Archives of previous years Newsletters are available by clicking on the links below.

2006-2007          2007-2008          2008-2009

September '09      October '09        November '09        December '09

January '10      February '10      March '10     

April '10      May'10

SEPTEMBER ’09 NEWSLETTER

Welcome to another school year! A special word of welcome to all our new boys and their parents.

PUPIL ACCIDENT INSURANCE
You have an opportunity again this year to take out insurance, at a reasonable cost. There are two types of cover-
School Activities only, €5
School and Leisure Activities – 24 hour, €8.
An insurance form accompanies this letter. Completed forms (cut off section only) can be put in an envelope with the pupil’s name, room number and amount of money on the outside. Forms will be accepted up to and including Friday 18th September.

PHOTOCOPYING AND ART
Each year we ask for a contribution of €20 per pupil to assist with the high cost of photocopying and art materials. €12 will go towards photocopying with the balance being used to purchase materials for the Art Room.

ATTENDANCE
The beginning of a school year is a good time to take stock of your son’s attendance. It is so important for him to attend school as much as possible. I have used the following quotation on a number of occasions to bring home the importance of regular attendance.
“It is important that parents realise that patterns of non-attendance are habit- forming. In other words, a child who misses school regularly in primary is more likely to go on missing school in secondary and is also more likely to drop out of school.” Eddie Ward, Chief Executive of the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB).
I am appealing to you to ensure that your son attends school as much as possible. You are not doing him any favours by allowing him to be absent when he is in a position to attend.

SCHOOL UNIFORM
The school uniform consists of grey trousers, light blue shirt, a crested navy jumper and black shoes. I ask that you make every effort to have your son dressed in full uniform. If, for any reason, this is not possible on a particular day please send a note to the class teacher or myself.

STAFF MEETINGS
Staff Meetings will generally be held on the last Thursday of each month. There are usually some exceptions each year. The full list appears in the School Closures section of this newsletter. The first Staff Meeting for this school year will take place on Thursday 24th September with school closing at 1.50 p.m.

FUN RUN ‘09
Our Annual Fun Run will take place on Thursday 1st October.

LISBON TREATY REFERENDUM
We have yet to receive confirmation that the school will be used for polling in the Lisbon Treaty Referendum on Friday 2nd October. However, it is more or less certain that school will be closed to pupils on that day.

SWINE FLU
I encourage you to check the school website, www.cbsprimarywexford.com, where you will find a link to very comprehensive information about Swine Flu. If you would like a paper copy of this information you or your son can request it from the school secretary, Mary Goodison. I suggest that you make yourself familiar with the symptoms of Swine Flu and that you discuss with your son what actions he can take to protect himself from the virus. The class teachers will be teaching lessons on respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene. Each classroom will have a supply of tissues and foam sanitiser.
Please check if your son is in a high risk group which may lead to complications. If your son becomes sick from flu he should stay at home for seven days from the onset of symptoms. If your son is seen to have flu-like symptoms while at school he will be isolated and you will be contacted and arrangements made to take him home. He should remain at home for seven days. If a case of Swine Flu is confirmed in the school you will be notified.
Further advice is available at www.swineflu.ie and www.hse.ie or by phoning the 24 hour HSE Flu Information Line, FREEPHONE 1800 941100.

SCHOOL CLOSURES
September
Thursday 24th- Staff Meeting-school closed at 1.50 p.m.
October
Friday 2nd - Lisbon Treaty Referendum - to be confirmed
Thursday 22nd-Staff meeting-school closed at 1.50 p.m.
Mon 26th-Fri 30th-Mid Term Break.
November
Thurs 26th-Staff Meeting-school will close at 1.50 p.m.
December
Thursday 17th-Staff Meeting-school will close at 1.50 p.m.
Tuesday 22nd-school will close at 12.45 p.m. for Christmas Holidays.
SCHOOL WILL RE-OPEN ON THURSDAY 7TH JANUARY 2010
January
Thursday 28th-Staff Meeting-school will close at 1.50 p.m.
February
Monday 15th-Friday 19th-Mid-Term Break.
Thursday 25th-Staff Meeting-school will close at 1.50 p.m.
March
Wednesday 17th-St.Patrick’s Day
Thursday 25th-Staff Meeting-school will close at 1.50 p.m.
Friday 26th-school will close at 12.45 p.m. for Easter Holidays
SCHOOL WILL RE-OPEN ON MONDAY 12TH APRIL 2010
April
Thursday 29th-Staff Meeting-school will close at 1.50 p.m.
May
Monday 3rd-Public Holiday
Tuesday 4th-Vacation Day
Thursday 27th-Staff Meeting-school will close at 1.50 p.m.
June
Monday 7th-Public Holiday
Thursday 24th-Staff Meeting-school will close at 1.50 p.m.
Wednesday 30th-school will close at 12.45 p.m. for Summer Holidays
 

