Category: School Year 2014 / 2015

Over the last few months Mrs Flynn’s First and Second class have learned a lot about planting, growing and caring for plants. In April we planted Petunia, Cape Daisy and Lupin seeds. Over the months we watched them grow and re-potted the successful seedlings twice. This gave us a chance to see how seeds develop into seedlings and into young plants. The children observed how different varieties of plants had different formations of root systems and leaf formations.

There was great excitement on Monday 29^th June in 3rd and 4th class. It was finally time to harvest our crops. We went out Monday morning ready to dig and see what wonders awaited us.

Another successful year of Incredible Edibles in Scoil Mhuire. We were pleasantly surprised at how well our crops had progressed since April.

The 3^rd class potato grow-bag had 30 potatoes and the 4^th class bag had 40 potatoes. We then proceeded to the cloche and dug up carrots, lettuce, parsley and turnip. The carrots were again disappointing this year. Though they looked healthy on top, there was little or no growth under the ground. The lettuce and parsley grew very well and the turnips though small, were edible.

The real fun began after break when Mrs Dalton turned our classroom into a kitchen. A huge thanks to Eoin who was a super assistant chef on the day.

The potatoes were cut, sliced and cooked. The carrots were grated. Eamonn washed and cut the lettuce. Cian served each child with a taster plate consisting of home cooked potatoes, grated carrot, lettuce and sprinkled with parsley. We had some frozen chips also to compare the two types. (The home cooked chips tasted better.) Holly and Ellen gave each child a drink of miwadi. Eoin washed and prepared some strawberries and dipped them into melted chocolate for dessert.

The children had a mini feast and greatly enjoyed themselves.

This year we are commemorating the 150^th anniversary of the birth of William Butler Yeats – one of Ireland’s and the world’s greatest poets.

Yeats was born in Dublin in 1865. He spent much of his childhood in Co Sligo. As well as being famous for his poetry W.B. Yeats also wrote many plays and helped found the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. In 1923 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

In this ballad Yeats tells the story of an old priest who is sad and weary as many of his flock are dying in poverty-stricken Ireland.

Father Gilligan is so tired that he falls asleep when he should be out visiting a dying man. When he wakes up he rushes to the man’s house only to find that the poor man has already died. However, it becomes obvious to him that the Lord has helped him out in his hour of need.

On Friday 26^th, the third and fourth class from Miss Quinlan’s class sat out in the sun with junior and senior infants and read them a book.  The junior and senior infants read a slightly easier book as well. It was a lovely day and both Miss Quinlan’s class and Mrs Tierney’s class both had fun.

Jessica Heffernan (3^rd Class)

On Friday Miss Quinlan’s class went down into the small end to read to the junior and senior infants. We sat on the grass and read a book to a child in juniors or seniors. Then they read a book for us.

Ellen Browne (4^th Class)

On Friday we read to the infants. It was really hot. It was fun reading to them. We read them books that they picked out. They read to us too! They enjoyed it. We swopped every time. We read them hard books. If they didn’t know the words, we would tell them. It was fun. We read in the sun. 🙂

Kate O’Shea (3^rd Class)

We sat on the grass with juniors and seniors on Friday. They were excellent little readers. It was a lovely sunny day so we were able to stay outside. They were very nice and they didn’t interrupt me even once when I was reading to them. I’m sure they’ll be even better than me reading a book in the future!

Lilly Hall (4^th Class)

On Monday 25th of May, Gerry Ryan came to visit us in Scoil Mhuire. Gerry, together with his wife Mary, runs the local ‘Ryan’s Fancy’ honey enterprise in Gortussa, Dundrum. They started bee-keeping as a hobby over 21 years ago. Their honey is really delicious and they have won many prizes with it.

Gerry brought in much of his bee-keeping equipment to school. He showed us a hive and the frames in which the bees store their honey. He brought in a smoker for calming the bees when the beekeeper has to handle them and he brought in a box full of busy bees buzzing around inside. He also brought in his white bee keeper’s suit. This is a very important piece of equipment as it prevents him from getting stung when he goes to his hives to check the bees and to get some of their honey.

Every class in the school came up to the school hall to learn many interesting facts from Gerry about bees and their honey.

Gerry showed us how to put a hive together. There are between 30,000 and 60,000 bees in each of his hives every summer. From each frame Gerry can get 7 or 8 jars of delicious honey.

Gerry told us that bees must have a source of water near to their hive. He also told us that the bees make honey from the nectar they collect from flowers and flowering trees.

Some Interesting Facts about Bees

Did you know that

· There are 3 types of bee?

1. the Queen bee who lays the eggs in the hexagonal cells

2. the worker bees who do all the hard work, collecting pollen and nectar, and

3. the drones who just keep the hive warm.

· Once a bee stings it dies.

· Bees are the only insect in the world that make a food which humans can eat.

· Eating honey can improve your brain.

· There are 100 species of bees in Ireland.

· 1 bee will make only half a teaspoon of honey.

· It takes 1,100 bees to make 1kg of honey and they need to visit 4 million flowers to do so.

· Each bee colony has its own distinct smell. This is how bees know which hive to go to.

· A bee flaps its wings 190 times a second (that’s 11,400 times a minute).

This year Knockavilla N.S. 2nd to 6th Class pupils went on the 2015 school tour to the University of Limerick (U.L.). We the children of Knockavilla N.S. were over the moon when the tour busses arrived at U.L.

We had already been told how the groups were being divided the day before. I was in the group I with all my classmates. The instructor of our group was a girl called Áine. She had been a student and studied in U.L. We started off the day with orienteering to get our brains going. Áine our instructor was amazed with our problem solving. We worked together in pairs and we all did very well. We then played a small game which consisted of lots of running and required a high level of fitness which we all had.

After that we went inside to the obstacle courses where we competed against other groups. It was brilliant and everyone had great fun. The weather wasn’t on our side but it didn’t dampen our spirits as we kitted out in shorts, t-shirts and lifejackets. We did some rafting and kayaking, which was the highlight of my day. After warm showers and dry clothes we went to have our lunch. Then we headed on to the swimming pool. It was a very professional swimming pool. After a nice swim we went for some archery. The majority of us didn’t hit the target but it was still great fun and a good laugh.

As the day came to an end all the groups were lined up and lead safely and carefully to the busses. It was a tiring, exilerating, fun-filled day and definitely one to remember!

Reuben Bourke (6^th Class)

Here is a collection of poems from our budding poets in 3rd and 4th class about their Sports Day in school.

3rd and 4th Class have been very busy shopping!!

Using Argos catalogues, they have been carrying out various tasks such as shopping for a new pet and helping their parents redecorate the bathroom. The groups also had to keep within a budget. The boys and girls in Ms Quinlan’s have proven to be very thrifty indeed.