School News Term Two -
7th January - 12th April 2019
Important Dates for Term Two
Easter Holidays
School closes with a half day Friday April 12th
Junior Infants - First finish at 12:00
Second - Sixth Class finish at 12:20
School reopens Monday April 29th
10/4/19: Fifth and Sixth Class: Cake Sale for Trocaire
5/4/19: We have had a very busy and successful Active Week. Please take a look at the Active Page to see all the different activities the girls engaged in during the week.
1/4/19: This week is Active Week so don't forget to check out our Active Flag page to see all the various activities we get up to during the week.
26/3/19: Fifth class, fourth class- Ms.Butler and second class Ms.Dowling began their three week block of Gaelic Football coaching today. The girls really enjoyed learning some new skills.
26/3/19: Spring was really in the air this morning as the girls from Ms. Crowley's second class began their tennis lessons with Emma from St. Anne's Tennis Club.The girls will have 45 minutes sessions for the next four weeks building on the skills developed last year. Third class, first class and Ms. Dowling's second class will also have four sessions this term and fourth, fifth and sixth class will begin their lessons after the Easter holidays.As you can tell from the photos below the girls really enjoyed getting out in the fresh air and glorious sunshine whilst having lots of fun.
25/3/19:
The school's tennis team are busy practicing for the Munster schools tennis competition which starts next Monday! We wish them the best of luck!
25/3/19: Fundraiser in St.Anne's Tennis Club: Saturday March 30th
2-4 pm Tennis fun and games for children
€5 per child
4-6 pm: Adult only Whistle Stop Tennis. All abilities catered for.
Rackets and tennis balls can be borrowed from St. Anne's Tennis Club
Cardio Tennis also happening.
€15 per adult. There will be a cuppa and a slice of cake available in the clubhouse for all parents who come along anyway.
St.John of God School needs a big hand for a special cause. Please give generously. All welcome.
A huge thank you to Mrs. Hanrahan, Ms.Flynn, Mrs. Morris and the Parents Association for organising what promises to be a brilliant event for a very worthy cause.
25/3/19: As part of our fundraiser for Mrs. O'Neill and baby Ríona, we are holding a raffle in school this week. Each ticket is €2 and the sixth class girls will sell them every morning this week if you would like one. The draw will take place on Friday. Pictured below are the girls who will sell the tickets and the hamper you can win. We hope everyone will support this cause for baby Ríona. Thank you.
Reginalds Tower: Fourth Class: Ms.Butler: 21/3/19
21/3/19: Congratulations to Abi Walsh from Junior Infants who has won the CPSMA (Catholic Primary Schools Management Association) art competition.Abi won a €100 voucher for JD Sports voucher and also a digital camera for the school. Well done Abi.
21/3/19: Congratulations to Sadbh Brennan from sixth class who won the Waterford Finals of the Eason Spelling Bee which were held in the Ursuline Primary School on Tuesday March 19th. Sadbh is now through to the Munster Finals which will be held in Cork in a few weeks time. Sadbh beat 13 other competitors and won a voucher for €50 for Easons. Thanks to Ms. Fitzgerald who helped prepare Sadbh for the competition.
14/3/19:Today was a special day as we were delighted to hold our flag raising ceremony for our Digital School of Distinction Flag which acknowledges the effort of the whole school community all working together to achieve this award. The Digital Schools of Distinction programme aims to promote , recognise and encourage outstanding practice in the use of technology in primary schools. Schools can get an award by demonstrating excellence in their approach to the integration of ICT in learning and teaching. Last June, an inspector from the Digital School of Discintion Programme visited our school and was extremely impressed by the very high standard of I.T facilities and expertise within the school. He visited a number of classes and we showed him our talents and skills. We were thrilled to be given the award,
Today members of the Board of Management, the Parents Association- past and present, some of the sponsors who helped us and all pupils and staff gathered to celebrate this fantastic achievement.Fourth and fifth class welcomed us to the ceremony with a song and rap based on STEAM and then Mrs.Morris and Father Liddane said a few words.Together we raised over €50,000 to transform our computer room, install wi-fi throughout the school and to purchase thirty I-Pads. Sanofi also donated €3,000 and gave us laptops for the school.The results of our efforts can be seen daily throughout the school and we wish to thank the Parents Association who spear headed the planning and fundraising. We also wish to thank the IT committee, the fundraising committee and of course Mrs.Hanrahan who played a prominent role in the initiative.Well done to all involved and for the ceremony we had today.
14/3/19: Today it was the turn of the girls from fifth and sixth class to compete in the basketball blitz in the Mercy. Ms. Sheane accompanied the teams. Fifth class played very well and sixth class reached the semi-final. Well done to all.
13/3/19: Well done to the girls from third, fourth and fifth class who took part in the basketball blitz held in the Mercy Secondary School today. Third class put on a great performance. Unfortunately Ms.Butler's girls were knocked out in a shoot out and Mrs. Hanrahan's girls made it to the semi final. The girls all had a really enjoyable afternoon. Thank you to Ms. Butler and Mrs. Hanrahan who accompanied the girls.
