Hi Sixth Class,
I hope that you all enjoyed this week's work and that you are all ready to get outside and explore the environment for Green School's Week.
We are very proud to be a Green School and we have worked very hard over the years to earn and keep or Green Flags. We are very lucky to live in a town which has such a beautiful natural environment and we have a wonderful Tidy Towns Group who are out day and night looking after our town/
This week we want you to learn about and appreciate your environment. I hope you will learn a lot and that you will find ways that you can make our environment even better.
You’ll find lots of activities on the Green Schools handout that Mrs. O’ Brien and Miss. Dennehy put together for your work pack and I have added some more suggestions below too.
Don't forget to try out the Green Schools Quiz and see how much you have learned!
You will find details of the book drop off below and also of the Transition Program which I hope will help you and your parents to prepare for starting Secondary School in September.
I can't wait to see all the amazing things you get up to for Green Schools Week.
Mrs. Kealy.
Book Drop Off/ Collection.
I had a busy couple of days sorting out your bundles and lockers and getting everything organised to give back to you.
Your parents will be dropping your books in to the school on Monday evening. Please look through your books before you hand them in and make sure that they are clean and in good condition. It would be very helpful if you could place your books into a plastic bag and put your name on the bag. I will be checking the bags next week and this will make it easier for me to mark off what you handed up.
If for any reason your parents can't come on Monday please let me know and I will arrange to collect your books another time.
The following is a list of things you need to hand up
- any book rental books you have at home (most of you have your Word Wizard & Planet Maths)
- Class novel ‘Holes’ (most of you have this at home)
- Calculator (if you took it home)
- Library book (if you took it home)
- Your brown envelope with work to be collected.
- Your kindness rocks.
Here is a list of items you should have in your brown envelope. Make sure you put your name on the back of each sheet.
- your 6th Class Memories worksheet
- your jigsaw piece,
- all Time Capsule worksheets you completed (Letter to my Future Self / I am Not Stuck at Home, I am Safe at Home / Special Occasions / Handprint / We’re All in This Together? / Interview Your Parents / Things to Remember).
- your Achievement Shield
- 6th Class memories sheets - My First Day at School/ A Memorable or Funny Memory/ My hopes for the future
- The two signed triangles and the sticker for the memory book.
Important:
Do not hand up any of your work for your Confirmation Scrapbook. We will give you back your scrapbook to finish at home.
I have all your things packed up and ready to give back to your parents.
There are pirates in the classroom and I don't know who owns them. I don't know who the weavings belongs to and there were a couple of paintings with no names on.
Look at the photographs and email me to let me know if any of the pirates, weavings or paintings are yours.
Transition Program
When you get your belongings back on Monday you will see that Miss. Flanagan and I have put a booklet called “From Big Fish To Little Fish” into your bag. It’s a booklet to help you prepare for the transition to Seconday School.
The booklet and has lots of exercises which I would like you to read and complete at home. By doing this you will get to know what is expected of you in secondary school next September, what to do if you have a problem, how to make new friends, how to read a timetable and how to approach the issue of lots more homework in secondary school etc. It is well worth doing.
There is also a great video which you can watch to get an idea of what Secondary School will be like. Watch it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5eQVbZBs3I
Some of you may be looking forward to moving on to secondary school but no matter what, all of you will feel a little nervous and anxious about that move. Reading this booklet will help to deal with your worries and you will find that the prospect of being a 1st year is not as nerve wracking as you think.
Everyone felt what you are feeling right now and it is totally normal!
If you have any questions please send me an email.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
The next chapter of Harry Potter, ‘Quidditch’, is available to watch online now. Feel free to do some of the activities from the ‘Chapter Challenge’ section too and be sure to send them to me if you do.
https://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-quidditch
Activities for Green Schools Week.
We would like you to get outside and explore the environment.
We would also like you to think about how we all impact the environment both negatively and positively and what we can do to help make our environment better.
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Plant Your Wildflower Seeds.
Mrs. O’Brien gave every child in the school a package of wildflower seeds to plant at home.
They are in a paper bag in your work package.
You can plant your seeds in an area of your garden or in a pot.
Here is a video to show you how to plant your wildflower seeds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=46&v=RmcGh8tMvgs&feature=emb_title
We learned about bees earlier in the year. Wildflowers are very important for bees. Can you find out what flowers they like?
Cashel Tidy Towns have planted lots of wildflowers all around the town. There are beautiful wildflowers on the Golden Rd., at the Gouts Pond, on the walk around the rock.
