Second Class Blog
Easter has arrived!
What a busy half term the girls have had and they are well and truly ready for a well-deserved Easter break. I hope the Easter bunny has some nice surprises for these girls.
There has been a lot going on in Maths over the last few weeks. The girls have been learning about Area and came to the conclusion that standard shapes are the best way to find the surface area of an object. They were estimating and measuring using various shapes and sizes. We then compared our answers and figured out that square units are the best way to measure area. Well done on all the problem solving and team work that was needed to do these challenges.
We moved on to Length later on and again used some non-standard items to measure the length of various distances – walls, corridors, distances from classroom to office, length of paths etc. After realising that we all get different answers, the girls decided that using the same item each with a standard measurement was the best way. We then measured using rulers, metre sticks and measuring tapes.
Following this, we did some Capacity work. The girls brought in containers and we learned to estimate and measure using various sizes and shapes. We estimated how many of one container it would take to fill another. We then went to work with our basins of water. We progressed on to using measuring jugs and the girls were able to draw conclusions during and at the end of the activities. Very good problem solving took places here.
We moved on to Graphs in Maths and we did some pictograms, block and bar graphs. We surveyed the traffic outside our school and did a tally on the different colour cars. The girls discovered that silver/grey or white were the most popular cars on the road!
As always the girls have been up and out of their seats creating Irish dramas. It’s been lots of fun for them and great to see them using and creating sentences and dramas with the Irish they know.
In Science the girls learned about friction and how smooth hard surfaces created less friction and soft rough surfaces created more friction. They did some experimenting with different materials and drove some wind up dinky cars across these various surfaces. Some were smooth, others rough, some slippy etc. They presented their findings to the class.
In Science also, we learned about oil and water and how items can be made waterproof. We did a little experiment using oil/wax crayons to do some nature rubbings, and then washed this over using watercolours. It was clear the wax crayons resisted the watercolour.
We continued this lesson learning about various materials and discovering the properties of these materials, which are waterproof, which are not, which ones are transparent, or opaque. The girls investigated and presented their findings.
We celebrated our annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in school. What a great day of fun and cheer. The ceili was great fun and it was lovely to see all the girls mixing and enjoying being part of our school.
In SPHE we have been learning a lot about being healthy and looking after ourselves. We discovered ways we are healthy and some ways that we can improve our health by making some small changes. We have some tasty healthy treats to see if we could try some new foods. There wasn’t much left on the plates at the end of this activity!!
The girls have been learning about milk in Geography. Where does it come from and what are the stages it goes through to get to our glass! We realised there was a lot more going on with milk than we had previously thought! The girls realised that the cow isn’t the only animal to produce milk that we can drink. Some girls made connections with our SPHE and realised they need to have more milk in their diet. They learned some easy ways to do this – why not make a healthy milkshake?? All you need is a blender (of some sort), some plain yoghurt, a mix of whatever chopped fruit you like, milk, whizz it up and voilá – an amazing, fresh, tasty and healthy milkshake. The girls enjoyed trying some milkshakes in class!
We finished Term 2 with a wonderful and positive Friendship and Wellbeing Week, thanks to Mrs Shanahan for organising it. We had a lovely week of mindfulness, friendship bracelets, healthy treats, meditation, mindful walks, friendship quizzes, affirmations, thankful cards and much much more. What a lovely way to finish off Term 2. The girls also discovered that the Easter bunny arrived early with a tasty treat!!
I wish you and your families a very happy Easter break and I look forward to Term 3 in a few weeks times.
Best wishes,
Mrs. Power
Term 2 is in full swing!
It’s been a busy term so far in Maths. The girls were learning more about place value – Hundreds, Tens and Units. The were enjoying using various estimation strategies during this activity. When learning about 3D shapes, we used solid 3D shapes to help us discover the properties of them – faces, sides, corners, curved surfaces. They used mini marshmallows and cocktail sticks to recreate these shapes. However the marshmallows went missing after this activity!!! We then went outdoors on a 3D maths trail where we discovered that there are a lot of 3D shaped items in the world around us – Builders cones, sphere cctv cameras, cuboid peers, cube jigsaw seat, cylinder poles!
When learning about sound in Science, the girls were given the freedom of the classroom to create a new instrument that would produce various sounds. Great team work during this activity. The girls presented their items and explained how they created them. While learning about the force of Water and Air, the girls did a lot of experimenting to show the pushing and pulling forces that air and water can do. The girls used balloons, straws and paper plates to show the force of air in action. And they showed how moving water can move their tinfoil created boats!
The girls became very good with their hands in Art class by creating pinch pots, a form of transport and fossils using clay. The final creations were beautiful. With Spring in the air, the girls designed bright and cheery dreamcatchers to hang in their rooms.
