February 2013 Newsletter.

Welcome to our February newsletter. As always, we have had a busy month here in Mercy Primary School.

We started the month with St. Brigid’s Day on February 1^st.  2^nd and 6^th classes went to mass. They sang “A Song to Brigid” and “Deep Peace” during mass. They also read the readings and the Prayers of the Faithful. Their Grandparents were at mass and they invited them back to the school hall afterwards for a celebration. It was a lovely day, the children sang and said poems for their Grandparents and enjoyed each other’s company. Thanks to the Parents’ Association for providing tea and coffee and to the children and their parents for all the wonderful cakes and buns they provided.

4^th and 6^th classes have started Drumming workshops with Eddie O Neill. They are learning all about rhythm and the different types of drums and are having great fun playing the drums. They hope to perform for everyone in early March at the end of the workshops. More information will follow later.

On February 4^th, 2 teams took part in the Credit Union Table Quiz. Well done to all.

Gymnastics continued in February and the children showed off their skills on the last of their sessions. It was amazing to see how flexible they had become. We look forward to Gymnastics again next year.

Pancake Tuesday came along on February 12^th. Mrs. Hanamy and Mrs. Murray had a great time making pancakes for all the children and teachers in the school. Fr. David was lucky enough to call in on the day and he got some too! Yum!!!

On Wednesday 13^th February we held our first casual day – Denim Day. The children looked great and some much needed funds were raised for the Parents’ Association. Thanks to all who supported this fundraiser.

On Saturday 23^rd February 8 girls from 6^th class represented the school in The Excellent Factor! They sang beautifully and got through to Round 2 which is this Saturday night, 2^nd March. Voting is a very important part of this competition and the girls need people to come out on the night and vote for them. It takes place in the Marian Hall and starts at 7.30 pm. It is a fundraiser for a small village in Kenya and is being organised by 2 teachers from Ballyboy National School. So, come along, cheer on our girls and vote to keep them in the competition!

A fire drill was held in the school on Thursday 28^th and we are delighted that our new, state of the art fire alarm system is up and running.

We are encouraging the use of Gaeilge at all times in our school. We have introduced “Gaelgóirí na Coicíse” and this is proving to be a great success. When the children use Gaeilge on the yard or in the school corridors, they get a tick on the staff notice board. At the end of the 2 weeks the class with the most ticks, both senior and junior, get a certificate to hang on their classroom door.  Rang 1, Rang 3, Rang 4 agus Senior Infants have all received a cert at this stage. All the girls are excellent at using Gaeilge and it is a pleasure to hear them throughout the day.

This year, our Lenten Fundraiser is for Srs. Mona and Eileen fund projects and schools in Uganda. It is a very worthwhile cause.

The Parents’ Association have been selling Credit Union Saving Stamps – Sammy Stamps and it is hugely successful.

There have been lots of interesting activities in the classroom this month. Here are just some of them:

Junior Infants are enjoying fundraising for Uganda and love the prizes. They had a great pancake day and made lovely cards and flowers for Valentine’s Day.

Senior Infants finished their Big Read in the library and really enjoyed it.

1^st class got Spring off to a great start with their most colourful St. Brigid’s Cloak display made from fabric and paper weaving. They made Valentine’s Day cards and frames and composed their own acrostic poems. They are making a great effort with their handwriting and entered a handwriting competition. They are eagerly awaiting a shoot to appear on their recently planted sunflowers. They are recording progress in their sunflower diaries.

2^nd Class –    Fr. David gave us a tour of the Church.   Our class had great success in the Community Games Art Competition.  Well done to Kayleigh C, Aoife C, Leanne, Hannah and Megan W who won medals.  We  also entered the INTO/ESB Handwriting Competition.

3^rd Class said goodbye to Ms Hogan and wished her all the best in her new job.  They welcomed Ms Treacy and have had a great first couple of weeks.  They have started working on a ‘Drama Beag’ don lá Gaeilge and are very excited about performing it.

With Operation Transformation such a success, 3^rd class have taken on 10-15 minutes of ‘bootcamp’ with Ms Treacy gach lá!  We’ll be running marathons in no time!

The two 4^th classes are really enjoying their drumming and their knitting. Have a look at the website to see all their activities. They also finished Maths For Fun and it was a great success.

5^th class have been learning about a very colourful character in History – Henry VIII and his 6 wives! They researched their Family Coat of Arms and have begun Peer Tutoring.

6^th class are learning all about Irish History. They thoroughly enjoyed putting on a gymnastics display for the junior classes at the end of their 6 week gymnastics programme.  They are now enjoying the drumming workshops.

The Department of Education have created a new website called www.helpmykidlearn.ie  There are lots of simple ideas on the website to help with children’s learning and is well worth a look.

Dates to remember:

• Saturday/Sunday 2^nd/3^rd March – Parents’ Association is holding a Church Gate Collection. All support appreciated.
• March 12^th – Sacrament of Reconciliation @ 7.30pm
• March 14^th – 6^th class Entrance Exam for St. Brendan’s Community School
• March 18^th – Bank Holiday – School Closed.

Don’t forget our website – www.mercyprimaryschool.ie