St. Peter's Primary Bray Blog

Welcome to our submission for the Curious Minds (previously the Discover Primary Science and Maths) Award for 2023. This is our 18^th year taking part in the awards, once again, we are applying for the Plaque of STEM Excellence. This award is given to schools that carry out extensive work in science, technology, engineering and maths, all of which are very important in St. Peter’s.

This is the 9th year that we have had Junior and Senior Infants taking part in the award! It is great to see the young scientists have so much fun learning about science and maths. Each year we try to put a big focus on STEM across the school, with a whole school approach helping us achieve even more in this area. This has also meant, due to current circumstances, that we have broadened our scope to encourage STEM at home, which has been both challenging and exciting.

You can read all about it and see the evidence below. It has been great to see the improvements we can make towards helping our school incorporating STEM as a way of thinking, rather than as a stand-alone subject.

All of the pupils are seeing that STEM is about the skills required to learn science, technology and mathematics, and how engineering and design processes and principles are used to achieve an outcome. As students of STEM, we identify a problem. We then need to create possible solutions to these problems, which we can then go and test.

Yet again, a huge amount of work has gone into this application. Every single class in the school has taken part, so a big well done to all the pupils and teachers! For the eleventh year, we are using our blog to submit our award and to link back to our activities that have taken place during the year.

Step 1: Science

For this step, we carried out hands-on science investigations under the four different strands in classes throughout the school. We also tried to include numeracy in these investigations where possible, linking in with Step 4.

Energy and Forces: 

• This is always a popular strand as it really excites the children with fun experiments to engage in. There are lots of experiments on show this year but just for a taste here is 3rd Class Rockets , Junior Infant Magnets and 4^th Class trying to figure out how to Balance a Lever

Living Things: 

• Living things is always a strand we like to sink our teeth into and this year 3^rd class were no different learning about Teeth . If that didn’t get your pulses racing may 6^th classes exercise and Heart Rate study will. When you have a chance to catch your breath find out how much 5^th class learned about the Lungs.

Environmental Awareness and Care:  

• Learning all about environmental care 6^th class were delighted to have a guest in over a number of weeks to discuss Sustainability and the Environment, while 2^nd class have been investigating the make up of soil.

Materials and Change: 

• Check out how Ms. Leggett’s 1^st class got on making potions, find out the best way to dissolve candy canes with this Junior Infants Candy Cane Experiment and their delicious skittles experiment and discover how to keep warm with 6^th classes exploration of insulated shelters.

We love a chance to undertake whole school STEM projects and although curtailed the last couple of years we are delighted to be able to get back to taking part in various projects. Check out all of our Science Week activities on our blog!

Step 2: Technology

The second step in the application is Technology. Ensuring that ICT is used by our pupils and/or product design using materials (using different materials for design and make projects).

As a previous winner of the Junior Spider Awards, technology has become a part of every-day life in St. Peter’s. We were also awarded the Digital School of Distinction award, which showcased the effort and time we put in incorporating technology into our daily school lives.

We believe this is true for children at all levels. Mr. Kinsella’s Junior Infant class have loved early programming activities with beebots and getting to use the school tablets. Check out how we use IT in Infants.

Programming continues in older classes who have been using Lego Wedo. They have loved getting to play with the kits and programming them and engaging with the interactive lessons using the Lego Wedo software.

We see the importance of integrating technology across the curriculum with pupils using cameras, tablets, animoto, and the blog, as well as apps such as Class Dojo and Twitter, to showcase the work that they have been doing during the course of the year. We use our blog weekly to set challenges as Gaeilge for classes with Frasaí na Seachtaine.

Integrating technology into our numeracy can make it more engaging for pupils, here 6^th class used zoom to take part in a Zoom Maths Quiz, while 5^th class have been using their interactive whiteboard to explore and create patterns.

As you can see from our submission, we have continued to implement technology in our day-to-day teaching and learning, with maths and science at the forefront of this. You can check out all of our tweets from the year @stpetersbray!

Step 3: Engineering

For the third step of our application for the Curious Minds Plaque of STEM Excellence, we have had a big focus on the Design and Make element of science. Our staff have worked previously in conjunction with St. Patrick’s College regarding professional development in STEM. A big part of this focused on the Design and Make process, and helped us make sure STEM is an integral part of our engineering activities.

Design and Make Projects are always popular. Ms. Muldowney’s 5^th class didn’t need much persuading to design and make Gingerbread Houses, while Ms. Meaney’s 4^th Class took the theme of the Olympics and made it miniature with their Olympic Table Top Games.

We love to get parents involved in their children’s learning and we were delighted with the results of the Senior Infants Space Project.

Step 4: Maths

Throughout our science investigations, all classes looked to incorporate Maths as much as possible and like opportunities to explore concepts in a fun way like celebrating Maths Week in the school. Here 4th Class used Maths Week to learn about capacity, word problems and lines and angles.

We loved the resource available to school for Maths week and Ms. Lohan’s 3^rd class really loved Maths Week TV.

