News and Recent Happenings

May 2023

First Lego League Showcase

Well done to 2nd class on creating wonderful projects based on the theme of energy.  They focused on making renewable energy possible in the local area of Bullaun.

Have a look at our video for more information!

Thank you to Galway Education centre for having some representatives from our 2nd class in to present elements of their First Lego League project.  They had a fantastic day ! 

Incredible Edibles

2nd class have now transplanted their fruits and vegetables to the school garden.  Hoping this weather will bring a good harvest.



Allez les bleus!

Our 8 week French language programme has come to an end. 5th Class really enjoyed their French lessons and decided to dress up for the last lesson. Merci beaucoup Catherine for teaching us! 

5th Class Bullaun and Monivea blitz 

5th Class had a great morning of hurling, camogie, gaelic football and soccer games with 5th Class from Monivea NS. 

6th Class Historical Trip to Dublin

Say Yes to Languages 

3th, 4th, 5th and 6th class are currently learning French as part of an 8 week 'Say Yes to Languages' programme. 

5th class also researched and designed projects on EU countries to coincide with the programme. 

Friendship and Kindness Week 2023

The children thoroughly enjoyed Friendship and Kindness Week this year. They took part in a variety of activities such as 'random acts of kindness', designing a petal for our 'Friendship Flower', our whole school picnic and disco and many more. A huge thank you to the Parent's Association for their help with the Friendship and Kindness Week Picnic. 

Ukulele lessons

5th class are enjoying their ukulele lesson with Chris! 

Research: The Sahara

Did you know a camel isn't born with a hump?

2nd class have been researching the Sahara and in particular how camels have adapted to the habitat.  They can tell you some interesting facts!!

March 2023

Seachtain na Gaeilge - 13th – 16th March

We had a fantastic week celebrating Seachtain na Gaeilge this year. The children had a chance to practice their cúpla focal throughout the week. They took part in several activities such as Tráth na gCeist, Bingó and Buddy Reading trí Ghaeilge. Funky Friday also turned green for the week with ceol, amhráin agus damhsa Gaelach. Traditional music was heard throughout the school and we showed off our dancing skills at the céilí mór on Tuesday. Lá glas was on Wednesday where the children and staff dressed in green. We celebrated the week with a wonderful ceolchoirm in the church, where we were treated to some amazing ceol agus amhráin. Bhí an-spórt ag an scoil go léir.


A sound lesson 

4th class have been exploring sound vibrations in science lately. We did an experiment exploring how sound vibrations move, we put some cling film over a bowl and placed some sugar on top of the the clingfilm. The louder we shouted at the bowl the more the sugar bounced on the clingfilm proving to use that sound makes vibrations!!

Renaissance Projects

4th class have been working hard on history projects looking at famous artists, writers and renowned persons from the Renaissance era. The Renaissance was the revival of European art and literature under the influence of classical models in the 14th–16th centuries. The projects came out fantastic and it is a real credit to 4th classes ability to work as historians!!

Incredible Edibles

Students in 2nd class have started the incredible edible project.  They have planted strawberry plants, potatoes, carrots, turnips, chives and spinach.  We are hoping for a good crop later in the year.

World Book Day 2023

To celebrate World Book Day, everyone was invited to dress up as their favourite character from their favourite book.  We loved seeing the creative costumes each child designed to match their character's personality.

Students participated in lots of activities on the day which all aimed to promote a love of reading !!

February 2023


SCIENCE BLAST 2023

How does heat affect out local soil?

SFAI SPAR 5-A-SIDE SOCCER COMPETITION 

FIS Award Ceremony

Congratulations to our 6th Class of 21/22 on winning the Outstanding Award for Best Storyboard at today's FIS Award Ceremony in the Helix in Dublin for their film The Last Note. They were also nominated in the Best Documentary Category and Best Soundtrack Category. 

Investigating Wind Energy

Building Anenometers

2nd class marked Engineers Week with some projects investigating wind energy.  They built anenometers to measure the force of the wind.

Designing Wind-Powered Cars

2nd class have been busy coming up with designs for wind-powered cars.  They have built their designs using recyclable materials.  We had a wind-powered car race to test designs.

First Lego League

2nd Class are very excited to have started the Junior First Lego League.

