Dear Parents / Guardians,
We hope you are all well. Our news is as follows:
- Football: Our U11 Football team had a fantastic victory last week against St. Evin’s N.S., Monasterevin, with an impressive scoreline of 2-03 to 3-11. The girls showed great determination, teamwork and skill throughout the match. We would like to commend them for their amazing effort. They are due to take on Athgarvan N.S. in Athgarvan on Monday at 12.30pm. The third game of the league will be a home fixture on Thursday next, where they will take on Kildangan at 1pm. Keep up the brilliant work in training and on the pitch, ladies! Well done to the girls and their coaches, Ms. Marrinan, Ms. Brogan and Ms. Fogarty!
- National Fitness Day: We had had great fun celebrating National Fitness Day on Tuesday last, with all classes involved in the activities. This is a great initiative to help us promote a healthy and active lifestyle. To mark the day, Infants to Second Class took part in a range of activities, from Simon Says, to musical statues and a variety of games. Third to Sixth classes took part in a number of different circuit activities throughout the day. We were also blessed to have such fine weather, which made the day even better. I would like to thank Ms. Gleeson for co-ordinating the activities for National Fitness Day. Well done to all involved!
- Junior Infants 2026/27: Applications for admission to our school for the 2026/27 school year will open on Monday 6th October. There will be a three-week window to make an application for a place in Junior Infants 2026/27 (or other classes), with Friday 24th October the application closing date. Applications can be made via a link on our school website homepage from 6th October at 7am.
- National Walk and Roll to School Day: National Walk and Roll to School Day takes place this year on Wednesday October 8th. This day is all about celebrating walking as a positive mode for school journeys. We are asking our students and their families to celebrate with us and try to make it a day to remember. We are aiming to encourage as many students as possible to walk / cycle / scoot or Park and Stride to school. Walking to school is one of the best ways to start the day with multiple benefits to children’s physical and mental health. It also has a positive impact on academic performance and behaviour with higher levels of concentration and focus. Walk to School Day is also a great opportunity to teach your child about road safety and the Safe Cross Code.
- Chess Club: Chess is back for Fifth and Sixth Class pupils! After-school chess lessons will recommence on Wednesday 8th October and will run from 2.30p.m. to 3.30p.m every Wednesday. These lessons are for both beginners, as well as experienced chess players. Everyone is welcome to come along and join. I want to thank Ms. Marrinan and Ms. Beary, who are giving up their time to run our chess club.
- Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Project: Our school is delighted to be taking part in the CLIL Project this year, which will see Junior and Senior Infants and Fifth and Sixth Classes taught PE over an eight-week period through the medium of Irish. The aim of the CLIL Project is to improve learner competence, confidence and disposition to Irish. I would like to thank Ms. Flood, for coordinating our engagement in the project.
- Uniform: Please ensure that all items of your child’s uniform and coat are clearly labelled with her name.
- Assembly: We held our whole-school assembly for the month of September in the hall on Wednesday. Ms. Coughlan’s Sixth Class and Ms. Gleeson’s Senior Infants led the assembly and did an amazing job of celebrating Mercy Day and sharing all of our school news with our school community.
- Volunteers: We are always looking for volunteer parents to help out in classrooms or to accompany classes on trips / tours. All volunteers coming into the school must be Garda Vetted through the school. The process takes four / five weeks to complete and is relatively straightforward. We would be extremely grateful if you were available and willing to help us out. If you feel you would like to help out at any stage of the year, we would really appreciate it if you phone Catríona in the office and ask her to send you on the vetting forms.
- Oral Language: The theme for the month of October is ‘Listening’. Communication and learning skills grow out of effective listening. Hearing and listening are not the same – listening is an active process of focusing on sound; hearing is passive reception of sound. Listening means focusing on some sounds and “tuning out” others. All classes will be focusing on this theme for the month and we would ask that you support us at home, by encouraging and modelling good listening, asking your child to follow oral instructions, playing auditory listening games and questioning your child often.
- 24-hour Accident Insurance: Tomorrow is the final day for receipt of payment for Allianz Pupil Personal Accident Insurance. This is an optional fee of €10 and provides 24-hour cover for accidents occurring at home or at school. We would strongly recommend that all parents pay this insurance. Many of our parents have benefitted from having the policy in the past. If you ever incur any fees in relation to an accident e.g. fee for a trip to A & E, let us know and we will provide you with the necessary forms to recoup all expenses. Payment can be made via the e-payments system on the Aladdin app (this is a safe and secure means of payment). You must also return the completed slip to your child’s teacher. Please let us know if you require another slip or if you are having trouble accessing the e-payments via the app.
- Christmas Shoe-Box Appeal: The children are bringing home a leaflet today from ‘Team Hope’, detailing the Christmas Shoe-box Appeal. If you wish, you can put together a shoe-box which will benefit needy children around the world (this is optional). Shoe-boxes may be brought in to school on Friday 7th November only. They will be collected from the school on this day.
- Dangers of the Internet: While the internet is a wonderful resource, I would like to remind you that it can also pose many dangers to your child. While the school has safeguards in place with regard to pupil internet/website access at school, use outside school falls under parental responsibility. Children should never be allowed access to the internet at home without supervision, nor should they be accessing apps such as Snapchat, Tiktok, Whatsapp, Instagram etc., which all have a minimum user age of 13.
- Head Bumps: It is our school policy to phone home when a child bumps her head, however minor.
- Parents’ Association Annual General Meeting (AGM): The Parents Association will be holding their AGM on Tuesday next, 30th September at 7pm in the school hall. All parents are very welcome to come along and to find out more about the Parents Association’s role within the school. We would encourage as many of you as possible to attend and will be giving a homework-free night on Tuesday to facilitate this! This is an opportunity to learn about the previous year’s activities and how PA fundraising provides support to the school.
- Dates for the diary: All dates for the diary this term are available to view on the Aladdin Connect app under ‘Calendar’.
Kind regards,
Maria Rogerson