Dear Parents Issue: 09 April 20th 2023
May Mid-term break:
- The school will be closed for the week of May 1st to 5th and will re-open on Monday May 8th.
Best Attendance:
- Congratulations to Ms McSpadden’s 1st & 2nd class on having the Best Attendance for March.
Band & St Patrick’s Day Parade:
- Congratulations & well done to all the girls who took part in the band for St Patrick’s day.
- We were so proud of the girls – they performed & behaved so well!
- Sincere thanks also to all the staff who taught the girls their tunes and to everyone who helped to co-ordinate the logistics of getting all pupils around the town safely on the day.
School Photographer:
- We received the proofs for the school photographs taken by County Photos yesterday.
- If you wish to order any photos of your child(ren) you are encouraged to do so on-line by following the instructions included with the proofs.
- If you are unable to process your order on-line you may return your order in the envelope provided, to the office. The envelope should include the exact money owed. These envelopes will be collected by County Photos on Friday of next week (April 28th).
Mobile Phones:
- Pupils in the school are not permitted to bring mobile phones with them to school
- Any pupil found to have a mobile phone with her at school from May 8th onwards, will be sanctioned. (Individual cases can be argued in writing to the Board of Mgt, if parents so wish).
- A lot of information in relation to very troubling social media postings by our students have come to light. While this is happening outside of school, it is having a detrimental impact on your children. Please continue to supervise your child’s online usage regularly, and especially now, given what has been happening.
- We owe it to our children. We need to protect them. They are too young to be able to deal emotionally with inappropriate online content and activity. We will keep working on it as best we can in school also. I appreciate your support.
- Smart watches fall into the same category and are also not permitted at school. (Simple step counters are okay).
Parents Council:
- Many thanks to all the parents who attended the Parents Council meeting last month.
- The bake sale was a great success – €1,415 was raised for the Parents Council.
- It was decided at the meeting in March that we wouldn’t hold the proposed Table Quiz in Dowlings after all, so this event has been cancelled.
- Our “Heritage Town Sponsored Walk” will definitely be going ahead and this will be the main fundraiser for the year. It has been provisionally scheduled for Friday June 9th. Parents are very welcome to join us on the walk (and maybe call back to the school afterwards for a cuppa?)
School Year 2023 / 2024:
- The admissions process for September 2023 is now closed
- Calendar for 2023 / 2024 is attached
- Parents should note that every child in SCN will probably have to be placed in a combined class setting at least once in their primary school cycle. This is true of most primary schools in the West of Ireland.
- Teachers have not been assigned to their new classes for next year yet.
- Parents are advised that at levels where there are 2 and 3 classes e.g. Junior Infants, Senior Infants, 1st class etc., the makeup of the class never stays the same from year to year. With this in mind parents are advised to voice any points they have e.g. possible friendships their child might have etc. While this information will be useful to have and a reasonable effort will be made to accommodate certain requests, we wish to remind you that no guarantees can be given regarding placement of pupils.
- Parents are asked to voice any points they have before Friday April 28th. Please do so by email to the school only: [email protected] . While points raised will be given consideration, no promises can ever be given in relation to requests made.
New Uniform:
- We will be introducing our new school uniform (Crested Navy Sweatshirt, Light Blue Polo shirt and Navy Track pants / Joggers) from September 2023.
- The uniform will be available to purchase from GM design wear, National School wear centre and Anthony Ryans
- The current school uniform will be phased out over the course of the next school year.
- Geraldine and her team from GM Designwear will be in the hall after school during the week of Monday May 8th to Friday May 12th to offer a measuring service to parents. Uniforms can also be pre-ordered on the day.
- The National School Wear Centre are offering a special 20% discount on the new crested sweatshirt if ordered during the month of May (enter code: SCNA20 at the checkout). For the months of June & July they are offering a 10% discount online & in store. (See flyer attached).
Green Schools:
- Congratulations to Mrs Greally and her Green School committee who have been successful in achieving the school’s next green flag: “Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity”!
- They have done incredible work all year and we are so proud of their achievement!
Soccer:
- Well done to the girls from 5th & 6th class who competed in the FAI 5s soccer competition in Mervue on Monday. The girls did us proud!
- Lisheenkyle National school have also invited 5th & 6th classes to a fun soccer blitz on Thursday of next week (April 27th)
Camogie:
- Congratulations to the 5th & 6th class girls who competed in the Clarin College Camogie tournament in Kenny Park on Tuesday. They did really well and showed great skills!!
- Cumann na mBunscoil Camogie blitz will take place in Turloughmore on Wednesday April 26th
- The Parish Schools camogie blitz will take place on Friday May 12th
Gaelic Football:
- Cumann na mBunscoil Gaelic football blitz will take place in Ballindereen on Wed May 11th
Cycling Workshop:
- Each year the Parents Council part-fund a cycling workshop for the 6th class girls. This workshop is provided over a number of sessions and is delivered by “Cycle Right”.
- The workshops will commence on Friday of this week (April 21st). The workshops mainly take place outdoors.
- The girls are encouraged to use their own bicycles and helmets, where possible.
Hockey:
- Many thanks to Ray Sweeney and his coaches from Athenry Swans Hockey club who commenced Hockey coaching with the girls in Ms Alani’s 3rd and Mrs Monson’s 3rd & 4th classes on Tuesday of this week.
Skipping:
- On Wed April 26th & Thurs April 27th there will be skipping workshops for all classes
- The workshops will be delivered by “Skipping4Life” – making exercise fun for all children
Swimming:
- The girls in both 3rd classes will be attending swimming lessons in the Raheen Woods.
- The provisional dates for this are: Mon & Tues May 22nd & 23rd and also Mon & Tues May 29th & 30th
Sacraments:
- Wednesday May 17th: First Confession for 2nd class girls at 1.30pm
- Thursday May 18th: Confirmation for 6th class girls at 11am
- Saturday May 20th: First Communion for 2nd class girls at 2.30pm
School Tours:
- Below is a summary of when & where each class will be going on this year’s school tours.
- The cost of each tour is also included. This amount can be paid on-line using Aladdin.
- Payment just needs to be made before the date of the tour.
| Date | Class Teacher | Venue | Cost |
| Tuesday May 23rd | Ms McSpadden (1st & 2nd class) Ms Feeney (2nd class) | Wildlands Moycullen, Co. Galway | €40 |
| Wednesday May 31st | Mrs Murray (Senior Infants) Mr McDonald (Senior Infants) Miss Dolan (Senior Infants) | Turoe Pet Farm, Bullaun, Co. Galway | €30 |
| Thursday June 1st | Ms Tyrrell (Junior Infants) Mrs Duffy (Junior Infants) Miss Dolan (Junior Infants) | Turoe Pet Farm, Bullaun, Co. Galway | €30 |
| Thursday June 1st | Ms Alani (3rd class) Mrs Monson (3rd & 4th class) Mrs Greally (4th class) | Bay Sports, Athlone, Co. Westmeath | €40 |
| Thursday June 8th | Mr Kelly (5th & 6th class) Miss Murray (5th & 6th class) | Emerald Park Ashbourne, Co. Meath | €40 |
| Tuesday June 13th | Mr Hanley (1st class) Ms O’Byrne (1st class) | Let’s Go! Kingfisher, NUIG Galway | €40 |
Dates for Diary:
- Monday May 1st to Friday May 5th: May Mid-term break
- Friday June 23rd: Graduation for 6th class girls and 1st class boys
Fergal Naughton
Príomhoide