In groups, they researched and presented a variety of sources of energy:

They used Ipads to research each topic while working in their team to create a poster which they they presented to the class.

The real fun is yet to come as they will be soon building their own renewable energy projects with LEGO. Lots of budding engineers and scientists in 2nd class.

Engineers Week

 Engineers Week started this week with a visit from Medtronic. Joseph Rochford led his team of engineers to give a very engaging presentation on the work of an engineer,  the medical equipment designed and manufactured in Medtronic, the role of robotics in medicine and engineering as a  future career. Many thanks to Joseph and his team. 

Sixth Class visit the Battle of Aughrim

Swimpressive 4th class

4th class recently completed 5 weeks of swimming lessons in Coral Leisure Ballinasloe. Amazing improvements were made by all the children and they are much more confident with heading into water as a result. Water safety is such a vital part of the curriculum and the skills the children have learned will only stand to them.

First Class Designers

First class became fashion designers for an afternoon. They were busy creating new designs for the new season ahead. Keep an eye out for their latest designs in the shops this summer!

New School Jerseys

Senior Infants earned the privilege of giving our new school jerseys their first run out today for their Friday training session. They have been training hard over the past few weeks and all are showing huge progress. I think you will agree they look smashing!

January 2023

Fabric and Fibre Portraits

2nd class created fabric and fibre portraits for Grandparents day this year.  They chose colours, materials and patterns that most reminded them of their grandparents.


Grandparents Day Celebrations 

Junior Infants, Senior Infants, First Class & Second Class.

As part of our Catholic Schools Week celebrations, grandparents were invited into our classrooms from Junior Infants to Second Class to celebrate Grandparents Day. Grandparents play a huge part in children's lives - they often play the part of role model, caregiver, confidant, teacher, guide, cheerleader and supporter. This celebration gave us the opportunity to allow our grandparents a chance to have a sneak peek inside their grandchildren's school lives, meet their friends and teachers and partake in some fun activities and games with their special little people. The warmth, excitement and energy flowing from each classroom that day was wonderful. Thank you to all who travelled from far and near to help make the day such a memorable one. Included is a selection of some of the photos from the day - any omissions were unintentional as they day was so busy.

Junior Entrepreneur Business Visitor

Sixth Class continues its engagement with the Junior Entrepreneur Programme, a programme that gives children the opportunity to experience practical and real-life business learning. As part of this initiative, sixth class invited Megan Dolan, a local entrepreneur to talk about her thriving business The Little Spoon.  Many thanks to Megan for sharing her journey in setting up her own business. 

Sixth Class Celebrate St. Brigid's Day

Peace Proms is a musical experience promoting and celebrating culture, diversity and peace. The Cross Border Orchestra under the baton of Mr. Greg Beardsell creatively weaved the children's voices into a performance of energy and enchantment. An audience of 2,000, gathered in University Limerick to feast on a musical extravaganza featuring the Cross Border Orchestra, soloist, pipers and dancers. Our 5th and 6th classes represented our school in a dynamic spirit of celebration and joy. It was a wonderful experience and such a privilege to be part of this truly special event. We are truly grateful for having been given this opportunity. 

Chinese New Year

2nd Class having been researching and learning about China and the Chinese New Year!  

They created group projects and their own Chinese lanterns for the 15th day of the Chinese New Year - The Lantern Festival!

5th Class Vision Boards






4th class do some shopping!! 

4th class worked hard on creating shopping lists projects from Lidl booklets. We explored money all week and looked at adding up all our items while also figuring out what notes and coins we could use to buy all our items.

Congratulations to the Sarsfields Senior Camogie Team on their recent All Ireland Club Camogie title. They took time out today, to come to our school with their cups, to inspire the future generations of the club. 

December

Wishing all of our pupils and their families a happy, healthy and peaceful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Winter Solstice 

21/12

First Class

Christmas Fun in First Class. We had lots of fun with our toys and eating candy canes. We also enjoyed hot chocolate and making lots of Christmas crafts. Merry Christmas everyone.

4th Class Chrismas Party

4th class had a well earned Christmas party in their Christmas jumpers after a very productive term. We had lots of fun showing the class some of our favourite toys that we brought in from home while having loads of treats and some lovely baked goods.

Third Class

Third class enjoying their hot chocolate and cookies to celebrate Christmas holidays! 

