The Manor Mail
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We in 2Q would like to welcome you to our edition of the Manor Mail Newsletter We have written about all thing’s lockdown and Valentine’s Day We hope you enjoy reading!!
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Table of Contents 1. How to Stay Sane in Lockdown 2. The Ideal Valentine’s Day 3. Interview with Caitriona O’Connor TY 4. The Perfect Valentine’s Gift Guide 5. Green Group Presentation 6. Design Your Own Mask Competition 7. Our Netflix Top Picks 8. Valentine’s Baking 9. Art Competition 10. Kahoot! Quiz 11. Positive Quotes
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How to stay sane during lockdown We know it feels like we have been in lockdown forever. So, we thought it would be a good idea to write, for our newsletter, a list of things we have done during lockdown that kept us sane. We included things like art, dancing and painting your nails, we found these activities really helped us and may help you too!
Dancing and Nails During quarantine we didn’t get out much and so we found it was helpful to exercise in other ways. I have been dancing since I was three years old and am part of a ballet school. My ballet school allowed us to move online and held online classes twice a week. On days where I did not have a class my focus was on gaining more strength and flexibility to help with my dancing. We, in my class, are working towards pointe shoes and so I’ve been strengthening my feet, calves and ankles. I do these exercises around 3 times a week along with balance and core exercises. This might be the perfect time for you to look up dance
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tutorial videos or engage online with your dance school! Another interest that became quite a hobby during quarantine was nail art. I had a bunch of nail polish and I found a thin brush to use for the finer details.
One easy thing to do was to create a gradient on your nails using different colours and blending them. You can use two colours to start and a sponge. You paint one nail with the two colours and use a sponge to blend them. It’s sometimes quite messy so make sure you have nail varnish remover on hand to clean around your nails. Here are some pictures of nail art that I did during lockdown. (By Niamh Abbott)
Art A great way to stay sane during lockdown is by making art. You may have tried it before and decided it’s not your thing, if not, you should definitely give it a go. It’s great for times like these because you only need a pencil and paper to make something you like and, if you don’t like it, then at least you got to work with something that may have taken your mind off of lockdown or school or any other thing going on in your life. Of course, there are plenty of art forms like cake decorating or sculpting but pencil and paper might be the most accessible. Here are some drawing prompts for stuff you can draw at ease from home: o A flower or plant o A loved one o A pet o An object in your room o A memory with strong emotions attached o The weather outside o A scene from a dream you had 5
(By Juliette Allen)
Gaming Covid-19 saw videogames explode in popularity, as consumers were forced to stay
home
and
keep
themselves
entertained. ‘Among Us’ became one of the most popular mobile phone games of 2020. It received little attention when it was released in 2018 but was brought to the mainstream media in 2020. Animal Crossing New Horizon was released in early 2020 and is available on Nintendo Switch. Starting off as the only human in an animal world, one of the main goals is to fully upgrade your home and paying off the debt for each upgrade! Phasmophobia, meaning an intense fear of ghosts, is a ghost-hunting, multi-player game. Four players are dropped off at a haunted location and must investigate for paranormal activity. Players must work together to find out what type of ghost is haunting the location. These are just some of the ways we tried in order to stay sane during lockdown. Even though everybody may have different interests and hobbies we would really recommend trying these out if we find ourselves in lockdown further down the line growing crazier by the minute! (By Niamh Abbott, Riya Alex, Juliette Allen, Myah Bugwandeen, Jordan Hernandez-Martinez)
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The Ideal Valentines Day If you have no idea how you should spend this year's Valentine’s Day, we’ve got some great easy activities and ideas to make this year's Valentine’s day the best ever! Here you will find some of the most popular Valentine’s Day activities, and hopefully will be inspired to get off the couch and spend the day having fun! Get creative! There’s no better way to make your loved ones smile than making them a Valentine’s day card. Get out all the glitter and stickers you can find and personalize each card uniquely. Give them to your family and friends, remember despite being in lockdown we can still celebrate safely! Another great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day is to bake your heart away! Baking is one of the most popular ways to spread Valentine’s cheer and there are thousands of easy recipes out there. Make sure to check
out
the
Valentine’s
Day
cake
in our newsletter!
