Category: General
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Our Graduate Stars 2024.
Holy Communion 2024
Athletics
We have a strong tradition of participating in Tralee Primary School Athletic competitions. We love relays! Many of our relay teams and individual athletes have progressed to the Kerry Primary Schools finals in An Ríocht, Castleisland.Junior Park Run’s on Sundays are a more recent and we encourage all our pupils to join in and ‘run for fun’!
SMART Interactive Touchscreen Boards
All our classrooms now have SMART boards. We have also recently invested in 30 iPads, 30 Chromebooks and their respective charging trolleys. We are digitally on track! Smart Technologies UK visited Caherleaheen NS to observe, interview and film us while in class. Go to the Read More tab below to view their short film.
Open Week: Mon 23rd-Thurs. 26th October. 9:00am-10:30 am
Fun, Games, Movement and Competitive Sports. Team work!
Yes, competitive team sports are important in Caherleaheen, be they football, hurling, athletics or tag rugby. However, we punctuate our school days, every day, with PE, fundamental movement skill drills, breaks, stretch downs and jogging. It helps all our children to stay healthy and active. Our homework is active too, on Wednesdays. ‘Books away and families play’ learning new skills together! Our healthy food policy is important and our families are fully behind the school as we strive together in partnership to move well and eat well for the health of all, young and old.
Outdoor Learning All Year Round.
Our school environment and the greater Tralee and Kerry area is such a rich source for learning and group activities outdoors. We truly value the beauty of living nature all around us and we capitalise on it throughout the school year, ‘whether the weather’ is on our side or not! Gardening, walks, hikes, class tours, maths, science, art, outings and cultural excursions. It’s a beautiful world for our pupils and staff. We have earned 5 Green flags and 8 Primary Science Awards in STEM in recent years. Onwards, upwards and outdoors, we say!
2022 Term 1. New classes, new teachers, new pupils, new learning and new friends!
Everyone settled back with ease. Tús maith, leath na hoibre!
Children enjoying a little O.T. exercise. Movement and mini-breaks are part of our daily schedules and timetables. Outdoor activities such as GAA coaching, PE classes gardening, crafts and science are important curricular subjects.
We love art and crafts!
Junior Infants 2022!
Our new Junior Infants are fantastic! They had a wonderful ‘first day in big school’ with their teacher, Ms Orla. They had the school all to themselves! Monday 29th August. This was a very special occassion for all their parents and our staff. We look forward to nurturing a love of learning and of building friendships with each other.
Gradam Rang a Sé, 2022
Bhí an-lá againn, ag Céimniú Rang a Sé, an Déardaoin seo caite! Seo cúpla griangraf ón lá speisialta agus ón turas scoile iontach a bhí acu an lá dar gcionn! We had a great day at the Sixth Class Graduation, last Thursday. Here are some photos of their special day and of the school tour the following day.
They are a fantastic group of young people and everyone in Caherleaheen wishes them the very best for the future. The Graduation ceremony itself was extra special this year. The staff put a lot of effort into making sure that the hall set-up, gift presentations and catering was top class! The pupils were excited! They had prepared well for the ceremony and Fr Séan, as always, put everyone at ease when he arrived. Mr Damien spoke glowingly of his class. He had taught them for two years.
Parents made this graduation extra special. Their kind words and generous acknowledgments of all our staff and their children’s happy experience in Caherleaheen made each one of us proud.
The Tunnel of Fame was great fun! The younger children just loved being given an opportunity to cheer Sixth Class and to say goodbye in the yard while signing school shirts. Teas and treats gave every parent a chance to have a chat with each other and staff.
Finally, Sixth Class headed off water-boarding for the afternoon. But, first they said good-bye to all the kids and staff. Smiles all around!
Part 2!
Water-Boarding
Part 3: School Tour on Friday!
Athletics: Our Dream Teams and Stars.
