On the 10th of January 40 men including Ellie O Donnell’s father Patrick O Donnell, Robyn O Reilly’s father Stanley O’ Reilly, Lucy Burke’s father, Patrick Burke and Lucy Meagher’s uncle Ed O’Donnell delivered vital supplies to the Ukraine including 18 jeeps, an ambulance, thermal clothing, medical supplies and 32 generators. Here is the outlook and reflections from Paddy, Stanley, Patrick’s and Ed’s experience on their road trip to the Ukrainian border. These are some questions we asked them.
 
1. What was the worst part of the trip?
The worst part of the trip for us was the ferry from Ireland to France because the sea was so rough and the border crossing at the Slovakian Ukrainian border was a very long wait.
 
2. What was the best part of the trip?
The best part of the trip was seeing how happy the Ukrainians were with all of the jeeps and supplies we gave them.
 
3. What countries did you drive through to get there?
We drove through Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and entered the border regions of the Ukraine.
 
 
 4. What interesting things did you see on the way?Some interesting things we saw on the way included the Austrian Alps, Paris at night, the city of Budapest and how beautiful Vienna is in person.
 
5. What was the Ukraine like?
​The Ukraine looked like a very difficult place to live even the areas that are not affected by the war because people are very poor and live off very little.
 
In conclusion, the mission to the Ukraine brought together a group of people who wanted to help and give back and support people on the ground in the areas worst affected. It made each of the men who travelled realise how lucky and fortunate they are to live in Ireland. Since returning to Ireland messages and photographs of thanks and appreciation have been flooding in from communities benefitting from all the donations delivered during the mission to the Ukraine. A year to this date, when Russia invaded the Ukraine, and the lives of these people vastly changed forever; we as an Irish community will forever remember the arduous journey and the sense of help and support we were fortunate enough to be able to provide during this time.
 
By Robyn O`Reilly, Ellie O`Donnell and Lucy Meagher 

This January we welcomed a hopeful new year and a prosperous school year. Let us welcome you with displaying some of the month`s activities...Check out our photos!
 
 
Firstly, the junior room explored Africa`s interesting facts and animals. In relation to this they read a book called the hunter by Paul Geretty, painted sunset silhouettes on the Savannah and wrote fact files and reports about interesting wildlife. They learned all about the Masai Tribe of Kenya and practiced Djembe drumming.
 
The senior room covered “The Boy at the Back of the Class” as their novel and learnt about sustainability.
 
On the 25th, January we all celebrated Grandparent`s Day in the hall, as part of Catholic Schools Week. Children made art work, wrote poems and said a prayer in harmony, which linked with our Catholic school week. All children and grandparents thoroughly enjoyed the sweet treats and cheerful atmosphere.
 
Keep in touch for more upcoming events...
 
 
This February we sprung into a month brimming with affairs. Here are some brief examples....
 
 
On St Brigid`s Day, the children investigated the history behind St Brigid, and both class rooms completed either drawings or decorated a piece of fabric representing her cloak.
 
The infants explored the theme of "Spring and New Life" in Aistear.
 
Mid February, a delightful teacher from Cork visited us named Liz ó Brien. Broadening the children's minds, she displayed picture books in each classroom. Looking past their simplicity, we discovered the meaning of these books in depth. 


This month, the school had 2 brand new interactive smart screens installed in both classrooms.  We have really enjoyed using these in our lessons. 
 
On the 14th of February, Valentines Day, we held our open evening for prospective pupils. It occurred between 5 and 7 o`clock. An encouraging amount of parents and guardians attended and the young children enjoyed the stations organised by the senior room pupils including, making of slime, animation and games.
 
 
We unwound on the 16th -17th for our mid-term break, returning the following Monday.
 
 
On Tuesday,  21st of February the children flocked to school in anticipation of a pancake. To give this day recognition we baked a pancake and wrote a procedure as to how. The senior room used a crêpe maker and the juniors, a hotplate and pan. Everyone enjoyed their pancakes and selection of toppings. 
 
The following day we marked Ash Wednesday and greeted Fr. Lazarus who blessed our foreheads with Holy Ash.
 
 
We have been privileged as of late because Joe Sheehan from the Munster Development team has been coaching us in tag rugby. All of the children have already flourished and are whole heartedly enjoying the drills and games every Thursday.
 
The 6th class recently completed their entrance exams. This really exemplifies this school year and the speed it's slipping past. See you soon for another fun filled month!
 
By Rebecca Dunne