METNS Newsletter Summer 2021

newsletter

Kill Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, 01 230 3696 | office@metns.ie.

Principal: AnneMarie Kenrick | Roll No 20060G | Registered Charity No 20118648

In Short

School closes on Wednesday, June 30th at a staggered time of 11:45, 11:55 or 12:05 depending on the group your family are in.

School opens for the 2021-22 year on Tuesday, August 31st.

Covid-protocols and next year:We don’t as yet know the school-plan for primary schools for the coming school year. We will be in contact with you over the last few weeks of the holidays to keep you updated.

Our traffic warden retires! Josephine Carr our Traffic Warden extraordinaire, is retiring at the end of the year. She has been helping our children to cross the road safely for years now and we will miss her. She has had nothing but compliments and praises for the good cheer she receives from the METNS children on a daily basis and we can say the same thing right back at Jo. Jo has been an absolute pleasure to work with and we wish her the very best in her retirement. The Blue Cube will just not look the same without you Jo. Good health and good wishes from all of us in METNS.

THE AMAZON RAINFOREST CHALLENGE After learning about deforestation in the Amazon, 4B decided that they wanted to become climate activists in the fight against deforestation. They decided to travel the distance from METNS to the mouth of the Amazon in Brazil by walking, running, cycling and scooting a staggering 7081km!

They completed their goal at the end of March and raised €3,420 to support their chosen charities. The class were featured on News2Day and had messages of support from the author Katherine Rundell, whose book The Explorer partly inspired them, and from Green Party TD Ossian Smyth.

€3,420

in the raised by 4B allenge Amazon Ch

JUNE 2021

2020-2021: A year in a bubble!

Closed gates, dots inside and out, separate entrances, pods and zones, Seesaws that are not seesaws, and masked faces...what an unimaginable year this has been! And yet, in spite of all this pandemic has thrown at us, the METNS community has voyaged through the rough seas and has (at the time of writing) stayed afloat. We have encountered a few squalls along the way, but the bubble has not been popped. Huge respect is due to the children who took all the changes and challenges we put in place in their stride. Their smiles and their energy – whether in the corridors or on Zoom – have raised our spirits and kept us going.

Parents, we owe you a debt of gratitude for your diligence and support over the last year -- you went from monitoring health issues to becoming home-teachers and back again and never lost focus. The staff showed equal flexibility, moving from the COVID-set up in August 2020 to beginning a new year teaching in masks, and then to creatively negotiating the teaching platform Seesaw and inventing ways to celebrate our special occasions through video and photo-stories. I thank the staff sincerely for their dedication to the children and their diligence in COVID-practices which have kept our school open. The Board of Management rowed in right behind the staff and could not have been more supportive. The well-being of children and staff became a monthly-meeting focus, and the staff thank the BOM sincerely for the tangible care they have offered us all. In an isolated and restricted year, we still felt the blessings of the MCA, and have benefited from the financial supports they raised and offered to the school. We have been able to support IT growth, purchase literacy supports, develop the green space beside the school yard, treat the 6th class graduates and plenty more because of their activities.

I constantly talk about the strength of our community and so won’t labour the point.

With our collective vision and our collaborative work, the children in METNS get the best and most holistic education that is possible for us to offer. And all that is left to say is that we in the bubble, wish everyone the most relaxed summer. For those of you whose families are elsewhere in the world, we hope you get a chance to visit. You, like so many others, have carried a heavy burden throughout this pandemic and our thoughts continue to be with you. The vaccine programme should make things just a little easier to figure out and we have every hope that we will all be together safely very soon.

Have a lovely summer everyone. Here’s to a common-or-garden school year in 202122 if we can remember what that looks like.

Le buíochas agus grá,

JIA

JIB

Junior Infants

We are so proud of our junior infants for all the amazing work they have done in their first year in METNS and for how well they have settled into life in big school! We hope that they will look back on their time in junior infants and smile as they remember all the fun we had!

We planted potatoes with AnnMarie in the school garden a few weeks ago and we loved doing this. We are so looking forward to harvesting them when we are in senior infants. It’s hard for us to believe that it will take so long as some children had hoped to harvest them the next day!!

We really have been busy bees since we came back to school in March. We finished learning all of the junior infant Jolly Phonics sounds and we started working on our word families. We had great fun doing class brainstorms to come up with rhyming words based on the ‘Word Family of the Week’ and writing our words on mini-whiteboards and even with chalk outside!

