P.6 and 7 were studying the work of 3 Scottish landscape artists. They were comparing and contrasting different styles used, and below you can see some of the beautiful scenes created by the children using oil pastels.
Pupils in P.6 and 7 entered a competition with the on-line newspaper, The Daily What, to make up a catchy CAPTION to go with a picture of 2 bandaged up ‘mummies’ sitting on a bench. Natasha in P.7 was one of the 4 runners up, and we watched this live announcement on Glow TV on Friday. This was a surprise announcement as no-body in the class knew the reason we were watching the programme until the end when the announcement was made.Natasha was suitably surprised and delighted. Her caption read …’ They called it Mummy love’ The winner and runners up will appear in The Daily What News on-line. Well done Natasha !
On Friday 15th November we had a ‘PJ’ day. We all came to school in various night time attire and many of the children seemed to have changed into wild creatures in their animal onesies !!! Jude and Aaron went across to our playgroup to help them make Pudsy biscuits and returned with their own decorated ones. Our cook, Mrs. Neill prepared Pudsy cakes for lunch-time and afterwards the older children did some story reading with the infant class. Loose change was collected to send to the Children in Need Appeal. We had a relaxing and fun day doing activities a little bit different to that of a normal school day.
P6 and 7 children had a visit to The Contact and Education Centre at Queensferry, Edinburgh. This centre has been set up to both chart the progress of the new Queensferry crossing and also as a centre for groups to visit and see at close quarters the building of this new bridge. The children were led in discussion and questions by Raymond Kirk, and followed on with a hands on bridge building activity. Using dowel rods and elastic bands the children strted by making tetrahedrons and then in teams they had to construct the various components which would form the bridge model. They managed to complete a section of a bridge, showing how the structure is formed. from the pictures below you can see the various stages of this activity, which was completed very competently and with a great deal of enthusiasm. A very enjoyable and worthwhile learning experience was had by all.
Hardgate School took on an orange and black glow on Friday and many weird and wonderful costumes were floating about before we walked to the Village Hall for our Halloween party.Members of the Parent Council very kindly organised the games and provided half time snacks for everybody. The winners of the pumpkin lanterns were also announced,
Here you can see the top 3 – a Mowhican, a giant eyeball, and a ‘Mrs Ramage’. There is also a picture of the spooky cakes made by Mrs Neill for lunch-time.
Every year the Dalbeattie Hardrock Challenge draws many competitors in both the senior and junior events. The events consist of a combination of running and mountain biking, in the Dalbeattie Forest. Here you can see 2 of our pupils who took part this year. Alastair in P.7 came third and got a bronze maedal , and Jack in P.5 came 13th out of a field of around 50 competitors. Well done to both boys – a brilliant achievement.
Recently the children in P.6 and 7 went for an overnight stay at Stronord Outdoor Centre near Newton Stewart. A big part of the learning was preparing and understanding the need for the correct equipment and clothing before venturing on the activities. On the first day after arriving and getting settled in, the instructors made sure everybody was correctly kitted out before setting off on a hill walk lasting several hours. The children returned with a great sense of achievement and also healthy appetites ready for a meal to replenish their energy. with no TV available they had an evening of old-fashioned games followed by bed.
Ater breakfast on day 2, the group split in 2 and did mountain biking and orienteering, swapping round half way through the morning. after having our picnic lunch it was time to head back to school. Everyone gained a lot of knowledge and fun, with this very worthwhile outdoor experience. Thanks also to Fred, Cameron’s Dad who came along to help us with this trip and enjoyed himself just as much as the children.
Cameron in P6 has proudly shared his new bronze medal with us. Cameron took part in the Dumfries and Galloway Athletics Championship last night (Tuesday) at the David Keswick Centre in Dumfries. He was taking part in the 80m. sprint event and came third to gain his bronze medal. Well done Cameron, – this is a great achievement.
Today (Wednesday 9th. October) we had our harvest assembly, combined with a coffee morning to raise funds to help support MacMillan Cancer Support. The pupils sang a variety of autumn themed songs along with some instrumental accompaniments, to entertain the audience of family and friends from the local community. Rev. Sally Marsh came along to tell us a story based on caring for others. A very fitting story which preceded a short talk and explanation of what MacMillan CancerSupport is all about, delivered by Pauline Drysdale who is one of the local committee members. Coffee and tea was then served along with a wonderful selection of home baking provided by some very hard working mums from the Parent Council. Our big green bucket of donations managed to raise the wonderful sum of £227.37
We would like to thank everyone who managed to come along to this special assembly.
Niamh Carroll in P.7 has been one of the lucky finalists from Scotland to go through to the national competition, run by the Royal Mail for designing this years Christmas stamps. She has already won money for both herself and the school at this stage and we wish her luck in the next round. All the details and Niamh’s design can be seen by clicking on the link below, which takes you to the press release in the Galloway Gazette.
http://www.gallowaygazette.co.uk/what-s-on/niamh-puts-her-stamp-on-christmas-1-3095740
