Month: May 2025

Sadly, yesterday was the final week of Bikeability for P6/7 – and they have LOVED every moment of these sessions!

Mike and Jo accompanied each group out and about on our village roads; putting their newly learnt skills to good use and enjoying our beautiful countryside. Each group managed to ride over 5 miles yesterday and all came back into school with a healthy glow on their face and slightly weary legs!

The support and infectious enthusiasm from Mike and Jo has been wonderful and the reason everyone has enjoyed these sessions so much! Such valuable skills to learn.

UNCRC Articles 24 Health, Food, Water, Environment

Article 31 Rest, Play, Culture, Arts

Meta Skills

Focusing Fergus

Integrity Imani

Initiative Ivy

Adapting Aleksander

Sense-making Samira

Curiosity Carlos

Collaborating Cora

Our hopes and prayers for the weather to hold out weren’t quite answered this afternoon – but did that stop us from having fun? Absolutely not!

Richard came in to do a session of Outdoor Based Games with the pupils and safe to say – they absolutely loved this! Both primaries played the same game where Richard had hidden some not so natural items amongst the woodland and bushes for us to find! There were 25 objects in total to look for and wow – pupils and their keen eyesight smashed it! 🥄🍴🍜🍌📱🧤🥽

Unfortunately for P5-7, it was P1-4 who hid their items and they did not hold back… Lots of fun and the rain didn’t hold us back one bit!

We have 3 more sessions with Richard to follow – let’s keep hoping for some sunshine! ☀

Meta Skills 

Initiative Ivy

Curiosity Carlos

Sense-Making Samira

Communicating Cate

Articles

Article 6 – Life, Survival & Development

Article 17 – Access to Information

Article 24 – Health, Food, Water & Environment

Last Wednesday we had our sharing event with the lovely folk from Children’s Parliament. This was the upper classes opportunity across both schools to demonstrate all the hard work and fantastic ideas they have been coming up with over the course of the school year.

We have done many sessions with Jack, Linnea and Jill which focuses on our community, campus, learning and the people wo help us with it and how this impacts maintaining and promoting dignity in pupils!

The pupils have worked wonderfully during this time, watching from the side lines, we have often been amazed at the ideas they have come out with and the amazing insight they have. We adults could certainly learn a lot from them!

For anyone who attended the event – we hope you enjoyed it! Here are some photos of them showcasing their hard work…

Meta Skills 

Integrity Imani

Critical Thinking Chris

Curiosity Carlos

Sense-Making Samira

Communicating Cate

Collaborating Cora

Articles

Article 12 – Respect for Children’s Views

Article 24 – Health, Food, Water & Environment

Article 29 – Aims of Education

Sergeants Wilson and Donnan visited us this morning to tell us a little more about joining the local Army Cadet Force!
They shared with us the history of the ACF and the Values and Standards they live by – looking after themselves and each other. You can join when you start S1 and work your way up from cadet to higher ranks. Did you know there are 48000 cadets in the UK?! That’s double the size of the British Army!
Sergeants Wilson and Donnan told us all about the Fieldcraft expeditions, First Aid training, drills, community engagement and military knowledge activities that Cadets learn about – and that’s just a few exciting things they could be part of! All while meeting new people and making new friends 😊
All pupils have a leaflet with time/place for Stranraer Cadets if this is something they might be interested in when they start S1…

Check out the website for more details…

https://armycadets.com/

Meta Skills 

Integrity Imani

Initiative Ivy

Collaborating Cora

Leading Li

We were thrilled to welcome back Kathryn from History Alive into P1-4 to help make their Viking topic come to life this term!   And as added bonus, Primary 7 got to join in too, while P6 were away at Operation Safety.

Kathryn, is a history expert with all the props that helps to really get the pupils to understand what life was like for Vikings in that time.

Kathryn told the boys and girls all about how life was like when the Vikings were about and they learned about long houses and their diet and the pillaging activities they got up to.

