Seachtain na Gaeilge

Seachtain na Gaeilge

Seachtain na Gaeilge is an international festival and the biggest celebration of
the language and culture of Ireland. It is not only celebrated in Ireland but
throughout the world.
To celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge in our school of St.Brigid’s and St.Patrick’s
N.S. there were many activities and events taking place.

 

 A Visit From Scoil Aonghusa


During Seachtain Na Gaeilge Scoil Aonghusa came to play us some Irish songs
and taught us about the instruments. The teacher who came with them was
asking us all sorts of questions like “how do you say violin in Irish?” or “Does
anyone know what the Wall of Limerick dance is?”(because some very talented
Irish dancers came).
The teacher was very impressive because he could play the harp, the guitar
and the tin whistle and they are only the ones he played at the school ! So we
think that he could play a lot more!!! It was an amazing experience and would
recommend it again for next year.

 

Lá Glas


Lá Glas is a day of celebration for our school. It’s an opportunity for our school
to celebrate and appreciate all things Irish. For example, Irish culture, music
and dance. We all wore something green to celebrate our national colours.
Every class celebrated in different ways, right through from Junior Infants to 6 th
Classes. We visited some of the classes to ask the teachers about their fun
activities.
“In Junior Infant the children learned how to do Irish dancing in the P.E hall.
We had a lovely demonstration from a girl in Ms. Wood’s Class (Isla) and a
parent taught us a Reel. “ ( Mrs. Churchill)

“Chan muid Amhrán na bhFiann agus d’fhloghlaim muid frásaí nua i rith an
seachtain. D’imríomar a lán cluichí as Gaeilge freisin. “ “ We sang Amhrán na
bhFiann and learned new phrases through the week. We played lots of Irish
games too. “(Rang a 3 agus 4)
“We learned ‘An Haka Gaelach’ and did some Irish dancing in P.E. We
completed the Irish Trail around our school and played Cluiche Bingó. Senior
Infants also hosted the St. Patrick’s Day Prayer Service. “ ( Mrs. Woods)

 

The Story Of St Patrick

When Patrick was 16 years old, he was walking along the beach when some pirates seized
him. They took him to Ireland and sold him as a slave where he worked in the fields as a
shepherd. One day, he heard God telling him to escape, and he ran down to the sea where
he found a ship waiting to take him home. When he was grown up, he heard a voice calling
on him to return to Ireland and to tell the people there about Christianity – which is what he
did. 
Patrick went to Auxerre, France, where he studied and entered the priesthood under the
guidance of the missionary Saint Germanus. He was ordained a deacon around 418 AD by
the Bishop of Auxerre (likely Germanus, who became the bishop in 418 AD).
Patrick travelled the length and breadth of Ireland, and had many adventures while he
spread his message. Quite often, the Druid priests were angry with him for telling their
followers to change their religion, and his life was always in great danger.
Ireland is a very rainy country, and the fields are emerald green. One of the most common
plants that grows among the grass is the shamrock. It’s like a small clover with three leaves.
St. Patrick used to pick up the shamrock and explain that the three leaves were the three
aspects of God. The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Blog written by Sophia, Hayley, Mollie, Niamh and Ruhan from sixth class.

World Book Day 2023

World Book Day 2023

 

 

World Book Day was created by UNSECO on the 23rd April 1995 to celebrate books and authors, and to encourage young people to discover the pleasure of reading.

 

The original idea of World Book Day was by the Spanish writer Vicente Clarel Andres as a way to honour the author Miguel de Cervanteson. It is also the anniversary of William Shakespeare.

 

The following countries are some of the many countries that celebrate world book day.

 

  • Spain 
  • Sweden 
  • United Kingdom 
  • Ireland 
  • United States of America 
  • India 

 

There are 100 countries that celebrate world book day all over the world 

 

Famous Children Authors

                                                   

There are so many wonderful children’s authors to choose from. Whether you like funny, serious or fantasy stories there is an author out there for you! Below is a list of some of our favourite authors with their most popular and best- known books. We hope that they give you some ideas for your reading list!

