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A fantastic Friday morning last week for our S3 Barista students as they took part in an exciting visit to Starbucks.

Students enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the shop floor, gaining valuable insight into the hospitality industry and the skills needed to succeed as a barista. From exploring the origins of coffee to learning about customer experience, teamwork, and product knowledge, students were able to connect classroom learning with real-world careers and develop a greater understanding of opportunities within the sector.

They also discovered the importance of smell, the famous coffee “slurp,” and how food pairing can completely transform taste; proving there’s far more to the perfect cuppa than just “milk and one!” To top it all off, students got hands-on creating Starbucks’ famous Strawberry Acai Refresha which may just be the perfect summer drink!

A huge thank you to Bekka and Abby for delivering such an engaging and memorable experience for our young people. Opportunities like this are invaluable in helping students build confidence, develop employability skills, and gain meaningful insight into future career pathways within hospitality and customer service.

The new timetable for pupils currently in S1, S2 and S3 will begin on Monday 18th May. Pupils will receive new timetables during extended Registration which will be from 8:40am to 9:00am on Monday 18th.

From the start of the new timetable, Registration will be at 8:40am each day. Block 1 will be from 8:50am to 9:40am. Block 2 onwards, morning break and lunch, will be at their current times. Please ensure you are on time for registration each day. The warning bell at 8:36am is the signal to go straight to Registration.

Congratulations to Emma Boyd (S3) and Annalee Sinclair (S1) who competed in the Allstar World Dance Championships in Orlando, Florida last week. They achieved 3rd in the world for Jazz, being narrowly beaten by teams from Australia and Mexico. They were also 6th in Lyrical. Well done girls.

Congratulations to Lewis Russell (S1), Alasdair Gray (S2) and Carrie-Anne Law (S3) who took part in quads, doubles and a single. Well done to Alasdair and Lewis for securing bronze as part of a Quad in their age category.

Two teams from Culloden Academy went to Kingussie on Tuesday to compete in the regional round of the UK Maths Trust Team Challenge.  Culloden A came in first and have been invited to the national final in Manchester in June.  Culloden B also performed very well and placed 6^th  out of the 12 teams attending.

The pupils who participated were:

Culloden A:

• Innes Simon S3
• Micah Macdonald S3
• Lewis Conway S2
• Szymon Kuzma S2

Culloden B:

• Bethany Hanlon S3
• Bethan Thomas S3
• Isaac Ising S2
• Alasdair Gray S2

Congratulations to Julian Smolinksi who took third place at the Scottish Boccia Championship in Glasgow yesterday. Competition was fierce, as can be seen in the photo of the tie break for Bronze Medal position. The Highland team had a great day, with all three qualifying players making it to the semi finals, two medals and family and friends supporting all the way.

HUGE congratulations to the S6 Young Enterprise Team ‘Tidal Trinkets’, who recently won Company of the Year at the Highland and Moray YE Finals event. They won six awards on the night:

• Sustainability
• Best Trade Stand at the Christmas Market
• Best Presentation at the Finals
• Impact (Callum Kydd)
• Pioneering Leadership (Joel Reid)
• Company of the Year.

They will now go on to represent the area at the Scottish Finals, at Hampden in May – Good luck!

The Under 15 girls were unstoppable today in the North of Scotland Plate quarter-finals, running out 5–0 winners over Tain Royal Academy in freezing, windy conditions! From start to finish they were outstanding, playing some fantastic and confident football throughout. Every player gave their all, and it paid off with a brilliant, well-earned win. Bring on the semi-final!

Study Leave will commence on Wednesday the 22^nd of April and run until Tuesday 26^th of May. Senior pupils will return on Wednesday 26^th May for three days of induction to S5/6 – further details about these days will follow in due course. S5/6 timetables will begin on the 2^nd of June.

Please find a link to the SQA Exam Timetable 2026.  The school will issue its own timetable in the next couple of weeks. Please ensure you pay attention to this as we often make slight changes to try and accommodate lunch breaks/buses etc. All pupils will receive their own individual exam timetables during the last week of term.

If you have any of the following exams, you should return to school following your last exam:

• Wednesday 27 May – Cantonese and Mandarin
• Thursday 28 May – Italian and Practical Cookery
• Friday 29 May – English for Speakers of Other Languages and Philosophy
• Monday 1 June – Latin

Higher and Advanced Higher Maths is scheduled for Thursday 7^th May.  This is an in-service day due to the scheduled Scottish Parliamentary Election, with some schools being used as polling venues.  Although public service routes will run as normal there will be no dedicated school transport operating that day which might be an issue for some pupils due to sit these exams.

On Wednesday, the Higher Biology classes visited the Highland Wildlife Park to deepen their understanding of biodiversity. A key focus of the trip was the threat facing the Scottish wildcat population, the conservation efforts currently in place, and strategies to increase the genetic diversity of the wild population. Students also explored the vital role zoos play in conserving species, with specific examples from those at the park. Many thanks to Jasper for delivering such an engaging and informative presentation.