On Friday, May 30th, we had a fabulous half day in the halla. Classes from First to Sixth split into mixed groups, where one member from each class formed a team for the day's learning.
It was such a special day — not just because we were together, but because we came together to celebrate something truly amazing: our home, Planet Earth!
We came together to think about the Sustainable Development Goals — big ideas that help people, animals, and nature live in harmony. We've been exploring the goals since 2015 and have been learning to understand how to make the world a better, safer, fairer, place for all.
The main focus of the day’s gathering was not to focus on pollution or problems or what’s going wrong. Instead we took a moment to pause, to look around us and to reflect on all the things that are right — the beauty, the wonder and the magic of the Earth.
We explored the meaning of 'wonder' and got some amazing responses from the pupils. It’s something we all have inside us, and something that can make every single day a little bit more magical.
We watched a short clip from a programme called Moving Art. It was full of beautiful scenes from nature — mountains, oceans, animals, forests — and it gave us a little snapshot of how amazing and magical our planet really is.
After the video, we listened to a very special book called ‘Thank You, Earth’. It’s a message of thanks — full of photographs and words that remind us just how lucky we are to live on this Earth. And as we listened, we noticed the detail, the beauty, the magic. When we notice… when we wonder… we start to care. And when we care, we begin to take better care of the Earth — and that’s what this day was all about.
We meditated - no mean feat with about 160 pupils in the halla! We cooperatively worked together to create a whole school jigsaw showing all the things we consider wonderful about planet earth and all that we are thankful for.
Having spent time reflecting on Planet Earth — on all the beauty, nature, and amazing things that fill us with wonder and gratitude, we then turned our attention to another source of wonder — the people who live on this planet with us and read from a very special picture book called ‘Wonder’. It reminded us that people, just like nature, can be extraordinary, and that one of the greatest wonders of all… is kindness, courage, and the way we treat each other.
We then had parents/guardians join us in the halla as we debuted our new Green Schools Motto, the Green School Committee did a brief overview of all that has been accomplished over the past two years and we then, with Senator Maria Byrne, proudly raised our 8th Green School Flag - 'Global Citizenship: The Marine Environment'.
We had a truly fabulous day of learning together in the halla this week. These special days, where we together in one space to collaborate, explore, and learn, are always a highlight for our school community. There was a real sense of togetherness as we shared ideas, worked in teams, and enjoyed each other's company.
