School Activities
Castledockrell National School has a deep interest in the promotion of extra curricular activities and organises sport and leisure activities for all pupils. This includes hurling, football, camogie, art projects, swimming, tag rugby, yoga,quizzes, zumba, trips, concerts, variety shows and gardening. The children also organise and attend a variety of religious ceremonies throughout the year.
Under the sea projects
Living Arts Project
We are delighted to be taking part in the Living Arts Project which started on Thursday with some really interesting printing activities. We look forward to trying out lots of new art ideas over the coming weeks.
Say YES to Languages!
The senior room thoroughly enjoyed six weeks of French Classes through the Languages Connect Sampler Module.
We finished off our 6 week course with a celebration of all things French and sampled some delicious French cuisine!
Merci beaucoup Madame Sinnott & Madame Wemyss for coming to teaching us.
We finished off our 6 week course with a celebration of all things French and sampled some delicious French cuisine!
Merci beaucoup Madame Sinnott & Madame Wemyss for coming to teaching us.
School Tour 2022
Halloween Hike 2021
September Artwork 2021
Report Writing
Science Week in the Junior Room
We had great fun this week in the junior room exploring the world of science as part of science week. We made musical instruments, mixed magic and messy potions, explored forces using marvelous marbles and looked at the reactions we get by mixing different materials together.
Science Week 2020
The Senior Room have been learning all about electricity during this year's Science Week. They have made simple electrical circuits, installed switches, powered motors and identified good conductors and insulators.
They even created their very own working lighthouse, electrical quiz and buzzing electrical challenge. Click here for some fun science games |
The Gruffalo
Julia Donaldson's all time classic "The Gruffalo"
Space Week Art
Our Solar System in chalk pastels.
Mona Lisa with a twist!
Junior Room Art
Radial Symmetry
Have a look at our cool name art.
Modigliani Style Portraits
Seachtain na Gaeilge 2020
Seachtain na Gaeilge was celebrated from the 9th to the 12th of March and included a ‘Tráth na gCeist’, a Céilí Mór, a ‘Seisiún Ceoil’ and Lá Glas, where everybody wore green clothes, ate green food and had lots of fun as Gaeilge!
Junior Room Habitat Projects
The children in the Junior Room have been busy studying habitats over the past weeks and they all completed a project at home. Everybody worked really hard on their projects and a big well done to all!
World Book Day 2020
We celebrated World Book Day on the 5th of March with children and teachers dressing up as their favourite character from a book. Lots of fun activities took place on the day including a ‘find Wally’ competition, a quiz, a book swap, buddy reading and art activities. All children received their World Book Day vouchers.
Friendship Week
Friendship Week is here with lots of fun activities for all. This year we are focusing on kindness-being kind to yourself and to others. Every child and teacher has decorated their own individual bucket; during the week we are trying to fill other peoples buckets by doing or saying something kind to them.
Everyone in the world has a bucket within them, this bucket carries around all of our positive thoughts and feelings and personal happiness. We are encouraging the children to be aware of their 'bucket', to take care of it and to fill their friends 'buckets' too. We are all bucket fillers!
Everyone in the world has a bucket within them, this bucket carries around all of our positive thoughts and feelings and personal happiness. We are encouraging the children to be aware of their 'bucket', to take care of it and to fill their friends 'buckets' too. We are all bucket fillers!
Seó Faisean
"Seó Faisean sa scoil".
The senior room did a fashion show as Gaeilge this week. Look at the style!
The senior room did a fashion show as Gaeilge this week. Look at the style!
Tá an t-Earrach Linn!
Senior Room art brightening up our hallways and helping us to 'Spring into Spring'!
INSPA Photography Competition
The senior room entered the 'Irish National School Photography Award' competition; they had to take a photograph capturing the theme 'Second Life' . #DigitalSchool #GreenSchool
Christmas Art
We knitted Christmas trees, sewed on bells and buttons, added tinsel and decorations, and then mounted them on canvases. The results are fabulous; well done everyone.
Christmas Buddy Art Activity
We made these wonderful Christmas characters as a Buddy Art Activity, and I think you will agree the results are fantastic!
Science Week 2019
We had lots of fun during science week carrying out different tasks and experiments at home and in school.
Aistear in the Junior Room
This week in the Junior Room we have been reading the book 'The Snail and the Whale' by Julia Donaldson and our Aistear play stations have been based on this story. We did some fabulous chalk pastel drawings of the snail and the whale, we did a science experiment on floating and sinking. We also used junk art to build a boat and used the ipads to find out about whales, did you know that some whales have teeth and some do not have any teeth!
Science Week in the Junior Room
As part of science week, we did some very interesting.....and messy experiments in the Junior Room. We were looking at how different materials react when they are mixed together, making for some very colourful results!
We designed our own Christmas Cards
Buddy Activity
Every week the school gets together for a buddy activity, where the older pupils and the younger children work together on an activity. This week's activity was designing and making a seasonal display for the school windows. As you can see from the pictures, everybody was kept very busy, we can't wait to see the finished results.....
Halloween Mobiles
The junior room pupils have been making Halloween mobiles this week in Aistear. The main character is the spider based on our story of the week 'Spinderella' by Julia Donaldhson.
Halloween Masks
The senior room pupils have been busy getting ready for Halloween by designing and creating masks using 'Modelling Rock". Everyone created their own unique mask; the results are spooktacular!
Maths Week Ireland 2019
This week we have been participating in ‘Maths Week Ireland’ with lots of extra-curricular maths activities, including maths trails, crack the code, Manga High and guesstimation exercises, and the senior room have been using their maths eyes to observe maths in the everyday environment. Take a look at the Maths Eyes posters they have created.
Planting window boxes
The junior room have been busy planting new flowers in the window boxes at the front of the school. We were looking at everything that a flower needs to help it grow and we look forward to watching our flowers grow bigger and bigger over the coming months and we can't wait to see the daffodil bulbs springing up in the spring time.
It's NOT a star, it's a..."
Senior room art lesson where everyone was given the same simple line drawing and asked to imagine and create what they think it could be.
