Working Together for a Sustainable Future
Castleknock Educate Together has been participating in the Green-Schools Programme since 2003. Promoting long-term, whole-school action for the environment Green-Schools is a student led programme with involvement from the wider community.
We have achieved all 10 Green-Schools Flags including: Litter and Waste Flag, Energy Flag, Water Flag, Travel Flag, Biodiversity Flag, Global Citizenship Litter & Waste Flag, Global Citizenship Energy Flag, Global Citizenship Marine Environment Flag, Global Citizenship Travel Flag and Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity Flag.
Our Green Team lead this initiative. Two children from each class from 1st to 6th are democratically elected by their classmates and retain their positions on the Green Team for the duration of the school year.
Each flag takes two years of raising awareness and organising school activities to explore the theme to deepen knowledge.
In June 2023, we achieved our 10th Green Flag for our work on the theme Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity.
Our New Theme for 2024/2025
'Primary Climate Ambassadors' is an exciting new programme has been designed by the Green Schools' Climate Action
Team for schools who have completed all 10 flags. We have ten exciting climate challenges to work through! They are themed around waste, energy, water, transport and biodiversity. The programme is grounded in critical thinking and inquiry-based learning, providing an immersive experience for participants.
Green School Student Representatives 2024/2025
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Class
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Green Team
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1st
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Hugh & Sinéad |
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1st
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Aolat & Logan
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2nd
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Mia & Lenny
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2nd
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Muhammad & Natalia
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3rd
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James & Noa
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3rd
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Jane & Marek
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4th
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Emma & Olivier
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4th
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Kaylee & Harry
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5th
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Kay & Samuele
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5th
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Sam & Lucy
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6th
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Cian & Daania
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6th
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Peter & Sophie
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Our New Theme - 2024/2025
We are on Year 2 of 'Primary Climate Ambassadors' which is an exciting new programme has been designed by the Green Schools' Climate Action
Team. We have ten climate challenges to work through. They are themed around waste, energy, water, transport and biodiversity.
The programme is grounded in critical thinking and inquiry-based learning, providing an immersive experience for participants.
November 2024 - Polytunnel Update
We are delighted to see all the new growth in our polytunnel! Take a look!
October 2024 - Polytunnel Planting
Polytunnel Planting by Daania 6th Class
Today, all of our Green Team gathered for a meeting at the polytunnel. Once everyone arrived, Paula introduced us to two special guests. The first was Caroline from ‘Biodiversity in Schools’ and the second was Margaret Condon from Castleknock Tidy Towns. The Green Team then all introduced ourselves! We heard that we're getting to plant crops today which was really exciting! We all headed into the polytunnel and everyone each got a task. Some were planting and some were designing signs. There are all sorts of crops planted like lettuce, carrot, cabbages, beetroot, kale, onions, garlic, radishes and even edible flowers!!! We also planted up 3 raised planters beside our outdoor classroom with crops. Once it was finished, we headed back to our classes. It was a blast!
September 2024 - Our New Polytunnel
Take at look at our new Polytunnel. We are very excited to start planting! Polytunnel planting workshops have been scheduled to help us choose which fruit and vegetables to plant for year round harvesting and of course to help us plant it up!
This year, CETNS is participating in the Fingal Composting & Recycling for Schools programme. We wish to reduce our school waste going to landfill by producing our own compost to enrich our polytunnel planting, our school gardens, our wildflower areas and our orchard. Craig Benton will deliver in-school workshops for classes on the importance of composting and composting systems. We are taking action to become part of the solution to address climate change.
Our Green Team student representative elections will take place next week.
If any parents are interested in helping us with this, please let the office know.
Watch this space!!!
More photos of our polytunnel here- http://www.cetns.ie/News/Our-New-Polytunnel!/388689/Index.html
May 2024 - Biodiversity themed school mural is complete!
We are so proud of our new School Mural. The design was created by our 3rd class children in collaboration with professional artist Juliette Viodé as part of the BLAST Artist in Residence Initiative!
Here is artist Juliette's interpretation of the mural- "This mural draws inspiration from biodiversity, conveying a message emphasizing our shared existence on this planet and the imperative to preserve it. It depicts elements of the Phoenix Park - the home of majestic trees and deer roaming free – located so close to the school. The students themselves came up with ideas for the artwork, the mural aims to ignite a sense of environmental consciousness among their peers, urging them to cherish and protect nature, particularly within the urban setting where it’s most fragile."
Our new school mural ties together all of our hard work on biodiversity this year in CETNS. We have Incredible Edibles fruit & vegetable planting and our wildflower planting in our new recycled plastic raised beds. We love our child designed signs marking our areas of biodiversity around CETNS. Our 'All Ireland Pollinator Plan' signs show our bee friendly designated areas around our school! On World Bee Day, May 20th, wildflower seeds were sown in front of our mural. Our new polytunnel will arrive in the next few weeks.
Well done 3rd classes and thank you so much Juliette!
Take a closer look here - http://www.cetns.ie/News/School-Mural-is-Complete!/385998/Index.html
May 2024 - COWOW today as part of Bike Week
Thanks to all the fantastic boys and girls in CETNS who walked, cycled or scooter to school for COWOW today as part of Bike Week.
Just a reminder there is not enough room for all bikes and scooters inside school gates so please use our new cycle / scooter rails near our school mural just outside the yard.
January 2024 - Biodiversity School Mural in the design stage!
Mural Artist Juliette Viodé visited the 3rd classes today! She will be helping us to design and paint a mural for the school as part of the Blast Initiative. 3rd class worked very hard brainstorming ideas for the design which will be inspired by biodiversity.
Read more here - http://www.cetns.ie/News/School-Mural--BLAST-Initiative/144978/Index.html
December 2023 - New Raised Flower Beds ordered
We have ordered new recycled plastic raised flower beds to replace our wooden ones. They will arrive in late January. We are excited to grow lots of food and pollinator friendly flowers.
