6th Class
Seachtain na Gaeilge ☘️
Tús maith leath na hoibre - A good start is half the work.
This was one of the many Seanfhocail we learnt over the two weeks of Seachtain na Gaeilge. We also did a 'Tráth na gCeist' with 5th class and the scores were very very close. Well done to our winners and our runners up. We also did stations in Irish where we went from table to table in groups and we enjoyed participating in different gaeilge activities. On Thursday, we enjoyed a Céilí Mór in the hall and loved watching the classes perform different songs in Irish. We performed Cailín na Gaillimhe. Check out our performance below. Well done to our Cainteoirí na Seachtaine aswell.
6th.MOVUkulele Performance - 'Simply the Best' 🎵
Below is our ukulele performance of 'Simply the Best'. We hope you enjoy it.
IMG_8861.MOVWrite a Book Competition
This year the pupils of St. Oliver Plunkett N.S. Newcastle continued to support the write a book competition which is organised by Galway Education Centre every year. Pupils from 4th to 6th class were given the opportunity to meaningfully engage in the writing process to create their own book. They then utilised their IT skills to publish their book online like real authors by using a website/app called Book Creator. Their fantastic books are now available to view online and can be found by following the links below. Well done to all the boys and girls who took part. They have been working hard on their books for the last two months and a lot has gone into the writing process of revising and editing. We have learnt all the work that authors do when they are writing and publishing books. It was a fantastic competition to take part in and showcase the books on Book Creator where the books do really come to life!
Link to 6th Class:
World Book Day 📚
On Thursday 7th March, we marked World Book Day by dressing up as characters from our favourite book and novels. We also paired up with our Junior Infant buddies to do some paired reading and decorated bookmarks also. Well done to everyone who went to the trouble of dressing up. We took part in a parade around the school where we showcased our costumes and books.
February Fun🌷
We started hurling lessons with Cian in the Astro. We will be doing this for the next 4 weeks which we are really looking forward to.
We attended the musical 'Back to the 80's' by the TY students of Presentation College Athenry. It took place in Kilcornan Woods.
Preparation is underway for our Confirmation. We are taking part in Confirmation classes and we have just decided on our Confirmation names.
Internet Safety Talk from Barnardos
Hazel, from Barnardos visited our school on Monday to discuss ways to ensure we are safe on the internet. The main message was to think before you send and in a world we can be anything, to be nothing but kind. We discussed ways and created examples of safer passwords. She demonstrated a toothpaste activity where we had to squeeze out the toothpaste and then someone had to try get as much back into the tube. This portrayed that when something is said it is so hard to take it back. Thank you to Hazel for sharing her knowledge and tips on how to be internet safe!
Pancake Tuesday 🥞
We enjoyed some yummy pancakes with our favourite toppings.
We got our Hoodies and we couldn't be happier!!!!
Wellbeing Week 💫🌺🎶
Wellbeing Week at our school was a terrific occasion filled with activities aimed at nurturing our mental and emotional health. From Tuesday to Friday, each day brought different fun activities.
'Tranquil Tuesday' set the tone with mindful colouring sessions and a morning meeting where we shared our thoughts and engaged in group activities to start the day.
'Wellbeing Wednesday' saw Ms. Kearney leading yoga sessions for pupils, promoting physical and mental relaxation. We also held an afternoon tea provided a cozy atmosphere to unwind, share treats, and enjoy each other's company.
'Thankful Thursday' encouraged reflection on gratitude, reminding us of the abundance in our lives, from health and education to the simple joys of friendship and electricity.
Finally, ‘Funky Friday’, organised by the Wellbeing Committee, included dance stations and opportunities to reflect on positive affirmations, ending the week that left us feeling uplifted and grateful. We also had a no uniform day where we could wear bright colours and funky socks. The money raised is going to Pieta House.
Many thanks to the dedicated pupils of the Wellbeing Committee for orchestrating such a memorable week.
