Friday, June 26, 2015

Class arrangements for 2015-2016


                     The following are the arrangements for next school year.

                     Please note the following.

                     Ms. Day is taking part in a teacher exchange and will be moving to Dublin for 2015-2016. Ms Helen Nolan will join the staff of Ballybrown NS. Ms Nolan is currently Deputy principal of Holy Trinity Senior National School in Donaghmede.

                     Mrs Mulroe and Ms O Connor will jobshare next year. They will teach Second Class. An information meeting for parents/guardians of  children in Second class will be held in the first week of September.

Yours,

J. Lyons

Principal

 

Classes 2015-2016

 

Junior Infants A:   Ms Keyes

 

Junior Infants B:   Mrs Fitzgerald

 

Senior Infants:     Mrs Hodgins

 

Senior Infants & First:   Mrs Ivess

 

First: Mr Sheehy

 

Second: Mrs Mulroe and Ms O Connor

 

Third Class: Appointment to be confirmed in mid- July following interview process

 

Fourth class: Mr Lordan

 

Fifth class: Ms Gibbons

 

Sixth class: Ms Nolan

 

Special Ed team: Ms Hayes, Mrs Millar,  Mrs Hanly,  Ms Joyce,

 

Ms Joyce will be on Maternity Leave in September and will be replaced by Ms O Shaughnessy

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Whizzkids

To Parents of all Fifth and Sixth Class Pupils 2015-2016

 

Dear parents,

                    This year, the school has once again decided to engage the services of Whizzkids, a company providing an  IT skills programme for Fifth and Sixth Class children. The programme will commence on Friday September 11th. and will run for ten weeks.  The classes are of one hour duration and will be held in the Resource Centre beside the school. The classes are based on the NCCA objectives for ICT and are provided by qualified teachers. There is a strong educational emphasis in this programme. I have also requested a module on internet safety and cyber bullying.  Whizzkids will provide all laptops etc. Computer literacy and technology skills are vital for students today. The programme has been very successful in this school for the past two years. Further information on http://www.whizzkids.ie/In-school-programmes.aspx

            The cost is €40 for ten weeks. This may be paid in full at the outset or in two payments of €20. The money may be paid in September .

I am confident that the programme will be a great success.

 

Yours,

 

_____________

J. Lyons

Principal

School note June 25th 2015

Dear parents,

                    We have reached the end of another school year. Yesterday, thirty-three Sixth class pupils graduated after eight years in the school. It was a pleasure to welcome Fr Muiris O Connor back to Ballybrown to celebrate the Graduation Mass. Thanks to Ms O Shaughnessy and Ms Day for the work they put into the Graduation Ceremony. We are lucky to have such talented teachers.

               On Tuesday, Mayor Kevin Sheahan visited the school to celebrate the award of a third Green Flag. Mayor Sheahan was most impressed by the work done in the school to achieve this recognition. A special Thank You to the Parents' Association who provided ice cream for all 260 pupils. This was greatly appreciated on such a warm day. Entertainment was provided by 'Little Tents' whose lead singer is Laura Duff, a former pupil of this school.

           The Book Rental Scheme offered by the school has met with a good response. A huge amount of work goes into collecting books returned at the end of June, re-covering and labelling them for use the following year. I am grateful to Mrs Dillon for taking on the task of coordinating the Book Rental Scheme and to Anne Hannan and Gráinne Murtagh, assisted by Ciara Fitzgerald and Harry Hannan for the hours of work they put in last week to ensure the books will be ready for use in September. Also to Pauline Lowe who collected the new books from Eason's.

          The class arrangements for next school year are on the reverse side of this note and are also available on the school  website.

           Tomorrow, we bid farewell to Ms Beena Day who is moving to Dublin as part of a Teacher Exchange. We wish her well in her new post. Her talents  will be sorely missed in Ballybrown. Ms Helen Nolan joins the staff of this school in September.

         The 2015 school magazine is now available. With 64 pages in full colour it is great value at  €3 per copy or two copies for €5.

         School will close tomorrow Friday at 12.30 p.m. sharp and re-open on Tuesday September 1st. Junior and Senior Infant classes will be collected at 12.10 p.m. to alleviate the traffic situation. On behalf of the staff and Board of Management of the school,  I hope you all enjoy the summer break and I look forward to seeing you  in the new school year.

Gach dea -ghuí,

 

________

J. Lyons

Principal

_________________________________________________________________ 

 

Ballybrown GAA news: GAA Cúl Camp Mon 29th  June – Fri 3rd July for both boys & girls @

Ballybrown GAA Clubhouse commencing daily at 10am.

Registration from 09:30 on Monday. All welcome.

 







Thursday, June 18, 2015

Clarification


Error in Thursday note:


Graduation is Wednesday 24th  and school ends at 1.15 p.m. on that day for Junior and Senior Infants.

School closes for Summer on Friday June 26th at 12.30 p.m.

