Spring

We have already had a busy spring!There has been Pancake Tuesday, the school Readathon, the raising of our Green Flag for Energy and a trip to the Opera House to see the Theatre production of War Horse by Michael Morpurgo!  

Today we made the most of the beautiful spring weather and had our PE lesson outside!Long may it last!

The History of Ballinora NS

Ballinora NS is steeped in history and we are doing group projects all about our school. We are interviewing any Granny's or Grandads who went to school here, doing models of what the school looked like when it was first built and what it will look like after our new extension! We are also studying old roll books to see what interesting information we could find there. Here are some pictures of us studying old roll books and also an 'Inspectors Observation Book'.

Nelson Mandela

We have worked really hard on writing a biography about Nelson Mandela.  We learned so much about this man who made history in South Africa by becoming the country's first black president and fighting against apatheid laws.  Here is an example of one of the many excellent biographies that we wrote.

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was born 18 July 1918. At that time nobody knew what he was going to accomplish in life. He was born in Mvesco Transkei South Africa.

Mandela’s father was tribe chief for several years when he lived a normal South African boy’s life. Unfortunately Mandela’s father died so the family lost everything.  They had to travel many miles to go to an English school suggested by his father. He had to live with his father’s friend. He had a son called Justice who was his best friend going to school. When he went to the school his name was changed from Rolihlahla to Nelson. In English Rolihlahla means trouble maker.

After he had finished primary school he enrolled in University Fort Hare.

He studied law.  One of his friends there was Oliver Tambo.  He left the university in 1939 when he was in second year.  He left after student protests because of the way it was run.  When he got home his family had chosen a wife for him.  He did not want an arranged marriage so he left for the city of Johannesburg.  He continued his studies and he became a lawyer in 1942. When Mandela was growing up in South Africa black people didn’t have the same rights as white people so Mandela joined the A.N.C (African National congress).  The A.N.C wanted black South Africans the to have the same human rights as white people. In 1948 the white government made a new law which kept white people and black people apart this was called apartheid. 

In 1960 there were demonstrations where sixty nine black people were shot dead. The government blamed the A.N.C and banned it. Mandela became the leader of ‘Spear of the Nation’. He was hunted down by the police and had to wear different disguises.  Secretly he travelled to other countries to find help.  1962 when he got back he was arrested of sabotage and plotting to over throw the government. In 1964 at the age of 46, he was given a life sentence.  Mandela was sent to prison on Robben Island. He had to do hard labour there and was only allowed one visitor every six months.  Mandela became the most famous prisoner, he never gave up even the prison guards admired him.  At last in 1988 the government started to make changes.  One of the changes was to let black people into white universities. The call was getting louder.  Free Nelson Mandela!!! In 1990 FW de Clerk set Mandela free they agreed no more fighting.  Mandela called on all South Africans to work together in peace. In 1991 Mandela became the leader of the A.N.C. In 1994 elections, all South Africans were able to vote for the first time.  In 1994 a new government took over Nelson Mandela became the first black president.

Nelson Mandela died 5^th December 2013. Nelson Mandela was an extremely brave man and many look up to him all across the world.

Silhouettes

Check out the silhouettes we made!  We used pictures, words and symbols that we felt best represented ourselves. We wanted to portray things that we liked, hobbies we enjoy, important dates and personality traits.  Can you guess who these silhouettes might belong to?

Cork County Hall

In November we paid a visit to Cork County Hall.  It was a wonderful experience.  We saw an Art Exhibition entitled 'Encounters.'  This consisted of pieces of art that were from the North and South of Ireland.  We used the exhibition as inspiration for creating our own pieces of art.  We also got a tour of the County Hall.  We visited the top floor and got a spectacular view of the city.  We then went to visit the Council chambers.  There we had a debate about how best to spend 1 million euro in Ballinora!

Choosing the right book!

This should help you to choose a book that is just right for you...

Sensory Gardens

Here are some of the beautiful sensory gardens that we created at the beginning of the year!It is wonderful what can be done with a little imagination and some everyday things. Each garden contained something that was special to its gardener!