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recipe
Get Cozy! Wrap up in your coziest red and pink clothes and get your snacks ready to bingewatch your favourite rom-com movies. If you have no ideas, make sure to go our movie recommendation section of the newsletter and check your knowledge of movies with our Kahoot! Quiz.
Get Active! Why not get off the couch and go for a walk? Go with your family and make sure to wish them happy Valentine’s Day!
If no one in your family is available to go for a walk, plug in your headphones and jam out to some romantic music! (By Grace Collier, Sarah Conroy, Gabia Durkin)
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Interview with Caitriona O’Connor TY
With the musical unfortunately on-hold because of Covid-19 we thought it would be a great idea to interview one of the leads in the musical, Caitriona O’Connor to find out about how musical practices are going online. We wanted to get the inside scoop on what we can expect from the musical when we see it! 1. Who do you play in the musical? I play Galileo in the musical, he’s the main character of the musical. He is revealed to be the re-incarnation of Freddie Mercury throughout the play. 2. What is the musical about? The musical is about a world in the future led by a “Killer Queen” who has outlawed music and individuality it seems. Galileo, the character I play, dreams, and has visions of musical encounters. I go and find people who, like me can remember the time of music and we join together to bring back live music. 3. Is there anything you have found you’re getting better at by practicing? I think that I am definitely getting better at going over lines and learning new lines. I’m learning all about music that you wouldn’t necessarily listen to now because it’s not really on the radio and I’m really enjoying learning all about this different era of music. 9
I find I’m gaining more confidence each time I practice, and I’ve definitely made new friends this year because the groups you’re in for the musical might not be with people you had been friends with before. I’m so glad I’ve made all these new friends in my year because of the musical. 4. What is your favourite part of the musical? I would say that my favourite part of the musical is definitely the last scene! Everyone is in it and its really fun to practice and perform. I really like when they whole cast is together and it’s a great scene. 5. Were you nervous going into your audition? I was definitely nervous going into my audition. Everyone at the beginning has to sing in front of others in the year so I found that really nerve wracking, We’re a really supportive year though so that did make it much easier, I felt that I was auditioning in front of friends that would cheer me on!
We hope you enjoyed reading and would like to thank Caitriona for taking the time to meet with us over teams, we cannot wait to see the musical when it’s finished! (By Abbie-Lee Bissett, Kayleigh Francis)
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The Perfect Valentine’s Day Gift Guide
We will now talk about Valentine’s Day gifts that are perfect for your other half, your friends, or your family. We will focus on three different types of gifts. Firstly, we will showcase some beautiful flowers that smell lovely and are not too expensive. We will also talk about our soft and fluffy friends also known as teddy bears. Lastly, we will describe and instruct on creating an amazing D.I.Y surprise, so stay tuned. FLOWERS A good present for Valentine’s Day is a bouquet of flowers. Here are some popular favourites with images that you might like to buy for that special someone! -Peony -Rose -Daisy -Orchid -Dahlia -Tulip
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TEDDIES & PLUSHIES For Valentine’s Day there are many different types of gifts you can give, teddies are probably one of the most popular choices. Why? Besides being cuddly and cute, they offer unconditional love, reassurance, security, and companionship!
