Space and Time ~ project

In Term 1, the pupils were very busy making models, timelines and presentations as part of a Space project with Mrs MacNab, with additional work on Time with Miss Harrison. This project culminated in an Open Day organised for parents by pupils on Thursday 28th October 2010. The pupils also wrote articles for this term's newsletter.

School newsletters can be read at our website at www.eday.orkney.sch.uk .

Eday International Science Festival

This year Eday School hosted an outreach event of Orkney's International Science Festival. We were delighted to welcome Liz Robertson from Esso Science Education to our school.

Liz ran two interactive workshops for pupils and islanders. The first was a technology challenge, in which we made, tested and modified bandrollers, culminating with a great bandroller race! Congratulations to Craig, Louise and Malcolm who were the winning team.

The second workshop explored the properties of wax and allowed us to experiment with colour and design. Several members of the island fire brigade were in the audience, so all aspects of health & safety were well-monitored. All attending went home with a hand-coloured candle.

Thanks very much indeed to Liz for such a great day.

EcoSchools ~ Planting Trees

We are trying to improve the range of habitats in and around our school, and so the EcoCommittee wrote to Millcroft to ask if they could buy some saplings of hardy and native species so that we could extend the cover for migrating birds.

Ranger Gill helped us plant our 25 trees. We have put rabbit guards around them, and our relief janny Mick helped us free some of our other larger young trees from their cages.

Welcome Mrs MacNab!

In August 2010 we welcomed Mrs Fiona MacNab to our school. Mrs MacNab recently qualified as a primary teacher and has been working in mainland schools. She will be teaching at our school on Thursdays and Fridays.

As part of this year's St Magnus Festival's outreach programme, two musicians from the Scottish Symphony Orchestra visited our school. Alistair Savage (violin) and Iain Crawford (double bass) worked with children during the day, and at Alistair and Ian put on a concert for the whole island which included pieces performed with the children.

Our violinists played along with the musicians in the ballad "Old Hector", and then all pupils performed the North Ronaldsay Whaling Song, singing while playing the bodhrains, with fiddle and bass accompaniment.

Afterwards many islanders stayed behind to chat to the musicians and enjoy the delicious cheese and wine supper supplied by Eday Community Association. The event was recorded and became part of a Radio 3 broadcasts from the St Magnus Festival.

Wood Work

The week before our easter holidays we all made woodwork models with our new woodwork equitment.
We have got a wood work workshop, were there is the materials to make lots of different things. Some of the things we made include a horse, a pair of 3D glasses, a boat, a windmill two cars, a chair a plane and a picture frame.
We used lots of different tools, like hammers, drills, sandpaper, saws and chislels, and of course every ones favorite, the glue gun!
We had to use lots of different skills, including accuracy, measuring and planning. Also, when things did not work out we had to rethink our plans. Although some things were fiddly, it was worth it in the end, and every ones models worked really well. They were all finished in time to go home for easter!!!
By Rhiannon and Jack

Scottish youth theatre

On friday the sixth of march, 2010 Myself, Miss Harrison, my mum and Jack went into kirkwall. We got the ferry in the morning. We were not sure wether too go or not as the weather was very bad.We went to papdale primary school to take part in a workshop all about healthy choices and alcohol. We were joined by other p 7's from papdale and Rousay school. Because of the bad weather some other schools sadly couldn't make it.
We had a fantastic day, and played some really good drama games. My favorite was a game called numbers. You worked in pairs, and were given a situation. One of the ones we did was having an argument. There were only two rules, and these were that there was no contact, and that you could only talk in numbers. It was suprising how enjoyable it was!!
We had lunch and then played more games. At the end of the day we left papdale too meet up with my mum and get the boat home. Because of the bad weather the ferry to eday had been cancelled. We were stranded! Miss harrison could not belive it.
Jack stayed at the hostle with Miss H, while I stayed with my mum in a hotel.The next day we got up really early and got on the boat to go home. It was a very long crossing as we had to go to stronsay and sanday before arriving at Eday.
Despite this I still had a very good trip, and both me and Jack thouroughly enjoyed it.


By Rhiannon Walters

RNLI SOS Day, 26th January 2010

On Tuesday, Eday Lifeboat Guild and Eday Primary School organised a fundraising day for the RNLI. This is a cause close to the hearts of island people. The Royal National Lifeboat Institute is supported entirely by public donations, and boats are staffed almost entirely by volunteers.

The children made notelets, bookmarks and a whole array of delicious cakes, and helped organise various stalls including a model boat building competition.

At the end of the day, a grand total of £281.86 was counted. The winners of the model boat competition were a lifeboat and a peedie Viking longship. Well done all round!

Eday poets

We are looking at the poems of Edwin Morgan. Here are some of our poems in the style of his poem A View of Things.


A View of Things, by Craig

what I love about chocolate is its feel
what Ihate about silage is its gooseberry smell
what I love about Pete & Sarah's house is the inside
what Ihate about mushrooms is their slippery taste
what I love about animals is sounds
what I hate about petrol is stink
what I love about blue is the sea


A View of Things, by Morwenna

what I lvoe about snow is getting stuck
what I hate about cows is their smelly poos
what I love about strawberries is their yum ...
what I hate about cars is the noise
what I love about cars is the front seat
what I hate about beaches is the skeletons
what I love about sand is the shells

Red Head, by Robbie.

Eday's renewable energies

We care deeply about our environment, and we have been doing practical research into sources of renewable energy.

On our island we have several wind turbines generating electricity for individual buildings, including the youth hostel. Off the west side, in the Falls of Warness, there are experimental tidal energy machines. We gave a presentation on renewable energy to other schools at the EMEC Centre in Stromness in October 2009.

Then we all walked up Billia Croo to see where the new wave energy 'oyster' turbine will be sited.

We had some time to ourselves before the ferry home, so here are some of our energy superheroes : Wave Power Man, Wind Energy Woman, Biomass Man, Solar Power Man ....

Diwali, 2009

This year we celebrated Diwali by making lamps, lighting fireworks and trying Indian sweets. We sent our pictures and storyboards of Rama and Sita to our friends at the Green Wave Centre for Visual Arts, Kolkatta.

They sent us back photos of their own Diwali celebrations.

My Island, by Jack (P7)

I live on the island of Eday. It is really fun here in winter because often there is a lot of snow. I like the crunch of the snow because it's a soothing sound, and you want to stay outside and keep doing it.

Sometimes you see the Northern Lights. I have seen them. They lit up my bedroom with lots of pretty colours. It was just beautiful.

I like the snow because you cam make igloos and snow dens. Every year I build a snow den. Sometimes I play there by myself, and sometimes I invite friends. My tools are a wheelbarrow and a brush. You need four barrowfuls of snow. You tip them over to make a square, and then dig a hole into the square where the snow is stable. This is hard work, so then I have a rest before I decorate it.

In the winter, the whole of Eday is like a blank piece of paper. It looks like a new island. Most of the wildlife habitats are covered, and the pond beside the school freezes. Cool, isn't it?

'Jack and the Beanstalk', Christmas 2009

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
Christmas 2009

Our show this year broke box office records, with an audience of around 140 (the population of the island is 151).

We performed Roald Dahl's "Jack and the Beanstalk". Here Jack's Mum is hitting Jack with a vacuum cleaner, while the giant, Daisy the cow and the farm dog look concerned.

We raised £128.75 for school funds and for our friends at the Green Wave School, Kolkatta.

Welcome to Eday Primary School

Eday is one of Orkney's Northern Isles, and our school is at the heart of our community. This is where you will find snapshots and news of pupil activities and projects, requests for help and stories of island life.