Category: General

The sun shone brightly yesterday on this important day. Congratulations to all our Sixth Class pupils. It was a really lovely ceremony with all the children fully cogniscent of it’s importance. Special thanks to Bishop Ray Browne, St John’s parochial office, the teachers and priests who worked so hard to prepare all the candidates from our local schools. Mr Paul and I were very proud of them all and we hope they will be filled with the joy and the gifts of the Holy Spirit when they return to school on Monday!

Bhuel, is dócha go bhfuil drochaimsir ag teacht orainn an deireadh seachtaine seo….ach bainigí sult as na grianghraif ón halla! Craic, ceol agus rince 🙂

What fantastic engineering and creativity in Senior Infants. They extended their Aistear theme,Transport, by creationg HUGE 3D Buses, trains,rockets, cars, ships and buses. Well done to all involved and thank you parents for the wide range of boxes. They had great fun and approached the whole week’s activity with great enthusiasm.

Fifth and Sixth received a generous invitation and welcome from Richard Barrett in Barrow Golf Club. They enjoyed a powerpoint presentation, lunch and played lots of golf, of course! Thank you! Ghey had a great time.⛳

I had trouble finding classes last Wednesday! Some of the classrooms were empty! Eventually, I found Sixth Class reading to Second, Fourth reading to Senior Infants. Fifth Reading to First. Third reading to Junior Infants. It was a great day….lots of reading, chatting, older children connecting with younger. Sharing books is probably the most important and rewarding learning activity you can do with a child. Highly recommended for every child and parent! The character costumes were so creative and they added that extra bit of magic to our Book Day. Alice, the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter trio were just thrilled at how well the day brought everyone together 🙂. They were all full of energy from all the pancakes which they ate the day before, on ‘Shrove Tuesday’. Ms Gemma won ‘Teacher of the Week’ having cooked 60+ pancakes!! All the other teachers came a joint second. Sincere thanks to all our teachers and assistants for enabling the children to enjoy ‘flipping’ great pancakes!

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).