Today our school was delighted to welcome two very special visitors from the Portpatrick Lifeboat crew. Johnathon and Jayne took time out of their busy schedules to visit the children and spread some festive cheer 🎄.
During their visit, they very kindly gifted every child a Christmas selection box, which was met with lots of smiles and excitement across the school. The crew also took the opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, helping to make the day feel extra special as we head towards the holiday season.
This visit was a lovely example of the strong community connections we are so proud of. The Portpatrick Lifeboat crew play an incredibly important role in keeping our local community safe.
We would like to say a huge thank you to Johnathon, Jayne, and everyone at Portpatrick Lifeboat for their generosity and kindness. Visits like this remind us how fortunate we are to be part of such a caring and supportive community.
We wish the Portpatrick Lifeboat crew a very Merry Christmas and a safe New Year from everyone at our school. 🎅🎁
We were delighted to welcome Reverend Breakey and Mrs Ross into school to share the meaning and significance of Christingles with our children. Through thoughtful discussion, they helped the children explore the powerful messages of hope, love, joy and peace, and how Christ’s light is shared with the world.
The children thoroughly enjoyed creating their own Christingles as part of our Christmas celebrations. With plenty of colourful ribbon and sweet treats, each Christingle was carefully made and beautifully unique. The experience was made even more special when we lit the candle, symbolising Christ’s Light and looking ahead to its meaning on Christmas Day.
As part of this special experience, the children also enjoyed a wax melt scented with frankincense and myrrh, helping to engage our senses and deepen our understanding of traditional Christmas symbols.
We took a moment to light our candles and join in in giving thanks and love to someone special before joining in a prayer.
It was a calm, reflective and joyful time that helped the children connect creativity with faith, learning and celebration.
Curriculum Links
UNCRC: Children experienced their right to learn about and express cultural and religious beliefs (Article 14).
Four Capacities: Developing successful learners and responsible citizens through reflection and understanding.
RME: Exploring Christian beliefs and the meaning of religious symbols.
Metaskills: Building sense-making and creativity through hands-on learning and discussion.
Yesterday, the boys and girls of Portpatrick Primary School delighted audiences with their wonderful Christmas show, The Christmas Gift That Money Can’t Buy. Written and directed by Mr Morrison and Mrs Copeland, the performance beautifully captured the true spirit and meaning of Christmas.
The stage sparkled thanks to our brilliant prop master, Kim, who was always on hand in the wings to prompt and support the cast. Our lovely student, Miss Millar, also provided invaluable support, caring for and encouraging our younger performers throughout the show.
Both the afternoon and evening shows were packed with family members, friends and members of our wider community, all coming together to support the children and enjoy a thoroughly entertaining production. The show offered a fantastic mix of joyful singing, laughter and thought-provoking moments that reminded us all of the true meaning of Christmas. A special mention goes to Freya, whose solo was a highlight of the performance and Harry who clearly narrated the Christmas tale. Our wonderful cast and their roles are shown in the list image below.
We are incredibly grateful for the support behind the scenes and on stage. Reverend Ogston seamlessly managed the lighting and sound, while Reverend Breakey and Barbara brought extra magic to the show as both elves and angels. Our regal wise men were wonderfully portrayed by Mr Ross, Mr Cerexe, Mr Gordon and former pupil Lewis McCulloch. Mrs Henry was a huge hit with the audience as the Grinch, proving that Christmas cheer sometimes comes with a wicked grin.
Following the performance, families stayed to enjoy a raffle generously supported by donations from friends and families of our school. Our Parent Council worked hard to organise the raffle, with a special mention to Nikki for her support in putting together the fabulous main prize hamper. After a very quick count, we are delighted to share that approximately £600 was raised for our school. This achievement is entirely thanks to the kindness and generosity of our amazing community.
Following the performance, families stayed to enjoy a raffle generously supported by donations from friends and families of our school. The Parent Council and Nikki organised a fabulous main prize hamper, and after a very quick count we are delighted to share that just over £600 was raised for our school, with a little more to hopefully still to come in. This achievement is entirely thanks to the kindness and generosity of our amazing community.