PART 1
We are so proud of all the young Caherleaheen athletes who participated in the Harriers Tralee Schools Athletics event, last Friday evening, May 13th. Every single boy and girl competed with passion and each child supported cheered and commiserated with their peers in both team and individual events. We are one of the smallest schools and yet we came second out of all the schools in the greater Tralee area, thanks to our fantastic accumulation of medal scores. This is an incredible achievement, despite our small school population. It’s also a testament to the sporting heart, spirit and fun which our parents, Harrier coaches and our school teachers try to instill in all our pupils. Well done, everyone. It was a great sporting event and you made our school proud on Friday evening!! Well done too, to the Harrier Athletics organisers. (All volunteers/coaches)
There were plenty of individual events, e.g. short and middle-distance races, shot putt, long jumps. But there were SIX RELAY COMPETITIONS. This is always the highlight of the whole evening. Again, Caherleaheen medalled in FIVE of the six relay races, this year! Aren’t we a GREAT LITTLE school, all the same?
We are the only school to have won the overall Best School Cup in three consecutive years 2017, 2018 and 2019. Then Covid interrupted and prevented the competition from taking place in 2020 and 2021. This is the first year that another school has won since the Best Tralee School Cup was initiated in ’17 . Comhgairdeachas le Scoil Mhic Easmainn. Buailfimid le chéile arís😅! Scoil Eoin were fantastic too and placed Third. All the competitors, of all ages, in all the schools were fantastic, especially all the super-duper Infant athletes. Many of the participants in various age categories had never participated in an athletic competitive event before. But they have the appetite for it now! We encourage everyone to consider joining Tralee Harriers. Give it a try!
First up:
Our Senior Relay boys team won Silver. It was an amazing race and we all held our breath! Our Senior Girls team landed the Gold in such stunning style, that it took the spectators quite a while to recover! It was the perfect race- passing, receiving, sprinting and talent!
Our Intermediate Boys team ran a highly contested race and secured a precious, well-deserved Silver. This is by far the most difficult level, with many teams contesting feverishly and with serious intent… and we were all thrilled. What a spectacle!
The Intermediate Girls team were pipped by a nose, a thread and a tear, missing the Bronze…. by a toe! A great run. Wait until next year, girls!!
Our Junior Girls team are semi-professionals, despite their young years. What a race! Fantastic passing of the baton and determination. Great talent and spirit! Another Gold!
And last but not least, our Junior boys team brought home their SILVER! A fantastic, tight-knit team of boys. They ran a fantastic race! Bua tré iarracht!
Part 2:
All participants were applauded and cheered. This sport, like any other, is essentially about participation, friendship, connection, physical well-being, discipline, support, encouragement, challenges and…. bravery. Every medal is celebrated, of course, but each one of us- ‘medalled’ or ‘nearly there’ is valued and applauded by the whole school.
Here are the children who medalled. Every child from every school deserves a big pat on the back and public applause.
These pupils, listed below, are some of our pupils who reaped their metal awards on the night and they will also advance to the KERRY SCHOOLS COUNTY FINALS, representing Caherleaheen N.S. Thank you, Cormac McCarthy, Tralee Harriers for forwarding this list.
Gold medal winners in the relay races advance to the Finals.
Gold, Silver and Bronze medallists in individual events also progress to An Ríocht, during the June Week holiday… WEDNESDAY JUNE 8th 6:00 pm
| Girls | |||
| Name | Position | Class | Event |
| Siun Foley | 2nd | 1st | 60m |
| Sophie Constable | 1st | 5th | 100m |
| Amy Noonan | 1st | 5th | 600m |
| Emma OConnor | 3rd | 5th | 600m |
| Alannah Crossan | 1st | 5th | Long Jump |
| Nadya Rivas mcHugh | 2nd | 6th | 100m |
| Niamh Fitzgibbon | 2nd | 6th | 600m |
| Ruby Crean | 1st | 6th | Shot Putt |
| Siun Foley | 1st | 1st & 2nd | 4 x 100m Relay |
| Mia McCarthy | |||
| Siun OConnor | |||
| Emily Murphy | |||
| Alannah Crossan | 1st | 5th & 6th | 4 x 100m Relay |
| Amy Noonan | |||
| Sophie Constable | |||
| Nadya Rivas McHugh | |||
| Boys | |||
| Name | Position | Class | Event |
| Liam Corkery | 1st | 4th | 100m |
| Fionan O Callaghan | 2nd | 4th | 100m |
| David Cullinan | 3rd | 5th | 100m |
| Ruben Rivas Mc Hugh | 2nd | 5th | Long Jump |
| Sean Sargent | 3rd | 6th | 100m |
| Aaron Crean | 1st | 6th | Shot Putt |
| Jakub Drzymala | 2nd | 6th | Shot Putt |
Let’s applaud our other stars, many of whom received precious relay medals last Friday. They may not be heading to the County Finals in Killarney, but they are inspirational and driven. One for all and all for one! Maith sibh, gach uile.
