from the Quadrangle December 2011
October 2010 from the Quadrangle
CCF News
Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet
At a reception in the Governors’
Room
following
the
CCF
Remembrance Service and Parade,
the Lord Provost presented Sgt
Tabitha Smith-Lawrence with a
badge and certificate to mark her
appointment as Lord Lieutenant’s
Cadet 2011-2012. Senior Cadet
CSM Hugo Mayeux was presented
with the Gordon Campbell Sword.
Military Skills Competition
In October the Army Section
competed in the annual Military
Skills Competition at Garelochhead,
northwest of Glasgow. Our team of
ten cadets competed against the
other CCFs in Scotland and won
the runners up prize with each
cadet receiving a medal for their
accomplishments.
Visit to Apple Store
S6 Geography Trip to Kindrogan
We spent an enjoyable 3 days at Kindrogan with Miss Nicoll and Mr Paul
collecting soil samples, measuring pH, soil depth, vegetation abundance and
diversity and taking the slope gradient. We also learnt about data presentation
and statistics on Day 1. The next day we went on a 3 mile hike to a river
where we collected depth, width, velocity and bed load data. This was great
fun as we got to wade in the river and only one of us fell in. On the final
day we completed a rural landuse survey and GIS mapping.
Advanced Higher Geography Pupils
Art and Design Trip to Barcelona
During the October holidays, a group of S5-6 pupils, accompanied by Miss
Charlton, Miss Blue and Mr Rencontre travelled to Barcelona, the capital of Spanish
Art. During our week long excursion we encountered marvels of Architecture
designed by Gaudi, saw the works of Dali, Picasso and many more. We were
blessed with pleasant sunshine and enjoyed the delicious tapas and gelato on offer.
Sanju Vijayan (S6)
Battlefields Tour
The History and Modern Studies department took a group of S4-6 pupils
to visit the battlefields of the Great War in France and Belgium. Pupils were
able to see sections of preserved and reconstructed trenches on the Ypres
salient, as well as visiting some of the many impressive memorials in the
area. A highlight of the trip was witnessing the daily ‘Last Post’ ceremony
in the evocative archway of the Menin gate; a memorial to the missing of
Ypres. On the Somme, pupils crossed an original stretch of No-Man’s Land,
completing in 10 minutes a task which it took the allied armies 4 months to
complete in 1916. Everyone returned with the determination to keep alive
the memory of those who died in that terrible conflict – ‘lest we forget’.
Association for
Science Education
Conference
On Saturday 12 November our
science teachers delivered workshops
at this conference in Inverness
attended by science teachers from
across the north of Scotland. Tim
Browett, Dawn Pirie and Lara Woods
presented a workshop on recent
changes made to the RGC S1 Physics
course, while Stuart Farmer delivered
a workshop on the Optoelectronics
College curriculum development
project with which staff at RGC
have been involved for the last three
years. Full story www.rgc.aberdeen.
sch.uk/news.
Madrid Trip
On the 6 October, thirty pupils and four members of the languages department
travelled to Madrid for a 5 days. The trip included a visit to the old capital of
Spain, Toledo, a flamenco show, a visit to the Real Madrid Stadium, trips to
various art galleries and much more. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
Alexandra Cameron, Rhiannon Molloy and Emily Williams
As part of the higher course in
Information Systems, we learn about
the use of video editing software and
its features. In school we operate in a
Windows environment. Miss Johnson
arranged to take us to the local apple
store in union square to experience
the MAC operating system, where
we received a demonstration on how
to put video clips together and edit
them. Our class really enjoyed the
trip and to see our final results back
at school was a great show of our
achievements.
Liam Cottrell
December 2011
News from the
Parents Association
Did you know we organise:
• S5/6 Babysitter List (available from
the school office)
• Welcome Coffee Mornings for
new parents in September
• S1 Pupils Contact List
Hope you didn’t miss the RGCPA
Christmas Fair on 4 December.
Another great event organised for
and by parents and pupils. Huge
thanks to all the S6 students and
parent volunteers on the day!
Don’t miss out on tickets for the
May Ball – look out for the invitation
- they usually sell out in less than
two weeks.
Any questions, please contact us on
[email protected]
Julie Forbes & Liselotte Osugo,
Joint Chairs
From the Archives
RGC Archive has joined a group
of organisations aiming to help
people research their family history
in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
A booklet called Routes to your
North-East Roots has been produced,
listing various contacts in the
area. This is available in libraries
and tourist offices. The group has
also set up a website: http://www.
northeastscotlandroots.com
The College Archive holds information
about pupils right back to 1750.
Enquiries come in from all over the
world, many from people working on
their family tree. If you have a query
about an ancestor who attended
Robert Gordon’s Hospital or College
please contact Mrs Penny Hartley:
[email protected]
Robert Gordon's College, Schoolhill, Aberdeen AB10 1FE UK
Tel: 01224 646346 (Senior School) 01224 646758 (Junior School)
Fax: 01224 630301 Email: [email protected]
www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk
www.twitter.com/robertgordons www.facebook.com/rgcpage
Issue 35
Enterprising
pupils raise
money for
worthy causes
Copyright © 2011 Robert Gordon’s College. All rights reserved. Robert Gordon’s College is a charity registered in Scotland, No. SC000123
Remembrance
The College’s CCF Remembrance
Service, the most important event
of the CCF calendar was held
on Tuesday 8 November in the
MacRobert Hall. The service was
led by Rev. Easter Smart, Chaplain
to the University of Aberdeen, and
featured a moving and thoughtprovoking presentation by Simon
de Lecq Marguerie, and readings
from Aidan Collinson and Michal
Nohawica. Lt Col AR Cram TD, our
Honorary Colonel, inspected the
parade that followed. Thanks also go
to Pipe Major Alexander Mackison
and Oliver Hay for their outstanding
musical contributions.
