SOWING LETTUCE IN OUR SCHOOL GARDEN
The boys & girls in Fourth Class were fortunate to get an opportunity to visit our School Garden & help Mr. Keady ( retired teacher ) to plant some lettuce in the garden . They were surprised to learn that we can have different types of lettuce & that it can come in many different colours. A huge thank you to Mr. Keady for taking the time ,interest & effort in ensuring pupils see how a garden needs to be prepared ,how vegetables / herbs are planted & how important it is to weed & take care of the garden. We are all looking forward to a successful crop this year.
Pupils Drawn to Magnets in Fourth Class
Pupils weren't POLES APART when it came to experimenting with magnets .They learned how magnets have two poles & when they come together that opposite poles attract & same poles repel. They were able to levitate ringed magnets ,learned how to make a compass, discovered which materials were magnetic & which were not.They also learned which materials magnets work best through & that we live on on the biggest magnet in the WORLD.Pupils then put their creative & constructive skills to the test creating interesting 3D shapes using magnetic tangrams. Pictured are some of their creations ,a cat ,a tower .a little village & a rocket.Children made lots of interesting discoveries & were able to lift the classroom refuse bin using magnets. We are not talking rubbish when it comes to the importance of magnets in our daily lives & in the lives of birds & animals who use magnetic crystals in their brains to help them to migrate & navigate .How powerful is that!
Fourth Class Pupils perform with our local star ,singer & songwriter John Spillane
Pictured above are fourth class pupils ,77 in total,who were very proud to perform with one of our most famous & well known local songwriters ,John Spillane.John visited the school recently & gave a very entertaining workshop of music & song to the pupils. He focused on many of the traditional Amhrain Gaeilge,Trasna na Tonnta, Ta na Baid go Domhain san Fharraige , Oro Se Do Beatha Bhaile, Se Mo Laoch etc. Fourth Class children who have recently started learning the tin - whistle played ,' The Rattling Bog' on the tin -whistle along with John on the guitar. They sang the song as well to the delight of the whole school & for their finale finished with a rousing rendition of the tune on the tin -whistle. Well done to all involved.
Seachtaine na Gaeilge i Rang A ceathair
Bhi an -spraoi ag na paisti i rith Seachtaine na Gaeilge i Rang 4 ag damhsa istigh i Halla Ui Chonaill. D'fhoghlaim siad' Balla Luimnigh' agus 'Cuir Brog ar an Asal'. The three Fourth Class pupils had an enjoyable time learning how to dance 'The Walls of Limerick' & 'Shoe the Donkey. ' They quickly took to the ceili dance steps & found it to be good fun ,quite energetic & a very sociable experience. Well boys & girls !
Pupils also dressed in' green' before St. Patrick's weekend & arrived to school in colourful & imaginative costumes sporting forty shades of green. Someother activities included, Trath na gCeist ,agalamh beirte ,sceal Naomh Padraig, crossfhocail & amhrainiocht. Bain siad an -taitneamh as na gniomhaiochtai seo. Gaeilge Abu!
Pupils also dressed in' green' before St. Patrick's weekend & arrived to school in colourful & imaginative costumes sporting forty shades of green. Someother activities included, Trath na gCeist ,agalamh beirte ,sceal Naomh Padraig, crossfhocail & amhrainiocht. Bain siad an -taitneamh as na gniomhaiochtai seo. Gaeilge Abu!
Gardening Time!
Last week Mr. Keady called to see us and we paid a visit to the school garden. This is the time of year when the garden has to be prepared for the coming year. There was a good crop of kale in the garden and Mr. Keady allowed us to take this home. It was so tasty..did you know that you can fry it, boil it, steam it and even bake it!!! Yummy!!!
Let's Get Knitting!!
This week we are learning how to knit with the help of some very kind ladies from the local community. Knitting is not as easy as it looks but we're willing to give it our best shot over the next few weeks.
World Book Day
To celebrate World Book Day we visited Mrs. Curtin's Senior Infants class. We had great fun reading stories to all the children and we made lots of new friends. We hope to repeat the event again in the very near future.
