SPRING

2023
1966

NEWSLETTER
 Spring
2023
Welcome to the spring newsletter
for 2023. This is the second DIARY DATES 01/06/2023
SQA exam diet finishes
newsletter of the session, 31/03/2023 05/06/2023
however I hope that parents and Non-uniform day New timetable commences
carers have been keeping up to 31/03/2023 05/06/2023
date with all our news through my School closes at 2:30 – Easter break Seniors return to school
updates. These are sent by text 17/04/2023 05/06/2023
to the main parent contact, put on School re-opens after Easter break S4/5/6 reports issued
the website and also uploaded
17/04/2023 05/06/2023
onto Twitter and the school Easter assemblies S4 work experience week
Facebook page.
20/04/2023 08/06/2023
Lapwing lodge Junior award ceremony
It gives me great pleasure to
share with parents and carers the 21/04/2023 12/06/2023
great work going on in the school, S6 graduation S1 reports issued
as showcased in this newsletter. 24/04/2023 14/06/2023
These good news stories and Study leave begins s4 – s6 P7 transition 3 day visit
photos of our young people 24/04/2023 15/06/2023
illustrate the breadth of learning SQA exam diet commences Wider achievement awards
and wide range of opportunities
01/05/2023 22/06/2023
we offer our pupils. May day school closed School show

In particular, this session we have 08/05/2023 26/06/2023

School closed – coronation holiday Activities day
very much enjoyed welcoming
parents and carers back into 15/05/2023 27/06/2023
the building and you will read Parent Council AGM Non uniform day
more about this. Please check 27/06/2023
out our section on diary dates to School closes for summer at 1:00 p.m.
08/05/2023
make sure you are up to date on S3 assessment week
important events taking place up
to Summer. 22/05/2023
Health week
Thank you for your ongoing 26/05 – 29/05/2023
support - it means a lot to myself School closed may weekend
and the entire staff team. 30/05/2023
School closed – inservice day

