December 2009
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December 2009


Primaries 1,2 and 3 at St Cuthbert’s PS in Maybole staged their nativity play in Our Lady & St Cuthbert’s Church last week and the audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance of “The Sleepy Shepherd”. The young pupils were outstanding as they told the story of the Baby Jesus being born in Bethlehem and afterwards acting head teacher Mrs McCrindle and Fr Stephen McGrattan praised the children and staff who had put so much effort into the production. Fr McGrattan also paid tribute to Mrs McCrindle who was now moving on to be acting head at St Ann’s. Two young pupils then presented her with gifts. Cast Narrator 1 Ben McLaughlin Narrator 2 Jorja MacNab Sleepy Shepherd PJ McQuillan Sheep Greg Lawrie, Alex Sallens and Ethan Cloe Shepherd 1 Cole Struthers Shepherd 2 Reece Mitchell Shepherd 3 Kai Russell Angels Zoe Campbell, Nina Boron, Eilidh Welsh and Lara Valdrighi Mary Christie Tomlinson Joseph Kai Russell Kings Adam Collins, Millie Hannah and Dani Struthers.


St. Cuthbert’s Primary stages 4-7 Christmas production this year was “There’s Something Amazing Going on”. Family and friends of the school were able to enjoy show in the school’s newly refurbished Gym Hall. It was a great success and everyone had a wonderful time.


Cairn Has Talent! It was Christmas production time again at Cairn Primary in Maybole. It was fabulous, the costumes were great, and everyone performed brilliantly! Parents flocked to see both the afternoon and evening performances of the Infants’ ‘The Best Gift of All and P4-7’s ‘Christmas Around the World’ and the children all did them proud. ‘We loved being Stars and sprinkling stardust over everyone’ said Carmen, Kerry and Nadia from P2. A great time was had by all!

For the older pupils there’s no Santa but instead there’s the excitement of City Gates and wondering if you’ll be caught under the arches!

What a difference between the party for the younger pupils and the older ones at their parties These young pupils enjoyed traditional games including The Farmer’s in his Den, then excitedly greeting Santa as he arrives for a photo with them.


Santa Claus returned to Maybole for the town's annual Christmas bazaar in the Town Hall recently. He was a wee bit early and just walked into the hall to the surprise of stallholders and helpers and quickly took up his traditional seat on the stage. The bazaar gives local organisations the opportunity to make some much needed funds and at the same time give residents and their families the chance to pick up some bargains or unique gifts. This year pupils at Carrick Academy have created a calendar of photographs showing scenes about the town. If you did not get one at the bazaar then you can get one from the school.


Residents of Crosne street sheltered housing unit settle down for the Christmas dinner in the company of friends and staff.


Young pupils from Gardenrose Primary entertain residents of Crosne Street sheltered housing unit with Christmas carols and songs.

Members of Gardenrose Nursery recently visited residents at Crosne Street sheltered housing to help them make Christmas cards and provided some musical entertainment


Carrick Stompers at their annual linedancers’ Christmas party.

Members of Maybole’s Opportunity in Retirement group were treated to Christmas dinner last Friday evening It coincided with Pearl Barton’s birthday and she is pictured, right, with some of the gifts she received Pearl would like to thank all of her committee, also in the photo, for their hard work during the year.


At left: Maybole annual united service in Maybole Town Hall - lessons and Christmas hymns. Music was provided by the primary schools’ choir and Carrick Academy band.

At Right: Members of St Cuthbert’s Church youth group enjoyed a formal Christmas dinner in the church hall. 

 

Senior parishioners of Our Lady & St Cuthbert’s Church in Maybole enjoyed Christmas dinner in the church hall on Sunday afternoon. Afterwards they were entertained by younger members of the parish.


Maybole says “no” to move to Ayr Parents and friends of St Cuthbert’s Primary School held a meeting last Wednesday December 2 to discuss potential plans to close the school and ship the pupils to a “super-complex” in Ayr. And the message was clear and simple: “we want our children schooled in Maybole.” The meeting created much discussion for a proposal – mooted by South Ayrshire Council’s schools estate – to close St Cuthbert’s, St Ann’s in Mossblown and St Ninian’s in Prestwick. more


A fire in the former Maybole Old Church hall caused the A77 at Cassillis Road to be blocked for some time on Monday evening, November 30. Barns Terrace was also closed. Twenty-five Firefighters were engaged in bringing the blaze under control. Fire crews from Maybole and Ayr Community Fire Stations were mobilised to the scene shortly before 9:45 p.m. more


Last Wednesday in Maybole Town Hall, Senga Fergusson, Brownie Guider was awarded with a long service award by Janis Meredith, County Commissioner. This award was presented to Senga for 30 years unbroken service to the Girl Guide Association in Maybole. Pictured are Mary Guthrie, Assistant County Commissioner; Janis Meredith, County Commissioner; Senga Fergusson and Maureen Craig, Assistant Guider.