 

  • Roald Dahl: Matilda, The BFG and James and the Giant Peach
  • Jeff Kiney: The Diary of a Wimpy Kid collection
  • Dr.Seuss; The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax and Green Eggs and Ham
  • David Walliams; Gangsta Granny, Demon Dentist and The Midnight Gang
  • J.K. Rowling: The Harry Potter collection and Fantastic Beasts
  • Julia Donaldson: The Gruffalo, Stick Man and Room on the Broom

 

 

Dr Suess

                       

Dr. Suess is one of the most famous children’s authors in the world.

He has written over 60 children’s books such as The Lorax, The Cat In The Hat, The Grinch and Green Eggs And Ham. He has a very unique writing style and uses rhyme and rhythm throughout his stories.

 

He has said a lot of famous quotes that you might have heard.

 

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you” – Dr Suess.

 

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr Suess

 

 

How We Celebrated World Book Day In St Brigid’s and St Patrick’s N.S.

When we walked into school we saw some incredible costumes. There were Harry Potters, Where’s Wallys and even Diary of a Wimpy Kid!

6th Class took part in a very exciting and educational World Book Day Quiz with Mrs. Brodigan. All classes enjoyed a relaxing story time and Ms. Keegan and Ms. Cooney’s 5th Class children wrote their very own story books!

We read a cool pop – up book called ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ “, said Mr. Rath- 1st Class

 

“We designed book marks and we read the story about the ‘Three Billy Goat Gruffs’, said Ms. Ward- 2nd Class

 Throughout the week Junior and Senior Infants as well as 1st and 2nd Class were invited into school after dark with their parents for bedtime stories. What a wonderful treat that was!

Needless to say, we had an amazing World Book Day and we feel inspired to pick up a book and Squeeze in a Read!!!!

 

This blog was written by pupils in Ms. Brodigan’s 6th Class: Sophia, Ruhan, Niamh, Mollie and Hayley.

                                         

  

Safer Internet Day 2024

6th February is Safer Internet Day 2024.

Switcher.ie have advice for parents on keeping children safe online.

Sadly more than 1 in 4 children in Ireland have experienced cyberbullying, yet only 60% of victims tell their parents. As young people spend more time on the internet, ensuring it’s a safe space is ever more important.

To encourage conversation about life online and help parents keep their children safe, they have created a free resource .

It’s a comprehensive guide which includes things like:

How to reduce the risks online
How to recognise cyber bullying and grooming
How to educate children on cyber safety
How to set up parental controls on devices

Here is the link to the guide – https://switcher.ie/broadband/guides/how-to-keep-your-children-safe-online/

10 tips to keep your children safe online

1. Talk about it: Make time to chat about online risks and how to use the internet safely as soon as they’re old enough to go online. Encourage your children to speak to you about what they view online and empower them to act if they’re worried about anything.

2. Recognise the risks: Educate yourself about the potential dangers children could face online so it’s easier to spot warning signs. Get to know what platforms your children use, and learn about dangers such as phishing, grooming and cyberbullying.

3. Teach the do’s and don’ts: Be clear about the non-negotiables. For example, teach your child not to share personal details or photos with strangers and instruct them not to click on links to unknown websites or texts. Do encourage your child to question what they see and only accept friend requests from people they know.

4. Spot the signs: Pay attention to your children’s behaviour whilst on and off their devices. Being alert to changes in your child can help prevent problems from escalating. Some warning signs are withdrawing from friends or family, sleeping and eating problems or losing interest in previously loved hobbies or interests.

5. Set boundaries: Let your children know what they can and can’t do on the internet from the get-go. Agree on what devices they can use, when, and how long they can spend online. As they get older, explaining and negotiating boundaries may be more effective.

6. Take ‘parental’ control: These ready-made boundaries put parents in control of what children can see online. They can be set up through your internet provider at device level to block specific websites and filter out inappropriate content.

7. Be social media savvy: The popularity of social media apps like TikTok and Snapchat makes it harder to keep track of what your child is accessing online. Fortunately, each social media platform has its own privacy settings and safety tips for parents. Check them out before you let children have their own accounts.

8. Protect from harm: Install antivirus software on family devices to minimise the risk of cyber attacks or scams. Use two-factor authentication (2FA) for extra security on your online accounts. This can also stop children from signing into services they’re not allowed to use.

9. Set a great example: You’re the greatest ‘influencer’ in your children’s lives when they’re young. Limiting your time online, discussing dangers you’ve come across, and questioning what you view can help reinforce the rules you are setting for your children and, in turn, influence their online behaviour.

