Cloneyhurke National School

News  2023/2024

March 2024

Easter Fun!

We enjoyed the lead up to our Easter holidays.

We read the Easter Story in our Grow in Love Programme.

We enjoyed lots of art and craft activities, including making our own Easter Bonnets. 

We learned about Easter traditions around the World.

Caroline, an SNA in our school, spoke to the children about Easter traditions when she was a child.

Thank you to our Parents' Council for sending in Easter Eggs for everyone!

Wind Energy

We enjoyed researching  a very interesting topic in the Junior Room: Wind Energy.

We took part in a virtual tour of a Wind Farm, and investigated how wind is harvested and used to create power. The students went outside and saw wind turbines located close to our school.

We used blocks, links, and Lego to build our own Wind Farm and took part in an Art Competition with Wind Energy Ireland and Bord na Móna, giving us a chance to win a trip to Mountlucas Wind Farm. 

Lá Glas 

As part of Seachtain na Gaeilge and our Gaelbhratach work, we enjoyed a 'Lá Glas' at Cloneyhurke NS. 

Students and Staff dressed up in green and we enjoyed PE as Gaeilge in the sunshine. We had traditional team games and everyone had great fun.

Thank you to Ms Coss and the students on the Gaelbhratach Coiste for all of the fun Gaeilge activities they have planned for us. 

STEAM: Engineering  

As part of our STEAM work in Engineering, we have been continuing with our lessons from 'Engineering-in-a-Box' which are designed to guide the students and teachers collaboratively through a variety of challenges faced by humans throughout history in the field of engineering. 

We enjoyed the unit 'Engineering in Transport'. Using a STEAM approach, hands-on activities and the engineering design process, the students created their own boats using a variety of materials, including one student who used a 3D printer!



Vex Robotics

Well done to our 5th & 6th class students who participated in the VEX Robotics Ireland event on 6th March in Emo NS. 

The students in the Senior Room have been working on their robots as part of STEM learning. They have been liaising with their VEX Robotics support advisor, to ensure their robot was built and coded efficiently. 

This event was run in conjunction with Laois County Council, Science Ireland, SFI Curious Minds and Oide 'TechinEd'.

Thank you to Emo NS for hosting the event.  

World Book Day 2024

We celebrated World Book Day with lots of fun activities.

Sarah, from our mobile library, worked with the students to create their own book. They came up with some exciting ideas and it is a work in progress. 

Students from both rooms joined up in groups to play 'Match the blurb to the cover'.  The older students read some of our favourite books with the younger students.

We had a great day, and were happy going home with our Book Tokens. 

School Photographs

'County Photos' proofs were sent home for your viewing on Thursday 7th March.

Please use their online ordering service or alternatively return your order form to the office before Tuesday 19th March. 

Hot School Meals

We are delighted to announce that Cloneyhurke National School has been accepted into the Hot School Meals Scheme launched by the Department of Social Protection for primary school children.  

Irish School Lunches (Bradbury’s) have been chosen as our supplier and offer a range of healthy hot lunch options for the children. 

More information will be sent home in the coming weeks.


February 2024

Gaelbhratach 

Cluichí & Cómhrá 

As part of our Gaelbhratach work, students from both classrooms meet every Monday morning to play board games as Gaeilge. 

We were delighted to receive a grant of €1,000 to purchase new games and resources to use during this time. 

We are learning in a fun, playful manner and we are enjoying time with our peers through Gaeilge. 



Gaelbhratach Coiste

We had a visit from our Gaelbhratach co-ordinator, Áine Ní Scanláin on the 17th January. 

She was very impressed with the work and committment of our students and Coiste towards our Gaelbhratach Flag. Our Coiste met with Áine to discuss our upcoming events. 




Scríobh Leabhar

We were delighted to be presented with our certificate for participating in the 'Scriobh Leabhar' programme.

Well done to Ms Coss and our Coiste representative who travelled to Laois Education Centre for the awards evening. 

As part of Seachtain na Gaeilge, the students in the Senior Room presented the students in the Junior Room with 'Leabhair Beag' - small books made by the older students to help the younger students learn vocabulary for various topics including 'bia', 'dathanna', 'aimsir'.


Credit Union Art Competition

We were delighted to welcome Danielle from Mountmellick Credit Union to our school this month. 

Danielle presented trophies to the winners of this years Credit Union Art Competition.

The theme of this years competition was 'My Community and Me', which we explored through our work on 'Community Helpers'. 

