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The Battle of Glentrool!

Published on February 16, 2019 in Class Activity and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Primary 5/6 went on a 5 mile history detective walk round Loch Trool in Galloway. In 1307 Robert the Bruce ambushed and defeated an English army who were trying to capture him. We walked in Bruce’s footsteps and tried our best to imagine what it may have been like 800 years ago.

Here are some photographs of our walk and please click on the comments button to read what the class thought about their outdoor history day. Click on a photograph to open a slideshow.

More photographs can be seen on our Twitter feed too – https://twitter.com/castledps  (Twitter account is required).

A quick snack before the detective work begins.

We think that Robert the Bruce may have stood here to signal his army when to attack.

Bruce’s Stone

On our way walking in Bruce’s footsteps.

The waterfall at Buchan Bridge.

We made up our own stories about how this tree was split in two!

We spotted a peacock butterfly.

Walking through ancient oak woods. The countryside would have looked much like this 800 years ago.

Heading for the Battle Site.

What a beautiful place to have lunch! The weather was fantastic too.

 

Preparing for Battle with our Armour and Coat of Arms.

The Battle Site where the Scots army rolled boulders on to the line of English knights.

Getting ready for ambush.

Here they come!

Attack!

Our Weekly News – February 15th

Published on February 15, 2019 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments
Our Weekly School News – Sharing our learning with the School Community.
We try our very best to upload a weekly post for each class but this is sometimes not always possible. Please have a read and a chat about what some of our classes have been up to this week.
Please note that school will be closed for pupils on Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd February.
Apologies for any confusion caused by the wrong dates appearing on the school app. There is a fault with the app which unfortunately means we are unable to amend the dates.
Thank you to our Scots Verse and Art class winners who shared their poems and pictures at an Assembly this week,
Primary 1a
 We thoroughly enjoyed Global Play Day last Friday. We loved playing with the toys we brought in and we didn’t let the rain and wind stop us from venturing outside! An amazing (and very muddy) time had by all!
 
Kaci: I liked playing with Lexi. We played duck, duck, goose.
Ethan: I loved jumping in the muddy puddles! I was getting super-duper muddy!
Miley: I liked playing with Skye and Iris and their toys.
 
This week we have been inviting parents and members of our family into class to tell us about their jobs!
Lola: When Darla’s Dad came in, I liked looking at the cows that had been born.
Skye: I liked my Daddy coming in and seeing all the things he wears.
Ayla: I liked when Jillie’s Mum told us all about being in the hospital.
 
In Music we have been learning about different types of music. Mrs. Teale brought in her clogs and let us try them out!
Murry: I liked when I put the clogs on. I had a picture taken of me.
Lexi: I liked watching Kaci in the clogs. It was hard to wear them.
 
We are also really looking forward to welcoming Susi Briggs, a local author, into our class this Friday. She’ll be sharing her book ‘Nip Nebs’ and venturing into the nature garden with us as we explore the world of fairytales.
 
Wider Achievement
Congrats to C and T who performed in the Scots assembly on Thursday after winning the Scots Poem & Art competition. They did an excellent job!
 
Reminders
Our Ready, Teddy, Go! Science workshop will be on March 1st. Please send in your £4 by Monday, 25th February – thank you.
Primary 1b
 
We all thoroughly enjoyed taking part in Global Play Day last Friday. We spent the morning outside; jumping in muddy puddles and adventuring!
Conall: “I got soaked – I liked it!”
We spent the afternoon playing with games and toys with the P6 class.
 
We have been working on blending and letter formation this week:
Zane “putting sounds together to build a word”
 
We have been learning about what it means to be a Responsible Citizen. Mr. Rogerson has been talking to us about recycling and re-using. We made a poster encouraging people to put rubbish in the bin and recycle it too. Mrs. Johnson has been leading litter picking in the afternoon around the school.
 
Beth performed ‘Mince and Tatties’ in Assembly and Mya showed her artwork. Well done girls!
Ben the bear had fun with Jacob last weekend – he went to the Cocoa Bean. Lucky bear!
Eryithsyai is taking Ben home this weekend – have fun Ben and Eryithsyai
 
Reminders
Our Ready, Teddy, Go! Science workshop will be on March 1st. Please send in your £4 by Monday, 25th February – thank you
Primary 2 
Frankie: We have been learning about greater than and less than in number. We were using the signs to show the bigger and smaller numbers.
Floyd: I used the rhyme to get my sums right. The rhyme tells us that the crocodile always eats the biggest number for his lunch!
 
Nell: We have been learning about space too. I now know there are 8 planets and a smaller planet.
Oona: All the planets are different.
Evie: The planets are different colours.
Taylan: Jupiter is orange
Miya-Lilly: The planets are different sizes.
Cara: Jupiter is bigger than all the other planets
 
 
Primary 3
On Tuesday, we had our final visit to the Doach Woods, where we were joined by The Forestry Commission.
This week, we have been working in a group to research a woodland animal. We used the internet and books to research our animal and we used the information we found to produce a poster.
 
We worked together to make decisions about the layout of our poster and we included the information that we felt was the most important.
Next week, we will be presenting our posters to the rest of the class and giving a group talk to our peers. Our classmates will be giving us feedback on our presentation skills.
Primary 3/4
Caitlin – “I coloured in unicorns on Global Play Day”
Jazmine, Fern, Leah – “We made dresses and shoes for our barbie dolls”
Devlin – “Global Play Day was really fun. I made a plan out of junk modelling”
Ruby “I played a minion game with Emma and Lydia”
Tyler – “It was really fun because Lucca, Devlin, Coby and Ruby played don’t break the ice with me”
Kyle – “At Doach Wood a man came from Forestry Commission. It was very interesting”
Emma – “At Doach Wood I loved roasting marshmallows”
Coby – “The marshmallows tasted so good. We made a smore”
Jazmine – “We had to keep our hand close to the ground because heat rises. We had to keep turning the stick so the marshmallow cooked evenly”
Cameron – “My group made a fairy house. The leaf as the ladder and we used our imagination to create the house”
Leah – “We had a team challenge to create a picture of an animal. We made a fox.”
Connor – “We had to look for lots of different materials and be a good team”.
Kaidi – “In ICT we have been creating a PowerPoint”
Zak – “We were making PowerPoints about a woodland animal. We have to think about key information like what it looks like and what it eats”
Kacey – “We are using google to find the information.”
 
Wider Achievement
Well done to everyone for their super effort with the woodland animal homework task. Miss McCall is very impressed with everyone’s hard work.
 
