Latest Parent Information

Please see our weekly update below.

P7 Raasay Trip

I was lucky enough to spend yesterday on Raasay seeing first-hand how much the P7s are enjoying their residential trip.  The class set off on Tuesday morning and will return home this afternoon after 4 days and 3 nights of fun and adventure.  After days of kayaking, coasteering, archery, and lots of other outdoors activities, I’m sure there will be some early nights and long lies on Saturday morning!

We look forward to having the P7 class back in school next week as they enter the home stretch of their time at Portree Primary School.

A special thank you to Miss MacKenzie, Mrs Deas, and Mrs MacNab, who have enabled the Raasay trip to go ahead by kindly giving up their time this week.  Supervising a big group of 12-year-olds away from home for a week is not for the faint-hearted!

Activities Week

Next week will be a bit of a different one in the school with various activities going on throughout the week.  Some highlights include:

• P1-3 visiting police station on Monday
• Whole school visiting cinema on Wednesday morning
• Whole School ‘Golden Time’ on Wednesday afternoon
• Archery competition by A.C.E. Target Sports on Thursday for P4-6
• Highland Hustle music and exercise session on Thursday for P1-7
• Fire Engine visiting the school on Thursday for P1-3
• Play session on King George and park for P7 and their buddies in P1-2 on Thursday
• P7 Sailing Taster Sessions
• P4 Sketching in the village

We’re all very much looking forward to an exciting week.

Skye School Swim Championship

I was proud to accompany a group of P4-7 pupils to the Skye School Swim Championship on Monday this week.  Each pupil took part in two races – a 50m breaststroke, and 100m freestyle.  I was delighted with the effort that everyone put in, and with how well they conducted themselves.  We have a number of very strong swimmers in our school!

Well done to Iga (P7) who came first overall for the girls, and Luka (P7) who was second overall for the boys.

A special mention to Ben, who was a bit nervous about being the only P4 from the school, but who did absolutely brilliantly..

Mod

Well done to all of the children who took part in the local Mod last week.  I know the P1-3s who performed the action song gave a great account of themselves and really enjoyed the experience.

We did also have some individual success, I was delighted to hear how well Hamish (P4) had done in the Highland Dancing competitions.  Well done Hamish!

Skye Week

Thank you to all pupils who represented the school at the Skye week parade last Saturday, then again to those who sang on Tuesday night.  They all did a great job.

Andy McKechnie: Olympic Street Jam – Pathway to Paris

It was great to have ‘Jammin’ Andy McKechnie in school again this week.  He led a whole school assembly then workshops for all classes.  The session used the upcoming Olympics as the backdrop to activities focused on developing a growth mindset.  As usual it was a very engaging session with lots of opportunities for dance and exercise.  Thanks for visiting Andy.

Community Café

The last Community Café of the school session takes place today (Friday 7^th June) at 11am.  This is being jointly run by the P1/2 class and P5 class, and is fundraising for Skye and Lochalsh Young Carers.

I would like to thank all members of the school community who have attended and supported our community café’s this session.  The pupils work so hard to bring it all together, and it is so rewarding having such positive turnouts.  We look forward to continuing these events into the 2024-25 school session.

Open Morning

Next Friday (14^th) June will be our school open morning.  All parents and carers are invited to come in to view their children’s work from 11.30am.

Members of our Parent Council will be in attendance serving tea and coffee.  I would encourage you to find out a bit more about what they do and consider lending a helping hand in the future.

Shinty Equipment Return

Could all shinty helmets and sticks that have been borrowed this year be returned to the school next week please?  I would like to audit our stock of equipment so that we are well prepared for loaning helmets and sticks next year.

Fake Nails

We’ve noticed a few of the girls in the school have taken to wearing long fake nails.  As glam as they may look, they do make things like writing quite challenging.  Could I ask parents to keep an eye on this and not allow long fake nails into school?

Parent Council

Our school Parent Council is on the lookout for new members.  Parent Council plays a key role in representing the views of parents, supporting the school, fundraising, and much more.  However, as a voluntary body it is reliant on members of the parent community offering their support.  To find out more about the Parent Council, please see the information on the school website: https://portreeprimary.wordpress.com/parents/parent-council/what-does-the-parent-council-do/ .

I would ask all parents to please consider supporting the vital work of the Parent Council.

Schools Out Programme – Active Schools

Please see message from Sarah Ross at Active Schools, with poster at the end of this email:

Its getting closer to Summer holidays and our schools out programme is now available online for bookings.

Please find attached a copy of our planned activities across the summer for pupils age 3- 15  if you haven’t had the chance to book already. We have activities running in Portree, Broadford and Dunvegan so we hope there will  be something for everyone.

A reminder that all activities must be booked online at https://booking.highlifehighland.com/

If you have any problems getting booked on then please get in touch with sarah.ross@highlifehighland.com

We hope to have some additional activities, but will update schools and our Portree Active Schools page as soon as they are confirmed, so make sure to keep a look out.

Key Dates for this term

Friday 7th June	11am	P1/2 and P5 hosting Community Café.
Week beginning 10th June	/	Activities week.
Friday 14th June	11.30am	Open morning.
Wednesday – Friday 19th-21st June	/	P7 Transition visit to Portree High School.  Other classes will be having transition time ‘moving up days’ on 20th/21st .
Wednesday 26th June	Tbc	Prizegiving ceremony.
Thursday 27th June	12 noon	School closes for last day of session 2023-24.

Dear Parents/Carers,

With June around the corner, we are now less than 4 weeks away from the summer holidays.  May has been a busy and exciting month, and June is shaping up to be just as good.

End of Year Reports

It was lovely to spend a few hours this week reading our pupil end of year reports.  Every single child in the school has made progress in their learning this year, and I am delighted with all of the amazing things our teachers have to say about them.

Please spend some time with your children talking about their reports.  Celebrate their successes and their hard work, and let them know how proud of them their teachers (and Head Teacher) are.

P7 Raasay Trip

The school will be a quieter place next week as the P7 class head off to Raasay for their residential trip.  The class are really looking forward to this experience and we wish them all the best.

Information has been sent to parents about arrangements, but just a reminder that pupils should arrive at Sconser between 9-9.15am on Tuesday 4^th June for the ferry departing at 9.25am.  On Friday 7^th June, pupils will arrive back at Sconser at 1.50pm and should be collected there.

If parents have any questions about arrangements then please contact the school.

School Improvement Planning

Thank you to everyone who has responded to the school improvement plan survey.  I will close this survey on Monday, so please take a look if you haven’t already (the average time taken to complete this is just two minutes!).

Survey link: https://forms.office.com/e/Sc4UEBUFzx

Local Mod

Best of luck to those pupils in P1-3 who are taking part in the local mod today.  They performed in front of the whole school at assembly yesterday and sounded absolutely fantastic.  They have already done themselves and the school proud with their efforts, and I’m sure that they will have a great time showing that off this afternoon.

Skye Week

We have a large group of pupils who will be taking part in the Skye Week parade tomorrow (Saturday 1^st June).  Remember to come dressed in school uniform!

We also have a group of pupils singing at the event in the square on Tuesday 4^th June.  They have been working hard on their songs and had the opportunity to perform in front of the school at this week’s assembly.  Much like the mod group, they sounded great.

Driving around the school

I have received complaints about driver behaviour around the school this week.  Could I ask parents to be extra cautious and be mindful of all the wee ones crossing roads in the mornings and afternoons?  Despite efforts having been made to fill the position, we still don’t have a crossing patroller outside the school – so please take great care.

I would also like to remind you that the pick-up and drop-off point for pupils is the carpark at the Community Centre, not outside the school.  In addition, the school carpark is for staff only, so I would not expect to see parents entering this to drop-off children.

Community Café

I would like to invite parents/carers and the extended community into the school for our last Community Café event of the year.  This will take place next Friday 7^th June and will be run jointly by the P1/2 and P5 class.  This event will be raising money for Skye and Lochalsh Young Carers.  Looking forward to seeing you there.