Jos. Furlong   Principal   31st August 2009


 

OCTOBER ’09 NEWSLETTER

FUN RUN ‘09
This year’s Fun Run was another great success. Well done to all the boys and staff for making such a great effort with the dressing up. There are plenty of photos in this week’s local papers and we will have some on the school website shortly. The best dressed classes were:
1st – Room 17 – 5th class – Ms. Coughlan
2nd – Room 10 – 6th class – Ms. Coady
3rd – Room 11 – 6th class – Mr. Cummings
4th – Room 15 – 5th class – Ms. Ruddock
Wednesday 15th October has been set as the deadline for bringing in the money and the sponsorship cards. The Best Collecting classes and the Best Collector in each room will be decided on that day.

SCHOOL MASS
On Friday 9th October a mass will take place in Bride Street Church at 11.30 a.m. to celebrate the beginning of the school year. Family members will be very welcome.
We have pupils of different faiths in the school. If you don’t want your son to attend the mass please send in a note to the class teacher. Boys not attending will be supervised here in the school.

MOBILE PHONE RECYCLING
In conjunction with The Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation we are recycling mobile phones and we ask for your support. Many households have unwanted phones in drawers and we would be delighted to receive them, in any condition. This will be our second occasion to work with Jack and Jill.
The Jack and Jill Foundation (www.jackandjill.ie) is an Irish charity that supports families of babies who are born with or develop brain damage and who suffer severe intellectual and physical developmental delay as a result. The foundation provides home nursing care to 300 families in Ireland and the recycling of mobile phones is its main source of funding. We have set ourselves a target of recycling 500 mobile phones. This will result in the charity raising much needed funds. The school will also benefit as we will receive an interactive whiteboard in return for our support. You might also be in a position to help by organising a collection of mobile phones in your place of work.

STAFF MEETING
The monthly staff meeting will take place on Thursday 22nd October. Staff meetings are usually held on the last Thursday of the month but due to Mid Term Break the October meeting has been brought forward to Thursday 22nd. School will close at 1.50 p.m. that day.

MID-TERM BREAK
School will be closed for Mid-Term from Monday 26th October to Friday 30th October. School will re-open on Monday 2nd November.

ENROLMENT IN SECOND LEVEL SCHOOLS
I have pointed out before that it’s never too early to enrol your son in the second level school of your choice. There are three second level schools for boys in Wexford town. I have detailed relevant information below. You could phone the school to request an enrolment form or access the form on-line.
 C.B.S. Secondary 9141391 www.wexfordcbs.org. Enrolment forms can be completed on line.
 Wexford Vocational College. 9122753 www.wexfordvocational.com. The form can be printed, completed by hand and forwarded to Wexford Vocational College.
 St. Peter’s College 9142071 www.stpeterscollege.ie. The form can be printed, completed by hand and forwarded to St. Peter’s College.

ATTENDANCE
The attendance to date has been very good and I ask that you continue to work at having your son attend school as much as possible. On average the number of boys absent each day has been 8, which is just less than one pupil, per class, per day.

SACRAMENTAL CLASSES
This school year is a particularly important one for our 2nd and 6th classes. To assist you with your planning I have detailed the dates of the Sacramental Ceremonies.

2nd Class
First Confession – Tuesday 16th March 2010 @ 7 p.m. Bride Street Church.
First Holy Communion – Sunday 16th May 2010 @ 12.15 p.m. Bride Street Church.

6th Class
Confirmation – Saturday 8th May 2010 @ 11.00 a.m. Rowe Street Church.
Sunday 9th May 2010 @ 12 noon Bride Street Church
The boys can choose their day. Saturday’s ceremony will be shared with the Mercy School and Sunday’s with St. John of God School.
 

