Ballymoney Model Integrated Primary School

Miss Hemphill's class have been doing the story of The Gingerbread Man. We used this as our focus for Play Based Learning. We made 3D cakes from sponges, counted out spoons to follow recipes, made the Gingerbread Man from dough and made cakes in the bakery. We created a sound story using percussion instruments and used our phonic skills to write about the Gingerbread Man. Great work Year One. 

How would you like to win an Easter Egg? School Council are excited to announce our Easter Competition. 
Pages go on sale Tuesday 21st March until Friday 24th March. You can buy a page for 50p from your teacher.

Year 1-3 have a colouring competition. Year 4-7 have a page to design an Easter Egg.

All entries are to be in school for Monday 27th March in order for School Council to judge the winners. There will be 1 winner per class. Good luck!
Thank you for your support,

Miss Hemphill (School Council Leader)

Mrs Mailey and Mrs Duggan's class went outside on Thursday afternoon to conduct the investigation to find out what is under our feet. Eco committee members had already dug up a sod. We split it into smaller pieces and we worked in groups to sift through it. It was extremely muddy but we enjoyed it. We found out that many bugs live under our feet including beetles, woodlice, slugs, centipedes, millipedes and loads of worms!

On Thursday 16th March, pupils across the school enjoyed a fun assembly celebrating the appreciation of Irish dance across our school in advance of the St. Patrick's Day holiday. There are a wealth of talented pupils who joined and presented their creative expression through Irish dancing. 

All attending had an opportunity to learn about dancing the threes and had a chance to try it out for themselves. Our KS2 presenting pupils were happy to show their varied pieces and answer questions from other children. 

Mrs Boreland and Miss Doran's class enjoyed taking part min outdoor learning.

7RR had a fantastic time exploring what is under their feet for Eco Day. They were able to find and identify a variety of creatures.

Mrs Carson brought some grapes into school. As part of our numberwork we decided we wanted to find out which grape was more popular in our class.

The pupils tasted a green and purple grape. They made a decision as to which one was their favourite. Each pupil then selected a coloured counter to represent their favourite grape.

Which do think would be more popular?
It was the green grapes. Only one pupil in the class did not like grapes. 

Have a look at the Pic Collage below.

What's under your feet? Year One pupils thought this was a great question.

They thought about what they might find if they dug up some soil in front of our school. We had all sorts of answers from worms to buried treasure. Well there was only one way to find out.

Coats on and hoods up we headed outside with trowels, collection trays and magnifying glasses. 

When we observed the soil closely we found some worms in all sizes, some very short and some very long. We used the magnifying glasses to have a closer look. 

Year One really enjoyed this Eco Day activity, but sadly there was no evidence of any buried treasure!

Have a look at the Pic Collage below.

Our fantastic Eco Councillors, Adam ans Sophia, helped the rest of the class complete the 'What's under your feet?' survey. We looked at a pod of soil and had a look to see how many earthworms and other invertebrates we could find. Thanks to Adam and Sophia for all their help! 

During Science Week we learned about sustainability.  We conducted an experiment with liquid soap and bar soap to find out which was most effective for washing hands. We will test the effectiveness by observing pieces of bread touched by each group in the coming weeks. The class predicted that liquid soap would be most effective but only time will tell! 
After the experiment, we debated the sustainability of both types of soap and designed posters too. 

Year 6 had great fun learning outdoors....even though it was raining!  We examined a section of earth from our school grounds and recorded how many worms and other creatures we found.  Most of the worms we found were between 0-2cm but there were a few bigger ones hiding in the soil too! 

During Science Week, 7RR were investigating icebergs similar to the one the Titanic struck. We discovered that only one ninth of an iceberg is above water. We measured the temperature of the water and the circumference of the iceberg. Then we placed various icebergs around the building and outside to investigate how quickly they melted.

On Thursday 16th March the whole school celebrated the biodiviersity of our school site in the different Eco-Day activities available. 

We explored a trail of our forest and polytunnel where pupils searched for minibeasts and common insects found in the local area. As the food chain is affected by the wealth of creatures available underfoot, our classes completed a survey with links to the RSPB - 'What's under your feet'. 

Year 4NM were highly enthusiastic in digging out the pods in our landscape areas and searching amongst the large tree roots for different species. A great day had and evidence found to showcase different species on our extensive school site. 

Miss Hemphill's class had great fun on Eco Day. We added something green to our uniform. We went outside to discover 'What's Under Your Feet?'. We enjoyed looking for worms with the magnifying glasses. 

We have been learning all about fruits grown in different countries.In numberwork we decided to find out which colour of grape we liked best - red or green. Of course this involved a taste test. We used words like juicy, sweet and crunchy to describe the grapes. We selected a coloured cube to represent our preferred colour. Red was the clear favourite. Great work Year One! 

In Year 2 we were mini scientists for the week. We had a fantastic time exploring different experiments and predicting various outcomes. Our magic moment was when the volcano experiment exploded and gave us all a fright. 

Pupils may wear something green along with their school uniform if they wish to do so. This might be a green t-shirt, hat, hair band, bracelet, or even a green pair of socks. 

A coat and outdoor shoes/ wellies are a must as the weather is to be a little wet. 

Thank you

Mrs Murphy 

WAU Leader 

One of the activities we took part in to celebrate Science week was completing an Iceberg Experiment which also linked to our 'Unsinkable' Topic. We watched a very interesting video about Icebergs, learning how they are formed and how they are classified. We then had our own icebergs which we floated on water and then measured the changing temperature of the water and the circumference of the iceberg. Year 7 really enjoyed taking part in Science Week! 

Mrs Thom's class celebrated 'British Sign Language Week' by learning some new sign language. We are very lucky to have Oscar in our class who uses sign language at home and he did a great job of teaching the rest of the class some new words and phrases. Thanks very much Oscar! 

Remember pupils if they wish can wear an item of green on Thursday 16th March to highlight the importance of understanding and protecting our environment.

The weather forecast for Thursday is wet, so please make sure pupils have a coat and suitable footwear.

Mrs Murphy

How would you like to win an Easter Egg? School Council are excited to announce our Easter Competition. 
Pages go on sale Tuesday 21st March until Friday 24th March. You can buy a page for 50p from your teacher.