Uniform

I have noticed standards have slipped recently in relation to school uniform.  Pupils may wear sports kits to school when they have PE or dance lessons, but should be in full school uniform on days when they do not have these activities.  Our uniform policy can be found on the school website and handbook.  I have reminded pupils of their responsibilities in regards to uniform during assembly this week, and would ask that parents continue to support us with this. 

Mountain Warehouse

Last few days to use the Mountain Warehouse discount:

Mountain Warehouse have been in touch to offer parents a 20% discount across their website for a period of two weeks beginning Monday 20^th May.  Please see information below about how to receive this discount.

Discount code: CC202473
 
Feel free to explore our range of products and take advantage of this limited-time offer. This code will be valid for 2 weeks starting week commencing 20/05/24. Please note this code is only valid on orders sold and shipped by Mountain Warehouse.
 
Below I have included a link to our website and instructions on how to apply your discount code:
https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/
 
Once the items have been selected and added to your basket, please select the basket icon in the top right hand corner of the webpage. In the basket on the left hand side is the total spent, below there is a tab where you can enter your PROMO code. Please enter the discount code provided and select apply. This will apply the discount to your basket, you can then proceed to the checkout as usual.

Parent Council

Our school Parent Council is on the lookout for new members.  Parent Council plays a key role in representing the views of parents, supporting the school, fundraising, and much more.  However, as a voluntary body it is reliant on members of the parent community offering their support.  To find out more about the Parent Council, please see the information on the school website: https://portreeprimary.wordpress.com/parents/parent-council/what-does-the-parent-council-do/ .

I would ask all parents to please consider supporting the vital work of the Parent Council.

Active Schools

Please see message from Sarah Ross at Active Schools, with poster at the end of this email:

ACTIVE SCHOOLS ACTIVITIES- ONLINE NOW!!

Our community activities starting from Monday 22nd are now online for booking! Please see poster attached for what’s taken place. Please make sure that you re- book your child onto activities for the new term.

All these activities will take place at the Fingal Centre. We will have more information going out to individual schools about activities happening in your local area soon.

It would be great to have some new faces along, so make sure to book your place online at https://booking.highlifehighland.com/  You do not need to be a member to come to activities, but you will need to set up a pay as you go account to register.

Information about an exciting new Shinty session will be coming soon!!

We rely entirely on volunteers to deliver and support our activities in the community and across all our schools, so if you would like to set up something new for your school/community or keen to support our current activities, then we would love to hear from you! Please get in touch with sarah.ross@highlifehighland.com

Key Dates for this term

Friday 31st May	2pm	Local Mod.
Saturday 1st June	12.15pm	Skye Week Parade.
Monday 3rd June	11am	P7 pupils visiting PHS for Dynamic Earth workshop.
Monday 3rd June	Morning	P5-7 Swimming Championship – more details to follow.
Tuesday 4th June	6.30pm	Skye Week: Highland night/Hoolie in the square.  Pupils singing.
Wednesday 5th June	/	Visit from Andy McKechnie of Jammin Fitness to do the session: Olympic Street Jam – Pathway to Paris.  More information to follow.
Thursday 6th June	11am	P6 pupils visiting PHS for Dynamic Earth workshop.
Friday 7th June	10.30am	P1/2 and P5 hosting Community Café.
Week beginning 10th June	/	Activity Week All events tbc with days/times subject to change: Monday – P1-3 visit police station Tuesday morning – whole school cinema visit Tuesday – afternoon School picnic on KGV Wednesday – Fire Brigade visiting school Thursday – Archery competitions in school ACE target sports Various other outings and activities tbc
Friday 14th June	11.30am	Open morning.
Wednesday – Friday 19th-21st June	/	P7 Transition visit to Portree High School.  Other classes will be having transition time ‘moving up days’ on 20th/21st .
Wednesday 26th June	Tbc	Prizegiving ceremony.
Thursday 27th June	12 noon	School closes for last day of session 2023-24.

Sports Day

Sports Day takes place this morning at 10.30am on the King George V pitch.  Parents are welcome to attend.  Portree and Braes Community Trust will be filming some footage of the event.

Staffing

We have welcomed Mr Boyd Dickson on to our teaching team this week.  Mr Dickson will be working with us on a supply basis, covering classes across the school and also working with pupils in small group support sessions in literacy and numeracy.

Sporting Success

I was delighted to watch our Primary 7 team win the weekend’s Soccer 7s event in Kyleakin.  They played against some really difficult opposition and managed to prevail after a nail-biting penalty shootout in the final.  Well done to all of the boys involved – you were an absolute credit to yourselves and your school!  Thank you to Ross Hill and Charlie Campbell for all of their efforts coaching the P7 team, and thank you to all parent helpers and spectators for their ongoing support.  Last weekend’s event was tinged with sadness, as it is the last time that the current P7 group will represent Portree Primary, however we look forward to hearing about the future footballing success of this talented group of lads.

Our other team, made up of P4 and P5s, also gave a good account of themselves on the day, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how this group will develop into a competitive team in future years.

Activity Week

I had indicated some weeks ago that I felt it unlikely that our planned school trips would go ahead.  This is due to a lack of availability of transport for classes.  I am very disappointed that this is the case, however we will be adapting to this by planning a whole school activity week on w/c 10^th June instead.  We are busy planning our activities for the week, and will let you know details when they are confirmed.

If parents have any suggestions for local activities that we should consider, then I’d be very happy to hear them.

School Improvement Planning

At this time of year, we evaluate how far we have come in our School Improvement Plan, and think about how to continue this improvement into future years.  Parents and carers are vital partners in everything we do in the school, and improvement planning is no different.  I would really value your thoughts and opinions on our school improvement plan and have included a link to a short survey (only 4 questions, should take no more than 5-10 minutes) to help gather these.  I would very much appreciate any comments that you may have. 

Survey link: https://forms.office.com/e/Sc4UEBUFzx

Local Mod

Pupils in P1-3 have been rehearsing two action songs for entry in this year’s Mod on Friday 31^st May .  Information has been sent on to those involved.  I’ve been listening in to rehearsals and it’s sounding good!

Skye Week

Our pupils have been invited to take part in some events for Skye Week.  We will have a group of pupils involved in the parade on Saturday 1^st June, and a group of pupils singing on the evening of Tuesday 4^th June.  Information letters have gone out to pupils who have expressed an interest in taking part.  Please return permission slips as soon as possible.

Playground Behaviour

I have had cause to speak to a number of pupils this week about their behaviour in the playground.  Some children are engaging in some rather rough play, which is leading to upset, and in some cases injury.  Our Pupil Support Assistants do a great job in maintaining good order in the playground, but pupils must also play their part in this.  I have reminded all pupils of their responsibilities for good behaviour and respect for each other in the playground.  I would ask that parents and carers remind their children of expectations of good behaviour, and also encourage them to report poor behaviour to school staff.  This is a really important step in dealing with issues as they arise, because not all poor behaviour is spotted as it happens.

Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP)

Parents of children in P5-7 have been invited to attend the school on Wednesday 29^th May at 2.45pm if they wish to view teaching materials or ask staff questions about RSHP lessons.

Mountain Warehouse

Mountain Warehouse have been in touch to offer parents a 20% discount across their website for a period of two weeks beginning Monday 20^th May.  Please see information below about how to receive this discount.

Discount code: CC202473
 
Feel free to explore our range of products and take advantage of this limited-time offer. This code will be valid for 2 weeks starting week commencing 20/05/24. Please note this code is only valid on orders sold and shipped by Mountain Warehouse.
 
Below I have included a link to our website and instructions on how to apply your discount code:
https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/
 
Once the items have been selected and added to your basket, please select the basket icon in the top right hand corner of the webpage. In the basket on the left hand side is the total spent, below there is a tab where you can enter your PROMO code. Please enter the discount code provided and select apply. This will apply the discount to your basket, you can then proceed to the checkout as usual.

End of Year Reports

End of year reports will be going home to parents on Wednesday 29^th May.  Reports will be taken home by your child.  If you require an additional copy of the report (for example in the case of parents who don’t live together), please let the school know so that we can get one to you.