Junior Relay Boys team: SILVER MEDALLISTS.
Finlay Goggin Patrick Reidy Jack O’ Shea Ben Foley
Intermediate Relay Girls team, : FOURTH PLACEMENT
Shauna Donovan Taylor O’Leary Sophia Polak
Saoirse Moynihan Suzann Szelag
Intermediate Boys’ Relay team: SILVER MEDALLISTS
Ruairí O O’Callaghan Fionán O’ Callaghan Liam Corkery
Ruben Rivas Mc Hugh
Senior Boys Relay team: SILVER MEDALLISTS–
Seán Sargent Ben Cullinan Aaron Crean Rian Moynihan,
Culainn O’ Shea
Minister Norma Foley visited Caherleaheen National School on February 14th 2022!
Bhíomar ar bís! We dusted ourselves down and wore our hearts on our sleeves, our crests on our uniform and the children chatted enthusiastically and confidently- sharing our news, stories, initiatives, interests and all the colours of the Caherleaheen rainbow!
Preparation:
Ag fanacht le Norma!
Bhí lá speisialta againn.
Aire Oideachais- Minister Norma Foley arrived a little earlier than expected, but we were ready and excited.
Fifth Class, sharply dressed!
The positive atmosphere was palpable as soon as our first Robins arrived at 8.30am. She was amazing from beginning to end. Her main aim was to connect with pupils and to hear what they had to say. Yes, she met some teachers, assistants, our BoM Chairperson: Vivian Nolan, Michelle Culloty, BoM Parent Rep. Elaina Ryan (CEO of Children’s Books Ireland), Brendan Grieve and Dan O’ Shea of Enterprise Holdings. But, to be perfectly honest, she really came to meet the children! That was obvious and most welcome. Our Student Council, with little prompting, managed her arrival and the initial reception. They took full control of the tour of our corridors and displays.
We began with a short February ’21 video on the reception screen. It was recorded ‘way back’ this time last year and forwarded to you all. Do you remember it? It was incredibly moving to hear the Student Council speak freely about the advantages and disadvantages of home-schooling, face to face with the Minister of Education and Skills, Norma Foley. (‘call me Norma, please’).
She was very impressed by this oral account while the video played. We lingered there for a while.
She marveled at our Award Wall, art, literacy, Bird Challenge 21, and Green Schools displays. What we admired most about Norma is that she ignored the adults, as best she could! Her focus was on the real VIPs-our pupils. We made our way through to the staffroom and on to the patio. Ms. Brid Murphy managed to nail the adults down for a 4 min stand-up cuppa’, Then, we followed Norma towards the hall… as you do!
Sixth Class were ready, seated in a perfect African drum circle when staff opened the doors to the hall. What an entrance and thundering salute for Norma and others! Our BLAST Artist in Residence, Martin Scharer, could not have been prouder. It was superb!
Presentations from Children’s Books Ireland, as Gaeilge agus as Béarla followed.
The book ‘Why the Moon Travels’ was generously sponsored by Enterprise Holdings. It’s an acclaimed collection of short stories, all grounded and illuminated by the folklore of the mincéirí, penned by Oein DeBhairduin and illustrated by Leanne McDonagh. It is a collaborative ROAD Forward initiative, encouraging access to books, diversity of content and opportunity for all social groups to enjoy reading a rich, but often hidden part of our folklore. This book will be distributed to over a hundred schools around the country. We are honoured that the official launch of this book took place in Caherleaheen NS! Ms. Claire, our deputy principal, could not have been prouder that her application for these books was such a success.
Norma spoke directly to Sixth Class and the Student Council about the positive impact that reading and sharing of books can have on their lives. She also reminded them that the staff, parents, BoM, ancillary staff, and our whole community ‘make’ and contribute whole-heartedly to a school and that they care deeply for our children, their education, and their welfare. She debated the pros and cons of a ‘whole-school night off homework’ versus an optional ‘off homework token’ with a few of our pupils. Unfortunately, Norma’s recommendation was overturned- democratically, unanimously, and discreetly! We left the hall as soon as she and other visitors had learned the ‘fish and chips, carrots and fish’ rhythm on their African drums. Our esteemed visitors were quick learners….
