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Newsletter 12.3.18

Newsletter

12^th March 2018

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

Visit from the Romanian Ambassador

On Tuesday, we were honoured to receive a visit from the Romanian Ambassador to Ireland, her Excellency Mrs. Manuela Breazu and Deputy Head of Mission, Florina Sava.

We have been working with the Embassy to run Romanian language and culture classes after-school this year. In celebration of International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day, the Ambassador visited the school, and our after-school classes. She met our Student Council and saw some traditional Irish dancing. She then visited the Romanian Class who performed songs and poems in their own language.

It was wonderful to be joined by so many of our Romanian families for this special occasion. Well done to the children who performed so well – you made us very proud and I know the Ambassador was very impressed! Photos from the visit are on our website if you’d like to see more.

#BoldGirls Launch

We were so excited to host a very special reading event on Thursday for International Women’s Day to celebrate the launch of #BoldGirls, a reading initiative by Children’s Books Ireland to promote female characters and female authors in children’s books.

A team of volunteers from KPMG joined us to read with children from Ms. Lougheed and Ms. Graham’s Class. The children then took part in a ‘Monster Doodle’ with illustrator Niamh Sharkey. Filming the event was a team from RTE’s Winning Streak and we also had RTE Radio 1’s Book Show visiting and talking to the children about books.

Later in the morning, Ms. Lougheed’s Class joined Children’s Books Ireland in Easons on O’Connell Street for the official #BoldGirls launch and met authors Marita Conlon-McKenna, Sarah Crossan and Yasmeen Ismail. They were filmed for RTE’s News2Day and featured in a report on their programme on Thursday. You can check out all the photos and video from the day on our website – www.stmarysprimaryschool.ie or on our Twitter @stmarysdorsetst

Seachtain na Gaeilge

Last week we celebrated ‘Seachtain na Gaeilge’, a week of celebration of the Irish language and culture.

We started on Monday by learning a song altogether at assembly. Throughout the week, everyone tried to speak in Irish as much as they could.

On Wednesday we had our annual Céilí Mór. We were delighted the weather was so good we were able to dance outside! We saw some excellent dancing from 5^th and 6^th Class and from Ms. Sheridan’s sean-nós dancers in 2^nd Class. Everyone then joined in with the céilí dances, with the older children helping their friends in the junior classes. Maith sibh!

News from last week

On Tuesday, 4^th Class visited the Ark Cultural Centre to take part in an art and creative workshop called ‘Me and the City’. The workshop was all about exploring the colours and textures of a city’s buildings, sculptures and street art.

Ms. Collins’s 2^nd Class visited the Ilac Library with our ‘Time to Read’ volunteers from Business in the Community.

On Thursday afternoon, the children in 2^nd Class preparing for their First Communion had their First Penance ceremony, a very special moment. Thanks to all the families who came to support them and as always, to Fr. Pat, Ms. Collins and Ms. Graham who prepared the children so well.

On Sunday, we had our Family Mass. The children from 3^rd and 4^th Class led us in the readings and prayers. They did really well and it was great to see so many families from across the school joining us.

Dates for your diary

13^th March – Stay Safe Meeting for Parents

16^th March – Confirmation Ceremony

19^th March – Bank Holiday

23^rd March – Last day before Easter Holidays

9^th April – School re-opens

Attendance and punctuality

A much better week of attendance across the school – let’s keep it up!

Particularly good attendance in Ms. Lougheed’s Class with 97.4%, Ms. Collins’s Class with 97.9% and Ms. Graham’s Class with 98.6%. But the winners of our attendance trophy were Ms. Marron’s Senior Infants with 98.9% – well done!

Child Protection and Safeguarding

We closed on Friday so that our staff could undertake Child Protection and Safeguarding training. Our new Child Safeguarding Statement is now available on the school website or at the school office.

All registered teachers are now ‘mandated persons’ under the new Children First legislation and have a legal obligation to report any concerns about children’s safety to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.

You can read more about the Children First legislation on the Tusla website:

http://www.tusla.ie/children-first/parents-and-guardians

And finally…

Don’t forget the workshop for parents and carers about the ‘Stay Safe’ programme takes place tomorrow, Tuesday, 13^th March at 1.15 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there.

Best wishes,

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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#BoldGirls Launch

We were excited to host a special event for International Women’s Day today with KPMG and Children’s Books Ireland.

It was the launch of Children’s Books Ireland’s #BoldGirls initiative that celebrates strong women and girls in children’s books. Volunteers from KPMG came to read ‘The Princess in Black’ with groups of children from 2nd and 3rd Class. The children then took part in a Monster Doodle with illustrator, Niamh Sharkey.

We thank KPMG for their very kind donation of 100 books from the #BoldGirls reading guide. We can’t wait to read them!