Parent Council

Our school Parent Council is on the lookout for new members.  Parent Council plays a key role in representing the views of parents, supporting the school, fundraising, and much more.  However, as a voluntary body it is reliant on members of the parent community offering their support.  To find out more about the Parent Council, please see the information on the school website: https://portreeprimary.wordpress.com/parents/parent-council/what-does-the-parent-council-do/ .

I would ask all parents to please consider supporting the vital work of the Parent Council.

Active Schools

Please see message from Sarah Ross at Active Schools, with poster at the end of this email:

ACTIVE SCHOOLS ACTIVITIES- ONLINE NOW!!

Our community activities starting from Monday 22nd are now online for booking! Please see poster attached for what’s taken place. Please make sure that you re- book your child onto activities for the new term.

All these activities will take place at the Fingal Centre. We will have more information going out to individual schools about activities happening in your local area soon.

It would be great to have some new faces along, so make sure to book your place online at https://booking.highlifehighland.com/  You do not need to be a member to come to activities, but you will need to set up a pay as you go account to register.

Information about an exciting new Shinty session will be coming soon!!

We rely entirely on volunteers to deliver and support our activities in the community and across all our schools, so if you would like to set up something new for your school/community or keen to support our current activities, then we would love to hear from you! Please get in touch with sarah.ross@highlifehighland.com

Key Dates for this term

Date	Time	Event
Friday 24th May	/	Sports Day.  With a ‘rain date’ of 31st May.
Wednesday 29th May	/	Pupil reports to be issued to parents.
Friday 31st May	2pm	Local Mod.
Saturday 1st June	12.15pm	Skye Week Parade.
Monday 3rd June	11am	P7 pupils visiting PHS for Dynamic Earth workshop.
Monday 3rd June	Morning	P5-7 Swimming Championship – more details to follow.
Tuesday 4th June	6.30pm	Skye Week: Highland night/Hoolie in the square.  Pupils singing.
Wednesday 5th June	/	Visit from Andy McKechnie of Jammin Fitness to do the session: Olympic Street Jam – Pathway to Paris.  More information to follow.
Thursday 6th June	11am	P6 pupils visiting PHS for Dynamic Earth workshop.
Friday 7th June	Morning	P1/2 and P5 hosting Community Café.
Week beginning 10th June	/	Activity Week
Friday 14th June	Tbc	Open morning.
Wednesday – Friday 19th-21st June	/	P7 Transition visit to Portree High School.  Other classes will be having transition time ‘moving up days’ on 20th/21st .
Wednesday 26th June	Tbc	Prizegiving ceremony.
Thursday 27th June	12 noon	School closes for last day of session 2023-24.

Dear parents/carers,

Please see this week’s update below.

Music Workshops

Katy Bell visited our school this week to deliver music workshops to all pupils.  Katy’s cello music went down very well with our classes who really enjoyed listening to her rendition of some of Bach’s compositions.  Pupils also got the chance to try some composing of their own.  Thanks for visiting Katy!

More information on Katy’s music can be found here: https://livemusicnow.scot/musicians/directory/katy-bell/

Shinty Coaching Sessions and Competition

A different Katie – Regional shinty development officer, Katie Drain – visited the school on Wednesday to deliver a shinty coaching workshop to pupils in P4-6.  These sessions were very well received by pupils.  Thank you very much Katie.

Skye Shinty Academy will be holding a shinty competition next week on Thursday 23^rd.  The details for this have not been finalised yet, however it is expected that this will take place in Portree at around 5pm.

We are keen to encourage more pupils to take up shinty, and the competition next week will focus on development.  We are looking for pupils who have had a little experience of shinty through either school sessions or sessions with the shinty academy, but as it is a development competition they will not be in direct competition with the more experienced players.  This is a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to get a bit more involved in shinty and to build their confidence.

A letter has been sent home to interested pupils.

P7 Photo in P&J

Keep your eye out for our P7 class whose photo will be in the ‘Class of 2024’ section of this Saturday’s Press & Journal.

School photographer

Thank you to Al from Locheil Photographics who visited the school this week to take class photos.  For those interested, I will send information about how to purchase a class photo when they are available.

Sports Day

We’re busy preparing for Sports Day which will be held a week today (Friday 24^th May), providing the weather holds up.  The event will start at 10.30pm on the King George V pitch, and parents are welcome to attend.

Should the weather not be suitable, the following Friday (31^st) will be used as a back-up.

Mountain Warehouse

Mountain Warehouse have been in touch to offer parents a 20% discount across their website for a period of two weeks beginning Monday 20^th May.  Please see information below about how to receive this discount.

Discount code: CC202473
 
Feel free to explore our range of products and take advantage of this limited-time offer. This code will be valid for 2 weeks starting week commencing 20/05/24. Please note this code is only valid on orders sold and shipped by Mountain Warehouse.
 
Below I have included a link to our website and instructions on how to apply your discount code:
https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/
 
Once the items have been selected and added to your basket, please select the basket icon in the top right hand corner of the webpage. In the basket on the left hand side is the total spent, below there is a tab where you can enter your PROMO code. Please enter the discount code provided and select apply. This will apply the discount to your basket, you can then proceed to the checkout as usual.

End of Year Reports

End of year reports will be going home to parents near the end of May.  Reports will be taken home by your child.  If you require an additional copy of the report (for example in the case of parents who don’t live together), please let the school know so that we can get one to you.

Parent Council

Our school Parent Council is on the lookout for new members.  Parent Council plays a key role in representing the views of parents, supporting the school, fundraising, and much more.  However, as a voluntary body it is reliant on members of the parent community offering their support.  To find out more about the Parent Council, please see the information on the school website: https://portreeprimary.wordpress.com/parents/parent-council/what-does-the-parent-council-do/ .

I would ask all parents to please consider supporting the vital work of the Parent Council.

Soccer 7’s

The next Soccer 7s event will take place this Saturday 18^th May in Kyleakin.  This will be a competitive tournament, with fixtures drawn on the day.  Please arrive around 10.15 a.m. for a 10.30 a.m. start

We will have three teams participating.  An information letter has been sent home with pupils involved.  If your child can’t make it, then please let me know by email.

Kits will be handed out and collected back in on the day.

Active Schools

Please see message from Sarah Ross at Active Schools, with poster at the end of this email:

ACTIVE SCHOOLS ACTIVITIES- ONLINE NOW!!

Our community activities starting from Monday 22nd are now online for booking! Please see poster attached for what’s taken place. Please make sure that you re- book your child onto activities for the new term.

All these activities will take place at the Fingal Centre. We will have more information going out to individual schools about activities happening in your local area soon.

It would be great to have some new faces along, so make sure to book your place online at https://booking.highlifehighland.com/  You do not need to be a member to come to activities, but you will need to set up a pay as you go account to register.

Information about an exciting new Shinty session will be coming soon!!

We rely entirely on volunteers to deliver and support our activities in the community and across all our schools, so if you would like to set up something new for your school/community or keen to support our current activities, then we would love to hear from you! Please get in touch with sarah.ross@highlifehighland.com

Key Dates for this term

Date	Time	Event
Thursday 16th and Friday 17th May	/	Musician visit and session with all classes.  Solo LMNS cellist, Katy Bell – click here to find out more.
Saturday 18th May	10.30am	Soccer 7s – Kyleakin
Friday 24th May	/	Sports Day.  With a ‘rain date’ of 31st May.
Wednesday 29th May	/	Pupil reports to be issued to parents.
Monday 3rd June	11am	P7 pupils visiting PHS for Dynamic Earth workshop.
Monday 3rd June	Morning	P5-7 Swimming Championship – more details to follow.
Wednesday 5th June	/	Visit from Andy McKechnie of Jammin Fitness to do the session: Olympic Street Jam – Pathway to Paris.  More information to follow.
Thursday 6th June	11am	P6 pupils visiting PHS for Dynamic Earth workshop.
Friday 7th June	Morning	P1/2 and P5 hosting Community Café.
Week beginning 10th June	/	School trips hoped to take place this week. Tbc.
Friday 14th June	Tbc	Open morning.
Wednesday – Friday 19th-21st June	/	P7 Transition visit to Portree High School.  Other classes will be having transition time ‘moving up days’ on 20th/21st .
Wednesday 26th June	Tbc	Prizegiving ceremony.
Thursday 27th June	12 noon	School closes for last day of session 2023-24.