Mural depicting the Children of Lir, by former pupil Gabriel Galway. It never fails to impress us all on a daily basis…. 
A wonderful perfectly pitched talk, addressed to Sixth Class and affirming all our community. 
Inspirational!
But the clock was ticking and Minister Norma Foley was called away, as we began to exit the hall. However, that didn’t stop her. She diverted, by visiting First Class, Junior Infants, and then Fifth Class! Great fun, chat and interaction there, finishing with our little infants singing along with Ms. Martina’s ukulele.
Finally, a few pupils presented her with thoughtful gifts- a gorgeous rainbow created by a boy in Fifth Class and framed by Ms. Gemma, as well as a beautiful stone and branch artwork from the BoM, representing all of our community and all that we strive to do, here in CaherleaheenNational School . Thank you, Michelle Culloty, BoM. for your craftmanship and generosity!
Eventually, Minister Norma Foley was ushered away, with lots of love and appreciation…..and a bouquet of roses and lilies. The love and appreciation was reciprocated….
St Valentine’s, 2022, in Caherleaheen NS was extra special. Gabhaimid buíochas ó chroí do ‘Norma’.
Enjoy this fabulous video, from Michelle Culloty, BoM Parent Rep.
PS. Special thanks to Jennifer who followed our visitors and pupils with the school camera. Thanks too, for the extra support from our cleaners, gardener/caretaker, teachers and assistants, Sharon, not to mention our lovely visitors, Dan, Brendan, Elaina – and our very own VIPs- Very Important Pupils!
Just in case Minister Foley wants to shoot basket…
Thank you, Graham.
Fabulous work by Mike McGrath and Anthony L. 
GRMM Agaibh go léir!
https://fb.watch/bbUeV3kiwS/
January 2022.
It was great to get back to school, on Thursday 6th January. It was lovely to catch up and wish each other a Happy and Healthy New Year. The children and staff eased themselves back to their daily routine and the atmosphere is so good! We look forward to Term 2 with optimism and hope.
Third Class spinning their colour wheels, investigating ‘white light’.
First and Fourth Classes have the measure of 2022!
Sixth and Fifth Classes walked to Mitchell’s and enjoyed their very own basketball blitz as well as the local scenery.
Senior Infants made beautiful Chinese dragons, even though it’s the Year of the Tiger 🙂
Reading and Sequencing ‘Little Red Riding Hood‘.
Fifth Class researched the French Revolution.
We take pride in our written work.We look out for COPS- Capitals, Omissions, Punctuation and Spellings.
Well done, everyone! 
Bhí Rang a Dó ag foghlaim faoi bhia, deochanna agus faoi bhialanna an tseachtain seo caite. Rinne siad na biachláir thíos.
Some of the partitioning work in Jun Infants: looking at different ways to split 5, while practicing, cutting, sticking and oral pairwork.
Art is an interactive, social, expressive, creative, kinaesthetic and enjoyable activity.
We continue to take breaks outside while our rooms ventilate, but sometimes we need the space in the hall to stretch and balance!
Take a seat and enjoy our festive performances!
Maith sibh go léir! We hope you enjoy and appreciate the efforts of our pupils, teachers and assistants. Sadly, it was impossible to record on any given day in any class, with full attendance, this December. Therefore, we dedicate these festive videos to those children who were absent due to being unwell or isolating at home. We missed each one of you.
Use the ‘Read More’ tab to access videos from each class. Best watched on a PC/laptop/TV, with a ‘cuppa’, or a hot chocolate, of course.
Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain faoi Mhaise daoibh go léir!
Presenting Junior Infants: A Snowman, A Wonderful Story and A Miracle in Town
Presenting Senior Infants: “Five Gingerbread Men” (and biscuits)
Presenting First Class: “The Christmas Elf and the Magic of Kindness”
Presenting Second Class: “Oíche Chiúin i mBeithil Fadó” agus “Ó Féach an Leanbh Íosa”
Presenting Third & Fourth Class: Cowgirls and Cowboys Rockin’ the “Jingle Bell Rock”
‘
Third Class Christmas Chat.
