Dear Parents / Guardians,

We hope you all is well with you this fortnight. Our news is as follows:

• Fourth Active School Flag: Wonderful news – we have just learnt that our most recent application for the Active School Flag has been successful and we are to receive our fourth Active School Flag. The application process is a rigorous ordeal, during which each school must demonstrate their commitment to promoting physical activity in the school. I would like to congratulate and thank our wonderful Active Schools Committee, led by Ms. Rowley and Ms. Costello. They have been instrumental in ensuring that physical activity is strongly promoted in our school. Well done to all of the staff, who have worked to support and implement all of the actions of the Active Schools Committee and well done to all of our pupils whose enthusiastic, active engagement have been leading to increased fitness levels right throughout the school and an appreciation of the importance of physical activity. We hope to proudly unveil our Active School Flag on the last day of Active Schools Week – Friday 7^th June and look forward to a celebration of this wonderful achievement on that day.

• Eleventh Green Flag Celebrations: As announced in our last Bulletin, we are the proud recipients of an ELEVENTH Green Flag. I would like to congratulate Ms. Kelly, Ms. Geraghty, Ms. Garrahy and our fabulous Green Schools Committee on such a remarkable achievement. There are not many schools in the country that can boast having eleven green flags. We are so very fortunate to have an outstanding committee, as well as an extremely supportive whole-school community. Well done everyone! We will unveil our Green Flag, alongside our Active School Flag on Friday 7^th June. Our school will celebrate the day by taking part in a parade through the town with our green flag. 

• Active Schools Fortnight: The Active School Committee have been very busy preparing for Active Schools Fortnight, which is taking place this week and next in our school. All pupils are celebrating with lots of fun activities including sports days to keep them fit and active over the course of the fortnight. We are very fortunate to get to visit the local tennis club and receive a coaching session from coach, Gary. Classes will also be busy engaging in peer-led P.E lessons, teacher challenges, discos, races, obstacle courses, parachute games and much more! Be sure to keep an eye on our website for upcoming pictures and videos of the celebrations. I want to thank Ms. Rowley, Ms. Costello and their Active School Committee for coordinating all our activities over Active School Fortnight.

• Chess Club: Over the past few months, the girls in Fifth and Sixth Class have been working really hard in developing their chess skills. They have been competing in an in-school chess tournament which has greatly improved both their expertise and confidence in chess. Their skills will be put to the test here at the school on Friday 14th June, when they participate in an exciting chess tournament against St. Evin’s School, Monasterevin. I want to thank Ms. Marrinan, Ms. Dillon and Ms. Beary for giving so generously of their time to run the after-school Chess Club. They do this voluntarily and we are very grateful for their tine and all of the work they do with the girls. 

• Retirement: It is with regret that I announce the resignation of our wonderful caretaker, Nigel Martin. Nigel has been a hard-working, dedicated and valued member of our school staff since 2000. We were incredibly privileged to have Nigel working with us here at the school. He took great pride in ensuring that our school was always immaculately presented and in pristine condition. Come snow, wind, power outages, or whatever was thrown at the school, we always knew Nigel would be the first one in, checking all was safe for the Bunscoil Bhríde community. We will all miss Nigel a great deal and we wish him all the best as he sets off on his new adventure.

• Rathangan Library Visits: All of our classes will visit Rathangan Library over the coming fortnight. If your child is not already a member of the library, I would ask that you take the time to drop in to join her up. Membership for children can only be obtained in the presence of a parent. I would highly recommend that the girls get the opportunity to visit the library on a regular basis, especially during the summer period. A Summer Stars Reading Programme is being run by the library over the summer holidays to encourage the children to read as much as possible. There will be rewards here at school in September for all children who have taken part in the Summer Stars Programme, so please ensure your children retain their card so they can show us how many books they have read over the summer when they return to school. Children should be reading EVERY DAY. Visiting the library is a really important habit to develop for your child and facilitating this for her would be one of the most wonderful gifts you could give her.

• School Tours: School tour season is almost upon us, with a busy schedule of school tours over the next few weeks. Fifth and Sixth Class are kicking off the tours with their trip to the National Aquatic Centre and K-Bowl on Wednesday 12^th June. Junior and Senior Infants will visit Lullymore Heritage Centre on Thursday 13^th June, First and Second Class will enjoy a day at Clonfert Pet Farm on Wednesday 19^th June and Third and Fourth Class will visit Dublin Zoo on Thursday 20^th June. We hope they all have a thoroughly enjoyable day and look forward to hearing of their experience. I want to sincerely thank all of the parent volunteers who will travel with the girls on their tours.

• Sixth Class Heritage Trip: Ms. Marrinan’s and Ms. De Faoite’s classes will visit the rath and the old graveyard on Tuesday 4^th and Thursday 6^th May respectively, weather-permitting, as part of their local history / heritage studies. On their trek through the town, they will examine all the Georgian buildings and learn about the history of our village. They will be led on their historical walk by our former Principal, Betty Lawlor. We are very grateful to Betty for her generosity in sharing her time and vast historical expertise with us. We hope the girls have a thoroughly enjoyable day and gain a deeper appreciation of the wonderful village in which we live.

• Reminder: Phones, smart-watches, digital devices or toys are not allowed at school or on any of our school tours. Please see our Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices Policy and our Code of Behaviour on our school website.

• Open Afternoon for New Junior Infants: Next year’s Junior Infants (2024/25 school year) and their parents are invited to an open afternoon in the school on Thursday next, 6^th June at 1.45pm. The children will get the opportunity to visit their new classroom, meet the current infant teachers and mingle with their new classmates. We look forward to meeting with them and their parents.

• Prizes for our School: I would like to thank Grace Spellman, from Mr. O’sullivan’s Third Class, who has recently won two pries for our school. She took part in a Science Quiz on Today FM and won €500 of Science equipment for our school. She also won the Pink Lady: BEEPink Competition, the prize being a visit to her class in June from a member of Federation of Irish Beekeepers’ Associations (FIBKA). This beekeeper will facilitate a bee-keeping demonstration for Mr. O’Sullivan’s class, complete with prizes for the children. Well done Grace!

• Attendance: As a staff, we are quite concerned about what we see as a serious deterioration in attendance at our school since pre-Covid times. We have a large number of children who are currently falling into the ‘at risk of chronic absenteeism’ category as defined by Tusla, i.e. children whose attendance is below 95% (currently 9 or more days absent out of 161 to date). We also have a number of children whose attendance is at less than 90% – defined as ‘Chronic Absenteeism’ by Tusla. These children have missed 17 or more days to date, which is a large chunk of the school year and has massive implications on academic, social and emotional development. Children who fall into either of these brackets are negatively impacted and will not be achieving to their full potential. This will be reflected in their standardised test scores, in class tests and in teacher observation. Chronic Absenteeism frequently leads to school refusal behaviours and is also linked to poor academic performance and early school drop-out. So concerned are the staff around this new trend, that we have made the decision to place attendance as the focus of our School Self-Evaluation in the next school year. Our Deputy Principal, Ciara Ruttledge will be making contact with families about whom we are concerned early in the new school year, with a view to offering supports to improve attendance. Our children want to be at school – it is a happy place to come, to learn and to socialise with friends. We are asking you all to prioritise your daughter’s attendance at school and to support us in bringing about an improvement in our whole-school attendance. You can check your daughter’s attendance statistics on the Aladdin Connect app. Please let us know if you have issues accessing this.    

• Sixth Class Education Passport deadline: All the ‘My Child’s Profile’ sheets for completion by parents/guardians of Sixth Class pupils and the ‘My Profile’ sheets for completion by Sixth Class pupils should be returned to school by tomorrow. They will be sent, as part of your daughter’s Education Passport, along with her end-of-year report to her secondary school.

