Latest News!
Lá Glas 2024.mp4Seachtain na Gaeilge
Bhí La Glas againn ar an 14 Márta agus chaith gach duine rud glas ar an lá. Bhí ceoilchoirm againn ar an lá. D’fhoghlaim gach rang amhrán nó dán Gaeilge agus chan siad go léir ós comhar páistí na scoile. Ghlac gach rang páirt i gcéilí ag an lá fréisín. Bhí an-spraoi agus an-chraic againn ag damhsa ‘Ballaí Luimnigh’ agus ‘Ionsaí na hInse’
New School Jerseys
A big thank you to Athenry Credit Union and Noel Welby Plant Hire who very kindly sponsored our new school jerseys. They were officially presented to members of our school teams on Friday March 1st by representatives from Athenry Credit Union and Noel Welby Plant Hire. We look forward to wearing them with pride in the next few months and hope that they bring us good luck!
FAI 5 a Side Competition
Our boys and girls soccer teams travelled to Kiltullagh on 27th February to take part in the FAI 5 a side competition. Both teams gave great performances on the day. Our boys team had convincing wins in the group stage over Killeeneen, Carrabane and Craughwell which secured them a place in the final. Here they played Portumna and Craughwell and despite performing heroically they just lost out to both teams in the final minutes of the games. All in all it was still a fantastic performance from the boys. Our girls team had comprehensive victories over Portumna and Creagh in the group stages before a nail biting final group game against Killeeneen went to extra time to decide who would qualify for the final. Unfortunately it was the girls from Killeeneen who won out at the end of the day. We are extremely proud of the girls for their performances on the day. Both teams can hold their heads high. Well done everyone.
Glee Club Performance
Glee choir performance.mp4The latest edition to our Willow Room!
Look at our our latest edition to our Willow Room (sensory room) - our new wheel projector. It really adds to our Willow Room and the sensory experiences which so many of our pupils will benefit from. Wheels can be changed and different themed effect wheels can be added. We look forward to adding to our wheel collection in the future.
20240221_125612.mp4Grandparents Day
As part of Catholic Schools Week, on Friday 2nd February we were delighted to celebrate Grandparent’s Day. Grandparents Day is always a very special day here in our school so it was wonderful to have the opportunity to welcome the wonderful grandparents of our Junior and Seniors infants to our school to celebrate this special day.
Our celebration began with a prayer and Blessing for our Grandparents by Fr. Charlie. With hearts full of enthusiasm and smiles that could light up the room, our infants captivated everyone with a selection of songs and prayers. The highlight of the event was undoubtedly the beautiful performances of ‘The Fields of Athenry’ and She’ll be coming around the mountain’ performed by our Junior and Senior Infant pupils respectively
Adding a touch of poetry to the occasion, some of our 6th class students showcased their talent by reading heartfelt poems they had written about their grandparents during Catholic Schools Week. These touching and personal pieces reflected the deep love and appreciation our students have for their grandparents.
The children presented their grandparents with lovely cards that they had made especially for them. Tea, coffee and refreshments were served afterwards which gave them a lovely opportunity for a chat and to reminisce on stories past. Many of the lucky grandparents were then afforded with the opportunity to visit their grandchildren’s classrooms where they were shown around and were also shown samples of their work.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the grandparents who joined us for this special occasion, as well as to our dedicated teachers and staff who worked hard to make the event a resounding success. A special thanks to Ms. Fahy and Ms. Treacy for helping the children in their preparation for the day. Thank you to Carmel and some of our parents for helping to serve refreshments on the day. Finally a huge thank you to all the staff and our 6th class pupils who helped make the Grandparents feel welcome in our school.
Grandparents day was a huge success. Together, we created cherished memories that will be treasured for years to come. We are already looking forward to next year!
Credit Union Quiz
This year we were delighted to take part in the St. Columba's Credit Union schools quiz competition. 4 teams in total (two U13 and two U11) took part in the competition on 29th January in the Clayton Hotel. All teams performed extremely well and we are so proud of you all. A special mention to our U13 runners up Odhran, Bobby, Aoibheann and Martin and to our U11 team (Muire, Cathal, Liam and Matt) who finished in 3rd place. A fantastic achievement! Well done to all involved!
Ballygar Soccer Competition
Last Wednesday 17th January, on a cold and frosty morning 20pupils from 5th and 6th class travelled to Ballygar to participate in an indoor soccer competition organised by Colaiste Mhuire, Ballygar. Both teams performed admirably on the day and really enjoyed the competition. A big thank you to all who organised and invited us to participate.
Field Trip
3rd class have been learning about bogs the last few weeks. They took a field trip to a local bog with historian Martin Curley to learn about bogs.
Plays
This year all of our mainstream classes performed plays. A massive congratulations to all the boys and girls on their wonderful Productions which were performed for parents on 21st December. Performances like these are not possible without the commitment and dedication of school staff. A special thank you to all our teachers and SNA’s for all their hardwork putting the plays together. Thank you for foróige for letting us use their stage and to Newcaslte Community Centre for letting us use the hall. A Special Thank you to our caretaker, John for all his help setting the stage and centre ready for the performances.
Meet the Casts of our Wonderful Shows!!
Santa Arrived in Style!!!
