Classmate Spring 2019

Dublin City Council’s Primary School Magazine Iris do Bhunscoileanna Chomhairle Cathrach Bhaile Átha Cliath

CLASSMATE ST PATRICK’S DAY/LÁ LE PÁDRAIG Spring 2019 Earraigh 2019

www.dublincity.ie

DublinCityCouncil

@DubCityCouncil

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FÁILTE ISTEACH / INTRODUCTION Hello everyone and welcome to the Spring 2019 issue of Classmate.

Well done to all those who entered our competitions. The winners’ names are on pages 3 and 13. We have another quiz that will test your knowledge about Irish Myths and Legends on the opposite page and a special feature on Ireland’s only native land reptile, the common lizard, on page 16.

There’s also lots of information on events that will be happening in Dublin over the coming months such as The Citywide Reading Campaign, St Patrick’s Festival, MusicTown and Irish Tech Week.

If you would like to get in touch with us you can email classmate@dublincity.ie.

We love hearing from our readers.

CONTENTS The Bookworms

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The Culture Vultures

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The History Detective

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The Earth Defenders

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The Whizz Kids

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Team Classmate

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Your City Council

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Word Spiral

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Cover: Photo By St Patrick's Festival

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IRISH MYTHS AND LEGENDS QUIZ

THE BOOKWORMS

ENTER OUR COMPETITION TO WIN A KINDLE FIRE! To enter, answer the following questions about Irish myths and legends.

1. In the story ‘The Children of Lir’, what did the cruel stepmother, Aoife, turn her stepchildren into?

Send your entry along with your name, age and school to classmate@dublincity.ie by 5pm on Friday, 5 April. Please put ‘Irish Myths and Legends Quiz’ in the subject line of the email. The winner will be picked at random from all the correct entries.

3. Who followed Niamh of the Golden Hair into Tír na nÓg – the Land of Eternal Youth?

The winner’s name, age and school will be published in the next issue of Classmate. Congratulations to Avgustin Kafalov (age 8) from St. Clare’s Primary School, Harold's Cross who won a Kindle Fire in our Spooky Book Quiz Competition.

All the answers can be researched at your local library, and remember you can download e-books and audio books for free by using BorrowBox if you are a library member.

2. In the old Irish story, a king called Labhraidh Loingseach hid a strange secret under his long hair – a secret that only his barber knew about. What was his secret?

4. According to legend, what Irish giant created The Giant’s Causeway in an attempt to create a bridge to Scotland?

5. The leprechaun is said to be a solitary creature that makes and mends shoes and enjoys practical jokes. In popular folklore, where would you find a leprechaun’s Crock of Gold?

6. Many people believe in the Banshee (or Bean-sidhe, which means Fairywoman). If you hear a Banshee wailing and screeching while combing her long hair, what event is she supposed to be foretelling?

7. There is a great collection of Irish folk and fairy tales called Tales from Old Ireland by Malachy Doyle. Which well-known Irish artist and former Children’s Laureate illustrated this book? Hint: you could try searching the online library catalogue.

8. Which Irish Queen of Connacht went to war because she wanted to capture the Brown Bull of Cooley?

9. ‘The Little Mermaid’ is a famous fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen.

In Scottish and Irish folklore there are stories of another type of ‘sea people’ who are seals while in the sea, but when on dry land they turn into humans.

What are these ‘seal people’ called?

10. Cúchulainn was a famous Irish warrior and when he was a boy he was very skilled at playing hurling and was as strong as most grown men. Before he got the name Cúchulainn (which means The Hound of Culainn) he had another name – what was it?

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BUMPFIZZLE - THE BEST ON PLANET EARTH

BY PATRICIA FORDE THE DUBLIN UNESCO CITY OF LITERATURE CITYWIDE READ FOR CHILDREN FOR 2019 IS LITERALLY OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Dublin City Gallery – The Hugh Lane, Parnell Square North Saturday, 16 March - 11am-12pm: Join author Patricia Forde who will read from her book Bumpfizzle followed by a Q&A. Illustrator Elina Braslina will also be there to talk about what it takes to make a great illustration.

Free event, no booking required although numbers may be limited.

The St Patrick’s Festival - The Festival Village, Merrion Square, Dublin 1

Photo by Fennell Photography

The reading campaign runs from January to March each year and copies of the chosen book are available in all Dublin City Public Libraries to borrow or to buy in any good bookshop.