Jos. Furlong      Principal     7th October 2009.

NOVEMBER ’09 NEWSLETTER
 

SWINE FLU
Since our return to school, following the Mid Term Break, I have been informed by parents of three of our pupils that the boys have all the signs of Swine Flu. The boys are not currently in school and they are being treated at home. They will return to school once they have been informed by their doctors that it is ok to do so.
I encourage you to remind your son about Respiratory Etiquette and Hand Hygiene. Respiratory Etiquette refers to covering the mouth and nose with a paper tissue when coughing or sneezing. If a tissue isn’t available the advice is to cough or sneeze into the inside of the elbow. There is a box of tissues in each room in the school. However, as we head into the Winter, you might consider your son having his own supply of tissues at his desk. We also ask you to promote proper Hand Hygiene, washing of hands with soap and water. Teachers promote this in school as well and we also have alcohol foam sanitizers in each room. Click here for link to Respiratory Etiquette and Hand Hygiene.

PARENT/TEACHER MEETINGS
The Parent/Teacher Meetings will take place this month, Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th November. You will receive an appointment time next week. If you have a preference for a particular day or time you can let the teacher know before the letters are sent out. In line with Department of Education and Science guidelines, the school will close at 2.35 p.m. on Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th November.
We regard the Parent/Teacher meetings as being very worthwhile and I ask that you make every possible effort to attend.

FUN RUN 2009
It’s just over a month since we held our Annual Fun Run. All the money has been counted and the total amount collected by the boys was €9,309. We are delighted with the final figure, especially when account is taken of the fact that there is less “spare” money around these days. The boys did brilliantly at collecting so much sponsorship. Thank you, also, for supporting the school.
The Best Collecting Classes were-
1st – 6th class – Room 10 - Ms. Coady
2nd – 4th class – Room 9 – Br. Kinsella
3rd – 2nd class – Room 13 – Ms. Crosbie
4th – 5th class – Room 17 – Ms. Coughlan

SCHOOL CALENDAR
A link to the School Calendar can be found on the home page of the school’s website. It’s a very convenient way to check on closures to assist you with your planning.

STAFF MEETING
This month’s Staff Meeting will be held on the last Thursday of the month, 26th November. School will close at 1.50 p.m. on that day.

MOBILE PHONE RECYCLING
We are making slow, but steady progress with our mobile phone recycling. Our target is 500 phones and to date the boys have collected 88, which represents 18% of the total. A reminder that by collecting the mobile phones for recycling we will be helping the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation. This Irish charity supports families of babies who are born with or develop brain damage and who suffer severe intellectual and physical developmental delay as a result. The school will also benefit as we will receive an interactive whiteboard in return for our support. If you have unwanted mobile phones please pass them on to your son who in turn can put them in the collection boxes in school. Please keep in mind the possibility of collecting unwanted mobile phones at your place of work.

 

Jos. Furlong, Principal, 3rd November 2009.

DECEMBER ’09 NEWSLETTER

INDUSTRIAL ACTION
The 1 Day Strike planned for tomorrow, Thursday 3rd December will not go ahead. School will be open as normal.
Bernard O’Brien
Chairperson
Board of Management

PARENT/TEACHER MEETINGS
We were delighted with the number of parents who attended the meetings last month. 94% of parents met with the teachers. If you have yet to meet with your son’s teacher I ask that you make arrangements to do so in the next couple of weeks. We see the meetings as being very worthwhile and we greatly appreciate that so many parents attended.

SWINE FLU
I haven’t been made aware of any more cases of swine flu amongst members of our school community. You may have come across media reports of plans to vaccinate children in schools. We haven’t received any notification in relation to this. We would be very willing to allow the school to be used and we will keep you informed once we receive confirmation of the arrangements.

DECEMBER 8th
School will be open on Tuesday next, 8th December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. We plan to mark this Catholic Feast Day by attending mass in Bride Street Church at 11.30 p.m. Parents and other family members will be very welcome to join us. Parents of pupils of different faiths are asked to notify the class teacher in writing if it is their wish that their sons do not attend the mass.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
82 shoeboxes were collected by the boys to be sent to needy children in Eastern Europe and Africa. Thank you for encouraging the boys to help young people who are less well off then themselves.