Science workshops

Our classes were busy with two different science workshops this week.  On Tuesday, Steven from Celeld Rocks (http://www.celeldrocks.co.uk/) visited to work with P4 and P7 on the subject of rocks, minerals and volcanoes.  Pupils really enjoyed this – particularly the practical volcanic eruption out in the playground.  Many thanks to Steven for visiting.

On Thursday, all pupils in P5-7 were involved in a ‘Creative Coding’ workshop where they learned how to use Scratch to program a robot.  A thoroughly enjoyable session – thank you to the team from Generation Science for putting this on.

Portree School Bus Drop-off

There have been some concerns raised this week about where the Portree School Bus is dropping off pupils.  Stagecoach have confirmed that due to the traffic lights at Struan Road junction, they plan to drop pupils off at the bus stop near the co-op.

Cross Country

Well done to our cross country teams who represented the school in the Skye Active Schools Cross Country Championship.  It was a very competitive event, with some very strong runners from across Skye.  Both our girls and boys teams finished third overall – very well done!

School Trips

Over the last several weeks we have been planning our school trips scheduled for June.  Unfortunately, we have been unable to secure any coach transport, having tried several different providers both locally and further afield.  As a result, it appears unlikely that our traditional school trips will go ahead as planned.  We are looking at contingency arrangements which would allow pupils to access activities within walking distance of the school.  More details on this will follow.

Going forward we will have to look at how school trips are organised in future years.  Given that transport providers are increasingly unable to offer their services during the busy month of June, we will give consideration to organising school trips at earlier times in the year.

End of Year Reports

End of year reports will be going home to parents near the end of May.  Reports will be taken home by your child.  If you require an additional copy of the report (for example in the case of parents who don’t live together), please let the school know so that we can get one to you.

Parent Council

Our school Parent Council is on the lookout for new members.  Parent Council plays a key role in representing the views of parents, supporting the school, fundraising, and much more.  However, as a voluntary body it is reliant on members of the parent community offering their support.  To find out more about the Parent Council, please see the information on the school website: https://portreeprimary.wordpress.com/parents/parent-council/what-does-the-parent-council-do/ .

I would ask all parents to please consider supporting the vital work of the Parent Council.

Soccer 7’s

The next Soccer 7s event will take place on Saturday 18^th May in Kyleakin.  This will be a competitive tournament, with fixtures drawn on the day.

Permission slips have gone out.  I will need these returned by Monday 13^th May as I have a deadline for submitting teams of Tuesday 14^th.

Future Soccer 7s events will take place on:

Date	Time	Location
18th May 2024	10.30am-1pm	Kyleakin

Active Schools

Please see message from Sarah Ross at Active Schools, with poster at the end of this email:

ACTIVE SCHOOLS ACTIVITIES- ONLINE NOW!!

Our community activities starting from Monday 22nd are now online for booking! Please see poster attached for what’s taken place. Please make sure that you re- book your child onto activities for the new term.

All these activities will take place at the Fingal Centre. We will have more information going out to individual schools about activities happening in your local area soon.

It would be great to have some new faces along, so make sure to book your place online at https://booking.highlifehighland.com/  You do not need to be a member to come to activities, but you will need to set up a pay as you go account to register.

Information about an exciting new Shinty session will be coming soon!!

We rely entirely on volunteers to deliver and support our activities in the community and across all our schools, so if you would like to set up something new for your school/community or keen to support our current activities, then we would love to hear from you! Please get in touch with sarah.ross@highlifehighland.com

Key Dates for this term

Date	Time	Event
Wednesday 15th – Thursday 16th May	/	Childsmile – fluoride varnishing.
Thursday 16th and Friday 17th May	/	Musician visit and session with all classes.  Solo LMNS cellist, Katy Bell – click here to find out more.
Saturday 18th May	10.30am	Soccer 7s – Kyleakin
Friday 24th May	/	Sports Day.  With a ‘rain date’ of 31st May.
Wednesday 29th May	/	Pupil reports to be issued to parents.
Wednesday 5th June	/	Visit from Andy McKechnie of Jammin Fitness to do the session: Olympic Street Jam – Pathway to Paris.  More information to follow.
Week beginning 10th June	/	School trips hoped to take place this week. Tbc.
Friday 14th June	Tbc	Open morning.
Wednesday – Friday 19th-21st June	/	P7 Transition visit to Portree High School.  Other classes will be having transition time ‘moving up days’ on 20th/21st .
Wednesday 26th June	Tbc	Prizegiving ceremony.
Thursday 27th June	12 noon	School closes for last day of session 2023-24.

It’s been a shorter week here at PPS due to our in-service day.  Next week will only be four days as well due to the holiday on Monday 6^th.  Let’s hope the spell of lovely weather holds up!

Staffing

Today is Mrs Caleigh MacDonald’s last day working in Portree Primary.  Caleigh has worked in the school for the past 8 years as a PSA, and has supported hundreds of learners in that time.  As she leaves to embark on a new career with the NHS, we wish her all the very best.

P5-7 Generation Science Workshops – Creative Coding

We are excited to welcome in the team from Generation Science next week to do some ‘creative coding workshops with pupils in P5-7.  Please see information below about these sessions.

PROGRAM A DANCING ROBOT

Get your class programming together to complete challenges and create a robot disco in

this hands-on interactive workshop. Students will use the programming language Scratch to

program Marty the Robot™ to follow commands and navigate its way around our obstacle

course. As they explore programming students will develop their logic and problem-solving

skills all with a little help from our humanoid robots.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Describe what robots are and why they are useful

• Create basic computer programs for robots to perform simple tasks

• Troubleshoot basic computer programs to identify why a robot is not performing as expected

• Recall how different sensors can be used to control a robot’s movement

• Explain the concept of a ‘loop’ when referring to a computer program

• Explain the concept of ‘if-then’ statements when referring to a computer program

Cross Country

The Skye Active Schools cross country event will take place next Wednesday 8^th May.  Representing the school will be two teams of boys and girls who were the top performers in P5-7 from our school cross country event.  Permission slips have been sent home and should be returned as soon as possible.

Assembly

Our whole school assembly this week was a pupil showcase.  It was fantastic to see a range of talents including art by Isaac (P6), Tarran (P5) and Ellie (P5), music by Lilly and Caterina (P5), storytelling by Joni (P5), and magic by Skye (P5).  There were lots of children in P1-4 who wanted to participate in showcase but we sadly ran out of time (45 minutes was not enough!).  I look forward to seeing them at the next showcase assembly.

Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP)

This term pupils in P5-7 will be receiving lessons on relationships, sexual health, and parenthood (RSHP).  This is an important aspect of our health & wellbeing curriculum.  More information on the topics covered will be shared with parents in the coming weeks.

End of Year Reports

End of year reports will be going home to parents near the end of May.  Reports will be taken home by your child.  If you require an additional copy of the report (for example in the case of parents who don’t live together), please let the school know so that we can get one to you.

Online Bullying

I was very disappointed this week to receive reports of online bullying involving some of our pupils.  There have been instances of pupils engaging in some very serious verbal abuse of others in the context of video gaming.  We will be working as a school to remind pupils that bullying is bullying – regardless of whether that is in person or online.  I would ask that parents continue to closely monitor their children’s online behaviour, as it is an environment that can leave them very vulnerable.

Parent Council

Our school Parent Council is on the lookout for new members.  Parent Council plays a key role in representing the views of parents, supporting the school, fundraising, and much more.  However, as a voluntary body it is reliant on members of the parent community offering their support.  To find out more about the Parent Council, please see the information on the school website: https://portreeprimary.wordpress.com/parents/parent-council/what-does-the-parent-council-do/ .

I would ask all parents to please consider supporting the vital work of the Parent Council.

Prizegiving trophies

Thank you to those who have returned prizegiving trophies.  A reminder that I require all trophies to be returned to the school by Tuesday 7^th May.

