Summer Newsletter June 2020
| summer_newsletter_2020.pdf |
| summer_newsletter_2020_part_2..pdf |
There are two parts to our 'Summer Newsletter 2020'. As you will see, there is no doubt but that our pupils were busy and engaged during the period of the school closure. We are so proud of their work ethic and positive attitude in these difficult and strange times. Thank you parents for you dedication and co-operation at this time. We will look forward to seeing you all in the near future. Until then, we wish you a very happy Summer break, keep safe and well together. Enjoy reading and looking through this edition of the newsletter.
Virtual Sports Day 2020
Junior Infants Sports Day
Senior Infants Sports Day
First class Sports Day
Second and Third class Sports Day
Third and Fourth class Sports Day
Seán O'Connor hurling skills challenge: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MPy1jxyaKM5YjJOzKqwS5DlOxZj9-avw/view?usp=sharing
Ciara Murphy football skills challenge: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n1O8S2hkeU5FL3Nv8AYnHfFKsU9Krh9T/view?usp=sharing
| virtual_sports_day_23rd_june_2020.pdf |
Here is the PDF document with all the information about our virtual sports day for any families who wish to carry out their own sports day at home over the summer.
Remember to have fun and stay active over the summer months!!!!!
Remember to have fun and stay active over the summer months!!!!!
Virtual School Tours
On Friday 19th of June 2020, each class embarked on a virtual school tour. Here are the links for the different tours if you wish to do another virtual tour with your friends or relatives over the summer months.
Junior and Senior Infants: Aquarium of the Pacific
Junior and Senior Infants: Aquarium of the Pacific
| junior_and_senior_infant_virtual_school_tour_pdf.pdf |
First and Second Class: Dublin Zoo
| 1st_and_2nd_class_virtual_school_tour_pdf.pdf |
Third and Fourth Class: Universal Orlando
| 3rd_and_4th_class_virtual_school_tour_pdf.pdf |
Fifth and Sixth Class: Dublin Zoo and Áras an Uachtaraín
| 5th_and_6th_class_virtual_school_tour_pdf.pdf |
6th Class Graduation
6th Class had their graduation ceremony on Wednesday 24th June using Zoom. They were joined by their families, their teacher, staff at Christ the Saviour N.S, and Fr. Daniel Lane. The ceremony was followed by some special videos of their time at school, a message from the staff, and a special reading of 'Be You' by Peter H. Reynolds, illustrated by Michaela, Grace Fitzgerald, Megan, Lily, Grace Gaffney and Emma and a presentation of their Graduation Certificates.
Here are links to the videos we showed in our ceremony:
6th Class through the years:
drive.google.com/file/d/1fGB6JJ89uS0QyIgkL7rEw1WoowtytFvW/view?usp=sharing
Final year in Christ the Saviour NS:
drive.google.com/file/d/1NzCXUNNqwfCWw76jmgNCSZa0IP06kU1a/view?usp=sharing
Be You by Peter H Reynolds :
drive.google.com/file/d/1-G9TOv1wnAs7jDcI5knLQ4SfSpOTvkwJ/view?usp=sharing
Trip down memory lane:
drive.google.com/file/d/1zNZn2v4LHLIgAw62Qf6zhO53uEzxTNOb/view?usp=sharing
Message from the staff to 6th Class:
drive.google.com/file/d/1vnBcDGbKQjhBMePXKcUIR1v0hVG7h8lT/view?usp=sharing
6th Class pupils' memories:
drive.google.com/file/d/18GtoqskR1rtGvX57lHnMP3xulpqG_RFR/view?usp=sharing
Here are links to the videos we showed in our ceremony:
6th Class through the years:
drive.google.com/file/d/1fGB6JJ89uS0QyIgkL7rEw1WoowtytFvW/view?usp=sharing
Final year in Christ the Saviour NS:
drive.google.com/file/d/1NzCXUNNqwfCWw76jmgNCSZa0IP06kU1a/view?usp=sharing
Be You by Peter H Reynolds :
drive.google.com/file/d/1-G9TOv1wnAs7jDcI5knLQ4SfSpOTvkwJ/view?usp=sharing
Trip down memory lane:
drive.google.com/file/d/1zNZn2v4LHLIgAw62Qf6zhO53uEzxTNOb/view?usp=sharing
Message from the staff to 6th Class:
drive.google.com/file/d/1vnBcDGbKQjhBMePXKcUIR1v0hVG7h8lT/view?usp=sharing
6th Class pupils' memories:
drive.google.com/file/d/18GtoqskR1rtGvX57lHnMP3xulpqG_RFR/view?usp=sharing
3rd and 4th class news during the school closure
Recreation of a war scene
What we have been up to
'HIT THE WOAH' Challenge
Painting with Coffee
Building Forts
From the staff at Scoil Chríost an Slánaitheoir
'Bake-off' with Ms. Shelton
This week, the 3rd and 4th class took part in a bake off competition. Their challenge was to make something using fruit. Take a look at some of the fantastic creations. Even Ms. Shelton's dog George got recreated !