On Friday 11 November, Senior
Cadets placed poppies on the war
graves of Gordonians killed in both
wars and who were buried here in
Aberdeen.
Irvine Masson S5
October 2010 from the Quadrangle
P7 pupils at RGC Junior School
presented Mr Bob Duncan of
Ellon Rotary Club with a cheque
for £1,655.00. This money will
be used by the Rotary Club to
help fund their Water Project at
the Paul Harris School Complex
in Kizingo, Kenya. Last year’s
P7 pupils raised this money
through their production of
‘Oliver’, which was part of their
Enterprise project. The school’s
P7 pupils also study Kenya as
a Geography project each year
and so it was decided to donate
the money for a worthy cause
in Kenya. Mr Bob Duncan, Ellon
Rotary Club commented, “I was
surprised to receive such a large
donation. On behalf of the
Ellon Rotary Club I would like
to thank the pupils for choosing
to donate these funds to our
Kenyan projects”.
Meanwhile, pupils throughout
the college raised over £1,300
for Children In Need. Fundraising
events included a concert and
bake sale and junior school
pupils pledged their donations
for wearing spots or stripes. If
you missed some of our senior
pupils interviewed on BBC Radio
Scotland please visit www.rgc.
aberdeen.sch.uk/news.
Theatrical treasure uncovered
Robert Gordon’s College actors and technical
team presented their three night run of a chilling
production of ‘Treasure Island’ at Aberdeen Arts
Centre. The performance brought a dark and eerie
twist to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale.
The play follows the tale of young Jim
Hawkins played by Macleod Stephen
(S5) as he inherits a treasure map. Scott
Anderson (S6) took the role of famous
buccaneer John Flint, who leaves
behind a chest of gold, silver, jewels
and money worth £700,000. With the
help of Captain Smollett (Eilidh Bruce,
S6), Squire Trelawney (Kathryn Scott,
S6) and Doctor Livesey (Robyn Wolsey,
S6), Jim must battle against Long John
Silver played by Niall Kennedy (S6) and
his gang of bloodthirsty pirates to get
to the treasure first.
Lit in lurid purple lighting with a
chilling colossal skull on stage, the
action was unforgettable: cannons
firing, ships sailing through fierce
storms and secret burials on remote
islands. ‘Treasure Island’ was a thrilling
and haunting performance from
pupils at the college.
Mr Andrew Milarvie, Head of
Drama and Director of the show said
“By bringing our artistic and theatre
stage skills together we created a dark,
moody and mysterious atmosphere
using deep colours in both lighting
and set design with eerie music to
bring the production alive”.
Calum swaps Schoolhill for Space
Calum Ashcroft, right, with fellow space student
This Summer, I spent a week at Strathclyde University for the 2011 Scottish
Space School, a residential programme of Maths, Science and Engineering
lectures and workshops. I was one of ten pupils who made it through the
selection process to take part in a week long trip to Houston, Texas. The trip
was centred around NASA’s Johnson Space Centre and was an absolutely
amazing experience where I met astronauts, and went to Lockheed Martin
to see the Orion project (the future of space travel). My personal favourite
was being able to meet Gene Kranz, the man who was lead flight director
for Apollo 13. Overall, my time at Strathclyde and Houston was brilliant, and
I would thoroughly recommend anyone in S5 who is interested in Maths,
Science or Engineering to apply.
Calum Ashcroft (S6)
from the Quadrangle December 2011
RGC pupils enjoy
beyond school
learning opportunities
The life of a law student
Recently a group of S6 pupils were invited to attend a question and answer
session with trainees from Paull and Williamsons LLP. They told us about the
academic challenges they faced throughout their degree and during the first
months of their traineeship. They also described the transition from school
life to student living and then to working life. Having the opportunity to
discuss the experiences that we could be facing in only a few months’ time
was especially valuable.
Megan Lukins (S6)
Meanwhile, S6 pupils Scott Anderson, Becca Houston, Megan Lukins, Sabaa
Malik, Megan Smith and James Zhou are taking the Foundations of Private
Law Course, a new pilot scheme being run by the School of Law at the
University of Aberdeen.
Gordonian Adelyn Wilson, founder of the scheme and lecturer in law,
said “This allows them to gain experience of studying law and of university
study generally, and earn credits before embarking on a full degree. This
also helps pupils decide whether law really is what they want to study, and
would give them a definite advantage if and when they decide to pursue
law after leaving school.”
Geography conference
At the beginning of September, four Advanced Higher Geography pupils
attended a conference on a variety of topics from rural law to sustainable
energy held at Aberdeen University’s Kings College Conference Centre.
Fascinating lectures and discussions were given by a range of professionals
from farmers to university professors who were all visiting Aberdeen from
around Europe. The highlight was the lecture by a professor from Copenhagen
about wind farms. This is quite topical at present as there is a proposal to
develop an offshore wind farm which could be seen from Aberdeen beach.
