International Nurses’ Day
It’s 11th May 2022 which marks International Nurses’ Day and what better way to celebrate than to meet Kilgraston’s school nurse, Mrs Louise MacDonald:
“I joined Kilgraston in August 2021 from Kelvinside Academy (a day school in Glasgow) where I was nurse and part of the pastoral team there for thirteen years. As well as my professional role, I’m a Listening volunteer with Samaritan’s, doing shifts in both Perth and Ayrshire.
The Nurses role in a school has a great focus on pastoral care with an emphasis on health and wellbeing. I love contact with young people and being able to support them when they need it. It’s all about making their school experience as positive as possible, them getting the most from their time here. At a boarding school, the challenges can be different. Sometimes pupils are a long way from home and having a good support system for them is absolutely vital.
Kilgraston’s Infirmary has been renamed and now we have a Health and Wellbeing Centre, a less clinical environment with a focus on mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing. With a wellbeing space now in place ,I am hoping moving forward into next session ,that some Sixth Form pupils will take on roles as Wellbeing Ambassadors and take forward one or two health initiatives each session.”
A longer length version of this will appear in the next Cor Unum, our annual school magazine. Sign up to receive your copy here.
Reception and Lower First - class trip to Discovery
Our Reception and Lower First class has been learning about some of the early expeditions to Antarctica, including Scott, Shackleton and Amundson and those nautical ‘adventurers’: pirates…arrgh. Happily Kilgraston has the fantastic Discovery Point just along the motorway so class teacher Mrs Stewart filled us in on their recent class trip:
A troupe of terrifying pirates left Kilgraston to go aboard the Discovery. We were made to scrub the decks before sitting round the Captain’s table. We were shown around the boat by Kim, who introduced us to the crew and answering a thousand questions.
We then went to a ‘discovery room’ to learn more about Captain Scott and his expeditions to Antarctica. We were able to model the clothes he and his crew would have worn, comparing them to modern day clothing.
The hungry pirates ate all their lunch and then it was quiz time round the museum and gallery.
A great day was had by all, with no-one having to climb the rigging, walk the plank or being fed to sharks!
Mrs Stewart
May the Fourth be with you
Kilgraston pipers celebrated International Star Wars Day, May the Fourth, in style this year. Isobel, Libby and Rhona along with piping instructor, Mr Sinclair, performed the theme tune to the best-selling film franchise on our front lawn.
Kilgraston has a thirving and diverse music department, find out more here.
Ski Trip 2022
Over Easter, PE department staff Mrs Ferry, Miss Patton and Miss Dutch took a group of pupils to Austria on the first overseas ski trip since the start of the pandemic in 2020. The group of 23 pupils and staff went to Alpendorf, in the Eastern Alps and had a fantastic time. Here Martina writes about the trip:
The 2022 ski trip was to Alpendorf, Austria, a beautiful place with amazing landscapes. During the five days we spent there, we had a range of activities. In the evenings we took part in Alpine Coaster and Bowling, which helped us get along and have fun while mixing all together.
Every day we had a buffet breakfast with many different savoury and sweet options, then every day we got a €10 voucher with which we could buy our lunch on the slopes and then we had dinner which included a soup as a starter, a main course and a dessert.
Each day we got five hours of skiing guided by instructors that taught us new skills and helped us improve while enjoying ourselves. I think it was an amazing experience that helped us create new friendships in between year groups and discover some new skills or passions for skiing or mountains.
Martina, Lower Fifth
Kilgraston’s Head Girl Team 2022-2023 announced
Appointments of Kilgraston’s much-coveted Head Girl Team, for academic year 2022/3, have been announced.
Lexie picks-up the Head Girl baton from Maria, while Jeanie and Amy will perform the Deputy roles.
Commenting on her new role, Lexie said: “We had quite a tough interview, but the new Headteacher, Mrs Davie, immediately put us at ease and was very positive and encouraging.”
The girls will start their positions in August, knowing that they have big shoes to fill: “This year’s team has been brilliant,” said Lexie, “they are all very personable and particularly great with the younger year groups.”
The Head Girl Team acts as a conduit between Senior Management and pupils, frequently suggesting ideas and representing the School on many occasions throughout the year. “Kilgraston has given me leadership skills and lots of opportunities to better myself,” said Lexie, continuing, “public speaking, inter-house debating competitions and interacting with all ages have all been invaluable. After the appointment, I felt I grew in confidence overnight, knowing that Mrs Davie put so much trust in us all.”
Lexie honed her leadership skills through both hockey and netball, being the captain of teams in both disciplines: “I love sport, playing for Perthshire Hockey and the Scotland U18 team, where I’m hoping be selected for July’s Eight Nations tournament in Spain.”
