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Activities

 

County Final 2017

Congratulations to our girls football team who won the county final v Crumlin National School in Loughgeorge on May 30th. Well done ladies!! Check out the photos in the gallery secion.

Well done to our boys football team who also got to the county final but were narrowly beaten by Gurteen National School in Loughgeorge on June 1st. A huge thank you to Shane Martin for coaching and mentoring the school teams. 

 

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Book Week May 2017

Our annual Book Week ran in our school from Monday, May 8th to Friday, May 12th. As usual, it was a great success and the children enjoyed it. The Author, Kate McMahon, joined us on Monday and visited each class room to meet the teachers and children. She read some of her books and the children got to ask her questions about her life as an author. The children dressed up as their favourite book characters on Thursday and the winners are featured in the photo below. Well done to everyone for putting in such effort. The costume ideas get better every year!!

Book Week Winners: Cathal Harney (Smurf), Alex Dolan (WWE wrestler), Ciaran O Hara (The BFG) and Alida Cleary (Alice in Wonderland)

 

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The Credit Union Schools Quiz 2017

This quiz was on the 27th of January. It was in Scoil an Chroí Naofa beside Supermacs. Our team was Cormac Harrington, Joseph Smyth, Caoimhe Dunne and Laura Trappe. We went in at 7.30pm and all sat down. We got 6 out of 6 in the first two rounds but the questions got much harder after that. In the end we got our results....we came joint 3rd with 38 out of 60 points. We were shocked by this and then jumped for joy. We got a plaque and €20. It was a great night!

(written by Cormac, Laura, Caoimhe and Joseph)

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Balloon Race Update

A huge thank you to everyone who bought tickets for the Balloon Race that was held on December 22nd. The children were very excited to learn how far the balloons travelled. Thank you to all the people who contacted the school to say they had found a balloon. The balloon that travelled the furthest (by the January 15th deadline) was found by Conor McGrath in Sandymount in Dublin 4. The following 3 balloons travelled the furthest. 

1st Place: Niamh Keane (5th class)- Balloon No 61

2nd Place: Callum Conway (Senior Infants)- Balloon No 30

3rd Place: Darren Coen (2nd class)- Balloon No 12

Congratulations to all!

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Fairy House Winner

Congratulations to Caoimhe Dunne, 4th Class, who won the Fairy House in our Christmas Raffle. Everyone who bought a balloon or school calendar was put into a draw to win the fairy house and Caoimhe was the lucky winner. Well done Caoimhe.

 

Balloon Race 2016

The Parents Association organised a balloon race to raise much needed school funds. The race took place on December 22nd just before the children got their Christmas Holidays. We were absolutely blessed with the weather! Bright blue skies and a good breeze helped to make the race a huge success. The children absolutely loved releasing the balloons and are waiting patiently to see where the balloons end up. There are photos of the balloon race in the Gallery section. A massive thank you to the PA for orgnising the event and to everyone who bought a balloon for the race.

 

Cake Sale 2016

The pupils of 5th and 6th class organised and ran a wonderful cake sale on December 21st. There was a fantastic array of  delicious homemade goodies and treats!! Check out the photos in the Gallery section of the website. 

 

Aughrim Lights up for Christmas

 

On December 8th over 15000 lights illuminated Aughrim Village. It is the second year that the Aughrim Community Group have marked the occasion and this year have twice as many lights spread out throughout the village. Everyone gathered around the crib for the switching on of the lights. Fr Gerry Geraghty and Rev John Godfrey blessed the crib and then the crowd were entertained by St Catherine's Choir, Little Smarties Playschool children and our school children. Refreshments were served after in the hall. A big thanks to the committee for inviting us to take part and making it such a success.

 

Jumping Clay Workshop

The Parents Association organised a Jumping Clay workshop for the children of our school on December 1st 2016. Every child made a beautiful Christmas themed decoration. Many thanks to the PA for a very enjoyable day. Check out the photos in the gallery section.

 

Friendship Week 2016

Friendship week ran in our school from November 21st to 25th. The children engaged in various activities to highlight the importance of friendship. Each child made a blue handprint and these were displayed in the main school. On Friday the children wore something blue and made a human friendship chain around the school building to symbolise unity and togetherness. Check out our lovely photos in the gallery section. 

