Matches were played at Wolfe Tone Camogie Pitch, Shannon. The boys played against Mountshannon and St Senan's brilliantly but were very unlucky on the day, narrowly missing their chance to head to the semi finals. The girls reached the semi finals after beating Doora NS and St. Tola's school but unfortunately lost to Crusheen in the end. We had a fantastic time playing the games though! Many thanks to Mr Walsh for volunteering his time to provide extra coaching for the children.

Inspired by the story of the discovery of the great hoard of gold ornaments at Mooghaun in 1854, the senior children set up an archaeological dig in the sandpit! They learned about artefacts and monuments, biodegradable materials, grids and coordinates, soil type and how to record and describe the artefacts! I wonder what evidence will be left of Ballycar School in 1,000 years time? 

On Thursday 22nd October, we held an Italian Day in Ballycar. The children dressed up in green, white and red. Some dressed as Roman soldiers! We made homemade pizza from flour, yeast, water, salt and olive oil. We also made delicious homemade icecream. We listened to music from Luciano Pavorotti and drew pictures. We learned about the opera and practiced some Italian phrases. We also researched some tourist attractions such as Pompeii, the Duomo in Milan, Lake Garda, Tuscany, The Sistine Chapel, Brunelleshi's Dome, the Alps...Wouldn't it be lovely to go to Italy on a school tour?!

We developed the following skills:
A sense of place      A sense of space    Using pictures maps and models        Mapping and globes     questioning       observing       predicting
investigating and experimenting            estimating and measuring
analysing       recording and communicating     Evaluating
 We also developed our mathematical skills in the areas of capacity, time and weight, as well as oral language skills (listening to, following and giving instructions), learned about instructional writing! As for scientific learning, we discussed materials and change, heating and cooling, and food and nutrition. What a busy day! Phew!

Here we are in Newmarket on Fergus, examing the features of the different buildings and chatting about how the town has changed over the years! Did you know that our Special Needs Assistant, Carol, grew up in one of the houses on the Green? Her Grandad built one of the houses... Can you guess which one? We also found out that once there was a cinema in Newmarket!

We had a fantastic day at Mooghaun on Thursday, 8th October. The sun was shining as we set off for our first fieldtrip of the year, to a very special site in the locality – Mooghaun hillfort!

 We were divided into groups. Each group was assigned a particular task...

Group 1: Food and Farming

Group 2: Homes and Buildings

Group 3: Technology and Weapons

Group 4: Culture and Artistic Achievements



We learned about .....

Geography: Exploring and using maps, The Local Natural Environment


Maths: co-ordinates, length, time


English: Oral language, reading


Drama: Exploring and making drama


History: Local history, the Bronze Age


Science: The Environment


Art : Clay - making ornaments