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We enjoyed crafts and games on Wednesday 1st June to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The children decorated fabric squares which will be sewn together and used to create a large patchwork and made individual souvenirs in their classrooms. Lunch was a big picnic outside in the sunshine. Many thanks for Causeway Coast and Glens and DE for their grants whcih made this all possible.
P6&7s enjoyed their celebration event for completing the ‘Shaken’ programme, in Limavady at ‘The Big House’. Nicky reminded them of things they can do to cope when life shakes them. The children were each awarded a certificate and goodie bag to congratulate them on finishing the course. Additional funding from EA for Health and Well-being enabled us to purchase the delivery of this programme for all our P6&7s, over a period of ten weeks. We hope it proves useful to them as they face different challenges in life.
Click here for another edition of HIGH FIVE! The newsletter produced by Primary Behaviour Support and Provisions, packed full of good ideas to inspire, support and challenge all our young people to be the best they can be.
Our theme this week is to Be a Problem Solver. Problems often give us the opportunity to learn something new or to think of a different way of doing things. In this issue, our EOTAS centres share good problem solving skills to help us think creatively. We also hear from two members of the PBS&P team who share their memories of the coronation 70 years ago.
We were delighted to be able to enjoy the first school residential since 2019. P6/7 children experienced a variety of activities that offered teamwork and challenge, on both water and land, under the excellent leadership of Woodhall staff. It was a pleasure to be with this group of children, whose very high standard of behaviour and manners received many compliments from Woodhall staff and even strangers in a local shop. Many thanks to all the staff who gave up their time to make it possible.
To show our appreciation for the many weeks of football coaching that we have enjoyed this year we were pleased to be able to present Coaching for Christ coaches with a cheque for £300. This money was kindly donated by the parents and we know it will be put to great use.
Congratulations to Sam, Ethan, Dan, Alexander and Ewan who designed and created a fabulous rocket as part of their presentation for the RAF / Small Piece Trust’s Road to Riat competition. They were tasked with presenting their imaginations of what aerospace will look like in 2050. As the winning entry for Northern Ireland they have won £150 for our school and free entry to Royal Airforce International Air Tattoo. Well done!
Congratulations to Emma Calderwood who won a prize from the Carrickfergus Enterprise Group. She designed a ‘job of the future’ as part of their competition, coming up with a ‘Galactic Architect’. Emma has been chosen as runner up and will receive a £25 cinema voucher. Her entry will also be displayed on the wall in the newly refurbished offices.
The EA’s latest High five’s newsletter’s theme is to Be Independent. It is important to be able to ask for
help when we need it, but some things can be done without any help.
Independence is a valuable skill to practice and learn as we grow, and achieving
something without help can make us feel great! Click here to read more.
Click here for more inforamtion on the ‘Conversation about our little ideas and big ideas’, in connection to Sharkin Planet.
On Thursday 5th May the P6&7 class enjoyed a trip to the ‘Our Place in Space’ exhibition. Created by ‘The Nerve Centre’ and designed by artist Oliver Jeffers, the children enjoyed a walk through the magnificent arch sculptures led by a guide who was full of knowledge and answered all the children’s questions on space. After lunch the children took part in a ‘Scratch’ workshop and showed great creativity for cartoon creating.
Thanks to a grant from Northern Area Community Network, we have been able to invite Miss Gault to teach the children some dance after school on a Thursday. It has been great for the children to experience Miss Gault’s talent and enthusiasm and to learn some new moves.
With much appreciation from Causeway Coast and Glens, a grant has allowed us to offer free Fruit and Vegatables to the children each week. The novelty has been enjoyed by many of our children already and has made Fridays even more fun. We have been delighted to notice children being brave and trying fruit or vegetables that they previously hadn’t enjoyed or ruled out for them.
These P7 pupils make this collage as a sign of their appreciation for the fruit and vegetables.
Please click here for a flyer for workshops for parents focussing on ADHD. These sessions are free and parents/carers can book a space by calling 0808 8020 400.
Click here for an invitation to ‘Thursdays Together’, this is a new opportunity for parents or carers to join a virtual gathering, hosted by Parentline, every Thursday morning between 10.30 and 11.30. Thursdays Together are an opportunity to chat with a Parentline team member along with other parents and carers; to relax and feel connected.
Today was the final class session of Coaching for Christ. The children have really benefitted from this programme and we thank the coaches for all their hard work. They will be back next Wednesday for a fun day, which every class will have the chance to participate in. Thank you to everyone who has sent in a donation for this already.
Please click here for a poster detailing a free programme entitled Parenting Childrens Challenging Behaviour, which may be of interest to parents.
The programme is being funded by the Northern Trust, and it will be commencing on Wednesday 4th May from 7-8.30pm via Zoom x 6 weeks. The programme is specifically designed for parents of children aged 2-10 years, and it aims to help parents understand children’s behaviours, recognise the triggers to their child’s behaviour whilst providing practical tips on how to reinforce positive behaviour. It also promotes the authoritative parenting style which research shows to be the most effective.
As parents, we need to have open and honest conversations with our children about the dangers that may be online. When our children go outside to play, we ask who they are playing with and what they are doing. We need to consider doing the same thing for when our children engage online. Are they speaking to somebody within a game or on social media that is a genuine friend of theirs, or is it an adult impersonating a child to try and groom your child in some way?
Alongside colleagues at Parenting NI, the PSNI have made a video for how parents can talk to their children about what they are doing online.
As part of our celebrations for NI 100 we filled a time capsule with our memories of things that are important to us today and buried the treasure!
We were delighted to enjoy a lovely morning of good fun outside. Children were in mixed teams and worked hard to be the first team to find all their eggs.
Hana, James, Emma and Sam have been working very hard with Miss O’Boyle (EA) to achieve their Grade 2 exams. Well done! Thanks to everyone who helped the children prepare for their exams.
