Dalmilling pupils ready to go to print

Mar 4 2011 by Stuart Wilson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

THEY’RE ready to put their writing skills to the test.

And the children at Dalmilling Primary have been taking top tips ahead of producing their own newspaper.

The pupils will prepare their very own newsletter covering a range of issues at the school and beyond.

Now they’ve enrolled the help of their favourite paper to give them handy hints before the big launch.

Post reporter Stuart Wilson popped in to give the keen pupils a talk on all things journalism and took their questions on the newspaper industry.

And Dalmilling’s pupil council insists it’s now ready to produce a paper fit for the shelves.

Teacher Bobby McPherson revealed: “The children are all very excited about the project and have come up with a number of ideas.

“They each have their own roles in the team and can’t wait to get started.

“Stuart gave us some very useful tips and we’ll look to use them when we start making the paper.

“One thing he suggested, which we’re really keen to implement, was having a letter page for pupils to give feedback.

“We think that’s a great idea and will help the paper to be interactive.”

The Dalmilling newspaper will go into production with input from pupils from various classes.

The pupil council, which is made up of representatives from a number of years, will spread the workload.

And subjects such as news, sport, video game reviews and the school’s eco committee will all be covered.

Stuart commented: “I was very impressed by the attitude of the children at Dalmilling and they were all keen to learn as much as they could about newspapers.

“It’s always good to see schools producing their own newspapers as it’s a very good way of learning how to communicate.

“The media is an exciting industry to be involved in, so the children should grasp this opportunity with both hands – and they certainly look like doing so.”