News Archive 2022/23

Active Week

We took part in Active Week from 12-16 June.

We enjoyed a walk to Cloneyhurke House, playing ‘Capture the Flag’ in Garryhinch Woods and outdoor games each day. Thank you to the 6th class students and Ms Delaney for organising active week.

Sports Day

We enjoyed Sports Day in the sunshine.

We had lots of fun activities including parachute games, and traditional races such as egg and spoon, sack races, and relay races.

Thank you to the Parents Council for organising a visit from the ice-cream van!

School Tour

We recently had our school tour to Roll & Bowl, where the children enjoyed bowling, laser tag, soccer, and climbing activities.

Thank you to the Parents Council for organising our transport.

Cloneyhurke N.S. Open Day

We recently held our school Open Day. We were delighted to welcome everyone to our wonderful school.

We showcased some of our achievements from this year, and the children had planned a surprise performance of poetry and singing.

Our Parents Council provided refreshments and treats which were enjoyed by all.

We held our second Siopa Glas 'Swap Shop' event which is part of our Green Schools work. Congratulations to our Green School Council and Olivia Melaniphy for their tremendous work this year.

Gaelbhratach 2022/2023

We were delighted to be invited to Tullamore recently to be presented with our certificate for particpation in the Gaelbhratach programme this year. Ms Coss and two students from the Gaeilge Council attended the awards ceremony. A great day was had by all.

Our work this year included setting up our Gaeilge Council, participating in Seachtain na Gaeilge, purchasing new books and board games to supplement our learning, singing Amhrán na BhFiann at our monthly assemblies, phrases of the month, and PE as Gaeilge. Our work towards achieving our flag will continue next year.

Check out Offaly Independent's article about Cloneyhurke's students award.

https://www.offalyindependent.ie/2023/06/20/local-offaly-school-honoured-at-gaelbhratach-presentation-ceremony/

Táimid go léir an-bhródúil!

SFI Curious Minds 2023

We are delighted to announce that Cloneyhurke N.S. have achieved a Gold Award from Science Foundation Ireland for our participation in the 'Curious Minds' Programme 2023.

We received the award in recognition of our participation with STEM teaching and learning across the school.

We were delighted to attend the online awards ceremony, and hear our school's name called out. It was exciting to see some of our classroom experiments included in the presentation.

Some of our work this year included Vex Robotics, experiments, construction, gardening, and coding. We participated in Maths Week and Science Week, and also updated our collection of STEM resources. Well done everyone!

Buddy Reading

We have been enjoying the wonderful weather over the past few weeks. Our Buddy Reading Programme was made even more enjoyable by getting to take our reading outdoors.

The children in the Senior Room listened to the younger children reading, chose books to read to them, and read together in small groups.

Music Generation Laois - Bicycles, Boomerangs & Blue Macaws

A total of 120 children aged between seven and 12 from Cloneyhurke, Rath and Paddock national schools were on song as they raised the roof of the Malthouse, Stradbally, on Thursday last, June 1.

The sun-drenched occasion was the premiere of Music Generation Laois’ ‘Bicycles, Boomerangs and Blue Macaws.’ The suite of six original songs was inspired by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Composers Sarah Murphy and Lorna McLaughlin were commissioned by Music Generation Laois, with funding from Creative Ireland Laois and The Arts Council’s Young People, Children and Education Award Commissions Series, to facilitate a collaborative song writing project with the primary school children.

Tennis Lessons

Thank you to Portarlington Tennis Club for our recent block of tennis lessons.

We thoroughly enjoyed our lessons with Coach Tony and Nuala. We look forward to returning soon!

May in the Junior Room

Minibeast Hunt

We recently went on a forest walk to Garryhinch Woods. We had a minibeast hunt and looked for signs of Summer.

Teddy Bear Picnic

We are making the most of the warmer weather and are enjoying using our Outdoor Learning Space. We had great fun bringing our teddies to school for a story and a picnic.

Clay Creations

Following on from our Creative Schools pottery workshop with Marta last year, we revised the skills we learned and created insects and minibeasts using clay.

Mobile Library

We are delighted to introduce 'Cloneyhurke N.S. Mobile Library'.

Our mobile library visits us twice per month at our Outdoor Learning Space. There are a wide selection of books available, catering to our interests. We are enjoying spending time outdoors, exploring 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.

Spring Clean Up

As part of our Green Schools Work, we took part in a whole school clean up.

We did some litter picking, sweeping, and weeding. We also planted some flowers in our window boxes and flower pots.

Gymnastics

We had an exciting session at Mountmellick Gymnastics Club.

We practiced rolling, swinging, walking, climbing, and much more.

We are looking forward to going back next year.

Aistear - The Campsite

The students in the Junior Room are enjoying setting up camp in our Outdoor Learning Space. We have a huge interest in camping and it is leading to lots of fun learning experiences.