01/06/2023
School reopens
Curriculum
Consultation
As you may remember,
we undertook a curriculum
consultation as we recognised
that our current curriculum
model did not allow all young
people to maximise their
potential.
We asked the staff if they felt
the current curriculum model
allows all learners to get
enough depth in S3 to allow
Over two years, S3 and S4,
our young people will be able
to focus on the areas of study
they like best and find most
useful to their future career
plans. Departments will also
have the flexibility to incorporate
complementary awards and
qualifications to allow our young
people to diversify their personal
portfolio and enhance their skills
for learning, life and work.
Options Process 2023
Our options process includes
a “mock options” activity where
learners are given a “free
choice” of all the SCQF Courses
we have available at different
stages, so that the curricular
offer can be tailored to the
learners each year. Once this
process is completed, we use
the outcome to create that year’s
options columns, from which
learners can choose their final
options.
To support our learners during
their subject choices our SCQF
Ambassador team developed
an information video which
was used during the PSE
lessons for S2 to S5. It was
them to meet their potential in
their National Qualifications.
Overwhelmingly, staff felt the
current model did not support
this.
We asked pupils and parents
& carers about the number of
areas of study pupils undertake
in S3 and whether they felt
the current model – 9 areas of
study – or the proposed model
also used to support parental
understanding to ensure young
people have more informed
support and guidance at home
while choosing their learning
pathway. This was further
supported through the option
booklet that details a variety of
pathways to success: university,
college, modern apprenticeship
or employment. All of these
resources were shared with
learners and the wider school
community through the school
website and you can find them
here: https://www.johnstonehigh.
co.uk/parents/2023-2024-
options-process/
Where we are unable to offer
a course at Advanced Higher
level, our senior pupils in S6
have the opportunity to study at
another school in the authority
on consortium and we regularly
welcome pupils from other
Renfrewshire high schools to
Johnstone High on consortium.
Owen McCarrey, S6, described
his consortium experience:
“For sixth year I had to study
– 7 areas of study – would best
prepare pupils for National
Qualifications. The majority
of both pupils and parents &
carers felt that the proposed
model would be better.
Our proposed model, that will
be implemented for the 2023-
24 S3 cohort is:
two of my three subjects out
with Johnstone High School at
Gryffe High School and Glennifer
High School respectively. While
this isn’t the ideal scenario
for studying due to having to
adapt to new environments and
additional travel, it has presented
a lot of benefits for me. I have
had the opportunity to meet and
befriend a lot of new people at
both schools, something I am
grateful for. It has also allowed
me to access a wider range of
teachers that I have been able
to access for support when I
have required it. It would be a
lie If I said that the first couple
of days/weeks aren’t scary, but
I was able to quickly settle in as
students at both schools were
very welcoming. Mrs Wiggins
in the school office has also
been excellent in ensuring that
the taxis taking me to each
school have generally been on
time for departure and return.
Consortium is an option I would
highly recommend if the subject
you are eager to study is not
being offered at Johnstone High
School.”
SCHOOL
UNIFORM
Free school meals (FME) return to the council
& clothing grant (CG)
If you received free school
meals/clothing grant last
session you should
receive a letter to your home
address. If there are no
changes to your
circumstances, complete and
APPROVED UNIFORM
Navy school blazer (Braiding
on S6 blazers)
White shirt
School tie
Black trousers
Black skirt
Black cardigan/ V neck jumper
Black shoes
If you have had a change of
circumstances, or are applying
for the first time, please
complete an application form.
These are located on the
council website, or paper
copies will be available from
PE KIT
Royal blue Johnstone High
t-shirt
(see picture) or a plain royal
blue t-shirt
Dark shorts, dark tracksuit
bottoms or dark sports leggings
Trainers (different footwear to
school shoes)
mid-June from schools.
The level of clothing grant is
£150 per eligible pupil
If you have not received your
clothing grant after three
weeks, phone the council.
For outdoor PE, in adverse
weather, pupils should bring
appropriate warm clothes
e.g. a hoodie, jacket,
waterproofs
 EMPLOYABILITY
& DYW
Employability and DYW Update We are now a Tier 2 partner
Spring 2023
At Johnstone High we are
always focused on achieving
positive destinations for all
learners.
This session teachers have
embedded Career Education
into their teaching practice,
and we held the first “Careers
Week” at Johnstone High.
Pupils had the opportunity
to learn about careers within
each subject area and we were organisation. Local business
delighted to welcome some
high-profile guest speakers
into school, such Master Chef
winner Gary Mclean.
This year, three Senior Pupils
took part in the flagship: “My
Future Pathway Programme”.
Each week, these pupils, who
wished to pursue a pathway
into Construction, have had the employment. This event will
opportunity to receive support
with CV’s, interview techniques, website and Twitter feed, plus
networking with employers,
work experience and are
currently working towards
achieving their CSCS Cards.
For more information please
visit: http://sites.google.com/
re.glow/myfuturepathwayren/
home
school with BAE Systems. This
means that our pupils receive
enhanced support with MA
applications and our S3 pupils
were invited to events such as
STEM Futures at the Glasgow
Science Centre in January.
In January we were delighted
to welcome the BBC into
school as part of their “Share
your story” Careers Tour.
The aim was to highlight the
career opportunities within the
leaders spoke about their
career pathways within the
Arts.
We are celebrating National
Apprenticeship Week (6th-10th
March) in class by discussing
the opportunities available
using Modern or Graduate
Apprenticeships as a route to
be promoted on the school
on Teams and weekly bulletins.
UPDATE
Feedback from senior pupils
has shown that the Microsoft
Team: My Future: Employability
has been a positive addition
to the senior phase. This is a
way to promote all aspects of
employability such as: part time
jobs, Modern and Graduate
Apprenticeships, University and
College information and work
experience opportunities. All
S4-6 pupils are still encouraged
to join the team.
The “My World of Work
Ambassador” programme
has been reintroduced, with
four senior pupils working to
promote career education
across all year groups. They
attend parents evening,
Options nights and S1
transition events.
If anyone has any employment
related questions or needs any
help, please see Mrs Carlin
in Home Economics Room 2,
Miss Wilkie in Pastoral Care or
Charlene Young (SDS Careers
Advisor).
 ART
DEPARTMENT
Mr Sheppard
Principal Teacher
Our Paisley Lion which was
decorated by Mrs McHendry and
her pupils in 2016 as part of the
Paisley Commonwealth Games
bid has been donated by the
school to the permanent collection
at Paisley Museum. The lion
will form part of the display that
tells the story of Paisley Pattern
and its importance to this part
of Scotland and its influence on
the development of textile design
world-wide.
Below is a response from Ruth
Aitken from the museum who
personally took possession of the
lion in January.
Dear teachers and pupils of
Johnstone High School,
Thank you so much for donating
your lion to Paisley Museum. It will come and see it, photograph it
now go through various stages
before it can be displayed. Here
is a picture I took last week when shown along with many other
UPDATE
I unwrapped the lion to measure
it. It is now wrapped up until we
decide if it will be frozen or not.
All objects that come into the
museum have to be examined
and will be frozen depending on
what they are made of to kill off
any organisms or insects. This
is very important as we have
to do our best not to introduce
anything into the storerooms that
could damage the objects. Can
you imagine if a moth got into the
textile store! Or a paper mite in
the paper archive! We also have
a duty of care for every object that
enters the storerooms so we also
need to make sure that it is stable
and then keep it in the correct
environment.
Museums have to keep
information on every object they
care for in a database. This
includes the measurements,
colours, when it was made, who
owned it and what it’s made of
– and any other information that
would interest people now or in
the future and help us to care
for it. It is important for future
conservation that we know what
it is made of. Remember that now
your lion could be looked at by
people in one hundred years when
we’re all gone!
Your lovely lion will now be
checked over, given a unique
number, and then given its own
exact location in our stores which
will be its home when it’s not on
display. Then the designers will
and measure it. They will design
the display case where it will be
objects with Paisley pattern on
them. Once they know how they
want it to look and where in the
case they’d like it to be, the mount
makers will come and measure
and photograph and weigh your
lion. Then they will design and
make a mount for the lion so that
it can sit safely in the display case
exactly as they designers want it
to. At the same time the curators
will be deciding what information
we have for all of the objects in
the case and writing text for the
labels and information panel. This
will be worked on by a team until
everyone is happy. Then this will
go to the printers. By the end of
the year all of this will be done and
ready to install in the refurbished
museum. This is the same
process for all of the hundreds of
objects that will be on display!
The museum should be opening
early in 2024 – we are still waiting
for dates as there have been
some building issues due to Covid
and Brexit. But in just over 1
year from now you will be able to
come and see your lovely lion on
display. In the meantime I promise
we’ll take good care of him. Thank
you very much for your donation.
It will bring a lot of joy to museum
visitors for years to come.
Ruth Aitken
Paisley Museum Creative
Learning Worker
 ART
DEPARTMENT
Mr Sheppard
Principal Teacher UPDATE
The range of courses here is Christie family.
an illustration of the skills which
She is pictured below holding the
our pupils regularly leave the
award, accompanied by the CEO
Art department with and is a
of Blazing Griffin.
testament to their hard work and
commitment to the subject. Mr A Sheppard
This list will be added to as more PT Art and Design
places will be secured throughout
News from the Art department the rest of the term.
Our current Advanced Higher Many of our pupils go on to work
and Higher Art students have within their chosen field but some
been applying to further and also find their paths lead them
higher education courses across elsewhere within the Creative
the country. Below is a list of Industries. There is currently a
the courses that our pupils have Powerpoint presentation on the
received unconditional offers for school website that highlights the
so far. destinations of some of our former
pupils.
HNC Photography    City of We are immensely proud of our
Glasgow pupils’ achievements and we wish
them all the very best for their
HNC Fashion Makeup West futures.
College
HNC Art and Design Ayr College
Congratulations to former
HND Fashion Technology Clyde
Johnstone High pupil Fiona
College Burton (JHS 2008-2016) who as
HND Illustration Clyde College the chief character designer at
Blazing Griffin games designers
Dip Architecture  Glasgow School in Glasgow, won a Scottish
of Art BAFTA for best game at the
Dip Architecture Dundee College ceremony in November last year.
of Art Fiona completed her Advanced
Higher Art folio at JHS before
Dip Architecture Strathclyde moving onto Dundee College
University of Art where she achieved an
Dip Architecture Robert Gordon’s Honours Degree in Animation.
University Fiona has been working in the
Games Development field since
BA (Hons) Film Production graduating.
Caledonian University
‘Hercule Poirot, the First Cases’ is
BDES Design for Textiles Heriot- the only console game based on
Watt University Agatha Christie’s famous detective
character to be endorsed by the
 ATTAINMENT
Ms Davidson
Depute Head
We are delighted with the
progress we continue to make
in terms of raising attainment
in the school. Recent data
reports that we are continuing
to perform above our virtual
comparator schools in terms
of tariff points, attainment vs
deprivation and in literacy and
numeracy measures. As a
staff we are proud of what we,
and our young people have
BGE
HOMEWORK CLUB
Homework Club provides
a warm and nurturing
atmosphere for pupils after
school, with staff members
from a variety of subjects to
provide support for pupils
completing their homework.
Snacks, juice and ICT are also
provided along with good fun
quizzes! So far, we have had
pupils carrying out and being
supported with lots of activities,
from written work to playing
UPDATE
achieved and are pleased to which identifies areas of
see that recent interventions strength for individual learners.
such as learner conversations, Staff will use this data to plan
alternative pathways and our relevant and accessible tasks
ethos of “no child left behind” which ensure we meet the
have clearly had an impact. needs of all pupils. S3 and
Raising attainment results in S2 have already completed
better life choices for our young these. S1 will undertake these
people and so it is important assessments in the near future.
that we continue to develop the
good practice we have in place
already.
To further enhance the planning
of learning and teaching in the
school, we have introduced
CAT4 testing in the BGE year
groups. These aptitude tests
assess a pupil’s reasoning
skills and provide a report
guitar! homework.
“Homework club is fun because Homework club runs every
we get to be with our friends Tuesday after school from
after school.” 3:45-4:45pm. Please
“I like homework club because I encourage your children to
can get help from my teachers.” come along!
“I like getting to do extra Miss Cola and Miss Semple
Blookits!” Project Leaders of BGE
Literacy and BGE Numeracy.
We look forward to another
term of good fun and exemplary
pupil effort in completing their
 ATTAINMENT
SENIOR SCHOOL
SUPPORTED STUDY
Ms Davidson
Depute Head

