Kirkcolm Primary School

It was an exciting afternoon yesterday in Kirkcolm Primary’s infant class. The boys and girls in primary 1-4 have been learning about healthy eating since returning in January. Pupils have been exploring the different food groups and recognising the importance of a balanced and varied diet. They recognise how people may choose to follow different diets and eat different foods depending on where the live, their culture and individuals likes and dislikes. In order to embrace the diverse range of foods available, the boys and girls at Kirkcolm held their very own fruity Bushtucker Trial. With the classroom decorated in Australian flags and cork hats at the ready, pupils tried out some familiar and some unfamiliar fruits. On offer was; Avocado, Kiwi, Pomegranate, Pink Grapefruit, Sharon Fruit, Lychees, Passion Fruit, Figs and Goji Berries. We all had a lovely afternoon trying something new.

On Friday 1^st February primary 4-7 at Kirkcolm Primary had a lovely visit from Kathryn Purchase at History Alive. Pupils explored the lead up to WW2, rationing, air raids, The Blitz, blackouts, evacuees and the evacuation process. Pupils were particularly interested in the significant role that our local area played within the war. After the presentation pupils were given the opportunity to interact with some of the artefacts. The vast historical collection included uniforms, posters, and old weapons that would have been used during the war. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed the hands on experience that enabled them to become fully immersed in the past. What a wonderful opportunity and a great morning enjoyed by all.

The Eco committee were delighted to receive some new gardening tools which will help us in our bid to achieve our first green flag. We have received litter pickers, seeds, buckets, watering cans, gardening gloves and long-handled tools.

Huge thanks to Kirkcolm Community Council for the funding which enabled us to buy all of the new equipment.

Today we celebrated International Safer Internet Day! This year the theme was: Together for a better internet. Over 160 countries participated, with over 2000 UK schools and organisations too.

The world wide web is a fantastic resource that our parents, grandparents and teachers did not have when growing up – but we do! But all great resources need to be used wisely and there are things to be aware of. We learnt today how to be super computer savvy…

1. Choose to be aware 

Make sure you know the rules about how to behave and stay safe on the sites, games and apps you like to use. Look out for buttons that let you block, mute and report other users who aren’t behaving and always ask for help if there is something you are not sure about.

2. Choose to make sensible choices online 

Always keep your personal information safe and any personal information belonging to your friends and family.  Check with an adult before signing up to a new game or online service and before downloading a new app or game .

3. Choose to ask if it’s okay 

Always think about how your online actions might make others feel. Be a respectful friend online and remember to ask for permission before sharing something about someone else. This could include a picture, video or piece of their personal information like where they live or their full name. Take a look at our Safer Internet Day film to see what other young people think about asking for consent online.

4. Choose to be a role model 

Always be kind to others online and support your friends if they are having a difficult time. You can help your friends by showing them how to block and report in games and apps or by going to talk to a trusted adult with them.

5. Choose to ask for help

If you are ever unsure about something you see online, or anything makes you feel worried, upset or confused then ask a trusted adult for some help and advice.

Remember! Think SMART – Safe, Meeting, Accepting, Reliable, Tell.

Check out www.saferinternet.org.uk for more information including a section with top tips for parents/carers.

Pupils can easily access the ThinkUKnow website via their GLOW launch pad. This has some fantastic games and a Parents/Carers section too.

Throughout the month of January Kirkcolm Primary have been spending time studying Scotland and celebrating the life of Robert Burns. To conclude the celebrations the annual Burns Showcase Assembly was held on Wednesday afternoon. Parents and friends were invited along to the event. The first placed child in each class recited their poem and the awards were handed out for 2^nd and 3^rd prize. The winners of the Illustration and handwriting categories were also announced and pupils were presented with their certificates. Both classes performed a traditional scots song during the assembly. The upper school sang a beautiful rendition of “Coulters Candy” and the lower school performed an enthusiastic version of “You Cannae Shove Yer Granny off a Bus”. Thank You to all the parents who came along and to all the boys and girls at Kirkcolm Primary for their hard work. What a lovely afternoon enjoyed by all. Below is a summary of the results.