Why not bring your camera and to take some photographs of the beautiful wildflowers around Cashel.
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Learn about trees.
Importance of trees.
Trees are sometimes called the “Lungs of the Earth” because they take in Carbon Dioxide and give out oxygen.
Read about why trees are so important for the environment https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2017/12/why-do-we-need-trees/
Tree Identification (sheet in your package)
You can identify trees by looking at their shape, buds, bark, fruit or leaves.
In your package you received a tree identification sheet. Use it to identify trees in your garden or perhaps you could go for a forest walk this week and see how many trees you can identify.
Here is an article describing how to identify trees you parents might like to read.
https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/travel/ireland/how-to-identify-trees-on-a-walk-in-ireland-1.4205056
Woodland Art.
I love these woodland art pieces made using leaves and bark. Why not make collect some leaves and create some woodland art of your own.
https://www.redtedart.com/kids-crafts-woodland-people/
Calculate the age of a tree.
Here is a fun maths activity for you to calculate the age of a tree (You will need a measuring tape).
What to do:
- Do you know the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees? Find a deciduous tree at home
- First, face the trunk and measure 1.3m from the ground. This is the point at which you need to measure the circumference of the trunk.
- At 1.3m from the ground, use a tape measure to measure the circumference of (distance around) the trunk, in centimetres. Make sure you avoid any lumps or branches.
- To get an approximate age for the tree, convert the measurement of the circumference in centimetres, to inches. Here is an example of the calculation:
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1 inch = 2.5 cm
Tree circumference = 110 cm
Calculation = 110 ÷ 2.5 = 44 inches
Age of tree = 44 years!
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What is the oldest tree you can find?
A poem about a tree.
Read the poem about trees in the downloads by Joyce Kilmer. I remember learning it when I was in school.
Sketch a Tree
Find a tree that looks nice. Look at it very carefully and try to sketch it.
Remember that you draw with your eyes as well as your hands so keep looking at the tree very carefully. I’d love to see your sketches.
Plant experiments
Try out these experiments to learn about how plants grow.
How does water travel through the stem of a plant?
Watch this video and try out the experiment to learn how plants grow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIug9Foou3s
Spud break-out
Darwin was fascinated by how plants grow. He grew lots of plants to test how different conditions - like the amount of light - affect their growth. Now it’s your turn to try growing something
More Experiments
Download the sheets below and read about plants and try out some more plant experiments.
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Learn about Recycling
Visit https://repak.ie/team-green/for-schools/ to learn about recycling in Ireland.
Meet the recycling characters Bobby the Box, Jenny the Jam Jar, Cormac the Can and Bridget the Bottle. Watch the short videos and let the guys explain how you can recycle better and save our nation from contamination.
Read the Recycling Fact Sheet in the downloads and Take the Contamination Quiz.
Plastic Waste
Watch this short video which tells us how we can keep plastic out of our ocean.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQTUWK7CM-Y
Survey your waste. See how many recyclable items you have.
Think about how much plastic you use?
Examine the waste in your recycling bin.
What small changes can your family make to reduce the amount of plastic they use.
Why not try to eliminate single use plastic drink bottles – bring your own reusable bottle! Bring your own plastic bag. Reduce the number of plastic toys you buy?
Potty for Toilet Roll!
Recyclable materials are fun to use for art and craft activities.
Mrs. O’Brien has challenged you to see what can you make using toilet rolls?
Mrs. O’Brien would love to see photographs your creations. So send me a photograph of your work.
You’ll find lots of ideas here!
https://www.redtedart.com/cute-easy-toilet-paper-roll-crafts/?cn-reloaded=1
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Camera Crazy
Take some photographs of all your Green Schools Work this week and send it in for the School Website.
A Nature Diary
Getting outside in nature is wonderful for your mental health. Why not keep a nature diary.
https://greenschoolsireland.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Design-a-Nature-Diary.pdf
Green Schools Quiz
Test your knowledge of Greens Schools. Download the Green School Quiz.
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The World’s Largest Lesson
Watch this video – the world’s largest lesson. Think, talk and discuss ways you and your family can help in protecting and creating a sustainable environment we can all live in.
https://www.unicef.ie/stories/emma-watson-introduces-the-worlds-largest-lesson-on-global-goals-2016/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwz4z3BRCgARIsAES_OVcJkNIa7qiwfxIgXOAsKFcqSIib992M8_ULP9qsOvA81hdm-SI9BjIaApNgEALw_wcB
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