Our Learning Blog

On Islay we like to play football which there is 5 teams they are called Port Ellen, Bowmore, Kilchoman, Islay wanderers, Port Charlotte there used to be two more teams called Laphroaig and Ardbeg. Although football is very popular the Scottish national sport is shinty. We too have a tournament and a after school club. Port Ellen have won the tournament several years in a row. In shinty you are trying to hit the ball into the goals with the shinty stick. Shinty is very similar to ice hockey except it is a small round ball not a puck. Shinty can be a dangerous sport so we wear helmets. We also play rounders which is a sport that is like baseball we like playing sports in our school and we have a sports day we also have a sports club that takes place at 12:00 noon in school.

On Islay people do many types of dancing such as- Highland dancing, Step dancing, Country dancing, Ballet, Hip hop and many more. Highland dancing is when diffrent people dance to the accordion or the bag pipes. Highland dancing is known for junior dancers and also grown-ups. There outfit is a short mini kilt and a silk waist coat worn  under a white blouse with black pumps. Highland dancing is one of Islays most popular and known dancing, country dancing is also very common and known in Islay. They also dance to accordion or bag pipes, they uselly dance with a female and a male together. The diffrent names of the dances are called -The Cananadian Barn dance, Flying scotts man, Gay Gordans and lots of diffrent ones. Islay is quite famous for dancing and everyone really enjoys it.

Sometimes a cinema comes to the island. It is called the Screen Machine.The Screen Machine is a portable cinema that goes round the whole of Scotland. It comes to Islay because we don’t have a proper cinema on the island. It’s a van that has a big screen and loads of seats in it so when you go in it feels like a miniature cinema! When it comes it parks outside the Ramsey Hall in Port Ellen but sometimes it parks in the school playground! That means we get to go in and watch a movie with the rest of the school. On Friday we are going to see Arthur Christmas so we’re all really happy and excited. Right now it’s showing  The Hobbit, Skyfall, Paranorman and Arthur Christmas. I really like  the Screen Machine because it feels really weird sitting in a huge van watching a movie.

By Elinor

On Wednesday 19th December 2012 there was a Nativity at Port Ellen Primary School. Primary 1/2 did the nativity with nursery, we thought it was very good they remembered all their lines. They were clear and they enjoyed doing the play, they liked singing the songs and the audience laughed, we really enjoyed it. It was really good Taylor was Joseph and Sarah was Mary and it was also known as the the lucky owl and Rebecca was the Owl.

On Tuesday 18th December in the Islay High School hall was a fantastic Christmas band concert! The primary school band performed and the High School band performed. There was some solos and duets and great Christmas carols sang by the high School choir and everyone else in the audience. There was some traditional music by a high school band.  All the kids seemed to be enjoying themselves performing and it certainly got the audience  feeling very Christmassy.

by Ellen

On Wednesday 19th December Port Ellen Primary held a carols by candle light, at Port Ellen Primary for the run up to Christmas.   There were piano players, a turkey poem, the Port Ellen Primary band and lots of readings.   We had a selection of Christmas carols and songs, Mr Barlow and Mr Macnulty, accompanied us with a few prayers.   Mrs Campbell, played for us, as well as David Baker, Asher Borthwick and Maisie Logan!   We had lots of musical duets and trios, as well as a solo, on clarinet, flute and lots more.  After our carol service there were, mince pies, shortbread, tea and juice.   Everyone enjoyed it, and overall it was a really good night!

3 WEEKS AGO people from Port Ellen left for a 3 hour walk to Bowmore for the Ciara Caskie Allan Appeal.  At 10:00 they left from the public toilets and very shortly got to the start of the low road.  The kids collected money from the village for 10 minutes then got collected and took back to the walkers.  The walkers stopped at the Airport to do the toilet and were off again.  The walkers were stopping cars and getting money.  The walkers came to the end and counted the money and found out that they had raised over £800.

By Calum

ON the 1st of November the dolphins club championship took place at Bowmore swimming pool and there were swimmers from all over the island that took part in the championship in Bowmore.

There were people from all over the Island who were at the swimming pool. After there was the medal ceremony, a disco and there also was a buffet that had lots of tasty foods. Then after all that the children went out in the dark and had a big game of cops and robbers-it was lots of fun.

By Connor and Ewan