NEWS

It’s the end of the summer term, with mixed emotions for some children who are moving on. But there are also practical things to consider. Here are our tips for being super-organised for the move to secondary school in September. 

Children need boundaries to make them feel safe – and to push against. This is as important online as off. The Parent Zone’s Sophie Linington offers some tips on digital boundary-setting.

The amazing Anne-Marie Imafidon (GCSE maths at 10, master’s degree from Oxford at 20) talks about why she founded Stemettes and why it matters so much to get girls into science, tech, engineering and maths.  

My class went the high school for an Endeavour fair but before that we had a a bunch of maths and literacy problem solving stations. You get 10 points per station depending if you do well or not. There were lots of different people from different schools from Islay and Jura. It was very fun and challenging at the same time. We also were helped S4,S5 who also gave us clues to the problems but we lose points if we use them.

by Nick and Beth

The internet can help and encourage young people to help others. Here’s how.

Binge eating disorder: a parent’s guide

Teaching children about financial responsibility has never been easy, but as new technologies make cash less common it’s even more daunting. Here are our top tips for talking to your children about spending in the digital age.  ​

It’s never been simple to teach your children about financial responsibility, but as cash becomes less common and new technologies become more prevalent, it can be a daunting prospect. This article gives you the inside track on how to help your children manage money in a digital world. 

There’s been quite a lot of interest recently in monitoring apps, which allow you to track your child, alerting you to where they are and what they’re doing. Sounds like a brilliant idea, no? But experts warn you should think twice before putting your child under surveillance. We look at the pros and cons.

ooVoo is a group video chat service that has been the source of some controversy, with fears that children are giving away information to people they don’t know. Like any popular online tool, used wisely it’s great; used unwisely it can be a platform for problems. Here’s everything you need to know about what ooVoo is, how to use it safely, and how to report anything worrying.

Filters and parental controls may not be the complete answer to keeping children safe online, but they are undoubtedly the first line of defence. It’s now possible to set filters on your broadband, your devices and your applications. Here, from Internet Matters, is what you need to know.

Minecraft is phenomenally popular, especially with primary school children. Sometimes described as Lego for the digital age, it is absorbing, creative and educational – but, as with any online activity, it’s as well to be aware of the basics of staying safe. Here’s our guide to helping your child make the most of Minecraft.

In just a few years, Minecraft has become one of the world’s most popular games, mainly by word of mouth and despite the lack of a big marketing budget or a major organisation behind it. Already a hot topic of conversation in the playground, Minecraft is now moving into the classroom, as teachers increasingly find ways to use the game for educational purposes. Here’s the lowdown for parents. 

Last week was finance week. Each class learned about different aspects of finance and managing your money. P7 learned about tax, payday loans and interest rates and they also made finance board games. With Mrs MacDonald P7 made a Gaelic cafe and they had to learn and teach the customers how to ask and pay for food in Gaelic.

P5/6 were working out the proper cost of their soaps with all the ingredients prices added up together and worked out they should be selling the soaps for £1.06. Mrs Connor came in to help them with making spread sheet for their soap business. They also made board games about different aspects of money including accounting and managing money and accounts. A pupil named Murray made an animation on how to make soap.

P3/4 made up their own shops in groups using pretend money and foods. The shops were called The Square Shop, Good Food, The Yummies and Eat Up. They were also learning about saving and managing money.

P1/2 made different dips and sold them to the school for 30p. They were also learning about saving money.

By Abbie and Izzy  🙂

Last Tuesday P7 from Port Ellen Primary School took a trip to the Gaelic College along with Mrs MacDonald.   During school Mrs MacDonald has taught us about  food,  how to order it and prices, all in Gaelic.   A pound in gaelic is” not” and a penny is a sgilean.  When we went over, in order to get a cake and juice you had to order in Gaelic.    We had to say, “Ha me a geerie aun…” and then whatever we wanted.   Everyone managed to successfully order what they wanted in gaelic.    After we had our order we had to answer Gaelic questions.   Then we played Twister in gaelic colours and a Gaelic board game about how to take care of yourself.   Overall we had a great day and we all learnt something new and even Mrs MacDonald.

By Emily and Jodie 🙂

Gender stereotypes could affect girls and boys’ job prospects in the future. Here’s how parents can help

Your child has come out. That’s great: it means that they feel confident about themselves and they are trusting you to be supportive.

But what do you actually say?

The internet is a wonderful resource for young people and offers unprecedented opportunities for connecting and learning. But it can also be scary. Many parents are afraid their children will be exposed to upsetting content or meet dangerous people online. What are the facts about online risk?

2 weeks ago we went to the High School for Science week because we were doing food science with all the schools around Islay and Jura.  We went to Mr Kitching’s room first and we were testing foods for energy.  We had Peanuts, Pringles and Bread and we burnt the food with a Bunsen Burner and then put it under a test tube that had water in it. We also had a thermometer in it and we had to check how much the temperature went up.  The peanuts had the most energy then it was Pringuls and then it was bread.

The next class was Mrs Moran and we made a really gooey thing out of cornflour and water and mixed it all together  then we put it on a big music speaker and it looked like it was dancing and then we tided up and went to the next class room.

The next class room was Mrs McNaughton’s class and we were testing foods for starch, fat and protein.   We had busen burners and we put different foods into test tubes and added Benedict’s to test for sugar.   You had to put the test tube in and out the bunsen burner and also used iodine to check for starch.    If it has sugar when you put the Benedict’s and add the heat it should go orange and if you do the same with the iodine it will go blackish.

I had a great time.

BY William Monaghan