Facts about Waterford

Tramore is a seaside town and also it holds a racing festival at the race track. Waterford is home to its famous crystal and it also holds a big Spraoi festival every year. Crotty the Robber lived in the Comeragh mountains. Stradbally and Kilmacthomas are famous for Larry Griffin.

By LC senior classes

Halloween and Fire Safety and Egypt

HALLOWEEN

It will be Halloween soon. We will be getting our holidays soon. I do not know what I will dress up as. Halloween is in October. We have one week for our holidays. There are lots of things to dress up as. I do not know what I will dress up as. I will go trick or treating in Stradbally. Last year I got lots of sweets. I go with my friends. It will be Halloween soon. It would be nice to have a Halloween party. I have been going trick or treating for 9 years. This will be my 10th year going. Some people put up decorations at their house. We will put up some too. There will be lots of people going this year. There are lots of people going every year. I go every year and I will go this year for 2012. I will go next year too. Tricia and Sarah will go. My friends will go. Lots of shops have Halloween things in. I think Halloween is in two weeks. I like Halloween, I will get a pumpkin. Lots of people will get a pumpkin. Pumpkins are in shops now. Lots of people got costumes, I do not have mine yet. Do you like Halloween? Lots of people like Halloween. Halloween is fun, lots more fun than school. Lots of people would like it better than school. “I love Halloween”.


written by AF, 4th class.

Halloween Night.

Halloween night me and my friends were getting ready to go trick or treating. It was getting dark so we headed off. We were coming to a huge house. It had a big long driveway and it was pitch black. There wasn’t a light to be seen. We went up to the door. We were about to knock when suddenly the door opened but there was no-one behind it. We thought someone was playing tricks on us so we went in. Suddenly the door closed. We tried to open it but it was locked. We got an awful fright. We couldn’t see where we were going but we could hear noises. I felt something tap my back but there was no-one there. We carried on trying to find a way out. Suddenly the front door opened. We all ran out. That night when we got home we told my mother the story. She said the same thing happened to her when she was a little girl. From then on we never went near that house again. 20 years later a man and woman moved into the house. One night a couple were walking past and they heard a scream. They were never to be seen again. Some say they are still in there trying to find their way out.

written by KMG, 4th class

Extraordinary Egypt

The capital of Egypt is Cairo. Egypt is in Africa. Africa is the second largest of the Earth’s seven continents. In Africa there is the Sahara Desert, the world’s biggest desert with more sand than anything else. In Africa ther is also the world’s longest river, the Nile. The highest mountain in Egypt is Mount Katerin. Egypt has some of the oldest buildings and monuments on Earth. Like the three large triangular buildings called the Great Pyramids, built by the Kings of Egypt called Pharaohs. In Egypt it is mostly desert land with tall hills of rolling smooth win-blowing sand. The language they speak in Egypt is Arabic. Egypt is about twice the size of Spain. Egypt has around eighty million people. The currency they use in Egypt is Egyptian pounds. The first sailing boats were built in Egypt. There are two kinds of constructions to pyramids, step pyramids and through pyramids. The Egyptians were the inventors of the earliest calendar. Egypt Suez Canal is a man-made river that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. The first canal in Egypt was built as early as 500 BC.

written by TK, 6th class

Fire Safety At Home

You shouldn’t smoke when you are in bed or tired as it is very dangerous. It is also very dangerous when you leave candles burning when no-one is in the room, it could cause a fire. You must remember to turn off all electrical things. Always put up the guard in front of the fire place. (If you don’t a spark could cause a fire). Don’t use fireworks, only experts are allowed to use them. You must have a fire alarm in your house and you should check about every 6 months to see if the batteries are working. If there is a fire and you have to get people out of the house you could close the door where the fire is coming out off and block the bottom with towels or blankets to stop the smoke from getting in. If there is a fire you should call 999 or 112, when they answer you ask for the fire service, then speak calmly and clearly so they can hear you. Give your address and phone number if you are calling on your mobile say which county you are in.


FACT
· On average 46 people die each year in fires in Ireland
· Fires do not always happen to other people
· The next fire could be in your home
· Over 1,000 people every year attend casualty with burns or scald injuries.
Remember Call 999 or 112 if in danger.

written by ZK, 5th class.

Here is a link to more information.

uploaded by webmasters NG and ZK

Bees

Pupils from 5th Class display their project about bees.

The Swallows

The last day of Autumn was over. The big red sun was going down. A tired farmer was walking across the fields. She stopped to look at the swallows. The swallows were hunting for food. Swallows eat lots of flies, and flies were getting hard to find. Soon the swallows will fly across the sea to Africa. Swallows leave Ireland in the Autumn but many other birds stay with us. These birds like to eat berries and seeds. They can live without flies. Blackbirds like to eat the rowan berries. The thush prefers to eat blackberries. Robins love rose hips. Last May, the swallows made their nests in sheds, barns and trees. Now its September and the nests are empty. The baby swallows had left their cosy nests. With long, strong wings they moved across the sky like lighting. Tomorrow, they'll be gone. But next spring they'll return.

(picture copyright Animal Planet)

composed and typed by NG, 5th Class.

Leap Year

This year is a leap year. We usually have 365 days in the year but this year we have 366 days.It takes the earth about 365 days and 6 hours to travel around the sun. 6 is a quarter of 24 so scienetists decided to take the quarters of four years and make a new day. We have this year every 4 years. On that special day people siad that women are allowed to ask men to marry them. I think that women should be allowed to ask men to marry them whenever they want. The extra day is put onto February so there would be 29 days in February. Every four years the Olympics are on too. If someone is born on February they would have their birthday on the 28th of February or on the 1st of March.