Children from all over Dublin got a hilarious glimpse into the mind of Bumpfizzle, an alien, sent to Earth from Planet Plonk on a research mission. Or is he really just a ten-year-old boy who is feeling a bit upset by all the attention his parents are paying to The Baby?

Lots of school children have had the chance to meet the author Patricia Forde in their local library over the last few months. There are still two chances to meet Patricia and the book’s illustrator, Elina Braslina, so don’t miss out!

Monday, 18 March – 12-2pm: Join author Patricia Forde and illustrator Elina Braslina for workshops and readings based on Bumpfizzle - The Best on Planet Earth. Suitable for ages 6-10.

More details at www.dublincityofliterature.ie or www.stpatricksfestival.ie There’s also a reading guide for teachers at http://www.dublincityofliterature. ie/projects/citywide-read/.

The Citywide Read is held in association with Dublin City Public Libraries and Little Island Books.

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THE BOOKWORMS

Photo by Fennell Photography

SEACHTAIN NA GAEILGE 1-17 MARCH To celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge author Patricia Forde wrote this piece about the Citywide Read.

Is mór an onóir domsa gur roghnaíodh mo leabhar Bumpfizzle - The Best On Planet Earth mar an Citywide Read do Chathair Litríocht UNESCO Bhaile Átha Cliath i mbliana.

Tá an feachtas á reáchtáil ag Cathair Litríocht UNESCO Bhaile Átha Cliath i gcomhpháirtíocht le Little Island Books agus Leabharlanna Poiblí Baile Átha Cliath. Ritheann sé ó Eanair go Márta 2019. Is í aidhm an fheachtais ná leanaí a spreagadh le leabhair á léamh mar chaitheamh aimsire pléisiúrtha. Le cabhair óna leabharlanna poiblí, déantar gach iarracht páistí Bhaile Átha Cliath a ghríosadh chun an leabhar céanna a léamh, ag an am céanna.

Téann údar an leabhair a roghnaítear ar chamchuairt ó leabharlann go leabharlann ag caint faoin leabhar agus ag castáil le páistí ar fud chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath.Níl tada níos ansa le scríbhneoir ná an deis a fháil bualadh lena lucht léitheóireachta agus dul chun cainte leo.

Ag caint le páistí óga na linne seo, feictear dom go bhfuil an cíocras céanna orthu do leabhair. Ó Bhallymun go Donaghmede tá páisti fós ag léamh agus ag iarraidh leabhar a phlé. Tá cáirde éagsúla acu. Níl Patricia Lynch léite acu, ach tá sean aithne acu ar JK Rowling, Jeff Kinney agus David Walliams.

Maidir liomsa, go pearsanta, is breá liom an deis a fháil chun leabharlanna a chur chun cinn.Rugadh agus tógadh mé i gceartlár chathair na Gaillimhe. Bhí seisear againn ann mar chlann – seisear cailíní. Ní raibh mórán airgid bhreise ann chun leabhair a cheannacht. Ach bhí leabharlann in aice láimhe linn agus rinne mo mháthair gach iarracht muid a spreagadh chun leabhair a léamh. Agus léigh muid gach rud a bhí ar fáil! Sa leabharlann sin rinne mé cáirde a mhair liom go dtí an lá atá inniu ann, cáirde a mhacasamhail Enid Blyton, Susan Cooper, Patricia Lynch agus a lán údar eile nach iad!

Tá Bumfizzle léite acu agus iad ar bís chun é á phlé liom. Is é an nóiméad is fearr liom ná an nóiméad sin ina mbím féin agus an leabharlannaí ag déanamh réidh don chuairt. Níl an leabharlann ar oscailt fós. Tá chuile rud ciúin, síochánta. Agusn ansin, cloisim iad. Guthanna óga ag caint, iad ar bís, gáire san aeir. An múinteoir ag iarriadh smacht a choinneáil orthu. Tugann sé misneach dom gur lá speisialta dóibh é.

Go bhfuil siad ag iarraidh a bheith anseo, ag iarraidh leabhar a léamh, díreach mar a bhí muidne is muid óg.

Aithním iad. Is mo threibh iad.

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WELCOME TO A MAGIC WOODLAND! Dublin City Council’s Children’s Art in Libraries Programme transformed the Civic Centre in Ballyfermot into a magic woodland on Valentine’s Day to show their love for dance!

On 14 February, over eighty local children performed in the production The Forest in front of friends, families and guests.