Third class having lots of fun working on their Christmas tree decorations!

Third class were super excited to  bring their favourite toys and teddies into class. We had a lot of fun telling one another all about our toys in our 'Show & Tell' activity. 

Of course we all really enjoyed sharing and playing too!

Recreating the Nativity Scene in Senior Infants 

Salt Dough Decorations 

Senior Infants got messy this week making salt dough decorations. They made the decorations themselves, designed, painted and decorated them too. As you can see - they really enjoyed the experience and will proudly see their decorations hanging on their Christmas trees for years to come. 

Senior Infants - Festive Treats 

Senior Infants were treated to hot chocolate (with one or two marshmallows), a Christmas Movie and some Christmas Dance sessions for all of their hard work in the lead up to the Christmas. 

Christmas Village Construction

Second class have been designing and making their own Christmas villages in art and science.

Procedural Writing

Second class really enjoyed their procedural writing task today - how to make hot chocolate !!

Kindness at Christmas

Second class have been practicing kindness to remind us of the important message of Christmas.  They created fabulous cards for nursing home residents to send them some joy this Christmas.  They have also created a kindness advent calender to focus their minds on doing little acts of kindness this festive season!!

Junior Infants visiting the crib in the church in Bullaun. 

Christmas Aistear in Junior Infants. 


Decorating Christmas Trees using Play Dough.

Construction - build your own Christmas structures. 

Role Play - Christmas Eve. 

Fabric and Fibre art - sewing our own Christmas stocking (With the help of 3rd Class). 

Painting - Paint your own Christmas wreath. 



Sean Keane and Sixth Class 

Town Hall Theatre Galway

Sixth Class was invited to perform with Seán Keane in the Town Hall Theatre, Galway this Saturday for his Christmas concert Christmas by the Hearth. Seán visited our school today to meet and rehearse with the children and to share with them his wealth of musical experience and story.  

The Town Hall Theatre Galway

Congratulations Sixth Class for their excellent performance on stage with Seán Keane. Click here to view the concert.

Bullaun Christmas Party

 Sixth Class this week were invited to perform at the Bullaun Christmas Party. They entertained the guests with their tunes, songs and dance. Well Done to all. 

Sixth Class captures the Wonder and Awe of a Winter Landscape

November 2022

Cell Explorers

Sixth Class converted their classroom into a science lab today. Scientists from NUIG Science Department guided the children through the process of extracting the DNA from a banana.

Exploring Dance

This week Second class began exploring creative dance in groups during PE using a dance board game.

They created their own dance sequences and performed them for the class!

Van Gogh Starry Night Inspired Art

After discussing Van Gogh's art work, the children voted for Starry Night as the favourite.  The children experimented with lines to create their own Starry Night masterpiece.

The Outdoor Play Area is a hive of activity this week. 

Here is a peek into a Senior Infants Outdoor Aistear session, Each group is up to something different...

Play Dough is being created in messy play.

Floating and sinking is being explored in a STEM activity.

Our budding artists are designing Christmas Jumpers for this week's Late Late Toy Show. 

Speaking of the Toy Show - the bakers in the kitchen are preparing "Treat Boxes" for Friday.

More STEM - here a group are experimenting with magnets and magnetic materials. 

Crazy Hair Day in Senior Infants 

Senior Infants explored the theme of "The Hairdressers". To bring the learning to life, we had a visit from our very own hairdresser, who kindly helped style all 30 heads and use our newly learned phrases and terms in a meaningful manner. We finished our week with a Crazy Hair Day where every child was invited to style their hair a "Little Differently" for the day. A huge effort was put in by everyone!

Fís Nomination

Sixth Class short film The Last Note has been shortlisted for the FÍS Film Award Ceremony which will take place at the Helix Theatre, Dublin on the 22nd of February 2023. Congratulations to all involved.  The Last Note documents the demise of the country house dance and dancing at the crossroads with the passing of the Public Dance Hall Act of 1935 which greatly impacted rural musicians in particular Junior Crehan, a West Clare fiddler. Click here to view the film.

History and 1916 Projects

Sixth class presented their diorama history projects on 1916 to their class. Their work creatively captured the social, political and economic events of that time.  

