International Education at Glaitness

July News from Goa

2011-08-02T02:57:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest news bulletin from Goa. I am back in the UK for a while now, having spent the last 6 months working in Goa. My time there has gone very quickly but it's been hugely challenging and rewarding. Click on the following link to read the latest news, which features photos of my holiday in Agonda (Southern Goa); updates about life in the school and community of Santa Cruz; and a report about my visit to the slums of Mumbai.

Click here: - July News from Goa

Alternatively, if you find there is too much too read, just have a look at the photos below, and click them to get an enlargement.

Primary School and General Store in the Village of Agonda

Barber Shop and Internet Cafe in the Main Shopping Street

Beach and Fishing Boats in Palolem, near Agonda

Favourite Cafe in Agonda - Chai made with Milk and lots of Sugar

Accommodation by the Beach in Agonda - 'Non-Suits' Rooms?

Remote Beach Cafe and Village somewhere near Agonda

See what's on the Menu in Agonda - and it's not Monkey

Fisherman bringing in their Nets at Agonda Beach

Cows Crossing the Bridge and Feeding on the Beach in Agonda

Crossing the River with the Car on the Boat - or Canoeing

Guess what this is lying on the Road - Colva Beach on a Windy Day

Deserted Beaches in Southern Goa - except for Lifeguards

Trip on Traditional Fishing Boat on River near Palolem

School Office with Refurbished Computers - Class Working

Potholes worsen but Football continues whatever the weather

Mobile Food Stalls in Santa Cruz - Mangos are still Plentiful

Watching Wildlife Films in School - Children at the Barber

Teaching children from Mumbai's Slums on the 'Vision Rescue' Bus

Distributing Food to Children from Mumbai's Slums

May/June News from Goa

2011-06-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest news bulletin from Goa. Holidays are over for the children and it's the start of the monsoon season and the beginning of a new school year. Click on the following link to read more news and see more photos:

Click here: - May/June News from Goa

Traditional Fishing Boats - A common sight along the shores of Goa

Boys from the home having fun at one of the nearby beaches

Staff and kids relaxing at a beach shack - Followed by a mudbath

Elephant strolls into Santa Cruz - One of many rivers north of Goa

American Student visitors

2011-06-06T03:32:00.000-07:00

We have had six American students in our school for two weeks.

They are from Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Today at assembly they told us about where they are from and a litle bit about their lives back home.

Did you know that Orkney would fit into Wisconsin 166 times?

Some of the students come from small towns and others from bigger cities.

Perhaps you have heard of the famous American football team, 'The Green Bay Packers'.

They won the Superbowl!

Wisconsin is famous for dairy produce so we all learned the Wisconsin Milk Song!

March/April News from Goa

2011-05-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest news bulletin from Goa. All is well and I'm having a great time as you'll see when you read the article below:

March/April News from Goa

River for swimming at Khandipar, Ponda with crocodiles lurking

Everyone from the girls home in the sea at Bambolim beach

Shacks and Lifeguard relaxing at Siridao beach, near Bambolim

Siridao market and street seller in Santa Cruz with coconuts and melons

Hello from Norway!

2011-04-18T04:56:00.000-07:00

In March Tove and Line from Norway visited our school as part of a trip to find out about how we teach and learn in our school here in Orkney. Thank you Tove and Line for sending us some fantastic photos of your home, Hadsel.

You can look at the pictures of their home on the north west coast of Norway here.

February Bulletin from Goa

2011-03-01T05:19:00.000-08:00

Days go by very quickly and I can't believe I've been in Goa for 5 weeks now. I've settled in very well to the way of life here, although I must try to slow down and get time for myself away from the kids. It's like being part of an enormous family who all want a part of you, and trying to divide myself between them all. A typical day involves teaching at the orphanage school in the mornings, taking the upper classes for computer skills, and helping individual pupils with their English. In the afternoon, I usually go home with the older boys where they are joined by pupils who attend the local state school in Santa Cruz, but who also live in the orphanage. Here I help them with their homework between 2 and 4 o'clock, and try to get a bit of time to myself by relaxing in the garden for an hour while they do cleaning duties between 4 and 5. I've bought a hammock and put it between two of the trees, being careful that I'm not lying directly under the coconuts that could fall anytime.

