Junior School I have to begin by acknowledging that we have walked a different, and at times difficult, path over the past two years with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. But yet - here we are - at the end of a wonderful school year and with great hope in our hearts - as over the past number of months school life has slowly began to return to normal and a whirlwind of fun and activity has once again been felt throughout the school! And perhaps nothwithstanding all that Covid-19 brought in its wake – it has also given us time to pause, to think and to gain a renewed appreciation of what really matters and what is really important in our lives. And, in the school context, I have come to realise that - yes of course, in the midst of Covid-19 we have managed efficiently and effectively - but nothing can compare to the normal, happy, humdrum routine of school life. So for instance:
I know I speak on behalf of everyone when I extend warm love and heartfelt congratulations : to Ms. Byrne on the birth of her baby girl Ana. A big sister for Arabella! to Julie on the birth of her baby girl Síle Marie - while we had onlineAnd school, we now to Stephanie on her forthcoming marriage to Richard. Wishing you all happiness in abundance!
know that nothing can compare to the positive connection of teachers and children in class together or to the sounds of fun and laughter ringing through the playground; - while we had virtual Sports Days from your back gardens, we now know that nothing can compare to the delight of watching the children running their races cheered on by Mums and Dads; - and while we have had Shows, Plays, Graduations and Prizegiving zoomed online, we now know that nothing can compare to the warmth and joy of being able to come together as St. Gerard’s school community for First Communion, for Prizegiving, for the Standard 6 plays and Graduation…... And so perhaps we have a new appreciation of the simple pleasures of life, and perhaps we have also learned to cherish each precious moment. This year, we have also come to realise the importance of living our school ethos - not only in our words but also in our actions. And so it was with open doors and full hearts that we welcomed Sviatoslav, Ivan, Anna, Kirill, Masha, Oleksii, Viktoriaa, Alisa and Sofiia to our Junior School from their homeland in Ukraine. Our students, staff and parents gave them a warm céad míle fáilte and they are now an integral part of our school community.
And now, after a busy year, we face into the long happy days of the Summer holidays. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my heartfelt thanks - firstly, to you the parents for your continuous support and encouragement; also to the Junior School staff team who are quite simply outstanding and who make school community not only a centre of excellence in education but a warm community of learning, caring and kindness; and of course to each and every one of our fantastic pupils from Montessori to Standard 6 thank you for the fun and enthusiasm and excellence you bring to our Junior School each and every day. I wish you all a wonderful and happy Summertime and I look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and reinvigorated in September. Dr. Deirdre Farrell - Headmistress
“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it” - Eleanor Roosevelt
Ukrainian Peace Day
On Wednesday the 23rd of March, the Junior School came together to celebrate Peace Day with our fellow Ukrainian Students. We had nine new students from Ukraine who joined the Junior School to add to the fun. Peace Day was held to welcome our new friends, to celebrate Ukraine and to fundraise to help provide accommodation and supplies for families arriving into Ireland from Ukraine. We managed to raise in excess of €3,600 which was donated to a Go-Fund-Me page that was set up by some of the school moms to help with supplies. We held an assembly where Dr. Farrell introduced all of our new students. We wanted to make them feel at home so the stage had a large Ukrainian flag. Each class performed a song or a poem, all connected to the theme of peace. There were even a few small plays from a mix of our Junior School classes. Our new students from Standard 5 Sofiia and Alisa said a prayer in Ukrainian which was translated by Luna from Standard 5. Altogether, an incredibly moving day focused on the theme of peace and welcoming our new students to St. Gerard’s. reporter
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Sam Atherfo
ld
St. Gera rd ’s J u ni o r S c ho o l
Al I r e l a n d
Feis
reporter
lone Ali Rose Ma
This year our amazing Speech and Drama teacher Ms. Susanne Carey helped her students enter the All Ireland Speech Féis. All of the students took a video of themselves reciting their poem and sent it into the Féis. The Finals then took place in the Talbot Stillorgan Hotel on the 30th of March. The top 10-15 were picked to go to the hotel and performed in front of professional judges. Lots of students from Standards 3 to 6 got picked to go to the live performances. Everyone enjoyed the day out and had such a good experience. Some people came out with first place in different age groups and everyone got a report sheet from the judge about their performance. Listening and watching people’s facial expressions and different types of poems was so nice because there hasn’t been a Feis in two years. For some people this was a first time experience and one they will never forget.