We had a very special visitor visit our school on 14th December. There was great excitement in the air and great buzz around the school when Santa arrived on his sleigh which was loaded with lots of treats for the boys and girls! The pupils all dressed up for the occasion in festive attire and sang some songs for Santa. Our Junior Infants even had a big list of questions to ask Santa. Santa sent them a lovely letter with the answers to all their questions when he returned to the North Pole!
Cineáltas Flag
We received a Cineáltas flag and poster from the Department of Education as part of Anti-Bullying Week to acknowledge the good work that we are doing in our school and will continue to do to prevent and address bullying and to promote kindness, respect, inclusion, diversity and wellbeing. The word Cineáltas means kindness and the Cineáltas Flag serves as a visible national symbol of the school community’s shared commitment to be kind and to work together to prevent and address bullying.
As part of Anti-Bullying week, our Wellbeing Committee made a presentation to our school during assembly on the theme of Bullying. They revealed our Cineáltas flag and spoke about the importance of being kind and respectful towards each other.
Our Wellbeing Committee along with our Special visitor Santa raised the flag. Santa praised the pupils for all their hard work in promoting kindness and delivered a very special message where he asked them to continue being kind to one another.
Dogs Trust
Ruth from Dogs Trust visited all classes in the school on 3rd and 11th December. Ruth spoke to the pupils about the role of dogs trust, the reasons dogs end up in dogs trust. She also spoke to the pupils about what dogs need to be healthy and about safety around dogs. Thank you to Ruth who provided really engaging workshops for the pupils and to Ms. Fahy for organising it.
Blue Day
On the 20th of November, our PA and schools Wellbeing Committee joined forces to organise a ‘Blue Day’ fundraiser for International Children’s Day.
On the day we turned the school blue and pupils swapped their school uniforms to wear blue clothes the colour of International Children’s Day, to raise money for UNICEF who are currently working with children all over the world who are in crisis. In particular the children who have been affected by the conflict in Gaza, at the moment 7,695 children have been injured and over 3,000 have died. The Theme for International's Children day is 'Every Child, Every Right.'
We also had a ‘Guess How Many Sweets’ in the jar competition which proved to be quiet the hit. Well done to Ellen Burke and Conor Ahearn who won the competition.
The Wellbeing Committee also visited each class and explained the theme of international children's day 2023 "Every child every right" to each class in an age appropriate manner.
€459.10 was raised for UNICEF's Gaza appeal. We are very proud of our entire school community for getting behind such a worthy cause.
Halloween
Lots of strange and scary creatures came to visit us on the day of Halloween Midterm break. We had our Annual Halloween Parade on the day where the pupils got to showcase their wonderful costumes. A great effort was put in by all. Well done everyone.
Maths Week
Last week, 16th- 20th October we celebrated Maths Week. All our pupils participated in a range of activities for National Maths Week.
We held a ‘Guess the Weight of the Pumpkin’ competition, which proved to be one of the star attractions of Maths Week. We had some wide ranging guesses from the students. Well done to our winner Eoin O Donnell. He was the closest to the weight, 4720g.
All classes were also given a Maths Week Challenge. All pupils were encouraged to figure out their challenge and put their answers in a box in their classrooms when complete. All correct answer sheets were entered into a draw and one winner was selected in each class. Well done to Leah Wall(Junior infants), Shauna Kelly (Senior infants) Harrison Ryan (1st Class), Aíne Flaherty (2nd Class), James Flaherty (3rd Class), Lauren O Grady (4th Class), Siana O Grady (5th Class) and Jack Duane (6th Class) who won the competition and answered all questions correctly.
A wide range of other fun activities were undertaken throughout the week by each of our classes including building a numicon city, making a pictogram based on a pack of smarties, Maths games and ICt Games, creating shape Monsters, scavenger hunts, Maths walks, Izak
9, problem solving and much more.
We are already looking forward to next year. A special Thank you to Mr. Treacy for organising and co-ordinating Maths week. Thank you to our Students Council who helped Mr. Treacy organise our Maths week competitions. Check out our website to see more pictures of all the activities we took part in during Maths week. Keep an eye out for our Maths week video which be will appearing on our Maths week page shortly.
Izak 9
In association with Galway Education Centre, our 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th classes had the opportunity to take part in a number of interactive maths sessions using Izak 9 maths resource during maths week. Izak 9 cubes allow learners to engage in hands on learning with abstract maths concepts such as prime numbers. It also develops their team work skills, problem solving skills and ability to explain their mathematical thinking. During maths week, classes also engaged in a live zoom lesson utilising the maths resource Izak 9. Great fun was had utilising the cubes during Maths Week. Favourite activities included eliminator and total recall.
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.
Friendship Week
Friendship week is an important part of our school calendar. Every year in September we celebrate Friendship week where we celebrate our Friends.
This year was no different and all classes engaged in a range of lessons and activities based on the theme of Friendship for Friendship week (25th September – 2nd October).
Our pupils engaged in numerous throughout the week including discussions about friendship, how to be a good friend, characteristics of a good friend. Some other activities included friendship art, making friendship bracelets, playing co-operative games. Some of our classes even had a friendship party and made yummy treats such as cookies and cupcakes! During Friendship week we had a friendship themed assembly. Our Wellbeing Committee led our first assembly of the year which was based on the theme of Friendship.
