Month: June 2014

-  Junior/Senior Infants

Cahir Wins ‘Story box ‘ Writing Competition.

At our final assembly on Friday last Cahir Vesey from our departing 6th Class was announced as winner of the Helena McDonagh Story box Writing Competition.
Ms.Connaghan who adjudicated, praised all the entries, mentioning how high the standard was this year. She was delighted to announce Cahir’s entry ‘The School Tour’ as the winner. It is a gripping composition one that Ms. Connaghan found very hard to leave down!
Cahir is the first boy to win this competition and is a very popular choice. We really hope you enjoy reading his entry. We are very proud of Cahir’s efforts.

The School Tour

Mathew clinged on for dear life, he clinged on to the last few pieces of grass that were uprooting from the ground. He realised that it was either him or his best friend Fergus. Mathew just had a grip of his petrified friend’s hand. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to get back up onto the ledge if he kept hold of his best friends hand. He thought of it once then looked at his friend. He thought that if he was going to live then he was going to have to let go of his best friends hand……….

——————————————————————

It was Wednesday morning, the day of 12 year old Mathew’s school tour. He got dressed, went downstairs, got a bowl and a box of coco pops from the cupboard, some milk from the fridge and put it all into the bowl. He put his bowl in to the microwave and set it for 1 minute and 20 seconds. While he was waiting for his breakfast to heat up, he went outside and fed his German shepherd, Bonzo. By the time he got inside the microwave was finished. So Mathew washed his hands, retrieved his bowl of coco pops from the microwave and ate up as fast as he could knowing that he had to be at school for 8:45 for the school tour bus. When he was finished he put his lunchbox into his bag, zipped it up, put it on his back and rushed out the door to school.

As he struggled to climb up the hill to his school, he saw his also 12 year old best friend Fergus entering the school gates. He put all of his panting and spluttering aside and managed to roar out his best friend’s name. Fergus hesitated as he was walking up the steps to the school door. He peered around to try and find the person who roared his name from a distance. Then he saw Mathew stumbling up the hill. He raised his hand and shook it side to side and Mathew did the same. Just as Mathew caught up with Fergus the principal and their teacher exited the school building and had a look at what all the children outside the school were doing. “Get on to the bus and no messing,” said Mr Kelly. So we all lined up with no messing and got onto the bus because if they did mess then they all knew they wouldn’t go on any school tour at all. Mr Kelly was the strictest of all the teachers in the school. Nobody liked him, not even the teachers. He was a rough looking man in his thirties. He was never nice to anyone. It would actually kill him if he had to do something nice. He was bald, single, had loads of fillings and really dirty teeth because he never brushed them and the only good looking part about him was his tidy little ginger moustache.
No student knew where they were going on the school tour because the teacher never told them. On the 1 hour long journey that it took to where ever it was that they were going, it was a very long journey and although it was only 1 hour long it seemed a whole lot longer. After they all got there they all jumped out of the bus and had a nice look around for themselves but no one knew where they were, they were all puzzled. They all waited for Mr. Kelly to get out of the bus so he could tell them where they all were and what they were going doing. The principal hopped out of the bus and stared at everybody rather joyfully. “We’re at Death-trap Mountain and as you have probably already figured out we’re going mountain climbing”. Everyone stared at him but he didn’t even hesitate, he just turned around and walked off. The children had no other choice but to follow him.

They were quarter of the way up the mountain and Fergus and Mathew were a little bit behind. Mathew didn’t want to fall too far behind or they might get a little too far from the group and get lost. It was unlikely but it was a possibility. “Hold up,” panted Fergus “what’s wrong,” asked Mathew “I think I’m getting a cramp,” answered Fergus. “Can I have a sip of your drink” asked Fergus – “sure but where’s yours” replied Mathew. “Even though we didn’t know that we were going mountain climbing you should have still brought a drink with you” – “I forgot my drink, it’s not like I forgot it on purpose” said Fergus sarcastically. —————-

It was 3 minutes before Fergus’s cramp had gone away. When they looked up the group had gone just over a really steep hill. The two boys looked at each other and then sprinted up the steep hill. When they had gotten to the top of the hill the rest of the road was flat but the road had also split in two. Neither of them had any idea on which way their school group had taken and randomly they had chosen to take the left road hoping that it was the right one. The two boys sprinted as fast as they could, hoping to catch up with their school group and also fearing that they had taken the incorrect road. They were both so distracted on trying to catch up with the group they never noticed that they were sprinting on a very thin ledge. Mathew was the one to notice that they were on a very thin ledge. When he grabbed Fergus’s arm he said “look at what we’ve been running on all this time”. Fergus looked down and then grabbed Mathew by the arm as tight as he could. They didn’t even need to think about it they both turned around as careful and as slow as they possibly could.