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AI J S So c e R
Blitz 2022
reporter
Sean Óg O’N
eill
teams were lining up to get their awards once everyone had finished their games. Speaking of awards, two out of three of St. Gerard’s teams had won their competitions, with the girls’ team winning their round and the boys’ A team beat Dundalk in the final to win the golden medals! A huge thanks to Julie for organising this event and to all the coaches and schools that took part in this event.
On Friday 25th March, St. Gerard’s hosted the AIJS Soccer Blitz for 2022. On the multipurpose astro pitch, many teams from different schools such as Willow Park, Wicklow Montessori, Dundalk, Loreto, and St. Conleth’s took part in the annual event. There was an excellent turnout and all teams were praised for putting their time into coming to the tournament. Each team was scheduled to play six games so everyone, whether substitute or not, got good game time. There were breaks between each game for everyone to get to know other people on the other teams. There were surprises at the end of the games as every team got a big bag of goodies as the
AI J S g O L F repo
rter
Delgany Schols’ Cup
Sean
Óg O’
Neill
On the 16th of May, eight people from Standard 6 went to Delgany Golf Club to take part in the Schools’ Golf Cup. There was a boys’ team and a girls’ team each consisting of four players each. On the boys’ team the players representing our school were Euan, Seán Óg, Luke and Sam. On the girls’ team there was Alice, Emma, Annie and Kaia. As the girls were starting the front nine, the boys were trudging to the 15th tee box to start their round. The nature around the golf course was amazing and we encountered birds, squirrels and even deer. Everyone enjoyed the round of golf and afterwards we went into the clubhouse to eat a hearty meal of chicken goujons. After that, the prizegiving commenced and the boys and the girls both took second place and everyone left feeling very proud of themselves. Thanks to Julie and everyone who helped out in every way.
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St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r S c ho o l
m Junior Schol Horse Riding Tea
This year the students in St. Gerard’s Junior School, Std.s 3 – 6 were lucky enough to go to Killoughery to compete as an equestrian team representing St. Gerard’s School. We had so much fun, we learned loads of new skills like making new friends, getting faster for the speed rounds and even going out of your comfort zone a little. We had a team to help us get to the grounds and to help keep us safe and well trained. We had the most amazing coach Lynn Clemins, we learned so much from her and we will forever be thankful. How it works: We had 2 teams of 4 and 1 sub who rotates for every competition. How the show worked was that each of the 4 riders on each team would all jump the course, top 3 of the rounds count. If you had 3 clear rounds you were in the jump off and only 2 compete in this section. The two times are then added up and the quickest time wins that show. If you win a show your team gets points and after the whole league is over all the points are added up, to see who is the winning team. We had a very good team and in the end our team won the league! After all we had been through on cold rainy days and on hot sweaty ones so we were thrilled by the outcome. er report
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lligan Abigail Ga
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Montessori H louise & Rachel WIT
The Montessori class had a super busy year. There was lots of learning about Sounds, Numbers, Continents, Planets and even the BIG BANG! There has been lots of fun along the way with their school tour to Newbridge Farm on a bus (a first exciting trip on a bus for many of the children!). There was also a fun Activity Day and Teddy Bears’ Picnic in the school grounds. The children really enjoyed their weekly Movement to Music classes with Claire and the parents were delighted to be invited in to see the children’s display at the end of the year.
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St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r S c ho o l
Summer N e w s 2022
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JUNIOR INFANTS
W I T H M S . M C C AB E
What a wild and wonderful journey we have had in Junior Infants. It is hard to fathom it’s over but adventures have been had! The children experienced their first School Trip, their first Sports Day and interaction with other classes. I think I enjoyed it as much as they did. Sviatoslav joined us bringing with him some life lessons for the children. I witnessed beautiful kindness in our class as he settled in. Never more have we all appreciated just how fortunate we all are. The “babies” that came to me are no more. It was a pleasure to be a part of the first year in Big School watching their characters unfold. A fond farewell to Ezra. His new school are lucky to get him. I look forward to seeing where life takes all of the children. Finally enjoy every precious minute with your children. Time really does fly! Enjoy the summer and take care of each other.
