This week we will be continuing with the topic of Autumn, and talking about leaves! It’s a wonderful time of year to observe the change of colour in the leaves all around and to see them falling on the ground. We will be examining and trying to identify different leaves, and will learn an Irish poem  about dancing leaves to accompany this topic. We will also have a lovely handprint leaf craft this week, and be planting bulbs, as well as practicing more yoga and mindfulness! Finally, we will be talking about the lengthening nights and shortening days, and doing an experiment to see how the sun shines on the earth so that on the opposite side of the earth to us it is always night time when     we have our day time, and vice versa.

The nature walk last week was a great success, with children, parents and staff alike enjoying the little trek down to the GAA field to gather items for the nature table – some children found bits of  trees almost as big as themselves and succeeded in carrying them back to the school! We’ve been delighted that the children have been bringing in leaves and other items for the nature table all week since!

It’s hard to believe October is here already, but it’s been a fantastic start to the school year!! The children have all settled in so well, and are happily working away in the classrooms in both individual and group activities. We are holding observation days in the morning classes at the moment, where family members  are invited to come in and observe the children at their work, to give an understanding of what they are  doing while at school (as we hear that some children are less communicative at home about what exactly they do than others!) Following this we will have parent teacher meetings, which is a great opportunity to meet up and review the observations, to discuss any questions there may be, and to have a chat about your children’s progression throughout the year in general and how you can be involved in that as much as possible. We value your input and will be inviting you to come in throughout the school year, whether to observe in the classroom, join in activities, or demonstrate/talk to the children about your own specialised skills! Also, please remember that if you ever have any issues or concerns, we are always here to talk to.