Soccer 7’s

Last weekend’s Soccer 7s event in Portree was a great success – ell done to all of the pupils involved.  We had a team from P4, P6 and P7, and each of them represented the school brilliantly.  Thank you to the parent helpers who coached the teams on the day – we can’t send teams to these events without the support of volunteers, so it is much appreciated.

We’re already looking forward to the next (and final) event of the session which will take place on Saturday 18^th May in Kyleakin (please note that this is different to the date which has appeared in the weekly update for the last few months.)  This will be a competitive tournament, with fixtures drawn on the day.

Permission slips for this event will go out next week.  I will need these returned by Monday 13^th May as I have a deadline for submitting teams of Tuesday 14^th.

Future Soccer 7s events will take place on:

Date	Time	Location
18th May 2024	10.30am-1pm	Kyleakin

Active Schools

Please see message from Sarah Ross at Active Schools, with poster at the end of this email:

ACTIVE SCHOOLS ACTIVITIES- ONLINE NOW!!

Our community activities starting from Monday 22nd are now online for booking! Please see poster attached for what’s taken place. Please make sure that you re- book your child onto activities for the new term.

All these activities will take place at the Fingal Centre. We will have more information going out to individual schools about activities happening in your local area soon.

It would be great to have some new faces along, so make sure to book your place online at https://booking.highlifehighland.com/  You do not need to be a member to come to activities, but you will need to set up a pay as you go account to register.

Information about an exciting new Shinty session will be coming soon!!

We rely entirely on volunteers to deliver and support our activities in the community and across all our schools, so if you would like to set up something new for your school/community or keen to support our current activities, then we would love to hear from you! Please get in touch with sarah.ross@highlifehighland.com

Key Dates for this term

Date	Time	Event
Friday 3rd May	/	School Eco Day.
Monday 6th May	/	School closed for May holiday (reopens Tuesday 7th).
Tuesday 7th May	Morning	Rocks and volcanoes workshop for P4 & P7 by Celeld Rocks http://www.celeldrocks.co.uk/
Wednesday 8th May	11am-1230pm	Skye School Cross Country P5-7.
Thursday 9th May	/	Generation Science Workshops for P5-7 ‘Creative Coding’.
Wednesday 15th – Thursday 16th May	/	Childsmile – fluoride varnishing.
Thursday 16th and Friday 17th May	/	Musician visit and session with all classes.  Solo LMNS cellist, Katy Bell – click here to find out more.
Saturday 18th May	10.30am	Soccer 7s – Kyleakin
Friday 24th May	/	Sports Day.  With a ‘rain date’ of 31st May.
Wednesday 29th May	/	Pupil reports to be issued to parents.
Wednesday 5th June	/	Visit from Andy McKechnie of Jammin Fitness to do the session: Olympic Street Jam – Pathway to Paris.  More information to follow.
Week beginning 10th June	/	School trips hoped to take place this week. Tbc.
Friday 14th June	Tbc	Open morning.
Wednesday – Friday 19th-21st June	/	P7 Transition visit to Portree High School.  Other classes will be having transition time ‘moving up days’ on 20th/21st .
Wednesday 26th June	Tbc	Prizegiving ceremony.
Thursday 27th June	12 noon	School closes for last day of session 2023-24.

The Easter holidays now seem a distant memory, and our pupils have settled back into familiar routines.  We’ve all enjoyed a spell of good weather this week, and most classes have managed to get in some nice outdoor activities.

A reminder that next Thursday (2^nd May) the school will be closed for the final In-service day of the year.  Staff will be spending some time evaluating the progress which has been made towards our School Improvement Plan priorities this session.

Cross Country

Pupils in P4-7 took part in our school’s cross-country championship on Wednesday afternoon, cheered on by P1-3 pupils.

It was excellent to see almost full participation from the children, they did themselves proud with their efforts.  The winning boy was Grant (P7), and the winning girl was Iga (P7) – a very impressive performance from each of them.  2^nd and 3^rd place boys were also P7s – Ally and Luka.  The 2^nd and 3^rd place girls were Ailsa and Brooke, also in P7.

This event will be used as qualifying for the Skye schools cross-country which takes place on Wednesday 8^th May.  More information on teams for this event will follow shortly.

Youth Speaks

I was delighted to be on the judging panel for P7 Youth Speaks on Wednesday morning alongside Ms Lynn Strachan (returning to the school for the first time since her retirement in February).  A wide range of topics were discussed including tourism on Skye, girls football participation, the state of public toilets, and poverty in the UK.  All the topics were well chosen and relevant, and there had clearly been a significant amount of work done in researching and preparing speeches.  I was very impressed with the overall standard of the talks, with speakers being highly engaging and very confident – well done everyone!

The overall winning talk was delivered by Anna, Nancy, and Skye – who spoke about the importance of youngsters spending more time in nature.  Their arguments were thought provoking, compelling, and were delivered expertly.  Great job girls!

Parent Council

Our school Parent Council is on the lookout for new members.  Parent Council plays a key role in representing the views of parents, supporting the school, fundraising, and much more.  However, as a voluntary body it is reliant on members of the parent community offering their support.  To find out more about the Parent Council, please see the information on the school website: https://portreeprimary.wordpress.com/parents/parent-council/what-does-the-parent-council-do/ .

I would ask all parents to please consider supporting the vital work of the Parent Council.

Prizegiving trophies

Thank you to those who have returned prizegiving trophies.  A reminder that I require all trophies to be returned to the school by Tuesday 7^th May.

Extracurricular activities

I thoroughly enjoyed coaching the first P4-7 girls football session this Tuesday.  We have some very motivated and talented players, and I look forward to working with them over the next two months.  There are still places available to join this group – any interested girls should let me know.  Please note there will not be a session next Tuesday (30^th April).

Tuesday evening this week also saw our first P2-4 shinty session.  I popped my head in just before the start of the session and there were lots of excited looking youngsters desperate to get stuck in.  Thank you to our parent volunteers for running this session.

I know how valued extracurricular activities are by parents and pupils, and I would like to have a wider range of them available.  However, they are fully dependent on volunteers – so if you would like to help, then please be in touch, as we are always on the lookout for helping hands.

This term’s extra-curricular activities are:

• P2-4 Shinty (Tuesday 6pm at Fingal Centre)
• P4-7 Girls football (Tuesday 3.30-4.45 on MUGA)
• Disney Playmakers football (Thursday in school gym – start date tbc)
• Nan’s Band (Tuesday)
• Running Club (tbc)

Soccer 7’s

The next soccer 7s will take place tomorrow (Saturday 27^th April) in Portree.  We have entered three teams into this event.  A final information letter with team lines and fixtures will go home with pupils involved today.

Please note that for this and future events, school kits will be distributed to pupils on the day, and then collected back in on the day to be washed in the school.  Participants will be asked to wear their own shorts and socks.  This is necessary as the distribution of kits and later collection is quite a time-consuming activity which we are unable to do in school.

Future Soccer 7s events will take place on:

Date	Time	Location
27th April 2024	10.30am-1pm	Portree
28th May 2024 **please note change of date from 18/05/24**	10.30am-1pm	Kyleakin

Active Schools

Please see message from Sarah Ross at Active Schools, with poster at the end of this email:

ACTIVE SCHOOLS ACTIVITIES- ONLINE NOW!!

Our community activities starting from Monday 22nd are now online for booking! Please see poster attached for what’s taken place. Please make sure that you re- book your child onto activities for the new term.

All these activities will take place at the Fingal Centre. We will have more information going out to individual schools about activities happening in your local area soon.

It would be great to have some new faces along, so make sure to book your place online at https://booking.highlifehighland.com/  You do not need to be a member to come to activities, but you will need to set up a pay as you go account to register.

Information about an exciting new Shinty session will be coming soon!!

