We really enjoyed Sports Day. We got to try loads of new sports and we had great fun!

Have you got Maths Eyes??

The Junior and Senior Infants classes are the overall winners in the Project section of the Maths Eyes Competition. One boy from each of the 4 classes  recently met with the Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton to show their Maths Eyes winning posters. The Maths Eyes competition ran as part of Maths Week and encouraged people of all ages to look around and see the mathematics in their surroundings, capture it in a photograph and add a caption to produce a poster.

Our Project

Our Junior and Senior Infant classes were learning shapes. In our Shape and Space lessons we discussed sides, corners, curved edges and length. We coloured shapes, used peg boards to create shapes, made shape monsters through shape tiles, discussed and created patterns using shapes.

The four infant classes then came together to use our bodies to make the shapes. The boys were very good at deciding which shape we needed to make and were quick to get involved and create the shapes making corners, long and short sides and creating curved edges with their bodies. The children really enjoyed the kinesthetic aspect involved in this activity and it reinforced their learning. With over 80 Junior and Senior Infants featured in the photos, the atmosphere in the hall was incredible.

Minister Bruton praised the winners and emphasised the importance of maths. “The Maths Eyes project really encourages people to see mathematics as part of our daily lives and encourages a very positive attitude towards maths that can only enhance learning.” The Minister added: “Initiatives like Maths Eyes and Maths Week Ireland play an important role in encouraging and supporting learning of mathematics, which is important for each individual in their personal lives and also critical in building the skills we need for the 21^st Century.”

This competition was open to school categories and adult and community learners during Maths Week and attracted over 700 entries. Maths Eyes was developed by Dr Terry Maguire, Director National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in association with Ciaran O’Sullivan of Institute of Technology Tallaght.

Maths Week is an annual event and this year it will take place from the 14^th – 22^nd of October. Founded and coordinated by Calmast at Waterford Institute of Technology, the festival is a partnership of groups interested in promoting maths and has become the largest event of its kind in the world.

To see the boys’ winning poster click on the link below. You can also have a look our project if you click on the ‘Project’ link  at the top right on the page below.

http://www.haveyougotmathseyes.com/maths-eyes-winning-entries-2016/

Last Friday, Mr Ryan and Ms Keyes’ classes had the fantastic opportunity to visit St. David’s Secondary School and attend a metalwork workshop. It was so exciting! Each boy made his own keyring by using a few different metalwork techniques. Have a look at the photos of the boys busy at work!

Culture Day was a massive success in St. David’s B.N.S this year. Culture Day is an opportunity for parents and children from all around the world to celebrate and promote their culture, traditions and customs. Stalls were set up in the school hall representing many different countries such as China, India, Poland, Pakistan, Russia, Italy, Georgia, Cyprus, Hungary and France. Parents and children wore traditional costume, had decorative displays and pieces of information about their country and of course our favourite…..there was plenty of delicious traditional food and cooking to sample….YUM!!! Teachers and pupils did project work on other countries as well and their hard work was displayed around the school. The staff and boys would like to thank the parents for their generous and wonderful contribution to Culture Day. We enjoyed celebrating it with you.

Last week every class had a visit from a Leinster Rugby coach. He taught us the basics of tag rugby. We will be getting 3 more training sessions before taking part in a competition against other schools. There were serious skills on show for a first day!

Congratulations to Alex Spencer on wining a trophy at the European Karate Championships. 24 athletes in total took part and Alex was competing as a member of the Ripples Karate Club. We are all very proud of Alex here at St David’s.

We had a great time learning how to prepare and cook our own pizzas. The boys were provided with a selection of toppings and were allowed bring in their own toppings if they wished.