Dear Parents/Guardians,

We are delighted to share with you the March edition of our new school newsletter, filled with important updates, upcoming events, and highlights from the past month.

In this edition, you’ll find details on recent school activities, student achievements, and key dates to mark on your calendar. We also celebrate the hard work and dedication of our students and staff, whose efforts continue to make our school a vibrant and inspiring place to learn.

As we approach the end of the term, I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your ongoing support and engagement in our school community. Your encouragement and involvement play a vital role in making our school a nurturing and enriching environment for all.

We hope you enjoy reading the newsletter, and as always, if you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Wishing you and your family a restful and enjoyable Easter break, and we look forward to another fantastic term ahead!

Le gach dea-ghuí,

Ian Corbett

• Half Day: Friday, April 4th to facilitate staff training on new Anti-bullying procedures. Dismissal at 12.00pm. Infants at 11.50am.
• Easter Break: Monday, April 14th - Friday, April 25th
• Half Day: Friday, April 11th for the Easter Break. Dismissal at 12.00pm. Infants at 11.50am.
• First Confession: Monday, April 7th 2025
• First Holy Communion: Friday, May 9th at 11am

We encourage all families to stay connected and up to date with the latest school news and activities by following our school’s X account. It’s a great way to stay informed about upcoming events, achievements, and everything happening in our school community. Don’t miss out – follow us here!

This year, the Department of Education introduced new Anti-Bullying Guidelines for primary and post-primary schools, titled Bí Cineálta: Procedures to Prevent and Address Bullying Behaviour.

As a school, we are beginning the process of reviewing our existing Anti-Bullying policy and procedures. To ensure a thorough and inclusive review, we value the input of all school stakeholders.

Over the coming weeks, we will share parent and pupil questionnaires on bullying. Your feedback is essential, and we would greatly appreciate your time in completing these surveys.

For helpful resources on the new guidelines and supporting your child's wellbeing, please see the link below. We encourage you to explore these valuable materials.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the boys and girls in 6th class who recently celebrated their Confirmation. It was a wonderful occasion, and we are so proud of the commitment and preparation they put into this special sacrament.

Looking ahead, we now turn our thoughts to the boys and girls in 2nd class as they prepare for their First Confession next Monday, April 7th. This is an important step in their faith journey, and we commend them for their hard work and dedication. With First Holy Communion approaching, we wish them, their families, and their teacher all the best in the weeks ahead as they continue their preparations for this special day.

We had a fantastic time celebrating World Book Day on Thursday, 6th March! It was wonderful to see so many children embracing their love of reading by dressing up as their favorite book characters and taking part in the day's activities. From storytelling sessions to creative book-themed projects, the enthusiasm and imagination on display were truly inspiring.

A big thank you to all the parents, teachers, and staff who helped make the day so special. We hope the excitement of World Book Day encourages our students to keep exploring the joy of reading every day!

Here is a snapshot of some of our characters!

This month we completed Phase 1 of the Bord Bia sponsored Food Dudes programme. All children were provided with a great selection of fresh fruit and vegetables and it was great to see the children enjoying these.

We are now moving on to Phase 2 of the programme. Food Dudes have provided all children with a lovely lunch box. Children are encouraged to bring in fruit and vegetables of their choice to help continue with their healthy eating and earn certificates along the way! We already have several students who have earned their Bronze Certificate already which is fantastic to see!

Our school was filled with a wonderful sea of green as we celebrated Lá Glas on Friday, 14th March! It was fantastic to see the boys and girls embracing the spirit of the day, proudly wearing their green and taking part in a variety of fun activities. From music and dance to games and creative projects, the day was a joyful celebration of Irish culture.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated and helped make the event so special, especially Mrs. Noonan and her group of musicians. We hope the children enjoyed the festivities and that the celebration of our Irish heritage continues beyond Lá Glas!

We would like to wish the very best of luck to our cross-country team as they compete in the cross-country competition in Rathcoffey next Thursday, April 10th. The team has been training hard, and we are so proud of their dedication and effort. We know they will represent our school with great determination and sportsmanship.

Best of luck to our senior football team as they play their first game of the season against Cadamstown this Thursday. The team has been training hard, and we are excited to see them in action. We know they will give it their all and represent the school with great teamwork and determination.

We want to extend a huge congratulations to Eoghan Mulvey, who represented our school in the 2025 Irish Minor Schools competition at the National Aquatic Centre. Eoghan put in an incredible performance, knocking an impressive two seconds off his personal best in the 50-metre freestyle!

Well done, Eoghan; we are all very proud of your hard work and achievement!

Our Junior and Senior Infants have been busy exploring the theme of growth. As part of their class project, they created a wonderful display showing how they have grown over the years by sharing pictures of themselves from babyhood to now. It was a lovely way for the children to reflect on their journey so far and see just how much they’ve changed!

Our Junior and Senior Infants have been having great fun exploring STEM through Bee-Bots! These small, programmable robots helped the children develop problem-solving skills as they learned to give simple commands to navigate different paths.

Our 1st and 2nd Class students have been putting their problem-solving and coding skills to the test with Bee-Bots! Through fun and interactive activities, they learned how to program these little robots to follow specific paths, developing their logical thinking and teamwork along the way.

It was fantastic to see their enthusiasm as they explored sequencing, direction, and problem-solving in an engaging and hands-on way. Well done to all our budding coders!

In 1st and 2nd class, our students have also been having a great time using tablets to practice their times tables through interactive maths games! These fun and engaging games help students reinforce their understanding of numbers while developing their problem-solving skills.

Our 1st and 2nd class students have been improving their basketball shooting skills by playing the fun game "3 in a Row!" This exciting game combines teamwork, focus, and practice as students take turns shooting hoops to earn points and fill in their grid. Not only is it a fantastic way to work on accuracy and coordination, but it also helps students develop a love for physical activity in a playful and supportive environment.

During Seachtain na Gaeilge, 3rd and 4th class students enjoyed buddy reading with Junior and Senior Infants. Together, they read stories as Gaeilge, helping to foster a love of the Irish language in a fun and interactive way. The older students were great role models, guiding the younger students as they practiced their Irish reading skills, while the younger students are so excited to learn new words and phrases.

3rd and 4th class have been busy with some fantastic art projects! For Mother’s Day, they created beautiful paper flower bouquets, and for St. Patrick’s Day, they drew stunning green world landmarks. The students’ creativity and hard work really shone through in these lovely projects!

Our 5th and 6th Class students have been making fantastic progress in their violin lessons this term!

It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow with each lesson, and their enthusiasm for music is truly inspiring. Well done to all our young musicians - keep up the great practice!

A huge congratulations to Pauric, Oisín, and Alannah, who have been awarded their Bronze Certificates as part of our Food Dudes initiative! Their commitment to healthy eating and making great food choices has been fantastic to see.

To celebrate World Book Day, our 5th and 6th Class students teamed up with 1st and 2nd Class for a special buddy reading session. The older students read stories aloud, helping to bring books to life for the younger students, while also encouraging a love of reading. It was wonderful to see the excitement on both sides, whether sharing a favorite story or listening to a new one.