Kirkcolm Primary School

Primary 1- had a blast of a time on Tuesday morning when the team from Generation Science came to visit Leswalt to explain a bit more about the sun, moon and stars in a really fun way!

They used giant models of the Earth, sun and moon to show how they orbit and explain the concept of day, night and time (days, months and years) in child-friendly speak.

Judging from the giggling which could be heard coming from the hall, and the enthusiastic pupils who were full of interesting facts after the show; this was a tremendous success!

“The suitcases were from different countries and we learnt what people across the world are doing at the one time!”.

“I had to stick the crocodile on Africa!”.

some children thought that it was a “really fun way to find out how the earth and moon orbit the sun.”

What a fabulous morning; full of fun and learning! The perfect combination. Take a look at the photos below…

P1-3 jumped on a bus to go and visit a bus on Wednesday! The Wild about Scotland double decker bus has been parked up at Stranraer Academy this week, and children were invited to hop aboard and find out a bit more about Scotland’s biodiversity. The children got to look through microscopes to view tiny animals in more detail, match bones and skulls to animals, look at antlers and feel different animal skins. It looks, and sounds like a whole lot of fun! What a lovely way to spend a Wednesday.

P1 -5 had a glorious day to visit Logan Botanical Gardens.  They had a very enjoyable day finding out about plants and creatures based on the book “Lost Words”.  Children heard poems related to the things the might see and completed the trip by making a natural representation of these.

Our ranger from the Royal Botanical Society of Edinburgh, used poetry as exploration of our local natural environment and biodiversity in different ways.

The focus was on the book, The Lost Words, which is a collaborative project between writer Robert Macfarlane and artist Jackie Morris.  The Lost Words celebrates the relationship between language and the living world, and of nature’s power to spark the imagination. Robert Macfarlane has created a series of spell-poems – one for each lost word – while Jackie Morris, inspired by her lifelong passion for Britain’s landscapes and wildlife, has painted  watercolours and used gold leaf to take the viewer on a visual journey of nature.  Every school in Scotland will receive a copy of this book as a result of a Crowd Funding project.

The children went for a poetry walk around the garden where Kate shared examples of work describing nature using figurative language.  They were then set the challenge of using their senses to discover the nature around them, creating a word bank to share with the group of what they found.  The boys and girls also created natural sculpture artwork using foraged materials to represent their particular plant of study.

#Successful Learners

This Monday, P3-5 had a visit from a History Specialist to give them everything they needed to know about the Vikings before they started their topic with Miss McNicoll!

They were fantastic listeners and asked some superb questions and then, as you can see, the boys and girls had lot’s of fun getting to grips with all the weapons, clothing and armour!

They even had the chance to assume the battle position and they made quite a bunch of ferocious warriors!

#SuccessfulLearners

Congratulations to George who has been selected to be the mascot for Wigtownshire Rugby Club in Edinburgh this weekend.  George is very excited to be chosen and will have access to member only areas and meet the players on the day.

The children in P5 – 7 travelled to Castle Kennedy to compete in the annual Cross Country Event.  Everyone participated in at their own pace and completed the event much to their delight.  We enjoyed cheering each other on and surprised ourselves at how well we could be fantastic achievers.

Fabulous effort for Finlay as he continues to be in medal winning position at his latest swimming gala.  Finlay not only came home with medals but was celebrating being ranked 1st in Scotland for multiple swimming events.  Congratulations Finlay.

Congratulations Robin for winning the P6 boys cross country event on Thursday at Green Valley Golf Centre.  Robin competed against all P6 boys from each school in the Rhins.

Congratulations to Izzy White who completed her green ballet certificate. Izzy attends Emma Louise Dance classes and was very proud to show us her latest achievements.  Well Done Izzy!

The boys and girls in Primary 5-7 at Kirkcolm Primary set off on Monday morning to Stronord Outdoor Education Centre in Kirroughtree Forest for an overnight residential stay. Accompanied by Mrs McHarg and Mrs Becky Richardson, the group had a fabulous time and participated in lots of new experiences including orienteering and mountain biking.

Our first day involved a 5-mile walk up Larg and Knockean Hills near Creetown in the glorious sunshine, led by instructors David, Ed and Robbie. On route, pupils explored the Kirkmabreck churchyard and ruins and the abandoned Fell Quarries and enjoyed the beautiful scenic views on offer. Despite the long distance, pupils didn’t grumble once proving their Growth Mindset!

Once back at the centre, pupils were tasked with making their beds – and for some, what a task this was!! We also had a little surprise hiding in the boys’ bathroom in the form of a bat, which Mrs Richardson kindly removed and put outside! After a delicious dinner cooked by Carole, we headed to the park for a game of rounders and football. By this time pupils were exhausted so we settled down in our PJs with some hot chocolate to watch the film ‘Johnny English’ before bed and everyone was asleep by 11pm, much to the adults’ delight!!

The next morning the boys were up first for breakfast and the sleepy girls had to be woken up at 8am. Pupils split into 2 groups for orienteering and mountain biking in Kirroughtree Forest. There was a light drizzle of rain, but this didn’t deter pupils at all! Pupils turned into detectives during orienteering to read the maps and find the markers scattered around the forest, with Katie Butler recording the fastest time during the final challenge of just over 8 minutes. Pupils experienced various mountain bike trails of differing challenge and developed their skills in balance and control whilst going downhill on rocky tracks and muddy paths.

Pupils arrived back at Kirkcolm tired but full of amazing stories to share – an experience they won’t forget any time soon.

Huge thanks to Becky Richardson for giving up her time to accompany us – take a peek at the photos below.