Later in the morning, 3rd Class visited Easons Bookshop on O’Connell Street and met authors Sarah Crossan and Marita Conlon-McKenna!

Seachtain na Gaeilge

Seachtain na Gaeilge atá ann!

Bhí an scoil go léir ag canadh le chéile as Gaeilge ar maidin. Seachtain na Gaeilge atá ann! @SnaGaeilge #SnaG18

The whole school was singing together in Irish this morning. It's 'Seachtain na Gaeilge' a week of celebration of the Irish language and culture. pic.twitter.com/WViOIdWhS3

— St. Mary's Primary (@stmarysdorsetst) March 5, 2018

Beimid ag caint as Gaeilge chomh minic is féidir linn, ag úsáid ár gcúpla focail. Táimid ag tnúth go mór don chéilí mór ar an gCéadaoin. @SnaGaeilge

We will be speaking in Irish as often as we can, using the words we know. We're looking forward to our Céilí dance on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/1lPWPePlRx

— St. Mary's Primary (@stmarysdorsetst) March 5, 2018

Déan iarracht Gaeilge a labhairt sa bhaile. B’fhéidir go mbeidh tú ábalta suíomh idirlíon a úsáid chun cabhrú leat. Bain triail as @duolingo! @SnaGaeilge #SnaG18

Try speaking in Irish at home. Maybe you could use a website to help. Try @duolingo or https://t.co/9vgiz3IiMl pic.twitter.com/oWXarD5uIq

— St. Mary's Primary (@stmarysdorsetst) March 5, 2018

Bhí an-spórt againn inniu ag an gCéilí Mór sa chlós. @SnaGaeilge #SnaG18

We had a great time today at our Céilí dance in the yard. pic.twitter.com/qV3rfQXEWD

— St. Mary's Primary (@stmarysdorsetst) March 7, 2018

Bhí gach duine ag damhsa agus bhí na páistí mhóra ag cabhrú leis na páistí bheaga. Féach ar na múinteoirí freisin! @SnaGaeilge @SnaG18 #CéilíMór pic.twitter.com/tFyYQPQ89e

— St. Mary's Primary (@stmarysdorsetst) March 7, 2018

Bhí taispeántais ó Rang a Sé agus Rang a Cúig ar dtús agus bhaineamar an-taitneamh as an damhsa shean-nós le scuabanna freisin! @SnaGaeilge @SnaG18 #CéilíMór pic.twitter.com/N4iW5Hw91Z

— St. Mary's Primary (@stmarysdorsetst) March 7, 2018

Writing Class with Dave Rudden

Author Dave Rudden, like many of us, was stuck at home yesterday and couldn’t complete his World Book Day plans.
Instead, he has made some videos sharing his ideas for writing a story!
Dave wrote the book ‘Knights of the Borrowed Dark’ and came and gave a workshop to 5th Class last year.
We are big fans of his work – have a look at his top story writing tips and see why!

The Introduction:

My #WorldBookDay events have been cancelled because the world has become a snowglobe so I am doing a little writing class for kids of all sizes. Follow the thread to catch them all!

FIRST – THE INTRO#WorldBookDay2018 @WorldBookDayIE @WorldBookDayUK pic.twitter.com/SxRKp60492

— Snow Dave (@d_ruddenwrites) March 1, 2018

The Complication:

PART 2: THE COMPLICATION#WorldBookDay #WorldBookDayUK #worldbookday2018 pic.twitter.com/Gd5bGMJg6T

— Snow Dave (@d_ruddenwrites) March 1, 2018

The Climax:

PART 3 – THE CLIMAX#WorldBookDay #worldsnowbookday #WorldBookDayUK #WorldBookDay2018 @WorldBookDayIE @WorldBookDayUK pic.twitter.com/TzbOYlk0hy

— Snow Dave (@d_ruddenwrites) March 1, 2018

The Resolution:

And finally, THE RESOLUTION. Hope you found these #writingtips helpful, and if you are looking for a book to keep you warm (and terrified) this #WorldBookDay2018 may I suggest #KnightsOfTheBorrowedDark, for all your stressed teen and shapeshifter needs…#WorldBookDay pic.twitter.com/J4eryUPrx5

— Snow Dave (@d_ruddenwrites) March 1, 2018

Now it’s your turn! Can you take Dave’s top tips and turn them into a story of your own?

More Snow Day Learning!

Need more ideas for keeping busy at home? Look no further…

Run out of books at home? Here’s a great wintery story from ‘Storytime Magazine’…perfect for the weather today!

[embeddoc url=”http://www.stmarysprimaryschool.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/The-Frost-Fairies.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]

Why not write your own snowy story? You can use websites like Storybird or Night Zoo Keeper to make some beautiful stories. They are free to use, you just need to register!

