NEWS

Our podcast is about dolphins and how they communicate.  Enjoy listening!

dolphins

In class we have been learning the science behind sound and animal communication here is our bat podcast.

bats

In school we have been learning about our school values, they can help in a wide range of activities. Such as our Endeavour project. When we are planning we need high expectations to set targets to push ourselves. Positive attitudes for when we are writing stories and getting feedback to what we could do better. Mutual respect , respecting all school property when we are in school and out of school.  these are some of our school values.

On Tuesday my class (p6/7) and all the other p6/7s from all over Islay and Jura went on a trip called Stramash. We had a very long journey to get to Oban but it was well worth it.  After the journey we went to our rooms, found out our group buddies and set out on our  first activity.  Our group went Rock Climbing and Absailing. Rock climbing is very challenging but a brilliant thing to learn how to do. I bet you would love to absail down the Conglomerate rock (If you are into adventurous activities).  Some people didn’t make it to the top, but at least they tried.  Would you have tried? Or would you be a scaredy cat?

By Jodie Jamison and Elizabeth Macmillan 🙂

P6/7 went on a trip to Oban and tried different activities to do with their Stramash trip.  Coasteering was one of the activities everyone did, we had to climb across rocks and jump off rocks, it was very ambitious but very fun.  They all jumped in to the deep water.  The Water was freezing and it was very cold with the wind.  The instructor was very happy about every thing that we did wrong or did right.  When you climbed across the rocks there was barnacles that would hurt your hands they would cut them too, that is what happened to me and my group it was really sore.  So when we got home we got showered and get changed and then went for dinner.  🙂

by Alicia and Danni

On Tuesday 24th September Port Ellen primary school and other schools met at Port Ellen pier to go on the ferry. When we got off the ferry we went on the bus and went to Oban for Stramash. When we got there we did some archery. It was funny when Elizabeth pointed the arrow to the teacher and the teacher thought she was going to shoot it at her! After that we played a game and we had to split the group in half. We had a challenge and the other team won and the next time we did it my team won. We all had a great time and we didn’t want to go.

By Annie Farrell

On Friday afternoon we were doing sound science. We did lots of fun things. We had a tin whistle and we stood back to back and one of us would blow the tin whistle and one of us would time you and you would both walk back and when the timer gets to a minute you would stop and you would hear a little noise from the tin whistle. We watched a video of a voice box as you go higher the voice box will open more and if you go lower the voice box will open a tiny bit. By Ciara

On the 9th of September 2013 most of the schools on Islay went to Islay high school to learn about astronomy. The professor was called Mr Newman who is an astronomer himself. He told us lots of information like how to find an asteroid and he showed us telescopes he had worked with, some cost £5,000,000 that had found a lot or interesting stuff. He showed us a picture that had 500,000,000,000,000 stars in it which was amazing. He also explained that stars can come in different colours. Blue stars are hotter than the orange, red and yellow ones.  He showed us with marbles and balloons how far away planets and stars were. At the end we asked questions and here are one of the answers. A shooting star is just a speck of dust that has caught fire as it entered the atmosphere.

By Robbie and Nicholas

On Tuesday the  27th of August, p6/7 Port Ellen Primary went on a trip to Rubha Port an t-Seilich. They met professor Steven Mithin, who talked to them about the time of Mesolithic people. They went on this trip as part of their Mesolithic topic in which they are reading the book Wolf brother.

Class pupil David Baker says”It was amazing and I learned loads of facts.” Some of the things the class learnt about were how the archaeologists found the digging site. The digging site was found by pigs and this site could be the oldest digging site in Scotland, as they have not only found Mesolithic flints they may have also found Paleolithic flints! There were two different kinds of flints found on the digging site; there were Microliths and Burlins. As well as hammer stones, limpet hammers and part of an axe head which is very rare!

Professor Steven Mithin told them all about the dig site and what they had discovered he was very about a piece of bone that was stuck in the wall of the trench. After the class looked at the trench they went down to the shore and were showed how they hosed of the soil from the artifacts and were allowed to have a go themselves. When they were allowed to have a go themselves they found Microliths, Burlins, Hammer stones and burnt hazelnut shells!

After this they went back to their school for lunch.

By Emily and Asher

In  August p6l7 held a car wash at the school. People from all around  the village  came it was great fun.The class where raising money for their exciting Stramash trip to Oban. It was  very successful we raised £241 which was very good. S0 the class are very  lucky and are very excited about their amazing trip which will attend on the 24th to the 27th of August.

At the end it turned into a bit of a water fight and we got a bit wet but instead ended up soaking our teacher it was a great day.

By Emma and Abbie

On the 24th September  Port Ellen Primary P6/7 are going to Oban to go on loads of different of adventures they are going to be doing rock climbing!, swimming!, Jumping of rocks! and archery!. They will be away for 3 nights 4 days, there are some people who aren’t going, they will be staying in school with another class so they are not alone in the classroom.