December 2023 - Making Bird Feeders
Our feathered friends will be very well fed this cold winter with all of the amazing bird feeders that our 4th classes constructed today! The children used hammers and drills to make wooden birdhouses. Read more here!
http://www.cetns.ie/News/Constructing-Bird-Feeders--Forest-School/144393/Index.html
November 2023 - Circular Economy Workshop in 6th Class
On Monday, Caitríona from Global Action Plan visited us to talk about the circular economy. The circular economy is when things are reused and put back into the world instead of being thrown away and being burnt, landfill etc. Caitríona told us about recycling and that she had a bag made out of bouncy castles and she had another bag made out of Capri sun. She talked about the waste and plastic in the world, she told us that Coca Cola is one of the biggest plastic polluters in the world. She lives in Cabra and works in Ballymun near the Rediscovery centre. She told us that every day, when walking her children to school, she sees fully overflowing rubbish bins near her home. This upsets her a lot and that she wishes the council would add more bins. She encouraged us to look out for many eco-friendly brands and organizations like Castleknock Tidy Towns, Too Good To Go and Food Cloud.
We really enjoyed learning about how we can help our environment in school and at home. by Jane and Ilhana
September 2023 - CETNS flowers blooming around Castleknock Village
Beautiful Cosmos and Nasturtiums grown from seeds by the students of CETNS in their polytunnel and blooming beautifully at Phoenix Park gates on Whites Rd and College Grove! Castleknock Tidy Towns sends us their thanks.
September 2023 - Fruit Picking around our School Grounds
Children in Senior Infants went on a fruit-picking adventure. They had lots of fun picking apples and pears.
June 2023 - National Bike Week Competition Winner
We were delighted to hear that Neher Nair in Senior Infants was a runner up in the Green Schools Bike Week 2023 Poster Competition. Congratulations Neher! https://greenschoolsireland.org/bike-week-2023-poster-competition-winners/
This year, Green Schools Ireland asked entrants to describe their Bike Journey using a Sensory Map, to help capture the experience of their bike ride. A Sensory Map notes down what you see and hear along the way using pictures, and icons to help describe the route.
June 2023 - Prize from Fingal County Council!
Due to achieving our 10th Green Flag, Fingal County Council has given us a prize of some funding to spend on our school grounds. We have lots of ideas!
June 2023 - Wormery Design Competition Result!
We received very creative entries and have many class winners. Our overall winner is Jerry Luo in 5th class. Well done to Jerry. Jerry's design will be painted onto our wormery in September!
June 2023 - 2nd class Garden Update
We have been enjoying spending time in our beautiful class garden looking at the new flowers and spotting interesting insects! We designed and made some garden decorations this week; wind chimes, garden markers, big hotels, bird baths and fairy doors!
See all the planting and crafts here!!! http://www.cetns.ie/News/2nd-Class-Garden-Update/136671/Index.html
May 2023 - Our 10th Green Flag Award Ceremony
Thank you to our 5th & 6th class green team members who received our 10th Green Flag at the recent An Taisce ceremony! We look forward to flying it at full mast!
May 2023 - Woodies Budding Gardeners
2nd class are participating in the Woodies Budding Gardeners competition. We have had so much fun so far; planning our garden, choosing what to plant, weeding, watering, and best of all - watching everything start to grow!
May 2023 - Bike Week 13th - 21st May
Bike Week Events & Competition
Bike Week is a celebration of active travel, sustainable transport and simply the joys of cycling a bike! We'd love to see lots of bike and scooters users in CETNS this week!
Free Events
There are many exciting events to try in our area this week including BMX Racing. Find out more here - https://www.transportforireland.ie/news/partners/fingal/
Competition
Green-Schools Ireland have an exciting competition this year for all cyclists!
For Bike Week this year, Green-Schools invite you to create a map on the theme of “My Bike Journey”. This isn’t just a normal map however -it’s a sensory map! You are asked to get creative and capture the things you hear, see, smell along on your bike ride and how it makes you feel. Use all 5 of your senses. Here is an example - https://greenschoolsireland.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/sensory-sound-map-edit-brighter-scaled.jpg
The categories for entry are:
- Junior Primary (Junior Infants – 2nd Class)
- Senior Primary (3rd Class – 6th Class)
- Secondary Schools students.
Entries can be submitted online (scanned or photographed entries) to the email address: travel@greenschoolsireland.org or posted. Please note that we cannot return any entries posted to us. The closing for entries is Friday May 19th, 2023. Posted entries should be sent to Green-Schools Bike Week Competition, An Taisce EEU, 5a Swifts Alley, Francis Street, Dublin 8, D08 TN88.
Please ensure that each entry has the following information on the overleaf of the map:
- Name of student AND Age/Class Group;
- Name of School AND Contact email or number of coordinating teacher.
Good luck and happy cycling!!!
May 2023 - Upcoming National Green Flag Ceremony
Members of our Green Team will attend the upcoming National Green Flag Ceremony on the 25th of May. We will be presented with our 10th Green Flag by An Taisce. We cannot wait to attend!
April 2023 - Awarded 10th Green Flag!!!
We have some great news to report. We have been awarded our 10th Green School Flag from An Taisce Green-Schools Ireland! We are absolutely thrilled. A huge thank you goes to the Green Team and to everyone in CETNS for all of their hard work in helping achieve this.
Late March 2023 - Update on our planting
Wow, look at our fruit, veg and wildflowers grow!!!!
PEAS!!!
March 2023 - Whole School Planting of fruit, vegetables and pollinator friendly flowers
All classes in our school have been very busy planting a variety of different fruit, vegetables and also pollinator friendly flowers to feed our bees and butterflies!
Look at what we planted!
