Ms. Gilmartin's Class Blog

Name Change - Please Adjust your computer screens!

2011-04-12T13:40:00.001-07:00

We have changed our class blog to http://msgilmartinsclassblog.blogspot.com/. This blog will remain at this address but will no longer be updated.

RTÉ news2day

2011-04-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

We have got some very exciting news... RTÉ news2day are coming to our school on Thursday next to film the great work in ICT and e-learning going on in our school!

The film crew are coming because our class blog won "Best Blog 2010" in the Eircom Junior Spiders in December 2010. They will be in our school from 11am - 12 noon on Thursday April 14th 2011. What a great lead up to the Easter holidays!

Click here to go to the news2day website.

Find out how to make a TV report here.

To watch some old episodes of news2day click here.

Census 2011 - Make your Mark!

2011-04-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the journey of a census form. Everybody must be included on the census form by law. The forms are to be filled out tonight. It is very important the people put the correct information on their form to help our government plan for the future.

Tomorrow a census enumerator is coming to our class to talk about the census.

Click here to visit the Census 2011 website.

There are some brilliant resources for primary school, to view them click here.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake

2011-04-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Biscuit Cake from Joanne Gilmartin on Vimeo.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake Recipe

We made chocolate biscuit cake in school on Friday. It was great fun and tasted great for students and teachers alike!

Mercy Sisters Tribute Movie

2011-03-31T06:09:00.000-07:00

Tribute to the Sisters of Mercy, Sligo from Joanne Gilmartin on Vimeo.

This video was made in June 2010 to mark the occasion of the Mercy Sisters Handing over patronage to the Board of Management. For more information please read the blog post from last June.

Belated St. Patrick's Day Wishes

2011-03-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a slideshow of photos of the art we completed for St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day Movie from Joanne Gilmartin on Vimeo.

Junior Spiders Badge

2011-03-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

We have just received our Badge for Best Blog 2010 from the Eircom Junior Spiders. Here's what the judges had to say

Excellent use of embedded content. Great to see lots of multimedia used. Inclusion of widgets adds greatly to the site\'s interactivity. Good use of categories and tags. Great to see all the students involved.

Excellent example of an Up-to-date and active class blog.

Tsunami Alert

2011-03-11T03:51:00.000-08:00

The biggest earthquake to hit Japan since records began almost 150 years ago smashed into the country's northeast coast today, triggering a 32-foottsunami that washed away everything in its path. The earthquake measures 8.9 magnitude.

Tsunami Alert for New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, and others. Waves expected over the next few hours, caused by 8.9 earthquake in Japan.

Here is a video from National Geographic about tsunamis.

Written by John, Rang a Sé.

Our Pancake Cooking Movie

2011-03-08T01:11:00.000-08:00

Pancake Recipe for Pancake Tuesday from Joanne Gilmartin on Vimeo.

We made pancakes in school, we hope you like our instruction video on how to make pancakes from scratch!

Happy Pancake Tuesday!

2011-03-07T15:23:00.000-08:00

Pancake Recipe

The Magic School Bus Digital Storybook

2011-03-01T01:05:00.000-08:00

Untitled from Joanne Gilmartin on Vimeo.

We hope that you like our story!

Ash Wednesday

2011-02-28T07:28:00.000-08:00

We are celebrating Ash Wednesday in our School by getting the ashes of last years palms on our foreheads. This happens 46 days before Easter Sunday. We get the ashes as a sign of repentance or to say we are sorry.

We were talking about what the priest or teacher says when they put the ashes on the forehead,

Remember, O man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.

Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.

These are phrases from the Bible and remind us that we are sorry.

Pancake Tuesday

2011-02-28T07:10:00.000-08:00

Pancake Tuesday is also called Pancake day or Shrove Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday is the last day before the period which Christians call Lent. This day is one of the moveable feasts in the church calendar and is directly related to the date on which Easter falls.

When is Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day)?
Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before to Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between February 3 and March 9.

Why do we call the day Shrove Tuesday?
The name Shrove comes from the old word "shrive" which means to confess. On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began.

What is Shrove Tuesday?
Shrove Tuesday is a day of celebration as well as penitence, because it's the last day before Lent. Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge yourself, and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.

What is an Irish pancake?
A pancake is a thin, flat cake, made of batter and fried in a pan. The photograph shows a pancake being cooked in a frying pan. Caster sugar (superfine sugar) is sprinkled over the top and a dash of fresh lemon juice added. The pancake is then rolled. Some people add maple syrup, golden syrup or jam

Other names for Shrove Tuesday
- Ireland, UK and Australia - Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday
- Sweden - Fettisdagen (Fat Tuesday).
- In Catholic and French-speaking parts of the United States this day is called Mardi Gras.
- Poland - Paczki Day.
- Germany - Fasnacht Day (also spelled Fausnacht Day and Fauschnaut Day).
- France - Mardi Gras, which means Grease or Fat Tuesday.
- Iceland - "Sprengidagur" (Bursting day).

