Report for term two from the Board of Management of Kilcoole Primary
School
 The Board of Management would like to thank the Holy Faith Sisters for
their generous donation of land to extend the pupils’ play space on
St. Brigid’s site.
 The Board of Management reviewed the whole school plans for the
teaching of Mathematics, Science and Social and Personal Health
Education. Healthy Living Policy, Relationships and Sexuality Education
Policy and Substance Use Policy were reviewed this term.
 There are four pupils on the waiting list for the 2017/18 Junior Infant
class. The principal has applied for an extra mainstream class teacher to
accommodate pupils on the waiting list and ensure smaller class sizes in
the infant classes.
 Congratulations to Ms. Mc Dermott, Ms. Whyte and Ms. Bowden on coming
third in the Cumann na mBunscol School of the Year Competition. The
€500 prize will contribute to the costs of transport to matches.
 Congratulations to Ryan Curran and Larissa Brady, both in 6th class, whose
short stories were published in the Primary Times Magazine in January.
Both stories have been published in this newsletter.
 Thanks to the teachers who coach Gaelic football, hurling and soccer
after school. The investment of their valuable time to support and develop
school teams is priceless.
 Thanks to the Parents’ Association for their huge contribution to our
school.
Parents’ Association Update
The Parents’ Association held their latest meeting on Monday 13th February at
8pm. Thanks to all parents who purchased raffle tickets for the Easter Raffle
in St. Brigid’s Building.€2,470 were raised through this raffle.There were a
huge number of prizes won by pupils across all classes in the junior building.
The Parents’ Association will need lots of support for the many activities they
have planned for our pupils in the final term. The next Parents’ Association
meeting will be on the 15th May at 8pm in St. Anthony’s Building.
 First class parents look after the party for our First Communion
candidates after their ceremony on Saturday 27th of May. We will need
the support of all parents of first class pupils and there are many
different ways parents can support the event. We will need some parents
to set up and serve teas and coffees on the day. Others can help by
providing cakes, biscuits and treats. All goodies can be dropped up to the
school the day before or on the morning of 27th May before 11am.
 Fifth class parents organise the catering for the 6th class who graduate
on Monday 26th June. We need all 5th class parents to support the night by
either helping on the night or dropping up edible treats to the school for
the occasion on the day.
 We will have our Penny Push on Thursday 22nd June this year so start
saving all those coins please.
 The Parents’ Association fund and service the defibrillators in both
buildings as well as funding lots of fun events for our pupils throughout
the year. They also contribute significantly to the purchase IT equipment
throughout the school.
Spelling Bee
On Friday 12th March 5th and 6th classes gathered in the hall in St. Anthony’s
Building for the annual KPS Spelling Bee. The aim was to find a spelling
champion to represent the school in the county final. 5th and 6th class pupils had
previously been tested in class by Ms. Mc Donagh to find spellers to represent
their class in the school final.
6th Orange finalists: Denis O’ Brien, Alec Dutton, Rebecca Carey, Abbie Wills,
Ryan Curran and Ben Campbell.
th
6 Yellow finalists: Christian Smith, Michael Shannon, Lauren Hackmann.
Jessica Mc Mahon, Dylan Eager and Charlotte Nagle.
5th Orange finalists: Caragh Doyle Maguire, Cayden Elliot, Emma Walsh,
Bryana Coughlan, Josh Elliot, Davie Mc Mahon and Jack Pistoor.
th
5 Yellow Finalists: Laura Stevens, Seán Byrne, Jake Burns, Jamie Conaty,
Grace Drumgoole and Callum Davis.
Spelling words like ‘hyphen’, ‘labyrinth’ and ‘sabotage’, this was a very
challenging test for the pupils who all performed magnificently. The audience
held their breath as pupils spelled out very tricky words. Six difficult rounds
later we were left with three pupils standing, Jessica Mc Mahon 6th, Grace
Drumgoole 5th and Callum Davis 5th.These three were phenomenal on the day and
any one of them would have represented KPS well in the county final. However,
the winner was Jessica Mc Mahon.Jessica represented KPS in the county final
in Arklow on the 15th February. Jessica got down to the last five and when
asked to spell ‘corollary’ was knocked out. Congratulations Jessica on a great
performance.
The 3rd and 4th classes gathered for their Spelling Bee on Thursday 2nd
February.
Each class had completed written spelling tests to find the spellers who would
represent their class.
3rd Orange finalists; Nicole Little, Jack Finnegan, Conor Burns, Robyn Ackroyd,
Orla O’ Mahony, Sophie Dempsey and Josh Finnerty.
rd
3 Green finalists; Reagen Cullen, Daragh Bradley, Alex Doyle, Sophia Siklody,
Regan Kelly and Cian O’ Brien.
rd
3 Yellow finalists; Daniel Walsh, Kate O’ Boyle, Jenny Wills,
Alannah Fitzpatrick, Seán Daly, Nicholas Hurley, and Ava Devlin.