• After-School Activities: This year saw a number of different after-school activities take place for the children in the school. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of the teachers who were involved in the after-school programme of activities.  These teachers voluntarily gave up their free time to organise and run the activities and we are very fortunate to have such a dedicated staff, who are willing to take on this task with such great enthusiasm.

• Non-uniform Days: To facilitate the Uniform Swap Day being organised by the Parents’ Association on the day of the holidays (details to follow), Wednesday 26^th and Thursday 27^th June will be non-uniform days. This will give parents the opportunity to get the uniforms ready for the Swap Day. We would encourage all parents to come in and take a second-hand uniform for their daughter(s) for next year.

• Schoolbook Scheme Book Collection: All schoolbooks will be collected from children on Friday 21^st June. Please ensure your child’s books are in good condition and ready for inspection on that day. There should be no marks on these books as they are the property of the school.

• Library Books: All books should be returned to our school library by Wednesday 19^th June. Charges will be imposed in the case of damaged / missing books.

• Sixth Class Graduation: Graduation Mass for our Sixth Class girls will take place at 10am on Tuesday 25^th June in Rathangan Church. All parents and family members are welcome to attend. All classes will attend this Mass, which also marks the end of a busy school year. Our Sixth Class will participate in the ceremony and our school choir led by Ms. De Faoite, Ms. Rowley and Ms. Dillon will provide the music and singing. Following the Mass, we will host a celebration for our sixth class pupils and their families, at which we will present the girls with their graduation certificates and hoodies. They have been an amazing group of pupils, who have been excellent ambassadors for our school, who have been motivated and eager to give of their best and who, most importantly, have emanated our school ethos and have displayed kindness to the younger members of our school community. We are very proud to have had the pleasure of teaching this group of girls over the past eight years and we wish them the very best of luck as they transition to secondary school. I would like to thank the parents from our current fifth class who have volunteered to bake for the event and to serve tea/coffee.

• End-of-Year Reports: End-of-year reports will be released to parents on the Aladdin app on Thursday 13^th June.

• Thank you: As this is our final Fortnightly Bulletin of the year, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the teachers and staff of Bunscoil Bhríde for all their dedication and hard-work throughout what has been another busy and exciting year for the school. We are really blessed to have such a fantastic staff. I would also like to thank our Parents’ Association who have shown such generosity of time and energy and are a true credit to the school. Our Board of Management also deserves our praise and thanks. All members of the Board work quietly behind the scenes in a voluntary capacity to ensure the smooth running of our school. Their generosity of time and dedication to the school cannot be overstated and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. Finally, I would like to thank all the pupils and parents of our school, who have made my job as Principal a pleasure and who make Bunscoil Bhríde the wonderful school that it is.

• Next year: We will re-open on Wednesday 28^th August at 8.50am. New Junior Infant children will come to school on the first morning at 9am and from the second day onwards they will begin at 8.50am with the other children. The new Junior Infants will go home at 12pm for the first two weeks (up to and including Tuesday 10^th September) to ease the transition, and after this (from Wednesday 11^th September) they will go home at 1.30pm.

• June Bank Holiday Closure: The school will close on Monday 3^rd June for the June Bank Holiday weekend.

• Summer Holidays: The school will close at 11.45am on Thursday 27^th June. I would like to wish you all a very enjoyable and restful summer holiday and I look forward to meeting and working with you all in September.

Kind regards,

Maria Rogerson

Dear Parents / Guardians,

We hope you all is well with you this fortnight. Our news is as follows:

• Eleventh Green Flag: We plan to hold a Day of Celebration in the school on Friday 7^th June, at which our newest 11^th Green Flag will be raised. I would like to congratulate Ms. Kelly, Ms. Geraghty, Ms. Garrahy and their fabulous Green Schools Committee on such a remarkable achievement. There are not many schools in the country that can boast having eleven green flags. We are so very fortunate to have an outstanding committee, as well as an extremely supportive whole-school community. Well done everyone! Next fortnight’s bulletin will contain further details of this celebration.

• Letter to Parents regarding smartphones / social media: Yesterday every family received an important letter relating to serious concerns the staff and I have around children’s use of smartphones and social media. We are asking all families to acknowledge receipt of this letter and to confirm that they have read it, by signing it and returning it to school tomorrow.

• Confirmation: Our 6^th class girls will receive the sacrament of Confirmation on Sunday 26^th May at 11am in Rathangan Church. We pray that the blessings of the Lord will come to the girls as they are strengthened in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We hope that they, along with their teachers, Ms. De Faoite and Ms. Marrinan, who have helped to prepare them for this sacrament, will have a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable day. I would like to thank the girls from third to fifth class who will be adding so much to the ceremony through their beautiful singing in the choir, directed by Ms. De Faoite, Ms. Dillon and Ms. Rowley. The photographer will visit the school on Tuesday 28^th May to take the Confirmation group and individual photographs. The girls should wear their Confirmation robes to school on that Tuesday morning.

• Gaelic Football: Our wonderful senior girls, who won all three of their group stage games, represented our school in the Cumann na mBunscol senior girls football semi-final yesterday. This game was played at home in Rathangan as a reward for coming first place in their group, where they faced Scoil Bhríde of Naas. The girls showed tremendous skill, determination and teamwork in this difficult game against a very strong Scoil Bhríde team. While our girls did not progress through to the final, we are all so proud of our pupils who have represented our school so well throughout the year. They have certainly been wonderful role models for our younger students who will hopefully represent our school in the senior girl’s competitions in the future. I want to thank our coaches Mr. O’Sullivan and Ms. Marrinan who have given so generously of their time during this year in training the team and accompanying them to matches.

• Active Schools Week: We are looking forward to celebrating Active School week from Monday 27th May to Friday 7th June. We have lots of fun activities planned for all classes. It promises to be a jam packed fortnight of fun and games. We are working hard towards receiving our 4th Active Flag in the upcoming months. As always, children will only receive Active Homework for the fortnight. All children will be encouraged to wear their school tracksuit (or navy shorts) and appropriate runners to school every day. Children will have the opportunity to visit our local tennis club throughout the fortnight for lessons with thanks to coach Gary Beresford. Please ensure your daughter has plenty of lunch and drinks packed and has sun cream applied each day. Don’t forget to keep up to date with the Active School events on our school website. I want to thank Ms. Rowley, Ms. Costello and their Active School Committee for organising Active Schools Week.

Our class Sports Days will take place on the following days:

• Cycle Safety Training: Ms. Marrinan’s Fifth and Sixth Class and Ms. De Faoite’s Sixth Class will take part in a six-session block of cycle safety training, beginning on Thursday 23^rd May. The course is aligned to Cycle Right, the National Standard for Cycle Safety Training in Ireland, and is delivered by qualified trainers from the national register. As we are a Green School, An Taisce are heavily subsidising the course, with the cost to pupils reduced to €5. At the end of the course, each pupil will receive a digital certificate of participation. Bicycles and helmets will be provided, but if the pupils wish, they can bring along their own bicycle and/or helmet. The dates of the sessions are as follows:

23^rd May, 30^th May, 6^th June, 10^th June, 13^th June and 20^th June

• Bicycles: We love to see children cycling/scooting to school. There is a covered bicycle shelter to the rear of the school available for the parking of bicycles/scooters. As bicycle/scooters are parked here at the owners’ risk, we strongly advise that they are locked while parked.

• Names on Uniforms: Please ensure that your child’s name is clearly marked on her uniform and tracksuit jumper.

