Castlecuffe N.S.

Co-operation is Cool

We have entered the Co-operation Is Cool competition every year since 2005 when we entered with the theme ‘Co-operation is Cool – Look at our school’.

The competition is run by Laois Education Centre and Glanbia and it is all about co-operation. It is fun as we go to Laois Education Centre to display and talk about our project and we get to see projects from other schools. The prizes are cool too!

The 2010 projects will be shown on March 11th at Laois Education Centre. This year our project is called ' What goes around comes around - helping others helps us', which is about how we help others in school, in our own country and abroad. At the moment we are busy getting our displays ready and we are having great fun co-operating on them!

In 2006 our project was based on Clonaslee Co-op. Our project won the Glanbia prize.
Click on the link above if you would like to find out more about this project.

Our Junior School Buddy System

Last year junior infants, senior infants and first classes started up a buddy system. The buddy system works by big buddies (first class) helping little buddies (junior and senior infants). They help each other in lots of different ways like Irish reading, helping to reach to books on high shelves, tieing shoe laces, doing up coat zips, English reading and words, keeping an eye on the yard to make sure every one has some one to play with, pushing the sanitizer button, opening lunch boxes, opening drink bottles, paring pencils, getting the toys out on rainy days and peeling bananas and oranges. All the classes enjoy the buddy system. They like it because it is a good learning exercise. They some times do it in groups. They never do the same thing over and over again. Their great teacher Miss Digan decided to start up the buddy system and the best thing of all is that they never have to interrupt the teacher when she is working at her desk or having her lunch. They can just go to their big buddy.

By Mollie Senior, Niamh Conroy and Ellen Conroy.

Our Co-operation with the Jack & Jill Foundation

In 1996 a little baby boy called Jack was born to his parents Jonathan and Mary Ann. He was a bonny bouncy baby. However, a few days later Jack became very sick. Jonathan and Mary Ann were told that baby Jack would probably never walk sleep or eat. They wanted to look after him at home but were told that care would only be provided at the hospital. Unfortunately Jack only lived for 22 months as he died just before his second birthday. His parents were very very upset so they decided to set up a childrens' foundation to help other parents and families to look after their very sick children at home. I know this seems a lot but 250 phones = 1 nurse for one month.
The Jack and Jill Foundation recycle your old phones. Our school is helping the Jack and Jill foundation recycle old phones. If we can collect 500 phones we will receive a new interactive white board and a projector. If we can manage to collect all the phones the new interactive white board and projector will go to Miss Bryants' room. We are all hoping to collect the phones. We only need to collect 39 more phones now . We are all very exited to receive a new projector and interactive white board and we are also very happy to help out the children that do not have the same chance that we do. So if you have any spare or old phones at home that you are not using please give them to the Jack and Jill foundation. After all you are helping very sick children. So if your are not already involved with the Jack and Jill foundation please hurry up support them.

By Mollie Senior and Niamh Conroy

Trick or Treat!


Temple Street is a hospital for very sick children. Its address is the Children’s University Hospital, Temple Street, Dublin 1, Ireland. They are about helping children that are very sick. We helped Temple Street by raising money for the hospital and sick children. We did this by taking part in the Trick or Treat for Temple Street on on Friday the 22 of October. We had to bring a small amount of money such as 2 euro. Halloween games were played ,such as bobbing for apples and prizes for the best fancy dress costumes. We also brought in board games as it was also game-playing day. Everyone had a great time! We co-operated by raising money and talking as a group. The sick children benefit and the hospital and we also had a great time!
BY EMMA AND AOIBHINN 2010

Co-operating for Haiti

When we heard about the earthquake in Haiti on the news we wanted to do someting to help. We brainstormed in class and decided to hold a disco in each classroom. We all brought in music, Mollie brought the lights and James was the DJ. The teachers helped out with organising each classroom. We brought in €2 each to attend the disco and people donated money also. We raised €700, which we sent to Trócaire.