November Newsletter

Mercy Primary School

Newsletter November 2013

 

Welcome to November’s Newsletter. As always it has been a very busy month with lots of interesting and exciting activities which have taken place.

 

Senior Infants took part in a new reading initiative – Story Sacks, organised by Mrs. Fitzgerald.  It was a great success.

6^th class have started Tag Rugby on Monday afternoons and are really enjoying it. They took part in a blitz and did very well.

Our Parents’ Association had a meeting on 13^th November and planned plenty of activities for the coming year.

Parent/Teacher meetings were held this month and it was great to see over 95% of parents attending these meetings.

During November there were lots of fantastic activities carried out for Science Week.  Great fun was had and the children learned lots of new scientific facts.  Have a look at the school website to see all the great class activities.

We are working very hard in our choir practices, both for the Peace Proms and for the carol singing we will do in December.

The whole school is practising for our Christmas Mass which will be held in the church on Wednesday December 18^th at 1.15pm. All are invited to attend.

The classes are all working very hard – here is just a flavour of what they have doing and all they have learned:

 

Junior & Senior Infants:  We are very busy practising for our Christmas Play called ‘The Sleepy Shepherd’.

Junior  Infants made beautiful hedgehogs using paint and material.

Both Junior and Senior Infants had great fun during science week.  Junior Infants learned all about floating and sinking.

Senior Infants  had great fun experimenting with magnets.

Senior Infants really enjoyed reading the book Aliens Love Underpants.  Thanks to all the mums who came in and helped with the “Story Sack” week

 

1^st Class:  It has been a very busy month for 1^st class.  We started by remembering all those who have died.  We put all their names on crosses and made a flower to place beside each cross. A lady came to talk about cruelty to animals.  We decided to collect dog or cat food for the Offaly SPCA.  We are all going to watch out and report any cruelty to animals.

We had great fun watching how some materials change when heated.  During Science Week we experimented with magnets and watched the film ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”.

We made animals with our own handmade play dough.  We’ve started practising our Christmas play.  We’re all very excited and can’t wait for you to see it!

 

2^nd Class: Second class have been extremely busy this month.  In SESE the children learned about light, weather and water.  They enjoyed listening to the story of Drippy The Raindrop who told them all about the water cycle.  In art the children created lovely wallpaper by printing.  Using paper and pipe cleaners they made beautiful butterflies.  Also the class entered the Sight Savers Junior Painting Competition.

 

3^rd Class:  We carried out science experiments with Mrs. Murray and investigated certain materials to find out if they dissolved better in hot or cold water.  We also tried to separate a solid and a liquid.  We learned how to make Rice Krispie buns in procedural writing, yum, yum!  We made a list of ingredients and utensils needed, and the procedure involved in making them.  They were delicious.  In art we learned how to sketch using a grid.  We discovered how a grid makes drawing so much easier.  In history we studied the Stone Age people, how they lived and what life was like back then.  We looked at some pictures of cave paintings which depicted life in Stone Age times.

 

4^th Class: We learned all about the vicious Vikings!  We did group projects and made Viking helmets.  Check out the website.  We are getting Festive Fit continuing with our boot camps every Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Peter Madden came during Science Week and we discovered all the Flora and Fauna our locality has to offer.  We even took a dip in the Camcor (well…. With our feet!!)

 

5^th/6^th Class:  The girls are busy learning all about fractions.  As a special treat we each got one sixth of a pizza!  It was yummy.  As November is the month of the ‘Holy Souls’ we each brought in a picture of our loved ones who have passed.  They are on display in our classroom and we remember them every day in our prayers.

5^th Class:  We are very busy at the moment.  Taking up most of our time and energy is the work we are putting into our Ancient Egypt projects.  From the “Rosetta Stone”, to “King Tut” we are thoroughly enjoying it.  We are also throwing ourselves into our dance class – yet to be seen by any audience.  Watch out in December’s Newsletter for more information!    5^th and 6^th Class would like to thank Gary Cahill for his welcome and kindness on our recent trip to An Post sorting Office in Emmet Square.

6^th Class:  We attended St. Brendan’s Community School Musical ‘Our House’ which we all thoroughly enjoyed.  We had a very successful visit to Birr Post Office to view a modern day postal service up close!  In the Rugby Blitz we took part in, we won two of our matches and we laughed more than anyone else.   We were the only all-girl team.

Dates for your diary:

• Wednesday December 11^th – Junior/Senior Infant play. Time to be confirmed.
• Monday 16^th December – Junior and Senior Infants to attend Birr Theatre and Arts Centre for a Christmas show.
• Tuesday 17^th December – carol singing with the choir in Birr Hospital and Elm Grove nursing home.
• Tuesday 17^th December  –  1^st Class Play (time to be confirmed)
• Wednesday 18^th December – School Mass in the church at 1.15pm. All welcome.
• Friday 20^th December – HOLIDAYS! School finishes at 12.15pm