May Holidays
A reminder that Monday 20th May is a holiday, and Tuesday 21st May is an In-Service day, with students resuming on Wednesday 22nd May 2013.
Parent Council
A reminder of the next Parent Council Meeting on Thursday 23rd May at 7pm. As a parent/carer and therefore part of the Parent Forum, you are all welcome to attend and contribute to the meetings. Agenda can be found here: Parent Council
Please follow this link for the National Parent Forum of Scotland latest E-News update: http://edscot.org.uk/LQE-1HGHY-E83LDKO9BB/cr.aspx
U15 Scottish Cup Final
On Wednesday 15th of May Dunbar Grammar School U15 Football team played in the Scottish Shield Final at Tynecastle, Edinburgh, against Bannerman High School. Dunbar brought a large crowd, 250 strong to support the team which created an electric atmosphere that was certainly conveyed onto the pitch.
Dunbar kicked off the final and started brightly with early possession and a couple chances, but as the first half went on, Bannerman showed why they had reached the final and started to enjoy some control missing some good chances. Both sides looked lively in the first half with Dunbar having the better of possession but Bannerman having the better of the chances.
Half Time: Bannerman High School 0-0 Dunbar Grammar School
Dunbar were back out sharply for the beginning of the second half, at least five minutes before Bannerman or the officials made the entrance back onto the pitch. They looked focused and ready, which showed immediately from the kick-off when Bannerman lost possession and Dunbar went close. Dunbar bombarded Bannerman for a solid 5 minutes but Bannerman held it together and slowly started to make their way back in to the match.
15-minutes into the 2nd half Dunbar were awarded a free kick 25 yards out but Dunbar’s Jamie Chapman who had been looking bright and delivering some great set pieces had pulled up with a calf strain. While Dunbar where down to ten, Bannerman took advantage forcing a corner which brought the breakthrough – a front post header surprising everybody. Luke Archibald who was unlucky to find himself on the bench after strong performances in the quarter and semi-finals, replaced the injured Jamie Chapman but before Archibald had time to settle, the next attack, the next goal – a wayward shot found the Bannerman striker on his own on the left side of the box. There was a question of offside, but there was no question about the finish.
Exactly the same as the semi-final, Dunbar found themselves 2 nil down and it seemed to wake them up. Dunbar’s coaching team decided to change things up bringing Liam Browne on for Liam Gregory who had worked tirelessly down the left as well as pleasing the crowed with some great trickery. Browne went straight up front to support the heroes of the semi-final McAlpine and Stark, putting pressure on the Bannerman defence straight away.
A handball on the edge of the box gave Dunbar a free kick 25 yards out. Andrew Taylor stepped up and fired an unstoppable swerving free kick underneath the bar and into the net. An outstanding strike from Taylor, and Dunbar now had the momentum to go on. Bannerman now panicking started to give away possession and struggle with Dunbar’s attacking drive and it wasn’t long until Dunbar had their equaliser. Stark causing problems in the box, his volley forced a wonderful save, but Cook followed up from 6 yards out to level, sending the 250 plus Dunbar supporters into a frenzy and the Bannerman players with their head in their hands – their lead had vanished.
Dunbar had the momentum to go and win it now and they nearly did when Conal Prior ran almost 80 yards to get on to a great pass from McAlpine but his low shot narrowly missed.
The referee blew his whistle for full time and both sets of players knew that their fate would be sealed through a penalty shootout.
The Penalty Kicks took place at the Gorgie Road end of Tynecastle. Dunbar missed 2 out of their 5 penalties, their first and last, which gave Bannerman the SSFA Under 15 School Shield, 4-3 on Penalties.
Congratulations to Bannerman High School for winning the U15 Shield and to both teams on reaching the final of the competition, as reaching the final is an achievement in itself.
The Dunbar players should be proud of their achievements, everyone at the final was impressed with the way they passed the ball from the back, and showed once again great determination to come back from two goals down. The cruellest way to lose is penalties and not easy to take but Dunbar showed real maturity and sportsmanship in the way they handled it – Heads up, chests out and be very very proud of yourselves.
Both teams will represent Scotland in the British Isles Cup at Toryglen, Glasgow, the weekend of the 24th, 25th and 26th of this month, playing against Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and England. Best of luck to both teams on what I’m sure will be a very special occasion.
Full Time: Bannerman High School 2-2 Dunbar Grammar School (Bannerman HS win 4-3 on penalties)
The official match report with photographs can be found here:
Well done to Rory Murray, Paul Huish and the rest of the coaching staff, and of course all the boys for getting to this final!
S1 Activities Week
A reminder that the final payment is now due. Please make cheques payable to ‘East Lothian Council’. Letters with details and timings for the week were given to students on Tuesday 14th May, with PC1 forms and a skiing tear-off slip to be completed and returned by Wednesday 22nd May. These are necessary for the day trips which are taking place during the week.
S3 (New S4) Ceremony 5th June 2pm
As part of Curriculum for Excellence, we are introducing an S3 Ceremony this year to celebrate the completion of the broad educational phase. Students will be presented with their S3 profiles during a ceremony full of exciting displays of talent. Letters of invitation will be coming home with S3 students next week. Please keep an eye open for these, and return your attendance slip ASAP to allow us to cater for numbers.