Friendship week marked the beginning of our ‘Big Buddy, Little Buddy’ initiative. All our Junior and Senior Infants pupils have been paired up with a Big Buddy and Role model from our 5 th and 6 th class. Throughout the year they will get the opportunity to work together on various projects and initiatives. During Friendship week our ‘Big Buddies’ helped our ‘Small Buddies’ (infants) to make friendship bracelets. They also engaged in a shared reading lesson where our Big Buddies read to their little Buddies (infants) and our senior infants also read their PM reader to their Big Buddy.
It was a very successful week which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. We are already looking forward to next year! Have a look at our Friendship week video. It will give you an overall snapshot of some of the activities we took part in for Friendship Week.
Friendship Week.mp4Bake Sale
Monday marked the end of our Friendship Week 2023, and what better way to conclude than with a delightful bake sale! Organised by our 6th class, they managed everything from the planning stage right through to the sale of the cakes. Their commitment and hard work was commendable.
A massive thank you goes out to all the pupils and parents who baked a wide array of delicious treats.
The show-stealer of the day was undeniably the fabulous cake designed and crafted by Karen Stace of Cake Devoured. The cake was not just a treat for the taste buds but a feast for the eyes as well. It was raffled, creating an additional layer of excitement to the day's proceedings.
Thank you all for your contributions and for making the bake sale such a success! We are really looking forward to purchasing lots of STEM resources. Check out the video below for some pictures of the day.
Mini 7s Girls Football Competition
Today was a thrilling day of football at Coolarne Pitch, as our team participated in the Mini 7s competition. A total of 10, 5th and 6th class girls represented our Newcastle team, and each one of them displayed a passion and talent that was commendable.
Our first match-up was against Crumlin. It was an intense game with both teams demonstrating their skills and determination. As the final whistle blew, we found ourselves with a draw. Next, we squared off against Cregmore. This game was notable for a few standout performances. Sophie Burke, in particular, deserves commendation, after saving numerous goals. The match, reflecting the intensity and effort put in by both sides, also concluded in a draw. Our goal scorer for the day, Ellen, showcased her striking prowess, scoring all our goals. The final match saw us against Carnaun. Our girls gave everything they had, battling fiercely right up to the final whistle. Despite their immense effort, the day's victory eluded us. Nevertheless, it's not always about winning but about the spirit of the game, and our girls surely exemplified that.
Overall, the girls played brilliantly. Their team play was on point, and the camaraderie they displayed was fantastic as well as their unwavering support for each other, both on and off the field. Among the many shining stars, a special shoutout goes to Kaitlyn, our captain. Her leadership skills were evident as she guided, encouraged, and rallied the team effectively.
Football Mini 7s Competition
On Wednesday 4th October our boys football team travelled to St Brendan's Park in Loughrea to participate in the Mini 7s competition. The boys faced Kiltullagh in their first game and despite a slow start to the game they battled bravely and came out as 1pt winners at the end of a very competitive game thanks to their never say die attitude. The final score was 3-1 to 2-3. A special word of praise to Evan, Frank and Oisin from 4th class who were instrumental in this hard fought win. Our 2nd game saw us take on a very strong Loughrea Boys School team. Our boys worked hard and despite missing a few scoring opportunities at the end of the first half they were determined to make a game of it in the second half. 3quick fire goals in the 2nd half gave us momentum until Loughrea managed to turn the screw and secure their well deserved victory. We had fantastic performances from all of our panel on the day and it was great to see the praise and encouragement they gave one another. Final score was 7-4 to 3-1.
Cycle Training
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.
Cross Country
Well done to all the brilliant athletes who took part in the
Galway Cross Country Championships in Renmore on the
26th of September. The rain held off however the course and conditions were tough. The last part was uphill and that really tested the athletes from all over Galway who were there on the day. Well done to Padric Fahy Rabbitte who won a medal for his efforts in his heat on the day. 3 pupils qualified for the City
Finals (Pardric Fahy Rabbitte, Frank Dunne and Maddie Rohan)
which will be held in Renmore on 3rd October. Well done to everyone who took part and best of luck to our 3 finalists next week! A special thank you to Mrs. Keane and Mary Rohan for training the pupils
A Look back!
Here are some highlights of our 2022-23 school year! What a year it has been!
school year 22-23.wmvSTEM Award
We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a Curious Minds Gold Award in recognition of all our hard work in the area of STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) this year.
Curious Minds is the national programme designed to foster interest in science and engineering among children in primary schools.
Participating schools carry out a range of science activities in the classroom and are also encouraged to undertake additional explorative activities and projects in the area of technology, engineering and maths. Throughout the year, our pupils worked hard and carried out various experiments and investigations such as dissecting a sheep’s heart, investigating floating and sinking, taking part in mini-beast hunts, taking part in the Pickerpal programme, growing plants in the school garden and many more. We even got involved in some virtual workshops.
We took part in a range of additional activities in the area of technology, engineering and maths including maths trails, the First Lego League, coding workshops, went on Maths trails, designed and constructed buildings, bridges and castles, took part in the STEPS Young Engineers programme and much more. We also hosted a number of themed weeks such a Science week, Maths week, Space week where our pupils took part in a range of different activities. We also regularly used our ipads as part of lessons in class.
Well done to all involved, all of your hard work really paid off. A special thank you to Ms. Kearney for co-ordinating the award.
As a special treat our Parents Association organised an Ice-cream van to come to our school to celebrate our wonderful achievement. We were all so excited to see it arrive yesterday!