Primary 4
P4 had so much fun during Global Play Day. We shared our toys with other classes, played in the gym hall and outside too.
This week we have been learning all about Viking clothes and jewellery. Lexi and Leo dressed up in traditional Viking costumes. We spoke about each item, why it was worn and what it is made from. Amelia and Fraser also enjoyed trying on the outfits and exploring the artifacts.
Lexi “My outfit felt cosy. The necklace looked magical”.
Leo “My hat looked like a chef hat, it was soft”.
Amelia “My favourite thing was the necklace”.
Fraser “I felt like a real Viking”.
In art this week we used clay to create Viking jewellery. Using our hands and clay tools we made a Thor’s hammer pendant. Thor is the Viking ruler of the sky and god of thunder and war. Men and woman wore his hammer on a necklace to protect them from evil.
Kianna “We glossed the clay using PVA glue and water, this made it shiny and strong”.
As part of our newspaper report writing we have been thinking about headlines. This week we created our own headlines using rhyme, alliteration and pun.
Wider Achievement
Lexi was awarded an ‘Outstanding Performance’ certificate at her Gymnastics club.
Becky performed ‘Street Talk’ at the Scots assembly in front on the school and parents.
Reminders
P.E kits every Wednesday and Thursday.
If you can, please bring in a newspaper article to share as part of our report writing.
Primary 5
We had a fantastic day taking part in Global Play Day last Friday. We played with the gym equipment, played outside and shared our toys and games with friends. We shared our day with P4 and P4/5.
Douglas, “It was awesome.”
Alper, “I got to make a gas mask.”
Josh, “It was OG (original).”
Olivia, “I really enjoyed the songs.”
Freya, “I got to play with my best friends.”
Shannon, “I think it brought us all closer together.”
Yvie, “Big Bear got his hair brushed.”
Sebastian, “I enjoyed today I got my breaks and played lots of good games and activities with people.”
We have also been rehearsing for our upcoming assembly this week which is on Three Braw Scots. Children have worked hard to learn their parts and are very excited to perform. We have also been working on multiples and made stars out of multiples of 4 and 6. We have continued our work on time with Mrs. Starkey. We have also been learning about effective headlines in big writing and looked at how to use rhyme, puns and alliteration.
Wider Achievement
Well done to Isla and Skye who performed ‘A Dug A Dug’ in our Scots assembly on Thursday.
Reminders
 P.E. is now on a Monday and Friday so please can children ensure they have their kits on these days.
Our Edinburgh trip is on Wednesday 20th February, please can children bring in their permission slips, payment and medical forms by this Monday.
Next week is a three day week for children as there are in-service days Thursday and Friday.
Primary 5/6
 Please see our Twitter feed for our class news
Primary 6/7
We visited Cream o’ Galloway on Monday to learn about the World of Work.
Abbie “We met Bev. She showed us around and we met various people who work at Cream o’ Galloway. We learned about their jobs and the skills that they need”.
Kalim “We met the farmer. He told us about how they milk the cows and his early mornings.”
Harris “We met Billy who delivers the ice-cream and the cheese.”
Jaimie-Leigh “ We learned about the different equipment that each person needed to complete their job.”
As we travelled around Cream o’ Galloway we learned about working in tourism, agriculture and in the food industry.
Melissa “ We have been learning about weights and measurements in maths.”
Libby “We learned about the water cycle this week too.”
In Wider Achievement
Abbie can now do a sit in dive in the deep end of the swimming pool.
Adam started a boxing class.
Heidi won a Highland Dancing competition at the weekend.
Primary 7
P7 have had an extremely busy week this week! On Monday we went to Cream of Galloway for a World of Work session. We met lots of people who told us about their role in Cream of Galloway from taking care of the animals to food production to sales. The children had a fantastic time.
Tiana- At Cream of Galloway we learned a lot about cows. The farmer, Charles, told us how he takes care of them.
Sam – At Cream of Galloway my favourite thing was the Go – Boing!
On Wednesday Mr. Neil, a computing teacher, came in to help teach us about coding. The children were very engaged and created some super games of their own.
Neave – Mr. Neil showed us how to make games on Scratch 3. Some of us went in partners.
Deacon –I enjoyed developing my own game on Scratch 3.
There was a Burns assembly on Thursday as well.
Sami – I said my poem in front of the whole school and got a certificate.
Katherine – I won the art competition and got a certificate too.
Well done to Hannah for winning the Dojo points this week.
Wider Achievement
Well done to Jayden, Katherine, Chloe, Deacon and Libby who all took part in the Rotary quiz. They did a fantastic job and came 2nd! with only one point in it.
 Ollie – On Monday I have a football trial in Kilmarnock. I am really excited to show my skills.

Our Weekly News – February 8th

Published on February 8, 2019 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments
Our Weekly School News – Sharing our learning with the School Community.
We try our very best to upload a weekly post for each class but this is sometimes not always possible. Please have a read and a chat about what some of our classes have been up to this week.
Primary 1a
 
What a wonderful week we have had! This week we have welcomed Miss Bryden into our classroom and we are loving having her with us!
 
On Friday we went on a ‘wellie walk’ with P1b and some parent helpers.The weather was fantastic and we had a great time playing in the park and walking around Castle Douglas. Thank you to all the helpers who came along!
 
Murry: I liked when we had a play and our snack at the bottom park.
Melisa: I spotted my house!
Abby: I saw my Grandpa walking my dog.
 
In class we read ‘A Squash and a Squeeze’ by Julia Donaldson. We have been working on our language skills – finding the rhyming words in the story, sequencing the events, thinking about how things in the story related to us and making our own pages of the book.
Ayla: I liked turning into Julia Donaldson. I drawed a panda eating the table!
Miley: I drawed a cat putting holes in the rug.
Finlay: I drawed a dog eating the radiators.
Murry: My bull was eating the table leg!
 
Primary 1b
 
Mya: “I liked playing with Beth and Tiffany, playing doggies with Conall”
Elliot: “I liked playing with everybody”
Eddie: ”making stuff with cardboard”
Kai: “me, William and Elliot, Flynn and Joshua like playing Avengers”
Joshua: “learning about Scottish”
William “we made a Scotland flag”
Charlotte: “we read Angela Sprockets Pocket – she has lots of pockets”
  
This week we have welcomed Mr Rogerson into our class. We are really enjoying getting to know him.
We have completed lots of work around Julia Donaldson’s book ‘A Squash and a Squeeze’.
Beth: “Julia Donaldson is Scottish”.
We thought about rhyming words – Flynn “coat and goat”, Eddie, “pen and hen”. We also created our very own page for the book, thinking about a new animal that might be invited to the house. We had sheep, dogs and unicorns.
We played lots of fun new games in PE. We thought about moving in different directions during the traffic light game and used different pieces of small equipment in various ways; bean bags, hoops, balls, cones and quoits. We had a great time!
We are enjoying our sessions in the computer suite; logging on and using the 2simple software.
 
