P5/6/7 go swimming on Tuesday mornings to get ourselves ready for our swimming gala. We learn how to do front crawl and how you take a breath. You do three strokes and tilt your head to the side and take a breath. We also learned how to float; you take a deep breath in and then go onto your front or your back. We also learned how to sink you take a deep breath and when you are under water let it all out and then close your mouth. That is what we do at swimming lessons.
Our Shoe Box Appeal
Our school took part in the shoe box appeal, the shoe box appeal is a thing that you do to donate things to people who don’t have any money or any thing to keep warm, the shoe boxes contain little surprises for the children and adults to open. Port Ellen Primary managed to collect around thirty shoe boxes! The school has sent them away and the families will get them at Christmas and we are not the only people collecting shoe boxes other places around the world will collect shoe boxes too and we are doing it for the Blythswood care.
Upward and Outward Bound
Every year all the P6/7 from Islay and Jura schools go on a trip. It is to make friend from other schools but you also have to have FUN! This year it was an outboard bound trip called Stramash. We all met at Port Ellen Pier at 9:00 clock sharp on the 15TH of September. We got the ferry to Kennacraig then a bus up to Oban. The ferry was fine but I didn’t like the bus. There was nobody to sit beside on the bus so I got the pleasure of sitting next to Mrs MacDonald’s bag!
When we arrived we went into a jam-packed lounge to get introduced to the Stramash crew. After that we got a bit of tour around the hostel, but we got to stay in the lodge.
We got on a bus to go to a beach to do team games. Our first game was to get across imaginary lava on hovercrafts, which was made of carpet. The fist 4 or 5 people got across but forget about the rest of us. So we had to work together to get across. Our strategy was to jump onto the carpets with two of us on one bit of carpet. Once we got onto the carpets there should be one without someone on it and then the person at the end would quickly grab the empty carpet then pass it to the people at the front.
After we did a game where we stood on an upside-down tarpaulin without stepping of the tarpaulin. That was my favourite game out of them all. Minutes later we finally finished, kind off, then moved on to the next activity. On this one we had to get a can of what we pretended to be toxic waste with only a rope. There was a rope on the ground and we pretended that was toxic waste so we weren’t allowed to step inside the circle. After we had chilli for dinner. It was good but all I wanted was a good nights sleep!
The next day we had Gorge Walking first thing so after breakfast we all put on wetsuits on top of our swimsuit. It was group 5 and 6 going up the Gorge. When we got to the Gorge we had to walk through the woods to get to the Gorge. When we got to the start of the Gorge Rob, the instructor, told us a rhyme about the colour of the rocks that went:
White is alright
Grey is OK
Green is mean
Black stay back
So then we got into the Gorge. It was FREEZING! A wee while later we came to a deep pool. Rob said we had to do a belly flop in here to warm up. When it was my turn I ran but I slipped but it was really deep so it wasn’t that bad. We then had a choice to go through a cave like bit. I decided I would do it. After I went through we carried on clambering over rocks. We came to a big rock but it was to high to climb so we all went through a wee cave. After we climbed through the caves we carried on climbing up wee waterfalls and swimming through really deep pools. After a while we all came to a stop. It was time to get out. Rob climbed up the rock first then took out a rope for us to pull ourselves up with.
Once we were back at the Youth Hostel we had to haul ourselves out of the wetsuits, it was a struggle but I managed it in the end.
Canoeing was next so we went down to a Loch and got a buoyancy aid. We got to pick who was in the Canoe with you. Me, Morven and Anna went in a Canoe together. I got really sore arms after canoeing but it was fun though. When we got back it was time for dinner we had curry.
The next day we had archery. It took me ten arrows before I was able to hit the board. I learnt that archery isn’t my strongest activity. I managed to burst 4 balloons with a BANG! It was really fun.