Inspired by the animals and plants of Irish woodlands, the dance was created by 5th class children from four schools, led by Swedish choreographer Maria Nilsson Waller.

This ten-week dance programme took place in Ballyfermot Library, where school children began by researching Ireland’s native plants and animals using the library’s wonderful book collection.

Every week they worked with professional dancers, Lucia Kickham and Tobi Balogun and composer Stacey

Gill, and danced to live music played by musicians, Enda Cloke and Jane Hughes from CDETB Music Centre, Kylemore College.

The Children’s Dance Programme is part of a new Creative Hub initiative, a programme designed to get children involved in the arts in their own library and local area. The programme links up organisations in the community with an interest in developing the arts and uses the local library as a base. Ballyfermot Library is the first Creative Hub but the Arts Office hope to work with other libraries over the next three years.

Photo by Louis Haugh

Come and wonder at new Irish art at the LAB Gallery. Their Wonder Club for Schools uses a new approach to looking at art.

At Wonder Club in the LAB Gallery the staff help students discuss works of art using Visual Thinking Strategies. They create a fun and social setting and help to develop students’ thinking skills.

This is followed by an art making workshop where students respond to exhibition themes by creating their own works of art. The sessions are free

but places are limited. They are offered on a first-come first-served basis for exhibitions which will be running from April until June 2019.

Wonder Club is a special initiative of Permission to Wonder, an Erasmus+ project, led by Dublin City Council's Arts Office.

For more information and to book a Permission to Wonder session for your school go to www.permissiontowonder.com or email erasmusplus@dublincity.ie.

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THE CULTURE VULTURES

RETURNS TO DUBLIN MusicTown 2019 will take place from 12-21 April. It is an annual event that celebrates live music in Dublin City. This year’s festival theme is diversity, collaboration, and community.

This year MusicTown has a special programme called MusicTown Junior which runs from 5 to 12 April with performances and workshops for

schools and families. Don’t miss the Big Free Family Gig with Stomptown Brass, an upbeat brass band street performance in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, on Sunday 7 April. For ages 5 and up. You can book a ticket on www.ark.ie.

Check out the full list of events at www.musictown.ie.

More children's events are listed at www.musictown.ie/musictown-junior/.

The Music Library in the Central Library will be hosting a show for the fourth year in a row. Two of Dublin’s best underground bands will be playing.

You can also talk to the bands to find out more about being a musician. The local rock group Lugosi will be playing with the electronic dance act No More Questions. Come along on Saturday, 13 April from 2.00pm.

FREE DOWNLOADS FROM YOUR LIBRARY Freegal Music, the free music streaming service, is now live on Dublin City Public Libraries’ website. It can be accessed from anywhere and will work on phones, tablets, and computers.

Access to Freegal is free to all members of Dublin City Public Libraries. All you need is your library card number and PIN. If you don’t have a PIN, ask at the library desk and they will give you one. It allows unlimited streaming, and there are no ads! Plus you get five free downloads every week. There is no software to download, and there are no digital rights management (DRM) restrictions.

Freegal offers access to about 15 million songs, including Sony Music’s catalogue of legendary artists. There are also over 40,000 music videos. In total, the collection is made up of music from over 40,000 record labels.

There is also a free mobile app, available from the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, and on Amazon. www.dublincity.ie/library-eresources www.freegalmusic.com/home

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THE CULTURE VULTURES

This year’s St Patrick’s Festival will take place from 14-18 March.

The festival theme ‘Storytelling’ will be brought to life by the pageant companies in the Festival Parade on 17 March.

HIGHLIGHTS Festival Parade – 17 March, 12pm Ireland’s leading street theatre and pageant companies have responded creatively to the theme, SCÉALAÍOCHT AGUS SEANCHAÍ - A Celebration of Irish Storytelling. See their magnificent creations and spectacular performances when the parade begins at Parnell Square at 12pm.

Bands from far and wide will deliver dazzling rhythms and uplifting musical scores that will echo throughout the streets of Dublin. This is a must see for all ages and a chance to cheer along with the hundreds of thousands of people who make the atmosphere at the Festival Parade something truly special to remember.