• Oral Language: The theme for the month of May is ‘Debating’. All classes will be focusing on this theme for the month and we would ask that you support us at home, by questioning your child, asking her to justify her choices and to support her arguments. Oral arguments that cause your child to have to reason with you and formulate and deliver a response reflecting a point of view are always to be encouraged, even in Junior Infants!

• Free Schoolbooks Scheme: With the Free Schoolbooks Scheme for Schools in place again this year (see more information at the following link http://www.gov.ie/schoolbookschemes), you will not be required to purchase any schoolbooks, workbooks or copies for your child or to cover the cost of book rental. All of these items will be purchased by the school and will be ready for your child when she joins us on 28^th August. Parents will be required to purchase only a small amount of items of stationery (list to be shared with parents in June) and will still be required to pay a small fee to cover the cost of photocopying and art supplies for their child (payment link to be shared with parents in June).

• Code of Behaviour: Our Code of Behaviour is available to view at www.bunscoilbhride.ie . I wish to remind you all that, as stated in our Code, jewellery (with the exception of small stud earrings at the bottom of each ear and a watch) is not permitted at school. Children should not come to school wearing hoop earrings / dangly earrings / earrings that are larger than a small stud, which are in breach of the code and pose a health and safety risk. Please ensure that children are wearing the correct uniform and that long hair is tied up. Your cooperation in the implementation of our Code of Behaviour is very much appreciated.

• Healthy Eating Policy: As you are all aware, we operate a healthy eating policy in the school. Chocolate biscuits / bars, cereal bars, sweets etc. are all prohibited. The policy is available to view at www.bunscoilbhride.ie We ask that all families adhere to the healthy eating policy and support us in promoting healthy eating with the children. Our Food Dudes Programme has been a big success and we hope the children will continue the habit of bringing fruit and vegetables to school.

• Sixth Class Education Passport: The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) has developed a suite of materials to support the reporting and transfer of pupil information from primary to post-primary schools. The materials are presented under the umbrella title of “Education Passport” and are available at https://ncca.ie/en/primary/reporting-and-transfer/education-passport/ . Schools are required to use the NCCA Education Passport materials to support the reporting and transfer of pupil information at the end of sixth class. The Education Passport will be sent to the relevant post-primary school following confirmation of enrolment. Parents of children in sixth class have today received the ‘My Child’s Profile’ sheet for completion by parents/guardians and the ‘My Profile’ sheet for completion by pupils. We ask that you and your child fill these out and return them to the school by Friday 31^st May. They will be sent, along with your daughter’s end-of-year report to her secondary school.

• Party Invitations: As it is not possible to invite all children from your child’s class to birthday parties, we would ask that children refrain from handing out invitations in school. This can instead be done outside of the school, in order to avoid upset to children not invited.

• Sixth Class Graduation: Graduation Mass for our sixth class girls will take place at 10am on Tuesday 25^th June in Rathangan Church. All parents and family members are welcome to attend. All pupils will attend this Mass, which also marks the end of a busy school year. Our sixth class will participate in the ceremony and our school choir led by Ms. de Faoite, Ms. Dillon and Ms. Rowley will provide the music and singing. Following the Mass we will host a celebration for our sixth class pupils and their families, at which we will present the girls with their graduation certificates and t-shirts. As has been the tradition in the school over the last number of year, we are asking again this year that the parents from our current fifth class would help to host the celebration for us by baking for the event and serving tea and coffee.

• Dates for the Diary: All dates for the diary for this term are marked on the calendar in the Aladdin Connect app.

Kind regards,

Maria Rogerson

Dear Parents / Guardians,

We hope you all is well with you this fortnight. Our news is as follows:

• Green Flag: I am thrilled and immensely proud to be able to inform you that we have just been awarded our 11th green flag. The focus of the work leading to the awarding of this flag was ‘Food and Biodiversity’. The Green Schools Committee would like to thank all the pupils, parents and teachers for their support of Green Schools. I would like to congratulate Ms. Aileen Kelly and the Green Schools Committee on this fantastic achievement. There are very few schools in the country that can boast having ELEVEN green flags. We are so very fortunate to have such an amazing committee and such wonderful support from the entire school community. We are currently planning a whole-school celebration of this remarkable achievement and will share these plans in the next Fortnightly Bulletin.

• Gaelic Football: Our wonderful senior girls were victorious in their game against Scoil Mhuire, Ballymany on Tuesday last. This was a very close and exciting game throughout. After normal time and extra time, the two teams could not be separated, finishing on a scoreline of 1-03 each. The game was settled through a 20 yard shootout, where our fantastic footballers outscored Scoil Mhuire by two points. The girls are now through to the semi-final with the opposing team, date and venue to be confirmed. Well done to the girls and their coaches, Ms. Marrinan and Mr. O’Sulllivan.

• Football in Second Class: Two of our past pupils and members of Rathangan Gaelic Football Club, Anna Mullally and Katie O’Loughlin have kindly volunteered to work on some footballing skills with our two Second Classes. Ms. Rowley’s Class engaged in football training last Monday and Ms. Garrahy’s will take part on this coming Monday. All Second Class girls should wear their school tracksuits and runners to school on Monday. I want to thank Anna and Katie for giving so generously of their time in working with our girls.

• First Holy Communion: Ms. Garrahy’s and Ms. Rowley’s second classes will be receiving the sacrament of First Holy Communion in Rathangan Church on Saturday at 11am. They have been busy preparing and practising and are very much looking forward to receiving their third sacrament. We wish them and their families a very special and memorable day. Ms. De Faoite and Ms. Dillon have also been doing fantastic work on preparing the choir for the big day. I want to particularly thank the girls from third to sixth class, who will be singing in the choir for the First Holy Communion ceremony. We are very grateful to them.

• Communion Photograph: The First Holy Communion group photograph and individual photographs will be taken in the school on Tuesday 30^th April at 9.00am. We ask that the First Communion class come into school wearing their Communion outfits for the photographs on that morning and that they bring their school tracksuit in a bag to change into afterwards. Following the photographs, the class will embark upon the annual parade around the classrooms, which is always much-anticipated! I will send a text to parents of the children in the class when the parade concludes and they will have the option of coming in to help change their daughter and take home the dress. Only parents who are Garda Vetted by the school will be allowed into the classroom with the children (National Vetting Act), but a room will be provided for unvetted parents who wish to change their own child. There is no requirement for parents to come in. The teachers will ensure that the children are changed and the dresses are hung on hangers or placed into bags as specified.

• Final Farewell Fair and Bake Sale: I want to congratulate our entrepreneurial Sixth Class girls, who with the help of their wonderful teachers, Ms. de Faoite and Ms. Marrinan, organised the most wonderfully entertaining and successful Fair in our school hall last Friday. I am thrilled to report that they raised €1195.60; enough to fully cover the cost of their graduation hoodies and a small excess that they will donate to a charity of their choice. They are currently in consultation around the choosing of a charity. Thank you so much to all of our families who contributed to the Fair and who generously donated baked goods and items to be sold.  Your support, as always, is greatly appreciated.

• Assembly: Our whole-school assembly for the month of April will be led by Ms. Geraghty’s Fourth Class and Ms. Gleeson’s Junior and Senior Infants and will take place in the halla tomorrow.

• Code of Behaviour: Our Code of Behaviour is available to view at www.bunscoilbhride.ie . I wish to remind you all that, as stated in our Code, jewellery (with the exception of small stud earrings at the bottom of each ear and a watch) is not permitted at school. Children should not come to school wearing hoop earrings / dangly earrings / earrings that are larger than a small stud, which are in breach of the code and pose a health and safety risk. Please ensure that children are wearing the correct uniform and that long hair is tied up. Mobile phones / electronic devices are strictly prohibited and should not be brought to school. Your cooperation in the implementation of our Code of Behaviour is very much appreciated.