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Junior Infants Jill
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A mix of Pollinator friendly flowers
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Junior Infants Sarah
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A mix of Pollinator friendly flowers
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Senior Infants Ruth
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A mix of Pollinator friendly flowers
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Senior Infants Lisa
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A mix of Pollinator friendly flowers
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1st Class Alison
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Radishes & sweet peas
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1st Class Larah
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Sweet peas and snapdragon flowers
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2nd Class Chloe
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Sweet peas and radishes
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2nd Class Elaine
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Rocket
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3rd Class Jim
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peas
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3rd Class Lauren
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A mix of Pollinator friendly flowers
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4th Class Caoimhin
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Radishes
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4th Class Paula/Claire
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Rocket, radishes & mixed flowers
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5th Class Conor
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Pak choi
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5th Class Sarah
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Pollinator friendly flowers & spinach
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6th Class Emmett
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Carrots & peas
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6th Class Eugenia
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Potatoes
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Outreach
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Peas & strawberries
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March 2023 - Green Flag Renewal Visit
The Green Team had a very important meeting this morning with our Green Flag Renewal Assessor, Sinéad Fox, Environmental Awareness Officer from Fingal County Council. We are aiming to achieve our 10th Green Flag for the theme Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity. Margaret Condon from Castleknock Tidy Towns was also in attendance as we work together on many community planting activities.
The girls and boys were most enthusiastic and passionate in sharing all of their amazing environmental awareness knowledge. The Green Team told Sinéad all about school activities organised to explore the theme to deepen knowledge - Harvest Hunts, harvesting, awareness surveys, slogan competition to find our Green Code, community planting with Castleknock Tidy Towns, whole school planting, Biodiversity STEM projects for Science Week, releasing newts into our school pond, school wormery, SEAI sustainable energy workshops, Harvest Week, climate change projects, whole school competition to find the best design to paint our school wormery and our very recent whole school planting of fruit, vegetables and pollinator friendly flowers! We told Sinéad about other events that tied into our theme like the Heritage Ireland Lego builds, some sustainable Young Engineers Award projects and Biodiversity Intel Mini Scientist projects.
Andreas and the Green Team also brought Sinéad all around our school. She was delighted to see our biodiversity slogan wall, sensory garden, green school noticeboard, polytunnel, swift nestboxes & bird feeders in our outdoor classroom, school pond, orchard, wormery and our recent planting.
We will hear the result in the coming weeks.
Well done to the Green Team for all of your enthusiasm today!
March 2023 - Forest School - Frogspawn, Tadpoles and Frogs!
Mouse brought in lots of visitors into CETNS today! We learned all about the life cycle of a frog!!!
February 2023 - Worm City Design - Whole School Competition
The Green Team are running a whole school competition to find the best design that we will use to paint our wormery. Get your thinking caps on and give your finished drawing to your green team representative. There will be a class winner from every class and the overall winning design will be painted on our wormery! Watch this space!!!!
February 2023 - Amazing Climate Change Projects by 3rd Class
3rd class have been learning all about climate change and what actions we can take to help the earth.
January 2023 - OWLS Forest School programme - Bird Watching!
This month Mouse taught 4th class how to use binoculars & we used all of our bird identification knowledge to go bird watching around the the Royal Canal.
January 2023 - STEM Sustainable Houses by 6th classes
6th class have built very interesting sustainable houses as part of their learning on Climate Change and sustainable energy. Well done 6th class!
January 2023 - Heritage Ireland Lego Competition
The Heritage Council of Ireland put out a call asking children from across the country to get creative and showcase an element of Irish-built, natural or cultural heritage using LEGO® bricks, and the wonderful children of CETNS duly obliged. We have lots of enthusiastic Lego master builders across the school who were only too delighted to take up the challenge. We received lots of creative, imaginative, and expertly built Lego models which are currently on display in our foyer. Please have a look at some pictures below of the incredible Lego models that the children made.
The Heritage Council ran a competition across two age groups, 4-7 and 8-12, across Ireland. We are delighted to share the news that CETNS had two winners and four runners-up across the different age categories which is an incredible achievement. Our two winners were Luke Campbell (4th Class) and Isabella Carwood (1st Class). Our four runners-up were Ishaan Dalmia (1st Class), Liam Giusti ( 1st Class), Sophie Dixon ( 4th Class),and Jerry Luo (5th Class).
Models made by Oisin in Senior Infants (Wellington Monument), Nikki in 1st class (Papal Cross), Miar in 2nd class (Poolbeg Chimneys) and Cian in 4th class (Newgrange ) are also to be seen in the introduction of the video announcing the winners.
Congratulations to all of them, but also to all our amazing Lego builders who made models.
The winning entries will now be showcased at a special exhibition at Kilkenny Medieval Mile Museum from the 7th - 26th of February 2023. Wow!
All the winners and runners-up are listed on the Facebook and Instagram pages of the Heritage Council:
https://youtu.be/xXVx95cvyiQ
https://instagram.com/theheritagecouncil?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
https://www.facebook.com/TheHeritageCouncil
Thank you so much to all who participated.
January 2023- SEAI Energy & Sustainability Workshops
2nd to 6th class participated in SEAI interactive workshops with Ellen Kissane where they explored the topic of energy and sustainability. The children carried out energy experiments, played the energy game, and had lots of fun.
They learned :
- The principals of energy
- The current global problems and what we can do to help
- The science of energy and climate change
December 2022 - School Wormery!
500 worms moved into 'Worm City' today in CETNS! Craig Benton from Composting Ireland helped us set up our wormery this morning. The Green Team had an informative and interactive workshop. They learned lots of information about worms and helped mix our fallen leaves, paper and food into our wormery. Finally, we got to hold our wriggling worms before they start their work in our wormery! Our worms will turn our lunch waste into compost. We will look forward to using their compost for our school planting next year.
December 2023- OWLS Forest School Programme - Bird identification Class
This month, 4th class learned to identify many of the common birds in Ireland. We are now bird spotting experts!!
November 2022 - Science Week CETNS Biodiversity STEM projects
This year, the Green Team set a whole school challenge for Science Week where every child was asked to create a biome or ecosystem of their choice.
We were born away by the creativity and hard work of our students. We received so many projects that we ended up hosting an exhibition for our entire whole school community to visit. Take a look at the creativity below!!! Thank you to all who participated!
