Category: Uncategorized

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 🙂

Just look at those cheery faces! P7 pupils from Kirkcolm and Leswalt headed off for a fun morning of learning at Stranraer Academy today as part of their transition process.

3rd pupils were our guides and met us at the front door to take us to the Dance Studio where we joined Sheuchan P7s for a Stranraer Academy true/false quiz with Mr Hyslop. From there, we enjoyed an Art lesson with Mrs Hyslop exploring Amsterdam street art and a Science lesson with Mrs McHallum investigating acids and alkalis.

To round our morning off nicely, we ventured to the canteen and enjoyed a tasty lunch.

Safe to say, we all had a fabulous morning!

Thanks to Stranraer Academy, Mr Hyslop, Mrs Patterson, our guides Ruby and Brogan and Mrs Hyslop and Mrs McHallum for a fun morning.

Really looking forward to those three days in June now…!

UNCRC 

Articles 29 Aims of Education

Meta Skills

Adapting Aleksander, Focusing Fergus and Communicating Cate

This afternoon, we were all lucky enough to enjoy the first of our 6 week block of Forest School sessions with Richard Patchett with this week’s focus being ‘Bug Hunting and Pond Dipping’!

What a brilliant time we had! The sun was shining as we all headed to the pond at Aldouran Wetlands armed with nets with the very knowledgeable Richard there to tell us what we we had caught.

From Lesser and Greater Water Boatmen to Damselfly Larvae to a Great Diving Beetle larvae and at least 5 newts – the pupils all had a great afternoon pond dipping.

Just look at these happy photos! Thank you Richard – see you next week when we will be working on…ropes!

UNCRC

Article 24 Health, Food, Water, Environment   

Article 31 Rest, Play, Culture, Arts

Article 29 Aims of Education

Meta- Skills

Focusing Fergus, Collaborating Cora, Curiosity Carlos

P6/7 started this week on their Level 1 and 2 Bikeability course designed to ensure they are safe road users when cycling!

This week involved working in the playground and going over the basic safety rules, following a course to check their balance and accurate steering and a few fun games thrown in too!

Mike Blakeman is great fun to work with and is super knowledgeable about all things cycling related. Safe to say Tuesday mornings are going to be a HUGE hit over the next few weeks!

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

Meta Skills

Collaborating Cora, Adapting Aleksander, Focusing Felix

We were delighted to welcome back Matthew Robinson D+G Youth Information Worker for a block of six sessions starting today.

The focus for our sessions is on resilience, relationships and all the skills we need to be the best we can be – in life in general but particularly with a view to our P7s heading off to Stranraer Academy after the summer break. We always have lots of fun working with Matthew and enjoy learning lots more about ourselves through the different activities.

Thanks Matthew for coming along to work with us. Roll on next week…

Meta Skills

Collaborating Cora, Integrity Imani, Communicating Cate, Feeling Felix

UNCRC

Article 12 Respect for Children’s Views

Article 13 Sharing Thoughts Freely

On Tuesday, we were delighted to welcome back Hamish and Cara who came along with Mrs Patterson to tell us a bit more about Stranraer Academy life!

It’s not even been a whole year since they were wearing their Leswalt school jumpers and how they seem to have grown up! Looking super smart in their Academy school uniforms, they shared some top tips with the P7s i readiness for their transition visits over the coming weeks.

Thanks for coming to visit us Cara and Hamish!