We enjoyed lots of sessions of GAA with Johnny our coach this term. We played loads and loads of games and we had so much fun. A big thank you to Johnny for being so brilliant with our gorgeous junior infants.

Recently, we have started writing full sentences. We are just so proud of ourselves. Can you believe that in junior infants we remember to do finger spaces between words all by ourselves? I know, our teachers can’t either! We are very clever children! We are learning to recognise the tall letters, the small letters and the fall letters. Our teachers are bursting with pride watching us grow and learn new things all the time.

We have had lots to celebrate this term. We made headbands and dressed up in green for St. Patrick’s Day. We made Easter Bonnets and had an Easter Egg Hunt on the day of the Spring Break holidays. We loved Pyjama Day, although our teachers were joking with us all day asking us why we forgot to get dressed for school!

We have really enjoyed ‘Wellbeing Wednesdays’. It has been a reminder to all of us, big kids and little kids, to slow down and to enjoy moments of peace and quiet during our busy days. We did lots of yoga and mindfulness meditations to help to calm our minds and our bodies, which we really enjoyed. We learned a new mantra in junior infants, ‘Peace begins with me’ and we say it to remind us of the importance of moments of stillness.

A big highlight of this term in school was virtually meeting our Big Buddies in 5th Class. We had class zooms together and have told each other all about ‘our favourite things’. We have pictures of our big buddies displayed in our classrooms and we are keeping our fingers and our toes crossed that we might get to meet with our big buddies in person next year.

JIA

Junior Infants A loved learning all about butterflies.

We painted butterflies and then we put them on display at the back of our classroom. We learned about the life cycle of butterflies and the parts of a butterfly. We read a book called How to Be a Butterfly’and we talked about how beautiful the illustrations were in it. We also loved the books Pinkalicious and the Little Butterfly’, The Butterfly Story, The Very Shy Butterfly and Sweet Cocoon. We love our stories in Junior Infants A! We finished off with some butterfly pattern symmetry work which we really enjoyed.

JIB

Junior Infants B enjoyed a series of outdoor learning sessions under the guidance of Claire this term.

The class was spilt into two groups and took turns to make base camp in Marian’s Wood or by the large chestnut trees at the front of IADT. The children loved the change of scene and the adventure of being with nature. We played lots of games and did different activities including: making nature crowns, mandalas, nature people and small huts. Picnic time outside was always a favourite. At the end of the sessions each child found a sit spot to take a moment to observe and listen to the world around them.

We wish all our junior infants a wonderful summer and every happiness for next year. We will miss you!

Dervla & Victoria

Fun playing card games in 1A

SIA Lego Creations

Senior Infants

It is hard to believe the school year is almost at an end! It has been wonderful to see the children become more independent and to watch their confidence grow. Senior infants have been busy this term learning through our Aistear themes, ‘The Garden Centre’ and ‘The Zoo’. The children really enjoyed monitoring Bluebell and Bluey’s nest box each day and it was amazing to see the eggs hatch and the little chicks grow.

Both classes planted sweet peas and learned a poem called ‘Maytime Magic’ which taught us all the things a little seed needs to grow.

Senior infants have been enjoying our Wellbeing Wednesdays with trips to the playground and different mindful activities.

Our value of the month in April was Mindfulness and we read a book called It’s Always There. We discovered that our deep breathing is always there when we need a moment of calm. We created pieces of art using oil pastels of things in our life which make us happy and calm.

The children learned about money this term, how to recognise and count coins and how to spend it! We made lots of connections with the learning and had interesting chats about how we have had to shop online when the shops have been closed. We made coin rubbings and filled our piggy banks with money.

As the days became warmer, we enjoyed water play, creating aquariums for animals in the zoo and playing basketball in the yard. We planted potatoes with AnnMarie and we look forward to seeing the crop next year. The children have enjoyed their outings to Marion’s Wood and extra time in the school garden.

We are excited about our very first Sports Day at M.E.T.N.S. and cannot wait for the parachute games and, of course, the icecream!

We know it has been a very challenging year; however, the children have shown great resilience and have adapted incredibly well to the changes in school routines. We wish you all a safe and happy summer.

