Celebrating 90 years of Kilgraston
To celebrate our 90th anniversary, we are holding a virtual picnic on Wednesday 24th June which will feature speeches from Mrs MacGinty and Tim Hall, our Chair of Governors who is stepping down after 20 years. All our welcome to join to celebrate the School’s rich and vibrant history from the comfort of their own homes. Don’t forget the sausage rolls!
Alongside our virtual picnic, we are also selling beautiful hand designed and crafted bone china mugs which are one of kind, specially made for the this event. These can be purchased by contacting [email protected] and are £20.00 each.
Online Assemblies
Please click the links below to watch.
Whole School Assembly - 18th June
Whole School Assembly - 17th June
Whole School Assembly - 15th June
Whole School Assembly - 11th June
Whole School Assembly - 8th June
Whole School Assembly - 28th May
Whole School Assembly - 25th May
Whole School Assembly - 20th May
Whole School Assembly - 18th May
Whole School Assembly - 14th May
Whole School Assembly - 11th May
Junior Assembly - 7th May including treehouse preview with Mrs MacGinty
Whole School Assembly - 27th April
Whole School Assembly - 23rd April
Whole School Assembly - 20th April
A New Normal for Kilgraston
Over recent weeks, the Senior Leadership Team has been planning the final arrangements for pupils returning to school in August, with their first priority being the health and welfare of all pupils, parents and staff.
It was clear from the outset, that this pandemic was going to cause a huge amount of change to everyday life, and school life has not been excluded from this.
Kilgraston is very fortunate to be be a large site with plenty of space and it is hoped that, because of this, the whole school will be able to return in August after some juggling of classrooms and sets. As there are a number of smaller classrooms within the school, larger spaces, such as common rooms, will be used for teaching and the Theatre will be used as an additional dining hall with defined entrances for specific year groups to allow for social distancing.
Should the requirement for quarantine for overseas remain, overseas boarders will be asked to join us for two weeks of morning lessons and afternoon activities prior to the start of term. To avoid further quarantine, we will also be remaining open over half term so boarders will not need to quarantine for a further two weeks when re-entering the country.
Unfortunately, it seems likely that there will be no inter-school sports matches or public or drama events, but please be assured that these departments are already working on alternative programmes and we are thankful that we have both indoor and outdoor space to accommodate new arrangements.
Guidelines and advice are ever changing at the moment as the pandemic progresses. Once firm plans are in place that are inline with the most current guidelines, they will be shared with the wider Kilgraston community so you are aware of how we plan to keep pupils and staff safe at school.
Please find the planned return to school dates below:
- If quarantine applies, overseas boarders should return on 8th August
- All other boarders should arrive on 22nd August
- Staff orientation and INSET on 21st August
- All pupils return 24th August
Zoom cupcakes, drama lessons and assessments
The girls have taken the ‘new normal’ for learning in their stride and are still as dedicated to their learning as they were when they were in our real classrooms!
The BFGs have been busy with their LFGs this week and have made some delicious looking cupcakes via zoom.
Lower 3 have been having a great time in their online drama lessons, we think that the toilet roll will definitely be the icon for 2020!
The girls have also been doing assessments via zoom this week and have to be commended on how well they have conducted themselves.
Kilgraston alumnae wins Sword for Sport award
Katie left Kilgraston in 2017 to study Biomedical Science at Abertay University. This year Katie was awarded the Abertay Sword for Sport award, virtually presented by BBC Radio and television presenter, John Beattie, alongside BBC weather presenter, Judith Ralston. You can watch the presentation video here.
After Katie’s season was cut short due to the coronavirus, this fantastic achievement has been much needed boost. We caught up with Katie to find out a little bit more.
How does it feel to have won the Sword for Sport award?
It feels amazing to have won this award because I really didn’t expect to win it as there are many talented athletes at Abertay. This award has given me more confidence as a player and has motivated me to want to push for a Scotland cap soon. The message I received from John Beattie was really inspirational and I was thankful to hear such kind words from him. Unfortunately Abertay had to cancel the sports ball which was where I would have received the trophy but I’m sure there will be another opportunity to have it presented to me.
What have been the highlights over the past (short!) season for you?
The season at Abertay has been the most successful season so far in the 3 years I have played. We won the league title, meaning we have been promoted and hopefully will do well if we get a chance to. Not only did we win, we were unbeaten the whole season which is great. We won the BUCS cup final vs Glasgow University 3s which was another highlight of the season. Thankfully we managed to play all the games for this season and had the chance to celebrate at the time.
How did Kilgraston support you in your sporting ventures?
Kilgraston has taught me how beneficial it is to play in a team sport. At school, I loved playing with all the girls and it allowed me to socialise and meet people that I might not have spoken to if I wasn’t on the team. I was captain of the 1sts at Kilgraston and this has taught me how to be a good leader. At university, socialising is a huge part and being on a hockey team has given me opportunities to spend time with lots of different people. I have made friends for life which I am very grateful for. Next season I have been selected as captain which I am very excited before because I love being a leader. Kilgraston has taught me that it is so important to include everyone and make sure girls are feeling apart of the team. When I first started playing at Abertay, all the girls were so welcoming and so that has made me very conscious of making sure girls enjoy playing for us.