Explorers
The senior room have been busy learning about famous explorers. From Tom Crean to Columbus, Magellan to Marco Polo! They did mini projects on the IPads on spark adobe and created beautiful sailing boat art.
There's a Snake in my School
This week in the Junior Room we have been reading the hilarious book 'There's a Snake in my School' by David Walliams, where a little girl called Miranda brought her pet snake to school and the teachers were not impressed. In our Aistear playstations this week we have been making snakes, learning about how we should take care of our pets, role play pet shops and in art class we were using pastels to draw the outside of our school.
Aistear in the Junior Room
Aistear is an important part of the Curriculum in the Junior Room, it gives the children the opportunity to develop their oral language through play. Every week a theme is chosen and we try to base the playstations on the theme. The stations will include some construction play, some writing, some art, some ICT, playdough, some maths and much more. The children plan at the begining of the lesson what they hope to achieve in the lesson and at the end of the lesson we review these sheets and look at what went well and what we could improve for the next time. Here are some photos of this weeks Aistear.
Aistear: The Zoo
After reading the book 'Monkey Puzzle' by Julia Donaldshon, we focused our Aistear play stations this week on the zoo. We were building our own small world zoos, drawing a map of our own zoo and also using the ipads to research our favourite zoo animal.
Mindfulness in the Junior Room
In the Junior Room this week we have started to practice mindfulness and we are really enjoying the chance to relax everyday. We started the process by making a Mind Jar, the water represents our mind and the glitter represents all our thoughts.
Friendship Week
This week the pupils and staff of Castledockrell N.S. celebrated “Friendship Week”. Throughout the week the older children did lots of activities with their younger ‘buddies’ including games, dance, exercise, art, making friendship bracelets and of course an Easter Egg hunt. During the week we celebrated the importance of friendship and supported Amnesty International by purchasing friendship wristbands. Well done everyone.
Our Knitting Project
Seachtain na Gaeilge
Bhí an-craic againn i rith Seachtain na Gaeilge.
Animals of the Amazon
The senior room are currently reading the novel "Journey to the River sea" by Eva Ibbotson; this novel tells the story of Maia who is tragically orphaned and sent to live with her distant relatives in the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil.
Grandparents' Day 2019
A BIG thank you to all the parents and grandparents who braved the cold weather to come to our celebration today.
We invited the grandparents into school to celebrate and pay tribute to the role that they play in handing on the faith to their grandchildren.
We remembered the grandparents who could not be with us-those who could not travel, those who live far away, those who are sick either at home or in hospital, and those who are with God in Heaven.
We celebrated Grandparents Day with a lovely prayer service, some songs and music and a 'knit & chat'.
Following this we all enjoyed a cup of tea and some homemade buns.
We invited the grandparents into school to celebrate and pay tribute to the role that they play in handing on the faith to their grandchildren.
We remembered the grandparents who could not be with us-those who could not travel, those who live far away, those who are sick either at home or in hospital, and those who are with God in Heaven.
We celebrated Grandparents Day with a lovely prayer service, some songs and music and a 'knit & chat'.
Following this we all enjoyed a cup of tea and some homemade buns.
Spinning Workshop
We were delighted to welcome the '1798 Spinners' to the school on the 21st of January; they delivered a very informative workshop to the staff and students on spinning. As part of the workshop the spinners took us from a raw piece of wool through the various stages to the finished product, including washing the wool, carding the wool, dying the wool and spinning the wool. The children in the junior room all made their own drop spindles using an apple and chop sticks, while the children in the senior room used recycled CDs to make their drop spindles. The children then used the spindles to actually spin some wool. It was a really enjoyable and informative morning and we thank the members of the '1798 Spinners' for their time. This topic fits in well with the knitting project that is underway at the moment as part of our School Self Evaluation (SSE).
Christmas Concert 2018
Our Christmas Concert was a wonderful occasion; the children did an amazing job with "Santa's Cookie" and "The Wizard of Oz". From start to finish, youngest to oldest they all shone on stage! Thank you to everyone who came along to the two performances.
Christmas Busking
We have kicked off the Christmas season in Castledockrell N.S. with our Christmas Busking this morning, outside Supervalu in Bunclody. It was a great morning for all the boys and girls, with music, singing and even some Irish dancing. Thanks to all the boys and girls for all their hard work, to the parents who provided lifts and of course to Helena for the music. Thanks also to Supervalu for the opportunity and their help this morning. We all returned to school for some hot chocolate and cookies, well deserved after all the hard work.
Christmas Carol Service
The Christmas Carol Service on Sunday, 16th December in All Saints Church in Castledockrell was a lovely occasion. We came together with Marshalstown N.S. and the two local adult choirs on the night. The church was packed to the rafters and everyone enjoyed and participated in the beautiful Carol Singing. A wonderful start to the Season of Christmas.
STEPS Young Engineer Project
The senior room pupils are taking part in Engineering Ireland's STEPS Young Engineer Project. During this project the pupils are learning all about engineering, the different types of engineering and how to become an engineer.
They worked in groups of 3 or 4 and came up with their very own engineering project for the community of Castledockrell. They worked as a team to design and then create their prototype.
The projects included:
1)A Peaceful Prayer Corner for the graveyard (which included a rockery, bench and a solar powered water fountain)
2)A Water Bottle Holder (a special holder designed to attach to the leg of the school table for easy access to water throughout the school day)
3)A Book Bag ( a pillow case customised to hang off the back of the children's chair to store their school books and free up table space)
4)An Activity Wall (a selection of homemade toys and activities to be attached to the outdoor wall space in the yard for the junior room to play at break times e.g. marble run, toss the ring etc.)
We then arranged a visit from a past pupil of the school who is now a qualified engineer and studying for his PhD. He told us all about engineering and examined our project books and portfolios.
The project books will now be submitted to Engineering Ireland.
Well done to all of our budding and talented young engineers!
They worked in groups of 3 or 4 and came up with their very own engineering project for the community of Castledockrell. They worked as a team to design and then create their prototype.