Thank you to Olivia and all of the families who provided camping equipment for us to use for Aistear.

Friendship Week

We celebrated Friendship Week from 27th to 31st March. Everyone was given a friend to shadow for the week. We carried out random acts of kindness and exchanged gifts. There was a lovely atmosphere throughout the week. Thank you to Ms Coss for organising this.

Seachtain na Gaeilge

Bhí an-spraoi againn ag Seachtain na Gaeilge. Bhí cluichí agus spóirt ar súil gach lá.

We enjoy Maths!

We were delighted to travel next door to Brian Walsh Car Sales for a Maths Lesson. The students had fun collecting data using tally charts and bar charts. Thank you to Criostóir for our personalised registration plate.

The Jungle Book

Thank you to Presentation Primary School, Portarlington for inviting us to a special performance of their musical 'The Jungle Book'. We had a great time.

FAI 5 A Side Soccer Tournament

The children in our Senior Classroom recently represented Cloneyhurke N.S. in the FAI 5 a side soccer tournament in Tullamore.

The class was divided up into three teams. Each team demonstrated great effort and teamwork during all matches they played. We are very proud of how they represented our school.

We would like to thank Brian Walsh Car Sales for their generous sponsorship of our school kit, shin guards, and transport to the event.

World Book Day 2023

We had a great time celebrating World Book Day 2023.

We shared stories together and took part in a 'Get Caught Reading' challenge. We found some very interesting places to read our books!

We were delighted to have our first visit of our new 'Mobile Library', which will be coming to our school twice per month. Thank you to Sarah Conway for her time and effort with this new initiative.

Shrove Tuesday

The students and staff enjoyed some delicious pancakes together.

We learned about Shrove Tuesday traditions in Ireland and in other countries. It was a well deserved treat for all.

Gardening

The first week of February was spent doing some Spring cleaning around our flowerbeds and planter boxes. Thank you to the students and their families for providing gardening tools.

We really enjoy putting on our wellies and gloves, and working together to improve our school environment. We found lots of insects and even dug up some potatoes. We identified plants and weeds, and found the first daffodil shoots.

Outdoor Learning Space

As part of our Creative Schools and Green Schools work we are excited to start working on our Outdoor Learning Space.

We recently received a delivery of benches for our seating area. The benches were sourced from a local business, Irish Recycled Products - Birr, Co. Offaly. The benches are made from recycled plastic products.

We are just starting out with our Outdoor Learning Space and appreciate all the support and work from the staff, students, Parent's Council, and school community. To date, the students have been busy making signs, painting, and preparing our new bird tables. We are thoroughly enjoying this stage of the project.

Catholic Schools Week 2023

Walking Together in Faith and Love

We celebrated Catholic Schools Week 2023. The theme for this year was 'Walking Together in Faith'. We enjoyed stories, prayers, song, and art over the course of the week.

We had a very special visit from Fr. O' Neill, who spoke to the children about Jesus and our faith. The children enjoyed asking questions and sharing stories with Fr. O'Neill. We are thankful for his time and support.

Grandparents Day

We were delighted to have the opportunity to invite the children's Grandparents to our school to celebrate them and their contribution to our school community.

We played board games, painted and coloured and had lots of lovely chats.

Thank you to our Parent's Council for providing refreshments on the day.

January in the Junior Room

Weather

We have been learning about the weather in the Junior Room. We found out about temperature, tornadoes, hurricanes, and lots more. We measured the temperature around the school and made coats for our snowmen. We watched the RTE weather forecast and we made our own weather station. We learned lots of fun songs and rhymes about the weather and investigated the life of Francis Beaufort and Anders Celsius.

Money

We filled up our Piggybanks using a variety of coins. We bought things from the shop and calculated our change.

We are very lucky to have our school iPads for Math's stations, as we can play fun games to support our learning.

Australia

We have been very busy researching all about Australia.

We located Australia on the globe and found out about Australian animals. We worked in groups to create a Fact File about Australia. We especially enjoyed our classroom helpers during our project work. 🐍

Fun with Phonics

The children in Junior and Senior Infants have lots of fun exploring sounds, letters, and words.

Christmas Events

We enjoyed some lovely Christmas events in December.

We decorated our classrooms, enjoyed Christmas arts and crafts, and a Christmas movie.

We read lots of stories focusing on the birth of Jesus.

We celebrated the end of our first term with a whole school assembly where we shared poems, projects, Christmas carols, and prayers.

Thank you to our wonderful Parents' Council for organising our very exciting Christmas raffle and treats for the children.