We rely entirely on volunteers to deliver and support our activities in the community and across all our schools, so if you would like to set up something new for your school/community or keen to support our current activities, then we would love to hear from you! Please get in touch with sarah.ross@highlifehighland.com

Key Dates for this term

Date	Time	Event
Thursday 2nd May	/	School closed for staff in-service (reopens Friday 3rd).
Friday 3rd May	/	School Eco Day.
Monday 6th May	/	School closed for May holiday (reopens Tuesday 7th).
Wednesday 8th May	11am-1230pm	Skye School Cross Country P5-7.
Thursday 9th May	/	Generation Science Workshops (more information to follow).
Wednesday 15th – Thursday 16th May	/	Childsmile – fluoride varnishing.
Thursday 16th and Friday 17th May	/	Musician visit and session with all classes.  Solo LMNS cellist, Katy Bell – click here to find out more.
Friday 24th May	/	Sports Day.  With a ‘rain date’ of 31st May.
Wednesday 29th May	/	Pupil reports to be issued to parents.
Wednesday 5th June	/	Visit from Andy McKechnie of Jammin Fitness to do the session: Olympic Street Jam – Pathway to Paris.  More information to follow.
Week beginning 10th June	/	School trips hoped to take place this week. Tbc.
Friday 14th June	Tbc	Open morning.
Wednesday – Friday 19th-21st June	/	P7 Transition visit to Portree High School.  Other classes will be having transition time ‘moving up days’ on 20th/21st .
Wednesday 26th June	Tbc	Prizegiving ceremony.
Thursday 27th June	12 noon	School closes for last day of session 2023-24.

Pupils Travelling by Bus

With a growing number of pupils taking the bus, could you please ensure that you let your child’s class teacher know directly when this is the case, in order that they are dismissed on time.  Bus pupils leave class at 3.25 p.m. each day to catch the bus, however, recently there have been pupils running late as staff have not been aware that they are taking the bus.  Equally, the 3.25 p.m. dismissal is only for pupils who are travelling on the bus that day.

Information about Head Lice

Head Lice are a common problem in school aged children. They can’t be prevented, but regular checking ensures early detection and treatment if necessary. Parents and carers should check their children’s head once a week during hair washing. You need your usual shampoo, conditioner, and a detection comb – ask your local pharmacist to recommend a suitable one. Remember that you are looking for living moving lice, the only evidence that your child is infected. If you find a living louse, ask your local pharmacist, school nurse, health visitor or GP for advice regarding treatment.

For further information see: http://www.nits.net/bugbusting http://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk – search on head lice.

It was lovely to welcome our pupils back on Monday for the beginning of a busy and exciting term 4.  The summer term always goes by in a flash – it’s only 10 weeks until the end of session and we will be packing a lot into that time.

Assembly

The purpose of this week’s assembly was to welcome back all pupils and set out expectations for the term ahead.  Pupils were reminded that whilst the weeks ahead will be exciting – with lots of great activities to look forward to such as school trips, sports day, etc. – there is a continuing expectation of excellent behaviour, and engagement with learning.  I spoke to pupils about:

• Following instructions from all adults in the school
• Speaking with respect to adults and peers
• Moving around the school in a calm and orderly fashion.

Illness in the school

I wrote to parents by email this week regarding illness in the school.  Please see a copy of that email below if you haven’t already:

I am writing to inform you that we have a few illnesses doing the rounds in our school at the moment including confirmed cases of whooping cough and strep A.  As both of these illnesses can be spread quite easily by close contact I would ask that you keep a close eye out for symptoms, and keep your child off school if they are unwell.

More information on whooping cough and strep A can be found at the following links:

1. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/whooping-cough/
2. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/strep-a/

P7 Young Leaders

Our P7 young leaders have been running various activities at break and lunch times including sports and art.  The young leaders will now be running a weekly ‘Breakfast Boogie’ in the school gym on Fridays at 8.45 am.

Well done to the young leaders for their efforts in running these activities, which have all been very much appreciated by the younger children who have attended.

Prizegiving trophies

Could I ask that any child who received a school trophy at prizegiving last June return them to the school by Tuesday 7^th May?  Having the trophies returned to us early is very important in the organisation of this year’s prizegiving event.

Parents are reminded that they may have their child’s name engraved on the trophy if they wish.  Please make your own arrangements for this.

Extracurricular activities

Please see below a list of the extra-curricular activities we expect to have available in term 4.  If any parent would like to volunteer their time for an activity then please let me know.

• P2-4 Shinty (Tuesday 6pm at Fingal Centre)
• P4-7 Girls football (Tuesday 3.30-4.45 on MUGA)
• Disney Playmakers football (Thursday in school gym – start date tbc)
• Nan’s Band (Tuesday)
• Running Club (tbc)

Soccer 7’s

The next soccer 7s will take place on Saturday 27^th April 2024 in Portree.  We will have 3 teams entered in this event – permission slips have gone home this week, and I would ask that they are returned as soon as possible.

Please note that for this and future events, school kits will be distributed to pupils on the day, and then collected back in on the day to be washed in the school.  Participants will be asked to wear their own shorts and socks.  This is necessary as the distribution of kits and later collection is quite a time-consuming activity which we are unable to do in school.

Future Soccer 7s events will take place on:

Date	Time	Location
27th April 2024	10.30am-1pm	Portree (tbc)
28th May 2024 **please note change of date from 18/05/24**	10.30am-1pm	Kyleakin

Active Schools

Please see message from Sarah Ross at Active Schools, with poster at the end of this email:

ACTIVE SCHOOLS ACTIVITIES- ONLINE NOW!!

Our community activities starting from Monday 22nd are now online for booking! Please see poster attached for what’s taken place. Please make sure that you re- book your child onto activities for the new term.

All these activities will take place at the Fingal Centre. We will have more information going out to individual schools about activities happening in your local area soon.

It would be great to have some new faces along, so make sure to book your place online at https://booking.highlifehighland.com/  You do not need to be a member to come to activities, but you will need to set up a pay as you go account to register.

Information about an exciting new Shinty session will be coming soon!!

We rely entirely on volunteers to deliver and support our activities in the community and across all our schools, so if you would like to set up something new for your school/community or keen to support our current activities, then we would love to hear from you! Please get in touch with sarah.ross@highlifehighland.com

Key Dates for this term

Date	Time	Event
Wednesday 24th April	2pm	School Cross Country for P4-7.  Back-up ‘rain date’ will be 1st May.
Thursday 2nd May	/	School closed for staff in-service (reopens Friday 3rd).
Friday 3rd May	/	School Eco Day.
Monday 6th May	/	School closed for May holiday (reopens Tuesday 7th).
Wednesday 8th May	11am-1230pm	Skye School Cross Country P5-7.
Thursday 9th May	/	Generation Science Workshops (more information to follow).
Wednesday 15th – Thursday 16th May	/	Childsmile – fluoride varnishing.
Thursday 16th and Friday 17th May	/	Musician visit and session with all classes.  Solo LMNS cellist, Katy Bell – click here to find out more.
Friday 24th May	/	Sports Day.  Back-up ‘rain date’ will be 31st May.
Wednesday 29th May	/	Pupil reports to be issued to parents.
Wednesday 5th June	/	Visit from Andy McKechnie of Jammin Fitness to do the session: Olympic Street Jam – Pathway to Paris.  More information to follow.
Week beginning 10th June	/	School trips hoped to take place this week. Tbc.
Friday 14th June	Tbc	Open morning.
Wednesday – Friday 19th-21st June	/	P7 Transition visit to Portree High School.  Other classes will be having transition time ‘moving up days’ on 20th/21st.
Wednesday 26th June	Tbc	Prizegiving ceremony.
Thursday 27th June	12 noon	School closes for last day of session 2023-24.

We have reached the end of a busy and productive term 3.  School closes today (Thursday 28^th) at 3.30pm and will reopen on Monday 15^th April.

Reflecting on the last term there are a few things that stand out for me as highlights:

• Successful fundraising – two Community Café’s and Red Nose Day raised a combined total of over £2,500 for good causes.
• Strong parental engagement – well attended parents’ evening and open morning, and an ongoing support from parents for everything that we do.
• Pupil participation in a wide range of events – such as girls football festival, basketball festival, science skills workshops, coding, Spring Herring Project, and lots more.
• Pupil effort and behaviour – the vast majority of our pupils are polite, well behaved and engaged with their learning.

I’ve been delighted with the success of our school this term and look forward to more of the same in term 4.  Wishing all families an enjoyable Easter break.