Sarah & Niamh

SIB in the playground

1st Class 1A

What an adventure we have had in 1st Class A. It has been wonderful getting to know all of the boys and girls and we have had a lovely year together. During the summer term, we have been learning how to rename tens and units in maths. We have also been learning all about verbs and how to write them in the past tense and future tense. We have been reaching for the stars with our handwriting this term and hoping we would all get our “Star Writer” certificate. We even started writing in our new, grownup, 2nd Class copies with a margin! We have had fun making paper cup characters, some of which you will see throughout the newsletter! We have enjoyed learning how to do Suduko puzzles as well as teaching each other a variety of card games to play together. We had a super Sports Day and thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon in Cualanor with our friends. Thank you to the parents, for a lovely year. Although I haven’t met many of you in person, I always felt a great sense of appreciation and support from you. Have a wonderful summer and I look forward to seeing all of the children in September!

1B

It’s hard to believe that the school year is coming to an end! We have had fun being together in the classroom. We are getting much better at working independently and are ready for our move to second class!

We are becoming independent writers and have written and illustrated oodles of fantastic stories. We have been busy this term investigating the world around us. We are daily engineers and construct houses, boats, planes, rockets and lots more using marshmallows and cocktail sticks, Lego, bricks, straws, cardboard and paper. We brainstormed questions about nature which some scientists in UCD answered for us. We have been learning about the ecosystem all around us and have lots of ideas on how to ‘live green’ to help the environment. We learned about animals and life on the farm. We created our own vegetable patch in our class by planting seeds and we are enjoying watching them grow. We are ending the year with ‘Our Show and Tell Projects’ which have been great fun to research and present to our friends. Thank you for your support this year.

We made special memories learning in school and at home. We would like to wish you all a very happy summer.

1B Construction

2A Silent Garden

2nd Class 2A

We returned to school with smiles on our faces and have had a really fun and positive last term in Second Class A! We took a trip to the Silent Garden on our first Well-Being Wednesday, planted tomatoes with AnnMarie in the school garden and kept a close eye on our resident blue tit ‘Ms Feathers’ and her beautiful baby chicks. We are super fit in 2A and have loved exercising and developing new GAA ball skills with Johnny! We’ve been busy learning new skills in the classroom too! We learnt how to make change in the shop, weigh different items and measure the length and area of different objects and the capacity of a variety of containers!

We read the picture book Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich (which made our tummies rumble!) and built our own skyscrapers using Lego! We learnt all about the procedural writing genre and wrote a collaborative piece to teach Rosie the rules of and how to play our favourite yard game, Ultimate Tag! We are now exploring the narrative genre and are preparing to write our very own stories. We are so excited for our super Spreagadh celebration! We have been thinking about our favourite memories of school so far, creating amazing art, and practising a very special performance! We look forward to celebrating with you all!

2B

2B have had a busy and fun-filled term. We had Niamh from DCU Teacher Training College teaching us in April which was a lot of fun. She read us a book called Sammy and the Skyscraper Sandwich and we created our own skyscraper sandwich recipes, writing in the procedural genre.

Now we have moved onto the narrative genre and we are working on writing our very own books! We are really enjoying the process and looking forward to being published authors when we are finished. In art we created some wonderful selfportraits using different paint and oil pastel techniques and are very proud of them. We created colourful handprints using the pointillism painting technique. We had lot of fun drawing a design for “My Dream School.” We definitely have some future architects in 2B! We have been enjoying time outside and recently planted carrots in the garden with AnnMarie. We are keeping an eye on the vegetable patch for signs of growth. We have been practising a dance for our upcoming “Spreagadh” celebration which we are very excited about! We are really looking forward to our special day to celebrate the end of our junior cycle of primary school.

3A Activities

3rd Class 3A

During lockdown we learned about Fairtrade. Fairtrade and Cocoa Life are organisations that help cocoa farmers and the environment. Buy Fairtrade items to help cocoa farmers get a better life. (Turtals) In history, we learned about Titanic and Ancient Egypt. It was very interesting. For Egypt we learned about their gods and goddesses and did mini projects about them. (The Mini Cocoa Beans). We have been learning a lot about Egypt so we have been doing Egyptian art. We made Egyptian amulets from clay, and we also made papyrus and drew cartouches with our names in hieroglyphics. (Mini Muffins) In P.E. we’ve played games with the parachutes and we’ve played football and hockey. In hockey we practiced dribbling and in football we played matches. P.E. was very fun. (The Spicy Noodles) In science we learned about static and current electricity. We created static in our hair with balloons and made it stand up and made circuits and scribble bots. (Ur Mom’s Child) We have been learning about how to have positive emotions and we went out for picnics in the sun for our wellbeing. We played hide and seek and tag and played loads of fun games. They were the best picnics ever. (Mini Devils)

3B

3B answered the call to tackle climate change by researching and prompting renewable energy sources.

