Dear Parent / Colleague / Board Member,

 

Photography Packs.

These have been distributed and hopefully all families have been sorted with their requirements. If not, please contact Rose at your earliest opportunity. Thanks to Ray, Caroline and Rose for assisting with this and all staff and families for their cooperation.

 

P.T.M.

Our Parent Teacher Meetings will take place on Wed 26^th & Thurs 27^th November at the school, between 3-5 pm. Parents have asked that this be moved to an online booking system, which we will trial for this year. It will go live on Monday next at 3:10 pm for those with three children, Tuesday at 3:10 pm for those with two and Wednesday at 3:10 pm for those with one. Please understand that appointments are set at 10-minute intervals. These slots can be booked through Aladdin Connect on a first come – first serve basis. It is important that both staff and parents adhere to these times for the operation to run smoothly. When arranging appointments on Aladdin, please ensure that class teachers are prioritised, then members of the Special Education team, if applicable. We are contacting some families with more than three appointments today and Monday to ensure a smoother transition to this new system.

 

County Final.

Our girls have reached the County A Final of the Allianz Cumann na mBunscol football leagues. This is a massive achievement for a country school. All finals are provisionally fixed for Fraher Field, Dungarvan on Mon 17^th November and our final against Holy Cross N.S., Tramore is up first at 10:30 am. It is our intention to bring Rg 6, Rg 5 and Rang 4 girls to fill a 52-seater bus inclusive of players and supporters. A fee of €5 is necessary to cover transport costs. Children have free entry on the day, but there is a charge of €5 per adult to help cover the cost of medals, referees etc on finals day.

 

Sacramental Preparation – Nire.

There will be two preparatory masses for those that intend on receiving the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation (combined) in the Nire Church on the following dates; Sunday 22^nd November and Sunday 18^th January. Another date is also to be decided in spring. We thank Martha and all who helped with parish / school sacramental preparation down the years and Fr Michael for facilitating this new arrangement.

 

CPSMA Mass.

Representatives of our board travelled to the Cathedral in Waterford on Wednesday evening to share with other boards, in a mass of celebration for 50 years of Boards of Management in Ireland. Our patron, Bishop Cullinan officiated at the ceremony.

 

HSE Immunisation Programme.

HSE personnel will be in school on Monday morning to administer MMR to Junior Infants. Please ensure that all packs are returned, competed or incomplete.

 

Christmas Cards.

As part of school fundraising, the PA has organised for the printing of individual pupil Christmas cards. These have been completed and a sample card for each child was sent home on Tuesday. Parents/guardians have the opportunity to purchase a pack or two of these cards if they wish to do so. Packs will be of 10 cards each at €10 /pack, € 15 for 2 packs. Parents are under no obligation to purchase. All orders and payments can be processed through Aladdin or cash to the school. If participating, please complete and return the half page slip by Friday 14^th November.

 

Christmas Annuals.

Folens Christmas Annuals can be ordered now with Rose at the price of €3.50 per annual. This money is collected via cash only. Please complete the order sheet and return with the correct amount before Friday next, if participating.

 

Re-Turn Collection.

Thanks to all who contributed towards or helped out with the above collection on the week of the holidays. An amount of €426 was collected towards P.A. funds.

 

Department Survey.

There is a new online survey of primary school communities and the Dept. has asked us to help in sharing this information with parents and school staff to encourage participation. This survey, the largest of its kind in Ireland, will run until 16 December 2025, giving parents, guardians, and school communities an opportunity to shape the future of their primary school. You can access it here. Primary School Survey

 

Security Doors.

During Halloween, we installed a security system to our main door and the two hall doors to the rear. This is to promote child safety. It comprises a keypad on the outside and a release button on the inside linked to the fire alarm. It would be the intention to roll this out to the remaining doors in the short to medium term. All visitors should report to the secretary or principal’s office and please sign your child out if leaving the premises early. Please note that, if your young child arrives late, please bring them to the door, to ensure they can enter the building.

 

Brideview Players.

On Friday January 30^th, we hope to combine with other local organisations in promoting the staging of ‘Da’ by Hugh Leonard at Ballymacarbry Community Centre. This will be our fourth collaboration to promote drama in the area under the stewardship of Pat Melody and Jim Ryan. We will welcome the award winning Brideview players, following on from their well-received productions of ‘Philadelphia, here I come!’, ‘Bailegangáire’ and ‘The Weir’. More about this and how to acquire tickets in later editions of this newsletter.

 

Head Lice.

It is around this time of the year when we first get notified of head lice outbreaks. It would be opportune to examine your child /children this weekend if at all possible.

 

Is mise,

Michael J. O’Ryan