4th Orange finalists; Seán Mc Ilveen, Matthew Cullen, Christopher Horan,
Annalivia Boylan, Gavin Minto, Maeve Butler, Madeline Scott and Abigael
Hammond.
4th Yellow finalists; Ronan O’ Boyle, Kate Ward, Seán Mc Leavey, Dáire O’ Reilly,
Dale Van Dalen, Joe Collins, Aoibhinn Keating, Regan Holt, Darragh Shannon.
rd
3 and 4th classes were tested on the Eason test set for 5th and 6th classes.
The standard of spelling in these classes is exceptionally high this year and
after five exciting and tense spelling rounds we were down to four spellers;
Ronan O’ Boyle, Madeline Scott, Matthew Cullen and Seán Mc Ilveen.The
eventual winner was Ronan O’ Boyle.
For the first half of this term our team teaching sessions in all classes in St.
Anthony’s Building focused on developing spelling strategies with lots of work
done to reinforce the spelling of words on our Most Commonly Mispelled Words
List.
Team Teaching in St. Brigid’s Building this term focused on the following
skills/strategies
 Recognising words based on an awareness of the most common spelling
strings and patterns
 Engaging in activities designed to increase an awareness of past
tense(regular and irregular verbs)
 Reading and spelling a wide range of high frequency words
 Reading comics and a selection of different reading passages for pleasure
and to extract information
Just before the midterm in February all classes from 1st – 6th completed their
standardised spelling tests. The results of these tests will be published on
pupils’ reports in June.
Handwriting
For the last three years pupils and teachers have been working hard to improve
handwriting standards throughout the school. Pupils start joined writing in 2nd
class. Many pupils take great pride in their handwriting and we thought this was
something we should celebrate and reward. In February all pupils in St.
Anthony’s Building competed in a handwriting competition. The winners were
entered in to the INTO National Competition. The school competition awarded
Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals in each class. School pens were awarded to the
most improved writers in each class.
Class
3rdO
3rdY
3rdG
4thO
Gold medal
Jack Finnegan
Matthew Smirnov
Jack Ryan
Maeve Butler
Bronze Medal
Adam Walsh
Kate O’Boyle
Sophie Camlin
Matthew Poveda
Most Improved
Robyn Ackroyd
Alex Stoenescu
Katie Hannon
Ryan O’ Brien
Darragh Shannon
Caragh Doyle
Silver Medal
Aoife Keating
Nikola Galkina
Regan Kelly
Ella Ryan
Madeleine Scott
Aoibhinn Keating
Jack Pistoor
4thY
5thO
Aoibheann Dillon
Ryan King
5thY
Grace Drumgoole
Clodagh Jordan
Kevwe Atiyota
6thO
6thY
Lucy Mc Gowan
Alex O’ Brien
Ryan Curran
Julia Norman
Larissa Brady
Charlotte Nagle
Clara Doyle
Liam Tighe
Deacon Green
Olivia Quigley
Nathan Keane
Mary Cash
Jack Vickers
A Trip to Luisne
On February the 28th, Patrick Lennon invited the three second classes in to
Luisne to participate in their “Let’s Grow” programme. We all got a slip of a
blackcurrant bush and had to dip into rooting powder. We then planted this into
a pot full of compost. We sampled Mr. Jeffares blackcurrant cordial which is
unsweetened. It was quite bitter. We brought our plants home and now are
responsible for looking after them and making sure they grow.
Art with Don Conroy
On Tuesday, the 28th of February, Don Conroy visited our school. Don is a
famous Irish artist. He knows lots about nature and wildlife. Don showed us how
to draw a long-eared owl. He told us that this owl presses itself against a tree
to hide. Don drew an enormous elephant from his story “An Elephant at the
Door”. His daughter Sophie gave him the idea for the story one morning at
breakfast. He also taught us how to create drawings of animals that aren’t
“stiff”. We couldn’t wait to get drawing to try out his techniques.
Engineering Workshop
On Monday 16th January 2017, Mr. Z and his wife Eddie came in to do a
workshop with us experimenting with kinetic energy. To begin Mr. Z taught us
about kinetic energy, which is the energy of movement. We then split off into
groups of four and were given a stack of four chairs, four tracks, a cup, a
marble and some masking tape. Mr. Z announced that we had six minutes to use
the equipment to design and construct a rollercoaster.The aim of the challenge
was to use the equipment to build a rollercoaster for the marble to travel on.
We didn’t waste a minute getting started because we were all eager to hear the
“sound of sweet success”, the marble hitting the cup at the end of our
rollercoaster.
There were several rules we had to follow; we couldn’t ask for help, we could
only stick the tape to the chairs tracks and floors, we couldn’t cheat by pushing
the marble and finally the rollercoaster had to work at least eight times to be
deemed successful.
For the second challenge we had to construct a hill in our rollercoaster using
stacked cups. If your rollercoaster was a success with a one cup hill, you were
given a second cup and so on. We managed to build a hill five cups high and still
kept the marble on the track.
For our next challenge we were asked to construct a loop-the–loop in the middle
of our rollercoaster track. We needed to decide whether to build a big loop or a
small loop based on the speed the marble was travelling.
