Jubilee Celebrations
Kilrea Primary loves an excuse for a party and what better excuse than a picnic to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II. Pupils were treated to some 1950’s style entertainment in the shape of a magic act and a Punch and Judy Show and then the parents joined them for a jubilee picnic. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t kind so it had to be moved indoors but by 1pm the rain had disappeared so the sports day could go ahead. After the races everyone tucked in to ice-cream before going off to enjoy a long weekend.The final treat came when a contingent of Kilrea Primary pupils and staff joined Kilrea B.B. to attend the special jubilee fun day at Stormont Estate in Belfast. They had a great day out and the highlight came when the Queen and Prince Philip arrived in an open topped car to wave to the crowd.
Class Updates
P1,2 and 3 had a great day out at Ballydevitt Farm where they learned about milking cows, and even had a go themselves (on a model cow). Their wellies also came in handy when they went pond dipping and found all sorts of creepy crawlies. As part of their farm topic they also visited Kilrea Mart where they saw how the animals were bought and sold.P4 & 5 headed off to Cultra and the Ulster Transport Museum on 14th June, where they stepped back in time for a special scavenger hunt. They had to track down the largest steam train ever made in Ireland, the ‘Back to the Future’ car, a sedan chair, a penny farthing, Harry Ferguson’s aeroplane and a porthole rescued from the Titanic.
One of P6 & 7’s highlights of this term was their three days at Greenhill Activity Centre in Newcastle, County Down. Despite the rain they spent their time canoeing, climbing, playing laser-tag and zooming down zip wires. Luckily the weather faired long enough to walk into town for a ‘Maud’s ice-cream’ and everyone returned home tired but content after a great experience.
P4-7 celebrated the end of two projects with St Columba’s with an evening of music and presentations in Kilrea Town Hall. The children had been finding out about their local area, townland names, studying where their families came from and the roots of their own names. Both school were delighted to be presented with the coveted Pushkin award for all their efforts.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Mrs Gordon and Mrs Greer who have been named as being the best kitchen in the North Eastern Education and Library Board. This is in recognition of all the work they do throughout the year and especially on our theme days such as our Royal wedding, the Titanic lunch, the Big Breakfast and the Mad Hatters Coffee Morning. We now wish them luck as they go forward to the finals, which are at the Titanic Building in October.Going For Gold
Over the last month we have had a range of Olympic activities. Pupils have researched athletes and events, murals have been painted and flowers planted and the potted sports were even on an Olympic Theme. We were also lucky enough to have two of the Olympic torch bearers in assembly. Jonathan McCormick carried the torch in Londonderry and Aubrey Bingham from Disability Sports NI carried it in Larne. They talked about how they had been selected and their involvement with playing and coaching football and wheelchair basketball respectively.A Titanic Effort
The final fling for this year was ‘A Titanic Adventure’, written and performed by Primary seven pupils and supported by the choral skills of the rest of the school. It told the story of the workers on the Titanic as they prepared for their big journey, many of them looking forward to new lives in America, little knowing what was ahead of them. There were shipyard workers, ladies’ maids, cooks, cleaners and of course, an Italian waiter from Mr Gatti’s restaurant. The pupils were able to include lots of the information they had learnt from their study of the Titanic and a wide range of music from ‘9 to 5’, ‘I’ll tell me Ma’ and ‘Count on Me’ to ‘That’s Amore’. They performed to a most appreciative audience and after the show Mrs McCormick presented the certificates and cups to this year’s winners.Wildlife Gardening Competition
Congratulations to all those who helped develop our school grounds and especially our Wildlife Garden which has, for the second year running, been awarded first place by the Biodiversity Officer for the four local council districts in this area. Our prize will be a project with ’Groundworks’. A special thanks to Mrs Anderson and her Eco-Committee.
Thanks also to all those who participated in the Portglenone Forest Walk, which raised £844 in aid of Autism NI. Once again your generosity has been amazing and every penny is much appreciated.