Dear Parent / Colleague / Board Member,

Noreen Sheehan R.I.P.

Yesterday in her home parish of the Nire, the Sheehan family laid Noreen to rest following her untimely death last Saturday. Noreen was well liked and her funeral and send off was testament to the fact. She will be remembered fondly by all who knew her, young and hold. Our 6^th class formed a guard of honour along with pupils from the High School, Clonmel as they carried Noreen’s remains from the church to the burial plot. We posted a short tribute to Noreen on our social media page earlier in the week. We commiserate again with Jim, all their children, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends on their great loss, as we pray for the repose of Noreen’s soul.

Carol Service.

In consultation with Jim and the Sheehan family, we have decided to proceed with both Carol Services this coming week. The details are as follows. The Junior Service; (Juniors – Rg 3 inclusive) will take place in FMW Church on Tuesday 16^th December at 7 pm. The Senior Service; (Rg 4 – Rg 6 inclusive) will take place in the Nire Church the following night, Wednesday 17^th December, again at 7pm. Teachers have asked that pupils participating, wear their Christmas jumpers on both nights.

Rehearsals.

On Monday morning we will have a practice in Fourmilewater Church from 9:30 am for those up to and including Rg 3. On Tuesday morning the remaining three classes, Rg 4-6 will rehearse in the Nire Church from 9:30 am.

‘Confirming our Children’ Programme.

This Sunday in FMW we welcome those in Rg 6 who are due to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation next spring. Please follow instructions as given by Mrs Byrne, Class Teacher.

Advent.

This Sunday (Gaudete Sunday) marks the third week of Advent and we light the rose candle on our wreath to represent joy. ‘Gaudete’ is the Latin word for rejoice. The change in colour from purple to rose marks the heralding of a time of gladness, reminding believers that the wait for the Messiah is nearing its end.

P.A.

Thanks to Niamh, Noreen and the P.A. committee for organising Brenda to call to the school today to do some Yoga / relaxation techniques. This was financed by some of their recent fundraising initiatives.

Communications Glitch.

As a school, we are experiencing communication difficulties throughout the week. Our school administration system – Aladdin is inaccessible. E-mail is also down, we have had to revert to hand written notes in certain instances. Coupled with this our phone signal is also compromised at times. Apologies for any inconvenience caused. Hopefully it will be rectified soon. This email has been sent via alternative methods.

Holiday Reminder.

School will break on Friday next 19^th December at 12:30 pm for Christmas holidays. Please notify those who collect your children. Children are encouraged to wear Christmas attire / jumpers on the morning. The After School Service will run until 6:00 pm on the day.

Beir Bua!

Best wishes to our past pupils and management involved with FMW U-20’s as they play their rescheduled County ‘A’ Hurling Final this Sunday against Ballygunner in Walsh Park, Waterford City at 1pm.

Is mise, Michael J. O’Ryan – Principal

Dear Parent / Colleague / Board Member,

Department of Education Survey.

Reminder. We would appreciate if you would activate the accompanying link to participate in the Dept of Education survey if you haven’t already done so. Please don’t leave it to others to do so. You can access it here. Primary School Survey

Upcoming Carol Services.

As publicised earlier this year, we will have two Carol Services in the lead up to Christmas. The Junior Service; comprising of all those in Junior – Rg 3 inclusive will take place in FMW Church on Tues 16^th Dec at 7 pm and in the Nire Church, the following night the Senior Service, for those in Rg 4 – Rg 6 inclusive, again at 7pm.

Matilda the Musical

Pupils from first, second and third class visited Loreto Secondary School yesterday to enjoy this fantastic performance. The children were captivated from start to finish and loved laughing and singing along with the cast. It was especially lovely to spot some of our past pupils performing on stage. Their wonderful talent may have provided some of our own pupils with a bit of inspiration to take to the stage in the future. Thanks to the P.A. for subsidising the bus cost.

Trip to Boston

Our school choir enjoyed a trip to Boston Scientific on Wednesday to sing as part of their Christmas Market. The 5th and 6th class girls sang beautifully and did the school proud. The songs went down an absolute treat and the girls received high praise for their performance. A special thanks to past pupil, Francise Fenton for organising the trip. A fantastic start to the Christmas Season!

Brideview Drama – ‘Da’

We are pleased to announce that the school will join forces again with the Community Centre and local Tidy Towns Committee to promote another dramatic performance in late January. This will be our fourth collaboration and profits will be shared among the groups, including our school. Tickets have gone on sale this week and are priced at €15. Please contact any member of staff or member of the Board of Management for further information. Failing that, they can be ordered through Rose our secretary at 052-6136349. Posters on display this weekend.

Holiday Reminder

School will break on Fri 19^th Dec at 12:30 pm for Christmas break. The After School Service will run until 6: 00 pm on the day.