Year 1-3 have a colouring competition. Year 4-7 have a page to design an Easter Egg.

All entries are to be in school for Monday 27th March in order for School Council to judge the winners. There will be 1 winner per class. Good luck!
Thank you for your support,

Miss Hemphill (School Council Leader)

What's under your feet? Year One pupils thought this was a great question.

They thought about what they might find if they dug up some soil in front of our school. We had all sorts of answers from worms to buried treasure. Well there was only one way to find out.

Coats on and hoods up we headed outside with trowels, collection trays and magnifying glasses. 

When we observed the soil closely we found some worms in all sizes, some very short and some very long. We used the magnifying glasses to have a closer look. 

Year One really enjoyed this Eco Day activity, but sadly there was no evidence of any buried treasure!

Have a look at the Pic Collage below.

We have been learning all about fruits grown in different countries.In numberwork we decided to find out which colour of grape we liked best - red or green. Of course this involved a taste test. We used words like juicy, sweet and crunchy to describe the grapes. We selected a coloured cube to represent our preferred colour. Red was the clear favourite. Great work Year One! 

Miss Hemphill's class had great fun on Eco Day. We added something green to our uniform. We went outside to discover 'What's Under Your Feet?'. We enjoyed looking for worms with the magnifying glasses. 

Miss Hemphill's class used Numicon tiles to explore all the ways we can make 10. We even recorded our answers to share at the end of the activity. Great work Year One. 

Today Mrs Jamison was celebrating a very special birthday and she decided to share some of her favourite things with us.  We all enjoyed some fantastic party games, dances and even buns!  What a treat!

Happy Birthday Mrs Jamison!

Thank- you Mrs Jamison for inviting us to join your Birthday Party Celebrations. We had great time in Year 4 today learning and taking part in new games and dance group sets to music. 
It was a lovely surprise and thank- you for the delicious birthday iced buns and treats to everyone today in school! 🧁

Happy Birthday Wishes.

Mrs Murphy.

Head of KS1.

Eco Committee Members remember to bring in Outdoor footwear/ wellingtons and a coat for the Eco Meeting , tomorrow on Wednesdsy 15th March.

Thanks,

Mrs Murphy.

Eco- Schools Leader. 

Miss Hemphill's class have been working hard on their rolling skills during Fundamental Movement time. We can roll the ball on our body parts, roll the ball into a space and roll the ball with control to a partner. Well done Year One!

Pupils in Year One have been introduced to a new app called "Keynote".

Pupils used this app to create a simple presentation about their favourite meal.

Pupils selected a photo of their favourite meal from the camera roll, then they used the keyboard to type their own name.

This is part of our "Yummy, Yummy" topic. We have been learning all about where foods come from, how it needs to be stored appropriately, and cooked or baked.

Every Friday, there is a great buzz of excitement in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 as boys and girls bring into their class the much anticipated " Show & Tell Boxes." 
Last week, Mrs Murphy's Class listened really carefully to the two class members talking and explaining  about the special items in each "Show & Tell Box."

The finale is the presenter selecting class peers to ask and to have their questions answered.

Such fantastic collections, hobbies, talents and achievements have been discovered with our Show & Tell Box sessions during Term 2A and the start of our new term in 2B.

The boys and girls in Mrs Murphy's class are looking forward to the next Show & Tell session on Friday this week.

Thank- you also to the interest and support to all parents/ carers for helping your child bring in the Show & Tell Box back into school every Friday in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 classes.

Many thanks,

Mrs Murphy.

Head of KS1. 

Mrs McNaughton's Year 4 class have started a new set of Activity Based Learning activities with Miss Hemphill. Our theme this term is Diwali. We have looked at Rangoli art, Pointilism and the story of Rama and Sita. We used props to retell the story, programmed BeeBot to visit characters in the story and added untuned percussion to a Diwali song. Have a look at what we are doing. 

School Council are excited to announce that our annual Easter Egg Hunt will take place on Wednesday 29th March. This event is held annually by School Council to raise money for new playground equipment. On the day each child taking part will receive either a crème or caramel egg. Your child is bringing home an order form today. Please return this form to your class teacher with your £1 by Friday 10th March. Many thanks for your support.

Miss Hemphill, School Council Leader 

Year 4 had a fabulous sports coaching programme delivered in our school by the IFA during Term 1 and Term 2A. The boys and girls in Mrs McNaughton's Class and Mrs Murphy's Class really enjoyed the fun PE seesions, learning footwork, handling and catching ball skills and working together in pairs and in teams.The Finale of Dodge Ball, followed by the Special Disney Story- time with Anthony the IFA coach were always a welcome treat during these fantastic Sport Disney Coaching Sessions. Thank- you to Anthony for all your coaching and to the IFA for providing such a fun, skilled sports programme to our school. 
Special thank you cards were given to Anthony by the different classes at the end of the Final IFA Sessions. 
 Many thanks,

Mrs Murphy.

Head of KS1.

The Theme of World Book Day Mr Men and Little Miss Characters were painted using poster paints by pupils in Mrs Murphy's class this week. The boys and girls took great pride in painting the favourite character from this series of books.

Great artistic achievement in Mrs Murphy's Class! ⭐️🎨

The Eco Committee had a very busy, but productive afternoon in the school garden at their last meeting on Wednesday 6th February 2023.

The boys and girls worked really hard, weeding and clearing any winter weeds in the vegetable beds during this Winter Gardening Session.

Thank you to all the Eco Committee class members and to the support of the non - teaching staff members, to the classroom assistant,  Mrs Waide and to the Bulidings Supervisor, Mr Johnston for their interest and help with the school winter gardening Eco activities during Term 2A.

Many thanks,

Mrs Murphy.

Eco- Schools Leader. 

The Year 4 WAU Thematic Topic " Shine a Light," has been an action- packed and very busy Term 2A in Mrs Murphy's Class. All the boys and girls had great fun making Chinese Fire Breathing Dragons, Dancing Puppets, Dragon Paper Chains, learning about the Chinese Zodiac and  Using Mathematics skills in solving how to make Animal Tangrams. The pupils in Year 4 have also been Using ICT skills to research and find out information about the Chinese New Year and Festivals. Using Communication skills have also been integrated into this WAU Topic through Talking & Listening, Reading and learning about the writing Genre of "Instructional Writing". Fantastic Writing Instructions achieved on " How to make a Fire Breathing Dragon and Bird Feeders!"