We wish everyone a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Christmas Cinema Trip

We enjoyed our trip to Mountmellick Community Arts Centre for a special sitting in the Balcony Cinema. We watched the movie ' Space Jam', which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

A special thank you to Mr. Michael Feely - a past principal of Cloneyhurke NS, who looked after us so well on our trip. Thank you to Ms Coss for organising this lovely Christmas treat with the generous support of Portarlington Credit Union and our Parents Council.

'Jack Frost' arrives at Cloneyhurke NS

The Junior Room were very busy this week looking for signs of Winter. On Wednesday morning we were so excited to see that Jack Frost had visited our school overnight. We spent the morning outside collecting evidence.

Christmas Carols

St Brigids Social Club recently held their 24th annual senior citizens Christmas party. We were delighted to be invited to sing Christmas carols at the event. Well done to our students on an excellent performance. Many thanks to Nuala from Music Generation Laois who accompanied us on the evening.

Science Week 2022

What happens when we add heat?

Can we make it move?

Can we make lava lamps?

Science Week fun!

Rugby Coaching

We are delighted to welcome back Páidí from Portarlington Rugby Club for our weekly sessions.

Halloween Events

We enjoyed a dress up day, a Halloween Walk, and some spooky science experiments.

We were delighted to have a visit from Portarlington Fire Service. We had a fire safety discussion and even got to try on the uniform!

We travelled to Portarlington Library for some Halloween Stories and craft activities. Thank you to our Parents Council for providing a bus for our trip.

Class of 2023

Our 6th Class students were delighted to receive their 'Class of 2023' hoodies recently. They were presented to the students in 6th Class by our wonderful Parents Council, who put a lot of thought and effort into the design. The addition of our school crest makes them unique and we are sure the students will wear them with pride throughout their final year at Cloneyhurke NS.

Maths Week 2022

We had a lot of fun at our outdoor Math's Stations.

We played board games, made patterns, and built towers that were taller than our teachers.

We enjoyed our Outdoor Math's Trail

We made our own clocks, measured the length of the school building, and lots more!

We had so much fun in our classrooms.

The Senior Room took part in a Math's Quiz via Zoom with other schools. The Junior Room enjoyed playing Math's games on their iPads and doing lots of Math's challenges.

Climate Action Week Events October 10th- 16th

Siopa Glas

Thank you to all who donated items and came to our Siopa Glas event. Thank you to our Parents Council for the treats.

Litter Picking Walk

We take care of our local area as part of our Picker Pals programme.

Climate Action Posters

We designed some posters in support of Climate Action Week.

Climate Action Week 2022

We are delighted to be taking part in Climate Action Week from the 10th-16th October.

As part of our Green Schools work, we have a number of exciting events taking place.

We are a participating school in the Picker Pals programme and we will be completing a litter picking walk in our local area.

Our 'Siopa Glas' swap shop event will take place on Friday 14th October.

We are also completing a number of projects and activities throughout the week which contribute towards maintaining our Energy and Waste Flags.

Cumann na mBunscol

Well done to the students in the Senior Room in their recent Cumann na mBunscol matches with Gortnamona NS and St. Mary's Edenderry.

A special thank you to all at Brian Walsh Car Sales for their generous sponsorship of our jerseys and socks.

Working as Historians

We have been researching and investigating what our school was like in the past.

We found a box of old photographs and the children got to work trying to identify people. Imagine our surprise when we found some of our own parents and grandparents!

We were very lucky to have a visit from Caroline - a past pupil of Cloneyhurke NS. Caroline answered all of our questions and shared lots of stories from her own school days.

Autumn Walk to Garryhinch Woods

We are very lucky to have Garryhinch Woods within walking distance of our school.

We recently enjoyed a morning in the woods, where we looked for signs of Autumn and built a den.

Thank you to Eve for accompanying us.

Green School News

The Green School Council recently met for their first meeting of the school year.

This year we will begin our work on achieving our Water Flag. The students had some exciting ideas of how we can measure our water usage and work towards conserving water. We will be working towards our goals in the coming weeks.

We are very proud of our Green School status and this year we will be taking part in Climate Action Week from the 10-16 October.

We are working with our Parents Council on an exciting event for our school community. Watch this space.

Junior Infants are busy

September is a very busy month for Junior Infants. They are figuring out how to match and sort, and are enjoying their new classroom and school.

We are Scientists

This month we have been exploring mixing colours and also figuring out how liquids can make things move. We are asking lots of questions and making predictions. It is an exciting, active and fun experience for all :)

September Aistear - The School Office

Students in the Junior Room are enjoying play based learning. This month we are learning about the school office and exploring everything that happens there.

We are having fun, learning new vocabulary, and trying out our new role as a school secretary. We are very lucky to have our own school secretary Claire to pass on vital words of wisdom to the children :)

Active School

We are delighted to welcome Jamie back for our weekly GAA session. We are also enjoying our weekly Dance and Drama workshop with Sonya from Speak Out Music & Drama.

Welcome back

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

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

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