Am faoilleach 2017
SkyeLines
Ard-sgoil Phort Righ
Portree High School
Viewfield Road
Portree
Isle of Skye
January 2017
“Earbam”
This month’s Skyelines contains photographs of our very
successful school Christmas dances, the winners of Portree
Community Library’s Annual Christmas Quiz and our S1 to S4
Aim Skye High winners.
It also has articles on the Advanced Higher Maths weekend at
Lagganlia, Portree High School’s Burn’s Day celebrations and
some examples of S3’s Sonnets. We also include some SpineChillers, so be warned!
Our S4-S6 prelims are now underway and we have a new Chief
Invigilator following Alasdair Ross’s ‘early retirement’. Mr Gordon
Wyness, former Head Teacher of Broadford Primary School, has
now been appointed and we wish him every success.
The ski trip departs in a few days’ time and we have a crosscountry event coming up shortly – so it is a very busy time!
“Let Me
Miss C MacDonald, Headteacher
(01478) 614810
Portree.high
@highland.gov.uk
Absences:
Portreehigh.absence
@highland.gov.uk
Trust”
Inside this issue:
Lagganlia
Christmas Dances
Library Quiz
Success Assemblies
Change of Inset Day
th
The June 5 2017 inset day has been changed to 4th May
2017 to allow schools to be used for voting during the
local elections.
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]
Geography
Lunch Time Chess Club
Sonnets
Spine-Chillers
Drumming Workshop
Fèis an Earraich
Burn’s Day
UK Intermediate Maths Challenge: 2nd February 2017
Ski Trip Departs: 4th February 2017
S5 and S6 Success Assembly: 8th February 2017
Ski Trip Returns: 12th February 2017
S1 Mental Health and Well Being – Session 2: 15th February 2017
S3 Youth Philanthropy Initiative Knockouts: 16th February 2017
Mid Term Break: 20th and 21st February 2017
Inset Day: 22nd February
Maths Sans Frontières: 23rd February 2017
S1 and S2 Live-N-Learn Workshops: 23rd and 24th February 2017
SkyeLInes
January 2017
At the beginning of November four Advanced Higher Maths pupils went
away for a fun-filled weekend of maths and outdoor activities. The
weekend consisted of a number of different talks from people in industry,
to lecturers at top universities, to members of the Institute and Faculty of
Actuaries. Each talk was on a different subject. Some were very interesting
(such as the talk on single-pixel cameras, even though we didn’t
understand a single word!) and others made sure none of us would ever
become an Actuary. However over the course of the weekend the team
from Portree came consistently near the top of the table in all of the
competitions we took part in, losing out by a measly 5 points in the main
event – an orienteering/problem solving challenge.
The weekend was great fun and to anyone considering taking Advanced
Higher Maths, this trip is well worth it.
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SkyeLInes
January 2017
Christmas Dances
The Christmas dances took place in The Venue on Wednesday 1 4 th December (S1 -S3 )
and Thursday 1 5 th December (S4 -S6 ). A good time was had by all!
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SkyeLInes
January 2017
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SkyeLInes
January 2017
Portree Community Library’s Annual Christmas Quiz was very popular.
Katrina Martin 4T and Lewis Clark 1M both won copies of the Guinness
Book of Records.
There was also a prize draw for a copy of Danny MacAskill’s autobiography
which was equally popular and this was won by Ruari Lates 2G.
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SkyeLInes
January 2017
Well done to all the following pupils
S1
Euan Wilson (Gold),
Erin Gillies (Silver)
and
Ruairidh Hunter (Bronze)
S2
Aoife Ni Bhaoighill (Silver),
Archie MacLean (Gold)
and
Ceitidh Smith (Bronze)
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SkyeLInes
January 2017
S3
Sarah MacLeod (Gold),
Connor Mackay (Bronze)
and
Teal Dobie (Silver)
S4
Caitlin MacPhee (Silver),
Thomas Prentice (Bronze)
and
Hallie Miles-Shinnie (Gold)
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SkyeLInes
January 2017
Geography Classes
In the run up to
challenge to give
money they would
challenge and did
Christmas pupils in their geography classes were given the
up bottled drinks and chocolate bars and instead donate the
have spent to Oxfam’s “Great Gifts”.
They rose to the
a fantastic job, raising over £180 in total.
