Gortin Primary School

Gortin Primary School Plumbridge Road, Gortin, BT79 8QB Tel. no: 028 8164 8268 Fax no: 028 8164 7032 Email: [email protected] Principal: Mrs I Wallace

23 January 2017

Dear Parent

After School Sports Club Please note that after schools sports will resume for Y 4-7 each Wednesday from 8 February for 6 weeks until Wednesday 15 March. Mr Kane will be taking this class commencing with tag rugby.

UNICEF – Friday 3 February Our annual Unicef non-uniform day will be held on Friday 3 February, when children may give a donation, minimum £1.00 and wear their own clothes. This year’s focus is on protecting children in emergencies, delivering life-saving food, medicine and clean water in 3rd World countries.

PATHS(Promoting Alternative Thinking Skills) Paths is a universally evidence based programme designed by Barnardos and delivered to your children weekly which aims to teach children improved thinking skills, responsible decision making and behaviour as well as helping children achieve academic success and was introduced to our school last year. It continues to be a big focus in our school and this week we are celebrating National Compliment Day on Tuesday 24 January. Giving and receiving compliments is one area we are trying to develop and is something we do for all the pupils in our class as they become pupil of the day(see form sent home for you to add your complements and return to school).It’s a great way of raising everyone’s self-esteem. Please support us in this.

As part of the PATHS Programme Year 7 set up a Clean Club to help monitor and contribute to the appearance and upkeep of our school. They not only set up the club but also wrote raps and designed membership cards for their club. The PATHS coach who calls monthly with us judged these and Dillon Wilson came 1st in the rap with Lucy Dunn 2nd and joint 3rd Anna and Sarah McConnell. In the membership card design Sarah McConnell came 1st with Charlie Hempton 2nd and Sarah Fair 3rd .Well done to everyone in the senior class all their work is displayed outside the assembly hall.

World Book Day – Friday 3March World Book Day is Thursday 2 March. The children will be participating in a variety of book activities that week but because of the upcoming election our main celebration will be held on Friday 3 March. We are very excited to have been able to book Maddie Stewart, children’s writer, author and poet from Co. Down who has had several children’s books published including Cinders, Bertie Rooster and Clever Daddy. We would like the children to come dressed as a book character on that day and bring their book with them to share.

Hopefully advanced notice will give parents an opportunity to plan for this. Maddie will not only be telling stories but teaching rhymes and sharing writing skills and judging costumes and interviewing skills etc. I have applied for funding through Poetry Ireland and am hoping to be able to fund this for the children with a little help from PTA.

Travel Arrangements If your child’s travel home arrangements should change for any reason we would appreciate notification on the day or a phone call to remind staff. For all outside school appointments and changes in travel arrangements home please ensure that phone calls are followed up with a signed letter for attention and for our SIMS attendance records. Fun Run Meeting We will have our first fun run meeting in Gortin P.S. on Tuesday 31 January @7.30 pm. We would appreciate a good turn-out of parents to help commence organisation for our biggest annual fundraiser. We would also really appreciate if anyone could help sponsor our fun run or would know of anyone they could approach for sponsorship. Even small amounts would be appreciated as we endeavour to make our fundraising as productive as possible.

Paired Reading Programme Paired reading will commence for all Y3- Y5 on Monday 6 February for 6 weeks ceasing on Friday 24 March (omitting mid-term week). This is a very worthwhile programme proven to increase children’s reading and comprehension skills and the more you put into it the more your children will get out of it. A short information session will be held on Thursday 2 February at 2.30 pm for parents on how to participate in the programme and gain best results. Information booklets will also be sent home. Please ensure good records are maintained throughout. Children will be tested before and after to monitor progress.

Students Council At an election for pupil representation for our student’s council for the Spring Term from Y4- Y7 the following children have been selected by their peers, Leah Campbell, Betha Rickford Stephen McIlwaine, Alex Burton, Dillon Wilson, Lucy Dunn and Andrew McPhillimy. They have had their first meeting last week and will be busy planning events such as the World Book Day and other events for the term ahead

Smartie Box Collection We are doing our annual Smartie Box collection to raise funds. The children have been given a box of Smarties on Friday 20 January and when eaten they are asked to collect 20 pence pieces in the box. When this is full the children are asked to bring these back into school. We would like these returned by March if possible. This can be a very good fund raiser and the PTA would really appreciate your support in this.

Y4/5 Trip to the Ulster Museum Year 4 & 5 have been participating in a local study about rocks at the Owenkillew Community Centre and as part of this project will be travelling with St. Patricks to the Ulster Museum in Belfast to participate in workshops this Thursday 26 January. There will be no cost. They will leave school at 9.15am and return in time for the bus. They should wear school uniform and bring a packed lunch. Please sign the permission slip and return to school. If there is a parent who would be free to accompany the children to the museum to help with supervision please contact me here at school.

Badoney Developement Partnership – Community Friendship Programme The Badoney Partnership would like to inform parents of children in Y1/2 who have signed up to the above programme that it will commence on Tuesday 31 January and the children will be collected from school at 2.00pm.and children can be picked up in the usual way from Gortin Hall (beside St. Patricks P.S.). Children who normally travel home by bus will also be picked up at the hall. Any further queries should be made to the above group. They anticipate the second day to be Tuesday 28 February at 2.00pm – to be confirmed at a later date by them.

Parent Interviews Will take place week beginning 6 February for those requesting them. Allocated time will go out to parents later this week.

Forward Planning Thursday 16, Friday 17 & Monday 20 February……………………..Mid Term Break

Yours sincerely Iris Wallace Principal Afterschool Sports Y4 – Y7 (8/2/17 – 15/3/17) I allow my children/children ………………………………………..to attend after school sports for 6 weeks on Wednesdays of the above dates.

Signed:………………………….parent

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Y4/5 Trip to the Ulster Museum

I allow my child/children ………………………………………….. to travel to the Ulster Museum with St. Patrick’s P.S. on Thursday 26 January.

Signed: ……………………………………parent

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………......

Paired Reading Parents Workshop – Y3-Y5

I intend to attend the above workshop for parents on Thursday 2 February at 2.30pm

Signed …………………………………….parent