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Peace Proms 2017

Our school choir sang at Peace Proms 2017 for the first time this weekend. The Peace Proms is organised by the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland and brings together children from all over the country. Performances take place in Dublin, Belfast, Limerick and Liverpool!

We have spent several months learning a whole range of songs, from the Michael Jackson classic ‘Heal the World’ to anthem ‘Ireland’s Call’ and not forgetting our favourite medleys from Annie, Disney and the pop world.

We were so proud to sing with 2,300 children, the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland, some fantastic soloists and our conductor, Greg Beardsell.

Well done to all – you were wonderful!

In January, we had our rehearsals in the National Show Centre – have a look at us in action!

Newsletter 3.2.17

Newsletter

3^rd February 2017

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

Visitors from Finland!

We were pleased to host some visitors from Finland on Tuesday morning. The group of researchers were visiting Dublin to find out more about how schools and communities support children and families who speak English as an additional language. The group visited classrooms around the school and were very impressed with the lovely learning taking place. They had lots of questions for us about how we support children who are new to English and we were able to tell them about our small group teaching, our Young Interpreters, our use of interpreters for parent meetings and our inclusive ethos.

It was lovely to share our practice with them and we send our thanks to Sevak from the New Communities Partnership who organised the visit.

News this week

Thanks to all the families who supported our Family Mass last Sunday.

Our after-school clubs got started this week – Football with Mr. Carney, Mindful Art with Ms. Conlon, Language with New Communities, Computing with Pirooz, Music with Ms. Bourke, Art with Ms. Kilkenny and Irish Dance with Ms. Sheridan.

On Tuesday, Imelda from the  ‘Walk in My Shoes’ programme came to talk to 5^th and 6^th Class about mental health.

On Thursday, 4^th Class visited the Chester Beatty Library to view Chinese manuscripts and textiles as part of their learning about China this term.

Peace Proms

Best of luck to our school choir who will perform at the RDS tomorrow night at the ‘Peace Proms’. The children will sing with 2,300 other school children from around the country and the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland. They have practised very hard over the last few weeks and are very excited! We wish them all the best for a great day and fantastic performance.

Dates for your diary

13^th February – 3^rd – 6^th Classes to Lighthouse Cinema for International Film Festival

Friday, 17^th February – Science Fair

Sunday, 19^th Feb. – Family Mass at 11.45 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Church, Berkeley Road

23/24 February – Mid-Term Break

Attendance and punctuality

We’ve had a great week across the school, with nearly everyone in every day. We had joint winners of our trophy – Miss Brophy’s Senior Infants and Miss Calvey’s 1^st and 2^nd Class with 99% – well done!

Enrolment for Junior Infants – Sept. 2017

We are currently accepting enrolment forms for Junior Infants in September 2017. We will have one class of 22 and have already received a large number of applications.

Children must be 4 years old by 30^th April 2017 to be eligible for a place. Application forms must be completed and returned to the office by Tuesday, 28th February 2017.

Let’s hope the rain stays away for the weekend!

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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Newsletter 27.1.17

Newsletter

27^th January 2017

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

News this week

Our thanks to the staff and students of Mount Carmel Secondary School who hosted 5^th and 6^th Class at their production of ‘Mammy Mia’ on Tuesday this week. We heard it was brilliant! Well done to all of the cast.

On Tuesday, Miss Collins’s 2^nd Class had a visit from Dr. Aoife Lynam who is working with them for the next few weeks on a special programme all about learning to be resilient

On Thursday, 5^th and 6^th Class visited St. Joseph’s Church on Berkeley Road to prepare for this Sunday’s Family Mass. All families are welcome to join us on Sunday at 11.45 a.m.

Incredible Years Programmes

We received funding through the ABC Programme in Grangegorman to deliver a number of ‘Incredible Years’ programmes which support children to develop good social, emotional and behavioural skills. In Senior Infants, the children are taking part in the Classroom DINA programme, or ‘Dinosaur School’ with Ms. Brophy and Ms. Conlon. Today, Ms. Kilkenny and Ms. Bourke are beginning the first of six training sessions for 3^rd and 4^th Class.

