GUESTBOOK

HI AM HANNAH KERR I NEVER WENT tO THE SCHOOL BUT I THINK THAT YOU WEBSITE Is COOL. I AM FIONA AND LAURA S COSEN WE HAVE A FARM NEAR U IT IS CALLED FAGRA FARM. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx HANNAH JANE KERR

Headteacher ..........Thanks Hannah

hey i didnt go 2 dis school but its sounds claz

many thanks head teacher

Hi
I used to be a pupil at Dundrennan,it was a great school,we had some awesome school trips, it's a pity it closed, the village is to quiet now.

Good to know that you enjoyed your time here. Regards from Mr McMinn

Mr. Mcminn is our headteacher at Borgue now i like the animationsof him there funny

Headteacher ................... Thanks Kirsty

Was just browsing the net. Couldn't find much info about the area from tourist information.Your website was great:it gave a really clear impression of Dundrennan. We are staying near the village for a walking holiday next week!
Headteacher ................. Thanks, I hope you enjoyed your holiday!

hiya i really like this website. It would of been good if it hadnt of closed down. Well done to all the people who made this website becoz its really good.. I wish i could make such a good website. anyway id better be going but all i have to say is that i would o loved 2 cum 2 ur skool.!!!!!!!!!!!
Headteacher ....................... Thanks, I hope you enjoy your school!

hiyah i reli lyk dis website. da skool sounds good n i wld o lyk 2 been in your skool. owel cya
Headteacher ............Great, enjoy.

Hello, I was at the school sometime between 1982 & 1986 - my brothers Nathan and Phil and my sister Penninah were there afterwards. I remember the following names from back then: Andrew Melon, Maxim Parr & Graeme Aitken (earlier contributors), Tony & Simon, James Henry, Michael Gillespie, Graham Barber, Shona McCulloch, Sally Patterson, Mrs Arnott, Mrs Williamson, etc. You can search for the articles us kids wrote about the place at the time on the following website: http://www.domesday1986.com/ - Sorry the school has closed - what's happened to it now? - Me - I'm now living in Sydney, Australia

Head teacher ................. Thanks for writing. It was sad when the school closed but there were no children left. The building is currently still empty awaiting sale. It looks rather sad at present! We hope that something is done soon, it was a happy school that deserves to be cared for.

Hya i didnt go 2 dis skol bt i thnk tht website is really gd. I wish i cld o went 2 ur skol. It sounds really good. lol. anyway sowe tht it had 2 close.

Headteacher ............... Thanks for the comment!

Hya i didnt go 2 dis skol bt i thnk tht website is really gd. I wish i cld o went 2 ur skol. It sounds really good. lol. anyway sowe tht it had 2 close.

Head teacher ............... Thanks, glad that you liked it

I recently found out my great great grand parents were married in Dundrennan March 18, 1865, (some records say 1863) . Their names were Thomas Fergus(s)on and Jane (Jeannie) McVinnie. Any chance any relatives remain in the area?

head teacher.................. there are still Fergussons and McVinnies in the area so I should think that it is possible.

i used to be a pupil of the school a very long time ago, i feel so old!!

Headteacher...........sorry to hear that Charlotte. How was Costa Rica?

i wasent even at the school and i am in it well i like the site

Head teacher .................. Thanks Craig

I suddenly thought today (26/6/06) that I'd have a look at your website. How sad to find that the school has closed; I hope everyone involved with the school has managed to settle wherever they now are, whatever they're doing.
My best wishes, and thanks for brightening my days!
Yes thanks. We are all still working or blissfully retired but still miss the place, Headteacher

I am sorry to hear of my first School closing. I have very fond memories of Dundrennan at 44 years old now it seems a long time ago.
I remember my teacher a lovely lady Mrs Sassoon we corresponded for a long time after I left first from Malaya then Germany.My Father was in the forces and at that age it was lovely to have such a link back home.
Isabel Ronan (Johnstone back then)

Thanks Isobel...............We were all sad to see the school close but sadly there were no more children in the village and we had to make an important decision for the good of the last few children at the school
Regards Andy McMinn (last Head teacher)

I was looking at sites in the local area and really enjoyed yours it looks like a very nice school and a lovely village.

Thanks ................ Head teacher

I was just visiting the site byetheway i really like smokey joe and u
Head teacher thanks

just looking at the great web site !!!!! it is fabbb we like it alot !!!!!!!

just looking at the great web site !!!!! it is fabbb we like it alot !!!!!!!

just looking at the great web site !!!!! it is fabbb we like it alot !!!!!!!
Thanks ...........Head teacher

just looking at the great web site !!!!! it is fabbb we like it alot !!!!!!!

thanks Headteacher

great site!
Pity school is closing.

Hi I absoloutly love your website especially the music in the welcome page it makes me feel welcome to your website. I'm from Quarter school in Hamilton. Yes i know it sounds totally wierd but it's a cool school. It's quite small and is near a field. well see ya all soon bye

I THINK THIS WEBSITE IS THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WISH MY WEBSITE WAS AS GOOD AS THIS IT MUST OF TOOK ALOT OF PEOPLE TO MAKE IT YOU DESERVE THE REWARD I REALLY LIKE IT IT MUST OF TOOK DAYS TO MAKE IT IT IS A SHAME YOU HAD TO CLOSE YOUR SCHOOL I HAVE REALLY ENJOYED IT BET YOU EVERYONE WILL I WANT A REWARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

your website is so cool i luv it lol!its a shame your closed down
Thanks.........Head teacher

Oh my gosh! Your site is totaly amazing!!!! It is thr coolest thing i have ever seen!!!!!! How do you all manage to keep up with a cool site? I go to James young High School in Livingston, my headmaster is Mr Horne! He is O.K!

thanks for visiting
regards ... head teacher

Heya! Came across you'r website off my old Primary Website! Looks good! I'm from Edinburgh! I'm just waiting for High School to end! Got a prom tonight! Cyas xxxx

Head teacher ....................... Thanks Lisa, I hope that you enjoyed the prom

I re-visited the Dundrennan School web-site while explaining to a colleague who often takes holidays in the Dundrennan area that I attended secondary school with Andy McMinn, headmaster, who had moved from the English midlands into Scotland in order to seek a more agreeable working environment.
I was saddened to see the banner proclaiming "We closed our doors........etc".
I hope that the obvious devotion and commitment that Andy and his staff put into Dundrennan is now being used to good effect elsewhere.
All the best for the future.
Ron Seal
Thanks for the comment Ron. It seems such a long time since we were all at KEGS.

GOOD SCHOOL WHAT A SHAME ITS CLOSING =)
Thanks Bob, sadly there are no children in the village at all to keep the school going!

What a great website! So sorry to hear you are closed. My grandmother Janet Kirkpatrick Livingstone was born in Dundrennan 24 July 1880. She went to your school and in 1894 sailed for NZ. We visited your school in 1981. It was sports day. Every blessing for the future to all of you.

Andy McMinn
Thanks for your comment. We were sad to close but we just ran out of children.

Hi! I am 15 years old. I live in Russia. I very much liked your site.
Write to me! vet20032003@list.ru

Andy McMinn............ Thank you Vetal, glad that you enjoyed it!

It is a very good website. We are doing a website aswell hear is the website address www.cromarty school.org. Thank You
Head teacher................... Good luck

Dear All,
I have really enjoyed navigating your website. I've had so much fun that I have forgotten that I have work to do !!!

It was great to be reminded of the fun times Torthorwald and Dundrennan had with our cycling, sailing and rockclimbing. I better not forget sleepless nights and also the wonderful baking that your parents provided for us !!

The Harry Potter cinema visit will also be a lasting memory.

It's sad to think that when I see you next it will be the final day for Dundrennan Primary, but I look forward to helping you celebrate all your successes at your Final Music Concert on the 25th June.

I wish you all well for the future.

Head teacher ................... Thanks Lorna. It was great to see you on Friday. So strange to be taking over your school as part of my new remit in August

Congratulations to you all on putting together this most impressive web site.
It really conveys what a happy school environment you have. What a pity you are now about to close. My nephew Charlie Fitzgibbon has recently moved to Dundrennan and planned to spend a short time with you.
The site has helped me to see where Charlie, his brother and mum and dad are living and I look forward to visiting soon. I hope that the future holds lots of happiness and sucess for you all.

Head teacher ................ Thanks for visiting and good luck to charles in his new school.

We were pupils at Dundrennan between 1980-1989. Our teachers were Mrs Arnott, Mrs Williamson & Miss Brown. Our dinner lady was Mrs Hunt & we also had to cross the road to get our lunch. It was brought out from Kirkcudbright on the "Dinner Bus"! In 1987 when Andrew went to the Academy there was 9 pupils in his class. There was roughly 30 pupils at Dundrennan then (2 classrooms) and it didn't recover from that group leaving. We would have liked our daughter Caitlin to go to Dundrennan but it looks like she will go to Kirkcudbright. We enjoyed our years at Dundrennan Primary and would like to wish all the staff & pupils good luck in their next schools. We look forward to joining you at the end of term party.

