Play Area
You may have noticed that we have are developing a play area for our younger pupils! We will give you more details shortly and plan to have an official opening soon after the Easter holidays.
Positive Parenting Programme (Triple P)
Is your child unusually anxious? Would you like some help or sound advice about parenting? There are courses available – free of charge – from Triple P. Some of the courses start tonight, click here to read the list.
Uniform Matters
It’s great to see our pupils in school and looking well in their uniforms:
Green jumper/cardigan, white shirt, grey trousers/skirt/pinafore.
School tracksuit is available through the school and is to be worn with a white polo shirt on P.E. days only. Replacement navy legs (plain only) may be purchased in any shop. In warm weather, plain navy shorts of an appropriate length may be worn.
We recommend practical footwear, preferably in a dark colour.
The use of hair dye is not permitted during term time and we encourage pupils to tie up their hair. Earrings should be neat (no large loops etc.) and fake nails or nail extensions are not permitted.
Covid Update
I’m sure you are all familiar with the very high level of cases in the community and consequent disruption to your lives. This continues to be the case in school. We have had only one month (October) this year where pupil absences approached normality, other months have had – and continue to have – absences at between two and four times normal levels which is unprecedented. Under current public health guidelines, there is very little we can do but manage as best we can. We will continue to require you to complete a return to school declaration after your child has been absent, though we had hoped to cease this requirement by now. It’s a reminder that it’s still deemed important to mitigate the spread of the virus. Thank you all again for continuing to inform us of positive cases and for keeping your child at home if they have any symptoms. A reminder too that masks are still advised when travelling on buses; they are confined spaces and spread is much more likely in such settings.
Gaeilgeoirí
Check out our Gaeilgeoirí na Seachtaine.
Cumann na mBunscol
The competitions have been progressing through the month of March. A big thank you to the teachers involved in coaching the children. It is expected that the football competitions will return to their normal schedules in September. Our boys started very well, winning their first two matches but unfortunately things tailed off a little after that. We were only too glad to be back in action though and to give as many pupils as possible a chance to play for their school, having been deprived of that for the past two years. Our girls have been making very good progress, having won four of their five matches. Because competitions are compressed into a short timeframe this year, they will play in the shield semi-final at the Laois Centre of Excellence in Portlaoise this Thursday 7th April at 11 o’clock. Go n-éirí libh a chailíní!
School Activities
Swimming, rugby and football are continuing for classes in turn. We are looking forward to the return of gymnastics in June this year for all classes. 4th Class are taking part in their cycle safety course, learning lots of ways to help them to be safer cyclists. Please remind your child of the importance of road safety on the way to and from school.
Closing for Easter
The school will close for the Easter holidays at 12:15 for Infants and 12:30 for all others this Friday, 8th April. We will re-open on Monday, 25th April. Other planned closures are detailed on the school website. Thank you all for your support as always and a Happy Easter to you all.