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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!

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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.

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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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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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Newsletter 12.1.18

Newsletter

12^th January 2018

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

Happy New Year!

Welcome back everyone – it has been lovely to see the children back at school this week and ready for an exciting and very busy term of learning.

News this week

We welcomed a group of 25 student teachers from Towson University in Maryland, USA on Monday. The group are in Ireland to learn about our education system and had time to visit just one school as part of their visit. They were very impressed the children’s learning and learning what is the same and what is different between schools in Ireland and America.

On Tuesday, our school choir went to the National Indoor Arena in Blanchardstown to meet up with other choirs and have a rehearsal for their upcoming ‘Peace Proms’ concert. The children were beautifully behaved and sang really well. They have been working so hard and we can’t wait to see them in action in their concert at the RDS on Saturday, 3^rd February. Parents – if you haven’t booked your tickets yet – please book this weekend as they are selling fast!

Flu Season – Advice

You will know that there are several strains of flu going around. We are reminding children this week to wrap up and stay warm, to wash their hands regularly and to sneeze or cough into a tissue or their elbow to prevent infection spreading. Please continue to remind your child of these things at home.

Applications for Junior Infants 2018

We are now accepting applications for new Junior Infant children for September 2018. Applications must be received by Friday, 9^th February 2018 and we will be in contact with families as soon as we can after that to confirm places. Like last year, we only have space to open one class of 22 children. All children applying must be 4 years old by 30 April 2018.

Upcoming Holidays

Please note this is quite a short term. We have just two days in February for mid-term (15 and 16 February). We are closed on 19^th March for the St. Patrick’s Day Bank Holiday.

We close then for two weeks Easter holidays from Friday, 23^rd March and re-open on Monday, 9^th April.

Please note too that we have a full week for mid-term in May (7^th-11^th May inclusive). It is a great time to get cheaper flights as not all schools are closed. If you are considering a trip away or need to return home to renew passports or visas, this is a good time to go!

We finish for the year on Friday, 29^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.

Dates for your diary

19 January – Parents’ Association training

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

Best attendance this week was in Ms. Lougheed’s 3^rd Class – well done children!

We see a large number of children arriving to school after our official start time of 8.50 a.m. Some children come to school at 9.00 a.m. every single day – missing 10 minutes each day and nearly an hour of learning every week.

We know that some mornings the traffic is bad or something happens to delay you. We understand that occasionally, every once in a while you may not get here on time. But this should not happen every day. It is a small change to your morning routine to ensure you get here on time.

The gate opens at 8.40 a.m. and all children should be in their line in the yard when their teacher comes outside at 8.50 a.m. Arriving after this time means you are late. Please make a New Year’s Resolution to get here at the right time every day.

Our thanks to the children and families who are ready and waiting at the gate every single morning at 8.40 a.m. – keep it up!

Incredible Years

Our ‘Incredible Years’ parent course will be starting again next week. It is a great opportunity to learn more about how to support your child at home. If you are interested in learning more, please talk to Síle and she will give you all the details.

We will be hosting the sessions here at our school and will be joined by parents from Georges’ Hill Primary School too. Ms. Graham will be leading the sessions this term with Anne-Marie, the Home-School teacher from Georges’ Hill.

Parents’ Association

As you know, our new Parents’ Association began working together at the end of last year. They are still very open to new members and would really appreciate any support a parent or carer can give – big or small! They are having a training session next Friday, 19^th January at 10.30 a.m. here at school with a lady from the National Parents’ Council and would be delighted to see new (and old!) faces there. You can ask Síle for more information and she can introduce you. Don’t be shy – they’re a very friendly and welcoming group. We look forward to seeing you there!

And finally…

Have a lovely weekend – see you Monday!

Best wishes,

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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Newsletter 22.12.17

Newsletter

22^nd December 2017

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

News this week

It’s been a super busy week at school, but one full of joy and sparkle! On Sunday, families of our Junior and Senior Infants and 1^st and 2^nd Class choir joined us at St. Joseph’s Church, Berkeley Road for the annual Parish Carol Service. The children sang beautifully. And a special thank you to Kevin and Thaneshree who stepped in at the last minute to read the Christmas story clearly and confidently.

On Tuesday, five of our older classes went to see a play in Marino College.

