The Lord Mayor, Nial Ring, visited our school yesterday to raise 3 new flags which we've been awarded and to meet our JEP team. We have achieved our 5th Green School Flag, our 2nd Active School Flag and our first Health Promoting School Flag. A representative Ann Walsh from the Health Schools Board also attended to present the awards. It was a lovely sunny day and the whole school was out to greet our Lord Mayor! We had some song singing and some magic tricks! The Lord Mayor met with all the different Committees in our school and they talked him through their work and how they achieved their flags. The Lord Mayor also met with representatives from our Junior Entrepreneur's Porgramme (JEP) and he was so impressed with their organisation and their products. Well done to all involved most especially our committee co-ordinators Mrs Devilly, Mrs Howard, Ms Flynn and Ms Concannon! A special thank you to parent Michelle LaGrue for wonderful photographs.

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The classes were all very busy this week speaking Irish, learning seanfhocail, designing Irish posters, making crafts for St. Patrick's Day, singing Irish songs and learning Irish dances.  On Thursday Airneán, a traditional Irish band performed for all the classes.  The band members played the guitar, banjo, button accordian, flute and uileann pipes.  The children learned all about these instruments as well as getting the chance to listen so some fantastic Irish music.  Some classes performed some Irish dances with Airneán too.  On Friday teachers awarded children in their class with prizes for being "Cainteoir na Seachtaine."  All the school also came together in the hall for a céilí mór.  Every class performed Irish songs and Irish Dancing for the rest of the school.  There was an excellent variety of different songs and dances.  Some girls who play traditional music and attend Irish dancing classes outside of school, then performed for everyone.  The céilí finished with the whole school standing to sing Amhrán na bhFiann.  It was a very enjoyable morning with so much talent being showcased by the children and teachers.  It was a very successful week.  Special thanks to Mrs. McDonald who coordinated all the activities for Seachtain na Gaeilge.

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Ms. Concannon's 4th class girls have been working very hard on their JEP project 'Gairdín' over the past few months. 

Junior Entrepreneur Programme (JEP) has given the girls they opportunity to experience practical, real-life business learning as part of their formative education. It nurtures creativity, independence and problem-solving among pupils of all abilities. It is a wonderful educational initiative which brings out the best in each child while also teaching them life long skills. The girls thoroughly enjoyed their experience as young entrepreneurs and after engaging in the programme many inspire to become  entrepreneurs when they grow up. The girls learned all about profit and loss and how entrepreneurs have to be risk takers and good communicators. The learning involved is endless. 

How JEP works?

The children use their creativity to come up with individual business ideas, they come together as a class to choose one idea and then work to turn this idea into reality over a 12-16 week period. They’ve got to do the hard work – researching what customers really want, working out their costs and how much to charge for it. They figure out what they’re good at and try to use those skills to play their part in a team. All along the way, they’ve got the support of their classmates, teachers and local entrepreneurs. The programme culminates in showcase day, when the learning, hard work and team spirit come together. That’s when family, the rest of the school and community get a chance to see the results of all the hard work done during the programme. 

What the girls did:

The children brainstormed their ideas and decided to go with the idea of making garden ornaments out of recyclable materials. The girls were inspired by our school garden and Noels work. They wanted to pick something that was environmentally friendly and original. They had been learning all about the importance of conservation, recycling and caring for our environment so it all tied in nicely. The girls wanted to emphasis the importance of the 3Rs 'reduce, reuse and recycle'. Flowerpots, wishing wells, frogs, butterflies and ladybirds were all made in the classroom. There was a little production line in progress and everyone worked together to get the job done. When we had all our products made we got ready for our showcase day which was on the 21st of March in the school hall. The children got the chance to talk about their business and what it entailed. They also got to show off their fabulous work to the wider community. It was a huge success and the girls made a nice profit for themselves. They are looking forward to presenting their work at the RDS on the 20th of May. 

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Ms. Concannon's 4th class girls had a wonderful day out at the RDS on the 6th of March where they presented their science projects as part of Science Blast 2019. Their investigation title was 'does the surface area of a parachute effect its performance'. The girls learned lots about gravity and air resistance from completing their project. They were awarded with a plaque for their great work. It was a super experience and the girls had an absolute BLAST !! 

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