. .. .

The kids love playing sport and after their duties, I have the choice of playing badminton, with many obstacles to trip over in the garden, going to the local ground for a game of football, or cycling back to the school for a game of cricket with the younger boys. The younger boys all live in the school and have a lovely field nearby with buffalos and goats grazing, (although not a very even bounce), and it's magical to watch the sun setting through the trees.

. .. .

In the evening I usually return to the older boys house and help lead a time of worship and bible study, introducing them to some new songs as well as trying to learn their Hindi ones. (They all speak English and every subject is studied in English, so there is no communication problem, apart from some of them talking very fast). They often light a fire on the floor in the sitting room made from coconut shells in order to keep away the mosquitoes. However sometimes it gets so smoky that no one can see or breathe let alone sing. (All of them are pyromaniacs and I am very surprised they haven’t burnt the house down yet).

. .. .

After another hour of homework, they all have a huge evening meal at 9 o'clock just before going to bed. It's usually rice for the third time in the day with the additional variation of potato bhaji, dhal or an egg. Although I have not suffered any ill effects from the food or lack of hygiene, my stomach has struggled to digest all the rice they eat and I frequently end up eating only half of what they have. Recently I've been going back to my flat and having a 'western' meal out at the local restaurant, together with a friend who's also working out here and staying with me.

. .. .

We have been given a very large and spacious house that could easily sleep all the kids were it not for the fact that there are only two beds and no other furniture at present. Unfortunately it's quite a distance from the orphanage and school and we have to cross the city by local bus in the morning, and get a lift back in the evening in a dilapidated van belonging to the school which keeps running out of petrol. (Yesterday we had to push it for half a mile in the heat to get to the petrol station). The buses are crowded way beyond their official standing limit, and everyone is packed so tightly that no one can get off without lots of pushing and shoving.

. .. .

I've bought myself a very cheap bicycle to go between the school and orphanage in Santa Cruz, although all the kids want to take turns to ride on the back, as is common practice in Goa. (Quite often you see three people on a scooter and sometimes up to six). There are enormous numbers of bicycles and scooters weaving in all directions without any roundabouts or traffic lights to control them, and although they drive on the left like us, they also like to squeeze down the middle whenever they can. So you take your life in your hands whenever you go out on the street.

. .. .

One advantage of living on the other side of town is that the flat is very close to the sea. As a result, I start the day by going for a 500 metre jog down to the beach at Mirimar, followed by a lovely swim, and another jog along the beach to get dry. I am often the only one in the water, watched by several lifeguards and other inquisitive onlookers, and when I come out, for some reason people always want to photograph me with their friends, children or wives. Running back along the road means passing lots of stray dogs, so I have to be careful not to get bitten since I have not had my rabies injection.

. .. .

The children from the orphanage school recently had a day off and went to the beach for a picnic. We managed to transport 100 children on two trips in a small minibus that only seats 16. Needless to say, it was quite packed. At the beach it was very hot and not much shade, but like Englishmen, they seem quite used to playing cricket and football out in the midday sun. Unfortunately no one apart from me was allowed in the sea, because they were all wearing their school uniform. However the older boys eventually decided they would rebel and went in the water in spite of getting their long trousers all wet.

. .. .

At the weekend the children are sometimes allowed to watch TV or a video, and with the World Cup Cricket taking place in Asia at the moment we have been closely following the results. We had a great time watching England play India, and hooked up the TV to a projector in order to watch it on a big screen. It was very exciting, but also frustrating whenever the electricity failed due to power cuts or bad wiring. (It is typical to find bare wires stuck into the sockets, or trailing across the floor, and sometimes when you go to pull out a plug, the whole socket comes with it). I was the only one cheering for England in a room of 50 others cheering for India. Fortunately the match ended in a tie and everyone was happy.

. .. .

So despite all the risks that I have faced from fire, mosquitoes, buffalos, dogs, food, coconuts, traffic, and electricity, I have now survived for over a month, and have even lost some weight. I am really looking forward to the rest of my time here, anticipating unexpected adventures, and if anyone from the UK would like to come out and visit, you would be most welcome. Just bring another hammock!