Well done to all involved for creating such a memorable and meaningful celebration. 🎶🌟
This experience supported learning and values through:
UNCRC – Children’s right to express themselves and participate in cultural life
Four Capacities for Learning – Confident individuals and effective contributors
Metaskills – Creativity, collaboration and communication
SHANARRI – Children feeling included, confident and supported
RE Curriculum for Excellence – Exploring values, beliefs and the true meaning of Christmas
🎅✨ Sponsored Santa Stroll – Join the Festive Fun! ✨🎄
Portpatrick Primary is delighted to invite everyone to our Sponsored Santa Stroll on Thursday, 18th December, from 2.00pm to 3.00pm!
We’ll be taking a cheerful route around the village, and whether you choose to stroll 🚶♂️, saunter 🚶♀️, or sprint 🏃♂️, we’d love to see you there. Don’t forget to dress in your most festive finery – think Santa hats 🎅, tinsel ✨, Christmas jumpers 🎄, and plenty of jingling bells 🔔!
After the stroll, please join us back at the school for some warm and welcoming refreshments ☕🍪.
To help support our school, families and friends are invited to collect sponsorship. Sponsor forms are available from the school office, or you can download one by clicking on the document below 📄⬇️.
A huge thank you for supporting our school and helping us spread some Christmas cheer 🎁❤️. We can’t wait to celebrate the season with you!
We are thrilled to share that our school has been awarded the Silver School Sport Award for 2025! This recognises our commitment to high quality sport and physical activity, supported by sportscotland.
A special thank you to Alison from Active Schools for her fantastic support. With her help and the enthusiasm of our pupils and staff, our after school club, Daily Mile and many other activities from providers such as Wigtownshire Rugby, we continue to help our children stay active, healthy and engaged.
We are extremely proud of this achievement and our ongoing commitment to the wellbeing of all our children.
This achievement links to:
UNCRC: Article 31 the right to play and sport
SHANARRI: Active, Healthy, Included
SDGs: Goal 3 Good Health and Wellbeing
Meta skills: Teamwork, resilience, self management
This isOur Faith: Nurturing every child’s God given potential
At our school, we love to celebrate the achievements of our pupils both in and out of the classroom—and today we are delighted to share some brilliant news about one of our P3 pupils, George!
Over the weekend, George attended the annual prize-giving ceremony at Dunskey Golf Club, where he was presented with the Coach’s Pupil of the Year Award for his performance.
Although Duncan, one of the club’s coaches, was unable to present the award in person, he had some truly heart-warming words to say about George. He described George as:
“A joy to work with throughout the year”
Polite and refreshingly honest
Full of flair, enthusiasm, and a wonderful ability to entertain and encourage fellow competitors
Always smiling and communicating at every opportunity
A pupil who gives 100% effort, shows determination, and has a clear will to succeed
And as if that wasn’t exciting enough—George also achieved a hole in one this year! ⛳️ What an incredible accomplishment for such a young golfer.
George has been absolutely over the moon all weekend, and we are chuffed to bits for him too. This award recognises not just his golfing ability, but the fantastic attitude and character he brings to everything he does.
A huge well done, George—your school community is so proud of you! Keep smiling, keep trying your best, and keep enjoying every moment of your golfing journey. 🌟⛳️👏
🔗 Links to Learning Frameworks
UNCRC Article:Article 29 – Every child has the right to develop their talents and abilities.
Metaskills:Growing Confidence, Focus and Learning Agility.
4 Capacities:Successful Learner – showing motivation, enthusiasm and achievement.
Sustainable Development Goals:SDG 3 – Good Health and Wellbeing.
SHANARRI:Achievement – celebrating personal success and effort.
