As we approach the end of this year’s first half term I would like to warmly thank all in the Preparatory School community – pupils, parents and teachers for the exceptional cooperation all have shown with the Covid 19 restrictions. This is a school year like none other on record. All had to adjust and all had to make sacrifices. And by so doing we are helping each other in school and our families at home. We the teachers express our gratitude to all our parents who helped so much up to now. Unfortunately, as we know, we must continue with this effort for the foreseeable future. That said, we have done extremely well in our first two months – we celebrated First Holy Communion, we had our monthly Mass, we continued with PE and visits to Lansdowne, enjoyed Maths Week and most importantly all classes continued with the full class curriculum, including our now well established extra subjects. Our school motto is the Latin- Certa Bonum Certamen- fight the good fight! Let this continue to be our focus in the weeks ahead.

Larry Jordan

CBC Preparatory School Principal

The 2020 School Awards took place a little later than usual this year. The Awards Ceremony was held via ZOOM with classes logging in from their classrooms as students were presented with their award. Please see below for a full list of recipients.

This month’s monthly mass with the theme of “Harvest” was prepared by 5th Class and their teacher Ms. Cummins. The mass was broadcast to classrooms via ZOOM and was, once again, a very meaningful occasion for all involved.

The boys at the Prep School celebrated Maths Week 2020 with plenty of games and activities throughout the week. Here are some photos of the various classes in action:

First Class

The boys in First Class took their Maths Week activities outdoors and enjoyed a Maths Trail around the school grounds. The also played some enjoyable Maths games in the classroom.

Fourth Class

Fourth Class integrated Maths with their PE lesson during Maths Week. They played the multiplication cone game which works on their memory and tables recall. They had great fun and developed some very good strategies to remember the questions and answers. The also enjoyed some interactive Maths activities and videos in the classroom.

Fifth & Sixth Class

The boys in 5th and 6th took part in many Maths Week activities. The 6th Class boys really enjoyed trying to beat the clock in Countdown and beat 5th class in the relay (to keep it fair, Ms McAdoo asked 5th class the questions and Ms Cummins asked 6th Class!!!).

6th Class also had fun in class playing an area dice game, seeing who could sit down exactly on 60 seconds without seeing a clock and finally looked at a Mensa challenge which one boy successfully figured out!

Well done to all the boys for taking part in these super activities!

Congratulations to our 3rd Class boys who celebrated their First Holy Communion on Thursday 1st October at St. Patrick’s church. A big thank you to teachers Mr. Steven Lynch and Mr. Ger Buckley for all their hard work in preparing the boys for this special occasion and to Ms. Sonya Keogh for the beautiful music. Matthew Keane from 4th Class sang the hymns on the day as the boys sat together with their families in the pews. Canon Dan celebrated the mass and it was a very special event for the boys and their families.

Monthly mass, celebrated by Fr. Tom is a special event on the Prep School calendar. This year our masses will take a slightly different format due to social distancing requirements. September’s mass was hosted live in the 6th Class classroom with all other classes attending virtually. It was a hugely successful and meaningful ceremony that all at the Prep School were delighted to take part in.

The Junior Infant Class of 2020 have settled in very well to the routine of school life. The teachers are very impressed to see all of the boys walking in to their classroom on their own each morning with a smile on their face. In previous years parents would accompany the boys to the Junior Infant classroom but due to COVID 19 restrictions the boys have been asked to become more independent and walk in by themselves and each of them has risen to the challenge beautifully. Well done boys!

The start of the new school year was extra special last week as the boys were greeted by their teachers after 6 months away from CBC. All are delighted to be back at school. Thanks to all in the school community for their cooperation, support and compliance as we returned to school this year.

