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CityGuesser

Daily Games

(World)le

Wordle

How did your reading go last night? What effort level will you put down for your focus subject today?

Donegal’s name comes from the Irish Dún na nGall, which means “fort of the foreigners”. This name has taken different forms over the years, including Dunnagall and Dunagall.

Dún an nGall, the fort of the strangers or foreigners, is the name given to Donegal town from which the county gets it’s name. There is some confusion as to who these foreigners were, some believe it refers to the Vikings who were reported to be active in the bay of Donegal in the ninth century. Yet others believe that the strangers referred to are Scottish mercenaries who were brought in by the Irish to fight for them in their local and national battles.

How did your reading go last night?

How did your focus subject go?

Benjamin is on artefact duty today, it is Computational Thinking Thursday and on Scratch we will make ‘Car City’. The car wheels will rotate as the car moves and and when the car touches the edge of the screen a new city appears.

We will make our visualisation group today before we begin juggling. 28 days of juggling left.

Every Wednesday over the next few weeks we will ‘Meeting a Scientist’. Today we will listen to Dr. Rachel Quinlan, she is a Mathematician. She will talk to us about how a simple sheet of paper can reveal mathematical mysteries.

Let’s take a look at your questions from last night. How is your focus subject going this week?

Unfortunately we will not be able to play badminton in the hall today as a table tennis coach is coming to 3rd & 4th class. We will however be playing another game outside.

Fantastic work yesterday evening finding the origins of placenames. We will make a poster with the information we have gathered before building electronic quizboards later this week or next.

Some interesting information we found –

Fethard comes from the Irish Fiodh Ard, which translates to “High Wood” (fiodh meaning “wood” or “forest,” and ard meaning “high” or “elevated”).

The name likely refers to an area of elevated land that was once wooded, which would have been a notable geographical feature in the region.

• Nobber is derived from the Irish An Obair, which translates to “The Work” or “The Labor”.
  • Obair in Irish means “work” or “labor,” and the article “An” means “the.”
• The name likely refers to a historical site or event associated with work or labor, possibly related to a significant labor force or activity in the area during medieval or early Christian times. It’s possible that the village was a center of craft, trade, or some form of industrious activity, which is reflected in the name.

Termonfeckin comes from the Irish Tearmann Feichín, which translates to “Sanctuary of Feichín”.

• Tearmann means “sanctuary” or “church lands,” often indicating a protected or sacred area.
• Feichín refers to St. Feichín, a 7th-century Irish saint who founded a monastery in the area.

Newtwopothouse is believed to have come from a stagecoach inn that operated in the area during the 18th or 19th century. Inns were often named for the number of pots, or kettles, they used to serve food and drink to travellers. In this case, the “two pots” referred to the inn having two large kettles for brewing ale or cooking. The prefix “New” was likely added later to distinguish it from another location nearby (possibly named Twopothouse) or to emphasize its modernity at the time.

Historical Context

Stagecoach inns were vital for travelers and merchants, providing rest and refreshment on long journeys. These inns often became focal points for villages or towns, and their names frequently carried over to the settlements that grew around them.

What an amazing camogie final yesterday and hard luck to Maria, Leticia, Milena, Laura and Kayla. They gave everything they hard and they should be very proud of the way the played, their sportsmanship and their resilience during the game.

Excellent first day juggling most of us have moved onto 2 balls at this stage and some of you will move onto 3 balls today. Let us watch how an athlete might visualise today. Our Visualisation group will be made later this week.

Amelia brought in a vintage game console from the 1990’s yesterday. It belonged to her mom. Excellent Amelia, the game still worked and we played Mario on it.

Science Blast begins today (Can Visualisation improve juggling performance), we will record your juggling ability today and in 30 school days from now we will retest. We will not make visualisation groups until later this week to give every a chance to learn the steps to 3 ball juggling.

In Geography this week we will be looking at placenames of Ireland. With the information we gather this week we will make electronic quizboards. On your chromebooks this evening each of you will be asked to research 2 – 4 placenames and find their meaning.

Many Irish place names are anglicized versions of their original Gaelic (Irish) names. These anglicized names often differ significantly from their original meanings or sounds due to the difficulties English speakers had in pronouncing Irish words. Here’s a list of examples, along with their Gaelic origins and meanings:

Kildare
– Irish: Cill Dara
– Meaning: “Church of the Oak”

Kilkenny

• Irish: Cill Chainnigh
• Meaning: “Church of St. Canice”

How did your reading go last night?

In art today you will look at famous French landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and the Arc de Triomphe. On black construction paper you will cut out silhouette shapes of your favourite landmarks. Using paint, you’ll create a sunset or night sky background on white paper. Once the paint dries, glue the silhouettes onto the colourful background. Display the finished pieces as a “Skyline of France” mural.

Fantastic work on your Sketchnotes yesterday, this has hopefull put the information into your long term memory.

We will do a short drama lesson on the French Revolution today.

You will be divided into groups of 4-6 and assigned roles:

• Revolutionaries (most of the group).
• Guards of the Bastille (1-2 students).
• King’s supporter (a bystander or messenger trying to calm the crowd).
• Each group decides how their scene will unfold.
• Revolutionaries: What do you shout as you gather at the Bastille? How do you demand the guards surrender?
• Guards: Will you resist, negotiate, or surrender? How do you react to the crowd?
• King’s supporter : What message might you deliver to calm the situation?
• Groups perform their short improvised scenes. Use dramatic voices and bold actions to bring the moment to life!

1908

100 metres 10.8 seconds

200 metres 22.6 seconds

400 metres 50.0 seconds

800 metres 112 seconds

1500 metres 240 seconds

1948

100 metres 10.3 seconds

200 metres 21.1 seconds

400 metres 46.2 seconds

800 metres 109 seconds

1500 metres 229 seconds

PE today and we will be playing badminton for the next couple of weeks. Ms. Morris is running a lunchtime badminton league in the spring and I will be picking 2 representatives from the class to take part in it.

How did your reading go last night?

We will spend 30 minutes at our penpal letters today.