Christy Welsh & Andrew Thomson
December 2011 from the Quadrangle
Debating finalists
It is still relatively early in the debating season but already a couple of our
teams have reached prestigious finals. Maura Buchanan and Morag Forbes
(both S4) contested the final of the Northern Juniors Debating Competition
in Newcastle while Nathan Adam and Robert Kemp (both S5) reached the
final of the North of Scotland Schools Debating Competition in Inverness,
having qualified as the top placed team in the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
section of the event.
Our two ESU Juniors teams - Aysha Iqbal (S2) and Alice Jaspars (S3); Leah Press
and Louise Walker (both S3) – reached the second round of that competition
while Leah’s brother, Sean (S6), represented the College at the St Andrew’s
Day Debate at the Scottish Parliament on Monday 28 November.
Maths in the Pipeline
On Friday 7 November, six S4 pupils and Mrs Pascoe went to the Total Offices
to partake in the annual ‘Maths in the Pipeline’ event hosted by Total and
organised by Techfest. We were split into groups with pupils from other
schools and we heard three talks followed by activities which were all based on
everyday problems encountered in the oil and gas business. In the afternoon
all the teams took part in a business challenge. Although all groups reached
the correct answer, Peter Craik was in the winning team who presented their
findings most effectively. Well Done Peter!
Stephen Anderson (S4)
IT presentation to Higher Pupils
On Thursday 3 November, the Higher and Advanced Higher Computing classes
played host to Robin Hepburn, IT Program Manager at Subsea 7 in Aberdeen.
He described some of his experiences over 21 years in the IT industry. Robin’s
team were instrumental in providing broadcast quality video of the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. During discussions he explained
how the huge quantities of data captured by underwater ROV units were
securely stored and backed up using a variety of high tech and low tech methods.
2
News in brief
Professor Tim Greet delivered the annual Founder’s Day Oration in St. Nicholas
Kirk on Thursday 22 September. The Senior Surgeon at Rossdale Equine
Hospital in Newmarket, Professor Greet was instrumental, with his partners,
in developing a large purpose-built equine hospital near Newmarket.
Former Pupil Tim said: “Even though it is more than 40 years since I left
the College, I can remember only too well being part of this memorable day
as a schoolboy. The privilege of addressing the school presents me with an
opportunity to encourage the pupils, who are very fortunate to be amongst
the brightest and best young people in Scotland, and potentially future
leaders of the professions, captains of industry, and national opinion formers”.
In order to avoid email bulletins from
Robert Gordon’s College going
into your mail system’s Junk Mail
folder, please use the appropriate
method for your system to add the
following addresses to your list of
allowed addresses.
[email protected]
[email protected]
Careers
S6 pupils have been fine-tuning their UCAS applications. In preparation
for the first tranche of interviews, many pupils recently participated in a
mock interview arranged by Mr Montgomery. Some have already been
interviewed by universities and offers are expected soon. S6 should read
up on university scholarships which may also be available to them.
S5&6 Parents’ Evenings this term help to remind pupils of their progress
and inform parents of their child’s actual performance to date. If pupils
are to be successful, nothing can substitute for their focus and hard work
at this stage.
The response from pupils to engage in career experience is encouraging. A
number of S5 pupils will be attending the Med-Link course at Nottingham
University in December. Pupils should be aware, via the Daily Bulletin, of
career insight opportunities such as Headstart and The Year in Industry.
S5 are now seeking career experience placements for week beginning 11
June 2012. Parents who are able to offer a pupil such experience at their
place of work can contact Mr F Beaton.
Mr Beaton
Email communication
Open Morning
On Saturday 5 November many
families visited Gordon’s to find
out more about the education
we offer. Our thanks go to the
many pupils who acted as tour
guides or helpers on the day.
Applications are now being
accepted for places to join
Gordon’s in summer 2012. If
you know of anyone who is
interested please direct them to
the Admissions section of our
website or contact Mr P Skingley
([email protected]).
Enterprise Youth Business Challenge 2011
Movember teachers with 4T1 pupils
Movember
Some of the Junior and Senior male teachers have been participating in
Movember (the month formerly known as November). Movember is a
moustache growing charity event held during November each year that
raises funds and awareness for The Prostate Cancer Charity. The growth of
a moustache for the entire month of November generated lots of laughter
within the classrooms. Form Class 4T1 were presented with a prize for raising
the most money. Over £300 raised and still counting.
News from the captains
It’s hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner! Much has happened
at the college since the September break and the celebrations of Founder’s
Day already seem like distant memories. November has been a particularly
busy month, with the college’s Open Morning, Remembrance services and
Edinburgh Gordonian dinner all taking place within a few weeks of each other.
‘Treasure Island’ performers have also been very hard at work over the past
few months and their production was a fantastic reflection of all the effort
put in. Finally, we would like to wish all pupils, staff and parents a relaxing
and enjoyable festive break and look forward to seeing you all again in 2012.
Kirsty McLeod and Sean Press (S6)
Pupils and staff enjoyed many and
varied activities as part of our annual
Green Week. Congratulations to Mrs
Hardie in the Junior School who reached
the highest score on the Eco-Driving
Simulator. You will be pleased to hear
that many more birds will have shelter
and food this winter; pupils made
recycled cardboard waterproof bird
boxes and bird feeders which were
given out as prizes in maths and word
competitions. 3C2, Mrs Charlton’s Form
class excelled in the biodegradation
quiz and Sillerton came up trumps during the S1 House Eco-Poster making
event. Some pupils even left school with their very own composting wormery.
