Happy Easter Everyone

Today we broke up for the holidays.  It has been another busy week with cold but clear sunny weather.

 On Wednesday we raffled off the remaining Easter Eggs and raised another £50 bringing our total raised by the tombola up to £225.

Thanks again to the Parent Council for organising it and to everyone who bought tickets.

 Today, two ex-pupils returned from University: Charlie and Alex.  They got roped into setting up a string-line as a guide ready for DiGGers to start turning turf in the new garden ready for hedge plants next term.  Great to see you guys - and to hear about your Computing Courses at Uni!

Later in the day, Miss Swallow and two adult volunteers started to mark out holes to make for posts. 

 After lunch, Mr Macfarlane took over and continued to deepen the holes before bashing in tall wooden posts.

It was hard going as the ground is very stony.

Meanwhile, DiGGers came out and dug a good sized trench - the top turf was put upside down in the bottom so it can rot away.  The soil was broken up and put back in the hole, so it is now ready for hedge plants to go in next term.  Danielle managed to stay on after lunch and continue the good work.

As you can see, it was lovely and sunny.  

Whilst we were busy with all this, S6 pupils were finishing the week on a high note.  They had set up a cycle trainer in the school foyer and taken turns all week to keep it turning - aiming to cycle the equivalent mileage from Dingwall Academy to London - the Teenage Cancer Trust headquarters, the charity they were raising money for.  Some staff took turns too (Miss S included).  Every year, the school raises money during "Teenage Cancer Trust" week and now after such a massive effort this week (many activities going on) we have become the school to raise the most money for them across the whole of the UK!  Over £10,000!  Find out a little more here.

So, we now have two weeks holiday and look forward to spring weather when we return.  We have lots of planting, pruning and seed sowing to do in the garden, and the new garden to build as well, so see you then!  It will also be "National Gardening Week" so parents and carers are invited to come in for a tour of the garden and to get involved for an afternoon. 

 In the meantime Happy Easter and Happy Holidays to everyone.

Easter Egg Tombola a great success!

On Friday this week, DiGGers helped out with an "Easter Egg Tombola" that the Parent Council had organised for us.  

A fabulous range of Easter Eggs had been donated by parents and displayed in the foyer with a raffle tickets on each one.  Pupils paid 50 pence a go and if the ticket they drew out of the bucket ended in a zero they won an egg.

Amazingly, in one lunchtime, it raised £175!!  This money will go towards building seating and planters in the new garden that DiGGers and tutor group 1W2 will be creating.  Along with our seed potato sales, this means we now have £235 of the £600 we aim to raise.

Mrs Cormack was one of the lucky winners!
We would like to thank the Parent Committee for organising this event, all the parents who donated eggs and Lynne, Alison and Heather who helped us on the day.  We also have some eggs left, so hope to raffle them off next week as well!

Earlier in the week, despite the cold, we made some pots out of newspaper ready to start planting when the spring finally arrives.  Connorhan and Miss Swallow also dug a flat area for a new compost bin to be started off as our others are now full.

Danielle and Rhiannon help carry the spare seed potatoes up to the shed for storing.  

We also tidied the shed a little - a constant job!

Parents night a great success!

On Thursday night this week, some DiGGers members (Connorhan, Danielle, Rhiannon and Simona) volunteered to stay in school and sell seed potatoes to parents and staff. 

We set up tables in the main corridor and lots of people were very interested.

The girls are putting pre-ordered potatoes together for staff. 

They were kept pretty busy!

                                         We'd like to thank everyone who bought potatoes!

It was a great success - we raised £60 and 10p.  This money is the beginning of a fund for a whole new garden that we are planning to create.  It will have fruit trees, hedge plants, seating and a path in it.

Earlier in the week, we "heeled in" the hedge plants, as they arrived before we are ready to plant into the new area.  Above you can see us digging a trench to put them in...

...and here you can see some of the covered over with soil.  This will keep them alive until we are ready to transplant them.

Simona and Ashton - both new DiGGers members.

Potty for Potatoes!

On Saturday afternoon this week, DiGGers helped out at the "Transition Black Isle" Potato Day in the North Kessock village hall.

It was a chance for people to be able to buy many varieties of seed potato (over 60 available) at just 10 pence each.  It was very busy - great to see so many people wanting to "grow their own".

Connorhan and Miss Swallow taking money at the payment table.  You can also see a jar of seeds on the table...this was a "guess the seeds in the jar" competition to help us raise club funds (we are still saving to buy new felt for the shed roof).  The competition raised a fabulous £31 and the winner was Mr D McLennan who also kindly donated his £5 prize!  He was closest to the 2659 seeds with a guess of 2680.  A huge thank you to all those who took part.

Danielle meanwhile was on duty at the plant and seed-swap table.  We donated spider plants and a variety of seeds.

There was a good crowd round the table the whole time!

 Danielle also helped taking money on the main door, and at the payment table.  Sterling work!

All in all, a great occasion.  We'd like to thank TBI - the Transition Black Isle Group (see transitionblackisle.org for more about them) for organising the event and letting us help out.

At the end of the day, they donated 6 boxes of potatoes that were left for us to be able to sell at school.  Two boxes of First Earlies, two of Second Earlies and two Main Crop.  If anyone is interested to buy some, please call the school and ask for Miss Swallow.

The Ground Thaws at Last!

DiGGers gained 6 new members this week!  All first year girls.  Here you can see Danielle keeping them on track with weeding the neglected raised beds!

This one still had potatoes deep in the soil...

...a good little crop of "Charlotte" I think!

The rhubarb in these tyres was swamped with weeds...

...so pupils in the ID class (that's short for "Inter Disciplinary") weeded them and covered them with straw.

                                             Meanwhile Munros Sawmill gave us some more pine bark chippings...

 and the class spread it among the tree saplings after more weeding.

 The Olympic Jubilee Greenhouse is also looking tidier...

 ...and we have planted our first seeds of the year.  Three varieties of Squash (thanks Wandersman!)