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06/08/2020 Dear Parents / Guardians, RE: Re-opening of St. Philomena’s N.S. I hope you and your families are keeping well. As you are aware, our school has now been closed since 12th March due to the COVID-19 situation. We are now hoping to re-open our school safely, in line with current guidance and recommendations. Re-opening the school safely will require the co-operation of all members of our School Community – BoM, School Leadership, Staff, Parents and Pupils. We will all be called on to play our part in ensuring that re-opening of the school is done in a safe manner which prevents the spread of the virus and allows the vital work of Teaching and Learning to proceed with as little disruption as possible. We have been working on our plan for the safe reopening of the school for some weeks now and have published the DES COVID-19 Response Plan for the safe and sustainable reopening of Primary and Special Schools on our school website. The Response Plan gives details of
We are really looking forward to welcoming our children back to school and will be doing all that we can to ensure that the return to school is a safe and enjoyable experience for the children. We will be in touch with you again before school re-opens. Le meas Marie White Bridget Clear Cathaoirleach, An Bhóird Bainistíochta Príomhoide 
Many thanks to Stephen White from William Grant and Sons (Tullamore Dew) for their kind donation of sanitiser prior to our school reopening. Please click here to read Minister for Education Norma Foley's letter to parents regarding reopening of schools.
 As we begin our last week of distance teaching/learning together we want to share with you our very special story of 2019/2020 in our 9th edition of our school magazine. Enjoy! Please click here. Weekly Roundup
22 June 2020 We are nearly there...! Hello again everyone, We hope you are all keeping well and looking forward to your summer holidays. What a strange last term it's been, very different to what we are used to! This is our last newsletter for the year, and we want to thank you all for your support during the year. Thanks to everyone who sent in videos, photos and messages, it's been great to hear from you all. We can't wait to see you all again and to start making music together. Best of luck to all the girls and boys in 6th class who will be moving into secondary school, we have loved getting to know you all and singing and playing music together over the years. We are also looking forward to meeting all the new pupils starting school this September! Here are a few fun activities to do during the holidays, don't forget to ask permission before going online! Have a great summer break and we look forward to seeing you all again soon. This Is Me from The Greatest Showman Quite a lot of you were involved in learning this song for Singfest, and you may also have learnt it in school. We think it's one of the best highlights from last year and the song has a very powerful message for us all - especially for those of you in 6th class moving into secondary school, making new friends and learning lots of new things. Keep remembering how strong and brave you all are, you can achieve anything! This Is Me Click on the button (This Is Me) to see our school choir and Singfest choirs performing the song together at last year's Singfest Gala Concert. We will be looking for new members for our Singfest choirs, please ask your parents/guardians to like our Facebook page so you can keep up to date with all our events. You will find the link below. Junior & Senior Infants We are really looking forward to the summer break and here is a song from our friends at NYCOS called Mister Sun. You might already know the song and will need a bouncy ball for the game that goes along with it. Try it with a partner outside in the sun! Mister Sun We just love this song, all about the things we love to do in the summer, and no doubt there are lost more things that you all like to do in the summer! Summer Song 1st & 2nd Class Our friends in NYCOS have made so many fun music videos, it's hard to chose just one this week! This is a fun game and all you need is a small ball or beanbag. Try it with a partner for an extra challenge. See how fast you can go!! Switch it! Here is a fun song that is also a workout for your brain. Can you keep up with all the different actions, and sing some of the song in your head? Make up your own actions too - the sillier the better! Moving to the Music 3rd & 4th Class Some of you might remember this song, with a body percussion pattern? In this video we use plastic cups to play the percussion pattern. Bim Bom This song comes from New Zealand and as well as learning a body percussion pattern, if you play the ukulele, you will be able to play along with the chords in the video. Epo I Tai Tai E 5th & 6th Class Rob Kitchen has a music and science experiment for us this week: to make a glass harmonica. You will need some glasses and a jug of water for this, and once it's made, you will be able to play a song on it! Glass Harmonica Here is another great video from Rob's Kitchen Music, a cup passing game you can do with your family and friends. Everyone needs 1 cup, and follow the video carefully as Rob takes us through each section. Have fun! Cup Passing Game Weekly Roundup
15 June 2020 Hello again, We hope you are all keeping well and starting to wind down towards your summer break. This week our activities are all based around travel and transport with songs and activities to keep you busy and active! Don't forget to check with an adult before you go online. You also have the chance to show us your creativity by making up your own actions and words to the songs and rhymes. Send us in a video of yourself to musicgen@offalycoco.ie and you might even win a little prize! Have fun and we will catch up with you all again next week. Junior & Senior Infants Here is a fun counting song with actions that you will have no problem singing and clapping along to. If you have a younger brother or sister, sing the song with them to help with their counting too! Counting Song Our friends in NYCOS have a fun song about a train in this video, called Clickety Clack. You will need 2 sticks or pencils to tap along with the actions. Clickety Clack 1st & 2nd Class You may already know this song, all about a sailor who went to sea. We are sharing a clapping game in the video below so you will need a partner for this. Once