They all enjoyed getting their hands on all the props.  The children learned about the helmets and (thankfully fake) weapons as they got to grips and they really enjoy this session of roleplay! Putting their new found mindsets to use, they went outside and engaged in a little Viking war cry! ⚔🪓🗡🏹🛡

Meta Skills 

Focusing Fergus

Feeling Felix

Curiosity Carlos

Sense-Making Samira

Articles

Article 12 – Respect for Children’s Views

Article 28 – Access to Education

Article 29 – Aims of Education

Article 30 – Right to Culture and Heritage

Today, as is the yearly custom, our P6 across both schools dotted off to Operation Safety at Stair Park today for some safety input! This linked in really well with our Risk Taking behaviour focus in class for these pupils so they had a fair idea of how to manage some of these situations! ⛑🆘

Pupils moved around 8 stations, each with their own focus:

1. A CPR and emergency response input which taught them the basics of emergency response first aid! How to tell if your casualty is breathing or not and how to perform chest compressions… 🚑
2. Fire safety – can they spot the fire hazards in a home and how to manage these! 🧯🔥🚒
3. The Coastguard! (very important for this time of year in this area…) what to do if they spot somebody drowning and how to keep themselves safe in water. 🥽🚣‍♀️
4. Electricity with Scottish Power – spotting electrical hazards in the home and how to prevent these ⚡💡🔌
5. Youth Work came and did an input on Internet Safety – teaching pupils how to stay safe online and what they should or shouldn’t share online. 👍
6. Drugs and Alcohol – what are the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol 👎
7. Community, Council & Criminal – looking at certain acts and who is responsible for preventing and managing these! Is it a criminal problem for the police? A problem for the community to manage themselves? Or something we should turn to the council to help prevent? 🧐🤔
8. Finally – looking at vandalism in the community! Pupils built giant Jenga Towers (with a promise of a prize for the tallest?!) Before someone stormed in and destroyed them all! (He was supposed to – promise!) This taught pupils how it feels to have something of value that others can take upon themselves to deface! 🖌🎨

After a whopping 8 inputs over the course of the day – safe to say our P6 pupils are pretty clued up now! Thank you to all the organisations in the community for making this happen every year.

Meta Skills 

Integrity Imani

Initiative Ivy

Communicating Cate

Collaborating Cora

Articles

Article 6 – Right to Life and Survival

Article 12 – Respect for Children’s Views

Article 19 – Right to Protection From Harm

Article 24 – Health, Food, Water & Environment

Huge thanks to Mike and Jo for leading us through our Bikeability Level One qualification! We all had so much fun whilst learning about cycle safety at the same time.

Level Two we’re coming to get you! 🚲 😃

UNCRC

Article 29 Aims of Education   Article 31 Rest, Play, Culture, Arts

Meta-Skills

Focusing Fergus  Adapting Alexsander

Communicating Cate   Sense-making Samira

This week, we ventured over the bridge and beyond the pond deep into the woods! Richard had set up ropes to create a tightrope between two trees – don’t panic, we weren’t too far off the ground! There were some interesting strategies used to get from one side to the other!

Richard had also set up a tree swing too using ropes and a branch for the seat. It was brilliant fun with everyone enjoying a shot. Sean gave us a rendition of ‘I believe I can fly…’ as he soared through the air!

Great fun! 

UNCRC Article 31 Rest, Play, Culture, Arts

Meta-Skills 

Feeling Felix     Collaborating Cora    Curiosity Carlos

Look at how happy we all are!

HUGE thanks to the Baxter family for their kindness in buying our school a new shed! The previous one was sadly flattened by the  storm in January and the Baxters offered to replace this with a new one and a much improved model it is too!  It was a lovely surprise when they knocked on the school door with such a kind offer.

Not only this, they also built the shed for us during the Easter holidays and popped into school to see us. Now all of our bits and bobs can be stored safely.   We can use it for furniture, gardening equipment, playground toys – and even have our bikes for Bikeability in it just now.

We greatly appreciate their generosity and kindness from our former pupils.   It was such a lovely thing for them to so for us.

Thank you 🙂