Finally, our last task of the morning was to combine all our challenges and
extend our tracks, to create the best rollercoaster we could.
It was a wonderful way to start Monday morning, learning about kinetic energy
and demonstrating this using our rollercoaster. It gave us a chance to put our
problem solving skills to the test.
Spring Time
Senior Infants Orange were very excited when Peter came to the class with
some frogspawn for us. We learned all about the life cycle of a frog and
watched as tadpoles started to emerge from the frogspawn, there was great
excitement when the first one came out. We sent them back to their pond when
they started growing legs to make sure they had enough room to change fully
into frogs.
Green Fingers
Senior Infants Orange have been busy planting tomato seeds this month. We
signed up to a programme by Heinz and they sent us pots and seeds so we could
plant them in school. We planted them in compost, water them every five days
and make sure that they are getting lots of sunlight. We learned all about
tomatoes and the different things they are used in. We also learned that a
tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable. There was great excitement when we saw
the first green shoots coming out of the compost, we can't wait to eat lots of
healthy tomatoes.
Our World Irish Aid Project
5th Class yellow were very busy this term submitting a project for the ‘Our
World Irish Aid Awards 2017.’ For this project we learnt all about the UN
Global Goals and we taught others about it too. We compiled a PowerPoint which
we used to teach all the other classes in the senior building. We also wrote an
information leaflet which we sent home and then quizzed our family members
about the content.
One of the most interesting things we learnt was about the lives of two 12 year
old Ethiopian children: Afework who was an orphan and Seble who had to work
on her family’s farm. We were able to revisit them after five years of suppoet
to access education and see how their lives had changed. This highlighted how
we should not take our own education for granted.
We are particularly grateful to Grace’s uncle, Liam Drumgoole, who works in the
UN HQ in New York, and answered our interview questions. It was a super
opportunity to learn all about the UN and get a unique insight into how it
operates.
5th yellow and 6th yellow & orange hosted a bake sale to raise awareness and
funds for the Global Goals and the Irish Cancer Society. 6th classes raised
€495.37 for Greystones Cancer Support and 5th yellow bought an in-kid goat
for a family in Tanzania, Africa through bothar.org
Team teaching
After the February break team teaching in St. Anthony’s Building aimed to
boost the students’ enjoyment of reading and to broaden their experience of
print, by presenting them with as wide a variety of reading material as possible.
The skills of skimming and scanning for information were also priority targets.
Over a period of 4 weeks the children were presented with a broad selection
of print ranging from comics, children’s nature & history magazines, shop
catalogues, newspapers and ‘Ripley’s Believe It Or Not’ books. They read
independently, shared opinions and discoveries, scanned for details and adapted
well to the variety of reading materials involved. It was very enjoyable for all
but was particularly beneficial and enjoyable for reluctant readers.
‘Accelerated Reader’
In the next academic year, we hope to roll out a new reading initiative called
‘Accelerated Reader’, thanks to the approval of the Board of Management. This
is a personalised reading programme which challenges readers at their
individual level to help students enjoy reading more, do it more often and think
more positively about reading. This costly programme will be made available to
the children when they reach fourth class, with the aim of building reading
skills, independence and enthusiasm in both reluctant and avid readers alike.
Team Teaching Junior
Oral Language was part of the focus of our Team Teaching this term. In First
and Second Classes we listened out in particular for how the children used
action words (verbs) when speaking. A lot of inaccuracies were evident in the
children’s speech when talking about things that happened in the past. A more
formal test was then administered in February to pinpoint where the
difficulties lay. An intervention plan was implemented using games and activities
along with daily classroom work. To date there is a noticeable improvement in
this area of oral language. In the Summer Term the children will be retested
and hopefully will show greater accuracy and fluency in using action words in
the past tense. Over the holidays it would be great if you could support your
child with this work and hopefully the following tips will be of help:
When your child makes a mistake don’t draw attention to it directly. Model the
correct form and repeat in different situations as the opportunity arises.
Example
1. Child: I writed a story
Adult: Oh that’s great you wrote a story. I wrote to your aunt yesterday.
Recasting is another way of modelling the correct language – when child tells
you something you say it back to them using the target word.
Example
2. Child: I did Art in school today.
Adult (when work is brought home): You drew a lovely picture. You cut the
border really well.
As child becomes more confident using language a finite choice can be given.
Example
3. Child: I throwed the ball…….
Adult: Oh did you mean you throwed the ball or you threw the ball…….
Some verbs that children may be unsure of include the following:
think/thought, hold/held, write/wrote, keep/kept, blow/blew, build/built,
wear/wore, bleed/bled, find/found, buy/bought, hear/heard, sell/sold,
buy/bought.
Remember the best strategy is for children to hear lots of language and
discussion from family and friends and to have others to listen and respond to
them also. Your input is invaluable in developing your child’s language skills.
Enjoy!
Short stories published in Primary Planet Magazine and written by pupils
from Kilcoole Primary School. Well done Ryan and Larissa.