Many thanks to all those who help to plan and run these exciting activities.
Miss Reid
For Green Week, the CC4G (Computing Club for Girls) took part in a competition
to help raise awareness of environmental issues. The girls each had to produce
a PowerPoint slide with an eco-friendly message to be displayed on the desktop
of every computer in the school during Green Week. Prizes were awarded to
S1 pupils Cameryn Bruce, Miriam McDonald and Sarah Morgan.
Councillor Martin Ford visited Mrs Stone’s Advanced Higher Geography class
during Green Week to discuss planning applications and Compulsory Purchase
Orders (CPO’s) in relation to the controversial Donald Trump golf resort at the Menie
Estate near Balmedie. He recounted his experiences of working under immense
pressure as the debate around the location of the golf resort in an environmentally
sensitive area inflamed both the opinions of councillors and the public alike.
VSA Fundraising Award
Karen Barlow, Communications Director
of VSA presented the 2011 VSA Annual
Schools Fundraising Award to the 20102011 YPI winners. RGC have raised funds
towards VSA through the Charities
Committee and Duke of Edinburgh.
Gordon’s meals are top
of the class
We were lucky enough to be among the twenty five 16-25 year olds old selected
from the north-east to participate in the Enterprise Youth Business Challenge
2011. The weekend consisted of challenging teambuilding activities and the
creation of a business plan and presentation within our allocated groups. The
experience taught us about the importance of teamwork and determination.
Maxine Walker, Christine Watson and Adam Hendry (S5)
The catering team at RGC have
been awarded the Healthy Living
Award Plus, following the school
receiving the Healthy Living Award
in late 2009 and the Eat Safe
award in early 2010.
Green Week at Gordon's
A Taste of Chemistry
A handful of budding Chemists in S5 were given the opportunity to visit
Macphie of Glenbervie, a leading company in the Scottish food industry. The
day trip involved lectures on various subjects, a chance to get our hands dirty
in the kitchen baking cakes and a tour of their facilities. The tour provided us
with an opportunity to understand what it would be like to study Chemistry
at University and what jobs would be available in this field.
Caitlin Rees (S5)
President of World Equine Veterinary Association
joins pupils in Founder’s Day celebrations
BrightSpark Shares
work experience
Former Robert Gordon’s College
pupil Scott Gammie, 17, is currently
on a paid placement scheme with
business advisory firm Deloitte, and
recently returned to school to share
his knowledge and experience gained
while on his placement with S4 and
S5 Accounting pupils. Deloitte offers a
Scholar Scheme across the UK which
is a 7 month paid placement that is
available to students prior to starting
University. The firm has several
other schemes aimed at recruiting
young, talented students into the
firm including the BrightStart scheme,
which allows students, after Highers,
to start their career at Deloitte and
become professionally qualified 5
years later. For further detail on how
to apply to the Deloitte graduate and
undergraduate schemes, please visit:
www.deloitte.co.uk/graduates.
Visit our website for full
reports and more photos
www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk
Christmas Shopping
Parking
If you are coming into the city
centre to do your Christmas
Shopping, please consider parking
in the Robert Gordon’s College
rear car park (Blackfriars Street, at
the junction with Crooked Lane,
Charlotte Street & St Andrew
Street). The car park is extremely
competitively priced at £4.00 for a
day or £2.00 for 2 hours. Our pupils
will give you a warm welcome, and
the funds raised will go to support
fundraising for their music tour.
Happy Shopping!
Pay Online
Families will soon be able to pay
fees/trips etc online via the secure
area on our website. This will be
launched at the start of 2012.
Special Offer
Iimusic, The Academy, Aberdeen
is offering pupils of RGC a 10%
“uniform wearers’” discount on
items such as music books and
accessories.
3
December 2011 from the Quadrangle
from the Quadrangle December 2011
Junior School News
Declamations
Our annual poetry competition was
once again a resounding success with
all P5-7 children learning a poem of
their choice which they performed in
front of their classes. The standard
was high and two pupils from each
class were chosen to take part in
the final held in MacRobert Hall.
Congratulations to Calum Young
(P7) who was the overall winner
with’ Dulce et Decorum Est.’ by
Wilfred Owen. The P5 winner was
Nivi Aravind with ‘Thank You Friend’
by James J. Metcalfe and Rohan
Mudkavi was the P6 winner with
‘A Path to the Moon’ by B.P. Nichol.
Mrs Johnson
Sushi School
All P6 classes participated in Sushi School at Yo Sushi, Union Square.
Pupils tasted items that are traditionally used in Japanese cooking (ginger,
Japanese radish, toasted seaweed and
tofu) followed by a tutorial in sushi
making. The pupils then made their own
cucumber rolls to eat or take home for
families to enjoy.
“I have learnt that sushi is not all raw
fish. Much of it is vegetarian”. Cameron
Stone (P6R)
“The thing I enjoyed most at YO! Sushi was
making the Maki roll”. Eilidh Forrest (P6C)
P4 visited the International market
in November to experience a market
similar to the ones held each week in
France and to speak and interact with
native French people. The pupils asked
for items in French from the French stall
holders, including vegetables, crêpes,
baguettes and soap. The stall holders
were happy to speak to the children
and the pupils enjoyed their experience
very much despite the rain.
