World Around Us

In class we e been learning about the different systems in the human body. Today we learned that the respiratory systems and the circulatory system are linked. We used stethoscopes to listen to our heart beat! We couldn’t believe how loud it was! We’re looking forward to calculating our heart beat!

Hopeful Minds (PDMU)

Today (12th March) Jacinta and Amy visited our class as part of the Hopeful Minds programme and talked to us about gratitude. We learned the importance of feeling gratitude and identifying the simple things in our lives for which we can be grateful.

Tgether we identified the ‘Hope Supporters’ in our lives - the people we have in our lives who help support and develop our sense of hope. They are people we can go to to talk to when we’re feeling worried.

Jacinta and Amy gave each of the children a bag which contained some tips for dealing with stress, breathing exercises and a teddy.

At the end of our session we all recited a hope: ‘May I be happy, may I be healthy, may I be free from suffering and may I find peace.’

World Book Day and Literacy Celebrations

To celebrate World Book Day, we participated in lots of exciting activities in school. We created our own book blurb, dressed up, made some book recommendations, read to a younger child and participated in Where’s Wally?! 

What a wonderful week celebrating all things books and reading!

Hopeful Minds (PDMU)

Today (5th March) Jacinta and Amy from the 'Hopeful Minds Programme' visited our class to talk to us about the importance of hope. We learned that hope is a skill we have to learn and develop.

We learned that there are three things we need to have in order to have hope, they are:

1. Something to do

2. Something to love

3. Something to hope for

We learned some breathing exercises that help us when we're feeling upset, stressed or worried. Jacinta talked to us about our emotions and the ways we can help calm down when we feel worked up, angry or anxious. Afterwards we made our own glitter water bottle to use if we feel stressed. 

P7 and Love for Life ProgrammE

Today (27^thFebruary) children in P7 attended the Love for Life workshop. We unpacked some ideas about our star qualities, our strengths and ambitions. We learned about the ways in which we are unique (fingerprints, bite prints and tongue print!) We also learned that we are unique because of our DNA.

We played a game to help us think about the different choices we sometimes have to make in our lives. We listened to a story that involved some elements of peer pressure and discussed the possible positive and negative consequences of our choices.

As part of the workshop we learned about the process of puberty and some of the changes our bodies go through. It was very interesting.

Accelerated Reading

Today children in primary five to seven were able to enjoy the fruits of their labour when they visited the AR shop and spent their points on prizes! Children have been reading and quizzing on AR books since September; earning points for accuracy and understanding in their quizzes. 

There were many happy and excited children as they visited the shop and chose their prizes. Some children have held onto their points for the AR shop in June. There is lots of time for the children to earn more points by reading and quizzing. Children take their books home each evening to read and are also given time in class daily to read and quiz.

Well done, girls and boys!

PDMU

Today (21st February) Miss Jeanie visited our class to talk with us about Positive Role Models and Good Choices. We learned that we are all good at something and that we are the best at being ourselves.

Role models are people we look up to or admire. We learned that family, friends, famous people or historical figures can be role models.

We learned about people who faced challengers in their lives, danced and sang songs. It was great fun!

Pancake Olympics

We participated in the Bessbrook Primary School Pancake Olympics! We had a great day playing games, participating in the pancake toss and eating pancakes!
 

Pdmu

Today (7th February) Miss Jeanie visited our class to continue the Your Life: Your Choice Programme. Today we learned about how to stay safe in our homes and the dangers of some flammable materials commonly found in houses, such as some solvents. 
Jeanie showed us some of the warning signs that may appear on deodorants, hairspray, oven cleaners etc. We learned that all solvents are safe if they are used correctly and that abuse can be damaging to our health.

Internet Safety Day

Today (6th February) is Internet Safety Day. In class we learned how to be safe online by taking part in a scavenger hunt. We learned the SMART rules for using the internet:

S: Stay safe: Don’t give out your personal information

M: Don’t Meet up with someone you met online

A: Don’t Accept emails/files/texts from people you don’t know

R: Is it Reliable? Check information before your believe it

T: Tell: Tell an adult if something or someone makes you feel worried or uncomfortable 

We talked about the influence the internet can have on us. We learned that things we see or hear online can change how we think, feel and act. Sometimes this can be positive - it might inspire us or make us feel better about ourselves. However, sometimes this can be negative - it might encourage us to do something unsafe or make us feel like we’re under pressure.

We also discussed some scenarios we may be presented with online and the impact they may have on us. There were lots of interesting discussions!

Ulster Scots Taster Lessons

Today, 1st February, representatives from the Schoenberg Society in Kilkeel visited our class and completed a workshop on the following lessons:

• Introduction to Ulster Scots culture, tradition and media
• Highland bagpipes/chanter
• Drumming
• Drum majoring
• Highland dancing

It was very interesting and lots of fun!

PDMU

Today Miss Jeanie visited our class to talk with us about drugs and medications. We learned that all medicines are drugs but not all drugs are medicines. We learned the some drugs can cause an addiction. Miss Jeanie explained how important it is to take medicines in the right way because medicines are tried, tested and safe if you take them in the correct dose and according to the instructions.

However, illegal drugs are not tried, not tested and are therefore not safe.

We learned that we should follow the doctor’s advice and the instructions given with medication.

Miss Jeanie told us some stories and we took part in a quiz. What an interesting lesson!

