Category: General

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!

Second Class will begin their first of a series of ‘Do this in Memory’ masses, this coming Sunday at 10am in MARY IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH in Rathass. St John’s office apologises for any confusion-an administrative blip! They will issue hardcopies of new dates and times to each child soon. In the mean-time you will find days and dates of all these special masses by clicking ‘Parents’ in the menu above. You will also find these dates on the EVENTS calendar.

Well, blackberry season is well and truly over (folklore reminds us that the púca spits on blackberries in October) and even the sloes have ripened prematurely. Storm Callum shook the ash trees vigorously, covering all our yard and blocking our drains. Sixth Class spent 20mins sweeping and clearing the yard with me. I really appreciate that! They loved it. Huge thanks to Ms Brid, Gemma and Gillian for their work/enthusiasm in our garden. Enjoy these photos….

Well here she is: the most talented and generous cook! Ms Gemma here, is ‘throwing together’ a kale/tossed leaf salad with a punchy, pungent, delicious dressing. Her beetroot (from our organic garden)and carrot salad was so delicious. She even roasted our sunflower seeds with her own pumpkin seeds, in a dried spice mix, that has yet to be patented! She dressed one of these salads with Irish mozzarella…. and other inspiring and creative (secret) ingredients…. what a treat for all of her colleagues, and all done so ‘effortlessly’, in 10mins, (typical!). Míle buíochas duit, Gem.

We teachers are feeling a little uneasy…..creaky hinges in school and spells in the yard! But, the children love the anticipation. Hallowe’en approaches and winter beckons…..

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There is no doubt that teaching and learning is what we are all about. Take a look at our ‘work in progress’.

Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Classes met in the hall to hear 22 nominees present themselves to the school public. We were genuinely impressed by the quality of their speeches, their ideals and their opinions on how a student council can improve the culture and experiences for all our school community. 80+ children voted and all agreed that all the nominees were excellent.There are now 10 children elected to the council! They will have an input into many of the decisions that are made during the year. They will endeavour to represent the voices of all our pupils in Caherleaheen. It’s very exciting……and very new! They spoke about their concerns such as problematic holes in the Astro turf, parking carefully, schoolbags, IT equipment, WiFi, a Caherleaheen App.,whiteboard maintenance, exercise at school and for ‘homework’, playground equipment, after school activities, homework clubs, well-being, shared reading between Senior and Junior children, chillax reading areas,music, movement and many other amazing and inspirational proposals.WOW!!! (We teachers were humbled and delighted…what great kids/speakers!) Congratulations to all of you: nominees, electorate and our first, ever CSC members👍.

Fifth Class are investigating what makes a business succeed in this world. Is it a ‘bright idea’? Or is hard work, passion and skill involved? Could it be interpersonal skills, character and an interest in people? Could it be about seeing a need/a market/a problem and solving, meeting that need? Pádraig and Tadhg McGillicuddy, of Ballygarry House Hotel and Spa, are leaders in the Hospitality and Tourism industry. Both managers explained how the hotel has grown from generation to generation. Fifth class were shown an excellent, informative Powerpoint presentation on how investments of time, passion and hard work, over the years, have built the hotel to be what it is today. The children, in groups, were shown different sectors of the hotel industry: Kitchen and Culinary, Health and Fitness suite, the Spa, the receptions and the wonderful accommodation on offer in this beautiful hotel. All the staff work in tight teams and we hope this lesson, in particular, will play a part in promoting collaboration, as Fifth and Sixth classes get to grips with the learning objectives in the Junior Entrepreneur Programme (J.E.P.). Ms Gillian witnessed how Pádraig and Tadhg gave so much of their time, so generously to our Fifth Class. The welcome culminated in lunch for all the kids and a delicious dessert, including birthday cake for ????? Huge thanks to all the staff in Ballygarry. It was a great, educational (and tasty) tour! And thanks too to Jennifer, for these photos and helping on the tour.

Fourth Class proudly presented €540 to Nuala Finnegan and Maura Sullivan of Kerry Hospice. They asked us to thank all of the children, parents and friends who supported this special cause. Special thanks must go to the families in Fourth Class who delighted everyone with their delicious cakes and buns. Ms Mary thanked Ms Brid for co-ordinating the Coffee Event.

Parents and children from Junior Infants and Fourth Class can access Weebly platforms by clicking the ‘KIDS’ tab on the menu above.

Aoise arrived to the hall and the whole school was waiting for her. What a cheer she got! She won and brought home a bronze medal from the European Halliwick Gala in Kracow, Poland. She described her weekly training schedule, not just in swimming, but also athletics with the wonderful Tralee Harriers Athletics Club. (She also continues her gynastics). Then she told us how she progressed to the European’s. Last Saturday, against 80+ competitors, she dived into her heats/our hearts and won her place in two semi-finals: 50m and 25m…..representing her country! This is hugely significant and inspiring for all of us here in Caherleaheen- her pals and friends, her teachers and SNAs. Aoise ultimately won a bronze in the 25m final! How did she do it? Well, she trained consistently, embraced challenges and tapped into some of her greatest strengths, which are: her work ethic, her belief and resilient positivity. We are immensely proud of her. This afternoon, she gave everyone a night off homework. This was welcomed, reluctantly, by all the kids 🙂 (Though she told me, she has homework tonight, as usual). She is a second-year student in Presentation with lots to do. Comhgáirdeas duit, a Aoise! You are a great example to all of us here! The embraces, the congratulations were exuberant and heartfelt, this afternoon. Our triumphant footballers from today’s Cumann na mBunScoil in Blennerville, also greatly appreciated and identified with Aoise’s achievement, as you can see in these photos below. We all felt the glow! Aoise always had character, sincerity, humour, graft and discipline here in Caherleaheen…… and she let it all loose in Poland last Saturday!