RABS will run until the start of exams. The timetable for these
study leave and pupils should will be published shortly.
continue to check Teams and
the school website for the most
up-to-date timetable. Study Leave
S4-6 pupils with one or more
exams are entitled to study
Easter School leave. This begins on Monday
Block two of our Raising
Attainment Booster Sessions Easter School will run from the 24th April. During this time,
are well underway and so far, the 3rd to the 6th of April. pupils are welcome to come
have been well attended by our Pupils are offered the chance into school to attend master
senior pupils. to attend scheduled sessions classes or attend appointments
during the first week of the with teachers. Pupils who
Each year, in preparation for Easter holiday. Sessions will need a quiet place to study
the SQA exams, pupils are be 90 minutes long and will are invited to make use of the
invited to attend targeted begin at 9.30am, 11.30am designated study area in the
supported study sessions. and 1.30pm. A timetable will school. For health and safety
Staff deliver these in-person be posted on the usual social reasons, pupils visiting the
at the end of the school day or media platforms. school building during study
online in the evening. Pupils leave must sign in and must
are encouraged to sign up in wear full school uniform.
advance and staff plan revision Master Classes
tasks accordingly.
In the days before an SQA
“I find RABS give you a deeper exam, we aim to provide a
understanding of the course half day subject master class
as the content can be more for final exam preparation.
focussed to the things I need to During these sessions, staff
know.” offer last minute revision advice
S5 Pupil and hints and tips on exam
technique.
“It’s good to know in advance
what will be covered in each These take place in school the
session. That lets us plan our day before or on the morning of
studying.” an exam and will be timetabled
to avoid clashes with other
S6 Pupil
 CUSTOMER
SERVICES
NPA
We are very grateful to Asda
Clydebank for helping us to run
“I feel like I
such an amazing programme
of activities for the pupils during
have learned
our visit. Those who attended
really enjoyed themselves and
skills I can use
gave the following feedback: after school”
This year the Computing and
Business Department are “It was great to get out of the
delivering an NPA in Customer classroom and experience the
Service at Level 5 and 6. This real world”
is a new qualification and offers
the pupils an opportunity to “I really liked helping the
develop important skills for customers”
learning life and work. To give “The colleagues were really
our pupils the opportunity helpful”
to apply their learning we
arranged a training day
in partnership with Asda
Clydebank.
On March 2nd pupils were able
to visit the store and work with
the customer service manager
and his team. They completed
an induction, took part in
some on-the-job training, and
assisted customers as part of
their practical assessment for
the NPA. The staff were very
impressed by the young people
who attended and praised
their excellent knowledge of
customer service. Pupils were
able to ask questions of staff
and were even asked to handle
real customer complaints.
All of this is excellent work
experience for the pupils and
will improve their employability
skills.
 AUTHOR
VISITS
The author of Looking for Emily,
Fiona Longmuir, visited as part
of the Paisley Book Festival. 30
pupils from different classes
attended for a 1-hour talk, during
which the author read some of her
own book.
Fiona read the book as a choose
your own adventure story and had
the S1’s attending take a vote for
every twist in the story. The book
is a story of mystery in which the
main character Lily, stumbles
upon the Museum of Emily. The
Museum is full of the belongings
of a girl named Emily who years
ago vanished without a trace.
(Written by a pupil who attended
the event)

Graeme Armstrong gave a highly thought-provoking talk to a group

of 30 S4-S6’s. Graeme is a Times bestselling author from Airdrie.
His teenage years were spent within Scotland’s ‘young team’ gang
culture. After reading English as an undergraduate at the University of
Stirling, he completed a Master’s in Creative Writing. He is currently
undertaking a PhD at the University of Strathclyde.
His debut novel, The Young Team, is based upon his experiences.
Each pupil left with a signed copy of the book supplied by the Paisley
Book Festival.
Pupil Feedback from the event - “The assembly made me think a lot
about life, for example don’t take drugs you’ll be addicted afterwards.
Don’t start fights to be cool. You don’t have to be in a Young Team and
you need to choose the right person that will always have your back.
The talk made me think a lot, don’t throw your life away”

Logan Armstrong
Graeme Armstrong came to our
school early last week to tell
us about his background and
educate us about some of the
dangers of having the same
lifestyle as he did growing up.
He told us about the horrors of
his childhood growing up but
there were also some good
moments. For example, he
moved school, and eventually
JANET COATS
MEMORIAL PRIZE
Erin McAleer
Last November I submitted
a poem for the Janet Coats
Memorial Prize 2023, a poetry
competition dedicated to Janet
Coats and the Coats family
who put a lot of money into the
arts in paisley in the 1800s. I
had entered to see what would
happen and presumed that I
GRAEME
ARMSTRONG
VISIT
got a higher in English and then This really benefited everyone
got accepted to the university who was in the room, and
of Stirling where he then went we would gladly listen to him
onto study English again and again.
is now studying to get a PHD.
We were all very moved by his
story, and all got handed out
free signed copies of his book
which was the Times best seller
and even after that he stayed
behind to talk to some of us.
wouldn’t hear back, and nothing be shortlisted and I am so glad
would come out of it. Therefore, I entered in the first place.
I was completely shocked to
find out, months later, I had
been shortlisted and would be
attending the awards ceremony
on Friday 17th February. At the
ceremony I read my poem to
those attending including my
parents and younger siblings,
which was nerve wracking. I
didn’t win but nevertheless it
was an amazing experience
and I got to speak to well-
known poets and authors and
also build my confidence public
speaking. I never expected to
VOLUNTEERING
In this term there has been
an impressive amount of
volunteering taking place both
across the school and in the
wider community. Pupils of all
ages have been supporting in
classes and at school events.
We have been so impressed
with how ready our young
people are to take on additional
responsibilities and show their
commitment to supporting
others.
Over 70 of our S6 pupils
are working to obtain a
Saltire Award this year. The
Saltire Awards is a nationally
recognised certificate and the
Scottish Government’s way of
celebrating, recognising, and
rewarding the commitment,
contribution, and achievements
of young volunteers in
Scotland.
The amount of hours that they
log depends on the level of
certificate that they can claim.
Currently this year’s group of
students have logged over two
thousand hours between them
which is outstanding.
They are keen to use their
talents and get involved in
UPDATE
as many aspects of school
life as possible. Here you
can see some S6 providing
entertainment for the
intergenerational coffee
morning which took place in
December.
The pupils are learning to
develop many essential skills
that will benefit them in terms
of learning, life and work.
Through volunteering they
have been able to improve their
confidence and communication
skills. Some pupils are even
giving up their free time to
support S1 – S3 pupils in their
learning.
Owen
McCarrey one of our S6’s
is currently supporting S1
classes within the Computing
and Business Education
Department and had this to say
about his experience:
“I am really enjoying being
able to share my subject
knowledge with the new S1
pupils. They are so enthusiastic
about learning, and I am really
enjoying getting to know them.
The pupils from classes I am
working with now stop and talk
to me in the corridors. It is nice
to feel like I am being helpful
and that the pupils like working
with me. I feel a responsibility
to be a role model”
Levi Cameron also supports
pupils in S3 Maths classes and
says:
“This is a great learning
experience for me. I enjoy
spending time in classes as the
pupils are full of energy. I feel
that I can offer them a great
deal of support when they have
questions about the course.
Also, pupils will often ask me
quietly for help when they don’t
feel confident enough to put
their hands up. This makes
me feel like I am really making
a difference to the learning of
other pupils and makes me feel
good about giving up my time”.
 WATERSTONE’S
By the club members VISIT
hours of searching, finding On Thursday the 2nd of March,
and narrowing down we got Johnstone High celebrated
the books that we wanted and World Book Day 2023. In the
headed for lunch. All in all it morning, we got our local
was a fun day and we found P7s involved in a Super
lots of good books that we Spectacular Book Bonanza
loved from a range of genres Quiz, hosted over Teams with
In February the Library Helpers and authors. Miss Weir. They were joined by
wen to the big Waterstones on Paddington Bear and friends
Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. and were very excited to tell us
They were given a £600 budget that Paddington always keeps
to buy loads of new books for a marmalade sandwich under
the school library. After a few his hat! To get the whole school
involved in the World Book Day
spirit, the English Department
made worksheets filled with
fittingly bookish puzzles.
Everyone in the department
was excited to celebrate the
day with their pupils and
especially excited about the
annual book day tokens making
their way around!