In order to facilitate completion of Re-opening Protocols, please note change of re-opening dates as follows:

Junior Infants – Monday, August 31st  9am to 11am

All Classes – Tuesday, September 1st 8:30am to 1pm

Classes as normal on Wednesday, September 2nd (8:30am to 1pm)

Junior Infants will finish school at 12pm from Tuesday, September 1st to Friday, September 4th

The flags were out at CBC Prep today to welcome our incoming Junior Infant boys as they visited the school yard to meet Mrs. Lowry. The boys and their families were met on arrival by Mr. Lynch who was manning the gate while Dr. Jordan, Ms. McAdoo and Mrs. Lowry met the boys in the yard. The boys were given time slots for this year’s socially distant “Meet the Teacher” event and all went away happy and looking forward to joining the Junior Infant class next month.

Reopening 2020:

Junior Infants : Thursday 27 August 9.00-11.00

All classes: Friday 28 August 8.30-1.00pm.

From Monday 31 August onwards: normal school hours for all classes except Junior Infants (Junior Infant collection times as advised to parents).

Information on booklists, uniform and end of year reports have been posted to all classes.

Wishing all families in CBC Prep School an enjoyable and safe summer 2020 and we look forward to welcoming all students back to CBC at the start of the new school year. Meanwhile, during the summer if you have any query on any matter relating to school please do not hesitate to contact us at : prepschool@cbccork.ie and every effort will be made to help you. Please stay safe and well.

As we reach the end of term I wish to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all our pupils, parents and teachers for continuing to engage so well with our school work over recent months. We are particularly conscious of how difficult it was for our pupils to be deprived of meeting their friends in the normal school setting. And we know that our pupils missed out on a number of end of year activities. We did manage a virtual Sports Day and a virtual School Tour which all enjoyed. Earlier today we held an online Graduation Ceremony for Sixth Class. We congratulate the Sixth Class boys and wish them well and every success in CBC Secondary School. Information on booklists, uniform and end of year reports will be posted to all classes during first week of June. As soon as we have information on reopening  details for September 2020 these will be communicated to all families. Wishing all families in CBC Prep School an enjoyable and safe summer 2020 and we look forward to meeting up in September. Meanwhile, during the summer if you have any query on any matter relating to school please do not hesitate to contact us at : prepschool@cbccork.ie and every effort will be made to help you. Please stay safe and well.

Thanking you,

Kind regards,

Larry Jordan.

Congratulations to our Sixth Class boys who graduated from the Prep School today. A virtual ceremony was held via Zoom, attended by students, parents, teachers, Dr. Larry Jordan (Prep School Principal), Mr. David Lordon (Secondary School Principal), Mr. Larrie Martin (Chairperson, Board of Management) and Fr. Tomas Walsh. Class teacher, Ms. Sharon McAdoo and Mr. Steven Lynch coordinated the event which included addresses by two very successful past pupils in the fields of sport and the Arts and a slideshow of pictures of the boys over the last 8 years. We would like to wish all the boys the very best as they continue on to the secondary school. We will follow their journeys with great interest over the next 6 years and beyond.

As the 2019/2020 school year comes to a close, we would like to thank the Parents’ Council for putting together this fantastic video to mark the school’s virtual Sports Day earlier on this year. We think it illustrates perfectly one of the core values that we try to install in our CBC boys: working as part of a team. Well done to all involved.

On Tuesday 19th May, the staff and students of the Prep School virtually boarded airplanes and headed off on school tour. The Junior classes started their morning at Chester Zoo and ended it on a live streamed virtual safari in South Africa while the Senior classes experienced the sights and sounds of London. A fantastic day was had by students and teachers alike and the pressure is on for next year’s school tour to top today’s exotic adventures!

Junior Classes

The boys went on a virtual trip to Chester Zoo where they joined the baby meercats for breakfast, the elephants for a pool party and the chimpanzees and cheetahs for a spot of lunch. Mrs. Lowry read “The Ugly Five” by Julia Donaldson and Alex Schaefler, a story all about animals that are found on the plains of Africa. Mrs. FitzPatrick gave away a top teacher secret by showing the boys what a teacher carries in their backpack on school tour before giving an art lesson on drawing giraffes. Mrs. Scannell gave the boys a safari inspired yoga challenge and Mr. Buckley’s cows even made a surprise appearance! After a picnic lunch (we were on school tour after all!), the boys jetted off to South Africa where they joined a live streamed safari with Wild WATCH. Although the animals were a bit shy during the childrens’ section of the game drive, we learned a lot from the guides as they drove around looking for tracks and attempting to locate the animals. We did spot some lions and hyenas as well as some wildebeests which was fantastic! It was a very busy day in the wild!

