The Newest School Makar 2018/19
Back in June, Comely Park School held their annual Leavers’ Assembly, and as ever it was full of brilliant acting, singing and celebration of the final year pupils. I was invited to announce the new School Makar, who had been specially chosen by unanimous acclaim.
I arrived at school a little early, and was asked to wait near the entrance until everyone had filed into the assembly hall. While I was waiting, a couple arrived, having been told that their daughter was to receive an award. Their presence was meant to be top secret, as their daughter didn’t know they were coming. We had a nice chat, and wondered if perhaps we were all gathered for the same reason…
Once the couple had been snuck into the back of the hall and were hidden behind other guests, I was able to take my seat and wait for the Big Moment. We watched the Leavers’ excellent show, and then came the time for awards. When I announced that this year’s Comely Park School Makar would be Susie Hoggan, her parents leapt out of their hiding place to surprise her! They were thrilled that she had been chosen, and she was equally surprised and delighted.
She now has her own page in this section, called Susie’s poems. I look forward to adding more of her work as the year goes by. Congratulations, Susie!
The Big Announcement
At last, I can share the big secret of who will be Comely Park Primary’s Wee Makar this coming year. After much deliberation over the very impressive entries by our six finalists, I decided that the winner should be Olivia!
After making the announcement, I presented Olivia with a special Wee Makar notebook and pen, and the school gave her the plaque you can see above. I’m sure she will be a great Wee Makar and I look forward to setting up an Olivia’s Poems page right here on the Patron of Reading section of the blog.
Congratulations to all the finalists, and many thanks to Comely Park Primary for inviting me to the Leavers’ Assembly. It was a brilliant event!
Comely Park Wee Makar Competition 2017
It’s that time of year again – time to choose a new School Makar to chronicle in verse all the exciting and important events happening at the school throughout the coming year. As Patron of Reading, I have been given the challenging task of choosing a winner from the six very talented finalists. The competition involved writing a Poem, a Report and/or a Big Idea for encouraging reading and writing. Several of the finalists did all three, which was very impressive!
The winner of this year’s competition will be announced at the Leavers’ Assembly on 29 June, but in the meantime I would like to share the six finalists’ poems to show you just how difficult my decision was! The poems were inspired by exciting author visits and school trips, thoughts about school life and ideas for encouraging a love of reading. So, without further ado, I present them to you here:
The New School Makar 2015/16
And the winner is… Melissa Russell!
As Melissa’s time as School Makar draws to a close, you can visit her own dedicated page on this blog to read all the poems she has written for the school. Click HERE or go to Melissa’s poems on the Patron of Reading pages above.
At last I am able to announce that the new School Makar of Comely Park Primary is Melissa Russell, whose poem about the Kelpies most impressed the judges. As you can see it was a very difficult decision because Comely Park has so many talented poets! I am sure Melissa will do the school proud with her poems, and these will feature on this blog and also in the school newsletter. Congratulations to all who entered the competition, and good luck in your new role, Melissa!
Comely Park Primary’s first School Makar, Ruby Martyn, will soon be moving on to senior school, so a new poetry competition has been held among the Primary 5s to find the next pupil to hold this prestigious role. There were lots of excellent entries, and these were whittled down to four finalists. On my recent visit to Comely Park, Ruby and I sat down to consider the final four and decide who should become the next School Makar. The decision was a tough one, but we made our final choice. The winner will be announced at the P7 Leavers’ Assembly on 25 June. Watch this space for the big announcement (with photos)!
Just to whet your appetite, I will post the top four entries in the competition. The pupils were asked to write a poem about a striking landmark or significant feature in Falkirk. Two of the most popular subjects were the Falkirk Wheel, an impressive piece of Scots engineering, and the towering Kelpies, a sculpture of two horses’ heads by Andy Scott. Here are the four outstanding poems in the School Makar competition:
©Alex Susan Feighan 2015
©Jay Russell 2015
©Melissa Russell 2015
©Zoe Campbell 2015
As you can see, the four finalists are very accomplished poets, so the decision was a difficult one! The winner will be announced very soon, but all the pupils who entered the competition deserve congratulations for their excellent work!
One of my first duties as Patron of Reading for Comely Park Primary in Falkirk will be to announce the name of the new school Makar for the coming year. This is an honorary post given to an outstanding poet in the school, and it was first established last year by Scotland’s national Makar Liz Lochhead.
Liz Lochhead with primary pupils at a Scottish Book Trust author event celebrating the work of Robert Burns. Photo ©Chris James 2012
The winning pupil will write poetry to highlight various school events and activities throughout the coming year, and his or her work will be published in the school newsletter and on the school website.
I am really looking forward to presenting the new School Makar with this important honour! I will make the announcement on 27 June right here on this blog, and I plan to publish all the new Makar’s poems as well, so watch this space!
Thursday, 27 June 2013
DRUM ROLL PLEASE….
