We started off with a lovely breakfast and workout to get the snow boots and skis sorted 🏋🏻 The kids then enjoyed their ski lessons learning how to ‘snow plough’ and turn. This evening we took a walk through the village, visited the church and got the second half of the football final (Liverpool supporters are delighted!). The kids are now enjoying playing a range of games after dinner and chatting with friends. A successful first day on the slopes! ⛷️

Henry from Mrs Loughran's P5 class has a wonderful imagination. He loves stories and has been creating his own series of books called Grim

We have all arrived safely to the hotel and had a lovely dinner of lasagne, pasta, chips and much more! It was a very smooth day travelling with lots of excitement (and sweets!). The kids can’t wait to get their ski gear fitted in the morning ready for their first day on the slopes ⛷ It is currently snowing heavily and the conditions on the slopes are said to be fantastic !🎿

The P7 children have been reflecting on what the Holy Spirit can help them with during this time of Lent. The children made beautiful personal scrolls asking the Holy Spirit’s help. This is particularly special as they prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

During Science week the Primary 7s have been exploring John Boyd Dunlop and his invention of the pneumatic tyre.

The children created advertisements in literacy using the persuasive techniques they have been learning about in the ‘Writing to Discuss’ Unit. Can you spot the range of features they have used?

On Monday we marked International Women and Girls in Science Day by learning about the amazing work of Jocelyn Bell Burnell and her discovery of Solar Pulsars. Mrs Fogarty took each of the Primary 7 classes for a lesson on unconscious bias and how many people make judgements about certain careers without even realizing it. We learned that when Jocelyn went to Secondary school the girls were not allowed to study Science. Thankfully, due to her parents’ objection, the school allowed Jocelyn to study Science. The children took the role of Jocelyn’s parents and constructed arguments to persuade the school to allow Jocelyn to take part in Science Lessons. The children’s arguments were articulate and well informed! Well done primary 7!

Our P7 girls took to Colin Glen Dome indoor pitches in January for the group stage of the Cumann na mBunscol indoor football tournament. 

The girl demonstrated excellent skills and teamwork throughout, overcoming strong challenges from St Clare's , St Mary's on the Hill and St Brides. The team progressed through to the finals day that Friday where they met St Anne's and St Joseph's, Lisburn. These were two tough games, and we were unlucky not to come away with a win as multiple shots grazed the post. Well done girls. We are so proud of your performances throughout! 

Our P7 boys took to Colin Glen Dome indoor pitches last week for the group stage of the Cumann na mBunscol indoor football tournament. 

Having been drawn in a tough group against Holy Trinity, St. Bernard's Glengormley and St. Mary's on the Hill, our boys were going to have to be at their best to win all their games. They won the first two with some tenacious defending and excellent attacking play. Some of the points and goals that they scored were very impressive. Our two wins set up a final 'winner takes all' group match against Holy Trinity. Both schools had been unbeaten in their opening two matches so the winner of this one was going to qualify for the finals as group winners.

St. Ita's dominated the opening 5 minutes but could not make it count on the scoreboard. With the game still very much in the balance, Holy Trinity struck for a goal against the run of play. This proved to be the motivation that our boys needed as they hit the next 4 scores to come out on top.

Watch this space for news of the finals!

Miss Kelly's P3 Class Assembly was all about 'Love'. Go to the Gallery page to see a short video. P3 You were magnificent!

On Friday 26^th of January 28 Primary 7 pupils took part in Ormeau Road Credit Union Quiz. The Quiz was held in Victoria Prep and other local primary schools attended. The children had their general knowledge tested for 12 rounds and really enjoyed the day. A huge thank you to Ormeau Road Credit Union for a fantastic event.

St Ita’s had many successful teams, winning third and fourth place in both Group A and Group B competitions. A special well done to Meghan, Jenny, Conall and Callum who formed the team ‘Wizz Kids’, for coming 1^st in Group A competition and successfully winning a place in the second round (Chapter Level) and congratulations to Aidan, Aidan L, Peader and Freya who formed the team ‘Masterminds’ for winning 1^st place in Group B competition who will also progress to the next team. What a talented bunch!

Despite the freezing temperatures, the St. Ita's Cross-Country team continued to excel at the third round of the Flahavan's Cross-Country League on Monday 15^th January.

Conditions at Downpatrick Leisure Centre started off icy but soon thawed as the runners got warmed up and ready to run.

We had 12 runners competing in the fun run and they all ran brilliantly. James and Kaitlyn from P7 even got amongst the medals for their top 3 finishes.

The girls' race went off next, with 6 of our female runners lining up to compete. Chloe from P7 came in 2^nd place with her team mates not far behind her. The combined team score was added up after the race with the St. Ita's team finishing in top spot.

The boys' race followed a similar pattern, with all our runners racing closely together. With everyone finishing strongly, the boys once again achieved the best team score.

We now await news of the Northern Ireland finals which are due to take place in February.

Well done to all our runners! It was a testament to the talent in our school that we had 26 runners representing the school at one event. We're so proud of all their efforts.