Congratulations to Liam in 3rd class, who was a runner-up in the Galway Advertiser Christmas Art Competition. Have a look at his lovely entry below.
Galway Advertiser Art Competition.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Winter update!
Library Van
The Galway County Library van arrived at the school on the 10th of November. Everyone loves to see the library van at the gate! All of the children got the opportunity to go out and exchange library books.
Bird Feeders
As part of our Science Week activities in November the pupils in the Junior Room and Senior Room joined forces to make and fill bird feeders. When they were completed the pupils hung the bird feeders up all around the school grounds.
The Wizard of Oz
On the 4th of December we got to attend a special matinee performance of the St. Paul’s TY musical. It was a fantastic experience and all of the pupils thoroughly enjoyed the show. It was particularly exciting to see our own past pupils performing and working backstage – they are fantastic role models for their junior counterparts here in Collinamuck NS.
Book Fair
The annual Book Fair arrived on Friday the 5th of December and remained in the school for a week. It was an opportunity for pupils to browse and buy books that were of interest to them. The Book Fair is one of the many ways in which we endeavour to promote books and reading among the pupils.
Lights! Camel! Action!
Our Christmas show took place on Thursday the 11th of December. The Christmas concert is definitely one of the highlights of the year! This year the pupils performed ‘Lights! Camel! Action!’. It was great fun from start to finish!
Visit from Santa!
There was great excitement in the school on the 18th of December when Santa popped in to say ‘Hello’. His visit was organised by the Parents Committee, they were his elves for the day and helped him to distribute presents to all of the pupils!
Autumn Update.
The first half term was very busy, as usual. Please find below some of the activities the pupils were involved in this September and October.
Cross Country Championships.
This year the semi-finals of the Cross Country Championships took place in Ballybrit. The day was one of the wettest we have had since our return to school but it did not deter the competitors or their supporters. Everyone had great fun! The pupils who took part in the race did themselves proud in what is a tough race made even tougher by the bad weather on the day. One of our pupils came in the top 10 in his race and went on the represent the school in the finals later in October – a fantastic achievement!
The Seatbelt Sheriff.
The Seatbelt Sheriff was ‘in town’ on the 6th of October to teach the pupils all about road safety and, in particular, the importance of wearing a seatbelt.
Drumadore Drumming Workshop
Drumadore came to our school on the 9th of October and treated the pupils to a free rhythm and drumming workshop! ‘Drumadore is Ireland’s largest provider of group drumming lessons, offering a fun and engaging way to learn drumming while building friendships and benefiting from the power of music.’ It was a wonderful opportunity for our pupils and they enjoyed every minute of it!
Baboró
On the 16th of October we attended the annual Baboró International Arts Festival for Children.
The pupils in the Junior Room went to An Taibhdhearc where they attended the show ‘Leaves’ by Branar – the story was inspired by the picture book by Stephen Hogtun about learning how to be in the world and those who guide us all through.
The pupils in the Senior Room attended the show ‘The Little Prince’ in the Town Hall Theatre and got to enjoy Toby Thompson’s magical and thought provoking adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s novel.
Maths Week Quiz.
The whole school got together on the 17th of October to take part in a maths quiz held to mark the end of another fun Maths Week!
Mock Presidential Election.
In advance of the real Presidential Election on the 24th of October the pupils in the Senior Room got to propose candidates for our very own mock Presidential Election. The aim was to learn about the election process and the importance of voting. They had to make posters, write a manifesto and finally make a speech to try to convince the pupils and staff to vote for them. Everyone then cast their votes!
Halloween Fancy Dress Day.
As usual on the day we got the midterm break the pupils dressed up in their Halloween costumes – they all looked fabulous!
Halloween Disco.
Our Parent’s Committee organised a hugely successful Halloween Disco which was held on the 27th of October. Well done to all involved in this great fun evening.
Corrib Féile Flow
Our friends at Corrib Beo and their partners have announced the inaugural Corrib Féile-FLOW 2025, a three-day festival from 19th to 21st September, celebrating the heritage, ecology, and natural beauty of Lough Corrib. Click on this link to find out more.
Curious Minds Award.
Our school has achieved a Research Ireland Curious Minds Award. This is the first year we made a submission for this award and had initially applied for a Silver Award. When the Curious Minds Team evaluated our Log of Evidence they found that we had exceeded the criteria for the Silver Award and were satisfied that we had met the criteria for the next level of Award and therefore we have been awarded the Gold Award!
Our school provided evidence of children’s engagement with STEM in the following areas:
- Science
- Technology
- Engineering
- Maths
- STEM Showcase
Here is some feedback from the Curious Minds Team on our Log of Evidence:
“Congratulations to all at SN Caladh Na Muc! Although you applied for Silver the school has been awarded a Gold Award as the evidence supplied meets the criteria and following review your application has been upgraded. The range of hands on science activities and design and make challenges that both classes have taken part in is very impressive – from designing marble runs, ear protects and shoes to taking part in Science Week and visiting Brigid’s Garden it’s clearly been a very busy year of STEM learning and fun. It’s great to see learners sharing and explaining their work with others and having plenty of opportunity to engage with technology and develop their STEM skills. Keep up the excellent work!”
We were thrilled with this feedback and are very proud of our pupils for their engagement with all of the activities that lead to our Curious Minds Gold Award.
Learning to Listen Workshops.
Ingrid from Contempo Quartet visited the senior room at the end of May to deliver two Learning to Listen workshops. The workshops were developed by Galway Music Residency. During each workshop, Ingrid modelled techniques to support active listening and encourage discussion about music.
Anti-Litter Poster Competition Winner.
Congratulations to Kaori in 6th class who was a winner in the Galway County Council Anti-Litter poster competition 2025. Have a look at her fantastic poster. Well done Kaori!
Engineering Workshop.
The pupils in the senior room were very lucky to take part in an Engineering Workshop run by the Rediscovery Centre and sponsored by Medtronic. The workshop introduced the pupils to engineering concepts and processes, types of engineering, and illustrated how engineering is an essential part of our lives. The hands-on activities they took part in during the workshop develop mathematical thinking, problem solving skills, and spatial awareness, and help foster an interest in engineering. The activities included a range of engineering challenges from K’Nex constructions to building an earthquake-proof house! It was a very worthwhile experience and also great fun!
Niall Kinnevey and Gillian Lydon Cups.
We had a great day out on the 4th of April at the Niall Kinnevey and Gillian Lydon Cup competitions in Killannin. Our pupils once again joined with pupils from Tullykyne and Baile Nua to form two girls teams and two boys teams – the NewTullyMuckers!
At the end of the day one of the boys teams emerged victorious winning their final and going home with the Niall Kinnevey Cup 🏆!
World Book Day!
The pupils celebrated World Book Day in style by dressing up as their favourite characters! It was great fun!
