Check out our new Homeschool Gallery to see what our busy bees have been up to!

The Great Isolation Activity Book is a great way of keeping a record of this historic time with fun-filled activities!

 Scéalta i nGaeilge do phaistí atá ar fáil le breathnú orthu saor in aisce ar Cainéal Youtube Glór na nGael :
https://www.youtube.com/playlist…

Gaelscoil Eiscir Riada - Coiste Conradh na Gaeilge i Londain Conradh na Gaeilge Scoil Shéamais Naofa, Bearna Bunscoil Phobal Feirste An Foras Pátrúnachta Foras na Gaeilge Seachtain na Gaeilge le Energia Múintéoirí Gaeilge Co na Mí Múinteoir Valerie Múinteoir Na Gaeilge Údarás na Gaeltachta Gaelbhratach Gael Linn Oireachtas na Gaeilge Coiste Tuismitheoirí Scoil Sailearna Coiste Tuismitheoirí SCC

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Click on the link to see all the news on all your homeschooling friends!

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SCHOOL CLOSURE 2020

All schools in Ireland have closed until further notice due to Covid19.  With regards to the announcement of the extended school closure period, the Department of Education and Skills have provided these guides to support our school community. Please continue to adhere to the guidelines and best practice for the prevention of Covid-19 exposure.

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https://www.education.ie/…/advice-to-young-people-while-sch…

https://www.education.ie/…/Announ…/relaxation-techniques.pdf

https://www.education.ie/…/guide-for-parents-supporting-chi…

Click on our Homeschool Link for ideas and stay up-to-date with the latest news from St. Michael's by liking our Facebook and Twitter accounts where you can find tips, links and interesting articles. Stay Safe

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November has been a busy month for STEM in our school. We had great fun learning all about DNA with the Cell explorers from UCC  and attended a science roadshow run by CIT in the Rockies Hurling Club.Chestnut Room have just completed their junior engineer project designs and have welcomed engineer Graham  to take part in their lessons and offer advice. We are so impressed with the teamwork in this room. Rowan Room have been working on Marine Projects- ranging from various cause of pollution ,over fishing to species studies and marine technology. We have had visitors from the Explorers Project at lifetime lab to support us with the group projects and today the final presentations took place and certificates were rewarded. We were all shocked to learn the extent of negative human impact on our seas and have committed to exploring some actions we can take in our own school to lesson our footprint on our planet. We are so thankful to the parents who have made us new planters and a large composting box . We look forward to growing some food with less 'food miles' . We have been enjoying observing the changing scenes with the seasons on the Blackrock line and have been learning about all the natural features and spotting wildlife - how blessed we are to have such biodiversity and beauty on our doorstep !!

Our junior room pupils love their Playball activities every Monday ! The aim of Playball is to introduce young children to constructive and enjoyable sport participation through various age-appropriate programs. All of the programs have a "multi-activity" approach, ensuring a competent foundation in all the popular sports played at school. Check out these active kids :)

This week is science week. We are enjoying fun activities in all our classes.  In the Infants Room we talked about materials and discussed what caused to float or sink.  We predicted, tested and recorded.  All classes went outside to explore the environment in beautiful Blackrock.  Some classes were looking at the Autumn changes and other classes were engaged in engineering projects.  On Wednesday, Digiwiz visited all classes.  We made drawing robots and we used 3D pens.  We used our 'maths eyes' to count and plan found items for Autumn art activities.  In St. Michael's we love science and maths and are working towards our DPSM award.

We are really enjoying outdoors time during this beautiful September.

We are having a busy and enjoyable September in our new Hazel Room.  Our friends from the Oak Room visit us everyday for our Good Morning Group.  We go for a walk everyday and we bring back Autumn nuts and leaves to our Autumn Gnome. We love exercising in our Fuinneamh Group and go to football on a Thursday in the Rockies.  We work everyday at our workstations and some of us enjoy writing and decorating our Gratitude Journals.  We are painting and decorating our hazel tree display.  We are looking forward to plenty of more fun activities and outings in October.