Take a look at some of our amazing projects here!
http://www.cetns.ie/News/Science-Week-January-2023/131055/Index.html
November- 2022 - OWLS Forest School Programme - Walk in the Ashtown Nature Reserve
Mouse from OWLS Forest School brought our 4th classes out near Ashtown Nature Reserve today. We were happily nest spotting, mud squelching and puddle jumping! We spotted grey dipper birds, otter trails, bat house nest boxes, waterfalls, an enormous redwood tree and beautiful autumn colours all around. We really enjoying throwing sticks over the bridge! Thanks Mouse for a very enjoyable day!
Read all about it here - http://www.cetns.ie/News/Forest-School-Nature-Walk/130353/Index.html
November 2022 - Green School Assembly given by the Green Team!
We had a whole school assembly today all about our Green School activities and our theme Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity. The Green Team did a fantastic job of informing our school community of our theme, related global issues and the actions we can all take in our daily lives to help.
October 2022 - OWLS Forest School Programme - Hibernation
4th class have been learning all about hibernation. We hid chestnuts and we are going to try and find them in the spring just like squirrels do!
October 2022 - Awareness Surveys
Every green team member surveyed their class on their awareness of Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity issues. This is our second year to use this survey. We were delighted to see that awareness and knowledge had increased since last year! Well done to everyone!
October 2022 - Harvest Hunt!
Our classes went on a harvest hunt to find fruit and vegetables growing in our school grounds! We created a food map for our Green School Noticeboard with our findings.
Take a look at our harvest hunt here! http://www.cetns.ie/News/Harvesting-at-CETNS/129651/Index.html
September 2022 - Participation in OWLS Forest School programme
OWLS Forest School is a nature awareness programme which consists of a series of monthly visits to 4th class in CETNS. The children go outdoors and learn using a hands-on approach about our local natural environment including our school grounds, the royal canal and Ashtown Nature Reserve.
In September, 4th class learned all about native Irish wildlife animals, birds and insects with Mouse, our guest speaker. The children were extremely engaged and curious so there were many questions for our nature expert Mouse!
September 2022 - Our New Green Team!
Our new Green Team has been chosen democratically by their classmates and they are ready for the new school year!
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Class
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Green Team
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1st - Alison
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Penny & Max
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1st - Larah
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Alexander & Sophie
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2nd – Chloë
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Tamsin & Fionn C.
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2nd - Elaine
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Reuben & Abigail
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3rd - Jim
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Peter & Sarah
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3rd - Lauren
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Areeba & Caden
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4th - Caoimhin
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Sophie & Luke
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4th – Paula/Claire
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Julia & Aanav
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5th - Conor
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Amelie & Aaron
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5th - Sarah
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Ronith & Róisín
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6th- Emmett
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Ioachim& Seha
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6th - Eugenia
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Stefan& Ella
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June 2022- ‘Best Harvest' Competition Winners - CETNS School Community!
We are thrilled to tell you that Green Schools Ireland have announced CETNS as the winners of 'Best Harvest' for Harvest Week. They were very impressed with the variety and quality of the crops harvested by CETNS families and the high level of engagement from the school community. They were also delighted to see photos of the crops that the children are growing at home.
We wish to thank everyone who brought a crop from their garden or emailed in photos for Harvest Week. We were blown away with the terrific response. It was really interesting for all. We have super gardening families in our school community!
During Harvest Week, our school foyer was bursting with colour! It was filled with delicious home grown produce and decorated with lots of photos that were emailed in. Our foyer was also smelling beautiful thanks to plenty of aromatic herbs! Take a look below!
Our 1st class had a great time making ice cream with their harvest of juicy strawberries!
Thanks again for all of your support!
1st class grew their own strawberries and made strawberry ice cream in June!
June 2022 - Our Green School Noticeboard
Click on the blue link below to see our Green School Noticeboard
Take a look at our Green School Noticeboard
June 2022 - The Green Team visit Bloom 2022
Read all about our wonderful visit to Bloom. We had so much fun! thank you Agri Aware for inviting us!
Visit to Bloom | Castleknock Educate Together (cetns.ie)
May 2022 - Wildflower Planting on Auburn Avenue
Today, 4th class green team members planted lots of CETNS wildflowers in the Green on Auburn Avenue with Margaret and Leisha from Castleknock Tidy Towns. We harvested and grew the wildflowers from seed this year. The flowers will help make our community a brighter place and the bees will love them too!
May 2022 - Bird Feeders
Sarah's 1st class recently made beautiful bird feeders by reusing milk cartons for our outdoor classroom.
We are looking forward to spotting different species of Irish birds enjoying these!
Take a look.
March 2022 - CETNS Whole School Planting Day
The children in CETNS are as busy as bees planting a variety of flowers, fruit and vegetables in our beautiful school grounds.
Here is what we have planted:
Junior and Senior Infants- bee & butterfly friendly flowers- cosmos, cornflower, Californian poppy, pin cushion, sweet peas, marigolds and wildflowers.
1st class- strawberries and radishes
2nd class- sunflowers and French beans
3rd class- peas
4th class- rocket and potatoes
5th class- carrots and beetroot
6th class- spinach
March 2022 - National Tree Week
March 2022 - National Tree Week
Last week, Conor’s 5th class helped plant many native Irish bareroot trees kindly given to us by Castleknock Tidy Towns for National Tree Week.
We received many seeds and gardening goodies from SuperValu ‘Save the Bees’ initiative and Woodies ‘Budding Gardener’ competition.
We can’t wait to watch our plants grow. We will harvest, prepare, cook and eat our produce in June! Watch this space!
January 2021 - Wildflower Seed Sowing and Bird Feeding!
Our work on our new theme of Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity continues.
Harvested wildflower seeds from CETNS were sown today by Sanvi, Alexander, Katie and Rohan from 6th class with Margaret from Castleknock Tidy Towns. Seeds included poppies, nigellas, lupins, mallows, sunflower and sweet pea. Alba, Leon and Julian from 3rd class carefully prepped the planting containers with lots of compost. The seeds will germinate in our cosy polytunnel.