The first Coffee in the Library session
gave parents a chance to meet our
Management Team. Mrs Mennie,
Mrs Johnson and Mrs MacLeod
answered questions in an informal
setting. Sessions are usually held
on the last Friday of the month
and are generally themed around
particular areas of the curriculum. P5 enjoy Florence talk
Extra Curricular Clubs
There is a new extra-curricular club
for children in P5 - P7 on Wednesday
afternoons for children interested in
problem solving and brain training.
P7 visited the Aberdeenshire Bible
Exhibition at Fernielea Gospel Hall. Book Fair
P1 visiting the Art
Gallery as part of their
project “Starting School
and Aberdeen”. Pupils
enjoyed looking at the
different paintings,
sculptures and models
then sat round the
fountain to draw their
favourite piece of art.
The popular Junior School Book Fair
ran from 23-29 November in the
Junior School Library. Pupils browsed
the fair during their class visits and
purchased books of their choice.
4
In the October holidays Miss Rust
visited Florence in Italy during which
the P5s were studying their project
Italy. Miss Rust gave us a spectacular
talk with some dazzling photographs.
She told us about Florence’s amazing
architecture, famous artists and
beautiful buildings. She also brought
in some Italian sweets called Howath
Dolci Tradizioni – marshmallows in the
shape of flowers. They were delicious!
After her inspiring talk, we wrote
thank-you letters for her. We wrote
about what we found interesting, our
favourite part and what we learned.
We enjoyed remembering the things
we liked. We also made a concept
map about Italy – that was fun too!
Emma Johnstone (P5)
French Film Festival,
Belmont Cinema
P5’s Spark-tacular
visit
On the 4th November the P5s went
to visit their P1 buddies. A group of
P5s gave a short lecture to the P1s
about Guy Fawkes and how he tried
to blow up the Houses of Parliament
with gunpowder and the P1s really
enjoyed listening to it. The children
worked together and made paper
sparklers and chocolate sparklers (a
combination of chocolate fingers and
coloured sprinkles).
Healthy Eating Menu Competition winners
with Jo Watson and Jackie Robb of Entier:
L to R: Sadie Stephen (P7I), Elizabeth Todd
(P2J) and Rohan Mudkavi (P6L)
P4 visit the
International Market
Coffee in the Library
Aberdeenshire Bible
Exhibition Workshop
An Autumn Walk
Primary 7 pupils walked along to the
Belmont Cinema to see the French film
Une Vie de Chat (known in English as
A Cat in Paris). The film was shown
as part of Scotland’s International Film
Festival for Young Audiences (aimed at
children of this age group and covers
many Curriculum for Excellence areas).
The film was shown in French with
English subtitles.
P5s with their sparklers
Visit our website for regular news updates...www.rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk
Skype Conference
with Vika Frary
On 31 October the Primary 6s called
Vika Frary, located in Tokyo, on Skype.
We called Vika so we could find out
what it felt like when the earthquake
and tsunami hit in March 2011. Vika
is a former pupil of Robert Gordon’s
but then went to Japan to become
an English teacher. We found out lots
of information for our newspaper
article on the earthquake and we had
a great time talking to Vika.
Michael O’Donovan (P6)
P6 Trip to Fraserburgh
P6 visited the lighthouse, museum and
the Heritage Centre at Fraserburgh. The
lighthouse was built on a castle and we
were able to see all around it, starting
with the store room where they kept all
the tools and big oil containers. We then
looked inside the lighthouse-keepers’
room, it was like stepping back in time!
We continued up the spiral staircase to
the lightroom. It was enormous and
kept in beautiful condition. Nowadays
the lighthouse is no longer in use but a
smaller automatic lighthouse has been
built instead.
The heritage centre is completely
run by volunteers. They had lots of
interesting knowledge as many of
them are retired sailors and fishermen
and women. They have created all the
displays themselves, they even dressed
up as people from the past for us!
We learned all about Thomas Blake
Glover, a famous merchant from
Aberdeenshire who became famous
in the trading industry in Japan and
was awarded the Order of the Rising
Sun. Overall, the trip to Fraserburgh
was fun and informative. We are very
grateful to all the volunteers who
helped us learn about Fraserburgh’s
industry and the links to Japan.
Various P6 pupils
P6 Dalguise Report
The P6 Year Group went to the PGL Activity Centre, Dalguise, Perthshire.
At Dalguise we stayed in lodges and did a wide range of activities such as
Archery, Abseiling, Giant Swing, Trapeze and Raftbuilding. These activities
were lots of fun, especially the ones where you got wet and muddy!
Just like the activities, the Dalguise staff, food and accommodation
were outstanding. As well as all the fun you could imagine we all gained
friendship and confidence. Our trip to Dalguise has set us up for an exciting
and rewarding year ahead in P6!
Mary Shearer and George Roddy (P6)
Scotland is an exciting place!
In Primary 2, we have continued to learn about Scotland and all it has to
offer. We have learned what’s needed to climb mountains and know about
the many tourist attractions that are available. We also know how to dress
for the changeable Scottish weather! During our class visits to Alex Scott
the Kiltmaker, we spoke with a lady who has been making kilts for over 40
years and used the swatches of tartan she kindly gave us as inspiration for
creating our own tartans. During a visit from Mrs Mennie to our Primary 2
classrooms, she was astounded by the children’s knowledge of Scotland as
well as the standard of Language and Maths work.
Active Learning
P2 have been enjoying their new Active Learning area set up to provide a place
where the learning in the classroom can be re-inforced in a play setting. All
activities are cross curricular but with an emphasis on numeracy and literacy.