If you’re looking for inspiration for your story – watch author Dave Rudden’s story-writing videos here:
http://www.stmarysprimaryschool.ie/?p=668312
 

Impress our Green Schools team with your knowledge from these fun online comics!

It’s #WorldBookDay! Become a @TheWorldsLesson hero by reading the #GlobalGoals comics: https://t.co/bms9ICBJ9s pic.twitter.com/ww6NBHSCXd

— The Global Goals (@TheGlobalGoals) March 1, 2018

Here’s some fun facts about Roald Dahl. How many Roald Dahl books do you know? Which one is your favourite and why?

Today is #WorldBookDay! Did you know that Roald Dahl created over 500 words? pic.twitter.com/JdOn2TbJSt

— The Times of London (@thetimes) March 1, 2018

For those who love to code – why not use the next few days to create a new Scratch project?

You can log in and create an account for free, if you don’t already have on.

Snow Day Learning Ideas!

Snowman built? Snowballs thrown? Sledded out?

Over the next few days, we will be indoors staying warm and safe from the weather outside.

Here are some ideas to keep your brain busy and body active!

First things first, today is World Book Day!

Remember on Monday at assembly, we shared our favourite stories? World Book Day this year is all about sharing stories – even just 10 minutes of reading together, snuggled up warm is a great way to pass the time. With a really good book, we’ve no doubt you’ll be reading even longer!

Can you see the book your class recommended to everyone at assembly on Monday? Why not tell the story to your family at home? Or you could write a book review or your own version of the story.

[embeddoc url=”http://www.stmarysprimaryschool.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Share-A-Story-Book-Review-Display-Template.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]

[embeddoc url=”http://www.stmarysprimaryschool.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Share-A-Story-Character-Profile-1.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]

Maths

If you’re looking for some quick-fire Maths practise, look no further than these websites. Lots of fun games to keep your brain busy:

http://www.ictgames.com/mobilePage/index.html

https://ie.ixl.com/math/

https://www.mathplayground.com

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years/ordering-and-sequencing-numbers

Engineers’ Week

This week is Engineers’ Week. Here are a few challenges you could try at home. Make sure you ask an adult to help.

Rapunzel is ready to escape her tower! Can you help her? https://t.co/ixSb6XEY5S #engweek18 #storybooksteam #WorldBookDay2018 pic.twitter.com/h5ZMyzfrji

— Engineers Ireland (@EngineerIreland) March 1, 2018

Independent Research

Did you know that all children in schools in Ireland have access to the online World Book Online?

This is a super encyclopaedia with all sorts of information and activities. You can do your own independent research on a topic of your choice and share it with your class on Monday!

For younger children, try the ‘Early World of Learning’ – click on the picture below.

For older children, try ‘World Book Kids’ – click on the picture below.

Keep Active

And if after all of that, you’re still full of energy – keep active indoors with some fun dance moves or some calming yoga with Go Noodle!

Sign up for free by clicking on the picture below.

We can’t wait to hear all about your adventures in the snow on Monday – stay safe, stay warm and have fun!

Newsletter 23.2.18

Newsletter

23^rd February 2018

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

School Closure – Friday, 9^th March

The school will be closed on Friday, 9^th March for staff training in Child Protection. This year, there are new regulations for schools and teachers about how we keep children safe at school and our duty to report to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, if we have concerns about children in our care. The Department of Education have asked schools to close for one day to allow staff time to learn more about the new procedures. Thank you in advance for your understanding and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

News this month

Earlier this month, Ms. Graham’s Class visited the Ilac library and met author, Erika McGann. This week, both 1^st Classes visited Dublin Castle as part of their learning. The children were beautifully behaved and listened very carefully to their guide, asking interesting questions – well done!

On Thursday, 6^th Class and our Green Schools team headed to the RDS to the ‘Green-Schools Expo’, an exhibition of lots of different ideas for being an environmentally friendly school. They had a great time!

Ms. Graham’s Class were out on our monthly litter pick in the local community today. Well done!

Thank you to the parents who came to help out in ‘Maths for Fun’ in Ms. Lougheed’s Class today. The children had great fun and learned lots!

Dates for your diary

1^st March – World Book Day

1^st March – 5^th Class to Ombudsman

1^st March – First Penance (2^nd Class)

5^th March – Seachtain na Gaeilge

6^th March – 4^th Class to the Ark

8^th March – Visit from Romanian Ambassador

9^th March – School Closed

16^th March – Confirmation Ceremony (5^th/6^th)

19^th March – Bank Holiday

23^rd March – Last day before Easter Holidays

9^th April – Back to School

7^th-11^th May – Mid-Term Break

Attendance and punctuality

A big improvement in attendance across the school this week. We need to keep it up! Our top attenders were in 6^th Class and they won our attendnace trophy this week with an unbeatable 100% Well done!