Senior Classes

The Senior Classes stayed a bit closer to home, jetting off to London for the day. The boys received a boarding pass which they needed to access the Airplane. The first visit of the day was to the British museum. The boys received a challenge card telling them to visit three artefacts A) Sutton Hoo Helmet  B) Rosetta Stone  and C) Easter Island Heads. Then they made their way to the London Eye and got a bird’s eye view of the city. They were given more activities and challenges to complete. They finished the trip with a visit to a show (The Midnight Gang by David Walliams). Their final activity was to send a Postcard. On the front they had to draw any Landmark they liked from London (or a collage of them) and write a note to granny or grandad. Additional activities included baking scones and serving them with jam and cream and dressing up as guards at Buckingham Palace. The boys were flown home in style by Daniel in second class!

***Photos to follow***

Although we were not permitted to gather together at The Mardyke for our annual School Sports Day, a great effort was made by students, parents and students to make this year’s event a resounding success.

CBC jerseys were donned and challenges accepted as the boys made the most of the occasion at home to complete challenges such as Toilet Roll Olympics, Teddy Bear Run, Slow Bike Race and Cereal Box Bounce!

This article which appeared in The Echo tells the full story:

Show goes on for CBC Preparatory

Under normal circumstances, CBC Preparatory School would be enjoying the surroundings of the Mardyke, taking part in different fun events for their Annual School Sports.

However, these are different times, and rather than losing out on their day, the staff at the school organised a Virtual Sports Day.

Principal Dr Larry Jordan explained that “the School Sports are always an important part of the school calendar and over the weekend, the teachers in the school put their thinking caps on and wanted to mark the ocassion.”

“All teachers are very proactive in their interaction with students & families on Google Classroom and wanted to do something different to acknowledge that Thursday was the annual Sports Day and were coming up with various ideas. All the teachers pooled their activities together and each teacher picked a number of age appropriate events to share with their class and encouraged other family members to take part. It was great to see both young and old enjoying the fun activities, and the teachers had a fantastic response from bothparents and student”

“CBC would always see itself as being sports mad and for primary school kids it is important for them to keep active and this was an ideal opportunity for our school community to be active, develop new skills and have fun”

Shane Barrett, captain of the CBC Harty Cup team last year, even posted a skills challenge for the boys to enjoy.

Some challenges included Spell Your Name Activity, Build a Toilet Roll Tower, Cereal Box Bounce, Slow Bicycle Race, Keepy Uppy, Push Up Challenge and taking part in a Toilet Roll Olympics!!

The weather in the early part of the morning put a halt to proceedings, but thankfully it cleared up after lunch, and the children were able to challenge their parents and siblings in various activities. It wasn’t the traditional sports day, but the boys didn’t miss out on the fun.

Following the nationwide school closures due to the COVID 19 pandemic, all classes at the Prep School have been engaging with the curriculum remotely using the online teaching platform Google Classroom. Classroom teachers assign work to be completed daily with feedback being provided to students on a regular basis.

Teachers at the junior end of the school have been striving to retain a connection with the younger boys by doing read aloud stories, sending postcards and video messages as well as providing age appropriate challenges and activities to keep the boys busy and engaged at home. At the senior end of the school teachers have recorded many instructional videos to assist students with their schoolwork whilst remaining mindful of the importance of a structured routine and the need for progression of learning.

Students, parents and teachers alike have risen to the challenge of school closures and learning from home, adapting to new circumstances swiftly and enthusiastically.

All staff at CBC are extremely proud of the effort the boys and their families have been putting in at home and we look forward to seeing you all as soon as we possibly can!

