THE first day back behind desks for pupils has been pushed back at a Skye primary school in order to provide support for a community "still reeling" from a tragedy.
A man was killed after a firearm was discharged on the Isle of Skye on Wednesday, August 8.
Gunshots were also heard on the mainland at Dornie, Wester Ross during a series of incidents.
Father of six John MacKinnon, 47, who sadly died in the shootings on Skye, was described as a "much-loved member of the community".
Three other people were taken to hospital after the incidents and a police presence remains in the area.
Today, Sleat primary school will open for a community support event which will feature workshops and professionals including NHS and psychology staff.
Councillor John Finlayson, who was a head teacher for 30 years, told BBC Radio Scotland that the community "has come together really strongly" but the event will ensure everyone feels supported.
He added: "Obviously, the community is still reeling from the events of last week so we thought it was important that today we had a presence in the school.
"A presence where the community, parents and young people could feel supported.
"Everyone is there for each other but quite often people think they are coping and then they realise they are not coping.
"But at this time there's a resilience coming through and there is a strong support ethos coming through."
He said a "whole range of support" would be available, but that the event would also help the Highlands Council establish what support will be needed going forward.
Mr Finlayson said: "We need to be there today to listen and to plan and to offer the support that is needed at this time and hopefully the support that will be needed in the future.
"We are also looking to have long-term support in place and for that reason, we have been discussing resources with the Scottish Government.
"We've got our own distress fund so we are looking at a wide variety of options. But as I said we need to make sure that the options we put in place meet the needs of our community, meet the needs of our young people, meet the needs of young parents."
Speaking on plans for longer-term help for people on Skye, he added that the support needs to account for the needs of everyone in the community.
"We know that in life some people are more resilient, some people can cope better," he said. "So the long term for some people might be a year, for other people it could be a lifetime.
"Whatever we've got in place we need to take account of the needs of everyone and all young people and everyone in the communities - not just Skye but we must remember there was also a tragedy in Lochalsh so we need to be supporting both communities in the best way possible."
The council will also be recruiting additional teaching staff to "support teachers as the term develops".
"We must remember the teachers are part of the community," Mr Finlayson added.
On Friday, a man appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court charged with the murder of Mr MacKinnon and attempted murder in relation to three other people.
The 39-year-old did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody.
