Author: Mrs Ferguson

 

We had a wonderful trip to Mabie Farm Park yesterday! Portpatrick Primary pupils were there to enjoy the great day out too, and what a fabulous day we all had.

The weather was kind to us which really helped. The boys and girls (and staff!) tried out the jumping pillows, bouncy castles, the very popular ‘choo choo express’, play park, grass sledging, trampolines, donkey rides and the straw barn! Apologies, you might have found your little one came home with half the straw with them! The bus driver really did brush pupils down before they got back on the bus!

We also got the chance to meet some of the animals; Pandora the giant long-haired bunny was quite an attraction, as was the baby guinea pig. J

The boys and girls were on the go the whole day, stopping briefly to enjoy a picnic lunch before dashing off to explore more. The behaviour of all our pupils was excellent – a real credit to our wee school. We enjoyed a chocolate from the box of Roses donated by Logan’s dad (thanks Billy!) on the road home. There were a few snores resonating from the bus too (no, not the teachers!).

Thanks to all for making this day out a wonderful success. Thanks also for the helping hand cheque from the Parent Council. What a brilliant way to round off a fun session 2015-16!

Well, how lucky were we? The constant rain on Sunday didn’t bode well. The drizzle on Monday morning left us with that sinking feeling but in true Leswalt fashion; it all came good! Ok so there was a little rain to contend with but the sun came out to shine down upon us and cheer our little sports champions on!

And didn’t they do well? Fabulous sportsmanship on show, pupils cheering one another on in the true spirit of Sports Day. Lots of people, staff and parents, have spoken highly of the children’s behaviour and effort. Well done to them all!

From the mighty throwing efforts of little P1s to nail-biting finishes in sprints, everyone enjoyed a lovely afternoon. Check out some of the snaps below (and yes there might just be a photo of the line-up for the mummy race too!)

Keep your eyes peeled for the results in the Free Press!

 

On June 10th, in honour of the Queen’s 90th birthday, we enjoyed a delicious picnic lunch outside in the sunshine! This was to celebrate the Queen’s official birthday, her actual birthday having being marked in April.

Malcolm brought in a Union Jack which was used as a picnic rug – thanks Malcolm! All the children and staff had a lovely time enjoying the glorious weather, some tasty snacks and having a blether. Check out our snaps below to see for yourselves!

 

What a gorgeous day to head to the beach! Ok we were there for some serious beach cleaning but we had so much fun doing this in the sunshine! The minibuses dropped us off at the farm and we all trooped down towards the shore. Once there we were, we were met by Venetia (the lady who organises this) and, once equipped with disposable gloves and litter pickers and sorted into small groups, we set to work!

Oh my what a busy time we had cleaning. From big pieces of rubbish (tyres, plastic crates) to smaller bits (bottle lids, cans) we collected them all and then gathered our cleared-up rubbish in a handy spot for it to be collected and disposed of properly.

Finlay’s dad brought along Wayne and Koda – you might have read about them in the Free Press as they are on a One Man and His Dog mission to walk around the coastline of the UK, litter-picking as they go. We sat and chatted to Wayne and asked some questions about his adventures so far. He was very impressed to meet us whilst we were doing a beach clean. We all need to do our bit to keep our beautiful countryside looking wonderful! The children of Leswalt Primary are very knowledgeable about their responsibilities for caring for their environment and P1-4 were keen to share some of what they are learning about in class as part of their topic too.

Enjoy our snaps and the recounts of some very happy litter-pickers!

 

 

Recount by Gregor P2

Yesterday we went to Larbrax Beach to do litter picking. I was with Finlay and on the bus we looked for cows. I even found a creature’s skeleton on the beach!

 

Recount by Chloe P2

Yesterday we went on a minibus then walked to the beach. The whole school was there to clean the beach. It was good fun. After we had an ice lolly and biscuits too. We were cleaning the beach to make it look better and help to save little animals.

 

Recount by Joshua P4

Yesterday we went to Larbrax Beach. We went on a minibus. We were dropped off at a farm. The we walked down to the beach – it was tiring! Eventually we made it. We saw a dog called Barley there and he was really soft to stroke. I played with him for a minute or two. Me and Logan found a lot of big bottles and some rubber tubes. We had an icecream after we had finished. We met a man called Wayne and his dog Koda. They are walking around the county and picking up litter too.

 

Recount by Finlay P3

Read all about our Larbrax Beach Clean!

Yesterday we went to Larbrax Beach to clean it up with litter-pickers and black bin bags. Finlay Cowan found a tyre with a bent bit, Nicole found a teddy bear with its stuffing pouring out and Aidan found a Storn Trooper with one arm (how very dare they!!) Kirstie even found a basket with no base! The organiser of the beach clean was called Venetia. She gave us an ice lolly after the beach clean. Then we formed a little circle around Wayne and his dog Koda. He told us about his walk around Britain. He is picking up litter as he goes to help to keep the country tidy. He was pleased that we are tidying up too.