Announcing the results of this year’s competition to become Comely Park School Makar! There were lots of great entries, all using my own poem about Sports Day as a model, and two in particular stood out from the rest. I would like to share two poems with you: the winner and the runner-up. First, an acrostic poem by Willow in P6/8, deserves special commendation:
I thought this very cleverly took the letters in SPORTS DAY and created an exciting account of the competition and the feelings of all those pupils working hard to win! Congratulations to Willow on this excellent effort!
And now to the winner! I was very impressed by the talents of our winning poet, whose Sports Day poem really captured the atmosphere of the event and also included great rhythm, imagery and rhyme. Congratulations to Ruby in P5/1 whose winning poem makes her next year’s School Makar!
It was a great pleasure to make the big announcement at Assembly today, and to present Ruby with a purple notebook and pen with which she can create special poems to commemorate school events. I look forward to publishing more of Ruby’s poems here once the new term begins in August. This was a brilliant start to my role as Patron of Reading for Comely Park School. Thanks again for such a lovely welcome today, and I look forward to lots of great book-related fun we will have in future!
Ruby accepts her purple notebook and pen as the new School Makar.
Her engraved medal will follow soon!
Lynne Rickards author 
Thank you Lynne This will be an added bonus to the School. I look forward to meeting you on Thursday J.Collins Headteacher
It was lovely to meet you today, Mrs Collins, and I really enjoyed speaking with all the children and visiting various classrooms to read stories after Assembly. I am looking forward to promoting books and reading, and embarking on some exciting creative projects with the children in the coming year. Thanks again for your warm welcome today!
What a wonderful start for our Patron of Reading project! Thank you for making our end of term so special – the teachers and children are really looking forward to working with you next session. I know they are very excited about sharing their love of books and writing stories and poems. I think this will be a very busy blog next year!
P.S. what a lovely photo!
Hi Miss Lucas,
Thanks so much for making me feel so welcome today! It was a real pleasure to meet you and all the children who have been writing to me here on the blog. I look forward to lots more bookish conversations, and next term it will be fun to hear all about everyone’s holidays. Thanks again and all the best!
Thank you for coming to our school, Lynn. It was great meeting you and I loved your comments and support!!! Hope to see you after the summer, Ruby.
Hi Ruby,
It was great to meet you too! I had such a lovely day at your school, and only wish I’d had longer to visit more classes and read more stories. I will definitely be back in the new term, so I look forward to seeing you then. Have a great summer!
[…] Comely Park School Makar […]
Hi Lynne, I’ve got my back to school poem more or less figured out. It would be great to hear more of your stories. I’m really into writing my own books. See you soon. 🙂
Hi Ruby,
Back-to-school is rapidly approaching so it’s good to hear you’re on top of your first Makar assignment! I hope you’ve had a nice holiday with all this lovely warm weather. I have just returned home from London and believe it or not, those poor children in England have only just started their summer holidays! I’m looking forward to hearing your back-to-school poem, and I will of course publish it here on the blog. See you very soon!
To Lynne , couldn’t help noticing Harry Potter Heaven. I’ve just returned from London too! I even went to Harry Potter Studios ! I got to ride on a broomstick and I have a photo of me. Severus Snape is my favourite character as well !! We stayed in the basement of a house. My mum, dad, and big sister and me. My sister loved the statue of the muggles in the ministry of magic . The huge model of Hogwarts is truly magical. Aragog terrified me but Buckbeak was gorgeous. Yet I’ll skip a Puking Pastille any day 🙂 Ruby
Hi Ruby,
I’m glad to hear you had such a great time in London! After my kids went to the Harry Potter Studios we bought the entire set of Harry Potter films on DVD and watched them back-to-back (over two or three days). It was fun for them to spot all the sets and props they had just seen on the tour. I would love to see that photo of you riding a broomstick! Maybe you can bring it to school next time I come. Have you read all the Harry Potter books? I read them aloud to my kids a few years back and we really got hooked! It took a whole year to read all 7 books. That year we all looked forward to bedtime!
Hi, did your kids see Snape’s wig in a jar? I loved the detail in Umbridge’s pink office! The first film was my favourite . I’d be more than happy to bring in my photo. I’m also hooked on Harry Potter LEGO!! Hogwarts Castle is on my birthday list.I made Hagrid’s Hut a long time ago ,but my mum destroyed it :(.In a bookshop, I bought an information book on the LEGO Harry Potter minifigures.Ruby
Hi Ruby,
I think my kids missed Snape’s wig. We’ll have to go back!! In the early days we weren’t that tempted to read the Potter books because we weren’t into witches and wizards, but when we watched the first three films we really got into it! By the third film we were so confused we just had to read the books. Shame about Hagrid’s Hut, but I hope you get Hogwarts Castle for your birthday!
Dear Lynne, I hope you get to go and have a great time ! It takes quite a long time for the tour bus to arrive but it’s totally worth the wait ! If you need any advice , I can oblige. You must have a really long look in the giftshop. I hope your kids had a good time and they got a souvenir. Ruby
Hi Ruby,
I’m sure one day I’ll have my chance! My kids liked the gift shop but they said everything was very expensive. They kept their passports as souvenirs, since they’re getting a bit too grown up for wands and things. What souvenir did you get? Lego figures?