Photos by St. Patrick's Festival Festival Funfairs: Custom House Quay 16 & 17 March, 11am-9pm 18 March, 11am-8pm From waltzers, to family attractions, to the carousel, there is something for everyone at the Festival Funfairs. Dare to be suspended upside down, turned over or whisked through the air. Whether you are young, or just young at heart, this three-day event is a firm Festival favourite. Enjoy the Dublin skyline from high above as the city is lit up with colour from the carnival fairgrounds. The Festival Funfair has something to offer all members of the family!

The St Patrick’s Festival - The Festival Village, Merrion Square Monday 18 March, 12-2pm Join author Patricia Forde and illustrator Elina Braslina for workshops and readings based on Bumpfizzle -The Best on Planet Earth. Suitable for ages 6-10.

For more information on these events and lots more, visit www.stpatricksfestival.ie

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Pupils from St. Mary's National School visit 14 Henrietta Street. Photo by Ste Murray.

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL CULTURE COMPANY Dublin City Council Culture Company runs cultural initiatives and buildings across the city on behalf of Dublin City Council and the people of Dublin, whatever their age. They want to connect with local schools through culture and conversation, to bring you new experiences, ignite your imaginations and inspire action. And here’s how you can get involved...

CULTURE KIDS!

JUICE AND CHATS

Dublin City Council Culture Company wants to introduce you to the museums, galleries, libraries and other cultural venues that bring Dublin city to life. Culture Kids is a series of free, fun and relaxed guided tours of Dublin’s cultural places and spaces guaranteed to open your eyes to what the city has to offer. Connect with Culture Kids to kick start your very own cultural adventures.

Juice and Chats is exactly what it sounds like: they want to talk to children all over Dublin about their city. Dublin City Council Culture Company can come to your school and help you have a conversation about what matters to you and your community. And who knows where it might lead!

If you’d like to host a Juice and Chats in your school, be part of Culture Kids or find out more about how your school could get involved with their programmes ask your teacher to contact join-in@dublincitycouncilculturecompany.ie or call them on 01 524 0346.

Belmayne Youth and Community Group.

Photo by Kate Aston Spring 2019

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THE CULTURE VULTURES

ABSTRACT ART IN THE HUGH LANE GALLERY

BY KIMBERLY GRIFFITH This painting is by the artist Liliane Tomasko.

It is an abstract painting.

An abstract painting is only made up of colours, shapes or patterns. This painting has bold lines that swoop and curve

energetically. Some of the colours are bright and vibrant. Can you describe all the colours that you see?

Liliane Tomasko begins her paintings by taking close-up photographs of fabrics in her home. The texture and movement of these fabrics inspire her paintings.

Use your imagination to describe what you think is happening in this painting.

What do you see that makes you say that? It is titled Lightly Lifting the Hidden Unfold. Do any of these words help to describe what you are seeing?

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MAKE A 3D ABSTRACT WORK 1. Gather a variety of tissue paper, choosing colours that you like and think would go together well. Maybe shades of green for St Patrick’s Day! 2. Tear the paper into several different bits and pieces. Don’t worry about making perfect shapes.

3. Gather a large piece of paper or card.

THE CULTURE VULTURES

4. Arrange your pieces of coloured paper on the card. Glue them down once you have a design you are happy with.

For inspiration, you might look at the textures all around you, perhaps in nature or pieces of fabric such as your clothing.

There are lots of art activities for children at the Hugh Lane Gallery.

See www.hughlane.ie.

ABOUT THE GALLERY Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane is located at Charlemont House, Parnell Square North, Dublin 1. The Gallery is open every day except Mondays.

For more information please contact 01 2225550 or see www.hughlane.ie. Hopefully see you soon!

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THE HISTORY DETECTIVE

Photo by Vicky Kearney

THE HISTORY DETECTIVE RICHMOND BARRACKS The staff at Richmond Barracks love telling children about the things that happened there and what life was like over its 200-year history.

Richmond Barracks is an old military barracks in Inchicore that was built in 1814 to house British regiments in Ireland.

Many soldiers from regiments stationed here went to fight for the British Army

Now Richmond Barracks is an exhibition centre where you can learn about the lives of the British soldiers stationed there, and about the families that lived in the barracks, as well as what it was like to go to school there 100 years ago. You can also find out what life was like during 1916 and the fight for Irish independence, and what it was like for women fighting for equality, work, and the right to vote.

Photo by Vicky Kearney in wars in Africa, India and in World War I. Richmond Barracks later became a housing estate and after that a school was based there.

After the 1916 Rising, over 3,500 men and women who were arrested were brought to Richmond Barracks. Many of those were imprisoned there. Almost 200 military trials connected with the Rising took place there, including the trials of

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COMPETITION! We have 10 signed copies of Name Upon Name by Sheena Wilkinson to give away. 14-year-old Helen, born to a Catholic mother and a Protestant father, struggles to understand the impact of World War I and the Easter Rising on her family.

Answer the following question to be in with a chance of winning a copy: Sheena Wilkinson won the Children’s Books Ireland Honour Award for Fiction in 2017. Name the book that she won the award for.

Send the answer to classmate@ dublincity.ie by 5 pm on Friday, 5 April.

Congratulations to everyone who won a copy of Judy Curtin’s Time after Time in the last issue. Their names are: Saorla Byrne, Liam Byrne Cullen, Mina Campbell, Keely Kenny, Ella MacManus, Cara Mulligan, Ellen Neff, Emily Sheils, Aoife Smyth and Sam Trehy Dinsmore.

TEACHER’S TIP

You can access the transcripts of the court martials of the leaders of the Easter Rising on the website of the National Archives of Ireland: http://courtmartial. nationalarchives.ie/.

together information on the military barracks in Ireland past and present. It is available to search at: http://www. militaryarchives.ie/collections/ online-collections/maps-plansdrawings-collection-1702-2007.

The Irish Military Archives website has a ‘Maps, Plans and Drawings’ collection bringing

six of the signatories of the Easter 1916 Proclamation.

As well as learning about the history of the barracks, visitors can dress up in oldstyle clothes, play games that children used to play, write with ink and quills, and look at old weapons that were used back then.

You can also visit the nearby Goldenbridge Cemetery and learn about grave robbers and body-snatchers!

Goldenbridge Cemetery was established

by Daniel O’ Connell. He bought two acres of land in 1828 beside Richmond Barracks for £600 and set up Ireland’s first non-denominational garden

cemetery. W.T. Cosgrave is buried there.

He was President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1932.

To find out more, visit www.richmondbarracks.ie.

Photo by Marc O'Sullivan Spring 2019

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PLASTIC, PLASTIC EVERYWHERE

THE EARTH DEFENDERS

Plastic is everywhere - just take a look around you and you will probably see something that is made from plastic.

Much of our food and drinks arrive in plastic containers; parts of our mobile phones and computers are made from plastic, and so are our pens and pencil cases and school bags. The list goes on and on. In Ireland, we generate 61 kg of plastic waste per person each year on average. That’s around 2,000 plastic bottles’ worth!

Currently, only 36% of this waste is recycled. Plastic sent for recycling can be made into new items such as new plastic bottles, packaging, and polyester fibres for use in fleece clothing, carpets and sleeping bags. It takes just 24 two-litre plastic bottles to make one adult-sized fleece.

Most hard or rigid plastics can be placed in your recycling bin. Unfortunately, not everyone will dispose of their waste correctly and it can often end up littering our parks, rivers and seas. This causes harm to animals and marine wildlife who mistake it for food and who are often injured by it.

Remember when it comes to plastics: try to reduce the amount you generate, reuse wherever possible or recycle them!

HOW TO REDUCE PLASTIC WASTE Small changes can often make a big difference. Think about how you can help to reduce the amount of plastic waste you generate. Here are a few ideas to get you started: • Bring your lunch to school in a lunch box.

• Use a reusable bottle for drinks.

• Use a reusable bag instead of a plastic bag.

• Keep old yoghurt and milk cartons to make some fun things in your art class.

COMPETITION

Win a Reusable Water Bottle and Lunch Box! The Environmental Awareness Office are giving away 20 reusable water bottles and lunch boxes.

To be in with a chance of winning, answer the following question: How much plastic waste is generated in Ireland per person each year?

Email your answers to: greenschools@dublincity.ie by 5pm on 12 April.

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THE NATIONAL SPRING CLEANLEND A HAND!

THE EARTH DEFENDERS

This year’s National Spring Clean takes place during the whole month of April so why don’t you and your class get involved?

Last year, over 150 schools in Dublin took part in An Taisce’s initiative. This year, they will be joining up with Dublin City Council’s Team Dublin Clean Up so there is even more reason to get involved and be part of making a real difference to the city.

So please get involved and register to take part in the National Spring Clean 2019 now. Taking part is very easy. You can find out all the details you need and register online at www.nationalspringclean.org.