Torness Visitor Centre Opening Ceremony
A group of S3 students were invited to attend the Torness Visitor Centre Opening Ceremony on Thursday 16th May along with Dr Smith, Mrs Gibson and Mrs Slowther. They were given the opportunity to try the new interactive displays and were given a guided tour of the facility. Everybody was very impressed with the centre.
Sports Dates
- S3 Sports Day – Thursday 23rd May 2013.
- S1 & S2 Sports Days – Tuesday 4th & Wednesday 5th June.
- Seniors Sports Day – Tuesday 11th June.
- Dunbar Mile & Relays – Friday 14th June.
All students need to sign up asap.
Higher Education Open Days
Please find attached information and dates for Higher Education Open Days in Scotland: Higher Education Open Days
John Lewis Opportunities
Please find below the link to John Lewis who are currently recruiting for retail apprentices
http://www.jlpjobs.com/jobs/apprenticeship-programme.htm#
Vacancies for Parent Council Clerks
- 5 hours work
- Rate of pay: £41.55 per meeting
- Locations: Elphinstone, Pencaitland, St Martin’s, Windygoul and Yester
- Duties attached: Clerks Duties.
If you would like further information or to be considered, please contact parentcouncil@eastlothian.gov.uk
Congratulations from The Big Pedal
Follow this link to see a letter from Sustrans congratulating Dunbar Grammar School on their participation in The Big Pedal: Sustrans Letter
U15 Football British Isles Cup
The British Isles Cup is being hosted in Scotland, Glasgow, from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th May. This is where the cup winners from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales compete to be crowned overall winners, and we have the great news in confirming we have automatically qualified as the host nation to have 2 teams in the cup.
The playing schedule can be found here: Playing Schedule
All games will be played at The Toryglen Regional Football Centre, 480 Prospecthill Road, Glasgow G42 0BY Tel 0141 – 276 – 0570
To compete in the British Isles Cup the cost is £2400 which covers accommodation and meals. However, the cost of travel and other expenses will total approximately a further £1000. It is Dunbar Grammar School’s intention over the next couple weeks to look at sponsorship and fundraising to make sure Dunbar is represented in this cup.
If anyone has any suggestions or know of any companies who may sponsor the above, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Paul Huish at phuish@elcschool.org.uk or on 07969 428485.
Our first fundraising event was on Saturday 4th May where the players and parent/carers were bag-packing at Asda from 10am to 3pm raising a fantastic £1100. The boys also had a cake sale in the school on Wednesday 8th May, raising £175.
Thank you to all involved, and keep up the good work!
Locker Keys
Please could all students who are leaving school this session return their locker keys to the school office as soon as possible. A £5 deposit will be returned to those students who hand in their key by 6 June 2013.
Trophies
Please can trophies from last year’s Award’s Evening be returned to Mrs Leslie in the school office as soon as possible.
Dates for Your Diary
| Monday Holiday | Monday 20 May |
| In-Service Day | Tuesday 21 May |
| Social Subjects Rich Task Day | Wednesday 22 May |
| Trip to The Reaper | Wednesday 22 May |
| Little & Large Cookery Competition | Thursday 23 May |
| Battlefields | Sun 26-31 May |
| S1 Activities Week | Mon 27-31 May |
| S2 Activities Week | Mon 27-31 May |
| S3 Ceremony | Wednesday 5 June |
| P7 Information Evening | Wednesday 5 June |
School Leavers
Jennifer Jones (Career Adviser), or a representative, will be available at East Lothian Works in Lodge Street, Haddington every Thursday afternoon during the summer holidays to offer 1:1 appointments to Dunbar Grammar School leavers who are likely to need support to secure a positive destination. An appointment can be arranged using the contact details below.
- Jennifer Jones
- Careers Adviser
- Skills Development Scotland
- Tel: 0131 665 3120
- Direct line: 0131 653 1012
- Jennifer.jones@sds.co.uk
Anyone travelling by public transport to attend their appointment will have their fares reimbursed on receipt of their bus ticket.
SQA Timetables
Please find a generic version of the DGS Timetable here: Exam Timetable
Volunteer Drivers
As the school continues to grow, and the number of opportunities to learn outside the classroom with Curriculum for Excellence increases, we find ourselves looking for more and more drivers of our minibus. After some enquiries, we have discovered that parents/carers/members of the community who have a D1 on their driver’s licence can be Midas trained, which enables them to drive our minibus for school events, as long as they are accompanied by a member of DGS staff. There is no need for disclosure as you would be treated as a volunteer. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Jackie Gourlay at the school on jgourlay@dunbargrammar.elcschool.org.uk
S5/S6 Induction Day and New Timetable
Thursday 6th June and Friday 7th June mark the official end of examination leave and are Induction Days for the new S5/6 students. During these days students will be given information about their new timetable and will be required to sign a school contract, which identifies our expectations of them, and expectations they have of us. There will also be an opportunity for S6 students to finalise Advanced Higher classes, and for prefects to try on blazers. Students will also have the opportunity to apply for prefect positions, and in the case of S6 students, to apply for the senior prefect posts of Head and Depute Head Boy and Girl.
Please also see Information Sheets for our most up-to-date Information Sheet including:
- Lost Property
- ELjam Summer Tour
- Assemblies next week
- Netball Training
- The Library
- Homework and Revision
- Dunbar Debating Club
- Eco-Group
