Welcome to Mrs. Sheriff’s class!
Our class is looking forward to a busy year ahead. We’ll be taking part in lots of exciting learning activities and new challenges throughout this year. As the most senior class in the school we are sure to be trusted with lots of new responsibilities and we hope to set a really good example for our younger peers. We are excited for all that this new year has in store.
June
It’s hard to believe we’ve come to the end of this school year – what a great year it has been!
Our 5th and 6th class had a very packed month with lots of memorable moments. We began our unit on Lighthouses and created mini-book research projects on lighthouses of Ireland. The children also created some beautiful lighthouse sketches.
The lighthouse STEM project took lots of planning and construction – each lighthouse included a working circuit. The children took great care over their designs and demonstrated great impressive problem-solving skills.
The 6th class prepared for their Graduation mass, with some beautiful silhouette art and, of course, some excellent singing. It was a brilliant celebration and a lovely occasion to mark the end of their time in Clonegal N.S.
Active Week was a highlight of the month. The children loved the basketball league, the soccer league and all the Sports Day activities. The school tour to Dunmore East Adventure Centre was a fantastic day out for all.
Wishing the children and their families a wonderful summer. A sincere thank you for all of your support throughout this year.
To the 6th class pupils, go n-éirí an bóthar libh go léir!
May
May has been a very fruitful and enjoyable month in 5th and 6th class. We have been getting out and about often, completing maths challenges, nature walks, basketball and rugby coaching and lots more.
The children completed some beautiful pottery work, using some clay rollers to add designs to their work. They also used black glue, salt and watercolours to create beautiful beach scenes.
The children had a visit from Jenny Holmes, who spoke to them all about the importance of being safe online. It was a hugely beneficial day, and the pupils engaged really well.
The children worked in pairs to complete research projects on the key figures of the 1916 Easter Rising. They learned many interesting facts and created engaging presentations.
The children had their final guitar session for the year with Paul, and they put on a fantastic showcase of their learning and talent. A big thank you to Paul for his work throughout the year.
The rest of the summer term is sure to be fun-filled as the 6th class pupils prepare for their final weeks in Clonegal N.S.
April
April brought along some lovely weather as we really embraced the springtime in 5th and 6th class.
The pupils have been thoroughly enjoying the Active School challenge ‘Skip Around Europe’. They’ve been improving their skipping skills each week and have amazed me with their skip tallies! The bit of sun has made the challenge all the more enjoyable.
In the lead up to Easter, the children learned about the Easter story, taking part in the Stations of the Cross in the classroom.
The children used their cross stitch and embroidery skills to decorate some Easter Egg hanging decorations. They also used some paper towels and washable markers to make some beautiful 3D flower gardens.
The children have been learning French each week with Ms. Osborne and their work has been so impressive. They’ve been learning songs and games and even taking part in role plays where they demonstrate their wonderful French accents. It’s been a pleasure to see them embrace each lesson.
We are really looking forward to the summer term now – hopefully the fine weather will continue!
March
March was a month full of new experiences for 5th and 6th class. The highlight of the month was undoubtedly our trip to ESB Science Blast in the RDS. It was an amazing day for all involved and the children did themselves and our school proud with their wonderful project presentation. They got to engage with lots of activities across many different science fields, and had a lot of fun at the same time! It certainly was a day to remember.
This month, the class were delighted to welcome Ms. Doran to the class. With her, they learned all about Italy and the Renaissance, exploring some wonderful artwork. They also perfected their Boomwhacker skills during some really fun music lessons. Of course, we can’t forget our St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, agus bhí céilí iontach againn os comhair na scoile. Bhí amhráin le chloisteáil agus bhí na daltaí i Rang a 5 agus a 6 ag seinm an giotar chomh maith. Bhí gach duine gléasta go breá inár gcuid éadaí glasa!
We are all looking forward to run up to the Easter break now as we head towards the final term of this school year.
February
February has been an exciting month for 5th and 6th class. We had a busy schedule, our main focus being our preparation for Science Blast in early March. The children demonstrated excellent investigative work throughout the process and the way they presented their information is so creative, with posters, video ads, diagrams and more. We are looking forward to our trip to the RDS next month.
We also began this month with our school Grandparent’s Day celebrations. Some 5th and 6th class volunteers read beautifully at the service, as well as singing in the choir, and we were delighted to welcome some grandparents to the classroom on the day.
The children also presented their research about the USA. We saw a huge variety of projects with lots of creativity on show once again.