Big Friendly Guide to EU Award
Our Junior Infants were awarded The European Citizenship Award this year. This was as a result of taking part in the Big Friendly Guide to the EU (BFGTOEU) project. This is the third year we have completed the programme and as a result we have won an additional award- ‘Tthe Emerging Citizen School Award in European Citizenship Education’.
As part of their involvement in the project, our infants learned what the EU is, why it was set up, how many countries are part of it, why the UK left and some facts about the EU flag. They learned about the importance of teamwork and community and how our actions can affect others.
The lessons were lots of fun and they even made smoothies to show how bringing things together can create something new. They finished the project by decorating cupcakes to look like the EU flag. Our infants really enjoyed taking part in the project. Well done everyone!
U15 Feile All Ireland Rounders Champions
A huge congratulations to Ciara and Isabelle who were members of the Athenry Feile Rounders team that won the All Ireland over the weekend. Well done girls!
U14 Connacht Ladies Football Winners
On Friday 23rd June we were delighted to welcome current 6th class student Ciara along with 2past pupils Anna and Ailbhe who were members of the Galway U14 Ladies Gaelic Football Panel who defeated Mayo in the Connacht Final. It was fantastic to have the trophy into the school and was a tremendous achievement for the girls to have made the county panel. Well done girls!
Athenry Feile Teams Visit
On Wednesday 21st June we were delighted to welcome back past pupils Aodhán McDonagh, Caelan Caulfield, Conor O Reilly, Daniel Moran, Donagh Keogh, Rory Haverty and Ryan Hession to our school as members of the Athenry Feile panels who made history recently as they won the U15 Feile with Athenry in football and hurling. This was a remarkable achievement for the club and is the first time that the same club has won both titles in the same year. They now go on to participate in the Feile All Ireland Finals.
Girls Cumann Na mBunscol Football Champions
On Tuesday 30th May, our girls gaelic football team played in the 9-A-Side Final. Throw in was at 2pm in Loughgeorge Pitch. The Tuam Herald (Oisín Noone) composed the following:
“The last Cumann na mBunscol girls’ final of the day between Scoil Mhuire Naofa, Menlough and St. Oliver Plunkett N.S. Newcastle was closely fought and high scoring which made for great viewing. Newcastle started the game stronger with Grace Jordan forcing a good save from Menlough keeper Caoimhe Gormally early on. Ciara Doyle distributed well before opening the scoring with Newcastle’s only point. Doyle was instrumental for her side, setting up Emily Rohan who stuck the ball to the roof of the net before Doyle struck for goal herself just seconds later, giving Newcastle an early seven-point lead. Menlough’s Lillie Kirby then came close to finding the back of the net but was denied by Sophie Burke on two occasions. Rachael Byrne’s goal then started a good run of play for Menlough. Ellen Burke, Ella Kun and Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick defended well for Newcastle, but little could be done about Chloe Flynn’s form. She scored three points on the trot for Menlough after setting up the initial goal. With now very little in it, Menlough trailed by only 1-3 to 2-1 at half-time.
Given that the crossfield wind was beginning to pick up, it probably stood to Newcastle that they kept their foot on the gas in their search for goals. Rohan blazed a shot just wide before striking the crossbar soon after. Meanwhile Emma Collins threatened for goal up the other end for Menlough. It wasn’t long before Rohan was able to bag her second goal, shooting off her left from the ground. However, the lead was short-lived when Flynn came in clutch with 1-1 for Menlough, tying it all up at 2-4 to 3-1. A skilfully finished shot by Grace Jordan put Newcastle up by a goal again. Just when it looked like they might pull away, Collins pointed (twice) as did Róisin Ruane, bringing the sides together once again. However, what separated the teams in the end was Emily Rohan completing her hat-trick for Newcastle. After a great solo run and good team play, she took the winning shot as Newcastle’s fifth goal secured a great victory over a resilient Menlough team”. Newcastle: 5-1 Menlough: 2-7
St. Oliver Plunkett N.S Newcastle: Sophie Burke, Ellen Burke, Ella Kun (joint-captain), Kaitlin Fitzpatrick, Isabelle Gannon, Ciara Doyle (1-1), Emily Rohan (3-0), Harriet Healey (joint-captain), Grace Jordan (1-0). Subs: Ailbhe Burke, Aoibheann Byrne, Tara Dillom, Katelyn Gannon, Jasmine Higgins, Aoife Morris, Ciara Mulhall and Madeline Rohan.
Well done on a fantastic year! A big thank you also to Miss Kelly and Miss Colleran who coached the team.
Girls Cumann Na mBunscol Football
On Monday 22nd May our girls’ football team set out on their Cumann Na mBunscol journey in Coolarne pitch at 10am sharp.
The Newcastle girls were up against Milltown in the first game of the day. The girls got off to a flying start with 1.2 scored within the first 2 minutes. The girls continued their scoring streak for the remainder of the game, finishing up on a score line of 7.4 to 1.4.
The girls then had a 2 game break and the opportunity to watch their opposing teams play against each other. After this break the girls lined out against a strong Annagh Hill side. The game was very close throughout with scores taken at both ends and the crossbar hit a number of times. However, the Newcastle girls worked extremely hard and came away with another win, 5.6 to 1.3.
Both of these wins put the girls in a great position going into their third and final game of the day vs. Coolarne National School. The girls kept up their scoring streak, scoring another 3.9 in this game. The game ended 3.9 to 1.4.
