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Leswalt and Kirkcolm Primary 7 pupils both went along together to learn more about the World of Work and options available at the local campus in town.

While at the college, our senior pupils took part in 4 different rotations;

1.  STEM – activities focussing on Science, technology, engineering and maths
2. Meta skills – what they are and what skills are required for different occupations
3. Shark Island – a problem solving activity in which pupils had to collaborate and communicate
4. A tour of the college, showing all the different courses available ( including catering, childcare, beauty, hairdressing, mechanical engineering and construction) 

All the activities really got everyone thinking about the wealth of possibilities for life after school – including the skills needed for these jobs.  As well as coming together with Primary 7 pupils from other schools we were re-untied with the teacher formally known as Mrs F, from Leswalt Primary.  She was on hand to lead one of the activities and have a chat with some of the familiar faces from our schools.

After a snack stop midway through the activities, all came together at the end for a quiz – with the grand prize of a £10 Greggs voucher.  Sadly , none of our crew were lucky enough to win this, but they did have all of the correct answers ( but their name was not pulled out the hat!)

All and all it was  a fun morning, focussing on what the future could bring.

🎓 Key UNCRC Rights Linked to a College Visit

• Article 28 – Right to Education
  • Every child has the right to education. Visiting a college supports this by helping children understand pathways to further education and inspiring them to pursue learning beyond school.
• Article 29 – Goals of Education
  • Education must develop a child’s personality, talents, and abilities to their fullest potential. A college visit exposes children to new environments, subjects, and aspirations, helping them envision their future and grow in confidence.
• Article 12 – Respect for the Views of the Child
  • Children have the right to express their views in all matters affecting them. A college visit can include discussions about future choices, encouraging children to voice their interests and ambitions.
• Article 13 – Freedom of Expression
  • Children have the right to seek, receive, and share information. Exploring a college campus allows them to ask questions, gather knowledge, and engage with new ideas.
• Article 17 – Access to Information
  • Children have the right to access information that is important for their well-being and development. College visits provide valuable insights into academic and career opportunities.

Today P1-3 buddied up with Kirkcolm’s Primary 1-4 class for a trip to The Planetarium in Kircudbright, as part of their science learning this term! 👽🌍 When they arrived, they were greeted by the Planetraium staff, who were just as excited about space as us! They then enjoyed an interactive live show inside the  dark dome theatre- a dark room with a huge curved ceiling! When the lights dimmed, they were looking up the planets, moon and stars! ⭐📽 

Afterwards, they got  a feeling of what it would be like as an astronaut in space as they had a wee look around the exhibits – looking at planet models, meteorites and they even got to try a virtual reality headset they took them on a journey through the solar system. 👨‍🚀👩‍🚀🔭

A huge thank you to the Planetarium staff for such a fantastic trip! 🚀

Today  Primary 4-7 took part in their first Sound Trap input and wow- what a fantastic digital learning experience! 💻Pupils were working in partners to develop their sound engineering skills, with the guidance and help from Mr John Dinning and I, for one, am truly in awe at their DJing skills already🎶. Children can access and share their music at home on www.soundtrap.com

Watch this space for the next Calvin Harris!😆

Our upper class were delighted to welcome Robert McCrorie, a Community Safety Advocate from the Fire and Rescue Community Safety Team. He spoke to the pupils about staying safe around fireworks and Bonfire Night celebrations. 🎇

Robert covered important safety topics including fireworks, sparklers, and bonfires, highlighting potential hazards. Hannah  gave a great demonstration on how to hold a sparkler safely—at arm’s length and without waving it around—unfortunately nobody offered to do a demo of  the vital Stop, Drop and Roll technique in case clothing catches fire. 👩‍🚒🔥

The session also explored what should never be added to a bonfire and the reasons why, along with key rules and regulations for purchasing and using fireworks responsibly. 🎇🎆

Collaborating Cora
Critical Thinking Chris
Initiate Ivy

• Article 19 – Protection from violence, abuse, and neglect: Children have the right to be protected from all forms of harm. Learning how to stay safe around fireworks and bonfires supports this right.
• Article 6 – Right to life, survival, and development: Teaching children how to prevent accidents and respond to emergencies (like Stop, Drop and Roll) helps safeguard their well-being and development.

  

  

  

  

Today some  witches, clowns, vampires, cats and even Kevin the Minion took part in the Parent Council’s first ever Halloween Hike around the Wetlands – and what an un-boo-lievable time we had! 👻🧛‍♂️🦇🙀

Our walking trail started in the Wetland’s outdoor classroom and took us up over the bridges, down the Kirkland hill and back to school (a big walk for little feet)! Along the way, we stopped at 5 check points and completed some spooky challenges – dancing the Monster Mash, mixing a cauldron and climbing through a Spider’s Web! 🕸🧟

Back at school, we were treated to some hot chocolate (with cream and marshmallows of course) and some sweets from the Parent Council! 

A huge big thank you to Lauren Paton and the volunteers to gave up their morning! 🕷🎃

Primary 1-3 started a weekly block of Rugby training today – taken by staff from Wigtownshire Rugby club.

Our younger pupils enjoyed all the fun activities, and the brief shower of rain only served to help make the ground and them all the muddier!  It was certainly big smiles, and big fun all round.

Meta Skills being developed-

• Resilience Players face intense physical and mental challenges—bouncing back from setbacks, injuries, or a tough loss is crucial.
• Collaboration Rugby is a team sport through and through. Success depends on trust, communication, and working together under pressure.
• Adaptability Game plans shift, opponents surprise you, and conditions change. Being able to adjust quickly is a major asset.
• Decision-Making Whether it’s choosing when to pass, kick, or tackle, players need sharp judgment in split seconds.
• Self-Leadership Staying disciplined, motivated, and focused—especially when things get tough—is vital for personal and team growth.
• Emotional Intelligence Managing emotions, reading teammates’ moods, and staying composed helps maintain team cohesion and performance.

🏉 UNCRC Rights Fostered Through Rugby

This term, Primary 4-7 have been learning about renewable energy sources and ways we can save energy and make eco-friendly choices! After the October break, we will be learning about Sustainability and what we can do day-to-day for a better future! To make this big topics seem relevant to us in little Leswalt we had asked to visit the new housing development to find out how they make sustainable choices in their new land development. 🏘

This morning, we buddied up with our friends from Kirkcolm as well as site manager Ross and his colleague Sophie from McTaggart Construction and made our way across to the building site in our snazzy hi-vis vests! We were given a tour of the plot, where Ross explained all the adaptations they make to their houses to ensure sustainable living; from foam insulations, to wood identification trails to make sure they know exactly where the timber frames were grown.🌲🏘 ♻️

Afterwards. we invited Ross and Sophie back to Leswalt to show us how the experts do it and build some houses of our own! 🏡 We used cardboard boxes and MakeDo kits to build a sustainable house of our own and absolutely loved using the bolts and tools to do it! So much so, that McTaggart Construction have kindly offered to purchase for us to use in school! 🎁📦

*Disclaimer, the Leswalt housing will be much sturdier, and will include roofs

We had an absolutely super morning, and love every opportunity for the upper classes to get together for fun projects! A big thank you to Sophie and Ross from McTaggart Construction for taking the time to show us around the housing development and their very generous donation of the MakeDo kits for us to keep working on our building skills in school 🙂!