The projects included:
1)A Peaceful Prayer Corner for the graveyard (which included a rockery, bench and a solar powered water fountain)
2)A Water Bottle Holder (a special holder designed to attach to the leg of the school table for easy access to water throughout the school day)
3)A Book Bag ( a pillow case customised to hang off the back of the children's chair to store their school books and free up table space)
4)An Activity Wall (a selection of homemade toys and activities to be attached to the outdoor wall space in the yard for the junior room to play at break times e.g. marble run, toss the ring etc.)
We then arranged a visit from a past pupil of the school who is now a qualified engineer and studying for his PhD. He told us all about engineering and examined our project books and portfolios.
The project books will now be submitted to Engineering Ireland.
Well done to all of our budding and talented young engineers!
November in the Junior Room
We have been reading the book 'The Snail and the Whale' by Julia Donaldshon, about a snail who gets a lift around the world with a whale, and as a result the whale and the snail become good friends. Our Aistear play stations have all been based on the this theme and have included floating and sinking experiments, under water playdough activities and constructing boats from lego. We also made snails from recycled CDs and made a huge collage of the story, which is hanging proudly in the hall. This was a great story with lots of opportunities for learning.
Sing Out Loud
The pupils from the senior room performed in the National Opera House, in Wexford on Thursday, the 22nd of November. The atmosphere was electric when the pupils took to the stage to perform in the “Sing Out Loud” choir. Our ‘superstars’ got to enjoy the whole experience; from behind the scenes, to a dress rehearsal to everything in between! It truly will be a night they will never forget. The pupils sang a wide range of songs from a ‘Rock & Roll Medley’, to hits from ‘The Greatest Showman’ to some Disney Classics. On the night there were some other wonderful performances including Extreme Rhythm, Gymstars Gymnastic Club and Doyle Academy of Irish Dance. This is the third time Castledockrell N.S. have taken part in this event and it just keeps getting better and better! Well done to all involved, it really was a special night and we were delighted to be part of it. Thank you to everyone who came and supported us on the night.
Open Evening
We hosted an Open Evening in the school on Wednesday, 14th November from 7-9pm. There was great crowd in attendance despite the bad weather! People of all ages from across the community came along to support the school. The evening started off with a display of the children’s work and projects, an exhibition of old roll books all the way back to 1934, and some photographs from through the years. Following this everyone gathered for a short presentation from Ms. Ryan, and then the 5th & 6th class pupils took centre stage and presented in pairs. They spoke of some of the initiatives that we have here in the school from Green Schools to Digital Learning, Active Schools to the Junior Entrepreneur Programme. The pupils then performed a wonderful selection of songs and music; they even performed one of their "Sing Out Loud" songs which they will be performing in the Wexford Opera House next Thursday. The evening finished with a presentation for Fr. McDonald to mark his 40th Anniversary in the church. Finally it was tea and cake for everyone; a lovely way to end a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Thank you to everyone who brought the night to fruition and to everyone who attended on the night.
Halloween Fun
Friday, 26th of October was ‘Freaky Friday’ in Castledockrell N.S. Pupils and staff alike transformed themselves into all sorts of strange and spooky creatures; we then marched through the village on our annual Halloween hike. Throughout the day the children enjoyed some traditional Halloween games and activities.
Famous People from the Past
From Mary Robinson to Michael Collins, from Valentina Tereshkova to Tom Crean! The senior room pupils have been researching some famous people from the past, all of whom have contributed positively to our world.
Maths Week 2018
It's a busy week in Castledockrell N.S. as we celebrate 'Maths Week Ireland'. All classes are doing lots of fun Math games and activities including: Manga High, guesstimation, buddy maths, math puzzles, maths trails and more!
When I grow up.......
In the junior room at the moment we are looking at jobs that people do in our community and as part of that the children did a small project on a job they would like to do when they grow up. We had lots of different jobs on the day including teachers, farmers, soldiers, gymnasts, etc. It is great to see the future is in safe hands!
Aistear in the Junior Room: The Scarecrows Wedding
This week in the Junior Room we are reading the book,'The Scarecrow's Wedding' by Julia Donaldson. This is a really funny, rhyming book about two scarecrows, who decide to get married. Therefore our Aistear playstations are all based around this story. At the writing station we are writing invitations, in the role play station we are going to the vets and in small world we are designing and building farms.
Aistear in the Junior Room: The Bakery
This week in the junior room our theme for Aistear was The Bakery. We were busy writing recipes, making delicious playdough food and running our own bakery in the role play corner. As you can see from the pictures everybody was very busy.
Sports Day 2018
The sun was shining for our annual Sports Day which took place on Thursday, the 21st of June. All of the children were put into teams -Red, Green, Yellow, Orange and Blue for the day. For each race/event points were awarded to the winning team. Points were also awarded for good team spirit, good behaviour and having a sporting/positive attitude on the day. The day kicked off with musical chairs on the court, followed by a Zumba lesson and uni-hoc matches. Then each class took part in the following races: running, 3 legged, sack, spud and spoon, space hopper, find your teddy and silly hat/t-shirt and shorts. We then got into our teams for relays on the court which included: sponge and water, milk jug carry, scarecrow and balloon pop! After some fresh fruit and refreshments we did an obstacle course where the children had to jump hurdles, skip, balance on benches, jump through tyres and of course go through the big bouncy castle obstacle course. The parents took part in a balloon race, and even the past pupils and toddlers present on the day joined in the fun. The final event of the day was the high jump. Then everyone relaxed in the grass and had a well deserved ice cream. The Green team got the most points on the day and were awarded with medals. Before we all headed home, tired but happy after a busy day, there was just enough time for one last jump on the bouncy castle and a dance off on the court. Thank you to everyone who came along to support this event; especially the past pupils who were more than willing to help out.
J.E.P. Showcase in the RDS
The senior took part in the Junior Entrepreneur Programme (J.E.P) 2018. During this 15 week programme we had a visit from a local business person, hosted a Dragon’s Den and came up with our mini-business idea “Dockrell Wooden Crafts”. We designed and made a collection of beautiful, personalised wooden door hangers and keyrings. We then launched and marketed our products and sold them to the local community, making a profit of €200!