MEMORY STAINED - By Ryan Curran 6th Class
“Ring” the ear splitting sound was soaring through my head. I opened my eyes,
everything was a blur. My head was pounding and my whole body ached. As my
vision faintly improved I could barely see the red and blue flashing lights. I
moved my neck, I was in agony.
I realised I was in the middle of a road lying on the rough, stony ground.
On either side of me were two demolished upturned cars ablaze. The world felt
like it was spinning rapidly. How long had I been there for a day, months, years
maybe. My vision was still poor. I was so confused with what happened.
Moments later I heard a voice crying. I tried to stand up but my legs were
like jelly. As I fell to my knees I noticed my whole body was covered in mud and
blood. The ringing in my head was swallowed by an ambulance siren. Finally I was
hauled to my feet by an unfamiliar figure. The paramedic was shining a bring
light in my eyes and checking me for any serious injuries.
I glanced around and had a brief idea of what had occurred, “a car crash”,
I murmured. Then there was a creepy few moments of silence, then out of
nowhere the car to my right exploded in a ball of fire. The last thing I
remember was a blood stained book lying helplessly on the road “Cinderella” the
title read.
HERS - By Larissa Brady 6th Class
It seemed like the whole world was against me as tears rolled down my checks
making stains on her favourite book. She loved it and read it over and over. But
she can’t read it anymore.
On the 16th of February, I came down stairs in my pink pyjamas that she got
me. I froze stiff with stealth as I heard my mum on the phone.
“Hello”, mum answered “Yes I am ....yes....”
She was silent until the only sound in the house was a drop of water leaving her
chin and inevitably falling to the floor making a silent scream. Then another
followed soon after they chorused down in harmony.
Then mum hung up the phone and moved towards the table as I ran upstairs
worried of what news my mum had heard.
The night before hand I was with her at her house. We sat down and she put on
her glasses and read her book to me for hours on end, becoming more enticing
as each page turned.
I had no idea her book would be mine in a matter of 14 tragic hours.
The news my mum heard ... she told me earlier today.
Now on the 17th of February.
“Lily”, whispered mum as she quietly opened the door. “Can we have a talk”.
Five words that make your heart stop beating as soon as the last letter is
spoken.
“I have some news...”
Tears fell from my horrified face as I tried to speak but nothing came out.
Desperate for words but there was just pain when I opened my mouth. She’s
dead ... only yesterday...I...
Mum handed me the book “Treasure Island”, Granny’s favourite but why now on
this cruel day ...I always loved my granny.... we were always so close.
Sports News
Third & Fourth Class Boys show how it’s done!
In January the 3rd and 4th class boys in Wicklow got the New Year off to a
flying start with lots of great Gaelic football on show at indoor venues around
the county. These were 7 a-side indoor tournaments with the emphasis on fun
and participation for all. The games were fast paced and most enjoyable to
watch. Some of the teams to take part were St. Cronan’s, Scoil Chualann,
Gaelscoil Cill Mhantáin, St. Fergal’s, Newtown and Kilcoole. These schools all
had two teams each and the boys represented their schools impeccably showing
great sportmanship. Our newly trained young whistlers took charge of the
refereeing duties and did a fine job. Well done to all involved.
Kilcoole – M. Reinhardt, J. Collins, T. Brereton, S. Boudakhan, D. Van Dalen, H.
Donohoe, J. Shannon, S. McLeavy, R. Harrison, R. O’Brien, K. Goff, R. Kelly, S.
Lawless, W. Cash, F. Hughes, J. Finnegan, T. Wilson and O. Reynolds.
Young Whistler – G. Drumgoole
Girls Indoor Football Blitz – 3rd and 4th Class
Well done to the girls in 3rd and 4th class who travelled to local neighbours
Newtownmountkennedy for an indoor football blitz. The girls were active for
the whole time they were there, playing games non-stop. Their skills really
improved as the games went on. This was a non-competitive blitz and was all
about participation and having fun! Well done to the girls who represented the
school so well. Also thanks to Grace Drumgoole for refereeing the games, she’s
growing in confidence with each game and is becoming a fine young whistler.
Well done Grace.
Team: Clara Doyle, Lucy Nagle, Regan Holt, Sarah Dowd, Nessa Drumgoole,
Millie Devlin Merriman, Abbie Hammond, Maeve Butler, Aoife Keating, Rachel
Corcoran, Alannah Hunt, Ruby Parker, Charlotte, Katelyn Nolan.
Young Whistler: Grace Drumgoole
Boys’ Football - Allianz Coughlan Cup Day 1
Day 1 of the Allianz Coughlan Cup was held in Bray Emmets on 1st March. This
was an eleven-a-side blitz. In our first match we lost to St Laurence's. We
regrouped, learned from our mistakes and the boys showed great determination
to finish on a high beating St Pat’s and Moneystown. Well done boys.
Kilcoole: J Green, M Connors, C Davies, R Kelly, C Smith, A Dutton, L Stokes, S
Byrne, L Kelly, J Phoenix, J Collier, J Pistoor, L Thomas and M Grey.
