Weekly Note & Reminders 13th October

Castle Park School

Weekly Note & Reminders 13th October 2023

From Mr McKernan (Principal, Whole School) Wednesday 16th Dear Parents, High Performance Learning HPL - Analysing During this week's Teaching Assembly, we explored 'Analysing,' another pivotal element of the High-Performance Learning (HPL) framework. Our exploration began with a journey into the world of a ‘blacksmith’ as we closely examined intricate details captured in photographs. Using these images as our guide, we transitioned into the renowned poem 'The Forge' by Seamus Heaney, linking the vivid images we had just analysed and the verses of the poem.

We proceeded to break the poem into manageable 'chunks' and engaged in thoughtful discussions about the significance of each sentence. Through this process, our pupils embraced the core principles of curiosity, inquiry, and a deep understanding of the 'why' behind the content, laying the foundation to become masters of their chosen subjects.

The focus on analytical thinking equips them not only for their current academic endeavours but also for the journey that lies ahead. These analytical skills will be invaluable companions, enriching their understanding and appreciation of the world for years to come.

The Week Ahead Parent-Teacher Meetings Maths Week No Hobbies Music Lessons as Normal ***

Monday 16th October Form IV Boys Basketball v Willow Park (H); Tip-off 2:30 pm; Collection times as normal.

Wednesday 18th October Form VI Boys Basketball v St Andrew's (H); Tip-off 2:30 pm; Collection times as normal.

Form VI Girls Basketball v St Andrew's (H); Tip-off 2:30 pm; Collection times as normal

Please click the HPL logo below to visit the website.

Thursday 19th October Form V Girls Hockey v St Conleth's (H). Pushback 2:30 pm; Collection times as normal.

Form V Boys Soccer v St Conleth's (H). Kick-off 2:30 pm; Collection times as normal

Friday 20th October Autumn Half Term Break (Normal School Day) Dress Up Day Early Years Harvest Concert (Junior & Senior Infants) @ 9:30 am.

Tea & Coffee after Drop-Off. You can find details of all fixtures/events/activities on the Parent Portal Calendar

Next Friday We have an exciting and eventful week ahead, particularly next Friday when we celebrate Halloween with a 'Dress Up Day’. We are eagerly looking forward to seeing those who wish to wear their costumes to school!

Our 'Early Years Harvest Concert' will take place on the same day, with our Junior and Senior Infant classes showcasing their talents on stage.

As the day unfolds, the celebrations will continue with our highly-anticipated ‘Halloween Disco’ organised by the Friends of Castle Park (FCP). This event guarantees a spooktacular time for all!

Wednesday 16th

Kindness Award This week, the Award was presented to:

***

From Mr Tindale (Deputy Principal, Whole School) Parent-Teacher Meetings We look forward to welcoming everyone for the Parent-Teacher Meetings (16th - 19th Oct). As a friendly reminder, there will be no extracurricular activities next week. However, music lessons will go ahead as usual.

We anticipate the car park will be particularly congested starting at 3:30 pm on the meeting days. To ensure a smooth traffic flow and convenience for everyone, we encourage parents to consider parking off-site and walking to the School. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated.

From Ms Kennedy (Assistant Principal, Early Years) Costumes As Mr McKernan mentioned above, our Early Years children are invited to come to school next Friday in their Halloween outfits. To ensure a smooth and enjoyable day, here are some important reminders regarding costumes.

Costume Accessories: We ask that costume accessories be left at home.

These items tend to get misplaced, which can be distressing for the children.

Footwear: Since the children will still be going to the playground, we recommend that they wear their regular school trainers/shoes with their costumes for safety and comfort.

Forest School Forest School will proceed as planned for Ms. Bradnick's Senior Infant class next Friday, so the children should bring their Forest School clothes as normal.

Harvest Concert Finally, the children from Junior and Senior Infants will be taking part in our Harvest Concert next Friday at 9:30 am. Tea and coffee will be served on ‘The Street’ from drop off. We look forward to seeing you then.

