Today the children began work on the positivity garden.  We looked forward to having our garden ready by the summer with a range of beautiful flowers and vegetables which the children will be working on over the coming weeks.  The children started by decorating pots which will be used for planting. They learnt about a different range of flowers including Calendula, Nasturilum, Sweet Peas, Snap Dragons/ Antirrhinum, Pansy and Violas and began planting. We also talked about what seeds will need in order to grow: water, soil and sunlight.  The children helped with some weeding of the beds in preparation for planting.  The children painted some beach stones which will  be decorated with Positive affirmations and displayed in our garden.

Thank you to Incredible Edibles a healthy eating initiative for Primary School students which encourages schools across the country to get busy growing fruit, vegetables and herbs. Incredible Edibles is an interactive project that allows students to get their hands dirty and learn by doing. Thank you to Agri Aware for providing our school with compost, biodegradable pots and seeds to grow carrots, potatoes, strawberries, turnips, lettuce and chives. 
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The children were learned about healthy food and snacks as part of Wellbeing Wednesday.  The Junior room made beautiful fruit platters with their pancakes and enjoyed making banana and strawberry milkshakes. The middle room made a range of fruit kebabs including bananas, apples, strawberries, grapes and oranges. The children loved sampling the different delicious fruits. The Senior Room made fruit smoothies and vegetable soup which was a big hit with all the children.

The Active School committee set up a range of stations and the children participated in some physical activities which can help their physical wellbeing. 

Thank you to Mrs Prior who organised a beautiful Ash Wednesday Prayer Service and spoke to the children about Lent and what Ash Wednesday symbolises. 

Happy Pancake Tuesday. 🥞The pupils celebrated Pancake Tuesday by sampling some delicious pancakes served by the parents with a variety of different toppings. Thank you to all the parents who helped out. They were so delicious, yum yum!

Mindful colouring is about bringing our awareness into the present moment by consciously focusing on colour and design. Instead of the formal practice of focusing on the breath, you bring your focus to the weight of the pencil in your hand, the shade of colours on your paper, and the feelings you experience throughout. Mindful colouring has been shown to:

• Reduce anxiety and stress
• Improve sleep
• Improve focus
• Improve vision and motor skills

The students began their morning with a mindful colouring activity and really enjoyed having a calm moment. 

What a lovely relaxing start to our Monday after mid term. The children were delighted to welcome Sharon Brennan in to teach them some Yoga. Yoga is a series of movements connected to breathing. Yoga at an early age encourages self-esteem and body awareness with a physical activity that’s non-competitive. Yoga enhances flexibility, strength, coordination, and body awareness. Practising yoga helps children to relax, slow down and improves concentration and focus. Yoga teaches children self-care and relaxation techniques to help them to deal with little challenges that may arise in their lives. 

It was a nice treat to wear your slippers in school today and the children really enjoyed being comfy for the day. 

When we heard the bells ringing through the corridor it meant time for 'Drop Everything and Dance.' We all gathered as a class and followed the routine to 'Can't stop the feeling'.  The children enjoyed some physical activity and having a dance with their friends. 

                                                                               Amber Flag Committee 2022 – 2023
Our Amber Flag committee work together to help promote positive well being in our school. The committee have been working very hard to outline lots of innovative ways to promote positive mental health and well being among our students.  

The Senior Rooms Famine topic came to life when they were transported back to a time of hunger, poverty and emigration through an interactive workshop that explored what life was like in rural Ireland at the time of the Famine. The children enjoyed their role play as the life of an migrant as they gathered their bundles and made their way to the departing ship with the hope of a new and prosperous life in a new world. The workshop was very interactive and the children had a fantastic day. 

The pupils helped Mrs. Melon to make pancakes and cook them over the open fire. It was  important to keep the fire going so the pupils brought in turf from the shed to fill the basket by the hearth. There were lots of chores to keep little hands busy, such as churning the butter, collecting the eggs and cleaning the horses' tack. When all the work was done, everyone enjoyed some well deserved delicious pancakes served by Mrs. Melon. 
The pupils also experienced what life was like for a child living in rural Ireland long ago.   After taking care of all their farmyard chores, they rolled up their sleeves to help out with the weekly wash day using a wash board and lifebuoy soap.
Then it was off to the schoolhouse where the teacher explained what school life was like for children in the past. Rote learning and harsh punishments were the order of the day. Maybe school nowadays isn't so bad after all!

                                                                          Our Active School Committee 2022 - 2023 
5th Class: Finn Magahran
4th Class: Lucie Smith 
3rd Class: Conor Dolan and Daniel Hughes
2nd Class: Finn Mc Niff and Aria Murphy
1st Class: Sarah Cassidy
Senior Infants: Emma Donohoe
Junior Infants: Chloe Fitzpatrick, Eoin O'Reilly

Thank you to Cavan County Cavan Historian-in Residence Dr. Brendan Scott who visited the school to speak to the Senior Room about local history during the War of Independence.  The children really enjoyed the presentation where they learnt about life years ago around Ballyconnell, Belturbet and Drumlane. 

