Author: Mary C

Sixth are a very sporty class: enjoying and exceling in all kinds of sport and games. All classes are enjoying the IT coaches and Mr Paul likes to keep Sixth Class active and alert! Mr Damien’s Lego Club makes great use of the space too, when they test their cars…

Well done, everyone! You have all arrived fitter and more focused than when ypu left Tralee last October….

The children in Ms Gemma’s room (First/Second) enjoyed mixing bicarbonate of soda and vinegar to produce explosive carbon dioxide. Fifth and Sixth Classes know no end to their creativity, as their unique frames continue to be a best seller!!

Ms Caroline sets up fantastic stations in the afternoons so that all the children can start first thing in the morning. They really enjoy it and role-playing is their favourite activity. They have been really busy.

Infant runners will reach Fota Island next Tuesday 20th. We can’t wait to see all the animals in the yard at 1.15pm! Middle Classes will reach Croke Park and on Wednesday 21st the Seniors will arrive in Paris to have a typically french lunch. The kids are really excited. Take a look at Fifth/Fourth/Third Class art and craft work, as they look forward to the big day! Also our Senior cross country runners were fantastic when they ran long distances last Wednesday, competing with hundreds of runners from all over Kerry. We were very proud of our 3 teams. They are stronger and fitter than most! Well done!

Garda Gerald Breen commanded great attention from our Junior Infants as he descibed what being a Garda is like from day to day. The children asked him lots of questions about catching robbers and being brave. James O’ Donoghue spoke to Fourth, Fifth and Sixth classes about the strong link between team sports and wellbeing. He especially commended all the girls in Caherleaheen and urged even more to participate in team sports. Ciara Buckley mesmerised Junior Infants with her companion: a beautiful black labrador, currently being trained as a Guide Dog. Ciara demonstrated the many commands which her dog is learning to follow-WHAT AN AMAZING DOG and TRAINER! Garda Aidan O Mahoney explained that parents and carers need to be reminded that safe school parking is really important. He urged the children to remind all drivers how to behave during dropoff and collection times. Then Caroline O Leary arrived and explained how her job can be very busy and she has alot to organise.

What a lovely day we had! Fr Seán Jones led our ceremony and the children read their appreciations of all that grandparents do for families. Fr Dan blessed the packed hall with a Brigid Cross and Fr Seán blessed our throats with candles in honour of St Blaise. The afternoon was filled with chat, tea and delicious baking by Rang a Cúig. Thank you all for coming.

We are eagerly looking forward to greeting you all! Traditionally, Feb 1st is regarded as the first day of Spring, but after a mild December/January, it looks like winter has finally arrived. That didn’t stop parents, teachers and children from gathering rushes and making hundreds of beautiful crosses all this week. Huge thanks to MrDamien, Ms Gillian, Mr Paul for great enthusiasm and patience sa halla! Many thanks too to the two Reed Fairies who delivered sackfuls!So, parents and grandparents, please come. Fr. Sean looks forward to giving you all a very special blessing.

We are all well settled into our routine and very busy. Everyone enjoyed the Christmas break but we were equally glad to meet up with friends and colleagues. A lot has happened in the last fortnight. Take a look at some of our recent activities. Our afterschool Lego Club is fully subscribed and we hope to provide a club thereafter for other classes. Mr Damien is delighted with donations and the children are really looking forward to it. Three of our staff attended Lexia.uk course last week and we now have 60 children trialling this highly acclaimed literacy software. Each child’s progress is pitched at their own personal level and progress is tracked in phonics, spellings, comprehension. So far, so good! Other evening courses attended this January were GDPR Compliance, Standardised Testing and Management. The children are equally busy, especially our fabulous Junior Infants. They grow so quickly! They are still our little stars! Special thanks are due to Sixth Class pupils who take turns playing with them in the junior yard.

Happy New Year,everyone! Wishing all our children and staff, our BoM and all our loved ones a healthy and happy 2019. See you all next Monday 7th January.

Merry Christmas everyone from all of us here in Caherleaheen. Parents, you will find the latest and last vimeo, by clicking ‘read more’. Also, check your emails today to find your newsletter and Vimeo password. Wishing you all a very happy Christmas 🌲

Do you want to win a Christmas tree in our free draw? All adult visitors to our Christmas Coffee day will be entered! So make sure you get your free ticket on the way in and sign it with your mobile phone number. Draw is on the day! Buy Caherleaheen jam and enjoy a treat with your coffee. We are really looking forward to seeing you all. Some DVDs and Class calendars are also available to buy. Great value: top quality.

Dermot Crean posted this on traleetoday.ie It’s really funny. Many thanks to Michelle C for this wonderful video. And special thanks to the children for enlightening us!

