Student Voice

Thursday, November 14th, was World Kindness Day and we used it to boost our Cineáltas practises in the school. We raised our new Cineáltas flag just before the October midterm break, and members of the Student Council spoke beautifully about an inclusive school, where we live our values and promote physical, emotional and spiritual growth. 

The Council promoted Kindness Day with a Kindness Tree, on which everyone was invited to hang their experiences of others being generous, patient and thoughtful toward them and themselves treating others likewise. Council members also collected examples of kindness from each class. They then made a lovely announcement at senior assembly and here are just some of the kind acts St Patrick’s NS pupils and staff had been engaging in…

Thanks to Mr Carew’s class for this one: We don’t leave each other out of games.

Thanks to Mrs Hampson’s class for this one: We listen to others.

Thanks to Mr Delaney’s class for this one: If we can’t contact parents to bring in a missing lunch, we share our lunches with that person.

Thanks to Ms Griffin’s class for this one: We allow everyone to take their turn and listen to each other.

Thanks to Ms M Fox’s class for this one: We step in when needed, even if we aren’t very friendly with the person who is in trouble.

Thanks to Ms C Fox’s class for these: Grace bought Ms Fox a themed pen, just to be thoughtful.

Ms Fox gave Máirín a book to thank her for her words of wisdom.

Heidi drew a Christmas picture to cheer someone up.

Thanks to Ms McKeon’s class for these: We give compliments, we share toys and include each other, we are respectful and helpful to teachers.

Thanks to Ms Duff’s class for these: We hold the door for each other, we help our parents and we help elderly people and others in need.

Well done to everyone who added a leaf to the Kindness Tree while it was on display at our noticeboard in the front corridor.

On Tuesday, December 16th, we held the annual St Patrick’s NS Christmas Jumper Day. Everyone got into the spirit of the occasion and donated generously. On Thursday, 18th, we made a donation of €988.55 to the charity Hope for Homeless. This will go a long way to funding vital services such as the stocking and distribution of boxes of supplies to families who are currently struggling financially. We are so grateful for all we have and we remain aware that there are plenty of people, some nearer to us than we might realise, whom are not as fortunate as we are.

During the first term, Student Council members researched suppliers of playground equipment and wrote a letter to the Parents’ Association, asking for funding to bring some additional facilities to the top yard, for use during breaktimes. On Tuesday, January 13th, we received a new climbing wall, a chess/drafts table and a table tennis table. Classes began enjoying these, using a rota kindly drawn up by Mrs Doherty, from Wednesday. This has been a huge success and we are so very, very grateful to the PA for their generosity. So many pupils are already benefiting hugely from the new facilities.

Members continue to help out at assemblies and on both yards, as well as reporting concerns and wishes from their own and junior buddy classes. We have some events ahead this and next term. Watch this space for our next update!

A message from the Student Council:

Today is World Mental Health Day. In our School’s Mission Statement, which we told you all about last month, we say we value mental health. But actions speak louder than words! So this week, we shared one simple action for everyone to take each day.

To take care of our physical health, we brush our teeth, get enough sleep, eat a mixture of foods, drink enough water and move our bodies. Taking care of our mental health can look a bit different but it is just as important. Student Council members shared ideas each day this week for how we might mind our minds better.

On Monday, we were Mindful. We used our senses. Even just one time, we stopped and really noticed what was around us. We looked for something we didn’t see before or a beautiful colour. We listened to what we could hear, when we stopped moving for a moment. We took in our favourite smells. We took a bite of food, chewed slowly and enjoyed that taste. When we went outside, we noticed the feeling of the fresh air on our skin.

On Tuesday, we took Time for Others. We asked someone how they were and really listened to their answer. When someone asked us, we thought about how we really were. If we needed to change something, to feel a bit better, we tried to find ways to change it. It is important that if the person we asked was not okay, we tried to help them change what they needed to change. We know we can talk to a trusted adult if help was needed doing this.

On Wednesday, we Worked on Worries. We can all say, draw or write something we are worried about. Worries feel very real but pushing them away can be unhelpful. An ancient Chinese proverb says that “Worry is like a rocking chair – it gives you something to do and gets you nowhere.” So, instead of going around and around with this worry, we can tell a trusted adult about it.

A Worry Monster is an option! To make one, get an empty box from the recycling bin and ask an adult to help cut a mouth. Use pipe cleaners, straws, pieces of paper or card or whatever you have, to create arms, legs, googly eyes, a tongue. We can decorate our Worry Monster however we like! We can feed worries to our Worry Monsters and let them much them up, then go and do something that makes us feel good.

