HILLSTOWN FARM

P3 and P4 had their visit to Hillstown Farm near Randalstown as part of the Open Farm Weekend.  The children had a great time feeding the chickens, and looking at the lamas.  Max the very friendly Collie dog enjoyed all the attention he was getting from our children.  Nigel took the children for a tour round the fields in the tractor pulled wagon and also in the barrel wagon, pulled by a quad. The children had fun on tractors and trucks in the yard.  After lunch the children had free play in the silage field. Thanks to Nigel for looking after everyone so well.

MAY LUNCHTIME AWARD

Four pupils had their names picked out of the box for a special lunchtime award for May.  They were, Cameron, Noah, Sam and Emma

MAY ASSEMBLY AWARDS

Congratulations to the children who received certificates for May 2018.  The certificates were awarded for -  'Excellent Artwork', 'Excellent P E Skills', 'Friendship Award'. and 'Always Remembering to Choose a Healthy Break.

BALLYMONEY SHOW

A big thank you to all the children who entered crafts, pictures and flowers to Ballymoney show.  Once again we had many winners and I think everyone enjoyed looking for their items at the show.  Thanks also to parents who ensured that the work was completed and returned to school on time.  The photos show some of the exhibits from our school.  All pictures are on display on the noticeboards at school.

SPORTS DAY

On 5th June we had our Sports Day.  We were glad that the lovely weather continued and that so many parents and friends came along to support the children.  We had the traditional beanbag race, sprint, obstacle race and egg and spoon race.  This being Football World Cup Year, the children were divided into football country teams and had created their own mascots.  In their teams they participated in ‘Dribbleaton’, ‘Take your Throw, High or Low’, ‘World Cup Shoot Out’, ‘Jigjog’ and ‘Snack Attack’.  Congratulations to Team Portugal who were the overall winners.

W5 - SHARED EDUCATION TRIP

On Monday 4th June our P5,6, and 7 children joined with pupils form St Patrick's Primary for their Shared Education Trip to W5.

They participated in a Construction Workshop to create a rollercoaster ride. The children developed skills in teamwork, sharing ideas, creating and problem solving.  Within the time limit, the children had created fantastic rollercoasters.

They also explored two of the learning zones and did lots of practical activities including, gravity, film and animation, construction, tug of war and interactive whiteboard.  The 'Climit' activity was one of their favourite  activities.

BARNABAS AWARD

On Wednesday we were delighted to welcome back Professor Alan Woodside to school for our weekly assembly.  For the past number of years, he has been coming to present the Barnabas award to a child who is 'an encourager' to others. The worthy winner of the trophy this year is Robyn in P7.

BALLYMONEY STREETWISE

Yesterday 24th May, our P7 pupils attended the Ballymoney Streetwise event.  This event, for P7 pupils,aims to raise their awareness of how to keep safe as they take on more responsibility for their own safety as they move from primary school.  The event is delivered by a number of different organisations including  Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council, Dogs' Trust, Tesco, Health Trust, NIE, Translink, Home Accident Prevention, RNIB, Cancer Focus NI, Coastguards and Police Service Northern Ireland.  The children had a very good morning and received lots of valuable information.

WORLD WAR II VINTAGE TEA PARTY

On Thursday 17th May parents and friends of our P3 and P4 children and P4 children from St Patrick's Primary School, were invited to a World War II Vinatge Tea Party at Rasharkin Community Centre.  While the adults enjoyed delicious sandwiches, scones and tray bakes, the children showcased the work that they have been doing as part of the Shared Education 'Then and Now' topic.  Dressed in WWII outfits, the children sang songs from World War II and they demonstrated their dancing skills to the songs 'Lollipop' and 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy'  - click here for video.  The finished movies which the children have been making with the help of the Nerve Centre were also shown.  It was a really successful morning and the many parents and friends who attended the celebration were thoroughly impressed by the work the children have been doing.  Special thanks to the Nerve Centre for their work with the children on their movies.  Also to the teachers and classroom assistants who prepared for the Vintage Tea Party. 

ULSTER FOLK PARK, CULTRA

As part of their prize for winning the Cancer Focus 'Snap the Cig' photo competition, P 6 and P7 enjoyed a great day out to Cultra.  They saw around the Folk Park and learned lots of interesting facts about how people lived in the past. 