Síle, our Home School teacher, and Claire Shortall have been running a parent programme and we are now looking to start a second group of parents in the coming week. The programme runs for 14 weeks and will take place on Thursday mornings. If you are interested in finding out more, please talk to Síle or give her a call on 085 1035456.

After-School Clubs

Our after-school clubs start next week, from Monday. Please check your child’s bag for a letter.

Dates for your diary

Sunday, 29^th January – Family Mass at 11.45

30^th January – ‘Walk in my shoes’ workshop on mental health for 5^th and 6^th Class

Saturday, 4^th February – Choir singing at Peace Proms concert in the RDS Concert Hall

Friday, 17^th February – Science Fair

23/24 February – Mid-Term Break

Attendance and punctuality

Well done to 3^rd and 5^th Class who both had 100% attendance this week – super!

Enrolment for Junior Infants – Sept. 2017

We are currently accepting enrolment forms for Junior Infants in September 2017. We will have one class of 22 and have already received a large number of applications.

Children must be 4 years old by 30^th April 2017 to be eligible for a place. Application forms must be completed and returned to the office by Tuesday, 28th February 2017.

Traffic and Parking

Please be careful if you are driving and parking around the school building. , Lately, we have seen cars driving particularly fast down Paradise Place when children are coming in and out of school. We have also seen parents/carers driving the wrong way around the one-way system on St. Mary’s Place. Both are very dangerous. Please drive and park carefully around the school so that we keep all of our children safe. Thank you.

Have a lovely weekend,

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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Newsletter 20.1.17

Newsletter

20^th January 2017

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

News this week

Our school choir attended a special rehearsal in the National Show Centre in Swords on Tuesday. They sang with nearly 1800 children from around the country. The children will be performing at a concert called the ‘Peace Proms’ on Saturday, 4^th February at 8.00 p.m. in the RDS. This rehearsal was a chance for them to show all that they know, including their dance moves! The children were fantastic ambassadors for the school. They sang beautifully, knew all of the actions and listened attentively throughout. The adults were very proud and impressed by their positive attitudes and talent – well done! We can’t wait for the performance in February.

Tickets for the show can be bought online at www.peaceproms.com. Any parent with a child in the choir who needs help with this should talk to Ms. McDonnell, who will be happy to support.

After-School Clubs

We are running a range of after-school clubs this term for 1^st – 6^th Classes, everything from computing, music, football and art to ‘sean-nós’ style Irish dancing! We have had lots of interest from children across the school.

We will look at the forms carefully and assign places next week. If your child is given a place at a club, you will receive a letter with the details and start date. Most of our new clubs will start the week of 30^th Jan. If your child does not get a place this time, we will make sure they are prioritised for a place next term. Look out for letters in bags early next week!

Dates for your diary

24 January – 5^th/6^th Class to Mount Carmel Secondary School to see ‘Mammy Mia’ Sunday, 29^th January – Family Mass at 11.45

30^th January – ‘Walk in my shoes’ workshop on mental health for 5^th and 6^th Class

Saturday, 4^th February – Choir singing at Peace Proms concert in the RDS Concert Hall

Friday, 17^th February – Science Fair

23/24 February – Mid-Term Break

Attendance and punctuality

A big improvement in attendance across the school this week. Our attendance cup was awarded to 4^th Class with a super 100% – well done! Close behind were 2^nd Class and Miss Brophy’s Senior Infants on 98%.

We talked in assembly on Monday about getting to school on time. We reminded everyone that the gate opens at 8.40 and school officially starts at 8.50 a.m. If you arrive at school and your class is already inside – you are late! If you arrive and the gate is shut – you are late! If you arrive and have to come in the office door – you are late!

We know there are always mornings when it is a little harder, traffic is particularly bad or the alarm didn’t go off. But for most mornings, we ask that you ensure your child arrives on time to start their learning. If they are late, they miss out on vital information and the plan for the day. You also miss the opportunity to say hello to their teacher or pass on a message. Our thanks as always to the children and families who are here on time every single day.

Enjoy the weekend, let’s hope it stays dry!

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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Newsletter 13.1.17

Newsletter

13^th January 2017

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a restful holiday. The children have come back full of enthusiasm and energy and we are looking forward to a busy term of learning.

