This week we built our very own bug hotel here at school. The children really enjoyed this activity and learnt more about biodiversity along the way. They all worked hard to find suitable materials and construct an attractive dwelling place for the insects in Gortskehy!

What is a bug hotel? A bug hotel is a manmade structure created from natural and recycled materials to provide shelter for insects.  They can come in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the specific purpose or insect it is catering for. They usually consist of different sections that provide insects with nesting facilities –  offering shelter or refuge for many types of insects. Many insect hotels are used as nest sites by insects including solitary bees. Other insects hotels are specifically designed to allow the insects to hibernate, notable examples include ladybirds and butterflies.

Good materials to construct insect hotels with can include using dry stone walls or old tiles. Drilled holes in the hotel materials also encourage insects to leave larvae to gestate. Different materials, such as stones and woods are recommended for a wide range and diversity of insect life. Logs and bark, bound reeds and bamboo are also often used. The various components or sizes of holes attract different species.

Building a bug hotel will not just benefit wildlife in our area but we will have the pleasure of being able to watch a host of different creatures making their homes and learn all about their fascinating behaviours. A bug hotel offers free accommodation to its occupants. In return, when it’s time to go they’ll be right on site to go about their pollination and pest predation. The good news is a bug hotel costs nothing just a little time and effort. Please watch the photostory attached to see the children creating the bug hotel.

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We are taking part in the Eco Ranger’s primary school programme which is run by Bord na Móna and involves various fun activities with our pupils to discover, learn and connect with nature. Helen O’Callaghan from the Irish Examiner contacted us to find out more and you can read the full article here.

Junior Infants, Senior Infants, 4th, 5th and 6th Classes set off on the bus to explore the natural habitat along ‘The Land of the Giants’ around Clare Lake.. Before we set off, we discussed water safety and the children discussed how we stay safe around a body of water. Even with the damp weather the children were very excited.

We found some minibeasts, lots of natural vegetation and birds! We saw ducks, geese and dogs out for their walk! We found lots of snails. We saw bees and flies particularly near the water’s edge. We found Marsh Marigolds, Daisies, Daffodils, Dandelions, Bullrushes, Yellow Iris, Ivy and many trees including Fir, Birch, Ash and Scots Pine.

The children worked in groups and had fun filling out their Eco Safari journals. The whole experience was again very enjoyable and educational, the children are all great ‘Guardians of the Land’. Please take a minute to view a short video of our Eco Safari below, thanks.

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Well done to the boys and girls of 4^th, 5^th & 6^th classes who took part in the South Mayo FAI Primary 5s Competition in Ballinrobe on 11^th April.

The boys’ team played The Neale & Scoil Chomáin Naofa Roundfort in the group stages.  They had a fantastic win against The Neale with brilliant goals from Eoin McGreal (2) and Conor Lydon. Daniel Clarke worked tirelessly up front and Michael McDonagh was strong in defence throughout. Gerard Murphy made some great attacking runs & linking play.

Gortskehy gave a great performance against a strong Scoil Chomáin Naofa, Roundfort.  Josh Wilkins & Alex Jennings worked hard up front and put Scoil Chomáin’s defence under pressure. Eoin McGreal & Conor Lydon displayed great skill in midfield and created lots of scoring chances. It was a competitive and close encounter and Gortskehy narrowly missed out on at least a draw from this game, losing 1-0.

However, they finished runners up in their group and progressed to the Quarter Finals with a game against Taugheen NS. Another well matched & close game with strong performances from Evan Gannon & Cathal Tierney up front and Bradley Murphy in defence. Some courageous saves from Pierce Donnellan kept us in the game right to the end.  However, it was not to be and the game finished with a 1-0 victory to Taugheen.

Our girls’ team played 2 games against Kilroe & Taugheen in the girls’ competition. Both games were keenly contested.  Although the results didn’t go our way, the girls fought hard with some wonderful runs by Jessica Commins, saves by Ruby Donnellan and superb goals from Kellyann Walsh against Kilroe and goals from Sian O’Toole and Olaith Heaney against Taugheen. They all displayed great attacking runs & skill and never gave up.

Overall it was a wonderful day of sport. Our pupils showed great sportsmanship and gave a great display of their soccer skills. They all represented their school with pride and they should be very proud of their efforts.

Well done to all the participating teams & best of luck to those going forward to the next round.

Boys’ Team:  Pierce Donnellan, Conor Lydon, Eoin McGreal, Gerard Murphy, Daniel Clarke, Josh Wilkins, Alex Jennings, Michael McDonagh, Evan Gannon, Bradley Murphy, Cathal Tierney

Girls’ Team:  Orlaith Heaney, Sian O’Toole, Jessica Commins, Ruby Donnellan, Kellyann Walsh

Here are some photographs of our soccer stars in action!

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Our Reading Buddy program is an initiative where older students participate in a paired reading activity with younger students.

This year, pupils from 4^th/5^th/6th classes (Big Buddies) were paired with pupils from 1^st and 2^nd classes (Little Buddies).  The pupils meet twice a week for 8 weeks.  Each week, the pairs & small groups read aloud to each other, benefiting both students reading & listening skills.

The ‘Little Buddies’ benefit from:

• hearing stories read-aloud (modelling of reading fluency, phrasing and expression)
• having conversations with an older student about topics that interest and involve them (extending their vocabulary, oral language abilities)
• having regular opportunities to practice familiar reading with assistance
• enjoying fun, positive experiences with older school children.

The ‘Big Buddies’ benefit from:

• further developing their own literacy skills
• fostering leadership and problem-solving skills
• improved self-confidence that comes from being looked-up to
• a very real and important reason to be responsible, and an opportunity to praised for positive behaviour

Reading Buddies can promote a higher interest and participation in reading, improvement in social and communication skills.  And, most importantly, it’s just FUN!

Here are some pictures of our buddies in action!