Easter arrived earlier this year than in previous years. On the day of the Easter holidays we celebrated Daffodil Day where 3rd & 4th class raised €1082.15 in total for the Irish Cancer Society. We had planted daffodil bulbs in the school garden in the last term with help from Lilly's mum Lisa Mc Bride. When they bloomed in March, we gathered the daffodils and sold them in bunches at school, with a daffodil pin for each person who bought them. We made some hairbands, wristbands, head bands from yellow wool also. Everyone wore yellow to school for Daffodil Day. We blew up banners, hung bunting and encouraged the other children in the school to help us celebrate Daffodil Day. We also had some items for sale from the Irish Cancer Society which we sold to the older classes in the school. Everyone in the school wore their daffodil pin with pride. We are extremely grateful to all teachers, parents and students who supported our fundraiser. All proceeds were donated to the local Monaghan branch of the Irish Cancer Society. Well done everyone!
Food Tasting Day.
During the month of March we were learning all about the history of food and farming in 3rd and 4th class. We were interested in learning about new food and even food we might not have had the opportunity to sample before. We discussed as a class, various food we'd like to try, so Ms Mulligan brought some samples in. These ranged from options ie; sushi, olives, pesto & avocado to more common food for children which some of the class hadn't tried before ie; blackberries, blueberries, plums, tuna, croissants, naan bread, hummus and passionfruit. Everyone was very adventurous and most people sampled nearly everything on offer. No need for lunch that day!
New Year Activities.
We returned to school refreshed after the Christmas holidays ready to settle down to more work and fun in class. In geography we were learning about different types of rocks, especially those commonly found in Ireland and Co. Monaghan. Here's a selection of photos of the class checking out 6 different varieties. We were also learning about different soil types commonly found in Ireland in science lessons. A lot of the class brought soil samples from their gardens into class and we examined the contents of these to see the variation. There were even some mini-beasts came into school for the day, which added to the excitement! For February 1st, we celebrated St. Brigid's Day by making St. Brigid crosses. We were able to take these home to our families afterwards.
Christmas Panto!
Every year the children from Junior Infants to 6th class get the opportunity to go to a Christmas pantomime before the holidays together. This year 1st - 6th class went to see 'Aladdin' in the Market Place Theatre in Armagh. As always, the performance was outstanding and everyone had an enjoyable day out before our Christmas holidays began.
Learning how to sew.
We spent some time learning how to sew in art lessons using hessian material, plastic sewing needles and wool Everyone stitched their name on to the piece of material they each had. The finished result was lovely! Here's some photos of our handiwork.
Science Week
We celebrated Science Week from the 13th to 17th of November. Everyone loves Science Week as we get the opportunity to do lots of experiments while we learn. The experiments we completed this year were on lava lamps, heat conductors, rainbow colour mixing, paper towel colour mixing, fizzy colours and even how to make cornflour slime. Check out some photos below to see the fun we had.
First term back!
A new school term has come around yet again and we've all been very busy working and making memories with our classmates in 3rd and 4th class. During September we learnt all about the Human Body in Science. Here's some photos of a couple of children wearing a felt skeleton costume showing some of the most important bones in our body. We also drew around the outline of the bodies of two of the children in the class, and then we drew and painted in some of their important internal organs. Future surgeons at work!
We also learnt about space travel in our English reading and oral work We wrote our own stories involving space travel and constructed spaceships from various recyclable materials in our art lessons. Here's some pictures below of the finished products!
October proved to be a busy month for us too. We were busy weeding the school garden and preparing it for daffodil bulbs that we hope to plant soon. We're planning when they bloom that we can pick them and sell them to raise money for the charity Crocus. Crocus is a very important charity in Monaghan as it helps lots of people who are living with cancer.
We celebrated Maths Week from 16th - 20th of October. We had lots of fun during maths week. Besides our regular maths activities we completed in class, we got the opportunity to do some other lessons too involving maths and problem solving. We played maths games on our tablets. With a partner, we completed a maths trail around the classroom and the school. We had a visit from Deirdre Toal who kindly explained to us the importance of maths in farming. We played maths games ie; bingo together. We even tried our hand at using maths in baking. Have a look at our pictures below to see how much fun maths can be!
Here's the recipe we used for our chocolate biscuit cake if anyone wants to try it out at home.
We had great fun wearing our favourite jerseys to school on October 13th when we celebrated Jersey Day. This event was organised by the school council with all proceeds going to the charity GOAL.
Halloween Celebrations!
The beginning of the Halloween holidays proved to be as much fun as always! We had a school disco in the morning time with the other children at school. Everyone got the opportunity to see all the children dressed up for Halloween from all the other classrooms too. After that we had a table quiz in class. We also played Halloween games and watched a Halloween movie. Best day ever!