UMBRELLA
By the club members CLUB
Umbrella Club (written by
pupils in Umbrella Club)
The Umbrella Club is for
LGBTQIA+ people and allies.
We take part in various
fundraisers to promote the
LGBTQ+ students of the
school. We are a safe and
inclusive space for anyone
who supports our cause. people who can’t express who
Last year for Pride Month, we they are.
sold ribbons for The Getting
Better Charity. This charity
supports all aspects of the
LGBTQ+ spectrum and helps
young people discover their
identity. This year for Purple
Friday which is on the 24th
of February, we are selling
ribbons and bracelets. All
profits are being donated to
our cause and achieve a gold
LGBTQIA+ charter. During
Umbrella Club we all enjoy
socialising with friends and
supporting all other LGBTQIA+
PE DEPT
UPDATE
Mr Merriman
PT PE
Senior Football Team game and we scored three Mirren Cup ¼ final): Johnstone
Thursday 19th January quick goals to kill the game. A5 v 1 Gryffe
(Scottish Cup last 32): great squad performance! Scorers: Jay M (2), Benjamin
St. Ninians (Giffnock) 7-1 W, Emmanual O, Rhys B.
Johnstone Thursday 16th February A brilliant team performance
Scorer: Godspower O (League): Paisley Grammar 2-1 from start to finish with five
Our first defeat of the season Johnstone excellent goals scored! Special
came in a very tough game Scorer: Benjamin W mention to Emmanuel O who
against one of the best teams scored a peach with his first
Our first defeat in the league shot of the season! Also to
in the country. St. Ninians
started like a train and were
5-0 at HT having had only 5
shots on goal! We played much
better in the second half but it
was just a bad day at the office.

Thursday 26th January (St.

Mirren Cup): Dunoon 0-2
Johnstone (See picture)
Scorers: Benjamin W and
Eric A
A great wee day out across the
water for the team! The boys
controlled the game from start
to finish and should probably
have won more comfortably.
That’s us into the ¼ final
against Gryffe.