There are so many possibilities with this year’s J.E.business. You can have a bit of fun, designing your scrabble/crossword ideas on paper. Use the order forms. Then our busy beavers will set to work….and make your frame/s. They are perfect as Christmas presents, Newborn presents, Valentine frames, Grandparent gifts, Positive or Humourous Phrases and Greetings. €12 for one, €22 for two and they are an absolute steal at €30 for three! ‘Read more’ and Click on blue link to download another order form.

Order Form JEP 2018

Why? We are running/jogging/jalking to feel good, feel stronger each passing day. We are running to breathe and grab a chat with our buddy. We are running to be……running and happily, mindlessly running. We are running because we can and we enjoy moving and feeling the air/wind/rain/sun. Where? Miles and miles to Cork, Dublin and Paris. Why sponsor us? We are running to read, to learn to bolster our Literacy Lift Off Library and buy more novels. We are a running machine, hungry to read great books and willing to learn and to enjoy the process. Why bother? We are worth it! Our teachers are worth it!

Ms Brid sows many seeds and nurtures each and every child whom she works with each year. She overlooks, co-ordinates and plans all our literacy lift-offs, our Green-flag and MUCH MUCH more. Right now, she needs lots of clean jars. We will sterilize them in school. She hopes to make jam with all the children who froze berries last Sept….So please send in your jars. We will sell them for 2.50 each and she will invest every euro in next spring’s organic garden.

The Bucket Fillers in First, Second and Third are really busy making sure that they help their buddies feel good about themselves- No Put Downs 🙂 The Stay Safe Programme is in full swing around the school. We hope that parents are using the opportunity to explore self-worth, safety and mental health with their children. Fourth Class are having a great time, as they post a happy leaf on the Happy Tree each time they connect positively with a classmate. Well done, all of you!

It’s just great to walk past Gabriel Galway’s mural. We do it many times a day, as it is now well grounded in the heart and centre of our school.It has given everyone inspiration and pause for thought. The Children of Lir mural depicts four siblings finding their true form having been trapped as swans, for 900 years. It reflects the hope of parents and teachers: that each child who passes through primary and secondary education will find their ‘true selves’, discovering their talents and pursuing their interests along the way, whilst caring for those around them. It also depicts sibling love and care: Fionnuala, the eldest cared and looked after her three younger brothers-Conn, Áodh and Fiachra. It means different things to many people, but invariably it asks us to take time, to appreciate,enjoy and pause. Gabriel used exterior Colourtrend paints, generously sponsored by Tony Griffin of Pat MacDonnell’s Paints in Manor👍. Each of the four characters is depicted in seasonal colours. Fionnuala is depicted in wintry blues and strong cold colours, her eyes pierce you with intense, yet confident determination to prevail. Each face/season is connected to the other by virtue of the four colour palettes. The harsh shards of water and the soft swan feathers break away as the young adolescents finally cast their spell-bound form, only to emerge as their true selves. The children really enjoyed watching Gabriel sketch the outlines in pencil.Then,he returned
each day to add the colours.(Very exciting!) He completed it during the mid-term break, determined to outwit the inclement weather. The final outlines in smokey-black made the whole mural even more vibrant and I will always cherish the reactions of children and adults, when we returned on Monday….marvelous! Gabriel Galway has found his true form! He is a former pupil who followed his love of drawing, animation, graphics etc. He is a fledgling Fine Art graduate (NCAD) and we all wish him the very, very best in the future. You could not meet a nicer or more hard-working, gifted young man. Thank you, Gabriel! We must also thank Dermot Crean for his article in traleetoday.ie He was really impressed with the mural too and posted a great review last Saturday. Click this blue link:

traleetoday

Green fingers, directed by Ms Brid prepared pots and soil for planting bulbs. Children from First,Second, Third and the Green Schools Committee really enjoyed ‘digging in’ 🌱. It will be a few months before the children get to see the results of their labour.

All our classes were busy throughout the week: Rockets flew in Sixth and flowers turned pink and blue. Static balloons attracted ghostly tissues in Fifth. Fourth Class learned about material properties and change. Senior Infants competed with carbon dioxide bubbles and raisins.Here are some pics, with more to come.

Aistear is the Irish for Journey. It is a framework for Early Childhood learning which is centred around four themes: Well-being, Identity and Belonging, Communicating, and Exploring and Thinking.Senior Infants are busy learning through self-directed and teacher-led resources. Ms Caroline says that her class absolutely love their Aistear hour, as they move from station to station exploring and engaging with all things culinary.

Ms Claire brought Third Class to a S.T.E.M demonstration which focused mainly on Maths and the interesting tricks which one can play with number value. It was an entertaining start to Science Week.

Father Dan led the senior classes in a prayer service to remember our loved ones who have passed away. Children sang hymns and read prayers and a lovely poem which described the welcome that God gives to all those who come to Him. Children lit candles as they carried their memory boxes to the altar. It was a lovely way to end the week and to take time to pause and pray that our loved ones rest in peace.