This weekend

Late, Late Christmas Toy Show.

I’m sure I don’t need to remind our pupils and their families of a certain TV show tonight, but now that I have, bainigi taitneamh as! Thanks again to our P.A. who organised a prize to be given to each class, for one family to enjoy tonight – the lucky families were; Power – Ballybrien, Madigan – Knockatrelaune, Walsh – Knockaun, Sheehan – Nire Road, Wall and Morrison – Castlereagh, and McGrath – Baunfaun.

U-20 A Hurling County Final

Best wishes to all our past pupils and management from the FMW Club as they take on Ballygunner in the U-20 County final in Walsh Park, Waterford City on Sunday at 1 pm.

Nire Valley Christmas Fair

If you are not attending the match, perhaps you could attend the Fair in the Nire Hall on Sunday between the hours of 2-5 pm.

Advent.

This Sunday marks the second week of Advent and we light the second purple candle on the advent wreath to represent Love. This reminds us of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and the love of God for humanity.

Is mise,

Michael J. O’Ryan – Principal

Dear Parent / Colleague / Board Member,

P.T.M.

The PTM’s are over for another year. While there will be always teething problems with a new system, it appears to have run off relatively smoothly from an organisational point of view. We will let the dust settle for this week and get the opinions of parents and staff, next week. In due course, please let us know what you think.

Department of Education Survey.

Reminder. We would appreciate if you would activate the accompanying link to participate in the Department of Education survey, if you haven’t already done so. It is very short in nature and only takes a minute. This will run until 16^th December. An explanatory email was sent to all concerned on Tuesday last. You can access the survey here. Primary School Survey

Sacramental Preparation.

This weekend it is the turn of Rang 2 to continue preparing for their sacraments. Those participating are asked to be in Fourmilewater Church for the 9 am mass this Sunday. Please follow any instructions given by Miss O’Keeffe / Mrs Coffey.

Christmas Cards.

All Christmas cards ordered through the PA were distributed on Wednesday last. It is lovely to see the finished product in print. If your child was absent, please ask his /her teacher. Thanks to Noreen and the PA for their efforts in organising this and earning some funds for the association / school in the process.

Upcoming Carol Services.

As publicised earlier this year. We will have two Carol Services in the lead up to Christmas. The Junior Service; comprising of all those in Junior – Rg 3 inclusive will take place in FMW Church on Tuesday 16^th December at 7 pm and in the Nire Church, the following night, for those in Rg 4-Rg 6 inclusive, again at 7pm.

Boundary Fence.

This week a fence was installed on our boundary wall to help keep our pupils safer. This matches the previously installed fence positioned below the school gate.

Matilda.

Our boys and girls from first, second and third classes will travel to Clonmel on Thursday next, 4^th December for a matinee production of ‘Matilda the Musical’. There is a door cover charge of €5 per pupil and the P.A. has kindly agreed to cover the costs of the bus transport for each pupil. We will leave at 11:15 am and expect to be back circa 2 pm. Can children please bring in the €5 from Monday.

Advent.

This Sunday marks the first week of Advent and we light a purple candle on the advent wreath to represent hope. Over these next three Sundays, we will light a further three candles representing peace, joy, and love. On Christmas Eve / Christmas Day, a white candle is lit in the centre, representing the birth of Christ.

Is mise,

Michael J. O’Ryan – Principal

Dear Parent / Colleague / Board Member,

County Final.

Sincerest hard luck to our girls who contested the Cumann na mBunscol A Final on Monday last in Fraher Field against Holy Cross N.S. Tramore. It was a very exciting game which the seaside town won on the last kick of the game by a solitary point 1:5 – 1:4. We were five points down at half time but managed to go one point up with two minutes to go, only for Tramore to score two unanswered points, the second of which was the last kick of the game. Thanks to all our supporters on the morning and while we are disappointed, we congratulate Holy Cross on winning their first such title. We are very proud of the girls and their dedication throughout. We thank Miss Denmead for her help. The girls have the Western A tittle to show for their endeavours in 2025.

P.T.M.

Thank you to all families who have engaged with the online booking on Aladdin Connect. At the time of writing this, 90% of appointment slots have been booked up. Online appointments can be changed up until Tuesday 25^th at 9 pm. Please ensure that you book through this online system only and not turn up on either day unannounced. Rose has contacted the last few families today in relation to booking. Please ensure that your appointment(s) is (are) booked by going into the Parent Teacher Meeting section on Aladdin Connect for verification. In advance of next week, I again ask for utmost cooperation from parents and staff to ensure the smoot running of these 10-minute time allocations.