 

Science Week 2016

Science week took place in our school from November 14th - 18th and a very successful week it was. The children took part in various science activities and workshops during the week.

The infants carried out an experiment to see what colour paper is best for writing on.

First and Second class took part in the Little Cells workshop. This  workshop was an interactive session that introduced the children to the concept of cells - the very small units, invisible to the naked eye, that make up our bodies. The children got to play visual and tactile games to discover the human body and some of the cells that it is composed of. They also got to create their very own type of cell from jumping clay to take home. 

Third and Fourth Class took part in a K'Nex workshop and made some very interesting structures. They also  made lava lamps, launched rockets and built triangular structures using cocktail sticks and marshmallows!!!

Fifth and Sixth Class designed and made foam rockets using foam pipe insulation, heavy card, duct tape and elastic bands. 

Check out the great photos in the Gallery Section or click here! 

 

Our school calendar for 2017 is now available to purchase. The calendars will retail at €7 each or you can purchase 3 for €20.

The calendars are of very high quality and feature every child in the school so would make ideal Christmas presents and keepsakes for family and friends.

The calendars are available to buy from Mrs Moclair at the school and we would really appreciate your support. 

 

Team Hope Christmas Shoebox Appeal

 

Pictured above are all the children who kindly made a Christmas shoebox for children less fortunate than themselves. Over 60 Christmas boxes are on their way to children in Africa, Eastern Europe and  former Soviet Union. A massive thank you to you and your families for making this such a success. 

For more information on the Christmas shoebox appeal click here. 

 

Halloween 2016

Some very scary children joined us in school on Friday, October 28th. Check out the wonderful pictures in the gallery section of the website. 

Click here to see the spooky photos!!

 

LEGO Workshop

The Parents Association organised a LEGO workshop for each class in the school on Friday, May 20th.  This workshop was delivered by Learn it Educational Solutions Ltd. They are the official partners of LEGO education in Ireland. They provide services for schools such as Student Workshops, Distribution of LEGO education products and LEGO Education Academy Training. The children thoroughly enjoyed the day. Check out more photos in the Gallery section of the website.

 

Book Fair 2016

Our annual Book Fair ran from May 9th-13th 2016. Every day the children got time to browse through the vast selection of books on display. This gave them the opportunity to purchase a book that they really liked. Parents were invited to attend the book fair in the afternoons. The children spent a phenomenal €1300 on books!! Our school then received 50% of the total spend in free books which helped replenish our class libraries. 

Author, Patricia Forde, with 5th and 6th class pupils

The author, Patricia Forde, came to visit our school on Monday, May 9th and conducted workshops in each class throughout the day. The children all really enjoyed the workshops. The children were allowed to dress up as their favourite book character on Tuesday, May 10th.

Junior & Senior Infants Dress up

First & Second Class Dress up

Third & Fourth Class Dress up

Fifth & Sixth Class Dress Up

Dress up day winners!!

 

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Health Promoting School

Our school is participating in the “Health Promoting School” (HPS) initiative.  In a Health Promoting School, physical, social and emotional health are seen as an essential resource for living life well.  We strive to make our school a positive experience for our pupils, staff and the wider school community by paying attention to health in all areas of school life.  We are embracing the HPS process by working through a series of stages.

Health Promoting School Committee

Our pupils prioritised what areas they wanted to address to make our school a “healthier place”.  Have a look at our photos to catch a glimpse of what is happening in our Health Promoting School.

Fit Dance 2016

Garda Visit

"Healthy Little Me" Art Competition

Dentist Visit

 

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Our Amazing Quiz Team

The Quiz Team: Cian Poland, Cormac Kenny, Avril Deely and Kevin Reddy

Congratulations to our super quiz team on an amazing victory last week in the Garda Quiz in Gullane's Hotel, Ballinasloe.

 

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Tennis

The boys and girs continue to enjoy their tennis coaching every Monday with Rob. They have learned lots of new skills since the start of the year. Rob is an excellent coach.

Girls Mini 7s Blitz

 

Well done to our girls football team who took part in the mini 7s tournament in Cappataggle.

The girls won 2 and lost 2 games in a very competitive group. They did themselves and their school proud.

