Portpatrick Primary

At our most recent Pupil Council meeting, it was highlighted that we don’t have many non-fiction books in the school library. So our responsible pupils wrote to the Community Reuse Shop to enquire about donations of books. They very kindly invited us to pop into the shop to look through the books and pick a selection for our school.

 

Olivia from Kirkcolm, Alexander from Leswalt and Jack from Portpatrick all went on Wednesday morning to browse the huge range of books available. After an hour of hunting (some were hunting more than others – there were times where pupils were lounging on the floor engrossed in a book they found!!), they each left with a bag of books for their school.

 

Thank-you to the Community Reuse Shop for your generosity. We are looking forward to getting our new books into our school library for pupils to enjoy.

Mr Shingleston joined us today to tell us all about his very interesting job as an Open Reach Engineer.

It was fascinating to find out how our beloved broadband service reaches our home using fibre technology.  Mr Shingleston demonstrated the process of splicing and joining fibre optic cables that are the width of a human hair.  He showed us the equipment he uses to detect underground cables and waterways as well as showing us his air monitor to ensure that the air quality is safe before he ventures into underground spaces which are sometimes over 15 metres deep.

He discussed his day to day role managing a team of engineers across the region. He has to use a wide range of skills in his job.  He uses maths and english and he must be able to cooperate and communicate effectively with his team who can be spread across the region at any one time.

The children had many questions to ask to satisfy their curiosity about his career.

Mr Shingleston explained that there are many females in his industry.  Open Reach are celebrating females engineers in their organisation this week.

UNCRC Rights of the Child – Article 17 : Access to Information

Lucy from Skills Development Scotland joined us today.  She was here to offer advice on finding out what our interests are and matching this to a future career choice.

She talked to the children about her role as a careers advisor whilst the children interviewed her with questions to find out more about the work she does.

Lucy set the children group challenges to think about all the different careers that match with production.  The boys and girls were given three objects and a list of job roles.  They had to identify which were needed to produce chocolate, books and milk as a stimulus.  It was surprising how many different jobs it takes to make just one product.

Our pupils thoroughly enjoyed the session and were delighted that Lucy was able to join us.

UNCRC Rights of the Child – Article 17 Access to Information

What a fabulous day we had in our wee village today for our school excursion!

With buckets and spades at the ready, we set off to the beach for a day of splashes, sand and sun.  We had such adventures with giant beachballs that tried to escape across to Ireland before Mark rescued them, body board antics and frolics in the sea.

Whilw P6 & 7 participated in their bikeability session, P1 – 5 went for wee blast at the playpark.

Everyone enjoyed the delicious pizzas and ice-creams from the Boardwalk, kindly donated by Craig Currie.  Both were a big hit with hungry tummies. Mark and Mrs Henry were up and down the hill bringing supplies and Kim provided packed lunch treats.  The RNLI kindly donated the use of inflatables and floatation aids. A few four legged friends joined the fun and received much pampering for their cuteness. Barbara and Mrs Ross were on-hand as part of the crew too.

The children never tired of the simple pleasures of a day at the beach, but it  was soon time to head around for a free round of  putting where they were treated another delicious ice-cream, eagerly wolfed down by all.  Max achieved a couple of hole-in-one shots and Harry demonstrated his golfing flair.

Unfortunately, 3pm flew round and it was time to return back home.  We hope the children enjoyed their day as much as the grown-ups did!

It couldn’t have been a more perfect day!

Our grateful thanks to all the members of our wonderful community who made the day so special with their kind donations and support.

 

 

UNCRC Rights of the Child – Article 31: Rest and Play

 

Primary 5 to 7 have been using their engineering brains to meet a design challenge set by the Glasgow Science Festival.

Using their HOTS thinking skills of creativity, ingenuity and problem solving, the children had one hour in total to design and build a theme park ride.  They worked in pairs to develop collaboration and cooperation skills too.

Partner Work

 

The specification was as follows:

• Be at least 30cm high
• Have at least 6 seats
• Be freestanding
• Have a handle or pulley which will allow you to operate the ride.

Our pupils worked in pairs to sketch a plan before constructing their theme park ride.  Here are our wonderfully imaginative interpretations of the brief.

Our entries will be sent to DG STEM team.  Well done boys and girls!