Many thanks to Cathy Fitzgerald and Louise Morrissey for co-ordinating bag-packing in Dunnes, last Saturday. The P.Association were well supported by parents, children and staff. Míle buíochas daoibh go léir. Special thanks to Dunnes Stores for the opportunity. Thanks also to Páidí Sugrue and Kaila, Tara Cullinan, Sinéad Ni Chorcra and Seán, Carol Ann Ross, Marie McMahon, Margaret Lynch O’Reilly, Sinead Dowling, Fiona Brosnan, Catriona Sargent, Eoin O’Callaghan and Darragh, Maura Ni Crossan, Ian Sugrue, Ann O’Donoghue and Sophie, Deirdre O’Regan, Clodagh Murphy, Yvonne Mulligan, Ciara Hobbert, Maureen O’ Donoghue, Sarah Fitzgibbon, Lisa Culhane, Paula Foley, Aisling Foley, Marie Morris, Ann Rogers, Angela O’Brien, Anthony Lynch and Emma, Jennifer Bailey, Gillian Bradley, Claire Murphy, Cliona Caplis and Noreen Noonan.

POEM: Oh, the Witch of Caherleaheen, on her broomstick she was seen/ Flying , swooping, hovering, stooping, all at Hallowe’en./ Changing children in to …..LIZARDS, turning teachers into …..BATS! / Hairy, scary, she ain’t no fairy./Keep away from her…..black……cat! (Take a look at how our coven of witches made their broomsticks).

We had lots of scary characters arrive into school on the day of our Mid-term Break. And it was all in a good cause! The CSC phoned Enable Ireland at 2pm today to give them the good news. We RAISED €230.00. All the children should be so proud! We had great fun today, too: Science experiments in Fourth. Fifth Class made real willow broomsticks They also swept leaves and helped in the garden.
Infants had a Hallowe’en fruit party. Caherleaheen was not not unlike HOGWORTH! The CSC presented Sean Scally of Enable Ireand with a cheque. He told them how the money would be used to enable children with disabilities fulfil their potential.

Well done to CSC ! They are busy and active! They have already approved and tweaked sketches of a mural which has been commissioned by our BoM. How exciting! They are currently promoting a fundraiser for Enable Ireland (Kerry Branch). Each child is asked to donate €1 on Thursday, when dressing up in Hallowe’en costumes. Our council members are: David Curtin (Co-Chairperson), Ava Mc Gough (Co-Chairperson). Jane Lynch (Secretary), Shauna Murphy (Recording Secretary), Abbie Redmond (Co-Treasurer), Matthew Rogers ( Co-Treasurer), Sean Corkery ( Public Relations Officer), Joe Moriarty (Health and Safety Officer), Aoife Ross (Artistic Advisor), Matthew O Connor (Sub-Committee Liaison Officer). Our SCC has 10 members, from Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Class. We are really delighted to have them take on this important role, representing all our pupils and helping our school to be (even) better!

Maths Week proved yet again to be a huge success. The children from senior classes created games that made maths interactive and fun for Junior and Senior infant classes. Most of these games could easily sell well in the open market: creative, challenging and attractive. Parents helped bring their ideas to fruition. Thank you! Thanks too to all the teachers who set up challenges that targeted strands such as number operations, shape, data and measurement.Some of the puzzles needed creativity and strategies that were’outside of the box’. The fairs lasted three days. Special thanks to our deputy principal, Ms Claire for co-ordinating the events and outings. She will invest fair funds in Maths equipment/resources.

Here are the results of the Literacy Surveys, which children completed recently. Third and Fourth Class completed Survey A. Fifth and Sixth Class completed Survey B. Please click Read More to find links

SURVEY A

SURVEY B

It was lovely to see four of our regular runners from Caherleaheen NS enjoying their Sunday run at Tralee Park Run. The sun was shining and there were so many kids from Tralee and surrounding villages: Ardfert, Blennerville, Firies. Warm-ups start at 9.20am. The 2km run finishes at 9:45, tops. Parents jog along too.VHI joined in last Sunday and gave our runners a big applause with healthy treats etc. We would love to see 40 of our kids running!! We are also very proud of the wonderful sportsmanship and skill which our young footballing teams displayed in recent weeks…winning every game, with style! Last week, in particular was a stunning display! Our first game, against Moyderwell was really really tight, but we held strong. Our second game, was very tough for Moyderwell because our players just kept finding the back of the net. Unfortunately, we lost one of two games today to Listowel and our winning streak has been well dented. Mr Damien and Mr Paul are delighted with all the boys and girls in Sixth, Fifth and Fourth for their team-work, support and good behaviour, on and off the pitch. No doubt, many players aspire to playing on the Kerry Minor team, so the cheer in the yard last Wednesday was pretty deafening when the Markham Cup arrived!