Classes have been settling back into their routine this week and there was lots of good news to share at our Praise Assembly this morning.

Children’s Teams

Our children’s teams, who have representatives from each class, have been meeting over the last few months and setting action plans in place for the year. We have four children’s teams – the Be Active team who look after sports and activity, the Diversity team who discuss ways to celebrate the many cultures and languages we have in our school, the Green Schools team who promote caring for the environment and eco issues, and our Safety and Anti-Bullying team who have been discussing wellbeing and keeping ourselves safe. Our teachers are also working on these themes and meet to look at our policies and practices and initiatives to help us move forward on each issue.

Dates for your diary

17^th January – Choir to Peace Proms rehearsal

Sunday, 29^th January – Family Mass

30^th January – ‘Walk in my shoes’ workshop on mental health for 5^th and 6^th Class

Saturday, 4^th February – Choir singing at Peace Proms concert in the RDS Concert Hall

Friday, 17^th February – Science Fair

23/24 February – Mid-Term Break

Upcoming Holidays

A reminder that we have just two days for mid-term break in February – Thursday, 23^rd and Friday, 24^th February 2017.

We will be closed on Friday, 17^th March for the St. Patrick’s Day Bank Holiday.

We will close at 12.00 p.m. on Friday, 7^th April for the Easter holidays. We have two weeks holiday and return on Monday, 24^th April.

We will be closed on Monday, 1^st May for the May Day Bank Holiday.

Our final mid-term break is four days at the beginning of June. We will be closed on Thursday, 1^st, Friday, 2^nd, Monday, 5^th and Tuesday 6^th June.

We finish for the year on Friday, 30^th June.

Please make sure these dates are in your diary and that holidays and visits to family etc. are taken during this time only. Children should be in school on all other days.

Attendance and punctuality

Best attendance this week was in Senior Infants. Both classes did really well, but Ms. McDevitt’s class won our trophy for the very first time with a super 97.6% – well done!

And finally…

It has been very cold this week and the cold is set to continue. Please make sure your child comes to school with a warm coat and clothing. Please talk to your child and remind them that they must wear their coat when going outside in this cold weather.

Have a lovely weekend,

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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Newsletter 21.12.16

Newsletter

21^st December 2016

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

Christmas Fair – THANK YOU!

What a wonderful day we had yesterday! It was lovely to see so many families enjoying the games and activities together.

Well done to all of the children who performed so confidently. The singing was excellent and really added to the atmosphere.

Enormous thanks to the many families who brought cakes and sweet treats for our cake sale. It was amazing to see so many different foods from around the world. We had so much that the children were able to come and eat even more today!

Thank you to Santa for giving his time in our beautiful grotto. Each and every member of staff contributed in many ways – decorating the beautiful grotto (or ‘chalet’ as Ms. Oppermann prefers to call it!) and classrooms, designing and making activities, preparing the children for performances and to lead activities, buying decorations and prizes, organising food, selling tickets and making beautiful crafts to sell. You are all simply wonderful – thank you so much. How lucky the children are to have you all!

A final thank you to the businesses, market traders, families, staff and friends who donated prizes for our tombola and raffle yesterday. Thank you for your support and generosity. I am pleased to say that we raised over €400, with half donated to Focus Ireland.

Raffle Winners

Well done to Chantelle (5^th Class) and Youssef (Senior Infants) who were the big winners of our raffle yesterday. They won a huge hamper of Christmas food and treats each.

News this week

On Sunday afternoon, our school choir sang beautifully at the parish Carol Service. Our thanks to the parents and carers who came to support the children at their first performance of the year.

Today, 6^th Class visited the National Museum of Ireland and the Live Crib at the Mansion House as a reward for their hard work, focus and maturity this term.

And a final thank you…

I would like to thank all of our staff for their creativity, dedication and energy this term. The children love coming to school each day because of the exciting and engaging learning you provide for them. Míle buíochas!

Thanks to the children for their ever-present enthusiasm, to our parents and carers for working with us each and every day and to our Board of Management for their support.

We wish everyone a very peaceful and joyous Christmas and New Year. Have a lovely holiday and we look forward to seeing you in January.

