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 15^th 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 2^nd 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: 

www.youthfootballscotland.co.uk/clubs/west-region-clubs/wast-region-news/616-bannerman-high-school-news/7156-bannerman-win-shootout-against-heart-broken-dunbar

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:

• Final Letter to parents
• Parental Consent form(PC1)

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

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

and School Clubs, Activities and Study Sessions.

As you will be aware, we changed our timetable on Tuesday 7th May.  In essence, this means that S1 have now become S2, S2 are now S3, and S3 are now S4.  Our new S5 and S6 will return to school with their Induction Days on 6th and 7th June.  The reason for this earlier than usual change is connected with our developments in Curriculum for Excellence and enables our new S4 students to start their certificate classes 6 weeks earlier.  We will continue to review these decisions and keep parent/carers up to date as we work through Curriculum for Excellence.

Careers Opportunities

Vacancies are regularly posted by our Careers Advisor, Jennifer Jones,  in our Careers Section.  Please follow this link to our Careers Page  to see regular updates.

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.

U15 Scottish Cup Final – HAVE YOU GOT YOUR TICKETS FOR THE BUS?

Dunbar Grammar School U15 Football team have made it through to the Scottish Cup Final at Tynecastle, Edinburgh, against Bannerman High School (East Glasgow) on Wednesday 15th May at 7pm.  We’re looking to get as many people along to support as possible, so we’re planning to put on a bus, or even better, buses, to take people to and from the game.  The bus will be leaving from Dunbar Grammar School at 5:15pm and the cost is only £3 per person return.  To book seats on the bus, please return the tear off slip from the letter which went home with students on Wednesday 8th May, along with payment (cheques made payable to East Lothian Council).  A copy of this letter is also available for collection from the school office:  2013 Cup Final Bus letter.  Due to demand, we have extended the return slip date until Monday 13th May with payment.

Everyone is welcome and you don’t have to take advantage of the bus, but please drum up support from all your friends and family.

Finally, please note that there is an admission charge of £5 for adult and £3 concession for the final.

Leavers’ Ceremony

We had our annual Leavers’ Ceremony on Friday 3rd May.  This was attended by our S1 students, parents/carers and some members of staff, who enjoyed information on the future positive destinations of our students, and performances by our Pipers and some of our S2 personalization students playing Paradise.  We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our leavers the very best for the future, and we look forward to seeing our S6 students at the Leavers’ Prom on Thursday 6th June.

Pipers

Jamie Cruickshank, Rory McIntyre, Jamie Payton, Jonathon Barley, Niall Harding

S2 ‘Paradise’

Jamie Payton, Ruth Patterson, Nathan Cox, Duncan MacDougall, Annabel MacAulay, Ruairidh Jamieson, Struan Young, Claire McKenzie, Cameron McPheat, Richard Mullender.

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!

Well Done S4 Student

Shannon Young, 4C3, is playing golf in the Scottish Ladies Amateur Golf Championships next week.  She has also been nominated for a place in the Scottish Golf Academy by her coach and East Lothian Junior Convenor.  We wish Shannon the best of luck!

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

SCHOOL TRANSPORT FOR STUDENTS TAKING EXAMS

If you already get transport provided to and from school you should use this transport as you would on a normal school day ie. for a 8.44am start and 4.00pm finish. You can, of course, make your own arrangements. The arrangements for Fridays are different. If you finish an examination after the normal school closing time i.e 12.10pm transportation can be arranged if required – please inform the school office if you require this service.  East Linton bus passes can be used between 7.30-9.30am and 2.00-5.00pm.  Please remember that if you require transport on a Friday afternoon or on Monday 20th May or Tuesday 21st May, you must contact the school office ASAP to arrange this.  If you do not, transport will not be provided.

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.

S1 Activities Week

A reminder that the fourth payment is now due.  Please make cheques payable to ‘East Lothian Council’.  The letter with payment dates can be found here: S1 letter Activities Week.  Details will be coming out next week with PC1 forms to be completed, which are necessary for the day trips which are taking place during the week.

S2 Activities Week

A reminder that  PC1 permission forms are now due to be returned to the school office.

Please also see Information Sheets  for our most up-to-date Information Sheet including:

• Lost Property
• ELjam Summer Tour
• Netball Training
• The Library
• Homework and Revision
• Dunbar Debating Club
• Eco-Group

and School Clubs, Activities and Study Sessions.

May Day Holiday

A reminder that Monday 6th May is a holiday with students and staff resuming on Tuesday 7th May 2013.

Scottish Schools Athletics Championships

The Scottish Schools Athletics Championships takes place on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th June at Grangemouth Stadium.  Any athlete wishing to enter the championships should speak to Mr May and provide all their details including personal bests before Friday 10th May.  More details from Mr May.

Battlefields Trip 2013 Update

European Health Cards should be handed in to the school office ASAP.