Easter Service

The Easter Service will take place today (Thursday 28^th March), with the school attending the Free Church of Scotland (Shepherd’s Way).  The collection at the service will be for donations towards Skye and Lochalsh Young Carers.

Prizegiving trophies

Could I ask that any child who received a school trophy at prizegiving last June return them to the school by Tuesday 7^th May?  Having the trophies returned to us early is very important in the organisation of this year’s prizegiving event.

Parents are reminded that they may have their child’s name engraved on the trophy if they wish.  Please make your own arrangements for this.

School lunch price rises

There will be increases to the price of school meals.  Please see information below from catering Services:

In line with the increase to charges that was approved by Members at the 2024-2025 Council budget meeting on Thursday 29^th February 2024, the cost of a traditional school meal for the new financial year, effective from Monday 15^th April is as follows:-

• Primary School Meals –  Increase from £2.30 to £2.40 per 2 course meal – this will apply to pupils in P6 & P7 until the full roll out of universal free school meals is agreed by the Scottish Government.
• Secondary School Meals – Increase from £2.55 to £2.65 per 2 course meal
• Adult Meals –  Increase from £4.00 to £4.20 per 2 course meal

Extracurricular activities

Please see below a list of the extra-curricular activities we expect to have available in term 4.  If any parent would like to volunteer their time for an activity then please let me know.

• P2-4 Shinty (Tuesday 6pm at Fingal Centre)
• P4-7 Girls football (Tuesday 3.30-4.45 on MUGA)
• Disney Playmakers football (Thursday in school gym)
• Nan’s Band (Wednesday)
• Running Club (tbc)

Sports activities hoped to start on the second week back (w/c 22^nd April).  Permission slips and information will come out on the first week back.

Easter Fun Day

There will be a family fun day on Saturday 30^th March 10am-1pm at Shepherd’s Way Church.  Please see flyer attached to the end of this document for more information.

Active Schools Easter Programme

Active Schools will be running a range of activities during the Easter holidays.  Timetable attached to the end of this document.

All activities will be bookable through the Highlife Highland online booking system under the Schools Out – Easter activities. At https://booking.highlifehighland.com/

Soccer 7’s

Please note that for future events, school kits will be distributed to pupils on the day, and then collected back in on the day to be washed in the school.  Participants will be asked to wear their own shorts and socks.  This is necessary as the distribution of kits and later collection is quite a time-consuming activity which we are unable to do in school.

Future Soccer 7s events will take place on:

Date	Time	Location
27th April 2024	10.30am-1pm	Portree (tbc)
28th May 2024 **please note change of date from 18/05/24**	10.30am-1pm	Kyleakin

Known Dates for this term.

Please see below our school diary of events for this term. 

Date	Time	Event
Thursday 28th March 2024	10-11am	Easter Service at the Free Church of Scotland (Shepherd’s Way).  All welcome. Last day of term.
Friday 29th March 2024	/	Good Friday.  School closed for first day of Easter Holidays.  Pupils return on Monday 15th April.

Key Dates for next term

Date	Time	Event
Monday 15th April	0906am	School open for first day of Term 4
Thursday 2nd May	/	School closed for staff in-service. (reopens Friday 3rd)
Friday 3rd May	/	School Eco Day
Monday 6th May	/	School closed for May holiday. (reopens Tuesday 7th)
Thursday 27th June	12 noon	School closes for last day of session 2023-24.

Pupils Travelling by Bus

With a growing number of pupils taking the bus, could you please ensure that you let your child’s class teacher know directly when this is the case, in order that they are dismissed on time.  Bus pupils leave class at 3.25 p.m. each day to catch the bus, however, recently there have been pupils running late as staff have not been aware that they are taking the bus.  Equally, the 3.25 p.m. dismissal is only for pupils who are travelling on the bus that day.

Information about Head Lice

Head Lice are a common problem in school aged children. They can’t be prevented, but regular checking ensures early detection and treatment if necessary. Parents and carers should check their children’s head once a week during hair washing. You need your usual shampoo, conditioner, and a detection comb – ask your local pharmacist to recommend a suitable one. Remember that you are looking for living moving lice, the only evidence that your child is infected. If you find a living louse, ask your local pharmacist, school nurse, health visitor or GP for advice regarding treatment.

For further information see: http://www.nits.net/bugbusting http://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk – search on head lice.

FRIDAY 5TH APRIL
ACTIVITY	Venue	AGE	time	Booking code	Cost	INFORMATION
Active Mini’s  (preschool age3-5)	BROADFORD HALL	AGE 3-5	10:am- 10:45am	SOE000498	£5.00/£4.25	Join us for some fun games and activities focusing on fundamental movements  for preschool children
Active Kids (p1-3)	BROADFORD HALL	AGE 5-8	11:00am – 12.30pm	SOE000520	£6.25/£5.31	Lots of fun of games and activities to get you active.
P4-7 FOOTBALL FESTIAVAL	BROADFORD PITCH	AGE 8-12	1.30pm – 3pm	SOE000502	£6.25/£5.31	Come and join in a fun football festival where everyone is mixed up and play lots of games.
MONDAY 8TH APRIL
Active Mini’s  (preschool age3-5)	Fingal Centre Portree	3-5	10:am- 10:45am	SOE000500	£5/£4.25	Join us for some fun games and activities focusing on fundamental movements for preschool children
Active Kids (p1-3)	Fingal Centre Portree	5-8	10.30pm – 1pm	SOE000501	£7.50/ £6.37	Lots of fun of games and activities to get you active.
Multisport P4-S1	Fingal Centre	8-12	1.30pm – 3.30pm	SOE000521	£7.50/£5.95	Fun sports and activities from badminton, basketball, football and many more.
TUESDAY 9TH APRIL
Active Mini’s	Fingal Centre Portree	Age 3-5	10:am- 10:45am	SOE000500	£5/£4.25	Join us for some fun games and activities focusing on fundamental movements for preschool children
Active Kids (p1-3)	Fingal Centre Portree	5-8	10.30pm – 1pm	SOE000501	£7.50/£6.37	Lots of fun of games, sports  and activities to get you active.
RUGBY 5-7     RUBGY 8-12	King George Pitch Portree   King George Pitch Portree	5-7     8-12	1.30pm- 2.30pm     2.30pm-4pm	SOE000504     SOE000508	FREE     FREE	In partnership with the Skye Rugby club join us for some FREE taster sessions focusing on basic skills through fun games and activities.
CLIMBING AT THIRD RIDGE	THIRD RIDGE	9-15   9-15	11.00-12.30pm     1.00pm- 2.30pm	SOE000515     SOE000514	£8/ £6.80	Join the Third Ridge team for a fun session at the indoor climbing wall taking part in bouldering and using ropes on the big wall. Equipment will be provided
WEDNESDAY 10TH APRIL
Active Mini’s	DUNVEGAN HALL	3-5	10am- 10:45	SOE000499	£5/ £4.25	Join us for some fun games and activities focusing on fundamental movements  for preschool children
Active Kids	DUNVEGAN HALL	P1-7	11-1pm	SOE000501	£7.50/ £5.95	Lots of fun of games, sports  and activities to get you active.
Multisports	TARGET PITCH PORTREE	P1-3   P4-S1	2.30pm-3.30pm     3.30-4.30pm,	SOE000509     SOE000511	FREE	Join us for some fun games and Multisports activities at the target pitch.
THURSDAY 11TH APRIL
CHEERLEADING	FINGAL CENTRE	5-8     9-13	10am- 11am     11.30pm – 1pm	SOE000512     SOE000513	£5/ £4.25	Come and shake your pom poms with a fun Cheerleading session. Learn cheer motions, jumps, stunts and basic tumbling skills.
FRIDAY 12TH APRIL
THIRD RIDGE	Third Ride Climbing wall	6-8     6-8	11-12.30pm     1pm- 2.30pm	SOE000517     SOE000516	£8/ £6.80	Join the Third Ridge team for a fun session at the indoor climbing wall taking part in bouldering and using ropes on the big wall. Equipment will be provided. Two separate sessions are availble.

Next week is the last week of Term 3.  The school will close at 3.30pm on Thursday 28^th and re-open at 9.06am on Monday 15^th April.