We read and listened to all the information on the French Revolution yesterday. Here is the key information we identified.

• Queen Marie Antomette said ‘ if they don’t have bread, Let them eat cake’. It shows she was out of touch with the people of France
• The French flag, white means royalty, blue and red mean the common people so the common people have control over the monarchy.
• The French people (not King Louis XVi) raised money to build and ship the Statue of Liberty. The Americans fought off the Bristish in their War of Independence and this inspired the French people to take control of their country.
• They used the guillotine to kill the royals and upper class in France. Between 16000 and 40000 were executed between 1789 and 1799
• 1793 -1794 Reign of Terror most violent period in the Revolution.
• The guillotine was named after Dr. Guillotine, he was part of the National Assembly and advised them to use this method instead of an axeman, it was more humane, it had a nickname ‘The National Razor’.
• King Louis XVI was a weak king and didn’t support the poor.
• Marie Antoinette was Austrian, in 1793 King Louis tried to get help from his brother in laws Austrian army, when the National Assembly heard this they captured him and beheaded him.
• Marie Antoinette was beheaded 9 months after her husband.
• Soildiers turned on their king during the storming of the Bastille
• Today the 14 July is a national holiday in France when they celebrate Bastille Day.
• If you complained you were sent to prison.
• The Bastille prison was stormed. The king stored his arms and ammunition here, prisoners were here and when the stormed the prison the executed the governer and put his head on a pike. The crowds cheered when they seen his head
• They used the slogan Liberty, Equality and Fraternity
• Last execution by guillotine in France was 1977.
• A red Phrygian hat was worn to show support for Revolutionaries, like Olympic mascot.
• Children were part of the revolution too, they sang songs supporting liberty in the streets, they joined protests and acted as messengers.
• Womens March on Versailles to demand bread and rurn of the king to France in 1789
• Bread was a huge deal – it was life. Bread was eaten every day. When bread prices rocketed due to poor harvests and high taxes, people got so angry and blamed the king leading to the revolution.

Imagine you’re in Paris in 1789. The city is in chaos. People are hungry, angry, and afraid. They believe the king, Louis XVI, doesn’t care about them. Rumors spread that the king’s soldiers will attack. The people need weapons to defend themselves, so they march to a massive stone prison called the Bastille. The Bastille is a symbol of the king’s power and tyranny. Though it holds only seven prisoners, it’s full of gunpowder the people need. On July 14, a huge crowd storms the Bastille. After hours of fighting, they take it over. This event becomes a turning point in the French Revolution and a symbol of freedom.”

What was the Bastille, and why did the people attack it?

Why do you think the people were angry enough to take such a big risk?

How do you think the king felt when he heard about the storming of the Bastille? Why?

Why do you think the Bastille became a symbol of freedom and revolution?

Some nice work creating Neurographic art yesterday, we will return to it later in the year when we will be painting them.

This week and next we will be looking at the French Revolution. Our art, drama, music will also be based around it. Do you know what Revolution means?

We must also begin our penpal letters, we will try to have them sent back to Ennis by the end of next week.

Our ScienceBlast project will now begin on Monday but before then we will spend a few minutes every day practicing visualistation. Who can tell us what our project is again. Lets take a look at these formula 1 drivers.

Our Science Blast visualisation will help us become better jugglers, visualisation can also be used to help our feelings. Let’s try a 5 minute visualisation lesson to help us when we are anxious.

When we feel anxious, imagining calm, happy places can help our minds relax. Let’s try a simple exercise to feel more peaceful.”

Sit comfortably, close their eyes, and take a deep breath.

“Imagine you’re lying on a warm, sandy beach. The sun gently warms your skin. You hear the soft sound of waves rolling in and out. A light breeze brushes your face. You smell the salty air. Look around—what do you see? Maybe seagulls flying or shells on the sand. Take a moment to enjoy this peaceful place.”

How did that feel? What did you imagine? You can use this anytime you feel anxious to help yourself feel calm.”

Holiday Detective is a fun, interactive game to reconnect after the holidays. Each student secretly writes one memorable or funny thing they did during the break on a slip of paper. All the slips are collected in a festive bag or box. The teacher or a chosen “detective” pulls out one slip at a time and reads it aloud to the class. The group works together to guess who wrote it, asking up to three yes/no questions for clues. Once guessed correctly (or revealed), the writer can share more about their experience. The game fosters fun, creativity, and classroom bonding!

We will be doing neurographic art today also.

Neurographic art is great because it’s like doodling to calm your mind. Drawing squiggly lines and connecting them helps you feel relaxed, like taking deep breaths. It’s fun and lets you show your feelings on paper. Plus, it helps your brain think better and feel happy at the same time!

Christmas Raffle later today, there are 6 calendars in the raffle along with some other prizes.

We have 10 euro in the charity box already. We will donate tomorrow, can we get it to 50 euro.

GOAL is a charity that helps people in need worldwide. They give food, clean water, and shelter to those affected by disasters. They also build schools, provide healthcare, and teach communities skills to grow stronger. GOAL helps make life better for those who are struggling to survive and thrive.

Fantastic work on Friday making the cushions, we will have another sewing activity later in the year where we will be making teddy bears. TY students from the community college will be in later with an art activity from us and we will also have the Haggling contest today.

It was really enjoyable listening to your Charity presentations.

There were so many brilliant presentations and posters but the charity we are selecting is GOAL. Edie presented a poster on this charity, she put in a lot of hard work like many others and she presented very well. We can begin donating beans today.

Well done yesterday, it was fantastic. Building marble runs blends creativity, problem-solving, physics, engineering, collaboration, patience and perseverance.

Books are being put aside today so that we can build our Marble Runs. The rules are simple, each group will be given a table to build their run around and your goal is to make the marble go into a cup under the table. While doing this you are looking to make the marble turn at least 5 times

Fantastic work yesterday in completing all the stories. We will be heading to the Junior school after 1st break but before that we will practice reading them in class making sure to say the moral of the story before reading aloud. There is a chance we may go upstairs to 3rd class to practice also. Roisin and Leticia got to record their story Dean the Elf yesterday while Luke and Millie also recorded theirs. Let’s take a listen to them now.

https://youtu.be/5QGwWQTW0R4

https://youtube.com/shorts/N1FOLsLxPtQ?feature=share

There is no homework next week so do your best this week to complete the work. As always top of the homework list every night is reading.