Surfing in Lahinch

A day of determination, resilience, fearlessness and fun was had by all as the Fifth and Sixth Class took to the wild Atlantic waves for a day of surfing in Lahinch. 

Peace Proms 2023

Fifth and Sixth Class travelled to the University of Limerick today for a choir workshop with Mr. Greg Beardsell in preparation for the Peace Proms concert on Sunday 29th of January. It was a day filled with music, dance and fun.

Science Week 2022

All of the fun of science week has begun!  Scoil Éanna have a lot of trips, guest speakers and fun science activities planned for each class.

Junior Infants

Junior Infants made a Rainbow Bridge and learned how to make new colours.

Senior Infants 

Our exploding rockets experiments brought screams of delight to everyone.

Diffusion - Senior Infants 

Senior Infants exploring the colours of the rainbow. 

The colour and sugar from the Skittles dissolve into the water and then diffuse through the water, making it the colour of the Skittles. And yes.....they got to eat some Skittles in the end!

Galway Atlantaquaria Visit - Science Week 2022

Senior Infants, First Class and our Special Class were very lucky to secure a visit to the Galway Atlantaquaria who were offering complimentary tours to a limited number of schools across the county as part of Science Week. 

We took advantage of the amazing playground next door and had our picnic looking out at the ocean. 

First Class

We had lots of fun during Science Week in First Class. We spent some time building bridges and testing them to see how strong they were. We had some 'Fireworks in a Jar' and we also investigated Static Electricity with balloons and a woolly blanket.

Second Class

The boys and girls of Second Class completing a science investigation on colour mixing Skittles.

Second Class made ice-cream in a bag by creating a chemical reaction between ice and salt. After numerous attempts and with a lot of shaking of the bag... we finally made one bag of icecream!  

An rud is annamh is iontach! - What's rare is wonderful! - they loved tasting what they had made.

Third Class 

As part of Science Week we used water, oil, food colouring and Berocca tablets to make our very own Lava Lamps! We had lots of fun learning about the density of the liquids and how they react to the bubbles!

Fourth Class 

We had lots of fun constructing tall bridges over our books as part of Science Week 2022. We focused on building high bridges using a variety of materials. The bridges were then tested as to how much weight they could take!!

Sixth Class : Solar Energy

 October 2022

Trip to Carrabane Woods 

Junior and Senior Infants went to Carrabane Woods. We had an action-packed day where we collected leaves, seeds and nuts, listened to stories, sang songs, recited poems, had to wade through water, spotted fairy doors, built forts and firepits and explored the woods with our friends. Everyone was exhausted after our busy day. 

Aistear 

Senior Infants making great use of our newly revamped outdoor play area. 

They are exploring our Autumn theme.

Signs of Autumn in Turoe Pet Farm

The boys and girls of Senior Infants along with our Special Class were busy being Science Detectives - looking for signs of Autumn. We walked to Turoe Pet Farm where we were kindly allowed to explore the facilities. We stopped to taste some blackberries along the way. We hunted for seeds, nuts and leaves along our journey.  

We filled up our collection bags to share our findings with the children from other classes back at the school. We even managed to squeeze in some time to play in the playground!

Maths Week 2022

All of the classes have been taking part in fun real-life maths activities. 2nd class have been playing maths games and completed a maths escape room challenge.

Library Visit 

Junior and Senior Infants and the children from the Special Class were lucky to be invited to visit the Loughrea Library. Here they could take part in lots of fun activities including crafts, colouring, lego and of course explore the wonderful selection of books on offer. Thanks to Sheila for reading to the children and bringing the story of the Gruffalo alive for all. 

Halloween 

Scoil Éanna was taken over by lots of spooky looking characters just before the midterm. 

Happy Halloween everyone. 

More Halloween Fun !

Halloween fun and games in 2nd Class... carving pumpkins and making chocolate covered blood apples!

Autumn Leaf Rubbings

Many of the classes have been going on Autumn nature walks.  2nd class created some print art with the leaves they collected.

September 2022

Tennis Lessons 

Tennis coaching is taking place for 4 weeks in September and October.

Every child from junior infants to 6th class is taking part in the lessons with our coach Billy. 

June 2022

Our End of Year Concert

Slán and Beannachtaí

Congratulations to our 25 Sixth Class pupils who graduated this week. The class celebrated their Graduation Mass with their school community followed by a PowerPoint presentation and refreshments. Our thanks to all involved. We wish them every blessing. 