Our footballers from Fourth, Fifth and Sixth played superbly today against stiff and tough/rough competition. We are very proud of their behaviour and their skill. Just look at the three winning results they achieved today. What a HAT-TRICK!. Against Listellig 4.7 v 0.2. Defeating Moyderwell 5.12 v 0.2. And finally they beat Castleisland : 4.9 v 0.7. Many thanks to Paul and Damien for the great encouragement. Caherleaheen also got to the semifinals in Mounthawk blitz, last Wednesday, winning two out of three games. Well done!! Bua tré iarracht!

Thank you all for supporting our Hospice Coffee Event. Fourth Class are top class bakers! Their delicious buns ,cakes and jams flew off the tables and everything was eaten. Ms Brid co-ordinated the event and everyone who attended really enjoyed the atmosphere and the yummy treats. Well done everyone!We also held our Biodiversity Day and celebrated the harvest from our school garden and the fruits from the hedgegrows and trees of Caherleaheen. Lots of healthy soup and tarts were baked in school. Children are also picking and freezing blackberries. Most classes did nature trails and all agree that Caherleaheen is really beautiful in Autumn.

 

Surely, hurling/camogie ranks highly as one of the greatest team sports on the globe! Kerry football fans would agree! Therefore, it was with great pride that the senior classes welcomed and cheered our young U.12 Tralee Parnell hurlers, when they presented the Managan Cup to Caherleaheen NS, last Friday. They derailed Dr Crokes last month, a great club that has dominated this competition for years. Tralee Parnells club has invested the last decade to promoting, training and supporting hurling in the greater Tralee area. And we now have four young Setantas in Caherleaheen! Our senior infant, Ryan H. (Parnell Mascot 🙂 ), led his older brother Luke H, Jayden S, David and his brother Seán S. into the hall, to wild applause. County Final winners, supported by parents who help coach all the young Setantas from around Tralee. It’s a great club, so consider joining in Spring 2019 ( Tuesday and Fridays). Start practising with a hurley and sliotar now….great fun and superb for co-ordination and focusing the mind. We are also delighted to welcome Patrice Diggins ( Kerry Gaelic Development) who will train our aspiring young camogie and hurling players, starting next Friday. (Every camogie/hurler needs a Scathach!). Some of our past pupils also feature in the link below. We are very proud of all of you. Beir bua!

https://www.facebook.com/TraleeParnellsHurlingClub/

 

Even though we are very busy, we all have decided to use these three words as often as possible. We hope, parents, teachers, assistants and children will make a big effort this coming year to say ‘más é do thoil’, ‘go raibh maith agat’ agus ‘brón orm’ 👍 Click Read More…

What a wonderful group of children we received today!They chatted, drew pictures, played house, dinosaur hunt, circle time, story, colour by number and told us all about themselves. Very few tears, quickly forgotten too! WELL DONE and WELCOME to Caherleaheen!

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We were absolutely delighted to be nominated for sponsorship by Kelliher’s Inver Station in Rathass. There are so many parents and families in Caherleaheen who actively support our initiatives, our efforts and most importantly, our ethos of learning, inclusivity and mutual respect between taechers,children and parents. Huge thanks to Inver, the parents who nominated us and the children who proudly wore their uniforms. mid-July! They deserved those ice-creams and I think our school deserved this generous affirmation from Inver. Many thanks to James Kelliher and his staff, who gave us all an incredibly warm welcome…..and a large cheque towards our STEM resources.

Míle, míle buíochas do na tuismitheorií agus do na páistí a bhfuil ag tabhart aire iontach don ár ngáirdín scoile. Is trua nach bhfuilimid go léir ann chun sult a bhaint as an tréimhse fáis seo! Thank you to all eight families from Senior Infants!

We will miss Sixth Class so much. They were a really wonderful group of kids. The ceremony and tributes at their graduation brought back lots of memories and celebrated their talents, their efforts and their contribution to our school. They are a credit to their families and teachers. We could not be prouder! They headed off to Castlgregory for an afternoon of watersports, fun, friendship and pizza. A perfect ending for a great class. We wish them every happiness and success in their chosen secondary schools. They will represent Caherleaheen well!!

Congratulations to our Fourth Class pupil, Enda Sheehan, who recently won a Science competition for his whole class, held by Astellas Laboratories, Killorglin. Many thanks to Astellas for the visit to their labs, the interaction with technicians and the hugely generous prize of €500, which will be well spent on STEM resources. It was a very memorable and enjoyable day for all.

