Argyll and Bute Council Community Services: Education Teaching and Learning 3 - 12: Oban, Lorn and the Isles Primary Schools Introduction: The Oban, Lorn and the Isles area consists of Nursery provision is provided within several of 26 primary schools including mainland schools these schools and gaelic medium education is stretching from Appin to Kilninver and Dalmally. provided at Salen Primary on Mull, Tiree Primary, Our island schools are situated on Mull, Iona, Rockfield Primary in Oban and Strath of Appin Tiree, Coll, Colonsay, Seil, Luing and Lismore. Primary. Teaching and Learning: Oban, Lorn and the Isles Lismore goes European for a week For the week of 4th – 8th appropriate language. Each Dame. With popcorn snacks, February, the children of child chose a country to take a surround sound and the big Lismore Primary School closer look at, finding out about screen in the hall, this was a held a Europe Week where traditions and customs, the real cinema experience. they learned about all things flag, population, currency and European. The children honed government. The culmination their research skills using both of Europe Week was a dress computers and books to find up day, when the children out a myriad of facts about came to school in a costume their home continent. Each from another country. On day’s snacks were from a Friday afternoon, as a special different European country for treat and courtesy of Lismore which the children had to say Lumiere, the pupils watched a please and thank you in the film of the Hunchback of Notre Rainforest Café Family and friends joined the children of Strath of Appin Primary School to celebrate the end of their topic work on Tropical Rainforests. The children enjoyed singing their rainforest ‘raps’, showing off their artwork and sharing their learning. Fairtrade refreshments were served up in the Rainforest café. These included Fairtrade teas and coffees and Fairtrade chocolate Krispies. The children created their own Rainforest smoothies and guests were invited to vote for their favourite. The school has produced a Fairtrade Recipe book containing recipes from the children that use Fairtrade products. The books were available to buy in the café and proved so popular that more have had to be printed. Dunbeg Primary Seafari Adventure P5-7 pupils from Dunbeg catchers diving for food and Primary travelled to Easdale to huge salmon leaping out of go on a Seafari Adventure. First the water. To the delight of of all everyone got kitted up in Miss Messmer, the Swiss waterproofs and lifejackets. exchange student, they spotted After safety instructions they seals basking on the rocks. hopped onto the boats. The The trip took them through pupils and staff witnessed a The Grey Dogs and past the world of wildlife including red island of Belnahua and Fladda deer galloping up hills, oyster Lighthouse. Gruffalo Woodland Adventure leads to a John Muir Trust Award The Primary Learning but also physically, Centre pupils of as they negotiated Rockfield Primary, moving through Oban have enjoyed uneven terrain. The learning outdoors in wider network team of partnership with the therapists (Speech and Stramash team. They Language Therapist, based their activities Physiotherapist around the woodland and Occupational characters from the Therapist) have also children’s classic story complemented the “The Gruffalo” by Julia work done to develop Donaldson. each pupil to achieve Pupils were able to their full potential as work collaboratively they engaged in these and individually in outdoor activities. the woodland setting It was wonderful for at Glencruitten, staff to witness the developing problem- environment, conserved by children’s progress in solving and risk assessment pruning, clearing and recycling, all areas of the curriculum, skills. then shared their experiences and to see the pure pleasure They had enormous fun with their peers back at school. on their faces as they through tasks such as They also had a most successful reached personal goals and canoeing, abseiling, rock open afternoon for family and succeeded in tasks which climbing, bush-craft, fire- friends. They showed the were a real challenge. building, shelter-making, screen premier of “Gruffalo The school is very proud of map reading, wild art and Woodland Adventure – the all their children, and thankful scavenger hunts. movie” and even had a small to the Stramash team for all The pupils worked together cafe serving refreshments and their expertise, patience and towards a John Muir Trust gruffalo cakes! encouragement. As a team, Discovery Award, where they The children have all developed the Learning Centre staff discovered a wild place on through this experience, not also learned lots and enjoyed their doorstep, explored the only educationally and socially, the whole experience. Dalmally’s Got Talent! At the end of March the