Weekly Note & Reminders 29th September 2023 by Castle Park School

Castle Park School

Weekly Note & Reminders 29th September 2023

From Mr McKernan (Principal, Whole School) Wednesday 16th Dear Parents, High Performance Learning Theme Metacognition (Thinking about Thinking) As we delve deeper into the fascinating world of Meta-Thinking (thinking about thinking) within our High Performance Learning (HPL) program, I'd like to spotlight another essential element: self-monitoring and self-correction. To become successful learners, children must develop the ability to assess their thinking process and make adjustments when it becomes evident that a different approach is necessary. This self-awareness empowers them to become more effective problem-solvers and critical thinkers. Part of this process involves reflecting on their past experiences. We encourage our pupils to draw insights from previous mistakes. By doing so, they can avoid repeating errors and approach challenges with greater confidence and competence. This element of Meta-Thinking contributes to a child's academic growth and cultivates a sense of responsibility and independence in their learning journey. We look forward to exploring these valuable skills with our pupils and watching them flourish as they embrace Meta-Thinking principles.

The School Farm at Castle Park We're thrilled to share the exciting news that two adorable Alpacas arrived at our School Farm this week. Please take a moment to read the letter that was circulated yesterday; CLICK HERE to view it.

The Week Ahead Monday 2nd October HSE Vaccinations - Junior Infants

Tuesday 3rd October HSE Vaccinations - Junior Infants Form VI - Personal Development Day

Wednesday 4th October Cross Country Competition. A Team of 24 pupils form Forms IV, V & VI will represent CP. Starts @ 12 noon in Trinity Sports Grounds, Santry CP Parents (& Alumni) Meeting in the Assembly Hall @ 6:30 pm.

Thursday 5th October Form V Basketball v Ballyroan (H); Tip-Off 2:30 pm; Collection Times as normal.

Friday 6th October Open Morning, 9:00 am - 12 noon.

You can ﬁnd details of all ﬁxtures/events/activities on the Parent Portal Calendar

Principal for the Day Yesterday saw a notable transformation within our leadership team as sisters Sonja and Lara *** stepped into the roles of Principals (for the day) alongside their deputies, Camille and Isabella. These young leaders dove headfirst into their new roles, seamlessly assuming their responsibilities and handling classroom observations, meetings and administrative tasks with impressive confidence. Their enthusiasm and leadership qualities shone through and added a refreshing spark of excitement throughout the School.

Wednesday 16th

Kindness Award This week, the Award was presented to:

Caroline ***

As you know, they had requested that all pupils wear something that symbolised their respective countries. This simple yet impactful request transformed Castle Park into a vibrant exhibition of cultural pride. Photographs of the children wearing their countries' costumes and colours are in the Picture Gallery below.

Next Week’s Events Brother Cross-Country Competition A team of pupils from Forms IV, V and VI will represent Castle Park at the Brother Cross-Country Competition in Santry next Wednesday, 4th October. The cross-country track is a 1 km race, and pupils will compete within their respective age groups. We wish them every success at the meet. Intermediate Singing Competition Next Thursday, we have a special event featuring talented vocalists from Forms III and IV at our Intermediate Singing Competition. It's an excellent opportunity for these pupils to showcase their musical talents, and we're looking forward to their performances.

Open Morning – 6th October 2023 On Friday, 6th October, Castle Park is hosting an Open Morning from 9:00 am to 12 noon. Our Form VI pupils will lead guided tours of the School, offering prospective parents a first-hand look at life within our school community. Our senior pupils embody the spirit and excellence of our school, and their willingness to share their experiences and insights provides a unique perspective for visiting parents. Following the tour, parents will have the opportunity to meet with our Admissions Secretary and members of our Senior Management Team. Should you know of any parents who would like to attend, kindly direct them to our inquiry form, which is accessible through the link provided HERE.

Congratulations Caroline!

From Ms Hope - Head of English Writers of the Month is back! Mark your calendars for next Friday, when we will reveal the first set of winners for the academic year 2023/2024.

Theme of the Week

If you've been working hard to improve your writing skills and would like to enter, pop your composition in the entry box outside my classroom. We can't wait to see your contribution.

From Ms O‘Sullivan - Head of Maths Maths Week Competitions

In preparation for Maths Week, scheduled for the 16th - 20th of October, we are excited to announce the launch of both Junior and Senior Maths competitions.

