Portpatrick Primary

Today was a day fit for royalty at Portpatrick Primary as we celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.  The flags were flying at our entrance to greet everyone on arrival.  Miss McGeogh and Mrs Dignan had been busy, busy displaying all the lovely decorations the boys and girls had made in preparation for the day, along with a few enhancements.

Dressed in a red, white and blue theme, our children arrived looking dapper in their chosen outfits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not to be outdone, Miss McGeogh got into the spirit of the festivities in a rather splendid outfit, complete with orb and sceptre – our very own Queen E from Port-P 😉

 

First up was elocution lessons to prepare our subjects to converse appropriately with royalty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

No royal event is complete without an afternoon tea. So, the next order of the day was for the children to prepare their own afternoon delights with lots of tasty treats.  They made dainty sandwiches with a whole host of fillings; not forgetting the cucumber! The children enjoyed making marshmallow and fruit skewers and even whipped up some cream for some strawberry meringue cakes.  It doesn’t get much more British than that!

Afternoon Tea Is Served!

Our Elected King & Queen 

In a democratic process, the upper class were asked to present why they should be King and Queen for an hour.  Lilly and Jack were the most convincing and were elected by our ‘parliament’.

Royal Parade 

Everyone went on a royal parade of the village with our two newly elected members leading the way.  The children waved to their subjects as they went.  Queen  Elizabeth joined in and visited some local sites on tour with the children.

The boys and girls entertained delighted onlookers with a sterling rendition of ‘God Save The Queen’ before returning to school for a garden party lunch.

 

It was then time for everyone to enjoy al-fresco dining, combining the event with our annual One Planet Picnic.  We raised awareness of waste and made sure that we minimised our plastic waste by:

• Using reusable dinner trays
• Using compostable spoons
• Using ‘no straw’ juice cartons and multi-use water bottles.
• Recycling our plastic waste for Council collection
• Recycling our food waste in with the kitchen collection

We compared our waste types and determined that it was a successful recycling activity.  Our thanks to Kim, our lovely catering assistant for preparing platters of sandwiches, fruit cocktails and more!

Commonwealth Games

Everyone participated in very sporting game of rounders to build camaraderie and team spirit in the sunshine.

 

 

 

 

 

Royal Visitors – Selfie Style

Can you guess the face behind each photo?

Our thanks go to Miss McGeogh, Mrs Dignan and our two Kims for all of their hard work and preparation to give the children such an enjoyable day to remember!

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Children at Portpatrick Primary enjoyed a trip to Dumfries House on Friday. Pupils took part in two workshops during the trip. The first was focused on being energy engineers, exploring the different ways we can create renewable energy. Children spoke about wind turbines and solar panels before heading outside. Once outside, children had fun making a water wheel which explained how hydropower worked. The children were able to use the outdoor water park to learn and explore. The children discussed the different energy transfers and where we can find natural energy in the outdoors. It was agreed that while electricity is the primary type of energy used by humans, but recognise that it is rare to find it in our natural environment. Pupils gave examples of lightning and electric eels. The children all agreed that we have enough natural resources to create electricity, but we need to do more to encourage sustainable energy. 

The second workshop focused on weather, which tied in well with our last topic. We spoke about different weather systems and how the wind blows in the various systems. We then discussed how we record wind, the speed of the wind and the different scales we can use. The children had fun with parachutes to show wind resistance and then enjoyed finding the find direction using bubbles. 

After all the education was done, it was time for some fun. Pupils didn’t need to be told twice to go out and explore the fantastic treehouse outdoor adventure area. JUST WOW! We will be back!

 

We are delighted to announce that the North Rhins Trio Partnership has been awarded our Anti-Bullying Ambassador Respect Badge!

Our Primary 6 pupils along with our house captains underwent anti-bullying ambassador training as part of the Diana Award.  As a results, and in combination with our Rights Respecting Schools Silver Award, our pupils have completed an action plan of 6 activities to gain this award.