Head teacher .................. Great to see you on Friday, I hope that you enjoyed yourselves

It's a lovely website. Good luck to all you creative people in your new school.

Headteacher ................... Thanks Nick, I enjoyed your talk on Internet Safety

Sorry to learn you are closing.
I was given the task of creating a web site for our school and yours was the one which impressed me the most. I visited it many times but could not match it although I keep on trying!
Keep up the good work for as long as possible.
Your pupils are a credit to the community.

Head teacher ............... We will keep this website going as long as possible but you can expect anew one when I start at Collin Primary

Hi all
Sad to hear that the school is closing, i was a pupil at dundrennan primary from 1967 till 1972 when we were moved to the castledykes primary in kirkcudbright. i remember my days at the school with mrs doreen coupe as my teacher. and mary potts was the school cleaner at the time . the cook was mrs ballentyne we had to cross the road in rain hail sleet or snow to reach the dinner hall. could you imagine doing that now ?
i remember the head master in those days was mr rodrick nicol . the stories my brothers and sisters could tell about him . you would need to sit down for an hour to take them all in . the locals in dundrennan like heather graham etc could tell some crackers too, those were the days . all the best to all who have had the privalage to have been taught in dundrennan primary.

Head teacher ................ Thanks for the good wishes Dougie. No one is more sad that the school is closing than we all are here but sadly it is a fact of life in many villages that there are just no more children!

spent part of today getting inspiration from your website.
Can't wait to show my children back at school as we are just starting our own. Brilliant animations!
Head teacher .............. We are glad you enjoyed it. When you get your website up and running please send us the address

This is a fantastic website- full of interesting photos and information. And the music is much better than when I was there! Thank you. I am so sorry the school is closing but I do not think anyone who went there could ever forget it. Where else in the world has a school with eleven students? I was at Dundrennan Primary fifteen years ago and am now in Nanjing, China finishing my degree. Visiting your website makes me miss home very much. I hope you have a very happy and successful term. Best wishes and thank you again.

Head teacher.................... Thanks Maxine, good luck in China. We will be having a big party on the last day so drop in if you are around.

Just returning to your site to look at the animations again and so saddened to see you are closing. But just think of all the skills you will be taking to another school!
I will be using your website to show other teachers good examples of animations so they can teach their children! the teachers will learn from yours.
Please! Can you keep the web site open even when you are closed?
Good luck to all of you.

Head teacher ................. Thanks for the kind thoughts Jane. We will be keeping the website open as long as we can and you can expect one to spring up at my next head teacher post.

You have an excellent Website. My husband Ian and I have only lived in your lovely village since November. We have found a warm welcome here from everyone we have met. Before moving here we lived in Spain for nearly 4 years. It is a LITTLE cooler here but we do not notice it very much. We have lived in the Highlands -above Inverness and that was really cold. What beautiful scenery there is all around us. It is really lovely to see everything so green. In Spain I used to teach the Spanish children English. We were a group of volunteers to help them learn English. It will help them in the future to get work. We paid for all their books etc., ourselves until we started the 1st "charity" stall in the little village. We collected anything that other people did not want and sold it on our stall. We made so much money that we could take the children out on treats as well as buying books and paper. At Christmas time we gave them a party and a present. Christmas is not celebrated there as much as it is here. Epiphany on the 6th January is the BIG day. In all the villages and towns the Three Kings are taken on horse drawn carts and they throw out sweets to everyone. There is also a band playing in the front of the procession. The children get their presents on that day. We also started a Computer Club for them and it really helped them with their schoolwork. They do not have their own website at the moment but the village where I lived has one so perhaps you would like to look at it. www.costasol.net/sayalonga .We wish you happiness in your new school.

Head teacher................ Thank you MMargaret. We will certainly look at the website and we're so glad you are happy here.

I am very sorry to see that the closure has been confirmed. I would love to come in and see you but unfortunately, as a primary teacher, the times I can come down are when you are on holiday. I wish all pupils and staff the best of futures - may you carry the spirit of Dundrennan with you wherever you go.

Head teacher ................. Thank you for your kind message. We don't yet know what happens to us but I am sure that we will survive the changes.

We are looking to start our web site very soon and just had to look at yours. It really is great with lots of super things that makes you want to find out more. You certainly have been a busy bunch of children. Well done. If our web site turns out half as good as yours then we will be really pleased. We would love any tips you could send us. Sorry to hear you are closing down. A friend of mine at Torthorwald School tells me the same is happening there too. It is a pity such a super school is having to close. Best wishes from all at Foveran School.

Head teacher ............. Thank you for the kind words Stuart. We'd love to stay open but we have run out of children in the village!

I was just checking this excellent site for an update and thought I should leave a note. My nephew - Stafford McDowall - is at the school and his three elder sisters before that. I think they are all great - being the biased uncle - and really appreciate all the fine education they have had and are receiving at the school. This has clearly contributed to their characters and has been great to see.
Best wishes Don

Head teacher ............Nice of you to visit us again Don. I'll see that Stafford gets to read your message.

Thank you everyone who has left a message so far. We now have 210 messages in our guest book and have enjoyed reading them all. Please keep them coming
Andrew McMinn

Sorry to hear that you are closing your school. We hope you have had a wonderful time.
Ananda, Vicky, Anne .)

Headteacher ................. Thanks girls, we will try to keep the website running for a while after we finish to keep the village informed of what is happening

Hi, I work for a special needs IT company and really like this site. You should be very proud of all the work youv'e done here. I am sorry that such a wonderful place of education and innovation has to close. Best of luck with your future plans. If we can help in any way, please let me know - www.inclusive.co.uk

Head teacher.....................Thanks Imogen we will keep going until the end

BRILL!Its got alot of infomation on your SMALL! school.We really like the animaitions!How do you do it?

Headteacher...................Thanks, we use a programme called animation shop to make the little animations. The children take the school laptops home to work on them

hey this web site is so cool, are school cromarty primary think that it is
the best we have been on it for ages .

Head teacher.........Glad that you liked it. We try our best.

We thought your school was very interesting.Your website is brilliant and your animations were so cool. your website has lots of things. it was brilliant

head teacher ............We are so glad that you enjoyed your visit

I have just returned to school after attending a Course where your Head teacher spoke to us about your web site. I had to pop in and see for myself all of the excellent work you have all done. My school doesn't have a site as yet but your work has certainly motivated us to get moving! I am very sorry to hear about your proposed school closure. It is a great pity that a school which provides such an excellent quality of opportunities for the children should close.
Many thanks to Mr McMinn for his inspirational talk to fellow heads.
Head teacher............... I'm glad that you enjoyed it and we will look forward to finding out more about your school when you get your website up and running.

totaly cool dude


Head teacher............ Thanks to everyone at Carr Bridge and the best of luck with your website.

Awsome like!! were so impresed were making one ourselfs!!

We were looking at your website today and we think it is very good. Carr-bridge primary is thinking of doing our own website. Do you have any tips that you would like to give over to our school. Thank you, Ananda

sound man !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am very impressed by your website and your Headteacher tells me you did all of it yourself. We are sending you a star award from our school and we are certainly inspired to try and set up our own website now. we might need to get in touch for some help! Well done to all!
Mrs O, HT, Carr Bridge PS, Highland.
Head teacher ............. Thanks, there will always be help if you ask.

I thought that your site was good. I am from Carr-Bridge Primary School.

Great website,we thought it was such a good idea that we are going to try it for ourselves. Fan tabba dosey,all the best with the website.

Webmistress Katrina Thank you very much for your message it is great to hear from people who like the website and good luck with your website!

great web brilliant music and we are going to try and make a web site as good as yours.

Webmistress Katrina THANK YOU for your message have fun with your website!

hi Mr McMinn
Just thought I would write and say that I am pleased that your school is still doing well... Nothing much has changed here in Norfolk, Thurton school is getting rebuilt as part of the PFI scheme...
Please email me back!!!

Head teacher Hi Sam great to hear from you. We are still open at present but we are struggling with numbers and may have to shut for good in the not too distant future!!!

I think your website is fan dabby dosey. The songs are fab!

Head teacher Thanks to everyone at St Ninians. Give my regards to Mrs Whipp when you see her.

It is a great website and good music .

do you play football at all.

I think your presentation was great! The music was terrific. Brill web!!!! !NICE ONE!

As we have rented a cottage locally for a break in March I was looking for websites of the area. Finding this site was like a breath of fresh air. I now feel a lot closer to your area and look forward to visiting. Hope you can keep up the good work for many years to come

Headteacher ................... I hope that you enjoy your stay at Kirk Row.

