Portpatrick Primary

Today we were visited by three pupils of Stranraer Academy who came to tell us about their recent expedition to Greenland.  Innes, our former pupil, and his friends told us all about their adventures.  20 young people undertook demanding physical training in preparation for their trip. Whilst there, they camped out in tents in temperatures as low as -20 Degrees.

They only had one outfit of clothes for the whole time, which they say got a bit wiffy after a while.  That trial was worth it as they experienced skiing, huskey sledging and even a helicopter ride.

They encourage other children to think of applying for this opportunity when the time comes when our boys and girls are aged 14+.

 

Megan and Aileen from the Glasgow Science Centre travelled from Glasgow to tour schools in our area for a Future Fuels roadshow.  Today was our turn for Primary 4 – 7 to participate.  We were selected as we have participated in a block of online learning on Future Fuels provided by the Glasgow Science Centre.  The workshop’s aim is to educate on sustainable sources of energy for Scotland and the world.

We brainstormed different forms of non-renewable and renewable forms of energy.  Carter was able to say that there are three forms of fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas.  Rebecca said we need to burn them to release their energy and Katie said this releases carbon into our atmosphere, which is bad for the environment.

Aileen demonstrated an experiment where she lit methanol, which is used in Formula 1 racing cars.  It burned blue with a low flame.  She then poured a small amount into a large water container, coating and turning to convert the small amount of liquid into a gas.  She then dropped a lit taper into the drum which exploded the gas with a loud bang.  This certainly delighted our audience.  We looked an animation of pistons moving in a car using the same process to drive engines (suck- squeeze- bang – blow).

Next, we moved on to look at solar energy as a power source.  We even learned about a new solar powered plane that has already travelled 56,000 miles.  Unfortunately, due to the restrictions of sunlight, it has taken 505 days to travel that distance.  So, it’s not quite ready for our holiday flights abroad just yet.

Aileen discussed how we need to use batteries to store the surplus energy so we can use it when the energy source is not available.  We looked at new houses with large battery banks powered by solar panels.  Lewis said his new house is going to have batteries fitted to store the solar energy they collect.

After that, we focussed on hydrogen power stations that split H2O to free up the hydrogen as a clean source of energy.  Lewis had the tough job of turning a handle repeatedly to separate hydrogen from water.  Once he was in the green zone, having split enough, we were able to ignite the hydrogen to create a big push (with a big bang too!).

We learned how nuclear fusion is a more environmentally friendly form of nuclear fuel. Unlike fission, this doesn’t create radioactive waste or require mining for uranium. In essence, two hydrogen are smooshed together to release lots of energy.  Atticus demonstrated the chain reaction using a mousetrap ping pong maze.

Megan demonstrated how to use the interactive Future Fuels exhibits that were displayed around the hall before the children experienced them for themselves.  The boys and girls were so enthusiastic and motivated to engage with the activities.  Atticus said, “It’s really fun learning about science and having a go at the different activities.”  Tilly said, “It’s fun and it shows a lot about how to use renewable energy properly for our planet.”  Cameron said he would like a job in science as he likes learning about the different ways we can make fuel and getting to do things with his hands.

Thank you so much to Aileen and Megan for providing this fantastic experience!

# Successful Learners

 

 

As part of our Book Week Scotland celebrations, parents were invited into school today to see P1-3 pupils being presented with their Bookbug (P1) and Read, Write, Count (P2-3) bags.

This initiative, ran by the Scottish Book Trust and Scottish Government, sees every P1-3 child receive a free bag which contains beautiful books, educational games and writing materials. The bags are designed to help build parents’ confidence and encourage families to include easy and fun reading, writing and counting activities into their everyday lives.

After being gifted with their bags, pupils then spent some time in class exploring the contents – P1s curled up to listen to some stories; there was lots of laughter from the group who were running around trying to find items that matched the adjective cards; and the boys enjoyed using their measuring tapes to find items that were longer/shorter than a given length.

We hope you all enjoy exploring the contents of the bag with your child at home!

Well-known author and storyteller Renita Boyle visited the pupils at Portpatrick this afternoon, as part of the ‘Big DoG Schools Tour’, organised by Wigtown Book Festival. And what an afternoon it was – they were thoroughly entertained!!

Renita instantly captured the pupils’ attention with her interactive songs and stories. Her enthusiasm was contagious and pupils were on their feet and joining in throughout.

They sang ‘The Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly’; joined in with an alternative version of the Three Little Pigs; learned Makaton to accompany the story of the hare; and participated in the retelling of Renita’s own book ‘Honk! Honk! Rattle! Rattle!’