you know the song and the actions, try it faster and faster! Make up your own actions for this song and send us in a video of your creation! We would love to see what you come up with. A Sailor Went to Sea Get up and move with Old Brass Wagon! This video will teach you the song and some actions, but you can make up your own actions too - the sillier the better! You can also challenge yourself and your family by using your thinking voice! Old Brass Wagon 3rd & 4th Class Here is another great video from our friends in NYCOS. This week's challenge includes body percussion. See if you can keep up and have a go at making up your own body percussion. This is also a fun song to sing while skipping! Dicdictation Rob's Kitchen Music This week Rob has a funny marching chant to get us all moving! Get your costumes on and listen carefully to the rhyme, and keep an eye on his feet! Rob's Kitchen Music 5th & 6th Class George Gershwin (1898-1937) Born in Brooklyn in 1898 to immigrant parents, George Gershwin began learning piano at 12 and developed such skill that he quit school at 15 to work full time as a ‘song-plugger’ (a musician who demonstrated new songs to music publishers, in the hope that they would buy the songs and release them to the public, performed by a famous star). One of his earliest compositions, “Swanee” became a massive hit in 1919 when recorded by the famous singer Al Jolson and Gershwin quickly became one of the most sought after songwriters of the 1920s and 1930s. Throughout his life however, Gershwin struggled with his position within the musical world and despite enormous fame and wealth he dreamed of being taken seriously as a ‘classical composer’. An American in Paris from 1928 is one of his ‘serious’ pieces and describes a journey through Paris. Have a look at this video of a performance by the LA Philharmonic. Gershwin was so desperate to be seen as an orchestral composer that he travelled to Paris to take lessons with the great composer Maurice Ravel. The two men became friends but Ravel stated that he could not teach Gershwin – he thought him too accomplished already. Whilst in Paris, Gershwin was inspired to write a short piece as a ‘thank you note’ to his hosts and so this piece was born. Gershwin said: “My purpose is to portray the impression of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city and listens to the various street noises and absorbs the French atmosphere.” The piece is a tone poem (which means it tells a story) and features a recurring ‘walking’ theme complete with the sound of French taxi cab horns. Towards the middle of the piece a second famous theme emerges: this one is said to represent Gershwin’s feelings of homesickness and longing for his home in New York City. This piece inspired a whole musical film, also called An American in Paris, made in 1951 and starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, which won 6 Oscars. The music for the rest of the film was also by Gershwin, and includes the famous song “I Got Rhythm”, with words written by his brother Ira. The climax of the film is a 17-minute dance sequence set to this An American in Paris piece of music, which cost half a million dollars to shoot – an enormous sum in those days, and about 5 million dollars in today’s money! Have a listen to the piece by watching the video clip below. The opening section describes the composer walking through the streets of Paris. Can you imagine what he might have seen? Does the music help you picture different sights and sounds in your mind? The slow section represents the composers feelings of homesickness. Can you imagine how he must have felt in a strange city, with lots of strange and different sounds? An American in Paris Hot Potato Some of you may already know this song, here is a fun challenge from our friends in NYCOS. You will need 2 small balls or beanbags that you can throw and pass. Why not try it with a partner and pass a ball on the words "Get rid of..." or come up with your own version of the game. Don't forget to share it with us by sending us a video to musicgen@offalycoco.ie Hot Potato Weekly Roundup
8th June 2020 Hello again everyone, We hope you are all keeping busy and staying safe at home with your families.This week we are sharing activities around the theme of animals in music, as well as some challenges for those if you in 5th & 6th class. As always, check with an adult before you go online, and have fun! Junior & Senior Infants Our friend Helen has some lovely songs about butterflies and bees. Sing along with Helen as you pretend to be different insects! Butterflies & Bees Our friends in NYCOS have started sharing songs just for your age! You can sing a new song every day with Karen and on Friday have a big singalong together! Wee Summer Sing 1st & 2nd Class The Carnival of the Animals is a set of pieces in which the composer, Saint-Saens, uses different instruments of the orchestra to represent different animals. The piece in the video below is called The Aquarium, which of course is where you find fish! Close your eyes and listen carefully - can you picture all the different fish swimming around? Look out for all the different instruments playing. You will see a violin, a flute, 2 pianos, and many more! The Aquarium This video comes from Disney's Fantasia and uses the music from the Finale, or the ending, of Carnival of the Animals. Do you think the music matches the animation? It's great fun to watch too! Flamingos 3rd & 4th Class Peter and the Wolf is a classic story that was set to music by a Russian composer called Sergei Prokofiev. He uses the instruments to represent different characters and animals in the piece. Take a look at this video and listen to the story. See if you can identify any of the instruments you hear. Click Here Here is a little challenge for you - can you match the character or animal to the instrument? Have a look at the attached document below and fill in your answers. Challenge 5th & 6th Class Here is a body percussion challenge for you all from our friends in NYCOS! You may already know the song, but can you do the accompanying body percussion? Watch the video closely and pause or go back if you need to. See how fast you can go! Click Here This video should keep you active, combining music and exercise - see if you can keep up! Keep a close eye as the activities change Home Run |
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Photo used under Creative Commons from georgiapeachez