At the recent AGM of the Maybole Branch of the Royal British Legion office bearers elected were Col John Dalrymple Hamilton, President; Brian Connolly, Chairman; George Tevendale, Vice Chairman, George Taylor, Secretary and Alex Kelly, Treasurer. Other posts filled were Fr Stephen McGrattan, Branch Padre; John Bounds, Pensions and Welfare Officer; George Taylor, Area and Conference Delegate; Alex Davidson, Parade Marshall; David Kiltie, Press Officer. Brian Connolly attributed the success of the past year to “the valuable team work by all members of the Branch.” more


It’s not often you get the chance to swim the English Channel, a distance of 22 miles, from the warmth and comfort of your local swimming pool and have nearly three months to complete the challenge! Five of the “early bird” swimmers at Maybole pool swam the equivalent of the English Channel recently in a sponsored swim for Aspire, a national charity which provides practical support to people in the UK and Ireland with spinal cord injuries. The swim of 1416 lengths of the pool took place over the period from September 14 and had to be completed by December 6. All five swimmers finished under time and have raised in the region of £100 each. Taking part were Midge Davidson. Moira Spiers, Janice Mc Kellar, Margaret Davidson and Heather Sinclair. All agreed they had enjoyed the challenge and are looking for another charity to sponsor in the new year.


Maybole Amateur Swimming Club Annual Gala

Carrick Rugby Club has been presented with new warm up tops BAE Systems. The club would like to thank BAE Systems for sponsoring them.


This is a picture of the players along with assistant manager Tam Kerr wearing their new running out tops supplied by Mike Wade of MJ Motors, Sorn Road Cumnock. Carrick Amateurs hosted Wallacetoun SC of the Ayrshire Football League in the 4th round of the Fosters Scottish Amateur Cup. The Carrick men went down 3 - 2 in a toughly fought game. Wallacetoun, currently top of the Ayrshire 3rd Division, would not look out of place playing their football in the 1st Division. Carrick players and committee wished them continued success in the Scottish and in their league endeavours.


2009 was another successful year for local footballer Danielle Connolly. The former Troon Ladies player has a Scottish First Division winner’s medal to show after her second season with Celtic Ladies. Danni was an ever-present central defender in the team that allowed a miserly seven goals in the season in which they finished as undefeated champions and her playing season finished on a high, scoring three goals in the crucial final two games to clinch the top spot. Danni’s season was completed when at the recent award ceremony in the Jock Stein Suite she was awarded the team’s player of the year. Afterwards she said, “We had a really great season. We have some great players and a great team spirit that got us through some really tough close games. It’s a great honour to play for Celtic and the player of the year award presented in Parkhead was a real highlight.“ The players are enjoying a short break before restarting training in preparation for the inaugural ‘summer’ season that starts in March 2010.


Jane’s Deli in Maybole have supported Carrick Academy Rugby to the tune of £400. They organised a raffle over the past 12 weeks and held a wine tasting evening. The money raised will go to support the running costs of the school 1st XV. Janes Deli will also be the major supporters of the 1st XV for next season. All at Carrick Academy would like to thank Alan and Jane Martin for all their continued support.


Cooking Up Confidence at Carrick Academy Pupils and teachers from Carrick Academy’s Cluster Primaries climbed aboard a giant Cooking Bus last week for some hands-on lessons in healthy cuisine. more

The Royal Marines visited Carrick Academy on Wednesday 09th of December. The Royal Navy run a programme called ‘Fit For Life’ and the aim is to encourage children and students to lead a healthier lifestyle by following a balanced diet and regular exercise. Chefs Stephen Milne and Berti Barker ran a cooking demonstration for all timetabled classes in the HE dept. The pupils had a limited time to produce a tasty chicken curry in pairs. The Royal Navy’s PTI’s Paddy Stephens and Paul Wiggins ran a physical training demonstration which included team building tasks. Pupils had an extremely fun day and gained valuable knowledge about cooking, healthy eating and physical activity. The school would like to thank the Royal Navy and the staff involved who made this day such a success.