Renita very kindly gave each pupil a signed copy of her book to take home and enjoy.

We had a fantastic afternoon – many thanks to Renita and to Wigtown Book Festival for funding this. We are looking forward to some more fun activities next week as part of our Book Week Scotland celebrations.

Pupils and staff gathered together at 11am today to pay their respects in a 2-minute silence.

We discussed why we have a 2-minute silence on 11th of November, the significance of the poppy and how it came to be a symbol of remembrance, and how the money raised from the sale of poppies helps veterans. Pupils enjoyed watching a Newsround special explaining all about the importance of Remembrance Day.

Lest we forget.

Primary 5 – 7 helped Sian give the willow dome a much needed trim today.  Sian enlisted the help of the children to cut back the stems of willow.  The boys and girls managed risk safety using loppers and secateurs appropriately.  Everyone helped sort the cut willow strips into piles of small, medium and large.  These  were re-weaved back into the dome structure.

Sian explained how we weave backwards, ending with the cut end which can then be pushed into the soil at the edge of the structure.  These strips will then form roots and regrow, ready for the process to repeat.

 

Our pupils were delighted to welcome Alison and Mrs Ross back for lunchtime badminton sessions today.  This will continue to be offered for several weeks, each Monday.

The children were very enthusiastic and there was lots of team spirit evident as they played Champion vs. Challenger matches.

Alison also presented certificates to our P5 – 7 pupils, who had previously completed the Active Schools Athletic Challenge.  This comprised 20 different physical challenges to be completed by all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you to Alison and Mrs Ross for taking the time to provide this opportunity to the boys and girls. And, well done to our super active crew!

Today, with Bonfire Night just around the corner, we received a safety talk from the fire brigade to help keep us safe.

Robert came along from our local fire station to advise the children on how to enjoy fireworks and bonfires safely.  He talked about the the laws and  dangers surrounding fireworks and fires.  He also instructed everyone on what to do if clothing caught fire.  Everyone tried on filtered glasses to experience the impact of eyesight damage from a firework. Atticus showed us how to hold a sparkler safety and Stephen demonstrated the Stop-Drop ‘n’ Roll strategy beautifully for us. We were also reminded of the need to be respectful of the very important job the fire services, and indeed all the emergency services, do to keep us safe.

There was lots of discussion and many a question from the pupils as they fully engaged in the safety briefing. It was a very informative session. Thank you Robert.

# Resposible Citizens

P1-4 were joined by Leswalt and Kirkcolm Infants classes on Thursday morning for a trip to Kitchen Coos and Ewes owned by the lovely Neale and Janet McQuistin. All 50+ of us bundled onto the trailer and headed to the hills where we quickly caught the eye of 30 Highland ‘coos’ 🐮

The friendly bunch of coos followed us up through the hillside while Janet explained to us how the coos are fed, how their coats and horns grow and most impressively of all, how she managed to remember all of their fabulous names – including Madonna, Rihanna and Britney. 🎤

Of course we couldn’t take a trip to New Luce without a visit to their play park, so we enjoyed a little snack and a play before heading back to school on the bus after a fun-filled and well enjoyed farming trip 🙂

# Successful Learners

 

We are delighted to announce that the North Rhins Partnership primary schools in the Rhins has achieved a Silver Rights Respecting School Award by UNICEF UK. Leswalt, Kirkcolm and Portpatrick primaries have worked collaboratively to meet the standards for this UNICEF prestigious accreditation.

UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights. The Rights Respecting Schools Award is granted to schools that show commitment to promoting and realising children’s rights and encouraging adults, children and young people to respect the rights of others in school. Silver is given to schools that make excellent progress towards embedding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into its ethos and curriculum.

Mrs Baillie, said, “Having achieved our Bronze award in 2021, we are all very proud to have now to celebrate achieving our Silver award.  Our school community has worked very hard to embed children’s rights in everything we do.  We can see the positive impact of the Award on pupils and the school as a whole. Thank you to our responsible pupils, staff and families for working together to make this achievement possible.”

The Award recognises achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of a school’s planning, policies and practice. A Rights Respecting School is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted.

The UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools initiative is aimed at schools across the UK. Schools have reported a positive impact on pupil behaviour, relationships and well-being by enhancing pupils’ self-esteem, leading to less truancy and bullying, better learning and improved academic standards.

Have a read of our report: Kirkcolm-Leswalt-Portpatrick_RRS Report

We can now proudly display our Rights Respecting Schools Silver Logo!