Well done to all the students who submitted an entry and congratulations to our winners. 

Thank you to Mountmellick Credit Union, who are very supportive of our school. 

Friendship February in aid of Special Olympics Ireland

We celebrated Friendship Week from 19th-23 February. This is the second year our school has taken part in this initiative in conjunction with Special Olympics Ireland.

We celebrated our uniqueness and friendships across the school, through games, PE, challenges, and Art activities. 

Each child was given a 'secret friend' to shadow for the week, and carry out random acts of kindness.

On Thursday 22nd February, we exchanged gifts.

It was a lovely week, enjoyed by all. 

January 2024 

Junior Room - The Arctic

The students in the Junior Room have been researching the Arctic Region. They have completed reports on Polar Animals, researched how animals keep warm, and learned about the Northern Lights.

We researched ways in which ice can melt. We experimented with hot air, water, friction, and candles. We froze our favourite toys in ice and then had a race to set them free.

We used our own ingredients to make play-dough and used it to make polar animals. 

Senior Room - Projects

Students in the Senior Room  completed projects on Space.                              These included:

They presented their projects to their teachers, class, and the younger children. 

Christmas 2023 at Cloneyhurke N.S.

We enjoyed many festive activities in the lead up to Christmas. We were busy preparing for our Christmas Show 'Star of Wonder' with our teachers, and with Heather from Music Generation Laois. We had a great turn out for our performance at St. Brigid's Community Hall. It was great to have our families there to watch our performance. Thank you to the Hall Committee for the use of the Hall and for our lovely treats.

We enjoyed a very special treat from our Parents' Council, who served us hot chocolate and cookies on our 'Christmas Movie Day'. The students and teachers enjoyed wearing pyjamas to school and it was a lovely day enjoyed by all.

We enjoyed a 'Storytime Zoom' with Tullamore Library, and lots of story time with our teachers. Children in both rooms made Christmas themed pottery. The Junior Room enjoyed 'Santa's Workshop' Aistear, where they set up a Christmas Tree decoration, and wrapping station. We made a mini Christmas Village incorporating our STEM work through making the houses light up. 


Nicole Turner - Paralympics News 

Congratulations to our past pupil Nicole Turner, on her recent success with the Ireland Para Swimming team at Ken Demchuk Invitational in Canada.

'Paralympian Nicole Turner swam to first place in the 50m fly and the 200m Individual Medley, securing two Gold Medals.'

The team now look forward to the Leinster Open Meet in January 2024. This will be their final competition before the Paris 2024 Paralympics qualification window closes at the end of January.

Congratulations Nicole, from everyone at Cloneyhurke N.S.

Science Week 2023 

We enjoyed taking part in Science Week activities from 12th-19th November. We learned about rain and created our own rainclouds. 

The children in the Junior Room enjoyed exploring how different materials react with each other. 

We created circuits and learned about static electricity. We are enjoying using our Beebot for Maths.

The children in the Senior Room researched famous scientists, completed experiments using their senses and investigated mixing materials to create colour.

Cómhrá agus Cluichí

We are continuing our Gaelbhratach work this year, and are enjoying practicing our conversational Gaeilge during our weekly 'Cómhrá agus Cluichí' sessions. 

During our Monday sessions the students from both classrooms meet in mixed groups and get to play games, chat, and have fun as Gaeilge. 

6th Class Tops

Our 6th Class students were delighted to receive their class tops from our wonderful Parents' Council. 

They look forward to wearing them throughout their final year at Cloneyhurke N.S.

Community Helpers

We would like to extend our thanks to Garda Claire Davis from Portarlington Garda station for coming to visit our school. 

Her visit contributed to our continuing learning about Community Helpers. 

She spoke to the children about the work of the Gardaí in the local community. 

Garda Davis recently received a special bravery award for her work. 

We thoroughly enjoyed her visit to Cloneyhurke N.S.

Halloween Activities

We had a fun-filled week in Cloneyhurke N.S. in the lead up to Halloween. We played traditional Halloween games, and learned about how Halloween is celebrated in other countries.

 The highlight of our week was our Sponsored Halloween Walk at Gracefield GAA Grounds. We raised vital funds for our school activities, and enjoyed a morning of dress up and fun. We would like to thank our students, families, and local community for their generous sponsorship. We would also like to thank Gracefield GAA for the use of their safe facilities. Thank you to our Parents' Council for the treat bags.

Maths Week 2023

We took part in Maths Week from 14-22 October. 