BURNS RESULTS – 2019

KIRKCOLM PRIMARY SCHOOL

Mince and Tatties by P1 pupils

Recitation – 1^st Ivan Turtle; 2^nd Archie Ashton; 3^rd Phoebe Manson

Illustration – Archie Ashton

Handwriting – Phoebe Manson

Donkey Ride by P2 pupils

Recitation – 1^st Jack Howie; 2^nd Sally Drummond; 3^rd Danny Dougan

Illustration – Jack Howie

Handwriting – Lydia Adams

Street Talk by P3 pupils
Recitation – 1^st James Turtle; 2^nd Olivia Johnstone; 3^rd Peyton Parker

Illustration – Olivia Johnstone

Handwriting – Olivia Johnstone

The Heron by P4 pupils

Recitation – 1^st Olivia Turtle and Emma Drummond; 2^nd Miley Adams; 3^rd Luke Butler

Illustration – George Keith

Handwriting – Miley Adams

Twins by P5 pupils

Recitation – 1^st Ruth Turtle; 2^nd Zack Ashton; 3^rd Grace Carrick-Buchanan

Illustration – Grace Carrick-Buchanan

Handwriting – Grace Carrick-Buchanan

The Evacuee by P6 pupils

Recitation – 1^st Abbi Johnstone; 2^nd Ivy Richardson; 3^rd Scott Thompson

Illustration – Abbi Johnstone

Handwriting – Danny Lyon

Address to the Haggis/Willie Wastle by P7 pupils

Recitation – 1^st Mackenzie Adams; 2^nd Innes Dench; 3^rd Guy Butler

Illustration – Finlay Nelson

Handwriting – Mackenzie Adams

Finlay Nelson is a fantastic swimmer who has had many accomplishments over the years outwith school. However on Saturday the 26^th of January, Finlay travelled to Tollcross in Glasgow to represent Kirkcolm Primary at the Scottish Schools Competition. After some exciting heats Finlay entered the final with a 1.55 second advantage.

We are absolutely delighted that Finlay didn’t disappoint and brought home 1^st Prize for his category. What an achievement Finlay, we are all so very proud of you.

Finlay reported that this was his first ever competition that was filmed live on YouTube and he hopes that this won’t be the last. Below is a picture of Finlay with his gold medal as well as a Shield and Trophy for best male under the age of 12. Congratulations Finlay!

A visitor from the NSPCC popped into school this morning to deliver a short presentation to both classes. In P4-7 Olivia and Jak were asked to demonstrate the ‘Sack of Worries,’ where Olivia put a plastic brick in the sack for each worry that the pupils were able to come up with (bullying, bereavement, feeling lonely, abuse…). Putting his great acting skills to use, Jak was totally weighed down by the sack and the pupils understood that this is how someone with lots of worries can feel.

They were encouraged to follow the NSPCC motto ‘Speak Out, Stay Safe’ and discussed who they could talk to if they ever felt worried, including Childline.

Primary 6 and 7 pupils then participated in a short workshop, further learning how to stay safe.

What a busy day we’ve had celebrating Burns and all things Scottish!

Mrs Mary Milroy arrive at 9am this morning to judge our poetry recital, artwork and handwriting competitions. She had some very difficult decisions to make and commented on how hard all the boys and girls had worked.

Afterwards, we headed into the hall for our annual Burns Lunch, which the Nursery boys and girls joined us for. After our Chairperson Innes welcomed everybody, Mr Andy Nicoll piped in the haggis, carried by the oldest and youngest pupils in the school, Finlay Nelson and Archie Ashton. Jack Barret gave an animated Address to the Haggis and then we all tucked into our delicious, traditional Burns lunch of haggis, neeps and tatties kindly cooked by Ann Marie.

We were then all entertained as Primary 6 and 7 pupils gave toasts, the 1st place winners of the poetry recital competitions said their poems, and each class performed a Scots song that they have been learning.

Izzy Keith and Michaela Lyon attend the Rotary Lunch at the North West Castle on Monday 21^st . They spent the afternoon listening to speaker – Adam Gray as he discussed the importance of rugby and the value of sport. Afterwards they enjoyed a delicious lunch and got the chance to speak with lots of interesting people. The girls had a fantastic time and enjoyed representing the school.

As part of our bid to achieve national accreditation for the Digital Schools Award, we have selected 4 Digital Leaders to help drive our work forward. They are responsible for supporting staff and pupils in the use of ICT by sharing their skills; helping to maintain ICT equipment; leading lunch time ICT clubs; and organising parent sessions to develop their skills and knowledge.

All the Digital Leaders from Portpatrick, Leswalt and Kirkcolm came together on Tuesday for a Digital Leaders training day. They were all so enthusiastic and keen to get going! Pupils were taught how to upload, print and laminate photographs, and how to access Glow and send an email attachment to a teacher for the blog. They worked in pairs to come up with activities for Safer Internet Day on 5th February, and shared their suggestions for lunchtime ICT clubs that they could run back at school.

Everyone had a thoroughly enjoyable morning mixing with other pupils from the different schools and are all away back to their own school ready and raring to go as our Digital Leaders!