MELROSE Primary School have been building up skills in a variety of different areas over the last six weeks as part of an initiative to develop wider achievement as part of our curriculum.

On Friday mornings, pupils have taken part in a wide range of activities. This block we have been focussing on activities that encourage links with the local community where possible. This has included 'First Aid’ skills, learning German, identifying and recording wildlife, gardening and different craft skills.

One group decided to fundraise for 'The Difference’, making a difference to patient care in the Scottish Borders over the six week period, and they managed to raise over £200 for the charity by organising a sponsored Fun Run.

Another group ran a Fair Trade café, held in the Trinity Centre, where they sold Fair Trade coffee and tea, with home-baking made with Fair Trade ingredients. It was a great success, was ran by solely by the pupils and raised over £100 for Trade Craft. The pupils have thoroughly enjoyed learning new skills through the opportunity afforded by the 'Achievement Groups’. The school is very grateful for all the parents and wider members of the community that were involved.

One Achievement group at Melrose Primary School, made up of pupils from P5-7 have been learning how to knit, with members of the local community coming in on Friday mornings to help out. Working together, the group knitted squares which were joined together to make a blanket. The blanket was presented to the Special Care Baby Unit at the Borders General Hospital.

Meanwhile, the annual sports day was held last Tuesday, with glorious weather all day. P5-7 took part in a range of sporting activities in the morning and P1-4 held their sports in the afternoon. Parents and carers enjoyed a pic-nic lunch with the pupils at lunchtime. The winning house after all the activities was Abbey.

Primary 6 pupils have been very busy this term learning how to be 'Junior Tour Guides’ for Melrose Abbey. On Thursday, as part of the Borders Book Festival, they entertained a large number of guests as they came to visit the Abbey.

Primary 5 were also involved by visiting the Book Festival to hear James Campbell talk about his book 'Boy Face’, which the pupils found very funny and inspired them to be creative when they are tempted to say 'I’m Bored’. And Primary 6 pupils not involved with being a Tour Guide attended the Festival to hear James Holland’s enthusiastic talk on the 'Battle of Britain’, which was full of interesting and amazing facts.

The recycled vegetable beds are now full of vegetables! Pupils have worked hard to dig in compost and plant a range of peas, pumpkins, kale, courgettes and lettuce. The top soil for the beds was kindly donated by Crawfords Builders and the ton bags which form the raised beds were kindly donated by Keyline Builders Merchants.