Did you know....

The Mill Road has the ruins of an old windmill standing in a nearby field?
Or that the name Taylor has been in our locality since at least the 1771?
And that the Narrow Ways was originally known as The Narrow Way?

These and other facts were revealed to us on Friday when local historian, poet  and librarian Tom French, came to our school. Tom was invited by Mr. Lynch and he spoke to the three third classes, all of whom are developing a keen interest in history.

Tom brought along a collection of maps. In his presentation he displayed local features which the boys are familiar with-Maiden Tower, and the stone Mill  near the Mill Road. He spoke about The Lady`s Finger in Mornington, and the ruins of Draycott Castle beside the original Donacarney Schools` building, now housing the Mornington Pre-School playgroup.

He encouraged the boys always to ask the questions; "Was that always there? When did it arrive?" and revealed copies of ancient maps which showed so many of the features we still see around our school today. And some which have long since gone.

He showed the boys how to find some of those earlier maps on downsurvey.tcd.ie. A click on this link will take you right to our area but back in a time machine to 1658 when the maps were completed.

Tom encouraged the boys to go visit the graveyard beside old Mornington Church and to go to Mornington Tower on Mornington beach. So, if you want to pass an exciting hour or two, you don't have to go too far.

​There's history in those old stones!

We love music, the arts and creativity in our school and so, what better way to celebrate all of those good things than with a trip to the National Concert Hall in Dublin?

The boys in fourth, fifth and sixth classes all attended. After a quick stop for lunch at one of the pavilions on St Stephen's Green, we all trooped off to the Earlfort Terrace and the afternoon of some very big sounds.

The Music in the Classroom programme from RTE is an excellent one. With the help of all the superb musicians from the RTE National Symphony Orchestra, music from Mozart, Mussorgsky and Mendelsshon was brought gloriously to life. 

John Williams`compositions from Harry Potter and Jurassic Park were particularly popular with the young audience and we all got to sing-and dance!-to the music of the Charleston Champions.

We might just want to replay that whole concert one more time and we know we can find it here. Hope you can enjoy it with us!

Fr Noel celebrated Mass in our school today to mark the end of the term and the beginning of the Christmas holidays. The boys participated with great respect and reverence. The Mass ended with a beautiful rendition by the whole school of that wonderful Christmas Carol "Silent Night". What a perfect end to a great term in our school and a wonderful start to our holidays.

Wishing our great school community a lovely Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

We will return renewed and refreshed on  Monday, January 7th 2019.

Tensions ran high in our school hall on Wednesday, as the boys of Fifth and Sixth Classes, gathered together for a giant Christmas Quiz!  With quiz masters, Ms Gerrard and Ms Mullen at the helm, and results managers Mr Arthur and Mr Culligan keeping the tally, the quiz progressed at a rapid fire pace, with each team closely contesting the leading position.

At the end of the day, the honour and glory of winning fell to Team 8. Well done Alex, Noah, Conor, Richi and Subhan!

And keep on practising your quiz skills everyone over Christmas! January-and Quiz Season-will soon be upon us and more glory to be had at the Credit Union Quiz on Friday Feb 1st in Drogheda`s Institute of Further Education. Looking forward to seeing lots of Mams and Dads there too!
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Ms Rice and Mr Duffy got their classes together to make some Christmas decorations. Practising their cutting, pasting and colouring skills, they made Christmas wreaths and reindeer. They also had a great time working and having fun together!

Our amazing artists gathered together for our December Assembly today. Every pupil had their painting exhibited in our school hall. And today was our opportunity to celebrate the boys who made a particular effort with their artwork this month.

The boys were praised for all their excellent performances in the school`s Christmas concert and also for their kindness to one another.  They were encouraged to spend less time online and more time reading, and playing sports over Christmas.

Then one boy from each class spoke to the whole school about their chosen famous artist. 

Afterwards, Mrs Lohan called up the award winners for the month and the winners were presented with their certificates and had their handprint taken by Ms McWeeney for the award display.

The winners of the On The Spot award for the month were Ms Egan`s and Ms McBride`s Fourth Classes. And, as all classes had worked very hard for the Principal`s Award this month, they were granted a night off homework.

Thursday 13th December marked an explosion of creativity and delight in our school hall as we staged our first evening Christmas Concert in our school hall. Months of blood, sweat and tears-and, indeed, a lot of sleepless nights!-marked this venture as third, fourth, fifth and sixth classes honed their chosen performances for friends and family.

