Pupil
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Gaeilgeoir na Seachtaine
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Times Tables Champion
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Lunch Box
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Art
We made faces with 3D features. The D in 3D stands for dimensional. Something 3D has height, width and depth. Something 2D is flat. A monument or sculpture is a 3D piece of art. A painting is an example of a 2D piece of art.
When making our faces with card we had to consider how we could include 3 dimensional features. Here are some samples.
When making our faces with card we had to consider how we could include 3 dimensional features. Here are some samples.
Mé Féin
Bhíomar ag déanamh comhrá faoi 'Mé féin'. Éist linn anseo!
Novel - Damsel
We have been reading the novel, 'Damsel' by S.E. Connolly. The heroine Annie tries to rescue her father from the evil wizard Greenlott and although her father thought she was a damsel in waiting she really is the hero of the story who has lots of adventures on the way to saving her father.
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In art we looked at the painting 'Starry Night' by Vincent Van Gogh. We noticed that Van Gogh used short paint strokes with gentle, soft lines. These help to represent a sense of movement. The lines in the sky stood out because they were like whirls. It made us feel like there was a breeze and that the stars and moon were twinkling in the night sky. When we painted Annie, our heroine from the novel 'Damsel' we tried to paint the night sky like Van Gogh to make the moon and stars shine brightly.
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Book Review ~ 'Damsel' by S.E. Connolly
Listen to one of our book reviews of the novel we did in class.
Monaghan Social Inclusion Week
In our school we celebrated Monaghan Social Inclusion Week in September. On Friday, September 13th we all wore un-matching socks to remind ourselves that "it's ok to be different", some took it a step further and wore un-matching shoes! We are happy to celebrate that we are all unique and different and we are very happy that our school welcomes everyone and allows us to be ourselves.
Monaghan Museum Visit - Working Life in Castle Leslie
In History we have been reading about Homes and Houses. We have also been studying our native County of Monaghan too and we realised we have some beautiful homes from the past in our county. The Tyrone Gutherie Centre near Newbliss is a wonderful Victorian style house, Rossmore Castle which once stood proudly in Rossmore forest park was a Tudor, Gothic styled 19th century castle and Castle Leslie is a Scottish Baronial style house.
We were very lucky that Monaghan County Museum had an exhibition on The Leslie Family of the famous Castle Leslie running in October. The museum hosted a special workshop on past workers of the Castle explaining what their day's work involved. We were very happy to be able to go and visit the museum and we say thank you to our Parents' Association who organised our bus. Here is some of what we learned.
The School MasterThe school master was very, very strict. He taught the children about the 3R's which means reading, writing and arithmetic. Some children put their elbows on the table and he smacked his cane against the table to get everyone to stand up straight - everyone jumped to attention!
Long ago they used a quill and ink to do cursive writing. The children long ago also used a slate to practice their letter formation. People then, used many different styles and sizes of writing. The school master had a pen set with many different sized nibs. People had to look through a magnifying glass to read very small print or writing. The school master showed us how to wax or seal a letter closed. Wax was melted and dropped on the letter and then it was sealed with a personalised stamp. This made the sender immediately recognisable. |
The GardenerThe estate's gardener woke up at 6a.m. sharp to start his work. His worked included planting the seed potatoes. When the potatoes were ready for digging out he would put them in his wheel barrow and bring them to the housemaid. Crop rotation was very important when planting in the garden to make sure that each plant had the right type of soil with the right vitamins and minerals to help it grow well.
Castle Leslie estate built walls around the gardens to keep out thieves who would try and steal the vegetables for food. The head gardener was very protective of his garden and he was the only person allowed to smoke in it. The gardener was paid in shillings and pence. |
The HousemaidWe met the housemaid who worked in Castle Leslie long ago. The breakfast that the housemaid prepared for the family was meat-pie with beer, wine and brandy! In the kitchen they used a lot of spices and made their own sweets. The maid told us that they drank punch. She explained that the punch was made from blackberries, spices and red oranges. The punch was served in a very pretty punch bowl with carvings on it. We got to taste some-it was delicious! The housemaid also made butter for the house. She used butter paddles to shape the butter into a block.
