June has been ‘out of this world’ for class 9. The ‘Space’ topic has been in full flight. We made our own model rockets out of junk materials, created straw rockets and carried out balloon rocket experiments. Each pupil did their own research on a planet and we even made rocket themed ‘Father’s Day’ cards. The climax to the topic was visiting the Armagh Planetarium. The pupils learned all about the solar system in a visual display in the dome building. They also had the opportunity to build their own rockets in groups and launched them into the sky. We have an extra bonus of watching a production about the beginning of time performed by ‘Cahoots Theatre Group.’
We have also been out and about in the community as part of the Eco Team. We helped to clear away some vegetation getting ready to plant a hedge in the autumn time. We had a visit to Lough Neagh discovery Centre and the pupils learned about local birds, did a spot of bird watching and went on a nature trail to look for bugs that make up a large part of the diet of the bird wildlife.
We hope everyone has a great summer and look forward to seeing everyone again in the new term.
May has been an ’out of this world’ month with lots of busy activities. We have continued learning about ‘Space’ and the pupils had great fun learning about the planets in the solar system and how they orbit around the sun. We have also been discovering how rockets have evolved and we are in the process of building our own rocket models out of junk materials. We have been thinking about caring for our own planet and took part in the ‘Live Here Love Here’ Big Spring Clean event completing a litter pick around our school grounds as part of the Eco team. We congratulate some of our pupils who took part in an Interschool's Swimming Gala recently. Well done! All our pupils enjoyed the action packed activities during the Disney Fun Week both at home and away. They had a great reunion on Friday of that week, shared photos and stories and enjoyed an ice cream and some Dinky Donuts.
Class 9 have been springing into action this April. It has been a month of trying new things and growing new life. We have been learning how to play golf and the pupils took part in a golf tournament in Gilford Recreational Centre. As part of the Eco Team, our pupils have been planting seeds in the hope of growing new food plants. We have also been considering the real meaning of Easter as we learned all about the Easter Story and how to create Makaton signs for some of the key events. Our pupils have also been industrious in the kitchen. We made Easter buns and decorated chocolate eggs. They also got creative making Easter baskets and embellishing boiled eggs for rolling down the bank in Solitude Park. Everyone enjoyed the shared party break and the Easter disco that followed. Have a lovely Easter Break!
We have all been ‘Mad March Hares’ in Class 9! We have embraced our ‘Celebrations’ topic in a big way. We made our own pancakes for Shrove Tuesday, which is also part of the Mardi Gras Festival. The theme continued with us discovering the many activities associated with the Rio Carnival. We have been attending Samba dance classes and made our own green screen movie to share our learning with other classes. The staff were delighted to discover all the movie star talent we have in Class 9. We celebrated St. Patrick’s day by wearing green clothes and having a green themed party break with our friends in senior school. All of our pupils embraced ‘World Book Day.’ They dressed up as a character from their favourite book. One pupil shared a story with a junior class. We all designed book covers, did some writing activities and took part in a jigsaw treasure hunt. When we put the pieces together we made ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ book cover. Our pupils continue to be active members of the Eco Team. Some pupils were involved in helping to create a willow dome. We hope it will become a place to share stories and sit quietly whilst watching the local garden birds.
Class 9 have fully embraced the ‘Celebrations’ topic. We learned about Hanukkah and made ‘Star of David’ emblems. We celebrated Chinese New Year with a traditional stir-fry including long noodles which were fun to eat. St. Valentine’s Day brought lots of fun. We made our own cards. had a party break with our friends in Senior school, pulled some shapes on the dance floor and took cool selfies at the Valentine Disco.
As part of our Learning for Life and Work, we have been exploring where our food comes from and how it is produced. We made a class favourite, pizza! We looked at labels and were amazed to discover where all the ingredients had come from. We also had a visit from the ‘Meat Council’ and had the opportunity to try some dishes from around the world.
Ship Ahoy from Class 9! The pupils have really enjoyed their topic based on the ‘Shipping Industry in Northern Ireland.’ Going to the Titanic Museum was a favourite and all the pupils learned how the famous Titanic Ship was built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast. They even got to ride in a cable car that took them on a journey to discover what was involved in the shipyard worker’s jobs. They were able to follow the Titanic story to the moment it hit an iceberg and sank. All the pupils were lucky to discover what the shipwreck now looks like at the bottom of the ocean. Back in class we made our own Titanic models using junk materials. We invited Class 11 to join us for a Titanic themed Tea party. Everyone dressed up in period clothes and had a wonderful time eating delicious scones, finger sandwiches and tea cakes, followed by a photo session at the lifeboat and fun games in the hall to complete our event. Bon Voyage from Class 9!
November has been another busy month for Class 9. We continued with our ‘World of Work’ topic and interviewed Doreen our school secretary and Chris our school caretaker. The pupils learned all about their busy jobs and even got to try a bit of shredding in the office. We learned about a florists job and made our own
autumn inspired ‘flowers in jars.’ We showed off our creations at the recent Harvest assembly and one of our children also did a reading. Class 9 is part of the Eco Team. We have been tidying up the school grounds, clearing away leaves from pots and planting new fruit shrubs and lots of spring bulbs in pots. We look forward to watching them grow and to having lovely flowers for spring time.
We have started new topic work based on the shipping industry in Belfast. We have been exploring the story of the famous ‘Titanic’ ship built in Belfast by Harland and Wolff. We are looking forward to visiting the Titanic Museum in December.
We have had an eventful month in Class 9. We have been exploring the ‘World of Work’ and trying some job sampling. The pupils have been busy carrying out their jobs in class. We investigated some of the jobs taking place in our school. The pupils interviewed Jean our School Cook and Chris our Caretaker. Some pupils took photos to record the many tasks that these busy people carry out. We have been learning about jobs in the local community. We explored the role of a Baker and made our own soda bread. All our pupils have been very excited about going ‘Fishing.’ They have been learning to sit quietly and be very patient. We had a visit from St. Johns Ambulance for ‘Heart Start’ week. The pupils had an opportunity to try some ‘CPR’ using the dummies provided. We also had a surprising visit from two famous mice, Mickey and Minnie! Excitement is growing as we look forward to Disney. We hope everyone has a well-earned rest and enjoys their half term break.
Welcome to the new school year! In Class 9, we have welcomed three new pupils who have moved up to Senior School and also a special welcome goes out to four new pupils who have joined Donard School this year! We have had a busy start to September and all the pupils have been getting into the swing of things. We will be studying the “World of Work” as our new topic this term. We have already been taking on new class jobs. We have been embracing the new season and our art work has featured autumn leaves made from clay. We also designed our own hot air balloons that included our name and some of things that interest us.
We will be joining Class 11 for PE and we will also be in charge of Eco-Schools. We hope to achieve our green flag this year and we will keep you informed of all the activities we are planning.