Our penultimate week of term has been busy as ever.  Please see our weekly update below.

Comic relief

Red Nose Day was a great success.  It was wonderful to see all the hard work of primary 4s coming together to make a successful fundraising day.  The final total raised was over £1600 –  an absolutely brilliant total.  Thank you to all who were so generous with their donations and sponsorship money.

Spring Herring Project P6 and P7

On Wednesday this week the P6 and P7 classes took part in Spring Herring Project – a school based arts collaboration between Skye and Lochalsh Rivers Trust, Albatross Arts and Edinburgh Napier University.  Pupils were treated to an information session which discussed the life cycle of Atlantic herring, the historical and environmental importance of herring stocks around Skye and what is being done to protect them for the future.  They then had the opportunity to take part various art workshops including salt dough, fish printing, and water drawing.  The artwork that pupils made will be on exhibition at the Community Centre today (Friday 22nd March) from 12-3pm.  All welcome.

Well done to our pupils for getting really stuck in – it was a very hands-on and informative day.  Though I don’t think the art room will ever smell the same again…

Thank you to Charlotte and Isabel at SLRT, and Alex and Sunny at Albatross Arts for all of the effort that went into the organising and delivery of our pupil workshops.

P5&6 Basketball festival

It was the turn of Primary 5 and Primary 6 to attend the basketball festival this week.  A great time was had by all.

Easter Service

On the last day of term (Thursday 28^th March) the school will be attending the Free Church of Scotland (Shepherd’s Way) for our Easter service.  The service will take place from 10-11am.  Members of the community are welcome to attend.

If you do not wish for your child to attend this service, then please let the school know.

School lunch price rises

There will be increases to the price of school meals.  Please see information below from catering Services:

In line with the increase to charges that was approved by Members at the 2024-2025 Council budget meeting on Thursday 29^th February 2024, the cost of a traditional school meal for the new financial year, effective from Monday 15^th April is as follows:-

• Primary School Meals –  Increase from £2.30 to £2.40 per 2 course meal – this will apply to pupils in P6 & P7 until the full roll out of universal free school meals is agreed by the Scottish Government.
• Secondary School Meals – Increase from £2.55 to £2.65 per 2 course meal
• Adult Meals –  Increase from £4.00 to £4.20 per 2 course meal

Extracurricular activities

An update on the plans for extra-curricular activities in Term 4 will be shared with parents next week.

Easter Fun Day

There will be a family fun day on Saturday 30^th March 10am-1pm at Shepherd’s Way Church.  Please see flyer attached to the end of this document for more information.

Active Schools Easter Programme

Active Schools will be running a range of activities during the Easter holidays.  Timetable attached to the end of this document.

All activities will be bookable through the Highlife Highland online booking system under the Schools Out – Easter activities. At https://booking.highlifehighland.com/

Soccer 7’s

Future Soccer 7s events will take place on:

Date	Time	Location
27th April 2024	10.30am-1pm	Portree (tbc)
28th May 2024 **please note change of date from 18/05/24**	10.30am-1pm	Kyleakin

Known Dates for this term.

Please see below our school diary of events for this term. 

Date	Time	Event
Thursday 28th March 2024	10-11am	Easter Service at the Free Church of Scotland (Shepherd’s Way).  All welcome. Last day of term.
Friday 29th March 2024	/	Good Friday.  School closed for first day of Easter Holidays.  Pupils return on Monday 15th April.

Pupils Travelling by Bus

With a growing number of pupils taking the bus, could you please ensure that you let your child’s class teacher know directly when this is the case, in order that they are dismissed on time.  Bus pupils leave class at 3.25p.m. each day to catch the bus, however, recently there have been pupils running late as staff have not been aware that they are taking the bus.  Equally, the 3.25p.m. dismissal is only for pupils who are travelling on the bus that day.

Information about Head Lice

Head Lice are a common problem in school aged children. They can’t be prevented, but regular checking ensures early detection and treatment if necessary. Parents and carers should check their children’s head once a week during hair washing. You need your usual shampoo, conditioner, and a detection comb – ask your local pharmacist to recommend a suitable one. Remember that you are looking for living moving lice, the only evidence that your child is infected. If you find a living louse, ask your local pharmacist, school nurse, health visitor or GP for advice regarding treatment.

For further information see: http://www.nits.net/bugbusting http://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk – search on head lice.

FRIDAY 5th APRIL
ACTIVITY	Venue	AGE	time	Booking code	Cost	INFORMATION
Active Mini’s  (preschool age3-5)	BROADFORD HALL	AGE 3-5	10:am- 10:45am	SOE000498	£5.00/£4.25	Join us for some fun games and activities focusing on fundamental movements for preschool children
Active Kids (p1-3)	BROADFORD HALL	AGE 5-8	11:00am – 12.30pm	SOE000520	£6.25/£5.31	Lots of fun of games and activities to get you active.
P4-7 FOOTBALL FESTIAVAL	BROADFORD PITCH	AGE 8-12	1.30pm – 3pm	SOE000502	£6.25/£5.31	Come and join in a fun football festival where everyone is mixed up and play lots of games.
MONDAY 8th APRIL
Active Mini’s  (preschool age3-5)	Fingal Centre Portree	3-5	10:am- 10:45am	SOE000500	£5/£4.25	Join us for some fun games and activities focusing on fundamental movements for preschool children
Active Kids (p1-3)	Fingal Centre Portree	5-8	10.30pm – 1pm	SOE000501	£7.50/ £6.37	Lots of fun of games and activities to get you active.
Multisport P4-S1	Fingal Centre	8-12	1.30pm – 3.30pm	SOE000521	£7.50/£5.95	Fun sports and activities from badminton, basketball, football and many more.
TUESDAY 9th APRIL
Active Mini’s	Fingal Centre Portree	Age 3-5	10:am- 10:45am	SOE000500	£5/£4.25	Join us for some fun games and activities focusing on fundamental movements for preschool children
Active Kids (p1-3)	Fingal Centre Portree	5-8	10.30pm – 1pm	SOE000501	£7.50/£6.37	Lots of fun of games, sports  and activities to get you active.
RUGBY 5-7     RUBGY 8-12	King George Pitch Portree   King George Pitch Portree	5-7     8-12	1.30pm- 2.30pm     2.30pm-4pm	SOE000504     SOE000508	FREE     FREE	In partnership with the Skye Rugby club join us for some FREE taster sessions focusing on basic skills through fun games and activities.
CLIMBING AT THIRD RIDGE	THIRD RIDGE	9-15   9-15	11.00-12.30pm     1.00pm- 2.30pm	SOE000515     SOE000514	£8/ £6.80	Join the Third Ridge team for a fun session at the indoor climbing wall taking part in bouldering and using ropes on the big wall. Equipment will be provided
WEDNESDAY 10th APRIL
Active Mini’s	DUNVEGAN HALL	3-5	10am- 10:45	SOE000499	£5/ £4.25	Join us for some fun games and activities focusing on fundamental movements for preschool children
Active Kids	DUNVEGAN HALL	P1-7	11-1pm	SOE000501	£7.50/ £5.95	Lots of fun of games, sports  and activities to get you active.
Multisports	TARGET PITCH PORTREE	P1-3   P4-S1	2.30pm-3.30pm     3.30-4.30pm,	SOE000509     SOE000511	FREE	Join us for some fun games and Multisports activities at the target pitch.
THURSDAY 11th APRIL
CHEERLEADING	FINGAL CENTRE	5-8     9-13	10am- 11am     11.30pm – 1pm	SOE000512     SOE000513	£5/ £4.25	Come and shake your pom poms with a fun Cheerleading session. Learn cheer motions, jumps, stunts and basic tumbling skills.
FRIDAY 12th APRIL
THIRD RIDGE	Third Ride Climbing wall	6-8     6-8	11-12.30pm     1pm- 2.30pm	SOE000517     SOE000516	£8/ £6.80	Join the Third Ridge team for a fun session at the indoor climbing wall taking part in bouldering and using ropes on the big wall. Equipment will be provided. Two separate sessions are available.