School restarts for the pupils Wed 22nd August.

Tuesday 26th -Boiler-suit day. That was the answer to the messy job of blacking and polishing the lead on the window.  Fiona warned us it would be hard work and it was but what a finish!  Music for Thursday  delivered to Mrs Priest in the evening on a CD.  Composed by the older pupils and recorded by the younger ones and their teacher, it certainly gives a feel for the old derelict house in a slow, minor key followed by a brighter jig for the house with the stained glass.

Wednesday 27th - Three older pupils off to Lerwick for the County Sports. The others went swimming  and handed in library books. Belated birthday bake for Marcus - chocolate crunchies.  Preparing check lists, boxes, jars with crushed glass and candles, batteries for the tape player, fused glass panels, grassy heads etc, etc and stained glass installed by Fiona ready for tomorrow.

Thursday 28th - The big day. Took everything to the old croft house in the morning and had a look at the windows before covering them with cloth. Shona and Micheal’s names came out of the hat for unveiling the windows. Back to the school for lunch. Best wishes for the afternoon from Mrs Coutts who is on her way back from ’sooth’.  Family and friends gather for the unveiling to the pupils’ music  ‘Vision for Valsgarth’.  Everyone was very impressed.

Tuesday 19th - More sports, this time the older pupils. Well done Emma who won the 800m and the high jump. She’s off to the County sports next week.

Wednesday 20th - Lerwick Day. Mrs Coutts attended meetings while the rest of the school had their photograph taken, visited the new Shetland museum and went swimming at the Clickimin Liesure Centre. The museum was amazing, we’ll be back.  Mrs Coutts looked in on us at the swimming pool and  used her influence to open the flumes and the rapids for us.  As we headed home, Mrs Coutts went to receive GTC recognition for her Coaching and Mentoring work along with 20 other Shetland teachers.

Thursday 21st - P7 were practising being S1 for the day. The QIO came calling to review our school development plan for next year. In the afternoon, music was in the recording studio in Baltasound where tracks were laid down for the stained glass music.

Friday 22nd -  P7 were practising being S1 again. Marcus had a birthday bake. Mrs Priest in Lerwick vsiting another school. No Art, finished a busy week

Tuesday 12th - Practised for cycling proficiency badge out on the road. Mrs Priest out with a check list. French teacher now coming on a Tuesday but it feels like a Thursday.

Wednesday 13th - Rehearsed music for ‘Valsgarth’ day when our stained glass will be presented to the public. Tune written by the girls. With change of timetable, up the road to Baltasound after morning break but it feels like a Tuesday.

Thursday 14th - Another visitor, this time the Educational Psychologist.  P7 up to Baltasound for Social Education. S1 beckons.

Friday 15th - Well done, cyclists! All the practice has paid off and they each got a really good bag of goodies with everything necessary for maintaining their bikes and their certificates. Elaine, the road safety officer, will be back next week to check the younger pupils’ bikes.

Transported flower plants from our greenhouse to Nordalea, the care centre, where we planted up our flower bed. Looked in to say hello to the old folk.  They always like to work out the geneology of the pupils.

Finished the week with Art, the same day in the new timetable!

Tuesday - Up to Baltasound earlier than usual to set up for the showcase. Only two of the older girls went to the netball tournament in Lerwick so we had an extra pair of hands to help. We were the only school from the North Isles to have a powerpoint running on our table. It certainly attracted attention. We made time to look at what other schools had been doing before taking part in the challenges for the day. Each school was given a new camera. It did not stay long in the box. We were the only school to have the batteries charged up and the camera in use before the end of the showcase before lunch! How’s that for enterprise!

 This was the final day of Ydance. It has been declared a great success by pupils and teachers alike.  Afterwards, we found an abandoned balloon buggy from the enterprise challenge in the school hall and a great time was had by all until it was time to go home.