6/3/19: Well done to all the girls from fifth and sixth class who took part in the final of the School Spelling Bee which was organised by Ms.Fitzgerald. There were some very challenging words to spell but the girls tried their best.Some of the words the teachers had never even heard of let alone could spell so it was a great achievement for every girl to battle through the various rounds. Sadbh Brennan from sixth class was the winner and she will now go forward to the Waterford Spelling Bee which will take place in the Ursuline on the 19th of March. We wish Sadbh the best of luck.
6/3/19: Miss. Crowley's second class enjoyed a visit to the Cultural Quarter exhibition in Garter Lane this morning. They viewed the entries from the secondary school students of the Mercy, St.Paul's and St.Joseph's.They then got to vote for their favourite and there will be an overall people's choice winner. The girls then got to work in pairs to create their own vision of the proposed new cultural quarter or else they could design their own city landscape. The girls had a lovely morning and enjoyed their visit to Garter Lane.
5/3/19: Sixth Class took part in a forest workshop today held by Maura and Shane who run forest schools. The girls learned all about trees, what uses we have for trees and how we can save trees. The girls also planted acorns which over time will hopefully grow into oak trees. The girls had a very enjoyable experience participating in the workshop.
Pancake Tuesday : 5/3/19
1/3/19: Ms. Butler's fourth class visited Garter Lane today where they viewed an exhibition based on the planned new cultural quarter for O'Connell Street and the surrounding areas. Students from several secondary schools around the city were encouraged to think about and design what they think the cultural may look like. There was a prize for the winners. The girls from fourth class were able to view the entries and then they got the opportunity to get their thinking caps on and they drew their own designs as to what they envisage the cultural quarter will look like. Who knows whether in the future the girls ideas will become a reality?
Baking Cupcakes : Second Class: Miss. Dowling 28/2/19
28/2/19: Sixth class paid a visit to the sixth class boys in St.Declan's this morning. Both classes engaged in games of chess. It was great to see the girls using all the skills they had learnt over the last few weeks and we hope every group was able to beat the boys. We look forward to hosting the boys when they visit us in the next few weeks for round two of competition.
Fairtrade Presentation: Sixth Class: 27/2/19
26/2/19: What a beautiful morning we had to start our camogie sessions with thanks to the GAA. Louise and Maria will visit our school for the next three weeks and the girls from second class (Miss.Crowley), third class and sixth class will learn some camogie skills. After the sessions have finished some older classes will receive coaching in Gaelic football. The girls had great fun this morning practicing their throwing and catching skills .
20/2/19: A lovely afternoon was had to finish off this half term, as the entire school gathered in the hall for a concert. Each class performed a song and a poem which they had been working on for the last number of weeks. Below is a list of what each class performed. We had a fantastic afternoon with lots of fun and laughter and it was brilliant to see such a wide range of poems and songs from all of the classes.
Junior Infants: Song-A Million Dreams. Poem: At the Airport
Senior Infants: Song: My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, You are my Sunshine.Poem: Now I am Six.
First Class: Song: My Favourite Things. Poem: If Things Grew Down.
Second Class: Song: Happier. Poem: Imagine If.
Third Class: Song: The Neighbours Song. Poem: Care for the Earth.
Fourth Class: Mrs. Hanrahan: Song: This is Me. Poem: Wendy Wise.
Fourth Class:Ms.Butler: Song: Green Schools Songs. Poem: Happy.
Fifth Class: Song: Lost Boy. Poem: Midterm Break.
Sixth Class: Song: Bridge Over Troubled Water. Poem: A Smile.
19/2/19: Ms. Fitzgerald recently took a group of girls to Central Library. They had a good look through the children's section and then checked out some books to read at home. They enjoyed the walk up and down on such a beautiful day and for some girls it was even their first visit to the library.
14/2/19 : Mrs. Hanrahan's fourth class were baking today.They tried out the recipe Miss. Crowley had used the previous week and the buns turned out to be great success. As you can tell from the smiles on their faces all the chocolate went down a treat. We look forward to seeing what the girls will be baking next.
14/2/19: Miss. O'Connell's first class made jelly today and will write about the process as part of our English genre writing. They left the jelly to set over night and enjoyed it with ice cream the next day.
13/2/19: The girls from second, third and fourth class enjoyed an art workshop this week in Garter Lane ( next to Delaney's Florist on O'Connell street).The themes were Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day. The workshop was lovely and relaxing with such a great atmosphere. The girls enjoyed creating their own picture based around the story of The Three Little Pigs as it is the year of the pig according to the Chinese zodiac. They also created Valentine's puppies and finally they left a message for the wall being created by the artist who led the workshop. Have a look through the gallery below to see what the girls made.
Have a read of all our news and events from term one and check out lots of photo galleries by clicking here.
8/2/19: St John of God N.S in association with Athletics Ireland and Waterford Sports Partnership are delighted to engage in the Daily Mile. This is an exciting new initiative and is simply a matter of walking or running a mile every day. The Daily Mile is supported by senior representatives across health, education and sport who all agree that every child should have the opportunity to do The Daily Mile. The Daily Mile is free, simple and children love it. February 1st, the start of Spring will see the start of The Daily Mile in our school which will run for the month of February and beyond.