Reminders
*If you would like a copy of the Nip Nebs book, please send the money in by Tuesday 12th February.
Primary 3 & P3/4
This week on our outdoor learning session to the Doach woods we were learning all about animal habitats. The children worked in teams to identify different animal homes within the woods and took pictures of what they found. We found lots of mouse tunnels, birds’ nests, rabbit warrens, woodpecker hole’s and tree hollows. We had a team challenge to build a winter home for the animals to sleep in. We made our shelters from leaves, sticks and other natural things we found in the woods. On our way back to the bus we saw a fox!
Harrie “My group found a bat roost up in a tree”
Kahlen “Me and Cara found an elephant made from a tree and moss it was really cool. We found spider webs underneath a fallen tree.”
Nicole “We saw a real fox in the woods, and it had a white tail. It was running up the forest through the trees.”
Noah “We lifted dead wood and found a rabbit hole and white insects.”
Caleb “I learned that woodpeckers live in small holes in the trees and I really liked making the animal homes.”
Milly “I liked climbing and finding homes that animals could have lived in. It was fun going off the path”
Connor – “When me, Ruby, Emma, Lydia, Fern and Max were exploring we were finding clues to tell us what animals live in the woods.”
Kaidi – “We built dens in the woods. It was so much because all our dens were different but they were all really good.”
Kyle – “We used good listening and teamworking skills to build a good den”
Lucca – “Me, Jake, Rhys, Kyle and Coby found some deer poo so we know that deer live in Doach Wood”
Emma – “We found a rabbit hole. They were everywhere. I even tripped over one”
Coby – “Our group found a spider web”
Nikola – “We found a birds nest up in the tree”
Fern – “We found a mouse hole”
Jake – “We found a spot in the forest where we think a deer lying”
Thank you very much for all the parent helpers we have had over the past few weeks on our sessions to the woods.
In I.C.T we were using Google as our search engine to research facts about our chosen animal for our project. We used our note taking skills to record our information.
Reminders
Doach woods Tuesday 12th February –please come dressed in warm clothes
Animal Project due 15.2.19
Primary 4
 
We have created battle banners in our table teams. The Vikings, Spears, Swords, Longboats and Runes each designed a banner that will be attached to a pole so that it can be flown like a flag. We had to work as a team to come up with ideas and plan the layout. We drew pictures that will scare off any opponents!
In music we began rehearsing songs for our spring show. We have started learning the Easter-Egg Boogie and I Can Sing a Rainbow which we will sing in French.
We have been writing about our swimming lessons at the pool, focusing on writing a clear beginning, middle and end. We have also started preparing for our next piece of writing, a newspaper report, by identifying all of the key features such as a headline.
Miss Sarahs enjoyed meeting all of the P4 families at Parents Evening this week and was very pleased to share all of P4’s achievements so far. Well done!
 
Reminders
P.E kits are needed every Wednesday and Thursday this term.
Primary 4/5
 
Jesse-Leigh – In maths we have been learning about how much things cost.
Lhlyaijana – We have been learning about the different ways you can pay for something. You can use a credit card to borrow money but you have to pay it back.
Brooke – I now know the difference between a debit card and a credit card.
Lily – I now know how gift vouchers work.
McKenzie – You can sometimes pay using contactless. You can swipe your card on a machine for things that are less than £30.
 
Elle – In writing setting this week, we have been learning about the features of a newspaper report.
Freya – The writing in newspapers can sometimes be called articles.
Brooke – The title of an article is called the headline.
Skye – The headline should be in big, bold letters to attract the reader.
Callum – The writing is in columns so it easier to read.
Hugo – The headlines grab our attention and tells us what the news is about.
 
 Wider Achievement
 Oliver learned how to serve the ball in a tennis match.
 
Reminders
Could all pupils please remember to bring in their full PE kit each week. PE days are on a Tuesday and a Thursday. Children cannot participate in PE without the appropriate clothing.
Primary 5
 
We have been learning our two songs for our assembly this week and discussed what we know already about Mary Queen of Scots and what we’d like to learn about her.
 
“She got executed.” – Finlay
“She lived in France for a long time.” – Niamh
“She was related to more than one person called James.” – Josh
“She was related to Henry VIII” – Lucy
“James (Mary’s son) was King for the Gunpowder Plot.” – Eilidh
“She had four husbands.” – Georgia
“She was sent over on a boat to France for safety.” – Lacey
“She had three husbands.” – Isla
“When Mary came back to Scotland she only spoke a little Scottish because she mostly spoke French.” – Erin
“She had a son called James that had a son called Charles and then Charles had a son called Charles.” – Yvie
 
We have also been working on multiples and factors as well as time in maths. In literacy we have started Big Writing this week where we were learning about features of a newspaper report.
 
Reminders
Please can children bring back their permission slips and money for the Edinburgh trip by the end of next week.
We have our class assembly on Friday 15th February, please can parents and guardians let us know if you are able to attend.
Primary 5/6
Please see our Twitter feed for our class news
Primary 6
 
“In PE, we played bench ball and had a tournament.” (Molly)
“We learnt about a Solar and Lunar Eclipse. The way to remember a Solar Eclipse is SME and SEM for a Lunar Eclipse.” (Mylie & Lewis)
“We created art work and worked on shading and we had to think about the direction of the sun light.” (Michalina & Molly)
“We took part in Global Play Day today.” (Tommy)
“We created a rocket out of cardboard during Play Day.” (Abi, Tyler, Eilidh, Michalina and Teigan)
 
Primary 6/7
This week we visited CDHS for the Day of Dance. We had great fun revisiting all the Scottish dances that we learned before Christmas.
We have had lots of replies to our Job Fair. So far we have coastguards, doctors, farmers, joiners and police officers coming to visit us to name but a few! If you have a job that you think we would be interested in learning about please get in touch!
In maths this week we have been learning about measurement. We calculated how far on average we travelled if we walked 5 steps. From that we used our division and multiplication skills to calculate how far we travelled on average per step then then per 10,20,30,40 and 50 steps! We will go on to investigate weight, volume and capacity soon.
We have been working as newspaper reporters this week too. We worked in pairs to research a natural disaster of our choice and are writing newspaper articles reporting on the event.
Reminders
Cream o’ Galloway trip – Monday 11th Feb. Warm outdoor clothes (that can get dirty!) would be best and a pair of trainers. Waterproof jacket and a packed lunch also required.
Job Fair – Wednesday 27th Feb.
Please encourage pupils to take their Accelerated Reader books home and to complete reading homework.
 
Primary 7
 
We had a Day of Dance at the High School on Thursday. We did lots of dances and there were lots of other schools there – Hannah.
 
We were worried we had forgotten the dances we learned but we surprised ourselves and remembered them. – Mia.
 
I helped put face paint on people for the Day of Dance. I drew flags and tartan. -Chloe.
 
I am proud of myself because I moved up a group in spelling. – Ollie
 
I am proud of myself for getting an Advanced Reader certificate for Accelerated Reading. – Isla A
 
I won the poem on Friday (last week). I practised hard! – Sami
 
We had Young Leaders from the High School again this week for Rugby. They played games with us and some of them were at the dancing too. – Charley.
 
In maths we have been doing angles and we are really accurate at drawing them now. – Jayden.
 