Hi!
I am currently a student (2nd year) on a teacher training course in Cardiff. I am researching Primary School websites for an IT assignment and came across yours - I think it is absolutely fab and it will be featuring in my assignment as an example of a well constructed, informative and fun website for parents, children and guests to utilise. Keep up the good work and 'hello' from Wales!
Virginia

Headteaacher ........... Good luck with your training course. I haven't been in Waales since I trained in 1973

Seasons Greetings from New Zealand. Your web site Just gets better and better Congratulations well done , I can't belive it is over a year since we came to see you . Best Wishes for the future
Yours Sincerely Winston Mcgeorge

Head teacher ............. Thank you Winston. Your visit may have been the last opportunity to see us. The inevitable is catching up with us and we may have to close in the Summer!

I saw your website on a visit to Dundrennan and thought it was good. We don't have a school website at Abbey Hey Primary school.

Head teacher.................... Thanks Ruth, I hope that you enjoyed visiting Dundrennan

I love your school, I wish I went there but I live in Norwich & go to Framingham Earl High School. There is over 600 people there. I really like your lively website, it rocks!


Head teacher................... Thanks Cottey, I used to teach about % miles from you

enjoyed my visit to your lively site.well done.

Head teacher.............. Thanks Bernard, does your school have a website?

Could you please send me some history of the Dundrennan history thank-you

head teacher ................. If you look at our links page, Michael then you will fin links to local sites and in particular the Dundrennan Abbey information.

I've looked in on your website for a long time now. I have family connections with Dundrennan and I am a primary teacher - a double whammy as far as interest goes! This is a great website and I have held it up as an example to my colleagues here in Edinburgh.
I was in the village today, visiting two aunts who are still living there.

head teacher............... thanks for the message, we hope to meet you when you are next down.

What a superb web site that has given us lots of ideas. I'm a primary teacher in a large junior school in Blackburn, Lancashire and have nothing but admiration for your site. Well done everyone. If our new site (available soon) is half as interesting as yours, then we'll be delighted. Thankyou.

Head teacher.................... Thanks for the message, Keith, if you send us your web-address then we will be sure to visit

I think this Website is really fun and interesting.I like to go in and read it as aften as I can.
Christopher

Head teacher................. Thanks for visiting. I'll see you at school on Monday

What a fabulous site especially for such a wee school. I got your address from Mrs Boyd, one of your teachers, with whom I made e-mail contact recently. We trained as teachers more than thirty years ago and I have not seen her since she and her husband came to my wedding in 1972!
I am a head teacher of a much larger school in West Dunbartonshire but we do not have an interesting web site like yours. When we get round to setting a new one up I will certainly look at yours for ideas.
Keep up the good work. You truly are a "great wee school". Good Luck

Rae Strang, Head Teacher, Bonhill Primary School
(School e-mail - mstrang@bonhill.w-dunbarton.sch.uk)

Head teacher ...............Thanks for the message. We have tried our best. I hope that you all enjoy the holidays

I too visited your site due to the article in first link. I think it is wonderful that schools can produce such high class websites. I particularly liked the 'I don't like Mondays' and other vocal links.

I am a regular visitor to www.torthoraldschool.ik.org and this too is an amazing site produced by a small village school. This site presents an impressive display of children's work and benefits greatly from the input from dedicated staff and pupils.

As a fellow student - best wishes to Mrs Wilson on her degree course and to the rest of the school - keep up the good work as I know just how much effort is involved in producing such a quality site!
Wemistress Katrina................................Thank you very much for your message . We really enjoy hearing from all the people who leave messages.

wow!!! such a slammin!!site i heard about this site by looking @ my last primary schools website and this is such an a amazing website i cant believe it love the music very cool keep goin u guys!!
Webmistress Katrina............................Thanks for your message I am glad you liked the site

I WISH ALL SUCCESS TO THE STAFF,STUDENTS CAN FIND OUT ABOUT ME AT indiainfosolutions.com\padmajaganesh.Please add some craft pictures and bulletin board pictures.
Head teacher ............ Thanks for the suggestion we will do our best after the holidays.

I discovered your site after reading through the "first link" publication which one of my sons brought home from his school, Wigtown Primary. Your site is absolutely delightful and you all deserve your award! I shall return to visit in order to see how you are all getting on! Many congratulations!

Webmistress Katrina ................. Thank you for your message. We really enjoyed making the site.

I'm just getting ready for a trip to Nice to meet all my friends. I heard about your great wee school and thought I'd pop along for a look. Woof, great.

Love Scruff ... the wonder dog from Snaith primary School in England.

Webmistress Katrina ....................... Thanks for visiting. We think your site is great and we love the characters

Wow! A great site you've all put together here. I live in a coastal village in Maine in the U.S. called Kennebunkport. After exploring your site, I feel like I've had a visit to your beautiful countryside. Best of luck to you all.

Ann Shultz

head teacher ......................... Thanks Ann. Scotland is a beautiful country to visit even if it is only by way of the web

Greetings from Canada! I love your photos of your village and pets. I am writing a Social Studies project on Scotland. My teacher wants my class to find out how other children live in the world. I was the only one in my class to pick Scotland, as my family is from the Lamont clan. I am almost 8 years old and in Grade 2. I live in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. I attend Queen Elizabeth II Public School. My mom is helping me research on the internet. I am looking at different schools across Scotland, to learn about other kids my age.
Thank you,
Kiefer Lambe
ps. Katrina, we have to drive through Avril's home town (5 hours drive from my house) to get to my older sister's house. Avril is very popular here too! I would love to learn any other interesting facts about living in your area of Scotland!

Webmisteress Katrina ...................Thank you for your message that is really cool you have been through Avril's home town. I hope your topic on Scotland goes well.

We wish you all the best with your Year 7 Tests if you do them the same time as we do our Year 6 SATS. We will be glad when they are over. Best wishes, will e-mail after SATS. Mrs. Taylor and Year 6
Head teacher ....................Good luck in the SAT's. It is something that we fortunately do not have to suffer!!!!

A great website, I love it. you've worked hard on it, I can tell!
Head teacher ................. It has been a lot of work but we have really enjoyed doing it!

I think your website is cool . from Liam
Head teacher ..............Thank you for looking at our site we are glad you like it.

I like your web site and your front page and your music
Head teacher ..................... Thanks for visiting Ewan

Hi Mr McMInn
The school reminds me so much of how Thurton used to be. You have done a great job.
Headteacher ..................... Thanks Sam, it was great to see you guys last week.

my daughter is in grade 4 at a school here in Canada. While i was looking at our web site, i clicked on a link and found you guys. this is a lovely web site. Well done!!

Head teacher.................. Thanks Brenda, you are our first contact from Canada, Where is the school?

Hi Mr McMinn

I llike ur new school and the website site is really good. How r u? U r the besthead master. Just a bit of advice tidy ur office! From josh
Head teacher ....................... Thanks Josh, I'm glad you're enjoying Fram, best wishes for the future

Thank you to all our guestbook contributers. There are now over 150 messages on our guestbook.

What a wonderful web site.
Well done.
We knew your headmaster when he was a young boy and so the state of his office is no suprise!
Best wishes to you all and love to Mr and Mrs McMinn.
John and Liz,
Chepstow.

Head teacher ................... Thanks, John and Liz, Sue and I hope that you and all the family are keeping well.

MY DAD TOLD ME TO CHECK OUT THIS WEBSITE, IT IS PRETTY INTERESTING. THE 1957 PICTURE HAS MY DAD ON THE FAR LEFT, MY AUNT IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT, AND MY GRANDPA WAS THE HEADMASTER. IT WAS KIND OF EXCITING FOR HIM TO SEE HIMSELF ON THE INTERNET. I ENJOYED SEEING THE PICTURES OF WHERE HE GREW UP. WE NOW LIVE IN EDMONTON CANADA SO FOR HIM TO SEE HOME WHENEVER HE WANTS IS QUITE EXCITING.

THANKS,

GILLIAN BELTER

Head teacher ............... Thanks for getting in touch Gillian. It is great to hear from ex-pupils and their families from all around the world.

Just found your site while researching family history. My ancestors Fergus, Uchtred,Roland, and Alan Galloway, Gunnild De Dunbar, and Helena De Morville, Hilda D'Isle were living in Kirkcudbright in the 11th and 12th centuries. They are buried at Dundrennan Abbey. I am also an direct ancestor of Duncan Caenmoor, King Malcolm III, and Saint Margaret of Scotland. I also have Scottish ancestors with the Urquhart, Keay, and Irelands of Forgan, Fife and Dundee, Angus who immigrated here to the USA in the mid 1850's. I am a writer and poet and have taught school here in Chicago. We have many Scottish, Irish, and Scotch-Irish here in our city. I enjoyed your most awesome website! All my best, John C. Ireland!!

Head teacher ................... Thank you for visiting the site, John. Next time we visit the Abbey we will see if we can locate the graves that you mentioned.