At the end of the day the girls had scored an amazing 16 goals and 9 points. Their work rate, determination and positive attitude really stood to them in each game and they were worthy winners at the end of the day. They will now compete in the County Final.
Basketball Champions
Congratulations to the incredible 11 6th class girls who took part in the Baskbetball blitz in Cregmore on Monday the 22nd May on their well-deserved victory in the 'Her World, Her Rules' campaign initiative to encourage girls to play basketball.
Your performance was absolutely outstanding, displaying exceptional basketball skills throughout the day. A heartfelt well done goes out to all. Your dedication and enthusiasm have paid off, and we couldn't be prouder of your achievement. Thank you to Ms Coyle and Ms Fahy in Cregmore National School for an amazing day!
May this success serve as a stepping stone towards continued excellence as you move on to secondary school. Keep shining and making waves in the world of basketball! Táimid fíor brodúil asaibh!
Camogie Champions
It's been an exciting few days for our camogie teams!
Parish Camogie Blitz
On Friday, 12th May, 62 girls from 1st-6th class attended the Andy Keane Memorial Blitz in Carnaun. A great day of camogie ended in victory for Newcastle as our senior team defeated Coldwood N.S. on a scoreline of 6-3 to 3-2 to win the tournament and take home the shield.
We would like to thank Dermot, everyone at Athenry Camogie Club and the TY students from Presentation College for a fantastic day.
Cumann na mBunscol
On Monday, 15th May, the girls travelled to Cappataggle for the first round of the 11-a-side Cumann na mBunscol camogie competition. The girls showed excellent teamwork and dedication on the day and won all three of their matches against Monivea N.S, Cappataggle N.S. and Gaeilscoil Riabhach. We have qualified for the finals in Loughgeorge on 13th June. Huge congratulations to all the girls, their skill and attitude both on and off the pitch are exemplary.
We are very proud of them!
Our new additions to our school garden!
We were delighed to welcome our new additions to our school garden after the May bank holiday- our new chickens. There has been great excitment aroudn the school since their arrival. Our 5th class have the responsilbility to look after our chickens. Every morning they let them out of their coop, gather their eggs and feed them. Some of our classes have already used their freshly laid eggs for baking!
Our students council ran a competition to name the chickens. Each class got to put forward 2 names and the members of the students council voted on their favourite. They named the chickens Pepper and BBQ (BB for short!)
Thank you to our wonderful Parents Association who purchased our new chicken coop- the Eglu! The chickens are delighted with their new home! Thank you to the 'Friendly Farmer' Ronan Byrnes who let us adopt 2 of his hens! They are in safe hands and we are really enjoying looking after them.
Our Sensory Room
Our Sensory room has now been renamed the Willow Room. Over the past number of months our sensory room has undergone a huge transformation with the addition of our new Sensory Module (bubble tube and fibre optic lights) and our brand new 'Den'. Both of these have been a massive addition to our sensory room and the children are really
A special thank to you to Michael Browne, a parent in our school, who made, painted and fitted our new Den. The children really enjoy relaxing and winding down in it!
20230419_125702.mp4Hurling Champions
Huge congratulations to our 5th/6th class hurlers who won the St. Mary's Athenry GAA school blitz. The boys showed impressive skill, determination and teamwork to take home our first piece of silverware this year.
Following a victory over Carnaun N.S and a draw with Gaelscoil Riada, the boys faced the Athenry Boys School in the final. It was a tough match but the boys dug deep and emerged victorious with the finishing scoreline reading 4-4 to 3-3.
We'd like to thank Leonard and all at St. Mary's for organising the blitz. Thanks also to the Transition Year students who acted as referees and umpires. It was much appreciated and the boys and their supporters really enjoyed the day.
Well done also to the 5th/6th class girls who reached the semi final in the Clarin College blitz in Kenny Park.
Both the hurling and camogie teams are wonderful ambassadors for the school and showed great sportsmanship in all competitions. We're so proud of them all!
Our Beautiful New Murals!
During term 2, we have been carrying out a number of refurbishments to both our infant rooms.
Firstly we have two gorgeous new murals on our bathroom walls (one in junior infants and one in senior infants). Many thanks to our wonderful and very talented SNA Tríona Mulcahy for designing and overseeing this project. The pupils in both our junior and senior infant classrooms also enjoyed helping paint some of the murals. I am sure you will agree they are fabulous and very inviting for the pupils. They will bring joy to our school community for many years to come. We are lucky to have such talent on our staff! Thanks also to our other SNA’s who assisted Tríona with this project.
We have also given two infant classrooms a bit of a facelift and have had new presses fitted and new handwashing facilities! Our Junior Infant room is now home to a new Activpanel, a large tablet like interactive boards that bring learning to life for children. Both our Junior and Senior infant rooms are now equipped with such technology. We hope that it will enhance the children’s learning experiences in our school.
The corridor (reception area) outside our infants classrooms has also been upgraded and has been fitted with lovely new colourful noticeboards.
Ukulele Orchestra
Our 4th, 5th and 6th class pupils are now members of Galway Ukulele Orchestra. On Wednesday 29th March, they took part in Ukulele collaboration gathering in the Kingfisher Hall, University of Galway where they performed with approximately 350 other children who are also learning to play ukulele through Music Generation across Galway County. This event was a great experience for the children to perform as part of a large orchestra. They performed the songs 'One Call Away', 'Wellerman' 'Shotgun' and 'Wagon Wheel' and were accompanied by musicians Michael Maloney and Martin McDonnell. This event was the prerequisite for a future performance and outing being planned for June 8th. Each pupils who participated in the orchestra received a Certificate and a t-shirt on the day. All our pupils and teachers thoroughly enjoyed the day and are already looking forward to June!