Tim Geddes
Skype name: tgeddes
Email: geddes.tim@gmail.com
Tel: 08443030555 followed by 00919561231721 (1.5 pence per min)

Who do Slovene children get presents from?

2010-12-08T04:51:00.000-08:00

In Slovenia, the last month of the year is a very special time as many festivals are on during this time. Most of the cities get decorated with Christmas lights and Christmas trees are lit up as well already at the beginning of December by the latest. Our capital, Ljubljna, is a very popular place to visit as it gets really spectacular as you can check out by clicking on the link below: http://photodohtar.wordpress.com/fotografije/kultura/december-2009/praznicno-okrasena-ljubljana/ . People usually decorate their homes with Christmas lights. Some houses really get that fair-tale sparkling outfit. Children usually also help their parents to bring Christmas spirit into their homes, by cutting out snowflakes, snowmen, Santa from different paper and then they put those up around the house, especially on the windows, so everybody can see. Moreover, in most of the households mothers and grannies start their Christmas baking really soon, so everything is prepared by Christmas Eve for a family get together. In our family, me, my sister and my mother usually do lots of baking in the weekends before Christmas. In that way we end up with lots of different types of cookies to offer together with some tea or coffee for possible visitors. There is another thing most of the families can not spend the Christmas (well, can’t really spend none of the holidays) without, and this is POTICA. It a traditional Slovene rolled cake with nuts (usually walnuts). You can try to make one by following this recipe: http://www.redstaryeast.com/userimages/pdfs/Potica.pdf .
The one thing you are probably very interested into are the good men that bring presents to children in Slovenia. And yes, you are right, there is more than one. There are three of them. The first one is Saint Nicolas, who used to bring sweets, dried fruit and some biscuits to those children who were good throughout the year. However, he has a companion, Parkel, who brings switches to the naughty children and might even take them away. Because of that, not many children are very keen on going out on the night before St. Nicolas day, which is on the sixth of December.
The next good man is Santa. He comes through the chimney and makes sure children get their presents on Christmas morning. As I have said, we have another one who brings presents. He is called Father Frost and he brings presents during the last night of the year, which means kids get another surprise on the first of January after waking up into the new year. Santa and Father Frost deliver presents under the Christmas tree, while St. Nicolas delivers them into the stocking children hang somewhere in their rooms.
During the last month of the year there are a lot of family-get-togethers, especially around Christmas. Christmas is believed to be celebrated with and around family members, which is also one of the reasons I’ll be going home next week, as well as to get the presents from all the three good men :)

St. Nicolas&Parkelj

Father Frost

Glaitness tree lighting

2010-12-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

We had our own tree lighting celebration at school too - see more pictures on the Class 7 blog.

Tree Lighting Ceremony

2010-12-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

We were delighted to be part of Kirkwall’s tree lighting ceremony this year. Each year a tree is gifted to Kirkwall from Norway and is officially switched on at St Magnus Cathedral as part of a ceremony with guests from Hordaland in Norway.

We appointed a St Lucy and some attendants to take part in the proceedings along with our school choir. Our choir sang beautifully helped by St Lucy and her attendants.

A group of Norwegian musicians played and sang some very moving pieces before St Lucy and her attendants formed a procession up the aisle with their candles as the choir sang the Norwegian version of Sancta Lucia.

St Lucy, played by Agata, and her chief attendant (Alice) then made a speech to the congregation.

After the carol singing everyone made their way outside to stand around the tree. The tree was formally switched on by the Hordaland County Convener, Torill Selsvild Nyborg, after which our choir sang their final piece.

It was a lovely service and our choir, St Lucy and her attendants put on a great performance and made staff and parents very proud. Well done all.

To find out more about the legends of St Lucy and the Scandinavian traditions click the link below.

St Lucy

International Education Week

2010-11-18T02:59:00.000-08:00

Glaitness School in Orkney is one of many schools across the country taking part in international projects and activities to celebrate International Education Week 2010, from 15^th – 19^th November, which is championed this year by the British Council. So far this year children at the school have received a package from their link school in Trinidad, made a new link with a school and orphanage in India, and welcomed Icelandic school children and archaeologists into the classroom. Activities this week at Glaitness include finding out about melting glaciers in Greenland from a visiting scientist, part of a wider look at Orkney’s links with the Arctic which compares the Arctic environment at the time of John Rae’s expeditions with conditions today. Have a look at the Class 7 blog to find out more.