School Closure
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Class teachers sent home relevant text books so that pupils can continue with work at home during the period of the school closure. We want to ensure continuity in pupils' learning over this period. Class teachers will use the Aladdin system to provide guidance on the work to be covered during this period. Please log onto Aladdin or check the Aladdin connect app on a daily basis. Some class teachers provided a general overview page to their class yesterday evening which can be followed for the two week period.
Here is some general advice for the period of the school closure:
If you need to contact the school, our secretary Kate will check the school email on a daily basis. The school email is ballingarryns@yahoo.ie. If you have a query for a class teacher, please put the name of your child and the name of the class teacher in the subject line of the email. She can forward on an email to the relevant class teacher. The class teacher will be able to email you back via Aladdin.
The school is being fully disinfected this evening Friday 13th March and will remain closed until Sunday 29th March. If we receive any further information from the DES or the HSE, we will forward it to parents immediately.
Thanks for your co-operation at this time.
Yours Sincerely,
Mary Hanley
Acting Principal
Class teachers sent home relevant text books so that pupils can continue with work at home during the period of the school closure. We want to ensure continuity in pupils' learning over this period. Class teachers will use the Aladdin system to provide guidance on the work to be covered during this period. Please log onto Aladdin or check the Aladdin connect app on a daily basis. Some class teachers provided a general overview page to their class yesterday evening which can be followed for the two week period.
Here is some general advice for the period of the school closure:
- Set up a quiet workspace/desk area for your child to complete their school work.
- Teachers will assign core work to complete but feel free to extend that core work and keep your child challenged with additional tasks. Pupils will have an opportunity to show their class teacher their projects and work covered when we return to school.
- Revise topics covered in Maths during the year.
- There are great learning opportunities in practicing real life skills at home such as baking and gardening.
- Encourage your child to take this time to read for pleasure – picture books, novels etc. For the pupils in the younger classes, read aloud to your child on a regular basis.
- Buy an English copy. Cover it with nice wrapping paper and get your child to decorate it. Encourage your child to begin a diary and write daily diary entries. They could also write free writing stories in this copy also.
- There are lots of great websites offering free resources to keep your child challenged during the period of the school closure. Your child’s class teacher may also provide recommended websites or apps. Here are some of our top recommended websites:
- www.kiddle.co – visual search engine for kids. Great for project work.
- www.oxfordowl.co.uk – has an e-book library with over 250 books and offers free access to parents once you create an account.
- www.twinkl.ie – such a wonderful website with so many educational resources– they are offering a free month to parents. Use the code IRLTWINKLHELPS to set up the account.
- www.scoilnet.ie – great for researching topics
- www.gonoodle.com – a website that encourages movement to energise, exercise ad relax. Great to use on a wet day.
If you need to contact the school, our secretary Kate will check the school email on a daily basis. The school email is ballingarryns@yahoo.ie. If you have a query for a class teacher, please put the name of your child and the name of the class teacher in the subject line of the email. She can forward on an email to the relevant class teacher. The class teacher will be able to email you back via Aladdin.
The school is being fully disinfected this evening Friday 13th March and will remain closed until Sunday 29th March. If we receive any further information from the DES or the HSE, we will forward it to parents immediately.
Thanks for your co-operation at this time.
Yours Sincerely,
Mary Hanley
Acting Principal
COVID 19
Please remember that the schools have closed to minimise transmission of COVID 19. Families should exercise social distancing in a responsible manner. This will help to slow the spread and hopefully limit the amount of time that schools will be closed for.
Art Printing in First Class
First class learned about and produced their own prints in art lessons recently. They first made colourful backgrounds with sponge prints and blended paint colours. Next, they created flower prints. A flower was drawn onto a piece of cardboard; glue was put on the lines and string was then stuck to the lines. Once dried, the string was painted and the flower prints were printed onto the coloured sheets. Finally, children added a title in line print using the edge of a piece of cardboard. Great fun was had by all and the finished products turned out beautifully.
