The Children's and Young People's Commissioner for Scotland

This year is the Year of Young People and we are making sure that our opinions and ideas are being heard and responded to. We are learning about our rights and responsibilities and how  the UN Rights of The Child can support us to contribute to achieving some of the The Global Goals.

Today Mr Wylie from Orkney Islands Council Education Department came to see us to talk about our campaign. We had written to him to see if he could help us spread the message about getting rid of single use plastics in schools. He helped us think about what our next steps might be.

We were in the paper as well.

The P7s went up to Papdale in the afternoon to meet the Commissioner. They really enjoyed their visit. The Commissioner Bruce Adamson listened to lots of opinions and ideas about how to make things better for children in Orkney. It was a great opportunity to meet and listen to children on the Pupil Council at Papdale, and to discuss and share opinions. 

We hope we can do something similar again.

Mental strategies for multiplication

Here is a video which illustrates all the strategies we have been learning about - adjusting, doubling and halving, splitting one of the factors and 'chunking' into a set of sums which are easier to calculate then recombining. I like this video because it illustrates each method with a picture (you could do this too on squared paper or use cubes). Watch the video and at the end there is an example for you to try. Work in pairs or threes within your number groups. Use a whiteboard and some cubes or squared paper. We will post photos or videos of your illustrations below the video when you are ready.

By the way this video demonstrates how knowing your tables means you can just concentrate on thinking about the strategy.

     18 x 5 from YouCubed on Vimeo.

Book group podcasts

Welcome to the P6/7 book group podcasts for kids! Listen to our groups talk about their group reading books, their favourite books and why they like them.

Kirkwall's Last Straw

Today three of the P7s went up to Radio Orkney to make a recording about our campaign Kirkwall's Last Straw. Robbie Fraser showed them how the studio worked and recorded them explaining what Kirkwall's Last Straw is all about and what we are trying to achieve. Listen to the interview here at about 10:20.

https://www.mixcloud.com/radioorkney/around-orkney-friday-2nd-february-2018/

Kirkwall's Last Straw

We have been learning about sustainability and how what we consume affects the environment. After a hard look at our own global footprints and a reminder of how plastics affect the oceans we have decided to follow in the fantastic footsteps of Ullapool Primary School whose initiative 'Nae Straw At Aw' has resulted in Ullapool becoming the first single use plastic straw free village in Scotland. Class 6 have written to lots of hotels, bars and cafes to ask if they will end their use of single use plastic straws and offer a paper alternative,or no straw at all, to their customers. They have sent them a poster to display so that they can share their decision to take part in the initiative called  'Kirkwall's Last Straw' with their customers and they are hoping that the businesses will let them know they are taking part by leaving a comment on this post on the Pick Up Three Pieces Facebook page.

P7 have decided time is up for juice cartons with straws attached, single use plastic water bottles, plastic cutlery and plates, and styrofoam cups in school. They are now hoping that they can convince other schools to take up the challenge and get rid of any remaining plastics and have written to Orkney Islands Council to see if they can help make it happen across all schools in the county.