In accordance with Curriculum for Excellence, the children were involved
in the planning and decided on a Scottish café which links to their topic.
Children wrote down their ideas on equipment and resources needed and
they discussed the various roles they would play in the café. They have really
enjoyed making fruit smoothies and shortbread. Parents and Grandparents
made a huge effort to help the children to find labels and packets from foods
grown or produced in Scotland to make a collage. The children were also
treated to samples of tablet, fudge and ‘Mackies’ crisps.
P5R wrote autumn stories using
descriptive adjectives and similes to
capture the mood of a walk through
a park on an autumn day. Samples
extracted from 2 stories:
The soggy blackening leaves made
an uncomfortable squelch. I was
walking when I heard birds chirping
like an orchestra. The wind started
whipping past my ears. It howled
like a depressed dog.
Tommy Frost (P5)
I was walking down the path where I
could hear the wind roaring. I could
see the wonderful fireworks crackling
and I could just hear some people
giggling around the bonfire.
Conor McGowan (P5)
Global Harvest
Assembly
Junior School hosted a Global
Harvest Assembly. In Scotland, we
are lucky to have plentiful harvests
due to the good climate and growing
conditions. The staff and pupils felt it
was important to share this food with
the homeless people in Aberdeen. As
a result, pupils brought in all kinds
of food donations to the Cyrenians.
Nursery News
Nursery has been a very happy and
busy place since August. The first
theme “Fire” was chosen as a result
of the toys the children brought in
on their first sharing day. They had
a wonderful time dressing up as fire
fighters and using hoses to put out
fires! They made some spectacular
collages of a fire fighter, a fire engine
and some fire equipment. They went
for a walk around school looking
for fire extinguishers, and discussed
various fire exits and signs to look for
if the fire alarm went off.
Our second theme was ”animals”.
The children were very busy helping
Vet Claire to make some poorly
animals feel better in the role-play
area and asked her some animal
questions that they had been
thinking about. They were also very
good detectives on our walks in
the community and spotted lots of
animals in various paintings during a
visit to the Art Gallery and on a walk
to Union Terrace Gardens.
Mrs Reid
6
from the Quadrangle December 2011
Sport at RGC
Athletics
Scottish Primary Schools Road
Relay Championships 2011
The RGC P7 girls’ team, consisting
of Leoni Proctor, Becca Eggeling and
Georgina Milne, won the silver medal
at the Scottish Primary Schools Road
Relay Championships which were
held in Grangemouth on Saturday
29 October. There were 40 teams
in the race. The P7 boys team
of Callum McKenzie, Tim Groves,
Callum Young, came 6th out of 40.
Golf
Congratulations to Ross Green
(S6), Craig Lawrie (S5) and Finlay
McPherson (S4) who successfully
won against Gordonstoun in the
British Independent Schools Golf
Championships at Moray Golf Club.
RGC will now play Glenalmond
in March at the Regional Final
where we hope to progress to the
National Finals in April at the Open
Championship course at Carnoustie
At the Loretto Golf Academy
Junior Championships Michael
Lawrie (S1) was 2nd Overall in the
U-13 scratch competition. Michael
Lawrie (S1), Connor Forbes (S2) and
Callum Angus (S2) also won the
U-13 team competition.
December 2011 from the Quadrangle
Boys Hockey Tour to Cork
The first XI Boys Hockey Team set off for their eighth tour to Cork in Ireland,
playing four matches against Middleton, Waterford, Bandon Grammar and
Ashton School. The standard of opposition was exceptionally high including
the previous All Irish Champions and many U18 Irish international players.
As a team we grew, learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses. There
were some extra-curricular activities, all of which were designed to encourage
team building including bowling, quasar, a trip to the world famous Jameson
whiskey distillery and several sightseeing trips including one to an Irish football
game and a Hurling match.
Cameron Gray, Captain
The RGC A and B Teams have
made it through to the Scottish
Schools Netball competition. This is
the first time that the B Team have
participated involving Senior Girls
from S4-S6.
The following girls have made it
through to the Pathway Squad where
they will work on their technical
skills in the run up to national trials
next year: Sarah-Jane Bush (S5),
Jemima Haywood (S4), Charlotte
Meil (S4), Dominique Santini (S4),
Katie Anderson (S4), Alix Wrighton
(S3), Lauren Lefevre (S3).
Rugby
Cameron Turner and Duncan
Campbell (S6) continue to train with
the Scotland U18 squad. Luke EarlWright (S5) has been selected to
train with the Scotland U17 squad
in the New Year.
Sailing
Rugby 1st XV training in the new
fitness suite at Schoolhill.
Cross Country
Championships
We had a large team running at
this event which took place on 12
November at Lathallan School, and
we did particularly well. Notable
positions came from Rebecca
Eggling in the U13 who won the
race by a considerable margin. In
the boys U13 event Glen Keith
finished 7th and Luke Stewart 8th.
In the U11 Girls race Kirsty Oldham
finished 4th and Georgina Milne
5th and in the boys race Harvey
Dunbar-Smith was 7th. In the team
event the U13 girls finished 3rd and
the U13 boys finished 1st.
Football
Josh Arrowsmith has been selected
to represent Aberdeen Secondary
Schools Football Association in the
Scottish Schools Senior National
Trophy 2011-12. He played his first
match at Bellslea Park, Fraserburgh
FC ground on 27 October.
