A Visitor from Tasmania; So this is how the visit went!

We had a visitor to our school.

Ms. Wyatt had travelled from Hobart in Tasmania.
 
Visitor
 
According to our research,

this is a distance of 11,023 miles

or even more kilometres; 17739.7989
 
She told us all about Australia and we sang for her.

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We also taught her some Irish.
 
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Ms.Wyatt was a quick learner.
 
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Then we went for a walk to see ‘The Greystones Bear’.
 
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‘The Greystones Bear’ has had lots of visitors.
 
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But we think Ms.Wyatt must have come from furthest away.
 
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No visit to Greystones would be complete

without calling into the best sweetshop in Ireland

and the wonderful Mrs. Mooney.
 
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We hope Ms. Wyatt enjoyed her visit as much as we did.  

You can read what Davo the Tasmanian Devil

thought of his visit to Greystones here.

He and Ms. Wyatt also went to visit

our good friends in St. Peter’s, Bray.

We thought it was a happy and successful visit

and we hope Ms.Wyatt agrees.

@tasteach; Blogging Buddies: A Visitor from Tasmania

Sentinel Range - Tasmania
Creative Commons License Photo Credit: Bill Higham via Compfight

On Wednesday we are having a visitor to the school.

Her name is Sue Wyatt and she is visiting Ireland from Tasmania.

She is a very busy and dedicated,

former teacher from Hobart in Tasmania.

 

In 2011 she visited schools in USA and Canada.

She travelled 10,000 miles in three months.

She is visiting some schools in Ireland while she is here.

 

Miss Wyatt is a special visitor and is very welcome.

She has been a very good friend to St. Brigid’s.

We first met her in March 2012

when the students working on the class blog,

‘If Only The Best Birds Sang’ took part

in the international Student Blogging Challenge.

 

Miss Wyatt runs this blogging challenge biannually.

It gives the opportunity to individual students

and classes who blog, to learn new blogging skills

and to develop their blog in a systematic way.

 

Through the well designed weekly challenges 

students make contact with other students

and schools all over the globe.

Miss Wyatt was very encouraging to us at that time

and we learned a great deal.

Click HERE to see one of the challenges we did.

 

Earlier in this school year,

(along with Ms. Brennan

and Ms. Sexton, from St. Peter’s, Bray),

Ms Wyatt nominated us for an Edublogs Award. 

(Ms. Wyatt will be visiting St. Peter’s too.)

 

We were very proud of this nomination.

A good ‘blogging buddy’ of ours from

Taranaki in New Zealand,

Mr Webb said that being in this competition

meant that we were

‘up against the very best educators

and class pages around the world’.

 

When Ms. Wyatt comes we would like to hear

all about her visit to Ireland.

We will ask her about Tasmania.

 

If the weather is fine,

we hope to have our photograph taken with

‘The Greystones Bear’.

 

Ms.Wyatt has travelled about 10,000 miles to get here.

We reckon she will be the longest travelled visitor

to meet our lovely ‘Greystones Bear’ to date.

 

We will also go to Mrs. Mooney’s.

Mrs. Mooney owns a wonderful sweetshop

and she has featured in our blog.

 

It is good to have something to look forward to.

It is lovely to have visitors.

We are looking forward to meeting Ms. Wyatt this week.

Green Schools: Biodiversity: Spring Visitors

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On Valentine’s Day, as part of working towards

our Green Schools Flag and learning about Biodiversity

a kind Dad brought two lambs into visit each class in the school.

These visitors caused great excitement

and were as enthusiastically received in Sixth Class

as in Junior Infants.

You can read more about their visit

and the rest of the work we are doing on Biodiversity

on the school’s Green School Blog

Photos of visit from Garda Liaison Officer with Mobile Unit: Great fun. ‘Real’ Education.

Today our good friend Garda Linda

came to visit in the new Garda van.

 

As always her visit was very interesting.

She is a good friend to us here in school.

The best bit was when

she locked us in the back of the van.

We also enjoyed when she turned on the sirens.

We hope Garda Linda come back soon.

We always enjoys her visits.

The Good Shepherd

We are very fortunate to have

beautiful stained glass windows in our church.

 

Two of them are by the famous artist Evie Hone.

Here is the one called: ‘The Good Shepherd’

 

Today, Paul from the parish came to talk to us

about ‘The Good Shepherd’ and ‘The Lost Sheep’.

 

This was part of our preparation for our First Confession

which is taking place on the first Saturday in March.

 

We told Paul what we knew about the story.

Cian said that the Good Shepherd is

God our Father in Heaven

and the sheep are

all the people in the whole world.

 

How God takes care of each one of us

was something that we found

amazing and impressive.

 

Paul made a sacred space.

In it he placed some tiny sheep

and a shepherd,

a candle

and the singing bowl.


