Wingardium Leviosa

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!

Procedural Writing in Senior Infants

Senior Infants have been working on Procedural Writing this term. Last week the boys wrote about how to make fruit salad. They discussed all the things that they would need and then they worked out what steps they needed to complete in order to to make a delicious fruit salad. When we had written the procedure, the boys tested the instructions in the staff room. They really enjoyed eating their tasty fruit salads!

Engineers Week 2020

This year, Engineers Week 2020 took place from 29 February to 6 March. Students in 3rd and 4th Class were lucky to have some engineers from Stryker come to visit their classrooms to talk about the work that they do. The boys then visited the Stryker factory to see it all in action.

Confirmation 2020

Congratulations to the Class of 2020, who made their Confirmation on Thursday 27th Februray. Guided by their class teacher, Ms. Sharon McAdoo, and music teacher, Ms. Sonya Keogh, the boys prepared diligently for their big day and they were a credit to the school throughout the ceremony, which was celebrated by Bishop Fintan Gavin.

 

Ciorcal Comhra

A brand new conversational Irish After School Class has started in the Prep school for boys in the senior classes. Boys will practice their Gaeilge in a relaxed and enjoyable environment, focused on games and fun!

Harry Potter After School Educational Club

Hogwarts School of Wizarding & Witchcraft at CBC Preparatory School is a BRAND NEW after school educational club for 1 st – 6 th Class students that aims to promote creativity, teamwork and communication skills in a positive and enjoyable club-like atmosphere. Students will have the time and space to exercise their imagination and explore the world of Harry Potter whilst engaging in a range of curricular linked activities, designed to inspire
creativity and foster self-expression such as:

 Escape from Azkaban (Communication, Team-Work, Problem Solving)
 Ollivanders Wand Making Lesson (Visual Arts)
 Professor Flitwick’s Charms Lesson (Science)
 Professor Snape’s Potions Lesson (Science)
 What Would Harry Do? Drama activities based on Harry Potter inspired scenarios (Drama)

The club is led by class teacher, Caroline FitzPatrick, who is passionate about all things Potter related!

 

St. Valentine’s Day

The last day of school before mid term was St. Valentine’s Day. Students from the older classes gave a talk on the history of St. Valentine. We celebrated our February mass with the theme, Love one another. Classes were busy making cards for their loved ones and the teachers received some lovely treats for the staff room!

Safer Internet Day 2020

Students from 4th year in the Secondary school visited the Prep School to mark Safe Internet Day.  The older boys gave a very informative presentation to our students on how to stay safe whilst using the Internet. All students also entered a colouring competition to mark the event and the winners from each class were put forward to a national competition. All students also received Safe Internet Day bands.

Junior Entrepreneur Programme: 6th Class

Our 6th class boys have been taking part in the Junior Entrepreneur Programme under the guidance of parent, Mrs Denise Tormey. The boys worked in groups to come up with suitable products and then presented their ideas at a Dragon’s Den event in the Prep school. Dragon’s, Paul Lyons from Ecco Ireland, Sergio Las Heras from DAOL Office Supplies and Mrs Rose Healy, Business teacher from the secondary school judged the event. The winning idea will now be developed further by the class and they will sell the final product.

CBC Election 2020

The boys in Ms. Cummins’ 5th Class have been learning all about the democratic process in class. They worked together to create posters about how the General Election works and made a very interesting presentation to the whole school at morning assembly. This topic also created a fantastic opportunity to look at the history of politics in Ireland. Dr. Jordan and Ms. Cummins took the boys from 3rd – 6th Class right back to 1921 as they learned about the Anglo-Irish Treaty in History lessons. The 5th Class boys then set up their own election in which our senior students were asked to vote for either Pro-Treaty or Anti-Treaty candidates. The boys were all assigned official roles including Returning Officer, Deputy Returning Officer, Poll Clerk, Exit Poll Staff and Count Staff. The boys were incredibly busy as ballot papers were stamped, names crossed off a list of voters, votes cast and exit polls carried out. The election ran very smoothly and we await the final result when the count is complete!