Over 12,000 children took part in the J.E.P. this year; we were delighted to be selected, as one of the top 25% of the schools across the country, to take part in the National J.E.P. Showcase Day in the RDS in Dublin. We had great day at the showcase on Monday, 18th June, where we got to display our project and see the work of lots of other schools. On the day we also got nominated for two awards “Marketing Gurus” and “Creative Pioneers”, we all received medals and certificates and we got to meet some famous TV personalities! Such a great honour and a wonderful experience for all involved. We all enjoyed our Burger King treat on the way home!
Over 12,000 children took part in the J.E.P. this year; we were delighted to be selected, as one of the top 25% of the schools across the country, to take part in the National J.E.P. Showcase Day in the RDS in Dublin. We had great day at the showcase on Monday, 18th June, where we got to display our project and see the work of lots of other schools. On the day we also got nominated for two awards “Marketing Gurus” and “Creative Pioneers”, we all received medals and certificates and we got to meet some famous TV personalities! Such a great honour and a wonderful experience for all involved. We all enjoyed our Burger King treat on the way home!
School Tour 2018
Our school tour this year took place on the 14th of June and took us across the border to the beautiful county of Kilkenny. An early start for everybody, we were on board the bus just after 8 o' clock for a great sing song. Our day started in the leafy surroundings of Castlecomer Discovery Park where the senior room embarked on some high rope activities and the climbing wall. The junior room walked deep into the woods to the fairy village where they completed a junior obstacle course. We all then reassembled for a Water Ecology study of the local river; we looked at the mini-beasts living there to determine the level of pollution. After lunch the senior room headed off to the pedal boats and the canoes, while the junior room had great fun in the adventure playground. Back on the bus then and we set off to the nearby Dunmore Caves. There a guide took us far down underground to explore these ancient caves, and we listened to how they were formed many years ago and later discovered.....700 steps walked in total!. A great experience for everybody. We made our way home to Castledockrell then, still lots of energy for singing. A really great day was had by all!
Seachtain na Gaeilge
Bhí spraoi agus spórt ag gach duine i rith Seachtain na Gaeilge. Féach ar grianghraif ón gcéilí mór, seisiún ceoil agus an tráth na gceist.
World Book Day 2018
As part of our World Book Day celebrations the children in Castledockrell N.S. are busy reading in "extreme & unusual" places; they are also on the hunt for an all time favourite story book character Wally; as well as that they are planning their costume for Friday's "Dress as your favourite character from a book day".
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Junior Room are studying Fruit and Vegetables
At the moment the Junior Room are reading the book 'Beautiful Bananas' which is all about a little girl called Beatrice, who goes to visit her Grandad and takes him some fruit. Our theme for our Aistear playstations, therefore is Fruit and Vegetables at the moment. We have been making smoothies, printing with fruit and veg, writing shopping lists, role play in the fruit and veg shop, surveys on favourite fruit and vegetables, and lots more. Here are some photos to show you what we have been up to.
Dragon's Den
As part of our Junior Entrepreneur Programme the senior room came face to face with the 'Dragons' today!
Each group had to prepare a power-point presentation and pitch their product to the 3 dragons.
Dockrell Doorhangers, Krazy 4 Keyrings, Perfect Pots and Bake Me Away all gave very impressive presentations. They all provided the dragons with samples of their products and an overview of their business plan. All groups had to answer some tough questions and keep their cool under pressure. We look forward to hearing the result from the Dragons...which product will be selected to go into production??
Each group had to prepare a power-point presentation and pitch their product to the 3 dragons.
Dockrell Doorhangers, Krazy 4 Keyrings, Perfect Pots and Bake Me Away all gave very impressive presentations. They all provided the dragons with samples of their products and an overview of their business plan. All groups had to answer some tough questions and keep their cool under pressure. We look forward to hearing the result from the Dragons...which product will be selected to go into production??
Grandparents' Day 2018
A very busy and enjoyable Grandparents' Day was had by all in Castledockrell N.S. today. Firstly, the children led a short prayer service and following this they played a collection of hymns and classic songs for the Grandparents to sing/clap along to. Next, each Grandparent and Grandchild worked together to plant some tulip bulbs and to decorate their flowerpots with ribbon and foam flowers. After this the Grandparents sat down to have a nice cup of tea and some cake.
We were delighted to see so many Grandparents and parents on the day. We hope you enjoyed this occasion as much as the children did. Your support, as always, is greatly appreciated.
We were delighted to see so many Grandparents and parents on the day. We hope you enjoyed this occasion as much as the children did. Your support, as always, is greatly appreciated.
Astronauts in the Junior Room
Junior Entrepreneur Programme (J.E.P.)
The senior room pupils are taking part in the Junior Entrepreneur Programme. This is a 12 week programme which gives the children the opportunity to experience practical, real-life business learning as part of their formative education. JEP nurtures creativity, independence and problem-solving among pupils of all abilities.
As part of the programme we had local businessman, Tommy Brennan of 'Pets First', come into the classroom and share his experience and journey of entrepreneurship. This visit was informative and enjoyable for all.
Our next step is to select our top 4 product/service ideas and present them to the 'Dragons Den' in the coming weeks.
As part of the programme we had local businessman, Tommy Brennan of 'Pets First', come into the classroom and share his experience and journey of entrepreneurship. This visit was informative and enjoyable for all.
Our next step is to select our top 4 product/service ideas and present them to the 'Dragons Den' in the coming weeks.
Junior Room Are Studying Space
The theme in the junior room for the past two weeks has been Planet Earth in Space. We have been reading books about space, learning about the planets, researching on the ipads and our Aistear play stations have been all about space, also. We have built small world space stations, opened a space restaurant, made aliens from clay, written about space and made rockets in our junk art stations. Here are some photos to show the fun we had.