Currently having six hockey caps for Scotland, the current Lower Sixth pupil hopes to increase that number during the next few months, training hard with the Scotland Squad, at Kilgraston and at home: “The regular National Squad training is in either Glasgow or Edinburgh, which is high intensive skills training. I do fitness training at School and run in my own time.”
Kilgraston wishes the girls every success for their exciting, fulfilling and enjoyable year ahead.
You can read more about Sixth Form at Kilgraston, our outstanding exam results and our leavers’ destinations here.
SQA CfE discussed by Kilgraston’s Deputy Head
The Scottish Government’s Curriculum for Excellence - introduced in 2010 - is under scrutiny from several quarters.
Overseen by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), the curriculum’s content and structure is currently being widely reassessed.
Commenting on the situation, on page six of the Independent Schools Magazine, April edition, Kilgraston’s Deputy Head, Carol Ann Lund, says: “We should not be surprised that a curriculum, years in the making and implemented for over a decade - has now passed its sell-by date.”
Kilgraston’s Headmistress Mrs MacGinty retires
It was with much laughter and some tears that pupils and staff celebrated the end of Spring term as it marked not only the start of the Easter holidays but also the end of the Headship of Mrs MacGinty as she retires.
Mrs MacGinty has been Headmistress of Kilgraston since 2015, and came to Scotland after being Head at St Francis’ College in Hertfordshire. In the seven years as Kilgraston’s Headmistress, Mrs MacGinty has lead the school to many successes including growing the Junior Years school roll and has introduced several initiatives and policies which are close to her heart such as protecting our planet. This has seen Kilgraston be awarded our first Eco-Schools Scotland Green Flag Award.
Under Mrs MacGinty’s tenure, STEM subjects have increased in popularity with year-on-year around 60% of pupils now going onto study these typically masculine subjects at universities. Kilgraston’s academic success, for which it is well-known, continues to grow with 77% of our Higher pupils achieving a Grade A.
On her last day, the school said thank you to Mrs MacGinty, lining up for a guard of honour as she was piped into the Theatre by Mr Sinclair, the School’s piping teacher who also wrote a piece of music from the school for Mrs MacGinty, entitled ‘Mrs MacGinty’s Farewell to Kilgraston’.
The afternoon was then spent with the pupils performing a medley of tunes and skits for Mrs MacGinty before the Head Girl Team presented Mrs MacGinty with a painting of the Sacred Heart made up from the thumbprints of every pupil in the Senior School.
Mrs MacGinty is retiring with husband Frank to Lanark and is looking forward to travelling this year. We wish her all the very best in her retirement and thank her for guidance and leadership.
Kilgraston’s Young Musician of the Year 2022
Kilgraston’s Young Musician of the Year has burst back into our calendar this year with an enraptured audience soaking up the many talents of the finalists.
From the tinkering of film scores like ‘Amelie’ and ‘Les Miserables’ to instrumental pieces such as Street Tango by Astor Piazzolla, there was a wide range of genres and instruments on display. Over 60 talented musicians from up and down the school had entered into the initial competition before the 20 finalists were selected. Kilgraston welcomed Dollar Academy’s Director of Music, Mrs Karol Fitzpatrick as the independent adjudicator to the event, which took place in March 2022. Mrs Fitzpatrick commended the pupils, thanking them for their performances before giving a detailed adjudication, full of positive comments and feedback for the performers.
The overall winners were Upper Third’s Caitlin, Junior School Young Musician of the Year, and Lower Sixth’s Manon, who won Young Musician of the Year, Senior School.
Mr Andrew Morley, Kilgraston’s Director of Music, said: “Kilgraston has a strong musical tradition with a superb quality of musicianship across a wide range of instruments and genres. It is something we are incredibly proud of and this year’s Young Musician Of The Year showcases the incredible talents of our pupils. Well done to everyone who took part and thank you to our adjudicator Mrs Fitzpatrick who had some difficult decisions to make so well done to Manon and Caitlin, this year’s Young Musicians of the Year in our Senior and Junior School categories and to all our category winners and runners up.”
You can watch the competition below.