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St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r S c ho o l
SENIOR INFANTS WITH Ms
. Gleeson
It’s certainly been a busy term in Senior Infants! The children have been busy reading, writing and learning lots of new things. They adore reading and have devoured many Oxford Reading Tree stories about Biff, Chip, Kipper and Floppy. Senior Infants absolutely loved learning about Space this term. They designed and made rockets in science, learnt about Neil Armstrong in history and discovered the planets of the Solar System in geography! The class have created some lovely art work this term from paper woven houses to printing spring flowers to tissue paper turtles. What a creative bunch they are indeed! We welcomed Ivan to our class this year from the Ukraine. Ivan has settled in really well and we have all enjoyed getting to know him over the past couple of months. Senior Infants went to Kia Ora Mini Farm for their school tour recently and had an absolute ball there. They got to pet baby rabbits, go on a fire engine ride, drive a digger and race go-karts. They had yummy creamy icecreams before heading home. It was an amazing day and a lot of fun was had by all!
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Standard 1 WITH Ms. Carlos What an action packed, busy last term we have had in Standard 1! Sports day was wonderful and we all got medals for our participation. Our school tour to a farm in Wexford was a great day out – so much to do and so much to see. Going on the tour bus was also a highlight! The people there were really nice and gave us an ice-cream after lunch. We welcomed Anna to our class this year from the Ukraine. Anna has settled in really well and we have all enjoyed getting to know her over the past couple of months. So we say good bye to Standard 1. Standard 2 here we come!
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St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r S c ho o l
Standard 2 WITH Ms. Gregory Well what a fantastic year we have all had in Std 2. The boys and girls have worked extremely hard this year. We have had lots of fun while learning lots of new things. We were delighted to welcome new pupils to our class from the Ukraine - Kirill and Masha. It is lovely getting to know them. A big highlight for all of us was the First Holy Communion. The boys and girls worked extremely hard learning all of their prayers and songs. We also had a wonderful celebration back in school. It was fabulous to have everyone back in the hall after such a long absence. Another activity that came back after Covid was our school tour. The whole class (and teachers!) had such a wonderful time at Kia Ora Mini Farm. The bunnies were just so adorable - it was very hard to leave them! We nearly had a class pet! I would like to wish every single boy and girl, and their families, a wonderful summer.
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First Holy Comunion On Friday 6th May, the young boys and girls in Std 2 received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion in St. Peter’s Church in Little Bray. The children were beautifully prepared by Ms. Gregory and looked very smart in their Green Blazers and White Dresses. After the Mass, there was a reception held in the Junior School for all the boys and girls and their families to celebrate. A big congratulations to all of these fabulous boys and girls on receiving the Sacrament of First Holy Communion. reporter
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lone Ali Rose Ma
St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r S c ho o l
Summer N e w s 2022
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Standard 3 WITH Ms. Flanaga
n
What a truly fantastic year we have had in Std 3 this year! We have managed to pack so much in from our fantastic art projects to harvesting our crop of leeks, we haven’t wasted a minute of our time! We were very lucky this year to welcome two Ukrainian students to our class. Viktoriia and Oleksii settled in very quickly and added to the lovely atmosphere in Std 3 this year. We loved learning all about the Egyptians. The boys and girls were fascinated about the mummification process and learned so much about pharaohs and pyramids. They all completed projects on the Egyptians and enjoyed using the chromebooks to research the topics they had chosen. We have also enjoyed working on science projects such as learning about our shadows and exploring if heat affected the bounce of a tennis ball. Parents, you will have to ask your child what the result was! Having planted leeks last October, the time had come to harvest them and we had a lovely afternoon with Brendan who helped us pull and gather our crop. We then met with Brien our Chef from our canteen who told us about the benefits of eating leeks. We were even more excited when he told us he was going to make a leek soup and a leek pasta dish. Both were delicious! Thank you Brien and your team. This was a very special year as the students got to partake in Sports Day and enjoy a school tour. Both days were very special and the photos speak for themselves. Memories aplenty! Finally, this term, we read our second class novel, “The Butterfly Lion”, which is always a gorgeous way to finish our year in Std 3. It was lovely to hear the pupils discuss the plot and display great empathy with the characters. There wasn’t a sound to be heard as we read our last page and there were goosebumps and tears as we said our final goodbyes to Bertie, Millie and the lion. Goodbye Std 3, I will miss you all dearly. Wishing you all a fantastic summer ahead!
