Author: Mrs Ferguson

We may be tucked away in our beautiful little corner of South-West Scotland, but we still manage to enjoy lots of experiences! The Scottish Parliament Outreach Officer for the West of Scotland visited us last week to give the pupils an insight into what is involved in politics and how this affects us all; in essence the importance of using our voices and, when of age, our vote to make our country be the best it can be.

The boys and girls from Portpatrick Primary joined us for a powerpoint session which included using voting consoles too. All very exciting. The children also had the chance to create a party, read through and justify their manifesto, select a party leader who spoke to the assembled group and take part in a vote – all real-life experiences. We are going to be doing much the same thing in class between now and the October holidays so this was a great introduction to it!

What a week it has been! Scotland’s First Maths Week has been, in the eyes of the pupils and staff, a ROARING success!!

Toady, Kirkcolm and Leswalt Primary headed over to Portpatrick to enjoy some fun time with new friends, online ICT games, creating responses for D&G Maths Competition and a wonderful workshop form Computer Xplorers. This involved using a coding program and Lego to create motorised models. The children spoke really enthusiastically about this!

The children had an action-packed day as the photos below show!

 

On September 15th 1817, Corsewall Lighthouse began its story. Kirkman Finlay, a Glasgow merchant, had lobbied in 1814 for a lighthouse to be built at the mouth of Loch Ryan as he was losing his ships, cargo and crew to the unforgiving rocks nearby.

And so we have our very own piece of history in our local area! The P5-7 pupils of Leswalt and Portpatrick, and P6/7 of Kirkcolm were very privileged to be invited by John Ross and the Northern Lighthouse Board for an unprecedented tour of the lighthouse to wish it a very happy 200th birthday!

And what a visit! The pupils (and lucky accompanying adults!) got to watch a slideshow about the work of the Northern Lighthouse Board from its infancy to the present day. We learnt about the slightly older methods of lighting the lighthouse; coal, paraffin, candles and gas to the latest LED bulbs.

Dr Millar, retained Lighthouse Keeper, has a number of lighthouses in South West Scotland under his charge, with Corsewall being one of them. He took the children in small groups up to the top of the lighthouse and explained about the unique flashing pattern of this lighthouse and the maintenance jobs which he has to do. Incredibly, Corsewall Lighthouse was not automated until the mid-90s!

What a wonderful morning we all had! The children also received a pencil, bookmark and ruler to commemorate their visit. Many thanks to John and Jean Ross for thinking of us, and to Dr Millar and the Northern Lighthouse Board representatives for their guided tour and information session.

Oh and keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming issue of Our Wigtownshire as there will be an article on Corsewall Lighthouse in it with possibly some photos of people you might know!!

And so the fun continues…

This afternoon we were delighted to welcome parents in to join us in using our logic, problem solving and maths skills to play some board games. From totting up points scores for quoits to counting skills for Ludo, to elimination strategies being used for Guess Who and thinking ahead tactics for dominoes and Connect 4 – it was a busy, action-packed and very enjoyable afternoon. The boys and girls had a fabulous time playing with their schoolmates and guests, whilst using lots of Maths and Numeracy into the bargain – it was a win-win!

Many thanks to Louise Jamieson, Gael Gaw, Morag Scott and Donna and Jamie MacDonald for joining us! Much appreciated.

Check out the snaps below to get a flavour of some of the fun we had!

Many thanks to Margaret Baillie (Primary Mental Health Support Worker) for joining P5-7 in class the last two Tuesdays and leading the pupils in discussion about mental health, discrimination and stigma. The boys and girls have demonstrated a very responsible and mature attitude when discussing health issues which are not always visible to others looking on. We have chatted about emotions and why it is good to share any worries and concerns. The pupils also thought about songs and activities which they might turn to if they were ever feeling a bit out-of-sorts.

The boys and girls have got a little leaflet pack home with them with some hints and tips about maintaining a positive mental health. It really is good to talk!

Day two of Maths Week Scotland at Leswalt Primary and it’s all go, go, go!

From maths songs and raps, online Maths games to outside decimal games fun! This afternoon, we all enjoyed a speed-dating experience with a Maths twist finding out about how number and maths is used out in the wider world (many, many thanks to the parents and friends who gave up their time to be part of this – much appreciated!)

Mrs Henry’s Maths puzzle page has gone home to invite everyone to join in and try to solve the number conundrums! There’ll be a prize draw at the end of the week for this.