Santa Came to Visit
Christmas Concert 2017
Our Christmas concert took place on Tuesday, the 19th of December with two performances (2 & 7 pm). Thank you to all those who supported us on the day and night. Thanks to those who helped in any way with the preparations and to those who sponsored prizes for the raffle: Aldi, Glanbia, SuperValu, Sam McCauley, Steamers, ChemCo, Eurospar, Dolls, Hair Junction, Sugar & Spice, Loftus Pharmacy, the Parent’s Association and Fr. Keogh. And congratulations to all who won prizes!
A huge thank you must go to the children for their hard work in the weeks leading up to the concert and a big congratulations to each and every one of them on a wonderful performance.
A huge thank you must go to the children for their hard work in the weeks leading up to the concert and a big congratulations to each and every one of them on a wonderful performance.
Christmas Art
Christmas art for our special celebration mass on the 8th of December.
Halloween Poetry Competition
This year for our Halloween competition the children had to compose and design a Halloween poem. The standard was really high; from rhyming poems, to acrostic poems to poems as Gaeilge!! Well done to all children who took part.
The winners: Luke Byrne (Junior/Senior Infants), Chloe Kelly-Doyle (1st/2nd class), Maeve Byrne (3rd/4th class) and Luke Byrne (5th/6th class) were given a €10 book voucher.
The winners: Luke Byrne (Junior/Senior Infants), Chloe Kelly-Doyle (1st/2nd class), Maeve Byrne (3rd/4th class) and Luke Byrne (5th/6th class) were given a €10 book voucher.
Halloween Fun in Castledockrell N.S.
On Friday, 27th of October, the day of the mid-term holidays, the staff and students of Castledockrell N.S. all dressed up for some Halloween fun and games.
Halloween Clay Creations
The senior room have been busy creating all sorts of spooky Halloween clay creatures-from black cats to Frankenstein, skulls to pumpkins! Have a look at these weird and wonderful masterpieces..if you dare!
Maths Week 2017
We had lots of fun this week doing our 'Buddy Maths' activities!
CityScapes in Chalk Pastel
Aistear: A Squash and a Squeeze
This week in the Junior Room, we have been reading the wonderful story by Julia Donaldson, 'A Squash and a Squeeze', about an old woman who is unhappy about the size of her house. Our play stations have all been based on the story. We have been in the pet shop, making for sale signs, building animal homes, categorising animals and much more.
Contour Cats in Contrasting Colour
Art in the Junior Room
This week's art activity was inspired by the story 'Owl Babies', we were busy making miniature, small world woodlands. We used the lids of shoe boxes, which we painted. Then we went on a nature walk in the school grounds, collecting twigs, leaves, rocks, etc which we then added to our woodlands. The end result was wonderful, I am sure you agree....
Barn Owl Sketches
The senior room have been learning about Owls and have carefully sketched a Barn Owl.
Aistear in the Junior Room: Owl Babies
For the past two weeks we have been working on the big book 'Owl Babies' by Martin Waddell. We have been doing lots of owl/homes related activities in our Aistear playstations, including visiting the estate agent, painting owls, creating a building site, a wiring station, designing their own home, creating owls and nests using playdough.....and much more. Here are some photos showing all the busy, play going on in the classroom.
Aistear in the Junior Room: The Gruffalo
The children in the Junior Room have been working on the big book, The Gruffalo, over the past two weeks and have been enjoying lots of Gruffalo related activities in their Aistear playstations, including; art, plydough, writing an invitation, small world in the sand and drawing a map through the treacherous woods. Some photos to show all their hard work:
Science Experiment: Making a Volcano
The senior room have been learning all about the layers of the Earth, tectonic plates, and volcanoes and earthquakes. They used bicarbonate of soda, vinegar, and powder paint to create a chemical reaction! The results were explosive!
Sport's Day 2017
The sun was shining on us as we celebrated our annual sports day, on Thursday, 22nd June. The day was jam packed with fun activities for all ages including: Zumba lessons, uni-hoc, musical chairs, relay races, water races, novelty races, the high jump, an obstacle;e course and the bouncy castle. We all enjoyed some fresh fruit and ice creams to cool us down, and parents had some tea and cake. Well done to everyone on a fun filled day full of activity.
School Tour 2017
The pupils and staff of Castledockrell N.S. set out bright and early on Thursday,15th June on our annual school tour. This year's destination was "Gravity" and "Pirates Cove" in Courtown. We all got kitted out in our harnesses and helmets, and faced our fears on the Gravity Treetop Walk and the 150m long Zip-line. All pupils (and even some teachers) took on the challenge of walking from one obstacle to the next at huge heights of up to 15m! The Senior room climbed up and abseiled down the climbing wall, with one or two pupils even reaching the top! Following this the Junior room went orienteering in the nearby forest and the Senior room enjoyed a competitive game of Laser Tag. We then enjoyed our lunch in the sun and a well earned rest before heading to the playground. Finally, we went to Pirates Cove and the Junior room went wild in the underground fun caves, while the Senior room went crazy on the 18 hole crazy golf course! Exhausted but happy, we arrived back to the school at 4pm with lots of stories and fond memories to share. A great day was had by all.
We're going on a bug hunt!
The Junior Room were making the most of the beautiful weather this week and embarked on a bug hunt in the school garden, searching for all kinds of minibeasts!
Incredible Edibles
The children in the Junior Room are participating in the Incredible Edible campaign in school. As part of this initiative they are planting potatoes, carrots, parsnips, strawberries, chives and lettuce. We look forward to taking care of the plants over the coming months and watching them grow!
St. Patrick's Day Céilí
St. Patrick's Day Art
The boys and girls were busy making St. Patrick's Day decorations.
Lá Glas
On the 16th of March, all the teachers and the staff dressed in their green finery as part of our Seachtain na Gaeilge celebrations. Well done to everybody for making such a great effort.
Seachtain na Gaeilge: Concert
Seachtain na Gaeilge: Traditional Irish Music Session
Friendship Week
This week we celebrated Friendship Week in conjunction with Amnesty International. Children all bought a friendship bracelet, which they wore for the week. The proceeds of the sale of which will be used by Amnesty International for their projects. In school all the children were put in pairs and with their buddy they did jigsaws, art, valentines day glasses and exercise activities.