Here is a song that we were singing in school today to celebrate Leap Day. We were playing it on the tin-whistle as well.


Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows 

Fair is the lily of the valley 

Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne

But my love is fairer than any. 

Come over the hills, my bonnie Irish lass 

Come over the hills to your darling 

You choose the rose, love, and I'll make the vow 

And I'll be your true love forever. 

Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows 

Fair is the lily of the valley Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne 

But my love is fairer than any.

Twas down by Killarney's green woods that we strayed 

When the moon and the stars they were shining 

The moon shone its rays on her locks of golden hair 

And she swore she'd be my love forever

Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows

Fair is the lily of the valley 

Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne 

But my love is fairer than any. 

It's not for the parting that my sister pains

It's not for the grief of my mother 

Tis all for the loss of my bonny Irish lass

That my heart is breaking forever.

Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows 

Fair is the lily of the valley

Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne

But my love is fairer than any.

 The pictures that we got were from cartoonaday.com 

Learning about Weather

I heard in school this week and over the last couple of weeks that hurricane winds can be up to 125kph. That could blow a roof off a house. The Beaufort scale goes up to 12 and if was to go to 12 I would pack my bags and go. And I heard that tall buildings need a lightning conductor and if they don’t the building is going to get hit by it.

Drought is caused by little or no rain fall and some of the animals can die without water and if there is no rain food can’t grow and if there is no food the animals will die. In Ireland in the winter it is cool and in the summer it is warm, if lightining strikes never go under a tree or go near a window or never put up an umbrella. That is all I learned in this chapter.

Written by A.D.

Illustration by A.D.

Learning about Weather

Ireland has a temperate climate. A temperate climate means that we get warm summers and cool winters. The saddest thing is that we get rain every day and almost no sun. When the air is hot it goes up. This is basically how wind is made. The wind is called after the way it blows from. The way the wind blows mostly is called the prevailing wind. It blows mostly from the south in Ireland. We measure how strong the wind is using an anemometer. About 200 years ago there was a scale called the Beaufort scale. It was invented by a man called Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort. 

f1 light air

f2 a light breeze

f3 a gental breeze 

f4 a moderate breeze

f5 a fresh breeze 

f6 a strong breze

f7 a high wind 

f8 a gale

f9 a strong gale

f10 a whole gale

f11 a storm

f12 a hurricane

Writen by AD. Published by TF and AD (Webmasters)

Birdfeeding During Harsh Winter in Stradbally

Smaller Pupils Being Supervised While Filling Birdfeeders

A couple of weeks ago, the school ordered some bird feeders. We fill them weekly. We feed them with a special kind of monkey nut. Humans could not eat them or else they would be very sick. There are four (4) bird feeders. One is hanging from a branch of the tree, another is by the zebra crossing and the last two are on the bank. One day we saw a black cat in the yard by the drop-off box. The next day we saw a dead bird that the cat killed. We had to move a bird feeder because the cat was hiding behind the wall and scaring the little cute birdies. The cat has not come back since we moved the bird feeder. It is very important that we feed the birds through this cold season. 

Posted by R.M, N.G, Z.K, Senior Classes.

Let's Feed The Birds This Winter

Lunar Eclipse 2010

On the 21st of December on the Winter Solstice there was a full lunar eclipse. It was visible in Ireland, England, Iceland and America. It was in the sky at 5:30 and 11:05. It was the first lunar eclipse to fall on the Winter Solstice since 1638. It was the first full lunar eclipse since the February lunar eclipse in 2008 which is almost three years ago. There was another lunar eclipse in 2010, which was a partial lunar eclipse on the 26th of June 2010. It was a beautiful sight to see if you were up early enough.

Lunar Eclipse December 2011

 Posted by R.M, Senior Classes.

BIG FREEZE in Stradbally

This year we had a BIG FREEZE!! But at the beginning of the year we had another BIG FREEZE. The last time I was in Kildare because I only moved to Stradbally a couple of weeks ago. It started on Saturday the 28th of November. It came early this time because it came in January last time. We got a week off school this time because of the snow. The first day we had the snow my dad, my sister and I made an eight foot snow man and had a big snowball fight. We had about six inches of snow. My cousins were going to come down at the weekend.
Posted by AE, Senior Classes. Linked to news & weather conditions.

Big Freeze in Stradbally

It seems that the mid-Waterford region has been more severely hit than other areas of the county. Roads around the city and around Dungarvan have been passable. However, roads from Ballyvoile to Bunmahon are still in a treacherous condition.

Arctic Weather in Stradbally

Our Lady of Mercy School remained closed on Monday and Tuesday, November 29th and 30th, and will remain closed also tomorrow Wednesday, December 1st.

Parents will be notified by text with further updates, using our Textaparent service.

Posted by School Staff.

Here's a report from KH:

On Saturday morning when everyone woke everywhere was white. We had a very bad shower of snow. All the children were out wrapped up in scarves, gloves, hat and wellingtons. It was very cold. On Sunday it got worse as it was snowing all day. We had no school all week. All the children were sleighing down the very steep hills and even the parents joined in. It was very fun but then it started to freeze and the roads were very bad. Everyone was cautioned. There was an old man in the country who fell outside his house. He couldn't get up and it was very cold so the frost killed him.
Posted By KH, Senior Classes