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St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r S c ho o l
Standard 4 WITH Ms. MAGUIRE
This year has been full of fun and creativity in Std. 4. The students have gone above and beyond and have given 110% to everything they do. From learning about the Daintree Rainforest in Geography, to designing and creating parachutes for eggs in Science, this bunch of fabulous students have excelled! Std. 4 have shown off their amazing talents throughout this term, not only in the classroom when presenting fascinating projects, but also when performing up on the big stage for the Talent Show. They wowed the audience with their singing, dancing, jokes and even a very funny weather forecast! The creativity within Std. 4 has been outstanding this term. The students spent a long time sketching, drawing and painting beautiful wildflower gardens, along with zentangle butterflies! However, our end of year project was one to remember as each child re-purposed their old art-work to create one big animal collage. We created owls and eagles, dogs and cats, and even penguins! To top it all off, Std. 4 had the opportunity to head down to Brittas Bay for their school tour and learn a new skillsurfing! Everyone had a blast in the ocean and I am sure everyone caught a wave. What a fantastic way to finish off a fantastic year!
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Standard 5 WITH MS. BYRNE & M
rs . m u r p h y
When the awesome Ms. Byrne left to have her beautiful baby girl it fell on me to take on the role of Std.5 class teacher. I had big shoes to fill! However, I was not the only new member of the class as Sophia and Alisa had just joined us from Ukraine and were also learning to fit in and we all received a huge welcome. My first realisation of Std 5’s awesome qualities came when, at very short notice, they put on an excellent assembly based on the Stations of the Cross to celebrate Easter. Since then we have successfully battled through end of year standardised assessments and subject assessments with great success and a lot of commitment and hard work. Sports Day revealed how competitive this class are! Their intensity led to a few injuries but no one could question their commitment. Our school tour was a lovely day out and everyone had a ball. In the last weeks of term, we have completed our Dream Catchers, sown lots of sunflowers in the garden, tidied our leaf mould pile, painted Fairy Doors with Std.1, finished reading our novel Wonder and watched the film and added to our Art Journals. Pretty good work for Std 5 and their substitute teacher! Have a lovely Summer everyone.
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St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r Sc ho o l
Standard 6 WITH Mr. Dwyer
Std 6 has been such an exciting year. I really enjoyed afterschool sports, especially hockey. We celebrated St. Gerard’s Day by climbing part of the Sugarloaf and we made puppets in Art which was a lot of fun. In March, we made our Confirmation in St. Fergal’s Church which was super exciting. The following day, an ice cream truck came to the school and we all enjoyed that so much. The Science Fair was another highlight. It was great to see so many different and unique projects and, personally, I learned so much from going over to some of my classmates’ stands. Most recently, we had our school tour. We went to Alive Outside. Alive Outside is an outdoor adventure company, based in the magical setting of Kilruddery Estate. My favourite activity was the obstacle course. Sports Day was also great fun. We competed in many races, including the egg and spoon race and the sack race. The year ended with Graduation and our play. Overall, Standard Six has been a great year with loads of exciting adventures.
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Standard 6
W I T H M s . Po w e r
It has certainly been a busy summer term in Standard 6! From the Confirmation to the Science Fair and the End of Year Production, we have had so many happy days in the Junior School to remember. Our confirmation was a really special day for us. We celebrated it in St. Fergal’s Church where we received the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Everyone sang and read beautifully, and it was a wonderful day to remember with our families and friends. We had our annual Std. 6 Science Fair. We had all worked on our projects for weeks beforehand, and each of us had a model, logbook, and a poster, explaining our work. The hall and the art zone looked incredible and the whole school came to visit us. We absolutely loved talking to our friends and teachers about our findings and were challenged by interesting questions. The whole day was a success, and the standard was so high. We were so proud of everyone! Later in the year, we had the best day ever at our school tour at Alive Outside. We were so lucky with the weather and the sun was shining all day. We did orienteering, archery, campfire skills and our favourite part – hell and back! We were all exhausted after the day but it certainly was a day to remember. Art was a huge part of our last term and we took on our graduation art project. Each of us created a self-portrait on a canvas filled with things that represent us as individuals. Each canvas was colourful and bright and no two were the same – just like us! It has been such a busy year for us and we have loved every single day. We will miss the Junior School for sure, but now, we are ready for senior school and first year. Up, up and away!