Bake Sale in aid of Nurture Africa
On Wednesday 22nd February 4th class hosted a bake sale in the Old Hall in aid of Nurture Africa. Miss O'Connor will be heading to Uganda in Southern Africa for a few weeks in the summer on a voluntary basis. While here, she will be teaching children about our age and there will be a minimum of 120 children in each class!! She will also be helping to build homes and shelters for those who are less fortunate than us in Ireland, run community and social events and provide basic items for survival. Miss O'Connor is going with an Irish- founded, non- profit organisation called Nurture Africa whose aim is to provide a better quality of life for orphans and vulnerable children in Uganda.
In order to complete the trip, Miss. O'Connor needs to raise €2,000, so we in 4th class decided to help her by putting our baking knowledge and skills to good use and bake tasty treats and bakes for the school to enjoy. Students from Junior Infants right up to 6th class visited our sweet stalls along with their teachers! We didn't charge very much for our cakes and the students got lovely home made treats while also donating to a very worth while cause.
Overall, between the bake sale and staff donations, we raised €1,160!!! We were gobsmacked at how much money we were able to raise for Nurture Africa but are so glad as we know it will go a long way in improving other childrens lives. Miss O'Connor would like to personally thank all the kind parents of 4th class for their generosity, hard work, support and of course their tasty treats as without them it would not have been as successful as it was :)
In order to complete the trip, Miss. O'Connor needs to raise €2,000, so we in 4th class decided to help her by putting our baking knowledge and skills to good use and bake tasty treats and bakes for the school to enjoy. Students from Junior Infants right up to 6th class visited our sweet stalls along with their teachers! We didn't charge very much for our cakes and the students got lovely home made treats while also donating to a very worth while cause.
Overall, between the bake sale and staff donations, we raised €1,160!!! We were gobsmacked at how much money we were able to raise for Nurture Africa but are so glad as we know it will go a long way in improving other childrens lives. Miss O'Connor would like to personally thank all the kind parents of 4th class for their generosity, hard work, support and of course their tasty treats as without them it would not have been as successful as it was :)
Swimming Sensation !!
Eva Harrington in Miss O'Connors class has been swimming for success over the last couple of weeks. Eva put pen to paper to write an account of her latest achievements.
"On Sunday 19th February I swam in a Munster Grade B Gala. I achieved mt personal best in most of my events and I achieved my Grade A times and am moving up to Divisional Times. I swam i six events and in my first event was the 200M Freestyle where I got my A time and a gold medal. The second event was 100M back-crawl where i got a bronze medal. Next, I competed in a relay where my team won. I swam 100M breaststroke for my 4th event where I achieved a personal best (pb) and in a 100M freestyle race for my 5th event. Finally i swan in a relay in which we came second. It was a great day and I was very happy with my results".
"On Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th February I traveled to Douglas to compete in another swimming competition. My first event was the 100M back-crawl where I got a P.B. and came third. Next, I got a silver medal in the 100M freestyle race and my final race was my breaststroke. I was thrilled that i got a divisional time and a silver medal along with it!"
"On Sunday 19th February I swam in a Munster Grade B Gala. I achieved mt personal best in most of my events and I achieved my Grade A times and am moving up to Divisional Times. I swam i six events and in my first event was the 200M Freestyle where I got my A time and a gold medal. The second event was 100M back-crawl where i got a bronze medal. Next, I competed in a relay where my team won. I swam 100M breaststroke for my 4th event where I achieved a personal best (pb) and in a 100M freestyle race for my 5th event. Finally i swan in a relay in which we came second. It was a great day and I was very happy with my results".
"On Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th February I traveled to Douglas to compete in another swimming competition. My first event was the 100M back-crawl where I got a P.B. and came third. Next, I got a silver medal in the 100M freestyle race and my final race was my breaststroke. I was thrilled that i got a divisional time and a silver medal along with it!"
Anti- Bullying
Recently in 4th class we have been learning many things about different types of bullying and how to prevent same happening to each one of us. We have created posters to help prevent cyber bullying, we have read stories about bullying and we have also taken part in mini dramas involving the "bully" and the "victim". There is zero tolerance of bullies in 4th class!!!
Designer for the Future
Elena Diakou from Miss O'Connors 4th class has a keen interest in design and craft. Over the course of the weekend she designed a mini café using everyday materials found at home and wrote a little piece about the design.