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Daily activity helps boost balance, motor function, brain function, and cognition. Movement increases blood and oxygen flow, which positively affects cognitive development, physical health, and mental well-being. Our Oak Room especially enjoy a short burst of Yoga !

Wishing all our families Happy Summer Holidays and see you back in school on the 27th August 2019!

Today we had our end of year assembly.   We also said goodbye to our 6th Class and wish them the very very best in Ashton

Get all the news by clicking on our school blog!

Click on the link to Zoe and Siena's Blog to see what 3rd and 4th class have been up to!

Click on the link to read how to support your child in learning the Irish Language.

Every Thursday we all play football with John Holly from St Michael's Gaelic Football Club. We love it and it keeps us fit. Many pupils from our school play with the club at the weekend.This photo is from the under 7 blitz . Can you recognise some junior faces????-

The Tyrannosaurus Rex was one of the most fearsome meat eaters of the Cretaceous age- 66 million years ago! It means King of the Tyrant lizards in ancient Greek and a full grown one could weigh up to seven tonnes! We were so excited to have some dinosaurs visit us at school this week. We saw some amazing fossils and learned some interesting facts. We discovered that Jurassic Park the movie contains a lot of inaccuracies about dinosaurs. GaryD, the dino-minder was very impressed with how much St Michael's pupils already knew about dinos!!

 Click the link for a list of dinosaurs :)   https://www.kids-dinosaurs.com/different-types-of-dinosaurs.html

View our Discovery Primary Science and Maths Submission for the 2019 Award.  Click here to see the submission

Rinne dalta ó rang 5 fiseán ceol lena cairde do Seachtain na Gaeilge 2019!! Click here for the video.

We have put some interesting links to leaflets and websites about Language Development and our religious programme, 'Follow Me' on the Useful Links page.

Thank you to the parents of St. Michael's and the Parents Association who came in on Saturday and made some huge improvements to our playground.  The pupils were delighted when they arrived back to school on Monday.

We had really interesting presentation by a 2nd class pupil on peregrine falcons.  Click on the link and be ready to be amazed!

Read all about it in Meg's blog!

Read all about the Junior Room trip to Blackrock Castle Observatory in our school blog! 

Some of our Junior Room went to see how the construction was progressing on our new classroom and to meet the builders

Read all about our nativity play in Martha's blog!

The Junior Room went to the panto 'Elfie Saves Christmas'  We had so much fun singing songs and dancing.

Click on 'Parents Information' for a new document issued by the HSE about talking to children about their bodies, sexuality and relationships.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.'

 (Matthew 5.14-16)

On November 9th we joined St Luke's Douglas for a special Armistice Day assembly with prayers for peace. This was a lovely occasion for both schools to meet , sing and pray together. Bishop Colton has gifted each school with an olive Tree as we learned during the assembly that an olive branch is a symbol of peace.

We are happy and proud to introduce our new Junior Infants class.

We are so delighted to welcome our 10 new Junior Infants, Luke, Ruaidhrí, Yann, Denis, Amelia, Cathy, Matilda, Ellen, Bláithín and Isaac.  We have met all the mums and dads and we look forward to sharing this journey together for the next 8 years.  Below are some tips from the NCCA on some ways to support your Junior Infant's education. 

 https://www.ncca.ie/media/1406/helping_your_child_in_junior_and_senior_infants.pdf

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Next week we will have a group photo of our little stars.

We have had a very exciting week! On Thursday we showcased 'Alice The Musical' which was a resounding success.  All the pupils worked very hard to ensure that it was a triumph.  We were so busy - we forgot to take a photo of the cast!   On Friday we had our End of Year Service where we said goodbye to our 6th class pupils.  This is always a bittersweet time as we want them to start their secondary school career but are very sad to see them go.  Read all about it in Darragh's Blog.  Our end of year newsletter is up for everyone to read.