A reminder that the final payment for Battlefields is now due.  Cheques made payable to ‘East Lothian Council’ please.

John Muir Tree Planting

Students in S2 are helping to celebrate John Muir’s 175th birthday by planting trees in Lochend Woods – during their PE lessons! The Health and Wellbeing curriculum is not just about football and healthy eating, it’s also about doing things for nature and taking time out from electronic noise.

This project is a partnership between DGS, Dunbar Community Woodland Group and the Woodland Trust.  Pupil Support Workers Kirsty McLuckie and Isobel Knox along with Iain and Natalie from the Woodland Trust can be seen in a photo with 2C1.  Photo can be seen here:  Trees

S3 Filming Project

The S3 History elective class worked alongside the East Lothian Museums Service to produce a film comparing their childhood in Dunbar with the memories of John Muir.

The film they produced is for the John Muir 100th anniversary exhibition which is being held in the Townhouse this summer.

Staff vs S6 Students Competition

The Staff of DGS took on our S6 pupils to compete for the Gillan Tankard.  Both teams fought hard for victory, with the Tankard being won by the staff after a hockey and football match win.  Thank you very much to all the staff, coaches and students involved, we hope that they enjoyed themselves as much as the PE department have!

Well done to all players!

U15 Scottish Cup Final

Dunbar Grammar School U15 Football team have made it through to the Scottish Cup Final after an enthralling 3 – 2 comeback victory over Woodmill High School, Dunfermline, in the semi-finals.

This is the second biggest school sports competition in Scotland, only second behind the Senior Football Scottish Cup, so I am sure you will agree that this is a huge achievement and one that we want to support and celebrate fully.

The Final will be at Tynecastle, Edinburgh, against Bannerman High School (East Glasgow) on Wednesday 15th May at 7pm. We’re looking to get as many people along to support as possible, so we’re planning to put on a bus, or even better, buses, to take people to and from the game. The bus will be leaving from Dunbar Grammar School at 5:15pm and the cost is only £3 per person return, so if you would like to take advantage of this great deal, there will be a letter distributed to students, and also available for collection from the school office on Tuesday 7th May, with a tear off slip to be returned along with payment (cheques made payable to East Lothian Council) to the school office by no later than Friday 10th May.

Everyone is welcome and you don’t have to take advantage of the bus, but please drum up support from all your friends and family.

Finally, please note that there is an admission charge of £5 for adult and £3 concession for the final.

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, meals etc. but not travel to and from Glasgow). 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 is this Saturday 4th May where the players and parent/carers will be bag-packing at Asda from 10am to 3pm – We hope to see you there.

We are also looking to do a cake sale in the school next Wednesday 8th May, so if you would like to do some home baking, please get in contact.

Dunbar United Colts – £200 donation

A huge thank you to Dunbar United Colts for donating £200 towards funding the U15 team in competing in the British Isles Cup. This is very much appreciated by the school and all involved and will really help. Thank you.

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.

Study Leave – S5/6 Students and Return of Textbooks

Study leave for S5/6 students starts on Tuesday 7th May, letters were given to students on Tuesday 16th April: S5-6 Letter re Study Leave

Any S5/S6 student who wishes to study in school during this period should sign in and out at the school office for a minimum of half a day at the following times:

• Beginning of school day
• Lunchtime
• End of school day

S5 Students are NOT allowed to sign in and out more than once in the school day.  Any student signing in to study is required to wear full school uniform.

Please note students who are attending to sit examinations are not required to sign in or to wear school uniform.  Equally, they are not allowed to wander around the school between examination papers, unless they have arranged a meeting with a member of staff.  Please note also that members of staff may not be teaching in the same areas due to change in timetable and development tasks.

All textbooks are required to be returned before exam leave.  Textbooks can then be re-issued, if required, and returned no later than the day of the examination.  Any student who does not return the textbook(s) will be asked to meet the cost of a replacement.

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

SCHOOL TRANSPORT FOR STUDENTS TAKING EXAMS

If you already get transport provided to and from school you should use this transport as you would on a normal school day ie. for a 8.44am start and 4.00pm finish. You can, of course, make your own arrangements. The arrangements for Fridays are different. If you finish an examination after the normal school closing time i.e 12.10pm transportation can be arranged if required – please inform the school office if you require this service.  East Linton bus passes can be used between 7.30-9.30am and 2.00-5.00pm.  Please remember that if you require transport on a Friday afternoon or on Monday 20th May or Tuesday 21st May, you must contact the school office ASAP to arrange this.  If you do not, transport will not be provided.

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.

S1 Activities Week

A reminder that the fourth payment is now due.  Please make cheques payable to ‘East Lothian Council’.  The letter with payment dates can be found here: S1 letter Activities Week.  Details will be coming out next week with PC1 forms to be completed, which are necessary for the day trips which are taking place this week.

Please note that the first year experience does not include an overnight stay.  Students will be returning to school each day (the return times will vary), details to follow.