In Slovenia there is no outside playtime

2010-11-17T02:51:00.001-08:00

This time I’ll tell you a bit more of how happy kids are around here to attend school which offers outside playtime. Spending time outside school fills them with fresh air and gives them strength to cope with all the hard work which awaits them during lessons in the classrooms. As games are a crucial part of happy childhood and the best way for the children to learn, it’s nice to see they are a part of everyday practice at the schools around the UK. I’ve also joined in to see what kids do during outside playtime at Glaitness. What is important is that the kids are always supervised by the adults and are never left on their own. However, they are free to choose whatever it is they want to play with, which gives them freedom to try, take risks and make decisions. Games teach kids how to establish an attitude towards life, which is way they are to be taken as very precious.
It was really not the best weather to be outside on the day I joined in for the outside playtime, but the children were eager to go outside anyway. It was freezing cold and the wind was blowing, it was also raining at times. Irrespective of this, all the kids couldn’t wait to get outside (see photos below). They were told to get in for a few minutes as the rain became heavier, but were out only a few minutes after. It seemed to me like they were enjoying it despite the weather. In Slovenia, you wouldn’t see anything like this. Students are not allowed to leave the school during break times (It’s like this at primary schools only). Moreover, kids can’t really play around school, at least not the games they could if they were allowed to go out. Some years ago, when I was at primary school myself, it didn’t matter much of whether there was no outside playtime at school, as we had our outside playtime after school almost every day. Nowadays, you wouldn’t see kids playing outside to that extent as most of them would be playing computer games or spend time on the Internet chatting with their friends rather than going out with them to talk. Sad but true. Anyway, some of the games we played when I was younger are listed below (check out the links, you may find out better of how some games are played):
~ dodgeball,
~ land stealing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUuTvqOygyo),
~ gummitwist (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OksBs8VWZ8),
~ hopscotch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MH8k89WHv8 ),
~ hide and seek,
~ stand still,
~ Miss, what time is it?,
~ Blindfolded mouse,
~ Stinky egg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqdNthzl8YU )…

Glaitness Given Full International School Award

2010-11-12T03:20:00.000-08:00

It was a very special day for Glaitness primary school today. As a result of doing a great job in going international, the school was given a full international award by Mr Alistair Carmichael this morning.

International comparison

2010-11-12T03:01:00.000-08:00

In Slovenia, children enter school at the age of 5 and leave it at the age of 14 approximately, which means they spend whole nine years in their primary schools. These nine years are later further divided into first three, second three and last three. In the first three years children are taught all basic subjects by one teacher. They get a new teacher each year, but she or he stays with them throughout the whole year. This seems to be the case in Scotland as well. In class four, they are still left with one teacher, but they usually start to learn a foreign language at this stage, which is done by a specialized teacher. From class five on, classes get a master teacher, who deals with the class issues, but all the subjects are taught by specialized teachers. Geography would be taught by a geography teacher, English by an English teacher and so on. Next, the classes switch classrooms during break times in order to get to “geography classroom” or any other classroom which subject is on next. This is also one of the things classes do not do here, in Scotland. Moreover, classes in Slovenia are also given a weekly timetable at the beginning of the year which lasts throughout the whole year. It is a big difference to see pupils in Scotland don’t follow a particular whole-year timetable, which means teachers have more of a free choice of when to teach this and that. I like this, because it gives you more freedom and enables you to fit in the things when you consider appropriate. Here is where we come to the International education. Going international is a very important aspect of how to bring the world closer to the children and how to make them understand the way the world works outside there owns. I’d be very happy if I could say we have International Education in Slovenia as well, but we don’t have it to that extent. During the last four years, some improvements have been done where many schools get visiting students form other countries, but to make links with schools, where classes communicate with classes and where they exchange e-mails and send letters to each other, we simply don’t have that in Slovenia. This is what can really be called learning, whereas in Slovenia learners would be told how people live and work and play in another country, here, learner have a chance to discover all these things on their own. Giving children the chance to teach one another brings them closer to becoming a responsible global citizens, who understand the world, respect others and the whole thing makes them realize we only have one planet that we need to look after and share.

