BALLYCLARE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Website: www.ballyclareps.co.uk Email:
ISSUE: 31
/ Thursday 14th May 2015. Term 3REMINDER
School is closed this Monday 18th May for pupils – School Improvement day for teachers.
MAY FAIR WEEK
Next week is May Fair Week and many exciting events will be happening around the town for families to participate in. You will have received a copy of the May Fair Programme along with this bulletin.
Some events that may be of specific interest connected with our school are:
TUESDAY 19th
May Fair Day / Reminder to all parents that the Main Street will be closed from 7:00am so please plan an alternative car route to school and work. School will start as usual at 8:55am and close at 12:00 noon on this day.
« NO TOAST will be available at breaktime
but Breakfast Club will function as normal.
WEDNESDAY 20th
P7 Tug of War Competition
Pet Show (All welcome) / 1:00 – 2:45pm
6:00 – 8:00pm / Six Mile Park
Ballyclare Primary School - Playground
THURSDAY 21st
Hockey Tournament
Football Tournament / 9:30am – 12:30pm
1:00 – 3:30pm / Astroturf, Foundry Lane
Soccer Shed, Green Road, Ballyclare
SAINSBURY VOUCHERS
Thank you for all the vouchers donated to this year’s scheme. We would like to remind you that the last date for vouchers being issued by Sainsbury’s stores is Saturday 30th May. Please send in any other vouchers by the end of May so that we can avail of some extra resources for school. Thank you.
CONTACT PARENTS
Our ‘Contact Parents’ text messaging service is still in use. Please note that if the text cannot be sent to the first mobile number given in our Pupil Contact database, the computer system will send it to an alternative number on the list. Please ensure we have up to date working mobile numbers for parents at all times.
WALK TO SCHOOL & CYCLING WEEK
The Eco Schools Council would like to encourage everyone to try their best to take part in ‘Walk to School Week’ from Monday 18th – Friday 22nd May. Hopefully the weather will be kind and this will be a great time to start a habit of walking for the rest of the term. We are off on Monday but keep walking on that day also wherever you are.
A tally of walkers will be kept in each class and prizes will be distributed at the end of the following week to our ‘Champion Walkers.’
Remember, if you live too far away to walk the whole way, ‘Park and Stride’ or Ride from Asda or Sixmile Leisure Centre car park. /
THANK YOU
Thank you to all our parents who take such an interest supporting our pupils with homework and assessment revision each year. This may be time consuming and sometimes frustrating, but it does make a difference. Teachers spend a lot of preparation time on homework activities and these are differentiated to suit each child.
Please contact your child’s teacher or myself if you have an ongoing problem. We will be happy to discuss this with you.
PHOTOGRAPH SALES
Parents are reminded that the closing date for the payment of P7 Friendships Group photographs is Tuesday 19th May. Cheques should be made payable to Tempest Photography. If paying by cash – please enclose the exact amount. These photographs turned out very well.
STARTING TIME
All parents, please note that school doors open from 8:45am for pupils to enter their classes, thus avoiding waiting in the hall or playground each morning. All pupils should be in their classrooms by 8:55am to enjoy the start of their school day.
ARE YOUR CHILDREN SAFE ONLINE?
Parents please be very aware of the huge dangers facing pupils when they are left unsupervised using computers. Whilst it is difficult to keep vigilant at all times, children are very aware when their parents are checking up on their use and this prevents unsafe practice to a great extent.
The overuse of computer games by children is noticeable in school as pupils can often be tired in class, have fewer social skills with their peers and concentration levels can be affected. Mood swings are also common if children are spending a long time each day in front of an ipad or television/computer screen.
Thank you to all parents who turned up on Monday evening to hear Constable Herron of the PSNI give a very informative talk on keeping children safe on the internet. An information leaflet from this talk is issued with today’s bulletin. Please read this and be aware.
READING ALL OVER THE WORLD
Congratulations to the following pupils who have completed our ‘Reading All Over the World’ P4-7 Reading Challenge; Jonathan Kilgore P4, Logan Black P6,Tilly Taylor P7, Lucy McCalmont P7 and Rhys Lorimer P7.
As always: If there is anything that concerns you in any way in school,
please contact me via the school office or by e-mail if that is easier.
I will always follow up any issues raised if I have your contact details. Mrs Mulligan
SCHOOL FAIR - FRIDAY 5th JUNE 6:00pm
Keep the date free!
Remember to purchase a balloon
for our Grand Balloon Release.
INTERNET TALK – Constable Herron (PSNI)
· Pupils take risks and get more risky.
· The internet can open the door to sexual predators.
· Primary age children are involved.
· ‘Private’ bedrooms are a dangerous place. (NSPCC – ‘Children are safer in a park than in their own bedrooms.’)
· Children don’t tell parents about internet problems for fear of punishment e.g. having computers/games confiscated.
· Online predators get away with it because no one reports them and policing the internet is impossible as it is too large (no resources to do this).
· Internet is a good thing but needs to be supervised. Don’t allow it to be secretive.
· Train your child to think and report anything they’re uncomfortable with.
· Popular Apps are free on phones e.g. Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Twitter Snapchat, Facetime (Oovoo). No child in Primary School i.e. under 13 should have these freely in use.
· Online Grooming is a ‘process.’
Befriending on Facebook
Engaging Building a relationship
Sharing stories
www.thinkuknow.co.uk – gives advice
· Grooming then changes to requests for a photograph (i.e. image naked from waist up, selfie of bare bottom).
· Posting images online is common by children as their parents do it. Children just don’t know what is an appropriate image.
· 93% of 5-15yr olds are online.
· 33% of 9-16yr olds have had stranger contact.
· 60% of 11-12yr olds have social media.
· Children act differently online than they do in the real world It’s easier to be mean, aggressive or flirtatious.
· Anything put online – you’ve lost control of it.
· Paedophiles use the internet to meet young people.
· Bullying using the internet is common. 45% is on mobile phones.
· Children, despite knowing the dangers, go into chat rooms. The older boys/men make young girls ‘feel special’. They are flattered by befriending or ‘dating’ an older guy.
· Stranger Danger – needs to be discussed. In the real world it is often someone you know. Online Stranger Danger is someone they don’t know.
· Hard conversations need to be had between parents and children.
WATCH OUT FOR
· Excessive use of computer/internet.
· Aggressive behaviour regarding internet use.
· Secretive behaviour.
· Change in use of sexual language/behaviour/eating habits.
· Unsupervised use of Facebook, AskFM, Chatroulette, Instagram.
DO
« Get children to teach you about what they are using online.
« Set up parental controls. (Google – guidance)
« Tell children never to give out personal details online.
« NSPCC à Awareness videos to show children.
We have an extensive programme of Internet Safety in school but the problems are also there if the internet is used at home. All parents be aware of what your children are using and who they are meeting online.
Internet safety is an essential parental responsibility in 21st century.