WAU and Drama

Today, Tuesday 23rd January, P6/7 held a ‘court case’ to determine who was to blame for the sinking of the Titanic. The children worked in a group to plan a persuasive argument for the judges explaining why their client was innocent. The drama unfolded in a mock court case this afternoon! The children presented compelling reasons as they tried to defend their clients! The judges listened carefully before deciding who they felt was most to blame. A cheer went up around the classroom when Captain Smith was found guilty! 
Well done to all the boys and girls who used their World Around Us knowledge, their literacy and acting skills in our court room drama!

STEM

Today, Monday 22nd January, P6/7 conducted some experiments related to our World Around Us topic, The Titanic. We learned about displacement, buoyancy and density. We first made a hypothesis about what might happen if we add a weight to our ‘ship’, then we tested our hypotheses. It was interesting to discover that the weights sank when placed in the water, but they floated when placed in our ship! Lots of interesting questions were asked and answered!

PDMU

Today (17th January) Miss Jeanie visited our class and started our ‘Your Life: Your Choice Programme’ in PDMU. Today we learned the facts about smoking and vaping and the damage both of these can do to our bodies. We learned that cigarettes and (some) vapes contain nicotine and that nicotine is addictive. Miss Jeanie talked to us about making informed choices and explained that we are responsible for the choices we make. We sang songs, danced and listened to some stories - it was an interesting, informative and fun lesson!

Newry High Taster Day

Today, January 12th, children in P6/7 visited Newry High to get a taste of what it’s like to be a secondary school student. The children took part in four taster lessons: PE, Art, Technology and Maths. During each lesson the children participated in an exciting activity. A fun day was had by all!

🏡📚 Home-learning 📝🧮

📖 Homework book Literacy & Numeracy tasks.

🔤 Phonics & Mental Maths 

📚 Guided Reading (5-10mins each evening)

📖 Accelerated Reader (25-30mins each evening)

💡 Just2Easy SpellBlaster & TT Blast! 🚀🕹️

Advent

🎄🌟 The festive spirit is alive in P6/7! In our RE class, we delved into the magic of Advent and crafted a heartwarming Kindness Advent calendar! 📅💖

Each day, a lucky kiddo receives a Kindness Card and a sweet treat from our 'Where's Wally?' Advent calendar. 🍫🕵️‍♂️

What a delightful way to spread joy, treat ourselves, and shower kindness upon one another! 🤗🎁

Orienteering trip to Gosford

🗺️❄️ On this 1st of December, the adventurous P6/7 squad embarked on an orienteering escapade to Gosford Park! 🌳🧭 Despite the chilly weather, we fearlessly tackled the elements, mastering the art of map-reading, compass navigation, and teamwork amidst the enchanting forest trails. 🤝🌲 What a fantastic day of exploration! 🌟 Thankfully, we were all bundled up, warding off the cold, and to cap it off, a cup of hot chocolate awaited us, wrapping the day in warmth and smiles! ☕🌲

Eco Schools!

🌿🍏 P6/7 adventurers took a field trip to St. Joseph’s Convent Primary School in Newry as part of Eco-Schools! 🏫💚

With the guidance of mentors from Keeping Northern Ireland Beautiful, we dived into workshops on healthy breakfasts, home-grown fruits, winter gardening, and more! 🍎🌱 Students squeezed apple juice, honed gardening skills, and taste-tested breakfast combos.

Then came the BIG CLEAN UP! 🚮🌍 Paired with our friends from St. Joseph’s, we tidied up the Convent in Newry, earning kudos from locals! 👏🌟 Special thanks to Radius Housing for funding this amazing project, bringing fruit trees, planters, and wild-flower boxes to our eco-friendly journey! 🙌🌳

Art inspired by Georgia O’Keefe

🎨✨ In our art exploration, we delved into the enchanting world of Georgia O’Keeffe, renowned for her mesmerising close-up paintings of flowers! 🌸🖌️ Each of us carefully selected a flower, channelling our inner artists to sketch its delicate form with vibrant chalk.

🌼🎨 Then, the magic unfolded as we brought our blooms to life using a symphony of oil pastels, chalks, and expert blending techniques, playing with light and dark colours to capture the essence of O'Keeffe's style! 🌈💫

The canvas is buzzing with creativity, and the next chapter involves crafting the perfect backdrop to complement our floral masterpieces. 🖼️🌟 Stay tuned for the grand reveal of our completed artworks - a visual feast in the making! 🤩👁️

Practical Problem Solving

👑📏 Exploring "The Victorians" in our WAU topic, we uncovered a fascinating tidbit: Queen Victoria's waist measured a regal 127cm! 🤯👗 To bring history to life, we teamed up with a partner and embarked on a whimsical journey of cardboard crafting, attempting to recreate a life-size representation of Her Majesty's waistline! 🤔📦 Though measuring the circumference posed a challenge, the process was an absolute blast! 😄👯‍♂️

Art

🌸🎨 This week, we've embarked on a colourful journey into the artistic realm of Georgia O'Keeffe! 🖌️✨

Inspired by her breathtaking blended flower masterpieces, we've taken the first steps in crafting our own floral wonders.

🌼👀 Each of us carefully chose a flower image, bringing it up close and personal through the magical strokes of chalk and oil pastels. 🖍️🌈 The canvas is buzzing with the vibrant energy of our creative expressions, and anticipation is building for the final reveal of our artful endeavours! 🤗🌟 Get ready for a blooming spectacle! 🎉

Our Class :)