Each class then had a chance to choose which “Great Gifts” they would like to
buy from a large variety in the Oxfam catalogue, with the pupils taking a great
interest weighing up the benefits of each gift and then voting for their
preferred option.
This led to a great range of gifts being bought – from humble bars of soap to
improve health and reduce disease to a number of “goat couples” to help improve
the life chances of impoverished farmers.
For each gift bought the classes
received a “thank you” card with an explanation of how Oxfam would use the
money and examples of people who had benefitted from the gifts in the past.
I was really impressed with how seriously pupils engaged with this project and
how enthusiastic they were to find out how the gifts would benefit people in
other parts of the world. Well done and thank you to everyone who took part.
Hopefully we will be able to buy even more gifts next year!
You can find out more information at: www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/oxfam-unwrapped
by Mr Purrett
Tuesday 24th January saw the relaunch of the chess club at Portree High School. It was very
well attended with 15 pupils enjoying the opportunity to challenge each other to a battle –
limited to the chess board of course. This club will run every week on Tuesdays in the
Geography room (108). Pupils are welcome to come anytime during lunch and can bring
their packed lunch along, if they wish.
by Mr. Purrett
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SkyeLInes
January 2017
Sonnet is from the Italian word ‘Sonneto’ meaning ‘little song’
 The Italian Sonnet evolved during the 13th century. Traditionally the sonnet was comprised
of 14 lines, divided into either 2 or 3 stanzas, following a strict rhyme scheme and logical
structure.
 The opening octave (8 lines) would set out a preposition or problem.
 The following sestet (6 lines) would provide a resolution.
 Traditionally, poets writing in
English have used IAMBIC
PENTAMETER
in
their
sonnets.
This means that there are 10
syllables in every line, and every
second syllable is stressed.
A line of iambic pentameter is five
iambic feet in a row:
da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM
da DUM
 Typically, the 9th line of a
sonnet created a turn or
‘volta’, which signalled the
move from proposition to
resolution. Even in sonnets
that don’t follow the problem /
resolution structure, the 9th
line often marks a turn by
signalling a change in tone,
mood or the stance of the
poem.
 Different sonnet forms have
different rhyme patterns,
represented alphabetically.
Here are a few examples of
sonnet rhyme schemes:
a-b-a-b, a-b-a-b, c-d-e, c-d-e.
a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f, g-g.
a-b-b-a, a-b-b-a, c-d-c, c-d-c.
He Did Not Want to Go
He did not want to go and join the war.
He did not want to leave his home alone.
The Court Marshall said, “I do not condone.”
He went to the war, not knowing what for –
He hoped to be back by Christmas time.
He did not want to use a shot gun.
The sergeant said, “Over the top and run!”
For his dear homeland, oh how he did pine.
Four years in minefields, he’ll never be the same.
He had lost close friends, family, forever.
He said, “Austria was to be blamed.”
Life has changed now, for ever and ever.
I will never forget…
Alexander MacPhee
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SkyeLInes
January 2017
A Story to Tell
Off to war we go. I can feel the tears.
I know by the end I will be bolder.
We will stay together me and my peers,
Normal men like me suddenly soldiers.
Now it’s real - bullets flying everywhere,
People being shot, people lying dead.
I just want to play with my wife’s hair.
All around me all I see is just red.
In the trench is mud, blood, fear and sadness.
I’ve now been moved to the front line – it’s hell.
All I see are bodies that are lifeless.
Back home this will be a story to tell.
Off to battle - I can’t stand what I see.
Just like that a bullet’s inside of me.
by Murphy Henderson 3M and Liam Ambrose 3T
Haunting of War
In the trenches waiting for the bells of war,
Waiting for the bells to end so silence falls.
For when the bells are gone the war is gone.
So we can all go because it’s done,
So we have the meal that’s waiting silently
And that we can sit around a fire without shells.
No rifle to disturb our long-wished slumber
And to be around clean open space with no mud.
The place that is clean and silent and happy –
The place we all feel safe and surrounded with good people.
But also the hell of war coming back to haunt
Where we have people to help the ghosts of war.
But for some, those ghosts don’t stop haunting and taunting.
by Sean Madigan 3G1
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SkyeLInes
January 2017
Spine-Chillers
Below are stories from some Portree High School pupils that have been published in the
book Spine-Chillers, Tales from Scotland and Northern Ireland. Copies of the book are
in the Library. More next month!