January News from Junior Infants
| january_news_part_1.pdf |
| january_news_2020_part_2.pdf |
New Books in the Library
Rathkeale and District Credit Union kindly sponsored some new books for the class libraries in 2nd, 3rd and 4th class. Here are a few photos of 2nd and 3rd enjoying some reading time. See can you spot some titles that have stood the test of time!!
The Restaurant in Senior Infants
We have been busy learning all about food for the month of January. We read the stories 'I will not ever never eat a tomato', 'Mr Wolf's Pancakes' and 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea'. We played in the role play area taking turns to be the chief, waiter, waitress and the customers. We looked at shop brochures and created very tasty menus for our restaurant. We also made watermelon crafts, check out our funky door display!
Grandparents' Day
Donation to Milford Care
The school made a presentation to Milford Care Centre of behalf of the children, parents and Staff of the school. We held a Colours Day before Christmas and parents very kindly donated at our Christmas Carol service held in the Church. In total we raised €883.66. We were delighted to present the cheque to Kay Chawke, Director of Nursing from Milford Care Centre. Thank you for your support!
All about the Arctic
3rd and 4th class have been learning all about the Arctic for the month of January. We learnt about all about the Arctic and Tom Crean for history and geography. In English, we researched an Arctic animal and wrote a report on it. We then in groups created posters full of facts about our Arctic animals. Each group presented their findings to the class. For Art, we created the Northern Lights using chalk pastels, designed an Arctic scene using sponge painting and got to create clay pieces of penguins. In Science, we worked with magnets. We were lucky enough to be treated to a wonderful play by the 1st class 'Ellie the penguin saves the world'. We really enjoyed learning all about the theme of the Arctic!
Science in 3rd and 4th
In groups, we designed and created a race track. Using paper clips and magnets we raced the cars, ensuring it was a fair test! We had lots of fun!
Christmas Cheer Winners
'12 days of Fitmas' best participation
Best wishes to Ms. Amy Foley who is getting married during the Christmas holidays!!!!
Elves behaving badly!!!
Congratulations to our amazing artists!!
We are very proud and delighted for Aoibhin and Mia-Belle who won first and third places in their age category for the Rathkeale and District Credit Union art competition. The theme of the competition was 'Walk of Life' and the girls were presented with their prizes on Monday evening, December 16th. Well done!!
Sometimes we work so hard in Junior Infants we need a little rest especially with all the recent sickness!!!
December News from Junior Infants
| december_news.pdf |
Check out the Active School tab to find out about our '12 days of Fitmas' challenge.
Robotics in the Classroom
We recently borrowed some Bee-Bot robots from Limerick Education Centre. Bee-Bots are small programmable robots that move around the floor. They support our higher order thinking skills such as problem solving, collaboration, sequencing and logical reasoning. They also support the Maths curriculum. In 2nd and 3rd we are learning about mapping in Geography. We used Google Maps and Streetview to investigate journeys around Ballingarry. We used the Bee-Bots and lollipop stick paths to recreate those maps. Many other classes worked with the Bee-Bots too. Here are some pictures.
Our Giving Manger
2nd and 3rd class are preparing for the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. This season is called Advent. We can prepare by praying, doing good deeds or fasting. We have chosen to create a giving manger. At the start of Advent the manger was empty. Each time we do a good or kind deed we add some straw to the manger. By Christmas morning there will be a lovely soft bed to welcome Baby Jesus.
Narrative Writing in 2nd and 3rd
In November and December we studied Narrative writing. Mrs McHale wrote her story on the board so that we could understand the structure of a narrative. We all came up with great story ideas and created a plan. In our copies we wrote the first draft. At the moment we are using laptops to type the final draft of our stories. We are learning about writing and computers at the same time!
Fun with Beebots
Ms.McHale brought some Beebots to our school recently. We all had a chance to play different games with them. Some classes even created synchronized dances with them!
Creating homes in 3rd and 4th
3rd and 4th class brought in some recyclable materials to school. Each child made a 3D home using these materials. We then painted our homes and took them home.
First Class Winter Fashion Show
We chose warm materials, made them waterproof, designed and constructed winter clothing for our dolls for the change in seasons.
