Welcome to St Joseph’s National School Cobh Website
A message from the Principal
A very warm welcome to our new website.
We hope this website will serve many functions. It will improve communication between parents and the school. We wish to highlight all that is best about Scoil Iosaef Naofa. The range of school policies available on the site will be expanded over time. We want to communicate with you our achievements as a school community.
Please let us know what you think of our new site. Along with the Parents’ Association facebook page, our text a parent service and our school newsletter it will be a valuable source of information.
Over the next few months we have some very exciting developments coming on stream. Plans are being drawn up for the resurfacing and fencing of our smaller playground into an astro-surface area.
The music room will be completed at the back of the school as well as a small sensory play area. We also intend to upgrade our sensory room which is adjacent to An Droichead, our special class.
Keep in touch with this website for more details.
We believe our pupils are really special people and so this website will primarily be about them and their learning. It is sometimes amazing to me to witness the range of learning activities going on in the various classes. We wish to share these experiences with you.
Tony Kenneally Principal
Many thanks to Cobh Credit Union for presenting the school with €10,000 for our new playground. Everybody is delighted with it!
Scoil Iosaef Naofa – Annual School Walk
Sunday 13th October – 11.30am
Usual Route
3 Draws – Sponsors’, Sellers’ & Walkers’
Please support our major fundraiser.
Cross Country Running
In September our school took part in the East Cork Primary Schools Cross Country Running Competition which was held in Ballymacoda. Up to 100 runners took part in each race and the first 15 each received a medal. We had eight medal winners in all. These were: Ben Healy, Michael Bradley, Luca O’Rourke, Cillian Dorgan, Jakub Wolny, Sam Cronin, Oisin Dorgan & Ryan Abramson. All our other runners performed very well and finished just outside the medals. These were: Bartosz Ratajczak, Evan Kavanagh Byrne, Fionn Walsh Connick, Oliver Derdowski, Ronan O’Rourke, Mikey Felix O’Sullivan, Ciaran Clancy, James Burke, Roan Fallon, Will O’Keeffe, Cillian Kelleher, Nico Pindelski & Conor Leahy. Many thanks to Ms. Finn, Mrs Ahern & Mr. Fleming for preparing the runners and looking after them on the day.
Junior Infants – Fáilte! Welcome!
Thursday 29th August
9.45am – 11.00am
Back to School!
The new school year begins on Thursday 29th August.
Closing at 12.30pm
Slán leis na buachaillí ó Rang a Sé
All the best to the boys in 6th class for the future. They have been a credit to their families and the school. They were the first Junior Infants in the school and a tree was planted to mark this occasion. (Many thanks to the Parents’ Association for presenting this.)
Cork City Sports: On May 30th our school took part in the Cork Primary Schools’ Sports in CIT Grounds. Each boy did us proud in the various races. Our senior relay team of Oskar Olszewski, Gearóid O’Donovan, Alex Finnegan & Jake Doody finished in second place while in the straight sprint Tomi Fawali & Oskar Olszewski also finished second in their races. Well done also to: Billy Lynch, Habeeb Folami, Jakub Wolny, James Burke, Jack Meaney, Ronan O’Rourke, Mikey Felix O’Sullivan, Michael Bradley & Ben Healy. (Mr. Fleming & Mr. Spriggs))
Active School Week
Active School Week this year is from Monday 27th to Friday 31st. It is a fun-filled week when activities and active events take place in school and at home. The aim of the week is to encourage the pupils to become more active by enjoying some physical activities. We also ask that parents and families get involved by doing some activities at home as part of ‘homework’! Try some of these – Walk a Mile with a Smile; Squats, lunges, star jumps, arm circles; Play outside in the garden; Go for a family walk; Play some games – football, hurling, soccer, rugby, tennis; Walk part or all the way to school. And above all – have FUN!
Congratulations to the boys in the two sixth classes on making their Confirmation on Saturday 11th May. It was a very special occasion and the boys were a credit to their families and the school.
Scoil Iosaef Naofa – Annual Book Fair 2019
Our Annual Book Fair, organised by Mrs. O’Connell, takes place this year from Monday May 13th to Thursday May 16th. All pupils will have the opportunity to visit during times allocated to their classes. Parents are welcome to attend at these times or may call in on Thursday May 16th from 6.30pm to 8.00pm. The theme for this year is ‘From Book to Film’. Classes are very busy preparing artwork, charts etc. which will be displayed in the school hall. Don’t miss the opportunity to buy some great books and promote the joy of reading!
Scoil Iosaef Naofa supports the ‘Darkness into Light’ walk on Saturday 11th May.
Easter Egg Hunts!
