Junior Infants, Senior Infants, 1st and 6th Classes went on a very successful Eco Safari last week here in Gortskehy. Before we set off, we discussed road safety and the children put on their hi-vis vests. The excitement was palpable. We then explored the natural hedgerows that exist close by our school.

The children were very enthusiastic and interested, we brought magnifying glasses and collection jars to help with our search. We found lots of minibeasts, natural vegetation and even a fossil! The children worked in groups and had fun filling out their Eco Safari journals. The whole experience was so enjoyable and very educational. We are looking forward already to our next Eco Safari. Please take the time to view the video of our safari.

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This is a story trí Ghaeilge of life in Agrabah, a land ruled by a feared Sultan, anxious to have his daughter Jasmine married. His chief advisor Jafar is tasked with finding a suitable prince. Scene 1 features local stall traders, princess Jasmine, Aladdin, who is wanted for stealing, and the palace guards. Scene 2 reveals a very demanding princess Jasmine, her ladies-in-waiting, the Sultan, queen and advisor Jafar. Scene 3 shows Aladdin in prison where the Genie also makes an appearance. The final scene has a little surprise and reveals our happy ending.

The children will perform the play in Castlebar on February 13th as part of Féile Scoildrámaíocht Mhaigh Eo.

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Senior Room Christmas Play 2017

Sincere thanks to @GarrymoreGAA for the use of the hall and to everyone who donated prizes for the raffle and supported us on the night.

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving”  Mother Teresa

We were delighted to be part of the Christmas Shoebox Appeal this year here in Gortskehy N.S.. Thanks to all the parents who put together Shoebox parcels for Team Hope with their children. It is such a worthy cause and Team Hope brings so much joy to so many children at Christmas time. This year Team Hope shoeboxes from Ireland will go to street children, orphans, children in hospital, poor families, victims of war or other needy situations in some African countries, Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union.  Thanks to Veronica for distributing the pamphlets and collecting the shoeboxes from the school. As you can see from the happy faces in the photo above, the children found it very rewarding ‘giving’ the gift of a shoebox.

Thank You.

Sixth class (2017/18)

Here is a video of our space balloon flight which was launched on Thursday, June 22nd, 2017 from Frank and Mary Clarke’s farm. It reached an altitude of 28km. There are five layers to our atmosphere – Troposphere (up to 20km high), Stratosphere (20-50km), Mesosphere (50-85km), Thermosphere (85-600km), Exosphere (600-10,000km). Our balloon reached the Stratosphere.

Around 20km high ice-crystals are visible and the temperature drops to -51°C. In the Stratosphere the temperature actually increased with altitude to -40°C  as ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is absorbed by the ozone layer. Had our balloon reached the top of the stratosphere the temperature would have risen to about -15°C  before falling sharply again in the Mesosphere. It landed 125km away between Castlepollard and Athboy on the farm of Eamon and Margureite Kelly.

Thanks to Frank and Mary Clarke, our sponsors CMS Distribution and DeCare Dental and chase car drivers Mary Lydon, Jan Wilkins and Angela Walshe.

The video of the flight is 360° so view it fullscreen to pan around. Control the 360 degree fullscreen video on your phone or tablet by moving your device.  To view it on a VR headset visit https://youtu.be/XPfoCtv5NSA or search for “Gortskehy in Space” using your VR YouTube app.

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Video: Space balloon flight https://t.co/G0CPxSR6Ss via @gortskehy. So proud of my old N. S. Congrats to all involved.

— Andy Tierney (@Jamesatierney) July 14, 2017

CMS expansion now reaches space! Courtesy of sponsorship of the @gortskehy #space balloon flight. We have video > https://t.co/u3lWRMhBpm pic.twitter.com/CeWIUJcBGL

— CMS Distribution (@CMSDistribution) July 25, 2017

This intrepid school from Hollymount lauched a space balloon! https://t.co/BuFA61KSbq @AllThingsMayo @gortskehy pic.twitter.com/88kCl4EPuF

— Mayo.ie (@MayoDotIE) July 15, 2017