Congratulations ****

Ms O’Sullivan (Head of Maths) Maths Week Next week, from 16th to 20th October, we will be celebrating Maths Week Ireland. The pupils from Early Years to Form VI will actively participate in math-related activities. They will have their 'Maths Eyes' peeled as they engage in ‘Maths Trails’, ‘Meta-Thinking Maths’ puzzles and Maths activities linked to nature, art, and storytelling. The week will highlight how mathematics plays a significant role in our daily lives and helps us better understand the world around us. Please see the posters at the end of the newsletter.

Theme of the Week

Just to remind you, the deadline for entries to The Maths Photography Competition and the 2-D Shape Art Competition is Monday, 16th of October.

We encourage all pupils to submit their entries before this date.

Mr Hillman & Mr Nolan (Sports Department) Basketball & Hockey This week, our Form V pupils participated in friendly games against St Gerard's, featuring boys' basketball and girls' hockey matches. Both teams demonstrated exemplary sportsmanship and performed exceptionally well, representing the School admirably.

Analysing

Composer of the Week

Badminton Competition Additionally, our house badminton competition concluded this week, with Euan Starbuck emerging as the overall cup champion and Oisín O'Neill securing the plate victory. We applaud all the pupils who took part in this competition over the past two weeks. Well done to all!

Photo: **** & ****

Camille Saint-Saëns

Irish Phrase of the Week Anailís a dhéanamh ar shonraí - To analyse data Le gach dea-ghuí Stephen McKernan Principal

The Forge All I know is a door into the dark.

Artist of the Week Alecia *** The pupils in Form V have been working on paper collages of animals inspired by traditional Inuit artwork. Animals found in the Arctic Circle and North America, such as bears, eagles and wolves, were the project's focus, as they are revered within Inuit culture.

Outside, old axles and iron hoops rusting; Inside, the hammered anvil’s short-pitched ring, The unpredictable fantail of sparks Or hiss when a new shoe toughens in water.

The anvil must be somewhere in the centre, Horned as a unicorn, at one end and square, Set there immoveable: an altar Where he expends himself in shape and music.

Sometimes, leather-aproned, hairs in his nose, He leans out on the jamb, recalls a clatter Of hoofs where traffic is flashing in rows; Then grunts and goes in, with a slam and flick To beat real iron out, to work the bellows.

News from the Music Department

Ms McKiernan - Director of Music In the Music Department, the past couple of weeks have been filled with activity as pupils have been diligently preparing for singing competitions and musical auditions.

The Musical – Olivia!

On Thursday and Friday this week, our Form VI pupils took part in an audition process for the musical Olivia!. This production is an exciting, comic and fun-filled musical inspired by shows such as ‘Oliver’, ‘My Fair Lady’ and ‘Annie’. We are looking forward to starting rehearsals and staging the show for the whole school in March 2024.

Intermediate Singing Competition As you know, we were treated to some wonderful performances during the Intermediate Singing Competition last week. Form III and IV pupils participated in the contest, which concluded with eight finalists singing their chosen songs for a packed assembly hall. All the contestants did a fantastic job, and well done again to the winners: 1st prize - *** (IV-C) 2nd prize - R*** (III-C) Joint 3rd prize - *** (III-C); *** (IV-P) School Choir Our new School Choir has started the year on a high note. Meeting every Thursday at 3:30 pm in the music room, they have already learnt some exciting songs and energetic warm-up exercises. The songs include "What About Us? and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", along with the very popular "Fruit Canon". The pupils are singing with beautiful harmonies and adding some simple movements and actions. We look forward to their debut in our upcoming events later this term. Keep an eye out in the Photo Gallery for photos from their rehearsals.

Music Classes Across the School, pupils from Kindergarten to Form VI have been participating in all types of musical activities, filling the School with their lovely singing voices and learning to play our school instruments. In Forms I and II, pupils have been exploring the sounds and instruments of the Orchestra through their work on ‘Carnival of the Animals’ and ‘Peter and the Wolf’. Form III pupils have been learning about Folk Music and songs and traditions from around the world. At the same time, Form IV have been busy improving their ukulele skills and familiarising themselves with the music of John Williams. Guitar and Percussion have been the main focus in Form V and VI as they honed their ensemble playing skills and learned to work together as a musical team.