On Wednesday, 1^st and 2^nd Class went see a performance of ‘Tracks in the Snow’ at the Ark Cultural Centre.

Thank You

At this time of year it is important to say thank you to all those who have helped and supported us this term.

Thanks to our staff – they are an amazing team, so full of energy and enthusiasm for what they do. Our children are so lucky to have such exciting learning opportunities planned for them each and every day. We wish you all a very happy holiday and hope you get lots of rest!

To our parents and carers – your support each day allows us to do our jobs to the very best of our ability. We couldn’t do it without you! Thank you for the gifts and kind words you have shared with us this week. It means so much.

To our Board of Management, our volunteers, our fellow professionals – thank you for giving us your time and commitment.

Dates for your diary

Monday, 8 January – Re-Open at 8.50 a.m.

9 January – School Choir to Peace Proms Rehearsal

26 January – 5^th Class to the Ark

3 February – School Choir sing at Peace Proms concert in RDS

Staff News

We are saying farewell to Ms. McDevitt today as she leaves for her maternity leave. We hope to have news of her new arrivals in the New Year. We hope she gets lots of rest before then!

Ms. Lennon, who has worked with us already quite a bit this term, will be supporting Ms. Todd and Junior Infants from January.

And finally…

Our entire staff wish every child and family and every member of our community a very happy holiday and a happy Christmas to those who celebrate. Enjoy it!

We will see you on Monday, 8^th January at 8.50 a.m.

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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Newsletter 15.12.17

Newsletter

8^th December 2017

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

News this week

Ms. Todd’s Class and Ms. McBride’s Class visited the Ilac Library on Monday to share stories with Julianna, our ‘Reader in Residence’. 1^st Class even spotted one of the first LUAS cross-city trams on Parnell Street!

On Wednesday, 1^st Class visited the ‘Moving Crib’ on Parnell Square.

Also on Wednesday, a group of our older girls took part in a Girls’ Soccer Blitz in Dalymount Park. The girls represented the school really well and were all awarded certificates. They have been practising with our coach from Dublin City Council’s Health and Wellbeing team after-school each week and their hard work really paid off. The blitz was organised as part of the #GettingAllGirlsActive programme.

Lots of parents and carers joined us for more Christmas Art on Wednesday – thank you so much for joining us.

On Thursday, our Senior Infants headed off to Imaginosity for a day full of adventures. Have a look on our Twitter account @stmarysdorsetst to see them in action in the doctor’s surgery, the post office, the television studio and a car garage – to name but a few! A great day was had by all.

Attendance and punctuality

Well done to Ms. Graham’s Class who had the best attendance this week.

Parents’ Association – Cake Sale and Raffle

I’m delighted to let you know that the raffle and cake sale last week raised over €500 for Temple Street Children’s Hospital. An amazing achievement! Thank you to all the parents and carers who contributed.

Parish Carol Service

All families are invited to the Parish Carol Service on Sunday at 3.30 p.m in St. Joseph’s Church. Our Infant classes and the 1^st and 2^nd Class Choir will be singing. Please do join us!

Dates for your diary

17 December – Parish Carol Service at 3.30p.m. in St. Joseph’s Church, Berkeley Rd.

19 December – 3^rd-6^th to Marino Theatre

20 December – 1^st and 2^nd to the Ark

22 December – Close for Christmas Holidays at 12 noon

8 January – Re-Open at 8.50 a.m.

We look forward to all the excitement and festivities next week! Have a lovely weekend.

Best wishes,

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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Newsletter 8.12.17

Newsletter

8^th December 2017

Dear parents, carers, staff and friends,

News this and last week

Last Wednesday, Ms. Collins’s 2^nd Class visited the markets on Moore Street as part of their learning about food. They made some very healthy fruit snacks with their purchases.

Last Friday, 5^th and 6^th Class visited Liberty Hall for a special launch of Jeff Kinney’s new ‘Diary of Wimpy Kid’ book. These books are hugely popular with our children and it was a fantastic opportunity for them to meet the author himself. Thank you to Julianna, our Reader in Residence, who organised this visit.

On Tuesday this week, our Anti-Bullying Ambassadors and members of our Student Council attended a special training day to learn about being an anti-bullying ambassador. The children learned lots and were great representatives of our school.

