Therapeutic Garden Information

A group of teachers and pupils have been working hard to create a Therapeutic Garden in the grounds of Mintlaw Academy. Featuring winding paths leading to different areas, a reflective shelter, sensory flowers and plants, bird feeders, water features and other eco additions, the garden will be a long term project that will evolve over time. It will function as an education resource, involving pupils in its progress which will help them develop skills for life and employment and earn additional qualifications such as ASDAN, John Muir Award, Personal Achievement awards and many more! It will also serve a wider purpose, as an outdoor learning space for all classes, teambuilding area for staff and pupils, gardens for pupils to work on, development of eco projects and space to showcase projects.

Finally the creation and completion of the garden will facilitate a meaningful interdisciplinary project, engaging pupils, staff, local businesses, parents and community members, ultimately providing an additional resource in the learning and teaching of pupils in our area.

If you would like to be involved or hear more about the project please contact Mrs T Ross or Mrs A McKeown at Mintlaw Academy, 01771 622994.

 

Information for Supporting Your Learner

Supporting Your Learner – Higher History

Supporting Your Learner – National 5 History

Supporting Your Learner Higher Geography

Supporting Your Learner HMS

Supporting Your Learner N5MS

Supporting Your Learner National 5 Geography

Rights Respecting Schools

Rights Respecting School Letter Feb 2018

Adverse Weather Information

During the dark winter days, we encourage pupils to put safety first.  This includes dressing appropriately so that they can be seen at all times and to wear appropriate outerwear/footwear for the weather conditions.  Pupils have been reminded about the procedures to follow in the event of wintry weather, please discuss these arrangements with your son/daughter including if the school were to close during the day.  If unable to get into school, pupils should work through the materials appropriate to them as instructed by their class teachers.  Information about changes to school bus routes or school closures will be posted on the Aberdeenshire Council website and on the school infoline.

                          

To access the school infoline:

  • Dial Aberdeenshire Council’s access number: 0370 054 4999
  • Enter Mintlaw Academy’s Pin number: 021100
  • You will then be taken to the MAIN MENU where you will be given 4 options.
  • PRESS 1: to hear our school’s message about adverse weather

You can also find out about school closures by registering to receive e-mail alerts or subscribing to the school closures RSS feed, on the Aberdeenshire Council website.

SEVERE WEATHER ARRANGEMENTS Additional Information

2017 customer Service Excellence Report

Mintlaw Academy – 2017 report

Communication with Parents

Parents – frustrated when letters from school go missing?

Now is the time to get involved in shaping the future of communication with schools. Aberdeenshire Council is rolling out a new service to communicate with parents by email, text message and a new app for smartphones and tablets.

A parents’ survey is available that will directly influence how the school uses the new messaging service – you can complete it at the following link; https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/AberdeenshireSchools

This improved system will allow us to send home newsletters, certificates and other communication electronically, saving the school money currently spent on text message and printed newsletters.

We are scheduled to begin using this technology hopefully next year and are seeking parents’ views on what they want to receive, delivery methods and how often they want to hear from the school.

Please note, telephone and letter communication will still be used for communication that is of a sensitive or confidential nature.

 Further information is available by visiting http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/schools/parents-carers/school-communications/  

 

Open University: Young Applicants Schools (YASS) : – Information for Parents/ Carers and Students.

YASS Information

Good News

S2 Writing Success

Recently several of our S2 students have been chosen for publication in a Young Writers Anthology entitled ‘Stories of Peril’. We’ll see copies in our library soon so everyone can share in our students’ success. A huge well done to:

2B1         Aliyah-May Sanger, Madeline Morrison and Hope Duncan

2B2        Caitlin Smart, Jessica Yu

2D1        Liam McDonald, Mia McDonald, Hugh Wilson

2D2        Hannah O’Connor, Ellie Wright, Maja Nejman, Jordan Murray, Lois Reid, Logan Murray

2M1       Charlie Bey, Isla Emslie

2M2       Calum Cruickshank, Nathan Olsen, Trent Freeman

2U1        Austin Wood


Well done to this group of S5 pupils on achieving outstanding National 5 results in their recent S4 exams.   #Aspiration #Success

Well done to this group of S6 pupils on achieving outstanding Higher results in their recent S5 exams.    #Aspiration #Success


Warm Welcome to  our new members of Staff at Mintlaw Academy

Shelly Lawson (Technologies), Lianne Gray (English), Fiona Campbell (Creative Arts), Anthea Bond (Social Subjects), Sarah More (Languages), Melanie Maclennan (English), Jennifer Baird (English)

 

Award Assemblies

Award Assemblies for S1-S5 for Attainment, Endeavour, Special and Volunteering achievements during 2022/23 were held on Tuesday 27th June.


Senior Prefect Team 2023/2024

Meet our Senior Prefect Team 2023/2024

Head Girl Eleanor Whyte, 6M, Depute Head Girl Sophia Gibb, 6D

Head Boy Hamish Craig, 6U, Depute Head Boy Charley Fraser, 6M.