• Library: Our school library has become a vibrant hub within the school, with weekly visits for all classes, allowing all children to take advantage of the huge array of books on offer. It has been well proven that reading regularly increases your child’s reading ability, improves academic ability, nurtures a love of reading for life and helps your child to learn about the world. Please ensure that your child treats the library books well and returns them for exchange as soon as she has finished reading them. A fee will be imposed to cover the cost of lost/damaged books.

• Oral Language: The theme for the month of May is ‘Debating’. All classes will be focusing on this theme for the month and we would ask that you support us at home, by questioning your child, asking her to justify her choices and to support her arguments. Oral arguments that cause your child to have to reason with you and formulate and deliver a response reflecting a point of view are always to be encouraged, even in Junior Infants!

• Bus Éireann School Transport: Applications for school transport for the 2024/25 school year can be made online at https://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=256 and must be submitted by tomorrow, 26^th April. It is important that applications for school transport are made on time as late applicants are not guaranteed seats.

• Dates for the Diary: All dates for the diary for this term are marked on the calendar in the Aladdin Connect app and we would ask you to keep an eye on this. Please note these dates are subject to change. Any changes to events will be recorded via the Aladdin Calendar.

• May Bank Holiday Closure: The school will be closed from Monday 6^th May to Friday 10^th May inclusive. School will reopen at 8.50am on Monday 13^th May. We hope you all have a lovely mid-term break.

Kind regards,

Maria Rogerson

Dear Parents / Guardians,

We hope you all is well with you this fortnight. Our news is as follows:

• Drumming Workshop: All children in the school are participating in a DRUM NATURE drumming workshop today and tomorrow. The aim of DRUM NATURE is to use rhythm-based events to create a positive outlet for creativity, energy and self-expression. Using drums and percussion, the children, together in their class groupings will create a unique in-the-moment rhythm consisting of everyone’s individual contribution. A facilitator will assist this process, but ultimately the music will be made by the children. Drum circles are about community, creativity and fun. I want to thank our wonderful Parents’ Association, who are fully funding these workshops.

• Football: Our wonderful senior girls were victorious in their game against Sallins National School yesterday, finishing on a scoreline of 3-5 to 3-1. The girls will be playing away to Gaelscoil Chill Dara next week, with a date and time to be confirmed. Well done to the girls and their coaches Mr. O’Sullivan and Ms. Marrinan

• Food Dudes: We are commencing phase two of our Food Dude’s healthy eating intervention on Monday. Under this phase, your daughter will receive five days of fruit and vegetables for a “Food Dudes Week”. This is to help maintain the healthy eating ethos in the school and to encourage your daughter to eat and enjoy fruit and vegetables. Information about Food Dudes can be found on the information sheet that was distributed to all children this week.

• Half-day School Closure: The school will close at 11.45am on Monday next, 15^th April to facilitate staff inservice and planning.

• Enrolment Meeting: A meeting with the parents of children who will be enrolled in the 2024/25 Junior Infant class will be held in the school hall on Wednesday 17^th April at 8pm. The new parents will get the opportunity to meet with the current Junior Infant teachers and to mingle with one another over a cup of tea, kindly provided by the Bunscoil Bhríde Parents’ Association.

• Lego Workshops: Our Third and Fourth Classes will take part in Lego workshops exploring biodiversity on Tuesday 16^th April. The workshops will be led by heritage expert, Jessica Farrell and we look forward to seeing the children’s creations, which will be available to view on their class blog at www.bunscoilbhride.ie . The workshops will be fully funded by our Parents’ Association.

• Heritage Trips: Ms. Geraghty’s and Mr. O’Sullivan’s fourth classes will visit the Curragh and Pollardstown Fen on Monday 22^nd April and Ms. Coughlan’s and Mr. O’Sullivan’s third classes will visit the Bog of Allen Nature Centre on Tuesday 23^rd April. They will be guided on their trip by heritage specialist, Nuala Madigan. It is hoped that the children will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of these local natural sites. The trips are part of our Whole School Geography Plan and will be fully funded by the Parents’ Association.

• Oral Language: The theme for the month of April will be ‘Idioms, Riddles, Jokes and Proverbs’. All classes will be focusing on this theme for the month and we would ask that parents support us at home, by sharing some proverbs, jokes, riddles and idioms with children and discussing with them what they’ve learnt in school on this topic.

• Addition to our staff: We are delighted to welcome back Mary Cunningham to our staff this term. Mary is a client of KARE and is engaging in work placement carrying out cleaning duties around the school for an hour every Thursday in term three. I know the staff and children will be delighted to see her smiling face back in the school again.

• Bake Sale: As our Rang a Sé enter their final term, they have begun to plan their final farewell from Bunscoil Bhríde. As is tradition, the Rang a Sé will be fundraising to raise money to cover the costs of their sixth class hoodies. They will hold a ‘Final Farewell Fair’ on Friday 19^th April in the school halla. The fair will involve a now annual bake sale, but in addition to that, the children will have various other items on sale such as books, toys, jewellery, arts and crafts etc. They will also have games, including ring-toss, guess the weight, guess the number of marbles in the jar and pin the tail on the donkey and will they will provide nail painting, baking demonstrations, karaoke stands etc. Any donations of baked goods on the day would be greatly appreciated and we look forward to seeing the girls wearing their hoodies on Graduation Day on Tuesday June 25^th.

• School Rules reminder: Jewellery (with the exception of small stud earrings and a watch) are not permitted at school.

• Anti-Bullying Policy: The annual review of our anti-bullying policy will take place during term three. It can be viewed on our school website www.bunscoilbhride.ie. It addresses cyber-bullying, which as we know has become an issue of national concern.  I’m sure you are all already aware that there are risks and dangers associated with your child using social media. If you allow your child to use social media, parental supervision is required at all times. I would like to make you aware of the fact that the legal age for using most social media apps is thirteen. Our school has safeguards in place with regard to pupil internet/website access at school. It is important that all parents are aware that use outside school falls under parental responsibility.

• Attendance Campaign: In an effort to improve our attendance, we have begun an attendance drive which will run for the duration of the third term, and aims to improve attendance levels. We would ask all parents to support us in this attendance drive. Worryingly, we have seen a significant increase in poor attendance post-Covid. This appears to be a national issue and the Department of Education are encouraging all schools to attempt to address it. We are concerned that some of our families are still impacted by the messaging that was in place during the period of Covid restrictions, about keeping children at home if they had any sort of a cough etc. and children are subsequently falling into patterns of poor attendance. While sick children should never be sent to school, we need to look at how we define sickness. All of us will get headcolds and minor illnesses during the year. In general, children should be sent to school if they have a headcold or a cough as long as they do not have a high temperature or have not been instructed by a GP to stay at home. We would encourage you to look at your child’s attendance on the Aladdin Connect app. Tusla inform us that most children should be at school more than 95% of the time i.e. over 95% attendance constitutes “normal / regular attendance”. Children whose attendance falls into the 90% – 95% attendance category are “at risk of chronic absenteeism” and children whose attendance is below 90% are defined as having “chronic absenteeism”. Such levels of absenteeism have an effect on children academically, socially and emotionally and we are eager to minimise this risk for our pupils and get our attendance levels back to pre-Covid times.

• Bus Éireann School Transport: Applications for school transport for the 2024/25 school year can be made online at https://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=256 and must be submitted by 26^th April. It is important that applications for school transport are made on time as late applicants are not guaranteed seats.

• Dates for the Diary: All upcoming events for the remainder of the school year, as they become known to us, will be recorded on the Aladdin Connect app, in the ‘Calendar’ section.

