NEWS

Last Friday, all the schools on Islay and Jura met together in Bowmore hall to have an afternoon of Scottish country dancing. We do this so that people can meet up with and get know know the other kids in there year that their going into high school with. We danced the Gay Gordans, the Virginia Reel, the Canadian Barn dance and the Flying Scotsman. We all had loads of fun and enjoyed it very much.

By Sophie

Yesterday we had a Easter egg competition there were lots of excellent ideas. It takes a lot of time and effort to make a good egg for the competition. The Easter egg competition is when you make an egg into something and then you bring it to school and the judge will judge it and then after a while you will find out who won from the Nursery up to primary 7. The winners were:

Nursery: Erin

P1: Jacob

P2: chloe

P3: katie

P4: Christopher

P5: Evie

P6: Donald

P7: Taylor

On Thursday 29th of March was P4/5’s Easter Assembly. Everyone had a role and they all did well with their roles. All the parents helped paint and craft other props like hats, poppies and backdrops. Children in our class were put into pairs and given a propaganda poster to recreate by hand drawing it. We all had fun preparing for the assembly and we all had fun doing the assembly. When we were doing our propaganda posters  people took almost 4 different days  to finish their propaganda posters and most of them looked brilliant. When our giant poppies were all made we researched soldiers that  we found information about them and wrote it down. Then Miss Brown had put it down on the giant poppies because Miss Brown had laid them down on stage so at the end one by one we would go pick up a poppy and read out what it said to the audience.We had much fun doing and practising the assembly and we are doing it again this year for others that had not seen it. People found it very emotional hearing about the people from Islay that had died.

This term we have been learning about WW1. We have been looking at the sinking of the Tuscania and the Otranto, how the war has changed Islay and we have been looking at life in the trenches. We have also been researching our own person from the trenches in the war. I am reaserching someone called Walter Whyte. He was a Lance corporal and his regiment was the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Part of our learning we were hoping to write a letter back to the family of the person you were researching. I found out lots of very sad and interesting facts about Walter Whyte. I found out that when Walter was still in school his older brother went to war and then Walter’s brother Colin went to put on the light of the lighthouse with his dad on a windy night and Colin fell into the water and his dad went in to catch him and they both drowned that night. It was very sad and a few months erlier Walter’s older brother Doughald died in the war. His other older brother went to war and was allowed to go home as their mum was struggling. Then later on Walter died in the war. One of the weird facts is that when Walter was alive he was injured by a grenade when it hit his nose. The whole of our class wrote a letter to the families of their people and this is my letter to Walter’s family.

Dear Mother,
I am having a spiffing time here, making some new friends and I only got injured a few times. I miss all the family very much. Well, I hope that soon enough the war will be over and I will be able to come how to see you all and in one piece. So how is the weather has it changed much from when I left. What I miss most is waking up every morning to see your warm, loving and caring smile, the lovely landscapes of Islay and exploring the island. I hope everything is spiffily good over there and everything is going very well. Have you found anyone else to go over to the lighthouse? I am extremely sorry I did not make it to the funeral I tried to explain but the Sargent wouldn’t let me go. I hope that you are managing ok with all the others at home and I will be as careful as I can because I know you don’t want another one of us to die.
Over here although in the trenches it is mucky, cold and full of lice and rats. Waking up every morning with rats crawling all over me and over everyone else. Itching and wriggling as the lice pinch and suck my blood. It is always a nuisance lice sucking my blood and the only way we can get rid of them is if we get the end of our cigarettes and burn them. I can’t even get started with the trenches. Water up to our ankles and mud suffocating our legs as we squelch through the trenches. Slowly making our way through sludge. When it comes to night there is not even one bed to sleep in. Most of us has to sleep on the floor and over here we have to look after our self. The worst thing is that the kilts we wear attract lice. I wish so much that I was home with you and the rest of the family. The ground is mostly muck and dead bodies. The weather over here is sometimes ok but most of the time the breeze is blowing heavily against my face.
Right now I am in the battle of the Somme in France. Every two seconds BANG! Another shell comes down failing to hit us another time. The guns firing and hitting our trench. Every time another man falling, dying and in deep pain. I am scared Mother I really want to come home. Even my friends can’t help some of them have died during the battle and some in the hospital beds. Sometimes it gets silence and just when I think that it stops another fire comes our way but that time it was different. My first gas attack. I got really scared. The gas came, some of the soldiers falling some chocking and drowning. I made it out alive. Just. I just can’t any more I want to come home mother.
Soon enough I am hoping that I will be home and everything will be back to normal. I hope you are doing very well and I am hoping to see you very soon.
Cheerio
Walter xxx

Here is a piece of art I did based on my learning.

