Junior School News November 2024
AIJS Handwriting Competition
We are delighted to announce that the following girls have been awarded prizes in the Association of Independent Junior Schools’ Handwriting Competition:
Chloe (J2R) - 3rd Place
Isabel (J3R) - Highly Commended
Cara (J5W) - 2nd Place
Congratulations to all the girls who participated and the girls who won awards.
Music Assembly
On Thursday, 7th of November, a number of students played at morning assembly for the Junior School. First up was Lily playing “Nervous and Excited” on the piano. After Lily, Charlotte played “Trumpet Tune” on the violin. She was followed by Abigail playing “Sleep Song” on the violin. Amelia, who is one of our music captains, played “Rebecca” also on violin. Finally, Lauren played the “Forget Me Not Waltz” on piano. We would like to thank Ms Qiao and Ms Dabek and also Ms Fitzgerald for accompanying Abigail and Amelia. We enjoyed all the performances and we are looking forward to next month's music assembly.
Hope Concert 2024
On Thursday, 21st November, the Junior School choir sang in the Hope Concert to raise money for the Hope Foundation. Other performances included some poetry from the Senior School Drama Department, solo singers, Senior School choirs, the parent's choir, and the winners of the recent Culwick Competition. We sang 'Let There Be Song' by Dave and Jean Perry. We greatly enjoyed the concert and look forward to performing again next year.
Coco's Story
During assembly on Thursday, 14th November, Coco (J4R) read her fabulous story entitled "Adventure in Japan". She wrote her book after carefully planning, writing a couple of drafts, editing, then choosing illustrations. It was printed using the Book Creator digital tool. As the title suggests, it is a story about a woman who unexpectedly ends up having an adventure while on her honeymoon in Japan. The book is on display and available for anyone to read in the Junior School concourse.
Ocean Facts
The girls in Preschool Upper have been learning all about the five oceans. They discovered that the oceans cover nearly 71 per cent of the Earth’s surface. There is one world ocean. A sea is a small area of an ocean. The ocean water is very salty. They are deep as well as wide with many levels. The ocean water is constantly in motion and the currents can be warm or cold. They were amazed by the facts about the Pacific and Atlantic, Indian and the Arctic and finally the Southern. They sang a song to the tune of Frére Jacques to help them remember the five oceans. They discovered that the final resting place of the Titanic was the Atlantic Ocean and then we discussed the sinking of the Titanic and the iceberg that hit the Titanic causing it to sink. They learned all about the tragedy that occurred on the 14th April 1912. We moved on to learning all about the creatures in the oceans and we finished the lesson with the girls painting fabulous pictures of the ocean full of creatures, sharks, jellyfish, starfish, dolphins etc. Well done girls on a great project on the oceans.
J2R Class Assembly
On Friday, 22nd November, J2R presented a class assembly on our talents and interests. Each girl had created a colourful poster about her chosen strength. The talents included jewellery making, using technology, ballet, collecting gemstones, football, being kind, singing, swimming, hockey, gymnastics, dance, care of cats, baking, golf, horse riding, camogie, art and reading. The girls also explained why they are interested in these activities. They spoke confidently and they should be very proud of themselves. Well done J2R!
J4R Assemblies
J4R recently produced two separate assemblies. The first was our class assembly which took the school on a roadtrip around Ireland to visit some of our island’s most famous tourist attractions! Tourism in Ireland was what the girls were focused on in Geography so it was a wonderful project topic and the girls spoke brilliantly on the day.
Our second assembly was our student-led assembly where 10 of the class spoke about the history of Samhain and its link to modern-day Hallowe’en. The whole class did a collaborative art piece that tied into the theme of Samhain.
J4W
J4W has been very busy learning lots whilst having fun. After months of effort and good choices, the girls managed to get their class compliment chain to touch the floor which meant they won a whole-class reward.
In mathematics, the girls have been very enthusiastic, collecting, analysing and presenting data. After learning all about data and the different ways it is used, the girls got into groups and came up with their own surveys. They then presented their findings to the class using bar charts, pie charts and pictograms.
We are currently reading the novel ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ as a class. J4W did a class-led assembly whereby they showcased their own magical wardrobe lands. It is great to see the girls extending their vocabulary and fostering their imaginations through reading and discussing this classic story.
J5 Trip to Russborough House
All J5R and J5W students attended a class bonding trip at Russborough House Adventure Centre in Co. Wicklow on Thursday, 24th October. The girls took part in a range of activities including the zipline, archery, navigating the ropes course, the climbing tower and team tasks such as starting a fire. A lovely day was had by all, including Ms. Sheerin, Ms. Roache and Ms. Hemingway!
J5R November Update
J5R Student-led Assembly
On Tuesday, 12th November, J5R held their first class-led assembly of the year. Our theme for this assembly was our school motto 'Choose Kind'. The entire class worked on amazing posters in pairs, not only showcasing their creative talents but the myriad of ways we can deliver and promote acts of kindness in our daily lives. One girl from each pair presented these posters to the whole school and spoke naturally when sharing messages of how they like to choose kind.
