Dear Parents Issue: 10 March 24th 2022
COVID-19:
- There are still cases of Covid-19 being reported to the school almost every day. While the current variant is not a massive concern from a health perspective, it still highlights that Covid-19 has not gone away and will be with us for a while to come. In light of this, please be extra vigilant
- This week there have been on average 20 children absent from school each day
- If you contract Covid-19 there are still public health guidelines for us all to follow. Please see www.hse.ie for the most up to date advice.
- Here in Scoil Chroí Naofa the following will still be the cornerstone of how we operate into the future: hand sanitisation, high hygiene / cleaning standards, ventilation, good cough etiquette and staying home when unwell.
- Staying at home if you have symptoms: The requirement to stay at home if you have symptoms remains – for students and staff alike. One of the key messages to manage the risks of COVID-19 is to do everything practical to avoid the introduction of COVID-19 into the school. If infection is not introduced it cannot be spread.
- The school will provide remote work for pupils who are out with the virus, if so requested by parents. We understand some pupils may be too unwell and not in a position to complete any work.
- We wish anybody with the virus at this time, a speedy recovery.
Collection for Ukraine:
- The 6th class girls and their teachers want to thank you all so much for your incredible generosity to their Ukrainian collection.
- The girls sorted through all the donations and boxed the items according to the different categories.
- They then labelled the boxes in both English & Polish, to make distribution on the other side easier for the volunteers.
- The boxes were then collected by Athenry Fire Brigade who will deliver them on our behalf.
- We would also like to make an honourable mention of 3 other Scoil Chroí Naofa pupils (Conor Clancy 1st class, Emma Grant 3rd class and Anna Clancy 5th class) who held a Bake Sale in their estate in aid of the Ukrainian appeal. They raised €464 for the Red Cross!!! Well done guys!
Literacy Lift Off:
- Literacy Lift Off has finished in Mrs Murray’s Senior Infants class. As a treat, the children got to visit Athenry library on Wednesday.
- To complement the LLO programme Mrs Murray’s class are now taking part in a 5-week “Power Hour” of Literacy station teaching. This week is week one of five and the children are really enjoying it!
- Literacy Lift Off has commenced in Mr McDonald’s Senior Infants class. Every child will bring home a new book each night (including Friday) and parents are asked to read this book with their child.
Sport:
- Some of the 6th class girls will be representing the school in an inter-schools tournament being held in Kenny Park on Thursday March 24th. The tournament is being organised by Clarin college.
- GAA Hurling / Camogie coaching will be starting in Mr Hanley’s 1st class next week.
- Mr Naughton & Mr Kelly will be taking the senior girls for training every Friday for the rest of the school year. This training will be to get the girls ready for all the different team sports that we will be playing throughout the rest of the school year e.g. Camogie, Gaelic Football, Soccer, Rugby, Hockey
- The 5th & 6th class girls will be competing in an in-house Soccer Tournament. There are 5 teams who will play 4 games in a league style event. There will then be a Semi-final and Final. There will be medals for the winners & runners up, as well as a “Golden Boot” trophy for the top goal scorer of the tournament!!!
Green School:
- Every class in the school will be doing some Spring planting over the coming days
- Every class will be responsible for 5 window boxes in which they will be growing:
- (i) Shallot onion bulbs
- (ii) “Cut and come” greens
- (iii) Wild Meadow Flower assortment
- The children will get to plant their bulbs and seeds. Then they will be taking care of them while they are growing. Finally they will harvest their vegetables when they are ready, and the Wild Meadow Flowers will be re-planted into our sensory garden at the end of the school year.
- In addition to looking after the window boxes many classes are doing other planting e.g. Junior & Senior Infants have been planting cress seeds, and many other classes are taking part in the “Incredible Edibles” and “Innocent Big Grow” programmes!
- All of this teaching and learning will feed into our Green Schools Flag application under the theme of “Biodiversity and Food”.
Playground:
- The two junior infant classes went to the playground for an hour on Wednesday.
- They had a wonderful time, taking advantage of the beautiful weather!
