Madison McKinney presented a cheque for £500 to Rebecca from the Cancer Fund for Children.  The money was raised in lieu of Christmas presents for staff.  Thank you very much to all who donated to this worthwhile charity.  Thank you Madison for an excellent idea!

Both boys' and girls' cross country teams competed in the Flahavans' Northern Ireland Finals today at City of Belfast Playing Fields Mallusk. Conditions were perfect and both teams warmed up in what could be loosely classed as spring sunshine.

The girls, carrying the pressure of expectation, having won the Southern Area league again this year and the fact that they knew they were in with a shout at the title , were unusually serious and focused. They set about the task in a manner that could be attributed to athletes ten years older.

The whistle went and thus began the usual carnage of the 200 plus athletes vying for position.

The King's Park girls set about their task. Keep the elbows out. Keep out of trouble. If you go down, get up and go on. Each determined to do their job for the team. With about 300 meters to go they came into sight, three yellow and black shirts visible in the leading pack. The final sprint was as usual a test of character, of who was prepared to go through the pain barrier and who wanted it the most. 

We had Leah Balfour 6th, Alex Kerr 9th, Casey Cousins 10th, and our pocket rocket, little Anaya Patterson (P5) in 33rd. That was the job done, with a combined points total of 58 points, 83 points ahead of second place (which in cross county terms is a huge margin). Champions again! Three athletes in the top ten at National level is rarely, if ever, achieved so that must be commended.

Girls, parents and coaches were obviously delighted, this being the third Northern Ireland title in last 4 years, again a feat that hasn't been achieved before. 

The boys were under less pressure having had a slow start to the campaign, but qualified after an excellent performance in the second round. Their expectations were more limited but had nonetheless trained very hard to compete, determined to give their very best. They ran in in a very respectable 11th in Northern Ireland.

Congratulations have to go to each and every one of these children, who have trained and worked extremely hard towards a goal, this in itself a lesson in character that should remain with them the rest of their lives. Special thanks have to go to their parents who have supported them and sacrificed time and effort to put in those extra sessions that always count at any competitive level. Also thanks to our sponsor, Warmflow and Stuart Cousins who has provided new kits for the teams.

ParentLine NI is here to support you, your teachers, pupils and Families by offering a free confidential service.

We have created a short video for you to share on your School Open Night or at any event you feel suitable.

https://youtu.be/iwNjuZeh_mw

ParentLine is operated by qualified and trained counsellors.

Please feel free to contact us on 0808 8020 400 for more information.

Congratulations to the Mathemagicians from Key Stage 2!

Mathemagicians are pupils who have stood out for developing their mental maths skills since the start of the new school year.

Well done to all! 

Well done to King's Park Cross Country teams who won the Portadown College Cross Country event. The race was over what seemed a very long 1600metres, which is approximately one mile. Schools' top 4 placings were added together for the boys' and girls' races and an overall schools' trophy was awarded. With King's Park girls securing a first place (Alex Kerr), second place (Leah Balfour) and third place (Anaya Patterson) they were going to be hard to beat. The boys, while not in the top placings in their race, finished together and scored well, so the top school award went to King's Park.

We took the opportunity to give a run out to some of our younger, and up coming runners. We had a few p5s in the team race with the aforementioned Anaya Patterson starring. Luke Wells and Tom Kerr ran in the boys' team race and performed very well. Noah Roderick running in only his second race came first in the individuals' race. Our Primary 5 is certainly well represented in the running stakes at the moment. Hopefully they will kick on and should contribute to strong teams next year. 

The race was organised by the Portadown College PE department as part of the Students' A level accreditation. The event was a huge success and was organised very efficiently by very capable students under the guidance of Alison Symington, Head of PE in the College.

Our thanks and congratulations must go to them for a successful event. 

https://www.portadowncollege.com/kings-park-cleans-up-at-portadown-colleges-primary-school-cross-country/

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/31i7u0ntw8v5pq3/AACGLZnA43S3FnyVFRVhpKDHa?dl=0

King’s Park is being used as a Polling Station tomorrow THURSDAY 12th DECEMBER for the UK Parliamentary Elections and will therefore be CLOSED.

Please click on the following link to view the EA admissions video.

https://www.eani.org.uk/school-management/ea-digital-admissions-online-resource-hub/videos-and-presentations