The Junior Room took part in Dino Maths with Ms Coss. They also enjoyed their Maths lesson with Mr Cunniffe. 

The Senior Room had fun doing Maths Challenges with Ms Delaney. They also competed in the TT Rockstars 'Island of Ireland Rocks' competition which focuses on times tables. 

Space Week 2023 with Dr. Niamh Shaw 


As part of Space Week 2023, we enjoyed a Zoom call with Dr. Niamh Shaw. Niamh has strong links to Cloneyhurke. She spoke to the students about her adventures in the Mars Desert Research Station and the Kalahari Desert. 

Niamh is preparing for her Women in STEM science voyage to the Antarctic on the 11th November. We got to ask her some questions and she invited us to design a small badge for her to take to the Antarctic to be included in her footage. 

Niamh's voyage can be followed on her YouTube Channel. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKeF4ctqiNE

 Irish Life Dublin Marathon 

Karen Tooher, a Cloneyhurke N.S. parent,  will take part in the Irish Life Dublin Marathon on Sunday 29th October 2023 and has chosen Cloneyhurke National School as the beneficiary to her fundraising.

We would like to wish Karen the best of luck in the marathon. 

Thank you to all who have sponsored Karen. If you wish to donate please click the link to the iDonate page.

Baking 

We are enjoying baking at school. We are reading and writing recipes, mixing ingredients, exploring consistency, colour, and texture, and of course, tasting!

Sports Hall Athletics

We are very lucky to have been selected to take part in the 'Sports Hall Athletics Programme' hosted by Laois Sports Partnership. This is a great way to get exercise, have fun, and learn new skills.

 Thank you to our Parents' Council for supporting this programme.

We would like to thank the Committee of St. Brigid's Community Centre for the use of their fantastic facilities. 

September in the Junior Room 

Our Community

We have been discussing our Community, and exploring who our 'Community Helpers' are. We are learning through play. We learned about mechanics, paramedics and opticians.


Brian Walsh Car Sales

Thank you to Michael and Criostóir at Brian Walsh Car Sales for inviting us for a tour of the garage. We learned about electric cars, and how mechanics help to keep vehicles safe. Thank you for a lovely tour and our personalised license plate.  

Postman Mark

Thank you to our local postman, Mark, for coming in to speak to the children about his work in the Community. We got to make our own postcards and post them. We looked inside the post van and saw all the parcels and packages. 

Outdoor Learning Space

We are making the most of the remaining fine weather, and getting outside as often as we can. Story time is so much better sitting under a tree!

We are lucky to have an outdoor learning space, and we hope to add to the space this year. 

Music Generation Laois 

We are delighted to be taking part in Music Generation Laois Schools Programme again this year. 

The Students were delighted to meet Heather, our new Music Educator for this year. We are looking forward to the year ahead.

The Junior Room students are enjoying song-singing and exploring instruments.

The Senior Room are looking forward to composing some new songs this year. 

Science Foundation Ireland - Curious Minds Award

Following on from achieving our SFI Curious Minds Gold Award in STEM, work has commenced towards achieving a Platinum Award this year.

The students in the Junior Room have been enjoying Science activities. They made their own playdough this week and had a playdough disco. Maths in the Junior Room has been active, playful, and enjoyable. 

The students in the Senior Room are delighted to announce that they have won €600 worth of equipment through STEAM-ED Ireland. They were excited to take delivery of their Steam-in-a-Box Programme and Introduction to Engineering equipment. We look forward to documenting their work this year. 

Gymnastics

We are delighted to attend Mountmellick Gymnastics Club for our weekly Gymnastics sessions. We are practicing balance, co-ordination, and movement skills. We are having great fun.

Cumann na mBunscol

Our Cumann na mBunscol games have begun, with a number of home and away matches scheduled. We would like to give a special thank you to Brian Walsh Car Sales for their generous sponsorship of our jerseys and kit.

Thank you to our wonderful Parents Council for providing bus transport to our away games. 

Mobile Library

Cloneyhurke N.S. Mobile Library is back for this school year. We enjoyed our first visit in September.

We are enjoyed exploring the new books with our classmates and teachers. It is providing lots of motivation for reading.

Thank you to Sarah Conway for organising and running the Mobile Library. 

Welcome back 

Welcome back to all our students, families and staff. We would like to give a special word of welcome to our new students and staff.

We are very proud of how well everyone has settled in and we are excited for the year ahead.