On Thursday 6th November, our P5–7 pupils set off on an exciting adventure to the Glasgow Science Centre for a full day of hands-on learning and fun! They were joined by their Partnership friends from St. Joseph’s RC. Primary.🚌✨
When we arrived, we were amazed by the Science Mall – three floors of fascinating exhibits and experiments waiting to be explored. Pupils investigated everything from forces and motion to sound, light, and space, all while discovering how science connects with our everyday world. 💡
Some highlights from our day included:
BodyWorks, where we learned how the human body works, tested our reaction times, and explored our incredible senses.
Powering the Future, where we discovered how energy is created and how we can build a more sustainable world.
A Question of Perception, where optical illusions and light experiments tested our brains and eyes!
Outer Space (Space Zone), where we journeyed through the Solar System and imagined life as astronauts.
We also had time to explore the outdoor exhibits and enjoy lunch together.
To end the day, we relaxed in the IMAX Theatre to watch an awe-inspiring Space film, learning about rockets, astronauts, and the future of space travel. 🌌🪐 The enormous screen made us feel as though we were soaring through the stars!
Everyone had an amazing day, full of curiosity, laughter, and learning. It was a brilliant experience that brought our classroom science to life and inspired many of us to think like scientists of the future! 🔭💫
A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the trip possible — it was a fabulous day of teamwork, discovery, and fun! 💛
🌍 UNCRC Link
Article 29: Education should help children develop their talents and abilities to the full.
🌱 Sustainable Development Goal
SDG 4: Quality Education – providing opportunities for all learners to grow through meaningful experiences.
💚 SHANARRI Indicator
Achieving: Pupils deepened their understanding of scientific ideas through interactive exploration.
💡 Meta-skill
Collaborating: We worked together to explore, question, and share discoveries.
🌟 The Four Capacities
Successful Learners: Investigating, experimenting, and asking thoughtful questions throughout our visit
Today, our school community came together to mark Remembrance Day with respect and reflection. We were joined in school by Reverend Breakey and guest Major Orr-Ewing, who helped lead a thoughtful and meaningful service. Community members joined us for the service.
Our senior pupils read poignant poems which encouraged everyone to think about the courage and sacrifice of those who have served, and those who continue to serve today. The whole school observed a two-minute silence, holding the moment with great maturity and understanding.
Although the rain prevented us from gathering outdoors as planned, our pupils adapted calmly and respectfully to holding the service inside. Later in the day, a remembrance wreath, carefully created by our pupils, was laid at the village war memorial on behalf of our school.
We are very proud of how responsibly and thoughtfully our pupils took part in this important occasion.
Links to Learning and Wellbeing:
UNCRC Article 15: Pupils exercised their right to come together in a respectful group to mark an important event.
SHANARRI (Responsible): Pupils demonstrated responsibility through their behaviour, participation, and reflection.
Four Capacities (Responsible Citizens): Pupils showed understanding of history, values and remembrance, contributing to our community with respect.
Metaskills (Adaptability): Pupils adjusted calmly and sensibly when our plans changed due to the weather, showing confidence and flexibility.
We are delighted to share a photo of our West Rhins Partnership football team, proudly wearing their new team strips, kindly funded by the Portpatrick Community Development Trust.
The children from St. Joseph’s R.C. Primary and Portpatrick Primary were thrilled to receive their smart new kits — especially as the strip design was chosen by the pupils themselves! The design brings together colours from both schools, symbolising teamwork and partnership across our community.
Our team will represent both schools in inter-school matches, and we hope the new strip will spur on motivation and a real sense of pride as they play together and show great sportsmanship.
In the photo, the children are joined by Trustees Ian and Linda, who presented the strips on behalf of the Trust. We are incredibly grateful for their generosity and continued support of our schools and local community.
A huge thank you to the Portpatrick Community Development Trust for helping our young sports stars look and feel like a real team! 🌟
🌱 Learning Links
UNCRC – Pupils had a say in the design.
Metaskills – Teamwork and creativity.
SHANARRI – Being active and included.
SDGs – Health and partnerships.
Four Capacities – Responsible citizens and contributor