We made pancakes in school, they were very nice! We will post up the pictures soon!

Here are some pancake day activities.

New Zealand Earthquake

2011-02-28T06:56:00.000-08:00

Above: An arial view of Christchurch Cathedral's Damage after the earthquake.

Above: A Toyota Yaris caught in a sinkhole following the earthquake in Canterbury Region, NZ.

On February 22nd 2011 an earthquake struck New Zealand's South Island measuring a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter Scale. This happened in the Canterbury Region near Christchurch.

So far 148 people have been confirmed dead but there are over 200 people reported missing. We are thinking of all those who have been effected by this Natural Disaster. by Jack (Rang VI)

A chip off the old block!

2011-02-14T15:03:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Cookies Recipe
We made very tasty cookies. We hope you like our video made on Picasa. It was easy to make and then we put it on vimeo for the world to see... and yes they were even tastier than they look... believe it or not!

Here is a poem about an adventure to explore the cookie jar!

The Cookie Jar Adventure

Wakey-wakey from our beds,

thoughts of cookies in our heads.

Mom's and Daddy's eyes are closed.

(They are sleeping. They won't know).

Hurry-hurry, on the double!

If they wake, we'll be in trouble!

Blankies, pillows, on the floor.

Squeaky-squeaky goes the door.

Shhh, shhh, tippy-toe.
To the kitchen we will go.

Sneaky-sneaky down the hall,

bare feet creeping 'long the wall.

C'mon, Sissy, it's not far,

there it is, the cookie jar!

I can't reach it, I'm too small.

Let's get a chair to make us tall.

Shuffle-shuffle, scooty chair,

pushy-pushy, almost there.

Clinky-clinky goes the top,

hold it tight, or it will drop!

Giggle, giggle, tee-hee-hee,

two for YOU, and two for ME.

Uh oh, Sissy, turn around ...

Mom and Daddy. We've been found.

Peeky-peeky, Mom and Dad,

are you angry? Are you mad?

Whisper-whisper, over there ...

they want to know if we will share!

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Yummy! from Joanne Gilmartin on Vimeo.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T14:28:00.000-08:00

Today we made Danish Woven Heart Baskets to celebrate Valentine's Day. They were great fun to make and every basket used different mixtures of colours! Well done to all, they were pretty tricky!

If you would like to learn how to make these baskets please click the link here to find further instructions!

We hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

2011-02-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

When love was in the air over the last few days we looked at some traditional and some less traditional poetry around love for Valentine's Day. We found some really great ones and would like to share them with other children!
Valentine's Poetry

Chocolate Muffins

2011-02-10T14:53:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Muffins Dylan

We made very tasty muffins in school today, here is our recipe!

Happy St. Brigid's Day

2011-02-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

Spring has finally come and we have been very busy making our Funky St Brigid's Crosses.

We discovered that there are in fact three different ways to make these crosses... one way was enough for us!

We hope that you like our pictures!

Greater than and Less than - Greedy Crocodile!

2011-01-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

27 is less than 31

We are doing greater than and less than. For this we are thinking of the Greedy Crocodile. The crocodile will always eat the bigger number. There are other activities here.

Sligo Weekender Article 18th January 2011

2011-01-22T16:45:00.000-08:00

Click on the picture to read the article in this week's Sligo Weekender!

Dragon Smoke - Huff! Puff!

2011-01-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

Dragon Smoke

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Well done Michael on your podcast. It is so cold in the mornings that we can all blow Dragon Smoke!!

Chinese New Year, Year of the Rabbit 2011

2011-01-20T06:39:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year

Chinese new year will begin on 3rd of February 2011 which marks the start of the Year of the Rabbit. This year will be 4709 on the Chinese Calendar. Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival.

Chinese New Year is the main festival of the Year and is not a religious event. The Chinese calendar is based on the lunar year, so the date of Chinese New Year changes every year. The Chinese calendar follows a 12-year pattern with each year named after an animal. There are various stories which explain this. The simplest is that Buddha (or the Jade Emperor) invited all of the animals to join him for a New Year celebration, but only 12 animals turned up. To reward the animals that did come, Buddha named a year after each of them in the order that they arrived, starting with the Rat, followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

Depending on the year you are born, you are believed to have the various character traits of that year's animal.

We will be doing an activity to mark 2011 the year of the rat from Activity Village.

Snowball Poem

2011-01-17T14:17:00.000-08:00

Snowball Poem, with sound effects from sounddogs.com.

