Celebrating Reading Success – Term 3B

We are delighted to recognise our outstanding readers this term! Congratulations to all pupils who have achieved Accelerated Reading Certificates, demonstrating excellent commitment and progress in their reading journeys. A special well done to those earning 100% Accuracy awards, reflecting both careful reading and strong comprehension skills.

We are also proud to recognise pupils receiving Special Mention for Points, highlighting consistent effort and enthusiasm in building their reading totals.

A huge congratulations goes to our Term 3B Trophy Winner – Top Achiever, whose dedication and determination have set an exceptional standard for others to follow.

Well done to all of our reading champions—keep turning those pages!

Coaching for Christ Football Tournament!

What a great day of football! With four draws, a win and one loss at the group stage our team from start to finish showed amazing effort, teamwork, and big smiles all around. Every match was full of energy, with determined defending, and fantastic teamwork on display. The children supported each other, celebrating successes and encouraging one another. It was so lovely to see their confidence grow with each game. Most importantly, they played with great sportsmanship and made wonderful memories together— Well done to all the players! A big thanks to Coaching for Christ for hosting a wonderful day!

Literacy Workshop for Parents

We were delighted to welcome parents and carers to our recent literacy session, which focused on practical ways to support children’s reading and writing at home.

During the workshop, we shared a range of simple and effective strategies to help build children’s confidence and enjoyment of literacy. Parents explored ideas such as making reading part of everyday routines, developing vocabulary through conversation, and encouraging early writing through fun, meaningful activities. We also demonstrated some of the approaches used in school and discussed how these can be easily adapted for use at home.

We were particularly pleased to introduce our new short-read resources, which have been purchased thanks to funding from the CYPSP grant. These engaging materials are designed to motivate readers and provide accessible, enjoyable texts for children at different stages.

Thank you to all who attended — we look forward to continuing to work together to support every child’s literacy journey.

Coaching for Christ Festival Day

We were delighted to host a Coaching for Christ Football Festival Day. Children of all abilities took part in exciting games, skill sessions, and friendly matches led by dedicated coaches.

The festival focused on teamwork, respect, and encouragement, helping young players grow both on and off the pitch. It was a fantastic opportunity to enjoy football and be part of a positive, uplifting environment.

The school would like to extend a sincere thank you to the coaching team for their time and patience throughout the year, supporting and encouraging every child. Thanks also go to parents for their generous donations to the sponsored non-uniform day in support of Coaching for Christ.

It was a great day of sport, fun, and community spirit enjoyed by all!

The importance of Sleep

DE have recently published some interesting information on sleep. You can read the full article on their website. Below is a brief summary.

Students who sleep well consistently learn better and achieve more.

In one of the most comprehensive reviews to date, Dewald et al. (2010) conducted a meta-analysis of over 19,000 participants and found that sleep quality, sleep duration and sleepiness were all significantly related to school performance.

Similarly, Okano et al. (2019) tracked older students using wearable sleep trackers. They found that sleep consistency was a better predictor of academic performance than just sleep quantity and that sleep duration and quality in the week leading up to tests, not just the night before, were strongly associated with better results.

RNLI Water Safety Visit

We were delighted to welcome members of the RNLI to school for an engaging and informative session on beach safety. Pupils learned how to stay safe by the sea, including how to spot hazards, understand beach flags, and what to do in an emergency. The visit helped raise awareness of the important lifesaving work carried out by the RNLI and gave children valuable knowledge they can use to keep themselves and others safe. We would like to thank the RNLI team for their time and for delivering such a memorable and educational experience.

Harper's Shield - Football tournament

A brilliant day out for our football team. An excellent start from the boys with two wins and draw, coming out top in the group stage. We then faced a strong Knockahollet side in the semi-final but came out on top with a 1-0 win. A well-deserved spot in the final against Crossroads. Sitting with a draw for the majority of the game, unfortunately a late goal from Crossroads allowed them to take the win. We are so pleased for the boys, getting to the final and representing our school so well! Excellent football and sportsmanship. Well done boys! Thanks to Mrs Peden for her work and encouragement for the football team throughout the year.

Shared Education Trip to the Ulster Transport Museum

Our trip to the Ulster Transport Museum was a fantastic day of learning and fun for everyone! Pupils explored impressive exhibitions showcasing the history of transport in Northern Ireland, from vintage trains and buses to iconic cars and aircraft. The hands‑on displays sparked curiosity and encouraged discussion, bringing history and technology to life outside the classroom. Everyone enjoyed discovering how travel has changed over time, and the galleries made it easy to explore and learn together. It was a memorable, engaging experience that inspired questions, excitement, and plenty of smiles all round!

