For National Science and Engineering Week P3/4 were trying to Beat the Flood. This was a challenge set by Practical Action to try and design and build a floodproof house that could stand up to flooding and monsoon rains. The design also had to be sustainable, use materials available on a small Pacific Island and be cheap to build. This innovative design has a water catcher and grows food on the roof so that people can still eat if the land around has been flooded.
The Generation Science Visit
On Monday the 7th of March Generation Science came for a visit. We got to do all sorts of things like building a model of a drill to collect oil and we looked at the world when there was no continents which was called Pangaea. We talked about all the layers and some types of rocks but the visit was mostly about oil and how it was formed. Oil was formed by dead plankton under the sea then it was pushed into a source rock then heat and pressure pushed it up into a reservoir rock with holes like a sponge. It got through the holes then the cap rock, which is like a lid of a bottle, stopped the oil getting to the surface. It can then be found using a thumper truck and sound and then core samples are drilled. We had to match the samples to the rock formations.
Finally we got to build an oil rig in teams which was really interesting, and I know oil rigs have a bridge, a derrick and a platform. We learned lots from the visit, including how oil is running out and we need to find a more sustainable energy source.
P567 Rock Trip
On Friday  P567 went on a rock trip and we went to Port Askaig, Bunnahabhain beach and Caol Ila beach. First we went to Port Askaig to see all the different types rocks that are on the big hill just up from the car park, made when a glacier covered Islay. We had to look for different rocks in with  the other rocks that had been picked up and dumped by the glacier. Then we went to Caol Ila Beach and we looked at the rocks and we even got to Smash up some rocks in half and see what was inside of them. We saw rocks formed under the sea because they had wave patterns on them like you see on the beach. Then we went to Bunnahabhain Beach and we went down the big hill to see trenches left by volcanic lava in the rock made from basalt. We even got to take some loose rocks back to school with us.
By Abi Logan
Weather
Primary 34 topic this term is weather.  They have been finding out which clouds are which, facts about storm Henry and they have been making graphs on excel about how high wind speeds are. We have made rain gauges and anonometers to measure the wind speed.  We have also made an animation of the water cycle.  It was very interesting to learn about.
Bird Facts with the Nursery by the Eco Group
The nursery are doing a topic on birds and they have a bag of bird seed that will last a whole year.
Also they made bird food balls and this is how you make them you get: bird seed, bread crumbs, bread crusts and water. The crows try to steal the food but they can’t because the birdhouse that they made it too small for the crows to fit in. Â They have also bought new bird feeders.
At Joint Sessions with P1/2 David Wood from the RSPB has been working with the children and he came into the school to tell them about birds and went bird watching around the school grounds with the children.
Since the weather has been horrible they weren’t as many as they had hoped. They saw lots of geese in the field and lots of Black Hoods Crows.
Beach Clean! :)
Last year on Friday 9TH October we did a beach clean.We each slit up into different groups.Each group got a bag to put all the rubbish in, grabbers and gloves so we don’t get germs on our hands.We had Rejig to provide us with the equipment as they do every time we have a beach clean. After we tidied the beach we got biscuits. Then we headed back up to the school knowing that when we go down to the beach it will be nice and clean.
By Joseph Hamilton and Mirren Brown
Crofting Group
One of our Citizenship Groups is Crofting. As crofters we are planning to grow trees, flowers and vegetables like potatoes, carrots, pumpkins and a few other things. We have five raised beds that we are going to use. We will need to prepare the beds before we start to plant our seeds. We are going to dig up the croft and plant lots of veggies. It is going to take a lot of work.
Global Citizens
This is the Global Citizens. We are trying to make the world better to live in and trying to support Fair-trade and other charities. We will be trying to make money to donate to special charities that really need our help.We will be also be having a tea and coffee morning with Fair-trade food.
Fair-trade means trade between companies in developed countries and fair prices are paid to the producers.
By The Great Global Citizens:)
The Fantastic Eco Group
On Friday afternoons Port Ellen primary  all do citizenships and one of the groups are called the Eco Group and the people that are in the Eco group are Holly, Abi, Kaya, Katie, Matthew, Rowan, Sophie and Harmony. What the Eco group do is we try and do litter picking to keep Port Ellen playground tidy. On some of the afternoons we do beach cleans to keep the beach clean and we are hoping to clean the pond, have an Eco day, plant flowers, tidy the round house, clean up the weeds and plant trees. Also our slogan is SAVE THE PLANET!
By The Fantastic Eco Group.
Swimming School Nationals
On Saturday 30th January I went to the swimming nationals in Tollcross. It was double the size of the local pool because Tollcross is 50 meters long and Bowmore is 25. Tollcross was built for the commonwealth games. There was about 1,500 people including spectators and swimmers. There was 10 lanes in the pool so it was 10 people in a race. I was swimming backstroke and the person in my race broke the Scottish record. I came 30th out of the whole of Scotland. We also got a swimming cap, a t shirt and a jumper as souvenirs.
by Ross Thompson
