The children in the senior room visited Coláiste Chiaráin today as part of Science Week 2019.
They were amazed by the facilities there and really enjoyed carrying out a wide range of fascinating science experiments in a real laboratory. Many thanks to the students and staff of Coláiste Chiaráin!
Category: S.E.S.E.
Science Week 2019
The children took part in a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities as part of Science Week 2019.
Halloween 2019
Éanna Ní Lamhna
We learned a lot from Éanna Ní Lamhna’s visit today. Éanna is one of the heritage specialists who visit primary schools as part of the Heritage in Schools Scheme.
School Tour 2019
We all had such a fantastic day at Galway Atlantaquaria and Turoe Pet Farm today.
Bricks 4 Kidz
The children built motorised windmill models today as part of our Bricks 4 Kidz workshop.
They also learned all about:
– renewable and non-renewable energy sources
– wind energy and how it can be harnessed and converted into electricity
– how the energy in the wind pushes against the panels of a windmill to turn gears and how the gears drive the tools used to perform tasks such as pumping water or grinding grain to make flour.
– how the propeller-like blades of a wind turbine turn around a rotor and how the rotor is connected to the main shaft which spins a generator to create electricity
– how generators convert motive power (mechanical energy) into electrical power for everyday use in houses
What is a Green-School?
Green-Schools is Ireland’s leading environmental management and education programme for schools. It is an award programme that invites participation from primary and secondary schools across the country. It is operated and co-ordinated by the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce.
Green-Schools is a student-led programme that also requires involvement from the wider school community. It promotes long-term, whole-school action for the environment.
Schools that choose to participate in the programme begin working on the first theme: Litter and Waste. After working on this theme for a minimum of one full school year, schools can then apply for the Green Flag award which involves an assessment visit from a Green-Schools officer or an Environment Awareness Officer. The purpose of this visit is so that Green-Schools can see you have an active Green-Schools programme in operation.
Following the award of the first Green Flag, schools progress through each of the following themes:
Energy
Water
Travel
Biodiversity
Global Citizenship – Litter & Waste
Global Citizenship – Energy
Global Citizenship – Marine Environment
Schools must work on a new theme and submit a renewal application every two years. They must maintain their work on previous themes in addition to working on the new theme.
Drumraney N.S. has been awarded our 5th Green-Schools Flag for Biodiversity and we are currently working on the Global Citizen themes.
What is the Blue Star Programme?
The Blue Star Programme is an education initiative for primary school students across Ireland. The idea of the Programme is simple: to foster better understanding and knowledge of the European Union and how it affects the lives of Irish citizens among Irish primary pupils through classroom projects and activities.
Pupils of all ages, from primary schools all over Ireland, are challenged to get creative and think about Europe by carrying out projects in relation to four key elements: the history, geography, culture and creativity, and Institutions of the EU. Each participating school is required to carry out projects and tasks, incorporating elements that include information about:
- The foundation and development of the European Union
- The cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe
- What the European Union does and how its work affects the lives of citizens
The Blue Star Programme aims to introduce participants (pupils, teachers, parents and the wider community) to the EU; what it means and how it works. The Programme also aims to foster a strong sense of awareness of the EU among its participants that reaches far beyond the school walls and out into the wider community.
The Blue Star Programme has creativity at its core and its structure and project work encourage teachers and pupils from all corners of Ireland to ‘think outside the box’. The wider school community are also encouraged to get involved and contribute to the Programme.
This is our 6th year to be involved in the programme and we plan to continue our work on this area well into the future.
WELCOME TO THE HEALTHY HEROES LUNCH CLUB!
The Healthy Heroes Lunch Club is a lunchtime club for pupils who set up lunchtime activities for their classmates and the younger classes. During lunch, the club meets to eat together and talk about nutrition informally through teacher led discussion. The children then take over to run the activities building on those suggested and developing their own club games.
This programme will help to encourage children to change their eating habits, to educate them about nutrition and boost their activity levels at lunchtime, all whilst having lots of fun.
By involving children in the Healthy Heroes Lunch Club, it ensures that they will learn lots about nutrition and the importance of staying active, and we hope that they share their excitement and vital nutritional messages with their families and friends.
Engineers Week 2019
We celebrated Engineers Week in our school by engaging in a number of Engineering activities. We looked at a power point of the fairy tale Rapunzel and each group created a tower that Rapunzel lived in where she could easily go in and out of it, unlike the one in the fairy-tale.
We also worked with Lego Education during the week. The Senior room created a motorised vehicle using lego. It was really exciting.