3rd & 4th class 2022 - 2023
Summer hols!
We've all our work completed, the weather is still glorious and we've only 1 day left with our friends at school before the summer holidays officially begins. Time to celebrate the end of another successful school year!
Aaron 'The Silencer' Mc Kenna and Stevie 'Hitman' Mc Kenna
On June 20th '23 we had two very special guests come to visit us at the school, past pupils Stephen and Aaron Mc Kenna. Both lads have been making a name for themselves on the world boxing circuit, especially with Aaron's most recent fight on the 16th of June when he won the WBC international middleweight belt in London. We were delighted to share in their celebrations and they even taught us a few boxing moves whilst they were here.
Sports Day!
We held our Sports Day on Monday the 12th of June at the beginning of Active Week. There were lots of activities for everyone to complete. We had an obstacle course, various stations where we participated in different games and of course our races. Everyone had lots of fun!
Karate lessons
On Friday the 16th of June we got the opportunity to learn some karate moves as part of Active Week.
School Tour to W5 in Belfast
On the 13th of June our class went to W5 for our school tour with 5th and 6th class. Everyone had a brilliant day's fun and learnt lots along the way. There were various science exhibitions to see and some we were even able to participate in . We also completed a workshop called Marvellous Machines where we had the opportunity to make our own vehicles to transport an object. We competed at the end to see whose machines travelled the furthest.
Visit from Clones fire brigade
On Friday the 19th of May, two firemen from Clones fire brigade visited with our class to chat to us about fire safety in our homes. We got the opportunity to sit inside their fire engine and to use the water hoses outside the school in the carpark. We had great fun and learnt lots.
Bring a book to school day.
The Student Council at school have been very active in many ways during this past few months. One of their most successful events was their 'Bring a Book to School Day'. All the children in the school were encouraged to bring a book from home that they no longer read and to donate it to our new Accelerated Reading library. In return, every child chose a book of their liking to take home to read, from the books donated by other children in the class. This was hugely successful as everyone was extremely generous and many books were donated to the new library which will be to all students benefit in the school. Here's some pictures of 3rd and 4th class with their contribution of books from home for the new Accelerated Reading library.
Peace Proms
3rd and 4th class in conjunction with 5th and 6th class participated in Peace Proms in Belfast on Sunday the 26th of February this year. There was great excitement to get the opportunity to sing and dance along with the National Youth Orchestra, as well as join thousands of other children from other schools in Ulster on the day. Here's a few photos of us before the event itself.
Working together in class
We love getting the opportunity to do project work and complete art lessons in class. We're very creative and we enjoy working independently as well as in pairs on various projects throughout the year. Here's some photos of us making St. Brigid crosses for St. Brigid 's Day, pom pom birds in other art lessons, as well as completing project work using the school ipads, with our partners in class.
Seachtaine na Gaeilge
We had lots of fun during the week of Seachtaine na Gaeilge where we made an extra effort to speak Irish and participate in fun activities together. Here's some photos of the class during the week with art we created. We also had a fun whole school assembly on the day where each class demonstrated to the others what they'd been learning. We recited an Irish poem and sang a song for the rest of the classes. There was also a spelling bee organised with photos of the winners below.
Everyone has settled back into school for another new academic term where we get the opportunity to catch up with friends and meet new ones along the way. We've been working hard as per usual on all our subjects also in 3rd and 4th class. Here's some pictures of some of the fun things we've been doing recently in school.
Making time machines for Art and Process Writing.
We were listening to a story in class where Horrid Henry built a time machine to play tricks on his younger brother Perfect Peter. We decided to write stories based on time machines ourselves and we also made time machines based on our stories in Art using mainly recyclable materials. Here's some pictures of us preparing our time machines.
Jersey Day
We celebrated Jersey Day on 14th of October. We all wore our favourite jerseys to school and donated €2 to the charity GOAL also. Here's a picture of our class in their favourite jerseys.
Halloween!
We love celebrating Halloween in school with our friends and teachers every year. Everyone gets dressed up for the occasion. We had a disco outside with all the other classes. We also played games and had a table quiz in our classroom. Of course there were lots of treats to be had too. Here's some pictures of our costumes and the games we were playing in the classroom. Can you recognise everyone??
Maths Week
We took part in various extra maths activities during Maths Week at school. We participated in numerous maths games on our tablets based on maths we were learning about in our maths lessons. We played some board games with our friends based on maths. We completed a maths trail outside the school with our friends. Mr Mc Cague visited our classroom and showed us how he uses maths when he's learning new tunes on the fiddle. We also had a visit from Michaela Mohan who chatted to us about the importance of maths in the business she runs. Here's some pictures of us completing our maths trail and also listening to Mr Mc Cague playing the fiddle in the classroom. Who knew maths could be so much fun!