And that’s just the beginning….

Tomorrow it’s time for some board games fun – getting those games looked out and get ready to use your logic! On Thursday there’ll be more maths and number fun to be had in class. And on Friday, well we’re heading off to spend time as a trio at Portpatrick Primary and will find out more about Lego Robotics! Wow! Excited? I know I am!

We’ve uploaded just a few snaps below to show some of the fun we’ve had so far. More to follow…..

This afternoon, Andrew Giusti popped by to share some experiences of his job as a councillor. He explained his reasons for becoming involved in politics and talked about the importance of being able to listen to others, be respectful and tolerant of the opinions of others and the importance of being able to express your views clearly and sensibly.

The pupils asked lots of very sensible questions and this has really added to their understanding of what goes on in the world around them. Alex Fergusson (former MSP) is coming into visit later on in the term too.

Leswalt P5-7 and Kirkcolm P6/7 enjoyed a great day in Wigtown today as part of the Dumfries and Galloway Science Festival. A CSI case had been set up for the children to investigate using different science techniques.

Thanks to Gael Gaw and Kim McGuire for joining us for this!

CSI Science Recount

On Friday the 1^st of September 2017, Leswalt p5-7 and Kirkcolm p6-7 Mrs F, Gael and Kim went to Wigtown for a D&G Science Festival CSI event.

We had our lunch in a lovely park in the sunshine. After lunch we went to the CSI Crime Scene. A painting had been stolen! We needed to use the evidence left behind at the crime scene to find the criminal. We zoomed around all the 14 different stations and had a lot of fun. At the end we found out who committed the crime it was Cody! His DNA, footprints and fingerprints led him to us!

I enjoyed dressing up the most. Our teacher Mrs F took photos for our school blog. It was amazing. We even got mug shots taken.

I really enjoyed going to this. I would definitely recommend it to anyone else.

Megan McIntyre P7

Our CSI trip

On the 1^st of September 2017 p5-7 and Kirkcolm p6-7  went to Wigtown  to solve a crime …A PAINTING HAD BEEN STOLEN! There were 14 stations to help us find out who done the crime! It all started when the grand-daughter of the old man put a photo up on Facebook and the criminal saw it and took his chance!

We found out what kind of finger print he or she had, DNA and UV to find what size of foot wear he or she had. There was a station where we had to cover all the CAT’s that were say if there was a CAT you would cover it and at the end once you have done that you turn over a piece of paper and it needed to match where you’ve placed to find out if it was male or female or red head. This was using DNA techniques. At the end we had to figure who it was and we discovered Cody was the criminal.

Many thanks to the whole crew from the D&G Science Team who set this up. I thought it was a great experience! Thanks to Kim, Finlay’s mum and Gael, Charlotte and Phoebe’s mum for coming with us. All of us would recommend that you go along yourselves if you ever get the chance.

Oh and by the way…. the crime was not real!

Boyd Sloan P6

On Friday the 1^st of September , Primary 5-7 of Leswalt  school went  to CSI in Wigtown along with p6/7 from Kirkcolm Primary too.

There we found a crime scene taped off. In the room there were 14 different stations to find out who was the suspect! My favourite station was the mug shot and the footprints. My least favourite thing was the DNA- it took quite a lot of working out. The crime scene was brilliantly thought out because there were things all over the floor and lots of clues to suss out. We were kept busy.

Before we left we got to talk to a retired police woman. Her name was Sue and she told us about finding evidence at the scene of a crime and the different methods that can be used.

It was very interesting and a great day out.

Jenna Calderwood P6

 

Our trip to Wigtown Science Fair

On Friday Leswalt p5 to 7 and Kirkcolm p6 to 7 went to Wigtown for a science fair. A real-life CSI!

The science fair was set up as a crime scene investigation where a painting had been stolen. There were 14 stations to go to. These investigated some of the clues which had been left at the scene by the criminal.

I really enjoyed the fingerprinting and investigating soil samples using a microscope because they were the messiest bits!

I really liked our trip to Wigtown.

Finlay Scott P5

 

Now check out these photos – there are quite a few dodgy looking suspects!

A huge thank you to our Parent Council for our new playground toys! The boys and girls were so excited when they realised that there were lots more fun things to enjoy sharing with their friends at break times. Just look at the smiles on their faces! Thank you Parent Council – your kindness is greatly appreciated!