All the girls look forward to Little Red Kettle coming every year. It was a really fun play this year entitled ‘How to steal the world’, with a few fun characters from 2nd class added in!!
Halloween to Christmas Term
The girls had great fun in Maths learning about fractions. We used lots of hands-on materials to figure out how to calculate halves and quarters. In order to really show their understanding, we took our fractions to the kitchen! The girls learned a little more about how halves and quarters are used in our lives, by cutting pizzas in halves and quarters. And of course, they got to eat them once they were cut successfully!!
We did some work in Geography on the weather. The girls learned about the different instruments used by meteorologists to read the weather. We also made weather wheels to present the weather in class. As well as this, the girls learned some really practical information about where our rubbish goes. They became detectives at home and discovered ways to get rid of household rubbish responsibly – recycling bins, compost bins, re-turn scheme, clothes banks, glass banks. We did an exercise also where the girls had to make decisions on what bin to put items in correctly.
In Science we learned about the force of magnetism and how magnets have two sides, a North and a South. They discovered the sides that attract and repel. We then used various materials to create a game. The girls were given items and asked how they could create a fishing game. They worked in teams to create a game. They made a fishing rod using a stick, string and a magnet as the hook, and they attached a paper clip to a fish. They wrote tricky words on the back of the fish and went fishing!
We learned a lot about how our environment, especially Ferrybank, has changed over time in History. By investigating images of Ferrybank, the girls could see how much it has changed. We then went on a tour around the outskirts of our school and we discovered things that are from the past, present, and both past and present. They could recall all the changed that have happened since they even joined the school. Great historians!
The girls love Art and created beautiful jungle boxes from shoe boxes and used a lot of their own ideas and creativity. Great team work took place during this activity. The girls also created a Christmas bauble as a memory of 2nd class. They will have this every year for their Christmas tree.
The girls looked forward to Buddy reading with 5th class for 7 weeks. They read books twice a week with their buddies and it was such a positive and rewarding time which helped the girls improve their reading levels. Thank you to Miss White and well done to 5th class for taking on this responsibility, it was a great success. Both senior and junior buddies received a certificate for their dedication.
We finished off the term with our wonderful Christmas play lead by Mrs Burke and 6th class. The girls look forward to this special time every year and it’s always lovely to see the whole school come together for our Christmas performance.
Autumn time in 2nd Class
The girls have settled into their new routines in 2nd class and have covered a lot of work and progressed so well this half-term. They will all deserve a nice break during mid-term break which is just around the corner. Here are a few snippets of what they’ve been up to during September and October.
Autumn time is a wonderful time of the year to get out and discover our environment. In Science we have been busy on lots of school fieldtrips. We investigated and discovered different materials in our school grounds. Some are crunchy, some are hard, others are soft, and others again were flexible. This was a great way to use some new language while working as a team.
We also used our senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching, to discover the signs of Autumn which we can see-horse chestnuts; hear-crunching leaves; smell-mushrooms; taste-blackberries; touch-bark.
We used our tree ID, Twig ID, fruit and seed ID and a tree identification wheel to find out what trees we have on our school grounds. We discovered Alder, Beech, Maple, Rowan and Horse Chestnut! Great team work and serious science investigators in 2nd class!
The girls have also been out and about during Geography class. In class we were learning about different forms of transport on land, air and sea. We discussed the benefits of the different forms of transport and about the negative impact many can have on our environment. It was agreed that there are too many cars on our roads which are polluting our air. The girls carried out a survey at the traffic lights and did a tally on the amount of buses, cars, bicycles, trains, and planes they could count in 10 mins. The highest tally was for cars! Later we discussed how we can improve this by walking, cycling, scooting, carpooling and taking buses.
We’ve been enjoying a nice variety of work in Art also this year. Our art corridor is looking really bright and welcoming. The girls did some rubbings outside and cut out the outline of their hand to create an Autumn tree. They learned a little history about Andy Warhol and pop art and created some impressive prints. And this week we are working on Halloween costumes. We will finish these next week.
History has been fun to and our lesson this week is about Halloween and how it has been celebrated down through the years. The girls were surprised to discover that turnips were carved out long ago, but the American tradition of pumpkins found its way to Ireland. We also discovered some of the games that were played long ago and the games the girls play now. Mumming and Telling the future were just two of the ones we learned about. And we learned that long ago there were five items in a Barmbrack. A coin =become rich; a rag=be poor; a ring=you will marry; a pea=you won’t marry; and a stick=you’ll have a disagreement or fight!! We had a little treat of a Barmbrack and one of our lucky girls got the ring!!!