In CBC, we are proud to be a part of ERST (Edmund Rice School Trust). The Edmond Rice Schools Trust Charter which is made up of five key elements: Nurturing faith, Christian spirituality and Gospel-based values; Promoting partnership; Excelling in teaching and learning; Creating a caring school community; Inspiring transformational leadership, provides the vision for our school.

In the Prep School, we remember Edmund Rice in our daily morning assembly when we say the Edmund Rice prayer.
Today, on Edmund Rice Day, we would like to share the prayer with all families here so that you can all say it at home together (the boys should know it already). Please see the links below.
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The theme for Edmund Rice Day 2020 is Looking Out My Window. In the year 2020, when all the world is affected by Covid 19, we come together on May 5th to celebrate the life of Edmund Rice. Edmund’s Christ-centred vision and life’s work were seeds that have grown into the many communities of education, ministry and brotherhood throughout the world. We, as Edmund People, are called, just as he was, to look outside our window in this time of isolation and lockdown: to look for those who most need support. We are also challenged, as Edmund People, to look for and be signs of hope in this world through our words and actions.

There are many people who are increasingly isolated and vulnerable and many people who are risking their own health on the front line at this time of Covid-19. At such a time, we are called more and more to serve our community. This is at the heart of what Edmund Rice was about.
We invite you to write a letter of hope to one of these people as an action of love and solidarity towards others. Please be sure to share these letters with someone in your community or if you would like to share it with your teachers, we will be sure to forward them on for you!

ERST are also looking for recordings of people saying the Edmund Rice Day 2020 Prayer. If you would like to share your contribution so that it can be considered, please email your recording to smcadoo@cbccork.ie and I will forward to them.

In reflection, please see this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsN_PeuuJP8 as a reminder of the gift of human touch at a time of imposed physical distancing.

As we break for the Easter holidays today, Dr. Jordan and the teachers at the Prep School have a very special message for the students and their families. A very big thank you to Amanda Banim from the Parents’ Council for putting this fabulous video together. Remember to stay home and stay safe over the Easter holidays and we hope to see you all again very soon.

A very big thank you to all families who have engaged with and embraced our new learning environment whilst the Prep School remains closed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The teachers have been working hard to provide suitable lessons, resources and activities for their classes via our new virtual learning platform, Google Classroom, and wish to thank students and parents for their feedback and support throughout. We have compiled a list of “Useful Resources” for parents which can be found below and on our Information for Parents page. We encourage all families to take a well deserved break over the Easter Holidays so that the boys return to school refreshed and ready to tackle the final weeks of school (in whatever form that takes). Wishing you all a safe, healthy and peaceful Easter.

Resources for Parents COVID 19 CLOSURE

A Cork comic book artist has come up with a great way to get kids to be creative and keep them entertained while schools are shut for the next two weeks.

Will Sliney, who has worked for Marvel Comics for the last six years, has asked the kids of Ireland to take on an art challenge every day, set by him.

Will threw the idea out online last night and got a massive response so he has now decided to set a new challenge every 24 hours for kids.

In a tweet he said “Lots of kids are stuck at home in Ireland now. I have an idea. I’m going to set an art challenge each day and I’d love to see the drawings that people do. I’ll share them all at the end of each day.”

Using the hashtag #wewilldraw hundreds of kids have already sent the Ballycotton native their works of art.

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Will will be compiling the artwork at the end of each day and sharing them across his social media platforms so make sure to take a look if you sent him your child’s masterpiece!

See original story here:

https://www.corkbeo.ie/culture/family-kids/cork-comic-book-artist-sliney-17920826

CBC Prep School will remain closed until Monday 30 March 2020 as per national guidelines. Class teachers will contact parents by email to outline work set for the coming days. We advise that the normal routine of school hours be preserved while at home as far as practicable and teachers will be available by email at these times.

This week’s Harry Potter club students tested their wand skills by learning and performing some charms. The lesson was centred around The Power of Magnets and the boys had lots of fun using their magnetic wands. They lifted feathers, bewitched magical snowballs, summoned flowers and controlled snakes before receiving a wand permit and designing a spell of their own!