Murhur NS

Just a Thought – one minute reflective pieces broadcast weekdays 7:30am and 12pm on Radio Kerry.

Mary Fagan from Radio Kerry visited us on Monday 12th June to record the ‘Just a Thought’ reflections  with our 6th class. These will be broadcast on the week beginning Monday 26th June.  Each day’s ‘Thought’ is a reflection in the midst of our day to day preoccupations.  Our 6th class bring a youthful observance of life, offering us wisdom and cheerfulness each day and urging us to look on the bright side of life. The inspiring and uplifting words of encouragement represent what is important to all of us – family, love, friendship and hope. These values serve as a reminder that every day is a new beginning – a new opportunity to move forward.

Listen and enjoy!

Tons of fun was had by all in Mr. Galvin’s room when 1st, 2nd and 3rd classes went on their school tour to the Mid-West’s Best Indoor Activity Centre in Limerick.  It was the perfect venue for an U-10’s school tour, providing a safe, clean and secure soft play and adventure experience, that was tons of fun for all the children!

Au Revoir…..

Gabrielle ‘Abbey’ Beguhl from Minnesota has been with us here in Murhur N.S. since March as part of the Student Teaching Abroad programme at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls.  During her time with us she worked in all the classrooms and was a great asset to the teachers and children.  She was always eager to take on any task we gave her. She taught numerous lessons and gave us a great insight into the American way of life. Her forte was History, Geography and Art – American style!  She helped with supervision, and the preparation for First Holy Communion. She was a willing and enthusiastic participant in the three school tours.  She accompanied children to football matches and was another very welcome pair of hands at swimming classes.  Gabrielle had a great rapport with all the children and it was refreshing to see such dedication from a future educator.

Before Gabrielle left our school the children put on a little concert for her – Irish Style. The Scór Ballad Group sang and the ceoltóirí played some nice tunes. The  dancers put on a great show!  Diarmuid told us about the day he scored an ‘own goal’!  We even had a joke or two!

The children presented Gabrielle with a ‘Tommy Moloney‘ inspired  keepsake depicting the link between Minnesota and Moyvane which they had all signed.

Slán a Gabrielle – Go n-éirí an bóthar leat!

This year our 4th 5th and 6th classes went to Cappanlea Outdoor Education Centre on their school tour. The children set off bright and early. The dynamic and adventurous  outdoor activities included Kayaking/Canoeing, Rockclimbing/Abseiling, Raftbuilding and Orienteering.  The programme  aims at supporting and enhancing the learning which occurs within the school. The course, based on the SESE programme, is designed to meet the educational needs of primary school students and establishes links with the  school curriculum. The tour was child focussed and included adventure, fun, knowledge and skills development throughout.

The children used the proceeds from their JEP Project to subsidise their school tour.  No tour is complete without a visit to McDonald’s where the ‘Happy Meals’  and the ‘McFlurry’ ice creams  were in great demand after a busy day!

1st and 2nd Classes who today took part in the Football Blitz in Tarbert.

On Friday the 12th May, the Juniors and Seniors all set off on their school tour. All week they had been counting down the ‘sleeps‘ and were bursting with excitement. We went to Stonehall Visitor Farm in Curragh Chase where we were greeted by our lovely guide Sinéad who made sure we all had our ‘bunny ears‘ on.  We listened to facts about all the animals.

Some interesting facts we learned:

• The male bird is always the most colourful. Males have beautiful feathers so they can show off to the female birds.
• A group of owls is called a Parliament.
• Female emus make a drumming sound with their throats to call the male emus.
• A baby squirrel is called a kitten.

We saw a huge variety of animals including red deer, peacocks, peahens, emus, llamas and wallabys, among many others.  We even heard a parrot say ‘Hello’ to us!  We saw some smaller animals indoors like lovebirds and chipmunks. The chipmunks were very fast! Some of us let one climb along our arms. He even went for a rest on the top of some of our heads!

After we had taken a long walk around the farm to see all the animals we went indoors to have our lunch. Then we had some time in the indoor play area where there was a bouncy castle, go carts, a play house, a slide and lots more to keep us entertained.  The teachers even had a turn on the go carts but they weren’t quite as fast as the children!

It was a great day. The children were in top form and enjoyed every minute of the trip. Of course, getting to go on John’s bus was the highlight of it all!

Ava, Mary and Rebekah represented Murhur N.S. in the North Kerry Girls Skills Competition.

Saturday 27th May was a very special day for Katelyn, Abbie, Cian, Darragh, David, Donnacha, Josh and Mathew. Family, relatives and friends joined them in the Church of the Assumption, Moyvane for the celebration of their First Holy Communion. Fr. Kevin was ably assisted by the Communion children who, at the beginning of the mass, presented symbols of the many blessings they have in their lives.  They also did the readings, the prayers of the faithful and sang beautifully. After the ceremony Moyvane hospitality was again evident in the school with the Parents’ Association providing a ‘cuppa’ and some delicious ‘tasty bites’! The scrumptious chocolate biscuit cake was very popular.

Professional Photographer Anthony Kearney was in the school for those who wished to avail of his services.

Rían Quinn, Patrick O’Connor and Diarmuid Óg O’Connor represented Murhur N.S. in the North Kerry Boys Skills Competition.

Congratulations to Rián Quinn winner of U13 North Kerry Skills Competition 2017. Rián was also runner-up in the U13 Kerry County Club Skills 2017.

‘Beir Bua agus gach dea-ghuí’ to Aoife Scanlon in 3rd class who has taken on the challenge of cutting her lovely long hair in aid of Brú Columbanus who provide ‘Home from home’ accommodation for families of patients attending Cork hospitals.  To support Aoife, Thursday 6th April was a Non-Uniform day where children donated €2 to support this worthy cause. Well done to all who contributed so generously. Best of luck to Aoife who will cut her hair during the Easter holiday!

A different type of learning…..

Children very busy taking part in the National Spring Clean-up in connection with An Taisce, Kerry Co. Council and KWD. Junior and Senior Infants picked up litter around the school. 1st 2nd and 3rd gathered rubbish in the Church grounds and around the Community Centre. Senior classes focused their attention around the Sports Field and in the wood area.

Our JEP journey for 2017 has reached it’s final stage. The Sales Team prepared a programme for ‘Showcase Day’.  This was the launch day for our product – the board game  – ‘Moyvane Mayhem’. The children had worked hard on it for weeks. The event was a great success and only a few board games remain unsold. The JEP project improved confidence, team building and independence in the children who participated. In their Programme Evaluation children were provided with an opportunity to learn about organising the Showcase Day as well as calculating profit and loss.  They also evaluated the various stages of the programme and reflected on the lessons learned during their JEP Project. It was not just a business plan but a real business. The good news is ‘we made a profit!’ The children themselves decided to use this money to subsidise the cost of their own school tour. Thanks to all who supported the project by buying the Game. A special thanks to those parents who ‘went the extra mile’ for us and without whose help the project would not have been the success it was. Thanks again to our Dragoness Leona and a special Míle Buíochas to our teacher Mrs. Curtin for all her work and guidance!

World Book Day in Murhur N.S.

A Chairde, we were delighted to celebrate World Book Day in our school on Thursday last 2^nd March, 2017. World Book Day is an annual event promoting the enjoyment of books and reading.  The main aim is to encourage children to explore the pleasure of books and reading by providing them with an opportunity to have a book of their own. This may sound like a  simple idea, but unfortunately, many children do not have an opportunity to access books in a library or to experience the wealth of different resources available in libraries today.

