Weekly Note & Reminders 8th December by Castle Park School

Castle Park School

Weekly Note & Reminders 8th December 2023

From Mr McKernan (Principal, Whole School) Dear Parents, Poetry Recital Thank you to everyone who was able to join us on Wednesday morning for our informal Poetry Recital featuring selections from the book ‘The Lost Words’ by Robert MacFarlane. For those unable to join us, rest assured that there will be additional opportunities for you to attend in the future! The Recital showcased the progress pupils in Forms I – VI have made in our Mighty Oaks Public Speaking Programme. The pupils' dedication and hard work shone through as they recited the poems with enthusiasm, demonstrating their growing confidence and skills in public speaking. A special note of thanks to Ms Hope for coordinating The Recital and to the Form Teachers in each class for helping to prepare the pupils. Some parents have requested a link so that they can purchase this beautiful book CLICK HERE; and for those requesting a link to the song played at the beginning of The Recital, ‘The Lost Words Blessing’ - please CLICK HERE. We have uploaded a SoundCloud clip of the recital to our SoundCloud account for those who could not attend - please CLICK HERE, and you can find some photos of the event in the Picture Gallery. Unfortunately, we could not include a video due to the number of children on stage who have not received media consent. Below is a list of the poem titles listed in order of performance: III-P - Wren III-C - Dandelion II-P - Lark II-C – Newt I-C - Fern I-P - Ivy VI-P - Raven VI-C – Conker V-P - Kingfisher V-C - Bramble

The Week Ahead No Morning Sports Sessions

Monday 11th December Kindergarten 1 & 2 Nativity Play @ 9:30 am; Tea & Coffee from 8:30 am; School Choir Carol Singing @ 9:00 pm Meeting of the Board of Directors

Tuesday 12th December Form V Trip to Jeanie Johnson/ Epic; Collection times as normal. Junior Infants Nativity Play 9:30 am. Tea & Coffee from 8:30 am; School Choir Carol Singing @ 9:00 pm

Wednesday 13th December Senior Infants Nativity Play 9:30 am. Tea & Coffee from 8:30 am; School Choir Carol Singing @ 9:00 pm Form VI Boys’ Soccer v Ballyroan (H); Kick-Off 2:30 pm; Collection times as normal. Form VI Girls’ Basketball v St Teresians (H); Tip-Off 3:30 pm; Collection @ 4:30 pm

Thursday 14th December Kindergarten 2, Junior Infants & Senior Infants travelling to the Mill Theatre in Dundrum for the Christmas Pantomime. Senior Movie (IV, V & VI) (Form VI Pupil Charity Event).

Friday 15th December Early Years Movie (Form VI Pupil Charity Event) Junior Movie (I, II & III) (Form VI Pupil Charity Event).

Saturday 16th December Confirmation Faith Moments @ Church of the Assumption Dalkey; 10:00 am - 11:00 am.

Form IV Trip To Dublin Zoo Form IV had a wonderful day out at Dublin Zoo yesterday. This is the best time of year to visit the Zoo as the animals tend to be more active in winter than in summer, when the crowds and heat mean they are often hidden away at the back of their enclosures. In addition to the animals of the African plains, there was a focus on the animals of the rainforest and how they survive and thrive in their habitat. Many thanks to Ms Prendergast for organising the trip. Please take a moment to view some photos in the Picture Gallery below.

FCP Christmas Event

Excitement was building throughout the School this week as we eagerly anticipated the FCP Christmas Event, which is taking place today. The FCP Committee has devoted significant time and effort to creating a day full of fun and unforgettable memories. In the Early Years Department, our younger pupils have been visiting Mrs Claus at the Winter Grotto (a magically transformed Board Room) while our Prep pupils have been taking part in the Kids Quiz, not to mention the Chocolate Tombola, a favourite among pupils and staff alike! Additionally, our School Choir has been entertaining us with Christmas songs and carols throughout the day.

From Ms Brady Christmas Hamper Collection This marks our 32nd year of extending a helping hand to those facing challenges during the Christmas season. Many thanks to all the children who generously contributed food items to make up hampers for those in need. We collected enough provisions to make up sixty hampers for families and individuals living alone who reside in Dalkey, Glasthule, Dun Laoghaire, Monkstown, Bray, Wicklow Town and Dublin City Centre. The €5 contributions were gratefully received and raised sufficient funds to ensure that sixty additional households also received extra support.