Individual Music Lessons Our music lessons are now in full swing, and most places for this academic year are already full. If you are interested in learning more about the music lessons on offer or how to book lessons, please don’t hesitate to contact music@castleparkschool.ie

Intermediate Singing Competition

Form I in the Music Room

Form I in the Music Room

Form I in the Music Room

Form I in the Music Room

Photos from our Singing Hobby

Photos from our Singing Hobby

Individual Music Lessons

From VI Visit the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland Ms Ledermann - REP’s Teacher Form VI embarked on their eagerly awaited first educational outing of the year on Tuesday, 10th October. They visited the Islamic Cultural Centre to revive a long-standing tradition, where Castle Park pupils visit the Mosque to reinforce their understanding and foster curiosity in their study of Islam.

Dr Ali Selim (Islamic Expert, Arabic/English Interpreter and Translator) welcomed the pupils warmly. He guided us into the Mosque, where the children sat on the carpet. He explained the key features of the interior and their importance and relevance. The pupils received a gift for which they were genuinely appreciative. Following the guided tour, the pupils had lunch in the restaurant and visited the shop. Finally, as we boarded the coach to return, we passed by the playground of the Muslim National School, where we saw the children playing. This Centre is a place where all Muslims can gather, pray, be educated and socialise, and it was a privilege to visit.

Thank you, Ms Geraghty, Ms O'Sullivan, and Ms Kirwan, who accompanied the classes on the trip, and our wonderful pupils who represented themselves and the school admirably. Dr Ali Selim also sent an email commending everyone, which I share below: "I have to write this email to you to express how much I was impressed with the students’ discipline. I talked about that to my colleagues, and everyone wanted to know the name of the School."

Upon returning to school, the REP's Leaders, Alex ***, Thady *** and Raonall ***, divided the group into three and conducted a short reflection session in the Rose Garden. During this session, they engaged in some ‘meta-thinking’ about the trip. Here are some notable points from the reflections of Form VI during this session.

Reflections: "My favourite part was seeing the outside of the Mosque.”

"I spotted the minaret right away!"

"I was surprised the carpet was designed with the colours of the Irish flag.”

"I really liked trying different types of food.”

"I was surprised at the size of the Mosque – I imagined it bigger. I enjoyed the trip and learned they have seven clocks in the Mosque!"

"It was smaller than I thought it was from the outside. I found out lots of facts about Muslims and Islam, like how their rest day is on Friday, unlike mine, which is on Sunday."

"I found the part about how all Muslims know at least a small part of the Qur'an off by heart amazing!"

"When it was refurbished in 1996, Mary Robinson, then president, opened the Mosque."

"My favourite part was taking our shoes off and sitting on the soft carpet."

"The building was cultural and intriguing, and I liked the carpet because it was very comfortable. I also liked the food because it was very tasty and tongue-tickling."

"Dr Ali Selim was very interesting. They have seven clocks: 5 for the different 'call to prayer' times of the day, one for the current Irish time and one for the Friday rest day prayers."

"I learned we can watch a live stream on Fridays on the website."

"I was surprised when Dr Ali Selim asked Lana to recite a bit of the Qur'an from memory, and she did it! It was my favourite part- I was amazed by that."

From VI Visit the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland

From VI Visit the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland

From VI Visit the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland

Form I - Forest School

Form I - Forest School

Form VI - ‘The Dubliner’ Artwork

Form VI - ‘The Dubliner’ Artwork

Woodcraft Classes

SwimCamp

👻 Halloween Swimming Camp 👻

For swimmers age 5+ who are currently in swimming lessons

🎃 3 Day Intensive - 45 minutes 📅 Wed Nov 1st - Thu Nov 3rd ⏰ 4:45 pm or 5:30 pm Register here

👉 https://www.swimcamp.ie/halloween-swimming-camp

FCP All-School Halloween Party FCP are really looking forward to welcoming all the children who will be joining us for our exciting All-School Halloween Event.

Children can look forward to a day filled with disco dancing, delectably spooky snacks, navigating through a Monster Maze, and receiving tasty treat bags!

Thanks to all who have bought tickets.

Your contributions make the magic happen - CLICK HERE to purchase yours.

Maths Week

Maths Week

Maths Week

Maths Week Ireland 2023

Halloween Art Competition - Junior

Halloween Art Competition - Senior