Hello Sally!

2010-11-08T08:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome Sally!

This week the whole school met Sally the sea turtle at assembly. Children from P1 explained that she had come from Trinidad for a visit and tried to work out how old she was.

There were lots of questions.

Class 1 are making a display all about Trinidad for their topic, 'My Island Home'.

Voice from Slovenia

2010-11-03T05:14:00.001-07:00

Hi there. It’s me Vesna, current Comenius assistant from Slovenia. I graduated in June 2010 and was eager to spend a part of my life working and living abroad.

But who is actually responsible for me being here? Here is the answer. On the one hand, it is the European programme – Comenius Assistantship which offers teachers to be (either students or teachers who haven't started teaching yet since graduation) a chance to get their first teaching experiences abroad, while on the other had it was me, as I applied for being a Comenius assistant.

At the beginning I wasn't actually sure of whether I was going anywhere at all, since I was put on the reserve list. Later on, they contacted me and here I am – right in Orkney :) …
Thanks again to our National Agency in Slovenia and to the people who encouraged me to take this opportunity and spend 6 months abroad.

I’ll never be sorry for coming here and that’s why so many thanks go to those who welcomed me here in such a nice manner as well.

In my upcoming blogs I’ll be speaking about differences between the school systems and tell you more about Slovene culture and holidays as we go along.

Look forward to speaking to you soon.

What makes us happy?

2010-10-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

What do we need?

Class 3 are creating pictures for an art competition on the theme of 'What makes us happy?'

What do you need?
Is it the same?

The fundraising competition will raise awareness of what the children in Bangladesh need.

Mrs Whittles in Bangladesh.

Class 3 will be sharing their pictures on their blog next week.

Icelandic visitors

2010-10-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

This week Class 7 learned a little Icelandic and found out about life for children their own age in Iceland.

To read about the visit you can go to the class blog.

We hope we can build a link with a school in the North East of the country where it is already snowing!

Hello Trinidad!

2010-10-08T03:08:00.000-07:00

The Primary 1 classes have a new friend!

Sally has arrived from Trinidad!

She will be finding out all about life here in Orkney while she is here.

To find out more look at the Class 1F blog here.

International School Award Success!

2010-08-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

We begin the year with the news that we have achieved the full International School Award.!

Well done everyone!

Spirit Dancer

2010-06-24T03:40:00.000-07:00

Spirit Dancer visited the school today.

P3/4 got a chance to sit inside the canoe.

James played the pipes.

It was a celebration for the P3/4 class who have had a link with a school in Canada this year.

The link was established through the canoe family who paddled the Spirit Dancer in Orkney last year.

This week there are more opportunities for members of the local community and families to paddle the canoe around Orkney.

Lots of people came to see the canoe and listen to James play.

Tommy from Trinidad

2010-06-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

Tommy and Sally the sea turtles with visitors at Sans Souci school in Trinidad.

Our exchange travel buddy Tommy the sea turtle is preparing for the long journey to Orkney!

Will he bring news about Patrick's adventures?

More news here.

Fair Trade guests

2010-06-09T04:14:00.000-07:00

Raymond Kimaro, Chair of the African Fair trade Network, shows Class 3 where Tanzania is.

Today we welcomed Raymond Kimaro to our school. He came all the way from Tanzania to tell us about how Fairtrade makes a difference to the lives of people in Africa.

At a whole school assembly Raymond and Betsy Reed, Director of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum,

explained how fairtrade works and how we can all help work towards Scotland becoming a fair trade nation.

Raymond told us about the lives of typical coffee farmers who farm on the slopes of Kilimanjaro and how hard life can be for them and how fair trade can help. Fair trade can even help the environment by giving out tree seedlings for people to plant in order to replace the trees they are forced to cut down for fuel.

Class 3 drummed and sang their Kuapa Kokoo song.

Reporters from the local papers asked questions and took photographs.

Many thanks to Betsy and Raymond for visiting our school.

The Tog

2010-05-21T02:48:00.000-07:00

Class 5 have been celebrating Norwegian independence by taking part in the Norway Constitution Day Parade. Have a look at their blog.