But suddenly Fergus’s foot slipped and he fell. Fergus was so scared that he was going to fall down he grabbed Mathews leg and Mathew fell down with him. Mathew just managed to get a grip of the side of the ledge. Mathew kept trying to pull himself back up onto the side of the ledge but to no avail. Mathew felt like giving up, he felt like just letting go, he thought that it was hopeless but he gave one last pull and he was nearly up but a part of the ledge crumbled so he quickly stopped. Then Mathew thought if he could let go. He wondered if it was a long way down so he looked down but it was longer than long. If he or Fergus fell then they would be dead instantly. ———————–
Mathew clinged on for dear life, he clinged on to the last few pieces of grass that were uprooting from the ground. He realised that it was either him or his best friend Fergus. Mathew just had a grip of his petrified friend’s hand. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to get back up onto the ledge if he kept hold of his best friends hand. He thought of it once then looked at his petrified friend. He thought that if he was going to live then he was going to have to let go of his best friends hand……….

Mathew closed his eyes and began to shake the leg that Fergus was holding on to. After realising what Mathew was trying to do Fergus started to shout at Mathew “WHAT ARE YOU DOING….ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?”
Mathew didn’t want to be a coward. He kept thinking to himself that he wasn’t going to give up but he already knew that he wasn’t going to get back up onto that ledge. His hand was getting sore. He was going to let go. He let one finger off the ledge then another when he could hold on no longer………… When suddenly something or someone grabbed a hold of his arm. He looked up and looking into his eyes was a bald man with dirty fillings and a perfectly combed ginger moustache. It was Mr. Kelly who grabbed Mathews arm and was trying to pull him up. Mathew had to give Mr. Kelly his second arm to get back onto the ledge but he refused to give his arm to Mr. Kelly and offered it to Fergus. Fergus knew that if he grabbed Mathew’s arm then Fergus would fall and bring Mathew with him. Fergus said “I’m sorry” to Mathew “what for” Mathew replied……….

And Fergus let go. He kept falling with the wind blowing on his back. Mr. Kelly pulled Mathew up, unaware that Fergus had let go. They both looked over the edge to search for Fergus but when he caught sight of him he couldn’t bear it. He burped and then gagged and a bit of sick came up. Mr. Kelly put his arm on Mathew’s back and walked him back to the bus. When they got back to the bus Mr Kelly called the ambulance, Mathew was still throwing up and all of the children were wondering where Fergus was but by seeing Mathew’s reaction they had figured out that something was wrong. The ambulance arrived within ten minutes to remove the body. Mathew was sitting on some rocks by himself when Mr. Kelly walked over to him. Mathew looked up “thank you” he said. Mr Kelly didn’t know what to say so he just said “your welcome”. Mr Kelly signalled to the group to board the bus and with that Mathew followed.
It was a long bus ride home but eventually they got there. Mathew was the last person to get dropped off. Mathew dashed in the door and ran upstairs to his room. Then there was a knock on the door and Mathew’s mother answered it. It was Mr. Kelly “may I come in”, he asked “of course Mathew’s mother answered.
Mathew was upstairs in his room listening to the conversation of his mother and Mr. Kelly

He turned around in his bed and looked at the picture on his locker of him and his best friend………

He just lay there and fell asleep, wishing it was all just a nightmare hoping that he would wake up

THE END !

-  Junior/Senior Infants

Cillian O’Connor Opens School Pitch

We were delighted on Wednesday morning to welcome Cillian O’Connor to our school to open our new school pitch.

Cillian visited all of the classrooms chatting with the children about the demands of being an inter county footballer – the preparation, nutrition , hydration and even the sport’s psychology! He passed on top tips (which we will return to later in this post) and asked the children about their own playing experiences to date. While he was asked excellent questions in all the classrooms, it was lovely to see some of the children lost for words in the presence of their hero!

Upon completion of his classroom visits we assembled to open our new pitch. Cillian spoke of how fortunate we were to have this wonderful resource at our disposal and he hoped that in time many footballers who play on it would develop and get the opportunity to wear the Charlestown and Mayo colours.

