Victorian Day

Year 7 had a great morning up at the Old School House in Clough. They all dressed as Victorian children and looked fantastic in their outfits. The children walked up through the Square to meet Mr McCall who had been a pupil of the school in the 1950s. He talked to the pupils about life at school, showing them pictures of Clough in the past and there were many questions as pupils began to compare and contrast the Victorian school with Cumran Primary. Have a look at the photos to see what the pupils were experiencing as Victorian children. Some of the girls created skipping rhymes, pupils played with Tiddly Winks, a diablo, skipping ropes, hoops marbles and a spinning top. Mr Boden taught the boys how to use a saw, Mrs Bird taught the girls how to sew, Mr Johnson supervised the handwriting, Mrs McNamara assisted with making the Bathing Belles and Mrs McDade taught the pupils about Victorian Manners and Social Etiquette. We all had a brilliant morning, learning to compare school in the past with school in the present day. Thank you to all of the adults who assisted, to Mr McCall for his lovely discussion about the school and to Clough Community Association for the use of the Old School House. 

Gardening with Year 7

This week Year 7 have been helping to improve our school grounds with two of our Governors- Mr Johnston and Miss Blair. They tidied the plants and weeded the tyres in the bicycle track, raked away the leaves and they planted bulbs and flowering plants in pots and planters at the front of the school. Thank you to Year 7 for all their hard work and to our two Governors who gave up their time to guide and assist our pupils in the challenge. 

On Tuesday morning, Cormac Venney led a workshop with Year 7 entitled Excelling Under Pressure. He encouraged the pupils to be the best that they could be. He said "Be the greatest of all time". He used video footage and examples of sports people who had excelled in tennis and in swimming. His advice for approaching something difficult, like an important match, a performance or an exam:

1 - Focus on breathing - your vision will become clearer

2 - Be prepared the night before with all you need for the next morning

3 - Be confident and use positive self-talk saying "I can do this"

4 - Make your can'ts into can's - ask yourself is it really true that I can't do this. Recognise the most important word in our dictionary is 'yet'.

5 - Let go of previous mistakes, anxieties and worries by talking to someone

6 - Keep exercising and take time in the day to do something you enjoy

7 - And remember - WIN - focus on What's Important Now!

Year 7 now have lots of tips and strategies ready for all of the many challenges that lie ahead. Already they are amazing!

               Working with Local Artist

Year 7 have been working with local artist Trudy to create a piece of artwork to celebrate the life and work of Lydia De Burgh. Lydia was the first Irish artist to have ever painted the Queen and the portrait hangs in Hillsborough Castle. Lydia led a very busy and active life, having worked with the code breakers in Bletchley Park, during World War 2. She was a great traveller which very much influenced her artwork. She was also aunt to Chris De Burgh. Lydia lived in Clough and visited our new school, shortly before she died. What a lovely way to celebrate her life and work, than by creating a piece of artwork for display in our school foyer. She remains an inspiration to us all. 

European Day of Languages

On Thursday 26th September, we celebrated European Day of Languages by looking at the country of Spain. After finding it on a map, we looked at photographs of different places in the country, and of the capital Madrid. The pupils enjoyed learning about Flamenco Dance and debated the issues of Bull fighting and the Bull Runs in Pamploma. They drew faces in the style of Spanish artist, Pablo Piccasso and tasted a few foods associated with Spain. Have a look to see what our class have been doing. Paella, was a culinary hit, although many pupils thought that olives were an acquired taste!

Sports Day At The High School, Ballynahinch

Year 7 had a brilliant day on Friday 13th September, when they competed in the High School's Sports' Day. There were children from schools all over Co. Down and each one competed for the prize cup. Have a look at our competitors and their determination and enthusiasm. Despite best efforts, our teams came joint third, however perhaps you might ask, which of the Cumran teams won?

Thank you to our past pupils, who helped our team around the course, see it you can spot them. Our pupils had a great morning and learned a lot about setting goals and targets. We will, of course, be training Year 6 for next Year's Sports Day, getting them to aim high!