LEGO League – Unearthed

We have started our creations for LEGO League, and this year’s theme is “Unearthed.” The children are working in teams to design and build their own LEGO models inspired by discoveries from the past and the world around us.

They are also learning how to code their LEGO models, using simple programming to make them move and complete different tasks. The children are developing their problem-solving, teamwork, and creativity skills as they test and improve their designs.

It has been an exciting start to LEGO League, with lots of great ideas already taking shape!

🌳 Silver Birch Tree

In Geography, the children have been learning about the silver birch tree. They discovered that a silver birch can grow up to 30 metres tall and is easily recognised by its white- grey bark with black notches. They also created a detailed sketch of the silver birch tree and added labels to show its main features. 

Learning About Money

The children have been learning about money in Maths, focusing on recognising coins, counting amounts, and understanding their value. They enjoyed practical activities where they used real and play money to add amounts together and give change.

Science

Having great fun exploring the world of magnets as part of their science lessons. The children took part in a range of hands-on activities, where they investigated which materials are magnetic and which are not. Using magnets, they tested everyday classroom objects and made predictions before discovering the results.

We also explored how magnets work, learning about poles and how magnets can both attract and repel. The students were especially excited to see how magnets can move objects without even touching them!

Sacrament of Reconciliation 

Today was a very special day for our Second Class pupils as they received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. We are incredibly proud of each child for the thoughtful and respectful way they prepared for and participated in the ceremony.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Fr. Naughton, who celebrated the ceremony with us and helped make the occasion so meaningful for the children. His kindness and guidance made the experience both memorable and reassuring for everyone involved.

It was a lovely celebration of reflection, forgiveness, and new beginnings, and we look forward to continuing this important faith journey with the children in the months ahead.

Well done to all of Second Class on reaching this important milestone 👏✨

World Book Day

The children really enjoyed celebrating World Book Day by dressing up as their favourite book characters.

Spring Walk 

Second Class enjoyed a lovely spring walk as part of their learning about seasonal change. The children observed signs of spring all around them, including new buds on trees, colourful flowers, and busy birds. They listened carefully to the sounds of nature and talked about what they could see, hear, and smell during the walk. It was a great opportunity to explore the outdoors, use their senses, and connect their classroom learning with the world around them.

Show and Tell! 

As part of our Show and Tell session, the children brought in one of their favourite toys that they received as Christmas presents.

Each child shared their toy with the class and spoke about it, telling us a little about what it is and why they like it. They also demonstrated how their toy works, which the class really enjoyed watching.

It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to develop their speaking and listening skills, while also learning to listen carefully and ask questions about each other’s toys.

               A Super Busy First Term in Second Class!

What a super busy first half-term we’ve had in Second Class! We had great fun exploring our new playground and spending lots of time playing together.

In Maths, we enjoyed making shapes and even challenged ourselves to see how big a shape we could make – we created a giant octagon! We also had great fun playing Maths Week games with Third and Fourth Class.

During PE, we learned about running techniques and took part in some exciting orienteering activities.

One of the highlights of the term was hosting the Coffee Morning in our classroom. It was a wonderful day filled with delicious treats and great company. Together, the school and community raised an amazing €1,290 for Galway Hospice – well done everyone!

In Art, we created fantastic Frankenstein portraits inspired by Pablo Picasso’s Cubism style. We also made beautiful Mid-Autumn Festival art using chalk pastels, exploring colour blending and shading to create bright moons, glowing lanterns, and peaceful night skies. The soft textures of the pastels made our pictures look dreamy and magical — just like the festival itself!

To finish off the half-term, we had a spooktacular Halloween celebration! We loved dressing up in our costumes and showing them off to our friends and teachers. The Halloween Disco was so much fun — we danced, laughed, and enjoyed some tasty treats together.

It’s been a busy and brilliant start to the year – we can’t wait to see what the next term brings!