We used Audacity to put the two recording together onto one track.

More winter poems to come!

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Junior Spiders, Helix, DCU

2011-01-10T14:33:00.000-08:00

On Friday December 18th 2010 our principal Ms. Marguerite Stenson travelled to the Helix at DCU in Dublin to the Eircom Junior Spiders.

It was a great honour for the school to win the Best Blog in the Mega Spiders Category!

Happy New Year + Celebrations!

2011-01-08T04:58:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all!

Just before the holidays our blog got a great boost when we won "Best Blog" in the Junior Spiders in the Helix in DCU, Dublin.

Everyone is absolutely thrilled with such a fantastic award and of course a great way to begin the Christmas Holidays.

Well done to all the other winners, the standard was really high in all categories this year.

Happy St. Nicholas' Day Everyone!

2010-12-06T02:14:00.000-08:00

St Nicholas is remembered in many parts of the world every year on 6th December, although in other parts he is hardly remembered at all, except in his guise as Santa Claus, more familiarly known as Father Christmas.

The celebration of St Nicholas on 6th December continues in many places, and some cultures still choose to use this occasion to give gifts to children.

In the Netherlands St Nicholas is remembered on 6th December, but on the eve of the festivities he appears as Santa Claus to give gifts. There are similar celebrations in parts of Belgium as well.

Leave out your shoe outside the door of your bedroom or classroom and see if St. Nicholas' will leave a treat for you.... but remember if you watch for him he most certainly will not come!

Above are some pictures of St. Nicholas giving gifts to the little children just like he does today and another one of putting coins in a poor girls stocking.

Happy St. Nicholas' Day Everyone!

2010-12-06T02:05:00.000-08:00

St Nicholas is remembered in many parts of the world every year on 6th December, although in other parts he is hardly remembered at all, except in his guise as Santa Claus, more familiarly known as Father Christmas.

The celebration of St Nicholas on 6th December continues in many places, and some cultures still choose to use this occasion to give gifts to children.

In the Netherlands St Nicholas is remembered on 6th December, but on the eve of the festivities he appears as Santa Claus to give gifts. There are similar celebrations in parts of Belgium as well.

Above are some pictures of St. Nicholas giving gifts to the little children just like he does today and another one of putting coins in a poor girls stocking.

Junior Spiders Shortlist 2010

2010-12-06T01:53:00.000-08:00

Our class blog has been shortlisted for "Best Blog" in the Giga Spiders (Primary School) Category in the Eircom Junior Spiders 2010.

The Award Ceremony will take place on Friday next December 17th 2010 in the Helix DCu, Dublin.

Unfortunately due to weather circumstances and the busy school calendar our school will not be able to make the journey to the Helix. The very best of luck to all the schools shortlisted, there so much great work by students and teachers throughout Ireland!

Edublogs Nomination

2010-12-06T01:45:00.000-08:00

Our class blog has been nominated for "Best Class Blog" with Edublog Awards 2010.

Click on the badge to vote for us please!

How does salt melt ice?

2010-11-29T02:20:00.000-08:00

We had to put salt on the step this morning and we see it is now a puddle of water.

Why is this? How does salt melt the ice?

There we learned that the answer has to do with melting points. Most people know that water freezes at a temperature of OºC. Salt dissolves fairly rapidly in ice, lowering its freezing point in an effect known as freezing point depression, and melting it in the process.

You've also probably noticed the effect of salt water on freezing points if you've tried to make ice cream or if you've wondered why the ocean doesn't freeze at the same time as bodies of fresh water, such as rivers, lakes, and ponds.
On a roadway, this means that if you sprinkle salt on the ice, you can melt it. The salt dissolves into the liquid water in the ice and lowers its freezing point.

If you ever watch salt melting ice, you can see the dissolving process happen -- the ice immediately around the grain of salt melts, and the melting spreads out from that point.

Sligo Rovers Visit with the FAI Cup!

2010-11-26T06:41:00.000-08:00

FAI Champions Sligo Rovers Visit

2010-11-24T01:12:00.000-08:00

Can you crack the code?

Today at 11 o'clock Sligo Rovers came to visit our school. The children did lots of lovely artwork to welcome the team after their big win in the aviva Stadium 10 days ago.

The last time that Sligo Rovers won the cup was 16 years ago so we are so happy to get a chance to see it on our own school.

A surprise on the day was that Richie Ryan was presented with the Airtricity Plater of the Month for October 2010. This really put our school in the national headlines!

FAI Announcement

Irish Digest Report

Ocean FM Sports News

Go on the Rovers!!!

Sligo Rovers Visit Mercy Primary Sligo with FAI Cup! from Joanne Leydon on Vimeo.

French Toast

2010-11-22T04:29:00.000-08:00

This week we are making French Toast. It was very tasty.

