celebrations. S3 Graphics
pupils took part in the annual competition to
For the fourth successive year our S3 Graphic design the songbook cover and the
Communication pupils are entering the ‘It’s My Greener invitations for the guests. S3 Art pupils made
decorations for the hall.
Glasgow’ competition. The competition is organised by the
St. Enoch Centre to raise awareness within our city of This year congratulations go to Imaan Sattar
environmental issues such as pollution, litter, recycling and and Tanvir Sohal who are pictured below
how these issues affect our city. The competition with their winning designs. Well Done!
encourages pupils to develop feasible solutions to some of these issues, and in
previous years we have won awards for our innovative designs and environmental
solutions. Our Graphics pupils this year assure us their designs will be the best yet!
3D Printing technology has arrived at Notre Dame!
3D printing is a process of making a solid 3-dimensional
object of any shape from a digital model. This is achieved
using a process where successive layers of material are laid
down in different shapes. 3D printing technology has been
around since the 1980s, however it was not until early 2010
that the printers became widely available.
3D printing is used for both prototyping and manufacturing
and is currently used in Architecture, Engineering, Dental
and Medical industries. To perform a print, the machine
reads the design from a 3D printable file and lays down
successive layers of material to build a model. These layers
are joined or automatically fused together to create the final
shape. The construction of a model can take anywhere
from minutes to days depending on the size and complexity
of the model. Right now our class are working on a project
involving natural form. We are designing a ring based on
the designs of flowers and using 3D modelling software we
have produced computer models of our designs. The next
step is to send our ideas to the 3D printer which will then
print our individual rings.
These are some photos of us carrying out research,
designing and getting ready to print our designs.
By Erica Hughes of 2M2
Notre Dame High School - Easter 2014
Art, Design & Technology
Art, Design & Technology
Jewellery Design S1 Bridge Building Challenge
Over the past five weeks in Art and Design In Technology the S1 have been working on an exciting bridge building unit. The
with Miss Rourke, S2 have participated in an pupils work in small groups to design, build and test paper bridges, then construct a
interdisciplinary design brief inspired by the, bascule bridge using fischertechnik components, gears and an electric motor based
recently launched, national school campaign
that wishes to raise awareness for blood around London’s Tower Bridge. Throughout these activities pupils develop an
donation in Scotland. At present, the average awareness and understanding of structures, materials and the types of problems
age of blood donors in Scotland is 40, faced by Engineers and Architects in industry.
therefore the brief requested that the pupils
re-design the current blood donation badge, to
catch the attention of a younger audience (17-
21) and to raise awareness for the cause.
After research and investigation into the
human body, blood donation, body adornment
and advertising, and drawing from and
building upon prior knowledge in Art and
Design, Health and Wellbeing, Science and
Mathematics, the pupils developed and
created some considered and imaginative
designs. During the project, S2 participated in
a range of collaborative tasks that included:
mixed media workshops, market research,
and peer-assessment. These tasks allowed
the pupils to work together to solve design
issues whilst providing them with the
opportunity to communicate and to experiment
with a range of interesting ideas.
Here are some of our Young Engineers hard at work!
Page 8
Notre Dame High School - Easter 2014
S6 Schoenstatt Retreat
Lourdes Trip - June 2014
During February 2014, thirty S6 pupils took part in a two-day residential retreat at
Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary Retreat and Pilgrimage Centre in Campsie Glen. Since we This year (8 – 12
are working towards our Caritas Award, this was an opportunity to take some time for June) thirty-eight
pupils will be going
ourselves to reflect upon our spiritual journey this year. Through a number of prayer-led on pilgrimage to
activities, we were helped to confirm our progress toward achieving the award, whilst Lourdes. They will be
forming even closer bonds as a community of staff and pupils. Some of the highlights for accompanied by
us were the meditation exercises, led by Sr. Mary McLure, SND and the powerful outdoor Miss M.McMahon
(RE), Miss
Stations of the Cross. G.McMahon, Mrs S.
It was so appropriate to be in such a beautiful location and we certainly made the most Salt (Modern
of the relaxed, yet spiritual environment—some of us even went for a jog! Languages) and
For us, this was a highlight of the Caritas Award which has emphasised how fortunate Miss M.McGinty
(Pastoral
we feel about our own personal circumstances and our ability to contribute to the wider Care/Modern Studies). The group will also
community and the lives of others. be joined by our school chaplain,
Helping with Café Simon, supporting the work of the Osnam Centre, contributing to our Fr.S.Reynolds. The excursion is
local parishes and places of worship are just a few of the activities the pupils have been interdisciplinary by nature, focusing on the
theme of pilgrimage, whilst at the same
involved in within our communities. We have also made a real contribution to our school time exposing pupils to French life,
in our work with the St. Vincent de Paul group, supporting pupils with their Religious language and culture. The group will
Education and helping to organise liturgical events such as our monthly Exposition of the reside at the Hotel Ariane, a stone’s throw
Blessed Sacrament. from the Grotto where Our Lady appeared
to St. Bernadette. This year has seen a
We would certainly recommend the award to future sixth year pupils and agree that this great deal of fundraising for additional
has been a key feature of our sixth year experience. activities during our stay there. One such
venture was our day of bag packing at
Nicole Maguire, Head Girl, Isra Ali, Depute Head Girl Tesco Extra, Maryhill when we managed
to raise the grand total of £789.98
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