Thursday, December 23, 2010

School note December 23rd 2010

Dear parents,
 As we reach the end of term, I would like to bring the following to your attention.
Members of the Parents' Association were busy bagpacking in Tesco in Dooradoyle in the run-up to Christmas. A total of €2,100 was raised. The efforts of the Parents Association, not just at Christmas, but all year round are greatly appreciated.
The Christmas Show held in Ballybrown Church on Monday night was a huge success. The show was of an extremely high standard and attracted a very large attendance. Our thanks are due to Mrs Dillon and Ms Mc Carthy who co-ordinate such a wonderful production every Christmas. Thanks also to Mr Sheehy who was in charge of the band of angels and to all the children who took part. They were a credit to the school and their parents.
Fr Tommy Byrne of the Redemptorist  Order visited the school yesterday to accept a cheque for €1,590 for the Fr Gerry Daly Christmas Fund. The money was raised by the pupils of Sixth Class who ran a Fun Day last Friday. Fr Byrne was deeply grateful for the donation and praised the children for their efforts.
A Fun Table Quiz was held yesterday for all pupils in 4th. , 5th. and 6th. classes. The winning team of Ava Coughlan, Ciara Waters, Sinead Ronan and Beverly Mullins scored 54 marks out of 60 and won by a single point. Cora Harty of the Parents Association presented prizes to the top three teams. Thank you to the Parents Association for providing the prizes and to Ms Fitzgerald, Mr Lordan, Mrs Allen and Mary Conway for their help in running it.
School will re-open on Monday January 10th at 9.15 a.m. School will close at 12.30 p.m. on Friday January 14th to facilitate a teachers' meeting.
On behalf of the Board of Management and staff of the school, I would like to wish you all a Happy Christmas. I look forward to seeing you all in 2011.
Gach dea-ghuí,

____________________________
J. Lyons
Principal

Thursday, December 16, 2010

School note December 16th 2010

Dear parents,
    
 As we approach the end of term, I wish to bring the following to your attention.
The pupils in Ms Fitzgerald's Sixth class are organising the Christmas Fun Day tomorrow Friday 17th. , proceeds of which will go to the Fr Daly Christmas Fund.
The Christmas show featuring children from First to Sixth classes will take place in Ballybrown Church on Monday Dec.20th at 7 p.m. Great credit is due to Mrs Dillon, Ms Mc Carthy and all the cast who have been rehearsing for this production. Carols can be downloaded at  www.ballybrownns.ie under the Tips for Parents link. We look forward to full audience participation.
Many parents have been involved in bagpacking in Tesco in Dooradoyle  The  Parents Association would like to thank everybody who gave so generously of their time at this busy time of year to make some money for school funds. The Parents Association would also like to pass on Christmas greetings to all families in the school.
    Confessions will be heard in the school next Tuesday for children from 3rd to 6th classes.
    There will be a Table Quiz for all pupils in 4th , 5th, and Sixth classes on Wednesday afternoon from 1 to 3 p.m.. Thank you to the Parents Association for providing prizes.
Congratulations to Ms Day, Third Class teacher, who was conferred with a Masters in Drama and Performance Studies on Monday in U.C.D.
School will close for all pupils on Thursday next Dec 23rd. at 12.30 p.m. and reopen on Monday January 10th.  2011. School will close at 12.30 p.m. on Friday January 14th to facilitate a teachers' meeting.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very peaceful Christmas.
Gach dea-ghuí,

_____________________ 
J. Lyons
Principal

Thursday, December 9, 2010

School note December 9th

Dear Parents,
                     I wish to bring the following to your attention.
There will be a Colours Day tomorrow Friday Dec 10th in aid of the school's Parents' Association.  Children are not required to wear their school uniform on that day. € 1 per child would be appreciated.
Sixth Class will hold the annual Fun Day in aid of the Fr. Gerry Daly fund on the following Friday December 17th.
Please read the note from the Parents' Association on the reverse of this page.
Congratulations to Michelle Maher, Fifth Class, who won a trip to Lapland for herself and her family.
Last Thursday, pupils from First to Fourth Class enjoyed a performance of 'Dick Whittington' by the West Midlands Theatre Company from Wolverhampton. It was an excellent production.
Thank you to the members of the Parents Association who braved the Arctic conditions to direct traffic in the Car Park this week. We continue to appeal to parents to be vigilant in the vicinity of the school.
Whatever about recession, Romance is blossoming in Ballybrown NS. Our best wishes go to Ms Linda Fitzgerald, Senior Infants teacher, who will wed Dan Ivess on Saturday. Congratulations also to Ms Sinead Fitzgerald, Sixth Class teacher, on her engagement last weekend and to Ms Mary O Connell, Special Needs teacher, who was married during the Hallowee'en break.
The Christmas pageant will take place in St Joseph's Church, Ballybrown on Monday Dec 20th. All carols will be posted on the www.ballybrownns.ie website so you have no excuse for not joining in. Thanks to Mrs Dillon and Ms Mc Carthy for their efforts again this year.
Yours,

____________________ 
J. Lyons
Principal

Thursday, December 2, 2010

School note December 2nd

Dear parents,

I wish to bring the following to your attention.
A note explaining  Phonological Awareness Training  (PAT) has been uploaded on the school website. This mainly concerns children in classes from Infants to Third Class.

