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In school we are learning about different lifecycles. The first lifecycle we are studying is 'The Frog'. Children were very excited to see frogspawn and were amazed to see how they developed into tadpoles. 
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Since returning, school has been a hive of activity. In the run up to Easter children have been learning about why Easter is such a special time of year. Children created some lovely pieces of art and some yummy ones too! As always the Easter Hunt is always a big hit. Boys and girls have been busy larning about 'Farm Safety'. This term we concentrated on knowing what different signs around the farm mean.  In school we are looking at different lifecycles. The first lifecycle we are studying is 'The Frog'. Children are very excited to see first hand the different stages of life within the frog lifecycle. Children enjoyed learning about Sign Safety on farms with Alma Jordan. It was great to see them engaging and answering lots of questions. They were also delighted to see some of their work shown at the end of the webinar. 
Pupils are busy practicing for their Christmas show entitled ‘Santa’s Hat’. The school concert is great at giving the children confidence to perform. This year however things are a little different. Unfortunately will not be able to invite parents in to view our show but we will record it and send a copy home to each family. There has been months of hard work involved in putting together this performance. We hope you enjoy it.   The boys and girls of Broughall NS got an extra special surprise this Christmas with a visit from Santa. All pupils have been involved in creating a beautiful crib which will be erected at the turn of Broughall. On the 8th of December Fr. Houlihan will come out and bless the crib and give the children a Christmas Blessing. The boys and girls creative talents are clear to see from their work. Well done boys and girls. Also a big thank you to Michael Carroll who cut out the characters for the crib. As you are all aware we have been involved in raising money for the charity ‘Hooves 4 Hospice’. We had our sponsored walk and our Hooves 4 Hospice Day where all pupils dressed up as farmers. Well done to Dan for choosing the name Holly for our calf. Hooves 4 Hospice were amazed at the kindness and generosity from everyone within the school. We paid for the calf and raised an additional €1060 for the charity. Last week Michael brought Holly up to our school. Pupils were so excited to see Holly and we know that Michael will take great care of her on his farm. After 12 months Holly will be sold at a special auction and all the proceeds from the sale will also go to Hooves 4 Hospice. Ear to the ground are producing a show about people who have lost loved ones to cancer. They were very interested in what we have achieved in our school in relation to Hooves 4 Hospice. Ella McSweeney from ear to the ground will be coming out to talk to the pupils on December the 9th and the show will be aired on TV before Christmas. On the 20th of November St Kieran's NS held their Hooves 4 Hospice day. Pupils dressed up as farmers and took part in a sponsored walk. The children also engaged in different activities throughout the day linking in with our Hooves 4 Hospice theme. Holly was the winning name in our 'Name our Calf' competition, well done Dan. We had had lots of fun and pupils really enjoyed dressing up as farmers for the day. We raised enough money to pay for our calf and an additional €660. Thank you to all who donated, it was our little way of giving something to what is a great cause. Pupils took part in the Agri Kids programme with Alma Jordan. Each session started with a reading from one of her books. In the first session Alma read her book 'The Tree Swing'. Children then learned how to prepare for a safe farm visit and how to recognise some of the signs they will see along the way. The second session started with a reading from 'The Big Brown Bull'. Children then learned how to read the different behavioural traits and mannerisms shown by animals including bulls, horses and dogs In the last session children listened to the story 'The Red Tractor. Children then learned about top tips on how they and farmers stay safe around farm machinery and vehicles including the do's and don'ts of quad bikes and tractors. Children enjoyed the programme and more importantly learned a lot about farm safety.  The BOM have invested in a new chromebook for each pupil within our school. Pupils were very excited to receive their new chromebook and they couldn't wait to start exploring all the new apps and programmes installed for them. With each pupil having their own device this means that we can taylor each device to the pupils needs.  On Thursday the 22nd of October pupils visited Feighery’s field where they saw where the pumpkins are grown. They had the opportunity to ask lots of questions and see first hand how a pumpkin grows. The pupils then got to pick out their own pumpkin. They had so much fun carving out their pumpkins. It was great to see the older children helping the younger ones. All children were very proud of their finished pumpkins. We are very grateful to Feighereys for supplying each pupil with a pumpkin.  As a school we were delighted to receive the news that we would be awarded our 5th Green Flag. The theme of the flag was ‘Biodiversity’, all pupils worked very hard throughout the year to expand upon their knowledge of biodiversity. Pupils took part in workshops, listened to speakers that visited the school and built a bug hotel. All pupils took on an active role in achieving this award. Well done to all involved, especially to Ms. Flynn who is our Greenschools co-ordinator.
Today we were learning all about the different parts of a plant and what it needs to grow. We made these seed frames so children can see the different parts of a plant as it grows.  In school we want to educate pupils of the importance in looking after the environment. We have created a nature corner in the school where we have our bug hotel, we planted native trees and we are now working on our wildflower garden.  For Engineers Week 2020 students visited Birr Castle for an engineering workshop. They learned the history and science behind a rocket launch, designed and launched their own rockets and had an incredible time doing so. Every year a small selection of schools in Co. Offaly are picked to take part in an Environmental workshop . We were one of the ten schools selected this year. Maura Shannon visited our school and did lots of fun and educational activities with the pupils. It was great to see the children so engaged in the activities and learning the importance of caring for our environment.  |