Sincere apologies for any confusion

Joe Lyons

School note June 18th

Dear Parents,

                    Active School Week is proving to be a great success. The week started with dance.... Wake Up Shake Up! Yesterday, every child in the school took part in 'Walk a Mile with a Smile.'  Thanks to the parents who volunteered to help out with the various groups and helped ensure safety of children. Today, the school sports day is in full swing.

                  On Tuesday night, Yvonne Deegan spoke to parents about healthy diet. She brought along samples of various products. The night was a great success. Tomorrow, Yvonne will speak to the children from 3rd to Sixth class about Healthy Eating.  We are grateful to Yvonne for giving so generously of her time and expert knowledge.

                Tomorrow morning Friday 19th at 10 a.m., Limerick hurler John Fitzgibbon, scorer of the winning point in the match with Clare, will present medals to our hurling and camogie teams. Parents welcome to attend.

                 Next Tuesday, June 23rd., the school will formally raise our third Green Flag. Cathaoirleach of Limerick City and County Council Kevin Sheahan will be our guest of honour. Parents are welcome to attend.

                School will end for all children in Junior and Senior Infants at 1.15 p.m. on Wednesday June 25th. due to the Sixth Class Graduation ceremony which takes place that afternoon. Please ensure that bus drivers and minders have been informed.

                   Please note that school closes for the summer holidays at 12.30 p.m. on Friday June 27th.

 

Yours,

________

Joe Lyons

Principal

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Active School Week

Dear Parents,

                    We are delighted to announce that Ballybrown NS will celebrate its very first Active Week from June 15th -19th. Children will participate in a variety of activities throughout the week including orienteering, maths trails, and obstacle courses.

 

                   On Tuesday 16th, Yvonne Deegan will host a Healthy Food Demonstration for parents at 7p.m. in the school hall. If you are interested in attending, please reserve your place by ringing the school before Friday 12th June. The children from 3rd to 6th class will also be attending a demonstration from Yvonne on Friday 19th during the school day.

 

                   On Wednesday 17th, all students from Junior Infants to sixth class will partake in a walk from the school to the surrounding locality. We would appreciate any parent volunteers to help on this date to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable trip. We hope to leave the school at approximately 11.30 am. If you are available at this time, please let Rosemarie know as soon as possible. Children will need high visibility jackets for the walk. If you have these jackets at home, please bring them to school as we only have a limited supply.

 

                On Thursday 18th, the school will hold its Non-Competitive Sports Day. In the afternoon children will partake in a Zumba class with instructor Darren Nash.

 

                Each night, children will receive Active Homework which they can complete at home on their own or with family and friends. Don't worry if the weather is bad, the children can get active by hoovering, sweeping or doing other household chores! Please encourage as much physical activity as possible during this week.

 

             Remember to wear school tracksuit / shorts and comfy shoes for the week and prepare to be very active! Thank you for your support in advance. 

 

 

Katie Gibbons                                 Stephen Hodnett

 

                    Active Week co-ordinators

 

 

School Note June 9th

Dear parents,

                      Mr Hodnett and Ms Gibbons are busy organising Active School Week which runs from next Monday June 15th through to Friday 19th. All details on school website. It promises to be a great success. There is a great range of activities planned. I appreciate the thought, planning and effort that have gone into organising this.

             End of year School Reports will issue to all families next week along with an explanatory note re interpreting your child's standardised tests and a note regarding class arrangements for next year.  Please supply the school with a stamped addressed envelope by Friday June 12th., minimum DL size (22cm x 11 cm). Separate envelopes required for each pupil.

            All classes from First to Sixth go on School Tour on Thursday. Please ensure your child is at school in time. Tour details are on www.ballybrownns.ie. All children are asked to stay in the schoolyard as on a normal school morning until their teacher brings them to the bus. No spending money needed. Sunhats and plenty of water strongly recommended as the forecast for Thursday is very promising.  No mobile phones, cameras, or any IT devices allowed. This decision was agreed at Board of Management level.  Every year, valuable items are lost or left behind on buses, in dressing rooms or other areas. The school is also acutely conscious of the issue of Cyberbullying. No exceptions will be made in this regard.  If there is any delay on the return journey, the school will text parents. I am sure everybody will have a great day.  The children from this school can always be relied upon to represent the school impeccably, no matter the occasion.

              Uniform: During the current spell of fine weather, children may wear plain navy shorts if they choose. No stripes or logos please.

              The boys and girls in Sixth Class are working on the 2015 school magazine. If you wish to purchase an advertisement in this publication for a bargain price of €25, please contact the school office.

             The Graduation of 6th class takes place on Wednesday 24th. June at 1.30pm in the school.  We are looking for volunteers to help serve teas and coffees. Please contact the school if you can help for an hour.

 

Parents Association: There is a Recycling day planned for Friday 12th  June.  Please have your bags of unwanted clothes, handbags, paired shoes etc in bags at the school by 9.15a.m. that morning.   Many thanks in advance for your help.

 

 

Gach dea-ghuí,

 

_____________

J. Lyons

Principal