Eco-Schools Bring a Bag Week

This week is Bring a Bag Week. The aim is help pupils minimise their usage of single use carrier bags and raise awareness of the Carrier Bag Levy coming into place for Northern Ireland from the 8th April 2013.

In Northern Ireland we use around 250 million carrier bags a year, that’s too many!

During the week 4th March to 8th March the Eco-Schools Bring a Bag Week campaign will encourage a change in attitude within pupils who will take the message home and into the wider community.

Reusing carrier bags has a positive impact on saving energy, reduces the impact on landfill, saves natural resources and saves money, as the majority of single use carrier bags will cost 5p each from 8th April 2013.

Some tips to get started:

• Keep a bag tucked in your school bag, handbag, or jacket pocket 
• Perhaps set reusable bags near your front door as a reminder 
• Set up a used bag dispenser in classrooms to encourage re-use.

World Book Day Thursday 7th March

Hey Ewe! DVDs Now Available

DVDs of our Nativity Musical 'Hey Ewe!' are now available for purchase. The DVD includes the full performance by our P1, P2 and P3 children.

DVDs are £5 each. 

If you would like to order a DVD, please send your order with the correct money or a cheque payable to Holywood Primary School PTA. An order form can be downloaded here.

Photographs are still available online here. Photos are shipped directly to you.

Note: Photographs cannot be ordered through the school

School Production Early Closures

As in previous years, during the week of the school production SCHOOL WILL FINISH AT 2.00 P.M. FOR ALL CHILDREN ON TUESDAY 19TH, WEDNESDAY 20TH AND THURSDAY 21ST MARCH.

Pupils Preventing Poor Parking

The PSNI Pupils Preventing Poor Parking programme is at Holywood Primary this week. The PSNI and some of our older children are at the school entrances to ask drivers to slow down and encourage parents to park 2-3 minutes walk away from the school to reduce congestion. 

Please support us, we need your help.

To see further photos of the P7 children catching motorists exceeding the speed limit outside our school, see our gallery.

Can you help us with props?

As you are probably aware we are working hard on our school production, "Hoodwinked". We are gathering up props but need help with some of them. If you can help us with any of the items we need, please bring them in to Mrs Robinson. Our list is on the Hoodwinked page.

Holywood Primary School getting the buzz about 'bee-ing safe'

Primary 7 pupils will attend 'Bee Safe' safety-awareness sessions tomorrow (Monday 25th February). They will leave school at 09:00, travel by coach and will be back by lunchtime. They should wear school uniform as normal.

Bee Safe is an imaginative way of teaching Primary 7 pupils how to prevent everyday accidents and dangerous situations and how to deal with them safely and effectively should they occur. They use a practical approach with interactive quizzes and role plays, designed to promote a high level of interaction and involvement from pupils.

The children will learn about a range of issues, including the dangers presented by electricity, fire and the roads, as well as the role of the emergency services and how they should react in an emergency. The events will also help the children be aware of their personal safety and how to avoid potential dangers, whether at home or out and about.

The 'Bee Safe' initiative is an annual event and is the result of a partnership between North Down and Ards Home Accident Prevention Committee, PSNI, Ards Borough Council, NI Fire & Rescue Service, Department of the Environment, Translink, NIE and the RNLI. It is a Northern Ireland-wide initiative and is funded locally by the North Down and Ards Home Accident Prevention Committee, Investing for Health, DPP and Ards Community Safety Partnership.

P6 & P7 After School Clubs

** P6 & P7 AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS will finish at Half Term **

This is due to after school rehearsals for the School Production which will involve all P6 & P7 pupils and P4 & P5 pupils who are members of the Chorus. A number of boys and girls will be involved in after school sporting fixtures during Term 2. The teachers and coaches involved will inform the pupils of any forthcoming training sessions or matches. N.B. P4 & P5 After School Music Club members have received dates for this term.

Car Parking at School Entrances

As at many schools, Governors, staff, pupils, parents and local residents have voiced concerns about poor parking, congestion and concern for children's safety at school entrances.

The PSNI Pupils Preventing Poor Parking programme will be starting shortly. The PSNI and some of our older children will be visible and vocal at the school entrances to ask drivers to slow down and encourage HPS parents to park 2-3 minutes walk away from the school to reduce congestion. Please support us, we need your help.