HOUSE OF FLAMES
THE HALLOWEEN OF HELL!
I heard a piercing scream coming
from an abandoned house. I decided
to investigate. As I entered, the door
creaked. ‘Hello?’ No answer. I saw a
shadow at the end of the room, then a
bony finger touched my shoulder. I
went to the bathroom. I ran the tap
and washed my face. The cracked
mirror started shaking and I saw in it
a little girl. She screamed and ran off.
Bang! as the mirror smashed on the
floor. The girl was sitting on the floor
crying.
‘Help me, please?’ she begged.
Crack! The house went up in flames…
Once upon a time in a village, there were
two boys, Jamie and Jack, who went
camping in the forest on Halloween Night.
At eleven o’clock, a breeze came and the
leaves started waving in the wind, creeping
the two boys out. Then all of a sudden
branches crunched and footsteps were
being heard.
A few seconds later, the campfire went out
and everything went pitch-black. Then in
the darkness of the forest the boys heard
growling and howling; they knew what was
nearby.
The next morning the boys were found
lying dead, chewed and eaten alive…
Erin Gillies 1G1
Fraser Gillies 3B
Stranded
Darkness…Silence…Alone… I hear the bells ringing. I see the mist
creeping over the touched land that’s the field that was rumoured to take
your soul. Cold wind. Cold blood. Cold heart. Step…step…they’re getting
closer…no way out…‘Help!’ I scream. ‘Heeeelp…’ No reply. I’m now running
backwards. Bang! What is it? I scream, turns out I’ve hit the wall. Bang!
The door falls and nobody walks in. ‘What do you want?’ I’m now running
for my life. I run to the tower and a figure appears. He says nothing. I say,
‘What do you want?’
‘You.’
Lachlan Canning 1M
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SkyeLInes
January 2017
Drumming Workshops
The week before the Christmas holidays, pupils took part in drumming workshops with
Steve Sharpe of Drum Fun. They learned about drumming techniques, playing together
and working with different rhythms. Everyone had a great time, and a video of the S4-6
workshop was uploaded to the school’s Facebook page.
Fèis an Earraich will be held in Portree High School from 10th - 14th April. The Fèis is
open to all young people in Skye and beyond, who may attend on a daily basis or stay
in the High School Hostel. Everybody is welcome from P5 to S6.
New this year for older teenagers is Fèis nan Deugairean or Teen-fèis.
We realise that the exams are just around the corner, and offer a part-time option for
those in S4, S5 and S6 which is Tuesday to Friday from 9.30 - 1pm with an emphasis on
Groupwork.
Forms will be in school by the end of the week.
Further information - [email protected]
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SkyeLInes
January 2017
Burn’s Day
On the 25th of January, which some of you may
know as Burns’ Day, we had a Burns Supper in
our English classroom.
We drank Irn Bru, feasted on haggis and
listened to some dramatic Scottish speeches by
our fellow classmates.
Our afternoon began with a tune on the pipes
from Eilidh MacDonald and Ruari Lates then
thrilled the audience whilst addressing the
haggis. Holly Maclean then graced us with the
Selkirk Grace before we tucked into our meal.
Eachann MacRae gave an inspirational speech about how Burns should be
remembered today, then there was a heated show-down between Max Stancliffe and
Anna Morton. Max shocked the audience with ‘A Toast to the Lassies’ but then Anna
repaid the favour with ‘A Reply from the Lassies’
and the show ended with a tie between the
lassies and the laddies!
We then had an array of performances such as ‘To
a Mouse’ recited by Sileas Urquhart and ‘My Love
is Like a Red, Red Rose’ recited by Charlotte
Gordon and Ceitidh Smith. Then we had a
beautiful tune form Aoife Ni Bhaoighill on the
fiddle. She played ‘A Man’s A Man For A That’
and then we finished off our supper in great style
with a singsong of ‘Auld Lang Syne’.
We would like to thank Shona MacDonald for
preparing us a delicious dumpling, everyone who performed at our wonderful supper
and most of all Mrs Mackenzie for allowing us to organise this celebration.
By Anna Morton and Gemma Taylor, 2G.
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