No, I got some Harry Potter glasses. I forgot all about the books and I’d read all of them except the last two.So now , I’m reading the Half- Blood Prince! I also re-built Hagrid’s Hut with my mum and my own Ministry of Magic( I’m working on Azkaban ). Ruby P.S. What does a poet eat for tea ? Makar – oni ! I made it myself R
Hi Ruby,
The Half-Blood Prince is my favourite of all the Harry Potter books (as you might have guessed, since Snape is my favourite character). I loved your Makar-oni joke! So clever. We’ll have to start up a joke page on the blog next!
Hi Lynne,I still have quite a bit before I finish it.I can’t wait to see you in a few weeks! Are you presenting my medal to me ? I think I can loook up some limericks in a joke book . See you! R
Hi Ruby,
Yes, those Harry Potter books get awfully thick by the end! I’m really looking forward to coming back next week, and I do hope the medal will be ready for me to present to you. I’m going to be working with Miss Lucas’s class on a book about Gallus the Craw, but I hope I’ll be able to see you and some of the other classes as well. Are you in P6 now? Hope it’s all going well so far!
HI. Oops, sorry I wrongly accused you of not replying on the main page… But, my new poem is there! I am writing a book myself with my fellow runner up Katy Davidson and Sarah Murdoch Burt.Our book is called Ms Mclarty’s Land, Sea and Air Journal! Harry Potter ‘s Warner Brother Studios is a destination in London where she goes to.
Hi Ruby,
Your poem is excellent and the book you’re writing with Katy and Sarah sounds very intriguing! How old is Ms Mclarty? I like her name. And I gather she travels by land, sea and air. No doubt she’ll have plenty of adventures that all three of you can come up with. Good luck with it!
hi Lynne its Abbie from p4 at Comely Park Primary in Falkirk i really hope you liked our book launch i was hooley
Hi Abbie –
Nice to hear from you! Did you see the picture of you I put up on the blog? That was a great Hooley costume! I really enjoyed my visit yesterday, and the Book Launch was a huge success! It was great to see everyone again and I hope I can come back soon. Thanks for writing!
Hi Lynne, you’ve been to Mull! I love it there and do does Ms Mclarty!
Hi Ruby,
I love Mull too, because it has so many different things (a colourful harbour town, amazing cliffs, beautiful beaches). It’s my favourite of all the Scottish islands.
Oops! So does Ms Mclarty ! Calgary is amazing! I have been writing the sequel to my P4 story called Fern The Jungle Explorer! Miss Lucas organised a 300 word writing competition,but the wee ones get less! The teachers must pick 2 stories from each class and the winners get to meet an author.why wasn’t I told you were coming on the 27th!?
I think I might be helping to choose a winner of that writing competition. I’m really sorry I missed you on Wednesday! I did ask whether you would be there, but because it was a P4 Book Launch there weren’t many older children at the event. I hope I can see you next time I come. Good luck with the writing competition! Are you writing any Makar poems these days? Maybe a Christmas one? Keep me posted and I’ll put it up on the blog.
Hi Lynne I am working on my Christmas poem and I’ll email it too you soon! Have you got an advent calendar? I have but my ones never have any sweets in them! While I have been writing this, my dog has been staring up at me expectantly. Have a nice weekend! Ruby
Hi Ruby,
I look forward to reading your Christmas poem! I can put it up on the blog when you’ve finished it. I don’t have an advent calendar (but I secretly eat a square of very dark chocolate every day anyway so I don’t need one!) What kind of dog do you have? My kids and I love dogs, but their Dad has been bitten twice so he prefers cats! Hope you have a great weekend too.
hi lynne my dads an author he wrote book because he follow the steps of bonny Prince Charlie it took him six weeks and he is going on an other trip following Robert the Bruce it will start in Ireland it will take him nine or eight weeks and is writing an other book.
Hi Abbie,
I am very impressed that your dad is an author! His idea to follow in the footsteps of Bonny Prince Charlie is a good one. I will have to look for his book – what is your dad’s name?
Its is called Charlie Meg and me and his name is Gregor Ewing
Hi Abbie,
I have Googled your dad’s name and found his book! It was fun to read the first bit of it on Amazon’s “look inside” feature. Now I know you have two big sisters and two lovely Border Collies as well! I hope your dad’s second journey following Robert the Bruce will go smoothly and give him lots of material for the next book. When does he set off?
he sets off on the end of March and comes back on the 2 of June.
Well that’s good – I was hoping he wasn’t going to be walking for miles in the dead of winter! Wish him luck for me – I hope it goes well.
thanks I am sure he will do well do you want to talk to him because I’m sure he would love to talk to an other author .
Hi Abbie,
Did your dad come to the book launch? It would have been nice to talk to him there. Maybe there will be another chance. I’m looking forward to my next visit to Falkirk!
Hi Lynne! I am a reading champion for P3/13 Miss Haggart.As a reading champion I went to the Howgate for a story session. I made a fairy called Flutterby.