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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Newsletter 16.12.16

Newsletter

16^th December 2016

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

News this week

On Tuesday, we had a visit from Jason Killeen, a professional basketball player from Basketball Ireland. Jason led some workshops with our classes and got everyone very enthusiastic about sport and being active. Thanks to Ms. O’Callaghan who leads our ‘Be Active’ team for organising.

On Thursday, Miss Dolan’s 1^st Class visited the Ilac Library for a special reading and performance of ‘The Snowman’. The children came back with their own beautiful snowmen decorations and full of excitement about the Christmas season.

Over the last few weeks, several children from 5^th and 6^th Class have been reading with a volunteer from a company called BBH each week, organised by the SUAS charity. The children were invited to visit the BBH offices today and were even treated to lunch. The children and volunteers spoke about how much they enjoyed their reading sessions and each child received a book as a gift to take home. Well done!

Christmas Fair

Our ‘Christmas Fair’ will take place during the school day on Tuesday, 20^th December.

Children will be in class as normal all day. You are invited to join your child at the fair at the times listed below:

Infant Classes – 11.00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m.

1^st and 2^nd Class – 12.30 p.m. – 1.30 p.m.

3^rd – 6^th Class – 1.30 – 2.30 p.m.

We have had two beautiful hampers donated by Glanmore Foods for our raffle. We have also been supported by a number of local businesses and stalls in the area – our thanks to them for their generous donations and prizes.

Dates for your diary

Sunday, 18^th December – Parish Carol Service

Tuesday, 20^th December – Christmas Fair

Thursday, 22^nd December – School Closes for Christmas Holiday at 12 noon

Monday, 9^th January – School Re-opens

Attendance and punctuality

Thank you to all the families who have ensured their children attend school every day. Best attendance this week was 3^rd Class. Well done!

And finally….Parish Carol Service

Don’t forget – THIS Sunday, 18^th December, the parish carol service will take place at 3.30 p.m. The school choir will be singing and all are welcome to come along.

Enjoy your weekend,

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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Newsletter 9.12.16

Newsletter

9^th December 2016

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

News this week

On Sunday, the First Communion Children had their Enrolment Ceremony during the Family Mass. They did a great job!

On Tuesday, 5^th Class had a visit from author Dave Rudden. The children have been reading Dave’s book ‘Knights of the Borrowed Dark’ in class and were very excited to have a writing workshop with the author himself. Thank you to Mr. Carney for organising this visit.

On Wednesday, 3^rd and 6^th Class visited the Sean O’Casey Theatre to see a performance of ‘The Games They Played’ about events from 1916 performed by students from Marino College. The children were beautifully behaved and really enjoyed the acting.

On Thursday, some children visited the church for Mass and to have our Advent Penitential Service. We saw the advent wreath lighting and talked about preparing for Christmas.

Parish Carol Service

Next Sunday, 18^th December, the parish will host its annual carol service at 3.00 p.m. The carol service is a wonderful event to help us get ready for Christmas and share some music, stories and poetry reminding us of the story of Christmas.

The school choir will be singing along with the other parish choirs. It is a lovely event and all are welcome to come along. It is a busy time of year but do put the date in your diary if you can!

Christmas Fair

Our ‘Christmas Fair’ will take place during the school day on Tuesday, 20^th December. The children are busy preparing songs to sing and stalls to entertain you!

How can you help?

1. Mr. Kerr is looking for bakers to make mince pies or seasonal goodies. Let him know if you are able to help.
2. Ms. Brophy is collecting prizes for the raffle – if you have any unwanted gifts at home that would make a good prize – we would be delighted to take them.
3. 4^th and 5^th Class have been busy making crafts and small items to buy. Let them know if you have anything to add to their homemade stall.

We will send more information about timings for the day early next week.

Dates for your diary

13^th December – Basketball Ireland visit

15^th December – 1^st Class to ‘The Snowman’ in the Ilac Library

Sunday, 18^th December – Parish Carol Service

Tuesday, 20^th December – Christmas Fair

Thursday, 22^nd December – School Closes for Christmas Holiday at 12 noon

Monday, 9^th January – School Re-opens

Attendance and punctuality

Best attendance this week was 4^th Class with 100%! Well done everyone!