Any Thursday Maths Test questions for me?

Well done in Maths yesterday where we began Percentages.

Fractions, decimals, and percentages are just different ways of talking about parts of a whole. We need them because they help us understand and solve problems in the real world. Let me give you some examples:

Fractions

• Imagine you have a pizza and you want to share it with your friends. If you divide it into 8 slices and eat 3, you’ve eaten 3/8 of the pizza. Fractions are great for sharing things or dividing something into parts.

Decimals

• Decimals are like fractions, but they’re especially helpful when we talk about money. For example, if you have $3.75, that means you have 3 dollars and 75 cents. Decimals make it easier to work with numbers in everyday life, like adding up prices at a store.

Percentages

• Percentages are super useful when we talk about comparisons or parts of 100. For example:
  • If a video game is on sale for 50% off, you know it’s half price.
  • If you score 80% on a test, you know you got 80 out of 100 questions right.

Why do we need all three?

Each one is useful in different situations:

• Fractions are great when we divide things.
• Decimals are perfect for money and measurements.
• Percentages are awesome for comparing and understanding how much of something we have.

You can even try giving them real-life problems to solve, like splitting a pizza, figuring out a sale discount, or counting money, so they see how handy these are!

Éabha brought in an antique letter scales yesterday. It was was from the 19th century. It once belonged to her great grand dad who had it in his house in Birmingham. He used to work in the Cadbury factory in Bournville where he worked. It was used to weigh letters to see how much it would cost to post them. Fantastic artefact Éabha and very well presented.

We will continue to work on our jumping game in Scratch today. Some of you will move onto adding difficulty levels and some of you will just be able to make the chick jump. That is fine. No matter what your level is right now learning Scratch code helps develop problem-solving, logical thinking and creativity.

What is happening in this photo?

Eabha is on artefact duty tomorrow.

Some irregular verbs have popped up in our sentences this week (eat) and I’m going to introduce you to a few more today. Let’s take a look at the verb ‘see’.

I know we have talked about this before but What is Winning?

‘Winning is doing the best you can, with the resources you have, in the moment you’re in” . This perspective emphasizes process over outcomes, encouraging people to focus on their effort, adaptability, and resilience rather than on results.

This viewpoint challenges the narrow, outcome-based definition of winning, which often forgets about the importance of personal satisfaction, well-being, and sustainability​

• Did I give my best effort with what I had?
• Did I learn something valuable from this experience?

When Kobe Bryant said, “There is no such thing as failure,” he meant that every setback is an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve. He viewed challenges as essential parts of the journey toward success, emphasizing that persistence and reflection turn obstacles into valuable lessons rather than defeats.

In this video the CSO (Central Statistics Office) have used data from the census see how people have travelled to work. What use is this information to the government?

Project Day next Wednesday- we will be making a marble run provided all Junior School books are complete. We are going to the Junior School on Thursday 12th now.

How did the reading go last night?

Any maths questions for Thursdays test?

Tomorrow is the deadline for the Christmas decoration competition.

Any signed Friday sheets?

How is your Charity project going?

We are looking at time this week, in class today you will receive 4-5 clocks, you will put analog and digital times in the back and use them as your tables homework.

Unfortunately there will be no Stone Age cooking this week as it is forecast wet all week. It may happen next week but more than likely it will be in the new year now. We will have a project day later this week or next though.

Every moment we have spare this week, you and your group will be working on your Christmas stories. After lunch we will be completing a worksheet on the 1911 census

Do you remember Anna’s story from Friday. How did she react? Let’s take a read of Gary’s story.

How did your reading go last night? What effort score will you enter for your reading this week?

How are your charity projects going? They are due on Wednesday.

Using clay we will begin making Christmas decorations today and after they dry you will paint them and add string next week. We will begin after the tests and homework corrections.

Fantastic artefact from Laura yesterday. The phone belonged to her great grandparents and they received the phone as a gift on the day they got married the 11/11/1964 (Armistice Day – Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m., marked World War I’s end.)

Her grandparents were married in Manor Kilbride church.

Laura’s artefact also got us talking about phonebooks and switchboards, did you ask about them at home?

We are looking at Coping with Disappointment at the moment, let’s take a read of Anna’s Story.

How did your reading go last night?

Who else made a start on their charity project last night?

We will begin building a new game in Scratch today. It is a jumping game and we will learn how to use new pieces of code.

Maths Test this morning, you received the test on Monday and it great to hear you asking questions about it every day. There will be 4 A Day today also. It is Computational Thinking Thursday also and we will a matching fractions game.

I think the behaviour of the cuckoo was a shock to many of you yesterday. We have completed Part 1 of SketchNote (Read/Listen to all the information). Today we will complete Step2 – 4. We will have your Sketchnotes on the notices tomorrow.

How did your reading go last night?

Who has Maths questions on the upcoming Thursday test?

How are your charity projects going?

We are also going to look at the Cuckoo today and create a Sketch note on it.

Ella had always been passionate about painting. Her latest masterpiece was a watercolour sunset she had worked on for hours. She brought it to art class, eager to show it to her teacher, Mr. Lucas, who was known for his honest feedback.

After studying her painting, Mr. Lucas said, “This is a strong piece, Ella. I love the way you blended the colours in the sky. But I think the perspective on the trees could be improved—they look a little flat compared to the vibrant background.”

Ella felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment. She had worked hard on those trees, and hearing they weren’t perfect stung. But instead of shutting down, she took a deep breath and nodded. “How do you think I can make them look better?” she asked.

Mr. Lucas smiled at her willingness to learn. He gave her tips on shading and adding texture, and Ella spent the rest of class refining her painting. By the end, the trees looked more three-dimensional, and the whole piece felt more complete.