Where to find teddies perfect for this occasion? Gifts4U – Raheny Build A Bear – Blanchardstown Smyths – Swords
Popular types of teddies given on Valentine’s Day o Bears o Dogs o Cats o Bunnies D.I.Y GIFT This is a gift we think is creative and will be fun to make for someone. What you will need: o A shoe box or a rectangular box with a lid. o Some sweets or chocolates o Pictures (optional) o A card o A present for the person 12
Steps: 1: First you need to get your box and cut down the 4 corners so it’s lying flat. If it’s a shoe box you will need to cut the lid off. 2: Stick the sweets and chocolates on the 4 sides of the box. 3: In the middle of the box, place your card and the gift you bought them. 4: Now lift all the sides up so it looks like the box is normal again and put the lid on. The lid should hold the box together. 5: You can decorate the outside of the box however you want e.g. pictures, art, wrapping paper.
We hope that these gift suggestions helped and that you have a great Valentine’s Day!
(By Alex Askin, Colleen Efekodo, Fionnuala O’Byrne, Keeva Stewart)
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GREEN GROUP There is another side to face masks. While it is important to stop the spread of Covid 19 some masks have a damaging impact on our environment. Green group created a presentation for all years to be shown at assembly. Here is some of their presentation.
So it's is not just humans who have been affected by COVID19, animals have been too. For example: • Seagulls’ feet have been trapped in face masks which have not been disposed of properly. • 75% of used face masks will end up in landfills or floating in the sea. • Plastic pollution was already one of the greatest threats to our planet before the coronavirus outbreak. • Ducks' necks have been wrapped around in face masks which have gotten stuck underneath their feathers. 14
If you prefer to use disposable face masks then please go through these steps.
Or better still you could switch to using a reusable face mask.
We hope that this information has opened your eyes about what goes on behind the mask. We REALLY encourage you to make the switch from disposal to reusable masks, to save our future and our planet. If you would like to post a picture of you wearing your reusable mask on instagram, please make sure you contact us on @manorhouseschoolgreengroup.
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GREEN GROUP COMPETETION
We are hosting a facemask design contest and we’d love for you to get involved. We would like you to create a Manor House School mask design.
You can use the school colours and crest for inspiration. Draw it out on a piece of paper, Make your mask and take a photo of it. Get as creative as you’d like!!
When your design is finished, send it to Ms. Macklin or Mr. Nolan. We are looking forward to seeing what you come up with! There will be great prizes for the best designs. Get your entries in by March 5th You can use a template to help you get the right shape. Template and information is in files on the year group teams’ page.
Well done to Niamh Bury (2P) who is an active member of Green Group. If any other 2nd Year is interested in doing their bit for the environment contact Ms. Macklin or Mr. Nolan and join Green Group. 16
TOP PICKS
You might be bored during lockdown and running out of shows and movies to watch. Here you’ll find some top Netflix picks including mystery thriller and horror to keep you going and a new movie coming onto Netflix soon that’ll we think you’ll enjoy.
Stranger Things: “Stranger Things” is a very popular Netflix show and mystery thriller. It is a Netflix Original and it has three seasons. Some of the actors are Milly Bobby Brown who plays ‘Eleven’ and Noah Schnapp who plays the role of ‘Will Buyers’. It is about this strange portal found in the children's town which holds these mysterious creatures. When it was first released in 2019, the feedback from the press was fantastic. It is described by Netflix to be ominous, scary and exciting. We really recommend this show because we feel as though it has an interesting and unique storyline that grabs the audience. You better start binging because season 4 is on the way coming in 2021!
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Hush “Hush” is also a popular movie on Netflix. Hush is described as a horror movie but we feel that it’s more of a thriller. “Hush” is illustrated by Netflix as violent, scary and suspenseful. The main actors are John Gallagher and Kate Siegel. The movie is about a deaf writer who retreated to the woods to live a solitary life. She must then fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears in her window. Hush was first released in March 2016 and was released on Netflix
in April of the same year. We recommend this movie
because we feel it’s an exciting watch that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
To All the Boys: Always and Forever “To All the boys: Always and Forever” is the third and final movie of the “To All the Boys” movie series. After the first and second movies received amazing feedback, they had to make a third movie. The main characters are Lana Condor who plays Lara Jean and Noah Centineo who plays Peter Kavinsky. The movie is about Lara Jean who is considering her college plans, with and without Peter. The movie is a Romantic comedy film and will be released on Netflix on the 12th of February. Just in time for Valentine's day!