Don’t want to restrict yourself to one clean up a year? An Taisce also encourage pupils to do little clean

ups all year round – spend two minutes of your time, on your way to or from school for example, doing a mini clean up. Then take a photo and hashtag it #2minutestreetclean on whatever social media you use. You can find out more on the website www.2minutestreetclean.org.

You can also follow An Taisce on Facebook and Twitter at www. facebook.com/NationalSpringClean/ and @NationalSpringC. Watch out for prizes!

Ask your parent or teacher first before you register or post on social media!

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THE EARTH DEFENDERS

Photo by Rob Gandola

DUBLIN’S DRAGONS

Have you heard the story about St Patrick banishing the snakes from Ireland long ago? Well, modern scientists now believe that Ireland may have never had snakes in the first place! In fact, the common lizard is Ireland’s only native land reptile.

Dublin is home to many populations of the common lizard or Zootoca vivipara.

They can be found in many of the wilder parts of Dublin and even in the city centre. North Bull Island is part of the Dublin Bay Biosphere and is home to a wonderful variety of wildlife, including lizards.

Dublin City Council asked the Herpetological Society of Ireland to do a scientific survey of the area to see if there was evidence of our native reptile, the common lizard, as well as the common frog and smooth newt, which are both amphibians. They found out that all three seem to be doing well in the Biosphere, even though they are hard to spot! Lizards (and newts) are a protected species in Ireland and you need to have a licence to handle them

so if you should come across one, don’t touch it or try to pick it up!

Like all reptiles, lizards have scales covering their skin. They can be spotty (usually males) or stripy (usually females).

Male lizards have a pattern of black spots on an orange belly that they use to attract females. This pattern is like a fingerprint, so it can be used to tell individuals apart.

Female common lizards incubate their babies inside their bodies, i.e. they don't lay their eggs outside. The number of babies a female lizard can have is based on how big she is – so bigger female lizards have more babies. Once born, the baby lizards have just a few months to feed up before the weather turns cold.

They eat slugs, snails, spiders and worms.

Like other reptiles, they are coldblooded so they have to absorb heat from their surroundings, including warm surfaces and sunlight. To survive in climates like Ireland, lizards go into brumation (a type of hibernation) for the winter between October and February.

So this spring, when you are out and about, don’t forget to keep an eye out in sunny, grassy areas for lizards. You’ll have to be quick though because they can move really fast, especially when they’re warm, but if you’re lucky you might see one sunbathing. Like any animals you come across outside, please don’t go too close because you might scare or hurt them. Find out more at www.thehsi.org/.

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TECH WEEK: PROGRAMMING OUR FUTURE

THE WHIZZ KIDS

Tech Week is a national STEM festival which runs from 11 – 17 May 2019.

It celebrates new technologies and their power to change our lives.

The festival is organised by the Irish Computer Society and Science Foundation Ireland. Last year, more than 100,000 students were involved. Look out for Tech Week activities, workshops, competitions and challenges in your school and local area.

• Plan a Tech Week activity in the classroom

Tech Week is made up of classroom and community activities taking place across Ireland, in schools libraries and community centres. If you have your own idea for a Tech Week event, you can get involved, too. Some ideas include:

• Get a family member who works in STEM to talk to your class

• Run a competition or quiz • Show inspiring videos such as the Smart Futures videos

Have a look at www.smartfutures.ie or www.techweek.ie for more ideas.

TECHNOVATION Girls throughout Ireland are participating in an exciting programme called Technovation which is run by nonprofit organisation Iridescent. It is the world’s largest global tech entrepreneurship competition for girls.

The programme offers girls around the world the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to become tech entrepreneurs and leaders. Technovation challenges girls from 10 to 18 years to build a business plan and mobile app that will provide a technologybased solution to a problem in their community. In 2018, close to 20,000 girls registered from across 115 countries.

Programme details can be found at the official Technovation website www.technovationchallenge.org or @TechChal (Facebook, Instagram) or @technovation (Twitter). Hurry up though, the closing date is really soon!

Activities are free, but remember to check with your parents before you register online or go on social media.

Finalists receive an all-expenses paid trip to California to pitch their business idea and demo their app to a panel of judges in Silicon Valley.

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IF YOU COME DOWN TO THE PARK TODAY...

Dublin City’s parks are so much more than just grass, trees and benches. Why don’t you check out some of the different fun things in Dublin’s newest park?