• Educating students on children’s rights through a year long, whole school assembly programme focussed on UNCRC Rights of the Child, Rights Respecting Schools and Global Goals 
• The creation of Rights As We See It Video showcasing children’s views on their rights and their importance
• Whole school awareness events such as anti-bullying week and a week of kindness etc.
•  Diversifying our school library through digital book readings
• The creation of a new monthly Respect award, as defined by our pupils
• The creation a whole school diversity and inclusion pledge by our pupils

We have been highly praised for our work in key areas that demonstrate and support a culture of respect. Have a read at our award feedback to find out how well all of our pupils have worked in key areas:

Respect Badge Letter

The Diana Trust wrote this lovely comment:

Thanks so much for sending over your evidence form for the Respect Badge. We’ve reviewed your evidence and we were overwhelmed with how much thought and effort you’ve put into your anti-bullying initiatives. It seems like all of the activities have had a great impact on the students in your school and we really like that you use such creative ideas to support your campaign. The video is amazing and the diversity and inclusion pledge is a fantastic action which I am sure will be a long term feature in your school.

Congratulations, we are awarding you the Respect Badge! This is a fantastic achievement and the team should be very proud.’

Here is a link to a Sway explaining more about our new respect award:

North Rhins Respect Award Blog

As part of our work with the Diana Trust, we have created a new RESPECT award certificate.

Go to this Sway

Have a look at our inclusion pledge drafted by our responsible pupils:

Portpatrick Inclusion pledge 2022 (2)

 

 

 

 

 

Well done to our anti-bullying ambassadors AND all of our pupils who have been involved as whole school communities to promote RESPECT FOR ALL!

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All three school communities came together on Saturday for our annual Kirkcolm Mini Walk to raise funds for our schools and to enjoy a social fitness activity together.

Despite the threat of rain, the weather stayed dry enough to allow our walkers to enjoy a run or a stroll around the beautiful scenery of our Kirkcolm coastal area.

First, second and third places are awarded for the boys and girls completing the course in the quickest time.  The first boy and girl tied, crossing the line together. The results are as follows:

Boys:

1. George Keith – Kirkcolm P6
2. Danny Dougan – Kirkcolm P5
3. James Turtle – Kirkcolm P6

Girls:

1. Olivia Turtle – Kirkcolm P7
2. Izzy White – Portpatrick P7
3. Miley Adams – Kirkcolm P7

Our Winners: Olivia & George

 

 

 

 

 

 

The route followed along the Corsewall Estate Coastal Path. A very well done to everyone who walked or ran the course.  There was great camaraderie and high spirits as everyone progressed around the route.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are very grateful to those who were sponsored to take part in the event.  Each school has raised their own total, which will be announced shorty.   The money will be put to very good use for the children.

Our schools would like to thank:

• Our parents and families who planned and organised the mini-walk
• The Carrick-Buchanan and Milroy family for their kind  permission to walk on their land
• The volunteer  marshals and our photographers
• Lidl and Tesco  for the donation of refreshment
• and to ALL the children and families who fundraised and participated to raise money for our three fantastic wee schools!  We applaud each and every one of you who took part.

Enjoy these photographs from the event:

We’ve done it again!

 

 

 

 

We are delighted to announce that Portpatrick Primary has been awarded yet another Green Flag for our outstanding Eco Work.

This success is as a result of two years of hard work by our boys and girls.  The children have completed many action targets on the following themes:

• Litter and Waste
• Biodiversity
• Food and Health & Wellbeing

Throughout our activities, we have engaged with Learning for Sustainability, The UNCRC Rights of the Child and Sustainable Development Goals.

 

 

 

 

Our thanks to everyone for their fantastic input and support; our boys and girls, our fabulous families, our staff and, of-course Kim, our ‘Eco Wonder Woman!’

Why not read the feedback we received from Keep Scotland Beautiful:

Feedback52022

We hope you enjoy watching our movie presentation showcasing the fabulous work from our eco – champions!

Our Eco Showcase

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The boys and girls had a special treat today.  Kim brought her puppies in for the children to see.  There were lots of ‘ahhhs’ to be heard and more than enough cuddles to go round.

# Cuteness Overload

 

After a long delay due to Covid, the annual Primary 7 Rotary Lunch event recommenced today.