"HI, my name is Elena and i am the midi designer of the Mini Penguin Café. Right, lets get onto the basics; it was made out of a triangular box and i also used a lot of scrap material that I found lying at home. The tables were made out of egg cartons and painted with acrylic paint. The wall in the middle is made out of a little platform of cardboard with a Christmas Card Penguin. When you put all of the together you get a Penguin Café and when i am older i would love to open up my own café"
"HI, my name is Elena and i am the midi designer of the Mini Penguin Café. Right, lets get onto the basics; it was made out of a triangular box and i also used a lot of scrap material that I found lying at home. The tables were made out of egg cartons and painted with acrylic paint. The wall in the middle is made out of a little platform of cardboard with a Christmas Card Penguin. When you put all of the together you get a Penguin Café and when i am older i would love to open up my own café"
Super Scientists Trip to the Lifetime Lab
Last week the 4th class students went on a day trip to the Lifetime Lab in Cork City where they put their science skills to work. They undertook investigations and experiments throughout the day. The children were asked to help Una's friends, Icy Ike and Furry Fred, find the coldest and hottest places in the lab using a thermometer so they could rest there for the day. Along with this we investigated the use and function of conductors. We completed an investigation using hot water bottles, butter and three different types of spoons; wooden, plastic and metal. Our budding scientists discovered that metal is the best conductor of heat energy as the butter melted first on the metal spoon! Following this we undertook an experiment to see what insulators work best. Una showed us the importance of insulators using a frozen hand and wrapping it in winter woollies so it would not melt. WE LOVED THIS! Throughout the day, we took part in various dramas and projects to help them with the learning of heat energy and its importance. Overall, we had a blast of a day in the Lifetime lab and will put our new found knowledge to good use back in school. :)
An Art Lesson in 4th class using Paint & Colour
Pupils in Ms. Dineen's class are experimenting with paint & colour this month. They are learning about the primary colours ,mixing colours to make a new colour ,tone & shading.
Making Waves!!!
This week we have been learning about oil slicks and the devastating consequences of oil spills on the natural environment. We carried out an experiment to examine the effects of water and oil mixing together. We all had great fun watching the beautiful colours which were created in our glass jars but it has also made us very aware of our precious natural environment.
Spreading the Christmas Cheer!
Miss O'Connors 4th class decided to spread some Christmas Cheer to the local community this year. Together, we decided to make home made personal Christmas Cards and send them to the residents and staff of Grange Con Nursing Home, Cloghroe. We decided to do this as we became aware that some people do not get Christmas cards from loved ones and may spend the festive period by themselves. For this reason we felt it would be a nice gesture and idea to send them to the older generation on our community. We had loads of fun making and posing for our photos..MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL!!!
Table Tennis Champ!!
Many congratulations to Ben O'Connell who won second place in the Munster Ranking Table Tennis Championships held in Kinsale. Ben is now ranked second in Munster at under 11 age category. We are all very proud of Ben and wish him continued success.
3D Tour of the Solar System
To celebrate Science Week we all took part in an amazing 3D Tour of the Solar System. Many thanks to Mr. Robert Hill for bringing same to our school...we had great fun and the 3D glasses were out of this world!
On the road to Japan 2020.
Many congratulations to Ronan O'Keeffe who came home with a Bronze medal from the recent Shotokan Karate Championships in Dublin. Ronan won the medal in the 11-12 age group category for sparring. Well done Ronan and wishing you continued success into the future.
Christmas Shoe Box Appeal
This was the first year that the boys and girls of 4th class took part in the Christmas Shoebox Appeal and they surpassed themselves with the array of wonderful items with which they filled their boxes. Many children in the poorest regions of the world will benefit from their generosity. We must give a special word of thanks to our colleague Ms. Fiona Tobin, for supplying each and every one of the shoe boxes. As you can imagine Ms. Tobin has an incredible selection of footwear!!. We would also like to thank Mr. Aidan O'Connor who collected all the boxes from the school and delivered them on our behalf to Toymaster Stores in Ballincollig. Finally, it goes without saying that without the wonderful support of our parents none of this would have been possible.
A 3D TOUR OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM WITH SPACE ADVISOR ROBERT HILL AS PART OF SCIENCE WEEK.