When we are worried, we can hug someone we love, play with a pet, draw a picture, kick a ball around the garden, listen to our favourite music. Worry Monsters will take care of worries and we won’t waste energy thinking about them and getting nowhere.

Yesterday, was Thankful Thursday. We can say, draw or write one thing we are glad to have in our lives. This can be a person we love, a place where we feel safe, an activity we enjoy or a special item like a toy.

During a difficult moment, we can think about this person, place, activity or thing. Even if what is going on right now is a challenge, that thing still exists. We can hold on to the feeling of being thankful for that.

Today is Friday. Let’s have Fun! We shared our suggestion for minding our minds today at assemblies: Do something you can lose yourself in, as soon as possible. Our suggestion is to pick your favourite activity in the whole world. If you can’t enjoy it today, plan when you will. Mark a date on the calendar, if you have one, and tick the days off until you get there. You could ask a friend what their favourite thing to do is. Maybe you could play a game that involves somebody’s favourite activity or pretend you are somewhere really enjoyable!

We wish you a Fun Friday and a very happy weekend. Thank you for listening to us each day this week and well done if you tried some of our suggestions. Next Friday, we encourage everyone to take a Cyber Break. This might be another way people might like to mind your minds. Mrs Doherty emailed information to parents about this today.

Thank you sincerely to everyone who completed the survey we shared. We are compiling the information we have from all your responses and these will inform our Bí Cineálta work. We really appreciate people’s honesty in completing these surveys. Thank you for your time.

We will raise our new Cineáltas Flag next week! In a world where we can be anything – and we can – it is always right to be KIND. This flag is a symbol of our school’s commitment to promote kindness through ACTION, as well as words.

Finally, enormous thanks to Faye. Faye allowed us to share her award winning piece of artwork here today, to help us promote awareness of, and action about, Mental Health.

Let’s spend the weekend being kind to ourselves and each other.

From the Student Council and all the St Patrick’s NS Team. 

This year’s Student Council has been working hard already! Our focus thus far has been implementing our new Bí Cineálta policy. “Bí cineálta” means “Be kind”. We value kindness in our school. We want St Patrick’s NS to be as inclusive as possible. No one gets left out here.

This year, we will make a big effort to celebrate kindness and difference and to combine the two. Throughout the year, we will celebrate diversity, in small, simple ways. On a daily basis, we will embrace differences by playing a variety of games, asking questions about each others’ cultures and languages, speaking clearly so that everyone can understand us and adapting our play to ensure everyone can comfortably take part. On a broader scale, pupils will learn about neurodiversity through the LEANS program and classes will variously undertake activities to mark days like World Mental Health Day in October, World Kindness Day in November, International Day of Persons with Disabilities in December and Mother Language Day and Stand Up to Bullying Day in February. We are very excited about St Patrick's NS Diversity Day in April, where we will celebrate all the different cultures and backgrounds represented in our wonderful school. 

We will update you on our work and all the goings-on around the school, here on the

website and on our noticeboard in the front corridor of the school. We will add to the

Council with representatives from 3 rd  class, in October. For now, here is our

dedicated Council:

 Jack, Mr O’Neill’s 6 th

Emily, Ms C Fox’s 6 th

John, Ms C Fox’s 6 th

Mark, Mr Carew’s 6 th

Dante, Mr Carew’s 6 th

Max, Ms Duff’s 5 th

Ella, Ms Duff’s 5 th

Jack, Ms M Fox’s 5 th

Cameron, Ms M Fox’s 5 th

Sadie, Ms Friery’s 4 th

Jack, Ms Friery’s 4 th

Finn, Mrs Hampson’s 4 th

Andrew, Mrs Hampson’s 4 th

Finally, we would really appreciate if parents and children could each complete a

survey to inform our new Bí Cineálta policy. If you have a few minutes, the links are below

We really appreciate your input to our Bí Cineálta policy. As you can see from the

photographs, Student Council representatives have already made presentations to

Mrs Doherty, Ms Kierans and the wider staff. They have done great work promoting

our new policy and you will see it here on the school website in a few weeks. Many

thanks to anyone who can complete a survey to inform our work.

St Patrick’s NS Student Council.

We are so proud of the thoughtful and heartfelt contributions from the students in Ms. Duff’s Sixth Class, who recently shared their insights into the strengths and challenges that can come with being autistic.

Through open discussion and reflection, these amazing young people demonstrated empathy, understanding, and a deep appreciation for neurodiversity. Their work highlights the importance of listening, learning, and creating an inclusive school environment where everyone feels valued and supported.