Super achievement by the boys and girls in Mrs Murphy's Class during Term 2A! 🌟

The KS1 Assembly during the Monthly Vlaue of "Trust" was led by Mrs McNaughton's Class. All the classes in Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1 enjoyed listening to the stories, poems, verses and watching the Role- Play scenes and videos about how and whom we can learn to "Trust "in school and in our daily lives. This KS1 Assembly was also carefully linked into the theme of Mental Health Week. The Assembly closed in worship with Prayers and action songs related to the Theme of " Trust."

Well done to Mrs McNaughton's Class!😊

Many thanks,

Mrs Murphy.

Head of KS1.

During the month of February, School Monthly Value of "Trust," was celebrated in our school Assemblies. Foundation Stage Assembly was led by Mr Mc Lean's Class to all the pupils in FS and KS1 during the Friday Assembly. The boys and girls in Mr McLean's class led a superb range of exciting drama, saying poems and singing songs all about the theme of "Trust." Everyone in the Assembly, enjoyed joining in the worship by following the fun Actions of the "Trust Song." 
Well done Mr McLean's Class!🙂

Thank you.

Mrs Murphy,

Head of KS1.

During Mental Health Week, painting in the style of the artist David Hockney was followed in a Live Art Workshop. The boys and girls in Mrs Murphy's Class were selected as a host class with over 260 schools joined into the Mental Health Week Art Workshop. Have a look at the beautiful paintings created using pastels and watercolour paints.Thank you to Mrs McNaughton for organising the activities for our school Mental Health Week.

Mrs Murphy.
Head of KS1. 

Mrs Murphy's Class helped the World Book Day characters,  Miss Whoops and Mr Bump  by developing their skills in measuring and problem- solving strategies. The pupils in Year 4 had to measure the bandages to find the differences in length to solve this Using Marhematics Challenge. Great fun solving this investigation during World Book Day 2023.

Thank you to Mrs Robinson for organising this  Using Mathematics Challenge for World Book Day.

Many thanks,

Mrs Murphy.

Head of KS1. 

Pupils and Staff in Mrs Carson's class got all dressed up for Workd Book Day.

Everyone came dressed in their favourite costume and talked about the character they had dressed up as.

Have a look at the characters in the attachment below.

Well done everyone in Year One and thank you to all parents and carers for your support!

A World Book Day Treasure Hunt. This was definitely something new for Year One pupils.

Year One had received clues for the treasure hunt from Mr Heyburn our Communication leader. Mrs Carson read the clues and as quick as lightning Year One had lots of ideas as to where the treasure might be. We walked around the school building and grounds keeping our eyes peeled for the Mr Men and little Misses. 

We thoroughly enjoyed the Treasure Hunt and when we got back to class we listened to the story "Little Miss Careful"

Have a look at the attachment below.

The "Yummy, yummy" topic in Year One just keeps get better and better. Not only are we thinking about where food comes from, we have had the chance to make and taste some in class.

This week we made jelly! Pupils watched the process with interest. They were fascinated to see the jelly crystals dissolve and water change colour. 

After leaving the jelly to set in the fridge the children had the opportunity to taste the jelly.

The pupils then took part in a survey to find out what the favourite flavour of jelly was. 

Take a look at the attachments below.

Miss Hemphill's class made jelly this week as part of Yummy Yummy topic. We watched as the powder dissolved in the hot water. We then put the liquid jelly in the fridge and realised it had turned into a solid. Of course the best part was tasting the jelly. Yummy Yummy. 

The atmosphere was electric this morning on World Book Day. The pupils arrived in school so excited to show off their Mr Men and Little Miss costumes....... even the staff got involved.

The pupils had the opportunity to talk about their favourite character and they all enjoyed a photo shoot. See the photos attached.

Year One were so excited to be in school today dressed as their favourite Little Mr or Little Miss.

Just as we were discussing who we were dressed up as we had a visitor - Mr Bump. 

He was covered in bandages and we had been set a challenge to measure his bandages.  We ordered the bandages according to length from shortest to longest. We had great fun!

Mr Bump went on his way and Year One were delighted they had helped him to measure his bandages.

The pupils in Mrs Mack's class really enjoyed celebrating World Book Day!

Mr Bump came to visit Year 1AH. He had lots of mishaps on the way. We looked at his bandages and talked about long and short. Fantastic use of language of measure by Miss Hemphill's class. 

Miss Hemphill's class had a fantastic day for World Book Day. We enjoyed dressing up as characters from the Mr Men and Little Miss books. Can you guess who we are? 

Miss Hemphill's class enjoyed taking part in a Mr Men themed treasure hunt. Mr Uppity lost his money and we had to solve the clues to find the characters and count the coins. Well done Year 1AH! 

Parents please be aware
There will be no crossing patrol on the afternoon of Wednesday 1st March

5HD kicked off their week in the lead up to World Book Day by enjoying a Crowdcast with Axel Scheffler and Julia Donaldson. Axel showed us how he creates his illustrations and Year 5 picked up some of his illustration skills! What stars!

Year One have started a new topic "Yummy, Yummy!"

In this topic pupils will be learning all about food. To start the topic pupils were asked to talk about their favourite meal. 
They designed a food plate illustrating their favourite meals. Year One certainly love their food and everyone agreed that after this activity they were all feeling a little bit hungry. Have a look at the attachments below to see some of the great work done by Mrs Carson's class. Well done Year One.

Miss Hemphill's class have started their new World Around Us topic of Yummy Yummy. In Play Based Learning we used junk materials to create a plate of our favourite foods. Pizza was definitely a firm favourite. 

Good aftenoon, we still have some availabilty left on our After School Clubs if you haven't already booked. Bookings will close on Friday 24th February.

All this week Miss McKay will be available in our Computer Suite to offer assistance regarding the new app, School Jotter 3. If you are having some technical problems, haven't yet registered, need to update your contact details or just want some guidence on the process, please pop in to see her either before/after your parent teacher interviews. She will be available from 1.30 - 3PM Monday, and 1 - 3PM Tuesday - Thursday.