Boys’ Football Allianz Coughlan Cup Day 2
There was a great turnout of teams on a glorious day on the 15th March in Bray
Emmets for Day 2 of the Boys’ Football Allianz Coughlan Cup. This was an
eleven a-side competition and teams were graded on the previous day’s
performances. Matches were closely fought with great skill on show as well as
fantastic sportsmanship.
We were placed in Division 2. We played Scoil Chualann, St Fergal’s, Ashford
and St Pats. Unfortunately it wasn't a great day for us but the boys have to be
credited showing determination and a never give up spirit. Well done boys.
Kilcoole: A Dutton, S Byrne, L Stokes, R Curran, J Pistoor, J Collier, C Mahoney,
L Thomas, R Kelly, M Grey, C Smith, J Phoenix, S Darcy and J Green.
Girls' Wicklow Times Shield
Day 1 of the Girls’ Wicklow Times Shield was a great success on Wednesday 8th
March in Bray Emmets. Games were 9 a-side with points the only scores
counted. There were great skills on show.
In our group were Scoil Chualann, St Kevin's and St Brigid’s. The girls never
gave up and played with great determination. Well done girls on representing
the school so well!
Kilcoole: L Nagle, R Holt, S Dowd, L Hannon, A Keating, N Drumgoole, M Devlin
Merriman, A Hammond, M Butler, C Hennessy, A Boylan and A Keating.
Wicklow Times Shield Day 2
On March 22nd the girl’s football team went to Bray Emmets to play in Day 2 of
the Allianz Wicklow Times Shield. Conditions were very wet but the girls have
to be credited for a robust, committed performance. They lost to Gaelscoil
Chill Mhantáin and to St. Kevin's but were victorious against St. Brigid's. The
girls are improving all the time and there were some great skills on show. Great
job girls.
Kilcoole: A. O'Brien, C. Attwood, C. Nagle, A. Prendergast, E. Minto,
A. Travers, G. Drumgoole, C. Jordan, E. Taggart, E. Mackey, M. Longmore,
E. Walsh, N. Drumgoole and A. Keating.
Success at the National Awards
The 2017 Cumann na mBunscol Cornmarket Annual Awards took place in the
Killyhevlin Hotel, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh on Friday 10th March.
The Garden County were nominated in three different categories. Allianz
Cumann na mBunscol Cill Mhantáin were runners up in the Public Relations
category, Gaelscoil na gCloch Liath were runners up in the Promotion of Gaelic
games and Culture and Kilcoole PS were runners up in School of the Year. This
is a huge honour as there were entries for these awards from every corner of
Ireland.
The Awards recognise excellence in the promotion of Gaelic Games and culture
in primary schools throughout Ireland. It was a great night of celebration and
Pete McGrath, the current Fermanagh manager was the guest speaker. The
AGM took place the following day. Gaelscoil na Clocha Liath were represented
by parents Olive Farrell and Róisín Ní Loinsigh. Kilcoole Primary School were
represented by principal Joanne McDonagh and teachers Eve Whyte, Claire
Bowden, Martina O’Leary, Tara Walshe and Pamela McDermott. Allianz Cumann
na mBunscol were represented by Jim O’Riordán, Sinéad Ní Chrean Loinsigh,
Michéal Ó Murchú and Dave Barry. Well done to all involved.
INTO Skills Challenge
The following were successful in coming out on top in the school section of the
Skills Challenge. Well done.
Boys’ Football: Seán Byrne, Craig Davies
Girls’ Football: Charlotte Nagle, Emma Walsh
Hurling: Séamus D’Arcy, Conor O’Mahony
Camogie: Erin O’Brien, Bridget Cash.
On Wednesday 29th March Charlotte Nagle qualified for the County Skills final.
Gaelic Football Training
There has been a great turnout at training on Tuesdays. Each week we can see
an improvement of skills and matches are played with intensity and great
sportsmanship. Keep practising and hopefully the rewards will be reaped with
silverware coming to the Goosebank in the future.
Soccer Note
Mr Harrington’s team beat Kildare Place School 5-1. Goal scorers on the day
Ryan Harrison (2), Ryan Curran, Craig Davies (2)
The boys also had an emphatic victory away against Rathmines School, winning
5-0 on the day.
Scorers Ryan Harrison (2), Ryan Curran (1), Louis Stokes (1), Josh Devlin (1).
Squad: Luke Davidson, Sean Byrne, Ryan Harrison, Callum Davis, Conor O’
Mahony, Jamie Grehan, Louis Stokes, Ryan Curran, Mark Grey, Craig Davies,
Louis Thomas, Bradley Cullen, Adam Travers, Kian Murray, Josh Devlin.
Mr Cornyn’s team played out a thrilling 5-5 draw away to Kildare Place School.
Scorers on the day included Bradley Cullen (2), Ben Campbell and Sam Travers.
Squad:Sean Byrne, Seamus Darcy, Joe Collins, Vlad Bodarev, David McMahon,
Lee Kelly, Bradley Cullen, Sam Travers, Dale Van Dalen, Ben Campbell, Cayden
Elliot, Christian Smith, Kasper Borek, Jamie Shannon.
