This video was brainchild of the staff of Piercestown National School and ably assisted by some local famous faces to wish our ‘Class of 2020’ a virtual farewell on what should have been their last day in Piercestown National School.
We hope you enjoyed it as much as the ‘Class of 2020’ did!
Huge thanks to Miss Sinnott for her technical mastery and Ms. Hearne for her co-ordination and all who contributed in any small way.
Now sit back, relax and enjoy the show!
Pop corn with soda and movie shows
Congratulations to the Class of 2020!!!!!! See you on the 23rd July for a face to face goodbye.
And with that, COVID 19 and the 12th March abrupt halt became a distant memory. Playgrounds have re-opened, children are back playing in the green spaces and laughter and chat can be heard around the place again. The sun is shining and for all of the parents and children we can finally say, SCHOOL IS OUT FOR SUMMER!
Never before and probably never again, will our country experience such events. The aim of the game was to stay safe and thankfully our school community remains in tact. It will go down in history as our biggest ‘victory’ to date. For that, we will be forever grateful.
Now it is time to take a deep sigh of relief and look to the future. While social distancing still remains, we look forward to the summer months, 99’s, BBQ’s, no homework, no homeschooling, and after a well earned break the sound of our school bell again and the hustle and bustle as we meet back together! There is SO much to look forward to.
For the ‘Class of 2020’ we salute you. You have even more fun times ahead. We will zoom at 10am this morning, and you can open your surprise post. We will see you back in your old stomping ground on July 23rd and while it may be slightly different we look forward to a ‘face to face’ graduation. And from there we will look ahead to our Confirmation on July 25th and then you fly the nest……..bid us ‘farewell’ and head to new pastures!!!! We are so proud of you!
And so people don’t miss out on the interim ‘virtual’ farewell, this blog will be followed in an hour or so by a final blog to celebrate the ‘Class of 2020’ on what should have been their last official day in Piercestown N.S. 26th June 2020!!!! Watch this space.
But finally, on behalf of all the staff at Piercestown N.S. ‘go forth, be strong and never feel alone, because Piercestown National School will always be your home!’
And finally, after many months of blogging, it is time for me to bow out for the summer. Boys and girls you have been superb, parents you have been AMAZING! Staff you have been a credit to your school. So without further delay, on behalf of myself as principal and the Board of Management, we thank you for ALL YOUR EFFORTS, wish you a restful summer and look forward to seeing you when we return after the summer months.
Stay safe, have a great summer and have fun! We miss you already 🙂
Welcome back everyone, I hope you had a lovely weekend. I have no doubt that all of the Dad’s and Grandad’s were spoiled over the weekend and got the benefit of it being the longest day of the year too!
I can hardly believe that this is our last official week of school. Normally, we enjoy this week so much with the buzz of assembly, outdoor learning, teddy bear picnics, 6th class ‘end of year fever’, to name but a few events. Instead, we remain seperated but filled with hope of a fun filled summer with restrictions being lifted and the excitement of our reunion in our next school year.
It may be our last week, but it is still all go in Piercestown N.S. The postman will be busy around Piercestown today and tomorrow as he makes his way with all of our school reports. As always, any parents who wish to check in with the teachers having read the reports can do so on the staff professional email addresses. Some children will receive slightly heavier post with their 100% attendance medals also in the post.
Our newsletter with LOTS of information will wing its way through cyber space this week to all families. Our stationary lists will be sent out before the end of the week and our much awaited class allocation (who is teaching what class?!) next year will also be diseminated. Our Board are meeting on Thursday, our school is being deep cleaned from today and some staff are preparing for our doors to be opened for July Provision beginnning next Monday 29th June.
We are also busy making plans for the next school year already, booking events, coaches, getting ready to welcome new children into our school family, ensuring our schools is prepared to the best of our ability for our return and so much more!
And while your teachers have not sent your usual academic work this week, they wanted you to have some fun activities to keep you busy over the duration of the week so your parents will have all received this yesterday.
As always, we are happy to continue to receive photos and will update the blog. Why not send us your ‘end of year smiling faces’! We would love to see them! ‘Class of 2020’ why not send in some pictures of your last week as ‘official pupils’ in Piercestown N.S. We look forward to updating the ‘Class of 2020’ this week with the finer details of their upcoming Confirmation on July 25th and their Graduation that has been postponed until July also. Do not fear however, we are not letting this Friday go unmarked!!!! ‘Class of 2020’ we have a few treats in store!