Primary 6/7  have just finished our world war one topic. During this course of time we have learned about the Tuscania, Otranto, ww1 itself and the heroes of our island. Myself personally has been reasearching an Argyll and Sutherland Highlander called Alastair Mackinnon. Alastair had no Brothers, but he had two sister: Margaret and Sheila, and lived in Kildalton house. To be able learn about people of Islay back in 1918 we had to have relevant primary and secondary sources of evidence to combine and make a morally excellent piece of writing. The writing had to be a letter from whoever we were reasearching about to their family and I chose to write to Alastair’s Mother. We also had to combine our knowledge about life in/during war to create a detailed art media to tell the story’s of war life on land, sea, and sky.

This is what my letter looks like;

Somme

France

Mametz

February 7^th 1916

Dear Mother,

Tally Ho, Tally Ho. For a long time I have missed you all very dearly and I would feel very passionate if I could have to opportunity to come back home soon but unfortunately I cannot. At the moment I am currently in the Somme. The weather right now has dawned dry and bright down at us but soon it will be flushing down with rain, filling the trenches and making the mud more hazardous and unsafe. Even worse it could make it easier for people to drown in the mud. Anyways, how was the ploughing match and who won? I can hear the shells Screeching down on us crashing hardly on the ground frantically firing pieces of metal all about.

How are my lovely sisters Sheila and Margaret getting on? I know Sheila wants to be a teacher, how is that going? I know for a splint fact that Father is still doing a splendid job as the Minister of kildalton Parish. I know dad visits the school quite often, how are the port Ellen children and Mr Maglocklen doing as I know he was my head teacher? How are Duncan and Jane getting on? My mind always stays positive when I think of you all and our McAlpine neighbours. Its something I will think of till the end of time. I have positive news for you all; the officers have told I that I am a young general favourite in the district of the soldier! Ever since I have been told that I have had my back up right and marched on through the troubles and worries, Proud and Tall. I have also ranked up to a Lieutenant and that I am honoured and blessed gratefully about.

I am currently in the trenches whilst writing to you. Despite having lots of nice chaps that I have already known and unexpectedly never met, the trenches are small, cramped and very uncomfortable to sleep in. We are all like old beggars under sacks. Especially without a bed or plumped pillow to lay my head on. I can hear the shells Screeching down on us crashing hardly on the ground frantically firing pieces of metal all about. Every time I open my eyes in the morning I feel tearful, abandoned, astounded, welling, disappointed, devastated, and heart broken because I am not with my loving family that misses me greatly. Perished I am, men scurrying one after another some blind, some deaf all because of gas. Foggy and thick gas smothering all over their faces, makes me think death.

As I have said before I am hoping I can leave the revolting war shortly and be able to come back to Islay. The Smokey breeze of the explosions sends me back warm and loving memories. Especially I want to be able to be here in the spring helping with the cow milking that I have missed out on. I love you all very dearly and I hope you are having a spiffing time. I must get heading, bye for now. Sending you all my warmth love. Pip Pip cheerio

Alastair MacKinnon xxx

Lieutenant soldier

This is what my Art Media looks like:

On Tuesday 27th February, three Ladies from the Islay art group came in and talked to us about the Tuscania, the Otranto  and how it is 100 years since the war ended. They showed us how to use clay and mold it into shapes. We all had to make clay figures to remember all of the beloved soldiers that died fighting to protect our country. All of the schools on Islay and Jura have been asked to make these clay models, we are hoping to Make 1010 because that’s how many soldiers we lost from Islay and Jura and on the Tuscania and the Otranto. Some of the men drowned, some of them were really badly damadged and some of them survived the war but died from bad wounds when they came back. We are making the Clay models in this way because a guy called Antony Gormley made these amazing clay models. All the clay models will be presented in the Ramsey hall on May the 4th were another rememberance will be held.

by Sophie Macdonald

For my Endeavour I am doing Islay walks I’ve walked up to Ben -Solem and Borachle so far. I’m going to be aiming to walk to Ben Vicar which is the highest hill on Islay.  By the end of my project I am going to have learnt the routes up to all the hills I’ve walked on, learn how to read a map and use a compass.

On Wednesday 14th February primary 6/7 went to the Islay museum to learn more facts about WW1 and also about life on Islay in the past. We are all researching a soldier that was in the war and trying to find facts out about him. Some of us got facts from the museum. We also got to look at some objects from the past on Islay and also some objects from the war as well. One of the things we got to look at was a book that had poems in them that we got to read. We also got to see some bullets from the war. Although we got to hold the fake ones, they were still fascinating to look at. At the end we got to have a look around the museum to see what we could find. Once we found an object we wrote facts about it and then we drew it. I drew a medal and I learned that on the rim it says the name of the man and what rank he is. My favorite thing in the museum was the machine gun  because it looked old, rusty and fascinating.(I would not like to wear all of that!)  At the museum I learned that in the war the men were forced to wear old Kilts, itchy jackets, heavy green helmets, and old boots.

