Portpatrick Primary

The whole school set off bright and early for a great day at Culzean Castle on Friday.

Primary 1-3 were Castle Explorers where they used activities and games to investigate the castle to look for different types of evidence to help them find out about the past.  They were then set the challenge of how to build their own castle.  They had to discover the challenges that Robert Adam overcame to build this amazing structure. They had to use their technologies and engineering skills to build their own oval staircase.

Primary 4-7 went on a woodland discovery trail with a biodiversity focus.  They were presented with a series of ecological problems and had to use their creativity to identify possible solutions that could be implemented. The children used a branching key for leaves to identify the different types of source trees in the area and then consider the types of wildlife each tree would sustain.  They discussed how indigenous trees should be cultivated to improve habitat.

The pupils were also presented with the problems that arise when non-native species of plants and animals have been introduced.  They explored the negative impact this has had on native wildlife such as is the case with the rhododendron, the grey vs. red squirrels and the overpopulation of red deer in Scotland.  Who knew that honey made from rhododendron flowers is poisonous! The proposed reintroduction of wolves to control deer numbers was a hotly debated issue amongst the group.

After the morning sessions, the children got to explore the grounds and beach areas with time for the obligatory visit to the gift shop before returning home.

# Successful Learners

The partnership football team of Leswalt/Portpatrick lifted their second trophy in 2 weeks today, after winning the Sandhead fun day football tournament.  The weather may not have been as glorious as the previous week at Castle Kennedy, but this did not deter the spirit of the team (Rowan, Cameron, Ethan, Millie, Finlay, Rhian and Lachlan.)

The boys and girls never lost a game and made it to the final against Glenluce Primary. After a nil;nil draw at full time it went to penalties to decide the winner.  And after a tense shoot out and some great goalkeeping from Lachlan our partnership team were victorious!

Many thanks must go to Ewan Dodds, the coach and all the parents who have supported and transported the team to all the games this term.

 

After previously completing their Level 1 Bikeability training, P4-7 concluded their Level 2 training today.  Under the guidance of instructor, Mr Ross, the children undertook a series of road safety challenges out and about in Portpatrick village.

The children were assessed under a number of criteria ranging from controlled braking to manouvering onto minor and major roads.  They were also presented with theory questions based on road priorities and road signage to develop their competency and knowledge.  All of the challenges were designed to enable our cyclists to safely cope with common road and traffic situations involving decision making.  The children demonstrated a responsible attitude to road use and successfully passed the training.

Our thanks go to Mr Ross for volunteering his time and skills.

#Responsible Citizens – Successful Learners

Class 2 participated in the national Grow Your Own Potatoes initiative to produce our own food in an environmentally friendly way.  We had to plant two varieties of potatoes, care for them and then weigh the yield we had today.  We had 600g (rounded) of Rocket variety and 300g (rounded) of Regional variety.  The Rocket was the most successful crop.  Our food was grown in a very environmentally friendly way.  We used no fertilisers or pesticides and our crop had a zero carbon footprint as there was no food journey involved in its production.

As part of eating foods in a range of social situations, we cleaned and boiled our potatoes and enjoyed munching on them with a just a little bit of butter on them.  They were delicious!

#Successful learners

Portpatrick football team joined forces with Leswalt Primary this weekend at Castle Kennedy Primary’s Fun Day on Saturday.

The final game saw them playing the hosts in a thrilling match which ended in victory with Euan McCredie’s winning penalty shot! As always the team were a credit to the school. Well done to Ethan, Finlay McMillan, Alistair, Euan, Eva, Millie, Cameron and Rowan and Rhian from Portpatrick.

#Effective Contributors

Friends and family turned out in force to cheer on the boys and girls at this year’s school sports day.  The challenges for the children were wide ranging, including:

• Sprint
• Skipping
• Sack
• Egg & Spoon
• Throw
• Distance
• Adult obstacle
• Pre-school race

Parents and family were keen to participate too, taking part in a very competitive ‘grown ups’ obstacle course.  The pupils demonstrated great attitudes with good sportsman ship abounding.  The children showed perseverance and motivation in all of their races.  Everyone participated with a smile and we are proud of them all.

# Effective Contributors

 

Primary 1-3  have been learning about ‘all things castles’ this term.  To bring this topic to life for the children, Catherine, from History Alive,  came to school today to deliver a hands-on workshop.

The boys and girls were treated to gruesome tales of battle and learned about how castles were built as fortresses to protect the occupants.  The children had the opportunity to dress up in medieval costumes and try out some replica weapons for themselves.  We all agreed they look a fearsome army of warriors.

#Successful Learners

Innes, Lachlan and Mia represented our school last night when they volunteered to attend our local Portpatrick Community Council Meeting.  They delivered a presentation, with the support of Community Safety Officers, Andrew and Caroline.  The children informed the council of the results of our recent litter and dog fouling surveys.  They also showcased our poster campaign to discourage dog fouling in our village.  The children spoke with clarity and confidence.

The committee praised all of the children of Portpatrick highly for their admirable community work and their responsible attitude.  The chair has taken our posters away to judge the winners.  It was agreed that the village public display board would be given over to exhibit our results and posters for a period of time.  The committee has also kindly offered to upload the children’s posters onto the Community Council webpage.  Andrew has agreed to produce our posters ready for placing in prominant locations for dog walkers around the village.  A large banner is also planned for our school gate to provide impact for passers by, all in an attempt to encourage responsible dog ownership.  Watch out for the upcoming press release.

Our thanks to the Community Safety Team and the Community Council for their ongoing support.

# Responsible Citizens & Effective Contributors

P4-7 attended the trio partnership rugby festival at Stair Park today with Kircolm and Leswalt Primaries.  All of the children from each school played extremely well in a series of organised team events.  There was great sportsmanship and team work evident throughout. Portpatrick’s performance led to them being clear winners, conceding only one game out of all of their matches.  Our thanks to the organisers from Wigtownshire Rugby Football Club and Andy from Active Sports for a great day.

#Effective Contributors

P5-7 were lucky enough to be selected to attend this year’s Scotsheep show at Ballantrae organised by RHET.  We were met on arrival by Alison, our volunteer guide for the morning.  They children toured the show and experienced a kaleidoscope of sheep related events.

We were able to view a vast array of sheep breeds in the presentation area.  We learned a lot about the different varieties and their characteristics.  It was very entertaining to watch a sheep dog working hard at rounding up his flock.  The children were treated to a very able demonstration of sheep shearing and were able to feel the softness of the wool for themselves.  We learned more about the farm to fork initiative to educate us on where our food comes from. We voted for our best sheep in a stock show too.  You never know, we might have picked the winner!

It was a very informative morning, providing the opportunity to learn more about land use and agriculture in Scotland today.  Our thanks go to Alison and to Mrs Ross for accompanying us today.

It proved a very entertaining and educational morning.

# Successful learners