Have you a Pre-Schooler? Are you looking for a child centred, progressive school that prides itself on being at the heart of the community?
Call the office number to book your tour of the school, meet the staff and see the great work that’s going on in BPS!
Once again staff and pupils got spotty for Pudsey, thank you to everyone who bought headbands, wristbands, badges and rulers to support Children in Need. We are pleased to announce that due to the generosity of parents of BPS and Ballywalter Pre-School we raised £326.50!
P6 just love to get their wellies on and get down to the beach for a lesson. Today’s challenge was Skyscrapers – working in teams to build the highest and most stable tower.
P5 really enjoyed their visit from The Road Safety Partnership, children enjoyed a walk around the village, learning about the dangers, hidden and obvious and how best to stay safe crossing the road.
To those who are not aware of the Accelerated Reader programme which runs here in Ballywalter PS here’s a brief outline:
Accelerated Reader (AR) is a reading management and monitoring programme that aims to foster independent reading. The pupils’ reading age and ability are assessed by the the internet-based software which also provides their teacher with an insight. The pupil can choose from a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books in the AR scheme, once finished reading they access computerised quizzes on the books and earn AR points as they progress. Each pupil is set an individual word count target and once achieved they can choose from the “Rewards” cabinet in school.
This has proved extremely worthwhile and teachers have seen a marked improvement in Literacy skills and a real passion for reading blossoming in our school. Have a look below at some of our Remarkable Readers!
With such a fantastic beach right on our doorstep we’d be crazy not to make good use of it! All the classes have been enjoying taking their lessons down to the shore – even with our changeable weather!
This week we are taking part in the national anti-bullying week programme. Children wore odd socks today to encourage people to express themselves and celebrate individuality. Pupils will also be taking part in lessons and activities over the coming days to celebrate anti-bullying week in a fun and informative way.
At Ballywalter Primary we always encourage our children to consider the needs of others and we love to take part in fundraising for various charities. For this year’s Children In Need appeal children and staff were invited to dress in something spotty for the day. Together with the Pre-School we raised a fantastic £321.00
The Accelerated Reader programme which runs from P4 – P7 encourages children to read for pleasure. A wide range of fiction and non-fiction books are available in a variety of reading levels. As the children read and complete quizzes on each book they are awarded a word score which goes toward the individual target set by the teacher.
It’s a really enjoyable way for the children to expand their reading and the rewards certainly are an added bonus!
Our wonderful Building Supervisor Mrs Mary Corkum was recently awarded the British Empire Medal for her services to Education.
Due to the Covid-19 restrictions Mary was unable to travel to Buckingham Palace to receive her medal, so in a lovely ceremony outside in the autumn sunshine the Lord Lieutenant of Northern Ireland came to present her with her medal.
All the children and staff had dressed up in their finest to celebrate with Mary and formed a guard of honour.