No vehicles, except those with prior agreement with the school are permitted inside the school grounds during morning during morning drop off and afternoon pick-up times.

PTA Bag Pack success!

A HUGE THANKYOU to the parents, grandparent, staff and pupils who helped last Saturday. These 41 volunteers raised an amazing £920 in 8 hours! A special mention goes to Mrs Gillian Morrow (Euan and Robbie's mum) who worked tirelessly to muster up support before the day and who also co-ordinated times for all those who could help.

It was hard work but it was worth it. See some of our smiling volunteers in our gallery.

Information & process for severe weather conditions

In the event of severe weather conditions in the coming months, we will operate a similar system to previous years. If it were necessary to close the school due to adverse weather conditions, we would inform you by our text messaging service, putting updates on the school website as well as informing the local media.

Post-Primary Open Days and Evenings

We have received information from SEELB of Open Days and Evenings for P7 children transferring to post-primary schools in September 2013. To assist you in planning for these events, a calendar of dates is shown below. Times and dates will also be available in local newspapers and the relevant school websites. For full details see the letter sent home with P7 children on 3rd December.

End of Term

School will close at 12.15p.m. on Friday 21st December. No school meals will be provided. This is a non-uniform day!

School reopens on Monday 7th January 2013.

After School Clubs commence in the week beginning Monday 14th January 2013.

Hey Ewe!

Christmas is in full swing at Holywood Primary and last week our P1 to P3 children performed their Nativity 'Hey Ewe!. If you would like a photograph of your little angel (or star!), a selection are available to purchase online here. 

Photographs have been taken by school staff. Photographs are printed by Photobox and delivered to your door. Due to the high cost of administration. photographs are not available directly from school.

B&Q Donate Christmas Tree to HPS

B&Q kindly donated a Christmas tree to HPS along with a £25 B&Q Gift Voucher. A special visitor in a big red suit came along to present it to Mrs Elliott’s P1 children. THANK YOU to Paul B&Q Store Manager, Santa and his helper!

The tree will have pride of place in Santa’s Grotto at the PTA Christmas Fair.

Christmas Dinner at HPS

Over eighty children enjoyed their Christmas dinner in the school canteen today. Mrs Crone and Mrs Leadbeatter were very busy serving the tasty meals!

   

(Click an image to enlarge)

Holywood Music Festival

Congratulations to over 100 children who took part in Holywood Music Festival. Well done to the Choir, Clarinet and Brass ensembles who sang and played extremely well. Boys and girls from P6 Room 10, P7s in Room 12 and 13 were also involved as part of the Instrumental Innovative Open Class. The adjudicator, Mrs Childs, commented on how wonderful it was to see classes performing a contrast of traditional and modern music together. She commended the dedication of the teachers and chlildren involved and the range of instruments involved including hand bells, recorders, violins, flutes, a trombone and percussion instruments. Well done! We were so proud of you and your teachers.  

Holywood Christmas Switch On

It was a truly festive day out in Holywood today when everyone celebrated switching on the Christmas Lights. Children from the orchestra at Holywood Primary took part, playing a selection of Christmas music on the High Street. (Video to follow)

Thank you to all the pupils and Miss Riddell who performed a medley of Christmas songs which entertained many visitors in Holywood on Saturday afternoon.

Holywood Music Festival

On Friday 23rd November the children in our school choir and the P6 and P7 classes will be taking part in Holywood Music Festival.

The choir will be performing in the church beside the school in a class starting at 09.30am.

The P6 and P7 children will be performing in our school hall starting at 2.00pm. The Festival committee have been kind enough to allow this class, which includes other local schools, to be held in our school to accommodate the children.

We would ask that all the performers wear a white long-sleeved shirt with a tie. The girls are asked to wear a skirt, white knee socks and dark shoes. Hair should be neatly tied back if possible. Boys are asked to wear long trousers and dark shoes.

Please come along and support the children if you can!

End Bullying Now!

As in previous years, Holywood Primary School is taking part in this year's Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying initiative.

Anti-Bullying Week 2012 takes place from 19th to 23rd November and focusses on how children and young people experience bullying because others see them as being "different".

For more information on bullying including resources for parents and children, visit the Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum.