Primary School of the Year 2022
This year the National Mòd is going to be in Fort William. Port Ellen Choir will be singing 3 songs and the joint choir will be singing two. In the joint choir is some members from both Port Ellen and Bowmore choir, this choir was started when Mrs MacDonald became the head teacher in both schools. We hope that we will win all of our songs and we also hope that all the people doing solos, poems and duets will be fantastic and win their competition as well!
by Sophie and Rowan
On Tuesday 3rd October 2017 primary 6/7 made a delicious buffet for elders in the local community. Some of the delicious food that were available: Bramble muffins, pancakes, tomato soup, egg sandwiches, nettle soup, bramble meringues, oat and apple cookies, bramble and apple cakes and jam sandwiches. After everyone got welcomed and took a seat the P6/7s told everyone about the feast. While everyone ate some people from the class were on a table with each other and we had to talk to the people on our table. Soon after everyone had had a wee bit to eat the Gaelic choir sang some beautiful songs and some of the choir did poems and solos. After the Gaelic choir sang the Primary School band played some songs. The instruments that were played were the flute and the clarinet. The final thing that happened was primary 1,2 and 3 did some poems and they sounded lovely. Everyone had a great time, enjoyed the entertainment and very much appreciated our lovely foods.
Sarah
In Port Ellen Primary there were new captains chosen for the different houses. Most houses have one captain and two vice captains but this year Nave, one of the houses, had three vice and one captain. All the houses are based on an Island around Islay. Orsay’s captain is Rowan Morris and their vice-captains are Matthew Campbell and Sophie Macdonald. Texa’s captain is Rebecca Morris and their vice captains are Jack Shaw and Abi Logan. Nave’s captain is Lauren Macdonald and their vice captain are Sarah Maclennan, Taylor Swanson and Mara Magilvery. All of the houses have chosen a foundraiser and a sport for each tearm.
by Matthew and Jack
On Friday 30th September an author came in to p6/7 called Barbra Henderson and she talked to us about her books and one of them was called Fir For Luck. She also talked to us about her newest book called Punch and it is not out in the real world yet but we are the first to hear it. We have heard the first chapter of it. She also choose some of us to act out some of the parts of the story. At the end she gave us all a bookmark and the choices were Punch or Fir For Luck. I loved acting out one of the parts in Fir For Luck. I learned that one of her books had 37,000 words. We also learned she has writen more that ten book but not all of them are published. We enjoyed the author coming in and we hope that another author comes in soon.
By Abi and Freya
Image: The Dove Self-Esteem Project
Cybercrime: the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU) looks at how you can encourage your child to use their digital skills in a positive, rather than negative, way
P1/2/3 have been learning all about energy. They have explored lots of different toys, old and new, to see what they do and thought about what makes them go. They have discovered that toys can move, make sounds and light and that all of this is produced by putting energy into the toys – from electricity, by pushing, pulling and twisting. The children were amazed to see the liquid move when it was heated with your hand. Learning about energy is part of our Rolls-Royce Science Prize project for this year.
In class we all researched an engineer. I researched aerospace engineering. To be an aerospace engineer you have to have a lot of qualifications such as: Software engineering, electrical engineering, you need to know mathematics, you need to have applied some physics, manufacturing engineering and you need to have completed some space related courses. They also need to have a lot of different skills like: To be able to think creatively, problem solving, strong knowledge of aerospace systems, organizational skills, time-management and writing skills. This job includes: applying science and technology to create aircraft, researching and developing designs.It also includes taking part in flight test programs to measure take-off distances, measuring and improving the performing of aircraft and investing aircraft accidents. Now I definitely know more about aerospace engineering that I knew before. I was very interested when I was learning about it and I would like to do it again.
By Rebecca Morris
We have been finding out about different types of engineering. An auto engineer is an engineer that works with vehicles. This job involves working on computers and fixing cars. The average salary is up to £28,000. To be an auto engineer you need to be good at maths and be good at dealing with technology, but most important you have to have good group work to get the job done. You would also have to think about seeing when working with Vehicles. It would also help if you had a degree. I thought that it would be good to be an auto engineer because you always have a task to get done with a team.
We have been learning about Engineering. We have been looking at the Engineering habits of mind here are some and what they mean. Curiosity: asking lots of questions about something. Open- mindedness: showing and telling new ideas. Resilience: don’t give up. Resourcefulness: always organized. Collaboration: able to work in a group. Reflection: look back at your work and rethink your ideas. Visualising: think in your head about what you think your idea is going to turn out like. We have been learning these because the whole schools topic is Engineering. I think that I have learned how to work in a group, how to ask questions, to keep working hard and never give up and how to look back at my work and improve it to make it better. I also learned that Engineers are not just men some engineers are women as well.
By Abi Logan
This short film, narrated by scientist and TV presenter Heather Reid at Whitelees Windfarm, explores the opportunities for using the power of the wind, waves and tides in Scotland to produce energy. LOGON TO GLOW TO VIEW
What different skills do engineers need to do their jobs?
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Watch this STEM video to find out about the different types of engineering that are happening around the world.
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Scotland has a great history of excelling in the field of engineering. We have been looking at different types of engineering in school and we want to focus especially on renewable engineering, which will help solve the problem of global warming. LOGON TO GLOW TO VIEW
A boat full of rainwater was an ideal opportunity for ELCC children to develop their engineering and problem solving skills!
As part of our Transport topic, P1/2/3 wanted to find out all about cars, how they worked and what made cars go faster. So they wrote to Dugald McKerral and went on a trip to the garage. They saw a car up on the hydraulic ramp and could see the wheel axels and the chassis that they had learned about in class. Lots of interesting questions were asked and we are going back to class to find out more about pistons. This learning ties in really well with the Rolls-Royce Science Prize.
What age can your child be left alone? When can they drink? We answer parents’ frequently asked questions about legal milestones in their children’s lives
On Tuesday the 19th of September P6/7s from Islay and Jura went to Oban for the fabulous Stramash trip. At first I didn’t feel too sure about going but as it got closer I felt more and more exited. We were on the ferry first and then the bus for 1 hour in order to get to the hostel. By the time we were in Oban we had already got told who was in our groups and who was in our rooms. After the chat we went into our groups and discussed what we were unsure about and what we were exited for. That night we had already been in our rooms so we went and played games at the lovely Ganovan beach and grass. We played fun games in our groups but by then I just wanted to go to bed.
The next morning I woke up to a shock when I found out we were doing canoeing in about an hour, I wasn’t really sure about canoeing so it just made it even worse when I found out I had to wear a wetsuit! At the end of canoeing I found it WAS really fun so it made me more confident about the rest of the week. That afternoon we were doing coasteering, another one I wasn’t to sure about! I thought it was just jumping off a rock into the sea but that was a small part of it. You had to climb rocks with barnacles on them then at the end you got to jump of the rock which was fun. That night we got to go swimming, the pool had a big slide in it so I went down it. My friend Taylor also belly flopped into the pool! 
On Thursday morning my group was going gorge walking so I had to put on another wetsuit sadly. We got into the bus and drove to the gorge. Once I saw the currents I knew it would be fun so I had a go at going down on my back. I knew whatever I did I would be happy with but this one was even more fun than I thought, it was so deep at the waterfall I couldn’t touch the bottom. We carried on up the woods until it came to a dead end then we went to the hostel to have lunch. There was lots of different instructors for each activity. After lunch my group did an adventure walk to the woods then a castle. Some of my friends that went before me said it was rubbish but when we got to light a fire it got interesting because it took my friend Craig 32 tries with the Swedish fire stick to light a fire. We then drew a picture of what we could hear and see. We then set off to the castle. Once we got to the bottom of the hill at the castle the instructor said a story about a whale a guy and a girl attached to the whales heart. After that we got to the castle and saw an eagle. That excellent day we had a bonfire that night so we got to toast marshmallows on it. 
The last day we only had one activity left that was rock climbing. Once we got to the amazing Ganovan beach and grass we walked to the rocks. I never knew how much equipment you needed to wear until he explained that it was so safe. The first rock we climbed was easy. I did it with Robbie from Keils then we moved on to the next rock! It was scary at first because it was big but when I started I was up there in seconds. We had the choice to abseil down but I didn’t but some people did. 
Overall I achieved making friends, rock climbing, abseiling, gorge walking and coasteering. The one that I found most challenging was coasteering because of the wave splashing up on to you. I found gorge walking the funnest because you got to float down the gorge. I also found rock climbing boring because you had to wait but when it was your turn it was so fun. I was scared of jumping of rocks and swimming in the sea but when I finished coasteering I overcame my fear. Overall Stramash was brilliant and I did stuff I would of never thought I would of and I would certainly go back to Oban for Stramash. 
By Jack
As part of our Transport topic, P1/2/3 have been learning about boats, what makes them float and then designing and building their own. We have also learned that engineers design boats and more about the design process – tying in well with our Rolls-Royce Science Prize project for the year.