I love to read books! Do you read every day? I am hoping to get my writers badge from Brownies. I have also made a pop up book about a panda called Matilda who lives in China. She makes a jumper for everyone at the zoo.
I enjoyed your visit in P2 with Mrs Tonner! I am looking forward to meeting you again!Through the summer holidays I entered the summer reading challenge and I managed to read 6 books.Do you ever stop thinking about books? I am reading The Naughtiest Girl is a Monitor by Enid Blyton. It is very exciting and good. I also like your book Pink! P3 learnt the songs from Pink! I really liked the songs. I liked “it is fun to be a penguin” best. What book are you currently writing now?
Bye for now! Tamsin
Hi Tamsin,
You are a very impressive reader! It’s great to hear about all the things you are doing, and I think your story about Matilda the panda sounds excellent. Good luck with the writer’s badge in Brownies – what will you have to do to earn the badge? Maybe your panda story will prove you’re a writer.
I like to read lots of different things but it’s hard to find the time to finish anything! Right now I am going through all of Shakespeare’s plays. I have read ten of them so far and I’m just starting Romeo and Juliet. There are 37 plays, so it may take me some time!
Right now I’m waiting to hear about a couple of my stories that may have a chance of being published. One is about a fly who wishes he were a more exciting sort of insect, and the other is about a girl who can’t decide what to be when she grows up. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for both of them!
yes my dad was at the book launch maybe i could get my dad sent you a message on this .
Hi Abbie,
Sorry I missed your dad when I was at the launch. There were so many people! I’d be happy to chat with him here, but maybe there will be another chance at the school. I’m sure I’ll be back!
Hello Lynne, I have a labrador but my dog is an idiot and couldn’t bite anything more than a chew toy. She loves cuddles but is already getting grey and grunts a lot. We have jotters that go home called Reading Race Records and we have to fill in all the books we’ve read.I read so many that I can’t be bothered to fill it in.
Hi Ruby,
Labradors are sweet and friendly, so I’m glad to hear yours wouldn’t bite anyone. What is her name? I can imagine it would be a struggle keeping track of all the books you read! Maybe just note down the best ones, so you can recommend them to friends. Have a lovely weekend when it comes.
hi Lynne its Abbie I need a bit of advice because there is one of my gymnastics competition and i can hardly do anything i am really scared of one of th pieces and its vault because one of the days i was training for five hours and we went to vault we had a couple of shots we had do handsprings and every time i do it i kept face planting and i really don’t like it and then my coaches said to do a squat on but as i went on the springboard i went for a handspring and in stead of doing a squat on and i landed on my head and thats how i am scared and i really want to come in the TOP THREE !!!!!!!!
Dear Abbie,
Do please be careful on the vault! I do NOT want to hear about you landing on your head again! I’m sure if you do your best you will get a good result. No matter what happens in the competition, it’s important to have fun and not worry too much about the results. The most important thing is to stay safe!! Good luck and have fun!
hi Lynne its ABBIE for Christmas i got a book called Diamond by Jacqueline Wilson it looks great have you ever her met her ?
Hi Abbie,
Yes, my daughter is a good friend of Jacqueline Wilson so I have met her a few times. She is lovely! I’m sure you’ll enjoy Diamond. My daughter has read all her books and has been a big fan for years. How did that gymnastics competition go? I hope you didn’t hurt yourself!
the competition is this march not along time away .
does Jacqueline Wilson have a blog?
can I write to her like i can write to you.
Hi Abbie,
Good luck in your competition in March! I thought it was sooner, so that gives you lots of time to practise and be ready. Jacqueline Wilson has a website where you can read about what she’s doing and all her latest books. She has competitions and a diary you can read, and I’m sure there’s a way to write to her there as well. She has millions of fans so I don’t think you can chat with her the way we do, but you can certainly send her a message. http://www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk/
thanks Lynne did you read my story for the competition
Hi Abbie,
Miss Logan sent me a selection of stories but I’m afraid yours wasn’t among them. I’d really like to read yours, so maybe there will be time next time I come. What sort of treasure did you write about?
i wrote about 2 girls who wanted to open a horses livery and there treasure was to get it. i didn’t finish it i was desperate to finish it but i couldn’t. i wrote it because i love horses and when i go horse riding i always get involved because i love them and i just want have my own . and i won a competition it means allot because horses touch me and i will look up and say i won the first competition and i always remember it in my heart.
Hi Abbie,
Your horse story sounds great – did you run out of time before you could finish it? I didn’t know you were such an accomplished sports woman! Horseriding, gymnastics – what else do you like doing? I was always a quiet, indoor person who loved to read and draw and paint. Not sporty in the least! Congratulations on your win – I’m sure that special memory will stay with you forever.
i also do on Monday i do gymnastics Tuesday horse riding Wednesday piano Thursday gymnastics Friday brownies and acrobatics
Wow, you are a girl of many talents, Abbie! Are the acrobatics sort of circus tricks? My son loves swinging on a trapeze that they have at our local pool. He is very good at it now and has very strong arms!
yes it is a circus thing wow your son sounds amazing
I think he’s amazing but of course I’m his mum…
It must be fun doing circus acrobatics! I wrote a story about that – I think Miss Lucas was going to share it with the P4s. Animal Acrobats ABC – have you seen it yet? I’m sure you could all do some fantastic illustrations for me!