We’ve been doing lots of hands-on activities in Maths this year also. While learning about 2D shapes, the girls were given the challenge to create 2D shapes with cocktail sticks and marshmallows. They then spoke about how they did them and how the marshmallows were used for the corners/angles and the sticks were the sides. And of course, the marshmallows disappeared at the end of the lesson!!!!! The reward for their team work!
We also learned about angles and found right angles, smaller than a right angle and greater than a right angle around our school corridors and hall.
This week we have been learning about time and how time passes by. We linked in with Geography on this to discover how the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. At different times of the day, the girls stood on their spots in the yard and drew each others’ shadows. The discovered that it was in a different position each time. When the sun was low down, the shadows were long, when the sun was up high, the shadows were shorter. The earth moves and so that is why the sun forms a new shadows as times goes by.
We also learned to sequence events and put our knowledge to the test to see if we could make Rice Krispie buns. And we were successful! Well done to the girls on their kitchen duties. They deserved the nice treat at the end of the day.
We look forward to lots more fun after Halloween.
Mrs Power
We’re all going on our Summer holidays…!
It feels like we just started off together at the start of the year and now the end is almost here. What a wonderful year it has been full of new experiences, new learning, new opportunities and a whole lot of fun along the way. The girls arrived each day with a smile on their face and brightened up each and every day.
This has been another busy term with lots of outdoor adventures as the weather picked up. In P.E. the girls were learning some orienteering skills and learned to work as a team to succeed in completing tasks.
The girls finished their final genres in English– Persuasive and Procedural. They took great care in their presentation and even got to impress some of the younger and older classes, as well as the teachers! They persuaded children and teachers that ‘Spring is the most important season’ and also explained ‘How to plant a seed’ step-by-step.
To finish off our year of History the girls did a timeline of all the memories of 2nd class. They discussed all their memories in groups, decided which ones were more important and then put them in order. Following this, they drew a timeline from September to June and drew images and captioned these events. We also had some fun this term learning about old playground games. To celebrate May, they girls learned a dance called ‘Here we go gathering nuts in May’. Why not ask the girls about the Hawthorn bush and the bunch of flowers! They also learned another playground game called ‘The big ship sailed on the alley-alley-oh’. To finish these lessons, the girls asked parents and grandparents about games they used to play when they were young and they shared these with 2nd class.
In Science we discovered the many habitats that there are in our school environment. Second class’s focus is ‘Walls and Paths’. At first, the girls wondered what plants and animals live by paths and walls, but with lots of equipment on board, we discovered a lot of new plants and minibeast live in these areas. We used equipment such as pooters, flytraps, magnifying glass, bug viewers and nets, as well as some minibeast keys, tree and plant identifiers, and google lens. We discovered clover mites (the real name for blood suckers!), woodlice, ants, worms, snails, ivy leaved toadflax, moss, ivy, forget me nots…to name but a few!
In connection with our English procedures, we planted some seeds. We grew some Garden peas and Sunflowers. These will move out to out outdoor garden and hopefully we will have something to see in September!
The girls were set a challenge in Art and were given two skewers, paper, cellotape, crepe paper, string and colours. They had to discuss what they could make with these items. After some of them guessed, a kite, I then asked them to figure out how to make one. Following these suggestions, we set about designing and making. In the end, the girls had fun flying their kites!
We also created an end of year wall hanging. Over a number of weeks we painted the background, cut and designed 3D fish life, added some crepe and other fabrics to create a bright ‘Under the Sea’ art collage.
We also had some really fun events in Term 3. We had a visit from the Gardai, but thankfully for a positive reason. The guards came to teach the children what it is they do and wanted the girls to realise that they are their to help us to stay safe and prevent any unlawful activities. They girls had so many question for the guards and they were more than happy to answer all their questions. To finish off, the guards invited the girls down to see their Garda car. And one of the girls was lucky enough to sit inside and turn on the lights and siren! Great excitement all round!
We also had a wonderful week during ‘Friendship and Wellbeing Week’. We had lots of gentle and kind activities during the week – meditation, yoga, mindful colouring, healthy fruit and vegetables, morning messages, special assemblies, fundraising and presentation of friendship bracelets to their secret friends. Everyone ended on a high. It was a lovely way to stop and make connections with everyone in our school community and also think of others.
In June the girls had a fantastic day for Sports’ Day. We had fabulous weather and the girls didn’t stop smiling and having fun all day. From races to obstacle courses, inflatables to bucket races, and even an ice-pop to finish off.
The Parents’ Association organised a really successful cake sale fundraiser too, and the girls and parents brought in a huge amount of tasty treats, which were enjoyed by children, staff and parents.
And finally, the girls went on their School Tour to Ardmore Mini Farm. It was a fantastic trip with so much to see and do. Tours, large and small animals, indoor and outdoor play. By the end of the day, all the girls were pretty tired and some even had an afternoon nap on the bus journey home!