S2 Activities Week

A reminder that  PC1 permission forms are now due to be returned to the school office.

Please also see Information Sheets  for our most up-to-date Information Sheet including:

• East Lothian Youth Games Running Scores
• Georgia (USA) Rotary Student Programme
• Netball Training
• The Library
• Homework and Revision
• Dunbar Debating Club
• Eco-Group
• History – Drop in Clinic

and School Clubs, Activities and Study Sessions.

Battlefields Trip 2013 Update

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are having to change the date of the Battlefields Parent and Carer’s Information Evening.  This will now take place on Tuesday 30th April at 6pm in Belhaven Church Hall.  A letter went home with students on Monday.

European Health Cards should be handed in to the school office ASAP.

A reminder that the final payment for Battlefields is now due.  Cheques made payable to ‘East Lothian Council’ please.

SCHOOL TRANSPORT FOR STUDENTS TAKING EXAMS

If you already get transport provided to and from school you should use this transport as you would on a normal school day ie. for a 8.44am start and 4.00pm finish. You can, of course, make your own arrangements. The arrangements for Fridays are different. If you finish an examination after the normal school closing time i.e 12.10pm transportation can be arranged if required – please inform the school office if you require this service.  East Linton bus passes can be used between 7.30-9.30am and 2.00-5.00pm.  Please remember that if you require transport on a Friday afternoon or on Monday 20th May or Tuesday 21st May, you must contact the school office ASAP to arrange this.  If you do not, transport will not be provided.

John Muir Tree Planting

Students in S2 are helping to celebrate John Muir’s 175th birthday by planting trees in Lochend Woods – during their PE lessons! The Health and Wellbeing curriculum is not just about football and healthy eating, it’s also about doing things for nature and taking time out from electronic noise.

This project is a partnership between DGS, Dunbar Community Woodland Group and the Woodland Trust.  Pupil Support Workers Kirsty McLuckie and Isobel Knox along with Iain and Natalie from the Woodland Trust can be seen in a photo with 2C1.  Photo can be seen here:  Trees

S3 Monitoring & Tracking Reports

These were given to students at registration on Thursday 25th April.  If you have any questions regarding the reports, please contact your son/daughter’s Guidance Teacher.

SQA Timetables

Please find a generic version of the DGS Timetable here: Exam Timetable

Congratulations to S1 Student

S1 student Maria Lyle has been accepted onto the Bank of Scotland Local Heroes Programme in association with Sports Aid for 2013.  Maria went through to Glasgow last week at the launch workshops where she received some new kit and money to help with funding this year.  There are only 82 Scottish athletes on the programme from different sports and Maria is one of the youngest (the age range is 12-25 years).

She had a great day and got to meet a few Olympians – Katherine Grainger, Robbie Renwick and Karen Pickering.   Well done Maria!

S3 Filming Project

The S3 History elective class are working alongside the East Lothian Museums Service to produce a film comparing their childhood in Dunbar with the memories of John Muir.

The film they will be producing is for the John Muir 100th anniversary exhibition which is being held in the Townhouse this summer.

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

East Lothian Youth Games – Results

 Well done to all the S1 and S2 pupils involved in the Youth Games who came second overall.

Also a big congratulations to the S1/2 Girls Football and the S2 Girls Hockey teams and coaches who won their competitions -

 S2 Girls Hockey Team

• Sarah Harding, Trinity Forsyth, Caitlin Letch, India Sinclair, Alice Murray, Katrina McGuire, Jodie Russell, Imogen Wilson, Deonne McNeill, Jess Miller, Mhairi McDonald, Elly Cornwall

Coaches – Caitlin McLaughlin & Norma Forsyth

S1/2 Girls Football Team

• Deonne McNeill, Drew Clunie, Anique Burke, Imogen Wilson, Louise Pirie, Chelsea Bisset, Chloe McMullen, Amy Baillie, Chloe Morrison, Caitlin Young

Coach – Miss Tams

U15 Scottish Football Cup Semi-Final  

Dunbar Grammar School U15 School Football team have made it through to the Scottish Cup Final at Tynecastle, Edinburgh to play Bannerman HS on Wednesday 15th May – more details to follow.

Throughout the semi-final Dunbar looked the stronger footballing side but with only 20 minutes to go Dunbar where still down 2 nil after losing a goal within the first minute of both halves. The coaches needed to, and did make changes going from a 3-5-2 to a 3-4-3, and within 5 minutes Dunbar found a goal back through Ewan Stark. Dunbar pressed hard and really turned the screw on Woodmill who started to tire, and with only 8 minutes to go Dunbar found their equaliser with a well worked finish and a second goal from Ewan Stark. The equalising goal really knocked the wind out of Woodmill and from there, there only looked like one team winning it. The winning goal came courtesy of an exquisite long diagonal ball from Jamie Chapman which Cameron McAlpine latched on to and showed exceptional composure to turn it round the keeper in to the back of the net. Dunbar soaked up late pressure from Woodmill to record a great comeback 3 – 2 win.