Amy and Charlotte's 'Choose Kind' Acrostic Poem
Choose Kind all the time
Have a smile on your face
Our world should be a happy place
Or no one would be happy
Share all the time
Even if they're not your best friend
Kindness is key
In our school
No matter what
Day it is!
Congratulations Grace (J5R)
J5R wishes to congratulate our classmate Grace on her 3rd place success whilst representing our school in a recent chess tournament.
Maths Stations
J5R has been loving all the fun in maths stations each Wednesday. This week, it was all about tessellation! Thank you to Ms. Hemingway for organising such enjoyable, hands-on activities for our class each and every week. We are really enjoying maths in J5R this year!
J5W November Update
J5W Assembly
On Tuesday, 19th November, we presented the second part of our Lighthouses project! This time we explored the STEAM aspect of lighthouses. We explored how foghorns, radio signals and flashing lights are programmed in lighthouses. With the help of our Creative Technology teacher, Ms McGarry, we created flashing signals using micro bits, representative of the advancing technological developments of lighthouses.
J5W Winter Art
Although we didn't get any snow here, this month has seen a big drop in temperatures. In J5W, we have been transitioning from autumn to winter, starting with our artwork. Using pallets with hues of purples, blues, black and white, we created snowy landscapes.
J5W Maths Stations
This week in Maths we have been exploring 2D and 3D shapes. With the help of Ms Hemingway, we used magnets and cardboard to create nets and construct 3D shapes. We observed which shapes can tessellate as well as lines of symmetry. We also used card shapes to create tangram puzzles.
Gaelbhratach
Dia daoibh! An seachtain seo caite, bhí cuairteoir ón Gaelbhratach againn. Thug an coiste turas iontach timpeall na scoile, ag taispeáint an Gaeilge iontach atá againn sa scoil. Tåimid ag tnúth go mór leis na himeachtaí Gaeilge ar fad atá le teacht inár scoil i mbliana.
Our Gaelbhratach committee was back in action again last week with a special visitor from GaelLinn. The committee gave an excellent tour of the school and showed off all the fantastic Gaeilge that is in use everyday. We are really looking forward to all the upcoming Gaeilge activities and events that will be happening in our school this year.
J6W's Trip to Newgrange
Last Friday, J6W went on a trip to Newgrange passage tomb, Co. Meath. The guides were really nice and taught us so much. It was amazing to see that Newgrange is over 5,000 years old and it was in perfect condition. We had a great time and we recommend going there.
Fun Inventions
My name is Remi and I'm a student in J3W. I constructed a robot named Bobalina. I made it because I love making things in my house and I have loads of items that I can use to make lots of different creations. For example I have plenty of boxes, toilet rolls, and a lot of equipment like hot glue guns. I play with Bobalina if I feel a little lonely and there is no-one around at that moment to play with. Bobalina even has her own passport! I’m going to bring her on holidays with me and we are going to go visit a skiing resort in France. Bobalina is made from toilet rolls, wrapping paper, feathers, sellotape and bobbins. She also has real shoes and earrings made from paper. I had a lot of fun making Bobalina!
Parent/Guardian STEM Talk
On Friday, 8th November, both J5 and J6 classes enjoyed a parent STEM talk from Professor Mike Caslin. Professor Caslin spoke to the girls about social entrepreneurship and the importance of staying true to their values, being unique and challenging themselves to think outside of the box in order to make a difference in their lives and in the world around them. The students had lots of questions and were very inspired after Professor Caslin’s talk!
Month of Remembrance
The month of November is traditionally a time in which we remember people who have died. The whole school created this display of hearts to remember people who have passed in our lives.
JS Sports Update
AIJS Volleyball Tournament
Following our active assembly on Monday morning, our two intrepid volleyball squads made their way to Teresians to compete in the inaugural AIJS volleyball tournament. This year, the girls have been working hard on their techniques and skills to play volleyball. The girls played in a round robin format and both squads were excited and delighted to represent our school in this tournament. As the girls got involved in the matches, although competitive, they all had a lot of fun playing the different school teams, some of whom had mixed squads. It was great to see all playing with a common purpose. Well played everyone. A special mention goes to Rachel who was presented with an outstanding player medal. Many congratulations Rachel, a wonderfully deserved honour.
Results are as follows:
1st Castle Park
2nd Sutton Park
3rd Saint Andrews
4th Alexandra College Junior School
5th Teresians
6th Loreto on the Green
All schools had two teams entered and played in different sections.Thanks go to the hosting school Teresians who organised this fun event and who also treated us to delicious refreshments at lunchtime, a tasty surprise indeed! Our girls came in fourth place overall. Quite an achievement as the standard of play was very high. Well done to you all!
J5 Basketball Afternoon in Teresians
Both squads played in a fun afternoon tournament where exciting skills were shown by both schools. Although the matches were played at great speed, the hoops were having a very busy time capturing the basketball shots. Overall both teams had an enjoyable experience playing in an away match. Well done to you all!