February 2022 - Green School Slogan Competition Winners
Today was a very exciting day in CETNS! Craig Benton from Composting Ireland and Margaret Conlon from Castleknock Tidy Towns attended the prize giving for our slogan competition this morning.
The Green Team wish to thank everyone for entering. The standard of entries was very high which made the Green Team’s job of choosing winners very difficult indeed! Please read the class winners and the overall winners below. Congratulations to all!
Green School Food and Biodiversity Slogan Competition Winners February 2022.
http://www.cetns.ie/News/Green-School-Slogan-Competition/128247/Index.html
The class winners are :
In Blathnaid’s 1st class – Reuben Goode Crowley
More Vegetables
Yes Peas!!!
Eat your greens,
Peas and beans,
Keep your planet super clean!
In Sarah’s 1st class – Neasa Ryan
Tomatoes, tomatoes, you’re so red,
redder than my flower bed,
Carrots, carrots, you are so yummy,
I’ll gobble you down in my tummy.
Beetroot, beetroot you are so nice,
I would like to eat you twice.
In Aoife’s 2nd Class – Stella Heneghan
Green Schools Green Schools here we are!
Welcoming you from near and far.
We really like to plant some food,
Which will keep you in a happy mood.
We really like to watch plants bloom,
And eat them in the afternoon!
In Mary 2nd class – Donncha Keogh
You should be keen to grow green.
Be vocal, buy local!
In Sarah’s 3rd – Daania Fuad
Growing food is super green
and that will keep our planet clean
In Emmett’s 3rd class – Luke Campbell
Nature’s Creatures need you
to start growing green,
to keep the planet clean!
In Jim’s 4th class – Lily Ward O’Keefe
Biodiversity is super cool,
It keeps earth clean,
It keeps us healthy,
Hooray hooray for Biodiversity!
In Eugenia’s 4th class – Erik Moran
Grow, Grow Food
Don’t be a fool
It will be cool!
So grab some tools
And plant some food!
In Conor’s 5th class – Kajetan Sobkow - Czajka
We should really grow our own food,
to keep the planet in a good mood.
We’ll protect the earth from devastation,
And spread nature throughout the nation.
So we can all live happily ever after.
In Ailish’s 5th class – Liam Hennigan
If we nurture nature,
It will save our future.
In Paul’s 6th class – Joshua Campbell
Gift Biodiversity by planting a seed,
And helping things that live and breathe.
In JP’s 6th class – Katie Fitzpatrick
Help our planet, don’t be rude,
Go home and grow some food.
Help the bees, mice & birds,
Do something, don’t just use your words.
Use you head and help out,
This is something you should care about!
The overall winner is Katie Fitzpatrick in 6th class. Katie’s slogan will now become the CETNS official green code for our Food & Biodiversity flag.
We have 2 additional prizes:
We have some very talented artists here in CETNS. We admired amazing artwork while judging. We would like to present Ciara Lavery from Paul’s 6th with a prize for her outstanding artistic entry.
We’d also like to give a prize to JJ from JP’s 6th for his fantastic acrostic poem.
January 2022 - Green Code Competition
The Green Team are running a whole school slogan competition to find our Green Code. The slogan be use our new theme Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity. There will be a winner in every class!
December 2021 - Feeding the Birds
In CETNS, we have many varieties of birds that live in and visit our beautiful school grounds. As Winter can be a very difficult time for birds to find food, the 1st & 2nd class green team members helped our feathered friends by topping up our bird feeders in our outdoor classroom. Take a look!
November 2021- Our 9 flags
Every year, we revise out previous themes. Here they are!
November 2021 - Spring Bulb planting with Castleknock Tidy Towns!
4th and 5th class Green Team members planted many spring bulbs on Beechpark Avenue today with Castleknock Tidy Towns. The variety of bulbs planted included snowdrops, bluebells, crocuses, chiondoxo, alliums and anemones. We can’t wait to see the flowers bloom in the spring!
Spring Bulb Planting with Castleknock Tidy Towns | Castleknock Educate Together (cetns.ie)
November 2021 - Science Week Biodiversity projects
Science Week 2021 in CETNS kicked off today with the Green Team members presenting their Biodiversity STEM projects to their class.
Science Week 2021 | Castleknock Educate Together (cetns.ie)
October 2021 - Awareness Surveys
Every green team member surveyed their class on their awareness of Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity issues. The results showed us what we need to work on. Next year we will survey again and see if the results increase after all of our upcoming awareness raising activities!
September 2021 - Harvesting in CETNS & Food Map
Our work on our new green flag theme Food & Biodiversity has begun! Our newly elected Green Team have been very busy harvesting around the school grounds with Andreas. We discovered pears, apples, plums, raspberries, hazelnuts, wild strawberries and grapes. We spotted one juicy red apple left on one tree. Andreas tried to shake the tree, but the apple would not budge. The green team tried to shake the tree but the apple still would not budge. Finally, Casian from Sarah’s 3rd decided to climb the tree. He returned with the red juicy apple!!
We will use this information to make a CETNS Food Map!
Margaret from Castleknock Tidy Towns was in CETNS helping the Green Team harvest seeds from our wildflower raised beds. We gathered seeds from poppies, nigellas, lupins, mallows and sunflowers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Green Team Members 2021/22
Welcome our new CETNS Green Team! Green Team members, you will help raise awareness of our new theme, run competitions and create fun activities for our school.
This is our first year working on our new theme Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity. We are very excited to get to work!!!