We made sweet French Toast which can be a breakfast or a dessert in some countries, it probably came from Spain so we wondered.....

Why is French Toast Called French Toast?

The French came across a way of using stale bread and still making it edible. Dipping in egg and pan frying with butter and spices hides the fact that the bread is past it's 'use by' date
If it was not used it would be thrown out or 'lost'... or "pain perdu"

Much of French cooking follows the same thought processes.
Many of the rich, heavy and creamy sauces that are prevalent in French cooking were created to hide the fact that the meat or fish was, or was very nearly gone off. Obviously these dishes were created before fridges were invented. We are glad that our bread was not stale or it might not have been so tasty!!!

Be careful though, the French do not like to be reminded that their food was often less than fresh...
Click here to learn all about French Toast.

French Toast

Sligo Rovers Foootball Final

2010-11-15T02:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to the new Aviva Stadium to see Sligo Rover play against Shamrock Rovers. I went on a bus and I came back last night. It was the most exciting match I have ever been to because the score was still 0-0 after 30 minutes of extra time. It went to penalties and Ciaran Kelly the goalkeeper saved the day by saving 4 penalties. The team are coming home with the F.A.I. Cup tonight.

The last time that Sligo Rovers won the FAI Cup was 1994!

It was a brilliant day!

Written by Lauren.

Come on the Rovers!

Our New School Blog!

2010-11-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

We have just launched our new school blog. Here each class can set up their own blog.

If you would like to have a look click here.

We especially like the video introducing our school, it would be nice to use this type of voice over animation and text to movie software in our classroom!

Of course the school website is also still up and running here.

Winter Poems

2010-11-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of the poetry that we will be looking at over the winter months, well done to all the kids who decorated their poems, we all agree that they look great!

Tell us what poem is your favourite and why?
Winter Poems Full

Scrambled Eggs on Toast

2010-11-09T14:23:00.000-08:00

This week we are making scrambled eggs on our new portable hob. It is a healthy snack and gives us all the right nutrients for our busy lifestyles! Well done to J.M. for typing this up!
Scrambled Eggs Final

Stone Soup Fable

2010-11-08T13:39:00.000-08:00

We are doing the Portugese Fable of Stone Soup in the class this week, we really liked the story and all agreed with its message; what do you think?

A kindly, old stranger was walking through the land when he came upon a village. As he entered, the villagers moved towards their homes locking doors and windows.

The stranger smiled and asked, why are you all so frightened. I am a simple traveler, looking for a soft place to stay for the night and a warm place for a meal.

"There's not a bite to eat in the whole province," he was told. "We are weak and our children are starving. Better keep moving on."

"Oh, I have everything I need," he said. "In fact, I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you." He pulled an iron cauldron from his cloak, filled it with water, and began to build a fire under it.

Then, with great ceremony, he drew an ordinary-looking stone from a silken bag and dropped it into the water.

By now, hearing the rumor of food, most of the villagers had come out of their homes or watched from their windows. As the stranger sniffed the "broth" and licked his lips in anticipation, hunger began to overcome their fear.

"Ahh," the stranger said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with cabbage -- that's hard to beat."

Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a small cabbage he'd retrieved from its hiding place, and added it to the pot.

"Wonderful!!" cried the stranger. "You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage and a bit of salt beef as well, and it was fit for a king."

The village butcher managed to find some salt beef . . . and so it went, through potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and so on, until there was indeed a delicious meal for everyone in the village to share.

The villager elder offered the stranger a great deal of money for the magic stone, but he refused to sell it and traveled on the next day.

As he left, the stranger came upon a group of village children standing near the road. He gave the silken bag containing the stone to the youngest child, whispering to a group, it was not the stone, but the villagers that had performed the magic."
Moral: By working together, with everyone contributing what they can, a greater good is achieved.

Stone Soup

Witch Witch Poem

2010-11-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

We are a little late in getting our Halloween Poems up!

Witch Witch Dylan

Junior Spiders Awards Entry

2010-11-03T13:42:00.000-07:00

We have just submitted our class blog into the Junior Spider Awards. We think that it's great that there is a school internet awards because there a so many brilliant school websites and blogs coming from Irish schools up and down the country.

Good luck to all the entrants!!

In Touch Magazine

2010-11-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

Hot off the press!! Here is a picture of the INTO's "In Touch" Magazine that was delivered today.

We are all delighted that our class blog got a mention!

Hip hip hooray!

Interview with our New Principal

2010-10-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

Today we did an interview with our new principal Ms. Marguerite Stenson.
We were delighted to get the chance to ask her some questions and record her on a podcast!
She was delighted to take some time out of her busy schedule to answer a few of our questions!
Interview New Principal October 2010

Scoilnet Favourite Sites

2010-10-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

Our class blog has been mentioned on scoilnet today!