The Story of Sedna

2010-05-12T03:00:00.000-07:00

The Primary 7 classes have finished the felt picture of the Story of Sedna.

Christina Sargent came in for the whole day, and with Mrs Firth our art teacher, they made the felt.

This felt is different from the three which have been made at St Andrew's, Rousay and Sanday because it was made the right way round and started with the background, and details were added on top. It also had

three dimensional elements like Sedna's hair and her father's beard.
These were made using a 'resist' technique.

The children also made coloured balls and rope to depict the way we use the seas around us in modern times. These elements will be used in between the four felts along with sea creatures created in Sanday.
You can see all the schools at work in the video below.
Glaitness is the last school in the sequence.

This work was part of the Learning and Teaching Scotland Developing Global Citizenship team's project to illustrate how global citizenship can be embedded in interdisciplinary contexts for learning.

The felts will be exhibited at the Scottish Learning festival 2010.

Canadian Art

2010-05-12T02:40:00.000-07:00

Class 3/4 have been creating artwork in the traditional style of the First Nations of the west of Canada, where their link school is.

This term their topic is 'Coasts' and they have chosen a sea creature to paint. Can you tell what it is?

We sometimes see these animals around the coasts of Orkney too.

Check out the slideshow of everyon'e pictures on the class blog here.

Easter messages from Norway.

2010-04-15T04:57:00.000-07:00

P6 have received Easter messages from their link school in Bergen.

They have thought about how different our schools are and what difference the weather and being surrounded by trees makes to the way we use our school and grounds around the school.

The topic this term in P6 is Vikings so they will be asking the children in Norway some questions about our Norse ancestors in their next exchange of information and messages.

Gumleaf arrives!

2010-04-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

P2 have started the term with a new Australian class mate.

Gumleaf the koala has arrived from their link school.

Follow his Orkney adventures here.

A parcel from Norway

2010-02-26T06:26:00.000-08:00

Class 5 have a link to three classes at the same stage in Kirkevoll Skole in Bergen in Norway.

A package arrived from them and the children opened it up today.

It was full of letters and cards and drawings and things that the children had made.

It was very exciting looking at everything and finding out more about the children in Norway.

In their letters one of the things they told us about was the particularly snowy weather.

So we went outside to show them that we had been having very snowy weather too.

Have a look at the video of Class 5 opening the package on their blog.

Music from the Caribbean

2010-02-25T06:52:00.000-08:00

Class 1 have been listening to calypso music and finding out abot how steel drums are made. They even have one of their own to try out. Watch them on their blog.

Peter's Australian adventures

2010-02-25T02:34:00.000-08:00

Peter is in Australia and having a busy time meeting new friends and visiting new places.
Have a look at the Class 2 blog post here and here.

Fairtrade Fortnight

2010-02-24T08:09:00.000-08:00

It is Fairtrade fortnight.

Class 3 have been learning a song the Kuapa KoKoo cocoa farmers in Ghana sing about fair trade.

Can you hear the djembe drum?

It is from Ghana.

P3/4 build their link with Canada

2010-02-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

This week the P3/4 class are making news in the local paper.

They are making a wiki about life in Orkney with the class in Outma School in Penticton, BC and learning some Orkney folktales to record and send to the children.

Here they are with some of the things they sent in their box.

Have a look at what they wrote in their blog here.

Fruity!

2010-01-27T02:02:00.000-08:00

Class 1 have been finding out about foods that come from the Caribbean where their link schools are.

The best way to do that is to try them!

Have a look at their blog here.

What foods from the Caribbean do you like?

Check out our links!

2010-01-14T03:14:00.000-08:00

Have a look at the new display outside the PE hall which shows our school links on a world map and describes the work classes have been doing.

Watch out for the P7 BBC School Report later this term which will include an update on our international projects.

Happy holidays!

2009-12-18T02:41:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays to all our partner schools around the world!

Peter gets packed!

2009-12-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

Class 2 have sent their travel buddy, Peter, off to Australia.

Bye Peter! Good luck!

Patrick Arrives!

2009-12-14T02:58:00.000-08:00

Earlier this term Class 1 sent their travel buddy Patrick Puffin to Trinidad. After what seemed like a long wait we have just heard that he has arrived safely in time for the holidays. Check the Class 1 blog next term to find out what he does in Trinidad.