Galway Ukulele Orchestra was set up as a pathway to development and an opportunity for young performers from across the county to meet, sing and play ukulele together. Each of the young performers who are members of Galway Ukulele Orchestra are currently learning to play ukulele as part of Music Generation Galway County’s performance music education programmes in primary schools across Galway County.
Thanks to Cian our Ukulele educator and to our class teachers for supporting and developing his work in each of their classrooms.
Seachtain na Gaeilge
Bhíomar ag ceiliúradh Seachtain na Gaeilge inár scoil ón 1-17 Márta. Bhíomar ag déanamh an-iarracht níos mó Gaeilge a labhairt i ngach rang i rith na coicíse. Bhí La Glas againn agus chaith gach duine rud glas ar an lá. Bhí ceoilchoirm againn ar an lá. D’fhoghlaim gach rang amhrán nó dán Gaeilge agus chan siad go léir ós comhar páistí na scoile. Ghlac gach rang páirt i gcéilí ag an lá fréisín. Bhí an-spraoi agus an-chraic againn ag damhsa ‘Ballaí Luimnigh’ agus ‘Ionsaí na hInse’.
We celebrated Irish Language week in our school from 1-17 th March. Everyone made a special effort to speak more Irish for the fortnight. We had a ‘Green Day’ where everyone wore something green. We had a concert on the day. Every class learnt an Irish song and sang it in front of the school. We also had a céilí on the day. We all had great fun dancing to songs such as ‘Walls of Limerick’ and ‘Siege of Ennis’
You can watch a video below of our classes fantastic performances.
Lá Glas.mp4FAI 5 a side
Our boys soccer team travelled to Shiven Rovers on Wednesday 8th March to participate in the FAI 5 a side competition. The boys braved the cold on the day and put in some impressive performances. They played 5games on the day against Craughwell, Kiltullagh, Menlough, Newtown and Ballinderry. We were delighted to participate in the competition and very proud of the boys who represented our school on the day.
FAI 5 A Side Finalists!
Our girls soccer team travelled to Shiven Rovers on 7th March where they took part in the FAI 5 a side competition. The girls gave great performances on the day. They had comprehensive wins in the group stage over Mountmellew, Monivea, and Craughwell and drew with Kiltulltagh which secured them a place in the final. A nail biting final it proved it to be! Unfortunately it was not their day and the girls were narrowly beaten by Gaelscoil Riada after extra time and penalties. We are extremely proud of them for their performances on the day! Well done girls. A special thank you to Mr. O Looney for coaching the girls!
World Book Day
We took part in World Book Day on 4th March where we celebrated authors, illustrators, books and reading. As part of the celebrations our pupils had the opportunity to dress up as their favourite characters. We had such an array of characters visit our school on the day. Both teachers and pupils put in a terrific effort! Well done everyone!!
Throughout the day, in each of the classes, the children participated in a number of book related activities. After break every pupil in the school also took part in shared reading. Our 6th paired up with our junior infants, 5th with Seniors, 4th with 2nd class and 3rd with first class. During the session each child took it in turn to read an extract from their favourite book to their partner. We loved sharing our favourite books. There are a lot of great storytellers in our school!!
We really enjoyed World Book Day and are already looking forward to next year!
Click below to have a look at our World Book day Celebrations video!
world book day.wmv
Native Birds Workshop
On 2nd February, as part of the National Parks and Wildlife Service outreach educational programme, 4 experienced and enthusiastic environmental education staff from the Burren National Park, Co. Clare, Dromore Woods Nature Reserve, Co. Clare and Coole Park Nature Reserve, Co Galway visited our school to deliver workshops on Native Birds in Ireland. They visited all classes from juniors to 6th.
They showed each class an age appropriate presentation on Native birds. Pupils learned and identified the different types of birds and other wildlife in Ireland and in the Burren. They explored the colours of different bird species and why they are significant to attract other birds. They also found out how they also use colours as a form of camouflage. As part of the workshops the pupils engaged in a number of fun activities, one where we had to listen to the sound of the bird and match it to the correct picture. They also brought in a number of taxidermy birds, (including duck, kestrel and a long eared owl) which they got to handle in groups.
It was very informative and interesting and pupils thoroughly enjoyed sharing their knowledge of birds and extending their knowledge with new information around the topic.
Peace Proms
This year our 4th,5th and 6th class pupils took part in Peace Proms concert in UL on Saturday 21st January. Our pupils were afforded with the opportunity to sing in a choir of over 1000 pupils. The pupils performed with the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland and were conducted by Greg Beardsell. They performed a range of songs including Sky full of stars by Coldplay and I’m a believer from the movie Shrek. Many of their parents and family members attended the concert and enjoyed a fantastic afternoon of song, dance, music and laughter. The atmosphere was amazing and it was certainly an experience the children will never forget. We hope it will inspire our students to engage in musical experiences in the future.
Thank you to Mr. Treacy for leading this initiative and leading the choir and to Ms. Kearney and Ms. Colleran for teaching the children the various repertoires and actions. Thank you Mr. Treacy, Ms. Colleran and Ms. Kearney and our SNA Tríona for also giving up your time so freely to accompany the children to the concert during your weekend!
