A few weeks ago p5/6/7 worked on designs for a wave power device for the Junior Saltire Awards, which is a national competition for school children to design and make their own devices to promote the use of renewable energy. The group that built the device was called Wave Islay, and included Bronagh, Joe, Murray, Kaya, Abi and Ellie. We researched renewable and non renewable energy and learned about wave powered devices. Bronagh’s dad came in to help us build our device. When it was finished we went to test it in the sea and it worked. We had to fill in some papers to send away. Later on we found out that our device was in the finals. Now we are working on improvements to make it better! Bronagh, Joe, Murray and Kaya get to go to Edinburgh for the awards on the 9th June, where we will test our device in the Flo Wave facility at Edinburgh University. It is all very exciting!
Investigating Microclimate
P3/4 have been investigating the microclimate in the school grounds. They used digital thermometers on loan from the Royal Meteorological Society to record the temperatures at different places in the school grounds. It was a great way to consolidate all they had learned about maps as part of their orienteering. They then worked in the group to produce a scientific report complete with prediction, method, results, bar chart and explanation. A great piece of work!
Science week at the High School
On Wednesday 16th March all of the p7 in Argyll and Bute went over to the Islay High School to learn about science, because it was science week.
At the High School we made our own crystals and we also had to try and make a light go on by connecting wires. We all really enjoyed the science and we learnt a lot of new things to do with science. The next day in Port Ellen Primary School p3/4 and p5/6/7 invited our parents in to come and see some of the science we had done working with partners.
We set up lots of tables with lots of different activities such as a Islay map where you had to label lots of different rocks, cakes, the rock cycle, volcano, and much more.
It was great fun.
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
Geology With P5/6/7
P5/6/7 have been doing geology as their topic. They have been learning about renewable and non-renewable energy. Renewable sources are sources that will not run out and non-renewable sources are sources that will run out. They also have been learning how the energy is converted into electricity. They made posters on renewable and non-renewable sources. Some non-renewable sources are coal, gas, oil and nuclear power. Renewable sources are wind power, solar power, geothermal, tidal power and biomass. Wind power is using a wind-mill and when the wind comes it spins the wind-mill and creates electricity. They will be going on a field trip to smash up rocks next Friday.
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.
5/6/7 TOPIC POETRY AND ABSTRACT ART
P567 have been doing a topic on Poetry and Abstract art. First, we looked at some abstract art online by famous artists. We said how we felt about them. Then, our teacher said that we could make our own abstract print and a poem to go with it. We all planned our poems and our print. I did Nightmares as my poem and I made a print with it. Afterwards, we planned a poem with at least 3 verses. We also learned about Kennings, Hakius and a few other poem sorts. We all made our own Kennings. We really enjoyed our topic very much. 
The Chocolate Factory
P3/4 have been designing their own sweets in the class Chocolate factory. In their groups they chose the best design to produce and market…presenting their product to P5-7. Milky Moods was chosen as the best of the bunch…but we all enjoyed tasting them!
The Fabulous Panto
The children of Port Ellen Primary School had a panto and P5/6/7 and part of P4 had most of the main parts but all the classes were on the stage at the end. The panto was called What a Knight and it was about the legend of King Aurthur. The main characters are Kitty and Watt Cobblers they are mother and son. They were played by Ruaraidh Macdonald And Eva Munro. It was on the 10th and the 11th of December 2015. There was also bad guys in it and they were the Black Knight and Ernie and Bernie Blackhead and they were evil. Then we had Princesses Alberta, Alfreda and Alice. Two of them dressed like princesses and the other one was like a peasant. And at the end we were singing with the audience Winter Wonderland and Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. I really enjoyed it.
Muffins P5/6/7
P5/6/7 of Port Ellen primary school have been making muffins in their table groups. The table with the most profit wins. Here is what they made. One table made a mint icing Christmas tree with a chocolate sponge. The next table made Santa feet sticking out of the snow with an apple and cinnaman sponge. The next table made a snowman face with a red and vanilla sponge. And the final table used a star design with a chocolate orange flavoured sponge. Some tables spent more than others on there cakes and some tables can’t make a profit on how much they have spent. We did a taste test; first was the snow man, second was the tree, third was the star, and 
fourth was Santa feet.
Written by
Ross Thompson
