Dear Parents / Guardians,
We hope you are all well. Our news is as follows:
- Active Schools Week: The Active School Committee have been very busy all week, organising and running our Active Schools Week. All pupils have been engaged in lots of fun activities throughout the course of the week. We are very fortunate to get to visit the local tennis club and receive a coaching session from coach, Gary. Classes are also 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 activities. I want to thank Ms. Gleeson and the Active School Committee for coordinating all our activities over Active Schools Week.
- Food Dudes: We are commencing phase three, the final phase, 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”. The purpose of this intervention 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 via Aladdin to all families yesterday.
- School Tours: We are in the midst of school tour season, with a busy schedule of school tours taking place over the next fortnight. Photographs of the school tours will be available to view on each class blog at www.bunscoilbhride.ie .
- Rathangan Library Visits: Class visits to Rathangan Library are also taking place this fortnight. All classes will get the opportunity to visit the library. 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. 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 incredibly beneficial to her literacy development.
- Football Blitz: The annual end-of-year 5th and 6th class football blitz will take place on Monday next in Rathangan GAA pitch, promising a fun-filled day of sport and teamwork. It gives all the girls a chance to put their skills to the test, while also encouraging others to try football and see if it is something they enjoy. As well as playing, some of the girls will have the unique opportunity to step into the role of a referee, learning first-hand about the importance of fairness and respect on the pitch. It is set to be an exciting day full of learning, fun and plenty of football!
- Reminder: No medicinesare allowed at school or on school tours, unless authorised by the Board of Management. If your child has a medical condition for which medicine/inhaler etc. must be administered, please contact the school, as Board of Management approval must be granted for this. Please see our administration of medication policy at www.bunscoilbhride.ie for more information.
- Non-uniform Days: To facilitate the Uniform Swap Day being organised by the Parents’ Association on the day of the holidays (details to follow), Thursday 26th and Friday 27th June will be non-uniform days. This will give parents the opportunity to get the uniforms ready for the Swap Day. We will be looking for donation of good quality uniforms that no longer fit your child. These can be dropped to the school on either Thursday (26th) or on Friday morning (27th). We would encourage all parents to come in on the Friday 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 20th 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 18th June. Charges will be imposed in the case of damaged / missing books.
- Sixth Class Graduation: The Graduation Ceremony for our Sixth Class girls will take place at 10am on Wednesday 25th June in our school hall. They have been an amazing group of pupils, 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 we are asking to volunteer 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 later today. Results of the Drumcondra Primary Reading Test, the Drumcondra Primary Mathematics Test and the Drumcondra Spelling Test (for first to fifth classes only) will be included in the report card. It is important that specific results are not shared or discussed with children.
- Free Schoolbook Scheme: The Free Primary School Book Scheme will continue in September, with all books, workbooks and copies provided for all children, removing the cost from families of funding school books for children enrolled in primary schools, as there is no charge to parents/guardians for this. The schoolbooks and workbooks will be on loan to the children. They must be returned at the end of the school year, or if the child leaves the school. It is important that books are kept in good condition so they can be reused. Please help make sure your child/children keep the school books safe and take care of them, so they can be used again by another child.
- Stationery Lists and Photocopying and Art Fee: The Stationery List for each class will be issued early next week via Aladdin Connect and can be viewed at a later stage on the Parent Notice Board within the Aladdin Connect app. You will just need to purchase the items of stationery from this list. A payment link will be sent in the coming days for the €40 fee for Photocopying and Art Supplies (max €80 per family). This can be paid in instalments up to and including 27th August 2025.
- Summer Camps: Please find attached a flyer from Rathangan Tennis Club, detailing the tennis summer camp they are running this summer. I want to thank Gary and the Rathangan Tennis Club for facilitating the wonderful tennis lessons with our pupils this year. Please also find attached a flyer from Starcamp, who will hire our school facilities in July to deliver a summer camp.
- 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.
- 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.
- Summer Holidays: School will close at 11.45am on Friday 27th June. Medicines and inhalers will be sent home with all relevant children on that Friday. Our school will reopen for the new school year at 8.50am on Wednesday 27th August. I look forward to meeting and working with you all in September. The calendar for the 2025/26 school year is available on our school website at the following link: https://www.bunscoilbhride.ie/school-calendar-2025-26/
Kind regards,
Maria Rogerson