Well done to all involved – great result and thoroughly deserved!

Preparation for S4 Examinations

S4 students are reminded to:

• check their time and location of their examination and seat number
• arrive in plenty of time for their examination
• bring all of their required materials: pen, pencils, calculator, dictionaries etc.
• either not bring a mobile phone or to hand it in at the office
• contact the doctor for a medical note if unwell and unable to sit the examination
• behave in an exemplary fashion

Study Leave – S4 Students and Return of Textbooks

Study leave for S4 students started on Thursday 25th April, letters were given to students on Tuesday 16th April: S4 Letter re Study Leave

Any student who wishes to study in school during this period should sign in and out at the school office for a minimum of half a day at the following times:

• Beginning of school day
• Lunchtime
• End of school day

Students are NOT allowed to sign in and out more than once in the school day.  Any student signing in to study is required to wear full school uniform.

Please note students who are attending to sit examinations are not required to sign in or to wear school uniform.  Equally, they are not allowed to wander around the school between examination papers, unless they have arranged a meeting with a member of staff.  Please note also that members of staff may not be teaching in the same areas due to change in timetable and development tasks.

All textbooks are required to be returned before exam leave.  Textbooks can then be re-issued by their classroom teacher, if required, and returned no later than the day of the examination.  Any student who does not return the textbook(s) will be asked to meet the cost of a replacement.

Good Luck in all your exams!

Study Leave – S5/6 Students and Return of Textbooks

Study leave for S5/6 students starts on Tuesday 7th May, letters were given to students on Tuesday 16th April: S5-6 Letter re Study Leave

Any S5/S6 student who wishes to study in school during this period should sign in and out at the school office for a minimum of half a day at the following times:

• Beginning of school day
• Lunchtime
• End of school day

S5 Students are NOT allowed to sign in and out more than once in the school day.  Any student signing in to study is required to wear full school uniform.

Please note students who are attending to sit examinations are not required to sign in or to wear school uniform.  Equally, they are not allowed to wander around the school between examination papers, unless they have arranged a meeting with a member of staff.  Please note also that members of staff may not be teaching in the same areas due to change in timetable and development tasks.

All textbooks are required to be returned before exam leave.  Textbooks can then be re-issued, if required, and returned no later than the day of the examination.  Any student who does not return the textbook(s) will be asked to meet the cost of a replacement.

Trophies

Please can trophies from last year’s Award’s Evening be returned to Mrs Leslie in the school office as soon as possible.

S3 Profiling Week

S3 profiling, required under Curriculum for Excellence, began this week on Monday with an extended registration.  Throughout the week students have been asked to reflect on their experiences and progress in learning in each of their subject areas.  They will record these in a booklet which they will then transcribe into an electronic version during technology lessons next week.  Students have been encouraged to reflect on their learning throughout their broad education phase (S1-S3), and to record examples of their best practice and progress over this period.  Completed profiles will be handed out to S3 students at a forthcoming ceremony, more details of which to follow shortly.

Dates for Your Diary

 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.   Students were given letters today: Letter-Senior Induction.  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.

S1 Activities Week

A reminder that the fourth payment is now due.  Please make cheques payable to ‘East Lothian Council’.  The letter with payment dates can be found here: S1 letter Activities Week.  Details will be coming out soon with PC1 forms to be completed, which are necessary for the day trips which are taking place this week.

Please note that the first year experience does not include an overnight stay.  Students will be returning to school each day (the return times will vary), details to follow.

S2 Activities Week

A reminder that  PC1 permission forms are now due to be returned to the school office.

Please also see Information Sheets  for our most up-to-date Information Sheet including:

• S3 Prefect Training
• Table Tennis
• Carnegie Shortlist 2013
• Homework and Revision
• Netball
• Georgia (USA) Rotary Student Programme
• House Poetry Competition
• Library Opening Times
• Dunbar Reads Together Poetry Competition
• Mountain Biking
• Dunbar Debating Club
• Chemistry Drop-In Sessions
• History – Drop in Clinic

and School Clubs, Activities and Study Sessions.

The Battlefields Parent and Carers’ Information Evening will now take place on Tuesday 30th April at 6pm in Belhaven Church Hall.  A letter went home with students on Monday.

Battlefields Trip

European Health Cards should be handed in to the school office ASAP.

A reminder that the final payment for Battlefields is now due.  Cheques made payable to ‘East Lothian Council’ please.

John Muir Tree Planting

To celebrate the birthday of John Muir (21st April) in the 175th anniversary of his birth, groups of S2 students will be participating in planting trees from the Woodland Trust on 22nd and 29th April, to mark the occasion. 

