P6/7 enjoyed learning new skills with Eimhear, Golf Ireland, during a taster session. We are planning to offer an after school golf club later this term. More details to follow.
Thanks to a grant (NACN) P6/7 have embarked on a series of eight sessions, with Paul, The Big House, looking at ways they can cope when their life is ‘shaken’. The children have all been given a 20 sided dice to use to ‘try out’ which of a range of strategies they prefer. So far they have looked at being creative, talking to God, being active and listening.
It’s great to be part of a team effort and in Rasharkin PS we really value the contribution our pupils make to the work and life of our school. Below are our new School Councillors, Playground Buddies and Digital Leaders who have either been voted on or been successful in their application for a position. We are very grateful to everyone who is willing to accept a position of responsibility and give of their time to serve our school. Well done!
Each day we remind our children of the importance of being thankful for the many good things we have, including our food. In Rasharkin P.S. we do this, by collectively giving God thanks for our food, before we eat at lunchtime. During September we run a competition in school to see who can write the best prayer that we will use each day. This year P1/2 are the proud winners for their collective writing. Well done to al the other finalists, shown below.
We are delighted to be able to offer our P6/7 children the opportunity to take part in the Healthy Kids programme, thanks to Causeway Coast and Glens, Sports Development. This programme is part of our preventative curriculum work, helping children learn about ways to keep both their bodies and minds healthy. Children take part in a classroom session, followed by some physical activity. It’s great to have Dianne back in school to lead these sessions.
We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Friday (P2s on Monday). Below are some resources that might be useful.
Children & Young People's Resource Pack - Back to School Edition
The Children and Young People’s Resource Pack – Back to School Edition is packed with fun, helpful, and supportive ideas to help you feel ready and confident for the new school year!
In this edition you will find:
Activities – Fun filled back to school colouring sheets and activities.
Starting School – Tips and support for little ones taking their first big step into school life.
Back to School – Ideas to help you settle in, stay positive, and feel prepared.
Transitions – Support for moving schools, changing classes, or starting something new.
Lunchbox & Snack Ideas – Yummy, healthy bites to keep your brain and body happy!
Results Day – Encouragement and advice for handling results with confidence.
Wellbeing – Tools to help you feel calm, strong, and supported every day.
(Note: Newsletter will download directly to your device. Look out for the pop-up box and click on open file when it appears).
With very mixed emotions, the whole school gathered to make an arch for P7s to walk out of Rasharkin PS for the last time! Best wishes to all of our P7s for their post primary careers.
We were delighted to welcome Wenda (LMC) to school to share with P6/7 the importance of making healthy food choices. Wenda demonstrated how delicious food, can easily be made from ‘farm to fork’, following the ‘eatwell plate’ guidelines.
One of the highlights of the special privileges our P7s enjoy, is the option to eat lunch outside each day. In a fitting end of term celebration, they enjoyed lots of treats, in the shade, and a very special cake made by past pupil, Grace.
A great day out to the Ulster Museum. We had lots of fun exploring the exhibitions and learning about historical artifacts. Our highlights included the Ice Age animals and interactive displays. We were ready for lunch after lots of walking and enjoyed a trip to the park in Antrim!
As a whole school community we have been thinking about our values this year. After parents, pupils and staff agreed to use ‘Respect, Prepare, Succeed’ as our core values the children have been thinking about ways these can be shown in school each day. This month for our assembly awards we gave certificates to these pupils who demonstrated our core values lots. Well done!
We ended off the school year with our annual talent show which was lots of fun! We had singing, dancing, magic shows, puppet shows and much more. Thanks to Mrs. Armstrong and Miss Mackie who had the difficult job of judging. Our winner this year was Archie in P5 who sang and played the electric guitar.
Many congratulations to all our pupils who received awards to mark their hard work and achievements during 2024/2025. We were delighted to have Mr. Richard Beattie (UFCU) with us and so many parents who were entertained with musical pieces and piano recitals. Thanks to all the staff who worked hard and made this another very successful year in Rasharkin Primary School.
Well done the the children who were presented with Headteacher awards in assembly this week for the month of April. The focus for April was Being Kind and Caring and Great Effort with Reading.
Plenty of fun for our footballers in P5,6&7 on Friday 16th May at the Coaching for Christ football tournament. The boys took part in a 9 a-side tournament on Friday at Ballymena Showgrounds with lots of success. Our group stage matches gave us three wins and and narrow defeat with Carniny Primary School. We headed into the quarter final against Clough with determination and great football skills on show. It was a warm day and the boys were full of hope heading into the Semi final against a very strong Carniny team. The boys put in an incredible performance and with only one goal separating the teams, it was the end of the road for us. A fantastic day out and the boys should be very proud of their achievement! Big thanks to the parents who came down to support and provide refreshments at the end! Well done to our footballers who worked hard in the sun and showed great team work and perseverance!
Many thanks to staff and volunteers from Ballymena Baptist Church who came to school to share the ‘Amazing Journey’ with our pupils. The children thoroughly enjoyed the engaging exhibition, even trying on clothes to become some on the characters and sampling food.
Congratulations to these pupils, who outside of school, play football for Coaching for Christ and were winners in both their sections in the South Belfast Football League.
The children from our Stay and Play Afterschool club took part in this year’s ‘Really Rubbish Scarecrows’ competition at Garden Show Ireland. The challenge was to build a scarecrow that’s utterly useless at scaring off birds—but brilliant at attracting them! We were delighted to receive first place in the Special Category: Best at attracting Birds. The school received £50 of vouchers to spend at the Garden show and we used these to purchase two bird houses to attract birds into our school grounds. Many thanks to Mrs. S. Calderwood and all her inspiration in directing and supporting the children to create a winning entry!
Sports Day was a delightful event—pupils gave their best effort, and parents thoroughly enjoyed watching the action unfold. Our pupils gave it their all in every event, showing great sportsmanship and determination. A big thank you to all the parents who came to cheer—your support made the day even more special! Special thanks to all the staff who worked hard, both behind the scenes in preparations and during the event.
Children in P1-3 have enjoyed the opportunity to stay after school, which is a great help to parents who make great use of the extra hour.