There are lots of favourite sites in the sidebar to the right of these posts.

Lately our favourite sites are Oswego Interactive Games and Crickweb.

Halloween Buns

2010-10-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

This week we are doing our Halloween Baking!
We wrote our recipes out last week and this is our reading in English.
We like baking and cooking and are good at helping Ms. Leydon do the washing up, which is just as important! What a tasty treat!
Halloween Spooky Skull Nests

Sligo Rovers Visits Mercy Primary School!

2010-10-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today was exciting day in Our Lady of Mercy Primary School. Sligo Rovers came to visit our school after winning the EA Cup! The school was decorated from top to toe in Red and White!

Here is what some of the children had to say before they arrived!

C'mon support the Bit O' Red!

To visit the Sligo Rovers Official Website click here.

Google Street View Launched in Ireland

2010-10-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map
We had great fun with Google Street View today! Here is a shot of our school! You view it in several shots because it is so big! When we went around different places we could see some neighbours in their gardens and some children on yard. It is a bit strange we said and we all agreed that it was good to blur out car registrations and faces. We discussed how we should never share locations with people whom we do not fully trust.

It must have taken a long time to take all the pictures!

Little Miss Muffet Parody

2010-09-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet
Eating a Big Mac and Fries
Along came a spider and sat down beside her
'Yuck', it said, 'I prefer flies'

Catch a Rhyme

2010-09-30T13:03:00.000-07:00

Catch a Little Rhyme
by Eve Merriam

Once upon a time
I caught a little rhyme

I set it on the floor
but it ran right out the door

I chased it on my bicycle
but it melted to an icicle

I scooped it up in my hat
but it turned into a cat

I caught it by the tail
but it stretched into a whale

I followed it in a boat
but it changed into a goat

When I fed it tin and paper
it became a tall skyscraper

Then it grew into a kite
and flew far out of sight...

Ms. Finan's Retirement

2010-09-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, on Mercy Day Ms. Mary Finan will be taking Early Retirement. All of the pupils in Our Lady of Mercy Primary both past and present will miss her greatly. We all hope that she enjoys her send off!

Counting Number 1

2010-09-20T01:28:00.000-07:00

We are looking at the number one. We can make number 1 with play doh and here is one penguin!

Mercy Sisters Handover

2010-09-13T08:15:00.000-07:00

Together with the staff of the school, the Chairperson Fr. Dominick Gillooly and members of the Board of Management, fourteen Sisters of Mercy gathered in the school hall. Prayers of thanksgiving were offered for their dedicated service to education in Sligo for over 160 years.

Text Taken from Sligo Champion Online

Brodie Has Retired!

2010-07-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

On the last day of school Ms. Leydon brought Brodie into school. He had written her a letter and even signed his name in dig writing and put it in an envelope. He asked could he retire in one of the boys or girls' houses. He said that he had such great fun this year that he wanted to find a child who was on their best behaviour all day and one that talked in a kind and gentle voice and this would be the best place for him to retire!

Unfortunately it was very hard for Ms. Leydon to decide who should take him home because so many children were excellent all day. We all hope that Brodie is getting the 'Royal Treatment' in his new home and that his new owners are not finding him too much trouble!

Who knows he might come out of retirement for a day or two in 4th class to meet all his old chums and catch up on all the news!

Of course we all remember what Brodie taught us on his first day in 3rd class.....

"Use your brains instead of your brawn!"

Here are a few more games to keep you all busy! Click here.

Happy Holidays

2010-07-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Holidays to all the children of Our Lady of Mercy! Just a picture of some Maths we finshed this week on Symmetry. Check out the games!
Symmetry Game

Symmetry Painting

World Cup South Africa 2010

2010-06-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

We have been doing quite a bit of work around the World Cup in class recently. Here are some links to different sites that I would recommend for learning about the 32 countries participating in 2010.

World Cup Map - Learn about the different countries from a map of the world
Activity Village - Printables, puzzles and colouring pages, also some nice football games such as;
Free kick
Freestyle Soccer
3 Man mini soccer game
World Flag Quiz
What is a vuvuzela?

My Special Puppy by Caitlin

2010-06-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there lived a girl called Cleo. She was fourteen years old. One day on the way to the shop she saw a sign saying "Puppy Sale". So of course she went over and saw a puppy at her feet crying. She said "This is the one" and he smiled up at her! She called him Spike. He was very special to Cleo and Spike was her first puppy.

He loved Cleo as much as Cleo loved him. They had the best time together, and he would even sleep in her room. They had fun playing games like fetch and frisbee together.

Cleo said; "He's my special puppy and I will love him forever!"