Peter gets ready to visit Australia

2009-12-10T05:08:00.000-08:00

Class 2 have been writing letters to send with Peter Puffin to Australia.

This term their topic has been sound.

They recorded sounds around the school and took some photographs of each activity.

The pictures and sounds will be on their blog soon.

Inuit Art

2009-12-07T09:07:00.000-08:00

P7 have been creating drawings and paintings inspired by Inuit Art. Have a look at their slideshow here.

Turtles from Trinidad

2009-12-07T04:56:00.000-08:00

Class 1 have been finding out how big the leatherback turtles can be. They looked at videos of real turtles. They talked about turtles and decided how they could measure them.

We measured them with our feet and we measured them with ourselves!

One turtle can be the same length as two primary one children!

We made our own turtles.

Have a look at our class blog for more turtle information.

Have you ever seen a real turtle?

Was it a big one?

Where did you see it?

Glaitness Tree Lighting

2009-12-04T03:23:00.000-08:00

Class 5 lit the Christmas tree at assembly this week.

They sang in the song they had been practising in Norwegian.

Have a look at their blog to see the video.

The class have also made Christmas cards to send to the children in Grade 5 at Kirkevoll School in Bergen, Norway.

Kayaking at the pool part 2

2009-12-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

This week it was the turn of class 7M to go to the pool to experience kayaking and think about the challenges involved in hunting from a kayak in Arctic waters.

Class 5 Christmas Song

2009-12-03T04:10:00.000-08:00

Class 5 have been practising the Christmas song with the musicians from Norway. They will be singing in Norwegian to the whole school at the school tree lighting assembly.

Check out their blog here.

Webcast from Ghana

2009-12-03T04:07:00.000-08:00

Class 3 have enjoyed the latest PaPaPaa Live! webcast from Ghana by the Kuapa Kids.
It was all about songs and music.

Here are some of their comments:

'There was a little boy and he was the best at dancing'.
'We REALLY enjoyed it!!'
'They told us how they make their food.'
'I liked the music'.

Some of the questions they will be asking the children in Ghana are:

'What is your fvourite food?'

'Do you ever have chocolate?'

'Do you have school dinners?'

They have been learning about Fair Trade and what it means. The class made doodlebugs with Fair Trade chocolate from the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative in Ghana. They were yummy!

Parcel for Jamaica

2009-11-27T06:07:00.001-08:00

The parcel is ready to post to Bull Savannah School in Jamaica. Our travel buddy is inside!

We hope he will find out all about their 'Island Home' on his visit.

Patrick Puffin sets off for Trinidad

2009-11-13T06:18:00.001-08:00

Class 1 have packed their box.

In he goes!

How long will the journey take?

What adventures will he have when he gets there?

Preparing the box for Colorado

2009-11-06T07:16:00.001-08:00

P6 have just packed a box to send to Colorado.

Class 2 blog

2009-11-03T02:39:00.000-08:00

Class 2 now have a blog ready for sharing school activities with their link school in Australia. This link will become more active after Christmas when the children in Australia go back to school after their long 'summer' holiday. Click here to go to the Class 2 blog or use the menu on the right.

Pre-school blog up and running

2009-10-30T05:39:00.000-07:00

Please visit the pre school blog now online. They are linking with our two Caribbean schools along with the other early years classes.

http://glaitnesspreschool2.blogspot.com/

Canoeing at Walliwall

2009-10-13T02:27:00.001-07:00

Both Primary 7 classes recently went to Walliwall to do some canoeing in open boats and take part in some 'trading challenges'. They learned about the original birch bark canoes and the tough lives of the 'Voyageurs' and the fur traders. Cooperation and good communication helped the crews work successfully in team activities.

Thanks to Richard and Ron from our outdoor education team for once again turning Walliwall into an outdoor classroom and providing a motivating and memorable learning experience.

Here is a short video of one of the classes at Walliwall preparing for and undertaking their trading and portaging challenge.

Kirkwall to Colorado Springs

2009-09-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

P6 are developing a link with a school in Colorado Springs, USA. Their link school is in the middle of the continent of North America in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, a perfect location for our P6 class topic 'Mountains' and a complete contrast to our own location in the centre of an archipelago of low lying islands.

