A teacher sent a card and a birthday present to a schoolgirl he allegedly touched sexually multiple times, a jury heard.
Roger Caffrey, who taught at Northgate Primary in New Basford, gave her a wooden recorder in a case and sent her the card with a kitten on the front.
She told his trial at Nottingham Crown Court, where he denies 17 sex offence charges, how Caffrey would call children up to his desk to read.
It is alleged the former teacher touched girls' bottoms as they stood reading aloud in front of a primary school class, a jury has been told.
Other pupils were allegedly assaulted in a store cupboard adjoining the classroom – and two claimed they were later raped at Caffrey's home.
Yesterday's witness claimed he touched her when she was wearing a skirt and reading to the class.
"After that started to happen, I would try my best to be in trousers a lot of the time," she said in her evidence.
Prosecutor Abigail Husbands asked if she could remember any particular occasion and the woman responded: "The occasion I remember in my mind was two boys in class burst out laughing.
"I think it was the first time it happened and they were laughing at the shock on my face or that I probably stopped reading."
She claimed Caffrey, now 70, who was deputy head at the school over a period of time prior to 1984, touched her with his left hand.
"On the first occasion I vividly remember the skirt was a denim skirt with a slit up the back, so it was quite easy for him not to ruffle the clothing that much."
She said she was not particularly tall and at seated height it was "not much of a manoeuvre for him".
Miss Husbands asked how many times it happened and she said: "I can't remember how many times it happened. It happened multiple times."
On each occasion the touching stopped when she stopped reading, the woman alleged.
"He would tell you that was all you needed to read and then you would return to your desk."
Afterwards she said it made her feel confused and she did not tell anyone.
When Miss Husbands asked if there was any special reason why she did not tell anyone, the woman explained: "Erm..I could not make sense of it in all honestly. On the other occasions he was always nice to me and I just did not understand what was happening."
She went to police after she was contacted by private message by an ex-pupil on Facebook about Caffrey and a pending court case.
Caffrey, now of Sandesquoy, Tankerness, Orkney, denies 14 indecent assaults and three rapes.
The trial continues