It is wonderful to see the evenings getting brighter, and the opportunity hopefully, for our children to all get outside more in the coming weeks.
Little Red Kettle Production
On January 8th, all classes were thrilled to see the cast and crew from the Little Red Kettle Theatre Company return to Our Lady of Mercy. This is a highlight of the year for the pupils. The children got to take part, dress up and star in the production of “A Tremendously Terrible Tantrum.” The children really enjoyed the show. There was laughter throughout the show and smiles all round!
ESB Science Blast Competition: This school year Mr. Griffey’s 4th and 5th class have been preparing to take part in the ESB Science Blast which will take place in the RDS, Dublin on March 2nd. Science Blast is a free, non-competitive educational programme for primary schools involving the whole class investigating the science behind a simple question. Mr. Griffey’s class chose to investigate the effects of loud music; calm, meditative music and silence on the children’s concentration. 4th and 5th class students were busy conducting their experiments on the other classes in Our Lady of Mercy. It was a very interesting and engaging experience for all involved. Through this process, the children developed their scientific thinking and problem-solving skills while also enjoying hands-on learning.
Green Schools Travel Flag 2026
This year we are working towards our travel flag. Throughout the last few weeks, the Green Schools Committee has been working very hard doing surveys to find out how people get to school. As well as this, our teachers have been focusing on road safety and how to stay safe on our roads while walking, scooting and cycling to school. Edwina, the Green Schools coordinator, has been visiting every few weeks to keep us on track with working towards our Travel Flag. Edwina also brought in a speed gun so that we could check if the cars passing the school were respecting the speed limit. We also conducted a walkability audit with Edwina and found that our
school is really safe for walking to school. Just a reminder, that every Summer in our school we walk to school on Wednesdays from Stradbally GAA Club grounds. This is a good opportunity for us to talk, walk and have fun while getting half an hour of our daily exercise.
Debating
Well done to our debating team of Oisín, Dan and Tadhg who represented our school in the Concern Primary Debates against Cashel B.N.S which was held through Zoom. The students proposed the motion ‘Fines are the best way to tackle textile waste’ and were successful in carrying the motion. The team will now proceed to the semi-final. We wish them the very best of luck in their preparations for the next round. Many thanks to Ms. Mitchell for her dedication to coaching the team.
Ficheall Chess Tournament
On February 12th, sixteen students from Our Lady of Mercy N.S. represented the school in the Ficheall Chess Tournament held in Scoil Mhuire, Abbeyside. Over 120 pupils from many schools took part in this event. The children played six rounds of chess each. Well done to all the boys and girls who attended and represented their school so well. It was a wonderful day and a celebration of the game of chess!
Lá Fhéile Bríde
Our classes spent time hearing stories and learning about this special lady who cared for so many. The celebration of St. Brigid’s Feast Day is always a welcome start to the season of spring.
Quiz Teams
We submitted two teams to the annual Credit Union Quiz on February 9th at The Park Hotel. Well done to Dan, Oisín, Dearbhla and Eva; Georgia, Fionnán, Sarah and Éabha who represented the school so proudly. Maith thú!
We submitted two teams to take part in the Cumann na mBunscoil GAA & Sports Quiz on February 5th in The Park Hotel. Corey, Oisín, Niall and Tiernan made up Team A. Dan, Dearbhla, Kevin Óg and Jayden made up Team B.. Congratulations to Dan, Dearbhla, Kevin Óg and Jayden who came 2nd on the night, missing out on the top spot by only one point when it went to a tie-breaker. They were awarded Waterford GAA training tops by Jamie Barron on the night.
Cirilo Amorós Centenary Anniversary
This year marks the centenary of the wreck of the Cirilo Amorós at Ballvooney Cove, which occurred around 15th February 1925. After the dramatic rescue, the crew were cared for by the local community and stayed in Stradbally for several weeks. To commemorate this important local event, local historians Garvin Cummins and Christine King visited our school to share the story with 4th, 5th and 6th class, bringing this fascinating piece of Stradbally’s history to life. We would like to sincerely thank Garvin and Christine for visiting our school and sharing their knowledge of this important local history with our pupils.
Farm Talk with Infants-1st Class
We were delighted to welcome Luke Casey to our school recently, where he spoke to the children about working on a farm. Luke shared his experiences as a dairy farmer, giving the children a fascinating insight into daily life on a working farm. The visit was extremely interesting, and the children were fully engaged, asking lots of thoughtful questions. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to learn where our food comes from and to hear first-hand about life as a farmer.
6th Class Hoodies
6th class students were all smiles on Friday, February 6th when they received their new hoodies. It is a special moment as it is a symbol of their final year in Our Lady of Mercy N.S. We look forward to seeing the 6th class students wear their new hoodies with pride. Sincere thanks to the Parents’ Association for their contribution to purchasing the hoodies along with the students’ own contribution from the funds raised from their Christmas Bake Sale. Thank you also to Helen, member of the PA ,who played a key role in organising the order for the hoodies this year.
Lá na bPancóg
Great fun was had in our classes eating pancakes on Pancake Tuesday. The children spent time decorating their pancakes with delicious toppings in Ms. Kiely’s and Mr. Griffey’s classes. Ms. Mitchell’s 5th/6th Class made pancakes and also competed in a competition for the best pancake recipe. We wish it was Pancake Tuesday every week!
Baking in 4th, 5th and 6th Class
Ms. Mitchell’s classes have been continuing to enjoy baking lessons in school. This month 5th and 6th class baked scones and made pancakes. The children are learning an array of skills and best of all, are getting to enjoy freshly baked goods made by them!
Safer Internet Day
On February 10th, our school celebrated Safer Internet Day. Students from 1st to 6th class learned about online safety, being responsible digital citizens, and what to do if something makes them feel uncomfortable. They also participated in classroom lessons on safe device use and internet safety.