Welcome to year 1
Welcome to our Year 1 2020 restart website.We are so excited to meet you all and begin our learning journey together. Take a look below to find out all about Year 1 in Mill Strand Integrated Primary School & Nursery.
We have also added Quick Links at the top of this page to take you to additional resoiurces and pages including Home Learning. These will be updated in response to school closures due to COVID-19 |
Quick Links |
Our Staff
Mrs Thom
My name is Mrs Thom and I am one of your Year 1 teachers. I work Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. I spend Wednesdays at home with my little boy. I have worked in both Mill Strand Nursery and now in Year 1. As well as being one of the Year 1 teachers, I also lead the Pastoral Care & Child Protection Team, working alongside Mrs Bonnar and Mr Hannigan. We have a great section on our website which gives you as parents and children lots of ideas for care outside of school. I love to cook and try new recipes, read books and spend time with my family in the countryside and at the beach. My favourite colour is green and my favourite food is spaghetti. I love animals and I have three cats called Elsa, Shadow and Thor. I am so excited to welcome you all to Year 1 and have spent the last few weeks getting our classroom ready for lots of fun and learning. Miss McErlean
My name is Miss McErlean and I will be your teacher while Mrs Thom is off to have her baby. I work Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. On Wednesdays Mrs Matthews will be your teacher. I am new to Mill Strand just like some of you. This is my first year teaching Year 1 and I am so excited for the fun year ahead! I have a little dog called Penny. We love to go for walks on the beach together at the weekends. I love to sing and dance, something we will do a lot of this year! My favourite colour is yellow because it makes me happy and my favourite food is pasta. I am so excited to meet you all and can't wait to be part of your first year at school where we will have lots of fun and learn so many new things together! |
Mrs Bonnar
My name is Mrs Bonnar and I am one of your Year 1 teachers. This will be my 7th year teaching Year 1. I currently work Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. As well as being one of the Year 1 teachers, I also work as part of the Pastoral Care & Child Protection team. I love being outdoors; I love gardening, walking, spending time at the beach and the forest. I enjoy dancing, baking, reading stories and I have started to relearn the piano after a long time of not practising. What is my favourite colour.... I love all of the colours of the rainbow but if I had to pick one or two, I would say yellow as it is bright like the sunshine and green as it reminds me of nature. My favourite food is definitely PIZZA! I'm really looking forward to meeting you. We have been so busy getting the classroom ready over the past while and getting our thinking caps on to ensure we have lots of fun learning planned for the year ahead. Always remember, give things a go, be happy, have fun, show kindness and know that we are always here for you. See you very soon! : Mrs McLaughlin
My name is Mrs McLaughlin and I am a classroom assistant in Mrs Thom & Mrs Matthews class, although you will find me across both classes sharing my love of music and stories. I love drama, stories and singing, sometimes I even bring my guitar to school. I can't wait to meet you all and start our Year 1 journey together. |
Mrs Matthews
My name is Mrs Matthews and I am so lucky because I get to teach Mrs Thom's class on Wednesdays and Mrs Bonnar's class on Thursdays and Fridays. I taught in Year 2 for a long time but this year I'm really excited to be moving to Year 1, so it is all new to me too but I can't wait for all the fun we will have together! I have two little girls who keep me very busy and we live on a farm with cows, sheep, hens and two dogs so there are always lots of things to do outside. We love going for walks and jumping in muddy puddles! I love reading and baking cakes and buns. My favourite colour is blue and my favourite food is anything from a BBQ. I can't wait to meet you all and begin our Year 1 journey as I know we will learn so many wonderful things and have lots of fun along the way! Miss Jamison
My name is Miss Jamison and I am a classroom assistant in Mrs Bonnar & Mrs Matthews' class, although you will find me across both classes sharing my love of crafting. I enjoy spending time with my little boy outdoors, gardening and going for lots of long walks in the forest. I love art and crafts and cannot wait to create lots of great things with you! I am really looking forward to meeting you all and having lots of fun learning in Year 1. |
Our classrooms - indoors and outdoors!
Our Classmates
Mrs Thom & Mrs Matthews Class
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Mrs Bonnar & Mrs Matthews Class
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Our Year 1 Curriculum
In Year 1 we follow the Northern Ireland Foundation Stage Curriculum. We learn practically through hands on meaningful play based experiences that encourage team work, co-operation, independent thinking, problem solving and perseverance. We take our learning outdoors as much as we can and can often be found counting, reading, writing or creating art on West Strand beach. We consider all children in our care to be unique individuals and make sure that our learning opportunities are tailored to their needs so that each and every child reaches their potential. Download the power point below for more information on how we learn in Year 1 at Mill Strand.
Starting school
Take a look at our induction booklets, they will help you to learn all about life in Year 1 at Mill Strand. Download the pupil booklet and share it with your child frequently before they start to help prepare them for beginning school. Encourage your child to ask lots of questions and talk about their feelings, worries and hopes for starting school. If you are out and about locally, why not take a drive or walk past our school grounds and point out where your child's new classroom will be.
What you will need to begin your year 1 Journey
Healthy Break - We provide children with a healthy break each day. To cover this and enhance our play based learning with activities such as cooking, playdough and sensory resources we ask each child for a contribution of £2.50 per week. This can be paid termly to your child's class teacher via the school money app when they start school.
Lunchbox - If you choose for your child to have packed lunches please make sure to send in a clearly labelled, wipe clean lunch box. More information on our healthy lunch policy will be sent home on your child's first day of school.
School Uniform - See our parent induction booklet for more details on our Mill Strand Uniform and where you can purchase it. PLEASE remember to label ALL items of school uniform clearly with your child's name.
Other Items
Lunchbox - If you choose for your child to have packed lunches please make sure to send in a clearly labelled, wipe clean lunch box. More information on our healthy lunch policy will be sent home on your child's first day of school.
School Uniform - See our parent induction booklet for more details on our Mill Strand Uniform and where you can purchase it. PLEASE remember to label ALL items of school uniform clearly with your child's name.
Other Items
- A wipe clean pencil case containing pencils and colouring pencils.
- 2 Glue Sticks
- 1 Science Shirt (an old adults white shirt or blouse), clearly labelled with childs' name
- 1 slim A4 ring binder, clearly labelled with childs' name
- 1 box of tissues
- 1 bottle of antibacterial hand wash
- A warm waterproof coat, clearly labelled with childs' name
- 1 pair of wellie boots in a waterproof drawstring bag, clearly labelled with childs' name
- 1 pair of plimsolls in a drawstring bag, clearly labelled with childs' name
- 1 pair of child friendly scissors