Congratulations


YPI Winners for 2023

S3 pupils Jack, and Fynn presented the Mintlaw & District Men’s shed

with a cheque for £3,000.  Well done to all involved.


 

as part of our Health & Wellbeing week Mintlaw Academy pupils and staff took part in the Race for Life on Wednesday 17th May to raise money and awareness for Cancer Research UK.

 

 


Sadly, Friday was our S6 pupils last day, study leave then sitting their exams from today.

Good luck to them all and all the best for the future, hope you enjoyed your last fun filled day at Mintlaw Academy.


Prelim Success

Congratulations to our S4 pupils who have achieved 5+ A passes in their recent prelim exams.

Congratulation to our S5 pupils who have achieved 5 A & B passes in their recent prelim exam.


S1 Pupils – Outstanding Effort

Following the recent tracking reports, we would like to pass on our congratulations to your child for their outstanding effort across their courses. We ask our teaching staff to award the highest ‘rating’ for effort when a pupil’s effort has been exceptional and so to have been given this by a number of different teachers across a range of subjects is superb.

Mintlaw Academy Senior Leadership Team

Findlay Anderson-Milne, 1B2        Olivia Birnie, 1D2                          Abbie Brown, 1U1

Kayla Burnett, 1B2                           Jessica Chalmers, 1U1                   Emily Chamberlain, 1U1

Calum Cruickshank, 1M2               Trent Freeman, 1M2                     Jimmy Griffin, 1M2

Bethany Hart, 1U1                           Rachel Ironside, 1U1                     Grace Kinghorn, 1B1

Mia McDonald, 1D2                        Drew McGillivray, 1U1                  Madeline Morrison, 1B1

Scott Pert, 1U1                                  Lois Reid, 1D2                                Isla Smart, 1B2

Lia Thomson, 1B2                            Isabella Whitelaw, 1B2                 Aiden Will, 1D2

Ellyna Wright, 1M2                         Jessica Yu, 1B2

 


S3 Pupils – Outstanding Effort

Following the recent tracking reports, we would like to pass on our congratulations to your child for their outstanding effort across their courses. We ask our teaching staff to award the highest ‘rating’ for effort when a pupil’s effort has been exceptional and so to have been given this by a number of different teachers across a range of subjects is superb.

Mintlaw Academy Senior Leadership Team

Ruby Adam, 3D1                    Poppy Buchanan, 3M2           Liam Cameron, 3M1

Isla Catto, 3M1                       Amy Chalmers, 3D1               Nathan Clark, 3M1

Lynsey Cromarty, 3U2            Rocco Elmslie, 3B1                 Blair Findlay, 3D1

Ruby Forsyth, 3D2                  Ben Holroyd, 3B1                   Daisy King, 3U1

Ella Mackie, 3U2                    Natalie Moore, 3B1                Brooke Strachan, 3D2

Lydia Watkin, 3M1                 Tyler Willox, 3U2                    Imogen Wood, 3D2

 


Mrs Duthie HT presenting two members of the English faculty with their Mintlaw Academy Pins.
Mrs McCluskey PT English faculty for (support for a huge number of individualised pupil home study packages) and Mr Holding for (commitment for getting to work whatever the challenges).


Aberdeenshire schools visit the academies of Nashville, ‘See it to be it’.

Aboyne Academy, Bucksburn Academy, Harlaw Academy, Mackie Academy, Mintlaw Academy Northfield Academy, Old Machar Academy, St.Machar Academy & Turriff Academy.

Inspiring visit, talking to some incredible students, demonstrating their oracy,

Ambition and energy for their education and futures.

@MyFutureMyWay @Nashhub @Excelerate

Festive Fun

1st Prize – The Nativity,    2nd Prize – The Family    and    3rd Prize – Home Alone

 

 


Well done to Ms Morris on being awarded a Mintlaw Academy Pin for

supporting whole school Professional Learning.

 

 



Congratulations on Outstanding Tracking Report Results

  

Following the recent tracking reports, we would like to pass on our congratulations to our pupils for their outstanding effort across their courses. We ask our teaching staff to award the highest ‘rating’ for effort when a pupil’s work has been exceptional and so to have been given this by several different teachers in a number of different subjects is superb.

Mintlaw Academy Senior Leadership Team

 


Peterhead Fire Station

Some great pictures below from an excellent partnership event with Peterhead Fire Station. A group of our young people from S2 and S3 involved in a mock emergency yesterday, with all parents in attendance to watch. They did fantastically well.


Mintlaw Academy/Rennie Farms Partnership

“In honour of a long standing partnership between Mintlaw Academy and Rennie’s Farm Shop, Morag Rennie presented Mintlaw Academy (on behalf of the family business) with a new whole school pupil award in memory of her Mother-in Law Ina, who spearheaded the partnership. The inaugural award winner was S4 pupil Calvin Strachan for his endeavour and commitment to the Fresh start project, which Rennie Farm Shop have supported for many years through the provision of fresh produce to allow Mintlaw Academy pupils to engage in an enterprise project as part of their learning.”

