Raasay Primary School

On Wednesday 4th and Friday 6th June, pupils in Raasay Primary School took part in the local Mod competition. The boys took part in chanter and poetry recitation and all came back with gold and silver medals – a fantastic achievement. This meant that, for the tenth year, Raasay Primary School won the ‘Oban Rose Bowl’ for the English Medium school with the most points. The adjudicator was very impressed with the boys’ Gaelic and commented: ‘Lovely, clear Gaelic’ ‘Very good pronunciation and with feeling’ ‘A confident and well-prepared performance’

Well done boys!

Over the past few weeks we have had some new pupils in the class. Some of our pond tadpoles have joined us in the classroom where we have been observing them and learning about the life cycle of a frog. It has been fascinating to watch them develop and some have now moved from being completely aquatic, with gills to being amphibious, growing legs and shedding tails. We have created a frog chart and, as each frog is released, he is named and the date of his release is logged. Our first tiny frog released was ‘Gerald’ – we look forward to relesing many more over the next few days.

Pupils at Raasay Primary School were delighted to be invited to the Spring Craft Fair in Raasay Community Hall by local weaver, Lillian MacLeod. Lillian provides an After School Weaving Club at the school which the boys thoroughly enjoy. The boys loved seeing the variety of scarves that Lillian makes and the designs she creates using different yarns. The boys also got to enjoy looking at the huge range of crafts on display by local crafters. They were particularly intersted in the wooden birch ball that had been crafted in a lathe by Kate Smith – it was so smooth and tactile. We wished we could have stayed longer but there was a Mod competition to attend and a 2.30 ferry to catch. However, it didn’t stop us from sharing one of our Mod poems with the crafters and attendees.

Our time was beautifully rounded off by some delicious cakes provided by local bakers and volunteers. Thank you to all the ‘Made in Raasay’ crafters for holding this event and showcasing their amazing work and inspiring us. Also a huge thank you to Lillian for the invite.

After two years of having no Nursery pupils, we are delighted that the Nursery is up and running again this year with 3 pupils enrolled.

Care Inspectorate Visit – At the very start of term 4, Raasay Primary School Nursery had an unannounced Care Inspectorate visit. We are delighted to share this report which reflects the very good provision which is in place for our Nursery pupils.

Raasay Primary School Nursery receives very good report.

Raasay Primary School Nursery recently had an unannounced Care Inspectorate visit. Following the inspection and evaluation process, the setting received a very good inspection report and identified the following Key Messages:

• Staff supported children’s care and learning routines with kindness and compassion which contributed to the development of strong and trusted relationships.
• Children’s choices were supported very well through a balance of planned and spontaneous play experiences and resources
• Play experiences across the nursery supported the development of children’s language, literacy and numeracy
• Children’s opportunities for play and learning were enhanced through strong connections to their own and wider communities
• Children benefited from regular outdoor play experiences which supported them to be active and healthy
• Families were actively involved in contributing to the development of the service
• Effective leadership and quality assurance processes supported the ongoing development of the service
• Very good staff deployment arrangements supported positive outcomes for children

Head Teacher, Wilma Duncan “I am delighted that the high quality provision at our Nursery has been reflected in the recent Care Inspectorate report. It recognises the varied learning opportunities and experiences that we offer our pupils and also the care, play and learning provision in our unique setting where linking with families and communities plays a central role. It was identified in the report that we maximise on our unique, island environment to offer opportunities to extend play and learning experiences. It was pleasing to see that the hard work and dedication of the staff team across the setting, who work collegiately to ensure positive outcomes for all children, was recognised. We look forward to building on these key strengths going forward.”

Pictured are Eilidh Byars, Early Years Support Worker, Wilma Duncan, Head Teacher and Katie Ann MacLeod, Early Years Practitioner with the pupils of Raasay Nursery.

The boys were delighted to have the opportunity to have a ‘Round Raasay’ cruise on the ‘Waverley’ – the world’s last sea-going paddle steamer. The boys had done their own research on the Waverley and had produced some fantastic floor books and information before going on the trip. They were then excited to see for themselves how the boat operated. They were delighted to get a visit to the wheelhouse and the engine room. During the trip the boys were also able to use the mapping and compass skills they have been learning in school to map their route from Kyle to Raasay. The boys displayed exemplary and responsible behaviour throughout and staff noted that three individual members of the publice approached them to say what well behaved and well mannered boys they are.

Some of the boys’ observations were as follows:

“I liked being on a steam boat and I had never been close to the Crowlin islands before. My favourite part was the visit to the wheelhouse where I learnt lots of different things and saw the pipe that the Captain can speak to the engine room through.” EH

“The Waverley is a marvellous and fantastic ship. I enjoyed seeing Brochel Castle and Dun Caan from the sea and I liked going through the gap between Raasay and Rona. The best bit was the visit to the wheelhouse” HD

“The Waverley trip was an exciting adventure for me. I thought that the engines were very well kept – if the engines were dirty this might make it break down or not work efficiently. The best bit was the visit to the engine room and seeing how all the different parts moved. I enjoyed seeing Raasay from the sea, we were very close to the coast.” AH

As you can see – the weather was fantastic – what an amazing experience for all!

On Wednesday 7th May our P5 pupil took part in the annual inter-schools cross country event for schools across the ASG. Well done to all who took part!

Raasay Primary School is currently undertaking the Scottish Book Trust accreditation programme – Reading Schools. This is designed to build and sustain a whole school reading culture and the award system builds from Core through to Gold. We are currently working through the requirements for the Core element and, if successful, we hope to be moving on to the Silver Action Plan in August. At their recent Pupil Council meeting, the boys identified that upgrading the library area would help to make reading for pleasure even more enjoyable. As well as their cosy couch, we now have an armchair with reading light, a clock, barometer, desk, rug, blanket, fairy lights and a world globe. The idea was to create a comfortable, cosy space where the boys can relax with a book during the school day. Pupils have D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) time every day, whereby they stop their work to pick up their reading for pleasure book Staff also have a personal reader which they can read, thereby modelling good reading practice. The boys, on occasion, visit the Nursery to read a book to the Nursery pupils and they also benefit from our sessions with Pets as Therapy dog, Freya. Of course, reading doesn’t stop with the English language and the boys are currently reading, and learning, their Gaelic poems for the local Mod.

We think the library space is very inviting – and the boys seem to be enjoying it too!

After our Easter Break – with some lovely weather, pupils were delighted to have their first P.E.kayaking session of the summer term. The weather was perfect for their first paddle out on the Home Loch and the boys are continuing to develop their skills.

Pupils in the Nursery created beautiful flower art as part of their learning about Mothers’ Day celebrations. They took inspiration from the garden and spring flowers to create their artwork. We hope that all Mums enjoyed their gifts and special day.

On Tuesday 25th March, Police Officers Rory Chalmers and Dawn Matheson visited the school as part of community engagement. The boys had the opportunity to find out more about what being a Police Officer involves and what duties they might do on a day to day basis.

The highlight for the boys was seeing round the Police vehicles and sounding the siren!