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Admissions Policy.
Our school's Admissions Policy and Annual Admissions Notice are available in our School Information above.
( or if you click the highlighted words they will bring you to the documents. )
Our school's Admissions Policy and Annual Admissions Notice are available in our School Information above.
( or if you click the highlighted words they will bring you to the documents. )
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Junior Infants Using Stamper to Make Letters Junior Infants were delighted to use Mrs. Ferguson's stampers to decorate the letter Y. And didn't they do a great job! |
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Junior Infants Progress to Addition The children in Junior Infants have learned a lot about numbers all year and now they are learning how to add number together. Counters are a useful tool to help with this task. |
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3rd & 4th Class get stuck into Multiplication |
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'W' was the Letter of the Week
What lovely work from our Junior Infants who were learning all about the letter 'W' this week. Written on a page or on the yard the letter 'W' looked wonderful. Well done! |
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Painting like Michelangelo
While they were not painting the Sistine Chapel our artists enjoyed the experience of painting while lying on the backs. We've no photos of their finished masterpieces but no doubt they were fantastic. |
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Relays in the Sun
What better way to enjoy the lovely April sunshine than to get out and have fun in the fresh air. The pupils really enjoyed the challenge of the relay stations on the 'slope'. |
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Bible Story with Andrew & Beulah McMullan
Everyone gathered in Mr. Greenan's room to listen to the story of Easter told by Andrew McMullan. The children listened very carefully as Andrew told the story in picture and word. Following the story Andrew had a fun quiz about what the children remembered and anyone brave enough got a chance to put their finger in the crocodile's mouth! Luckily no fingers were lost but there were a few close encounters. Thank you to Andrew and Beulah for their visit. |
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Easter Bunny Art and Making Pastel Colours
Wow! Look at all the lovely Easter Bunnies. Each picture is different but they are all beautiful. The children used the lovely pastel colours which they made themselves. They blended in some white paint to the original colour and made it into a softer pastel shade. |
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Spring Hunt in the Junior Classroom
Fine weather was an added bonus for the pupils in the Junior Classroom as they carried out a Spring Hunt around the school yard. They were looking and listening for signs of Spring and they recorded their findings on their work sheets. They were also noting how they were using the five senses during the Spring Hunt. Along with seeing and hearing they were feeling the lovely warm sun and the gentle breeze and smelling the spring flowers. |
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Learning About Capacity in Ms. McCague's Room
Pupils in First and Second Class used containers in various shapes and sizes to explore capacity. Great care was taken with measuring and pouring during the lesson. The use of a funnel was very helpful with some of the activities. Pupils enjoyed guessing how may small containers it would take to fill a larger container and they were sometimes delighted with how close their guess was and other times they were amazed at the difference between their guess and the actual answer. |
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Adding Numbers Up to Five
Junior Infants explored the various combinations of numbers that add up to 5. They had great fun putting their learning into actions and forming different groups that when put together added to 5! |
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Boys 5 a-side Soccer
Well done to our boys soccer team who qualified for the next round of the FAI Primary Soccer 5s competition by winning all their games in the first round on 31st March 2025 in Gortakeegan. Another great day out for the Rackwallace N.S. jerseys! |
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Congratulations Rían Huge congratulations to 5th class pupil Rían Lynch who won 2nd place in the minor schools All Ireland back stroke swimming competition at the weekend. Rían, sporting the Rackwallace N.S. jersey is pictured with his All-Ireland silver medal.
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Sacrament of Reconciliation Our 2nd class pupils Conor, Áine, Louis and Cormac celebrated the sacrament of Reconciliation in the school on 27th March 2025. The were joined with pupils from Drumacruttin National School. As part of their preparation for the sacrament they did some lovely art work which was displayed for this special celebration. |
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Junior Infants Exploring and Naming Shapes |
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Decimals & Fractions 3rd and 4th class exploring the relationship of decimals to fractions with Mrs. Ferguson |
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Seachtain na Gaeilge
We were delighted to welcome students and staff from St. Louis Secondary School who entertained the whole school with a lovely selection of traditional music as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge. The children really enjoyed the event and it will hopefully encourage them on their own musical journey. A big thank you to Mr. Brady from the St. Louis and Ms. McCague for coordinating this lovely event and of course to the students and staff from St. Louis for giving of their time and sharing their talents. |
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Cross Country at St. Mellan's
Well done to all our athletes who competed in the primary schools cross country event in St. Mellan's GAA pitch on Tuesday 11th March. This year we were blessed with a dry day although it was very cold. Unfortunately we didn't come home with any silverware but nonetheless they children gave of their best and represented the school with pride. |
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Engineers Week
We are very fortunate to have two of the most highly successful engineering businesses in Ireland, if not globally, located in North Monaghan. Combilift are know world wide for the manufacture of their multi directional forklift and McAree Engineering manufacture and supply a range of long load material handling solutions to over 75 countries. As part of Engineers Week Carmel from Combilift visited the school and spoke with the children in 1st & 2nd class about the work carried out in their plant. She finished by setting the children a task to create as high a tower as possible using spaghetti and marshmallows! The children didn't disappoint. The pupils from the senior room visited McAree Engineering in Ballinode and got a tour of the facility and saw first hand the work that is carried out there. The pupils and staff of the school are very appreciative to both businesses for giving of their time and engaging so warmly with the them.nd Articulated The Largest Manufacturer Of Multidirectional, Sideloading And Articulated Forklifts Globally |
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3rd & 4th Class take a look at Equivalent Fractions Pupils in 3rd & 4th class get to grips with equivalent fractions with Mrs. Ferguson. |
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Learning about Data Junior Infants are learning all about data and how to display the information on a chart. Well done! |
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Pancake Party
On Tuesday 4th April all pupils were treated to a Pancake Party. Staff prepared and served the pancakes with a variety of toppings on offer. Nutella was a very popular choice The children in Ms. McCague's room prepared the batter for some of the pancakes by carefully weighing and measuring the ingredients and then following the various steps until the batter was ready. Chefs in the making! |
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World Book Day
The children in Junior & Senior Infants marked World Book Day with a show and tell in relation to their favourite book. The children enjoyed relaxing and listening as Ms. King read some of their best liked stories. Drama was also included and the children enjoyed acting out scenes from the story 'Goldilocks and The Three Bears'. First & Second class in Ms. McCague's room had the opportunity to get comfy and enjoy reading their favourite book. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid was a popular choice among the boys in First Class. |
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Procedural Writing in Junior & Senior Infants So how does the sandwich get into our lunch box? Our Junior & Senior Infants have learned about all the steps involved from starting with two pieces of bread to ending with lovely triangular sandwiches. And what better way to learn than to actually make the sandwiches in class and write down the steps in the correct order. Nutella was the filling of choice. Remember to put plenty of filling in and the best part of all is trying them out at the end. |
