Athenry News & Views Winter 2025

Winter 2025

Pupils from 5th and 6th class with staff of ‘Bin It’ Roadshow. Science, Nature and Discovery Science Week brought a wonderful buzz of curiosity and discovery to the school, with pupils immersing themselves in hands-on activities that nurtured their love of STEM. Throughout the week, classes carried out a variety of engaging experiments and investigations, encouraging students to think like real scientists. All classes enjoyed an exciting Lego Bricks for Kids workshop, where pupils collaborated to design, build, and explore engineering concepts through fun, creative challenges. Senior pupils took part in an interactive coding workshop, introducing them to programming, digital problem solving, and digital creativity in an enjoyable and accessible way. The school also welcomed the Bin It! Roadshow, an award winning programme that uses lively demonstrations and discussion to highlight the impact of antisocial littering. Pupils learned about responsible waste disposal and the positive difference each person can make to their community and environment. Outdoor learning continued through the Marine Institutes’s Seashore Safari and Explorers Programme, where 5th Class pupils took part in an exciting field trip to Grattan Beach, exploring marine habitats and discovering coastal wildlife first hand. The Seashore habitat continued to be a theme in many classes this term with Infant classes going on a special and engaging trip to Galway Atlantaquaria.

Creativity & Culture: Music and the Arts Creativity and culture continue to thrive at Newcastle NS. The Glee Club and Comhaltas after school sessions each week bring together music lovers from 3rd to 6th Class, offering a mix of traditional Irish and contemporary music. Meanwhile, the Music Generation programme gives every class the opportunity to build musical literacy and develop instrumental skills. All pupils take part in weekly music lessons with pupils from 1st to 6th class learning to play the Ukulele. This is made possible through the continued support of their Parents’ Association. The school was also honoured to be selected as one of just five schools in Ireland to receive the Aviva Free to Be Me Little Library, a beautiful new collection of 100 books gifted to promote inclusive reading. This exciting award also brought illustrator Úna Woods to the school for a memorable Monster Doodle Workshop, where pupils designed imaginative creatures in a joyful explosion of creativity.

Illustrator Úna Woods, Mrs. Houlihan and staff from Aviva Ireland who presented the school with their new Free to be Me Library at the Monster Doodle .

Infants during their trip to Galway Atlantaquaria

Pupils from 5th class on Grattan Beach during their Seashore Safari.