Fourth Class Role-Play: “Elves on Strike”
Presenting Fifth Class: “Turkeys on Strike”
Fifth Class Wish You a Merry Christmas.
Sixth Class reciting “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
Christmas Cheer in Caherleaheen, despite Storm Barra!
Our Newly Elected Student Council!
We were amazed at the number of children who eagerly contested this important election. We asked them to focus their campaigns on recycling, sustainability, protection of our environment.
We had nine candidates standing from Sixth Class, seven from Fifth Class and eleven from Fourth Class: An impressive 27 in total. They spoke to a large audience of senior pupils in the hall. We were very impressed by ALL the candidates and their campaigns, not just on the day itself but on the week beforehand. Many of them had spent hours and evenings preparing their presentation and all of them spoke well despite it being a little bit intimidating to speak in front of so many of their classmates, peers and staff. They spoke about the need for a school bus to cut down on emissions and use of fossil fuels. They encouraged greater recycling, especially drinking bottles. They asked were our classroom lights of the CFL or LED variety and advised that we need to turn them on only when necessary. They want to ensure that our school is completely litter-free at all times. Some believe that bio-diversity specialists should be invited to speak here at school, so that we can learn more about caring for our local environment and county. They also spoke about the COP 27, our natural world, global warming and human behaviour. They mentioned solar panels too. However, Mr Paul and Ms Mary reminded the voters that small steps here in Caherleaheen and in our homes can add up to large strides forward in lowering our carbon footprint.
Well done to all those who participated and special congratulations to all those who were elected to the Student Council.
In no particular order:
Séan Sargent Aaron Crean Ewan Morris Luke Hanafin
Robáird Foley Adam O Brien (not in photo) Lily-Mai O’ Sullivan
Saoirse Moynihan Samuel Murphy Conor Fleming
Rubén Rivas-McHugh
Celtic Book Fair and Science: a Busy Week in November
Many thanks to Ms. Claire and Aisling Foley for organising a wonderful book fair. They were helped by parents in the hall each morning. The children were very excited and delighted to buy their favourite books or stationery. Of course, this is the best time of year to read books for pleasure at home. Snuggle up and enjoy. Shared reading, reading aloud or being read to, is an important activity that develops literacy skills, enhances concentration, widens vocabulary and enriches our imagination.
Science Activities
Rang a Cúig: The Paper Tower Challenge 
Fifth Class used baking soda and vinegar reaction to make the volcano erupt. Baking soda and vinegar react to neutralise each other ( vinegar is an acid and baking soda an alkali ) releasing carbon dioxide which is the bubbles of gas you see. They added a little washing up liquid to make the foam becomes thicker, like lava!
Sixth Class predicted their inertia activity and then recorded the action on their ipads. See their videos are on our CaherleaheenNational School facebook page.
Minecraft for Education encourages engineering and developes understanding of how materials and forces work. 
Testing materials in Junior Infants 
Investigating temperature in Senior Infants 
The bamboo catapult…… 
….. worked!!
A Caherleahe’en Hallowe’en, Maths Week, Leafy Fun, Mighty Mitchels, Proud Parnells and more….
Maths Week was really enjoyable, coinciding with our Hallowe’en activities. Many thanks to all the class teachers and assistants for making it accessible to all our pupils. The Great Outdoor Scavenger Hunt was created and hosted by Sixth Class for the whole school! Craic agus spraoi sa chlós! Each participant won a prize. Minecraft for Ed. continued in Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth. Math quizzes were held in the classrooms and Fifth Class created their own Math games to share with their pals. Classes held their individual theme-based Math Trails. All our activities had a touch of Hallowe’en. Of course, everyone dressed up on Friday. Take a look….
Senior Infant Math Game 
Senior Infants 
Estimate the Weight of Pumpkins and the number of sweets in various jars
Second Class with percussion instruments
Why did the grape and strawberry sink?
Why did the orange sink after we peeled it?
Sixth Class led all the pupils on the Scavenger Hunt. Wonderful work!
Fourth Class collaborating…. 
Second Class have reached the end of the hunt.
Sixth Class setting up the clues.. 
Racing to the next clue!!