Valentine Day cards were made by pupils in Year 4 during Activity Based Learning with Mr McLean and Miss Hemphill.
In Literacy pupils in Year 4 found out the history and symbol of Valentine's Day.
Mrs Murphy's Class looked forward to giving the Valentine Greeting Card as a special surprise on ST Valentine's Day!

Happy Saint Valentine's Day was celebrated today by pupils in KS1, with the Magic Show and enjoying  the Mini Disco.
Such a lovely end of term treat! 

Also thank - you to the School Council, Miss Hemphill and Mr McLean for organising this whole - school event.

Thank you to all the staff and non - teaching staff for making today so special for everyone in school! 

Mrs Murphy.
Head of KS1.

Miss Hemphill's class really enjoyed their Valentine treat. We had a magic show and some of us were picked to be magician's assistant. Then we had a disco and enjoyed dancing with our friends. 

Valentine's Day 2023

Tomorrow is the final day before Mid-Term break. 

There are fun activities planned for all pupils across the school. 

Pupils may come to school in non-uniform, and a donation of £1 per pupil has been suggested by our School Council to fund the entertainment. 

Please see the attached image for more information. 

Just a reminder from School Council that Tuesday 14th February is a non-uniform day. Pupils may wear red or pink if they wish. £1 per child. We are looking forward to our disco.
Many thanks 

Miss Hemphill, School Council Leader

Congratulations to the Year 1-3 pupils who achieved Gold, Silver or Bronze certificates for the month of January in Maths Seeds. We are very proud of your achievements!

We are delighted that our Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 boys and girls continue to work on their reading and spellings skills by using Reading Eggs and Fast Phonics. Well done to all of our recent certificate achievers! Great work! 

Pupil Progress Meetings will take place in school from Monday 20th - Thursday 23rd February 2023

The online booking form will open this afternoon at 4.30pm on the App under Bookings

Thank you

Congratulations to the pupils in Years 4-7 who received a Gold or Silver Mathletics Certificate for the month of January. We are very proud of your achievement!

Helping Hands in conjuction with WomansAid is a programme aimed at developing the support and growth of families and pupils affected by domestic abuse and challenging feelings. This programme has been effective with previous pupils in understanding their right to safety, finding appropriate support with challenging emotions and building self-esteem. 

All pupils will experiment with elements of the programme in understanding emotions, coping strategies and celebrating unique qualities. 

Look out for some visual reminders and signposts to Helping Hands services throughout the school. 

Support services for parents are readily available - posters and contact details will be made accessible to all. 

Many thanks, 

Mrs McNaughton - Pastoral Leader/Coordinator

Today marks the beginning of ‘Place2be Children’s Mental Health Week’. 

Throughout the week, pupils in every class will explore activities and knowledge about the importance of positive mental health and coping strategies for when feelings become challenging. We will have visits from HIP Psychology, promote online safety through Safer Internet Day and varied presentations and assemblies by pupils and staff. 

Different support networks and mental health resources will be shared throughout the week. 

With the resurgence of mental health concerns nationally following lockdown, the theme for this year is ‘Connect2023’. 

“There is nothing so awful (or so small) that we can’t talk about it with someone’ Helping Hands WomansAid 2023. 

Mrs McNaughton -Pastoral Leader 

Dear Parents/ Carers,

To support our Eco- Schools Green Flag Award, our school is participating next week in the promotion of " Active Travel to School" by our involvement in the Eco- Schools Translink Challenge in Term 2A. 

To reduce the carbon footprint and to promote Health & Well - Being with Active Travel to and from school this coming week,  as an Eco-School Green Flag School, we hope to see more pupils travelling to and from school, via an "Active Travel" means such as walking, cycling or scooting to school or by walking from Dalriada to school, starting on Monday 6th February - Tuesday 13th February. 

Thank you so much to the boys and girls in the Eco - Schools Committee and to class teachers for helping complete our school Translink Travel  surveys this week 

Many thanks,

Regards,

Mrs Murphy.

Eco- Schools Leader 

House Captains - WB 30th January 2023

We all know the school crossing patrol position has been vacant for too long.  The School Council helped me by writing a letter to EA to remind them of the urgency to get someone appointed as soon as possible.  We were delighted to recently hear that EA had appointed someone to the position. A member of the EA Transport Team brought Mr Anderson the new school crossing patrol officer to meet myself and the School Council today. We look forward to Mr Anderson being able to start in the position soon.

Mrs Jamison

The Red House had a lovely afternoon at Megaw Park today.  We had so much fun in the sunshine we forgot to take some pictures during our time at the park! Everyone was on their best behaviour on our walk to and from the park and while at the park our pupils were complemented about their good behaviour by a member of the public. 

The hockey team had a great day at the Coleraine Girls Blitz today.

During the tournament they played four matches with other local schools.

The girls all played well together and everyone got a chance to play in one of the games.

Last week's interesting school information.

Does your child love to play their instrument?
Does your child enjoy playing with others?
Does your child enjoy meeting new people and making new friends? 
If the answer is "Yes" you should consider being part of a great musical extravaganza held each year in Ballycastle. The event is organised and led by the Education Authority and in the past pupils from our school who attended have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and also increased their confidence playing their instrument in a youth orchestra. 

Have a look at the attached information and consider taking part. If you have any questions feel free to contact me in school any day after 3pm and I will try my best to help.

Many thanks,

Mrs Carson

This week's Year 7 House Captains

After all the excitement of playing outside in the snow Miss Hemphill's class brought some snow inside. We wondered what it would be like for Burglar Bill to visit the houses on a snowy night - could we see his footprints in the snow. We made mini snowmen and covered the police cars in snow just like our cars had been covered. We looked at wheel tracks in the snow and tried to make our own. All this inspired us to draw snow pictures on the iPad. Super work Year One!

Thank you to all the  Eco Committeee Members who attended the first Eco Meeting for the start of the New Year in 2023,  outside in our school,grounds in the snow today.

Such great enthusiasm and help by all the  boys and girls in the Eco Committee, displayed today.

Thank you so much to the additional support this afternoon to the Eco Committee by Mrs Waide and afterwards by our School Buildings Suoervisor, I  Mr Johnston.

Many Thanks,

Mrs Murphy,

Eco- Schools Leader. 