Have a lovely weekend,

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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Newsletter 2.12.16

Newsletter

2^nd December 2016

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

News this week

Yesterday, the children from 1^st to 6^th Class were surprised with a very special theatre performance. Arty-Fact Theatre brought their set, lights and wonderful actors and puppets to tell the ‘Grimm Tales’ stories. It was just what we needed to get us into the Christmas spirit!

Primary Language Curriculum

School was closed on Monday so that teachers could attend a training session on the new Primary Language Curriculum. This new curriculum is for all children in Ireland. Our focus for this year is on ‘oral language’, how children listen and speak in English and Gaeilge.

We spent time thinking about the aspects of teaching and learning that are working well in our school, the challenges we have and ways we can overcome them. Our facilitator from the Primary Development Service for Teachers (PDST) shared resources and good practice with us. Our teachers will be beginning to implement the new curriculum in oral language for Infants, 1^st and 2^nd Classes over the coming months.

Christmas Celebrations

We will be having a very special ‘Christmas Fair’ on Tuesday, 20^th December this year. There will be games and stalls, food and drinks, an enormous raffle, performances from the children and maybe even a visit from Santa! Look out for more information over the coming week.

Dates for your diary

4^th December – Family Mass at 11.45 a.m.

7^th December – 3^rd and 6^th Class to Sean O’Casey theatre – Marino Institute

13^th December – Basketball Ireland visit

15^th December – 1^st Class to ‘The Snowman’ in the Ilac Library

Sunday, 18^th December – Parish Carol Service

20^th December – Christmas Fair

Thursday, 22^nd December – School Closes for Christmas Holiday

Monday, 9^th January – School Re-opens

Attendance and punctuality

We had a great end to November, with overall attendance across the school of 95.9%. This means we have reached our target of 95% every month so far this year – well done to everyone who is making such a big effort to come to school on time each day.

The best attendance this week goes to 3^rd Class with 100% – two weeks in a row! Well done children!

In second place were 2^nd and 5^th Classes with 98.9%, and a whole string of classes on 97% – both Junior Infants, Ms McDevitt’s Senior Infants, Ms. Calvey’s Class and 4^th Class!

And finally…

As the days get colder, please continue to remind your child to wrap up warmly when going outside to keep colds and coughs at bay.

Enjoy your weekend!

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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Newsletter 25.11.16

Newsletter

25^th November 2016

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

Parent Teacher Meetings

Thank you to all the parents and carers who came along to meet with their child’s class teacher this week. We had an excellent turnout and it was lovely to see so many smiling faces leaving the building with lots of good news shared.

The value of good relationships with families is so important and we have enjoyed having the time to spend with each of you to talk about your child’s strengths and how we can work together to support them.

My thanks to all of the staff who have worked so hard to prepare for these meetings. It is a tiring week, meeting with families early in the morning before school and staying late in the evenings. We appreciate your commitment and diligence and wish you a restful weekend!

If you haven’t yet had your appointment, please speak to your child’s teacher to arrange a suitable time.

News this week

5^th Class attended a writing workshop at the ‘Fighting Words’ centre on Tuesday. The children worked with volunteers to write their own story, which was then published for them to bring home.

Time to Read Launch

On Thursday, we launched the ‘Time To Read’ programme with eight 2^nd Class children and a group of volunteers from ‘Business in the Community’. We look forward to developing our partnership over the coming weeks.

Dates for your diary

28^th November – School closed for children due to Primary Curriculum training for staff

1^st December – Jolly Grimm Tales performances for 1^st – 6^th Classes

4^th December – Family Mass at 11.45 a.m.

7^th December – 3^rd and 6^th Class to Sean O’Casey theatre – Marino Institute

Health Checks

The nursing team were so impressed with our Junior Infant children who had their vaccinations this week. They were so brave!

Attendance and punctuality

It’s been another super week for attendance!

Well done to Junior Infants, 1^st, 2^nd and 6^th Classes on 96%, to 5^th Class on 97%, to 4^th Class with 99% but there was no beating 3^rd Class this week with a fabulous 100% – well done!

Have a lovely weekend.

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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