Thursday 2nd February Rhys B who scored his first

(League): Johnstone 4-1 Gryffe
Scorers: Brandon F (2), Jay M
and Godspower O
Back to league business and
the boys produced their best
performance of the season
against a very good Gryffe
team. It was 1-1 until the last
20 minutes when the four
substitutes that came on
changed the course of the
in a very disappointing
performance. We were a bit
short on numbers but the
boys tried their best. Paisley
Grammar scored two quick
goals in the first half and we
dominated for large spells after
that. Benji scored a peach of
a free kick late on but we just
didn’t have enough time left to
get an equaliser.
Thursday 2nd March (St.
goal of the season and it was
goal of the day – an absolute
belter!
Upcoming fixtures:
Tuesday 7th March: Johnstone
v Gleniffer (League)
Tuesday 14th March:
Johnstone v Linwood (League)
Both these games will be
played at the hub with a
4.30pm kick off.
The semi final of the St. Mirren
Cup is TBC but will take place
before the Easter holidays
against the winner of Gleniffer
and Linwood.
U15 Football Team
The under fifteen football
team are having a successful
season thus far. We are
currently sitting second in the
league which would secure
us a place in the play-offs and
a chance at the league play-
off final. We have also had a
successful campaign in the
St Mirren Cup (league cup)
where we are looking forward
to our semi-final, after a brilliant scorers were Sam M. (3), Kier
come back from three goals
down in the quarter final. The
Under fifteen’s have once
again upheld the standards of
Johnstone High School in both incredible game of two halves,
home and away games, their
determination and resilience
are a credit to themselves
and something they should
be proud of. We look forward
to progressing further in both
campaigns and hope to have a
successful end to the season.
U13 Football Team
Our Under 13’s football team is of the league with only one
going from strength to strength. more game to play. The final
On Friday, 3 February, they
played St Stephen’s High in the
League and came away with a
4-4 draw. Not bad, considering
they were 3-2 down, then down
4-3, before Kier S. scored the
equaliser with the last kick of
the game. This maintained the
team’s undefeated record. The
scorers were Kier S. (2), Sam
M. and Johnny S.
On Thursday, 8 February, they
played Gleniffer High. Both
teams had been fighting it out
at the top of the league and it
was believed the match could
go either way. But our team dug
deep and ran out comfortable
6-0 winners, a performance
that moved them to 2nd place
in the league standings. The
S. (2) and Ashton M.
Next up was a match against
Trinity High on Thursday,
16 February. This was an
and prior to kick-off both teams
were level on points. However,
a disastrous start saw us go
2-0 down after five minutes
and 3-0 down by half-time. The
team feared their undefeated
record was coming to an end!
But in a valiant second half
fight-back, they clawed their
way to 3-3, before Sam M.
gave us another late winner,
which sent the team to the top
score Johnstone 4-3 Trinity,
and the scorers were Sam M.
(2), Johnny S. and Jake R.
The upcoming fixture will
be against Renfrew High on
Friday, 17 March, and will
be played at the Hub with
a 3.30pm kick off. Whoever
wins finishes top of the league
section. It’s a winner-takes-all
clash!
Girls Football
A very successful start to
the year for Girls Football.
The junior girls’ team are
comfortably sitting at the top
of their league table after
their last tournament success.
Karis Rankin is top goal scorer
from the previous tournament
scoring 17 goals. Both the
juniors and the senior team
have qualified for a regional
final next week, this is a huge
achievement as the girls
have beaten some very tough
competitors in the West of
Scotland.
Athletics
Johnstone High are having
a very successful athletics
campaign this year, starting
with the Renfrewshire Road
Race where we were amongst
the most successful schools
in the district. Our S1 girls
showed great determination to
take home the team Gold with
two individual pupils receiving
both Gold and Bronze medals.
Our S1 boys also showed
great spirit to bring the team
Gold back to Johnstone High.
Both of our S2 teams narrowly
missed out on the team medals
but managed to bring home
one individual Silver in a highly
competitive race. Our third-
year girls brought home the
Gold once more in the team
event with one of our pupils
bringing back a Bronze medal
in the individual race. Our S3
boys continued the success by
delivering an individual Bronze
but unfortunately just missed
out on the team event.
Senior Volleyball Team complex dribbling skills. It was towards the S5 box when he
On 19 January, Johnstone High a fantastic event which had lots then got fouled just outside by
hosted the Senior Volleyball of great basketball on show! Jamie Y creating an important
Tournament. chance for the S6’s to
capitalise. Benjamin W stepped
Eight schools were entered S5 v S6 Charity Football Match up for the free kick that after an
from across the authority and (by Emmanuel O S6) amazing effort ended up hitting
our two young ambassadors, On Friday the 10th of February the post. Five minutes after
Matthew New and Isla Skelton, the S5’s and S6’s participated that , S5 Ben M made a thrilling
delivered very polished in a charity football match to run through the S6 box after
speeches of welcome prior to support mental health. During which he got tackled from the
the tournament starting. this event a total of £150 was back by Harley McRae giving
Johnstone High had a slow raised for SAMH (Scottish a penalty to the S5’s. Adem W
start to the competition and Association For Mental Health). stepped up to take the penalty
lost their two opening matches. SAMH was formed in 1923 to for the S5’s. He approached
However, the boys rallied, support a wide network of local the ball with composure and
winning four of their five mental health associations. As then placed the ball into the
remaining games and drawing of today the charity has over bottom right corner to open the
one. There was some intense 60 communities they work with scoring. A couple of minutes
competition, but all games were including adults and young after that the S6’s still hadn’t
played in a fun and sporting people providing mental health fully recovered from the shock
manner. support in primary schools all and it was shown when Lennon
Mr McGinty runs an extra- the way up to further education. C took a corner kick to aim for
The pupils organised stalls the head of a unmarked Aaron
curricular volleyball club after H that with a bullet header
school every Monday – new during lunch to sell tickets for
other pupils to attend, a total dinked the keeper making the
members from all age groups
would be most welcome. of 150 tickets were sold for £1 score 2-0 for the S5’s. We
each. The game got played on saw an immediate reaction
the last two periods of Friday from the S6’s with a couple
Renfrewshire Basketball with two halves with the length of shots from outside the box
of 30 minutes each. The S6 from Benjamin W but the efforts
Development Event just were not enough to beat
team that was managed by
A number of our S1 pupils Mr Duncan was Emmanuel O Ryan H. Another shot from the
attended February’s (captain), Kerr M, Harley M, S6’s was saved once again
Renfrewshire basketball Alex B, Kyle F, Eric A, Aidan and went out for a corner. The
development event hosted H, Matthew N, Benjamin W, corner was sent in by Eric A
at St Benedict’s School. The Alexander T, Ryley D, Isla S, and after a couple of rebounds
event was a great success Jayden O, Fionn L and Rory and the ball bounced to the feet
with many of the schools M. The S5 side, managed of Kyle F who managed to find
from the surrounding area in by Mr Forsyth, was Andrew the back of the net to make it
attendance. The event was J (captain), Adem W, Aaron 2-1.Unfortunately for the S6’s
aimed at developing young H, Ben M, Jamie Y, Shayne and their supporters that wasn’t
talented basketball players O, Rhys B, Lennon C, Lewis enough as the game ended
offering them opportunities to F, George G, Ryan H, Jay M, 2-1 for the S5’s who ended up
play small-sided games as well Bobby W, Ryan N and Dillon celebrating a well deserved
as drills and skills with a focus C. The match started at quite win. Big compliments to the S5
on game time and developing a slow pace with not much and S6 pupils for organising
their handling and dribbling shown from both sides in the this amazing event that had a
skills. The event was split into first half with the highlight being great crowd attending and all
two sections with one being a missed opportunity from for a good cause.
the games focus, and the other the S6 team when a high ball
being a coaching clinic run was swung into the back post
by ONE REN’s Chris Cleary where it was cleared by Adem
which was a highlight of the W. However the clearance
event as reported by the young only went as far as Eric A who,
people in attendance! Chris lingering outside the area,
focussed on dribbling skills struck the ball at the S5 goal
and techniques that were then but it was tipped over the bar
taken into the games. Chris with the left arm by the keeper
started with the foundational George G. The second half on
movements of dribbling the the other hand was filled with
basketball, working with the more action from both sides.
young people to develop all Five minutes into the second
the way up to some extremely half S6 player Ryley D pushed
S3
WORK
EXPERIENCE
Ms Docherty
Pastoral Team

your child should contact the

employer listed to ensure that
they have availability during
5th-9th June 2023 prior to
requesting.
If undertaking a ‘self-found’
placement, then it is important
that the following link is
provided to the employer
which will allow for the relevant
health and safety checks to be
Our S3 pupils have the exciting completed.
opportunity to undertake a Tinyurl.com/
week’s work experience during renfrewshireworkplacement
5th-9th June 2023. Pupils will
have the chance to explore If your child is finding it difficult
a job or career where they to source a work experience
can enhance a variety of placement, then please
employability skills, and where ask them to contact their
valuable experience is gained Pastoral Support Teacher
to discuss within interviews and who will be able to provide
application forms. support. If your child does
not wish to participate in the
All S3 pupils have been given work experience week, then
a letter containing their log on they will be asked to attend
details for the WorkIt website school as normal and further
(www.workit.info.), where a opportunities may be offered
range of existing opportunities during S4-6.
can be found. If your child does
not have log-on details, please
ask them to come and see
Miss Docherty in the Pastoral
Base where a new form can be
received.
Pupils have the choice to find a
work experience placement on
the WorkIt website, or to source
one themselves. If choosing a
placement via the website, then

