We are delighted to inform you that our wonderfully eco-friendly pupils have achieved the requirements for the RSPB School’s Wild Challenge Bronze Award.
We have now completed 6 wild activities to become a Wild Challenge bronze award holder. There are two categories of challenge: Helping Nature and Experiencing Nature. Our activities range from Planting for Wildlife to Sensing the World. We care about our wildlife and our environment.
Our very motivated Eco Council have organised this blog post to request your support for their environmental initiatives. If you are able, they would very much appreciate your help.
Click on the links to access the documents they have created.
Hedgehog homes and bug hotels eco group
Here is a hedgehog home that James Turtle has made at home. It is already in position waiting on a prickly critter taking up residence in a secluded part of our grounds – fingers cross!
Thank you!
Everyone rocked up this morning looking rather sporty all for Children in Need. From Highland dancing to rugby; horse riding to gymnastics; footballers to cheerleaders (even sheep shearers!) – we had loads of sporting activities covered. Pupils popped their donations into our fundraising bucket and then headed off to class where they took part in 5 x 5minute Joe Wicks workouts throughout the day. We had fun while exercising with onscreen sessions from Children in Need’s Schools’ Ambassador as well as raising money for a charity which does tremendous work for the young.
We had all been bringing in Bring and Buy bits and bobs all week as well as Children in Need merchandise being on sale. This afternoon, House Captains rolled up their sleeves and organised the goods for selling. Pennies spent and schoolbags bulging – the happy Leswalt folks headed home adorned with Pudsey stickers!
The final total for Leswalt’s Children in Need fundraising effort is a fabulous £155.05! Well done to all for their fundraising efforts today – top teamwork for a worthy cause.
As COP26 has now drawn to a close, we are pleased to share a snapshot of our recent related learning projects across the North Rhins Partnership.
Our children are always so enthusiastic to do their bit to help protect our environment and to contribute towards global goals.
Click on the link below and select play in the top right. 🙂
# Responsible Citizens
# Effective Contributors
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Monday saw the start of Book Week Scotland. The children will be engaging in lots of book related activities to help promote a love of reading.
Leswalt primary gathered together to watch a live lesson from the lovely gentlemen and creators of The 3 Engineers Company!
https://www.the3engineers.com/
Jon, Matt and Nick spoke a little about what they do as engineers and what the purpose of this lesson was – raising awareness about issues to do with sustainability.
They spoke about the books for children they help create which address areas of sustainability and how we an be eco conscious and help prevent climate change and pollution!
They shared a beautifully illustrated story with us called Scout: Stop Dropping Litter! You can enjoy the book at home by clicking on the link above.
There are more video book sessions for you to access and share with your child by clicking here:
This was a great opportunity for the pupils to listen to engineers at work and feel inspired by their jobs and skill set, as well as getting to hear a lovely story about a young girl called Scout and her quest to save the world a little bit at a time!
Leswalt Primary pupils have taken some time this week to learn about, reflect on and pay their respects for Remembrance Day.
P1-4 learnt about why people wear poppy to remember – and indeed what they are remembering. They also created beautiful poppy pictures which they took along to the War Memorial.
P5-7 recapped on what they knew about Remembrance Day and took their learning further by finding out about the history of the poppy; who initiated this, when was Remembrance Day first held and what money raised by Poppy Scotland is used to support. They had designed and produced ‘In Flanders Fields’ pictures with Mrs Copeland and added to these with some of the information learnt.
Along with Kirkcolm Primary pupils, the school headed up to Kirkcolm’s War Memorial for 11am to observe the silence and take a moment to think. Oliver (P7 Kirkcolm) and Breagh (P7 Leswalt) read a poem to us all and we took a look at the many names inscribed and thought about the bravery of those involved and sadness felt by their friends and families.
So COP26 is taking place just 2hours up the road from us and Glasgow is on the centre-stage for this high profile Climate Change conference. Leswalt Primary pupils have been keeping up-to-date with the latest from COP 26 in school this week. They talked about how their recent Learning for Sustainability work, and the plans of the Eco-Committee, links to the subjects being discussed by world leaders and eco campaigners this week at COP 26. But, as one P5 rightly pointed out, it is actually an area in which we can , and should, all be involved in trying to do our bit!
Mrs McKnight signed us all up to be part of the Old Vic staging of The Lorax – a Dr Seuss story which highlights the need to look after our planet. We were super lucky to be one of the schools who were able to access this live! It was a fabulous and thought-provoking production which the pupils really enjoyed.
P5-7 pupils tuned into daily COP 26 updates and wrote open letters to COP 26 persuading leaders to act now for the benefit of future generations.
Pupils then put their technology and eco knowledge into action by working in groups to plan and produce short iMovies with the title ‘A Minute of Us’. The remit of this task was to work as a team to offer an insight into what eco work we are doing as a school, what our beautiful area means to us and what action we can all take to help in this worldwide campaign. The children loved putting their videos together! I hope you enjoy the children’s work – they certainly made us smile! Can you spot any budding TV presenters in there….?!
Our combined Eco Committees received a visit from Dumfries and Galloway Councillors Ros Surtees (Vice Chair of Education and Learning Committee) and Dougie Campbell (Environment Champion) yesterday.
Ms Surtees and Mr Campbell are keen to encourage schools throughout the region to become Eco Schools just like ours. They have heard of the North Rhins Partnership’s good work in this area and wanted the opportunity to talk to our children as to how we have made being Eco schools so successful. They hope to use our example as a model to promote others to participate in this very important award scheme. It couldn’t be more timely with COP26 very much on everyone’s agenda.
The children had a wealth of ideas and suggestions to share. The councillors praised everyone for their passion and enthusiasm, saying what an inspiration and credit they are to us all. Olivia presented a PowerPoint message that she had created in her own time. This was filled with strategies and tips we can all take onboard at home to help protect the planet. Aiden gave the message of the day when asked what he would say to schools that think they are too busy for Eco Schools, he replied, “You are never too busy for the world!”
Here are our responsible citizens engaged in purposeful discussion.
Have a look at Olivia’s presentation for yourselves here:
They really are our own ENVIRONMENT CHAMPIONS!
