Portpatrick Scots Celebration

Portpatrick Primary hosted a great Scots Celebration Assembly to honour the life and work of Robert Burns and contemporary Scots poets and song writers. The event was a great showcase of the pupils’ talent, creativity, and hard work, and it truly brought our school community together.

The children were judged in three areas:

  • Handwriting: Pupils carefully handwrote their entire poem, showcasing their dedication and attention to detail.
  • Artwork: Pupils created or drew beautiful pieces inspired by their chosen poems, highlighting their creativity and artistic skills.
  • Poem Recitals: The children performed their poem with enthusiasm and confidence in front of the school community.

We were delighted to have Mr and Mrs Ross as our judges again this year. Thank you to them for giving their time and expertise to this special event. Mr Ross gave an excellent recitation of To A Mouse and shared interesting context to the creation of the poem by Rabbie Burns.

All our pupils did a great job, and the effort they put in was clear to see. A huge congratulations to all the winners, and well done to every pupil for their hard work and commitment. You have made us proud!

The children added to the celebration by singing Scottish songs, filling the hall with joy and a sense of national pride. There was even a wee dance performed by some of our senior girls. As a highlight of the assembly, the winners from each class recited their poems for everyone to enjoy.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our families who supported their children at home and attended the event to make it even more special. Your involvement means so much to us, and we hope you enjoyed the celebration as much as we did.

Please see below for photos of this memorable event. We are already looking forward to next year’s Scots Celebration Assembly!

UNCRC Rights:

  • Article 13: Freedom of expression – Pupils expressed themselves creatively through poetry, art, and performance.
  • Article 29: Goals of education – The event helped pupils develop their talents and abilities.
  • Article 31: Right to relax, play, and participate in cultural activities – Pupils engaged in cultural celebrations and artistic activities.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

  • SDG 4: Quality Education – Promoting literacy, creativity, and public speaking.
  • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – Ensuring all pupils had the opportunity to participate and be celebrated.
  • SDG 16: Strong Institutions – Strengthening community ties through shared cultural appreciation.

Meta-skills Used:

  • Focusing: Pupils worked carefully on handwriting and recitation.
  • Integrity: They demonstrated honesty and pride in their work.
  • Adapting: Children adapted to performing in front of an audience.
  • Initiative: They took responsibility for preparing and practising their pieces.
  • Communicating: Pupils expressed ideas effectively in their recitations.
  • Feeling: They showed passion and enthusiasm during performances.
  • Collaborating: Classes worked together to sing Scottish songs.
  • Creativity: Pupils created unique artwork inspired by their poems.
  • Critical Thinking: They interpreted poems to convey meaning during recitals.
  • Sense-making: Pupils connected their learning to Scottish heritage and culture.

SHANARRI Indicators Covered:

  • Safe: Pupils were supported to perform in a nurturing environment.
  • Healthy: Engaging in activities that promote mental and emotional well-being.
  • Achieving: Developing and showcasing their skills.
  • Nurtured: Receiving encouragement to grow and succeed.
  • Respected: Their contributions were valued and celebrated.
  • Responsible: Pupils took ownership of their preparation and work.
  • Included: Every child’s efforts were recognised as part of the event.

Stay and Play!

Today the school extended a warm welcome to nursery pupils who will be enrolling in our school this year or next year. The current P1s did a fantastic job of introducing the youngsters around the school and played with them in the playroom. They did various activities including modelling with playdoh, counting with a till, making food and drinks and getting used to their new surroundings for the future.

SHANARRI – Included and Safe

UNCRC – 28 – Access to Education. 12 – Respect for Children’s Views.

Christingles

On the last day of term before the Christmas holidays, Reverend Breakey came into the school to make Christingles.

This gave the children a sense of association between the birth of Christ, the light that is shared and the love that is spread around the world – indicated by the red tape. The candles and sweets signify the fruits of earth and the four seasons.

The children thoroughly enjoyed their task and we thank Rev. Breakey once again for all she does for our school!

UNCRC – Article 14: Freedom of thought, belief and religion. Article 29: goals of education.

Metaskills: focused, collaboration, empathy and creative.

Cinema day at Portpatrick Hotel

Portpatrick Hotel and the Portpatrick Cinema group kindly invited the children to watch a film on the penultimate day of Term 2! The children were spoilt with popcorn and mini munchie boxes provided by Portpatrick hotel and Cinema group. They were treated with watching Despicable me 4 in comfy seats.

We would like to extend a massive thank you to the Cinema Group and Portpatrick Hotel for making our children feel comfortable and giving them a sense of pride in our community. It is much appreciated and was a lovely end of term gesture for the children for all their hard work.

UNCRC: Article 17: Access to information and Article 31 (Leisure, play and culture)

Metaskills: behaviour, focussed, critical thinking.

Christmas photo dump!

Sorry for the belated blog post…. those pesky elves! The children had a great build up to Christmas in the school. They gave a fantastic performance in the school show and were rewarded with a visit from Santa Claus! Santa brought each of the children their own special present which they wished for in class.