Well done all!

 

Easter Bag Pack

A bag pack was held in Supervalu Ballinasloe over the Easter holidays. The total amount raised was €654.31. The school would like to sincerely thank everyone who helped out and supported this fundraiser.  It was much appreciated.

 

 

The Chinese New Year

The pupils from 5th and 6th class made dragons out of household objects as part of their work on The Chinese New Year. What a creative bunch of pupils we have!!

 

Projects!

Well done to 3rd and 4th class pupils who worked very hard on their recent projects. The children chose their own topic to work on and these included The 1916 Rising, Food, Rugby, Farming, The Solar System and The Titanic. 

 

Parents Association Bag Pack

Well done to all involved in the Supervalu Bag Pack on Saturday 19th December.

€531.43 was raised at this event so thank you to those who helped out. 

 

Bun and Cake Sale

Well done to everyone in 5th and 6th class for running the bun and cake sale in the hall on Friday 18th December last.

The total amount raised was €673.55. The children will think about what yard and PE equipment is needed in the school and we will purchase these resources from the funds raised.

Well done all!

 

5km/10km Fundraising Fun Run

A huge thank you to all who turned out for our fundraising 5km/10km on Sunday, 18th October. A special word of thanks to all those who helped make the day a success. The school & Board of Management would like to acknowledge the selfless work of Shane Martin in running this event. A hugely enjoyable day was had by all. The total amount raised was €2573. These funds will go towards paying bills and buying resources for our school. Once again, thanks to you all. Please check out the photos from the day in the Gallery section of the website. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sports Day / Fundraiser for Chernobyl Sunflower Charity

 

On June 24th we held a Sports day/Skipathon in our school to raise funds for our local charity, Sunflowers Chernobyl Appeal. The charity works tirelessly to make life easier for the children affected by the Chernobyl disaster. Every Summer the charity bring Belarussian children from the contaminated areas of Belarus to Ireland for one month of rest and recuperation. They stay with volunteer host families for two or four weeks.It gives them a chance to breathe clean air, eat good food and drink clean water. This has a very  positive effect on their general health and helps boost their immune systems. In an effort to support this wonderful work, our school decided to incorporate a sponsored Skipathon with our Sports Day and raised an incredible €1200 for the charity. A huge thank you to all who sponsored the children and also a massive thanks to the children for taking part. A special thanks to Miss Moran and her class for all their hard work organising the day. There's plenty of pictures in the Gallery section of this website so have a look!!

 

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Teddy Bears Picnic 2015

 

On June 12th 2015 the Junior & Senior Infants had their annual Teddy Bears Picnic. The children brought their favourite teddy bear or blanket into school to meet their friends. Each child introduced his/her teddy to the class during an oral language lesson and then enjoyed a little picnic outside. Everyone had great fun and check out the great photos on the Gallery section of this website. 

 

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Book Fair 2015

Our annual book fair ran from May 11th-15th. As always, it was very successful. The children thoroughly enjoyed it and bought many books. Each class spent approximately 30 minutes looking at the books daily so they could make informed decisions about which books they wanted to buy. On Thursday of that week the children dressed up as their favourite book character.  Many thanks to Mrs Mary Grealy for organising it again.

 

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Prayer Service 2015

 

Ms Moran, and her class, held a prayer service in their classroom on January 6th 2015 to mark the feast of the Epiphany. The children read prayers, recited poems and sang hymns to celebrate the visit of the three wise men to the baby Jesus. Well done to everyone involved. 

 

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Christmas Cracker 2014

 

Fifth and Sixth class published their first Christmas Cracker magazine on December 18th.  The magazine involved a lot of hard work from both classes. The children wrote articles about the various activities that happened in our school during the first term. A copy of the Christmas Cracker can be viewed here. 

 

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Carol Service 2014

Our annual Christmas Carol Service took place on Tuesday, December 16th in St Catherine's Church. As always, there was a lovely atmosphere in the church. All the children and the parish choir sang their hearts out and there was a great crowd in attendance. The children from Little Smarties playschool performed their little play "Oopsie Daisy Angel" on the night. Holly Costello and Abby Brogan were the narrators and there were solo performances from Evan Clancy, Kaci Hogan-Ward and Latish Treacy Thompson on the night. A special thank you to Ms Anne Grenham for all her help with rehearsals over the previous weeks and also to the organist, Mrs Sarah Duffy, and the parish choir for joining us on the night. 