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Class
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Teacher
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Students
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6th
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JP
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Charlie
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Ella
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6th
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Paul
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Sanvi
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Alexander
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5th
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Ailish
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Maciej
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Adrika
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5th
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Conor
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Finn
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Maisy
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4th
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Eugenia
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Alba
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Edward
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4th
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Jim
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Ilhana
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Jake
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3rd
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Emmet
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Sara
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James
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3rd
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Sarah
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Casian
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Anna
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2nd
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Mary
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Jody
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Hukaimah
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2nd
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Aoife
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Sam
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Lucy
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1st
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Sarah
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Fionn
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Amy
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1st
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Blathnaid
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Mia
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Cian O L
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Andreas
Charlotte
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Seb
Jayden
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Teachers
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Paula McGuinn
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Elaine Duffy
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Andreas Kusch
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June 2021 - Swift Nesting Project
Swift Welcoming Activities in CETNS - June 2021
Our Green Team have been very busy making CETNS more bird friendly in line with our involvement in the Castleknock Swift Conservation effort. Our new cosy swift nest boxes are ready to move into. There is welcoming swift birdsong playing each day.
Our 1st & 2nd class green team members painted beautiful bird houses. 3rd & 4th class members made fabulous bird feeders using milk cartons for our outdoor classroom.
Our senior class green team members are working very hard on informing our school community of fun facts on the swift while decorating our green school noticeboard.
Sonya from 3rd made an amazing wooden bird feeder with her dad for our school. Daniel from 4th also made an amazing wooden bird feeder with his dad for our school. A few talented artists throughout the school created beautiful pictures of the swift- Ciara and Mohammed from Ana’s 5th, Anna from 3rd and Aoife from 2nd. These pieces of art are displayed on our green school notice board! If anyone would like to make a bird house or a bird feeder or draw a picture of swifts, we would love to see and display them!!!
May 2021 - We achieved our 9th Green Flag!!!
We were absolutely thrilled to find out that we were successful in achieving our 9th Green Flag! Thank you for our Green Team and everyone in CETNS for their hard work helping us with this!!!! Well done Everyone!!!
April 2021 - Green Flag Inspection!
Our Green Flag renewal inspection will take place via zoom on the 28th April. Best of luck to the Green Team!!
April 2021 - Cycle, Walk or Scoot to School Day on April 28th
We will hold another whole school Cycle, Walk or Scoot to School Day on April 28th. We have lots more news to share so please click on the link below to read our Green School Newsletter April 2021.
Green School Newsletter April 2021 - click below!!!!!!
Green School News - April 2021
See link below to a Saving Swift Guide from BirdWatch Ireland
Saving Swifts Guide
December 2021 - Clean Air Week Poetry
Clean Air Week 2020 Poetry
Anna O’ Farrell in 3rd class entered the Clean Week 2020 Poetry Competition with this fantastic entry. Well done Anna on an excellent poem and a beautiful illustration!
A Squirrel’s Thoughts on Pollution
By Anna 3rd class
I live in a tree,
but what I see,
Is something completely new.
The cars on the road,
All stink a load,
And the trees are dying too!
I get fewer acorns each year,
And the temperatures are queer.
I wish there was something I could do.
What’s happening to our earth,
And all Nature’s worth?
Us animals need it too!
Stop sitting in your car chair,
But go out there,
And help clean the air we breathe!
Don’t just talk, Go out there and walk,
Or cycle in the morning and eve,
On your way to and from school,
And us squirrels will think you’re cool!
Happy Clean Air Week – 23rd Nov to 27th Nov 2020
As this week is Clean Air Week, Green-Schools Ireland are running a poetry competition using the theme 'the journey to school'. Green Schools Ireland would love to hear students’ voices and their reflection on travelling to school.
Here are three ideas that could serve as an inspiration for your poetry:
- Mindful Walking (to or from school): What do I see? What do I hear? What do I smell? What do feel? What do I think?
- School Odyssey: Journey to school as a hero’s journey
- Nature’s Perspective: What could nature, animals, insects think of us and the way we travel to school
The deadline for entries is December 11, 2020. Entries can also take the form of a short video or audio clips. Please email entries to travelevents@eeu.antaisce.org. Winners will be announced before the beginning of the Christmas break. The winning primary student and secondary school student will receive a computer tablet and other runners-up prizes will include Green-Schools walking and cycling accessories like rechargeable bike lights, GS Snoods and more. All details can be found here! - https://greenschoolsireland.org/clean-air-week-2020/ Good luck !
Cycle Walk or Scoot to School Day
Link below to great photos from our first Cycle Walk or Scoot to School Day
http://www.cetns.ie/News/Cycle,-Walk-or-Scoot-to-School-Day/6216/Index.html
Bike Week 2020 19th - 27th September 2020
We are delighted to see so many of our children cycling, scooting and walking to school everyday especially during Bike Week! Many people rediscovered cycling during the restrictions. Take a look at some of our many cyclists and scooters users!
Why not enter Fingal County Council's 'Pedal for your Medal' 50km Bike Week Challenge? Cycle 50kms over 9 days and submit your results to get a fantastic medal! All details here - https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/fingal-pedal-for-your-medal-50km-challenge-bike-week-2020-tickets-120514723783
As you know, the children and teachers in CETNS are working on achieving our 9th green flag. Each flag takes 2 years to achieve. A boy and girl from each class from 1st to 6th is chosen to become members of the school Green Team. The green team raise awareness of our themes and run fun activities.
The aim of our 9th theme is to encourage everyone to cycle, walk, scoot, carpool and park and stride to school as much as possible. This theme will allow us to explore how our actions can have a positive effect on global issues including climate change, air quality and sustainable development. Luckily before lockdown, we got alot of work done. We completed travel surveys of how we travel to school. We will repeat the survey this year to see if we have improved. We completed a walkability audit of footpaths around the school and we even held school wide slogan competition to get our Green Travel Green Code!
Our Green Code for Global Citizenship Travel Flag is:
It's crucial now for us all to transition,
And work to reduce our carbon emission.
Walk, cycle, run or sprint
And you can reduce your carbon footprint.
composed by Conor McGuirk (6th class 2019-2020)
Great Photos from Bike Week
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Green Team 2019/2020
Our Green Team 2019/2020
Welcome to the CETNS Green Team! As a Green Team member, you will help raise awareness of our new theme, run competitions and create fun activities for our school.