UNCRC Rights of the Child – Article 29: Aims of Education

Mr Alistair Orr-Ewing joined us today to give us a very informative chat about his experience in property development.

He explained that after qualifying as a Chartered Surveyer, he was able to travel all over the world working in this industry.  He talked about the wonderful places he has been to and the interesting job history he has had working in property. He even sold a building for nearly £100 Million pounds!

Mr Orr-Ewing explained how he found that all of this was possible through making sure he always worked hard, studied and by reading as much as he could to help him learn.  He encouraged the children to pursue their own dreams and work towards achieving their goals, whatever they may be.

Thank you Alistair for taking the time to visit the boys and girls.  It was  a thoroughly interesting careers session.

UNCRC Rights of the Child – Article 17: Access To Information

As part of our  Careers In The Community initiative, PC Todd joined us today to give us an insight into the world of policing as a career option.

He began by explaining the skills and attributes a police officer needs to be able to serve their community:

• Good communication skills
• An interest in people
• Problem solving
• Empathy
• Assertiveness
• Resilience
• A good listener

PC Todd told us that it’s never too early to start thinking about what we want to do when we leave school.  He was the youngest police officer to begin his career in Scotland at 17 1/2 years old.

He explained that there are many different roles within the police force from dog handlers to helicopter pilots.  The children asked many questions on what life is like as a police officer.

PC Todd showed the equipment a police officer has such as a radio, handcuffs, leg restraints and a tazer.  He explained that officers have to be specially trained to use all of this equipment, which is only used if absolutely necessary.

The officer then gave the children a road safety and awareness talk, discussing how to keep ourselves safe by being seen and crossing in sensible places.  He also explained how we should take care when out and about on our bikes and scooters.  He shared the information that electric scooters are illegal on public roads.

The children thoroughly enjoyed PC Todd’s visit and we thank the officer for taking the time to share his insights with us.

UNCRC Rights of the Child – Article 17: Right to Information

Where did the sun go?

Despite it deciding to hide behind a cloud today after a cracking spell, the temperature was just right for an afternoon of sporting fun in the fresh air.

There were cheers and hoots galore from our family and friends audience as our eager participants took to each competitive challenge with a smile and good sportsmanship.

The order of the day was as follows:

• Sprint
• Skipping
• Sack
• Egg and Spoon
• Throw
• Obstacle
• Distance
• Pre-school
• Parents
• Staff

Mrs Henry and Kim are busy totting up the scores to find out the winning house team for the day.  Although, we can agree that everyone were winners with their great attitudes, positive spirit and camaraderie.

Photo Dump!

UNCRC Rights of the Child – Article 31:  Rest, Play, Culture & Arts

Sustainable Development Goal 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing

 

We were lucky to have Bobby Lammie visit us today to talk about his very special career as a professional, world class curler.

Bobby chatted to the boys and girls to share his experiences about this unique career.  He advised the chidren to follow their dreams and aim high.  He explained that his success has come as a result of hard work, practice and dedication, practicing at least five days a week to develop and maintain his skills.

The children were extremely interested to hear all about Bobby’s experiences travelling the world and competing at Olympic level.  He and his team won silver at the Bejing winter olympics in 2022.  He has also won a  gold medal at the world men’s championships in Ottoah this year.  Everyone was excited to try on his very special medals.

It was a very informative and insightful talk that has inspired our children to aim to be the best they can be.  Thank you Bobby for coming along to spend time with our boys and girls.  We would like to offer our congratulations and wish you continued success.

UNCRC Rights of the Child – Article 17 Right to Information

As part of our learning about the world of work,Carolyne Cerexhe joined us to give us an insight into her career as a health visitor.

She gave a very informative talk telling us all about her role and responsibilities. She explained that health visitors visit new families in their homes to check on baby development.  She used very willing volunteers to demonstrate how to weigh a baby and young children as well as measuring growth.  She shared how this is tracked in a child’s personal red book that all the boys and girls will have at home.

The children were eager to learn more and asked lots of questions such as necessary qualifications and training and the best parts of being a health visitor.

Thank you to Carolyne for taking the time to share her experience with us to help us learn about the world of and possible career choices for our future.

UNCRC Rights of the Child – 29 Aims of Education