Parents Council:
- Sincere thanks to everyone who dropped in bags for the Cash for Clobber collection. We raised approx. €300 which will be used by the Parents’ council to fund workshops / buses / treats for the children.
- Book covering: sincere thanks to all the moms who have come in to help us with book covering. There is one box of books left to be covered. If anyone is free some morning from 9am for an hour or two, your help would be greatly appreciated!
- Donations of School Uniforms are always hugely appreciated, especially donations of larger sized uniforms that would fit the senior pupils.
School Tours:
- Below is a summary of where each class will be going on their school tour.
- The charge for each of the school tours has been put up on Aladdin. Parents have until the day of the school tour to pay this charge:
| Date | Class Teacher | Venue | Cost |
| Wednesday May 25th | Mr Kelly (5th & 6th class) Miss Murray (5th class) Mrs Monson (6th class) | Tayto Park Ashbourne Co. Meath | €35 |
| Friday May 27th | Miss Feeney (3rd class) Ms Alani (3rd class) Mrs Greally (4th class) | Wildlands Moycullen Co. Galway | €45 |
| Tuesday May 31st | Miss Dolan (1st class) Mr Hanley (1st class) Mrs McSpadden (1st & 2nd class) Ms O’Byrne (2nd class) | Let’s Go! Kingfisher NUIG Galway | €34 |
| Wednesday June 1st | Mr McDonald (Senior Infants) Mrs Murray (Senior Infants) | Turoe Pet Farm | €23 |
| Thursday June 2nd | Ms Tyrrell (Junior Infants) Mrs Duffy (Junior Infants) | Turoe Pet Farm | €23 |
Sensory Garden:
- Work is continuing to take place on our Sensory garden & outdoor classroom
- We expect it will be fully completed by the end of August, so that it is 100% ready for the pupils return next school year.
The Lunch Bag:
- The Lunch Bag people are in the process of updating their current system and people who have an older version of the app will be affected.
- With this in mind The Lunch Bag have asked us to reassure parents that if they get a request to update their Lunch Bag app as soon as possible, that this is a genuine request.
Dates for Diary & School Closures:
- Monday April 11th to Friday April 22nd: Easter Holidays
- Monday May 2nd & Tuesday May 3rd – May Bank holiday long weekend
- Sunday May 8th: Confirmation
- Thursday May 12th: Staff meeting (Term 3). All children go home at 1.15pm
- Saturday May 28th: First Communion
- Thursday June 16th: Staff Training (PLC webinar) (Term 3). All children go home at 1.15pm
Afterschool Clubs:
- Basketball Club for 5th & 6th class, starting Tuesday March 22nd and running for 6 weeks
- Basketball Club for 3rd & 4th class, starting Wednesday March 23rd and running for 6 weeks
- Chlub Gaeilge for Junior & Senior Infants, starting on Wednesday March 30th and running for 5 weeks
- Science Club for 1st class, starting on Wednesday March 30th and running for 5 weeks
- Art Club for 3rd & 4th class, starting Tuesday April 5th and running for 5 weeks
- Art Club for 1st & 2nd class, starting Wednesday May 25th and running for 5 weeks
Community Links:
- The Children’s Liturgy team at Church of the Assumption Athenry are currently looking for volunteers so that we can start up this important ministry again after 2 long years. You do not need to be a teacher or have children attending the liturgy, you just need to be 18 years old (for vetting), willing to give a few hours every few months and have the desire to share your faith with the young children of the parish. All training is provided. If you are new to the parish, the liturgy is for children aged 5-8 years old and will be held in the Pastoral Centre during the 11am Sunday mass. Volunteers will be on rota a few Sunday per year. Ring / text Deirdre at 087 0984379 for more information.
- Marvellous Mascot live Tribute show (2022 Tour) in Raheen Woods on Friday April 1st at 6pm. Tickets are €12 per person or €40 for a family of 4. Tickets are available on arrival. Doors open 30 mins before the show.
- Let’s Go! Summer sports camp will run for one week in Clarin College, Athenry from July 4th to 8th. Check out their website: www.letsgo.ie if you are interested. (Phone no.: 021 4877111)
Fergal Naughton