It is very important to continue reading over Summer break.There are loads of suggestions by age on the following link :  http://www.librariesireland.ie/summer-stars/recommended-reads-for-children/

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Stay safe in the sun with advice from the article below http://www.schooldays.ie/articles/Keeping-kids-safe-in-the-sun

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Your child will have completed these tests this year and on their report card (1st class up)you will see a STEN score.This is explained below.Please note these tests are very limited and only represent a 'snap shot' of the child in these areas on that particular day.Please make an appointment to see the class teacher if you wish to discuss this or have any concerns or questions. https://www.ncca.ie/media/1429/understanding-standardscores_eng.pdf

What a fun day filled with egg and spoon races, sack races, obstacle course, long jump and Rev. David Bowles in goal for our penalty shootout!  Thank you to all our parent volunteers.

On 24th May all the teaching staff attended the 2nd of 2 initial training days in Cork Education Support Centre to prepare for the implementation of a new language curriculum in September 2018.We as teachers feel very positive about the new focus and are really looking forward to introducing this.There will be further training opportunities for the teachers next year.We will be focused very strongly on learner outcomes.The document 'New Primary Language Curriculum for English and Irish - junior infants to second class' contains some answers to questions asked by parents.

Follow Seamus St.Michaels the Travelling Leprechaun as he visits boys and girls all around the world.  Click on 'The Travelling Leprechaun' page.

One of our 5th Class pupils won a prize for the best piece of art work submitted to 'Digital Art Week 2018'.  You can click on the site to see all the other wonderfully creative entries from our school.

Today 6th Class put together their video submission for the START 2018 Competition.  Please check under 'Our Projects' to see the video and the results of their clinical trial called 'Assistive Memory Techniques'.

Dear Parents,

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Over the next few weeks we will begin teaching the Stay Safe element of our SPHE curriculum.The following is a link to the content and some useful information Please feel free to discuss any concerns with class teachers.

Annemarie O Donovan

http://www.staysafe.ie/PDFs/Parents/Stay%20Safe-Parents%20Guide.pdf

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Gach blian, Bíonn deis ag na páistí  a gcuid leabhair féin a scríobh agus iad a roinnt le Scoíleanna eile.  Is í aidhm na scéime seo (eagraithe ag Foras na Gaelige) ná na páistí a spreagadh chun tabhairt faoi leabhair Ghaeilge a scríobh agus a léamh.

Yesterday our eTwinning School, Ecole St Joseph, in Carquefou France received our parcel we sent them.  Their teacher sent us this lovely message this morning....

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Good evening,
Lot of happiness today shared with all the pupils thanks to your package and all the surprises we found inside.  They asked me if I agree with the idea to really play with the hurleys... They could play next week ! 
The hurley with our two school names is very well thought and well done. Thanks for all... The school calendar, the cd, the Irish pencils, the two books who make reference about the Irish history and the favourite jokes ! Thank you so much to you and all your pupils. 
Marie-E

Please see under 'Parents Information' (or click on the graphic for easy access), the Junior Cycle Information Brochure informing us about developments and changes to the Junior Cycle Curriculum and Exams

Today the Senior Room had a very special guest - Dr. Timothy Jackson.  Dr Jackson has previously served on the Board of Management and is a great friend to our school.  We were amazed to hear all his exciting stories of his exciting stories and his experiences of his overland journey from Ireland to Pakistan and his time as a junior doctor in Quetta.  You can see a video on his visit on our facebook page.  www.facebook.com/stmichaelscoi

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Santa came to visit all the boys and girls in school today and to wish them all a very Merry Christmas.

Read Okwu's blog today on the 'grande suprise' we received from our eTwinning school today!

We have just had our final rehearsal for our nativity play this year called the 'Christmas Jigsaw'.   We will be performing at 11h30 on Sunday 10 December at St Michael's COI Church.

Read all about the Rowing Blitz on our blog page.

One of our First Class girls did a fantastic job at the World Karate Championships in London by winning a gold and bronze medal in her category. Catch up on our blog with all the latest happenings.  Charlotte (Middle Room)  tells us all about their trip to the Cork Pops and Juno from the (Junior Room) tells us about the Lord Mayor's Visit.  Remember to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for up-to-the minute happenings!