Lynne can you please if its OK with you can write me a story about horses because i love horses and they are my favorite animals
Hi Abbie,
I will try and think about a horse story. Why don’t you write me a horse story too?
i will do my best when should i show you it please can you do it if i do it
Hi Abbie,
We haven’t set a date for my next visit, but I hope it won’t be too long before I can come back to Comely Park. I will look forward to seeing you next time (maybe in February or March sometime) and you can share your horse story with me then. I will try and think up a horse story too, and in the meantime you can have a look at the three wooden horses I have at home:
Maybe I can post my horse story on the blog for you.
Talk to you soon!
i have started my story should i show you it on the blog whens it ready or something else if you come back to school should print it off the internet and put in an envelope and give you it
Hi Abbie,
You’ve got a head start on me! Good luck with your story. Maybe you can give it to your teacher and she can send it on to me. That way I can read it before I see you on my next visit.
ok
Hi Abbie,
I have just finished a blog post dedicated to you! You can click here to read it:
thank you so much believe it or not my neighbor has 2 in there back garden
Wow, that’s amazing! What colour are they? Do they look like tiny perfect horses or more like Shetland ponies? I wonder what their names are. Maybe you could write about them!
there names are Text and Elvis AND THEY ARE BROWN
Hi Abbie,
I think that must be Tex (short for Texas) as in the Wild West of the USA. Elvis is obviously named after the famous singer. I can feel a story coming on just thinking about them…
lynne can i send my story on the blog for everyone to see to on your horse page if it is ok
Hi Abbie,
That’s a great idea! I look forward to reading it…
HAVE YOU STARTED YOUR STORY BECAUSE I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Abbie,
I was visiting a school today so I am still thinking of ideas for my Tex and Elvis tale. What about you? How is your story coming along?
fine you could write about them getting captured……………….
They will definitely have some kind of adventure…
you should put it on the blog to
Yes, on the Miniature horses page. I’ll have to make it quite short to fit in the comments section.
hi my story is huge and its really exiting in school play a game and my story goes with it
Hi Abbie,
Are you saying you’ve got a horse game at school that your story is part of? Perhaps the story is getting so huge it won’t fit on my blog. It sounds like you’re having fun writing it! I look forward to reading it too.
hi
Hi again!
Sorry – I’ve been busy this weekend and neglected my blog. Hope you’ve had a good weekend despite quite a bit of rain. Have a great week at school!
hi my story is going well i can’t wait for you to hear it miss Lucas has seen the page about me and the horses hope to see you soon
Hi Abbie,
Glad to hear your story is going so well! I hope Miss Lucas liked the mini horses. Yes, I hope to be visiting again before too long!
she did i going to do my story now
That’s good! I’m working on a story about a flamingo and a crocodile at the moment but soon I’d better get working on the mini horses. Good luck with your story!
you to sent me details of your crocodile and flamingo story
It is a baby crocodile and a mummy flamingo. Quite an unusual combination!
it is my story is doing OK there is 500 word story competition coming up and i was going to do my story that i am writing j now but is probably got 230 words now and iam know where near the end what should i do!
Hi Abbie,
That’s amazing that you already have 230 words! I would keep writing and hope that the story can fit around 500 words for the competition. The trick is to write it all out once and then read it over again carefully and take out the bits that are less important. That is called editing, and every writer does that to make their work as polished and perfect as it can be. Good luck!
thank you i wish you could check as well 2 brains are better than one
Maybe your parents could help, or your teacher at school? You’re right about two brains, and that is why writers have editors!
ok hows your horse story coming along
Hi Abbie,
I’ve been a bit distracted writing a story about a little hare called Hugo who gets worn out rolling big lettuces and pulling up carrots and jumping for tomatoes. I’ll get right onto the Tex and Elvis story now!
ok Good luck
Hi Abbie,
My horse story is done! It ended up being quite long so I have sent a copy to Miss Lucas by email. I hope she can pass it on to you. Looking forward to reading your story!
thank you so much i have read it is astonishing
Hi Abbie,
I’m so glad you like it! I had fun writing it, and making you and Tex and Elvis the star characters. Maybe you can do some illustrations for it. Can’t wait to read your horse story!
i would love to do to some illustrations and i hope to finish my horse story soon
Dear Lynne, I sent a comment but it didn’t send properly. Did you hear that Miss Lucas will be leaving for two years to share Gaelic with other adults. I sent a card from me and my illustrators wishing her the best of luck.
As you know, my illustrators and I have been typing up our book that we wrote ourselves, but we have started another one and our character is travelling through time and space. We hope when you come, you can take a look at both of them!
Hi Ruby,
I hope you’ll see your last comment has appeared (and I answered it) so all is well. For some reason it needed me to approve it before it appeared (perhaps because you used a different email address?) When someone comments on this blog for the first time I have to approve it, and thereafter the same person’s comments go up automatically. Yours were automatic until that last one, so the blog didn’t recognise you for some reason.