Science Week
We enjoyed doing lots of experiments during Science Week in school. We learnt about magnets and even brought some magnets home to see which items were magnetic at home or not. We watched a video which showed us how popcorn is made. We also completed some experiments in class. The first was based on the human digestive system and how it works. Another experiment we did was to see how many of us could stand on a table which was only supported by 8 balloons distributed evenly underneath the table. We managed to get 6 of us up on to the table before the balloons burst. We also did an experiment using coloured sweets combined with warm water to see the patterns the sweets would make when the sugar coated exterior of the sweets dissolved in the warm water. Here are some pictures of us completing these various experiments.
Peace Proms rehearsal
We're taking part in Peace Proms this year. We went to the SSE Arena in Belfast at the beginning of November to have our first rehearsal with lots of other schools there too. We are very excited to return in February for the actual concert. We've lots of songs and dances to learn before then. Here's a picture of our class on the day with 5th and 6th class students too.
Rang 3 agus 4 2021 - 2022
We've all settled back into school for another new term in Rang 3 and 4 where we've been working hard by ourselves and with our friends in class. Here's a sample of some of the activities we've been doing recently.
School tour to Tanagh Outdoor Adventure Centre
Rang 3 & 4 recently went on their school tour on May 30th to Tanagh Outdoor Adventure Centre. There was great excitement when the day finally arrived! Initially the children managed to stay reasonably clean and dry whilst completing team activities such as orienteering, archery and low rope courses together. This all changed when the opportunity arose to go canoeing and on a water / mud slide. Despite the cold and wet conditions, there were only cheerful smiles all round as can be seen from the photos below. A lot of exhausted but happy children returned home that evening.
Write a Book Winners!
After much anticipation, Rang 3 & 4 finally got the results of the Write a Book Competition held recently by Monaghan Education Centre. We had 3 merit winners and 3 highly commended winners which was a fantastic achievement for all involved. The merit winners were John Reihill in Rang 3 and Darragh Croarkin & Aoibhínn Leonard in Rang 4. The highly commended winners were Donnacha Mc Caffrey in Rang 3 and Sam Mc Gorman & Aaron Mc Donagh in Rang 4. There was a presentation evening in the Garage Theatre on June 2nd where the merit winners were invited to attend with their parents to receive their medals. Well done to everyone in Rang 3 & 4 for the excellent effort everyone put into writing their own books!
Up and coming authors
Rang 3 agus 4 got the opportunity to participate in the Write a Book competition organised by Monaghan Education Centre at the beginning of 2022. This was quite a time consuming project, but one which brought the class a lot of satisfaction. The children put a huge effort into writing and illustrating their own books and the end result was something they were extremely proud of. The books have now been forwarded to Monaghan Education Centre and we look forward to hearing who the winner is from our class after Easter. Here's some photos taken recently of the children with their books. Best of luck to everyone!
S.E.S.E lessons: History, Geography & Science
Rang 3 & 4 were learning about the history of farming recently in class. As part of the lesson they decided to sample various foods that they hadn't tried before.....with varying success rates. Suggestions from the children were wide ranging. These included granola, avocado, mango, olives, and fajitas. Most popular was granola and mango. A surprising hit was the fajitas with many coming back for second portions. Not so popular was avocado and none of the children liked the taste of olives which can be seen clearly from some of the photos below. Full marks to everyone for at least attempting to taste something unfamiliar to them.
We were also learning about various types of soils and rocks samples common in Ireland in recent Geography lessons.
As part of Engineers week recently, the children were given the task of building a bridge with their partners in class. Engineering kits were provided by the local library for everyone to complete this task. With written instructions and diagrams, each pair had a limited number of straws and masking tape to do so. Spring scales were provided to each pair also to measure the weight their bridge could hold when it was finally built. The bridges were then positioned between two chairs and various weights placed on the bridges to see which bridge was the strongest and wouldn't collapse under the weight. Competition was fierce as bridges strained under the weights placed on them but we had four children whose bridges stayed firm despite the pressure. Possible future engineers in Rang 3 & 4 include Barry Toal, Kai Mc Donnell, Emily Connolly and Aaron Mc Donagh. Well done to everyone for all your efforts!
We took the opportunity in the New Year to try something a little different in our P.E. lessons. Yoga! We were also delighted to get the opportunity to complete swimming lessons again at Coral Leisure Swimming Pool in Monaghan. Now restrictions have lifted, hopefully we'll get to continue to practise with our families before summer holidays come along!
Although we weren't able to put on a Christmas performance for our families and friends face to face this year, we did have great fun working alongside Rang 5 & 6 on some Christmas carols together. We hope you enjoy them. Happy Christmas from Rang 3 & 4!