In the meantime, if you are at a loose end why not give some of these fun activities a go……
Why not ‘chalk it down?
Try out some of these fabulous illustrations on your driveway, pathway, patio outside. Be as creative as you like.
Don’t forget to send us some photos to principal@piercestownns.com
If chalk is not your thing, but you feel like doing some summery art, check out this website for some simple but effective ideas.
As always, have a lovely week and if we can be of any assistance or you want to send us some photos for the blog, please do so on principal@piercestownns.com
Happy Friday everyone, our last ‘Fun Friday of the school year 2019-2020!
Today is all abut our wellbeing and taking some time out of what has been a hectic, rollercoaster journey over the last few months. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Wellbeing and Mindful Friday June 19th 2020 As we make our way towards the finish line of the school year 2019-2020, it may be time to pause, take a moment and reflect on the turn of events that took place. It may be simply time to breathe. This has NOT been easy for anybody. Each and everyone of us has travelled a unique journey in unprecedented times. None of us received a handout or preparation or survival guide along the way…..but you DID survive!!!!! Applaud yourselves, acknowledge how hard it was and still is in many ways, but you DID it and so DID your children. Take a bow!!!! So today is all about the well-being of your family. We have a selection of activities today- a menu for you to pick and choose from. Let’s imagine that we are dining at our favourite restaurant and choosing a three-course meal. We hope there is something for everyone. We can choose a starter, main course AND dessert.
The first document I direct you to is called ‘Mindfulness for Children’ and has been designed by Mrs. Trína Cooney. Let’s imagine this as a ‘Starter Menu’ It tells us what ‘mindfulness’ is and guides us through some relaxing activities such as Mindful Breathing, Mindful Eating, Mindful Playing and Mindful Music. Why not select one activity from this document as your starter.
Our next document has several options – from this you can choose your main course or your ‘main activity’. This is called the ‘Well-being Friday’ document. Choose one (or more) of the activities here to create a feel-good factor to your day.
Finally, as if we were having a delightful 3 course meal, why not choose a ‘dessert’ activity from either the ‘Mindful Colouring in the Graduation Quotes’ or the ‘The Mindful Jar activity’.
Huge congratulations to all of our children who entered the ‘Create your own Obstacle Course’ competition co-ordinated by Miss Farrell as part of our Fun Friday last week. It got a great response with lots of videos submitted. The children of Piercestown are not only extremely active but also extremely brave! There was a variety of activites from climbing hay bales, to rolling down hills, obstacle courses on the farm (fully supervised), bombing into water pools as well as running, hopping, skipping, bouncing, balancing and so much more!
It showed the creativity of all of the families in utilising their gardens, balancing on kerbs, zig zagging through heather plants, climbing gates and ditches, pulling wheelie bins, and scaling the outside of trampolines!
But as it was a competition there has to be winners. Due to the large effort by all ages groups we decided to offer four categories; one from Junior and Senior infants; one from 1st and 2nd class; one from 3rd and 4th class and one from 5th and 6th class………
So, click on the drum roll please………as our winners are announced:
Junior and Senior Infants Category:
Congratulations to Saoirse Field in Junior Infants – who completed a very busy and creative Obstacle Course at great speed!!!!!!! We loved how she utilised all of the items in her garden and brought in her hurling skill towards the end. Well done Saoirse. A €10 Smyths voucher will be on the way to you by Friday.
1st and 2nd Class Category:
There was again tough competition in the 1st and 2nd class category but for her innovation in bringing some puzzles into the activity and donning her red cape, the winner is Lily Hayes in 2nd class. Take a bow Lily. A €10 Smyths voucher will be on the way to you by Friday.
3rd and 4th Class Category:
Again, there was very little to distinguish between our participants in this category, but for the creativity in using as many items as possible around the garden and household, from sweeping brushes, to garden hoses, wheelie bins to heather plants, our winner is Estelle Gooden in 3rd class. Well done Estelle.
