Wednesday, June 29, 2016

School note June 29th

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29-6-2015.

Dear parents,

                    We have reached the end of another school year. On Monday, 28 Sixth class pupils graduated after eight years in the school. Thanks to Ms Nolan and Ms O Connor for the work they put into the Graduation Ceremony. We are lucky to have such talented teachers.Fr Cussen was once again of great assistance as he has been throughout the year.

               On Friday, Mairead Kelly from the HSE  visited the school to celebrate the school's nomination as a Health Promoting School.  Mairéad was most impressed by the work done in the school to achieve this recognition and said that our Health Promoting Schools submission will be used as a template by the HSE for other schools who become involved in this project.

               Mr Hodnett's endeavours were rewarded when the school received the Active Flag. This was the culmination of two years of work. I am grateful to Mr Hodnett and Ms Gibbons for the enthusiasm and energy they brought to bear on these activities. The children are the real winners.

       Also on Friday, John Tuohy, manager of the Limerick camogie team and camogie player Muireann Creamer presented medals to the school's  Under 13 team, winners of City and County honours.

           The School's Parents' Association has presented the school with a cheque for €2,100 which will go towards the purchase of six levels of books for the Literacy Lift Off  programme which was introduced in the school this year, initially at Junior Infant level. This is a most welcome gesture and is further evidence of the great contribution of the Parents' Association to the school.

            The Book Rental Scheme offered by the school has met with a very 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 Millar for taking on the task of coordinating the Book Rental Scheme and to Anne Hannan,  Harry Hannan and teacher Miriam O Shaughnessy for the hours of work they put in last week to ensure the books will be ready for use in September.

                   The 2016 school magazine is now available. With 64 pages in full colour it is great value at  €3 per copy or two copies for €5.

                 Homework journals are now available from the School Office.

         School will close tomorrow Thursday June 30th. at 12.30 p.m. sharp.  Junior and Senior Infant classes will be collected at 12.10 p.m. to alleviate the traffic situation. School reopens on Wednesday August 31st. for school year 2016-2017. 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

Thursday, June 23, 2016

School note June 23rd 2016

 

 

 

 


Dear parents,

                     We are approaching the end of a busy year in Ballybrown NS. This week is Active Week and there are activities every day. Yesterday, we had the School Fun Sports Day. This involves a huge amount of organisation and I appreciate the effort that all the teachers make to ensure the day is enjoyable for all. In the afternoon, our Third and Fourth class boys played Kildimo NS in a hurling game. Thanks to Cian Hedermann and Killian Gavin who acted as referees and mentors.  The children who were not involved in the hurling took part in a Zumba class which was extremely enjoyable.

                     On Tuesday, all children took part in 'Walk A Mile with a Smile'. Infant classes and First Class walked to Breska Rovers pitch. Second, Third and Fourth classes walked to Kilkeedy Cemetery while Fifth and Sixth classes walked to Carrig. We were fortunate that so many parents joined the walk to ensure the safety of all concerned. In the afternoon, there was a hurling/camogie match involving the boys and girls of Sixth class.               

                   Last week was Friendship Week and all classes took part in activities to encourage friendship and kindness.

                   On Monday next, June 27th., the Sixth Class Graduation will take place. Fr Cussen will say a special Mass at 1.30 p.m. which will be followed by the Graduation Ceremony to celebrate the end of primary education for these boys and girls. We will also say farewell to Sixth Class teacher Ms Nolan who returns to her school in Dublin. Mr Hodnett, who has been with us in a temporary capacity for almost three years, has secured a permanent position in Newcastle West. Ms O Connor will not be on staff in this school in the next school year so it is a time of change. We will be sorry to lose such devoted and accomplished teachers who are all wonderful colleagues.

                     In September, we will have our largest number of children on roll since the school first opened. The teachers of Infant classes would appreciate if you could provide any of the following: jigsaws, cars, trucks, dolls, Lego,  clothes for dressing up, toys for imaginative play e.g. Post Office, garage, farm, kitchen etc. Please drop them into the school next week if possible.

                           Please note that school will close for the summer holidays on Thursday June 30th. at 12.30 p.m. It would be appreciated if all children were collected promptly. In order to alleviate traffic problems, children in Infant classes may be collected at 12.10 p.m.


Gach dea-ghuí,

 

J. Lyons

Principal

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Active School Week 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Parents,

 

We are delighted to announce that Ballybrown NS will celebrate Active Week from June 20th-24th. Children will participate in a variety of activities throughout the week including orienteering, obstacle courses, tug of war and even some cricket!

 

On Tuesday 21st, 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 Wednesday 22nd , the school will hold its Non-Competitive Sports Day. In the afternoon, we will raise our newly awarded Active Flag and Health Promoting Schools Flag.

 

On Thursday 23rd, all students will have the opportunity to come to school dressed as a sports star of their choice.

 

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! We also recommend bringing some extra drinking water to school for the week. Thank you for your support in advance. 

 

 

       

Thursday, June 2, 2016

School note June 2nd

Dear parents,

                   The school has just been informed that, as a result of our work over the last two years, we have been awarded an Active School Flag. This is richly merited and I want to thank all the teachers, especially Mr Hodnett and Ms Gibbons, who have taken responsibility for the  Active School and Health Promoting School initiatives. The children are the real winners.

              Change of date: Please note that our School Sports will now take place on Wednesday June 22nd as part of Active School Week.

               Letters regarding the patronage letter of the proposed post primary school in Mungret were distributed to parents of children in classes from First to Fifth. Please return to the school tomorrow June 3rd

              As we enjoy the recent spell of fine weather, please remember plain navy shorts are allowed. No stripes, logos or denim.

           Camogie: Best wishes to the Under 13 team which has qualified for the county stage. The semi final of the Green and White Shield will take place on Tuesday June 14th in Mick Neville Park, Rathkeale at 12.30 p.m. Final at 1.40 p.m.

Report cards:  Please supply the school with a stamped addressed envelope, minimum DL size (22cm x 11 cm). Separate envelopes required for each pupil.

               Homework Club: Ms Keyes and Ms Gibbons are hoping to establish an after-school homework club, in Ballybrown NS, beginning in September 2016. The homework club will be made available to students from 3rd to 6th class, and will run from Monday to Thursday, for a nominal fee. At present, we are surveying the parents of the children in these classes to gauge interest in the club. If you have not yet returned the survey, please do so as soon as possible. 

           Community Games: For all children who qualified to represent Ballybrown /Clarina at the Community Games County Finals in Mungret, the events take place on the weekend of June 10/11/12. There will be a training session at the school field on Fri 3rd and Mon 6th if you wish to attend. Further details are available from Pauline (087 8365545) or Áine (086 2070889).

          Kevin and Mary Conway would like to thank everyone in Ballybrown N.S. for their overwhelming support of today's Ice Cream Party fundraiser. Icy treats were enjoyed by everyone in the school and we were delighted to receive such generous donations to our sponsorship fund. 100% of all money raised will go to Mustard Seed Communities Ireland to help fund the building of a school in the Little Angels Project in Zimbabwe. A special word of thanks to the teachers and pupils of 5th and 6th class who helped make it all possible.  
              School will be closed all next week from June 7th to 10th inclusive and reopen on Monday June 13th.

 

Gach dea-ghuí,


J. Lyons

Principal