We investigated what makes a good conductor/insulator, created switches to operate simple circuits and experimented with static electricity using balloons! We grew peas, spinach, salad leaves, radishes and beetroot for the school garden. We took home a sunflower seed to care for and demonstrated the life cycle of a flowering plant in our stop-motion animations. Van Gogh and Rousseau would have admired our beautiful sunflower paintings and fabulous jungle collages. Our Earth Day celebrations included a trip to Marion’s Wood to enjoy poetry about nature which inspired our own similes and poetry. We loved the National Museum of Ireland and the Crawford Art Gallery virtual workshops.

Studying the ancient Sumerians, we wrote in Cuneiform on clay tablets, made pots and created headpieces inspired by those on the wonderful mosaic panels in the Royal tomb at Ur. Our novel, The Boy at the Back of the Class prompted empathy for refugees.

Discussing how Irish emigrants gained employment abroad in the past, the children were surprised to learn that refugees in Ireland today are denied the opportunity to work when staying in direct provision. As a class of change makers, 3B plan to write letters to Government Ministers expressing their views, putting our persuasive writing skills to good use! The children are definitely ready for their new adventures in 4th class.

2B Nature Scavenger Hunt 3B planting sunflowers

4A Class Tour

5A Easter Bonnets

4th Class 4A

Restrictions have not held 4A back! We’re reading Katherine Rundall’s novel The Explorer and have learned all about the rainforest. We presented such incredibly detailed projects on animals living in different sections of the rainforest that we could have been researchers for Planet Earth! 4A are studying all about ancient Roman society, and are hard at it preparing projects for presentation day. We even learned some Italian and tested each other on our knowledge.

In geography, we are exploring Italy, its wonderful history, and culture. 4A is part of the Dare to Believe Olympic schools programme. To follow the Irish Olympic team all the way to Tokyo, we have to be active every school day for at least 60 minutes. We log this through a special app. For P.E. we have been carrying out different Olympic sport activities. We have been completing daily laps of the pitch with special stretches and core exercises and have completed projects on Irish Athletes. We also learned about the history of the Olympic Games and the country and culture of Japan. 4A have shown great team spirit in the classroom. We have learned from the Olympic ethos, supporting each other in a positive way, showing patience and understanding to our classmates / teammates, and encouraging one another in good times and in bad. These values have enhanced our learning across all subjects. GO TEAM 4A J

4B

Despite all the restrictions, 4th Class B have had a very eventful 2021. 4B studied ancient Roman society and culture, creating wonderful projects to demonstrate their learning. They have also written fantastic reports on the Solar System, and worked super hard on lots of other projects. Lately the class have been contributing to an artwork that is set to emphasise the issue of biodiversity loss in Ireland. They created clay snail shells, which represent the home of one very important pollinator, a particular species of solitary bee. These shells will be added to many others in what will become an artwork consisting of one million handmade clay snail shells. Currently, the children are enthralled by Michael Morpurgo’s novel Kensuke’s Kingdom and are using this as a springboard to learn about the fascinating culture and land of Japan. 4th Class B have done so much in a year where so little has been possible. They deserve a summer of fun and relaxation and I hope that’s what lies ahead for them!

4B’s clay snail shells

5th Class 5A

We have had an unbelievable year in 5th Class A, beginning with cycling in the first term - which we loved. We are all super safe cyclists now! We enjoyed learning about the Normans and one of the highlights this year was our magnificent Norman Castles! Our lockdown learning included terrific projects on Ancient South and Central American civilizations, and writing and illustrating our own picture books. We learned loads along the way and had plenty of fun doing so! We had a great experience in Killiney Hill, getting involved in nature and creating some wonderful artwork in the process. The undoubted highlight, however, was being paired with Junior Infants B! We are super excited to be fantastic role models for the future of METNS!