5th and 6th Class Category:
For innovation, creativity and bravery (and I am assured safety guidelines were in place) the winner of this category for their ‘Obstacle Course on the Farm’ goes to siblings Sarah and Kevin O’Mahony in 5th and 6th class and so there is peace and harmony in the household, a little bit like the ‘late Late Show’ we will give a €10 Smyth’s voucher to each other them. Well done Sarah and Kevin, it was a nerve racking watch but worthy of a prize!!
Finally, no competition is ever complete without a ‘Creative’ award. This final award goes to Fionn Doyle in Senior Infants for his creative costume during the ‘Obstacle Course’ and the family participation along with his dance moves! Well done Fionn, a €10 Smyth’s voucher will make its way to you soon.
A huge thanks to all of the parents who facilitated this event. We understand the children cannot take part without your support, excellent camera work and sideline commentary!!! Well done and thank you!
Final word of thanks goes to Miss Farrell for her Steven Spielberg involvement in putting the video together. So for today, sit back and relax and enjoy the show! Pull out the popcorn for this video as it is over 20 minutes long. Enjoy the show and we will be back tomorrow with our final Fun Friday (Well Being Day) of the year for 2020!
While we were not in school on Friday for our annual Sports day, there were sport and activites taking place all around the Piercestown area! From obstacle courses to tennis matches, to skipping challenges to gymnastics and plenty of icecream. Well done to all who participated! It is a true testament to our Active School Status. Check out some of the photos we received so far. Don’t forget if you wish to share pictures on the blog send them to principal@piercestownns.com.
Extra special shout out to those who have entered the ‘Obstacle Course’ challenge. There is still time to get your entries in to Miss Farrell on lfarrell@piercestownns.com Keep an eye out on the blog later in the week of the winner announcement.
With just 2 weeks of the offical school year left to go, time is passing quickly.
Keep up the great work and don’t forget to stay connected with us by sharing pictures. If you missed any of our news or updates last week, go to the Newsletter Tab on our website and click into our May newsletter to catch up.
In greatnews, we announced that our Confirmation is rescheduled to take place on July 25th in St. Martin’s Church. We look forward to sharing this special day with 6th class, whilst being fully compliant with all health and safety restrictions required.
For those eager beavers this week, why not try out some of the following activities?! And who could forget the spectacular thunder and lightning storm at the weekend?!!!!!!!
Senior classes: Why not read the powerpoint on thunder and lightning to understand and recap what was really happening on Saturday night?
Keep up the great work everyone, we will be back later in the week with an update from Miss Farrell about the Obstacle Course competition and don’t forget to tune in on Friday for Fun Friday Wellbeing Day.
Happy Friday everyone. Before we get ‘Ready, Steady, Go’ for our Physical Activity themed day, let’s have a quick throw back to last week’s ‘Fun Friday’. This was all about ‘being an artist’ and the end result was simply amazing. From junk art, to painting stones, to free style art, there simply was no limit to the talent. Huge thanks to all who took the time to hand deliver their painted stones to our school, which cheered up all our staff members every time they entered the building this week. Huge thanks to all of those who submitted their entries so that we can host a ‘Virtual Art Exhibition’. Final thanks to Ms. Rea for her IT expertise in putting the video together. Keep an eye out for your own art! But for now let’s remain connected by sharing all of our art work with each other.
Now for kick off. 12th June was scheduled as our Sports Day in school ☹ We did, however, manage to enjoy and participate in a very successful Stay at Home Active Week 2020 – so we once again commend you for this.
Welcome to your fun Friday Activity Plan.
Please find below a menu of activities for your children to enjoy over the course of the day should you wish them to participate in them.
We are also attaching a PDF file with lots of activities to take part in or scroll down to do some of the fun activities in this document………
Have fun and as always if you wish to send any pictures to principal@piercestownns.com and we will pop them up on the blog.
Happy Monday everyone and I hope you all had a lovely weekend.
I wish to say a huge congratulations to ALL families who participated in our first ‘Fun Friday’ last week which was all about Art. The photos are rolling in and the talent is simply endless. We look forward to uploading a video later in the week of our, ‘Virtual Art Exhibition June 5th 2020’. To whet your appetite in preparation of seeing the video, I will post a photo of one family who took their ‘painted stones’ to our school premises to remind us how connected we have remained in spite of all our time apart. It makes all of the staff so proud of you each and every day!
