What’s happening next week?
| Date | Year Group | Event |
| Tuesday 24th September (morning) | S5/S6 | UCAS Discover Event – Springwood Park |
| Wednesday 25th September | Seniors | Modern Studies London Trip |
| Thursday 26th September | Seniors | Blood Brothers Theatre Trip |
| Saturday 28th September | Whole school community | Community Wellness Fayre |
Our website has all the dates for the school year (as currently planned), click here to see them – https://www.kelsohighschool.org.uk/calendar/
Important Information Update
An Important Note re Morning Intervals and Lunchtimes…
A reminder that no learners are permitted to leave school grounds during morning intervals (10:30-10:45am). Recently a number of learners have been leaving school grounds at interval to go to the Co-op. These learners have then returned late to school. This is causing disruption to lessons and negatively impacting on the learning environment. It is important that all learners remain on school grounds during intervals to ensure punctuality and a smooth transition back to class.
Learners in S2-S6 are allowed to leave school grounds during lunchtime (1:15- 2:05pm). However, any learner who does leave school grounds at lunchtime is required to return to the school building in time for the Warning Bell at 2pm. S1 learners are not allowed to leave school grounds – unless they are returning home for lunch – until after the Easter holidays in April 2025. We would encourage all learners to join extra-curricular clubs at lunchtimes and look forward to announcing new additions to our extra-curricular club provision very shortly.
Merits and Demerits Update
Before the summer holidays, our office staff sent weekly emails to parents and carers, outlining any merits or demerits their child had received during the previous week. This process will begin again on Monday, 23rd September.
Each Monday, the main parent or carer listed in school records will receive an email with a summary of demerits. As a school, we use this information to guide planning meetings aimed at supporting our learners in specific classes or at certain times of the day.
Later in the week, a separate email will be sent detailing any merits. We are actively involving our learners in finding the best ways to celebrate their merits and recognise their achievements.
As our learners have accumulated merits and demerits since the start of term, next week’s emails will include the total numbers to date.
If you have any questions about the merits or demerits, please contact the relevant member of our Pastoral staff.
S6 Head Team Weekly Update
Hello, I’m James Aitchison, and I’m part of this year’s head team. I’m passionate about swimming and also a member of the Army Cadet Force. This week, some of our S3 students took part in an archaeological dig at Bedrule Castle, while our Higher Geography class enjoyed a trip to the Lake District. Meanwhile, our Digital Avengers continued their valuable work with the residents of Poynder Apartments. Lunchtime and after-school clubs remain popular, and this week marks the much-anticipated return of Friday Football!
Well done to our Digital Avengers!
On Wednesday our Digital Avengers continued their programme of work with the residents at Poynder Apartments. This week saw learners enjoy a lovely afternoon in the garden with the residents. Our Digital Avengers gave demonstrations of animation using their iPads and helped the older people to make play doh characters for future content creation.
Lake District Geography Trip
Friday 6th of September saw our Higher Geography class – along with some of our S3 geographers – arrive in the Lake District to deepen their knowledge and understanding of glaciation. During a glorious day in the Mosedale Valley, learners had the opportunity to witness the after effects of glaciation and gain a better understanding of how the process works. Further knowledge and understanding was also gained from meeting a local farmer, who explained the difficulties of trying to farm in a National Park. Although our geographers have visited this farm numerous times over fifteen years, Mr Dalziel reports that this was the best weather yet! We would like to thank Mr Dalziel and Miss Marshall for organising this trip and for sharing their photos. We would also like to thank all learners who attended and who were an absolute credit to KHS in every aspect of their conduct! Well done to all involved! #pridekhs
S3 Archaeologists
Well done to S3 pupils who took part in the Bedrule Castle archaeological dig. They got stuck in and totally embraced digging. They were also introduced to surveying and had the chance to speak to archaeologists about their career pathways. Many thanks to Jane at Archaeology Scotland for welcoming us again!! #pridekhs
More Archaeology News
Earlier this week, some of our S3/S4 historians spent a lovely sunny day at Newbattle Abbey College with Archaeology Scotland as part of their Energy Through Time Project. They had the most fantastic day and took part in activities which showed how medieval monks lived sustainably in the past and what/how we can learn from them going forward. A huge thank you to Ms James for organising and for the photos! #pridekhs
Well done, Lucy!