A Special Visit from Junior and Senior Infants
We were delighted to welcome Junior and Senior Infants to our classroom as we celebrated our First Holy Communion. They very kindly brought us a beautiful card and a treat for each of us — what a lovely surprise!

A big thank you to Ms. Boyle and her class for their thoughtfulness and kindness.

Every Thursday, we’ve been enjoying yoga, helping us to relax and stay active. As part of Wellbeing Day, we went for a lovely walk on the walking track — and even spotted a ladybug! We also played games on the pitch in the sunshine, which was so much fun. 

In Art, we had lots of fun making texture turtles, exploring different textures from the outdoors to add to our creations.

While learning about money, we built a shop in our classroom and had great fun selling items we made to our friends. We practised giving change from €2 — a fun and practical way to use our maths skills!  

We love our new sandbox! 

               Pancake Tuesday! 

Dromodore Workshop

What an unforgettable day we had when Dromodore came to visit! 🎉 The air was buzzing with energy as we dove into the world of rhythm and percussion. With every beat and every clap, we learned how music can bring joy and excitement. 🥁

Dromodore and Ben showed us how to keep the beat, feel the rhythm, and create sounds that made everyone want to dance! We explored different types of percussion and tried our hands at drums. It was so cool to see how different sounds come together to make music!

By the end of the day, everyone was smiling, moving to the beat, and feeling like a true musician. 

Thank you, Dromodore and Ben, for bringing such fun and creativity into our world!

 A visitor to our classroom 

In second class, we were thrilled to welcome a real-life author, Olivia Hope, for a special visit! Olivia shared her inspiring journey of becoming a writer, showing us how her passion for storytelling grew and led her to publish her own books. Her story reminded us that with imagination and practice, anyone can be an author!

Olivia read aloud her beautiful book, Little Lion Girl, which took us on an exciting adventure. The story’s themes and characters sparked our creativity, and after the reading, we created artwork inspired by Little Lion Girl’s world. We used colours, shapes, and ideas from the story to make our own unique drawings, bringing scenes and characters to life in our own way.

One of the most encouraging parts of Olivia's visit was when she reminded us that everyone can write a story and draw. She shared tips on getting started, like observing the world around us, dreaming up new characters, and imagining "what if" scenarios.

The visit left us all feeling excited about storytelling and proud of our artwork, and we can’t wait to keep exploring our own ideas! A big thank you to Olivia Hope for an inspiring day in second class!

October Highlights
In math, we dove into the world of measurement, exploring both standard and non-standard units. It was exciting to see everyone experimenting with different ways to measure objects, learning the value of accuracy and how various units work!

                                                   Polygon Exploration

We took our geometry skills up a notch by learning about polygons! Both regular and irregular polygons became part of our vocabulary, and it was amazing to see everyone using iPads to construct and understand the different                                                                                                 shapes. 

                                                                                           Collaborative Math Fun

One of the month’s highlights was teaming up with the third and fourth classes for a fun math activity. Working together brought out some fantastic teamwork and added an extra element of excitement to our learning.

                                                                    Golden Time Celebration

Thanks to everyone’s hard work and positive attitudes, we filled up our Star Jar and earned a well-deserved Golden Time! This was a special reward and a great way to recognize everyone’s efforts in making our classroom a positive place to learn. 

Halloween Dress-Up and Charity Event

To end the month with a bang, we had a fabulous Halloween dress-up day! Not only did we get to show off our costumes, but we also raised funds for Temple Street Children’s Hospital—a wonderful cause that made our   Halloween extra special. 

For September in English, we focused on how to write a report. A report gives us facts and tells us what something is, what it looks like, where it is found, and what we can do with it. We wrote reports about Autumn.

In SESE, we explored the theme "All About Myself" and created our own family trees.

In Art, we got creative by drawing Minecraft-style self-portraits.

We had lots of fun playing parachute games during P.E. 

The New Classroom Looks Great!

Exciting times ahead as we settle into our newly refreshed classroom. It's looking fantastic, and we're looking forward to making the most of the new space for learning and creativity!