Parish News

On Wednesday afternoon the children in 5^th and 6^th Class who are preparing for Confirmation had their Ceremony of Light. This is a very special ceremony where the children and their families commit to the preparation for Confirmation. It was a lovely ceremony, thank you to all who attended and to Mrs. Fay and Ms. Kilkenny who organised it so well.

Parents’ Assocation

Our Parents’ Association are meeting on Tuesday morning next week at 9.00 a.m. They are always keen to meet new families and would love to see some new faces. Please come along to the Parents’ Room or have a chat with Síle.

Have a lovely weekend!

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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Newsletter 2.2.18

Newsletter

2^nd February 2018

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

News this week

Last Friday, 5^th Class went to the Ark to see ‘Socks in the Frying Pan’. We are delighted to be part of the Ark’s access programme and received free tickets for this performance.

On Sunday, our Confirmation children led the liturgy at our Family Mass. The children read the reading and prayers beautifully.

On Tuesday, our 6^th Class parents were invited to the first session in our ‘transfer to secondary school’ programme. Please talk to Síle McDonnell, our Home School Community Liaison teacher, if you couldn’t make it and would like more information.

On Saturday, our school choir will perform at the ‘Peace Proms’ in the RDS. The children have been practising really hard and gave their classmates a sneak-preview of the ‘Hairspray’ medley at assembly this morning. Good luck to them all – have a great day!

Internet Safety

We sent a text to parents/carers this week about an online game platform called ‘Roblox’. We know lots of children at school use this site to play games. We want parents/carers to be aware that there can be some inappropriate content and especially, that there is a ‘chat’ function which means children can be interacting and talking to strangers online. There is a helpful information sheet about how to keep your child safe online – no matter what the game, overleaf.

Dates for your diary

3 February – School Choir sing at Peace Proms concert in RDS at 2.00 p.m.

15-16 February – Mid-Term Break (two days)

22^nd February – Green Schools Expo

16^th March – Confirmation Ceremony

19^th March – Bank Holiday

23^rd March – Last day before Easter Holidays

Attendance and punctuality

Best attedance this week was in Ms. McBride’s 1^st Class with 98.9% – well done!

And finally…

Please take care of your bags and valuables such as phones as you leave the school grounds. We have been made aware of some individual on bikes, attempting to take phones from people’s hands in the local area. Keep watching and take care.

Enjoy your weekend!

Best wishes,

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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[embeddoc url=”http://www.stmarysprimaryschool.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/e-safety-flyer-1.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]

E-Safety Tips at Home

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Newsletter 19.1.18

Newsletter

19^th January 2018

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

News this week

On Monday at assembly, our Anti-Bullying Ambassadors shared their kindness tips for January. They are looking for children who demonstrate the ‘3H’s

1. Say Hi!
2. Give a Hi-Five!
3. Offer a Hug! (but ask first!)

The children have been practising all week and Slavi in 6^th Class was chosen as our most kind student this week and took our kindness bear home for the weekend!

On Wednesday, some children from 2^nd and 3^rd Class visited Mount Carmel Secondary School to have some ‘Maths for Fun’ workshops with 2^nd Year students. The children really enjoyed it. Our thanks to Síle, our Home-School teacher and Liz, the Mount Carmel Home-School teacher, for organising.

Also on Wednesday, our first session of ‘Incredible Years’ for parents and carers started. We were delighted to welcome a new group and some parents from Georges’ Hill too.

Visit from News2Day

This morning, the film crew from RTE2’s ‘News2Day’ programme arrived to meet our ‘Young Interpreters’ group. The children in our older classes who speak a second language help children in younger classes who share the same language. The children read together in their home language, share stories and lots more!

You can watch the ‘News2Day’ programme on channel RTE2 today at 4.20 p.m.

Well done to all the children involved. A special thanks to Ms. Graham who arranged the visit and to Ms. Nolan who looks after our Young Interpreters so well.

Dates for your diary

26 January – 5^th Class to the Ark

3 February – School Choir sing at Peace Proms concert in RDS at 2.00 p.m.

15-16 February – Mid-Term Break (two days)

22^nd February – Green Schools Expo

16^th March – Confirmation Ceremony

19^th March – Bank Holiday

23^rd March – Last day before Easter Holidays

Attendance and punctuality

Not our finest week of attendance. We hope everyone will be feeling better next week!  Ms. Collins’s 2^nd Class won our attendance cup at assembly this week.

Keep wrapping up warmly! Have a lovely weekend.

Best wishes,

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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