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Congratulations Rían
Well done to Rían Lynch, 5th class who has been crowned Ulster Champion for the 3rd year in a row in the Swim Ulster Primary Championships 2025 which took place on Saturday 1st March. In addition to taking first place Rían achieved a new personal best in backstroke. He will go on to represent St Michael’s and Ulster in the next round of the competition on March 30th. |
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Estimating is a Useful Skill Pupils in 3rd & 4th class enjoy estimating and then measuring using grammes and the balance. They learn that a tiny bit too much or too little will tip the balance. It's fun seeing how close your estimate is to the exact amount. |
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Fill Five Frames Junior Infants fill their frames of five with counters. The counters don't all have to be the same colour. They all look very happy with their completed frames. |
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Concern Primary Debating Competition
Well done to everyone involved in the Concern Primary Debating competition. This was very much a team effort with everyone researching the topics and teams of three representing the school at each debate. We participated in three debates and emerged as winners on two occasions. Two our of three ain't bad! |
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Cumann na mBunscol & Credit Union Quiz Teams Comhghairdeas to our Cumann na mBunscol and Credit Union quiz teams on representing our school so well in both competitions. While they didn't emerge as winners they did their school and their families proud. |
Fuadar Feabhra
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On Friday 7th of February, we celebrated Fuadar Feabhra with a Creativity Day at school.
The children got to display their creativity through a variety of different activities set up by the teachers. Ms King and Tommy energised the children while baking and decorating buns. Ms McCague inspired the children to get creative with Music and instruments. The students expressed their creativity through Drama and Oral language with Ms Ferguson and Ms McGonnell. Mr Greenan encouraged the children to get creative with P.E. games. We all had an absolute blast and were blown away with the ideas and concepts the children used. St Brigid's Day CrossesOn Friday January 31st, students from 1st to 6th class brought in rushes to make St. Brigid's Crosses. We were ably assisted by some of our grandparents on the afternoon which was a brilliant help. Well done to everyone and thank you to Florence, Marie, Dympna and Teresa for coming in.
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5th Class Pupil Aoife is a Winner
Well done to Aoife on winning 2nd prize in the Folen's Sonas Christmas Annual short story competition. This is a wonderful achievement for Aoife given that the competition was open to 5th & 6th class pupils throughout Ireland. She received a One4All gift card as a prize but more importantly her story will feature in next year's Sonas Christmas Annual. |
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Making Use of a Metre Stick Third class pupils using a metre stick to measure the length of items. They found the metre stick particularly useful for out of reach items like the white board. |
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Multiplication & Division 3rd and 4th playing games to help with multiplication and division number facts |
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Wow! Here are lots of things that start with the Letter D. Thank you to all the parents who sent in items for our sound packs. We have a sound pack for every letter. |
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Letter Sounds are very Important The children in Ms. King's room play a game to learn their letter sounds. Senior Infants are helping their friends in Junior Infants with the game. Mr. Geehan and Mrs. Ferguson are keeping an eye on the game too. |
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Number 5 is Fun to learn about We sorted our coloured counters into groups of five. The circle is very full with 5 counters! We learned how to write the number 5. We have a rhyme to help us. 'Number 5 is a funny chap. Down, fat belly and give him a hat' We even made the shape of the number 5 with play dough. |
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Nativity Plays in Ardaghey Community Centre
Just before we broke up for the Christmas holidays parents, grandparents and the wider community were treated to not one but two excellent nativity musicals. Junior Infants - 2nd Class staged 'A Miracle in Town' with lots of dancing and catchy songs telling the story of the birth of Jesus in a stable. Straw & Order was performed by 3rd-6th Class and what a show! The focus of the play was a dispute between the cows and the donkeys which ended up before the judge. The cows felt pushed out of the stable and accused the donkeys of having invited over a whole host of people, including a baby. The donkeys denied all charges. When the narrator invited the judge to witness the night’s event first hand he encountered bickering innkeepers, self-important wise men, cool shepherds, dancing sheep, an angel choir. |
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Santa's Visit to Ms. King and Ms. McCague's Classes (Junior Infants-2nd Class)
Santa's bell was a welcome sound in the school on Wednesday 18th Dec. The children and staff were so excited to see him and although he was very busy he took time to chat to all the boys and girls and to have an individual photo with each one. He also visited Mr. Greenan's room to see the pupils in 3rd-6th class. Of course Santa didn't come empty handed and had a lovely selection box for every child. |
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Mrs. Ferguson's Christmas Tree Junior and Senior Infants were delighted to help Mrs. Ferguson decorate the Christmas Tree in her classroom. They did a really good job. |
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Sorting into Various Groups Smiling faces obviously getting their group activities correct. Well done! |
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More about Numbers This week Junior Infants learned about another very important number - the number 3. We sorted many things into groups of 3 and then we learned how to write the number. Senior Infants were very happy to get involved and help the Junior Infants. |
Threading Our Junior Infants put their fine motor skills to the test by threading. It takes a lot of concentration but from the pictures it is clearly a fun activity. Junior Infants Making the Most of Autumn The Junior Infant class really enjoyed exploring the autumn leaves, with Mrs. Ferguson. The enjoyed the lovely colours and the different textures. Later they made their own autumn leaves using card and wool. I think you will agree, they did a great job. Understanding Fractions Third & Fourth Class make sense of fractions by folding one sheet of paper into 8 equal parts. |
Christmas Shoe Box Appeal
Science Week As part of Science Week, First and Second Class did a sound hunt around the school. tested out the sounds of different melodic and rhythmic instruments and conducted an experiment to investigate materials that are good at blocking out sounds! Everyone worked so hard and had a lot of fun during the lessons. |
Thank you to all the families that donated a Christmas Shoe Box this year in aid of the Team Hope charity, which helps vulnerable children overseas. It was fantastically well supported with the school sending 51 boxes in total, 1 for every student. It truly shows how incredibly generous we are as a school community. Thank you. |
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Nuts about Numbers Junior Infants are learning how to count and write their numbers. This week, they tackled the number two (which can be the hardest number). Look at how well they did! Mr Greenan might not be pleased that we wrote them on the yard though... |
More Halloween Fun
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Halloween Dress up and Pumpkin Competition
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Maths Week
The children celebrated Maths week last week in school. We had great fun exploring Maths in our school environment through Maths trails and at home too. We also made sure to play some great games. Children had the opportunity to engage online with quizzes and all the classes had the chance to participate in activities together. Thanks again to all the students who sent in pictures of their Maths projects. |
Monaghan Book Festival
Students in the senior room had great fun during the Monaghan Children's book festival. As part of the festival, we got to visit the new Monaghan Library Campus for an author's read through with Nicola Pierce and her new historical fiction novel, 'The Journey of the Famine Girls'. We also engaged in an webinar hosted by the library with Tom Vaughan, author of the Hercules book series.
