March/April Information Sheet 2014

Dear Parents

Portadown Speech Festival – Fabulous Achievement This year Waringstown Primary School had their most outstanding success ever at the Portadown Speech Festival winning 12 first places out of 14 classes entered. The winners were Ella Moore P1, Will McKinty P1, Jasmine Magowan-Balfour P2, James Dumigan P2, Hannah Thompson P3, Katie Hunter P4, Reuben Hamilton P4, Joshua Moles P5, Lucy Johns P6, Adam Ovadia P6, Chloe Barbour P7 and Callum Young P7. All of our children competing gained very high marks. This year we won 9 Trophies, 12 gold medals, 12 silver medals, 16 bronze medals and 28 certificates of merit. Ella Moore won The Muriel Todd Girls’ Cup, Will McKinty won The Muriel Todd Boys’ Cup, Jasmine Magowan-Balfour won the Pauline McMorrow Cup, Hannah Thompson won the Waringstown Primary School Cup, Katie Hunter won The Flower Shop Cup, Lucy Johns won The Derryhale Primary School Cup and Adam Ovadia won the Lesley McQuade Shield. At the Final Awards Ceremony Katie Hunter and Lucy Johns shared The Charles Cox Challenge Cup for gaining the highest mark for any set piece in the Primary School Section as they both gained 89 marks. Adam Ovadia was awarded the Mabel Cox Memorial Cup for the most promising speaker in the Primary School Section. Congratulations to all concerned and many thanks to Mrs Usher for preparing the children so well. We also appreciate the time given by Mrs Usher on a voluntary basis to enable our children to take part in Festival. Her hard work and ability to bring the best out of the speakers gives great enrichment to all those taking part.

World Book Day We had a terrific response to the Extreme Reading photographs for World Book Day last week and all of the photographs are on display in the school foyer.

School Photographer Mr Roy Clements will be in school on Friday 04 April. (Permission slips for photographer have been issued, please return to school as no photograph can be taken without consent). He will be taking individual and family group photographs. Children may, if desired, come to school ‘out of uniform’ and wearing individual clothing for the photographs. Any pre school child involved in the family group photographs should attend between 8:30am and 10 am only.

Class Visits Members of the Emergency Services, Fire, Police and Ambulance are currently visiting the Primary One Classes to talk of their vital work in the community and to help reinforce the Number Nine.

Swimming The last swimming session for this term will be Wednesday 09 April 2014.

London Trip 2014 - 28 April - 02 May I will be accompanying our Primary 7 children to London together with Mrs S Sloan, Mrs J Erskine, Mrs D McClelland and Mr C McCambley. Please note in my absence Mr Brown will be assuming school management duties for that period. However, Mr Brown will still have a heavy teaching commitment as per normal so it would be appreciated if only emergency items be dealt with on the spot and other issues if appropriate be left until my return. Thanking you in advance of your full co-operation as usual. The itinerary in London is as follows:

Monday - Arrive London/Heathrow Airport. Visit to Windsor Castle. Evening Meal at Hotel.

Tuesday - Visit to Houses of Parliament London Eye Visit to Wembley Stadium. Visit to Cinema.

Wednesday - Visit to Tower of London and Jewel House. A guided tour of St Paul’s Cathedral by Mr Sills our dear friend. To Hamleys for shopping followed by evening visit to The Lyceum Theatre for performance of The Lion King.

Thursday - Visit to Buckingham Palace followed by a day visit to Legoland.

Friday - To London/Heathrow Airport for return flight at 11:25pm. Return to school approximately 2pm/2:15pm. At present the primary sevens are working on London projects in preparation for their visit. It is also hoped in future that many other parents will continue to avail themselves of this opportunity for their children to see at first hand the famous landmarks of London, which is essentially our capital City. I see the Trip as a collective enterprise undertaken in a relaxed but secure atmosphere which gives the children a greater depth and awareness of the world beyond Waringstown and provides them with a glance at a multi-cultural society in a large urban centre.

Extra Curricular Activities

Girls’ Hockey Congratulations to our Girls’ Hockey Team on becoming Mid Ulster champions again. On Thursday 05 March they travelled to Cookstown for Mid Ulster Girls’ Hockey tournament and returned home victorious after a series of matches as follows;

V Edenderry PS Banbridge Won 3 - 0 V Edenderry B PS Portadown Won 4 - 0 V Armstrong PS Armagh Won 2 - 0 V Bridge PS Banbridge Won 5 - 0

In the semi finals they beat Edenderry PS Portadown by 1 goal to nil. (Alex Gardiner)

The final was played against our local neighbours, Maralin Primary School and in a great match they triumphed by one goal to nil. (Lydia McNeill)

The team was Elise McClelland, Jessica Rea, Alex Gardiner (Captain), Lydia McNeill, Rachel Paul, Emma Lamont, Zara Uprichard and Leah Heaney. Congratulations to all the girls and Mrs McCollum and Mrs McElhinney for again achieving this success.

League Home Bocombra PS Portadown Won 7 – 1 (Lydia McNeill 3, Leah Heaney 2, Alex Gardiner and Jessica Rea) League Away Seagoe PS Portadown Won 2 – 1 (Emma Lamont, Alex Gardiner) League Away Iveagh PS Rathfriland Won 7 - 1 (Lydia McNeill 5, Alex Gardiner and Jessica Rea)

On Tuesday 25 March at Lurgan JHS the A and B Teams took part in another tournament with the A team qualifying for the NI Finals next Wednesday at Lisnagarvey and results were as follows.

A Team B Team v King’s Park PS 2 – 1 v Seagoe PS 1 - 2 v Bocombra PS 3 – 0 v Edenderry ‘A’ 0 – 4 v Killyman PS 1 – 0 v Bridge PS 4 – 2 v Armstrong PS 3 – 1 v Carrick PS 1 – 1

Semi Final v Millington PS 5 – 0. Final v Edenderry PS Portadown 0 – 2.

School Football V Fairhill PS Mid Ulster Friendly Games. A series of small sided games took place on Thursday 13 March against Fairhill PS Dromara. Three teams were representing the school and each team played a series of matches and were very successful.

Today 27 March the football squad will be taking part in the March Festival for Mid Ulster Schools at Lurgan Junior High School. Best wishes to all concerned.

School Rugby The Mid Ulster Tournament was held at Pollock Park, Lurgan on Friday 14 March. Again this year the format was a round robin series of friendlies against various schools from the local area. Congratulations to all concerned. A contact rugby blitz was held on Thursday 20 March at the same venue and equally successful.

Further details and photographs of all school activities are on the school website.

Yours sincerely G G Kennedy Principal

SCHOOL CLOSURES

End of Spring Term Friday 11 April 2014 Lessons finish at 12 noon. Easter Monday 14 April – Friday 25 April inclusive