• Message from Rathangan F.C.: Rathangan Football Club are eager to start a Girls Only Soccer Academy (Girls born in 2017,2018,2019 & 2020) and an Under 8/9 Girls only (girls born in 2015 & 2016) team this year. They have asked that I circulate the following links to Expression of Interest Forms to all relevant parents. All information is contained within the links.

Girls Only Academy – https://forms.gle/Pvdrpsefukb1ZYMi6

U9’s Girls on Team- https://forms.gle/UH5VpQa58ocR2Fia7

Kind regards,

Maria Rogerson

Dear Parents / Guardians,

We hope you all is well with you this fortnight. Our news is as follows:

• World Book Week: This week we are celebrating ‘World Book Week’, with all classes participating in various different book-related activities. Please encourage your child to read at home daily for pleasure. All children are asked to dress as a character from their favourite book tomorrow (ensuring that they are appropriately attired for the weather). Book tokens to the value of €1.50 are being distributed to all children this week.
• Mystery at Bunscoil Bhríde: We are using the opportunity of World Book Week to develop our critical thinking skills across the school. You may have heard your daughter(s) speak of the crime scene that has been identified in our school hall. We have even had a video-link appeal from a member of An Garda Síochána, Garda O’Malley who has sought the help of our girls to determine what has happened to Cinderella. All of our classes have been seeking to solve the mystery by using available evidence in justifying the theories they have as to the fate of Cinderella. We look forward solving the case!

• Seachtain na Gaeilge: Tá Seachtain na Gaeilge beagnach buailte linn arís (11ú – 15ú lá de mhí Márta). Beimid go léir ag úsáid cúpla focal chomh minic agus is féidir i rith Seachtain na Gaeilge. Beidh an Céilí Mór ar siúl againn ar an Luan, an 11ú lá de mhí Márta. Beidh ‘Lá Glas’ ar siúl ar an Aoine, an 15ú lá agus beimid go léir ag caitheamh éadaí glasa ar an lá sin. Beir bua agus bain taitneamh as Seachtain na Gaeilge!Please attempt the cúpla focal at home with your child(ren). We will kick off Seachtain na Gaeilge with An Céilí Mór sa halla on Monday 11^th March, with all classes getting the opportunity to practise their Irish dancing. All the classes will engage in various activities to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge throughout the week. Friday 15^th March will be a non-uniform day to celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge and we will dress in green on that day. Photographs of Seachtain na Gaeilge, together with the Céilí will be available to view on www.bunscoilbhride.ie
• Maths Easter Egg Hunt: Our annual Bunscoil Bhríde Maths Easter Egg Hunt is running over the next few weeks, with all classes getting the opportunity to take part. Children, in teams, have to use their orienteering skills to find and solve maths clues and puzzles around the school grounds. There are lots of Easter Eggs up for grabs, so a fun-filled hunt is guaranteed!

• Cross-country: The annual Cumann na mBunscol Cross-Country competition will take place on Thursday 21^st March at 10.30am in Rathcoffey GAA ground. Our cross-country coaches, Ms. Costello and Ms. Garrahy will accompany sixteen girls from third to sixth class, who will run the 1200m race. We wish them the very best of luck. Well done to all the girls who have been taking part in cross-country training in the school. Ms. Costello and Ms. Garrahy will host an in-school competition for all of these athletes during Active Schools Week later in term three.

• Cumann na mBunscol Quiz: Congratulations to Alice Beary, Ava Kelly, Kate Minchin and Róise Stenson, who represented our school in the Annual Cummann na mBunscol Quiz in Ballymany N.S. on Friday 1st March. They did incredibly well, scoring 85 points from 100. Well done ladies!

• First Confessions: We would like to wish the very best of luck to our Second Class pupils, who will receive the sacrament of First Penance on Wednesday next, 13th March at 7pm in Rathangan Church. They have been busy preparing and practising their prayers and hymns for the occasion with their teachers, Ms. Rowley and Ms. Garrahy. We hope it will be a very special, holy and memorable occasion for them.

• Assembly: Our whole-school assembly for the month of March will be led by Ms. Marrinan’s Fifth and Sixth Class and Ms. Ruttledge’s Junior Infants and will take place in the halla on Thursday 21^st March.

• Drumming Workshop: All children in the school will participate in a DRUM NATURE drumming workshop on Thursday 11^th and Friday 12^th April. The aim of DRUM NATURE is to use rhythm-based events to create a positive outlet for creativity, energy and self-expression. Using drums and percussion, the children, together in their class groupings will create a unique in-the-moment rhythm consisting of everyone’s individual contribution. A facilitator will assist this process, but ultimately the music will be made by the children. Drum circles are about community, creativity and fun. I want to thank our wonderful Parents’ Association, who are fully funding these workshops.

• Permissions: We are currently seeking consent for involvement in after-school cross-country and football for our senior classes. Please check if there are any permissions pertaining to your child on the Permissions tab of Aladdin Connect and accept or decline as appropriate.

• Reminder regarding Absences: Under the Education Welfare Act 2000, where a child is absent from school on a school day, the parents must notify the school of the reasons for such absence. This can be done via the Aladdin Connect app. Please contact the office if you need assistance with this. We are required under the Act to notify Tusla; The Child and Family Agency of any child being absent for 20 days or more. Our student administration system automatically sends texts to parents reminding them of this when a child misses 10 and 15 days.

• Attendance Campaign: In an effort to improve our attendance, we will begin an attendance drive directly after the Easter holidays, with each class working towards full attendance, ultimately leading to a class reward e.g. a pizza party. We would ask all parents to support us in this attendance drive.

• Hair: In accordance with our Code of Behaviour, all hair should be tied up where possible.

• Bus Éireann School Transport: Applications for school transport for the 2023/24 school year can be made online at https://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=256 and must be submitted by 26^th April. It is important that applications for school transport are made on time as late applicants are not guaranteed seats.

• Dates for the Diary: All upcoming events for the remainder of the school year, as they become known to us, will be recorded on the Aladdin Connect app, in the ‘Calendar’ section.

• St. Patrick’s Day: The school will close for the St. Patrick’s Day Bank Holiday on Monday 18^th March. Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh go léir!

• School Closure: The school will close on Wednesday 20^th March, as instructed by the Department of Education, for staff inservice in the new Primary Mathematics Curriculum.

• Easter Holidays: The school will close for Easter holidays on Friday 22^nd March at 11.45a.m. We wish everybody a happy and holy Easter. School will re-open on Monday 8^th April.

Kind regards,

Maria Rogerson

Dear Parents / Guardians,

We hope you all is well with you this fortnight. Our news is as follows:

• Third and Fourth Class Quiz: Last Wednesday we hosted the Third and Fourth Class boys from Rathangan, B.N.S., who worked in teams alongside our Third and Fourth Class girls in our Annual Quiz, with great levels of general knowledge, teamwork and collaboration on display. Well done to our three winning teams! First place: Aoife O’Loughlin, Elliott Adams and Rob Holohan; Second place: Mia Scully Dowling, Aoibhín Whelan, Eddie Minchin and Michael Fitzgerald and Third Place: Libbie Ward, Alicja Osikowska, Adam Harrison and Ollie Murphy.

• Fifth and Sixth Class Quiz: Ms. Banks’, Ms. Marrinan’s and Ms. De Faoite’s Fifth and Sixth Classes will walk up to Rathangan B.N.S. tomorrow morning to take part in our annual quiz, in which they will work in mixed teams with the boys. We wish them the very best of luck, as they compete for medals and homework passes!