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Bowling Bonanza
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Cumann na mBunscol
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World Mental Health Day
Today was World Mental Health Day, and Rang a hAon and Rang a Dó did lots of mindful activities to celebrate. We learned about how important deep breathing, fresh air and exercise are for our minds and so we ate our lunch outside in the sunshine, did some yoga and worked in pairs on an autumn colours scavenger hunt! We had lots of fun! |
Fun with Mrs Ferguson This week both junior and senior infants got the opportunity to go out to Mrs Ferguson's "lab". The junior infants were sorting colours and doing some fine motor activities, while the senior infants were busy beating Mrs Ferguson at 'sounds bingo'. They had a ball! |
Fáilte roimh Mr. Greenan.
We are delighted to be welcoming Mr Brian Greenan to our school as principal.
We just know that our school will be in good hands with him at the helm.
We also know that our pupils, parents and staff will give him a warm Ardaghey welcome.
(Mr Greenan is pictured with outgoing principal Séamus Grundy)
We are delighted to be welcoming Mr Brian Greenan to our school as principal.
We just know that our school will be in good hands with him at the helm.
We also know that our pupils, parents and staff will give him a warm Ardaghey welcome.
(Mr Greenan is pictured with outgoing principal Séamus Grundy)
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Swimming Brothers
Congratulations to brothers Daithí and Rián who represented our school in the Swim Ireland Schools' Competition. Daithí won a gold and two silvers and Rián won three golds, as well as a trophy for best boy swimmer. We are all so proud of the two boys. What a great way to start our summer holidays. |
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Slán le Mr. Grundy We wish Mr. Grundy a very long and very happy retirement. The children and staff gave Mr. Grundy a lovely send off with songs, videos, cake and gifts. ( Including a jumper because he only has 4!) You can watch the children's video here. youtu.be/rMzyBkCHxGs Then we all joined together for a PARTY. Mr. Grundy was left in no doubt that the children and staff would miss him. Then the children gave Mr. Grundy and the Sixth Class a lovely guard of honour as they made their way out of the school for the last time. Our new principal, Brian Greenan, is certainly lucky to be coming to such a happy, friendly and warm school. |
90 Years Young
We had a terrific celebration in our school on Sunday 23rd June.
We celebrated our 90th Birthday in the company of our friends in the Ardaghey Community.
Past pupils, pupils, past staff and current staff and our friends and neighbours gathered for a morning of celebration and laughter.
The Ardaghey Community Centre echoed to the laughter and stories of days gone by.
Our current pupils provided the entertainment and music.
Some past pupils toured the school and spoke to our pupils about the changes in the school since their day.
It was a wonderful day of celebration in our Ardaghey Community.
and our youngest pupil got to meet our oldest past pupil!!
We had a terrific celebration in our school on Sunday 23rd June.
We celebrated our 90th Birthday in the company of our friends in the Ardaghey Community.
Past pupils, pupils, past staff and current staff and our friends and neighbours gathered for a morning of celebration and laughter.
The Ardaghey Community Centre echoed to the laughter and stories of days gone by.
Our current pupils provided the entertainment and music.
Some past pupils toured the school and spoke to our pupils about the changes in the school since their day.
It was a wonderful day of celebration in our Ardaghey Community.
and our youngest pupil got to meet our oldest past pupil!!
Presentations.
Congratulation to our pupils who were honoured at our recent 90th Birthday Celebrations.
We usually give out two awards; The Philomena Ward Shield for Volunteering, which goes to a pupil who volunteers to do jobs around the school; The Margaret McCague Shield for Gaeilge which is given to the pupil who makes most effort to use the Irish Language informally around the school.
This year we had a new award: The Clarke Family Memorial Cup, which is given to a pupil who embodies the qualities of the Clarke Family. ( who donated the site of our school), hard work, good humour, care for others and a generous nature.
Our winners this year were; Darragh McKenna, Darragh McSorley and Niamh Sheridan.
Congratulation to our pupils who were honoured at our recent 90th Birthday Celebrations.
We usually give out two awards; The Philomena Ward Shield for Volunteering, which goes to a pupil who volunteers to do jobs around the school; The Margaret McCague Shield for Gaeilge which is given to the pupil who makes most effort to use the Irish Language informally around the school.
This year we had a new award: The Clarke Family Memorial Cup, which is given to a pupil who embodies the qualities of the Clarke Family. ( who donated the site of our school), hard work, good humour, care for others and a generous nature.
Our winners this year were; Darragh McKenna, Darragh McSorley and Niamh Sheridan.