Our School Choir:- Here is our school choir singing at the Cór Fhéile in Cork City Hall before the Easter Holidays. Ms. Fitzgerald is conducting and they are accompanied by Ms. Murphy on guitar and Mr. O’Donovan on piano. Well done to all. Great performance!
sNOw Energy Day
On Wednesday 10th April we are holding a ‘no electricity’ day which we have termed ‘sNOw energy day, recalling the great community spirit evident when the snow brought everything to a standstill back in March 2018. We hope to drastically reduce our energy use on this day as an example of what could be done at other times to reduce our carbon footprint.
Gairdín na Scoile: Spring has been a busy time in our school garden vegetable plot. We dug in phacelia, which is a green manure and also fertilised the ground with some chicken manure pellets. We planted early potatoes – Home Guards and British Queens. We also set broad bean seeds and planted onion sets. In April we set white turnips in the brassica plot and we also transplanted some lettuce. We look forward to the growing season and to harvesting these in June. (Mr. Fleming)
Lenten Prayer Services: A number of our sixth class pupils have been taking part in these prayer services over the Sundays of Lent. They were a credit to their families and the school. A great commitment on their part and their families. Also, a very special thank you to Sr. Emmanuel for preparing them each week during Lent. The boys are: Andrew Mulcahy, Luke Mulcahy, Finn Cronin, Shane Downey, Lee Clinton & Eugene O’Reilly.
School Choir: The school choir has been practising very hard over the second term as they performed in the St. Patrick’s Concert on Thursday 14th March in Cobh Community Centre and in Cór Fhéile in Cork City Hall on Wednesday 10th April. They performed excellently on the nights. It was a great experience for the boys. The Cór Fhéile is a long established tradition in Cork and runs for two weeks each year. Eight or nine different choirs perform each night. The boys sang three songs – ‘Half the World Away’, ‘True Colours’ and ‘Shotgun’ as Gaeilge! They were conducted by Ms. Fitzgerald and accompanied on guitars and piano by Ms. Murphy and Mr. O’Donovan.
Friends For Life: Mr. Barry’s 4th class have been doing the Friends for Life Programme since October. This is a series of Lifeskills designed to increase Confidence and Resilience in pupils. Together with Mrs. Power the boys have been learning about Emotions, Relaxation and Calming , Coping with Difficult Challenges, Receiving and Giving Support and learning how to appreciate What’s Good about their Lives. The Programme is designed to promote a healthy positive outlook on life and the importance of relationships. On April 4th the boys finished their course and were awarded their certificates by Mr. Kenneally. Well done lads, for putting so much into the course and remember to put all the skills you learned into practice in your lives. (Mr. Barry)
Ficheall: Our annual Chess Competition began in early February. Games are being played most lunch times and we have had some very exciting ones so far. We are at the semi-final stage at the moment so the final will be after the Easter Holidays and it will be interesting to see who is going to be this year’s Grand Master!
Ficheall Extra! One of our chess players, Diego Ahumada, will be representing Cork in a chess tournament in Dublin in April. We all wish him the very best of luck!
Tug of War Workshop: On April 1st Tug of War workshops were held in the Big Yard for 3rd and 4th classes. The workshops were led by Joe Jalil who promotes sports in schools around Cork. Joe taught the boys all the skills of the tug of war: how to stand in line to left of rope (tallest at front: arms length apart); how to pick up the rope (right hand first); how to take the strain (sit back) and finally how to “pull” by walking backwards and not just pulling with the arms. All the boys got a chance to have a go and put these techniques into practice. It was a very enjoyable session and Joe is a great coach. Before he left he gave us a full-length rope to practise with as there is an inter-school competition coming up after Easter. (Mr. Barry)
Garden Bird Survey 2019: The pupils in Mr. McSweeney’s Rang aCúig & Sé completed the annual Winter Garden Bird Survey during the second term. A bird feeding station was set up out in the school garden. Pupils were then able to identify and count the various species of birds that visited the garden. This involved the use of binoculars, bird charts and books. A daily count was taken and the highest number of each species at any one time was recorded. This was a very rewarding, enjoyable and educational project. A total of 24 different species were seen altogether. The Top 10 birds were:- 1.) Starlings, 2.) Blackbirds, 3.) Great Tits, 4.) Robins, 5.) Hooded Crows, Blue Tits, Blackcaps, 6.) Jackdaws, 7.) Coal Tits, 8.) Woodpigeons, Magpies, Pied Wagtails 9.) Rooks, Chaffinches, 10.) Dunnocks, Wrens.
Cobh Fire Brigade: We were delighted that we were visited by some members of our local Cobh Fire Station on Friday 5th April. They gave a very interesting and informative display to pupils and staff. Here are some of the very important messages they reminded us of:- Know your eircode and address; know the emergency numbers – 999/112; check your smoke alarms; chip pans can be very dangerous; don’t play with matches; plan an escape route; always put a spark guard in front of an open fire and have the chimney cleaned at least once a year. Pupils also got a chance to see the fire truck up close and were showed many of its features.
World Book Day 2019
Thursday 7th March
Share the joy of Reading!