• Cumann na mBunscol Quiz: We are asking that our Fifth and Sixth class girls continue studying quiz questions to prepare for the selection of four children, who will represent Bunscoil Bhríde in the Cumann na mBunscol Quiz in Newbridge on Friday 1^st March. All children in Fifth and Sixth Class will take part in the selection process tomorrow afternoon.

• Football and Athletics: Football Training and Cross-Country (Athletics) Training will commence on Wednesday, 28^th February. Training will take place after school from 2.30pm – 3.15pm. Football Training and Cross-Country Training will merge together for three weeks until the Annual Cumann na mBunscol Cross-Country Race takes place in Rathcoffey on 21^st March. Fitness is a key part of playing football, so we encourage girls to come along to improve their running. All girls between Third to Sixth Class are encouraged to attend Cross-Country Training. Football is only open to girls in Fifth and Sixth Class. Girls will need to bring gumshields for football. No football boots are required. Football Training will be led by Ms. Marrinan and Mr. O’Sullivan. Cross-Country Training will be led by Ms. Costello and Ms. Garrahy. 

• World Book Week: We will celebrate ‘World Book Week’ from Monday 4^th to Friday 8^th March. All classes will be participating in various different book-related activities during the week. Our aim is to encourage children to read at home and to learn to love books. We would ask that you support us in this endeavour by encouraging reading and by taking your child to the library regularly. All children are asked to dress as a character from their favourite book on Friday 8^th March (ensuring that they are appropriately attired for the weather). Book tokens to the value of €1.50 will be distributed to all children during World Book Week.

• Irish Dancing: Carmel Somers has yet again, kindly volunteered her time to teach Irish dancing to our girls. Every class in the school is getting the opportunity to work with Carmel over two weeks (yesterday and next Wednesday). Carmel has also offered to help with our Céilí Mór during Seachtain ne Gaeilge. We would like to thank Carmel sincerely for her kindness and generosity in giving up her time for the benefit of the pupils of our school.

• Basketball Blitz: The Bunscoil Bhríde Basketball team, coached by Ms. Gleeson and Ms. Costello, will take part in the annual Cumann na mBunscol Basketball Blitz on Monday next in Scoil an Linbh Íosa, Prosperous. The girls will have the opportunity on the day to compete against other primary schools in Co. Kildare. We wish them the very best of luck.

• Seachtain na Gaeilge: Tá Seachtain na Gaeilge beagnach buailte linn arís (11ú – 15ú lá de mhí Márta). Beimid go léir ag úsáid cúpla focal chomh minic agus is féidir i rith Seachtain na Gaeilge. Beidh an Céilí Mór ar siúl againn ar an Luan, an 11ú lá de mhí Márta. Beidh ‘Lá Glas’ ar siúl ar an Aoine, a 15ú and beimid go léir ag caitheamh éadaí glasa ar an lá sin. Beir bua agus bain taitneamh as Seachtain na Gaeilge! Please attempt the cúpla focal at home with your child(ren). We will kick off Seachtain na Gaeilge with An Céilí Mór sa halla on Monday 11^th March, with all classes getting the opportunity to practise their Irish dancing. All the classes will engage in various activities to mark Seachtain na Gaeilge throughout the week. Friday 15^th March will be a non-uniform day to celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge and we will dress in green on that day. Photographs of Seachtain na Gaeilge, together with the Céilí will be available to view on www.bunscoilbhride.ie
• Assembly: Our whole-school assembly for the month of February will be led by Ms. Coughlan’s Third Class and Ms. Garrahy’s Second Class and will take place in the halla on Thursday next.

• Oral Language: The theme for the month of March will be ‘Descriptions and Descriptive Language’. All classes will be focusing on this theme for the month and we would ask that parents support us at home, by using rich, descriptive language as much as possible, drawing children’s attention to such language in stories and discussing with them what they’ve learnt in school on this topic.

• Punctuality: School starts at 8.50am. It is vital that your child attends for school on time. Arriving even 12 minutes late for class each morning effectively means your child is missing out on one hour of tuition every week.

• Footwear Reminder: For health and safety reasons, canvas runners (Converse etc.) cannot be worn in school. All footwear must provide sole support and be suitable for running.

• Parent Volunteers: We frequently require parent volunteers to accompany us on school trips, work with classes or get involved in various activities here in the school. Under the National Vetting Act, all volunteers coming into our school must be Garda vetted through our diocesan office (Kildare and Leighlin). The process is very straightforward, but can take up to four – six weeks to complete. The forms required for Garda vetting for the school are available here in the office or can be emailed to you. Please let us know if you wish to be vetted. We would urge as many of you as possible to do so.

• Our website: Please check out our wonderful website www.bunscoilbhride.ie. It contains lots of photographs and information about all the events taking place in the school and in the individual classrooms. Each class has a blog under the ‘Classes’ tab on the home-page. Some of our school policies are also available to view on the site. A substantial amount of work goes into regularly updating it and it is well-worth a look.

• Calendar for 2024/25: Our school calendar for the next school year (2024/25) is available to view on our school website at https://www.bunscoilbhride.ie/school-calendar-2024-25/

Kind regards,

Maria Rogerson

Dear Parents / Guardians,

We hope you all is well with you this fortnight. Our news is as follows:

• Changes to our School Uniform Policy: Following consultation with our Student Council, Parents’ Association, staff and Board of Management, a decision has been made to move to our school uniform tracksuit as our only uniform that will be worn by all classes every day, with our formal school uniform discontinued. Please note that there will be no changes in this school year and these changes will only come into effect from September 2024. The rationale for this decision is to facilitate the children in being more active every day. We are hoping to improve fitness levels, support wellbeing and improve attention by having the children use our running track every day. Our school uniform tracksuit consists of a blue polo shirt, a navy half-zip top embossed with the school crest and navy tracksuit bottoms, with a light blue line down the side. Runners or shoes suitable for running should be worn with the school uniform tracksuit. Proper runners with supportive soles are required (no canvas runners, Converse, or Ugg-type boots, which are unsuitable for running are permitted). All shoes that require laces should have the laces tied. When the weather is warm, children may wear plain navy shorts with their uniform.  

• Gardening Workshops: Gardening expert, Paddy Madden will engage all of our classes in gardening workshops on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. While much of the planting next week will be completed indoors, we look forward to the classes planting out their seedlings in the school garden in the coming weeks when the weather improves and we are excited about the fabulous crop of fruit and vegetables that we will be harvesting in the coming months. I want to thank Ms. Kelly for organising the gardening workshops and our caretaker, Ray for ensuring our garden is prepared and ready for Paddy’s workshops. Photographs of the planting will be available to view on the class blog pages of our school website.

• Quiz: Our Fifth and Sixth Class Quiz in Rathangan Boy’s N.S. has been rescheduled to take place on Friday 23^rd February. Our Third and Fourth Class Quiz will take place on Wednesday next in our school hall and we look forward to welcoming the boys, who will work alongside our girls in mixed teams, with prizes up for grabs. We would ask you to support us at home in preparing the girls for their quiz by helping them to practise and develop their general knowledge skills. Later in the month we will be selecting our top four children, who will represent the school in the Cumann na mBunscol Annual Quiz in Newbridge on March 1^st.

• Tag Rugby: Dermot Tierney, from Leinster Rugby has begun coaching our girls in tag rugby. He will be with us every Wednesday for the next few weeks, with each class getting three weeks of tag rugby coaching. The classes already involved are really enjoying the sport and we look forward to their skills developing further over the coming weeks.