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St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r S c ho o l
Standard 6
W I T H M r . B u rk e
What a fantastic year we have had in the classroom, on the pitch and on the stage in Mr. Burke’s class. Our class has been very busy throughout the term in Std. 6. The girls and boys really bought into all of the activities and events and can look back fondly on their year in Std. 6. In March we had our Service of Light and Confirmation ceremonies. As we completed another landmark occasion on our journeys of faith, we received the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and delivered our prayers and responses very well. In the classroom, we explored and navigated our way through world trade, playing the biscuit game and trading game - which led to much debate but reminded all of us of the importance of equality in our world. We also produced a short green screen play through Irish. I am sure all of the children will remember Std. 6 as a fantastic sporting year. The girls reached the hockey final and tennis semi-final and represented the school admirably. The boys played a number of rugby matches and all of the boys got the opportunity to put on the green and blue of St. Gerard’s. The boys in Std 6 also won the AIJS Soccer Blitz and the Leinster Tennis League. Well done to all! Our annual Science Fair returned this year in person. The hall and art zone were decorated with lots of colourful posters, logbooks and intriguing projects. The girls and boys spent months preparing for this day. They really enjoyed sharing their work and investigations with their classmates, teachers and younger children in the school. Our final term has been full of excitement with our amazing school tour to Alive Outside. Our Graduation and end of year Production brought a fantastic year to a close. The hall was fabulously decorated with colour and individuality as the students displayed their canvases. The children performed a tribute to Roald Dahl which was outstanding. We are all really looking forward to the next chapter in our lives as we begin Senior School. Best of luck to everyone!
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Std 6 Confirm
ation
On Thursday 31st March the Std 6 students made their Confirmation in St. Fergal’s Church. There was so much effort put in to make it such a special day for everyone. The teachers and students worked extremely hard preparing for the Service of Light and the Confirmation itself. During the mass the Choir sang beautifully and the students read some lovely readings. Then in May, we had a really special Confirmation in our school Chapel for Joey Costigan – as he was sick on the day of Confirmation. Joey’s parents, sponsor and brothers and all of his classmates were with him in the Chapel as he was confirmed by Fr. Jimmy. It was a very special day.
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St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r S c ho o l
Coiste na G
a e i lg e
with Mr. Dw
Ba bhliain sár-iontach í an bhliain seo don Ghaeilge i Scoil Ghearóid Naofa! Our school was awarded the Gaelbhratach (Irish Flag) in recognition of the work completed by our Coiste na Gaeile in promoting the use of Irish! D’eagraigh ár gCoiste Gaeilge go leor imeachtaí chun ár dteanga a cheiliúradh. In addition to our weekly Dalta na Seachtaine raffle, our committee organised seisiún scéalaíochta (storytelling sessions) for the junior classes and a Tráth na gCeist (quiz) for the senior classes. Also, the committee made weekly announcements on the intercom and created a set of decorative Irish labels for each classroom in the school. This year our wonderful committee members were Abigail Galligan, Ali Condren, Annie Dillon, Bella Ryan, Caitlin Hopkins, Éabha Denver, Emma Hough, Iseult Naibloo, Sam Grant and Sam Wall. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir agus maith sibh! Rinne sibh
S u mmer Ne w s 2022
yer
obair iontach ar fad i mbliana chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn.
raise our Amber Flag. Míle buíochas aBhreandáin!
Bratach Ómra
Cuairteoir Speisialta
Our Coiste na Gaeilge has successfully earned the Pieta Amber Flag for St. Gerard’s for a third year in a row. The committee organised a ‘Lá Buí’ fundraiser on 6 May where everyone in the school was invited to wear something yellow and bring in €2 for Pieta House. All pupils from Junior Infants to Sixth Class came together in the playground to create a giant grian (sun). Following this, the committee made a presentation to the whole school to raise awareness about Pieta House and the Darkness into Light initiative. A total of €340.90 was raised for Pieta House and our most recent Bratach Ómra was also raised on the day! A special thank you to Brendan once again for helping us to
Tháinig Deirdre Nic Gabhann ó Gael Linn ar cuairt chuig Scoil Ghearóid Naofa le déanaí. Bhuail sí leis ár gCoiste Gaeilge agus bhí sí an-sásta leis an obair atá ar súil againn sa scoil maidir le cursaí Ghaeilge.
