Science centre opening
We were delighted to welcome Professor Yellowlees, Chair of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Vice President and Head of the School of Science and Engineering at Edinburgh University, to formally open Kilgraston’s Science Centre. Professor Yellowlees gave presentations to pupils and staff in the afternoon, then braved the heavy rain showers to cut the ribbon and unveil a plaque in our Science Centre. In the evening, we were joined by alumni, parents and friends of the school, who enjoyed another presentation on ‘Science Today’ - covering the role of science in solving the past, present and future challenges facing our society.
The event marks the last of Miss Losty’s series of ‘Science Soirees’, as she retires from Kilgraston at the end of term. We were delighted that so many of Miss Losty’s ‘old girls’ were able to join us for the celebrations. Tim Hall, Chair of Kilgraston’s Board of Governors, led the tributes to Miss Losty, remarking that she was much loved by generations of Kilgraston girls, and that the school was lucky to have found such a wonderful teacher and housemistress.
Summer Ball
Saturday 14th June saw the inaugural Kilgraston Summer Ball, organised by parents of children in Kilgraston’s Prep School. The event brought together the whole Kilgraston community, and aimed to raise money for the school’s chosen charity, Mary’s Meals. The sports hall was unrecognisable, transformed into a marquee and decked with handmade tissue paper pom poms. Auction and raffle prizes were donated by local businesses including Gleneagles and McEwens, and the most popular auction item of the evening was a stay in remote hunting lodge Hartfield House, on the Applecross peninsular. In all, over £3,000 was raised for Mary’s Meals. Kilgraston’s pupils helped serve at the event, and also provided entertainment courtesy of the wonderful ‘Kilgraston Jazz’. Later, many of the girls joined the ceilidh (and certainly helped to teach guests some of the less familiar dances!)Biology Outreach
University of St Andrews staff visited Kilgraston on Friday June 6th to help an enthusiastic group of sixth form pupils begin to explore the mysteries of computational biology.
Dr Daniel Barker and Dr Heleen Plaisier of the University of St Andrews’ School of Biology brought 9 Raspberry Pi computers loaded with “4273pi”, a customised version of the Linux operating system developed for teaching and learning computational biology at the University of St Andrews.
Pupils were guided through practical examples to gain hands-on experience of research-grade computing applied to biological problems. One pupil remarked : “I liked the programming – making files and commands – because it was really interesting to see how computers actually work”.
In the afternoon, pupils learned about discovering where genes actually are, within genome sequences – using a case-study based on real research happening at the University of St Andrews.
The full blog post on the visit, written by the University of St Andrews, is available on their website.
Bumblebee study
Girls at Kilgraston have become ‘citizen scientists’ in a national bumblebee study.
The girls have created a ‘bee zone’ beside the prep playground, planted with lavender to attract bees. They record the time, weather conditions and other variables at the beginning of each observation, then carry out regular 10-15 minute observations of the number and species of bees seen. The girls have fast become experts in telling apart their ‘three banded white tail’ from their ‘orange white tail’!
Arabian Nights
Kilgraston was transported to ‘a whole new world’ last week, as the Prep School performed to capacity audiences who were transported to the streets of Agrabah, City of Enchantment.
Minty Gow and Jenny Whitaker starred in the roles of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, whilst Louise McQueen played a wonderful - and often hilarious - genie. Megan Dawson, Lucy Smith and Hannah Boyd made up the trio of ‘sort-of-baddies’, as Iago, Jafar and the Sultan, supported by the whole of the Prep School. The younger girls were utterly brilliant as the chorus - using their iPads to illuminate the wonders of Aladdin’s cave, whilst others played to perfection the roles of harem girls, townspeople and shopkeepers
Mr Andrew McGarva, Deputy Head of the Prep and Director of Music, said: “I was delighted with the performances the girls produced. Their commitment, energy and talent totally captivated the audience in every performance.”
After the Middle Eastern delights of Aladdin, the focus now turns to the Wild West and the Senior School production of Calamity Jane. The performances are on the evenings of Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 June with a Matinee added on the Tuesday.
Tickets are available from Kilgraston School Reception.
A Helping Hand
The latest issue of Independent School Parent magazine features an article by our Head of Pastoral and Boarding, Gail McFadden. In it, Mrs McFadden shares insight from years of helping families to find, and children to thrive at, senior school:
“When I meet a family for the first time, I shake the daughter’s hand first, before introducing myself to parents. It’s a small gesture, but one that sums up our attitude to education and pastoral care – that our students come first, and our priority is ensuring they’re welcome and happy.