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Slán le Mrs. Lavery
Today we said goodbye to Mrs. Lavery. She has been covering Mr. Grundy's administration days for the past four years. We will miss her but we know her new school are so lucky to have her. We wish her all the very best. Our staff and pupils presented Mrs. Lavery with a small token of appreciation. |
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ICE CREAM VAN
Thank you to Eoin from McMoo's Ice Cream who visited our school. All the pupils and staff enjoyed an ice cream provided by our Board of Management to congratulate them on a great year's work. |
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Small Schools Blitz
The girls in the senior room had a great day out at our small schools blitz. They enjoyed practicing their Gaelic skills against other schools. Thanks to St Patrick's NS, Clara for organising such a fun day out. The girls were even more delighted when Miss King stopped for ice cream on the way home!
The girls in the senior room had a great day out at our small schools blitz. They enjoyed practicing their Gaelic skills against other schools. Thanks to St Patrick's NS, Clara for organising such a fun day out. The girls were even more delighted when Miss King stopped for ice cream on the way home!
Our Summer Window Boxes
Our school is always kept bright and cheerful looking.
Each year we plant lots of lots of flowers that our friend, Val Mohan in Greenfingers, gets for us.
We all plant together and the older pupils help the younger ones.
Over the summer months some of the families will volunteer to water the window boxes so the plants look lovely when we return in September.
Our school is always kept bright and cheerful looking.
Each year we plant lots of lots of flowers that our friend, Val Mohan in Greenfingers, gets for us.
We all plant together and the older pupils help the younger ones.
Over the summer months some of the families will volunteer to water the window boxes so the plants look lovely when we return in September.
Sports and Fun Day in Ardaghey Community Centre.
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Five small schools joined together to have a huge fun and sports day in Ardaghey Community Centre and Grounds. Garron NS, Clara NS, Clontibret NS, Drumacruttin NS and St. Michael's all joined together. There were 147 children and lots and lots of adults to keep us all safe. The day was a huge success and it was great for the pupils from different schools to mix together and to make new friends. |
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Sponsored Walk ' This is Me' This year the theme for our sponsored walk was 'This is Me' and the pupils got to show off their interests and hobbies. The sponsored walk is the PTA's biggest fundraiser and the money raised today will go towards providing resources for the children in the school. Well done to pupils, Allanah, Conor and Hollie who each won a prize for their costumes. |
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Our New Junior Infants Induction Day
We welcomed our 7 new Junior Infants to the school on Monday 27th May. The children got to meet their new classmates and their teachers. And the pupils' parents got to have a cup of tea and meet each other. Our SET, Mrs. Ferguson took the opportunity to show some children her farm set and our SNA, Tommy, got his hair done by some of our new pupils. We can't wait to welcome the 7 Junior Infants on August 29th. |
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First Holy Communion
Well done to our wonderful 2nd class who received the sacrament of First Holy Communion today. The boys and girls looked so well and performed their readings, prayers and hymns beautifully. Thank You to Canon McGinn for the beautiful, relaxed ceremony and to the pupils from the school who volunteered for the choir. And of course thank you to Mrs. Donnelly and the parish choir for singing so well. After Mass we all went to the Ardaghey Community Centre to have some tea and treats. |
Mrs. Ferguson's Syllables
We have fun learning Syllables in Mrs. Ferguson's room. She has great ideas and great games. We have so much fun. And learn so much. |
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Clones Athletics Well done to our brilliant individual and team runners who participated in the Primary School Athletics on Thursday 23rd May. Our runners did so well with Ryan taking 1st and Lauren qualifying for a final. We had a huge crowd of parents, siblings and supporters as well as the class teachers. |
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Music Generation Showcase.
We had so much fun at our showcase on Wednesday 22nd May. The children sang and played beautifully and we had a terrific audience of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters. Thank you to Rachael for all her hard work and thanks to Music Generation for organising such a fabulous day for us. You can see us singing and dancing here. youtu.be/pxJJNVjagYE?si=B5s0zZy1CNqGQ5iM |
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When the weather gets good, we get picnics.
The weather was so lovely on Friday that Ms. King thought it'd be a great idea to take our lunch outside. We hope to do this a lot more as we get closer to summer. |
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Microsoft Dreamspace Ambassadors
Well done to our 5th class who achieved a Platinum award at Microsoft's headquarters in Dublin. Our pupils took on responsibility for looking after all the ICT in the school. They also delivered training in Micro:Bit coding, internet safety and other aspects of ICT to the other students in the school. This is a terrific achievement for our pupils. Thank you to our newest student, Dympna, who travelled with the 5th class and Mr. Grundy. |
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Work of our Hands
Everyone has different talents and skills. In St. Michael's we like to celebrate peoples talents and so each year the Senior Room have a 'Work of Our Hands' project. The pupils make or create anything that is of interest to them and bring it in to share with the class. If you click this link you will some some of the fabulous things our pupils made. youtu.be/tnLMQVA9FA0Work of our Hands Video.
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Easons' Spelling Bee
Well done to our brilliant 5th class student who represented us so well in the
Easons' Spelling Bee in Castleblaney.
None of the teachers in the room could spell all the words the children on stage had to spell.
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VEXRobotics- Róbó Bartholomew 3rd. Congratulations to our Senior Room who built our robot 'Róbó Bartholomew the 3rd' to take part in the VEXRobotics competition in Corcaghan, organised by John McArdle on behalf of Monaghan County Council . The pupils won two trophies. Best Robot and Highest Score. You can view a video of their success here. |
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Monaghan Fire Service
The Senior Room were delighted to welcome Gary and Paddy from Monaghan Fire Service to the school. The two firefighters gave the class lots of good advice about preventing fire in the home and what to do in case of a fire. The encouraged the Senior Room pupils to bring the message of Fire Safety home and we've every confidence that the children will br talking at home about Escape Plans and checking smoke detectors. |
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Vikings in Rackwallace
Although the Vikings never came to Rackwallace when they first raided Ireland, we did have a Viking in our school last week. Historian and archeologist Dave Swift visited us as part of the 'Heritage in Schools Scheme' to talk to us about life in Viking times and to show us examples of Viking clothes, jewellery and weapons. The pupils were enthralled and learned so much from his visit. |
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Running News
Well done to the pupils from our Senior Room who took part in the Athletics in Clones at the weekend. Pictured is one of our pupils who came 3rd in the Javelin which is an amazing achievement. |
Confirmation
Congratulations to our Sixth Class students and their families.