We are a very proud school! Huge congratulations to Lucy Campbell (S6) who recently achieved her 1st Dan Black Belt in Judo. This is an incredible achievement which reflects Lucy’s determination, dedication, perseverance and countless hours of training. Lucy began her ‘judo journey’ at the age of seven in Ednam and has been working towards her 1st Dan Black Belt for over two years. In order to achieve Black Belt status, Lucy had to pass a theory test and win ten official competitions. We wish Lucy continued success on her judo journey. #pridekhs
Well done to our S3 Artists!
Well done to Miss McCreadie’s S3 Art class who have been working brilliantly on their Bow sketches. Please enjoy some photos from some very talented young artists. #pridekhs
Well done S2 Artists!
Prepare to be amazed! Miss McCreadie’s S2 Art class have been learning about the work of Tim Burton. They were tasked with creating self-portraits drawn in the style of Tim Burton. We are so proud of the final results and look forward to seeing the results of their next challenge – to create a portrait of a famous person in the style of Tim Burton. Well done S2! #pridekhs
Parent Council – Update
We had a very positive meeting earlier this month and have pulled the ideas you had into our plans for this year. So detailed below are all the meeting dates and subjects for our meetings.
Please do come along (they are on different days of the week, a mixture of in person and online and all meetings are at 7.00pm) or raise any questions in advance by email to pckelsohighschool@scottishborders.npfs.org.uk. If you think we’ve missed an important topic, let us know!
Section 1 (now to October) – Life at KHS
Wednesday 2nd October – In person at KHS
Life at KHS, with a focus on positive behaviour and uniform.
Section 2 (October to Christmas) – Technology at KHS
Tuesday 5th November – Online
Mobile Phones in SBC/KHS.
Wednesday 11 December – In person at KHS
Social Media and how to support teenagers using it.
Section 3 (Jan to March) – Teaching and learning at KHS
Wednesday 22nd January 2025 – Online / In Person TBC
Curriculum at KHS – what they learn and when and why? Subject choices at all levels.
Thursday 27nd February – In person at KHS
Learning Support (with Mrs Dyer, PT Support for Learning).
Tuesday 25th March – Online
Revision/Study skills.
Section 4 (April to June) – Wellbeing at KHS
(late in the year to help with this stressful time, not because we don’t think it’s hugely important!)
Wednesday 30th April – In person at KHS
Managing stress and pressure. Respectful relationships again.
Monday 19th May – In person at KHS
Whole person wellbeing
Thursday 19th June – In person at KHS
Supporting young people through transition – from P7 to High School, within years/stages at high school and beyond!
Community Wellness Fayre
We are excited to remind everyone about the upcoming Kelso Community Wellness Fayre 2024! Last year, Kelso Medical Practice hosted a fantastic event at Tait Hall, where community projects and wellness groups came together to showcase their services, and they were thrilled to open the doors to the public free of charge. The range of stalls was impressive, featuring local gyms, yoga instructors, youth groups, and sports clubs, to name just a few. The turnout was incredible—the hall was packed throughout the morning, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many asking when the next event would take place!
This year, we’re sharing the programme for the 2024 Fayre, and with a larger venue, we’re confident the event will be even bigger and better. As a school, we understand that healthy eating, physical activity, and social connections are vital for the wellbeing of both our students and staff. We also believe in educating and empowering individuals to take charge of their health. The community fayre offers a wonderful opportunity to promote these core values and support everyone in nurturing their overall wellness.
We look forward to seeing you there!
UCAS Discovery Event
On Tuesday 24th, our S6 along with interested yp from S5 will be attending the UCAS Discovery event, at Springwood Park. This is an opportunity to discover options under one roof. During the event, they can help find out about traditional degrees, apprenticeships, careers, and more.
What will our seniors discover?
The aim of a Discovery event is to help them to decide on their next steps. At the event, they can:
- chat to unis and colleges about their courses and uni life
- speak to employers and apprenticeship providers about what an apprenticeship is like and the options available
- speak to qualified careers advisers about your future
- listen to talks from experts in their fields
- hang out with their UCAS experts to get dedicated support about their options
Canteen Menu