S3 Profiling Week

S3 profiling, required under Curriculum for Excellence, will begin next week on Monday with an extended registration.  Throughout the week students will be asked to reflect on their experiences and progress in learning in each of their subject areas.  They will record these in a booklet which they will then transcribe into an electronic version during technology lessons the following week.  Students have been encouraged to reflect on their learning throughout their broad education phase (S1-S3), and to record examples of their best practice and progress over this period.  Completed profiles will be handed out to S3 students at a forthcoming ceremony, more details of which to follow shortly.

S2 Monitoring & Tracking Reports

These were given to students at registration this morning.  If you have any questions regarding the reports, please contact your son/daughter’s Guidance Teacher.

SQA Timetables

Individualised timetables were given out to S4-S6 students today.  Students have been asked to note that the start and finish times may differ from the formal timetable published by the SQA, in order to minimise disturbances during our break and lunchtimes.  Please note that a generic version of the DGS Timetable will be published next week.

At assembly, S4 students were given information about their preparation for their forthcoming examinations, including remembering to:

• check their time and location of their examination and seat number
• arrive in plenty of time for their examination
• bring all of their required materials: pen, pencils, calculator, dictionaries etc.
• either not bring a mobile phone or to hand it in at the office
• contact the doctor for a medical note if unwell and unable to sit the examination
• behave in an exemplary fashion

Study Leave – S4 Students and Return of Textbooks

Study leave for S4 students starts on Thursday 25th April, letters were given to students on Tuesday 16th April: S4 Letter re Study Leave

Any student who wishes to study in school during this period should sign in and out at the school office for a minimum of half a day at the following times:

• Beginning of school day
• Lunchtime
• End of school day

Students are NOT allowed to sign in and out more than once in the school day.  Any student signing in to study is required to wear full school uniform.

Please note students who are attending to sit examinations are not required to sign in or to wear school uniform.  Equally, they are not allowed to wander around the school between examination papers, unless they have arranged a meeting with a member of staff.  Please note also that members of staff may not be teaching in the same areas due to change in timetable and development tasks.

All textbooks are required to be returned before exam leave.  Textbooks can then be re-issued by their classroom teacher, if required, and returned no later than the day of the examination.  Any student who does not return the textbook(s) will be asked to meet the cost of a replacement.

Study Leave – S5/6 Students and Return of Textbooks

Study leave for S5/6 students starts on Tuesday 7th May, letters were given to students on Tuesday 16th April: S5-6 Letter re Study Leave

Any S5/S6 student who wishes to study in school during this period should sign in and out at the school office for a minimum of half a day at the following times:

• Beginning of school day
• Lunchtime
• End of school day

S5 Students are NOT allowed to sign in and out more than once in the school day.  Any student signing in to study is required to wear full school uniform.

Please note students who are attending to sit examinations are not required to sign in or to wear school uniform.  Equally, they are not allowed to wander around the school between examination papers, unless they have arranged a meeting with a member of staff.  Please note also that members of staff may not be teaching in the same areas due to change in timetable and development tasks.

All textbooks are required to be returned before exam leave.  Textbooks can then be re-issued, if required, and returned no later than the day of the examination.  Any student who does not return the textbook(s) will be asked to meet the cost of a replacement.

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.   Students were given letters today: Letter-Senior Induction.  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.

DGS Eco Newsletter

The April edition of the DGS Eco newsletter can be found on the school website under the heading Eco News.

Engineering Week

Please find attached, an invitation to Edinburgh College Engineering Week Open Day: Engineering Week Invite

Trophies

Please can trophies from last year’s Award’s Evening be returned to Mrs Leslie in the school office as soon as possible.

Assemblies

Please note that the Chaplains will be taking assemblies next week.

Dates for Your Diary

S1 Activities Week

A reminder that the fourth payment is now due.  Please make cheques payable to ‘East Lothian Council’.  The letter with payment dates can be found here: S1 letter Activities Week.  Details will be coming out soon with PC1 forms to be completed, which are necessary for the day trips which are taking place this week.

Please note that the first year experience does not include an overnight stay.  Students will be returning to school each day (the return times will vary), details to follow.

S2 Activities Week

A reminder that  PC1 permission forms are now due to be returned to the school office.

Please also see Information Sheets  for our most up-to-date Information Sheet including:

• Dunbar Reads Together Poetry Competition
• Young Writer of the Year Competition
• Mountain Biking
• S1-S3 Girl’s Football
• Dunbar Debating Club
• Spring Dance
• Eco-Group

and School Clubs, Activities and Study Sessions.

Reminder – please note that Monday 15th April is a holiday, and the school will be closed to students.  Students will resume on Tuesday 16th April.

School Inspection Report

Following our recent school inspection, please find the inspection report below:

• Inspection Report

The report can also be found on the Education Scotland website.

Congratulations to the Community Learning and Development team for their very good report.  Both the school and the team will be looking at how we can take things forward on our journey to excellence.