Tractor Run Postponed

The P.A. officers have taken the correct decision to postpone the proposed Tractor Run in aid of our school. This is to facilitate the ‘Jigs & Wheels’ run in Modeligo for Seamus ‘Sham’ Ryan. Seamus has relations in this area and indeed his sister-in-law, Miss Hennessy travels to our school on Tuesdays helping children who take English as an additional language. We wish Seamus well in his recuperation and the organising committee, the very best in their fundraising for it.

Summer Works Application

This Application process opened in 2025 for schools to apply for structural work improvements. We put a lot of work into compiling a report on the need to bring the roof up to a higher heat retention standard. Only two primary schools in Waterford were successful, unfortunately we were not one of them. As this is a multi-annual scheme, I would hope that the department may look favourably upon us during the lifetime of this grant. This would definitely complement the heating upgrade completed this year.

Book Club.

Our new Scholastic Book Club is up and running! Go to https://schools.scholastic.ie/ballymacarberry-n/digital-book-club to browse the latest books and order online. For every €1 you spend on this month’s Book Club, our school will earn 20¢ in Scholastic Rewards. Please place your order online by November 24^th 2025

Department Survey.

Reminder. We would appreciate if you would activate the accompanying link to participate in the Department of Education survey if you haven’t already done so. It is very short in nature and only takes a minute. This will run until 16^th December, giving staff, parents, guardians, and Boards of Management an opportunity to shape the future of their primary school. You can access it here. Primary School Survey

Sacramental Preparation

Those receiving the Sacraments in the Nire this year are asked to be at the Nire mass this Sunday at 11 am. Rg 2 and Rg 6 candidates will be together for these preparatory masses in the Nire.

Clonmel Library Art Competition

Well done to our pupils Clodagh O’Flynn and Áine Horgan who were placed 2^nd and third respectively in the Clonmel Library Art Competition. Two more pupils; Lucy Long and Abbie Cummins were highly commended for their work.

Shredded Paper

We have three bags of finely shredded paper available should anyone want some. Please contact the school if interested.

Uniform Exchange

If anyone wants to drop off unused school uniform they can do so by sending it to Rose’s office where the P.A. has left a box for same.

Is mise,

Michael J. O’Ryan

Dear Parent / Colleague / Board Member,

County Final.

Our girls will play the ‘A’ County Final on Monday next in Fraher Field, Dungarvan against Holy Cross NS Tramore at 10:30 am. We have hired a large bus, to be filled with panel and supporters for the morning. A fee of €5 is necessary to cover transport costs. Children have free entry to Fraher Field on the day, but there is a charge of €5 per adult to help cover the cost of medals, referees etc on finals day. This may be moved elsewhere in the Dungarvan area subject to the weather conditions over the weekend. Best wishes to Miss Denmead and all the girls on Monday. Those attending will be leaving first thing on Monday morning, so please arrive early and togged off, if your child is a member of the panel.

P.T.M.

Thank you to all families who have engaged with the online booking on Aladdin Connect. At the time of writing this, 82% of appointment slots have been booked up. Please note, there has been a change to the Junior infant Parent Teacher meeting schedule. (Please refer to email sent to relevant parents yesterday.) Online appointments can be changed up until Tuesday 25^th at 9 pm. Please ensure that you book through this online system only and not turn up on either day unannounced.

Science Week.

Teachers and pupils have been busy this week engaging with all things science to mark Science Week at our school. There are some photos on our social media page.

Christmas Cards & Annuals.

These have been booked and will be distributed closer to Christmas. Thank you for your cooperation.

Book Club.

Our new Scholastic Book Club is up and running! Go to https://schools.scholastic.ie/ballymacarberry-n/digital-book-club to browse the latest books and order online. For every €1 you spend on this month’s Book Club, our school will earn 20¢ in Scholastic Rewards. Please place your order online by November 21st, 2025, today week.

Creative Schools.

We are delighted to announce that our school has been successful in our application to take part in the Schools Creative Programme with our project idea, “Well-being Through the Arts.” Over the next two years, staff and pupils will work alongside our Creative Associate, Muireann, to provide exciting opportunities for pupils to explore their creativity. 4th class has been chosen as the school ambassadors for this initiative. Work began in earnest last week, with pupils taking part in a hands-on clay lesson and beginning the initial planning for our programme of work. We look forward to an inspiring creative journey ahead.

Department Survey.

Reminder. Please activate the accompanying link to participate in the Dept of Education survey if you haven’t already done so. This will run until 16^th December, giving parents, guardians, and school communities an opportunity to shape the future of their primary school. You can access it here. Primary School Survey

Celebration Night

We have a good working relationship with the local Tidy Towns Committee. We again compliment them on their recent success and are glad to announce their Celebratory Night taking place in Doocey’s Oriel Bar tonight at 9 pm.

Is mise,

Michael J. O’Ryan