Aistear: The Gruffalo
The theme for Aistear at the moment in the junior room is the Gruffalo. A story that all the children love and never tire of listening to. The play stations included, making a small world forest, a drama station acting out the story, pastel drawings of the gruffalo hiding in the woods and making models of the gruffalo.
Christmas Decoration Competition
Well done to all the boys and girls in the school who participated in the Christmas Decoration Competition, organised by Wexford County Council. The challenge was to make a Christmas decoration using recycled materials. As you can see from the photographs below, much time and effort has been spent on these beautiful creations. A winner will be chosen from each class to go forward to the final in Wexford County Hall.
Green School: Recycling Workshop
Today, children from first to sixth class participated in a recycling workshop, delivered to the school by Mr. Gerard Foran and Wexford County Council. As you can see from the photographs below, the children used old cardboard boxes and newspaper to create all sorts of things!
Lava Lamps in the Senior Room
As part of their science for this week, the Senior Room made some very interesting looking Lava Lamps, using: water, cooking oil, food colouring and alka seltzer. As you can see from the photographs the results were very interesting.
Junior room make shakers
As part of the science curriculum, the junior room have been studying 'sound' over the past two weeks. As part of this, they completed a project for homework where they were making shakers out of recycled materials. As you can see the results below are amazing. We had a 'shake off' in school!
Wexford County Council Christmas Decoration Competition
We are delighted to say that the school will participate again this year in the Wexford County Council Christmas Decoration Competition. All the children in the school are invited to make a Christmas Decoration Competition out of waste and recycled materials such as egg cartons, cardboard, newspapers, plastic bottles, tin cans, milk and juice cartons, etc. Children are asked to return their entry to the school by Wednesday, 30th November 2016. One entry from each class grouping will go forward to represent the school.
Junior Room: Ten in the Bed
At the moment in the Junior Room we are reading the book 'Ten in the Bed' by Penny Dale. We are really enjoying this story and our Aistear play stations are all based on this book. We are writing rhymes about bed time, making models of ten in the bed, weaving quilts for bed, building small world bed rooms and of course having lots of fun as you can see from our pictures.
Halloween at Castledockrell N.S.
The children in Castledockrell N.S. had great fun this week celebrating Halloween. They were busy all week, carving pumpkins, learning poems and songs, making decorations and even making delicious Halloween Brack. However the highlight of the week was Friday when the children came to school dressed up, with the Halloween hats they had made. Children enjoyed a hike down to the village, a Halloween treasure hunt in the school grounds and an afternoon of traditional Halloween games. You can see from the photos, great fun was had by all.
Maths Week 2016
Maths Week Ireland is from the 15th-23rd October. We look forward to celebrating Maths Week in Castledockrell N.S. and taking part in lots of different, fun maths activities. The senior room have already began their participation in Manga High this year and can log on at home to access the tasks and games by clicking here.
Also check our the Maths Week Ireland website for lots of other cool activities. More information to follow.
Also check our the Maths Week Ireland website for lots of other cool activities. More information to follow.
Wonderful Weaving
The Senior Room did some wonderful weaving as part of the 'Fabric and Fibre' strand in art this week.
70th Anniversary Logo Competition
Celebrating 70 years in Castledockrell NS (1946-2016)
Congratulations to Ava who designed our winning commemorative logo!
Congratulations to Ava who designed our winning commemorative logo!
Sports Day 2016
We had our annual Sports Day on Thursday 23rd of June as part of our Active School Week. We started off the day with a warm up on the court with some musical games and dances. Then we played uni-hockey and parachute games. Following this we did a wide variety of class races including: spud & spoon, sack race, 3-legged race, find your teddy, silly hat, shorts and t-shirt, parents race and toddlers race. We then did some relays in our team colours; paddle puzzle, sponge & water, balloon pop and clothes line. In the afternoon we did an obstacle course all the way around the pitch which included our bouncy castle obstacle course. We finished the day with a tug o war and an ice-cream for everyone. Staff, parents and pupils alike had a thoroughly enjoyable day. Thank you for coming along to cheer us on.
Cycle Safety Training
Hip Hop Classes
Tug o War
As part of our Active School Week we had a visit from a local Tug o War team member; Cathy showed us great techniques and we all had great fun! The secret is in the legs!
School Tour 2016
On Thursday 16th June we visited Bricks4Kids and the National Heritage Park in Wexford. A fun day was had by both teachers and students. We enjoyed taking on the lego building challenges and building motorised cars in Bricks4Kids. Following this we had a lovely picnic and sampled some meat cooked in a "Fulacht Fia". Our tour guide then brought us back in time to the First Settlers in Ireland all the way up to the Vikings! We learned a lot and had fun too! We finished the day with some free play in the playground.
Sunflower Seeds
As part of the SESE curriculum, the children in the junior room planted sunflower seeds this week. We are busy watering them and we anxiously await their appearance.
Making Fairy Bread
We were very busy this morning in the junior room making fairy bread...easy to try at home, all you need is bread, butter and coloured sprinkles. Yum!
Summer Planting
The children have been busy planting flowers and vegetables this week in school. The junior room have planted the window boxes at the front of the school and the senior room have planted some vegetables and flowers at the back of the school. The children work hard to keep our school looking so well all year round.
Mighty Mouth Programme
In conjunction with the Food Dudes Programme, the children in the Junior Room have also completed the MIghty Mouth Programme, where they have been learning how to look after their teeth and how to keep their smiles sparkling white! The programme concluded yesterday, the 18th of May, with a visit from the HSE Dental Nurse, who gave the children a lesson in brushing their teeth. As you can see from the photos, she brought along a friend to help out on the day. All the children received a certificate and a toothbrush.
Tag Rugby
Senior pupils out enjoying tag rugby in the glorious sunshine! Ross, the coach, has been teaching them all the skills and tactics needed over the past few weeks.