P6 Cluster Enterprise Activity

For the 6th year running, all of our cluster schools brought their P6 pupils down to Dunbar Grammar School for the Enterprise Activity.  Not only does this give the pupils an insight into the world of work, but it is the beginning of the transition programme for coming to the Grammar School.  A great day of fun was had by all.

Visit from Norwegian Teachers to DGS

A group of Head Teachers and Heads of Department from schools in Norway spent the morning at Dunbar Grammar School finding out about Curriculum for Excellence and self-evaluation on Thursday 11th April.  The groups were very impressed with the school and our commitment to developing learning, and gifted us with a beautiful book with pictures from Norway, which will be given pride of place in the library.

S2 Activities Week

Before the Easter break we launched our S2 Activities Week programme taking place from 27th-31st May.  PC1 permission forms are now due to be returned to the school office.

Parent Council Meeting

Please find the agenda for the meeting next week, Wednesday 17th April, here: Parent Council Agenda

Battlefields Trip Information Evening

There will be an information evening for parents/carers on Thursday 25th April at 6pm at Belhaven Parish Church.  Students will be notified early next week.

European Health Cards should be handed in to the school office ASAP.

A reminder that the final payment for Battlefields is now due.  Cheques made payable to ‘East Lothian Council’ please.

S1 Activities Week

A reminder that the fourth payment is now due.  Please make cheques payable to ‘East Lothian Council’.  The letter with payment dates can be found here: S1 letter Activities Week.  Details will be coming out soon with PC1 forms to be completed, which are necessary for the day trips which are taking place this week. 

Please note that the first year experience does not include an overnight stay.  Students will be returning to school each day (the return times will vary), details to follow.

Study Leave – S4 Students and Return of Textbooks

Study leave for S4 students starts on Thursday 25th April.

All textbooks are required to be returned before exam leave.  Textbooks can then be re-issued by their classroom teacher, if required, and returned no later than the day of the examination.  Any student who does not return the textbook(s) will be asked to meet the cost of a replacement.

The Big Pedal Update

The whole school recently took part in the Big Pedal, the UK’s biggest school cycling event organised by Sustrans, and came 1st in Scotland and 3rd overall! An amazing achievement, and we have won some fantastic new cycle storage courtesy of Cycle Pods.

See their website for more information http://thebigpedal.org.uk/.  On average we had about 60 students and staff cycling and scooting in each day to help us on our way.  A big thank you to everybody that encouraged their children to jump on their bikes.

Keep your eye on the website updates for more cycling information in the upcoming weeks and months. If you are a cyclist and are keen to be involved in developing or assisting cycling at Dunbar Grammar School, please contact Mr Fendick – tfendick@dunbargrammar.elcschool.org.uk

Ask.fm

We have become aware of a social network site called Ask.fm which many of our young people are currently using.  This site is integrated with Twitter and Facebook, but the problem with this one is that people can post things on anonymously.  As you can imagine it has become a platform for bullying and abuse.  Guidance teachers are talking to classes in PSE about this site but thought it would be useful for parents/carers to be aware that their child might be using it and to encourage discussion and be vigilant.

School Magazine

Sarah Jane Mitchell (6C3) with help from Katie Laughlin (2C3) and Chelsea Hines (1C2) from the school magazine team have delivered assemblies to students all week about our latest edition of the school magazine. It’s available to view at http://tinyurl.com/dgsmagazine. If you are interested in getting involved (as a writer, photographer, editor or even just as an informant who can tell us what’s going on around the school and out in the community), speak to Miss Hamilton in the English department.

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

The Bistro Menu

Please follow this link for the new summer menu starting on Tuesday 16th April:  HS week 1 2 April-October 2013 final

Please also see Information Sheets  for our most up-to-date Information Sheet including:

• What’s on in The Library
• Christmas Concert House Points
• Young Writer of the Year Competition
• Mountain Biking
• S1-S3 Girl’s Football
• Dunbar Debating Club

and School Clubs, Activities and Study Sessions.

• Inspection Report

The report can also be found on the Education Scotland website.

On behalf of all the staff have a good Easter break – with lots of studying for S4, S5 and S6!!!  See you on Monday 8th April.

Please click for the latest edition of the School Magazine

Whole School Photograph

Due to the weather forecast for Friday there will not be a whole school photograph taken.  Therefore, Friday will be a Dress Down Day, please bring a £1 to registration to Dress Down.

Easter Revision

Class lists for the revision sessions offered during the Easter holidays are on the Examination Notice Boards.  Students are asked to please check that their name is on the list for the subjects they have chosen.  Biology and Chemistry sessions were oversubscribed and places were allocated on a first come, first served basis.  Apologies to those students who were unable to be placed in a session.

Signing up for a course is seen as making a commitment.  Attendance is therefore compulsory and the school will contact home if a student fails to turn up.  If students are unable to attend due to illness, please telephone the school and let us know.

