School Trips and Events 22-23
Ven Amigo 2022: Exchange Programme
Over the last three years, our department has been taking part in an Erasmus exchange with schools in Spain, France, Poland, Slovenia and Czech Republic. In May 2022, we were lucky enough to welcome teachers and pupils from these schools, to Holyrood!
We spent the week taking part in lots of cultural activities, classes together and fun trips such as Edinburgh, Millport and Hollywood Bowl! We even had a “Job Centre”, where we carried out job interviews in English and Spanish in our school library with Pastoral Care staff, and the Careers Advisors. According to our pupils, this experience was fantastic and they have made friends for life. They are in regular contact with the exchange students and motivation for literacy in Spanish and French has increased.
In June 2024, S2-5 pupils studying Spanish will have the opportunity to go to Madrid! Our focus of the trip will be new technologies and languages within employability, as well as learning about cultural similarities and differences, and learning to respect those around us. More details to follow in the 2023/24 session.
The Music Department took S2 pupils and S6 Leadership pupils to a Celtic Connections concert in Glasgow Concert Hall in January 2023. In 2023, the festival celebrated it’s 30th edition. This year the Celtic Connections festival ran without restrictions since 2020, seeing over 300 events with more than 100,000 attendances at 25 venues across Glasgow.
The Advanced Higher Chemistry classes were involved in 6 weeks of after school labs at Glasgow University during August and September 2022. This was an opportunity for them to work with other schools and develop their practical skills.
The Social Subjects Department took some S1 and S2 pupils to the Scottish Parliament in April 2023. They attended First Ministers Questions, had a discussion on democracy and then a Q&A with some MSPs.
As the Summer holidays approach, here at Holyrood Secondary we run various end of year trips. The first of which are run for our S5/6 year groups just before their inductions take place. This year they are travelling down to Blackpool Pleasure Beach for a day of fun before they begin their S5/S6 year at Holyrood.
In our last week of term, S2, S3 and S4 reward trips took place. Pupils were lucky enough to get to go to Gravity Trampoline Park and take part in Laser Tag too! A great way to end the term and celebrate our young people!
In June 2023 we held our School Show – Little Shop of Horrors! Our cast were phenomenal, and all musicians, backstage helpers, front of house helpers and everyone involved did a fantastic job! Congratulations to all involved! Can’t wait for the next one!
No Plastic Fantastic!
In June 2022 40 pupils studying French were given fully funded places to visit Collège Leferronay, in Normandy, France as part of our International Turing Exchange Project. The aim of the project is for both schools to learn from each other and their local communities about reducing the use of single use plastics in our everyday lives.
We travelled by coach and ferry to try to reduce our carbon footprint. We made sure everyone had our reusable Holyrood water bottles to fill up en route and reduce plastic usage. On the day we arrived our partner pupils had organised a plastic free picnic at Mont Saint Michel. This really made us aware of how much unnecessary plastic we use on a day to day basis. Over the week stay pupils attended school taking part in workshops to learn together about the environmental impact of plastic and how to reduce their use. We visited a primary school and our Holyrooders shone as the told the story of “The tale of the Whale “ to the primary 1 and 2 pupils.
Pupils also interviewed local businesses in Cherbourg committed to reducing plastic use. They used French they had learned to ask questions and hear the views of businesses and local government. Pupils also interview the school chef who spoke passionately about seasonal eating and it’s environmental impact- why it’s healthier, cheaper, tastier, generally uses less pesticides, and hasn’t travelled so far. It’s a win-win situation!
At the end of the stay we took time out to visit Paris, relax on a bateau-mouche, eat icecream in the sunshine, spend a day at the Astérix and Obélix water park and enjoy time with our new friends reflecting on the week’s activities. Our senior pupils (who were group leaders on the trip) said that the younger pupils had become like their little brothers and sisters and over the past year it’s been lovely to see the reciprocal big smiles as they pass each other in the school corridor and they are all always keen to have another “Normandymeeting”.
Over the past couple of months pupils have been getting materials ready to share what they have learned with pupils at our feeder primary schools. They have even made a mini-theatre set of “The Tale of the Whale”. Lots of exciting things to come.