You have a great web site. We are a small school too, we only have 53 children. Our school looks very similar to yours. We have got lots of ideas because we are trying to build a web site for our school. What software did you use to build your graphics they are great?
Best wishes from the children in the Infant class at St Andrew's Primary School, Cromhall. (A small village near Bristol)

Head teacher ....... Thanks for the kind remarks. I have e-mailed an answer. Good luck with the website

I enjoyed looking at your web site very much. Mrs Boyd is my cousin and she said I should have a look. I will show it to my two oldest children Jenny aged 9 and Nicholas aged 6, they have moved to a new school this term. Their old school was in town with 200+ children, their new school is a village school with 110 children, I will let them tell you about their school. My other daughter is Lucy she is 2. Liz Wilde Northampton

Headteacher ................ We will tell Mrs Boyd that you left a message and we look forward to hearing from your children.

I remember talking to you at the Enterprise Day in Dumfries before Christmas. I was looking for some inspiration for our own school. You provided it on the day, and having spent time on your site now I can understand the huge amount of work and imagination you have put into it.
I hope we will be able to make as good a job of our site when it is up and running.
Thanks for your help.

Nethermill Primary
Head Teacher ..................... Thanks Mark! We will look forward to visiting your site when you have it going.

I enjoyed looking at your school. But the music was the best part because it is nice and peaceful.

Webmistress Katrina......................Thank you for your message I am glad you like the music listen out we will be putting more on.

I enjoyed looking at your website. I am looking for ideas for our school website in Falkirk.

Webmistress Katrina...................Thank you for your message I am glad you like our website and I hope yours goes well.

I really like your music

Webmistress Katrina.............I am glad you like our music listen out because we will be changing it soon.

I really like your school it is huge and I really like your music it is cool I am 12. 13 this year I would like to come to your School

Webmistress Katrina...................Thank you for your message I have just turned 12 and am glad you like the school.

hi i really liked your website and i also liked the music

Webmistress Katrina ...................Thank you for the message what is the snow like for you?

I'm a friend of Mrs McMinn's and she told me about your website. I really do think you all extremely clever to be able to make something like this work on a computer - I know how to switch mine on, but not much else. Good luck with all your activities - I'm sure you will achieve with many more exciting adventures! Louise

Head teacher ........................Thank you for the message Louise, we'll let Mrs McMinn Know that you visited!

Hi to all at dundrennan school, this is a wonderful site you have that provides very interesting and useful information, which I shall be using with a class of children in Liverpool to compare their school and were they live with yours, which I'm very excited about, I'm sure they'll be fascinated, an excellent site!!!

Head teacher ............. Thanks Jane, We would love to find out some more about your school and city.

Hello everybody at Dundrennan School, thank-you for all your e-mails we have been very pleased to recieve them! Hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!!
Head teacher ..................... Thanks for the good wishes! We had a good Christmas and hope that you all did.

Hi everyone at Dundrennan School! I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I hope you were looking forward to going back to School! (I bet you weren't!)
Head teacher ........................Of course we all were Sophie!

Hi it is me again!
Thanks for the e-mails, we really enjoyed reading them.
But recently we have been to busy to reply, co's of it getting near X-mas.......
I'll reply to it (the one I got) as soon as we get to in the next ICT lesson.
Best Wishes,
Lorien Adey
(Oh yeah I forgot to tell you, I am from Abberley School.)

head teacher........................ thanks Lorien. We look forward to hearing from you in the new year

I would like to say the website is comprehensive and well designed. There is a great deal for food for thought

Head teacher ...................... Thank you Catherine and for your help with our page about Abbey Burnfoot

I think your school is lovely! I would like a small school too!



Head teacher .................. Thank you for visiting girls. We were very impressed with your website and hope you are enjoying working on it.

This is a great website! Very colourful! I love the Xmas music!
From Emma:Roseburn Primary School. Plz visit my class's website : www.roseburn.ik.org

It looks a great school

What a super website. I have visited before and think it's great fun. We are pleased to be another Golden Owl Winner like yourselves and hope that there will be many more in Scotland in the future. Thank you for visiting our site. Helen Stephenson.
Head teacher ................ Thanks Helen, we have added your site to our list of great school websites worth visiting on the links page

Hello everyone how lucky you are to have such 'a great wee school' and thank you for sharing it through your brilliant website. I am so jealous of Mr Mc Minn who has escaped from south of the border. This is my ambition so if you have any tips Mr McMinn I would love to hear them. I am currently teaching primary children in England but would love to teach in Scotland, particularly Dumfries and Galloway. I have thought of changing my name by deed poll, do you think this might help? Continue to enjoy your school - well done.

Headteacher ............... Hi Lynn, If you recontact us through the contact us page leaving your e-mail address then I will get back to you. Good luck!

Hi Everyone at Dundrennan School
It does bring back some lovely memories. My brother and I went to your school in 1989 and was there for a lovely 18 months. Its nice to see somethings haven't changed. Well done on your website, its lovely to see.
Head teacher ..................... I'm glad that you enjoyed your time here, I hope that our current children enjoy their time here as much.

Thank you to Mr McMinn for visiting our website. We have recently collected a Golden Owl Award for 'Best School Website'. As you won this award last term, you must all know how thrilled we are. We have visited your amazing website several times over the last few months and it has given us lots of ideas for ours.
Liz Cavill
www.christchurchinfants.ik.org

Head teacher ................... Your site is great.Well done on your award

I love your web site.
Headteacher ................... You don't say where you come from Daniel but thanks for leaving a nice message.

I thought our school was small .. we have 158 kids ages 5 - 18 (kindergarten through grade 12). I am the business/technology and music teacher and the web master at our school. I enjoyed visiting your site. Our site is http://ihs.morrow.k12.or.us
Headteacher..................... Thanks for the kind message. We will visit your site today.

Mrs. M.

we really enjoy looking at your website

Headteacher ................ Glad to be the source of enjoyment girls

Hi, I am from Swindon Village School, I think your site is amazing. I really like the quizes and all the music in the background. Some of your ideas for the site are brilliant.

Headteacher ........... Thanks Vaughan, we are all glad that you enjoyed our site

we think your website is cool and your school sounds really nice.
We have a school website for Swindon Village primary.
Love the animations and music, especially the staff music!!!!!!

Headteacher ............. Do I detect a slight note of sarcasm, what's wrong with the staff music? We're glad that you enjoyed your visit and have fun working on your site.

Your great website is cool!!It has given us ideas for ours which is at Swindon Village Primary School!!

Headteacher .......... Thanks lads, we have had a good look at yours a while back but will look again today.

I love your site especially the Lord of the Rings quiz. I'm from Swindon Village Primary and our site is good but nowhere as good as yours.

Headteacher............ Thanks Eloise, the children are working on a new set of quizzes to put on. Keep watching

Wow! I am Head in a small school in Aberdeenshire, Chapel of Garioch, and our site is designed by a parent and his P7 daughter. I think ours is good, but it does not yet have the WOW factor. Congratulations. (We do have more pupils - 62 at the moment.)
Headteacher ..................... It is great to know that there are schools in Scotland with websites! We have had contact with schools from all over the world but very few from our own country.

Hello,
I am Lorien from Abberley Primary School.
I realy like your web site lots!!!!
Anway I make web pages and stuff, I just love html and html related things.
Most of my web sites are Harry Potter or Lord Of The Rings, proberley doesnt surprise my friends!
Oh yeah if you where nominated for the Golden Owl awards this year Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!.
Hope every one has a happy half term (thats is if you have broken up yet)
I am going to Dover on monday and then comming home on friday can't wait!!!
Best Of Wishes,
Lorien

Headteacher........................ Hi Lorien, we have had our holiday and been back at school a week. Enjoy Dover!

Hi everybody, I'm Amy from Abberley Primary school, I really like your web site, the music and animations are really good. At are school we have got 4 class rooms and a few play grounds. Your school looks really nice from the pictures I have seen(on this web site.)
Bye, from
Amy!!

Head teacher ............. Thanks Amy, our children will be visiting your website and leaving messages soon.

Hi People of Dundrennan school,
I'm Helena from Abberley Parocial V.C primary school
Its amazing that you've only got eleven pupils in the whole school
we've got 80 pupils in our school
bye for now
Helena
P.s its a great a wee website
Head teacher .............. Thanks Helena. We've looked at your website too and were very impressed

Great site folks...well done. A great mix of information and fun!

Headteacher................ Thanks for the message. We are glad you liked the site

I met your Headteacher today in Dumfries and he reminded me about your school website so I had a look. It is fantastic!! I hope you will come to the Enterprise Showcase in Dumfries on Tuesday December 3rd and show it to the other schools from the region who are attending. I am sure you will enjoy seeing what they have been doing as well.

Headteacher ............. Thanks Kathy. We will be there.

Well a great wee school it is I now go to school with 1 of your former pupils. Freddie Maitland in the Academy. My mum comes to your school to help she is called Mrs More she is training to be a nurse. I am in all of Freddie's classes and all of Laura Kerr's. I have1 question how can a small school have such a brill website and a large school like KBT Academy has a tiny little one.

Headteacher ...................... Easy to answer that one Ally, The children run our website and are keen to add to it!