5B

We have had a fantastic term in 5B and have done lots of interesting and exciting things. We read “Skellig” by David Almond and made projects on the different characters. We had lots of fun making 3D shapes out of spaghetti and marshmallows, testing and redesigning our structures to increase their stability. We also invented a T.V. game show called “Name That Shape!”, coming soon to a screen near you. We’ve been able to show off our Aimsir Chaite skills by creating crazy sentences, for example, “D’ith na bananaí sna pitseámaí an fear dámháin alla sa chistin ar a trí a chlog ar maidin”. This term we also adopted some class pets. Our five butterflies somehow merged into four, sadly, as we believe Pudge may have eaten Féileacán Fíneálta! We are really enjoying watching their metamorphosis and are looking forward to the day when we can release the adult butterflies into our school garden! The highlight of this term has been our trip to Killiney Hill. We had so much fun exploring and we even had hot chocolate and a pizza party! It has been a really fun and interesting term in 5B, however, we are looking forward to our well-earned summer break!

5B’s 3D shapes

6th Class 6A

6th Class A have had a wonderful term and have been working flat out since we returned to school after lockdown. It took us a while to get going but we have worked really hard and have had lots of fun and laughter along the way. It has been so nice to be back together again!

Since returning, we have enjoyed hanging out together and having picnics in Samuel’s Space. We have also been put through our paces with our rugby coach Emily. We are busy putting the finishing touches to our parting gift project, and have been brainstorming and planning how best to celebrate our upcoming graduation.

We have been working hard but we have enjoyed every minute of it. Add to this our kayaking trip to Dun Laoghaire, WW2 projects, lots and lots of art and music, an upcoming trip to Killiney Hill and gearing up for Sport’s Day and it’s clear to see that 6th class A are as fun-loving, creative and industrious as ever!

6B

It’s hard to believe that this will be the last newsletter submission for the 6th class children. Over the past few weeks, 6B have been busy creating the parting gift, preparing for graduation and going on class trips. As they reflect on their time in METNS, one phrase seems to echo around the classroom more than any other: “Where did the time go?” It seems like time moved faster each year that passed. The last two years in particular, with all the extra challenges, went by in a flash. As the senior children, 6B led by example and adapted to the new realities of schooling in an admirable fashion.

At the time of writing, the class have just returned from their kayaking trip. It was a really special day. Not only was it fun to be able to do something “normal” after all the restrictions, but it was a lovely opportunity to create memories together, and that’s our main focus at the moment. Whether it’s a pizza party in Samuel’s Space, a nature trail on Killiney Hill, or a day spent making videos for graduation, we will all remember something that will make us smile in the future.

“Difference is the essence of humanity.

Difference is an accident of birth, and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace: respect for diversity.”

- John Hume

Depicting Diversity The current year’s sixth class students at METNS worked with artist Mags Harnett on a project entitled ‘Depicting Diversity’. This was originally an outreach visual arts education programme with The Lexicon and intended for exhibition there. Due to current restrictions, workshops took place via zoom and the children involved contributed to the design process of their Parting Gift.

Context The death of George Floyd in May of last year brought to the fore the Black Lives Matter movement and has provoked discussion on race here in Ireland ever since. Not long afterwards, the great pacifist, John Hume, passed away. His words and actions struck a chord with so many people traumatised by these events.

Reiterating his quote in her message of condolence, Ursula von der Leyden paid tribute to him, saying, ‘Conflict is about difference and peace is about respect for difference’.

Workshop Goals The original goals of the workshops were to raise a conscious awareness in each child on the subject of difference. Themes included a discussion on ‘accidental difference’ and ‘random difference’ as opposed to differences of choice, over which a person has control and influence. This process attempted to encourage reflection and self-awareness in each child regarding difference. The aim during the workshops, in the classroom space, was to promote acceptance and respect within the group for each person’s differences. As self-portraits were the chosen means of visual representation; the children explored a range of artworks from the collection of The National Gallery of Ireland.

The final artwork, resulting from the series of workshops, will be a playful exhibition for graduation that will celebrate the diversity within the group and play on the idea of the accidental or random nature of difference. While the children have created a collaborative work of art to leave as a Parting Gift to METNS, each child will also take with them a piece of art reflecting the process.