William Shakespeare by Saffron

2010-06-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

A long time ago a man called William Shakespeare was born. In our days William Shakespeare is famous.

He wrote lots of plays like Romeo and Juliet. It is a good story and I will tell a little bit of it for you all!

Romeo and Juliet

Once upon a time a girl called Juliet loved a man called Romeo. They loved each other but were not allowed to be with each other. So they made a poison drink so that they could be together in heaven. However the drink only killed Juliet because she was so soft and gentle. So Juliet died but Romeo did not.

That was a play that William Shakespeare wrote. It is called a tragedy because it has a sad ending.

"Good Night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow."

Siopa na bPeataí

2010-06-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

Dilín Ó Deamhas

2010-06-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

Sports Fun Day

2010-06-11T04:24:00.000-07:00

We had a great day yesterday with our Sports Fun Day in Our Lady of

Mercy Primary School. The excitement started at 8.45am and continued until 3pm. The sports events included;

Obstacle courses
Wall Climbing
Bungee Jump
Gladiators
Human football Table
Giant Chess
Face Painting
Balloon Modelers
Novelty Catering
Puppeteers
Demolition Zone
Penalty Shoutout

The photos speak for themselves! Many thanks to the Parents Association, Sponsors and Sandra McNulty (H.S.C.L.) and Corvenieos for making this great day happen!

Na Mothúcháin ar IWB

2010-06-11T04:19:00.000-07:00

Tá áthas uirthi.
Tá fearg air.
Tá tart air.
Tá turise uirthi.
Tá ocras air.
Tá eagla uirthi.

Westlife in Croke Park

2010-06-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I went to my cousin's house in Dublin. Then I went to Croke Park with them. A new girl band came on first playing Wonderland. After that John and Edward came out. They played 'Ghostbusters', that was very funny! JLS were singing good songs. they played 'One Shot' and 'Everybody in Love'.

Then at a quarter past eight Westlife came out. They were brilliant singers. My favourite song was 'What About Now'.

For the Finale they sang 'You Raise Me Up'. Everyone sang along and it was excellent! At the end they brought the children out. They said goodbye but everyone cheered and they came out again and played another song and gave it a great ending!

By Shane

Anti-Racism Week

2010-06-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

L'abe igi orombo X2
l'ibe l'a ngbe sere wa
inu wa dun,

Ara wa ya
L'abe igi orombo

As part of our work for Anti Racism Week we went to Sligo Library. Nikki told us a story about Kasali the cow and three sons. We learned a new song, some African dancing and even some African drumming. We had a geat time!

Tin Whistle Practice

2010-05-31T12:31:00.000-07:00

Seamus McCormac has asked that we revise all of this term's songs for tin whistle concert on Monday June 28th. Children are really getting on great and are picking up new tunes very quickly so keep up the practicing! We will sing Oró Sé do Bheatha Bhaile for him in a fortnight.

-- Post From My iPhone

Sligo Garda Station Slideshow

2010-05-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

Visit to Sligo Library

2010-05-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a great visit to Sligo Library. The librarian was pleased to see all the children looking at all the books. If you wish to join Sligo Library you need a parent and a utility bill/ bank statement showing your current address. The library it a great resource and great for children of any age!
Click here for "How do I join the library?"

Click here for "Support for Parents"

Click here for "Kids Zone"

Colour Waves

2010-05-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

2D Marshmallow shapes

2010-05-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

This week as part of our Maths we are exploring shape. We made lots of different 2D shapes from cocktail sticks, straws and marshmallows. The shapes we made were

Triangle (3 marshmallows + 3 cocktail sticks)
Square (4 marshmallows + 4 cocktail sticks)
Rectangle (4 marshmallows + 2 cocktail sticks + 2 straws)
Pentagon (5 marshmallows + 5 cocktail sticks)
Hexagon (6 marshmallows + 6 cocktail sticks)
Octagon (8 marshmallows + 8 cocktail sticks)

When we were finished we counted the total number of corners (marshmallows) in all the shapes. There were 45 altogether so each child got 2 each and one was left for teacher!

(22X2) + 1 = 45 marshmallows

Who ever said that maths was not delicious!

She sailed away podcast

2010-05-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

By Niamh and Charley

What is the surprise at the end of this podcast?

An Garda Síochána

2010-05-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

2010-05-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

Garda Uniform

2010-05-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

Visit to Sligo Garda Station

2010-05-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

Next Week we will be taking a visit to Sligo Garda Station as part of our Geography lessons. We are really looking forward to seeing what goes on in a Garda Station. We have made out some questions that we want to ask and what we are looking forward to seeing the most.

To learn more about An Garda Síochána or "Guardians of Peace" click here.