Green Team Members 2019/20
1st – Pat - Ellie and Matthew 1st – Sarah - Cahir and Sadie
2nd – Ruairi - Matthew and Tara 2nd – Blathnaid – Rían and Elli
3rd Paula – Ashkan and Eve 3rd Conor – Emilia and Liam
4th Lisa – Mohammed & Clementine 4th Ailish – Beth and Yahya
5th Liz- Ava and Oisin 5th – Eadaoin – Ben and Clara
6th – Ana – Rory and Cynthia 6th – Isla - Aamna and Breixo
Our New Theme - Global Citizenship Travel – Sept 2019
The theme of our 9th green flag is Global Citizenship Travel. The ultimate aim of the theme is to continue our school’s work on encouraging walking, cycling, scooting, using public transport or carpooling to school. This theme will also allow us to explore global issues including climate change, air quality and sustainable development.
For this theme, Green Schools Ireland have chosen four of the most relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals for schools to focus on.
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
What is Climate Change?
Our climate is changing and getting warmer because greenhouse gas levels are too high in the Earth’s atmosphere. A warmer climate could affect our planet in a number of ways: more rainfall, changing seasons, shrinking sea ice, rising sea levels.
What are Greenhouse Gases?
Greenhouse gases are gases that can trap heat. They get their name from greenhouses. A greenhouse is full of windows that let in sunlight. That sunlight creates warmth. The big trick of a greenhouse is that it doesn’t let that warmth escape.
That’s exactly how greenhouse gases act. They let sunlight pass through the atmosphere, but they prevent the heat that the sunlight brings from leaving the atmosphere. Overall, greenhouse gases are a good thing. Without them, our planet would be too cold, and life as we know it would not exist. But there can be too much of a good thing. Scientists are worried that human activities are adding too much of these gases to the atmosphere. Using coal, gas and oil, petrol and diesel exhaust fuses are adding to the gases. The cutting down of trees is not helping the earth recover.
What can we do?
We can try to reduce greenhouse gases by avoid driving as much as we can. We should try to walk, cycle, park and stride, carpool, scoot to school and encourage our families, peers and local communities to do the same at weekends. Using public transport is also a good option. Recycling, reusing, conserving water, saving electricity and not buying single use plastics will all help our earth.
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Green School Home Learning – May/June 2020
Green-Schools have developed new and interactive activities that students can take part in from within the home environment. Activities promise to be fun and educational and can be completed individually or involve the whole family. Weekly activities, which are suitable for a wide range of age groups, will be added under the below themes.
Check it out!
https://greenschoolsireland.org/projects/
Green Travel Slogan Prize Giving – February 2020
Jessica Salas from Green Schools Ireland visited our school to give prizes to the winners of the green travel slogan competition.
Green Travel Slogan Competition – February 2020
The Green Team recently held a slogan competition to raise awareness of our new Green Travel theme and to find our official green code. Here are the winning slogans:
Junior & Senior Infants - Travelling together is even better!
1st class Pat ‘Carpool, walk to school.
Get the train or bus or luas if you can.
Don’t destroy the environment!’
by Annie Lee Coyne
1st class Sarah
‘Polluting our planet isn’t working.
Save our planet. Save nature!’
by Aoife Ni Cheilleacháin
2nd class – Bláthnaid
‘Don’t take the bus.
Come and walk with us! ‘
by Anna O Farrell
2nd class – Ruairí
‘Lead the scene and keep it green!’
by Jane Butler and Zoha Basit
3rd class – Paula
‘Don’t be a fool.
Walk, cycle or scoot to school.
Save our planet and save fuel!’
by Aoife Curtis
3rd class – Conor
‘Go really far and stop using your car!’
by Seha Cooray
4th class – Lisa
‘Why aren’t we helping the earth that’s warming?
Don’t we already have enough warning?’
by Clementine
4th class – Ailish
‘Go green to keep the air clean!’
by Zoe Ffrench
5th class – Liz
If you drive, Earth won’t survive,
Take the bus, it’s better for us!’
by Aoife & Molly
5th class – Éadaoin
‘We need sustainable travel
or our earth will unravel!’
by Ciara Moonman
6th class – Isla
Reduce environmental degradation,
Use green transportation
by Umer Haseeb
6th class – Ana
It’s crucial now for us all to transition,
and work to reduce our carbon emission.
Walk, cycle, run or sprint
And you can reduce your carbon footprint.
by Conor McGuirk
The overall winner is Conor McGuirk. His slogan will become our official green code for our Green Travel Flag.
Maith thú Conor & well done to all children who took part in the competition.
Competition Time! - January 2020
The Green Team are launching a slogan competition to find our official green code for our new theme 'Global Citizenship Travel'. The aim of our current theme is to continue and boost our school’s work on encouraging walking, cycling, scooting, using public transport or carpooling to school. This theme will allow us to discover how our work on the Green-Schools programme is having a positive effect on global issues including climate change, air quality and sustainable development.
We are inviting every child to compose a slogan using the green travel theme. Please write your slogan on an A4 page and submit it to your teacher. Closing date is 31st of January. There will be a winner chosen from every class. The overall winning slogan will become our new green code. Good luck!
Earlier this year the Green Team undertook a Walkability Audit of the surrounding area. Please read the report below.
Castleknock ETNS Walkability Audit
Green Team Project 2018/2019
Words of the song written by David and sung during the inspection for our 8th Green Flag.
Be a Global Citizen (come and join us)
A plastic bottle on an empty beach
No message in it – but it can teach
Teach us about the features of Earth
And the creatures that die - give us no more alibis
These features that become disfigured
As the rubbish heaps get bigger and bigger
Our Earth is going to lose her vigour
If we choose to ignore - the crisis on our front door
chorus
Be a global citizen, come and join us if you can
Give it up, all those throw- away cups
And put a smile back on the ocean
Let the waves dance free of behaviours
That pollute and are destructive
Reduce your use of plastics
Be fantastically constructive
Human-beings are impacting on the earth
The truth of climate change we have to assert
Is it convenient to ignore all the facts?