A special word of thanks to Cillian for taking the time to visit and for the wonderful way he spoke to and engaged with the children who really enjoyed his visit. We often speak in our school about role models and Cillian is most certainly an excellent role model for someone so young. Finally a sincere thank you as always to Kieran Durkin for all his hard work and interest in developing our pitch. It is unrecognisable from how it was when we closed last summer. We hope all our children continue to enjoy using it for years to come!

Cillian’s Top Tips

1. Practice – Practice – Practice !
Strong and weak side , handpassing and kicking .
2. Have fun , make sure each time you go out to play, you enjoy yourself and have lots of fun.
3. Be confident and believe in yourself. It’s ok to make a mistake.
4. Listen to your coaches. Work with your teammates. Respect your opponents but have no fear!
5. As in class you must work hard to achieve on the sports field. Similar to tip 1, you must keep focusing on improving your skills!

-  General School Information

Graduation at St.Attracta’s

This afternoon we will have we will have a short graduation ceremony for each class in the school hall.

Please see the timetable for our afternoon below. All parents/guardians/family members are invited to our school to enjoy this special occasion!

Graduation Timetable

Junior/Senior Infants Ms. Delaney 1 p.m.
First/Second Class Ms.Sloyan / Mrs.Reilly 1.30 p.m.
Third/Fourth/Fifth Class Mr.Rushe / Mr.McDermott 2.15 p.m.

Sixth Class will have their Graduation Mass on Thursday June 26th evening at 7.30 p.m. here in school.

-  General School Information

Fifth and Sixth Class School Tour Delphi Adventure Resort


On Thursday last Fifth and Sixth Class had a very exciting day at Delphi Adventure Resort in Leenane Connemara.

We had an early start to ensure an action packed day. Arriving in Delphi we were struck by the beautiful scenery and landscape around us. We talked about the effect the Ice age had on this landscape and this brought what we had learned in class to life!
At the outset we agreed in school on these activities

1. Kayaking

2. Climbing and Abseiling

3. Orienteering / Cooperative games / Team Tasks

Our morning saw us as one group Kayaking and this was most enjoyable. As the pictures illustrate we were very comfortable in the water and received many compliments from our instructors for the ease with which we learned and took their directions on board. They were delighted that we made such progress in a short time.

After a short lunch break the groups were divided for the remaining activities swapping after ninety minutes. Climbing and abseiling tested each of the students particularly those who had difficulties with heights, however it was amazing to see how each of these students overcame these fears making it to the top and down again.

The orienteering section of our day brought us deep into the forests of Delphi. Map reading skills were tested as the children engaged in games such as “sniper” and team building exercises, while navigating their way through the woods in search of targets.

This led us to the outstanding beauty of the Owenagloch river valley, under the shadow of Mweelrea and the Sheefry Hills.

Again, the children were praised for their enthusiasm and co-operation with each other in all exercises. A most enjoyable was had by all!

-  General School Information

Second, Third and Fourth Class School Tour

On Monday of last week 2nd-4th had a very exciting school tour when they visited the Arigna Mining Experience and Boda Borg at Lough Key Forest Park. Please find a report from Sarah and Cacper of Fourth Class outlining the exciting events of the day !

17/6/14 2nd/3rd/4th Class School Tour

On Monday 16th June 2014 2nd, 3rd and 4th class went on their school tour. We left school at 9:30 a.m. to visit the Arigna Mines and Boda Borg.Our first stop was the Arigna Mines. We arrived at 10:30.
When entering the mines a nice lady gave each of us a hair net and a helmet for health and safety reasons. We were introduced then to Jim our tour guide who worked in the mines for many years.
He had many great experiences to tell us about and lots of interesting information about the mines. He showed us all the parts of the mines and he told us lots of interesting facts. We really enjoyed this part of our tour.

After Arigna Mines we went to Boda Borg arriving at 1:15. Firstly we had a little time to ourselves to play outside for a while, as the school before us had been delayed. When entering the building we watched a short video explaining what to do when we got into the different mazes which they called quests. We were divided into groups of 3 – 5 people. After the video and introduction we were given further details of what to do in the quests. When we got inside we discovered that the quests were not easy, but from great learning experiences here in St. Attracta’s we found when we focussed could finish these quests easily ! We left for home at 5:15p.m.We all had a great time, and cannot wait for next years school tour already.

Thanks to our Teachers, Principal and the Parents committee for booking our tour and lowering the cost.

We would highly recommend this tour as we had a great time !