All classes had fun engaging in Maths week and the infants are no exception with some examples here from Ms. Roche’s Class taking part in Maths Week and Mr. Kinsella’s class enjoying number runs and chalk drawings.

Step 5: STEM Showcase

As a school we know how important it is for students to present their work to an audience, especially with all the hard work put into STEM initiatives by pupils and staff. We always love taking part in initiatives like Science Blast and this year has been no different with 6th Class taking on the Science Blast Challenge link.

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Typically, classes present their learning during Assembly or at our own showcases but these last couple of years have obviously been a challenge mixing groups. That didn’t stop teachers highlighting some of the great work pupils are doing through our School Blog and twitter and we were delighted with 4^th class were able to take part in the Intel Mini Scientist Competition and were able to hold a science fair to show off all the work they put in for this years’ event.

We couldn’t include all our STEM activities as our teachers and pupils work so hard throughout the year on this but we hope you enjoyed reading a few examples from our submission for the Curious Minds Awards!

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We have also been working on some Easter art.

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This year 6th class took part in the ESB Science Blast and asked the question: ‘How clean is our school? An investigation into the unseen micro- organisms that are found in our school’.

We thought this was an interesting question and that we might find some very surprising results! Take a look below at our investigation…

We started examining this question by researching and learning about bacteria, fungi and viruses.

Bacteria:

We know that bacteria are single – celled organisms, and that there are probably more individual bacteria than any other sort of micro – organism on the planet.  Most bacteria live under ground or in water, but many live inside or on the skin of other organisms, including humans. Most bacteria reproduce by dividing down the middle to form 2 separate cells. They then each divide again to form a total of 4 more cells. Some bacteria cause disease but there are lots of good bacteria too, like the kind that helps humans digest food.

Fungi:

A fungus is a simple organism, or living thing, that is neither a plant nor an animal. When there is more than one fungus they are called fungi. Some familiar fungi are mushrooms, moulds, mildews, truffles, and yeasts. Fungi grow particularly well in mild, moist regions and in the tropics. A fungus grows by feeding on other organisms. Most fungi feed on dead plant and animal material. These fungi are called saprophytes. Other fungi get their food from living plants and animals. These fungi are called parasites. A fungus generally consists of a mass of threadlike strands called hyphae.

Viruses:

Viruses are tiny particles that cause disease in people, animals, and plants. Different viruses cause the common cold, influenza (flu), chicken pox, measles, AIDS, and many other diseases. Viruses are so tiny that people can see them only with powerful microscopes. Some viruses have a spherical, or round, shape. Others are shaped like rods. Viruses are made up mostly of a substance called nucleic acid surrounded by protein. On its own, a virus is lifeless. However, it becomes active when it infects, or enters, a  cell of an animal or a plant. Once inside a cell, a virus can reproduce itself, like living things can. Doctors use vaccines to prevent many diseases caused by viruses. Vaccines are substances made from dead or weakened viruses. They prepare the immune system to fight off active forms of these viruses.

Hypothesis:

Investigation:

1. Make a list of rooms and surfaces in school that you want to test for the presence of micro – organisms.

2. Use agar plates for the collection of micro – organisms. It is important that the agar plates are only opened when necessary: when taking a swab from a surface or being placed in a room for a period of time (4- 5 days). It is important that the lid sits under the dish for collection of micro – organisms so it can be quickly replaced.

3. Ensure that you have an agar plate set as a ‘control’. This control will not contain any micro – organisms and when compared with the samples we collect, we will be able to determine if surfaces and locations were dirty or relatively clean.

4. After the collection of micro – organisms, parafilm must be used to seal the agar plate. This ensures no other micro – organisms are collected as the plate is now air tight.

5. Put the sealed agar plates in a warm environment. They need to be incubated for micro – organism to grow. Bacteria and fungi grow best in moist, hot, environments.

6. If micro – organisms don’t grow the first time, swab or expose the plate again.

7. Examine the micro – organisms on each agar plate as they are likely different in appearance.

8. Record your findings.

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We were lucky to work with a Science expert while carrying out our investigation and had the opportunity to examine micro – organisms under a microscope. The micro – organisms were magnified 400 times which was amazing to see – bacteria appears as shiny dots, fungi has hyphae and viruses were not visible as we need a much stronger microscope to see them (but they could still be present nonetheless!)

Maintaining the parafilm on the agar plates was extremely important as there could be potentially infectious micro – organisms collected. We also advise not to get too close as some agar plates have begun to emit strong odours!

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Results:

After we collected our agar plates and incubated them to ensure a suitable environment for the growth of micro – organisms, we had to count our results! This required great patience and teamwork to ensure accuracy! We classified the micro – organisms according to appearance and colour. We graphed our results using Lego which we found worked as a clear visual for us.

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Our agar plates yielded great results! We can confirm that there are a variety of micro – organisms to be found everywhere in our school (and probably every school!)