To top it all off, we also got our hoodies on Friday from ‘Signature Leavers’. We chose a peppermint colour and printed our names on the back. Pictures to follow ........
St. Brigid's Day
Thank you to Emily who kindly brought us in rushes to make St Brigit's Day crosses. Thank you to Mrs Coy who also have us a hand. We also made some for our Junior Infant buddy's. Check out the pictures below.
Credit Union Quiz
Well done to the four teams that represented St Oliver Plunkett National School in the Credit Union Quiz in The Clayton on Sunday 28th of January. A special mention to our runners up in the U13 category who came 2nd with a total of 59 points. Well done to everyone for your hard work over the last few weeks. We are all very proud of you. Thank you to Mrs O' Connor for preparing pupils so well for the day.
Exploring our Family History
Over the last three weeks, we have been very fortunate to have Martin Curley in Newcastle from Heritage in Schools. We started by filling in our family tree and then through different useful websites we have explored and become familiar with our extended families, our grandparents and great-grandparents, their occupations and where they lived. We have also been able to see marriage records and even pictures from maps. It has been so interesting and wonderful to see and explore the history of our families and ancestors.
Our Christmas Play - 'I'm an 11 year old .... Get me out of here!!!!!
On Thursday 21st December, we showcased our Christmas Play - 'I'm an 11-year old ..... Get me out of here!' Pupils braved challenges including eating trials and grammar challenges in order to win stars. We have thoroughly enjoyed all the practices and off course showcasing it to the pupils of the school and our parents and families. If you could not make it or would like to watch it again, the links are below. Also checkout some photos from our rehearsal day also.
Below is two links - part 1 & part 2 of the show. We hope you all enjoyed it.
Festive Fun 🎄
We have loved all the festive activities coming up to Christmas. We visited the church to say a prayer and see the crib and advent wreath. We also enjoyed doing some christmas art with the Junior Infants. We enjoyed a hot chocolate morning where we did our secret santa gifts. We did some christmas baking during the week. We made reindeer cupcakes - they were scrumptious!
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas🎄
Last week, we made Christmas decorations for our Junior Infant buddies as well as Senior Infants. 6th class loved designing with different festive creations and adding a personal touch by writing a note for their buddy at the back.
We made salt dough to make them using just salt and water.
With the holiday spirit in full swing, we can't wait to engage in more festive activities with our Junior Infants next week.
Science Experiments with the Junior & Senior Infants 🥼
As part of Science week, we showcased a range of experiments to our Junior & Senior Infants. Huge thank you to all the pupils of Sixth Class who carried out experiments and to our Junior and Senior Infants who came down and brought all the fun!!
Click here to see video.
Fantastic DNA in a box!🥼🧪
Today we became 'Cell Explorers' as we experimented with DNA. Thank you to NUIG for sending us out the equipment and resources to carry out the experiment in our classroom.
We used a banana to extract DNA by breaking down the cell membrane to release the DNA. We did this by adding liquid soap, saline and ethanol at different stages.
We all got to bring home DNA in small tube! We throughly enjoyed carrying out the experiment and really felt like scientists. We also showed our 5th class what we got up to demonstrated the experiment to them.
Halloween Party 🎃
We had lots of fun at our Halloween Party. We enjoyed a Halloween parade in the yard where we enjoyed seeing all the lovely costumes. Then it was time for some Halloween games including dress the mummy, guess the flavour, guess the food and lots more.
October Fun
Maths Week: We celebrated Maths week in October. We each created a Maths problem for the class and completed a few each day. We also joined a zoom webinar on Izak 9 where we were in teams and we had to complete different mathematical challenges.
Halloween Art: We were delighted to link up with our Junior Infants for some Halloween Art. We created skeletons of all kinds using cotton buds.
Click here for the video.
Wind Turbines: As part of Science this month, we have been exploring renewable energy sources. We designed wind turbines and then tested their strength using a hair dryer.