In maths we had to identify angles in a straight line. – Neave.
 
I am proud of my mental maths because I got 5 dojo points for improving my score – Ryan.
 
I was very pleased with what Mrs Milligan said at Parents Evening. I have been well behaved and hard working. – Sam.
 
 
Reminders
 
Cream o’ Galloway trip – Monday 11th Feb.
Job Fair – Wednesday 27th Feb.

Our Weekly News – 1st February

Published on February 7, 2019 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Our Weekly School News – Sharing our learning with the School Community.

Pupils will be bringing home this term’s Learning Targets and Parent Night appointment slips this week – please have a look in school bags.

We try our very best to upload a weekly post for each class but this is sometimes not always possible. Please have a read and a chat about what some of our classes have been up to this week.

 

Primary 1a

We’ve been learning the sounds ‘z’ and ‘w’ this week. These are our last single sounds – we’ve worked so hard learning all of them this year so far! We especially liked going on a ‘wonderful, wintery walk’ when learning the ‘w’ sounds. We took the iPad and tried to find things we see when it is winter.

Abby: “The bark had gone all icy.”

Ethan: “The leaves have fallen off the trees.”

Lola: “I liked taking the pictures.”

Luke: “I wanted to find some robins but they had left the school.”

In maths, we’ve been working hard at number and 2d shape. We’ve been learning about sides and corners of 2d shapes.

Darla: “I liked drawing all the lines of the shapes.”

Amelia: “I like the triangle because it has 3 sides.”

As we continue to learn our Scots poem ‘Mince and Tatties’, we’ve been working hard at making a piece of artwork alongside the poem. We’ve created our own tartan plates and used different materials to make our mince and tatties. We can’t wait for you to see them all!

Riley: “I liked colouring it in.”

Skye: “I like saying the poem.”

Ayla: “I like putting the mince and tatties on. The cotton wool is supposed to be the tatties.”

We are looking forward to our Wellie Walk on Friday!

Reminders

Parent’s Evenings – Wed 6th/Thurs 7th

Global Play Day – Friday 8th

 

Primary 1b

We learned our last 2 single letter sounds this week – ‘z’ and ‘w’. We went on a wonderful wintery walk, taking photographs of and discussing the winter weather. The children thought of lots of words beginning with ‘w’; “wind” “woods” “weather” “wet” “walk” “wellies” “William” and “Willow”! We also enjoyed making a zoo pictures and thinking about the different animals you might see at a zoo.

We are continuing to work hard to blend the sounds we know to read and write 3 letter words – keep up the super work everybody!

In Maths we have been working on identifying four 2d shapes (square, rectangle, triangle, circle) and talking about their similarities and differences and properties. We enjoyed playing the shape monster game on the IWB.

We have really enjoyed learning our Scots poem ‘Mince and Tatties’ and the children have been performing the poem in front of an audience. We made a piece of artwork too – a tartan plate full of mince and tatties. Lots of the class say they prefer the tatties to the mince!

Ziya: “yince means once”

Kai: “we painted a Scotland flag”

Conall: “it’s blue and white”

 

 

Kai is taking Ben the Bear home – have fun Ben and Kai!

Reminders

Parents Evening – Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th. Slips are in homework packets.

Global Play Day – Friday 8th. Letter in homework packets.

 

Primary 3

On Tuesday, during our visit to the Doach Woods, we were working on our teamwork skills. Our challenge was to build a den. We had to make sure we used our communication skills to agree on our ideas and to find the resources that we needed.

We were so excited about the snow on Thursday! To enhance our literacy learning, we went for a winter walk in the playground and worked with a partner to think of as many adjectives and exciting sentences as we could about the glittering snow! We tried to include interesting openers and connectives.

Harrie – ‘The sparkly snow is so soft’.

Ewan ‘The snow is crunchy when you stand on it’.

Reminders

Tuesday – Doach Woods

Friday – Global Play Day

 

Primary 3/4

Max enjoyed being outside at Doach woods.

Lydia – “I enjoyed going to Doach woods because I found lots of interesting things.”

Coby – “I enjoyed Doach woods because we got to work in a team to make a massive den.”

Fern – “I liked climbing up, finding different things and then sliding back down the hill at Doach wood.”

Caitlin – “When we went to Doach woods we found a big hill and we tried to explore all the way to the top.”

Alex – “I enjoyed practicing my Scots poem.”

Connor – “My favourite thing about the Doach woods is doing all the different activities.”

Ruby – “For the Scottish poem we made clown pictures. We used oil pastels to colour them in.”

Kaidi – “I enjoyed finding new things at Doach woods.”

Rhys – “I enjoyed doing measure in maths.”

Reminders

Tuesday – Doach Woods Outdoor Learning Session

Wednesday & Thursday – Parents Evening Appointments

Friday – Global Play Day

 

Primary 4

We have been performing our Scots poem ‘Street Talk’. We focused on our confidence, making eye contact and using gestures and facial expression. We spoke clearly and loudly using appropriate pace, tone and emphasis. Everybody learned their poem at school and at home, reciting them beautifully on the day. Well done to Becky, Callum, Emily-Rose, Gregor, Holly, Lewis, Sam and Zak who performed for our invited judges.

To accompany our poem, we explored and experimented with digital technologies, using Word Cloud to create Scottish word art. We word processed our favourite Scottish words from the poem, having translated them during language time. We created images by experimenting with different layouts, fonts and colour combinations.

Reminders

Parents evening on Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th – appointment slips in school bags.

Global Play Day on Friday 8th – letters in school bags.

P.E kits are needed every Wednesday and Thursday.

 

Primary 4/5

 

This week we have been learning about money in our Number work. We have been working on finding out the smallest number of coins that make a total. We have also been looking at equations and doing sums like  2 + d = 21 and working out what d equals.  d = 19.

Have a go at this equation – what does z equal?    10 x z = 46 –6

Our class Scots Verse competition is on Friday and we have been busy practising our Poems and choosing who is going through to the Class Final.

Our topic this term is Scotland landscape and landmarks and we have started finding out our own interesting facts.

Callum – “Loch Lomond is the largest freshwater loch in Scotland.”

McKenzie – “Scottish families can be grouped in clans.”

Coll – “Clans have their own tartans and family badges”.

Wider Achievement

Maxi – At Cubs I have been learning about hygiene and how to wash my hands properly.

Shea – I also had to do a Cub challenge of making a meal and I did a roast dinner and lemon drizzle cake.

 

Primary 5

P5 have had a busy week this week. We have continued securing our knowledge of times tables and started talking about what a multiple is. With MRrs Starkey we have continued our work on measurement and timed ourselves with how long different activities would take.

In Literacy, we have looked closely at ‘A Dug, A Dug’ and discussed the techniques used in the poem to know what tone of voice the characters are using. We have also finished our dog portraits which are now on display outside the classroom.