First Holy Communion
Congratulations to Ava, Huw, Maeve, Katie, Isaac and Jamie who made their First Holy Communion on Sunday 24th of April. They did a wonderful job on the day with their prayers and hymns, as did the school choir who sang and played beautifully. Thank you to Fr. McDonald, Helena our Music Teacher, all of the staff, parents, children and wider community for making it such a special occasion. A special word of thanks to all parents who donated baked goods and organised a delightful party in the hall afterwards. We hope that 2nd class and their families enjoyed the day!
This week's Aistear Playstations
This week in the Junior Room we are working on the big book 'Handa's Surprise' and all are play stations are therefore centred around fruit and animals as we follow Handa through Africa with her basket of fruit. Some of the children are making finger print fruit bowls, some are making fruit smoothies, some are building small world zoos and some are in creative play, acting out the zoo reception desk....but they are vall having great fun.
Food Dudes
This week the Food Dudes initiative started in the Junior Room. This is an initiative where children are encouraged to try fruit and vegetables everyday, while receiving rewards for doing so. This week the children tried carrots, cucumber, mange tout, grapes, apples and oranges. This is a super initiative to have in the school and we look forward to starting it in the Senior Room soon.
Junior Room Easter Egg Hunt
Making Easter Treats
Proclamation Day
As part of Ireland’s 2016 commemorative programme, on the 15th of March we celebrated Proclamation Day along with all other primary schools across the country. We reflected on the events of 100 years ago during the Easter Rising of 1916 as we hosted our flag raising ceremony.
Two members of the Defence Forces presented our National Flag and the Proclamation to us back in November and we have been looking forward to this special day since then. An Bhratach Náisiúnta, the tricolour of green, white and orange symbolises the inclusion of and the aspiration for peace between different traditions on this island. We listened to and reflected on the words of the Proclamation of 1916.
When the Defence Forces visited our school they gave the pupils of Castledockrell NS a challenge to write a “Proclamation for a New Generation”. We unveiled the pupils "Proclamation for 2016" today.The youngest and oldest pupils planted a commemorative tree and we buried a time capsule.
Following this, the junior room performed Oró Sé Do Bheatha, Dawning of the day and a lovely poem. The senior room did a play "Remembering 1916".
Thank you to everybody who came along and contributed on the day. A special thank you to our guest of honour
Mrs. Skelton for raising the flag. We hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did!
Two members of the Defence Forces presented our National Flag and the Proclamation to us back in November and we have been looking forward to this special day since then. An Bhratach Náisiúnta, the tricolour of green, white and orange symbolises the inclusion of and the aspiration for peace between different traditions on this island. We listened to and reflected on the words of the Proclamation of 1916.
When the Defence Forces visited our school they gave the pupils of Castledockrell NS a challenge to write a “Proclamation for a New Generation”. We unveiled the pupils "Proclamation for 2016" today.The youngest and oldest pupils planted a commemorative tree and we buried a time capsule.
Following this, the junior room performed Oró Sé Do Bheatha, Dawning of the day and a lovely poem. The senior room did a play "Remembering 1916".
Thank you to everybody who came along and contributed on the day. A special thank you to our guest of honour
Mrs. Skelton for raising the flag. We hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did!
Science in the Junior Room
This week in the Junior Room we are learning all about the different materials around us in the world and what we use them for. We have been testing materials to see if they are waterproof and we are also learning about what happens to the materials when you try to change them. We have been adding water to sand and soil, heating water, cooling it, and best of all melting jelly and then cooling it again.....and of course eating it!
Fabric and Fibre Spring Collage in Junior Room
Aistear Playstations
This week's theme for the Aistear Play Stations is based around the big book 'The Rainbow Fish' so all of our play stations have a fishy/water theme as you can see from the photos below. The art play station is making mosaic paper fish, the SESE play station is testing waterproof materials, the writing station is writing a fish poem and the small world play station is the pet shop.
Junior Room Plant Seeds
Grandparent's Day 2016
As part of Catholic Schools Week we celebrated Grandparent's Day on Monday, 1st February in conjunction with St. Brigid's Day. We invited all of our grandparents into the school to celebrate and pay tribute to the role that they play in handing on the faith to their grandchildren. We also took a moment to remember the grandparents who couldn't be with us-those who could not travel, those who live far away, those who are sick either at home or in hospital, and those who are with God in heaven. We sang songs, played music and held a prayer service. Following this the grandparents helped us to make St. Brigid's Day crosses and a cloak, before having a cup of tea and cake! We were delighted to see so many on the day and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Aistear Playstations in the Junior Room
Over the past few months the children in the Junior Room have been participating in the Aistear programme. This is an initiative that encourages children to learn through structured play. For example children are engaged in art activities, writing station, drama, construction, sand, small world activities, etc. Children are having fun but are also developing vital oral language and other skills. There is a theme each week for the playstations which is usually centred around a story being covered in the class that week. Please see below some photographs from this week's playstations, which are based around the story 'Beautiful Bananas', so we have one station set up as a fruit and vegetable shop, making fruit kebabs, using playdough to make a fruit bowl and finally a maths fruit and veg game.
The Daily 5
We have introduced a new literacy initiative called "The Daily 5" in both classrooms. It is a framework for structuring literacy time so students develop lifelong habits of reading, writing, and working independently. Every day each child will engage in 5 different activities:
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Christmas 2015
Here are some highlights from our Christmas activities 2015- Busking, Carol service, Christmas art, Christmas concerts and a visit form Santa!
School Celebration Mass and Open Evening
Friday, 2nd October 2015, 7:30pm
Friday, 2nd October 2015, 7:30pm
In line with the 175 year anniversary of All Saint's Church, Castledockrell, we held a school celebration mass on Friday last, the 2nd of October. It was great to see so many past and present pupils, parents and teachers there,
as well as the wider community.
The children did a wonderful job with the singing, music, readings and prayers and bringing up the gifts. We were very proud of their performance on the night. We would like to thank Helena Dunbar our music teacher
and Ms. McCabe for all of their hard work.
Following the mass the school held an open evening where people could see our great facilities first hand, view our lovely artwork, examine old photographs and find their names in the old roll books! It was delightful to see the unprecedented crowd enjoying the refreshments and having a good old catch up.
