Dear Parents / Guardians,
We hope you are all well. Our news is as follows:
- Attendance Drive: As you will be aware, our Attendance Drive started yesterday and will run to Friday 11th April. We really appreciate your support in helping improve attendance and punctuality across the school. Details of the Attendance Drive can be found in the message that was sent to all families on Friday last via Aladdin Connect.
- Bluebells Day: On Wednesday, 2nd April, we will celebrate Bluebells Day to promote understanding and awareness of autism. I want to thank Ms. Rowley who has organised this event for our school. Bluebells Day will be a non-uniform day, with all children invited to ‘Go blue for Bluebells’, by dressing in blue. Throughout the day, each class will learn more about autism and have the opportunity to visit the Bluebells Classroom, where they can experience our sensory room, designed to be a welcoming and supportive space.
- Donation Request: We are asking all families, where possible, to make a donation for Bluebells Day, which will go towards the purchase of play equipment for our Bluebells playground. While we have a fabulous enclosed soft-play area for our Bluebells Class, with a lovely swing set and spinner-bowl, we are very eager to add further playground equipment, which would allow for whole classes to use the area. Play equipment that meets the required safety specifications is incredibly expensive and we would really appreciate your support. I will share an optional payment link with all families in advance of Bluebells Day, or children are welcome to bring in their donation in cash on the day.
- Maths Easter Egg Hunt: Our annual Bunscoil Bhríde Maths Easter Egg Hunt will be running over the next few weeks, with all classes getting the opportunity to take part. Children, in teams, have to use their orienteering skills to find and solve maths clues and puzzles around the school grounds. There are lots of Easter Eggs up for grabs, so a fun-filled hunt is guaranteed!
- Camogie Blitz: Our camogie team will take part in the Cumann na mBunscol Mini 7s Blitz in Clocha Rince tomorrow. The girls will take on Scoil Mhuire, Allenwood; St. Patrick’s N.S.; Broadford N.S. and Clocha Rince N.S. The girls are looking forward to putting their skills to the test. For some of them, this will be their first match. We wish them the very best of luck.
- Cross-country: The annual Cumann na mBunscol Cross-Country competition will take place on Thursday 10th April at 10.30am in Rathcoffey GAA ground. Our cross-country coaches, Ms. Costello and Ms. Banks will accompany sixteen girls from third to sixth class, who will run the 1200m race. We wish them the very best of luck. Well done to all the girls who have been taking part in cross-country training in the school. Ms. Costello and Ms. Banks will host an in-school competition for all of these athletes during Active Schools Week later in term three.
- First Confessions: We would like to wish the very best of luck to our Second Class pupils, who will receive the sacrament of First Penance on Wednesday 2nd April at 7pm in Rathangan Church. They have been busy preparing and practising their prayers and hymns for the occasion with their teacher, Ms. Ryan. We hope it will be a very special, holy and memorable occasion for them.
- Gardening Workshops: Gardening expert, Paddy Madden will engage all of our classes in gardening workshops over the next fortnight. While much of the planting will be completed indoors, we look forward to the classes planting out their seedlings in the school garden in the coming weeks when the weather improves, and we are excited about the fabulous crop of fruit and vegetables that we will be harvesting in the coming months. I want to thank Ms. Ryan for organising the gardening workshops and our caretaker, Gerry for ensuring our garden is prepared and ready for Paddy’s workshops. Photographs of the planting will be available to view on the class blog pages of our school website.
- Heritage Trips: Ms. Coughlan’s and Brogan’s third classes will visit the Bog of Allen Nature Centre on Tuesday 1st April, Ms. Geraghty’s and Ms. Freeborn’s fourth classes will travel to the Curragh and Pollardstown Fen on Monday 7th April and Ms. Banks’ and Ms. Freeborn’s Fifth Classes will walk to the canal on Tuesday 8th April. They will be guided on their trips by heritage specialist, Nuala Madigan. It is hoped that the children will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of these local natural sites. The trips are part of our Whole School Geography Plan and will be fully funded by the Parents’ Association.
- Assembly: Our whole-school assembly for the month of March will be led by Ms. Geraghty and Ms. Gleeson and will take place in the halla on Friday next.
- Permissions: We are currently seeking consent for involvement in after-school cross-country training for our Third to Sixth Class students. Please check if there are any permissions pertaining to your child on the Permissions tab of Aladdin Connect and accept or decline as appropriate.
- Reminder regarding Absences: Under the Education Welfare Act 2000, where a child is absent from school on a school day, the parents must notify the school of the reasons for such absence. This can be done via the Aladdin Connect app. Please contact the office if you need assistance with this. We are required under the Act to notify Tusla; The Child and Family Agency of any child being absent for 20 days or more. Our student administration system automatically sends texts to parents reminding them of this when a child misses 10 and 15 days.
- Dates for the Diary: All upcoming events for the remainder of the school year, as they become known to us, will be recorded on the Aladdin Connect app, in the ‘Calendar’ section.
Kind regards,
Maria Rogerson