The impact of The Daily Mile is huge.
* Reduces anxiety, stress and children are happier.
* Fitness and energy levels are improved.
* Greater concentration is evident in class.
* Health outcomes are improved with benefits to muscle bone density, joints and cardiovascular health.
* Classes experience the pleasure of being outdoors in all weather and engage with nature and the seasons.
* The daily Mile helps children towards achieving a healthy weight.
* Helps to build confidence and elf esteem- all children succeed at The Daily Mile because it is non-competitive and fully inclusive.
* Children with SEN and ASN feel the benefits of regular participation.
* As a social activity, it can improve existing relationships and reduce isolation.
* Children bring the benefits home, often eating and sleeping better and encouraging active family life.
* Develops greater resilience and determination, and promotes the idea of self-care.
The impact of The Daily Mile is huge.
* Reduces anxiety, stress and children are happier.
* Fitness and energy levels are improved.
* Greater concentration is evident in class.
* Health outcomes are improved with benefits to muscle bone density, joints and cardiovascular health.
* Classes experience the pleasure of being outdoors in all weather and engage with nature and the seasons.
* The daily Mile helps children towards achieving a healthy weight.
* Helps to build confidence and elf esteem- all children succeed at The Daily Mile because it is non-competitive and fully inclusive.
* Children with SEN and ASN feel the benefits of regular participation.
* As a social activity, it can improve existing relationships and reduce isolation.
* Children bring the benefits home, often eating and sleeping better and encouraging active family life.
* Develops greater resilience and determination, and promotes the idea of self-care.
5/2/19: Sixth Class have been working on projects on influential women.Today they presented their projects to the girls from second to fifth class. There were eight projects in total and each one was very interesting and informative. Everyone certainly learned a lot from the girls talk and it was evident such time, effort and research had gone into each project.Well done to the girls from sixth class.
5/2/19: Well done to the girls from fourth to sixth class who competed in the Credit Union Schools Quiz in the Woodlands Hotel on Monday the 4th of February. All the girls did St. John of God proud and the team from Mrs. Hanrahan's fourth class came second in their category.The girls enjoyed the evening and as one girl said the questions were really broad which really challenged them.
5/2/19: Grandparents Day is always such a lovely occasion and one we look forward to every year. Today the girls from Mrs.Golden's senior infants invited their grandparents to the school. There was a lovely reception and prayer service down in the hall led by Father. Liddane and Sister Úna played some lovely music. The girls sang songs and then their grandparents enjoyed some tea, coffee , cakes and biscuits and had a chat. The girls showed their grandparents around the school and a lovely morning was had by all. A huge thank you to Claire and Danny who set up the hall and had all the teas and coffees ready to go. We're looking forward to the next Grandparents Day already.
5/2/19: All classes are participating in The Daily Mile Challenge for the month of February. Each class must run a mile at whatever time of the day.This s equal to six and a half laps of the yard. Even though it was raining today 5th class measured the perimeter of the school hall and worked out that they needed to run approximately 40 laps of 40m to reach achieve their daily mile! Most students did more than a mile.Well done girls. We'll all certainly be very fit by the end of February.
31/1/19: Miss.Crowley's second class were baking again yesterday. This time they tried chocolate cupcakes. They were thrilled with how they turned out and all the girls thought they were delicious. Everyone had great fun measuring and mixing and of course the all important taste testing. Well done girls.
31/1/19:Junior infants are currently doing 10@10 as part of the operation transformation programme on RTE. Each day at 10 am, the girls stop their school work and get active for 10 minutes!
31/1/19:It may be very cold outside but everyone is really warm with all the different activities in full flight during our active break times . Thanks to fifth class who ensure that all the equipment is put away neatly after each break .
31/1/19:Active Homework is in full swing as part of our renewal of our Active Flag. Every class is engaging in Active Homework on their PE days.We have decided to document this homework and all girls who complete their Active Homework Sheet every night will be allowed to participate in a class trip to the park before the Easter Holidays.
29/1/19: Plastic Fantastic Art Exhibition Garter Lane
24/1/19: Junior Infants, Second Class ( Ms.Crowley) , Third Class, Fourth Class ( Mrs. Hanrahan) and Sixth Class have started their four week block of gymnastics with Waterford Gymnastics Club. The remaining classes will have their turn after this first session concludes. Gymnastics is an area we are prioritising this year as part of our Active Flag renewal. The teachers are delighted with this opportunity to up skill in the area of gymnastics and look forward to putting these new skills and techniques into practice in future lessons.
11/1/19: All classes from infants to sixth class completed the PAWS (Primary Aquatics Water Safety) lessons appropriate to their class levels during January . This programme is specifically tailored for primary school pupils and is exclusive to primary schools . The girls learned the theory of personal safety around water- safe swimming, safety on the farm, safety in pools, safety on open water etc.
The main aim of PAWS is to significantly reduce the number of young people lost to drowning each year and to familiarize pupils with water safety best practices.
The most important role of PAWS is to teach children to stay safe around water.
Pictures here are senior infants with their work booklets and posters from the lessons.