We will share our finished work with the community on Graduation Day. Dolores (Parting Gift Co-Ordinator)

‘Diversity’ 2021 Creativity Week

Blaithin Quinn Creativity Week

C R E A T I V E S C H O O L S INFORMATION MEETING MONKSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER NATIONAL SCHOOL

Music Generation

Crea8ve Associate

Blaithin Quinn -­‐ Ar8st, Architect, Educator Samuel’s Space

BSc (Architecture), BArch (Architecture), BA(Hons) Visual Arts Prac8ce, MA Visual Arts Educa8on

C R E A T I V E S C H O O L S

Creative Schools

January 2019 INFORMATION MEETING

MONKSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER NATIONAL SCHOOL METNS has had a long history of involvement with arts education and has fostered close ties with arts institutions. In the past three years, our involvement with Creative Schools has enhanced this engagement. The Arts Council’s Creative Schools initiative has provided us with both funding and access to expertise.

Crea8ve Associate

The funding also contributed to the sixth class Partng Gift projects ‘Samuel’s Space’ 2020 and ‘Diversity’ 2021, to Music Generation participation fees and to dance workshops for all with Dance Theatre Ireland. Other whole-school initiatives undertaken, in direct response to pupils’ input via the Student Council, were Creative Homework nights and Active Fridays. Continuous professional development for staff, including training with Hub Na n-Óg, was also a successful element of the programme.

Blaithin Quinn -­‐ Ar8st, Architect, Educator A Creative Associate was allocated to each participating school BSc (Architecture), BArch (Architecture), in the Creative Schools programme to guide them through the process of the project. A Our Creative Associate, Quinn,Arts Educa8on BA(Hons) Visual rts Prac8ce, MBlaithin A Visual

C R E A T I V E S C H O O L S helped us to clarify our goals in the area of arts education and to plan for the projects we wished to undertake. She engaged with parents, teachers, staff and pupils to encourage the inclusion of all partners in learning.

January 2019 INFORMATION MEETING

As our funded participation period ends, we are grateful to The Arts Council for the opportunity to engage with the Creative Schools programme to promote creativity across all aspects of school life. We are indebted to Blaithin Quinn for her excellent input and guidance, and to the parents and staff of METNS who worked collaboratively to enhance the children’s experience of engagement with the arts.

The funding we received helped us to undertake a series MONKSTOWN EDUCATE TOGETHER NATIONAL SCHOOL of initiatives over the past few years. These included the establishment of a creative schools committee comprised of parents and staff, who coordinated our Creative Schools Celebration Day in May 2019. This day was so successful because it drew on local talent and expertise from the parent body and gave the children the opportunity to understand the day-to-day working life of artists from a range of artistic disciplines.

Crea8ve Associate

Dolores

Blaithin Quinn -­‐ Ar8st, Architect, Educator BSc (Architecture), BArch (Architecture), We organised another whole school event in November 2019, BA(Hons) Visual Arts Prac8ce, MA Visual Arts Educa8on where individual classes selected a creative Irish practitioner and explored their work and processes. Due to lockdown in March 2020, we were obliged to abandon stage two of this project – the close examination and study of a work of art or design.

January 2019

Instead, a volunteer committee of teachers undertook to develop Creativity Week - an online menu of creative events in June 2020 for junior and senior classes. Our plan is to revisit some of this material this month. Lockdown also afforded us the opportunity to update our school Visual Arts Plan and to develop resources for teachers to use with children when looking at and responding to art.

METNS families contributed photos to the ‘Find Your Own Rainbow’ project, during the first lockdown last year, a poster of which will be on permanent display in the school foyer.

Farewll Sixth Class Ethos

As we entered the new year of 2021, it became clear that we would need to find courage and resilience. With schools forced to remain closed, never was it more important to look towards our ethos, to act with empathy and generosity, to practice kindness and self-care, and to place the children at the centre of our plans for distance teaching and learning. Our staff at METNS worked hard to build on the lessons of last year and to reach out more comprehensively to the children at home, while maintaining communication with all of our community. The overwhelming response of parents in supporting their children during this extremely challenging time was wonderful and the real embodiment of what our ethos means. It binds us and supports us whether we are together or apart.

The more tangible expression of our ethos this school year has been a focus on well-being, as recommended by the DES, and our values of the month during the whole year have reflected this. There is no doubt that promoting well-being has never been more important and will continue to be even as we travel the more hopeful road ahead.

