Pupils at Cardross Primary had great fun on our recent Green Day whilst learning important survival skills, starting with an assembly for Save The Children Den Day. Mrs Adirangga shared with us her experience of an Earthquake and Tsunami when living in an area known as the Ring of Fire and how she helped a community build emergency shelters.
Colgrain Go Green!
During the week of 6th-10th June pupils and staff at Colgrain enjoyed an activity packed Eco Week. The Eco Committee have been working very hard this year to plan and implement a variety of Eco initiatives. During the Eco Week pupils took part in a variety of group sessions, including: making fruit kebabs, Judo, Sports Day, Litter/Recycling with Argyll and Bute Council, SSPCA workshop, a visit to Waitrose and iCycle.
ICYCLE
P6 at Tarbert Academy have recently completed their I Cycle training. The children have been using the programme since March and each week have taken to their bikes and practiced many different road manoeuvres. On training days the children were instructed by I cycle trainers Tony Jones and Arlene Scott who were also joined by local police officer Alan Frame, who impressed on the children the importance of good cycle practice. After successfully completing the training the children were each gifted a bike lock from local councillor Anne Horn on behalf of the Kintyre Safety Forum.
High Flying Luss
Luss Primary is this year’s Scottish champions In the Total Green Awards, sponsored by the Total Oil Co. and the Young People’s Trust for the Environment.
34,000 children took part in the competition. Over the past five years Luss has won the Totally Clued-up Category three times and on a fourth occasion we were awarded a Total Special Award created especially for them because the work submitted was of such a high standard.
Kirn Primary Visit the Glasgow Gurdwara
Salen PS Gardening Diary
Day three and we had to do lots of watering. Unfortunately, our water butts have run out of water now. Need some rain! Our Borlotti beans, peas and barley are coming on well. We planted more seeds: purple sprouting broccoli and cabbage, and a sage plant. We tied in the peas and cleared some of our big pots ready for flowers. And, we mounded up the tatties again …
Rocket Science in Cardross Primary’
Primary 5 recently applied to the Royal Horticultural Society to take part in a very special experiment. British astronaut Tim Peake sent down a bag of seeds from outer space in April and asked the boys and girls to grow the seeds to see if being in an area of zero gravity affected the way that the seeds grow! After many weeks of watering, measuring and following Tim’s journey, Mr Henry sent the collected data to be entered into the ‘Rocket Science Database’, with some very interesting results! There certainly could be life on Mars in the very near future!
Solar Ovens for use on the Moon!
Primary 5/4 pupils at Kilcreggan Primary have been creating Solar Ovens from everyday materials. Pupils had been looking at how technology has developed over the past 90 years and thinking about designing some technology for the future. Their discussions led them to think about how people might cook in the future.
JUNIOR SALTIRE 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.
ECO SCHOOLS POCKET GARDEN WINNERS
On Thursday 2nd June Mirren and Rebecca traveled to Edinburgh to set up their One Planet Picnic Pocket Pallet Garden after winning an Eco Schools Scotland garden design competition. When they arrived, they set up their Hogwarts Buzzing garden for the next morning when the show would be held. The garden was designed to attract bees. 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,Roseanna Cunningham, 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.
By Mirren and Rebecca
Keeping healthy at Kirn Primary School
One of the last whole school events held in the ‘old’ building of Kirn PS was our annual Health Week. Fun and informative health promoting events were organised for the whole week involving all ten classes and our Early Learning Childcare Centre. We were so lucky that lots of the health professionals in our community offered their time and expertise to lead sessions.
Dunoon Primary School PTA – Street Picnic
On Sunday 12th July, the members of Dunoon Primary’s PTA organised a fantastic street picnic to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday. We set up in the school’s dining hall as the forecast wasn’t great but thankfully we were still able to enjoy activities in the playground too. The local fire engine and crew came along and lots of children enjoyed climbing aboard and wearing the very heavy helmet. Greg Girard coached children of all ages in his football skills workshops.
Strachur’s New Polytunnel
We are delighted that Mr Burke (local Strachur retiree) has come into our school to transform our polytunnel from an overgrown jungle to something fit for Beechgrove Garden! We are now growing tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, peppers, radishes and lettuce. Mr Burke has been involving groups of children in the process and pupils have taken responsibility for watering the plants everyday.
Yoga at Dalintober ELC
The children at Dalintober ELC recently participated in a ‘taster’ session of children’s Yoga, hosted by Rachel Edwards from Yoganadi. Yoga is a great activity to support children to relieve tension and stress, increase concentration and expand their imagination and creativity. We will continue to work in partnership with Rachel from Yoganadi through the next Academic Year and look forward to more fun and enjoyment from this worthwhile activity.
Strachur Cyclists
We are very proud of our P6 pupils who have passed their Cycling Proficiency – well done! Mrs Wilson trained them up on both the practical and theory. They are now ready to use their bikes safely on the roads. Thank you so much Mrs Wilson! Thanks also to Mrs Adrian, Mr Moore and Mrs Leyland who helped Mrs Wilson.
Fantastic!
Strachur at Cowal Police Sports
Orienteering Extravaganza at Port Ellen
On Wednesday 1st June P3/4 and P5-7 children from Port Ellen Primary were joined by classes from Port Charlotte and Bowmore Primary Schools for a festival of orienteering organized by Lynne Walker of the Scottish Orienteering Association and Rona Young, the PE Development Officer from Argyll & Bute Council.
Sunny Sports for Rockfield!
Rockfield Primary held a very successful sports day, at Mossfield Stadium, for the whole school. The day consisted of both competitive races and clan activities. The day was started by Oban High School Pipe Band providing wonderful music for us to march around the pitch to, big thanks to all involved! The pupils marched in clans and then had a fabulous warm up which was provided by David MacArthur and senior pupils from Oban High School.
New Construction Area at Campbeltown ELC!
Thanks to Buildbase, children from Campbeltown ELC, Meadows Under Fives and the Kintyre Toy Library have been enjoying a fantastic new outdoor construction area at Campbeltown Nursery Centre.
Staff at the centre take great pride in promoting outdoor learning and are extremely grateful to Buildbase for supplying the gravel and ground sheeting to enable the area to be created. The site promotes an endless range of leaning activities and is proving to be very popular with all the children.
S3 art pupils get protesting!
S3 art and design pupils in six secondary schools have recently had a day off timetable to work with two professional artists and Fiona Blakey, Cultural Coordinator. The project was inspired by a recent visit from the Travelling Gallery and supported by Argyll Youth Arts and Education Scotland through the Creative Learning Network scheme. Coordinated by CAST, the artists, Rob Walker, Amy Whiten and Gillian Steele, worked with pupils from Oban, Lochgilphead, Tarbert, Campbeltown, Dunoon and Helensburgh. During their time with the artists pupils tried a variety of printing and urban contemporary art techniques each producing a large protest placard. Please see below for a Youth Arts film about the project. Continue reading S3 art pupils get protesting!