They will be going on the ferry boat to Kennacraig, then getting on a bus. Then going to the cottage where we are meeting other schools around Islay and Jura. When we get there we will have dinner and play with our friends from around Islay and Jura. It’s important to be on this trip because we will communicate and be with other various schools.

On Saturday 7th September Islay book festival was at Port Ellen Primary School.  There was four famous authors in our school called Margret Ryan, Marie Hedderwick, Matthew Fitt and Keith Charters.

Margret Ryan writes weird street and rued ca the rued. Marie Hedderwick wrote Katie Morag.  Matthew Fitt writes Scots books.  Keith Charters writes lee goes for gold, lee’s holiday showdown, lee consul[mu]tants and lee  on the dark side of the moon.

By Annie and Ciara

On the 17th of August Port Ellen Primary welcomed 14 new primary 1’s! We welcomed Rauridh Blair, Katherine Borthwick, Drew Brown, Orla Campbell, Millie Clark, Harmoni Edwards, Millie Holyoake, Scott Hope, Caitidh Johnston, Braeden Macgillvary, Morgan Mcfarlane, Charlet-rose Munro, Aiden Munro and Dearbhla Newman.

We asked 2 pupils from the new p1 class how they’re enjoying it, this is what Breaden Macgillvary said, he likes playing with the cars, trains and enjoys learning all about Katie Morag!

We also asked Millie Clark what she enjoys about being a new primary 1. She enjoys visiting the writing table and likes being in all day, because she enjoys having 3 breaks!

So we hope all the new primary 1’s enjoy being in school andare happy to be learning new things!

By Maisie and Jodie

On Friday 21st of May P6/7 showed some of the parents all about their Endeavour project. The parents walked round to see everyone’s Endeavour projects and some peoples videos were projected on to the screen.  Connor sold some crabs and some lobsters and Robbie let lots of people play his Kodu game. Eilidh made a movie on lambing and everyone saw it, Liam and Danni had made animations, Calum had built a model engine and Ellen had made a relaxing CD.  There were great comments on everything.  While we were  presenting our endeavours people went up to see p5s Titanic topic presentation, got to eat posh fish and chips in P3&4 and learned about bugs in P1&2.

By Helen

On Wednesday 12th June, Liam Campbell, Scott Kinloch ,Calum Campbell, Connor Jameson , Eilidh McMillan and Maisie Logan went away to big bang science event in Glasgow that was taking part in the  SECC and entered the Saltire competition and the Eco ferry challenge; Scott, Calum and Maisie entered the Saltire competition and Liam,Connor and Eilidh entered the Eco ferry challenge, as well as that they all  did a presentation on the science that they have done through the year.

We went to the university to test our wave power machine, Port Ellen Primary were the first to get there’s actually working and we were the only primary school that was testing their wave power device at the same time as all the secondary schools!  We were able to produce light at a high frequency in the water movement. After testing the device we went to the transport muesum, We were even aloud to go inside some trains! Inside they  had some games like  a fireman game were someone had to turn the wheel to make the  ladder that you were standing on move while, as you had to aim your hose at the fire and put it out. There was also another game were you had to row as a team to beat the white dot round but it was broken.  After looking around inside we went outside and went on the tall ship were we scrubbed the deck, and went down in the coal store, there was a play room were Calum dressed up as a pirate while Liam and Scott walked the plank!

Later that night we went to Frankie’s and Benny for dinner and went to bowling after, we had a competition, girls vs boys and the girls thrashed the boys! The next day we went to the SECC to present our presentation to the judges, we were a bit cramped at where we were set up and we had to be really loud when we were presenting because were we were doing it lots of people were talking!   It was really fun and very interesting because I learned a lot from it, and it was something that I have never done before!

By Maisie and Eilidh

P6/7 are have a levers assembly on 27th of June. We are doing it all about Doctor Who time travel BUT we go back in time instead of forward. We will go and see lots of different history events like the Vikings, Stirling battle, Highland cleaences and the Picts. But will we ever get back to the present. Come to our leavers assembly and find out what will happen to us.

By Helen

A few weeks ago we started crofting, Willie Curry and Allan Orr helped them with cutting the grass to make a dirt patch. They planted potatoes and beans in our class room, they also planted carrots and onions and rot pots. Katie and Bronagh planted cherry trees and a Burch and a rowan they also planted lettuce They enjoyed planting the peas as well, They done a very interesting test to see what tomato will grow the biggest. They also put sand down and the sand died. but the normal compost had still not growing, they planted Wheat, Barley and horse Oats.

By Katie, Bronagh and Sophie

On Monday the 27th and Tuesday 28th of May P7 from Islay went on their induction days to Islay High. When we arrived we went in to the hall but when every one else left we stayed with Mr Weatherhogg.  He gave us our temporary lunch card and our timetables.  On the first day I felt scared I would get lost but I never did, lunch was my favourite part of the day it was really good.