Budding Authors!
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.
4th Class: https://read.bookcreator.com/library/-NNMRRSnBAzBGzdGImhi
5th Class: https://read.bookcreator.com/library/-NJ4q4FdY_v2c-faNLeV
6th Class: https://read.bookcreator.com/library/-NJed7LqKBWOZZTUZgEV
Grandparents Day
As part of Catholic Schools Week, on Friday 3rd February we were delighted to celebrate Grandparent’s Day. Grandparents Day is always a very special day here in our school so it was wonderful to have the opportunity to welcome the wonderful grandparents of our Junior and Seniors infants back to Newcastle NS after a two year break due to Covid19.
Our celebration began with a prayer and Blessing for our Grandparents by Fr. Benny. Our grandparents were then treated to a selection of songs and prayers recited by our Junior and Senior infants pupils. The highlight for many was the terrific version of The Raitlin Bog and Oró Sé do bheatha Bhaile which were performed by our junior and senior infant pupils respectively.
The children presented their grandparents with lovely cards that they had made especially for them. Tea, coffee and refreshments were served afterwards which gave them a lovely opportunity for a chat and to reminisce on stories past. Many of the lucky grandparents were then afforded with the opportunity to visit their grandchildren’s classrooms where they were shown around and were also shown samples of their work.
A special word of thanks to Ms. Fahy and Ms. Giblin for helping the children, in their preparation of this day. Thank you to our PA for helping to serve refreshments on the day. Finally a huge thank you to all the staff and our 6th class pupils who helped make the Grandparents feel welcome in our school.
Memories were made to last a lifetime!!! Grandparents day was a huge success and we are already looking forward to next year!
Congratulations
Congratulations to our wonderful 6th class pupil Ciara Doyle who has been selected to be part of the U-14 Galway Girls football panel. Well done also to our 2 past pupils Ailbhe Mulhall and Anna Jordan who were also selected. We are so proud of you all!
Carol Service
Santa Arrives in Style!!
Santa took some time out of his busy schedule to come and visit us here in Newscastle NS on Friday 16th December. Santa arrived in style this year and the children were so excited to see him. He had a special delivery for each class.
Christmas Jumper Day
Musical Performances 2022.mp4Musical Performances
All of our classes are receiving a music lesson facilitated by our trained music teacher Cian as part of the Music Generation programme. Our infants are learning to play the tongue drum this year and our 1st-6th class pupils are all learning to play the ukulele. They have been busy learning lots of different songs all term. We have compiled a collection of some of the songs the children have been learning. A special thank you to our parents association who fundraise to fund this initiative for the benefit of all pupils. We hope you enjoy wathcing their musical performances
Green Schools Committee
Meet our Green Schools Committee.
We are currently working towards our 10th and final green school flag- Global Citizenship-Food and Biodiversity. They are currently working on a number of areas. They have asked every class to choose a Light, Water and Recycling monitor to make sure that nothing is wasted in the school.They have also created a new habitat for birds at the back of our school. They have put up bird feeders and are making sure to keep them filled especially in this cold weather. They are looking forward to seeing what kind of birds the feeders attract. A special thank you to Mrs. Keane for leading the Green Schools Committee.
Anti Bullying Week
Anti-bullying week is an important part of our school calendar. This year Anti-bullying week took place from 14th-18th November. During this week all classes took part in an anti-bullying lesson based on the theme of kindness. Each class explored the importance of being kind to others, what kind behaviour is and ways in which kindness can be demonstrated to help prevent and address bullying.
All classes completed an Anti-bullying tree where they identified words that they felt are most important when addressing bullying in school. Our students council then examined each class Anti-bullying tree and compiled all of our classes responses to create our School Anti-Bullying tree.
Star Students
Well done to our November Star Students. All of your hard work and kind deeds have paid off! It was lovely to see our assemblies back for the first time since Covid. Thanks to Mrs. Magnier for organising a lovely upbeat assembly.
(missing from photo Nicole Joyce)
Exploration Dome
During Science Week in association with Galway Science week the Killaloe Exploration Dome visited our school. Our 1st -6th class pupils participated in a range of educational workshops covering topics about Astronomy (solar system, constellations), and Earth science (the ocean.) The exploration dome uses full dome 360 degrees digital projection and advanced computer simulations which enable pupils to explore the nights sky and deepest oceans. During each of the workshops, 3D Interactive shows were projected onto the roof of the dome bringing the topics to life for the pupils making the pupils feel as if they in space, in the ocean etc.
During each workshop each class had an interactive talk about our solar system and constellations followed by a film.
Our 1st, 2nd and 3rd class watched an interactive film called 'The Enchanted Reef' bringing the ocean and coral reefs to life.
Our 5th and 6th class watched a 3D film about Scientists exploring life on other planets.
Coding Workshop
As part of Science Week, Rang a sé took part in a coding workshop. We were delighted to welcome Laura and Kris from Corrib Kids Coding. We designed a 2D game where we designed our own character and built our own world. Our characters moved around a maze where they collected food. We used Microsoft Make Code Arcade to build and design our own game. We have published our games below where you use a QR code for you to try.
We thoroughly enjoyed our session and we look forward to sharing our new knowledge about coding to 5th class in the coming weeks.
