Weekly Note & Reminders 19th January 2024 by Castle Park School

Castle Park School

Weekly Note & Reminders 19th January 2024

From Mr McKernan (Principal, Whole School) Dear Parents,

French Exchange Over the past weekend, Ms Geraghty, Ms O'Sullivan, and I had the privilege of visiting our recently linked exchange school, 'Assomption Bordeaux'. The focus of our exchange is 'Deepening Irish-French Relationships' through the sharing of our Irish and French culture. During our visit, we had the opportunity to meet the exchange pupils and teachers who are scheduled to visit Castle Park School in March. While the primary connection will be with this year's Form VI classes, I will be encouraging pupils from the other Prep year groups to actively interact with our visitors and take advantage of the opportunity to practice their French language skills. We look forward to the children's arrival and will keep you well-informed with news and updates on their trip. Thank you to the French families who have volunteered to support our exchange from 4th March 2024.

Teaching Assembly – Meta-Cognition During our weekly Teaching Assembly, we focused on the HighPerformance Learning theme of 'Meta-Cognition' (thinking about thinking) by delving into the exploration of 'Big Questions'. This session encouraged the pupils to think critically about their thinking processes. Isabella, a new member of Form V, took the initiative to propose a task for her peers. The challenge she presented was to explore the question, 'How many atoms does it take to make up a person?' The pupils were tasked with conducting this investigation and documenting their findings in a presentation, which they subsequently emailed to me.

The Week Ahead Wednesday 24th January Teaching Assembly AIJS Boys’ BasketBall Tournament; 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm @ Home

Thursday 25th January Form VI Motus Workshop Dublin Primary Schools Basketball Cup; Form VI Girls v Hollypark; 3:30 pm @ Home; Collection @ 4:30 pm

Friday 26th January Prep Assembly; Boughey Trophy Competition (Pupil Event)

Mabel from Form IV confidently shared her research findings at this week's assembly. In her presentation, she informed us of an intriguing piece of information; according to her research, the average 10-yearold's body comprises seven octillion atoms represented by the numerical figure 7 followed by 27 zeros. Furthermore, these atoms predominantly comprise Hydrogen, Oxygen, Carbon, and Nitrogen, with these four elements making up 99% of the total composition. These remarkable investigative projects, undertaken by our senior pupils, reflect an academic endeavour typically associated with pupils around the age of 15 or 16 in secondary schools and serve as a testament to the limitless potential and high-performance learning capabilities within our school community. Congratulations to our senior pupils for surpassing expectations and demonstrating that there are no boundaries to their learning journey.

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

Swimming Gala Congratulations to all the pupils who participated in the Leinster School Swimming Gala last weekend. Your hard work and commitment during training resulted in significant achievements and notable progress in your skills and performances. Thank you to the SwimCamp coaches for preparing the team for this event. Your expertise significantly contributed to our team's readiness and overall success. You can read about this event in the 'News from SwimCamp' section below.

Week Beginning Monday 29th January Monday 29th January

Gaelic Football The girls in Forms II to VI have been actively participating in Gaelic Football under the guidance of Mr Nolan since returning from the Christmas Break. Gaelic Football is a recent addition to the School’s sports offering, and Mr Nolan is pleased with the pupils’ remarkable enthusiasm and progress in skill development. As we enter our third week of this new sport, the pupils are gearing up for an exciting opportunity to display the skills they have acquired in their first game. This marks an exciting time at Castle Park as we aim to expand the sport and will soon begin competing in leagues. We note our thanks to Cuala for their support!

Junior Commendation Assembly Peer Mediation Introduction (Form V)

Tuesday 30th January Dress Rehearsal; Form V Plays

Wednesday 31st January Teaching Assembly AIJS Girls' BasketBall Tournament 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm @ Castle Park

Corporate Games Fundamentals

Thursday 1st February

I want to thank Mr Nolan and Mr Hillman, who are trialling a specialised sports programme exclusively for Castle Park pupils. This initiative, ‘Fundamentals for Kids', aims to foster an environment where enjoyment, development, confidence, and skill acquisition take precedence across a range of sports.

Friday 2nd January

Recent academic research has highlighted the risk of burnout and early dropout among young athletes who focus on a single sport. Mr Nolan and Mr Hillman are spearheading this exciting new initiative to address this concern.

Form VI Motus Workshop Form V-C Play 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Form V-P PLay 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Personal Development Day Form IV Prep assembly

Sessions are currently available on Saturday Mornings for children aged five to eleven. For further details and to register your child for a session, please click HERE.