First Class 
First Class
Sixth Class Stars
Ninja Staff 
Ageing Staff 
Forever Young Staff 
Rasta Staff 
Pink Scully 2nd Class 
Third Class 
Quacks in Third Class 
Deflated and waiting for the mid-term holiday bell! Rang a Cúig
Hallowe’en games in Junior Infants 
Flour fun 
Junior Infants: Traditional Irish games with a twist!
Monster 
Popcorn 
Hands
Fourth Class
U13 Division 1 Final. Sunday 17th Oct.
Mitchels Abú!
Fourth Class costed the furniture and equipment for an office, using catalogues online 
They worked in teams.
Budget: €200
Pupils in Second Class attended their Holy Communion enrolment ceremony 
They will attend their Do This in Memory mass with parents every month
Socially distanced seating, of course.
We are enrolling. Join us!
Bus transport to Caherleaheen NS. serving Rathass, Manor, Cloghers, Ballyard, Clahane and Skehanagh.
Our school is located less than 3km from Tralee
You can find further details in our Admission Notice and Enrolment Form on the menu above. Please contact us, if you have any questions.
‘Read more’ to view a short video of what our 2021 Junior Infants have to say!
September 2021.
What a busy month! It flew and all our pupils soared. It was difficult at times as some of our pupils were required to restrict their movements in early September. But we prevailed and all pupils are well. Our parents and staff have been consistently supportive and careful these last five weeks. Take a look at samples of the fantastic SESE activities, art, literacy and project work. We just keep on keeping on, while following the recent H&S procedures and also keeping an eye out for each other. Bualadh bos!
Hail the Mighty Melon 
Float, sink or suspend? The Big Fruit experiment… 
My Viking Project 
My Viking Project 
My Grandad…2016
Rang a Cúig Powerpoints.
My Science Procedural WritingProject 
EU project Rang a Ceathair 
Shadow play at lunch break..Olympic Fun!
Sporting life outside of school: hurling champions in Killarney. Great to see our Caherleaheen lads so passionate about hurling . Well done Parnells! (missing Jayden Sugrue from this photo) 
🌈Junior Infants love rainbow umbrellas
Stamped letters to local businesses and shops. Procedural writing in action. 
More fantastic homecrafts from Rang a Ceathair: Models of Viking ships 
Magic Show in Rang a Ceathair 
Posting…. 
…..our letters 
A lovely response from Tesco and a wee voucher for this 4th Class scribe. A lovely touch from Tesco! One of many thoughtful responders.
Posers 
Sixth Class tour to Tom Crean exhibition at the wonderful Ashe Memirial Hall. 
Highly recommended!
Rang a Dó ag foghlaim faoi laethanta na seachtaine, na séasúir… 
…agus na bláthanna🌻🌼🌸
Vibrant rich colours from… 
….Fifth Class Spooks
Comhgáirdeachas agus beannachtaí oraibh go léir!
Our Third and Fourth Class pupils enjoyed a jubilant return to school on Monday after receiving their First Holy Communion on Saturday. 4th Sept. The sacramental celebration, preparation by Fr. Séan, St John’s, Ms Claire and Ms Tara, not to mention our wonderful secretary Jennifer and other staff members ensured that this mass was extra special. God bless one and all. It was worth the long wait.
Our 2021/22 Junior Infants!
Sixth Class Graduation
The pupils in Sixth Class are a very special group of kids. We will miss them all, as they have been a dream class. We wish them the very best of luck as they transition from primary to secondary education.
The graduation ceremony went very well, though we would have much preferred to have their families with us. Instead, parents attended remotely via webinar. Sixth Class were very proud of themselves on the day and rightly so. They were delighted to hear Ms Marion’s poem, relaying all the wonderful projects and activities which they had pursued during their last year in Caherleaheen. Fr Séan gave them a special blessing and he was highly complimentary of the children’s 2021 Yearbook and artwork in the hall. The musicians and speakers did an excellent job, too! Well done, everyone.
The pizza lunch was a great success and the traditional signing of school shirts was such fun! The pupils donned their Graduation Hoodies with pride and each child was presented with an official Graduation Certificate, a beautiful 2021 Yearbook, and a fabulous Caherleaheen Rainbow Mug courtesy of our Parent Association.