Ava Lily and Izzy represented Portpatrick at this year’s event where the guest speakers were Bejing Olympic Gold and Silver Curling Medallists Vicky Wright (Gold), Bobby Lammie (Silver) and Hammy McMillan (Silver).

The girls enjoyed a tasty lunch of Tomato soup or fruit juice, followed by fish and chips and a wee cup of tea.  This was followed by a Q & A session with our Olympians.  They talked about practicing for about 7 hours a day, five days a week and travelling a lot for competitions. The curling sports heroes said that they were first introduced to curling by attending the curling club at the North West Castle in Primary 7. So, now is about the time for anyone interested in curling as a sport to think about joining.

The girls represented our school well, chatting easily with a member of the Rotary Club, who joined us at our table throughout the event.

A Brief Recount By Ava Lily & Izzy

We first sat down with a club member and were served our starters.  Through conversation, we learned about what the Rotary Club does and we talked about what we do at school.  We asked the curlers about tips for curling and more!

We had a lovely lunch and participated in a raffle for a chance to win a curling T-shirt and a signed photo.  We also got our menus signed by the Olympic medallists and got Team GB flags.  The event was really enjoyable.

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It was Schools’ Week at Logan Gardens on Friday.

Our whole school ventured to the botanical gardens for a wonderful outdoor experience:

P1-4 enjoyed a fun morning at Logan Gardens with ranger Kate.  Our activity was called The Teddy Bear’s Picnic and we had to take along with us our favourite stuffed toys.  We learned about something called S.W.A.F.  This stood for Shelter, Water, Air and Food, all the things our bears needed for survival.  We then enjoyed some fun activities using our senses including Musical Trees, a Rainbow Nature Search and building an island for our bears to live on.  

Primary 5 – 7 learned about the different parts of a flower. Using some creative props, we learned all about how pollination works in plants and our best friends – the bees – who play such an essential role in this. We then used magnifying glasses and coloured overlay glasses (that were extremely reminiscent of the early 3D movie days!) to study different flowers in the gardens and see how they appealed to insects. We also had some practise being our own squirrels and storing away our nuts for the Winter. 

Finally, everyone enjoyed our pack lunches, surrounded by the beauty of the gardens, before toddling back off on our bus to head back to school. 

The activities Support learning for Sustainability and the UNCRC Rights of the Child; namely education and learning about life on land and our environment as well as taking part in social activities to support our Health & Wellbeing.

 

 

 

 

We cannot thank the Botanical Garden Team enough for the fabulous day we had.  It was so informative and such fun for the pupils and adults! 

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Whilst our 5 – 7 pupils were away learning about managing risk at Kirkcolm today as part of their Health & Wellbeing topic, P1 – 4 got busy in the sunshine by deciding to spring clean our village.  The children eagerly collected litter on our beach and in our playpark to help protect life on land and life at sea as part of our Eco Schools work.

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The sun shone, the pupils listened and the presentations were informative and fun – safe to say the North Rhins Partnership Safety morning was the most resounding success!

This term’s Health and Well-Being focus for the upper primaries was centred on Risk-Taking Behaviour; in short, what to do if faced with an emergency situation. Having discussed this as a staff, it was felt there was no better plan than to get as many local emergency services as possible together to offer the pupils a first-hand experience directly from those who dealt with such situations. And what a response we got from the community! No less than seven presenters offered their time covering RNLI, Police, Ambulance, Fire Service, Coastguard, Scottish Power and Farming!

Working in small groups and armed with a clipboard for note-taking; the pupils moved round each station in 15 minute slots. Listening to the presentations, finding out about the kits carried by each service and asking their pre-prepared questions – the groups collected a wealth of information.

Summing up the morning, Mrs Baillie led the group in talking about these jobs based in their local community, considering the many employability skills required and discussing whether the jobs were paid careers or voluntary. It was interesting for the children to understand the value of volunteer work and giving back to their community.

All in all, it was an excellent morning of learning in the sunshine with friends. And, they are all a great deal more safety savvy now too!

A huge thank you must go to all of the services for giving up their time – one having come off their fourth night shift! Their input was most welcome by us all.

Enjoy flicking through the photos below to see for yourselves.

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