Lots of news from Ardrishaig Primary……….
Skipping for the British Heart Foundation
On Friday 21st March, staff and pupils took part in a sponsored skip-athon to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. Children had practised skipping as part of their P.E. lessons in the run up to the event and then took part in a variety of skipping events during the day itself, culminating in a whole school mass skip at lunchtime. Pupils and staff also traded in their usual school dress and wore red for the day in order to raise awareness of the charity. Sponsor money is still coming in and the total raised so far is a spectacular £1,739!

Library Visits
During this term, classes at Ardrishaig have been visiting Lochgilphead Library to learn more about what the library can offer. Carol Lawson at the library had kindly organised the visits which have allowed all pupils in the school to research their school projects, enjoy stories and access a range of media and books. Mrs McMillan (Principal Teacher) said, “It has been a great opportunity for the children who haven’t been to the library before to see what’s on offer. Lots of the boys and girls have already started visiting with their parents and the school now has its own library card.”

Spring Fling
Friday 14th March saw the newly inaugurated annual ‘Spring Fling’ Ceilidh organised by the Parent Council at Ardrishaig Primary. The event was a huge success raising over £650 toward a new stage for the school hall. Three generations danced the night away to music by Archie McCallister and Ron Pirrie whilst Leonie Sweeney called the steps. Mr Jay Helbert (Head Teacher) was ebullient, stating, “The night was a huge success for the Parent Council. It is humbling to see so many people here at the school on a Friday night and it really brings home to me what a great community spirit we have here.”

Partnership with Sandbank Primary
Pupils from two Ardrishaig classes visited Sandbank Primary School in Dunoon last week as part of a project to help develop teacher’s and pupil’s skills. Over the past six months, teachers from the two schools have been meeting to plan together and share their knowledge and expertise with each other. The two schools have been developing a new model of moderation (a process that ensures teachers and pupils know exactly what constitutes excellence in the curriculum) and delivering Curriculum for Excellence. The project, led by Miss Dudley (P7 teacher) has caught the eye of Education Scotland, the body that regulates teaching across the country who will be sharing it nationwide as an example of best practice. Miss Dudley said, “teachers from the two schools have been planning together and looking at what makes excellent pupil work so it seemed only logical that pupils would benefit from sharing their work and assessing one another’s presentations.” Pupils from P7 in Ardrishaig have been researching and giving presentations about Scotland’s history and future whilst the P3/4 class have been researching and presenting tourism information that compares Mid-Argyll with Glasgow.

School Open Day
Ardrishaig Primary turned back the clock for parents, grandparents and other community members last week as they held an open day where adults had the opportunity to join in with classes. Visitors to the school were welcomed with tea and cake and then saw the Primary 5/6 and Primary 7 classes presentations on Scotland’s history and future. A number of parents were very impressed at how clearly pupils set out the potential pros and cons of Scottish Independence during the presentations that the pupils had researched and prepared themselves. Visitors then spent time in classes working alongside the children and finding out more about what the young people do day in day out. One happy parent declared, “It really gave me a sense of how well my children have achieved this term – it brings their learning journey to life.” Logan and Jodie’s mum, Dorothy posted on the school’s Facebook page, “It was really lovely to get an insight into what the kids are up to.”