-  General School Information

Leanne to line out in All Ireland Semi Final


Best wishes to our Sixth Class student Leanne Duffy who later today plays with the Mayo U-14 Ladies team who line out against Dublin in the All Ireland Semi Final in Longford.

Leanne has worked incredibly hard over the past year on her skills and fitness, consistently showing a fantastic attitude to working hard with and for her teammates.

Leanne recently played a starring midfield role on our school teams success at the Mayo Cumann na mBunscol Finals and has been an excellent role model for our younger students.

We are very proud of Leanne’s achievements and wish her every success with this very special assignment!

Finally, best wishes also to our past pupil Carrie Loftus who along with Leanne is an important and talented member of the U-14 squad.

Go n-éirí an t-adh libh !

-  General School Information

Blue Star European Project / Dulux Let’s Colour Project

Some great news filtered to us on two fronts this evening, brightening up this dreary Monday!

Blue Star Project

Firstly following a review of our Final Report and supporting documents, it was confirmed to us that we have successfully completed the Blue Star Programme 2013-2014.

We are thrilled with this news as it recognises the wonderful work of all our children in learning about the European Union, its role and function, its member states and the role of Ireland in the Union.
Our European Day was a great success and we were delighted to welcome the MEP’s Marian Harkin and Jim Higgins to our school. Also a special word of thanks to all our families who baked / cooked for this morning and for the beautiful food that we all enjoyed tasting. The happiness, joy and pride in the children’s faces explaining what each dish was and when they would have it at home will stay with me and proved how worthwhile this project was.

As a successful school we will receive two A3 laminated certificates and a European flag to display proudly at our school.
Well done again to all of our students and all who helped in any way with our European Day .

Dulux Let’s Colour Project

The overall winners of the 2014 Dulux Let’s Colour Project were announced last week and while our project was not one of the three projects that received the most votes in our category, we were delighted to receive news this evening that it was one of a number of submissions selected to receive free paint courtesy of Dulux.


Thank you so much to those who supported this project throughout. From the organisation of how to vote (not an easy feat I might add!) to those that voted daily.
A special word of thanks also to Mr.Rushe and his 3rd/4th class who composed the wonderful piece which really got our project going and to the boys and girls of 5th/6th class for their role in the application video.

As always, it was a real team effort!

-  General School Information

Students of the Week Friday June 6th

Even though we had a day less, we had another extremely busy week here in St.Attracta’s.

Speech and Drama is ongoing in all our classrooms and we’re really delighted with the progress the children are making in preparation for their performances at our graduation day at the end of term!

We’re also looking forward to our end of year school tours which we all hope to enjoy:
Jnr/Snr/1st will travel to Tullyboy Farm outside Boyle on 24th June.
2nd/3rd/4th have another exciting tour planned for Monday June 16th when they will visit Bodaborg in Lough Key Forest Park and the Arigna Mining Experience.
5th/6th Class will visit Delphi Adventure Centre on Thursday June 19th for what promises to be a memorable end to their school year!

We could not forget also the wonderful evening we had in McHale Park on Wednesday last, our children played their hearts out. We were so proud of each of them and very appreciative of the great support we received from our fantastic school community. It certainly was an evening that will remain with us.

As always also we had many of our students in class determined to finish this year on the right note and this week the wonderful students chosen for students of the week have really set an excellent example in class and indeed right throughout the school. A popular comment this week was how well these students get along with everyone, great team players who always work so well in groups and with others. Some have made huge improvements in class becoming more confident with the English and Irish Curricula while others always tackle every task with enthusiasm and interest.

We also had a student rewarded who is so talented in her favourite sport swimming and works so hard in preparation for school competitions. Despite being tired after her training she never lets it affect her positive outlook on life! A great example for us all !

Well done as always to these students and indeed all our excellent students on a very positive week.

-  Discover Primary Science

Western Seaboard Science Project

On Wednesday morning 5th and 6th Class enjoyed a wonderful science workshop from Tom Finnerty as part of the Western Seaboard Science Project, which we are very fortunate to participate in.

It was a very informative morning in which the children learned about :

1. Batteries and their make up/components
2. Electrons
3. Circuits
4. Magnets and their properties
5. Electromagnetism
6. Electricity
7. How to generate electricity

The children really enjoyed this workshop, exploring first hand the relevance of science in our everyday lives.

We were delighted to welcome Tom to our school and look forward to his return in the coming weeks to complete further workshops in our Junior classrooms.

Finally a special word of thanks to all involved in the Western Seaboard Project who sponsor this wonderful programme.