SCHOOL
AMBASSADOR
The SCQF (Scottish Credit and
Qualifications Framework) School
Ambassador programme offers
schools the opportunity to learn
more about the benefits of the
SCQF and the wider ways in
which it supports learners.
Such as recognising wider
achievement, developing Senior
Phase learning pathways in line
with the Developing the Young
Workforce strategy and giving
equality between vocational and
academic qualifications.
Our Journey
We have recently recruited SCQF
Ambassadors at Johnstone High
School who are undergoing a
training programme and working
on developing SCQF awareness
with their peers through the
curriculum. These pupils will
also present at Information/
Options evenings, have stalls at
parent/carer evenings and raise
awareness of SCQF across the
whole school community.
The school has this year
embarked on its SCQF journey to
reach Silver. With the great help
of our S6 SCQF Ambassadors
we have been able to contribute
to the Senior Information Night
and P7 Parents’ Night. We look
forward to more opportunities to
engage with parents throughout
SCQF
the year and are excited for our Our website contains access to
S6 SCQF Ambassadors to start presentations and information
their SCQF training journey. related to our SCQF journey and
We hope that by the end of this how we embed the principles of
school year you will all be able this within our school. As well as
to visibly see the impact of our links to further information such as
SCQF Ambassadors work and the SCQF and SQA resources.
our school’s ambition to reach our
silver award. We would invite you to visit the
SCQF section of our website to
Changes to Curriculum find out more.
As part of our SCQF journey
we identified that the Senior
Phase subject options were very Next Steps
traditional and mostly featured Our SCQF ambassador are
National and Higher courses working hard on identifying how
which are only some of the Level best to support SCQF awareness
5 and 6 courses available to in the BGE curriculum and how to
young people. As such we looked support learners more effectively
at diversifying our curricular offer, with their options choices next
creating new course options and term. We look forward to updating
sharing with our learners what you further on our progress and
each of these courses entail. hopefully our Journey towards our
This involved a subject “Taster Silver Award later this session.
Day” where learners could try the
new subject areas, new options
Miss Smith, Mr Forsyth and the
information presentations and Pupil SCQF Ambassador Team
finally an options “dummy run”
including new subject options
such as National Progression
Awards (NPAs) to seek out the
needs and wants of our learners.
As a result of this we now have
a much wider curricular offer this
session with more than 11 new
subjects running this session.
SCQF Awareness
The ambassador team are looking
to raise awareness with their
peers in school, with parent/
carers, staff and wider partners.
To support this, we have created
a section on our school website to
share information.
 ECO
CLUB
Eco-club have increased their
numbers this year, spanning a
range of different year groups,
all with the goal or creating a
cleaner school environment.
They have been hard at work,
using recycled and sustainable
materials to create Christmas
cards and decorations to raise
money for the schools’ chosen
charities, sold at the highly
successful Christmas fayre this
year!
Pupils have also taken part in
a range of litter picks on school
groups after lunch times. With
fun had by all and successful
hauls of rubbish then handed
over to the ever-helpful
janitorial team we have really
made a difference!
With hopes of planning more
litter picks and travelling more
further afield please keep an
eye out for us out and about in
the Johnstone community.
Every Friday lunch we
meet to watch eco-related
documentaries, discuss our
future plan to keep JHigh on
the right Eco-Track and work to
better our community.
REMEMBERING
OUR CARE HOMES
AT CHRISTMAS
to receive their letters; some
found themselves crying happy
tears”. One resident said they
will “keep and treasure their
letter forever”. In response the
S1 class were given Christmas
thank you cards and photos of
the residents reading through
the pupils’ work.
An S1 class at Johnstone High This school activity was just
School were mindful of their role one in a series of events that the
in giving back to the community school completed to strengthen
this festive season. In Miss ties between the younger and
Gribben’s English class, 1 IONA older generations. 5 of Johnstone
2 made Christmas cards and High School’s S6 pupils have
placed letters inside them for been volunteering at Cochrane
the residents at Cochrane Care Care Home weekly since October.
Home in Johnstone. Pupils were Whilst there, the S6 pupils have
tasked with “making someone’s been getting to know the residents
day” and set to work on creating at the same time as participating
eye-catching greetings cards. in their recreational activities
Inside the card, pupils wrote throughout the afternoon. Kelly,
letters detailing information the care home manager explained
about themselves, their likes, that “this was a wonderful
their dislikes, and their wishes experience for both residents
for Christmas. Most importantly, and pupils” and offered “a great
however, they sent their thoughts big thank you to Johnstone High
and well wishes for the festive school especially to Amy, Morgan,
season to the elderly care home Thea, Emily, Carys and Aleesha”.
resident recipient. Well done girls, you have made
Organised by Mr Smith in your school incredibly proud!
Psychology, the cards were Following on from this, the
delivered on the evening of the school also hosted a Parents in
care home’s annual Christmas Partnership tea party, prior to
fayre. Cochrane care home’s Christmas, for S1 pupils and their
manager received the pupil’s work families to come into the school
with open arms and wanted to and share a Christmas celebration
“thank (Johnstone High School) tea with bingo, music, and prizes.
for opening the communication This event also extended an invite
channels between (the school) to a couple of the care home’s
and all at Cochrane care home.” residents to attend the tea party.
Doreen Smith, one of the care This provided an opportunity for
home’s activity coordinators some of our elderly community to
issued the Christmas cards to see what school events are like in
the residents and sat with them modern day times. They even won
to read their letters. She said a couple of prizes in the raffle!
the residents were “overjoyed

This year we have 16 very
hard working and enthusiastic
S6 pupils engaging with the
Young Enterprise Company
Programme. They have risen
to the challenge that this
programme presents, and it
has been a pleasure to watch
them grow both as a team and and have now incorporated a
as individuals over the past few hashtag into their branding.
months.
Tee’d Up are a company who
are passionate about making
positive change in this world
and combatting big social
issues such as the fast fashion
crisis and climate change.
YOUNG
ENTERPRISE
UPDATE
The pupils managed to raise
their start-up capital by selling
festive candles and school
events such as parents’ nights
and Jhigh Does Christmas and
would like to thank everyone
who supported them in this
stage of their journey. The
candles were a big hit and
sold out just in time for the
Christmas holidays.
In January 2023 they launched
their main product. Tote bags
main from previously unloved
t-shirts. They invested time
in market research and even
made prototypes before
deciding on the final design.
Their bags have received
positive feedback from
customers at school and
local community events. The
team then went on to make
accessories such as scrunchies
and hair bows in a bid to waste
no part of the t-shirts they
collected in for their project.
The team have worked very
hard to promote their products
and mainly used social media
to increase awareness of
their business. We have been
absolutely blown away by the
positive response that they
have gained on social media
Feel free to follow them for
more information about their
exciting business.
In February they attended
the Braehead Trade Fayre
run by Young Enterprise and
received high praise from
customers, judges, and all
in attendance. The team did
themselves proud and made
a significant number of sales.
Their stall impressed so much
that they won the Best Trade
Stand Award which was the
top prize up for grabs on the
evening. This award was very
well deserved and represents
the incredible commitment that
every single team member
has shown to this programme
so far. However, they are not
resting, the day after the Trade
Fayre planning for the next
event started. This team are
unstoppable!
Tee’d Up are now looking
forward to their future selling
events and competing in the
Young Enterprise Company
Finals in March 2023.
SATCHEL ONE
UPDATE
Ms Cole