This project is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

Table Tennis Success at South Lakes, Craigavon

Pupils enjoyed a fantastic day of table tennis at South Lakes, Craigavon, with excellent performances across the year groups. Minnie was awarded first place in the P6 First Constellation Group, after playing with great determination and sportsmanship. In the P7 Girls’ Constellation Group, Izabelle played superbly to be the winner in the P7 Girls Constellation Group. In the P7 Boys’ competition, Toby showed real skill and resilience, defeating Luke in the quarter-finals and going on to be awarded second place overall. Well done to all pupils for representing the school with such distinction. Many thanks to the support from parents for table tennis throughout the year, including transport to the events in Craigavon.

P1-3 Shared Education

P1-3 have enjoyed all their Shared Education activities this term with our friends from St Patrick’s Primary School. This project is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

During the sessions in our schools, we have been music makers and learnt lots of fascinating facts about minibeasts. The highlight of our Shared Education activities was a joint trip to W5. We split into two groups and enjoyed the exhibition that W5 offers. We completed different activities in a workshop to help us learn about our senses. Thank you to the staff at W5 for all the activities and hands-on learning in both schools and for facilitating our trip. We are looking forward to lots more adventures with St Patrick’s in the years ahead.

P6/7 Fairtrade Fundraiser for Oxfam

Our P6/7 pupils have been busy making a positive difference in our global community! As part of their learning about Fairtrade and social responsibility, they organised a special Fairtrade shop at breaktime to raise money for Oxfam.

The pupils planned, prepared, and ran the event themselves—baking delicious Fairtrade buns and selling Fairtrade bananas to pupils and staff. Their hard work, teamwork, and commitment to supporting farmers around the world helped raise valuable funds for Oxfam’s vital projects.

Well done to all our young entrepreneurs for showing kindness, creativity, and global citizenship in action! Many thanks to Mrs. Wright who organised the project, along with the support from Mrs. Hutchinson and Mr. Peter Hutchinson.

Oxfam sent this letter of thanks, along with delicious chocolate bars for everyone.

Easter Assembly Awards

Congratulations to these children who received certificates for Accelerated Reading and Reading Eggs. Special assembly awards were also given out for Being Kind and Caring, Success and Using Great Vocabulary. Pupils who got their targets with 100% accuracy and also those with a significant number of points above their targets, received special awards.

We were also delighted to be able to present special prizes to Luke and Archie after they won a competition to create a book, including some German vocabulary after a workshop with a German author.

Well done everyone!

Table Tennis Regional Finals

Our school table tennis team delivered a fantastic performance at the Regional Finals this week. All players showed great determination, skill and teamwork throughout the competition.

A huge congratulations to Toby, who was crowned U12 Champion, showcasing incredible focus and consistency in every match. We are equally proud of Minnie, who achieved a brilliant 2nd place in the U10 category, demonstrating excellent technique and sportsmanship.

Well done to the whole team for representing the school so proudly! Many thanks for Frank for all the help he has given and to Mrs. Armstrong for taking the pupils.

Easter Parents' Assembly

Our school community came together this week for a joyful Easter Assembly, attended by parents, grandparents and friends. The children shone throughout the morning as they sang beautifully, shared a thoughtful poem, and performed an engaging drama that captured the meaning and message of Easter.

We were delighted to welcome Mrs. Eve McMullan from Scripture Union, who shared a special address with the children, adding depth and reflection to our celebration.

A highlight of the assembly was a heartfelt presentation to Mr. Pat Reid, our dedicated EA bus driver, in recognition of his remarkable 28 years of service. We thank him sincerely for his commitment and care for our pupils over the years.

We were also delighted to present the Accelerated Reading Cup to Harvey and Thomas, for their effort and achievements in reading this term. Well done!

It was a truly uplifting event that showcased the talents of our pupils and the strength of our school community.

Class Treat - P6/7 Swimming

To celebrate the end of our swimming lessons this term, our class enjoyed a special treat. After weeks of building confidence in the water, practising new skills, and showing fantastic perseverance, everyone was thrilled to relax and enjoy a well-earned treat together. But this trip wasn’t just about having fun—it was also a great opportunity for real-world learning. Each child was given the chance to bring a small amount of money to spend. They explored:

  • Budgeting: choosing what they wanted while staying within their spending limit

  • Making decisions: comparing prices and thinking about value

  • Handling coins and notes

  • Checking their change to make sure they received the correct amount

These small but important experiences help children build independence and confidence with everyday numeracy skills. Well done to all of our swimmers—we’re so proud of how far you’ve come!

Titanic Presentation

P6/7 were intrigued by Mr. Ivan McClean’s presentation on the Titanic, after looking at this topic in W.A.U. He shared the story of a pastor, John Harpur, who was a passenger on the Titanic, along with his model. Many thanks to Mr. McClean for bringing this story to life.

Bibles for Children

P4-7 children were delighted to receive a beautiful hard backed bible each, thanks for ‘Bibles for Children’.  Mr Ivan McClean who arranged this for each child came to school to present the bibles to all children.  They will use the bible in school and then take their own bible home at the end of P7.

TinyLife Fundraiser

Please click here for more information. Please note: This event is not organised by or affiliated with Rasharkin Primary School. All enquiries should go to the event organisers.