 

This morning P2-4 headed outside for some 3D Shape maths. We all got cosied up before we headed outside as it was rather chilly!

We were ready to recap our knowledge on cubes, cuboids, spheres and cylinders. We had great fun doing the 3D shape race in teams to sort the everyday objects according to their shape. Check out our photos below!

Tomorrow we will be finding out about the properties of shapes – but we think we’ll stay inside the warmth of the classroom for this!

This afternoon, the school nurse Debbie Brown came into chat to P1-4 about lots of ways to keep their bodies healthy. The boys and girls shared with her some of the HWB lessons we have covered about keeping our teeth clean and squeaky clean bodies.

The class talked about the power point Nurse Debbie had, which reminded everyone about: keeping hair clean, checking for those pesky head lice, washing hands properly especially after being at the toilet, washed bodies and clean clothes and tooth brushing.

Nurse Debbie also told the boys and girls that as their bodies grow and change as they get older, regular washing becomes even more important so it is good to get into routine now.

We then thought about the fuel we put into our bodies = food and how healthy it is. The pupils got the chance to look at different types of food and put it onto the Eat Well plate in the right category. A little sugar is ok now and then but not too much!

A busy afternoon with lots of information. We will all be squeaky clean and super healthy from now on….well we can at least try as best we can!

 

What a lovely and bright February morning! Just perfect for us to get out and about shape hunting. We have been looking at 2D shapes, their properties and tiling in class, so we headed out into the playground to find some shapes. There were loads!

We used a tally chart and worked in pairs. Rectangles were the most common, followed by squares, circles and triangles. Mrs Ferguson set us a challenge to find some more unusual shapes too.

Euan and Auryn found a bolt shaped like a pentagon on the car park fence and Kirstie and Chloe spotted a hexagonal bolt at the wooden play area. Charlotte and Erin wondered about the hopscotch rocket in the playground. It had 13 sides! They did some fact finding when they got back into class and discovered a 13 sided shape is called a tridecagon! Mrs Ferguson learnt something new too! Finlay took a really close look at the red plastic racquet and discovered that the holes were actually octagons!

I think you will agree that P2-4 are Super 2D Shape Hunters!

Today we welcomed two teachers who teach in North East France. They have come to Scotland to see how we learn French. We learnt lots from them as they told us about a day at their school in France and also gave us some tips on pronunciation too! It was Gregor’s birthday today so we even sang Happy Birthday in French too! Joyeux Anniversaire Gregor!

 

 

What a fabulous display of tartan was on show at Leswalt Primary today. From kilts to leggings, hair bobbles to tartan tammies; the children turned out in style for this Scottish tradition. The staff and pupils celebrated the birth of Scotland’s national bard with a programme packed full of songs, poetry and feasting. Malcolm McGregor of P1 took on the role of carrying in the haggis, managing not to nibble any of it on the way, led by Finlay Scott carrying the bagpipes. Lauren Anderson of P7 would have done Rabbie himself proud with her Address to the Haggis. Jenna Calderwood of P4 said the Selkirk Grace before we all tucked into a delicious plate of haggis, neeps and tatties (or kilted sausages for those not too keen on the warm, reeking, rich haggis!) Dessert of shortbread, ice cream and toffee sauce was enjoyed by everyone as we listened to some traditional music – clean bowls all round!

Finlay Cowan of P7 oversaw the running of the poems and speeches keeping everyone on track and the pupils and staff settled back to enjoy the winning recitations and entertaining speeches. Mrs Ferguson gave a short Immortal Memory then Kerr Calderwood and Kathryn Topping of P7 led the toasts to the lads and lasses with good humour and witty observations. Lauren provided the toast to Leswalt School reliving her memories of her school years from P1-7. The recitations were provided by Aidan Adams (P1), Chloe Kennedy (P2), Phoebe Gaw (P3), Kirstie Macdonald (P4), Kayleigh Williams (P5) and Emily Cochran (P6).

Vote of thanks by Rebecca Brown ensured that everyone, including the dinner lady Patricia, was thanked for their input. O’ what a glorious sicht!

 

Well we’ve kept to our New Year Resolution!

The pupils and staff of Leswalt Primary have headed out for their morning walk the last two days. Heading out just after break, we set off through the park and completed the loop around by the Wetlands and back to school. We even managed to beat our time today! It’s a chance to exercise those legs, get the heart pumping, enjoy a sociable chat and let the local villagers see lots of wee, smiling faces! We then come back to school invigorated and ready to crack on with our Language work.

Give us a wave if you see us out and about!