10. Seek support: The more you learn about online dangers, the better equipped you’ll be to handle them. There are some great resources like webwise.ie, internetmatters.org and cybersafekids.ie to help you recognise and reduce online dangers and seek advice if you think your child is experiencing cyberbullying or is at risk online.

 

Science Week

It was Science Week last week and to celebrate we took part in some activities
in our school.
Maker Meet held a Zoom workshop for Science week on Thursday.
In the ‘Break the Ice Challenge’, children had to work in pairs to construct their
Challenge and then carefully try not to be the person to ‘break the ice’!
They used weight, toothpicks, napkins and cups to complete this ‘harder than it
looks’ challenge!
Creative Spark held a 3D printing workshop with With Miss Kennedy’s 6th class
on Friday 18th November.
Mrs Dolan investigated the lungs with her class. Mrs Woods Senior Infants
enjoyed the skittles rainbow challenge. Junior Infants had great fun learning
about floating and sinking and had to make a shape that floats from play dough.

Attendance Drive- Be a Drogheda Hero

For the month of October, we took part in a Drogheda-wide attendance drive which highlighted the importance of good attendance. Parents received booklets at the start detailing the reasons why coming to school is so important for their children. The children kept track of their own attendance on their stamp charts during the month and each class were mentioned on Dojo when they had full attendance. Everyone who participated received a homework pass and a certificate and those with excellent attendance went into a draw for family vouchers. Well done to everyone!

While the attendance drive was for the month of October, we want to keep the momentum going- if the children are well, they should be in school. If they are sick, keep them at home and fill in the absence reason on Aladdin. School starts at 8.50am so remind your children, particularly the older children who walk themselves, to be in school on time. However, mornings can be very busy in households- if the children sleep in or something happens to delay getting to school in the morning, don’t let that be a reason to stay off- they can still come in late. If you are having any problems getting your child to come to school, contact Niamh, the HSCL coordinator for advice or speak to your child’s teacher.

ParentBooklet1

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Space Week 2022

There was great fun and great learning going on in St. Brigid’s & St. Patrick’s school last week. We celebrated Space Week with a wide range of activities. The infants learned about Space through Aistear, designing and making rockets. They also took part in a cosmic space yoga session. The third and fourth classes engaged in ‘space coding’ through Scratch. Mission badges were designed by Mrs Dolan/Ms Troy’s third class. Ms. Fitzpatrick’s First Class used play dough to design space aliens. Ms. A. Kennedy’s sixth class designed and made rockets that they could make fly through the air. Ms. Rooney’s second class did some space themed Art and Mrs. Hamill read a space themed story with the class.

Space is always a popular topic in school. The children learned about our world, the planets of the solar system and the realities and wonders of the Universe around them.

See the gallery of photos below.

Coach Ciarán

Coach Ciarán has been a very important part of our school for many years. He is loved by pupils and staff with everyone happy to see him in the school on Fridays. He is a very talented basketball player as well as coaching in schools around the Drogheda area. Coach encourages everyone to take part, to be kind to one another and to always do their best. Below are some photos from our Fit for Fun Fridays with Coach Ciarán.

                                                 

                                                 

From Garden to Plate

Our fourth classes along with the SNAs working with them have been very busy over the last year. They have created a beautiful and functional school garden and just last week they began to see the rewards of their hard work.

                                                               

 

Ms Berrill and a group of fourth class pupils harvested the vegetables that they had carefully grown and tended to.

       

 

They brought them over to the school kitchen to wash, peel, prepare and cook.

                

They cooked the vegetables and made a delicious, healthy meal of mash potatoes, carrots and of course gravy. Ms. McGloin’s fourth class got a taste of the meal and everyone gave it a thumbs up. Well done to everyone involved.

                                                                    

 

Fun in Week One

Welcome to our weekly blogpost filling you in on life in St. Brigid’s & St. Patrick’s NS

  • Our new Junior Infants have settled in to their classes with the help of their teachers- Mrs Kearns, Mrs Churchill and Ms Murray.
  • Nurture Room- we have a brand new nurture room ran by Ms. Lennon and Ms. Leonard. Many of the children will get to visit the nurture room throughout the school day. It is looking amazing.                                        

 

  • Senior Infants had a great first week making Gruffalo masks.
  • We are very proud of fifth class pupil, Madison Reynolds who was picked for the Louth Soccer team.