And that brings us to the end of the year. The girls have been such an enthusiastic group and I will be sad to part with them. It’s been a whirlwind year full of adventures and I wish them a very happy summer break and best wishes next year when they begin 3rd class.
Until September – Slan libh
Mrs. Power
Term 2 has been busy!
This term has been shorter than normal and the girls have been busy in all subject areas. They love to get outside and get their hands stuck into learning. I think they will all deserve a really happy St. Patrick’s day, and Easter break is just around the corner too.
We have covered a lot in Maths this term. We like group work and learning from each other. The girls learned how to estimate, and then measure capacity while keeping a tally. We also moved on to bigger numbers and learned about place value – 10 units = 1 ten, 10 tens = 1 hundred, 100 units = 1 hundred. Using hands on materials, the girls could see the differences. It also made adding and subtracting easier. Strangely enough, the units (love heart sweets) disappeared soon after!! More work in Place Value and Capacity helped the children have better estimates too. How many cups (units) to fill a jug (tens), how many jugs (tens) to fill a basin (hundreds).
We moved on to weight too and had fun measuring, comparing, balancing, estimating, before moving on to weighing scales finding greater than, equal to and less than 250g, 500g, 750g, 1000g/1Kg. When we were learning about time, we made sundials and placed them in the yard at different times of the day to see how time was told years ago. We learned about Spatial Awareness too and created routes around our school, giving instructions and following instructions.
Finally, the girls have been learning about Area, Length and Capacity and how to measure using non-standard and standard units of measure. We also went on a school 3D maths trail to find as many 3D shapes as we could in our school surrounding.
In Geography the girls learned about direction. This linked in nicely with our Maths lesson. We then learned how to use a compass and went outside to give and follow instructions.
The girls got creative in Science and used many materials to create different sounds – high and low pitch. They worked in teams to plan and choose their materials and then set to work to make and create. I think we all had a headache going home on this day!!
We also were learning about Force in in Science and how air and water can exert force. But instead of telling the girls what air and water can do, the girls were given materials and some vocabulary. They had to discover ways that air and water could make things move or float. And also how to make things stronger.
We looked at Friction also and used various surfaces and toy cars to investigate where there was more or less friction.
In Geography we learned about the Water Cycle and we carried out an experiment where the girls could see the different parts of the cycle – Condensation, Precipitation, Collection, Evaporation. We also dramatised it which was very entertaining!
The girls had so much energy in our PE class where we did Creative Dance for 6 weeks. Well done on your creativity, partner and team work.
The girls created some lovely clay pieces in Art this term which linked in with our other theme of transport. To experiment and become familiar with working with clay, they created a pinch pot. The following week, they could choose a form of transport to shape and finally they created a fossil of some toy vehicles. To finish, we spray varnished them to take them home. Here is a video reel of all their work – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_TgwSVQzaHoBpcJfxnRItOI3T70h320T/view?usp=drive_link
The girls got creative with Fabric and various other materials to create Dreamcatchers. They were very good to follow directions and create individual pieces to hang at home.
And finally, here are a few snippets of some special celebratory days in Term 2 – Little Red Kettle, Pancake Tuesday, World Book day, Safer Internet day, Irish dancing in the Little Sisters, St. Patrick’s school celebrations. Here is a video clip of the girls dancing in the Little Sisters.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_UAUnKgBcFzaaXQHoxmSVRRVLdo-kY5V/view?usp=drive_link
Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone.
Mrs. Power
Happy Christmas 🎄
Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas break with friends and family. The girls really deserve some time off after a very busy and enjoyable Term 1.
After many weeks of researching, writing, re-drafting and editing, in English the girls have created very impressive reports on The Barn Swallow. We will publish these in the New Year and the girls will enjoy sharing them with everyone.
In maths we have been learning how to use money. We played money bingo and created a toyshop for buying and selling.
In geography we were learning about maps and we compared flat 2D posters, atlases and the 3D globe. Following this, we tracked Santa’s route on Christmas Eve. The girls realised that Santa must follow this route as the earth rotates and he must stay ahead of daylight. In history we learned about traditions from around the world and it was lovely to hear the girls share their traditions and hear from parents on Seesaw. In Science we looked at how we can care for the environment especially during the Christmas period. Remember to use the correct bins….the recycling fairies will be on alert over Christmas!
We created nice memories in art which will look great on the Christmas tree.
We work really well as a team in 2nd class and we look after our feelings. How do we deal with our feelings? What do we do? By talking about positive and negative feelings we learn to deal appropriately with them.
This week was a fun week filled with Christmas spirit. The whole school shared their Christmas Carol service with The Little Sisters and families. Well done everyone, it was a fantastic week.
I look forward to seeing the girls in the New Year.
Best wishes
Mrs. Power