DECEMBER STAFF MEETING
As the last Thursday of the month will be during the Christmas Holidays the December meeting will take place on Thursday 17th with school closing at 1.50 p.m.

MOBILE PHONE RECYCLING
We are still making steady progress with the used mobile phone collection. We have just passed 40% of the target, 204 phones collected. Traditionally a lot of new phones are purchased for Christmas. Please keep us in mind and spread the word among family and friends. Hopefully we will get in a lot of old phones in January which will help the Jack and Jill Foundation. We also hope to be well on our way to getting our first interactive whiteboard.

USED CLOTHING APPEAL
The boys received flyers yesterday in relation to the collection of used clothing. We have helped this Irish charity on a previous occasion. The collection of the clothing will raise funds to help an orphanage in Kenya. Clothing, household textiles (curtains, towels and bed linen) and footwear can be left into Rooms 5 & 6 of the Old Building before 10 a.m. on Friday of this week, 4th December.

PARENTS’ COUNCIL CHRISTMAS RAFFLE
The Christmas Raffle and the Voluntary Contribution Collection are the two sources of income for the school’s Parents’ Council. The money raised will benefit the pupils. Even though we are in recessionary times the business people of the town have been very supportive by donating prizes for the raffle. We are still receiving offers of prizes, some of which are listed below:-
Christmas Hamper, MP3 Player, two prizes of €100 cash, a blender, Paul Maloney Pottery Hamper, €25 Voucher, Electric Drill, Sunday Lunch for Two, €50 Voucher, Wexford Jacket, Meal for Two.
The tickets for the Christmas Raffle were distributed today, 2nd December. Each boy received two books of tickets. Boys with brothers in the school received one book each. Tickets cost €2 or €5 for a book of 3. The boys do most of the work of selling the tickets and they will be entered into the sellers’ draws which will be held in each class. The Parents’ Council will fund the prizes – 54 Selection Boxes!

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS
School will close at 12.45 p.m. on Tuesday 22nd December and will re-open on Thursday 7th January 2010.

Thank you for your continued support for the work of the school. I wish you and your family a very enjoyable Christmas and a Happy New Year.
 

Jos. Furlong     Principal     2nd December 2009.

JANUARY ’10 NEWSLETTER

We had a later than usual start to the second term due to the weather conditions. I wish everybody well for this term and 2010.

TEXT A PARENT
The difficulties caused by the recent bad weather have confirmed for us the importance of getting information quickly to families. We plan to register with Text a Parent to avail of a quick and easy way to send messages directly to parents. Each text sent will cost the school 6c. You will not be charged to receive the text.
The Text a Parent service is ideal for unpredictable events, last minute timetable changes, important reminders, etc. In some case it will be used to contact all families. At other times messages may be sent to parents of boys in particular classes.
I ask that you nominate one mobile number per family for Text a Parent in the space below and return it to your son’s teacher as soon as possible.

MOBILE PHONE RECYCLING
Our total to date is 261 phones. I’m sure that there were a lot of new phones purchased prior to Christmas. If you feel that you would like the old phones to be recycled we would be delighted to receive them. Remember, our target is 500 phones to help the Jack and Jill Foundation and our reward will be an inter-active whiteboard.

SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING DAY
Primary schools are entitled to one full planning day in the school year. Our day will be Monday 1st February when our focus will be Drama and Classroom Planning. The school will be closed to pupils on that day.

STAFF MEETINGS
All staff meetings between January and June 2010 will be held on the last Thursday of each month. The January staff meeting will take place on Thursday 28th, closing at 1.50 p.m.

SCHOOL CLOSURES

February
Mon 1st – School Development Planning
Mon 15th – Fri 19th Mid Term Break

March
Wed 17th – St. Patrick’s Day
Fri 26th – School will close at 12.45 p.m. for Easter Holidays.
School will re-open on Monday 12th April 2010.
 

Jos. Furlong         Principal        13th January 2010.

TEXT A PARENT

Pupil’s Name_____________________ Mobile No._________________________ Room No.___

FEBRUARY 2010 NEWSLETTER

HAITI FUNDRAISING
Well done to all the boys and their teachers for getting involved in fundraising for the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the recent earthquake. In total €1,360 was raised. €500 will be used to buy a tent to provide shelter for a family. Heavy rains are due in Haiti in March and good shelter is vital. We will be able to have a name put on the tent and check on its location on-line. The balance of the money will be donated to Concern.