From angelic voices, to high drama, poetry, medleys, and a very exciting shadow dance, the whole evening swept seamlessly onward.  LIghting effects and sound management added to the effect. And the audience were loud in their appreciation and generous in their praise. 

All credit for the concert goes to the boys from third to sixth classes, who poured their hearts into their presentations and to all the teachers and SNAs of our school who to gave so generously of their time, talent and expertise. Picture credit goes to Deirdre McWeeney Russell.

Parents of Ms Rice`s and Mrs Martin`s Junior Infants will be welcomed to their Christmas show on Thursday next at 10.00am in our library.

A huge "Thank you!" to all who supported out Christmas Fair! It was hugely successful and on so many levels.

The Cake Sale and Coffee Morning tables were beautifully decorated by our talented staff, while the walls of our hall were colourfully embellished with our boys`artwork. Our staff and parents supplied an abundance of cakes and confectionery for the Cake Sale. 

A team from the Parents`Association manned the coffee dock and this aspect of the morning was particularly enriching as so many people gathered to sit and chat to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy our school.

Meanwhile, over at our Hamper Stall, Ms Brennan and her team of helpers had assembled a fabulous array of hampers for the afternoon`s raffle. We are extremely grateful to everyone who supplied goodies for these hampers and to businesses in our community who donated prizes, hampers and vouchers. 

Our Students`Council learned the fine art of selling with their supplies of biscuits and squash. The profits from their stall go straight to their fund for improvements they have voted for in our school. The Erasmus Club also profited from the sale of their Newgrange inspired pottery and from sharing their knowledge about our UNESCO sites with interested visitors to their stall.

In total the day`s profit was just shy of €3,500. This money will fund classroom resources, our Aistear programme, library stock and musical instruments. 

But, really, best of all is having our whole school community coming together to work on this annual event. We are especially grateful to parents Eimear Donnelly, Ruth Sherry, Alexia Davis, Gillian Malone, Gemma Carton, Emma-Joy Phelan and Fiona McDonald for giving up their morning to work with us. Thanks also, to all our staff who baked and bought so many goodies for the day and also devoted their time and talent to this event.

Warm yourself over our turf fire, try your luck with our fabulous hamper raffle, and catch up with old friends and new ones at our Christmassy coffee dock. Yes, tomorrow is the Big Day, when our Christmas Coffee Morning and Cake Sale will see the doors of our hall opening to everyone at 10 am.

The whole school have worked hard to turn our hall into an inviting space for everyone. The tables are beautifully decorated with table cloths and with Mrs Byrne`s Christmas centrepieces. Meanwhile, the walls are adored by artwork which has been inspired by such painters as Pollack, Mondrian, Kandinsky, Matisse, Warhol and Munch. Oh, there are other artists too and it is an education for all of us to take a good look around and get a great sense, from each boy`s work of the artist`s  unique style.

This is a  great place to meet and greet one another. Our wonderful Parents Association will be on hand with coffee, tea, biscuits and lots of chat. Our Students`Council will also be on hand to sell orange and biscuits to the little ones. And our Erasmus Club will sell their neolithic inspired crafts while informing you all about their exciting project.

Ms Brennan and her helpers have an array of hampers is on display, ready for despatch to the lucky winners of our raffle in the afternoon..

Raffle tickets are still on sale. €2 for one strip of five tickets. €5 for three strips. And every class will have a chance to visit the hall tomorrow morning to select some goodies for themselves.

Looking forward to meeting you all!

The Great Bake Off is underway all around Mornington and beyond, as we get ready to host our annual Christmas Coffee Morning and Cake Sale! 

With Christmas music, our beautifully decorated hall and coffee dock area, we are also hoping that you will come and meet one another on this really special occasion. 

This year we will build up our Aistear supplies, our Library stock and classroom resources along with investing in some musical instruments for our school.

The Coffee morning runs from 10-12noon. Our Students`Council will be on hand to serve orange and biscuits to the little ones. The Erasmus club will display their craft work on a very special Neolithic theme. And, if you get here on time, you will see the gingerbread men which our Cookery Club made to sell on the day.

We will welcome all baked or bought goodies. Maybe it`s a chance for the budding bakers in your family to make rice krispie buns for this very special Christmas celebration. Label all tins and boxes with your child`s name and class if you need them to be returned.

We`re looking forward to meeting you there!