On Wednesday, February 17th, we held our Action Day for the Water theme as part of our work towards the Green Flag for water. This will be our fourth Green Flag as we have already received flags for the areas of Litter and Waste, Energy and Global Citizenship. Lots of fun was had during the day and lots of learning went on too. We also raised awareness of this important issue in our school as well as among parents and the wider school community.
Our Infant classes participated in four water activities throughout the day. In small groups (with a little help from their friends in 3rd Class) they played with water, planted seeds, played games relating to the topic on the interactive whiteboard in the third class classroom and went outside to do a water relay. The Junior and Senior Infants enjoyed these activities and a lot of credit is due to Ms. O’Brien’s 3rd class who organised the stations, helped the infants and kept things running smoothly. See some photos below.
Mrs. Murphy’s Junior and Senior Infant class also carried out an interesting waterproof experiment which tested various materials to see how waterproof they are. They learned a poem too which helps them to remember how important water conservation is.
The children and teachers in First Class, First & Second Class and Second Class concentrated on Science for the Action Day. They did lots of water based science experiments and discovered some interesting facts. Did you know that leaving the tap running while you brush your teeth can waste 9 litres of water!!
Alison Merrotsy, from Project Spraoi visited these classes to remind them of a lesson she had taught earlier in the year about water as the healthiest drink option.
We were very lucky that Fergal Manley, who is the parents’ representative on our Green Schools Committee, was able to organise a visit from Caroline Casey from Cork County Council. Caroline gave a very informative talk to our fifth and sixth classes about Water Safety. All who attended the talk learned something new (including the teachers!). Pupils took part in life saving role plays which will help them remember how to stay safe around water and maybe even how to help someone, while ensuring their own safety, should the need arise. After their talk, the 5th and 6th class, along with their teachers and SNAs set off on their ‘Walk for Water’. Due to the weather, this took place in the Sports Hall. They walked 25 laps of the hall carrying up to 5 litres of water each! This was a good reminder of people who live in other countries who do not have immediate access to clean water and often have to walk long distances and carry water to their families.
At the end of the day Ms. Healy’s 4th class put on a water inspired fashion show to entertain us all. It reminded us of all the ways we enjoy water- for example for swimming, surfing, snorkelling and diving. They also took the opportunity to remind us of the controversial and topical way water has been to the forefront of our minds recently… the water charge protesters made an appearance.
This is just a fraction of the work that went on during our Action Day. All of the teachers, SNAs, our caretaker, Pat and all of the children in the school worked hard to make sure this day was a success. Of course, the parents also contributed, ensuring that the children dressed in blue, helping with costumes for the fashion show and generally showing support for the day. A big thank you to our visiting speakers and all on the Green School Committee for their involvement also.