Castle Leslie's maid told us that there were 30 bedrooms in the house. She showed us a toilet that was one of the first flushing toilets. It had a handle to be pulled up. The toilet bowl had painted designs on it, much fancier than today's plain, white toilet bowls. Before these toilets the people would have used chamber pots. The morning bath was taken standing up. They used eight jugs of hot water for it. The maids were up at half past five in the morning and the family rose at eleven o' clock. The staff were finished only whenever the family went to bed. |
The Game KeeperLong ago hunters and the Game Keeper on the estate used gun powder instead of bullets. The Game Keeper's job was to protect the animals on the estate because these animals were a source of food for the house. Poachers would often try to steal the animals for themselves.
The Game Keeper also used traps as well as guns. He had a trap for foxes who would often try to kill the estates chickens and ducks etc. To set the fox trap it had to be covered with leaves so the enemy would not spot it. The Game Keeper even had man traps! These were used to stop local men who often tried to shoot or steal the estate's animals. A man trap was set the same way as a fox trap and it was able to take a man's leg clean off! People at the time in the grand baronial house ate rabbits and ducks. The Game Keeper had to regularly target the crows because the crows often tried to steal the duck eggs. |
The Residents - The Leslie Family
Charles Leslie and his lady friend showed us a dance from the past. Charles told us that ladies held their left had over their right hand so that the boys opposite could see if the lady was married or not. The dances included walking up and down the line with a partner, then the partners stepped around in a circle swapping places and finally they did a gallop. Dances were done in formal lines, girls in one line and boys standing in an opposite line. You could not look directly at the person that you were dancing with because this meant that you liked them and it was not considered appropriate to let this show. In fact, Charles said it would be scandalous to do such a thing!
For greetings, ladies had to courtesy when they met someone important and men had to step their right foot forward and bow to the person and say 'Good day!'
At twelve years old you were considered an adult and you could even get married! Also you could be hanged at this age for committing a crime.
For greetings, ladies had to courtesy when they met someone important and men had to step their right foot forward and bow to the person and say 'Good day!'
At twelve years old you were considered an adult and you could even get married! Also you could be hanged at this age for committing a crime.
Halloween in Rang 3 & 4
Jeaic agus an Gas Pónaire
Féach ar ár leabhar - Jeaic agus a mháthair bocht ag gol agus ag caoineadh!
P.E. Dance Strand with Mr Hurson
SESE: A Look at RocksWe have been studying the structure of the earth and rocks. We have learned that the earth is made up of three layers, the core, the mantle and the crust. The crust is made of rock covered by land and water. Amazingly the crust is in fact cracked into sections! These huge sections are called plates. These plates sit on the semi-solid mantle layer and are moving. Sometimes plates collide and sometimes they pull apart. We, who happily live on the crust, only become aware of this movement when we see such things as earthquakes and volcanoes. A geologist studies rocks and the earth's structure. Rocks fall into one of three groups igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks or metamorphic rocks. Who knew there was such amazing things happening right beneath our very feet!
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Young Geologists ! |
St Brigid's Day Crosses
My Day at the Féile Drámaíochta
On Tuesday the 11th of February, 2014 we went to a Féile Drámaíochta. It was held in the Garage Theatre Monaghan Town. Third and fourth class went to the festival and we did a play called An Leon Ocrach. Ms Payne and Aisling, our school secretary came with us.
First we came into school and to begin with we did some Science. I did not get it finished because before long we had to get our coats to set off for The Garage Theatre. We were so excited I do not think many people got their Science finished. We lined up for the bus and teacher made sure we had our props. We all had them so we walked to the bus. I got in the back. When we arrived in Monaghan we could see other schools walking to the theatre.