 

Zoolab Geography Experience. On 3rd December all S2 pupils from Carrick Academy and all Standard grade Biology classes had the pleasure of a visit from Ross from Zoolab and his “friends” arranged by Ms Adam in Geography. Thanks go to Mr Webster for funding this Zoolab experience. The zoolab ranger brought three snakes - all corn snakes and the favourite was a friendly giant called Gerry. Many pupils were amazed at how dry and warm the snakes felt and were fascinated by the forked tongue “tasting” the air all the time. Most pupils hadn’t had a chance to touch such a creature before.  more


 

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A fire in the former Maybole Old Church hall caused the A77 at Cassillis Road to be blocked for some time on Monday evening, November 30. Barns Terrace was also closed. Twenty-five Firefighters were engaged in bringing the blaze under control. Fire crews from Maybole and Ayr Community Fire Stations were mobilised to the scene shortly before 9:45 p.m. On arrival the crews had to contend with a well developed fire within the rear section of the church hall roof space. The initial incident commander committed fire crews, donned in breathing apparatus, to tackle the blaze and contain the fire within the immediate area of the traditional stone built building prior to requesting further supporting resources to attend the incident.

 

The fire was brought under control using a combination of main jets and employing an aerial monitor from an attending Aerial Rescue Pump. The incident commander also employed Positive Pressure Ventilating tactics to ensure that the fire did not spread beyond the church hall and involve the adjacent main church building. Strathclyde Fire & Rescue were assisted by the police who dealt with traffic management in the immediate vicinity of the fire and representatives from Scottish Power who isolated electrical supplies to the affected buildings. The cause of the fire will be the subject of a joint Police and Fire Service investigation. There were, thankfully, no reported casualties or injuries associated with this incident.


Maybole says “no” to move to Ayr Parents and friends of St Cuthbert’s Primary School held a meeting last Wednesday December 2 to discuss potential plans to close the school and ship the pupils to a “super-complex” in Ayr. And the message was clear and simple: “we want our children schooled in Maybole.” The meeting created much discussion for a proposal – mooted by South Ayrshire Council’s schools estate – to close St Cuthbert’s, St Ann’s in Mossblown and St Ninian’s in Prestwick. Several important concerns were raised, mainly the impact the school’s closure would have on the vibrant community and organisations already operating within the town as well as fears for young children travelling from Maybole to Ayr on a weekly basis. The proposal would mean children – some as young as four years old – travelling by bus five days a week to and from a newly-constructed five-to-18 Queen Margaret Academy campus.

 

Many believed this was too long a journey for young pupils, a feeling shared by Councillor Sandra Goldie, who although unable to attend the meeting, echoed parents’ concerns in a letter of apology sent to the parent council chair. Councillor Mairi Low, who attended the meeting in the school assembly hall, listened attentively and agreed with the claim that pupils’ involvement within Maybole community events was crucial and that recent Homecoming events in Maybole Town Hall showed the depth of young people’s commitment to their town. It was also claimed that if St Cuthbert’s was to close and pupils moved to Ayr the children’s local community would become Ayr and they would not be part of the Maybole community.”

 

Although the council’s proposals are still at an informal phase, parents have been given the opportunity to comment on two proposals: a five-to-18 denominational school campus for St John’s in Ayr and Queen Margaret or a five-to18 campus for Maybole, Mossblown, Prestwick and Ayr Catholic school children. Parishioners from Our Lady and St Cuthbert’s Church are also planning to send their comments on the SAC proposal and Councillor Low told the meeting the comments would be collated and suggested a council response in early 2010. The formal consultation process for this proposal will not start until 2012 but the informal discussions have followed representation from the Diocese of Galloway.


 At the recent AGM of the Maybole Branch of the Royal British Legion office bearers elected were Col John Dalrymple Hamilton, President; Brian Connolly, Chairman; George Tevendale, Vice Chairman, George Taylor, Secretary and Alex Kelly, Treasurer. Other posts filled were Fr Stephen McGrattan, Branch Padre; John Bounds, Pensions and Welfare Officer; George Taylor, Area and Conference Delegate; Alex Davidson, Parade Marshall; David Kiltie, Press Officer. Brian Connolly attributed the success of the past year to “the valuable team work by all members of the Branch.” He also thanked Billy Torbett and Evelyn Shields during Billy’s hospitalisation for making the premises at The Welltrees Inn available. This year the branch will be donating £250 to Combat Stress and £250 to the Ghurkas. The next meeting of the branch will be held on January 11, 2010 and the annual Holocaust Day is Wednesday January 27. This day will mark the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust is challenging everyone across the UK to become part of a Legacy of Hope.