Parents and loved ones watched and cheered from the school wall, as each student exited through the gates of Caherleaheen for the last time. Lots of smiles and tears of joy all round!
Our Outdoor School.
We have had the busiest Term 3 ever! Children returned after Easter for May and June, with energy curiosity and fun in mind. They completed arduous tests, renovated our garden, raised tadpoles, made lots of creams and potions, painted and created, baked, explored local beaches, surfed, hiked and played. They worked hard, but always with a smile and willingness to learn and to help others. It has been a wonderful few months! The young gardeners planted potatoes,onions, coriander, pumpkin, peas, courgettes, calendula, borage, lettuce, scallions,mallow, nasturtium, sunflowers, thyme, barley, hedge tomato. Well done especially to Rang 1, 2 , 3 agus 5. We held many classes outdoors and children enjoyed using natural resources to create wonderful art. Take a look at our outdoor learning….
A bug hotel….. 
……4 star! 
Weeding. (Does it ever end?) 
Horse Chestnuts and Oaks 
New Gravel Path 
Fabulous Portraits! 
Flower Seed Bombs
Dasy Cream cures ALL ailments 
Writing all the words that they can think of! 
Pattern 
Sticks and Stones 
Maths outdoors 
Length 
Gathering rocks for our tadpole aquariums in the stream nearby
We filled 7 aquariums with tadpoles. One for each class to observe the froglets as they developed
SESE Outings 2021
Huge thanks to all the teachers and assistants for arranging and planning such fun, interesting and exciting SESE outings for the children in June 2021. It’s a bonus that they managed to take lovely photos too! Thank you to all our amazingly patient and supportive parents for the drives hither and hither, at such short notice!
Third and Fourth Class:
Serrated seaweed, velvet crabs, anemones, sea snails, baby urchins, mussels, oarweed, common crabs……and ice-cream! Team sand art, long jump, rounders, wet socks, broken buckets, rock cuts and grazes and digging! All on the best and most wonderful beach in Kerry- Ballyheigue has it all!
First Class:
What a magical day on Fenit with Ms Gemma, Ms Ann L. and our young helpers Aoife and Denise. Games on the strand, discovery trails on the pebble beach, fun on the playground and spectaular ice-cream wafers to top it off! A dream day, with a fabulous group of children 🙂
Junior and Senior Infants went to Kennedy’s Farm. They had an excellent day and enjoyed getting up close and personal with furry and feathered friends!
Junior Infants:
Senior Infants:
Fourth and Fifth Classes hiked along the Sliabh Mish mountains, stopping off at the old Mill, Killelton Oratory and Famine Village before finishing their day on Derrymore beach.
Fifth Class:
The Rag Tree 
Fourth Class:
CHIPS!! Thanks, Mr Damien! 
Sixth Class:
Term Two: A tale of three schools.
Our second term started as a remote home-learning school. All our pupils, parents and staff took to teaching and learning via Zoom and Seesaw with admirable effort and participation. Pupils enjoyed science, Gaeilge, class novel and literacy activities, maths, music, PE, art/crafts, poetry, SPHE, history, geography, baking and more. Everyone did their best and kept the ‘sunny side up ‘during a difficult time.
Registration Letters for 2021/22 enrollees began in late January 
Then we opened our Junior School on March 1st and it was the best day……sunny weather and sunny smiles all round from pupils, staff and parents. It felt great to be back together. Our juniors had lots of news and really enjoyed learning and playing with their peers and teachers. Books were shared and read together. Team games were played and homework was abandoned for their first week back 🙂
World Book Day 
A fabulous treat from a parent. Lent was briefly suspended 🙂 
D’oscail an scoil go léir faoi dheireadh. Our third school phase arrived with great fanfare and joy on Monday 15th. All our senior pupils joined their junior buddies and the whole staff was back in business and in the building, at last. We celebrated St Patrick’s Day in style and opted for outdoor homework : The Greater Caherleaheen Bird Challenge 2021. Our yards were filled with shrieks and laughter and everyone ran and skipped around with big smiles. Many had grown out of their uniforms. Dance Fridays resumed. Our various PE coaches taught in the yard, rather than remotely. Attendance soared to 98%. We were so impressed by how easily the pupils slipped back to their normal school routines. The teachers and assistants played a big part in making the transition back to school, such a smooth one. Parents supported us all the way!
