Achievement – Our Learning Blog

May 8, 2018May 8, 2018

WW100 Display At The Ramsay Hall

This term we have been learning about how WW1 affected the lives of people on Islay and Port Ellen by learning about the sinking of the Tuscania and the Otranto and the lives of the local people at the time. All through our WW100 topic we have made art work, researched from primary sources of evidence online, imagined letters and put ourselves in the soldiers shoes. The reason for this is that on Friday 4 May it had been one hundred years since WW1 and we had a big remembrance event on Islay. Everyone around the island came to remember WW100 in Port Ellen. The Islay Quilters had worked with local community groups to make the state flags of the US soldiers who died in the two sinkings, including our school; our class made the flag for the state of Michegan. The five schools on Islay came together to carry the flags in a procession to the pier and then we put them at the Ramsay hall for display. For the project we used our research to write letters pretending to be one of the soldiers from the Port Ellen war memorial, that we had chosen, writing to their family. We included the name of our soldiers, any interesting facts, information about family members and their jobs. In the hall there is information about the Tuscania, Otranto, and soldiers that fought in the war. Jack used a map of Port Ellen at the time to show where the soldiers lived. The art work we did was about the Tuscania and all different things about the war and was mixed media. The other schools also had things on display. We liked learning about the war and how the war started and how it impacted on people here on Islay.

By Jack and Aaron

February 27, 2018March 29, 2018

My Day At BT Murryfield

One day after rugby club we where pulled in and I was chosen to be the mascot for the Scotland Rugby Team through the Islay Minis Rugby club, which is a club for people who want to play rugby till there in s2 and then they have to go to the one in high school. On February 24th me, my dad and my grandad headed to Murrayfield to see the Scotland vs England rugby match as I was the mascot. When we got the stadium we had to meet up with the rest of the mascots to go and sit in a room and wait for some other people as they were late. When every one was in the room our parents went to there seats and we were taken into the tunnel where we waited for the game to start. When the game was just about to start the players came out and lined up. I was partnered with Stuart Hogg who was my favourite player. When we ran out we had walk forward and kneel as Princess Anne walked behind us and shook the players hand. After that we went off and went to our seat and watched the game. Where we were sitting we had the subs right behind us. After half time we back to our seats and the game started up and it started up. When England were progressing through our defence, Jamie Bhatti, another one of my favourite players, he was injured and carried off and when he came up the steps to his seat he almost fell as he had torn something in his leg. After the game we went down and had to wait till the players got ready and got changed then they came out to sign our t-shirts and other stuff. I was really thrilled that Scotland won!

September 5, 2017September 24, 2017

The Local Mod

On Saturday 9th September the joint choir, gaelic choir and individual competitors performed at the local mod in Islay High School. Both choirs came back with trophies for the unison, peurt ubeil and two part competitions. Lots of individuals came back with medals for poems, solo’s, duets and instruments. Mrs MacDonald was very pleased with all the trophies that the joint choir and the gaelic choir won.

April 23, 2017

Scottish Maths Challenge Success!

Every year Mrs Clark’s class take part in the Scottish Maths Challenge, a competition where you have to complete tricky maths problems that require you to think outside the box. It is a great way to improve your maths problem solving skills and learn to apply strategies to help you work out the answers. Children can opt to take part in the challenges, and there are three sets of questions over the year. One of the questions this year was:

Colin and Tom are on a camping holiday and, at their campsite, they make friends with Fiona. They ask her when her birthday is but, being a bit of a joker, Fiona tells them only that it is one of the following;

May 14, July 12, May 15, May 18, June 16, June 19, July 15, August 12, August 14, August 16.

She then tells Colin the month of her birthday, but not the day in the month, whilst she tells Tom the day in the month, but not the month.

Immediately, Colin Declares “Well Tom certainly cannot know for sure when Fiona’s birthday is.”
to which Tom replies “Ah, but now I do.” “And now I know when it is as well,” comes back Colin.

When is Fiona’s birthday? Explain your reasoning.

Quite tricky!

The children who took part have been very successful and should be proud of their perseverance and skills. Ellie and Matthew have achieved a bronze medal and Eva, Ruaraidh, Rowan, Rebecca and Kaitlyn achieved a silver medal in the competition. Kaitlyn and Rebecca missed out on the gold by one point! Well done everyone.

February 23, 2017February 23, 2017

My Kodu Endeavor

At Port Ellen primary school my endeavor is Kodu lab game. Kodu is a game to learn the physics of coding however ignoring writing things down like regular coding. You can do all sorts of things like build a world, create objects and robots, create hills and more. You can “program” anything as long as it is a object and make it do almost whatever you want.

For my Kodu endeavor I am doing different levels. For my first level I made a time challenge. You have three minutes to either do a hard jumping challenge or to do a race. when you complete a challenge you will be transported to the next level. In the 2nd level there will be 11 trees. 10 trees will give you a game over but 1 tree will transport you to the next level. In the next level there is a maze where there are 5 red apples and 5 black apples. The black apples give you minus 10 points but red will give you plus 10 points. Getting minus points will result in game over however getting 50 points will give you a win.

