St. Brendan's Primary School and Nursery

Day 2 has been great fun! Another morning of sunshine to waken us up after a good night’s sleep! We tucked into our breakfast then jumped on the bus and headed to Castle Semple for a range of outdoor activities and water sports.

We were split into 4 groups and everyone had the opportunity to participate in: mountain biking, team games, kayaking and sailing in the team dragon boat.

Team Games

We played lots of different games, some of which required our competitive spirit while others meant we had to communicate and work together to achieve a result. We have a few snaps to give you a flavour of what we got up to!

Mountain Biking

Some of us got the opportunity to work with a partner in the tricycle! This was lots of fun but some people thought it was much harder than cycling on your own. Here’s a few snaps of us in action:

Watersports

The first, and maybe hardest job of all, was getting into our wetsuits! After lots of tugging and pulling and helping each other we were almost good to go. A helmet and bouyancy aid then it was time to get the paddles and boats. We got the chance to sail in a single kayak and a couple of us got a shot of the partner kayak and sailed with a friend. This was a lot harder than it looked! We also got to paddle the team ‘dragon boat. This looked like two canoes joined together and we had a ‘catwalk’ down the centre – which unsurprisingly some of us used as a catwalk!

After kayaking and sailing we got the opportunity to jump into the freezing cold water! Most of us took this opportunity and it was great fun! A few decided to just watch us jump instead.

If that wasn’t enough action, we headed back to the Centre, finally got a hot shower and dinner to heat us up before going outside to play some games while the sun is setting.

After sunset we are going to get cosy & comfy for ‘Movie Night’.

We will see you all tomorrow but not before we have some more fun while waiting on the bus to arrive! Stay tuned for the next update!

Our day started bright and sunny as 36 pupils and their 4 teachers headed off to Largs. There was lots of excitement and fun on the bus as the children sang their way down the motorway.

Once we arrived it was straight on to activities. We started with Archery and Team Building. Both tasks challenged the pupils in many ways but lots of success was had.

After lunch, we explored the grounds of Inverclyde and took part in Wall Climbing. We got our harnesses on and tried to get to the top of the wall.

We also took part in a Nightline activity where we challenged our senses by blocking out our sight and working through an obstacle course. We had to climb over, under and through obstacles with pesky “squirrels” distracting us from the task by soaking us and tickling us with shrubbery. But we didn’t let that stop us! The “squirrels” caught some pictures of us along the way:

Our rooms are lovely and we got settled in before dinner. Once we had dinner we took a stroll down to the sea front and visited the world famous ‘Nardini’s Cafe’ for ice cream and a play on the beach. The evening was finished off with an amazing sunset before heading back to settle down for the night.

Check back tomorrow for more updates and photos as we are heading to Castle Semple for watersports and cycling.

St Brendan’s Weekly News

Welcome back to our Weekly Blog with our exciting news and learning experiences from our pupils.

Take a look at the exciting learning experiences our pupils have been involved in over the past two weeks!

Education Scotland

Today, our school was selected by Education Scotland to film and observe Mrs Williamson and Primary 6 as part of the North Lanarkshire literacy and STEM pilot. The Learning Hub have been developing an innovative interdisciplinary approach that integrates literacy, scientific literacy, and learning for sustainability. The aim of the pilot is to improve writing attainment through research, discussion, and development of non-fiction comprehension strategies. The pilot has so far taken place in 16 schools and has been well received by staff and pupils, demonstrating improved short-term attainment in second-level pupils.

Here is a wee overview of what the Primary 6 has been up to during the pilot!

Creating Engineers K’Nex challenge

Our Primary 6 pupils have been taking part in the K’Nex Creating Engineers challenge. The competition is designed for pupils to apply teamwork, construction skills, and imagination, by solving set engineering challenges using the construction set K’Nex. Pupils had great fun working in pairs to compete at various levels to become the Creating Engineers Champions. All pupils completed the first stage of the Classroom Challenge, where 2 winners were selected to attend the cluster challenge hosted by our cluster school.

A huge congratulations to our 2 boys who won the Cluster challenge and will attend the Regional Finals in May, we wish them the best of luck!

Parents evening

A big thank you to all the parents and carers who attended our recent Parents’ Evening. We truly value the opportunity to connect, share progress, and celebrate the achievements of our pupils. Your support and partnership play a vital role in your child’s learning journey. We appreciate your time and look forward to continuing to work together to help every child thrive.

If you were unable to attend, we will be in touch after the Easter break to arrange an appointment.

At our parents evening, we had a representative from the ‘North Lanarkshire Tackling Poverty Team’ who offer information and advice on debt and benefits including help with claim forms, challenging benefit decisions and benefit checks.

If you didn’t manage to speak to the team or would like further information or support, please contact them via telephone on 01698 332 551 or visit their site for further information https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/benefits-and-money/welfare-rights-services

Fundraising for Lent – Danceathon

Our school came together today for a fantastic whole-school Danceathon to raise money for SCIAF! From energetic moves to joyful grooves, pupils and staff danced their hearts out in support of this important cause. It was wonderful to see everyone having fun while making a difference, demonstrating our commitment to helping others. A huge thank you to all who participated and donated — your enthusiasm and generosity are truly inspiring!

We ask that all donation sheets be brought into school by Friday 4^th April, thank you for your co-operation and generosity!

World Book Day Winners

As part of our ‘World Book Day’ celebrations we hosted a celebration of reading, imagination, and creativity via a whole floor reading inspired hallway decoration!

A huge congratulations to our winners on the Second Floor – P4, P5/4 and P5 who won our competition judged by our reading champions. Our winners focused on the theme of Wicked!

A huge congratulations to all other classes who put a lot of time and effort into their designs! Here is a wee snippet here:

Third floor – P7, P7/6 and P6

First Floor – P3 and P3/2

Ground floor – P1 and P2/1

P4 Visited our local care home

Last week Primary 4 had a heart-warming visit to the care home, bringing smiles and laughter as they played board games with the residents. It was a wonderful afternoon filled with fun, friendly competition, and meaningful conversations. The pupils learned valuable lessons about kindness and connection while making special memories across generations. A day well spent building friendships and sharing joy!

Reconciliation

A huge congratulations to our Primary 3 pupils who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation last week. Pupils took their next step in their journey of faith to reflect, say sorry, and understand God’s love. We are so proud of you!

Boys Football

A huge congratulations to our boys football team with their superb performance this morning against Cathedral Primary School, winning a super 5-0!

News from our Nursery

Our children in the nursery have been focusing on their fine motor skills through use of different media techniques. Here is a wee overview of their learning: