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Junior School News January 2026

Preschool Lower

Preschool Lower
Ms Potts and Ms Jordan

Preschool Lower brought in the New Year by learning all about winter. We discussed how to dress in the winter, what our winter months are and what animals like the cold winter weather. 

Our other themes were 2D and 3D shapes. We enjoyed discovering the differences between 2D and 3D shapes by singing songs, doing shape hunts and by building our own 3D creations using our magnet and wooden blocks.

Young children in red uniforms playing with various toys and materials on a blue tray in what appears to be a classroom or daycare setting.
Two young children in red uniforms are engaged in an art project, creating a colorful painting on a large canvas placed on the floor of what appears to be a classroom or daycare setting, with various toys and educational materials visible in the background.
A blue plastic tub filled with various colorful toy marine creatures, including fish, coral, and other sea life, sits on a tiled floor with shelves and other objects visible in the background.
Two young children are playing with colorful wooden blocks and toys on a table in a classroom setting, with various educational materials and equipment visible in the background.
The image shows a classroom setting with children in red uniforms sitting on the floor, surrounded by various educational materials and supplies.
A group of young students in red uniforms are seated at desks, engaged in various learning activities and tasks in a classroom setting.
A group of young children in red uniforms are seated at tables, engaged in various activities, with an adult in a yellow sweater assisting them in a classroom setting.
A group of young students in red uniforms are seated at desks, engaged in various activities such as reading and writing, in a classroom setting with white walls and curtains.
The image shows a group of young children in red uniforms sitting at a table and engaging in what appears to be an educational activity, with various educational materials and displays visible in the background.

KG Upper

KG Upper
Ms Stapleton and Ms Moore

It was a very busy and exciting week in KG Upper as we dived into our Arctic Aistear theme! The children loved exploring numbers 1–8 in Maths through games, movement and hands-on activities, especially finding all the different ways to make 8. In English, we enjoyed new sounds and tricky words, holiday recounts, sentence writing, handwriting practice and assembly rehearsals. Gaeilge and SESE were brought to life through learning about the weather and using lots of everyday Irish. Aistear time was full of creativity, laughter and teamwork!

J1 Assembly

J1 Assembly
Ms Murray

January was a busy month in J1. We have been learning all about jobs in our community and how we can all work together to help each other. We also thought about what jobs we might like to do when we are older. The girls worked really hard to learn a poem and present posters and facts for our class assembly.  From doctors to cat sitters, hairdressers to Youtubers, watch out world, J1 is coming! 

J1 also learned about national flags this month. We learned that different flags can have different symbols such as animals and crosses to represent their country. We learned that the oldest national flag in the world is from Denmark and that Jamaica has the only national flag in the world which doesn't use red, white or blue. Some of the class presented some of their work on this in our student led assembly. 

A group of young children wearing red uniforms and holding up various colorful displays in what appears to be a classroom or school setting.
A group of young students, all wearing red uniforms, are holding up various certificates or awards in a classroom setting with educational posters and displays visible in the background.

J2R Class Assembly

J2R Class Assembly
Ms Gorry

On Friday, 9th January, J2R presented their class assembly on the theme of New Year’s resolutions. We plan to work on our handwriting, gymnastics, helping people and animals, improve in sport, play musical instruments and work on our reading and mathematics. Each girl created a colourful poster to show the work that she planned to undertake in 2026. We hope that the J2R girls will be successful in their endeavours! Well done, J2R!

J2R Student-Led Assembly

J2R Student-Led Assembly
Ms Gorry

On Tuesday, 20th January, the J2Rs showcased their student led assembly. Half the class had previously presented an assembly on character strengths and now it was the turn of the other half of the class to do their assembly. The theme was homes from around the world. Some of the homes represented were yurt, bungalow, cottage, seahouse and treehouse. The girls produced artistic posters. Congratulations to the J2Rs!

A group of young students in red uniforms holding up various drawings and artwork in a school setting.
A group of young students in red uniforms are holding up drawings they have created, with a classroom setting and educational posters visible in the background.

J2R and J2W Lead the St Brigid's Day Assembly

J2R and J2W Lead the St Brigid's Day Assembly
Ms Gorry and Ms Hemingway

On Wednesday, 28th January, J2R and J2W performed a song about St.Brigid at assembly. Well done to the J2 girls for leading this assembly. Thank you to Ms Bergin, Ms Hemingway and Ms Gorry for their work to prepare the girls for this special performance.

Three young girls in red uniforms are standing together, one of them holding a drawing or poster.
A group of young students in red uniforms proudly displaying their colorful drawings in a classroom setting, with educational posters and a rainbow visible in the background.

J2W Assembly

J2W Assembly
Ms Hemingway

J2W shared the character strengths they have been learning about. These character strengths help them to reach their goals and help them to think of others. They also shared interesting facts and illustrations about the upcoming Lunar New Year. Well done, J2W!

J3W Art

J3W Art
Ms Harpur

In art, the J3W girls created winter snowmen using a range of colour and shading techniques. They explored how light and shadow can be shown by using darker and lighter tones of blue, while white was used to highlight the lit side of the snowmen. Each girl added her own creative touch through colourful accessories and falling snowflakes, resulting in a collection of unique and expressive winter scenes.

The piece focuses on snowmen. Medium blue construction paper was used for the background, with colour added using a darker shade of blue to show the shadow side and white for the lit side. The girls were free to choose their own colours for accessories, and many added snowflakes in the sky to complete their work.

A young girl in a red jacket is holding up a drawing of a snowman against a backdrop of a classroom setting with various educational materials and displays.
The image shows several children in a classroom setting, each holding up their own artwork depicting winter scenes with snowmen and snowflakes.
A young child with curly hair is holding up a colorful painting they created, surrounded by a classroom environment with educational posters and materials visible in the background.
A cheerful snowman with a colorful hat and scarf stands against a snowy blue background, surrounded by twinkling stars.
The image depicts four different snowman drawings, each with a unique expression and winter attire. The background of the images is a snowy, wintry scene with snowflakes falling.
The image shows a woman and two young children standing in front of a classroom display with a %22Creative Technologies%22 banner and a projection screen displaying %22Technology Time%22.
A classroom setting with a group of students in red uniforms seated in front of a presenter standing at the front of the room, with various educational posters and displays visible in the background.
A group of students wearing red uniforms are gathered in a classroom, with a teacher standing in front of them and a large projection screen visible in the background.

AI Talk

AI Talk
Ms McGarry

On Friday 19 January, Alexandra College Junior School welcomed Emma Redmond, mum to Isabel (J6) and Holly (KG Lower), in to chat with the J4, J5 and J6 girls about careers in technology and AI more broadly. Emma currently leads Legal for OpenAI across the EMEA regions and is also Head of OpenAI Ireland. The girls thoroughly enjoyed listening to her give an overview of her career to date, to the insights she provided on how AI works and the roles it can perform in our everyday lives. At the end, the girls had many thoughtful questions for Emma on careers in technology and AI.

Making Brookies

Making Brookies
Ms McGarry and Ms Byrnes

As part of their work on decimals, J4W investigated the best recipe for making brookies, measuring out the quantities needed before enjoying a yummy treat! Brookies are a mix of cookies and brownies and it was a lovely way to spend a wet and windy Wednesday afternoon. Some students were inspired to try and make their own brookies at home, some with more success than they had had earlier in class as they modified the measures of the ingredients used!

Two young girls in red school uniforms are smiling and holding cups of what appears to be hot chocolate or a similar warm beverage. They are seated at a table in what looks like a classroom or school setting, with various educational materials and supplies visible in the background.
The image shows a person's hands holding a red mug filled with what appears to be a hot beverage, likely coffee or hot chocolate, along with a plate containing chocolate chips or pieces. The background suggests a casual, indoor setting, possibly a home or a cafe.
A group of students in school uniforms gathered around a table, engaged in a hands-on learning activity involving various toys and models.
A group of students in school uniforms gathered around a large table, examining what appears to be a detailed map or model displayed on the table.

FLL Workshop

FLL Workshop
Ms McGarry

Last Friday 23rd January, both J6 classes took part in a FIRST LEGO League workshop facilitated by Vince from CreativeHut Ireland. This was a great opportunity for the girls to get some advice and to help them to improve their performance, strategy, and teamwork for their first upcoming FIRST LEGO League (FLL) competition. FIRST LEGO League is an international STEM competition where students work in teams to design, build, and program a LEGO robot to complete missions on a game table, while also creating an innovative project to solve a real-world problem. It aims at developing key skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, creativity, and communication through hands-on learning and friendly competition.

In the workshop, the facilitator Vince began with an overview of the competition, taking time to clearly review and to explain the three parts of the competition: the Robot Game, their Innovation Project and the importance of Teamwork & Core Values. Once the overview was complete, the girls got straight to work! They practised their programming, exploring how to approach missions strategically, and took part in a mini competition to experience what a real event feels like. The girls discussed how to plan efficient routes, troubleshoot problems, and adapt when things go wrong. They also worked on their Innovation Project ideas and presentation skills. We look forward to seeing their work and wish them all the best of luck in the upcoming FLL competition in Alexandra College Junior School in early February.

