Summer has arrived!
Dear Parents,
It’s hard to believe that we have already come to the end of the school year! On behalf of the entire team I would like to thank you for your interest in and incredible support for St. Christopher’s. We feel very fortunate to be part of such a fantastic school community. I personally feel very privileged to lead such a fantastic team of educators and to work with your wonderful children, who amaze and inspire us every day. The children have done fabulous things this year and we hope you enjoy reading about some of their many activities and accomplishments in this newsletter. We particularly wish all our 6th class graduates every success as they continue their journey into secondary school. We are so proud of them all.
This is a time of year when some of our families are moving to new locations both here and
abroad. We thank you all for your contribution to the school and we wish you health, happiness and peace as you voyage to pastures new. Some of our fantastic team of teachers are moving on too. We will really miss them but we know that they will continue to make a positive difference in the lives of the children they teach and be wonderful colleagues in their new schools. We wish Ms. Gaire the very best in her retirement. We congratulate Meg Murphy on her appointment as Principal of St. Kevin's Primary School in Co. Wicklow and to wish her all the best in her new role.
I would like to thank each and every one of our teachers and special needs assistants for their hard work and dedication throughout the year. I know that they and you will join me in thanking Frances, Sharon, Liz and Philip who are the glue that holds us all together! We are lucky to have amazing volunteers on our Board of Management and Parents Association who have put in trojan work on behalf of the whole school community. They give so freely of their time and expertise and we thank them most sincerely for all they do.
Finally, I would like to wish you all a wonderful summer! I hope the children enjoy the well deserved break from school and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in August.
Kindest regards,
Ms. Tynan
Junior Infants
Ms. Meaney's Junior Infants were very excited to go on their first school tour to Pine Forest Art Centre. Just before they arrived many of them shouted with delight when they saw cows, goats and sheep in the surrounding fields. Upon arrival they ate their some food outside and enjoyed the beautiful views of the Glencullen Valley.
Then they all set off together on a nature walk through the woods in search of fairies. Some children insisted that they saw some flying around the trees. Along the way they all stopped to make a wish to add to the fairies wishes that could be seen hanging from the branches above. After this everyone made a colourful chameleon using paper, in the wood cabins on site. At lunchtime they had a picnic near the pond and took turns going down the slide nearby.
Finally, they made a fairy door to take home at the end of the day. Before boarding the bus back to school some of the children said that they wanted to stay. It was a fun filled day and some boys and girls even had a short nap on the journey back.
Ms. Calvey and Ms Malcolm's Junior Infants have been busy being creative. Have a look at some of our artwork from the past few months. The children have enjoyed painting, cutting and sticking and drawing. They have produced some lovely work, maybe we will have some artists in the future!
Aistear
Junior Infants have been making the most of the weather in June and have been able to do their Aistear play stations outdoors. They have enjoyed playing with sand and water in preparation for their summer holidays. We have also seen some great engineers with some wonderful creations using polydrons and building blocks.
Senior Infants
Ms. O’Connor’s Senior Infants have been so busy this term. They really enjoyed the literature festival in Merrion Square and their school tour to Pine Forest. One of their favourite days this term was Sports Day. They took part in obstacle races, beanbag toss, egg and spoon races, relay races, parachute games and much more. They loved their ice pop and bubble party to round off the day. Everyone was delighted as they went home with their rosettes.
Ms. Doyle’s Senior Infants, along with the other Senior Infants, have been having such a busy last term. We are preparing for our big move upstairs to 1st class and showing off how ready we are. We even performed an end of year show for all of our parents. We made our teachers extremely proud. We can’t believe our time in infants is over already but we are ready and able for our next fun challenge.
Ms. Kenny’s Senior Infants have had a very busy last term. Senior Infants had great fun this term on their school tour. They got to go on a bus to Pine Forest. They enjoyed a special forest walk with their friends. They saw lots of different trees and streams and got to hear lots of different stories about the animals that live in the forest. They also got to take part in art and craft activities; they made fairy doors and their own lizards. Senior Infants had a super day!
A student in Ms. Doyle’s Senior Infants had the great achievement of getting a gold medal for his boxing club. What a great sportsman!
Well done - Gold Medal winner for Boxing
Hard working Senior Infants
Senior Infants taking part in Sports Day 2024
1st Class
1st Class have had a busy term three. The children really enjoyed attending the National Literature Festival in Merrion Square where they listened to a live reading of poetry by the author Kate Wakeling. The school book fair was also a bit hit with 1st class where the children purchased lots of new books for their personal libraries. It is great to see the boys and girls have such an increasing interest in reading and literature.
The children learned lots about nature and signs of Spring in their local environment. They enjoyed exploring the natural environment in Herbert Park on their day out.
1st class really engaged well during Seachtain na Gaeilge. They took part in several activities together such as a 1st class quiz, céilí and attended a performance of Irish traditional music.