Hey Guys! Your website is fab! It looks like you have all had a great time making it! Hey to your headteacher! he used to work with my mummy at Thurton! Anyway... hope you are all well and work hard! BYE x

Headteacher .................. Thanks Suzi I hope Margaret and Jim are keeping well.

Please keep the messages flowing! We have now had 116 visitors who have left messages in our guestbook. Thank you one and all!!!

Hello, nice website - we like your music and the picture in the background. We like the animation - how did you do it? Your wee school is cool.
Our school has 80 pupils. We are are building a Jubilee Garden with a water feature. We designed it. We have five teachers and lots of helpers. You have a lot of teachers for such a wee school. Do you have as much fun as us? We have just come back from West Malvern Outdoor Centre and have been using their website for those who did not go. It was brilliant and we'd like to go again after our SATS. We would like to visit your school as it looks so nice. Please reply to us and we will e-mail you. Best wishes, Jenny Taylor and Year 6 pupils.

Head teacher ............ Thanks for the message. We use paint shop pro for the animations. There are not really that many teachers, just Mr McMinn and Mrs Boyd who comes two mornings. The other teachers just spend an hour is the school for some of the terms. They actually work for the Authority and go round to lots of schools.

I've just taken the whole family (except Joshua who is in bed) a tour around your wonderful website. Nicky, Ally and Jimmie are very impressed with all the hard work that you have put into building it up.
I hope things are going well with contacting your e-mail buddies in Texas. I am looking forward to hearing all about it!!
See you all on Monday

Headteacher ............... Thanks Lynn, we are pleased that you all enjoyed it. We are getting on well with our links and should have everyone paired up by the next time we see you

What a great site! I have been online for ages on your site alone. There was so much to do! I especially liked Rebecca and Andrews pop-idol animation and Rhys painting of the sailing ship. Why doesn't Nicola like the egg and spoon race? Congratulations on winning the awards in the summer. My Mum and Dad live in Castle Douglas and sent me your web address. I am a year 5 and 6 teacher in Plymouth, Devon and I think I shall have to get a website of our own organised as you all seem to have enjoyed doing yours so much. Your in my favourites folder now!
Quentin Smith.

Head teacher ..................You're so right Quentin, we have enjoyed working on the website and it has given us links all over the world. Send us your address when you get your website up and running.

We asked if we could correspond with you via the web and you said YES. We have just had the school networked and my Year 6 children would like to ask your children a few questions about life around Dundrennan. They are studying Mountainous regions this term in Geog. and internet use in ICT so you may get some messages on Monday p.m. Hope you can return some answers to them. They have RM EasyMail school internet address which they will send to your children. Is this ok? Best wishes, Jenny Taylor (Headteacher)

Headteacher ..................... That sounds great, all our children have their own e-mail addresses which they can exchange. Dundrennan hardly counts as mountainous though!!!

We really like your website. We are another small school, 25 pupils. We are just building a web site for our school. Our school is in Devon near Dartmoor. Contact us if you like.
from Kelly and Emma

Head teacher ................ Good luck with your website girls, I will e-mail simple instructions on how to make your own animations.

I just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed your website. I am an ICT staff tutor in Dundee and I will be telling all the Dundee teachers and children to have a look to get ideas for their own websites. Brilliant!!!

Headteacher ............................ We are glad you enjoyed our site Carolyn and we look forward to lots of visits from schools around Dundee!

What a wonderful website your school looks great. My children go to a small school it has only 60 children so i surpose to you it was huge, Thank you for letting me look around your site please feel free to take a look at our school site its at ... WWW.wickhambreaux-school.ik.org

Head teacher ..................... Thanks Toni. We spent quite a bit of time looking at your site when we first started thinking about ours. It gave us lots of ideas

I've just been checking out your site and I think it's fantastic! I run a voluntary children's magazine in carlisle, Cumbria and I'm trying to involve schools by helping them set up thier own magazine clubs. This is for children aged 7-12.
I've just set up a whizz Kids site with IK but I can see I have a long way to go!!. My address is www.whizzkids.ik.org. I would appreciate any help. I love the animated pictures and I want the children to do quizzes, crooswords and wordsearches.
Brook Street School and Newtown School is involved and we are hoping that a few more will be joining us once the new term is settled in.
Please ask your Head or a teacher to e-mail me as I think Our children may benefit from your experience. My name is Mrs Saj Ghafoor.
Oh and once again, the site is fantastic!!

Head teacher ................... We are glad that you enjoyed the site and hope that you are successful with your project. We will certainly visit your site and will help in any way we can.

Great web site people. I think we'll have to get our school to have a look cause personaly we think ours is totally rubbish.
A special hello to Andrew and Fiona. From all in Burnley

Headteacher ................. I'm sure that you will be able to do something about your website. Andrew and Fiona will appreciate the message.

Congratulations to all who had a hand in setting up this site well done.
My great grandfather Samuel McGeorge was Blacksmith and wheelright in Dundrennan and lived in the house next to the smithy . In the Year 1879 He and His wife and seven children and one grand child sailed to New Zealand
My grandfather being two years old at this time . My Wife and I are coming to Dundrennan in October this year and hope to meet you all
and maybe you can point us in the right direction of the old smithy which was being lived in about 1973 with a second story mezzanine fitted.
Looking forward to meeting you Winston and Barbara McGeorge
We live in Akaroa on Banks Peninsular New Zealand

Headteacher ................... Thank you Mr McGeorge. We look forward to meeting you when you visit Dundrennan

Very fun and made me feel as if I had truly visited your lovely school.
Stonewall Elementary, Lexington, Kentucky, USA

Headteacher ............ Thanks. Have your schools taken up now after the summer break?

I thought your website was brilliant I and I know Katraina, Rebecca and Charlotte !! love Danielleeeeeeeeeeee
:D:X:D:X:D:X:D:X

Head teacher ............... They'll get your message soon Danielle, thanks for visiting.

Congratulations, I am just starting out on my adventure to build a website for the school and have gained some brilliant ideas from your example. I too am going to involve the children.......Thank you very much and good luck for the new term. (Lakefield Primary School, Gloucestershire)

Head teacher ................... Thanks Wendy, being from Gloucestershire I hope that you are able to take advantage of the ik.com training.

Just like to say hello to my cousins Fiona and Andrew Kerr.
As a software developer and web site designer I think your schools website is FANTASTIC.
See you later.
From Australia

Postal Address 88 Chandra Avenue
Kilsyth South VIC 3137
Australia

Head teacher ..... We'll make sure that they get the message Scott.

What a lovely school - and web site!
I thought we were small with 80 children but your school looks even more delightful

Head teacher ........................ Thanks Richard, does your school have a website? If so please send us your url so that we can visit.

Hello everybody, this is Julie from Melbourne, Australia. A very special Hello to Fiona and Andrew Kerr. Congratulations and a job well done on your website. It looks fantastic, it's great to see what you get up to when in school.Anyway chat to you soon, Bye for now .

Head teacher ............... Thanks Julie, were glad that you enjoyed our efforts

Hello Dundrennan!!
Congratulations on your wonderful website from Melbourne, Australia.
An extra warm hello to Fiona and Andrew Kerr, and to all their classmates -
what a fine job you have done!!
Hope you are enjoying your summer holidays - do you get sunburn there?
Keep in touch,

Head teacher .............. Hello Mary-Anne. I'm afraid that this year there has been more danger of rust than sunburn still the weather is improving a little.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to your fantastic web site! I am amazed at all the activities you are able to participate in. Your curriculum appears to be first rate, especially in the music department. As a music teacher, myself, I can appreciate the diverse instrumental programs you enjoy.

Head teacher .................. Thank you Carol. As you may have noticed from the website, I claim no responsibility for this, we are just incredibly lucky to have such a great specialist music teacher visiting the school.

Hi to everyone at Dundrennan School. Congratulations on winning the Golden Owl Award. Super website. You Have all worked hard. We are still adding to our website, so I know how time consuming it can be - I'm head of St John's CE First School in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. Well done. Enjoy your summer holiday.

Head teacher ............... Hi Sue thanks. It is time consuming but we would have got nowhere without all the work that the children put in out of school hours.
p.s. We enjoyed looking around your sit too before we broke up.

Hi my name is sarah. I live in Belfast N.Ireland. I am 11 yrs old and I am moving into 1st year at high school next year. I used to go to Carryduff primary school(carryduffprimaryschool.k.org). Your website is way better than ours, It' wicked!

Head teacher ............... Thanks Sarah and good luck at your High School. I did look at your school wesite and was very impressed with it so I think that you are being a little modest on your old school's behalf.

What a fantastic school web site, the best I have seen using template based systems such as ik. Well done to everyone who contributed.
We especially like the postcards your pupils have designed.

