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Friendship Week 2014

Kindness Tree Sean

Friendship Week 2014

It has become traditional in St. Declan’s to celebrate Friendship Week each year after Halloween. This year we had some great ideas, with each class contributing stories, poems, songs and some wonderful artwork (Thanks to Niamh for her help with the Friendship Tree).

A special word of thanks to our new student council for coming up with the Buddy Bench in the yard – children sit on the Buddy Bench if they need someone to play with or to chat to. The student council also helped with ideas for the Friendship Tree and a friendship Cake.

Christmas Play 2014

Christmas Play 2014

Rehersals for the Christmas play 2014 are well underway with the songs from The Peace Child to be heard all over the school. This year’s Christmas play is set in the far-off and fictional land of Mambica, this is the story of two opposing tribes with different lifestyles and traditions. The Sotongi and Wannakeekee tribesare separated by a river and also by generations of rivalry. There seems to be little hope of reconciliation. When a western TV crew decide to build a bridge between the two communities, the threat of war between tribes becomes reality. Only the gift of a newborn son can bring hope and life to the land and its people.

Animation Project 2014

Animation Project screened at the Irish Film Institute

In June 2014 the Irish Film Institute hosted the premier of our animation project. This project is part of the Magic Chair documentary filmed over two years at St. Declan’s.

There were over 200 children, teachers, parents, family and friends present in the main auditiorium for the show. Each class got to explain how their animation fit in with the theme of friendship. We were all very proud of how clear and confident the children were when giving their presentation. And the animations were spectacular to see on the huge cinema screen.

Sound sense

For the last two years a Czech-born sound artist has been working with the children of St Declan’s school, taking each class for half an hour a week. “I’m not teaching them anything. In fact, it’s the opposite. I’m creating a space where they can explore,” explains Kwi, whose gentle manner and passion about sound is palpable.

St Declan’s marks 50th birthday

St Declan’s School celebrated its 50th birthday on 27 September, with past and present students and their families filling Haddington Road church for a Mass celebrated by Jesuit Provincial John Dardis. In 1958,the school in the trusteeship of the Irish Jesuits opened at 35, Northumberland Rd Ballsbridge to cater for children of normal intelligence who could not cope with mainstream primary school for a variety of reasons, such as what we would now call Aspergers Syndrome, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and other conditions.