On Tuesday we took part in Scotland day with the rest of P5-7 and we all had a great time with a Scottish quiz, learning ukulele, tasting different Scottish foods, learning how to draw in a McCoo style, making an advert for a new soft drink and learning how to book an event in ICT.

Wider Achievement
Anna and Yvie took part in a swimming competition on Sunday.
Students who go to show club had their auditions and are excited to find out which parts they have been given.
Emma did her first ever back bend in gymnastics on Tuesday.

Reminders

Play Day is on Friday 8th February – children received letters home about this and what they can bring to school.
Primary 5/6

Please see our Twitter feed for our class news

 

Primary 6

Please have a look at our Scots Verse video clips already posted.

 

Primary 6/7

This week we took part in 2nd Level’s Scottish Day.

Noah learned about different Scottish foods. His favourite was the haggis!

Adam enjoyed learning different types of Scottish music on the ukulele.

My was surprised that there were so many different Scottish foods.

Brooke learned that the artist Steven Brown named all his artworks himself.

We have enjoyed watching the green screen videos on the school blog advertising a new Scottish drink!

This week we have also been reciting our Tam o’ Shanter poem ready for the competition on Friday.

Wider Achievement

Adam took part in a swimming competition at the weekend.

Kalim has moved from Cubs to Scouts and is excited about his new challenges!

Reminders

Trip to Cream o’ Galloway on Monday 11th February.

Please send in any materials for Junk Modelling on Global Play Day – Friday 8th Feb.

 

Primary 7

This week pupils had a visit from Lisa from Quit Your Way. She shared lots of information and facts about the dangers and risks of smoking. Children participated in a quiz, an experiment and examined some of the 4,000 chemicals found in a cigarette.

Pupils had lots of fun on Tuesday taking part in the second level Scottish day on Tuesday. The rotated around six different activities including a food tasting session, a ukulele session, a quiz and a drama session. Children wrote newspaper articles based on the Scottish day. They focused on including the elements we had discussed in our previous writing sessions.

Well done to all pupils for participating in the poetry recital this week. The children did a super job and the top ten were chosen by the class to perform on Friday for the judges to pick an overall winner.

We began working on our Energy leaflet this week as well. The pupils are creating an energy leaflet to encourage people to save energy, tell them about the different types of energy and to explain what global warming is.

Well done to Ollie for achieving his Accelerated Reader target this week.

Well done to Ollie and Katherine for winning this week’s Class Dojo.

Reminders

Global Play Day 8th Feb (any junk modelling appreciated)

Job Fair 27th Feb

P5-7 Scotland Day

Published on January 29, 2019 in Uncategorized. 18 Comments

Our P5-7 classes held a Scotland themed learning together day. In mixed age groups the pupils worked together on six different tasks. Please have a look at the comments posted by pupils by clicking on the Comments button of this post.

Here are some photographs and video clips of our day.

Scottish Research Quiz

Tricky finger time – learning chords on the ukulele

 

Scottish food time – what’s your favourite?

Tablet got the thumbs up!

So did Haggis!

 

 

It’s party Time – Try our New Super Party Drink

Creating an advert for a soft drink.

 

Lots of team work today .

A summer drink to warm up the winter cold :).

Nursery Burns Supper

Published on January 25, 2019 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

Our Nursery were excited to have a visit today from Glen Cunningham, the Pipe Major of Kirkcudbright Pipe Band, who came in to let us hear the pipes and see his kilt and special uniform. We also had haggis, neeps and tatties for snack, after Miss Potts had addressed it!!

Our Weekly News – January 25th

Published on January 25, 2019 in Uncategorized. 3 Comments

Our Weekly School News – Sharing our learning with the school Community. 

School News : 

As well as our website and Facebook page we have started a Twitter feed for the school. Follow us @castledps 

 We held our January Achievement Assembly today. 

Thank you to all the pupils who kindly shared achievements that they have been doing outside school.  

We heard about Rugby, Horse Showing, Horse Showjumping, Horse Riding, Gymnastics, Blue Peter Badge awards, Showing a Calf at the Market and three of our P5/6 pupils shared the new ukulele skills they are learning. What a wide range of interesting items – thank you for sharing. 

 

K and M, two or our Reading Ambassadors shared information about our Book of the Month and encouraged us all to enjoy reading.

Well done to our Pupils of the Month chosen by their classes. Super effort and positive example. Each child is awarded a special certificate with the reasons for their choice. (Missing from the photograph is Rylan and Amy). 

 

Scottish Day – P5 – 7 

 Primaries 5, 5/6, 6, 6/7 and 7 will be having a ‘Scottish Day’ on Tuesday 29th January 2019. Children will be split into 6 groups and rotate around 6 different Scottish themed activities. Children are invited to wear something tartan if they would like.  

We try our very best to upload a weekly post for each class but this is sometimes not always possible. Please have a read and a chat about what some of our classes have been up to this week. 

Primary 1a 

We finished last week with more adventures in the Nature Garden! We made wonderful bird feeders using the toilet roll tubes we brought in, lard, mashed banana and bird seed. 

Ayla: I liked the bird feeders. I hung mine on the tree in the field. 

 Iris: I liked putting the white stuf (lard) on the toilet roll tube.  

We’ve been learning our sounds of the week – ‘v’ and ‘x’. We were tracing using paper clips and magnets, making words out of playdough and playing sound bingo! 

Kaci: I liked tracing the letters with the magnets.  

We’ve also started addition and are doing a fabulous job! 

Primary 1b 

We have been learning the ‘v’ and ‘x’ sounds – thinking of words beginning with and words that have these letters in.  

Charlotte: “I liked colouring in the paper with the boxes and foxes” 

Brodie: “me and William have been building a big zoo” 

Kai: “me, Zane, Conall and Joshua liked playing in the TAS shop” 

A big thank you to Laird for our presents! The children are wearing the hats and using the pads and pens to write out the orders in the shop. 

The children have had great fun playing and making with cardboard boxes! Zane and Joshua built a Santa van and Hannah designed a flower house. Eddie, Brodie and William made a great team – working together to cut holes in the boxes and join them together.  

Ellie: “I love my baby brother – he’s the best baby!” 

Zane is taking Ben the Bear home this weekend – have fun Zane and Ben! 

Well done to our pupil of the month Ziya! 

 Reminders 

 Keep practising the Scots poem – ‘Mince and Tatties’ 

Primary 2/3 

This week we have been learning about money. We have been looking at the different coins we use and how much things cost. Some things like a holiday are very expensive. 

We also looked at where you get money from and we could think of six ways. 

From a bank.

From a cash machine and we learned it is called an ATM – Automated Teller Machine.

You can sometimes get cashback from a shop.

From a gift like a birthday present.

From being paid for doing a job or getting pocket money for helping round the house.

We may have saved some money in a piggy bank. 

Can you think of any more? 

Please remember to practise your Scots poem for next week. 

