Every year, we invite primary 7 pupils from our associated primary schools to take part in an Expressive Arts Day.
This year we based the day on our Comenius Partnership. The pupils were shown a presentation by Miss Hunter, which gave them information about our Comenius Partnership and the countries involved. They then researched and made flags of the countries and they learned and performed dances from each country.
This is the presentation they watched
And this link will take you to their presentation
During the session 2010 – 2011, various departments and pupils in the school started working on skills and projects related to our Comenius Partnership. Here are some of the results from the session:
Modern Studies
In S1 Modern Studies, pupils found out about the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child. We discussed a selection of articles of human rights and came to the conclusion that some rights are fundamental to a happy and healthy life of a child.
Pupils focused on the right to a national and cultural identity and the responsibility to respect each other’s identities and cultures. We looked at the factors that shape identity, such as religion, music, culture, environment, family and friends.
Pupils then designed posters that reflected the influences on their identity; the posters were part of Comenius exhibition that was put up in the school hall.
The Latvian Christmas Evening:
This was a lovely, informal evening which took place just before Christmas 2010; it helped to show the wider public in Gairloch what a wonderful experience we had in Latvia, and also to try to convey a little of the history and culture of this fine country.
We particularly wanted to stress how important culture was to Latvia, especially through their years of occupation by Germany and Russia.
- Using the Assembly material, pupils again presented their trip to members of the public, including their own parents.
- A display of our Latvian purchases and gifts was designed by Pat Gulliver, and pupils were on hand to answer questions.
- We also showed the video taken by Alison at the dance in Latvia, and pupils then taught the dance to the members of the audience, who then joined in the dance.
- Latvian Christmas cookies were made by Beth, and were supplemented by home baking made by the Parent Council.
- This evening was filmed by a parent.
Lunchtime Landscape Club
After Christmas, Beth Hunter, the music teacher, started a Lunchtime Club, which was open to anyone interested, whether or not pupils were taking part in Comenius.
She was helped in this by Phil Ellis in the English Department, who is very interested in photography, and who knows a great deal about the editing software Photoshop.
- Pupils were encouraged to bring in their own landscape photographs, and take advice on editing and refining them.
- They then started to put them in order and use iMovie to make a slide show, with titles and transitions.
- They started to use Gaelic place names on our slides, provided by Iain Cumming, who worked with his Gaelic class on this project. This is the list of local placenames made by S1 Gàidhlig pupils.
- Ainmean-aite
It was agreed that for the Comenius Project pupils would target specific places associated with the Gaelic, and also with poetry & songs. The landscape group visited Laide Wood and took photos for a short film. They used a recording of a poem by Maoilis Caimbeul about the wood as background for the film. Maoilis wrote the poem ” Coille an leathaid” to mark community ownership of the wood in 2003. The recording was made with his permission by several of our Gàidhlig pupils.
S2 English pupils have been working with their teacher, Ms Mackison, to write Gothic Tales set in and around Gairloch. Here are some of the stories they wrote.
Ashleigh – A Gruesome Tale Chloe -Cries in the Night
Alfie – Death at Flowerdale Calum – In the Woods Freya – Horror Mansion Joe – One Man Nikki – Ghosts in Time Rosie- Go Away Ruan – Curse of the Dead Babies
The German Evening
When we came back from Germany, we decided to hold a German Evening at the school and invite the local cummunity to come and share our experiences. Mrs Somers and Miss MacAllister prepared some short sketches and a song with the S1 and S2 German classes as part of the evening’s entertainment. We also had former pupils Alasdair Paul and Ella Mcdonagh, and Becky Griggs in S3 playing German and Scottish tunes. As well as a raffle, we had tea and hot dogs provided by the Parent council. The whole evening was great fun, and well attended by parents and pupils.