 

 

Catholic Schools Week 2020

This week we have been celebrating Catholic Schools Week 2020. Our morning assemblies have been centered around the theme of ‘Living in Harmony With God’s Creation’ with teachers and students from 3rd – 6th Class leading reflections relating to the daily themes. Classroom teachers have also been leading mindful moments throughout the day and encouraging the students to discuss and reflect on these daily themes during activities.

Computer Games in 3rd Class

 The boys in 3rd Class had a fantastic time in computer lessons this month, creating their own computer games on Scratch. They eagerly demonstrated the games to classes around the school. The boys in Senior Infants were really impressed and enjoyed trying the games out for themselves.

 

100 Books

See link below for a great list of 100 books all children should read before leaving primary school. Whilst not compiled by CBC teachers, we are in agreement that this is a handy resource for parents to have and encourage all of our students to spend more time reading!

100 Books

 

Teddy Bear Hospital

The Prep School was delighted to once again welcome the Medical Students from UCC’s Surgeon Noonan Society to our school last Friday as the lunchroom was transformed into a hospital ward for a Teddy Bear’s Hospital Fundraiser.

This event involved the boys and girls from CBC and Scoil Mhuire bringing their “sick” or “injured” teddies or furry toys, along with a donation, to the team of Medical Students who examined the teddy much like a GP or hospital doctor, prescribed some tender loving care with a side of 5-a-day fruit and vegetables, and offered some bandages for good measure! This activity aimed to demystify the healthcare experience for children and remove any stigma/fears they may have about hospitals and doctors, while raising funds for those less fortunate than us in the third world.

Junior Infant Breakfast Party

Mrs. Lowry treated the Junior Infants to a Breakfast Party this morning. The occasion provided lots of opportunities for oral language development as the boys discussed restaurants, food and breakfast.   The Senior Infants were delighted to be invited to the party too and it was a great way to end the term.

 

5th Class Science

Our 5th Class boys have really been enjoying their trips to the labs for Science classes with Mr. David O’ Connell this term.

The boys were also very lucky to be chosen to take part in a Forensic Science workshop in December which they thoroughly enjoyed.

Emergency Services Appreciation

This month our Senior Infant boys embarked on a Kindness Project whereby they carried out a kind deed every day. As part of this project they wrote Thank You notes to Cork City Ambulance Service, Cork City Fire Brigade and the Gardai, thanking them for all they do to help people and wishing them a Happy Christmas. They were delighted to receive the following responses. Well done boys!

Christmas Concert 2019

This year’s Christmas concert took place on Wednesday 18th December and featured fabulous performances from the CBC choir as well as our growing troupe of very talented musicians. Directed by our Music Teacher, Ms. Sonya Keogh, a medley of songs from Les Miserables was met with enthusiasm from the audience and you could hear a pin drop when soloist Matthew Keane performed Castle on a Cloud. The Junior Infant Class, led by teacher Mrs. Denise Lowry, recited The Present by Christy Keneally and there was also a surprise performance from the teachers who sang their own version of The Twelve Days of Christmas! The concert always marks the end of the school term and is a wonderful occasion for the school community to come together before breaking up for the holidays.

Carol Singing

On Tuesday, our 2nd and 3rd Class boys visited AIB on the South Mall to perform Christmas carols for customers and staff. Accompanied by class teachers and Ms. Sonya Keogh, our Music Teacher, the boys performed beautifully and created a wonderful ambience throughout one of Cork’s  landmark buildings.

CBS Sexton Street

Staff and students at the Prep School were delighted to welcome back our friends from CBS Sexton Street , another ERST school, for a day packed full of activities last Wednesday. Once again students from 5th and 6th Class hosted the visiting school. The boys were split into smaller groups as they attended GAA training, card making and computer coding sessions throughout the morning. Mr. David O’ Connell put on his very enjoyable Science Show before staff and students from both schools descended on the secondary school canteen for lunch. A big thank you to students throughout the school who donated Selection Boxes for the 6th Class boys to bring back to the rest of their school as well as our 5th and 6th Class boys who also donated a book each to the boys who travelled to Cork for this special occasion.  It was fantastic to see connections being made throughout the day and the smiles on the faces of hosts and visitors alike at the end of the day spoke volumes.