Yesterday, Senior Infants visited the ‘Moving Crib’ on Parnell Square. The children were able to spot all the different characters from the Christmas nativity story. We’re looking forward to their performance of ‘Prickly Hay’ in a few weeks.

Also yesterday, 6^th Class went to Cineworld to see the film ‘Wonder’. The children have been reading the book ‘Wonder’ by R.J. Palacio this term and were really excited to see it brought to life. Ms. Kilkenny tells me there were quite a few tears!

Boxing Showcase

We were very proud of our team of boxers from 5^th and 6^th Class who represented our school at an inter-school tournament at the National Boxing Stadium on Wednesday. They remembered all the skills they learned and won lots of medals! Their classmates in 5^th and 6^th Class also went along to support them.

Their coach, Paul Quinn, sent us a message to say: “they were terrific and showed real character and skill. Congratulations to all, and thank you for supporting the programme”. Well done children and thank you to Ms. Kilkenny and Mrs. Fay for supporting them.

Christmas Art

Ms. Todd, Ms. Marron, Ms. McBride and Ms. Sheridan’s Classes have completed their first week of Christmas Art. It takes place on Wednesdays from 9.00 a.m. until 10.00 a.m. in each class and parents/carers are invited to come in for the hour to work on special Christmas Art projects with their child.

Thank you to all the parents who came along this week. We hope to see lots more there again next week!

Parents’ Association – Cake Sale and Raffle

Our Parents’ Association have been busy this week organising a great cake sale and raffle. There are loads of lovely sweet treats to be had and I know it will be a big success. All money raised is going to Temple Street Childrens’ Hospital. Thank you to Dean, Babita and the team at Spar, Mountjoy Street who have donated so many items to the hampers in our raffle. Thank you to all the families who brought in cakes and treats for the sale. And special thanks to Laura Mulligan and Ludmila Paskova who have been leading our parents’ group and putting the whole thing together. Congratulations on your first event!

News2Day Visit

The team from RTÉ’s ‘News2Day’ programme may be visiting in the next week or two to speak to our Young Interpreters about their work. They may also film in other parts of the school. We don’t know yet which children will be included but we would like to ask your permission for your child to be filmed. The programme will be broadcast on RTÉ Television. If you do not want your child to be included, please let us know by Monday.

Battery Boxes

WEEE would love your help to collect as many waste batteries as possible for a Christmas Battery Box Appeal for the LauraLynn charity. Recycling batteries is part of our Green Schools Programme.

Primary Language Curriculum Training

Last week, the whole teaching team had a day of training with the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) in Drumcondra Education Centre. The training was for the new primary language curriculum for both English and Gaeilge.

We have already begun to work with different parts of the curriculum in Infants-2^nd Class and the focus of our training yesterday was on Reading and Writing. Our teachers will continue to use the new curriculum to help their planning of English and Gaeilge in your child’s class.

Child Protection Training

This week, our staff have completed an online training course so that we are ready for new Child Protection guidance which begins on Monday. The updated ‘Children First 2017’ guidelines will help us to ensure we keep all children safe from harm.

Parish Advent News

We had lovely prayer services for Advent with Fr. Pat and Fr. Martin this week. We lit the first purple candle on our Advent wreath. We have special kindness advent calendars of kind things we can say or do in this special time before Christmas. This morning, the Catholic children went to Mass in the church.

Attendance and punctuality

Well done to 5th Class with top attendance of 96.6% last week.

Dates for your diary

6/13 December – Christmas Art with parents

14 December – Senior Infants to Imaginosity

17 December – Parish Carol Service at 3p.m.

19 December – Infant Christmas Performance

19 December – 3^rd-6^th to Marino Theatre

20 December – 1^st and 2^nd to the Ark

21 December – 1^st-6^th Christmas Performance

22 December – Close for Christmas Holidays

8 January – Re-Open at 8.50 a.m.

Cold Weather

As the weather gets increasingly colder, please remind your child to wrap up warmly. We still have children coming to school without a coat! We don’t want anyone to get sick – so please ensure your child has a coat. If they have a hat, scarf and gloves, please show them how to put these in a pocket or sleeve so they don’t get lost and with the smaller children, practise taking them on and off by themselves.

Wrap up warm – it’s going to be a cold weekend!

Best wishes,

Éadaoin Kelly

Principal

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