When Ella showed Mr. Lucas the revised version, he beamed. “Fantastic improvement, Ella! This shows real growth.”

That night, Ella felt proud—not just of her painting but of how she had turned criticism into an opportunity to grow.

At the start of the school year, Alex joined the soccer team. During practice, Coach Rivera pulled Alex aside after a drill. “Alex, you’re quick on your feet, but your passes are inconsistent. If you focus on accuracy, you’ll be a stronger player.”

Alex’s face flushed. He had been trying his best, and hearing he wasn’t good enough felt like a punch to the gut. Instead of asking for tips or trying to improve, Alex crossed his arms and muttered, “I guess I’m just bad at soccer.”

For the rest of practice, Alex barely tried. He missed easy passes and didn’t hustle for the ball. His teammates noticed and started to avoid passing to him. By the end of the day, Alex felt frustrated and isolated.

That evening, his mom asked about practice. Alex vented, “Coach thinks I’m terrible!”

“Did he say that?” his mom asked gently.

“Well, no, but he might as well have,” Alex grumbled.

“Sounds like he sees your potential and wants to help you improve,” his mom said. “Criticism isn’t about tearing you down—it’s about building you up.”

Alex thought about it and realized he might have overreacted. The next day at practice, he apologized to Coach Rivera and asked for advice on improving his passing. Coach smiled, glad to see Alex’s change of heart.

It took time, but Alex learned to handle feedback better and became one of the team’s most reliable players.

The Desert Island Disc podcast is complete . Thanks to every student in all three 5th classes who participated. We may bring all 3 classes together today before listening to it.

We will be looking at Handling Criticism later today, you and your group will act out a mini drama before questions will be asked of your group.

How did your reading go last night? Any update on your charity project? Any more signed Friday test sheets? I will be collecting the Friday test sheets tomorrow whether they are signed or not.

Christmas recyclable decoration due in on the 4th of December

It’s International Day tomorrow. We will be in the hall between 1:30 and 1:50 tomorrow. It begins at 11:15 and parents are welcome to call in during the day.

Emma stood at the soccer field, wiping sweat from her forehead. The game was over, and her team had lost. Her friends patted her back, saying, “You did great!” But Emma wasn’t sure.

She replayed the game in her head. That moment she hesitated. The pass she didn’t take. Could she have tried harder? She looked at her cleats and sighed.

Then, her coach approached. “You know, Emma, no one else can tell if you gave it your all. That’s something only you can feel.”

Emma nodded. Next time, she promised herself, she’d push past doubt and give her best.

Your best is a secret only you hold,
A story inside that’s quiet and bold.
Did you try hard, or just let it go?
Only you, deep down, will know.

It’s not about winning or coming in first,
It’s giving your all when you’re at your worst.
Did you learn, did you grow, did you give it your might?
Did you keep going, even at night?

The world can’t judge what’s true in your chest,
Only you can decide if you’ve done your best.

This day 3 weeks we will be in the Junior School reading our stories so we must get cracking on it this week. We have already read ‘Brave Irene’ and we took hints on how to write a story containing problems and solutions. Today we will look at 2 more stories and you will begin discussing a possible story plan with your group today.

We will have another go at making Paper Cranes again today. My hope is that most of the class make a paper crane going home this evening.

Scratch continues after 1st break today. We will continue with our maze project. Today we will look at if statements and creating variables.

In Scratch, variables are tools that allow you to store and manipulate data in your program. They act as “containers” that hold information, such as numbers, text, or other values, which can change as your program runs.

How did your reading go last night?

What do you recall from our Peatlands lesson yesterday?

How did your reading go last night?

You will be put into groups of 3/4 today and you will begin planning your Christmas story for the Junior school on Monday 16th of December.

It was a really enjoyable listening to all your interviews over the past 2 days. Recording takes place tomorrow. I need more time to decide on the winners.

Starting next week with homework is a weekly Maths test. I will give you the test as part of homework, you will look over it at night and try to find a question that is causing you difficulty. The following day in class you will be given the opportunity to ask for help on that question. Each Thursday I will pick a selection of questions from the test, the test will be taken on the 5th class app. I will use the Place Value test (easy test) to explain how it works. We will take this test tomorrow.

New homework project starting today. It is due on Wednesday the 4th of December giving you 2 weeks to complete it. The project is asking you to research an Irish charity, put your information on an A3 sheet and present it to the class. After presentations, we will have a vote to select a winner. You can then donate beans to the winning charity with every 25 beans equal to €2.50

Questions to answer in your project

About the Charity:

1. What does this charity do to help people, animals, or the environment?
2. Who does the charity help, and why is their work important?
3. How long has the charity been around?

How They Work:

4. Where does the charity do its work? (locally, nationally, or globally)
5. How does the charity use donations to make a difference?
6. Who runs the charity? Are they volunteers or paid workers?

Impact:

7. Can you share a story about someone or something the charity has helped?
8. What goals is the charity working toward?
9. How can I see the results of the charity’s work?

Getting Involved:

10. How can someone like me help this charity?
11. Are there events or activities I can join to support their work?
12. Can I meet or talk to people involved with the charity?

How did your homework and reading go last night? Any signed Friday test sheets?

We will take a short break later today to read about Patrick & Flippa. It is about friendship and setting boundaries.

Excellent work with decimals yesterday, be resilient and you will get it by the end of the week.

You might wonder why do we need decimals when every decimal can be written as a fraction.

Decimals are more commonly used in money, measurements (like meters and kilograms). For instance, €1.25 is easier to read and understand than 5/4 or 1 1/4

Adding, subtracting, or multiplying decimals is often faster because they align with our base-10 numbering system (e.g., 0.1 + 0.2 = 0.3).

To start Decimals today

Have you noticed that some very long numbers are very big whilst other very long numbers are small? Can you think of an example of each?

Here’s a game where you can test your skill at putting small numbers into the right order – it’s not as easy as it sounds!

 

How to play

You need a partner, and two different coloured pencils.

Decide who goes first.

Take turns to choose a number from the grid and mark it on the spiral. Make sure you know where 0 and where 1 is!

