Dear Parents / Guardians,
We hope you are all well. Our news is as follows:
- First Holy Communion: Ms. Ryan’s Second Class 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, Ms. Rowley and Ms. Choudhury 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 Wednesday 21st May at 8.50am. 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.
- Basketball: We are delighted to announce that we have an upcoming basketball blitz with Scoil Bhríde, Lackagh, to be held in our school on Wednesday June 4th. Basketball training will resume again for the next two Tuesdays, 20th & 27th of May for any girls who wish to take part. Training will run from 2:30pm – 3:15pm. I want to thank Ms. Gleeson, Ms. Banks and Ms. Costello for coaching the girls and for organising the upcoming blitz.
- Concerts: Our final night of class plays will take place in the school hall on Wednesday 28th May, with Ms. Ruttledge’s Junior Infants, Ms. Freeborn’s Fourth and Fifth Class and Ms. Banks’ Fifth Class performing. As you know, our hall is quite small, so space is limited. We will not have seats for children and any children who have to come will have to sit on the knees of an adult. Children from our school should not come, where possible. They will have had the opportunity to see all the class plays during the school day. The concert will begin at 7pm, with doors opening at 6.30pm (please note that the doors will not open before 6.30pm). Entry: €5 per person (cash only please). We look forward to another night of top-class entertainment. All plays have been / will be recorded and are available to watch back on the relevant class blog on our school website at www.bunscoilbhride.ie
- Farewell Fair and Bake Sale: I want to congratulate our entrepreneurial Sixth Class girls, who with the help of their 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 €1160; 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.
- Author Workshop: To celebrate The Young Readers Festival, Rathangan Library have offered us an online workshop with award-winning author, Dave Rudden (Knights of the Borrowed Dark, Doctor Who) as he showcases his new horror novel Conn of the Dead. He will work with Ms. Banks’ and Ms. Freeborn’s Fifth Class girls later today, on developing their devilish descriptions and perfecting the genre of horror!
- Solar Panels: We’re excited to announce that solar panels will be installed on our school roof next week as part of the Schools Photovoltaic Programme. A display screen will also be mounted in the school corridor, showing real-time data on the energy generated and used within the school. We hope this initiative will help children learn more about energy consumption, renewable energy, and the importance of conservation.
- School Meals Scheme: We’re delighted to share that our school has been included in the next phase of the School Meals Scheme. Subject to a tendering process before summer, we aim to launch the scheme at the start of the new school year. Each child will receive a hot meal daily. Our Student Council will help with tasting menus from potential suppliers this term. Please note, our Healthy Eating Policy remains in place and will continue alongside this scheme. Items such as chocolate bars, cereal bars, and sweets are not permitted. The full policy can be viewed at www.bunscoilbhride.ie. We ask all families to support us in encouraging healthy eating habits.
- 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 Thursday 29th May. They will be sent, along with your daughter’s end-of-year report to her secondary school.
- Assembly: Our whole-school assembly for the month of May will be led by Ms. Coughlan’s and Ms. Brogan’s Third Classes and will take place in the halla on Thursday 29th May.
- 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.
- Message from Rathangan Tidy Towns Committee: Cruinniú na nÓg is being celebrated in Rathangan over the next three Saturdays. Free nature workshops with Dúlra, aimed at primary school children, will take place on Saturday 17th, 24th and 31st May from 2pm to 4pm in Tannery Park. Explore biodiversity through arts and forest school! Booking is essential and places are limited. Children can sign up for one, two or all three sessions. Use the following link to secure a place for your child: https://buytickets.at/dulracilldaraforestschool/1663623 This initiative is funded by Creative Ireland and Kildare County Council, and supported by Local Authority Waters Programme
Kind regards,
Maria Rogerson