I am looking forward to seeing you on my next visit and it will be great to see your new stories! I’ll let you know when we have a date settled for my visit.
Have a good week!
hi Lynne you didn’t reply on my last comment i am doing my 500 word competition right now
Hi Abbie,
Sorry I missed that last comment. What kind of story did you decide to write for the 500-word competition? Can you get your horse story to the right length, or are you going for something else? Good luck with it, and I hope you’ll have some horse illustrations to show me next time I visit Comely Park. See you then!
i writing about horses and i will do some illustrations
Good luck with your story! It’s great that you will have illustrations too. I hope I can see it next time I come.
hi Lynne i was telling you about the 500 story competition well i was to late and i couldn’t enter so i decided to enter another one i am really disappointed i
Hi Abbie,
I’m sorry you missed the deadline for that 500-word competition, but at least there is another one you can enter. I am looking forward to reading your horse story when it’s finished. I always found horses really hard to draw – do you? Maybe you’re good at horses because you get lots of practice. Good luck with the new competition!
thank you i am quite good at drawing horses it is nearly finished
Hi Abbie,
It will be great to see your horse drawings and read your story next time I’m there. I have been in touch with Miss McGrow and we’re trying to settle on a date in March. Hope to see you soon!
GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lynne i cant enter the other story competition either because my computer is broken and its is so post to be in by the 30th of march and my dad is away on his walk and he is the only one who can fix it in my family.
Hi Abbie,
I saw that your dad was off on his walk a few weeks ago – there was a picture of him in the Metro newspaper! I hope you’re still hearing from him and the walk is going well.
It’s a shame about the writing competition. Maybe you could use one of the school computers? Or write your story by hand. It would take longer, but I’m sure they would accept it!
I’m all set to come and see the P1 and P2 classes on Thursday the 3rd of April. I have said to Miss McGrow that I hope to see as many of you as possible, especially the ones who have been writing to me so regularly here on the blog! I am coming right after lunch and can stay all afternoon, so I hope to see you then!
hope to see you to i cant write my story because i have got so much to do because i have got to multi task
Multi-tasking is an important skill. Good luck with all your work and I’ll see you soon!
i know guess what i sent Jacqueline Wilson a email i hope she replies i cant wait
Good luck – I hope Jacqueline replies too! I think she is pretty busy though, so you’ll have to be patient.
i know
hi Lynne i was telling you about that gymnastic competition it was on the first of may it was really scary i was also nervous it was a 4 piece competition it was beam floor bars and vault and it was 4 of our coaches jugged it the had their own piece to judge Jane did bars Stuart did beam Kristen did vault and Lyndsay did floor in the end it was the results it was in groups but ill only tell you mine and my sisters well my friend Alexandra came joint 3rd with a girl called Abbie not me i came 2nd and a girl called Mia came 1st in my sisters team Katie came 3rd and my sister cam,e joint 1st with a girl called Nicola i was proud of everybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Abbie,
Congratulations on coming second in the gymnastics competition! And I’m sure everyone else was very pleased with their results. I wish I could have seen it because I love gymnastics! Are you going to see any sporting events at the Commonwealth Games in July? We haven’t got tickets but some friends are coming up for it and will stay with us. I’m a bit nervous because they’re bringing their dog! I hope it won’t chew on the furniture…
THANK YOU I am going to see the running i cant wait to see Usain Bolt! my friend Emma is performing hope to see her she is singing in the national youth choir of Scotland , good singer she is in comely park p6 in ruby’s class.
Hi Abbie,
Wow, you are very lucky to have tickets to a track and field event! Will Emma be singing during the opening ceremony? That’s really exciting for her as well! You must both be in a big hurry for July!
I think Emma is on in th 17th of may not sure she came round yesterday and she was here when I sent the message Emma is my neighbor best friend she helped me with m,y homework it was hard SO EMMA IS A GREAT!!BFF
Good luck to Emma when she performs in the National Youth Choir! I’m glad you have such a great friend to help you with homework. Being older, she has done it all before! I try to help my son with his maths homework sometimes, but now that he is in S3 it is too hard for me! I hope school was good today. Talk to you soon!
my sister Sophie is in S3 she finds maths hard to
My son is studying for a maths exam next week. If Sophie has one too wish her luck for me!
i will what school does your son go to?
Hi Abbie –
Sorry, I got distracted by stuff that needed doing and forgot you asked me a question! My son goes to school in Glasgow quite close to where we live, which is nice. He used to have to take a bus for 20 minutes to his primary school, but now he can just walk.
hi Lynne it was my party last Saturday i had great fun and i got a horse painting and i loved it i also got a horse necklace i also some clothes and many more it was a makeup party all my friends loved it xx
Hi Abbie,
Happy birthday! It sounds like you had a great time at your party – did you take glamorous photos of everyone in their finery? Hope you can find room for all those presents!
i know my birthday on 19th of may and i am going to 9 i cant wait because i didn’t ask for anything it is surprises what have you been up to?