(Amber Flag)
(Special Visitor)
An Gaelbhratach
Comhghairdeas don Choiste Gaeilge, atá faoin stiúir an tUasal Ó Duibhir, a bhuaigh an Gaelbhratach i mbliana. Our Coiste na Gaeilge members were delighted to be able to present our first Gaelbhratach to everyone during our final assembly on the last day of school – it arrived in the post just in time!
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greensch
Our ols scho e n e e r G itte m m o C
o ls
The Green Schools committee worked really hard this term. From battery recycling to looking after the compost, everyone played their part. We had an exciting visit from Paddy during the term to teach us all about the trees, plants, and nature around our wonderful school grounds. There is so much beautiful nature all around us and it was such an interesting afternoon. The Green School committee held fairtrade fortnight during the term. They raised awareness of the importance of supporting Fair-Trade so that people all over the world earn a fair wage for their produce. The committee members ran a stall at the front of the school where they taught our students all about Fair-Trade, showcased examples of some Fair-Trade products and answered people’s questions. Students from all classes completed worksheets and were then entered into a raffle where the wonderful prizes were Fair-Trade Easter eggs! It was a great fortnight with lots of hard work from the committee. We also had a busy whole school clean-up this term. We divided up our fabulous school grounds between all of our classes and everyone played their part. We picked up lots of litter, so our school was looking its best for our sports day. Std. 3 planted some leeks this term with Ms. Flanagan and Mrs. Murphy. Once the leeks had grown fully, the boys and girls in Std. 3 harvested them and dropped them to Brien in the kitchen, who made the most delicious potato and leek soup as a treat for their hard work! It certainly has been a busy year for the Green Schools committee as we worked towards our school’s next green flag. Well done to all the committee members on their amazing work!
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St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r S c ho o l
Student counc
il
WITH MS. FLANAGAN
This year our Student Council was comprised of pupils from Std. 3 to Std. 6. We organised many exciting events this year. Firstly, we asked every class to vote for games they would like to have for the playground. Every classes’ wish list was approved by Dr Farrell and everyone was thrilled with the selection of games available to play with each lunchtime. Next, we organised our very first tuck shop. Classes from Std 3 to Std 6 were allowed to bring €2 to buy crisps and sweets. We managed to get a profit of €60 from it. The Student Council had a great idea to let everyone design their own Christmas card to raise money for charity. We supported The Simon Community, Dogs for the Disabled and Rathdrum Cancer Support. We also had a raffle at Christmas time where we raffled off lots of Christmas stockings, teddies and treats! Later in the year, we hosted a “Fairtrade Tuck Shop” where we sold Maltesers, a Fairtrade product, to raise the pupils’ awareness about what Fairtrade is all about. Our year finished off on a high with our “Activity Day”. No school books were allowed to be used and the pupils were allowed to play games, do art and have extra play in the playground. The highlight of the day was when The Student Council and some Std 6 pupils played a game of rounders against the teachers! Unfortunately, the teachers won but the Student Council put up a good fight. Both teams were supported by a group of cheerleaders on the side-lines led by Korina from the Student Council. All in all, a truly fantastic year for the Student Council with many great events and achievements and a great deal of money raised for charity. Thank you to everyone in our school community for their great support this year!