Since our return to school, we have celebrated the Wellness Wednesday initiative. On these designated days, each class teacher chooses an aspect of wellness on which to focus with the children. In place of a whole school assembly, AnnMarie addresses the children via intercom and, in place of regular homework, the children have wellness homework - a specific activity designed to promote their own well-being and that of their families.

For the month of June, with the prospect of finer weather, (let us remain positive), our focus will be on healthy body and happy minds. We plan to have as many outdoor activities for the children as we possibly can as we embrace the new easing of lockdown and hopefully warmer and brighter days ahead.

Next year, we plan to make Ethical Education the focus of our School Self Evaluation process, with a review of content and methodologies used in the Learn Together Programme. More details on this to follow. In the meantime, we wish all our METNS families a happy and relaxing summer in the company of those you love!

Dolores & Caro (on behalf of Ethos Committee)

Student Council present cheque to Make a wish foundation

Board of Management Dear METNS Community,

It’s incredible to think another year has passed and so much has happened that no one could ever have foreseen.

Perhaps what is most amazing of all is that collectively the teachers and staff, the MCA, the Board, the parents and guardians, and our children have maintained a sense of determination, joy, creativity and diligence that have kept the school working throughout the year.

I would like to reiterate my thanks to all: the teachers for their adaptability and commitment; the staff for their continued support and endeavour; the MCA for their vibrancy and hard work; the class reps for their flexibility and engagement; the parents and guardians for their patience and support; and the children for being open to change and remaining ever positive.

As the year ends let us look forward to the summer months and enjoy the opportunity it brings to meet with friends and family, and the time to relax and rejuvenate.

Finally, to our children leaving METNS this year, the Board wishes them well in their future academic journey and all the excitement and potential that will follow.

David Jennings Chairperson of the Board of Management, METNS.

MCA

It has been such an unusual year for the MCA. Unable to bring the community together, we have been working behind the scenes to make our community a better and greener place. Having reached our fundraising target for the year with the generous enthusiasm of METNS families and friends, we have been concentrating our energy on supporting the school in variety of different ways.

Green Schools: we have been liaising with the Student Council about initiatives to raise awareness about litter (including the dreaded dog poo) in the environment close to the school and in the wider community, as well as carbon emissions from idling cars. The Student Council are working towards a schoolwide campaign in June. The METNS community are already actively freecycling on the METNS Community Facebook page; search groups on Facebook.

6th Class Graduation: we were delighted to contribute financial support for some fun activities for the graduating 6th class students.

Library: we are busy planning a fundraising event in the new academic year to support stocking the new library, which will hopefully be open in September.

Recruitment: this year 6 members of the MCA will be leaving the committee, so we have also been working on recruiting new members for September. The MCA plays a really important role in supporting the METNS community, of which every teacher, parent, guardian and child is a member.

It is also a brilliant way to get to know the community better. If you are interested in joining the committee please contact mca@metns.ie

Student Council

The Student Council has been working hard this term on behalf of the students of METNS. The meetings are held by Zoom once a month in the afternoons. Each class bring their suggestions, projects/initiatives and questions to Emer B. or Sarah K. These form the agendas for the meetings.

After the meetings take place, the minutes are written up and distributed to the classes. The Student Council Reps. inform everyone in their class what happened during the meeting and what the updates are.

So far, the Student Council arranged for the Virtual Monster Mash to take place and came up with an alternative way for Buddies to go ahead this year. They have also organised a small fundraising event for the New Year.

Each class (3rd-6th) voted for the initiative and the charity they wanted to support. In January, the METNS Student Council will lead the school in a ‘Pyjama Day’ to raise money for Make-A-Wish Ireland.

A huge thank you Emily & Tommy (3A), Cathryn & Tiernán (3B), Roan, Willow & Ezra (4A), Alexandra & Harry (4B), Vencel & Áine (5A), Lily & Cillian (5B), Harry & Eva (6A), Oisín & Darragh (6B) from Emer B. & Sarah K. and all of the METNS community for their hard work!

Sports Day

1A wit Fun hc gam ard es

5B trip to Killiney Hill

2A Activities

4B Plant a tree

Final Term Fun 3A Hang ing out 3B Creat ions

SIB’s Teddy Bear Picnic

2B Art Sessi on

JI outdoor classroom

5B trip to Killiney Hill 1A S all R miles oun d!

1B Forest Schools

1B Construction Senior Infants B Playtime Senior Infants A Playtime