Hi Abbie,
So you still have your actual birthday to look forward to! Are you going to take a cake to school on Monday? Hope you get more birthday surprises then. I went to the Scottish Seabird Centre yesterday for their Puffin Fest, and read Lewis Clowns Around and Harris the Hero to a big group of kids.The Seabird Centre is in North Berwick, right on the beach, and it was a lovely spring day yesterday. I had a lot of fun!
the day has came my dad is back from is 9 week walk so happy
Hi Abbie,
That’s great! You and the family must have missed him a lot, since 9 weeks is a very long time! I hope he has lots of great stories to tell about his travels in Ireland. I bet your dog Meg was happy to see you all again too!
Dear Lynne, I’m sorry I haven’t been on the blog much, but I don’t really have anything to say! I have not had any Makar duties yet. But I have met my new teacher and she seems very nice, though I will have to get my head down and get on with my work.
Hi Ruby,
Great to hear from you! I’m sorry I didn’t reply sooner but I’m just back from Canada today where I was visiting my parents and helping them move house. Was today your last day of school? My children are done after Prizegiving tomorrow morning. Anna has won the French prize!
I’m glad you like your new teacher for P6. I hope you have lots of Makar duties in the year to come, and you can enjoy a lovely summer holiday between now and then. Maybe you can write a few summer poems while you’re off school. That’s what I’m hoping to do too!
Have a lovely summer and I’ll talk to you soon.
Lynne x
unfortunately my dad couldn’t go to Ireland because of their weather conditions
Hi Abbie,
I hope your dad’s trip was a success even though he couldn’t get to Ireland. That was only meant to be the first bit of the journey I think, wasn’t it? So maybe he did most of it anyway. I hope he didn’t get too wet! How did Meg get on with all that travelling? She must have been very pleased to get home!
Have a great summer and keep writing!
i will always write to you it is won of my hobbies
Hi Abbie,
It’s always great to hear from you! I hope you’re having a nice summer so far. The weather has been pretty good this year! I just hope it lasts for the Commonwealth Games. It would be terrible if all those thousands of visitors came and it did nothing but rain…
i going to the commonwealth games i just came back from Majorca Saturday just past it was amazing i went on a banana boat me and my 2 sisters and my dad were first to go on it it was super fast that so fun i also went horse ridding i went on a horse called Ramiro he was white he was so tall i walked trotted and cantered it was so great talking about horses i am just writing my horse story
Hi Abbie,
Glad to hear you’ve had such an exciting and fun holiday! I have seen those banana boats and I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to go on one. You must be very brave! Ramiro sounds very handsome. Maybe you can include him in your horse story. I’m looking forward to coming back to Comely Park when school starts again, so I hope you can share your horse story then. Have fun at the Commonwealth Games!
THANKS
Dear Lynne,
I can’t wait to see you at our book week!
Hi Ruby!
I hope we can have a proper chat this time, as I’ll also be visiting the two P5 classes to talk about structuring a story. Miss McGrow said she would set aside some time for us, so fingers crossed! Can you bring copies of any of your Makar poems that are still not on this blog? I want to make sure I have all of them. See you next week!
Mrs Collins has them in the newsletters, I hope!!
hi Lynne sorry i haven’t spoke to you in a while i have been really busy i had a gymnastic competition in Perth i got team silver Falkirk got 12 medals i was really happy i am excited for you coming on Wednesday i cant wait!
Hi Abbie,
Congratulations on your team silver in gymnastics! When I was young I really liked doing gymnastics too. I’m looking forward to coming on Wednesday! I’ve got some finished illustrations of my two next books to show you, including One Potato which should be published soon. Thanks for writing and I’ll talk to you on Wednesday!
hi Lynne congrats for getting another book published what will you be doing with us?
i auditioned for the Christmas concert on the piano i have not heard if i got a place or not.
Hi Abbie,
Miss McGrow tells me that the P5 classes are working on story development and you have done characterisation and setting so far. I think we will talk about some of your characters and think about storylines with twists and cliffhangers! I am also going to bring my One Potato story and a new one called Never Bite a Tiger on the Nose. See you soon. (Good luck with your Christmas concert! Hope you get a place!)
thanks allot see you soonxx
Hi Abbie,
I had lots of fun today at Comely Park and I hope you did too! Sorry we didn’t get much time to chat. Which character name did you get? I didn’t get a chance to share my new Tiger story this time, so that will have to wait until my next visit. I did give Kofi a copy of the One Potato story (“colour proofs”) so he can see what his book will look like when it gets published. I think the illustrations are looking great! See you next time!
hi Lynne i finished my horse story my parents loved me and did you know who i was and my character name was Ella ukeleigh
Hi Abbie,
Glad to hear you’ve finished your horse story! I hope you’re happy with it. I like the name Ella Ukeleigh. Is that like the mini guitar? Ukelele?
