The term from Christmas to Easter has been very busy. The very cold snowy days of early January seem very far away, yet it is only 14 weeks since we came back to school after Christmas. During this time the school has produced and staged the musical Bugsy Malone at An Draíocht and performed a wonderful repertoire of choral music in the Basketball Arena. The school hurling team trained, played and won in its first ever hurling game for the school. Many children ran at an athletics’ meetings in Porterstown. Children have written books, won national awards and taken part in many competitions and quizzes. They came second in the local Credit Union Quiz and did very well in the National Parents’ Council Quiz recently. Our girls’ and boys’ football teams have been training hard and representing the school. Basketball has commenced and our soccer teams have been on the field regularly. Junaid Abdulkarim has just won an An Taisce Green Schools’ award winning a digital video camera and €300 for the school and a brand new bicycle for himself.
The Sixth class boys and girls have been confirmed after weeks of preparation and our Communion classes are nearing their big day. Well done to those confirmed and particular thanks to the boys and girls who voluntarily contributed some of their Confirmation money to four special charities. It is a pity that the ceremony has in recent times become very noisy due to people talking and moving in and out of the church on a continual basis. We hope there will not be a repetition of this for our First Holy Communion. The children, teachers and parents put a lot of effort into these important spiritual milestones in the children's lives and it is important that all present respect the occasion.
Over 100 children have enrolled for next September and we look forward to welcoming them to the school soon.
The staging of Bugsy Malone was a major achievement and one which the school undertakes every few years. To all concerned I say a hearty congratulations! It was a magnificent production and the boys and girls were a credit to themselves, their families and the school. Over 1200 people went to see the show and such was the demand for the tickets that the school could have put on many more performances. This was a team effort of huge proportions and I want to congratulate and thank all the staff, parents, friends and the community for all the work and support.
Many of the activities outlined are over and above the call of duty and I acknowledge on behalf of the children and the parents the dedication of staff to the school at a time when the public service is getting poor press. Enjoy the Easter break and I have no doubt that the next term will be equally as busy and we hope as memorable as the last.
Thank you for your cooperation during the disruption outside the school during the recent roadworks. We hope these will be completed before we reurn after Easter. Safety is a primary concern and I urge you all to use the designated crossing areas in the mornings and after school. Please respect our Lollipop Ladies, Terry and Vera who do a tremendous job for the school on a daily basis in rain, hail, wind and sunshine.
The school has been trying very hard for a number of years to have the issue of the side entrance to the school dealt with. I understand that our local councillors are working to have the matter resolved. In the meantime, thank you for your patience.
As we seek to gain our 4th Green we are focusing on transport. We need to look at how we come to school and try to walk or cycle rather than always travelling by car. There will be a new bus lane on the school side of Huntstown Way soon so parking will be totally prohibited (as it is at present!) in the mornings. Try to encourage your child and indeed take up the challenge yourselves as parents to walk,cycle or take public transport to school.
Our Parents' Association deserve special mention for their commitment to the school and the hard work they do fund raising, helping out with our various big school events and generally supporting the school throughout the year. They organised the envelope collection this year, which was very successful and thank you to all the families who contributed so generously. The Association researched and have produced a new more suitable and harder wearing tracksuit which will be available for September. Those who have the present tracksuits may continue wearing them and there is some old stock available in the shop over the next few weeks at bargain prices of €25. (Tracksuit bottoms: €12.50)