I note from an earlier message that you were considering making changes to your site to make it more accessible to people with colour blindness/visual impairment. Just wanted to pass on the url of a web site which can check your pages, showing how they look to people with different types of colour blindness. The url is http://www.vischeck.com/

Students in our school enjoyed reading the jokes and looking at some of your work. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Ian Bean
Priory Woods Special School
Middlesbrough
http://www.priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk

Head teacher............. Thanks for the url, Ian we will get in touch and see if we can improve the visibility even more. We would not have been able to cope without the template based system as this is our first venture into anything like this and we were able to get everything up and running from the first germ of an idea in March. I think our site may be different to most because we had no training and sort of muddled our way through, experimenting as we went. Enjoy your Summer Holidays.
regards Andy McMinn

knock knock
who's there?
ya
ya who?
are you a cowboy

Where can you find webs? On the website.

Here is another joke for you.......Where can you find webs......ANSWER ....on the website.

HERE IS ANOTHER JOKE FOR YOU.............what do you call two robbers.......a pair of knickers.

HERE IS ANOTHER JOKE FOR YOU.......... what king of dog does a hair dresser have....... a shampoodle.

Hi Knowland Grove,
Thanks for all the great jokes. I tried to send you an e-mail thank you but the address would not work. I love hearing from Norfolk as I was a head teacher in Norfolk until 1999 when I came to Dundrennan. I'll try the e-mail again.

I thoroughly enjoyed your inspirational website. Congratulations to all the pupils (and staff) involved in its development.

Many thanks for the ideas.

Bill Sloan
Headteacher
Clayton le Woods C E Primary School

Head teacher ...................... Thank you for those kind words Bill. I hope you find some of our ideas useful for yor own website.

Hi!
I really like your website. Well organised and clearly presented.
Dundrennan looks very different to Norfolk.
What beautiful hills!
Makes me feel homesick for 'up north'.

Ken Holbeck - Headteacher, Rockland St Mary Primary School, Norfolk.

Head teacher ............. Many thanks Ken. I sometimes get homesick for Norfolk and then I look round here and it soon passes

Your school looks like a very nice place. Your website is very imaginative.

Head teacher ................... We are glad you enjoyed your visit. Thanks for the message.

we like your wee school. Wee come from Norfolk and just starting high school.from Matthew and Steven email me.

Head teacher ................. I love getting messages from my old home county. Many thanks.

Please note that this is a moderated guestbook. All messages will be checked by myself before they are posted and so it may take a day or two for your message to appear

We do indeed agree that you have a great wee school!We are making our own website and hope it is as interesting as yours.We have a joke book collection........this one is our teacher's favourite....WHAT IS GREEN AND GOES CAMPING?......ANSWER:A BOY SPROUT!Shall we send you some more?

Head teacher ................. Believe it or not, I know where Knowland Grove First School is! Until three years ago I was Head teacher at Thurton Primary.
Your joke is great, keep them coming.

Dear Dundrennan School, I think your website is brilliant. I am also using Schools.ik to build our school website but I do not know how to add moving graphics or change the background screen to make it more personal. I was wondering, did you have any extra training?

Head teacher ............... We had no training at all! We have just plodded on our own sweet way. The moving graphics are done using animation shop and then loaded as if it was a normal picture. The background was just photos we took around the school, sized to fit, processed using photo shop and then saved as a theme. It can then be put on by going to site settings, theme control, create custom theme. It was all trial and error, you wouldn't want to see the ones that didn't work. Involve the children in all this .......they learn faster than us!

We heard about your web site awards via the Zen Internet newsletter. We like your site very much, it is a credit to all of you. I'm now in China with my wife studying Chinese, and we have set up our first website at www.tingey.tv to document our travels here. We leave Beijing on Friday for 6 weeks to travel in south China, so should be adding much more to the site shortly. It would be nice to hear from some of you - preferably still in English! We are setting up a links page at the moment - is it alright to put a link to your web site on our link page? Feel free to add ours to yours if you want. Also, if you have any questions about China or the language please feel free to ask. One little constructive criticism - I do find the constant ticker-tape heading rather irritating and gives me eye strain! Maybe you could make it intermittent, or stop after so long. Just a thought!
All the best to everyone, not forgetting Mr - oops, forgotten his name!
David and Paula

Head teacher................... Another new place for our list. We are on holiday until Mid-August but will get the children to communicate thereafter. I'll see what can be done about the banner.

Congratulations! I have read about your school in russian news! Excuse my poor English, I studed German at school (¹669, Moscow :-)

Head teacher ..................... You are our second visitor from Russia, could you let us know how you found out about us please.

Excellent site and well done! - but spare a thought for anyone who is colour blind or has a visual impairment. The colours and typeface on the opening page cause difficulties. If you are revising it Arial type is best to help with visual impairment, as recommended by the Disability Rights Commission.

Head teacher ................ Many thanks for the advice. I have looked at the offending page and increased the size of the typeface to match the rest of the site. We have now changed to Arial throughout but we obviously need to give more thought to readability.

Congratulations on your website and for winning the Award wonderful achievement. Jean Bartlett, Director - The Bag Lady (www.bagladyit.com) Computer Tutors Ltd, Vice President British Association of Women Entrepreneurs(BAWE -Wales).

Head teacher ........................ Thank you, I would like to think that some of our girls go on to be entrepeneurs when they finish their education.

What a fantastic website...you desrve the Golden Owl Award, for sure. I love the children's animations. I am ICT co-ordinator at Henry Maynard Junior School, in Walthamstow, London, although I'm originally from Glasgow. We have about 500 pupils! We also have a website: www.henrymaynard.ik.org.
I will keep looking back at this site for good ideas for our site. What software did you use to do the animations?

Head teacher ............ We'll take a look. It will have to be after the summer break as we are on holiday now. We used Paint Shop Pro for all the art work and animations

Thank you for the kind comment you left on our Abberley.ik.org website, and congratulations on winning the i.k. Best School Site. Quite an achievement with so few pupils. We would like to correspond with you as a location to compare with but we are off line at the moment as we are being networked and having a new isdn line installed. Please keep in touch via our website enquiry or guestbook if you would be interested in corresponding with another small rural Primary school (we have 73 pupils).

Head teacher ................ Sounds a great idea for next term, we are, of course, on holiday now but I will stay in touch via your web site.

Hi everyone at Dundrennan we are writing to you from Basel in the middle of Europe. The sun is shining, the food is great and the world cup final is tomorrow. Before we start our cheering for the world cup we will also be going to see our friends in the zoo! Uncle Don is a big fan of the Dundrennan web site and its corny jokes , especially those from the McDowall's!!!!

Head teacher .............. Hi kids. It was so quiet on Friday without you! I hope Katrina is not saving up the hyperthetical questions for next term as I don't think that I could cope!

Hello there....nice website. This is my old school! I left in 1984 and in those days we
only had one big ol' BBC computer that nobody knew how to work! Many happy days were
had in there....and....Mrs Boyd used to teach me too.... :-)

Cheers!

Graeme Aitken...now living in Belgium with a kid of my own

p.s. I suppose all you lot are now on holiday for about two months. Aaah....those were
the days....

Head teacher ............. Thanks for the thoughts. Yes we are all on holiday from today and thoroughly looking forward to it

It's cool! But I'm from Russian Fediration and our phone-lines are very slow and your Site's got too many pictures. The Navigation I think is very difficult as u've written it ''s boduna'' (don't try to understand last word it's Russian word). But It must be the best School Site I've ever seen.
P.S. I hope I've not made too many mistakes.

Head teacher ................ we are all very impressed that you found us. we have tried to make our site fun to visit.

We have been viewing and we have noticed a spelling mistake in the Pop Idol zone in Multimedia. Instead of saying Powerpoint in says Powerpont.
By the way we think your website is quite good!!!. We would like in if you visited our website. The address is www.pittingtonprimary.ik.org/

Later Days Webwatchers

Head teacher ................. Well spotted, we were wondering when someone found our mistake. We work on the assumtion that the person who never made a mistake, never made anything.

We are from Swindon village school, and your websites really cool! One thing we paticullary liked is the amazing graphics.
We come from the school's I.C.T club, and we were looking at your site for inspiration...and we've definitely found it!!!
We think that it's stunning. Our website address is www.svps.ik.org if you would like to view our site.
This is probably the best website we've seen all year!

Headteacher ...... Thank you and the best of luck with your own efforts

Brilliant i think you have put a lot of effort in this espeacialy the animations.

I really love your wee school, I think your website is great. It must have taken ages to build, especially with only eleven pupils. Hope you have a lovely holiday.

I'm from Swindon village in Cheltenham,England. Your have got a very very very very very very very very very very good as the winners from the Golden Owl Awards

I think your web site is great!
I love your wee school because of the great web site your school has provided.We have just started our school web site so if you would like to come and vist it to tell us how to make it better at www.svps.ik.org!

Hi! Ithink your site is totally BRILLIANT!! I especailly enjoyed looking at the personal animations, they were cool! We have almost completed our own website... and I thought ours was good!
Congratulations and good luck for next time.
Have a good holiday. Visit us at www.svps.ik.org

Headteacher ............... Thanks Deena, we'll be off on holiday from tomorrow.

