An dùbhlachd 2015
SkyeLines
Ard-sgoil Phort Righ
Portree High School
Viewfield Road
Portree
Isle of Skye
(01478) 614810
Portree.high
@highland.gov.uk
Absences:
Portreehigh.absence
@highland.gov.uk
“Let
Me
Trust”
december 2015
Christmas is here! December is always an interesting month.
Our Winter Fair was a huge success – with a
total of £2,070 raised. This is a welcome boost
to our School Fund and I would like to thank
everyone who contributed and who made this
day such a happy experience. Pictured is
Murdo MacGillivray 1T1 who sold £45 worth of
raffle tickets for the Winter Fair – the best
salesperson in Portree High School!
We are delighted to announce that we will have
a new music teacher starting mid-January. Miss
Amos is currently teaching in Inverness.
We have had the usual round of events with
Worship Assemblies, a Christmas Service, two Christmas dances and
concerts in Budhmor House and Home Farm Nursing Home. Our newly
formed choir is proving very popular, indeed all our very talented youngsters
continue to impress.
This month’s Skyelines contains articles about Youthspeaks and the
Lagganlia Trip.
I hope that you have a very happy Christmas and a
peaceful New Year.
Thank you for all your support in 2015.
Miss C MacDonald, Headteacher
Inside this
issue:
HOUSE
PUPIL SUPPORT
Blaven:
Glamaig:
Marsco:
Tianavaig:
Mrs C Waddell
Mrs S Cormack
Mr N Burrows
Mrs D MacLeod
E-MAIL ADDRESS
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Aim Skye High
S5 and S6
Lagganlia Trip
Young Writers
Learning Support
Youthspeaks
Library Quiz
Orienteering
Ski Trip Departs: 2nd January 2016
First Day of Term: 7th January 2016
Ski Trip Returns: 10th January 2016
S2 Parents Evening: 12th January 2016
Success Assemblies S1 and S2: 13th January 2016
Parent Council Meeting: 18th January 2016
Success Assemblies S3 and S4: 20th January 2016
National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Prelims Week 1: 25th January 2016
Pupil Council and Learning Council Meetings: 27th January 2016
SkyeLInes
December 2015
S5
From left to right: Lewis Threlfall (Silver), Rona Stewart (Gold) and Leon Morton (Bronze)
S6
Amelia King (Gold) and Kieran MacPherson (Silver).
Missing from the photo is Gavin Finnie (Bronze).
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SkyeLInes
December 2015
On November 13th, five of us from the Advanced Higher Maths Class travelled to Lagganlia to attend a senior maths
weekend, sponsored by the Faculty of Actuaries. The pupils attending were: Ian R McKenzie, Rhianan MacDonald,
Kai Westwell and ourselves Helen Taylor and Katheryn Urquhart. We were joined by other pupils from Highland
schools. During the course of the weekend, we took part in interactive maths lectures and learned about the uses of
maths in a wide range of professions, as well as doing a team building outdoor activity.
Some of the things that we enjoyed during the weekend were:

 Challenging logic puzzles
 Outdoor team-building activities
Lectures, especially from Professor Miles Padgett
We were given many difficult questions throughout the course of the weekend. How many people can work out the
following problem?
There are 100 gnomes boarding a plane. Before boarding, each gnome picks up a hat – either
red or blue, but they do not know what the colour of their own hat is. On the plane, the
gnomes sit in a single row of seats; the gnome at the very back can see all of the gnomes in
front of him. Before take-off, an evil pilot comes in, and puts a gun to each gnome head,
starting at the back. Each gnome is asked the colour of their hat. If they are correct, they live.
If they are wrong, they die. Assuming that every gnome can hear the answer of the colour of
the other gnomes, as well the outcome of those answers (i.e. if it is wrong, they will hear a gunshot), what is the
largest number of gnomes which can be saved FOR CERTAIN?
Note that they can only say ‘blue’ or ‘red’ when asked, and no other communication is allowed once on the plane.
Answer in next month’s Skyelines
Helen Taylor 6G and Kathryn Urquhart 6M
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SkyeLInes
December 2015
Young Writers
For Young Writers’ latest competition, Poetopia – Across The Globe, secondary school pupils nationwide were given
the challenge of writing a poem based on the rules of one of 5 factions: Castitas for reflective, honest poetry;
Temperantia for angry, assertive poetry; Humilitas for positive, uplifting poetry; Benevolentia for emotional poetry
and Industria for diligent, structured poetry. Pupils who wrote a poem outside of these parameters were assigned to
Dissimilis. Eight of our 2G2 pupil’s poems were chosen for publication, below are the poems.
