Friday, 27 March 2015
Tuesday, 24 March 2015
Fry released into the Meikle Water
On Wednesday 18th March, it was Stronsay pupils’ turn to set their fry free into the Meikle Water.
Earlier on, a thick blanket of fog was rolling over the islands but it was gone by mid-morning and just like last year, the sun was shining, the daffodils glowing in the spring light and spending some time outdoors seemed a much better idea than being stuck inside, in a classroom…
The group was composed of 13 upper primary pupils and their teachers Mrs Dennison reinforced by our 4 AFYD (Angling For Youth Development) pupils Ieuan, Jack, James and Thomas.
Once we reached the bottom of the field, it didn’t take long for the older pupils to transfer the fragile fry into small plastic pouches so that every younger pupil would have the chance to release “their” troot!
Then, we looked at the predators our young fish would need to hide from, such as herons, mergansers, big trout and in the years to come, their biggest enemy the otter…
We also studied some samples gathered from the bottom of the loch and discovered some worms, caddis larvae, freshwater shrimps and Erik even managed to catch two water-boatmen (Corixa).
A big thank you to Morris and Sheila for the transport to and from the loch.
Tor more photos and posts regarding "Troot in the Shed", you can visit:
https://trootintheshed.wordpress.com/
Mr P.
Sunday, 22 March 2015
Saturday, 21 March 2015
Solar eclipse
“”I loved the solar eclipse because it was my first time
seeing the eclipse. It was good weather to see the eclipse” Matthew
“The eclipse was amazing. It was my first time seeing it. It
was a fabulous sight. The masks worked and looked really cool. Thanks Mr Pietri
for the awesome pictures. I’m glad I saw it . My pinhole telescope worked,
Yey!” Joshua
“I enjoyed it because it was the first time I saw a solar
eclipse” Louis
“I loved the solar
eclipse because it was a
mind-blowing sight” Philip
“I really liked the eclipse because it was my first
time” Fraser
“I enjoyed it because
it was the first time I saw a solar eclipse”Lewis
“I was really proud because my pin-hole telescope worked!”
Aimee
“I thought it was good because it was the first time I’d
seen one” Mikie“I thought the eclipse was scary” Owen
“It was great because it was my first time” Tony
“I loved the solar eclipse because it was my first time seeing the eclipse. It was good weather to see the eclipse” Matthew
“The eclipse was good with glasses” Aiden
“The eclipse was awesome and interesting” Erik
“The solar eclipse was epic!” Melvin
“When I looked through my special glasses at first I couldn’t see but then I could. It was quite
small. Thhe solar eclipse looked very, very cool”. Millie
“I think the solar eclipse was amazing” Sam
“When I looked through the mask, the sun looked like the
moon.” Dan
“Steve gave us a mask to look through. Everything was green!”
Rowan and Amber
 |
| Seen through a welding mask, with a reflection on the mask filter! |
Friday, 13 March 2015
Wednesday, 11 March 2015
Stronsay panto: Cinderella
Cinderella
The
Stronsay Pantomime January 2015
By Ian
Cooper
With the excitement of Christmas well
past, what can be done to lift the gloom of a dreich and windy January? Well,
the easy answer in Stronsay was clearly ‘Go to the Pantomime’ and this Norman
Robbins adaptation of ‘Cinderella’ undoubtedly soon dispelled any gloom!
Produced by Gaynor Smith and Sarah Evans under the direction of Rosalind
Neville-Smith, this age-old favourite was moved along at a cracking pace and
soon enthused the audience in the packed hall to participate with the customary
cheers, boos, hisses and the essential ‘Oh yes he is, Oh no he isn’t’
debate!
Prince Charming’s squire Dandini (Andy
Rose) set the scene well, portraying a self-assured servant who was a peedie
bit too aware of his own importance!
Earl Hardupp (Andy Whiteman) soon gained the sympathy of the audience as
he struggled to cope with his fearsome new bride (Shirley Whiteman) and her two
daughters Thistle and Nettle (Mike Erdman and Roger Neville-Smith). The latter
two had numerous costume changes through the performance, each more outrageous than
the last, and played their parts throughout with the extravagance and
flamboyance expected of the sisters, the occasional meander off script only
adding to the audience enjoyment! The Stepmother’s feisty temperament and
determination to impose her will on all around was handled to perfection by
Shirley, and her pursuit of her daughter Nettle with a huge axe was real class!