We had amazing fun in the snow.

Dinner Menu Friday 20^th January 2023

Time to celebrate the Chinese New Year
Year of the rabbit

Chicken Fried Rice
Chips
Curry sauce
Stir Fry Vegetables

Rabbit Shaped Shortbread
Orange Pieces – for good luck
Milkshake / Milk / Water

Here is a sneak peak at some of our Foundation activities within our Play-Based Learning sessions. This form of learning involves both child-initiated and teacher-supported learning. As a teaching team we encourage the children’s learning and inquiry through interactions, that aim to stretch their thinking to higher levels.

The children developed a number of skills throughout these lessons. These skills are building relationships with peers, cooperation, problem solving, emotional awareness and investigation.

Not only does this form of learning aid the children’s learning and development it also allows them to become independent learners.

What a lovely Foundation Stage Open Morning we had today. It was lovely to have everyone join us and take part in all of our playful practice.

A special thanks also goes to all of our current Year one and Year two pupil’s who thoroughly enjoyed playing with our visiting children. Lots of fun and learning was enjoyed by all.

What a lovely Foundation Stage Open Morning we had today. It was lovely to have everyone join us and take part in all of our playful practice.

A special thanks also goes to all of our current Year one and Year two pupil’s who  thoroughly enjoyed playing with our visiting children. Lots of fun and learning was enjoyed by all.

Swimming for Term 2a is now available to book on the School App under bookings.

Term 2a is for a 4 week block and then the same classes will continue after half term.

A new booking form will be posted for this in order to try and spread the cost for parents over Term 2.

Thank you

School Office

Milk for Term 2 is now available to order on the school App under bookings.

The form will close at 4pm next Tuesday 10th January 2023 at 4pm - NO LATE ORDERS WILL BE TAKEN.

The order will be submitted to meet the dairies deadline and milk will start in school on Monday 16th January 2023.

Thank you

School Office

We had a special visit from an extra special guest today, just in time to see all of our pupils off at the end of term.

Watch it by clicking the link below...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YaX5AP1LKUCsAOl0zhXyJ5O8u4DxrgUG/view?usp=drivesdk

The pupils of Ballymoney Model IPS had a real musical treat today. Instrumental tutors from the Education Authority Music Department visited our school today to provide some beautiful Christmas Music and also introduced us to the four instrument families that make up an orchestra - the string, woodwind, brass and percussion families. We got to see the instruments being played and listened to the different sounds all the instruments made. We clapped and sang along to some of our favourite Christmas songs.

Thankyou to our principal Mrs Jamison and Mr Elliot from the Music Service for organising this wonderful event which was enjoyed by all pupils and staff!

Please see the attachment below.

Year 4 had a great, fun and interesting visit from CEF.The boys and girls in Mrs Murphy's Class enjoyed listening to the Christmas story, participating in the Quiz presented by Miss L. McAuley. The highlight of this special visit this week was making the beautiful baubles to hang on the Christmas Tree.

Thank you to CEF for visiting Year 4 classes at Ballymoney Model IPS. 

Many thanks,
Mrs Murphy.

Head of KS1.

Mrs Murphy's Class have had a very busy and interesting Term 1B finding out and learning about their Topic " Home Sweet Home." The boys and girls participated in an Outdoor Survey of the local houses, designing and making 3D models of different types of homes. They also found out about the importance of " Being Seen" in the Dark, by wearing reflective clothing and  Kerping safe using Road Safety skills,  especially whilst walking to the Local Library in Ballymoney. 
Using ICT skills the pupils have found out about Types of Homes in other countries and completed and presented posters about Types of Homes. 
To link in with the Year 4 class Novel, " The Owl who was Afriad of the Dark," the pupils also have been learning about Plop the baby Barn Owl.
Finally the boys and girls have enjoyed learning and making different decorations to celebrate this Special Christmas Season. 

As part of our Christmas Treat Day Year One enjoyed some dancing and games in the hall. We would like to wish all our families and friends a very Merry Christmas.

What a busy term Mrs Carson's class had in World Around Us. 
pupils observed the beautiful Autumnal changes in out school grounds. After the Autumn walk pupils had the opportunity to experiment with different techniques using paint to create their own Autumn painting. 
Pupils were encouraged to think about how our animals survive seasonal change. We talked about hibernation, nocturnal and diurnal animals. Pupils thought about their own safety during dark mornings and evenings. They enjoyed the torch experiment to test if high visibility jackets did show up better in the dark. Apple tasting was a highlight, pupils tasted different varieties of apples to see which variety was favourite in our class. 
So much learning and so much fun in World Around Us.

See the attachment below.

Miss Hemphill's class were thinking about seasonal changes this term. We took a walk to observe the changes in our school environment. We used this as a stimulus to draw autumnal trees on the iPad. We tasted apples and chose our favourite. We thought about nocturnal, diurnal and hibernating animals. We thought about how to keep ourselves safe in the dark mornings and afternoons. Have a look at how busy we have been. 

Come along at 2:15pm today to see how much talent the Model school really has!

Year One designed their own Rudolph Christmas Card. 
They had a wide variety of drawing utensils, google eyes and of course red glitter. They wrote a message inside their card. They can't wait to take them home. Have a look at the attachment below to see their fabulous cards. Well done Year One!

Mrs Hamill's Class led a very interesting KS1 Assembly on the Theme of "Friendship" during Term 1B. The boys and girls read and acted Friendship Recipes by adding a "Cup of  of Kindness, Caring and Being Helpful". Year 3 and Year 4 classes really enjoyed listening to the Friendship Recipes and singing the Friendship song in our KS1 Assembly in November, followed by the School Creed and Prayers.

Many thanks,

Mrs Murphy.

Head of KS1.

We are really looking forward to our Christmas Performance tomorrow.

Year 4 pupils performed the Christmas Show " Baubles," this afternoon on the School Stage to an audience of Parents/ Carers and family friends. Fantastic acting, singing in this new Christmas Play in our school. This Christmas Show " Baubles" by the boys and girls in Mrs Murphy's Class, Mrs McNaughton's Class and Mrs Mack's Class, led the children from the Nativity Journey, to Christmas festivities in school of decorating the Tree. "Merry Christmas Everyone, from Year 4."