Keep taking turns until one of you has marked three numbers next to each other.

Desert Island Discs auditions will take place today, tomorrow and possibly Wednesday if needs be. I will then choose class members to go forward to recording on Thursday. I will edit it over the weekend and we will listen to it next Monday.

20 marks are on offer for each audition

• 5 marks for Clarity of Expression (reading clearly and fluently with appropriate pauses and pronunciation)
• 5 marks for understanding of content (have you conveyed the interview’s key points accurately)
• 5 marks for engagement and tone (are you reading with appropriate tone and emphasis, reflecting emotions of the original speaker)
• 5 marks for Comprehension Check (after reading I will ask questions to see if you understand the material and recall it in their own words)

Before we begin let’s listen to a snippet of my favourite Desert Island Disc. Billie Jean King has 12 Grand Slam singles titles and was world number 1 for a number of years. In the snippet she speaks about how she first became involved in tennis and how developing her tennis game was important than results.. 18:09

With COP 29 in full swing we will look at Bogs this week in Science and Geography

In Music this week we will look at the song ‘The Town I loved so Well’.

This song is about the songwriter’s childhood in Derry (Northern Ireland) and it highlights his emotional connection to the place. The song mentions love, loss, and resilience. The song reflects changes in the town due to conflict (The Troubles) and the impact on its people.

Imagine a place they love and how they’d feel if it changed dramatically.

We will look at verse 1 in detail today and try to identify emotional lyrics like “the town I loved so well” and “sad old town.”

For Chromebooks today you will be doing some research on the Troubles in Northern Island. You will find the answer to these questions.

What were the Northern Ireland Troubles, and when did they happen?

Why were Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland fighting?

How did daily life change for people during the Troubles?

What was the Good Friday Agreement, and how did it help bring peace?

What can we learn from the Troubles about resolving conflicts peacefully?

In my memory I will always see
the town that I have loved so well
where our school played ball by the gas yard wall
and we laughed through the smoke and the smell
Going home in the rain, running up the dark lane,
past ther gaol (jail) and down behind the fountain,
those were happy days in so many, many ways
in the town I loved so well.

Leo’s Story

There was once a boy named Leo who turned every little thought into a storm. If he imagined failing a test, he’d picture everyone laughing. If he thought of being late, he’d worry the whole day was ruined. One day, his aunt told him, “A thought is just a visitor; you don’t have to believe everything it says.” Leo began to pause and say, “It’s just a thought.” Slowly, he stopped turning worries into mountains. Now, when a troubling thought pops up, he smiles and lets it pass, feeling lighter and finally free from his own mind’s tricks.

Ben’s Story

There was a boy named Ben who would turn every small worry into a big fear. If he thought about getting a question wrong, he’d imagine everyone laughing. If he thought about losing, he’d see himself as a failure. One day, his older brother told him, “Thoughts are like stories—they don’t always have to be true.” Ben began to pause and tell himself, “It’s just a thought.” Little by little, he stopped making his worries grow. Now, when a troubling thought appears, he smiles and lets it float by, realizing it doesn’t have to shape his world.

The Real Win

Win or lose, it’s all okay,
You gave your best in your own way.
Stepping up was brave and strong,
That’s the prize you’ve had all along.
Trying your hardest—that’s where you belong.

How to play

Players pass cards to other team members in order to help one another complete their set.

Rules

• No one can talk or give non-verbal signals to other members of the team.
• Each member of the team starts with four cards in front of them.
• The cards in front of each person should be visible to everyone.
• Team members can only give cards; they cannot take cards from someone else.
• Each team member must have at least two cards in front of them at all times

Thanks to everyone who researched and performed their experiment today. There may be one more experiment tomorrow. So far the 2 experiments going forward to Thursday’s Science show are Elephant Toothpaste by Milena & Alma and Walking Water by Maria. Today for Science, in groups of 3 you will build a LEGO bridge. You must construct a bridge that spans a gap of 30cm (tables will be put down the length of the classroom with a span of 30cm). When construction is complete a load will be added to test its strength.

Before beginning construction your group will do some design sketches. Triangles are used in construction to add stability, will you incorporate this in your design

How did homework go last night? We will be moving onto fractions 2 in tables today. How did reading go last night?

Whatif

Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I’m dumb in school?
Whatif they’ve closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there’s poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don’t grow talle?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won’t bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don’t grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!

How did your homework go last night? Let’s check in on your reading.

In class today we will do an experiment on air pressure. Taking some aluminum drink cans we will crush these cans using the air in the classroom.

I will be submitting our Science Blast project later today, our project is called ‘Can Visualization improve Juggling Performance’. We will be going to Science Blast on a date between the 4th & 7th of March. The experiment will begin on the 6th of January when we return from the Christmas holidays.

In the experiment, you will divided into 2 groups. You will juggle for 10 minutes for 30 days. On day 1 each persons juggling ability will be measured. On day 2 you will divided into 2 groups. One group will juggle for 10 minutes, the other group will juggle for 5 minutes and spend 5 minutes visualizating juggling. On day 30, your juggling ability will be measured and we will see which group has improved more. Although one group will have juggled twice the time of the other group, will this reflect in the results.

What is visualization?

Visualization is like playing a movie in your mind. Imagine you’re about to do something, like throwing a ball or drawing a picture, and you see yourself doing it perfectly in your head before you actually try it. You picture all the details, like how it looks and feels to catch the ball or how you move your hand while drawing.

When you visualize, your brain practices, even if your body isn’t moving. It’s a trick to help you get better at something just by imagining it really clearly. It’s like giving your brain a head start on the action, so it feels easier when you do it for real!”

We will get outside for some PE while the weather is mild and let’s play a few circle time games to start the day, Chain Reaction and Pass the Beat. We will have Chromebooks after 1st break and we will begin Scratch.

In Art this week we will collect leaves and make our own trees.

Eight hidden squares

On the graph there are 28 marked points. These points all mark the vertices (corners) of eight hidden squares. Can you find the eight hidden squares?

Four Go

This challenge is a game for two players. Choose two of the numbers to multiply or divide, then mark your answer on the number line. Can you get four in a row?

The results of the photography competition can be viewed on the photography page. Finn’s photo ‘Beautiful Evening Sky’ will be the front cover of the calendar.

We have more activities planned for Maths week today, we will play Nim, Got It and to start today can you solve this?

The next map we will study is the rivers and islands of Ireland. We have looked at some rivers already but we are adding more and taking a look at our islands also.

As part of Circle Time today we will also read ‘ How to Mend a Friend.

It Maths Week and there will be Maths puzzles , maths trails and Maths sites to visit this week. Let’s start off with this, how many triangles do you see?

On your Chromebooks this evening you will play

Pirate Adventure

Maths Train

Maths Games

We had a great treat from Aran yesterday, he brought in a Polaroid Land Camera which would have purchased between the years 1965 and 1967. It belongs to Aran’ grandfather who got it as a present from his father.

Any more Friday test sheets for me? How did your reading go last night?

Any more time requests for parent teacher meetings. I will send out confirmation of dates and times to your parents in a few weeks.

After tests and homework corrections we will be having a go at drawing a pumpkin with zentangle patterns.

Apologies, the rockets video was mistakenly left on private, it can now be viewed at home if you wish to do so.

Well done with the poem Ceisteanna yesterday, what words are now familiar with after it? Here are some examples of your reading.

How did your reading go last night? Did you highlight the answers and include symbols? Any more signed Friday test sheets for me?

I also need 3 volunteers for after break to count Photo votes.

Our 1st attempt at sketch note yesterday seemed to go very well in my opinion but the real test will be today when at a short glance lets see how much information can you recall.

Sketchnote is fantastic in my opinion, the pages you produce are not laden down with text and because you have had to prioritize 10 to 20 key words you have given some facts more importance than others which means you are understanding it and it is going into long term memory.

We learned how to do sketchnote yesterday and we will put it into practice today when we look at rivers of Ireland. In the lesson yesterday we seen how she turned the piece of text on Louis Pasteur into a SketchNote.

There are 4 stages

1. Read/Listen to all the information
2. Identify Key Information
3. Say more with Less (turn the key information into 10 – 15 key words)
4. Illustrate.

Today we will look at the Rivers of Ireland and make a Sketchnote. We will look at the River Shannon, Lee, Brosna, Erne, Boyne, Moy and the River Liffey. In groups you will receive 3 – 4 page pack about the river, the pack will include information on the river’s location, towns it passes, length, flora and fauna of the river and historical facts of the river. As a group you will

1. Read all the information
2. Identify Key Information by highlighting
3. Say more with Less (turn the key information into 10 – 20 key words)
4. Illustrate.

How did your reading go last night? Any more photography voting cards or signed Friday test sheets?

Photography vote count takes pace today so this is the final call for voting cards.

Fiona informed your parents that I wont be here for Parent/Teacher meeting the week after next but you can tell your parents that I am rescheduling them for the dates highlighted (11th – 22nd of November). On each of the days highlighted they can choose slots at 8:15am, 8:30am, 2:30pm, 2:45pm or 3pm. Your parents can email me at cforde@stmarysns.ie If needs be I can also do meetings during the school day.

It was a very enjoyable rocket show yesterday, let’s take a look at the rocket launches.

https://youtu.be/DvXfEH4-G7E

How did your reading go last night? Did you get a chance to highlight answers and include symbols as you read?

Any more Friday test sheets for me?

All rockets are complete and we will launch them after 1st break today. We may even have a prize for the rocket that reaches the highest altitude.

Each rocket will be 1/3 filled with water and the air in the bottle will be pressured to 60 psi before launching. When the nozzle is open the water will be forced out and thrust is generated. Newtons 3rd Law states ‘That for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’. The rocket launched today should continue flying to space but they will reach a maximum height of 20 or 30 metres before stopping and falling to the ground. Why is this?

It is Mathematical Thinking Thursday today where we will complete last weeks challenge and we will also try to complete this challenge.

All rockets have been constructed, we will take them outside today to be sprayed white. You will then name them and paint them tomorrow.

What do you notice about this short story about Neil Armstrong.

Neil Armstrong stood at the edge of the vast lunar landscape, a place no human had ever stepped foot. His recollection of that moment, as he spoke aloud, was filled with awe. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The words echoed through the communications system, marking a unique encounter between humanity and the moon.

Armstrong’s ability to excel under pressure had always been evident, but this moment would forever solidify his place in history. Yet, despite the excitement, he knew that any misstep could endanger not only the mission but also his and his crewmates’ lives.

As he and Buzz Aldrin began to excavate small samples of moon rock, Armstrong couldn’t help but marvel at the barren yet beautiful surface beneath his boots. Each step uncovered new mysteries, pieces of a puzzle that had eluded humans for centuries.

Looking back at Earth, so small and distant, Armstrong felt a deep connection to the world he had left behind. This moment, a singular achievement in human history, was the culmination of decades of dedication, risk, and dreams. It was a memory that would forever remain in his mind, etched in history for future generations to explore and appreciate.

Counties of Ireland Challenge this morning. 3 students will be timed with the fastest to name 10 Irish Counties.

We learned time in Gaeilge yesterday and we will play a dominoes game today with this knowledge. We will also play a counties of Ireland relay game in the hall but first let us play a quick BvG Counties of Ireland game.

How did your reading go last night? Any more Friday test sheets for me.

The Water bottles are down off the shelf, we will check them for leaks today and tomorrow we will attach fins and spray them white. You will then paint them and name them on Friday before launching next week. We will also conclude leaning about the Apollo Missions today.

Well done to the Naas Nets yesterday, although victory slipped out of reach, you all left the basketball court a success. Well done.

A Team’s True Win

They stepped on the field with courage and pride,
Gave all they had, no reason to hide.
Though the scoreboard showed they didn’t prevail,
Their hearts were strong, they would not fail.
For effort shines brighter than any score,
Together they learned; they’d come back for more.

