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Over the last few weeks, we have been learning about the changing seasons. We have visited parks to see the leaves changing colours for Autumn. Senior Infants even had a very special treat of hot chocolate on their visit! On the last day of term, we held our annual Sponsored Disco to raise funds for our school. Lots of children dressed up and we shared some of the old traditions of Hallowe’en in Ireland.

We are so proud of our two students who took part in the National Taekwondo Championships this weekend. They came home with two gold medals and two silver medals – congratulations!

We were delighted to get involved in Maths Week Ireland this week. We’ve had so much fun!

We started with a Maths assembly on Monday. We talked about how maths can be seen in our environment – even on a football pitch or in a swimming pool!

Lots of classes went on visits. Ms. Calvey’s Class visited the Ilac Library and read some maths stories. 2nd Class went to St. Patrick’s Campus, DCU for a ‘Bubbly Maths’ workshop. 6th Class went to DIT Grangegorman for a problem-solving workshop while 3rd Class visited Cabra Library for a ‘Maths Eyes’ exhibition.

Our week finished with a giant Maths Trail in the Botanic Gardens. Every child from 1st Class to 6th Class went and worked together to find the answers to the puzzles set by Ms. O’Callaghan.

Newsletter

21^st October 2016

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

News this Maths Week

This week was national Maths Week and we have been involved in lots of activities in school and the local community to celebrate our love of Maths!

On Monday, Ms. Calvey’s Class visited the Ilac Library to have a look at some lovely books that are all about Maths. On Tuesday, 2^nd Class were invited to a very special workshop about ‘Bubbly Maths’ at St. Patrick’s College, DCU. Have a look at the photos on our Twitter page @stmarysdorsetst. Also on Tuesday, 3^rd Class had a look at an exhibition of maths photos in Cabra Library while 6^th Class visited DIT Grangegorman on Wednesday for some problem-solving challenges.

Today, all classes from 1^st to 6^th walked to the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin to complete a very special Maths trail designed by Ms. O’Callaghan. The children worked with partners from other classes to find the solutions and there was even time for a picnic lunch. We’re sure everyone will sleep well tonight after all that exercise!

Sponsored Disco

Today you will also receive a letter about our annual Sponsored Disco which will take place next Friday, 28^th October. We ask the children to raise money for the school for their dancing and they may dress up if they wish. Each child has a sponsor card to complete and we will collect money at the end of the week. Please support us if you can and we look forward to a very exciting day next Friday!

Active Schools Flag

You will remember that last year, we were working hard to be an ‘Active School’ and in June we had a visit from the accreditation team for the ‘Active Schools Flag’. We have received a lovely report from them this month and they are very impressed with the work we have undertaken so far.

They said ‘the activities in the yard were impressive’ particularly in a small space. They thought ‘the students were an absolute delight, particularly the committee members who were confident, enthusiastic and vocal about their likes, their dislikes and their involvement’. They said ‘the good humour, the sense of fun and that willingness to engage with the activities’ was everywhere in the school and they thought Ms. O’Callaghan was doing a fantastic job leading us all and getting everyone excited about being active.

Our job now is to show that we can continue to be active for a sustained period of time and we hope to be flying our Active flag very soon!

Dates for your diary

28^th October – School closes for Mid-Term Holiday

7^th November – School re-opens at 8.50 a.m.

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

Attendance and punctuality

Our winners this week are 4^th Class with a fantastic 100% attendance record – every child was in school every day – well done! Not far behind were 6^th Class on 98.4%, 2^nd and 3^rd Class on 97% and 1^st Class on 96%.

Have a lovely weekend,

Éadaoin Kelly – Principal

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Newsletter

14^th October 2016

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

News this week

It was a busy start to the week with 2^nd Class setting off on Monday morning to Liberty Hall where they heard Roddy Doyle, a famous Dublin author, reading from his new children’s book. The children were able to ask Roddy questions and were very impressed with his book.

Also on Monday, 5^th and 6^th Class were invited to the launch of the Vendee Globe Challenge, an international boat race around the world. They met the Irishman who will take part, Enda, and asked him questions about the journey. Laya and Kian were interviewed for UTV Ireland and appeared on the news that evening! They were very enthusiastic about their support for Team Ireland and we were very proud – well done!

Book Fair

The Scholastic Book Fair has arrived and we have already seen lots of interest from families. The children were super excited to meet ‘Clifford the Dog’ who visited classes yesterday. Clifford’s books are among the many titles available. The Book Fair will be open each day before and after school until Wednesday morning.

Family Mass

Thank you to all the families who came along to the lovely Family Mass we had last Sunday. The next family Mass will take place on Sunday, 13^th November at 11.45 a.m. in St. Joseph’s Church on Berkeley Road.

Wellbeing and Mental Health Awareness Week

In our assembly on Monday we talked about keeping healthy and remembering that we have to take care of our mental health as well as looking after our bodies by eating well and exercising. We talked about the five steps to wellbeing – connecting with family and friends, being active, learning new things, giving to others and taking notice of the world around us and appreciating it.

Maths Week

Next week is Maths Week and we have several classes taking part in events in the local area as well as in school and online. Look out for more information on our Twitter page @stmarysdorsetst.

Dates for your diary

12^th-19^th October – Book Fair

17^th October – Ms. Calvey’s Class to Ilac Library

18^th October – 2^nd Class to Bubble Workshop

18^th October – 3^rd Class to Cabra Library

19^th October – 6^th Class to DIT Grangegorman

28^th October – School closes for Mid-Term Holiday

7^th November – School re-opens at 8.50 a.m.

Sunday, 13^th November – Family Mass at 11.45a.m. at St. Joseph’s Church

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

Attendance and punctuality

Our very special attendance cup was awarded to 6^th Class today who had 99.2% attendance this week, closely followed by 4^th Class with 99.0%. Well done!

Let’s hope the rain stays away for the weekend. Best wishes,

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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The Scholastic Book Fair came to visit this week. A whole selection of books were available for children and families to buy. We even had a special visit from Clifford the Dog – his books were very popular choices!

2nd Class were invited to the launch of Roddy Doyle’s new children’s book at City Hall today. The children even got to hear Roddy reading an excerpt.

Roddy Doyle reading from his new book #roverandthebigfatbaby to 350 children in Liberty Hall @MacmillanKidsUK @CormacKinsella pic.twitter.com/0Zf8QSGHVA

— Dublin UNESCO (@DublinCityofLit) October 10, 2016

5th and 6th Class were invited to attend the launch of the Team Ireland Vendee Globe Challenge where they met Enda O Coinin, who is about to embark on a solo sailing challenge around the world.

The children were able to ask Enda questions and see the boat. They were even interviewed by UTV Ireland!

The children appeared on @UTVIreland this evening showing their support for Enda #TeamIreland @teamirelandvg @chqdublin @VendeeGlobe pic.twitter.com/F248DD84G4

— St. Mary's Primary (@stmarysdorsetst) October 10, 2016