We will all miss you Year 7!
This has been a very busy year. Have a look at what we have been up to.
Today we invited parents into our classroom to have a go at some art activities using recycled materials. We have been weaving CDs and painting stones to place in our school grounds. It was great fun, very relaxing.
Should you need any First Aid assistance, Year 7 pupils can help!
They are learning how to respond as the first link in the Chain of Survival.
Year 7 have been working on their F1 Project designing and constructing an aerodynamic car. A team of 6 pupils represented their school at the competition in Ballymena. They were excellent ambassadors for their school, displaying the work of their classmates and making a presentation to the judges.
Our thanks go to the following sponsors, local businesses who made all of this possible, and thank you once again to Mr McCall for spray painting our car.
Rooney's Garage Dundrum, McCall's Supplies, McKibbin Motors, J Murray and Son Animal Feeds and Home from Home Daycare.
Have a look at some of our F1 Movies- we have used Lego movie maker, the Green screen app and I-movie to create them.
Sadly today was our last day, but it was definitely the best. The adventure walk in Tollymore Forest Park was very muddy but great fun. This afternoon we spent some time on the climbing wall and aiming for the targets in an archery lesson. Some great shots- all missing Mrs McDade! Thank you to the staff at Ardnabannon and to Mrs Fida, Mrs Bird, Mrs Thompson and Mrs Ferguson who made it such a great week.
Today we had a go at paddling canoes across Castlewellan Lake. Thankfully no one fell in!!
Where do Cumran children get their energy from? Here are a few more photos of our day. As well as canoeing, we climbed a mountain and after tea went to Coco's to burn off any excess energy.
I have no doubt they will all sleep well tonight!!
We have had a brilliant first day at Ardnabannon, the sun has been shining.
Today we have been orienteering, bouldering and playing team games. The pupils have been very busy and are nearly ready for bed, although we have dodge ball, a mini hockey tournament, supper and room inspection all before bed time. Check out our photos and see what fun we had making the beds!
UNCRC Education must develop every child's personality, talents and abilities to the full.
Year 7 have been looking at the articles of the UNCRC and those that are important to them in the classroom. They have created their own classroom charter that will remind them of their rights but also the rights respecting actions of both the pupils and the staff.
Today we were video-conferencing with Marita Conlon-McKenna who wrote Under the Hawthorne Tree, a book about life during the famine in the 1840s. It was very interesting to hear how she came up with the idea for the book and she was able to answer one of our questions too.
Can you guess the country we were learning about?
We dressed up, learned a little about the country, bull fighting, bull running, we watched Spanish dance and tasted Spanish food. We also looked at art work by Salvador Dahli and Pablo Picasso.
Well done to the school football team. They played Downpatrick Primary School and won 7-4. What a brilliant team!
Article 31: Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of activities.
Two teams represented their school at the Sentinus K'Nex Challenge. The children had to create an alien with K'Nex. Have a look at their creations below.
We have been using our senses other than sight, to identify different foods. We also had a talk from the optician today about our eyesight and how important it is to have our eyes checked regularly.UNCRC Article 24 Every child has the right to the best possible health.
This week we had a visit from Go Kids Go, a charity that provides training to enable independent mobility for young wheel chair users. We have been thinking about article 23 of the UNCRC- a child with a disability has the right to live a full and decent life with dignity and independence.This week they have worked with us to raise awareness of disability issues, particularly those relating to young wheel chair users.
Watch our video below.
Parents were invited to take part in a lesson with their children. They had to plan, create and test a way of protecting a raw egg- Humpty Dumpty, from damage when dropped from a height. They had to think about slowing down the fall and protecting the egg during the landing. Success- every Humpty Dumpty survived!!
Article 29: Education must develop every child's personality, talents and abilities to the full.
This half term Year 7 pupils have been looking at the topic of flight. Today they were investigating how a parachute works and why it has a hole in the middle of the canopy!! This was great fun.
This was a great success this year. Parents joined us for reading time and Rev. Connor came to read to year 7 from one of his favourite books from when he was a child. Pupils also carried out what they have named as Speed Blurbing, having 20 seconds to share the content of their favourite book before they move on to a new partner. Some pupils dressed up as book characters- keep an eye out for a young James Bond, and others shared stories with younger brothers or sisters.
Pupils have also been filming their book reviews, having an opportunity to use our green screen. They took part in video conferencing with other pupils in N Ireland and learned a lot about the stories and poems of Roald Dahl. There was a particular Revolting Rhyme that the children really enjoyed, but you will just have to buy the book to find out what Red Riding Hood is really like.
Article 29 UNCRC- Education must develop every child's personality, talents and abilities to the full.
9th February:
Day 1: Year 7 have spent their first day in Tollymore Forest Park on an Adventure Walk. Pupils have been splashing through the river, climbing under bridges and crawling through tunnels.
After a hearty tea, they set off for Coco's in Newcastle.
Check out our photos.
Spot anyone you know??
Day 1 Dinner, then a night at Coco's
Day 2 At Ardnabannon.
No rain, a bracing walk in the Mourne Mountains followed by a paddle in a canoe on Castlewellan Lake.