Strabane Primary School

💙✨ Today marks National Classroom Assistant Day 2026! And so, a Little Tribute to Our Classroom Assistants here at Strabane Primary!

There are some people in school who know absolutely everything.

We don’t mean maths everything. Or science everything.

We mean ✨ Important ✨ everything. Like…

✅Where the spare glue sticks are.

✅Whose unnamed jumper has been sitting on the floor for three weeks.

✅How to unjam the photocopier when everyone else has already switched it off, switched it on, opened every little door on it and whispered things to it that probably shouldn’t be repeated in a primary school…!

💁‍♀️They can spot a child about to spill their water bottle from the other side of the room.

👉They can open a yoghurt, find a missing pencil, listen to a very long story about someone’s hamster AND keep an eye on the child who has gone suspiciously quiet…all at the same time.

They hear their name approximately seven thousand times a day.

“Can you help me?”
“Can you help me?”
“Can you help me?”
“I don’t need help.”
Two seconds later…
“Can you help me?”

😵‍💫They know that when a child says, “I feel a bit funny…” something unpleasant may be about to happen…

✨They know that glitter is not an art material.
It is a permanent lifestyle choice. 🫣

✂️They know that a five-minute activity can somehow require three hours of preparation,
fourteen glue sticks, six pairs of scissors and a small emotional breakdown.

💅And they know that when the teacher says, “Has anyone seen my—?” the answer is usually: “Yes. I’ll get it!”

👑 Our classroom assistants are the Queens of the Wall Displays! They’re problem-solvers, peacekeepers, coat-zippers, tear-dryers, pencil-finders, confidence-builders and occasional miracle workers.

💙They make our children feel safe. They make our teachers feel sane. Well…saner. 😉

And somehow, amongst all the noise, the mess,
the missing jumpers, the broken pencils and the cries of “THAT’S NOT FAIR!” they keep smiling.

So to our wonderful classroom assistants:

Thank you for the big things.
Thank you for the little things.

And thank you especially for being with us at Strabane Primary School. ✨💙

💙✨ Reminder that school is closed to students tomorrow, Friday 25th and Monday 28th September! Enjoy your long weekend ✨💙

💙✨ We have two special events happening today in our school!

🍎📚 We look forward to welcoming you to our first ‘Meet the Teacher’ this afternoon (Thursday 24th September)

This informal event provides an opportunity for you to meet your child’s teacher, visit their classroom, and learn more about daily routines, expectations, and the exciting learning opportunities.

There will be two identical presentation sessions available:

• Session 1: 3.05pm
• Session 2: 3.30pm

Please note that this event is intended for parents and guardians only.

🗳️ We then welcome as many as possible to our PTFA AGM which will take place this evening in the school assembly hall, at 6.30pm! A great way to connect with our PTFA and all the amazing plans they have for the year ahead.

💙✨ A busy week here at Strabane Primary! Many of you will know that it’s election week in our school, with pupils voting in their classes for our School Council and Eco Committee. ♻️🗳️

Out on the road today were our amazing Digital Leaders, who have now graduated to become School Leaders under the remit of Digital Citizens, supporting and representing our school community. Our Wednesday Wow is a nod to their efforts! 💻🌟

Today, we attended the second year of the North West Digital Hub, supported by Allstate, where we officially embarked on this year’s exciting new competition.

🤩We’re so excited for the year ahead and all the opportunities it will bring!

A huge well done to all our Digital Leadership Ambassadors for their commitment, enthusiasm and leadership. We can’t wait to see what you achieve! 👏💻🌱

💙✨ We are blessed with an incredible PTFA here at Strabane Primary and we are delighted to share their newsletter with you all. Our PTFA brings parents, carers, teachers and friends together to make school life even more special for our children. ✨💙

💪🏻Whether you can volunteer at an event, share an idea, lend a skill or simply help when you can, everyone is welcome — and every bit of support makes a difference!

Come and get involved, meet other families and help us create fantastic experiences for our school community. 🎉📚

💙✨🎶 A wonderful Wednesday Wow for our choir, who has been successful in an application to perform in the O2 Arena in Belfast in March, as part of the PeaceProms concert!

Each year, Peace Proms involves roughly 30,000+ children from around 700 primary schools. Children learn a selection of songs and choreography in their own schools, attend a regional rehearsal workshop, and then joining thousands of other pupils to perform with the full Cross Border Orchestra in major arena concerts in locations including Dublin, Belfast, Limerick and Waterford. We only got the news on Monday that our application was successful! A wonderful opportunity for our choir, who has various other performances lined up throughout the school year. 🎶✨💙

💙✨📚 Supporting Every Learner 📚✨💙

A Wednesday Wow post for our fantastic Classroom Assistants!

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the needs of every child, our staff recently took part in a dedicated professional development day focused on Toe by Toe.

Our staff have now been fully trained in using the Toe by Toe dyslexia toolkit, a structured approach designed to support pupils who experience difficulties with reading, spelling and literacy.

This training will help us further strengthen the support we provide in school, ensuring that our pupils have access to targeted, evidence-informed strategies to help them develop their confidence and literacy skills. 💙

💙✨ Did you know we are now also on Instagram? Be sure to give our page a follow over on that platform ✨💙