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St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r S c ho o l
Standard 4 & Standard 5
Talent Show The Talent Show is an annual show with Std 4 & 5 classes. This year they were outstanding!! The show was around one hour long. I can’t even describe how good it was – all I can say is every act was amazing. ter repor
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J ess M
O ON EY
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Standard 6
Science fair The Science Fair this year was truly a blast. It was so great to have it back in the hall and arts zone so everyone could see the projects in person. You can tell that the girls and boys from Junior Infants to Standard 5 really enjoyed it because it gives them a break from classroom work and gives them a taste of the wonderful world of science. When we heard that the Science Fair was going to back to normal this year, we were all really excited. It was such a welcome change being able to interact and participate in the various projects in person instead of online. This year we had some interesting topics to do with weather, wildlife, dreams, basketball, senses, skittles and much more! It was great fun for the younger classes as they participated in some interactive experiments and quizzes. From looking around - people were truly amazed and enjoyed learning some strange, bewildering but fascinating facts about science. I watched some astonishing experiments and participated in quizzes to win myself a few MAOAMS and HARIBOS! All in all this year’s Science Fair was extremely fascinating and awesome. Well done to all of Sixth Class - you were all amazing!
li v e r r O porte
F oc as
re
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St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r Sc ho o l
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Sports Day
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St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r S c ho o l
We were absolutely delighted to finally have Sports and Prize Day back in its entirety on campus. Everyone had a fabulous day and for lots of the younger children in the Junior School, it was their first proper Sports Day. The weather was beautiful and we had races for all classes from Montessori to Std 6. Sprints, relays, the 3-legged race, the sack race, the egg and spoon and the ball and cone! There was lots of tripping and falling on the pitch but most importantly….there was lots of laughter and fun! At 4.15pm we went to the Sports Hall for the Prize Giving Ceremony where the Std 6 students were credited for their hard work and diligence – in the classroom and on the Sports Pitch. A special thanks goes out to Cathy who stepped in to coordinate the entire Junior School Sports Day which went off without a hitch!!
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St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r Sc ho o l
Standard 6
END OF YEAR PRODUCTION This year for the Std 6 End of Year Production each class performed their own special show under the careful direction of our Drama Teacher, Ms. Carey and our Music Teachers Aoife Broxson and Ms. Olohan. Up first we had Mr. Burke’s class with Roald Dahl where we were treated to wonderful renditions of Pure Imagination, Revolting Children and lots lots more. This was followed by Ms. Power’s class and the hilarious performance of The Trial of Goldilocks that brought tears of laughter. And the costumes were amazing! The night ended with Mr. Dwyer’s class performing The Disney Dynamos - with their own entertaining versions of We Don’t Talk About Bruno and How Far I’ll Go – just to name a few! Each class had their final Graduation and Roll Call at the end of each performance and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house by the end of the night. What a fantastic final night for a fantastic year group – the Std 6 Class of 2022!
Summer Ne w s 2022
Pag e 31
The Literacy Corner
WITH Ms. GREGORY Well what a super busy year the Junior Librarians have had this year. They have organised the Bookmark Competition, MS Readathon, Write a Book, Storytelling and also the day to day running of supervised reading. Well done to you all - you were amazing this year! This year we were so happy to introduce storytelling with the amazing Mr. Mansfield for the older children from Std 3- Std 6. They have really enjoyed the soothing tones of Danny the Champion of the World each Friday morning. You can hear a pin drop! The downstairs pupils have continued to be entranced by Mr Mansfield and have been transported into the wonderful world of Julia Donaldson among others. We would like to thank Mr. Mansfield for his amazing storytelling each Friday morning. Finally - congratulations to everyone who took part in the Write a Book competition especially to our winners and highly commended authors. Don’t forget to keep on reading over the summer! reporter
Sam ATHERFOLD
The Write-a-Book Competition Every year Blackrock Education Centre holds a competition called the Write a Book. Every student from each class has to write their own story. This story can be fictional or non-fictional, it can be a biography, cook book, it can even be a poetry book. And in our school we enter the competition and have lots of fun with it. This year there were many more incredible stories to read. As always the Blackrock Education Centre judged all of the students write a books entries. The results were all close but only the best stories won - and there were places for runner ups and of course everyone who took part got a certificate. It’s a very tight competition every year since we have such talented authors in our school. We were proud of all of the girls and boys for their incredible books. The Winners of the Write a Book 2022 were as follows: Junior Infants: Pamela Butterly Senior Infants: Cara Salmon Standard 2: Sophia Finn
Summer Ne w s 2022
Standard 3: Niamh Winter Standard 4: Aidan Hopkins Standard 5: Ewan Keedwell
Ms. Power’s Std 6: James Farrell Mr. Burke’s Std 6: Sam Wall Mr. Dwyer’s Std 6: Oliver Focas St. Gera rd’s J u ni o r S c ho o l