Additionally, the children enjoyed a yummy Christmas dinner a few days before the holidays which included turkey, roast potatoes and everybody’s favourite… Brussel sprouts!

Well done to all the children for their efforts in Term 2. I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas and Happy New Year.

Metaskills: communication, collaboration, creative

UNCRC: Article 3 (best interests of the child), Article 14 (freedom of thought, belief and religion)

Partnership Helps Local Children In Need

Portpatrick and St. Joseph’s primaries jointly decided to collect donations towards our local Galloway Action Team Christmas appeal. As part of supporting Children in Need day, our children and families have been sending in donations of money and presents for children from the very young to teens to help make sure that every child in our community receives a Christmas gift. Being close by, members of St. Joseph’s Enterprise Group delivered the presents and money this week. Thank you to our families for your generosity. We are glad to support our local community.

Capacities for Learning: Effective Contributors

UNCRC Rights of the Child – Article 26: Social and Economic Help

SHANARRI – Responsible

Keeping the Promise Award

We are pleased to announce that the West Rhins Partnership has achieved Education Scotland’s The Promise award.

Our staff undertook a professional learning award programme to raise our awareness and understanding of The Promise (the commitment made by the Scottish Government to improving the experiences and outcomes for Scotland’s care experienced children and young people), and our responsibilities as corporate parents.

This training help us understand the needs of children and young people and what we can do to support them. The ethos and values aligns with our Rights Respecting School Award and helps us to better make our school a more inclusive and welcoming place for all.

Our team are dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of every child.

UNCRC Rights of the Child – Article 3: Best Interests of the Child

SHANARRI – Nurtured, Respected, Included

Sustainable Development Goal – 10: Reduced Inequalities, 3: Good Health and Wellbeing

Sponsored Santa Stroll

Portpatrick Community’s Santa boots were made for walking this week. Everyone came together in their festive jumpers and Santa hats, donated by Nikki to help raise funds for our wee school. Walkers young, and more senior, joined our pupils for a beautiful walk around the village. The boys and girls were accompanied by two of Santa’s most helpful elves, Steve & Morgan, from the Lifeboat station and Mr Cerexe was on hand to act as safety marshall.

After our very pleasant stroll, everyone met back at school for welcome hot chocolate, teas, coffees, biccies and festive mince pies served by Janice, Larraine, Kim and Mrs Henry, all to the sounds of Christmas tunes. It was a great community event and get together before our Christmas show on Friday.

UNCRC Rights of the Child: Article 15 – Joining with Groups

SHANARRI – Health, Active, Included

Inter-School Badminton Competition

Harry, Arran and Adam represented our school proudly at this week’s inter-school badminton challenge at the Ryan Centre. As Mrs Ross and Mr Morrison watched proudly on, the boys gave it their all in their challenge games.

There was great sportsmanship and team spirit from all. Arran was just one point away from achieving a medal. The boys performed so well and we’re super proud of them.

UNCRC Rights of the Child: Article 15 – Joining Groups, Article, 31 – Play

SHANARRI – Healthy, Active

Four Capacities for Learning – Confident Individuals & Effective Contributors

🎉 Partnership Day Success with St. Joseph’s RC and Portpatrick Primary 🎉

What an incredible day we had on our amazing partnership day between St. Joseph’s RC Primary and Portpatrick Primary! On this special occasion, Portpatrick pupils travelled to St. Joseph’s in the morning. There was time for a social break before kicking off our Wider Achievement Morning. Both schools came together to celebrate teamwork, creativity, and learning.

The children were grouped by year levels—Primary 1-3, Primary 4-5, and Primary 6-7—and participated in a variety of engaging activities:

  • 🎄 Miss Scott led exciting Christmas coding sessions, where our budding tech experts unleashed their creativity.
  • 🔬 Mr. Morrison delivered hands-on STEM activities and quiz challenges using iPads, sparking curiosity and teamwork.
  • ✂️ Miss Lisi inspired our young artists with arts, crafts, and construction, all with a festive Christmas twist.

The children worked so well together, showing fantastic teamwork and collaboration whilst continuing to build new friendships across both schools.

After a fun-filled morning, we enjoyed a delicious lunch together, strengthening the bonds of our partnership. The children then got some fresh air and playtime outdoors, where they continued to mingle and share laughs.

To wrap up this memorable day, we headed to the Ryan Centre cinema for a special screening of the Disney film, The Wish. 🎥 The children were captivated by the movie and left with smiles on their faces.

It truly was a fantastic day of collaboration, learning, and fun, and we’re already looking forward to the next opportunity to join forces again.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this day so special. Particular thanks to Miss Lisi and Miss Scott for their kind organisation and support and to Elizabeth for feeding all those extra mouths today and to the Ryan Centre in partnership with Into Film. It’s days like these that create lasting memories and strengthen our community spirit. 🌟👏

UNCRC Rights of the Child – Article 15 – Joining Groups, 31 – Play

SHANARRI – Active, Responsible, Included

Sustainable Development Goal – 3: Good Health and Wellbeing

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