Category Archives: Curriculum for Excellence

‘Father of the iPod’ surprises DGS Pupils with Words of Support

Co-operative Learning, Creativity, Curriculum for Excellence, Events, Interdisciplinary, Modern Studies, Personal Development, PSE, Science, Secondary schools, Social Media, Topics,

A class of S3 Business pupils at Dunoon Grammar school received a pleasant surprise last week when Tony Fadell – dubbed the Father of the iPod – tweeted words of encouragement for a learning experience the pupils were working on.

The pupils studying Business were working on a creative team exercise – tasked to rebrand Apple’s iconic iPod and devise an effective marketing-mix to breathe new life into the flagging sales of the once all conquering multimedia player.

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Spotify in the DGS Spotlight to celebrate International Women’s Day

Communities and Culture, Creativity, Curriculum for Excellence, Events, Global Citizenship, Interdisciplinary, Modern Studies, Personal Development, PSE, RME, Science, Secondary schools, Social Enterprise, Topics,

Budding Business & Computing entrepreneurs from Dunoon Grammar school participated in an exclusive Question and Answer session with senior executives of the successful technology company Spotify – to mark International Women’s Day on 8 March 2017.

Spotify is a music, podcast, and video streaming service with over 100 million users across the globe

Dunoon Grammar was the only school in Scotland to take part and one of only four schools from across the UK involved in the event organised by Apps for Good.

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Dunoon pupils scoop top award at national event

Competitions, Curriculum for Excellence, Events, Interdisciplinary, Modern Studies, Personal Development, Science, Secondary schools,

A group of pupils from Dunoon Grammar School excelled in a national event last week when they scooped the top prize.

S1 students from the school’s business and computing department beat off stiff competition from across Scotland when they won Apps for Good’s first ever Scottish event.

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Nano Science Comes to Dunoon Primary

Curriculum for Excellence, Interdisciplinary, Modern Studies, Personal Development, Primary schools, PSE, Science

This week as part of British Science Week, Dr Joy Leckie and her team, came from Strathclyde University to Dunoon Primary School to introduce the P1-4s to Nano Science. The Primary 1 and 2 classes were involved in making nanojelly. Primary 3 and 4s learned about polymers, lacing beads to make a bracelet and had the experience of mixing ingredients to make a nanopolymer bouncy ball. It was a messy job, but thoroughly enjoyable! We are so lucky to have this fantastic team at our school, well done!

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WORLD BOOK DAY- Bedtime Story Day

Curriculum for Excellence, Early Years, Events, Interdisciplinary, Literacy, Primary schools, Pupil Council

St Andrew’s Primary School marked World Book Day 2017 by having a Bedtime Story Day. The school’s Pupil Council organised the day that included the pupils (and staff) wearing pyjamas! The pupils were busy with lots of different literacy based activities including shared reading, where pupils from older classes read bedtime stories to younger children and younger children showcased their reading skills for their older peers. Pupils also had the chance to buy a new book at the book fair organised for the day.

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Kirn’s P6 Digital Leaders click with Cowal Elderly Befrienders

Co-operative Learning, Communities and Culture, Curriculum for Excellence, Hospitality, Interdisciplinary, Modern Studies, Primary schools, PSE, Science, Social Media, Training,

The Digital Leaders from Kirn’s Primary 6 spent a morning being teachers for members of our community who felt they wanted to come back to school and find out more about the online world.

Using the school iPads P6 pupils began with the basics – turning the iPads on and and finding out what an app is. Then they were off! Soon holidays were being browsed and online shopping was being investigated.

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STEM Focus at Dalintober PS & ELC

Curriculum for Excellence, Early Years, Events, Interdisciplinary, Maths, Primary schools, PSE, Science, ,

STEM has been a learning focus for pupils of Dalintober PS & ELC. Lots of activities and investigations took place with input from local STEM Ambassador, Joanna Holbrook, and various other partners. Pupils learned about, amongst other things, life cycles and how they can be recorded, drones and coding, buildings and structures and DNA. The focus ended with a whole ELC/school ‘Sharing Our Learning’ assembly.

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John Logie Baird Primary School – STEM Collaboration

Co-operative Learning, Creativity, Curriculum for Excellence, Early Years, Events, Interdisciplinary, Maths, Modern Studies, Primary schools, PSE, Science, Topics,

The children from John Logie Baird Primary 1 and nursery have been demonstrating their skills for life while working collaboratively on STEM experiences as part of their Early Level Class.

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Science & Technology in Kirn’s P6

Curriculum for Excellence, Events, Interdisciplinary, Modern Studies, Personal Development, Primary schools, PSE, Science, Workshops,

Kirn’s P6 have been immersing themselves in the world of science and technology. We have been learning about the science of electricity in class using BBC Science and enjoying a fantastic science and technology workshop with STEM ambassador Kirsty Jackson-Stark. Kirsty brought an amazing array of equipment to measure and observe how electrons behave, how electricity can be created and measured, and what it can be used for. All the children enjoyed a really interactive and experimental hands-on day.