The boys will have plenty of games in both league and cup competition between
now and the end of term.
Yoga
In third class, we had three weeks of yoga with Ms. Broaders. In those three
weeks, we learned how to meditate without being disturbed and how to control
our emotions. We also learned how to go from the sad channel to the happy
channel. We enjoyed doing poses such as the eagle and cobra. We also worked
on various balances, stretches and breathing exercises. Through the use of
motivational stories, we learned the power of positive thinking. For example, Ms
Broaders told us about the ballerina who fell during her performance and had
the courage to get back up and continue dancing. We finished every session
with ‘Namaste’ which means “The light in me sees the light in you”. Thank you
Ms. Broaders.
Yoduco – Yoga & Positive Living
Yoduco is a programme suitable for all young people to promote physical and
mental health, confidence, happiness and a positive outlook.
During the programme children:
Learn Yoga poses to develop skills in stretching, balance, breathing and selfdiscipline.
 Learn skills in stress management
 Learn how to overcome negative thinking.
 Learn to adapt an attitude of positive living.
 Learn how to take control of thinking to develop confidence and selfesteem to assist in the process of learning and educational performance.
 Are encouraged to recognize the uniqueness of their imagination and to
discover their own interests, ability and creative talents.
 Learn to practice an attitude of excellence and best effort in all
activities.
 Learn the practice of meditation and develop concentration and relaxation
skills to facilitate greater awareness, stillness and mindful living.
 Reinforce habits in good nutrition.
 Are encouraged to develop their sense of respect, acceptance and
tolerance of self and others.
Craft Ed Project
An artist, Gerlinde Kugler, has been visiting us in 6th Yellow for the last six
weeks. Gerlinde has many different talents, but chose to share her expertise in
the areas of glass and metal work. We worked on a few different projects.
Each project required skills such as planning, creating, experimenting,
measuring and evaluating. Our first project involved working with different
metals, pliers, hammers and granite blocks to create wire animals. We used
tying wire and buttons, feathers and beads to decorate them. Our second
project was to create 2D birds from glass. We used the Tiffany Technique to
prepare the glass. We had to clean the glass using diamond sponges, and then
we wrapped the edges with copper foil. Then, under strict supervision, we were
allowed to use a soldering iron to complete our bird. The effect of the solder
was amazing. We really enjoyed our time with Gerlinde and we acquired many
new skills.
Music Workshop
Since January, Ms. Philbin has been organising a series of music workshops for
the children in Junior and Senior Infants. The children have been engaging in
fun rhythm activities with their teachers and have been experimenting using a
variety of percussion instruments such as triangles, guiro, cymbals, rainmakers,
tambourines, claves, castanets, maracas, agogo bells and sleigh bells. They
particularly enjoyed the composing games “Magical Musical Box” and “The
Magician’s Hat”. The pupils participated in music literacy activities and have
been busy practising their listening and composing skills using a website called
Dabbledoo Music. On Wednesday 5th April, guest musicians visited the school to
perform for the infant classes. Brian O’Donnell (Ms. O’Donnell’s father) played
the fiddle, Patrick Cowap (Junior Infant Parent) played the guitar, Eoin Byrne
(past pupil) played the bodhrán and Colm Roche (past pupil) played the guitar.
They delighted the children with their musical talents and we would like to
thank them for taking the time to visit the school to share their knowledge and
talent. The infants are very enthusiastic about the workshops and they have
really enjoyed exploring their music potential.
Junior Entrepreneur Programme 2017
This year 6th class orange had the pleasure of taking part in the Junior
Entrepreneur Programme. This programme runs over 16 enjoyable weeks and
teaches pupils about entrepreneurship. To begin we studied some entrepreneurs
and their businesses and discovered the skills needed to be a successful
entrepreneur.
Following that we each had to come up with an individual business idea and
together in groups of five we picked one idea to expand on and present to the
Dragons’ Den. The Dragons’ Den was a fun but nerve–wracking experience. The
Dragons put our ideas to the test with some challenging questions. The winning
pitch was ‘Friendship Frames’ however, the Dragons recommended we make
some changes .We were all excited to get started. With the Dragons’
recommendations in mind, we began our market research. We used surveys and
focus groups to inform us of the interests of our customers. This information
fed into our product order forms.
The Finance Team worked on costing the materials needed and decided on the
price of the frames. The Marketing Team promoted our product and gave out
order forms. The Sales Team organised the collection of completed order
forms and payment. The Design and Production Team then took over and
organised a factory line of 6th class pupils backing, fitting and decorating
frames.
We held a Showcase Day on Tuesday 28th of March to show off the hard work
we had done before delivering our finished products. We have thoroughly
enjoyed our Junior Entrepreneur experience and are very grateful for the
support of staff and other students.