By Rebecca and Ellen

A couple of weeks ago a poet called Ryan Van Winkle came into the P 6/7 class and helped us to write a good poem and think of ideas. Ryan Van Winkle went to all the schools on Islay and he will be putting together all of our ideas to make a poem about World War 1. We learnt how to make good similes, metaphors and personification, we wrote on the board all the things that human can do and objects can’t do. We also wrote down about the objects senses, I decided to write about the table and how it is annoyed how it has to lift all the pots and how it hurts when people lean on it. After we then wrote a poem about Islay and what we would miss about it if it was during the war. I said I would miss all of the  nature although I wouldn’t miss the smell of fish. Ryan Van Winkle had a fidget spinner and he dabbed and everyone in the class laughed.

We have been learning loads of fascinating information about world war one, ships torpedoed/sunk, the soldiers that served for our county, and the community heroes all because of one thing… Its been one hundred years since world war one (also known as the Great War) ended and since the Tuscania got torpedoed by a German U-boat. We all remember this tragic, heart-touching moment because not only was their lots of American Soldiers on the Tuscania and killed  but their was loads of Islay and Jura Soldiers on the Tuscania as well! In memory of the brave, and mighty Soldiers we lost, in the front school grounds we have made the most remarkable WW 100 sign that some of primary 6/7 made created and planted a variety of plants; Tulips, daffodil, poppy, bulbs and many more. In p6/7 we went down to the pier to venture the war memorial. Everyone chose someone from Islay and Jura to find facts and figures about them. I decided to learn more about A. Mackinnon. Alastair Mackinnon. Some miraculous facts I found out about Alastair was:

Alastair went to Port Ellen Primary School when he was a kid. In 1908 he went to Fettes Collage in Edinburgh. Fettes Collage looked like quite a posh school for someone to go to in 1908. After Collage he went to Edinburgh University. Eventually Alastair set off to go to war.

He Died on 14/10/1916
Aged 21
8th Bn.
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

Son of the Rev. James Mackinnon, M.A. and Margaret Mackinnon, of the Manse of Kildalton, Port Ellen, Isle of Islay.
Alastair home was Kildalton House.
People/family living with Alastair in 1901: James Mackinnon (head) aged 35, Margaret Mackinnon (wife) aged 34, Alastair Mackinnon (son) aged 5,
Sheila Mackinnon (daughter) aged 3, Margaret Mackinnon (sister) aged 30, Maggie Mckay (Servant) aged 31
Mary White (servant) aged 13.

Alastair Mackinnon had and inscription on his grave;
“BEATAE MEMORIAE”

The facts about Alastair I found most interesting was who lived in his home at the time of 1901 because I now have a good image in my head of what it was like to be him at the time especially with two servants.

For the choir this year we have been learning a song that relates to WW1. This year our song is called The White Swan. The man who wrote this was in the war. We all gathered at teh American Monument on the Oa because it had been 100 years since the Tuscania sank in 1918. It had also been 100 years since the war ended so on that day we went down to the graves at Kilnaughton and sang that song to everyone who was there. Also there were some people videoing us and now we are on TV. Lots of other people were there and they were saying poems and at the end we placed these small crosses with poppies on the top and we put them around the graves and in the ground. I really enjoyed singing for everyone who was there.

By Rowan Morris

Our school has been learning about WW1 and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders museum lent us some primary and secondary resources from WW1. They lent us: helmets, a kilt, a jacket, a water bottle, a tin that you could keep your food in and inside it there is a sauce pan to cook you food in, a belt that you can keep your bullets and small guns in, two medals, a whistle, bandages, gas masks, gas goggles, cleaning products like a comb,pins,a brush, a razor and a thing to hold your buttons in to clean them, they also sent us a fork and a knife, a exercise book, books to show you what to do in the war and posters to show people in action and meals that they would eat.

From all those things I learnt that in the war you had to have all your equipment with you. I also learnt that you have a lot of cleaning products. That they eat stew that looks and sounds disgusting . I learnt that the gas masks have been changed over the years to better ones. That the kilt and jacket was very itchy. Thank you to the museum for sending our school all those things.

By Abi Logan

Epilepsy Action Digital Media Manager Mark Morton talks about the different ways in which the digital world can offer young people living with epilepsy the support they need.