We celebrated National Tree Day in our school with lots of activities! These included learning about our native tree species, the importance of trees in our lives,  tree identification activities and artwork.

The Green School Committee were surprised to find that we have a diverse range of tree species in our school-take a look below to see some of the trees that can be found on school grounds!

We were sent a lovely native wild cherry tree by Coillte which will add to our extensive collection of species!

This week in school we are celebrating a very important week-Climate Action Week!

We are learning lots about our planet and the different things we can do to look after it. 

We are reading lots of stories (as you can see from Ms. Stafford's photo above) and getting the discussion going about all the little things we can do to make a real difference in our world! 

Apart from lessons, we are very lucky to have some fantastic guest speakers from An Taisce and wildlife authors lined up for this week:

• Ms. Gaul and Ms. Stafford's classes will take part in story-time lessons with the author of 'We Want Our Park Back' by Oisín McGann and the author of 'Where are you Puffling'-Gerry Daly
• Aidan from An Taisce's Environmental Unit will speak to second and third class about marine biodiversity, pollution and clean coasts
• Oisín McGann will host a talk entitled 'A Short Hopeful Talk about Climate Change for Senior Primary'. Ms. Donnellan's and Mr. Dunford's classes will take part in this discussion​​​

We are celebrating National Tree Day 2021 this Thursday, 7th October.

This year's theme is 'Trees are Good Neighbours' – 'Is comharsana den scoth iad crainn'.

Trees are some of our greatest neighbours and are so vital to our environment and our planet. This year, in return, we are thinking about how we can be good neighbours to our trees.

You can see just what makes trees such good neighbours here and this year we're also going to have a look at the wonders that live under the tree!

From insects to plant life, there's a whole eco-system to be discovered! They also provide shelter and food for birds, insects and animals. You'll find out more here.

One of the cleverest things that trees do is to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen and help us to fight climate change. So, this year a top tip to being a good neighbour is to plant more trees!



​Click on NatureNorthWest's YouTube video below to hear more about our native and non-native tree species and how you identify them-perhaps you could complete your own scavenger hunt and make a tree poster just like Muireann and Maeve!

We would love to see some photos of scavenger hunts or trees in your area! Please send any photos to msholman.ourladysislandns@gmail.com and we will feature them on our Green School page!

Below you'll find some fascinating videos on the topic of trees. What did you learn from the videos? Has it inspired you to take action?

We are so lucky in our school to the have amazing support from our parents, coordinated by Marianne, who have worked tirelessly to get our garden producing so many lovely vegetables and flowers! Thank you for all your hard work.

As a result, 5th and 6th class were able to harvest beetroot and bring some home to try! Thanks to Mr. Dunford, 5th & 6th class and the committee for helping to tidy our garden-we have a way to go but we are making a difference already!