Click here for the links to play our games
Halloween Dress UP
Lots of strange and unusual pupils came to visit us this Halloween. We had our Annual Halloween Parade where everyone got to show off their amazing costumes! Well done everyone and a special well done to all the teachers and SNA's who also got into the Halloween spirit and dressed up in wonderful costumes aswel!
Mini 7's
On a wet and windy, Monday morning Newcastle N.S. boys competed in the Mini 7s hurling competition in Monivea. Drawn in a group with Monivea, Kiltullagh and Gaelscoil Riada - the boys were up against stiff competition.
In the first game against Monivea, the boys played into a strong breeze in the first half and did well to be just two points down at half-time. The second half was end to end with both teams swapping goals and excellent score taking from both sides. Newcastle were unlucky to finish on the wrong side of a 2-02 to 1-02 scoreline.
The second game against a powerful Kiltullagh side proved very challenging as the wind picked up considerably and the conditions got tougher. The Newcastle boys battled bravely until the finish and were disappointed to lose out again.
In the final match against Gaelscoil Riada, the boys showed great character and resilience to respond to earlier setbacks. They worked really hard as a team and came out deserving winners on a 5-04 to 1-01 scoreline.
We had superb performances on the day from Daniel Ruane, Daithí Burns and Daragh Lyons. They were strongly backed up by the hardworking Ódhran Madden, Paraic Fahy Rabbitt, Conal McDonagh and the versatile, Oran Costelloe (who mixed goalkeeping duties with some fine midfield displays). Cillian Ryan, Jack Duane and Liam Cake also made telling contributions during the three matches. A special mention to Conor Saunders and Bobby Madden for helping out on the day and being so supportive and encouraging to their team mates.
We look forward to taking part in more hurling competitions as the year progresses.
Mr. Watson (3rd Class)
Cake Sale
It was a great start to Friendship Week on Monday (26th September) with a Bake Sale by Rang a Sé with money raised going to new equipment for the sensory room. Many thanks to everyone for their kind generosity and support. A special shout out to Rang a Cúig and pupils 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 equipment for our sensory room. Sixth Class did a wonderful job setting up their tables, displaying and pricing the treats and selling to all our classes and families. They were wonderful with the younger classes helping them pick their treats also!
Go raibh míle maith agaibh!
See below a short video clip of the bake sale.
cake sale .mp4Cross Country Champions
Well done to all the brilliant athletes who took part in the Galway Cross Country Championships in Renmore on the 20th of September. The weather was perfect for running but the course was tough. The last part was uphill and that really tested the athletes from all over Galway who were there on the day. Newcastle had a number of top twenty finishers and two medal winners. Well done to everyone!
Connacht Community Games Winners
Well done to Ciara, Isabelle & Grace who came first at the Connacht Community Games in rounders. The All Ireland final will be taking place on the 24th September in University of Limerick. Best of luck on the 24th, we are all behind you!
Congratulations to our past pupil Ethan Stace who at the age of 13 has acquired 11 gold medals, in the Galway, Connacht and National Championships, this latest has pride of place.
He is part of the Craughwell Rockets Athletic group who are an elite sub group of U14 & U15 boys and girls, within the Craughwell Athletic Club. He is the relay national champion for 2022 U14 4x100 metre.
Congratulations Ethan from all in Newcastle! We are so proud of you!
Class of 2022
It was an emotional but joyful celebration last Wednesday the 22nd of June as we celebrated our sixth class graduation ceremony in our astro turf from St Oliver Plunkett national school after eight years of primary education. After a lovely mass, Mr O Connor, Ms Colleran and Siún spoke about their memories of Newcastle, how they have grown and how proud we are of all they have achieved. We thanked their previous teachers down through the years for their tremendous work and dedication in their next adventure into secondary.
Mr Treacy gave a blessing to our young people leaving primary school and Mrs Houlihan read a blessing to parents and guardians. Pupils were presented with graduation certificates and end of the year awards. Then, Jenni read a beautiful poem to parents and Mrs Magnier finished with a final parents blessing.
Thank you to all the parents for their support and encouragement over the years and embracing being partners in education in Newcastle. I would like to acknowledge and wish the very best to our families who will be leaving Newcastle this year-a milestone for you too!
Thank you to Mrs O Neill who accompanied and assisted us in writing the lyrics of our graduation songs, ‘Million Dreams’ & ‘Story Of My Life’.
Thanks again to our wonderful 6th class. We wish you the very best as you begin a new journey in secondary school. May all your dreams and wishes come true.
From all in St Oliver Plunkett NS!
Please check out the two links below. One will bring you to the video of reeling in the years of our 6th class pupils from Junior Infants all the way through to 6th. The second video contains photos and
short video clips from the graduation ceremony. We hope you enjoy them both.
Sixth Class Movie .mp4ceremony .mp4ll classes were very busy throughout science week this year (November 13th-17th). A huge variety of experiments and STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) activities were undertaken by each class. We even got involved in some virtual workshops,
Our infants investigated floating and sinking and also investigated what was best material to make a new coat for Owly their class puppet. 1st Class did lots of experiments to investigate sinking and floating, electricity, static electricity and heat.
During science week some of our classes also became engineers, our third class used their engineering skills to design and launch their own NASA space rockets. They investigated rocket building and physics. They watched a video from a NASA astronaut who explained how rockets work and the reason behind a rocket's pointy nose. They then put their engineering skills to the test and made and tested their own rockets. They measured the nose of each rocket and investigating which rockets flew the farthest when launched.