During the course of our investigation we also found out some fun facts…

• There are 6kg of bacteria in an adult’s human gut! There are about 3kg of bacteria in a child’s gut.
• Lots of scientists are now having a debate about whether or not viruses should be classified as ‘micro – organisms’. They argue that because viruses don’t reproduce by themselves (they only do this when they infect another living cell) that they are different to bacteria and fungi.
• Bacteria and fungi can be seen with the naked eye. Viruses are much smaller and we need a very powerful microscope to see them. These microscopes magnify the virus 250,000 times. They cost about €250,000.

What would we change/ keep in mind if we carried out this investigation again:

We discovered that the temperature in our school affected the collection of micro – organisms. We began our investigation in December. Some of the agar plates that we left out in different locations did not appear to collect any micro – organisms due to it being too cold.

We re – tested these areas in January, which included the staff room, library and sensory room, and yielded more accurate results.

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Bhí an-spraoi againn ag ceiliúradh Seachtain na Gaeilge ar scoil i mbliana.

Ghlacamar páirt i go leor imeachtaí ranga agus rinneamar ceiliúradh le chéile mar scoil freisin. Ghlacamar páirt i tóraíocht taisce, ceolchoirm, tráth na gceist boird agus fiú cluiche scoile iomlán biongó!

Maith sibh gach daoine as iarracht speisialta a dhéanamh go leor Gaeilge a labhairt le cúpla seachtain anuas.

Féach ar chuid dár ngníomhaíochtaí thíos…

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Bhain muid an-taitneamh as an gceolchoirm, agus sheinn go leor amhrán, damhsaí agus dánta!

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Bhí an-spraoi ag baint lenár tóraíocht taisce agus deis iontach a bhí ann dúinn ár scileanna oibre foirne a thaispeáint.

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Bhí tráth na gceist dúshlánach ach d’oibríomar go maith ag labhairt na Gaeilge le chéile!

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Anois déanfaimid iarracht mhór tógáil ar ár nGaeilge labhartha gach lá ar scoil agus sa bhaile!

We love to integrate technology into the classroom whenever we can. Children are so adept at using IT now they are practically teaching us. We We love to use the school tablets to enhance our learning, particularly during Maths stations.

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We use the IWB daily in the class and children love to get a chance to play games in literacy and numeracy activities. We also love to use it to help us relax with some mindfulness mediation and yoga.

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We teach basic programming throughout the school and love to get a chance to use the Beebots to teach early programming skills.

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Each month we look at how good our attendance is in the school and we are always trying to help improve it. February was our best month of the year so far, with 92.1% of the school being in for the month.

After meeting with our Student Council, we brought back “Spin the Wheel”. The Student Council went through what each prize was before assembly and decided to keep them the same as before. We agreed that each class gets to spin the wheel if their attendance improves from the previous month.

Mr. Vance had an assembly with the school on Tuesday. There was a lot of excitement amongst the boys and girls (and the staff!) for “Spin the Wheel”. You can watch the video of some of the classes spinning it at the bottom of this post. Well done to all the boys and girls. We also did a draw for children with perfect attendance for the year so far, with two big hampers given out to the winners. We were also very happy to be able to say that 118 children had either got perfect attendance in February, or improved on their attendance for January. These children have been put in a draw for book tokens from Dubray Books.

We hope to keep the good attendance up this month in March. There are 20 school days in March, and we look forward to hearing our attendance update at the end of the month!

Yesterday second class loved getting their hands dirty while they took on the task of investigating the makeup of soil. During this experiment, the boys and girls looked for which man-made and natural components of soil they could find.

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We noted our findings on our worksheets and compared results from each group. There was great excitement as we found a worm in the soil as well!

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We then used the soil to plant our own seeds as we have been learning about the plant life cycle. Stay tuned for the update on how our growing our own plants goes under different conditions!

We had a lovely day celebrating World Book Day in school. We all wore our pyjamas in as a special treat, it was very cosy!

As part of the celebration, we visited the school library to read some new books, Mr. Vance even stopped by and read us a funny story.

Have a look at some pictures below of us having some hot chocolate and completing some fun book wordsearches.

4th Class came down to our class and partnered with us for some shared reading of story books from our class library.

We made special bookmarks that we can use when reading ourselves at home!

Senior infants were tired by the end of the day, lucky they were in their pyjamas ready for a little snooze on the mat!

Junior Infants were really excited to do the Skittles Rainbow Experiment this week. (We’re not sure if it was because they love science or couldn’t wait to eat the left over skittles!)

This experiment shows that water molecules are more active in warm water than in cold water and as they come in contact with the sugar in the skittles they cause it to dissolve faster.

For the experiment we needed

• 1 pkt Skittles

• ¼ cup cold water

• 1/4 cup warm water

• 2 white plates Activity

To start we made predictions on what might happen and then we arranged the Skittles in a single row around the edge of the plate of each plate. We poured over enough cold water to cover all the Skittles and the plate itself on the first plate. Then we poured over enough warm water to cover all the Skittles and the plate itself on the second plate.

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We watched and waited as a rainbow appears on the second plate, the colors will moved towards the middle and create a whirl of color. This didnt happen in the first plate! We discussed why this was the case.

Each group then got to try there own experiment to check out the results.

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Of course we got to eat the left overs at the end!

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