Cake Sale
The Parents Association are holding a Cake Sale in the school on this Friday, 8th March. Any donations on the morning will be greatly appreciated!
Santa called in to the school on the day of the Christmas holidays.
STEM News! Ms. Fitzgerald’s Rang a hAon/Dó have engaged in STEM project work this term. STEM integrates science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The first project required them to work collaboratively to create a home for a bird using raw materials. Their second project involved the creation of their own lava lamps. Their current project requires them to create a film based on the human lifecycle. Engaging in these STEM projects helps to develop innovative, communicative, collaborative and thoughtful problem solvers.
Gairdín na Scoile
Our school garden is in its resting phase at present. Phacelia was planted in all the plots as a ground cover for the winter and in spring this will be dug back into the ground as a green manure. Garlic was planted in late December in the onion plot as this plant does not mind the cold and benefits from an early start. (Mr. Fleming)
Notice: Staff Meeting & In-Service day
Christmas Concert Timetable for Thursday 20th December
9.15 Ms. Murphy
9.30 Ms. Smithwick
9.45 Ms. Finn/ Mrs. Ahern- Mrs. Studdert
10.05 Mr. O Donovan
10.20 Ms. Fitzgerald
10.40 Ms. O Regan
11.00 Ms. Donovan
11.15 Ms. McGowan
11.35 An Droichead
11.40 Ms. Harte
11.55 Mr.Barry
12.20 Ms. Beale
12.45 Mr. McSweeney
1.05 Mr. Flemming
Finishing Approx – 1.20pm
Scoil Iosaef Naofa at Christmas
Class Concerts: All classes have been working very hard over the last few weeks in preparation for the annual Christmas Concerts. They will perform for each other and for their families on the week of the holidays. Many thanks to parents/families for helping out with the costumes!
Stamps: As usual, at this time of year particularly with all the Christmas Cards and New Year cards arriving in the post, we ask people to hold on to the used stamps and send them into Mr. McSweeney’s 5th/6th Class. Please ensure that some of the envelope is left around the stamp. We collect used stamps on a weekly basis in the school and deliver them to the ISPCC, who use them to raise funds for their worthy cause.
Cathedral Evening Prayer Services for Advent: Four of our pupils from Mr Fleming’s & Mr/ McSweeney’s Rang a Sé have been taking part in these prayer services during the Sundays of Advent. They are Andrew Mulcahy, Luke Mulcahy, Donnchadh Leahy & . A very special word of thanks to Sr. Emmanuel for preparing them.
School Choir: Pupils from 4th, 5th & 6th classes performed at concerts in the lead up to Christmas-Cobh Lions Club Christmas Concert at the Heritage Centre on Tuesday 11th and at Cobh Community Centre on Thursday 13th December. They were very well prepared by Ms. Fitzgerald, Ms. Murphy, Mr. O’Loingsigh, Ms. Donovan & Mr. O’Donovan.
Christmas Raffle: Our raffle this year will be held before the Christmas Holidays.
Carol Service: Our annual in school Carol Service will take place in the school hall during the last week before Christmas.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish all those associated with the school a happy and holy Christmas. Beannachtaí na Nollag agus na hAthbhliana oraibh go léir!
Cake Sale
Cross Country
In September our cross-country running team, trained by Mr. Fleming, represented us with distinction in Ballymacoda Sports Grounds at the East Cork Schools Cross Country competition. Each age group had up to 100 runners and medals were awarded to the first 15 to finish in each race. Five of our runners brought home medals – Odhran Ryan, Oisin Dorgan, Noah Houlihan & Jacub Wolny. Further congratulations to Noah Houlihan who won his race outright! The rest of the team performed very well and they were:- Rian Connick, Gearoid O’Donovan, Billy Maher, Andrew Mulcahy, Alex Finnegan, James Burke, Cillian Dorgan, Ewan Guilfoyle, Billy Lynch, Sam Cronin, Aidan Clancy, Ronan O’Rourke, Luca O’Rourke, Will O’Keeffe, Cillian Mansworth-O’Connell, Ben Healy, Tyler Crowley & Sam Ahern.
School Walk 2018
Sciath na Scol: Almost 30 players represented our school on this year’s panel , drawn mainly from those who took part in last year’s Sraith Peile na Scoile (School Football League). The team was coached by Ms. Finn & Mr. O’Loingsigh and gave some tremendous performances. They got off to a great start with wins over Passage West & Farranree. After a narrow defeat to Midleton we needed to beat CBC to reach the semi-final. Despite a great performance we didn’t make the play offs but our team played very well in all their games and represented our school with honour and pride. There was a great squad atmosphere and the coaches were delighted with everybody’s effort. We rotated the captaincy with Oskar Olszewski, Billy Maher, Charlie Morrissy, Jack Barrett & Gearóid O’Donovan leading us out in our games.
Cake Sale
The Parents Association are having a Cake Sale in the school on this Friday, 8th March. Any donations on the morning will be greatly appreciated!