Today each of our classes devoted time to celebrate Safer Internet Day. Safer Internet Day is an EU-wide initiative to promote a safer internet for all users, especially young people. This is an annual celebration that we take very seriously as we wish to educate our children on both the positives and potential dangers of the internet. The children took part in a range of Internet Safety activities and listened to a range of videos and stories from web wise. 

The Student Council organised a Safer Internet Poster Competition and asked students to create posters to promote why it is important to stay safe online.  There were some fantastic entries and the student council had a very hard decision deciding the winners.

                                                           The Safer Internet Day Poster Competition winners 2023. 
Junior and Senior Infants: 1st Place: Noah; 2nd Place: Rynn, 3rd Place: Chloe
1st Class: 1st Place Sarah 
2nd Class and 3rd Class: 1st Place Conor, 2nd Place Daniel,3rd Class Hannah 
 4th, 5th, 6th Class: 1st Teagan, 2nd: Emma, 3rd: Sarah  
                                                     The theme this year was: Together for a better internet. 📱

The feast day of Saint Brigid of Kildare, also called St Brigid of Ireland, Patron Saint of Ireland, is celebrated on February 1st, which is traditionally the beginning of Spring in Ireland. Saint Brigid is associated with the making, blessing and giving of Brigid’s crosses. The pupils and teachers celebrated St Brigid’s day today by attending a prayer service hosted by the Senior Room. The children sang beautifully as we listened to the story of St. Brigid. The children then all made St Brigid's crosses with help from the students in the Senior Room. 

We had some very important visitors to the school on Wednesday when we celebrated Grandparent's / Special Person's Day.  This is a very special day during Catholic School's week when we show our appreciation for the people who play a special role in the lives of the children. The children led a prayer service, recited poems and sang songs for their grandparents. Afterwards there was a chance to have a chat over a cup of tea provided by the Parents' Association. Thank you all for coming in to our school, we really enjoyed having you visit us. 

Catholic Schools Week 2023 will be celebrated in Schools and Parishes across Ireland from Sunday 22nd January to Sunday 29th January 2023. The theme this year is 'walking together in faith and love' This week the children will be taking part in a range of activities including a Prayer Service on Grandparents Day and a walk of hope on Friday 27th January. 

The pupils held a Christmas prayer service and performance of the musical Hosanna Rock in Staghall church on Tuesday evening. Family members gathered, in eager anticipation of the first public performance given by the pupils since the pandemic. The traditional story of the First Christmas was recounted through prayer, and song. It was a heart warming and entertaining performance which everyone thoroughly enjoyed.  The evening continued back at the school where the Parents' Association provided refreshments and held a Christmas raffle. There was lots of excitement as the lucky prize winners were announced.  An amazing evening concluded with a visit from a very special guest who had come all the way from the North Pole with presents for the girls and boys to reward them for their hard work and kindness towards each other during the year.  

The children had great fun for their Christmas Active Schools where they carried out a range of fun physical activities called the 12 Days of Fitness. 

On Monday 28th  November we came together to pray as a school community in the spirit of Advent. Advent is a time of waiting. We wait for the birth of Jesus, who came to show us God the Father’s love and to free us from sin, so that we could be with him together forever. We wait for him to be born again in our hearts, our classrooms, our homes, our parish community, and in the whole world. We lit the first purple candle on our Advent wreath. Thank you to the children who read and for the parents that attended our Week 1 Advent Prayer Service. 

The Fourth Advent Candle represents Love.  God showed his love amongst us as he sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him.  

Thank you to all the children over the past few weeks who participated in the Advent Prayer Services and for the Parents/ Grandparents who attended. 

 Christmas Jumper Day took place on Friday 9th December in aid of the Children’s Health  Foundation which is the fundraising body for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, Temple Street Hospital and Connolly Urgent Care Centre.  Thanks to all our families for your generous donations for this worthy cause. 

The festive season got off to a great start in Greaghrahan N.S. with a Christmas Story and Movie night. The children from the Senior classes did a fantastic job reading favourite Christmas stories to the younger children.  Later everyone watched a Christmas movie and were treated to hot chocolate, a cookie and treat. A massive thank you to the Parents Association for decorating the classroom to set the scene and for providing refreshments for the adults and children. Everyone agreed that it was a truly magical evening!!

The Parents Association of Greaghrahan National School have organised a Christmas Raffle on Tuesday 20th December after the Christmas show in Aid of Accelerated Reading Programme. Tickets are on sale in Kennedy's Spar on Friday 2nd December and in Supervalu Ballyconnell on Friday 9th December from 10am to 2pm. All pupils tickets should be returned to the school by Thursday 15th December. Thankyou to everyone for your support.