Hello ! I think that your website is fantastic. I enjoyed looking at the animations that you have created.They were BRILLIANT!!!! We have almost completed our own school website. You can look at it at www. svps. ik. org

We thought are website was good but then we saw yours and it gave us something to aim for.
Look at our website at www.svps.ik.org

Brilliant web-site , love the animations and I hope I can put that on the web-site I helped build with a teacher and the rest of the I . C . T at my school (Swindon Village Primary , Cheltenham England. Visit ours and tell us what you think at , www.svps.ik.org

I really love your website. It must have been really hard to make a website with eleven people.
I come from a school with 400 pupils and I helped make our website, why not visit us on our website and leave your own comment on www.svps.ik.org.

I only have one word for you GREAT I bet you have worked so hard on this because I thought we had on ours but when I saw this it really is the best, how would you like to visit our website and see what you think on www.svps.ik.org.Congragulations for winning the Golden Owl award from L.L

Headteacher ............. I'll go and have a look now and the children will enjoy exploring tomorrow

We have just made our website and thought ours was good. But when we looked at yours I thought it was amazing. Look at ours and tell us what you think our website is www.svps.ik.org. CONGRATULATIONS for winning the golden owl awards. Have a lovely holiday!!!

Headteacher ..................... Thank you to everyone at Swindon Village Primary School. We have read all your messages and hope that you do not mind this single thank you to you all. We will visit your site tomorrow and have a good look around.

Well Done Everyone. A super website that I really enjoyed looking at. I almost feel I know you all now! You have worked very hard and desrve all the awards you've won!

Head teacher................... Thanks Debbie, it's great to hear from friends from school days, especially as we have both ended up in education. We are glad you liked the site.

Dear Dundrennan,
I loved your website. It is so colourful and clear. I work for Service Children's Education in Germany as an ICTTA and shall enjoy showing all the children your website when we work on website evaluation. I have friends who came from Kirkcudbright and I shall tell them all about your site.

Head teacher ..................... Thank you very much, you are our first visitors from Germany, we will need to add you to our map.

You have kept me up late! I could not stop looking at your wonderful site and I wanted to go to bed early tonight! I met Mr McMinn at Stonehouse today when he collected your award and it was so well deserved. I know you use Paint Shop Pro and I am learning to use it too. Just looking at your site has given me lots of new ideas ( I love your postcards) and some clues as to how to produce them...but I might have to ask you how to do some things. I really must try some of the animations as we have spent lots of time wasting time looking for some on the internet and yours are so much more interesting. I can see what i am going to be doing in the Summer holidays! You must be so proud of yourselves and have so much fun. How old is the youngest person to work on the site?

Headteacher ................... Thank you, I am sorry we kept you up late! The youngest children working on our site are P3 (Y2) because this is our lower age for after school computer club

I THINK YOUR WEBSITE IS GREAT AND A LOT OF WORK HAS BEEN PUT IN TO IT , I WENT TO DUNDRENNAN SCHOOL IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES WHEN I WAS LIVING IN THE CROWN AND ANCHOR WITH MY FAMILY WHO STILL LIVE THERE NOW, MY TEACHER WAS MRS ARNOTT WELL DONE AGAIN ON SUCH A GREAT SITE

Head teacher ....................... Thank you for those kind words. I can assure you that the children had just as much enjoyment in building the site as our visitors have had in viewing it.

What an excellent site! I wish my daughter's secondary school, with 1,200 pupils and lots of IT resources, could produce something that impressive. Well done and congratulations to all the pupils.

Head teacher ....................... Thanks. I am coming more and more round to the idea that our small numbers have actually been a real benefit in doing this work.

I have just looked at your website and can understand exactly why you won the Summer 2002 Golden Owl Awards. We also entered our site into the awards, unfortunately without success, but after seeing yours we know we have a long way to go. Thank you for the inspiration and well done to you all!

Head teacher ................. We could not have done this without passing a lot of responsibility onto the children. They come up with much better ideas than I do.

Hello from Denmark. My class - year 7 - found your site very interesting and much better than their own website - so know they'll start making a new one.

Headteacher ......................We're glad to hear from Denmark. You are our first visitors from that part of Europe.

Hello Dundrennan School. What a wonderful site. I am a person of great years compared to yours but have become very interested in computers and web-design over the last couple of years. I am so impressed with the quality of your site that I have passed the address on to my colleagues in the Open University Web-Design Conference so that they can all have a look because I know they too will be impressed. - By the way I have a home in Crossmichael which I come to as often as possible and live the rest of the time in Yorkshire. So I feel that you are almost my local school because I first came to love this area by staying on the Orroland Estate just a couple of miles from you and have visited the Abbey several times. So well done all of you and I hope you continue to build upon an already great site. Regards from Diane Bainbridge

Headteacher ........................... Thank you for those kind words. We fully intend to build on what we have done so far. There will be one difference in this site after August as the older pupils who have worked hard on the site will be taking it over and running it themselves.

Your website is wonderful. You really deserved the awards. Well done everyone! We have just started to build a school website but I think it will take us a long time to get to the standard you have reached.

Headteacher .......................... Thanks for that. If you will take our advice, get the children involved fully in the work. It may slow you down at first but it pays dividends in the long run. We started work on our site in March 2002.

I have been asked to say a big hello to Charlotte, Rebecca and Katrina McDowall by my Aunt, Mary Mellon. I live in Auckland, New Zealand and she was here recently on a visit.


Your website is very impressive and congratulations on the award.

Headteacher ..................... I'll make sure they get your message

We are a school in Norwich who have also been setting up a website using schools.ik.com. We found your address in the Galloway News online and are very impressed with your site and hope that one day ours will look like this!!

Headteacher .................. It's nice to get messages from Norwich, I was head at Thurton before coming here.
Congratulations on winning the award.

I found your site from a news item describing how you'd won an award. Well done! Small schools like yours, particularly those in Wales, Ireland and Scotland, need to be supported. Your web site will help to bring your school to the attention of the world. Live long and prosper. :-)

Headteacher.................. Thanks Steve. We will try to 'make it so!'

Well done Dundrennan in achieving such a high award. My late wife Jill Atkinson was a former pupil there and she appears on the 1957 photo. The site brought back some good memories
from Victoria, Australia

Headteacher................ We're glad you enjoyed your visit. I hope that everything is fine in Australia.

Many congratulations on your well deserved award. The children might need help from Mrs McMinn to find us on the map! Best wishes from us all at Poringland.

Headteacher ................ Thanks Roger, I'm sure we'll manage to find you on the map. We'll think about you all in a week's time when we have broken up!

Thoroughly enjoyed looking up your website. I was at Dundrennan school second row 5th from the left in your 1957 photograph. Well done! Has brought back many happy memories. Frances.

Headteacher ....................... We're glad you enjoyed it Frances. We have not put names on any of the photo's to avoid privacy problems with more recent ones.

Well Done Dundrennan, Mum told me about your web site, it's brill. love the animations. Hope Charlotte M, Charlotte P and Zoe enjoy the induction days on Thursday and Friday.

Head teacher ............... Thanks Samantha, I'm sure they all will!

Hi Andrew
Picked your site address.
Like the site, lots of interest and things happening for such a small group.
Seems that everyone has a good time.
Best wishes for another great year.

Head teacher .............. Thanks David I am sure that we will all try!

I think that your wesite is really cool. The one at our school in Kirkcudbright is pretty boring. Your picture things are great, congrats on the award thing.

Head teacher .................Thanks Laura, I wish we had had the idea a bit earlier when you were at the school then you would have been able to help.

We saw your website via the W H Smith's page.
Congratulations on a fine website for such a small school.
We liked your Kids Zone page.
Our school has 380 pupils, aged 7-11. We are in Barking and Dagenham, in Essex.
R. Thomas

Head teacher ................. Thank you for your kind words. We have been pleased with what we have achieved since March when we took the plunge and started on our website.

I'm Andrew and Fiona's aunty and used to be a pupil at Dundrennan school a LONG time ago. I think the website is wonderful and a credit to all of you who contributed to it. Wish we had a chance to do something like that when I was at school. Keep up the good work.

Headteacher ................ Thanks for the comment. We are glad that you enjoyed the website

Well done all of you for winning the website award- we hope that you are
very proud of yourselves, you're all brilliant.

Headteacher ....................... Thanks! We sure are.

Congratulations on your success and for putting your school on the map!

Headteacher ................ Thanks Mary. The children have worked very hard to do it.

Wow.
We thought our IK site was pretty comprehensive, but your site is one of the best I've seen.
Simon Botten
Acting Deputy Head / ICT Manager
Wheatfield Primary School, Bristol
www.wheatfield.ik.org

Headteacher ............... We had a look at your site too and we thought that we were very lucky to win. This term' s award winners seem better than ever!

