RADIO CRACKER

P1 - P3 travelled to Montgomery's Coffee Shop on Wednesday 30th November to sing on Radio Cracker.  They sang three pieces from their school play - 'Hey Ewe'  It was great to see so many parents, grandparents and friends coming along to support the children.  The children loved performing their songs and Ryan and Emma enjoyed being interviewed on the radio.  Thank you Miss Richmond and Mrs Millar for all your hard work and enthusiastic conducting.

SHARED EDUCATION

P1 and P2 joined the children from St Patricks Primary for the first session of their "Outdoor Learning Programme".  Brian Poots from N I Forest Schools Association talked to the boys and girls about shelters.  Working in teams, the children built their own forest shelters using canes, pegs and tarpaulin sheets.  The children all enjoyed the session.  Thanks to all our helpers.

LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!

Yes, it's coming up to that time of year again and rehearsals for the Christmas Concert are now under way. The P4 to P7 children have been given the opportunity to perform an Ulster Scots play called 'Kissing the Shuttle'.  This play was written by Dan Gordon and is about the linen mill workers at the turn of the 20th century. 

Ryan Moohan from the drama company, 'Class Act Drama' is directing the play. Ryan comes to school each Tuesday to help the children prepare for their performance on 14th December. They are all really enjoying the singing and acting.

GARDENING

This week we planted some Primroses in the raised flower beds at the front of our school.  We also planted the tulip and daffodil bulbs which will bloom in the spring time.  There were some very muddy P3 - P5 children as the rain came on as they were planting their flowers.

WINNER!

Pupils from schools in the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Area were given the opportunity to design posters showing ways to improve our local communities.  We were delighted that Robyn's poster came 2nd out of a total of 94 entries.  Robyn received a £15 Waterstones voucher from Councillor George Duddy at the Council Offices in Coleraine. She also met the 1st and 3rd prize winners.  The three winning posters will be included in a new fifteen year Community Planning Booklet which will be published in 2017. 

KEEPING HEALTHY

On Monday 7th November, Louise from Cancer Focus NI came to talk to the P3,4 and 5 classes. The main aim of her presentation was to encourage our children to keep healthy, by exercising regularly, and by being aware of how to choose healthy foods.

The first half hour was called 'Fit Factor'.  The children did some light, moderate and intense exercises in the hall. They noticed that with intense exercise, their heart beat was faster than with light exercise.  Louise encouraged the children to exercise for sixty minutes every day and she challenged them to get all of the family involved in this.

The final half hour was called 'Food Detectives'. The three 'food nasties' that are hidden in the foods we buy, are sugar, salt and fat.  The children looked at various foods and Alfie, our detective, helped to set out the amounts of the 'food nasties' in each product, by reading the food label.  Foods with lots of sugar, salt and fat were given a Red Light and these foods should be avoided. Other foods were given an Amber Light, indicating that they were good foods, provided that they were eaten in moderation. Other foods such as semi skimmed milk were given a Green Light, showing that they were a healthy choice. 

Thanks to Louise for such an interesting and informative presentation. The children are now enthusiastic about taking more exercise and they are keen to choose healthy foods to eat.