Neither lockdown nor COVID have stopped our International Work here at St Mary’s and tomorrow we have 2 classes linking up via a webinar with our Connecting Classrooms Nepalese Partner School, Jhapa Model School Damak.
Over the next number of Tuesday mornings each school will present and answer questions about their school and community. This is part of a wider project where we will share stories and legends from our different cultures and learn more about the stories’ heroes and heroines, villains and gods. Finally we will create a new story where a Nepalese character will feature in an Irish legend! What would happen if the Cailleach Bhearra met the Yeti????
(With the time difference involved we are starting at 9:15 in the morning P6 and P6/7 don’t be late!)
Pictures from our KS2 Assembly last Friday. Well done to all those who were awarded Pupil of the Week. We had a lot of recipients for awards! Some for engagement and going that extra mile in our Lockdown Virtual Classes and others for their attitude and application to work now that we are back in our real life classes.
We will post the Foundation and KS1 pictures tomorrow.
Firstly, apologies we were not able to go ahead with lessons as planned last Monday. We received at late notification an email from the EA Music Service stating that their Tutors where not allowed into schools, this week that decision has been reversed. So lessons will resume on Monday, 19th April for those pupils now in P5 and P6 and who were involved last year.
Please have your child bring their instrument and music folder into school on Monday. Lessons will take place in the Assembly Hall in the morning. Anyone who has decided to drop out and who has a school instrument please return it ASAP as it may be needed for someone else.
Finally, best wishes to Clare our strings’ tutor and all the children taking part, we look forward to the sound of music filling our corridors once more!
Have you been over the River Walk? Have you noticed some colorful posters with reminders about not littering? Have you been wondering what they are all about?
Well…they are the work of our talented and environmentally aware P6 and P6/7 classes who have combined learning about their town-lands with designing posters to remind everyone that littering is both an eyesore and a problem for our environment.
So why not take a stroll over the bridge and have a look, for yourself. It’s the perfect outdoor exhibition venue, but one with an important message whether you are in Mullaghbawn or Maphoner, Longfield or Shanroe or any other town land-
Who said group and collaborative work wasn’t possible during Lock down?…. It was no problem to our IT savvy P6 and P7 pupils!
As part of their “live” online RE lessons, pupils were divided into Groups and given a link to a Google JamBoard. Each group were tasked to create their own visual display of “The Beatitudes” which they had been learning about.
Pupils could see each other’s online presence and through the use of “Sticky Notes”, they communicated and negotiated with their JamBoard partners. Suggestions were made, tasks assigned and the overall appearance of their combined work agreed upon.
We were delighted with their combined efforts, why not click on the link to see for yourself the amazing collaborative work completed whilst physically distanced, well done to everyone!
I wish to thank you for the dedication and commitment you have shown in following the programme of online learning provided over this past number of months. I am very aware of the emotional impact that home learning has had on many and the provision of such learning has had on staff. Hopefully we have reached the end of this arrangement and can progress towards a more normal future.
Following on from the announcement by the Education Minister, Peter Weir on Tuesday 16th March, I write to remind you of procedures and protocols for the return of all children to school on Monday 22nd March.
In relation to returning to school we must continue to observe guidelines to reduce the threat of any further outbreaks of the COVID-19 virus
School Day
Four drop-off and pick-up points will remain:
Nursery car park for a Nursery child and older siblings
Front on the school for Year 1& 2 children and older siblings
Main school car park for Year 3 & 4 children and older siblings
Ti Chulainn car park where children can enter school grounds at the green house entrance for year 5, 6 and 7 children.
We will be asking children to come into school between 8.45 am and 9.30 am. This should allow the children to filter into school.
Classes will operate in Social bubbles as far as possible. Dinners times will remain as normal but only those taking school dinners will eat in the Dining Hall, where pupils will be seated in their class bubbles. Normal procedures for Nursery dinners will remain, were Nursery pupils will be served dinner in their own Classroom.
Break times and lunchtimes will be arranged in a manner that will ensure that just members of that class are playing together in a Social Bubble in the playground, each class will be assigned a separate play area.
We will continue to insist that children wash their hands at key times in the school day – when they come in, at break-time, before lunchtime, after lunchtime and before home-time.
We will be working within the Social Distancing advised by the Education Authority.
Normal pick-up times will be maintained:
1.30 pm for Nursery
2 pm for P1- P3
3 pm for P4 – P7
Pupils uniform, school bags and homework
Pupils can attend school in uniform or PE kit. They should not bring in school bags but can take in a pencil case which is to remain in school. Pupils cannot be sharing their equipment with others. Pupils should bring in a packed lunch in a lunch box or bag and a water bottle.
Cash handling in school
Payments should be placed in a sealed envelope and submitted to the class teacher by your child.
Visitors/parents to the school
There will be no visitors/Parents permitted into the school until further notice.
School Dinners.
All payments should be made on the first day of the week. £2.50 for Nursery and £2.60 for all other children.
Afterschool clubs and activities
There will be no after-school activities or games until further notice.
After school supervision is available from 2- 4 pm for those who need to avail of this service. For Nursery children 1.30 to 2 pm £1
Over the past number of Tuesday mornings our P6 Pupils have been learning to program using “Scratch”. On Tuesday past they had their last “virtual” session. When we return to school, they will complete the next stage of the project.
So far they have created their back drop, “An Abhainn” (The River) and programmed their “sprite” a frog, to follow their mouse pointer along the river. Each time the sprite bumps into the river back it is programmed to react, to make a noise, croak!
When it reaches certain targets along the river bank messages are programmed to appear. These messages are clues to locations around the village e.g. “Clue- a place well known to the little red hen”- the mill.
Once all parts of the project are completed and put into place, pupils will have created a “virtual” 3d map of the village viewed using “virtual reality headsets” all their research will be linked via QR codes.
A huge congratulations to all our P6’s they have worked hard and overcome many obstacles, including learning to code via a virtual classroom. We are super proud of each and every one of them and super excited to see how the next step of the project develops. We will keep you posted!
For this week only there is a change in time to our P6 Thursday, Live Lesson. It will start at 9:30 am, instead of 10 am. (This is to facilitate a Workshop for our P7 year group starting at 11:00 am.)
Also, for your information P6 finished their series of online “Scratch” coding lessons this morning. They will continue to have twice weekly, Live Lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 10 am with their class teachers.
The AMAZING “Still Life” art work completed by P6 pupils in their live art lesson last Friday, with art teacher Sinead Campbell of “The Art and Design Factory”. We think each and every piece of work would grace the walls of any art gallery! Well done!!
This week was the turn of P5 and as soon as the boys of girls of P5 have upload their work we will bring it to you, here on our website.
If you’d like to learn more about Sinead’s work a link to her Facebook page is given below.
The Ring of Gullion ,“Dragons in the Hills” Project have teamed up with local artists to bring an exciting art competition for all classes to take part in. The theme is: “Reptiles, Amphibians and Habitats”, it’s a great excuse for everyone to get outside, have a explore of some likely habitats,- ponds, marshy ground, stone walls, … Why not take some photos, and then once back indoors get experimenting with different media, paint, pastels, collage – choose the piece you are most happy with and submit a photo via the link given below!
All work must be submitted by 17th March There are some great prizes up for grabs!