CONGRATULATIONS on winning the Golden Owl Award for Best Web Site, a terrific acheivement for such a small school. I was particually impressed with your animations and lovely examples of your pupils work.
We won a site of distinction award (www.wickhambreaux-school.ik.org), and we are also a small primary school (60 pupils) so please feel welcome to visit us.

Headteacher ................ Many thanks, your site was one of the schools we looked at when we first thought of setting up our website. It gave us lots of ideas

Well done!!

Well done Dundrennan - small is beautiful! It is great to see that you have had such success with your web site. Things have certainly come a long way since I was at school. Congratulations.

Headteacher .................. Thanks for the message. I'm sure that the girls will like hearing from you.

Very pleased to hear of the award for the website today.
Many congratulations to you all
You are right, it's a Great Wee School's Website
Keep up the good work

Headteacher ................ Thanks Geoff we will try. The video you donated to us is proving a great improvement on the old clockwork version.
Regards Geoff Forster

Visit the best Secondary school website at: http://www.Oakmeeds.W-Sussex.sch.uk Another winner of the Golden owl award. Well Done for the award guys!

headteacher ................... I enjoyed looking round your site. It gave me nostalgic feelings from when I used to teach in a secondary school.

CONGRATULATIONS! I saw that you had won the goldenowlaward for Summer 2002 so I thought I'd have a look at your site. I was very interested to read about how small your school is as I teach in a school in North Manchester with around 400 pupils! We won a site of distinctionaward for the site which I created (www.elmwood.ik.org - if you wish to have a look!) It was very obvious from your site that the children had been heavily involved in the design and creation it - I thought this was very impressive! Anyway I just thought I'd say well done! Andrew

Headteacher ................ Thanks for the comment. We enjoyed browsing your site and consider ourselves lucky to win.

CONGRATULATIONS on winning the Summer Term Golden Owl Award for Best School Web Site. As a Scottish lass myself it was a pleasure to visit your great wee school. Our school is in Berkshire and has a few more pupils! Please feel free to visit us at www.hollyspringjunior.ik.org

Headteacher ..................... Thanks we will visit and leave a comment.

Congratulations on winning the Golden Owl award for Best Primary School Website! I enjoyed my visit and wish you every success.
I hope you'll visit our website (www.st-pauls.ik.org) and maybe we can swap ideas.
Regards,
Eddie Foster

Headteacher ............... Enjoyed the visit to your site and the idea of swapping ideas is what all this is about. Great!

Thanks for all the positive comments that you are leaving. The children have got a map up on the wall and are busily sticking flags in it to see where you all come from. It makes geography teaching fun!
This is a moderated guestbook and so your messages will not appear immediatly so please be patient

Dear Students,
A long time ago my g-g-grandmother and g-g-grandfather came from Dundrennan to America. I have been having fun learning about their home these past years. While doing so I found your incredibly wonderful site. I work in an American school (in Wisconsin) for teenagers so I know how hard you must have worked to do such a wonderful job. I would like to learn more about your community because of my ancestors and because I LOVE SCOTTISH HISTORY. I can't wait to share this web site with my two nieces who are ages 7 and 9. They have never been to Scotland, but I have and have lovely memories of Dundrennan. My g-g-grandmother was born at Flathill and her name was Isabella Mactaggart, my neice is named Isabel in her honor. Have a safe but fun end of the school year.
Jody Allen

Headteacher .............. Many thanks Jody, I will be in touch. That sounds a great idea.

Dear everyone,

Hope you enjoyed your trip to Glasgow today. I went to Strathclyde University there and studied Geography. We went to Dundrennan this Monday to see your school and the abbey - I didn't realise Mary Queen of Scots had spent her last night there.
Best wishes.

Headteacher ............ Thanks John I'm sorry we missed you. WE had a fantastic time in Glasgow

Just wanted to say - SMASHING website . I am a teacher looking for ideas to build my school website with - well done.ps I live in Jersey which is in the Channel Islands, do you know where this is?

Head teacher ............... Yes we found it on the map but don't know as much about it as we should. I am afraid I don't get past Bergerac and something about cars not being allowed on one of the islands! Thanks for your positive comment.

Sally Patterson put me on to your web site, and I think it is a wonderful accomplishment! Sally and I met on the web, after she inquired about my son's celtic music band, Dundrennan. In high school he and his friends formed their band, whistles, fiddles, guitar, bagpipe, etc. They entertained in our area for three years, made their own CD and earned $2,000 a piece to go off to university. My son, Lyric, has just finished his junior year at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a Fine Arts major in musical performance. His instrument is bagpipe. His teacher is Alasdair Gillies from Ullapool. Maybe someday Lyric can visit at your school. My husband and I live in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and maybe we will visit Dundrennan too. I hope so.

Keep up your wonderful website!

Headteacher .............. We'd love to see him but meanwhile keep visiting to se how we get on.

Hi there. Thanks for looking at our guestbook. We'd love you to leave us a message, don't worry if your message does not appear straight away as this is a moderated guestbook. I look at the messages daily and so your message will be posted within 24 hours
Regards A. J. McMinn

WOW! what a fantastic site for a fantastic school! I am returning the visit from your Headteacher who visited our site, (www.ccjs.ik.org) I am going to recommend that our children visit your site to see a very different school! We have 360 children at our London junior school and I must say I am jealous! Your school and surrounding area look wonderful.
Thank you for presenting yourselves so well - I was especially impressed with all the animations. Well done everyone.
A. J. Edwards
ICT Coordinator - Cheam Common Junior School, Worcester Park, London

Headteacher ............... We did enjoy your site and am glad you found the time to visit back.

Very much enjoyed exploring your site. Well done with the animations.
I work all over Dumfries and Galloway as a supply teacher and have been looking for a local primary who might be interested in building international links via the web.
I used to work in Norway where many pupils regularly maintain their own class websites like
www.billingstad.gs.ah.no
httpskole.trondheim.kommune.nolade.
One English primary I found has made its site international :
httpwhiterockprimary.homestead.com

Headteacher .............. Sounds a good idea. We started our website to promote friendship across the web

Hi guys - this is a great site and I found the jokes most amusing, if a little corny.
Currently, I am in Orlando, USA at a conference - I know you would all probably go to
Disney land if you were here! However, I am just working and attending too many
business meetings.
Congratulations again on this wonderful site.
Cheers
Don

Hi everyone. Sorry I had to rush off before I could see the site, but I got in easily through the Kirkcudbright Website. This is an amazing tool. I wish we'd had the diary when Freddie was there, then maybe I'd have known what was supposed to be happening without the fingertip search of the schoolbag. Keep up the good work.
jsm

Hi everyone Mhari here.Cool web site.It was nice to see everyone.Missing Dundrennan school lots. It would be nice to hear from you if you would like to e-mail me.

Really interesting viewing/reading, your school should be very proud of this most impressive presentation.
Well done all pupils, staff and general community, Dundrennan Primary School.
Martha J. McMath P.7 Teacher Johnston Primary, Kirkcudbright

Fascinating! Congratulations to you all for such an interesting website. Looking at it has made my lunch break today much happier and reminded me of the four weeks I spent helping to survey the gas pipeline from near Twynholm all the way across to South Cairns near Stranraer. My daughter Erin is in year 5 at Newton Bluecoat School in Newton, near Preston in Lancashire. She's just got the Harry Potter DVD - have you seen it yet? She thinks it's brilliant.
Best wishes to you and everyone at your school,

Love from Erin, Ruth and John Sears.

headteacher 14 May 2002 09:15
This is a moderated guestbook and so your entry will not appear instantly on the website, however we check the guestbook daily and so your entry will appear within 24 hours. Many thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.

I am an NQT teaching year 6 in Cheshire. I visited your site on the recommendation of a friend and i am VERY impressed! What a huge achievement for a tiny school! You should (I'm sure you are) all be very proud of it!!
I am hoping to get my Y6s to email some children of similar ages who live very different lifestyles to them. If you would be interested, please email me at the address above and I will supply the class address.

Keep up the good work!

RHC

Headteacher ............... Great idea will do!

I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting your website although I will need to visit it again because there is so much to see. Well done to all of you.

Brian Keary Head Teacher Twynholm Primary School

this site is very good educational and interesting its very good practise for test

Hello everyone, especially our cousins the McDowalls, and our friends the Kerrs. We are in Hong Kong and our school is on the top of a hill. We really wish it could be in the middle of a village like Dundrennan though because you have such nice clean air and lots of animals to look at. There are thirty students in each class here. One of the best things in Hong Kong, apart from the Chinese food, is that we get to go swimming most days because it is really hot. See you all in the summer holidays.

To all at Dundrennan primary

Thank you for making me feel welcome at your lovely school. I enjoyed my time with you very much. Good luck with the website and keep up the good work.

Lynsay

Headteacher ...................Thanks Lynsay, give David our best wishes for the rest of the F1 season!

Excellent Andy. Well done. What a lot goes on at your school.

Headteacher ................. Thanks Roger! I bet Poringland is as busy as eve