We look forward to this ‘Fun Friday’ also, which promises to remind us of our ‘Sports Day’ with a menu of physical activites to choose from! Let’s hope the sunshines and as we usually host the ‘HB Icecream day on our Sports Day, maybe the Mammy’s and Daddy’s will take out the icecream and wafers for the day that is in it! Yum!
Well done to Ms. Rea and her class of Senior infants who earned Piercestown National school the status of ‘School of the Week‘ on the Incredible Edibles website this week. https://www.incredibleedibles.ie/
Check out the Incredible Edible website to see a video of their wonderful work. They had only just started the Incredible Edibles project when COVID-19 forced us to close our school doors. But Ms. Rea’s class were NOT going to be deterred and they continued their efforts at home reaping the reward in this much deserved title. On behalf of the whole school, Senior Infants you are SUPER and we are so proud of you! Take a bow!!!!!!!!!
There is a lot of uncertainty in the media at the moment about return to school and indeed July Provision. We wish to reassure you that NO GUIDELINES have been issued yet to any schools. As soon as accurate and confirmed information comes available we will be in touch but in the meantime, I have compiled a detailed newsletter that we will email to all families today. We hope to have answers soon with regard to Confirmation date, Communion dates, July Provision, School calendar to name but a few items. We are working hard behind the scenes to progress all of these areas as best we can. We will of course have to await guidance and direction on certain aspects before we make further decisions. To keep up to speed with it all check out our May Newsletter 2020!
And finally, for those early finishers or in search of some extra activities see if some of these ideas take your fancy over the course of the week:
To give a throw back to the first Monday of every month when we were in school, I have included a Mindful Monday activity to bring you to some happy places in your head:
We can help ourselves to feel good by remembering many of the happy times in our lives (even during a world pandemic). This activity asks you to think of 4 of your happiest times and draw a picture of them. Write a sentence about each one too if you can! Let’s see if you can bring a smile to another Monday!
Hopefully, there is something there to keep everyone as busy as they wish to be on a Monday. I will be back in touch later in the week. Keep up the great work everyone!
Today our whole school takes a break from their literacy and numeracy work to focus on the subject area of Art.
This is another opportunity for us to come together by staying apart by sharing our work. You will have all received a document with the following ideas, but just in case you have forgotten here is our suite of Art Activities for today: )
June 5th 2020
**Fun Friday – Take a Break from the Numeracy and Literacy. Our whole school theme today is the subject area of Art.
Choose from one of the following art activities (if you wish) that you feel is best suited to your child / household. Don’t forget to email us at principal@piercestownns.com if you wish to share it on the blog.
This is supposed to be an enjoyable less pressurised day of the week. Enjoy your Friday feeling. 😊
Option 1– Complete a piece of Junk art.
·Poetry: Read the Junk Art poem by Lill Pluta. Can you create a piece of Junk Art, just like the poet did? Have a go and send me a photo!
Junk Art by Lill Pluta
I feel so smart when I make art
from things I’d throw away.
Look there! I’ve made three floating fish
out of an old foam tray.
A coffee can becomes a drum
dressed up with string and yarn.
I find the box that held my juice.
Now it’s a bright red barn!
My paper scraps are in a bin
I know I’ll find a use.
I fold and cut and paint and glue
I’ve made a silly moose!
I feel so smart when I make art
from things I’d throw away.
I like to save odd bits of stuff
to use another day.
****Check out the 2nd class blog for some inspiration in the Junk art as 2nd Class in collaboration with Mrs. Corrigan and Mrs. Cooney have already given this activity a go!
If any of the Senior Classes wish to use it, also the children could use straws, lollipop sticks, paper or card and glue sticks whatever they have at home but in this video a glue gun for €5.99 and spray paint €4 in Mr. Price was used…..
This piece of art could create nice memories from this time
Option 3 – Painting Stones
(Markers could be used as an alternative to paint)
This one is a website with printable instructions for painting ladybirds
If the children are living local to the school. they could place their painted stones along the front steps of our school or along our windowsills. This is another way of our school coming together while staying apart 😊
Option 4 – Freestyle – Any piece of art your child wishes to produce today
We look forward to seeing some of your work. Happy Friday. Have a lovely weekend.
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