Looking forward to seeing you all at the Sponsored Walk and BBQ on Sunday. The walk, BBQ and refreshments have been organised by our hardworking Parents Association. All proceeds raised will go towards subsidising activities for the children. It promises to be a very enjoyable get together for the school community, so get your walking shoes on!

The Active School Committee conducted a survey of the whole school to find out what clubs the children of Greaghrahan N. S.  are members of.  It was lovely to see such a variety of clubs mentioned, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. As you can see, Gaelic was the most popular. ​

                                                                                                    *AMBER FLAG AWARD! * 
We are delighted to announce that Greaghrahan NS has been awarded their 2nd Amber Flag from Pieta House. Congratulations to the students involved who received their certificates for their contribution to promoting positive attitudes, a healthy inclusive environment and supporting mental wellbeing. Well done to everyone involved. 

Congratulations to the pupils from Second Class who received their First Holy Communion on Sunday. The children have been working very hard in school in preparation  for this special day .  They have also been attending Sunday Mass regularly throughout the year. The important link between school, family and parish was emphasised with parental participation during the ceremony. The children did their parents, teachers and community proud on the day,. Thank you to Mrs. Prior for all her work in preparation for the day.

Congratulations to a very special boy who was confirmed by Bishop Martin Hayes at a beautiful ceremony on Saturday in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Belturbet.  He has been preparing for his special occasion  for a long time and performed all his duties brilliantly on the day. We hope you had a fabulous day with your family.  The ceremony was concelebrated by Fr. John Mc Tiernan, Fr. Gerry Comiskey and Fr. Jason Murphy. A big thank you to Ms. Fitzpatrick for all her work in preparation for the day. 

In Greaghrahan N.S. we pride ourselves on the caring and nurturing relationship that exists between the older and younger pupils in the school. This is something that is frequently commented on by new families and visitors to the school. We love to provide opportunities for these two groups to meet, to support  and build on these special relationships. The Junior and Senior Infants enjoyed buddying up recently with the pupils from the Senior classes to build jigsaws and to listen to their favourite fairy tales. The activity was really enjoyed by all the children and the older pupils showed care and patience as they worked alongside their younger peers. The older pupils had the opportunity to see the value of reading and to practise the skill in front of captive listeners. This gives them a sense of responsibility and increases self-esteem. The younger pupils hear fluent reading being modelled and listening to stories helps to foster a love of reading in them. The pupils can't wait for their next meet up!

The Green School committee organised a litter pick to coincide with An Taisce's Spring Clean event.  This is Ireland's biggest anti-litter campaign where volunteers get together to clean up the areas where they live. Thanks to all the pupils for their hard work. You are having a positive impact on the environment and improving the appearance of our local area.  As you can see from the picture below, one pupil was inspired to do her own litter pick at home. Thanks for being such a great example and inspiring others to make a difference!

Earth Day is celebrated on the 22nd April each year to raise awareness and take action to protect our planet from things like pollution and deforestation. To celebrate Earth Day in our school, the Green School committee gave a presentation in each classroom about caring for our planet by recycling, saving energy and conserving water. Each class then produced art work based on the theme.

During term 2, the Senior Room students have been learning about the history of An Gorta Mór and linking their learning with Geography and the causes and effects of hunger and famine in Ireland and in today's world. Their case study focused on The Great Irish Hunger of 1845-1849. A trip to The Ulster American Folk Park in January really brought their learning to life. The classic novel, 'Under the Hawthorn Tree', was a great hit with the students, where they used the text to produce some beautiful emotive pieces of writing.  The children focused on Famine Art where they created Famine houses using clay and beautiful silhouette pictures of the Dunbrody Famine Ships. They studied songs that were written about the famine and how this was such a great tragedy for Ireland in the 1800s. The children finished their project with presentations to the class on their learning using our new computers in the ICT suite to learn about creating PowerPoint slide shows to present their learning to their peers. 

Thank you to the TY students from St Mogues College in Bawnboy who visited the school as part of the Irish initiative to teach the Senior Room Students some Irish Dancing. The students really enjoyed the session. 

While the Junior and Senior Infants were outside playing,  the Easter Bunny slipped inside and left treats for all the boys and girls.   Rhona the secretary thinks she may have caught a glimpse of his furry tail as he rushed out the front door to deliver more Easter eggs.  

Míle buíochas to the Parent's Association for organising a special Easter treat for everyone. Check out the pictures of the egg-cited children below. 

Our Seachtain na Gaeilge celebrations concluded on Thursday with a ceolchoirm for our families. Well done to the pupils for all the effort they put in to practising their songs, poems, dances and tunes for the occasion.  Bhain gach duine taitneamh as an gceolchoirm.  Comhghairdeas do na páistí , bhí siad go hiontach ar fad.