PARENTS’/GUARDIANS’ MOBILE PHONE NUMBERS
It is very important for us to have up to date mobile phone numbers and I ask that you notify the school when you change your contact details. This is particularly important in relation to the Text-a-Parent messaging service. We would appreciate it if you could indicate the number to be deleted from our system as well as the new number.

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Primary school teachers throughout Ireland have given many hours of their own time to co-ordinating activities outside of school hours. That has been the case in C.B.S. Primary School as well. This work is completely voluntary and unpaid. As Principal, I greatly appreciate the willingness of teachers to spend hours training football, hurling and quiz teams and engaging in other activities over many years.

CREDIT UNION QUIZ
Our pupils performed very well again in the Annual Credit Union Quiz on Monday 1st February. One of our Under-13 teams won their section by three points. Well done to Conor Walsh, Daniel O’Regan, Conor Bolger and Brian Mitchell. The boys will participate in the Regional Final next month, hoping to reach the All-Ireland Final.
One of our Under-11 teams came very close to winning. They were beaten by one point. Well done to them on finishing second – Dylan Breen, Luke Dowdall, Kevin Reddy and Ben Creane.
We entered four teams altogether and we also say “Well done” to the following boys for representing the school so well – Edward Cummins, Cillian Deane, James Doyle, Barry Murphy, Brian Deeny, Pasty Whelan, Conor Kilgannon and Ben McMahon.

MID TERM BREAK
School will be closed for the February Mid-Term Break, Monday 15th to Friday 19th inclusive. All second level schools will be closed that week also.

STAFF MEETING
This month’s staff meeting will again be on the last Thursday, 25th February. School will close at 1.50 p.m. on that day.

FOOD DUDES HEALTHY EATING PROGRAMME
I’m sure that you are aware that our pupils have the option to have a complimentary piece of fruit each day in school. Early next month we will also be participating in the Food Dudes Healthy Eating Programme. The boys will sample fruit and vegetables in school each day for approximately three weeks. All the food will again be provided free of charge and there will be lots of rewards for the boys. There will be further details in March.

SHAMROCK
We will be continuing the tradition of selling Shamrock to raise money to support the mission work of the Christian Brothers in Zambia. Over the years our pupils have raised thousands of euro which has been used to provide education for boys and girls in Zambia. I know that St. Patrick’s Day seems to be a long way off, however we will need to distribute the order cards next week, before Mid-Term Break. Hopefully you will be in a position to support this project.

SWINE FLU VACCINATIONS
We have been informed that the Swine Flu Vaccination team will visit the school on Wednesday 24th March. There will be further information in next month’s Newsletter.

Jos. Furlong      Principal     3rd February 2010
 

MARCH 2010 NEWSLETTER
 

R.S.E. LESSONS
The Relationships and Sexuality lessons will be taught in all classes on Wednesday 3rd March. Our 6th class boys will have a further lesson on Wednesday 10th March.
I apologise for the confusion in relation to the notice about the lessons. All the letters were posted on Monday 22nd February. Some were received by parents a week ago, some arrived on Monday 1st March, while others didn’t arrive at all. We made efforts to clarify the position through Text-a-Parent and notes home. Extra copies of the information were given to some boys to deliver by hand.

CREDIT UNION QUIZ REGIONAL FINAL
Best of luck to the four boys who will represent the school in the Credit Union Quiz on Saturday in Gorey – Conor Walsh, Daniel O’Regan, Conor Bolger and Brian Mitchell.

SHAMROCK
Some boys have still to return shamrock orders and cards. Please check that your son has returned his card. If a card has been lost we would appreciate receiving a brief note. Cards, orders and money to be returned by Friday of this week, 5th March.

SWINE FLU VACCINATIONS
A reminder that the Swine Flu Vaccination team will visit the school on Wednesday 24th March. The team will also be in St. John of God School, The Faythe, starting at 9.00 a.m. We haven’t been given an exact time for our vaccinations but they could start around midday.
The boys received a Swine Flu leaflet containing information and a consent form. I encourage you to read the information and then complete the relevant parts of the consent form. The forms can be returned to the class teacher. You will also find updated information on www.swineflu.ie. My understanding is that the vaccination programme will finish on 31st March.
Since September 2009 we have had measures in place in our school to prevent the spread of Swine Flu. At the recent Board of Management meeting it was decided that, in light of the Swine Flu vaccine being made available to children and adults in our school, it will no longer be necessary to provide such measures after the vaccination date.