Merry Christmas everybody!!!

 

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Cake Sale 2014

Fifth and Sixth Class held a cake sale in St Catherine's Hall on Friday, December 12th. There was an amazing array of goodies at the sale. The children worked extremely hard and raised an impressive €635 towards school funds. A huge thank you to Ms Moran and her class for all their hard work and also to all the people who supported them on the day.

 

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Crazy Hair Day

Mrs Connolly's Class held a crazy hair day just for fun. We have some very creative children in our school. Check out the great hair styles!!

 

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Jumping Clay Art Workshop

The Jumping Clay art workshop took place in our school on December 9th 2014. All the children loved the workshop and all classes made interesting pieces, ranging from penguins to minions and Christmas decorations. A big thank you to the Parents Association for funding this workshop. Check out some other photos on the Gallery page. 

 

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Sports Day 2014

Our Annual Sports Day took place on Tuesday, June 24th.  A huge thank you to our Parents Association for organising a great day for the children of the school. The children enjoyed running races, tennis, soccer and obstacle courses. All the children were presented with medals, by our past pupil Laura Hession, for participating on the day.

      

 

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Infants School Tour 2014

Junior & Senior Infants headed off on their annual school tour on June 4th to Turoe Pet Farm in Bullaun. A great day was had by all. The sun was shining, animals were hungry and the children were on their best behaviour as always.

The Tooth Fairy had to pay a special visit to two children that night!! Nicole & Cody both lost teeth on the tour! (they were wiggly!!)

 

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This is the team that got to the finals of the Mini-7s in Hurling!! Well done boys!

The Team pictured with Principal, Dara McAleer

Back Row: Ricky Martin, Evan Clancy, Josh Dolan, Josh Hanney, Liam Hession, Dara Hession

Front Row: Andrew Gibbons, Cormac Kenny, Tom Cafferky, John Ross Doherty, Gerard Colleran

 

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American Tea Party 2014 Well we got 2014 off to a flying start with our American Tea Party which was held in Gullane's Hotel, Ballinasloe on January 25th. In addition to having a great night, we raised €4300 for the school. Minister Ciaran Cannon was one of our guests on the night and he unveiled plans for our new school- a 3D model made by one of our parents, Shane Martin. The model featured our current school building and the new 4 classroom extension that is commencing shortly. A raffle was held on the night for some super prizes and then the night continued with music by DJ John Finnerty. A massive thank you to everyone who was involved in the organising of the night.    ***********************************************

 

Book Fair May 2013   Our Annual Book Fair took place last month.  Once again it was a resounding success.  Prior to Book Week, the children listed the authors they wished to see in the Fair.  The author Liam Farrell, visited our school on Tues the 14th of May.  He conducted workshops throughout the school.  Our pupils dressed up as their favourite character and Liam chose ‘A Best Dressed Character’ from each class.  The winners were Aimme Hogan-Ward, Alida Cleary, Chloe Goode and Ciarán Reddan.  Liam presented the pupils with a book of their choice from the Fair.  Congratulations to everyone who participated on the day. The pupils spent a whopping €780.89 at the Fair.   We wish to thank-you most sincerely for your support at this year’s Book Fair.  With your support, it was a great success. Check out the photos of our fun day with Liam in our Gallery Section.

 

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Table Quiz Winners 2013 The Annual Garda Quiz took place on March 14th in Gullane's Hotel, Ballinasloe. Deirdre Egan, Niamh Kenny, Caolán Scully & Nathan Ward represented St Catherine's. They got off to a great start scoring 10/10 in their first round. They managed to maintain their great start and only got one question wrong the entire night! St Catherine's emerged as clear winners with a very impressive score of 59 out of 60. We are very proud of Deirdre, Niamh, Caolán and Nathan. (pictured here with class teacher Denise Hession)

 

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Lollipop Day

We ran a very successful fundraiser again this year for the Oesophageal Cancer Fund by selling lollipops in school. We raised an impressive €303 for this very worthy cause. A huge thank you to everyone who supported us. 