Beginner Class
Runner Up - Elsie – Piano (Lower Third)
Winner - Eliza – Flute (Lower Second)
Junior Singing Class
Runner Up - Sophie (Lower Third)
Winner- Caitlin (Upper Third)
Junior Piano Class
Winner - Darcy (Lower Third)
Junior Instrumental Class
Winner - Sofia – Violin (Lower Second)
Overall Junior Winner – Caitlin (Upper Third)
Intermediate Piano Class
Runner Up - Olivia (Lower Four)
Winner - Liliya (Lower Sixth)
Intermediate Instrumental Class
Runner Up - Francesca - Flute (Lower Fifth)
Winner - Jenny - Violin (Upper Four)
Intermediate Singing Class
Runner Up - Erin (Upper Fifth)
Winner - Chloe (Lower Four)
Advanced Piano Class
Runner Up - Pak Wai (Upper Fifth)
Winner - Emma (Lower Fifth)
Advanced Singing Class
Runner Up - Maia (Lower Fifth)
Runner Up - Laura (Upper Fifth)
Winner - Hannah-Rose (Upper Sixth)
Advanced Instrumental Class
Runner Up - Janna (Upper Fifth) – Violin
Runner Up – Isabel (Upper Sixth) – Cello
Winner - Manon (Lower Sixth) - Violin
Overall Senior Winner and Kilgraston Young Musician 2022 - Manon (Lower Sixth)
Kilgraston Hockey XI team wins
Kilgraston Hockey XI is celebrating two momentous trophy wins in two days. In a nail-biting final on Friday, the team scooped the Scottish Hockey Aspire Girls Cup winning 3-2 on penalties against Selkirk High.
Huge crowds came to the Senior Schools’ Cup final at Peffermill and at half-time the score-line remained at 0-0 despite the best efforts of both sides with Selkirk and then Kilgraston being denied a goal by the superb skills of the goalkeepers.
Into the second half and Selkirk took the lead however, Kilgraston were quick to response with Upper Fifth’s Flora equalising. Kilgraston were spurred on but were denied a goal but some great goalkeeping and a near post save.
With no more goals, the game went to running penalties. In a tense shoot-out, Kilgraston took the lead, with Selkirk equalising. Selkirk were then denied a point after Kilgraston scored a second penalty, then both sides scored giving Kilgraston a 3-2 lead. Both goalkeepers saved their last two penalties, giving Kilgraston a 3-2 victory to claim the trophy in style. What an outstanding achievement for the team.
After a heroes’ welcome back to school and barely time to pause for breath, the team were back out on Saturday for the Kilgraston Senior School Hockey Invitational.
Playing schools including St George’s, Strathallan and Robert Gordon’s College, Kilgraston won or drew all their initial matches and conceded no goals. The team then took on High School of Dundee in a make-or-break final which Kilgraston won 1- 0 to be crowned the tournament winners and add another trophy to their collection in just 24 hours.
Hockey XI captain and the team’s goalkeeper, Upper Sixth’s Tallie, part of the Scottish Hockey Brave Aspiring development squad, said: “The team has worked so incredibly hard this season but winning the Aspire Girls’ Cup and then the Kilgraston Senior School Hockey Invitational makes all the early morning training, sessions in the rain and dark nights worthwhile. “When it came down to penalties at the Scottish Hockey Aspire Cup, we had to stay strong and focused. It was not just physically exhausting but mentally exhausting too. But when I saved the penalty we couldn’t believe it.”
Vice-captain Upper Sixth’s Poppy, who plays Forward, added: “Winning the Kilgraston Scottish Schools Invitational was amazing and we knew we had to beat High School of Dundee in our last match to win. But we all believed in ourselves and our team; we knew we could do it and our coaches, Mr Stott and Miss Patton have been so committed to us and trained us so hard we are really grateful to them both.”
Photographs: David McCarthy
Ukraine - Kilgraston supports Ukraine appeal
As the situation in Ukraine enters its fourth week, Kilgraston pupils and staff continue to send minibuses full of much-needed items to Errol Airfield, depot of the organisation, Tayside and Strathearn Help for Ukraine.
Our pupils and staff have also been tirelessly volunteering at the Morris Leslie depot at Errol’s Airfield. This weekend Boarding Mistress, Miss Carden, and a number of senior boarders spent several hours packing warm clothing, bedding and medical supplies so that yet another much-needed shipment could leave for those in need in Poland and Ukraine.
This continuing effort started on the first of March with our initial donation appeal to the Kilgraston community. Hundreds and hundreds of beautifully-labelled donations, together with dozens of bunk beds from one extremely generous parent, swiftly arrive. Removal firm ‘Clockwork’ donated a lorry, transport costs and staff to fill a huge vehicle, bound for an orphanage in Poland, now home to Ukrainian children.
Within School, pupils have shown their support for Ukraine, transforming Kilgraston’s central glass square into a sea of blue and yellow flowers.
The donation journey of all Kilgraston’s support for this appeal can be followed on the Tayside & Strathearn Ukraine Appeal Facebook page as the donations and volunteering work continues.
The depot in Errol (PH2 7TB) is open 10-6 every day, seven days per week. Volunteers are very welcome, please check on the Tayside &Strathearn Ukraine Appeal Facebook for information. Donations are still desperately needed and can also be dropped-off at LCM Vans Ltd, Arran Road, Perth, PH1 3DZ (next to the Kia and Volvo dealerships): please call 01738 629777 with any queries or at the depot in Errol. Please though, ONLY those items from the list on the TASHFU FaceBook page (copied on slider pictures below). Thank you so much.