• Basketball: Our Cumann na mBunscol basketball league has concluded for this year and I want to congratulate all of the girls who took part. Unfortunately, the semi-final did not go our way but we are so very proud of all the girls’ commitment and teamwork throughout the season. The girls will continue basketball training after the midterm break to prepare for the upcoming basketball blitz in March. I want to thank Ms. Gleeson and Ms. Costello who have been coaching the girls after school each week.

• Hearing Screening: An audiologist from the HSE will visit the school on Wednesday next and will carry out hearing screening with our Junior Infant pupils.

• Next year’s school calendar: Our calendar for the 2024/25 school year has been finalised and will shortly be available to view on our school website www.bunscoilbhride.ie.

• School Tours: Teachers have finalised school tour details for the summer term and all parents received an Aladdin app message earlier this week with all the tour details. A payment request for the school tours can be found under the ‘Money’ tab on the Aladdin Connect menu. All classes will go on a school tour this year. We are endeavouring to keep costs as low as possible. The reason we are eager to inform parents of the cost at this early stage, is to allow for children to save, in order to pay for their own school tour. School tours must be paid in full before Friday 31^st May.

• World Book Week: This year World Book Day falls on Thursday March 7^th. We have decided to extend the celebrations and celebrate ‘World Book Week’ from Monday 4^th to Friday 8^th March. All classes will be participating in various different book-related activities during the week. Our aim is to encourage children to read at home and to learn to love books. We would ask that you support us in this endeavour by encouraging reading and by taking your child to the library regularly. All children are asked to dress as a character from their favourite book on Friday 8^th March (ensuring that they are appropriately attired for the weather). Book tokens to the value of €1.50 will be distributed to all children during World Book Week.

• Ash Wednesday: Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. We will take all classes from Second to Sixth over to 10am Mass in the church on Ash Wednesday, as is our custom.

• Homework: Homework is an important link between home and school and offers children the chance to consolidate their learning. Please ensure you check your daughter’s homework each evening and sign her homework journal.

• Party Invitations: As it may not always be possible to invite all children from your child’s class to birthday parties, we would ask that all children refrain from handing out invitations in school. This can instead be done outside of the school, in order to avoid upset to children not invited.

• Change of Contact Details: Please check that your contact details are recorded correctly on the Aladdin app and notify the school if you have changed your contact details (phone, email or address). It is important that we keep our records up to date, so that we can always get in contact with you should the need arise. Please ensure you have listed at least two emergency contacts on the app (contact the office if you need assistance with this). Please also let us know if you have not been receiving app messages / text messages / emails from the school.

• School closure: The Department of Education and Skills have instructed all schools to close for a full day during this this school year to facilitate staff inservice in the new Primary Mathematics Curriculum. We have just been notified that our school closure day is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 20^th March. There will be no school for children on Wednesday 20^th March. Our updated school calendar can be found on our website www.bunscoilbhride.ie

• Midterm Break: The school will be closed on Thursday and Friday next week; the 15^th and 16^th February for midterm break and will reopen on Monday 19^th February. We hope you all have a lovely break.

Kind regards,

Maria Rogerson

Dear Parents / Guardians,

We hope you all is well with you this fortnight. Our news is as follows:

• Bluebells Playground Official Opening: The Official Opening of our fabulous new Bluebells Playground took place this morning, with the ribbon being cut by Margo Conlon of ‘Little Folks Playschool’. The playground has been fitted with a large swing and spinner and the girls in our Bluebells Class are thrilled with their fabulous new facility. I want to thank again Margo’s son, Seán Conlon, whose significant donation in Margo’s name allowed us to make this playground a reality. I want to thank also all of our families who contributed so generously during our Bluebellls Day fundraiser in the first term. Photos of the ribbon-cutting will be shortly available to view on our website www.bunscoilbhride.ie This playground and the fun the children will have within it for many years to come will be a fabulous representation of the sense of community and kindness that we are so lucky to have around us.

• Debating: I want to hugely congratulate our school debaters who made it through to the semi-finals of the Concern Primary Debating Competition this year; a truly wonderful achievement for our school. The girls proposed the motion, ‘Sport Always Brings Communities Together’, last Thursday, against Scoil na Naomh Íosaf, Baltinglass. Although the motion was opposed in the end, our school debaters performed incredibly on the day. We want to congratulate them on the hard work and devotion they have put in since September. Thank you also to the parents who contributed to the girls’ success by answering our surveys. Finally, we wish to thank the teachers Ms Costello, Ms Banks and Ms Dillon, who worked with the girls over the weeks to ensure they were ready for each competition

• Basketball: Our Fifth and Sixth Class girls have played one out of their two games in the Cumann na mBunscol league semi-finals to date. The girls took on Castledermot N.S. earlier this week in a home game. They played fantastically against a very strong Castledermot team, however things did not go their way on the day unfortunately. They are due to play Castledermot N.S. again next week in Castledermot and we wish the girls the best of luck in the game. I want to commend each of the girls on the team for their dedication, teamwork and positive attitudes throughout the competition and their coaches, Ms. Gleeson and Ms. Costello for giving voluntarily of their time to train the girls each week. 

• SEAI Workshops: All classes from Third to Sixth will take part in an SEAI workshop in the school on Tuesday and Wednesday next. We look forward to learning about how we can live more sustainably.

• Quiz: Our Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Class pupils are busy preparing for our annual quizzes, which will take place on Friday 9^th (Fifth and Sixth Classes) and Wednesday 14^th February (Third and Fourth Classes) in Rathangan Boy’s School and our school respectively.  Teams will be mixed and the children will get the opportunity to work with the boys in practising their general knowledge and having lots of fun in the process. We would urge you to help the children develop their general knowledge at home over the coming weeks in preparation.

• Grandparents’ Day: I want to sincerely thank our wonderful Parents’ Association and the many parents who voluntarily gave up their time yesterday to help serve tea and coffee to our visiting grandparents. We really are blessed to have such generosity and kindness in our parent body. Allowing our grandparents to congregate over a cup of tea and a treat in the hall made a really fabulous day all the more special. I also want to thank our hard-working staff, who put so much work into preparing for Grandparents’ Day with their classes, ensuring that all our visitors had a day to remember. Ms. De Faoite has been busy collating all the photos of Grandparents’ Day and they can be viewed on our website at the following link https://www.bunscoilbhride.ie/grandparents-day-2024/  

• Enrolments for 2024/25: Closing date for application for admission to our school for the 2024/25 school year is 5^th February. Application for Admission Forms are available from Catríona’s office and can also be downloaded from our school website. Forms can only be processed when accompanied by the child’s birth certificate.

• Oral Language: The theme for the month of February is ‘Socially functional language’ (introductions, giving thanks, complaints). All classes will be focusing on this theme for the month and we would ask that you, the parents support us at home, by encouraging your child to use appropriate socially functional language and by modelling good use of such language at home. We would also encourage you to discuss with them what they’ve learnt in school on this topic.

• Vision Screening: Vision screening of Junior Infant pupils by staff from the HSE will take place in the school on Monday and Tuesday next, 29^th and 30^th January.

• Duplo Lego Donation Request: Our Bluebells Class are seeking donations of Duplo Lego. If you have Duplo Lego at home that is no longer in use, we would be really grateful if you would donate it to the school.

• Heavy school-bags: We are attempting to address the issue of children carrying school bags that are too heavy to and from school, by asking them to unpack fully their bags every morning and only repack books marked for homework. Your help in tackling this issue is required as many of the items contained in school-bags are unnecessary ancillary items e.g. multiple heavy pencil-cases etc. Please go through your daughter’s bag with her and remove any unnecessary items.

• Pause for Peace: As we celebrate Brigid 1500 throughout the school, all of our classes will support the global Pause for Peace on Thursday 1^st February. We will join with people worldwide to stop for one minute’s silence, prayer or reflection for Peace at 12 noon on St. Brigid’s Day, February 1^st.