We really enjoyed watching the movies and shows here and we are looking forward to seeing To All the Boys: Always and Forever. We hope you enjoy watching them too.
(By Aimee Foley, Ciara Glancy, Sophie McGrath, Lauren Murphy)
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Valentines Baking… Cake their Day!
We know how difficult picking Valentine’s Day gifts can be at times. Trying to get someone something that they will really like and enjoy can prove a stressful task. In this section we will detail a fool-proof Valentine’s Day gift, a delicious cake. What you’ll need! o 1 box of Betty Crockers Super Moist party rainbow chip cake mix o Water o Vegetable Oil o Eggs o Shortening o 1 Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy vanilla frosting o 2 Cake tins – 8-inch round
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How to bake! First, heat your oven to 180 degrees C. Grease the bottoms of your cake tins. Next bake your cake mix as directed on the Betty Crocker cake mix box. When the batter is made pour it into your cake tins. Bake as long as is directed on the box or until you can poke your cake with a long toothpick that comes out from the centre with no cake mix on it. When you take your cakes out of the oven allow them time to cool in their tins, give about ten minutes. When they have cooled in their cake tins carefully remove them from the cake tins and leave them to fully cool for about an hour on a cooling rack. On a plate or cake stand put one cake for frosting. Spread the frosting over the top of the layer and add your second layer of cake. Frost all the top of the cake and around the sides. Sprinkle and decorate as you like! We really hope you’ll enjoy baking and that your cake is a hit with your other half or family. Here are some ways you might decorate your cake make sure to get creative! (By Amelia Conroy, Toni Daly-Grant (Baker), Abi Howard, Allie-Sue St Ledger)
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Mental Health Well-Being Art Competition As part of theirYSI project, 4R is holding an art competition for the whole school!! The aim of the poster is to promote positive mental well-being. The winning posters will be displayed in our Zen Space! Submissions are due for the Friday the 26th of February. Email a copy of picture of your art work to Ms Hegarty, with the subject title, ‘YSI Art Competition submission’.
Email- a.hegarty@manorhouseschool.com
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Take your mind off everything and click the link below to access our “Romantic Movie” Kahoot!
https://create.kahoot.it/share/romantic-moviekahoot/3c5c4a3d-0fd6-4dd5-ab7e-2f763dcbeb26
We hope you enjoy!! (By Tara Fearn Aoife Keegan, Cuileann Monaghan, Lillie Mooney)
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Speaking of Kahoots…
Big Thank you to Mr. Abrahamian, and class 2R, for organising an entertaining Valentine Kahoot for assembly on Thursday. It was a lovely end to the day… There were three winners
Heather Small Fionnuala O’Byrne Ava Malone Well done, a prize is on its way, in the post, to them as we speak. ENJOY!
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Hi there Girls, I hope this finds all of you, and your families, in good health and doing well. I just want to congratulate 2Q and Ms. Hennigan for this wonderful newsletter. I was not expecting anything, considering the situation we find ourselves in, but you have outdone yourselves. Great Job! I also want to congratulate all 2nd Years on how wonderfully you have engaged since Christmas with the remote learning. Your teachers have been really impressed with your efforts to keep up with your school work and it will pay dividends in the months ahead. I am very proud of my year and I love to hear the positive feedback. It has not been easy, between classes, homework, CBAs, projects, tech issues, home issues… I am tired even thinking about it! So go now and have a lovely mid-term break, I will talk to you all on the 22nd. Stay safe, best wishes, A.M. Guinan
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We know this time has been especially hard on everyone and their families, here are some positive quotes that may brighten someone’s day!
Be you
Create your own sunshine
Do you For you
Difficult roads
Strive for progress
Often lead to
Not
Beautiful destinations
Perfection
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