Tom Hannafin Cup

We held our annual Tom Hannafin Cup with 5th and 6th class again this year. The children all played very well under the guidance of Patsy and Derek and showed not only great skill but great levels of sportsmanship. Here are some pictures of the teams along with the winners and most improved players.

Sponsored Walk

The PA were out fundraising for our school once again. This time they organised our annual sponsored walk. The junior classes walked up and around by they industrial estate while the senior classes ventured off down the Green Lane. Thank you to all the parents who came out to help with the supervision and also to the Gardaí who helped keep us and the roads safe.

Senior Sports Day

Not long after our junior sports day, the senior class got a day of their own. Once again the sun was shining and the boys and girls were treated to a great morning outdoors. 

Junior Sports Day

In June we had our junior sports day. Here we had lots of different stations set up such as musical chairs, potato and spoon races, parachute games, sack races and an obstacle course. The boys and girls had great fun in the sun enjoying all the activities. Thank you to Ms. Larkin, Ms. Doyle, and Ms. Murtagh for all your organisation. 

Cumann na mBunscoil

We had a lot of interest in the Cumann na mBunscol football skills competition this year. To decide which children went forward to represent our school, Ms. Murphy and Ms. James held a mini skills competition to find who would go on to the west Wicklow division. On a very cold and snowy day, 3 out of 4 of our students went on to the next round to compete in the all Wicklow division. 
From here, Harry and Lily were both selected to go play at half time in Croke Park for the All Ireland football Final. This is a huge achievement for them and we are very proud to have you representing our school.

Badminton

This year Ms. Phelan invited children from 5th and 6th to try out for the school badminton teams. We ended up with a boys team (Peter, Tadhg, Óran and Andrii) and a girls team (Marta, Lauren, Amira and Lily). Both teams went on to compete in the Leinster Championships with the girls winning and progressing onto the All Irelands! Unfortunately it wasn't to be in the finals but both teams represented our school with great character and we are so proud of their achievements. Thank you to Ms. Phelan for all her hard work and dedication over the competitions. 

Hurling in Baltinglass!

This year we saw the return of hurling and camogie in SNI. Mr. Moran and Ms. James welcomed all boys and girls from 4th - 6th to train and learn the various skills of hurling. The boys and girls picked up the skills superbly. They got the chance to showcase some of these skills at blitz throughout the year. They all represented the school so well. 

Valleymount Cross Country

Once again this year we had a number of students represent our school at the Cumann na mBunscol cross country running in Valleymount. All the boys and girls ran very well and did our school proud. Well done to everyone that took part. A special shout out to Cayden O'Brien (3rd), Lauren Mann (4th), Ava Furlong (3rd), Kabeeerha Matomni (5th) and Fionn Foley (6th) as well as all our relay teams who all medaled at the event.

Skipping Workshop

On September 5th, a skipping workshop came to Scoil Naomh Iósaf. Each class was given the opportunity to learn the different skills of skipping over the course of two days. Before home time on Tuesday, the children from 4th - 6th took part in a skipping showcase where they could show off their new skills!

Cross Country Schools Competition - Valleymount 17th October 

On Thursday, 17th October a group of children from 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th class jumped on a bus with Mr. Hannafin, Ms. Murtagh and Ms. Doyle and began a long journey to Valleymount, Co. Wicklow for the annual cross country event. Spirits were high and excitement was in the air as we departed Baltinglass. 

Soon we arrived at the school in Valleymount and made our way to the track. We prayed that the weather would stay nice and dry but grey clouds gathered over our heads. Despite the threatening skies, the rain held off for most of the day allowing us to do what we do best.

The track was relatively flat except for a leg-busting hill halfway around the circuit. In the face of tough competition from over 10 other schools, all our athletes did Scoil Naomh Iósaf proud with stand out performances from Sara O'Reilly, Fionn Foley and Jasmine Doyle who all came first in their races.

The thrill of the day finished with a much anticipated stop at a sweet shop to refuel and replace all the energy used up during the races. All in all we had a blast and are very much looking forward to next year's event.