MONEY MATTERS!

Once again we were very glad to welcome Jayne and Ruth from Danske Bank, to school to speak to the P1 -3 and P4 and P5 children about the Danske Smart Programme.  This programme aims to help children to become financially confident, by helping them to understand the value of money and personal finance.  The P4-5 children did some practical activities.  Their favourite activity was 'Budgeting'.  Working in pairs they had a £500 budget to design a new bedroom.  They were encouraged not to spend more that they had.  More fun activities relating to the Danske Smart Programme can be found on www.moneyville.co.uk

COLERAINE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Some of our pupils have piano lessons in school with Mrs. McAleese.  Seven children attended Coleraine Music Festival at the end of April where they played their piano festival pieces. All the children did really well and enjoyed performing in front of a large audience and the ajudicators.  Hannah in P5 also played her clarinet at the festival.  Thanks to Mrs McAleese for organising and preparing the children for the festival. The children taking part were :- Lucy P4, Ethan P3, Isaac P5. Grace P3 Matthew P6, Sam P3 and Hannah P5

P6 and P7 ANIMALS AND PLANTS

On Friday 4th May, Katherine from Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) came to work with our P6 and P7 children on their topic, Animals and Plants.  They conducted a biodiversity Survey to check how good our school grounds are for birds.  They found some minibeasts around the school, but we now need to focus on what we can do to encourage more bugs into our grounds.

Online Safety - Net Aware

Net Aware is the NSPCC and O2’s no-nonsense guide for parents on the most popular sites, apps and games that young people use. It equips parents and professionals with information about these sites, including the recommended age, the safety features and settings available and the types of risks that young people might encounter. This year’s site is based on reviews of 40 sites from 2,059 young people and 2,049 parents.

There are also Net Aware news pages, which highlight current online safety developments, trends and tips. Visit the Net Aware site, or download the free Net Aware app, from the App Store or Google Play.

MILLIONAIRE READERS

A few weeks ago, Peri in P5 became our first 'Millionaire Reader' as part of the  Accelerated Reader Scheme.  Each time a person reads a book and takes a quiz and passes the quiz, the words from the book are counted.  Today, two more of our pupils became 'Millionaire Readers', - they have read more than a million words,  Alexander  P6 and Ella P5. Very well done to both.

APRIL LUNCHTIME AWARDS

Four pupils had their names picked out of the box for a special lunchtime award for April.  They were, Peri, Grace, Evie and James.

APRIL ASSEMBLY AWARDS

Congratulations to the children who received certificates for April 2018.  The certificates were awarded for -  'Progress in Literacy', 'Fair Play' and 'Good Manners'. 

OURSELVES

P3 and P4 have been looking at 'Ourselves' in their World Around Us topic this half term. They have been learning all about their senses, their muscle strength, their height and they have also been writing about what makes them special.  They have also been looking at the bones in the body, the parts of the eye and have been practising bandaging parts of their body. 

FOREST SCHOOLS APRIL

This week, P1 and P2 children along with children from St Patrick's Primary had another Forest School session under the Shared Education Programme. During the lesson, the children had to make a human body using wool and pegs. They had to use different shapes - squares, triangles, etc for the body parts.  They then had to fill in the shapes with leaves and grass.  The children had to listen carefully as Brian gave instructions eg - put six green leaves in the square, find three pine cones and put them in the triangle etc. The children all enjoyed the session and benefitted greatly from the skills that were being taught in an outdoor setting.

SENTINUS STEM CELEBRATION

On Thursday 26th April, children in P5, P6 and P7 were invited to attend an event at the Braid Centre, Ballymena.  This was part of a celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths for young people in the UK.  The aim of the event was to show students just how exciting science and engineering can be.

The event included a 'High Flyers' workshop which was taken by an engineer called Peter.  The children made their own aeroplane and Peter explained to the children about air pressure and how this helps to create ' lift off'.  There was also a 'Power Up' show which focused on the Science of computer games, ultra violet light, infra red light, electricity and gravity.  The children had a great morning and they also got to meet the Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Paul Reid.