Translink provide transport, at a small charge, to and from the Greystone Road , Dublin Road and Randalstown Road/Ballymena Road areas.

Pupils who live more than two miles away from School may be entitled to NEELB assistance with travel. Application forms are available from School. If suitable transport is not available the Principal will advise parents accordingly.

Parents are responsible for ensuring the children are well behaved on the journeys to and from school and should instruct them on all the safety aspects associated with embarkation, waiting at the Bus Stops etc.

In Antrim P.S. we take pride in achieving a high annual percentage attendance rate. Pupils should, of course, attend on each School Day as the Law requires unless they are ill. Parents should forward a note to School following any absences through illness etc and again a note is required if children have to leave School early for appointments. Parents should be aware that all unnecessary absences disrupt classroom organisation and interrupts their child's education.

Road Safety awareness is given a high profile in School. Training begins in P.1, where children are first introduced to Tufty Club, and progresses throughout the School. In Primary 6 the children are instructed in Cycling Proficiency. However, the vicinity of our School is very busy with traffic and we advise that pupils should not cycle to or from school. A School carpark is available to parents at 2.OOpm and 3.OOpm. Children must be accompanied by adults when making their way to this area.

The School has many close and valued links with the Antrim and District Community. Our associations include the local Churches, Industries, Health Centre, Libraries, Council and other Schools including our neighbouring Primary School St. Comgalls P.S. The cross-curricular theme of Education for Mutual Understanding is developed both within the day to day curriculum and within these community links. E.M.U. is about self-respect, respect for others and an understanding of what is different, as well as what is shared, in other cultural traditions.

In September 2002 our school decided to take part in the Eco-schools award scheme. We are only one of many schools throughout Europe who are participating in this programme The Eco schools programme takes two years to complete. After this time we can apply for a green flag for the school. This is similar to the blue flag scheme, awarded to clean beaches.

Eco Schools Report - MARCH 2006 As an eco school we care about the environment and how we can help conserve the earth's resources. We would like to update you on what is happening in our school for the Eco-schools award scheme. This year we will be applying for our second Green Flag. This is a whole school project and we need everyone to help the eco committee to achieve this, so that we can continue to fly the green flag outside our school. Being awarded a green flag shows people that we care for our environment. It is impossible for a few people to keep our school clean and tidy. We need everyone to take responsibility for the appearance of our school. To be awarded the flag we are assessed on the different issues we have targeted. Litter This year the eco committee has given each year group a green zone to look after and the litter problem has greatly improved but we still need your help to stop litter being thrown down both inside and outside of school. The main problem is now at the front of the school where either people are throwing litter into the grounds or it is blown in by the wind. We would like you to encourage your friends and family to always put litter in the bin. Remember if someone is caught throwing litter down by the litter warden there is an instant £50 fine 3Rs One of our main aims has been to Reduce, Re-use and Recycle the waste we produce. classes have looked at ways we can reduce the amount of waste in their lunch boxes · Use a lunch box with different compartments for different foods · Put items in reusable bags which can be resealed instead of items which are individually wrapped This year many of you have again been involved in the yellow pages and Christmas card recycling projects. The yellow pages will go to make egg boxes and recycled paper. This helps to save trees, which would otherwise be cut down to make these products. We also recycle all waste paper and card in school Next week we will be sending out information on our new recycling project for this year. We want you to collect clean second hand clothes from your friends and family. For every bag of clothes we collect the school will receive £1. So hopefully we will be able to raise some money for our school grounds. Healthy Living Healthy living is another important part of the eco schools message. Thanks to Mrs Stewart's initiative of healthy eating more people are bringing fruit and other healthy options for break Recently there has been some concern about young peoples' diet. We all should have 5 portions of fruit or vegetables each day Having a banana or an orange for break will give you more vitamins and will give you longer lasting energy than a chocolate bar or crisps We hope that when it comes to choosing something for breaks you will make a healthy choice of having fruit. Choosing fruit instead of crisps and chocolate bars will help to reduce waste, as all the waste can be recycled in the worm bins. This will also help to reduce the litter problem in school. Remember exercising is also important to keep you healthy and it helps to clear your mind and releases chemicals that make you feel happy Mr Savage is introducing the Huff and Puff programme to encourage pupils to exercise and stay healthy Schools Grounds We have targeted the school grounds for our next green flag. We want our school grounds to become an outdoor classroom, a place where we can work as well as rest and play. We want to attract more wildlife into the school grounds such as mini beasts and birds. So far we have set aside a wildlife area The conservation volunteers have built another living willow dome Some classes have planted flowers and bulbs And we have made some bird cones to hang up around the school grounds Many of us have been involved in the Big schools bird watch and can now identify the different birds that visit our school grounds each day. We enjoyed collecting the data and entering it on the rspb web site. If you visit this site you will find out the results of Britain's big bird watch Energy Climate change is already happening and we must take action to reduce our energy usage if we are to prevent catastrophe. Even the smallest of actions can make a difference. Not leaving your TV on standby and walking to school instead of getting a lift could help save thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide if everyone did the same. And this helps reduce the amount of 'greenhouse gases', which contribute towards climate change. In school we are trying to reduce the amount of energy we produce. Perhaps you can find out how to use less energy at home. Friday 10th March sees the launch of "Click for the Climate", a campaign that will help to reduce energy consumption. Climate change is already happening, as scientists report daily, and we must take drastic action to reduce our energy consumption. What will you be doing to help reduce your carbon dioxide emissions during National Science Week? Prime Minister Tony Blair will be turning down his thermostat, world record holder Colin Jackson will be taking the train and Sir David Attenborough will be unplugging his mobile charger. This year our school is taking part in the best-kept school awards. Everyone in school can help by keeping our school clean, tidy and litter free. The judging for this award will be taking place in April or May.