 

Primary 3 

 This week, we had our first visit to the Doach Woods as part of our outdoor learning sessions. We were learning to identify different trees in a real-life context and we used a checklist to keep track of our findings. 

Milly – ‘We found a Douglas Fir tree. We were learning to identify the different parts of a tree’. 

We have also been learning to identify living and non-living things in the world around us. We explored the playground and found lots of living and non-living things, including animals, plants and other objects. We also discussed some objects that were ‘once living’, such as a wooden bench.  

Arno – ‘A squirrel is a living thing. It can move’. 

Noah – ‘A rock is non-living. It doesn’t grow.’ 

Reminders 

Tuesday – Doach Woods visit 

‘Twa Leggit Mice’ poem for Friday 1st February.  

 

 

Primary 3/4 

 This week we went on our first visit to Doach Wood as part of our outdoor learning sessions. We were learning to identify the different types of trees we could find there – we used a checklist to help us to identify the different features.  

“We were climbing hills and trying to get to the top. We needed good looking and teamworking skills to get to the top” – Kaidi 

“We got pencils and paper and we made bark rubbings. It was really cool to look at the different patterns” – Ruby 

“Some of us climbed up the hill but didn’t think of how we would get back down. We slid down on our bottoms. It was so much fun!” – Caitlin 

“We had to find different types of trees. I found a silver birch. It was really hard to find” – Coby 

“I loved getting muddy and it was nice to explore Doach Wood and see what we could find. I spotted a stream” – Zak 

“When I got to the top of the hill I saw a tree that was tipped over and I could see it’s roots” – Rhuben 

 We also made group posters on some of the different types of trees we can find in Britain.  

“Our poster took a lot of time because it has so much detail” – Emma 

“Our poster is on the Beech Tree. A Beech Tree can live for 350 years” – Alex 

“Our group created a poster about the Douglas Fir. We found out that the leaves are soft needles. We saw lots of Douglas Fir trees in the Doach Woods” – Connor 

We have been learning about what plants need to grow.  

“We started an experiment. We split into groups and we had to read our instructions carefully to plant the seeds” – Connor 

“Each group had different instructions. We are going to see which group’s seeds grow the best over the next few weeks to help us work out what plants need to grow” – Kaidi 

 

    

In health we have been discussing friendship. We read the story ‘Don’t Hog the Hedge’ and thought about all the ways that we can be a good friend to others. In PE we have started gymnastics. We have been learning about different balances and different rolls.  

 The P4’s have also completed their swimming sessions this week. What a great time they have had developing their swimming skills!  

Reminders 

Our next outdoor learning session will be on Tuesday. Please make sure you are wearing old, weather appropriate clothes.  

Please keep practising your Scots poem – The Circus – at home. 

 

Primary 4 

Topic: We have been learning about Viking long ships. P4 mixed primary colours to create different shades when painting dragon heads. In Viking times, Dragon and animal heads were carved from wood and used to decorate the front of the long ship. Sam: “The prow is the name for the front of the ship and the dragon head was used to scare away spirts on the land”.  

ICT: We carried out our own research, finding out more about the features of a long ship. P4 explored fact websites and google images to get inspiration for their next task. Using 2Simple software they drew realistic long ships making sure they were long and narrow with oars, sails and prows.  

P.E: We had our last swimming lesson today. The instructors let us play in the water. Becky: “I was playing under water with the sink toys”. Ameila: “I had so much fun, our groups came together, and we raced keeping a ball between our legs”. Alfie: “I played dodge ball with the foam balls”. Dylan: “We climbed on giant floats and pretended we were sinking”. 

Maths: We introduced Stephanie subtraction and we are beginning to use step 1, step 2. 

Language: We have been reading through and translating our scots poem ‘Street Talk’. Over the next couple of weeks P4 will be learning and performing this poem. We talked about our favourite Scottish words and shared new ones.  

Wider Achievement 

Fraser and Gregor have completed Beavers and are moving up to Cubs. 

Rylan is our P4 Pupil of the Month. 

Reminders 
Scots poems in school bags. Please learn and perform your poems at home.  

 

 

Primary 4/5 

 This week we have been learning how to recite our poems in front of the class. We have been looking at how we can add in expression and actions to interest our audience. We have also been thinking about what makes a good audience too.  

Coll – It is great fun reciting our poem. 

Callum – I am nervous when I stand up in front of the class but I am getting used to it.  

Riley – I have more confidence at speaking in front of an audience.  

We have come to the end of our swimming block at Castle Douglas Swimming pool. All children have had a great time and have really progressed in confidence and ability. Well done.  

 Murray – I can now swim in the deep end.  

McKenzie – I have learned how to do a forward roll under water.  

Freya – I am now much better at side breathing.  

Alannah – Swimming was fun, I don’t want it to finish.  

Maxi – I can now do things I didn’t think I’d be able to do. 

Hugo – I have learned how to dive into the deep end.  

Wider Achievement 

Charlotte – At piano lessons, I have learned how to play with both hands.  

Freya – I have learned how to play a new piano note.  

Lily – I completed a doll at stitch club.  

Oliver R – At tennis club I have learned how to do a back hand.  

  

Primary 5/6 

Please see our Twitter feed for our class news 🙂  https://twitter.com/mr_coulthard 

 

Primary 6 

 

P6 began our new topic this week: The Solar System! 

“We began researching and creating a fact file about Mercury and Venus.” (Seren) 

“We created a planet mnemonic to remember the order of the planets. My mnemonic was, “My Volcanic Eruption Made Jam Slide Under Neptune.” (Fraser) 

“My planet mnemonic was, “My Very Eager Maid Jam Sandwiches Using Nutella.” (Eilidh) 

“In Maths, we used the computers to shop on Tesco and Asda and we were finding out which would be cheapest.” (Tyler) 

“I learnt that Venus is over 4.5 billion years old.” (Ryan)  

 

Primary 6/7 

This week Mr Whan’s writing set were looking at the different features of a newspaper. We all enjoyed reading the newspaper!  

This week the Squares and Rectangles have been learning about factors and multiples. 

Aillie “ I know that a multiple is the answer of two factors multiplied together”. 

Leland “ We have been working with P7 to learn about the World of Work and plan a job fair.” 

Mya “ We have been learning to recite the storm section of Tam o’ Shanter.” 

As part of our topic we have been learning about the charity Shelter Box. One of our ‘Big Questions’ for this topic was “What support is available to people after a natural disaster occurs?”. We learned that:  

Noah O “ The things inside the box include: a tent, a light and blankets”. 

Melissa “ Shelter box provide shelter for people who have lost homes”. 

Noah S “ In the box there is teaching supplies for school children.”  

Wider Achievement 

Aillie can now do a handspring on the floor.  

Bobby was this week’s pupil of the month.  

Adam will recite his poem at his Granny’s Burns’ Supper this weekend.  

 

Reminders 

Please send in Cream o’ Galloway visit reply slips.  