THE DAILY MILE

TEAM CLASSMATE

Weaver Square Park is on Cork Street in Dublin’s city centre. It is Dublin’s newest park and has a modern skate park and a big playground with lots of things to have fun with your friends on. So why don’t you climb, slide or skate your way into the summer!

If you have any ideas for things we can put into your local park to make it more fun, please send your suggestions by email to parks@dublincity.ie

Weaver Square

St. Brigid’s National School in Castleknock, Dublin

The Daily Mile is an exercise initiative where you jog or run at your own pace for fifteen minutes during the school day at a time of the teacher’s choosing.

It is not sport or PE and it shouldn’t replace your break either! It focuses on health and wellbeing through physical activity. Some great reasons for you to get involved in the Daily Mile are: • It takes just 15 minutes and most children average a mile each day.

• You run outside in the fresh air.

• There’s no set-up, tidy-up or equipment needed.

• You run in your school uniforms, so no kit or changing time is needed.

• It is social, non-competitive and fun.

• It is fully inclusive; every child, whatever their circumstances, age or ability, succeeds at the Daily Mile.

If you would like the Daily Mile to come to your school, let your teacher know and ask them to visit www.thedailymile.ie/school-signup/.

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Photos from Comhairle na nÓg's Let's Talk Mental Health event in the Mansion House

YOUR CITY COUNCIL: COMHAIRLE NA nÓG Comhairle na nÓg provides young people with an opportunity to participate in influencing local and national policy, planning and decision-making.

Comhairle na nÓg was set up because the National Children's Strategy (2000) recommended that children and young people should have a voice in matters that affect them. Dublin City Comhairle has 63 elected members between the ages of 11 to 18 years. Eight places are held for seldom-heard young people.

Members hold a two-year term and they are elected at the Dublin City Comhairle AGM. The latest Dublin City Comhairle AGM took place on Monday, 19 November 2018 in Croke Park. 220 young people attended the AGM, representing various schools and youth organisations from across Dublin. 36 new members were elected at this AGM. The young people discussed education, physical health and wellness and the environment.

The working topic for 2019 as voted for at the AGM is Education. Members will be working on this topic in the coming months. Keep an eye on their social media sites for updates.

Members of Comhairle are also sometimes invited to attend events hosted by Dublin City Council or other organisations so that they can tell them what they think about plans and services for young people in the city.

For further information on Dublin City Comhairle, contact Mary Mooney, Dublin City Comhairle Coordinator.

Tel: 01 222 5394 or email: mary.mooney@dublincity.ie Twitter: @DCCcomhairle Facebook: Dublin City Comhairle

Spring 2019

WORD SPIRAL Work out the puzzle and find the hidden word.

Starting from 1, fill in the grid in a clockwise direction with words, using the clues below. The last letter of each word becomes the first letter of the next word. If you have correctly filled in the grid, there should be a six-letter

1

word revealed in the centre of the puzzle. To give you a little help, one letter has been filled in. Also, a couple of clues that require you to use a dictionary are included.

2

6

O

7

5

3

8

4

CAN YOU WORK IT OUT? 1. The C _ _ _ is a black bird known for its loud, harsh sounding “caw” and for nibbling on crops as they grow in the fields.

She can fly, has super strength with bulletproof bracelets and a golden lasso of truth. She is W _ _ _ _ _ Woman.

the same as the word for “thread or wool”. The word begins with a Y and has four letters. Use a dictionary to help you find the word.

2. A character in the Marvel comics and movies, this Super Hero is an elite athlete, acrobat and martial arts expert. She is known as Black W _ _ _ _

4. R _ _ _ _ is a five letter word used to describe a “meeting or demonstration” and also a “car race”. Use a dictionary to help you find the word.

6. N _ _ is the time to choose a reusable water bottle - it will help to cut down on the overuse of plastic in our society. Be kind to the environment!

3. She is the most famous heroine in Science Fiction.

5. Another word for “story or tale” is also spelled

7. Spring is here and the W _ _ _ _ look beautiful

with bluebells popping up under the trees.

8. The children are running on the beach stopping from time to time to pick up a S _ _ _ _ or two. Unfortunately, the sand dunes are littered with plastic bottles and wrappers. Plastic pollution is fast becoming a global problem with discarded plastic travelling across the seas.

Hidden Word: Yellow. Answers: 1 Crow, 2 Widow, 3 Wonder, 4 Rally, 5 Yarn, 6 Now, 7 Woods, 8 Shell