The Great Isle Of Barra
What’s the best isle that’s
Been beaten by the mara?
Well, the answer to that
Is the lovely Isle of Barra.
What isle drinks like
There is no ‘to-mara’?
Well, once again
It’s the great Isle of Barra.
What isle is lovely and beautiful,
The one that’s really great and useful?
What isle has a plane
On the beach, the one
That will take a bruising
Like a peach?
What I’m trying to say
That there’s this wee island
Its name is Barra and
It’s the greatest of the isles.
Padraig MacKay
My Faction Is Death
Row
I try to think of colour
But I know my life is dark
A monochrome picture
No different from the rest.
A piece under the couch
Given up on, stepped on
Thrown about, forgotten about
I am a living ghost.
They pity me
Their energy wasted
My faction is Death Row
I have nothing, I am nothing
I tell myself each day
Rain or shine.
It rains on the cobble
But I’m higher than the rain
Not dead or an angel.
He has a temper for a Humilitas
I’m surprised.
I’ve known him all my life
But he doesn’t want to know me.
The blood rains on the cobble
I am Dissimilis.
He’s ashamed, I am sorry
The punches rain down
But not far behind
Follows the blood
Dissimilis
When will this world be fixed?
The society is broken
And the place is dark,
The sky is constantly dull.
We’ve had too many wars –
People fighting for no reason
And no one is ever happy,
It feels cold in every season.
How did we end up like this?
Our planet used to be beautiful.
Now every building has fallen or collapsed
And people look like they’ve fallen apart.
Our factions don’t give any help,
They just force people to change
themselves
And make the Dissimilis think that
They don’t belong anywhere.
What we need is to start over,
Heal our lives and this place
And take away the factions
So we can get out freedom back.
Emily Matheson
Kieran MacLean
Unclenched
My fists clench,
Sometimes too hard,
My mind frustrated,
Sometimes too much.
I count to ten,
Then lose it and go
Back to four.
I wish I could go
Back to my old life
To where...
My fists unclenched,
Sometimes softly,
My mind without worries,
Sometimes very lightly
Maddy Law
The Anger And The Pain
I’m in such a rage,
Frustration running through my body,
Never in my life
Have I been so angry before.
I don’t think I can cope with this,
The anger and the pain
And please, please just listen to this,
I need to let this anger out in some way.
Wasting Away
Wasting away tomorrow and today
It’s always the same for people who stay sane.
Not a bite to eat for at least a week,
It’s a burning anger inside that I want to let out
So people know why I cry.
Gregor MacDonald
I will hit a wall, a face or a door,
Nothing will get in my way,
I’m going to take the floor,
Never will this anger go away.
Iona MacCaskill
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SkyeLInes
December 2015
The Jump
I walk up to the bridge,
The gravel crunching under heavy footsteps
Of my undersized body.
I hear the waves crashing against the wall
As if luring me in closer,
Calling to me.
Oh, this beautiful sunset.
How I wish my one and only love
Could be here at this moment.
But alas, she is in the place I will be soon.
Damn this broken city of pigs
In human clothing.
The anger inside me feels like
An atomic bomb.
Any sooner and I fear
It would have gone off.
The sun warms my face
Like a log fire in a cabin.
It seems that this is
The only good thing left on this godforsaken planet.
This raging war has been going on for too long.
I’ve had enough!
As I climb the ladder,
The rust bites into my skin
Like a wasp stinging me over and over again.
I reach the top and sigh.
What a beautiful sunset.
I look back at the neon lights of the city,
Glittering like fireflies in a cave.
I see the waves,
Pulling me in.
The smell of salt
And rotting, dead fish in the air.
I jump.
The Fire
Will the fire come to save us,
Save us and burn us?
Burn away the darkness
So the gods of summer can
Come back
Back to Poetopia.
Winter, why so harsh to come without warning?
To drive us from our homes
To pour the hate on our love
To quench the happiness?
I hope they come
To come and light
Light the fire
To light the darkness
In our hearts
Fire
Fire will save us
Burn us to save us
Come back
Come back to
Light the fire
To light the darkness
In our hearts.