For Valentine’s Day, the children completed pieces inspired by American pop artist Jim Dine.
We also had a visit from some representatives from Carlow Sports Partnership, and we had great fun trying out some traditional games and races.
January
We had a great start to 2025 in 5th and 6th class – once the weather settled and we could finally come back to class! The children were all in great spirits after their Christmas break and were already looking forward to the year ahead. We began the month by creating Vision Boards for 2025, to help to motivate us to be positive about the future and to try new things.
The class began their new novel; Ban This Book by Alan Gratz. The novel has inspired a lot of chat about the importance of books and reading for children. We are really enjoying it!
In January, we learned about the work of Martin Luther King Jr. The children studied what skills it takes to become such a great motivational speaker. The children also began some fascinating project work about the USA, with titles ranging from ‘The Great Depression’ and ‘The Gold Rush’ to ‘American Artists’ and ‘National Parks’. I’m very much looking forward to their presentations.
Congratulations to Kate and Ella on winning prizes in the Carlow County Council Festive Family Experience drawing competition.
December
This December has been a fun and festive month for 5th and 6th class.
The children completed a STEM challenge this month, designing and making a functional ski slope and sled from a variety of materials. They had great fun with this, and their finished products were impressive!
The children completed some lovely winter art projects, including some cross-stitched Christmas decorations. They also made some fabulous Christmas Cards for our school competition – huge congratulations to Hannah who was the overall school winner.
A highlight of this month was our Christmas Carol Service in St. Brigid’s Church. It was a wonderful evening of music and singing, and the class really gave it their all.
The children were certainly in festive form when it came to our last day of term. We had our Christmas jumper day, our walk to Huntington Castle and a visit from Santa. It was a lovely end to a very productive term.
Wishing all families a very happy and peaceful Christmas. I’ll look forward to seeing all of the children in the new year.
November
This November, the pupils in 5th and 6th class have been exploring shapes, lines and angles in maths. They completed pentomino puzzles and used their new knowledge to create some geometric art pieces.
During Science Week this month, the pupils began work on their submission for Science Blast 2025. They put forward excellent ideas and researched their ideas in groups. In the end, we submitted the question ‘Fruit and Veg; are they more than just food?’ We were thrilled to be accepted by the Science Blast team and we can now look forward to showcasing our project work in the RDS in March!
The class completed some wonderful project work on the Wild Atlantic Way. It was great to see their creativity and presentation skills.
We had some competition winners in our class this month also! Kate and Saoirse won the ‘Right to Read’ short story writing competition run by Carlow County Council in conjunction with Carlow Library. The girls attended a presentation evening in The Woodford Dolmen Hotel where they received their certificates and prizes. Well done girls!
Alexandra also won the Kare Plus Christmas Card competition. We wish Alexandra well as she takes part in the RTÉ Toy Show this year – we’ll all be keeping our eyes peeled for her!
We are looking forward to the Christmas season ahead and all of the fun and festivities that come with it.
October
This month, the children in 5th and 6th class have been very busy – all agreed that October truly flew by!
Early this month, we had a very successful trip to Bunclody Community College for their primary school open day. We learned about some of the different subjects offered in secondary school and enjoyed an action-packed day.
We also had Maths Week this month, and the 5th and 6th class pupils helped to facilitate ‘Problem of the Day’ activities in each of the classes. They also made 2D shape pictures with the infant classes and took part in quizzes on ‘Maths Week TV’.
The highlight of the month, I’m sure, was our Halloween dress-up day and our Halloween Walk. The children had a very enjoyable day and we saw some fantastic costumes!
September
The pupils in Fifth and Sixth Class have begun the new school year full of energy and enthusiasm. We have all been getting to know our new classmates through fun collaborative activities – Doughnut Circle discussions, Maths games, Drama activities and the very challenging Cup Stack STEM challenge!
We have been learning about identity, engaging with the book ‘The Name Jar’ and researching our own name stories. The children also completed some beautiful name art projects and self-portraits. The children also painted their own impressionist paintings, based on the work of Carlow artist, Frank O’Meara.
The children learned about the formation of the GAA, and were thrilled to welcome back Kevin to coach them in some GAA lessons. They are all thrilled to be back to swimming lessons also.
School is very busy at the moment, with Cross Country running, Cumman na mBunscol, Music Generation and a wonderful Scholastic Book Fair keeping everyone in very high spirits. We are all looking forward to the year ahead – it promises to be a great one!