Week Beginning Monday 18th December No Morning Sports Sessions

Monday 18th December Carol Service Rehearsal @ Monkstown Church. Bus leaving @ 9:00 am. Returning @ 11:30 am School Choir visiting Our Lady’s Manor to sing carols for the residents.

Tuesday 19th December No Hobbies No Music Lessons House Certificates & Winning House Assembly Christmas lunch (pupil event). Pupils can wear Christmas jumpers and festive attire. Carol Service @ Monkstown Church. Service begins at 6pm, ends at 7pm.

Wednesday 20th December Last Day of Autumn Term. School ends at 12:30 pm Non-uniform day No Hobbies No Music Lessons No Day Care Whole School Assembly.

Thank you to the children, staff, Friends of Castle Park and John Payne for organising and delivering the hampers. A special thank you to our Form VI leaders, Eibhlin, Lana and Millie, who diligently checked the hampers daily and carried them to the collection area on ‘The Street’, and then to the Car Park for transportation by John Payne and Mr McKernan. You can ﬁnd details of all ﬁxtures/events/activities on the Parent Portal Calendar

From Ms McKiernan – Director of Music School Choir Updates Our School Choir are very excited to take part in this year’s RTÉ Lyric FM Choirs for Christmas Competition. Last week, the Choir recorded their funfilled Christmas song, ‘Good Time Christmas’, and submitted the entry to the radio station. A selection of all the entries from across the country will be chosen for airplay on Evelyn Grant’s Weekend Drive starting on Saturday, 9th December. Additionally, this year’s songs will be available to playback on the Lyric FM website over Christmas.

Theme of the Week

Please CLICK HERE for further details. This is the first performance of a busy Christmas season for the Choir, who are looking forward to carol singing for The Simon Community next week and visiting Our Lady’s Manor in Bullock Harbour to sing for the residents on Monday, 18th December. If your son/daughter would like to join the School Choir, please log on to the Parent Portal (Booking Activities) to register them. School Choir rehearsals take place on Thursdays from 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm. The Choir is open to all pupils from Form I to Form VI. Next term, we are looking forward to some exciting competitions, festivals and performances at home and in the Greater Dublin area!

Be Prepared

Composer of the Week

Final Date for Music Lessons

The last day for music lessons this term is Monday 18th December (including after-school lessons). There will be no music lessons on Tuesday 19th or Wednesday 20th December. Music lessons will resume on Tuesday 9th January. Le gach dea-ghuí

Joseph Haydn

Stephen McKernan Principal

Artist of the Week Augustin (V-P) Pupils in Form V have been working on clay sculptures in their art class. Inspired by the ceramic sculptures of Wicklowbased artist Yvonne Leon, the pupils were asked to create a clay bust incorporating elements of Ireland's sea and coastal landscape.

Kindness Award Congratulations to Peter (III-P) for receiving last week's Kindness Award. Well done Peter!

Irish Phrase of the Week

Ullmhaigh -Prepare

Quote of the Week “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” ― Abraham Lincoln

News from Form III - Trip to Croke Park

Last Thursday, Form III took a trip to Croke Park, the third-largest stadium in Europe. Croke Park serves as the headquarters of GAA, our national sport, and is the focal point of excitement every year when our counties clash in the All-Ireland finals. The children learned all about how the pitch is prepared and maintained, where, and how the teams get ready for matches, and even had the opportunity to play warm-up games similar to those practised by real players before a big match. Here are some comments from the children following their trip: Ella Dallas: “I really loved seeing all the different county jerseys hanging up in the dressing room!” Oscar Strecker: “I really enjoyed getting to play the kinds of warm-up games the players would have played – they were really fun!” Vinnie Finnegan: “I really enjoyed seeing the trophies that were won throughout the years – it was really cool to see!”

Trip to Croke Park

Ms Brady - Hamper Collection

Poetry Recital

Form IV Trip to Dublin Zoo

Forest School - Junior Infants

REP’s Leaders’ Map Work

Senior Art Hobby

HPL Display - Junior Infants

HPL Display - Senior Infants

Noticeboard