Ronan White
Like a bird taking flight,
I spread my arms.
I and my love will soon be together.
Like a bullet, I hurtle down.
Then nothing.
I’m happy now.
Harry Partridge
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SkyeLInes
December 2015
Learning Support
Ester Strachan (4G) (left) and Marsaili MacKay
(3G2) made keepsake boxes from recycled
materials as outcomes for their National 1 unit,
‘Practical Craft Skills: Making a Craftwork Item’.
Both girls explored a variety of mediums and
techniques, including ICT skills and working
with various tools and materials.
Ester worked with a detailed and methodical approach
for her feminine design, resulting in a highly decorative
jewellery box adorned with paste stones, wood, ribbon and
acrylic paint.
Marsaili (3G2) produced a masculine design resulting
in a box for her dad’s guitar plectrums, using wood, felt
and acrylic paint.
Fantastic work girls……. well done!
(Miss Cannon)
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SkyeLInes
December 2015
Last month on the 27th of November
Portree High School took part in the
annual Youthspeaks competition
held at the local Aros Centre. The
Rotary Club of Portree and District
organise and judge the event for the
younger generation to take part in
groups of three to give a speech of
their choice.
There are two categories- S1-S3 and
S4-S6. Every year, first place is
fought for between Portree High
School and Plockton High School,
but this year Plockton unfortunately
had to pull out due to an unexpected situation, giving the Portree teams a clean sweep of
the competition.
The S1-S3 category included two teams: Portree team (A) with the topic “Trained to Kill –
Imprisoned for Killing” with Ella MacFarlane, Joseph Moller and Freya King. Also,
Portree Team (B) with Sacha Carter, Jessica Jackson and Lyes Oussaiden producing
their speech called, “Sadvertising at Christmas”. The two teams both had created two
well-explained and high point earning speeches giving the judges a hard decision to
make.
The second category, S4-S6 included 3 teams: Portree Team (A) who put forward a
speech, “Liberty or Security”, in this team was Edna Moran, Cailean Campbell and
Christopher Whatley. Secondly, Portree Team (B), Mairead Urquhart, Sandy Laing and
Seumas MacAskill with the subject ,“Going the Extra Mile”. And finally Portree Team (C),
“Where do You Stand?” was a humorous topic delivered by Rona Stewart, Kirsty Watt
and Mairead Smith.
As I said earlier, the teams are groups of three and each person must take up a role.
First there is the chair person, who welcomes everyone, introduces their team and
subject. Secondly, there is the main speaker, who talks in depth on the subject and
answers the question from the judges. And thirdly, the vote of thanks who refers back to
the main speech and thanks everyone.
After a small break from the speeches, the judges agree on the winners.
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SkyeLInes
December 2015
Firstly, in the S1-S3 category, the winners were
Portree Team (A), “Trained to Kill – Imprisoned for
Killing”, with a positive response from the judges.
Secondly, Portree Team (A) “Liberty or Security”
were the winners of this year’s S4-S6 category,
Edna Moran also won Best Chair Person in the
whole tournament. The “Best Chair” award is
only given to one competitor (who stands as
chair) that has been presented with the most
points. Edna’s prize – an engraved gavel – is now
on display in the cabinet at the school’s
reception.
Overall the judges are looking for good presentation, good timing, eye contact, smart and
matching uniform from the whole team and a good response to the question asked by
the judges.
Youthspeaks is a great event to try and it gives you the plenty of self-confidence to talk
in public and gives you the chance to give your own opinion on subjects you believe in.
After one competition, you certainly get hooked, as this was my third year running in
competing.
I strongly recommend that my peers sign up next year because I am sure they will enjoy
it as much as I have!
Written By Freya King 2B1
Edna Moran (The Best Chair)
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SkyeLInes
December 2015
Library Christmas Quiz
Congratulations to Archie
MacLeod 1T1 and Elsa
Galbraith 2B1 winners of the
Library Christmas Quiz.
They each won a Guinness
World Records 2016 book.
Thank to everyone who
entered the competition.
Gillian Siwek.
The orienteering took
place on the last week of
the term for S1 – S3 PE
classes.
Sarah Ross hopes to start
an orienteering class at the
beginning of next term.
Sandy Laing (5G1) came in 2nd in the Braes 4.5mile race.
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