Welcome to our News section!
It will soon be time for our Money Week which will run from Tuesday 19th – Monday 25th March. This will be a themed event where every class does some work on issues related to money and financial capability.
Financial Capability is part of the Northern Ireland Curriculum and is divided into three areas:
The aim of our Money Week is to help children develop their understanding of money in a way which is most appropriate to their age and circumstances. During the week, the children will be working on various activities and developing their understanding of money through discussions, role-play, practical mathematics activities, reading and writing.
Each year group will be looking at five key questions:
There are many ways in which you can help your child understand about money. HSBC’s website https://moneyheroes.org.uk/ is a fantastic place to start with lots of games and activities for you and your child to look at together. Ulster Bank’s website https://ulsterbankni.mymoneysense.com/parents/ provides activities to help your child develop essential savings skills and learn how to budget for future purchases.
Thank you for your ongoing support and we hope that, by working together, we can help our pupils to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they will need to manage their money in the future.
The whole school joined with the Brooklands Nursery team last week to celebrate Book Week!
Pupils were able to celebrate reading, share stories, & listen and learn from a variety of authors & illustrators in classes, year groups and key stages during the special five-day event.
The P1s and P7s became Book Week Buddies with a focus on a story called "The Lonely Book", written and illustrated by two cousins of P1 teacher Miss Wilson! The pupils read together, drew illustrations and shared them with each other, and listened to author Chris Sanders' answers to their questions via video - all the way from his home in New Zealand! They finished the week by coming together for a BEAR HUNT around the school grounds!
P6 pupils visited St Mary's and Dundonald Baptist churches to read to senior citizens during the week, and had a Surprise Storyteller - former principal and Brooklands legend, Mr McCartney!
P5s enjoyed an afternoon of reading from the comfort of the Book Forts created under the desks in their classrooms. They also sampled a number of new books, restaurant-style, in a Book Tasting event.
World Book Day was a mix of colourful costumes, remarkable readers and a sea of smiles as pupils and staff joined thousands across the UK for the annual celebration.
It was a busy day around the school - kicked off for P1, P2 & P3 pupils by Mrs Smart and Peanut who made a guest appearance with a special story at their lively assembly.
P7H visited Waterstones bookshop in Belfast city centre for a brilliant morning exploring, reading & buying books, while pupils from P7S popped into Towell House with Mrs Smart and Peanut to share stories & renew friendships.
Thank you to our fantastic teachers for planning such a range of excellent events & learning experiences all week long - and to parents & carers for the time consuming preparation ahead of today! (Well done to our Homemade Heroes too - go to Instagram Highlights to see them all get their prizes!)
Next up - The Big Pedal (see previous News article by Mr Massey) and Money Week, starting Tuesday 19th March!
We're always up to something at Brooklands!
Please click here to download a letter from the Public Health Agency about the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine catch-up campaign in Northern Ireland.
Our new Scholastic Book Club is up and running! Go to https://schools.scholastic.co.uk/brooklands-bt16/digital-book-club to browse the latest books and order online. For every £1 you spend on this month’s Book Club, our school will earn 20p in Scholastic Rewards.
Please place your order online by March 12th, 2024.
Dear Parents/Carers,
We have some exciting news for you! We are taking part in the 15th year celebration of Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel, the UK’s largest inter-school cycling, walking, wheeling and scooting challenge. The challenge runs from 11-22 March 2024. It’s free to take part and we would love everyone to be involved.
What do you need to do?
Encourage your child(ren) to walk, use a wheelchair, scoot or cycle to school on as many days as possible during the event.
Including everyone
We want to make sure that everyone can get involved in Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel.
We know it may be more difficult for some pupils to take part than others. If you want to discuss more about your child(ren)’s specific needs, please contact Mrs Smart or Mr 'Wheely Classey' Massey and we will make sure to look into how your child(ren) can take part..
Why we are taking part
Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel is a great way to build physical activity in children’s daily routine which is important for their physical health and mental wellbeing.
Active school runs also help to reduce congestion and air pollution outside the school gate. A 2021 YouGov study showed nearly half of UK children worry about air pollution near their school. And that children thought active travel was the best away to bring down these pollution levels.
Plus there are some great prizes to be won every day if we get enough children taking part!
Useful resources
To help you prepare, Sustrans has developed a handy free guide to walking, cycling or scooting to school. It is packed with advice to help you have hassle-free journey to school.
Download your free family guide using this link: https://www.sustrans.org.uk/sign-up-to-receive-your-free-school-run-guide/
For more information about the event go to www.bigwalkandwheel.org.uk . Enjoy the challenge!
Best wishes
It's back!
Our annual Book Week starts next Monday, 4th March, at Brooklands Primary & Nursery!
Stay tuned to see what each year group gets up to during the week!
As part of the NI Science Festival, we were delighted to welcome the Outreach team from W5 to Brooklands for their "Our World from Space" show. Ben, Emma and Sven helped our P4-P7 classes to learn all about the importance of satellites and we had lots of fun taking part in experiments with rockets and infrared cameras.
Our P6 classes then enjoyed STEM workshops with the team and developed their coding skills using the incredible micro:bit devices.
Thank you to NI Science Festival for sponsoring this event!
The Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination is the safest and most effective way to prevent against these diseases. You need two doses of MMR to be fully protected.
For anyone aged 12 months to 25 years who hasn't had one or both doses, catch-up vaccination is available.
For more information, click here to download an information leaflet or visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/mmr
Happy half-term Brooklands!
What a fantastic week we've had celebrating Place2be's Children's Mental Health Week!
Across the school, our amazing boys & girls have been encouraged to say #myvoicematters & enjoyed many relaxing & motivating lessons in Art & Design, Music, Drama, P.E. & using I.C.T. ... as well as choosing colours, costumes and kits for Dress to Express day!
Huge thanks to our teachers for organising a wonderful array of creative & interactive activities for their classes all week- it simply wouldn't happen without them!
School reopens on Tuesday 20th February 2024.
Stay safe, be good & relax!
https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/
Children should come to school wearing their wackiest / brightest outfit or an outfit that they love and makes them feel happy.
No monetary contribution necessary.