We have been absolutely also be posted on Satchel 1 for

delighted with student and your information.
parental engagement with our
homework platform Satchel All pupils have access to
1. At the time of writing, 3245 Satchel 1 through Glow :
tasks have been set on Satchel https://sts.platform.rmunify.
1 across the school since the com/account/signin/glow
beginning of term. Glow is Scotland’s national
By logging into Satchel 1 as a digital learning platform
parent you can view homework provided by Scottish
tasks set for your child and Government and managed
can monitor their completion. by Education Scotland. Here
Despite the independence pupils access many different
and maturity most pupils apps and online tools to
demonstrate each day, many support pupils with learning and
still need support managing revision at home.
their time, completing tasks We will shortly be reviewing
and meeting deadlines. Please our homework policy across all
can you support us by checking year groups. I would urge you
that pupils have completed to please complete the short
tasks before they mark them questionnaire being issued in
as complete and regularly March so that your views can
checking Satchel 1 through be considered in this process.
your Parent account.
If you have any issues
Once homework tasks have accessing Satchel 1 or need
been assigned by the class further support please do not
teacher, they will be also hesitate to contact the school
be posted to the class MS office.
Teams page. Satchel 1 has an
excellent support section for Ms Cole
parents with helpful hints and
tips to help you support your
child. You can access these
materials here: https://help.
satchelone.com/en/.
In the Senior Phase revision
sessions, masterclasses and
Easter school information will
CANI COACHING
UPDATE
On the final morning, Mrs
Hollywood visited the group to
hear about their plans for their
in-school projects. The group
have returned to school with a
new confidence and plans to
improve our school values and
relationships and an ambitious
plan to introduce goal mapping
Towards the end of last term across the school. Well done to
S2 were introduced to the all who took part, and keep up
Cani Leadership programme. the good work.
Cani is a course which aims
to develop leadership skills in
young people and encourages
them to use them to drive
forward positive change in their
schools.
After a competitive application
process, 20 young people were
chosen to take part.
During a workshop in school,
pupils and their parents worked
with Cani staff to explore
their values and goals. In
January the group headed off
to Dumfries House in Ayrshire
to take part in an intensive
residential. Through various
activities such as rock climbing,
boxing and blindfolded assault
courses, they learned about
leadership, communication and
goal mapping. They also had
the opportunity to explore their
core values and to determine
what change they would like
to see in school. On the final
night, pupils and staff were
invited to take part in a fire-
walk. This acted as a reminder
to the team that “if you can
walk on hot coals, you can do
anything.”
J-HIGH
DOES CHRISTMAS
December from 6.30pm until
9pm. The fun-filled evening
offered refreshments, stalls,
Christmas crafts, a party
dress pop-up shop, tombola,
Elf-ie photobooth, musical
performances and much more.
We even organised a very
special visit from the man in the
“The best event big red suit.
in Johnstone in We had pupils from our
childcare class offering festive
night.
A special thank you to the
S4 Creative Industries class,
musical performances from the
Samba Band, Choir, Function
Band, Folk Group, Pipe Band,
Orchestra and our JHS Young
Musician of the Year winners,
S6 Volunteers and our Young
Enterprise Team for all they did
to make the evening a success.

30 years” art and craft workshops to

…was the quote of the night.
For the first time at Johnstone
HS, we established a whole
school Christmas event which
combined the annual Christmas part of the event.
Concert and Christmas Market J High Does Christmas was
events to host one big festive a hugely ambitious idea, and
extravaganza, ‘J High Does
Christmas’.
The ticketed event was held
on Thursday the 15th of
keep children amused while
We also want to thank all
the staff and members of the
their friends and family were community who supported this
browsing the many amazing event. A great night was had
stalls we had on offer. World by all, and we look forward to J
Challenge, Young Enterprise, High Does Christmas 2023!
The Eco Club and Home
Economics all hosted stalls as
the staff and pupils delivered
a brilliant evening. We have
never seen the assembly hall
so busy!
The feeling of community and
connectedness was wonderful,
and it really captured the
festive spirit. This event would
not have been possible without
the support of our magnificent
pupils. This event was from
beginning to end a pupil led
evening, from determining what
the night would entail, front
of house, set design, lighting,
sound, refreshments the pupils
took the lead. They gave up
a great deal of their free time
to prepare for the event and
I think it is safe to say that all
their hard work paid off on the
CAMPBELL KING
MEMORIAL
GARDEN
CAMPBELL KING
MEMORIAL
GARDEN
the memorial garden and try to Not only will the S3 class
clean it up and put it in order. attain their SQA Personal
Clyde Muirshiel Rangers were Development Award through
contacted for advice and they their hard work but will also
have been coming once a week complete the hours and fulfilled
to support the class. The first the necessary criteria for
lesson was making a plan for gaining the John Muir Award.
what to do with the garden, and Well done them!
once hot tubs and BBQs had
As part of their Personal been ruled out, a great plan The class would like to appeal
Development Award (PDA), the for clearing and planting was to any parents, carers, friends
S3 class has been working with organised. or relatives of pupils in JHS
the Clyde Muirshiel Rangers on for donations of seeds, bulbs,
the Campbell King Memorial To date, the class have worked or large plant pots for the
Garden. Campbell King taught really hard and built a compost garden. This would greatly
at Johnstone High from 1979 heap, which is already full; enhance what has been done
until his untimely death in cleared moss, weeds and already and make the garden
2005. He started as a Principal brambles and in the process a pleasant place for pupils to
Teacher of Chemistry, then an rediscovered the steps; put in sit at lunchtimes in the good
Assistant Head, and ultimately wooden edging and planted weather. Please have pupils
as the Depute Rector. His some bulbs and seeds. They drop any donations off at either
death was a tragic loss. A have also built bird boxes Support for Learning or the
memorial garden was built which are all ready to be hung Thrive Hive. Many thanks in
in his memory and officially around the school grounds to advance.
opened in 2006. help nesting birds in the Spring.
Mrs J Smith & Ms A Brown
Unfortunately, over the years, Work in the garden stopped in
the memorial garden has not November for the Winter but
been regularly tended and will resume again in the Spring
become overgrown. One of when the Rangers return to
the units for the PDA course is help the class with the next
Practical Abilities and the S3 stage of the restoration. It is
class decided to tackle the wild hoped to reinstall the original
weeds and prickly brambles of seating.
MUSIC DEPT
UPDATE
Mrs Adams
At the end of October, the S3
and S4 Creative Industries
classes travelled through to
Livingston to work alongside
the experienced team at Sky
News Studios.
With a fortnight to go, pupils
were provided the following
task, ‘Create an advert for your
own TV Show/Film and turn it
into a storyboard’. In groups,
pupils began working on their
creations.
On arrival at the studio pupils
and staff were provided with
a tour of the building and the
wide variety of equipment and
technology on hand. Each
group had their own studio and
began turning their storyboard
into a real advert. Pupils
delegated themselves into
the following areas: director,
costume design, sound, lights,
filming and editing. At the
end of a long creative day
pupils had the opportunity to
screen their finished projects.
A wonderful time was had
by all and we look forward to
returning next session.
JHS Young Musician of the
Year Competition
At the beginning of November,
the department held its annual
Johnstone HS Young Musician
of the Year Competition. With
over 40 pupils signed up to
take part, the competition was
split into a Junior and Senior
event. With a variety of simply
spectacular performances,
it was a very tough decision
for the adjudicators to decide
who would go forward to
the authority final. The
overall winner selected to
represent Johnstone HS at the
Renfrewshire Young Musician
of the year competition was
percussionist Josh McMillan in
S6.
The final will take place at
St. James Primary School
in Renfrew on the evening
of Wednesday 19th April at
7.30pm. Good luck Josh!
MUSIC DEPT
UPDATE
Mrs Adams
Well done to all who
participated and
congratulations to our prize
winners.
Junior Prize Winners:
1st-Indie McKellar & Matthew
Munton
2nd- Kayden Weir & Niamh
Murdoch
3rd- Evan Dickie & Lorna
Russell
Senior Prize Winners:
1st- Josh McMillan & George
Galbraith
Runners up- Aiden Reid &
Robyn Elliott
Christmas Carol Singing
In December the choir,
function band and pipe band
represented the school at XSite Harron, Kayleigh Speirs, Kaylin
Braehead. They performed
a combination of smaller
ensemble performances, solos asset to Johnstone High School
and full choir songs and even
brought along some additional
instruments. The pipe band
braved the cold and performed
outside XSite in the snow.
There was a very supportive
and encouraging crowd and
pupils performed very well.
Pupils got the opportunity to
explore XSite and do a bit
of Christmas shopping as a
reward for their hard work at J
High Does Christmas.
Music Primary Transition
Programme
As part of the primary 7
transition programme this year,
we visited every cluster primary
school to give them a music
lesson. This took place for a
seven-week block of Tuesday
afternoons, and the pupils
learned the song our junior
choir was working on at the
time– ‘Sky Full of Stars’. Pupils
were then invited to perform
in our ‘J High Does Christmas’
event. Across the different
primary schools, pupils enjoyed
different warm up activities,
added harmonies and even
added some boom whackers
and snare drums to their
performances.
As part of this programme,
we had a group of Higher/
Advanced Higher music pupils
who came along to help each
week – Josh McMillan, Grace
Watson, Hannah Ramsay and
Lucy Dingwall. They were an
MUSIC DEPT
UPDATE
Mrs Adams

and inspired and encouraged
the P7’s.
Celtic Connections
In January, the department
were lucky enough to secure
free tickets for our Senior
Phase pupils to attend
Glasgow’s annual folk festival,
Celtic Connections. Celtic
Connections is an annual
festival which takes place
in January, with over 2,100
musicians from around the
world bringing the city to life for
18 days. During that time, there
are concerts, ceilidhs, talks, art
exhibitions, workshops and free
events.
travelled to the Glasgow
Concert Hall to watch ‘Strands’
a folk orchestra led by
Treacherous Orchestra’s co-
founder John Somerville and
the brilliant ‘Session A9’.
This was an invaluable
experience for our learners to
watch a live performance of an
important element of their SQA
Music curriculum.
The Soundsystem Project
In January the department
welcomed ‘The Soundsystem
Project’ into the school for
a lunchtime taster session
followed by a 1-hour workshop
with our S4 Creative Industries
class.
skills he has developed from
working in the industry.
Music Matters Conference
In March, the Johnstone
High School Pipe Band were
asked to provide musical
entertainment to close the
Music Matters Conference at
Johnstone Townhall. This event
was part of the Youth Music
Initiative 20-year anniversary to
promote and celebrate the work
of YMI over the last 20 years.
With the Scottish School’s Pipe
Band Championships only a
week away we took advantage
of this wonderful opportunity
to perform our competition
set. Pupils had the opportunity
to meet Minister for Culture
Neil Gray MSP before the big
performance. The feedback
from the audience was that the
pupils stole the show!
The pupils were simply
outstanding; a huge credit to
themselves, the department
and the school.

Live @ Lunch
With an abundance of
The organisers are a youth-led bands forming in the
music project that teach pupils department, many through
how to make beats, DJ and our S3 unit- ‘Battle of the
build their own battery powered Bands’, the practice rooms
sound system. They supported are busier and noiser than
our pupils to make music and ever before. To ensure our
work together as a team with a pupils experience the feeling
tremendous, finished project. of a live performance the
It was lovely to have a former department have organised
Advanced Higher Music pupil a new weekly event, ‘Live @
teaching current pupils the Lunch. This opportunity is
Over 50 pupils and staff
MUSIC DEPT
UPDATE
Mrs Adams

open to all performers- solos, Keep up to date with

duets, bands, instrumentalists, all Music events/trips/
singers, pipers etc. To start off achievements by following
our new initiative we welcomed the department on Twitter @
a brilliant first set from Ben music_jhs and Instagram @
McKay, Aiden Reid & Josh jhsmusicdepartment
McMillan. The band even took
audience requests!
We look forward to our future
performers and any song
requests you may have. If you
wish to sign up, please see
your Music teacher.

Kirsty Kilgour and Carys Kelly (S6)
On Thursday 9th February,
Zoe, Gemma, Aidan, Carys
and I travelled through to the
Scottish Parliament Building
in Edinburgh, accompanied
by Miss McGinley and Miss
McCormack to receive the
Vision School Scotland Level 1
Award on behalf of Johnstone
High School.
To receive the award, schools
must demonstrate their existing
commitment to the importance
of Holocaust education and
identifies and rewards schools
who demonstrate this. Earlier in
2022, we submitted our Level
1 Application and in August, Dr
Andrew Killen (Depute Director
of Vision Schools) visited the
school and confirmed we had
successfully met the criteria.
The award was presented to
us at a special ceremony in
Holyrood hosted by Jackson
Carlaw (MSP), Jackie Baillie
(MSP) and presented by
Shirley Ann Somerville (Cabinet
Secretary for Education).
We also heard from an
inspirational speaker and
author Chitra Ramaswamy
whose book Homelands- the
VISION
SCHOOLS
AWARD
History of a Friendship tells of
her friendship with Holocaust
survivor, 97 year-old Henry
Wuga MBE.
Henry Wuga escaped Nazi
Germany in 1939 on the
Kindertransport, a rescue
effort organised to remove
Jewish children from Nazi
persecution. It was the first
time Henry had been separated
from his parents and, like a lot
of the children, he found it a
traumatic experience. Henry
was matched with a family in
Glasgow and was lucky to find
a welcoming home. He was
only 15 years old.
We were very lucky to hear
from Henry himself via a short
film presentation. We all found
it very interesting to hear about
Henry’s teenage years as a
refugee here in Scotland. It is
difficult to imagine how he and
many others would have felt
being in a new country, with
a different language. Luckily
Henry settled in quickly in
Glasgow and has always felt
very safe and happy here.
It was really captivating to
hear his story and he made
us all feel inspired when he
spoke about the importance of
Holocaust education and our
responsibility as young people
today.
This experience has furthered
to us the importance of
remembering and learning
from the Holocaust. In the
last few months, as Advanced
Higher History pupils we have
been involved in discussions
around our own experience
of Holocaust Education at
Johnstone High School and
we have given suggestions on
further ways to deliver this to
younger pupils. We were also
privileged to hear from a former
JHS pupil, Lucy Jeffrey, who

Kirsty Kilgour and Carys Kelly (S6)
led a session for us on being
a regional Ambassador for the
Holocaust Educational Trust
and involved us in gathering
footage for a documentary
on Holocaust Education in
Scotland.
VISION
SCHOOLS
AWARD
During our last few months as
S6 pupils, we are passionate
about helping Miss McGinley
and Mrs Robertson achieve the
school’s next aim to achieve
Level 2 Vision Schools status.
We feel very privileged to have
been selected to represent the
school and it is a memory from
S6 we will never forget.
 WIDER
ACHIEVEMENT
AWARD
their amazing endeavours.
It was humbling to watch so
many of our young people be
recognised for their personal
achievements both within
school and in the wider
community.
Wider Achievement Awards
On January 6th 2023, we Our next Wider Achievement
had our second Wider Awards Ceremony will take
Achievement Awards ceremony place in June 2023. Please
to celebrate the many varied encourage your child to input
and outstanding achievements any personal successes in
of the young people who attend order for us to celebrate these
Johnstone High School. as a school community. Pupils
and parents can access the
To celebrate the personal Colours application form
successes of our young people and further information on
we award four levels of School celebrating Wider Achievement
Colours in each of the following on the school website.
categories:
Below is a list of our January
• Sports 2023 Wider Achievement
• Community award winners. Well done
• Creative Arts everyone!

Pupils are entitled to wear

Colours that represent their
achievement. Personal
Achievement Certificates,
House Award badges, Half
Colours ties and Full Colours
ties are awarded to pupils
in recognition of excellent
performance or commitment in
an extra-curricular activity.

On Tuesday, over one hundred

pupils received awards for