As the temperatures soar
And a famine in Africa roars
We are more than a collection of nations
We need to work together for our salvation
To save the earth from disintegration
To restore and sustain her
For a new generation
Chorus
This Friday, 15th March , there will be an international School Strike for Climate Action. The Irish action has been initiated by schools across Ireland, mostly Educate Together schools. You can read about it here.
Such an action combines a number of strands of our Learn Together curriculum (Ethics and Environment, Moral and Spiritual Development, Equality and Justice) and presents a great learning opportunity for the children - about activism and how it can be used to create positive change. It's also an issue that is really going to affect their future. Some of you may be aware of Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager who has inspired the talk on climate change and protests (see her speech below). At the moment, Ireland is not on target to meet the targets laid out in the Paris Agreement (see here for video for children to explain the Paris Agreement).
There has already been a demonstration organised by sixth-class students from Donabate Portrane Educate Together (with lots of other schools) outside the Dáil on February 13th. A number of schools will be engaging in action outside the Dáil next Friday, but the student organisers have asked that schools engage in any way they can. We think that this international day of action is a great opportunity to encourage the children to use their voices and to feel like they are part of a wider community of people who want to make a difference. This day will be marked by children across the country and across the world.
With that in mind, Elaine (with Green Team and Student Council), Aoife and Isla are organising a half-hour protest outside the school gates this Friday for just the 5th classes and some of the Green Team and Student Council who wish to participate.
Consent forms need to be signed by parents in advance of the protest, for those attending.
Elaine, Aoife, Isla
Video for the junior classes:
Senior classes
2017/2018 Green Team
1st Class:
Maaz Syed & Emma Kajetan Sobkow & Isabelle Connolly
2nd Class
Talha & AntiaHarry Walsh & Zoe Ffrench
3rd Class
Isobel & Cathal Tom O Ceallaigh & Mia Dixon
4th Class
Seán Cassley & Sarah Luca & Amila
5th Class
Alex McDaid & Catríona Doherty Alex Connolly & Amal
6th Class
Adam & Ruby
Green Team update
Green Team Notice
Dear Parents,
We are writing this short notice to inform you of a few changes we will be making this year. We have thought about these changes to help pupils learn and to benefit the environment:
#1 The Green team has decided that we will be banning slime.
#2 We recommend buying reusable water bottles because we have been finding single use water bottles on yard.
#3 We have banned popcorn, because the popcorn is spilling on the yard and the plastic bags are bad for the environment.
#4 We are announcing this month’s STEM project is: Design something that the school can use as a feature in our garden
#5 From the 2nd of June, we will ask kids to bring in their own small towel in a resealable bags with their name on it. This is to dry our hands instead of using the blue non-recyclable tissues.
#6 We are asking you if you could bring in your old toys so we can make a fairy garden on the yard.
Thank You From The Green Team!
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Just a quick update to remember to try reduce our packaging and waste this holiday, especially if we are buying any chocolate eggs. Below are 2 good websites on the topic:
https://greenhome.co.za/how-to-reduce-packaging-and-waste-this-easter/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/20/revealed-easter-eggs-wasteful-packaging/
Our Marine Environment board for our next Green School flag on Marine Environment
Our 8th Green Flag
CETNS is currently working towards our 8th Green Flag -Marine Environment. We will be learning about interesting sea creatures, marine eco-systems, their threats and the work being done to save them.
Our Green Team Committee is student led and meet monthly to plan and organise whole school activities to raise awareness of our current theme. Green Team members also monitor and evaluate current practice and maintain the work from previous themes.
CETNS has won Green Flags for the following themes : Litter and Waste, Energy, Water, Travel, Biodiversity, Global Citizenship - Litter and Waste, Global Citizenship - Energy.
The Green-School Programme has really benefited our school. The work of previous themes is maintained and has resulted in reduced waste, lower energy and water usage. The programme has also inspired the creation of an abundance of habitats and areas of interest in our school grounds including: outdoor classroom, sensory garden, orchard, pond, herb garden, fruit and veg patch, polytunnel, chicken coop, our enormous school field planted with native trees and shrubs.
Our 7th Green Flag
This year, we worked really hard to get our 7th Green Flag for Global Citizenship and Energy. Ciara and James (4th) read the energy meter every day and we all reminded our classes to save energy by turning off appliances instead of putting them on stand-by, ensuring the thermostats in our school were set on timers and switch off the lights when leaving classrooms.
We also spent time picking litter around the yard and have noticed a big improvement in litter reduction.
For our Green Team Day of Action, we held COWOW (Cycle or Walk on Wednesday), a C.E.T.N.S. Global Citizen Quiz, a Trashion (we saw some very creative outfits), Jakub (5th) & Cosi (4th) performed our Green Team rap. We also showed a Powerpoint on how we can all reduce our Carbon Footprint. Finally we talked about International Water Day and how we can reduce wasting water.
One of our biggest achievements this year, was our School gardening club. We did lots of weeding in the flower and vegetable beds. A big thanks to Roger & Laurence in 6th & Ciara in 4th, Ryland and Adhiraj in 5th, as well as Sara & Clíona in 1st Class and all their helpers.
We wrote to the Board of Management to get a new cover for the polytunnel. It has been great getting the cover and if you can, you should take a look at all the strawberries, grapes, lettuces and lots more growing in it now. We also did a big spring clean around the school and planted some seeds.
Sara, Ciara & Sadhbh went to the Helix with Elaine a few weeks ago to collect our 7th flag for Global Citizenship and Energy, which we are very proud of.
Thanks to Andreas for all the hard work and energy he has brought to make our school so green with all the wonderful areas around our school.
We are lucky to have the pond, bug hotel, chicken coop with our lone surviving chicken, all the lovely trees, fruit and vegetables in our poly tunnel.