5th Class Trip to Fighting Words

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On 16th September, our pupils had the wonderful opportunity to visit Fighting Words, a creative writing organisation that provides free, fun and interactive writing workshops for young people.

During our visit, the pupils worked together to create a story, exploring important elements of storytelling such as characters, plot and setting. Working as a group, they shared their ideas and used their imaginations to develop a story with the support of experienced Fighting Words writing mentors.

The pupils then had the opportunity to write their own individual stories, receiving encouragement and support as they developed their ideas and brought their stories to life. The workshop helped our pupils to express their creativity, build confidence and discover the enjoyment of creative writing.

We are delighted that the pupils’ work has been published on the Fighting Words website for others to enjoy!

📖 Read our pupils’ published story, Fart Fart Fart Fart Fart, here:
Read our pupils’ story on Fighting Words

A huge thank you to the team at Fighting Words for making our visit such an enjoyable, creative and inspiring experience. We are very proud of all our young writers and their fantastic work!

6th Class – What We Have Been Learning

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Maths – Square Numbers, Square Roots & Area
In Maths, we have been exploring square numbers and square roots and developing an understanding of why they are called “square” numbers. We have connected this learning to area, looking at how the number of squares in a grid can be used to calculate the area of a shape. The children have been investigating the relationship between the length of the sides of a square, its area and its square root.

Art – Self-Portraits
In Art, we have been learning about self-portraits and how artists can represent themselves through drawing. The children have been developing their observation skills, paying close attention to facial proportions, features, shape and detail. They have also been experimenting with shading, tone and line to add depth and character to their portraits.

Science – The Scientific Method & The Marshmallow Challenge
In Science, we have been introduced to the scientific method and how scientists use a structured process to investigate questions and solve problems. We put this into practice through the Marshmallow Challenge, where teams had to design and build a tower using a limited set of materials. The children developed hypotheses, planned and tested ideas, observed results and evaluated their designs. The activity also encouraged teamwork, problem-solving, communication and learning from unsuccessful attempts.

History – The Vikings in Ireland
In History, we have been learning about the Vikings and their influence on Ireland. We have explored who the Vikings were, where they came from and why they travelled to Ireland. We have also looked at Viking settlements, including Dublin, as well as their trading activities, battles and interactions with the Irish people. The children have been considering the lasting impact the Vikings had on Irish towns, culture, language and place names.

Gaeilge – Mé Féin & An Aimsir Chaite
In Irish, we have been developing our ability to talk and write about “Mé Féin” (Myself). The children have been learning vocabulary and sentences relating to themselves, including their family, interests, hobbies, personality and daily activities. We have also begun working with An Aimsir Chaite (the past tense), learning how Irish verbs change when talking about things that have already happened. We have been focusing particularly on the use of séimhiú and d’ with past-tense verbs.

Welcome Back

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A huge welcome back to all our pupils, tomorrow, as we begin a new school year, Tuesday 1st September!

Here are the details of classes, teachers and support staff:

Classes and Class Teachers:

Junior Infants: Ms Buggy

Senior Infants: Ms Fitzpatrick

1st Class: Ms Condron/ Ms Sweetman

2nd Class: Mr Delaney

3rd Class: Mr Cullen

4th Class A: Ms Curran

4th Class B: Mr O’Sullivan

5th Class: Ms Teeling

6th Class: Mr Flanagan

Autism Class: Ms Fahey/ Ms Tierney

Moderate Class: Ms Leonard

Support Teachers:

Ms Whyte

Mr Smyth

Ms McLoone

Ms O’Dowd

Ms O’Leary’s Last Day in our School!

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Ms. O’Leary’s last day teaching in St. Gabriel’s was on the 19th June. We had a very special afternoon celebrating Ms. O’Leary and giving her a good send off.

A special assembly was held in her honour, where she was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a selection of gift vouchers which were bought with the very generous contributions from the parents in our school. She also received a large book filled with the beautiful notes and pictures that every child in the school made for her. The stage was decorated with posters for Ms. O’Leary with beautiful watercolour flowers painted by children in 5th and 6th class. Ms. O’Leary was truly surprised and overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of the parents and the children in our school.

At home time, the children lined the corridors and clapped Ms. O’Leary through the school to wish her all the very best for her retirement and to thank her for everything she has done over the years. This was a moment that we are sure will live on in the memories of Ms. O’Leary, the children and the staff of St. Gabriel’s!

Ms. O’Leary, we will all miss you so much. Thank you for your dedication, care, and the positive impact you have made on so many lives. We wish you a long, happy, and healthy retirement!