After we went into the theatre we got to our seats. We had walked passed a café in the theatre and it made me hungry because I could see that they had muffins! In the theatre there were loads of other schools. There were over 100 people there, in fact there weren't even enough seats for everyone. The big crowd made me nervous. Then the host, Mr Pat Derry, greeted us and welcomed us to the theatre. He gave us advice on acting the best we could, speaking out loudly and keeping the magic of the stage by not stepping beyond the magic wall! He then called the first two schools to the stage. One to perform and one to get ready backstage.
All the schools performed their pieces and there was some super acting. My favourite was a play by one of the infant classes. I liked it because they were young but still performed so well. They told the story of Chicken Licken. I liked it very much. There were other plays that were excellent too. One play told the story of two boys who had stolen some jewellery and the gardaí were after them. There was a big investigation with a famous inspector on the case. The two boys were great actors. They really shouted out their lines so we could all hear them and they were very, very funny.
Finally it was our turn to go back stage. We were the very last school to perform. We went backstage to get ready. Ms Payne gave out some props. She gave James his cheese as he was the mouse. I had to get my brush tail on because I was the sionnach. Our play was about a hungry lion who tricked the animals of the forest into coming into his den by pretending he was sick. The animals went to help him but then he ate them up! Only the fox realised it was a trick but no one would listen to him when he tried to warn them. But of course the fox had the last laugh because he survived. Soon we were called out to perform. Our play took about 10 minutes. The audience laughed the whole way through. They enjoyed the part where Lorcan, the lion ate up the other animals and dragged them into his den. When our piece was over the people clapped and cheered for us. I felt like a pop-star. We were really happy with our performance.
Soon it was time to go home. When we were back at school we ate some lunch and had a break to play outside. I really enjoyed the Féile Drámaíochta. We learned that to tell a story well on stage you really have to act out your part, speak out loud and use good facial expressions. I thought it was a good experience and I hope I can do it again next year.
Contributed by Liam and James
First we came into school and to begin with we did some Science. I did not get it finished because before long we had to get our coats to set off for The Garage Theatre. We were so excited I do not think many people got their Science finished. We lined up for the bus and teacher made sure we had our props. We all had them so we walked to the bus. I got in the back. When we arrived in Monaghan we could see other schools walking to the theatre.
After we went into the theatre we got to our seats. We had walked passed a café in the theatre and it made me hungry because I could see that they had muffins! In the theatre there were loads of other schools. There were over 100 people there, in fact there weren't even enough seats for everyone. The big crowd made me nervous. Then the host, Mr Pat Derry, greeted us and welcomed us to the theatre. He gave us advice on acting the best we could, speaking out loudly and keeping the magic of the stage by not stepping beyond the magic wall! He then called the first two schools to the stage. One to perform and one to get ready backstage.
All the schools performed their pieces and there was some super acting. My favourite was a play by one of the infant classes. I liked it because they were young but still performed so well. They told the story of Chicken Licken. I liked it very much. There were other plays that were excellent too. One play told the story of two boys who had stolen some jewellery and the gardaí were after them. There was a big investigation with a famous inspector on the case. The two boys were great actors. They really shouted out their lines so we could all hear them and they were very, very funny.
Finally it was our turn to go back stage. We were the very last school to perform. We went backstage to get ready. Ms Payne gave out some props. She gave James his cheese as he was the mouse. I had to get my brush tail on because I was the sionnach. Our play was about a hungry lion who tricked the animals of the forest into coming into his den by pretending he was sick. The animals went to help him but then he ate them up! Only the fox realised it was a trick but no one would listen to him when he tried to warn them. But of course the fox had the last laugh because he survived. Soon we were called out to perform. Our play took about 10 minutes. The audience laughed the whole way through. They enjoyed the part where Lorcan, the lion ate up the other animals and dragged them into his den. When our piece was over the people clapped and cheered for us. I felt like a pop-star. We were really happy with our performance.
Soon it was time to go home. When we were back at school we ate some lunch and had a break to play outside. I really enjoyed the Féile Drámaíochta. We learned that to tell a story well on stage you really have to act out your part, speak out loud and use good facial expressions. I thought it was a good experience and I hope I can do it again next year.