We begin looking at the Apollo Mission today but before all that I’m going to give you a problem to solve. What do you think was the biggest challenge engineers faced when making a spaceship to travel to the moon?

How did your reading go last night? Did you add symbols and highlight the answers? Any more signed Friday sheets for me?

This Friday is the beginning of Space Week, it runs from Friday 4th of October – Thursday 10th of October. We will build rockers this week and launch them next week, we will learn about the Saturn 5 rocket and the moon landing.

Is there anyone willing to attempt to turn our winning logo into a digital image before it is uploaded to the app?

We will look at at least one poem in detail every month and I think it is fitting to finish September with ‘The Journey Matters Most’. It’s a fun poem that emphasizes the value of effort over the result.

After we have read and discussed the poem today, you will create a still image where effort mattered more than the outcome.

e.g. When I was learning to ride a bike, I fell several times and felt frustrated. Each time I got back up, I tried again, focusing on balancing and pedaling. It took me weeks to finally ride without training wheels. Although it was tough, the effort I put in taught me persistence and resilience. In the end, the joy of finally riding wasn’t just about the achievement; it was about the determination and courage I built along the way. That experience showed me that trying hard, even when it’s difficult, is what truly matters.

Preparing for a School Play

Last year, I auditioned for a role in our school play. I practiced my lines every day and worked on my acting skills, even though I was nervous. When the cast list was posted, I didn’t get the lead role I wanted. Instead, I was given a smaller part.

Although I was initially disappointed, I realized that the effort I put into rehearsals and improving my craft was what truly mattered. I learned to support my classmates, and in the end, I gained confidence and made great friends. The experience taught me that hard work and dedication are more valuable than just the outcome.

The Journey Matters Most

In a world where winners shine,
It’s easy to think the prize is fine.
But listen closely, let me say,
It’s the steps we take along the way!

Each stumble, fall, and little try,
Builds our strength, helps us fly.
When you work hard, give your best,
That’s when you truly pass the test.

So if you draw or sing a song,
Remember it’s where you feel you belong.
It’s not just trophies on a shelf,
But the joy in trying and being yourself.

Celebrate the effort, big or small,
For in your heart, you’ll have it all!
So keep on pushing, don’t lose sight,
The journey matters—let your heart take flight!

Our winning app logo and name has been decided. The winning name is Feasa and it is by Aran, Success and Rían. Feasa mean ‘of knowledge’. Their logo was also very close to being selected but the logo by Roisin, Senan and Patricija won out. I really liked the image of Timmy the Turtle and in their presentation they spoke about improving a little every day and sticking at smething always wins out. ‘Slow and Steady wins the Day’. The colours in each bubble represent something different from excitement, playfulness and trust.

To conclude, we had 9 excellent presentations and I believe everyone gave their best effort. The app will be uploaded with its new name and logo in the coming week.

Hugo brought in our second artefact today, a signed photo of Man Utd defender Denis Irwin. It was given to Hugo by his Dad who met Irwin back in 2008. Well done Hugo.

Well done with your Keith Haring Art yesterday. ere is a small sample of your work.

The photography deadline has now passed. Voting cards will be handed out next week. Each student will receive 3 voting cards. One for you and 2 more for an adult or siblings at home. Lets take a look at the remaining photos sent in over the last few days.

We will also play More Less is More

This is a game for two people, or two teams. You score if your
sentence is correct. The score is the result of the calculation on the left of
the inequality sign (shaded boxes).
There are two versions of the game:
● Version 1: You will need to throw the dice eight times in total.
● Version 2: Imagine that the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 have been thrown. Where would you place them in order to get thehighest possible score?

Great to see almost everyone had read on Tuesday night and even better to see that many had also read to an adult at home. Remember that reading is the top homework priority every night. I’m looking forward to seeing what symbols you included on your reading on Friday.

In Art today, we will learn about Keith Haring, he was a street artists and he had a style of art that he could do quickly and make people smile. His art uses thick outlines and lots of colour.

Logo presentations today, what are your first impressions? However it is the story behind the logo that will be all important.

It is anti- bullying week in the school. You will take a survey later today and we will watch a number of short videos and discuss them. Here is the first of them. This short video focuses on bystanders who see a boy being bullied. Some, hoping for entertainment, call for a fight. Others know this behaviour is wrong and are uncomfortable with it but they watch silently and do nothing to help. When one person intervenes and others quicky follow the bullying situation is brought to an end and bystanders disperse

How did your reading go last night? Let’s take a look at the questions

We began Artifact Thursday last week and Leon brought in an artefact that was over 100 years old. It belonged to his great grandfather and he used to cut men’s hair in Blessington. He did this work for free in the evenings after he had finished his main work during the day. The clippers is now being kept at Leon’s grandmother’s house and he got permission to borrow it for the day. Well done Leon, great artefact and great presentation.

Apologies for my absence yesterday and as a result this has pushed our logo presentations out to Thursday. Great to see the hobbies/interests half self portraits completed, they will go on display outside the classroom.

We will read Wanda’s Words Got Stuck today and discuss the moral of the story and we will play Ring of Fire in PE today.

I will be at the 3rd/4th class hurling blitz all morning so work to be completed is on the board. You will also complete your hobbies/holidays/interests/memories half self portrait when I am gone. These will go on display outside the classroom.

We have all been put into group for our Logo design project and some great progress was made yesterday. It is important to remember that this is a logo for an app so small details will not be seen.

The first of the penpal letters are ready and we should have them all complete by today.

We will take some time aside again this evening to read another book ‘Looking for Yesterday. We will discuss the moral of this story also.

Yesterday’s discussion about I Can Can’t Fly was very interesting. I think Rían summed it up very well in his statement, ‘It’s good to want something but you don’t need it’.

Jemina Montaq’s (Australian Olympic walker) interview which we watched earlier this year also mentions ‘ wanting the medal but not needing it’. Let’s take another look at her interview and discuss what she actually means by it.

For our movement break today we will play ‘9 Square knockout’

Let’s take a quick look at last nights reading.