6
Hockey
The Following boys and girls have
made it through to the Scotland
training squads:
U16 boys: Andrew Webb (S2), Alan
Oldham and Ruairdh Campbell (S4).
U18 boys: Ally Dougall, Jamie Wong,
Grant Scott (S5)
U16 girls: Katie Hibbert (S4)
U18 girls: Samantha Murray, Kirsty
Mcleod, Rosalyn Marshall (S6)
The following boys represented
North District at the U16 and U18
inter district competition in Edinburgh:
U16: Yorrick Enters, Ruairdh Campbell,
Gavin Hughes, Fraser Yates, Sean
Stevenson, Alan Oldham, Thiadmar
Jansen (all S4), Andrew Webb (S2)
U18: Ewan Harry-Thomas, Ross
Milner, Ally Dougall, Grant Scott,
Jamie Wong, Kevin Wong (all S5), Jack
McDonald, Cameron Gray (both S6).
Congratulations to the following
girls who have been selected for
North District U18 Hockey Squad:
Caitlin Rees (S5), Kirsty McLeod,
Samantha Murray, Flossie Hibbert,
Girls Hockey Tour to London
Resplendant in Gold R.G.C girls and staff took the big smoke by storm, winning
3 matches against Freeman School 2-0,Kingston Uni.6-0, Surbiton H.S 4-1 and
only lost to a very polished team in Surbiton H.C 4-0. Between matches the
Girls were able to fit in some retail therapy and along the way took in many
of this great city’s landmarks. Oh and by the way we bumped into La Toya
Jackson at the Airport; Scorge arranged a team photo and she was delighted
to help. Along the way we bumped into, quite literally at times, Gordonians
C.Hector (class of 88), R Benzies (77), B. Simpson (91) and A.Kirton (96).
Ros Marshall 1st XI Captain
Rosalyn Marshall, Mary McDonald,
Nicole Lefevre, Caitlin Donald, Elaine
Livera, Tabby Smith-Lawrence (all S6).
Non-travelling reserve – Molly Scott
(S5). Samantha Murray, Kirsty McLeod
and Rosalyn Marshall have all been
selected for U18 Scottish trials.
Congratulations to the following
girls who have been selected for
North District U16: Lauren LeFevre,
Beatrice Middlethon, Lauren Watson,
Alice Jones (all S3), Katie Hibbert,
Laura Veitch, Amy Ferguson, Kirsty
Trail, Robyn Dunbar-Smith, Miriam
Ingram, Amy Skidmore (all S4).Katie
Hibbert has been selected for U16
Scotish trials and Kirsty Trail and Amy
Ferguson are attending a Scottish
U16 development day.
Netball
At the time of writing Abbie Buchan
(S5) is awaiting selection for U17
Scotland Squad.
Former pupils Emily Gray and Fiona
Farquharson have been selected for
the U21 Scotland squad playing
against Wales 9-11 December in
Aberdeen. This is the first time that
former RGC pupils have represented
Scotland in this age group.
Rory Rose (S1) has been competing
in Scottish and National events
throughout the year in his Optimist
dinghy. This sailing boat is the most
competitive class for children under
15, both in Britain and worldwide,
with national events attracting over
400 entries. Despite its bathtub looks
this was the boat class first sailed by
most of the current Olympic sailors
such as Ben Ainslie. Rory recently
competed in the RYA championships
at Largs where he came 6th, thus
securing a much coveted place on
the 12 sailors strong RYA Scottish
Squad. He will be training at the
national sailing centre on Cumbrae
near Largs over the winter months
and compete for Scotland in both
national and international events.
Swimming
William Broadhurst (S5) won the
Scottish Open Water Championships
for 15-16yr age group this year. As a
result of this he was selected for the
Scottish Open Water Development
squad and toured France for 10
days in July.
26 RGC pupils from S1 to S6 swam
against Gordonstoun on Thursday 29
September. RGC won 239 points to
120 and only lost 2 races during the
entire match.
Sillerton were the winners of
the annual Senior Swimming Gala.
Individual Winners:
S1: Adrian Hutcheon, Katy Wilson
S2: Luke Stuart, Abi Proctor
S3: Alastair Robertson, Fiona
Macfarlane
S4: Lewis Proctor, Caitlin Tootill
S5/6: James Yule and Timothy
McGovern, Hayley Monteith
Pupil Achievements
Bank of England and Times
monetary policy challenge
On 23 November a team of four S5
pupils competed at Glasshouse Hotel,
Edinburgh in the monetary policy
challenge known as ‘Target 2.0’.
Adopting the role of the Monetary
Policy Committee, the team (pictured
below) gave a 15 minute presentation
assessing the current state and future
outlook of the domestic and international
economies, followed by a Q&A session
from the judges.
Henry Symons, Sam Povey, Adam Hendry
and Aaron McPherson defeated six
other schools and will be competing
in the area finals in Manchester in
February 2012.