 

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Bring and Buy Sale

Sixth Class pupils and Mrs Noelle Moclair organised a Bring and Buy sale in St Catherine's Hall to raise funds for much needed science equipment. Their efforts were well rewarded when they raised €750. This wouldn't have been possible without the help and support of the teachers, pupils and parents of our school who generously provided numerous items for our sale including books, gift sets, toys, household items and CDs/DVDs. A big thank you to all involved.

 

Keep an eye out for our next sale and grab yourself a bargain!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Girls Football

St. Catherine’s has, for many years, punched way above its weight in terms of its boys’ sporting achievements. Now, the girls have decided that they too can put St. Catherine’s on the map and we are delighted to announce that St. Catherine’s girls have won the Cumann na mBunscoil (7  a side) competition for the first time. Lauren Dolan, Alison Egan and Laura Hession describe the action in a report below.

St. Catherine's Girls Football team with Shane Martin and Ms. Moran (trainers)

 

The Blitz by Lauren Dolan, Alison Egan and Laura Hession

 

On Thursday, the 9^th of May, St. Catherine’s Girls football team set off in search of victory. The place: Aughrim community pitch. On the morning of the blitz, the heavens poured down upon us and so two teams were unable to come, leaving only three teams; Aughrim, Ballinasloe and Kilconnell. The first match was between Ballinasloe and Kilconnell. It was a very tight game, but Kilconnell managed to beat Ballinasloe in the end. Then, it was our time to shine.

Aughrim were playing Kilconnell, and there was a lot of tension because many players on both teams play with St. Gabriel’s Football club. Our girls were like Trojan warriors running up and down the pitch. However at half time we were two points down, but we didn’t let it bother us. In the second half we played much better. Our midfielders, Lauren Dolan and Kieara Dunne, were rocketing up and down the pitch getting lots of scores. Our forwards, Méabh Deely and Niamh Kenny were outstanding taking scores at every opportunity. Alison Egan and Eva Sinclair were brilliant in the backs and the subs made a wonderful contribution. The goalie and captain, Laura Hession, was inspirational. The final score was 1-3 to 4-2. Victory for Aughrim.

While Kilconnell had a rest after two long games, Aughrim and Ballinasloe were hard at work on the pitch. At half time we led by two points but we still had another half to go. In the second half, Aughrim secured victory blowing Ballinasloe away. This ensured that we would have to play Kilconnell again in the final. While Aughrim prepared our team for the final, the subs played out an amazing game with Ballinasloe, losing out narrowly in the end.

Then, it was time for the final. We didn’t play as well this time as we did in the group stage but our backs and goalkeeper were tenacious and kept us in game. Kilconnell were hungrier and our backs were to the wall but we kept plugging away. In injury time, with the teams all square, Lauren Dolan received the ball and without hesitation kicked it high over the bar. We had won the title. Captain Laura hession was presented with the trophy, and the team ran home with muddy knees and smiles all round. Many thanks to our teacher Ms. Moran and our wonderful trainer Shane Martin.

 

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	Rugby Blitz We took part in our first rugby blitz this year at Buccaneers. It was non-competitive and we performed very well.

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Seachtaine Na Gaeilge

 

We had a very successful and lively Seachtain Na Gaeilge this year. Children were involved with a whole range of activities to celebrate Irish Culture and encorage cupla focail gaeilge. We finished the week off with a big ceile in the courtyard. Check out our photos on the Gallery page.

 

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Annual Book Week 2012

Once again, the annual book week was very successful in our school. Not only did the bookfair highlight the importance of books in the children's education but it brought in a total of  €841.20. As usual the school got a 50% commission which ammounted to €85 per class. This was used to replenish each class library in the school. A famous poet by the name of Gabriel Fitzmaurice visited our school and spoke to all the classes about  his books and his life as a poet.

 

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Food Dudes

Food Dudes is a healthy eating programme managed by Bord Bia. It encourages children to eat more fruit and vegetables both in school and at home. Food Dudes was introduced in St. Catherine's N.S after Christmas. It was a huge success and is ongoing in the school. The children are still being rewarded for healthy Eating. Well done to all the children and their parents in their efforts over the last few months.