Let me introduce the stars of Year One. We had a fantastic performance of Whoops-A-Daisy Angel. We really enjoyed entertaining our family and friends. 

Christmas Sparkle today with the colourful Christmas Jumpers which all the boys and girls enjoyed wearing in school to support the Charity Save the Children.
Thank you to Miss Hemphill and the School Council for organising this whole school event to support this charity, at Christmas time. 🎄

Many thanks,

Mrs Murphy,

Head of KS1.

Festive style was on point today in year 5!

We used our knowledge of nets to create our own Christmas tree baubles by decorating 3D shape nets and shaping them into 3D shapes.  Check out our creations!

School Council would like to say a big thank you to our school community for raising £208 for Save the Children through our Christmas jumper day. The government are kindly matching what has been raised by Save the Children up to the value of £2 million. This will go a long way to helping children who are in need this Christmas. 
Many thanks 

Miss Hemphill

School Council Leader

The Eco Committee have been busy in the School Garden harvesting Artichokes, weeding the wooden beds to plant another crop of Artichokes.
Thank you to Mr Johnston, School Buildings Supervisor and to Mrs Waide, Classroom Assistant for helping the members of the Eco Committee on Wednesday 23rd November during this cold weather. Everyone in the Eco Committee worked really well together, helping harvest the school grown produce in our school grounds.

Many thanks,

Mrs Murphy,

Eco Schools Leader.

The Eco Committee had a real surprise in the school vegetable garden on Thursday 23rd November. The tiny seeds planted in Term 3 had grown into huge parsnips. A huge thanks is extended to our School Buildings Supervisor, Mr Johnston and to the classroom assistant Mrs Waide for their help to the boys and girls harvesting parsnips in the school garden. This was an exciting time, the first experience of trying to harvest huge, freshly grown parsnips. 
Thank you.

Mrs Murphy.

Eco Schools Leader.

Orchestra will meet as usual on Wednesday afternoon at 3pm. 
This will give everyone an opportunity to have another rehearsal, check all music is in school and to tune up for our performance at the school open evening.

Thank you,

Mrs Carson 

Mrs Murphy's Class, thoroughly enjoyed their class visit to the Local Library in Ballymoney. The boys and girls had great experience, listening to the Stories read by the Local Libriarians, sorting Books and books by Author names, Alphabetically and selecting new books to borrow from the Local Library in Ballymoney.
Such interest shown by the girls and boys in borrowing books from Ballymoney Library Service.

A huge thanks to the Library Staff at Ballymoney Library.

Well done, Year 4.

Kind regards,

Head of Key Stage 1. 

Mrs Murphy. 

Year 4 participated in an Outdoor Survey in the Local School Neighbourhood. The boys and girls in Mrs Murphy's Class and in Mrs McNaughtons' Class identified and counted the types and number of houses, detached, semi- detached, terraced, bungalows,etc. The pupils really enjoyed this Outdoor survey. Back in school this survey helped the pupils to complete a tally chart and present their findings. Great work in Year 4. 

Pupils in Mrs Carson's class worked so hard to design their own Christmas Bauble for the class Christmas tree. 
They used paint, stars and glitter. Once decorated pupils attached a pipe cleaner to the bauble. 
This afternoon we built our artificial Christmas tree, added lights and the baubles.

Year One absolutely love their Christmas tree. It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Have a look at the attachment below.

Year 1AH are getting into the Christmas spirit. We have been talking about our Christmas trees in World Around Us and finding out the differences between real and artificial trees. During Play Based Learning we made clay snowmen for our class tree. We told Miss Hemphill all about our family traditions of decorating the tree. Finally, it was time to add the decorations to our tree. 

We are delighted to have been able to reinstate our Story Sack Lending library for our Primary One pupils.

Story Sacks are  large cloth bags containing some favourite children’s books along with some resources and activities that can help bring favourite stories to life.

It was great to use some of our fundraising money from last year to update existing Story Sacks as well as purchasing new ones to add to the collection.

Primary One pupils and their families are already enjoying these at home.

Did you know our School Council promotes Healthy Breaks? Our clsss councillors used their ICT skills to design posters to promote our Healthy Break scheme. We used a buddy system so that Year 7 were helping Year 4 with their ICT skills. Keep an eye out around the building for our posters.

Year 4 Girls in Mrs Murphy's Class and Mrs McNaughton's Class had a fabulous session of PE during the NI IFA Disney Programme. The Disney Frozen chapter led them through learning new footwork ball and dribbling skills through the Enchanted Forest.
Thank you to the NI IFA coach for such great fun and learning new PE skills during this session on Wednesday 23rd November  2022. 😊

Guess the name of the Elf?

50p per Guess

Guess correctly and you could be in with a chance to take me home from Christmas.

Ballymoney Model IPS
Christmas Raffle 2022

Tickets will be coming home this week
Tickets cost just £1 each
Over 14 hampers & prizes available
Picture on the School Website & Facebook page

Return completed Tickets with Money to the School Office.
Draw will take place on 16^th December 2022

Ditch the Dark Day in Year One was a great reason to wear something really bright to school. 
This week we have been learning about how to stay safe if we are walking in the dark mornings and evenings. We carried out an investigation in class to see which colours show up best in the dark. We shone a torch on lots of different coats and we found out that high visibility jackets are the easiest to see in the dark . 
Look at the pictures below to see Year One ready to ditch the dark.

Miss Hemphill's class have been thinking about how to stay safe in the dark. We looked at high visibility vests and how the reflective strip glows when a light shines on it. We realised some of our coats have reflective strips. On Friday we dressed brightly to Ditch the Dark. 1AH know to Be Bright to Be Seen! 

As it is Road Safety week Year 1AH decided to teach our class puppet Pixie how to cross the road safely. Have a look at all the instructions we could give. Well done Miss Hemphill's class - you know to stop, look and listen! 

Last week, Year One pupils were learning all about nocturnal and diurnal animals. They now know nocturnal animals come out at night, when they hunt for food.

Pupils were then encouraged to think about how they need to stay safe during the dark mornings and evenings.

They observed how wearing a high visibility jacket makes you so much more visible at night when a light is shone on it.

Look at the attachments below to see some of their work.

Eco Meeting, Wednesday 23rd November.

Thanks

Mrs Murphy.