Henry Symons (S5)
ABRSM (Associated Board of Royal
Schools of Music)
Jack Rathbone (P7) Grade 2 Piano
with Distinction
COLOURS AND MERIT AWARDS
JUNE 2011 (note: all year groups as at June 2011)
COLOURS
ATHLETICS: Cameron Brown (S6), Yasmin Milne (S5) - re-award, David Mann
(S5)
CCF ARMY: Hugo Mayeux (S5)
CHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS: Sadman Chowdhury (S5)
CRICKET: Omar Afridi (S4), Fraser Proud (S5), David Gamblen (S6)
FOOTBALL: Josh Arrowsmith (S5), Harry Burnside (S5)
GOLF: Craig Lawrie (S4), David Young (S6), Jamie Manson (S6)
HOCKEY: Ross Milner (S4), Jamie Wong (S4), Grant Scott (S4)
MATHEMATICS COMPETITIONS: Jonathan Hughes (S6), Kelvin Wang (S5),
Peter Leith (S5), Perry Wang (S5)
MUSIC: Stuart Coull (S6), Katherine McClure (S6), Rebecca Elder (S6), Mairi
Ward (S6), Iain Hall (S4), Caitlin Strang (S5), Elspeth Hayes S5)
MERIT AWARDS
(note: all pupils S6 as at June 2011, unless otherwise stated)
ALPINE SKI RACING: Jaimie Rees
ART: George Baxter, Juliet Wright, Will Duncan
BIOLOGY ASSISTANT: Fiona Farquharson, Christopher McCaffery, Tanvi Kamat
CHAMBER CHOIR: Nicole Gainska, Rosie Morton, Erin Hopps, Evie Rae,
Katherine McClure
CHAMBER MUSIC: Frances Haggarty, Dmitri Olayzola Thomaneck, Christopher
McCaffery, Jaimie Rees
CHARITIES: Cynthia Pang, Juliet Wright, Emily Turner CHEMISTRY ASSISTANT: JB Fyfe, Tanvi Kamat, Nicole Gainska
CRICKET: Saif Ahmed, Kieran Laidler, Harry Burnside, Alex Peacock, Jack
Chalmers, David Pethick, Andrew Davie
ECLECTIC: Jasmine Ng
FOOTBALL: Jack Chalmers, Scott Melville, Kieran Sean Mills, Gregor Linn,
Craig Simpson, EwanMcErlean, David Young
MATHEMATICS COMPETITIONS: Robert Dunbar, Alex Wang, Euan Inglis,
Lucy Zou
MODERN LANGUAGES ASSISTANT: Peter Clark, Rebecca Elder
PHYSICS ASSISTANT: Jack Abbott
PIPE BAND: Ellis Lawrie (S5)
S1 BUDDY: Cynthia Pang
SENIOR BIG BAND: Rebecca Elder, David Logie, Robert Hamlet, Jack Nichols
SENIOR CEILIDH BAND: Frances Haggarty, Jaimie Rees, Dmitri Olayzola
Thomaneck, Mairi Ward
SENIOR CONCERT BAND: Holly Armstrong, Katherine McClure, Rebecca Elder,
Jack Nichols, Alasdair Grant, Anna Smith, Robert Hamlet, Michael Thornton,
Holly Keir, Kelvin Wang, Daniel Marple, Perry Wang, Jess McClean
SENIOR ORCHESTRA: Frances Haggarty, Daniel McFarlane, Daniel Marple,
Jaimie Rees, Christopher McCaffery, Lucy Zou
STRALOCH HOUSE: Zofia Jeffreys, David Pethick, Faatima Osman, Laura
Steedman
TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANT: Gavin Tsang YEARBOOK: Amy Bryce, Lena Orfali, Evanna Codonna, Charlie Ross, Rebecca
Elder, Julia Symons, Becky McKinlay, Becky Walker , Eilidh Meyjes, Juliet Wright
UKMT Junior Mathematical Olympiad
Update
In the last edition of the Quadrangle we
reported that Cong Lu had achieved a
Silver medal in this national competition.
UKMT have since been in contact with
us to say that a mistake had been made
and Cong had in fact achieved a Gold
medal. Our warmest congratulations
to Cong.
Dance off
Olivia Attwool-Keith, Lucy Cowie, Freya
Oswald and Catriona Soden participated
in the first ever ‘Dance Proms’ staged
at the Royal Albert Hall in London on
13 November. Dance Proms brings
together the three national dance
training/awarding bodies within the UK
for the very first time. Out of 1000 acts
only 25 were chosen to perform live.
Enterprising Maths Competition 2011
On Tuesday 20 September two teams
of four S3-4 maths enthusiasts went to
Edinburgh for the independent school
heats. The day was a great success
with one of the teams emerging as
champions, qualifying for the National
Finals in the process. At the final in
Glasgow our pupils met 56 other teams
of budding wanna-be maths geniuses
and their teachers. With an Actuarial
round and a practical one building a
model of a Rhombicosidodecahedron,
brains were stretched in every direction
possible! The team finished 4th overall.
Eugene Iassinski (S4)
RGC CCF Pipe Band – Lathallan
Highland Games
The pipe band took part in the annual
Lathallan School Highland Games on
Saturday 24 September. Lise Theron
(S3), won the chanter competition
with Abi Hatcher-Davies (S3) a close
second. In the senior event Lewis
Maitland (S2) was placed third in
the U13 piping competition and also
awarded a trophy for the smartest
competitor in all categories. Samantha
Hopkins (S5) performed well in the
senior event and in the spirit of the
games the band brought home more
coconuts than medals!
Pipe Major
Young Writers Foundation
Congratulations to Charlotte Edwards,
Alice Jaspars, Caitlin McKenzie, Andrew
Manson, Anya Morrice and Courtney
Pacitti (S3) for their published ‘Mini
Sagas’ in a national competition run
by the YWF. Pupils were tasked with
writing a story under 50 words. The
‘Mini Sagas’ are also published on www.
rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk/news.
7