The pupils were confirmed today in a beautiful ceremony presided over by Bishop Larry Duffy.
Congratulations to our Sixth Class students and their families.
The pupils were confirmed today in a beautiful ceremony presided over by Bishop Larry Duffy.
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Our Newest Pupil
The community of St. Michael's give a very warm welcome to our newest pupil Róbó Bartholomew the Third. Róbó is a robot who has been built by the pupils in the Senior Room. He has also been programmed to take part in the VEXRobotics Challenge You can see Róbó in action here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SUyZ1uNqwc |
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Syllables
Mrs. Ferguson and the Junior Infants are busy counting SYLLALBLES
Boomwhackers are perfect for counting the syllables.
Mrs. Ferguson and the Junior Infants are busy counting SYLLALBLES
Boomwhackers are perfect for counting the syllables.
FAI Blitz
Congratulations to our Brilliant Boys who won all 3 of their games to get to the final of the FAI Soccer Blitz.
They were up against a very strong Derevoy team and drew one-all in the game. In extra time both teams scored once again.
The final would be decided by penalties. Well done to our 3 pupils who volunteered and to our goal keeper who had no choice.
We were beaten by one goal in the penalties. The boys should be very proud of themselves because we are very proud of them.
Congratulations to our Brilliant Boys who won all 3 of their games to get to the final of the FAI Soccer Blitz.
They were up against a very strong Derevoy team and drew one-all in the game. In extra time both teams scored once again.
The final would be decided by penalties. Well done to our 3 pupils who volunteered and to our goal keeper who had no choice.
We were beaten by one goal in the penalties. The boys should be very proud of themselves because we are very proud of them.
Minister Humphries meets the pupils who will enjoy the Hot School Meals.
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Swimming Brothers Well done to our two fabulous swimmers who represented our school in the Minor Schools Championships in Dublin. We are so proud of them both. |
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National Indoor High Jump Champion.
We are all so proud of our amazing 6th Class pupil who is the National Indoor High Jump Champion. All classes will be starting Length with great interest next term as we see just how high IM 49cms really is. Well Done. |
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Swimming
Well done to our pupils who completed their 8 weeks of Swimming Lessons in Coral Leisure Centre. Thank you to the wonderful coaches and staff. And thanks to the mammies, daddies and grandparents who came to help our younger pupils get changed. |
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Tráth na gCeist Rinne Ms. McCague Tráth na gCeist iontach siumúil dúinn. Go raibh maith aici. |
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KPMG Children's Book Awards Our Senior Room pupils have signed up to be a Junior Jury for the KPMG Junior Book Awards. They will be reviewing, A Hare Shaped Hole and Alice's Garden. Our good friends in Monaghan Library gave our pupils a gift of copies of the two books for each pupil so they could read them and review them. Thank you to Karen McCague from Monaghan Libraries for visiting our school and giving our pupils the books. |
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Coicís na Gaeilge
It's been a busy few weeks here in St Michael's N.S. with all the activities of Coicís na Gaeilge. On Wednesday, the children in 1st/2nd class came into the junior room for some fun board games. The teachers were blown away by the standard of Irish spoken during the games. The senior room didn't want to miss out so when they came back from the cross country running competition, Miss King had a hot chocolate and some board games ready for them. It was an enjoyable day for all.
It's been a busy few weeks here in St Michael's N.S. with all the activities of Coicís na Gaeilge. On Wednesday, the children in 1st/2nd class came into the junior room for some fun board games. The teachers were blown away by the standard of Irish spoken during the games. The senior room didn't want to miss out so when they came back from the cross country running competition, Miss King had a hot chocolate and some board games ready for them. It was an enjoyable day for all.
World Book Day
Thanks to our fabulous teachers and students we all had a fabulous 'Get Cosy and Read' day. The younger pupils had stories read to them by the older students and everyone had a chance to read on their own. There were also brilliant art activities which the teachers and some of the 6th class organised. Thank you to everyone who made the day such a success. |
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Football Stars
Well done to our footballers who took part in the mini-7s blitz in Clontibret on Thursday.
The girls had a great time and represented their school very well.
We are very proud of them.
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Blessed Carlo Acutis
We were delighted to welcome Fr. Anthony to our school. Fr. Anthony brought a relic from Blessed Carlo Acutis to our pupils and spent time telling them the story of Carlo's life and his works. Fr. Anthony then blessed each of our pupils with the relic. Thank you to our past pupil and good friend, Francis Meighan , for organising the visit. |
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DKIT STEM Quiz
Well done to our brilliant STEM quiz team who came 2nd in the Monaghan heat of the DKIT S(cience) T(echnology)E(ngineering)M(aths) quiz on Wednesday 21st.
They will now be heading to the finals in Dundalk on 6th March.
We wish them all the best.
Well done to our brilliant STEM quiz team who came 2nd in the Monaghan heat of the DKIT S(cience) T(echnology)E(ngineering)M(aths) quiz on Wednesday 21st.
They will now be heading to the finals in Dundalk on 6th March.
We wish them all the best.
Bowls
Thank you to Paul Greenan and to past pupils; Hannah, Lucy and Zoe for giving our Senior Room pupils a session of Bowls last week.
Paul, Hannah, Lucy and Zoe are all champions at the sport and generously gave an afternoon to give our pupils a 'taster'.
If your child is interested contact our school and we'll put you in contact with Paul.
Thank you to Paul Greenan and to past pupils; Hannah, Lucy and Zoe for giving our Senior Room pupils a session of Bowls last week.
Paul, Hannah, Lucy and Zoe are all champions at the sport and generously gave an afternoon to give our pupils a 'taster'.
If your child is interested contact our school and we'll put you in contact with Paul.
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World Read Aloud Day
Thursday the 7th of February was World Read Aloud Day and to celebrate, Ms . King's Junior Infants brought their new readers into 1st and 2nd class to read aloud to them. The 1st and 2nd class read aloud to the Junior Infants in small groups and the Junior Infants read to the 1st and 2nd class. Everyone did a really fantastic job and had a very enjoyable time.