Celebrating her sixteenth birthday, Josephine De Geer gave a very polished
performance as Prince Charming, conveying the poise and regal bearing expected
of a prince while also letting his wish to lead an ‘ordinary’ life and to find
love shine through. There was an assured performance from Rebecca Fish as
Buttons, commanding the stage with her presence and singing with confidence and
clarity – a star of the future for sure! For one so young, ten year old
Elizabeth Miller gave a truly outstanding performance as Cinderella, conveying
her various emotions with poise and conviction. One scene in particular that
brought lumps to more than a few throats was her misery as she was consoled by
her father for not being able to go to the dance. Thomas Fish and James Macleod
enacted Fetch and Carry, the broker’s men, with flair and impeccable timing as
they struggled firstly to remove items from Stoneybroke Farm and latterly to
evade the clutches of the Ugly Sisters. The lovely Fairy Godmother (Molly
Shearer) gave a sparkling and convincing performance as she ensured that
Cinderella could get to the dance despite her magic wand having something of an
off day. Oh, and the environmentalists
among us were well pleased to see the Fairy Godmother’s emphasis on reducing Food Miles by the use of
a neep instead of a pumpkin for Cinder’s coach!
The younger cast members also all
contributed well to the performance as they played their parts with confidence
and enthusiasm – Charlie as Major-domo, Millie and Melvin as the children
comforting poor Cinders, Charlie and Jude as the footmen and Johnny as the
grandfather clock. Stronsay’s young songsters Millie, Melvin, Sam, Dan and
Toni-Anne all sang their hearts out in ‘Old Macdonald’ and also formed part of
the Chorus, their numbers there being swelled by the addition of Erynn, Charlie, Molly and Marion.
No pantomime would be complete without the
obligatory Pantomime Horse (or in this instance Cow) and, courtesy of Mike
Holland and William Caithness, it too made an appearance during the singing of
‘Old MacDonald’s Farm. Having been cooped up in the byre for the last two
years, the cow was quite lively and at one point, while having a frolic among
the audience, lost the heid completely!
In a fitting finale, the whole cast
appeared on stage to round off the evening with a rousing rendition of Abba’s
‘Dancing Queen’ before taking their final bows and curtain calls to rapturous
applause from their appreciative audience.
The meticulous care and attention to
detail that had obviously gone into the preparation of costumes, scenery and
props was a tribute to all concerned, while the effective use of lighting
enhanced the mood and setting of each and every scene. Under the musical
direction of David Hudson, the songs and musical accompaniment all flowed
together magnificently, contributing to the sensation of a real ‘big theatre’
atmosphere in such a small and cosy venue.
Overall, this was a highly polished
performance by the entire cast with the interaction between characters and
their obvious enthusiasm and enjoyment in what they were doing making this a
joy to watch. It isn’t possible to name all the cast, backstage crew and
helpers individually but suffice to say that upwards of fifty people were
listed on the programme and, in addition, there were numerous others who did
what they could to help – a true community effort. As for a star rating for
this pantomime – well, all I can say is “stars one and all!” Well done.
This production was staged by the
‘Support Our School’ committee and they would like to say a huge ‘Thank you’ to
all the Stronsay folk who came together
to ensure ‘Cinderella’ was such a success! They are also deeply indebted to the
‘Palace Players’ for so willingly loaning the superb costumes and to Stewart
Shearer for the use of his sound and lighting equipment, all of which came
together to help bring the show to life. Grateful thanks are expressed also to
WRC Construction for cheerfully acting as piano movers. They are delighted to
report that ‘Cinderella’ has raised approximately £1000.
Monday, 9 March 2015
Friday, 6 March 2015
Film club news!
Stronsay School Film Club Presents…
“ I have got a name for my pain, and that name is Batman.”
Tim Burton directs the caped crusader.
Tuesday March 17th on Screen One
(the English/History room).
Two hours.
Parents to pick up just before 5.30 pm.
“Skittles” welcome.
Tuesday, 3 March 2015
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