Nationals in a Nutshell

For clear guides for parents/carers and learners about what’s coming up with the new courses below, please see the follow link:  https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/NPF/nationals-in-a-nutshell/

• Art & Design – N4; N5;
• Chemistry – N4; N5;
• Computing Science – N4; N5;
• English – N4; N5;
• History – N4; N5;
• Mathematics – N4; N5;
• PE – N4; N5;
• RMPS – N4; N5;

Higher Drama External Acting Examination

The Higher Drama External Acting Examination took place on Thursday this week. Well done to all the students for putting on a great show! That is now 50% of the Higher done – just the written exam to prepare for; so lots of revision over the Easter holidays please.

Also, thank you to all the parents who could make it in to watch the performances; it was good to see you there and we appreciated your positive comments.

S2 Social Subjects Personalisation and Choice

All S2 students were given a curriculum update letter last week asking them to choose which Social Subjects they wish study next year in S3.  Please find letter here: Social Subjects S2 curriculum update

The completed tear-off slip was due back to the school office on Wednesday 20th March. Students who did not return their form by this date will be allocated subjects after all other students have been given their preferences.

S2 Activities Week

This week we launched our S2 Activities Week programme.  This is taking place from 27th-31st May. Students were given forms to be completed to allow them to participate in out of school activities (PC1), and have been asked to choose activities in which they wish to participate on Wednesday 29th May.  Some of the activities are limited in numbers and places will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.  Forms are due to be returned no later than morning break on Friday 22nd March to the school office.

Parent Council Meeting

Please find the agenda for the meeting tonight, Thursday 21st March at 7pm here: Parent Council Agenda

S1 RME Rich Task Event

All of S1 took part in a Easter themed RME Day on Wed 20th March. Students participated in a Quiz, a Craft activity called The Egg Family Challenge and a choice of Workshops from Animation, Art, CDT, Drama, Home Economics and an Outdoor Challenge.  I would like to thank all the students, staff and local Chaplains involved for their EGGcellent contribution to a really EGGciting, EGGstraordinary RME Day.  Thanks from Mr Bain, RME Department.

P7 Transition Day

A group of S1 and S2 pupils, along with a teacher from each faculty, went down to Dunbar Primary School this week to take part in a transition event for our future S1s. The P7 pupils from all of the cluster primary schools attended the event which started with a talk about homework and the role of the guidance teacher. They then split into mixed groups to enjoy a secondary school experience meeting some of our teachers and students, and learning about the different subjects they will be studying when they come up to Dunbar Grammar School.  All agreed that it had been a fun and a worthwhile event for everyone involved.  We look forward to the next transition event when the P7s visit us in June for their two and a half day experience.

Congratulations to Craig Thorburn

Craig has been successful in getting through to the last 200 of over 1000 applicants to the US Sutton Trust Summer School.  He now has a weekend selection process to go through.  He has done really well and we wish him well for the next stage.

Girls’ Basketball Scottish Cup

Dunbar U14 girls’ basketball team were narrowly defeated by Arbroath Academy 42 – 38 in the Basketball National Final.

Although Dunbar didn’t start particularly strong with nerves getting the better of them, they certainly steadied themselves in the 3^rd and 4^th quarter winning both, and showing a real steely determined performance.  The team, the coach (Norma Conroy) and everyone in Dunbar can be very proud of the girls’ performance and conduct on and off the court, not just in the final but throughout the tournament.  Onwards and upwards – Well done again girls!

Comic Relief – Total so far:

• Dress Down £636.60
• Stall £60
• Bake Off £302.53
• Hall £300

The Bistro Menu

Please follow this link for the new summer menu starting on Monday 15th April:  HS week 1 2 April-October 2013 final

Dates for Your Diary

Battlefields

A reminder that the fourth payment for Battlefields was due on Thursday 7th February.  Cheques made payable to ‘East Lothian Council’ please.

P4-S4 Disability Multisport Club

For information on disability sport clubs, please follow this link: Multisport poster 2013-2014

Dunbar Tennis

Dunbar Tennis Centre at Winterfield Park is offering coaching blocks over the Easter holidays.  Please see the attached for details:  Easter Camps High School

Surfing

Please see attached poster for students interested in learning to surf:  Surfing Poster S1-6 2013

Unwanted Sports Gear

If you have any unwanted sports gear – including rugby boots/shorts/tops, or hockey shorts/skorts or socks, please hand them in to the PE base.

S1 Activities Week

A reminder that the third payment is now due.  Please make cheques payable to ‘East Lothian Council’.  The letter with payment dates can be found here: S1 letter Activities Week

Please also see Information Sheets  for our most up-to-date Information Sheet including:

• WWF’s Earth Hour
• S1-S3 Girl’s Football
• Dunbar Debating Club

and School Clubs, Activities and Study Sessions.

Whole School Photograph

Unfortunately due to the forecast for Friday it has been decided to cancel the whole school photograph.