Soundscapes from Sixth Class

Sixth Class share their traditional music and song singing in a short recording. Click here to view.

Planting Flowers

We went for a walk to the garden centre and planted some beautiful flowers. We had lots of fun picking our favourite flowers and learning how to plant and water them. 

Teddy Bear's Fiesta 

A beautiful afternoon of fun, laughter, games and yummy treats for all the boys and girls in Gemma, Ruth and Joanne's rooms. We had a celebration in the sun with our Teddy Bear's as our special guests. The party was set up by our very generous parents who made the day so special for everyone. A huge big thank you to those who decorated, baked and bought or provided items to make our Teddy Bear's Fiesta the best one yet! I think you will agree our party guests got the "Fancy Party Attire" dress code spot on!

School Tour Time 

Senior Infants pupils enjoying their school tour in Loughwell Farm in Moycullen 

Bling Up Your Bike Day 

Pupils from Senior Infants and First Class got to bring their bikes to school to "Bling" them up for the summer. They washed and polished them in the yard before decorating them with stickers and glitter. They then made their way around the school in laps to practice their cycling. Everyone learned how to fit their helmets properly, how to use their brakes and cycle safely. They proceeded to bring the bikes to the car park to cycle around an obstacle course. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the action packed day. 

Sports Day 

An action packed, sun drenched, fun filled day at the pitch for our annual Sports Day. 

We even had a visit from the ice cream truck 

STEM

Congratulations to all classes for their great work in STEM. We have been awarded the Discovery Science and Maths Award and Badge of STEM Excellence again this year. This award acknowledges schools that have demonstrated excellence in their engagement and awareness in STEM.  Well done everybody.


Lego FIRST League 2022

Fourth class competed in the Lego FIRST League 2022. This is an initiative run by the Galway Education Centre. The children create a mini village of Bullaun using Lego. Using a variety of different types of Lego they showed how materials will be transported to the new school to be used for the construction of the new school. The children worked very hard on this project and they are very proud of their completed piece.   

The Last Note

Sixth Class have completed their entry for the Fís Film Project 2022 after intensive weeks of filming and editing. Their short film The Last Note documents the demise of the country house dance and dancing at the crossroads with the passing of the Public Dance Hall Act of 1935. The film throws a lens on the impact this had on the culture of rural Ireland and on the lives of rural musicians in particular Junior Crehan, a West Clare fiddler of that time. The judging panel in the Irish Film Board will view all entries in August. Click here to view their film.


The World Cup Final 

Teams France and Holland met in the final of the World Cup this week. After a very hard-fought game, Holland were victorious. Thanks to all teams for a very enjoyable tournament.

Blue Star Programme

Congratulations to Sixth Class who were awarded the Blue Star flag this week for their completion of the programme.

Our Chicks have Hatched

After 21 days of incubating.... waiting.... observing.... and patience..... 12 eggs hatched this week to a very excited class. All chicks have been safely homed and are doing well.

Blue Star Programme

The Ambassador of Malta Dr. Josianne Farrugia and Minister Anne Rabbitte visited sixth class to celebrate EU European Day with Blue flag schools. The class welcomed our guests with a rendition of the European Union anthem Ode to Joy and traditional music.

Junior Entrepreneur Programme

Sixth Class product Cliuchí Cloch went on sale. The class entertained their customers with music and song. Many thanks to all who supported their business.

The World Cup League

Last week eight teams from Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth kicked off the World Cup League. The Sixth Class led the teams to the pitch playing the Europen Union anthem Ode to Joy.

May 2022

Lego First League 2022

This year fourth class are taking part in the Lego First League that is being run by the Galway Education Centre. The theme for this year is 'Cargo Connect'. 

Science: Making tea bags

Fourth class having fun testing materials to use to make tea bags. 

Painting in the Sunshine 

Waterplay and painting in the May sunshine.

Splish Splash Maths

Senior Infants and First Class enjoyed making a splash in the yard today whilst exploring capacity in maths.  

INTO Mini 7's Hurling 

Congratulations to Oran in 6th class who was selected to represent the school on the Galway Mini 7's team. He played in an exhibition game in Pearse Stadium, Galway on the day that the Galway senior team played Kilkenny in their Leinster Championship fixture. 