As part of World Book Day  our 4^th 5^th 6^th classes were invited to Listowel Library where there was a presentation by Joan O’Reilly, a Killarney based author  to mark the occasion.  Joan gave an interactive presentation on her first publication – ‘A simplified history of the 1916 rising’  There was great interaction between the children and Joan.  The feedback from the pupils and teachers afterwards was very positive. Joan is currently working on her second book which she hopes will be a valuable resource in primary schools.

Our Infant and Middle classes enjoyed dressing up in their favourite character’s costume.  Playing  and ‘showing off ‘ their costume prompted discussion on their favourite book.

To finish off World Book Day local poet and former teacher in our school, Gabriel Fitzmaurice  came to visit. The children were entertained by his amusing renditions of his own child centred poems, recounted through the eyes of a child. The poems, ranging from the silly to the serious, from the sad to the happy, from the naughty to the nice, struck a true chord with his captive audience. Gabriel’s visits are always appreciated!

We hope our trip to the Library, dressing up in our favourite costume and Gabriel’s visit encourage and foster reading into the future…..

Happy reading!

A mouth-watering Experience…..

Tuesday 28th February, Pancake Day was a memorable day for the children of Murhur N.S. when ‘celebrity chef ‘ Shane, ably assisted by Rochelle, Marion and Karina demonstrated how to make the perfect pancake. Children were invited to assist step by step in the pancake making process. Some added the flour, eggs or milk. Others were in charge of the mixing. Their whisking skills were later tested when the pancakes were flipped and tossed between ceiling and floor! Delicious toppings were spread on the pancakes which were greatly enjoyed by all.  ‘Buíochas Mór’ to Holly’s Gala for their generosity in providing pancakes.

On Friday and Saturday there was a Fáilte mór for all who came to sample school life with us here – from the academic in the classroom, to the array of pursuits such as Scór, Green Schools, JEP, GAA competitions, Concerts etc – that  now form part of the Primary School Curriculum.  We look forward to a happy and successful association with the new Infants that will start with us here this coming September. We hope they will progress through the years and leave us in 2024 as bright, happy and confident young adults ready to take their place in the world.

There was a real energy in the room this week when the children of the JEP class of 4th, 5th & 6th welcomed to their classroom as their business visitor, Leona Fitzmaurice (Lynch)  ‘Every Occasion’ florist, Tralee.  Leona is a past pupil of our school who returned as a ‘Dragon’ – part of the The Junior Entrepreneur programme to nurture the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

The idea is simple; help the children set up their own business in the classroom. The 10-12 year olds were open, creative and quick to learn.  They really enjoyed this visit where they interacted with and learned so much from Leona.  JEPs fosters skills such as creative-thinking, problem solving and team work. The programme encourages children to make decisions, negotiate, resolve conflict and connect to the wider world.

Four groups presented their business plans to be assessed and evaluated by the panel Dragon Den Style!!! After fantastic presentations and much consideration there could only be one winner!  The Big Idea for the JEP class of Murhur N.S. Moyvane 2017 is a board game called ‘Moyvane Mayhem’ 

We would like to thank Leona for her time, knowledge and expertise and look forward to her next visit.

Two ‘Great Grandmothers’ visited on Grandparents’ Day

Celebrating Grandparents in Murhur N.S.

A Grandparent is often one of the most important teachers in a child’s life!

On Wednesday 1st February, as part of Catholic Schools’ Week there was a warm welcome for all grandparents who visited. For some it was their very first visit to our school; for others it was their daily visit to collect a grandchild. The Celebration began in the church with a short Prayer Service and a Reflection on Grandparents where the children gave thanks for the gift of their grandparents and took time to remember the grandparents who could not be with them on the day, those who could not travel and the grandparents  no longer with us.

Grandparents and children together, they create a chain of love, linking the past with the future. The chain may lengthen, but it will never break…..

Children from Junior Infants to 6th class along with Miss Prendeville and Mr. Galvin taking part in GFT (Get Fit Today) dancing for 10 minutes as part of the school’s “Operation Transformation” currently on television on Wednesday and Thursday nights.