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

 

Condolences

Our sincere condolences to bus driver Johnny O’Brien and his family on the death of his mother, Philomena O’Brien, late of Mountain View, Clogheen. Philomena was laid to rest in Shanrahan Cemetery. May she rest in peace. Johnny, through McCarra’s Transport, has provided outstanding service to our school over many years, transporting pupils and staff to and from school events, matches, swimming lessons and school tours. We extend our sympathy and support to him and his family at this sad time.

 

School Reports

We hope that all families have been able to access the school reports, which were released last Friday via Aladdin Connect. Special Education Reports were released on Monday. If you have been unable to access your child’s report, please contact the school office.

 

Active Week

This week was Active Week in our school. The children enjoyed a varied programme of activities to supplement their regular in-class activity. Events included nature walks, teddy bear picnics, swimming, class races, gymnastics with Ms Walsh, small-ball games, soccer finals, an inflatables day and a modified Sports Day on Friday. Many thanks to all staff members for facilitating these events and to the Parents’ Association for their collaboration and sponsorship of the inflatables and ice cream cones for all pupils on Thursday. Although the weather deteriorated later in the week, it certainly did not prevent the children from enjoying a wonderful and active week. Some memories of the week can be seen on our social media page.

 

Sixth Class Graduation

Our Rg 6 pupils completed their primary school journey today. In advance of this milestone, we held a graduation ceremony last night. The evening began with Mass celebrated by Fr Toomey in Fourmilewater Church, followed by refreshments in the school hall. Thank you to everyone who helped make the occasion so special, including Fr Toomey, Mrs Byrne, Miss Denmead, Rose, members of the Parents’ Association who provided refreshments, and all who attended to celebrate this memorable occasion. We wish all twenty pupils every success, happiness and fulfilment as they begin the next chapter of their education and lives. They have been a wonderful group of young people and have made a tremendous contribution to our school community over the past eight years. As they move on to new beginnings, we look forward to welcoming twenty-eight new Junior Infants in late August.

 

Junior Achievement Ireland Initiative

Rg 5 had a fantastic day on Wednesday attending the Junior Achievement Ireland Young Entrepreneurs Leapfrog Presentation at SETU, Waterford. Over the past two months, the children have worked incredibly hard to develop their business ideas, establish their enterprises and prepare their business plan presentations. While all groups performed exceptionally well, we were absolutely delighted when one of our teams, The Paw Walkers, won the Best Business Plan Award. This wonderful achievement reflects their dedication, creativity and teamwork. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to April O’Gorman for her guidance, support and involvement throughout the programme. Her encouragement and expertise were greatly appreciated. Thanks also to Miss Duggan and Miss Roche.

 

Curious Minds Award

Once again, our school has been proudly awarded the Curious Minds Gold Science Award, recognising our commitment to hands-on, inquiry-based STEM learning. This achievement celebrates the creativity, teamwork and enthusiasm of our pupils and teachers as they explored science, technology, engineering and mathematics through engaging and innovative projects.

“Congratulations to everyone at Ballymacarbry NS on your award! Your submission clearly shows that there was a huge amount of STEM work done in the school this year. It’s clear that Ballymacarbry NS is full of budding scientists! The garden in the school is very impressive; well done to all for growing seeds and maintaining such a wonderful space. The Science Showcase and the Science Show and Tell look like they were a great success, with a wide variety of investigations demonstrated. It’s great to see pupils sharing their work. Keep up the fantastic work and well done on your award! It is a real credit to the pupils, teachers and the whole school community.”

Special thanks to Miss Denmead and Fourth Class for spearheading this initiative throughout the school.

 

New SEN Classroom

Work is progressing on the design and layout of our repurposed SEN classroom and associated accommodation. The project is expected to proceed to tender within the next two weeks. Subject to all stages progressing according to schedule, construction work is expected to commence in late July or early August 2026. Any builder or building firm interested in tendering for this project is invited to contact the school at 052 6136349 or ballymacns@gmail.com for further information.

 

Summer Holidays

The school will close for the summer holidays on Tuesday next at 12:30 p.m. The After-School Club will remain open until 6:00 p.m. on that day. Please ensure that anyone collecting your child is aware of these arrangements.

 

Is mise,

Michael J. O’Ryan
Principal