Good bye to the P7 Class of 2014. We will miss them when they're gone!

Líofa

Comhghairdeas libh a Rang 7!

Fuair sibh gradam Líofa!

26ú Meitheamh 2014

HOMEWORK

  Reading Records need to be maintained with an adult hearing reading a minimum of three times a week.

Monday - Thursday: On-going spellings skills/tables

                                    Miscellaneous Numeracy Facts and Rules

                                    Written Literacy Activity

                                    Written Numeracy Activity

Thursday:Revision of spellings and "Need To Know" Numeracy facts for Friday Assessment    

Other on-going activities include:

• Reading and responding to novels
• ICT based research/re-drafting/word processing
• Sourcing information from the media on current affairs
• Planning and preparation for presentations and class assemblies      

The homework is written on the board every day. All pupils have a Homework Notebook and are expected to copy the homework into this. Parents are asked to check and often sign that the work is completed.

This notebook can also be used as a Home/School journal, if parents wish to write notes to the teacher.

LOOK AT OUR WORK

The Official Opening of the new Library in Draperstown

We went to the official  opening of the new library in Draperstown. Six pupils from Primary 7 (and our school Ted) went down with Ms Coyle and Mrs Devlin to play some traditional music to entertain everyone. Many people said to us that we did really well, Ms Coyle told us we were exceptional and she was very proud of us!

We introduced the pieces of music, some of which were written a long time ago in our locality and played the harps, tin whistles, violins, guitars and a bodhran.

St. Mary’s has had a very important role in this library. When the old library was in danger of closing, it was our school who made history by presenting the case to the ministers in Stormont. A photograph of this momentous occasion is to be displayed in the new library, so look out for our pupils and past pupils.

Our afternoon ended with some lunch with the special invited guests. We took some photos with Ted’s camera and met a lot of very important people, including Michael Mc Allister who is John’s dad and the chairperson of workspace; Brian Mc Guigan who is Caoimhe’s uncle, Catherine Elatter, the chairperson of the Magherafelt & District Council and of course we listened to the speeches from the librarians and the minister of agriculture and rural development, Michelle O Neill.

 We had a great day at the new library and hopefully it will stay there for a long time. We intend to visit regularly to make sure we make the most of this fantastic, modern free service.

Blackcurrant Jam Making

From the Garden to the Table

We are very fortunate to have well established red currant and blackcurrant bushes in the garden. Each year we ensure the grass is removed from the roots  and we watch carefully to make sure the birds don't carry them all away.

Mrs Higgins very kindly harvested this year's crop for us during the Summer holidays. We kept them in the freezer until the P7 class were ready to make the jam.

When all cooking was completed they designed and made Trifold Leaflets as one of their ICT tasks.

In Primary 7 we were reading Goodnight Mister Tom, which was set during WW2. We learned about the 'Dig for Victory' campaign and how people reused and recycled,  ensuring nothing was wasted. We even tried making apple jelly, straining the fruit through traditional muslin fabric. The mini-projects that developed on this topic included art, maths, science and literacy tasks

Questions

Can we prevent the apples from turning brown?

Will water prevent the apples from changing?

Hot or Cold?

Why do they turn brown?

Are they rotting?

What happens if they are dipped in lemon juice?

Are ‘eating’ apples they same as ‘cooking’ apples?

Continuing on the Gardening Theme....

Every class has been allocated a plot in the garden. Primary 7 have cleaned and prepared their drills and the beetroot seeds are in the ground,now that the risk of frost is slight! With the recent purchase of several ipads, our project work is enhanced with some great apps! We use 'Pic Collage' to make covers for the Beetroot projects.

As this class will not be here next year for the 'beetroot harvest' we have had to buy boiled and pickled produce to taste. The Beetroot Juice did not go down very easily, even though it is full of antioxidants and nutrition! Perhaps when we make our own next year it will be more popular.

We planted some seeds in propagators in the classroom and they are growing so quickly,it is very exciting to see the little red shoots. If there is a good crop in the Autumn there may even be some for sale!

The beetroot seedlings are progressing well in the propagator and in the garden.

P7 Complete the Helping Hands Programme

USEFUL WEBSITES

www.bbc.co.uk/schools

www.primarygames.co.uk