The Senior Room started their 5 week rowing programme with Blackrock Rowing Club today.  We are going to have some sore muscles tomorrow from working out on the rowing machines!!

Check out all the new and exciting happenings that are going on in October!

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During Space Week (04 - 10 October) and Maths Week (16 - 20 October) we have a host of exciting activities planned for the pupils.  Check out the School Blog and School Activities for more information.

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We are also preparing to start a brand new project called the 'Blue Star Programme', (have a look under 'Our Projects')  which will teach us about and give us a chance to be an active member in the European Union!

Have a quick look at all the exciting happenings in St. Michael's at the moment!

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We have recently been eTwinned with St. Joseph's de Carquefou in France as part of a collaborative project with our Senior Room.   Check it out under projects.

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Ms. Mythen has exciting news all about the Aistear learning that is taking place in the Junior Room.  Ms. O'Brien has been practicing 'mindful listening' with the Middle Room.  You can read all these exciting updates in the school blog.

St. Michael's has been awarded the Digital Schools of Distinction Flag! See excerpts from the report under 'Our Projects'

Today we had our final assembly.   Each student in the school received a book to read over the summer and a presentation was made to the 6 pupils in 6th class.  We are very sorry to see them go and but so excited for them to start Ashton in September.  We wish them the very very best of luck!  We have some lovely photos in our school blog of their final year here at St. Michael's.

See some photos of the fun day we had in our school blog.

It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it. -  Joseph Joubert

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St Luke's Mixed National School Montenotte visited us today for a friendly debating competition with the Senior Room.  Both sides performed very well and the topics were well researched and argued.   We then enjoyed some lunch and a game of soccer afterwards.

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Today was our last hurling session for the year with the Rockies at the Blackrock Hurling Club.  Thanks so much to Pat and the team. WE LOVE HURLING!

We have been awarded our Plaque of STEM Excellence from the Science Foundation Ireland.  Well done to all the pupils who worked hard on their Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths challenges to achieve this.  You can view the full presentation under 'Our Projects'.

Yesterday we took part in the Inter-School Sports with 9 other schools.  We came away with 4 Golds, 1 Silver and 4 Bronzes.  Read all about it in the 'School Blog'.

The Junior Room went to Fota on Friday.  Read all about it in the blog written by Fiona (2nd class) in 'School Blog' 

Two of our 2nd class girls were part of the winning team in the 'Rockies Street Leagues' for camogie. They won the very impressive 'Frances McCarthy Perpetual Cup' - WELL DONE GIRLS!

Claire Gavin,  Dietician and St. Michael's parent, has some great healthy lunchbox tips.  Read her article in the 'School Blog'

Check out Harry's blog under 'School Blog' for all the news about the S.S.S.T last Saturday!

The Senior Room went on their tour today.  They visited the Titanic Exhibition in Cobh and then went on to Cuskinny Adventure Centre for lots of messy fun.  Check out the blog section for lots of photos of today!

Today we were awarded a National Finalist Award for Water Explorers.  This is a massive achievement for our school as we only started the initiative after Easter and managed to get into the Top 5 schools in the country!! We are very proud of our school and all the hard work they put in to achieve this wonderful accolade.

Fireman John from Anglesea Street Firestation in Cork came to talk to us all about Health and Safety when it comes to fire.  We learnt which things cause fires and which things are safer to use.  It's a HOT topic! :-)

Oonagh from Water Explorers came in to talk about conservation of water.  We then signed up for the Water Explorer Challenge and chose our avatar and our group name which is 'Water Walkers'

The Senior Room went on a tour of the Crawford Gallery and then had lunch in Fitzgerald Park. What a lovely day we had.

St. Michael's N.S. has received a gold award from Allaboard 2017 in recognition of our digital learning!

Our pupils did very well in the swimming gala today.  We came home with some medals too!  Well done St. Michael's NS.

St. Michael's N.S. was featured in Kid Zone in the Evening Echo today.  We were so excited and proud to see the pupils representing our school.