children took their roles very seriously. of Dalmally Primary School Many children performed organised a talent show. This in a variety of different and was no ordinary evening, in entertaining ways. Other fact it was a very exclusive children played an important event. Guests entered role in serving and welcoming through the V.I.P entrance, their guests. They even had made their way along the red a very supportive group of carpet and were greeted with “roadies” who helped assist a champagne (sparkling fruit performers with any additional juice!) reception. The event props that they required. event and as a bonus raised was not complete without a The children employed many £225 for their residential trip panel of celebrity judges who different skills during this later in the year. Taynuilt Primary School draws Achaleven Primary fanatical for Fairtrade Achaleven Primary held a Fairtrade Tea Party at the school. There was lovely tea and coffee and some great banana loaf along with a few other fairtrade nibbles. They are very proud that £45.53 was raised on the day which was passed to the Oban and Lorn Fairtrade Steering Group. The children were able to show off the drawings they had created and there Taynuilt Primary School, from man-made items including a was a tightly-fought match nursery to primary 7, spent bike and a spinning wheel. for “guess the number of time this session developing Some children also did some fairtrade teabags in a jar” their drawing skills. The imaginative drawings as well competition. Also several teachers included drawing as making a winter frieze. people used the opportunity in different curriculum areas Parents came in to help too. to do a bit of shopping from from maths to PE, and they On Thursday, artist Eileen the well-stocked local village even had a ‘whole school Ramsay visited the school store’s Fairtrade stall. drawing day’. The primary and showed the children 1 to 7 children went to four examples of her work and workshops over the day. gave them lots of ideas to In the morning, they drew develop and enjoy drawing. things from nature like The school then celebrated shells, branches, stones, the work that was done in driftwood etc. They used a ‘drawing week’ by having an variety of drawing tools like exhibition where parents and charcoal, oil pastels and members of the community pencils. In the afternoon came and saw the children’s they drew mechanical and work. St Columba’s get cooking for the Queen A group of primary 7 pupils at Diamond Jubilee menu for Columba’s Primary School St. Columba’s Primary School The Queen. The prize-winning involved a menu based on in Oban was one of four team travelled to Buckingham locally sourced foods such as winners of Her Royal Highness Palace to see their recipes salmon, mackerel, cheese, ham The Duchess of Cornwall’s prepared by the royal chef and and duck as well as chocolates competition, which invited helped serve the Queen and and other sweet treats. Primary schools to create a special the Duchess of Cornwall at a 7 researched the history of special reception. royal food and banquets as far The competition was run as back as 1066. The pupils then part of British Food Fortnight, visited the Scottish Seafood the national celebration of food Exhibition and liaised with local that the Duchess supports. businesses. They then held Schools across the country a Diamond Jubilee Tea Party were invited to create a special inviting members of the local menu for the Queen which community, in particular those celebrates the food produced who were of Primary 7 age at in their part of the country. the time of the coronation, to The winning entry from St. sample the dishes. Fairy Bridge! BBC visit Rockfield Strath of Appin Pre-5 and two of their Gaidhlig The children in the Gaelic classes in Rockfield pupils went on an outing to Fasnacloich in Glen got a huge surprise when a crew from the BBC Creran. They went to visit the ‘Fairy Bridge’. turned up at the school. The pupils had taken part As the children’s interest was learning about in some filming for Gaelic television programme dinosaurs, they had to imagine the bridge looked “Dè a nis?” earlier this year and were delighted like something else. Many guessed that it looked to be told by the television presenters that out of like a stegosaurus’ back, and the parent helpers 16 schools, the pupils from Rockfield were the were also impressed by the similarity. They also fastest on space hoppers. discovered what ‘fasnacloich’ meant (‘the tree The children were in awe as the cameras and in the rock’) as one helper had local historical microphones came running into the assembly knowledge and an understanding of Gaelic. They hall and were delighted to hear that even although they had knocked down a cone while all went to visit the ‘tree in the rock’ as part of doing the space hopper race and had a second their trip.