The boys and girls have been learning all about the lifecycle of a butterfly and are very excited about our new classroom caterpillars. We are hoping to welcome ten colourful butterflies to St. Christopher’s before the end of the school year.
Most recently, 1st Class had a brilliant day out at Malahide Castle on their school tour. The children were delighted to explore the butterfly house and walk along the fairy trail as well as learning all about different types of trains and transport. A special highlight was getting on the DART which created huge excitement.
Wishing you all a lovely summer break.
2nd Class
2nd Class went to Zoom Play Adventure and Glenroe Farm for their school tour. They got to learn about the animals and even saw a baby deer.
2nd Class met lots of furry friends on Glenroe farm.
2nd Class also took part in Sports Day. It was a fabulous day and everyone worked so hard as part of a team.
Ms. Hynes class are learning about the Titanic. They have really enjoyed building their very own Titanics out of junk art, learning about floating and sinking, maps and morse code.
They also went into character as passengers and crew members.
3rd Class
3rd class visited the Literature Festival in Merrion Square. We met the author Leona Forde and got to draw along with the the illustrator, Karen Harte. We went to Rockfield House for our school tour. We dressed up, met Lady Rockfield, visited some of the animals and experienced what life was like in the 1920s.
Ms. Sweeney and Ms. O'Leary's classes were busy planting while Ms. Corcoran's were making slime. Ms. Sweeney's class completed a 'car project' and had a drive-in movie.
Rockfield House Ms. Sweeney's Class
Rockfield House Ms. O'Leary's Class
Rockfield House Ms. Corcoran's Class
4th Class
Feb ’24 - Staff from Pfizer, in partnership with Junior Achievement Ireland, delivered an Entrepreneurship workshop to 4th class.
March ’24 - 4th Class attended the ESB Science Blast to display and explain their research on ‘Why do soap bubbles pop when you touch them?’ The judges were very impressed with their research and enthusiasm.
June ’24 - A successful day out in Herbert Park for our annual Sports Day.
Outside of school, a student from Ms. O'Toole's class showed our Water Clock Experiments to Education Minister Norma Foley, we attended a talk led by the author Sarah Webb in Merrion Square and had an exciting Sports Day. We have received compliments about how responsible, polite and engaged the children were on each one of these trips.
In school, we read 'The Iron Man' by Ted Hughes, exploring the themes of bravery and inclusion. Attached is a photo taken during our conscious alley drama. You can see the class trying to persuade The Iron Man (student from Ms. O'Toole's class) to either help the humans or to stay in the scrap yard eating metal. The novel has influenced the children's current narrative writing, as each of their stories contain at least one robot. Additionally, the children have been paired with Ms. Atkin's 1st Class and have been amazing reading buddies and role models.
We are happy to say that we went Aztec crazy in Room 16 for most of April and May. We can confirm that everyone in the class is officially an Aztec expert and can teach you about Aztec culture, sport, language, pyramids and more. We would encourage you to read their detailed, group projects on Google Classroom and admire their art work. Huge congratulations to student from Ms. O'Toole's class for winning the 'Aztec Ping Pong Ding Dong' champion of championships by knowing the most facts about the Aztecs. She had a lot of competition, from other students who came in second and third place.
4th Class have had a very busy term. In May we visited the International Literature Festival in Merrion Square where we had a talk from acclaimed children's author Sarah Webb about her new book; The Weather Girls. We even got our books signed afterwards.
In June we visited the National Concert Hall for the Quavers to Quadratics programme. We learned all about how music has its roots in Science and learned how to see, hear, feel and create sound. We even made our own instruments using recycled materials.
We also went on our school tour to Rockfield House where we dressed in old clothes for an
etiquette lesson, rode go karts and played in hay bales.
Texaco Children's Art Competition
⭐ Congratulations - Certificate of Commendation ⭐
5th Class
5th class really enjoyed their school tour to Baltinglass Activity Centre. They participated in many activities such as kayaking, zip lining, archery, orienteering and rock climbing.
We had a great day out at sports day in Herbert Park with lots of children winning medals and participating in individual and team events.
All classes went to Trinity College and took part in some interesting courses provided by the Trinity Access Programme.
5th class had a great year learning the ukulele with Sheilagh and did a fantastic summer performance for their parents.
6th Class
Ms. Sheridan's Class visited Trinity College to take part in their TAP sports day in May. They took part in lots of different activities such as rock climbing, basketball, volleyball and team games. They even got to go on a tour of the campus which was a very cool experience.
As part of their history topic on The 1916 Easter Rising 6th class all visited Henrietta Street Museum and The GPO. They learned what life was like for families living in Dublin at the time and the significance of The GPO during The Rising. In their art class they then created their very own tenement houses which you can see in the picture below.