Eco- Schools Leader. 

e SEND Transformation Programme - Information Event for Parents and Carer

5HD took part in HIP Psychology's 'Anti-Bullying Megathon Extravaganza'.  We learned about different types of bullying and saw examples from movies and TV shows.  We worked with Cormac Venny to decide what was physical, social, emotional and cyber bullying.  We were encouraged to stand up for others and to stop bullying in its tracks.

Just like ice cream - all different colours and flavours.  We are all different and that is what makes us so interesting! We should accept and celebrate our differences.

We have a great bunch of children in Year One.

They enjoy playing together, working together and looking after each other in school. 

We read a story called "Ronald the Rhino" that taught us we are all unique in our own special way.

Children designed a person to represent themselves and they were all added to our Circle of Friends display.

Year One really enjoyed participating in non uniform in aid of Children In Need.

We talked about how the money raised would be used to help children who are not so fortunate as us.

Have a look at the attachment below to see Year One in non uniform.

School Council would like to say a big Thank-You to our school community for raising £256 for Children in Need. As a Silver Rights Respecting School we support charities which help children who are in need. Article 6 in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child states that every child has the right to survival and development. The money raised by our school will help towards that.

Many thanks

Miss Hemphill

School Council Leader

Year 4 pupils in Mrs Murphy's class, as part of Friendship Week, PDMU circle time activities with Miss Hemphill, had great discussions talking and sharing about how they felt in different scenarios. The boys and girls created Circle Wheels of "My Feelings." Year 4 pupils really enjoyed the active learning activities of PDMU Week 2 session by Miss Hemphill, during Friendship Week.😊.

As it is Friendship Week in school Year 1AH decided to tell Ted all about what we like to do with our friends. We are all friends in 1AH. We created a Circle of Friends display to remind us that even though we are all different, we can all be friends in Year One. 

Mrs Murphy's Class celebrated Friendship Week with the pupils participating in a variety of PDMU and circle time activities. The boys and girls also came to school on Monday 14th November wearing an " Odd Sock" or item of clothing, for Anti- Bullying Theme Promotion UK Day, as part of our Friendship Week. The pupils explored the feeling of empathy and friendship to others in the " Empathy Shoe Scenarios and activities." Here are a few samples of activities during Friendship Week.

As part of Friendship Week Miss Hemphill's class listened to a story about Pixie the Parrot being scared. The theme this year is Speak Out. We gave Pixie advice for who to talk to - we know how to Speak Out in Year One. 

Year 4 thoroughly enjoyed the first coaching session in this new Disney NI IFA Programme. The boys and girls were led through an Enchanted Forest and had opportunities to participate in the Frozen Story with Active sporting and football sessions. The first session on Wednesday 9th November, ended with a " Cliff hanger from the story." ... Find out what happens in the next edition from Year 4! 
Thank you so much to the NI IFA coach for coming to our school, Year 4 had such fun learning new skills in this new Disney Coaching Primary Schools Programme! 

On Friday the pupils in Mrs Mailey's class were learning some different strategies to help to solve problems. We looked at the strategies 'drawing a picture or diagram' and 'look for a pattern.' We read and investigated different problems and decided which strategy would suit best. The pupils worked so hard - the concentration was evident! The pupils then even made up their own problems which used one of these strategies. Well done everyone!

Friendship Week

Mrs Murphy's Class showed acts of Kindness by bringing in donations for the Christmas Shoe Box Appeal.

Thank- you to all Parents and Carers  for your kind generosity with helping the School support this Charity.

Many thanks,

Mrs Murphy.😊🌈

After working hard on the rhyme 'Way up high in the apple tree' 1AH decided to taste some apples to find out which was a favourite. We had lots of langauge discussion about stalks, seeds and skin. We decided the red apple was the juiciest. After our taste test we picked a cube to represent whic apple we preferred. It was a close call but green was the winner. Learning is fun in Year 1.

The  Chicken Tikka on Mondays of Week 2 on the dinner menu has been withdrawn.

It will be replaced with:
Chicken / Cheese & Chilli Panini
Herb Potatoes
Peas
Salad

Desert remains the same
Apple sponge & Custard

Thankyou - School Kitchen

Miss Hemphill's class went for a walk around the school grounds to observe seasonal changes. We used all the Autumnal colours as inspiration for our Play Based Learning activities. We used ArtSet on the iPads to draw Autumn trees. We can select our drawing tool, change colour and make representations. We are developing our ICT skills in Desktop Publishing. 

We would just like to say a great big Thank you to the Year One Parents who visited school today for the Phonics Presentation.

It was so encouraging to see such a good turn out. Hopefully as a result of the meeting you will feel better informed how to support your child with phonics at home.

Thank you,

Year One Teachers

Mrs Murphy's Class enjoyed dressing up in Hallowe'en Costumes, Fancy Dress and Non- Uniform for the end of Half Term Special Day! The highlight was their Movie Treat.However the exciting of all was the Surprise Disco for all Year 4 pupils! Super dance moves, laughter together and musical chains in the Assembly Hall on Thursday afternoon. A fantastic, fun time in Year 4 altogether to celebrate Special Treat Day at the end of Term 1A! Have a great Half - Term break.🎃🌟

Every day in Year 1RC is a great day, but today was a fantastic day!!

Today started with everyone getting dressed up to come to school, we had all sorts of costumes and the pupils really enjoyed showing off their outfits.

We all went to the hall where we enjoyed dancing, the birdie song, the superman dance and many other dances. We loved dancing!

When we came back to our classroom we read a ebook called "Sparks in the sky"
We got excited thinking about the firework display that will be happening in Ballymoney. We talked about firework safety and what we should do if we get lost in a crowd.

Next we made firework rockets using ice cream cones, chocolate and sprinkles. They looked great and tasted delicious.

We wrote about our party and drew a picture of ourselves at the party. Before we realised it was hometime. 

Please look at the pictures below to see the fun activities we did today.

Youth Wellness Web – Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership (CYPSP) - HSCNI

https://cypsp.hscni.net/youth-wellness-web/

Online Payment Solution - Parents Survey

Meet our newly elected School Council. As a Silver Rights Respecting School our pupils have the right to have their voices heard. School Council are a group of representatives who are elected by their peers to speak on their behalf. They meet once a month with Miss Hemphill. Keep an eye out to see what we get up to this year.