What is next for you?
I am heading into my final year of biomedical science and I hope to get a good degree so I can study a masters. In my final year I hope I can lead the team well as a captain. My aim for the team is if we get a chance to play that we maintain our place in the league as the games will be a lot harder I presume. Outside of university hockey, I am hoping to gain my first outdoor cap for the Scotland senior team as that would be amazing and will be worth the hard work I have put in over the years.
Katie is just another example of our girls going on to achieve incredible things in life after Kilgraston. We are extremely proud of our alumnae, and want to take this opportunity to congratulate Katie on this fantastic achievement and wish her all the best for the future.
Desert Island Book Recommendations
Ages 15+
Heartless by Marissa Meyer (recommended by Clodagh)
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (recommended by Hannah)
Ages 13+
Just One Day by Gayle Forman (recommended by Issie)
Dare to Fall by Estelle Maskame (recommended by Issie)
Samphire Song by Jill Hucklesby (recommended by Clodagh)
Deeper Than Blue by Jill Hucklesby (recommended by Clodagh)
The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth (recommended by Clodagh)
Ages 10+
The White Giraffe series by Lauren St. John (recommended by Issie)
Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo (recommended by Issie)
Wonder by R.J. Palacio (recommended by Issie)
The One Dollar Horse by Lauren St (recommended by Clodagh)
Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (recommended by Clodagh)
The Wolf Princess by Catherine Constable (recommended by Hannah)
Ages 8+
Gobbolino, the Witch’s Cat by Ursula Moray Williams (recommended by Clodagh)
The Secret Island by Enid Blyton (recommended by Clodagh)
The Worst Witch series by Jill Murphy (recommended by Hannah)
Ages 5+
Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome (recommended by Issie)
The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Dann (recommended by Hannah)
Do you have a book that you would recommend to other readers? Let us know the book you’d take to your desert island by emailing [email protected]
BFGs lending a virtual hand
Just because the girls aren’t seeing each other face to face everyday, doesn’t mean they can’t be there for each other. Our BFGs (Big Friendly Girls) have begun regular zoom calls with some of the junior girls to make sure they still feel supported and are still able ask questions. They have been chatting about how their ‘virtual learning’ is going and what they are getting up to at home.
The girls are hoping to organise some ‘zoom baking’ over the coming days so the BFGs can help them create something delicious in the kitchen - we look forward to seeing the results!
Kilgraston and beyond: alumnae stories
This week’s alumnae story was sent in by former Kilgraston girl, Mary McKenchie, who left Kilgraston in 2011.
Mary works for a care home group in the training department and would usually be delivering induction training to new staff joining the company, arranging other training sessions and coordinating staff to allow them to gain their SVQ qualifications. However, since the Covid-19 pandemic she has been working from home and delivering PPE to all their care homes across Fife.
Whilst also developing a new induction workbook for any staff who may join us during this time, Mary has also been ensuring that all homes have suitable IT deceives so that the residents are able to contact their loved ones who are unable to come in to the hope as well as running Facebook groups to ensure people are able to see how things are going in the care homes.
Mary has also created a thank you gift basket for all 540 staff member currently working within the care homes to ensure they feel valued and appriciated.
We are really enjoying reading about all the incredible work that former Kilgraston girls are doing to support people during this pandemic. If you have a story to share, email us at [email protected]
Alex named player’s player of the year for netball
We spoke to Alex to find out more about her fantastic achievement.
How do you feel about winning players player of the year?
I am ecstatic about winning players player of the year for Perth ladies league! This was my third year in this league and it has been the best season for me so far.
What have been the highlights for you over the last year?
There have been many highlights for me this year. One of them includes being accepted into Edinburgh Accies U19 training programme with previous head Scotland coach, Mary Ann Cosgrove. This was an amazing experience with late night intense training sessions every Monday at the Oriam, Heriott Watt University. Another highlight includes the school senior team reaching Scottish cup finals. After the semi finals, all of us were so excited to play in the final. However, due to Covid-19, it was cancelled. Fingers crossed it can be rearranged!
How has Kilgraston supported you in your Netball success?
Kilgraston has been a major support system for my journey with netball on and off the court. If I had any free time, you would usually find me shooting in the sports hall, doing a session in the gym or talking about game plans with Mrs Ferry. The encouragement from the sports department has been incredible. They have encouraged me to go for every opportunity and be at the top of my game. Also, the support from students and teachers towards the senior netball team have been amazing. By having them watch and cheer us on in our home fixtures has really helped us boost our confidence this season.
Kilgraston’s Coronavirus Time Capsule
Designed by Company Three, the Coronavirus Time Capsule is a new project that we are sharing with groups of young people around the world. Week-by-week we are creating a cumulative video time capsule, recording teenage experience during the coronavirus pandemic. We’ll update it every Friday.