Beach Clean Up Day 🗑️

Here at Knockskeagh, we are currently working towards getting our 8^th Green Flag – Global Citizenship Marine Environment. As part of the application process, our GreenSchools Committee participated in a beach clean up at Inchydoney Beach on Wednesday 31^st May. 🗑️

Using our pickers, we picked up almost 3 bags of rubbish from the beach! We hope people visiting the beach during the summer will leave it tidy! 🚮 At Knockskeagh National School, we are advocates of “Leave no trace”. 🗑️

After the clean up, we explored the rockpool areas at the beach known as the intertidal zone. The committee discussed the impact that litter would have on the different sea creatures and how it is so important to take our rubbish home with us.🗑️

It was a very enjoyable day for all, made all the better by the beautiful sunshine. ☀️

Please see our gallery below for a sample of what we got up to on our clean up!

Green Schools Action Day 2023

The Green-Schools Committee has been working very hard behind the scenes towards getting our 8th Green Flag, Global Citizenship: Marine Environment. 🐟They have been raising awareness on how looking after our local marine environment helps sea creatures all over the world and how we need to reduce our litter that is entering the rivers and oceans. 🗑️

For their key issue, the committee is learning about sea pollution, which is now widely acknowledged as a massive challenge facing our marine environment.

We are had our Green-Schools Action Day on Monday 22nd May, where pupils were invited to create “Under the Sea” art and the GreenSchools committee decorated the Hall with these. 🦑 It was gorgeous to see the variety of art that was created in the school and it brought so much colour to the Halla. Our local TD, Christopher O’Sillivan TD visited Knockskeagh on the day and he spoke about his experiences of the ocean. He is the spokesperson for the Environment, Biodiversity and climate change and he is an avid whale watcher. He kept the classes engaged in his chat and answered some of their questions. Thank you very much Christopher for your insightful chats with the classes!

We encouraged all families to join us on the day for a ‘No Single Use Plastic’ at home or at work. We incorporated this in to our school also and the GreenSchools committee measured the amount of single use plastic in their individual classrooms on the day. 

Thank you all for your support! 

We marked Science Week 2022 from Monday 14th to Friday 18th November.  👩‍🔬🔬

There was a variety of science activities investigated and explored in each class this year, including a range of science experiments, bug hunts, science shows, our virtual Science Showcase, and much more. 🔬🧪 

Infinite Possibilities

The whole school took part in our “Infinite Possibilities” Design Competition. The pupils in each class were tasked to design something that they would like to transform with the use of Science. We are sure these designs are aiding future developments! We again linked our Science Week with Green Schools. The Green Schools committee came up with the idea that each class had to incorporate recyclable materials in to their  designs. There were some very creative designs in each class and winners were awarded small prizes. All participants were presented with Science Week certificates too. Well done to all who took part! 👩‍🔬

The gallery below displays a snapshot of some of the other Science activities in the classes during Science Week 2022.

Science Activities around the school

In between the rain showers, the younger classes explored our pitch and garden habitat for bugs and minibeasts. 🔎

Junior Infants and Senior Infants tested what happens a Haribo jelly sweet when you place it in water over night. Let’s just say, everyone wanted to eat the giant sweet! 🍬

Senior Infants also completed the “Dancing Raisins” experiment. They watched the raisins dance up and down as they put them in a glass of sparkling water. 🧑‍🔬🧋

1st Class were busy with their experiments also.🧑‍🔬 They tested a variety of levers and they explored the chemical reaction that occurs when you mix vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. They also created plastic from milk. 🥛

2nd Class completed the “Volcano Experiment”. In this, they investigated the reaction that happens when you mix vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. 🌋

3rd and 4th Classes were using the “House of Circuits” kits. They had to connect the circuits, which were in turn connected to a house. When the circuit was running correctly, the house had electricity and a light bulb came on. 💡 They also made bubbles on their desks, using water, washing up liquid and straws. It was certainly a messy one but great fun!! 

4th Class also investigated what happens when they placed Skittles on a plate and added water. 🌈

5th and 6th Class were circuit crazy too, and were figuring out how to connect the circuit correctly in order to make the light shine. Both classes were extremely lucky to have a visit from Ciarán O’Connell, who is a parent in our school. Ciarán works with Alcon Ireland as a process engineer. He gave an insight into his work and the classes made periscopes. They had a great time! 🔭 5th Class also investigated the effects certain liquids have on eggs 🥚, with the shell resembling our teeth. 🦷

6th Class completed their annual “Mad Scientist Showcase”.

6th Class Mad Scientist Showcase

6th Class completed a Virtual Mad Scientist Showcase again this year. Their experiments were recorded and the links were forwarded to each class so they could watch them.

It was an amazing show and the class did a great job explaining each experiment. The experiments demonstrated included a pencil in a bag trick, blowing a bubble within a bubble on the table, exploding apples 🍎, a walking on air experiment and they also tested their fingerprints.

Well done everybody, it was certainly a Science Week to remember! 🧑‍🔬👩‍🔬🔬🧪🔎