FOOD DUDES PROGRAMME
The boys have started the Food Dudes Programme in school where they have an opportunity to sample fruit and vegetables on 16 school days, starting on 1st March. There will be lots of rewards for “having a go”. I ask that you support the programme. One way would be to help your son with his chart which will record the types of fruit and vegetables eaten by the boys at home.

CLOSURES
     Wed 17th March – St. Patrick’s Day.
     Friday 26th March – School closing at 12.45 p.m. for Easter Holidays.
     SCHOOL WILL RE-OPEN ON MONDAY 12th APRIL.

STAFF MEETING
This month’s staff meeting will again take place on the last Thursday, 25th March, when school will close at 1.50 p.m.

BOOK FAIR
We will be holding our annual Book Fair this month. The books will arrive on Thursday 11th March and the boys will have an opportunity to view them on the first two days. Purchasing will take place on Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th March. There will be a final opportunity to make purchases on Thursday 18th. As part of World Book Day the boys will receive a Book Voucher which can be used at the Book Fair.

ENROLMENT IN SECOND LEVEL SCHOOLS
Over the past few years I have been reminding parents about the need to complete an application form for second level schools. It’s never too early to complete the form. The details are as follows.
    C.B.S. Secondary 9141391 www.wexfordcbs.org. Enrolment forms can be completed on line.
    Wexford Vocational College. 9122753 www.wexfordvocational.com. The form can be printed, completed by hand and forwarded to Wexford Vocational College.
    St. Peter’s College 9142071 www.stpeterscollege.ie. The form can be printed, completed by hand and forwarded to St. Peter’s College.

IRISH CULTURE AND LANGUAGE
March is often a time for people’s awareness of their Irish heritage – music, dance, language, etc to be heightened. We plan to tie in with Seachtain na Gaeilge and have an emphasis on spoken Irish in the school. We have also organized for Class Trad, a traditional group presenting Irish Music, Song and Dance, to visit the school on Friday 19th March. There will be three 1 hour performances with three classes attending each session. The Fun Run Account will subsidise this activity and the boys will be asked to pay €3 each.

Jos. Furlong     Principal     2nd March 2010

APRIL 2010 NEWSLETTER

CREDIT UNION QUIZ
Best wishes go to the four boys who will represent the school in the Under-13 category of the Credit Union Quiz in the All Ireland Final in Dublin on Sunday next, 18th April. The team members are, Conor Walsh, Daniel O’Regan, Conor Bolger and Brian Mitchell. The boys have been great ambassadors for the school at the local and chapter levels and I’m sure that this will continue in the All Ireland Final.
The final is a huge event with teams from the whole of Ireland, North and South, competing. There will be 50 teams in each category, totalling 400 competitors. Add in an audience of approximately 1,000 and you get some sense of how big it is!
A special work of “Thanks” goes to Mr. Cummings for preparing the boys so well. He and the boys have given a lot of their own time to the preparation. Good Luck to the boys for Sunday. Enjoy the day!

STANDARDISED TESTING
Every year we administer Standardised English and Maths tests. Standardised tests allow us to compare an individual pupil’s performance in English and Maths with standards of attainment nationally. We view the tests as being very important and I ask for your assistance in ensuring that your son attends school on the days of the testing. There will be a reminder of the dates in the May Newsletter.
Micra-T (English) Tuesday 18th May All classes
Sigma-T (Maths) Tuesday 25th May All classes
Thursday 27th May 4th, 5th & 6th classes.

STAFF MEETING
This month’s Staff Meeting will again take place on the last Thursday, 29th April. To facilitate this, school will close at 1.50 p.m. on that date.

SCHOOL CROSSING WARDEN
Most parents will be aware that we have been without a School Crossing Warden since last November. With the approval of the Board of Management, the responsibility of getting pupils safely across the road has been shared by Mr. Cummings and myself. The Warden position has been advertised, interviews have taken place and we look forward to an appointment being made.

