Congratulations to everyone who received certificates for Accelerated Reading in P4 - P7 for the summer term. The cup winner for the child who reached his/her target and had the highest percentage accuracy in the quizzes taken, was Grace in P5. Well done Grace!
P7 organised the annual Rasharkin's Got Talent Show. We were thoroughly entertained by our two hosts Tom and Joe. Mrs Millar, Mrs Dundas and Mrs Gilmore had the very hard task of choosing the winners. We all enjoyed a great variety of acts which included, singing, dancing, gymnastics, piano playing, football skills, ankle hopping, skipping, horse jumping, puppets, movie animation, joke telling and a magic act. The overall winner was Flora in P2 who sang 'Castle in the Clouds'. Second was Lydia and Lily with their synchronised gymnastic act and third was Ella who did some tap dancing. The most original act was Isaac's Movie Animation, the cutest was Wiktor and the most entertaining, Hannah and Susanna. Well done to everyone who took part.
On 28th June we had our Prize Day to mark the end of another very exciting and successful year in the life of the pupils of Rasharkin Primary School. We were delighted to welcome many parents and friends for this special occasion. All children took park in various singing items and Sam and Nicole played their violins.
Gareth, from Scott McGarry Fitness, presented the certificates and our special guest Rev Jeffrey Blue presented the special prizes. We also said goodbye to Mrs Millar and Mr Bell who have been with us since October. Mrs Calderwood expressed her thanks to them for their time in Rasharkin and she also thanked all staff and parents for their work and support throughout the year. Rev Blue reminded us all that at the end of another year there will be changes for everyone when they start another new school year in September. He left us with the verse from Hebrews 13 verse 8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Rev Blue also thanked Mrs Calderwood for the excellent way she has carried out her role as Acting Principal in the absence of Mrs Howe. Tea was served by the Parents' Association.
We wish all the P7's success in their new schools in September and we hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable summer holiday.
On Monday 26th June we had our annual visit from Ian Getty for a football day. All classes had a football session with Ian, where they were taught many new skills.
P1 and P2 loved trying out the new resources for outdoor play, purchased through Shared Education Funding. The children all enjoyed their new mud kitchen, forest phones, woodland village playset, den building equipment and nature drawing area. These resources will be very valuable learning tools for our children for many years to come.
P1 - P4 went on their outing to Antrim Castle Grounds and Lough Neagh on Wednesday 21st June. The weather reports suggested that it was going to be a wet day but thankfully it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day which meant the children could enjoy lots of fun outside. They had a teddy bear picnic lunch, scavenger hunt, games and they even got to feed the ducks at Lough Neagh.
P 5, 6 and 7 have been studying World War II in their topic work with Mrs Wright and Mr Bell. They have been looking at what children's lives were like during the war. They found out about evacuation and they wrote some evacuee letters. P7 also researched and made their own Anderson shelters, and P6/7 did some art work on the blitz. Everyone made World War II battleships.
Mr William Gordon came to school on Tuesday to show us lots of World War II artefacts and he gave lots of interesting details on the war. Mr Gordon has prepared a file on 'The War dead of Rasharkin'. This contains details of people from the area who died in the war and gives details of where they served, and where they are buried. We want to thank Mr Gordon for leaving a copy at school for our use.
On Tuesday afternoon we were delighted to welcome many parents to school for our World War 2 Tea Party. Thanks to Mrs Wright for organising this, and for all parents who provided cakes, buns and biscuits for the tea party. The P5,6,7 children were all dressed up as evacuees and they sang some war songs and entertained us all with their swing dance.
On Wednesday for their outing, P5-7 went to Carrickfergus to the US Ranger Museum. Here they were given lots of information on how US Rangers were trained for World War II in Northern Ireland. This was a very interesting morning with lots of activities for the children to do.
Today we were delighted to welcome back Professor Alan Woodside to school. For the past number of years, he has been coming to present the Barnabas award to a child who is 'an encourager' to others. Nicole was the very worthy winner this year. (P5,6, and 7 are having a World War II day so this is why Nicole is not in school uniform)
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On Tuesday 13th June, Veronica Kelly came to school to talk to the children about Farm Safety. She showed the different classes videos of how accidents can happen on the farm, and gave advice on how to stay safe around animals and machinery. Coming up to the summer holidays when children are around the farm more, we hope that they will remember all the things that they have been taught about Farm Safety and will stay safe.
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On Wednesday 14th June, P1 /2 had a Teddy Bear themed day in school. The boys and girls brought their special teddies to school for the day.
First of all we had a visit from Stephanie from the Schools' Library Service. She told us lots of fantastic stories and rhymes about teddies. The children also got to take part using masks to act out some of the stories. We all really enjoyed having Stephanie and listening to her very enthusiastic story telling session.
The weather stayed dry so the children were able to take their teddies outside for a picnic. We had some teddy shaped toast, crisps and biscuits. Afterwards we did some teddy themed activities including a treasure hunt, colouring, making a bear face and word searches. We all really enjoyed bringing our teddies to school.
P4 and P5 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 and pigs. Of course Max the very friendly Collie dog was in the middle of things for most of the day. Nigel took the children for a tour round the fields in the tractor pulled wagon and also in the barrel wagon. The children had fun on the bouncy castle and were also treated to sausages and ice cream from the farm restaurant. Thanks to Nigel for looking after so well.
Congratulations to all the children who received certificates for May 2017. Certificates were awarded for - 'Being Kind To Pupils From Other Classes', 'Good Participation in Group Activities' and 'Good Organisation'.
Once again Rasharkin Primary School has another winner! The P4 and P5 classes entered a competition sponsored by ASDA and the Ulster Farmers' Union. The competition was based on 'A year of seasonal local foods'. P5 children had to design a three course menu using local products. We were delighted when Stephen came 2nd in Northern Ireland with his very appetising menu. Stephen was presented with a framed picture of his menu, £20 voucher and our school received £100 voucher and two apple trees which have now been planted. Thanks to Sheila from ASDA, and David from UFU for taking time to visit us at school.
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P6 and P7 have just returned from a wonderful week at Bushmills Residential Centre. During the four days that they were there, the children all got the opportunity to try lots of different outdoor activities. It was so good to see how they overcame personal fears as they tackled the high ropes course and different water activities. The children also learnt lots of other skills such as keeping bedrooms tidy, preparing lunches, setting tables and also coping with being away from home maybe for the first time. Miss Richmond , Mrs Henry and Mr Bell made sure that the children all got some sleep and were kept safe on their residential. We also want to say a big thank you to Andy and Richard, the two Activity Leaders and also to the catering staff at the Bushmills Centre.
We would like to say a huge thank you to all the children who entered items for Ballymoney Show last weekend. There was some wonderful art work and very creative junk models and other craft items on display. We had also some beautiful items entered in the flower section and lots of jungle animals made from fruit and vegetables. Rasharkin Primary School came 2nd overall in the Schools' section at the show. We appreciate the effort that parents and children made to make this possible.
On Wednesday 31st May we had our Sports Day. The weather was super and we were glad to welcome lots of parents and friends who had taken time to come and support our children. This year we opted for a 'Country Theme' with the team names being chosen by the P7 team leaders. As well as the bean bag race, sprint and egg and spoon race we had team games. These games were - Jump the River, Cowpat Dodge, Wellie Wanging, and Farmyard knockout. Everyone had great fun. The overall winners in the team games were 'The Grassmen' led by Shannen. Well done to everyone who took part in our Sports Day!