Tag Rugby Blitz: The air was buzzing with excitement on the morning of 19th October as the 5th and 6th class students from our school set off for Monivea. This wasn't just any outing; they were going there with a special mission – to represent Japan in a unique gathering of schools for a tag rugby blitz. Their spirits were high, as were their expectations. The dedication of our pupils was evident through the colorful face paint adorned on many faces and the vibrant Japanese colors they proudly wore. Before they delved into the blitz, a parade around the pitch was organised to showcase the countries each school was representing. Leading the parade was Newcastle, with Ethan and Ellen holding the Japanese flag high. Both our girls and boys played brilliantly, exhibiting commendable tag rugby skills and teamwork. Tackling, tagging, attacking, and trying – every move was carried out with precision and vigor. Everyone really enjoyed the day. Thank you to Connacht Rugby for organising an enjoyable day out and for all the lovely treats.
Breakfast Morning: We held a breakfast morning where we had cereal, croissants and toast. We spoke Irish to each other while enjoying our breakfast.
Friendship Week & The Bake Sale
We had a lovely Friendship Week. We did compliment circles where we write our names on a piece of paper and then we passed around our sheet and everyone in the class wrote a compliment or a nice word to describe each other. We met with our buddies in Junior Infants for the first time on Thursday and we were so excited. We made friendship bracelets together and it was definitely one of the highlights of the week (see video below). We cannot wait to join up with our buddies again for Halloween.
Another big highlight of the week was The Bake Sale. Many thanks to everyone for their kind generosity and support. A special shout out to the pupils and parents from other classes who also baked the most delicious treats. It was a huge success and we are looking forward to purchasing lots of new STEM resources for the whole school. Sixth Class did a wonderful job setting up their tables, displaying and pricing the treats and selling to all our classes and families and not to mention all the wonderful baking. They were wonderful with the younger classes helping them pick their treats also! Well done to everyone!
Thank you to Karen Stace at Cake Devoured for making the most gorgeous cake for our raffle. Well done to our raffle winners!
Go raibh míle maith agaibh!
Cycling Right Programme
Pupils from 6th class have been participating in the Cycle Right Programme over the last 4 weeks.
What is Cycle Right?
CYCLE RIGHT is produced and supported by the Department of Transport, the Road Safety Authority and Cycling Ireland, with input from central and local agencies and other groups.
CYCLE RIGHT is a cyclist road safety training programme designed to give cyclists the knowledge and skills to move safely through the road system, an environment shared with other road users. Pupils were provided with the skills needed to move as cyclists in complex, changing, road environments. Pupils also had to apply dynamic thinking, assessing conditions and the environment on the road as they go through their journey.
Thank you to Richard and Natasha from Cycle Right for a valuable and enjoyable 4 weeks.
Click on the link below to see a short video of some snapshots over the last few weeks.
Cycling Course - Week 1
Over the next four weeks in September, we will be taking part in the Cycling Right Programme provided by Cycling Safe Ireland.
CYCLE RIGHT is a cyclist road safety training programme designed to give cyclists the knowledge and skills to move safely through the road system, an environment shared with other road users. Pupils will be provided with the skills needed to move as cyclists in complex, changing, road environments. Pupils will have to apply dynamic thinking, assessing conditions and the environment on the road as they go through their journey.
In Week 1, we became aware of the importance of completing the 4 checks before getting onto the bicycle - helmet, weather conditions, suitable clothes and checking the bicycle (tyres, brakes etc.). We practiced emergency stopping, shoulder checking and signalling left and right.
We are really looking forward to the next few Wednesdays!
Greetings from Rang a Sé! 🏫
We are delighted to be back in school. It is our final year of Primary School, we can't believe it! We have lots of fun things coming up including our Cycling Course starting next week so make sure to check our page again for photos!
Here are a few photos of what we got up to over the first few days! 😁🧑🎨🎶