yes it was i just did not know how to spell it do you want to paste my story on to your blog
i know my thing has changed colour but it is still me
Hi Abbie,
Yes – it was pink before. I wonder how that happened… Glad to know it’s still you! Thanks for writing x
i changed it back yeh i had put in the wrong email address
Hi Abbie,
How long is your story? I might be able to put it up here if it’s not too long. The best way is for you to email a Word file to me (you can find my email on the Contact Me page of my website at http://www.lynnerickards.co.uk ) and then I can format it to put it on the blog. In the meantime, I hope you have a fantastic Christmas!
i had a great Christmas i got a beam and a tv i love them both
Hi Abbie – Wow, a beam for doing gymnastics? That’s pretty amazing! Plus your own TV! What shows do you like watching? I hope you are enjoying the holiday just now. I’m enjoying not getting up early this week!
hi Lynne ruby is leaving so she wont be makar i am sad but all p5 get to trial to be the makar and i think i want to be the makar
its just past my birthday and got a new 12 foot trampoline i love it are you choosing the new makar
Hi Abbie,
Yes, now that Ruby is going to senior school, Comely Park will need a new School Makar. I hope you will enter the competition! I haven’t heard yet but I think I might be helping to choose the best entry. I will be coming to the school next Thursday to listen to bunny stories, so I hope to see you then!
Yes Abbie, if you win then you can write on the Makar blog when you are actually the Makar. Hope to see you next week Lynne.
Hi Ruby,
I can’t believe you are going to senior school after the summer! You must be excited about it. Will most of your friends be going to the same school? I am looking forward to my visit next Thursday and I hope we can have a longer chat this time. See you then!
thats good
Dear Lynne, nearly all of my friends are going to Falkirk High and I am going to Dollar Academy but hope to keep in touch and make lots of new friends on my own. See you next week.
Hi Ruby,
How exciting! I have been to Dollar to see Castle Campbell and it’s one of my favourites (partly because my grandmother was Mary Campbell). Will you be a boarder at the school? I looked at their website and the building is very handsome! I hope you have a great time there. See you soon!
Dear Lynne,
Thank you, I hope I enjoy high school but no I am not boarding there. My sister is in Form VI and she has loved her years at Dollar and assures me I will too.
Hi Ruby,
It’s great that your sister can reassure you – and you must have visited the Academy quite a bit over the years while she’s been there. Is she about to graduate? It’s too bad she won’t be there at the same time as you, but I’m sure you will do brilliantly!
hi lynne ,
Hi Abbie!
hi lynne
i seen you on thursday at school when you came to school
Hi Abbie,
I had a great time at the school and I hope you enjoyed it too! Sorry we didn’t get a chance to talk in person. Were you in the P5 library group I spoke to? I hope I’ll be back at school before too long!
Lynne
hi lynne having a great summer so far
came back from my cruise i loved it
bought allot of things
we stopped in Gibraltar, Nice,Rome, Pisa,Marcie, Lisbon and Malaga
my favourite stop was Malaga.
Hi Abbie,
Wow, you have been a lot of places! I have never been to Malaga or Gibraltar. What did you like best about Malaga? Did you try speaking Spanish? I hope you’re looking forward to school starting next week. It will be nice to see all your friends again!
Hi Lynne not spoke in ages
how are u
Hi Abbie – great to hear from you! I am fine, and looking forward to coming back to Comely Park sometime soon. Just waiting for Miss Lucas to settle on a date for my next visit. I’m pleased to have a new book coming out soon! Skye the Puffling is the third in my Picture Kelpies puffin series, and it comes out on 17 March. I’ll bring it to show you next time! And how have you been keeping?
i have been keeping well and i hope your new book does well.
i am in p6 now and my best friend is the new makar Melissa and she is so enthusiastic about writing she absolutely loves it.
hope u come in to my class that would be great so i could meet you in person
Hi Abbie,
Wow – P6 already! I’m so pleased that Melissa is your best friend, and glad to hear she loves writing. I am looking forward to seeing some of her School Makar poems, and plan to put them up on this blog when I get them. I’ll be sure to come to your class for a visit next time I’m at Comely Park. I hope it will be soon! See you then x
i know time Flies by
see you soon x
hey Lynne hope you have had a lovely summer i definitely have i went to Florida for two and a bit weeks it was great and me and my family did Disney and all the other parks
what did you do in your summer?
Hi Abbie,
Thanks for writing! Glad to hear you’ve had such a brilliant holiday. I’ve never been to Florida. Was it really hot? We’ve had tons of visitors all through the summer, so mostly I’ve been hosting guests! Last weekend I went to the isle of Iona to tell puffin stories and sign my books. It was good fun, and the island is beautiful! You can see some pictures on this blog. Talk to you soon!
It was scorching hot, average temperature 36 degrees. Your holiday sounds like a blast and i am glad you have had fun. Going into primary seven now a bit nervous and excited at the same time hope to see you in school at some point through out the year.
Abbie X
Hi Abbie,
That is TOO HOT! I’m amazed you came back without melting! I’m also reeling from the news that you are about to start P7. How did that happen? Time is whizzing by and you are getting very grown up! I’m hoping to be back at Comely Park before too long. Miss Lucas will no doubt come up with a great project we can all do together. Have a great time back at school in a couple of weeks. It will be good to see all your friends again!