After lunch we went to do Coasteering. We clambered over rocks and jumped in to the sea. We came to a wee bay and swam around a bit. We then got a choice to swim round to the last bit or go over the rocks. I swam round. When we got there I jumped in and I also faced my fear of heights.
Back at the Hostel we had a baked potato for dinner. We then played the cereal box game where we had to grab the box with our teeth without touching the floor. We all managed to get it.
We all then packed our bags and went to bed.
In the morning we went climbing and then went home! I was glad to get home but it was a really great trip. Thanks to all the teachers who helped on the trip, we couldn’t do it without you!
By Mirren Brown
A Crunch For Lunch
On Wenesday 23rd September the children from Port Ellen had a Crunch for Lunch as part of Scottish School Meals day. We all ,student and staff, had to bring in an apple and have it for lunch break. We also had a Scottish themed lunch. It was mince and potatoes or stewed sausages and potato soup. For pudding it was dumpling or scones. It was really tasty. We all enjoyed our apples. We had our crunch for lunch day because it was healthy and Scottish. Everyone enjoyed our Crunch For Lunch Day.
By Bronagh and Mirren.
The 1 Mile Walk Around the School
Our p567s did a 1 mile walk around the school. They figured out how many times they needed to walk around the outside of the playground to make 1 mile. They had to walk it 4 times to make a mile. They all had lots of fun doing it.
Sports Day
On wednesday it was sports day. All of the P1,2,3,4,5,6,7 and the nursary had a whole afternoon of sports and fun also the sports champion was to be revealed and there was the relay races. The sports champion was Ross Thompson and Jodie Jamieson and Texa won the relay and Texa won the shield for the most points.
Sports Championships
Over the last few weeks P6/7 have been doing the sports championships. The sports championships is where you take part in lots of different activities and then get points for what place you come in or if you take part. If you come first you get 100 points, if you come second you get 75 points, if you come third you get 50 points and if you take part you get 25 points. The activities consist of cross country, 100m, 50m, high jump, long jump, hurdles, obstacle, football dribbling throwing and basketball hoops. At the the end of sports day the person with the most points will be given a trophy and medal if second or third you get a medal. This year for the girls championships in 3rd place was Bronagh from p6 2nd was Beth from p7 and sports champion was Jodie from p7. For the boys championships in 3rd place was Logan from P7, 2nd was Ronan from p6 and the boys sports champion was Ross from p6. Everyone enjoyed taking part in the sports championships.
By Emily and Jodie 🙂
The Junior Saltire Awards
Over the last week, we have been trying to create our own wave power devices and see if we can light an LED light by generating electricity from waves. 3 groups in P7 are entering the Junior Saltire awards with their devices. All the groups have different designs for the wave power to make the LED light work.
The first group is called the Electricity Generators and the device is called The Electric Cradle. The second group is called The ABAE and the device is called The Wave-Inator 360. The last group is called TLWN and their device is called The Donut.
We are going to enter all 3 devices and hopefully our school will have some success with 1 of our devices.
By Abbie and Eleanor 🙂
Day of Dance
Day of Dance this year started with us missing the first half of it because the bus man forgot us. Apart 
from that it was great. The first dance was the for the Reel for Jeanie and the last was the Dashing White Sergeant, the class favourite dance. Half way through the day they repeated the Flying Scotsman. In all the day was great and thanks to Mrs Shaw and Mrs Campbell for teaching us so well:
A Reel For Jeanie.
First you dance in a circle for four back for four.
Next the top couple walk down the middle then cast of with the rest of the people following.
Make an arch and the rest of you walk though.
Then you clap 8 times and spin with right hand.
By Anwen Baker
Learning About Rivers
At school we learned about rivers for our water topic and near the end we decided to work in our groups to make something to show our learning so we went into our groups and made things to show our learning.
One group made an animation and a small poster while another made a dance to show stages of the river and the the third did experiments to see if water can clear away sand, soil and gravel and the last made a clay mountain model to show how a river would flood and knock over small houses.
By Torin