Seachtain na Gaeilge 2017
Bhí ceol agus craic den scoth i mBunscoil Cill Chomhghaill i rith Seachtain na
Gaeilge arís i mbliana. Bhí na daltaí ag spalpadh nathanna gaeilge go líofa agus ag
canadh rannta agus amhráin a chuirfeadh bród ar an bPiarsach.
An Ghaeilge abú.
Clár
Rang na Naíonáin An Leipreachán
Shóisearacha
Lá le Pádraig
Lámha Suas
Rang na Naíonáin Feirmeoir Pat
Shinsearacha
Seamróg Glas
Lá le Pádraig
Rang a 1
Pianta Scoile
Teidí Beag Álainn
Rang a 2
Téim ar Scoil
An tEarrach
Amhrán na bhFiann
Rang a 3
Seo é d’Amhrán
Ag Cur Báistí Arís
Rang a 4
Amhrán – Lion King le Coláiste Lurgan
Dán – Tóg go Bog é a Mhúinteoir le Dominic O Braonáin
Rang a 5
Amhrán – All of Me le Coláiste Lurgan
Rang a 6
Iomáint
Africa le Toto
Mo Hat Mo Gheansaí:
Chomh maith leis na taispeántaisí a rinneamar dúinn féin, bhí ceolchoirm breise i
halla an bhfoirgnimh shinsir. Tháinig beirt ceoltóir, Oisín agus Aoife ón ngrúpa
ceoil ‘Mo Hat Mo Gheansaí’ ar cuairt Dé Máirt an 14ú lá. Bhí an ghaeilge ar a
dtoil acu agus bhí sé íontach an teanga a chloisteáil mar theanga beo. Sheinn
siad giotár, drumma agus an fheadóg stáin. Chan said cúpla amhrán traidisiúnta
cosúil le Sadhbh Ní Bhruinneallach agus chan said amhráin gaelacha nua-chumtha
freisin. D’imir siad cluichí rithime linn agus déarfainn gan dabht, go bhfuil
ceoltóirí an todhchaí i measc na ndaltaí a bhí sa halla an mhaidin sin. Cúla búla.
Tráth na gCeist
Bhí sé babhta sa Tráth na gCeist i mbliana sa bhfoirgneamh sóisearach. Bhí
babhta na bpictiúr éasca go leor agus bhain said go léir taitneamh as an
mbabhta ceoil. Bhí meascán de dhaltaí ó Rang na Naíonáin Shóisearacha go Rang
a hAon ar gach foireann agus bhí comhoibriú foighneach le cloisteáil uathu.
Maith sibh.
Torthaí
Sa Chéad Áit
Sa Dara hÁit
Foirgneamh
Sóisearach
Foireann 23
Ryan O’Sullivan
Luke Murphy
Emma Hayes
Damiano di Martino
Danny Merriman
Hannah McDermott
Tyler McElvaney
Bastien Zapletal
Ruby Kilkenny
Foireann 22
Joe Horan Farrell
Jack Prendergast
Amber Dillon
Stefano Del Rio
Keelie Rose Gallagher
Michelle Yu
Sophie O’Sullivan
Alana Synnott
Foirgneamh Sinsearach
Shannon Raposo
Aaron Hayes
Leah Harris
Susannah Cullen
Ciarán Darcy
Oisín Reynolds
Finian Hughes
Alex Stoenescu
Jenny Wills
Callum Merriman
Erin Gilbert
Nessa Drumgoole
Ethan Poland
Sean McIlveen
Caoimhe Grennan
Jessica Lynch
Aoibhinn Keating
Aislinn Edwards
Emily Mooney
Ryan King
Vlad Bodarev
Daniel McMahon
Aisling Cummins
Seán Byrne
Clodagh Jordan
Kayla Evans
Lucy McGowan
Alex Cullen
Angela Prendergast
Michael Shannon
Evie Scanlon
Holly Timmons
Larissa Cardoz
Alex Donohue
Adam Keane
Nicole Perse
Adam Walsh
Ruby Scanlon
Brooke Attwood
David Murray
Ruby Parker
Ryan O’Brien
Sa Tríú hÁit (comhscór)
Foireann 5
Logan Devlin
Eliza Scott
John Walsh
Seán Fernandez
Darragh Guy
Annabel O’Brien
Ornagh McDermott
Molly Guy
Foireann 10
Caoimhe O’Neill
Shauna Sheridan
Caolán White
Sarah Keville
Caoimhe Gill
Rachel Stringer
Jamie Hyland
Abbie Lynch
Ciarán Cummins
Laura Hannon
Toby Brereton
Jack Pistoor
Louis Thomas
Kate Wilson
Grace Drumgoole
Alec Dutton
Denis Geaney
Alex O’Brien
Ciarán Bradley
Charlie Merriman
Jane Pan
Ailbhe O’ Hanlon
Aaron Byrne
Liam Taylor
Tom Wilson
Alex Doyle
Seán Lawless
Abbie Cooke
Ella Ryan
Chloe O’Reilly
Chloe Taylor
Cayden Elliot
Liam Tighe
Conor O’Mahony
Jamie Grehan
Denis O’ Brien
Ella Mackey
Jared Greene
Twitter
We regularly tweet so if you have a twitter account you can follow us on
@KilcoolePS
www.kilcooleprimaryschool.ie
Our new look school website is up and running. The app version has recently
come online. Parents can download the app on IOS and Android. Simply search
for 'iClassCMS' in app store and select school when registering.