Celebrating Christmas in other countries.
We had great fun recently learning how other countries celebrate Christmas at this time of year. Millie, Taja and Barry learnt lots about what the Spanish people like to do. Barry was even willing to taste our version of Roscon de Reyes, which is similar to a cake shaped like a doughnut filled with cream. Millie preferred it without the cream. Leah, Donnacha and John learnt about Christmas in Italy. Leah dressed up as Befana, an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy. This happens on the night of January 5th, in a similar way to Santa Claus. Jennifer, Gerard, Harry, Kai and Orlaigh learnt all about what the French people like to do at Christmas time. Visiting the church and spending time with family and friends is important in France. They also enjoyed sampling a traditional chocolate yule log, which is popular in France. Aoibhínn, Chloe, Darragh and Calum learnt about some of the customs and traditions associated with Germany at Christmas time. They told us that the tradition of having a Christmas tree originated in Germany. Years later this tradition became common in England when Prince Albert of Germany married Queen Victoria of England. The advent calendar also originated in Germany. The children tasted marzipan for the first time which is a popular treat in Germany. Sam, Paige, Emily and Aaron focused on how Christmas is celebrated in England. A lot of the customs and traditions in England are similar to our own. The children learnt that Christmas crackers originated in England and that Christmas pudding is very popular in English homes. It wasn't so popular with Aaron though when he tasted it for the first time! Here's a sample of some pictures below of everyone working on their projects, tasting food, pulling crackers, wearing silly Christmas hats and telling jokes we found in the crackers. A great day's craic altogether!
Climate Change & Global Warming
Rang 3 and 4 have been very interested in the proceedings at COP26 recently where world leaders have come together to discuss how to prevent global warming. We have been completing projects with the others in our pod on what is global warming, the effects of climate change and how best we can prevent it. Here's some photos below of the children in their pods working together on their project. These have been displayed in the classroom for others to read and observe.
Learning how to sew
Rang 3 and 4 were learning how to sew in Art this month. They had a piece of hessian material each with their name printed on it. They practised sewing stitches over their name with wool and a plastic sewing needle. This was a very relaxing activity for the class with a few orders possibly going to Santa this year for cross stitch kits. Here's a sample of everyone hard at work below.
History projects.
Rang 3 and 4 were learning about Famous People in History recently. They completed some pair work with the people sitting beside them in their pods on various famous people they found interesting. These included: Florence Nightingale, Muhammad Ali, Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Helen Keller, Marie Curie, Alexander Graham Bell and Neil Armstrong. Here's a sample of our work below.
Return to in-class learning after the Lockdown.
We were all very pleased to return to school to meet our friends and teachers after we had worked very hard with remote learning during Lockdown. It was great to get back to learn and do fun things together with our friends in class. Here's some pictures of some of the recent lessons we have been completing.
Below is a picture of us enjoying the beautiful weather at school and completing our lesson outside on the football pitch.
In group work with our pods we recently re-wrote some well known fairy tales again with our own unique take on the story. Here are some pictures of us brainstorming with our group on what we were going to write. When we were ready we wrote the story together and drew pictures to match. We then presented the story to the others in the class. Afterwards one person from each pod typed up the story and we put them on display outside the classroom with the illustrations matching the story for display.
Science lesson on electricity
We recently completed some experiments with our partners in our pods to understand how electricity works. We had to figure out how to get the bulb to light up using the bulb, batteries and some wires. We had great fun figuring this out.
Making pom-pom birds in Art
In the month of April we were working on the strand of Fabric and fibre in Art. We learnt how to make our own pom-pom birds. Here's a sample of a few below.
Sports Day!
We had great fun on our Sports Day on Wednesday the 28th of April, during Active Schools Week. Here's a sample of pictures from Sports Day below.
Rudolph an fia rua
,Rang 3 agus 4 were practising some of their favourite Christmas carols during December. We learnt 'Rudolph the red nosed reindeer' in Irish. We also chose another traditional favourite, 'Santa Claus is coming to town'. We accompanied it with Lámh sign language. Many thanks to Ashling, our SNA for helping us with the various signs associated with the song.
Getting ready for Christmas.
We decided to take part in the rtenews2day art competition held in late November. The theme was Celebrating Christmas 2020. The winning entry gets to switch on the RTE Christmas Lights on news2day on November 27th
Halloween hols!
We had lots of fun celebrating Halloween this year. We played some Halloween games with the others in our pods, participated in a table quiz, watched a scary movie and ate some treats. What better way to start the holidays!
Halloween Art
We spent a couple of weeks getting our scary masks ready for Halloween. We had great fun making papier maché masks in the weeks leading up to Halloween. Check out some of our pictures below, see if you can recognise anyone??