It’s these sorts of clues – the little things, really – that can help to give you a real insight into whether a particular school is the sort of place that your child will be happy. Do the pupils say good morning as you tour the school? Are the bedrooms cosy and inviting? Does the Principal talk about your daughter, or to her? As much as anything, it’s the feeling you get as you take time to absorb the atmosphere of the school – is this somewhere your child will thrive, or as you drive away do you simply feel as though you’ve survived an interview process?
As you look around a school for the first time, you’re essentially experiencing a condensed insight into the ethos and values of the school. At Kilgraston, you’re being welcomed to the family, so you’ll be introduced to everyone (including the catering staff, librarian and playground assistants), asked to stay for lunch, and your child will be offered the opportunity to come and stay with us for a taster day (and overnight, if they’re considering boarding).
When you find the right school for you, the first few days - settling in - are always the most nerve wracking, and a school’s approach to welcoming a new pupil is key. Check how your child will be welcomed to the school, and what systems are in place to ensure they settle in happily. Buddy programmes such as our BFGs (Big Friendly Girls), are a reassuring indicator that the school places appropriate emphasis on enabling children to develop a range of supportive relationships, and helping them feel a part of the school community.
Kilgraston’s BFGs was established by our Head Girls, and is designed to give pupils the benefit of a ‘big sister’ figure in the upper sixth. Any girl can request support from a BFG by popping a pink slip into a postbox in the dining hall. Our younger girls (‘LFGs’ – no explanation needed for that acronym), can turn to their BFG on issues of any scale – from a quick chat or a question about a particularly tricky assignment, right up to formal academic mentoring, shared activities and group outings.
The LFGs in the younger boarding houses have benefitted enormously from the buddy scheme, and previously shy girls have noticeably come out of their shell and immersed themselves in all aspects of school life. It’s been particularly valuable to pupils who are new to the school, or those who need extra support to settle in to the routine and rhythms of life at Kilgraston. The scheme has also been a fantastic means of integrating year groups, and sixth formers are now a regular feature in the prep school and lower boarding houses, where they’re greeted with hugs and quickly surrounded.
Whilst our BFGs undergo specific training in safeguarding and welfare, and have access to ongoing support from the senior team, they’re not – of course - a substitute for the more formal pastoral system. Rather, they play a complementary role that aligns perfectly with the family-like ethos of Kilgraston. If a parent wonders how their daughter will fit within our bustling school community, or is anxious about the prospects of a shy or quiet child, our BFGs offer a welcoming hand, a trusted arm around the shoulder, and a quiet word of support”.
The importance of sport
In this extract from a full page feature in the Scotsman newspaper, our Director of Sport, Pauline Stott, explains why there is nothing like taking part in a sport you love to develop positive habits for the rest of a young person’s life.
The past two years have seen women’s sport reach greater levels of coverage and achievement than ever before.
In the wake of the London 2012 Olympics, where the women’s events brought passion, drama, and a rather impressive haul of medals for Team GB, those of us immersed in the sporting scene felt that the time for women’s sport had well and truly arrived.
I’m always taken aback when I come across the assumption that sport at an all-girls school will be a rather gentle, refined affair – somehow lacking in the excitement, passion or fierce spirit of competition you’d expect in a mixed or boys’ environment. In a self-enforcing cycle, girls who believe they are unlikely to excel at sport are less likely to get involved in the first place – perpetuating the notion that girls “aren’t really sporty”.
By contrast, in a girls-only environment, the very best sportspeople are – and can only be – female, so this creates a culture where female role models in sport are very much the norm, rather than the exception. Our girls quickly lose their self-consciousness, and are more likely to take risks, push themselves, and really throw themselves into their sport. Sports Leader Awards, where girls use their PE lessons to develop skills in coaching, encourage sporting excellence to be passed down through the year groups of the school, and creates a culture where girls who excel at sports like hockey and football are utterly commonplace.
There really is nothing like taking part in a sport you love to inspire young people to develop positive habits for the rest of their life. Those habits aren’t just about getting off the sofa and going for a run, but are also about ensuring girls are able to win (and lose) with grace and resilience, helping them to develop a spirit of adventure, an ability to push their boundaries, and a willingness to throw themselves into whatever opportunities come their way. These issues are so much bigger than school PE lessons, which is why it’s so vital that we encourage and inspire our girls to get involved in sport.
Something like 94 per cent of our girls participate in our annual cross-country run – some to compete and excel, others to dress up, paint their faces, and join in with the sense of community and excitement. Each year, as I watch close to 300 girls, aged from 3 to 18, turn out for the run in all weathers, often smiling through the rain and encouraging one another across the finish line, I really couldn’t be prouder.
Read the full article in the Scotsman online.