Art Appreciation Days
Thanks to Mr. Cuffe for coordination our Art Appreciation Days. Our pupils
really appreciated the opportunity to enjoy the variety of creative works
completed by all classes throughout the school. It was fantastic to welcome
parents and grandparents to see the displays. We have some very talented
artists in the school. Mr. Cuffe also completed two Doodle Days, one in each
building. Doodling is a very relaxing activity that can have positive health
benefits for those who like to doodle their troubles away.
Class
Strand & Description of
Project
Concepts & Skills Development
Junior Infants
Ms. Delaney
Clay- Rainbow Fish
Awareness of form & shape and
use of Colour through–painting
fish
Junior Infants
Ms. Redmond
Clay
Rainbow Fish
Awareness of colour and form
Junior Infants
Ms. Philbin
Clay
Rainbow Fish
Awareness of form, shape and
use of Colour through–painting
fish
Senior Infants
Mr. Cuffe
Construction
Houses, Hotels and
Castles
Awareness of shape Awareness
of space
Senior Infants
Ms. O’Donnell
Construction
Houses, apartments,
bungalows
As above plus use of scissors ,
cardboard, tape and paint
Senior Infants
Ms. O’Leary
Construction
Houses, apartments,
bungalows
As above plus use of scissors ,
cardboard, tape and paint
1st Class
Ms. Leacy
Fabric and Fibre
The Gruffalo Story
Awareness of Texture. Shape
and space.
Use of fabric, wool, thread
1st Class
Ms. Whiston
Fabric and Fibre
Life size people
Awareness of texture, shape
and space.
Use of wallpaper, material,
buttons and zips
1st Class
Ms. McMahon
Fabric and Fibre
Felt Art
2nd Class
Ms. Mc Partlan
Print
Pointillism Flowers
Awareness of texture, shape,
space.
Use of felt material to create
textured pictures
Awareness of form
use of print and paint
2nd Class
Ms. Walshe
Print
Spring Flowers
Awareness of form and colour
use of construction blocks
2nd Class
Ms. Faulkner
Print
Spring Flowers
Awareness of line and shape
-use of construction blocks
Class
3rd Class Ms. Morgan
3rd Class Ms. Sloan
3rd Class Ms. Whyte
4th Class Ms. O Nualláin
4th Class Mr. Cowzer
Strand and Description
of Project
Concepts and Skills
Development
Clay – Theme
Mythical Creatures
(Myths and Legends)
to develop awareness of shape
and form
to encourage imaginative
creativity/art
Fabric and Fibre –Theme to develop awareness of pattern
‘Irish Legend’
and texture
to encourage awareness of tone
and colour
Fabric and Fibre-Theme Awareness of pattern & texture
‘Irish Legend’
to encourage awareness of tone
and colour
Construction –Theme
to develop awareness of
‘Crannógs’
texture, colour, tone shape,
Paint and Colour ‘Owls’
form
Paint and Colour
Black and white portraits
Recognising face shape
and shadows
Paint and colour
Colour and Tone
Form
Shape
5th Class Ms. Clifford
Paint and Colour
Looking at fruit with
magnifying glass- mixing
water colour just using
primary colours and B/W
to develop awareness of colour
and tone
of shape
of form
of texture
6th Class Ms. Bowdan
Drawing – Self Portraits
and still life
Shading, line, form
Awareness of form, colour, tone
and shape
5th Class Mr. Harrington
Awareness of
colour/tone/shape
6th Class Ms. Ní Mhurchú Drawing – Self Portraits - Awareness of form, colour, tone
Shading, line, form
and shape
Please return Trócaire boxes after the Easter Holidays.
Important Dates
 School re-opens after Easter Holidays on Monday 24th April
 Confirmation Day 12th May
 Communion Day 27th May
 Friday 2nd June Meeting for parents of next year’s Junior Infants
 Dance Display 15th June (St. Brigid’s Building)
 St. Anthony’s Fun Day Activities 16th June
 Penny Push 22nd June
 Junior Building School Tours 23rd June
 Graduation Mass Monday 26th June
 Senior Building Tours Wednesday 28th June
 Summer Holidays 30th June
Famous Failures
Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper for ‘lacking imagination’ and ‘having no
original ideas’.
Steve Jobs, at 30 years of age, was left devastated and depressed when he
was fired from the company he started. He went on to become the wealthiest
and most successful entrepreneur in the world.
Oprah Winfrey was demoted from her job as news anchor because she ‘wasn’t
fit for television’.
The Beatles were rejected by Decca Recording Studios, who said “We don’t like
their sound- they have no future in show business.”
If you’ve never failed, you’ve never tried anything new. Risk and failure are the
stepping stones to success. In the words of André Gide “One does not discover
new lands without losing sight of the shore for a very long time.”