Any child interested in joining the choir for the Communion preparation Masses is requested to attend Ballybrown Church at 7 p.m. on Wednesday December 8th. where Marguerite will meet you.
The Parents Association members are putting the final touches to the Bagpacking in Tesco. Volunteers are needed for the 5p.m. to 7 p.m. slot on Thursday December 16th. Please contact Rosemary at the school.

There will be a Colours Day on Friday December 10th  to raise money for the Parents Association. €1 per child is requested.
Last Friday, we had a Board Games Day in school. All classes brought in games and it was a great success. €340 was raised. I have since purchased Monopoly, Chess, Draughts, Snakes & Ladders and am on the look out for more bargains. These games are kept in the school and all classes have access to them.

There is still grave concern about parking and general driver behaviour in the vicinity of the school. Parents are using the disabled spots to drop off children and allowing children to run through the staff parking area. There have been several close calls lately. The Parents Association has decided to steward the Car Park in response to this. I am very grateful to them for this and ask all drivers to co-operate. The safety of children is our only concern.
Gach dea-ghuí

_________________
J.Lyons
Principal

Thursday, November 25, 2010

School note November 25th

Dear parents,
The members of the  Parents Association are busy organising the bagpacking in Tesco in Dooradoyle. If you are available to help on the dates, please return the form to Rosemary in the school office by tomorrow morning. The next Parents Association meeting is Monday next November 29th at 8.30 pm in the Halla.
Last Friday night, Ballybrown NS finished in third place in the GAA School of the Year Awards in Croke Park. This was the second time in two years that we achieved this placing.
I would remind parents that these notes are available on the school blog. www.ballybrownns.ie
Our school will participate in a school Board  Game playing day tomorrow Friday Nov 26th. It is hoped that the pupils will bring board games to school on the day, where they will have an opportunity to enjoy playing these with their friends.  
Board games are recognised as being excellent tools for encouraging social interaction amongst children and teaching them valuable life skills. All children benefit from playing games. Games teach important social skills such as sharing, obeying rules, taking turns and winning and losing.  Regular game-playing can contribute to developing the concept of turn-taking, visual alertness, visual discrimination, fine and gross motor movements, attention to the sound and letter value in words, number and time concepts, memory strategies, sequencing, problem solving, deductive and inductive reasoning, vocabulary and a host of other skills.
These are but a few of the advantages of playing board games and we at Ballybrown National School hope to provide more opportunities for the children to play these games in the future. Hasbro, an Irish board company will sponsor some free games for the school as a result of having this game day and we also ask that the pupils each bring €2 in order to help the school buy a substantial amount of games for the children for use in our school.
Yours,

____________________
J. Lyons
Principal

School note November 18th

Dear parents,
I wish to bring the following to your attention.
Parent – teacher meetings will take place next Thursday November 25th . School will end for all pupils at 2 p.m. It is important that all pupils are collected promptly so that the scheduled times can be adhered to. Most teachers have 20-25 meetings scheduled for that afternoon. If you have an issue to discuss that may take longer than the allotted time, please arrange a further appointment and the school will make every effort to accommodate you. Each family will receive a letter today with details of appointment times.
I would like to thank the members of the Parents Association who helped with the Book Fair. Once again, the Book Fair was a great success. The turnover came to €2500 approximately and the school will receive books to the value  of 60%  of this amount as commission. Please note that the Parents Association will send out a note next Monday regarding the Bagpacking in Tesco, Dooradoyle. Volunteers needed.
Congratulations to Clodagh Kirby, Cathal Locke and Ava Coughlan, Sixth Class, all prizewinners in the MPCC Credit Union poster competition.
A number of children have had to leave school due to illness recently. I have been informed that some have presented with a viral infection and a 'foghorn' type cough. Medical advice is that this is contagious and if these symptoms occur, you should bring the child to your doctor.

The school has been shortlisted for the Best GAA School Award and the result will be announced at the Cumann na mBunscol Awards in Croke Park tomorrow night. It is a great honour to make the shortlist for the second time in the last three years.

