It has been a very busy start to the school year in First and Second Class. We began in September by learning about road safety and how to travel on the roads without getting injured. After a visit from Eileen Cunningham of the Road Safety Authority, we continued by becoming Seat Belt Sheriffs. Each pupil worked out ways of staying safe in our cars, on our bikes and while walking. We discussed these new rules in class. Pupils received a Hi-Vis Vest and an armband from the RSA. We also got badges and certificates to help us to remind everybody about the importance of wearing our seatbelts at all times!

As we moved through the term, we learned a lot about the season of Autumn. We collected leaves, seeds and berries and chatted about how the season of Autumn affects animals and the weather. It was interesting to match the seeds to the leaves from each of the trees. We examined the trees on the school grounds and took leaf and bark rubbings to remember the day. Then we chose our favourite leaf and studied it carefully. Each leaf was different and unique in it’s own way.

We even discovered a family of hungry caterpillars on one of our baby oak trees. They were interesting to watch and we will see them turn into cocoons and butterflies in the future.

To finish our lessons on Autumn, we made Autumn trees using Autumn coloured paint and cotton buds. They look really nice on our wall and remind us of the beauty of nature.

What started out as Friendship Week, actually turned out to become Friendship Month for the whole school in October. We realise that is is so important for us all to get along and to learn to work at being friends. In our classroom, we examined the many ways that we can be a good friend and the important steps that it takes to making a friendship work.

We discovered that we can be friends with people, even if we don’t always share the same interests and it is important to give of your time as well as to give sweets and toys. We decided on what we felt are the most important things in a friendship. They were

• Fun
• Kindness
• Unselfishness
• Listening

We also talked about the many different types of friend that you can have. We realise that not everyone has a best friend and that that is ok. We also know that your real friends are far more important than any “on-line friends” that you may have.

As you can see, we have been working very hard in First and Second Class and the mid-term isn’t even here yet!

Watch this space for more fun and learning!