The Senior Infants got to read aloud to their friends in the senior room.
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Radio Stars.
Our brilliant 6th Class featured on the Joe Finnegan show on Northern Sound on Wednesday 31st January. You can hear their interview here. about 15 minutes in. https://www.northernsound.ie/podcasts/the-joe-finnegan-show/podcast-the-flying-of-the-flag-230028 You can read about their respect for our national flag here. https://www.northernsound.ie/news/ardaghy-pupils-set-example-for-national-flag-229998 |
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Credit Union Quiz We had a great evening in Threemilehouse on Friday 26th January. Our four teams and their manager performed very well. Some of the questions were very tough but our pupils were well able for them. Well done to our Senior Room pupils. And 'THANK YOU' to the parents and brothers and sisters who came along to support us. |
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Shadows Our Science topic in the junior room this week was shadows. We had great fun learning how to cast a shadow, objects that are opaque and making our own shadows. Look at the fantastic designs! |
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Our Indoor Gardening Day.
We had planned to plant bulbs in all our planters and pots around the school on Friday. But it was very frosty and very cold. Ms. King said 'why not do it inside?' so we moved all the desks in her room and the older pupils brought the planters inside and we planted lots and lots of bulbs. It was great fun. Ryan and Niamh helped us wash our hands when we were finished and Sam and Darragh swept up all the soil and then hoovered Ms. King's room so it was as neat as ever when we were finished. Gardening is a lot warmer when we do it indoors. When you're watching the pictures keep an eye out for the two people with the perfectly themed t-shirts. |
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Do you recognise anyone here?
One of the suggestions that came in for our birthday celebrations was to display school photos from down the years. Mr. Grundy and Dympna ( with some help from our pupils) have been busy with a spirit level and a metre stick hanging old photos. If you fancy trying to see yourself, or if you have a photo you could add to our display please call in. |
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Working on our Mural
Our 90th birthday mural is taking shape thanks to our good friend Éimhin. Each of the pupils voted for their favourite books and we are turning our steps into a pile of books. This is a big undertaking. The pupils designed the book covers and then sketched them onto large sheets of paper. The Sixth Class volunteered to transfer the designs onto the steps. The next step will be to paint our book covers. We just need some good weather! |
Cineáltas- Kindness
Our pupils were showing their kindness when we gathered all the Team Hope shoeboxes they had filled to help children in poorer parts of the world.
They proudly displayed the flag they received from the
Minister for Education, Norma Foley,
to encourage kindness in schools.
As everyone knows by now, our school has only one rule
"Be Kind. "
Our pupils were showing their kindness when we gathered all the Team Hope shoeboxes they had filled to help children in poorer parts of the world.
They proudly displayed the flag they received from the
Minister for Education, Norma Foley,
to encourage kindness in schools.
As everyone knows by now, our school has only one rule
"Be Kind. "
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Our Active Pupils In our school we like to be active. Our pupils take their out of school activities seriously and sometimes bring in awards or trophies to show us how they've done. We are always glad to celebrate our pupils' successes. |
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Monaghan Library Science Week
Thanks to the wonderful people in Monaghan Library we got to attend a great talk about animals and their super powers with Nick Crumpton. Nick told us all about how some creatures can glide or fly, how some animals have long necks, some animals can make venom, how some animals have 'camera eyes' and how some animals have different size ears.
We all learned so much from his brilliant talk.
Thanks to the wonderful people in Monaghan Library we got to attend a great talk about animals and their super powers with Nick Crumpton. Nick told us all about how some creatures can glide or fly, how some animals have long necks, some animals can make venom, how some animals have 'camera eyes' and how some animals have different size ears.
We all learned so much from his brilliant talk.
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What a difference 4 hours makes.
Bernard was painting our school over the Hallowe'en. When he finished we wished we'd thought of painting the shelves in the front hall. Bernard said 'leave it to me' and himself our past pupil Ben, spent 4 hours sanding the shelves and painting them. Don't they look brilliant! We are so lucky to have such helpful parents and past pupils. |
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Microsoft Dreamspace Ambassadors.
Well done to our four 5th class pupils who have been chosen as Microsoft Dreamscape Ambassadors. The pupils attended online training last Tuesday and a this week taught the rest of the class how to code using Micro:Bit. We are lucky to have such 'tech-savy' pupils in our school. We are also lucky to have such top of the range ICT equipment. |
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It's not all work , no play in the Junior Room As you can see, the new tent Miss King bought is a big hit with the Junior and Senior Infants. She has even been asked by the senior pupils if they can use it! Our classroom library is also a much loved part of our classroom. The children love to go down when they are finished their work to read a book and relax on the bean bags. |
Friday morning maths stations All the children in junior and senior infants love Friday mornings because it means they get to 'play' in maths. Have a look at the junior infants learning about matching and the senior infants learning all about forming their numbers. |
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Our Wonderful Parents.
Mr. Grundy spent all Sunday in school this week. But this time he had company. Shortly after 9:30am some of the daddies and mammies came to put up a 'ball stop' to stop the ball going over the wall into Martin's field. While they were doing that another daddy was measuring the lunchroom ready to begin with another big project we are undertaking. We really are so lucky to have such supportive parents in our school. well done to Miss King who arrived at 3:00pm just as we were packing away! |
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Local Author
Thank you to local Monaghan author Colm McElwain who visited our school to tell the Senior Room about how he goes about writing his books. The children had so many wonderful questions for him and he answered each one. He also performed an amazing magic trick which we're still thinking about. We are looking forward to reading 'Orson the Great' in class over the next few weeks. I hear Monaghan library have some copies............... if they haven't all been snatched up by our pupils. Rocks are also selling copies of this great book. |
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Our Happy Classes
Don't our 1st and 2nd classes look so happy.
(and their teacher of course)
Thank you to Rory Geary from the Northern Standard who came out to photograph Ms. McCague and her classes.
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Our Exciting Mural Art Project.