SCHOOL CLOSURES
Please note the reminder in relation the school closures for this term.

May Monday 3rd – Public Holiday
Tuesday 4th – Vacation Day

June Monday 7th – Public Holiday

School will close, for Summer Holidays, at 12.45 p.m. on Wednesday 30th June.

PARENTS’ COUNCIL CONTRIBUTION
We are very grateful for the financial support given to the school by parents over many years. In recent years the Parents’ Council Contributions have been used to fund the yearly I.T./Computer costs. We received a Government grant this year which enabled us to install a digital projector in each room during the Easter Holidays. The next stage of our plan is to provide a laptop in each classroom. This year’s Parents’ Council Contributions will help us to achieve that aim.
Our Parents’ Council contribution has been €30 per family for many years. A lot of families made contributions at the beginning of this school year. I’m conscious that more families would like to make the €30 contribution. Envelopes will be distributed, next week, as a reminder. Again, I acknowledge the financial support given to date and with further contributions we will be better able to provide improved I.T. facilities throughout the school.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   Jos. Furlong     Principal     14th April 2010
 

MAY 2010 NEWSLETTER
 

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION AND CONFIRMATION CEREMONIES
Our pupils in 2nd and 6th classes participated in three beautiful ceremonies this month. I thank the teachers involved – Ms. Cleary, Ms. Crosbie, Ms. Coady and Mr. Cummings – for the extra work involved in preparing the boys to receive the sacraments. I also acknowledge the work and support of our school chaplain, Fr. Aodhan Marken. On Sunday 16th May the Parents’ Council hosted a party for the First Communion boys and their families. This was greatly appreciated by all who attended. Each of the boys will receive a copy of the group photo, courtesy of the Parents’ Council.

SCHOOL TOURS
All the tour dates have been set and the boys are currently bringing in money to pay for the trips. There is the facility to pay on a weekly basis, thereby spreading the cost. I would like to remind you that, in line with our Positive Discipline Policy, pupils need to have 85% of their Positive Discipline Stamps.

BOOK RENTAL
This was our first year of the Book Rental Scheme and it proved to be very successful. The book lists for the new school year will be finalised by the end of May and information regarding Book Rental 2010/2011 will be distributed in early June.

PARENTS’ COUNCIL
Letters and envelopes were distributed earlier in the month. If you feel that you are in a position to contribute we would appreciate the financial support.

STANDARDISED TESTING
We conduct our standardised testing in May each year. The English tests were held on Tuesday 18th. Seventeen boys were absent on that day and we will endeavour to make arrangements to administer the tests to those who missed out. This isn’t ideal as the pupils will miss regular classwork and the teacher who will administer the test will miss contact time with pupils.
The Maths tests will be administered to all classes on Tuesday 25th May. The pupils in 4th, 5th and 6th classes will have Part 2 of their test on Thursday 27th. I ask that you make every effort possible to have your son attend school for the testing.

STAFF MEETING
This month’s Staff Meeting will again take place on the last Thursday of the month, 27th May. School will close at 1.50 p.m. on that day.

B.B.Q. DAYS
Our B.B.Q. Days are a reward to the boys for their good behaviour. Pupils need 85% of their Positive Discipline Stamps to participate. This year we decided to set aside three days for each B.B.Q. to allow for inclement weather. In the event of the weather being bad on the first day we move to the second day, etc.
Junior B.B.Q. 2nd, 3rd, 4th classes – 1st choice Thurs. 17th June, 2nd choice Tues. 22nd June, 3rd choice Mon. 28th June.
Senior B.B.Q. 5th & 6th classes – 1st choice Fri. 18th June, 2nd choice Mon. 21st June, 3rd choice Wed. 23rd June.

6th CLASS FAREWELL CEREMONY
Our traditional farewell ceremony for the boys in the 6th classes will take place on Friday 25th June at 1.30 p.m. in Rooms 5 & 6. This will be the last day in school for the 6th class boys.

SCHOOL CLOSURES
Monday 7th June – Public Holiday
School will close at 12.45 p.m. on Wednesday 30th June for the Summer Holidays.

SUMMER WORKS
The school was successful in the application for external insulation work to be carried out on the Old Building under the Department of Education’s Summer Works Scheme.

Jos. Furlong     Principal     20th May 2010
 

Back