Seachtain na Gaeilge

Seachtain na Gaeilge
During Seachtain na Gaeilge we had an Irish assembly. Children from various classes under a sixth class child, Karen's instruction, performed irish dancing they had learned in extra curricular activities. This gave the school a flavour of the talent which we have here with us. The performers obviously enjoyed showing us their skills. A true credit to the children involved. Well done Karen.
Caroline Senior
March 2011

Talk on Bees

Bee Talk
This year is the year of the bee in the Botanic gardens featuring lovely displays. Liam McGarry came out and gave a talk to 3rd-6th Classes on bees. He brought in a hive (uninhabited) for the children to see at close quarters. He also had a honeycomb for them to examine and indeed taste. Some classes did a colouring competition. He will return in May with live bees in a special enclosure for all the children to see. The learning experience is far better than from books and pictures.
Caroline Senior

Daffodil Maze

Daffodil Maze
In the Autumn following courses undertaken by the staff we decided to plant a Daffodil Maze in an area which was rather bare between the two playgrounds. 500 bulbs were planted by Fourth Class in the hope that there would be a beautiful display in the Spring.
We now have a beautiful display of which the staff and children are very proud. It helps lift our spirits and gives us all fresh hope in these difficult times.
Perhaps next year we will have a display of snowdrops in January in the same area. So many possibilities!
Caroline Senior

Visitors to Rathmichael

Children's Author:
On Wednesday 20th October, we welcomed Ms. Gillian Perdue, children's author, to the school. Gillian is a past pupil of Rathmichael and also taught in the school a number of years ago. Younger pupils enjoyed her reading of “Conor's Cowboy Suit” and “Conor's Concert”. This was followed by some lively drama and dance workshops. Older pupils appreciated her reading from “Adam's Starling” and then enjoyed taking part in some dramatic scenes from the story. The day was lively and exciting for all the pupils and “Meeting the Author” really brought the books alive!
Dublin Zoo:
On Monday 1st November, we all enjoyed a visit from Jim McMonagle of Dublin Zoo. He brought exotic items of interest with him including an elephant's foot, a rhino horn and a leopard skin, which the children enjoyed looking at and touching. Jim gave us a brief history of Dublin Zoo and used a power point presentation to show us development of the Zoo over the years and what it looks like today. We all thoroughly enjoyed his visit and hopefully it will encourage the children to take a trip out to Phoenix Park with their families.
Litter Warden:
We had a visit from a Litter Warden from Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council on Tuesday 9th November. He talked to all of the classes about the problems of litter, how it effects ourenvironment, and how it can cause harm to wildlife. The talk was both interesting andinformative, and it really reminded us that we all have a part to play in keeping ourcountry " litter free". The children were all asked to design anti-litter posters and there will be prizes for the best entries.
Caroline Senior

Workshops

P.M.C.A – Parents Making Children Aware
P.M.C.A. are a group working in the Dunlaoghaire/Rathdown area. Two of their members came in to work with 6th Class pupils for six weeks. During this time they covered topics such as alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse. The children learned about assertiveness and how to make good choices. On the final day, the children's parents were invited to come in and certificates were given out. The pupils were given an opportunity to show what they had learned and their projects were on display in the classroom. Many thanks to Georgina and Catherine for giving their time over the course of the six weeks to make sure that the children received valuable information and for providing a forum for them to question issues. Lessons learned will stand to our pupils as they move into secondary school.
Energy Workshops
Under the Schools' Heritage Programme, we had Energy Workshops in the school for 1st to 6th Classes. During the day the children had an opportunity to produce their own energy using a bike. They lit bulbs and produced smoothies. A very worthwhile experience and a practical way of making energy come alive for the children. Many thanks to Sarah Joyce and Joe the Workshop Co-ordinators.
Caroline Senior
March 2011