Our artist friend, Éimhin, came to our school to see if we would like to do an artistic project with him. We voted to do 'something about books' because we all love reading. After thinking about it and talking to our teachers, we decided to put a mural on the steps of our school so they'll look like a pile of books. We were planning today. We can't wait to get started. |
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Maths Stations with Mrs. Ferguson. Our Junior Infants had lots of fun sorting and matching today. Thank you to Mrs. Ferguson for the great fun at our Maths Stations. |
AstronoMine Project.
Our school are so delighted to have been selected to take part in this exciting EU wide project.
Details of this project can be found here.
Our school are so delighted to have been selected to take part in this exciting EU wide project.
Details of this project can be found here.
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Making the Most of our Resources.
Our pupils get to make the most of our excellent ICT resources and our super Special Education Teacher, Mrs. Ferguson, as they engage with literacy in the Senior Room. Ms. King kindly volunteers her time to help the older class. |
First Day of School.
Thank you to our First and Second Classes who performed a lovely poem, "First Day of School" at our assembly today with their teacher Ms. McCague.
You can watch their performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7rNu2CnKN8
Thank you to our First and Second Classes who performed a lovely poem, "First Day of School" at our assembly today with their teacher Ms. McCague.
You can watch their performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7rNu2CnKN8
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Our School is celebrating our 90th Birthday this year.
Keep an eye out for some of our celebration ideas. The theme of our celebrations is: '90 years at the heart of the community; 90 years in the community's heart'. We are proud to be Ardaghey's Community School. and if you have an idea for something we could do let us know. |
Well Done
To our fabulous students who performed in front of a packed crowd in the community centre on Sunday 25th June.
To see the show just click here. https://vimeo.com/846380638/5658734bb0
To our fabulous students who performed in front of a packed crowd in the community centre on Sunday 25th June.
To see the show just click here. https://vimeo.com/846380638/5658734bb0
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Learning from the Extremes Animation
Please click here to view the video of our brilliant local history project. |
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Our school website is regularly updated by the school staff.
If you see a photo of your child you would like; please email us and we'll email the photo back to you.
Our school calendar is available HERE.
If you see a photo of your child you would like; please email us and we'll email the photo back to you.
Our school calendar is available HERE.
For copies of our most recent newsletters click here.
Music Generation Showcase
The Video of our Music Generation Showcase in available here.
So put on your dancing shoes and watch.
25 minutes of toe tapping tunes.
The Video of our Music Generation Showcase in available here.
So put on your dancing shoes and watch.
25 minutes of toe tapping tunes.
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A Great Day Out.
Thank you to our friend, Ross Mac Donald, who gave our whole school a great day out. Ross took us to see the lake which is the source of the water for Stranooden Group Water Scheme. We checked water samples for signs of life and learned which invertebrates like clean water and which can tolerate 'poor' water. After that we went to Stranooden Group Water Treatment plant and saw the work that goes into making sure we have plenty of good, clean water coming from our taps. Thank you to Paddy and Ethan who drove us around the back roads and down lanes without getting lost. Poor Mr. Grundy hadn't a clue where we were. |
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World War 1 and 1916 in the Senior Room.
Thanks to our friend and historian, Dave Swift, we had a great presentation on World War 1 on Wednesday and then a brilliant presentation on 1916 on Thursday. Dave brought lots of artefacts from the time and we were able to handle the helmets, hats, belts, hand grenades, guns and gas masks. It was a great way to learn about this terrible period of history. Thank you to Heritage in Schools who part sponsored Dave's visit. |
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Local History Project. Our 'Learning from the Extremes' local history project is going really well. Lots of community members are sending in resources and calling in with stories. Our good friend and neighbour Francis, called in to answer lots of questions about our local area. Francis was very impressed with the level of questions and the amount of research our pupils had already completed. |
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Cross Country Running
Well done to our runners from the Senior Room who came 3rd in the Monaghan Athletics Schools Cross Country. The children braved very cold and wet conditions and it was great to see so many of our pupils complete the course. Some runners only decided to run on the morning of the race and can feel very proud of themselves. So many parents and grandparents came to cheer us on. 5th Class pupil, Ryan, was first in the Small Schools Boys' race which is an amazing result. We were delighted when we got back to school to see that Ms. King and Mrs. Ferguson had the heat on full blast and lovely hot chocolate and marshmallows waiting for us. And then Daithí and Rián's parents sent in sweets, crisps and goodies to celebrate our run. Thanks to everyone. |
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A Successful Weekend in the Senior Room Our Senior Room pupils came to school on Monday with a lot of metal. From an Ulster Champion and Ulster Silver Medalist at Swimming. To football stars. And not forgetting the successful Glaslough Road Race Winners. It was a great weekend of sports successes. |
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Lunchroom We are lucky in our school. We all get to eat our lunch in the lunchroom. All the pupils, and some teachers, join together to eat and chat. If the younger pupils need help opening a lunchbox or a banana there is always a teacher or older pupils to help. ( Just don't ask Ms. King to peel an orange!) |
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Change of staff.. This morning, Miss King got to rest her voice. Some students asked could they call out the words in Irish. It's great to see such enthusiasm. |
Postcards for the Principal
The Junior Room were learning all about the post and Ms. King had a clever idea.
The children made and wrote cards to the principal.
Mr. Grundy was so lucky to receive 20 postcards with lovely messages.
On the front of the card each child drew a picture of a time Mr. Grundy had helped them.
Mr. Grundy will treasure these for a long time.
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Drama Workshops We had so much fun on Tuesday when our 'Creative Schools' coordinator came to visit and conducted two drama workshops with the classes. Mary had so many brilliant games and activities. Even the teachers were getting ideas from her. We are hoping she comes to visit us again. Hopefully all these tips will pay off when we take to the stage in June. |
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Our Runners
Thanks to Ben and Ryan's mum we have a culture of running in our school. Many of our pupils run with different clubs in Monaghan. On Sunday 12th February three of our 5th and 6th class pupils took part in the All-Irelands. Well done to all three and especially to the new National Champion. |
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Scientists calling ..