Analysing Complex and Multi-Step Problem Solving

Junior Competition - 2-D Shape Art: The Junior Competition is open to all pupils in Forms I and II. To enter, pupils should create an A4-sized piece of Artwork using their understanding of 2-D shapes. Entries must include the pupil's name, form and house and should be submitted to Ms O'Sullivan before Monday, 16th of October. For inspiration, please see the competition poster, which features some examples. Senior Competition - Maths Photography The Senior Competition is a Maths photography competition open to pupils in Forms III, IV, V and VI. With the help of a family member, we are asking pupils to use their 'Maths Eyes' and observe Mathematical concepts in their local area. To enter, pupils must submit a single photograph that captures the mathematical occurrence and submit it to Ms O'Sullivan. Alternatively, they can email their photo to josullivan@castleparkschool.ie. For further details, please see the Maths Eyes competition poster in the ‘Noticeboard’ section of this Newsletter. CLICK HERE to watch the video played in our Assembly this morning. Le gach dea-ghuí

Composer of the Week

Johann Sebastian Bach

Irish Phrase of the Week

Stephen McKernan Principal

Ag anailísiú - Analysing

Artist of the Week Daniil Andreev, *** Inspired by Irish artist Samuel Walsh, the pupils in Form IV have created paintings of memory maps. Using block colours, lines and simplified shapes, the pupils were asked to remember a familiar area or place and try to create a map from their memory.

Analysing – Complex and Multi-Step Problem Solving. The ability to break down a task, decide a suitable approach and then act.

News from SwimCamp

Swimming Progress

Castle Park School Swim Team

We are thrilled with the progress the swimmers have made over the past few weeks in the pool.

We are actively seeking swimmers who are interested in representing Castle Park School at this year's or next year's Leinster School Gala, which is a qualifier for the Irish School Championships.

We are excited for a fantastic year of swimming ahead. If you have any questions, please contact us at school@swimcamp.ie Some important reminders: Please ensure that your child brings the following to every session: Properly Fitted Swimwear A Swim Hat Goggles Towel

Our goal is to have a strong Castle Park Team and provide support to swimmers in their preparation for both individual events and relays. We are planning to have all members of the School Swim Team swim together once a week. If your child is interested in joining the School Swim Team, please send us an email to school@swimcamp.ie .

HEAD COACH/CO-FOUNDER

COORDINATOR/CO-FOUNDER

Susan Dillon

Manuela Laudon

Level 3 Swim Ireland Coach/ Level 2 Swim Ireland Open Water Coach

News from the Classroom - Form IV-P (Mr Leahy’s Class) Form IV-P are gradually adjusting to Castle Park's daily routines and familiarising themselves with life in the Senior Corridor. Everyone was excited to return to school, meet new classmates and see what the upcoming year has in store for us! We worked through our hopes and expectations for Form IV in the first few days of term. During our SEAL lessons, we discussed what a "perfect" school, pupil, friend and teacher might look like and what we could do to meet these ideals daily. Through these discussions, we came to understand that success is a unique journey for each of us; it may vary from person to person, but it is something worthy of celebration for everyone! In our Gaeilge lessons with Ms Nolan, we have engaged in various group and pair activities as we focus on our first topic of the year, "Mé Féin" (Myself). Additionally, we've made a concerted effort to incorporate the language into our daily lessons, using it for instructions and employing conversational phrases to bring the language to life in class. In social studies, we have recently started to explore our topic for this term, Ancient Greece. Our first step was pinpointing Greece’s location on the world map and discussing why it may have succeeded in establishing such a prosperous Empire. Our budding historians had the opportunity to draw comparisons with other empires they were familiar with as we placed them on a timeline, allowing us to compare when key events may have occurred and overlapped worldwide. During Anti-Bullying Week, we explored Cyberbullying and the personal impact it can have. The pupils demonstrated their ability to recognise the characteristics of bullying and how these traits can easily transition to an online platform. We discussed various scenarios and devised strategies to ensure our safety online. We also addressed the actions pupils should take if they ever encounter an online situation that makes them uncomfortable. Finally, in English class, we have taken a forensic approach to exploring the grammatical elements of our writing. We have been careful to use the correct grammatical language as we explore how we can make our compositions more exciting and engaging for our readers. While we were a little spooked when confronted by terms like 'fronted adverbials' and 'expanded noun phrases' when we encountered them in some of the books we were reading for pleasure, we soon realised that we were, in fact, already very familiar with many of them!

Photos from IV-P (Mr Leahy’s Class)

Launching our Rockets in Science Class

Principal for the Day

Representing our Countries

Form I - Painting with Shapes

Autumn Art with Ms Turley’s Class

“All About Me” - Ms Corry’s Class

Form IV Boys’ Basketball -v- Ballyroan

Maths 2-D Shape Art Competition Form I – Form II

Using your knowledge of 2-D shapes, create a piece of A4 sized artwork. Be as creative as you like! Please write your full name, class and house on the back of your entry. Submit your entry to Ms O’Sullivan by Monday 16ᵗʰ October. One entry per pupil. Winners will be announced during Maths Week.

Good luck!!

Maths Photography Competition - Forms III - VI