For my 4th level (which is still in development) I am making a space invaders game. there will be a light spawning in stars which will shoot at you and if you run out of health you lose. If you destroy a certain amount of stars you will win. For the 5th level I am thinking of doing a plat former level where you have to jump on blocks and try to reach the top while trying to beat a computer controlled robot which is also going to the top. It is great fun.

February 23, 2017February 23, 2017

My Place Photography Competition

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On Monday 20th February primary 5/6/7 had to guess who won the My Place Photography Competition

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and Mrs Clark said that there was a winner and a runner up in the class. So we went through all the photos and Mrs Clark told us if we were right or wrong. We were told that the runner up was Ruaraidh MacDonald and the winner was Matthew Campbell. They were absolutely shocked and they were very happy and exited. On the 22nd March they will go to Glasgow and get presented to and interviewed by the press. Our photos will be blown up and put with all of the other winners and runner ups. They will get to see a private viewing of all the winners and runner ups from the past years. Then they will go back to Islay that night and they will tell their school the next day when they go back in.

February 21, 2017

Rachel and Bella’s visit to Port Ellen Primary School

On Tuesday 7^th February at 3PM my Mum brought my Guinea Pigs Rachel and Bella up to school for my presentation on my “Guinea Pig instruction Booklet “ I have been working on with Miss MacIntyre.

The cage was covered by a towel over it is because they like the dark and because they like it on their own. Also, Guinea Pigs can get scared easily and in new places. My class all sat around the cage quietly and waited for me to take off the towel. They were so excited and couldn’t wait to see Rachel and Bella. Ellen was jumping around on her knees she was that excited!

I carefully removed the towel and took Bella and Rachel out of the cage. My class were so happy to see my Guinea Pigs and that made me feel so happy for them. It was the first time most of them had met them and they thought they were both so cute! Most of the class preferred Bella because she is the baby Guinea Pig. I feel sorry for Rachel so I gave Rachel lots of love and cuddles as she is my favourite.

My mum also brought in the bowls, small water bottle, toys, food and the corn sticks they like to eat to show the class. I really enjoyed doing this project a lot and hope my class enjoyed learning about Guinea Pigs from me too.

by Braeden P4

21.2.2017

January 30, 2017January 30, 2017

Green Flag Renewal

images We are very happy to have had our Green Flag renewed again. Here is what the report said –

Congratulations to everyone in Port Ellen for a great whole-school effort in renewing the school’s Green Flag status. I thought your photographs showcased well all the great environmental work going on in school and it was clear that everyone had been working hard to reduce waste, encourage healthy lifestyle choices and re-develop your grounds as a marvellous resource for learning and recreation and a haven for wildlife. In so doing, you have monitored progress well, shared your successes with the wider community via your blogs and Twitter feed, and worked collaboratively with helpful partners such as Rejig, the RSPB, the Community Garden and your local plant supplier and boat builder. Eco is well- integrated into the curriculum and calendar via classwork such as your Water Cycle topic and events like your Waste and Walk to School Weeks, and you have enjoyed well-deserved success in the STEM Challenge, the Junior Saltire Award and the Pocket Picnic Garden Competition. Finally, you are to be warmly commended for your beach cleaning activities, your promotion of Fairtrade in school and your generous support of worthwhile charities such as Water Aid. Your young people are truly responsible, global citizens and I am sure you will enjoy exploring the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as part of your ongoing Eco focus.

June 12, 2016June 12, 2016

WINNERS!

Last week Joe, Bronagh, Kaya and Murray traveled with Mrs Clark and Mrs Leask to Glasgow and Edinburgh to take part in the Celebration of Science and Engineering run by @scdiYESC at the Glasgow Science Centre. They were finalists in the Junior Saltire Awards with their Wave Islay design, made with help from Bronagh’s dad Gus, an excellent boat builder. They tested their devices at the Flowave facility in Edinburgh along with 6 other primary schools and 5 secondary schools, before attending the event and presenting to the judges. They also took part in STEM challenges as a team, with around 40 other schools, where they had to correct a listing oil rig, calculate pH for crops, stabilize a bridge, build a train and identify oil products. When we got to the awards ceremony the Imax cinema was full. We were shocked and amazed when Heather the weather announced the winners of the primary STEM challenges as Port Ellen Primary School! We got a great trophy and went and sat back down, only to discover we had also won the Primary Junior Saltire Awards! What a day! Below is a video of our Junior Saltire Journey.

https://vimeo.com/170321861

June 8, 2016June 12, 2016

One Picnic Pocket Pallet Garden

On Thursday 2nd June Mirren and Rebecca traveled to Edinburgh to set up their Picnic Pocket Pallet Garden. When they arrived, they set up their garden for the next morning when the show would be held. The Garden Show was held in Ingliston. They next morning Mirren and Rebecca and their families went to the show. There were lots of really good gardens from other sections and the section Mirren and Rebecca’s garden was in. They looked around all of the gardens and then they went back to theirs because a politician came to look at our garden and asked us questions about it. Then we got our picture taken by a photographer. After that we all went to look at other gardens and got ice-cream before we traveled back down the road to the ferry.