As part of Science Week we were fortunate to have secured a 3D tour of our Solar System with Space Advisor Robert Hill . The pupils were fascinated by his excellent presentation & saw real footage of our solar system on the largest 3D screen of its kind in the country. We have included some of the images the pupils saw through their 3D glasses on Wednesday ,16th November ,2016. It was a fun & very worthwhile experience for all the children. Pictured also are Ms. Dineen's 4th class children with Space Advisor , Robert Hill.
INVESTIGATING MINI -BEASTS IN 4TH CLASS AS PART OF SCIENCE WEEK
The children in Ms. Dineen's 4th class enjoyed learning all about mini-beasts & their habitats. They went out on a nature walk & investigated for themselves , keeping a record of the mini-beasts they saw, snails,slugs ,woodlice ,earthworms & even came across a ladybug. A tally was kept & pupils enthusiastically got working on their Mini -Beast Projects which they worked very hard on . No creatures were hurt during this activity as children are aware of the importance of taking care of nature & our environment.Well done boys & girls.
CHILREN IN 4TH CLASS ARE HELPING IN CHRISTMAS SHOEBOX APPEAL,2016
A big thank you to all the boys & girls in 4th class & to their parents who helped to put Christmas Shoebox Gifts together for needy children & their families worldwide in Africa & Eastern Europe. We hope they will enjoy their Christmas Gifts & bring a ray of hope with lots of excitement & laughter to the poor children ,many in families struggling on less than one euro a day.
Pictured above are Ms. Dineen's class with their colourful Shoebox Gifts. A big thank you to all involved.
Pictured above are Ms. Dineen's class with their colourful Shoebox Gifts. A big thank you to all involved.
Halloween Horrors in Miss O'Connors Class!
Miss O'Connors class had so much fun dressing up and getting into the festive spirit of Halloween. Over the past week we have been learning about the history and origin of Halloween. The children learned about the different customs in other countries and how the festival has changed overtime. We created our own "Spooky Stories" using terrifying phrases and our own "Witches Brew" which contained very strange ingredients! Along with this, we created our very own Halloween candle jars which we are very proud to take home and display over the holidays. Finally, Halloween wouldn't be the same if we didn't have pumpkins. In Miss O'Connors class we decided to take matters into our own Halloween hands and create our very own pumpkins. Oh what a frightfully great time we have had dressing up and getting into the Halloween mood. Even our classroom and teacher joined in on the fun!!
FESTIVE FUN AND FROLICS FOR HALLOWEEN!
The boys & girls in Ms. Dineen's 4th class dressed up in great Halloween costumes on Friday, 28th October,2016 for their Spooky Stroll to School. A big thank you to all the parents for making a big effort & making the walk a truly enjoyable & fun event. Pupils researched the origins of Halloween & were fascinated to learn the custom originated in Ireland in Celtic Culture & is over 6000 years old. They listened to a short story, 'Hagbag's Halloween Party 'by Finbarr O'Conner & learnt about, The Three Witches, in the play ,' Macbeth' by William Shakespeare.The children wrote their own scary stories & Witches Spells using well - known quotes from Macbeth such as ,'Fair is foul & foul is fair , Hover through the fog & filthy air ' and 'Double double, toil & trouble, 'Fire burn & cauldron bubble'. Pictured are the class dressed in costume with Mr. Ryan ,teacher. Pictured also are Abbie & Lorna in action reciting ,'Mo Chailleach Granna'!
Halloween Fun!
We have had a great week in preparation for Halloween. We decorated jam jars and pumpkins, we learnt about McBeth, the history of Halloween agus an dán "An Chailleach Ghranna" le Gabriel Rosenstock. Bhaineamar an- taitneamh as!!
Maths Week 2016
On Thursday 20th October, Miss. O'Connor and Mrs. O'Connor's 4th class went on a maths trail all around the school to celebrate Maths Week. The children used their maths skills they have acquired to estimate and measure the length of the yard using metre sticks, trundle wheels and our own giant footsteps. We also took a survey on the different colour cars that passed the school and introduced our geography skills by reading the weather vane and beaufort scale. We had a super day being little mathematicians!!
Fourth Class G.A.A. Football Skills
Pupils in Ms. Dineen's fourth class have been enjoying learning football skills with Don Hennessey ,Coach with Inisscarra Club .Through mini games & drills pupils learn skills such as kicking ,passing ,catching ,& throwing the ball,along with marking their opponent , scoring goals & points.We have been very lucky with the weather & pupils have been enjoying using the astro-turf in the school.