Camogie Blitz

We hosted a Camogie Blitz for the 4th, 5th and 6th class girls in Bullaun pitch. We had visiting teams from Carrabane, New Inn and St Ita's National Schools. Each school fielded 2 separate teams giving as many girls as possible a chance to get some camogie game time. It was a day filled with sunshine, smiles and laughter and the girls performed brilliantly. It is a joy to see the standard of camogie our girls are playing. Well done to everyone - we are very proud of you all. 

Funky Friday 

It is fantastic to see Funky Friday making a return to the Bullaun National School landscape. A big well done and thank you to 4th Class for taking charge of this weekly event, which sees every child from Junior Infants to 6th Class getting an opportunity to perform on front of the whole school on Friday yard using the microphones and sound system. Performances can include anything from playing a musical instrument, singing solo or in a group, telling jokes, reciting a poem to performing a traditional dance (and everything in between). It is something that everyone looks forward to at the end of the week. Here is a taste of last week's performances from some of our Senior Infants. 

Fís Storyboard Award


Congratulations to Sixth Class for coming first in the Fís Storyboard Competition for their storyboard The Last Note. Their storyboard details the demise of the country house dance and dancing at the crossroads with the passing of the Public  Dance Halls  Act of 1935. 

 Sport

A Rugby Blitz was organised for third, fourth, fifth and Sixth class this week at Loughrea Rugby Club. A great day was had by all.


STEM

Sixth Class have been awarded the BT Young Scientist Plaque of Achievement for their project Does Weight Affect Speed. Well Done to all!

April 2022

INTO Mini 7's Football 

Well done to Sara in 6th class who was selected from our school football panel to represent Galway in MacHale Park, Castlebar on Sunday. She played in the INTO Mini 7's exhibition game against Mayo.

STEM Science Blast 2022

Congratulations to sixth class for being awarded the Science Blast 2022 Plaque for their outstanding work in their  Science project Does weight affect the flight of a drone? Their project was judged by Dr. Niamh McGoldrick, Trinity College. She complimented the class on their investigations, ingenuity and problem-solving skills. She also remarked that the class excelled in many scientific qualities she would see in second and third-level students.  Well Done to all involved.


Ukelele Lessons

The school has purchased a full class set of ukeleles(30 plus). Each week Chris will forward us an instructional video in which, the teachers will in turn, teach the ukelele to their respective classes. It is hoped that we can expand further throughout the school with this project as we gain more momentum and a greater knowledge of what we are doing. This week Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Class quickly mastered their first song Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles. 

March 2022

Ms. Earls' fourth class joined Gemma's Senior Infants and First to help improve their coding skills using the Scratch app on the iPads. It was amazing to see the projects they created together. 

Ceolchoirim 2022

Ceolchoirim Lá Fhéile Pádraig

Engineer's Week Zoom Call

Senior Infants and First Class had a zoom call with Sandra's daughter Aoibhín. They found out all about her job as a Biomedical Engineer. Aoibhín kindly hosted a live presentation about the various aspects of her job and the job of other types of engineers. 

A Zoom Call from Australia 

We continued our quest for knowledge about the job of an engineer by hosting a zoom call with Gemma's brother Eamonn in Brisbane, Australia, where he works as a Civil Engineer. He explained to the class about his work planning, designing and managing projects relating to water services across Australia. 

Historical Trip to Dublin

This month sixth class travelled to Dublin as part of their history studies to visit the sites of  Glasnevin Cemetery, Garden of Remembrance, The GPO Museum, The Pro-Cathedral and Kilmainham jail. 

All-Ireland Camogie Club Champions

Sarsfields Senior Camogie Team visit with the All Ireland cup. There was huge excitement among their supporters. Well done to all involved.


Junior Entrepreneur Programme

Dragon's Den

Sixth Class presented their business products this week to our four business judges, Trevor Corcoran, Julieanne Greaney, Billy Kelly and Marcus Mc Namara. Many thanks to our judges for their time and conjecture. The business products included a Fairy door, Colouring Book, Family Cookbook, X and O's game and Slippy Sliders game.  The dragons voted to bring the X and O's game to the world of business. Sixth class will now work together over the coming weeks to make this hap