***** EARLY CLOSING DETAILS FOR END OF TERM *****

EARLY FINISH TIMES FOR FRIDAY 27th MARCH 2026

Please arrange to have your child/ren collected at these times:
Pupils with surnames from P-Z will finish at 12.15 pm
Pupils with surnames from A-H will finish at 12.25 pm
Pupils with surnames from I-O will finish at 12.35 pm
(If there are siblings with different surnames then the oldest pupil leaves first according to their surname and younger siblings may leave at the same time.)

* Nursery pupils will not leave in alphabetical order and may be collected between 11.55am and 12.10pm.

THIS WILL BE A NON UNIFORM DAY and SCHOOL DINNERS WILL NOT BE SERVED.

Congratulations to the boys hockey team who have qualified for the NI Finals!! A fantastic achievement!! 

The boys had a brilliant tournament and played exceptionally well throughout the day, winning numerous matches against tough opposition.

The team was unlucky to lose the final 1-0 to a very strong Armstrong PS side.

This year’s theme is ‘This is My Place’.

The aim of this is to help children and young people feel a sense of belonging in their friendships, schools and communities, recognising its importance for mental health.  Our focus for this year has been around emotional literature, giving children the language to describe their feelings and that it is ok not to feel happy all the time. 

During CMHW we are going to think about what makes me smile?  Helping the children to think about what they like to do when they are not feeling great to put that smile back on their faces. 

Every child is then going to draw, write and design a poster showing what makes me/ them smile.  Each class will have a winner and receive a small prize.

Key Stage 2 are also going to write poems about ‘What makes me smile’

Finally on Friday 20th February we are having a non-uniform day and the children are being encouraged to ‘Come As Yourself’  We are also going to have a movie and hot chocolate in our classes for everyone to enjoy at the end of the week.

Well done to the 5-a-side football team on a strong performance at Friday’s Mid Ulster Festival in Portadown, winning the majority of their matches. A fantastic start to the year as the season begins to gather momentum. 

📣 Upcoming Autism Training at Ballyoran Primary School!

This February and March there will be a series of insightful sessions led by Middletown Centre for Autism, tailored for both parents and professionals. Topics include:

• Tuesday 24^th February 2026: Autism, Learning Styles & Visual Teaching
• Tuesday 3^rd March 2026:: Communication
• Tuesday 10^th March 2026: Sensory Processing
• Wednesday 18^th March 2026: Understanding Anxiety
• Tuesday 24^th March 2026: Reframing Behaviour

🗓 Starting 24 February 2026
📍 Ballyoran Primary School, Portadown
👥 Separate sessions for parents and staff

Parents: 11am – 1pm

Staff: 3pm – 5pm

Booking links: 

Parent - https://www.middletownautism.com/package/parents/autism-and-the-primary-school-programme-parent-ballyoran-ps-dublin-portadown

Early finishing times – week beginning 2^nd February

In order to facilitate the parent/teacher meetings school will finish early for all pupils as follows:

Nursery:   12.30 – 12.45pm

P1-P7 Pupils:

Pupils with surnames from A-H will finish at 1.25 pm

Pupils with surnames from I-O will finish at 1.30 pm

Pupils with surnames from P-Z will finish at 1.35 pm

Please pass this information on to anyone responsible for collecting your child/children.

We will send further details home next week regarding booking.