Wednesday -  Busy in the garden and greenhouse planting out cabbages in the raised beds and lettuce under the cloche.  Next years, P1 in for the afternoon.  Assessment is for Learning phone survey at morning break and an ICT audit in the middle of lunch time.

Thursday -  ‘The bestest day ever’ was the comment from our P1 girl as we started back up over the field from visiting the Iron Age archaeological dig on the edge of a beautiful sandy beach. She would have loved to have removed the shells from the exposed midden! The experts have taken the level down another foot so we saw the hearth in the round house and all the bits and pieces removed from the dig this year so far.   Juice and biscuits disappeared in no time at all before playing on the sand and  playing hide and seek in and around the Viking house further along the same beach. 

Friday - The Cycling Proficiency lesson had to be classroom based because it was misty outside. And not just outside. An early call from Mrs Coutts to say the the planes were delayed due to fog.  The plane landed later at the diversionary airport.

In the afternoon, some of the pupils went to Baltasound School to take part in a jewellery workshop. The rest went trout fishing with Mrs Priest. No fish but we were away from the fog on the coast at the school and a good way the finish the week.

Tuesday  Strong northerly wind meant that the older pupil’s sailing was cancelled. Everyone did have the second session of  YDance- seriously good fun!   Had a guided tour of the polytunnels at the Baltasound School and came away with cabbage and cauliflower for our raised beds. Real Growing Together. After school the older girl’s headed off on the ferry to play netball in Yell.

Wednesday  Sailing  today in the afternoon. Exciting but no mishaps.  Really good practical maths working in two groups measuring wood for edging the path to the greenhouse. Everyone was convinved their measuring was correct but the wood was too short! Fortunately we had plenty of wood.

Thursday A P7 day. Our P7s were at Baltasound  for Social Ed. Meanwhile, we were playing host to P7 from Bressay School and their teachers. After breaktime, they headed off to Muness Castle. Music in the afternoon. Busy composing for the old croft house stained glass window project.    

Friday  Summer has arrived!  Great day for cycling proficiency, gardening and going for a walk with the Art teacher.  We had a visit from Labhaoise McKenna for SCAPE Trust to tell us that the work had started again and to give us excellent leaflets about the dig. She also reminded us about the photo competition. http://www.scapetrust.org/ctc

 Monday

Ha!Ha! Ha!  we are all on holiday and Mrs Coutts is having to work in Orkney.

Tuesday

Netball for the Upper Primary girls in Brae. The rest of us went to Baltasound as usual.

Wednesday

The excitement is starting to build as the girls prepare for Paris. Trying to have a very quiet day. Worked in the garden.

Thursday

The big day. P.7 went to Baltasound for the first of their transition days. Back down to have a final look at the weather in Paris. Wee ones seem to be relishing the fact they wil have the school to themselves next week.

 Friday

P.4 at Baltasound first thing. Very quiet in the class with only P.1-3. Not for long 7 folk from Orkney arrived for the weekend. 

Monday       Waste audit - We are up to speed with waste management, recycling and  reusing are second nature to us

Tuesday      Probationery teacher from the largest primary school in Shetland came to see how things are done in Uyeasound and went away with lots of ideas and hopes for her teaching career

Wednesday     The older girls went to play hockey in Brae. This involves travelling on two ferries either way and so we did not see them all day. 

Thursday       Passport  Yes. it was the biggest cheer of the week when we heard that Shona’s passport had arrived so she is off to Paris next week!   

We watched this foal being helped into the world in the field next to the school. Almost every pupil has Shetland ponies so there’s plenty of  equine vocabulary in use - piebald, skewbald, chestnut, filly, colt, horse, mare

Firday   Interschool sports - We were very proud of the three older girls who played an important part in the netball, against the team from our nearest island, Yell. They came back with medals and we have some good action photos taken at the game.   Mrs Coutts is off to work in Orkney. We looked up the Stromness primary school and felt a message on their blog.