We will read ‘I Can Can’t Fly’ today and discuss the moral of the story. It is about a small penguin who sees all the birds in the sky and wants to fly like them. Penguin tries everything he can – but to no avail.

As we spoke briefly about Japan yesterday we will play a version of Sumo Wrestling. Hopping on one leg and your hands behind your back you are trying to force your opponent out of the ring or to put their other foot on the ground.

Let’s take a quick look at last nights reading.

Any more Friday test sheets for me? Did you have a quick discussion with your parents about it?

We will become graphic designers for a few hours this week as groups will be designing a new logo for our app. Each group will also have to come up with a name for the app.

Beans begin today, I will explain how it works now. It is used as a reward for your effort.

How did your reading go last night? It was great to see many of you raise a hand to say you had read to an adult on the previous night. Well done!

I will check over written homework this morning and we will take some tests, as always the test score doesn’t bother me but I’m hoping you are honest filling out your effort. You will show this sheet to a parent over the week and return it signed on Monday.

Today we will also read a book called Willy and the Cloud.

How did your reading go last night? Let’s go back over the questions now.

Today, we also see the start of Artefact Thursday, it is my favourite time of each week. I have an artefact today but each week one student will be assigned the job of finding and bringing in an artefact. When the artefact is put on display, the class must guess – Who does it belong to? How old is it? What was it used for? What is it called? The student will then tell us the story behind the artefact.

You might think an artefact needs to be hundreds of years old, it doesn’t need to be. It may only be a few years old. An artefact is an object made by a human being, typically one of cultural or historical interest.

We must also complete part 2 of our half self portraits this week. In it you will draw your hobbies, books, movies, foods and places you like,

Finally, how did your reading go last night?

Before we build towers later this week, we will learn a little about them. In Maths also we will earn how to measure the height of our school building using triangles and in particular the right angle triangle.

Unfortunately we have seen the last of the Paralympics for another 4 years, there was some amazing moments and although there can only be one winner you can still leave the sports field as a winner if you have put in your best effort. I have come across this video of high jumper Lucasz Mamczarz a number of times in the past few days and it’s amazing.

Well done in Longball yesterday, today we will play the Wolf’s Den along with some strength work.

In Drama today we are going to talk about this guy and create a still image moments before one of the biggest moments of his sporting life. In your still image you must imagine what thoughts were going through his mind at this moment.

Also in art we will be looking at logos, what makes a good logo and what are some instantly recognizable logos. You will then be asked in teams of three to come up with a new logo for our 5th class app that are using in class. I’m looking forward to hearing what stories your logo is going to tell.

The winning logo last year was by Quinn, Síofra & Precious. This logo tells us it takes time to reach our goals, it doesn’t happen quickly, you must be resilient. The colours show positivity, creativity and imagination.

We spoke about players taking a deep breath before big moments in games. Why do they do it do you remember?

For the most part, players are trying to be present, they are just following their breath drawing into their lungs and following it going back out. They are for a few moments eliminating all other thoughts.

We will play a fun dice game today. It is called PIG. It is a battle of wits, math, and chance. Competitors roll the die and choose whether to ‘bank’ their score or to roll again for a chance to bank the total of all rolls. However, if a player rolls a 1, they lose their turn and their points! The game is up to 50. depending on how long players want the game to last. PIG is a great way to exercise your arithmetic skills while having a lot of fun. Launch Game ?

We learned about Roger Bannister yesterday morning and how he became the first man to run a mile in under 4 minutes. Doctors and many experts believed the ‘4 Minute Mile’ could not be done and was beyond human capability. He did achieve it in a time of 3:59 and it led to ‘The Bannister Effect?’

We took out the trundle wheel to measure out a distance of 61.5 meters. Each of you running that distance would equal one mile. We got a time of 4.58. It made us appreciate how great an achievement it was

Our first Friday tests this morning. We will be taking all of the tests on the device and you will log the score on the sheet. You will also log the effort you put into learning that content during the week. Your best effort could be a score of 10/10 or a score of 2/10.

There was so many great interviews during the Olympics, one of which was Irish Swimmer Mona McSharry which we watched a few weeks ago. We took a lot from Mona’s quote ‘It was not a perfect race’.

But there was another fantastic interview from Australian walker Jemina Montaq, she had just won bronze and was interviewed by a journalist. In one part she spoke about sport and this is what she said – ‘ it doesn’t matter if you’re doing sport for fun in your backyard with your girlfriends or whether you want to take it to this Olympic medalist level, sport is about community in a sense of belonging making friends looking after our physical and mental health um learning amazing life skills like dedication and Leadership which are all such great things for the next generation of women and girls so play on in your own way whatever suits you 

How did your ‘Read at Home’ go last night? Let’s take a look at the 5 questions.

I received the names of your penpals yesterday evening and you will be assigned a name later today. We will have a discussion also on what should be included in a first letter to a penpal. New photos in from Cormac, Amelia, Edie, Logan and Alma, let’s take a look at them now.

In Art today you will be doing half self portraits.

Yesterday we learned when to use capital letters with M.I.N.T.S. We will add to this lesson and learn about quotation marks today.

Today we will read ‘Flying High’.

Have you ever felt small and low?

Can Wawa the bird find a way to help her friend see that being different can be a strength, giving a child the courage to fly a kite at the town’s festival?

Join the pair on an extraordinary and inspiring journey through the wonders of the world, helping to grow understanding and confidence.

Capital Letters will the focus in English today, before we write our pen pal letters we will need to make sure we are using Capital Letters in the correct place.

We begin homework this week and I will go through it slowly in class this morning, there is not a lot of written work but there is reading and learning assigned for each night. We will have a few tests every Friday morning and as I mentioned last week, the test scores don’t concern me, more the effort that you put in to do your best on Friday.

Mr O’Connor’s class in Ennis National School will be our penpals this year. The plan is to exchange 1 letter per term. He has 27 in his class also and he is sending on his class list soon. You will each be assigned a name, when all the letters are written, we will post them down to his school in Ennis, Co.Clare.

What can she hear, see?

How is she feeling?

What is happening?

Where is she?