Sligo Library Visit

2010-05-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

We are planning a visit to Sligo Library this Friday. Any child who is a member of the Library may bring their card and take out a book. If you are not a member the librarian will give out application forms. We are really looking forward to this class trip!

Read Sligo Library Kids Zone

The Wrong Start

2010-05-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

By Jake and Carlos

The Friendly Cow

2010-05-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

by Saffron and Szymon

Tommy Tadpole

2010-05-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well done Yousef, Caitlin and Michelle!

Science: The Solar System

2010-05-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

3rd Class loved learning about the Solar System and we used this rhyme to help us remember the planets in order from the sun -
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas!!

Pluto has been demoted to a dwarf planet recently. We learned about the planets linking in with our History - Race to Space.

Did you know?

-Mercury is the closest planet to the sun but Venus is the hottest because it traps the heat of the sun in clouds surrounding it!

- Pluto is the coldest, smallest and furthest "planet" away from the sun!

- Mars is nicknamed the Red Planet!

- Jupiter is the biggest planet!

The Universe is made up of stars, planets, asteroids, meteors, comets and moons - everything in outer space!!

BUT...

The Solar System is just made up of the Sun (a special star) and the nine planets!

Note: information taken from another 3rd class blog in Edenderry Co. Offaly, thanks guys!

Ding Dong Dederó

2010-05-08T03:47:00.000-07:00

Adjectives

2010-05-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

Adjectives are describing words- they tell you more about nouns.
Nouns are naming words, they are a person, place or thing.
Adjectives tell you more about the noun.
Using adjectives makes sentences more interesting.
Adjectives Game
Be an adjective detective here.

Race to Space

2010-05-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

We are learning about the Race to Space between USSR and USA in History. We have learned about Sputnik 1, Laika the Space Dog, Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova, Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong and his famous words "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!" Check out the video!

Fractions

2010-04-23T08:07:00.000-07:00

This week we are learning about fractions. We used KitKats today. We learned that there are two halves in one unit, four quarters in one unit and that
2 quarters = 1 half. Next week we will learn how to reduce fractions. Have a great weekend!

Play Fraction Games here.

Woodlands Junior Fractions Games

Location:Sligo,Ireland

Skipathon Rhymes

2010-04-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

I'm a little Dutch Girl dressed in blue,

Here are the things I like to do:

Salute the captain, bow to the queen,

Turn my back on the submarine,

I can do the tap dance, I can do the splits,

I can disappear just like this.

One, two, buckle your shoe,

Three, four, shut the door,

Five, six pick up sticks,

Seven, eight lay them straight,

Nine, ten this is the end.

Little orphan Annie hops on one foot,

Little orphan Annie hops on two feet,

Little orphan Annie hops on three feet (bend down and touch the floor)

Little orphan Annie hops on four feet, (touch the floor with both hands)

Little orphan Annie hops out!

Skipathon on in school tomorrow!

More rhymes here.

Sligo Facts

2010-04-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

Province: Connacht

Car Registration: SO

County Town: Sligo

Other Towns: Tubbercurry, Ballymote

Population: 60, 683

Population of Town Only: about 18,000

Tourist Attractions: Strandhill, Rosses Point, Sligo Abbey, Yeats' Grave in Drumcliffe, Lissadell, Benbulben, Knocknarea

River: Garavogue

Newspaper: Sligo Champion, Sligo Weekender, Sligo Post

Radio: Ocean FM

Airport: Sligo Airport in Strandhill

Main Street: O'Connell Street

Dialling code: (071)

Twinned with:

Crozon, Brittany, France

Kempten, Germany

Tallahassee, Florida, USA

More information and pictures here.

Airports Closed in Ireland and UK... Why?

2010-04-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

Smoke and steam hangs over the volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland. Volcanic ash drifting across the Atlantic forced the cancellation of flights in Ireland and UK and disrupted air traffic across Europe

For more pictures of the volcano and the floods in Iceland click here.

A Child of Spring

2010-04-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

2010-04-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

We recently have been reviewed on www.anseo.net.

We are thrilled that our blog has been noticed!

Review can be read here.

Betty Botter

2010-03-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

Betty Botter had some butter,

"But," she said, "this butter's bitter.

If I bake this bitter butter,

it would make my batter bitter.

But a bit of better butter--

that would make my batter better."

So she bought a bit of butter,

better than her bitter butter,

and she baked it in her batter,

and the batter was not bitter.

So 'twas better Betty Botter

bought a bit of better butter.

Betty Botter Bought Some Butter

Schools and Sligo Long Ago

2010-03-08T07:43:00.000-08:00

As part of our History class we have made this video about schools and Sligo long ago.

You can also view the fullscreen video here.

You can view old Sligo Photos and School Photos on the National Library of Ireland Digital Archive.