Miss Hemphill

School Council Leader

Earlier this month details were posted about Peace Proms 2023.

This is a musical extravaganza giving pupils the opportunity to meet and sing with hundreds of other children in the SSE Arena Belfast. 

At the minute we do not have numbers to make this trip viable. 

Please read the previous Peace Proms post and if you would like your child to attend please confirm their place on the booking app with £10 payment to secure their place. This booking forum will close tomorrow at 10am.

Mrs Carson

Maths Week was celebrated in Mrs Murphy's Class with the boys and girls working together in groups to solve a variety of fun Challenges and puzzles. Great achievement this week using different strategies to solve the Triangle, House Path and Maze Challenges, as well as participating in Mathletics and Live Mathletics! Well done 4JM!

Maths Week 2022

Year One pupils were so excited to take mathematics and numeracy activities outside to celebrate Maths Week 2022.

Pupils developed and consolidated so many skills in a fun way!

They sorted shapes while developing the language of texture, used appropriate mathematical language in relation to length and capacity, developed recognition of numicon tiles and touch counted, recognised numerals and shapes while playing hopscotch and developed independent formation of numerals one to four. What a fun morning Year One had!

Look at the link below to see Year One enjoying Outdoor Learning.

To celebrate Maths Week Miss Hemphill's Year 1 class took their numeracy skills outside. We sorted 2D shapes and played 2D shape hopscotch. We used our language of capacity in the water tray. We made sets using Pom poms and wrote our numbers in chalk. We used the large numicon to count and ordered the tiles. What a super bunch of mathematicians we have in Year 1!

In Year 5 we have been learning all about the incredible things our bodies can do.  Did you know your heart stops when you sneeze?  Take a look at our fantastic body facts posters!

Thank you!

Congratulations to the pupils who achieved their gold Mathletics certificates in September

Congratulations to the pupils who achieved their silver Mathletics certificates in September.

This week, the newly elected Eco Committee had an exciting, but very busy afternoon on Wednesday 12th October harvesting the School produce of Artichokes. Congratulations for your great Teamwork this week in the school harvest.

Mrs Murphy.

Eco- Schools Leader

The pupils in Mrs Murphy's class have been learning about Place Value, Doubles, Addition and Subtraction facts through enjoying Practical activities in Mathematics and Numeracy. Well done for this great start to the new term in 4JM. 

After learning the rhyme Incy Wincy Spider Miss Hemphill's Year One class took to the school gardens to look for spiders and their habitats. We used the magnifying glasses to look in the flower beds and vegetables garden. We were delighted to find spiders, spider webs and worms. We love taking our learning outdoors.

Year One have been enjoying Play Based Learning based on the Nursery Rhyme Incy Wincy Spider.

They opened and stocked a wellie boot shop, designed umbrellas, modelled play doh spiders, built a shoe shop, wrote Set One Jolly Phonic sounds on a spider web tuff tray and experimenting altering the speed of flow in the water wheel.

As well as developing all of the above skills they were developing lots of social skills - sharing, turn taking and they also had lots of fun.

Have a look at the attached pictures to see pupils enjoying learning through play.

Miss Bell will be in school as usual on Friday 14th and Friday 28th October 2022. Miss Bell will be happy to provide instrumental lessons for her pupils at their usual time. Pupils coming into school should enter by the main entrance. Please ask your child to inform Miss Bell at their next lesson whether they wish to attend their lesson on both of these Staff Development Days.

As part of our nursery rhyme work on Jack and Jill we thought about what we use water for. We then thought about children around the world who are not as fortunate as us and don't have running water in their houses. As part of our Rights Respecting School work we thought about how we have the right to clean water. We looked at photographs of how some children have to walk to a well to gather water in a bucket and carry it home. We call this Global Learning. 

We would like to welcome all our pupils, friends and families to our Book Fair.

Halloween Dinner Menu - Wednesday 26th October

Please note there will be a change to our dinnner menu on Thurday 27th of October.

The dinner that day will be 

Mrs Murphy's Class participated in a Forest Nature trail to observe and describe, trees leaves and hedges in our school grounds. Back in class, the pupils in 4JM completed Flow Writing maps to recount the walk using lots of different adjectives. A great start to Recount Writing in 4JM in this new term.

Omegle is a free anonymous online chatroom where users are randomly paired with strangers to chat via video call or instant messaging. It is popular, despite no longer having its own app, and is primarily accessed on a web browser. Videos showcasing Omegle chats with celebrities have popped up on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which have added to its popularity with children and young people.

The Risks:

• Seeing distressing or violent imagery 
• Grooming by strangers 
• Exposure to blackmail and threats which could be upsetting or scary
• Pressure to reveal personal information
• Malicious links or spam that could make them vulnerable to hackers or scammers
• Catfishing or cyberbullying, which could cause emotional or mental duress or fear

Advice for Parents/Carers: 

• Discuss online safety tips
• Talk about what to do if something makes the child feel uncomfortable or worried
• Rather than mentioning Omegle, talk about online chat platforms and reiterate what they are allowed to use to chat to thier freinds
• Remind children of the dangers of talking to strangers
• Use online safety filters to prevent access - Web browsers, internet providers, and more have parent filters available that can restrict access to specific websites.
• Stay calm if a problem arises and reassure your child

More information can be found at the following link - https://ineqe.com/2022/09/30/dangerous-chat-rooms-alert 

In relation to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June, DE organised a poetry competition. We were delighted that two of our pupils, Phoebe and Verity Law were awarded prizes and invited to Stormont Buildings for a special presentation with the Minister of Education. The two poems are a lovely tribute to HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

Look at the beautiful crown made by own two Year 2 classes.

In our school foyer we have a lovely display of lots of vegetables grown in our school garden.

A big thank you to Mrs Murphy and the Eco-Committee for all their hard work in the school garden

Monday 26th September is European Language Day.  We hope to celebrate this special day by focusing on the country of France.  Next Monday, all pupils will have the opportunity to learn a little french, find out more about this country and try a few french treats.  

If they wish, children can also come to school that day, wearing clothing with some or all of the colours of the french flag - blue, white and red.  

We are looking forward to celebrating this special day!