Contributed by Liam and James
Ár Dráma
Star Swimmers
Congratulations to our two star classmates who were awarded a special
certificate and a free Leisure Centre Pass for being the most improved
swimmers during our recent focus in P.E. on the Aquatic Strand.
A Look at 'The Water Cycle'
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As we prepare to apply for our third Green Schools' Flag on the theme of water we have been
busy revising The Water Cycle which we learned about back in September when we studied the weather in Geography. In art we made a 2D representation of the cycle using a variety of media and techniques including chalk pastels, mosaic with paper and also paint. We recorded some interesting facts about water that we have learned in Science, Geography and S.P.H.E. on some cool raindrops. In English we were learning about the 'Descriptive' writing genre. We decided to use The Water Cycle as one of our topics to write a piece on. It begins with an introduction. Then we wrote about the characteristics of our topic, in this case the stages of the water cycle and finally we finished with a short evaluation of our topic. Have a listen to our piece of descriptive writing below. |
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We studied the work of Gustav Klimt in Art
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Some interesting facts about Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt was born on 14th July 1862 in Baumgarten, Austria. His mother wanted to be a musical performer (but never fulfilled her dream) and his father was an engraver of gold. In the 1880s, Kilmt became well-known for his mural painting. He even received the Golden Order of Merit from the Austrian Emperor for his murals in the Burgtheater, Vienna. Gustav’s brother, Ernst, and father both died in 1892. This brought about a change in Gustav’s artistic style. His work included lots of symbolism and pattern in his paintings. He incorporated gold leaf into his work. Klimt lived a simple life. When at home he wore a long robe and sandals. He painted all day, every day. In our pieces of work we sectioned our background into different parts and created different patterns using pencil and pen. Patterns are all about repetition. We not only used repeated shapes to create a pattern we also used only two colours, black and white so that the colour also forms part of the pattern. |
Have a look at some of Gustav's workWe worked on repeated patterns in black pen |
Easter Treat ~ Yummy Smoothies
For Easter this year we decided to take the healthy approach so to celebrate our holidays and after having completed our Outdoor Egg Hunt Trail we made some delicious, healthy smoothies. We have also been learning about the explanation genre of writing in English so we used it to explain how such delicious smoothies can be made so get blending everyone! Casey recorded our smoothie making session with the camera too.
How to make a smoothie
This recipe is how to make a smoothie. Firstly I will list the ingredients you will need and then the method. A smoothie has loads of fruit in it and tastes really nice. Hope you enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 banana, orange juice, frozen yogurt, frozen summer fruits: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, red currents and black currents, and of course a blender.
Method:
1. Gather together all your ingredients.
2. Get one banana, peel it and cut it up.
3. Put the banana into the blender.
4. Add two cups of orange juice into the blender
5. Add two, medium scoops of frozen yogurt into the blender.
6. Add the frozen summer fruits, only half the packet to the mixture.
7. Blend it until you are happy with the consistency.
8. Then get your glass, put it under the pourer and serve with a straw.
9. Enjoy the smoothie.
So there you have it, that is the recipe for a delicious, healthy smoothie. However, don't take too much because fruit has a natural sugar in it so too much can be bad for your teeth.
Contributed by Casey and Caoimhe
Ingredients:
1 banana, orange juice, frozen yogurt, frozen summer fruits: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, red currents and black currents, and of course a blender.
Method:
1. Gather together all your ingredients.
2. Get one banana, peel it and cut it up.
3. Put the banana into the blender.
4. Add two cups of orange juice into the blender
5. Add two, medium scoops of frozen yogurt into the blender.
6. Add the frozen summer fruits, only half the packet to the mixture.
7. Blend it until you are happy with the consistency.
8. Then get your glass, put it under the pourer and serve with a straw.
9. Enjoy the smoothie.
So there you have it, that is the recipe for a delicious, healthy smoothie. However, don't take too much because fruit has a natural sugar in it so too much can be bad for your teeth.
Contributed by Casey and Caoimhe