WE WILL NOW GO AHEAD WITH A DRESS DOWN DAY – £1 as normal.

S2 Social Subjects Personalisation and Choice

All S2 students were given a curriculum update letter this week asking them to choose which Social Subjects they wish study next year in S3.  Please find letter here: Social Subjects S2 curriculum update

Please return the completed tear-off slip to the school office by Wednesday 20th March. Students who do not return their form by this date will be allocated subjects after all other students have been given their preferences.

Who Next 2 - Children’s Sequels

• Which Wimpy Kid comes next – the purple or the brown one? What is the next book in Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices series? Find the answer to these questions and many others on Children’s Sequels.
• Children’s Sequels is another useful tool for choosing what to read next. You can search for books by the author, by the series or by the book title.
• More March New Titles.  Here is a list of some of the new library books which missed the previous March List.

Battlefields Update

A reminder that the fourth payment for Battlefields was due on Thursday 7th February.  Cheques made payable to ‘East Lothian Council’ please.

California 2014

The draw to identify this year’s participants for the California trip was made on Monday 11th March.  All students/parents/carers have been informed, and a waiting list has also been drawn up.  Well done to the lucky students.

Monitoring and Tracking Reports

The S4 Monitoring and Tracking update reports were given to S4 students on Wednesday 13th March.  If you have any queries, please contact your son/daughter’s Guidance teacher.

Easter Revision

Easter Revision classes will be taking place this year on Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th March.  A menu of classes available to students sitting examinations this year was distributed on Wednesday 13th March.  Places will be limited so it is important that students sign up as soon as possible, forms should be handed in by Monday 18th March.  Please find the Timetable and sign-up sheet attached:

S2 Activities Week

Next week we will be launching our S2 Activities Week programme.  This is taking place from 27th-31st May. Students will be given forms to be completed to allow them to participate in out of school activities (PC1), and will be asked to choose activities in which they wish to participate on Wednesday 29th May.  Some of the activities are limited in numbers and places will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.  Forms are due to be returned no later than 9am on Friday 22nd March to the school office.

Parent Council Meeting

Please find the agenda for the meeting on Thursday 21st March at 7pm here: Parent Council Agenda

Scottish Youth Parliament

In order to develop skills and understanding of the voting system, a selection of students cast their vote on Monday 11th March to elect representatives to the Scottish Youth Parliament.

Showcase Concert

The annual East Lothian Instrumental Music Service’s Showcase Concert took place on Wednesday 13th March at 7.30pm at the Brunton Theatre.  A great evening was had by everyone.  Well done to all involved!

Sports Update

Girls’ Basketball Scottish Cup – Congratulations

The Girl’s Basketball U14s team have reached the national final of the Scottish Cup, which will be played on Thursday 21st March.  Good luck to the girls!

East Lothian Youth Games – Thursday 21st

Teams of S1 and S2 students will be participating in Rugby, Hockey, Football, Basketball, Badminton and Golf.

U15 Semi-final Scottish Football Cup – Date tbc

ECO NEWS

The  first newsletter from the Eco Group  can be found on the school website, under the heading: Departments : Eco News.

Comic Relief

As part of Comic Relief, the following events were held today at DGS:

• Dress Down Day – £1 to dress Down. Theme is Onesies (not compulsory). The best onesies from staff and students were judged at interval and prizes awarded.
• House points for everyone wearing a Onesie.
• Extended Interval- 50p to enter the hall to see the judging of the Onesie competition and to see our special video.

The update of the total raised will be posted next week.

Congratulations

To Rowan Davies 5C1 and Casey Brunton 4C3 for passing their WOSSTA training. Well done boys!

Dates for Your Diary

P4-S4 Disability Multisport Club

For information on disability sport clubs, please follow this link: Multisport poster 2013-2014

Dunbar Tennis

Dunbar Tennis Centre at Winterfield Park is offering coaching blocks over the Easter holidays.  Please see the attached for details:  Easter Camps High School

Surfing

Please see attached poster for students interested in learning to surf:  Surfing Poster S1-6 2013

Drama Exam

Higher Drama students have the date for their Final Acting Exam. The External Examiner will be visiting us on Thursday 21 March at 10am. The students have been working hard to learn their lines and should continue to do so. The Drama Studio is available for extra practice.

Unwanted Sports Gear

If you have any unwanted sports gear – including rugby boots/shorts/tops, or hockey shorts/skorts or socks, please hand them in to the PE base.

S1 Activities Week

A reminder that the third payment is now due.  Please make cheques payable to ‘East Lothian Council’.  The letter with payment dates can be found here: S1 letter Activities Week

Please also see Information Sheets  for our most up-to-date Information Sheet including:

• House Tie Proposal
• House Art Competition
• Contra Ceilidh
• Children’s Book Sequels
• Books Shortlist 2013
• Dunbar Debating Club
• Inter-House Photography competition

and School Clubs, Activities and Study Sessions.