From Mr Tindale (Deputy Principal, Whole School) Healthy Eating As we commence the Spring Term, it is important to maintain healthy eating habits, especially during school break times. Children should only bring nutritious snacks such as fruit or sandwiches to school; we kindly request that they do not bring sweets, crisps, chocolate, popcorn, etc. The School will continue to provide a snack (fruit) at 3.30 pm before the children participate in their afternoon hobbies.

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

Healthy Eating Continued It is important to note that we have pupils with severe nut allergies in the School, and foods containing nuts are not permitted. We do our best to avoid single-use plastics in Castle Park, and children are discouraged from bringing in plastic bottles or containers that cannot be reused.

VAA of the Month

Thank you for your support in promoting a healthy and considerate environment at Castle Park School.

Le gach dea-ghuí Stephen McKernan Principal

Kindness Award

Agile Composer of the Week

Well Done Astrid- Form III

Artist of the Week Sofia (VI-P) At the end of last term, the pupils in Form VI learned about NeoAndean architecture originating from Bolivia and influenced by the Aymara people of South America. Drawing inspiration from the colourful buildings found in the city of El Alto and the architectural style of Freddy Mamani, the group was assigned the creative challenge of designing their own buildings using layers of cardboard, plaster bandage and paint.

Frédéric Chopin

Irish Phrase of the Week

Intinn fhiosrach - an enquiring mind

Quote of the Week "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” ~ Albert Einstein

News from SwimCamp

Castle Park School Swimmers Triumph at Leinster School Gala The Leinster School Gala at the National Aquatic Centre proved to be a resounding success for our team of 17 Castle Park swimmers! They achieved numerous personal bests, demonstrated outstanding team spirit, and secured six individual and two relay medals. Castle Park Team: Camille, Pierce, Auriella, Freddie, Harry, Senan, Isaac, Mabel, Marco, Pietro, Jack, Clara, Leah, Fionn, Olivia, Eliana, Roman Individual Honours: Clara Bronze medal in the 50m Backcrawl and 50m Butterfly Marco Gold Medal in the 50m Freestyle and Silver Medal in the 50m Breaststroke Pietro Bronze Medal in the 50m Freestyle Relay Highlights: Girls 11-12 (Freestyle 4th, Medley 11th) Mabel, Clara, Leah, Olivia Boys 11-12 (Freestyle Gold and 7th, Medley Silver): Freestyle Relay Team A: Gold Medal - Fionn, Marco, Pietro, Roman Team B: 7th - Jack, Pierce, Isaac and Senan Medley Relay: Team A : Silver Medal - Fionn, Marco, Pietro, Roman Looking Ahead: Irish School Championships A significant number of Castle Park swimmers have successfully qualified for the Irish Schools Championships on March 23rd, pointing towards the potential for yet another impressive performance at the National Aquatic Centre. A Special Invitation to the Willow Cup In an exciting development, our team's outstanding performance, highlighted by the Freestyle relay win over Willow Park, has led to an invitation to the prestigious Willow Cup. Scheduled for April 17th at the National Aquatic Centre, this upcoming event promises to be another standout moment for our talented swimmers. As we look forward to these upcoming events, we acknowledge and appreciate all our swimmers' hard work and achievements. Their accomplishments at the Leinster School Gala reflect their dedication and contribute to a positive outlook for swimming at Castle Park School. Let's keep this positive momentum going!

News from SwimCamp

News from K2 - Ms Cunningham’s Class

We were delighted to welcome the children back to school after the Christmas holidays, and it was lovely to see their excitement as they reunited with friends and shared what gifts they had received from Santa Claus. K2 has been very busy since we got back. We started the New Year by introducing the Jolly Phonics programme. Each week, the children will participate in various hands-on activities related to our featured sound of the week. During Circle Time, their enthusiastic participation was evident as they learnt the corresponding song for each sound. In our Topic work, we have been learning about the Robin and focusing on its Life Cycle. Taking part in Life Cycle activities allows children to develop sequencing skills and improves hand-eye coordination. During our discoveries, the children were surprised to learn that when a Robin lays their eggs, they are blue! We incorporated arts and crafts into the experience to bring this learning to life, allowing the children to create their own Robins, which was great fun. Their imaginative creations are now proudly displayed outside the K2 classrooms. If you have a moment, feel free to stop by and enjoy the work produced by our budding artists!

News from K2 - Ms Cunningham’s Class

K1 in the Classroom

Junior Infants Making Bird Feeders

Thursday Art with Ms Turley’s Senior Infants Class

Maths Work in Form V

Form III in the Parker Library

Form IV French - Translation Activity

Pringle House Tea

Form II - Gaelic Games

Form VI Basketball - Castle Park -v- Shellybanks ETNS

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