Cooking Up Confidence at Carrick Academy Pupils and teachers from Carrick Academy’s Cluster Primaries climbed aboard a giant Cooking Bus last week for some hands-on lessons in healthy cuisine. The Focus on Food Cooking Bus rolled into Carrick Academy to give fun cooking lessons to primary pupils, teachers and the community. As a School of Ambition, the school recognises the importance of supporting youngsters through the transition stage Lessons were under the expert eye of advisory teacher Helen Orr and Gillian Hudson, support teacher, whose planned programme of cooking activities is tailored to the age of the pupils aboard the cooking bus.

 

At each session teachers, support staff and senior academy pupils helped with supervision and washing up. The pupils learned how to prepare fruit and vegetables safely, using the correct holding and cutting positions and made a variety of healthy options including twice baked cheesy potato, Mexican bean salad and smoothies. Each pupil received two samples of food they had prepared to take home. The pupils covered many of the outcomes from the Health and Wellbeing experiences including handling and tasting a variety of foods, investigating what makes a healthy diet, food preparation, hygiene routines, food safety and, of course, a sense of enjoyment and achievement!

 

There was also training for teachers and the wider community so they can continue helping youngsters cook with confidence long after the bus had driven away. Carrick Academy has negotiated with Focus on Food, that on this occasion a COOK-IT kit, consisting of £750 of cooking equipment, will be presented to all eight participating primary schools. The event was seen as high importance to South Ayrshire Council, and a visit was made by Harry Garland (Executive Director of Children and Community), who watched parents and youngsters have fun preparing healthy food. After spending four days at Carrick Academy delivering five sessions to Primary 7 pupils and three sessions to parents, teachers and other members of the community, the Cooking Bus drove off to take its hands-on healthy cooking lessons elsewhere.


Zoolab Geography Experience. On 3rd December all S2 pupils from Carrick Academy and all Standard grade Biology classes had the pleasure of a visit from Ross from Zoolab and his “friends” arranged by Ms Adam in Geography. Thanks go to Mr Webster for funding this Zoolab experience. The zoolab ranger brought three snakes - all corn snakes and the favourite was a friendly giant called Gerry. Many pupils were amazed at how dry and warm the snakes felt and were fascinated by the forked tongue “tasting” the air all the time. Most pupils hadn’t had a chance to touch such a creature before. As we have studied the rainforest Ross also brought a large eyed frog called Larry and very active toad who tried to escape a few times when being handled! Pupils also learned about how these animals survive in the forest and the fact that many spend all their lives in the canopy never coming down at all. Ross had a few surprises too and showed us hissing cockroaches which could even survive a nuclear blast and a giant millipede which tickled when it walked over the pupils’ hands.

 

The millipede was chocolate coloured and was called “Yorkie”. He also brought a tarantula with him called Tallulah but as she was very fragile she was kept in her case and just shown to pupils. Most were very glad of this – especially the teachers! We also welcome many visitors to Carrick including the whole of Colmonell Primary School. Carrick pupils will be working with several primaries in S Ayrshire on a joint project studying the Geography and experiencing the music of the rainforest with Ms Gourley. Colmonell enjoyed their visit and have some lovely photos to put on our Glow group to remind us of a good day. To make it slightly different this year Ms Adam linked up Carrick with several other schools via web conferencing using Glow Meet and we had an all day link open to some schools to allow them to watch our pupils handling the animals. We welcomed via the webcam Invergarven Primary in Girvan, Marr College in Troon , St Ninians in East Renfrew and even went as far afield as Montrose Academy! Technology is certainly a way to link schools together in many new ways and Carrick were proud to welcome all others to out project.

 

We hope this is the first of many link ups. We will be continuing the rainforest theme with S1 making short films on this topic and the primaries making musical instruments and performing their rainforest music for us later this session. The Art department at Marr will be linking with us designing and printing t-shirts on the rainforest theme and St Ninians in East Renfrew will be assessing the work done by Carrick Academy pupils. We hope we will impress them! As a final event the whole of S1 will be making a floor game of snakes and ladders all based round the rainforest theme and other school pupils will play the game over the webcam! This project opens up lots of opportunities for pupils in Carrick all under the umbrella of Curriculum for Excellence and makes learning a far more enjoyable experience for all concerned. To ensure the Senior pupils in Geography did not feel left out Ms Adam organised a webcam link to a school in Saltash, Cornwall where an Asheninkq tribesman was visiting from the rainforests in Peru and we linked up live to see Javier Bustamente talk to us all before he continued on to the Copenhagen Climate Change conference in Denmark. This was a once in a lifetime chance and all pupils enjoyed this addition to the Geography curriculum. Ms Adam would like to thank ICT support in Carrick – Mr Reilly, and Callum McQueen at SAC for their help and assistance with these activities. Val Adam PT Geography           


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