Gach dea –ghuí,

____________________ 
J. Lyons
Principal,

Thursday, November 11, 2010

School note November 11th

The annual Book Fair is currently taking place in the school Hall. Parents may visit the Book Fair today Thursday from 2-4 p.m. and from 7.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. tonight.  There will be another opportunity tomorrow between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. The school receives a commission on all books sold. I am indebted to the members of the school's Parents' Association who are helping out with the Book Fair.
Congratulations to Mairead Hannon, Fifth Class, who was a prizewinner in the Fairtrade Christmas Card competition. Congratulations also to Robert and Eoin Corby, successful in the Munster Schools Swimming Gala in Cork last weekend.
The next meeting of the Parents' Association will take place next Monday night November 15th. at 8.30 p.m.
The Food Dudes initiative has reached the halfway point and the response has been extremely positive.
Parent teacher meetings will take place on Thursday  November 25th. Appointments are being finalised at the moment. Please note that notice of appointments will not be posted out to parents this year. The eldest child in each family will receive the notices. This is an effort to reduce costs.
As the weather deteriorates, I appeal to parents to be extremely careful when dropping off and collecting children. Please use the car parking areas. Parents should not park in the Staff parking area or allow pupils to run through this area. . Disabled parking spots and bus parking should be kept free at all times.
The school's only concern is the safety of our pupils.

Thank you for your co-operation in this matter.

Gach dea-ghuí,

________________
J.Lyons

Principal

Friday, November 5, 2010

School Note November 4th

Dear parents,
The Book Fair will go ahead in school next week, starting on Thursday 11th. Books will be available for viewing at designated times for parents and pupils. A note will issue next week with further information.
The Food Dudes initiative is going on in school this week and the reaction from pupils has been overwhelmingly positive. Today's fruit was raisins and carrots were the vegetables. Thanks to Mr Sheehy and Mr Lordan for co-ordinating distribution to all classes. There are also lovely prizes on offer.
I have just received confirmation that Ballybrown NS has been nominated on the shortlist for Best GAA School in the Allianz  Cumann na mBunscol Awards. The other schools nominated are Dualla NS, Co. Tipperary, Watergrasshill NS, Co Cork and Doon CBS. The winners will be announced in Croke Park on Friday November 19th. There are six teachers actively involved in GAA activities in the school and this nomination is recognition of that commitment.
Sixth Class will start swimming classes in Askeaton Leisure Centre next Wednesday  and will continue for six weeks. Fifth Class will get their turn in the New Year.
The two Senior Infants classes are enjoying their new Interactive Whiteboards. The Promethean Board in Ms Fitzgerald's class was procured thanks to the 300 old mobile phones collected by parents. Mr  Lordan's class is next on the list.
For children interested in Science, UL Festival of Science will take place in UL on Saturday Nov 13th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Further details from Vicky at 061 202642.
Fógra: The Community Council wish to inform you that a Fun Bingo Quiz will be held in the local GAA Hall on Friday 12th Nov at 9pm. Over 18yrs only. Table of 4 (10euro each).
 Ballybrown/Clarina Community Games wish to announce that Draughts Training will commence this Thursday in the school hall from 7:30 to 8:30pm. The competitions are U10, U12, U14. New competitors are welcome.
Gach dea-ghuí,

___________________ 
J. Lyons
Principal

School note October 21st

Dear parents,
. It has been pointed out to me that some traffic/parking problems have arisen lately.
For parents new to the school, please note that traffic enters near Fr O Connor's house and exits near to the school.  Drivers are asked not to park at or near the exit as this causes a delay and prevents the speedy throughput of cars.
Safety of pupils is at all times our first concern. Parents are requsted not to park or drop off children near the area reserved for buses or the staff car park. Children should not walk through the staff car park.
Please do not obstruct access to the area designated for buses or the disabled spaces. I appeal to parents to observe the designated areas. I would also ask parents to convey this information to other drivers such as grandparents/ siblings/ minders who may do the school run.
The Food Dudes Healthy Eating initiative has started in the school and will continue for 16 days after the midterm break. A special word of thanks to Mr Sheehy and Mr Lordan who have agreed to co-ordinate the project. As this involves distribution of over 270 packs of fruit and vegetable every day as well as organising surveys, rewards and disseminating information, there is a lot of work involved. The daily Fruit Break will continue.
Damien O Brien has asked me of Ballybrown/Clarina Community Games to include the following:
A registration night will be held in Ballybrown NS hall on next Thursday night (21st October from 7pm-8pm). All children aged between 6 and 15 who wish to take part in community games this year must register on this night. Registration is €5 and covers insurance and participation for all community games competitors throughout the year. Upcoming events (before Christmas) include Draughts and indoor soccer. For other Events see information on registration night.

