Category Archives: Personal Development

Strachur P1-4 ‘Trees’ Topic

strachur-tree-topic-1Wow! Primary 1-4 have been learning everything there is to know about TREES! We went a big walk into the forest to collect conkers recently. We also made collages in the playground with various other interesting things we found, for example pine cones and strange shaped twigs!

We made crowns decorated with different shaped leave and petals from wild flowers. Our teacher, Mrs Leyland, told us what trees the leaves had come from.
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Sock Puppet Shakespeare at Clachan Primary

clachan-shakespear-sock-puppetThis term Clachan Primary have been learning about William Shakespeare. We looked up the meaning of Shakespearian words, wrote our own sonnets, acted out scenes from Romeo and Juliet, then took ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’ and re wrote it using our own words.

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Prints of Play! at Cove Park

cove-park-prints-of-play-lauraspringThe Hands-On Cove Park Holiday Art Club offers a blast of creativity every day!
Prints of Play! is for children aged 8-11 interested in art, experimenting with colour, shape, texture and pattern. During a course of four daily sessions, 09:30-11:30 from Monday 17 – Thursday 20 October 2016, children will experiment with ideas around the theme of ‘play’ to create a series of quick, inspirational paper collages that will be used to inform a stencil design to print one or more t-shirt designs that they can go on to wear.
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‘Dare to be Different’

At the end of August, 19 Park Primary School girls from Primary 6 and 7 attended Dare to be Different at Knockhill Racing Circuit. It was an event organised by Susie Wolf (an ex pupil of Park Primary) to encourage girls into motor racing and to promote the message that gender doesn’t limit your choices. We made a hover craft, experienced go-karting, learned how to do a pit stop, participated in a fitness routine and took part in an interview with Sky Sports and some of us even got on the STV news. It was an amazing day that we will never forget.

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Salen PS Eco-committee Brave the Weather

salen-ps-sps-eco-comm-1Despite the wind and rain on Tuesday the Eco-committee managed to start a very important task. Many of the shrubs need pruned so the pupils took the opportunity to take soft wood cuttings and pot them up. If they root successfully the shrubs will eventually be planted out in the school grounds and at the school’s planned pond area. The photos show our blueberry and raspberry cuttings.

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REMINDER: Professional Learning Community – Supporting Armed Forces Families

professional-learning-communityFor the past three years, primary, secondary and third sector staff in Helensburgh and Lomond have met together to form a Professional Learning Community (PLC) with the collective aims of:
• understanding the practical, emotional, educational and social challenges children from Armed Forces families face as a result deployment or mobility;
• identifying strategies for supporting children within both teaching and pastoral roles;
• sharing good practice and resources, and supporting each other. Continue reading REMINDER: Professional Learning Community – Supporting Armed Forces Families

Coding at Minard and Furnace Primaries

furance-and-minard-coding-1Pupils at Minard and Furnace Primaries were very fortunate last week to have developed their coding skills through two mini-technology days led by Steven Simpson of Argyll & Bute Council. The technology days came about as a result of pupil feedback saying they were really keen to learn more about coding. Steven came along to both primaries armed with Raspberry Pi, Lego We Do 2.0 (programmable lego) and ‘Flying Spiders’ (drones). Steven also showed us how to make mini-film trailers using Ipads.
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Inverness 10k

Salen PS Inverness 10k June 30th 2016SPS Runners
Ellen and Gemma MacRae of Salen Primary School raised £570 for Cancer Research UK by running the Inverness 10k. Well done girls! You ran an amazing distance and collected a phenomenal amount of money.

They are so keen on running and sports. They also achieved a 1st and 2nd place at the Tiree Fitness Kids Event.

Autumn Education Programmes at Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute

Mount Stuart Root Camp2Root Camp is a not-for-profit social enterprise committed to changing the consumer habits of young adults in the UK. They work with 14-21 year olds, spending a week in a rural environment, dividing time between cooking in a professional kitchen and hands on experience in the fields – planting, harvesting, foraging and fishing.

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Isaac’s Design Success

Strachur PS Isaac fringe compLast year Isaac McAlinden from Strachur Primary entered a competition, along with the rest of his P6/7 class, to design the front cover of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival programme. His design was shortlisted and displayed in ‘Our Dynamic Earth’ in Edinburgh over the summer. We love his design, what do you think?

Well done Isaac!

First Harvest from Strachur Polytunnel

First Harvest from Strachur PS 1Pupils have been busy picking perfect potatoes, enormous cabbage and delicious cherry tomatoes from our polytunnel – all the hard work has paid off! Thank you to Mr Burke for his expertise and commitment to our school. Also thank you Mrs Speirs in the kitchen for preparing the vegetables to serve in the lunch hall.

What will we plant next?

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Gaelic Learners Education Opportunities for (GLPS)

A & B logoThere are spaces available on this year’s GLPS course.

The training programme is held at Stirling Court Hotel and is centrally funded.
Those who have undertaken the GLPS training in the past are full of praise for the tools and confidence it has given them to deliver Gaelic Language Learning in their settings. The closing date for the participants to put their name forward via their Headteacher is Friday 9th September 2016

Dalintober Primary 7 Lunchtime Buddies

Dalintober Buddy 2Primary 7s have quickly started to learn about their new roles of responsibility by assisting the new Primary 1 pupils at lunchtimes. Each P1 pupil has a P7 buddy who helps them throughout the lunch break. The Primary 7s have all enthusiastically risen to the challenge and are demonstrating a range of leaderships skills such as good communication, empathy and organisation. Later in the session the P7s will run sports and art lunchtime clubs for other pupils in the school. The Lunchtime Buddy scheme is giving them the skills they will need for these more challenging roles.

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Argyll and Bute School Staff Receive a Professional Development Award

PDA Whole Group + Admin + RR - FinalOn the 21st June 2016, 22 Classroom and Additional Support Needs Assistants received certificates for the SQA Professional Development Award (PDA) in Education Support Assistance in a ceremony held in the Loch Fyne Hotel, Inveraray.

Roslyn Redpath, Principal Educational Psychologist, presented the certificates on behalf of Argyll and Bute Council and congratulated the candidates on their hard work and commitment.
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Scottish Education Awards 2016

JLB Scottish Education award June 2016John Logie Baird Primary School and Pre Five Unit have been celebrating their success at the Scottish Education Awards 2016. They were delighted to be a top 3 finalist in the Learning through Technologies category at this year’s event. Judges from Education Scotland visited the school back in April and spoke to pupils, staff, parents and members of the community who were involved in their hugely successful Oscars Night and their innovative new Improving and Achieving report –

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