#learningtogether #partnerships

 


 

Dylan Forman raised £407.89 for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus by selling lucky squares to pupils and staff at Mintlaw Academy.
Local businesses, Murdoch Allan, Simpsons garden centre, Macbi, Aberdeenshire larder and Morrisons Peterhead supported him by donating prizes for the draw.
Wendy Blair from Spina Bifida Charity came to school on 16/6/22 to be presented with a cheque from Dylan Forman and thank him personally for his hard work.


Mintlaw Academy are delighted to share that our Head Prefects for this session are as follows:

Head Prefects

Marina Murdoch

Declan Will

 

 

Depute Head Prefects

Martha Fowlie

Chloe Forman

Odhrán Mannion

Vadym Kapliuk

I am sure you will all look forward to congratulating them on their achievement.


Congratulations to #ugiehouse for winning sports day this year. Well done to everyone who took part.

#learningtogether #mintlawacademy


Rugby Success

As part of Ellon Rugby Football Club, some of our S3 boys celebrated success on winning the U15 league earlier this year and on Sunday they won the Caledonia Cup Bowl!

Representing Mintlaw Academy were Malachy M, Fraser M, Jackson R, Konar S, Caden H and Ryan M.

Well done Ellon RFC!


S2 TRUST – Journalism Task

Nicola McAlley from STV selected the following entries for recommendation

Liam (S2)

Journalism Project – Liam

Phoebe (S2)

Callum (S2)

Good News – April 2020

Good News 86

Mintlaw Academy pupils’ Donation for Bunono School, Uganda

Newspaper Article-1

Photo: Marlyn Somers (3rd right) and Trixie Findlay (4th Right) with the cheque for £200 and the pupils who made it possible.

S1-4 pupils from the Horizons Group and Enhanced Learning Suite at Mintlaw Academy have raised funds for Bunono School in Uganda by running an enterprise, which has included making and selling bird feeders and holding a raffle. Bunono School is the beneficiary of the charity ‘Uganda Person to Person’ founded 10 years ago by Marlyn Somers, an optical dispenser from Forres. Bunono School also opened 10 years ago and now has a roll of 600 pupils, who receive a Primary Education. Uganda Person to Person is so called as all money donated goes directly to the school with no administration fees. Marlyn accompanied by Trixie Findlay from Elgin were invited to speak to the pupils earlier in the session and as a result,the pupils and staff of the Additional Support for Learning department were so touched by Marlyn’s work and the needs of Bunono School that it was decided that they would help with resources by fundraising. Some pupils also wrote to the school and their letters along with photos of their enterprise work were taken out to Uganda in January. Marlyn and Trixie have recently returned to Mintlaw with photos and news of the pupils and their trip. The sum of £200 will be used to fund a shower cubicle for the boys at the school and the department will continue to raise funds to help with resources.

Celebration of Success for Mintlaw Academy’s Young Photographers

Rotary Event (3)-1

Photo:  Callum Davidson ,Senior Winner (Far left), Kenneth Chalmers, Intermediate Winner(2ND from left), Kathleen and Norman Laird (back right), Dr Bob Murray and Lena Levy (front) accompanied by the S1-4 pupils  .

S1-4 pupils from Mintlaw Academy’s Additional Support for Learning Department have recently taken part in the local heats of Young Photographer of the Year, a competition sponsored nationally by the Rotary Club of Great Britain and Ireland and locally by Central Buchan Rotary Club. The pupils were given the theme “My Beautiful World” on which to base their photographs and their entries were judged by Peterhead Photography Club with Norman Laird (Chairman) and Kathleen Laird (Secretary) at the helm. Rotarian, Dr Bob Murray was instrumental in the success and co-ordination of the project by providing the link between the school and the Photography Club. A Prize giving event was held at the academy, which was attended by all the pupils who took part, Lena Levy (Central Buchan Rotary Club President), Dr Bob Murray, Norman and Kathleen Laird, Alan Horberry( Head Teacher) and various staff members. Dr Murray announced the winners as follows

Intermediate Competition-

1st Kenneth Chalmers, 2nd Danny Burnett, 3rd Sean Davidson

Senior Competition-

1st Callum Davidson, 2nd Lauren MacLean, 3rd Katie Matthew

Lena Levy presented the winners with trophies and all participants with a certificate from the Rotary Club. On behalf of the Rotary Club, Dr Murray presented the school with a Tripod. A selection of photos from all participants will be shown at the North East of Scotland Open Studio Art Exhibition in the Kemp Hall, Old Deer in September. Kenneth and Callum’s photos will now be entered at Rotary District 10/10 level to compete against young photographers from Shetland to Fife and out to the Western Isles. The importance of the positive impact on and skills developed by pupils through photography is highly valued by the Additional Support for Learning department at Mintlaw as is the encouragement and recognition of their achievements by the Rotary and Photography Clubs. Various photography courses are taught within the department by Mrs Heather Reid and since the introduction of the courses the S3 and S4 pupils have successfully gained an SQA qualification each year. The tripod gifted by the Rotary Club will be used in the teaching of these courses and for creating images for next year’s competition.

Callum 7kenneth 4