Maths Stations in First Class
With the help and support of Ms. Hanley and Ms. Foley, first class have been doing lots of hands-on activities during maths stations. The games and activities help everyone to understand the topics better and they're great fun!
Wall of Honour Students 6th December
Getting into the Christmas Spirit
The boys and girls are getting very excited for Christmas! 3rd and 4th class recently completed a guided drawing activity of the 'Grinch'.
November in Senior Infants
Our Aistear theme for November was the Post Office. We were very busy in the post office in our classroom and we loved writing letters and post cards. We also visited the Post Office in Ballingarry and posted letters to our mammies and daddies.
Congratulations to our Wall of Honour students!!!
November News from Junior Infants
| november_news.pdf |
Ag Siopadóireacht i Rang a Dó agus Rang a Trí
Bhí am iontach againn an tseachtain seo caite. Bhailigh na páistí rudaí éagsúla agus rinne siad siopaí. Rinne siad sár iarracht Gaeilge líofa a úsáid. Maith sibh!
Science Quiz
Congratulations to the eight boys and girls in 5th and 6th class who competed in a science quiz in Hazelwood College, Dromcollogher on Wednesday 13th November. They did a fantastic job representing our school. One our our teams won third place! They were given the prize of an oak tree to be planted on our school grounds and a hazel tree each. We are very proud of ye!
Projects in Ms. Shelton's class
For the month of November, 3rd and 4th class are learning all about Ireland . We are learning all about the provinces and counties in Ireland. Each group picked a county to research. We spent time in school and at home researching and making our posters. We each presented our projects to the class. We enjoyed learning about different counties!
3rd and 4th class news;Trip to local park to sail our boats
Over the past few weeks, Ms. Shelton’s class have been busy constructing boats from recyclable materials. Our aim was to build boats that would not sink and that would sail with speed. Each group designed their boat, painted it and gave their boat a name. We really joined sailing them at the local park. We got to spend time in the playground afterwards. A thank you to Marian, our SNA who accompanied us on this trip and took some fantastic photographs of the day.
Working in a hospital - Special Visitors
Making Slime in 5th Class
Before the mid term 5th class had great fun making Slime during Science. The slime was non toxic and safe for children to use. It also behaves in a strange way as when pressure is applied to the mixture it feels solid but when you lift the mixture up it behaves as a liquid. This type of material is called Non - Newtonic material. We made 4 different batches of slime and gave them to Junior Infants to explore during Aistear.
Jolly Phonics Songs for Junior Infants to use at home.
This video is a tutorial from Jolly Phonics for Group 1 sounds, blending to make words. It is important that the children practice their blending using their word bag list every night for homework. This video will show you the way to approach the blending technique. The children are making great progress, keep up the good work at home!
Parents, click on the YouTube video below to listen to all the Jolly Phonics songs that we use to learn our letter sounds at school. They are presented here in Alphabetical order, use your child's sounds copy to help identify the sounds we have covered to date. This is an excellent way to revise and improve their sounds. Enjoy singing along!!!
Halloween in 3rd and 4th
Halloween Games in First Class
Happy Halloween From 6th Class
Halloween Artwork in Senior Infants
The boys and girls in Senior Infants have been very busy getting ready for Halloween. We really enjoyed making scary pumpkins and ghosts. We also made a beautiful firework display and wrote disgusting magic potions.
Halloween Fun in Junior Infants
Happy Halloween!
It’s the end of the first half term already! We marked the occasion with our Halloween assembly. The school was filled with witches, goblins, wizards and all sorts of ghastly creatures. We hope you all have a wonderful Halloween break and we will see you on November 4th. A big ‘thank you’ to the Parents Council who provided treats and pumpkins for each class. Happy Halloween!!
History Projects on Ancient Egypt - 6th Class
6th Class put a lot of work into their projects on Ancient Egypt. Each group choose their own topic and researched it using library books and the internet before planning and creating their projects. Some groups even made very impressive additional material to go with their projects such as masks, clay pyramids and scrolls. Other groups gave the class a quiz at the end of their presentations to see what they had learned. The whole class enjoyed listening to presentations from their peers and came up with some great questions for the speakers. Well done Rang a Sé!