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Fourth Green Flag for Dalintober Primary

Awards, Curriculum for Excellence, Eco committe, eco committee, Eco Schools, environment, Events, Interdisciplinary, Primary schools

Dalintober Primary School are delighted to have been awarded a fourth Green Flag from Keep Scotland Beautiful as part of the Eco School programme of study.
Our photograph shows the Eco Committee displaying the Green Flag in our school grounds.
Our next steps include creating a new Action Plan, organising a Green Day and investigating new ways to explore the Eco principles within our curriculum.

World Book Day 2017 with Furnace & Minard PS

Communities and Culture, Curriculum for Excellence, Early Years, Events, Expressive arts, Friends and Family, Hospitality, Literacy, Primary schools, Topics

This year the pupils of Minard and Furnace came together to celebrate World Book Day with an afternoon of reading related activities including a second hand book sale, shared reading activities. We were fortunate that local story teller Margaret Renton also came along to read to our pupils and share her enthusiasm for literacy. Parents and carers came along for a cup of tea and our toddler group took part in the reading activities with glee.

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Junior Chef training at the Isle of Coll Hotel

Co-operative Learning, Communities and Culture, Curriculum for Excellence, Events, Health and Wellbeing, Home Economics, Hospitality, Personal Development, Primary schools, Science, Work Experience

Arinagour Primary Schools P4, P6 and P7 pupils enjoyed four trips to the Coll Hotel to participate in Junior Chef training sessions.

With the guidance of owner and chef Julie Oliphant, chef Graham Griffiths and hotel manager Laura Oliphant the pupils developed skills in food preparation. They identified ingredients, units of measure and equipment used in the cooking process.

They also learned about cleanliness, hygiene and safety

P1 and P2 pupils joined the senior pupils as guests to sample the meals that had been prepared.

Yammering welcome!

CPD, Curriculum for Excellence, Maths, Personal Development,

yammer

Yammer has come to Numeracy!  The yammer page for Numeracy and Mathematics in Argyll and Bute has now been set up and is available to all teaching staff.  It is a super way of sharing resources and chatting with colleagues across Argyll and Bute council, all through your Glow accounts.  Some super resources have already been added so feel free to come in and look around!  We look forward to yammering with you …

Good2Go programme

Curriculum for Excellence, Health and Wellbeing, Primary schools, Secondary schools

3128164-bluish-gymnastics-icon1-150x1501“Good2Go is a comprehensive health and wellbeing programme for all primary pupils. We have created 6 core lessons plans for early, first a second level, which cover topics outlined by the Scottish Government in their Child Healthy Weight Strategy. Completion of the full programme will allow you to meet all “Food and Health” HWB outcomes for early, first and second level.”

A folder with all resources needed, is on SALI for all teachers to access, under the Health and Wellbeing tab

FREE PE CPD OPPORTUNITY FOR PRIMARY AND EARLY YEARS PRACTIONERS

Curriculum for Excellence, Early Years, Events, Learning Centres, PE, Personal Development, Primary schools, Science, Secondary schools, Sport, Training, Workshops,

3128164-bluish-gymnastics-icon[1]PE Development Day
BETTER MOVERS AND THINKERS
Saturday 4th March 2017
Inveraray Primary School
Time – 9.30am refreshments for 10.00am start – 3.15pm
Refreshments and lunch provided
Some assistance with travelling expenses may be available.

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Third Green Flag for Dunoon Primary!

Awards, Co-operative Learning, Communities, Communities and Culture, Curriculum for Excellence, Eco committe, Eco Schools, environment, Interdisciplinary, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools, PSE, School trips

dps-third-green-glag-jan-2017Dunoon Primary had been awarded it’s third Green Flag. Below is an extract from the letter Dunoon Primary received by Mrs Senga Wakefield, who is the leader of our Eco Committee from Eco-Schools Scotland/Keeping Scotland Beautiful.

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Inveraray Eco Success

Awards, Communities and Culture, Crofting, Curriculum for Excellence, Early Years, eco committee, Eco Schools, environment, Geography, Global Citizenship, Interdisciplinary, Modern Studies, Outdoor Learning, Primary schools

inveraray-eco-award-jan-2017Inveraray Eco Success

Inveraray Primary School was the first school in Argyll and Bute to gain Green Flag status as an Eco School back in 2003. We are pleased to share the good news that we have once again retained our Green Flag status through our Crofting and Kenyan Connections work which includes the whole school and the nursery.

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Regional Winner of the French Drama Competition

Competitions, Creativity, Curriculum for Excellence, Drama, Events, Expressive arts, History, Interdisciplinary, Modern languages, Performance, Primary schools, Projects, PSE,

drama-2La Concours de la francophonie
Well done to the P5 class of Dunoon Primary School for winning the regional final of the French Drama competition. The class were involved in an interdisciplinary learning project about the Titanic. They then developed a French drama linked with this project and sang a traditional French song about a sailor and the sea. Their winning entry can be seen HERE . They have now been entered into the national final. We wish them every success in the next stage of the competition.