Pupils at Portpatrick Primary School recently celebrated Scotland’s rich language and culture during a successful Scots Poetry Showcase, welcoming families into school for a lively afternoon of performance and creativity.
The event highlighted weeks of preparation, with pupils taking part in three Scots themed competitions, handwriting, creative art and poetry reciting. Each activity encouraged creativity and confidence while celebrating Scots language. The children also entertained the audience with lively Scots songs, and a story reading in Scots, adding to the festive atmosphere.
Entries were judged by Mr and Mrs Ross, whose time and encouragement were greatly appreciated. Following the competitions, winners, along with other volunteers, performed their poems for the audience, delivering confident and expressive performances that proved a highlight of the afternoon.
The showcase was a celebration of Scots heritage, creativity and growing confidence, with pupils proudly sharing their talents with family and friends. Staff thanked everyone who attended for their support and said they were incredibly proud of all the children who took part.
UNCRC Article 30: Pupils express their voice and celebrate their cultural identity.
Four Capacities: Builds confident, creative learners through performance and literacy.
SHANARRI: Supports achievement and confidence through inclusive celebration.
Metaskills: Develops communication, creativity and self confidence.
Today, we grabbed the opportunity to take part in our postponed sponsored walk. The blustery wind died down which meant we were able to have a leisurely stroll around our walking route. The whole school set out accompanied by friends and parents. After our walk, everyone enjoyed a hot drink and biscuits.
Thank you to everyone who has supported our fundraiser by sourcing sponsors, participating and helping with refreshments. We will share the total raised when we have all the sponsor money in and counted
Pupils at Portpatrick Primary had a wonderful time at our annual Christmas party, kindly hosted by the Portpatrick Hotel. The day was filled with festive cheer, laughter, and plenty of excitement!
The hotel treated us to a delicious buffet lunch, ensuring everyone had plenty of festive treats to enjoy. The Road Runner kept spirits high with energetic entertainment that had everyone dancing and laughing. Pupils also enjoyed a variety of party games, making the day even more memorable.
The highlight of the day was a special visit from Santa, who brought sweets and gifts for every child.
A huge thank you to the Portpatrick Hotel for their kindness and generosity – your support made our Christmas celebration truly magical.
Linking Learning and Values:
UNCRC: Every child’s right to play and enjoy special occasions.
Meta-skills: Creativity, collaboration, and confidence.
Four Capacities: Supporting learners, contributors, citizens, and individuals.
Wellbeing: Promoting happiness, safety, and positive relationships.
Linking Learning and Values:
UNCRC: Every child’s right to play and enjoy special occasions.
Meta-skills: Creativity, collaboration, and confidence.
Four Capacities: Supporting learners, contributors, citizens, and individuals.
Wellbeing: Promoting happiness, safety, and positive relationships.
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.
