St Mary's Convent Primary School

The pupils in Room 30 visited the Blackfriary excavation site in Trim this morning. The site opened in 2010 following the accidental discovery of some skeletons by construction workers. During our visit the site was a hive of activity with about twenty archaeologists sifting through the earth using trowels, shovels, brushes and many other materials. We were brought on a tour of the excavation site and we had a go at digging for ourselves. The biggest find of the day was a segment of a stained glass window. The archaeologists themselves were delighted with the discovery. Many artefacts and remains were on display for us, including a human mouth with a full set of teeth! A big thank you to Laura, Melissa and the team at Blackfriary!

A Digital Fair took place at St Mary’s today.

Plenty of digital-related activities and demonstrations were showcased by pupils from all grade levels throughout the school. Stations were set up around the hall. These stations were pupil-centred and pupil-led.

The showcase included 3D Printing, Scratch, Micro-bits, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Flipped Classroom, Video Prospectus, Junior Scratch, Bee-bots, Blue-bots, Pro-bots, Ino-bots and Green Screen. After the morning break everyone assembled outside for a drone demonstration.

The Digital Fair attracted visitors from schools in Trim and other parts of Meath, as well as from schools in counties Dublin and Kildare.

Here are a few photos for you to check out!

Caroline, a representative of SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland), came to St Mary’s yesterday to speak to some classes about how the earth is being affected by our over-reliance on energy, in particular our dependence on energy produced by burning fossil fuels. Climate change is happening right now and we all must work towards a more sustainable future for the planet.

At the beginning of April Today FM launched its ‘Dare to Care’ campaign in aid of the Irish Cancer Society and this year the station asked people around Ireland to ‘Be a Dancer for Cancer’ with the goal of raising €500,000. One inspiring young pupil at our school, Kate O’Reilly (6th Class), decided that St Mary’s should become involved in this very worthy cause. The whole school gathered in the school hall at 12.30pm and made a donation towards the cancer fund. Kate and her dancing team guided everyone in the ‘movers and shakers’ department. The whole hall was a buzz with music and dance. A sea of yellow brightened everyone’s hearts and minds. Well done to everyone for taking part and for making the event a tremendous success. A special word of appreciation must go to Kate for taking the initiative to approach Mr Ó Coigligh with her idea and for putting all the necessary wheels in motion! Here are some photos!

Kate O’ Reilly contacted Today FM about participating in this worthy cause. Some of the girls in 6th class gathered together to learn a dance to raise money for The Irish Cancer Society. They performed it at 12:30 with the whole school. Students were encouraged to wear yellow and to bring in a donation of €2.

To see us dancing click on the following link Dancer for Cancer

Pupils from thirty-two primary schools across Meath came to St Mary’s today and participated in the annual County Spelling Bee Final! Our very own ‘Spelling Champion’ didn’t have too far to travel, but she brought plenty of support along with her – her family, her classmates in 6th Class and her teacher, Ms Dineen. The tension was high from start to finish. We are all extremely proud of ‘our star’ for reaching the final round and finishing in the runner-up spot! Despite not making it to the Leinster Final, the ‘second best speller in Meath’ told us that she really enjoyed the competition! You only have to look at her beaming smile in the photo below to realise that she meant it!

Local historian and councillor, Mr Noel French, brought the pupils in Room 30 on a short walking tour of Trim this morning. We listened to plenty of historical stories from the believable to the bizarre! It was a great experience.

On Friday March 22nd our school choir, made up of pupils from fifth and sixth classes, brought the house down with their performance. They sang the following four songs:

School Choir – ‘You can Count on Me’

School Choir – ‘Naughty’

School Choir – ‘One Voice’

School Choir – ‘Answering Machine’

Ms O’ Connor played the piano and conducted along with Ms McKenna.
They were great too!!

Tháinig na páistí ó sheomra 15 (Rang 2) agus ó sheomra 16 (Rang 3) le chéile chun tionól iontach a dhéanamh dúinn sa halla inniu. Chan siad go leor amhráin trí Ghaeilge i dteannta le gníomhaíochtaí. Ghléas siad suas agus rinne siad dráma. Bhain an lucht féachana taitneamh as an ndráma agus thug siad bualadh bos mór do na páistí. Ag deireadh an tionól chualamar ceol traidisiúnta sa halla agus i bpreab na súl thosaigh roinnt mhaith páistí ag rince. Bhí siad ar fheabhas! D’fhág na páistí, na tuismitheoirí, na múinteoirí agus na cuairteoirí an halla go sona sásta. Tá Seachtain na Gaeilge thart anois, ach beidh sé ar ais an bhliain seo chugainn, le cúnamh Dé!