This past few weeks, the junior room have focused on our locality and working in Ireland. First class learned about Alexander Graham Bell (the man who invented the telephone) and the work of a scientist. Today, we decided to roll the two topics into one lesson and create our own 'phone'. We had a fantastic time talking to each other through a string and paper cups. |
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Maths stations
It's been a busy few weeks. The children in junior and senior infants have been learning all about the numbers 5
and 9, how to weigh, how to use a balance scale and how to combine numbers. You can see the fun they had below.
Did you notice Mrs. Ferguson's great invention? And adding up machine.
It's been a busy few weeks. The children in junior and senior infants have been learning all about the numbers 5
and 9, how to weigh, how to use a balance scale and how to combine numbers. You can see the fun they had below.
Did you notice Mrs. Ferguson's great invention? And adding up machine.
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Magnificent musicians This week, Rachel had a real treat for the children. She brought in boom whackers to demonstrate the various pitches. Thanks to a very observant first class boy, we were actually able to provide more boom whackers that had been found amongst all the school resources. Everyone had great fun and Miss King went home with a headache.. |
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Battle of Clontibret We are lucky to have our school so close to the site of one of the most important battlefields in Irish history. The Battle of Clontibret of 1595 was one of Ireland's few victories in the battle against the English in the Elizabethan era. Historian, Dave Swift, came to visit our Senior Room with lots and lots of artefacts of the era and told us all about the battle and why it was so important. |
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World International Rubbish-y Car Challenge
Today the Senior Room attempted to build cars. This was part of their STEAM ( Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths) work. The challenge was to use the kit ( kindly provided by Monaghan Libraries) to build a car that could travel. The lesson was going well and then the element of competition crept in and a challenge was issued. The naming of the challenge took some time and some imagination. The competition was now on to see whose car would travel the furthest. In the end there was a clear winner, who is pictured with his specially commissioned trophies. The school phone is ringing constantly with calls from Formula One teams offering positions to our engineers. |
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Easons Spelling Bee
Well done to our Sixth Class pupil who beat off stiff opposition to become our St. Michael's Rackwallace Spelling Champion. She will go on to represent our school in the next round of the Easons Spelling Bee. She won a prize of a fabulous dictionary. |
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Spórt agus spraoi
We have lots of fun in irish lessons each day. Usually, Miss King calls out the words but today, we decided it was time that the children called out the bingo words. Bingo has become a firm favourite in this class!! |
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ICT Grant
Well done to our deputy principal, Ms. King, who has secured a place for our school on the Learning from the Extremes Pilot Programme.
This EU scheme has provided a grant of €10,000 which our school will use to update our existing ICT infrastructure and to up-skill our staff and pupils to better prepare them for their digital futures.
Ms. King spent a long time preparing our application and together with our staff and the wider community is planning for an exciting project in the new year to make full use of our new resources.
Well done to our deputy principal, Ms. King, who has secured a place for our school on the Learning from the Extremes Pilot Programme.
This EU scheme has provided a grant of €10,000 which our school will use to update our existing ICT infrastructure and to up-skill our staff and pupils to better prepare them for their digital futures.
Ms. King spent a long time preparing our application and together with our staff and the wider community is planning for an exciting project in the new year to make full use of our new resources.
New Running Tops
Our beautiful new running tops arrived today and we can't wait to wear them when we compete in the cross country and track and field in the new year.
Thank you to our generous sponsor. Tommy Martin.
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Work of Our Hands We all have gifts and talents. In St. Michael's we like to give the pupils a chance to show their abilities. Each year we run a 'Work of Our Hands' display where pupils get to make something that interests them. This year we had a painting, some musical tunes, and so many more. Rather than name them have a look at our slide show. |
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Artist in Residence
One of our very talented 1st class pupils brought this masterpiece
into school today to show us.
Well done!
Grace's Art lessons are having a great impact on our students.
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Our Greenfingered Pupils. On Thursday some of our pupils came to school in their gardening clothes and spent a few minutes weeding our school yard. Previously, some of our pupils planted Yellow Rattle in our school's wildflower meadow to keep the grass down and to give our wildflowers a chance to grow. Well done to all our gardening pupils. |
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Famous Author (virtually) visits St. Michael's N.S.
The pupils in the Senior Room had a 'virtual' visit from a world famous author, Robert Muchmore. Robert has sold over 15 million books but still found time to chat to us about his inspiration and the amount of hard work that goes into writing and publishing a best selling book. The visit was arranged by Karen McCague from Monaghan Library. Thanks Karen. |
Our New Furniture.
Thank you to our parents and our grandparents we installed our new furniture on Saturday afternoon. The children are already making good use of it and were a lot more comfortable at lunch today. |
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Mé Féin
The children in the junior room know how much Miss King loves Irish. This month's theme is 'Mé Féin'. Every child from junior infants to first class can now name several body parts in Irish. If you ask the children how they learned this, they'll say 'by playing games'. They aren't wrong!! Have a look at the craic we all had during our Gaeilge lesson. |
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Maths Fun
Senior Infants had great fun jumping up and down the number line today. They were learning how to add/subtract numbers and solve Miss King's word problems. |
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Music Generation Here is a link to the video of the children's performance in Ardaghey Community Centre on Monday 30th May 2022. We are delighted to announce that Rachael is back! She was here on Thursday September 15th with her friend Mikey and we had a great time singing. |
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Stone Age Builders in 3rd and 4th.
When the pupils in 3rd and 4th heard that the Stone Age builders who built Newgrange used 'corballing' to make the tomb they wanted to try this building technique themselves. They borrowed some of the Ardaghey Community Childcare's blocks and got to work. You can see the results of their efforts in the slideshow. Well done to them all. ( but I wouldn't want to be depending on any of these buildings to keep the rain out!) |
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Science in the Senior Room What do you get if you add an alkaline to an acid? If you're not sure ask anyone in the Senior Room. They added an alkaline bath bomb to an acid vitamin C tablet in a test tube and watched as the test tubes shot into the air because of the carbon dioxide that was produced. Well done to our young scientists. Here is a link to our experiment: SCIENCE |
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Photos on our website.
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Remember if you would like a copy of any photo of your child that featured on our website simply contact the office.