Do you recognise this place?

Fans All Around the World!

2010-03-03T02:49:00.000-08:00

Here we can see the amount of 'hits' or views that we have had in 2010.

Can you find the countries on your atlas?

Find the different countries on the National Geographic Map Machine / Online Atlas here.

We can watch our blog hits over the coming months!

Easter Story

2010-02-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

Easter Story Part 1/3

Easter Story Part 2/3

Easter Story Part 3/3

As part of our Lenten Preparations we are learning about the Easter Story. This three part story brings this story alive.

Videos sourced from Bible Stories Cartoon.

The Lion Podcast

2010-02-23T05:30:00.000-08:00

The podcast was read by two children in our class. Don't they sound fantastic! Well done boys!

I also managed to get it uploaded straight onto the blog here below:

Class Rules

2010-02-18T07:52:00.000-08:00

Be Prompt - this means being on time for school, having your classwork done in the correct time
Be Prepared - come to school with your pencils pared, and have your correct work in your bag, your copy or book is no good to you at home!
Be Positive - if the work is hard that means you are learning, kind and helpful comments only
Be Productive - this one is about using the amount of time in school wisely, are you spending time chatting in class or looking for a rubber? If so you are not being as productive as you should be.
Be Polite - it costs nothing to say please and thank you, how was your weekend, have a lovely evening, imagine what our world would be like if everyone could follow this rule.

What if a class rule is broken?

A warning is usually issued first. This gives the children the opportunity to think about what they have done and to change their behaviour without any further action. Warning!

If this behaviour is repeated, then a yellow card is issued. The child takes a time out either in the class or in another class. The child thinks about what they have done wrong and decides not to do it again. Child returns to school work and the behaviour is not mentioned. Yellow Card!

If our class/school rules are broken on several occasions, then a red card can then be issued. This means that the child may have to stay in a zoned off area during playtime. There is also a not sent home in the journal. Red Card!

If this behaviour is continued then the parent/guardian is sent for or phoned. Often a meeting is set up with the discipline team. The Deputy Principal gets involved at this stage. Principal is also informed.

Ash Wednesday 2010

2010-02-18T07:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. This is when Lent begins.

Lent lasts for six and a half weeks.

The date for Lent changes every year, that means it is a moveable feast. Lent ends on Easter Sunday when Jesus was raised for the dead. It is a time when we can give up sweets, maybe decide to help out more at home or maybe go to mass in the mornings. Click onto the link here to got to Woodlands Junior School age about Lent. There is also some interesting information about similar fasting customs (not eating) in other religions such as Muslims, Jews and Hindius.

Leave a comment here to tell us what special thing you are doing for Lent.

The Lion

2010-02-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

The Story of St. Brigid's Cloak

2010-01-31T14:04:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow February 1st is the Feast of St. Brigid. It also marks the first day of spring.

St. Brigid went to the King of Leinster to ask for land to build a convent. She told the king that the place where she stood was the perfect place for a convent. It was beside a forest where they could collect firewood. There was also a lake nearby that would provide water and the land was fertile. The king laughed at her and refused to give her any land. Brigid prayed to God and asked him to soften the king’s heart. Then she smiled at the king and said “will you give me as much land as my cloak will cover?” The king thought that she was joking and because Brigid’s cloak was so small he knew that it would only cover a very small piece of land. The king agreed and Brigid spread her cloak on the ground. She asked her four friends to hold a corner of the cloak and walk in opposite directions. The four friends walked north, south, east and west. The cloak grew immediately and began to cover many acres of land. The king was astonished and he realized that she had been blessed by God. The king fell to the ground and knelt before Brigid and promised her and her friends money, food and supplies. Soon afterwards, the king became a Christian and also started to help the poor. Brigid’s miracle of the cloak was the first of many miracles that she worked for the people of Ireland.

The Story of St. Brigid's Cloak - February 1st

2010-01-31T14:04:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow February 1st is the Feast of St. Brigid. It also marks the first day of spring.

What do you think of the story?

Please comment for bonus stars!

Poster Competition

2010-01-31T14:00:00.000-08:00

Here is the winning poster from our class.

Using our projector and laptop

2010-01-31T13:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some pupils from our class working on our whiteboard.

It really helps us to learn and we love getting a chance to use the wireless keyboard and mouse.

Last week we learned about 'A Trip Along the Coast' in Geography and we saw lots of pictures of coastlines along Donegal, Leitrim (as short as it is) and Sligo. We also are learning about schools long ago. Teacher got some pictures from the National Archives of classrooms long ago and put it up on the big screen as a slideshow. This week we might record our voices onto the slideshow and make our first photostory! Watch this space!

2010-01-22T13:27:00.000-08:00