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Welcome back!
We hope you have had an enjoyable break and are feeling refreshed as we begin our new school year. Newsletters will be sent home termly, giving you a brief overview of what is happening in class and providing you with extra- curricular information too.
Our topic for Term 1 is called ‘Off we go to school!’ We will begin by settling into our new class and learning new routines. As the Term progresses the children will be reflecting on how our school has changed over the years. This is where we need your help! Please send in any photos you may have of past pupils who attended our school, these may even be of yourselves! Using these photos, we will create a display, asking the children to sort the images into past or present. We really need your help for this so don’t be shy!
Phonics will be taught daily through short interactive sessions. There will be a parent’s information evening during the term to familiarise the teaching of phonics and what you can do at home to assist. I intend to send home help sheets to reinforce our classroom learning at home as this is vital to ensure your child has a secure knowledge of phonics. Year 1 children will begin to learn the sounds S, A, T, P, I, N; Year 2 children will revise these sounds in Term 1 and be introduced to new sounds when ready.
In addition to sounds, your child will be learning keywords, which will be learnt upon sight. This will increase their sight vocabulary and enable them to read at a greater pace as their reading strategies progress. More information will be available on this when necessary however we would greatly appreciate your help by reinforcing these words at home for a short time each day after school.
Numeracy- Within the Foundation Stage Curriculum (Years 1 & 2) the children are required to sort items into a variety of ways, this could be according to their colour, shape, size or name. This could be done at home using, dried pasta, stones, outdoor natural materials or even sock! Counting will be reinforced beginning with numbers 0-10, progressing onto 11-15 and finally 16-20. Counting rhymes and songs are great to ensure your child is confident with their numbers. Try starting in different places, not always with 0. You could even play number ping-pong, making it as fun as possible!
Writing- In Term 1 the children will be practicing and perfecting their name writing skills. During play, your child will be engaging in activities to develop the muscles in their hands and to encourage drawing and mark-making. This will assist with your child choosing their dominant hand to write with and as they become more independent, they will be able to develop their pencil grip, beginning to correctly form letters and numbers.
Our class Physical Development session is still to be confirmed. Please ensure that your child has a clearly named P.E. kit in school at all times. We hope that your child will be able to dress themselves, please consider tights and laced school shoes for school uniform on these particular days.
Despite our weather, we aim to make the most of our fantastic outdoor facilities at school. Please ensure that your child brings a coat to school each day. You are welcome to provide clearly named wellies or a waterproof suit for your child to wear if you wish.
During September Year 1 children will be collected after they have had their lunch at 1pm. Please wait outside of the school gates until the children have returned to their classes after their lunchtime break. Year 2 children will be collected at 2pm. Collection points for all children will be on the bottom playground. We ask the children to remain with the staff until we have seen the person who is there to collect your child. If your child’s collection arrangements change, please notify Sandra of this in the office. Thank you in advance for your patience during this busy time.
Allergies
We remain a nut and egg-free school due to serious allergies. Please consider this when providing snacks or packed lunches in school and on trips.
Healthy eating
Healthy lunchboxes and snacks are encouraged throughout our school. If you would like assistance with this, please visit …….. for ideas and support. Children are encouraged to bring personal water bottles to school which can be refilled when required. During break time your child can bring a healthy snack from home. Alternatively, a healthy snack can be bought from our canteen with options such as fruit, scones or pancakes. If your child prefers skinless fruit or for it to be sliced, please prepare this in advance at home. School milk is available for your child at a small cost. Please ensure you have notified our classroom staff if your child is taking milk. A letter will be sent home containing information regarding payments.
Money
If your child is bringing money to school we recommend it is sent in sealed, labelled envelopes or wallets.
Thank you for your cooperation, and I look forward to a fun and successful year at school!
Please do not hesitate to contact me via the office if you would like additional information.
Mrs Kane
Year 1 & 2 class teacher
On Wednesday 28th June the nursery children had a fantastic day away to Tropical World in Letterkenny. The children really enjoyed looking at the different animals and some children were very brave and stroked a snake and bearded dragon.
The children behaved exceptionally well and listened very well to Tanya our tour guide. We all had fun and we had 24 tired little children on the way home.
Well done to everyone on a successful trip away.
Mrs Craig and Mrs Kane took their class on a trip to Eclipse cinema in Lifford.
They then finished the day with a trip to the park.
On Friday 23rd June the school had their annual prize giving for the Year 7s.
Congratulations to all the boys and girls and we wish them all the best as they start the next chapter in their life.
We are also super proud of all our stars on stage! The children's performances were amazing.
We are blessed to have a wealth of talent in Artigarvan Primary School!
A brilliant day was had by pupils and parents at our sports day event on Friday 16th June.
Well done to each and every child that took part in our sports day!
We would like to start by thanking the large number of parents and children who attended our summer fun day.
It was a memorable day and we hope that everyone enjoyed it.
Artigarvan Primary School and Community Nursery would like to thank all the local businesses who donated to the summer draw or contributed in any way.
List of prizes and winners
£50.00 Cash- Zac McSparron
Girl's Prize- Nicola Britton
Boy's Prize- Caroline Gilchrist
Valerie Manning- Caomhan McGhee
Ali's Steakhouse- Olivia Shields
Barrontop- Lynn Stevenson
Julie Mooney Beauty- Leah Hamilton
AJ Cupcakes- Lisa Wallace
Floyds- Helen Thompson
Brookview Cottage- Lexi Hetherington
Holden's- Tammy McNeil
Be You- Michelle Watkin
Hanging Basket- Chelsea Jackson
Bottle Whiskey- Anne Barnett
Red Wine- Jensen Moore
White wine-Matthew Finlay
Sparkling Wine- Olly Britton
Sweets in a Jar- Tracy Ashenhurst
Name the Dog- Angela Hamilton (dog was called Honey)
Catch up on the growth of our cress seeds. Some of our seeds have not germinated, can you think why this might be? This is the final week of our growing challenge, let's make it a good one!
Excitedly, we arrived to school today to find that four of our butterflies have emerged from their chrysalides. How amazing they are! We are unsure of when they emerged but we know that it was over the weekend. Since this morning, they have completely changed in colour. We predicted their symmetrical patterns, to our amazement they looked nothing like we had imagined. They were dull in colour, almost like a moth. As the day progressed, two of the butterflies' wings have changed. They now have orange and red throughout their wings. We were a bit shocked at a red liquid that had been expelled, we read our information leaflet and it assured us that this was normal and it is not blood but meconium- essential for the formation of their wings. Have a look at our most recent video blog.
A number of our highland dancers recently received awards for their tremendous dedication and effort.
Well done to each and everyone!