2nd level Scottish Day on Tuesday – please wear tartan/Scottish themed clothes if you wish. Please continue to learn your poem.  

Job Fair Wed 27th Feb.  

 

 

Primary 7 

Jayden – In writing we have started looking at newspapers. We have been working on headlines.  

Rory L – Young Leaders from the high school came in on Tuesday and helped us with our Tag Rugby. They played fun games with us which helped us develop our skills. I was paired with Ryan and I got the most tags. 

Hannah – People from Childline came in to do a workshop with us on Wednesday. We discussed different situations in groups and decided if they were good or bad. 

Ollie – I carried on my 100% accuracy in spelling this week by getting full marks again.  

Charley – I’m proud of my Tam O’Shanter artwork. I enjoyed using charcoal.  

Elise – I was pleased that our class got into the top ten on the Sumdog National Maths competition this week.  

Well done to Daniel P and Katherine for winning the Dojo points this week. 

Well done to Jayden for being awarded Pupil of the Month this week. 

Reminders 

Verse three of the poem to be learned for Monday. 

We are having a Scottish Day on Tues – children can wear Scottish themed clothes.  

Cream of Galloway World of Work trip Monday 11th Feb.  

Job Fair Wed 27th Feb.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sharing our Learning – January 18th

Published on January 18, 2019 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Our Weekly School News – Sharing our learning with the school Community

Please have a read and a chat about what some of our Classes have been up to this week.

Primary 1a 

We’re all enjoying being back at school and we are ready to learn! We’ve been busy the past two weeks with lots of interesting jobs! 

This week we’ve learned ‘b’ and ‘y’. 

Skye: I like learning my sounds. I liked learning the ‘b’. We were drawing on balloons and bananas! 

Iris: I like doing sounds too. ‘b’ was fun! 

Charlie: We were watching Geraldine the Giraffe for our sounds. She’s really funny, sometimes she’s naughty when she finds the things in her house beginning with the letters. 

Ayla: I like reading the stories and reading with buddies! 

We’ve finally reached number 20 in Ten Town! 

Kaci: I like the Tia Ten Show. My favourite number so far has been 17. They were making 17 rolls of bread! 

In our class we’ve started making our role play area into Castle Douglas. Our topic this term is going to be My Community, My World. 

Murry: I liked making the road and the cars for the road. 

Abby: I made The Mad Hatter café to go in our town.  

Ted has been going on lots of adventures recently. Miss Conacher took Ted home for Christmas and he shared his holiday adventures. Riley also took Ted home last weekend. 

Riley: I let Ted nap with me and we were playing together. He met a new friend, Buddy the Elf. 

Reminders 

Next week we’ll be sending home our Scots Poem to learn! Look out for the poem in next week’s homework. Also, thank you to everyone who has sent back CAPER letters. We’ll get back to you soon to confirm information. 

 

 Primary 1b 

What a super start we have had to Term 3 and it is great to be back.  

There has been some wonderful imaginative play happening in the classroom, all led by the children and their fantastic imaginations. We have had tents and dens made from chairs and blankets, with the children working as a team and problem solving as they go along. We have re-organised our dressing up box which has  led to some super role play and story telling. Our builders yard has turned into a Hardware store called ‘TAS’. The children discussed what is sold in a hardware store:  

Kai “hammers”  

Flynn “screws”  

Eryithsyai: “tools”  

Hannah: “you’ll need money”  

We wanted to link it to Castle Douglas as our new topic is ‘My Community/My World’. We will be looking at and learning about our local area but also the wider world; thinking about facilities, jobs and also how we can help to look after our environment. We will be using our new role play area to help us learn about money – recognising the different coins.   

We enjoyed our Forest Friday session where we continued to make dens but with wood and grass. We had great fun climbing trees in the Nature Garden and adventuring – being pirates!  

We had great fun writing on bananas this week as part of our phonics sessions. 

We made bird feeders using toilet roll holders and twine.  

Ziya:” I liked playing with my friends; building things” 

Mya: “I liked playing with my friends” 

Eddie: “playing in the craft area and making tents and making stuff for Brodie’s zoo” 

Kai: “me and Zane did a birthday card for my Dad” 

Hannah: “I liked playing with my best friend Angus” 

Charlotte: “I liked colouring the yogurt pot” 

Ellie: “I love playing inside and outside” 

Beth: Miss Gainford teached us what’s not alive – a coat’s not alive” 

  Eddie had great fun with Ben last weekend – Ben went to football and had a picnic. 

Mya is taking Ben home this weekend – have fun Mya and Ben! 

  

Reminders 

Next week we’ll be sending home our Scots Poem to learn! Look out for the poem in next week’s homework. Also, thank you to everyone who has sent back CAPER letters. We’ll get back to you soon to confirm information. 

 

 

Primary 2 

We have been learning about quarters and halves in Maths. 

Oona – each quarter is the same size. 

Clay – you can share your cubes between two people. 

We have a mini weather station. We are going to be measuring the weather for the next four weeks. We looked at a thermometer and we are going to be using this to see how hot and cold it is.  

We learned a dance about threading a needle in P.E. 

Noah – It was really funny 

Rory – I liked using the heavy steps best. 

 

Primary 2/3 

We have been learning about fractions in maths. 

Lewis – I have learned about halves and quarters. 

Eamon – I have been doing different quantities in fractions. 

We started work on a piece of art to go with our poem. We were mixing colours and creating textures to use for our crocodiles. 

Summer –We are learning to use the turtle on textease. 

Jack J – Now we take our Accelerated reader books home. 

Reminders  

We have started to learn our Scots Poem, The Crocodile. A copy came home with homework this week. Please keep practising at home too.  

Please remember PE kits for Monday. 

 

Primary 3 

This week. we have been learning about different species of trees. In a group, we used the search engine on the computer to find out information about a specific tree.  

Cara – ‘We used bullet points for our facts. We put them on a poster’. 

Imogen – ‘We presented our poster to the class. We spoke loudly and clearly’. 

We discussed the importance of trees in our community.  

Morgan – ‘Trees give us fresh air to breathe.’ 

Struan – ‘The roots of the trees are so good for the soil’. 

Reminders 

Doach Woods – Tuesday 22nd January 

 

 

Primary 4 

We have started our Term 3 topic, ‘The Vikings’. We thought about all the things we wanted to know then got to work planning our learning together. We formed new Viking themed table groups. We will work together each week to earn the table mascot that we have decided to name Viko. In art we are designing traditional Viking shields. We learnt about the boss at the centre of the shield as well as the colours and symbols used. 

P4 have been swimming at the pool 3 times a week. Each group has been focusing on different skills in the water. Kelvin: “We have been pushing, gliding and kicking. We were practicing floating today, my favourite was the mushroom float. You bring your knees to your chest and put your chin on your chest”. Rylan and Alex have impressed their instructor with their bravery and confidence to try new things. 