Dancing for Royalty
There was great excitement at Kilgraston this week, as our U2 and L3 girls performed a display of Scottish country dancing for the Earl and Countess of Strathearn (aka. William and Kate) during their visit to Forteviot fete.
And at the end of the visit, Kate chatted to the girls, with Iona Godfrey Faussett presenting a Kilgraston Teddy for George. Iona was then interviewed and appeared on television news later that day - the news highlights features a short clip of Iona, plus some lovely footage of our girls in full swing.
Deputy Head of the Prep School Andrew McGarva said: “It was a super occasion and lovely for the area and also for the girls. The girls’ dancing was absolutely flawless and I was incredibly proud of them all.”
The girls were well prepared for their royal performance, as every year the Prep school celebrates St Andrew’s day with a whole day of dance. The PE Department works with all pupils from the age of 5-13 teaching them a host of dances including the Eightsome Reel, Dashing White Sergeant and many more favourites, some of which the girls performed on Thursday.
Emily Belford met Prince William during the visit, who asked her about her role with the Sea Cadets, and her ambitions for the future. According to Emily, the Prince was ‘very nice, and very tall’.
Well done to our girls for performing so beautifully, and doing themselves and Kilgraston proud. Truly a day to remember!
Diamonds in the Arctic
Girls at Kilgraston have been inspired to become geologists after a talk by a Canadian academic who is currently hunting for diamonds in the Arctic!
Dr Sarah Woodland came to talk to the Upper Fourth at the invitation of Kilgraston Lab Technician Miss Blackler with whom she studied at CardiffUniversity.
Dr Woodland is a geochemist working in the Arctic Resources Laboratory at the University of Alberta in Canada.
In her wide-ranging talk, entitled “Searching for Diamonds in the Arctic”, Dr Woodland explained how the state-of-the-art instrumentation can date and trace a wide spectrum of Earth materials - from diamonds and gold to meteorites, volcanic rocks and ash-falls.
She said: “The techniques we have developed have led to extensive collaborations with pharmacologists interested in studying new generations of drugs that are very effective against certain types of cancer.”
Dr Woodland inspired the girls with her tales of the challenges and rewards of a career in geology – such as collecting meteorites in Oman and studying fossils in the Caribbean.
The girls were particularly fascinated by her stories about Otzi the Iceman, Europe’s oldest human mummy. Found in 1991 in the Alps, the well-preserved mummy has provided unprecedented insights into people who lived in Europe over five thousand years ago.
Dr Woodland explained how Otzi has been extensively examined, measured, DNA-tested, X-rayed and dated, even drilling his teeth to study the enamel which showed what foods he ate – showing geology working closely with archaeology to reveal vital data.
Principal Mrs Lund said: “I am sure Dr Woodland will have inspired some of our girls to consider a career in geochemistry.
“STEM – the study in schools of science, technology, engineering and maths – is at the heart of our curriculum here at Kilgraston. It brings hands-on, inquiry-based real life experiences to our girls in the classroom.
“Our girls are offered science subjects from an early age and we have found that specialising in this area in the early years gives them confidence and an excellent set of skills as they mature. It encourages them to go on to related degrees and pursue science and engineering careers, areas where woman are greatly under-represented.”
Food for thought…
We’re thrilled that Kilgraston’s catering team - Inspire - have been shortlisted for a top food award.
Inspire Catering under General Manager Dougie Macdonald was nominated for the Catering in Scotland Excellence Awards and has reached the final three in the Healthier Scotland category. They’ll find out later this month if they’ve won the top prize.
Owners Lorna McFarlane and David Pease are delighted to be shortlisted for the prestigious award. Lorna said “they’re the equivalent of the catering industry’s “Oscars” and we’re thrilled to be down to the last three.
“We are a young and growing company with bags of enthusiasm for what we do, and our philosophy is simple. We are passionate people serving great healthy food – brilliantly!
“Dougie and his team always go the extra mile, working tirelessly to ensure that our menus are balanced and cater for the many different nutritional needs of pupils, staff and visitors at the school.”
Lorna pointed out that all Inspire menus meet, and exceed, the Scottish Government Nutritional Guidelines for Schools.
“They’re eye-catching, tasty, nutritious, innovative and always offer healthy choices.”
She added that communication with Kilgraston staff is vital.
“Our team are fully aware of pupils’ allergies and food intolerances and will talk to parents, staff and school nurses to accommodate their needs within the menus. Every day Dougie sits down with his team to discuss the day’s menus including the ingredients and how the dishes should be served.”
Inspire buys locally, ensuring that at least 90% of its food is purchased from Scottish suppliers.
“We work to the nationally-recognised Seasonal Plate Calendar, sourcing Scottish produce when we can to ensure optimum taste and freshness.”
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Glasgow Hilton on May 29th.