Nature Walk/ Adventure Trail - First Class
First class were delighted to join the Junior Infants class, Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Cleary this morning on our trip to Ballingarry Town Park. The purpose of our trip was to collect leaves in order to identify trees growing in the park and also for leaf rubbings in our Autumn art lesson. We were spoiled for choice in the town's wonderful park and very lucky to have such a pleasant Autumn day for the trip. Once we had all collected a variety of leaves, we joined the Junior Infants class in the playground to manoeuvre through and enjoy all the equipment there. The photos below show some of the work we did and fun we had on our nature walk and adventure trail.
Our Autumn Walk - Junior Infants
The Junior Infants had a wonderful time on our Autumn walk to Ballingarry local park on Tuesday 22nd October. We left the school excitedly at 11:00a.m. We were joined on our adventures by Mrs. Cleary, Mr. Scannell and First Class. Everyone was so good crossing the road safely, we walked with our partners along the footpath and we chatted and took in our surroundings. The weather was perfect for a nice Autumn walk, but we were glad to have our warm coats and hats to keep cosy. Once we reached the park we looked at all the Autumn colours, identified some trees and collected some leaves and other signs of Autumn. We had some terrific playtime in the playground to finish off our fun before returning for lunch at school. Check out some of our photographs below to see all the things we got up to!!
Busy bee's in 3rd and 4th
Over the past few weeks, Ms. Shelton’s class have been busy constructing boats from recyclable materials. Our aim was to build boats that would not sink and that would sail with speed. Each group designed their boat, painted it and gave their boat a name. We will go to the park to sail our boats this week.
October News in Junior Infants
Click on the link below to open our 'October News'
| october_news.pdf |
The New Extension!!
We are delighted to anounce that out new extension is fully completed and we are thrilled with the results! Lucky Mrs McHale's 2nd and 3rd class got to move in and are well settled now. They have a state of the art classroom with their own coatroom, wet area and classroom toilets. They also are the first room in the school to have a interactive panel rather than an interactive whiteboard. So far everyone seems very impressed! We also built on a new Special Educational Needs room and Ms Hanley is the first teaher to use this. There is loads of storgae and its so bright and colourful. It's a lovely room to get to visit. We build on new disabled toilets and its great to have these too. The new extension sits so well with the existing layout and its a great addition to the school. Thank you for all the support and patience over the last few months.
Show time in 3rd and 4th
Over the past few weeks, we have been very busy preparing a short play for the school called ‘Cows that type’. Our class were divided into groups and each group took on the roles of narrators, cows or farmer brown. Each group performed their play in front of the rest of their classmates and then the rest of the school came to see our play. We really enjoyed acting and creating the props for our plays.
October 'Readathon'
For the month of October, 3rd and 4th have been taking part in a ‘Readathon’. Everyone in the class adopted 1 of Ms. Shelton’s dog collection puppies for the month. Each night we spent 15 minutes reading to our dog and family. Each puppy had a great month with their new owner; some boys and girls knitted them jackets, made them homes and kennels. Well done to everyone who took part in the Readathon. Keep up the reading
Aistear in Senior Infants
The boys and girls in Senior Infants are having lots of fun in Aistear . Our theme for October was houses. We read the story of 'The Three Little Pigs'. We acted out the story and made houses built of straw, wood and bricks. At the arts and crafts table, we made little houses which we can't wait to bring home!
September News in Junior Infants
Information for New Junior Infant Parents
Active Maths in 3rd and 4th
3rd and 4th have recently covered the maths topic of lines and angles. During the week we explored making some lines and angles using geostrips and lollipop sticks. Have a look at how we got on!!
Wall of Honour 2019
Every Friday, our class teachers pick two pupils from their class for the "Wall of Honour". These pupils are chosen for their hard work, contribution to class discussions, kindness to their classmates in the yard or in class. They get a certificate from their teacher and then they go to the front hall to meet our Principal Mrs Cleary and get their photograph taken with her. Congratulations to pupils who have been chosen for the wall of honour so far this year. Their photograph is also on display outside Mrs Cleary's office. Keep up the good work!!
More STEM in 2nd and 3rd
This week we watched a video called "What is Engineering?" WE found out that engineering is solving problems. Mrs McHale then asked us to design and build a catapult to fly a piece of chalk. We had lots of great ideas and most of them worked well!!
STEM in 2nd and 3rd Class
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. It is an umbrella term for many activities being undertaken in primary schools. This week 2nd and 3rd class worked as engineers to create a tall structure that could support weight. We had mixed results!! There were lots of interesting discussions in the classroom about structures and supports. Here are a few pictures.
