Dear Parents, Colleagues, and Members of the Board of Management,

 

Flying Our Flags
This week, in beautiful spring sunshine, we proudly erected our flags at the school entrance. These include our school crest, Green Flag, Amber Flag, and Cineáltas Flag. A photo, along with further details on each, has been shared on our social media page. Thank you to everyone involved in achieving these important awards.

 

Hot School Meals
Our food tasting session with Carambola took place on Tuesday. This had been arranged prior to Easter following feedback from the Hot School Meals survey. Pupils sampled a variety of foods offered by the company during lunchtime. Many thanks to Molly Catherine and Tara for facilitating this enjoyable event.

 

Chick Hatching Programme
We extend our thanks to Sarah from Ballinamult, who is supporting a programme exploring the life cycle of a chick—from egg to bird. Over the coming weeks, pupils will observe the incubator and learn about the changes taking place within the shell. At the halfway stage, they may even observe development through candling. Without counting our chickens, we are hopeful of some new arrivals around Wednesday, 20th May. We will keep the school community updated on progress.

 

Congratulations
Congratulations to Gavin Flynn, who represented Ireland at U12 level in the Nations Cup tournament at Gimnàstic de Tarragona Stadium in Spain. Gavin played in goals against teams such as England and Scotland, performing excellently throughout and enjoying a truly memorable experience.

 

Road Safety

A sub-committee of the Board, together with the neighbouring landowner, met with representatives from Waterford City & County Council this week to advance road safety improvements on the R671. This follows the recent allocation of funding to the project.

The Council intends to bring proposals forward for public consultation in due course. While this process can be lengthy, it is hoped that works will commence and be completed before the end of the year. Any proposals regarding staff parking will be dependent on the outcomes of this consultation.

In the meantime, we ask all parents and guardians to continue adhering to the one-way system for drop-off and collection, and to avoid obstructing sightlines for motorists entering the regional road. As always, we recommend waiting to collect children until after the buses have departed at 3:10pm.

 

Pre-loved Shoes
Many thanks to all who donated pre-loved shoes. We collected a total of 101 pairs. Their journey to children in Africa began on Thursday, when the courier arrived, and our Senior Infant class helped to load the van.

 

Treasure Island
On Monday, 11th May, we will host M&M Theatre, who will bring Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson to life. This swashbuckling adventure follows Jim Hawkins as he sets sail with pirates in search of Captain Flint’s buried treasure. The production explores themes of morality, danger, and responsibility, and features comical characters, sword fights, and, of course, pirates.

 

Cumann na mBunscol
Our boys and girls (Hurling & Camogie) will participate in the Cumann na mBunscol Shield Semi-Finals on Thursday in Dungarvan. We wish them and their mentors the very best of luck. We are also working with local GAA clubs to organise several weeks of coaching, once vetting has been completed. Thank you to all who have offered their time.

 

Bus Éireann School Transport
A reminder that the closing date for the Bus Éireann School Transport Family Portal is Friday, 8th May. Further information is available on the Bus Éireann website.

 

Reminder
Our second staff in-service day on the new Primary Curriculum Framework will take place on Tuesday, 12th May. The school will be closed on this day, as previously advised. The Breakfast Club and After School Club will operate from 8:00am to 2:00pm, subject to demand. For enquiries, please contact 083 2028749.

 

May Altar

We continued the tradition of setting up our May altar today in honour of Mary, our mother. Children are asked to ‘bring flowers of the rarest and blossoms the fairest’ to adorn this space during the month which we devote to her.

We hope you enjoy the (Lá Saoire Poiblí) Bank Holiday weekend and that the fine weather of late April returns.

 

Is mise,
Michael J. O’ Ryan
Principal