Shared Ancestry, Homecoming and Pow-wows.

2009-09-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

As part of their Exploration and Emigration topic P7 have been finding out about the shared ancestry of Orkney folk and the First Nations people of Canada that can be traced back to the days when most of the men working for the Hudson Bay Company were Orcadians.

Kim Foden's Cree relations visited Orkney in a homecoming event in 2004. Following this a group of Orkney folk made a return visit to Sturgeon Lake where they were invited to a pow wow.

To see and hear a clip of the Grand Entrance click here:

Shared Orcadian surnames like Drever and Rendall were common.

The Sturgeon Lake First Nation had created a stone circle to celebrate the link with Orkney.

Kim came in to tell us the story of her ancestor Magnus, who set out for the Hudson Bay Company in 1771, and to talk about her visit to her Cree relations at Sturgeon Lake. She showed the class the artefacts she had brought back with her.

Kim also showed everyone how to put up a teepee in the traditional way and all about the pole values which are considered as it is constructed.

Here is a video of Kim showing us the traditional crafts and artefacts of her Cree relatives at Sturgeon Lake, she also shows how to construct a model teepee like the ones in the picture above.

Spirit Dancer and the Canoe Family

2009-09-30T01:32:00.000-07:00

Last summer the 'Spirit Dancer' canoe visited Orkney. It was crewed by the Canoe 'family' from the Okanagan in BC, Canada who have now helped us set up a link between our school and the Outma Sqilx'w Cultural School. P3/4 are developing this link.

Go to

http://glaitnessprimary3and4class.blogspot.com/2009/09/link-with-outma-sqilxw-cultural-school.html

to find out more.

Orkney and the Nor' Wast

2009-09-29T03:11:00.000-07:00

Class 7 began their Exploration and Emigration topic by finding out about the Hudson Bay Company in Stromness. The street walk helped everyone understand that some features of Stromness had remained unchanged since the time of John Rae.

At the museum the class were allowed to look at some of the artefacts brought back from Canada many years ago. The class were allowed to handle snowshoes, model kayaks and a the tip of a spear used for hunting seals and walrus from a kayak. Gloves had to be worn to protect the objects which are very old and fragile.

Also at the museum was a replica of the inflatable Halkett cloth boat John Rae used in his explorations in northern Canada...

..and a copy of the drawings he made which explain the correct way to construct an igloo.

The class also visited Login's well where the HBC ships took on board fresh water before the long trip across the ocean, and the gun, which was fired to let everyone know when ships were returning from the Nor' Wast.

New school links for 2009- 2010

2009-09-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

This year we are building new links and maintaining some established links with schools abroad.

The early years classes will be linking with schools in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago and comparing 'Island Homes'. P2 will be continuing their link with Australia and sending Peter Puffin for a visit. While studying Fairtrade P3 will use a weblink to Ghana, and for their Rainforest project they will get in touch with a school in Cameroon, the home of the Baka Forest People. P3/4 are looking forward to finding out about the children at a First Nations school in BC, Canada and comparing our experience of a living in a maritime environment through the topic of 'Coasts'. P5 will be in touch with a school in Bergen, Norway and be looking at cultural and historical links between Orkney and Norway both at Christmas time and through their topic, 'Vikings'. P6 are already in touch with a school in Colorado and through ePals will be finding out more about the geography of the area for their topic, 'Mountains'.

P7 will be finding out about Orkney's links with the Hudson Bay Company and the First Nations of Canada, as well as John Rae and his Arctic explorations. The impact of climate change on the Arctic and our responsibilities as global citizens are issues which they can explore using our established link with Ataguttaaluk School in Igloolik, Nunavut.

International Education does not have to involve contact with a link school but can be achieved through investigating social, cultural, and historical links, comparing aspects of everyday life and culture and issues such as Fair Trade, food miles and global health. These opportunities occur throughout the curriculum and over the school session.

We hope to use our class blogs as a primary point of contact for our link schools who have internet access. However we will also be using traditional methods to exchange letters and parcels alongside email, video-conference and involvement in online education communities such as ePals and Rafiki.Kidogo. As well as following the individual class blogs you can follow what the whole school is doing here, where we will publish sample activities from each of the classes.