School will close at the usual time tomorrow and reopen on Monday November 1st. Tomorrow is the date of the Hallowe'en Party. Fancy dress optional.
Gach dea-ghui

___________________________
J. Lyons
Principal

Friday, October 15, 2010

School note October 14th

Dear Parents,

The Parents Association hosted a talk on Shared Reading last Monday night. Ms Siobhan Doherty gave a very interesting presentation on this topic. Over 40 parents attended and it was deemed most worthwhile.

The Annual Recycling Day organised by the Parents Association takes place tomorrow Friday October 15th. All bags will be collected by 10 a.m. Please bring directly to the Halla.

The next meeting of the Parents Association will take place in the Halla on Tuesday October 19th at 8.30 p.m. All are welcome.

School will be closed for all pupils  on Monday next October 18th. for School Development Planning.

Second Class visited Currachase this week as part of National Tree Week. A most interesting time was enjoyed by all involved.

The pupils of Third Class have completed their course on Cycling Safety with Mr John Clancy of the Cycling Safety School. They received their certificates yesterday. Well done to all and a special word of thanks to John Clancy for his excellent work.

Our school Gaelic Football teams have been playing in under 11 and under 13 competitions for both boys and girls. A special thanks to Mr Lordan, Mr Sheehy and Ms Fitzgerald for al their work in preparing these teams.

Rose Merrigan. Secretary, Ballybrown Senior Citizens Committee has asked me to include the following: If you are 16 or over and would like to help raise funds for the Ballybrown Senior Citizens Annual Christmas Lunch, we are looking for volunteers to help with bag packing in Dunnes Stores, Jetland on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 October. Any time you have available would be greatly appreciated.  Please contact Margaret at 087 2107934 or Anne at 087 2122842.

 

 Gach dea-ghuí

 

________________________ 

 

J. Lyons

Principal

Friday, October 8, 2010

School Note October 7th.

Dear parents,
I wish to bring the following to your attention.
In order to improve communication and access to information for parents, the school has recently launched a blog which may be found on the internet at the address www.ballybrownns.ie
Information such as the school calendar for the year, Healthy Eating policy, Code of Behaviour may be found on the site. The Thursday note will be posted on the site each week in case your child is absent on that day or the note gets mislaid. In time, we hope to post information on upcoming events, Green School activities and Parents Association news.
There will be a collection of clothes, shoes etc on Friday October 15th. with funds going to our very active Parents Association. A note about this has gone out today. All items will be collected no later than 10 a.m. on that day. The school will be open from 8 a.m. on that morning. Please go directly to the Halla via the Junior Yard.
Parents of children in Junior Infants to Third Class are invited to attend an Information Evening on Shared Reading presented by Ms Siobhan Doherty in the school on Monday next October 11th at 8.30 p.m.

Our Green School Committee, consisting of 2 representatives of each class, working under the guidance of Mrs Hodgins, Ms Mc Carthy and Ms Fitzgerald, met this week to plan their activities for the year. Recycling, reducing waste, saving energy and maintaining the appearance of the school and school grounds were all on the agenda.
Gach dea-ghuí,

_______________________ 
J. Lyons
Principal

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

School Note September 30th

Dear Parents,
I wish to bring the following to your attention.

Ms Siobhán Doherty will visit Ballybrown National school on Monday October 11th  at 8.30 p.m. to speak to parents on the topic of Shared Reading and how you can help your child with Shared Reading. This will be of most interest to parents of children in classes from Junior Infants to Third Class or any parent whose child has difficulty with reading.
Siobhan will also give parents advice on how to help your child in the area of Oral Language, an aspect of the English programme that can be difficult in an age when children may spend much of their time occupied with computers or Playstation and opportunities for conversation may not arise.
Siobhan is a Learning Support/ Resource teacher in St Paul's NS in Dooradoyle. For the last few years, she worked with the Primary Professional Development Service, advising teachers on curricular and instructional issues. This Information Night is being run at the initiative of our Parents' Association who recently donated €500 to the school for the purchase of class novels in Sixth Class and toys for Senior Infants. This is greatly appreciated.
The Parents' Association is organising a Recycling Day on Friday October 15th. ,  similar to the very successful venture of last year. Old Clothes, shoes, bed linen etc. Further information nearer to the date.

Finally, I would like to thank parents for supporting the school's Healthy Eating policy since we returned from the summer break.

Gach dea-ghuí,

_____________________ 
J. Lyons
Principal