Wider Achievement: 

Riley went up a level at swimming, he was moved up to the deep end. Sam won a gold medal at Judo. Isla was chosen to demonstrate gymnastics for new members at her Stewartry Gymnastics Club. 

Reminders: 

Last week of swimming Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. 

 

Primary 4/5 

This week we have been playing dodgeball in PE. We have been practising our passing, dodging and target throwing skills. Learning and remembering the rules has been tricky but good fun.  Next week we are going to have a class dodgeball tournament.  

Lily – Dodgeball is really fun! 

Brooke – I’m getting good at throwing the ball. 

Ollie – I’m good at dodging the ball.  

In maths we have been creating number statements that are greater than and less than. We made a game using greater than and less than dice. 

Coll – If the arrow faces left, it means less than. If it faces right, it means greater than. 

We have also started our new topic. This term we are going to be learning all about Scotland’s landscape, including physical features and famous Scottish landmarks. Our class novel this term is called Light on Dumyat by Rennie McOwan. It is all about adventure in the Scottish countryside.  

Hugo – I have been learning about where places in Scotland are on a map. 

Callum – I have learned what a key is on a map. 

Alannah – When the brown lines on a map are close together, that means it is a steep hill.   

Our Scots Poem this year is Fireworks aff the Castle by Matthew Fitt. 

In health and wellbeing we have continued to learn about keeping healthy. This week we looked at personal hygiene. 

McKenzie – You should make sure your clothes are washed.  

Brooke – Personal hygiene means that you need to keep clean.  

Chloe – Always remember to wash your hands after you have been to the toilet.  

Hugo – You should shower or take a bath regularly.  

Freya – Remember to brush your teeth twice a day.   

 

Primary 5 

We have been continuing our work on multiplication in SAMSON and children came up with songs to remember the 9 times table. We have also revised fractions and are continuing work on measurement.

In literacy we have listened to ‘A Dug, A Dug’ and translated the meaning of Scots words within the poem.

In P.E. we have continued learning about dodgeball skills and techniques – this week we looked at experimenting with space and dodging techniques such as ducking, jumping and dipping. On Wednesday we went orienteering. 

We all had a great day out at Dalbeattie forest learning about orienteering. 
“We learned how to read a map.” – Alper 
“We had to pay attention to the people telling us what to do.” -Jack 
“We learned how to find different locations using a map.” – Eilidh 
“We also used what was around us as landmarks to work out where we were.” – Anna 
“We now know about different walking routes in Dalbeattie forest if we wanted to visit again with our family.” – Lucy 
“We learned how to use the punch cards for hole-punching our tickets.” – Anna 
“We learned how to work out the answers to the different challenges.” – Freya 

Well done to Alper, Finlay, Isla, Sebastian, Hanna, Jack, Skye and Ellie-Jay for receiving certificates for their continued progress on the Reading Wise programme. 

Reminders 

 Children will be reciting ‘A Dug, A Dug’ for the poetry recital in February. They will do this in pairs and we will go over it in class. The children have been given a copy of the poem to continue going over it at home. 
Children who feel they need extra practice with their times tables can use the challenge booklets they received last term to go over any that they are unsure about.  
 

Primary 5/6 

Please see our Twitter feed for our class news 🙂  https://twitter.com/mr_coulthard 

 

Primary 7 

Class Activities and Pupil Comments 

Daniel P – We have been working on our artwork to go with our Burns poem. I am going to be using oil pastels. 

Jayden – This week we have been learning the second verse of our Tam O’Shanter poem. We also did a sequencing activity for the whole poem.  

Katherine – We created questionnaires to find out about people’s energy usage. We found that most people leave their phone chargers on overnight! 

Rory T – I got 11/11 on my spelling test this week. I was quite happy! 

Ollie – The belts and tags we ordered for tag rugby came this week. They are helping us to develop our tag rugby skills.  

Charley – We made a Scottish word bank. We are going to be writing our own Scot’s stories. 

Well done to Connor who was this week’s Class Dojo winner.  

Wider Achievement 
Good luck to Ryan in his Chariots competition in Penrith this weekend.  

 

Reminders 

Pupils have verse two to learn for Monday. 

National Sumdog competition begins Friday. Pupils can play at home.  

Word of Work trip to Cream of Galloway 11th Feb. 

School Newsletter – January 2019

Published on January 17, 2019 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

School Newsletter January 2019 – pdf (click to download)

School Newsletter – Online version 

Our Weekly News – January 11th

Published on January 11, 2019 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Our Weekly School News – Sharing our learning with the school Community

Please have a read and a chat about what some of our Classes have been up to this week.

Happy New year!

Castle Douglas Primary School will stage ‘Disney’s: Mary Poppins Jr’ in the Summer term. A reminder for all children’s permission slips to be handed in by Wednesday 16th Jan and that our first rehearsal will be on Monday 21st Jan at 3pm.
All help would be greatly appreciated and we are looking for a band of willing helpers to assist with costumes, artwork and staging! Please contact the school if you would like to be involved in any way and help us make our show supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Primary 3

Class Activities and Pupil Comments 

It has been a busy first week back! 

We have started our new topic this week – The Enchanted Forest. We are reading The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton as a class novel and we are enjoying getting to know the main characters as they explore the forest behind their house.  

We will be transforming our role-play area into an Enchanted Forest and we have been deciding what we would like to find in there. We are looking forward to learning all about the different animals, trees and plants that we might find in this habitat.  

Wider Achievement 

Abi has been doing the Junior Park Run in Dumfries and she has completed 13 runs in total. She has a special wrist band to say well done for her super achievement! Well done Abi.  

 

Primary 5 

Class Activities and Pupil Comments 

This week we have been learning about Robert Burns and his life and work. We created interview questions and imagined how he would answer. In maths we have been revising multiplication in Samson and continuing our work on measurement with Mrs. Starkey.
In P. E. we have started working on our dodgeball skills.
We have decided on the poem we will be reciting for the Burns competition which is ‘A Dug, a Dug’ by Bill  Keys.  

Wider Achievement 

Well done Finlay who won Keep the Quote this week for always trying his best.  

Reminders 

Please can all P5s return their medical form and the £5 which is to put towards our orienteering trip on Wednesday 16th January.  

 

Primary 5/6 

Please see our Twitter feed for our class news
https://twitter.com/mr_coulthard 
https://twitter.com/castledps

 

Primary 6

Primary 6 have been finding out about Chinese New Year and here are some pictures of a few colourful dragons from their research tasks.

 

Primary 7 

Class Activities and Pupil Comments 

Ollie – I am proud of myself because I moved up reading group this week. 

Neve – In P.E we started tag rugby. We were learning how to dodge and how to pass the ball correctly. 

Neave – We began learning our Scots poem which is a section of Tam O’Shanter by Robert Burns. 

Daniel P – We talked about careers and the World of Work. We are going to be holding a Job Fair later this term.  

Connor – In maths we were learning about factors. A prime number is a number with only two factors. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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