CRAFTY KIDZ!
The children in Ms. Dineen's fourth class have busy with their hands creating pencil -holders ,wishing -wells & photo frames using lollipop -sticks & glue. They have constructed some lovely craft items & are using their pencil -holders in school as their desk organisers. They are developing on their artistic abilities & demonstrating their engineering ,constructing & problem solving skills. Well done!
CUAIRT GO DTI AN BHIALANN I SEOMRA MS.DINEEN.
Pupils performed a short drama in Irish on 'A Visit to the Restaurant' in class for their classmates . Working in groups ,they arranged props ,costumes & impressed their teacher & peers with their fluency & natural flow of our native language. Maith sibh! Mol na hoige agus tiocfaidh siad. Labhair cupla focail sa bhaile freisin,le do thoil.
Super Shapers!!
As part of Maths Week 2016, Mrs. O'Connor's class have been taking part in daily brain teasers. One task was to make as many 2D shapes as possible using only 10 lollipop sticks. The highest number of shapes was recorded by Darragh Lyons and Cara Harty who made a staggering 25 shapes!!! Well done Darragh and Cara!
If you go down to the woods today.........
...you're sure to see Miss O'Connor and Mrs. O'Connor's classes investigating the different types of trees that grow in our school woods. We collected so many leaves and berries and brought them back to our nature tables in our classrooms. We also did a fact file on our two favourite trees...It was TREEmendous!!!
FUN MATHS DURING MATHS WEEK,2016 FOR FOURTH CLASS
4th Class
On Monday,17th October ,2016 fourth class pupils in Ms. Dineen's class enjoyed learning all about Maths during Maths Week while out on a Mathematical Trail using the the school yard & its surroundings as their learning environment. They worked on measuring ,estimating ,calculating, reading the temperature, studying direction on the school weather vane & checking wind strength on the Beaufort Scale. They did a traffic survey by observing the different types of vehicles that passed by over a five minute period , kept a tally & recorded information on a bar- graph.Looking closely around them ,they had to search for vertical,horizontal & oblique lines as well as 2D & 3D shapes. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed the lesson & had great fun out & about on a bright sunny autumnal day!
Investigating different trees in our locality!
This week Miss. O'Connors class got hands on investigating the different types of trees, leaves and berries found in our locality. The children worked in groups to identify each leaf and labelled them. They proudly displayed their work for the rest of the class to see. We had super fun working with our green fingers!!
Getting to know you!!
This week Mrs. O'Connor's class took a novel approach to getting to know each other. We drew outlines of one another with chalk and asked each other questions about our likes and dislikes. We had great fun!
This week Mrs. O'Connor's class took a novel approach to getting to know each other. We drew outlines of one another with chalk and asked each other questions about our likes and dislikes. We had great fun!
A Visit to the School Garden
Pupils in Ms. Dineen's fourthclass thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the School Garden where they saw the vegetables & herbs which they had sown during the year ,with the help & guidance of former teacher Mr. Keady ,who volunteers to work as our school gardener.The pupils are very grateful for his knowledge & help with our school garden. Pupils saw purple cabbage ,curly kale ,spinach ,lettuce,.onions ,beetroot & potatoes. They marvelled at the height of the sunflowers ,and got an opportunity to smell the cat mint & lemon balm.Later, on returning to the class, they wrote a fantastic recount on their visit & agreed it was a very enjoyable & educational experience. A sincere thank you to Mr. Keady.
Interesting Historical Discoveries by Fourth Class Pupils
Pictured Alison Madden ,whose great gran-uncle ,Con Healy ,fought in the Dripsey Ambush , displays a photo of him & an article written about him after he had died. Leah Hayes brought in a letter written in German during the war & Aoife de Baroid told us her great- grandfather fought in the Battle of the Somme , in WW1.
Winners of the In -Class Art Competition .
Congratulations to Julia Tobiaz ,Lucy Kirwan & Leah Hayes ,winners of the in- class art competition run in Ms. Dineen's 4th class on the The Lifecycle of the Butterfly. This competition was run in conjunction with the current Green School's theme , Biodiversity. Well done to each & every pupil who did a magnificent job on all of their enteries .It proved to be a difficult job in selecting the top three from each class. There are some budding young artists in the classes!