Dear Parent / Guardian / Colleague / Board Member,

 

Water Update.

Thankfully the Boil Water Notice has been discontinued at our school.

 

MMR.                                                                                                                                                                         

Thanks to the Junior infant parent cohort for their cooperation with the HSE and ourselves this week.

 

Food Dudes.

We are happy to participate in this initiative this year. Pupils get to enjoy fruit and vegetables each day. While the senior side of the school will avail of this for five days, the junior side will continue for a further two weeks. Please note we encourage all pupils to bring healthy lunches to school.

 

Confirmation Times.

While the dates have already been published, we now know that Confirmation will take place in Touraneena on Tues 29^th April at 9:45 am and in Fourmilewater on the same day at 12 noon.

 

Parent Teacher Meetings. (PTM)

Our Annual Parent Teacher Meetings will take place on Wed 27^th and Thurs 28^th Nov in the school. A pack will issue to each family next week with details of teachers to be met. The following is the breakdown of each afternoon;

 

Wednesday 27^th Nov. 3:10pm – 5:10 pm (Ahearne – Mulcahy inc.)

Thursday 28^th Nov. 3:10 pm – 5:10 pm (Norris – White inc.)

 

Christmas Annuals.

Families will receive an order slip for these annuals in their PTM packs next week. If you are interested in ordering all / any, please complete slip, returning it with the required money without delay. There is a closing date of Friday 22^nd November for ordering.

 

School Concert.

As previously advised, our Christmas concert will take place on Wed 11^th and Thurs 12^th Dec in the Community Centre. All classes will perform each night. As we have over 100 families connected to the school, each family will be entitled to purchase two tickets for each performance. This will comply with capacity limitations at the Centre. There are many costs associated with our biennial concert, such as hall hire, lighting, sound, transport etc. We will advise of ticket prices at a later stage.

 

Parking Progress

Having met with all neighbouring landowners throughout 2024 and previously, we are happy to announce that we have come to an agreement with the Byrne family of Clogheen, Ballymacarbry in relation to acquiring land adjacent to our school in the interest of facilitating staff parking across from the school gate. We feel that by accommodating this, we will make the junction safer for all who use it.

 

We thank all landowners for their interaction with us down through the years; especially the Byrnes, Lizzie, her son Michael and his brothers and sisters for their cooperation. We would also like to thank Eamon Costigan and Paudie Halpin for their assistance throughout the negotiation period.

 

We acknowledge the work of current and former, chairs, principals and Boards of management in seeking a solution to this ongoing problem. Ned Moore and the principal have been part of a BoM subcommittee working behind the scenes these last few years and were joined by Brendan O’Brien in December last. They have dealt with landowners, various levels of council officials and members of the Garda Síochána.

 

While we have known of this for some weeks, we progressed it through proper channels. We mention it now with full permission of the Byrne family, having discussed it at a recent BoM meeting. Even though years of preparatory work have gone into this development, the hard work starts now, it will not happen overnight, but thankfully it will happen and it will mark a seminal moment in the development of our school and its environs. We will keep the school community informed as necessary.

 

We will continue to work with the Garda Síochána, Waterford City & County Council in emphasising the importance of Road Safety and Traffic Management at the junction. Nothing can improve in this regard, without their lead and enthusiasm. We will also work with the recently formed Ballymacarbry Road Action Group (BRAG) with whom we have exchanged emails to advance this necessity.

 

In the interim, I would ask all those who drop and collect, to continue to utilise the one-way system in operation, to make the junction as safe as possible. Sometimes it is better to leave collection until 3:05-3:10 pm when all buses have departed and the initial rush has passed.

 

Is mise,

Michael J. O’Ryan – Principal.