Gonzaga Chess Classic

Gonzaga Chess Classic
Junior School

Six Junior School girls took part in the Gonzaga Chess Classic from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th January. This is a major tournament on the Irish Chess Union calendar, which always attracts titled players from all over Ireland and abroad. Maeve and Grace (J6), Shivi, Lucy and Hannah (J5) and Isabel (J4) all played in the 6-round tournament, registering some impressive results against tough opponents. It is not unusual for games to last over 2 or even 3 hours in this format, so it was a real challenge for our Junior School girls. We have sent players to this tournament for the last 3 years, and the Irish Chess Union is becoming very aware of how big a part Alex is playing in the growth of girls' chess in Ireland. The Wednesday evening Chess Club is going very well too. Many thanks to Mr. O’ Connor for organising all of these events.

The image shows a group of young students, all wearing red or white uniforms, standing in front of a classroom wall decorated with various educational posters and displays.
A young girl in a red school uniform is smiling and holding a medal in front of a chalkboard with chess-related imagery.

Saturday Chess Tournament

Saturday Chess Tournament
Mr O'Connor

On Saturday 24th January, 21 Junior School girls took part in Grandmaster Alex Baburin's Rapid Chess Tournament. This is the most students we have ever entered in an event, and it was wonderful to see so many girls from J2 up to J6 participate. The girls played 6 rounds of rapid chess, as part of an overall field of about 70 students, and they all did themselves and Alexandra College proud. The standard of chess at these events is high, but all of the girls scored points throughout the tournament. Special mention must be given to Frankie (J4), who scored a very impressive 4 out of 6, which saw her win a medal. She was also the highest ranked girl in the entire event.

Participants

  • Flora, Grace, Katya & Molly (J6)
  • Ella & Yahvi (J5)
  • Emma, Frankie, Zoe and Eleanor (J4)
  • Daphne, Lara, Lily & Yichen (J3)
  • Eliza, Kate, Lauren, Lucy, Naomi, Sloane & Sophia (J2)

Happy New Year from the J5s

Happy New Year from the J5s
The J5's, Ms Roache and Ms Dower

This year in J5, we have got goals, goals, goals! We've spent the first month of the year decorating our walls, creating art, making geography projects about countries, reflecting on our achievements from last year and setting our intentions and 'Ins & Outs' for 2026.

We are so grateful for all that we have and so excited for what 2026 will bring to us. This year we are going to spend more time outside, read more, spend less time on our screens, be kind to each other, try new things, be helpful and work hard.

We can't wait to bring you along with us for the journey!

A wall display featuring various colorful and geometric designs, likely created by students, with the years 2020 and 2026 prominently displayed.
The image displays a collection of colorful drawings of balloons on a wall, with various shapes, sizes, and patterns. The background appears to be a plain white wall, providing a simple and clean canvas for the vibrant balloon artwork.
A bulletin board displaying information and artwork related to Greece, including the Greek flag, images, and handwritten notes.
The image shows a colorful and vibrant display of words and images, including a sign that says %22JSW are going to shine 2026%22 surrounded by various hats and decorative elements.
The image shows a wall covered with various papers and documents, likely related to a classroom or educational setting. The papers appear to be schedules, timetables, or other informational materials, arranged in a grid-like pattern. The background includes some decorative elements, such as plants and other small objects, suggesting a personalized or creative workspace.
A colorful and vibrant mural adorns the wall, featuring an array of whimsical flowers, a cheerful sun, and the words %22Ready, set, grow!%22 creating an uplifting and playful atmosphere in the room.

Sports Update

Sports Update
Ms Tracey

Welcome back girls from all our Sports Staff as we await our return to action and fun sports. This is the time of year when our J6 mini hockey league recommences, as well as visiting coaches doing masterclasses, visiting teams, fun events and sports fixtures are scheduled too.

It was tennis trials time recently and coach Mairead had an amazing turnout of budding tennis champs, players eager to represent their school in the upcoming AIJS Tennis tournament which we host here in Alexandra College in May. Mairead was so pleased and excited with the high standard of skills on show. Well done to you all for coming and playing, and giving it a go and congratulations to the girls who have been selected on our teams. Wishing all a great sports action year ahead!

Hope Foundation Cake Sale

Hope Foundation Cake Sale
Junior School

Congratulations to Remi J4W who raised €80 for the Hope Foundation from a bake sale outside her home. Well done, Remi!

A young woman stands in front of a red brick building, with a table in the foreground displaying various baked goods and a sign that reads %22Hope Cookies & Cakes%22.
Two young girls are standing in front of a table displaying various baked goods, including cookies and cakes, with a sign that says %22Hope Cakes%22 on a red and white checkered tablecloth. In the background, there is a brick building and a car parked on the driveway.