Paul lit the candle. 

He struck the singing bowl three times.  

We closed our eyes and listened

to Paul’s voice and the music he played.

 

Nicole said that she hadn’t felt so relaxed since

Paul came in the last time.

 

Senan said he hadn’t felt so quiet since the night before

when he was going to sleep.

 

We think Mark actually fell asleep.

He said he hadn’t felt as relaxed since

he was in a jacuzzi on holidays.

 

Niamh said she hadn’t felt as peaceful,

since going on a walk

one evening in Spain

when she heard the crickets chirping.

 

Paul has asked for some feedback on the meditation.

Well the only bad thing was that the quietness

was interrupted by intercom bell.

 

When asked how things could have been improved,

there was silence and then Cian said:

‘By Paul coming in more often,’

with which we all agreed.

 

Thank you again Paul!

A Visitor and a Singing Bowl

Today at midday, we had a surprise that we liked a lot.

Paul our Parish Worker knocked at our door.

This was great.

We had said earlier in the week that we would like Paul to visit.

There he was.

 

He came to thank us for sending him cards before Christmas.

He liked our cards and he wanted to thank us.

So Paul brought a singing bowl with him and some music and we listened.

The song told us that we are precious to God.

The room was very quiet and still.

 

Afterwards Tadhg said

 

‘It feels like a new day’.

 

If you don’t know what a singing bowl looks like,

we found you a photo.
singing bowl
Singing Bowl by Rosmary on Flickr

You hit it with a wooden stick and it sings like a bell!

This is a beautiful sound.

You listen to the sound and it helps you to relax

and get ready to meditate.

 

Click on this link to read more about our Communion Preparation.

SPHE: 2nd Class: Two Special Visitors

Isabella’s recount:

On Wednesday afternoon, 2nd Class, Room 6

had two very special visitors.

Senan’s Mum and his baby brother Markus

came up to our classroom.

 

Clara, Senan’s Mum sat at the top of the class

holding Markus on her lap

and she answered questions

that we had for her about Markus.

 

Very soon Markus started answering the questions too

in the only way he knew how.

He gurgled and giggled and blew bubbles

at the children in the class.

 

Markus was a lovely visitor

and we would like to thank his Mum

for bringing him to see us.

 

Then we made a podcast about the visit. Click on the link at the top of this post to hear more!

Teddy Flying
‘Teddy Flying’ by Abegoein on Flickr

Visitors to the classroom

I have been struck this year by the number of visitors we have had to our classroom. We love having visitors and making new friends. So far this year we have had Chris, Aisling and Madison visiting us on work experience. A number of Mums and a Grandmother came in to help us with our knitting. The Community Guard has been in to see us twice. Paul comes in to us regularly to talk to us about the ‘Do It In Memory of Me’ mass. We had two visiting teachers Ms.McN and Ms. H and a visitor from the Department of Education. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all our visitors, who made our school year so much more interesting and enjoyable.

Beginning on the 3rd May we are having a visitor from Junior Achievement. She will be coming in to teach us about the world of business over five weekly, forty five minute lessons. This is a regular event in the school and I know the children will enjoy it.

Later in the month, Simon is visiting to present a Passover Meal. This is an annual event for 2nd class, which has proved hugely enjoyable in the past. I know you will hear all about it from the children at the time. I thought you would be interested in a little more information about what happens on that day.

The presentation takes about two hours. The desks are moved so that it feels like we are all sitting round a big table. There is a lot of singing and high spirits. The enjoyment of the celebration brings the children closer together.

Traditionally this special meal is a happy family occasion which is held in Jewish homes on Passover. Through this ceremony, the history of the Jewish people is told. Jesus was celebrating Passover at The Last Supper.

Simon will bring flat bread or matzah crackers, parsley or watercress, horse radish, haroset (applesauce mixed with nuts), eggs and juice.

The story of Passover is told in words and by the food on the table.
*Bitter herbs symbolize how bitter and hard these people found their lives as slaves in Egypt.
*Charoset, a paste made of apple and nuts represents the mud bricks which the slaves were forced to make.
*A hardboiled egg reminds the Jews of a New Life of Freedom.

On the table there is also flatbread, salt water and wine. The Bible tells us that when the Jews escaped from Egypt, they did not have time to bake proper bread and could only make the bread that did not have time to rise.

Salt water is a symbol of the tears which the slaves shed.

The meal ends with a search for a piece of flatbread which, earlier on, has been hidden.

The children do not eat much as the food is mostly mentioned is in small quantities and some of it is bitter or salty. But the meal is punctuated with several lively ‘toasts’ in fruit cordial.

Partaking is the Passover meal helps the children making communion to understand the links between the Passover Meal, The Last Supper and what happens at Mass, when at the Offertory, The Last Supper is revisited.

Hope you find this informative,
Teacher.