Viral challenges continue to shape a lot of young people’s experiences online. fare harmless and just good fun, but some are more sinister and could pose risks. Here’s what parents need to know
On Monday 18th September Nave was selling soaps to the school and for a big soap it was 50p and for a small soap it was 10p. At the end of the day Nave counted up all the money and they raised £16.80. That £16.80 is going to our school breakfast club so that we can buy some food for it. Things that we are hoping to buy with the money that we raised; Bread, chocolate spread, fruit, rolls, cereal, butter, jam, cheese and eggs.
P6/7 are learning about engineering. We have drawn and annotated a picture of a engineer and discussed what and engineer is. We have found out different types of engineers there are (electrical, biotechnology, chemical engineers, etc.) We have watched a video of a engineer and videos on what an engineer is. We have done research about a type of engineer and we wrote the facts down on a piece of paper.
We have found out that you need to be good at linear algebra to be a computer engineer. We also found out that that coding engineers work with a lot of other types of coding engineers, such as programmers. We can’t wait to do some of our own engineering. Watch the video on engineering below…
Islay is a beautiful island off the west coast of Scotland, and one of the reasons it is so lovely is because farmers work hard to keep the land the way it has looked for generations, conserving the environment. But the land has also influenced how and what types of farming happen on Islay. As an Island the costs of transport are also an important consideration, as is the weather. All these factors contribute to the difficulties and successes of farming beef, sheep and barley on Islay.
Farming on Islay is very important to Islay’s landscape and the farmers that work hard to get paid and have more than just one job but two! The farmers on Islay have kept the landscape as it was years ago. The farming on Islay gives jobs to many people so that they can make money and live their lives as the years pass by.
The main land types found on Islay are rough grazing, grassland, peat bog and moorland. Grassland is low lying and is used by farmers to grow grass for silage, grass to feed animals and can also be used to grow barley; this is the most useful land for farmers, but in the winter it gets very wet and muddy and can’t be used to keep animals on. Rough grazing land can’t be used to grow grass or crops, it tends to be hilly with plants like heather, rushes and patches of rough grass. Animals can graze it, although it is mostly used by sheep. Rough grazing is useful in the winter because it stays dry, drains well and you can overwinter animals on it. It can’t be used to grow vegetables or crops because it is stoney and the soil is poor. Peatbogs are of no use to farmers as animals can get stuck in the bogs and the grazing is too poor. Farmers on Islay often drain the land to keep it dry enough to grow grass. Because of the limits imposed by the type of land on Islay, the main farming is Beef and Sheep, with a little barley production.
Islay has a wonderful type of weather for grass which has mainly rain and wind with a tint of sunshine as there is hardly any snow or frost on the island. The normal temperatures varies as seasons pass as in the summer there is more sun and it is not as rainy as autumn or winter as in winter it is mainly rainy and windy but it is still sometimes sunny. The lowest average temperature on islay is 3’c. In autumn the weather is changing to winter and during that there is sometimes gale force winds and there is about 130mm of rain through the season. In summer the weather becomes less rainy and becomes more sunny.
Islay is an island than can only be reached from the mainland by ferry or plane. This means farmers have to pay to get their produce off the island and also pay extra to get the equipment and resources they need to farm on the island. As a result of this farmers on Islay struggle to compete financially with those on the mainland. For example, fertilizer and concentrates need to be brought over on container ships and unloaded onto lorries. This means fertilizer and concentrates cost more for Islay farmers. The type of farming that can happen here is also affected by transport; milk, soft fruits and other products will go off when transported for long periods of time so are not farmed on Islay. However, sheep and cattle are easy to transport over time, and the barley that is grown is sold locally. So farmers on the mainland have an advantage over famers on Islay.
As part of our transport topic, P1/2/3 wanted to find out about wheels. They found lots of tyres out in the garden and checked out wheels on cars in the car park and bikes in school. They found out that wheels are attached to axels and have written to Mr MacKerrell at the garage to see if they can find out more about how cars work.
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P1/2/3 have been wondering about engineering and what engineers do? Evie (P1) thinks that engineers ‘fix cars’ and are ‘always men but sometimes ladies’ while Iona in P2 thinks engineers can be ‘boys and girls’ and that engineers make boats.
We asked these questions as part of a baseline assessment for the Rolls-Royce Science Prize. We will be asking children to revisit these ideas at the end of the project and see how their views have changed.
Parent Info has partnered with the Dove Self-Esteem Project to offer parents advice and information to help children and young people build confidence and feel good about themselves. In this article, we look at how teenagers can feel pressur
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