The Skinny!

Whats been happening? Well I'm fighting on all fronts at the minute - developing CfE activities for next year and reversioning old materials to make them more suitable "new and improved flavour"

Also participating in an online course through Harvard University which the school asked me to complete called Teaching For Understanding - apparently a 35 hours course, but nearing that mark already after half of it!!

Been working hard in school working with Guidance, several committees and recently undertook the chair of the fundraising committee which should hopefully prove to be a rewarding and fun filled experience - on that note, any successful school fund ideas or suggestions please let me know!

That piled on top of the general hectic life of teaching in school has tied up most of my time - as well as balancing a near perfect golf game and a diet of playing football and watching football leaves me very little time to pursure my other interests in crisps and ginger.

I am bugging the Music Department for an old Keyboard as I have a life mission to be able to play Tiny Dancer by Elton John - ok not so much a life ambition, probably since starting my kazoo band with my good friend Andy at uni! ...

"2 Kazoos and a Dug" mostly a top gun cover band though ...

Wilkommen!

Well ... it's a tragedy, but after a quick 7 or so weeks of doing what you wanted, getting up when you wanted and generally doing zero ironing we are back!

Hitting the ground running! Meeting all our new pupils and getting to know our new classes!

I have to say, our young people look fantastic. Our new uniform, in particular the blazer looks fantastic and the boys and girls are wearing it well. I am actually jealous of the dazzle of the blazer and even more so of the tartan skirts! I think I will be starting a campaign to have an enforced staff uniform consisting of the same ... perhaps not the skirt, but definitely tartan trooosers!!!!!

Welcome back for another great year!

Another year gone!

Well folks, I have two days left until I embark on the voyage where no Computing teacher has gone before, a foreign trip as guest with the Geography Department ... awesome!

Where has the year gone! The Senior Hallowe'en disco, the Christmas Disco's, The Inspection, Crazy Snow, Easter, Exam and Study leave, the prom ... woosh!

Three years down! How many more to go!


Mr. McAlpine
2009 Prom S6 Teacher of the Year
(Trumps my grass bowls trophy from Bellshill Bowling Club!)

Announcing

Ok guys, not long until the S4 sit their big jangly nerve nail biting final exam and our third years sit their third year exam.

To allow you to study at home (and you punks who keep losing all my print outs)

I have uploaded some revision documents which can be found here

@ http://standardgradedocs.blogspot.com/

Some important Mathematics

Seniors and S4 students!

As if you didn't need any more influence to start studying here are some important numbers for you

40 (ish) school days left until the exam leave
33 (ish) school days until the Easter break

So you can really see that you need to start studying ASAP!

A long overdue update

It's been absolutely ages since I've updated the blog .. for one simple reason!

We have been really busy over the last few months for the schools HMIE inspection. It was last week and early indications are that the school did very well, the Faculty of ICT are certainly very happy with the feedback we received from the main inspector David Martin.

Can now manage to get back to a degree of normality in school without everyone talking about HMI constantly

Our senior students have now gone on study leave for their exam and I would like to wish them all the best in their prelims. Out departments is tomorrow and we are hopeful that everyone gets a great grade (or realises that they need to put in a lot more effort YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!)

So thats about it, managed to make it up to Glencoe snowboarding with my friends on Saturday, absolutely fantastic snow, shame about the conditions - but being an avid snowboarding fan I know not to expect too much from the home resorts!

Going up again on Saturday and if you are too see you there! (just make sure any homework is finished first!)