• February Bank Holiday: The school will close on Monday 5^th February for the new February Bank Holiday and will reopen on Tuesday 6^th February. We hope everyone enjoys the long weekend.

Kind regards,

Maria Rogerson

Dear Parents / Guardians,

We hope you all had a lovely Christmas break. Our news is as follows:

• Debating: Our amazing Bunscoil Bhríde Debating Team have made it to the semi-finals of the Kildare division of the Concern Primary Debating Competition. Their next debate will take place next Thursday, during which they will take on Scoil Naomh Iósaf, Baltinglass, Wicklow in proposing the motion, ‘Sports Always Brings Communities Together’. Our girls have been working tirelessly; surveying, writing and practising their debate for next week. We will be streaming the debate in the senior classes on the day, to inspire our future debaters. In an effort to gather data from our own school community to support their arguments, they have drafted a very short questionnaire for parents. It will take 1-2 minutes to complete and we would really appreciate your feedback. The survey can be accessed at the following link: https://forms.gle/1Pf1sxvQNHy2kH696

We wish the girls and their mentors Ms. Costello, Ms. Banks and Ms. Dillon the very best of luck.

• Basketball: I wish to congratulate our 5th and 6th class basketball team who have progressed to the semi-finals of the Cumann na mBunscol league! We have had two wins out of three matches to-date (over Prosperous N.S and Scoil Uí Ríada). We are due to play Castledermot N.S in the semi-finals (date to be confirmed). Well done to each and every one of the 58 girls on the team who attend training each week and to their wonderful coaches; Ms. Costello, Ms. Gleeson and Ms. Banks. The girls have shown tremendous dedication and teamwork so far and we wish them the very best of luck in the rest of the league and look forward to seeing what 2024 brings!

• Chess: Ms. Marrinan, Ms. Dillon and Ms. Beary are setting up a chess club for 5th and 6th class girls. It will commence on Tuesday 16^th January from 2.30pm to 3.30pm. All are welcome to learn chess from the beginning or to develop their understanding and techniques. If you wish your daughter to attend Chess Club, please complete the relevant permission on the Permissions tab on Aladdin Connect.

• Rushes wanted: All classes will begin to make St. Brigid’s crosses in the coming weeks. We are in need of rushes to make the crosses and will need a large number. We would be really grateful if you were in a position to gather rushes for us and drop them into the school. Our Parents’ Association will also be making crosses, which they will sell to raise money for our school.

• Message from Active School Committee: This year we are working towards our Fourth Active Flag. As part of our Active Schools Flag application form, we are collecting information from a parent’s perspective on attitudes and opinions surrounding physical activities in our school. We would greatly appreciate it if you could fill out the survey below as part of our application: 

• Dates for the Diary for this term: All important events and dates for the diary for the remainder of the school year can be found by clicking on the calendar icon within the Aladdin Connect app. Please keep an eye on this calendar as events will be added throughout the year.

• Relationships and Sexuality Education (R.S.E.): R.S.E. lessons will begin in all classes next week. You all received a letter from your daughter’s teacher via Aladdin this week and you will also receive a Home/School Links sheet detailing the content to be covered with your child’s class. It would be very helpful if you could discuss what is being learnt at school with your daughter(s) at home. Please feel free to contact the school with any queries you may have.

• Stay Safe: Senior Infants, Second Class, Fourth Class and Sixth Class will begin the Stay Safe programme in the next fortnight and will continue with the programme over the coming weeks. I would like to remind you again about the importance of discussing the issues covered in class with your child at home. The lessons covered over the course of the programme are as follows: Feeling Safe and Unsafe, Bullying, Touches, Secrets and Telling and Strangers. More information about the programme can be obtained on the website; www.staysafe.ie

• Enrolments for 2024/25: We are now enrolling for September. Closing date for enrolments to Junior Infants for the 2024/25 school year is Monday 5^th February. Application for Admission Forms have been distributed to all the pre-schools in the town and are available from Catríona’s office. They can also be downloaded from our school website. Completed forms, accompanied by the child’s original birth certificate (which will be copied and returned to parents) must be returned to the school no later than 5^th February.

• Catholic Schools Week: This year Catholic Schools Week will be celebrated in our school from 22^nd to 26^th January.  This year’s theme is ‘Communities of Service’.  Because we are a Catholic School, this is a very special week in our calendar and it will be celebrated in many different ways in each classroom.

• Grandparents’ Day: On Wednesday 24^th January all grandparents are invited to visit their grandchildren’s classrooms. This invitation to grandparents affirms and values their place not only in the lives of their grandchildren, but in the community in general.  This annual visit has become a highlight of Catholic Schools Week at Bunscoil Bhríde. Each class will entertain grandparents with poems, songs and stories. Grandparents are also invited to look at children’s artwork and we would encourage them to share their memories of school in the past and stories of the past with the children. Please note that Grandparents’ Day is for grandparents ONLY. We ask that no parents / guardians come into the school on Grandparents’ Day, except in circumstances where grandparents need assistance due to mobility issues / special needs. Please let us know in advance of any accommodations that need to be made for such grandparents. The Bunscoil Bhríde Parents’ Association have kindly volunteered to provide tea/coffee for the visiting grandparents in our school hall. This will hopefully facilitate some banter and reminiscing among our visitors. Any donation of baked goods for our grandparents would be greatly appreciated and can be dropped to the school on the morning of Grandparents’ Day. While we hope lots of grandparents will visit our school for Grandparents’ Day, we are very conscious of the fact that not all children have grandparents living and also that not all grandparents will be able to make it to our school. For this reason, there will be arrangements put in place in all classrooms for the sharing of available grandparents, so nobody will be left out. It will be a fun, warm and welcoming day for all grandparents.

Timetable for Grandparents’ Day

Wednesday January 24th

• January Assembly: Our whole-school assembly for January (marking Catholic Schools Week and St. Brigid’s Day) will take place on Monday 22^nd January and will be led by Ms. Rowley’s Second Class and Mr. O’Sullivan’s Third and Fourth Class.

• Oral Language: The theme for the month of January is ‘Questioning’. All classes will be focusing on this theme for the month and we would ask that you, the parents, support us at home, by encouraging your child to pose fully-formed questions and ensuring that they have knowledge of and make use of all the question words (What? Why? Where? When? Who? How? etc.). We would also encourage you to discuss with them what they’ve learnt in school on this topic.

• Christmas Jumper Day for Sr. Celine: A total of €365.20 was raised from our Christmas Jumper Day before the holidays, which will go directly to Sr. Celine Conway’s Brazilian Fund. I would like to sincerely thank all who supported this fundraiser.

• Aladdin Connect app: Please check your child’s details on the Aladdin Connect app (including the numbers you have listed as emergency contacts) and ensure they are correct. Please contact us if you need assistance making any updates to this information.

• Names on Uniforms: Please ensure that your child’s name is clearly marked on her uniform and tracksuit jumper, her coat and hat.

• Late Arrivals/Early Departures and Absences: Children arriving late to school or leaving early must have their arrival / leaving time recorded on Aladdin Connect. This can be done by parents. If your child is arriving late to school, please accompany her to the front door of the school. All absences must be explained. This can be done by selecting the reason for absence on Aladdin Connect. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter. Please contact the school if you are having any issues with using the Aladdin Connect app.

• Coming to school: School begins at 8.50am and children should be dropped to school as close as possible to this time. The gate will open and supervision will be provided from 8.40am. The church car-park is a public space and children should not be dropped outside the school gate before 8.40am.

Kind regards,

Maria Rogerson