Dear Parents / Guardians,
We hope you are all well. Our news is as follows:
- Seachtain na Gaeilge: Táimid ag ceiliúradh Seachtain na Gaeilge faoi láthair. Tá gach duine ag déanamh a ndicheall cúpla focal a labhairt. We are celebrating Seachtain na Gaeilge at the moment. All classes thoroughly enjoyed the Céilí on Tuesday last, which was very kindly facilitated by Carmel Somers. We were treated to some wonderful performances from many of our talented girls. There are also lots of exciting games and activities happening in all classes throughout the school this week, including, senior classes ag léamh (reading) to the junior classes, quizzes and the “bosca glas”. We will conclude this week with our Lá Glas tomorrow, Friday 13th. All children are invited to dress in green and bring in a teddy and small treat for the Maidin Caife. A big thank you to our wonderful Coiste na Gaeilge and Ms. Ruttledge for all their work in organising a great week. Please continue to encourage your daughter to use her cúpla focal at home everyday. Photographs of Seachtain na Gaeilge, together with the Céilí will be available to view on www.bunscoilbhride.ie
- Debating Final: Excitement is building as our fantastic debating team prepares for the Concern Primary Debating Competition Final, which will take place tomorrow, in Kildare County Chambers, Naas. Our team, who have reached the final for the second consecutive year, will debate Scoil an Linbh Íosa, Ballycane, proposing the motion: “In ten years time, no country should be using fossil fuels.” The whole school is very proud of our debaters and their mentors, Ms. Costello and Ms. Dillon, and we wish them the very best of luck on Friday!
- Maths Easter Egg Hunt: Our annual Bunscoil Bhríde Maths Easter Egg Hunt will be 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 26th April in Rathcoffey GAA ground. Our cross-country coaches, Ms. Costello, Ms. Marrinan and Ms. Brogan 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. We will host an in-school competition for all of these athletes during Active Schools Week later in term three.
- Farewell Fair: Our Sixth Class are holding their annual ‘Farewell Fair’ on Wednesday 25th March. They are fundraising to raise money for their graduation hoodies. 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 etc. Any donations of books in good condition, as well as the donation of baked goods would be greatly appreciated. There will be a nail painting station at the fair. If you would not like your child to get their nails painted, please send a note on Aladdin to their teacher. There will also be a crepe and waffle station, together with a cookie dough station. Again, please message your child’s teacher on Aladdin if you do not wish her to consume these products. All children must have coins to buy items for the Fair. Items will range between 20c and €2.
- Bluebells Day: On Friday 17th April, we will celebrate Bluebells Day to promote understanding and awareness of autism. Bluebells Day will be a non-uniform day, with all children invited to ‘Go blue for Bluebells’, by dressing in blue. Throughout the day, each class will learn more about autism and have the opportunity to visit the Bluebells Classroom, where they can experience our sensory room, designed to be a welcoming and supportive space.
- Donation Request: We are asking all families, where possible, to make a donation for Bluebells Day, which will go towards the purchase of sensory resources for our Bluebells Class and our mainstream classrooms. I will share an optional payment link with all families in advance of Bluebells Day, or children are welcome to bring in their donation in cash on the day.
- Enrolment Meeting: A meeting with the parents of children enrolled in the 2026/27 Junior Infant class will be held in the school hall on Wednesday 25th March at 7.30pm. The new parents will get the opportunity to meet with our current Junior Infant teachers and to mingle with one another over a cup of tea, kindly provided by the Bunscoil Bhríde Parents’ Association.
- Heritage Trips: Ms. McEvoy’s third classes will visit the Bog of Allen Nature Centre on Tuesday 14th April. Our fourth classes and fifth classes will travel to Pollardstown Fen (and the Curragh), and the Canal later in April. They will be guided on their trips 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.
- Swimming: All children in Second, Third and Fourth Classes will begin their block of swimming lessons in Portarlington Pool on the week following the Easter Holidays. Please see Aladdin Notice sent to the parents of children in these classes. The cost of the swimming has been very heavily subsidised by our Parents’ Association. I want to thank our Parents’ Association for prioritising swimming in their fundraising efforts.
- Assembly: Our whole-school assembly for the month of March will be led by Ms. Geraghty’s Second Class and Ms. Frawley’s Fourth Class and will take place in the halla on Thursday 26th March.
- Permissions: We are currently seeking consent for involvement in after-school cross-country training for our Third to Sixth Class students. Please check if there are any permissions pertaining to your child on the Permissions tab of Aladdin Connect and accept or decline as appropriate.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- School Closure for St. Patrick’s Day weekend: The school will close for St. Patrick’s Day on Monday and Tuesday next and will reopen on Wednesday 18th March.
- Easter Holidays: School will close for Easter holidays on Friday 27th March at 11.45a.m. and will re-open on Monday 13th April. We wish everybody a happy and holy Easter.
Kind regards,
Maria Rogerson