Scoil Mhichíl Naofa

Christmas Newsletter 2021

05-January-22

Scoil Mhichíl Naofa

Christmas Newsletter 2021

Everyone in Scoil Mhichíl Naofa has been busy this term. Trees are decorated and shining brightly. Corridors are filled with the sound of music, singing, learning and laughter. Elves are visiting from the North Pole and can be spotted around the school. Christmas art is hanging on the walls and the festive season is in full swing!

All children from Junior Infants to Sixth class have been taking part in our Skills Challenge. Each stream received a set of activities to practice and there were 2 winners from each class. Children have outdone themselves by improving fitness levels and actively engaging in 'keepy uppies', hula hooping, goal challenges and races.

We renewed our Active School Flag once again this year and also achieved the 'Science Foundation Ireland Discover Science and Maths Award 2021'. The children who received their First Holy Communion did themselves proud on such a lovely day. A big well done to all involved in these areas.

As you can see the building has started on our new school and causing great excitement in Scoil Mhichíl Naofa. Our Christmas door competition and 'Red Riding Hood' panto were a huge hit with classes...oh no they weren't!

The Student and Sport Councils have kept us all on our toes, highlighting student interests and opinions while keeping us up to date with relevant issues of 2021.

Parent and HSCL: Parents and Olga HSCL were busy in Term 1 taking part in the online Wel-lbeing and resilience class, art classes and Garda O'Mahony talk on dangers of ICT for children. Parents/guardians/grandparents of 6th class pupils took part in maths week and had great fun learning and playing old and new card games together. The parent Christmas arts and crafts competition was again a huge success....what a talented bunch we've got! Well done to all entrants.

Junior Infants have been learning through play as part of their AISTEAR programme. New themes are taught each fortnight and children engage in play scenarios using the new vocabulary learned. The last topic was Santa's workshop, just in time for Christmas! They also decorated gingerbread men to enjoy at home and made amazing Christmas art pieces. The children dressed up to record their Christmas songs and rhymes for family and friends too. They are applying the Christmas theme across all curricular areas with San Nioclás ag teacht and counting and building in maths. Sounds and blending are the order of the day to encourage our future master readers!

Senior Infants wrote and posted letters to some of our retired teachers. They also got a reply much to their delight! They have been eagerly recording songs and rhymes through English and Gaeilge for all to enjoy. They continued their fun learning themes for Christmas by making hot chocolate through Gaeilge too. They have been captivated by their Winter topics which included learning about polar bears and the Arctic. Christmas trees and baubles were created in art for the festive season, along with stunning 2-D shape creations.

First Class are busy with Literacy Lift-Off, counting, learning about 2-D shapes and creating lovely art pieces using these. The highlight of the day was creating their Christmas jumper designs to display in time for the Toy Show, making Christmas stamps and Winter owls. There was much discussion around how much their stamps might cost to sell. In SESE they made salt crystals and discussed animals that hibernate in Winter. Middle vowel sounds were a hot topic as children practiced their blending skills to make new words and enhance reading skills.

Second Class went foraging for berries, branches and plants to make a beautiful flower arrangement to bring home, getting in tune with nature and the environment around us. They were very busy attending mass as part of the preparation for their First Holy Communion. Learning and reciting the poem 'All in Red' was enjoyed by all in Second class for the build up to Christmas and their colourful Christmas art was displayed along their corridor.

Third Class made their very own snow globes to enjoy over the break. They attended Mass where Fr. Liam brought children up to light candles. Children in turn presented him with beautiful Christmas cards. On top of that they made fabulous clay figures to display in their own crib for Christmas. There was great excitement as they took a trip to the Heritage Museum to learn about Ernest Shackleton and study his statue in the square of Athy.

Fourth Class organised a Unihoc blitz between the classes and ran it over a period of two weeks. Well done to the well deserved winners......the fitness levels peeked in Fourth class just in time to enjoy Christmas dinner! They had great fun engaging in Christmas multiplication activities for maths and made and displayed beautiful penguin art in their classrooms as part of their Winter theme.

Fifth Class kept their heads down while studying fractions and the human body. They got a chance to return to the water as part of their swimming lessons too. Their '12 days of Fitmas' and Christmas quiz provided some well earned light relief from all their hard work. As if they weren't busy enough the classes choose from a menu of pizza, chocolate biscuit cake and gingerbread men to make in class. They had us all drooling with their culinary delights!

Sixth Class were a hive of activity learning poetry in Gaeilge and English , creating posters on climate change in Geography and Science and studying World War 1 in history and drama. They enjoyed their return to the water also with their block of swimming sessions. They made stable scene Christmas cards to send and held a virtual table quiz between the 5 classes to finish the year off. Sixth class followed on from the parent talk with Garda O'Mahony on dangers of ICT by taking part in one themselves when he visited their classes. Well done on all their hard work!

SEN classes have been merrily working away making hot chocolates, fabulous Christmas cards, snowmen, elf portraits, snowflakes, mittens and stockings. They are learning interactively through i-pads and whiteboards for maths, Christmas spelling games and using the Art Hub online. In Science some classes have explored materials and completed experiments by making slime and lava lamps. In AISTEAR the junior classes became elves and were fully engaged in designing, building and wrapping gifts for Santa! Some classes continued the Winter theme by learning about the 2 types of seal in Ireland. Others explored homes and items used long ago as part of history. Overall, the children worked hard for a really busy term 1!

Wishing you all a happy and safe Christmas

Nollaig Shona Daoibh

Mount Hawkins, Athy, Co. Kildare, Ireland, R14XD86.
059 863 1794
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