Ms Sheridan's Class also paid a visit to Leinster House at the end of May. They were learning about the Irish government system throughout the year and the role each minister has to play in the government. They enjoyed their tour and got to visit The Houses of the Oireachtas - Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann.
Government Buildings visit
Visiting the Houses of the Oireachtas - Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann.
GPO visit
6th Class visit to GPO O'Connell Street, Dublin.
Henrietta Street House visit
6th Class visit to Henrietta House Museum.
Baltinglass Trip
6th class had their highlight of the year this term, the much-anticipated trip to Baltinglass. There was great excitement on the long drive down, with the children serenading the bus driver with songs they’d learnt throughout the school year. Stephen and his team took great care of the children all day, entertaining them with a variety of outdoor adventure activities: kayaking, orienteering, rock climbing, ziplining, and archery to name but a few. Some of the teacher’s even braved one or two of the activities during the day! Baltinglass is always the highlight of 5th and 6th class and the children were delighted to go one last time before they graduated from St Christopher’s.
Bookmarks
Ms Langan’s 6th class had the amazing opportunity to take part in the TAP Bookmarks programme last term. Part of the programme involves engaging in creative writing sessions in school, lead by
children’s authors and illustrators. In collaboration with them, the children write and publish their
own story to be displayed in Trinity College’s Old Library in the famous Long Room. The class showed off their creativity throughout the project and some even represented the school on RTÉ News2Day and in the Irish Times. Their efforts culminated with an award ceremony in the Long Room where the class could invite family and friends to share in their experience and see the exhibition in person.
The children will now have the choice to donate their book to the permanent collection in Trinity
College Library and have it housed forever with some of the greats like Oscar Wilde and W.B. Yeats.
Cór Fhéile na Scoileanna
On Wednesday 6th March, Ms Langan’s and Ms McDaid’s sixth classes travelled to the National Basketball Arena to take part in Cór Fhéile na Scoileanna music festival. They had been practicing tirelessly along with Sheilagh, the ukulele teacher, to prepare for the event. Both classes played three songs together on their ukuleles – ‘Zombie’ by the Cranberries, ‘Reach’ by S Club 7 and ‘The Nights’ by Avicii. They made a fantastic sound and sang loudly and cheerfully. The judges were delighted with the performance and the children received fantastic feedback. It was an amazing opportunity to perform in the festival up on stage in front of an audience. It was also lovely for the children to enjoy musical performances from different schools.
Residency in the National Art Gallery
Ms McDaid’s sixth class spent a week in the National Art Gallery, taking part in art workshops and completing their lessons in the gallery. All lessons and workshops were planned using the environment of the gallery as inspiration. The children thoroughly enjoyed their time there and completed some excellent work – persuasive advertisements, wall hangings created from different fabric and fibre materials, descriptions of painting/photographs featuring Dublin as Gaeilge, sketches of paintings and sculptures focusing on different themes, learning about conservation skills, visiting the library and archives and lots more. It was an absolutely wonderful experience that I’m sure the children will never forget.
Art piece by 6th Class
Art piece by 6th Class
Art piece by 6th Class
Green School Programme 2024
Congratulations to all in our Green School Committee on achieving a flag for their work on Global Citizenship Energy. Three of our students attended the awards ceremony and accepted the flag for our school. They have all worked steadily over the last two years on this programme. Well done to them all for this outstanding achievement in improving the environmental quality of the school and community.
Dodder Greenway Extension
Two of our students represented our school at the opening ceremony for the extension to The Dodder Greenway in Herbert Park. They met with Minister Eamonn Ryan T.D., other local politicians and city councillors. They had an opportunity to chat to them and discuss suggestions to make transport to and from school safer for children in the locality and more sustainable for the environment.
An Taisce - Committee with Green School Flag
Ms Gaire & Green School Committee members
Eamonn Ryan, Ms Gaire and our Green School Boys
The 'Nest'
We have been working on our school garden since early Spring when our senior classes started to clear the garden and prepare it for sowing. Various classes in the school worked with Robert from Europass sowing potatoes, beetroot, onions, garlic, radishes, coriander, strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb and a wildflower meadow. We are very proud of our garden and cannot wait to cook and taste our produce.
We also planted flower pots at the front of school and have been taking care of the flowers by watering them every morning.
International Night 2024
On June 20th we had a very successful International Night celebration in the school hall. Everybody got to taste a range of delicious food from many different countries. The party atmosphere was greatly enhanced by the good weather, the lively music and the good humour of all involved. Many thanks to the Parents' Association for all of their hard work in organising this great event.
Irish U-17 Fencing Champion St. Christopher's 6th Class Student
In memory of our friend and colleague Ken
On Monday 24th June we remembered our dear friend and colleague Ken who died last year. A Japanese maple tree was planted in his memory and has been placed in our school grounds.
Ken will always be missed by our staff and students.