By: James Breen, Caoimhe FitzGerald and Sara O'Reilly :)

Coughlan Cup Champions 2016

Well done to the Scoil Naomh Iósaf boys gaelic football team who were victorious in the recent Coughlan Cup GAA Blitz. The tournament was held on a cold and crisp October morning in Blessington GAA Club. The school was fortunate to be in a position to enter two teams and ensuring lots of boys got to attend and participate.

The winning team won games against two Blessington schools, Hacketstown and Dunlavin which ensured qualification to the final versus Donard. After a close and exciting game Scoil Naomh Iósaf finished with some fabulous team scores to run out winners. Joint captains Robert McHugh and Brandon Kelly accepted the cup on behalf of the team from Tommy Brennan. Well done to all the boys who represented the school so well and a great day out was had by all!

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Success at Valleymount Cross Country 2016

We are very proud of all of our fantastic cross country teams. All team members came to training after school over the past few weeks. Their hard work and commitment contributed to their great success at this years cross country event. Our fourth class girls team were gold medal winners coming first in the team race. The fifth and sixth class girls teams came second in their races and achieved silver medals. The sixth class boys team won bronze medals, coming in third place in a very fast paced race. 

​We are also really proud of all our individual medal winners. Well done to Abby in 4th Class and Síofra in 6th class who came first overall in their races. What an achievement! Our other individual medal winners were James in fifth class who came in 3rd place, Lauren in fifth class who came in 4th place and Brandon in sixth class who also finished in 4th place. 

One Million Step Challenge - Teachers vs. Students

Members of our Active School Committee

One Million Step Challenge - Teachers Vs. Students!

Our school was the first school to participate in the Million Step Challenge. The school teamed up with the Wicklow Sports Partnership who provided forty pedometers to teachers and 6th class pupils. This is part of our Active School Flag renewal. 

Our fifth and sixth class pupils took on the teachers to see who could be the first group to walk one million steps in five days. The target for both teachers and students was to take at least 10,000 steps each day. Every day the step counts of each teacher and pupil were recorded. 

The children were very impressive and had some incredible step counts. The teachers made a great comeback after a slow start but couldn't catch up! 

Well done to the children in 5th and 6th class who were the first to reach ONE MILLION steps. Keep being active!

Basketball

Community Games - March 2016

Girls Basketball Team 2016

Boys Basketball Team 2016

On March 12th the girls and boys basketball teams traveled to Dunlavin to play against Lakeside in the Community Games U12 basketball competition.

The boys team played a great match and impressed with great passing and teamwork. They played superbly and won the match by several baskets. Well done to all the boys who are the Wicklow Community Games Basketball Champions!

The girls team faced difficult opposition in the next match. It was an exceptionally close match. The girls played brilliantly and each member gave it their all. In the final quarter the two teams were level and after a tense last quarter we were narrowly defeated by one basket.  

Well done to everyone who trained and played in the matches. 

Basketball
​Community Games - Wicklow County Champions 2015

Scoil Naomh Iósaf win Basketball Double in 2015!

We continued on from our 2014 success when our U11 mixed team, our U13 Boys and our U13 girls teams were all Commnity Games Wicklow Champions. 

This year we faced tough opposition against the Dublin Champions in the second round of the competition. Both our teams played extremely well but unfortunately both teams were narrowly defeated. 

​Well done to all our team members who played their best on the day. 

Cross Country in Valleymount - October 2015

Well done to all of our Cross Country Runners who participated in the run at Valleymount. Our third class boys team were medal winners. We are very proud of all our young atheletes! 

Indoor Hurling
Wicklow Division One Champions 2015

Our girls indoor hurling team won a number of matches and qualified to represent West Wicklow in the Indoor Hurling blitz. 

The team then played a superb final and the final score was two goals to one to Scoil Naomh Iósaf. 

Well done girls!

Gaelic Football

Wicklow Division One - County Champions 2014

Boys GAA Team - Wicklow Division One Champions 2014

Girls GAA Team- Wicklow Division One Champions 2014