Activities - St. Vincents Primary School

Music

There is a long and beautiful tradition of music in St. Vincent’s Convent Primary School. Throughout the years, the children have benefitted greatly from the emphasis placed on the value of music in education by such visionary and gifted musical educationalists as Sr. Benedicta, Mrs. Catherine McCarthy and Mrs. Eileen Liston. Many generations of children have passed through St. Vincent’s having been part of the award-winning choirs conducted by these brilliant and inspiring choral conductors. The wonderful tradition is still strongly in evidence today as we work on developing the children’s musical abilities. A strong focus on music appreciation in a variety of genres and the use of varied musical approaches continues to pervade the atmosphere in St. Vincent’s.

Sports

We at St. Vincent’s Convent Primary School understand the importance of enjoying and playing sport. We therefore endeavour to ensure maximum participation by all children in sports and to create a balance between curricular and extra curricular sporting activities.

Christmas Concerts and Performances

Each year the children get a chance to perform on the school stage at the Christmas concerts. These productions are of an excellent standard and have included Nativity plays, musicals and dramatic extravaganzas over the years. Many classes go carol singing and playing recorder in Patrick Street during the Christmas season.

Theatre and Drama Projects

St Vincent’s have a long standing association with the Graffiti Theatre Company. This innovative educational theatre company brings its workshops to the school each year, as well as inviting groups to view performances in Graffiti’s wonderful theatre. Past drama workshops presented by Graffiti and enjoyed by our pupils include This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing, Trasna, The Gardner and Walking Man.

In February of 2019, the ENTIRE school lined out to produce a spectacular Musical based on Disney’s Mary Poppins! I think these photographs (right) speak for themselves!

Irish dancing

The children from all classes are given lessons in Irish dancing from our specialist Irish dance teacher, Christine Forde, who comes to the school every Tuesday. The children learn individual Irish dancing as well as group dancing. They look forward to the Dancing Feis every year, usually held in the third term. Some children have gone on to take lessons outside of school with Christine, and have taken part in All Ireland dancing championships and other feiseanna around the country.

Maths Week

A number of events take place in St. Vincent’s during Maths Week. Children at all levels are encouraged to solve the Problem of the Week, where they might win a much sought after Homework Off voucher. This year our Maths coordinator Ms. Aedamar Sugrue designed a maths activity centre, where each class were invited to come and try out concrete materials such as Knex, Polydrons and construction blocks. Some classes went on Maths trails, and the older classes pitted their wits against children from all over the world by signing on to Manga High, an interactive maths website.

Book Week

Book Week is held nationally in the week leading up to the Hallowe’en break every year. It is a magical time in St. Vincent’s. In the school library can be found a witch with a cauldron enthralling the children with spooky rhymes and words, in between making potions and casting spells! Last year, the library was transformed into a deep, dark forest during Book Week. The children had to become detectives and track down a dangerous monster. This year, the younger children were divided into Nimblenice children, who are very polite and do no wrong and the children, who eat with their hands and are never clean. The older children dress up in sleepwear and read stories in cosy reading corners to the younger children. The HSCL department organises poetry and essay workshops and art competition.

Science Week

Science Week turns St. Vincent’s into a hive of activity, where our budding scientists engage in a range of experiments and discover the wonders of science. We hold an annual Science Fair, where each class designs and carries out an experiment in front of their schoolmates in the school hall. The children in 5th class went to the City Hall last year for the Discover Ireland Science Fair. They enjoyed visiting all of the stalls where some fascinating science experiments and phenomena were taking place. They also went into a purpose built planetarium and learned a lot about Earth and our position in the universe.

Educate Me is an educational science company who have brought many of their workshops to St. Vincent’s over the years during Science Week. We have seen the Rainforests, the Antarctic and the world of Minibeasts brought to life in an interactive way through presentations, videos and diagrams, as well as investigating actual samples. The children really enjoy the visits and learn so much about the world around them.

Christmas Shoebox Appeal

We in St. Vincent’s love to brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world at Christmas time through gift filled shoe boxes. Over the past several years, the children have sent a huge amount of gift filled shoeboxes to needy children in seventeen countries. The children of St. Vincent’s Convent Primary School collect many shoeboxes each year, cover them with wrapping paper, and fill them with essential items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap, food items like sweets and jellies and little toys, books and colouring books. Ms Áine Nugent and a number of other teachers work tirelessly to make the boxes ready to bring to the shipping containers. Well done to all involved in showing the true meaning of Christmas at St. Vincent’s by bringing hope and God’s love to the world’s neediest children.

Seachtain na Gaeilge

Déanann gach duine i Scoil Naomh Uinsionn sár-iarracht a gcuid Gaeilge a úsáid chomh minic agus is féidir. Is aoibhinn le na daltaí bheith ag caint as Gaeilge ag beannú ar a gcáirde is ar a múinteoirí. Gach bhliain, bíonn ceiliúradh mór ar siúl sa scoil do Sheachtain na Gaeilge. Foghlamaíonn na daltaí rince Gaelach speisialta don ócáid agus glacann siad páirt i comórtaisí filíochta, ealaíne, is scríobhneoireachta. Bíonn gach dalta ag tnúth go mór le Seachtain na Gaeilge gach bliain.

School Tours

Each class level goes on an activity tour in the summer term and all children enjoy their experiences immensely. The Junior Infant classes go to Leahy’s Farm, where they see a lot of farm animals in their natural habitat. Senior Infants go on an exciting train journey to Fota Wildlife Park. First Classes have gone to Parson’s Green in the past, and last year they went to Lismore Castle in Co. Waterford. Second Class went to Muckross House in Killarney. Third Class Fourth Class have gone on adventure activity days in Ballyhass Lakes near Mallow. Fifth Class have gone on a range of tours in recent years including Crag Cave, Blennerville Windmill and the Aquadome in Tralee, as well as Bunratty Castle and an ancient dwelling site at Cragaunowen, Co Clare. Sixth Class head off to Kinsale for a day of water adventure in Kinsale Outdoor Pursuits and Activity Centre.

Plant Sale

Another very successful and worthwhile activity is our annual Plant Sale. The children learn the process of bringing plants to life from planting the seeds, watering them and watching them grow right through to transplanting them to smaller containers ready for selling. It is a very rewarding experience for the children, and through actively participating they learn a lot about plant life cycles. A lot of money is raised at the Plant Sale, co-ordinated by Ms. Maeve O’Leary. The proceeds go towards providing the range of extra curricular activities the children take part in.