Mount Fagradalsfjall, Iceland.
Rang a Sé…..
Responding with art, poetry, craft and geography.
Sixth Class Easter Bunnies and Eggs 
The Greater Caherleaheen …. 
….. Bird Challenge 2021…… 
…….took flight!
We are raising tadpoles! They love cucumber and cos lettuce.
Celebrating our Home-Schoolers
School Reopening is Deferred
I hope you and all the children are keeping well and that you enjoyed a safe and peaceful Christmas. 2021 has had a very disappointing start and unfortunately, all mainstream schools will remain closed until the end of January, while we all try to halt the acceleration of positive Covid-19 numbers in our community.
Children will be disappointed, as they usually love returning to school at this time of year, with lots of ‘ Christmas news’ to share with their pals and teachers. The teachers and assistants are equally disappointed, if not more so. We conferenced together on Wed 6th Jan and have already begun to focus on what we need to do to work together remotely and successfully. We signed off on our Remote Teaching and Learning Plan, which we had started in late November. It is concise and clear and will inform all partners in Caherleaheen of how we intend to proceed from Monday 11th Jan 2021. Please find it here on our website Go to Parents in the main menu and drop down to ‘Policies’ tab. You can also download it here, for your convenience, as it’s important.
We need some time to organise copies and textbooks in school. However, we expect to have all children’s books packed and ready to go by 2 pm next Monday. There was no point in distributing them before we broke up, as we did not have full attendance in the preceding days and week, and as I mentioned before, we focused instead on the children being happy and engaged with Christmas in Caherleaheen NS!
Therefore, we are asking all parents/guardians to collect bagged books/workbooks, etc, next Monday 11th, when the weather is milder and roads are expected to be safe. Please follow these directions closely.
- Robin families will collect 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm
- Blackbird families can collect between 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm
- Isolating/quarantining parents/guardians are kindly asked to make arrangements for another adult to collect on their behalf
- Masks are obligatory
- Please understand that your collection time-slot is not flexible.
- Do not under any circumstances, congregate or delay outside the school gate or wall. We would LOVE to chat, but, sadly, we can’t.
- Bagged books will be arranged in class groups. Therefore, parents with more than one child in Caherleaheen will need to collect the corresponding number of bags.
- Staff will supervise and facilitate swift handover of bags
- Please vacate parking spaces promptly
- Social distancing is obligatory at all times
Many thanks, in advance of your co-operation.
Please give my best regards to all our fabulous pupils. Tell them that their teachers and staff will miss them greatly. Remind them that they were fantastic during the last lockdown and that this one will be no different. Their parents, teachers and assistants were fantastic too! Special mention must go to our wonderful Junior Infants. This will be their first time experiencing closure of Caherleaheen and I hope they take it in their stride and enjoy learning new skills at home.
Take care and stay safe, everyone.
Mary Connolly.
Beannachtaí na Nollag oraibh go léir. Bígí Dóchasach!
Many of you follow and ‘like’ our activities and acknowledgements on Caherleaheen National School Facebook page. Thank you! What lovely videos from our teachers and pupils to be found there, these last two weeks. Here are a few of our favourite photos of our pupils’ work and engagement. We are all so proud of our big and little people. The future is bright! We have an influence and responsibility here, despite challenges this last year. Please, le bhur dtoil, let’s give ourselves a warm pat on our shoulder or a hug: every child, teacher, assistant, secretary, parent, babysitter, grandparent, relative, cleaner, caretaker. Beannachtaí na Nollag orainn go léir! But most importantly, tabhair aire agus tóg sos. See you all next year, le cúnamh Dé.
Thank you! 
Can we leave these paintings until June? 
Rang 5: Ginger bread, two-storey houses! 
Gingerbread Pyramid!
Those pesky elves! They are everywhere and particularly active in Rang a Cúig! 
Four Seasons. Four Snowmen. Rang a Sé.
Autumn… 
…Summer 
…Spring
Baking Time in Ms Laura’s Rang a Trí! Brownies. And gluten-free? Seriously?
These paintings in Rang a Dó, stop everyone in their tracks, especially me, every time. Take a close look. What energetic and colorful use of paint and brushes!