The Mad Scientists joined us and told us all about their jobs as microbiologists. Then we had a lot of fun experimenting with dry ice.

The microbiologists told us about the different items they tested for bacteria. We learned that the average desk has 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. Imagine that!! No wonder Ms Mary has planned a desk scrubbing day next Tuesday.

A mobile phone has 18 times more bacteria than a public toilet. (Yuck).We just need to wash our hands more and take care, without being too worried about being ‘ too clean’! Exposure to bacteria can be good too- it prepares our bodies and our immune system to fight back, preveningt us from being unwell.

There is absolutely no doubt, that yet another sport is growing deep roots and tall shoots in Kerry! This is the 12th year that we have participated in the Tralee event and advanced to the County Finals. However, this is the first year that I have witnessed such amazing talent, from all corners/schools in Kerry. I strongly believe that Tralee Harriers has led the way in promoting athletics in Tralee and beyond. The club is leading the way for junior, senior, amateur and professional athletes. It is just wonderful to see how primary schools around Kerry are now embracing the sport and competing with each other. Yes, there are many clubs around the county, but T.Harriers host and attract the best qualifying schools in the wonderful An Ríocht track. Caherleaheen has featured proudly in the relay medals for the last decade at final level. Local Secondary schools have won National Schools Relays-always with a Harrier/Caherleaheen baton!(Mounthawk Mercy Secondary All-Ireland Champions 2018…..Go Luke O’Carroll!). It really doesn’t matter what your speed is, or your shot or javelin throw or your long jump distances are. It’s your Personal Best. Your PB is all you want to be- in athletics, in sports, in effort, in school, at home, in friendships. I am a slow learner and it took me quite a while to grasp why I was attracted to this wonderful sport, (as an ould one in my 50s who had never ever run 100cm) and the great endeavours of our young athletes and their coaches/parents: Physical/social/self-esteem dividends. I have to acknowledge the selfless Harrier coaches, all volunteers, who spend Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays on a weekly basis training and competing in Tralee IT (winter), Dan Spring Rd, An Ríocht, and provisional/national venues. These last few years, Paul Griffin has devoted hours, days, nights, weekends to promoting and progressing our young athletes in Tralee, as well as mentoring, organising and attending every single competitive event. He is a superb analysist and writer (check out the Tralee Harriers Facebook Page). His administrative skills and sponsorship coups are enviable. But, his encouragement, which I witness every Tuesday night these last 2 years, his humour, his hard work ethic and his total devotion to Harriers are truly inspiring. I just want to acknowledge this local hero here on this website. There are many many great parents and coaches and BoM members behind him. They have nurtured the club for many years. John arrived in this town 4/5 yrs ago. How lucky are we! Enough of that ( I could go on!) Here, are our very own young heroes from Caherleaheen. These are our medal winners from the Kerry Finals. They were ably supported by all our other qualifiers. Could you be prouder?

We had a superb day last Friday. The children were treated to lots of different activities: tug of war, penalties, turbo javelins, sprinting, relays, egg and spoon, three-legged, parachuting, pipe and ball race, wellie throwing etc. A fantastic atmosphere! Parents helped with equipment, teas, coffees and fruit prep. Teachers and assistants worked the stations and set up equipment with Alan Duggan. The fruit was delicious and all the kids enjoyed blueberries,strawberries, melons, grapes, apples and oranges. Many thanks to Byrne’s SPAR for sponsoring this incredibly generous feast. Bhí an bua ag an bhfoireann dubhghorm! All the coloured teams were great!!

Bhain na páiste an-taitneamh as an ngáirdín i rith na seachtaine. Bhí an aimsir go breá. Leitís, pónairí, luibheanna, Lus na gréine, puimcín, cúirséad, scailliún, oinniúin, sútha talún, rúbarb agus biatas….

The event kicked off at 6 pm, with hundreds of children and parents attending from local primary schools. Everyone participated: 60m,80m,100m,200m,600m races, turbo javelin, long jump and shot put. For the Grand Finale there were 6 incredibly exciting relay competitions. Caherleaheen won a medal in all 6 relay races: 2 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze. When the points were added up, after all our wins, we were awarded the Cup.Cheers and tears of joy as we did the lap of honour around the field! Many, many thanks to the Extraordinary Harriers Co-ordinating Team, led by John Griffin.

I have to say that the service which I got in the Senior Infant’s Travel Agency was as good as one can get! I have booked a holiday in Spain AND they even printed my Boarding Pass. Luckily for me, they spotted that my passport was out of date, so I will have to send it to Cork to have it renewed. The Agency will be relocating to the Junior Infant room next week.

Míle, míle buíochas lenár dtuismitheoirí! Féach anois ar na cluichí nua a bhfuil péinteáilte sa chlós.

It can be difficult to keep up with so many varied achievements, be they in sport or the arts. These endeavours and interests help children to develop social skills, make new friends and equip them for future years. Participation is key! Enjoyment is the spare key! Success and disappointment are part and parcel of participation. Here are just a few pics of those who enjoyed success these last few weeks. How? They participated and worked hard at their sport/craft/skill.