A special thanks to Marie and to all the parents who rowed in to help with the teas and coffees, your support as always is greatly appreciated.
All in Castledockrell N.S. had a superb night and we hope you did too!
as well as the wider community.
The children did a wonderful job with the singing, music, readings and prayers and bringing up the gifts. We were very proud of their performance on the night. We would like to thank Helena Dunbar our music teacher
and Ms. McCabe for all of their hard work.
Following the mass the school held an open evening where people could see our great facilities first hand, view our lovely artwork, examine old photographs and find their names in the old roll books! It was delightful to see the unprecedented crowd enjoying the refreshments and having a good old catch up.
A special thanks to Marie and to all the parents who rowed in to help with the teas and coffees, your support as always is greatly appreciated.
All in Castledockrell N.S. had a superb night and we hope you did too!
2014-2015 activities included:
Halloween Hike, Harvest Mass, Grandparents Day, Christmas Concerts & Busking,
Seachtain na Gaeilge, Friendship Week, Active Schools Week, Green School Action Days,
Easter Egg Hunt/Sponsored Walk, Sports Day, Trips to our local library,
Traditional Music Workshops, National Spring Clean, Charity Events,
GAA Coaching, Swimming lessons, Tag Rugby, School Tours
and much, much more!
Halloween Hike, Harvest Mass, Grandparents Day, Christmas Concerts & Busking,
Seachtain na Gaeilge, Friendship Week, Active Schools Week, Green School Action Days,
Easter Egg Hunt/Sponsored Walk, Sports Day, Trips to our local library,
Traditional Music Workshops, National Spring Clean, Charity Events,
GAA Coaching, Swimming lessons, Tag Rugby, School Tours
and much, much more!
Maths Week Ireland, 2014
Castledockrell NS is taking part in "Maths Week Ireland 2014" from Monday 13th October to Friday 17th October. Maths Week Ireland is an all-Ireland celebration of Maths. Maths Week Ireland promotes awareness, appreciation and understanding of maths through a huge variety of events and activities. Throughout the week in Castledockrell NS the children will enjoy maths games, problem solving and puzzles, maths trails and quizzes, online maths games (including Mangahigh). We will encourage children to use their MATHS EYES and see maths in everyday life and in the world around them.
Useful Maths Websites:
www.mangahigh.com
www.topmarks.co.uk
www.crickweb.co.uk
www.primarygames.com/math.php
www.funbrain.com
www.mathsisfun.com/puzzles
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
www.abcya.com/tangrams.htm
www.mathsweek.ie
www.haveyougotmathseyes.com
Halloween Hike
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Each year the children participate in a Halloween Hike to raise money for the school. The children dress up in their Halloween Costumes and parade through the village. They later have Halloween games and activities in the school. This years Halloween Hike took place on Friday 25th of October and raised €631.80 for the school.
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Halloween Pumpkin Competition
This year the children had a competition for the "Best Pumpkin." Children carved a pumpkin with their parents at home and decorated it. There were four prizes on offer Junior & Senior Infants, 1st & 2nd Class, 3rd & 4th Class, 5th & 6th Class. Well done to this year's winners.
Knitting Project
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We love to knit...take a look at some of our creations. This year the senior room made knitted Christmas decorations!
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Visit from Don Conroy
The children and staff of Castledockrell N.S. were thrilled and delighted to have the famous author and artist, Don Conroy, visit their school on Friday, 14th February. Don spent time reading to the children, answering their questions and drawing illustrations (including the one on the left). The senior room have spent the last few months reading many of his books and it was a fantastic treat to meet the man himself! Many thanks Don!
Swimming
Every year children from first class upwards attend swimming lessons in the Enniscorthy Waterfront Swimming Pool and Leisure Centre. The lessons take place for 8 weeks at the start of Term 1. A huge thank you must go to the Parents' Association who heavily subsidise the cost of swimming through fundraising.
Friendship Week
This year the children celebrated Friendship Week (10th - 14th February) by selling Amnesty International Friendship bracelets in the school. In total they raised €118.00 for the charity.
Saving Stamps
Saving Stamps are on sale in the office on Friday mornings. We have had a great uptake on these in the past few years and hope this continues. It’s a great way for the children to save for the cost of school tours and to learn the value of money and the importance of saving!
Rackard League
The boys and girls in the senior room get the chance to compete in the Rackard League.
Christmas Busking
The children, along with their music teacher Helena Dunbar, take part in Christmas Busking to raise funds for the school. This year the children from 1st Class upwards spent two hours in Supervalu, Bunclody on the 13th of December singing Christmas songs and playing Christmas tunes. Altogether they raised €275.18 for the school.
Christmas Concert
Over the years the children have organised a number of Christmas Concerts. The concerts are performed for two nights before Christmas in Castledockrell Hall. This year's concert took place on the 17th and 18th of December. The Junior Room performed "The Christmas Alphabet" while the Senior Room took to the stage with "Castledockrell's Got Talent." The shows went down a treat with the audience and a total of €928.00 was raised (€100 of this was donated to the local Hope Centre).
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Visit from Santa
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We had a very special visitor this year when Santa took time out from his busy schedule to visit the pupils of Castledockrell. Santa was particularly delighted to hear a "cupla focail" from the children and he left us with a nice surprise each.
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Operation Christmas Child
In November the children donate small gifts which are collected and put into shoeboxes in the F.C.J. Convent, Bunclody. The shoeboxes are then delivered by Team Hope to children across Africa and Eastern Europe to bring a little hope, a lot of laughter and smiles, and a practical expression of God's love at Christmas time, for children who have very little.
Christmas Log/Wreath Making
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Each year the children make their own Christmas Log/Wreath. They bring foliage, a candle and Christmas decorations to school and with the help of their teachers, SNA and parents work to make their own Christmas log decoration to bring home.
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Religious Ceremonies
The whole school attends and participates in a number of religious ceremonies throughout the school year. These include at Harvest time, Christmas, Easter and at the end of the year.